Pain and confusion were not unknown to Twilight Sparkle, as years spent defending Equestria from all manner of threats had made her familiar with both sensations. This was different however, as this time she had no idea where she was, no idea how she got there, and worse yet, she felt as though someone had recently been digging around in her mind. The lingering presence of another being in her thoughts was as uncomfortable as it was terrifying. Partially due to the fact that the entity that invaded her must have been quite powerful in order to affect the mind of an alicorn.

Her earth pony resilience was already beginning to kick in though, and feeling was slowly filling her body once more. The first thing that returned to her was touch, as up until then struggled to even perceive her own body. A turn of events she would come to regret as the pain increased tenfold, and she became acutely familiar with the sensation of cold iron wrapping about her neck, wrists and ankles.

She was also vaguely aware of the fact that she was upright, hanging from her shackles in a standing position. A hot wind blew on her shoulder and with it carried the scent of cinder, and sulfur, an unpleasant aroma that set the woman on edge. Before she even opened her eyes she reached for her magic, hoping to catch her captors off guard with a quickly cast spell.

That plan was quickly tossed aside when the binding of her neck began to heat up, singing her flesh and making her attention falter.

“Ahh and so it has awoken at last,” spoke a strange, reverberating alien voice from somewhere nearby.

Opening her eyes, Twilight found herself in the center of a cage that was only just large enough to contain her. Rusted iron bars were all that stood between her and a trio of imposing humanoid figures who stood upon small raised platforms upon which a strange rune flickered occasionally. Though their appearance varied somewhat, all three figures had several things in common, namely the tall staves they held and the long robes they wore.

To the left stood a man who wore an odd helmet that covered his eyes, replacing them with a dozen red dots and appeared more ornamental then defensive. His shirt, if it could be called that, appeared to be a mix of strange blood red leather, black metal, and what looked like bone. His waist and legs were covered by a similarly styled peice of clothing which hid the man’s lower extremities from view.

In his hands was a stave that was taller then he was, and ended with a similar half circle decoration that also adorned his helmet. Though tall, he and the other men were sickly, ancient, and pale, their skin stretched over their withered bodies like aged parchment. Their teeth were yellow and pointed as were their unnaturally long nails. While the other men eyed her curiously, the helmet one one peered at Twilight intently, as if she were little more than a creature under a microscope.

In the center stood a crowned man who shared an overall sense of style like the others, though he had a distinct air of arrogance about himself. He too was thin and pale, though his clothing appeared to be at least slightly less decorative, and covered more of his body in defensive plates. His staff was as tall as the others, and was bent into an almost crescent moon shape, and a pair of blood red eyes peered intently at the alicorn.

The disturbing nature of the man’s eyes made Twilight pause for a moment, her hooves twitching in place, as if trying to get her to move from their sight. Tearing her eyes from theirs, Twilight turned to her right, where the final man stood, his glare was piercing and his distaste, palpable. His staff was a sickly greenish brown color, and atop it were a pair of horns that nearly met in the middle. He also wore a silver circlet upon his head, though the peice of jewelry looked unfitting for a creature that exuded such wanton malice.

“Where am I?” Twilight asked hesitantly.

“Why don't you look around and tell us, preserver,” taunted the center most man.

Confused, Twilight did just that, glancing around the large room with quiet trepidation. Torches burned with an almost cursed red light, bathing the large room in an eerie glow, but otherwise allowing Twilight to see all the horrifying splendor that the room held. Great demonic statues stood sentinel beside the wide flights of stairs that connected the room she found herself in from the enormous hallways which lay just beyond.

Though the top of Twilight’s cage stopped her from seeing the ceiling, she could tell that it stretched for many stories above her head. All while the walls were lined with skulls, blackened gears, or sharp, jagged lines which stretched from floor to ceiling. The sight was intimidating, and exuded an aura of what could only be described as contempt, as if the very walls looked down upon the alicorn.

Who shivered not due to the temperature but rather the intense atmosphere, and fear which slowly built inside of her. She hardly even noticed that her regalia had been damaged at some point, and her dress was torn, marred by blood both her own and otherwise. Searching back through her memories she found herself baffled, as there was absolutely nothing in them to tell her why she was here. Whatever presence that had broken into her mind had evidently robbed her of any context she may have been able to use for this strange meeting.

“Who are you people and what do you want with me? I am a princess of Equestria and I demand answers,” Twilight stated firmly, her eyes flicking from one man to the other.

“You are in no position to demand much of anything now are you, princess?” spat the center most man.

“But I suppose you have earned that much,” added the man to the right who’s crooked grin set Twilight’s nerves on edge.

“I agree,” added the man on the left, who shifted slightly to fully face the alicorn. “You have broken the covenant between your people and the Khan Makyr. As such, your very soul is forfeit.”

“The Khan Makyr herself has given you to us in order to break you, and mold from your broken spirit a weapon mighty enough to stop even the slayer himself,” claimed the man to the right, the reverence in his voice made Twilight realize that this Khan Makyr was most likely the entity that had recently invaded her mind.

“Khan Makyr? Covenant? What are you talking about? I wasn't aware of Equestria having an agreement with any humans,” retorted Twilight.

“Human? Ha!” shouted the centermost man. “We are not such lowly creatures.”

“We are pure born sons of Argent D'Nur, not some lowly earth born ape,” spat the circlet clad man.

“You should rejoice, the mother god has given you a chance to repent and strike down the foe you have delivered to our doorstep,” exclaimed the helmeted man.

“What are you talking about, I haven't done anything of the sort,” Twilight stated firmly.

“This traitorous filth is beginning to annoy me with her endless pratling. Someone muzzle it,” demanded the crowned man.

“With pleasure,” added the circlet adorned man, and with a wave of his hand, the band about Twilight’s neck began to tighten.

A crushing weight settled over Twilight’s windpipe, and she found herself unable to utter so much as a peep. Worse yet, just breathing was now difficult, and she wheezed, tring to clutch at her neck, though her chains kept her from even reaching that far. Beyond her, the three men turned to one another, seemingly blind to the alicorn’s struggling, paying the gasping woman no mind.

“I have craved this moment for centuries and to think it would come on the eve of earth’s destruction. Truly, we are blessed,” declared the helmeted man.

The center most man shifted uneasily, leaning heavily on his staff. “I would restrain your enthusiasm, the Khan Makyr sees all, and knows well of this one’s lineage.”

“Ignore him. The Khan Makyr sent her to us as a gift, and with a purpose. We are to forge this wretched creature into a weapon capable of killing the destroyer. Do not forget that,” retorted the silver circlet clad man, who thumped his staff against the circle he stood upon in emphasis.

“I understand your worry, but it is ultimately misguided,” added the helmeted male, who gestured towards the still choking Twilight with his staff. “This creature, though angelic in appearance, has long since lost all ability to claim any sort of divinity.”

“So I assume it will be you who forges it anew then?” asked the center man critically.

“Of course. My doom hunter program is already nearing completion, allowing me time to oversee this newest experiment personally,” declared the red robed man.

“Truly, this one’s power and abilities will make her a formidable foe of the slayer, if you can control her,” mentioned the rightmost man.

Twilight’s vision began to darken, and as her lungs began to scream in agony she heard a new voice, this one deep, rumbling and filled with unbridled rage which welled up from inside of her.

“Rip and tear. Until it is done,” it exclaimed, the voice echoing from everywhere, and nowhere at the same time.

Strength filled the alicorn’s limbs and her eyes narrowed to slits as she tugged hard at the chains that bound her arms. Iron strained, and whined as it was pulled far past what it had been designed to resist. Then, a snap, and her right arm was freed, allowing her to grip the left with both hands and pull, causing it to snap as well. Her lungs still screamed, and the metal still bit tight into her neck, but it was nothing compared to the anger that coursed and burned through her veins.

“How is this possible, its magic should be subdued!” shouted one of the men.

“It is,” stated another. “It shouldn't be capable of such strength.”

Twilight ignored them, and gripped tight the circle of metal which bound her neck tightly. Muscles bulged, and her fingers dug deep into the cold metal collar which held her magic at bay. Though harder than the chains which had held her arms, the collar was already beginning to bend, and Twilight knew it wouldn't be long until it broke.

Then all she had to do was tear open this cage, and rip these foul men apart with her bare hands if necessary. A part of the alicorn qualed at such anger, but the rage was too strong, pushing past her empathy, and giving her the strength to resist. Metal groaned, and the tightness around her neck began to dissipate, allowing her to take a full lungful of air.

“Do something!” Yelled one of the priests.

“Clearly it has learned much from its time with the slayer. We should wait, and see what else it is capable of,” offered another.

“This has gone on long enough brother. There will be time for your experiments later,” stated the final priest.

Twilight felt as though she were only seconds away from being free and all that was left to do was to pull one final time and- a sudden blast hit her in the sternum, knocking the wind back out of her. Collapsing into a heap, the alicorn heaved, desperate to fill her lungs with oxygen, only to be deprived of the life giving gas. Even still, her hatred continued to fuel her, urging her to rise once more, to strike down her captors, and rend them limb from bloody limb.

A second blast, followed by something stinging her shoulder made the anger suddenly fall away, leaving room only for panic and confusion. A moment later and Twilight fell lifeless upon the ground, unable to even register as her chin bounced off the cold metal ground. A cultist stepped away from the cage, depositing the used needle into one of his many robes before leaving.

“A pity. I had hoped to see it were capable of destroying the brand all by itself,” muttered the helmeted man.

“You will have time for that later, even now the slayer seeks to stop our holy work. We cannot afford to falter in our sacred duty,” stated the right most male.

“Indeed. We should see to rebuilding this one immediately,” added the center man.

“Do not worry my brothers. I have something fitting in mind, trust me,” stated the final man.

Author's Notes:

This is a request fic, which receives updates whenever someone submits a request for me to do so on a request thread on my patreon.