In the Footsteps of a Giant

Chapters

Contact and Avoidance.
Search and Capture.
Transfer and Notification.
Discovery and Isolation.
Tragedy and Presentation.
Beginning and End.
Trial and Error.
Goals and Aspirations.
Preparation and Planning.
When to hold and when to fold.
Forbidden fruit and just desserts.
Giants and Generals.
Prelude to Strife.
A theory proven and a friend lost.

Contact and Avoidance.

Without turning around Twilight began to swim away from whatever horror was behind her. It was more like thrashing violently than swimming, but in her panicked state it was the best she could muster. The giant being tilted its head as it calmly observed the purple pony struggle. After a few seconds, it reached out a massive arm and wrapped it under the unicorns foreleg and pulled her in. Twilight couldn't be sure if it was when she felt something wrap under her right foreleg or when she saw the strange hand come across her chest and grab her left shoulder, but at some point she started screaming until she passed out.

Lyra kept her gaze firmly planted on the floor as a livid Bon-Bon paced in front of her.

"One minute! I can't leave you alone for one minute before you end up in some kind of mess!"

"Bon-Bon, I'm sorry, it-" Lyra cut off as Bon-Bon gave her 'the look'.

Sighing, the earth pony relaxed and shook her head. "Just tell me this doesn't have to do with that 'human' nonsense..." Lyra avoided her gaze. "Of course it does. At least this time the mess is confined to your room. Look, just clean it up, we can go to the market this afternoon, instead."

"I'm sorry, I really am! I didn't mean for this to happen."

"I know Lyra, it just gets hard, sometimes. I'll forgive you though, but only if you buy me some ice cream." Bon-Bon smiled and winked as she turned to leave.

"You've got yourself a deal!" Lyra visibly brightened now that she was forgiven.

A trashed room, Twilights book missing, and worst of all an upset Bon-Bon; could this situation get any worse? Letting out an exasperated huff, Lyra set to work cleaning her mess. As she scrubbed the chalk outline off the floor, she thought of ways to avoid Twilight for the next few days, and what excuses she could use once they did inevitably meet.

Meanwhile, in the Ponyville library, a frantic dragon was searching for his missing friend.

Dreams of water plagued her unconscious mind. Standing on a boat, slowly rocking with the waves, a tropical shoreline in the distance; laying back in an inter-tube, floating down a lazy river with her friends; caught in a rope... no, the arms of a sea monster! Gasping in terror, Twilights eyes shot open. It wasn't a dream, the sea monster was real! She turned her head to face her doom. Ugh... and what an ugly face it was! No snout to speak of, small round ears coming out of the side of its head instead of the top. Did it have some disease? It didn't have any fur! Eww! It was like some kind of hairless diamond dog, but uglier. A pointed nose, short scruffy beard, small narrow eyes, eyes that were now looking at her.

'Okay, don't panic, it hasn't killed you yet, and it kept you from drowning, maybe there's hope after all.' Calming herself with these thoughts, Twilight began to take in her surroundings. Namely, water. Water was everywhere, the whole world was water, some kind of sea water to be exact. The monster began to rhythmically extend and retract its arm and kick its legs. -Ah, it was swimming.- At the crest of the next swell, she saw what it was swimming for. In the far, far distance, almost on the horizon, was some land. Cliffs rising out of the sea, and beyond them a large mountain loomed. Unfortunately, that land had to be several miles away, she couldn't swim that far! 'Okay, panic now?' Twilight caught the monsters eyes, and peered into them. There was no fear, no sadness, no overconfidence, just a calm determination. 'It... really believes it can make it... we can make it!'

This was most certainly the most beautiful giant Twilight Sparkle had ever seen! Its smooth, almost hairless skin, its cute round ears, the dashing scruff on its face. Not to mention the stately, pointy nose and handsomely refined eyes! (And the ability to swim for miles with a passenger in tow didn't hurt.) The goliath noticed the purple thing finally relaxing, and in a quick practiced motion, lifted her behind its head. Twilight's fore-hooves now rested on either side of the giant's head as the rest of her lay on its back. Fearing to budge after this sudden unexpected movement, the mare froze where she was placed for at least a minute. The behemoth, meanwhile, had changed its technique, it was now swimming on its stomach in a pull and stretch motion. This required it to put its head underwater, however, and it soon became clear they were headed off course. Deciding to try something, Twilight pushed on one shoulder and pulled on the other, in response, the monster moved in the direction she had wanted, and was now swimming for the land once more.

This continued for a few hours, slowly the land drew closer and closer. Twilight was astounded at the giants endurance. Not once had it stopped for a rest, it simply continued on in a slow, steady pace. Now the beach was in sight, the problem with this was there was as much cliff as beach, if they tried to come ashore in an area that was too rocky, they could be dashed to bits. She tapped the colossus three times on the back of its head. It stopped swimming and began to float in place, stroking the water with the flat of its hands. The mare pointed her hoof to what seemed to be the best spot, and the monster nodded its head. Quickly twisting in the water, it repositioned Twilight to her original spot at its front and began to swim on its side once more. This time she didn't resist, she just let her mind focus on the beach, she could now just barely hear the crashing of the waves. As she lay her head against the giants chest to avoid the splashing water, she could also hear its heart; massive, slow, rhythmic; she thought back to a monster anatomy book she had once read, if monsters of similar size were anything to go on his heart would have to be as big as her head!

The crashing surf tossed and turned the pair, but not once did the giants grip falter. Finally crawling the last few hooves, until it was shallow enough for Twilight to walk, the monster collapsed. Laying in the surf, gasping for breath, it slowly rolled onto its back. Turning its head to one side, it vomited up all the seawater it had swallowed on the harrowing journey. 'That's right,' Twilight thought to herself, 'it would have swallowed a lot of water during the swim, and too much seawater can cause nausea and even hallucination!' For a moment, she wondered if the behemoth thought she was a hallucination. Still, her worry got the better of her as she went to its side.

"Hang in there! You're almost to shore, but you're too big for me to move. You have to move yourself, I know you can do it, come on!" Twilight encouraged her saviour.

At the sound of her voice, the monster smiled. It looked at her worried face and lifted a shaking arm to pat her head, as if to say 'Don't worry, I just need a minute.' Ignoring this patronizing gesture for the moment, Twilight remained by its side. True to its implication, after a few minutes, the colossus slowly sat up, then turned and rose to its feet. The unicorns jaw dropped as she stared up at the giant, it- er, he, certainly lived up to the name! Her horn barely reached to the bottom of his knee! His only article of clothing was some kind of form fitting fabric thoughtfully placed around the naughty bits. There was some kind of cutie-mark on his leg, ah, a sea serpent, makes sense. Taking in additional details, Twilight noted the comparison to a hairless diamond dog wasn't completely off the mark. Posture, torso and head were all similar, the legs were where things took a turn for the weird. The hips were obvious enough, the knees were what really threw her, they were so small (comparatively speaking) it was a wonder they could support so much weight. She decided not to delve into the feet, though, she shuddered at the sight of the toes, they looked like some kind of squashed and split hoof.

With the threat of drowning gone, other priorities began to vie for attention. She looked up into the eyes of the giant... now what?

Looking down at the talking purple unicorn, the giant pondered the situation. He had even touched her head to make sure she was real, and she didn't disappear! Maybe she was someones' dog, that had to be it! The seawater was just getting to him, the furry thing in front of him was real, just not purple, or horned. With that sorted out, he decided the next step would be shelter, although not much would be needed, since this appeared to be a tropical climate. He started to walk toward the palm trees, and sure enough, just like a dog, the not-pony followed him. Unlike a dog, it began to talk at him; a strange, squeaky language he couldn't understand. It must be barking, yes that's it; "What is it girl, danger? Are there vicious jungle cats in there?"

He looked at her and smiled, then knelt down to pat her on the head again. That horn, it was definitely there... she pulled back, like she didn't like the implication of his actions. She.. was she glaring at him? The unicorn sighed, looked him straight in the eyes, lifted a hoof to her chest and said slowly and clearly, "Fa stowah meh Twailaght Spahkuhl." Okay, those were definitely words, and if her actions were any indication, she was referring to herself; Her name maybe? Shrugging, the giant took a shot; He pointed at the purple whatever and deliberately said, "Fa shore-a eh Twiggit Spunker!"

This got quite the reaction; first confusion, then disbelief and finally exasperation passed across Twilights face. Brightening up, she tried again. Pointing a hoof to herself, she said once more "Twai-laght Spah-kuhl!" The giant reacted in something akin to intelligence and recited, pointing at the pony, "Twi-leight Spaw-kel." It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Smiling, the giant pointed to himself and asked "Thursomehookame... Tim?" Twilight, perhaps a little more on the ball than the obviously exhausted monster, took her own stab at his name, pointing at him she pronounced the last syllable he had spoken. "Tim?" As the giant nodded happily, Twilight smiled, at least they knew what to call each other.

Search and Capture.

Spike paced back and forth, wringing his claws in worry. "I don't know, Rarity, it's not like Twilight to just take off without leaving a note." And a to-do list. He mentally added.

Rarity set down the thread she was working with and walked over to the dragon. "I know Spike, but maybe she just forgot, you know how she can get."

"Maybe, but she's never forgotten before." Spike stopped pacing and stared sadly at his feet. "She knows I would worry about her."

The alabaster unicorn perked up. "Perhaps she did leave you a note and it you just missed it."

Spike shook his head. "No, I looked everywhere... well, all the usual spots, anyway."

"Maybe a breeze blew it off wherever she put it. I'll tell you what, let me close up here and I'll go with you to the library and help you look."

The purple dragon smiled gratefully. "Really? Aw, thanks Rarity!"

"Of course, darling!" Rarity said as she went into the back room to get her 'travel kit' and put on her saddlebags.

As they stepped outside, the white mare locked the front door and flipped the sign on it to 'Closed'. Spike was already heading down the street, and she had to trot to catch up. The poor dear really is worried. She thought to herself. The pair made their way to the center of town before they were accosted by an excitable pink pony. "Hiya Rarity! Hey Spike! What's up?"

"Hi Pinkie, Twilight wasn't in the library when I woke up this morning." Spike explained. "You haven't seen her, have you?"

"Nopey dopey! Wait, Twilight's missing?" Pinkie gasped. "Oh, no, that's terrible! Maybe she went back in time to warn herself not to go back in time and got stuck! Ooh, or maybe she got teleported to the middle of the ocean and a giant monster saved her but then got hungry and ate her! Oh, I know! She went to the moon to see if bananas could-"

"I'm *sure* Twilight is just fine, Pinkie." Rarity interrupted, "We're heading over to the library now to see if she left a note. Would you care to join us?"

"Ooh, a mystery! Count me in!" Ponyville's party pony bounced in step with the others as they continued on their way.

The giant's stomach rumbled hungrily, he paused for a moment and stroked his chin as he eyed the little pony in front of him thoughtfully. Hmmm... he thought to himself before waving a hand dismissively. Nah. Fortunately, Twilight was busy picking up some coconuts, and failed to notice Tim's momentary lapse in culinary decency. As she set them in a pile, she used her magic to poke two holes in the top of each coconut. If her memory served, coconut milk was not only safe to drink and hydrating, but had some vitamins and calories, as well. She floated one up to Tim, who was now staring very intently from her horn to the coconut. Woah, she can levitate stuff? That is so cool! Slowly, he held out his hand and took the offering, jumping a little as Twilight closed the magic field. Wow, it's like he's never seem magic before.

The purple mare sipped the water out of her second coconut, Tim had downed five already and was now walking down the beach toward some nearby cliffs. He had indicated he wanted her to stay put, and the sand was comfortable, so she agreed. She watched as the giant plucked a hoof- er handfull of the life-saving nuts as he walked, stopping occasionally to stare intently at the ground. Finally, when he was near the cliff, he stooped down and picked up a few rocks, one large and flat, the other thin and long. What is he planning to do with those? I can just use my magic to open the coconuts... He really loaded up on the coconuts on the way back, and by the time he reached Twilight, his arms were full. Tim dropped the coconuts in a pile and set the flat rock on the beach, he then set one of the empty nuts on the rock and began to beat at it with the thinner rock.

Twilight shook her head and sighed. "You could have just told me that's what you wanted to do." Tim looked at her with a blank expression. "Oh... right. I guess not. Here, let me get that." She floated the empty coconut over and carefully bisected it with a simple spell.

Tim's eyes lit up as he smiled. He quickly grabbed one of the coconut halves and began to scrape the inside with the smaller rock. Soon the makeshift bowl was filled with white chunks of coconut flesh, and the giant proudly handed the fruit of his labor to Twilight. She looked dubiously at the mess in the bowl, then back up at Tim. "I give up, what is it?" Sighing in mock frustration and rolling his eyes, Tim took a piece of coconut and ate it. Things went pretty quickly after that, they set up a system where Twilight would bisect the coconuts and Tim would scrape the flesh, once two were done, they would eat. The unicorn had never eaten coconut before, it wasn't bad, but it was kind of bland. Still it was much better than nothing.

They continued the process long after Twilight had eaten her fill, and now Tim was sadly looking at the empty husks of twenty coconuts, only three of which he had not eaten. Sweet Luna's ghost! Twilight thought to herself. What does it take to feed this guy? Shrugging, the pony began to look around, the sun was beginning to set, they would have to find a place to sleep soon. The beach was nice, but she felt vulnerable sleeping so close to the water; What if there was a tidal wave? Twilight looked back at the cliffs, if they wanted to be safe, they'd have to find a way up, and that could take some time. She tapped the sitting giant's arm to get his attention, then lifted her hoof and rested her head on it to mime sleeping, and finally pointed at the cliffs. Nodding, he stood up to follow the purple mare.

The closer they got to the cliffs, the more hopeless the situation seemed. They had to be hundreds of hooves tall! No paths or trails of any kind presented themselves, and Twilight had used most of her magic to cut coconuts, so teleporting was out. Besides, she couldn't just leave Tim behind, he had saved her life! Without an obvious way up, Twilight was at a loss for what to do. She sat down, staring at the top of the cliff, looking for an answer. Tim looked at the unicorn, then to where she was looking, then back at the unicorn. Shrugging his shoulders, he walked to the cliff face and leaned up against it to wait and see what she was planning.

Twilight's ears shot up and she leapt to her hooves. "That's it!" She cried "You're about a third of the way up the cliff already and you're just leaning against it! You can climb us up, it'll be easy!"

She had to make some climbing motions with her hooves, pointing to the giant, then the top of the cliff repeatedly, but she finally got the point across. Tim rolled his shoulders, then nodded. He lifted Twilight behind his head, where she could hang on so he could use both of his hands. In about a minute, they were on top of the 'insurmountable' cliff she had worried so much about. Having a giant around was useful!

It was late afternoon and the three friends still had nothing to show for all their effort. They had scoured the entire library and there was no sign of a note or Twilight. Pinkie was her usual self, but Spike was getting more and more desperate. Even Rarity was beginning to get worried.

"Pinkie, put down the sponge, I already told you we're not doing that kind of scouring." she said as demurely as possible.

Pinkie looked up from her work. "Oh yeah! Sorry, I forgot... Why are we in the library again?"

"Because Twilight's missing, and something really horrible could have happened to her and I may never see her again!" Spike started to shake, worry showing clearly on his face.

"There, there, Spike, perhaps she went to visit Zecora, that's quite a long trip."

"Oh, no! She could be lost in the Everfree forest! Maybe a manticore got her!" It was evident the dragon was barely under control.

"Spike, please calm down. I'll tell you what, why don't you stay with me tonight? You can write a note in case Twilight comes back, and if she hasn't returned by the morning, we'll send a letter to Princess Celestia, first thing."

Spike calmed down considerably at the invitation. "Can... can I send her a letter now?"

"I'd hate to bother her, especially if it turns out Twilight is just off running an errand or something. Pinkie, would you be a dear and let Rainbow Dash know what's going on? And ask her to let Fluttershy and Applejack know the situation, as well. Find out if anypony has seen Twilight today."

"Okie dokie Loki!" Saluting, the pink mare zipped from the room and literally bounced off the walls to go find Rainbow Dash.

"Thanks, Rarity, you're a really great friend." Spike said as he gave the mare a hug.

"Of course, Darling! To be perfectly honest... I'm a bit worried myself."

The sun had nearly set, that combined with the dense tree cover made seeing very difficult. The gloomy darkness of the jungle surrounded the pair, the humid air making the environment almost suffocating. The limbs of the trees were mostly at face height for Tim, forcing him to duck as he walked, constantly weaving around numerous trunks. For whatever reason, the unicorn had wanted to go up the cliff and head toward the mountain in the distance, even though night was coming and shelter should have been their priority. Still, she seemed to know what she was doing, maybe Twilight knew something that he didn't. They stopped abruptly when a wall of underbrush blocked their passage. Tim cringed as he pushed through, the tangled plants scratched at his arms and legs, and to add injury to insult, one of the plants turned out to be some kind of thorn bush.

Twilight winced in sympathy, the giant had cut his foot on a rock as he was climbing up the cliff. It had finally stopped bleeding, but it was starting to become inflamed. How could such a large creature have such soft feet? Surely he should have hooves as hard as stone! For her part, the purple unicorn had one little scratch on her cheek from the thorn bush. Her fur protected her from everything else. For all his size, Tim sure didn't have very much in the way of natural protection. He sat stoically as she pulled out the few thorns that had stuck in his skin. She could tell he was tired, but they hadn't run into any likely spot to set up camp. A little bit further, and if we don't find anything we'll stop. she promised to Tim as much as herself. This whole day had been extremely draining, she couldn't go much further, either.

Twilight finished with the thorns and took the opportunity to look around. They had entered a small clearing, ringed by the wall of brush. The plants fought with each other for every inch of sunlight. From here, she could see the mountain, the sunlight still struck near the top, contrasting sharply with the darkness at the base. With the top glowing orange the mountain almost looked like- "A... a volcano?" There was no smoke coming from it, and the orange was only from the sunlight, but the flattened top was unmistakably a caldera. First the threat of a tidal wave, and now an erupting volcano? Twilight sighed. "Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire."

A raspy voice echoed from the pervasive darkness. "Oh, I couldn't agree more!" The giant sprang to his feet at the sound of the voice as laughter erupted all around them. Suddenly, a dozen armored diamond dogs appeared. They quickly surrounded Twilight, keeping their spears pointed in her direction. "Tell the big one to behave, or you'll both end up on the menu!"

Transfer and Notification.

Tim remained still as he sized up these new, vaguely canine creatures. The tallest of them came up to his waist, his sharp fangs right at crotch level. Great... Lucky me. They were all wearing uniform, steel armor, and carried long spears. The stinging scratches on his arms and legs were a poignant reminder that he was quite vulnerable to sharp objects. More importantly, many of them were pointing their spears at Twilight. He didn't need to speak their language to know the score, if he caused trouble, even if he lived, she wouldn't. Tim relaxed his body, and tried to look as passive as possible.

The lead canine had a mohawk of red hair coming out of his helmet. He smiled toothily at the giants quick compliance. "Good, it looks like your friend is smarter than he looks. Now start walking, pony, that way!"

Tim followed as the group moved into the forest, it was starting to get too dark to see, and he almost tripped more than once. The diamond dogs seemed to derive quite a bit of enjoyment from his clumsiness, they appeared to have better night vision than the giant, even Twilight was getting along okay; Of course, she was much closer to the ground. Eventually, they came to a narrow trail that lead toward the mountain. Now that he didn't have to concentrate so much on walking, Tim was able to focus on their surroundings.

The trail quickly became a dirt path, used frequently enough to keep the ever growing plants from overtaking it. So these dog things come out here frequently... maybe they're some kind of patrol. But what would they be patrolling out in the jungle for? Tim's line of thought was broken as they emerged from the forest into a vast farmland. With the tree cover gone, the moon's silvery light bathed the ground in an ethereal glow.

Twilight gasped at the sudden change from gloomy jungle to the stark beauty of the landscape. Flat farmland led to gently rolling hills, partially covered in orchards of various kinds, and as a backdrop, the volcano loomed over it all. The soft moonlight lent an otherworldly feel to the place, only compounded by the familiar buildings found in farmlands across any world. The scattered buildings were similar in shape to Applejack's barns and silos, but the similarity ended there. While her farmhouse and barn were not new, they were well maintained; the buildings here, however, were shabby and decrepit.

With the giant's clumsiness no longer entertaining him, the leader of the pack of diamond dogs grew bored. Noticing the pony admiring the view, he spoke up. "Beautiful, is it not?"

Twilight started, awoken from her reverie. "Ah- oh, yes, it's quite a landscape."

"Shame you'll probably never see it again."

"What? What do you mean? What are you going to do to us?" The pony froze in place, too scared to move.

This caused the leader and his pack to laugh hysterically. Finally calming down, he continued. "Oh us? As long as you cooperate, we won't do anything to you. It is the Emperor who will decide your fate..." he then turned and pointed a paw at the giant, "and his."

Twilight looked back at Tim, who was watching them intently. Maybe if she ran for it, he could get away as well. Of course, it was just as likely he would end up hurt... or worse.

Reading the unicorn's thoughts, the leader spoke up. "If you do decide to try and run or fight, however, I can promise you what we do will be far worse that what the Emperor probably has in mind."

"Of- of course." The giant had saved her life, putting his in danger was no way to repay him. "Please lead the way."

"Ah, such a brave pony, to walk willingly into the unknown." The lead dog flashed a toothy grin at her, then pushed her to get her walking again.

The group continued down the path, which quickly became a road, bordered by ditches. As they entered the foothills, the road even became paved, with markers set every mile. The orchards Twilight had noticed earlier had a much wider variety than she expected. Lemon, orange and banana trees were all there, but what really surprised her were the cherry, apple and walnut trees, which should not be native to a tropical region, at least not in such quantity. With an established infrastructure and global trade, these diamond dogs seemed to be much more organized and civilized than the ones near the Equestrian border. Surely the Emperor of such a civilization would be willing to forgive two unwitting trespassers, especially if it could open talks with a potential new ally. That was it! Twilight had a plan. She would simply talk to the Emperor, drop Princess Celestia's name, and the rest would be easy.

Tim wasn't sure why, but the purple unicorn actually seemed to be perking up. She's... trotting, I think they call it. Is that like strutting for a pony? Why the sudden change? Did she have a plan, some kind of foolproof escape? He didn't know how she held out hope, the closer they got, the worse their situation seemed. Hadn't she noticed the slave shacks lined up in rows? Didn't she see the guarded wall between the lower farmland and the obviously upper class orchards? As they entered a small village, the giant's eyes locked onto a stockade and gallows. Twilight trotted right by them, completely oblivious. The further they went, the more sure Tim was they were heading into a life of servitude or death. Still, if the unicorn had hope, he had to hold back, maybe she knew what she was doing after all.

They finally arrived at the foot of the mountain after passing through the town. A colossal metal gate ground open at the lead dog's call. The hallway inside was hewn from the rock itself, tall enough to accommodate even the giant's massive height. Magical orbs cast their glow from the ceiling, lighting a path downward. After several minutes of walking, it became clear they were headed into the heart of the volcano itself. The path finally ended at two vast doors made of ancient oak and lined with decorative brass. The lead dog walked up to the brass knocker built into the door on the right, and brought it down four times. The thundering echoes slowly died, and after a few seconds, a latch clicked and the door swung open. As soon as the last of the group walked through, the door quickly closed and the latch locked shut.

They were now in a voluminous, circular room, fashioned in the same style as the pathway. Orbs similar to the ones in the hallway, but brighter, spread their light from the circumference, under each light stood a guard, armored far more lavishly than the patrol. Topped by a dome, the room was tall enough for Tim to reach his arms up without brushing the ceiling. There were only two entrances to the chamber, the one they had passed through and one on the far wall, directly across from it. Standing between them and it was a short, fat diamond dog with polished armor and an expensive looking sword sheathed in an ornate scabbard.

"Well?" the squat dog finally managed, after regaining his composure. "Where are the escaped slaves?"

Slaves? Twilight started at the word. But... but slavery is illegal!

"I bring you a giant and a pony... a unicorn pony no less, and that's what you're worried about?" The lead dog growled.

"What good is getting more slaves if they all think they can run away?" The pug dog pointed out.

"Bah!" The pack leader waved a hand dismissively. "If they aren't found tonight, they'll just end up some predator's dinner, anyway."

"I'd much rather they be found. Now go back out there and don't come back until you have them or their bodies!" Growling angrily, the pack turned to leave. "Or should I inform the Emperor you've been shirking your duty?" The fat pooch smiled when one of the pack actually yelped.

As the door closed shut once more, the pug dog finally seemed to relax. Taking in his new prizes for the first time, he smiled greedily. A unicorn pony! She would fetch a fortune! While the pony was rare, she was not worth waking the Emperor for, the giant, on the other hand... The pug waved one of the guards lining the wall over.

"Fetch me Dr. Topaz, I want to be sure I'm right before I wake the Emperor."

The guard hesitated only a moment before running off.

After searching and asking around, nopony had come up with any information on Twilight's whereabouts. Finally calling it a day, Rarity had carried Spike's bed to her house as promised, and even let him sleep in her room next to her bed. Any other day the dragon would have been ecstatic, but the weight of worry was too much, so he fell into a restless sleep. Just as the sun's first rays hit the land, Spike's eyes shot open and he bolted upright. There was no time to waste!

"Rarity... Rarity come on, wake up!"

"Ungh... Ten more minutes, please!"

"C'mon Rarity, it's morning, we have to go to the library, you promised!"

Rarity finally began to wake up. "S-spike? What are you doing in my bed? Oh, no, what happened last night!?"

"What? Uh, nothing... I think. But we need to go to the library to see if Twilight's back yet, remember?"

"Oh... oh of course! I knew that, I just though maybe I missed something!"

"I don't think so. Can we go now?"

"Of course darling, just let me get ready."

Even though Rarity did the bare minimum of morning preparation, Spike still thought it took far too long. The sun was still rising over the horizon as they stepped outside, though, and they made it to the library in record time. When they arrived, there was still no Twilight Sparkle to be found. Spike looked to Rarity and she gave a nod. He grabbed a quill and parchment and began to write.

Dear Princess Celestia,

It's me, Spike, and I need your help! Twilight's been missing since yesterday morning, and she didn't leave a note or anything! Can you help us find her? I'm really worried and I don't know what to do!

Your Faithful Servant Always,

Spike

Spike sealed the letter and sent it, fidgeting as he waited for a reply. In less than a minute, the room filled with bright light and Celestia appeared.

"Princess!" Spike yelled as he ran over and hugged her leg.

Princess Celestia returned the hug as a thoughtful frown spread on her face."It's okay, Spike, I'm here now. Thank you for contacting me, I hadn't realized Twilight was missing."

"I'm so sorry to bother you, Princess," Rarity remarked. "I don't suppose you have any idea about Twilight Sparkle's whereabouts. We're a bit worried."

"As am I. It is unlike her to leave without some form of explanation..." The princess hesitated. "And I'm afraid I don't know where she is, either. I can't detect her anywhere nearby." She failed to mention that 'nearby' meant anywhere in Equestria.

Over the millenia Celestia had infused her essence into the nation of Equestria. So pervasive was her presence, she could detect any living thing within its borders. The only limitation was that she had to concentrate on only a few dozen beings at a time, or she would become overwhelmed. This worked well for detecting invasion forces, or if she had to find somepony specific, but she couldn't track everypony all the time. Thus, Twilight's disappearance had gone unnoticed. The further from Equestria, the weaker Celestia's ability to detect became, so her student had to be relatively far away. Much farther than a pony could travel in one day.

"I suspect some kind of magic is at play here, I shall summon my best mages to get to the bottom of this iss-"

The princess was interrupted as the door to the library slammed open. A suddenly very scared and very guilty looking Lyra froze in the doorway.

Discovery and Isolation.

Lyra had awoken that morning feeling refreshed and somewhat satisfied. She had successfully avoided Twilight Sparkle all day yesterday, and she didn't have to face her and admit she lost the book until tomorrow. With all day to think of her excuse and apology, she could just relax and enjoy the morning. She got out of bed, stretched, yawned, and scratched her back with a hoof-made backscratcher designed to look like a human hand. Sure, it was a little creepy, but it was cool, too.

As she walked downstairs, the smell of haycakes wafted through the kitchen door. Oh wow, Bob-Bon must have gotten up early to buy fresh hay from the market! As she walked in, Lyra saw her suspicions were right; shopping bags were set on the counter and freshly made haycake batter was sitting in a bowl by the sink. Standing in front of a sizzling skillet was Bon-Bon in her favorite apron.

"Well, good morning Ms. Sleepyhead!"

"Good morning, Bonnie! Those haycakes smell delightful, what's the occasion?"

"Ugh, you know I hate it when you call me that. And the occasion is I woke up early and decided to get some shopping done."

"That's it?"

"Well, I was also hoping you might help me at the store today, Blueberry had to take some time off since her family is visiting from Baltimare."

"Ah-ha! You never cook breakfast, I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch, er, breakfast!"

"Oh please help me, Lyra, just this once? I won't complain about the human stuff for a week, I promise!"

"Ah Bon-Bon, you're too easy. Of course I'll help you! And don't worry about the human research, I have a feeling I'm going to be giving that a break for a while."

"Thank you so much Lyra! Now why don't you sit down? You'll need your energy today, we're making taffy!"

Cringing just a tiny bit, Lyra replied. "Oh, I'm sure it'll be lots of fun."

Despite her reluctance, this was just the break the minty unicorn needed. Twilight didn't eat sweets very often, and she never bought them for herself. Lyra could spend all day at the candy store, avoid Twilight, and make Bon-Bon happy all in one go. Things rarely fell into place for her so well. Not to mention... oooh, the aroma held up to its promise, those haycakes were delicious!

Bon-Bon joined Lyra at the table and began to eat. "So there was quite a stir in the market this morning."

"Mmm, hmm." the unicorn tried to seem interested in the conversation instead of the food.

"I was talking to Roseluck on the way to the Hayseed's stall, and do you know what she told me?"

"Hmm."

"Fluttershy is just going to be devastated by this, I just know it!"

"Mmmmmm."

"Apparently Cherilee and Big Mac spent Hearts and Hooves day together, can you believe it? Oh, and Twilight Sparkle is missing or something." A spray of mucus covered haycake coated Bon-Bon, but she didn't seem to mind at all. "I know! The poor dear has been pining after that stallion for as long as I can remember."

"Wh-whuuuat did you say?"

Bob-Bon brightened at Lyra's sudden interest in important matters, for a change. "You heard me right! A teacher and a farmer; who ever heard of such a thing?"

Lyra forced herself to remain calm for a few more seconds. "No, about Twilight. How long has she been missing?"

"Oh, that. Since about two nights ago, I think. Why do you-" But the earth pony no longer had an audience.

Lyra had officially entered panic mode, she made a beeline for Ponyville's library. It couldn't be true, there was no way! The spell had called for two items, and it had taken the eggbeater and the book! What could have gone wrong? She had to see for herself, Twilight had to be there, she had to! As she burst through the door she froze in place, there was no Twilight, but there sure was one pony she didn't expect to see!

Princess Celestia stood before her, gazing down in her radiant glory. Why would the princess be here if not to find her missing student? Guilt flooded the minty mare, and she took a hesitant step backward. Celestia faced Lyra and held up a hoof. "Wait, please."

Lyra waited.

"Twilight Sparkle has gone missing recently, do you know her?"

Lyra nodded.

"Ah, excellent, you wouldn't happen to know her whereabouts, would you?"

Spike and Rarity leaned forward, hopefully.

Lyra shook her head.

"Oh, I see. Do you know anything about her disappearance?"

Lyra averted her eyes.

Celestia narrowed hers. "Twilight could be in danger, if you know anything, please let us know."

"I-um... I, there was a spell... and..."

Her eyebrow raised, so it was a spell. Waving a hoof, Celestia motioned for the unicorn to continue. "And... what kind of spell?"

"A... a Sympathetic Translocation spell."

The princess's eyes went wide. "Where in Equestria did you learn a spell like that?"

"Well, I um, Twilight had this book, see, and I begged her to use it-"

Celestia walked up to Lyra, until they were face to face. "My little pony, if what I think you're saying is true, you are accusing Ms. Sparkle of breaking Equestrian law."

"What!? How? I mean, I don't understand, your majesty." The minty pony forced herself to calm down, she was already in trouble, upsetting the princess even more would not help.

"The only book that contains the Sympathetic Translocation spell is restricted, only high ranking mages may own, or even read it." The princess explained. "By loaning you the book, Twilight broke the law, as did you to a lesser extent, by reading it."

"But, I... I didn't know! I never would have tried to cast it if I knew it was illegal!"

"And that is why you won't be- Did you say you attempted to conduct the spell yourself?"

"I guess that's illegal, too."

"No, just technically impossible. It usually takes at least three powerful mages to successfully operate. That's why we still ship freight via mundane means. I apologize for being frank, but you don't have enough magical power to complete the spell."

"So, who did?"

"My guess at the moment would be Twilight, she must have somehow been linked to the spell."

Rarity took the opportunity to break in. "If Twilight was part of the spell, we may still be able to find her. It's been a while since I took 'Magical Auras' in school, but any spell involving travel can be traced, right?"

"That's right, Rarity, I'll just ask... ah, what was your name, dear?"

"L-Lyra Heartsrings, your majesty."

"Lyra, if you could be so kind as to show me the spell circle and fetch the book, I should be able to locate Twilight quite easily."

Lyra was not a happy pony.

The pug dog slowly circled Twilight with his arms crossed behind his back, carefully appraising his new prize. Occasionally, he would make a grunt of approval or stop to sniff curiously. His eyes scanned every inch of her body, causing her to shift nervously in embarrassment. The unicorn was at a loss for words, she had never felt so powerless, so helpless. Sure, in Equestria she could handle anything, even without her magic, but here... She didn't know how things worked here, if there was slavery, they could do all kinds of other horrible things. Her best bet was to play along for now, she decided, just be quiet and compliant until she could put together a plan. Finally, the dog stopped at her head and ran a claw under her chin in mock affection.

"Such a pretty pony will fetch me quite a fortune. Of course, you'll be worth more once you're cleaned up." Motioning to one of the female guards, the pug stated his instructions. "Take her to the baths, the good ones, not the prisoner bath. When she's clean, put her in one of the citizen jail cells." Two guards, both female, stood on either side of the purple mare as the door that led deeper into the mountain opened. As she followed her escort out, the pug called one final remark. "And don't think about trying anything, or your little friend here will feel your punishment for you!" The dog snickered at his own joke as the door slammed shut.

Turning to his real prize, the pug continued. "Of course, the same goes for you. If you get any ideas, your little pony friend will pay for it."

The giant stared dumbly at the dog, showing neither anger or fear.

"I mean it! We will hurt her if you misbehave!"

Tim took a breath and said "Bah junbee maka rellem."

The diamond dog stared at the beast before him in incomprehension for a moment before getting the idea. "Ah, you don't speak common, do you? Allow me to clarify." The pug then mimed a series of motions he considered universal. He first pointed at the giant, then growled and acted like he was stomping on something. Next, he pointed at the door Twilight had passed through with his left hand and made a horn with the other. Finally, he brought his left hand in and ran it across his throat, making a gurgling noise.

Tim stared daggers at the pug.

The pug glared right back. "Understand now?"

Sighing, Tim slowly nodded. The dog's warning seemed redundant, it was clear they were prisoners here. Was he just trying to rub it in? No, it was something else. Perhaps the prejudice that larger animals are dumb applies here, too. Add that to the fact he can't speak the language, he might as well be truly idiotic. Maybe if he moved slow, he could encourage this belief, and use it to his advantage somehow.

A knock at the internal door interrupted Tim's thoughts, the pug eagerly hurried over as it swung open. A slender, brown furred diamond dog walked in. He wore a white doctor's coat and carried a small bag of instruments.

"Ah, Dr. Topaz, so good of you to join me!"

"Save it, Ingot, this had better be wor-" Topaz's jaw dropped as he took in the monstrosity before him. The lack of fur, the enormous size... Could it be? "Is that what I think it is?"

"I have a hunch he might be. He's not like any giant I've ever seen."

"He, eh? Hmm... I'll have to run some tests, but I agree that this is no giant. Is it safe to approach him?"

"He's been docile so far, and he knows we have his friend, as well. He doesn't seem to speak our language though."

"I wouldn't expect him to, they were thought to be either extinct or a myth."

The doctor calmly made his way to the not-a-giant and began to take some tools out of his bag. Some Tim could recognize, like the small rubber hammer and the stethoscope, others were completely foreign. The dog held out his paw, gently but firmly grasping one of Tim's fingers and lifting it toward himself. First he listened for the heart beat, then used the hammer for a reflex test. Topaz nodded his head and wrote something in a small notebook. He then took a curved metal tool with a glowing gem on the end and drew it across Tim's hand, making a small, shallow cut that drew a bead of blood. A faint glow began to show in the doctor's eyes, but nothing more happened.

The doctor cried in surprise. "Great Canis! The legends are true, this being is completely immune to magic!"

Ingot perked up and actually started to wag his tail. "So my hunch was right? How do you know?"

"That was a magically poisoned gem. It's used to test for allergies, so the poison is easy to cure, but it had no reaction to this thing. That's not conclusive on it's own, but when I tried to heal the cut, I couldn't even sense it! I can't even magically detect the beast at all and it's right in front of me!"

"Ha! Amazing! The Emperor will love this, I'll be set for life! He'll never believe that a mythological creature just happened to wander out of history and into the Empire."

"I can hardly believe it myself... sitting right before me... one of the Ancients... "

Tragedy and Presentation.

Three older unicorns dressed in elaborate robes slowly examined Lyra's bedroom. Occasionally, a horn would glow and notes were scribbled. The chalk outline Lyra had used for her spell was being painstakingly recreated, a methodical process, to say the least. Down in the living room of her house, Lyra sat with her head hung low in guilt. Before her were the Princess Celestia, two unfamiliar unicorns dressed similarly to the ones in her room, Rarity and Spike.

Rarity broke the uncomfortable silence. "Rainbow Dash was a dear and volunteered to tell the others about our situation. They should be here soon."

Lyra looked up in panic. "They're coming here? They- they'll hate me! I made Twilight disappear!"

The princess lay a hoof on the minty mare's shoulder as Spike glared at her from behind Rarity's leg. "You didn't do it on purpose, I'm sure they'll understand. Besides, my best mages are hard at work right now, we'll have her back in no time and you can put this whole situation behind you."

"Wh-what about the book? You said we both broke the law! Are you going to banish us?"

Celestia cringed in regret at mentioning legal precedent earlier. "I think you both learned your lesson, a letter of apology and a promise to never try such a spell again should more than suffice." Honestly, where did these ponies get the whole banishment thing?

A knock at the front door interrupted the Princess's reverie. A guard opened the door and let Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy into the house. As they filed in, looks of concern weighed on their faces.

The blonde earth pony removed her hat. "Howdy, Princess, sorry to be frank; but what in the hay is goin' on? Dash wouldn't tell us anythin'."

The blue pegasus flapped her wings and rose a hoof into the air in her own defense. "I didn't want to worry you guys, besides, something may have changed while I was getting you. I didn't want to give you the wrong information."

Pinkie contributed as well. "You don't have to apologize, I think Frank is a nice name for you!"

The Princess took this opportunity to break in. "Right now we still don't know where Twilight is. I have my best mages recreating the spell that transported her to wherever she is. We'll have a portal open to that location, and hopefully get Twilight back, very soon."

"So Twilight messed up a spell?" Applejack asked. "That ain't like her. And why are we in Lyra and Bon-Bon's house?"

Lyra cringed before answering. "T- Twilight didn't mess up a spell... I did."

Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof at the guilty unicorn. "So it's your fault Twi's missing?"

"Hey now, Dashie, pointin' hooves ain't gonna bring Twilight back. We just gotta be patient."

Lyra withered under the accusatory hoof, overwhelmed with regret. "I didn't mean to... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry!"

Fluttershy lay her wing across Lyra's back. "Oh, it's okay Lyra, we know you didn't mean to. And the Princess is here, so everything is going to be okay, I just know it."

The green unicorn wiped the tears from her eyes. "You- you promise?"

The yellow pegasus nodded confidently. "I promise!"

Just then hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. One of the mages made his way to the Princess and whispered in her ear. Celestia spoke back loud enough for the others to hear.

"So it's complete?... Excellent, and the probe spells?..." She visibly relaxed at what she heard and breathed a sigh of relief. "So she ended up somewhere in Equis, thank goodness. Go ahead back up and begin preparations." The other two unicorn mages followed the third up to Lyra's room. "Doppler Ganger has just informed me that they were able to successfully trace the spell to it's end point. Once they open a portal, I will go through and assess the situation, and if able, retrieve Twilight Sparkle."

"So, you know where Twilight is now? You can get her back?" Spike spoke hopefully.

"Yes, Spike, with any luck, Twilight hasn't wandered too far from where the spell dropped her off and I can have her here in a few minutes."

"But what if she did wander off?" Dash spoke up, drawing a few looks from the others.

"If that's the case, it may take a little longer to find her, that's all." Celestia reassured. "Why don't we head up? The portal should be just about ready."

As the group filed up the staircase, Lyra taking up the rear, they noticed a blue glow emanating from the bedroom doorway. The portal swirled with light and dark blue waves of power, picking up speed as the herd entered the crowded room. Lyra stared in wonder as the navy blue magic coalesced into the edges of the circular portal, revealing an azure sky beyond. A salty breeze blew into the room, causing some papers in the corner to stir.

"Alright, everypony, I'm going to take a look. I'll be back in a moment." Celestia stated.

"Princess, wait!" Rainbow Dash moved to block her way. "You can't go first! What if something dangerous is on the other side?"

"The mages already scanned for any dangerous beings and nothing came up. It's okay, my little pony, I'll be fine." Gently she moved the pegasus aside. Taking a deep breath, she leapt gracefully through the portal to the other side.

Instantly her wings spread open. She was a few dozen hooves above the waves and she didn't feel like getting wet. Wait... waves? Flying higher the Princess looked around in every direction. Her heart sank as the situation became clear. The spell had deposited Twilight in the middle of an ocean. No... not the middle, there was land in the distance, a few miles off but still. Celestia flew to the beach, scanning the cliffs and sand for several miles to no avail. She briefly concentrated on the volcano in the distance, but found only Diamond Dogs. She felt a familiar pang of sadness as she accepted the truth. Twilight's life sign was no more, one more mortal life whisked away from her, and so young! The purple mare had held so much promise, so much potential. She would have made a fine mage, perhaps even ranked among the best! But now... because of some foolish unicorn with some idea about so called 'humans'... Celestia fought back her anger, it would do no good to take it out on the pony. Revenge didn't bring ponies back from the dead, she had learned that lesson long ago.

The princess neatly folded her wings as she flew back through the portal. The hopeful faces of so many ponies made the news that much harder to bring. She averted her gaze, unable to look at them any longer. "... I'm sorry."

Spike's voice quavered. "Y-you didn't find her? Can't you keep looking, she's there, right? You said she'd be there, you promised!"

"Spike, I'm sorry, but I didn't promise anything... the portal opens into the middle of the ocean, and Twilight disappeared two nights ago..."

Picking up on the line of thought, Rainbow Dash interjected. "And... she always was more of an egghead than an athlete..."

Rarity gasped. "You can't mean..."

"Yes, Rarity... everypony, I'm so sorry, but... Twilight Sparkle is dead." The princess bowed her head, the statement hurt her just as much as it had the others.

Lyra stared in shock, slowly shaking her head, as if denying reality could bring Twilight back. She backed out of the room and turned, running off unnoticed.

Dash sagged to the floor. She would never be able to ask Twilight if a book was 'cool' or not again. She could never help with calculating whether a stunt would work ahead of time... she was just... gone.

Pinkie's hair deflated... "Oh... oh Twilight..." So much for the birthday party she had planned... Twilight wouldn't have any more birthdays.

Applejack shuddered, drowning in the middle of an ocean, what a terrible way to go! Looking around, she knew the others were taking it hard, real hard. The pain the blonde earth pony felt was familiar to her, though, all too familiar. She knew it would never go away, but the first few days were the worst, she would have to be there for her friends, to help them carry on. Oh, Twilight, why did you have to go?

Fluttershy whimpered, tears starting to form. She had seen many of her animal friends pass, but never by drowning. And this was different somehow, a deeper sadness than she had felt for her animals when they departed. Still, she had seen death before, and knew everypony died eventually. She asked the impossible question. "Was... was there a body?"

"I'm afraid not, the sea has most likely claimed it by now." Celestia managed.

Fluttershy knew what that meant, but decided to spare her friends. Whatever sea life fed on decaying flesh had probably consumed her body. No body... no closure... just nothing left.

Rarity was doing her best to hold it together. She worried over Spike, who hadn't moved since the news, a blank expression on his face. She couldn't imagine what was going through his mind. Tears ran down her cheeks as she sniffed, holding the little dragon tight.

Twilight, she was there when he was born... she had hatched him! She was his ever present mentor and friend, always there for him. Not only his best friend, but like a mother as well. A mother! Spike thought back to the day he had mumbled something about her not being his mommy, but she was, really. He regretted saying it, but he'd never worked up the nerve to apologize, to tell her she was his mother, to him. Now he would never get the chance... he imagined himself running after her, calling to her. Yelling apologies and telling her she was his mom... she was... but she just kept running. Gone... forever.

Tim looked around at his new home, well, cell really. The bars were as thick as his thumb, not enough to hold him forever, but plenty to let the guards dispatch him before he got out. They had piled a few dozen bales of fresh hay in one corner as a bed, presumably. In the other corner was a large tub, too small for bathing... its purpose was best left unsaid. His attention was redirected as he heard voices approaching.

"I don't care if you've got another Thunder Lizard, Ingot, today is an Arena day and I need my sleep!"

"Oh this is no mere Thunder Lizard, my liege! You will be glad I awakened you, right doctor?"

"I must concur with the runt on this one, sire, you will be quite pleased."

The Emperor's curiosity was piqued. "Well, Dr. Topaz and Ingot agreeing on something is cause enough to wake me, let's see what you've got!"

Rounding the corner, the trio, followed by a few dozen guards, finally came into view of the creature. The Emperor froze in shock.

"Great Canis! Is that... a Titan?"

"All my historical documents align perfectly with his physical description, sire. And he is quite immune to magic, as well."

The Emperor looked over his new prize in wonder. "Immune? Completely?"

"Yes sire, he will be completely unaffected by magical attacks. Unfortunately, that means magical healing, as well."

"He'll need some armor. We can't have something like this getting killed right away. Ingot, see to it, price is no object!"

"Yes sir!" Ingot was glowing, it was all happening exactly as he had pictured! He was set for life, rich beyond his wildest dreams!

"You were right to wake me, he will participate in the first fight of the morning, the citizens won't know what hit them!"

"Sire, it may not be wise to use him right away, he's showing signs of sleep deprivation and hunger."

"You haven't fed him? Why not?"

Ingot answered nervously. "Well.. we don't know what he eats... and the first thing we did was to wake you..."

"Guards, bring me food, lots of it and all kinds! Meat, vegetables, fruit, bread.... everything!" With a smart salute, four guards broke off and ran for the kitchens.

After a surprisingly short wait, the guards returned with six kitchen workers with platters piled high with foods of all kinds. Positioning themselves between the cell and the Emperor, the smaller, dog sized gate was opened and the kitchen staff nervously deposited their wares at the Titan's feet. After the last platter was set down, and the last dog exited the cell, the door was closed and locked once again. The dogs stared at Tim expectantly... he didn't want to indulge them, but he was very hungry, and the food looked really good.

The Emperor smiled as the Titan began to eat the roast pig. "Ah, a carnivore, like us!" But the smile faded a bit as Tim started to eat some carrots, as well. "Oh... um..." Soon the bread, fruit and vegetable trays were empty, all that remained was some hay, the raw meat platter, and some berries. "Well... it doesn't eat hay."

"I believe the term is 'Omnivore' sire. Apparently, Titans eat a variety of food, including fruits, vegetables, processed grains and cooked meat."

"How odd... well at least he likes meat."

"Pardon me, my liege, but there's more." The small pug relished the moment.

"More? Ingot, you're well on your way to becoming a General... what more could there possibly be?"

"A unicorn mare, sire, found traveling with the Titan."

"Ha! Marvelous! It sounds like the start to a bad joke! Show me to her, this Titan is boring me now."

Tim watched as the pack of dogs moved away, the excitable one seemed to be in charge, somehow. He didn't like the looks they had given him... greed, hunger... he saw something else in their eyes, but he couldn't quite place it.

Twilight slowly awoke as the sound of voices grew nearer. Despite her best efforts, after a hot bath and a hay dinner, her body had betrayed her and she had fallen asleep. So much for staying up to plan their escape. A group of dogs approached her cell, well outfitted for a dungeon. There was a thin but clean mattress on one wall, a porcelain pot in the corner, and a scented candle provided soft light and relief from any untoward smells.

"Ah, here we are, this is the unicorn, sire."

"Thank you Doctor. What a find! So healthy, and no scars as far as I can tell. You've been well treated, haven't you?"

Twilight spoke up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Talking back, even? Oh ho ho! You are a catch, somedoggy's going to enjoy breaking you!"

Backing up into her cell, Twilight's ears flattened. "B-break? Wh- who are you? What do you want?"

The Emperor spread his arms wide in a dramatic gesture. "I am the Emperor of the Canine Empire, Lord Canis Caligula the first! And I want you to be a prize in my games!"

Beginning and End.

Twilight shifted uncomfortably as the collar rubbed her neck, causing it to itch. She was being led by two guards, apparently to some place called 'The Arena'. A chain led from her collar to the nearest guard; it seemed unnecessary, she didn't have anywhere to run. Not that she had the will to run, anyway. The realization that she was no longer in control had finally set in. She wasn't some political pawn, like she thought at first; and this certainly was no longer a simple misunderstanding. She was their prisoner, and they were going to offer her up as some prize. She could hear a dull roar as they came to a stop in a small room with a thick oaken door at the far side.

With some unspoken signal, the guards stepped forward and opened the door. Twilight began to step through, but froze. The blinding light and tumultuous noise overwhelmed her senses. Daylight? When was the last time she had seen the sun? Oh... yesterday, duh. One of the guards pushed her through the doorway, and the crowd erupted in a tremendous cheer. Twilight found herself in the center of the volcano's caldera. The naturally sloping walls had been carved into a stadium of seats rising thousands of hooves! There had to be tens of thousands of Diamond Dogs watching the events unfold. They talked excitedly and pointed at her as the guards chained her to an anchor point in the ground near one side of the massive arena. One voice rose above the rest, magically augmented.

"Dams and Gentlesires! The Emperor is proud to present his first surprise of the day... a magical unicorn pony! Rarest of the rare, their powerful magic has many uses! Who will claim this slave as their own?"

Slave? The word struck Twilight like a blow to the chest. She wasn't a prisoner, she was a slave! The unicorn began to hyperventilate, she couldn't spend the rest of her life as a slave, there was no way!

"To honor the theme of today's prize, our Gladiators will be fighting in the traditional pony style!" Whistles and cat-calls erupted from the audience. "That's right, completely nude! How uncivilized!"

The purple mare balked. Uncivilized? Nude? But that's how ponies normally went about their business. Looking around, Twilight noticed that all of the dogs visible were wearing some variation of a cloth robe fastened at the shoulder with a broach. The guards were wearing armor, but she hadn't given that a second thought, pony guards wore armor, too. Thinking back, she hadn't seen one naked Diamond Dog... That was about to change.

"First we have... Bonecrusher!" The crowd cheered as a Pit Bull Diamond Dog stepped out of a doorway on the opposite side of the arena. He smiled and waved to the crowd with one hand, in the other was a padded club. He appeared to be unperturbed by his nudity, which seemed like a normal reaction to Twilight. She flinched a bit as he turned his gaze to her, looking at her thoughtfully, like one would appraise the value of livestock.

"Next up is... Flesh Ripper!" A black furred dog with a brown chest stepped out of the next door, ignoring the crowd, he stared at the pony, his eyes boring holes into her skull. Drool dripped from his mouth as a wicked grin spread across his face, he shifted his club from one paw to the next. The look in his eye had one meaning, he was going to keep her for himself... for his own pleasure, and Twilight didn't like it at all.

"Third is Granite Claw!" A charcoal grey Husky trotted out of the third door. She seemed a bit more taken aback by the lack of armor, but she quickly settled down. Rather than size up the prize, she kept her attention on her opponents, intelligent eyes taking in details. She carried a short rod with a hard leather flail on the end.

"And finally, Diamond Eyes!" The crowd erupted as a lean Dam with shining golden fur stepped out into the sunlight. Almost blinded, Twilight though it to be her most striking feature, until their eyes met. Diamond Eyes lived up to her name, piercing crystal blue eyes locked with Twilight's lavender ones, peering into her very soul. Slowly, the dog's gaze moved to her opponents, her weapon was a quarterstaff wrapped in soft leather.

"Now remember everydoggy, if you get too close to the prize before you claim victory, our archers will be more than happy to encourage you to keep your distance! Let the game begin!" At this proclamation, a gong sounded and all four dogs leapt into action at once.

The black furred dog instantly went for the husky, against all logic, since he was now surrounded. This tactic worked, however, as Granite Claw had turned to face the golden dog. Twilight heard a sickening crack as Flesh Ripper brought his club down hard onto the grey dog's head. She fell limply to the ground, blood soaking her fur.

Not one to waste an opportunity, Bonecrusher charged in and whipped his club in a vicious arc at waist level. Anticipating an attack to the head, Flesh Ripper ducked and turned into the path of the club. The pit bull smiled as he lived up to his name, the black dog's arm going limp as his shoulder was crushed into uselessness. Not going down without a fight, Ripper swung his club up into the crotch of the other dog, who fell to his knees. Grinning with murderous glee, Flesh Ripper raised his club above his head for the final blow.

Bonecrusher stared in shock when he heard a sharp crack and Ripper's eyes rolled into the back of his head and the dog slumped to the ground. Diamond Eyes stood behind him, a grim look on her face. Twilight had witnessed her drive her staff with stunning strength into the base of Flesh Ripper's skull. Bonecrusher managed to gasp, "I concede." before curling up into a ball. Now that the fear of death was gone, he could feel pain again, lots of pain.

Medical Dogs rushed into the stadium, casting healing spells to stop the bleeding and reverse the trauma. The announcer spoke up once more.

"Holy Canis, Dams and Gentlesires! That was quite the match! Let's see what the aftermath report says, shall we? Looks like Granite Claw needed a granite skull! She's got a concussion and minor blood loss, no surprise there! Poor Bonecrusher lives up to his name in more ways than one, receiving worse than he gave! A crushed pelvis and testicles, that's gonna take a while to heal, folks, ouch! And here's a surprise! The medical staff were unable to revive old Flesh Ripper, seems like he didn't suffer, though. A crushed spinal column and severed spinal cord don't let you feel much! Looks like the prize goes to Diamond Eyes! And what a sport the prize has been, this one didn't even cry. Give it up for the Mare of Diamond Eyes!"

Twilight's hearing went dead despite the roar of the crowd. She had just watched this dog kill someone, and now she belonged to this murderous canine? She began to shake in fear as the golden dog slowly approached. Without a hint of emotion or regard for the pony, Diamond Eyes took the chain and led Twilight out of the Arena. As they were leaving, the unicorn thought she heard her name being shouted from deep within the Arena walls. "Tim?" Had he seen what happened? Was he even still alive?

Lyra stood at the edge of the lake. The calm water showing her slightly distorted reflection. Twilight was dead, drowned, and it was all her fault. Some stupid conspiracy theory... she just wanted to be right... but not like this. The green mare sighed, the water looked inviting, but in a way that sent a chill down her spine. She took a hesitant step, she wasn't going to do anything crazy, she just wanted to see how the water felt... Cold, it was cold, but her hoof quickly grew accustomed to the feeling. Another step... yep, still cold.

"Lyra... Lyra stop!"

Lyra whipped her head around to see Bon-Bon racing toward her. No... she couldn't face her, not right now. She wasn't ready! The unicorn made to run but was cut off by the earth pony's voice.

"Don't you dare move an inch you stupid foal or I'll have your hide!"

Oh, great. She must have heard what happened and was coming to rub it in... not that Lyra blamed her. She deserved whatever punishment Bon-Bon had in store.

Tears streaked the cream mare's fur as she reared back and slapped Lyra hard across the face. "How dare you? Did you even stop to think about your friends? About me?"

Lyra stared at her hooves, now soaking in the shallow water.

"This isn't the answer, Lyra, killing yourself won't bring Twilight back!"

Killing herself? Suicide? Looking around, Lyra realized the situation did seem a bit morbid. "Oh, Bon-Bon, I wasn't-"

"Oh don't give me that. You know what this looks like! Don't lie to me, too."

"I... I'm sorry Bon-Bon... for everything! I just... I just wanted..."

Bon-Bon pulled Lyra close for a warm embrace. "Hush, I know. It's okay... shhhh." Tears flowed hot and fast for the pair as they sat in the chilly water at the edge of the lake. Neither moved for a long time.

Meanwhile, back in Lyra's bedroom, Celestia stood alone, having dismissed the others. The living room was more suitable for mourning, as it had more seating and didn't contain the scene of the incident. A look of confusion mixed with visceral fear as the princess stared at the hand-shaped object laying on the dresser. Were they what Lyra was calling 'human'? Was she actually searching for them? Her face darkened as she began to rummage through the contents of the room. Charts, essays, even semi-accurate drawings! This... this foal was actually trying to find the Titans! Celestia's ears perked up as she heard the front door open.

Bon-Bon and Lyra entered the crowded living room, all eyes turned as one to the pair. The green unicorn was clearly filled with regret and sorrow. Slowly, she looked up to face the others. "I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I never would have- if I had..."

"Look. Apologizn' ain't gonna bring Twilight back." Applejack interjected. "We understand you regret what ya' did, but it don't change the fact what ya' did was wrong. That bein' said, Twilight knew better than to give ya' that book. This is just a bad situation for all involved. So b'fore anypony does or says somethin' they'll regret, ah think we should all go home and get some sleep. We can deal with the particulars in th' mornin'."

Before anypony else could speak up, Celestia walked in. "I agree, Applejack. Why don't you all go home for now, we can figure out how to proceed tomorrow."

Everypony quietly filed out, giving Lyra sad and uncomfortable looks. Spike, though, had a different look to him, he gave Lyra a cold hard stare as he walked by. Clearly the dragon wasn't ready to forgive the unicorn so easily.

Soon enough, all that was left was Lyra, Bon-Bon and the princess. Sighing, Celestia spoke. "What of this research of yours, Lyra? What was so important?"

Cringing, Lyra looked up to the princess. "Looking back... it wasn't. I just wanted to prove that humans once existed in our world! So little information on them exists, it was exciting trying to hunt down any kind of hint. I got such a rush when I made a breakthrough!"

"I see. Will you continue this research?"

Normally, Lyra would have been in ecstasy at the princess taking an interest in her obscure passion, now things were different. "No. I'm done. I don't ever want to hear the word 'human' again. It was a stupid hobby anyway... just a waste of time."

"You won't mind if I take your research materials, then? They'll be stored at the royal archives, I'm sure eventually somepony will want to look at them."

Her research, stored at the royal archives? Lyra should be giddy at the privilege! Instead all she could manage was a weak smile. "Of course, Princess, I'd be honored."

Celestia returned the smile, with that problem neatly taken care of, all that remained was the matter of what to do about Spike. He clearly held Lyra accountable for Twilight's death, and while that was partially true, it was not a healthy attitude to have in this situation.

Trial and Error.

Spike sighed as he curled up next to Rarity in her bed. He just... didn't feel like crying... or sleeping... he just didn't feel. Like the whole thing wasn't even real. He knew it was real. One day he would feel pain again, but for now it was like he was living a movie. A silent film with no sound and no emotion.

Rarity looked at Spike in concern. Why wasn't he crying? Maybe dragons showed their grief some other way? She carefully got out of bed when she heard a soft knock at the door. She quietly walked down the stairs into the entryway. "Oh, Princess, please come in."

"Thank you Rarity, and just Celestia, please."

"Of course. How can I help you?"

"I came by to see how Spike was doing. I'm worried he's not taking this too well."

"None of us are, but he's acting strange. He hasn't spoken or even cried since we got back."

"I see. That's normal for some ponies, it just takes a day or so for reality to set in. I'd like for him to be near me when it does, he's known me almost as long as he knew Twilight."

"O-oh... I see. Yes, that makes sense. You wish to take him back to Canterlot, then?"

"Yes, Ponyville is just going to have too many fresh, painful memories for him. At least in Canterlot all the memories will be faded."

"Of course."

"I noticed you have been taking care of him throughout this trying event. I must thank you for that. Are the two of you close?"

"Oh, it was my pleasure, Celestia! And, yes... we have grown quite close lately. I'd be lying if I said I didn't care deeply for him."

"I'm sure he feels the same. He chose to come to you in his time of need, after all. Why don't you come with us? I'm sure your presence will help him heal."

"Of course! Let me pack some things and close up my shop. I was planning on shutting things down for a few days, anyway."

"I mean to live in Canterlot, dear. I'm close to Spike, but I'm also very busy and can't be there for him as much as I'd like. You could give him the attention he needs... I know this is asking a lot."

"L-live... in Canterlot? Oh my... this is all so sudden."

"There's no need to make a decision now. Just pack for a few days, like you were planning. But please consider it. I'll see to it you get a prime location for your business, I'm sure your style will be quite well received."

"My- my own store? In Canterlot?"

"I'll make sure Toity carries a few of your designs at first to get your name out there. Although I think he already does. All you really need to do is make the move."

"Rarity's designs... the talk of Canterlot..." It was her dream come true! Of course, the main reason for going was to help support Spike... but Canterlot!

Pinkie stared solemnly into the sparkling river. The cheery bubbling grated against her forlorn mood. Rainbow Dash picked up a flat rock and tossed it, skipping it six times before it sunk into the water... just like Twilight. Shuddering, Dash sat back down... no more skipping rocks. Applejack and Fluttershy had gone home long ago, they both had duties that didn't stop just because some pony did.

"I don't know how they do it." Rainbow Dash stated. "How can they go on, day in and day out, with lives depending on them every day? I know I'm not responsible for what happened to Twi... but I still feel like I am, and it hurts."

"Yeah... I can't even imagine how Lyra feels..."

Dash's face hardened for a moment, before relaxing again. "You know what? You're right... she must be in a lot of pain right now. She sure looked like it when we left. Even if it is her fault... she didn't mean to... I can't really hate her for it."

"I wonder if she's doing okay... hey Dashie?"

"Yeah?"

"If- if it's not too soon... do you wanna go visit her tomorrow?"

"I don't know Pinkie, I'll see how I feel in the morning."

Tim stopped straining against the bars of his prison when one of the guards motivated him with the butt of a spear. Those things hurt! The tiny welt on his toe was hard to see, but still! He had witnessed the battle royale unfold in the arena, as well as seeing who the prize was. He had called out to her, but the roar of the crowd had overpowered even his booming voice. (Booming compared to creatures half his size, anyway.) Now that the field was once more clear, the announcer began to speak. Tim didn't understand the announcers words, or the signals the guards were giving, but he did understand what it meant when the gates to his cell opened. It was his turn.

They had dressed him in what apparently they thought he would wear in the 'wild'. A bunch of animal skins that looked like they had been leopards, at some point, had been sewn together into a rough loincloth. His 'weapon' was what they must consider a comically large club, yet to him was just slightly larger and heavier than a baseball bat. Tim couldn't help but revel in the ridiculousness of the situation.

Stepping out onto the Arena floor brought him back into stark reality. At the other end, the largest Diamond Dog he had ever seen stood ready with a sword and shield. The dog came all the way up to his belly button! Okay, what are the facts, here? They want me to fight this dog. Twilight is alive. If I'm going to help her, I need to be alive. I'm still more than twice as heavy and almost twice as big as this dog. I have no armor, the dog does. The dog has a short pointy thing, so he'll want to get in close. I can't let that happen.

As the monstrous creature emerged from the largest gateway in the Arena, the crowd went wild.

"And here we have the second surprise, everydoggy! That's right, your Emperor has generously provided the impossible! Long though extinct, this legend, this myth, this Ancient One has been brought before you for your entertainment! Your very own Titan! These mythical powerhouses once took on the Gods themselves... and nearly won! It took the might of Canis himself to banish them from this plane, now with his permission, we brought one back! We didn't make it easy for him, though. Oh, no, this Titan will have to prove himself by facing the might of the Juggernaut, winner of last years' games!"

By now the crowd had been stirred into a frenzy. Did he say Titan? Aren't they immune to magic? Juggernaut was going to wipe the floor with this thing. The Titan's going to die before we have any fun! With the sound of a gong, the crowd quieted. Juggernaut began sprinting toward the Titan, who remained motionless. What was he doing? Didn't he know the match had started?

Looking around, Tim noticed a guard frantically motioning to him. What? Oh! The gong meant go. Deciding to roll with the big dumb angle, the Titan slowly began to lumber toward the unnaturally large Diamond Dog. Surprisingly, the sprinting dog stopped short, just out of range of Tim's club. Deciding to match the dog, the Titan stopped, the two opponents stared at each other. Tim couldn't make out any details, shiny silver armor covered the dog, no hint of fur was visible. All he could see were two brown eyes staring out at him.

Finally deciding the Titan had been properly scrutinized, the dog leapt forward. Swinging his club in a golf-like arc, Tim tried to intercept the beast, but the dog rolled at the last second, dodging the blow. Using all his might, the Titan reversed the swing to connect from the back. Just before the Juggernaut's blade pierced his skin, Tim landed a glancing blow, narrowly avoiding injury. What felt like a nick at best to the Titan was magnified by three times to the Diamond Dog. It was enough to bruise the beast a bit, behind his armor, and throw him off balance.

The dog spun as he fell, almost catching himself. That Titan was faster than he- oh... Juggernaut looked up just in time to see the business end of a club come hurtling down into his face.

Tim stood, triumphant. So, he probably broke the dog's nose... okay, his whole face. It was the dog's own fault, really... trying to stab him like that. Putting on a show for these things didn't sit too well with Tim; but what choice did he have? They could starve or torture him if he didn't comply... or worse, hurt that poor purple pony! He looked around at the crowd, the group of dogs hanging back hesitantly, one of the guards waving at him... **Hi!... Oh... right, game over... *duh!*** Okay, maybe Tim wasn't pretending as much as he'd like when it came to the 'big dumb' act.

As the mighty Titan left the stadium, after spending an appropriate amount of time basking in the glory, the announcer resumed his duties.

"The Terrible Titan, Dams and Gentlesires! Witness his strength and grace, the unnatural speed he can employ when wielding his club, the brute force that could defeat gods! Juggernaut is one lucky dog folks! A bruised shoulder, a broken nose, a pawfull of missing teeth, a detached retina and a concussion are all he had to suffer! Imagine if the Titan was angry!"

Shakily Juggernaut stood, supported on either side by medical dogs. He waved weakly at the crowd as he exited the arena.

Twilight looked nervously at the passing dogs, they had been drawing some strange looks. The roar of the Arena had faded into silence long ago. They had descended back into the heart of the mountain, though not as deep as her first prison. Magical orbs hung fastened to the wall at regular intervals. The orb holders were made of wrought brass, a dark patina artfully applied, giving the hallway a slightly more elegant atmosphere. As they turned into a narrower corridor, Diamond stopped at the first door on the right and placed a paw on a silver plate, which softly glowed for a brief moment, the glow fading after a click was heard.

The dog turned to her slave and smiled, exposing a row of sharp teeth. "Welcome to my humble abode. They don't give these main hallway suites to just anydoggy, you know."

Twilight rolled her eyes, so now her owner was trying to make good? She had to suppress an urge to be snarky, her owner did just kill someone... she could be next. "Forgive me if I don't- whoa!" Twilight expected excess, she expected flashy furniture... what she didn't expect was a three story suite with a spiral staircase leading up through two foyers. The floorspace on the first story was almost completely open, with pillows and mattresses spread throughout. The airy space was a giant relief compared to the closed in feeling of the endless hallways, and it beat the Arena, any day. What caught Twilight's eye, however, was what appeared to be a study on the second floor with quite the collection of books. "Is... is that a library?"

"I know, right? No... that's just my personal study. A few books on combat techniques and what have you. Anyway, go ahead and make yourself comfortable. You can check out the study if you really want."

"I... I do! I don't get it... why are you being nice to me?"

"There's no point in being mean. You can't escape and if I hit you you'll just be worth less. It's not like I'm going to see you again, after tomorrow."

"Worth? What happens tomorrow?"

"I'm gonna take you to the market and sell you. Do you have any idea what kind of equipment I can get with the price you'll fetch?"

"You're going to sell me? B-but.. you can't..."

Diamond's smile faded as she walked up to the impetuous pony. "Yes. I can. You are a slave... get used to it."

"Oh... right... I... I'm sorry..."

"Meh... whatever. Just try and relax and enjoy your last night of peace and relative freedom."

"What do you mean? My last night of peace?"

"Think about it pony, you're a slave. Nobles don't pay good money to have slaves just do whatever they want. From now on, you'll do what your master says, when they say it. You could be a cleaning servant, a field worker... of course, the exotics usually attract the highest bidders..."

Gulping, Twilight asked the obvious question, not sure she wanted to hear the answer. "Who are the highest bidders?"

"The sexual deviants, perverts, rapists... you know the type. You'll most likely spend the rest of your life as somedoggies sex toy."

Shuddering, the unicorn protested. "N-no! They can't let that happen! When the princess hears about this-!"

Twilight was cut off as Diamond wrapped her paw around the pony's throat. "It will happen you idiot, and there's nothing you can do about it. Well, almost nothing..."

Rasping through the dog's grip, the unicorn managed. "What else is there?"

Diamond smiled. "Well, besides suicide... you can become a gladiator, like me. "

"Fight? N-never... I can't hurt any... no..."

"Those are your choices you stupid foal... fight or fu-!"

Diamond Eyes was cut off as Twilight slapped her hard across the muzzle. The dog's eyes flashed in rage as her grip tightened, but it quickly subsided. She dropped the pony to the floor. The unicorn curled up in a ball and trembled... she could have just died! The hard reality was that the only reason she was still alive was that she was worth money.

Diamond Eyes pointed to a door. "See that room? That's where you'll sleep tonight. I'll wake you up when it's time to leave."

Twilight just nodded, afraid to move from her spot on the floor while the Diamond Dog was there. She watched as the dog ascended the staircase to the third floor, disappearing behind a black door. Numbly, the pony got to her hooves and walked to the indicated door. She curled up once again in the soft, spacious bed, and for the first time in her life, Twilight Sparkle cried herself to sleep.

Goals and Aspirations.

A muscular, copper furred Diamond Dog stood in a dark corner. His scarred face set in a permanent scowl as he watched a lighter toned puppy attack a sparring dummy with a wooden sword. With a vicious swing, the dummy broke in two and fell to the floor, the small dog standing proudly over her kill.

The golden furred puppy looked up to her elder in trepidation. "Did I do good, daddy?"

"Not bad, my child..." The bronze haired Sire replied. "but not good enough for the Arena, either."

The puppy's face fell at the remark, then hardened in determination. "Then I'll just have to try harder!"

"No, child! There is no try! You will do better."

"Of- of course... "

Diamond Eyes stirred as she awoke from the dream. Bah... stupid memories... stupid dad! She remembered with ironic melancholy the day her father had finally approved. She had waited so long to hear those words. You have done well, my child... you are ready. The next thing she knew, she had been thrown in with a bunch of slaves, Slaves!, set to fight in the Arena against a pack of Timberwolves. Her own father had literally thrown her to the wolves! Of course she fought, and naturally she survived, her father had trained her well, after all.

Once a slave survives a fight in the Arena, they become a gladiator. And so Diamond Eyes found herself as not quite a slave, but not really a citizen, either. Gladiators that had won 'The Games' earned citizenship, but were encouraged to continue fighting in the Arena as 'Gladius Elites'. A Gladius was a citizen gladiator, like her father; they were allowed more complete armor and weapons, and were typically given an edge in competitions. The dog's goal was at first to impress her father, winning fight after fight. Even with her perfect record, he always found something to criticize, poor technique, a momentary lapse in judgement, an avoidable slip.

Eventually, Diamond Eyes had given up hope of ever winning the old man over. The crowd, though, they had come to adore the pugnacious pup. She soon found that by acting shy, or bold, or anything really, she could have the crowd eating out of the palm of her paw. Oh, the adoration they poured upon her! The constant stream of gifts! So she became almost an honorary Gladius, still in the gladiator class but allowed certain... advantages. Her armor was top notch, her weapons cache massive, even her selection of civilian clothing was considered opulent. Then one day, after a particularly fierce battle in which she had nearly lost her life, the Emperor himself bestowed a large apartment upon her, near both the Arena itself, and the medical center.

Diamond had it all, she lived in the lap of luxury, she was one of the best gladiators in the Arena, and even her apartment dwarfed her own father's! The old sire didn't share her enthusiasm, unfortunately; instead he berated her for nearly getting herself killed, and warned her about the dangers of excess. That had been the last straw, here she was, doing better than even her own father, and he still wouldn't give his approval! The old codger was just jealous, and she was tired of his crap, so she cut ties with him. The last time she ever saw him was at his funeral.

The last thought elicited a twinge of regret from Diamond, she may not have liked her father... but he was the only family she has... had. How long ago was it now? A little over two years... right. After he died, she realized she really didn't have a reason to fight, anymore. The cheers of the crowd seemed forced, the gifts were now hollow and meaningless. Diamond wanted out, and the only way out for a gladiator was to win the games. She trained harder, she began to study tactical books, both of the physical and magical arts. She began to spar with Gladius Elites, some of whom were fans.

The Gladius and Gladius Elites rarely fought gladiators, as it was considered unsporting for the gladiator's sake. Secretly there was the fear the Gladius might be lost. Instead, The Gladius tended to take part in flashy and elaborate spectacles pitting them in a one sided fight against a swarm of poorly armed slaves. This precedent resulted in the more sought-after gladiators often teaming up with the various Gladius types for sparring and practice. A mutually beneficial arrangement in that the gladiator could face better armed and armored opponents, and the Gladius could keep their reflexes quick and their mind sharp.

The first year had gone well. Diamond had survived the 'Trial', a convoluted series of tests to see if an individual or group was worthy of participating in the rest of the Games. She had even fought her way to fourth place, an unheard of accomplishment for a female her age. Still, the loss meant another year of fighting, another year of pretending. The next year she worked even harder, and her determination nearly payed off. If not for Juggernaut, she would have easily won, but the damnable beast was unstoppable! And to top things off, he had volunteered for the games again this year!

Typically a gladiator would take a year off when he earned his freedom, but it appeared Juggernaut really did love fighting as much as he claimed. So much so that he somehow convinced the Emperor to allow him to participate in the Games again, a traditionally gladiator only event. There was no way to beat him, his armor was impenetrable, and his size advantage just put him over the top. No, the individual games were out, in order to earn her freedom, Diamond would need to win the group Games, something she had never considered before.

This was her frame of mind when she had signed up for the last-minute 'Special Prize' event the Arena Organizer had presented her with. If she was going to start a group, she'd need money, and a 'special prize' sounded like it was worth quite a bit. This was also a good opportunity to size up whatever opponents she might face, to see if they were worth recruiting. Special events like this were typically non-lethal weapons only, so she would get a chance to observe the others without fearing for her life.

All that went out the window when the doors opened and she saw the unicorn. Every school-puppy knew that unicorns have more magical power in their left hoof than the most powerful Dog-Mages have in their entire being, if the legends of Starswirl were anything to go by. That made the situation a must-win scenario, and that was why she felt no regret when she dispatched Flesh Ripper. The savage gladiator hadn't got his name just by accident. The monster was infamous for beating his dog slaves to within an inch of their lives. The other species of slaves he won... would eventually disappear, rumor had it into Flesh Ripper's stomach. Diamond had recognized the look in Ripper's eyes yesterday, hunger, hunger and lust; she wouldn't have a chance to try and buy the unicorn from him.

So when his back was turned, to strike a killing blow against one of the few gladiators she had come to like, no less; she took her shot. A single, hard jab into the base of his skull, easy, fast, effective. You couldn't land a killing blow like that with a club, it would take too long to pull back and pick up speed, that was why she preferred the staff in these kinds of fights, it gave her... options. She had almost laughed when poor Bone Crusher managed to concede before falling over. She felt bad about that, but she had never heard his voice so high-pitched before.

Now it all came down to the pony. The unicorn would be useless if she didn't want to fight. In order to have a group that could win, you had to trust it's members. That meant the pony had to choose for herself, a life of servitude or the chance for freedom. As Diamond climbed out of bed, she stretched and popped her back. It wouldn't be the end of the world if the pony chose to give up, she would still make her a lot of money, but if she chose to fight...

Twilight blinked the crust out of her eyes as she yawned. An unfamiliar, yet strangely tantalizing scent wafted into her room. What was that smell? Ah, Diamond Dogs are carnivorous, so it mush be meat. Meat!? Ewww! For a few moments, Twilight tried in vain not to breathe in the offending fumes, but biology won out in the end. A knock on the door distracted her from further unpleasant ruminations. Diamond Eyes walked in wearing a loose fitting silk Toga with gold patterns embroidering the edges.

"Wake up pony! Time for breakfast!" Diamond said in a cheery sing-song voice.

"I'm not really hungry." The purple mare answered as her traitorous stomach disagreed.

"Not even for hay-sh browns?"

Twilight stared hungrily at the platter of fried hay in front of her. "Okay... maybe a little. There's no meat in here, right?"

"Promise, I'm keeping all the meat to myself."

"You sure are cheerful this morning." The unicorn said between bites.

"Of course! Either I get a new fighter for my group or you'll make me a lot of money, it's win-win!"

"Your... group?" Twilight asked, deciding for now to ignore the pointed reminder of her predicament.

"Yep, I'm putting together a gladiator group to fight in the arena, the odds of winning are better that way."

"Why would you want me in your group? I don't know the first thing about fighting... or... killing..."

"You just let me worry about that. If you decide to join, I'll fill you in on the details, including why I want you."

Finished with her meal, Twilight got out of bed and levitated the dish into the kitchen area. Just because her host was a killer, and currently her master, didn't mean the pony had to be an ungrateful guest. As the plate settled into the sink, Twilight felt the cold metal of the collar lock around her neck.

"What the... we're going already?"

"No time like the present!" Diamond grinned a little too widely.

"Bu-but... I don't... I haven't made my decision yet!"

"You had all night, you can decide on the way. It won't be too late until you're up on the auction block."

"Auction Block? Hold on-" The pony was cut off as Diamond yanked her chain, pulling the mare off balance and into a canter.

As the pair made their way down the large hallway once more, continuing in the direction away from the arena, Twilight noticed they were getting less stares than before, even though there were more dogs. In fact, most stares were directed at her this time. Ah, Diamond Eyes was no longer naked... that was it. Apparently nudity really did bother them, how odd! Her thoughts returned to the present as they entered an enormous cavern, circular like the arena, the ceiling was barely visible hundreds of hooves above. A bustling marketplace filled the area, thousands of dogs running, yelling, bartering, selling... it was nearly overwhelming! The market at Canterlot barely compared!

Diamond led Twilight around the door lined circumference of the market, stalls were intermittently set up along the wall, as well. Apparently not just anydoggy could set up shop there. Finally, they stopped in front of a stall that sold mock-ups of weapons and figurines that looked vaguely familiar. The stall keeper, a Dam with faded grey fur, smiled as she noticed Diamond approaching.

"Hello Ms. Eyes, thank you so much for saving my fool husband."

"He wasn't a fool Mrs. Crusher, he just left himself open."

"Bah! I told him the competition for a 'Special Prize' would be too fierce! By the way, is that it?" The dam asked, pointing to the pony.

"Yep, one grade 'A' unicorn!"

"Oh, you're not going to eat it are you? That would be such a waste."

"Ha! No, just using an expression, I don't think the Emperor's official Meat Grader would take me seriously if I asked him to grade her."

Twilight wasn't sure she liked all this talk about her being meat, even if it was a joke.

"So how is old Boney doing, anyway?"

"Go ask him yourself, he's in the house."

Diamond Eyes opened the door next to the stall and pulled Twilight inside. They walked down a short hallway into a common room, much smaller than the golden dog's accommodations, but by no means spartan.

"Well look who the manticore dragged in! And you brought a treat, how thoughtful, come in, come in!"

The pit bull from the fight yesterday was much larger than Twilight had remembered. This didn't detract from her growing frustration. "Will everydoggy please stop referring to me as food?"

"Whoa there girl, just a harmless joke." Turning to Diamond Eyes, Bone Crusher asked. "Is she always this feisty?"

"So far? Yes. So how are the boys?"

"I've only got one."

"I know that, I meant your junk."

"So did I."

"Ouch... that stinks."

"Bah! I've got two pups already, that's plenty. The last thing we need is another mouth to feed. Besides, I've still got righty. Thanks for the save, by the way."

"No problem, I wasn't going to let Flesh Ripper kill you, or eat her."

Twilight cringed. "You know, these jokes are getting old quick."

Diamond smiled. "That wasn't a joke, Flesh Ripper was his name for a reason."

Left with that little tidbit to ponder, Twilight grew silent... and pale.

"So what brings you around, Dime? You have that look about you, like you have some idea."

"I do, remember when we first met?"

"In the Arena? Sure."

"Well, you saved my life back then and... well..."

"Is that it? Okay, consider us even."

"No, that's not... I trust you, okay? More than any other gladiator."

"What are you getting at, Dime?"

"I want to start a group."

"Just the two of us?"

"No- well yeah, for now. I've got a few prospects in mind, but I'll run 'em by you, first."

"I don't know, Dime. It's not that I don't trust you... Look, just give me some time to think about it, okay?"

"Sure, Bone, no pressure."

As Diamond and Twilight left the Crusher's home, the unicorn gave the dog a sidelong glance. "So... that was your big plan? Ask one of the dogs you had to fight to win me to be your ally?"

"I... well yeah, I've known Bone Crusher for years, we've always been on good terms."

"He wasn't that impressive in yesterday's match."

"I'll admit he wasn't at his best, but I know what he's capable of. Trust me, he's a solid contender, and more importantly, I trust him."

"Hmm."

Good. Diamond thought to herself. That little meeting got the unicorn thinking. Maybe now she'll see it's not so bad, when even a gladiator can have a family.

The pair now made a beeline to a large set of open doors that led to an auditorium just off the main marketplace. On the stage was a clean, fit, Diamond Dog dam standing naked before the audience. As the auctioneer made note of her physical attributes and the lack of scars, bids continued to rise. Soon a gavel sounded and the dog was marched off the stage to her new master, happily wagging his tail in anticipation.

Twilight paused at the doorway, resisting Diamonds impatient tugs. "Oh... we're here already?"

"Yeah, where did you think we were going? I only stopped at Bone's place since it was on the way."

"Y-you could have stopped on the way back."

"Nah, the bank's in the other direction, and it would be impolite to swing by waving a sack of gold in front of his face, we're friends... remember?"

"I yeah but..."

"Come on pony! I don't have all day."

"I don't want to be a slave!"

"You don't want to fight either, it's the only other option, pony."

"My name is Twilight Sparkle and I don't want to be a sex toy!!!"

Hundreds of eyes turned to the doorway at the outburst, some of them thinking along just those lines. Twilight blushed furiously as Diamond narrowed her eyes, glaring at the unicorn.

"You don't... are you sure?"

Hardening her own gaze, Twilight looked into the dog's eyes. "I'm sure."

"So you'll fight?"

"Yes... I'll fight."

Preparation and Planning.

The thin night air felt cool against his skin, the quiet breeze barely stirring. The Arena at night was a whole different experience. The occasional cough or clink of shifting armor from the guards echoed quietly, the sounds standing in stark contrast to the roar of the crowd. Torches burned around the perimeter, casting wildly dancing shadows on the floor. Apparently the magical orbs used for lighting elsewhere were too valuable to risk breaking, and the games were never held at night anyway. After his first fight, it was decided Tim needed some training and exercise, but none of the gyms in the mountain were big enough. The conclusion had finally been reached that the Titan would practice in the Arena itself, after hours.

Tim took in his surroundings. The Arena floor was roughly a third of a mile in circumference, long enough to jog around. A few life sized dummies stood in the center, a club similar to the one he used in battle laying nearby. The titan stretched out to his full length for the first time in days, it felt really good. Finally, after a bit more stretching, he took off at a trot, circling the Arena three times before coming to a stop. That hadn't taken long at all, if this was as big an area as he would fight in, endurance may not be the top priority. Tim walked over to the arena wall, turned, and picked a spot that was roughly opposite. Crouching into a three point stance, he prepared to take off. Noticing his change in behavior, some of the guards shifted uncomfortably.

Tim took off in an explosion of dirt, his feet flying furiously. He felt the wind whipping past his face, his legs pumping, his heart racing. In the back of his mind, he picked up some shouts and the sound of awkward scrambling. He didn't stop until he reached the far wall, the entire trip taking under a minute. Crap, I'm slow... I need to work on that. The sounds of shouting finally registered and Tim turned around. The entire contingent of guards was sprinting toward him, the bulk of the group just halfway across the Arena floor. I guess the size advantage translates to speed as well... somewhat. The faster guards, nearly on him, stopped when they saw he wasn't trying to escape after all, and in fact, was laughing.

While the faster and more sure footed guards had been able to nearly keep up, many of the others were scrambling and falling over each other, and had still failed to notice the chase was off. The ones who now stood near the titan turned as he pointed, and joined in his merriment. It was a rather comical scene, as a few of the more clumsy dogs had even managed to get tangled in the group of practice mannequins. One of the pack said something about a group of dummies, and soon the Arena was filled with roars of laughter. Finally, the pack made it's way to the center and helped the stragglers out of their predicament, setting the equipment back in place.

After a few more sprints, in which some of the guards even joined him, Tim decided to change tack. He slowly walked back to the center as he caught his breath. He picked up the club and inspected it, hefting its' weight, taking a few practice swings. One of the guards that had run with him called out as he jogged over the the titan. Taking his own club, the guard showed Tim how to hold the club properly, the grip was a little higher than he expected. Pointing at the guard, Tim tilted his head to the side, dog body language for an inquiry. The guard said "Onyx", pointing to himself. The titan smiled, repeated the name, then gave his own.

With introductions out of the way, Onyx showed Tim a few simple strikes, which he demonstrated on the practice dummies. Tim mimicked the three moves, a thrust sent the first dummy flying backward, a simple overhead stroke which crushed the second's head, and a vicious side swipe that nearly tore the third in two. Onyx stared wide eyed at the results, gaining a new understanding of the concept of volume versus height. Just because the Titan was twice as tall as the largest of the Diamond Dogs, didn't mean he was only twice as strong.

Twilight found her thoughts wandering once more. The design on the cover of that beginner's combat magic book looked so familiar, it was nagging at the back of her mind. Where had she seen it before? Diamond let out an exasperated sigh, shaking the pony from her thoughts.

"S-sorry, what was that?"

"I said that if you don't pay attention, you could die."

"Oh... right."

Dime was seriously beginning to doubt her decision to take on this pony as a partner. The unicorn's head had been in the clouds ever since she had been given the introductory combat books. Still, there was no doubt her magic was powerful, she just didn't have a warrior's mindset... yet. It was Diamond's job to give it to her. A wicked grin slowly spread across her face as she took a step forward. A pitiful frown spread across Twilight's face as she took a step back.

"Raise your sword, pony."

"I- can't we talk about this?"

"We are training to fight, not talk."

"But... somepony could get hurt!"

"Yes... somepony will!"

The dog charged at Twilight as she backed up into a wall. They were only wooden practice swords, and the pony really did need to get hit a few times to get over her fear and become a better fighter. In the back of her mind, Diamond knew she was genuinely helping the pony, but that didn't explain why this was so much fun.

"Gotcha!" Dime shouted as she swung her sword at Twilight's shoulder. She blinked in surprise when a flash temporarily blinded her and her sword hit nothing. Looking around, she saw the pony behind her. "What the... what was that?"

Twilight beamed at the dog's impressed tone. "Oh, just a simple teleport spell... it's quite easy, once you get the hang of it!"

"This is a lesson in fighting, not running."

"Well excuse me if I don't want to get hit."

"Fine, have it your way. You need some exercise, anyway."

"Hey! Are you saying I'm fat?"

"Yes."

"What? That's not very nic-AAAAAAAAAA!"

Twilight broke into a yell as the dog barreled toward her once again. Turning, she began to run as fast as she could, but it wasn't enough, Dime was catching up. She teleported at the last second, reappearing on the other side of the gym.

Diamond shook her sword at the pony in rage. "You dropped your weapon, you broke the first rule of combat!"

"I don't need it!" Twilight retorted as the dog quickly closed the distance between them.

"You can't keep teleporting away forever!"

Twilight looked over her shoulder and stuck out her tongue. "Yes I can!"

Lyra's head sunk lower. The morning had started promising enough. Pinkie Pie had arrived at her house early, inviting her to breakfast at Sugar Cube Corner. Once there, the pink pony had professed her understanding that Lyra was 'super-duper sorry' and she promised not to be a 'meany pants' toward her. It was clear she was still sad, heck, everypony who knew the librarian was sad. Still, knowing that there were at least two ponies that didn't hate her had helped a little.

Now, though, as Lyra made her way back home, the streets were starting to fill. Groups of ponies were casting looks her way and whispering. Things couldn't go on like this, she would go mad! The mint-green pony marched on, trying desperately to come up with an answer. She had apologized profusely already, even though that would never make things better, it helped; she had even renounced her research, completely abandoned her life's work! Everywhere she turned, reminders of what she had done popped up. The square where that magician pony had set up, the hill where Twilight organized the winter wrap-up, the library.

So many things in Ponyville reminded her of the purple mare... Ah, that was the answer. Lyra came to the realization that she would no longer be able to live in the quaint little town she called home. She would have to live somewhere else, start over where nopony knew her, or what she had done. But where would she go? And what about Bon-Bon? Well, she was home now, might as well tell her.

"Hello?" Lyra called, dejectedly.

"Oh! Lyra, I was wondering where you had gotten off to... I checked the lake..." Bon-Bon left the implication unsaid as she averted her eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Pinkie invited me to breakfast... I'm past that, you know."

"I know, I just worry."

"I think I've come to a decision, but I wanted to tell you before I made up my mind."

"Oh? What about?"

"I want to leave Ponyville, it... it's just too much, too many reminders."

"Really! I mean... really?"

Lyra raised an eyebrow at her friends unexpected enthusiasm. "Um..."

"Oh, don't mind me, I just... Well remember Blueberry?"

"Your cousin? Sure, her family is visiting right?"

"Yep! Well, her parents are expanding their candy store, they're adding a new location!"

"That's great, I'm glad they're doing so well."

"That's not all, they wanted Blueberry to run the new store, but she turned them down. Then they asked me if I wanted to be the manager! I was so conflicted about whether to take the job, since I didn't want to leave you right now."

"So you're not conflicted now?"

"Nope, this is perfect! You can come with me to Baltimare!"

"I... I can?"

"Of course! Why not? You need to get away from Ponyville and I have some positions to fill in the store. You could come work for me, we could even still be roommates."

"That does sound good. I'm not sure I want to spend the rest of my life as a candy maker, though."

"Oh it would just be a temporary position until you got accepted into the Baltimare Symphony Orchestra, of course."

"The Baltimare Orchestra? Do you really think I have a chance?"

"You're the best harpist in Ponyville, with a little practice, I don't see why not."

Lyra had mentioned her interest in being a professional musician one day to Bon-Bon. She must have remembered. And everyone in Ponyville always complimented her when they heard her play. Maybe she did have a chance... a real chance at a new life.

Rarity stood on the platform, smiling at her four friends who had come to see her off. Spike was by her side, trying his best to force a smile of his own.

"Now, now, everypony, it's not like I'm moving away to some distant land. Besides, I'll be back next week to get the rest of my things!"

"We know, sugar cube, it's just tough seein' ya leave, knowin' you're movin' away for good."

"You make it sound like you'll never see me again! I promise I'll visit at least once a month."

"What about you Spike? Y'all gotta come visit us too. I don't want ya bein' a stranger!"

"S-sure, Applejack, I... I'll try and come when Rarity visits. Not next week... but... maybe next time."

"If I don't see ya' by the end of fall, I'm gonna come git ya!" Applejack threatened as she tickled Spike.

"He- S.. Hahaha! Stop, okay, okay, I'll visit!" Despite himself, the small dragon actually broke into a smile.

"Ooh- and when you do I can throw you a welcome back party with cakes and cupcakes and pancakes and crab cakes and... and... I ran out of cakes..." Pinkie began to tap her hoof on her chin as she drifted into silence.

"Oh, and don't forget to write. I think it would be nice to have a pen pal in Canterlot." Fluttershy said right before the train whistle startled her. "Eep! Er- have a safe trip!"

Rarity and Spike waved goodbye as the climbed onto the train. The four friends returned the gesture, Pinkie suddenly brightening. "Ooh- and rice cakes!"

As the train faded off into the distance, the four friends turned to leave. Applejack gave Rainbow Dash a dubious look. "You all right there, RD?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, if there's somethin' you want to talk about..."

"No, no, it's nothing."

Applejack let the issue slide, Rainbow Dash was a terrible liar, but she obviously didn't want to talk about it.

Bone Crusher stretched and flexed in his armor. This was much better. He silently swore to himself that he would never fight naked again, no matter how 'special' the prize was. (Unless his wife challenged him to a wrestling match, of course.) He waited patiently in the small chamber, far too experienced to have the jitters that some of the younger gladiators got. This was a good, clean, simple fight to last dog standing, a twelve way free for all. It seemed like a high number, to the audience and to younger fighters, but what they didn't take into account was that most fights would be in groups of two or three, the winner moving on to the next group. Even three to one odds were usually easy enough for the seasoned veteran.

That had been Bone's boon and bane, good enough to take on most comers in one on one combat, even two or three on one, but never quite at the level required to ascend to the coveted status of Gladius Elite. Instead, he made a living choosing his fights carefully, no big prizes, no unusual conditions, no alliances, just simple brawls that only attracted the younger and baser gladiators. He had broken his own rule... going after that unicorn. So this time, now that he was healed up, he played it safe on his required weekly fight. That new toy of the Emperor's, the Titan, would probably be in some spectacle or other after nearly braining Juggernaut, and the best gladiators were waiting for the end of week fight, for which the prize was a chest of silver.

No, this fight was a nice, moderate choice. A bit of spectacle, but not too much, and the prize was decent but not grand, a small chest of copper. Nothing worth dying over, anyway. Bone hefted his shield and sword as the gong sounded and the door opened. He stepped out into the light and paused to let his eyes adjust. He counted ten dogs as he looked around the Arena to size up his opponents.

"Dams and Gentlesires! We have a special treat for you today!"

Bone Crusher stopped listening to the announcer after that, a 'special treat' never meant anything good for the gladiators. He perked his ears and scanned the floor as best he could, alert and ready for anything. He felt the rumbling before he heard it, the doors started to open... the largest set of doors in the Arena. And out stepped none other than the Titan himself, carrying his signature club, and now sporting gleaming steel leg armor that rose just past his waist. Far too high for Bone to reach with his short sword.

"Well, shit."

When to hold and when to fold.

Princess Celestia stood on the balcony of her private suite at the top of Hurricane tower. The view offered by the vantage point was unparalleled, even Ponyville could be seen in the distance. She heard the curtains shift as her sister passed through them, walking slowly to stand by her side.

"How do you fare, sister?"

"I've been better, Luna, but I'm doing okay."

"Have you summoned him back to Canterlot?"

"Yes, he will be arriving by train, tonight."

"So the deed will be done tonight, then?"

"No... there is another. They already care for each other, he may yet bond with her."

"You recall what occurred last time, sister."

"I do, but this is different. Besides, worst comes to worst I can do it the hard way."

"Hmph, you always make things so complicated."

"The least I can do is try and give him a happy life."

"I suppose..."

In the distance, a whistle blew, signaling the arrival of the Canterlot-Ponyville express. A white unicorn mare drew a few stares as she disembarked with a sleeping baby dragon on her back. A porter struggling with several large cases tried his best to keep up with her.

Rarity happily hummed to herself as she bustled about her new shop. Right on Rodeo drive. Not two blocks away from Hoity-Toity's own boutique. It was like a dream come true! Well, the cost was too high... far too high. She would gladly have given it all up and more to have Twilight back. That wasn't going to happen, though, and she knew her friend would want her to carry on. Switching to a more melancholy tune, Rarity continued setting up her mannequins in the display window with only slightly less enthusiasm.

Spike had been moping about all morning. Growing impatient with the dragon, the white mare ordered him to fetch the rest of the luggage from the train station. He seemed to perk up at the order, and enthusiastically took off. She noticed his change in attitude when he had a task to do, and a mental list was slowly growing as she thought of new chores that needed doing. Her thoughts were disrupted as the door to her shop slammed open and a grey stallion pranced in.

"Let's get this over with!" He moaned in a reluctant tone.

"Get what over- Oh! Mr. Toity! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Rarity recovered from the interruption quickly.

"Rarity? Oh how wonderful! You've finally decided to set up shop in Canterlot! I thought I'd be dealing with some two-bit hack when Celestia ordered me to include a minimum of three designs in my line from some new dressmaker down the street. And please dear, call me Hoity."

"Y-you remember me? I- I'm on a first name basis with the best designer in Equestria?" She pulled her red couch near, in case she decided to faint.

"Of course I remember you! I first noticed your designs three years ago at The Gala, a few dresses caught my eye that I had never seen before. The next year even more ponies were wearing your designs, and of course you made quite the impression last year."

"Oh, yes... heh heh, sorry about that."

"Oh, I wasn't referring to the chaos that erupted, I was talking about the dresses. Not only were several ponies wearing your other designs, but you created an entire line just for your friends! That kind of creativity is hard to forget, my dear."

"Well, thank you ever so much... Hoity. (eeeeee!) Oh, you've just made my day! But I'm afraid you're probably the only one who would be interested in my designs. I would be eternally grateful if you would include a few in your line this year."

"Rarity, I would love to include your designs in my fall line, I have yet to see a failure among any of your works... the obvious excluded, of course. As far as generating interest goes, I doubt you'll have a problem with that! First you spend the evening of The Gala with Prince Blueblood, then reject him. That alone made your name common among the nobility. Not three months later you catch the eye of Fancy Pants, take charge of the Canterlot social scene, then suddenly disappear! You, my dear, are a mare of mystery. That makes you interesting, and being interesting will do more to sell your dresses than I ever could."

"Do you really think so? I didn't think I had made such a splash! Oh, where do I start?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, I had come over to demand that these designs be used, instead of whatever you had." Hoity pulled out a folder with a few pages of dress designs within. "But that was before I knew who I was dealing with. Since I brought them, would you mind taking a look? It's so hard to get an outside opinion that's worth anything."

"Oh, I'd be delighted, darling! Let's see what you've got."

Hoity spread the designs onto a table, and the pair began to go over them one by one. There were three designs in all, the images capturing close-ups of finer details and sketches of the dresses from every conceivable angle. Deferring to her superior's experience, Rarity tried to focus on only making small changes, a hem here instead of a cuff, less lace, slightly longer skirt. When they were done Hoity beamed in appreciation.

"My word, Rarity, you've taken my fall line and made it even more stunning!"

"Your whole fall line is only three dresses?"

"Of course, dear! Anypony who want's to wear me has to have refined taste or mountains of bits... preferably both."

"I don't understand, I thought you liked making dresses."

"I love making dresses, but I have to cater to my clientele. Two types of ponies come in to my boutique. The first are the Canterlot elite, whom come by frequently for the multitude of events they must have a new, custom dress for. They never order anything from my main line anyway, and since my a la carte dresses are anything but cheap, it's become sort of a contest for them to see who can make the most expensive Hoity custom. The second are regular ponies looking for a stunning, beautiful dress for only the most special of occasions, like weddings. By limiting my line to only three styles, I can make more of each, more cheaply. That makes them more accessible to normal ponies."

"I see, I never really thought about that. Ponyville is so small, I was able to keep up with demand even though each dress was unique."

"Ah, but now you've given me an idea. I've already started production on the three dresses I've shown you today, but the changes you made to each design are small and rather easy to accomplish in house. If you'll allow me to market your ideas as a collaboration of sorts -a Rarity customized Hoity dress, if you will- I think you can really make a name for yourself in every echelon of Canterlot!"

"So my designs would be a step up above your base line, but still affordable?"

"Exactly, my dear! And once again we would add to your mystique. Who is this 'Rarity' who can improve on Hoity's own designs?"

"But then wouldn't your customers start to ask questions? They'll come looking for me. I would be taking business away from your boutique!"

A look that was both nonchalant and predatory crossed the grey stallion's face. "Think nothing of it, my dear. I wouldn't be a very good designer if I couldn't survive a little competition."

Tim stepped out and the crowd erupted in cheers. He looked around the arena at the eleven other gladiators he was to face. The titan still had trouble referring to himself as a 'gladiator', it was just too surreal. He had only recently come to understand the word the diamond dogs used for the term. His new armor gleamed in the midday sun, the bright metal reflected the light a thousand different ways. It would have been impressive if it didn't end at his waist, instead it looked like he was going into battle wearing only shiny pants. He noticed his opponents were armored, as well, but in full body suits. Then the glint of weaponry caught his eye, each dog had either a sword and shield or a spear. Tim looked down at his wood club... this was bull! Why didn't they give him a real weapon? The titan didn't relish the thought of killing, but if he was going to go head to crotch with swords and spears, he was willing to try.

At the other end of the arena, Bone Crusher's mind was racing. If he -heck if any of them- were going to survive, they would have to work together to take the Titan down. The problem with that idea was that the thing was the Emperor's new toy, if they accidentally killed it... On the other paw, the Titan hadn't actually killed anydoggy yet. Sure, he smashed in Juggernaut's face, but he survived. Maybe the thing would take it easy and only knock everydoggy out, but for that to work, he'd have to convince them all to avoid hurting the Titan. An ear-splitting roar shattered Bone's thoughts, ah the best laid plans of dogs and ponies.

The other ten gladiators had decided to take the first option, rushing in to take on the Titan as one. A lucky spear had scored the flesh of the monster's hide and blood was spilling out. The not so lucky spear wielder was on the ground, his chest plate caved in to such an extent that there was no doubt of his condition. The other nine kept their distance, circling the Titan as he stood, holding his hand to the wound. As they tried to flank him, he suddenly jumped with a burst of speed to one side, swinging the club in a low arc. One of the gladiators saw the move coming and jumped away in time to receive only two broken legs, the other two in the club's path were not so lucky. One was caught by surprise, taking the club in her ribs, crushing her ribcage and puncturing her lungs. The other saw the threat at the last second and turned away, his back took the blow, crushing the spine.

The remainder saw the Titan leave an opening, and two gladiators rushed in to attack. Tim could feel the blows glance off his armor as he sprinted away. The attackers gaped in amazement as the monster made his way across the arena with blinding speed. Sure, some dogs could run faster, but still. How could something that big move that fast? At the halfway point, Tim turned to face three pursuers, one of which slid to a stop just out of reach. The Titan pulled back and kicked a spear wielder as the dog tried to stab his leg. The spear dog went flying as the other moved in, swinging her sword uselessly against an armored knee joint. The hapless swordsdam brought her shield up as Tim brought his club down, breaking shield, shoulder and arm.

Bone Crusher watched incredulously as the carnage unfolded before him. How were they supposed to win against something like that? It was bigger, stronger and just as fast as any of the best gladiators in the arena. True, the thing had it's back turned to him at the moment, and he could jump up and cling to the armor to get a stab at it's kidney. Even if the plan worked, Bone had no doubt in his mind the Emperor would not be pleased, and nodoggy displeased the Emperor for long. Still, he had to try something. He rushed up to the Titan and whacked the back of it's leg armor with his shield. Without pausing to see the result, he jumped away, rolled and ran until he heard the monster roar once more.

The third pursuer had seen Bone's intended sneak attack, and prepared to strike when the Titan was distracted by the fool. Sure enough, the beast turned when it felt the assault and tried to retaliate. The dog took his chance and threw his spear with all his might. The weapon sailed gracefully through the air before lodging itself in the shoulder of the Titan with a meaty thunk. Loosing a primal scream of pain, Tim turned on his assailant and bore down on him. The adrenalin quickly made the pain from the wound disappear. The Titan, using his left hand now, brought down the club with all his might as the dog desperately tried to escape. The result was a bloody, chunky smear on the ground where the dog's head used to be, his armor deformed to a point beyond recognition.

Bone felt the ground itself pulse as the club struck the earth, if it hadn't been a roughly carved tree, it would have broken at the impact. He watched in abject horror as the Titan slowly righted itself. The look on it's face was no longer one of uncertainty, determination and a little fear, there was only rage now... a wild, uncontrolled rage. The veteran gladiator felt little relief when the Titan turned on the other three dogs and charged. Blood ran down his back, covering his leg armor with a red sheen, the wound on his front near the ribs was torn anew at the exertion, adding to the grim dye. The three scattered before the onrush of vengeance incarnate, trying desperately to extend their lives by seconds.

Tim quickly caught up to one of the dogs, another spear wielder. He swung the club in a low arc, knocking the gladiator off his feet, as he hit the ground, his leg snapped and bent at an unnatural angle. The titan stopped and raised his club, despite the dog now being out of the fight, Tim brought his club down onto it's head, killing it. In his rage, he only knew the dog would never hurt him again, and that there were three more that could. Looking around, he saw two running to the far wall, and one just standing there, watching him. Focusing on movement, the Titan raced after his fleeing prey, catching them at the far end of the arena. With their backs to the wall, the two remaining dogs had one choice of escape, as one they tried to run in opposite directions. Tim caught the one on the left with the tip of his club, sending him rolling on the ground into the other, tripping him up. As the two tried to disentangle, the giant raised his foot and with his face twisted in anger, stomped on the pair until they stopped moving.

With the grisly deed done, Bone Crusher watched, as if a spectator, as the Titan turned to him. Walking slowly now, the beast's breath came fast and ragged. He dragged his club on the ground, wincing at the pain in his shoulder, yet his eyes still burned with a fierce hatred. Bone knew when the game was up, the Titan was tired, but he was far from done. There would be no escaping the thing. He may be able to kill it, with a suicidal attack, but that would just put his family on the Emperor's shit list. His only option was to die with dignity... or was it?

With a nod of determination, Bone Crusher knew what he had to do. He raised his sword and shield, then forcefully threw them to the ground. He then valiantly lay on his back with his paws in the air and let out a piteous whine.

The faintest of hopes was born when he saw confusion begin to creep into the Titan's rage.

Forbidden fruit and just desserts.

The tall grey building loomed like a Roan-an Forum of old. Lyra felt oddly relaxed as she looked up at the structure, taking a sip from her slushy. It's not like she was banned from libraries... right? She had spent most of her day off exploring Baltimare, her new home had a lot to offer. The Mount Mare museum house was an interesting look into the past, and the aquarium had this awesome looking grey octopus with a bow tie!

The minty unicorn let out a sigh. It's not that she didn't like it here, far from it! She actually enjoyed working for Bon-bon at the candy store, her friend made the candy so all Lyra had to do was tidy up and take care of customers. She had even found a small coffee shop that let her play her lyre once a week in the morning, since business there had started picking up she even got paid a little. Of course, the big goal was still a few months away, the orchestra would hold auditions then, so she needed all the practice she could get. That left one day a week for her to simply relax, catch up on a few errands, or in this case, both.

Bon-bon had asked her to pick up some things from the market on her way back from the aquarium. What Lyra didn't realize was that doing so would take her right by the library. The single biggest library she had ever seen in her life. She valiantly shrugged her shoulders in a show of nonchalance as she began to walk up the steps. Ah, there was that old tingle, the feeling of excitement and discovery... No! No, this was just a normal visit, just to look at some books... normal, non-human books. As she pushed through the door, her jaw dropped and her slushy nearly did. There were more books here than she could count! Surely there was something on hum- er... historical... oddities?

An old grey unicorn with a mane and tail streaked with white coughed impatiently. "Excuse me young lady... can you read?"

"Um... duh! Why would I be in a library if I couldn't read?"

"Firstly, some ponies come here to learn how, as they're too embarrassed to go to classes. Secondly, if your claim of literacy is true, how did you fail to notice the large sign out front that clearly states 'NO FOOD OR DRINKS ALLOWED'?"

Lyra smiled sheepishly as she tossed her slushy quickly into a nearby waste bin. "Ah... heh, sorry."

"Not at all my dear. The fact that you can read does not mean you are also observant." The old stallion turned and began to slowly walk toward the check in counter.

"Gee... thanks."

The grey pony laughed at the remark. "Ha! Don't take too much offense, young one. I'm just an old fool trying to amuse himself. What is it I can help you with? Are you searching for anything in particular?"

Lyra brightened at the sudden change in attitude, maybe the old codger wasn't so bad after all. "Yeah! Do you have any books on mythical creatures?"

"My young friend, we have an entire section on mythical creatures. Did you have a particular one in mind?"

"Yes, I- no. I mean, what about ancient artifacts?"

The old stallion's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "... We have a section on that as well."

Seeing the grey unicorn's reaction, Lyra began to shift nervously. "Um, never mind, maybe just something on the middle continent?"

The librarian raised his bushy eyebrow. "Young lady, are you looking for information about the Titans?"

Lyra released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Oh! No, nothing like that."

"Are you sure? They were known to inhabit the middle continent. The only places to find any information on them is in books on mythical creatures and ancient artifacts that they made."

"Wow, that sounds a lot like humans! I mean nevermindI'mnotlookingforanythingthanksbye!" Lyra quickly turned to run.

"Don't go just yet! Human is what Titans called themselves!"

Pausing in mid-flee, Lyra's ears perked. "But Titans were huge monsters that terrorized the world!"

"And what size are humans?"

"They're like... like... huh, I guess I never thought of it before. But I thought humans were peaceful, caring and loyal."

"They were, to the ones they loved and cared for. They were also creative, thoughtful and just."

"But everything I've read about the Titans has been horrible!"

"In all my years as a librarian, the most valuable lesson I've learned is you can't believe everything you read."

"Then what can you believe?"

"That, my dear, is for you to decide. All I can do is show you the books you may find useful. I have quite the collection in reference to the particular subject matter of your interest. You... are still interested, yes?"

"Oh very much so."

Inwardly, the librarian was grinning from ear to ear. Finally! After all his years of secret research and hoping, another Titan enthusiast had come along. A fresh face and a new perspective were just what he needed. Perhaps now, together, they could make some real progress! The pair made their way to a secluded section of the library, their obligations forgotten.

Applejack sighed at her muffin. It hadn't done anything to her, she had just been feeling down lately. First poor Twilight passed, then Rarity and Spike left for Canterlot, and now Rainbow Dash seemed to be avoiding everypony. The farmer had come to sugarcube corner in the hopes she might run into the pegasus, but she was nowhere to be found. Pinkie Pie popped her head in from the kitchen.

"Aw, don't feel down AJ, things aren't looking that bad!"

"Ah know, Pinkie, I just wish I could sit down with RD and have a talk. I want to make sure she's doing alright."

"Really? You'd better hurry then, she's leaving on a train for the Wonderbolt's training camp in ten minutes!"

"WHAT!?! She never told me she was leaving! Why did she tell you but not me? I'm gonna throttle that varmint!"

"Oh, she never told me either, silly!"

"Then how do ya know she's leaving?"

Pinkie's demeanor quickly changed to deadly serious. "It's my job to know."

"Wha- Never mind, we've gotta get to her now!"

Rainbow Dash nervously paced up and down the platform at the train station. No sign of her friends... that was good. She felt bad about leaving without telling anypony, but she was terrible at goodbyes, and this was going to be hard enough as it was. She had put off going to the Wonderbolts tryouts last year, telling herself she wasn't quite ready. That was true, technically... she wasn't ready to leave her friends. After the... incident... with Twilight, though, there were feelings and memories here she had trouble dealing with. Yes, this was the best thing to do, it's not like she wouldn't come back.

"Consarn it ya dunder-head! What in tarnation do ya think yer doin'!"

Rainbow cringed at the voice. "Aw, crap."

Applejack lunged at Rainbow Dash, tackling her to the ground. She glared at the pegasus as she stood over her. "'Aw, crap' is right, missy! What's wrong with you? What do ya think yer doin?"

Laying on the ground, Dash glared back. "I'm going to try out for the Wonderbolts. It's been kind of a dream of mine, remember?"

"That ain't what I'm talking about. I know that's your dream and I'm happy you're followin' it. What I want to know is what's the big idea, tryin' to skip town without tellin' us?"

"Y...you know I'm bad with goodbyes." Dash tried to defend herself.

"Don't give me that bull, Dashie. How do you think Fluttershy'd feel, knowing you left her without sayin' goodbye?"

"Okay look, I... this is already hard enough. I didn't want the three of you trying to talk me out of leaving."

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, we would never try and talk you out of following your dreams!" A yellow pegasus said as she walked up the stairs to the platform, followed by a bouncing pink earth pony. "But it does hurt a little that you tried to leave without telling me."

Applejack let Rainbow up. "You didn't want us to know 'cause you knew if we did try and talk ya out of leaving... you'd stay."

Embarrassed, Rainbow looked at her friends. "...Yeah, pretty much."

"Aw, Dashie! You Pinkie promised you'd let me throw you a good luck party before you left!" Pinkie's face was an unreadable mask. "Remember?" An unreadable mask of horror.

"Uh... oh! Yeah! Yep, I remember..."

"Good thing I brought all the supplies with me! Otherwise..." Pinkie left the rest unsaid as she began to set up a small table with some rainbow cupcakes and apple cider. A banner that said 'Good Luck Dashie!' rolled down from the roof of the train station, like it had been placed there in anticipation of the current events.

As the conductor called for everypony to board, the four ponies quickly finished their food. Rainbow hugged each of her friends in turn. She stepped onto the train to a chorus of 'Good luck' and 'Go get 'em!'. As the train pulled away, she watched out the window until Ponyville disappeared. Now that it was out of sight, there was only one direction to turn. Rainbow sat straight in her seat, facing forward.

Very slowly... very carefully... Bone Crusher opened his eyes. The Titan stood over him, casting a dark, menacing shadow. Bone watched as the Titan turned his head and looked at a guard near the gate he had entered the Arena through. Wait. This Titan looked to the guards for help? For what had essentially been forever, the guards and gladiators shared a dubious relationship, at best. The guards saw the fighters as slaves and savages, no better than wild animals to be controlled. The gladiators, for the most part, saw their captors as mindless servants to the throne, no better than a member of the Emperor's harem. When such views were expressed verbally, fights inevitably broke out.

Yet somehow, this Titan seemed to have established a working relationship with these cretins. How was that even possible? The guards never like anydoggy they felt threatened by, and by all rights this Titan was the most threatening thing in the mountain, save the Emperor himself. As Bone watched the guard hold up two fingers and make some signs, however, an idea began to form. Every gladiator either grew up knowing the rules of the Arena, or had the rules explained to them. It seems this Titan doesn't know the rules, which means he doesn't speak the languages of any of the Empire's numerous translators.

If the guards had to try and explain with hand signs every time something new happened, they would think this Titan to be the dumbest thing since rocks were invented! They weren't threatened by physical violence... that stuff they understood... they were threatened by dogs that were smarter than them. This little revelation had little to do with the pit bulls' immediate fate, however, so he filed it away for later.

He watched intently as the Titan nodded, seeming to understand the guards' explanation. The giant turned away from Bone, dropping his weapon, and began to walk to the exit. Reality came rushing back to Bone Crusher as he realized what he had just done. Subjugation was an option available in all fights... this was because almost nodoggy ever took it. It was unlike submission, where a gladiator could defer if he was unable or unwilling to fight any longer. This was an unpopular option, so it was only included in fights for prizes and a few other select instances.

Subjugation... where a gladiator gives up his freedom to his attacker. The gladiator can decide to kill the lesser for a display of weakness, or take them on as a slave. The Titan had decided not to kill, so Bone Crusher was now the Titan's slave, to do with as he pleases. A slave owns no possessions... that would have been a problem, but fortunately his wife owned everything, including his armor and weapons. It was an eventuality they had prepared for, so at least his family would be all right... for now.

Bone followed the Titan, not sure what to expect. As he passed through the giant gates, the guards looked at him suspiciously, almost as if they were being protective of the Titan. This was getting too bizarre. The group made their way through a relatively straightforward path to the larger cells. The biggest, belonging to the Titan, had been furnished with a large mattress that took up nearly a third of the floor, a few tapestries, a wash basin and a large chamber pot. Bone began to feel sorry for whoever had to clean that out. Then he shuddered as he realized that it might be him, now.

One of the guards, a black coated dog with a medium build, stepped forward to address Bone Crusher. "Okay, so what's your deal?"

Bone took a defensive stance. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't give me that, old timer. What kind of game are you trying to play here?"

One of the other guards spoke up. "Whoa there, Onyx, ease up. That there is Bone Crusher."

The black dog turned to the speaker. "I know his name. What I want to know is what he was thinking back there."

"I'm pretty sure he was thinking he didn't want to die. That's pretty much always been his game."

"What do you mean?"

"He always picks fights with low stakes or good odds. He just got thrown a curve ball this time."

"So he's not going to try and kill the Titan?"

"Are you kidding? The sire has a wife and kids! He knows what the Emperor would do to them if he killed the new toy."

"Hmm... true." Turning to Bone, Onyx continued. "So why subjugate? Why not just take the hit?"

"Seriously? Were you even watching the fight?" the pit bull shook his head in disbelief. "The last four gladiators were killed outright, he was going to do the same with me! My only hope was to prostrate myself and hope for the best."

"I see... okay, we'll figure out what to do with you later. For now go back home, I don't think Tim knows or cares that he has a slave at the moment."

"Tim?"

"That would be your new master's name."

Sure enough, the Titan was laying down and taking in sharp, ragged breaths as a group of mundane doctors tried to staunch the flow of blood and sew closed his wounds. He seemed to have no interest in whatever the dogs were talking about.

Giants and Generals.

Twilight groaned, her body ached in places she didn't know could feel. Even her mane hurt, and that wasn't even scientifically possible! The so called 'training' that Diamond Eyes had put her through was more like some kind of demented torture. A special kind of torment designed specifically to make Twilight's heart burst. Oh sure, Diamond called it 'cardio', but she knew better. At least the pounding in her head was intermittent... wait, pounding? Ah, the door... it would seem the dog was ready to train for another day. What time was it? No doubt some ungodly hour only farmers and fishermen woke up at.

"Coming, coming!" The purple mare called as she groggily got up.

"Geeze, pony, took you long enough."

"Well excuse me, I was asleep. What time is it, anyway?"

"It's almost noon, I figured you needed the extra sleep."

"No wo- what? You let me sleep in?"

"Well, yeah, I need you sharp for this next part."

"Ugh, I can't wait."

"Huh... I figured you'd be excited, it's right up your alley."

"What is it?"

"It involves classwork and reading."

Twilight brightened considerably at the revelation. "Oh, really?!"

Diamond deadpanned. "Wow, girl, you got way too excited about that."

"Well it beats running from you all day."

"Whatever. Follow me."

Twilight followed the golden dog to the study on the second floor of her suite. The room was well organized, but dusty. It was clear it hadn't seen much use, at least not recently. Diamond pulled an equally dusty book from one of the shelves and set it on the desk. She motioned for the purple pony to sit and stepped to one side. As Twilight sat at the desk, she noticed the design on the cover of the book was familiar somehow. It was a field of stars set in a spiral pattern, a symbol she could swear she had seen before. If she had been aware of such things, she would have pegged it as a spiral galaxy.

"This is a book on basic combat magic." The dog took on an instructional tone. "I know you're magically powerful, since you can teleport so easily, but I don't know what kind of defensive and offensive spells you're familiar with. We'll start with the basics and work our way up so I can gauge what kind of training you need."

"Combat magic? I don't know anything about that... at least I think I don't... Oh! I have a question!"

Diamond sighed as she rubbed her temple. This was going to be one of those days. "Yes?"

"The design on the cover looks really familiar. Do you know what it's from?"

"Well it should be familiar to you. After all, a pony wrote it."

Twilight balked, this was not an answer she expected. "A... whu... huh?"

"Surely you've heard of Starswirl the Bearded?"

"Him? Well... yeah! But how did you know about him?"

"Every schoolpuppy is taught about him. He's one of, if not the, most powerful mage to ever fight in the Arena."

"Starswirl the bearded fought in the Arena?!?"

"That's what I just said, yes."

"But- but Equestrian history books never mentioned that. That's kind of a big detail to miss!"

"You've never heard of the exploits of Starswirl? Whoa, I thought ponies would worship the dude."

"W-we do, well not worship... but definitely honor. He's one of the most famous mages in Equestria. He invented more spells than anypony in history. He's even the father of the angiomorphic spell."

Diamond froze, her bright blue eyes suddenly wide. "Whoa... wait... you know the angiomorphic spell? That's hardcore."

"Well... yes. Though I don't really see what's 'hardcore' about it. Want to see?"

"NO! Uh... no that's okay. Tell you what, why don't we go over some of the more... basic spells."

Twilight was curious why Diamond was afraid of a spell that temporarily turned a pony into a goat, but shrugged it off. "A chance to read an instructional spellbook written by Starswirl the Bearded himself? One previously unknown to pony historians? Sister, you just got yourself one very eager student!"

"Heh... great... Hey, I'm curious, even though ponies never knew about his time in the Arena, he was still famous?"

"Oh, sure! Among all the most powerful mages in Equestrian history, he was a giant!"

Rainbow Dash stood at attention, her stance narrow and her wings displayed. She stared resolutely ahead as Captain Spitfire paced before them. 'Them' being Rainbow and the other recruits for the Equestrian Air Force. The moment she got off the train, some 'roided up white pegasus had shouted at her until she placed her hooves on some painted horseshoes on the ground. Once she was in place, he moved on to the next victim. The group of them had been standing there at attention for at least an hour when Spitfire had finally shown up.

"What do you think, Master Sergeant Barbell? Do we have the next group of Wonderbolts here?" Some of the recruits foolishly perked up at the perceived compliment. Not Rainbow, she knew what was coming.

"HELL NO! This pathetic group of maggots ain't worthy of taking an arrow for a Wonderbolt. I wouldn't trust this group of fuck-ups with latrine duty, Sir!"

"Hmmm... I don't know, some of them might have potential."

"I admire your optimism, sir!"

"Go ahead and start them on PT. We'll see who's left in the morning."

"Sir, yes sir! You heard the Captain you bunch of half-wit insects! Get your lazy worthless flanks in gear. What's wrong? I SAID START RUNNING *NOW***!!!!"

The recruits were jolted into action by the drill sergeant somehow becoming louder. They started running in the direction indicated, and soon found themselves on a path that seemed to have no end. As the hours ticked by, recruits started to drop off, some gave up, others passed out. Looking back, Rainbow noticed uniformed pegasai flying down to assist the dropouts. As the sun began to set, the blue pegasus looked forward to a night of rest. Wherever they were going, they would have to get there soon, right?

Meadows, hills and rivers passed by as the group ran through the night. The sergeant moved constantly from the front to the rear, encouraging stragglers, or anypony really, to quit. Finally he reached Rainbow Dash.

"You already know you're not good enough. Why drag it out? Give up now and you'll get a nice comfy bed and a cool glass of water. Sounds pretty good, huh?"

"I'm not quitting, chief."

"That's 'Master Sergeant, Sir!' to you recruit! If the next words out of your mouth aren't 'Sir, yes sir' I'll kick you out of this program so fast you'll learn a whole new meaning to the word 'velocity'!"

Dash's eyes widened. He couldn't do that. Could he? The Wonderbolts wanted the best, and she was positive she was the best pony of the group. Still, better not to risk it. Against every fiber of her body, she fought her temper. "Sir, yes sir."

"I can't hear you, you worthless pile! I smell bullshit and it's coming from your direction!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Oh, good, I'm glad you agree! Now one more time, and I want to hear a soldier, not some wimpy ass wannabe who's going to drop out on me in the next ten minutes!"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

Several hours later, as the sun began to rise, the much smaller group of recruits arrived back at the parade grounds. They automatically moved to the painted horseshoes and took their positions, this time much more sloppily. Only Rainbow Dash had the wherewithal to present her wings as she stood at attention. Barbell noticed her enthusiasm for sticking out and started to circle her.

"Oh my sweet Celestia above, what do we have here? Looks like one of you worthless slimes at least knows how to pretend to be a soldier."

Dash tried not to smile, in her twelve hours of knowing him, it was the closest thing to a compliment he had given.

"Every one of you screw-ups start doing push ups! Recruit Dash here will continue to display the proper at rest position so you can all learn from your mistake!"

Rainbow's mental smile faded. Ah crap, now everypony was going to hate her!

Her self pity was quickly interrupted when Captain Spitfire landed at the front of the group. Whew, saved by the Wonderbolt! Master Sergeant Barbell snapped a smart salute as he yelled.

"Fall in maggots! Captain on deck!"

"Thank you, Barbell, at ease." Spitfire began to pace in front of the recruits, sizing them up. "Huh, only thirty percent retention, not bad Master Sergeant."

"I'll do better next time, sir!"

"Better?"

"I'll weed them down to twenty percent!"

"Your goal is to get as many to quit as you can?"

"The best never quit, sir."

"True enough... And it looks like none of you quit. Congratulations, you are now all officially enrolled in Wonderbolt boot camp. Training starts at oh-nine hundred."

"You heard the Captain! Get your crap stowed in your bunks and grab some grub, you've got two hours to roll call!"

Rainbow Dash stared in disbelief at the departing Spitfire. Wait, that couldn't be right... did she just say training starts in two hours? What was that run they just did, a stroll in the park? Just then Barbell began berating the recruits once more.

"What's the matter maggots? Don't tell me you're already worn out from our little stroll in the park!"

Lyra trotted down the streets of Baltimare quickly. Rather than wander around the city aimlessly, she now had a place to be on her day off. She had barely made it back home in time from her first 'session' with the librarian, Mr. Decimal. Bon-Bon hadn't been suspicious or anything, Lyra had even managed to get the things she had asked for. The minty unicorn felt guilty about deceiving her friend, but as long as she didn't let the 'Human mystery' control her life, she felt like she wouldn't be letting her down.

To think that Humans were really Titans all this time! Putting the information she and Mr. Decimal had together had opened up whole new lines of questioning. Mr. Decimal hadn't known about the Humans still existing in another world, or at least their artifacts. How had they gotten there? Could they use magic on this new world? Were they still around? Other, more disturbing questions also arose. The librarian had explained how all the books with information on Titans and/or Humans had been rounded up and hidden away by royal decree. Why would Celestia and Luna want to hide the existence of Titans? What was their part in the disappearance? Why did other cultures seem to remember, and even celebrate the Titans?

That had been another surprise to Lyra, the wealth of knowledge from other cultures. The unicorn had always been lead to believe ponies were at the forefront of cultural and historical knowledge. She had never bothered to look into books from the Camel kingdom or the Zebra tribes. Yet these books contained accounts and histories that she had never seen before. The biggest shock was a detailed medical book from a faraway Diamond Dog civilization. Apparently they had used the Titans for bloodsport.

As Lyra made her way us the marble steps to the library, Mr. Decimal came rushing out. "Lyra! Lyra! I've made a breakthrough!"

"Whoa Dewey, that's great! But be careful or your hip might make one too!"

"Oh, Ha-Ha. I'm not that old, child."

"Here, some sweet candy for a sourpuss." Lyra gave a paper bag she had been carrying to the librarian.

"Thanks. Now enough sass, let me show you what I found."

Their research sessions had taken on an entirely new scope, so they had moved their operation to a back room. In the privacy of the room, they could leave out materials and books without bothering the other patrons. Dewey lead Lyra to a scroll on a cluttered desk. Strange hieroglyphs were scrawled across what appeared to be well preserved animal hide.

"Ewww."

"Don't be squeamish, this was the best way to preserve information back in the day."

"You would know."

"I would know, I'm a bit of a historian. This is an ancient Zebra scroll from over ten thousand years ago."

"What's on it?"

"Lots of dust."

"..."

"Also, if I'm reading it correctly, it makes mention of a portal."

"What kind of portal? To where?"

"A magical one. And I have no idea. It seems to say something that doesn't make sense, I was hoping you could take a look at it and come up with something different."

"My ancient Zebra isn't exactly up to par... but I'll give it a shot." Lyra carefully looked over the hieroglyphs, trying to decipher a meaning. "Huh, that's strange. They seem to say it's a portal to 'no magic'. Any idea what that means?"

"I have a theory, but it's a bit of a doozy."

"Well? Let's hear it anyway."

"I believe this scroll is talking about a portal to a world without magic."

"Why in Equestria would anypony want to go to a world without magic?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm almost positive this has something to do with the Titans, though."

"Maybe it's the world where the Humans live, or used to live, anyway."

"That's a possibility, a non-magical world would be very attractive to them."

"I don't see why."

"It's simple. While Titans themselves are immune to magic, their creations are not. A magical creature could come through and destroy their crops and buildings, and there would be nothing the Titans could do."

"Except kill the magical creature."

"Yes, there was quite a bit of that going on, according to the Camels."

"So wouldn't magical creatures just avoid Titan settlements, if they knew the Titans would hunt them down?"

"Rational creatures would. The problem was dragons."

"Dragons?"

"A dragon's greed can overwhelm it. Most major civilizations have magic that can keep dragons at bay until the urge has passed, but Titans..."

"Titans have no magic. The dragon would swoop in, mindlessly causing destruction..."

"Exactly, and the Titans would retaliate, killing the dragon and often losing a few of their own."

"Ouch, kind of a no win situation."

"Precisely. So of course the promise of a magic free world would be very appealing to them."

"So who opened the portal for them. Zebras?"

"I'm not sure, there's no mention in the scroll of the portal being a Zebra creation. I'm more interested in why somepony would create such a portal."

"Well, to get rid of the Titans, right? Maybe the dragons opened it for them?"

"Dragons have powerful magic, but not on the level needed for a portal such as this. Something this difficult to create would require the power of a god."

Lyra tapped her hoof on her chin. "Which god would want the Titans gone?"

Dewey raised an eyebrow. "Who said it was just one?"

Prelude to Strife.

The oaken door slowly creaked open as a tired Bone Crusher walked in. Ruby's ears perked up at the sound and a smile spread across her face as she recognized her husband's footsteps. She quickly rushed to embrace him as tears sprang anew from her puffy, red eyes.

"Oh thank Canis you're alright! I had feared the worst when I heard the Titan had gone on a rampage. Seven dead! What kind of monster could do that?"

"My new master, for one."

"What? What happened up there?"

"He was on a rampage, I had to subjugate."

"No! He'll eat you for breakfast! How did you escape?"

"I didn't escape, he let me go. Well, the guards let me go... he wasn't really in the shape to give out orders."

"What do they have planned?"

"I'm not sure, but this Titan is the baddest thing to step into the Arena in a decade, and the guards have taken a liking to him. He would be a powerful ally."

"I don't like the sound of that. You swore to never trust another with your life."

"I know, but it's not like I have much of a choice."

"The group games can be much more dangerous. Especially when your allies turn on you."

"I was thinking about joining a group anyway..."

"That Diamond Eyes girl? She's got a good head on her shoulders, but I don't think she's got what it takes to lead a group all the way, at least not unscathed."

"Well, it's not an option any more. How are the kids?"

"They're asleep, I told them you had to fix your armor, so you'd be late."

"Good, I'll go say goodnight."

"See you in bed."

A smile cracked Bone's face. That was his wife's code for 'ready to play'. Despite all that had happened, or maybe because of it, she was feeling frisky. The pit bull quickly stifled those thoughts, though, as he made his way to the other bedrooms. He cracked the door to the first. Two green eyes stared back at his own. His son wasn't a full grown sire, not yet; but at twelve years old, he was well on his way. The pup smiled as his father entered.

"Hey, dad."

"Hi Rock, still awake?"

"No... I'm sleep talking."

"Preteens always think they're so funny. You'll be embarrassed by your sense of humor when you're older."

"Yeah, right. You said that when I was a puppy, and I still think fart jokes are hilarious."

Bone scratched his chin in mock contemplation. "Hmm.. well, those are among the classics of comedy."

"I'm glad you're okay."

"Aw, don't worry, son. It'll take more than a little Titan to take me down."

"Whoa! You actually fought it?"

"Him... and... well, not so much fought."

"You subjugated?"

"Ah... er... yeah, pretty much."

"But you're here now, that means he doesn't want you as a slave, right? Otherwise he would have kept you locked up."

"That's what it looks like."

"That means you're on his team now? Holy Canis, Dad, that is so cool!"

"Watch your language, pup. And yeah, it is pretty cool, huh? You should get some sleep, though, I have to go say goodnight to your sister."

"Sorry. Goodnight dad, I love you!"

"Goodnight, son. I love you, too."

Bone made his way to the next door down. Very carefully he opened the door, making hardly a sound. As he listened he could hear the steady breathing of his daughter. She was quite a bit younger than her brother, at five years. That gap in age had a story, one of a daughter lost to illness that was best not to think about at times like this. He slowly crept in, and gently sat on the side of her bed. Little Jade murmured a bit and rolled away from the intrusion.

"Hello, little one. Daddy had a busy day, today. He's going to be fighting at the side of a creature of legend. Won't that be exciting?"

Bone Crusher hated excitement.

"I'm a little worried that I'm getting in over my head, but there's nothing I can really do about it. Don't worry, though, I'll make sure you're brother and mommy and you stay safe. You'll all be okay, no matter what."

That was a promise he intended to keep.

"Goodnight, my little princess, I love you."

Jade wriggled a bit as Bone leaned over and kissed her forehead. She mumbled something along the lines of 'love you daddy' before becoming still once more. The old pit bull smiled warmly as he stood and left the room, gently closing the door behind him. As he made his way further down the hall, his smile changed to one of anticipation. Time to blow off a little steam! Awwww, yeah!

Ingot walked briskly down the darkened corridor. His patience was at the breaking point. Oh, sure, the Emperor had rewarded him handsomely for acquiring the Titan, but not handsomely enough to cover the loss of four gladiators! That wretched Titan had thrown a wrench into Ingot's machinations, and he was not going to just sit idly by.

The pugs' plan was simple enough. Gladius Elites were gladiators that had earned their freedom and chosen to continue to fight in the Arena. By the time they earned their title, they already had a loyal fan base, as well as the respect and fear of all the Empire's citizenry. By financing gladiators when they were still poor and hopeless, Ingot had been able to build a small handful of very powerful supporters, politically and militarily. Eventually, he would have the backing he needed for a coup. The he himself could claim the title of Emperor! No longer would dogs make jokes at his expense, instead they would cower in fear! No more short jokes, no more mocking his slightly high pitched voice, no... soon he would have respect!

Finally, a large shape loomed up out of the darkness. The beast was one of the largest specimens of diamond dog known to exist, his sheer size overwhelmed most opponents.

"Ah, there you are, Juggernaut."

Nodding his head, the Gladius replied. "Ingot. Why have you called me here?"

"There's been a change in plans, you're going to join a group."

"Ha! Not likely, I don't work well with others. Remember?"

"It's not an option. Or have you already forgotten who helped you to get where you are?"

"Hmph.... Fine... Who do you have in mind?"

"Gleaming Jasmine, for one."

Juggernaut raised an eyebrow. "You've got Gleaming in your debt? Impressive."

Ingot smiled. "I'm glad you approve. Despite her age, she is still one of the best mages in the Empire."

"I'm aware... Okay, I'm in. Who else will be joining our merry band?"

"Flesh Ripper."

The large dog paused. "I'm sure you're aware that Flesh Ripper is dead."

The way the pug smiled made the normally unshakable Juggernaut uncomfortable. "Oh, yes... but not for very much longer."

It was the night before the fight. Standing in the Arena when it was empty and dark was a far cry from what Bone Crusher was used to. He had expected to be called for the morning after his subjugation. Instead, he had spent the week waiting for word, until finally on the last possible day some guards knocked on his door. Apparently the Titan had spent the entire week recovering from his injuries. Even now, Bone could see the angry red of the still torn flesh. The sewn wounds spoke in stark contrast to the Titan's perceived invincibility. In truth, without magic to heal him, he was extremely vulnerable. One lucky hit, one severed artery, and there would be nothing the medical staff could do.

The week had not been completely wasted, though. The Emperor's best blacksmiths had been hard at work, and had finally completed the Titan's chest plate. Now only his arms and head were exposed to attack, a situation that would no doubt be remedied soon. The trick was to keep Tim alive until the suit was complete. Bone watched as the Titan donned his new armor and winced, as it pressed on his wounds.

Ouch... That was a bit of an understatement in Tim's mind, but it was better than crying out in pain. The stout dog... his new partner, if he understood the guards correctly... seemed to be ready to go the moment he stepped into the Arena. The guards had wanted Tim to rest, but if the two were going to be a team, they had to practice working together at least once, right?

To that end, Tim decided to try and explain his strategy to the pit bull. Since the dog would have no armor, it would be best to have him attack from the side, where he could surprise the opponent. The titan bent down and drew some x's on the ground. Using his hands, he indicated that he should go first, and the dog should move to flank the enemy. Bone looked up at Tim and smiled, then reached up and patted him on the head. The look on the dog's face was one of both tolerance and condescension. If Tim had to put words to it, they would be 'no shit, Sherlock'.

The Titan stood and fought back his anger. He was just trying to help! He could have just as easily killed-... There it was. The fight had been bothering him all week. It's not that he had killed the dogs, the first few had been self defense. Heck, some of those even survived! No, it was later, when he lost control... he had killed dogs... no... people that he didn't have to kill. If this Bone Crusher guy hadn't stuck his paws in the air and whined, he'd be on the list, too. Tim didn't like what he had become, not one bit. During his week of bed rest, he had vowed to never lose control again. He secretly wondered if it was a promise he could keep.

Shaking his head, he cleared his thoughts and focused on the task at hand. Pointing his club to a group of dummies in the middle, he looked to Bone. The dog nodded his head, and followed behind the Titan. Tim moved to a jog, the dog kept up. As he came in range, Tim swung his club in a low arc, sweeping through the group of dummies and sending many flying. Before he could bring his weapon down in a back swing, Bone had already moved to the side with less dummies and torn the head off one as he clamped his jaws around the throat of another. Tim's club struck at the other side and cleared the field of all but one dummy, missing it by inches. Without missing a beat, Bone Crusher was on the dummy, driving a borrowed wooden sword through its' chest.

Whoa... that guy knows what he's doing. No wonder he didn't need me to explain. Tim was suddenly much less worried about being able to keep his new ally alive.

A theory proven and a friend lost.

A minty green unicorn mare marched purposefully through the bustling town square of Ponyville. The merchants were at their carts selling their wares. Foals were running around playing in their own little adventurous worlds. Even the weather pegasai were busy preparing a storm for the afternoon. Still, Lyra payed no heed to these distractions, for she was on a mission. She finally had a breakthrough in her research, and with it she knew she could get the proof she so desperately needed. With just a spell, she could decisively lay to rest all doubt the others had about her obsession, she could already imagine the look on Bon-Bon's face as she showed her the artifact, whatever it would end up being.

A bell tinkled as she entered the library, a purple unicorn mare turned and smiled at the sound, the smile only faltering slightly as she recognized her most common patron.

"Ah, Lyra, good to see you! Sorry, no new books on ancient mythology this week." Lyra didn't deflate nearly as much as Twilight expected at the bad news, however.

"That's okay, I'm here for a book on magic this time."

"Oh really? Finally taking on a new hobby?" Twilight asked, hopefully. Bon-Bon had been to the library a few times, complaining about Lyra's obsession, sometimes even blaming Twilight for being an 'enabler'.

"Nope! I found a theory that says the humans are somehow linked to this world, if it's correct, I should be able to get an artifact. Do you have any books on Sympathetic Translocation?"

"S-sympa... Lyra, that's a very advanced subject. I hope you're not thinking about trying a Translocation spell, those can be dangerous and very unpredictable!"

"Well, eventually yes, but I wanted to study the subject first. I have to get this right, and that means knowing the spell structure and theory inside and out. It could take me months, or even years of study until I'm ready."

"Well, okay, I'm glad you're expanding your horizons, and that you're going about this the right way. I'm afraid I don't have any books to loan on the subject, though. I'll have to special order some from the Manehattan library, or maybe even the Canterlot branch. If you can come back in a few weeks, I should have something for you."

"You don't have anything, not even for a friend?" Lyra dilated her pupils as far as she could and began to make her eyes water.

"D-don't look at me like that, it's not going to- look the only one I have is an advanced volume, and it's my own personal copy. I've got notes in there for problems that took me weeks to understand. It's no volume to start on, you'd barely be able to comprehend half of it!"

"Did you- are you calling me stupid? I can't believe you Twilight Sparkle! I'm one of your most faithful patrons, and here you are implying-"

"Okay! I'm sorry! It's just a really advanced book, and I don't like to lend out my personal copies. Most books I can replace, but my notes are one of a kind, and I reference them quite frequently."

"Oh, Twilight, it'll be fine, I promise! I'll be very careful with it, and if I can't understand anything I'll bring it back first thing tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright... but even if you do make some headway, I want it back in three days at the latest." Reluctantly, Twilight went to the back room of her home. A minute later, she came out with a large tome floating by her head, ensconced in a purple glow. "Take extra good care of it, it means a lot to me... okay?"

Lyra looked solemnly at her friend. "I promise, Twilight, I will let no harm come to this book." As she gently took the book from the purple mare, she wrapped it in a thin blanket and placed it into her saddlebag.

Twilight seemed to relax a bit at the extra layer of security Lyra had thoughtfully added. "Thanks, and good luck, I hope you learn something helpful!" she shouted after her friend as she walked off.

"I'm sure I'll find something, thanks Twi!" Lyra called back, no longer hiding her face splitting grin.

Lyra could hardly believe her luck, Twilight had really bought all that hooey about 'studying'! Now that she had what she needed, she couldn't wait to get home. She broke into a gallop the rest of the way, drawing a few looks from other ponies as she passed. When she arrived, Lyra quickly ran up the stairs to her room and slammed her door shut. She yanked the book out of her saddlebags and tossed the blanket it was wrapped in aside. She lay down as she opened the tome to the first page and began to read; "The Tricky Techniques to Translocation, by Starswirl the Bearded." Ominous thunder rumbled in the distance.

Several hours later, Lyra huffed in frustration; "Jeeze, and I thought teleportation was hard!" She had barely made a dent in the book, and she hardly understood half, no, less than half of what she read. "Maybe Twilight was right..." the unicorn sadly admitted. She stared out her window at the falling rain that had turned the world to grey, the gentle hiss on the roof, interspersed with occasional rumbles of thunder, calmed her nerves. She resignedly began to flip through the rest of the book, barely scanning the contents of the pages. As she neared the end, her eye caught the edges of a diagram, her ears perked up in interest. Quickly flipping back to the page, a smile grew on her face as she started to read. This was it! The spell she had been looking for!

"In exchange for one item of physical value, and one item of emotional value, an object can be retrieved from a parallel plane. The objects' size and worth are determined by the values of the original sacrificial items." Lyra began to read with increasing enthusiasm. "Anchor points must be properly established or- blah, blah, blah, I know, I know!" Lyra retrieved a piece of chalk and began to hastily copy the diagram from the book onto her floor. She even made extra certain to encircle some permanent fixtures as anchor points, including a really heavy bookcase, just to be sure.

When she finished, the mare stepped back and gave her work one more scrutinizing look. Seeming satisfied, she went over to a nearby table and placed a mechanical eggbeater in the circle for the sacrificial items. The eggbeater had certainly seen better days, but it worked just fine, so it passed the test for physical value. It would certainly fetch a fair price, being an antique, if that was where the book placed value instead. The thing had been in her family forever, Lyras' mom gave it to her when she was old enough to cook, as her mothers mother had before and so on. This satisfied the emotional value aspect, too, but it was only one item. Still, it was made up of multiple pieces, that counted, right?

Lyra cast a sidelong glance at her namesake, sitting near her bed. The lyre was beautiful, a deep cherry wood, carefully carved and inlaid with gold the same color as her eyes; its' value was ten times that of the eggbeater. It had been a graduation gift from her grandfather, one of her last memories of him since he passed a few years ago, the emotional value was undeniable. Even so, she couldn't bear the thought of losing her lyre; what if it never came back? Lyra decided that she didn't need some fancy Human item to display, just something to prove her right was good enough. The spell called for two items, though, that much was clear. Making up her mind, the unicorn grabbed her favorite brush. As with the eggbeater, this had practical as well as sentimental value, if not as much as the other items.

Finally ready, Lyra placed the book in the proper place near the circle. The storm was now directly overhead, and the thunder was deafening, flashes of lightning illuminated the room as bright as day, yet cast strange jagged shadows as it did. Reading the instructions one last time, she began to concentrate. Ignoring the raging storm outside, her body relaxed and began to sway as she felt the magic flow through her. Involuntarily, her horn began to glow a bright minty green. Shadows danced on the walls as the chalk lines began to emit a brilliant blue light. The eggbeater began to glimmer, and soon was levitating in the air, but the brush remained planted on the ground. Seeing the inanimate brush, Lyra looked for the cause of the problem. Ah, the handle was sticking out over the edge of the circle ever so slightly. She stepped over the book towards the brush to nudge it back in...

All Chaos broke loose. A magical whirlwind swept around the room, sending paper and other small objects flying, oddly, the brush remained anchored to the floor. The book and Lyra were wrapped in the same glow as the eggbeater, and all three began to spin faster and faster. Sparks flew as magical lightning arced all around, causing space itself to distort. Suddenly, Lyra felt herself falling, not straight down, but being thrashed violently about, like a ship on a stormy sea. In the distance she caught sight of a figure, something familiar. She couldn't believe her eyes! In the middle of all this madness was a sleeping human! She was accelerating toward it at an alarming pace, thinking she would collide with the thing, she raised her hooves to protect herself. Without any warning she snapped to a halt directly before the unconscious form. She lowered her hooves to see what the delay was and her eyes widened in wonder, she slowly reached out to gently touch its face; closer her hoof got, until it barely brushed its soft skin, then a snap and all was chaos again.

Lyra awoke with a groan, her room was a mess! Papers scattered everywhere, furniture knocked over, there was even a chalk drawing on the floor! Wait... in the center of the chalk drawing... her brush! The eggbeater and book were nowhere to be seen. Oh no, Twilights' book, she'll be furious! And nothing to show for it, either. All Lyra could remember was a dream about seeing and, just briefly, touching a human; but as far as she could tell, there were no new human artifacts in her room. What had the spell even done, then? "Okay, calm down. You have three days to try and fix this..." Lyra spoke to herself.

"Fix what?" A familiar voice asked from outside her bedroom door. Oh, no, Bon-Bon!

Floating...

Floating through the stars...

Untold distances traversed as she floated. One star grew brighter, and bigger... a planet... Equiis? No... different somehow....

The vision faded... a planet... a familiar planet, yes... home.

Floatin- no, wait... not floating, falling! Faster and faster, wind whipping through her mane, tearing at her, then impact! Pain! Panic? No, floating again, safe. Pressure, cold pressure pushing against her on all sides. Calm down, take a breath...

Twilight's eyes shot open as she began to choke, her hooves thrashing in panic. All around her were bubbles... bubbles? She couldn't breathe... water... salty! Where was the surface? Light... that way! She began to swim to the surface when a heavy 'thwump' popped her eardrums and a huge figure dropped beside her, continuing down and dragging her with it in its wake. Finally pulling away, she broke the surface, coughing and retching up the seawater she had inhaled. She only had a moments respite before something very large broke the surface behind her, blowing out a cloud of water vapor before taking a deep, monstrous breath.