Game of Thrones: Equestria

“KILL HIM!”

“SKEWER THAT LITTLE BASTARD!”

“THE BEAST NEEDS TO EAT, JUST DIE ALREADY!”

The screams of disdain from the spectators raged on as the twin combatants circled each other. The fight had been going on for over an hour now and both were wheezing from exhaustion and wounded all over. Imperius gripped his weapon with both hands as he limped to the side and sweat dripped down his head and neck. All over his arms, legs, and torso were claw marks, deep and shallow, and his opponent, the one eyed manticore, was in no better shape.

One Eye growled at the young prince as he gnashed his teeth viciously. He too had his fair share of wounds and was even more enraged since Imperius had somehow managed to cut the stinger off his tail. Imperius glared at both the manticore and the audience as he prepared himself for One Eye.

“Come on ya bastard…” the prince dared as he took another stance in the sun that was now scorching the arena.

The audience were beginning to feel the heat themselves as many tried to avoid the burning rays yet the prince didn’t have a single drop of sweat on him while One Eye painted from exhaustion.

ROAAR!!

The manticore swiped his claws at Imperius as he leaped back and tossed a handful of sand in his remaining eye before kicking him into one of the arena’s pillars as the crowd gasped in shock.

“Did you see that?!”

“Where did that come from?!”

Saladin leaned forward in his seat after seeing such a feat of strength and began to notice other changes in the prince.

As One Eye made another swipe, Imperius somersaulted out of the way and used the momentum to slash at the beast’s leg. Managing to cut through the tendon, the beast roared in pain as he made another swipe, just barely grazing Imperius’ back. The lying prince hissed in pain as he spun around to face One Eye. Though as soon as he did, he noticed something about the creature. His body was shaking from exhaustion, but it wasn’t his wounded body that Imperius noticed. It was his eye, it looked like there was pain and sorrow behind it. It was a strange sensation, but it felt as though One Eye was being forced to fight and wanted someone, anyone, to put it out of its misery.

“COME ON! FINISH IT!!”

“THIS IS YOUR CHANCE KID!!”

Many of the spectators called for the beast’s death, the crowd that had once been hostile now cheered for his victory yet even as he stood there, Imperius felt no desire to kill his opponent and planted his sword in the ground.

“What is he doing?!?” A crowd member shouted as the prince tossed his shield aside and reached out to the wounded manticore.

“Easy now…” he spoke gently as the beast gave a frightened growl.

“Shhhh…it’s okay.”

One Eye stared at Imperius for a long while and hobbled over to the young prince. He then sniffed his hand and looked up at Imperius who continued to stare at him blankly. One Eye then ever so slightly pressed his snout on Imperius’ hand, bringing a smile to the young prince’s face.

“There, now that wasn’t so hard, was-?”

SHUNK!

Out of nowhere, a large bolt struck itself into One Eye’s head, causing the beast’s eye to roll back as he fell. Imperius gasped as he looked up to see Saladin with a sick grin on his face with a large crossbow in his hand.

“I have no need of weak pets, the victory is the young colt’s!” He announced.

The crowd cheered for a brief moment before Imperius flew into a rage and hurled his sword right to the sultan, cutting his cheek as the blade narrowly missed his head.

“YOU BASTARD!! YOU COLD BLOODED MURDERING BASTARD!!”

Infuriated by this insult, Saladin ordered his guards to surround the prince but to his surprise, the crowd began to boo in protest as they chanted.

“LIVE! LIVE! LIVE!”

Despite his authority, the sultan did not want to displease his subjects and he still needed Imperius as a hostage so against his better judgement, he gave a thumbs up with a spiteful look towards the prince.

“Away with him! Put him with the others!”

The guards nodded and grabbed Imperius by his arms and dragged him away through a different gate than the one he came from. Soon Imperius found himself in a much larger room filled with larger cages. Each one had a variety of species: ponies, dogs, griffins, minotaurs, even some zebra here and there. The guards dragged the prince to a cage in the back of the room and unlocked the door.

“Hey, you pieces of trash, fresh meat!”

The guards threw him in, sending him tumbling across the dirty floor before closing the gate and locking it. Imperius shook his head and looked up to see his new cell mates. There were a group of ponies, some Saddle Arabian and Equestrian, a minotaur with one horn missing, and a couple of zebra mares hugging each other.

“Uh…hello,” Imperius said as he stood up.

“Greetings mate.” The minotaur said in a british accent as he stood up.

“Welcome to hell or…the closest thing to it. Name’s Bruze but everyone just calls me bruiser.” He smiled while giving the prince a tour of the dungeon.

“Latrines are that way, training room’s the other way and pleasure room’s at the end of the hall.”

“Pleasure room?” The prince asked, looking confused as the zebras giggled.

“One of the perks of being a champ lad. Good food, better gear and all the girls you could knock up! Unless…you prefer bucks? We don’t judge, do we lads?”

“Nope!” They all said.

“W-Wait a moment!” Imperius said, waving his hands frantically.

“You’re telling me you…mate with girls whenever you want?!”

“Dude, what’s with the formalities?” A stallion chuckled.

“To answer your question, yes, we can buck any girl we want any time we please.”

“But…isn’t that wrong? What if they don’t want to mate?”

“Haven’t met a girl who said no so far,” Bruiser shrugged.

“But them zebra chicks over there, they’ve yet to share a bed with any of us so we leave them be.”

Imperius looked to the two zebra mares who were still together and could already tell they were sisters since they had the same pale blue eyes. Each mare had only rags on and could do little to hide their bodies.

“Hello, what’re your names?” Imperius asked, trying to be nice.

“I am Ebony…this is my sister, Mona.” The elder one replied.

“You are the one who struck the sultan…”

“That was you?” Bruze smirked, looking impressed.

“Buckin’ hell mate! You got balls.”

“Yeah that was me…I tried to get his head.” Imperius said bluntly, making the others laugh.

“Surprised he didn’t put you with the bad apples.” A griffon said while filing his talons.

“Bad apples?”

“True killers boy.” An earth pony with a gruff voice said.

“Mercs, thieves, murderers, rapists. They live on the other side of the ring and each one is at ol’ Saladin’s beck and call.”

“It’s worse for the girls that get sent there. Most come back broken or crippled…others? Well, you get the idea.”

“Bastards…” Imperius growled.

“That reminds me, you never did tell us your name,” a pegasus mare said, sipping a cup of water.

“Oh, my apologies, my name’s Imperius.”

“HRMPH-PPPPFFFFFTTTTT!! WH-WHAT?! IMPERIUS?! AS IN THE PRINCE IMPERIUS?!” The mare shrieked as she spat her drink.

“Um…yes?”

“What in the actual hay is the son of Princess Celestia doing in a crap hole like this?!” The stallion asked, surprising everyone in the cage and all who overheard.

“Last I heard of you, you were still a toddler before I ended up here!”

“I guess you have been here a long time.” The prince joked while looking around.

“How did you guys end up here anyway?”

“Bar fight.”

“Tax evasion.”

“Noble stole my wife. No joke.”

“And you lad?” Bruiser asked.

“My mom refused to marry me to the sultan’s daughter so he kidnapped me, ripped half my feathers off and…here we are. Now how do I get out?”

“One hundred wins kid. Only way."

Imperius groaned as he hobbled over to an empty space against a wall and slid downwards. He winced at his injuries, which Ebony and Mona seemed to notice.

“He looks hurt,” Mona said.

“Should we aid him?”

“We can’t trust him, despite who he is,” Ebony said bitterly.

“Sister, even I can tell he’s not like them.”

“If that were true, then our mother would still be-!”

“I know,” Mona said sadly as she stood up.

“But I know that colt is nothing like those brutes.”

Despite her sister’s protest, Mona picked up a satchel and walked over towards Imperius with Ebony reluctantly following. Imperius glanced up and noticed both zebra mares kneel down beside him as Mona smiled kindly.

“Would you like us to treat you? Before we were imprisoned, my sister and I practiced medicinal healing since we were fillies,” Mona said as she opened the satchel to reveal herbs and other medical supplies.

“Thank you.” Imperius said as she took his arm and began cleaning the wound.

“Ah! That stings.”

“Yes but that means it’s working.” Mona smiled before wrapping the arm.

“Now let’s see that wing.”

Imperius turned around slowly as the pain in his left wing was still fresh and many were disgusted by the dried blood and mangled feathers as Mona cleaned the wound.

“Bugger me. You musta really pissed him off.” Bruze said as he winced from watching the prince fight the pain.

“Grrr!!”

“Almost done, no signs of infection.”

As Mona was finishing up, Ebony noticed his left ring finger had a ring on it and around his neck was a necklace.

“What’s with the ring and necklace?” Ebony wondered.

Imperius frowned as he glanced at his ring.

“It’s…my engagement ring.”

“You’re engaged?” Mona asked gleefully.

“Yeah, to the most wonderful mare I’ve ever met.” Imperius smiled sadly as he reached up and pulled out his necklace. Attached to the rings was a crimson red feather that seemed to give off a certain glow in the dim light of the cage.

“And this is something my teacher gave me. He said that it would give me strength whenever I feel like giving up.”

“Sounds like a man I’d like to meet,” Bruze nodded.

“Who is he?”

Imperius grunted as Mona put more salve on his wound before her sister helped slowly wrap the wing.

“When we get out of here, I’ll introduce you.”

“Get out? Peh…there’s no escaping here mate.” Bruze shook his head as he scoffed.

“You may as well say goodbye to that gal of yours too, chances are she’s already moved on.”

“She’ll wait for me….I know it.” Imperius said as he looked at his engagement band.

The main doors to the cell were suddenly opened as two guards walked in with the dungeons chef as he began handing out food bowls to the cellmates.

“Get it while it’s hot boys! Fresh rice porridge.”

“Again?” Another minotaur complained as he was given his share.

“Hey. You wanna eat well, you gotta fight well and speaking of which, where’s the newbie?” The chef called out as Imperius stepped forward.

“Here ya go kid, veggie stew! Not bad for your first fight.” The chef smiled while handing him some bread to go with his meal.

“Thank you,” Imperius smiled as he ate the stew, which was surprisingly good. He then looked out the cheek window and noticed that the sun was setting. He glanced back down at his engagement ring and held it close to his heart.

“I’ll get out of here, I swear I will, somehow.”

Meanwhile

Prance

An airship had just docked at the ports of Prance as a band of hooded mares disembarked and made their way to the palace. As the sun was nearing its setting faze, Rarity and her fellow Night Witches approached the palace gates. After showing the guards their credentials, they were allowed inside and were greeted by Queen Antoinette and her sister Lisa.

“Miss Rarity, so nice to meet you,” Antoinette said with a welcoming smile.

“Your majesty.” Rarity bowed while removing her mask.

“I’m sorry you had to come here under such circumstances.” Lisa apologized as they entered the palace.

“How is Celestia?”

“Grieving.” Lunar Star replied bluntly.

“And Lord Marshall is out for blood, said to report to him if and when we find Uba.”

“Oh dear…” Antoinette bit her thumb slightly as they entered the throne room where the rest of her sisters and Gumdrop awaited.

The pink haired filly was crying her eyes out with Ninon to lean on, she had not recovered from losing Imperius.

“There, there dearie, it’ll be okay.”

Gumdrop couldn’t respond as she continued to cry and the sisters could only be there for her. Rarity looked to the balcony to see the Queen Mother, Elizabeth, looking down at something. She looked over her shoulder to Rarity and her Night Witches but went back to staring down at the ground.

“Mother is agitated,” Lisa stated.

“As is he.”

“He?” Cold Mist wondered.

Antoinette frowned sadly as she led the Witches to the balcony. When they looked down, they saw Lock balancing on his feet with his legs split out wide and his eyes closed shut. The man was unmoving as his arms were held out and he balanced two massive boulders on his fists. He looked to be in deep meditation as sweat dripped from his body and steam evaporated into the air.

“My word, is that…?” Rarity said.

“Yes…and he’s been at that for days,” Antoinette admitted.

“He barely eats or sleeps, he won’t talk to me…this really has him feeling guilty.”

“How is he at fault?” Rarity wondered when Lisa explained the situation to her, including how Marshall was enraged towards Lock.

“I see.”

“So that idiot let Uba get away?” Mist wondered while looking out the window.

“Mist!”

“What? It’s just a question.”

SMASH!!

All mares jumped in the fright as Lock demolished the boulders, causing debris to litter the area around him. He then hopped up on his legs and inhaled deeply before exhaling. When he opened his eyes, they were not grey, but bright amber as he unfurled his wings. Not caring that he did not have a shirt on, he flapped them to fly up to the balcony and landed just beside them. The Night Witches, despite the circumstances, couldn’t help but completely gawk at Lock’s very chiseled torso as he glanced at them and Rarity.

“So…you’re the so-called Night Witches?” He asked emotionlessly.

“And you’re the idiot who let the prince get kidnapped.” Lunar Star spat back with her arms crossed, not caring that Lock looked like he was about to tear her in two.

“Watch it missy, I’m not in a good mood…” Lock threatened as she grinned at him.

“So you’re the so-called Demon? I fail to see why they call you that.”

In the blink of an eye, Lock morphed his feathers into blades around Lunar Star’s neck, gritting his teeth in anger before he felt the tip of her dagger against his windpipe.

“Temper, temper.”

“Enough, Star! You made your point.” Rarity demanded as both of them backed away from each other.

“Forgive her Lock, getting under pony’s skins is her specialty.”

“Whatever…” Lock huffed.

“She’s not worth it anyway, considering I had the edge on her.”

“How do you figure?” Lunar wondered.

As soon as she asked that, she felt a sudden breeze on the back of her neck. When she reached back, she gasped as she looked down to see most of her mane was cut off and only reached above her shoulders. She whipped her head to Lock who was smirking as he dried himself with his flames and put a shirt on.

“Nice crop top, it suits you,” Lock snickered.

“Why you-!”

“Whoa, back up girl!” Whisper Wind said as they held her back.

“Ladies, enough. We are here to rescue the prince, not fight amongst ourselves!” Rarity scolded with two claps of her hands.

“Now Lady Antoinette, please tell us what happened the day of the kidnapping.”

After a brief explanation, the Night Witches processed the information as Lock went to check on Gumdrop.

“So Clover was the one who leaked the info,” Rarity said.

“It’s the only explanation as to how they knew Imperius would be there. Corporal Cherry Top and her squad are also taking this personally since it was also their job to look out for Imperius,” Elizabeth sighed.

“I underestimated her,” Lock spoke up as Gumdrop hugged him and cried into his chest. Lock frowned as he hugged her back and draped a wing around her.

“Her resourcefulness and cunning moves were more bold than I anticipated. If I had the proper intel and briefings of the situation, Imperius wouldn’t have gotten snatched.”

“Darling, please, it wasn’t-”

“With all due respect, but you sound like a goddamn broken record, Antoinette,” Lock said bitterly.

“I was the one who let them go into town, I was the one who put too much faith in the boy, and I was the one who let that fucker, Uba, live. Now Imperius is maimed and alone, probably doing who the fuck knows, and Saladin is most likely having a fucking field day because of it.”

Back in Saddle Arabia

Saldadin was in his private bedchambers, furiously throwing his many pillows around before looking at his reflection in a large mirror to see the cut on his face. Though small, the Sultan did not take kindly to the prince damaging his royal face as he began to throw a tantrum like a toddler.

“THAT BRAT!! I’ll make him pay! My beautiful face-RUINED!!”

Saladin seethed at himself as he thought of Imperius. The nerve of him to harm his face was truly an unforgettable crime. Were he not the son of Celestia, he would have condemned Imperius to the most heinous tortures. But for now, just this once, he would let it slide since he still needed him for his plans. Saladin took a deep breath to calm himself as he approached the door leading out of his chambers and opened it slightly.

“You there,” he pointed at a nearby servant mare, who jumped at his voice.

“Summon my daughter, I must speak with her.”

“Yes my sultan!” The servant yelped as she hurried down the hall to a bedroom guarded by two palace guards.

“What is your business here?” One of them asked as they blocked the way with their spears.

“His lordship; The Sultan has sent me to retrieve his daughter, please let me in.”

“Very well, enter.” The second guard said as they opened the door for her.

“My princess?” The servant called out to a young mare combing her raven black mane in front of a bejeweled dresser. Her fur was golden brown and her eyes were a deep amethyst purple. Her mane reached down to her lower back as she glanced at the servant. To any other pony, one would say her beauty was a sight to be reckoned with, despite her young age. She exhaled as she stood up and turned to face the servant.

“My father wants me again, doesn’t he?” The Princess asked, purposely not hiding her bitter tone.

“Y-Yes, he awaits you, my Princess,” the servant bowed.

“Hmm…very well.” The Princess slowly followed the servant out of her chambers and was led to where her father was. Once the servant left her, she entered the room where she saw her father still examining his wound.

“Jasmine, welcome, sit down, I’ll be with you in a moment,” Saladin instructed.

Jasmine sat on a small cushion laid out for her while her father did his best to cover up his scratch but all could see it clear as day even as he dabbed in with a handkerchief.

“You summoned me father?” She asked as her father finally sat in front of her.

“Yes. I need your help, my precious flower.” He called her by her nickname.

“We have a new gladiator in the pits…your betrothed and today he won his first bout.” Saladin smiled while pouring them some tea.

“He is strong, handsome, resourceful and above all a prince! He’s perfect for you.”

“Father…how many times must I tell you? I do not wish to be wed to somepony I’ve never even met,” Jasmine sighed.

“Ah, but I believe you’ll change your mind once you see him in action. Who knows? Maybe you’ll fall for him as soon as you see him?”

“Father, if you truly want me to be happy, then you know what I truly want.”

That comment made Saladin frown and narrow his eyes at Jasmine, an expression she was all too familiar with that always put her in edge. For many years now, she and her father had always argued of abolishing the slavery law so that the citizens of Salddle Arabia can be happy but Saladin was stubborn as he was ruthless.

“We’ve had this discussion before, Jasmine.”

“But father-”

“Slavery is natural in our kingdom, it is how we have thrived amd it is how we keep our enemies from fighting back.”

“What enemies? All I see every day are men, women and children struggling just to get a simple meal but it’s impossible with how you favor the nobility!”

“The nobles are our best supporters my dear. When you take the throne, you will understand but not before you find a husband that can protect you.” Saladin lectured as his daughter pouted.

“You have a brilliant mind, I know this. But many will oppose your new ideas, even try to kill you so tell me. How will you enforce your beliefs if you are not willing to fight for them?”

“I am so willing!” Jasmine protested.

“Are you? No offense, daughter, but you’ve always been a delicate flower all your life.”

Jasmine wanted to argue once more but the words seem to die in her throat. Truth be told, as much as she didn’t wish to admit it, she knew she wasn’t strong both mentally and physically. This country was large, and the nobles would no doubt take her for granted and abuse her authority.

“That’s what I thought, and that’s why you need a strong and capable stallion by your side. Which is what I’m preparing for you.”

“But you said he is a gladiator now.”

“True. That is why, I want you to visit him tomorrow after his match. In fact...come see the match with me!”

“Father you know I detest violence. Even if most of the combatants are low life scum.”

“Please my precious flower, for me?” The sultan begged with a smile at his little girl.

“I said no!” Jasmine shrieked.

Saladin soon glared at Jasmine and threw the table to the side, startling her. Jasmine cowered as her father towered over her with a menacing presence. Before things got out of hand, Saladin calmed himself and turned away.

“Leave me,” he ordered. Jasmine didn’t waste time as she scrambled to her hooves and made for the door.

“Remember, Jasmine, you are my only child. You would be wise to not end up like your sister.”

Hearing those words made the princess’s body grow cold with fear as she rushed out the door and back to her bedchambers to cry into her pillow. The servant who had summoned her earlier waited for her to return as she comforted her like she was her own.

“There now my child, do not worry.”

“How did my father end up so cruel?” Jasmine wondered while wiping away her tears.

“I promise my dear, things will get better soon.” The mare smiled warmly while helping the princess dry her eyes.

“Oh, I heard some gossip. You know the colt your father wants you to marry? Well I heard he gave him that cut.” She winked at the surprised princess.

“He did?” Jasmine wondered.

“Hmm…Miss Sandy, fetch me my cloak.”

“You’re going down there again?” Sandy asked.

“I must, I want to see what this colt is like.”

Later That Night

Imperius stepped out of the slave’s shower room as clean as he could get, despite his bandages and the condition of the wash room. Most of the other slaves were asleep as he managed to find a small bed in the corner to sleep on. He sighed as he sat down and rubbed his temples. It was only his first day and it’s already one of the worst. He thought of his family, his friends, Lock, and especially Gumdrop. He wanted to go home, so very much, so he could embrace his fiancé once more. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a door opening from the far end of the wall outside of his cell. He looked up to see a sort of hidden door open up and a hooded figure enter.

“What the…who’s that?” He wondered.

To his surprise, the stranger was escorted by two city guards who were given large bags of bits after being whispered something. The figure then had a seat brought to her as she sat in front of the prince’s cell and revealed herself to be none other than Princess Jasmine herself.

“Who’re you?” Imperius wondered.

“You’re the gladiator?” Jasmine asked.

“The one who injured my f-…I mean, the sultan?”

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t answer my question.”

“I am somepony of little importance,” Jasmine brushed it off.

“I wanted to come and see you, and who you are.”

“Well, I’m Imperius.”

“Imperius…that’s a strong name,” Jasmine smiled.

“Thanks, so before you say anything else, why not tell the truth this time?” Imperius said, crossing his arms.

“My teacher taught me how to detect words of deception. And the fact that you came out of a secret door, paid those two guards a hefty amount of bits to escort you here, and this is obviously not the first time you’ve used said secret door is obvious that you are somepony of great importance. So spill it.”

Realizing she was cornered, Jasmine shrugged her shoulders and sat up straight to give a proper introduction.

“I am Jasmine, Princess of Saddle Arabia.”

“Hm. So you’re the one your dad wants me to marry. Sorry, I’m spoken for.” Imperius said while showing his engagement ring.

“You’re engaged?” Jasmine asked.

“Yep, and she’s waiting for me back home. So if you don’t mind, maybe you can go get the keys and unlock the door? I’d very much like to catch the first airship back to Equestria.”

“As interesting as it would be to see you attempt to stowaway on a ship, how would you do that?” Jasmine wondered.

“Since you are the prince Imperius, there’s no doubt in my mind my father has posted multiple guards everywhere you’d look. I was told there’s four just outside this very prison chamber and a few dozen surround the building itself. And need I remind you of your injuries? Even a fool wouldn’t dare attempt such a suicidal escape.” Imperius narrowed his eyes at Jasmine as she raised her hands defensively.

“I’m just stating the facts.”

“And does he expect me to win a hundred fights in a row?!? I’ll be dead before then!” Imperius shouted in frustration before hitting the wall with his fist.

“I just want to go home! I want to see my father, my mothers, my girl….my sister…” the last bit made a tear fall from his face before he fell to his knees still leaning against the wall.

“I just wanna go home…”

Jasmine was surprised to see such emotion come from a prince, most she had met were arrogant and spoiled yet he seemed humble and kind-hearted.

“You…aren’t what I was expecting,” Jasmine admitted.

“And what were you expecting?”

“Well, perhaps I might’ve pictured you as an arrogant colt and spoiled since you come from direct royal blood.”

“Well hate to disappoint you, but my old man made sure not to let that happen,” Imperius huffed.

“On the contrary, it’s uplifting to see somepony else who doesn’t flaunt their royal status. You’d be surprised just how worse off the nobility here is than in Equestria.”

“I doubt that.”

“A servant mare was once sent to the bad apple side of this coliseum after she was accused of not pouring one of the noble’s drink properly.”

Hearing this made the prince’s hair stand on end as she continued.

“In truth, he just wanted to watch the poor girl suffer just for a laugh…she was only fifteen.”

“RrrrrrrRRRAGH!”

WHAM!!

Jasmine jumped back as Imperius punched the wall again but this time with a much more devastating effect as a few pieces of brick went tumbling out of his cell.

“That settles it…I’m gonna kill every last one of those sick freaks when I get out!”

“Did you not listen? It’s impossible!” Jasmine argued when Ebony came to see what all the noise was.

“Why are you yelling?! It’s the middle of the night!” The zebra mare noticed Jasmine and arched a brow.

“Jazzy? What’re you doing here so late?”

“First I’ll cut their balls off, then I’ll skin them alive! I’ll also break every bone in their body, and then-!” Imperius paused for a moment and looked at both Ebony and Jasmine.

“Jazzy?”

“Ebony?!?” Jasmine asked in shock before hugging her through the bars.

“I can’t believe it! You’re here?”

“Surprise.” Ebony said sheepishly while Imperius raised a finger.

“Care to clue me in here?”

“Oh right, I used to work at the palace with my sister. Jasmine was our best friend.” Ebony smiled.

“I see,” Imperius nodded.

“You weren’t giving Jazzy a hard time, were you?”

“Why would I do that?”

“You think I can’t see past all that bravado? All you stallions are the same.”

“Hey, what’s the big idea?!” Imperius snapped, standing up to get in her face.

“I’ve barely talked to you and you treat me like I’m the scum of the earth! How does that make any damn sense?!”

“It makes perfect sense since you’re nothing but a scummy stallion!” Ebony shot back.

“I’m not scummy! My mother taught me to be a proper gentleman!”

“Oh please, I bet you were staring down her chest the whole time!”

“I AM ENGAGED!! See the ring?!?”

Their bickering earned them a laugh from Jasmine who could no longer contain herself.

“I’m sorry, you two must be really good friends to argue like this.”

“Friends? With him?!? Not on your life, Jazzy!”

“Oh sure, make ME the bad guy!”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough you two,” Jasmine said as they both turned away from each other in a huff.

“I wish I could stay longer, but the guards will soon make their rounds. I’ll be taking me leave.”

“Already?” Ebony said.

“Don’t worry Ebony, I’ll come visit some other time. And Imperius, I’ll also look forward to seeing you as well. Please do me a favor and try not to perish in the fights, you intrigue me after all.”

With that, Jasmine retreated back through the secret door and it was just Imperius and Ebony. Without warning, Ebony raised her fists and smacked Imperius upside the head.

“OW! What the buck?!” Imperius whined.

“What did I do?!?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew Jazzy?”

“I never met her until tonight! Last time I was in the palace, I had my feathers ripped out!” Imperius reminded Ebony by showing his bandaged wing.

“Also…how did you lose a job at the palace? You two seem to get along well.”

“That’s private,” Ebony growled.

“I don’t care who you are, or even what Jazzy says about you, I still don’t trust you for a damn minute. So why don’t you do yourself a favor, and mostly me and Jazzy, and stay away the next time she comes to visit.”

“Why would I do that? She even said she wants to see me again.”

“Do it, or my sister and I won’t treat you the next time you get hurt.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Life’s not fair, get used to it,” Ebony scoffed as she walked away.

“Gods above, she’s insufferable,” Imperius sighed as he laid down on his bed again.

“I wonder what the others are up to?”

Unable to keep his thoughts going, Imperius slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Prance

“You are out of line!” Elizabeth shouted, slamming her hands on the council room table as she glared at Lock. Everyone was silent after his sudden proposal as Lock just sat there, resting his head on his intertwined fingers.

“Do you realize the dangers you would introduce to our country?! You would be risking an all out world war!”

“And I’m saying it won’t come to that, so long as I kill Saladin,” Lock said again.

“And what if you’re wrong? You’ll be playing right into Blueblood’s hands!” Elizabeth shot back.

“Plus, attempting to infiltrate Saddle Arabia is dangerous enough now that they have the prince and to top it off, we need to find my foolish daughter Clover and that bastard Uba.”

“Then send the Night Witches to find her and Uba, I can take care of Saladin myself,” Lock said.

“Hold it, buster, we were sent to help save Imperius,” Mist stated.

“Well here’s my retort,” Lock said as he stared blankly at the mares.

“I work better alone.”

Before they could argue, a blinding light shined from outside as the balcony doors flew open. All stood at attention until they heard footsteps approach from the light. Lock’s eyes widened as he gazed into the light and a figure appeared. It was bipedal, wearing a long grey hooded coat with silver pauldrons, white undershirt with a black tie hanging loosely around its neck, black pants with silver knee guards, and black silver toed boots. He was also armed with what looked like a straight sword that seemed to shine brighter in the sunlight, its golden cross guard looked like a pair of feathered wings, and the handle was pure white. The most noticeable part of this creature was not its appearance, not its weapon, but the pair of large white feathered wings, the end of the feather tips shining a bright golden color, on its back that stretched out wide to a width of 8ft.

“What the…you?!” Lock shouted.

“Oi oi! Whot’s all this then?!” The figure said in a thick accent as the light dyed down. The face was revealed to be like Lock’s, only a little more refined. He had light brown hair that reached his shoulders, his eyes were pale blue, and he had a goatee growing around his mouth.

“At last, I finally found ya, ya bloody shite bastard, you,” the human chuckled as he furled his wings.

“PHILL?! THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” Lock demanded.

The guards in the room had a similar reaction as they surrounded the stranger with spears and muskets ready to fire.

“BUGGER ME!!”

“Stop, stop! He’s a friend!” Lock shouted quickly before the queen-mother ordered her guards to stand down.

“Bloody hell, this how ya treat all your guests?”

“Only uninvited ones.” Antoinette said while rubbing her belly.

“Ah, me apologies m’lady,” the stranger said. He then put one hand over his heart and the other behind his back as he made a curt bow to the group.

“A pleasure ta meet ya lot, me name is Phillip, Phillip McHaggard, but y’all can call me Phill for short. I be the Angel’s Saint.”

Everyone looked to Lock for an explanation.

“Basically, as the Devil has a champion of his own, the beings up top also have someone to fight for them. That’s him, the Angel’s Saint, and he’s been a thorn in my side since day one back in my world,” Lock huffed.

“Glad ta see ya too, mate,” Phill shrugged as he glanced around the room.

“And since when were ya this lucky to be surrounded by all these pretty gems?”

“Um…it’s a long story.” Lock shrugged.

“I’ll bet. Next ya’ll tell me this wee lass is carryin’ yer babe hahaha!” Phill joked before noticing Antoinette and Lock were blushing as they held hands.

“Oh…Bugger me sideways! She really is?!?”

“Surprise!” Lock grinned sheepishly.

“But how the bloody hell?!”

“Well…at first it was just to help secure her throne, but I guess you could say we got to know each other more and we just clicked.”

“I-I see…but what about Twilight and Moon?”

“Twilight once told me that she and Moon didn’t want to monopolize me since we’re in a herd together. I was skeptical, especially since I’m in another reality of Equestria, but you’d be surprised how much this world opened me up.”

“And…ya’re okay with havin’ his kid? Despite the fact he won’t be stayin’?” Phill asked Antoinette.

“It is difficult, but I know Lock has other responsibilities. Still, I’ll tell our little girl all about him!” Antoinette squealed as she rubbed her belly again.

“A girl eh? Hook up with any other lasses while you were here?”

“Well…just two wives of a Caribou, and a couple doe’s,” Lock said casually as Phill blinked for a moment.

“Could you…run that first bit again?” Phill said leaning in.

“I…hooked up with the wives of a caribou?”

WHAP!

All gasped as Lock was hit with a right hook but was surprisingly calm even as he rubbed his jaw.

“Guess I…deserve that…”

“ARE YOU OOEHTTA YOOEHR FOEHCKIN MEND?!?”

“Uh…” Lock was interrupted when Phill grabbed the collar of his shirt.

“What kend o’ shet ‘ave you been gettin’ yooehrself into?! I dooehght you knew better dan to steck yooehr deck where it dahn’t belahng?!”

“Well it’s not like it was for no reason!”

“Boehllshit! Joehst because Twilight gave you a free pass, doesn’t mean you can roehn weld wit any lass you please!”

“I’m not doing any of that, Phill! It’s all completely consensual!”

“Cahnsensual, me bloody foehckin ass!!”

“What in tarnation is all that yelling?!?” A familiar voice shouted as the image of a very pregnant Applejack appeared on the council table via h.

“Bloody ‘ell! YAH KNOCKED ‘ER OEHP TOO?!?”

“NO! Phill, just chill for a second!” Lock said as Phill continued to throttle him.

“Lock hon, who’s yer friend?” Applejack asked.

“Phill? Applejack, Applejack? Phill, The Angel’s Saint. He’s from my world.”

“A pleasure. Now please let go of him before you do something that you’ll regret.” The farm mare said bluntly as Phill released Lock.

“And for the record, this baby ain’t his.”

“Applejack, what’re you doing up so late?” Lock wondered.

“Couldn’t sleep, especially with this little boy kicking around,” she smiled.

“Thought I’d call to see what you were up to, and I can see you’re up to a lot.”

“Lock, ya better explain everything right now! Cause I’m about to smack you some more,” Phill threatened. Suddenly, the air became cold and a blur flew straight at Phill and knocked him on his back. When Phill looked up, he saw a very angry Frost Wyvern growling down at the man with her fangs on full display.

“Oh boy…” Lock mumbled.

“Threatening my mate? Bad move, asshole,” Tarra hissed as ice shards formed along her jawline.

“You hooked up with him too?” Phill asked and glanced at Lock, who shrugged sheepishly.

“You seriously need a leash or somethin’.”

“Can we all please calm down! This stress is bad for my niece!” Lisa shouted as Tarra backed off and clinged to Lock’s arm.

After a brief explanation, Phill was given a complete update on what his friend was doing while in this version of Equestria. Not only was he surprised to learn that there were caribou who not only fought against Dainn but a king who helped establish peace between the two nations after the war.

“So that wee one you carry…”

“The last of Wulfric’s children…” Applejack said with sadness in her voice as she rubbed her belly.

“He must’ve been a good man, a shame I never got the chance to meet him.” Phill said with a warm smile at the pregnant mare before turning back to Lock.

“And he made you their godfather?”

“That a problem?” Lock raised an eyebrow to his friend.

“Naw, but it sure sounds like ya done lots fer these folks,” Phill shook his head.

“But it also sounds like ya got yer hands full with all the mess your lot are in. So, since you so obviously need it, I’ll lend ya some help.”

“Oh no! No no no!” Lock argued, grabbing Phill and pushing him towards the balcony doors.

“I appreciate the visit, Phill, but it’s bad enough I gotta deal with you in our world! I don’t need you sticking your nose around here too!”

“But Lock, ya look like hammered shite!” Phill protested.

“What is it with you and that damn comment?! I’m fine! Now go back home and tell everyone I’m fine and will be back soon!”

“Now hold on-” Mist said as they continued to argue.

“You are clearly NOT fine, I see the bags under yer eyes and-sniff-AUGH!! By god! When was the last time ya bathed?!?” Phill said as he made his way back in.

“Me mind’s made up, I’m stayin’.”

“I told you it’s not necessary!”

“Sure it is,” Phill rolled his eyes.

“What about Merida?”

“She’ll be fine, she’s got Gilda and Gabby to look after her.”

“Who’s Merida?” Tarra asked.

“His daughter, well, adopted daughter,” Lock said. He pulled out his smartphone, scrolled through it, and showed the mares an adorable photo of Lock carrying a baby pegasus foal.

“She’s my niece.”

“Awww!” The mares cooed in unison as Phill gave a smug grin while dusting himself off.

“So. How can I help?”

“Hmm…sister, I say we give him a chance.” Said Lisa with Antoinette nodding in agreement.

“Very well mister Phill. You can start by getting my smelly lover to the royal bath house, he hasn’t bathed in days.”

“Yeah, no offense babe but even your smell is too much for me.” Tarra said as she covered her nose.

“But…”

“Bruh, there’s another reason why I call you hammered shite, because ya smell like it too.”

“Fine!” Lock threw his hands up as he stormed off.

“You all can debrief Phill on the situation, I’ll just go wash myself!”

“Me too!” Tarra chirped as she skipped alongside him. As they left, Phill chuckled at his friend until he felt eyes in him. As Applejack hung up the holo crystal, after seeing everything was okay, Phill noticed Elizabeth eyeing him from top to bottom.

“Uh oh…” Lisa said.

“Mother…please no,” Ninon groaned.

“You what?” Phill tilted his head.

The other girls sighed as their mother gave a hungry look to their guest before returning their attention to the mission at hand.

“Now. Most of you know why we’re here. Our mission is to infiltrate Saddle Arabia, rescue the prince, and if possible not get caught in the process.”

“How do we know he’s even alive?” Lunar Star inquired as she brandished a feather with dried blood.

“Bugger me…” Phill said in shock.

“The sultan wouldn’t just kill him outright.” Rarity argued.

“He’s too important. Most likely, he’ll try to break the prince and force him to join and I can think of only one way.”

“The fighting pits…” Zoe gulped at the mention of the name.

“Hrmm…” Phill hummed.

“Oi, ya mentioned somethin’ ‘bout a sister ‘o yers runnin’ amok?”

“Yes, my other daughter Clover, she’s the one responsible for all these treasonous acts against Prance,” Elizabeth said glumly.

“Well it looks to me ya got yer hands full with both saving the lad and feeling with yer ijet daughter. But ya also can’t be two places at once, so I suppose this is where I come in.”

“What are you suggesting?” Lisa wondered.

“Simple, Lady Rarity and her band of mares tag along with Lock to save the lad. I’ll stick around here and find that misbehaving lass of a daughter. I’m sure I can knock some sense into her once I find her. What say ya lot?”

“Sounds doable.” Antoinette said in agreement.

“But we must be quick, who knows how long Imperius will last.”

Next Day in Saddle Arabia

The crowd was on the edge of its seats as another exciting match erupted in the arena, on one side was Imperius as he had his mane styled in a small ponytail and on the other was a gladiator wielding a long ball and chain with a crazed grin as he swung at the prince with one strike after the next.

“STAY ON YOUR TOES LAD!!”

“GET PAST THAT CHAIN!!”

The prince’s opponent managed to wrap the chain around his wrist in an attempt to drag him across the arena when to his surprise, the young colt didn’t budge an inch as the sun's rays shined down on him and with one quick pull, he found himself flying towards Imperius as he shouted.

“GET OVER HERE!!”

Imperius reeled back his fist and collided it with the gladiator’s gut, causing the stallion to lurch forward and fall to his knees. Imperius didn’t give him time to recover as his training with Lock kicked in and he spun his body around, delivering a fierce kick to the temple and knocking the gladiator out cold.

“And the winner is the young prince!” The announcer said.

“Come on! This is boring!” An audience member called out.

“Give us more! He’ll just toy with his next opponent!”

The announcer glanced at Saladin who was pondering to himself as he stroked his beard. The sultan looked back at the announcer and smiled wickedly and nodded. Knowing what he meant by this, the announcer raised his hand and made a fist, signaling one of the gates from the other side to open.

“You want a show?! Then you shall receive it! From the gate, a wicked criminal who is here for mass murder! He is responsible for decapitating an entire village and is doomed to stay here for the rest of his life! Ladies and gentlemen, the Beheader!”

Imperius gulped as a zebra stallion, wearing only the lower piece of the gladiator armor, trudged out from the gate. Almost his whole body was scarred and he was armed with a large axe. The zebra easily towered over Imperius by a head or two and he snorted with unamusement at the young prince.

“Peh. You’re my opponent? This should be amusing.” The zebra huffed as steam shot out of his nostrils while Imperius glared at him unphased.

“I hear you have two nurses looking after you. Sisters, even.”

“What of it?”

The Beheader grinned as he gripped his axe tight and prepared to swing.

“After I kill you, I’ll have them pay me a visit. Heh heh heh heh!”

“…Now it’s personal.” Imperius said as he readied himself.

“BEGIN!!”

At the sound of the call, both fighters came out swinging with Imperius scoring the first hit but was unable to get past the thick wall of muscle to do any real damage.

“Now that kinda tickles me!” The Beheader growled before kicking the prince into one of the pillars.

“RAAAAGH!!”

“Whoa!!”

SMASH!!

At the last second, the prince rolled to safety as the axe smashed the stone into gravel with one hit before his opponent began pushing him back with each attack.

Imperius could easily read his movements due to his large stature and slow swings, but The Beheader made up for his attacks with his thick skin and quick footwork. Before he knew it, Imperius was backed into the wall as The Beheader raised his axe for a killing blow. Thinking quickly, Imperius forced his good wing to unfurl as he whipped up a cloud of dust into The Beheader’s eyes.

“Ack! You little shit!” He snapped as he swung his axe.

Imperius managed to dodge but winced as his wing furled back since his other wing twitched in pain. As the Beheader wiped his eyes from the dust, Imperius had to think quickly as to how he would take this brute down. His skin is so thick, his sword was too dull to make a deep cut, he couldn’t hope to take him on up close since that would risk getting caught, and he cursed to himself that this fight would be easier to handle if he could fly.

“Imperius!”

Imperius looked to see the gate that led to his cell block to see Bruze behind the bars.

“His back, boy! His back! There’s an old wound he got years ago and it never healed right as his other injuries!”

“Soft spots huh?” The prince grinned.

“Let’s see how they tickle!!”

SHANK!!

“ARRGH!!”

SLASH!!

“GYAAAAGH!!”

The Beheader began swinging wildly before opening his bloodshot eyes to see Imperius smirking at him.

“You want me ugly? Come get me!”

“RRGH!! I’LL KILL YOUUU!!”

The fight took a dramatic turn as the crowd cheered on both competitors. Imperius used a series of hit and run tactics while being sure not to back himself into a corner while his opponent began smashing everything around him.

“THAT’S IT LAD!! LAY INTO HIM!!” Bruze cheered him on like a coach as he watched the young colt land another clean hit.

“GAH! That’s it!” Beheader roared.

Without warning, the zebra stallion charged at Imperius as the young prince tried to jump out of the way. Beheader managed to intercept him and grab his leg and lift him upside down. With a wide grin, Beheader swung Imperius around and slammed him into the ground, knocking the wind out of him and cracking a few bones. Beheader repeated the process a few more times until he threw Imperius at a wall to which he collided with a loud thump. Imperius slid down onto the dirt and coughed up blood as he struggled to gather his bearings from the pain and shock. Through his blurred vision, he saw a large figure approach him and could barely make out his words through the ringing in his ears.

“You got guts, I’ll give you that, but now I’m in a bad bucking mood. So instead of just using those two bitches, I’ll just lop off their heads and screw their lifeless corpses. I’ve always loved the feeling of their convulsing bodies as they die~,” Beheader said with a sickening grin.

SNAP!

All went silent as the axe was caught mid swing without a single drop of blood coming from the prince’s hand. As he slowly stood up, the area became hotter and the blade slowly began to melt.

“What’s going on?!? WHAT THE BUCK IS THIS?!?” The Beheader shouted as the last of his axe melted away.

Imperius’ eyes sprang open to reveal a fiery glow that gave him a god-like appearance as he stepped towards his opponent, turning the sand beneath him into glass.

“W-wait! I surrender! I SURRENDER!! MERCY!!” The zebra whimpered on his knees as the prince retrieved his sword.

“No…”

SLASH!!

With one stroke, the Beheaders body was cleaved in two and set ablaze before the prince fell to his knees as the crowd continued to stare in awe.

“Oi! Open the gate, the match is over!” Bruze shouted to the guard as he frantically reached for the lever.

As soon as the gate was open, Bruze ran towards Imperius and went to scoop him up. As soon as he touched him, he felt like he was putting his hands on hot iron.

“Ouch! Bugger, what’s with you?!” Bruze wondered.

“Bruze…?” Imperius croaked.

“Aw, bugger it!” Bruze then scooped up Imperius, not caring about his burnt body, and retreated back to the cells. Meanwhile, the crowd was still as silent as ever as Saladin sat there with a mad grin spread across his muzzle.

“So…he’s finally awakened it,” he purred as he licked his lips.

“Such a perfect vessel.”

Back in Canterlot

In the royal bedchambers, Celestia was bedridden as her grief was taking a heavy toll on the poor mare. The kidnapping of her son devastated her, despite the fact that she had to keep her mentality from falling too far for the sake of her unborn foal. As he dragged herself up from bed to attempt to leave her chambers, the sun’s rays seemed to shine a little brighter than usual. She looked through the window and towards the sun for a moment until she let out a light gasp.

“…Imperius?”

End