Arrival

"Do you want another plate Bright?" Mystique asked her husband.

"Oh yeah, keep that food comin'," Bright responded with a smile.

It was a sunny, mid-afternoon, and Bright and his family were having a picnic in the park. There were almost no clouds in the sky, the trees were perfect for shade, and everyone was happy.

"Here you go, baby," Mystique said as she hoofed Bright another plate heaping with the most delicious food he had ever tasted.

Bright leaned over to take the food from his beautiful wife, and also gave her a kiss on the lips. "Thanks baby."

A cloud past over the sun, causing it to get darker for a second, but it kept on floating, and the sun came back out. It really was a beautiful day.

"Daddy, daddy!" called a voice from a ways away.

"Is that Crystal?" Mystique asked Bright Sky.

He looked to his wife with a worried frown. "I think so."

"Daddy, help me!" cried the voice again.

Bright shot up instantly and starting looking around, not sure where the voice was coming from. He couldn't see anything wrong anywhere. Ponies were still smiling and talking. Kids were still laughing and playing. Absolutely nothing was out of place.

"Daddy, help!"

Bright looked farther than the park. He looked to the edge of the trees, where the forest began and civilization ended. Then he saw it. There was a some stranger trying to drag his little girl into the woods. But not if he could help it.

Bright took off at a gallop, and only increased his speed as he went. "Hey, let her go you bastard!" he screamed at the strange pony.

The pony simply looked up at him, but other than that, made no attempt to stop trying to foalnap Bright's daughter.

Bright galloped even faster than he already was. He was so close to the strange pony. So close to saving his daughter. He was so, so close...

"It's time to wake up, 22737."

There was a great, searing pain in Bright's side, and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"22737, you need to wake up. Now."

Bright tried to crawl forward. He tried to save his daughter. But he was stopped by another stab of pain arching through his body. "Crystal... I'm c- coming baby..." Bright muttered as his vision started to fade away. "Daddy's coming..."

Another shot of pain hit him in the side, and his eyes snapped open. The very first thing he saw was the same suited pony as before, standing over him with a scowl. He looked around and saw that he was not the only one in the metal carriage anymore either. Now there were at least twenty other ponies in there with him.

"It's good to see you survived the trip, 22737."

Bright looked back to the suited pony. "W- where am I?"

"You're home, 22737. At least, your new home," he told Bright. "Now, get up. It's time for you to be introduced to your new roommates."

Bright tried to stand, but the pain was incredible. He could only make it part of the way up without falling back to the ground from the pain.

"If you can't walk, you're of no use to me 22737," the suited pony told Bright as two guards stepped forward with swords in their belts.

Bright knew what this meant. It meant that if couldn't walk, he would die. He refused to let himself be killed over a little pain. "Don't- ughh- worry, I can w- walk," Bright said as he forced himself to his hooves. These ponies would have to do more than beat him to make him stay down.

"Good," said the suited pony. "You're still of use to me then." He then turned and strode out of the carriage, leaving the guards to haul Bright and the rest of the ponies that were in the carriage with him across a stone courtyard that was highly overgrown with plant life. But the courtyard was just a small part of a larger construction, as Bright could easily tell by the huge walls and the towers rising above them. But Bright didn't have very much time for sightseeing. He was a prisoner, and the guards were treating him as such as they marched Bright and the others into the huge structure and down a long, stone hallway, dimly lit with torches placed in holders along the walls.

"Where are they takin' us?" one of the ponies whispered.

"What do they want?" another one asked.

"Quiet convict!" barked a guard. And even though Bright couldn't see it, he could tell that the guard had hit the pony by the loud, thump noise that echoed throughout the hallway. After that, not a single pony made another noise until they reached the end of the hallway.

"Welcome!" boomed a voice from what seemed like the air around them. "Welcome to your new home. This is where you'll be staying for the duration of your sentence."

Bright looked around him and noticed small boxes tucked away in the torch holders. He realized that this must be where the voice was coming from.

"You will be provided room and board during your stay here, so don't worry about what you'll eat or where you'll sleep."

Bright thought that he recognize the voice from somewhere, but he couldn't place where.

"But you will need to work if you wish to live here peacefully. So be prepared to work like you've never worked before in your lives."

Now he was sure of it. Bright knew that he had heard that voice before. It was unmistakable as to who it belonged to.

"You are about to enter your new home, so be sure to introduce yourselves to your new housemates. Because having friends, might just save your life if you are to live here."

A door at the end of the hallway opened up to reveal a large area surrounded by walls, with large, metal doors inset into the walls in some areas.

"Welcome," the voice said as Bright walked out of the hallway and in to the light of the outside world. "Welcome, to The Pit."

Bright saw the walls, and the doors, and the huge towers above. But he was not looking at any of those things. He was looking at the two ponies standing on a large stage in the middle of what looked like an arena. He was looking at the two princesses: Celestia, and Luna.

"Welcome, my little ponies, to your new home," said Celestia softly.