Chapter IView OnlineSands of TimeChapter IThe lights were blinding. The crowd deafening. It seemed almost unreal from the first moment I stepped into the arena. In a way, I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I had grown up hearing the stories. The everlasting glory of those who had claimed a spot in the history of others. That had pulled themselves from the slums and the forgotten wastes of the Saddle Arabian Desert. Growing up as a colt I’d see them as immortals. I would try to sneak glances through the doors of Holobars, and watch with stupefied wonder at the sight of the larger-than-life heroes on those scratched and dented Holo-screens. The gladiators of the Arena that would stand on top of piles of bodies. Ponies they had defeated in combat, with blades. With lasers. Even with their barehoof. They knew no loss. No defeat at the hands of others. How I dreamt to be just like them. A strong stallion, with wartorn armor, holding a worn battleaxe victoriously in one hoof, surrounded by fallen foes, and adoring fans yelling my name. But never did I think it would turn out like this. I felt stunned. Nauseous, breathing ragged, exhausted. But I was finally in the position I had once dreamt of, and I could only think of one thing. How I had looked into her eyes after the last round. How she just stared at me. As if she didn’t really understand me. As if she was scared of me. And as I looked down at the pile of bodies below me--ponies with loved ones; hopes and dreams; futures-- I realized that she had a good reason to look at me like that. What had I become? Was I really the same pony she had met when we were just foals? there looking into the blinding lights, I didn’t know anymore. I stared into the lights and slowly recalled the day she and I met... The Bazaar. One of the busiest places you could find in the desert. They say it’s located in a neutral area of the Saddle Arabian Desert, so that all races were welcome… As long as they brought money. Legend has it that Princess Celestia once ruled over these lands, until the invention of lasers and mechanics brought war and chaos. Now, most kingdoms keep to themselves, leaving places like Saddle Arabia on its own. When I was growing up in the Bazaar, I used to see all kinds of creatures there: boars, ponies, griffons, even zebras and a small dragon or two if you’re that unlucky. Someponies even sold rare animals there, manticores and the like. Point is, if you had the stuff to pay for it, you could find whatever you wanted there. The day I met her, it seemed to be the busiest day of the year. The Bazaar was packed, loud, and chaotic. Merchants and customers were scrambling around, all of them jostling between colorful stands selling various wares, shouting in multiple languages, sometimes ending in a fight. The sweltering heat didn’t seem to help. But the fights didn’t last long on account of guards of some race or another breaking it up. Bad for business, y’know? But this amount of business here was perfect for a small colt like me. I had already managed to fill my small saddlebag with all the stolen loot that I could get my grubby, sand-torn hoofs on. No one noticed a ragged little orphan among all the paying customers, discreetly dipping his hooves in this bin or that, and then disappearing without a trace. About midday, I had decided it was getting too hot out to continue, so I started to dodge my way in the general direction of where my camp was. However, a rumbling in my stomach caused me to slow and try and find something to eat. Naturally, I didn’t want to lighten by saddlebag, so I quickly squirmed through the crowd to find something to eat. As I approached one stall, I spotted a basket of rolls perched on the edge of a small wooden table. “Delivered fresh from Equestria!” The pony merchant proclaimed loudly. Rolls of all shapes and sizes filled the basket. One in particular stood out, sitting on the edge of the basket, soft and golden brown. I was dead set on that roll. In my mind, it was already mine. I quickly looked towards the merchant and watched him do business with several other ponies, and even a disgruntled looking boar. I was good to go. Carefully, I inched forward towards the stall, trying to squeeze between the boar and the edge of the stall. Without drawing too much attention, I pretended to be looking at a bin of various loaves of bread on the other side of the boar, while gradually bringing my hoof to the basket of rolls. As my hoof found the soft roll, I started to cautiously pull the roll out of the basket and down to my saddlebag. I stole a glance at the merchant and noticed with satisfaction that he hadn’t seemed to have noticed, but instead was busy arguing heatedly with the boar. “I want no less than two coconuts!” “Two coc’nuts?! Yer tryna swindle me!” “These are some of the finest breads, fresh from Canterlot themselves!” “Prolly the only thing Canterlot’s good for, and still not worth sand!” Cautiously, I slid my out of my spot and started to resume my previous path home when I heard a voice behind me. “Hey, you gonna pay for that roll, little foal?” I slowly turned around and saw that both the merchant and boar were staring right at me. Usually, this is the time to give up and accept you’ve been caught. I smiled cheekily and high-tailed it out of there. Needless to say, the merchant gave swift chase after me, yelling at others to move out of the way. As I confidently dodged through the busy market, I thought to myself, it’s just a roll! And yet, I wouldn’t have stolen it if it wasn’t of value. So, maybe it is worth chasing me for? Quickly looking back, I noticed with alarm that the merchant was not only still chasing me, but he was actually catching up! For a merchant, he can really keep up! Immediately, I made a sharp turn down another row of stalls and kept running. I started feeling a bit worn out, so I started to look around for good places to hide. As I looked over at a stall, I made eye contact with a filly. Just like that, time slowed down almost to a stop. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Hazelnut brown fur partially covered by slave wrappings. Soft green eyes, innocent and watchful. Her ragged mane seemed the color of the sands. Around her neck was something that hurt me inside. It was a leash, held by another pony. I was so stunned by her that I paused for an instant. That’s all it took. I quickly felt a heavy collision steal me away from her stare, but I still remember it as if I never left. The Arena came back to focus even though her eyes still haunted me. My heart was hurting from remembering those eyes, always piercing me with their watchful stare. I looked around me and noticed that a group of ponies were rushing to me from the entrance tunnel. I quickly recognized them as ponies I knew. My friends. Friends, I thought. Are they still my friends? She used to be a friend. And she left. Are they next? The group arrived at the foot of the mound of bodies, cheering and yelling my name. “Sand Shift, you did it! You won!” yelled a grey mare. “We knew you could do it!” yelled a smaller, brown stallion. I slowly made my way down to them, carefully navigating over all the bodies and looking at each one in turn. They had friends. They had ponies like her waiting for them, I thought. I had to win. There was no other option. They had to win, too. Why not them? Internally, I had not yet finished in the Arena. The mixed emotions about my victory constantly battled within me. On one hand, I had won. Winning meant freedom. I was going to be my own pony. But for what cost? The cost. The cost of all these ponies. These boars. Elks, griffins. What hadn’t I slain to get to the where I was? The cost of freedom. In a way, I continued, it cost you your life. That thought chilled me. Who was I, anymore? I know who I am! I am --- “SAND SHIFT THE GLADIATOR CHAMPION! HERO OF THE ARENA! A TRUE DESCENDANT OF CELESTIA!” I looked up to a big Holoscreen mounted high up on the side of the Arena wall. On the screen was a fat, smirking boar. Romulus, I thought. His image and I made eye contact. “YOU ARE A FREE PONY NOW, SHIFT. ENJOY IT.” His smirk told me that although I had the victory in The Arena, Romulus Priscus hadn’t lost, either. Author's Note Hey, thanks for reading. Please comment, tell me what you think. It's a real work in progress, especially it being my first shot at a story. Anyways, try to help me make it better!
Chapter IIView OnlineSands of TimeChapter IIFar as I can tell, I’ve lived my whole life in Saddle Arabia. Every memory I have includes the desert. Most of my memories include the Bazaar. To me, this place was home. Inhospitable, crooked, and dangerous. But it was home. When I was a colt, I heard many stories— myths, really— of how Celestia would actually visit Saddle Arabia. She was supposed to be as radiant as the sun, and would fight the injustices of the desert. The thought now almost makes me laugh. No one has seen her in many years. Why? “Because she abandoned us to the damned boars, that’s why!” That was the most common answer. Though, a more accurate answer would be that she’s too busy defending Equestria from all the other races. Changelings. Boars. Elk. Griffin. Dragons. Even small factions of ponies, like the Roamin’ Empire. Every race got greedy with a warm laser in their hand and new cybernetic enhancements. Every race thought they were immortal. Least we’re not ruled by boars. But, growing up in Saddle Arabia wasn’t all bad once you learn a few things: One, you keep to yourself. Two, do what it takes to survive. Three, you don’t buck with guards or royalty. Four, NEVER trust others. They’re just as likely to sell you to slavery as they are to make connections. The rest is whatever you want it to be. IF you have money. Those who are natives to the Bazaar usually don’t have money. Instead, we’re mostly slaves. And that’s what I am. What I was, anyways, before I went into The Arena. But I’ve never stopped feeling like a slave. It’s as if I stop being a slave to one person, and transfer to a different owner. You're always owned by something. Enslaved by people, thoughts, ideals, desires. And that's what drives you. To fulfill some insatiable appetite for freedom, in the hopes you can achieve it... "Sand." I snapped out of my reverie. Someone was talking to me. I looked up from where I was staring, which was in this case a small diamond pattern on a rug. I noticed the beige mare for the first time, it seems. She was cute, and obviously young. Her hazel eyes watched me from under her maroon bangs. I also observed her cutie mark was that of an Ace of Hearts. She looked very concerned, and her stance showed she was leaning towards me, as if she was seconds away from checking my pulse. “Yes?” I replied automatically. She sighed, relieved as her body settled noticeably. “You alright? You had me really worried for a moment there.” I made sure to make eye contact with her and noted she was still intensely watching me. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. Thanks.” She seemed very wary of my answer, but she must’ve accepted it after a while judging by her change in topic. “Well, Storm said that I should check up on you. Can I get you anything?” Ah. Another one of Storm Chaser’s “helpers.” Storms aren’t the only thing that he chases. I let a small smile show on my face at this thought. Storm Chaser was big into female “escorts,” as he’d call it. But despite this one vice, Storm was one of the most dependable ponies a stallion could ask for. This reminded me of why I came here in the first place. I ought to thank him for getting me out of the Arena quietly. But also, I continued, I need to get out of the Forum… I decided to take stock of the room I was in. I started looking around slowly, taking in all the minor details as I let the silence grow. Then I realized that the mare was still watching me closely. I decided to finally reply to her. “Nothing you could get.” She seemed put out by this, and instead started to get close to me. She slowly moved her way around a small rickety wooden table that was placed in front of where I was sitting. “Nothing? You’ve been sitting so stiff and still for a while, still in your armor and everything. Surely there’s SOMETHING I can get you.” As she said this, she sat down next to me on the small straw loveseat, slowly trailing the edge of my armor with her hoof. I stiffened more as she did this, if it was even possible. My reflexes kicked in and I quickly grabbed her hoof with mine and held it. “Don’t. I’m fine. If you want something to do, tell Storm I need to speak with him.” I then released her hoof, in which case she pouted visibly, but got up and slowly made her way into another room without another word. Least she’s obedient, I thought. All too soon, I was thinking about her touching my armor, and remembered another mare that did that… No, I thought firmly. This isn’t the time for thinking about her. Thankfully, I didn’t have to continue my thoughts as a new pony entered the room. I recognized the strong grey stallion immediately as Storm Chaser. His black mane was cut short in a ragged buzz cut, which gave him a harsher look, but his calm smile welcomed me. “Well, lookit what we have here. A champion. And one that’s not dead, no less. What can I do for ya, Sand?” He walked over and hugged me warmly before settling down on the seat beside me. “Good to see you, Storm. I wanted to thank you for getting me out of the Arena. Probably would’ve been mauled by fans.” I said this in a joking way, but I knew that it was a distinct possibility. They’ll love you to death, I thought. Or they’re upset that you won. Either way, it’s best not to get too close. “Ah. Well it’s no problem, Sandy. Least I could do for a fellow warrior.” Storm continued to smile easily, giving no hint of his inner thoughts. “But, enough of the quiet stuff. We should celebrate the new free stallion! SandShift the champion!” He laughed heartily, clapping me solidly on the back. Then he stood up and started to walk into another room, and asked over his shoulder as he disappeared, “You wanna drink, or maybe some company or two?” I got up slowly to follow him when I felt a small pain in my left back leg. Grimacing, I reminded myself that I got out pretty lucky with the injuries that I had. However, I knew that I’d probably feel all my wounds for the rest of my life. After a brief pause, I continued to the room where Storm went into, slowly moving the small silk curtain in the doorway and looked into a smoke filled room. Immediately, I smelled burning incense and the sweet odor of tobacco burning. A small hookah den, I noted. This stallion has it all. Inside the dimly lit den was, among other things, lots of pillows, cushions, and rugs of all shapes and sizes. These were mostly all used by the large amount of ponies that were all chatting away, smoking from the hookahs as they did. I decided not to try and figure out any recognizable faces and instead decided to make it to the other side where a small darkened doorway was where I guessed Storm was located. Carefully, I made my way through, making sure not to step on any outstretched hooves or bodies. One particular pony was laughing so hard he almost fell against me as I walked by. My first instinct was to counter his movement with my forehoof, but stopped myself quickly. I frowned slightly and pushed him back to his spot, to where his group of friends all stared at me. I was slightly surprised to see one mare was lying on top of another pony, stroking his muzzle. It wasn’t just any mare, but the one that I had sent to find Storm. We quickly made eye contact before I decided to make my through the den. As I finally reached the doorway, I looked back at her once again and noticed she was whispering to the stallion. He was watching me carefully, and nodded slowly as she stopped talking to look at me. I noticed she seemed a little… Smug? Victorious? Who knows. I quickly turned back to them and entered the doorway. The room I entered into was pretty barren of any furnishings beside a table, chairs, and a chest. Storm sat slumped with a dark bottle rested on the table with his hoof next to it. His other hoof was wrapped around a cute young mare’s lower back as she leaned seductively against him. Seeing me, he whispered to her before patting her on her flank. She quickly left his side and walked past me. I watched her leave before coming to sit on one of the chairs across from him. “I had almost thought you’d gotten lost,” Storm joked. He still smiled calmly before taking a quick drink from the bottle in front of him. “Had to enjoy the sights,” I countered quietly. Realizing that I was more thirsty than I thought, I started to look around for a drink. “About that drink…” “Oh yeah, where are my manners? Shoulda got you one, too.” He got up and walked over to the chest. Upon opening it, he started rummaging inside. Stopping, he looked back at me. “What would ya like, champ?” I stood up, still noticing the pain. I ignored it and walked over, looking into the chest. Rows of different colored bottles filled the chest. I selected a small brown bottle and returned to my seat. Storm closed the chest and joined me at the table. “So,” he started, “How’d ya like to talk about that final battle, eh? Damn good show, if I say so, myself.” “I had something else in mind.” “Sure,” he agreed, watching me. “’fore you begin, if this is about Sky--- “No,” I stated firmly. “This isn’t about her.” “Alright, no big.” He smiled warmly. “I want out of The Forum.” His careless smile faltered for a moment before settling again on his face. “Nice joke there, Sand. Anyways, what’s the real reason?” I continued to stare at him until he finally realized that I was serious. “You can’t be serious, Sand.” “You know I am.” Storm stopped smiling, got up and walked over to the chest, and ran a hoof through his short hair. “Luna's hoof, Sand. That’s a gem, there. Ya think bein’ a champ qualifies ya for getting’ out of this place more than any of us? ‘sides, why leave? There’s nothin’ but sand out there.” I knew he wouldn’t enjoy this topic. We ALL dream of leaving The Forum and starting a life outside of the slums. Outside of slavery and corruption. Outside of the Arena. But once you’re inside the Forum, you never leave. It’s a death sentence. Sure, you can strike it rich, usually by doing the dirty work. But it’s not the same as being free on the outside world. I only had one reason to leave the Forum. Sky. And as he looked back at me, he realized that was why I wanted to talk about this. He pointed his hoof at me, “I knew it. I knew this was about Sky! Why can’t you just get the fact she left and ain’t never comin’ back?” He stopped to breathe, then continued in a more calm tone. “You have it good, here. You’re the first champ in more years than we can count. Any mare here wants ya, and you can have whatever ya want, now. Why give up all this?” I watched him for a little bit before replying. “I need to settle things…I need to know she’s alive.” Storm sighed and looked down at the ground for a second before looking up. I watched him and noticed he seemed like he was staring past me, lost in thought. “You’re not gonna give her up, huh? Even after she left you?” I shook my head. “No one leaves the Forum, but she manages to? How did she do it? She just disappears and no one wonders why.” I continue to watch him and see him still looking past me, slightly nodding his head. Curious, I quickly start to turn my head but my world descended into darkness as a bag was thrust onto my head. Immediately, I tried to spring to my seat but was forced against the table. I decided to use this to buck my back legs against my attacker, instantly feeling my hooves make contact. I slipped around the table and started to make my way to a wall, quickly trying to pull the bag off my head. My legs made contact with the chest, so I spun around and face the opposite direction, trying to anticipate my attacker. Where’s Storm?! I demanded inwardly. I didn’t hear any other fighting, so I assumed he was already out cold. Before I could fully take off the bag, I felt someone punch me in the face. I fell onto the chest, but kicked again. This time however, they grabbed my hoof and pulled me off the chest with a loud thump. The air in my lungs escaped quickly with the impact, and I was left slightly dazed. I didn’t have much time before someone kicked me in the ribs, and I felt screaming pain there. I stopped trying to get the bag off and decided to sweep my attacker’s legs with mine. I instantly felt them fall and took no time in jumping onto them. I started to struggle with them, but was quickly pulled off of them. What the---?! I struggled against this new hidden enemy and manage to break free before I was grabbed by the first pursuer, I assumed. Before I could struggle out of their grip, my head was grabbed by another set of hooves which quickly pulled my head to their knee. The pain from the impact was terrible and caused me to stop for a moment. That moment was all they needed, for the held my forehooves back and started to beat me strongly. I struggled as much as I could, but I was fading away quickly. After the second attacker kicked me in the face, I went limp. I slowly started to lose consciousness, but heard a distant voice calling from the darkness, “You should’ve stayed a hero.” With that, someone pulled my head up, and whispered to me. I barely heard them, but I made out enough of it to recognize his voice, “---- and maybe she never got to leave.” He ended it with a chuckle before letting go of my face. Hearing Storm talk about her, I felt a surge of energy come from the depths of my being. TRAITOR! HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER! I broke free of my captor despite the searing pain in my body, and I started swingly strongly, making contact. As I continued to fight back, a mighty roar erupted from my throat, and gave me more momentum into finding vengeance. I grabbed a pony’s outstretch arm, pulled him to me, and found his face, to where I found his neck. Quickly, I pulled his muzzle around until I heard a satisfying crunch from his neck. It proved small satisfaction, but gave time for three bodies to hit me with full force. They each began beating me with what felt like metal bars. The pain was almost instantly too much to take, and it started to dull as I felt the dark void of unconsciousness start to consume me. Sky, I cried her name in my brain, painfully trying to reach out to her. But only silence filled my mind… Author's Note Hey! Thanks for reading, I hope this meets expectations. Please comment, suggest new stuff, ideas, criticisms... Random stuff! Hope to see y'all in the next chapter! ~Sand
Chapter IIIView OnlineSands of TimeChapter III…Ow…. Ksshhhhhhhh. Crrreeaakkkk. Thunk. Mmmm? I slowly regained my consciousness. With it came pain in every inch of my body. More than that though, I felt that I was being dragged. Gripped by my forehooves, I could feel my hooves scraping against the ground. Occasionally, my hooves would scrape a rock and it would send another small sensation of pain through my leg. The amount of time that passed seemed like forever. I only knew that I was stuck in this constant dragging, feeling the pain the whole time. With that thought, I decided to slowly crack open my eyes and was surprised to see that it was dark. It was also a wide dirt tunnel, slowly descending. It was hard to tell what was coming up in the tunnel, since it quickly turned to black further on. The only light seemed to be in the hooves of one of my captors. I tried to bring my head up, but more pain greeted this movement. The only thing I felt able to do was watch the progression through the tunnel. I watched the ground move underneath me and felt it scrape my hooves, but that was the only way I knew time passed. Not even the two dragging me spoke. It was unnerving. I let my head drop and closed my eyes, deciding to just take stock of everything mentally. Injured. Tunnel. Prisoner. Prison? Betrayed. Sky… My mind was still clouded with pain and fatigue, so my mental checklist was less than detailed. However, images were a lot easier to think about. I could see Storm’s kitchen, and the bottle he had. The look on his face when I told him my intentions. The one mare he had sent for me and the stallion she sat on, watching me. I could imagine the sound of Storm’s voice cutting through the blackness. … And maybe she never got to leave. Never got to leave. Through the throbbing pain, I could feel a mix of emotions inside me, all trying to be heard. Pain. Sorrow. Regret. Confusion. Anger. Fear. But not for me. I didn’t care for my life. It wasn’t worth caring for. It was useless. But hers. Sky’s. I would give my life for her. And if she had died trying to be free… I failed her. I could’ve stopped it. If only I had known… I proceeded to mourn for her, feeling as though she had died. I had no idea she had, but I can’t bear the idea of hoping if she wasn’t. Suddenly, the two ponies dragging me slowed to a stop. I opened up my eyes slightly and tried to look up without giving away my consciousness. I could see a bottom part of a wooden door. That was it. It had a metal lining, but other than that there was nothing to see. Shhthunk. “Who goes dere?” A deeper voice seemed to appear from nowhere, sounding close. Boar. Guard? I looked around slightly and couldn’t see where it would be. Other side of the door, I guessed. Easing my head up slowly to try and catch a glimpse. From what I could see, there was a horizontal opening in the door where I’m assuming the boar was and what the sound before came from. I chanced a look at my captors and noticed them both in patchwork armor. Some parts dented, worn metal, and the other parts rough cloth, all dyed a deeper red. This was normally a sign of Roamin’ Legionaries, but these two didn’t seem the type. Both stallions were darkly colored, with the one on the right being slightly familiar. His muzzle was dark, and was fairly nondescript at this angle. Where have I seen him?... Then it hit me. An image of Storm’s mare atop a stallion. Smirking. This stallion. It seemed I had been set up from the beginning, seeing that he was here with me. “Storm’s gift to you.” It was the stallion I didn’t recognize. His voice was gravely and deep, but blunt. The boar chuckled in reply, which was literally a squeal of laughter. “More bait!” Then he paused for a moment. “Who dat one?” I thought he was mentioning me, but the answer interested me further. “He’s new. Don’t worry ‘bout him.” The gravely-voiced stallion replied, gesturing to his partner on my right. There was a pause, but then I heard shuffling on the other side of the door followed by a clunk before the door opened widely. “Fine. Bring de meat dis way.” At this, the two holding me started walking again, past the entrance, following the large boar. From behind, he seemed a bit bigger than the size of other boars I had seen before. However, the size of boars wasn’t something I kept a close eye on. Still, he used a few pieces of large metals to cover a good portion of his body, and the flesh that wasn’t covered with metal had many scars covering it. As they dragged me down this new passage, I began to notice more features on the walls. Crates of different sizes littered the walls, with various items like dull blades, a few spears, and much to my surprise, one or two laser pistols. This observation gave me a sense of dread, since laser pistols were both rare and expensive. To get them meant you either were rich, or dangerous. But just as suddenly as the crates showed up, the crates dissipated until there were none left. All that was left was the barren walls again. But soon after that, we came to another door. This one was different from the last one, because it was fully metal. There seemed to be no markings on the door, and only a small latch secured it in place. The boar waddled over to it and opened it, with the metal door sliding open, revealing a dimly lit corridor. Inside, the walls seemed to be barred. Prison, was my only thought as I was then dragged into the corridor. I started to try and examine the contents of each cell that we passed, and noticed a few things. The first thing I noticed that each cell was a little different from the others. Some had chains, the others had bars, cages, or even crucifixes mounted on the walls. The second thing I noticed that each cell hosted only one prisoner. But each prisoner was different. There was a griffon, a boar, a unicorn, and an elk. The last thing that I could notice was that each prison was made for that prisoner. The restraints designed for the strength of each occupant. The griffon’s wings bound, its talons were put in boxes of metal. The boar’s whole body was restrained to the wall; its head was secured so its tusks posed no threat. The unicorn had a magic collar around its horn. The elk was bound to the ground in a sitting position, head covered in a bag. All of them downcast, defeated. All seemed bloody, beaten, and bruised. Exactly how I felt. As they dragged me to the furthest cell across from the elk, I was thrown roughly onto the prison floor. Pain then exploded in my body causing me to growl in agony. The boar chuckled from the corridor, “We tink he gon’ be lotsa fun, we break champions here.” He started ambling his way to the entrance of the corridor. “Time to go, me ponies. You have more t’bring for our breaking.” The gravel-voiced stallion followed the boar out of the cell. The only one that was left was the pony I recognized. He was looking down at me and smirking. I made sure to ignore the pain and stare defiantly at him, trying to gauge if I could catch him off guard. A small movement of my body shot a strong dose of pain through my body. Nonetheless, I continued to turn myself around to face him and stand up. Sadly, the pain was so bad I could only manage kneeling. I was gritting my teeth in pain and shuddering from the exertion, but I continued watching him. He smirked a little wider and kneeled close to me. He quietly whispered to me in a deep voice, “You look hot when you kneel.” He laughed quietly and quickly dodged back as I swiped weakly at him. “Feisty, are we?” I angrily spat through gritted teeth, “I’ll find you,” to which he smirked even wider and kneeled close to me again. He put a forehoof to his chestplate and pulled a small card from behind it. He leaned closer, whispering in my ear as he put the card beneath me. “Of that, I have no doubt. You have three days. Just, don’t keep a stallion waiting.” He pulled back for a second and winked at me. Then he stopped and thought for a second before searching behind his chestplate once more. Finding what he was searching for, and pulled out a small key. He tossed it so it landed below me close to the card. He got up and walked over to the cell door. He closed the door quickly before smirking at me again and walking in the direction where the other two were. After a moment, I heard the metal door close and lock with a small thud. I was now alone with my thoughts. I continued to kneel, taking in my darkened surroundings. I heard an occasional dripping, but it seemed that the other prisoners were not making any effort to move. I slowly exhaled a pained sigh that I had been holding in, a small growl escaping my throat. I struggled to move myself so I could examine the key and card. The key was an unassuming black key with several jagged teeth. The card was simple as well, only being a Three of Hearts. I turned it over and the pattern on the back was just like a normal playing card. Slightly perplexed, I set them down and started to look around, thinking at the same time. My “bed” was just a small straw heap in the corner next to a bucket, which I was guessing was the bathroom. Other than that, it was a normal cell closed off on the other sides with stones and mortar, with some small vegetation growing lightly in the corners. As I was looking around, I felt like something was watching me, but despite looking around, there was nothing but the elk that could see me. The elk was as quiet as ever and hadn’t seemed to move, so I doubted that he even knew I was here. I stopped looking around decided to drag myself and my two items over to the straw. My body slid along easily enough, but was still exhausting for me. The pain caused me to be worn out easily, and as I rested on the straw I was sweating and breathing heavily. This was not a gladiator in this cell. Just another slave. A slave to pain and his past. A slave to fate’s cruel jokes. My self-loathing was cut short when I continued to feel something watching me. I leaned against the wall and looked around, spotting nothing except the elk. I stared at him, and almost felt like he was staring at me. I whispered a heavy “hello,” trying to get a response. But none came. I waited for wait seemed like an hour, before deciding to get some rest. Maybe I’d be able to figure out what the next steps were. Revenge, I thought. Revenge and nothing else. As I drifted off to an uncomfortable and painful sleep, I swear I heard something. A voice in the silence, merely saying hello, friend. Author's Note Hey, sorry about the long delay. Just school kept me really busy. On another note, I hope this wasn't too boring of a chapter, but I'm setting up for a few things. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. I plan on possibly posting another chapter today. Take care! ~SandShift
Chapter IVView OnlineSands of TimeChapter IVDarkness. Me standing in the dark, looking out. Nothing out there. But I feel it. Something is here “hello?” My voice, unsure in the void, echoing into the distance. Hello, friend. I felt that reply. I didn’t hear it. Did I? Something is off about this. I called out into the darkness, “Who’s there?” A quick silence followed my voice as it trailed off. Call me Fellenth. “What are you?” It’s nothing of my creation, and I am clearly not dreaming. Am I? Is this a dream? Friend. But I am Elken. Immediately I knew who it was. The prisoner across from me. The elk. He somehow is talking to me. How? I was very suspicious, and was starting to prepare for a fight. You know not of Elken magic? My jaw dropped open a bit as I realized he had read my thoughts. He can see things. I will not intrude. Fellenth sounded reliable enough, but I was still very cautious. Tentatively, I asked, “What do you need?” Help. You can free me. I was confused at this, since I was in no position to help. I decided to humor him. “How?” Your key. The key that the stallion gave me earlier must be by my body. But how did Fellenth know? Your mind. “No more reading my mind,” I demanded. But I continued quickly, “Why should I help you, anyways?” Freedom. Revenge. Sky. I immediately got angry. “Don’t you DARE talk about her. I don’t care if I need your help or not. You read more, you die.” I was truly preparing to fight now, ready for anything. Please. I’ll explain. Take the bag off. This stopped me for a moment, wondering what he meant. Then I figured out he meant the bag on his head. Curious, I spat out, “Why?” Restrains magic. Come to me. His “voice” was more urgent now, almost pleading. Almost. “But how? I’m asleep.” Wake. My eyes shot open as I woke up, instantly awake. I was lying on my side, sprawled out. My body was sore, but wasn’t in as much pain as I had imagined. Maybe I was getting used to it. I craned my neck painfully and looked over to the elk. The sensation of being watched was happening again, and I felt like he was calling me. I winced as I brought my head back down, and had to forcibly push in order to move my body. Pain immediately accompanied the motions, but I was starting to get determined. I had to hear the answers. I flopped heavily onto my stomach, feeling instant pain all over my body. I was already sweating and gritting my teeth, but I couldn’t give up yet. I reached out and grabbed the key and card, and put them in my mouth as I put one hoof forward, and slowly started to pull my way along. The going slow and painful, taking massive amounts of energy to keep going. I started to grunt as I exerted more and more, inching along at a snail’s pace. But I had to continue. Come. I paused, letting my body lie and get some rest as I breathed heavily. I had heard someone say something, but I didn’t think I heard it aloud. I was assuming it was Fellenth, but I wasn’t sure. Wherever it came from, it was like a sound carried by the wind, barely audible. I let myself rest a little bit more before continuing to pull myself to the cell door. I was almost within reach, yet it seemed like it had been a great distance. As I put one more hoof forward, I was now able to get to the cell door. But this was going to be the challenge, seeing as how I had to get the key to the lock up a ways on the cell door. I put my forehooves on the bars in front of me and pulled me up to it. Then I had to push my torso up by my hooves and reach, which was excruciatingly painful. I almost had to pause, but I went through the pain. Barely. I swung my left hoof up to the lock, and managed to latch on to it tightly as my other forehoof gave out. I was holding myself up by the bar, and it was causing me to grunt loudly in pain. I dangled there, slowly giving up. I can’t do this. My body can’t.. Sky. I heard the voice clearer now, and recognized the word he had called. I knew what he was trying to do, and it was a good strategy. Because I knew I couldn’t give up. He knew something about her, and I had to find out what it was. So I growled loudly, tears of pain starting to form as I threw my right forehoof up to another bar and held myself. I pulled myself close to the door, and fumbled with the key from my mouth to my hoof. But just as I was about to bring the key to the lock, the key slid right out of my shaking grasp and fell. Slowly. It was almost suspended in slow motion as I watched with crashing hopes. No! As it crashed onto the floor with a tink, I quickly lost all my strength and dropped to the ground, not caring about the screaming pain as I collapsed heavily onto the floor. I lied there and stared over at Fellenth, who still did not move. However, the other prisoners stirred a little, hearing the key drop. However, not one said anything. I limply threw my right hoof onto the door pulled at it. Surprisingly, it moved a little. Instantly, I decided to start pulling on the jail door more. It slowly moved a little more. Why isn't it locked? Then it hit me. The image of the stallion that gave me the key. he closed the door, smirking. But didn't lock it.... Didn't lock it... He's playing at something. But what? I dismissed thinking about it too deeply since I had a lot more to do. Using all my willpower, I slowly moved the cell door far enough apart to squeeze my way through. The cell door was quiet enough, so I wasn't worried about any guards rushing in. So, I rested for a little bit, pain being numbed by adrenaline that started to flow through me, and steeled myself for the challenges ahead. Close. Since I was closer to Fellenth, I started to hear him stronger than before and with that, I could start to feel a little bit of emotion: hope. This helped me become determined and start to drag myself closer. I ignored the pain I felt, and kept putting one forehoof in front of another. I had to keep moving. Must. Keep. Moving. Reaching Fellenth's cell took a large sum of energy, not to mention a dizzying amount of pain. I was breathing heavily and sweat was covering my body, flattening my disheveled mane. But I had reached his cell. Now all that was left was to unlock it. Before exerting myself like last time, I quickly checked to make sure the cell was locked. Shaking it, I confirmed that it was. Steeling myself once more, I slowly and painfully hoisted myself up to the lock. I was shaking with pain and exhaustion, but I was so close that I kept pushing myself. Moving the key carefully to the lock, I was rewarded with a simple insertion and turning of the key before I heard a small click. Satisfied, I pulled the key out and slid down the door easily before opening it enough for me to pull through. Being so close to Fellenth, I could feel a powerful aura surrounding him. I felt a little more energized, which helped me crawl as fast as possible. Reaching his figure, I crawled a little on top of him to start undoing the bag. "Sorry," I added as I was struggling with the bag as well as being on top of him. He seemed amused, because I heard a small chuckle in my mind. I was having particular trouble getting the bag off of his antlers, but clamoring onto his back and focusing one antler carefully, I managed to get it off of one antler. As soon as I could see the antler, several things happened. Firstly, the tips of the antler glowed, and instantly the bag shot off of the other antler. Secondly, I heard the chains holding Fellenth release and fall off. Lastly, I was magically lifted off of him as he stood up to his full height. He stretched regally, making absolutely no sound. Then he turned his head and pierced me with his ominous black eyes. Thank you for releasing me. It is time for many explanations. First, however. We must fix you, small pony. I was still being levitated by magic, but that seemed to be the plan. Fellenth's antlers shown a little bit brighter and in an instant I felt a warmth growing throughout my body. Then, I felt sharp pains and heard cracking as I assumed his magic started to reshape my body and mend my broken bones. Good. Now, while we wait, how about some explanations? Author's Note Small chapter as well, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! Thank you for reading, and I'll start to work on the next chapters! Got some ideas! Also, have ideas for two sequels in the works and maybe another random story. We shall see how they go. Lastly, if you haven't read it yet, my awesome friend JerrytheHouseGhost (if you don't know him, check him out. He is hilarious!) and I collabed on a story named Lady and the DJ. Check it out if you have the time. You won't regret it! Anyways, Have a great day! ~SandShift
Chapter VView OnlineSands of TimeChapter VFellenth stared at me, body unmoving as he watched his magic work on my crippled body. A warm feeling enveloped me, reaching to each of my injured areas and focused on them, bringing occasional shooting pains followed by a snap or crack as proof of its success. I looked over to the mysterious elk and waited for him to start talking. After a few moments, he began to relate his story to me, but only through a calm voice in my mind. I, like you, are in search of my mate. However, you are already much more fortunate. The regal creature never once stopped staring at me, but when he said “fortunate,” a wave of sadness radiated softly from him. A dull pain started to beat along with my heart, aching for somepony that I wasn’t familiar with. But soon after he continued his story, eyes still locked on me. My mate Serandil was trying to search for a pony. A mare that descends from the Princesses’ bloodline. After her long search, she tracked her here. I believe you know her as Sky. My mind reeled at that idea, the thought being that the beautiful servant mare I had known was actually descended from the Princesses. The royal line. And she was here. Was. I know it is a lot to embrace, as it was for me. Little had I known Serandil was given this mission from the Princesses themselves as a diplomatic mission between the Elken Nation and the Royal Kingdom. But now I know it was a futile effort. These lands are not made to be inviting; and so as your love disappeared, so did mine. It was not until recently I found out she was here, as no one had heard from her for a long time. His magic slowly lowered me until I was set onto the ground where I quickly stretched out my legs as he talked, feeling relieved to have my body fully functioning again. Not only was I not the broken pony that came into the prison, my body felt like I never suffered injuries from the Arena. I felt great having a much newer body, but as Fellenth's magic in my body slowly ebbed away, it was replaced by strong feelings of sadness and pain. I tracked her to this very city, where I found out further news… She was murdered, her head placed on a wall as a trophy for Romulus. The pain I had begun to feel ached in my body and felt unbearable, along with the conflict of emotions that forced me to take a deep, shuddering breath. Fellenth was devastated at this loss, and I realized at this point why he said I was fortunate. Sky might still be alive. In a blind rage I charged his palace, killing all who stood in my way. But, I was overwhelmed quickly. Captured, beaten, and taken here, I have been sitting here waiting for them to do what they did to my Serandil. “We could get the revenge you want, and we could---“ Find your Sky? “Yes.” He knew what I was going to say before I said it. But still I had to talk this through. “You could finish the job Serandil started, and seek justice for her murder.” Fellenth looked at me, his stare deepening as I felt the sadness and rage wash away, only replaced by a feeling of resolve. I will not finish her job. I will leave that to you, but I will help you break out of the Forum and give you the knowledge that she left before you, alive. Alive. She was alive. It was a small assurance, but enough to make me feel relief. She was out there, somewhere. Now to only find her. That is all I know of your Sky. You will find her, once you leave the Forum. “Let’s get out of this prison.” I turned around and started to walk to the cell door, but stopped. Turning my head to the side, I apologized to him. “I hope that we can find peace in all this, for you and Serandil.” Only when Romulus is murdered as she was, will she be at peace. Let us go and start the beginning of his end. I nodded, and trotted through the cell door. Looking down the hall, I saw nopony else, only the other cells. An idea came to me as I stood there, and brought it up to Fellenth. “We could free these other prisoners. They could help us escape and maybe with getting at Romulus.” Fellenth silently walked over to the other cells, using his magic to break the locks off the first two. I let him free all the prisoners as I trotted quickly to the door and put my ear against the door. I heard nothing on the other side, which meant nopony had heard the metal restraints breaking as each prisoner was freed. Either that, or the metal made it hard to hear them. I then slowly grabbed the door latch and pulled it slowly, looking past the door to see the tunnel I remembered. Other than various crates and supplies on one side of the tunnel, there seemed to be no activity. Turning around, I was greeted with an assembly of the other prisoners who were stretching out various body parts and looking around. The griffon seemed to fill up the room with his massive size, spreading his wings as he stretched out of the rest of his body. His feathers seemed askew in places and some of his fur was matted with blood, but other than that his talons and beak looked relatively fine. He’ll come in handy, I’m sure. The unicorn was lighting his horn with a light at the end of it, pulsing it with what I think was various amounts of magic to it. Other than that, I slowly observed the cyan stallion, noticing his cutie mark was that of a shining star with a thunderbolt through it. Overall, he seemed like he could walk, but his legs seemed covered in cuts, his cyan coat very unkempt. He might be good at long range. We’ll see. Lastly, the boar seemed like he was the most appreciative to being free. Cracking his forehooves and then his neck, he was quite a sight to behold. Boars are naturally large, but this one seemed more muscular, his scarred and bruised arms showing off defined muscles. The amount of blood, bruises, and scars along his hide that wasn’t covered by his beaten armor only served to make him more fearsome. He can go first. “Let’s get out of here.” I decided something had to be said to show we’re on the same side. However, as soon as I said that, a few things happened. The first was that the boar slammed his forehooves together once more before grunting and stomping past me. “Lemme at ‘em,” was all he snorted before he swung open the door and started charging up the tunnel. I looked at him passing the crates of weapons and prayed he didn’t just give us our death sentence. The second thing that happened was when I turned back to face the rest of the group, the unicorn looked at me and smirked. “Thanks for the save, cap. If you’re ever in the North, look me up at the Guild. I owe ya a pint or two.” With that, he charged up a quick spell and teleported out of the room. For the love of Celestia. I surveyed the final two of my group quickly, noticing Fellenth and the griffon were just as surprised as I was. “Anypony else?” Fellenth slid past the griffon and looked towards me.It looks like it is just us. What say you, Griffon? With a look of shock, the griffon reared back on his large lion legs away from Fellenth. “What the hell wuzzat? Did you just talk in my mind?” I quickly intervened, going between the two and looking at the griffon. “Yeah, he does that. That’s what Elken do. He won’t hurt you.” I tried to look encouraging, which must’ve helped the griffon since he slowly put his front claws back on the ground. He stared at Fellenth uncertainly and leaned somewhat away from the elk, but he seemed like he wasn’t going to press it. “That’s not normal...” The Griffon replied. He then puffed out his chest and pointed at himself. “Name’s Brawl, by the way. Ya help me get outta here, I’ll owe ya one. Deal?” I nodded in response, and looked to Fellenth. “I’ll go first. Then you. The cave’s too tight for a griffon to have an advantage.” I then looked at Brawl. “You can bring up the back, I can fight easier in the tunnels. Let’s go.” I turned to the door and started trotting briskly up the tunnel. I could distantly hear a fight going on, but I couldn’t see where it was coming from since the tunnel curved just enough to not allow a long view. However, as we made our slow, uneven ascent, I could quickly hear the struggling of two creatures becoming louder. It must be the boar, he’s up here fighting something. Probably that boar guard, if we’re lucky. As we made our way, we managed to reach the first of the crates that I had seen earlier. I approached them, noticing they were somewhat beat up and mostly all closed, but there was enough of their contents for me to choose from. I looked over the damaged weapons that were already out of the crates. Amongst the assorted weapons, there was a few spears, swords, two laser pistols, and a couple hoof weapons. Thankfully upon closer inspection of the two pistols, they both had extra clips and one even had pony modifications. With the pistol grip replaced with securing metal hoofbands and a detachable cartridge on the top, it was something I had only seen rarely. During the boom of technological marvels, the ones that were at a disadvantage when it came to lasers was the equine races, or those that could not hold a gripped laser weapon. It was hard enough to hold regular weapons like swords, so those races quickly scrambled around for the solution. Unfortunately for the Royal Army, many pirate groups came up with the idea of hoofband weaponry before the military scientists. That’s one of the good reasons why the Royal Kingdom was now a shell of its formal strength. The only times I had seen these modified weapons up close had been when floating pirates or merchants that stopped by the Forum to get rid of various stolen cargo. Most pirates had them concealed, but every so often there would be a pirate that didn't mind flashing a piece of high-tech around and get some attention. Or action, violent or otherwise. Growing up around holobars, I had seen in rare Arena matches the use of laser weaponry, and usually that meant the end of a promising gladiator. Thankfully for me, there seemed to have been a lack of tech weapons during my Arena career. Or maybe I was supposed to make it out of there alive. I stood on my hind legs and quickly slid the pistol onto my left foreleg, feeling it powering up and tightening. From what I had heard, the metal hoofbands calibrated to the tensing of my muscles. Let’s hope I don’t kill myself trying it out, I thought as I quickly grabbed one of the worn hoofblades for my right forehoof and dropped back to the ground. I continued forward, looking at the crates that we passed by. Some of the crates had the marks of the Royal Kingdom, a crown flanked by white wings. However, an unsurprising amount of them bore larger marks of a blood red blade of the Roamin’ Empire or the grey gear of the pirates of the skies. If it’s worth anything, they’ve got their hooves in it. But why’s it here? I could only guess, but I suspected that Rex might be getting more than just tourism and kind patronage from outside influences. What that meant for the larger picture, I couldn’t say. But for some reason, I felt like Sky was involved somewhere in all that. Rex has a lot of talking to do. We kept going further through the tunnel, the noises of the boar’s battle seemed to echo loudly all around us, which only meant we were getting close. As we rounded a slightly sharper bend in the tunnel, I could immediately see the next metal door. Immediately before the metal door was what I could see as we neared it was a room in the tunnel wall. Most likely a guard room. I slowed and looked over my shoulder at my companions. “Here’s the fight. Get ready,” I warned quietly, readying my hoof weapons. “Ya’d think that boar would be done killing everything by now seein’ all this,” Brawl gestured with a claw toward several blood trails and bits of bodies that seemed strewn around. “Least he cleared out everythin’. We should split ‘fore more come, ya feel me?” I slid my body next to the wall and peered into the next room subtly. Amongst the parts of several corpses, overturned and destroyed wooden furniture, and many pieces of armor strewn around the place was the boar locked in a fight with the boar I remembered from earlier. Both were bleeding significantly from cuts across their body, and both were panting heavily. However, the two boars were still locked in a grapple with each other, neither giving an inch. Their tusks locked as well, it was a little intimidating. Still, I began to lean into the room to help out until I was held by a bit of magic. We will not interfere. Boars hold combat as a personal honor, so help would not be welcome here. I stopped myself from going in and nodded. “Understood. Let’s get out of here, then.” I turned towards the worn wooden door that marked our exit. The latch was drawn already so it was easy to pull the door open. The feeling of nervous anticipation was growing inside me, making each heartbeat loud in my ears. Freedom and revenge started on the other side of this door, and as I opened the pathway, I felt a renewed determination. I would cause hell for everyone. First, it was Storm’s turn. Author's Note Long time, no see! Comment how you felt about the new chapter, and I hope to keep writing more. If anyone's interested in what else I'm working on, let me know! I'm also thinking about developing a continuation of my other story, The Package Deal. Check it out and comment if you have the time! Anyways, later! ~SandShift
