//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 // Story: Nex, Gladiator // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// “He’s beautiful.” The creature binded at every joint and limb could only glare with its bloodshot eyes, a magnetic muzzle keeping its jaw shut. Its body was marred in scars, some methodically placed while others looked more brutal. Parts of it’s skin had been replaced with plates of different alloys. But worst of all was the center of its chest. The cavity had been carved out, and in its place was a chamber. Wires under the skin pulsed with the light radiating from inside the implant. “Nothing can defeat him,” snickered Keen Scythe, slapping the Angel’s leg with his cane. The metallic constraints groaned as a growl reverberated throughout the room. “Still a bit feisty, I must say. We’re working on that, however.” Scythe hobbled closer, tapping its neck to get the clinking of more metal beneath the skin. He stepped back afterwards and pulled out a remote with several buttons. “You’ve modified him again, I see. And what does this button do?” asked the younger stallion, taking the remote. Another snicker left Scythe as he made eye contact with the monstrosity. “See for yourself.” The binds unlatched, and the beast slammed its arms on the ground before rushing at the two, screaming out wildly. The stallion pressed the blue button at the bottom of the remote, and his Angel immediately seized up and began convulsing. Within the next few seconds, the creature stopped its spasms and tried to get back on its feet. Another press of the button yielded a more powerful reaction, the light in its chest flickering as electricity coursed through its body. It cried out in agony, thrashing wildly as it tried to claw at its own body. The episode ended once the shocks died down, and it did nothing but lay in its mess. Scythe walked over to the prone gladiator and tapped his head. It looked up to him and growled, but saw the remote in his hand and remained quiet. “Good boy,” he croaked, tapping its head softly. “The shocks avoid vital systems, and the core has been fitted with resistors. The only thing that hurts is the neural chain you’ve given him, but it can withstand thousands more volts.” The stallion kicked the champion in the back. “Up.” It sluggishly moved to its hands and knees before looking up to its master. He placed the remote against his cheek, fear welling up in the experiment’s eyes. “You’ve been misbehaving. Your brother never did any of this, so why are you?” It offered no response, nor any sort of understanding of what it was told. “We’ll need to run tests on its other systems, but we’re certain the voltage isn’t enough to damage anything,” Scythe repeated, gesturing to two large bodyguards near the door. The two burly stallions dragged the Angel to the chains and refitted them. “If you’d like, we could-” “I haven’t seen him perform in months. I came to see a show, and you’re delaying my next victory,” he cut in suddenly, maintaining the unusual grin. “Disable it if you can. I don’t want him feeling pressure for this one.” “And why is that?” Scythe grumbled as he went to the beast’s neck and turned off the implant. His employer smiled devilishly. “They doubt his power, so I’ve scheduled a massacre,” he chuckled, giving his champion a nod.. “Master Wick’s finest four are to fall to my greatest masterpiece.” A rumble was no new site. Scythe remembered the onslaught Nex had gone through multiple times, but for him it had been by the skin of his teeth. Their newest prize would no doubt pass, but in half the time of his predecessor. Scythe turned to the two guards and pointed outside. “Get the transport crew ready.” They nodded, and Scythe waited for them to leave before turning and glaring at the experiment. They held their hateful eyes in an ugly lock, both carrying promises of gruesome death. With a small sneer, Scythe left as a group of armored ponies entered with slabs of wood and stone. It grunted as one of them gave him a sedative, his arms and legs loosening up as they moved him onto the mobile prison. A slab of stone was chained to either arm, his legs locked by the wooden pillory behind him. His chains were then interlocked with each limb, leading to an iron collar around his neck. He was dragged to a platform above a glass dome, where they then left him. Surrounding him was another coliseum, with shady figures in expensive suits watching from the darkness. A spotlight cascaded down on him, and the platform began to lower. The sedative was nearly out of his system now, allowing him to see where he was. He knew the smell of rotting flesh and blood in the air, and with the rattling of glass above him confirmed his suspicions. He waited for the floor to stop moving, looking for his master among the faces. Watching above the rest of their colleagues, his owner sat in a luxurious chair with a stallion roughly his age. They watched as the experiment settled at the bottom of the pit, a lift across from him opening. “You know, it’s a shame what became of your last champion,” he smugly chuckled. “I’d be willing to halve our bet, should you have any second thoughts.” He shook his head with a dismissive wave. “A deal is a deal, Master Wick,” he confidently replied. “But please, enjoy the show.” Wick’s smile wavered, but he kept up the facade as they turned to the pit. The door to the lift opened, and out came four Angels. Two were pegasi, one was a unicorn, and the last and biggest was an earthen. They roared in unison as they threw themselves off the lift and charged to the chained champion. Above, his owner pressed a button on his chair and sat back. The chains unlatched from their foundations, loosening the strain on his body. He let loose a gurgling roar as he tore his arms out of his binds and grabbed the chains connected to the slabs of stone. As the first pegasi reached him, his legs shattered their wooden prison, and he smashed the block down onto him. The other experiments came to a halt as they watched the enormous monster move to his first kill. The pegasi’s head and back were splattered beneath the stone that crushed him, and the monster reached down to take the roots of its wings in its hands. With a small grunt and strain on its arms, it tore the vertebrae from the fallen gladiator’s back and held them up. They could see no expression on the cold mask it wore, but its eyes held no remorse. It reared back and let loose a mighty roar to shake the very pit it stood in. It threw down the appendages and pounded its chest with a fist as it roared to its opponents. “One down, already,” his master mused, ignoring the utter perplexity on his rival’s face. “You’ll be back to Canterlot in no time.” The earthen slammed its fists down and bellowed as it charged forward, metal claws piercing out from its torso. The champion rushed to him, dragging the boulder behind him. He planted his foot in front and swung his arm around, the boulder following quickly. It grunted when the earthen dodged it and tackled him down. Its pikes dug into his skin, but he didn’t react whatsoever. He headbutted the earthen to daze it, then wrapped the chains around its neck and pinning its head to the ground with his foot. He pulled at the chains with all his might, the gladiator beneath him flailing wildly as it choked. He let loose a roar as its body went limp and its arms fell to the side. The small victory was short lived, as he was kicked in the head and thrown back, the chains snapping as he was tossed away from the earthen. It rolled on its side and stood up to shriek at the pegasus that attacked him, who was currently soaring straight at him. He swung his arm to smack it down, but the pegasus avoided him and swooped low to knock him down. It circled back immediately and grabbed his leg before taking off towards the dome above. The champion roared as flesh tore and blood sprayed from his back. The pegasus readied to drop him, but as it reached its zenith in the pit it felt several pikes shoot through its legs. It looked in horror at the two metallic wings behind the monster, blood soaking the frame and the “feathers.” He pulled his fists away from the pegasus’s leg and slashed its wing clean off, eliciting a shattering scream of agony. Before the pegasus could fall to its death, he dug his other fist into the base of its remaining wing, then took hold of its body. Without breaking their speed it rammed the pegasus straight into the glass dome, a sickening snap resounded throughout the arena. He pulled the smashed body from the glass and dangled it by its attached wing, its neck twisted to the side and back at an unnatural angle. He dropped it and roared out wildly in victory, landing and beating the body of the first crushed pegasus. A blast of magic shot out at him, but he turned into its path with his chest out. The bundle of mana hung in the air just above his torso, then slowly hummed as small nodes pushed out from his skin. The remaining unicorn, having watched the slaughter of its companions, weakly conjured another blast, aiming it at the goliath’s face. The same effect, only now the pulsing hum began to pick up in pace. Bolt after bolt rested in the air around it, until the unicorn was finally drained of magic. The champion now stood just inches from the hopeless gladiator, the hum having morphed into a steady and eerie tone. Grabbing the unicorn’s head, the champion pulled him up and forced his prey to face him. With a growing growl, its mouth and eyes glowed a blinding white as it let out a demonic roar. Amplified amounts of mana funneled out from its mouth and right into the unicorn’s face. Its body went limp immediately, but the champion didn’t stop until every ounce of mana had been expelled. The pit was now silent, devoid of life but one lost soul. It held up the young unicorn up for the crowd to see, letting loose one last primal shout. The unicorn’s face was seared to the bone, as if someone held its face into a fire. In its final act of dominance, he smashed the carcass face first into the ground, splattering what remained and shattering any bone left. Above the arena, Master Wick could only sit in silence. “A good effort, I must say.” Wick slowly turned his head to his colleague, genuinely horrified. “What… have you created.” Wick ran his hands through his hair and breathed heavily. “It isn’t… it’s a demon…” “Well I wouldn’t be so dramatic,” his competitor chuckled, pouring himself another glass of wine. “Now, about our little bet.” Master Wick stood up slowly and moved to the glass. He looked into the pit of his fallen champions, watching as the beast was sedated and detained. Without another word, he turned around and briskly made his way to to the exit. His hand grabbed the handle, but he didn’t turn it just yet. “You’ve made it… you’ve actually made it… Master Qin,” he breathlessly quivered. Qin smirked as he took another sip of his wine. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” he quietly chuckled. “Our future. Our destiny.” Everfree Forest “Neeeeex!” Rainbow looked out to the dark forest, unable to see anything through the thick canopy. She sighed and glided down to where Twilight and Applejack were waiting, shaking her head to Twilight. Twilight exhaled softly and rubbed her temple. “Where could he be?” she groaned. Applejack put a hand on her shoulder, offering her a reassuring smile. “Ah’m sure he’s fine, Twi,” Applejack said. “He’s been through worse than some creepy trees.” She didn’t see any change to Twilight’s demeanor. She gave Rainbow a quick glance, but their pegasus friend only shrugged awkwardly. “C’mon, he’s tough, Twi.” “It’s not that I’m worried about him getting hurt,” Twilight snapped, moving back on the path they’d been walking on. “He gets scared of so many things when we’re home. I don’t want him… I don’t want to find him like he used to be.” Rainbow looked away and rubbed her arm, recalling his savage behavior. Applejack remembered his wild nature clearly. One doesn’t forget when a fist goes through solid crystal. “We’ll be right here, Twi. We’ll find ‘im,” she assured her, hugging her close. Twilight gingerly ran her fingers along the bandages she put on her forearm. They weren’t deep at all, barely scrapes. Seeing Nex hold so much remorse… like he was something that was disposable. She was struggling to help him learn on top of getting back into society, but now she had to find a way for him to stop acting like an animal and not be on eggshells. It was all too much for her to bear. At this rate, and even she knew it, she was getting nowhere with rehabilitating him. She wanted to help… but she just didn’t know how. Maybe she couldn’t. She gasped when Applejack’s thumb wiped away a tear on her cheek. “Got a lot goin’ on in there, don’t ya?” she softly laughed. “It’s about Nex, ain’t it?” Wiping the tears from her face, Twilight nodded. “There’s too much he’s missed and too much to get out of him,” she sighed, rubbing her eyes. “I have so much to teach him and I’ve barely gotten into actually helping him act.” Rainbow hovered next to them, listening out for anything in the bushes. “Well… why not leave him with Pinkie for a bit?” Rainbow suggested. “He’s pretty relaxed when she’s with us.” “But I’d still have to teach him,” Twilight reminded her. “And besides, Pinkie can get busy with the bakery.” Applejack lowered her head in thought, playing with the rim of her stetson as they walked. “Now, ah know this might sound a bit crazy. But it might be time for Nex to start staying with us,” Applejack said. As expected, both Twilight and Rainbow looked to her with exasperated expressions. “Twi, ya look like ya just marathoned Appleloosa’s last 3 rodeos today. Ya can’t be babysitting every hour o’ the day.” “But there are so many things that scare him and what if-” “Excuses, excuses, Twi,” Applejack cut in, smirking now. “Ah’m sure Pinkie and Rares can handle ‘im. Me and Rainbow aren’t scared of him getting all out of balance, and I’m sure she won’t try to tussle with him.” She shot Rainbow a stern look, to which she responded to with an eye roll. Twilight looked up to her country gal, and could see the stubborn nature she held with pride. Her surprised expression turned to a grateful smile as she nodded. “Thank you. Now we just have to find Nex… and see if he’d be okay with it,” she said hesitantly. “Guys, wait!” Rainbow quietly hushed. They stopped walking and waited, Rainbow gesturing for them to come closer. They crept off the path and into the trees, listening quietly to the sound of movement. Something big was running through the forest, but they couldn’t make out what it was. A loud roar echoed further away from them, but it rattled them nonetheless. They could all tell it wasn’t Nex… but they didn’t know if that was better than what the roar actually came from. Rainbow flew up slowly and tried to look around for what they’d heard. She spotted rustling and birds flying away as something moved around an area not too far from them. “I don’t think it’s Nex,” she called to them. “I think we should leave. Now.” There was another roar, this one coming from the opposite direction. Rainbow looked over to the other side of the forest, waiting for the same indications behind her. They never came, but she did hear it getting louder behind her. When she turned back, a path of rustling trees was all too quickly approaching, her eyes widening as she looked down. It was headed straight for them. She dove down faster than she ever had, nearly going supersonic as she raced the oncoming creature. She reached the trees, and by then she could hear it grunting. Twilight and Applejack were staring in fearful curiosity, just before being yanked out of their shoes. Trees and brush broke apart as a large manticore leapt out from the forest, right where they’d been standing. On the other side of the path, another form broke free from the treeline. Nex roared as he launched himself at the manticore, a spear cocked in his right hand. The two slammed into one another before hitting the ground. Nex wrestled with the beast as they writhed around wildly, using the spear to hold back its jaws while his other hand shoved the scorpion tail away from him. It’s maw came closer and closer, its teeth nicking his hair more and more. Nex pushed upwards and reached for its front leg. With his teeth. The beast let loose a loud grunt of pain before lifting itself up, bringing Nex with its tail and leg. Nex tried letting go, but its large limb smacked him into a tree. It roared at him as he sluggishly got onto his arm, twitching when he tried moving his other shoulder. The manticore raked the ground with its razor sharp claws, readying to charge and finish the kill. Nex cried out as he moved his bad arm to his chest, slapping a pike into his chest. He took a deep breath as it pounced, then let loose a scream they’d never heard before. His voice was altered. It was booming like the Canterlot Voice, but sounded like he belonged in Tartarus. The manticore landed and backpedaled as he stood up, throwing his arms and the spear around like mad. He slammed his fists into the trees, taking out chunks of bark and spreading the blood on his hands. He lunged at the manticore, roaring at it without any hesitation and bashing the ground with his fists. Its growl died out until finally it was reduced to hesitant groans. Nex didn't stop his screaming until the manticore turned and disappeared into the forest. He lifted his head and cried out in victory, then fell forward. “Nex!” Twilight shouted, running to him. The trio rushed to get him onto his back as they checked to make sure he was okay. “Nex, wake up! Nex? Nex?!” He grunted in annoyance as he rolled onto his side, his fingers digging into the wound he’d made. Applejack covered her mouth and gagged before looking away. Nex growled in anger, pushing his finger down to the knuckle before a mechanical click resounded. He opened his mouth and groaned, the alteration ebbing until his raspy and weak voice returned. Twilight heaved as she watched the blood gurgling out of his wound, unsure of how to help something so serious. Rainbow turned to where Nex had come from when she heard rustling. “Zecora?” she said aloud. The zebra pushed the brush aside as she rushed over to Nex, moving his hand as she applied pressure to the wound. “You have an awful knack for getting hurt,” she muttered, tearing off a piece of cloth. “I cannot keep ripping your shirt.” “We have to get him to the hospital,” Twilight said, gesturing for Rainbow to help her. Zecora held her hand up. “He will be fine in my hut,” she said calmly. Before they could retort, Nex growled as his implants came to life. A burning sizzle caused him to writhe and push her hand away. They waited for the searing to subside, watching him breathe deeply as the machinery went to work. “He was not just treated like a mutt.” Nex let out a weak groan when the noise finally ended. Twilight reached for his wound and spread the hole in his shirt. They stared in shock at the cauterized gash, but Nex weakly growled and pulled his shirt away as he tried getting himself up. “Easy, Nex,” Applejack said softly, getting under his arm. “A little help?” Rainbow carefully moved his other arm around her shoulders, easing Nex into a standing position. “Lead the way,” she grunted. “Jeez, I thought you were a toothpick.” He snarled weakly before limping with them to Twilight and Zecora. “Where to?” Zecora beckoned them back into the forest, grabbing the spear from the ground and looking to the blood soaked tip. “I’m sorry about this,” Twilight softly muttered, glancing back to Nex. “Did he hurt you?” “He made an attempt,” Zecora confirmed, lightly chuckling. “But I convinced him to relent.” She shook her head softly, sighing again. “So I’m guessing he ran into you?” “In a sense,” replied Zecora. “But I am questioning what might have led to today’s events.” “It’s… a long story… and pretty complicated.” Zecora waited patiently for her to continue. “So one day we got a letter from Princess Celestia.” It wasn’t long before they reached her home, and by then she’d been given most of Nex’s story and why he showed up. It was quite a background for him, but she now understood his actions and behavior. She’d never seen even the craziest of ponies would go up against a manticore. She opened the door as Rainbow and Applejack trudged their way in with Nex. They set him down on the rugs as Zecora went into the back again. Twilight sat with Nex as he gathered his breath. He still avoided making eye contact with her, even when she touched the hand covering his wound. She begged for him to let her help him, that he would let her see what he hid above all else. “...no… mean… to… hurt.” Their ears perked up, as did Twilight’s expression. “It’s okay, Nex,” she told him. “You didn’t mean to. I know.” He still wouldn’t look at her. Applejack and Rainbow awkwardly glanced at each other, still unsure of what to do. “Hate… me.” His hand balled up into a fist, straining his arm as his voice shook. “Still… hate… me…” “No pony hates you,” she quickly assured him. “Nex, no pony-” “They… hate me,” he growled, clenching his teeth. “You… hate… me.” The two jumped when they heard a loud slam beside them. Nex jumped up and faced the amethyst eyed pegasus, facing her stern glare. “That’s it!” she announced, her snout in his face. “She’s doing everything she can to help you act normal and now you’re saying she hates you?!” Nex growled, but went silent when she pointed her finger in his face. “And we don’t hate you either! I mean, yeah we get worried about you going crazy, but that doesn’t mean we have to hate you!” He met her undeterred focus with his own glaring eyes, but she wouldn’t back down. Twilight could only watch in fear, gratitude, and disbelief. “You… try fight me,” he snarled, baring his sharpened teeth. “Ah’m sorry.” Now all three of them turned to Applejack as she took her stetson off and moved toward them. “Ah… ah got scared… and ah shoulda known better,” she began, rubbing her arm. “We don’t hate ya, Nex… on mah honesty, ah swear none of us ever hated you.” Twilight glanced back up to Nex, unable to gauge a sense of his emotions. “Listen… I know we got off on the wrong foot… but don’t take it out on Twi,” Rainbow said, crossing her arms as she sighed. “She’d never quit on you… but you gotta give her a chance, Nex.” “Ya saved us, didn’t ya?” Applejack softly laughed. He tilted his head, his eyes squinting. “Now… if you can do that then there ain’t no excuse for me to keep actin’ like ah have.” She held out her hand to him. He only stared at her outstretched hand, glancing from it to her face. Twilight waited for him to do something, but he just waited. “Ahem.” The group now looked to Zecora, who nodded to Twilight knowingly. “O-Oh. Nex.” He turned his head to her. “You’re supposed to shake it… remember?” He stared at Applejack’s hand closely, his head standing erect after a few seconds. She smiled as he slowly moved his hand to her friend, hesitating ever so slightly. He paused as his hand hovered just near her, looking down at his own hand. Applejack rolled her eyes with a grin and took his hand suddenly, shaking it firmly. His limp hand stiffened as she looked him in the eye and gave a sincere smile. Twilight’s own happiness inflated when Rainbow did the same, after Applejack gave her a stiff nudge. Nex was much more apprehensive, but took her hand and shook it as firmly as she did. “Thanks… for saving us… and all,” she said. Nex nodded and released her hand, then looked down to Twilight. “You… no hate Nex?” She sniffled as she shook her head with a laugh. “You… trust Ne-... me?” With another small chuckle she stood up and gave him a hug. She felt his body lock up, his arms splayed to the sides to not touch her. “This is a hug, Nex,” she told him. “You’re supposed to do the same.” With a quiet grunt, she felt his arms wrap around her gently. After a moment, he pulled her closer and lowered his head. “Hug… warm…” Zecora chuckled softly as she set her urns near her cauldron. She pulled away from him, then watched him examine himself. He glanced up at her, then to Rainbow. “I’m good,” she laughed, holding her hands up. Nex glanced back down at his body. There was no doubt to them he was analyzing the gesture still. “I think he should stay with Pinkie, first,” Twilight announced, earning a chuckle from the rest.