New Dawn

Luna fluffed a pillow in her magic as Amadiel carefully maneuvered Jerrod into an upright seated position. Gently he was lain back against the fluffed pillows and then Amadiel and Luna each took a seat at the side of the bed. “Thank you girls.” Jerrod smiled at them and then turned as the door to his room opened.

Six familiar mares filed in and stood around the room near the end of his bed. Jerrod offered a weak smile. “Hey girls, sorry to pull you away from whatever you were doing, I figure I owe some explanations.”

Applejack smiled shrewdly. “That you do. I ain’t gonna blame you for what happened but you sure as sugar owe us an explanation for it.” Her eyes drifted over her friends and back over to Jerrod. “You also owe one to that little filly and her mom, she darn near bit it. Whatever that varmint put on the daggers, it was almost too much for the poor thing.”

Jerrod hung his head and sighed. “I...I’m sorry for that. If I had only paid more attention to my surroundings.” Jerrod shook his head as he hit the bed with a fist. “I should have known that there was a chance, I should have blocked it or something instead.”

Fluttershy stepped up and put a hoof on Jerrod’s knee. “Now now, that wasn’t your fault. You stepped up and kept him from hurting anyone else. You even stopped yourself from letting whatever that other persona was from taking over and hurting anyone else. Don’t blame yourself for what Teyvin did.”

Twilight moved some chairs around in the room and looked over at Jerrod. “She’s right, you should be proud that you kept the damages down to a minimum, it could have been a lot worse. She mentioned that other personality, is that what you called us here to talk about?”

“Partially.” Jerrod tapped his finger against against the railing of the bed for a second before sighing. “To really understand what that was I think you need to hear a little about my life. I could just tell you a few key points but I figure it’s high time I told my story to someone.” He smiled at Twilight and Luna. “It might sound a little cliche but in the short time I’ve known you and the Princesses I feel like that you guys might be the best to hear it. Maybe even tell it to some others, let others know what I’ve done and discovered about the world ya know.”

Twilight tilted her head and opened to ask a question, but the door cracked open before she could speak. Sun Feather poked his head in, then Celestia’s head poked around the door over his. “Are we running late, have you started yet?” Sun Feather smiled sheepishly as he spoke  causing Celestia to chuckle a little.

“I had a little trouble finding him. Sorry Jerrod.” Celestia stepped in and Sun Feather followed her. “He was over at the bar, he blames himself for your injuries.”

Sun Feather tripped over himself a little. “No, I just... it was a traumatizing fight. I was trying to understand it.

With a small chuckle Jerrod shook his head with a smile. “I too have found some great understandings at the bottom of a pint. To answer your question Celestia, we haven’t started yet. We were just discussing why I called you here.” He motioned to the room. “Find a seat and we can begin.”

Celestia smiled as she took a seat near her sister. Sun Feather looked at Twilight and her friends sitting in a semicircle at the foot of the bed and took the last seat next to Amadiel. “Um, hi. I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Sun Feather.” Sun Feather offered a hoof.

Amadiel smiled and shook it to Sun Feather’s sight confusion. “I’m Amadiel, Empress of the Dragons. Jerrod’s ex-lover.” Sun Feather sputtered causing the room to laugh.

Jerrod cleared his throat drawing everyone’s attention to him. “Thank you all for coming. Most of you know each other but for those of you who don’t know,” Jerrod pointed to Amadiel on his left, “this is Amadiel.” She smiled and waved. “Empress of the Dragon Lands and my last lover before Luna and Twilight.” Twilight blushed crimson and Luna snickered at her misfortune. “And this,” Jerrod pointed to Sun Feather, “Is my personal guard Sun Feather.” He waved. “The rest of you are famous enough I hope I don’t have to introduce you all.”

Celestia smiled. “Indeed. I would also like to offer you an apology Jerrod. Swiftflight will be unable to attend, he had to head back to The Griffon Empire for a while.”

“It’s okay,” Jerrod sighed, “he did mention something about it. Well then I guess I should start. I think it would be best to start with an apology for what happened in the park. Well I’m not entirely sure what it was I did see some allusions to it in the past. I took steps against it but well, I guess it didn’t work as well as I had hoped. The most important thing here is that I can say with an almost one hundred percent certainty it won’t happen again.”

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof and waved it back and forth until Jerrod nodded at her. “What was it that happened exactly?”

“The closest thing I could compare it to would be what happened to Luna.” Jerrod tapped his chin. “Well in the sense that a separate entity took control of her, I was taken by a separate personality in my mind. One that was born of desperation and sorrow and an endless fights for survival. There was a part of my life I was unprepared for and when I was there I closed off the part of me that cared, that couldn’t handle the world I was in and Dominus was left over.” Jerrod swallowed, his adam's apple bobbing up and down once as he took a deep breath. “The man that sits here before you is, he is both Dominus and Jerrod.”

The room went silent as everyone furrowed their brows. Finally Rarity spoke up. “What exactly do you mean dear?”

Jerrod crossed his hands then uncrossed and recrossed them several times before settling on placing them on top of eachother. “It’s, complicated. Well no it’s not really, that’s just an excuse not to talk about it. To put it simply, during my darkest hour my mind fractured. I became Dominus and Jerrod, two sides of one coin. One side was callous and bloodthirsty, able to do anything to survive. The other was, weak. Dominus and Jerrod, strong and weak. Jerrod was the me that couldn't take the world and instead hid behind Dominus for protection. Somewhere down the line while Jerrod hid he faded  and Dominus became all there was. After Dominus was no longer needed Jerrod became the dominant personality. Neither were complete, neither could survive without the other.” Jerrod looked over at Luna as she nuzzled his hand and he smiled.

“Thank you Luna.” He turned back to others. “When it all began it wasn’t a big deal. A minor case of dissociative identity disorder at best, that’s a little extreme though. I guess it would be easier to say it was a mask, something to hide behind that got out of hand. First it was just a coping mechanism then it evolved into a psychological disorder, and then when magic was introduced it became something even more. My best guess is somehow the pieces of Dominus I hadn’t accepted where given a life of their own and he became a nightmare entity of some sort.” Jerrod paused and looked at everyone worriedly. “Since the fight, I can feel that, somehow, he’s gone. Jerrod, me, the man before you, am more whole than I have been for more than a decade.”

Celestia smiled warmly, but it couldn’t cover the worry in her eyes. “I see, so then can you promise us that you won’t,” She paused for a moment to think, “fall again?”

With a sincere smile Jerrod nodded his head. “As far as I know, no I won’t. I am now one being and whatever Dominus was is dead.”

“Well that’s wonderful, can we get on with the story then,” Rainbow smirked. “As interesting as this mind stuff is I wanna know about your adventures.”

Jerrod nodded and smiled slightly. “Of course Rainbow, it’s why I gathered you all here anyway.” Jerrod stopped and hesitated, chewing on his lower lip as he looked at everyone around him. Luna leaned in and nuzzled Jerrod’s cheek while Amadiel squeezed his hand. Everyone else gave him kind, warm smile as they waited for him to continue. After a minute he inhaled and held it briefly before letting it out. “As you all know I wasn’t born in this world. I was born on a planet called Earth in a small town called Warrenpoint. My childhood wasn’t anything real special. I was raised by my dad and my sister because my mom traveled for work a lot and one of my greatest pleasure was books.” Jerrod looked at Twilight. “Honestly I think my childhood could be compared to Twilight’s. The biggest difference, aside from the location, would be how my dad taught me to fight.”

“Growing up I was...angry.” Jerrod leaned his head back and closed his eye. “Kids bullied me because my mom was absent, or because I would rather read than socialize. Heck, they would bully me simply to see if they could make me snap.” He smirked a little and let his head drop down to look at his audience. “It was kinda twisted honestly, but as they say on my world, kids will be kids. In order to combat my anger my dad taught me martial arts. He focused a lot on the discipline side of it, balance the mind and the body and control yourself type of thing. Every day after school he would pick me up and then we would go to the dojo and train together. Afterwards we would head home, my sister would be there with a hot dinner ready and waiting.” His face clouded over as a happy nostalgic smiled crossed his lips and he stopped talking for a moment.

Pinkie Pie stood up on her chair and jumped across the room, landing gently at the foot of Jerrod’s bed. “What were their names?” She smiled widely and Jerrod chuckled at her antics.

“My dad’s name was Christoph and my sister was Nessa.” Jerrod shook his head and wiped a tear from his cheek. “Sorry, it’s just been a long time since I thought about them. With everything that happened to me I stopped thinking about them and my life before this world because it was easier.” With a shake of his head he forced smile and continued. “Okay, so yea, simple life. The fighting my dad taught me kept me from jail for the most part and it let me have a quieter life. Things picked up in middle school though. Maybe it was because of the divorce or maybe puberty just made me angrier but those were the first years I really started to get in trouble with authorities. Luckily for me though, there was this girl, Moira. Moira, oh Moira, she saw past my anger and found a way to sooth it. She brought out the kind loving soul hidden under all the anger. I wasn’t even the one who approached her, she came to me. It was the week of the school dance, she asked if I was going with anyone and I didn’t have to think about it. I asked her on the spot.”

Jerrod stopped talking and lost himself in his memories for a moment, a nostalgia pulling happy expressions across his face. A warm smile, a twinkle in his eyes, a tender smile. Years of happiness flitted across his feature before he spoke again.. “Our first date at the school dance, it was amazing. I took her out to dinner at this little diner in town, got us the table on the roof under the stars. Then after that we walked to the school for the dance and we danced the night away.” Jerrod’s body swayed gently to unheard music, his arms kept low and curled around an invisible body. “After the dance we walked to her place hand in hand and kissed on her front porch. I was walking on air for days afterwards.”

Slowly the happiness faded and a glower darkened Jerrod’s face. “But those bullies couldn’t stand it. Fastforward a month to my thirteenth birthday and everything goes to hell. I remember very little of what happened, my dad planned a barbeque and invited my classmates, including the bullies. Most of the party I can vaguely remember but it all fades into a haze and I just remember...remember that...” Jerrod trailed off and took a deep breath and held it for a moment.

As he let it out his shoulders slumped forward. “I...those bastards just pushed and pushed and then she got in the way and-” His head dropped and his voice was a low whisper when he spoke again. “The look in her eyes when my fist connected, she was shocked, scared. Afraid, of me. The hurt in her eyes.” Jerrod lifted his head. “I couldn’t believe what I’d done so I ran. Straight into the woods behind our house and the next thing I knew I was in the desert.”

Pinkie tilted her head and frowned. “They ruined the party, because they didn’t like you.” Suddenly she smiled. “We’ll just have to throw you a new birthday party, one that isn’t ruined.”

A dry chuckle answered Pinkie before Jerrod spoke. “I think I might like that. I can’t remember the last time I celebrated my birthday.”

“Nooooo”Pinkie gasped.  “You can’t be like that. We have to rectify this.” Slowly her lips parted into the widest grin Jerrod or any of them had ever seen on her face. “I have the bestest idea ever! We’ll throw all the parties you missed and the new one at the same time!”

Jerrod shook his head with an amused huff. “Let’s wait on those plans okay. Now where was I, oh yes, the desert. I was terrified at first-”

Sun Feather interrupted before Jerrod could continue. “How did you get from woods to a desert?”

“Well I imagine Twilight has already explained to some of you,” He glanced at Twilight and she nodded, “but I guess it won’t hurt to explain to those who haven’t heard. As some of you probably know, magic and emotion are closely linked. Prime example would be you six,” he pointed to Twilight and her friends, “and the Elements you wield being tied in with feelings of friendship you share. The same is true of our world and the miniscule amount of magic that exists around the portals between it and this world. Most emotions won’t trigger it but extremely strong emotions, like the desire to get away I felt that day will resonate with the gate and cause it to open long enough for the person to cross over.”

Twilight clapped her hooves together. “Yes, I was right. Tirek’s defeat left the gates open between our two worlds. Do you know why it seems to be only our two worlds?”

Jerrod tapped his chin. “Near as I could tell it was because they were the last ones to be linked in any strong fashion.” He furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue. “The rainbow bridge came up a few times in my search for answers, as well as Tirek’s name. Most of what I have are stories I found around the world but that’s what I believe to be the cause. Had the matter been left alone it might have eventually led to gates opening to more worlds but you and your friends seems to have acted like a magical door stopper until it settled.”

Celestia nodded. “That settling, did you have something to do with it?”

Jerrod smiled mischieviously. “We’ll get to that, right now we are talking about my first foray on the world of Equus.” His smile faded and he returned to a more neutral look with a mix of nostalgia. “When I first found myself wandering the desert I was terrified. I’d never let my home town let alone the world and at first I thought it was a dream. I kept thinking I would wake up and everyone would be there and the birthday party was just a nightmare. That lasted for two days, then I collapsed. I wasn’t sure if it was a dream or not anymore, I just knew I wanted it to end. I wanted to go home and apologize to Moira, see my dad and my sister again.” Jerrod paused and sighed. “Fate had other plans for me though. While I was lying on the side of sand dune a great shadow passed over me and a sphinx landed beside me. Her name was Khepri, though I wouldn’t figure that out a while.”

“Our first encounter was, amusing to say the least. She was out stretching her wings when she first spotted me, and it piqued her curiosity.” A light laugh escaped Jerrod as he remembered the fated encounter. “Khepri followed me for a bit then, when I collapsed, she stepped in to rescue me. I was delirious from lack of water and food so I don’t remember the moment well but I do remember waking up in a cool stone chamber on a mattress with her sitting nearby reading a book. Needless to say I was pretty freaked out, and then she spoke. Completely threw me for a loop when she did, I didn’t understand a word of it and there was a sphinx calming reading a book next to me.”

Smirking he shook his head. “I don’t know how much time we wasted just trying to communicate that first time.” He waved his hands in a miming fashion a bit, making Sun Feather mutter something about seizures.” Eventually we managed to get our names across and where the restroom was, after a lot of pantomiming and confusion. The next day is when things picked up a little. Khepri brought me out of the room I was in and into a massive library. I have never seen so many books in one place in my life, not before that and not since. She left me at a table and wandered into the rows upon rows of books and came back with a small stack. After that she began to teach me how to read and write what I now know is Equestrian.”

Jerrod leaned back with a content smile tinging his lips. “For three years I lived with her. She taught me how to speak Equestrian and how it was the dominant language in the world. She taught me about the world I had found myself in and the different races that called it home. The cultures scattered around and the places that housed the culture.” He took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out in a happy sigh. “Khepri’s teachings led me to so many clues that I would use to unravel how humans got here and what they were doing here in the past. Khepri’s favorite thing to teach me was myths and legends and how so many of them held bits of truth that one could find evidence of in the real world if one dug deep enough.” Jerrod paused a tear in suspended in the corner of his eye. “But just like fate handed me to her it took me away from her. A day like any other, we traveled to the nearby town for supplies and it ended with me being taken by slavers.”

Everyone leaned away from Jerrod a little as the room seemed to grow a little colder. Hate burned across his face and he spoke in a low growl. “Slavers,” He spat the word, “they had infiltrated the town because of the rumors about me that had spread. Both Khepri and I were unaware of just how many humans had been stumbling into the world, but it was enough to peak the interest of slavers. We were so rare and unique we fetched hefty sums on the market, and I even more so and I still don’t know why. When they attacked, Khepri was in a shop and I was down the street getting some food. The only solace I take in what happened is knowing that one of them didn’t survive the wounds I gave him, though at the time I was horrified by what I had done.”

“The next part of the story gets dark though so if anyone wants to leave, best do it now.” Jerrod looked each of them in the eye one at a time, looking for any signs that could get him out of telling his story. “I truly understand if you don’t want to hear what comes next, it’s not just grim in circumstance but in what I became.” His voice had almost a pleading tone as he looked at his audience. Chewing his lip before  he spoke again and falling quiet. “Are you all positive you wish to hear about what happened after I was captured?”

The gathered ponies nodded their heads as Jerrod spoke, the odd tale churning many thoughts and questions around in their minds. Twilight scratched her chin while Fluttershy looked down at the ground in front of her, lost in thought. Rainbow had a weird half smirk half smile going on as she thought about how cool it would have been to meet a sphinx and fight a band of slavers. Her smile wavered a little as she thought more about it, and slowly she settled into her chair slightly depressed. Luna and Amadiel leaned in gave Jerrod a supportive hug before Celestia spoke up. “Please continue Jerrod, I myself am very curious to hear what happened next.”

Jerrod gave Luna and Amadiel a quick kiss before closing his eyes and taking a long deep breath. He crossed his hands in his lap, trying to cover up the shaking. “Before that day I had never truly understood what it was like to be powerless. The trip to the Isle of the Two Moons taught me what it truly meant but it was still nothing compared to The Pits.” His voice cracked and the shaking became noticeable to everyone. “The moment we landed on the island I was shipped off to what I call The Pits, a gladiatorial arena. My first opponent was a young human girl.”

For a brief moment JErrod’s hands shifted to his forearms and pulled tight against his body before he relaxed and his voice came out at a barely heard whisper. He tried again after shaking his head and taking several deep breaths. “I didn’t see here as a fighter at first, I just assumed she was like me. A poor human captured thrown into The Pits for entertainment, I was sorely mistaken. This young girl was a veteran of The Pits, unlike me who wasn’t given any training. I was just captured and  thrown into a pit with this young feral girl bent on killing me. Skipping over the details, she nearly took my life but I took hers in the end. After the fight and the medics had patched me up I was sent to the cells under the Arena to wait for the next fight. But, before the next fight....I just wasn't prepared for what I saw....it was so horrible that I...I...”

Jerrod trailed off and lowered his head and covered his face with his hands. His fingers tensed and clutched his head as he started shaking. “I met the girls mother. The look on her face.” Jerrod pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them as he pushed the top of his head against his knees. “She wasn’t mad, or even sad, she was relieved. Knowing she wasn’t the one who had to do it gave her a sense of relief.”

Jerrod stopped talking and the room was quiet except for his gentle sobs. None of the ponies assembled knew what to say. The very idea shook them to their core. None of them could imagine being relieved by the death of your child. Fluttershy was the first to break the silence, in a rare show of strength she walked up beside Jerrod and pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay Jerrod, it’s in the past now.” A tear trailed down her cheek. “You couldn’t have known and you can’t blame yourself for what happened.”

Jerrod lifted his head. “I can and do. I could have let her live, I could have just let her kill me.”

Applejack took her hat off and held it to her chest. “If you had her mother might have been the next one to fight her and you saved her from that fate. It’s a terrible thing that happened but if you hadn’t something even more terrible could have happened. I can tell Fluttershy there doesn’t blame you for it and neither do I. It’s sick and wrong, but it ain’t yer fault.”

Twilight and her friends nodded in agreement prompting Celestia to speak up. “Would you like us to go Jerrod? We can continue tomorrow if you like.”

Jerrod shook his head, as he scratched behind Fluttershy’s ear.  A flicker of a smile danced across his face as she leaned into making him cup her cheek in his hand. “No, it’s long past time that I told someone my story. I don’t know if I’ll have the courage to go on with this part if I stop now.” He released Fluttershy who immediately went over to Rarity and leaned against her, prompting Rarity to wrap a hoof over her shoulder. Jerrod took a deep breath and continued. “It would be a few days before my next fight. The mother, she helped care for me at first but then she left for a fight. I never saw her again after that, she never once said a word to me.”

“Than how did you know it was her mother?” Amadiel looked at Jerrod with a confused expression.

Jerrod nodded. “Good question. I knew because she had a locket with a picture of the girl as a baby and another with her a little younger than when I fought her in the arena. Right after the fight she came up to me and looked at me, tears in her eyes and gave a small bow before shuffling away. She came up to me  later with a sad smile and showed me the locket. I never saw her again after that. About two days after that I was forced to fight again. Honestly I’m surprised I won the next one.” Jerrod paused for a second as he thought about the mother and daughter. “Anyway, it had been a little over a week since my first fight and they deemed me fit to fight and I was pitted against a pony.”

Celestia perked up a little and Jerrod looked at her. “Yes, a pony. A unicorn to be exact. My first real encounter with magic.” Jerrod pulled the corner of his hospital robe to show a scar that had tiny yellow crystals in it. “This is one of the places he hit me with a magic blast. The docs tell me the crystals are bits of his magic. It’s funny because that’s the only place that scared like that, the others are just smooth scars. I asked about it once and they think it’s because he put a lot more power into it in hopes of ending it quicker. Needless to say, it didn’t and he was forced to fight me in a longer.”

The robe was pulled back up and he smiled in a sad way that spoke of more. “Oddly, the fight was easier with him than it was with the girl. I honestly think the poor stallion was just tired of it. There was this moment at the end of the fight where I hesitated, I just didn’t have it in me to take another life. The moment I hesitated though, he threw himself against my blade, ending it for me.” Jerrod bunched up some of his sheets in his fists for a moment. “I can still see the look in his eyes, he was happy. The entire fight he had this hateful sneer on his face and then the moment I hesitated it flickered and he smiled and threw himself into my blade. I just...I still don’t know what to make of it.”

Jerrod paused and looked over at the side table. Luna followed his gaze and used her magic to grab the glass of water before Jerrod could reach for it. HE smiled gratefully as she helped him drink before he continued his story. “A few weeks later after my sixth fight and sixth win I was pulled out of the arena. They took me to a gorgeous hotel and their I met this strange black pony. There were holes in its legs and it had insectile wings.” Jerrod shuddered. “The moment I laid eyes on it I could feel this sensation like it was seeing into my head. At first I didn’t realize what it was capable of, what it could do to me.”

Twilight and Celestia shared a glance then Twilight raised her hoof. “Jerrod, was her name Chrysalis?”

Jerrod shook his head. “I never got a name, or even a gender. Hell, I don’t think that thing had a gender.”

Twilight looked at Celestia. “It was a long shot. I guess the search will have to continue.” She turned back to Jerrod. “It was a changeling, a race that feeds primarily on love, but other emotions can sustain them.”

“Yeah, that wasn’t my last encounter with them.” A look of loathing and disgust filled Jerrod’s face. “It bought my services around once a month or so. I don’t know what was worse, the fact I was forced to fight for my life or the times I spent with the changeling. It did this thing with my mind, made me forget about the arena. Made me remember the good old days, when I was happy and loved others. When it was done with my head I would wake up in the damp cold cell under the arena that was my home as a fighter. A cold pit would settle in my stomach as I tried to cling to those happy warm memories before they vanished.”

Jerrod sneered and his knuckles cracked. “I’m not even sure I was bought, part of me thinks that it was a drug for me. Get me addicted to it so I would fight harder in the pits. If I had a particularly good fight or even a spectacular win I would be-” Jerrod spat the next word with a cruel leer, “ rewarded with the drug that it was to me. I was addicted to what it gave and I hate myself for it.”

The room was quiet as Jerrod calmed himself down. Luna put a hoof on his shoulder and Amadiel mirrored Luna with her claws. “I...I never realized. I’m so sorry Jerrod.”

Jerrod scoffed and looked at Amadiel. “How could you have, I never told anyone. Until now I’ve pushed everyone and kept my secrets, well, secret.” Jerrod closed and sighed. “I’m sorry, remembering this, it’s, it’s making me remember the hate and anger. I don’t blame any of you for not knowing or anything like that. By the time we met I had put most of this somewhere behind me. Somewhere in the shadows of my past, hidden and desperately trying to forget it.”

For several moments the room was silent and then Luna pulled Jerrod close with a wing. Amadiel looked like she wanted to pull him away but something held her back. After a moment Jerrod squeezed her claws and huffed slightly. “Alright, back to my story. That is really the entirety of my years in the pit. Aside from the rare special occasion where I might be taken into town to be shown off or some new form of training was given to me life consisted of death matches and changeling highs. They were dark times for me indeed. As I explained earlier, the longer this dragged on the worse I became. Slowly Dominus came to power and Jerrod faded into memory. I became a symbol of the pits, the most famous they had ever found. Willing to do anything to please the crowds, never losing a fight or winning it too one sided. ”

Jerrod sighed leaned back against the headboard and looked at the ceiling. Chuckling wryly and looked over at the glass of water. “I don’t suppose we could get some of your special sauce could we Luna?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively before cracking a dry laugh. “I kid, sort of. I could use a really strong glass of something other than water.”

Luna coughed into her hoof as she tried to hide a blush. “I’m sorry Jerrod the doctor said no alcohol.”

Jerrod quirked an eyebrow. “When?”

Amadiel smiled and shook her head. “When she tried to smuggle a bottle in yesterday with her get well gift.”

“That’s a shame, I could have used a little booze for this next part.” Jerrod cracked his neck and took a second to think. “I’m not gonna lie, those times were dark. I was a monster and I didn’t even know it. The name Teyvin used, it was given to me after I lost my right arm in a special match. It was me and four others against a dragon and we weren’t supposed to survive. I’m not going to lie to you guys, what I did to survive was beyond horrible. I sacrificed the other fighters so I could get in and finish the match. One of the guys I sacrificed, he was the closest thing to a friend I ever had and I let the dragon roast him alive. After the match I was taken to a special care facility and through some arcane ritual my friend’s arm was grafted onto my shoulder.”

An awkward silence settled over the room as everyone took a step back from Jerrod, their eyes fixated on his arm. Seconds ticked by before Jerrod jerked his arm towards Twilight and screamed “BOOGABOOGABOOGA!” and flailing his arm. The next few seconds were wrapped in confusion as Twilight screamed and her friends dove to to her aid winding up in a pile of tangled limbs. Amadiel had grabbed a pillow and was trying to use it as a shield. Celestia had raised a shield so the guards outside slammed face first into the door as it refused to budge masking the clunk of Jerrod’s head against the headboard of his bed.

Slowly the room quieted and everyone managed to calm and compose themselves. “Bad joke, very bad joke.” Jerrod rubbed the back of his head as he groaned a little. Amadiel gently placed the pillow back behind him as Celestia lowered the shield allowing the guards to rush in.

“Is everything all right your eminences?” The lead guard had a blade drawn and his partner’s horn was lit with magical energies ready to be sculpted.

“Everything is fine, just a bad joke at a bad time.” Celestia smiled. “Return to your posts.” The guards saluted and left the room. “Now, assuming we are all calm, I think Jerrod should return to his story.”

“Hehe, of course, the story. So yeah, my arm was liberated from my body and my good friend whom I sacrificed offered me his, posthumously. That was the beginning of the end. For the first time in a very long time I had time to just think, to remember. I had two months of recovery, just lying in a bed staring at the ceiling. I think that’s when my forgotten conscious began to stir again.” Jerrod massaged his arm. “Seeing this Frankensteinesque ritual and the strange arm protruding from my shoulder, it was a wake up call.” Jerrod looked up at the ceiling. “My friend died and I lived, I couldn’t help but wonder why.”

Twilight smiled and leaned against Celestia. “Sometimes there isn’t an answer. Sometimes it’s simply fate.”

Jerrod scoffed at Twilight. “Fate. That’s just a bullshit reason that’s given to justify horrible shit that happens to you. Fate had nothing to do with my friends death, it was all me. Me and my worthless self condemned countless fighters to death and yet I was given a pass on death. I was never worth it, never worth ritual or this arm and yet, here it is and here I am.” Jerrod smacked his head against the back of the bed a few times. Leaning against the the headboard afterwards he spoke up. “I will never understand why me, but through it I was able to finally start seeing how far down the rabbit hole I had gone. Like a piece of my friends soul was in the arm pulling out the memories and stirring my long dormant conscience, but that alone wasn’t enough to make me change completely. After I had recuperated I was sent back out and my next fight was another kid. He was young, just like my first victim. Unlike her though he was brand new to the pits and I could see the innocence in his eyes as he stared at me fearfully. Sadly I didn’t have the courage to stand against the owners of The Pit and I did what I had been doing for almost two years. The look in his eyes in those final moments though, it broke something inside me. I saw the first child, her mother and that pony all there standing behind him.”

“They weren't sad or afraid or relieved. For a second I thought there weren't any emotions, until I caught a glimmer in the kid’s eyes, then it dawned on me. They understood. I couldn't take it and something inside me snapped. That part of me I had buried deep down inside me that held all my sorrow, my compassion, my empathy and everything good about my screamed out and I held the kid as I wailed in sorrow.”

The room fell silent as Jerrod’s words died off. The ponies all stared at him stone faced and unsure. Amadiel’s grip on his hand loosened and Luna’s brow was furrowed in thought. After a few minutes he composed himself enough to continue. “That night, after Dominus had managed to reassert control over me, me and a few of the others slaughtered the guards. That was supposed to be the end of it but one of the guards, he didn't die right away and the look in his eyes. So much hatred and loathing, the me back then, I found something profoundly wrong with it. I kneeled down and asked him why and he said I was just a dog lashing out at its owner, I was nothing to them.” A growl rumbled through the room as Jerrod’s fist clenched. “I was a beast they had trained and kicked over and over and they hated me for it as much as they enjoyed the show.”

“I took his keys,” Jerrod swallowed and bit his lip, “and worked my way down into the bowels of the lower arena. I went to the place where they kept all the beasts we were to fight: the hydras, the manticores and chimeras. Everything you could think of and I released them all. I then opened the doors to the pit and then I went to the gates that lead to the city. A few guards came to stop me but the beasts overwhelmed them and then I let the  beasts free into the city.” Jerrod licked his lips and clenched and unclenched his fist. The muscles in his arms flexed as he closed his eyes, the movement of eyes could be seen faintly through his eyelids. His head swung gently from side to side as the corners of his lips twitched up and down. It only lasted a second before Jerrod opened his eyes and looked up into the corner where the ceiling met the wall.  “The rest you know, the Isle of Two Moons was consumed by hate and fire. The rage of a thousand days, the sorrow of an enslaved band, it consumed everything. Be it child or woman, man or boy, the dams had broken and their sins swept through streets to claim their lives in retribution.”

The room was dead silent, no one even dared to breathe. The sound of the clock on the wall grew louder and louder as everyone processed what they had heard. Jerrod began to shrink, pulling his covers up towards his chin as he scooted lower into the bed.

Slowly Luna wrapped a wing over him and pulled him close. “I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that Jerrod. I can sympathize with the pain you must have felt but even I cannot understand what it must have been like. To have survived and become as kind as you are, it’s is staggering how much strength that would have taken.”

Sun Feather looked around, chewing on his lip the entire time before he let an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know what to say man, that story, it’s bad. My great granddad once told me a story about war and how it messes a pony up, this seems a lot like it. If I didn't know you like I do I would be running from here screaming for my mother.” Sun Feather rubbed the back of his head. “That’s not important though, because I can see how much this has hurt you. I've never heard of such a horrible past and the fact you're still here, it’s amazing.”

Celestia stood up and approached the bed, her ear flicking as she heard a sniffle from under Luna’s wing. “Jerrod, when I first met you I thought you were a flippant arrogant nuisance. Never would I have imagined what that clownish demeanor hid. I knew you were hiding a horrible chapter in your life but you seem so far removed from it but what you have just told us, it is something that you never truly leave behind. I must commend you for being able to live with this hanging over you. It must have driven so many of your actions, and it has made a very kind soul.” Celestia moved her sister’s wing and put a hoof under Jerrod’s chin. “You have nothing to fear from us because I for one know that you will do everything in your power to make sure no pony or any other creature ever has to suffer through the pain you have suffered through.” With that she stepped back to her chair and took a seat.

Amadiel reached across the bed and pulled him close. “I can never express how sorry I am.  If only I had known.” She released him and moved away. Tears trickled down her cheeks and shame covered her face.

Twilight looked at her friends and they all nodded to her. “That, it’s, it’s gonna change how I see you. I’m not saying I won’t be your friend or anything but that certainly changes how I see you. Everything you do and say, you’re trying to prove you're not that person. You just want others to be happy, to smile and never know the pain you have.” The girls all nodded. “I think I speak for them all when I say I am glad to have met you and to call you a friend.”

Jerrod smiled, his tears moistening the corners of his lips. Years of pain and sorrow were finally exposed to the world and he couldn’t have felt any lighter. “Thank you, all of you. You have no idea how much it means to me. That’s the first time I have ever told anyone the full story of my time on The Isle of Two Moons, it’s always been a burden I have carried alone. I was afraid of what others would think if they knew, really knew what it was like for me. I know none of you can see me the same again but the fact you're willing to forgive me, it means the world to me.”

The crying continued for a minute before Jerrod choked back a few sobs took several deep breaths. He looked at each member of his audience happily before he spoke again. “Afterwards, I fled the island on a boat and washed ashore on the Zebrican continent. That’s where I met your relatives,” said Jerrod pointing to Applejack. Applejack blinked and Jerrod smiled. “I owe them everything. They nursed me back to health, mentally and physically. They didn't know my story or who I was but they were so kind to me.” Jerrod smiled almost happily. “Their kindness showed me something I had forgotten during my time on the island. If it hadn't been for them I never would have survived, and it wouldn't have been my wounds that took my life. After I was physically healed up I bid them goodbye. They wanted me to stay but I needed to see that more of the world could be as warm and kind. I left and headed to a nearby town where my story will continue from next time.” Everyone looked confused until Jerrod pointed to the doctor who had entered the room.

Twilight smiled sheepishly and one by one Twilight and her friends stood up. They each gave Jerrod a tight hug and stepped back towards the door to leave. Fluttershy was the last one to stand and she fidgeted for a moment before launching herself at Jerrod and giving him a bone-crushing hug. Jerrod looked startled for a moment before he heard the sobs and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you Fluttershy.”

She pulled her head away and looked up at Jerrod. “For what?”

“For crying for me. You have no idea how much that means to me, to have someone cry for me again.” Jerrod gave Fluttershy a peck on the forehead. “I don’t think anyone has cried for me since I arrived here. I have met a few who pity me, others who cry for those I harmed but none had tears for me.” Jerrod paused. “That’s a lie, a few have cried for me but not after they here who I am. My name may not have been famous but my face was. After I stopped being recognized I tried to forget what I had done and the very few who figured it out or who I told shed no tears for me, they had only fear. So thank you, thank you for crying for me.”

Fluttershy untangled herself and looked back at her friends. “It’s not just me.” Jerrod looked up and saw Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Celestia, Luna, Amadiel, Sun Feather and even Rainbow Dash had tears in their eyes. “You might not think we are all your friends but you’re friends with Twilight and the Princesses, that’s enough for us to consider you a friend too. Why do you think we came today?”

Rainbow Dash flew up and gently hit him on the shoulder. “Yea man, Twilight told us about you and you seemed pretty cool to us. Don’t go thinking a scary past is enough to scare us away, we’re friends with Luna aren't we?”

Jerrod wiped a tear away from his eyes. “I barely know you guys but thank you, thank you for this. I’ll make sure to finish the story for you guys next time.” They all nodded and left leaving Jerrod alone with the doctor. “So Doc, gimme the bad news.”

The doctor shook his head. “It’s not good Jerrod. I ran the same tests I ran before the attack out of curiosity and, you’re right it’s bad news. I don’t know if it’s because of the injuries, the poison or the use of magic to get the poison out but whatever balance was there before has been devastated. With just basic tests it’s starting to show. Whatever is happening to you, it’s just a few more days till it reaches it’s end. If we’re lucky you have a week or two.” The doctor sighed and looked at Jerrod. “You don’t have much longer Jerrod, I wish I had better news but there’s nothing I can do at this point.”

Jerrod smiled. “It’s okay Doc. It gives me time to finish telling the girls and Sun Feather my story.”