Homecoming of a Jumper

by tosety

04 The Many Sins of Alex Roberts

Warning: Scootabuse
This chapter is currently the darkest out of my planned chapters.
You may want to skip this chapter if you have trouble with cruel people intentionally inflicting pain on those weaker than them.

---

Steelskin was sitting with Matthew in the Everfree Forest.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Matt whispered, gesturing to the blind around them and the gun in his hand.

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t like it, but I’ve gotten used to it and I need someone to talk to.” Steelskin took a deep breath. “Tallic needed to eat meat occasionally and we were both scared that he might jump and leave me in some of those worlds, so he had to take me along on his kills...” He shuddered a little, giving the lie to his tough words.

He looked at Matt and promptly gave up on the act.

“First time I saw him kill was seriously rough,” Steelskin continued, giving a chuckle that tried to show humor. “I threw up and nearly wet myself at the same time.” He swallowed hard. “But that’s for some other day.”

They sat in silence for a while, Matt scanning the trees, Steelskin trying to compose his thoughts.

“It actually wasn’t that bad when there wasn’t much blood.” His voice dropped to a whisper before he added “Usually there was a lot.” Steelskin nervously ran his tongue across the small eye teeth in his mouth that had started to develop even before his first jump. “It’s also easier to take when the one being killed was trying to kill us.”

“Yeah, I’m not a fan of blood myself. Normally I’d rather just buy or trade for meat, but if some wild animal wants to attack me then it’s only fair that it does me the favor of at least being delicious.” Matt adjusted his helmet, turning his visor completely transparent. A myriad of symbols and images displayed along the edges. “Being a jumper for some reason also feels like someone put a giant ‘kick me’ sign on our back… or more likely ‘kill me’.”

Steelskin nodded in agreement before looking at him questioningly. “If you prefer to buy your meat, doesn’t Garbo’s sell raw chicken?”

Matt sat for a minute. “I think it’s important to keep the dangerous animal populations down and want to keep my skills up just in case.”

Steelskin gave a slight smile, thinking about how Fluttershy would react to that.

---

#EA - 02#
@Arrival + 30 minutes@

As we sat there, waiting for our vision to clear and my stomach to settle, we heard a familiar voice with a very worrying tone.

“Oh ho! I’ve got a Steelskin with the lizard. Celly will be jealous. Hopefully he’s gotten a good bit of training.”

“But he’s so young. Maybe you should-”

I heard a sickening thud and a light blue blur moved.

“Shut up, Rainbow. Don’t start getting uppity.” Alex’s voice took on a cruel amusement. “Or I’ll pull a new, more willing you and he’ll get a training Dash.” I had the distinct impression that he gestured with a thumb at me.

“What fresh hell have we discovered this time?” I felt Tallic’s menacing question through my hooves.

“So, Rusty, are you going by Tallic or Metallicana?” Alex gave a cruel chuckle. “Not that it matters. You’ll be Rusty until I’m done with you.” I could almost hear his smile. “Then you’ll be scrap.”

“You will be lunch once I escape this,” Tallic rumbled.

Suddenly, electricity coursed through us. I couldn’t even scream as I fell off Tallic’s back. Alex’s chuckle turned into a full laugh as I caught my breath. I heard a little sniffle from what had to be Rainbow Dash.

“That’s what you’ll get if you’re not one hundred percent obedient.” I’m pretty sure I could see him holding some sort of device in his hand. “Well, that and whenever I think it’ll be funny to see you twitch.”

---

Steelskin gave a shudder. “He zapped at least one of us a day and liked to punish us by zapping the other one.”

Matt put a hand on Steelskin’s back. “Ouch.”

Steelskin gave an angry smile. “As Tallic likes to say ‘Time wounds all heels’. He got what was coming to him. Just don’t let this Alex know his other selves can be like that. I think he’d feel like he’s responsible for what they do.”

Matt gave him a sad smile. "You've really grown up, haven't you? I'm sorry you can't live in innocence like the other ponies, but welcome to my world all the same. Just remember, we suffer the hard choices so they don't have to... And if it ever becomes too much for you, I'll help you through it."

Steelskin gave a sad smile with a nod of his head. “Yeah, just don’t tell Miss Sweetheart or Cheerilee. It’s kinda nice getting to be a child again.”

His gaze drifted to the forest outside and his smile turned peaceful. “Youth really is wasted on the young. It’s almost worth what I’ve been through, being able to be treated as whatever age I want.” He hoped that sounded more convincing than it felt.

The smile faded as he stared out into the forest for a while.

“The rules that this reality’s Alex and Princess Celestia had set up meant that he had the choice of whether to send Tallic and myself in as a pair or just one of us. What that meant for me was all sorts of tests against humans, unicorns, gryphons-whatever was the next most dangerous enemy. He also shocked Tallic a good ten minutes every time I refused to kill my opponent.” Steelskin swallowed hard and closed his eyes. “He’d usually kill them anyway with something called a ‘finisher’. He’d make me watch as they exploded, leaving a bloody metal ball where they were lying that would form itself back into his knife... The first time he did it, I decided I’d try to kill the next one.”

---

#EA - 02#
@Arrival + 2 days@

“Do not give in to his demands. I do not care if you kill or not, but the punishment is more than a fair trade to see you refuse to bend to his wishes,” Tallic told me when we got back to our now separate cages.

A few hours later, Alex came in dragging a trembling Scootaloo. The pain and fear in her eyes made me snap. I sent my hoof through the bars to smash into his skull. Sadly, once my hoof went between the bars I got hit by a wave of electricity. As I was twitching on the ground, I heard him.

“Oh, look sweetie, he tried to attack me. Guess what that means?”

I opened my eyes just in time to see the terror on her face reach new heights.

“B-but dad-”

“No, the moron you call dad is over there.” Alex pointed towards the door to the arena as he tossed her into a cage across from me. “Sweet dreams.” Just outside the door was a head on a stake.

With that, he turned and walked out the way he came.

I wondered why Scootaloo was flying inside her cage even though it was a horrible struggle for her... up until her hooftip touched the bare floor. She let out an anguished scream as magical energy jumped to her body and she fell, writhing in pain.

I vowed then and there that the first one I ever killed would be him.

---

Steelskin was distracted by the sound of metal rubbing against metal. He looked down to see that his hooves had reshaped themselves into daggers. They were rubbing against each other, sharpening the cutting edge. He did his best to remove the snarl from his face.

Trembling, he whispered “I’m glad I didn’t get to kill him. I don’t want to be that pony.”

“You’re not that pony,” Matt said, slapping his back affectionately. “Even if you were, I wouldn’t think any less of you. That... thing needed to die.” He saw a tear fall from Steelskin’s eye. “You need to stop or keep going?”

Steelskin took a shuddering breath. “I can’t stop here, I’d never get to sleep. If I don’t get to the happy ...ish part, this bit will keep running through my mind.”

He took a minute to calm his breathing and put his hooves back to their normal shape.

“I spent my days training and seeing either Tallic or Scootaloo tortured when I didn’t do what he wanted. My nights were spent listening to her cry and get randomly hit by a pain spell from the floor while I tried to figure out the machine that pulled us into that world and the spell it was casting to hold us there.”

---

#EA - 02#
@Arrival + 15 days@

I was facing down an enraged Rainbow Dash. She had a lance in one hoof and a crossbow in the other.

”Die already! Let me kill you!” Dash charged me with the lance.

I jumped out of the way, sending out my hoof-club to knock the crossbow off target before rolling back to my feet. She finally lost it when I knocked the crossbow out of her grasp. Throwing away the spear, she tackled me and started smashing her hooves into my face.

I had a flashback to my own tantrum the night I first met Tallic and my heart went out to her.

“Why won’t you die? He said he’d let Scootaloo go if I killed you!” Tears spattered against my face as she tried to get past the iron plating I grew over the skin of my face.

Her blind rage left her completely open for me to throw her off me and pin her.

“Bravo!” Alex walked onto the field, clapping. He was dressed in his normal plated armor that flowed and changed with every movement. It was a dull black with golden inlays that also shifted, keeping you from being able to focus on what the design actually was. A stylized sun was displayed prominently on his chest and gauntlets. Circling all three suns were blood red gems that tasted of necromancy. I couldn’t tell what they did, but my stomach churned just thinking about the stolen life force contained inside them.”

“Well done, Steelskin. That was so entertaining that if you decide not to kill her, I won’t mind. It’ll be quite fun to see you fight her every night after your real fights.”

I stepped off her as she broke into sobs and curled into a ball of misery.

Alex grabbed her mane and dragged her up to whisper in her ear. “Did you really think you stood a chance against him?” He clutched his free hand to his chest and switched to a mocking, singsong voice. ”Oh, I’m so loyal, I’m sure to win and save my friends!” His voice switched back to his normal cruelty. “It was too funny when you looked so happy at the thought of the little chicken being released.”

Alex kissed her full on the mouth before dropping her and walking away. “Now get your worthless hides into your cages before I rip off her useless little wings.”

I saw her snap. Her eyes went wide, her mouth twisted into a feral snarl, and all evidence of intelligence disappeared. Only one emotion could be seen and that was pure, concentrated rage.

With a primal scream, she charged him. She moved so fast she started to get her rainbow contrail behind her. Alex backhanded her out of the air without even turning around. I saw a glow from those evil gems on his gauntlet as it connected with her head. She flew through the air and slammed into the wall of the stadium, accompanied by the sound of breaking bones. Her body hung for a brief moment before sliding limply to the ground. A look of dazed hopelessness slowly replaced her angry stare.

After lying there for a minute, she struggled to her feet and limped to the cell she’d been given right next to Scootaloo’s.

It was not an idle threat. She was thrown onto the field immediately after each day’s opponent and she either attacked me, hoping I’d be too tired from my real fight or begged me to die so Scootaloo would get freed.

Each night, I continued to try and figure out the magic keeping us from jumping. After three weeks, I had a pretty good understanding of at least the flavors of the magic involved.

That was also the time the flop flew.

“Pssst! Steelskin!” A stage whisper woke me up. “Everything’s set. I hope you’ve gotten a good enough taste of that dimensional doohickey. All we need is for Tallic to take out Alex and we can begin the revolution.”

I looked over to see Pinkie Pie just outside of my cage. Her smile dropped as she added in a sad voice, “I’m really sorry... for everything.”

She pulled a halfhearted smile onto her face before disappearing down the hall in a pink blur.

A few minutes later, a voice I had come to hate started talking to us.

“So, Steelskin, since you won’t cooperate, you get to sit on the sidelines and watch Tallic show you how it’s done.” I looked just in time to see Alex turn and open Scootaloo’s cage. “Come on, chicken, time to join mommy in the box seats.”

I noticed Dash’s cage was already empty.

He reached in and grabbed Scootaloo roughly by one wing and carried her through the giant doors that opened onto the stadium. She didn’t make a sound, but tears formed in her eyes. The stands were full of all maner of species. Mostly in attendance were wargs and gryphons, but I saw some minotaurs, owlbears, and a few ponies cheering as our cages were slid out into the arena.

A voice boomed out over the stadium. “Fighting for General Alex Roberts, we have Metallicana the Iron Dragon!”

Cheers broke out all across the stadium as Alex stood, flanked by Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, both wearing bridles tied to posts.

“And fighting for Sol Invictus Regis, Goddess of Equestria, Matthew Brennan the Space Marine.”

---

"Marine?” Matt made a derisive snort. “...Then again I suppose Independant Commando would confuse the crowd. Hell, call me a black ops commando. At least that would be true for anyone else with my designation."

Steelskin chuckled quietly. “I bet they chose marine because of how it sounded. I’ve heard of something on your world called ‘professional wrestling’ and I think that’s the feel they were going for.”

---

#EA - 02#
@Arrival + 22 days@

More cheers went up as a familiar suit of armor walked onto the field as Celestia stood and flared her wings. Instead of a pastel rainbow, her mane and tail were bright reds and oranges. The look on her face was both proud and contemptuous. Tied in the same fashion as Dash and Scootaloo, a de-winged and de-horned Luna lay to her right and a hornless Sombra to her left. While Dash, Scootaloo and Sombra were obviously broken, Luna sat with a regal sadness.

Neither Tallic nor Matt looked happy to be there.

Once both gladiators reached the centers of their respective halves of the field, the shimmering barrier between them dissipated.

Tallic lunged at Matt, narrowly dodging a blaster shot. Matt dodged to the side as Tallic’s claw came down where he was standing. Tallic lashed out with his other claw, narrowly missing Matt before dodging a second blaster bolt.

I was worried. Tallic was acting like he was playing with Matt. He was moving slower than he normally did, kinda like how he’d get when he was hunting in a bad mood. He always felt bad when he looked over to see me looking upset, but something about being angry when hunting caused him to torment his prey.

I noticed they were talking to each other as they traded near misses. Suddenly Tallic backwinged and drew up like he was going to hit Matt with his breath attack.

Matt fired his blaster right at at Tallic’s head. Tallic moved his head just in time and fired the biggest spike I had ever seen him launch right behind Matt’s blaster bolt before winging his way right behind the two attacks. The bolt hit the shield right in front of Alex, followed closely by the spear.

The blaster bolt made the shield tremble. The spear disintegrated but still managed to crack the shield. Tallic rammed into the exact same spot and the shield shattered. I saw Tallic’s eyes go wide with pain, but he continued on and grabbed Alex, throwing him into the ring before cutting the tethers on Dash and ‘Loo.

Matt shot the post that Luna was bound to before hitting my cage with repeated shots. I saw a crack and rammed my shoulder into it, grinding my teeth at the painful electric shock.

The cage shattered. The pain was blinding and I fell to my knees for a brief moment, panting, before getting back to my hooves.

I ran into our dungeon room and began to rip apart the dimensional machines until I didn’t taste any more active magic.

Immediately, I felt a jump starting and I ran back to where Tallic was fighting Alex. He felt it, too, and started galloping in my direction.

Alex shot out that sword-thing of his and caught Tallic’s tail. Tallic wrenched his tail in a move that should’ve sent Alex flying. Instead, it was like Alex was a statue. Not even his arm moved when Tallic tried to throw him. Instead, a gem on the gauntlets he was wearing flared brightly.

Tallic changed tactics and grabbed at him. Alex jumped to the side. Tallic looked back over to me with a horrified look before turning back and sweeping Alex’s legs out from under him.

A sphere of blinding white encircled him and a shock wave knocked me back.

When I got to my hooves, I saw a circle of grass where he had been standing and a round thing on the ground.

---

Matt pulled Steelskin into a hug as Steelskin’s body trembled. No words were said, they just sat there for a few minutes.

When he was ready, Steelskin pushed Matt away and closed his eyes.

“That round thing was Alex’s head. I don’t like what I felt when I saw it. It was a vicious mix of anger that I didn’t get to kill him myself, fierce gloating that he was dead, and a hope that Tallic ripped his body to shreds wherever he landed. And then...” Steelskin was overcome with revulsion. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Then I imagined that he... I imagined that he was unconscious at my feet, lifted up my forehooves and...”

Steelskin closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“I... smashed his head. I loved the sensation of his skull cracking under my hooves. The only thing that would’ve made it feel better was if he was alive when I did it.”

Tears flowed freely from Steelskin’s eyes.

Matt pulled off his helmet and looked Steel in the eyes. "I was trained to fight cold. Even before I started jumping it was drilled into me over and over to fight cold. And you know what? I still sometimes lose it. There's no shame in that, Steelskin. Last time I lost control like that? I kept going until the other guy was a smear on the ground. I didn't just beat the body. I killed him slow. When I finally calmed down I was so sickened I lost my lunch. The fact we know it's wrong means we aren't monsters, just that we were pushed farther than our minds could take and we lashed out at the cause of our misery." Matt looked him in the eyes and actually looked weak, beaten and defeated. "I struggle with what I did every day of my life. It gets easier but it never goes away."

Steelskin smiled sadly and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Thanks. It’s good to know I’m not alone.” His voice was ragged, but a certain strength had returned.

"Yeah, I'm glad not to be alone anymore either... No offence."

Steelskin gave an honest smile. “None taken. I know exactly what you mean.”

---

#EA - 02#
@Arrival + 22 days@

I looked down at my hooves and saw his brains smeared all over them. The remains of his head reminded me of the pumpkins my dad and I liked to launch on Nightmare Night. I suddenly hated myself. I looked up to see Celestia getting surrounded by a rainbow tornado. The element bearers were spaced evenly around her, wearing the Elements of Harmony. I just had time to see the rainbows fade to reveal a statue before my world was filled with white.

I think I also saw Pinkie Pie waving goodbye to me with a tear in her eye.

---

Steelskin took a calming breath. “I’m okay now, go ahead and take your shot.” Steel motioned to the window of the blind where there was a clear shot on a cocatrice.

Matt looked back at Steelskin in concern.

“Really, I’m okay. You came out here to hunt. You’ve already done more than I could ask. I just need a little time to get myself back under control.” Steel tried to smile reassuringly.

Matt gave him a smile and ruffled his mane before turning around and lining up the shot.

Steelskin closed his eyes but still flinched slightly. The sound of the weapon called forth other memories of other Mathew Brennans.

Author's Note:

Thanks to all my prereaders, especially KMCA and Techogre, who suggested most of their characters' dialog.

Comments

[Techogre]

I really enjoyed this chapter. Not for the Scootabuse and such, but because an evil version of Alex Roberts got his just deserts.