The Dormant Tempest

Within three hours, Grubber's examinations, and use of healing medicines, brought me back to full health - with the exception of my broken horn and scars.

While he treated me, I learned how the Storm King invaded the village of his kind. How, just like mine, he had them slaughtered. However, unlike the Storm King’s love for pony genocide, he didn’t share the same passion for Grubber’s kind - sparing a select number of women and children for slavery.

My resentment of this little hedgehog changed after hearing the harsh treatment he was given. How he was tossed around by many masters until he was sold to that mole to be a medic for any newcomer here. Apparently I was now the two hundred forty-third newcomer he served. I was not going to let myself end up like the others before me.

I was blushing and keeping myself away from him. While he had made me feel better, I couldn't help but feel strange about a boy touching me. Regardless, I would need to inform him that I was grateful for his service.

“Th...thank you, Grubber. You have served me well. “ I was a little embarrassed to speak like that, but I knew I needed to seem as powerful and in charge as I could, for my own sake.

“Anything for you, Mistress Tempest.” He gratefully said while bowing to me. I was only a little filly when I witnessed how submissive he was and knew I had to keep him there. Though as a mare, I now fathom the amount of power and the things I could have easily done to this boy if I so desired.

Feeling more confident, I approached my loyal servant. “Good boy,” I praised with a dominating voice while patting him gently on his precious little head, “now rise for your mistress. You've earned it.”

Grubber rose up and gave me a very bashful look. It appeared as if he wanted to say something to me but was a little afraid to. We both knew our place here and it was kind of getting both interesting and weird. This was something I felt I needed to fix now. "Sweet little Grubber," I kindly started, placing one of my hooves on his cheek, "if you have something to say, you're more than welcome to. You may be my servant, but that doesn't mean you can't talk to your mistress."

I could see his mood lighting up. "Well...I just wanted to say thank you....for listening to my story for the last few hours. You're the first one that showed interest in it." He almost embraced me, but he quickly reframed. I gave him a smile and decided to let him have this - just this one time, since he was cute. From the excited mumbling in his voice and his tears wetting my coat, it was obvious he needed it.

Without warning, the door in the back slid open - leaving behind a dark corridor that felt very foreboding. Before I could examine any further, the outside of my cell was surrounded with Storm King grunts - each one pointing a spear made of that anti magic metal and making it clear I needed to venture inside. I did what they suggested and began my trot.

As I continued into the depth's of what felt like my tomb, I heard Grubber speak to me. "Good luck, mistress. I know you'll win and hope to see you soon. You're definitely my favorite creature here now." It felt nice to have someone genuinely seem to care about my existence here, and it certainly motivated me to stay alive.

A source of illumination could finally be seen, and I knew I had finally reached the end - hopefully not the end of my life. Slowly walking out, I discovered myself inside a large towering colosseum erected from the thickest layers of limestone. The top was constructed with anti-magic metal that made it appear I was in a large birdcage for the roaring crowd that surrounded me, and at the top of this edifice were lights that elucidated the confines of my battleground. From what I could tell, nobody had a chance of escaping this arena - not unless dying counted as escape.

With my eyes adjusting to the lights, I noticed that massive storm clouds covered the sky above. All around the crowd I had been hearing was now visible to me - they were all those disgusting fish and reptilian creatures. Within the crowd I saw a large throne with the Storm King seated in with the most satisfied grimace I saw yet on him. It didn’t take a genius to know what went through that primitive mind - in this graveyard, he planned to have any traces of me - the remnants of my village's existence - wiped away like excrement on a boot.

The door behind me closed and I saw that rows of doors surrounded the arena walls. Any part of the wall available housed a variety of weapons for any combatant to choose from: swords, spears, shields, daggers, and even chakrams, to name a few. Some of these weapons appeared to have the repugnant stench of fresh blood still coated on it - my guess was that they quickly wiped the weapons clean before each fight.

Focusing my attention to the Storm King, I noticed that vile mole rat adjacent to him - holding what appeared to be a microphone. “Ladies and gentleman,” I heard from his amplified voice, “today I bring you a new gladiator. This pony is the sole survivor of her village and had the nerve to harm our beloved Storm King,” I wished I could get close to him and watch that bravado sink from his smug ego. “Now here to see if she has the privilege of remaining amongst these sacred grounds,” there was nothing sacred about this Tartarus, “I give you, Tempest Shadow!”

And just like that, the crowd exploded with excitement. It horrified me that they didn’t seem concerned that a little foal was about to fight for her life. To think of the amount of children slain here for the audience to be so desensitized. How in their last breaths, a child didn't hear signs of worry, but the thrill of carnage.

My fears only intensified as I saw another door open. Walking out was a large blue fish-man. While this repulsive monster that had on only a brown tank top and appeared to be a little overweight, the sharp teeth, large frame, and jagged head fin told me he wasn't someone to take lightly. "Now, to see if she is worthy of staying in the Kludgetown Colosseum, give it up for the two year veteran gladiator, Barracuda!" With that, I learned all I needed to know about my opponent who was riling up the crowd into a frenzy. As I saw the Storm King continue to smile, I could only hope that I was capable of surviving this ordeal - if nothing else but to damper that mood of his.

"LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE!" As soon as Verto finished those words, that barbarous gladiator, Barracuda, lunged out and swiped me to the ground using his webbed claws - I could feel the fresh blood dripping from my side. He began to repeat his process, but I avoided the majority of this blow - taking only a scratch on my flank -and blasted him with an electric charge from my hideous horn.

He roared in agony, but that agony suddenly shifted to laughter - I was more unfamiliar with my horn's control than I thought, because that blast was meant to knock him out. "Well, well, well," he began to gloat, "looks like you got some fight in you after all. You're going to make an interesting meal to fight." Once again, he came at me with an intent to kill, or should I say eat me? I did what any girl my age would do at a time like that - run away.

In an effort to have an advantage I fearfully ran to the wall for a weapon to use and picked up a dagger. As he was approaching I threw the dagger at him in a panic, but he easily dodged it. Before I could grab something else to throw, he was already there and grabbed me by the throat. I struggled and gasped for a simple breath of air, but his grip on me was too much and I was being strangled to death. I wanted to plea with him to let me go. To spare me and promise to let him do whatever things he desired to do to me in return. It didn't matter at this point, I just didn't want to die - not like this.

My consciousness was slowly slipping and all I was feeling was myself being thrown in the air. Immediately, I awoke with a blood curdling scream - the worst scream I ever gave that I'm surprised I didn't shatter my voice box then. I soon discovered in this unspeakable pain that I was in this creatures jaws - I could feel the teeth lacerating my sides and hear the crowd cheering at my impending doom.

He was savoring my taste and, most likely, the sounds of my torment. Most ponies would have accepted their death, but I didn't - I couldn't - let it end this way. With the strength I still had to muster, I ignited my horn and electrocuted us both -the insides of his mouth proved to be an excellent conductor. His teeth shattered inside and I was able to escape his mouth. My body was drenched in blood - both his and mine - and it would have been worse if his teeth weren't still in my flesh to keep me from bleeding out.

The brute fell to the floor with barely any breath left to spare, but I would make sure he wouldn't have any remaining. To my left, I was in great fortune to come across the dagger I had thrown earlier. I decided to pick it up, struggling to grasp it in my damaged hoof and slowly limped to him. It satisfied me when he was capable of seeing my presence, but too weak to move. I still remember his pleading gasps. "Please, no," he begged, which only pleased me more to hear, "I was just fighting to survive. I didn't mean anything by it."

Looking him in the eyes, I said the most satisfying thing I could think of in the moment. "So was I." I thrusted the dagger far into his throat. He didn't die immediately from this either - it was very slow, and it was very painful. His body soon became lifeless and instead of the mourning of a famous gladiator, I heard the crowd in applause - their warrior was already a distant memory.

"GIVE IT UP, LADIES AND GENTLEMAN, FOR TEMPEST!" I looked into the direction of Verto and noticed the Storm King had the most baffled expression on that thing he called a face. Even in the near death and bloody mess I was, I couldn't help but smile, and I swear he could see it, because afterwards he stormed out of his throne in anger, and left to his chambers.