It was a long, painful, and teeth-grinding wait but before long the day of the auction and arena fights was nigh. As he lay in his bed in the stockades with the other slaves, Midnight looked to the barred window, itching to cause some mischief he’d planned with Fusion.
They knew Iron Fist had a key to the armories and they would have to search the whole forge for it so Fusion would be able to access the armories and outfit the slaves willing to fight with armor and weapons.
All slaves besides the ones unfortunate enough to be chosen for the arena fights would be kept in the stockades until the auction itself began. Hresvelgr arranged the arena fights to precede the auction to separate the rich from the poor among his clients as well as the ones serious about actually buying his merchandise. Those who bet and lost too much on the fights were less likely to purchase any slaves at the auction especially when the holdouts would reap the more valuable spoils among his slavery stock with their bids.
Midnight and Fusion would get the key to the armories and planned to free themselves tomorrow once the majority of the guards left to oversee the arena. Midnight would lead some of their allies to the armory, and quietly take down any guards who’d been left to watch over the keep while Fusion and a few pegasi sneak into the signal tower and disable it.
As he waited, Midnight recalled just yesterday when Fusion asked him a question.
- Flashback -
“Tell me, Midnight,” Fusion asked, Midnight looking to him, “My mother’s land of birth, where you are from… Equestria, what is it like?”
“…Equestria is a land of peace and harmony,” Midnight explained, feeling hopeful, “it is a land where ponies work together in friendship and strive for a better tomorrow. It’s not perfect, but what is? It has its ups and downs, its good ponies and its bad ponies. But it is led by one graceful, wise, beautiful, and utterly compassionate, her Royal Majesty, Celestia, the Princess of the Sun. She cares for all her little ponies and I shudder to think what she will do to the griffons once she is made aware of their crimes against Equestria, as well as other nations.”
“When I was so young, my mother told me stories of Equestria and Princess Celestia…” Fusion sounded sad but also hopeful.
“I’ve dreamed for so long of seeing it for myself, but…”
Midnight placed a comforting hoof on Fusion’s shoulder and smiled at him, “My friend, once our work here is done, we’ll get there, and I’ll personally introduce you to Princess Celestia!”
Fusion smiled back and grasped Midnight’s other hoof in a firm shake.
“I’ll look forward to it.”
- Flashback ends –
“Psst, Midnight!”
“Huh?” Midnight jolted and was glad to see, “Fusion!”
He quietly got out of bed and approached the window, Fusion there in his cloak as he whispered, “Get to the door, I’ve already unlocked it…”
Midnight slipped out of the stockades, Fusion waving him over to a bush that grew by some stone steps that led up to the keep wall. Once they were both hidden, Fusion whispered, “I managed to get my claws on a drug and slipped it into some of the guards’ drink at the mead hall earlier today. The majority of them should be asleep but let’s not take any chances.”
“Rrright!” Midnight whispered with an eager smirk, “So do you know where Iron Fist keeps that key?”
“Unfortunately no,” Fusion whispered as he gestured the unicorn to follow.
Quietly and stealthily, they snuck along the wall, using anything for cover, their eyes and ears on red-alert for anyone who might see them. Before long, they were just across the way from the forge, hiding between two storehouses.
“Iron Fist sleeps in his own quarters in the Forge, so we have to search quietly.”
“Uh… Not to put a damper on things,” Midnight brought up, “but if I were Iron Fist, I’d probably keep the key in my quarters with me.”
“Of course…” Fusion sighed as he face-taloned for not realizing something so obvious sooner. “Well, I’d remove the inhibitor ring on your horn but… I don’t have the key.”
“Hmm…” Midnight looked to the forge and concentrated, but not on his horn. Rather, he focused on his eyes and felt it! He smiled and whispered, “I might not be able to use my unicorn magic… but I can still use my lunar magic!”
“Lunar magic?” echoed Fusion, “I don’t…”
“Shh!” Midnight then concentrated on his throat and exhaled a quiet hum, releasing a sonar-effect that only his ears could perceive.
He felt the soundwaves bounce back from the walls of the forge but sends some passed through the doorway, the echolocation allowing Midnight to form the layout of whatever they encountered in his mind. When it bounced back, he whispered, “The way is clear, let’s move!”
Midnight quietly moved forward, Fusion following cautiously. Inside the forge, it felt a little ominous. The furnaces were out but it retained an uncomfortably warm atmosphere, and in the shadows the tools hanging from their places almost looked like instruments of torture.
“So where’s Iron Fist’s quarters?” Midnight whispered.
“In the back…” Fusion pointed out the door at the very back of the forge.
The duo crept quietly over the stoned floor towards the door, gently opening it to examine Iron Fist's quarters.
The room itself was small and about as well furnished as any slave quarters, what with a mattress (more than what most of the slaves could say. Midnight's back could attest to the unpleasantness of the stone floor he had been forced to sleep on due to his low ranking in the slave chain) upon which the minotaur currently slept, a shelf covered in a layer of dust due to it being completely bare, a pile of rags stacked in the corner and a bucket that gave off a most repugnant stench. Iron Fist may have had a deal with the griffons to work for them to spare his wife and child, but he certainly had no luxuries here in the forge.
Seeing how empty the room actually was, Fusion turned to his pony companion, "You have a quick look around here and see if the key is hidden in a crack in the wall or under his mattress while I start looking through the forge."
Midnight nodded then crept into the room slowly, hoping not to wake the minotaur with the sound of his hooves on the stone floor. Just as he approached the mattress, Iron Fist gave a grunt and rolled over, causing Midnight to jump and press himself flat against the wall. He let his racing heartbeat drop as he watched for any signs that Iron Fist was waking up, but calmed himself when he found none. However, with his back pressed to the wall, he felt one of the stones wasn't like the others. He turned to examine it, realizing that it wasn't cemented in place like the others.
Turing back one last time to make sure Iron Fist was asleep, Midnight grasped the stone and pulled it slowly free from the wall, being careful not to let it grate against the edges. Once it was free, Midnight discovered a hollow space behind containing several letters, a photo and the key!
Delighted, the unicorn grasped the key and raised it to his horn, only to stop and think. He couldn't use it yet. Despite how irritating it was having his magic cut off, he couldn't remove the ring yet or the guards would learn of his deception. Giving a sigh, he instead tucked the key into his mane to give to Fusion once they left.
He started to lift the stone covering back up when he noticed the letters and an old-fashioned photograph again and curiosity overtook him. Carefully he pulled them out to examine, starting with the photo. It was a small framed image of Iron Fist's family. The minotaur had his powerful arm wrapped around a lovely minotauress of a slightly lighter hue then his own, and sitting on his shoulder with a big smile on her face and a lovely flower tucked in her ear was a minotauress calf with a beautiful aqua green coat. This was obviously the family that Iron Fist loved so much. Despite the minotaur's attitude and behavior, Midnight could feel a deep sympathy for him. He too was stuck far from his loved ones, being forced to perform tasks he didn't want to, to ensure he got back to them. Midnight had no idea how he'd react if Twilight or Twinken were taken from him and held captive for his submission, but he knew it would destroy him to see them in danger.
Midnight gently put the photo back and reached for one of the letters when suddenly a meaty grey fist closed around his hoof and swung him around to face the angry eyes of Iron Fist. The Unicorn gave a gulp.
Fusion was just ducking down to look behind one of the forge furnaces when the door to Iron Fist's quarters was smashed off its hinges by the blue Unicorn that had been flung at it. Midnight rolled across the floor wheezing from the punch to his chest when Iron Fist emerged from the room, rage boiling from every inch of him.
"HOW DARE YOU SNEAK INTO MY FORGE, INTO MY QUARTERS AND MESS AROUND WITH MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSIONS! THAT SPACE IS FOR MY PRIVACY, TO STORE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE MY FAMILY'S LETTERS! YOU WILL PAY FOR MESSING AROUND WITH THEM!" he roared, steam snorting from his nostrils as he lowered his head for a charge.
His horns may have been dulled, but the impact would still hurt like no tomorrow, so Midnight quickly scrambled to his hooves to leap to the side to avoid the attack. The minotaur missed, but he immediately swung around, his powerful fist swinging for Midnight's head. The blue unicorn ducked avoiding the blow, only for a follow up punch to uppercut him across the room, smashing into a shelf filled with raw metals for forging.
As the room echoed with clanks and smashes, Midnight forced himself back to his hooves, a glare across his muzzle. He may have felt sympathy for Iron Fist, but sympathy can only go so far when somepony is trying to beat the Tartarus out of you. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Fusion was hiding behind one of the furnaces, getting ready to make a move to stop Iron Fist. A short look from Midnight made him stop.
I can't let Iron Fist know you're here, Fusion. Things are rapidly getting out of hoof and I need you safe in case everything falls apart.
Iron Fist gave a growl and started to charge at Midnight again, knocking aside a sword rack in the process. Nothing would stand in his way from hurting the Unicorn that had dared to put his hooves on the precious letters of his family, the only things that kept him going in this horrible place.
Evidently, a buck to the face could stand in his way.
Midnight had reared up as he approached, and using all the knowledge he had gained from only a few years working at Sweet Apple Acres, he had bucked Iron Fist sending him sailing into one of the forging stations, smashing his back into an anvil. He roared in pain, but his anger wouldn't be quelled, and the Minotaur rose up, ready to continue the fight.
However, before either combatant could make another move, a troop of guards rushed into the room to restrain them, the horrid Overseer at their head.
"Well, well, looks like we have some troublemakers, disobeying the rules and causing a ruckus. For this naughty behavior, some punishment is certainly in order…" he sneered, uncoiling his whip and cracking it across Midnight's back.
*crack* AAAAGH! *crack* BUUCK! *crack* FUUAAGGH!
The Overseers whipping was malicious, leaving bloody lines along the unicorn's back and causing his cries of pain to echo around the stone room. Being dragged across the room until he was placed beside the hurting pony, Iron Fist hardened his heart by looking away from the groaning Midnight, only to let out a cry of pain of his own as the whip suddenly turned from Midnight to himself.
"You think you can simply look the other way? You are every bit a slave as he, and you will suffer equally for your transgressions!" the Overseer cackled as he let the whip sting across the Minotaur's chest and arms.
However the torture didn't last long and the Overseer seemed pleased with his work.
"Well, that was certainly fun, but I’m not through with you two yet! Guards, take them to the arena cells, they will make an excellent opening act for our clientele tomorrow."
Midnight immediately began to struggle against his captors, feeble as it was, but without his magic, and with the wounds he had sustained from both the fight and the whipping, he couldn't overpower them.
Next to him Iron Fist was also struggling fruitlessly as he yelled, "NO! I was tasked with the forge in return for my family's safety! We had a deal!"
His outraged cries were cut off as he let out a roar of pain as the Overseer's talons sliced across his face, leaving crimson rivulets and a definite scar.
"There are other talented smiths here and we can always acquire more. We don't need you anymore, Iron Fist, and your pathetic family will be sold among the rest of the stock like the filthy slaves they are!"
Midnight and Iron Fist fought and struggled, but it was no use, and the two were dragged from the forge, the Overseer's evil laughter following them all the way.
Still hidden behind the furnaces, Fusion shut his eyes tight with grief, fearing for his friend and Iron Fist alike. Very few slaves survived the arena, and the few that did were guaranteed to be sold, usually somewhere for hard labor or underground fighting rings.
The hippogriff watched as they were dragged away, until finally the forge stood silent and empty. He had no idea what to do, and his plans to free the rest of the slaves appeared to be lost without Midnight. At a loss for his next move, Fusion slunk across the forge to where Midnight had been uppercut into a metal rack. He looked over the fallen pieces when something caught his eye.
The key!
The key to the armory was scattered amongst the metal and Fusion realized that Midnight must have found it in Iron Fist's room, but had dropped it during the scuffle. He picked it up with a clawed talon, alterations to his plan flowing through his mind. Things would play out differently, but tomorrow he and the rest of the slaves would be free.
And he would ensure Midnight was among them.
*SPLASH*
Midnight and Iron Fist woke up, sputtering and shivering at a most rude awakening, soaking wet with ice-cold water. They found themselves in a dismal cell and through the bars of the cell door, they saw the Lieutenant griffoness looking down at them.
“I trust the two of you had a restful slumber…”
“You wretch!!!” Iron Fist rammed at the door, reaching through to wrap his hand around that miserable flying feline’s throat, only to grasp at air for she stood just out of reach.
“I worked efficiently and obediently for months! I never resisted nor defied you, and you have the gall to break our deal?!”
“To deal would imply we are equals, minotaur,” the Lieutenant answered with a voice unfeeling and cold.
“And a slave can never be equal with his master.”
“When I get out of here, I’ll string my racket with your guts, griffon!” Iron Fist seethed.
“You won’t get away this!” Midnight added.
“Save your breath. The both of you have things far worse than I to worry about,” the Lieutenant replied, not at all daunted by their threats as she pointed behind her to a portcullis and heavy wooden door.
“Outside that portcullis and gate lies your fate!”
Midnight tensed, “You’re sending us into the arena!”
“Correct, and I trust the both of you will put on an entertaining show for our visitors,” the Lieutenant explained.
“But far be it from me to send you into a bloodbath unarmed…”
She looked to her left and snapped her talons, a donkey pulling in a table with objects concealed by a tarp.
“Now don’t say I never did anything for you…” the unfeeling griffoness said as she threw off the tarp, revealing several weapons and pieces of armor.
“Seeing as you’re likely about to meet your makers, I’ll even allow you to choose your armaments, but choose wisely! And quickly, for in but a few minutes that gate and portcullis will open and then the games will begin!”
The Lieutenant hissed at the donkey to leave and the poor ass left in a hurry out the door, the griffoness following but she stopped.
“Oh, and I wouldn’t advise remaining in that cell once the doors open for you. It wouldn’t do for the entertainment to be over with too quickly, especially when it will be cornered by what my lord has in store for you.”
She clucked a dark chuckle and slammed the door behind her, and the cell somehow unlocked, allowing Midnight and Iron Fist to come out and examine the armaments the Lieutenant had left for them.
“Curse these griffons to Tartarus…!” Iron Fist seethed as he strapped outfitted his right arm in a manica, securing it to the chest-piece, and covered both hands in wrappings. In his armored hand he took up a large dbl-headed battleaxe, and in his unarmored hand a small roundshield.
“I was a fool to believe they had any honor…”
“Iron Fist.”
He looked to Midnight, who looked back with determination.
“There is still hope – The reason I snuck into your quarters was to get your key to the griffons’ armory in the keep. I don’t have it anymore so I assume it was dropped in the forge during our… disagreement. But Fusion was there, hiding behind the furnace as we were taken by the Overseer.”
“I refuse to place my faith in a griffon, unicorn!” Iron fist growled, “Not even a half-griffon!”
“Fusion may have been sired by a griffon, Iron fist,” Midnight said as he took up some armor, like a petryal and armored hoofboots.
“But truly he hates them almost as much as you do. It was him who gave me hope of escape, not just for myself, but for all of us enslaved on this island. I have no doubts he has the key and I am sure he will use it to rally our allies to claim the armory and overthrow the keep!”
“Even if what you say is true,” Iron Fist snorted, “we are about to be thrown to the lions in this arena!”
“And that’s where the plan comes in,” Midnight assured as he took up a sword, “because Hresvelgr uses the bulk of his guards to provide security here at the arena, which means only a hooful of guards will be holding the keep, and Fusion and his allies will surely overthrow them and come to our rescue!”
“For the sake of my family, I hope you’re right…” Iron Fist growled as they watched the portcullis rise and the gate open, the bloodthirsty roar of a crowd reaching their ears before the light of day momentarily blinded their eyes.
“You know my name, I don’t suppose you would tell me yours?”
“I am Midnight Blaze,” Midnight held out his hoof with a resolved smile, “and Iron Fist? I would be honored if you would call me your friend.”
Iron Fist stood stone-faced for a moment before accepting Midnight’s hoof in his hand and giving it a shake.
“Together, my brother in battle, we will overcome whatever monstrosity these wretches set against us!”
“And won’t they be surprised when they see the tricks I have up my metaphorical sleeve!” Midnight smirked deviously before walking out, a confused Iron Fist following.
The arena was vast, like the town square back in Ponyville minus the town hall to make it more roomy. The ground was solid dirt, and they were surrounded by throngs of screaming slavers of various species!
They saw griffons, changelings, diamond dogs, gremlins, gargoyles, centaurs, and more.
And in the royal box stood Hresvelgr, wearing a glamorous robe and sitting in a stone throne decorated with gems. At his sides stood the Lieutenant and the Overseer respectively. Hresvelgr eyed the Overseer who got the idea and he lifted a mallet and struck a gong, the reverberating thrum spread throughout the arena, deafening the crowd into silence as the lord of the island stood and raised his wings.
“Welcome! Welcome all to my humble little island! All seeking power and control will find it here in my place of business and Hresvelgr is never a poor host so allow me to treat you all to a little… entertainment!”
The crowd cheered bloody murder until Hresvelgr raised his wings again.
“To start things off, I’d like to introduce you to our first victims- Oh I beg your pardon, I meant our first two… contestants!”
The crowd looked on hungrily, Midnight and Iron Fist staring back defiant.
“These two have been very naughty little slaves, and let me ask you, my esteemed guests! What do we do with naughty slaves?”
“Skin `em!”
“Burn `em!”
“Stick `em with a skewer and roast them over an open fire!”
The crowd was getting a lust for blood, Hresvelgr calming them with his raised wings again.
“All excellent suggestions! But… I think it’s only “fair” that we give them a chance to say they’re sorry for being bad slaves! So! Let’s see how sorry they are once they come face to face with…!”
At Hresvelgr’s rising tone a mechanical grinding sounded and Midnight and Iron Fist saw another door in the arena open to reveal one- no, two- wait, three pairs of glowing yellow eyes, their owners revealing themselves as Hresvelgr declared, “The Chimera!!!”
It was a frightful beast indeed, its front was a mighty lion with a blood-stained mane and claws, its rear was that of a goat hindquarters and a goat’s head coming out with fearsome ram-like horns, and a long hissing green serpent for a tail!
All three heads snarled, bleated, and hissed sparks of fire, Iron Fist saying, “Midnight… as much as I want to believe your plan will come through, I’m afraid to say our odds don’t look good!”
Midnight looked upon this ferocious monster, fighting the instinctive response of fear that would compel him to wet his hooves. But he stood his ground and furrowed his brows. Even so, he was beginning to wonder.
Fusion! I hope you come through for us, otherwise Iron Fist and I are dead meat!