Chapter XX: Regrouping

Walker

"Bullet! Is the device hooked up yet?" I ask my assistant walking out into the yard. He nodded said only a few minor adjustments need to be done. "Finally my baby will be ready," at last I will have a way to deal with my most troublesome prisoners.

"Are you sure about this sir? I mean we're talking about ripping holes in reality," Wulf does it all the time I am just doing it on a larger scale. I couldn't wait to unleash it on the punk.

"Bring out one of the horses," a couple of cops brought the blue horse out. She looked at me and asked what I was going to do. "Don't worry you're far too valuable to destroy."

"I warn you I am a princess and my kind shall not sta….," I tie her mouth shut and order the men to turn on the device.

The machine starts to glow as it drains the horse of her power, "Simply beautiful." Soon I will be able to…just then alarm is goes off. "What's going on?" I rush back to my office. "All units report!" an announcement comes in that an unidentified craft has been sighted entering the Ghost Zone. "It's the punk's friends. Let's welcome them to their new home."

Trixie

"So this Vlad is going to unleash the changelings on two other worlds," the earth pony asks. With that much power Vlad and Chrysalis will be unstoppable. She asks if I had a plan to stop them.

"No, I haven't thought that much ahead. I do know…," I push Applejack to the floor as two changelings charge at us. I cast a spell sending the two away. "Are you okay?" a sharp pain hits me in the temple.

"It seems like you are the ones who need help," I am fine I just haven't recovered completely from that damned spell of his. She wants to know what spell Vlad used on me. It was the same spell that canceled out Twilight's magic and the human's powers.

"He has the Alicorn Amulet, he's using it to enhance his own powers," AJ asks how Vlad can use it he needs magic. He mentioned something before about being related to a warlock. "Okay let's find a way out of here so we can get to others." She looks down the hallway. Her ear moves as she hears a sound. "There's someone headed this way. It sounds like…Scootaloo?"

The little filly and the dragon come racing down the hallway, "Thank Celestia you are okay," Applejack says hugging the orange pony. "Where's Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?" she says they got split up when the changelings attacked Ponyville."

I try to use my magic to find them, "there's nothing," Applejack went pale at the words. I explain that either something is cloaking them or they are not here.

"Have either of you seen Dani? we were trying to find you guys and she disappeared. "I asked what she meant. "Vlad had used some spell to paralyze her. I went to get help but when I got back she was gone."

"Where did you see her last?" Applejack asks as where she say the girl last.

"This way," she pointed down a corridor with us in tow.

Jazz

"What happened? Why did we stop?" Hooves asked as we slowed down. "We should…," he swallowed as he stuck his head out.

We are surrounded by ghost cops, "this can't be good." One of them walked up to the speeder. "Lovely day officer," he pulls down his sunglasses and asks if I have a permit to carry the animal.

"Animal?" the pony took umbrage at the remark, "I will have you..," the ghost throws a glob of ectoplasm sealing his mouth shut.

I ask him if something is wrong, "you're trespassing on private property and smuggling animals into the Ghost Zone," he pulls us out and shackles us. "You have a date with Walker," the officer throws in a cop car and takes off.

When he isn't looking I pull the slime off the doctor's face, "Was this part of your plan my dear?" he asks coldly. I am not sure but I know we can think of something.

Fluttershy

"You think we've gone far enough?" I ask Sam as she stops the cart for a second and looks around. A group of changelings is heading into another room with some pods. They are talking about Vlad being upset about something ruining his plans.

"How are we going to get past them?" Pinkie asks as Sam smiles. The Goth begins to make a clicking noise attracting the attention of the bugs allowing us to pass. "That was amazing!" Sam simply says it's nothing.

We walk up to a door. Sam tries to push it open but I tell her that only magic can open it. "Well then we'll have to cheat," she takes her knife and places the blade between the door and and the wall. "I've only done this normal doors before." She begins shimmy the blade until it clicks and opens up.

Inside were more pods. Sam told us to go around and free as many as we can. "Yes ma'am," Pinkie says as she starts to take some down.

"I'm just going to...," I began to say until I bump into something. I look around and see a massive pod. "uh Pinkie, Sam I think I found something," I say but they don't hear me. I fly up and pull the pod from the ceiling. I look inside, "Shining Armor."

I find a stone on the ground and use to break it open. The prince falls out and coughs. I help up and ask if he's okay. "Fluttershy?" he looks up and asks what happened. I told him about Trixie and Vlad taking over the palace. "Cadence sent me to pick something up from Celestia when the call out that something was in the reliquary." That was probably Vlad I explain.

He looks over at where Sam was and studied her. I tell him that she's Spike friend and helped him escape. He asks how we got down here. We followed Chrysalis after she escaped. We figured she might hiding something important and followed her.

"Well I am glad you did," he said as he starting taking down pods and freeing the ponies inside.

Danny

"So this race?" Rainbow said excitedly, "how long are we talking about? Full marathon? Half marathon?" I was about to say something when Dani shushes me.

"Something's coming," She says pushing us into a corner. I look around but I don't see anything. I look at her confused until she points to her ears. I ask her how come I didn't get hearing powers but she just shrugs.

Once she thinks it clear she motion us to come out. "What are you hearing?" she mouths the word 'voices.'

The closer we get I can begin to hear them. I recognized the voice- it was Spike. Soon the dragon come around the corner along with Applejack, Scootaloo and...Trixie?

"RAINBOW!" the orange filly races over to the larger Pegasus and hugs her. "Are we glad to see you," she turns and goes silent at seeing Dani, "we were looking everywhere for you," she says as Dani says that she had she had help from a special friend.

"I heard you acted pretty brave squirt," Rainbow says ruffling the little pony's mane. Scootaloo tells her of she and Dani broke free of the prison and went to find the others. "Looks like I'm rubbing off on you," Scootaloo giggles.

"I...know I've done terrible things," the blue unicorn says her eyes cast to the ground. "I would like to try and help make things right. I know what Vlad's planning and can help you stop him." I turn to Applejack who nods and smiles.

I smile and shakes her hoof as the words of Clockwork ring in my head- Everyone deserves a second chance.

Princess Celestia

"Sister!" I cry out as the guards bring Luna back in the cell. "What did they do to you," she looks up and moans. Tucker races over and examines her. He says it seems she drained her magic. "The fiend!" He asks why Walker would need magic.

"He...'s trying...to...make...," Luna says as I comfort her and try to cast a healing spell but all I get is shocked. "Sister...," I tell her it's going to be all right now and stroke her mane.

Tucker looks up at the light in the room. "I think I might be able to get those things off." I ask him what he has planned. "If I can break through the wall to the wires I might...," before he could continued more ghosts guards come into the room.

"We have more friends for you," he says opening the door and shoving in a human dressed in black slacks and a blue shirt. She had a red mane and sky blue eyes. They also push in a brown earth pony wearing a green tie. An hourglass cutie mark was on his flank.

"Jazz!" Tucker says racing up to her happily. "Princess this is my friend's sister Jazz," I bow and tell it is a pleasure to meet her. He asks her what she is doing here. She tells him that they were coming to rescue her. "We were just talking about that," he says noticing the guards are gone.

"What we can do to help," he says he need to hook his watch up to the Walker's clocks."I can do that," He hands her a cable stored in a hidden pocket. He hooks it up to her watch while Jazz strings it outside to a control box. She manages to open it to a security port and gives us the thumbs up.