Chapters Bright Sky was staring at his hooves the whole time. How could he not? He looked guilty, he felt guilty, he knew he was guilty. But even so, he pleaded innocent. He needed those apples to feed his family. He had just been fired from the Cloudsdale weather team and he had no other way to make money. He had tried to ask his brother for some bits, but was turned down. Not even his own parents would help him. And all because he had married a unicorn. He had always knew that his parents were a little bit set in their ways when it came to same-race marriage. But he never knew that they were down right racist! He couldn't help himself when it came to Mystique. She was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen before in his life, and he fell in love with her at first glance.
But look where that got him now. His parents won't help him. His brother is too afraid of their parents to lend him any money. And his baby girl was starving! He had no other choice than to resolve to stealing! The only other alternative was to let his family starve to death!
But that didn't matter to the judge. The way the judge saw it was that he was a deadbeat who couldn't provide for his wife and child. So to the judge, he was a deadbeat, as well as a thief.
Bright Sky took a deep breath to calm himself down. Maybe the judge could see where he was coming from. Maybe he would understand the reason behind this, and he would go free. Even if he wouldn't go free, he might get away with some community service. Maybe, just maybe, the judge would show him mercy.
Bright Sky looked up at the judge with a hopeful smile. The judge looked back at him with a deep scowl on his face.
Just after Bright saw this, the doors that the jury were convening behind opened to reveal the ponies that held his life in their hooves. After seeing that the judge clearly wouldn't show him any mercy, he had to hope and pray that the jury had found him innocent. If they didn't... Well, he just hoped that they did.
Everyone in the court room looked to the jury as a small, brownish-grey stallion walked forward with a piece of paper floating in front of him. He cleared his throat and levitated the paper closer to his face and read the contents aloud. "We, the jury, find one, Bright Sky, guilty of theft."
Almost immediately, Bright burst out screaming his head off. "That's a bunch of shit! I only did that to feed my family! You're all full of shit!"
As he was screaming at them, two burly security guards were hauling him out of the court room. He tried to break free of their grip, but they were too strong for him.
The judge slammed his gavel down. "Guilty! Next case!"
Bight yelled out again to the judge and to the jury. "You're all going to burn in Hell! You here me?! You're going to burn!" Then there was a low humming noise followed by an incredible pain under his wing. He lost his breath and couldn't get it back it hurt so much. His eyes started watering, and he collapsed on the ground in a heap of pain.
"Get up!" barked one of the two guards standing above him.
He tried to stand, but he just fell back down. There was another low hum, and again, another stabbing pain under his wing.
"Get! Up!" the guard yelled again.
Bright tried, he really did. But the pain coursing through his body was just too much for him. "I- I... I c-"
"You what?! What were you gonna say?! You can't?!" yelled the guard.
Bright could only nod. It hurt him to breathe. And it nearly killed him to speak.
"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" ask the second guard. "He's tired Brawn; I'll have to carry him."
Bright tried to thank the second guard, but a slight clicking noise stopped him. A second later, he felt a sharp pain in his wing, and he was being dragged along the ground. Bright tried to yell out to stop them, but the pain from his wing, mixed with this new pain made it impossible for him to do anything but make small, whimpering noises as he was dragged along the tiled floor, and out of the building.
"Last stop, freeloader," the guard dragging him said as he released Bright from his grip and dropped him to the concrete.
Bright mustered up the strength to look at to look up at the guard, but received a hoof to the jaw for his troubles.
"Stay down, scum!" the first guard yelled at him.
Bright was so out of it from the pain that he didn't even make a noise. Instead, he just lay there, completely still for fear of the guard physically abusing him any further. From where he was laying, he could see a sky carriage. Only this particular carriage was completely made of metal and had bars across the tiny slits that just barely passed for windows. He could also see a group of ponies approaching him.
"Is this the last convict?" One of the ponies from the carriage asked the guards.
"Yep, last one. At least until tomorrow, anyways," the second guard replied.
"Good. We're behind schedule as it is. Load up the convict and we'll give you your money."
The two security guards then dragged Bright Sky towards the sky carriage, and he started fearing for his life. He heard that ponies that broke the law go to jail. But for some reason, he had a feeling that this was something else. He suspicions were confirmed when the two guards opened the hatch and threw him inside. He saw that there were no seats. But not only that; there was a great mess of piss and shit on the floor, accompanied by a horrendous smell. And even some of the mess was smeared on the walls in some spots. But what was most disturbing about the inside of the carriage was that in some spots, it looked like there was blood stained to the metal.
"Convict," said a curt voice from Bright's side.
He struggled to turn his head enough to see the pony before him. A tall, skinny stallion with a black suit and a slicked back mane.
"What's your name, convict?" the stallion asked him.
"B- Bright S... Sky," Bright told him.
The suited pony scowled at him. "Not anymore it's not. From now on, you will be know as Convict No. 22737. Do you understand?" the suited pony asked him hurriedly.
Bright just shook his head.
The suited stallion's scowl deepened. "Well, it doesn't matter now anyways," he said as he took out a large syringe from a pocket in his suit.
Bright's eyes widened, but he still was too weak from the pain to stop the suited pony from sticking the needle into his neck and draining the contents into him.
"Don't worry, 22737, this will make you sleep the whole way," he said. Then a twisted smile spread across his lips as Bright started to lose consciousness. "Sweet dreams, 22737."
After that, Bright was dead to the world. He was now a convicted criminal, and he was on his way to Celestia knows where in a filthy metal cage. That night, Bright Sky dreamed of his family. Maybe for the last time.
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.
This can't be happening, it just can't be. The two princesses were supposed to be the guardians and protectors of Equestria. What were they doing here? This must be a dream. It has to be.
"Welcome to your new home," Celestia said. "I'm happy to see you all, despite the circumstances."
Bright blinked. Maybe if he tried to wake up, he would escape from this place. Bright blinked again, harder this time. He was still in the arena. He was still standing in front of the two princesses. He was wrong; this wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here," Celestia continued. "Well allow me to tell you. You're here, because unlike most of the population of Equestria, you don't know how to control yourselves. You're here because in one way or another, you've broken the laws of this great country. It is because of this, that you have been sent here."
Bright wanted to speak up. He wanted to protest him being here. Yes he was a thief, but he only did it to help his family. The princess would surely understand why he had to do it if he explained to her why he did it. Surely she would see it to be a just cause and understand his reasoning. Wouldn't she?
"I know what it is you've all done, and let me tell you, I'm disappointed in each and every one of you. Treachery, assault, conspiracy, murder, and thievery." She seemed to look almost directly at Bright when she said the last charge, but only for a brief moment. "These are all serious crimes, and must be dealt with accordingly. This is why you have been brought here. To pay for all of your crimes."
"That's bullshit!" yelled a voice from somewhere in the back of the crowd. "I'm innocent! It was a setup!"
The voice was silenced by the guards, violently.
"I can see the journey here was stressful," Celestia said. "I'm sure you all need to rest, so I'll leave you all with this. When you have paid back what you owe to Equestria, you will no longer have to worry about your families." She then closed her eyes, and a bright light started spreading first from her horn, then to all of the surrounding area, until Bright could no longer see.
But could see darkness. He could feel the darkness, actually. He wasn't sure how, but he could. It was like the air, only it felt like water. He stood there, no sure as to what was going on. But then he heard a voice. A familiar voice.
"Welcome, Bright Sky."
Bright looked around, but he couldn't see anyone around him. "Hello?"
"By now, I'm sure you are wondering where you are."
Bright was confused, but the voice was right. "Uh, yeah, I am."
"Well, allow us to show you," the voice said, as a figure walked out of pure nothingness right in front of him.
Bright Sky's mouth dropped as the princess of the night, Luna, walked out of thin air and strode right up to him. He was so surprised, that he almost forgot to speak. "P- princess Luna! How are- why- are we..."
"Be silent, Bright Sky, for you must listen carefully now."
Bright closed his mouth and nodded, listening intently to what the princess was saying.
"As you know, we are the princess of the night," Luna started. "And as such, I have certain powers that allow me to help you."
Bright didn't know what to say, so instead, he just kept on listening to the princess.
"Our sister has put you under a powerful sleeping spell for easy transport. But I don't agree with your being here, Bright Sky. We think that it is unjust, and we wish that we could help you more than we already are."
"How are you helping me?" Bright asked Luna.
"We can influence dreams, Bright Sky," Luna told him. "So while we are unable to release you from this place, we can still let you see your family, one last time."
Bright couldn't believe his ears. This news was crazy. He wasn't sure weather to be devastated over not being able to leave, or overjoyed about seeing his wife and daughter. "Can... Can I see them now?" Bright asked.
Luna nodded. "Yes, you can see them. But just know that this is the last time you will ever see them again. So if you wish to tell them something, do it now."
As Luna finished he sentence, everything started to fade into color. Buildings took shape, clouds formed in the sky, and there were two blurry forms fading into being in front of Bright. One adult sized, and one filly sized. Everything was blurry for only a few seconds longer, then they took shape, and Bright could see his family sitting on a hill in the park, smiling and waving at him.
Bright smiled back and galloped over to them as quick as he could. The closer he got to them, the bigger his smile got, until he finally reached them and wrapped them both in a hug. "Oh, I've missed you both so much."
"What are you talking about?" his wife asked him through the hug.
Bright broke the hug and looked to her. "I've been through hell baby. I'm so scared baby, and I don't know what to do."
"What's wrong daddy?" Bright's daughter asked him.
"Oh baby girl, I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble big time. Daddy broke the law, and now he's gotta pay."
Bright's wife put one of her hooves on his face and made him look at her. "Bright, baby, don't worry about that right now.
You're safe with us, right here and now, and that's all that matters."
Bright looked his wife in the eyes. "Baby, I love you so much. I love you both so, so much. So if this is the last time we can see each other again, let's not waste it." He kissed his wife deeply, then looked to his daughter. "So Crystal, what's the number one thing you want to do most in the whole, wide world?"
Crystal thought for a moment, then smiled at her father. "I want to stand on top of the train all the way to Canterlot!"
"Well then," Bright said, rubbing his daughter's mane, "it looks like we'll need a couple of tickets for the train."
Crystal's eyes grew huge when he said that. "You really mean it?! We can ride on top of the train?!"
Bright nodded at his daughter. "If you really want to do it, then we can."
"Awesome!" his daughter cheered. "Can we eat a bunch of pies and cakes and candy too?"
Bright looked up at his wife.
"Yes baby, we can if that's what you really want," she said, smiling.
"Yay! Best day ever!" Crystal yelled as she trotted away towards the train station.
Bright smiled at his wife and kissed her one last time before they caught up to their daughter to go on an adventure to Canterlot. And Bright Sky, his wife Mystique, and their daughter Crystal smiled and cheered the whole time they were on the train, and laughed the all the while when they bought a huge load of candies, pies and cakes. And through this, Luna was smiling down on Bright, feeling happy for him, but saddened at the same time. Because when this dream ends, and it will end, Bright Sky will wake up soon, and today very well may be his last. Because when he wakes up, he will be put to work, and no one survives The Pit.
Author's Note
Sorry there hasn't been any type of gore yet, but the next chapter will have plenty in it. I just didn't want to start off all blood and guts. But like I said, there will most definitely be a pony massacre next chapter.
Drums. So many drums. Drums, beating loudly, and nonstop. There were horns, screaming there sound into the air. And there was cheering. Cheering so loud, that Bright could almost make out the individual voices. This is what woke him up. Not the drums, not the horns, but the cheering. Because he knew that the cheering would be for him to die.
"Wake up ya lazy bastard!"
Bright shot up in his cot. He had no idea where he was, or how he had gotten here. The last thing he remembered was the princess's horn lighting up, then... something about Princess Luna, but he couldn't remember anything else.
"Get the 'ell outta bed, damn you! Ya gots a show to put on!"
Bright turned to the voice and saw what looked like a royal guard, but with beat up, grayish-black armor, and without the bush of blue hair on top. But really, the pony wearing the armor looked more tore and battered than the armor itself.
"Are ya deaf, convict?" the guard pony asked him.
"No, I'm not deaf," Bright responded.
"Then get the fuck outta bed n' get geared up!" the guard screamed.
Bright looked scared, he knows he did. "Geared up for... what?"
The guard pony just flashed a twisted smile and trotted away laughing.
Bright had a moment to wonder what was going on until the metal gate the blocked him inside of his cell opened up.
"Convict 22737," a voice from some hidden intercom system said, "leave your cell immediately and select your Pit gear from the racks in the next room. If you fail to do this, you will be sent in to the arena with no gear, and you will most likely die."
Bright walked forward in to the room ahead of him and saw that it was completely empty except for two racks in the middle, and some torches placed along the walls. He walked up to the racks and saw an assortment of weapons and armor, most of it metal. He wasn't sure what he should pick, and there were a lot of choices. Maces, clubs, axes, swords, daggers, and even some small knives and other objects for throwing at a target. On the armor racks were helmets, breastplates, leg-guards, flankplates, and metal collars. Bright didn't know what he was getting into, and didn't know if he should pack heavy or light.
"You have five minutes, Convict 22737," the voice from the intercom told him.
Bright had to hurry, or he wouldn't get anything. So he put on a metal breastplate and leg-guards, then put on a helmet that wouldn't block his view. From the weapons rack he took two swords, two daggers, and just to be safe, he put five of the trowing knives on each wing. He may not be very good with a sword, but he did learn how to throw knives during summer camp a while ago, so they might be useful.
"You have one minute, Convict 22737," the voice told him.
Bright looked around him one last time. Was he ready for... whatever it was that he was about to do? He didn't know. But what he did know that he was going to do anything in his power to stay alive. He looked back at the weapons rack again. Did he have enough? He reached out and picked up a small dagger and stuffed it into his breastplate, just to be sure that he had enough defense against... what? He didn't know what it was that he was going up against. For all he knew, this could just be a huge, practical joke. But he doubted that. Strongly. So whatever it was that he was about to face, he would do it as best, and as aggressively as possible.
"Your time is up, Convict 22737. Exit the room immediately, and you will receive instructions briefly."
As the intercom voice said this, a door opened up on the side of the room. Bright wasn't sure if he really wanted to go in there, but he had to. At least, that's what he told himself as he walked through the door. But what he found on the other side, he was not expecting.
"Hello, 22737," the suited pony from the carriage said smoothly.
"You! What the hell are you doing here?!" Bright yelled at him.
"I'm your sponsor Bright, so it's my job to make sure that I do everything in my power to make sure that you stay alive."
"Well, can you help me now?"
The stallion nodded. "You're going up against a strong stallion. If you get too close, he'll kill you, but if you're quick, you might just beat him. But don't try to fly too high, or they'll take you down themselves. Do you understand?"
Bright nodded slowly. "Be quick, but down get too close, and don't fly too high. Got it."
"Then it's time for you to fight ,and it's time for me to take my leave." With that, he walked out of the door that Bright came in, and shut it behind him, closing Bright inside the small, dark room. He waited in there for a few minutes, then he didn't have to wait any longer as the ground beneath him started to rise, and the ceiling opened up to reveal the afternoon sun. As Bright rose up towards the arena, the drums and the horns became louder. It's strange, but he had almost forgotten that they were there. But he never forgot the cheering. And now that he was in the arena, it was as loud as ever.
"Welcome, fillies and colts, to the match you've been waiting for all day! Well, at least since the last match ended anyways. But enough of the past, we live in the present, and in the present, we have a brand-spankin'-new contestant! He worked on the weather team for years, that is, until he went insane and murdered his overseer in cold blood. Nopony knows why he did it, only that he did it, and now, he's here for it. So, I want you all to welcome our newest fighter, Slasher!"
Bright looked around at the cheering audience. He was confused. That never happened; he liked his boss. "Wait, you have me confused with somepony else! I never did any of that!" But he might as well have been whispering from all the noise coming from the crowd.
"Now, even though Slasher is a killer, he's no match for his opponent. You all know him as the only pony to ever rip somepony's throat out with his teeth. Yes, you know who I'm talkin' about. It's the one, it's the only, Mauler!"
Bright looked across the arena and saw an earth pony almost twice his size, and wearing a full suit of thick, leather armor, save for his head. He was missing an eye, and had scars all over his face from what Bright could tell. This pony scared him. How could he not scare someone? Just look at him!
"Okay you two handsome stallions, it's time for some murder!"
The pony instantly pulled a huge double-sided ax off of his back and charged Bright. But just like that suited pony from before said, he was slow, and Bright was able to dodge him. But he forgot that the stallion was holding a doubled-bladed weapon, and almost lost his had when the pony swung his head to the side in an attempt to kill Bright.
"Come on, Slasher, fight back! Show us some slashing!"
Bright took his cue and drew one of his swords and started to circle the large pony in front of him. There was no weaknesses in his armor, as far as Bright could tell. So that left the only plan of action for the pony's face. The only problem being him holding a giant ax.
The pony rushed Bright again, and he dodged him again, this time not staying within reach of his ax. After he did this, Bright started to form an idea.
"Hey, you big, ugly bitch! Yeah, you! I bet you couldn't even hit me if I was fucking your mother right here in front of you!"
"Oh, that's gotta burn!"
The stallion's eyes widened, and he charged Bright again, swinging his ax wildly in a vain attempt to hit him. And just like Bright had planned, he swung too wide for him. When he did this, he left himself open to an attack, and Bright took advantage of this.
"Come on, little filly, I'm waiting for you!" Bright yelled at him. And just like before, he started to charge and swung his ax too wide again. This time though, Bright ducked low and swung his sword up and hit the stallion in the neck. Unfortunately, Bright is not a strong pony, so it didn't go all the way through, and only stuck part of the way in. But this was still enough to make the pony drop the ax and yell in pain. When he did this, Bright jumped back and flapped his wings, sending six small knives sailing towards the pony, and they all struck him in the side. But the armor was thick, and it didn't go through. But it did knock the wind out of him long enough for Bright to gain some ground and start to think of a new plan.
"Way to go Slasher! Show 'im who's top dog! Well, top murderous criminal in this case."
There was no way that Bright could get through that armor, but he did seem to be able to hurt him. He could tell that much from the blood seeping out of the cuts he made in the big pony's armor. This gave Bright the beginnings of a new idea. He didn't know if it would work, but he had no other choice at the moment. "C'mon, I thought you were supposed to be tough shit. But I guess you're just too much of a little pussy to kill me, aren't you?"
"Wow, Slasher's really got a quick tongue, don't he? Why I bet he could kill Mauler with just his words alone! But that wouldn't be any fun, so just try to keep it to stabbing, would ya?"
This enraged Mauler to the point of him screaming out and stomping the ground. Then, he did what Bright knew he would do, and charged at Bright as fast as he could. When he was close enough, Bright launched the last four knives at him, and got him right in the chest. The stunned him long enough for Bright to get in close and make his move. Bright used his wings to propel himself upwards, then shot down towards the pony fighting him, and with one hard swipe of his sword, he cut off the exposed part of the stallion's face. When Bright turned around to face him, he saw that the stallion barely had a muzzle anymore. It was now cut off close to the base, and bone was showing, as well as some teeth that managed to stay inside of his mouth. Blood was pouring out so quickly, that Bright didn't think that the pony in front of him would last much longer. But Bright was merciful. He stuck his sword into the pony's bleeding face and down his neck. He could see the tip of his sword coming out of the pony where his neck connected with his back. Blood poured out of him freely, as his life left him, getting all of over Bright. He let go of the sword and the body fell to the ground with a dull thud. He stood over the corpse, staring down with wide eyes. He had done that. He had killed him. He was a killer. No, he wasn't a killer, they had made him into a killer.
"Wow! That was amazing! Let's hear it for our new favorite warrior, Slasher! Actually, that fight reminds me of this girl I dated in high school. She took my whole sword down her throat too. Only the result was a little less... murdery. But it was just as good as this fight! Yay Slasher!"
The cheering was deafening. Was this what ponies wanted? Was this what they thought was entertaining? Bright wasn't laughing or cheering. He wasn't entertained. He was sickened by this.
"It's time to come back inside, 22737," said the voice of the suited pony.
Bright didn't even look at him, he just walked through the door that opened, rode the platform down, and walked in to his cell after stripping off his weapons and armor.
"Don't be so sad, 22737," said the suited pony.
"How can I be happy?" Bright spat at him.
"You're not the dead one," he replied simply, then turned and left.
Bright wasn't sure how that helped him. He would still have to do that again, and maybe he would be the one dead then. But as Bright thought about it, he realized that the suited stallion was right, in a way. He was still alive. And if he was alive, he could still dream of his family. This brought little comfort to Bright, but little is still better than none.
Author's Note
Sorry it took so long peoples, but here it is. The gore and death you sick little monsters so desire. And just a suggestion here, but I think this chapter is best read with the announcers voice being that of Reaver's assistant from Fable 3. But that's just me.
There were drums. Bright knew what that meant, but he didn't care. He didn't want to wake up, so he just laid there, unmoving. He doubted that he could stay there forever, but maybe if he didn't move, the guards would think he was sick and leave him alone.
"Oi, wake the 'ell up you lazy sack 'o bones!"
Bright groaned. "Leave me alone."
"What did you just say ta me?" the guard said in a dangerously low tone.
Bright instantly regretted disobeying him, but he figured that if he was on the other side of the gate, the guard couldn't hurt him. "I said 'leave me alone' ."
The was a loud grinding noise and Bright jumped at the sound. When he looked over he saw that the guard pony was actually lifting the heavy metal gate with his bare hooves to try to get at him. If he could dislodge a gate like that, Bight couldn't even imagine what he could do to him.
"That's enough Gore, leave him be," said the familiar voice of the suited pony from somewhere behind the guard.
The guard turned with a look of rage on his face. "An' jus' who the 'ell do ya think you are?!" the guard yelled.
Bright could see the suited pony slowly walk up to the guard, towering over him. "I'm his sponsor," he said calmly.
And with that, the guard's ears flattened back against his head and he cringed away from the stallion in the suit. "I- I'm terribly sorry sir. I didn't reali-"
"Of course you didn't. Now, if you would move out of the way so I can talk to my associate, I would greatly appreciate it," the stallion said quickly.
"Y- yes sir," the guard stammered out, then trotted to one of the many doors in the sides of the room and left Bright alone in the room with the suited stallion.
"So, what do you want?" Bright asked him.
"Today there's a special event going on. I just wanted to tell you what to expect," he replied.
"What kind of special event are we talking about here?"
"You won't be going out there with any weapons," the stallion said. "Instead, they've placed all of the weapons and armor randomly along the walls. So if you want to survive, you'll have to be fast and get a weapon first."
"What?" Bright gasped. "That's insane!"
"Even so, it's what will need to be done to stay alive."
Bright sighed. "It seems like my life wants to kill me nowadays."
The drums that woke him up intensified, and were joined by horns, blaring their sound into the sky.
"It's time for you to go, 22737," the suited pony said.
Bright sighed again, and the gates holding in inside his cell opened.
"I sincerely hope that you survive this, 22737. But if you don't, just know that I was rooting for you." And with that, he walked through one of the doors in the wall, and left Bright to enter the arena on his own.
There was no way that Bright could escape, so he just accepted his situation and left his cell to enter the small room that he had before. There was a short time when nothing happened, but after a few seconds of waiting in the dark, the ceiling opened and the platform he was standing on started rising. While he rose, the cheering from the crowd grew louder and louder with each passing second. Finally, he was standing in the arena with what looked like about two dozen other ponies. There were a few that looked like the stallion that he had fought the day before, but most of them just looked like him. Tired, beat up, and just like any other pony in Equestria. He wondered what they had done to get here. If they had actually murdered anyone, or if they were innocent, just like him.
"Welcome, fillies and colts, to the match you've been waiting for all month! That's right, it's the one, the only, the Equalizer!"
Bright wondered if it was supposed to make all the fighters have an equal chance at survival, or if it was for all of the fighters to have an equal chance of being massacred by the actual fighters in the arena.
"Now, all you old timers know the rules, but these here new kids might not. So, it's pretty simple new guys, no wings, no magic, and no mercy!"
If Bright couldn't use his wings, he was in trouble. But he wasn't completely lost. He was starting to form an idea on how he might improve his chances.
"So with that said... Let's see some murder!"
At that, every one of the fighters in the arena started running for the weapons and armor they wanted. But not Bright. He turned around and ran to the wall behind him to look for weapons. He found a small knife, a mace, and a helmet. By the time he tucked the knife into his wing and put on the helmet, he could already hear fighting behind him. When he turned, he saw that almost half of the fighters were dead, and the rest were falling quickly.
"Die! Die you fucker, die!"
Bright looked to his left and saw a small, wiry stallion running towards him with a hatchet. The stallion tried to make a cut on Bright's neck, but missed as he dodged out of the way. He swung again, but Bright ducked at the last second, throwing him off balance. Bright used this chance to take him down. When the stallion stumbled, Bright swung the mace up and it connected hard with his muzzle, completely shattering it. The stallion fell on his back, screaming in pain. Bright stood over him and took one last swing, caving the entire side of his head in. It was a horrific sight, but at least it was this stallion that was dead, instead of him.
"It looks like there's only half a dozen killers left folks. Who's gonna win? I have no idea, but I'm putting all my bits on Dodger!"
The announcer was right. Bright was only left with a few fighters to face. And he was glad to see that they weren't very tough looking at all. All except the one that must be Dodger. She was a tall, slender earth pony mare with a long katana in her mouth, and knives strapped to her front hooves. She was the one to look out for, Bright knew this the second he saw her.
"Go on then Slasher, murder her! I know ya got it in ya! Go for her throat!"
Bright took a step forward, but was tacked to the ground by a large unicorn stallion wielding an ax as a weapon. He had snuck around while Bright was studying Dodger and had gotten the advantage. But this was short lived has Bright knocked the ax out of his mouth with his hoof and kicked the stallion off of him. Bright got to his hooves in time to see the unicorn lighting up his horn, grinning wickedly at him.
"I'm not dying here, you are!" he said. But as he cast the spell, the magic shot back into his head just as quickly as it had left his horn. His eyes bulged, then his entire head exploded in a splatter of gore, covering Bright in what was once that stallions head.
"Oh that's just nasty. And that, fillies and colts, is why no magic is allowed in this event. Well, I'm sure he had it coming anyways. He was in here after all."
Bright felt sick. He was covered in skin, fur, blood, and whatever else was in his head. He was about to puke, but he had to hold it in, or it would be the death of him. He turned to face Dodger once again, but saw that she was fighting two other ponies. They were backing her into a corner, and actually beating her in the fight. But as one of them went to swing, she went high and left herself open, and Dodger swung her katana, cutting her neatly in half. The other pony was distracted by the kill, and Dodger swung again, taking his head. Then she looked to Bright.
"Uh oh, it looks like Slasher's in trouble folks. Can he best our beautiful Dodger? Do we want him to? I certainly don't. How am I going to take a corpse out to dinner? Well I'll tell you how: awkwardly."
Bright took a breath, then ran at Dodger. And just like her name implied, she dodged. But Bright expected this and swung his mace back at her, and she wasn't fast enough to fully get out of the way and caught it on the arch of her back. He heard her yelp in pain from the blow. He heard the sound of her hooves behind him, but they were uneven. He slowed down to allow her to get close to him, then when she was within reach he stopped and bucked his legs back as hard as he could. There was a loud crunching noise, and another yell from Dodger followed by a thud from her hitting the ground.
"Hey, it's not nice to hit a lady! Shame on you Slasher! Shame!"
Bright walked over to where she was laying on the ground. But as he reached here, she punched him in the shoulder with the hoof with the knife on it. The pain was unbelievable. He stumbled backwards away from her so she couldn't inflict any more damage to him. But she got up quickly and rushed him with her katana. She swung and nearly took his head off, but he was able to duck under her katana and swing his mace upwards. It connected with her chin with a sickening crack. The blow made her drop her katana, and Bright swung again, hitting her on the side of the head. Her head snapped sideways and her body hit the ground with a thud. He knew that she was dead when he heard her neck snap. He dropped his mace on the ground and looked to the announcer's booth. "I'm done! Let me out now! I'm done with the killing!"
When he said this, the crowds constant cheering stopped, and he heard a silence that he forgot even existed. All of the ponies watching him were silent. Only the wind blowing though the stadium made any kind of sound.
"Tsk tsk tsk, sorry Slasher, but you're not done yet. There's still one convict left in the arena with you."
Bright turned to look around him, then he saw a small form huddled in a corner in the wall near a platform. He walked over to the pony there, and he couldn't believe his eyes. The pony laying there was nothing more than a filly, barely older than his daughter. He couldn't kill her, not even to save his own life.
"Go on then Slasher, murder her! If you want to leave, then you need to kill her!"
Bright turned back to the booth. "I'm not killing this filly! She doesn't even have her Cutie mark yet for fuck's sake!"
The doors on the wall opened and over a dozen guards rushed out of them when he said this.
"If you don't kill her Slasher, then you're both dead."
Bright took a defensive stance in front of the filly. He would be damned before he let her be killed. "I'm not-" but he was cut off by a sharp pain in his side. He stumbled forward then fell on his side. H looked back to the filly with wide eyes to see her drop a small knife covered in his blood on the ground.
"I'm sorry mister," she sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry. Please forgive me. Please!" she begged him.
"Well... that was unexpected... Did any of you see that coming? Because I sure didn't. But what an amazing turn of events! It looks like we have a winner after all! So give if up for young Sly!"
Bright propped himself up on a hoof, looking at the young filly. "No, I hope that you forgive me," he said. He flapped his wing, sending the knife tucking inside sailing towards the filly. It struck home, sticking right in her chest right where her heart is. She gasped from the shock and the pain of it, then she fell over, bleeding from hr mouth, the life leaving her body.
Now it seemed as if the wind was shocked into silence from what Bright did.
"Well don't just stand there gawking you pieces of rubbish! Get a medical team out there to help out champion!"
Bright heard hooves running around him, he felt himself being moved, then there was nothing. He was surrounded by total, and complete nothingness. He was well and truly dead to the world now. But even the pain of what he did haunted him in this nothingness, and nothing will even make that pain leave him alone.
"We are sorry that you had to do that, Bright Sky," said a strangely familiar voice. "We hope that you recover quickly." Then the voice was gone, and he remembered nothing else after that.
Author's Note
Once again, I'm sorry for the long waiting times for updates. But trust me, I'm trying to do my best to work on this story when I can. I hope that you enjoyed the story so far.
There was a light in Bright's eyes, causing him discomfort. He was trying to sleep, but the pain he felt had made it difficult. Now not only that was hindering his efforts, but now this stupid little light was bothering him. He shifted over to his other side so the light was no longer shining right in his face, but found that it was still there.
"Welcome, fillies and colts, to the featured fight of the day!"
Bright knew that voice. Bright hated that voice. But what was that stupid, annoying, hateful voice doing in his cell?
"Yes, the time's finally arrived! Slasher's finally going up against a match that might be too much even for him!"
Bright sat up to see walls surrounding him and colored ribbon falling all around him.
"You wanted it, and you got it!" the announcer continued.
Bright got to his hooves and looked around him. How had he gotten into the arena? Why was he in the arena? But more importantly, where was his gear?
"Today, Slasher's going up against a true killer! A true murderer! A true stallion! It's our very own veteran guardspony, Gore!"
Bright paled when he heard that name. Gore... He was going up against a pony who could rip an iron gate right off of its hinges. But what was worse was that the last time that Gore had been with him he had wanted nothing more than to mutilate Bright.
"Now, let me be the first to welcome our challenger to the arena. Welcome, Gore the guardspony!"
Bright looked to the other side of the arena and saw a fully armored, fully armed, and very angry looking stallion that was as big as an apple cart. He wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but it almost looked as if Gore was foaming at the lips slightly.
"Well, without further ado... It's time for some murder!"
Gore took off faster than Bright could have imagined a pony that size could move. As he ran, he drew a short spear from a strap across his back and leveled it with Bright's head.
"22737!" a voice called from the crowd.
Bright looked up and saw the suited stallion waving a sword at him.
"Use this!" he yelled down to him, and threw the sword in to the arena.
"Hey, hey, hey, you big dummy! No cheating!"
The sword landed right at Bright's hooves, and he picked it up and took a defensive stance, waiting for Gore to get closer. Gore came at him like a train, hooves pounding on the ground like thunder, breath coming like the growls of a bear. He was only feet away from Bright when he swung the spear so hard that Bright could barely dodge it. Unfortunately for Bright, Gore was fast, and he spun on a hoof and jabbed Bright in the side with the butt of his spear hard enough for Bright to get launched halfway across the arena.
"Ooh, that had to hurt. Well, that's what you get for making me dateless in that last match, you mare killing bastard!"
Bright couldn't breathe. He tried, but he lungs wouldn't respond to his efforts. He could see Gore coming closer, so instead of trying to breathe, he just got shakily to his hooves and started circling around to the side of the huge guard, but a lack of oxygen made this difficult to do.
Gore suddenly charged Bright again, making him jump to the side. But Gore was still faster than him, and scored a small hit with the tip of his spear in Bright's shoulder before he could get away.
As Bright stumbled away from the giant of a pony, he could feel slight wisps of air entering his lungs. He took a deep breath and cringed at the pain it caused him, but even the pain was a welcome change to the complete suffocation he had just been feeling. Bright took another deep breath and steadied himself for another attack coming from Gore.
Just like Bright had expected, Gore charged forward and swung his spear hard enough to knock his head off, but this time Bright used his wings and flitted upwards and took a swing at Gore's head. It hit him, but just barely.
Gore swung upwards faster than Bright thought was physically possible and hooked Bright's wing with the curved prong on the back of the spearhead and pulled him back down to the ground.
Bright yelled in pain as the cruel, curved metal tore though his skin and tendons and went straight though to the bone. He was slammed on the ground of the arena and Gore stood over him menacingly, staring down at him with eyes like that of a shark. Cold, cruel, hate-filled... and seemingly soulless. Bright was scared. Genuinely and truly scared for his life. He took a blind swing at the guard's head... and he felt his sword stick. Bright looked to where his blade was, and saw that it was buried deep inside of Gore's neck.
The stallion gave a deep, threatening growl and pulled the sword out of his neck with a hoof, causing blood to pour out and cover the ground in a deep crimson. Gore raised the spear high, and stabbed down hard at Bright's head.
Bright saw this coming, and rolled to the side. Once the spear was buried deep in the ground, he kicked it as hard as he could and caused it to fly out of Gore's mouth. He leveled his back hooves at Gore's head before the huge stallion could react and bucked him in the head. When his hooves connected, it felt as if he had just bucked a block of lead.
Gore grabbed one of his hooves with his mouth and threw him away from him. But the way that he had thrown him, caused Bright to land next to the spear laying in the dust.
Bright took the spear in both hooves and stood on his hind legs, holding the spear in a threatening way. But because of his injured shoulder, he could barely hold the spear like this, let alone fight with it.
"It looks like Slasher's got a new weapon, folks. Does this mean that he has a chance to win this fight? Eh, I doubt it."
Gore started walking slowly towards Bright, looking like he wanted to do horrible things to the smaller pony.
"Stay back!" Bright shouted at him.
Gore continued walking forward.
Bright took a step back. "I said stay back, you big bastard!" Bright looked behind him to see that he was dangerously close to the wall of the arena.
Gore charged the second Bright looked behind him and plowed into him.
Bright yelled out in surprise, and swung the spear as best he could. He swung wide, completely missing Gore.
Once Bright hit the ground, Gore lifted off of his front hooves and then crashed down onto Bright's chest with his full weight. There was a hideous crunching-snapping noise.
Bright's vision started to get black around the edges.
Gore lifted off again, then started to come down.
Bright lifted the spear.
Gore came down.
Through the entire arena, there was a loud squelching noise as the spear went through Gore's head, pinning him upright with his hooves dangling down towards Bright. The shaft of the spear bent under the weight of the huge stallion, but it was strong enough to hold him up.
Bright coughed, blood coming out of his mouth and landing on his crushed chest. Bright stared up at the body of the guardspony that had wanted nothing more than to kill him.
Gore's leg twitched, causing a few drops a blood to land on Bright's face.
Bright lifted a leg to wipe away the blood, but a huge grey hoof grabbed his and nearly tore it off. Bright reeled at the unexpected assault on him. He looked up in a mixture of shock, terror, and unbelief to see Gore, still alive, and forcing the shaft of the spear through his head to get closer to Bright. He was almost within reach, and he would kill Bright when he got to him.
Bright started to move, but a loud snapping sound stopped him. He saw the spear break in half from the stress that the weight of Gore had put on it. And as Gore fell too quickly to stop himself, he landed on the broken bottom half of the spear. It tore into his stomach and pushed up inside of his rib cage, scrambling anything inside of his body that got in its way. When Gore's body hit the ground, Bright could see the tip of the broken shaft pushing the skin out at the base of his neck. Bright looked in disgust and horror at the mangled corpse of the guard; blood mixing with dirt and dust on the cold ground. But even in death, his eyes were still just the same. Just as cruel. Just as hate-filled. Just as soulless.
"Well... I guess we have our winner..."
There was no cheering. No horns... No drums. Just like before, only the wind blowing through the arena.
A door opened in the wall and Bright saw the suited stallion standing there, waiting for him.
Bright walked over to the pony standing there and looked at him. "Am I done yet?"
He looked at Bright with a hard expression. "What do you think, 22737?"
Bright looked at the ground, and a single tear fell from his eye. "I can't do this ant more. I just can't," he said softly as he walked into the room ahead of him.
The door leading to the arena closed behind him.
"Don't worry, after tomorrow, you'll be done."
Bright stopped. "What?"
"That's right," the suited pony said. "After tomorrow, you're done. No more Pit, no more fights, no more killing."
Bright turned to face the stallion. "So, I can leave? If I live, I can go back home?"
The stallion nodded. "Yes. I've arranged for you to be taken home if you survive tomorrow."
For the first time since he got here, Bright smiled. He could go home! He could see his family again! The smile died on his lips. But to see his family again, he had to take someone way from their family.
"Are you all right, 22737?" the suited pony asked him.
A grim look came across Bright's face. "I'm fine. And I'll do anything to be able to see my family again. No matter what."
The stallion just looked at him for a long time. Bright started getting a strange feeling from the unblinking stare that the pony was leveling him with.
Bright cleared his throat after a time. "So, I'll be needing to get some rest then."
The stallion continued to stare for a short time, then he simply walked over to a door on the other side of the room, and disappeared through it.
Bright sighed. As much as Gore scared him, he knew that that stallion wearing that black suit was immensely more dangerous. After all, Gore practically ran away screaming from him when Gore first tried to kill Bright.
There was a bed in the room, Bright saw. He wasn't lying when he said that he would need his rest. So he went over to the large bed and laid down. Bright could tell that this must have been where Gore had slept when he was still alive. There were bodies stuffed and mounted on the walls, heads nailed to plaques, even random body parts hung around like grotesque party decorations. But over in the corner of the room, Bright saw something that he would never have expected to be in Gore's room. In a corner completely devoid any blood or body parts, was a rack holding a black two-piece suit with a shallow fedora perched on top. Bright would have thought about why Gore would need a fancy-looking suit as a guard here some more, but he was claimed by sleep before he could get very far into that thought.
There was a slight humming coming from the air surrounding him. That, mixed with the tingling feeling all over his body was enough to wake Bright from his slumber.
The End