Chapters 1- The Beginning of the End
The scent of blood, sweat, and the aftermath of ponies having a few too many drinks hits my nostrils as the grinding of the elevator fills my ears. My snout wrinkles uncontrollably in disgust. I smell this at least once a week, three times if it's a good week, and yet I never get used to it, knowing I never will. There is a sudden loud clang as the elevator shudders to a stop. The cheering and screaming is no longer a slight hum nearly drowned out by the elevator, but a constant undulating sound that always gets my nerves up and my adrenaline rushing. As the doors of the elevator open, I trot out and adjust my dented and dull armor. It’s a muted gunmetal blue, marred with dents and scratches. It wraps around my chest, covering my entire ribcage and sides with jointed plates that join together seamlessly, but allow me to move without restriction. On the back and front, more jointed plates extend to cover my flanks and upper forelegs in the front and to the sides, and even more plates travel down my back to protect my spine. Nothing adorns my head other than my horn, for there are no helmets allowed.
The bright light of the arena blinds me momentarily as I step out onto the blood-stained sands, taking a moment to sweep my mane out of my eyes. I survey the circular arena, taking great care to avoid eye contact with the spectators as much as possible, so as not to give them a reason to follow me and beat me on the street. We’re underground, yet artificial lighting floods the stands and the sand my lavender hooves rest on.
The place isn’t super large--only about 100 meters across, with around 10 rows of stands that are packed full. All those ponies watching me, cheering me on to kill somepony makes me feel small, but I push through it knowing it's not as bad as it seems.
The door on the opposite side of the arena grinds opens and my opponent staggers out. He is a pegasus with a light green coat and a messy dark gray mane. His coat and mane are covered in stains from blood, vomit, and sweat. The stallion’s wings are scarred and grimy, feathers falling out as he simply extends them to keep balance. It doesn't work though and he stumbles when his hooves hit the uneven sand, tumbling down ungracefully and eliciting a roar of laughter from the crowd. I easily see he is one of the unfortunate souls they found on the streets and ponynapped, kept in a tiny cage barely larger than himself with no food and only the smallest amount of water, until it's time for him to fight. He is weak, dehydrated, and starving, and I’m going to have to kill him.
There’s nothing I can do; if I don’t kill him, or if I show mercy in any way, I will, at best, be stalked on my way home and beaten savagely for showing weakness, and at worst, be killed before I can escape this place. I just hope I can make it quick and painless for him. But I've been doing this for almost two years now and I know that they always fight back, because if they win they get released, as well as a large sum of bits.
I don’t want to kill him, but I don’t have much of a choice. I come here to keep my family from toppling into poverty. For each fight I get 250 bits; for a really good fight I can get up to 500. I’m not just in this for the money, though.
My parents are too old to have any sort of job, and when my brother was taken to guard Equestria’s ruler, nopony was left to support my parents and I. It is common knowledge that whoever falls deep into poverty and doesn’t end up starving on the streets, get nabbed by Gladmane, either to be an expendable cog in the factories or as a test subject in one of his many ‘helpful’ projects. So I took it upon myself to keep either of those scenarios from happening to those that I love.
The screaming from the crowd snaps me out of my reverie and draws my attention back to the fight I’ve been gearing up for all night. The announcement system crackles on, and a voice blasts through the underground stadium, making my ears ring.
“Mares and gentlecolts, I am pleased to welcome you to our nightly Underground Illegal!” The name had come from back when Equestria was in order, the Princesses of the Sun and Moon still ruled, and Princess Celestia still had her horn and wings: back then, fighting rings were illegal and often located underground to avoid being discovered. The voice continued, “Tonight I would like you all to welcome our two fighters. On the left we have Whirlwind! He’s a pegasus from… well who knows, and frankly, who cares!” The crowd roars in laughter at that, some even falling over in their drunk state. The voice keeps talking, not bothering to stop for the crowd. “And in the right corner, we have our well-known long-running champion, our unicorn of immense power and might, The Mighty, The Merciless, The Magical--” I prepare for the roar that always comes after my name in the Underground Illegal “--Twilight Sparkle!”
Author's Note
Enjoy!
Thunder ensues. There’s really no other way to describe the way the cavern vibrates and the stands shake. The sand under me is literally bouncing from the ridiculous amount of noise coming from the stomping. Whirlwind, still directly across from me, is nearly thrown off his hooves from the roar of the crowd as they cheer for me. It happens nearly every time I fight, but the realization that they are cheering for me to kill is no less jarring than the first time.
Eventually the rumble dies down enough that the stands stop shaking and the announcer can continue. “Just like always, the winner will walk away with enough to keep them fed for a month, and the loser… ends up dead!” The clamor at the last three words is indescribable. Some yell for the blood bath to begin, others realize what they’ve walked into but fear too much for their own lives to leave, and others stay completely silent, waiting and wanting the death but unwilling to voice it in the hope that if they don’t speak, they may hold on to their sanity. “Betting is encouraged here, folks; don’t be shy to bet against the house, but be prepared to pay up.” The announcer continues. What he leaves unsaid is more than enough to make sure only those who can avoid debt and Gladmane bet. “Now without further ado, let the fight commence! Challengers, are you ready?” I tense up. “On my mark... FIGHT!”
I lower my head, making sure to keep my eyes on my opponent at all times, charging my horn. Any power held by the different races is allowed to be used with one restriction for unicorns: no killing or maiming spells, and only basic combat magic.
Whirlwind charges towards me. He flaps his wings in anticipation for a leap. I begin to run too. Straight at him. He falters for a moment in surprise but continues on, charged by adrenaline. My spell isn’t done charging yet, so as he leaps, I prepare to leap too, but fake out and slide underneath him, the sand grinding against my armor. He barely touches down and is immediately leaping into the air circling around to confront me. With all my magic focused in my horn, I aim at his gliding form and fire. Each shot is a perfectly measured blast that only uses a fraction of my magic. Every blast is meant to stun.
I’ve had a lot of practice, so each shot is well-aimed and all the same strength, but the first time I used this tactic, everything was sloppy, and my first blast used up most of my reserves. Whirlwind dodges every round quickly, using the agility and speed of the pegasi. I race back across the sand, following the airborne stallion, blasting off shot after shot.
One finally hits the edge of his wing and knocks the pegasus off course and out of the air. He slams into the sand with a loud crunch as his wing is trapped between him and the ground. I skid to a stop, preparing a larger spell of solid electric power. Unfortunately he is on his hooves before I can release the spell. I backpedal quickly as he races towards me, now grounded with a broken or sprained wing. He still has far greater agility than I and manages to avoid every blast sent his way!
Suddenly a blinding slash of pain glances through my head, and I stumble, all remnants of concentrated magic receding before I can grasp them again. I gasp, unknowingly timing it perfectly with the gasp of the crowd as my opponent does a quick 180, rushing back towards me to take advantage of my lapse in concentration.
I am knocked to the ground as Whirlwind lands on top of me! The awful pain returns as my jaw slams into the sand. Dazed, I attempt to regain some control over my limbs and manage to throw the light pegasus off of me and stumble away. He’s back on his hooves before I can turn around and is coming at me with speed an earth pony would be proud of. I rear back quickly, fully aware that I nearly lost and no longer willing to use magic in case the pain returns.
He swings a hoof at my face. I block with my left hoof while bringing up my right in an uppercut. We are both balancing on our back hooves now and my well-placed punch knocks him off his hooves. I leap forward at the pony sprawled on his back. I land on him hard. My back hooves dig into his stomach and my front hooves are driven into his chest It knocks the wind out of him and cracks of few of his ribs. I jump off and spin, preparing for the last blow. As I complete my turn, I see him getting up and coughing out blood. I pull my front hoof back in a wind up for the last blow, but he sees me coming and attempts to dodge my hoof. While he gets his head out of the way, my hoof still hits his muzzle directly! I hear bones snap as blood spurts in rivulets out of his broken nose. The red stains his coat even more. Whirlwind spins wildly, flinging out a wing that hits me in the chest and throws me across the arena! I crash against the sand, beginning to gulp down air as soon as I stop skidding, trying desperately to fill my lungs as the distraught pegasus careens towards me.
I twist out of the way as he leaps and his hooves thud into the sand where my face just was! The crowd screams their delight. I push myself off the ground quickly and race towards my opponent. As we near each other, I see him preparing for a slide while pretending to get ready for a leap. I leap as he expects but instead of flying straight, I twist midair. Whirlwind is right under me as my hooves straighten out. Time slows as I look down and see the poor stallion’s face turn just enough to look me in the eyes. In his wide desperate eyes, I see pure panic, pupils contracting as he realizes this is his end. I lean forward as time resumes and slam into the back of his neck, right where the head meets the neck. I hear the sickening crunch as all the ponies in the room stare silently, trying to comprehend what just happened.
I tumble forward ungracefully, falling over the broken, bloody body of my dead opponent. I stagger upright and fold my ear back as the crowd screams and cheers and stomps for my victory. I feel like I’m going to be sick. Nothing unusual, but I hold it back, unwilling to show weakness to these cowards.
“Well, my guests, there you have it, our mighty champion!” The crowd unleashes a deafening scream as a door in the side of the arena grinds open. I walk out, making sure to keep my pace steady. Only once I’m in the tunnel and the door has shut behind me do I let go.
I break down in the hallway. I tremble and gasp. I set my haunches on the cold floor and have the silent freakout that by now is so normal I know exactly how to calm down. I take deep steady breaths and remind myself that if I hadn’t started doing this, my parents would not be alive, and I wouldn’t have the small chance to be alive and free that I’ve earned for myself. It works like always: my racing heartbeat slows to normal, and my hooves stop shaking.
I force myself up, wary not to make the ‘banker’ wait too long. I walk down the hallway, the chatter of the crowd a mere murmur now. My hooves clatter loudly against the floor, reminding me how alone I am in this world.
I enter the ‘bank’ and make my way to the counter. It’s a small room with a large safe in the back and a counter in front of the safe. I put my hooves on the counter. An overweight pony with a black and red mane and dirty white coat walks out of a room behind the counter.
“Ah, Miss Twilight. You won again. The Announcer contacted me and said it was quite lively up there.” Announcers always keep their name secret; it makes them seem more ominous that way. “He said tonight was good enough for 500, but pull another magic-less win again and you’ll never be welcome in the arena again.” The pony’s oily voice slides down my spine, making me shiver. I understand, magic makes fights more fun, meaning more can be charged at the door if a unicorn is scheduled, especially if that unicorn is an undefeated champion like me. Also once a unicorn has ‘burned out’ they’re no longer the draw they used to be, making them nothing more than a weak earth pony or a wingless pegasus. Being undefeated for over two years is almost unheard of; the only other pony to match my record that I’m aware of is a pegasus who fights in a different ring than I.
Talk of magic brings my thoughts back to the lightning-fast headaches from earlier. I contemplate what they could mean while the ‘banker’ retrieves my payment. Maybe I had too much magic concentrated at once, but that has never happened before… or maybe I have a miniscule crack in my horn that I don’t know about.
The jangle of bits hitting the counter brings me back to here and now. I give a curt nod to the dirty white pony and grab the bag. I turn and trot out, hooves clacking against worn concrete. I turn a corner and make my way onto the open streets.
Author's Note
This is my first fight scene I have ever put into words, planned it for a while. Hope it turned out well!
Author's Note
This chapter has been re-written a bit.
3- Life
If somepony were to call the path I take out of the arena an open street, they’d be wrong. There are tiny balconies jutting over the three-pony-wide path, easily blocking most of the sky from view. Nowhere in the slums of Canterlot is there a place where a motor vehicle can drive on the walkways. Doors open directly onto the street, and thick barred gates stand in front of most doors. Garbage and waste line the edges of the streets in the gutters; I have to walk in the very center of the street to avoid coating my hooves in grime. Beggars huddle in the slightly deeper doorways attempting to hide from the elements and the pony predators prowling the streets.
Most of us completely ignore each other, trying to simply survive in this dump, but there are others who take advantage of the weak ones. They often gang up, hunting down ponies with money or just beating up the weak ones for pleasure. I usually hide the bits I get from fights with magic, but with my horn acting the way it is, I decide to risk being attacked, opting to carry the bag in my mouth, hoping that if a group finds me, they’ll recognize me as the reigning champion of the local Underground Illegal and back off.
As I walk home, my hooves tapping out a swift but measured rhythm on the dirty pavement, movement in the corner of my eye draws my attention.
An earth pony the color of the yellowed pages contained within an old book, and a mane that used to be a vibrant red, now stained by vomit is wobbling towards me, green eyes dull and unfocused. I recognize him as Fabler, one of Dad’s old friends, now a lost alcoholic stuck on the streets.
“Commme here youngun’ I gotta storeee I needa’ tell ya.” Words slurred from too much drinking, Fabler doesn’t realize it’s me standing in front of him. Glazed over eyes stare through me as the drunkard continues. “I wanna tell ya my storeee.”
He wraps a hoof over my shoulder and pulls me towards the edge of the street. I’ve been through this before with Fabler- he has an obsession of telling others stories, but most of all, his own. It only ever happens when he’s drunk, which is most of the time now. I know better than to try and escape. I would rather sit through this once a week than deal with a drunk temper-tantrum.
“Now little one, dooo ya know what life was like before today?” Playing along I shake my head. “Well, it used to beee so good.” A far-away look takes over his face and a small smile peeks out, lured by happy memories. “We had all the bits we needed. Nopony was poor. Celestia raised and lowered the sun every day and Luna followed suit with the moon. But then one day, when I was a young colt, a very bad pony stole our dear princesses. He strapped the Princess of the Sun to a table and removed her wings and horn, all while making the Lunar Princess watch!” Fabler’s special talent is telling and spinning stories. His drunken state is pushed away by his need to tell a story, soon to return after his storytelling is over.
“Do you know what he did next my little pony?” Seemingly lost in recollection Fabler continued without giving me time to answer. “The bad pony took her wings and horn and he had them attached to himself! It is rumored that he had a rogue group of scientists and technicians with him, but in truth, nopony knows the exact details.”
“Using his newly found power he banished Luna. Whispers say he wasn’t strong enough to send her to the moon again, some claim she is still on Equus. Celestia was murdered and her body floats in a river somewhere.” Pretending to be enwrapped by Fabler’s story, I follow along in my head, knowing it by heart already.
“Then this bad pony sat upon Equestria’s throne and called himself our ruler!” Fabler’s voice is now a guttural growl. “He claimed he was making our lives better. Instead all he did was shut down jobs and replace everypony with a robot. Robots that could work all day, everyday. And for the jobs that still need a free-thinking hoof, he takes whomever he wishes, sweeping the homeless off the streets, giving them dangerous jobs, and called it mercy He called what he had done renewing Equestria, and he calls us collateral damage.” A fire burns in Fabler’s eyes and a scowl marrs his face.
Easing out of the earth pony’s distracted grasp, I watch him for a moment, waiting for him to scream at me that his story isn’t over. The yelling never comes and I quietly trot away from the hopeless, daydreaming, drunk.
Rounding a bend up ahead I quiet my hoofsteps. I carefully glance around to ensure nopony is watching or following me. If anypony figured out where an Underground Illegal champion lives, said champion’s house would be blown to smithereens for the sake of eliminating competition. I duck inside a doorway that hides a ladder going down behind a few bends. I scamper down the ladder, slowing just slightly to keep my bits from jingling. When I hit the ground, bending my knees to soften the thump, I swiftly bring my pace to a gallop. I then follow a path that my hooves know from memory. When I first discovered the maze of tunnels underneath my house and the neighboring houses, I hastily memorized it so I could take a different route every time I came down, to throw any would-be stalker off my tail. I follow path number 13 and soon come upon another ladder leading up that blends into the stone to the point that nopony notices it unless they know about it.
I scale the ladder and find myself on a familiar rooftop. I glance around again and leap to the neighboring roof, sliding down that and leaping at the very edge, finally arriving at home. The skinny houses are bunched together, making this an easily traveled course that I take every time I leave and return. Finding the trap door in the roof, I flip it open and descend.
Warm light and the smell of vegetable soup greets me. I turn in the middle of making my way to the floor and push on a small, invisible panel in the wall. It pops open with a soft click, revealing a small alcove with a few small bags of bits in it. I add my recent earnings to the safe and swing the door shut, concealing my bits from everypony--including my parents.
After turning back in the direction of my parent’s quiet voices, I continue down the stairs. I pick up my pace minimally, eager to see those I love. At long last, I enter the warm embrace of the light, the smell of food, and the love of my parents.
Entering our small kitchen, I spot Mom first, standing at the stove and magically stirring a pot of vegetable stew. Turning to my left, I see Dad at the table reading a book. I softly walk over to my mom and give her a quick hug.
“Hey,” I say, “smells good! I can’t wait.” As if to emphasize my point, my stomach growls loudly. Mom gives a soft chuckle and turns to hug me back. After breaking out of my mother’s embrace, I turn to my dad and wrap my forelegs around him. “Hi Dad, I saw Fabler on my way home. He looked pretty good for a stallion of his age on the streets.” I leave out Fabler’s drunken, dazed state.
My Dad turns to me. “I’m glad he hasn’t fallen prey to any of those dang gangs yet.” Then he snorts. “You do realize, Twi, that Fabler and I are the same age, don’t you? Are you saying I don’t look good for my age?” I break out in a smile, noticing the corners of his mouth twitching upwards too.
“Oh yeah, Dad. I most certainly do realize that.” Seeing my expression fall into a familiar smirk, Dad laughs and ruffles my forelock. He opens his mouth to respond, but Mom interrupts him.
“Sweetie, why don’t you go get cleaned up? Dinner’s almost ready.” I glance down, realizing I’m still wearing all my armor and am covered from horn to hoof in sand and a few drops of blood. I give a quick nod to Mom, who is watching me with a strained smile. She and Dad both have an idea of what I do to keep us alive, but while Dad doesn’t let it bother him, Mom struggles to come to terms with it.
I walk over to the only bathroom in the house. It’s cramped, but it functions, and that’s all that matters. I start the tub running with hot water and begin to strip down my armor. Pulling off the chest plate reveals a large bruise forming where Whirlwind hit me with his wing. It’s bad enough to show through fur, and I know it’s going to hurt in the morning.
With the bath full and my armor off, I slide in, groaning softly as the heat washes over my sore limbs. Washing sand off, I discover a small gash on the side of my upper right foreleg. I don’t have any idea as to when I got it, but it probably came from something sharp in the sand.
Ten minutes later, fully clean and dry with my armor clear of blood and grime, I head back to the kitchen. Mom is setting three bowls of stew on the table as I reenter and I sit in my usual seat. I grab a spoon with my magic, wait for Mom to sit, and start shoveling stew into my mouth. Left ravenous from the combat earlier, I clean my bowl in less than a minute. Heading over to the stove, I refill it, leaving enough for my parents.
A blinding flash and a loud whoosh makes my parents and I jump, all three of us sending stew everywhere. I spin around, catching my parents tense in the corner of my eye. I search the room for anything that might cause us danger. My eyes land on the fireplace as I see the last tongues of green flame twist off a letter now lying nestled in between two logs.
I relax, and my parents do too when they see I’m no longer tense. I trot forward, cursing Underground Illegal’s way of getting notices to fighters. Pulling the letter out of the fireplace via magic, I wonder what could be so important for a letter to be sent. Usually very little contact is made with anypony outside of the arenas.
Flipping the envelope over, I’m surprised to see my name written in dark purple swirly hoofwriting. I start to get nervous. Never has a letter ever been specifically addressed to any fighter; letters are always sent out en masse , never personalized. My breathing gets short and quick. I pull the sealed flap open, magenta magic carefully slicing the bond between paper and glue. My hooves quiver slightly, sending small shakes up my legs.
“Twilight, honey, are you ok? You’re shaking.” Mom’s hoof hits the floor as she gets up and takes a step towards me.
“I’m alright, Mom, j-just got a letter, and I’m not really sure what it is. And well, you know… these days it’s just better to be careful. Hehe.” I’m surprised at how little my voice shakes considering how terrified I feel, but Mom catches the small quiver in my voice and quickly comes over to put a hoof over my shoulders.
She doesn’t say anything, just lets the comfort of her hoof on my withers calm me down. My slight shaking stops, and I turn my attention back to the letter. The sight of the curling purple writing on the front of the paper almost makes me stop, but curiosity gets the better of me, and I flip open the flap, sliding out the paper inside.
It’s folded in thirds; straight creases unfold themselves as I open the letter. More curly purple writing covers the first half of the paper. The letter- more of a note- is really short, containing only a few sentences. I begin to read.
Dear Twilight,
You are quite the well-known fighter, taking down every opponent you go up against in the ring. I know flattery will get me nowhere, but I was still hoping it’d help. I’d like you to come down to the arena tomorrow to meet a very special guest that will be there. I know you want to know who that will be, but it would be better to save that as a surprise. Let’s just say that this may make you the most popular UI fighter around. Not to mention more bits.
Sincerely,
Announcer of ‘Ring Dragon Fire’
P.S.- Tell Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Light that their cooking is positively splendid, absolutely killer taste.
I drop to my haunches, Mom’s hoof sliding off my back. The shaking returns, and my breathing quickens again. Mom backs up a look of concern crossing her face, and Dad joins her watching me carefully.
“I... I gotta go.” I manage to make the words fall out of my mouth, fear enveloping me. I turn and quickly head up the stairs, bypassing my room and continuing on to the roof. My thoughts turn so fast I feel queasy.
They know who my parents are! That means they have to know where I live, how I get home, they know everything! I wasn’t careful enough! I SHOULD’VE BEEN MORE CAREFUL!
That’s when I pause. No! I shouldn’t beat myself up over this, it’s not my fault, they’re everywhere. I manage to at least stop pacing and get my thoughts under control. First things first, do I go to the arena tomorrow, or evacuate my home? I have to go, I can’t try and run. They’ll find me. They’ll find my parents, and then they’ll make me watch as they kill them slowly, and once they finish that, I’ll be tortured to death. I can’t run.
I still have the letter in my magical grasp, so I take another look at it, skipping over the beginning. Tomorrow, I have to go tomorrow . I have less than twelve hours to prepare. Special guest, no idea who that could be. Anypony with enough money or fighting skill is special to any announcer’s eyes.
The sincerely catches my eye as I skim the letter again. The announcer themselves sent the letter. Never have I seen a letter written by an announcer; it’s always written by his/her secretary. ‘Ring Dragon Fire’ comes as no surprise. Usually letters end with “Sincerely, Ring Dragon Fire.” At least for me they do. The ring I always fight at is known as Dragon Fire because that’s how they send notices and letters.
The announcer sent the letter. That means I’m at least important enough to warrant attention from somepony with some power. I glow a little with pride, even though I’m still totally and completely freaked out and dreading tomorrow.
Now that I have my thoughts organized and I know what I’m going to do, I relax. Even if it’s just for a little bit, I feel better knowing I have everything under control, sort of…
Well, now all I have to do is wait for tomorrow. Deciding the best course of action would be to reassure my parents that I’m okay and then check over my armor, I head back to the main level.
Walking back in, I hear a mumbling conversation stop as my hooves hit the stone floor of the kitchen. “Um, hey, Mom, Dad. I’m headed to bed now. Um, I’m okay, just the letter wasn’t what I was expecting.” My parents watch me carefully, and I watch them back, gauging their reaction. “I have to go somewhere tomorrow, and I probably won’t be home until late, so…” I trail off, seeing Mom’s frown deepen. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, just some business.” Leaving it at that, I give both of them a hug and turn to the stairs.
Mounting the first step, I turn when I hear Dad’s voice, “Be careful, alright, honey? I’m going to make hayburgers tomorrow night, your favorite, so you’d better be home by dinner.” The desperation I see in both of their eyes makes me want to take them both and run, but I know I can’t. I understand their concern: they don’t want to lose their filly like they lost their colt.
I just nod and turn back to the stairs. Taking them two at a time to make it look like I’m fine. Halfway up I remember my armor drying in the bathroom, I elect to just grab it with magic instead of going back downstairs. It soon floats up the stairs behind me, and I continue to my room.
Entering, I glance around the space barely large enough for a small bed and myself. Setting my armor on the floor, I leap on my bed and lay down. As much as I want to sleep right now, I have to repair my armor, checking for weaknesses that could get me killed tomorrow.
Pulling the set of light metal up to my face, I look it over carefully. The back and side plates are fine, only a few scratches added to the current collection. The leg braces tell a similar story, with a slightly deeper scratch that matches the gash on my front leg. The chest plate, though, is a different matter altogether. A huge dent sweeps across the front of the piece, exactly where Whirlwind hit me with his wing and right where the bruise on my chest is.
I need to remove the dent so the metal doesn’t press into my chest and restrict movement or limit protection. A strong burst of magic will easily fix it, and I’ve had plenty of experience. Charging my horn, I situate the armor in front of me so I can easily see what I’m doing. Focusing on the dent, I release my magic. Pain courses through my head, but it’s not so much that I can’t handle it. The dent pops out as the metal returns to its normal shape.
I set my armor down and dive under the covers of my bed, eager for a little rest. I extinguish the lamp that lights my room in a soft glow and hope against hope that tomorrow will turn out okay, especially since my head still throbs from the headaches earlier. I pull my hoof up and prod my horn. A spike of pain makes me jerk away. Sleep comes slowly.
Author's Note
This chapter has now been edited.
Morning arrives, and exhaustion accompanies it. Concern, excitement, and all-consuming fear kept sleep from me until the last few hours of the night. Cracking my eyes open, I groan as my clock hanging on the wall comes into view. 5:30, joy. Woke up right on time. I’ve always had a knack for waking up right when I need to, no matter how tired I am. I crawl out of bed and end up tumbling to the floor; I didn’t bother to put my legs beneath me. Coffee. I need coffee.
Standing up, the grogginess vanishes like fog when the sun rises. What I’m going to today, even though I have no idea what it’s going to be, is going to be bad. A quick glance at the personalized letter from the announcer confirms it.
Walking down the stairs to the single bathroom of the house, I ignite my horn, turn on the coffee maker and enter the bathroom. I splash water on my face in an attempt to clear my thoughts and calm myself for my impending doom. It fails. Miserably. Water drips down my muzzle as I look at myself in the mirror.
A scar reaches across my muzzle from my first fight when my opponent slashed me across the snout with a knife spell. My deep purple eyes gaze back at me, wide and unprepared for the day.
I cast my eyes down, unable to think it might be the last time I see them. The strong scent of coffee hits my nose, and I head back to the kitchen. I fill a cup and take a sip, almost immediately regretting it. With my stomach turning from fear, adding a hot liquid just made it worse.
Pushing my mouth closed, I wait for the queasiness to pass. Once my stomach is calm, I take another, smaller sip, knowing I need this and continue to push through the nerves induced nausea.
I throw some bread in the toaster and pull a jar of peanut butter out of the cupboard, deciding on a lighter breakfast. The toaster pops, and I spread the peanut butter and shove the bread down my throat.
Trotting quickly but soundlessly up the stairs, I enter my room and grab my armor, my magenta aura pulling it towards me. I slide the chest plate on and hook it to the back and side pieces. Armored and protected, I prepare to leave, twisting as I exit my room to grab the letter. I figure it might help somewhere or be needed as a pass.
Anxiety at being late speeds me along my path. I opt to carry the letter in my mouth so as not to attract any unwanted attention from the glow of my horn in the dark hours of the morning. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, I refuse to think about what might be coming. Scaling the ladder into the tunnels, I prepare to be polite and compliant. Taking route seven, I try not to think about how I could have avoided this and not put my parents in danger.
I enter the open street and head towards the arena entrance. Arriving at the giant door that blocks passage to all but fighters and paying spectators, I am surprised to find it already open and a guard standing in front of it watching me approach. Slowing down as I near the door, I grab the letter with my magic and start to show it to him, but he just waves me through.
The door grinds shut behind me as I enter the hallways and am yet again surprised to find another guard waiting for me. He beckons to me and I follow him, taking the time to examine him thoroughly to determine the best way to bring him down quickly and quietly if I need to escape.
He is a light gray pegasus with a startlingly orange mane and tail that are short and ragged. His armor is thick and a dark platinum, fading slightly as it gets closer to his hooves. A short sword hangs in a scabbard looped across his chest, leaving the handle within easy reach of his mouth but not hindering wing movement. A permanent scowl arcs across his muzzle.
Calculations begin. Best way to quickly take him down would be to go for the wings. Pegasi are sensitive on their wings, break one and their minds are clouded with pain. Once he’s incapacitated, knock him to the ground if he isn’t already there and brace my hooves against his head. A quick twist, and his neck will be snapped, leaving me free to escape.
Fortunately it doesn’t come down to that, and soon we arrive at an ornate oak door. My escort knocks firmly twice. The door swings open a moment later, and my vision is filled with a ridiculously handsome stallion.
A copper mane sweeps across his forehead, ending just above his brilliant green eyes. A short tail ends in a nicely groomed point. The tips of his ears, muzzle, and hooves are all a deep ocean blue that fades to a sky blue for the rest of his fur. A perfectly tailored jacket hides his cutiemark, and a charming grin graces his face. I notice he has neither wings nor a horn as he steps aside and waves me into the richly-fashioned room beyond.
“Hello, my dear! I’m glad you could join us today.” The grin on his face stretches. “You made the right choice coming. Just do as I say, and your mom and dad will be just fine.”
I grind my teeth. This stallion threatens me, and yet the way he says it makes it seem like a kind comment.
“I would prefer if you would keep my family out of this, but I can see that it’s already too late for that,” I snipe back managing to keep my voice calm and smooth.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by the fighting spirit you have, considering the way you’ve single-hoofedly become a reigning champion here, but I am still amazed at how you haven’t succumbed to nerves yet.” He flashes me another charming grin and continues on. “You’re going to need that fighting spirit today, considering what I have planned for you.”
I just keep watching him as he circles me, but I blanch inside. I was hoping it would simply be a meeting to ‘congratulate’ me on my abilities, something simple and quick that wouldn’t have me fighting. My hopes have been dashed, and now I fear for my life even more than before.
“Sit down, please.” It’s not a request. “I’m hoping I can correctly assume that you are wondering what exactly you are doing here.” He studies me as I nod. “Alrighty then, I’m not gonna tell you the exact details, but here is the general information that won’t ruin the surprise.” The formalities drop and he levels me with a hard stare. “You will fight in my arena today, and you will fight somepony who, while not exactly willingly--” he chuckles “--has come to compete against you. Refuse, and watch everything you know and love burn to the ground; win… and I’ll set you free.”
He pauses his monologue and waits for me to say something. I decide to give him the satisfaction and sate my confusion by asking, “What exactly do you mean, free ?”
The blue stallion in front of me grins like a predator cornering its prey. “You see my dear, you’re not truly free. I am with you wherever you go. I always have somepony following you. You can never get away from me, and you never will unless you win this fight. Backing out won’t save you. I have every fighter worth their stuff followed. Even the champion you will be going up against has been under my surveillance for ages.” He looks at me, waiting for a reaction. I don’t give him one.
The stallion walks over to a golden decoration standing on the table between us. “There is one hour until the the fight is scheduled to take place. You will be prepared by one of my stylists. Cooperate with her. Everypony who is anypony is coming today-” he swings his head around to meet my gaze “-do not disappoint.”
The guard steps forward, pointing his sword threateningly. I follow another, and they lead me out of the room and down a hallway. We circle around, turning left, then right, then right again. The tactic succeeds in thoroughly confusing me, ensuring I cannot find my own way out.
They bring me to a room with a light yellow unicorn in it. The guards force me to take off my armor and sit in a chair. Once I’m seated, the unicorn comes over. She starts my ‘preparation’ by trimming the ends of my mane and tail so they're uneven and ragged. She then takes deep blue paint and proceeds to style designs onto my fur. The paint is itchy, and my mane makes me look like a ragged adventurer. I hate this mare. I was always sure to keep my mane and tail cleanly cut in a straight line; I hoped it would help me hold onto some of my moral and sanity, not looking like the killer I am. She destroys that feeling with styling scissors.
She finishes her painting and has me slide back into my armor. On my way out the door, I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror she has hanging on the wall. The blue paint curls down my horn while staying out of the leylines that help me channel my magic. It meets up with the stripes on the sides and front of my ears on my cheeks. From there it curls across my muzzle, highlighting the scar. The lines then travel down my neck in smooth curls, disappearing beneath my armor. Blue lines curve down my legs in arcs and swirls, making it appear as though vines made of water are crawling up my legs. All in all, I look really cool. My armor makes it even better by matching with the blue paint.
But I hate it. It reminds me of what I am about to do, what I have done, and what will happen if I don’t go through with this.
I am escorted down a hallway into the oh-so-familiar arena entrance, but unlike every other time I’ve been down here, I can hear the crowd. And it’s not just a low rumble in the background, no, the walls and ground vibrate, dust showering off the ceiling. I can hear the voice of the handsome stallion from the room, the announcer, roaring through the metal door separating me from the bloody sands of the fighting grounds. Said door rattles as the crowd thunders in response to what he declared.
I steel myself for the coming battle as the door grinds and begins to rise. I step forward, my hoofsteps buried under the sound of the crowd. Their volume rises as they notice the doors opening. The clamor dies away as they and I notice that there is nopony stepping through the other door. Then I realize their heads are swiveling from me to the other side of the sands. It hits me when I see two unicorn mares on either side of the arena: two by my door, two by the other. All four horns are glowing, enveloped in magical auras. They’re casting spells to hide the competitors and hold the audience and fighters in suspense.
“Mares and Gentlecolts, this is the time you have been holding in anticipation for ages. You have been patiently sitting here waiting for the fight of a lifetime, and yet nopony came out of those doors.” The crowd just mutters among itself, trying to figure out what is going on. “Well my friends, I felt tonight needed a little extra show, considering how long you’ve all been waiting.”
The rafters shake from the ensuing roar as the crowd realizes what he means. “Tonight, we have two champions here. Both are highly talented and skilled fighters. One is a unicorn, blessed with intense powers and an expert in magical combat. Our other combatant is a pegasus. She has great skill and speed in flight and a devastating lightning abilities.”
“Please welcome our champions, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash!” Blue flames envelop me, and I yelp before realizing they are purely for show and aren’t causing any harm. I’m momentarily blinded, but the flames are soon gone, and I see a pony on the other side of the arena.
The last remnants of golden flames are evaporating off of her to reveal a cyan coat and a rainbow mane. Blood red, flame orange, and golden yellow streak through her forelock while emerald green, dark blue, and deep purple flow through the rest of her mane. All six colors join together in her tail. A cloud with lighting coming out of it is emblazoned on her flank, her cutie mark. Magenta eyes glare at me from across the sand. A smirk etches its way across her face.
Similar to me, golden lines are painted on her coat, but while mine are smooth curls, her lines are jagged and sharp. The paint cuts up her legs in rough lines, disappearing under charcoal-gray armor. Blades cover the edges of her wings and reinforcement braces travel down every few feathers. Shoes cover her hooves, ending in sharp points that, if angled out, could slice through flesh. A chest plate connects to a back plate and side plates. The armor and smirk combined give her a merciless and reckless appearance.
“On my mark,” the speaker system roars. “FIGHT!”
Author's Note
This chapter has been edited.
Rainbow Dash immediately charges. Her wings flash open as she uses them for an extra boost. Her speed is amazing, and when I begin to fire stunning shots down the field, her dodging is amazingly nimble.
As she nears me, I take off running too. When we are within a few meters of each other, her wings open to their full width, stopping her in the distance of a stride.
Unprepared for her sudden stop, I attempt to leap over her. Rainbow Dash is expecting this and flips as I reach the top of my arc over her. She does a backwards flap, pushing her upwards into me. As she nears me, she kicks her hooves out and catches me directly in the stomach.
The force of my leap and her kick combined sends me sailing over the sands. I hit the ground hard and try to take a breath, the wind knocked out of me from her kick.
Rainbow Dash is racing towards me again as I reposition my hooves under me. I start to back trot, moving in a straight line directly away from her. Once I’m sure I have her following in my exact path, I charge my horn and fire a shot where she will be. The bolt hits the ground at the same spot Rainbow Dash is running over. It misses her chest by a nanometer, but the energy from the blast forces her to pull up.
Her wings flare, catching the wind from the magical blast and shooting her into the air. I curse myself for making her take to the skies, a grounded pegasus is a far less dangerous than an airborne one.
Now circling me, Rainbow Dash begins increase her speed, she angles her wings and rockets downwards. Just before hitting the ground, she pulls up, drawing an ‘ooh’ from the crowd.
The wind from her dive sends sand flying. She starts to loop around the ring, causing sand to rush upward in the ensuing draft, blinding me.
Clouds of sand hover around me, making me blink frantically in an attempt to clear grains from my eyes. I see blue magic rising around the stands as the unicorns at the edge of the ring protect the spectators from the sandstorm.
The sand begins to settle with no more wind to keep it aloft, Rainbow Dash’s wings would make wind if she were flapping, I know she’s no longer above me.
I spin, trying to catch sight of my assailant. I spot a purple flash out of the corner of my eye and flip around. Rainbow Dash is approaching me quickly, a cruel and sinister smirk etches its way across her face. Her eyes are narrowed in a glare leveled at me. Her ears fold back, and her eyes twitch. She stops completely, and her tail flicks.
She opens her mouth and yells, creating a piercing shriek that grates against my ears. I know what’s coming next and quickly power up a shield. Her outstretched wings twitch, creating clouds, friction, and electricity from nothing for a Tempest Charge can drain a pegasi’s energy, especially one of such power.
Clouds form out of nowhere and race towards me, small flashes of electricity darting around inside. I back up pressing my ears down at the buzz of static filling my head. Hopefully this will tire her out enough that I won’t have too much trouble killing her afterward.
Rainbow Dash brings her spread wings closer to her, and the clouds simultaneously close in on me. Once her wings are fully closed, she looks to me again, her face softening slightly. A look of pity and regret encompasses her features, only enough so that I can see. Her wings snap open.
Electricity arcs towards me, shooting from the charged clouds. It hits, and I smell melted sand. My shield acts as a conductor, and the flashes glance harmlessly across my shield, leaving me safe inside. The force of the bolts puts strain on my shield, and thus my horn, almost breaking my concentration. The extra energy I have to put into my shield spell isn’t much, but it’s too much for my damaged horn.
Pain rockets through my skull, and I cry out in pain. My shout can’t be heard over the noise of the crowd, but they all see my shield go down, especially Rainbow Dash who is staring in shock, eyes wide.
A gasp echoes across the field as one of the last bolts hits me in the flank. It’s smaller and only burns... A LOT! I yelp and the smell of burning flesh making my snout wrinkle.
Rainbow Dash backs up, her mouth moving in what looks like ‘oh no, no, no no nononono’. Surprise and horror flash across her features as she looks at me.
I immediately take all weight off my injured leg and power up my horn in a healing spell. Rainbow Dash still appears to be having a mini freak-out giving me enough time to cast the spell. Magic surrounds the burn wound, and I sigh in relief as the pain fades as healing magic sets in.
Rainbow Dash regains her composure quickly; seeing my healing spell reminds her I’m still a threat. She takes off with a single beat of her wings, creating a fountain of sand where she blasted upwards.
She positions herself directly across from me on the other end of the field, right in front of the door I entered from. She flicks her wings in and out between flaps.
Concentration crosses the pegasus’s features, and her forehooves are drawn up to her chest. I shout, trying to break her concentration. I throw sand in her face with magic. I send up a blast of stunning magic, making my head throb. Anything to stop what’s coming.
She’s supposed to be tired , is all that I can think right now. A Tempest Charge so intense should have exhausted any pegasus.
Rainbow Dash ignores it all. She's preparing a Thormira and even a princess would struggle to survive one from such an horribly powerful pegasus. Rainbow Dash, a skilled flier, ridiculously amazing at lightning related abilities, is so powerful I’m not going to survive this.
I realize I don’t want to die. I don’t want to leave my parents yet. I need to do something about this.
I start sifting through every spell I know, trying to find something, anything that could save me. Teleportation: no. Levitation: no. Time travel: no. Shield: no. Magically lightning-proof my armor: not strong enough. I CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING!
Wait! I’ve got it! A power-absorbing spell. It’s meant for ponies that need one or more of the abilities of another race or a pony that needs to supercharge their own abilities. A unicorn absorbing another unicorn’s magic can become up to twice as powerful, and if a unicorn were to cast the spell on a pegasus and then said pegasus were to absorb from a fellow pegasus they would be doubly as fast and agile. If a unicorn were to cast the spell on themselves and then absorb power from a pegasus, they would be able to fly with magic aura wings. Whomever has their power absorbed loses their abilities until the spell wears off.
Power absorption can also be used to take in and collect the force of a hit or fall (if said impact is not so forceful that the pony can’t take it), and then expel that force back out. It’s the perfect plan!
I turn my attention back to Rainbow Dash and jerk at seeing she already has sparks flitting across her fur. I don’t have long to cast the spell, and power absorption spells are extremely complicated and taxing.
I begin. Power flows into the leylines on my horn. A pressure begins to build behind and at the tip of my horn. I hold the spell in until it’s fully charged. The crowd watches in heated anticipation and suspense.
Finally, at full power I release the block I’m holding and let the magic flow. A magenta aura surrounds me, and my skin gets the familiar tingle of magic. Solid lines of magic sketch out floating symbols around my forelegs. My fur glows a soft magenta, and the highlights in my mane and tail stand out in stark contrast to the dark blue.
I’ve never cast a spell this complicated while injured, and I don’t know if I can hold it long enough for it to fully set in, at least a minute. I don’t get a chance to find out as Rainbow Dash has fully charged her lightning.
The pupils of her eyes are gone, replaced with a solid shining white. Lightning zings down her coat in bolts as thick as my legs. Her cutie mark is burning white on her flank. Sweat slides down her forehead, and she is gritting her teeth so hard they seem as if they might crack from the sheer force she is putting on them.
Rainbow Dash focuses on me and narrows her eyes. Lighting lances off the edges of her hooves as she hovers and shoots small bolts towards me. I don’t bother moving and just let them hit me. The first shots are small, test blasts, and the spell easily lets me absorb the power.
She starts to circle me again, making quick loops on her agile wings. As she goes, she fires shots at me, and I have to start dodging them as they get bigger and stronger. I throw up small shields to knock off most of the force and absorb the rest. I can feel the energy flowing through my veins just waiting for a release.
We continue our deadly dance. The crowd has faded away, and the only thing I see is the winged pony flying around me. White has started to dance on the edge of my vision due to pushing my power to the breaking point. I ignore it. All I want is to get out of here. Alive.
Pain on my side makes me scream and I stumble, ending up with a mouth full of sand. Rainbow Dash sees my lapse in concentration and circles back towards me building up energy at the tips of her hooves. She hit me.
I gather my hooves under me and watch as death stares me straight in the face in the form of bright white electricity. I run. Not away, but towards her. Rainbow Dash has to fly backwards to keep me in range of her bolts, throwing off her aim for a second.
I leap, and at the same she slams her front hooves together to create one giant blast of lightning. I fire all of the charged energy at once, screaming in pain and desperation as a bolt of blue lightning materializes from my horn.
Time freezes as I look up while not moving my angled horn. I lock eyes with Rainbow Dash. They have returned to normal, the energy from this final bolt using up the last of her reserves. All the energy she has left is going into keeping her airborne. Desperation and fear fill her eyes. She’s screaming too.
Time resumes its pace, and our blasts meet. White light fills the air and blinds me. Blue envelopes the stands as shimmering shields protect the crowd. Heat and electricity wash back over me, singeing my fur. I scream and cry in pain. My spell fails. I can’t see through my tears. Black clouds my vision as I hit the ground hard. Landing ungracefully from my leap, I try to scream louder, only to find my body not responding.
I can’t move my legs.
I have no magic left.
I won’t get help.
Darkness comes rushing in, and I welcome the numbness. The last thing I see before my vision fades completely is a cyan body crashing down across from me, her rainbow mane glossy with sweat and her eyes clenched shut. Then blackness surrou…
Author's Note
Chapter has been updated with editing now, yay!this
“… stunning…”
“… Yes sir.”
“Take care… ask when they… can avoid killing…”
“Yes si…”
“Beat… have to… guess if you want… good luck…”
“Can… them… most engaging… ever seen.”
“No, they are not for… I’m sorry.”
“… Understand, wouldn’t want to lose such good fighters.”
A small groan escapes my mouth. My head feels as if somepony took a jackhammer to it. My entire body aches, and I can feel bruises throbbing just from the pressure of my weight pressing them against whatever I’m lying on.
Turning my attention to my surroundings, I focus on what I can feel and hear, not ready to be assaulted by whatever is on the other side of my eyelids. I’m laying on something cold and hard. There are separate slats that make it very uncomfortable. Chilly air embraces my damp coat, sending chills across my skin. Cold iron wraps around each of my legs. The air smells clammy. I can hear two sets of breathing. One is far closer to me, deep and constant; the other is louder but farther away. The pattern is harsh, short breaths, with low muttering every once in a while.
I crack one eye open to finally get a glimpse of my cell. Harsh white light blinds me momentarily, and I involuntarily jerk back in just the right direction to send me tumbling off the bench I was on. My back hits the floor and my head cracks painfully against the concrete, but my hooves are caught by the shackles and my legs feel like they have been yanked from their sockets.
A soft curse comes from where I heard the short breaths. “Twilight Sparkle, I know you are awake. I need to ask you some questions.”
I moan. I can’t handle this right now. “Dooo ooo ave offee…” I slur, my brain not prepared for the world today.
“I’m sorry, Miss Sparkle, but I’m afraid as a prisoner, you don’t have that luxury.”
Prisoner! Wait… that’s what the shackles are for! Oooohhh, okaaaaay. Apparently, I can’t even think right now. I thought I was in a hospital, for Celestia’s sake! How did I not figure that out!?
“Prisn’r of whooom, may I aasssk.” There must be a sedative in my system--there is no way I am this groggy from just being knocked out. My mysterious inquisitor answers that question with his next words.
“Don’t worry, Miss Sparkle, the morphine will wear off in a little while.”
Morphine! What the hay did they need that for? And who used it on me? “Whyyyy mooorfffinnnne? Suuuurrgerieee?”
“Yes, Miss Sparkle, you and Miss Dash were both very beat up after your fight; we had to give both of you stitches and repair some of your bones.. In fact, Miss Dash may not have been able to rematch if our doctors had not gotten to her when they did.
“Okay,” I replied, relieved my speech was beginning to smooth out and my head was starting to clear up. “What doo you need tooo ask me?”
“Will you kill Rainbow Dash if I release you? We unfortunately only had one holding cell available on short notice, so you are locked up together. For the shackles to be removed, you will have to show no ill intentions towards your cellmate.” The voice holds something other than a simple question.
“Noooo, but I’m seriously considering killing myself because of this awful headache.” I say it sarcastically, but I don’t think he takes it that way.
“Is that a true statement, Miss Twilight? If so, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to take off your shackles.”
“No! No, no, no. have you never heard a joke before? Honest to Celestia, that was a joke.” The dragon continues to watch me.
I sigh, trying to get my thoughts under control. “No. I am not going to kill myself. You can take my shackles off. Please, take them off.”
“Okay Miss Twilight, I’m going to come into the cell and remove your restraints. If you attempt to attack me or escape, I will kill you.”
Metal grates against metal as a key enters the lock and creaking hinges tell me the door is opening. I still haven’t opened my eyes since I fell off the bench, but I figure now is as good a time as any. I crack them open, careful to not blind myself again. Once they have adjusted, I open them fully and gasp at what I see.
A green and purple scaled leg stands in front of me. I look up from my place on the floor, and a scarred face stares back at mine. Small wisps of steam curl from the dragon’s snout. I yelp and scoot backwards as fast as I can, but the shackles dig into my skin after a few short centimeters.
The dragon watches my panic with a bemused expression; when I stop squirming, he holds up one of his front feet. A bronze key dangles from the claw.
“You do realize I’m not going to hurt you. I’m only here to unlock you both, if you cooperate.” A grin filled with sharp teeth makes me shudder. At the tremor, his expression drops slightly. “Miss Twilight, please hold still as I remove your restraints.”
He steps forward and unlocks my hind legs first, then turns and unlocks my forelegs. I roll onto my belly and try to get my shaky legs underneath me until a clawed foot on my back makes me stop.
“Please do not stand until I have left and locked the door.” I stop, afraid of having my back sliced open by the sharp claws.
The door clangs shut, and I heave myself off the ground. Looking out through the thick iron bars, that likely have a magic resistant spell on them, I examine the dragon in front of me. Two large wings rest folded by his sides, and four claw-tipped feet are pointed towards me. Emerald eyes swivel in my direction, and our gazes lock.
“You’re a dragon,” I say, unable to think of anything else to say. “I’ve never seen a dragon before.” I lean forward unconsciously and widen my eyes slightly. “How old are you? How thick are your scales? How wide is your wingspan? How hot can your fire get? How far can you blast? How long can you hold a single flame going? Are your scales magic resistant? How long has your species existed?” My curiosity bubbles over, replacing my fear.
The creature in front of me laughs softly. It’s not an evil laugh; he sounds genuinely amused. The glow of orange flames waiting to be released from the back of his throat makes his fangs more menacing. I take a step back, curiosity dissolving into fear again.
“Yes, I am a dragon.” He grins softly and tips his head slightly, grin fading when he notices I backed away. “I know I’m intimidating, but…” His voice trails off, and all traces of happiness vanish from his features. “I need to go now. I will be back in an hour to release Miss Dash if she agrees to the terms.”
His tail whips around as he turns quickly and leaves. I don’t know what to think. He was nervous, then professional, then happy, then nervous and professional. This dragon has emotional issues and doesn’t know how to hide them.
A loud snore crashes through my -- wait -- our cell. I turn and stare at the pegasus across from me. All the blood and sweat is gone from her coat and mane. Her armor has been removed, and stitches arc across her chest and down her right side. Gashes cover her cyan body.
I lower my eyes to my own chest, unsurprised to see no armor there, yet surprised I didn’t notice the missing weight. My coat is also pristine and even smells freshly cleaned. My mane and tail, while clean, are still in the same ragged state the stylist put them in.
A dark spot in the corner of my eye catches my attention. I turn to my left flank and gasp at the charred skin. A dark burn twists across my flank, covering most of my cutie mark. Only a few pink and white points peek out from the edges of the burn.
I stare at my blackened flank until another snore rakes its claws against my train of thought. Glancing back over at the sleeping pony, I realize she isn’t going to wake up anytime soon. I turn around and heave myself onto the uncomfortable bench I woke up on. I lay down and rest my head in between my hooves. My eyes never close.
~ * ~
“Rrrrggghhh, my head hurts soooo much!”
I jump out of my skin, surprised by the sudden noise from my cellmate. I turn my head to meet her gaze only to find that her eyes haven’t opened yet.
“Why did I leave my window open last night? It’s probably not even noon yet.” Her eyes open a tiny crack, and she shoots into a sitting position faster than I can fire a spell.
Rainbow Dash’s head swings wildly as she takes in her surroundings. Her eyes land on me, and all I see is pure terror. Her eyes are wide, and her magenta pupils are pinpricks in the surrounding white.
Her face changes the instant she sees me. Her mouth dives into a frown, and her eyes narrow. Rainbow Dash’s ears fold back, and she nearly bares her teeth at me.
“Why are you here? Where is here? Why aren’t you cuffed too? Did you not kill me and get us both stuck in here? What the HAY IS GOING ON!?” The rapid-fire questions send me mentally reeling, I haven’t even gotten the chance to get up yet.
“I’m stuck here with you. Do you not remember the fight? We had a draw. I’m not going to hurt you. Calm down.” I try to answer back as swiftly as I can, but her breathing continues in uneven gasps.
“I’m not scared! I just wanna know what’s going on.” Her breathing starts to slow. “Are you gonna hurt me? And why don’t you have any…” She trails off while holding up one of her hooves.
“One of the workers came and unlocked them so long as I promised not to kill you.”
“Okay. Well, when will he be back?”
I sit up, not wanting to be laying down during a conversation. “He said he was going to come back in exactly an hour, and it’s probably been around thirty minutes since he left.”
She nods, and a solemn look crosses her face. “Look, even though we were just trying to kill each other, I don’t really want to be enemies, so, can we be friends?” The corners of her mouth lift a little.
I pull back, not ready for such a quick turnaround. “Um, I’ve never really had a friend before.”
“Oh! Well, then I can be your first friend! Alright, if we are gonna be friends then let’s start over and pretend that fighting thing never happened.” She extends her hoof. “Hi, I’m Rainbow Dash, but you can call me Dash.”
I look at Rainbow Dash, then her hoof, then her again. She watches me and just pushes her hoof closer to me. “Hello, I’m Twilight Sparkle but, um, you can just call me Twilight.” I take her hoof and we shake.
“Good. Now let’s not try to murder each other again. Ya know what? We should plan an escape!” Her smile morphs into a smirk, and her eyes narrow.
“Well, Rainbow Dash--”
“Just Dash.”
“Okay then, Dash. I am a unicorn, and while the bars probably have a magic resistant spell on them, I am really skilled in magic and could possibly melt something or even teleport us…” Plans for escape quickly fill my thoughts, complex algorithms checking each for possible problems.
“Twilight.” Dash’s voice is quiet. I look over to figure out what caused the eagerness she had a moment ago to fade. I’m confused when she gestures to my horn. I bring a hoof up to my horn and shout when burning pain lances through my skull.
I have to feel my horn due to a lack of a mirror in the cell. Starting at the top and probing gently downwards, I feel a large crack running from the top to the bottom of my horn. Braving the pain, I feel inside the fracture and, with tears running down my face from pain, touch the core of my horn.
“No. No, no, no. NO! This can’t be happening!” I’m crying, not from the pain, but from crushing despair.
A questioning look crosses Dash’s face. “It will heal won’t it? You’ll get better eventually.”
“No! No, I won’t! I don’t think you realize how bad this is! I have no control over my magic now. The core of my horn is exposed! I have never heard of a split this deep healing in under eight years ! Even then, in all of the cases I read about, the unicorn was permanently scarred, and their magical ability was greatly reduced! I won’t be able to use magic for a decade, and even once it’s healed, my abilities will be horribly crippled!” Burning rage consumes my insides, and I want to kill the Announcer for forcing me into this.
Brushing away the salty drops of sadness, anger, and fear, I turn to Rainbow Dash “The only way we will manage to escape is if you and I can buck down those bars.”
“You won’t be escaping at all.” Claws click against cold concrete, and the dragon walks up to the cell door. Rainbow Dash pulls back in shock.
“You both are coming with me to talk with the Announcer. You will not attempt to escape or attack me, otherwise I will have to kill you.”
He slides a key into the lock and opens the door but steps in the way before I can get a single hoof in the direction of out . He steps in, revealing a guard behind him. The guard has an iron face plate on and full body armor. He points a spear menacingly at the door, daring me to move. The dragon unlocks Dash’s shackles and backs out the door.
Once fully out, he beckons Rainbow Dash and me to follow. We are directed in between the dragon and the guard and start moving down the hallway. The cell that presented itself as an impossible escape challenge now appears a refuge.
Author's Note
Sorry for the long wait guys, have been doing some serious editing on the earlier chapters. All previous chapters have been edited now so go back and read them if you like.
The hallway we’re traveling down looks neverending. Cells on either side of the hall stretch off into the distance. Dim lights hum, just bright enough to illuminate the farthest corners. The floor and walls are clean cement, and the ceiling is metal grating covering pipes and wires.
The dragon and guard are flanking Rainbow Dash and me--the dragon to my left, Rainbow Dash on my right, and the guard to her right. Nopony or dragon does anything to break the silence that’s accompanied by the soft clicks of metal, hoof, and claw on stone.
Standing this close to the dragon, I can see small beads of perspiration sliding down his scales. His chest expands and contracts in rapid movements, and his feet shake slightly when they aren’t firmly planted on the ground.
Coming to the end of the endless hallway, we take a right into another identical hallway. This continues for some time: silence and hallways. Finally, after what felt like hours but was probably mere minutes, we arrive at a closed iron gate with another guard standing on the opposite side next to a lever.
Stopping, the dragon steps forward and exchanges a few soft words with the guard. Nodding, the armor-clad pony backs away from the gate and shoves the lever up. The gate slides open soundlessly, and the four of us walk through.
We are met with more hallway, minus the cells lining the walls. Walking farther into the maze of hallways, and out of earshot and view of the gate guard, the dragon finally speaks.
“Miss Sparkle and Miss Dash, DUCK!” Rainbow Dash throws herself to the ground, pulling me down with her. The dragon whips his tail around at a blinding speed, hitting the accompanying guard and sending him flying. The dragon’s wings explode outward, and he shoots towards the downed guard. He slams his claws into the guard’s helmet, grabbing it and lifting the helpless pony. The dragon slams the pony’s head into the wall.The guard us thrown on the ground and his helmet is ripped off, while he gasps desperately to fill his lungs sharp claws slice across his throat.
The guard makes a blubbering sound as blood fills his windpipe. As dark blood flows onto the floor, the dragon steps back quickly to avoid the flood. Gurgling sounds die with the guard, and the dragon rotates towards Rainbow Dash and me.
“Sorry,” he says, keeping his bloodied paw off the ground and away from himself. “Um- let’s go now.” Leaving an awkward note in the air, he twists away and begins sprinting down another hall.
Rainbow and I look at each other. Confusion fills my mind, but Rainbow Dash takes off after the dragon. Catching up to him, the dragon looks at us both and bolts even faster down the hallway. We follow in his tracks.
~ * ~
Rounding another bend, we finally see a gate leading to the outside world. The alarm had been sounded when the three of us hadn’t shown up to meet the Announcer some time ago. Shouts echo down the halls, and we had to duck into doors to avoid the rush to find us.
As we come up to the gate, the guard standing before it spots us and takes a breath to shout. The call never makes it out of his mouth, as Rainbow Dash takes a leap and, using her wings to propel her forward, crushes the guard’s windpipe with a blow from her hoof.
The lever to open the gate now stands unguarded. I race over and heave up on the metal rod, a grinding noise that makes me fold my ears back as the gate rises. Once fully open, the three of us race out into the streets and run.
I, being familiar with the area, move to the front and lead us through the maze of alleys.
“Hey, if you,” Rainbow Dash looks at me, panting, “can find a place where you,” she gestures to the dragon, “and I can take off, together we can carry our flightless friend and get outta here quicker!”
The dragon nods, and they both look to me. I hesitate for a moment but decide it’s the best course of action and nod.
I take off in the opposite direction we were headed, now moving back towards my home. We reach the ladder, and I slide down heading into route three.
“Stay close to me, or you’re gonna get lost,” I say over my shoulder. Now moving at a slightly slower pace, I make my way through the passageways, my new companions following in my wake.
The ladder finally comes into sight, and I race up it onto the roof of a tall building. My house is merely a few jumps away, and I pause. I remember my parents; I don’t want to leave them behind. I could still go get them. I turn in the direction of my home.
“Twilight--” Rainbow Dash says.
“But my parents…” I need to go save them. I need my parents.
“Twilight, we need to go now! We need to go or none of us are going to survive!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes are wide with adrenaline. “Twilight, come on!”
I steel my nerves and turn back to the eager pair. “No. I need to save my parents. I have to--”
“Fine! We’re leaving and not looking back!” Rainbow Dash and the dragon spread their wings.
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion throws the three of us against the roof of the building. My ears are ringing, and dust fills the air.
I’m up before the other two. I scream.
A blazing ruin has replaced my house. Smoke curls from the ground where a pile of rubble sits. Dust billows in the air. My parents were in there!
My throat is cut from my scream. Screaming echoes in my ears and bounces around my head. The volume rises. I can’t move. Cold scales grab one of my forelegs. Warm fur wraps around my other. Wind whips around me, and the ground falls away from my hooves. I scream louder.
Nothing seems real. Nothing.
Our speed picks up. I’m still screaming.
Why? Why, why, why? Why me? Why them? My parents. Why?
The flying continues for what feels like hours. I’ve been crying on and off the whole time, tears wiped away by the rushing wind. Thoughts of my parents flood my head, while thoughts of life without them crush my soul. Canterlot fades behind us, and the city’s lights dim in the distance. Empty plains greet my vision. The sun lowers over a forest that just barely crests over the curvature of Equus.
The forest gets bigger and bigger, while the sun gets smaller and smaller. The ground rises up and the trees stand tall and menacing, watching over the edge of the field. Raw magic makes my skin itch and my cracked horn throb.
We glide over the treetops, leaves skimming my back hooves. Dark undergrowth occasionally peeks out from under the canopy and the ground begins to rise. A massive cliff stands barrier to all, a black shape at the base eating the dimming light. We glide softly into the cave.
Cold stone and skin make contact, I shiver. The shaking won’t stop. The dragon leaves. I wake to find he has returned with a bundle of dry sticks. Blackness joins my strained mind again, and a fire crackling in the middle of the cave rouses me slightly. My eyelids slid closed for a third time. I feel a warm body press against mine and a blue wing drapes over me.
The realm of sleep welcomes me.
Author's Note
Sorry for the wait guys, I've been rather busy.
Sore muscles and stiff joints greet my waking mind. Weak sunlight filters through the trees surrounding the cave and warms the stone beneath me. Birds chirp and the leaves rustle gently in a soft wind.
I raise my head only to drop it back down against the stone from dizziness. I try again even slower and manage to get into an upright position while still laying down.
A black circle of ashes and burnt wood sits a meter in front of me. A few coals still emit a soft orange glow and smoke gently rises off the glowing pieces. A long, sharp stick lays to the side of the ring. The end is charred.
I swing slightly back in preparation to get my hooves under me. An involuntary yelp echoes around the cave as I jump, feeling a hoof on my back.
Turning my head, I see a blue body standing behind me. As the blob of blue moves out of my peripheral vision, wings and a rainbow mane come into focus. I blink my bleary eyes trying to figure out if I’m in danger.
“Just stay down. Honestly you look like you got hit by a herd of stampeding cows!” The voice is raspy and I can hear a smile in it.
The speaker walks all the way in front of me and I finally remember yesterday. The dragon, Rainbow Dash, the fight, escaping. It all rushes back.
“Rainbow Dash! Please tell me the explosion was a dream! Please.” I watch her hopefully, waiting for her expression to go from cheerful to confused. It doesn’t. Her smile turns into a frown and her ears droop.
“Uhhnn…” I drop my head. The hot feeling of tears prickles behind my eyes. She drops down next to me.
“Twilight, its- er…” Rainbow Dash drops her eyes as she fails to comfort me. “I’m sorry.”
Sadness washes over me, but a thought pops into my head. “Don’t be. If you hadn’t argued with me on the roof I would be dead to. And you got me out of there, too. Thank you.”
Rainbow Dash looks at me and nods. She rises back to her hooves. As she does I notice a scar on her neck. I can see the evidence of stitches that were there and then ripped out violently. All that remains is an angry red line about a centimeter wide and ten centimeters long.
I continue staring at it as Rainbow Dash walks to the charred circle of wood and attempts to breathe life back into the dead fire. “Hey, how did the cut you got yesterday heal so fast?”
This time Rainbow Dash does look at me with confusion. “Wha…” The understanding dawns on her face and she chuckles embarrassedly “Well, hehe, I kinda forgot to tell you. You’ve been ‘out’-” She flicks the tips of her feathers in air quotes. “- for a week…” She trails off meekly.
Seeing I’m not about to get angry at her for not telling me Rainbow Dash continues with renewed vigor. “And I say ‘out’-” She flicks her wings again. “- ’cause you were in and out of sleep. And you probably don’t remember it ’cause you were sick. And you had a really bad fever and you even puked a couple of times.”
My mouth drops open. A week!
At that moment a loud THUD sounds outside the cave entrance and I jump yet again. A great purple and green figure enters the cave and I recognize the dragon. A large bundle of sticks is nestled in between his wings and a makeshift net full of small, dead animals hags from his mouth.
Rainbow Dash bounds forward and lift the sticks of his back via a small vine I now see tied around them. She brings the sticks over to a pile I am also just noticing.
The dragon drops his net of animals and walks over to the coals as Rainbow Dash brings over a few sticks. After she places them carefully on the pile of ashes, the dragon breathes a plume a green fire at the sticks and they burst into flame.
Rainbow Dash turns to our companion “I was just telling Twilight how sick she was.”
“How was I sick? I was fine when we escaped.” I blurt out.
The dragon responds while skewering a rabbit on the charred stick I had seen earlier. “Grief sickness. Seen it before. I’m sorry about your parents Miss Sparkle.”
I sigh and nod my understanding and thanks. “What are you doing to that rabbit?”
“Cooking it, why?” Rainbow Dash answers back for the dragon.
“Ponies are vegetarians. You haven’t been eating that have you?” I exclaim.
“Yes, I have, and it’s quite good.” She looks at the ground, embarrassed. “To be perfectly truthful, Spike and I have no idea what plants are safe and he decided it’d be better if I just ate meat instead of poisoning myself on a some stupid beery.” She sticks her tongue out and frowns. I glance outside the cave and see only bare stone and undergrowth lacking grass until the trees bar my view.
Currently the dragon is burning the fur off the rabbit. The reek of burning hair hits my nose and I retch, turning to the side and leaning away from myself as my already empty stomach tries to empty itself some more. Yellow foam dribbles out of my mouth into a small puddle on the floor.
“You’ll get used to the smell, eventually.” Rainbow Dash says as she backs away from the flaming hare.
“I’m not eating that!” I say with enthusiasm I didn’t know I had.
“You have to, Miss Sparkle, unless you’d rather risk eating Deadly Nightshade.” The dragon turns the hare on a stick slowly, juices dripping from the now hairless skin.
I’m about to reply with a snippet about how I read a book on safe wild plants, once, years ago, when Rainbow Dash suddenly barks out.
“Spike, I told you, we’re friends here! First names only! None of this Miss this and Miss that.” And then realizing I had not been fully conscious for earlier introductions she waves her hoof between us. “Spike, Twilight, Twilight, Spike. And next one of you to call either us by anything formal again, gets booted from the camp!” I feel the punishment is much unneeded and calling our cave a camp is a major overstatement.
The rabbit seems to be done now as Spike gets up and slides the steaming carcass off the stick. He then slices it open with his knife sharp claws and removes certain pieces of meat setting them aside from the rest of the cooked animal.
He picks up a third of the new pile and hands it to Rainbow, who proceeds to dip her head and gobble down the meat at her hooves, flinching slightly as the searing pieces burn her mouth.
Spike grabs another third and walks over to me. He lays the steaming meat in between my front hooves and goes back to his third, wolfing it down in one gulp.
I stare at the pile of reeking ‘food’ and my friends stare at me.
“Twi, ya gotta eat. I felt the same when Spike first wanted me to try it, but it’s actually really good.” Rainbow has no remorse , I think.
Taking a small piece in my front teeth I warily lift my head and let the piece drop into my mouth. The taste is like nothing I’ve ever had before and I struggle to swallow the meat. I slowly continue to eat my small pile of rabbit, gagging the entire time.
Finally finished with the disgusting nutrition, I pull myself to my hooves, swaying slightly from dizziness. I trot outside with Rainbow by my flank and examine our surroundings.
The forest ends mere meters before the cave entrance and trees crowd each other, coming right up to the transition from stone to dirt. The trees that surround us are tall but rather thin and branches start a few meters off the ground. The undergrowth consists of small plants that can survive with little sunlight and underneath those is a layer of sticks and rotting leaves.
A path has been forced through the undergrowth and to the side strange, unnatural contraptions of vine hang from lower branches every once in a while.
Turning my attention to the cave, I see it is about three meters in height and the same in width. The cave is relatively shallow and the farthest back of the cave is still faintly illuminated by the noon sunlight. Our shelter is carved from a tall shale cliff, reaching past the tallest trees. I can see trees peeking over the top of the cliff. About halfway up the cliff a ledge slightly larger than anything else on the ledge is home to a small tree. The pathetic sight is one of roots clinging to the rock and pushing into any small crack, desperate for water. Somehow the tree has managed to make it.
~ * ~
Night is cold and the fire is a welcome source of heat. We all bask in the warmth of the flames, absorbing the hot energy.
This is my third night awake, tenth night since escaping. The same day I fully recovered from my illness, we spotted a patrol. Three pegasi gliding above the forest, heads bent down, eyes scouring the forest below. Strangely they flew far to high to actually spot any of us, soaring hundreds of meters above the towering trees. From below we could barley make them out against the overcast sky, but Rainbow spotted them with her superior pegasus vision.
Immediately shooting into the sky, she flew low and fast. She headed behind the patrols and pulled up into the cloud cover. Above the clouds she double-backed until she was above our followers. Then she carefully peeked her head through the clouds to watch them.
Coming back down she relayed everything she saw to us. The pegasi were wearing light blue in an effort to blend in with the clear sky. Unfortunately for them the weather must have turned over after they left, leaving them just slightly more exposed. They did however have vision enhancing goggles, high quality flying goggles enchanted by a unicorn to improve a pegasus’ eyesight for searching at high altitudes, something I had never heard of before.
The only thing that connected them to ring Dragon Fire was easily overlooked as normal at first glance. Their manes and tails were dyed purple with orange and red accents. The colors of the ring Dragon Fire.
Only the most dedicated of the larger Underground Illegal rings’ workers had their hair dyed. It showed true unwavering loyalty, copied from territorial roaming groups of ponies common these days. Dying all hair of the group to form bonds and create a sense of unity.
Henchponies of UI rings that follow this tradition never leave for personal reasons, their life is the ring. If prey is scarce on the streets and no random drunk can be found for a fight, they will stand in for battle. The unwavering alliance of these ponies makes them some of the most dangerous around.
Over the next two days the patrol circled over four more times. Each time they were spotted in the sky we took shelter in our cave. Now, after hiding for the third time today, they haven’t returned for hours. They seemed to be gone.
Spike had been in the forest most of yesterday and managed to catch a couple fish from a stream nearby our cave. I have to admit the taste of meat was starting to grow on me, but I preferred fish over rabbit.
Now, sitting next to the fire with full stomachs, we try to figure out what to do next.
“So, we’re all free from UI, but that leaves us with no home, no family, nowhere to go, and no bits.” I say.
“Wrong on that second account.” An upside-down Rainbow says waving her hoof in the air. “I still have a home. It’s a cloud house, floating somewhere over the Southern Plains right now, no more than a day’s flight away. Why’d you assume I didn’t have one?” She finishes, rolling over.
“Oh, sorry. Wasn’t really thinking, I guess.” I fumble for a reason.
“Nah. I get it, your house got blown up so you thought maybe mine did to.” She flicks an ear and covers her mouth for a moment worried she’d offended me. “Er, hehe, I mean- um. Well anyways I always keep my house away from any large settlements, and try to keep it secret-ish.”
“And yet it’s a gaint cloud house floating around?” Rainbow Dash grins sheepishly at me.
“And you were correct in assuming I have no place to call home, Twilight, as I was hatched at the ring.” Spike adds. “And to continue the discussion you started, what do we do now?”
“I wanna go to my home and grab the few supplies I need and then bust the place to pieces. Might as well leave no trail and I don’t want any creep getting my house.” Rainbow frowns a bit, but then smiles at the chance to start anew.
“That’s a bad idea.” Spike butts in. “Dragon Fire has got to be searching for it and is probably now there, waiting for you. You go back and it’s the end.”
“I don’t care if they’re waiting for me, and anyway nopony knows where it is but me!” Rainbow Dash bursts out. “I wanna say goodbye and grab the, like three, things I need.”
“I’m not going then!” I watch quietly as the argument grows. “I want to go to the dragon lands and finally see my homeland. And I’m not gonna risk my neck so you can grab a coffee mug and your favorite pillow!”
“Fine. I’ll go alone!”
“Fi-”
“Guys!” It’s time to stop this before it gets out of hoof. “We can do both, and together. I think it’s a bad idea to split. We just met and right now we could use each other’s support. None of us have really been ‘on our own’ and I- to be honest- like the company!” I pause taking deep breaths to calm my now racing heart.
“We should go to Rainbow’s house first and once she has her stuff head to the dragon lands and then figure it out from there. I have no ties anymore. I can go anywhere. And I like having… company. I’m staying with you guys!” I’ve never had other ponies before, outside my parents, and I like the feeling.
Spike and Rainbow Dash stare at me. Spike’s mouth hangs open slightly.
“I gotta say, Twi, that’s like the most you’ve said at once the whole time I’ve known ya.” Rainbow laughs. “And also, I agree with your plan. I like having friends.”
Friends? Company.
Spike considers our inputs for a moment, his emerald eyes flicking between us. “Okay. I’ll go with you two. But if we get caught…”
“Don’t worry! We won’t, we’re too good for that!” Rainbow Dash is on her hooves, a big smile spread across her face. “I’m glad we’re all doing this together, friends.”
“Yeah. But were not-”
I get no further as a deafening roar fills the forest. The three of us spin around to face the cave entrance.
“What?” I mumble, my voice quivering.
“That might be the source rumbles we heard when we first got here.” The dread in Spike’s words chills me to my core.
The sound comes again, closer this time.
“I-I- think it’s time to go!” Rainbow Dash stutters, her wings flutter open.
Spike nods and spreads his wings and they both lift off, grabbing me around the barrel and pulling out of the cave.
As we clear the cave mouth and begin to pull up, a massive, clawed paw smashes the ground in front of us, the resulting air wash throwing us back. We slam into the ground.
