The Caretaker

The Caretaker

The crowd cheered with intensity. The coliseum was filled to the brim, full of spectators who had an almost-sadistical thirst for violence. Arthur smiled to himself as he watched the fight unfurl, thinking only of the amount of cash the fights had drawn in ever since that android entered the ring.

Rows upon rows of spectators cheered wildly. Arthur chuckled as the lanky old mare on the android’s team screamed in pain after a gryphon stabbed her in the leg.

“I’m surprised that bastard Adrian hasn’t died yet,” a voice to his left mentioned.

Arthur craned his neck to see the green eyes of another changeling. “Don’t worry, Lars,” Arthur chuckled. “He’ll die soon.”

“They will all die…”

“Damnit!” Carry exclaimed, walking with the help of Minerva, who at the same time rubbed his horn, which had been split in half. Mac walked past them along with Adrian, then the shield behind them sparked back up, leaving the entire group trapped in their cell once more.

Mac’s synthetic muscles relaxed, his jaw closed and gas shot off of his joints. Adrian walked by, looking up at the android with a worried expression.

“Still can’t get used to you doing that…” he muttered, shuddering. “Creepy…”

Minerva carried the old mare over to one of the dirty beds inside the cell and placed her down on it, leaving a faint trail of crimson behind them. She groaned in pain and clutched her left foreleg in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Minerva rubbed his broken horn.

“Shit…” he muttered, looking around the cell. “Hey, Adrian!” he called. The gryphon looked on as he sat down against the wall.

“Whatever you want, my answer is no…” He folded his front legs and let his head hang down.

“Well fuck you too, buddy…” Minerva sighed, looking up at Mac. “Boss, she’s bleeding too much…”

“B-boss?” Carry muttered. “Since when did Mac become boss?” she chuckled, then groaned.

Mac looked down at her, noticing a rather large slice across the muscle on her leg. He looked over his shoulder at the mostly empty supply crates, then back at Minerva. “Attempt to control the bleeding,” he stated, turning towards the crates and making his way towards them. As he rummaged through them—setting aside the objects he deemed not necessary—he could hear Carry’s voice getting weaker. As such, he sped up his search.

Eventually, he found a small box with a red cross on it. Shaking it to make sure it wasn’t empty, he quickly made his way back to the bleeding mare. He held out the box to Minerva, who quickly looked up, shaking his head and pointing to his broken horn.

“No can do,” he sighed. “It’ll grow back, but for now, no magic for me.”

Mac nodded, placing the box next to Carry. As he opened it, he motioned for Minerva to let go of the mare’s leg. Then, he retrieved a large autosyringe out of the box, along with a piece of cloth and surgical tape. Mac pressed a button on the syringe and the needle popped out.

“What’s inside those things, anyways?” Minerva asked.

Mac lined the syringe near her heart. “Nanites, steroids, adrenaline…” Minerva nodded and looked away as Mac brought the object onto Carry’s chest. She gasped and took deep breaths, her eyes widening until the object was extracted.

Minerva looked back at her wound, watching as the bleeding began to cease. Mac quickly wrapped her leg with the cloth, securing it with the tape.

Carry sighed, already feeling better by the looks of it. “Thanks…” she muttered, smiling weakly.

Minerva smiled as well, before his expression switched to one of gloom. He looked down, sighing, then looked back up, his eyes meeting those of the wounded mare.

“I just want this to end…” he muttered.

“Maybe next time,” she muttered back. “Maybe…”

Mac stood still in the darkest corner of the cell. He looked down at his body, seeing all of the damaged synthetic muscle had regenerated by now. Bringing his hands up, he examined them. A few spots were brown—dry blood. Then, he brought them down, turning towards the other side of the cell, seeing that Adrian was awake and well, already doing wing push-ups in complete silence. On the beds were Minerva and Carry, the former snoring loudly while the other was finishing her bowl of oatmeal. The android zoomed in on Carry, examining her wound, now nothing more than a large scar.

Two days had passed since the last fight. His ‘companions’ were tired, scarred and weak on the mind. All Mac could do was to try and keep them alive. An honest mission, but he still kept in mind Luna’s directive to him. He had been examining his surroundings, trying to think of a way to escape, but the coliseum was a literal fortress as far as he knew. In the end, all he could aspire to do was Bit Counter’s statement had some truth to it: perhaps the only way out was to endure all the fighting.

His internal thoughts were interrupted as the lights in the cell sparked up. Minerva gasped and shielded his eyes.

“Team Forty-Five, prepare for battle,” the automated voice stated.

Carry cast her bowl aside and stood up, groaning as she set weight on her leg. She then walked over to the changeling and stirred him up. “I’m up. Stop that,” he said in response.

Mac walked over into the light, looking at the tunnel that led to the arena. Adrian adjusted his armor, ruffled his wings and stood next to the towering android. Soon, Carry joined them, taking a deep breath.

“Here goes…” Minerva muttered.

The shield powered down. “Move to the arena,” stated the voice.

The light at the other end of the tunnel made itself visible once more, a sight that the group had now seen several times. Slowly, they began to walk. The cheering got louder and louder as they made it through the tunnel, and eventually, they revealed themselves to the spectators once more.

“Welcome!” the announcer exclaimed. “To the final match of this season!”

Minerva gasped. Adrian’s eyes widened. Carry grinned.

“Final match!?” the changeling exclaimed, wrapping his left foreleg around Adrian’s neck. “Hear that, buddy!?” he yelled in excitement. “We’re getting out of here!”

“I…” Adrian muttered. “I-I guess so!”

Mac looked down at Carry. “Where’s the other team?” she asked.

“Starring this match,” the announcer stated, “is team Forty-five!” she exclaimed. “They’ve clawed their way to the top, but they will face the greatest challenge of this here coliseum, one that we have specially prepared for you, the spectator, to enjoy!”

“W-what?” Minerva stuttered out, letting go of of Adrian.

A low rumble shook the arena. Mac clenched his fists, watching as the ground began to part. Beneath the surface, a gate opened along with it.

“It’s the Forty-fives, against Berserker!” the announcer yelled out. “Place your bets!”

“Ooooh…” Minerva’s ears drooped, staring as a massive behemoth revealed itself from under the arena. Its large, red eyes set themselves on Mac and his team as it pulled on the chains that bound it to platform that had risen from below. It spread out its scaly wings, flapping them and producing a sandstorm that enveloped the arena.

With a deafening roar that shook the entire coliseum, it spewed fire from its gaping maw, hitting the ceiling.

“Shit!” Adrian exclaimed. “How’re we gonna beat that!?”

The crowd cheered in excitement, and soon an assortment of weapons landed before the gladiators. Mac leaned over and grabbed a massive, plasma-edged sword by its handle, along with a small device, which he attached to his forearm, turning it on to produce a shield. He looked to his side to see the rest of the team already doing the same and arming themselves.

“Let the carnage… begin!”

As soon as the announcer finished, the chains that held the dragon in place were released, allowing it to spread out its arms and slam them against the walls of the arena, leaving visible cracks and producing a miniature quake.

“Move!” Carry yelled, rolling to the side. Minerva and Adrian reacted just in time to dodge out of the way of a fire blast. Mac remained in place, looking up at the towering monster.

“What are you doing!?” Adrian exclaimed. “Move!"

In a rush, Mac began to speed up towards the dragon. It looked down at him as he ran, roaring out and launching fire at him. The android covered himself with the shield, jumping and propelling himself with the thrusters on his back. Once he landed on the chest of the dragon, he barely had enough time to plunge the sword onto the scaly chest and use it to push himself further upwards before the dragon clawed at him.

Eventually, Mac landed on the dragon’s head and brought the sword down, only for it to grab him before he made contact. Once trapped in the monster’s claws, the two met eyes for just a second, then the beast slammed him against the wall of the arena, leaving him stuck in the broken concrete.

“Mac!”

Berserker swung its tail, almost sending the other three careening through the arena, then focused back on Mac, who was attempting to remove himself from the wall. Before he could react, the dragon inhaled deeply, then began to spit fire. Mac’s body began to heat up, automatically trying to cool itself down, but the flames left him charred and smoking. The unrelenting dragon did not wait, as it began to slam the android into the wall repeatedly until the wall itself gave out, plunging Mac into the area behind the wall.

He lay there, in a dark steel corridor. His body slowly began to cool down, releasing all manner of hot gases. He could see a few lines of code going through his system, but he could not yet move. All he could hear were the sounds of the crowd, the dragon itself, and a loud alarm.

Slowly, his vision returned to normal, noticing a red strobing light that lit the entire corridor. He slowly picked himself back up, just as Minerva, Carry and Adrian stepped through the same hole he had been slammed through, followed by a stream of fire behind them.

“Mac!” Minerva exclaimed, rushing over to the android. “Thanks the gods you’re alright!”

“What is this place?” Carry asked.

Adrian chuckled. “Our way out.”

Heavy steps resonated throughout the halls, joined by a set of voices. Mac stood straight along with the others, just as two gryphons clad in combat armor rounded a corner and aimed at them with gauss pistols.

“Drop your weapons!” they yelled. Minerva and the others froze in place.

“Drop them!” one of them yelled again. Reluctantly, the group dropped their swords one by one, then looked up at Mac worriedly. The android raised his arm and turned on the portable shield that was still attached to it, then rushed at the two.

A couple shots were fired, bouncing off of the shield. Mac slammed against one of the gryphons, sending him smashing against the nearest wall. The other one had no time to react, as Mac grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up. He struggled, trying to break free from the machine’s grasp.

“Arthur...” Mac stated, looking deep into the guard’s eyes. “Where is Arthur?”

The gryphon grinned. “Ain’t telling you—AAAGH!” he screamed as Mac squeezed his neck.

“Tell me,” Mac said coldly, staring directly into the guard’s eyes.

“Up,” the guard groaned out. “Keep going up... Top of the facility... It’s his office!”

“And how do we get out?” Mac asked.

“Follow the signs… Get to the parking hangar…”

“Thank you,” Mac said as he tightened his grip on the gryphon’s neck until he heard a loud snap. He then let the limp body drop before leaning down and gripping his hand around the pistol the guard had dropped.

Mac looked over his shoulder at his little group. “Find the exit, save yourselves… I must find Arthur.”

Adrian nodded and walked up to the android. “Whatever it is you want with that bastard, I wish you good luck.”

“We won’t forget about you,” Carry mentioned.

“Have at it, boss!” Minerva exclaimed.

“Do not be afraid, spectators,” an automated voice sounded off as Mac made his way through the corridors. “The escapees have been apprehended, there is no need for concern.”

Mac’s steps resonated throughout the corridors as he made a mad sprint. The alarms had long since ceased, but the guards were on alert regardless. He stuck himself to a wall as two pony guards ran past. Shortly after, he continued making his way through, rounding a corner and up through a flight of stairs.

He clutched his hand hard on the gauss pistol, determined to complete his task.

As he met a junction between the halls, he looked up at the signs hanging from the ceiling, one of them signalling an elevator nearby. As such, he chose said hall and continued, eventually meeting with the elevator itself. Its doors slid open automatically, allowing Mac to enter.

He looked at the control panel, and amongst dozens of floors, he pressed the button to the highest one.

“Please present required credentials…” an automated feminine voice stated. Mac looked at the panel, his eyes glowing strong for just a second.

“Bypass accepted…”

The elevator rumbled as it began to ascend. Mac looked down at the pistol, turning the safety off as the floor count went up.

“I know you’re coming for me…” Arthur’s voice sounded through the elevator’s speakers. “I’ll give you one chance to turn away and flee..”

“I cannot afford that,” Mac stated.

Soon, the elevator slowed down. Mac readied his pistol as the doors slid open, just in time for a few shots to go through. He rushed out of the elevator, looking at the two changelings that were standing before a large gate.

A bullet bounced off of the armor plate on Mac’s shoulder, and he retaliated by firing off a single shot that meant the demise of one of the changelings, as it pierced cleanly through his head. The other had no time to react before another shot met his chest, splattering the wall behind him with crimson.

Mac calmly walked past the two bodies, and onto the gate behind them. He looked down, noticing none of them had the purple eyes of Arthur. The android pressed a button on a panel next to the doors, prompting them to slowly slide open, revealing a large hall. Busts of different people lined the walls, but none that Mac could recognize. At the end of the hall, up a set of stairs, was a golden door. Mac continued to walk, illuminated by the light that entered the hall through the windows on the sides. He maintained a secure grip on the pistol as he approached the door.

He stood still before the door, looking at both his sides, then violently kicked the door, sending it careening into the room behind it. Mac quickly walked in, training the pistol. He found himself alone in said room, nothing but a few paintings, a bed, a desk, and a weapon rack.

He noticed something moving behind the desk. Mac aimed his pistol and slowly walked towards it, stepping quickly to aim behind the desk.

And there it was, a female changeling cowering behind the desk. “D-don’t shoot!”

“Who are you?” Mac asked. “Where is Arthur!?”

“I-I’m Colline!” she pleaded. “Arthur’s s-secretary!”

Mac looked into the changeling’s bright, purple eyes. He leaned down, grabbing her by the neck, releasing a rather manly groan as its physique changed into that of a male changeling instead.

“Arthur…” Mac whispered. “Why… Why did you take Celestia?”

The changeling looked deep into Mac’s eyes. “It was a contract,” he said. “Nothing personal.”

Mac tightened his grip around the changeling’s neck. “Who? Why?”

“No clue…” he groaned out. “All I know is... All of them… You, the humans…” He smiled. “You’ve no place in this world… You’re the scourge of this world! And we’re gonna set things right!”

“What do you mean?”

“Humans killed a lot of people… people dear to me.” He chuckled. “It’ll all be over soon…”

Mac watched as Arthur opened his mouth, revealing a strange, yellow pill between his teeth. He quickly bit into it, seizing up. In a matter of seconds, his mouth foamed up and his body fell limp. Mac let go of him, watching as he fell to the ground.

The android stood there in complete silence, unsure as to what to do. He looked down at Arthur’s body, then walked back over to the desk, sitting down in front of the terminal and placing the pistol next to it. Shortly after, he bypassed the security and began to look through it.

He could not find much, aside from personal messages related to Arthur’s close friends and contacts, but none of them had anything to do with the kidnapping of Celestia. He began to look through the messages close to the date of the kidnapping, until he found a conversation…

“Where’d you think they took her, boss?”

“Someplace in Zebrica, a factory or something. They didn’t tell me anything else… shady motherfuckers.”

Upon reading the message, Mac stood up, grabbing both the pistol and a set of keys off of the desk.

The gate slowly opened, allowing Mac to walk out. He found himself in a large hangar with several civilian vehicles parked all along it. The android pressed a button on the key set he held in his hands, prompting one of the hover cars to beep and light up. He walked over to it, its doors automatically opening for him. Once in, he adjusted the seat and inserted the keys into a port near the steering wheel.

“Welcome back, Arthur,” an automated voice said.

The engines roared to life, and soon, Mac flew out of the hangar, a destination already in mind…

Zebrica.