In the Footsteps of a Giant

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.