Author's Notes:

Writing this took me waaaaaay too long. But I enjoyed writing it.

Also be warned that I may have made a few writing mistakes, I was tired in writing the last of this and just wanted to get it out. I'll edit them out in the future.

The streets were alive with music and life. Just as Celestia’s sun had begun to set, street lamps were lit up and street performers had set up in the occasional section of concrete to display their talent. Many of the performers had taken up an instrument and each one we passed was just as unique as the last. A griffin with a classic guitar strummed his instrument with his talons and produced an easy listening song that had me enthralled to its rhythm. More musicians like the griffin guitarist worked in tandem with dancers who exposed me first to what griffin dancing actually looked like. It mostly took place in the air, and the bodies of the griffin dancers were in tune with the music as they flew through the air in wondrous patterns. Yet there was a sort of harshness to them in some of their movements, like they were people who shouldn’t be underestimated. The dancers only touched the ground to bow at the end of a song and were immediately in the air again when another song had begun.

A Saddle Arabian mare nearly as tall as Celestia sat on a floating carpet as she performed magic tricks for a crowd. However with my connection to the Force I realized there was no actual magic involved in her tricks and it was actually a display of sleight of hoof and illusion. It was all very impressive in my opinion, and I think the crowd was more fascinated with how the tricks were being performed without the use of actual magic.

Acrobats, comedians, jugglers, and more filled the streets as Thistle guided us all through the island city. It was a slow pace cause each time our group came across another street entertainer Katy and I had to stop and watch for a moment or two. The prince didn’t seem to mind, in fact it seemed like he was going out of his way to get us close to every street entertainer possible. I even noticed that he left a generous amount of bits for each entertainer after we finished watching. The amount of money he was tossing left and right begged me to wonder how his suit’s pockets were containing so much money. After we passed our twentieth street entertainer, Thistle had probably just given away nearly his entire weight in gold at this point! Was that black and dark purple suit of his enchanted as well?

Thistle was a diligent tour guide and he made sure to direct our attention to every attraction that was worth attention. Especially if Thistle owned said attraction. A casino here and there, lavish hotels with individual styles that were meant to attract a certain type of crowd, and restaurants that specialized in certain varieties of food. All of it begged my attention, and I desperately wanted to see it all.

This island was like paradise. Everywhere I looked there was something new and inviting to experience.

We began to attract quite a crowd as well. People of all kinds of races gawked at us as we passed and those who had cameras were fast on the draw. Griffins were especially drawn to me as their gazes were filled with awe and curiosity. It seemed like they all wanted to crowd around me and my sister and wanted to ask us questions non-stop. But they didn’t, instead they all kept a respectful distance as we passed and I began to realize that it was the royalty in our group that prevented them from swarming us. Griffins would bow their heads respectively to Falca and Thistle as we passed them and the royal Hiallan siblings would nod their heads occasionally as well in response to their subjects.

Then I noticed that some of the griffins would bow to me as soon as they were done bowing to the royal siblings. I… didn’t know exactly what to think about that, but I definitely felt honored. I also felt embarrassed and undeserving of their submissive gestures but didn’t know if it would be considered rude to tell them to stop. Seeing people bow to me was so surreal.

And if I was being honest with myself, I found it to be a little intoxicating.

We eventually passed what seemed to be a police station with the acronym IGPD inscribed onto a board on top of the station. The griffin officers walking in and out of the building wore a black and blue leather type of barding with hand sized (or in this case paw sized) crossbows attached to leather belts at their waists. Some officers took flight to other parts of the city while some officers returned with tipsy island patrons that looked like they needed to sleep the night off in a cell.

There was a billboard set in front of the station with a host of wanted posters plastered all over every conceivable space. Each poster offered a reward for the opportunistic bounty hunter who could bring in what were obviously very dangerous individuals. However, a majority of the posters had an X crossed over their pictures, symbolizing that they had already been caught.

One bounty poster stood out amongst them all at the very center of the billboard. The strangest thing about the wanted poster wasn’t that it was the largest of the posters or that it had a reward amount that dwarfed every other poster combined. It was the fact that there was no portrait portraying the criminal. Instead there was only a shaded silhouette of a griffin with a question mark pasted in front of it. The description on the bottom half of the poster read…

This monstrous harpy has haunted Hiallan waters for generations. It is unclear whether she has found a way to make herself immortal, or if she is simply a successor to a long line of pirate queens. What is known is that she is and always has been a griffin female and has led many a successful raid against every kind of ship in both the air and sea. She has lead the largest pirate organization in our world’s history and the herald of her raids has always begun with a thick fog followed by an attack by her sizable fleet. BEWARE, for her pirate fleet is not even the greatest of her assets. She also maintains control over a massive sea beast known only as the Leviathan.

NOTE: She is to be captured ALIVE at all costs by order of King Grinnail. Due to her countless crimes against House Hialla and several other governments, the only rightful punishment for a criminal like her is to be another block on the line for all to see. Death is too merciful of a punishment.

BOUNTY HUNTERS: For more details, please consult the local police chief.

There was that phrase again, “Another block on the line.” It was obviously a punishment of some sort, something griffins considered even worse than death apparently. I made a note to ask Falca what the phrase actually means when we found ourselves in a more private and quiet setting. I didn’t want to risk ruining our group’s merry mood by bringing up the sensitive subject of criminal justice.

As I gazed upon the wanted poster for a few seconds longer, I suddenly remembered the day when I was brought to the Hiallan castle and Falca was being treated for her wounds after her battle with the Aper Major. When her older sister Takada barged into the infirmary room and the two sisters had their heated argument.

“Is the throne really worth that much to you? You would willingly go and do a suicide mission just to prove yourself!?” Takada fired back.

“It’s apparently worth more to me than all of us, since I’ve actually learned how to govern our people while you still spend your time in the military chasing pirates.”

I remembered Falca shouting those words at Takada and I curiously wondered if it was actually this Pirate Queen that Takada was hunting.

After about an hour of walking and tourism we arrived at our destination. The center piece and core attraction of the Isle of Gaiety. The Titan Arena in all its glory and sheer size.

I thought it was big from just a distance but now that I was standing before it I couldn’t believe how it could be this huge! The statues of arena gladiators that were barely discernable a couple miles away were now as tall as three story buildings as they stood proudly within the arches of the arena’s axes. Then there was the cheers and applause that emanated from within and I could swear that I felt the very ground quake.

Hundreds of griffins filed through ground entrances or flew into the arena on upper terraces. Thistle lead us through one of the ground entrances and made sure to politely thank the line of griffins who stepped aside to allow us through. Once we were inside we skipped past a ticket booth and found ourselves in an entrance hall of some sort. Arena patrons ambled across the hall or engaged in dialogue at tables with dinks. Vendor stores carved into the white marble walls served drinks and food through teller windows and the distinct smell that was in the air told me that they were mostly serving alcohol.

A main stairway at the center of the room led to a large and lavish doorway where the cheers of a crowd told me that the main attraction was thorough there. We were beginning to walk up the stairs when the door opened and a griffin dragged another griffin out with him by the neck. The griffin dragging the other griffin was an intimidating individual with brown and white hawk features and a striped tiger’s lower body. What made this griffin so intimidating was the forest camouflage scaled armor he wore and the plethora of weapons he carried. He carried two mini crossbows on a belt at his flanks with a full quiver next to each one along with a pouch strapped to his right hind leg. A round steel buckler with a spike protruding from its center rested on his back with what seemed to be a gladius type of sword latched within it. Across his chest was a bandolier pocketing over a dozen small spherical objects that somehow made me think of grenades. He had a strong, steely visage like King Grinnail but he had a scowl on his face that suggested he would rather be doing something else right now.

The griffin he was carrying out was rather ordinary and she had a sluggish aura about her that suggested she was drunk. She laughed loudly as she was carried out the door by the neck and only laughed harder as the intimidating griffin released her at the edge of the stairs, her back to us. Thistle stopped us at the beginning of the stairs and told us to wait as events ensued above us. Many patrons in the entrance hall halted their conversations to stare at the top of the stairs as the inebriated griffin continued to laugh obnoxiously.

“Tilla this is the third time I’ve had to come and collect you for another debt evasion. Boss Crast wants his money and he knows you have enough to pay him off right now. He’s given you three months this time and he’s done waiting. Either walk over to his office right now, or I’m dragging you there.” The intimidating griffin said giving the drunk griffin his ultimatum, his voice gruff and deep.

The drunk just laughed off his demand and she wobbled side to side as she spoke. “Oh come oooon Bane I swear I’ll pay Crast tomorrow, I want to watch the rest of Bronze Soldier’s fight against that hydra.” She tried to walk past him but the intimidating griffin now known as Bane blocked her path as she tried to pass him.

“Last chance Tilla, either walk with me to Boss Crast’s office or I drag you to him bruised and tied up.” The scowl on Bane’s beak got uglier.

“Oooh nooo, please mister bounty hunter don’t hurt me,” she said sarcastically with a hiccup. “You know what, *hic* I think you’re not as tough as everygriffin says you are. I think you’re just a lousy bounty hunter who only wears scary gear just to look tough. Get out of my way or I’ll run you over you…you…uhhhh weakling!” Tilla then started to giggle as if to congratulate herself on her choice of an insult.

Tilla tried to push Bane out of the way but Bane wasn’t moving. The griffin female took a few steps back and let out a lion like growl as she pounced the bounty hunter, talons extended. The bounty hunter simply pulled the steel buckler from behind his back and shoulder charged the pouncing griffin. Careful to not skewer her with the spike in the center of the buckler, the bounty hunter sent Tilla flying down the stairs and toward us. We scrambled to the side of the stairs as Tilla tumbled past us and landed on the ground floor, groaning and barely conscious.

Bane calmly walked down the stairs and bowed to Thistle and Falca as soon as he reached the ground level. “My deepest apologies for that display your highnesses. She was being rather difficult.” The bounty hunter reached into his pouch to bring out some rope and began to tie Tilla’s wings to her sides.

“Think nothing of it darling, I know all too well how difficult debtors can be.” Bane gave the prince a grunt in agreement as he finished the knot on Tilla’s wings and began to work on her forelegs and hind legs. Tilla groaned in protest as she was roughly hogtied but didn’t resist, likely too drunk and too weak from her fall to put up much of a fight anymore.

“What’s going to happen to her? She’s going to be okay, right?” Katy asked Bane, worried for the drunk’s well-being.

“Probably roughed her up too much with that fall, but I think she’ll just have an even worse hangover when she wakes up tomorrow. She’s lucky I hunted her down before she could risk gambling her debt money on arena matches. Don’t worry Undyne she’ll be okay.” Bane answered Katy, causing Katy to look at him bewilderedly as he used her cosplay name.

“You surprised?” Bane asked as he looked between Katy and me. “Unless you live isolated in a cave somewhere, I don’t think there is a soul alive that doesn’t know who you two are by this point. Oh, and by the way…” Bane paused in his work to reach into his pouch again and produced two small cards.

“My card my lord and lady.” Bane handed to each of us his card which had a list of ways to contact him and the hunting service he provided. A small description at the bottom read: “The best in the business.”

“I get the feeling that you two will need the services of someone like me in the future. The best hunts are usually found from people like you.” Bane returned to tying the last knot on Tilla’s forelegs and began to hoist her onto his back. “I’m getting tired of this low level crap.”

“Ummm, thank you Mr. Bane, I’ll be sure to keep you in mind if anything comes up.” I said unsure of what use Katy and I will have for a bounty hunter. I slipped the card into a small thin pouch in my belt for safekeeping.

Just out of curiosity I tried to listen to the bounty hunter’s surface thoughts. At this point, my breaches into one’s personal privacy of the mind have become a routine bad habit. Through the Force I sensed that Bane was a person with a resolute and focused train of thought. His perception often focused on minuscule details that may or may not interfere with his work and he quickly arbitrated whether they were worth time and effort to remove. Was this knot too tight to cut off blood circulation? Was Tilla intoxicated enough to warrant a trip to a doctor’s office before dropping her off at this Boss Crast’s office?

But behind all the thoughts of a person remarkably focused on his work, I sensed a layer of desire deeper within. I delved further and found a griffin who longed to hunt worthy prey again. To feel the emotional rollercoaster when a good hunt had begun, and then to feel that sense of euphoria once more when he had claimed victory over his prey.

I felt like this guy needed to meet HK-55 and exchange notes.

As Bane walked away with his bounty on his back, Thistle came up next to me and tapped my belt. “I’d keep a hold of that little card you two. He’s not exaggerating when his card says he’s the best in the business. I may not have had the need to hire him myself but many of my associates applaud his skill in the hunter’s trade and his near perfect record. But then again, that’s to be expected from someone of his background. His ancestral bloodline have produced some of the greatest hunters the world has ever seen.”

Thistle sighed to himself as if he was recalling something very sad. “It’s sad seeing someone as accomplished as him performing such pitiful hunts. He’s the last of House Callista and has slain great beasts and caught the deadliest of criminals for both House Hialla and House Ridara. If the highest paying hunts he can find on the Shattered Isles are debt collecting jobs then it’s just another sign of the very peaceful times we live in. The worst time for an experienced bounty hunter in the prime of his youth.”

Thinking of the poster I saw outside the police station just barely an hour ago, I questioned Thistle’s statement.

“Isn’t there a hundred million bit wanted poster just outside the IGPD station?”

Thistle considered my question for a moment, but it was Falca who answered.

“If you’re referring to the Pirate Queen then it’s because Bane and others like him know better than to get in another hunter’s way. The Pirate Queen is House Hialla’s prey, and it’s been that way since she reemerged nearly two decades ago. The poster is just a formality.”

“Reemerged?” I asked.

Nodding her head Falca continued in a slightly heated tone. “It was a Hiallan who slew her after so many warriors, fleet admirals, and monarchs failed to end her reign. Even Princess Celestia failed to catch her. She was a menace to governments across the world and so the whole world applauded when it was our House that put a stop to her. But since another pirate has amassed another fleet and declared herself Queen, it’s a point of pride that House Hialla take this Queen out as well. We’re sure it’s just a very successful copycat but the issue of pride is there all the same.”

“So who was the Hiallan that took out the real pirate Queen then?” Katy asked completely fascinated. I wasn’t surprised, Katy loved stories that involved pirates.

The Hiallan royal siblings puffed up their feathered chests with pride as Falca answered.

“It was our father, King Grinnail.”

We entered past the doors into the heart of the Titan Arena and I thought that my poor fishy senses were about to be overloaded. The roar of a crowd was heard more clearly through the windows of the vast room we entered and the mix of joyful laughter or howls of anger amplified the noise. Various smells of sweat, cooked food, and lemongrass incense battled for dominance in the air. Intricate artistic lamps hanging from the ceiling bathed the room in a golden light that gave me the feeling of standing outside in the sunlight. All the while, the temperature in the room was a pleasant warmth that felt good against my blue scaled hide.

Our group entered what looked to be a gambling den where dozens of people, mostly griffins, queued in lines to booths that appropriated their wealth for the chance to acquire even more wealth. The den was a white marble room like the entrance hall and there was so much space that I felt like I could build 2 of Ponyville’s cottages within its center. It was a curved rectangular room that focused more on length then it did on height and width but both dimensions were still impressive nonetheless. In front of me on the far side of the room were the gambling booths and beside them were entrances and windows that led out to the Titan Arena’s stands and main attraction. To my left and right at both ends of the room sat doorways which led to different rooms that griffins and other races would occasionally walk through.

What these other rooms contained? I had no idea, but I had a feeling we were about to find out sooner or later.

Thistle continued to explain to Jack and I details of the arena and names I knew I would probably forget an hour later. Like I did with most tours I went on. So instead, I focused on the really interesting stuff. Like the windows that gave us a view of the fighting happening inside the arena. Thistle took us close to one of these windows as we prepared to enter the room on the right side of the gambling den, and my jaw dropped at the fight ensuing below.

The arena was packed with spectators who filled its massive expanse with roars of unrestrained glee and approval. The arena pit was a large circular pit that had to be at least 200 meters in diameter with a rocky terrain filled with miniature hills, boulders, and the occasional long ground fissure that seemed to swallow light within their maws. The battle happening within the pit was being partaken by a bronze feathered griffin gladiator whose only weapons were a pair of long deadly metal claws that seemed to fit on his talons like a glove. He faced a massive 4-headed hydra who was racked with several bleeding scars along its body. 2 of the beast’s heads were dragged behind it as the hydra chased after the bronze feathered gladiator as he flew in the sky dodging the beast’s 2 remaining snapping jaws.

The bronze feathered gladiator had just dodged another of the hydra’s snapping jaws when he pirouetted in mid-air to rake his deadly metal claws along the hydra’s snout. The hydra head receiving the blow hissed violently and shook its head in shock from the blow, while it’s other remaining head continued its attack. In the blink of an eye, the bronze feathered gladiator dodged yet another snapping jaw with a graceful shift in his flight pattern and appeared right underneath the hydra head’s jaw. The bronze feathered gladiator latched himself, claws and paws, to the beast’s jaw and did something that looked like it came straight out of a movie.

The bronze feathered gladiator pushed with his hind legs and pulled with his claws as he traveled down the hydra head’s long neck. Blood, red and vibrant, spewed from the hydra’s neck as the gladiator travelled downward raking scales down with him as if they were leaves. When he reached halfway down to the hydra head’s neck the gladiator leaped off and took flight again with blood clinging to the underside of his body.

Another of the hydra’s heads had joined the others on the ground and the bronze feathered gladiator flew upwards till he was safely away from the final hydra head’s reach. He hovered in the arena with his forearms stretched outwards to his sides as if waiting to receive something and the crowd gave him their applause. Roars of delight emanated from thousands of spectators and the bronze feathered gladiator bathed in the glow of their approval.

“AND YET ANOTHER HEAD GOES DOWN, AND IN SUCH A BRUTAL FASHION. BRONZE SOLDIER, OUR SILVER CHAMPION, SHOWS US ONCE AGAIN HOW NO CREATURE BIG OR SMALL IS A MATCH FOR HIS SKILL AND HIS BATTLE CLAWS. GOOD PATRONS OF THE TITAN ARENA I DO BELIEVE THIS HYDRA IS ON HIS LAST LEG, OR SHOULD I SAY… LAST HEAD!” Cried a loud and dazzling voice from what sounded like the Titan Arena’s promoter. His voice drowned out the roars of the crowd and the crowd seemed to only get louder at the end of his words.

“Wow… that’s a lot of blood,” I whispered to myself as I watched the spectacle down below.

“Katy darling, are you going to join us?” Thistle called out as he, Jack, Vigilant, and Falca were about to head into the next room on the right.

“Coming!” I called out to them as I took one last glance back into the arena. Bronze Soldier was flying circles over the final hydra head and had just dodged a desperate snapping jaw to bring his battle claws down on the hydra’s right eye. I walked over to my group just as the Hydra’s roar of pain joined in with the clamors of the crowd.

Our group entered the next room, a restaurant of some sort, and I had to admit I was starting to have doubts about this. I really should have asked Prince Thistle what sort of fighting Jack and I would have to do. I had no problem killing a few animals or monsters. My Dad, Jack, and I used to hunt plenty of game together whether they were white-tailed bucks or cute little bunnies. Even went through the whole gory process of butchering and skinning game too. But I wondered if it would only be beasts we would be fighting here.

Were we going to fight people too? If we were, are there safety measures to make sure that no one was seriously injured or killed. Or is this going to be like ancient roman times where sick people had slaves forced into a pit just to get killed? Are Jack and I going to fight SLAVES or some shit? Damn it why didn’t I ask about this until I saw a gladiator rip a freaking hydra’s throat out? Hell, I thought everything in pony world would be PG but boy was I wrong. I thought this would be like bare knuckle boxing or something like that.

Oh well, better ask now than never.

“Hey Thistle we’re not going to be hurting anyone are we?” I asked as we entered another room, this room looked like a bar with griffin waiters and waitresses serving drinks that laid on trays on their backs. Prince Thistle looked back at me with a look that said, “Are you serious,” so I elaborated quickly as I realized how dumb my question was when I remembered where we were.

“I mean, what kind of fighting are Jack and I going to do? Like are we going to fight people to the death or something?”

Realization dawned on the prince and he gave me another of his smiles as he answered my question.

“Do not worry darling. No intelligent living being has died here for over 3 centuries. We stopped having gladiators fight to the death once we realized that having less people die actually helped us keep a consistent amount of employees. It even increased our audience size when the more timid races realized they wouldn’t have to watch one of their own die if some brave soul wanted to test themselves against a griffin’s talons.”

The crowd got louder and the promoter announced how Bronze Soldier had finally finished the Hydra off.

“However we didn’t deprive the Arena entirely from taste of blood. We breed beasts and capture demons who occasionally escape Tartarus so they can satisfy our more bloodthirsty patrons. Although we only ever use beasts on Silver matches with the more experienced gladiators.

Before I could even ask my question on what the heck Silver matches were, Thistle anticipated the question and answered first.

“The Arena is divided into four divisions for gladiators to compete in: Qualifiers, Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each division has different numbers of rounds, depending on the skills of the gladiator. For each fight won, the gladiator receives a certain amount of prize money, and it will increase the further the gladiator progress. You can also receive special benefits like housing in the Arena itself, unlimited access to free food and drink, and all sorts of wonderful little pleasures.”

“In the Qualifiers we have the abundant rabble who come in to seek out some glory or try finish a dispute with a legal fight. The Bronze division houses capable fighters who fight the most out of all the gladiators and deliver most of the arena’s entertainment. Qualifier and Bronze matches are usually scheduled between Monday and Thursday.

“In the Silver division we have seasoned warriors who are pitted against themselves, various difficult challenges, and of course blood thirsty beasts as you saw just now. If a gladiator reaches the Silver division many will start to pay more attention to them and glory is almost always assured. Silver matches are scheduled between Friday and Saturday.”

“The Gold division only has matches on Sundays, but that is because gladiators in this division are few and are considered the most esteemed of warriors. Each is a master of their own fighting style and will certainly provide a challenge to even the most gifted of warriors.”

“Each division has a champion with Grand Champion at the top for the Gold division.” Thistle finished as he described the Titan Arena’s hierarchy.

“So what do you do as Keeper of the Titan Arena?” Jack asked as we entered yet another room, this time another gambling den.

‘Where exactly are we going?’ I asked myself.

“As Keeper it is my job to oversee match schedules, handle the profits from the gambling, keep Arena patrons fed with good food and drink, and occasionally seek out sexy new talent for the Arena to keep things interesting. Like you two for instance,” Thistle said with a giggle.

Yeah I get it, it is his job to attract customers to his business and to keep them wanting to come back. Actually, this wasn’t the first time I had someone like Thistle trying to get me to fight for a business like this.

Back when I was human and in my junior year at college some talent seeker came up to me and wanted me to fight in the sport that was ‘foxy boxing.’ I was a track star in high school and kept fit in college by joining a boxing club that trained its members and taught them how to defend themselves. I was good at boxing, not great or a savant in any way, just good enough to put up a decent fight. Also, considering the trail of lovers I left behind, I was proud to admit I was pretty damn hot. I was young, sexy, and knew how to fight so this was exactly what the talent seeker was looking for in his rather erotic sport.

The guy REALLY wanted me to join and I had to admit I was pretty tempted. The pay was real good and I needed the money. College bills were expensive and I felt bad that Mom and Dad were paying for most of it, including my brother’s. I didn’t mind punching someone’s lights out and I honestly didn’t care if some horny assholes stared at my tits as I fought in what were obviously going to be skimpy clothes. I also liked the idea that I could save up on some money before I went off to join the Air Force after I got my bachelor's degree from college. But in the end I declined the offer just for the very same reason that I wanted to join the Air Force and wanted to be a pilot in general. Boxing, foxy or otherwise, risked the chance of me getting long lasting injuries. I wanted complete healthy control over my nervous system and getting punched in the head repeatedly risked that.

So I declined the talent seeker’s offer and just stuck to boxing practice in the club. He didn’t take my answer too well and kept calling me afterwards, insisting that his job offer was a good idea. He even said he would up my pay but I still said no probably over a dozen times. No matter how many adult conversations I had with him he still would not listen.

The grease ball even tracked me down to my dorm room in college and left me letters with more offers. That was the final straw and before I called the cops and got a restraining order like any other good respectable citizen. I tracked HIM down to his place and told him no one last time with a good punch to the diaphragm and a punch to the always easily breakable nose.

In hindsight, attacking the grease ball probably wasn’t a good idea since he could’ve charged me with assault but I think I scared him too well. Or maybe there was some other reason the guy didn’t press charges. Either way, I never saw him again.

When I considered Prince Thistle and compared him to that grease ball I didn’t really feel that they were alike in any way. Thistle was obviously a lustful little beast if those bedroom eyes he was throwing me were any indication. I just knew he was imaging what Jack and I were like naked. But I had the feeling if I were to decline any of Thistle’s offers, the prince would actually listen to my reasons and respect my decision. I also had the feeling that the prince was the type of person who would always use his power and position to satisfy his desires and pleasures, but would never use his power to abuse others for his pleasure. I could be wrong though, I only just met the prince today.

Three more marble rooms later Thistle stopped us at a set of oak sliding doors that appeared to finally be our destination. Griffin guards on both sides of the door bowed their heads to us and each grasped a handle to open the door for us. As we walked through the doors I took my time examining the room and its occupants. The walls were a white marble like the rest of the coliseum but they were covered with beautiful glass mosaics that depicted great griffin warriors doing battle with each other. The light reflecting off the mosaics were emitted from a grand crystal chandelier that by itself seemed to be worth more than 10 times my total life savings back on earth. Two more oak doors led to different parts of the arena with one on the wall leading towards the arena’s center and another directly opposite of us with more guards at its sides.

The occupants of the room, a couple dozen or so intimidating individuals who obviously had to be arena gladiators, all stopped what they were doing to stare at us. Griffins dominated the room in intimidating sets of armor with weapons of all kinds sitting in belts at their hips. A lone smiling zebra was sharpening a small blade the size of my hand with a whetstone and her smile widened when she noticed us. Surprisingly, there was even a group of ponies among the crowd. The three of them were mares with the same pure white fur coat and each of them came from a different tribe of ponykind. The unicorn had a purple mane like Rarity’s however the mane’s length was unnaturally long and would have been touching the ground had it not been for the magic keeping it afloat in the air like Princess Celestia’s and Luna’s. The pegasus’s had a short cropped yellow mane with a long pale scar traveling horizontally across her muzzle. The earth pony was as large as Big Macintosh with a feathered mane as equally as red as his fur coat.

A group of 4 minotaurs sat together at a table in a corner with the tallest of them gazing intensely at me and Jack. They all stared at us, but not as intently as this guy. It was like he was sizing me up and judging what I was worth. His stare was unsettling I’ll admit but I made sure to show no weakness by keeping my back straight and my gaze didn’t falter when I stared right back at him. He chuckled when I returned his gaze and he broke our staring contest to go back to his conversation with his fellow minotaurs.

“Ahhh, good evening darlings!” Thistle said jubilantly as he strutted into the center of the room with the Twin Serpents at his back. “I have brought new talent to the arena, and I hope you all are ready to receive the fight of your lives. Aliens from outer space go up against the best warriors Eques has to offer. Ohhhh this is going to be splendid!”

Thistle turned his head back and forth as if he was searching for someone but wasn’t finding them. “Where is Guile? The last match ended a minute ago did it not?”

One of the gladiators gave off a hearty laugh before answering the prince.

“Hahaha, I think he had to see about getting all that gore out of the arena stage before coming back up here. Bronze Soldier sure left a mess out of that Hydra in the last fight. We keep telling him he shouldn’t play with his food but… you know how he is your highness.”

“Only too well. I swear if the lout wasn’t so good at what he does I would have thrown him out of this arena ages ago.” Thistle replied in a dry tone. Just as he finished his sentence the oak door opposite of us opened up and Bronze Soldier came swaggering into the room. His armor was gone and only his metal claws remained on him after his bout in the arena. He was completely soaked and all evidence of the Hydra’s blood were gone on his bronze colored feathers.

If pride was a smell, Bronze Soldier simply reeked of the stuff. The way he walked into the room and how he didn’t seem to care that he was getting water everywhere painted him as nothing but an arrogant ass. But I couldn’t judge the guy too harshly, if I had just beat a giant 4 headed lizard single-handedly I’d be letting the whole world know how badass I was too.

“Bronze Soldier, congratulations on your last fight. You were simply marvelous darling,” Thistle’s eyes traveled down to the floor where small puddles of water were beginning to trail from the gladiator. The prince’s smile tightened on his beak. “Oh darling did you forget where the towels were in the showers? You should really dry yourself off before getting water all over my floor.”

Bronze Soldier clearly wasn’t expecting us and Prince Thistle to be here before he arrived. His arrogant demeanor dimmed and he bowed low to the prince before he explained himself.

“So sorry your highness I’m still pretty riled up after that last fight and I must have forgot. I’ll ask for a towel at the bar before I have my supper.” His voice was deep and cracked, as if his vocal cords had once gone through a garbage disposal before he used them.

“Please see that you do,” Thistle’s tone was still its bright and bubbly self but I could tell that he was less than pleased.

Bronze Soldier made his way to the door where we came from and he paused as he was just about to pass us. His eyes traveled up and down Jack’s person, examining him, and Jack himself coughed into his fist to bring the griffin’s attention to his face.

“Excuse me, can I help you with something,” Jack said putting on a friendly smile. Bronze Soldier matched my brother’s smile with one of his own, but the griffin’s didn’t seem sincere at all.

“Just wanting to see what all the fuss is about. It’s not every day you get to meet a Warden in person.” His smile was gone now, replaced with a sneer. “You stole my title by the way, the Aper Major was supposed to be my kill.”

Jack kept up his smile despite the gladiator’s obvious attitude towards him.

“Well I’m sorry to hear that but the Aper Major fell to my saber and it was the king who offered me the title. I did not ‘steal’ the title of Warden from anyone.”

“Ooohhh please,” the bronze gladiator scoffed. “The Warden of the Shattered Isles is a mantle that has been held by griffins and only griffins for over a millennia. You stole the honor of killing that beast from a true griffin of the Shattered Isles. If anyone deserves the honor of being King Grinnail’s right talon it should be me, not some wingless ugly red giant.”

“Well, as I said, I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe I’ll show you that I’m deserving of the title when I fight in the arena tonight.” Jack replied being as diplomatic as ever. Come on Jack, he’s trash talking you so trash talk right back at him.

“I won’t hold my breath. Maybe if you go a couple rounds and actually get to Bronze I may give you some consideration. But who am I kidding, that face of yours probably couldn’t even take a punch from a breezie.”

Jack just continued to smile and shrugged his shoulders. OK that is it, if Jack isn’t gonna put this punk in his place then I’ll just have to do it for him.

“Can you move this along please?” I said interrupting the conversation while pinching my nose between my fingers as if ward off a bad smell. “Brass Soldier over here smells like a wet dog, and I thought griffins were supposed to be part feline.”

Bronze Soldier’s cocky behavior cracked a little as I called him by a much weaker alloy of metal. But he was quick to recover, he turned his attention to me and raised an eyebrow as if to wonder how I was there.

“Excuse me Warden, but I think a fish escaped the kitchens before it was properly cooked. Food shouldn’t be talking, it should be in my belly.”

‘Oh you are good.’

“I ain’t food chump. But if you’re hungry I can doll you up and take you out to town for dinner.”

Bronze soldier took to the air and got right in my face. I didn’t flinch.

“You’re gonna have to try a lot harder than that. I’m the best around, and I won’t be out-taunted by some inbred fish with legs!”

I took a moment to consider my retort then my eye caught sight of the zebra, still sharpening her blade with her whetstone. Thinking of Zecora, I decided to add a little rhyming in my words.

“HA, you call that taunting? I’ve heard kitten’s retch things more profound. Do you realize how pathetic and stupid you sound?”

“Well now aren’t you clever. How’s this one then, you’re a spastic, bile-filled clitsplitter.”

“I think you’re confused, that sounds more like your sister. I may have fish lips, but even I wouldn’t kiss her.”

He pressed his beak to my nose and our eyes never wavered from each other.

“You aren’t worthy to kiss my sister’s tail, let alone her beak. You mange-ridden freak of nature! Can you even see me right with that one eye?”

‘I’ve got you now.’ I pressed my nose a little harder into his beak, forcing him to back up in the air.

“You should’ve quit before we began. Cause I’m gonna make you wish you’d turn tail and ran.”

“Why you… uh, piece of…. Gahhh!” Bronze Soldier floated back onto the ground shaking his head. “Okay I’ve got to admit, you know how to roast with the best of them. You win.”

Bronze Soldier twisted his head to yell to the zebra across the room. “Hey Poison! I think this one can challenge even you at your own game.” The zebra gave off a loud laugh at the griffin’s assertion but returned her focus to sharpening her blade.

Bronze Soldier turned back to me and took off his metal claws to shake my hand with his talons. I laughed and took up his offer.

“Intelligence and wit count as much as strength and power in this arena. I think you’ll do just fine. As for you,” after breaking off from the handshake, Solider turned his attention to my brother. “Prove to the people that you’re worth putting their protection in your talons. The title of Warden means something to a lot of people on these isles.”

Bronze Soldier left through the oak doors and Prince Thistle came up to me with a round of applause.

“Well done, well done I say. You’ve just earned Bronze Soldier’s respect! No easy feat mind you.”

I felt a tugging on my pant leg and saw that Vigilant Star was trying to get my attention. He looked relieved and I just noticed that his horn was glowing briefly.

“For a minute there I thought you two were going to hit each other. I was getting a spell ready just in case something happened.”

“Yeah we were just giving each other crap. A lot of fighters do it all the time to get a feel for their competition. Also it’s a good way to stir up drama to get an audience’s attention. Glad you’re looking out for me though Vigilant.” I said as I reached down to pat his shoulder.

“Of course, I’m always on alert. It’s my job.”

“Hahaha right! You are Vigilant Star, you’re always ‘vigilant’.” I chuckled a little to see if he would get my mediocre joke but he just looked at me strangely.

Luckily before the atmosphere could get awkward another griffin walked through the same doorway Bronze Soldier came from and WOW he was a sight to look at. The bird part of him resembled a white feathered sulfur-crested cockatoo with so many colorful jewels and necklaces adorning his feathers that I would say he outshined Thistle in flamboyancy. His feline portion was a white tigers’ with stripes that would normally be black were instead a flashy artificial golden color that complimented his crest and the gold in his jewels. If I could pick one griffin in the world who I could definitely say was trying way too hard, it would be this guy.

He ran into the room a little out of breath and as I examined him a little more I could tell he was a little chunky compared to other griffins. After a few deep breaths he walked up to Thistle with a smile and promptly hugged the prince as soon as they got close to each other. They both kissed each other on both sides of their beaks as Thistle did back on the hotel roof and Thistle laughed after finishing their greeting.

“My darling Guile you are as fashionably late as ever. But whatever shall you do when you must work with a tiresome mistress like the Titan Arena?” Thistle asked while still embracing the other griffin. Guile gave off a hearty laugh at Thistle’s question before he replied.

“I do what I can your highness but I can’t complain when I actually enjoy the work. Besides business is booming today in the arena. We’ve already reached double the desired quota of the day and more and more people keep coming in as the night drags on. So, what brings you to the Blood Room tonight?”

Thistle threw a forearm around Guile shoulders and shepherded him towards us with the Twins at their sides. The white griffin seemed to just realize that we were in the room and he promptly gaped when he stared at me and Jack.

“Guile this our crimson Warden of the Shattered and Isles Jack Krieger and his beautiful cerulean sister Katy Krieger. Along with them is Vigilant Star of Equestria and of course you already know my lovely sister Princess Falca.”

“Of course! How could I not know of the Lady of my home island,” Guile bowed low to Falca and smiled brightly as he rose back up. “It is an honor as always my lady.”

“You are too kind as always Guile,” Falca said with a slight bow of her head as she did with all of her subjects.

“Jack, Katy, Vigilant this is Guile, the Titan Arena’s promoter. He arranges the fights and provides commentary during the fights themselves.”

‘Ahh so that is who he is,’ I thought to myself just as I recognized Guile’s voice from earlier.

“Jack and Katy are here to participate in the arena tonight.” Thistle said loud enough so only those in our group and Guile could hear. Guile’s eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Jack and I then back at Thistle.

“But… But tonight is a Silver night. I’ll grant you that they may be warriors far more deserving of Silver or even Gold matches, but they still need to fight in in Qualifiers and Bronze first.”

“That is why we are shaking things up a little tonight. For tonight we are having a Hialla’s Royale.”

Guile’s eyes somehow widened even further.

“Your highness that would disrupt all of tonight’s main events! Patrons have already placed their bets on the upcoming matches and I don’t know if we have enough qualifier gladiators ready for such a fight!”

“Then refund our patrons their money and tell all the Qualifier gladiators that they’ll have a chance to go at the Warden himself. That’ll get them ready to go in a flash. But if you still can’t find enough just get some Bronze gladiators to join in.” Thistle said trying to alleviate Guile’s apprehension, but it looked like it wasn’t having that much of an effect. “Don’t worry darling this is going to bring nothing but good fortune to the arena. Audiences loves surprises, especially when they are a good one.”

Guile still looked concerned but he started to count his talons to contemplate the matter.

“Ummm, what exactly is a Hialla’s Royale?” Jack asked while rubbing his chin.

Thistle’s ever-present smile turned to Jack and I noticed an excited gleam in the prince’s eyes.

“The Hialla’s Royale is a battle for glory in a survival of the fittest. We have one every three months and it’s simple in its own way, one hundred individuals in teams or by themselves have to battle each other in the arena until only one person or team is left standing. All of the combatants are Qualifier gladiators and they must fight each other with nothing but their own skills, magic, or tools that nature has gifted them with. You or your team have no armor and no weapons, just you and ONLY you.” Thistle sighed and puffed up his chest in pride as he paused in his explanation.

“The Royale is to commemorate one of our ancestor Hialla’s greatest triumphs in the arena when he battled a horde of gladiators from multiple species with nothing but his own talons and his three honor guards. Hialla challenged griffins from all the old Houses and nations abroad to send warriors to his arena to prove who was the strongest when it came to martial skill and tactics. It was a hard fought victory for our ancestor and his guard, but in the end he won and glory was his. That is also one of the rewards the gladiators shall receive if they are the ones last standing. Glory… glory, and a winner’s purse as fat as a full grown dragon’s head.”

“The winners also get to skip the Bronze division gladiators and have a go at the Bronze champion whenever they want. It is by far the fastest way to climb up the ranks in the arena.”

Jack and I looked at each other after Thistle finished his explanation, and Jack looked a little cautious.

“Personally I’m all for this. I think this can be a great way to show off what I can do to the Shattered Isles. Although I may have to leave out my lightsaber I’m sure I can manage. What do you think Katy?” Jack asked.

Honestly I didn’t think we would be starting off with something this big. Sure I knew how to use my fists and Vigilant and I have been practicing what I can do with my magic for over a week, but I still felt that this could be too much for a newbie like me.

But Thistle did say we could be in teams however.

I looked my brother over and wondered if we could pull out of this as a team. Jack looked like he could crush a watermelon between his biceps, and his power over the Force was pretty impressive when he made everything levitate inside Twilight’s library. Maybe this whole Royale would be a walk in the park? I was also pretty strong, I could lift bales of hay like they were nothing and I remembered all the feats of strength I displayed when I was running from the guards at Canterlot. I also wasn’t lacking in the magical department either. I could summon dozens of spear projectiles at a whim and hardly felt any fatigue when I used them. I may just be an amateur fighter unlike the real Undyne, but I still had her brute strength and all her power.

I also had plenty of determination to back it all up.

“Yeah, I think we’ll do just fine. Besides I think this will be pretty fun win or lose.” I said answering my brother.

“Excellent!” Thistle said excitedly as we said we would go along with this Royale. “Then we need to prepare. Guile get everything ready and find as many gladiators as you can. Jack, Katy we need to prep you both for the battle. Come with me, we are going to the Pens.”