The Handmaiden

“O-owie…”

“Pinkie, you have to sit still. This is all I have left, I can’t mess it up.”

Twilight Sparkle chewed on her tongue, carefully wrapping her friend’s arm in bandages. She had washed out the wound as best as she could with the last of her day’s water, but that wouldn’t matter in the slightest if it got infected. Twilight wished she had more material to work with, but she only had this one small swath of bandages. Not much, but better than nothing.

“And done. Here, let me see you move your arm,” said Twilight. Pinkie nodded, then raised her arm above her head. She bent it at the elbow, then extended it out. “Good. How does it feel?”

“It still hurts a little, but I’m okay,” said Pinkie Pie. She sniffled slightly, immediately scratching uncomfortably at her bandaged wound. “Thanks, Twi.”

“What happened?” Twilight was, understandably, worried. At the start of the day, when she and the other prisoners were released to the yard, she had gotten separated from Pinkie. A guard had split them up for work, and the two didn’t meet back up until now, when they were being sorted back into their cells.

“I… I got into a fight,” said Pinkie. Twilight stiffened slightly, her eyes going narrow, and Pinkie jumped to amend the situation. “I know, I know, please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Pinkie. We’ve talked about this. We can’t cause any trouble!” Twilight just barely resisted the urge to shout, giving more of a hissing whisper. She looked over her shoulder, peering through the bars of her cage and into the dark, torchlit halls of the tree they resided in. “Troublemakers go to the block! And those are the lucky ones!”

“I know! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. They… They stole my roll, Twilight,” said Pinkie. Twilight felt her heart pang at that, knowing how hungry Pinkie must be. “Someone took my roll.”

“That’s no excuse for fighting. That roll could’ve cost you your arm, or worse,” said Twilight, though she was softening noticeably. “How they got a blade in this place, I don’t even know… Can’t trust these damned guards to do their job… Not that it matters! No one cares about a handful of slaves, not until something heavy needs moving…” Twilight shook her head, bringing herself back to focus. “So, he took your roll. What next?”

“I tried to get it back, and he pulled his dagger. It wasn’t very big, but he still cut me and ran off with it.” Pinkie flopped down onto their cot, little more than a bed of straw covered in sheepskin, just barely thick enough to protect from the hard, splintering floor. “I don’t think any of the guards saw. I’m sorry, Twilight. I was just…”

“Hungry. I know.” Twilight let out a sigh, shaking her head. “When did you last eat?”

“Two days ago, I think? Maybe three…”

Twilight nodded solemnly, then crossed the room to her bed. She reached beneath the hay and pulled out a small, crusty, stale roll. Food was a rare commodity in the tree, and Twilight had made a habit of stockpiling and rationing whatever she could get her hands on. But she was down to her last roll now, and she wasn’t sure when she would get the opportunity to get more. She sighed, then tore the roll in half.

“Here,” she said, returning to Pinkie’s side. She offered her the slightly larger hunk of bread. “Eat.”

“But… It’s your—”

“I’ll get more. If someone could sneak in a dagger, I’m sure I can find some bread.” Twilight pressed the bread into Pinkie’s hand. “Eat. Please. For me?” Pinkie looked the bread over for a moment before taking a slow, tentative nibble. The bread was stale, tough for Pinkie to get her teeth through, but she was in no place to be picky. She tore at her half of the bread with her teeth, her hunger taking over for a spell.

“Your turn.” Pinkie gulped down her food, leaving just a tiny bit of it uneaten. She slipped that morsel of bread in her poofy, curly mess of pink hair for later, grinning as her silly display brought a small smirk to Twilight’s face. “You need to eat, too.”

Twilight nodded, taking a bite of her half of the bread. She tried not to let on just how hungry she was, but the way she devoured her meager rations proved just how much she needed this. Twilight hadn’t eaten in five days, much longer than Pinkie, but Twilight knew that Pinkie needed the food more. Twilight was sure she could have lasted a few more days until a new shipment came into the prison, but she was worried about Pinkie. She might need to perform some additional “favors” in order to secure some scraps from the guards.

“Come on, Twi. Let’s get some sleep,” said Pinkie. She grabbed Twilight by the wrist and slowly dragged her over to their bed. They didn’t have much in the way of blankets, just a short swath of pelt, and they’d need to rely on sharing their warmth if they were to even attempt to sleep in the dark, cold, damp cell they were trapped in.

Twilight curled up beside Pinkie, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her in close to her chest. By her nature, Pinkie had a hard time staying in one place, but she always seemed more relaxed when she was with Twilight. The two had known each other for so long, through thick and thin.

"I love you, Twi," whispered Pinkie. Twilight sighed, holding the other girl closer.

"I love you, too." Pinkie squirmed in their tiny cot, rolling until she was looking into Twilight's eyes. Twilight knew that look, that mischievous, naughty gleam in her eyes. "Pinkie…"

"There's no guards in our block tonight, right?" Pinkie leaned in and kissed Twilight on the nose."Maybe we could have a little fun?"

"What if someone comes by and sees us?" said Twilight, although she didn't do much to stop her hands from wandering to Pinkie's hips. "They'll split us up…"

"Not if we give the lucky guard a show." Pinkie guided Twilight's hand between her legs, letting out a soft moan as she felt Twilight's dainty fingers rub against her cunt through the thin cotton of her trousers. "I promise I'll be quiet."

Twilight couldn't argue with Pinkie, especially when she felt their lips meet, tongues exploring one another as a blooming, passionate heat washed over them. Unwilling and unable to fight it any longer, Twilight finally let her inhibitions go, sliding her hand past Pinkie's waistband and gently easing her middle finger into Pinkie. Never having much in the way of restraint, Pinkie let out a squeal, stopped only when Twilight slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Quiet, remember?” chided Twilight. Pinkie gave a tiny nod, at which point Twilight removed her hand. "I really don't want anyone catching us. Okay?"

"Sorry. Quiet now. Promise." Pinkie let out another tiny squeak as Twilight slid another finger inside of her. "Mmm, T-Twi…"

"We can't fool around too much." Twilight leaned in and kissed Pinkie on the neck, giving a tiny smile at the way her lover giggled. "We've got to be up at dawn."

"Mmm… There's a drawing…?" Another soft, gentle moan floated from Pinkie as she rocked her hips against Twilight's hand. "Gods, that feels good…"

"Don't worry about the drawing. I've got it handled," said Twilight, using her other hand to brush a tuft of hair from Pinkie's eyes, patting her face gently. "Just don't worry about it."

"But what if—" Again, Twilight stole away the rest of Pinkie's sentence with a few quick pumps of her fingers. "Mm, Twilight…"

"I've got it handled. Just focus on us. On you."

The sound of boots against petrified wood echoed throughout the corridor, stilling Twilight's heart in her chest. She swore under her breath, quickly clambering off of Pinkie and scurrying across the room, turning to face the wall.

"T-twi—" breathed Pinkie.

"Guard's coming!" hissed Twilight. "Fake sleep!" She barely had time to get the message out and follow her own advice before the sound of approaching footsteps stopped just in front of the cell. Twilight stood as still as she could manage, trying to keep control of her breathing despite the fear coursing through her. There weren't supposed to be any guards around their cell block tonight, which meant the presence of one boded poorly for her. She ignored the sound of the guard's sword against the bars, remaining still until he finally spoke.

"I know you're awake, Sparkle."

Twilight winced at the voice, but slowly sat up regardless. She peered across her cell, through the bars, trying to mask her disgust. The man on the other side of the bars was a guard she had unfortunately found herself quite familiar with, entirely out of necessity. Captain Spearhead, who was as close to a warden as the prison had, was a nasty fellow that Twilight wouldn't ordinarily converse with if she had any say in things. Unfortunately, he was the only one she could depend on to conduct "business" with inside the massive tree that was Golden Oak Prison.

"We've got things to discuss," grunted Spearhead. Twilight begrudgingly made her way to her feet and, after sparing Pinkie's prone body a glance, crossed the cell until she was just across from her jailer. "You've—"

"Not here," said Twilight flatly. She pointed down the corridor. "I don't want to wake her." A tense silence descended over the cell, both parties weighing their options. After a moment, Spearhead reached for his belt and produced a dented steel key, which he used to unlock the cell.

"If you insist."

Twilight followed the guard out of the cell, examining him in the dim torchlight. He had traded in his gaudy, glittering golden armor for lighter garb made primarily of leather, no doubt for his own personal comfort. He kept his right hand on the hilt of his blade, using his left to grab a torch from the wall. Twilight gave Pinkie one last concerned look before following Spearhead around the corner to a relatively shadowy spot in the prison, near the few remaining empty cells in the place. Spearhead returned the torch to the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and giving Twilight a grin. Twilight didn’t say anything at first, instead staring out of one of the rare windows that had somehow been carved out of the impenetrable trunk of the Golden Oak. The moon beamed out at her, so near that she could almost reach out and grab it. Twilight sighed, her mind still not entirely at grips with being so high up in this impossible tree, before turning back to face the captain.

"What do you want?" asked Twilight dryly.

"I'd think you'd be a bit nicer to me, all things considered." Spear reached for his belt, pulling a small parcel from his waist. Twilight made a reach for it, just for it to be pulled out of her grasp. "Hey, a deal is a deal. Our arrangement is tit for tat, remember?"

"Proud of that one?" With an annoyed glare and a visible blush, Twilight slowly raised her shirt, baring her right breast for her jailer to gawk at. Spearhead gave a little whistle at the sight of her cute, soft little boob, and made a reach himself. Twilight dropped her shirt, beckoning for the package. "You better have more than old bread in there if you want to touch."

"Hmph. I went through the trouble of fetching you bread and cheese, and this is how you repay me? I even swiped a bit of jam from the mess hall. Your attitude makes me unwilling to do this again," said Spearhead, arching his brow. "A bit of respect and gratitude goes a long way, Sparkle." Twilight snatched the parcel away and, begrudgingly, revealed her breast again, offering herself up to be groped.

"Thank you, Captain Spearhead," she said, as if the words themselves were vinegar on her tongue. She shuddered internally at his touch, repulsed by him on a fundamental level. He was a greasy, slimy, despicable excuse for a man. Some of the things Twilight had seen him do to the female prisoners kept her up at night, for fear that it might be her next. Or, worse still, that he had his sights on Pinkie.

"Hm… Not quite as big as your little girlfriend," noted Spearhead, giving Twilight's tit a firm squeeze. "But you seem firmer. With fat udders like hers, you'd be hard pressed to convince me she's not a cow that got here by mistake on her way to the farm."

"The drawing. Where are our names on the list?" Twilight clenched her jaw, feeling her blood boil at the way he spoke about her love. Unfortunately, there was precious little Twilight could do about it.

"You're in the raffle. Been avoiding it for long enough, now you've got to be put in the mix for the Empress' Arena."

"And what if I don't want our names in the mix?" Twilight grimaced as she felt Spearhead's other hand snake up her middle to cup her other breast. She was absolutely disgusted, unable to meet the guard's eye, but she couldn't even think of resisting. Not now, with the drawing just tomorrow.

"It would be deplorable for me to meddle with the Empress' entertainment, not to mention incredibly foolish," mused Spearhead, giving Twilight's nipples a firm pinch. She let out a wincing moan, more for his sick amusement than anything else. "So I suppose, if you wanted your name out of the lottery so badly, you'd have to offer me something more than just a peek at your chest."

"How much more?" asked Twilight, although she was certain she knew the answer. This wasn't the first time they had this sort of discussion.

"You know how much more." It got quiet for a spell, during which Spearhead tightened his grasp on Twilight. "Stop resisting it. You must know that I'll claim you eventually. Soon, you'll be too hungry and thirsty and starved for a man's touch that you'll give yourself to me happily. So why fight fate? Why run from yourself?"

"No." Twilight's response was firm, unwavering, unflinching. "I can't. I won't." She let out a yelp of surprise as Spearhead shoved her to the ground. She looked up at him, a tinge of fear mingling with her disgust.

"Then enjoy your moldy fucking bread," he said flatly. "Because I don't imagine you'll live long enough to get any more. If we're done here, it's back to your cell."

"W-wait…" Twilight couldn't bear the thought of actually having sex with a man like Spearhead, but the threat of being selected for the Arena was too terrible. "Compromise. You're a reasonable man, just let me bargain with you a bit." Spearhead didn't answer, so Twilight took that as her permission to barter. "You remove our names from the lottery, Pinkie's and my own. In return… you can make use of my mouth." Again, Spearhead didn't give much in the way of an answer, which only served to heighten Twilight's desperation. "Every meeting like this. Every time you bring me food and water, you can use my mouth. I think that's sufficient, no? Just for you tossing out two little scraps of parchment. Quite a fair deal, I think."

It had to be. Twilight wasn't sure what she would do otherwise. She had to save herself, her body, for Pinkie. She couldn't imagine letting any man taint her, least of all a detestable snake of a man like Spearhead. But the Arena… If their names were drawn for the Arena, Twilight was certain that they were as good as dead. She had promised Pinkie that she would protect her, keep her out of the Arena, and to break that promise was unthinkable.

"Well? You'd better get to work, bread whore. Before I change my mind."

Twilight gave a tiny, taciturn nod before getting down to business, undoing Spearhead's belt and pulling down his trousers. She moved quickly in pulling Spear's cock free, wishing to get this over with as soon as possible. Luckily, he was already mostly hard, and it only took the warm grasp of Twilight's small, delicate hands around his shaft to coax him to full attention. With a reserved sigh, Twilight wrapped her lips around Spearhead's shaft, trying not to focus on what she had to do.

"Come on, you little bread slut. You're starving, aren't you?" Spearhead grabbed a fistful of Twilight's hair, yanking her closer, forcing his cock into her throat. "Come get that belly filled."

Twilight choked, slapping on Spearhead's thigh in a desperate plea for air. Her silent begging fell on deaf ears, and Spearhead just kept a firm grip of her hair while he fucked her throat. Twilight could do little more than endure, attempt to relax her throat as it convulsed around the length in her throat. She needed to breathe, her head was spinning from the lack of air.

Thankfully for Twilight, her jailer was something of a minuteman; it wasn't long until she could feel his cock pulse, and a groan signaled Spearhead's orgasm. He jerked his hips forward, yanking Twilight forward until her tiny nose was pressed to his pelvis. Twilight choked as Spearhead deposited thick ropes of his salty, bitter cum down her throat, gagging as he withdrew and deposited the last few gobs onto her tongue. She turned to spit, only for Spearhead to grab her under the chin and force her mouth shut.

"Be a good bread whore and swallow," ordered Spearhead, returning his trousers. With vitriol and loathing in her eyes, Twilight reluctantly gulped down the foul dreck. She opened her mouth to show the bastard that she had done what she was told, and she received a mouthful of spit from her captor for her troubles. "There's a good cunt. Back to bed, and be sure to give the little dyke back in the cell a kiss for me. I wonder if she'll be able to taste my cock on your breath."

"Both of our names, out of the drawing." Twilight's voice had gone cold, hollow, empty. She was disgusted, felt used. But it would all be worth it to protect Pinkie. "And you make our arrangement more regular. Every week. Bread and water for… that."

"Back to bed," repeated Spearhead, this time giving Twilight a little kick to the side. She begrudgingly stood up, keeping a close grasp on the parcel of rations as she followed Spearhead back to her cell. She watched with a grimace as Spearhead blew her a tiny kiss before closing and locking the cell. Twilight felt her stomach turn, before turning herself to check on Pinkie. Her loud snoring was too convincing to be a facsimile, which brought a tiny smile to Twilight's face.

"Sweet dreams, Pinkie," said Twilight with a sigh. She hunkered down beside Pinkie, unraveling her rations for an inspection. The bread that Spearhead had given her wasn't quite moldy yet, but it wasn't too far off. Beside the stiff, crusty half-loaf was a little lump of cheese, and a small tin of jam. It was either pear or peach by Twilight's best guess, and barely enough to smear over a slice of bread, but it was more of a treat than Twilight or Pinkie had in quite some time.

Twilight glanced towards Pinkie, then carefully swiped her little finger through the jam and giving it a taste. She let out a tiny moan at the tasty jam before closing the tin up for later. She ordinarily would've waited until Pinkie was awake to partake in her bounty, but after what she went through to get it, she thought Pinkie could forgive her for stealing a little dollop. Besides, she needed to get that taste out of her mouth. After just a moment of hesitation, took a bite of the cheese before wrapping up the parcel and stowing it away to ration out later.

Twilight let out a sigh, leaning over to peck her lover on the cheek before pulling her in close for a warm, peaceful sleep.

"Gather! Gather for the drawing!"

Twilight held Pinkie close as the two maneuvered throughout the hundreds, maybe even thousands of prisoners at Golden Oak, trying to avoid the pushing and shoving of the other inmates on the way out of the main trunk of the tree and into the “yard”, which in reality was a contingent of thick, wide branches that came together to create a large, sturdy platform that stretched out for meters. Apart from the entrance at the base of the tree, hidden among the roots, the yard was the only place in the prison that was subject to open air.

Golden Oak was filled with an eclectic blend of inmates; anyone from petty thieves to murderers to war prisoners to political rivals of the High Queen were all fair game to find themselves in the prison. Twilight believed that there were some decent folk within the confines of the jail, but Canterlot had a tendency of turning even the best of men into fiends. Pinkie hung onto Twilight's arm, her eyes darting around the crowd in a panic. Twilight just gently patted her shoulder, doing all she could to keep her calm.

"I hate these days," whispered Pinkie. "So scary… What if we get picked?"

"We won't," promised Twilight. The two stopped among the sea of inmates, looking up at the podium that had been erected in the middle of the yard. She flinched slightly at the guard standing there, with a large dish filled with scraps of parchment in his hand. It could be hard to tell the guards apart at times, with their golden helmets obscuring much of their faces, but Twilight could always sense Spearhead by the lusty, domineering, demanding glint in his beady brown eyes. "I promise, we won't be picked."

"But what if—" Twilight darted in and stole a kiss, turning the rest of Pinkie's sentence into a slightly nervous giggle. "Twi…"

"Don't worry. I've got things handled."

"Settle down, inmates! It's time for the drawing!" The crowd jostled restlessly, their movement halted by the approach of the legion of guards surrounding the sea of prisoners. The prisoners settled down quite quickly when armored men with spears and swords approached them with their weapons at the ready.

"Today, five of you will become gladiators in the High Queen's Arena," announced Spearhead, though he and everyone else had heard this spiel before. "You will battle any manner of man and beast, not for honour, not for fame or for wealth, but for the entertainment and satisfaction of our High Queen, the Goddess of the Sun, Empress Celestia. May you battle with distinction, and bring glory to our Empress' name. The random drawing to select our gladiators will now begin." Twilight watched carefully as Spearhead reached his hand into the silver dish of names, rooting around for a moment before drawing one out.

"Peach Cobbler!"

"This is just awful," muttered Pinkie, scratching idly at her bandaged arm. "I know Peachy, she's only fourteen. Just a girl." She couldn't tear her eyes away from the guards pushing through the crowd, dragging out the crying, terrified new "gladiator".

"Kaiden Fabian!"

"I know. It's despicable." Twilight held her love closely, trying to impart some sense of safety and security onto her. "Half of the people here haven't even done anything wrong."

"Alren Tulloch!"

"Not much we can do about it, though," said Twilight with a sigh. "We have to get out of this damned kingdom. It's rotten to the core. Hopefully they'll let us out of this stupid tree soon enough and—"

"Twilight Sparkle!"

A pit formed in Twilight's gut, her blood running cold and the weight of the impossible truth threatening to crush her. She must have misheard. Somehow, someway, there must have been a mistake, it wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening. Spearhead may have been swine in Twilight's eyes, but he always honored their agreements. He would always do what he had promised, even if he didn't treat her particularly well.

“Twi…” Pinkie could barely muster a peep, the fear and horror in her core almost tangible.

"Bastard…" Twilight felt the ice in her veins change to burning, flaming fury. "That son of a bitch!" Twilight glared across the yard to Spearhead, barely able to see through the hot, burning tears in her eyes. She could just barely make out his smug, sick grin as he read the final name.

"And Pinkamena Pie!" Pinkie let out a yelp as she heard her name, which seemed to amuse Spearhead to no end. "Gladiators, step forward and prepare yourself to do battle, in Empress Celestia's name!"

"T-twilight…" Twilight held Pinkie close to her chest as the crowd of unchosen inmates dispersed, gently stroking her hand through her hair. She was a mess, just a degree off of breaking down into tears, and Twilight herself wasn't faring much better. "What are we going to do?"

"I… I don't know." Twilight felt her glare turn away from Spearhead, her focus now totally devoted to keeping Pinkie calm. "But it'll be okay."

"How can it be okay?" Her tone absolutely broke Twilight's heart. That fear, that hopelessness, Twilight had done all she could to avoid that, and it wasn't quite enough. "We'll die in that arena… We’re as good as gone…”

"No, we won't. We are tough, we are resourceful, and we are clever. We lasted this long, didn't we?" Twilight grasped Pinkie's hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "I'm not sure how just yet, but I will get us out of there in one piece."

"But the arena… I hear it's rigged for us to lose," said Pinkie, her voice little more than a whisper. "They say the Empress sends out trained soldiers as our opponents, they'll slaughter us. Even if we somehow manage to beat them, she'll just get bored and send in her pets. We don't stand a chance."

"We do. No prisoner has ever won in the arena before, that's true. But there have never been prisoners like us there." Twilight wasn't entirely sure if she believed her own words, but she had to say something. For Pinkie's sake. "We've got something these other gladiators don't. We have something to fight for. I won't let them take you from me. I promise."

"Pie! Sparkle!" A nearby guard approached, his spear at the ready. The little color in Pinkie's face washed away when she felt the sharp point of the guard's weapon against her neck. "To the carriage! Cause me trouble and you'll be entering the arena with a few handicaps."

"We're no trouble," said Twilight, gently pulling Pinkie away from the business end of the weapon. "Just a bit rattled. We're coming, just please… Don't hurt us."

"I'll handle Sparkle." Twilight could barely contain herself as Spearhead approached from behind. He gripped her shoulder tightly, entirely unconcerned with her obvious discomfort. "I have some questions for this inmate, I'll bring her to the carriage shortly."

"Yes, sir." The guard grabbed Pinkie by the shoulder and yanked her away. "This way, prisoner."

"Twilight!" The tears that Pinkie had been holding back finally broke free, running streaks down her face.

"It's okay, Pinkie. I'll be right behind you," said Twilight, trying to keep her voice steady. "Just stay calm. I'm right behind you."

Pinkie just gave a little whimper and a nod before allowing herself to be easily led away, back into the trunk of Golden Oak. Soon, she would be brought down the trunk and to the roots, which was a trip that very few people returned from. Twilight watched her go, keeping her composure until Pinkie was out of the yard. When she was certain she was gone, Twilight turned to beam fury at the man responsible for this. For several moments, it was quiet, with Twilight trying to collect herself enough to speak without shouting the typhoon of insults and profanity that was brewing in her head.

"We had a deal," she said slowly. "You said you'd take our names out if I sucked you off."

"No, actually, I said no such thing," said Spearhead with a devious smirk. "You said that. I never agreed to your terms."

"It was implied, you no-good bastard."

"Implications and assumptions are bound to get one in trouble." Spearhead took a step forward, his hand resting idly on his blade. "The same goes with that filthy mouth of yours."

"If my mouth is filthy, it's only because of your disgusting cock." Twilight took a step back as Spearhead approached, her eyes darting around for anyone who could potentially come to her aid. The yard was desolate, no one around but the two of them. "Why did you do this? I've been taking your abuse, relieving your stress for so long… And you just send me to the wolves? For what?"

"A dirty bread whore like yourself doesn't get to say no to your betters." Spearhead grabbed Twilight under the chin, staring down at her with his beady brown eyes. "If you thought you had a right to deny me, you were sadly mistaken."

"You can't be serious." Twilight swatted at Spearhead's hand, doing little more than annoy him, make him grasp her tighter. "You're going to kill me, and an innocent girl, because I wouldn't have sex with you?!"

"You're a prisoner, Sparkle. You're far from innocent. If the High Queen sent you here, it's for a reason."

"Being sent here for a reason is not the same as being sent here for a crime. I've done nothing wrong."

"Truthfully, Sparkle, I don't give a damn if you're guilty or not. All I know is that I'll be watching you get torn to shreds in the game tomorrow. I hope saving your filthy cunt for that worthless dyke of yours was worth dying in that ring."

"To keep that twig between your legs away from me, I'd happily die a thousand times," spat Twilight. Spearhead glowered for a moment before releasing his hold of Twilight, chuckling all the while. He fiercely brought the back of his hand across Twilight's face, knocking her to the dirt.

"I'll see if the Empress can have that arranged. Run along and get back to your cow, Sparkle. I imagine you'll want to make these last few hours of yours count."

Twilight slowly worked her way to her feet, watching Spearhead strut away with disdain. She had been fooled, deceived, used, utterly humiliated purely for the pleasure of a man that wasn’t worth the space he took up. Twilight was furious, angrier at no one more than herself. She could’ve avoided this. Had she just given Spearhead what he wanted, she could’ve escaped this fate. And now, because of her pride, her disgust, she and Pinkie would pay the ultimate price.

“Damn this kingdom,” muttered Twilight, turning for the trunk, where Pinkie had been dragged. She ran off, her mind racing in the hopes of formulating a plan. Before her imprisonment, Twilight and her family were too poor to ever see a match at the arena, so all she had to go on were the stories and rumors she heard over the years. Twilight recalled every memory, every whisper and breath she had ever heard about the twisted “game”. She would need every scrap of knowledge she could get. Twilight Sparkle swore under her breath, vowing that she would somehow win this wretched game.

Not for herself, but for her love.