In the Footsteps of a Giant

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."