A Child's Insanity: Behind the Mask

Nicholas Horseman, a small 9 year old, lay in his cell, his hands riddled with cuts, blood and tears. He watched as Changelings passed his cell, some sneering at him and some giving him sly grins that made him want to curl into a ball. He watched one pass, black chitien, no hair, strange tails, blue insect eyes and wings with a sword like horn on their heads.

He then looked at the small water pool that his jailers had said was his ‘drinking and pissing’ water. His pale face had cuts and bruises on it and one of his eyes were swollen and had not color, just a milky white. The other eye was a stormy-grey that seemed to rain his tears, the other being as dry as a desert.

He slowly stood and saw his body. He was unhealthily skinny and the rags he wore draped over him like a blanket. His hair was also long, a pure black that reached his back. He then walked over to his ‘bed’, a stone slab with a pillow filled with stones.

He was just about to lay down for another night of restless sleep when he suddenly heard the cell door open and two changeling guards stepped in, both holding a Hailbord made of green wood and a strange black metal. “Come with us creature, its time you earned your keep.”

The changeling spoke in a somewhat buzzing like voice and his partner suddenly grabbed him with his hand and roughly pulled Nicholas out into the hallway. He was then pushed forward and they pointed their weapons at him. “Get moving.” The other spoke and Nicholas shakily nodded and started to walk down the halls.

He lay in the tight, cramped box the two changelings had forced him into, wondering what was about to happen to him. He felt the tears in his eye slowly drip down once again but let out a yelp when he saw light start to slip into the box in front of him.

The wall slid into the ground and he was almost blinded by the green light that hit his eye. He slowly crawled out and almost passed out at what he saw. He was in a coliseum, changeling’s all around him in seats, cheering as they saw what he guessed a fight about to start.

And he was one of the fighters.

Suddenly a booming female voice echoed through the whole arena, “Greetings my subjects! We are here today to watch this creature be slaughtered by one of the nymphs so she may grow!”

Nicholas slowly looked up and saw, in a box like from a coliseum from earth, was Queen Venom, his captor and Queen of the changelings or so he would guess from her name. He then heard a door open and looked across from him and saw a simple changeling child walk out.

The moment she saw him, she let out a hiss and tried to run for him but a small leash was around her neck. Holding it was a more fancy looking changeling, a long yellow mane and a shiny chitien. The women smiled and waved at the changelings who cheered for her nymph.

“Now, since this creature seems to be rare, we shall give him a weapon to battle with.” Suddenly a fire burst next to him and he let out a yelp and jumped away, causing the changelings to laugh. Finally the fire stopped and laying there was a simple wooden club.

“Now, enough talk! Let the battle begin!” Queen Venom commanded and there was a buzz of cheers as the changeling holding back the nymph let the leash go and the nymph instantly ran towards Nicholas. He let out a cry of fear and quickly grabbed the club and held it out in front of him like a shield.

It did not work as Nicholas would have hoped as the nymph ducked and then thrusted up, her horn hitting the club out of his hands and tackling him to the ground. He let out a scream and started to hit the nymph but his punches did nothing more than irritate the nymph who let out a hiss and bared her fangs and sunk them into his arm.

He let out a wail in pain and frantically hit the nymph, catching her in the large eye causing her to let go of his arm and yelp in pain. Nicholas took the opening he saw and put both of his feet onto her underbelly and pushed up, causing her to fly into the air. He scrambled from the cold stone ground and started to run from the nymph but he heard a strange buzzing sound.

He turned his head around and almost let out a whimper when he saw the nymph using her wings to fly towards him. He pushed his legs harder and felt his heart stop when he suddenly fell to the ground. He heard the buzzing getting closer and shut his eyes tight from the dust in his eye and he felt around the ground for anything to protect himself with.

Suddenly he felt his hand grab something and he quickly rolled over and swung whatever it was he had in his hand. There was a loud crack and thump and the buzzing stopped and there was a loud gasp .He slowly opened his eyes and saw the club was broken and had a green goo in the end.

He then noticed the limp nymph on the ground and almost puked at what he saw, the broken head of the club had broken off in the nymph’s head...which was across the arena, the body right in front of him, leaking the green changeling blood. There was suddenly the sound of clapping and all the changelings and Nicholas looked up.

Queen Venom stood from her throne and had a large, sick grin on her muzzle. “What a grand show, usually the changeling would have killed you with her venom, but you seem to be immune.” She chuckled, “You will make for an interesting fighter.” Her horn glowed purple and he felt his mind go cloudy and fell to the ground.

“Take him back to his cell...and give him some bread as his reward.” Was all he heard from the Queen before he fell into sleeps cruel embrace.

Nopony saw the cloaked man on top of the ceiling, a pure white mask in his hands. He then said in a voice that leaked insanity…

“Oh the chaos this being will bring, Celestia and Luna will surely be surprised, not to mention the Element bearers.” “He then raised his talons, a glass of chocolate milk replacing the mask in his lion paw. And with a snap of his talons, he was gone.