The Price of Freedom

As the very first tournament in Equestria took place, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity could only listen to the sound of steel striking steel, and the screams of the dying warriors echoing throughout the dungeons.

"Enough resting! Get up!" a ruthless guard shouted at the six ponies lifelessly sitting inside their cell. "Did I stutter? Move it!"

One by one, the poor, tired creatures obeyed his calling and slowly stood up and walked out of their cell. As the last of them exited, the guard immediately shut the prison door without even waiting for the pony at the very back to get all the way out.

"Aah!" Applejack yelped as her tail got slammed in between the bars.

"Oops!" The guard mockingly laughed. He opened the door again so the pony could get her tail out and closed it right afterwards. He paid no heed to the scowl she devoted to him and just urged them to keep moving.

"I still can't believe our people have fallen so low..." The guard began talking to himself. "To think that someone would actually fight for the right to spend the night with the likes of you!" He stomped his foot on the ground near Rainbow's hind leg, just barely brushing it against her hoof. "Why...I'm not even sure if the ones that die out there are the unlucky ones...Blasted shamans and their "survival of the race comes first" speeches!" The guard imitated one of the shamans and then spat on the ground.

"Hard to believe, but I think me and this guy actually feel the same way about these so called shamans," Rainbow Dash whispered to her friends.

"Perhaps this could be used to our advantage..." Twilight slyly replied.

"No talking!" the guard yelled.

"Why don't you come and make us, then?" Rainbow Dash provoked the guard.

"You got a death wish, Rainbow!?" Applejack quietly shouted.

"You think I won't do it!?" the infuriated man shouted. "Do you really think that-"

"Silence!" a voice came from the other side of the tunnel. "Mon, what have I told ya about talkin' to da prisoners?" the clan shaman interrogated the guard.

"But I...She...It wasn't-"

"Silence, mon!" the shaman shouted at the stupefied guard. "You've said plenty enough already, mon...Away with ya!" he dismissed the man.

"Grrr!" The guard roared through his gritted teeth and waved a tightly clenched fist at Rainbow Dash before furiously stomping off in the other direction.

"He he he," Rainbow Dash laughed and stuck out her tongue.

"Now then..." the shaman drew their attention. "I hope the lot of ya be ready to entertain...guests!" The shaman smiled wickedly as five of the clan's warriors appeared behind his back.

"Ladies and gents..." the shaman addressed the warriors while leaning on his staff. "For this night, I have cooked up something special for ya hungry wolves." He waved his arm over the six ponies. "Equestrian heroes...The strongest of their warriors for the strongest of ours."

The eyes of the ponies met those of the kholanari warriors. Fear met with disgust and hatred. Decades had passed since the tribe had seen females that looked even remotely human, and yet, their grudge still had not faded away, and the creatures that they had to spend the night with just kept seeming less and less appealing.

The shaman looked around and noticed that there was still a warrior missing. "Oi!...Where be da sixth?"

Just as he called out, a reply came in the form of heavy, steel-clad footsteps coming from the darker part of the corridor.

"Well, speak of the devil!" the shaman cheered as he spotted the last warrior walking towards him and still cleaning one of his swords from the blood. "If it ain't Hellbridge himself! Making the very earth under his feet tremble, not from his weight, but out of sheer fear of all the bodies he's delivered to it!"

"Hellbridge..." Twilight quietly whispered to herself as she took a few steps backwards. Hellbridge was a name that all six of the ponies recognized.

Among all five clans, Hellbridge was a name known and respected no less than Nor'Kholan himself. The shamans treated him with great respect, and those of his brother barbarians that weren't complete fools, would also either respect him, or just fear him. Those of the Kholanari that dared to envy him, would only end up enlarging the number of souls he's delivered to their god.

As swift as the wind, as untiring as the ever flowing rivers, strong enough to rip a manticore apart with his bare hands, and so bloodthirsty that he could make even Nor'Kholan's cup flow over with blood, Hellbridge was a warrior who earned his name through his unrivaled skill in combat. For indeed, he was unlike any other man, but more like a living gateway, ready to send anyone that would stand in his way straight back into the ground from whence they came.

"This can't be good for us..." Rarity whispered as Hellbridge came closer.

As the living legend approached, his brothers stepped aside to make way for him.

"As always, Hellbridge, the first pick goes to the best fighter of the day." The shaman praised him and introduced him to his trophies. "No doubt you be wantin' da princess herself." He grabbed Twilight by her hoof and dragged her closer to Hellbridge. "Princess of friendship, she calls herself." He grinned viciously. "Hellbridge will judge just how friendly you really are!" he said and laughed in Twilight's face. "As a princess, I bet ya know a few tricks that your fellow ponies don't."

Twilight seemed too scared to even breathe...Either that, or was it simply that the shaman's breath had left her paralyzed.

Convinced that she was the one Hellbridge fancied, the shaman pulled her hoof closer to the man's hand, but Hellbridge seemed to have other plans in mind. He made his mind clear with an angry snort.

"Not a man for princesses, eh?" The shaman pushed Twilight back into the pack of ponies. "I hear ya, mon! Maybe this one will be more to your liking!" He took a few steps forward and grabbed Rainbow Dash in the same way he did Twilight. "This be a feisty one! I even saw her pickin' a fight with the guard just a few moments back. I bet she'd offer ya a good fight too, if ya know what I mean!" The shaman laughed in a crazed voice, scaring or inspiring disgust in the ponies.

Hellbridge stared at Rainbow Dash for a short moment, but quickly switched his gaze away from her, clearly showing that he had little interest in her.

The shaman immediately released her hoof. "Take your time, Hellbridge." He stepped aside. "The will of the winner comes first."

Hellbridge slowly drove his piercing gaze across the six ponies, inspiring a different reaction in each one of them. Before long, he set his sights on one of them. It was the only one that was too afraid to even look back at him.

Even with her sights turned away and her mane covering one of her eyes, Fluttershy still immediately noticed the finger being pointed at her. The motion was so swift that it startled her, making her jump back and gasp loudly. All five of her friends gasped as well.

"Oooh, ho ho ho!" The shaman laughed in amusement. "Ah did not see that one comin'. Not from you, Hellbridge."

Without waiting for a word of approval, Hellbridge took a few steps towards his chosen companion for the night.

As he approached, Fluttershy started slowly stepping backwards, stumbling after a few steps and falling on her tush. She cowered in fear at the sight of the man in front of her. She dropped down and covered her eyes with her hooves.

"Da poor thing is too afraid to even stand up, Hellbridge. Surely she won't be able to please a mighty barbarian like yourself."

Ignoring the shaman's advice, the kholanari warrior knelt down on one knee in front of the creature that was now moaning in fear as she felt the man's presence getting closer to her.

"Wait!" A shout came from one of her friends. "Take me instead!" Rainbow Dash stepped in between Hellbridge and Fluttershy. "Please, don't take her! She won't last long with you! Just take me instead! I-I'll do anything you want! I swear! I won't close my eyes for a second for the entire night!" She desperately begged the man to reconsider.

"She's right!" Applejack stepped in. "A man like you, you'd leave her in pieces after the first night! Please, think carefully about this."

"Well, ain't that just precious!" The shaman seemed to be enjoying the sight. "Her own friends offer to give their flesh and blood in her stead...Now that's the kind of courage I could admire."

Twilight quickly reacted after seeing that Hellbridge wasn't convinced by either Applejack's or Rainbow's words.

"She's not for the likes of you, Hellbridge!" She dared to call him by his name, hoping to provoke him. "She has a kind and gentle heart! It's something your people could never understand!"

Despite her efforts, Hellbridge didn't even look in her direction.

"I must say, darling, I-"

Before Rarity could say another word, Hellbridge pushed all the other ponies aside and picked up Fluttershy in his arms. Even though he carried her away gently, she still cried in his arms as the fear of what's to come clawed at her from the inside.

"Looks like the man's mind is made up." The shaman intervened. "You best be saying your goodbyes to your friend. I doubt Hellbridge will leave more than a bloody stain from her once he's done."

As he carried her through the dark corridor, the five remaining ponies could only watch him fade away in the darkness and frown as their hearts cried for their beloved friend...Deep down, they all had a feeling that they would never see her again.

                                                                                                   ***

The barbarian encampments were rather large. This one in particular. The Sons of Nor'Kholan clan's settlement engulfed the entire town of Ponyville, and since their arenas didn't have any bedrooms built in them, due to the fact that their warriors didn't need sleep, the mating process would usually take place in the houses of the mates that the warriors chose.

Before long, Hellbridge had reached Fluttershy's cottage and was already reclining on a small chair that could barely hold his weight. His companion, however, was busy quivering at the other end of the room. The only two souls in the room spent some time staring at each other. Even with the helmet covering Hellbridge's face, his burning gaze still inspired fear in the poor creature across from him.

Hellbridge leaned forward, placing his hands on his haunches to balance himself. He spent a good while in this pose. He did not move an inch, he simply sat there and stared at Fluttershy, as if waiting for her to make the first move.

As unlikely as it might seem, Fluttershy actually would end up being the first one to leave her post. She took her time, however. The fact that Hellbridge simply sat there like a statue eventually helped her stop shaking in fear.

Is...Is he waiting?... she wondered. Is he expecting ME to come to HIM? Part of her just wanted to stay there for the rest of the night, hoping that the man in front of her had actually been frozen solid and would not make a move for the whole duration, but part of her also feared that his patience was about to snap, and that he was ready to launch himself at her at any moment and brutally slam her against the wall and have his way with her.

She decided that staying there wasn't a wise thing to do. After taking a deep, long breath, she mustered what little courage she had and started slowly walking towards the man that chose her as his companion.

As the distance between them grew shorter, she noticed his sights following her. So much for being frozen... she thought to herself.

When she arrived close enough to be grabbed by him, she looked upwards and met his eyes. They stared at each other for some time. Despite how afraid she was to even speak a word to the merciless barbarian, she felt like she had no choice.

"D-d-did you want me to come to you?" she asked in a barely audible voice.

No answer came from the man. The longer he stayed silent, the more courage Fluttershy could muster. She decided to take a bold step and stood up on her hind legs, placing her forelegs on the man's knees to bring her head closer to his.

"S-should I do it myself?" she suggested. "Maybe you're feeling tired? I-I could just finish everything for you, with my hooves, if you don't mind..."

There still wasn't any reaction from the man. Fluttershy suddenly felt like she had angered or offended him.

"I'm sorry! I-" She let out a soft cry as the man's hand started moving towards her.

She closed her eyes, turned her face away from him and prepared for the worst. As she felt his war-scarred hand place itself on her head, the first thought that occurred to her was that he was about to grab her hair with all his might and toss her at the nearest wall. To her surprise, the hand only slowly drove itself down her main, going around and placing itself around her chin afterwards, only to surprise her again. Instead of clenching his hand and crushing her jaw with a swift motion, the man only gently rubbed his hand against the bottom of her chin...It felt...pleasant.

For a moment there, Fluttershy actually gave in and started enjoying herself, but she soon gasped loudly and placed her forelegs back on the ground. She knew better than to believe the deceiving acts of a ruthless barbarian that earned his name by mercilessly slaughtering hundreds, if not thousands of his own kin through the course of time...No...He must be toying with her emotions, waiting for her to start enjoying herself and smile at him, just so that the sadist could watch her happiness turn to suffering in a split second...That must have been it. The man was not only a bloodthirsty killer, he was also a sadist. That was the only notion that made sense to her.

She did not have much time to figure out the man's plot to deceive her. Right as all four of her hooves reached the ground again, the man stood up and picked her up in his arms.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy cried out as she saw the man taking her to the bed.

This must be it... she convinced herself. This is the part where he does his thing...This is where the real pain begins.

Despite how gently the man placed her on her bed, and how softly his hand was now sliding down her mane, she couldn't help but keep her eyes closed and tremble in fear of the worst.

Don't give in...That's just what he wants. He only wants to see you smile before he... Still unconvinced by the man's sudden change of heart, she continued to convince herself that his motives were foul and selfish. Only after hearing the sound of something metallic being placed on the ground, did she dare to open her eyes. She peeked at the warrior with one eye.

When she saw him, it became clear that the metallic object that he had dropped was his helmet, but the man's face didn't look anything like what she could have imagined. Fluttershy opened both eyes and faced Hellbridge, just so she could make sure she wasn't imagining things.

In his face, she saw a smile...An authentic smile, a warm and sincere smile, the kind that could spread more smiles as it goes, in contrast to the wicked smile of a perverted sadist who'd love nothing more than to hear her scream in pain. Fluttershy could only widen her eyes and stare back at him with her mouth agape as she tried to make sense of the sight in front of her.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," he whispered to her without turning away. His voice was no colder than his smile.

After such an unexpected display, Fluttershy finally started believing that the man really meant no harm to her...The only question remaining was - why?

"I don't understand..." She shook her head. "I-"

"Shhh..." The man interrupted her by holding his index finger up between their faces. "Rest now, shy one. You have a long day ahead of you, tomorrow." Without saying another word, Hellbridge rose up, picked up his helmet and walked back to his chair.

Fluttershy was completely bewildered by the man's hospitality. Despite being tired, she still stared at him with her eyes wide open, unable to find the right question to ask. A thousand theories coursed through her mind, but none of them were enough to explain the current course of events...It just didn't make any sense...Any other kholanari would have probably ripped her in half by now, and yet, the same warrior would surely cower at the sight of the benevolent being sitting before her...

"Try not to think too much about it," he said while putting his helmet back on, which made his voice sound much more fearsome. "If destiny will allow us to repeat this event tomorrow, then that is when you shall have your answers." Even with the helmet altering his voice, he still sounded as sincere as ever. "But for now, sleep...sleep and regain your strengths...I shall watch over you during the night."

The more Hellbridge said, the more convinced Fluttershy became that his heart was pure. As if following an order, Fluttershy placed her head on her pillow, closed her eyes and tried her best not to think about everything that had just transpired.

                                                                                                   ***

No sun would rise on the next day, for those responsible for maintaining the balance in Equestria were now powerless to do anything about it. However, the kholanari cared not whether it was dark or bright. They did as they pleased.

By the time Rainbow Dash got escorted back to her cell block, Applejack was already ahead of her, snoring loudly while lying flat on her stomach. Her resting was immediately disrupted by the guard's response to seeing the second pony incoming.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" the guard laughed hysterically. "Revenge is a dish best served in bed!" He mocked the pony that was walking slowly while lifting her hind legs up higher than her head. It looked as though someone had shoved  an invisible broom up her rear end.

The warrior escorting Rainbow Dash snickered and gave a high five to the laughing guard. Without saying a word, he marched off into the darkness.

As soon as Rainbow Dash entered the cell block, she slumped to the ground near her friend and stared at her with a grimace that said more than a thousand words, and was immediately requited with the same kind of expression.

Without uttering a sound, both ponies closed their eyes and hoped that they wouldn't be interrupted for some time.

Before long, Two sets of footsteps were heard coming from the part of the corridor opposite of the arena entrance. Hoofsteps could be heard coming from behind them as well. The shapes of the two men soon became recognizable, but the same could not be said about the silhouette

walking behind them.

Only a few things were clear about the creature - It had two heads, its movement was slow and clumsy and it had a myriad of legs that it was clearly having trouble controlling, constantly stepping on its own feet. What was even more peculiar was that every time the creature lost balance and pushed itself against one of the walls, a voice saying "sorry" could be heard. The voice varied between two sets, depending on which side of the wall the creature collided with.

As the clumsy thing walked into the torchlight, it became clear that it was just Twilight  and Rarity leaning against one another.

As the guard held the gate open and waited for them to enter, him and the other two warriors quietly laughed while the two-headed pony made its way back into its cell. They moved inside and stopped near their friends. Their legs began to wobble vigorously before they finally collapsed.

"Sorry!" Both of them apologized simultaneously.

The two warriors kept on laughing as they walked off in the direction of the arena entrance.

Just mere seconds after their laughing left earshot, another set of footsteps came out of the shadows behind them. It was the fifth warrior. The only reason a set of hoofsteps wasn't following him was because he was holding Pinkie Pie by her tail. She was sound asleep and snoring loudly.

As the guard opened the cell block door, the man brutally tossed her inside. She flew all the way and hit her back against wall at the back of the cell.

If not for her loud snoring, her friends would have thought that she was in a coma.

"That one promised to be more fun than she really was!" the infuriated man shouted and walked away with very loud footsteps.

"Who would've thought that Pinkie would be the only one of us that didn't make someone smile," Rainbow Dash said with a tired smile on her face...The fact that the ponies could find a reason to smile in this grim situation was almost...uncanny.

Their smiles did not last long, however, as they soon remembered that there was still one pony missing from their group. They hung their heads in sorrow. They remained in their state of depression for some time, even after another set of footsteps entered their range of hearing.

When it comes to Hellbridge, even his steps can be recognized. He was, indeed, larger than most warriors, but it wasn't even his weight that left such an impact on the earth as he walked...it was...something else.

It was no surprise that a set of hoofsteps was accompanying him. Nor was it a surprise that they sounded like those of a perfectly healthy pony, neither slow, nor limping...No doubt, a replacement sent in Fluttershy's stead.

At this point, the ponies could only all assume that there wasn't much left of Fluttershy to even look at, other than, just like the shaman said - a bloody stain.

After even they could all only barely walk after spending a night with some of the less fearsome warriors, it would have been beyond miraculous if Fluttershy was even still walking, let alone, walking with unimpaired speed.

As Hellbridge passed by them, they raised their heads up to see if the newcomer was someone they recognized. To their utmost surprise, it was someone they knew all too well.

"Fluttershy?..." Twilight whispered with an incredulous expression.

She was all right! Perfectly fine, not to mention - smiling! Against all odds, she actually came back looking better than she did on the day she left.

As the guard opened the door for her, he couldn't help but constantly switch his sights between Hellbridge and the pony he just returned to her cell. Even he was unsure of how could she be left without so much as a scratch or sprained limb.

"Good morning, girls!" Fluttershy greeted her friends.

Even with her tired legs, Twilight immediately rose up to hug the pony she believed she would never see again. All of her friends joined in too...Well...Everyone apart from Pinkie Pie, who was still sound asleep in the corner of the room.

"How?" Twilight asked after disengaging from the hug.

"We thought Hellbridge would make mince meat out of you!" Rainbow Dash interjected. The rest of her friends glared at her with reproach.

"I believe what Rainbow Dash was trying to say is that we were all worried sick about you," Rarity translated.

As a response, Fluttershy leaned towards Twilight and quietly answered, "I think I've found him."