//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 // Story: Nex, Gladiator // by That_Random_Pony //------------------------------// "Princess," a lunar guard called, bowing to his princess, "they've arrived." Luna sat up on her throne and nodded. "Thank you. Take them to the guest beds and have somepony notify my sister," she ordered. "And the family?" he asked, still bowing. She rose a brow, standing from her seat and moving closer. "Family?" The Lunar guard looked up from his position. "The small colt and his parents. They're here. Do we give them a guest room as well?" he questioned, curious about her confusion. Before she could answer, the door to the throne room slowly moved open, the door surrounded by a golden aura. "Have them taken to the ambassador's stay. It's much bigger for them," Celestia said, her golden shoes clacking against the marble floor. The bat-guard turned to his princess, and she nodded slowly. He bowed to both princesses and flew out of the room, leaving Luna to freely glare at Celestia. "You're acting too quickly, sister," she huffed. "Why is Glimmer back?" "Luna, we need somepony to make sure he controls himself," she argued, pacing around restlessly. "He was their guardian inside that pit, which means he isn't aggressive to them. Especially since he taught them." Luna shook her head and sighed. "Alright, alright. Hopefully the Elements won't provoke him. I would rather not let the colt endanger himself," she said, moving towards the stairs. "When will you take them to him?" Her sister seemed all too eager to answer, her wings twitching upon hearing the question. "Just after dawn. You're going to be there, aren't you?" she rapidly questioned. "Celestia, you must relax," Luna told her. She hadn't seen her sister so anxious in a long time, which was before her banishment. "Worrying won't give us answers." "Luna, I'm putting a colt with implants, my student and her friends, me and you in the same room as Nex," Celestia rambled, her words practically spilling out. "Not to mention I don't know how he's going to react or how Glimmer being present will affect him or-" Her eyes widened as she felt her mouth close and her body freeze. Luna made her way over with a faint grin, then released her hold on her sister. "You're not alone to worry, sister," she smiled, looking up at her older sibling. "I share your concerns, but please, do not bludgeon yourself with your thoughts. I'm sure we'll both come up with something if anything should go awry." Slowly but surely, a smile worked its way onto the elder alicorn's lips. She hugged her sister gently, then separated and headed to the door. "Alright... I'm going to bed. Be there when we all wake," Celestia said, smiling to her sister. "Gooodnight." "Have a wonderful dream." The door shut behind the solar princess, leaving Luna to herself. Or so she wanted her sister to believe. "General." "Yes, my lady?" General Lancer answered, stepping out from the shadow of a pillar. "Keep your best stallions awake into the morning," she ordered, moving to him. "My sister's stallions will be apprehensive, but I would like to know there are enough guards to restrain him." Lancer sighed and bowed his head. "Yes, Princess," he said, pulling off his helmet. His dull blue mane fell, a scar running just under his ear and burning a line of skin through his mane. "My lady... wouldn't it be best to trust your sister?" Luna's expression was a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "I don't recall asking you about that," she quietly told him. There was a reason Steel Lancer was chosen to be general. Even now he lived up to everything she'd heard of, even though he was a bit too true to his nature. He wasn't afraid to question his superiors. "Your sister will go to Tartarus and back to help the creature the Solar Guard captured. Its dangerous, and I myself do not see merit in tending to it,” he said, smirking as she glanced to him questioningly. “However, you aren’t like me. You are like your sister in many ways, and she is like you in just as many. If I were you, and the Princess was my brother, I would undoubtedly oppose all this… but I’d know he was right.” Luna didn’t respond, walking towards the throne and looking up to the sun and moon symbols. “It’s very frustrating, isn’t it?” he chuckled, moving towards the exit. “Younger siblings always act as though they have something to prove… especially when we feel as though we are just a shadow.” He smiled as Luna stopped, her back to him. “Stand by her… you’re a gift to her.” The door opened and closed, and Luna exhaled slowly as the words sank in. She went to the throne beside her sister's and sat down, waving to the Lunar by the door. "Night court is in session." The next morning… "Twiliiiiight!" Pinkie chirped, opening the blinds to the room. Five unanimous groans resounded as sunlight poured in. "Come on! The princesses wanna see us, remember?!" Rainbow pulled her pillow over her head, rolling onto her back. "Pinkie, cover the window," she shouted, her pillow muffling her voice. "C'mon, Dash," Applejack laughed, standing and stretching her arms. "Can't be late, now. Up and... at 'em!" She whipped Rainbow's bed up, sending her pegasus friend over into Twilight's bed, startling both as they were knocked off. "Applejack!" Rainbow shouted, untangling herself from Twilight's sheets. "Quit moving so much!" "I'm sorry for wanting to breathe!" Twilight replied, firing up her horn to teleport herself on her bed. "Applejack, you don't have to make me and Dash a knot to wake us up!" "Aw, come on, Twi. It worked, didn't it?" she grinned, gesturing to Rainbow. Said mare angrily glared at her before adjusting her tank top and reaching for a pillow. "Girls!" Rarity announced, using her magic to sit Rainbow and Applejack down. "The Princess wants to see us bright and early and you're all still arguing!" "Oh, come on," Rainbow groaned, tossing herself back onto the bed. "It's barely morning. She probably meant by ten or something." Twilight sighed and went over to the mirror, brushing her frazzled hair into place. "Still, we should get ready. Whatever she wants to tell us must be mportant," she told them, nodding at her reflection. "She didn't even come talk to us," Fluttershy added, clearing her throat. "U-Unless she was... sleeping." She covered her mouth with her arm and sneezed, her wings flaring. "Whatever it is, we have to be ready!" Pinkie chimed, already in her outfit for the day. "Let's get to it, girls!" Rarity went to shower while the rest changed. Once she was out, it was only a matter of waiting for her to finish the little things. Fluttershy looked out the window, noting the amount of guards near the castle. She moved away from the window and sat on her bed, holding her wing. "There's... a lot of guards outside." Applejack and Twilight came over to the window, looking out to see the platoon-sized squadron patrolling the area. "Is it really dangerous?" Twilight didn't have an answer, which was was bothered her. She liked to have answers so she could give them. "It must have to do with what Princess Celestia has to say," Twilight guessed, moving away from them. "I didn't think she'd have something important enough to have the Solar Guard waiting." "Looks like a lot more than just them," Applejack stated, gesturing across the castle grounds. The lunar princess and a multitude of her own guard, bat ponies, flanked her on either side. They spotted some moving in the shade, their movements hasty. Just as they spotted her, there was a knock on their door. Pinkie went to open it and smiled brightly at their visitor. "Princess!" she beamed, opening the door for her to enter. "We're so glad you're here, we're getting so worried because you have so many soldiers outside, and we don't know why we're here, and Fluttershy's sick, and Luna's-" "Pinkie," the Elements said. She giggled nervously and zipped her lips, jumping onto her bed as the princess entered. "It's great seeing you, Princess," Twilight said, hugging her mentor. She looked up to her, then softly gasped as she saw the weariness in her teacher's eyes. "Princess, what's wrong?!" Celestia smiled and pulled away, glancing to the bathroom door as Rarity rushed in. "My word, you look exhausted!" she exclaimed. The princess waved off their concerns and gestured for them to follow her. The six followed with anxious minds, looking to one another for a clue as to what was going on. "I want to thank you all for coming so quickly," Celestia said, wiping her eyes softly. "Things have been chaotic, lately." "What's going on?" Twilight asked, rushing up with her friends. "You look awful... um... sorry." "It's fine, Twilight. It's just been a busy schedule for some time," she told them, motioning for the guards in the hall to join them. The girls glanced back as a squad began to march behind and around them. "And much more stressful than I'd imagined." They stopped at an intersection, the guards forming up beside the door opposite from them. Celestia turned to them, her smile fading. "I have an assignment for you all... but I need you all to know what you're in for if you agree," she said. The guards bowed, and soon bat guards began to form up with them, bowing as well. Princess Luna walked over to her sister, her guard waiting to stand. "Hello, everypony." "Princess Luna," Twilight smiled, going over to hug her. Luna returned the gesture half-heartedly, glancing to her sister. She nodded softly, then turned to them again. "You've all been through so much together, as friends and family," Celestia said, turning to her sister. "But this is unlike what you've been through before." "There isn't a villain, nor an enemy of Equestria," Luna assured them. "But do not think for a minute that this won't be dangerous." She could feel the disapproving glance of her sister, but she felt she needed to warn them. "Whatever it might be, I'm sure we can do it," Twilight said, her friends nodding together. "We'll get it done together, like always," Applejack firmly stated, standing next to the purple unicorn. "Right, girls?" "You bet!" Pinkie chirped. "Count on it!" "Absolutely," Rarity nodded. Fluttershy sneezed again, but nodded just the same. The princesses glanced to each other, then Celestia turned to the guards by the door. With a nod, they moved to open the door, several locks slamming as they moved out of place. The door creaked open, a dim light revealing a set of stairs. The two princesses entered, Luna gesturing for them to follow. Twilight looked back to the others, who all shrugged and followed after. The marble walls of the castle disappeared, replaced with jagged walls and an uneven ceiling. The steps were shorter than modern ones, and the crude torch handles with cobwebs hinted toward the ancient feel of it. "I-Is... this a d-d-dungeon?" Fluttershy squeaked, sneezing into her sweater sleeve. "It is, though we haven't used it in some hundred years," Luna answered, peering up at a set of chains in the ceiling. Twilight was fascinated to see another part of the castle, but shocked to know there WAS actually a dungeon. She'd thought it was too unlike the princess to have one. But the princess wasn't the same as she was so long ago. "Why are we going down here, anyway?" Rainbow asked, shivering at the sight of spiders in the webs. They reached the bottom, a guard opening the old iron door. "There's... something I want you to see before we talk about what I'm asking of you all," Celestia explained, quickly losing her calm as they walked passed more and more cells. Luna could see the small twitches of her sister's wings, and she walked with her hands entwined to keep from doing so as well. The girls were surprised by the number of prison-like cells, unable to think of a full dungeon. They could see marks in the walls that were fresh, compared to the other damages. Dried blood covered some of the dents and missing chunks in the walls. They hurried to catch up with the princesses, then rounded a corner and stopped. The solar princess stood beside a wall of crystal, which Twilight recognized as a mana-inhibitor. Celestia waited for a moment, unsure if continuing would be wise. She looked to her sister, who looked away and sighed. "Girls... I want you to meet Nex." She gestured into the prison, and the girls walked over to look inside. They searched the cell, seeing no pony within the crystal prison. "Wait... what's that?" Applejack pointed to a prone form on the ground near the crystal. The girls all looked to it, noticing cloth and a ragged mane... but no fur. "What... is that Nex?" Celestia nodded softly. "Rainbow, Fluttershy." The girls looked to her. "He's wary of pegasi, so please try to keep your wings concealed. Just for now." Fluttershy pushed her wings together while Rainbow pressed hers against her back. "So... what now?" Rainbow asked. Celestia moved to the crystal, kneeling down slowly and removing her glove. *Knock Knock Knock* They all looked to Nex, but he laid there, his back to them. *Knock Knock Knock* Still no response, and the girls awkwardly looked at Luna. *Knock..... knock.... knock....* They waited. Celestia had done it like she normally did, but he wouldn't respond. He'd done this before, but not as often. She sighed and lowered her head, pressing her palm to the wall. *knock......knock* They all gasped as his fleshy hand moved away from the crystal, the bandages visible. Celestia smiled as she adjusted herself and knocked again, prompting him to knock without turning. She was annoying him, but he'd be curious if she kept at it. So she did, and he knocked once and hard, expressing his annoyance. Celestia did it again, and he pushed himself onto an elbow then got on his knees. He turned around, then recoiled at the sight of the six women. The girls were shocked to see him as well, Fluttershy moving behind Applejack as they looked to him. "It's alright. Nex... this is my student, Twilight Sparkle," Celestia softly said, gesturing for Twilight to come closer. Her student hesitantly moved to the crystal, a weak smile and wave being all she could do. She couldn't see past the mask covering the top half of his face, but she could feel his gaze boring down on her. He quietly moved closer, metal links clacking as he moved. The closer he got, the more they could see. He was furless, with small hairs running along his lanky arms. Scars littered them, some covered by dried blood. "W-What is he?" Fluttershy quivered, her wings jittering behind her. "Why... why is his face l-like that?" Nex could hear them, even the weak one. He went to where he had been lying and tossed a number of bones to the wall, grabbing their attention as he licked the end of one. "Are... are those... bones?" Twilight gasped, watching him pick a small chunk of meat off the exposed marrow. "He dislikes most vegetables, and he favors flesh... when cooked," Luna told them. "The guards aren't comfortable with cleaning out his cell." "He... doesn't trust ponies." Celestia gave him a sad smile as he glared at her, so she assumed. "And... I wouldn't blame him." The girls turned to him again, his presence putting some off. "That's silly. We're all nice ponies. He doesn't have to worry!" Pinkie smiled, pressing her face to the crystal. Nex flinched visibly, his arms tensing as he tried restraining himself. "Pinkie," Luna reprimanded, much more harsh than her tone was. The party mare eased up and stepped back. "He... was 'tough' to work with." She let her sister speak as she moved towards the cell. "Nex... was taken as a colt," Celestia began, unsure of what was alright to say. "He... he was put through torture... horrible experiments..." She touched the crystal again, unfazed by his presence directly on the other side of the wall. "Whoever took him... they did it to others... turned them into monsters... had them kill one another." Nex growled menacingly, his fists clenched as she went on. She looked to him, glaring with such authority it was difficult for him to try and assert himself. He slumped back down, sitting with his back to them. Luna stepped over and had her sister stop before she remembered too much. "We found their... one of their hideouts," she sighed. "Shining Armor led a platoon inside. The members of the ring fought back... and then Nex and the others were freed." "My brother?!" Twilight quickly asked. "Is he alright?! Was he hurt or-or-" "The Captain wasn't harmed... not like the others, at the very least." She glanced to one of the guards present. "But... not even he could withstand what he saw... colts and fillies mindlessly trying to slaughter those in their path." She ignored Nex's grunt, but it made the rest jump a bit. "So... where are the others, then?" Rarity asked, seeing no other cells like his. "Shouldn't they be in prisons like this?" They gasped when Nex slammed his fist on the crystal, his teeth bared at them. "There were only three survivors," Luna whispered. "Including him." There was silence, a very chilling quiet that thickened the air in the dungeon. Celestia stood upright, walking over to Twilight and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Twilight, he is no monster," she practically pleaded. "He's different, but he still has a heart. He's survived without anypony for far too long, and I want to fix that." She looked inside the prison, his back to them once again. He waited to hear them; for the purple one's voice to refuse or express disgust. They were ponies, just like all the others. She would rather see him die than become her problem. He glanced to them, eyeing the weak one as she sniffled and shivered. She was sick. She wouldn't be a challenge, even if she was an earth pony... though she was a bit thin. The orange and pink ones were taller, but the blue one was a bit lean as well. Too thin for an earth pony. "Ah...AH... choo!" He glanced to the weak one, her wings flaring as she- ... Wings. ... Pegasus. ... Pegasus... pegasus! "PEGASUS!" Nex roared, pulling on his chains as hard as he could. The princesses saw Fluttershy's wings spread open, and Celestia ran over to the crystal while a number of guards flanked her. "Nex, they're not here to hurt you!" she assured him. His chains held, but the wall began to crack as he pulled harder and harder. "They're here to help you! Nex! He roared and yelled as he thrashed, his arms refusing to move far enough to strike anything. Fluttershy cowered behind her friends, while Applejack and Rainbow waited for anything dangerous to happen. Twilight yelped as Luna pushed her aside, then bumped into a small pony. Nex continued to roar and shout at them, watching as the dark blue woman pushed ahead, two more ponies following. He was ready to fight, to make her wish she'd never kept him holed up. She would prove that she didn't care. None of them did. His roar died out immediately. His eyes widened beneath his mask as Glimmer approached the crystal with Luna. Two ponies, a blue unicorn stallion and a rose colored pegasus, tried to come with him, but the princess had them stay back. Nex growled angrily at the pegasus woman, but turned back to the colt as he knocked on the wall. "Hi, Nete." His small voice wasn't monotone. It had... it was his own voice. Not what the pit had developed. "It's okay. Princess wants to help." Nex glanced up to the two ponies, both extremely uncomfortable with Glimmer near him. He grunted softly, sitting down to be eye level with the colt. He looked back and smiled up to the mare, who forced herself to do the same. "Nete... this is Mommy, and that's Daddy," Glimmer explained. "They find me when princesses look for them. They're family... like you my family." He put his small palm on the crystal, and Nex leaned his head against the spot. "You... free... no more hurt," he murmured. They were surprised to hear him speak so warmly, only knowing the sound of his hoarse and vicious cries. "Leave... no remember me." Glimmer's smiled faded, and he bared his teeth before slamming his fist into the crystal. "Nete! They wanna fix what they did!" he shouted, sniffling before wiping his nose. "Please... I want you to get better." Nex looked away, growling lowly before standing and roaring at them. "GET OUT!" he bellowed. "NO PEGASUS! NO PONIES!" Glimmer bashed his fist on the crystal again, quietly crying as he moved away. His mother's wings engulfed him, her arms wrapping around him and hugging him close. Nex turned to Celestia, bearing down with his icy gaze. He grunted aggressively, then glanced over to the girls. Rainbow had let her wings spread, which Nex could see, and returned his stare with a resilient glare. "Nete!" They turned as Glimmer broke away from his mother and reached into his shirt. He yanked a piece of string from his neck, holding something sleek and black in his grip. Nex recognized it all too well. Everyone else was shocked and fearful that he had such a sharp object. There was a fire in Glimmer's eyes, one that Nex had made sure the others had as well. The blade was a key. The only thing that could change him and others like him into the monsters from the pit. And Glimmer was readying to do just that. His mother screamed as he lifted it, plunging it towards his heart as his father's horn lit up. Rarity and Twilight did the same, but the princesses extinguished their auras quickly. A guard did the same to Glimmer's father, another rushing to stop the boy. They wouldn't make it in time. The key was just above his chest, and it wasn't about to stop. A booming, shattering sound resounded in the hall, silencing everyone immediately. Glimmer opened his eyes, believing one of the guards had managed to reach him. He gasped as he looked at the fleshy, bloody hand crushing his wrist, then looked up at his protector. The girls stared in horror. Small pikes poked out from his knuckles, blood trickling out from the wounds they'd made. His arm jutted out from the massive crystal, holding Glimmer's wrist just an inch from his chest. Nex grunted as he felt his shattered fist crying in pain. He grunted to get the boy's attention, his mask barely showing his smile. "No do that... you free." His grip loosened on Glimmer's arm, but he clung to Nex's arm and sobbed. "They different, Nete," he whispered, dropping the key. "Please... we free..." He rested his head on Nex's implanted armament, blood touching his cheek. "...you free, too." His mother slowly kneeled beside him, then held Nex's hand. She stared back, a gentle defiance meeting Nex's hatred. "Please... you're in good hands," she told him. Nex shifted, unfamiliar with such genuine concern. "It's the least you can do for him... we wouldn't have him without you." He kept his eyes on Glimmer, something nudging him to speak. Instead, he opened his hand, biting back the urge to yell, and moved to wipe the blood and tears from his cheeks. Glimmer looked up and sniffled, nuzzling the palm on his face. "I... let ponies... help," he grunted. Glimmer's eyes widened, Nex smiling at the relief on his eyes. "But," he said, grabbing the boy's attention, "...you no leave with key... you go home... and no remember Nete." "Why not?" Glimmer asked, confused beyond his small mind’s comprehension. "You save me... keep us alive in pit!" "Pit gone... but I part of pit... no forget... but you forget me... you forget pit, too," he smiled, stroking his cheek. The pikes pulled back under his skin, and Nex pulled his arm back into the cell. "You free... you grow up smart... and no remember bad men." Glimmer choked on his words, crying in his mother's arms. He didn't want to forget the one who saved him from horrors. He wanted to see Nex get better, to become normal and get everything out of his body. They would never remember the pit, and go on in their lives happy and free of their past. They would forget what they turned him into. He couldn't know this, but he believed if he didn't accept then Nex wouldn't get help. So, he nodded. "Okay," he whispered, moving away from the crystal. "Okay." Nex smiled, then caressed his broken hand as he sat down. "Go home, Glimmer... this goodbye." The boy nodded, holding back his urge to sob. He was too matured for that, and Nex always taught them to never show weakness. Glimmer let his mother guide him to the side, and his father picked him up and let him weep into his shoulder. They walked past the Elements, but Glimmer pulled himself up and collected himself enough to speak. "Fix Nete!" he yelled at them. "Please... Nete need help!" Nex closed his eyes as their footsteps went silent. He looked down on his lap, where his good hand clutched something tightly to himself. Glimmer's key shined in the torchlight, and he stuffed it into his rags. Noticing the dead noise, he peered up to the women and guards standing outside. They were sharing stares between him and the hole he'd made. The guards were even out of their hardened expressions and legitimately astonished at his outburst. He snorted to catch their attention, holding up his bleeding and broken hand. "Broke.”