Chapter 21 B: The Escape
The door opened to the medical bay, allowing Twilight and Zepher to enter the room. The very moment they did however, they heard Night Shadow screaming in agony, still attempting to stitch himself.
"Night Shadow, what are you doing?!" Twilight screamed, running over to him.
"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Night Shadow yelled as his eyes were watering.
Night Shadow's hoof and the bed were practically drenched in his blood, giving the impression that someone just tried to murder him. Twilight, both in fright and concern, grabbed the thread from him and tossed it to the side.
"This isn't helping! It's making it worse!" Twilight shouted.
"What else am I suppose to do! Just wait?!"
"Yes, anything but what you're doing!"
"I told you I was going to be fine!"
"Fine….FINE! You're bleeding everywhere! How is that fine?!"
"Enough, both of you!" Zepher shouted, silencing the two.
The alicorn placed Trixie onto one of the empty beds before turning to Twilight.
"You take care of her while I see what I can do."
"But he's-
"I know what he's doing, but arguing like a newly wed couple will not solve the problem."
Twilight nodded slowly in agreement, moving out of the way so Zepher could have a look. While Twilight walked over to inspect Trixie, Zepher couldn't help but stare at Night Shadow.
"So you're the one that tried to destroy my mother and aunt all those years ago. To be honest I expected you to be a little more…"
"Taller, bigger…smarter?" Night Shadow listed.
"Evil." Zepher bluntly stated.
"That's a first."
"I guess we both know where that evil went. Still, it doesn't correct the actions you have done in the past."
"Look, are you going to help me or preach to me, because seriously, all you alicorns ever do is talk."
"We have our reasons."
"Oh, like the time Herus was running amuck for over thirty years, kidnapping kids to turn into soldiers. Yeah, talking really did help, especially when your race got wiped out."
"Please stop insulting us, it matters little now."
"Fine, as long as you stop judging me for what I was ordered to do and stop accusing me of things that Death Fire forced me to do."
"From where I'm standing, you are just like Death Fire."
"And you're just like your mother. Quick to judge and to oblivious to see the suffering we common ponies endure because of your actions."
"Will you both shut up!" Twilight said as she turned around. "You just told me arguing would not solve the problem, yet you're doing the exact same thing. So either help him or stand aside."
"I'm sorry…it's just I've been through a lot." Zepher said softly.
"Pffff, you've been through a lot?" Night Shadow remarked.
"You too, Night Shadow." Twilight ordered.
Night Shadow closed his eyes and tried to relax.
"Alright Zepher, do what you got to do."
Zepher picked up the needle and thread with magic, casting a spell on Night Shadow so that his body would become numb.
"You might feel a slight…pain."
"No & *#."
"Night Shadow." Twilight said, raising her voice.
"Sorry…"
Several minutes passed before Zepher was finally done showing up Night Shadow as best as he could. Once done, he wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed.
"Despite all the blood, that was actually kinda cool. Maybe I should become a surgeon…wait…I think you have to be able to see to do that."
"Wait, YOU'RE BLIND?!" Night Shadow yelled.
"Yeah…I use magic to see the world around me. You didn't know that."
"...if I wasn't filled with holes right now…"
"You're patched up, that's all that matters." Twilight said.
"Sure, you say that now, but when a blind pony comes to sew you up don't come crying to me." Night Shadow pouted.
"You might want to take some of those pain pills now before the numbness spell fades. Otherwise you're in for a world of hurt." Zepher advised.
"Tell me something I don't know." Night Shadow said, trying to get up.
Almost on cue, Twilight pushed Night Shadow down back onto the bed.
"You're not going anywhere." Twilight said.
"Ok, mom. Whatever you say."
"Do you have to be this annoying?"
"Only when it's funny." Night Shadow said with a smirk before he closed his eyes to rest.
"Twilight, you might want to take a look at this." Zepher said, looking over Trixie.
Twilight walked over to the broken mare, looking right at Zepher.
"What is it?" Twilight asked.
"Look." Zepher said, pointing to her hoof.
Twilight was expecting to see movement, but what she saw frightened her. All over Trixie's hoof were cuts and slash marks.
"How could I have been so foolish to not notice this before." Zepher whispered.
"How can you even see it?" Twilight asked.
"As I have said before, I can see through magic. Because of that, I can see ponies pain, emotions, and sense their presence through sound almost like a bat can. Still…it is no excuse for me to have overlooked this."
"Is she the one doing this to herself?"
Zepher grabbed Trixie's black cloak and removed it from her body, revealing hundreds of bruises and cuts just like the ones on her hoof.
"Does that answer your question." Zepher asked grimly.
Twilight was at a loss of words.
"Why does she stay with him if he does this to her?"
"She has nowhere else to go, Twilight. There are millions exactly like her, suffering and crying out of someone to save them. That is why you are here now…to give them that salvation."
"You act like it's easy. The entire world is against us and all of my friends are gone. What am I suppose to do."
"Set them free…" Trixie whispered.
Both Twilight and Zepher looked to Trixie, relieved she was ok but also confused.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.
"All of Equestria is under a spell, under his spell. If you break the spell, if you set them free… they will follow you to the end."
"But the spell can't be broken unless you use the water from the ancient cave." Twilight said.
"There are many ways to break a spell, Twilight. Surely you of all ponies know that."
"But how?"
"Well…lets say a certain blue mare hired a skillful assassin to take a certain ancient artifact from a certain black pony. And said assassin might have given me the artifact for said blue mare to place in her bag to give to a certain purple mare for her to…I don't know…write in."
Zepher and Twilight looked to Trixie was a shocked expression.
"You didn't…" Twilight whispered.
Zepher walked over to Trixie's bag and searched, eventually pulling out none other than the black book.
"Oh, but I did." Trixie whispered. "Make him regret the day he came into this world."
Zepher levitated the book to Twilight.
"It's yours now…don't let it fall to his hooves once more."
"I won't." Twilight said with reinsurance.
"Wait, before I give this to you I must warn you that-
Almost immediately, a red light began to flash in the room as a soft alarm sounded.
"What is that?" Night Shadow asked, opening his eyes.
Zepher turned to Night Shadow and Twilight.
"They've found us, you two need to get out of here now."
"How did they find us?!" Twilight asked in panic.
"Stop asking questions, just get your things and escape while you can." Zepher shouted.
"I still can't move, what am I suppose to do!" Night Shadow asked.
"Find a way, anyway. Just get out of here, I'll stall them as long as I can!" Zepher said before looking to Trixie. "If they find you here they will punish you to the brink of death and I don't know if you can endure that pain again."
"I'll be fine, just go." Trixie ordered as she got up slowly from the bed.
Once Zepher teleported away, Trixie put her robe back on and gazed to Twilight.
"The scars on my body will remind you of the suffering we have endured for seven year, don't you ever forget that." Trixie said before making her way to the door.
"Wait…I'm sorry…for what I did.
"No Twilight…I should be the one that's sorry. Sorry for how I acted in the past."
Trixie opened the door and walked out, but turned around to look at Twilight once more.
"And one more thing…where the world ends…" Trixie said before the door was shut and locked tightly.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Night Shadow asked.
"I'm sure we will know later, right now we need to leave." Twilight said, running to Night Shadow. "Cast the spell."
Night Shadow casted his featherweight spell onto himself once more, making him as light as…well…you get the idea.
"We need to get to the armory and grab what we can, it will be useful."
"We don't have time."
"We will make time." Night Shadow ensured, grabbing onto Twilight's neck.
Twilight dashed off and opened the second entrance of the room, running down the hallways as quickly as she could. It took a full minute of galloping before she reached the armory, practically bucked the door down once she got close.
"I have about fifty stitches in me right now, don't fling me around like a rubber chicken!" Night Shadow yelled.
"Like you have a choice right now." Twilight said, running into the room.
"Plop me onto the table and grab everything that looks like it still works." Night Shadow ordered.
Twilight dashed over to the table and wiped everything off before practically throwing Night Shadow onto the table. Within a second, she had vanished behind a large weapons rack, trying to find anything that worked.
"No, please, a little harder next time Twilight. It's not like I was wounded or anything." Night Shadow remarked.
Twilight quickly ran over and shoved a large laser rifle in between Night Shadow's legs.
"I'm sorry, what was that." Twilight said, running back to grab more weapons.
"...mmk...I had that coming." Night Shadow whispered in pain.
The red pony grabbed the rifle and checked the ammo, realizing it was almost empty.
"Twilight, I need ammo for this thing, not just the gun."
"Do I look like the mare that even has the slightest clue what you're talking about?!" Twilight said as she held a shotgun in her mouth.
"Screw it, just grab everything you see!"
"That's what i've been doing!"
"Well do it faster!"
Zepher continued to run down the halls until he reached what looked like the main lobby of the abandoned castle. Just before he made it to the middle of the room, nine ponies jumped down from the ceiling and surrounded the alicorn.
"Zepher…I didn't expect to see you here. Shouldn't you be back in Canterlot grieving over your mother?"
"Shadowbolts, I should have known Death Fire would have sent out his best flying squad to investigate." Zepher said.
"Investigate? Nah…we're here to capture two particularly interesting characters that you found recently."
"That I found? Explain."
"Oh drop the act, you know exactly what I'm talking about."
"I came here to find any lost knowledge from the past, you know that's what I do and what I have passion for."
"You're a horrible liar, you know that. It's obvious you know what we are talking about just from the way you are standing. Now, tell us where they are."
"What gives you the assumption that I even know what you are talking about?"
"Death Fire purposely allowed electricity to flow all the way out here so that once someone turned on a light we would instantly know someone was here. Second of all, we scanned the building and found four heat signatures. So either move out of the way or face charges against the crown."
"Make me…"
"Ammisive, stop wasting your time with him, we have to capture the target." Dusk said, walking up next to him.
Ammisive nodded before his ear twitched, signalling the others to vanish from sight.
"You know, Zepher…I always wanted to kill an alicorn." Ammisive said, reaching behind his back. "So I must thank you for this opportunity."
The pegasus slowly drew a large railgun and pointed it right at Zepher.
"Even under his control, you are still as foolish as ever." Zepher declared.
"We'll see about that…"
"What am I suppose to do with this?!" Twilight said, holding a sniper rifle.
"Use it of course! Why else would I give it to you?!" Night Shadow yelled.
"I'm not going to use thi-
The entire castle suddenly shook violently, forcing the ceiling to give way a bit and shatter.
"To bad, we have to go! Now pick me up!"
Twilight strapped the rifle to her back and ran next to Night Shadow. The red pony quickly grabbed onto her neck before Twilight took off out of the room and down the hallway.
"Do you even know where you are going?" Night Shadow asked.
"Anywhere but here, that's for certain."
"Can't you just teleport?"
"Newsflash, Night Shadow, I'm out of power to!"
"Out of power my-
Twilight took a sharp left turn, forcing Night Shadow to eat Twilight's hair.
"Hey, watch the mane." Twilight said, dashing down another hallway.
"You made me faceplant into it!"
"Well maybe it wouldn't happen if you would just-
The moment Twilight took a right turn, she saw two shadow bolts accompanied by about twenty guards staring right at her with their guns drawn.
"Hey…ummmm…we're friend right?" Twilight asked nervously.
"TWILIGHT RUN!" Night Shadow screamed.
"GET THEM!"
Twilight's eyes popped out of her head before she hit the ground, dodging hundreds of lasers before running the opposite direction and screaming.
"You idiots, we're suppose to capture them not turn them into a pile of ash!" Vortex yelled.
"Cut them off!" Night Shade ordered to the guards before chasing after Twilight.
"Twilight! We have a problem!" Night Shadow screamed as he saw the pegasus quickly approaching.
"Really, what gave that away!" Twilight asked rhetorically.
"Turn left!"
Twilight took a quick left, narrowly avoiding the Shadowbolt from tackling them into the ground. She continued to run until Night Shadow pointed to the right, leading them to a locked door.
"I'm not even going to say it." Twilight said, getting aggravated.
"Just get me near the door controls!
Twilight ran next to the door panel while Night Shadow started to input passwords at the speed of light.
"11111111….no…..letmein….no…..password….oh come on!"
"Hurry up!" Twilight pleaded as Night Shade looked down the hall with a sinister look.
"Found you." The Shadowbolt said with a singsong tone.
"Celestiasux….no…..Trixieisbestpone….no…..come on, what would Dark Fire put as a password."
"Anyday now!" Twilight said with panic.
Night Shadow started to sweat before he suddenly got the door to open.
"IT'S OPEN!" Night Shadow yelled.
"COME TO MAMA!" Night Shade yelled, dashing forward.
Twilight ran inside the door before Night Shadow punched the panel, closing the door right in front of the Shadowbolts face. A huge thud was heard from the inside and a dent of the pony could be seen on the door.
"Glad that's over…" Night Shadow whispered.
"We're not out of this yet." Twilight said, beginning to run once again. "Hey, Night Shadow…what was the password anyways."
"TwilightSparkleXXX….whatever that means."
"...WHAT! HEY PUT THAT AS A PASSWORD!"
"What, what is it?!" Night Shadow asked in confusion.
"Nothing…don't worry about it…." Twilight said, blushing bright red. "Let's just find a way out of-
The castle shook violently again, this time forcing the ceiling to cave in right in front of them, blocking off the exit.
"What do we do now?" Twilight asked.
"Can you climb the rubble?" Night Shadow asked.
"No, it's to step."
"Then we will just have to go around." Night Shadow said, grabbing a bomb and arming it.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Twilight screamed.
Night Shadow tossed the bomb into the wall, forcing it to explode on contact and launching the two ponies into the wall.
"Do you ever think before you do anything?!" Twilight yelled.
"Well look on the bright side, we can see outside now and get out of here without a sweat."
And just at that same moment, a large Vtol warship slowly descended down before them, unfolding it's missile pods and multiple cannons.
"You were saying." Twilight bluntly said.
"Awww, horse apples."
Twilight jumped to the side and hit the deck before hundreds or bullets and lasers tore through the walls like paper, destroying everything they touched. The attack lasted over ten seconds before the gunship stopped shooting.
"Come on, this is suppose to be a show about talking ponies, not the military channel!" Night Shadow yelled.
"What is that thing?!" Twilight asked in total fear.
"It's big and it's a problem, that's what it is! We're going to have to somehow outrun it."
"Are you crazy! That thing just turned a solid stone wall into swiss cheese and you want to outrun it!"
"They didn't seem like they were trying to shoot directly at us, more like around us so we would be to scared to move. I remember one of the ponies saying they were trying to capture us so we will use that to our advantage."
"Ok, let's say you're completely wrong and they just want to kill us, what then smart guy."
Night Shadow looked up, noticing that they probably only a few hundred feet away from forest line.
"If we can get to the forest we can use the trees as cover and escape."
"Emphasis on CAN! Do you really think we can outrun this thing!"
"If I didn't, I would have came up with another plan. So it's either stay here and get captured or run for it and hope for the best."
"I'm not a soldier, Night Shadow! Can't you see I'm absolutely terrified!"
"Listen to me. It's all in your head, Twilight, don't let your fear control you. No get!"
Night Shadow pushed himself back, slapping Twilight on the flank and forcing her to yelp. Right when Twilight gallop forward, Night Shadow grabbed Twilight's tail with his mouth and pulled out an anti-armor machine gun. Without hesitation, he started to fire at the warship before it returned fire, lighting up the area around the two ponies. Twilight closed her eyes tightly, attempting to shut out her fear as lasers flew all around her just begging to take her life.
"Come on….come on…." Night Shadow said, muffled by Twilight's tail.
With one lucky hit, Night Shadow managed to hit one of the ships engines, forcing it to malfunction. Unfortunately, by doing so the ship was forced off balance and a stray bullet shot Night Shadow right through the chest, puncturing one of his lungs. The red pony released his grip on Twilight and began to hack up blood before Twilight had realized what had happened. Without saying a word, Twilight ran back to Night Shadow and jumped before the pony and the warship, extending her hooves out.
"I'M THE ONE YOU WANT, LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Twilight yelled bravely.
"Twilight, no!" Night Shadow shouted, attempting to reason with her.
Once the warship leveled out, a spotlight was pointed right at the two ponies before the warship's missiles unfolded from it's wings, preparing itself to fire.
"Don't be stupid, Twilight, save yourself." Night Shadow pleaded.
"DO YOU HEAR ME! I'M RIGHT HERE! TAKE ME AND LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!"
"TWILIGHT!"
Right as the warship fired, a large blue ball of energy collided into the side of the airship, forcing it to explode in a huge display of fire. Night Shadow quickly got up to his hooves and grabbed Twilight, forcing her to the ground right as the missiles hit. Once the smoke cleared, a dark purple shield could be seen protecting Twilight. Night Shadow, on the other had, was scorched from the explosions and fire, but a small purple aura of energy could be seen surrounding the outline of his body.
"Night Shadow…what did you…" Twilight said, breathtaken.
"I refuse…to let another friend die…because of my actions…" Night Shadow whispered before he fell to the ground, losing consciousness from blood loss.