Game of Thrones: Equestria

The monsters were continuing to bash against the wall as the citizens within the city were scrambling to get to safety. The Boggart let out another monstrous roar and beat its chest with its fists.

“Why in the cold winds of Hel are these things even here?!” Hreidar demanded as he turned to Hawthorn.

“I thought the creatures of Mirkwood didn’t venture this close to Thicket?!”

“I don’t know! Boggans have never attacked in mass before!” Hawthorn shouted as he sent one falling off the wall.

“If they get into the city, it’ll be a massacre!”

“Then why are we just standing around then?” Beorn said as he leaped into the fray with Thunderbolt surging with power.

“HAAAA!!”

WHAM!!

Dozens of boggans were sent flying with each swing until there was a large enough gap for the defenders of Thicket to get into formation and begin their counterattack. Archers lined up in three rows and drew back their bows and fired. Volley after volley of arrows flew at each Boggan and killed many each time. The Boggans, however, decided to counter the defenders by picking up large rocks and throwing them at the archers. Most of the archers were able to evade the rocks, but some weren’t so lucky as they were stuck in the head or on their chest. Hreidar followed Beorn and they worked back-to-back to fight the monsters around them. Hreidar somersaulted out of the way of a Boggan’s club and spun around to cut its head clean off with one of his hatchets. He clotheslined four Boggans to the ground and slit each of their throats with swift swings and head butted another, caving the Boggan’s face in.

Beorn took turns using both Thunderbolt and Kingslayer. He swung his hammer, bashing many Boggans’ heads, then sheathed it on his back and pulled out Kingslayer. The Boggans were helpless as Beorn cut down all in his way, black blood splattering along the claymore’s metal. One Boggan tried to get the drop on Beorn by attacking from behind, but Hreidar threw a throwing knife at its head, killing it instantly.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn was back on the wall giving orders to his troops and fending off any Boggan that tried to climb the wall and made sure the gates held.

“Archers! Fire at the Boggans holding the battering ram!” Hawthorn ordered.

“Lord Hawthorn!” An archer called out as he gave him a lookout scope.

“By the huge Boggart! I-I can’t believe my eyes!”

Hawthorn took the scope and looked out through the trees where the Boggart stood. What he saw made his eyes widen and grit his teeth in anger and shock. A deer stag with whitish brown fur, wearing heavy plated armor, armed with a bastard sword, stood with a smug grin.

“LARCH?!?” Hawthorn shouted.

“Hello, dear cousin.” The stag grinned while his minions kept up their assault.

“Larch, why are you doing this?!”

“Since you and Aspen will not listen to reason, I’ll have to use force! The people of the forest have lived in the shadows long enough, it’s time we rose up and took our rightful place as this land’s rulers.”

“That’s blasphemy! It is not our way!” Hawthorn barked across the battlefield at his cousin.

“Lord Blueblood says otherwise,” Larch scoffed.

“BLUEBLOOD?!” Beorn roared at the treacherous stag.

“Indeed! During my exile in Mirkwood, I learned many things about these creatures.” Larch looked up at the Boggart.

“They may be mindless beings, but with a touch of witchcraft, they can bend to my will along with anything else that lurks within Mirkwood.” He reached up his hand and took off his glove, revealing a symbol that made Hawthorn gasp and glare daggers at his cousin.

“I’ll admit, the lengths I had to go through to acquire such a power was a pain. But the results?” He grinned maliciously as his eyes flared red. From the branches of the trees, large spiders came down and screeched at those on the wall and the two warrior bucks.

“They are oh so worth it.”

“What the buck?! Where did those things come from?!” Beorn asked as he stood back-to-back with Hreidar.

“Hawthorn! What’s he talking about?! What’s that symbol on his hand?!” Hreidar asked.

“Forbidden Darkwood magic…” Hawthorn said before noticing the boggans were clearing a path.

“…BOYS!! Get out of there!!” He shouted just as the boggart began charging down the path towards the gate.

“Uhh…how do you fight a boggart?” Beorn asked Hreidar.

“No idea!” Hreidar said as the beast continued to rampage towards the gate.

The boys managed to climb up the gate as the large beast slammed into the gate. The gate groaned from the force of impact, but managed to stay strong as the deer soldiers fought off the boggans and shot down the large spiders.

“How could he…?” Hawthorn mumbled.

“To go so far?!”

“What are you getting at?!” Beorn demanded.

“Long ago, back when our ancestors founded Thicket, it was actually founded by the Two Kings. To make a long story short, the younger brother wanted to do whatever was necessary to rule on his own, even if it meant praying to and making a bargain with the evil god Loki. It is said, Loki accepted his prayers and gave him the dark power of witchcraft, but the elder brother caught wind of his actions and the two fought for days and nights. Sadly, their fight claimed both their lives. The people of Thicket took the younger brother’s body, which still had the curse of witchcraft, and buried him in a tomb so dark it would never see the light. That is why this forest is split in two, Mirkwood is the cursed forest and Everfree is the blessed forest.”

“That explains how your cousin got those powers.” Beorn said as the boggart rammed the gate again.

“That gate’s not gonna hold.” Hreidar said while looking at the surrounding area.

“We need to set a trap.”

“What’s the plan?” Beorn asked as the gate was rattled again.

“Hawthorn, your mages know how to use runes, yes?”

“Indeed!”

“Then have them cover the entire gate with protection runes! That will help reinforce the gate. Also, have them cover the area with trap runes in case any boggans and spiders do get in. As soon as they step on them, they’ll be in for the shock of their lives.”

“What about the boggart?” Hawthorn asked.

“I can handle that,” Beorn said as he held both Kingslayer and Thunderbolt in hand.

“I’m going to the center of town. I need at least ten minutes before that beast comes anywhere near me.”

“Ten minutes? Whatever for?” Hawthorn wondered.

“Something I’ve had in the works for over a month now.”

“So you’re busting out that move, eh?” Thunderbolt said to Beorn in his head. “It’s a long shot, but if you’re able to prepare with the time provided, it might work.”

“Now let’s get to it!” Beorn shouted as he hopped down the other side of the wall and sprinted towards the center of town.

“You heard the king! Mages! Get those runes painted now!” Hawthorn ordered.

The mages worked as fast as they could with the gate on the verge of crashing down, all while the city guard evacuated everyone to the palace.

“This way! Everyone to the palace!!” One guard shouted before hearing the gates crash open.

“Here they come…” Beorn growled as he clamped down his visor and readied Thunderbolt.

The first few runes exploded as boggans and spiders swarmed into the city and the once peaceful streets were now turned into a warzone with the city guard rushing to defend the citizens who were not able to escape in time.

“Help the guard evacuate the citizens! Defend them with your lives so that Odin welcomes you in Valhalla!” Beorn called out to his soldiers.

“WARBORN!!”

The stags all rushed to the guards aid and faced the boggans and spiders head on. The deer were all unexpected to see how ferocious they were in battle as they proved to be quite helpful in the evacuation.

“Come at me, you bastards!” Hreidar shouted as he hacked and slashed at the monsters with his hatchets.

Meanwhile, Beorn was in the center of town and had both hands on Thunderbolt as Kingslayer was sheathed on his back.

“We haven’t had much time to practice this, you know?” Thunderbolt warned.

“With a monster like a Boggart, what choice do I have? I just hope Hreidar can keep it and the monsters at bay.” Beorn took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts.

“Now…let’s begin.”

Like the thunder god himself, Beorn’s hammer surged with power as it coursed through his body, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

“More!” He strained as the power grew more intense with each passing second.

As he continued to charge power, Hreidar noticed more boggans and spiders were swarming down the street and in greater numbers.

“Beorn hurry it up!!” Hreidar shouted as they drew closer.

KAPOW!!

Like the sound of a cannon, thunder and lightning erupted around Beorn as he raised Thunderbolt with both hands and ordered the soldiers to get behind him.

“This is the end for all of you! MJOLNIR MANGLER!!!” Beorn roared as he slammed Thunderbolt to the ground with all his might and lightning bolts began crashing into the enemy ranks in a non stop barrage until there were only smoking corpses and twitching bodies.

“By the forest spirit…” one deer said as Beorn fell to his knees and dropped Thunderbolt.

“Not bad, kid, but it’s not over yet,” Thunderbolt said.

“What…?” Beorn wheezed.

BANG!

The sound of something large and heavy bashing against the gate was heard by all. Hawthorn looked over to see the Boggart swinging its giant club at the gate as the mages used their rune magic to keep it steady.

“Damnit! The Boggart is here!” Hawthorn looked past the monsters to see his cousin with a confident smirk on his face. Hawthorn growled as he gripped his sword and leapt off the wall and went sprinting towards Larch, cutting down any monster in his path.

“Larch! I shall make you rue the day you betrayed your home and family!”

Larch only scoffed as he reached back and pulled out a large bastard sword.

“Come at me then, dear cousin.”

As Hawthorn cut through his minions, Larch smirked while watching his cousin struggle before Hreidar suddenly leapt into the fray along with a few guards.

“We can handle these guys, get him!!” He said while cutting down another boggan.

In the center of town, Beorn had finally recovered his strength and allowed Thunderbolt to take his lion form while unsheathing Kingslayer with its runes glowing a bloody red.

“Find any citizens trapped in the city and kill any boggan or spider you find.”

“As you command, my master.” Thunderbolt bowed his head before taking off into the streets.

“TO HELHEIM WITH YOU!!” Beorn shouted as he began cutting them by the droves with every swing.

Like a beast, Beorn was relentless in swinging his sword and slaughtering any in his path. The boggans and spiders desperately tried to get the drop on him and swarm him, but to no avail since they were met with a gruesome end. Beorn grabbed a boggans head and smashed it into the ground before he drove his sword into a spider’s head. With a mighty war cry, he charged through the streets and butchered all in his path.

“Come on! I’ll kill you all!” Beorn shouted.

Damnit, there’s no end to them! And that Boggart is almost through the gate! I need something to finish that big brute before he even has a chance to do any serious damage! Beorn thought.

As if responding to his emotions, Kingslayer’s blade glowed bright red and an ominous aura seeped out. Beorn felt a rush of power from the blade and he glared a bloody stare at his enemies.

“KEEP COMING, YOU UGLY BUCKERS! I’LL SEND YOU TO HEL WHERE YOU BELONG!”

Back outside the gate, Hreidar was fighting alongside the deer and fellow northerners against the horde of monsters as Hawthorn faced Larch.

“So glad you made it, cousin.”

“It’s over Larch.” Hawthorn huffed while pointing his bloodied sword at him.

“Is it? Don’t you find it odd that I sent so many minions to attack the city in a reckless assault when we could’ve easily snuck in the dead of night? I know this city like the back of my hand. Every tunnel through every sewer and even know of weak spots in the walls.”

As Hawthorn pondered what his cousin was saying, an arrow struck a boggan that was about to knife Hreidar in the back and looked up to see his niece armed with a longbow sniping the enemy from atop a nearby roof.

“There she is.” Larch grinned before giving a loud whistle that sent several boggans after her.

“Oh gods, we’ve been tricked!!” Hawthorn shouted as Larch leaped onto a spider to make his escape.

“No you don’t!” Hawthorn shouted as he pulled out his grappling hook and swung it on a branch.

“Hreidar! Save my niece! I’m going after Larch!”

Hreidar nodded and gave chase after the spiders and boggans who were hopping over the rooftops after Dyani. The doe ran over the rooftops to get away, thanking her little brother for showing how to free run in her past time. Hreidar was not far behind as his training with Gregor has been proven useful for this occasion. A Spider screeched as it spat its webbing at Dyani but she managed to evade it just in time. But just as she was about to land on another rooftop, her hoof slipped and she fell to the ground and went tumbling.

“Ow…” Dyani groaned as she tried to pick herself up. She then grunted as a weight jumped on her and she looked to see her pursuers had her pinned.

“Get off me!” As Dyani struggled to free herself, one of the boggans eyed her tush as the other two pinned her arms. The creature grinned as it stomped over and grabbed her bottom.

“HEY! DON’T TOUCH ME THERE!” A feeling of fear washed over her as she noticed a sickening grin on each of the boggans’ faces.

“No…NO PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT THAT! SOMEONE HELP ME!”

Dyani shrieked as her pants were ripped off and the monster began feeling up her cheeks and rubbing her nethers, but just as it was about to rip off her underwear, a silver flash appeared from behind it and its head came sliding off.

“BASTARRRDS!!” A voice bellowed as Hreidar appeared and began hacking them to pieces until the blades of his hatchets were dull. One boggan tried to crawl away before he was grabbed by the head and smashed against the wall over and over until there was nothing but a bloody stain.

“You alright?!?” He asked while covering her up with his cloak.

Dyani was shaking like a leaf and curled up in a ball as she held the cloak close.

“Princess Dyani?”

“Th-They touched me…in my special area,” Dyani whimpered.

“I feel so violated.”

“It’s okay, I took care of them,” Hreidar consoled her.

“But what if you hadn’t come?! What if no one stopped them?! They…I would’ve been defiled. I can never marry now…” Dyani whimpered.

“Of course you can, you just had a bad experience, is all,” Hreidar said as he knelt down and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Look, I’m sorry that happened to you, but we should really get you to the castle.”

“But what if there are more monsters-eeep!” Dyani was cut off when Hreidar lifted her up in a bridal carry.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you,” Hreidar reassured her with a confident smile.

Dyani blushed as Hreidar carried her through the streets until finally returning to the palace where her family was waiting. When they saw how she was draped in a cloak, they feared the worst and immediately rushed to help Hreidar take her into the palace.

“Is she alright? Did they hurt my baby?!?” The queen asked while Hreidar set her down.

“She’s alright but it’s best she stays here with you. Beorn needs my help.” Hreidar said before noticing his weapons now blunted from the fighting.

“Here, take this.” A royal guard said as he handed him a glaive.

“It’s not an axe but it’ll cut through enemies like a knife through butter.”

“Thank you.”

Hreidar ran back to where the fight and Dyani found herself staring at him as he left. She placed a hand on her chest as she felt her heart beating and her cheeks tinted a little.

“Dyani? Are you alright, sweetie?” Fyr asked.

“Hmm? Oh, yes mother, let’s go inside,” Dyani said as she shook her head.

“You seem unwell, Dyani, did those monsters do anything to you?”

“Seems to me she’s begun to fancy that stag,” Bramble teased as they walked inside the castle.

“S-shut up Bramble!” Dyani stuttered as her cheeks turned pink.

Back in the city, Beorn had cut down a great deal of boggans as their corpses were now piled in the streets and he was covered from head to toe in their black blood yet despite his aching muscles and heavy breathing, he was still able to stand and hold Kingslayer tight in his grip.

“Ha...haaa….WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!?” He roared to the sky before hearing the gate starting to smash open followed by the roar of the boggart.

“Alright you walking wart.” The young king grinned while flinging some blood off Kingslayer.

“Come get your throat cut.”

Some of the boggans took one look in his red eyes and began to quiver in fear. When Beorn took a step forward, they turned and ran for the hills so as to not meet a gruesome end. The boggans and spiders that stayed, however, charged at Beorn from all sides. Just as they were upon him, bolts of lightning zapped them and a glaive came hurtling from out of nowhere that skewered three boggans at once.

“Master!” Thunderbolt came running in with Hreidar and stood by his side

“The citizens are now safe, all that’s left is to slay the remaining enemy forces.”

“Where’s Princess Dyani?” Beorn asked. Hreidar.

“Back at the castle, and Hawthorn is still giving chase to Larch,” Hreidar said as he pulled his glaive free.

“Good.” Beorn looked towards the gate and saw the mages were having trouble keeping the gate shut and the runes powered up. The soldiers were holding their own well enough, and the three found themselves completely surrounded by monsters.

“Hreidar, I need you to buy me time again. I’m going to use my new technique again on the Boggart when it busts through the gate, but I need to prepare. Can you keep these things off me until then?”

“Leave it to me,” Hreidar said as he retrieved his glaive and joined the soldiers.

“Master, you are still weak from the first time,” Thunderbolt cautioned his master after seeing how exhausted he had become.

“I’ll be fine, just need one more blast,” Beorn huffed while sheathing Kingslayer.

Despite his objections, Thunderbolt acknowledged his master's request and took his hammer form once more.

“Odin, if you can hear me, please grant me strength.”

As Beorn began to gather power once more, he could already feel his body straining from trying to focus the energy.

“We cannot hold it!!” A mage cried out as the runes began to weaken.

SMASH!

With one mighty swing of its club, the Boggart smashed through the gate, causing the runes to disappear and the soldiers to fly everywhere. It was all out chaos as the monsters flooded in and met the soldiers head on and there was fighting everywhere you could see. The Boggart stomped through the streets, crushing any under its feet and bashing away any who got in its way. The Boggart’s eye caught sight of the castle and roared as it was about to make its way to kill the royal family as its master had ordered it to.

SHUNK!

The Boggart roared in pain when an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck its eye. The monster whipped its head around to see Hreidar standing on a rooftop with a bow and he was smirking at it.

“That’s right, ya big ugly bucker! Focus on me!” Hreidar taunted as he hopped away from the Boggart and over the rooftops.

The beast gave chase and rampaged through the streets with Hreidar narrowly avoiding its claws as he continued to fire at the beast.

"Damn it! The hyde's too thick!" He cursed before dodging a flying wagon.

"And now he's mad…"

ROOOAAAARGH!!!

"HREIDAR!! Get clear!!" Beorn roared while raising his hammer for one final strike while the boggart looked up in the sky, clueless about the storm clouds gathering above it.

"MJOLNIR MANGLER!!"

Just like before, Beorn unleashed a barrage of lightning that struck the boggart over and over as it roared in agony before collapsing to the ground. With their warbeast dead and their numbers depleted, the boggans fled the city in fear as they were cut down or shot by the city guards.

Hreidar came out of an alleyway he ducked into during Beorn's attack to see the smoking corpse of the boggart and sighed with relief.

“Well...that wasn’t so bad.” Beorn huffed as he walked up the street with Thunderbolt resting on his shoulder.

“Next time, start off with that. That was one hell of a workout.” Hreidar smirked, unaware the boggart was still alive as it swung its arm in a backhand swing.

“MOVE!!” Beorn shouted as he shoved Hreidar out of the way at the last second.

POW!!

“BEORN!!” Hreidar cried out as his friend was sent crashing into a wall and spat out some blood.

Hreidar’s anger skyrocketed as he charged at the beast himself. He threw a chain he had wrapped around his belt and threw it up at the Boggart. The chain wrapped around its neck and Hreidar pulled, climbing up the monster’s back and yanked as hard as he could. The beast tried to grab at Hreidar, but the young stag evaded its large hands. Hreidar then raised his glaive up high and stabbed the back of the Boggarts neck. The beast roared in pain as Hreidar pulled the chain to the side in order to guide the Boggart away.

“Beorn! I have an idea!” Hreidar called out to his dazed friend.

“Follow me to the nearby waterfall!”

Beorn shook off the dizziness from the impact as he forced himself up and followed his friends instructions. The boggart thrashed around as it shambled down the street with each twist of Hreidar’s weapon until they reached their destination.

“Now what!?” Beorn shouted while keeping his distance.

“Force him to the edge!!” Hreidar screamed back as he began to lose control of the beast.

Beorn looked down at his hammer, still dizzy from the two blasts from earlier, but did as Hreidar said. He ran towards the Boggart’s legs and swung his hammer as hard as he could at the beast’s knees.

CRUNCH! SNAP!

Beorn had successfully smashed the Boggart’s kneecaps, making the monster roar in agony as he was about to lose its balance. Hreidar unraveled his chain, but left his glaive pierced in the monster’s neck, and jumped off as the Boggart fell off the edge and down into the ravine below.

“Now blast him with electricity again!” Hreidar said.

“Are you nuts?! I already did that twice! I can barely see straight!” Beorn snapped. They both looked down at the water to see the Boggart flail around angrily

“It’s either that, or that thing’s rampage destroys the city! SO DO IT!” Hreidar barked.

Groaning in frustration, Beorn shot out one last bolt towards the beast as the glaive became electrified along with the water and the boggart began to go into a seizure as its body began to smoke from the inside out making it give off a foul smell before floating dead in the water.

“Ugh! I think…I’m gonna be sick!” Beorn said as he tried not to heave from the stench.

“Hm smells tasty to me.” Thunderbolt commented.

“Shaddap, Thunderbolt!” Both stags barked.

“Ugh, my body aches…” Beorn groaned.

“At least that thing is dead,” Hreidar said.

“Might have to inform Aspen to clear out its body so the water can clear out any contaminations.”

“Speaking of which, I wonder how Hawthorn is dealing with Larch?” Beorn wondered.

Elsewhere

The warrior-prince stood in the middle of the thick and eerie brush of Mirkwood. His cousin had fled back to his sanctum and Hawthorn fell for it due to his drive for vengeance. Hawthorn had his bow drawn with an arrow in hand, his eyes were sharp, sweat trickled from his face, and he paced around in circles as he heard his manic cousin’s laughter all around him.

“What’s wrong dear cousin? Feeling on edge?” Larch mocked from the decaying trees.

“This is no longer the safe haven of Thicket, you are in my domain now. A shame you came all this way to die.”

Hawthorn flinched at the sound of a rustling bush and then the snapping of the branch as his eyes darted around, looking for his traitorous cousin.

“Show yourself, Larch…” he said in a hushed voice.

“Why fight me, cousin?” Larch asked.

“You know as well as I that the Deer have stayed in the woods long enough. Our ancestors would shame us for being so cowardly.”

“It was their choice to leave the North!” Hawthorn said.

“And it should be our choice to leave!” Larch retorted.

“Blueblood has promised us all we could ever want for our aid. Money, women, power, influence, recognition! With my Mirkwood monsters and your tactical standpoint for the runic mages, we could be an unstoppable force!”

“Have you forgotten what awaits us out there?” Hawthorn asked while taking a few steps back unaware his cousin was in the treetops above him.

“What good is all wealth and power if Equestria becomes a frozen hell?”

“We’ll deal with those creatures once we dethrone those two old hags. All you have to do is help us.” Larch said as he lined up a shot while staying hidden.

“Never…”

“So be it.”

As soon as Lerch lined up his shot, Hawthorn spun around and aimed his bow up at him. Shocked, Larch let loose his arrow the same time as Hawthorn. The arrows whizzed through the air at their targets. Larch’s arrow grazed Hawthorn’s cheek, cutting it deep, and Hawthorn’s arrow stuck itself in Larch’s gut. Larch cried out in pain as he fell off the branch and crashed to the ground. Hawthorn wiped his bloody cheek and approached his downed cousin. Larch lay on his back, an arrow in his gut, and coughed up blood as his cousin stood over him.

“You had everything, Larch,” Hawthorn said sadly.

“Family, nobility, respect, yet it wasn’t enough for you?”

“No…I suppose not,” Larch chuckled weakly.

“I just wanted to be king.”

“What good is being king when there’s no kingdom to rule with?” Hawthorn sighed.

“You should beware…dear cousin,” Larch coughed. Dark trails of black magic seeped from his body as he faded away.

“The Windigo King…and the Hand…shall bring our world…to an end…”

Hawthorn watched as the life left Larch’s eyes before closing them and carried his body back to the city which surprisingly was full of cheers and fanfares of trumpets.

“The invaders have been repelled!!” One citizen shouted when Hawthorn spotted the body of the boggart being paraded through the streets with the glaive still buried in its skull and on top of the hulking beast was Beorn and Hreidar waving to the crowd.

“Seems we got some admirers.” Beorn said over the crowd after noticing some doe’s smiling at them, Hreidar smiled and waved at the ladies who instantly squealed with delight as they passed through the streets and towards the palace where King Aspen and his family awaited.

The two kings bowed in respect before giving a friendly handshake as King Aspen smiled at the two warriors.

“King Beorn, Hreidar. On behalf of all the citizens of Thicket and the forest, we thank you for protecting our city.”

The crowd gave a short round of applause before Beorn raised his hand and asked for a moment of silence.

“You should be really thanking Hreidar, King Aspen. It was his weapon that gave me the chance I needed to finish off the Boggart, not only that but I personally witnessed him slaughter the fiends who tried to make off with your daughter!” He said aloud as the crowd gasped in a mixture of shock and astonishment.

“Hence forth, for his great deeds I King Beorn of The North hereby dub him…Hreidar The Beast Slayer!”

The crowd gave an equal round of applause for the young stag in admiration. Hreidar blushed bashfully at the attention and waved to them in thanks.

“You two are amazing!” Bramble cheered.

“I hope to be as cool and strong as you two when I get older!”

“I’m sure one day you will, kid,” Beorn smirked, tussling the young buck’s head.

“King Beorn,” Aspen said.

“About what we had discussed the other day, I realize now that I was wrong. The threat of this war, and the destruction that will spread, not even the forest and all the years we deer put into living in peace will be enough. Henceforth, I, King Aspen, ruler of Thicket, hereby accept your alliance.”

“I thank you, King Aspen,” Beorn said with a curt nod.

“With your help, we are one step closer to putting an end to this war.” Beorn noticed Hawthorn passing Larch’s body to some guards. Aspen looked at his fallen cousin in sadness.

“My father took him in when my uncle and aunt died,” Aspen said,

“I treated him like a brother as best I could, but in the end it wasn’t enough for him. I hope the Allfather shows him some form of mercy.”

“We are sorry for your loss,” Hreidar said.

“Well, enough with the sad thoughts. Now we celebrate our victory and newfound alliance,” Aspen smiled. As Aspen led Beorn and Hreidar to the royal ballroom, Dyani couldn’t help but glance and stare at Hreidar for long periods of time.

“Aren’t you gonna talk to him?” Bramble whispered to his sister.

“He did save your life.”

“Hush! I shall speak to him when I’m good and ready,” Dyani snapped.

“C’mon, sis, after the party, he’ll have to go back to the front lines. You should spend as much time with him as possible before then,” Bramble urged.

“NOW WE FEAST!” Beorn cheered with his fist raised high and as night fell, the celebration was in full swing and as always the young king had a monstrous appetite and gorged himself on a great deal of food and drink.

“Good grief!” One member of Aspens court said as he watched Beorn down his seventh tankard.

“How are you not drunk?”

“I’m actually drinking juice right now. Can’t get drunk on a diplomatic mission.”

“A wise policy,” Aspen nodded.

The party continued on the night as the deer and the visiting northerners celebrated together. Some of the stags were seen conversing with the deer and sharing stories of some of their battles they fought with Beorn. As the young king was conversing with Aspen and Fyr, he noticed a few of his men talking with some female deer. Beorn could only smile at the possibilities that would blossom and went back to talking with his new friends.

Meanwhile, Hreidar stood off to the side and found himself surrounded by a group of female deer. The women were all doing their best to flaunt themselves at Hreidar by talking and flirting to him.

“You’re so much taller than any stag in Thicket, Sir Hreidar,” a cow said with a wink.

“And these arms…” another said as she reached out and gently squeezed Hreidar’s muscle.

“So beefy~.”

“Uh, thanks I guess?” Hreidar sheepishly said.

“Aw, what’s wrong?” One said as she leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“Why don’t you come with us somewhere private so we can properly thank you for saving our home~?”

“Ahem!”

The group looked to see who interrupted them to see Princess Dyani with her hands on her hips. She stared at the female deer with a stink eye until she reached over and grabbed Hreidar’s hand.

“Sorry, ladies, but this stag has promised me a dance,” Dyani huffed.

“Aw, phooey,” one cow huffed as the two escaped the group.

“Whew! Thanks for the save, Princess,” Hreidar said.

“It wasn’t a complete lie, you know,” Dynai said as she turned to face Hreidar. He noticed her cheeks were a light shade of pink.

“I…I truly would like you to dance with me.”

“Really?” Hreidar said, surprised. He glanced to his right to see Beorn. When he saw his friend, Beorn gestured to Hreidar to go with it with a thumbs up.

“Well then, Princess,” Hreidar cleared his throat and held out his hand.

“Would you do me the honor of sharing a dance with me this night?”

“I…would be delighted.” Hreidar smiled as they went onto the dance floor and joined the crowd as the music played and the two began twirling around the dance floor.

As they danced, Hreidar found himself hypnotized by Dyani’s smile as she laughed while they danced and was further entranced by her eyes that seemed to glimmer in the lights. By the time the music had ended, both found themselves in each other’s company for the remainder of the evening while Beorn discussed the final details of the negotiations with King Aspen while making sure his bodyguards were not causing trouble for the locals. Beorn glanced out the window and wondered how everyone else was fairing with their missions. All he could do for the moment is enjoy another victory celebration.

Elsewhere
BlueBlood Manor

The eerie presence of the traitor prince’s home made any sane person on edge as the moon shined down on the area.Within the large building, a mare wearing a regal-looking dress and jewelry on all ten fingers paced through the halls. Her fur was light blue, her main was whitish-blue with two tones, and her eyes were light amethyst. She was a unicorn mare, once known for her parlor tricks as a performer, the once great and powerful Trixie.

Fifteen years ago, when Blueblood fled with the royal funds, Trixie had followed him due to both her being his personal concubine and Blueblood showing actual affection for the mare. Once he had reached a stable point in regaining power, he decided to forego Trixie’s status as his slave and had her rehabilitated. It was a difficult process, but Trixie managed to recover from her brainwashing and Blueblood took her as his wife once she was back to normal.

Life for the two was somewhat normal, since Trixie also had a personal vendetta against Equestria for casting her out all those years ago, and had some form of returned affection towards Blueblood. He wasn’t the most pleasant stallion nor her first choice to call her husband, but she had decided to give him a chance since he went through the trouble of rehabilitating her and even had a daughter with him.

However, ever since the war began, even before war was declared, Blueblood had become distant from Trixie. He even insisted that she stay in her private wing of the manor with all the necessities at her beck and call. At first, she didn’t question it since she had Blue Belle to spend the days with. But that all changed when one day even her daughter had begun to grow distant from her mother. Having everything at her beck and call at the price of living in solace was one thing for Trixie, but living in solace without her daughter was pushing it. Not bothering to just wait around for her daughter, she decided to leave her private wing in search of her estranged husband.

Trixie soon arrived near the doors of her husband’s private chambers where a pair of guards were standing at each side.

“Lady Trixie!” One guard bowed. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be away from your private wing.”

“I can do as please in my own home, thank you,” Trixie huffed.

“Now where is my husband? More importantly, where is my daughter? I heard he called her to his office for some reason.”

The guards began to grow nervous upon hearing the question and tried to avoid answering.

“Um...it’s a private discussion ma’am.”

“Even private from me? Just what are they talking about?” Trixie demanded an answer before noticing one of the guards’ horn was glowing and a faint magic barrier was put around the door.

“Is that a sound barrier? Remove it at once!”

“My lady that is not-!”

“NOW!!”

“But I-!”

“Oh forget it!” Trixie’s horn flashed and she used a counter spell to break the soundproof spell.

“TAKE MY SEED!”

“YES, MASTER, STUFF MY BELLY WITH YOUR FOALS!”

“YOU SHALL SIRE MY HEIR LIKE A GOOD LITTLE BROODMARE!”

“I AM YOUR TOY! I AM YOUR SLUT! BREED ME, MY KING!”

Those words made Trixie shutter in distraught and horror as she grabbed the handles of the double doors and flung them open, despite the guards’ protests. What she saw sent a chill of absolute dread down her spine. Pinned onto a desk was Blue Belle. She was on her back, fur matted together by sweat and other fluids, mane and tail a tangled mess, and her legs were spread out wide. Her eyes had rolled back into her skull as her tongue hung out and there was a green glow emanating from her dilated eyes.

On top of Blue Belle was none other than Blueblood. He had both his daughter’s arms pinned on the desk as his fully hardened member was deep in Blue Belle’s vagaina. Cum seeped out of the young mare’s snatch as Blueblood smiled wickedly down at her. His eyes were blood red, his mane was black and flickered like a flame, and his horn was red and curved. Trixie stood in horror as Blueblood slowly pulled out and cackled to himself.

“Such a good little broodmare,” Blueblood cooed.

“I look forward to seeing the fruits of my-”

Blueblood, or rather Sombra, was stopped midway in his gloating when he saw the prince’s wife staring in utter shock as she covered her mouth in fear of screaming.

“Oh dear…seems we’ve been found out.” He said in his own voice.

“You…you’re not my husband!! What are you?!” She screamed before Sombra wrapped his dark tendrils around her throat and pulled her in to talk face to face with a sadistic grin.

“I am your husband or rather part of him.” He hissed with glee while cupping a feel on Trixie’s chest.

“We made a deal. Your little, slutty daughter bares my seed and I help him conquer Equestria like I should have all those years ago.”

“…Sombra!” Trixie gasped in fear before she was thrown to the floor.

“Right you are…since you are here, let’s have some fun~!”

“No! STAY AWAY!! GUARDS!!” Trixie screamed but saw the guards were placed in a hypnotic state.

“Not to worry my pet.” Sombra grinned as he pulled her dress down to expose her chest.

“I promise you’ll-ACK!!” Suddenly, Sombra stopped his advance as he felt a surging headache and began to step back.

“Trixie…RUN!!” Shouted the familiar voice of Blueblood who was fighting to regain control.

“Darling?”

“Take our daughter! Run away!! RUUUUN!!”

Trixie had little time to contemplate the situation as she scrambled to her hooves and scooped up Blue Belle. She dashed out of the office and sprinted down the halls, not registering any who saw her. Once she made it outside, she spotted a stallion standing next to a carriage and hopped in with her daughter.

“What the-Lady Trixie?!” the stallion yelped.

“Get us out of here!” Trixie ordered.

“Wha-!”

“NOW! PULL THIS BUCKING THING OUT OF HERE AND DON’T YOU DARE BUCKING STOP!”

The driver followed her orders immediately after noticing the armed guards who were giving chase and with a crack of the whip, his beasts charged forward leaving a trail of dust.

“My lady, where are we going?” The driver asked while using a lantern to light the road.

“...to The Crystal Empire. I have a friend there who can help us.”

As the carriage pulled away, Trixie wondered how everything could go so wrong and looked at her daughter’s ravaged body and slowly broke down in tears while back at the manor, Sombra was furious. The guards outside the manor were both confused and terrified. Confused as to why their Lady would up and leave without warning, terrified from the roars of anger and screams of pain from within the manor. One guard saw blood seeping out from the front door and shivered in fear.

“G-Gods above…what has happened?!”

The Next Day
Early Morning

The sun had just risen from the horizon and the citizens of the Crystal Empire were just starting their day. Within the crystal palace, in the royal dining hall, Shining Armor and his family were enjoying a nice breakfast. With them was none other than the Matriarch of the Frost Wyverns, Frusaim, in his bipedal form. Ever since the expedition, Frusaim and his pack had taken Shining’s offer to set their new nest in the abandoned mines in the mountains near the empire. This proved to be a fruitful and blossoming partnership between the Empire and the Frost Wyverns since their original home was still unavailable due to the undead.

Frusaim’s bipedal form was large and muscular, despite his age. He was easily half a body taller than any of the ponies, his scales brimming with strength and pride, but had a warm and kind presence. He wore a nicely woven tunic courtesy of Cadence since his old rags he wore weren’t exactly fitting to wear around the castle.

“Can you take me flying again after breakfast, Mr. Frusaim?” Flurry asked the Matriarch as she looked up at him.

“I don’t see why not.” The old drake smiled when a guard paced into the room and whispered something to Shining Armor.

“I gotta go. Flurry, you behave okay?”

“Yes daddy.”

Shining followed the guard to one of the palace’s guest rooms to find none other than Trixie sobbing her eyes out with her daughter sleeping in the bed with a few of the castle’s nurses watching over her.

“Explain to me why I shouldn’t have you arrested right now?” Shining said while keeping one hand on his sabre.

“I need your help.” That was the only thing Trixie would say before she showed Shining Armor the bruises on her daughters arms from when Sombra restrained her.

“Blueblood has done something terrible.”

Trixie then gave Shining a full explanation about Blueblood’s deal with Sombra. The fact that Blueblood would use his own daughter as collateral made Shining want to lop off the bastard prince’s head more than ever before.

“I thought he cared about me…” Trixie whimpered. “I thought he cared about us, but it was all a lie.”

“I guess now you see what kind of monster Blueblood really is,” Shining sighed.

“I suppose I cannot blame you since you hadn’t actually done anything wrong, besides marry and have a child with him, so I shall allow you to remain in the palace until further notice.”

“Thank you…” Trixie nodded. “And…would it be possible for me to see Starlight?”

“I shall have her come when she is able. She too is a wife to her friend Sunburst and a mother to a young colt,” Shining said, making Trixie smile a little.

“My lord? A word?” One of the doctors called out to Shining and they left the room.

“How bad is it?” Shining said.

“The girl has gone through a brutal magic mind corruption I have not seen since the Great War. The process of mending her mind is difficult but doable,” the doctor explained, but then grew grim.

“What is it?” Shining wondered.

“It’s…her internal organs,” the doctor said.

“When we scanned her body…we extracted the fluids found in her reproductive organs. But there was internal damage. In other words…I’m afraid Blueblood destroyed her chances of ever becoming a mother if and when she recovers mentally.”

“That damn monster…” Shining cursed as the doctor showed him other notes.

“This girl is lucky to be standing, from the damage done to her body I’d say she was raped for weeks…maybe months, but here’s the most shocking part.” The doctor said as he handed the prince a sheet of paper.

“…Blueblood’s DNA wasn’t in her?”

“No. That is what is strange.”

“There’s more, in the fluids we extracted, we detected dark magic from it. More specifically, shadow magic.”

“Shadow…oh no…” Shining gulped and clenched his fist.

“That conniving bastard…so he found a way back after all?” Shining glanced out the window and looked out into the horizon.

“Dimitri, you better get back soon. I have a feeling this war might turn for the worst before we know it…”

Saddle Arabia

The day had been long and strenuous as Imperius was doing pushups with Ebony and her sister watching. Bruze stood by Imperius with his arms crossed. Months have passed since Imperius’ imprisonment, months of brutal trials, training, and surviving. Imperious then finished his 500th pushup and hopped back up to his hooves. Few scars were seen on his shoulders and legs, but the young prince had beefed up considerably since his first entrance. His mane had grown out to just past his shoulders and tied it in a ponytail. Imperious looked more refined and muscular form was on full display as he walked over to a bucket of water and dunked his head in. Bruze walked over to his pupil and Imperious pulled his head out.

“I taught ya all I know,” Bruze said.

“The tournament is in just a month. Ya may have made a name for yourself as the Warrior of The Sun, but me brother is still the champion of this coliseum. He’s killed more poor sods than I care to recall.”

Imperius said nothing as he walked over to a mirror where a small blade used for shaving sat. He grabbed the blade and proceeded to shave his head so that only the middle part of his hair remained, giving him a mohawk but kept his ponytail. He tried to move his injured wing, but it still twinged in pain from within the sling.

“I won’t lose,” Imperius said as he and his new look turned towards his new friends.

“I will win, even if I have to kill the champion, I will get out of here. And once I do, the plan my teacher and I put together thanks to Jasmine’s message passing will be put into action.” He looked down at his hand and curled it into a fist. “I will also not leave this place until I make that fat pig Saladin’s blood spill. I will show him just what it means to cross me.”

“Well until that time comes, ye train and ye rest.” Bruze said when he called over Ebony and Mona who had been patiently waiting for their lover to finish his exercise.

“Speakin’ of rest. Ladies?”

Imperius grinned as the sisters took his arms and pulled him to the shower room, eager to wash his now muscular body.

“Is the hair too much?” He asked Ebony while brushing back his mohawk.

“I think it suits you,” Ebony said.

“Mmm, yes, very sexy~,” Mona cooed as she pressed her chest on his back

As Imperius and his lovers had their fun, Bruze excluded himself to a more secluded part of the cell block. He looked around and spied a barred window leading outside. Bruze waited for a moment until he saw a crimson red raven swoop down and landed just between the bars. The bird and Bruze stared at each other until one of them spoke.

“How is he?” the red raven asked.

“He’s ready.” Bruze replied while looking back to make sure they weren’t spied on.

“Are you sure this’ll work?”

“Months of planning, put together thanks to that princess,” the raven said.

“I’ve been making sure Saladin doesn’t suspect a thing thanks to me pretending to be something I’m not. Everyone’s in position, all that’s left is to wait for the tournament.”

“Lock, right?” Bruze said and the raven nodded.

“He’s still just a boy.”

“And a strong one, at that,” Lock said.

“I trained him, and so have you. As fellow teachers of the same pupil, I think you can agree there’s something special about him. His mother even sent something with his sister that will help him.”

“Well whatever it is, it better be good.” Bruze said before moving in close to whisper.

“Word here is that one of those psychos on the bad side are getting fitted for some magic armor and guess who he’s fighting?”

“What kind of magic armor?” Lock asked before hearing footsteps coming down the hall.

“I don’t know but the Sultan is in on it so that means bad news for our boy.”

“Lights out, scum!!” The prison warden shouted.

“I gotta go, be seeing you,” Bruze said and left.

Lock unfurled his wings and flew away from the cell window. He made his way back in the window of his palace suite and transformed back into his human form where Rarity and Tarra were waiting for him on the bed.

“Kid’s ready for a fight,” Lock said as he cracked his neck.

“All that’s left to do now is wait.” He sat on the edge as both girls moved in and massaged his shoulders. “Are your girls in position, Rarity?”

“Yes and once the time is right, we’ll spring our trap.” Rarity said while continuing the massage.

“Goodness darling, you’re tense.”

“Well we’ve been acting for months and not to mention all those recordings you sent to Spike!”

The girls grinned when Tarra gently pushed him onto the pillows and Rarity removed her top.

“Speaking of which~,” Rarity smirked.

“Again?” Lock asked in disbelief as Tarra undressed.

“We need to keep up the act, darling, and Spike requested this~. Naughty boy~.”

“Oi, this is gonna be a long month…” Lock groaned as he enjoyed his night with the girls.

End.