Twilight groaned, the alicorn struggling to come to grips with what had just happened to her. The woman’s memories were of little help, as the last one she could recall with any amount of confidence was just a normal day. Since then she had apparently made enemies of a terrifying cabal of cruel men, but not before helping their enemy somehow.

More confusing than even all that was the strange voice she had heard echo in her mind right before she felt a burst of rage. The words themselves felt familiar, and spoken in what felt like her own voice, only altered somehow, as if it was no longer quite her own. Pushing aside that strange realization, Twilight felt her senses slowly return once more, whatever drug they had used on her having begun to wear off.

Struggling in the darkness, Twilight reached up and wiped the gunk from her eyes, or at least tried to as her fingers were numb. Accidentally poking herself in the process, the alicorn grumbled bitterly before giving her hands a shake. When sensation returned completely, the alicorn cleared her gaze of the dirt which had clogged it before looking around.

Her cell was small, cramped, and had been shoved between a metal wall and several large steel crates of some kind. The closest one carried various warning markers, and smelled faintly of rot as well as congealed blood. Tearing her gaze from her packed surroundings, Twilight kneeled down and peered out the window.

Just outside the reinforced glass was a barren wasteland of ice, snow and strange distant structures which rapidly whizzed past her. Clearing her ears, Twilight tried to listen for the tell tale clack of a train, only to be surprised to find that it was almost completely silent. Her experience said this was likely a steam engine of some kind yet other than the rattling of the odd crate, she heard nothing.

Tugging at the bars that bound her cage, Twilight was disappointed to find that she was too weak to make them budge. Not only that but the same burst of rage she had felt before did not return, leaving the alicorn helpless. Trying to summon her magic, Twilight found that the energy immediately began to sputter, her still half numb body unable to muster much of the stuff.

Grumbling, Twilight sat on the ground and stared out the window, scanning her surroundings for some sort of clue that would help her get out of this place. The boxes surrounding her on all sides helped very little, and didn't smell any better then the first one had. The view outside did little to help her nerves, as the only thing she could figure out was that they were clearly very far north.

Slipping her hand through the bars, Twilight felt the reinforced glass, her skin nearly sticking to it when she pulled back her hand due to how cold it was. Tucking it under one arm to warm up, Twilight wondered how to escape, and even if she should, as the alicorn had no manner of warming herself. Not only that but her simple clothing was covered in grime, and now sported a few more rips than it had not long ago.

Twilight put that thought from her mind for now, and chose to focus on merely figuring out how to escape this place. This plan was interrupted when she noticed a peculiar building pop up in the corner of the window, accompanied by several odd floating creatures. Focusing first on the monsters, Twilight quickly realized they were likely all the same strange species.

For they all bore a single eye at the center of their head, a set of weak, useless arms and a pair of legs which seemed equally as vestigial. The only feature that hadn't withered to the point of uselessness was their massive gaping maw filled with huge pointed teeth, from which a blue glow was emitted. Nearly as tall as Twilight herself, this strange creature floated along at a sedentary pace, seemingly confident that its bone covered exterior could protect it from harm.

The structure she saw was by comparison, much, much larger, to the point that it was likely dozens of stories tall. It almost resembled a candle in Twilight’s mind, for the top of it emitted a flame which originated from within. Its middle also bulged, and had a walkway extending from it to a much larger fortress-like structure which seemed to be their final destination.

Seeing the massive stronghold looming over her, Twilight suddenly felt quite small, and she couldn't help but wonder where they had found so much metal that they could build such a place. Jagged edges met glowing orange lines, the entire building standing atop a small island of rock in the midst of an only semi liquid sea of ice.

It was a dark, and foreboding place, one which made the hair on Twilight’s neck rise. Seeing this strange building grow close, Twilight renewed her attempts to escape, magic continuing to remain useless. While she struggled, the train slowed, docked and finally began to be unloaded car by car starting somewhere ahead of her. The whine of machinery was quiet at first, but as time passed it grew closer and closer, until finally the roof of Twilight’s car opened.

Gazing up, Twilight saw a mechanical arm reach down and grip the top of her cage, hoisting the alicorn as well as her prison high into the air. So sudden was the movement that Twilight was knocked to the ground, her wings opening in an attempt to save her. The action was wasted, though it wasn't long before her cage was roughly dropped onto the center of a strange device.

Fed by numerous cables, and glowing with energy that made her skin crawl, Twilight noticed that there were robbed humans working just below her. Before the alicorn could call out she vanished in a flash of crimson light, reappearing a second later in somewhere much different. Here the air was warm, the sounds of machinery were distant, and a strange chemical smell invaded her nostrils.

The room was large, but empty, seeming to serve as a simple storage area of some kind for numerous large metal crates. Another metal arm lifted her from the ground and carried her up into the ceiling, where she was transported deeper into the building. Passing over several other rooms Twilight noticed that each seemed to be a cell of some kind, every single one of which emptied into what appeared to be an operating room.

Though it was far darker, and far more blood stained then any medical area Twilight had ever seen before. It was also empty of people, but not equipment, most of which was so alien to Twilight that she could only guess at their purpose. Before Twilight could study the room any further the bottom of her cage gave out and she fell into her new jail cell with a pained thump.

Rubbing her butt and cursing her foul luck, Twilight looked around to find that her accommodations were rather spartan. The bed was little more than an unadorned slab of stone far too small for the alicorn’s towering frame, and the toilet was just a hole in the ground. To make matters worse it also reeked of blood and excrement, in addition to not having a privacy screen.

Twilight put that small, gross realization from her mind, and focused instead on the sound of shuffling feet from within the operating room. Trotting over to the bars, Twilight peered out into the area beyond, trying to find the source of the sound.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” Twilight called. “I seem to have been wrongly convicted of some manner of crime.”

A robed figure holding a glowing slab of slate grey metal appeared a second later. His features were hidden beneath his voluminous black robes, though Twilight could tell that he was surprised by her appearance when he stumbled back a step.

“Amazing, it- its awake,” he murmured.

“I’m not an it, I’m a she,” Twilight corrected. “And I would appreciate it if you sent word to the nearest Equestrian embassy as soon as possible.”

The cultist ignored Twilight completely, and tapped the slab several times.

Twilight frowned. “I am a princess of Equestria and I demand to speak with whomever is in charge of this facility.”

The robed figure shuffled away, snickering to himself all the while. “Deag Ranak will see you soon, of that I am certain,” he murmured before vanishing out of view.

Twilight turned and sat down on the much too short bed, her knees nearly up to her chest. “What I wouldn't do to have my magic back,” Twilight murmured, her horn flickering briefly before she gave up on it once more.

A burst of crimson light heralded the arrival of one of the strange men she had seen earlier, more specifically the individual who wore the odd helmet. “My, aren't you full of surprises,” he mused aloud, the man leaning heavily on his large metal staff.

“You don't know the half of it,” Twilight murmured. “I’ve battled more world ending monsters then you can count.”

“How intriguing,” he remarked with a smile. “Let us ensure that I do not end up like them then.”

He gestured to someone out of Twilight’s view, and a second later a lumbering robed cultist adorned in thick black cloth stomped into view. Though not quite as tall as Twilight, he was much, much wider, and had more muscles then Twilight could shake a stick at. The jail door swung open, and the man strode inside, pulling a thick metal collar from his robes as he approached the alicorn.

Twilight stumbled back, raising her hands. “Now then, there is no reason for violence. Surely we can- ack.”

A rough hand gripped Twilight by the throat and forced her down to his level, where the man slapped the slate grey collar tight about Twilight’s neck with a clank.

Satisfied that his job had been complete, the robed human stomped back out of the jail, the door slamming shut a second later.

Twilight stood slowly, her fingers running across the featureless grey hunk of metal which was bound around her throat. “That was uncalled for,” she muttered angrily.

“In my line of work, insurance is never unwarranted,” replied the man with an uncomfortable smile. “Speaking of which, I should warn you against using your magic without permission. For such an action will be dealt with quite harshly.”

“What do you-” Twilight’s question died in her throat when she felt something sharp press against her throat.

It vanished a second later, right after the man pressed a button on his staff. “Good. Now then, we will begin by testing that murderous impulse of yours as I’ve been told that you preservers are quite the pacificts. Though you’ve certainly showed some evidence to the contrary ”

Twilight bit down her retort, the memory of the sharp sensation keeping her tongue in check.

“Don't worry though. We will start small and work our way up from there,” declared the man, who chuckled and pointed towards the wall of Twilight’s cell. “Now then, get out there and show me that you are more then the pathetic herbivores I’ve been told about.”

“What are you talking-” Twilight’s comment was cut off when the wall of her cell was lifted out and away, revealing what looked like some manner of arena just beyond.

Dotted by spikes, strange red runes, raised platforms and other obstacles, it was also open to the frigid wind, as well as the snow which blew from atop the nearby buildings. Twilight hardy had a chance to mutter a confused question before she felt a hand shove her forward, the woman tumbling out of her cell.

And into the proving grounds.

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.