Chapter 1: Welcome to your new existance
Constance opened her eyes to find herself in the bed of a hospital room. But, everything seemed different, faded. The color of everything seemed duller and almost darkened. She took in the view of her room to see a stallion next the bed looking out the window. He seemed normal though, He was a bright white with a long solid back mane and tail. He wore what looked like a black suit that had a red dress shirt and black tie under it.
"Glad to see your finally awake Miss Donahooves." He said with a sleek refined undertone, still not facing her.
"Just who, may I ask, are you?" She looked to her side to see a table with her scarf and glasses as well as a glass of water.
"That my dear shall be answered later. For now I would like to show you around your new home." He said gesturing toward the window.
She pushed herself out of bed and donned her glasses as she stepped up to the window. "Home?" She looked out the window of room to see a large suburban community surrounding the inner urban section of the town.
everything was faded and worn. The world seemed much darker.
"Yes, you have died in the mortal plane of existence and have been relinquished to me. Here it shall be that you live out the rest of eternity." He said, his face blank of all emotion. "Your death was in relation to that of someone whom possessed a condition and would be labelled unsuitable for proper existence in your world. I devised the idea that those who both suffered from such conditions and by such conditions were to be brought here. Your knowledge of such things was very enticing for me to have you."
"This must be some trick." She thought. "None of this could be real. None of it really made sense."
"I can assure you that this is very much real." He stated. "And no I cannot read thoughts I simply assumed such, as is usual."
She only looked on at the seen of the life going on in the town below. It all seemed normal. "How could anyone here have any problems they seem normal."
"The western section of the city is where those who are victims or are knowledgeable of these things reside, The eastern parts is where all the sufferers reside. You may check out when you feel ready. I have someone on the eastern side for you to meet and he shall show you around this place and to your residence. I have another pony who shall be arriving soon."
"Just how would I find him anyway?" She asked.
He turned to face her. The left side of his face which she had yet to see was scarred and burned, a smile had crept onto his face. "Follow the cheers dear Constance. Oh, and you can call me Grim." Within the blink of an eye he was gone.
She wrapped the black scarf around her neck and left the hospital. Echoing cheers could be heard in the distance and she walked in their direction through the bustling town. Many ponies went about things normally though the all seamed to look a little distressed at the cheers. The became louder and louder as she approached a small arena. The entrance was open and a sign read 'welcome all spectators.'
She walked through the entrance and looked on at the roaring crowd. Everyone was cheering and whistling and stomping their hooves. What they were watching was very unsettling. Two ponies were fighting each other brutally. Blood cover most of the ground and each were heavily wounded. A final blow was struck and the earth pony who had won held a sword, oddly enough in his hoof, to the throat of the fallen. He held him up and a figure stepped forward from an elevated position in the front rows. A tall Earth stallion with a short chestnut mane and a cream coat wearing a decorative cloak stood with a hoof extended. The crowd grew silent and the hoof was brought to the stallions neck. He slowly ran it along from one side to the other. The winner followed the same motion onto the loser as blood began to spill down the other pony.
The crowd roared once more and Constance stood in horror of what she saw. The blood, the violence, the crowd eating up every bit of it. This was a world nightmares.
The stallion remained standing and held out his foreleg to silence them.
"Bring forth the next competitor!" His voice was dry and bitter and his face held almost no emotion.
"Amazing isn't he?" Came the sleek voice of an executive. Which promptly caused Constance to have a startled jump.
She turned to see Grim looking off admirably toward the stallion retaking his perch near the front.
"He might I say is the single greatest addition to this world yet."
"What is this place and why are ponies performing such, such...horrid actions?"
"Because the masses like it and the chance at a worthwhile reward. Anything they desire" Was his answer. "Come with me and I shall explain He said as he walked into the interior of the stadium down a hallway.
"Just who is that Stallion and why are these ponies killing each other?" She asked after the were alone.
"These fights are used as entertainment for the board masses and also to thin out the number of ponies here. As for the announcer and judge, I have no real Idea who he is or what his name is. I'd watched him for some time and when he finally did die in a very entertaining way I have to say, he almost seemed content with this place."
"So just what makes him so special?"
"Look for yourself." Grim answered looking toward the wall where the image of a young colt lie in a dark ally sleeping. "He was basically abandoned and managed on his own, that sort of thing. He ran away from the orphanage he had been raised in." The image changed to him as an older colt. His now open eyes were a dark blue and he had a winged skull for a cutie mark. "He spent a lot of time learning what he could from who he could.He even tried going to school and learning like so.He got his mark when he lasted after a brutal beating of a fight and came out victorious." The image then changed to a young stallion. "When he was finally old enough to do something he looked for a job to do what he could and settled with minor industrial work and construction."
The image then shifted into the young stallion standing in front of a building after being fired. He sat still looking at the pink slip he received with a sour look. The image then begins to play out.
He let's out a long breath and crumpled the note in frustration. He angrily kicks at it on the ground and starts walking off.
"Oh this part is just laughably cute" Grim chuckled.
An ecstatic pink mare walks by and notices his upset state.
"What's the matter?"
He lets out a long sigh and replied. "Uh, nothing nothing, I'm fine don't worry about me. Just, go on and do what ever."
"Why? I want to help you. Here, I know what'll make you feel better!" She exclaims as she hugs him.
He seems to be taken aback by this but a smile starts to form on his face and he shares in the embrace. After a rather uncomfortably long time she let's go.
"Better?"
"Better" He smiles.
She shares in the smiles and introduces herself. A small conversation ensues and they part with him watching her trot off happily. The scene then changes to that of another encounter where he asks out on a date. She agrees and they go for a walk in the park and watch the sunset, all the while Grim smirks and lets out sighs of humor. It all ends with him dropping her off at the shop she lived at and receiving another hug, this time he comfortably shared embrace and they parted.
"Daw." Grim joked. "This was a small thing and, well, let's just see what happened." Grim smiled.
The image changed to a group standing around the outskirts of the town. Curious, the stallion slips through the crowd to see something devastating. There on the ground lied the pink mare he had spent a few weeks now with, enjoying her presence and pushing forward to be able see, surrounded in a small pool of her own blood. His face of shock and heartbreak caused Grim to let out a shallow chuckle.
He dragged on to the apartment he'd been living in and in a fit of rage began pounding on the drywall, denting and cracking it. He finally braced himself against the wall and brought back his head. His face twisted in anger. He brought it forth and impacted into the wall making a sizable dent and leaving cracks running down the edge of it. He did so again, this time chipping the center and leaving a cut on his forehead which slowly trickled blood. He did so a third time and stumbled back. The blood flowed more freely and his staggered dizzily for a moment before slumping over on the ground.
"The first time I thought 'He's really upset'. The second time I smiled. The third time I laughed so hard I fell right on my flank." He chuckled. "It was so deliciously sad. I loved every bit. He snapped at that very moment and I knew he was going to make this place a lot more fun for me."
Constance thought over all this and let out a breath of mourning. "So just how did he get to where he is now?"
"Well, I greeted him and seeing how destructive and violent he could be I made him an offer: fight and win to earn any reward he desired. He accepted. He's the one for you to meet. Play nice now." He said as he began to walk off.
"Wait, so he won? What did he want?"
"Well I'm certain both of those answers are obvious." He answered blankly.
"Did he get it?"
"...No not really, if I brought him to her then I would lose my favorite little pony. He wouldn't be the ball of rage anymore. What he did get was all the more satisfying for me." He smiled and disappeared again.
"There has to be a way out of here. I don't think this could even be real. This is just..." She shook her head and walked down the hall to the 'box' the stallion she was supposed to meet was sitting in. Though instead she was met with this.
"Proxy, who is the next fighter?" He asked in with a bit of excitement.
A spindly grey unicorn hurried to him. "The next one has fought and won over twelve matches, a Stormy Venture master."
A grin found it's way to the stallion. He shed his cloak and tossed to the smaller stallion and dropped down into the open ring. He continued announcing from down there and was brought a sword.
"Patrons, we have a fighter who rivals I our champion! I must now fight to retain my title."
Constance stepped forward toward the grey unicorn folding his masters cloak.
"Oh hello there, you must be another addition to the masters entourage. Right this way." He said motioning toward a back room.
"Entourage? I think there's a misunderstanding, I'm supposed to meet him."
"Sorry, my mistake. Master is partaking in the sport, he should be back shortly. Many challengers never last long anyway." He said looking down to such seen.
The pegasus that had fought his way to this point was on the ground being beaten mercilessly by him. He propped the pegasus up and walked to the sword which had been plunged into the ground. Stormy Venture sat there with a defiant chin extended and a brimming courage. The sword was plucked and the creme coated pony stood looming over him with a toothy smile as everyone grew quiet.
"Why don't you tell us what your prize would be?" the earth pony called out to the crowd.
"Hah, ha ha ha...To be free. To go back to my life. To live again." He said merrily.
"To bad." The earth pony hissed. He walked behind him grasping the blade in his hoof. What he did instead of a merciful kill was the utmost brutal action to be shown. He brought back the sword and stabbed forward through the pegasus's neck, spurting blood everywhere in front of him. He then used the weight of the hilt and shifted to right then violently whipped it to the left twisting the pegasus's head around, revealing the shocked panic that adorned his face. He stepped around to the hilt of his sword and slid it out from Stormy's neck. He the swung fiercely, lopping off his opponents head.
The head rolled onto the ground as blood spurted and rained down onto the earth pony showering him in crimson. He then grasped the head by his blue mane and carried in his one hoof back to his perch. There he placed it onto a pedestal and returned his attention to the crowd.
"So ends the fighting for today, the blood shall resume tomorrow!" He announced as he retreated to the back room behind his viewing platform. "Come fresh blood, we are to discuss your lodging."
Constance swallowed the lump in her throat and reluctantly followed.
