Chapter XXIII: Great Escape
Jazz
"Great whickering stallions!" the doctor said we arrived in the main yard. A large tower was in the center. "A Chrono-Spatio Dislocator. I had read papers but never thought it could actually be made." I asked him what he was talking about. He said this device collected and amplified energy to create a hole in space-time.
"You mean...," I began to say until an energy blast shot past us. I look around and see snipers surrounding us. "What do we do?" I ask Dr. Hooves trying to avoid being shot. He looks around tells me to pick up a rifle on the ground and start shooting. He explains if I aim at the wall the blast would ricochet and take out the first two snipers.
I do as he says and the bolt bounced off the wall and hit the guards like obstacles in a pinball game. I ask him how he knew that was going to happen. "It's a matter of physics, but we have to get to the tower. Do you think would be able to climb it?" I nod and make my way as quietly as possible.
"Freeze!" a voice said as two more snipers start firing at me. I take a mirror from my pocket. It reflects the blast and sends it back at him. I start to climb to the control panel avoiding being shot by the reaming sniper. "I said freeze!" a bolt hits me in the shoulder. I cry out in pain almost losing my balance.
"Whoa," I said gripping the wrung tightly as I climbed up the finally reaching the top. I roll up my sleeve to find a a medium sized welt on me. I hear the doctor ask me if I'm okay. "Yeah, just a little sore." He tells me to look for the main battery and reverse the polarity. "Battery," I tear open the console and find it.
"Okay now charge the weapon to full power," I turn a dial as a voice said it was full charge. "Now jump." I ask him why. He says the device will overcharge and explode. "Jumping is the only to get down in time." I look back at the controls as they start spark. "We don't have much...," he says as I leap off the tower just as the tower blows up.
Vlad
"I don't care about the ponies but I want the ghost girl alive," I told my liches as I conjured a portal when a changeling walks in the room. He tells me the that queen is curious as what to do next. "Tell her stay put I will...,"
"Are you retreating my lord?" he asks as I roll my eyes. I am not retreating from the castle just this room. The ponies are too close and I can't risk them ambushing me. "Then I shall alert the...," I blast the bug into the wall before I take off into the portal.
I find myself in what looks like a music room. "Such a pity that I am in hiding I do love a good harpsichord performance." I walk towards the instrument and gently touch the keys. I began to press the keys to Bach's lost concerto- a favorite piece of mine. "Ah how I do love classical music."
I conjure another map to plan my next move.
Applejack
"I got another message from Twilight," Trixie says looking up. She says that Twilight wants to meet in the emergency throne room. She casts a map spell. "It shouldn't take too long to find her," she says as I notice Danny getting up and staring off to the distance. I ask Trixie if she would excuse me for a second.
"Bit for your thoughts?" I ask the human as he sighs. He tells me that is worried about the battle. He has faced Vlad before but with this amulet it is a completely different beast. "Well you're not facing this snake alone you have nine friends who have you back."
"What can this Alicorn Amulet do?" he asks still looking into empty space. I tell him it can grant the user great power while corrupting them. He chuckles and says we're basically dealing with something called the One Ring. I make a face at the remark. "It's a joke from where I come from. I've never been good at humor."
Dash asks him about Vlad and his powers. He says Vlad has basic ghost powers- invisibility, intangibility, flight, ghost rays along with the ability to duplicate himself and create energy projections out of ectoplasm. He goes on to say that Vlad probably has the amulet somewhere that no one can get to. "If he doesn't have on it him he can't use it."
Danny unzips the top of suit revealing a large scar on his chest. "A powerful enemy tried to prevent to me from returning home by implanting an amulet in me." Scootaloo made a face and asked if he at least asleep when he did it. He shakes his head as she shudders at the thought. "Vlad probably did the same with alicorn amulet. "
"How we are supposed to get it then?" I ask him. Danny makes a face and says he'll have to phase his hand through him and retrieve it. We all make at a face at that suggestion until Dani told us to be silent. "What's wrong Sugarcube?" She says that someone is coming.
A blue wisp escapes her lips. Danny gets ready to fight but she calms him down. "It's Skulker," she says clenching her fist as a blade of green magic forms around it. He looks at it and asks how she can do it. She motions him to be quiet as something coming flying at us.
"I was disappointed leaving my current prey," a voice said as Dani leaps up and destroys it. "However a chance to do get back at you equines makes it better." Dash glares at the hunter, "You certain you want do that. The last time you almost lost your wings."
"That's it, I am going to turn you into scrap," she kicks the hunter into the wall. "This time I won't go easy on...," he fires at her trapping her in some kind of slime. She struggles to get free but Skulker warns her she will exhaust herself.
He looks at the ghost children but before he can attack Dani slashes him with her blade. The hunter looks stunned as he falls to ground in pieces. Danny leans down and pulls a small green creature from the wreckage. "You will all pay for this." it squeaks as Trixie locks him in a magic cage.
Ghostwriter
"That is one powerful sleep spell. I don't think even Nocturne has that kind of power," I said noticing the sleeping guards in front of the contraband room. "Sleep tight," I said taking the keys and unlock the door. Inside was all kind of weapons and other devices. "I don't think the warden will mind if we borrow this," I look around and see my quantum keyboard laying on the table. "Hello beautiful," I said hugging it.
Next to it was a strange cylindrical device. It looked like a cross between a pen and flash light. On the back was an engraving- Property of D. Hooves. I pick it up it when I hear the guards coming to. "Hey who's in there," they began to work the knob.
I quickly started up the machine and began to type, "For their attack I was not ready but the door was electrified said he." The guards yelped as they got 10,000 volts pumped into them. "I must escape the room luckily for me the guards turned to dust," I open the door and laugh at what was left of the cops.
"You think this funny writer," the warden's voice asked as he stepped out of the shadows. I placed my fingers on the keys but was too scared to think of anything. "What's wrong writer? Ghost got your...," he winced as something hit is shoulder.
"I see you found my screwdriver," I look up and see Jasmine aiming an sniper rifle at Walker with Dr. Hooves beside her. The warden turns to take them down but Jazz fired at him again. This gave me time to think of something.
"It's time to follow the leader so let us three teleport to the speeder," I hit the enter key as were transported outside where the princesses and Tucker were waiting for us. He said he hoped that the journey wasn't too perilous. "Nothing that a little creative writing can't take of care of." We get into the speeder and take off.
Shining Armor
"Can you hear me?" a voice asks as my vision come into focus. Fluttershy is standing in front of me. I try to stand up but my legs feel like noodles. "You're still weak from the poison," she says gently pushing me down. I ask her what she meant by poison. "Vlad's skeletons ambushed us. One of them stabbed you with a poison spear. I was able to take it out and gave you healing potion Zecora taught me to make." I tell her that was impressive.
"We have get to Twily and the others...," a laugh echoes through the cavern. "Chrysalis!" I demand that queen show herself as I charge up my horn.
"Oh please Armor you're in no position to give orders," she crawled down the ceiling. "a weakened unicorn and a timid pegasus. Not to mention that I have drones everywhere." I stand up and glare at the changeling. "Such angry eyes Armor, don't worry once I...," something hit the queen to the ground. "Who dares?!" she turned around and saw a couple guards with their horns charged.
"Freeze bug!" one of them said as he conjured magical chains around her. She broke free and took off. The guards race up and asks if I am all right. I nod and tell them to go free their brothers. We will need as many hooves as possible to take back the castle. "What about you?" I tell him I will be fine.
Tucker
"Okay, so I was thinking. Equestria is another dimension right?" I asked the ponies as they nodded. I tell them I can probably rewire the ghost portal and use it to send you all back home. Luna asks me if such a thing is possible. "I can rewire anything. I once re...," something forced the speeder to stop. "What's going on?" I asked as Celestia pointed out the window.
Two small ponies were floating around in the void. One had a yellow coat and red mane tied back with a bow. "How do we get back home," she asks her friend a white unicorn with pink and purple hair. "Hey look over there." she points to the speeder as I open the hatch. "it's Princess Luna!" The moon princess floats out and catches the two ponies. "what are you doing here"
She tells them about escaping from the prison but wonders how they got here. "I can explain...," the little unicorn said sheepishly. She says that there were trying get back home by using a strange gateway in this large house.
"Did it remind of you a castle?" I ask curiously as they nod. They say there were chased by a robotic thing but it suddenly vanished. "That would be Skulker. He probably left on Vlad's orders."
"Tucker, Jazz, Ghostwriter I would like to meet Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle," Celestia says as the two ponies stare at us. "I know they look strange but they will help us get back home." She asks me how long it would take to rewire the portal.
"It shouldn't take too long," Celestia nod and says we better be off then.
