Game of Thrones: Equestria

“Alright, prince, you get three hours to roam the streets. After that, it’s back in your cell.”

A few guards escorted Imperius out the front gates as a pair of cuffs were clamped on his wrists. Bruze had once told him that slaves get one chance to roam around the city for a short time. Sometimes it’s for slaves who have family or friends on the outside they wish to visit. The finals of the tournament were happening in a couple of days and Imperius wanted to walk around with his sister. Once Imperius’s restraints were secured, one of the guards escorted him to the front gate.

“Sorry about my comrade, Mr. Imperius,” the stallion said.

“If it’s any consolation, I won’t give you much of a hard time. I’m actually a fan of yours.”

“Thanks, I guess,” Imperius replied as they neared the front gate. When they rounded the corner, Selene stood by the gate and smiled brightly when she saw her brother approach her.

“Sis!” The prince shouted with joy as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Ohh I missed you!” Selene said as she hugged him tight but was still saddened to see her little brother in chains with his wing still mangled.

“Guards said I get time off today while they clean the arena. What do you wanna do?” He asked his sister.

“How about a tour of the city? There are some great places we can eat at.” Selene suggested before leading the way.

“In this city? I doubt it, but sure.”

The two siblings walked away from the coliseum, with the lone guard following, and Selene wrapped her arm around Imperius’s. She immediately took notice of his new and improved physique and height.

“My word, Imperius, when did you get taller?” Selene said as she looked up at him.

“And you weren’t this…girthy when I saw you last.” She then narrowed her eyes at his new mohawk. “And who said you could shave your head?! You look like a brute!”

“Sis, give me a break…” Imperius sighed as she began her lecture.

“You’re lucky mother isn’t here to see this. She’d chew your head off for having this haircut!”

The prince just sighed when they saw a small crowd of children had gathered around a bard who was playing music while seated under the roof of a small stage.

Gather children and listen well to the great legend I will now tell. A man whose great deeds we bards still sing, the tale of Wulfric The Warrior King.

A field of blood would begin his reign, a quest to restore a shattered domain, to free its people enslaved and enchained.

With courage in heart and sword in hand, his fury thundered across the land and none could ever hope to stand against the mighty warrior’s hand.

A crown was placed upon his head, his foes lay at his feet cold and dead, to allies he brought hope to enemies he brought dread.

But even all great kings must die, brought low by an assassin’s eagle eye, the king was sent to the realm in the sky.

Oh great king, of you we do sing to honor your memory and the hope that you did bring.

The children gave a round of applause for the bard while some of their parents gave the musician money before dispersing as the siblings continued their way to a tavern on one of the busiest streets in the city.

“What a rousing ensemble,” Selene said.

“I agree, I wonder what Beorn would think of it?” Imperius said.

The small group entered the tavern and everyone in the room stopped what they were doing. There were all sorts of shady characters in the tavern as they glared at Imperius and Selene. One rough-looking griffin scoffed and stood up from his seat and approached the siblings. Imperius stepped in front of his sister as the two stared each other down. There was an intense atmosphere between the two as Imperius prepared himself to fight, despite his restraints.

“Hold on…” The griffin narrowed his eyes at Imperius until he snapped his fingers and grinned.

“Well if it isn’t the Warrior of the Sun!”
The tavern patrons raised their mugs and cheered for their newest champion as the owner offered him the best seat in his establishment while pouring them some water.

“Now, what can I get you to?” He asked with an eager smile.

“Whatever’s cooking in the kitchen smells good.” Imperius said while Selene read through the menu.

“That is our signature veggie stew with freshly baked bread!”

“I’ll have that. What about you sister?”

“The same.” Selene said as she closed the menu.

“Coming right up! And don’t worry about paying, it’s on the house for our new future champion!” The waiter left to give the chef their order.

“Quite surprising to see these ruffians be so friendly to you,” Selene said as she watched two stallions arm wrestle each other and a zebra playing five-finger-fillet with his knife.

“It’s not that surprising, if you think about it,” the escort said as he took off his helmet.

“Your victories since your first day have traveled across the city.” He pointed his thumb to a wall and they saw a poster with Imperius’s face on it with the words, Praise the Warrior of The Sun!

“Am I really that big of a deal?” Imperius asked the guard escorting them.

“Of course! Unlike most of the gladiators before, you actually spared opponents who were already beaten. Not like Zamnir, that guy’s a real monster.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Imperius said while placing a hand over his chest as he remembered the impact of the minotaurs charge.

“Are you feeling alright?” Selene wondered.

“It’s just…that minotaur, Zamnir, he’s a twisted bastard who actually enjoys what he does,” Imperius said.

“I just don’t know how somepony like him can take joy out of killing hundreds to his heart’s content.”

“It’s because of the sultan,” the escort sighed.

“He and Zamnir have been in business with each other since day one of that bull’s imprisonment. That colosseum might as well be Zamnir’s personal paradise, where he is treated similarly like a king.”

“Not for long,” Imperius said, narrowing his eyes.

“Because I’m gonna tear him off his gods damn throne and take everything that fat bastard has.”

Selene was once again surprised at Imperius. It felt like only yesterday when he was his cute little brother who could barely hold his own when sparring with his father and cowered at the sight of any mare. Now, he was a tall, strong, and unwavering young stallion with a fire in his eye.

“You’ve really grown up, haven’t you little brother,” Selene smiled proudly as she sipped her water.

“Well, enough about me, have you and Lock bumped uglies yet since you started dating?” Imperius asked bluntly.

“B-BROTHER!! That’s too personal!” His sister shouted with her cheeks flushed pink as the other patrons stared.

“Ahem! Anyways, we haven’t gone that far in our relationship since well I’m uh…underage.”

“That’s surprising. Your little brother here has two mares attending to him for everything.” The guard laughed as Imperius felt a cold chill run up his spine.

“E…everything?” Selene asked with her voice trembling a bit.

“D-do you mean…”

“Oh yeah, not a night goes by when those two girls are screaming out his name. The boys and I take bets to see how long they keep it up-Oh! Did I mention they’re zebra mares?” The guard said as Selene slowly stood up with a crooked smile but all could sense the malice coming from her.

“My, my little brother…who knew you were such a rogue…”
“N-now sis, calm down!” Imperius said with one hand raised while trying to distance himself from his sister.

“Soup’s on!” The waiter arrived with their food and set their plates down on the table.

“Enjoy you two!” The waiter left and Selene slowly sat back down.

“We will discuss this another time. I hope you have a good explanation why you bedded two zebra mares who aren’t your fiance.”

“Oh gods, kill me now…” Imperius gulped as they ate in silence.

After finishing their meal and touring a little more of the city, the guards escorted the royal siblings back to the arena where another match had started and for some reason the crowd seemed more fired up than usual.

“Must be one hell of a match if they’re this excited.”

“That’s because Calico is fighting today!” A spectator said while waiting in line at the betting table.

“Calico?” Selene asked.

“An abyssinian Spear Fighter, much like you Imperius but more flashy!”

“He sounds good.” Imperius said.

“More than good. He strikes his opponents from all sides with the grace of a dancer but the striking speed of a viper! He might even be a match for Zamnir!”

From one side of the coliseum came out a slender, yet muscular-looking, male Abyssinian. He wore golden robes and twirled a spear in his hand as he narrowed his eyes at the other gate.

“He’s as fancy with the spear as you say,” Imperius said.

“Who’s he fighting?”

“The champion himself, Zamnir. Saladin figured it would be a nice pre-match before the main event which is the finals of the tournament,” another spectator said.

Selene said goodbye to her brother as he was taken back to the cells below while she was escorted to the royal box seats where the sultan, his daughter and their servants were waiting.

“Princess, I trust your visit with your brother was pleasant?” Saladin asked before popping a grape into his mouth.

“It was, thank you for asking.” Selene said to be polite when in truth she wanted the fat slob to shut his mouth.

The crowd was on edge as Calico gave another display of his spear skills for the audience before the gate was raised. Many were expecting to see Zamnir stride out in his usual prideful manner but were instead greeted by a black armored, hulking monstrosity.

“What the…” Imperius said as he watched the monster slowly step into the ring but he could tell that it was Zamnir but in a new monstrous form.

“You must be the champion, yes?” Calico asked in a spaniard accent but Zamnir would say nothing.

“Wanna know why I came to this festering, stinking, shit pile of an arena?” Calico asked while pointing his spear smugly at his opponent.

“For you.”

Zamnir said nothing as Calico gripped his spear and they circled each other. Meanwhile, Lock, Rarity, and Tarra were gazing at Zamnir.

“Something’s wrong,” Lock said with a stern look in his eye.

“What do you mean?” Tarra said.

“That big guy, he’s got a completely different atmosphere than when we first saw him. It’s like…he’s someone, or something, else.” Lock watched as Zamnir gripped a large sword. It was only a glimpse, but Kai managed to see part of Zamnir’s body underneath his armor. It was shaved and pale white, along with his eyes that were now bloodshot.

“Fuck…what did they do to him? That monster is gonna kill that cat.”

“I want to hear you beg for your life as you die and say that I am the greatest fighter to ever live.” Calico demanded after parrying a blow from the minotaur.

“Say it: I am the greatest fighter to ever live.”

The crowd cheered as Calico parried and dodged each attack thrown at him before knocking off Zamnirs helmet and all screamed by the grotesque figure now standing before them. His skin was pale and gray as stone with veins black as oil showing on almost every part of his head, neck and arms and his eyes had been turned completely blood red.

“So now we see your true face. You were once a champion but now…you die a monster!” Calico proclaimed as he got more serious and began to slice up Zamnir all over his body.

“Say it! Who is the greatest fighter to ever live!”

“Don’t play around with him you fool…” Imperius said while watching as Calico cut Zamnirs leg, right on the hamstring and forced him to his knees.

“Say it….SAY IIIIT!!!” Calico roared as he leaped into the air and plunged his spear right into Zamnirs chest before doing a victory strut around the crowd.

“Say it! Who is the greatest fighter to ever live? Eh?”

“Don’t play with him you fool!! Finish it!!” Imperius shouted from the gates, catching Calico’s attention.

“Ah the warrior prince! Don’t worry my friend, I will end him when he admits the truth.” The abyssinian said with arrogance as he stood over Zamnir.

“Say it you piece of cragadile shit! WHO IS THE GREATEST?!?”

Suddenly, Zamnir grabbed Calico’s ankle and crushed it when he clenched his fist. Calico screamed in pain as a giant fist slammed into his face, knocking several teeth out. Calico fell to the ground as Zamnir placed both his hands on his skull and dug his thumbs into Calico’s eye sockets. The sound of his skull caving in echoed throughout the coliseum as Calico screamed in agony.

SQUEALCH!

A burst of blood and brains erupted from Calico’s head as he was nothing more than a twitching mess. Zamnir stood back up as he gazed at the stunned audience.

The sultan was the only one who seemed amused as he applauded and allowed his monstrous creation to leave the arena. Without even flinching, Zamnir ripped the spear out of his chest and collected his helmet before marching back in to be healed with the crowd remaining deathly silent and frightened by the most brutal form of killing they had seen.

“My brother is going to fight that?!?” Selene asked with worry while in the cells, Imperius gripped the bars and nearly melted them with his new power making a silent vow.

“I’m going to kill that…”

Later That Night

“BUCKING MOTHER BUCKER TO BUCKING TARTARUS!!”

Bruze threw another chair across the room as it smashed into the bars. He then raised his fists and crashed them into a table, splintering it to pieces. The other slaves were keeping their distance as Bruze continued his rampage.

“THAT FAT MOTHER BUCKER TURNED ME OWN KIN INTO A MONSTROSITY LIKE THAT! I’LL SHAT DOWN HIS WINDPIPE AND PULL OUT HIS STILL-BEATING HEART FOR WHAT HE’S DONE! RAAAAHH!!”

Imperius wanted to intervene, but he knew Bruze’s rage was justified after seeing what had become of his brother.

“Just what happened to the guy? He didn’t feel a thing…” Razor pondered while Bruze sat in the corner, still frustrated.

“None of the guards knew anything.” Big Beak said while shaking his head.

“Whatever they did, it made him less…normal.” Imperius added while Mona leaned on him from behind.

“He was always a frightening bull,” Mona said as she trembled a little.

“But…that thing was terrifying.”

Imperius placed his hand on hers as Ebony sat near Imperius as well. Bruze managed to calm down and sat in a chair and downed an entire mug. There was a gloomy atmosphere in the room and Imperius saw a rat crawl in. The rat stood at the entrance of his room and glanced back at him over his shoulder before scurrying into his room.

“Excuse me girls.” Imperius stood up and approached his room. He shut the door behind him and turned to see his human teacher, arms crossed, and his back facing him.

“Saladin played us,” Lock said, not turning around.

“What did he do to Zamnir?” The prince asked while leaning on the wall.

“He looked like the walking dead!”

“I don’t know but I think we should step up our plans and get you out of here.” Lock said in a hushed voice, knowing there were spies listening in.

“What do you mean?” Imperius wondered.

“We were going to wait until after your fight, but the situation has changed.” Lock turned to face his student.

“We’re gonna bust you out tonight by starting a riot.”

“Respectfully, sir, but don’t do that,” Imperius said sternly.

“Imperius, you don’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation. Saladin has turned his own champion into a walking murder machine. The big bastard took a spear to the chest and just shrugged it off. I’m already on your dad’s shit list for allowing you to be taken, and I don’t need your wings being ripped from your sockets as your skull is being crushed on my conscience.”

“If I don’t fight him, all my preparations with Jasmine will be for nothing!” Imperius snapped.

“What’re you on about?” Lock sneered.

“What’s this about, Imperius, pride? Pride flew out the damn window as soon as that defromed freak stepped out into the ring! This is now a matter of your survival! What else could you and that princess possibly have to gain by fighting that thing?!”

“He wants to make more of them!” Imperius nearly shouted while being sure not to raise his voice.

“Think about it. You think he’ll stop at just one of those things? Imagine what would happen if Blueblood got a whole army of those monsters at his call! The alliance will be finished and no pony will be left to defend Equestria when the undead finally arrive.”

“Fair point.” Lock admitted.

“But how does the princess fit into all this?”

“If she can get enough ponies on her side, we can stage a coup while causing a riot and hopefully overthrow her father.” The prince explained before seating himself and rubbed his mangled wing.

“I want to go home, more than anything…but I can’t just leave things as they are. My father wouldn’t.”

“No…no he wouldn’t,” Lock nodded and smiled.

“And I doubt even Wulfric would either, gods rest his soul.” Lock nodded.

“Fine, I’ll let you have your fight, but the second you’re about to lose your life, I’m intervening and will tear that big piece of meat to shreds. Deal?” Lock held out his hand.

“Deal,” Imperius said, shaking his teacher’s hand.

“And you won’t need to intervene, because I plan to win.”

Voices were heard outside of the room. “That’s my cue, we’ll talk later.” Kai glanced at Imperius’s injured wing.

“Hang on.” Kai reached over and placed his hand on Imperius’s wing, causing Imperius to wince. Lock’s palm ignited in flames as the slight pain began to fade until it was gone completely.

“There, I know you said not to heal it completely, but I could at least make it so there’s no more pain whenever you try to move it or if you land on it or something. You’ve got a big fight ahead of you, kid, you’ll need all the help you can get.”

“Thank you, master,” Imperius said with a thankful smile before Lock transformed back into a rat and scurried off.

Later In The Day

Princess Jasmine was on her way to her father’s after being summoned, but was highly reluctant to do so. She could not get the image of Zamnir’s deformed appearance out of her mind and she worried for Imperius’s safety. Over the course of getting to know Imperius, she and him had developed a sort of kinship with one another. He was a sweet colt, but also strong and serious. There was once a time when she went to visit him, she caught sight of him training. The sight of his chiseled form sent tingles up her spine, but Jasmine quickly shook her head as he cheeks flushed. When she finally arrived at her father’s personal chambers, she heard a faint sound of whimpering. Jasmine instantly felt an unnerving chill run up and down her spine as she opened the door, but was unprepared to see a horrid sight.

“Ah, daughter,” Saladin said sweetly as he was wiping his hands. Laying on the floor was her personal assistant, beaten and bloody and laying in a pool of her own blood.

“Your precious assistant here has been telling me you’ve been sneaking out at night. Not to mention, I have been hearing some very unsavory rumors around the palace. That a revolt is in the midst? You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you, my sweet daughter?”

“Of course not, father. I don’t know who is spreading such nonsense.” Jasmine feigned ignorance while trying not to fly into a rage at her fathers cruel treatment of her most trusted servant and friend.

“Hmm…very well, tell me why you’ve been seeing the prince.” Saladin ordered while seating himself on a pile of pillows.

“I have not,” Jasmine said.

“Is that so?” Saladin arched his brow.

“So you’re telling me little Sandy here has lied to me?”

“Yes, she has,” Jasmine nodded.

“Are you sure? You do know how I detest liars. In fact, I recall a law I recently administered. Any who would dare lie to the Sultan to his face…shall be put to death.” Jasmine subtlety flinched as Sandy whimpered louder.

“So I ask again, daughter.” Saladin reached behind him and pulled out a dagger. He reached out to grab Sandy’s mane and yank it up as he pressed the blade on her neck.

“Did Sandy lie to me?”

Overtaken by fear, Jasmine could not bear to see someone close to her suffer at her fathers cruel hands and was prepared to confess when Sandy did the unthinkable and found the strength to wrestle the dagger away from the sultan and pin him to the ground.

“She’s not the one you’re after, you fat bastard! I was the one plotting the revolt and seeing the prince! Your reign is at an end you fat pig and I will see to it right no-!!”

THWACK! THWACK!!

Jasmine screamed with horror as several arrows were shot into Sandy’s back and yet even as her servant fell to the ground, her life slowly leaving her, she smiled at her princess who begged her to stay awake even as the guards held her back.

“My, my, that was certainly unexpected,” Saladin sneered as he stood back up and brushed himself off.

“But I suppose I should be grateful that my own daughter was not plotting against me.”

“Sandy! Sandy please! Don’t leave me!” Jasmine begged.

“It’s…okay…” Sandy croaked.

“I…love you…sister.” Sandy then breathed out her final breath as her life left her eyes. Jasmine kicked and flailed in protest as some other guards dragged Sandy’s body away.

“String the body up on display and burn it, let her serve as a reminder what happens to those who plot against their sultan. And take my daughter back to her chambers and lock her door.”

“Come, your majesty.” A guard whispered gently to the weeping princess as she watched her sister get dragged away.

“Sandy!”

Despite their orders, the guards could not help but feel sorry for the princess as they locked the door to her chambers and stood guard.

“Poor Jasmine…” One guard said while listening to the princess sob on her bed.

The commotion was heard all the way to the guest bedrooms where Lock and his team were staying and not even the thought that the sultan was capable of such cruelty towards his own family.

“That…FUCKING BASTARD!!!” Lock shouted as he threw a chair across the room.

“Darling, please calm down!” Rarity said as he paced back and forth furiously.

“Fuck this plan…!” Lock hissed, small embers ignited along his body and his eyes glowed bright amber.

“Fuck Saladin, fuck this kingdom, and fuck everything! I should’ve just broke loose and slaughtered all who stood in my fucking way! I could easily render this whole putrid shit stain of a kingdom to rubble if I had my way! WHAT KIND OF A FATHER EXECUTES HIS OWN FAMILY?!” Lock’s eyes became slits and his teeth morphed into fangs. Rarity and Tarra felt a twinge of fear run through their hearts, seeing their shared lover so enraged.

“Lock, quiet down! The whole palace will hear you!” Tarra begged after getting him to stop pacing.

“We WILL get him for this but we need to stick to the plan.”

Lock took a few deep breaths and slowly calmed down while being seated.

“We can’t let him burn her…” He said in a more calm voice.

“I agree. Leave this to me darlings, it’s been a while since I went out hunting.” Rarity said as she changed into her assassin's outfit right in front of him.

Though it had been years since she worked as an assassin, Rarity had not lost her touch and her outfit still fit her to a tee and made her look alluring in the moonlight.

“Be right back my darlings, I won’t be long.” She said while fastening a small crossbow to her waist.

“Hey Rarity.” Rarity turned around and was met with a surprise hug by Lock. She blinked as Lock held her close and she could sense sadness from him.

“I’m…I’m sorry I yelled like that. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

"Perfectly understandable darling, you should've seen me when I had mood swings." Rarity winked before leaping off the balcony, giving Lock and Tarra a bit of a scare before poofing onto a nearby roof in a flash of magic and began leaping from one rooftop to the next.

Rarity was worried she had lost her acrobatic skills, but thankfully she had her muscle memory to thank since it felt like she was back in her hay day. Rarity made it to the area where they were to string up the poor mare’s body. A couple of guards were getting the ropes ready. She knelt on top of the roof to see the dead mare laying in a wheelbarrow.

“Ugh…of all the things Saladin has made us do, this has to be the most vile,” one guard said as he tightened the rope.

“I know, this one was the princesses closest friend. It’s a shame she was conspiring the whole time,” the other guard said.

“Can’t we just get some other dead mare to take her place? It doesn’t seem right.”

“Orders are orders, I’m afraid, unless you wanna be strung up. Grab those matches, let’s get this over with.”

Deciding to act quickly, Rarity distracted the guards by shooting the chain off a hanging cage before stealthily sneaking up behind them and knocking them out with quick precision.

"Forgive me gentlemen." She said while using the remaining rope to tie them up.

Once they were secured, Rarity walked over to the body of the mare and frowned pittingly.

“Poor dear. Your sacrifice won’t be in vain.”

Rarity gently picked up the body and used her grappling hook to swing to the rooftops. She carefully and quietly used the darkness of the night to hide her presence. There were a few close calls, but Rarity managed to make it back to her room where Tarra and Lock were waiting for her. Rarity landed on the balcony outside their room and laid the body on a chair. She then did a silent prayer for the mare and entered her room. She expected to see Lock and Tarra waiting for her, only she was met with the sight of Tarra between Lock’s legs and Lock sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Hm…?” Lock opened one of his eyes.

“Oh, hey Rares, how’d it, oh fuck, go?”

“Surprisingly well, I see you two are busy as usual.” Rarity said with a raised eyebrow as Tarra stopped midway with a sheepish grin.

“Well you were taking so long so we got bored.”

“Darling you do know there are other ways to pass the time besides mindless sex?” She said before Lock noticed the lifeless mare wrapped in a shroud of cloth.

“Is this her?” he asked, looking sad for the slain chambermaid.

“Yes, this is Sandy…Jasmine’s sister.” Rarity said while brushing some hair away from Sandy’s face.

Lock forced himself to calm down and pulled up his pants. He gazed at the lifeless mare with a frown. He lifted her up in his arms and carried her in the room and laid her down on the bed.

“Tarra, fetch us some warm wet towels.” Tarra nodded and went to fetch the towels.

“Rarity, help me get her out of her clothes so we can clean her wounds and dress her properly.”

“Have you done this before?” Rarity asked as she gently pulled off the young mare’s clothes.

“Many times, back on earth when I was in the military,” Lock sighed.

“I remember countless of my fellow soldiers dying on the front lines. I can’t tell you how often I also had to be the one to tell their families that their son or daughter wasn’t coming home.” Tarra came in and helped Rarity clean the body.

“There’s one thing that will remain an apparent fact for a soldier like me. War never changes.”

As the body was cleaned and given a fresh set of clothes, Rarity suggested that they should take Sandy’s body to a disclosed location outside the city to be buried and should inform the princess so that she might bid farewell to the one family member she was close to. Lock turned into a rat and scurried towards the princesses room. He made sure he wasn’t spotted and made his way to her room. When Lock managed to find the room, he could hear loud crying from inside. Lock squeezed his way through the doorway and saw the princesses burying hurler face in her pillows and crying her eyes out. Lock slowly turned back into a human and gently cleared his throat.

“Your majesty?” Jasmine gasped and spun her head around and was about to scream. “Woah! Woah! Easy! I’m Imperius’s teacher!”

After taking a few deep breaths, Jasmine calmed down and reached to her night stand to grab some tissues to blow her nose and wipe her eyes dry.

“W-what do you want?” She asked, still feeling nervous.

“I’ll get to the point, we managed to recover your sister’s body.” Jasmine gasped at the news.

“My associates and I cleaned her up and are going to give her a proper burial outside the city. I can fly you there so you can pay your respects and bring you back-”

“No.” Lock stopped when Jasmine approached him with a look that could only be described as anger and disgust.

“Take me away from this prison. I don’t care what that poor excuse of a father of mine says. I’m no longer a bird in a cage as he sees me.”

“Are you sure? According to some intel I’ve gathered, you have another sister in the colosseum,” Lock reminded her.

“Jade…but she’s dead.” Jasmine said.

“Not from what we’ve heard.” Lock explained.

“Seems your sicko of a dad threw her to Zamnir’s crew years ago, she’s been part of his harem for a long time.”

“You can’t be serious…” Jasmine said in disbelief.

“She’s alive and if we can, we’ll get her out.”

“How?” Jasmine asked.

“Imperius is planning an uprising after he defeats Zamnir.”

Jasmine couldn’t help but felt her admiration for Imperius increase more than it already had been before. During these past months, Jasmine has had the privilege of getting to know the young prince for who and what he was. It was no surprise how much he had changed during his stay here, especially how physically fit and mentally hardened he had become. Jasmine put a hand on her chest, feeling it beat fast, and she took a deep breath.

“Take me away, please.”

“Alright.” Lock turned around and knelt down. “Climb on my back. I’ll take you to the place where your sister will be buried.”

“Wait…” She said while biting her lip nervously.

“Let me see Imperius.”

Lock smirked and simply nodded as she climbed on his back and they took off towards the colosseum.

Imperius was in the arena’s training hall, practicing with his new halberd to get used to the weight and length of the weapon and all while being sure not to set anything on fire. His session was interrupted when he heard the sound of something landing just outside the wall of the colosseum.

“Hmm, must be Jasmine.” Imperius brought his halberd with him and wiped the sweat off his brow. He walked over to the meeting area where he always used to meet Jasmine. When he made it to the bars, he saw both Jasmine and Lock waiting for them.

“Master? What are you doing here?”

“Came by for a quick visit, gotta take the princess somewhere important. But the little lady has something to tell you.”

“Imperius…” Jasmine fidgeted in place.

“I just wanted to say how thankful I am for all you’ve helped me through, especially now when you’re risking so much for a country that isn’t even your own.”

“I am always obligated to help those in need, no matter where or when.”

“I know…which brings me to why I feel this way.”

“What do you mean?” Inperius asked.

Without warning, Jasmine kissed Imperius right on the lips, making him drop his halberd with a loud clang that echoed in the cells. For a few moments their kiss seemed to go on forever until she finally broke it with a faint smack while the prince just stood there in a daze.

“I heard what you plan to do, beat Zamnir and save my sister.” She said before leaving with Lock.

“Ah, you…wha?” Imperius mumbled.

The flight outside the city didn’t last long and they were lucky the night was quiet. They came across a patch of trees where the Night Witches were all waiting for them. In the center of the group was a pyre of wooden sticks and laying on top of it was her sister. Lock landed by the pyre and Jasmine already felt herself on the verge of tears.

“If you wish to say some final words, you may do so now,” Kai said.

Jasmine saw the peaceful expression on her sister’s face and could not help but shed a few tears and placed a hand on top of her sisters.

“Goodbye.” Was all she would say while stepping back.

The Night Witches surrounded the pyre and slowly set it ablaze while Jasmine held tight onto Lock’s hand as she silently bid her sister goodbye.

“Rest in peace,” Lock said as they watched her burn.

“Misty and Shadow will take you to a safe house. You can stay there until this is all over.”

“Okay…” Jasmine said quietly.

“Come along, dear,” Misty said as they led her away.

“Make sure she’s safe,” Lock ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Shadow said.

“It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow…” Kai sighed.

By the next morning, all was quiet save for the sound of a whetstone being grinded against the blade of the prince's halberd as he watched the sparks fly off stroke after stroke when Mona and her sister kissed him good morning to snap him out of his trance.

“Sleep well my love?” Ebony asked while watching him sharpen the blade.

“As well as I could.” Imperius admitted before finishing his maintenance.

“I’ll admit, I wish you didn’t have to fight that monster,” Mona said.

“I have to,” Imperius said.

“When I was first brought here, I thought of nothing more than to escape back to my family, especially my fiancé. I can still see her eyes from the day I was taken, how heartbroken she was. But during my imprisonment, I saw how Saladin treats his subjects. He’s no different from Dainn, and I want to give these ponies hope that even somepony like him can be brought to his knees. Just because we were able to overcome our struggles with Dainn, shouldn’t mean the ponies of Saddle Arabia can’t either.”

“You sound like you’re shouldering a lot, even though you don’t have to,” Ebony said, hugging him from behind.

“I know, but it’s my father who taught me otherwise.” Imperius stood up and gazed at his reflection on the blade of his halberd.

“Give me strength, mother, father.”

“Warrior of Sun.” A guard called out to Imperius, using his title as a sign of respect.

“The time has come. Are you prepared?”

Imperius would kiss both sisters goodbye before standing up and slamming his halberd to the ground.

“Ready.”

“Gods be with you lad.” The guard said as if he was escorting the prince to his own execution.

As the prince made his way to the arena, Bruze and the other gladiators began lining up and banged their armor like war drums even as he reached the gate and soon the whole crowd heard in and began joining in before slowly chanting his name. Imperius glanced up where Saladin was sitting and he noticed he was more agitated than usual. Sitting next to him was Lock in disguise, Selene, Rarity, and Tarra. Saladin groaned irritably and rose from his seat.

“Citizens of Saddle Arabia! Welcome to the day you all have been waiting for, the Slave Tournament Finals!” The crowd cheered and Saladin waved his hand.

“Today, one of these lucky slaves shall meet one of two fates! Either dead in a ditch like the scum they are, or tasting freedom that they so desperately crave for!” The announcer grinned and looked over to the other side of the arena.

“Now to introduce our longtime champion! The Silent Mountain, Zamnir!”

The gates on the other side opened and heavy footsteps trudged forward. Zamnir made his way forward, eyes red as blood, and he stood with a massive greatsword held over his shoulder. Most of the combatants gulped nervously, but Imperius and Bruze stood firm.

“Ya ready, boy?” Bruze said.

“Absolutely.” Imperius replied as he gave his halberd a quick twirl while the announcer made his introduction.

“And facing him is the arena’s rising star! He was once a prince of royalty but now is on the rise to becoming King of The Ring! Mares and Gentlecolts, I give you the prince of piercing strikes, the one winged angel of death, The Warrior of The Sun! IIIIMMPERIUSSS!!”

The crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer as the prince marched forward, weapons and armor gleaming in the sunlight while rose petals were showered down on him from above by the mares in the stands.

“They treat him like he’s one of their own.” Saladin said to Lock, still feeling irritated as he grabbed some fruit.

“The mob is fickle, your majesty, I’m sure the hype will die down after a month.” Lock smirked, sensing his frustration.

“No…it’ll be much sooner than that.” The sultan said as several groups of men began marching out into the ring and pulled chains out from the sand.

In the center of the ring, both men stood on opposite sides. Zamnir with his giant blade, Imperius with his magic weapon and both ready to fight to the death to claim victory.

“If you can even hear me Zamnir, know that I will take great pleasure in killing you. Enough lives have been ruined because of you.” The prince said as he readied himself while Zamnir slowly lifted his blade and widened his stance.

“Both fighters ready?” Imperius nodded and Zamnir just stood there. “BEGIN!”

Imperius charged forward while spinning his halberd with one hand. Zamnir swung his whole body forward along with his sword and tried splitting Imperius in half. Imperius dodged out of the way just in time as the sword sliced through the ground, causing a mini aftershock. Imperious cartwheeled to Zamnir’s left and jabbed the blade of his Halberd into his side. The blade managed to pierce Zamnir’s armor, but barely made any headway into his flesh as Zamnir swung his free hand to try and backhand Imperius. The young prince ducked out of the way and backflipped away from Zamnir to gain distance from his opponent.

“Damn it, it felt like I was trying to stab a stone wall,” Imperius cursed.

When fighting an opponent much larger and tougher than you, don’t go solely on the offensive. Imperius heard Lock’s voice from a previous lesson.

You first gotta gauge how your opponent fights. There’s no such thing as an invincible opponent, everyone has a weakness. You just need to remember to always keep a level head and analyze thoroughly.

Zamnir seemed to be getting the upper hand as he swung his sword around wildly, destroying almost every part in the arena while being sure not to give the prince any breathing room.

“Dang it! I can’t block a full swing, he’ll cleave me in half for sure!” He shouted just before dodging another attack.

“Come on lad…” Bruze said as he watched Imperius get pushed back.

“Think, think…the helmet…” Imperius said when he saw the design of Zamnirs helm with only a single visor to help him see.

“When outmatched!”

FWOOSH!!

“Fight dirty!” The prince smirked after kicking some dust into the minotaurs face and sweeped right behind him.

“Let’s see you take THIS!!”

SHANK!!

This time when the halberd pierced Zamnirs armor, it was like cutting through paper as a fair amount of blood came spilling out from beneath the plate but before the prince could land another hit, the floor suddenly opened up and a tiger came leaping at him, forcing him away and keeping him from landing a killing blow.

“Son of a-!!” He shouted before another tiger pit opened up and he was nearly mauled on the back.

The crowd booed at this sudden turn of events while the sultan grinned and helped himself to some wine as the fight continued.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Selene demanded of Saladin.

“That is completely unfair! This is supposed to be a fight between only those two!”

Saladin paused from sipping his wine and snapped his fingers. A group of guards came storming in and pointed their spears at Selene, Lock, Rarity, and Tarra.

“Foolish little brat, that’s the point,” Saladin mocked as Lock gripped the armrest tightly.

“Did you four honestly believe I would be fooled? An ambassador sent by Celestia, please, what do you take me for? I knew you three came here with the intent to free that prince.”

Lock was silent as Tarra was about to go crazy, but Lock shook his head slightly. They still had the advantage since Saladin only uncovered part of their ruse.

“How did you figure it out?” Lock wondered.

“How else?” Saladin looked at Rarity.

“Miss Night Witch.”

Rarity gasped that she was found out so quickly and removed the veil covering her face since there was no more need for disguises.

“Did you really think it was that easy to recover my bastard daughter’s body? I baited you and you fell for it! So you either tell me where Jasmine is or watch your little prince become cat chow!”

“Never…” Selene hissed in anger.

“So be it.” With a wave of his hand, the remaining tiger pits opened up and Imperius was surrounded by claws and teeth on every side while Zamnir kept pushing him back as the crowd became more displeased.

“What’s going on?!” One of the spectators demanded.

“That’s not fair! The warrior of the sun can’t fight like this!”

“This is completely rigged!”

Imperius was getting backed into a corner, figuratively and literally. His mind raced and tried to think of a way to both fight the behemoth in front of him and avoid the newest additions to the match. As soon as the young prince was close enough, a tiger went to swipe its claws. Suddenly, the big cat was tackled, and Bruze appeared out of nowhere and wrestled with the tiger. Imperius watched in shock as the other gladiators came in and faced the other tigers and distracted them.

“Boy! We got these cats! Focus on me brother!” Bruze said as he held the tiger in a headlock.

“Damn pests!” Saladin gritted his teeth.

The other gladiators wrestled the chains away from the handlers and managed to force most of the tigers back into their cages as the crowd began to cheer with excitement as the prince and the monster faced off once more.

“Come on ya big bastard…” Imperius grinned as Zamnir raised his sword for an overhead slash that was dodged and countered by the prince knocking off his helmet to reveal his disfigured face to the crowd once more.

“Now that’s a face not even me mum would love…” Bruze commented as Imperius stopped Zamnir from getting a full swing.

“Ohh no you don’t! Can’t chop me if you can’t swing!”

“No no! IMPERIUS GET OUT OF THERE!!” Lock shouted just before Zamnir grabbed the prince by the breastplate and threw him into the wall, stunning the crowd.

Imperius’s ears were ringing as he fell to his knees. The world around him was spinning and his wings felt like they were crushed on impact. Zamnir slowly approached the young prince as Imperius swung his halberd in the air. Imperius shook his head and tried to get his senses in order, but was still dazed.

“Yes…” Saldin said with a malicious grin.

“Send that brat to Tartarus, my toy!”

Zamnir raised his sword in the air as Imperius weakly raised his halber to try and block.

“BROTHER NO!!” Selene screamed as Lock was just about ready to jump in.

SLASH!!

The crowd gasped out loud at the sudden turn of events. Imperius expected to be hacked in two, but no pain came. Something wet dripped on his face and his vision managed to clear up enough to see someone standing over him. To his utter shock, his second mentor, Bruze, stood in the way with his back facing Imperius. The warrior minotaur had his arms out and blood oozed from a large gaping wound that cut down from his shoulder to his hip. Bruze gritted his teeth, blood leaking from his mouth, and he clenched his fist as tight as he could. With a roar of rage, Bruze reeled back and swung as hard as he possibly could at Zamnir.

WA-BAM!!!

The punch dug into Zamnir’s face and it caved in from the sheer force of the blow. The monster was sent flying across the arena and crashed into the wall. Bruze stood there for a moment, his hand bent in the wrong direction due to breaking it after punching his brother. Before Imperius could call out to Bruze, the minotaur leaned back and collapsed on his back at Imperius’s hooves.

“No…NO NO NO!! BRUZE!!” Imperius shrieked as he held him up and tried to find a way to stop the bleeding while some of the men ran back down to get the medical supplies from the dungeon.

“It’s…it’s okay lad…Agh!” Bruze groaned, the pain of the wound still fresh in his mind.
“You…got this.”

“No no, Bruze come on we got a plan remember? You’re gonna see your family!”

“No offense lad but…agh! That’s not happening…” Bruze panted as his face grew pale.

“Hey hey! Stay with me, come on!” Imperius said while giving him a few slaps to the cheek to keep him awake.

“Beat that bastard for me…” Bruze sighed just before his eyes went dark and he let out one last breath.

“No…NO NO NO NO!! BRUUUZE!!” Imperius roared in a mix of anger and grief while desperately shaking him to wake up.

Saladin laughed maniacally in the stands as the crowd stood silent and glared with disgust at their sultan when suddenly they began to feel heat rising from the arena. The sun glared down and its rays were heating the area up as temperatures began rising considerably. Some spectators were forced to take off pieces of their clothing but that didn’t help them much. Imperius sat there on his knees as the air around him grew dense and hot. He slowly stood up, gripping his halberd, and felt his anger boiling over. The halberd’s blade suddenly ignited into bright flames, which shocked many in the crowd, Saladin included. Imperius’s wings twitched and his injured wing started smoking. Imperius then flexed his shoulders and both wings burst forth and spread out wide, his injured wing breaking out of its harness. The ponies watched as the ground beneath him started to melt a little from the still rising temperatures and his fur began to change color into a bright white. His mane and tail also burst into flames and people could see his eyes were fiery red-orange, like the sun itself. No one could make sense of what they were witnessing, if one were to try and describe it, it looked as if the young prince had turned into a star.

“And so it comes forth,” Lock smirked.

Saladin stood in shock at what he was seeing but while others saw something that could only be described as amazing, he saw something terrifying. With his new transformation, the prince’s wings had taken a shape of their own. His left wing was like a bright roaring flame as it fanned out for all to see while his right wing was transformed into black smoke and had a skeletal appearance similar to a demons but what was more shocking was the horn that had slowly formed on his head during his transformation.

“Brother…you’re an alicorn!” Selene smiled while her brother kept his gaze fixed on Zamnir who was slowly recovering from his brother’s punch.

“By Iron…” He spoke softly as he reeled back his halberd and a fireball began to form at the tip.

“AND FIRE!!”

SCHOOFFF!!!

Within just a few seconds a stream of searing hot flames blasted Zamnir where he stood until there was nothing left of him but ashes. The attack had also turned the sand into glass and blasted a huge gaping hole in the ring where only two guards were posted.

Seizing this moment, the prince flew up to address everyone in the crowd after blasting the prison doors open for his comrades.

“CITIZENS OF SADDLE ARABIA!! No more will you suffer under this tyrant’s hoof!! Today-WE RISE!!” The prince roared with his weapon raised high as his fellow gladiators joined him and began chanting along with him.

“RISE!!”

“Rise!!”

“RISE!!”

“Rise!!”

"RISE IN REVOLUTION!!"

The crowd followed his lead and began tossing their food at the sultan before Lock and the others finally made their move.

“Let’s get this party started!” Lock stood up and clapped his hands together. A burst of flames erupted from his body, startling Saladin and the guards. When the flames snuffed out, Lock stood with his armor on, his mask on his face, and his wing out for all to see.

“What the tartarus?! What are you?!” Saladin panicked. Lock pulled out his smartphone and scrolled through his playlist and pressed play on his selected song.

“The Devil’s Hand!” Lock announced as he drew Hell’s Flare and Frost.

Lock swung Flare around in whip form and decapitated all the surrounding guards. He then aimed his sword in the sky and fired a blast of flames, which exploded like a firework.

“That’s the signal!” Misty said from her hiding place and spoke through her holo crystal.

“Sisters! Begin the freeing of the slaves!”

“Roger that!” Claw said as she and her sisters ran around and unlocked all the cages with the keys they stole.

“Rarity, take Selene and get her out of here. Tarra and I will back up Imperius and make more noise in the city,” Lock ordered as he flared out his wings along with Tarra, who was grinning with anticipation. Lock glanced at Saladin behind his mask.

“As easy as it is to just rip your heart out here and now, it’s not my place to do so. You just sit tight and watch as you lose everything.”

With that, Lock and Tarra flew off to wreak havoc while Rarity quickly took Selene away.

“Wait! Where do you think you’re going?!? GET BACK HERE!” The sultan shouted furiously before he suddenly felt an intense heat behind him and slowly turned to see Imperius floating behind him with a hateful stare.

“You…” The prince hissed, black smoke coming from his mouth like a dragon about to breathe fire.

“N-now take it easy, boy! We can work this out!” The sultan stuttered as he fumbled backwards, trying to put as much distance between him and the prince as possible.

“I swore that I’d run you through before this was all over and I intend to keep my word…”

“Wait! I-I can be of use to you! I can tell you what Blueblood and his cronies are up to!! S-spare my life and I will give you anything you ask!” Saladin begged while falling to his knees but was suddenly choked by a tendril of black smoke from Imperius’ wing.

“Look me in the eyes when you die.”

“No wait please! Wai-ACK!! Aagh….” Saladin looked down to see the halberd piercing his fat gut before it was shoved in deeper.

“When you get to Tartarus, tell Dainn that Blueblood will join you two very soon,” Imperius said in a low tone as he ignited the halberd in flames.

Saladin was burning from the inside out as fire burst out from his eye sockets and mouth. Imperius didn’t bother to look away from his kill as all that was left was Saladin’s skeleton, before it disintegrated into ash. When Imperius flew back down the colosseum, a wave of fatigue hit him as his new transformation canceled itself out and he reverted back to normal. Despite his sudden exhaustion, Imperius checked and saw both his wings were back in working order, which made him smile a little. As the fighting raged on, inside and outside the collosseum, Imperius used his halberd as a crutch to make his way to the slave quarters.

“Ebony! Mona!” Imperius called out.

The two sisters came rushing out to see him leaning on the wall and feared the worst as they helped him to stand but were shocked to see his wing was fully healed and there was barely a scratch on him.

“Imperius, how-”

“I wish I could explain but we gotta go!” Imperius said as they ran towards the opposite end of the arena to find the cells practically empty.

“What the hay? Where’s the rest of Zamnir’s goons?” Imperius asked when Mona spotted something in a corner of one of the cells.

“Uh…guys?” She pointed to what looked like a dead prisoner who looked similar to Zamnir but was limp and seemed to be in a daze.

“They must’ve fried his brain…” Ebony said when she spotted Zamnir’s personal quarters ahead of them.

“This way!” She said while leading the way passed the other test subjects who were either dead or driven mad by the sultan’s experiments.

“I’m glad I managed to run that bastard through more so than before!” Imperius spat as they ran.

The group arrived at a set of double doors and made it to Zamnir’s personal quarters. Inside was a large bed and in the corner was a group of scared females that ranged from pony mares, griffins, and zebra mares.

“Hey, it’s okay, we’re here to rescue you!” Imperius said.

“What about that monster?” A zebra mare asked hesitantly.

“Dead and burnt to ashes, now which one of you is Jade?”

The group of females looked at each other and behind them. A young pony mare sat hugging her knees and she shivered in fear. Imperius noticed that this mare looked similarly like Jasmine, minus her fur since it was a tad lighter than hers.

“Jade?” The mare peaked up but looked away.

“She lost her ability to speak when she was sent here,” a griffin woman said.

“It only got worse…when she found out the news from the doctors.”

“What news?” Imperius wondered.

“She…she is like us,” a pony mare said and a few other females nodded.

“We carry Zaminr’s bastard children.”

This news stunned the prince as he looked around and saw that none of them were at all happy about carrying that monster’s children, some were even already a month or so along in their pregnancies and did not know what to do.

“Girls, they’re coming with us. All of them.” He finally spoke before setting aside his weapon and extending a hand to Jade.

“Let’s get you out of here.”

Jade looked back up at Imperius and flinched a little, but Imperius kept his hand held out. The young mare reached up and clasped his hand and Imperius lifted her up on her hooves. The prince nodded and led them out of the room and past the halls.

“What should we do now?” Ebony asked.

“Master Lock and Tarra should be finishing up with the rebellion, we should help in any way we can!”

“But you can’t fight like that! You just got out of an intense fight!” Mona said.

“I don’t care! This isn’t over until all who still support Saladin fall!”

Mona and Ebony knew better than to try and convince their lover otherwise. They followed Imperius until they made it out of the colosseum where they saw the whole city in complete disarray. Lock and Tarra were flying in all directions, giving support to any rebel who needed their assistance. Imperius saw catapults throwing massive fireballs in the air, trying to shoot Lock and Tarra down.

“Imperius!” Imperius turned around to see Selene run up to him, with Rarity following, and gave him a big hug.

“You’re free! You’re finally free!”

“I am, sister, I finally am,” Imperius said happily as he hugged her back.

“We should go rendezvous with Princess Jasmine, I know where my night sisters have hid her,” Rarity said.

“Come along, Jade, let’s go see your sister,” Imperius said to the young mare who perked up at Jasmine’s name.

The group ran through the streets of the city, ponies, zebras, and griffins fighting everywhere. Most were too busy to pay attention to the group, others were civilians trying to escape. When the group followed Rarity around the corner, Imperius caught sight of something hurtling towards them from above. A stray fireball came falling down and was headed right at his unaware sister.

“SIS! GET OUT OF THE WAY!!” He shouted just as the fireball made an impact and sent them all flying.

All were dazed for a few moments and coughing up dust but when the smoke finally cleared, Selene saw the body of her brother lying in front of her with both his wings completely burned off while he laid there groaning in pain.

“NOOOO!!” She shrieked as she carefully rolled him over.

“Brother, stay with me! I’m not losing you again!!” She sobbed as Imperius looked at her with a smile.
“Sister…” He groaned before passing out.

“NO! IMPY, NO!” Selene wailed.

Lock had just finished destroying another catapult when he heard Selene’s voice. He quickly flew to her side, but was unprepared to see Imperius laying on the ground.

“No…not like this,” Lock said sadly.

End.