The screams of anger and sadness ripples through the house and rips me away from my blissful embrace with sleep and it's fantastic dream it brought with it of me being home. I sit up, alert, present of my surroundings immediately. I've grown accustomed with waking up in the dark. It sounds like it's coming from above me, but who would be in the lab at this time of night other than Twilight? Even than, why would she be screaming inside of her own house?

Intruders maybe? Not likely. I've learned very quickly that no one messes with Twilight for many various reasons. Reasons I've gotten to know from personal experience with the deranged mare since she is my apparent mistress. So, what could it be? Failed experiment? Late book?

All I know is that it doesn't sound like her. Or it might be my sleep driven mind that might be telling me this. It's hard to say for sure. All I know is that Twilight doesn't scream in disrepair. More importantly she doesn't really scream at all. Unless it brought out by anger.

The sound of machines being ripped apart is followed by even more destruction, yelling, and cries of hate and anguish. This is definitely Twilight when I listen in close. But what is she up to up there? I know I should just ignore it and try to get back to sleep, but this may cost me my life either way. One from explosion or another from a magical blast do to the seeming attempt for escaping. Might as well find out what might cause my early death. Whether I like it or not.

I rise from my bed of ripped up cloth and make my way up the almost hidden stairway. I twist and push the handle of the door, but the door stays shut by magic. Well, might as well put my training to use than. I rev my arm back for a hard hit against the door, but find it slowly opening just as I do. Great. No fun for me.

So this means Twilight knows that I'm up here at this door. I should've figured when all the noise had suddenly stopped not even a few seconds ago. I encroach into the room to find something I never thought I'd ever see. The sight is so disturbing that only one stupid word comes to mind as it tries to process all of this... mess.

"Wow..." My original plan for encountering all this has just been thrown out the window as I stare at the once beautiful lab that has now been reduced to rubble and broken machinery with Twilight sitting up against a wall, bottles all around her hooves.

She sits there and watches me with ragged breathing and heavy eyes. She's worse for wear, and looks absolutely broken. Its amazing. Too amazing of a sight really. I never would have thought her to be this... sad looking. Ever. Obviously she might be up to something, but that look on her face. It tells another story.

It's almost depressing in a way to see her so distressed. To see her out of her prime is so... unnatural. Something must have happened to her or she might have just lost control. Either way, I have to know what's going on. This will determine our lives forever.

"Well?" Twilight speaks up interrupting the silence that had taken hold of the laboratory since I've walked in.

I bite my bottom lip. What am I suppose to say? I've got so many questions that I want answered, but they're too complicated to really put out. So I might as well go with a broad one first to help myself narrow it down.

"Why?"

It isn't loud, but it soon rises up to a mad mare's laugh as she throws a bottle away from her into one of the crumbled machines. Which machine is hard to tell since they're all rubbish in a pile now. I don't feel all to comfortable here with her laugh and the atmosphere that's being set. I'm not certain of her right now, but I am certain that now is not a good day to be up to my tricks. She also seems completely out of it as well, but that couldn't be because of the bottles... could it?

"Do you believe in retribution?" She asks after sub-doing her deranged laughter just a bit.

"Ye-Yeah. But what does that have to do wi-"

"Everything!" She yells throwing her fore hooves into the air as well as her head, "Everything has to do with it! The dreams, the news, the war, rebellions, the stress! It's all the retribution of what we have brought on ourselves. We knew... No. She knew what she was doing was wrong. Yet she did it anyway. Than we all fell in line with her evil plan like sheep to the calling.

"Pathetic. Every last one of us that call ourselves the "master race". We can't even control what's happening to our lives at all. I wasn't always like this... I wasn't always so... crazy. I used to be a unicorn of respect and importance. Now I'm nothing more than just the Princess' research partner and pony of interest for putting certain humans and ponies underneath me. I'm nothing more than her just an obedient slave that she leave on its own.

"I was so eager... I was so eager to please her within the grand scheme of things, but that grandness soon warped us all and led the way to a new era. An era of damnation and slavery. A era for us to realize that the power in this world is corrupt and unjust. It's unfair to those who don't know how to wield it rightly and gives to those who know how to. Magic in this worlds has no limits and usually no pony tries to abuse that fact. But now...

"The power is being used like crazy! It's unruly magic and it's unacceptable! I'm the bucking element of magic and my cutie mark is magic! I understand how magic and the universe work! I probably even know more than Celestia! I can hear the magic cry out at night sometimes... I hear it cry out the sins that it's committing all around the world. And I just want it to stop."

Twilight goes silent as she ends her rant with a few mumbles about never defying Celestia and being loyal always. A bottle half full/empty comes into her grasp and soon down her gullet. I can only watch her with a slack jawed expression. I never though I'd ever hear such words come from Twilight's mouth. Does... does this mean?

"Do you think our gods have forgotten about us?" Twilight asks placing the bottle down in-between her legs, "Sure it's alright not to believe in one, but if you think there is one. Do you think they've or it has forgotten about us. Or perhaps they just like the show that they're seeing."

"It's hard to tell with powerful beings. Sometimes they do things in order to have one thing happen and something else goes astray. Other times they do it just to test their limits. Though I don't really know much myself. All I've ever known are from the few shows I've watched and conversations I've heard from you and my time before Equestria. I'm not a wide minded man, but I'm certain that this is all somebody's fault. You could have rejected what she offered." I say remembering my time with Celestia and some experience with Twilight.

"That may be true." Twilight says humming each word to an invisible tune, "But you got to remember, there's always consequences in one answer. No matter what it may be. You could agree, but would agreeing being all that good? If you disagree could it be all that bad? Those are the type of thoughts you have to have around Celestia. Besides, she praised me with all these hallowed good words."

"Alright. So apparently Celestia doesn't treat you with the respect and love you deserve. Perhaps me and you could gah!?" I say to only be stopped before I can finish my thought as my arm is yanked behind my back.

Twilight falls to her side before getting up and walking over to me while I feel magic grab onto my neck and something hit me in the back of my legs. I fall to my knees as I try to catch my breath through the invisible force crushing my wind pipe. Her hoof grabs my head and yanks it up so I'm looking straight into her dead magenta eyes.

"Who said she didn't? I've done a lot of things to get to this point. I may have some resentment towards her, but that doesn't mean that I'll just side along with you for revenge. Oh no. I have something else planned that involves you. I may not be in the... best mind set, but I am aware enough to not fall for anything. Got it?"

Her last few words are punctuated by her yanking on my arm a few times to let me know that she's in control of the situation no matter what I may think about her. He lets go of everything and tosses me back across the room on my back with a magical force against my chest. I grunt as I scrape some skin against broken metal. I stare at her anger slowly rising inside of me.

"Just know that I have a newfound reason for putting you in the ring. It has to do with my bitterness with Celestia. If you... no. You will survive for as long as I say so. Celestia may have her words, but my actions will rise above those words. I won't let her toss me aside... not when I worked so hard..."

Twilight starts muttering to herself slurring certain words together while walking to the walls. She stumbles here and there, but she doesn't seem too impaired. Something is obviously taking its toll on her and soon that pent up aggression and emotions will be released upon me.

How wonderful...

"So what now mistress. What do you want to confide to me now?" I ask rubbing my sore shoulder while sitting there. I dare not rise incase she shoves me back down.

"You may rest for tomorrow. I'm putting you back out there. I wont be coming with you, but Spike will send me a report on how well you fight as well as Rainbow Dash's skill at keeping you under control. I'm going to start passing you off to each of my friends as soon as you get back. Maybe than you'll learn a few things that might help ease this further along. Maybe give you a better idea on why you should just submit to the will of the strong and not have me send you away."

I simply nod my head. I've heard about the antics of her friends some what of what they all do. Miss snooty apparently makes appeal for other humans and ponies while miss bumpkin is some type of slave breeder? I think I'm remembering correctly. The others I'm not really sure about. I can only remember so much in this thing I call a brain.

I rise up slowly as Twilight continues to stare at the barren wall of the lab. The thought of rushing her comes to mind, but I rather tuck my tail in and retreat so I may lick the few wounds I've gained from this experience. No matter what state Twilight is in, she'll always be one step ahead of me. I guess that's why I'm here right? To make sure that I can't get a step ahead. But that's fine. All in do time I suppose.

I head back downstairs after rising from the floor that now has the combined liquid of oil and my blood. I make sure to check if I'm still on the steps of darkness, and lay upon my bed of cloth and material given to me over the years. Yet sleep doesn't come to me easily this night. Not as I listen to the mutterings of Twilight as she moves and shoves things aside here and there while calling out for more cider to only realize that no one is going to answer her plea. After about two or three hours I fall out into a troublesome slumber. With Twilight quietly crying to herself.

Morning came faster than what I expected. I had wished to sleep longer, but obviously the world had different ideas for me. My dreams were no longer plagued with the goodness that I had before. It had been replaced with the ever living fantasy of Twilight going completely crazy on me. Removing body parts and replacing them immediately with magic, it's easy enough to say that I was glad to wake up in the morning to find her asleep.

Spike came and got me this morning. Breakfast was eaten in complete silence until Rainbow Dash came and got me to start my official day as the Sparkle house champion. What that meant is still unknown to me now as I walk into the back arena like before. It's still narrow and such, but hey. If it means coming closer and closer to understanding what's happening, I'm fine with it.

Inside the room I see less people than I had before. I don't know why, but I have the funny impression I'll probably never see them again. A guy with a black mask over his mouth with a zipper sits in the corner while a mare unicorn with long purple hair stairs at us. She strokes the man black short hair and whispers something to him. I can see hunger in that guys eyes, and I'm not liking how his eyes are now following me. Rainbow Dash leads me over to a bench and tells me to wait right here.

I do as commanded, despite how I hate being commanded to do things, and look around the room once more. One figure really catches me surprise. A man with a lanky form leans against a wall just like it's owner. It's one of the humans I saw last time when I was here waiting. Him along with two others are the only ones I same what recognize. Unless I'm thinking of some other humans. Though none of us look the same, unlike these multicolored ponies. If it wasn't for their cutie marks I bet you couldn't tell one from the other.

"Congrats champ! I got you into your first tournament!" Rainbow says excitedly as she walks over to me.

"What? Why? Remember what happened last time I fought?" I ask cautiously not wanting to have to have what happened last time happened.

She waves a dismissive hoof, "Don't worry. I got you into a beginner's tournament. So your competition shouldn't be so bad. You're first fight will be in about thirty minutes. Give or take how long it'll be for them to clean everything up."

With that she takes a sit right beside me with her head held up with pride. Of course she has something to be proud of. She gets to work with the surviving champion of his first advanced duel and was saved from upmost death by Celestia. Yea. I learned a lot while walking over to this place. Apparently there's a lot Twilight hasn't told me about my miraculous restoration as well as the properties of the place. I have less fear of her words because I know I basically can't die in this place, but as soon as I leave with a fatal wound.

I'm done for. So there's pros and cons to this entire thing. On one side I don't have to play too cautious with wounds, but I better not take a fatal one. Since this is only beginners, I'm sure everything will be fine.

The roar of the crowd deafens me as I stand there with my hands interlocked with this man's who is practically growling at me by this point. That carnal rage that's probably building up inside of him is probably going to be unleashed soon if I drag this out any longer. His head revs back and slams into mine. I should either be dead or have a cracked skull, but it merrily slams into mine and we just stare into each other's eyes I feel even more determined with winning after that big hit. A crack along his skin goes down from his for head and across his right eye. I drop down and let his momentum throw him forward as I slip my hands out of his earth ones.

He falls over me and I quickly turn and grab his right leg before it hits the ground. I slam my foot where the leg and his hip meet and yank as hard as I can. The poor man screams in pain below me, but I can't stop now. I have to keep going till he gives, or at lest until I feel his leg go slack. Something slams into me which break my connection with his leg and hip. I skid back as I feel pain flare through my entire body. Not as much as breaking those bricks, but pain none-the-less.

I cough up a bit of blood as I see the giant earth fist above his knocked down body. He gets up and I watch the cracks along his leg grow bigger from where my foot was at. It only grows bigger as he yells something unintelligent and rushes towards me. Each stomp of his leg only makes it bigger and bigger till it just stop and starts crumbling away. I'm not sure if I've effected the leg in any other type of way, but I can only hope I get another chance at snapping his leg so he can just submit already.

I've been fighting this guy for far too long. When I first got in her and saw some guy fighting with just his bare hands, I thought I finally found a fair challenge for once. But low and behold, this guy is latterly made of out earth with something dark underneath it. I'm not sure if that's his skin or... something else. It's too black to be skin right? Or is that the results from testing?

"Bring it on!" I yell as I get into my fighting stance. It's better off to save those thoughts for later when my life isn't in some way or shape of danger.

I glance towards Rainbow Dash who's currently screaming with some other pegasi while chatting and hitting them in the shoulder. Seems like her regular boasting routine to me, but I could be fooled. I mean, after all, she's no the brightest one in the group so I tend to pay less attention to her. I wish I had when it came to fighting something like this. I don't even think one of her lessons covered this. The only fighting I really know is earth pony fighting because apparently I'm not cool enough to learn pegasi fighting techniques. I'm pretty sure it's because I can't fly, but at the same time I'm a little bit miffed at how Rainbow Dash can be blatantly racist.

I duck down and catch the other fist with my face, to find myself popped in the air. I keep my eyes locked on him as I grab his arm outstretched right farm and yank him with me as I fall towards my back, forcing him topple with me. I land on my back and immediately pull my leg back and shove it squarely against his stomach making a large crack up to his chest and all over his stomach region. His mouth opens and blood shoots out over me. I rise up as he backs away slowly all the while holding his right hand to his stomach. His head rises slowly and only blood lust can be seen in his two orange pupils. Spikes of dirt shoot out and go straight for me. The wise thing would be to dodge, but I'm not very wise. You can tell as I rush straight at him picking myself over spikes and hoping on to one after another.

Something rips through my leg making me trip, but my fist continues onward anyway as I slam it dead center in his face completing the cracks of his face and breaking it all. Dirt falls away to the ground as well as blood as he hangs his head there. He looks up and all I can see is darkness, white eyes, and white teeth gleaming at me. I feel my heart stop as he opens his mouth and lunges toward me. Spikes replace his arms as he wildly swings for me while cackling bloody murder for all to hear. Though I'm the only one, sense they're all being too loud up there yelling out cut him to pieces and give him what for, that can actually hear how creepy this all is.

I move forward as I drop my shoulders low and basically talk him to the ground. I rise up and land successful blows against his head and bring my two hands together to slam both of them into his body when his whole body just turns into dust under me. Well that's a new trick I haven't seen yet. I stand up and look around and is blind sided by something hard that moves me forward a bit. My vision goes wonky as I turn around to see a bunch of fast moving earth coming at me. I raise my arm and feel them belt into me tearing my cloth and skin. My face is protected as I bring up my arms, but my body takes a heavy shot as something hard slams into it. Something bites into my left arm and I move my right arm to see the man with his fist slammed into my gut and his teeth biting into my arm.

I grit my teeth and grab the man by the throat. I start crushing with all of my might as he lets go of my arm and reaches his hands up to pry off my hand. I'm in so much pain right now, that I don't even realize how much blood is dripping out my mouth as I bring up my other hand to help choke this guy into submission. His white eyes slowly turn gray and his teeth disappear into shadow. I pull my right arm back and slam it into his shadowy face which send him flying back. When he lands, all the earth armor falls off to show just a pure black man laying on the ground. Naked to the world and baring all.

I fall to a knee as the damage starts to wane on me. I think my leg is broken, but I could be wrong about it. I'll access the damage done after they're all done cheering and Rainbow Dash comes gets me. I wonder how pissed Twilight is going to be when she sees I tore up the clothes I've just gotten as well as the new addition to the things I've broken collection. At least it isn't my hand again.

A hoof presses against my back, "Good job champ! Only Five more to go before you're crowned the winner! Now lets go see if we can't get you patched up some before the next big fight!"

Well at least she cares about my health, even if it is for all the wrong reasons. But hey. I can't complain when I'm going to be looked over by, hopefully, a professional in the field of healing. No offense to Twilight and Applejack, but I really don't like having anything broken ever since they set my arm back wrong. I still remember the pain of them trying to break it the way it was before so they could reset it right. I cried so much on that day. Than was tortured so I could understand the real meaning of pain. Of course having your skin peeled away layer by layer slowly was maddening and very painful, I still think having something broken is worse. It's easy to let a cut heal, but bones are always more... fragile when it comes to healing correctly.

Oh well. I give Rainbow Dash an acknowledging nod and rise. A lot of the crowd has fallen silent, but a few still chant my "new name".

"Hercules Hercules Hercules Hercules!"

I can only shake my head with a small smile. I don't want a new name. I only want to be remembered by my own birth name. Oh well, I guess one thing at a time. I'll let the ponies have their little fun at our expenses, but soon the tides will turn. And I just can't wait for that. And this pony that can patch me up.

Author's Note

Thus this will start the first arc of everything. The tournament saga will revolve around fighting and learning about what happens when one stays in the Arena for such things. This will not focus much on Twilight, despite how she'll be doing things off screen, and will only focus on the arena and how all of this ties together for all the rest of story.