Chapter 14:
Message From Another Prisoner
After the defeat of Ravage Rider, the audience cheered for the Mane 7 and Spike have emerged as winners once again as they took heavy breaths and felt proud for winning this fight.
"Wow, do you girls hear the crowd? We totally rule. Maybe now we can them for a room upgrade," Spike said to the Mane 7 while hearing the cheering sounds that the Audience was giving them.
"Oh, I do hope so, Spike. Our cell could really use some remodeling," Rarity agreed, hoping they do get an upgrade on their cell while scrunching her muzzle and making a shooing motion with her hoof from the thought of the cell…
A few minutes later…
Instead of getting a room upgrade on their cell, Rarity and Spike might have jinxed it when Twilight and her friends were harshly thrown back into the cell by one of the Pirates and the cell doors immediately closed, trapping them inside again.
"That's not what I had in mind," Rarity groaned, shaking her head from being thrown into the cell harshly.
"Can we at least get some room service?" Spike pleaded while Twilight and her friends got back up on their hooves and approached the young dragon.
"Guys, we need to get out of here. I had another vision and something terrible is going to happen," Twilight said, finally able to explain to her friends about the vision she has received from the Dream Realm.
"I know, Twilight. If we don't get some food, we're going to freak out!" Spike said, holding his head from the thought of not getting any food anytime soon to prevent himself from going crazy.
"I'm afraid it's a lot of worse than that, Spike. See, in my next vision, I saw the Well Of Souls again and there were the Dark Armies heading straight towards it," Twilight said, explaining what she saw in her vision to her friends and Spike as they had a look of surprise and shock.
"Wait an apple-pickin' minute there, Twilight. The Dark Armies are heading towards the Mountain? But, why are they heading towards it?" Applejack asked, being confused and shock to hear this from her friend.
"Because the Well Of Souls beckons them over as a calling. And when the Sun and Moon come together in a great eclipse, the Eclipse Of Infinite Darkness will soon be upon us," Twilight explained, sharing more information about what she saw in her vision.
"Where did you learn all of that from?" Rainbow Dash asked next, raising a brow at how Twilight learned about the Eclipse Of Infinite Darkness.
"Rockhoof and Meadowbrook told me. When they showed me the mountain, they said that by the time of the Eclipse Of Infinite Darkness, the evil spirits of the deceased will stir and be free to roam around the halls of the mountain for only a short while," Twilight explained, recalling what Rockhoof and Meadowbrook told her about what happens during the Eclipse while Applejack and Fluttershy had a look of shock when they heard their friend has met their idols.
"I don't think I like the sound of those things happening during the Eclipse," Fluttershy said, starting to feel really worried and scared about the evil spirits being free to roam the mountain during the Eclipse as Applejack patted her back reassuringly.
"Well, at least we now know what we'll be expecting during the Eclipse Of Infinite Darkness," Pinkie said with a concerned smile, trying to lift her friend's spirits.
"I don't know, Pinkie. For some reason, I feel like we're getting closer to finding out what Twilight's visions mean," Sunset said, feeling that the more they learn about Twilight's vision the closer they are to figuring out what they mean, like putting together an impossible puzzle.
"Twilight, how much time do we have before the Eclipse starts? We still have time, right?" Rainbow Dash asked with concern, hoping Twilight would say they still have plenty of time before the Eclipse begins.
"We have less than one day," Twilight answered, remembering seeing the Sun and the Moon slowly coming closer and closer by the minute, which means they don't have much time until the Eclipse Of Infinite Darkness is upon them.
"One day? One day?! That's it! We need to find that Well Of Souls and stop The Eclipse Of Infinite Darkness once and for all now!" Rainbow Dash announced with determination, ready to spring into action to stop the Eclipse of Infinite Darkness once and for all.
"And just how exactly are we going to do that when we're still stuck in this cell, darling?" Rarity pointed out, reminding her friend that they are still stuck in the cell and the Well Of Souls is outside, which caused Rainbow Dash to slump in defeat, seeing her friend has a point.
"I got an idea! Twilight, why don't you shoot some magic and blow the gate up?" Spike asked, suggesting that if Twilight shot some magic and blow the gate up, then they will be free and make their escape.
But Twilight shook her head in disagreement, knowing that it's not that simple. Because if she blows the gate up, that will draw the Pirates attention, and they will be recaptured and put into another cell.
"Psst, Twilight…," Starlight called out in a whisper outside the cell, catching Twilight's attention.
"Starlight, what is it?" Twilight asked, also in a whisper, as she approached Starlight to hear what she has found and learned around the ship.
"I have some very bad news. It would appear you and your friends are in terrible danger. Here's a message I received from another prisoner. It must be very important. Here take it," Starlight said as she passed Twilight the message with her magic, which Twilight accepted and took with her magic.
After receiving the message from Starlight, Twilight used her magic to open it up.
"Oh, boy! We've got fan mail!" Pinkie cheered in excitement while jumping up and down cheerfully.
Sunset just rolled her eyes from Pinkie's enthusiasm before turning to Twilight, "What does it say, Twilight?" She asked, wondering what the message says inside.
"It says…Dear friend…there are whispers going about the ship…Word of you and your friends' captivity has traveled quickly. Many of the prisoners are uneasy. They say that the Storm King himself has placed a bounty on you, your friends, and all of the Alicorns…," Twilight read as her friends listened and became concerned and scared about being bounty for their enemies while Twilight looked up with a determined glare.
While Twilight was reading, Pinkie began to slow down her jumping and stopped after hearing she and her friends have become a bounty.
"These are dark times. But know this, you ponies have allies. I look forward to the day when we can meet and when you will be reunited with somepony who hasn't seen you since the pillage…Captain Celaeno," Twilight said as she finished reading the message.
"Well, that's just great. First we get captured by Pirates, and now we have become the bounty for the Storm King and his forces," Rainbow Dash complained, crossing her arms with a huff, not liking how she and her friends are now becoming bounty.
"And now they're looking for us and all the other Alicorns," Fluttershy said, shaking in fear and cowering close to Applejack for protection from becoming a bounty for the enemy.
"Look at the bright side, at least we have a message that tells us about the dark times and dangers awaiting us," Spike said with a nervous smile, trying to keep their spirits up, but it only made Fluttershy shake even more in fear.
"We need to get out of this cell, now. If the Storm King's forces find us here, it will be over for us," Sunset said, knowing they are running out of time and must find someway to escape before the Storm King's forces arrive.
"Sunset's right. We'll need to come up with an escape plan if we are to make our getaway. Until then, we'll have to play Skabb's game and compete in the Arena," Twilight said, agreeing with Sunset and knowing they will have to come up with a plan soon after fighting in the arena.
The others nodded in understanding before they heard someone coming and remained quiet as Spike hid the message…by eating it, so they won't see it.
Approaching their cell, another Pirate arrived and said, "It's showtime, Little Ponies,".
Which means it's time for the Mane 7 to fight another opponent in the Fellmuth Arena…