Author's Note

Sorry for the wait but my PC is having issues so I’m typing this on my phone. May not be my best but I try.

Joust of Wrath: Part 2

Jason Wright awoke with a headache the size of a castle. He slowly regained his bearings as his mind tried to process where he is. The first thing he felt were his legs, which felt were bound and attached to something. He then realized for some reason he was sitting up on something. Slowly his eyes regained vision as he looked down.

He then saw some weird device that almost looked like an LED clock with wires. “What…”

He continued looking over himself and realized he was on what looked like a mechanical horse crossed with a bike. His feet were strapped tightly to what he assumed were pedals. He was also wearing a suit of rusty metal armor. He then saw a familiar pony across the room. “Celestia?”

Princess Celestia laid in the floor. She was wearing a little bit of rusty metal armor on her, had a strange ring on her horn, and what looked like a humanoid dummy made of tin and wires poking out of many parts. Some of those wires went to strange red tubes. It was then Jason saw the letters on them and his fear went up. TNT. Jason continued to look around the room that almost looked like a garage of some kind in a panic. “What the Hell?!”

Celestia stirred awake. She groaned as she tried to get up, already feeling the weight of the tin man on her back. She looked at the strange thing then towards the human on the other side. “Who are you?! Where are we?! Are you with the HLF?!”

Jason was now struck with confusion. “I’m sorry, what? Don’t act like you don’t remember me princess. Is this some game to get me to sign that pardon thing you sent me?”

Now it was Celestia’s turn to be confused. This human didn’t look like the leaders of any country she knew. She doesn’t even recall sending a pardon document to anyone. But before she could say anything they both heard a sound and saw a nearby television turn on. How did they not notice that they’ll never know. After some static the face of the stallion they both met was now on the screen.

The face grinned as he spoke. “Hello Celestia. Hello Jason. I want to play a game. You both came from different universes where you both developed a wrathful grudge against the other species and instead of taking a sensible approach, you both responded with darkness in your soul.”

“Where have I seen this scenario before?” Jason asked himself.

“Now hold on there! What are you talking about? What I’ve done was for the benefit of both societies.”

“Are you sure about that?” Asked the Stallion.

Soon the TV played what looked like images from different worlds. Jason could only watch in shock as this Celestia started a war of both humans and ponies. A war that started when humans were being forced to convert into ponies and become mentally obedient as a result. Soon Celestia saw the footage of this human becoming the changeling emperor and caused chaos in Ponyville in the form of fire all because of his harsh treatment which would fueled his grudge.

Celestia scowled at the human as the footage ended. “I knew it. You humans are just as vile as I thought. This proves your kind are warmongers.”

Jason snapped his head back at her. “Hey! What happened to me was the result of your student failing and Discord being a-”

“ENOUGH! You both had many other options, some of which more logical and less horrific and you chose a path I dare say Tirek or Sombra would choose. Now you have limited options in this game. The devices strapped to you are connected to a timer. When I start the game you’ll have ten minutes to kill your opponent. To do that you’ll have to attack your opponent’s contraption. Each hit will speed up the timer. When the opponent’s timer hit zero, BOOM!”

Celestia tried to use her magic but soon found it difficult. The stallion chuckled. ”I saw that coming so I put an inhibitor ring on your horn. There by limiting your magic.”

Jason heard a click and looked at the timer on the back of the fake horse head. It lit up and showed ten minutes. “Live or die. Make your choice.”

Jason mind was racing as questions raced through him but he didn’t think long as he suddenly felt a jolt. Celestia rammed her body to the side of him. Jason quickly looked at timer. It once said 9:50 now it said 9:20.

Celestia charge at him again but missed as Jason now used the pedals on the contraption. He then used his hands to turn what he assumed was the steering he then saw a spear on the floor and quickly grabbed and threw it at the alicorn.

The spear struck the tin dummy in the side. Celestia gasped as her timer now read 8:55. Her magic was limited to only levitation. She soon saw a dagger on the floor and aimed it at the now charging human. At first she aimed for his head but then thought he might have sharp reflexes so she shot at his contraption’s head. The dagger hit its head with a clang and just like that Jason lost a ten more seconds.

The battle waged on with both the human and the alicorn either hitting or missing. The armor they both had shielded their skin from harm but not the bombs they strap to. Both their timers read three minutes.

Jason looked towards Celestia she was panting. It was then he noticed a small opening in the dummy’s neck. All that fighting must’ve exposed it. Using the last of his strength he threw a dagger at the neck. Sparks shot out. The dagger was lodged in there. Celestia looked at the timer on the dummy.

2:30

2:12

1:52

That did the trick. With the dagger lodged in the wires, it was causing the timer to speed up. Jason saw that his timer was only at two minutes and forty five seconds. Celestia looked at the dummy in a panic. She could only watch in horror as the timer got closer to zero. She knew she didn’t have time to reach Jason with the exhaustion she had.

She looked back at him with a look of hatred in her eyes. “I learned this saying from your kind. I hope to see you in Hell.”

0:00

BOOM!

As the smoke cleared Jason could only stare at the gruesome scene in front of him. There was Celestia’s exploded body. Her burnt body had a very large chunk of the middle removed. Jason nearly gagged at the smell it was now emitting. He then heard a beep and a click as he now felt his body being released from the mechanical bomb horse. The TV came back on and the face of the Stallion came back as well. “Congratulations Jason, I guess we can both agree even gods can be killed.”

Jason scoffed at this. “She wasn’t a god, she was a soon to be tyrant.”

“Regardless you won. But before you leave I think you deserve a special reward. Come through the opening door to claim it.” Said the Stallion on TV as a door in the room opened up.

Jason walked through to see what looked like a hallway with many doors. Down the hall he could see a large red door labeled exit. He began walking down the hall towards it ignoring the other doors.

He was halfway through when he heard a door from behind him creak open. He turned around fast and saw to his surprise a human skeleton. It looked like it was dressed as insane patient in a stray jacket. Jason then saw, on the door it came out of, was a label saying ‘Psychos’. Jason started getting scared again. “What is this?”

Then came a voice on an intercom. “Your reward is a taste of what you left behind but bought with you anyway. A taste of how evil some humans can be. That skeleton is a ghost of a psychopath.”

Jason then noticed the labels on the other doors as they slowly opened. “What the? Corrupt cops? School shooters? Terrorist?! Serial killers!? Evil Dictators!?”

“And so many more.” Said the voice as many skeletons started walking out in different clothing style to match the door they came from.

Jason, now scared again ran to the exit door only to find it not budging. It was either locked or stuck. “No no no! You can’t do this! I’m not like them!”

“But you are” said one of the skeletons as they all slowly approached Jason.

“No please let me out!” Jason yelled as he banged on the door.

The skeleton were getting closer and closer as they chanted. “One of us. One of us.”

Meanwhile in another room Time Lapse watched everything through a security camera. He grinned as the skeletons grabbed Jason and started beating on him with bony fist. He gave a dark chuckle. “Hehe looks like he’s boned. But after a bit of them torturing him, I’ll send him back.”

He didn’t realized his hind legs and flanks were now becoming more black as dark veins pulsed. He also didn’t even feel one of his eyes, which was blue, was now turning red.

Princess Celestia looked over the reports from Ponyville. She could only imagine how lost all the ponies must feel. She was about to sip at a cup of tea when a guard came in. “Your majesty Emperor Wright requested to see you.”

Celestia was surprised. She didn’t expect to hear or see him again so soon. “What does he want?”

“Not sure your majesty. Even Chrysalis doesn’t know. His face looks like he’s practically devoid of life.” Explained the guard.

“Send them in.”

Jason and Chrysalis walked into the throne room. The former just looked straight with his eyes widened, and his mouth in a small frown. He looked as if he saw a ghost. Chrysalis on the other hand just looked at him in concern. Jason walked up, bowed in Front of her and presented what looked like a small stack of papers. Celestia levitated them to her. All this was the paperwork she sent him. His pardon was signed. She looked back at him only to see him walking towards the doors. “Jason?”

“Don’t bother Celestia. Ever since he reappeared in the hive he’s been like this. He keeps saying he and I quote ‘needs to fix things better’ or something.” Explained Chrysalis as she also turned and left.

Princess Celestia could only look at the paperwork then back to the door. “Uh…ok?”