Regret and Vengeance

Equestria was a land of peace and harmony. That was changing extremely fast. Each town in Equestria was highly patrolled. New laws came. Ponies had to pay high taxes, citizens are always having to reveal their identity to every guard they pass. The guards patrolling are no longer bounded by Celestia's old laws, they harassed the civilians whenever they don't pay the fines and the guards arrest ponies whenever they speak out against the new lawes. Truly, there was no freedom.

Black Sunshine has heard of a village that disconnected itself from Equestrian laws. She decided to change that.  "Guards, I am going on a trip. Make sure Luna doesn't mess up my new laws while I'm gone. Oh, and one more thing. Make sure my favorite prisoner gets feed up well, he'll need his strength for the 'show' I will be hosting." And so she teleported off.

Black Sunshine teleported near the village. She studied this village very closely, everypony had the same cutie mark, an equal sign. They believed that different cutie marks leads to everypony being different and that being different leads to unhappiness. They believe that by being all the same, they will find happiness.

'What a bunch of idiots. They denied the only thing that gives them a purpose in life. Somepony is brainwashing them, but who?' Black Sunshine used her magic to scan the ponies in it, everypony was the same, except for one. 'This pony is the one, I can't believe I didn't look into this village before.' Black Sunshine thought to herself. 'I think it's time to pay them a little visit.'

Black Sunshine landed in the village. Everypony looked at her with a mixture of surprise and fear. "Surprised?"

One of them spoke up and asked, "Who are you?"

B. Sunshine smiled and said, "You don't pay attention to current events do you? I used be Princess Celestia, but due to some 'changes' I am now Empress Black Sunshine."

The ponies were in shock, the princess was now an empress. A very white pony walked up to B.Sunshine. "My name is Double Diamond. And I see you have your own unique cutie mark." He said, referring to the black sun on her flank.

"Of course I do. This cutie mark is the symbol of both who I am and my empire. I came here to learn more of this village, to my understanding you all had your own cutie mark but it was removed."

"Yes that is true. Let me introduce you to our founder. Starlight Glimmer."

'So that's the name of the brainwasher, Starlight Glimmer.' "Why don't you go get her. I'll wait here.’

"Very well." Double Diamond left to get Starlight Glimmer.

Starlight Glimmer, after hearing everything about B.Sunshine, introduced herself, "Welcome, I am pleased to have yo-."

"Spare me your introductiones. I already know everything. And I mean everything." B.Sunshine said, Starlight Glimmer had a look of concern. "I know how you steal these ponies cutie marks with the 'staff of sameness.' However I know that staff is a fake and I know your secret."

"Starlight, what's she talking about?" Asked a blue pony.

"You must be mista-." Starlight was interrupted by B.Sunshine.

"No I'm not." B.Sunshine used her magic to revel Starlight's cutie mark. Everypony gasped. "You have been telling these ponies that cutie marks brought pain. But you’re wrong. They give ponies the power to do what they do best. It doesn't matter if you're different." B.Sunshine claimed.

"You lied to them and you kept your cutie mark. Not only that but you also took power into my land, and that is an offense against my rule. Prepare to be punished!"

Starlight fired her most powerful spell, but B.Sunshine just stood there and she took it full force. She didn't appear to be hurt at all. Starlight was scared for her life once she saw this. "How, I studied that spell for years."

"Hahahahahaha, I guess I'm just too powerful. Oh and by the way I was going to arrest you but you've given yourself the death sentence." B. Sunshine, teleported right into her face. Starlight jumped back and landed her back on the ground. She crawled back words with a look of terror in her eye. "Don't worry I won't kill you.........They will."

Everypony gasped, "What use? We can't, we've never killed anypony before." One of them said.

"Yes but she is not 'anypony' she is the one that took away a part of each of you. She may have taken even more then that, she took away your freedom she brainwashed you, she lied to you, she used all of you. This is your chance for vengeance! Make her pay for everything she did!" When she said that, her cutie mark flashed. And the villager's eyes flashed as the saw it.

The villagers became angry, they all wanted to make Starlight suffer. The pegasuses of the group lifted Starlight's front hooves. The earth ponies held her on the ground. The unicorns charged at her one at a time, Each one stabbing her with their horns. Even the foals. Starlight bleed to death.

Double Diamond breathed heavily and said, "I feel so, alive."

"WE'RE FREE!"  A dark blue mare screamed, then they all cheered.

B.Sunshine smiled. 'Beautiful vengeance. The old me would be throwing up at this point. I'm glad I've changed.'

"Hahahahaha, well done my little ponies. You have served the Black Sun empire by executing a traitor. And you are the first other then me to do so you will be known throughout history. For your services I award each of you with 50 thousand bits, and I will see that there will be improvements to the village."

"Thank you empress Black Sunshine, we will go to that cave and get back our cutie marks, and then we will continue to serve the empire."

the town thanked in unison.

'Perfect, now we have full control over all of Equestria. Next up the world. Then HE will have nowhere to run.'

(2 days later)

The royal guard were equipped with new armor. The color before was white and yellow, now they were black and red. The helmet now had 2 horns on the top rather than the brushes. The armor now had short spikes on across its back. That was the first thing Spike noticed when the guards came in.

"It’s time."

Spike knew what that meant, he was told to get up and walk with the guards. He looked to his left to see Cadence crying. 'Poor mare.' He thought.

He and the guards approached the new exit of the dungeon, he heard the cheers outside as he walked near the light. He walked up to an iron gate. Outside of it was a stadium with helmet less guards sitting on their seats cheering, the stadium ground was all sand, and there were weapons and armor on the ground, swords, shields, helmets, axes, maces, bows and arrows and more. civilians sat around the higher levels, guards sat on reserved seats located closer to the ground, and last but not least, Black Sunshine on a royal throne, the throne was white with the black sun symbol imprinted above her head. To Spike's left he saw a helmet, with holes to slip his spikes through, and 2 swords. He picked up the swords and he putted on the helmet.

'This is what I trained for. My survival.'

"Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to the very first arena battle." The announcer said as the crowd cheered. "In the arena, you will see prisoners fight for survival and their freedom. Today we have the baby dragon known as Spike vs The griffon known as Gilda! Lower the gates."

Spike walked out with the helmet on and one sword in each hand. Gilda walked out with a helmet but no weapon. They remembered each other, however neither of them said anything, they stood ground, waiting for one of them to make a move.

Gilda attacked with her claws, Spike blocked the hits with his swords. Spike jumped over Gilda and he attempted to slash her back but to no avail, Gilda flew backwards and she tried to stab Spike in the back. Spike turned around almost instantaneously and he blocked. He then punched Gilda away.

After that blow something awoken in him, he hit a living thing. He thought that if he had ever hit a living being he would feel terrible. But something awoken in him, he felt the adrenaline pump in him, he felt the heat of battle. Something had awoken within Spike, at first he was fighting to survive. Now he wanted to fight even more. He charged at Gilda and he slashed her with the sword in his left claw, he hit a wing, Gilda lost the ability to fly.

The fight carried on. The feeling that Spike was having grew as he continued to fight. He wanted to fight more and more, he wanted his swords to stay in his claws, he wanted to feel the rush of battle. A realization hit Spike, this was his destiny. He's not somepony's assistant. He's not a dragon, destined to just send and receive messages. He is a warrior. His body began to change.

To everypony's surprise, Spike began to grow, his head became more like a more grown dragon, his back grew wings, his spikes began to grow about 6 inches long, and his muscles grew as well, when he stopped growing, he grew 7,5 feet tall. Gilda looked at Spike in shock.

There was a long pause, Spike looked at his hands and he griped them a couple times, he noticed the wings on his back and flapped them a little bit. 'My body changed. Oh well I still have a fight to finish.'  Spike gripped the two swords and he spat on them, he then smeared his spit all over the sword, everypony was a little disgusted. Spike then blew green fire on his swords. The swords are now covered in green fire, the heat would be too intense to hold the swords, except for dragons. Gilda took a look of surprise. Spike smiled.

"The spit of a dragon is very flammable, and it prevents my swords from melting when a breath my fire on it, pretty neat huh." Spike said in a deeper voice then when he was smaller. "This ends now!"

B.Sunshine was sitting on her throne with an amused look. 'Very clever.' She thought. She then used a spell on Spike without him, or anypony else noticing. 'This should prevent him from growing any bigger. I personally prefer him this way.' Just then Luna walked in. B.Sunshine smiled.

"Welcome sister, please take a seat." Luna took the throne designed for her, it was black with a white moon imprinted above her head. "I'm pleased to see that you changed your mind about not seeing the fight."

Luna looked down and saw a very familiar dragon, holding two flaming swords, facing of a helmeted griffon. She paid no attention to the griffon, only to the dragon. "Is that...Spike?"

"Indeed it is, I think he was enjoying the fight, do not worry though, I put a spell on him to prevent him from growing any bigger."

Spike and Gilda stared at each other, Gilda charged at Spike and slashed her claws, only to have one of them chopped off, he somehow gained better reflexes. 'Strange, it must have something to do with me being a dragon.' Spike thought. Gilda screamed in agonizing pain.

'But I don't remember gaining any reflexes when I first got bigger, am I unique? Oh yea still got a fight to finish.' She was then kicked in the face, she was knocked down on the ground. She got up on her hind legs only to find the flaming swords at her neck.

"And the winner is Spike the dragon!" The crowed cheered when the announcer claimed Spike's victory. "But one question remains, will Gilda live or die? Our empress Black Sunshine will declare that. If she raises her hoof in the air then Gilda will live. If the hoof is slammed down then she dies."

There was a long moment of silence. Gilda was extremely nervous. Luna was hoping that B.Sunshine will raise her hoof in the air. Spike was having a huge conflict within himself. His old self is telling I'm not to do it no matter what she decided.

'I can't kill her. Can I? She may have been mean to my old friends but still. What am I talking about she lost fair and square and I only proved to be better, but she fought with honor, I'd be giving her an honorable death.' Spike was thinking to himself. 'If she is to die then so be it.'

Black Sunshine pointed her hoof outward, then she slammed it down. Luna gasped. Then Spike chopped her head off. Luna got up and walked out with a hint of anger. B.Sunshine smiled. 'I can feel your hatred towards me growing, you can't hide yourself from me forever.......Nightmare Moon!'

The crowed was in silence, then they cheered again. "Gilda was given an honorable battle and death may she rest in peace." Then Spiked walked back through the gate and back into the dungeon. He went back into his cell, and he lays down on the ground. 'The gladiator life may not be so bad after all.' Then he noticed his new wings not going down when he lied down, it was really annoying to Spike.

"Now I know how Twilight feels."   He then remembered them all they all popped into his mind. 'I wonder where they are now.' He closed his eyes and fell asleep.