• Published 15th Jan 2014
  • 3,556 Views, 235 Comments

Shadows of the Crystal Empire - AdrianVesper



Twilight Sparkle travels to Canterlot seeking justice. When one of her friends is taken captive, Twilight sets out with spell and sword to save her. (Sequel to The Sword Coast, inspired by the Baldur’s Gate series)

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Animals

Animals

Gathered in a group with her friends just inside the Copper Coronet’s door, Twilight shifted awkwardly on her hooves as she glanced around the room. Light from a trough of glowing coals in the center of the room flickered across the faces of ponies absorbed in their drinks. Steaming pots hung from a metal beam above the coals. At a nearby table, a stallion reached out to grope the hindquarters of a passing waitress. His friends laughed when he drunkenly spilled out of his chair.

Applejack nudged Twilight in the ribs. “Just a lil’ hole in the wall,” she said in her ear. “Dunno what all the fuss was about.” She flicked her nose toward the bar near the back. “If something’s going on here, I’ll bet the bartender knows.”

“Come on, Fluttershy,” Rarity said, linking a foreleg with Fluttershy. “Let’s go get a table. We’ll be fending off these barbarians all night if we stand around looking like we’re waiting for somepony to buy us a drink.” She headed toward an empty table near the bar.

“Really?” Rainbow said, following after them. “How many drinks do you think we could get?”

“Oh, Fluttershy’ll get tons,” Rarity said.

“Why would ponies want to buy me drinks?” Fluttershy asked.

Twilight shook her head with a smile as she watched heads turn to the trio. She looked over at the bar. “Well, Applejack, let’s go get some drinks of our own.”

“Sure thing,” Applejack said. “After you.”

Twilight loosened her cloak, feeling the warmth in the room building up beneath it, and trotted briskly up to the bar. The barkeep looked up at her as she approached. “Can I get you ladies anything?” he asked.

Twilight shrugged. “Whatever’s on tap.”

“Cider, if you’ve got it,” Applejack said.

“Beer and Cider, got it,” the barkeep said. He turned away, using his horn to levitate up a pair of glasses.

A pegasus with his chin planted on the end of the counter lifted his head and looked up at Twilight. “Didja’ drop from the sky?”

Twilight blinked at him. “No, why?”

“Cause you look like a shtar, beautiful.” He spread his wings and winked at her. “If ya’d like, ya kin ride me all the way home.”

“Really?” Applejack said, glancing at the pegasus. “That’s terrible.”

Twilight grimaced, turning back to the barkeep as he set a drink in front of her. She set a bit on the counter, then lifted the glass to her lips and said, “No thanks.” She took a sip: watery beer.

“That’s ol’ Bluey,” the barkeep said. “Just ignore him.”

The pegasus lurched off of his stool and slid toward her. “Come on, gorgeous. Y’look tense.” He reached out toward her.

Twilight wrapped her levitation around his foreleg and twisted it violently away. The pegasus gasped in pain. She wrapped her levitation around Solstice’s handle. “If you touch me with anything, you’re going to lose it!”

“Ah!” The pegasus cried, tears in his eyes. “’M sorry! Lemmy go!”

“No drawing weapons!” A shrill, stern voice shouted from behind Twilight.

Twilight released the offender. He quickly slinked away, favoring the foreleg she’d twisted. She let her magic fade from around Solstice. Why did I reach for my sword? she thought as she turned to face the speaker.

A plump, yellow maned mare with a violet coat glared at her. “I’m sorry one of my patrons was giving you trouble, but I absolutely will not have blood on these floors.”

“If you threw animals like him out,” Applejack said, “We wouldn’t have to tell ’em off.”

“Excuse me?” the mare cried indignantly. “And who’re you to tell me how to run my business?”

“Applejack, of the Apple Clan,” Applejack said.

The mare prodded Applejack’s chestplate with a hoof. “Well, Miss Applejack, if you think that some fancy armor gives you the right to—”

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said, cutting in. “I overreacted. It won’t happen again.” Inwardly, she sighed. Why’d you snap? she asked herself. Just a drunk. She knew the answer; tense could only begin to describe how she felt after what had happened with Pinkie.

The mare turned to Twilight. She opened her mouth, eyed her, then smiled sweetly. “Well thank you, Dearie. I’m Plum Violet, your hostess.” She tapped her hoof on the counter. “I’m sorry he caused you trouble.” She tapped her hoof on the counter and looked at the barkeep. “Half Full, get Miss...” She glanced at Twilight. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

Be yourself, Twilight thought. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said.

“Half Full, get Miss Sparkle something nice on the house,” Plum Violet said.

“Coming right up,” the barkeep said.

“Hold up,” Plum Violet said, staring at Twilight. “You wouldn’t happen to be the Baroness Twilight Sparkle, would you?”

Twilight blinked. “How did you know that?”

Plum took a step back. “Oh my stars, you are! You’re the Dragonslayer! I heard you were in Canterlot, but I didn’t imagine you’d be coming here.”

Twilight frowned at Applejack. “Why does everypony think I killed him?”

Applejack chuckled. “Cause you got the landed title for it.”

Half Full slid her a mixed drink, complete with an olive. Twilight sighed as she lifted it. “He wasn’t even that hard to kill.” She took a sip; it was much better than the beer.

Applejack’s eyes narrowed, and she gave Twilight a strange look.

Plum Violet laughed. “Oh my, so modest! Well, here, I have a little something for you.” She pulled a purple fragment of silk with a copper crown sewn into it out of a pouch on her hip and set it on the bar in front of Twilight.

“What’s this?” Twilight asked.

Plum Violet pointed to a narrow staircase leading to a door. A broad shouldered enforcer wearing chainmail armor and a hoofmace stood next to the steps. “You show this to him, and he’ll let you and your friends into the back rooms.” She smiled sweetly. “I’m sure you’ve heard stories about the Copper Coronet. Back there is where the real fun is at.” She leaned close and added in a whisper, “You can have anything you desire.”

Twilight swallowed and picked up the scrap of silk cloth. “Thanks.” She eyed Plum Violet. “How did you know I was in Canterlot? How do you know who I am?”

“Oh, everypony who’s anypony’s heard about you,” Plum said with a grin. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She pushed away from the bar. “Ta-ta!” She waved daintily as she trotted away.

Applejack picked up her mug of cider. “She sure got friendly when she recognized you.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “She got friendly when I apologized, Applejack. It’s called being polite.” She shrugged. “Besides, she didn’t even know who I was until I gave her my name.”

Applejack took a sip. “Nah. She knew who you were. She just asked your name to be sure.”

“How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked.

“Remember when we were in the Candlekeep catacombs and I pointed out the Changeling?” Applejack said. “I can’t explain it. I just know. I guess I’m good at reading ponies, and something’s not right with that one.”

“I remember,” Twilight said as she closed her eyes briefly, a white explosion of arcane energy printed on her mind. “Why do you think she knew it was me?”

Applejack shrugged. “Don’t know. It seems odd that they’d know about a minor noble from Manehattan here, but maybe that stunt you pulled with the dragon head in the council chamber caused a few ripples.” She gulped down a mouthful of cider and glanced at the door to the back rooms. “So, what’s our next move?”

“You don’t think Fleur is tricking us, do you?” Twilight said.

Applejack shook her head. “That mare is hiding something for sure. But, I think she’ll help us if we help her.”

Twilight nodded and motioned the barkeep over. After passing a patron a drink, Half Full approached them. “Need another drink?” he asked.

“No,” Twilight said. She flicked her muzzle toward the back door and floated the purple cloth in front of Half Full. “What’s back there?”

Half Full shrugged. “The good rooms. A few bits extra gets you some pampering. A few bits more gets you a good time.”

“Figured,” Applejack said with a small chuckle.

Twilight raised a brow. “A good time?”


Twilight found Rarity, Rainbow, and Fluttershy sitting at a table near the wall. She and Applejack slid into a pair of unoccupied seats beside Rarity. Fluttershy stared at three frothy mugs in front of her.

“Find out anything?” Rarity said as they sat down.

“Sure did,” Applejack said. She flicked her muzzle toward the guarded door at the top of the stairs. “It’s a brothel.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “You mean like a place where they—” She chuckled. “Erm, that’s neat.” She nudged Fluttershy with a wing. “You gonna have those?”

“Why would ponies buy me drinks?” Fluttershy said. “I don’t even like to drink much.”

“It’s not neat!” Twilight said, stamping on the table with a hoof. “It’s a huge problem!”

Rainbow picked up one of the mugs in front of Fluttershy. “Guess not.” She looked at Twilight. “What’s the problem? Ponies... uh... do it... for money n’stuff. Not a big deal.” She lifted the mug to her lips and gulped down a mouthful.

Twilight frowned and pointed at a well-dressed pony ascending the stairs. “It is a big deal! Look!”

“I’m not sure I follow, Twilight,” Rarity said.

“This place serves ponies, wealthy, powerful ponies, in secret. It’s perfect!” Twilight said. “The Changelings here—”

Rainbow’s mug clattered onto the table, spilling beer between the boards. “There’s Changelings here?!” she hissed. “Who? Where?”

“We don’t know it’s Changelings, Twilight,” Applejack said.

“It’s the reason we came here in the first place!” Twilight said. “I’m tired of being one step behind. We have to assume it is Changelings. If we do, we’ll know what’s coming.” She pointed at the door again. “Back there, they can nab important ponies and replace them.”

“What if it’s not Changelings?” Rarity asked. “I knew it was a possibility when we came here, but it could be something simpler. What if some ponies just want a piece of the Thieves Guild’s pie, and are willing to—”

Twilight rubbed her forehead with a hoof. “It’s not just a guildwar,” she interrupted. “It can’t be. Chrysalis had plans for Canterlot. She even got a top-grade magic license—maybe for me, maybe for Shining Armor.”

“Chrysalis got a magic license?” Applejack said. “What’re you talking about?”

“I don’t know!” Twilight said. “What I do know is we need to check out those back rooms and solve this if we want to find Pinkie.” She looked at her friends. “Are you with me?”

“Of course, but—” Rarity said.

“Great,” Twilight said, standing.


Their hooves clopped on the floorboards as they trotted down a wide, poorly lit hallway. Thick, cloying smoke clung to the ceiling. Twilight paused to cough, her head swimming. “What is this stuff?” she asked.

Rarity sniffed the air. “Smells like hazeweed, if I’m not mistaken.”

Rainbow took a whiff. “Really?”

Applejack wrinkled her nose. “Some ponies will do anything for a high.”

“Ah, it’s a drug,” Twilight said. “Great.”

“Don’t worry,” Rarity said. “It’s not very strong.”

“It can be quite calming,” Fluttershy murmured.

Twilight blinked her eyes clear and stepped forward again, approaching an intersection. “Well, let’s find somepony important before—”

Before Twilight could stop, she plowed into a purple mass rounding the corner. Recoiling, she kept her balance. Reflexively, she steadied the pony she’d hit with her levitation.

Plum Violet dusted herself off. “Ah, Twilight! You made it.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said. “Didn’t see you there.”

“Think nothing of it, Dearie,” Plum said. “Come on, I’ll show you the party.” She linked a foreleg with Twilight’s and pulled her around the corner. Beneath the low ceiling of the room beyond, shapely mares and toned stallions lounged on cushions. The same well dressed pony Twilight had seen on the stairs stole through a doorway with two mares clinging to him. “See anything you like?” Plum said in a low tone.

Twilight swallowed, her eyes drifting over the prostitutes. “Um... I...” she mumbled, feeling her cheeks flush.

“Tell you what, I’ll pick out a couple of my favorites for you to choose from. I understand our selection can be a bit overwhelming,” Plum said with a wink. “Fillies or colts?”

Twilight opened her mouth, trying to sort her thoughts. “Uh.” I have to blend in, she thought. A mare might be less awkward to just talk to. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a stallion that didn’t belong. His mane fell around his face in a haggard mess, and he was missing half of one of his ears. He walked confidently toward her.

“Oh, I see, both,” Plum said with salacious grin. “I’m partial to mares myself.”

“No, I—” Twilight said.

The stallion sneered. “Come on, let the mare breathe, Matron,” he said, almost spitting the last word.

“Oh skies above, what do you want this time, Tamer?” Plum Violet said, turning to the stallion. “Can’t you see I’m working?”

“Sure, if this is what you call work,” Tamer said, glancing around the room with disdain. “If you can part with your newest victim, I have a proposal for the Baroness.”

Rarity stepped up beside Twilight. “What sort of proposal?” Rarity asked. “Nothing uncouth, I hope.”

Tamer chuckled. “Nah, just business. I think she and I can make a pretty penny.”

Twilight pulled her leg free from Plum Violet’s grasp. “Let’s hear it.”

Plum Violet looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. “Barbarians, ruining my palace,” she said as she strode off with her nose in the air.

Tamer ignored Plum Violet walking off. “Sorry, your ears only,” he said, nodding at Twilight.

With a blast of air, Rainbow launched herself forward a few paces, landing beside Twilight, opposite Rarity. “If you’ve got something to say, you can say it to us!”

“I don’t need all of you mares; I just need her,” Tamer said, jabbing a hoof at Twilight. “What do you say, Baroness? Want to know what the Copper Coronet is really about?”

Twilight coughed, the wind from Rainbow’s wings driving a swirl of smoke into her face. This could be what we’re looking for, she thought. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s talk.”

“Good call,” Tamer said. He turned, motioning for her to follow. “This way.”

“You’re mighty popular, Twilight,” Applejack muttered as Tamer walked away. “Be careful.”

Twilight nodded as she stepped after Tamer. “I will.”

“We’ll get some rooms,” Rarity said. “Meet us there when you’re done.”

Twilight glanced over her shoulder at Rarity and nodded. Ahead, Tamer rounded a corner. She followed him.

“If she’s not back in thirty minutes, we’ll find her,” Rainbow Dash yelled after them.


A couple of paces behind Tamer, Twilight walked down a basement hallway. She sniffed; though the air down here was musky, it smelled cleaner than the smoke-filled air in the brothel. She breathed deep, filling her lungs.

“Nice being able to get air, isn’t it,” Tamer said. “Nothin’ dirtier than that den up there.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said.

Tamer chuckled. “Knew I’d pegged ya’ right. You’re not looking to spend bits on a rutting.” He stopped at a heavy wooden door and reached back to a ring of keys looped on his belt. “You’ve got enough balls to know you shouldn’t be payin’ for it.”

Twilight cleared her throat. “I don’t have balls.”

Tamer pulled the keys off his belt. “Sure ya’ do,” he muttered around the ring as he selected one. “I mean, if the stories about you facing off against a dragon are true.” He shoved the key into the door’s lock and turned it with a click.

“What does that have to do with testicles?” Twilight asked.

Tamer laughed. “‘What does that have to do with testicles,’ she says.” He gripped the door’s handle with his hoof and glanced over his shoulder at her. “Having balls means you’re a fighter, strong and virile like a stallion, and you’re not gonna let a mare like Plum castrate you.” He pulled open the door. “Anyway, here we are,” he said, stepping through into the darkness beyond.

“Castrate me?” Twilight said. She hesitated at the doorway.

“Blast,” Tamer said. “Forgot a candle. Mind lighting this place up?”

A low, animal growl rumbled in the air. Twilight lit her horn and reached for Solstice with her levitation. The purple glow revealed a wide corridor lined with cells, ending in another heavy door. Behind a set of iron bars to her left, a black bear stared at her. The lines of its ribcage stood out beneath its matted fur.

“Welcome to my domain,” Tamer said. “Up there, Plum Violet has everypony by the balls, but down here, we get to see what kind of stallions we are.” He pulled a scrap of dried meat from a bag in the corner and tossed it through the bars to the bear. The animal snapped it up eagerly.

“Why are you keeping a half-starved bear in a cell?” Twilight said, a hard edge to her voice.

“This is the pits,” Tamer said. “They gotta be hungry, or they won’t fight.” He stepped forward, slipping his foreleg between the bars of the cage. The bear lunged, snarling, but Tamer pulled his leg back at the last moment. With a clang, the bear’s teeth snapped closed around one of the bars. “When you’re fighting for life, that’s when you know who you really are,” Tamer said. “And that’s when we see that we’re all the same.”

“Pits?” Twilight said. “What’re you talking about?”

“Plum didn’t tell you about the arena?” Tamer asked.

Twilight shook her head.

“Mares,” Tamer muttered. “Never shoulda’ been in charge.” He trotted toward the far door, a grin lighting his face.

Twilight followed cautiously. She glanced through the bars as she passed. The occupants stared back at her with hungry, animal eyes. Tigers and wolves growled at her with each step she took. In one of the cells, she spotted what looked like a manticore curled beneath its membranous wing.

Tamer threw open the door, revealing a ring about twenty paces across enclosed by wooden planks. He strode through the doorway, until he reached the center. Twilight poked her head through, looking around. A story above, tiered benches overlooked the arena. Three other doors were set into the walls around the ring. The stands laid empty, and the only things in the ring itself were Tamer and bloodstains smeared into the wooden wall. Twilight's stomach turned as she imagined what must happen here.

“What do you do here?” Twilight asked, glaring at Tamer.

“This is where animals fight!” Tamer said. “This is where the blood surges and washes away the trappings of civilization.” He smiled manically. “This is where we see what we are!”

“And what’s that?” Twilight said. He’s a monster, she thought. She could feel Solstice dangling at her side. All it would take is one stroke. She bit the inside of her cheek. You can’t kill him, she told herself. Not yet.

Tamer tilted his head. “Don’t you know?” He stared into her eyes. “You can feel it, can’t you? I can see it in you. You’re a killer.”

Twilight pushed her sword out of her mind. “You said you had a business proposal. What did you bring me here for?”

Tamer smirked. “Not to fight, though I can tell you’re hungry for one.” He motioned at the stands. “How many ponies do you think would pay to see the dragonslayer kill beasts? And how many do you think would bet on her?”

Twilight shook her head. “No. I’m not going to participate in a bloodsport.” She glanced at the stands. “Besides, if they bet on me, wouldn’t you lose money?”

“Oh, they won’t be winning those bets, because you’ll throw the match,” he said. He walked past her, back into the corridor with the cells.

She turned, following him. “I’ll do what now?”

“It’ll be simple,” Tamer said. “I’ll throw an animal at you, then two, then three, then four. Each time, I give the audience the option to collect, or double down. They’ll double down, of course. You won’t even break a sweat.” He stopped in front of the cell with the manticore. “But then I’ll throw Paws here at you. He’ll get you with his stinger, and you’ll drop, and I’ll have to pull him off of you.”

Twilight raised a brow. “Why in Equestria would I kill ten animals just so I can get a dose of manticore venom?”

“Paws!” Tamer shouted. “Tail!

The manticore turned its catlike gaze up to Tamer, then curled deeper beneath its wing. “One moment,” Tamer said. He grabbed a pole leaning beside the cage in his mouth. “Zap zap,” he grunted around it. Arcane runes flashed to life along the length of the pole. The tip crackled with electricity. Tamer shoved it through the bars and jabbed Paws roughly.

Paws jumped when the tip made contact. He hissed and pressed his body up against the back of the cell. Even as thin as he was, the manticore dwarfed ponies, and there was barely enough room for him to stand. Twilight winced sympathetically, wondering what Fluttershy would do if she saw this. “Paws, Tail!” Tamer repeated, setting the pole aside.

Paws extended his tail until the stinger passed through the bars. Twilight twitched, a memory of the Sand Ravager’s stinger striking Braeburn flashing through her mind. She shook her head, bringing herself back to the present, as Tamer pointed at a scar near the base of Paws’ stinger.

“I cut out his venom gland.” Tamer pressed his hoof against the stinger, squeezing. “This manticore is as dry as a desert. When he gives you a prick, you just fall over, and you get half whatever we make on the bets.” He shrugged. “Or you would, if you were willing to participate in a ‘bloodsport.’”

“Fine,” Twilight said. “I’ll do it, but I want more than just bits.”

“What do you want?” Tamer said, eyeing her.

“Information,” Twilight said. “I heard a rumor there was something strange going on here. A pony came here not long ago, and disappeared. I want to know what happened.”

“Oh!” Tamer said. “You’re working with the Grey Fox!”

Twilight winced.

Tamer chuckled and patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t my idea to turn against the Thieves Guild. Tell you what: You throw the match, and I’ll let you talk to the last spy they sent.”

“Talk? So they’re alive?” Twilight asked.

Tamer nodded. “He sure is.” He extended his hoof. “Half the bits, and the spy. Deal?” he said.

Twilight hesitated, eyeing the offered hoof. This is wrong, she thought. She reached out and took the hoof, shaking it. “Deal,” she said. I have to find Pinkie.

“Fight’s at midnight. Rest up.”


After getting directions to the three-room suite Rarity had reserved, Twilight slinked through the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the common room empty. The accommodations looked comfortable enough, with functional furniture and plenty of cushions. She spotted a folded note with her name on it in the center of the table. She opened it in her levitation and quickly scanned it.

Rainbow and Fluttershy are out flying. Applejack and I are looking around. Your room is furthest to the left. See you soon.
—Rarity

Twilight tossed the note into a wastebasket and walked to the door to her room, briefly wondering who she’d be sharing with, or if she’d be alone, with three rooms and five ponies. She rubbed one of her eyes with her hoof and checked her watch. It was still early in the evening, but she already felt weary. A nap couldn’t hurt, she thought as she pushed the door to her room open. In the bedroom, Applejack and Rarity looked up at her expectantly. Twilight froze. Applejack had Star Swirl’s journal spread open on the bed in front of her.

“We know about the deal you made with Tamer,” Applejack said.

“Where did you find that!?” Twilight shouted, looking at the journal. “My notes are private!”

“You put it in the Bag of Holding with the rest of your things,” Rarity said, sitting in a chair. “We were concerned.”

Applejack prodded the pages with a hoof. “And by the looks of things, we were right to be worried.” She glared at Twilight. “What were you thinking! Experimenting with your powers!”

Twilight reached out with her levitation and snatched the journal from beneath Applejack’s hoof, slamming it shut. “You had no right!” she shouted. She raised her hoof and pointed rigidly at the door. “Out!”

“We have the right to care about our friend!” Rarity yelled. “We talked to Plum Violet about Tamer, then five minutes later we hear there’s a fight scheduled tonight, and you’re the star! Twilight, if you’re struggling, you could have talked to us.”

“I’m doing what I have to!” Twilight said. “He promised me information. We have to find Pinkie!”

Applejack shook her head and slid off the bed. She headed for the door. “Would Pinkie want this?” she asked as she passed Twilight.

“Pinkie believed in me...” Twilight said.

Rarity sighed. “We do too, Twilight, but—” She shook her head and stood up to follow Applejack. “The room is yours.”

As soon as they were out the door, Twilight flopped onto the bed, clutching the journal. That could have gone better, she thought.


Twilight sat on a bench, her cheeks and nose tinged with chill. Red-orange leaves drifted across the grass at her hooves on the light breeze. She looked across the empty field at the buildings of Ponyville.

“Do you know what you are, Twilight Sparkle?” a mare sitting on the bench beside her asked.

Twilight shrugged, glancing at the fiery-maned unicorn. “Sunset Shimmer, right?”

The unicorn nodded. “Right.”

Twilight let her gaze drift back to Ponyville. “I don’t think I have a good answer,” she said. “I’m somepony who fought to survive, but anypony would do that, wouldn’t they?”

“That’s not all you did,” Sunset Shimmer said. “With your power, you changed things. Might makes right.”

Twilight shook her head. “Except it doesn’t. Take the dragon we fought, Pyros, for example. All he did with his power was make ponies suffer.”

“And you were stronger,” Sunset Shimmer said.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably on the bench. “I guess so.”

“Mares like you take the world in their hooves and shape it,” Sunset Shimmer said. “You’re honed sharper than any blade. You wreak havoc on what lies in your path, and build your destiny from the ashes.” She looked down at a figure in the grass. “The only question I have is why you keep it on a leash.”

Twilight followed Sunset Shimmer’s gaze. The Spectre kneeled before her. Chains criss-crossed over its back, keeping the shadows from spilling across the sunlit meadow. Five glowing lights, pink, orange, cerulean blue, white, and yellow, anchored the chains to the ground. “Because if I don’t chain it,” Twilight said. “It will control me.”

“But it can be controlled,” Sunset Shimmer said.

Twilight nodded. “Maybe.”

Sunset Shimmer glided off the bench. She raised her hoof over the pink light. With deliberate purpose, she smashed her hoof down. The light pulsed, dimming.

Twilight lunged, tackling Sunset Shimmer to the ground. “What’re you doing!” she shouted as she pushed Sunset Shimmer onto her back. She glared down at the mare pinned beneath her forehooves.

“I’m letting it go,” Sunset Shimmer said calmly, looking up at Twilight. “I need to take the chains off.”

“I’m not going to let you do that,” Twilight said.

“That’s too bad,” Sunset Shimmer said. “We’re going to have to do this the hard way.” She grinned, and in the blink of an eye, vanished.

Twilight rubbed her hooves through the grass, fruitlessly searching for Sunset Shimmer, but she was nowhere to be found. “When I’m finished,” Sunset Shimmer’s disembodied voice said, “you’ll take them off for me.”

The blades of grass beneath Twilight’s hooves turned to dust, then hard stone. The sunlit world around her bled shadows. Knives of pain drove into her mind, rending gashes in the dirt. “Fight, Sparkle, like anypony would!” Sunset Shimmer shouted.

Twilight’s eyes flickered open. A thousand reflections of Sunset Shimmer’s face stared down at her from the roof of the crystal cavern. “Fight!” Sunset Shimmer shouted as she ripped into Twilight’s mind.

“Stop!” Twilight roared, reaching deep. Energy jumped to her command, but it didn’t come from the Spectre, it came from the lights anchoring its chains. Almost without thinking, she formed a Fireball spell. She picked a face, any face, and unleashed the magic. A red spark flew from her horn. The crystal ceiling exploded with blinding, deafening fire.

When the rumbling of the cavern subsided, Twilight blinked away dust. In the darkness, the only light came from the Force Cage trapping her. “Impressive,” Sunset Shimmer said. “But not what I was looking for.”


The corpse of a mangy wolf hit the dirt floor of the arena to cheers and the pounding of hooves. Twilight stood over the body, her swords dripping blood. One bear, two tigers, and three wolves lay dead around her. None of the creatures had landed a blow on her, and every stroke she’d made had been lethal. It was cathartic.

“And the dragonslayer wins again!” Tamer shouted from a raised platform in the stands. “Do you think she has more in her, folks?!”

The stands rumbled with applause and cheers. Twilight looked up at her friends sitting on one of the benches. Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity watched her, a mixture of horror and disappointment written on their faces. At least Fluttershy left, Twilight thought. She turned her gaze away from her friends and swallowed, her stomach turning.

“I can’t hear you!” Tamer yelled. “Are we ready for round four!?”

The ponies in the stands cheered louder. Many of them wore the trappings of nobility: fine hats and jewelry. They were all here to see a taste of death—to find some sort of thrill.

“That’s what I like to hear!” Tamer shouted. “Next round is in thirty seconds. Turn in your tickets for your winnings, unless you’re staying in!”

Twilight slowly spinned, looking up at the stands. If a pony left their seat, she didn’t see it. Tamer’s plan was working. She shook her head clear and focused on the four doors into the arena. What’s he going to throw next? she thought. She knew round five would be a manticore, but all the rounds before it were a mystery.

She took the time she had to check her spells. Her Mage Armor was active, along with Improved Haste and Shield. The Contingency in Solstice was prepared with a Stoneskin if she was injured. The Sequencer in her necklace stored two magic missiles, and the one in Solstice was primed with Improved Invisibility, Mirror Image, and another Stoneskin. She was more than ready for anything that Tamer could send through the doors.

When the thirty seconds were up, two opposite doors burst open. Two gaunt ponies waited in each doorway, armed with rusty weapons and thin chainmail shirts. From the shadows beyond the doors, Tamer’s assistants prodded them out into the open. As soon as they were clear, the doors slammed shut.

Ponies, Twilight thought, her mind chugging to a halt. Each pair held their weapons in a trembling grip as they approached her. They were like sacrifices offered up to her. He expects me to kill ponies! She whirled and looked up at Tamer. “This wasn’t the deal!” she shouted.

“What’re you talking about?” Tamer called back. “You wanted to step into the ring, dragonslayer!”

At the last second, Twilight noticed a pony had gotten close enough to stab at her with a spear. She cleaved through the shaft with Celestial Fury. Her mage armor flashed as the splinters struck it. With practiced ease, she completed two prepared Sleep spells in rapid succession, hitting each pair with one. All four crumpled, caught in the grips of magical sleep. The crowd booed.

With her attackers out cold, Twilight looked up at her three friends in the stands. “I didn’t know!” she cried. “It was supposed to be animals!” She turned back to Tamer. “It was supposed to be animals!” she repeated.

Tamer tilted his head. “We’re all animals,” he said, just loud enough to be heard over the booing crowd.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!” The ponies in the stands chanted.

“What did you promise them!” Twilight shouted, gesturing at the sleeping ponies around her.

“Freedom, if any one of them took you down. That, or death,” Tamer said.

Slaves, Twilight thought. She turned her gaze up to the stands. Jeering faces looked back, surrounding her. These ponies were here to watch her kill slaves. Monsters.

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“Stop!” Twilight roared. Power surged on the tip of her horn as she brought a Fireball spell to completion. She picked a face, any face but her friends’.

Fight!

Author's Note:

Editors:
Nightmare Prose
Amacita