Twilight Sparkle's eyes fluttered open as she awoke, unsure of where she was, or how she got here. It was dark in here, and stone... like a dungeon. But why was she here? What had she done wrong? Oh, the questions spiraled in her head, but none made sense, or fit. She never did wrong actions, so Celestia would never lock her up. Could she have been kidnapped, or captured? This dungeon certainly did not look equestrian.
"No... that's absurd! I'm a princess! How could I be kidnapped? Such a feat is impossible. I'll bet this is just a bad dream, and I'll wake up any second now!" Twilight said, testing the chains that now bound her to the cold, stone floor. As she looked around, she saw many more chains, many of them bearing shackles, hooks, and various other unpleasant restraints. The air also bore a strange, metallic scent: blood, and lots of it, running through the gutters.
"Oh... definitely a bad dream..." Twilight muttered, feeling sick to her stomach. However, a new sound snapped her out of her thoughts: The gate leading to her cell opened wide, and a tall, armored figure stepped in. But it wasn't a pony: the warrior that now stood before her stood on two legs, was far taller than her, smelled of blood and rot, and made the room go freezing cold. It had no flesh, no skin, muscles, or eyes; just bones, armor, and two blue lights in its eye sockets that stared at her, unblinking, with no pity, no remorse... no emotion.
"Okay... a REALLY bad dream, then..." Twilight finally said, cringing at the thing. Then, without a sound, it grabbed her by her mane, and began dragging her, despite her protests.
"Ow, ow, stop, let go! Okay, this isn't a dream!" Twilight finally realized as the creature dragged her through the dungeon, and struggle as she might, it was too strong for her, and she could not stop the undead warrior as it dragged her out of the torch-lit dungeon, and threw her into the dust, into the harsh sunlight. She had to close her eyes for a bit, and she sneezed from the dust that rose from beneath her, and after a while, she squinted, and finally opened her eyes to the sound of... cheering?
"What in Equestria...?" Twilight asked, and she realized something: there were walls, and creatures, races of beings she'd never seen before, in stands far above her, jeering and shouting at her, speaking words she'd never heard before, and raising their fists and other appendages into the air. She was in an arena, about to fight for the amusement of these depraved, violent creatures!
"What..? What is this?!" Twilight asked, terrified, but no answer came, until a good few minutes after, once an odd tune rang out among the spectators, causing them to fall silent, and an amplified voice echoed across the arena, a voice that was deep, condescending, and oddly alluring:
"Greetings, spectators, and welcome to the one and only, super-violent, ultra-gory, blood-explosion extravaganza, R'tas's Circus of Slaughter, hosted by me, R'tas the Cruel himself!" The voice echoed, and a giant, rectangular construct raised from a structure in the back of the arena as it spoke, and upon finishing, an image appeared instantly upon it; a hooded, helmeted figure, it's mask covering most of his face, save two small, green, reptilian eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness of its elongated helmet. In short, the ensemble made him look like a reptile of some kind, but there was too little evidence of his face to prove it. Before Twilight could finish her thoughts, however, the voice, who was obviously the creature in the picture, R'tas the Cruel, spoke again, his deep, booming voice ringing throughout the arena:
"Now, as you are all aware, my loyal spectators of blood and death, we have recently acquired some new... players, as it were, for our little game here. This creature you see before you just happens to be one of the many we have found: a pony... an alicorn, to be exact." R'tas the Cruel thunders, his face raising, his green eyes brightening, and Twilight's heart sinks at the thought of what kind of 'game' this was going to turn out to be.
"... And, as with ALL newcomers, be they spectator or gladiator, it is both fair and custom that we read them their rights... er, rules, my bad. Anyway, on with the introduction: Welcome, newcomers, to R'tas's Circus of Slaughter! Now, for those that were here before, you know the game, and you know the rules. As for those who are new here, here are the rules! In this, my most illustrious, inescapable arena, gladiators will fight for their lives against beasts, abominations, and even other gladiators from across the multiverse! As I said, there is no escape from my arena, and those who become gladiators, remain gladiators until either I or the crowd get bored of you. However, living here IS possible: those who win get significant upgrades in accomodations during their eternal stay here, and will recieve three square meals a day, all based upon the diet of said gladiators. See? I'm not THAT cruel. However, there's a nasty catch: If you are slain, you will be reconstituted, and you will receive a significant downgrade in your living conditions, and that's IF I decide to bring you back: you will be judged by the spectators, and they will decide whether you go on... or not." R'tas explains, and Twilight shivers as the weight of her situation bears down on her, crushing her. Soon, R'tas continues:
"Now, the rules of the pit are simple: Kill, or be killed. You can use any trick, weapon, or advantage at your disposal, but be warned that your enemy can and will do the same. Attempting to escape the arena or harm me or the spectators will result in a rather... messy... permanent disqualification. If you do not want to fight your opponent, just remember: It's your fault if they gore you, and no one wants to see a hippy fight more than once. Now, the Spectators: You will cast your votes to see who fights next, who they fight, what they fight with, and bet who you think will win. You have the real power here, and your every vote counts! Now, without further ado, let our first match with our new playthings..." R'tas boomed, but Twilight called out, interrupting him:
"WAIT!!!!!" cried Twilight, catching everyone's attention. "What am I doing here?! How did I get here? Why are you doing this?" Twilight asked, and murmurs erupted through the crowd, and R'tas sighed, and facepalmed, as seen on the massive screen he was displayed on. Finally, after some incoherent grumbling, he answered Twilight:
"To answer your questions, gladiator, you have been selected by ME PERSONALLY to test the ultimate power of your race's fighting ability. You are the ultimate of your species, and therefor the perfect test. You will fight here, and you will entertain us until we tire of you. Then, if you're lucky, you can go home. However, if you die at that point... well... let's just say your remains will be put to good use." R'tas the Cruel says, and Twilight gulps, but her resolve remains strong. Now, she faces the ultimate test of her power, with the ultimate stakes at risk: Fight, or die, and she outright refuses to die... not this time.
"Now, without further interruption, let the first fight of the pony species... begin! First fight: Twilight, versus an arborax!" R'tas booms, and the screen lowers, and the crowd cheers once more, as another gate opens. The first creature Twilight must face then crawls out of the shadows of the caged entrance opposite her own, and it is... a rock. Yes, a giant, plant-covered boulder now sits there, a giant bud growing outward in Twilight's direction.
"This... this is it? This is my enemy?" Twilight asks, approaching the boulder. As she does, the boulder twitches, but does nothing too remarkable. "Is... is this a joke? what kind of a fight is this?" Twilight asks, now three feet away from the odd rock. Then, to rove her point, she kicks it, and it turns over.
"See? This won't be hard at... all?" Twilight trails off, as a loud, deep growl bursts from behind her. Then, she turns around, to see the boulder raise into the air, supported by several thorny vines, which then come together to form a rudimentary trunk, and then it splits off into two basic, trunk-like legs. Then, from the boulder, more vines come out of another hole on its left side, forming a long, clawed appendage with five tendrils for fingers, and the other side yields a long, thick vine, with a giant, spiked pod at the end. Finally, the bud extends, and splits into five petals, revealing a large, toothy maw, with a long, honey-coated tongue that smelled alluring, even to Twilight, who was appalled by this abomination of nature. No one else was disturbed, though, and the crowd continued to cheer as the arboreal beast stalked toward Twilight, hungrily drooling sweet-smelling honey from its horrible, flower-like maw. Twilight backed away from the monster, unable to speak on account of her fear, but still able to run, which she promptly did, after the arborax snapped its jaws at her, missing her by mere inches.
Twilight ran from the beast, and ran in circles to try and tire it, but to no avail: she was going to tire herself out at his rate, and this thing was just going to eat her. So, seeing no other way out, she turned, ready to fight the arborax, which stopped when she did. The beast, though, did not stop forever, and continued its advance on Twilight Sparkle, growling and drooling hungrily, as its long tongue waved in the air like some kind of antennae.
"This... this isn't right! This has to be a nightmare!" Twilight says as the arborax approaches, and she finally wracks up the nerve to charge a spell of fire. Upon finishing it, Twilight casts the spell, hoping that the plant-like monster will burn up, but the creature instead puts its stone 'shell' in the way of the fireball, leaving a scorch mark upon the boulder that is its 'torso', but ultimately leaving the arborax undamaged. Before she can charge another spell, the beast opens its mouth, makes a loud gurgling sound, and spits a massive ball of sweet sap and honey at her, cancelling her spell, immobilizing her, and, apparently, numbing her senses. Twilight soon realizes this loss of mental and motor function within her, and cries out in dismay as she realizes her dire situation:
"W-what the..? The honey... it's... it's an anesthetic! I... I can't... move... or think..." Twilight cries in dismay, and the beast then reaches for her with it's long arm-tendrils, wrapping them around her sticky, sap-and-honey-coated body like a mollusk of some kind, like an octopus, or a squid. Then, once it has it's grip, it lifts her up, and it moves it's tendrils over her, tasting her without devouring her, to see if her nutrients are sufficient. And though it looks wrong, it is in no way sexual: the arborax is hungry, nothing more. Twilight, however, in her inebriated state, doesn't see this like that:
"Uh..? Hey, stop!... That... that tickles... let me... let... me... go..." Twilight mutters as the tendrils evaluate her, and the arborax decides that she is worthy to become its meal. The beast then lifts her up, wraps its tongue around Twilight like a snake, and pulls her into its maw whole, and begins swallowing her, head-first. Twilight kicks and screams, and struggles to get out, but she is too drugged, and slowly but surely, the arborax forces her down its vine-like throat, and she vanishes within the behemoth's shell, eaten whole. Soon, the match is over, and Twilight, within minutes, is digested by the monster's powerful gastric acids, and the crowd cheers at the display.
"Well, that was quite... a disappointing match, actually. From all I heard about these ponies, I thought a simple arborax would have been enough, but it seems this is not so. But, remember, folks, this was just a test! So, for the sake of good showmanship, I'll bring Twilight back, and we'll see how she does next time. Until next we meet, faithful, blood-thirsty spectators!" R'tas booms, and the show is over for the day. But meanwhile, deep within the dungeons, a blue light shines in Twilight's cell, and it begins to condense, forming a pony-like shape. Finally, the light burst outward, and there stands Twilight, tired and shaken. She looks around, bewildered, and sees her cell. Then, her memories return, and she remembers the whole ordeal, from her waking up here to getting groped and eaten by a plant monster. She barely can speak, for there's nothing to say, but one thing is quickly realized by her: If she doesn't want this to happen again, she better not lose the next round...
Match 1: The Princess of the Sun vs. the Lord of Riots
Celestia struggled against her abnormally strong chains, as she was led from her cell to the pit, bruised and battered from her fight with the horde of undead creatures that had suddenly materialized in her room and kidnapped her, but still kicking and screaming. How did this even happen? She was the goddess of the sun! No mere creature could have beaten her! Yet, here she was, bested by a few bony, rotten, armored skeletons, who simply laughed and chuckled at her feeble displays in dry, raspy voices. Finally, after a brief struggle, Celestia was led out of the cells, and into the sunny arena. Here, she was greeted by the cheers and jeers of millions of odd creatures, all huddled in stands, waving their various appendages about, and calling for blood. This disgusted the princess to no end, and she had the mind to fly up to the open roof of the arena and escape, but her wings were broken from her fight with the skeletal goons; she could only lift herself a few feet off the ground, and only for a few minutes. Suddenly, a tune rang out across the arena, and all fell silent, even Celestia's mind. Then, but a moment after, a deep, cultured-sounding voice spoke out from everywhere at once, and a rectangular construct raised, revealing the speaker: The armored, (possibly) reptilian-looking necromancer, R'tas the Cruel.
"Well, Hello, my lovely spectators! Are you all ready once again... For R'tas the Cruel's Circus of Slaughter?" The voice boomed, the necromancer on the screen leaning forward, looking rather excited, and the crowd burst into cheers and shouts, calling for blood once more. Celestia, though, was disgusted by this creature and his 'Circus of Slaughter', and wasted no time in calling him out, despite his intimidation factor:
"What is this!? How dare you capture me, the princess of the sun!? When the rest of my kingdom hears of this, your operation is doomed, coward!" Celestia screamed, bursting with anger, but the crowed nor R'tas gave her no satisfaction of fear, and only the crowd responded at first, and with condescending 'oooh's, before being silenced by a raise of R'tas's hand. Then, after a rather brief pause, the necromancer continued.
"Well, seems we have a little royal blood in the pit today? A bit of a sour apple, isn't she?" R'tas mocked, infuriating Celestia further, but causing the crowd to burst into mild laughter, as if the necromancer's sentence was an inside joke, known only to them and himself. Then, as the spectators laughed, R'tas continued:
"Well, looks like our wittle pwincess is looking a tad gwumpy. So, what say we show her a fun time, eh?" R'tas pressed, and the crowd cheered with passion, making Celestia feel sick to her stomach at the display. "So, you all agree? Of course you do! After all, we simply can't spell 'slaughter' without 'laughter', can we?" R'tas finally joked, and the crowd's laughter and cheering rose in volume, as if they knew what was coming next, and anticipated it with utmost passion and eagerness. Unfortunately for Celestia, she had no idea was was going on, and the weight of the situation was crushing her, bringing weakness to her hooves.
"So, speaking of which, we have a very special match for you lot, and without further ado, the contestants!" R'tas shouted over the crowd at last, and he finally backed up from the colossal screen, swaying his arm to the right, toward Celestia. "Iiiin this corner, we have the lady of light, the mare of the day, and sister of the night, the one, the only, Princess Celestia!" R'tas announced, clapping, and the crowd followed suit, cheering for the princess, and raising her spirits slightly, but not all the way. After all, she was still in here against her will, what reason did she have to be happy if the crowd was only cheering for a showmare? Suddenly, interrupting Celestia's thoughts, R'tas spoke again, pointing with gusto to the left of the arena:
"Aaaaand in the other corner, from gate number two, we have our esteemed guest fighter!" R'tas exclaimed, and the crowd began to cheer, even as R'tas continued his entry speech. "He's black and red, and mean all over, he puts the 'laughter' in 'slaughter', and the 'art' in 'party', he's the one and only, graaand-daddy of spectacles and shows, Heeeeeere's RAKDOS!" R'tas shouts enthusiastically, and the gate explodes as a gargantuan figure steps out of it, a figure with, to Celestia's infinite dismay, horns, bat-like wings, spikes, and mountains of bulging muscle, all wrapped up in red, blood-stained hide, leather straps and pants (HORSE LEATHER, to be exact), and lots of loose, rattling, blood-stained chains. The dust finally cleared around the monstrous demon, and Celestia gulped as she saw his face: an odd-looking skull-like face, with two giant, curved horns, and a great column of fire continuously blazing from the back of his head while his fiery eyes gazed around him, as if in a state of nostalgia. Celestia, after analyzing her admittedly formidable-looking opponent, almost passed out from fear, for she had not seen a demon this hulking and powerful in a VERY long time. However, the demon, apparently named Rakdos, merely waved at the adoring and swooning crowd, roaring victoriously as he flexed his gargantuan muscles for the adoration of the crowd... and the intimidation of his puny opponent.
"Raagh, it's good to be back! Alright, R'tas, where's my newest punching bag at? I want to meet them... face to fist." Rakdos growled, ceasing his flexing to thrust his fist into his open left hand. Finally, before R'tas could announce the demon's opponent, Rakdos laid his fiery eyes on the cowering Celestia, who tried to stand bravely, but ultimately failed, her legs close to giving out. Finally, Rakdos smiled grimly, cracking his neck and knuckles as he prepared to murder the little pony before him. "Heh... This is it? Let's do this, then." Rakdos then rumbled, glaring with predatory glee at the terrified princess. Oh, but Celestia wasn't about to give up just yet. If fighting this thing meant what she thought it did, which was leaving, then she felt no choice but to go all out on this behemoth, no matter how tall, bulky... flaming... terrifying... spiky... crap, now I'M scared.
"Alright, you two, I want a fun, messy match! Winner keeps the loser's skull! Aaaand, begin!" R'tas announced, and the colossal screen flickered off and lowered as the crowd roared in cheer and praise, and Rakdos moved first, stomping toward Celestia with a quickened pace. Celestia, though, stood still, and charged her horn with a powerful-looking spell, though Rakdos paid it no mind. Finally, Rakdos was upon the alicorn, who had finished charging her spell, and before the demon could lower his giant, flaming scythe onto her, Celestia released her charged spell in a flash of white light, sending Rakdos flying several feet away from herself. Celestia felt drained from the ordeal, but the immediate jump in action caused the crowd to explode into cheers, which considerably lightened Celestia's mood. only a few minutes into the fight, and she was winning!... or so she thought. Soon after, through the cheering, a monstrous roar was heard, and Rakdos quickly rose again, his veins popping as he worked his muscles, and sweat dripping from his red, leather-clad body. Clearly, he was NOT happy with that embarrassing mishap, and was not about to let it happen again. Suddenly, before Celestia could react, Rakdos charged the tired Alicorn, and forced her to dodge as he swung his scythe down again, embedding it in the dusty arena floor. This, however, did not deter him, for as soon as Celestia rose from the ground, Rakdos pried his scythe from the dust, and raised it again, swinging it to the side for dramatic effect. Celestia did not even flinch at the display, as she knew she could beat this giant, demonic oaf, but negative thoughts still raced through her head as Rakdos crept toward her, scythe raised and ready to cleave her in half. However, they were all silenced by another announcement by R'tas, as he commented on the spectacle being played out.
"Well, this is getting heated! Rakdos seems to be having a hard time hitting poor Celestia, but just how long can the princess keep dodging before she loses her cool... and her head?" R'tas commented, and Rakdos bellowed once more, charging the princess with his scythe low to the ground, ready to take her legs of with a flick of the demon's wrist. Celestia then backpedaled in an attempt to escape the hulking lord of riots, but he was simply too fast, and in seconds, he swung his scythe low, forcing Celestia to jump it. The burning scythe grazed the bottom of her right hoof, causing the crowd above to gasp in shock and awe, but she remained unharmed. That is, until he doubled the assault with a hammer fist, smashing the pony into the ground in an instant, causing the sickening crunch of breaking bones to ring throughout the jeering stadium, and he then lifted the former princess of Equestria into the air by her throat, ready to tear it out. Celestia flailed futilely, but couldn't escape Rakdos's hold on her neck. Rakdos, assured of his victory, then let out a triumphant roar, causing the spectators to cheer and demand blood, screaming for the demon to finish her off. But, while he was in the moment, the lord of riots failed to realize how close his thumb was to Celestia's mouth... a fact he soon registered after Celestia, in a desperate attempt to escape, bit into it, causing a slightly delayed reaction. Rakdos, needless to say, quickly released her in a bellow of pain, quickly holding his wounded thumb, and ignoring the pony as she fled, getting behind him, and Celestia then lowered her head, eyes forward, and she scraped her hooves across the ground as she prepared to charge the monstrous demon from behind. Rakdos, though, was unaware of this as he frantically searched for the alicorn, but soon ceased his search as Celestia charged, and Rakdos howled in pain and grasped his injured buttocks as a long, sharp object pierced them through the leather he wore, and he actually leaped a few feet into the air, before crashing down on his rear, still holding it.
"Ohhh, that's gotta be painful, both for his pride, and his ass." R'tas said, and the crowded stands were filled with 'ooh's and winces as Rakdos got back up, the fire on the back of his head flaring up as his face contorted into a grimace of sheer, unbridled hatred. Celestia actually laughed for once, but her mirth was short-lived as Rakdos loomed over her, blotting the sun out with his massive frame so that all she could see were his shining, leering eyes past the shadow he cast over her. Celestia was only able to gulp then, and Rakdos raised his fist, bringing it down on her with a vengeance. But Celestia, despite the bones Rakdos turned to dust earlier, managed to dodge his attack, and dust flew everywhere as the attack impacted the ground, causing Celestia to cover her face with her hoof. But Rakdos was immune to the debris, and he quickly found Celestia, and swiped a fist out in front of himself, catching his opponent in the side, and destroying a few ribs as Celestia flew across the battlefield, landing on her unbroken side, but unable to recover. However, she was still very much conscious, and managed to spot Rakdos as he charged at her, scythe raised and ready to bear down on her exposed form. However, though she did not have her legs, Celestia still had her magic. Readying another powerful spell, Celestia rolled to her broken side, to her infinite pain, but still managed to keep her composure as she faced Rakdos, who was now upon her, and ready to end the pest before him once and for all. But, again, he did not register the telltale glow of the alicorn's horn, and was blasted once again by Celestia's powerful magic, sending him skidding a few feet away. But, he was prepared this time, and as soon as he saw the beam coming, Rakdos braced for impact, flexing his chest and abs as the beam struck, causing minimal damage to his toned and sweat-covered body, of which females of many races lusted for for some odd reason. Celestia, though, had no more energy for another attack, and Rakdos soon regained his position, and lifted the limp princess into the air by her hind legs, swung her around, and threw her back into the ground with terminal force, completely destroying whatever was left of her skeleton.
"Oh, my! And after a brutal first round, fine spectators, Rakdos has completely turned the tables with brute force and tenacity, giving our whiter-than-snow princess no time to charge any spells before completely breaking her to pieces!" R'tas commented, and Celestia could only groan in unbearable pain as Rakdos laughed heartily, picking the incapacitated alicorn once again.
"Should've just laid down and taken it, wench. Now I'm gonna tear your sorry carcass in half!" Rakdos growled, and Celestia let a tear fall from her eye, too agonized to keep her composure. Now, after so many years of lazy lifestyle and almost no battles to fight herself, she found herself destroyed; her bones broken, her flesh cut, bruised and mangled, and her will smashed and broken as the rest of her body. She could only whimper as Rakdos laughed at his victory, and mutter something no one but her could catch:
"H-how..?" She muttered, but Rakdos either didn't hear her, or didn't care, and he prepared to completely destroy her in the best way he knew: Complete domination. Immediately, Rakdos dropped the broken alicorn to the ground, and the crowd roared once more as Celestia tried to crawl away, but Rakdos grabbed the fleeing former princess by her shattered hind legs, and lifted her, slammed her on the ground again, and let her go, only to raise his scythe for one last blow... or so everyone thought. Instead, Rakdos quickly turned his scythe around, aiming the butt of the weapon at Celestia's rear, and he finally thrust the weapon, shoving it so far up her ass, it came out of her mouth, causing the crowd to wince and avert their gaze, as sudden gasps and 'ooh...'s flew from the stands, and Celestia could only silently break down, tears streaming down her face in rivers as the colossal demon pushed the scythe deeper, and then pulled it out as quickly and painfully as he could, resulting in a sharp gasp from Celestia as blood flowed from her mouth, and before she could react, Rakdos dropped the blade of the weapon on Celestia's head, cleaving it in half, killing the alicorn instantly. In the few moments afterward, all was completely silent, save for the heavy breathing of Rakdos. Then, the crowd burst into cheers, and Rakdos triumphantly picked up the corpse of Celestia, and held it up for all to see. Then, as if on que (which it was), the gargantuan screen rose from behind the V.I.P box, and R'tas appeared on it, his green, reptilian eyes bright with ill-concealed excitement.
"And, we have a winner! Rakdos the Defiler, you have won this battle!... Though, I think that skull might be a tad done for. Still, take a bow, Rakdos! You've more than earned it!" R'tas exclaimed, and the crowd began cheering as the demon walked out of the arena, returning to his own realm quickly. "Now, as for you viewers, do you think Celestia deserves another chance? You decide: Resurrect her, or let the dead rest? The choice is yours! Until next time, O faithful connoisseurs of carnage!"
