"I need your help."
"With what?"
"An escape."
A brief pause. "Alright, but I want you to do something for me."
-6- Instigation
"Spike, well, he was wearing a weird cloak thingy. It wasn't a poncho, or maybe it was, I'm not too sure. Whatever it was, it concealed his body." A typical Royal Guard stood on the stand while Tether Hitch was questioning.
"I see. Did the attacker ever fly or leap far distances?" Tether asked.
"No, no flying. But he did quite an impressive leap, jumping over a street from rooftop to rooftop," the guard responded.
"So it's possible the attacker performed a feat that is physically impossible for Spike?" Tether asked, levitating a notepad in front of him.
"Well, yeah, but the building he jumped to was lower than the building he jumped from. I mean, he could have been on an adrenaline high," the guard said, shrugging.
Tether allowed the silence to hang before responding. "No further questions."
The eyes of friends and family behind plagued my conscience. I couldn't see them but I could tell all eyes were on me. I started to realize that even if it wasn't true, everything was stacking against me. The system is far from perfect. Before I realized it, Tether was sitting down again and Shining Armour was standing once more.
"I call upon my last witness, Spike's guardian and my sister, Twilight Sparkle, to the stand," he said in a voice that almost cracked on my mother's name.
In a stoic, seemingly practised fashion, Twilight stood up and walked to the stand. Her face didn't have disappointment nor did it have any shred of fear displayed. She was perfectly calm and didn't even glance at Shining Armour. Either she was focused entirely on answering questions or was sharing my resentment for Shining Armour at the moment.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help Mother Gaia?"
"Yes."
"State your name and address, please."
"Twilight Sparkle, Golden Oaks Library," she responded in a practised fashion.
Shining Armour hesitated in speaking as even he could tell when his sister was seemingly angry.
"You've hatched Spike and spent many of your years raising him, is that correct?" Shining asked.
"No need to clarify, the court knows our connection, Shining," Twilight responded in a pressed tone.
Shining Armour had a look of bewilderment for a second before clearing his throat, taking a glance down at the records he held in the air.
"Okay, I'll get straight to the point. Did you or did you not know where Spike had gone the night of the murders?"
"He stopped by the Golden Oaks Library at 7:13 PM and borrowed fifty bits and left before I asked him why."
"What was Spike's mood during this visit?"
"He was excited and really jumpy in regards to purchasing a gift for the upcoming Hearts and Hooves' day festival in Ponyville," she said, exaggerating the words for Hearts and Hooves.
I heard a gentle gasp escape what was obviously Rarity's mouth from behind me and I felt disappointed to say the least. I had hoped to keep it a surprise, but it wouldn't matter if I'm found guilty.
"Alright then. A few more questions; was, or is Spike entering a growth spurt or the draconic equivalent to puberty?" Shining Armour asked.
"That is a question I cannot answer. The only thing I have confirmed on behalf of Spike's own admission, and I apologize for this Spike, is that after one instance of intercourse, their bodies prepare for breeding. That's the closest you'll get to an answer," Twilight said, not once hesitating or stopping to blush.
Shining Armour seemed to be shifting uncomfortably. I was shifting uncomfortably. I actually heard a young giggle emanating from Rarity's sister, Sweetie Belle. For a second, I forgot about the murder and hunched myself over, blushing as I buried my face in my arms.
"W-well, alright then. Theoretically, said... i-intercourse could also instigate puberty. We cannot tell, so that's simply a thought. Next question: I have noticed a change in Spike's appearance since I first met him to the current date. Are you aware that his body has taken a more brute appearance?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Going back to my theory, has Spike ever had any aggressive behaviour or acted out-of-line with you or seemed different in a way you wouldn't consider Spike to be... Spike?" Shining Armour asked, his voice finding itself again.
"Of course he has acted aggressive. It's in the nature of every living creature to show aggression at certain points, but in regards to the second half... yes."
"Can you describe an instance?"
"About six years ago, Spi—"
"No, never mind," Shining Armour cut her off. "I was hoping for something more recent."
I almost dropped my jaw at that while Twilight went for the more subtle eyebrow raise directed at her brother. "Hoping?"
"Uh, what I mea—err, I meant..." He coughed into his hoof and stared up at Twilight. "I'm the one asking questions here. Or not. No further questions."
Celestia nodded. "Does the defence wish to cross-examine the witness?"
"Negative," Tether responded.
Yeesh, what the hell was just accomplished? I thought.
"Your Highness, I wish to present some evidence found at numerous scenes in Canterlot," Shining Armour spoke up.
He can just request that? I thought.
Celestia nodded her head and Shining Armour stood up, lifting two sheets with him. He stood in front of the Princess and turned around. "I call Spike the Dragon to the stand."
Sighing, I carefully slid my chair back and made my way towards the stand. I sat down on the stool and looked down at Shining Armour, robotically proceeding through the usual. Finally, Shining Armour held the sheets up and I got a closer look.
"Unicorn Inspection Team scoped all of Canterlot, especially the area where you apparently made contact with my soldiers. As all living beings have magical signatures, those of which retaining the most being Unicorns, we had scanned and picked up traces of the magical signature left that didn't correspond with the guards present at the scene and when cross-referencing it with yours upon your initial incarceration, we have found a 79% match. The ashes created by your flame breath were also scanned and yielded a 95% match to your flame breath."
He held up the sheet so the jury and audience could spot it. What looked like an infrared spectrum was shown. "This first sheet shows the magical signatures given off by Spike the Dragon." He held up the second sheet which had another spectrum on it. "This is the data given off by the residue found throughout Canterlot. They are nearly identical save for a few parts near the beginning and end which can be explained as ignition as well as fading." He turned back and faced me. "Can you explain that?" Shining Armour asked.
I gulped, remembering something Twilight once told me. "D-dragons can pick up certain magical signatures from spells attributed to their flame breath. An example being that I and another dragon can both learn spells that send and receive messages and have an almost identical magical presence. And as for the first part... I wouldn't know, not all of us have met dragons."
Shining Armour stepped closer to the stand before merely being a foot away. "I have, numerous times. And I'm sick of all this constant negative contact with them as are my entire guard, Spike."
"Objection, he's badgering the suspect," Tether spoke up.
"Shining Armour, dial it back a bit. This is a trial, not an interrogation," Celestia piped up.
The almost-growling face in front of my own, Shining Armour looked as though he would ignore the regal princess, sending a shrill scream wailing through my mind to panic. Luckily, he sniffed and walked back towards the table.
"And I have one more bit of evidence," he stated, putting the sheets back in the briefcase where he pulled them out.
In its place was a stack of more sheets. Upon closer inspection, they were photos... of a purple dragon tearing up Canterlot. Spreading them out so I could see, many of them were blurred, but one could easily mistake the dragon for me. Several of them were almost perfect, catching the form, size and shape of the drake. He almost matched me in size, but it's nearly impossible to tell due to the rain and cloak covering his body.
"Photographic evidence placing Spike the Dragon at the scene of the crime. Photos of him running through Canterlot, photos of him attacking Royal Guards, photos of him destroying public property, photos of him attacking both guards and civilians with his flame breath," he said, pausing as he pulled out three more photos. "And two photos of a purple-scaled, green-spine, cloaked dragon in Manehatten and Las Pegasus, both shortly after the murder of two ponies."
Silence hung in the courtroom as I stared at those photos he held up as if they were a target for all of my hate and rage. Photos of a murder who took my image and is using it to ruin my life and pin the whole mess on me... and I couldn't stop it. The court had seen them all. My friends had seen them. The princess, my mother... Rarity. If there was ever something that could condemn you easily, it'd be photographic evidence. And Shining Armour had enough to fill a photo album.
"Just to remind you that we have an almost perfect match in magical signature as well as photographic evidence of Spike's involvement. And there is also the fact that he has no alibi on the night when good, innocent ponies were killed in cold blood... by none other than Spike the Dragon," Shining Armour said, each word dripping with rage hidden by a uniform of the sun.
"And that is all, your highness."
[*][*][*]
"And is that all, your highness?"
A loud smack radiated through my body as I tumbled to the ground, rubbing my scalp where the pain started. Gelid stood above me and sniffed at me.
"Apologies, but I really hate being called your highness. And yes, that is all I ask," she responded, standing me up then sitting me down on a rock stool. Disoriented, I shook my head to reorient myself. Strangely, it worked.
Upon having a decent sleep for once in this prison, I woke up the next day, went through routine that was not routine to me, and proceeded to break. Gelid was forming more rock sculptures, and it seems like previous ones were kept in the yard. She pretty much made an entire house's worth of stone furniture all with a couple of weeks and a tail. This lovely living room of stone sat under the stone awning in the courtyard. Talented gal, she'd do lovely in the construction industry.
"Alright then, but if I tell you, you have to hear me out, okay?" I asked.
Gelid waved her hand and laid back on the stone couch. Oddly enough, the stone furniture felt more comfy the more I laid on it. Then again, stone was all I had in solitary.
"Alright, so I was told that taking down the Warden removes the seal on our bodies," I said.
"Wait wait, who told you?"
Thinking, I almost stated what it was until I realized how stupid it sounded. Sighing in disappointment at being branded an idiot, I shrugged my shoulders and faced Gelid.
"A voice while I was in solitary," I responded.
"And you just ate it up."
Shaking my head, I shifted around on the small stool I had and stretched my back until it cracked. "I already have knowledge of spells and seals and the Warden's seal is something I like to call a 'Magnetic Seal'; my mother told me about these kind of seals that are created and linked with its creator yet it can be cast by any old average joe, and you can cast it as many times without fault or requiring a break. Costs no magic to maintain at all."
"Instead, it's sharing a life with its own genesis; the Unicorn and/or Unicorn's magic, in this case it being a dragon. If the original gets a boost in magic, the seal gets a lot harder to break. If they fall deathly ill, you could practically remove it with an eraser. This is that case with the Warden; his seal is magnetic. It sticks to him and him only but anyone can use it. Kill the object the magnet is attached to and the magnet will drop. In this case, kill the Warden and the seal fades into nothing. The very existence depends on its origin. An arm functions just fine but if you kill the owner, the arm dies as well. Get my drift?"
She nodded her head. "Dragon's aren't supposed to be eggheads, but I guess you're cool."
I shrugged. "In Equestria, I'm actually equivalent to a teenager in terms of intelligence. My mother is fifty times my intelligence. Or something."
"Huh. Alright then, this all makes sense. So that's all you know about the Warden?" Gelid asked, sitting up on the jagged rock.
"All I care about," I responded.
"Gotcha."
"So, you gonna hear me out?"
"Sure, whatever."
Sighing, I rolled my eyes just as Gelid's gaze locked onto someone. Thinking it to be the Warden across the yard, I slowly turned around to check him out, only to see a larger dragon standing directly behind me. I almost had a heart attack, opting to just roll off the stool instead. Glancing up, it was the same dragon that talked to me about confidence, and how I'm an apparent badass in the prison.
"Name's Haruo," he said, waving to Gelid
"I know, now buzz off, we're talkin' here," she responded in a raspy voice, her body no longer moving casually.
"I know, but that's an interesting notion you have there. Plannin' on killing the Warden? Pretty big stuff," he said, taking my spot on the stool.
Grumbling, I stood up and walked over to the couch, sitting next to Gelid. By comparison, Gelid was a foot taller than me, and Haruo was two feet taller than Gelid. The sun almost silhouetted his figure but I could still see a goofy smile on his face.
"Okay, what's the catch?" I asked, doing my best to seem intimidating.
"Woah, calm down there, sport. You'll get a tummy-ache," he said, chuckling at himself.
"'ey c'mon, I'll show you a sport," I said, swinging a fist at him.
Gelid buried her face in her palm as Haruo started laughing heartily at my antics. I snorted, crossing my arms in mock-rage. Haruo calmed down just as quickly as he started and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and his chin in his palms.
"Yes, the catch. What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"He means, what do you want in exchange for not telling the Warden?" Gelid responded, pulling out of her palm of shame.
He shrugged his shoulders, maintaining that odd smile. "I want in on your little escape plan, because why else would you want the seal gone?"
"Yeah, about that, I'd rather you screw off since you'll be escaping along with everyone else when the seal goes down," Gelid responded.
"If, it goes down," I corrected her.
"Hmm?"
I looked up at her with what must have looked like hopeless eyes. "You saw the other week, how those dragons were slaughtered. We can't screw this up," I said.
"And how you gonna not screw it up?" Haruo asked, his smile fading.
"Last time, I just rallied up a couple of hotheads in the lunch room which wasn't that full to begin with. This time," I raised a finger, pointing into the courtyard, "we'll use the entire prison. Every single inmate to overpower Lockdown."
Gelid rolled her eyes and shook her head. "And how the nuts are you going to accomplish that? Last time I heard, you weren't exactly the motivational genius considering you practically murdered a bunch of buds enjoying lunch."
I glanced at Haruo, waiting a second to see if he piped up to input. Nothing, so I sighed and looked at the two.
"Before I reveal it, I have to know for certain: You two are in for this, correct?" They both nodded their heads, seemingly tensing up. "Alright, here's what we do..."
[*][*][*]
A gentle stroll is lovely, especially since we have some decent weather today. The sun is trying to peak through the clouds and the wind is a warm breeze. Pretty much everyone is well-behaved today. No skirmishes, no bumping. Shame we have to ruin that. Geez, I feel heartless since some dragons will die in the ensuring battle. I should be trying to save everyone, so I will take on the guilt these sacrifices make and let them torment me my whole life... so I can stop Lockdown.
Walking around the prison all day was pretty boring. I had to wait until a place got crowded and until Haruo lured the other guards out. He stated he was confident in his ability to take out one guard, and hopefully we'll be seeing the rest of the inmates enter the large courtyard.
Above, the Warden could be seen staring down at us from his lovely little perch. Like a hawk, watching the ground for anything unruly so he may swoop down and end his prey. I glared at him, attempting to make my rage boil over my concern so that I wouldn't be weak in the upcoming... war. Yeah, war sounds fitting.
As if on cue, many more inmates flooded into the courtyard. Unfortunately, the three or so inside solitary will have to wait to see if we manage to overthrow the prison. Then again, I'm not thinking far ahead, I'm acting pretty selfishly. These dragons... some of them truly are murderers, so their deaths will be fitting. An eye for an eye. That sounds right. Maybe the same can be said... for my 'family' at home...
Regardless, it's time to start this.
. . .
Gelid was just ahead, winking at me once to signal that she's ready. A quick scan showed Haruo seemingly mingling with the rest of the inmates that were just released. A guard quickly ran in from outside, badgering the group due to Haruo's work. He bore a blade of some sort and was seemingly looking for Haruo. Time to get the eyes off him.
I walked forward and bumped into Gelid. Luckily for me, she bumped me hard enough to bump into someone else. A taller, lanky black dragon with a ring in his snout. He turned to tell me to watch it, but I was ahead of him on that for Gelid.
"Watch it, you cyan bitch," I said, crinkling my snout and rearing my fists.
She spun around, legitimately looking angry. Nervousness flashed by me, but I realized that ever since my weight-lifting, I could actually match her. I was just shorter.
"'scuse me? I'm not the little kid here, shrimp," she said, stomping towards me.
Instead of responding, I ran forward and jumped into her, wrapping my arms around her body and pressing my face into her chest. The bandana hid the fact that she had small lumps pretty well. Good thinking, woman. Using all of my might, I placed my foot down and did something awesome Rainbow Dash showed me one time while practising with a sandbag. I used my shortness to place my head under Gelid's arm and lifted her up. I kept one hand on her thigh and did my best to dig my claws in, grunting to make it seem authentic. Then again, Gelid told me to do something painful and something that would affect others.
I flipped backwards, slamming Gelid into the ground behind me while her legs flipped back and hit the very guy I bumped, knocking him into a group of three. The supplex sure sounded painful.
"FIGHT!" someone shouted.
I balanced myself and turned to face Gelid only to find the dragon she accidentally kicked lunging over her towards me. Instead of panicking like the old Spike would have, I ducked a bit until his body was leaping over my own. I punched both hands upward and impacted the underbelly of the black dragon. He rolled forward and knocked over a group of five. Behind me, I could hear Gelid grunting as she got up, shoving several other dragon's into others. Haruo was already in a shouting match with several other dragons, rearing to fight while the guard present was conflicted; numerous fights were starting to break out and above, several guards were already blowing whistles.
A roar sounded in Gelid's position and she charged right at me. I attempted to brace it but she thrust her arms forward, placing her palms in my arm pits and lifted me off the ground as she shoved me through a large group of dragons that gathered to watch the fight. After a few seconds, she threw me off and I hit one of the prison's larger inmates in the ankle. He was easily eight feet tall and turned to face me, spotting three dragons charging at him. He snorted and kicked at them, ignoring the fact that Gelid and I rested next to his tail as he sent one dragon flying. Shouts of gangs intruding with others, profanities as well as insults to the size of each others' genitalia were made. Needless to say, our job was done.
To keep up the ruse as well as get others involved, Gelid and I continued throwing each other around the courtyard into other groups of dragons, all whom started hitting the one that bumped them regardless of who caused the bump. By the time I got a chance to scan the area, ten guards swooped down and entered the courtyard wherein every single inmate present was in a fight with someone. According to Haruo, this is only 60% of the prison's inmate population. And it didn't stop; more dragons kept piling out after hearing about how "the boys are getting into it with Falken's gang" and such. The courtyards were slowly getting filled up with every inmate. As it was evident the ten guards sent down weren't enough to quell a full-scale prison riot with almost every inmate, a siren went off in the prison.
Just as fast as the riot started, guards began pouring into the courtyard out of the prison as well as dropping down from the towers. 10, 20, 40, 80 guards and more just kept coming. Inmates ganged up on one guard, there was some one-on-one going on, and it was complete chaos just as we predicted. Haruo was visible in the distance in the midst of it all while Gelid and I hid behind some stone furniture she made. Others lunged at him with their fists thrust toward his face and he blew them off. Sometimes he took the hit and backhanded them without looking, obviously used to combat. It really made me wonder what his age was since it was evident that not all dragons are 100-feet tall when fully grown, Lockdown being the prime example.
He made his way over to us without dying and he ducked down behind the couch next to ours. He pointed into the sky from under the awning.
"Those Pegasi realize that the guards have no chance with a full-scale riot," he said.
Looking up, there were six Pegasi that took off in the direction towards the sun at speeds Rainbow Dash would be proud of. A quick glance into the chaos revealed that the guard I actually became fond of wasn't present, which was good. I had grown attached, which may bite me in the ass later. I already feel terrible since the guards are going to be suffering just as much as the inmates. Taking my mind off the guards, we scanned the courtyards as well as the towers.
"The Warden isn't coming into the courtyard?" I asked.
Gelid shook her head. "Doesn't look like it. This is odd, considering he has always come out during these riots."
"This isn't the usual riot. The fact that they're calling in backup from the mainlands means that it's not likely to pan out the way the Warden expects. He's either holing up in his office, retreating to the guard's barracks, or he's hiding elsewhere in the prison," Haruo said. He pointed at the Warden's tower. "That is the safest spot for the Warden since it'd be a vantage point, but he could be anywhere."
"Right, we need to split up an—" I was cutoff as a younger dragon flew overhead, smashing into the wall behind me. I glanced back once and noticed that an absurdly large guard was charging right for us.
"SEPARATE!" Gelid shouted.
We each dived away from the charge as the guard ran straight into the stone, shattering it and sending rocks flying everywhere. One hit me on the side of the head, but it wasn't too large so I was merely slightly dazed
"Split up! Spike, head towards the solitary confinement area. There's a path there that leads further into the volcano which may be where the Warden is hiding. I'll head up to his tower, and Gelid, go to the Guard's Barracks! Meet up here in twenty!" Haruo shouted as the guard turned towards him.
The guard started chasing after Haruo as he bolted in the direction of one of the exits of the courtyard. A quick glance towards the centre showed that many dragons were going down, and in the same ratio of inmates-to-guards, the guards were suffering the same losses either due to knockouts or death. Gelid and I looked to each other and nodded. We both bolted in two directions; Gelid, through the riot and towards the other entrance, and me... directly to the entrance to the cell blocks.
[*][*][*]
Gelid darted down the hallways, meeting no guards due to the riot occurring outside. Even this far into the prison, darting past the first cell block, she could hear roaring and fighting outside. She cringed every time she felt the ground rumbling, leaving anything that was happening to imagination. She attempted to shut that out as she ran up a set of shambled stairs, darting into a dank hallway heavy with a sweaty scent. Up ahead, numerous doors passed by covered in darkness with steam exiting. She had to be passing the guard's change rooms given the smell. Passing by, she heard a growling coming from somewhere in the hallway. Ahead, a doorway lead into a brighter lit hallway with stone walls in better shape than the rest of the prison.
Ignoring the growling that seemed to echo throughout the current area, she proceeded into the next hallway. It was more brighter lit, assisted by the positioning of a window allowing rays of the sun that somehow managed to break through the clouds. Probably due to the lack of Pegasi tending to the mass of water. Ahead, she saw a short dragon standing in the opposite end of the hallway. Pressed suit, strong stance and what appeared to be an aggravated attitude. The Warden stood in attendance, staring down Gelid.
"The intel was correct, you are after my blood," he said in a stoic, almost disappointed voice. "I had hoped that it was for a reason other than petty vengeance."
Gelid's eyes sharpened, the pupils turning to slits. Her whole body leaned forward and she prepared to lunge. Fangs barred and a growl rumbled from her chest. She went from idle, desperate fear to almost raging beast.
"It wouldn't have to be petty if you didn't have to be a complete monster," she said, her voice choking as she held back inner rage.
"If I'm not, you'll have someone else to direct your anger at. It's in the nature of dragon's to feel anger towards an individual. To not would be against our very nature," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I wouldn't have to suffer through this prison or be suffering at all if it weren't for you," she roared, taking a step forward. Lockdown gave her a bemused glare in response. "NONE of those dragons you slaughtered deserved to die! No one does!" She took a step forward. "But for you, I'm able to make an exception."
She lunged forward, throwing herself onto all fours and ran directly at Lockdown. He didn't react or brace himself. Gelid hopped into the air above Lockdown and dive-bombed on him, her arms crossed to absorb the initial impact from either the Warden or the floor. He met her attack by jumping forward, head first into her arms while he reached his hands forward, grabbing onto Gelid by her elbows. His palms were placed flat against her forearm, preventing her from moving her arms. Her body ultimately descended, feet touching against the ground as her arms were still held in place, forcing her arms to be in a position that nearly broke them. The Warden's strength prevailed over her own and she found several tears welling up in her eyes.
Rather than succumbing, Gelid's tail lunged from under her towards the Warden's underbelly. The sharp tail almost stabbed into the soft flesh, missing its target due to Lockdown's release of Gelid's arms. She didn't pull back, instead continuing her attempted assault. She threw a punch forward towards the Warden's stiff snout, only for him to tilt his head, dodging. She repeatedly threw punches at him only for Lockdown to sniff them out by moving just out of the way. Wailing and wailing to no effect, she growled.
"STOP DODGING!" she shouted.
Complying, the Warden stood still and took one of Gelid's punches to his chest. He took a step back from the hit, but other than that he didn't feel any pain from it. His eyes had glanced down upon impact and slowly he tilted his head up to meet Gelid's eyes. She took a step back and threw a punch towards his face, feeling a satisfying crack upon connecting with the side of his face. She followed up by punching him in the face three more times, each time he took a step back from the impact. After her third punch, Lockdown caught Gelid's fist in one hand and caught the other just as she attempted to swing that one as well.
"Feisty but no skill to match it with. You should have trained," Lockdown said.
"DON'T MOCK M—" Gelid's shout was cut off as Lockdown headbutted her in the snout.
He released her hands just as he did so, allowing her to bring her hands up to grab at her now bleeding snout. She shuffled back several feet in response and after having clenched her eyes shut for the duration of the initial pain, she opened them just as Lockdown stepped forward and thrust a fist into her gut. She released her snout and threw her arms out from the impact, gasping as she felt air leave her lungs. The Warden didn't hesitate, slugging her in the side of the head while she keeled over in pain. Her face swung to the side, her body turning with her. As she put one side closer to the Warden, he quickly swung his other fist at her knee, knocking her foot out from under her as she tumbled over onto her hands and knees in a coughing fit.
Gelid growled, feeling more rage bubbling up inside her head. She swung one of her hands forward regardless of her breathing troubles and latched onto the Warden's ankle. She yanked at it and successfully pulled his foot off the ground. He was unphased by it to say the least and took advantage of the fact his foot was off the ground to stop his heel right into the crane of Gelid's snout between her eyes. Rather than take the pain with a whimper and clenching of the wounded spot, an adrenaline high seemed to kick in and Gelid leaped to her feet, ignoring the pain and ringing in her skull as she threw her whole body forward. Wrapping her arms around the Warden, she pushed her feet off the ground and shoved Lockdown backwards.
Eventually his foot caught one of the cracks in the stone floor and they tumbled to the ground, Gelid on top. She pulled her arms out and sat on his chest. He laid sprawled out on the ground, looking up at Gelid with yet another bored expression. She proceeded to wail on the Warden's face, smashing her fists against him with all of her strength.
"NO, NO, NO, NO! STOP! JUST DIE, GODDAMMIT! DIE! DON'T GET UP!" she shouted, her voice cracking and tears bursting out from her eyes.
Lockdown's hands shifted and grabbed her wrists as she attempted to hit him again, stopping her assault. She let out a gasp, stopping her shouting from the shock of his grab. He yanked her body down, smashing his forehead against Gelid's. Lockdown released his grip causing the female to swing her body back, holding onto her forehead from the pain that was now registering.
The Warden threw her off himself and stood up as Gelid curled up on the ground, starting to feel the beating her body took. Lockdown sniffed and shook his head with a tsk-tsk before reaching down to grab her bandanna. She yanked her up by it and slammed his other fist down into her head, knocking her into the ground. He maintained his hold on her bandanna and forcibly yanked her to her feet, once again punching her, this time in the gut. She stumbled back into the wall as he let go of her bandanna and swung his arm once more, hitting her face again. She fell over to the side but the Warden grabbed onto her arm, yanking her up to a standing position once more. He grabbed her neck, lifting her off the ground, and threw his fist into her gut three times before dropping her. She was now struggling to cough as she fell down, curling up, and the Warden, just to seal the deal, kicked her in the chest for good measure.
Brushing dust off his jacket, he checked his body for any dust that might have been picked up during the scuffle and turned, walking into the doorway he stood in when Gelid entered the hallway. Before he left, he turned to look back at Gelid. She had just collected herself enough to choke back the tears, shut out the pain and look at the Warden with eyes filled with pain and tears, numerous bleeding cuts on her face adding to the look of agony. Smirking, the Warden reached up to his face, digging his nails into the scales above his forehead. He peeled them off, along with the rest of the face, revealing a magical cosmetic mask.
"If you can't beat me, what hope do you have against the Warden?" he said, his voice changing to one different than that of Lockdown.
A fake... but, he's... he must be the one who framed Spike... wait, if he's not Lockdown...?
He shrugged his shoulders, waving to Gelid. "If you don't mind, I have to go meet up with Lockdown. He's meeting a certain young friend of ours." With that said, he walked out of Gelid's view just as she passed out.
[*][*][*]
Trudging through damp clothes dumped out of a basket haphazardly, I had wadded through a sea of sweaty, used towels deeper in the prison. The heat was more intense in this area, part of being further near the volcano. Noticeably, the stairs changed from the typical stone to more cracked, jagged brick that visibly could be identified as being over a hundred years old. There were wooden pillars reminiscent of a mine and the tunnel leading into the volcano seemed smaller than the large halls of the prison. Pretty soon, the tunnel was small enough for me to feel like I was in a pony mine. The wooden posts also seemed very old and almost rotten, and the presence of rotted wood was evident in numerous areas; this area was very old and constantly having new wood being implanted. The heat would be uncomfortable for a normal pony, so I must have been getting close to my destination.
If the Warden was hiding here, it'd make sense. I must have been descending stairs for over ten minutes now. What started as a gentle hum turned into a rumbling echo. Maybe it was volcanic activity?
Shrugging it off, I kept watching the torches as if they would automatically go out if I didn't acknowledge their presence. The stairs seemed to get older and older the more I went down. Rumbling... flickering... it was like the volcano had a heartbeat. Sweat started to build up from sheer nervousness.
Finally, the bottom was visible. I dunno where the stairs had spiralled. For all I know, I could be directly below the entrance, or I could be a hundred miles away. Or ten. I don't really know my distance. Regardless, I stepped onto cobblestone, staring into a room that opened up wider. A dim light encased the whole room while the ceiling was pitch black. Further ahead, a door could be seen several hundred feet away in a room that was mostly empty. Gulping, I started running forward. The only sound keeping me company was the rumbling echo and I could feel a heat coming from above.
Before I could reach the door, a dark figure dropped from the ceiling. Standing at five-foot nothing, I looked up to the figure that stood barely over me. The Warden stood with his back to me, arms crossed while seemingly humming.
"Warden," I said, standing straight.
"Inmate Spike. How're you?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Not too bad. Tryin' to put an end to this absurd story. You?"
"A little warm. This place could really use some AC, but as for this absurd story... it will end after today. Not in the way you expect it," he said, turning to me with an idle glare.
I pointed a finger directly at him. "This seal. I kind of like it, very effective. Shame it's on me, though. For that, I'm going to take you down, you stupid bastard," I said, smirking while barring my teeth.
"I shall be honest. You are a very pesky rat. I've wanted to obtain you ever since you came to my prestigious prison, but your tenacity and determination to leave here is admirable amongst all dragons. You are a true role model and will be a sorry loss. I'd love to have you in my army," Lockdown said, fixing a button on his suit jacket as he walked towards me.
"I'm not the same Spike. Before I was clouded by shock and guilt. Now, I've got the strength to backup my badass boasts, and there's no way I'm dying on this island, let alone join your army," I responded. I started in a run towards Lockdown, noticing several cloaked figures dropping down from the ceiling in a circle around us. Ignoring it, I focused directly on my enemy. "SO WHY NOT JOIN THE INMATES YOU SLAUGHTERED!?"
Lockdown thrust his fist forward as I ran towards him. I anticipated this very move since Lockdown is in favour of fast attacks. I slid under his fist and heard a small gasp from the Warden's mouth as I headbutted the Warden's underbelly. He let out an 'oof' as he stumbled backwards, having not braced for such an impact. Instead of bouncing back, as the Warden expected due to his arms grabbing at where I would be had I stepped back, I took advantage of my smaller body by rolling between the Warden's legs and grabbing his tail. He spun around, trying to swing his fist at me. I held up his tail as a shield just as his fist made contact with it. It didn't do anything as far as pain but it did inconvenience the Warden. He grunted as I seemingly had the upper hand at the moment.
He kicked at me just as I let go of his tail and pushed myself backwards. Using the momentum of his kick, he spun himself so he faced forward, placing his left side of his closer to me in a combat-ready position. He did a short jab at my face, which seemed to be rather slower than before. It seemed like without fear or nervousness or guilt, my reaction time was faster. I tilted my head to the side, avoiding the hit as I reached my right arm up and grabbed onto his shoulder. I yanked him towards me and jumped up, smashing my skull into his snout. Rather than be satisfied with my hit, I didn't place my feet back on the ground after I jumped. I held onto his shoulder still and pulled my legs up, using all of my weight to yank the Warden backwards, smashing his face into the ground behind me.
I rolled away, just as the Warden staggered to his feet. I stood tall and anticipated a surprise attack yet nothing came. He brushed off his coat and checked himself for dust before facing towards me.
"Since when did you become a combat-pragmatist?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I'm not. I'm simply reacting to your movements."
"Last time you were busy eating the stone, and you expect me to believe you somehow improved?"
"No, no. Last time, I was full of guilt since moments prior, you just slaughtered a large group of inmates and it was my fault. Now, my mind is clear and focused," I said, smirking.
He let the silence hang before cracking his neck by tilting it both ways. He proceeded to crack the rest of the bones in his body before letting out a huge sigh that slowly developed into a coarse growl. "In that case, I'll have to exert myself a bit. Living among ponies, your mind has been very relaxed your whole life."
Being wary, I ran forward before he started his counter-attack. He ran towards me, holding his right arm out to the side to clothesline me. I jumped up to latch onto his arm and yank him down again, but when I grabbed onto his arm, his body didn't budge no matter how hard I had put my weight into my pull. Instead, he swung his arm down, slamming me into the ground. His fist made contact with the old stone and cracked it. Releasing his arm as my left side started to go numb from that one hit, I rolled away once more and pushed myself up to my feet. Rather than running after me, he brushed off dust that had caught his jacket and slowly turned to me as he did, focusing on his sleeve.
I darted forward once more and threw my upper body forward as I closed in, punching him in the side. Rather than the hits I got in previously, my fist stopped against what was like a brick wall. The Warden merely shifted over a foot from the impact. His arm that he just brushed off came back, smacking me in the side of the face. I spun away from him and jumped, kicking at him. Once again, he nonchalantly reacted by grabbing my leg before it hit him and used my momentum against me. He ducked and swung his arm in an arc, causing me to hit the ground once more. Unlike before, this was actually me being slammed in the wall and I landed, face first into the stone.
Letting go of my leg, he crossed his arms as he looked at me from above. I rolled away, struggling to stand due to the buzzing ringing through my head. The room seemed to be spinning as I stood my ground as if I could fight perfectly. I think then, I knew for sure that I was going to lose.
Now Lockdown dashed forward to attack me than waiting for me. Punching at me, the fist connected with the left side of my head causing me to stagger to the right. The Warden grabbed my left arm and yanked me back towards him and brought his knee up to my side. The impact caused a pain that started just above my hip and spread out up to my diaphragm, which started to sting once more. The damage must have been severe, that day.
I started coughing from the pain, trying not to keel over yet I didn't even have that luxury. A hand wrapped around one of the spines on my head and yanked my head down just to meet the Warden's knee. I thought for sure I heard a crack and my snout seemed to explode with a pain like a fire that grew hotter. I started loosing feeling in my snout as well as my head while a red liquid dribbled out of my nostril and onto the ground. He didn't follow up on it and loomed over me as I started to loose consciousness.
This isn't like three weeks ago. Lockdown was ruthless and beat me down severely... he's barely touched me now in comparison, I thought as I felt my eyes shutting against my will, all feeling leaving my body. Wait... no, Spike, don... dun fuggin' sleeeeeep...
"Spike, you're mine."
