Lone Wolf of Equestria: Back to the Pack

by JNKing

Chapter 15: The Pit

Logan thought he would get to enjoy another round of shocked looks from the Mane Six. But instead, all he got were resigned, deadpan looks.

“Do you really think yer fooling us, Logan?” Applejack asked.

“What d’you mean?” Logan asked in mock innocence.

“All these near-death experiences,” Rainbow Dash said. “But you’re still standing here, telling us. So… how’d you get out of that one?”

Logan leaned back, bemused that they were no longer shocked or angered by his actions.

“Well, for once,” he noted. “I had a little help.”

“I think ‘a little help’ understates how often you needed others,” Twilight noted sternly.

“Well, this help tried to kill me shortly afterwards,” Logan countered. He grinned as he finally got a look of wide-eyed shock.

#

Now, if I’m being honest, it’s dumb luck that kept me from drowning that day. One moment, I was going up in a burst of lighting and foaming water. The next thing I knew I was steadily drifting down the shoreline; in and out of consciousness.

The few things I saw during that time made little sense, and again, it was pure dumb luck that I was floating on my back and not on my belly. If I had been floating on my stomach, my face would have been in the water, and I wouldn’t be here right now.

For a while, I just remembered seeing how many clouds I could count before I drifted off again. The cool water around eventually turned to hard gravel. And even with the water tugging at my tail and legs, that feeling of hard gravel didn’t leave me for a while, indicating that I had washed up on land.

Sometime after washing up on land, a couple of faces appeared above me. Bovines… more specifically bulls. One even had that classic nose ring that you expect on cows. The image was ruined when they reached down with… oddly humanoid hands.

#

Fluttershy gasped. “Minotaurs,” she whispered. “You got caught by minotaurs.”

For once, Logan didn’t respond with any sass. “You met them too?” he asked.

“One,” Rarity said, sharing a glance with Pinkie Pie before both looked at Fluttershy. “It… wasn’t a good day.”

Fluttershy looked like she was trying to hide behind her mane. The sight made Logan’s ears flatten.

“Well, no matter what the one minotaur put you through,” Logan noted. “I can tell you this; a bunch of them is way worse.”

#

When I managed to wake up for good, my surroundings had changed. I was in what seemed to be some sort of pit. Light shined down from a barred ceiling, and the walls around me were solid stone. There were a few cracks in the left one, but I could only make out another cell like the one I was in. No sense breaking through to get there. The only other option was a steel padded door, almost like the vault to a human safe. I could’ve wailed on that all day, and hardly made a dent.

As I explored my odd surroundings, I noticed life shifting in the cell adjacent to me. I tried to peer through, but couldn’t make out who it was.

“Hey,” I hissed. “Hey!”

The life form shifted, and a low chuckle greeted me.

“Well, lick my nicks,” the voice growled. “The dog lives.”

“Where am I?” I demanded. “What’s going on?”

“The Pits of Tartarus, my furry friend,” the low voice replied. “Or, at least the gateway to them.”

I tilted my head.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about escape,” the voice continued. “It’s of no importance now. Soon enough, you will fight. And then you will die.”

“Don’t count me out yet,” I replied, my magic glowing despite myself.

He chuckled. “None survive the fighting pits,” he replied, his voice amused, yet also slightly dead inside.

Not long after that, the sound of a door creaking open emanated.

“Show time,” a booming voice growled. It had to be the minotaur; take away the words, and you’d have the bellow of a bull.

There was a clattering of chains, a whine of hinges, and the door slammed shut again. Without anything to do or anyone to talk to, my ears managed to make out a new sound. A roar. But not the roar of a singular being; a collective roar. As if every cow in your world and mine had gathered together, and were bellowing for blood.

I then heard a louder roar; an alpha bull, if I had ever heard one. I couldn’t make out his words, but it sounded like he was announcing something big. Almost like the jack hole who had tried to break me back in my world. My heart burned in rage at the sound. Shortly thereafter, it was followed by more roars. And the clang of steel.

After a minute of listening to that, a lock clicked on my own door. It swung open, revealing a black furred monster of a minotaur; a brass ring shoved through his nose, horns sharp enough to gore me where I stood, and blood stained hooves that looked like they crushed skulls for fun.

“Show time,” he boomed in that same voice that had taken my companion.

I almost thought of something witty to say like… ‘How about no?’… before he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck, and shoved me down the tunnel.

#

It was like I was back on Earth; only instead of being with my pack, I was back with the humans, being broken into whatever purpose they had in mind for me. The minotaur released my neck, but constantly shoved me forward, an axe on clear display in case I got any ideas. He didn’t seem perturbed about me running forward. That was the direction he wanted me to go in.

Up ahead, I made out bronze doors. Ten feet tall, emblazoned with images of bulls fighting each other or fighting other creatures. The roar was coming from right behind them.

“Be sure to smile for the crowd,” the black minotaur said. “They can’t wait to see the Lone Wolf of Equestria in action.”

A chill settled in my gut, but I tried to stamp it down. “My rep precedes me?” I asked.

The minotaur chuckled. “Many of our clients are chomping at the bit for your bounty. Fight well enough, and you may be delivered to one of your hunters alive.”

“One of my hunters?” I would have thought he meant Celestia. Did someone else have a bounty out for me?

#

Logan huffed. “Then again, you guys did mention a Queen of the Changelings,” he admitted.

Celestia nodded grimly. “That was partly why I set the…” she stopped. Logan stared at her.

“Go on,” he prompted with a grin.

She shook her head. “Your magic was a pragmatic risk to…”

“Celestia,” Logan said softly. “I want you… to say it.”

Celestia glared down at him, but Logan shifted on his haunches and glared right back. Celestia finally sighed.

“Fine,” she muttered. “The risk of Queen Chrysalis or someone worse capturing you was why I set the bounty.” She said 'bounty' like the Storm King said 'cute ponies.'

Logan clapped and pointed. “Told you, she knew it was a bounty!” he howled with glee. Celestia just turned away, her face red as an apple.

“We all know,” Fluttershy said in exasperation. “But… what about the minotaurs?”

“Yes,” Rarity insisted. “Perhaps some ruffian named Iron Will was among them?”

Logan’s laughter ceased. “Iron who?” he asked.

“That’s a definitive no, Rarity,” Twilight noted, before noticing Logan’s confused look. “Iron Will was the minotaur they encountered; he taught assertiveness lessons.”

Logan blinked. “A minotaur teaching assertiveness lessons?” he asked, before grinning. “Wait until you hear what his home town had in store.”

#

The minotaur opened the bronze doors, and I was pushed out… into another arena.

Unlike the one Celestia found me in, this was far larger. The dirt floor was circular, just big enough for one of you ponies to drive a carriage around the rim if you pulled it tight enough. In the center of the arena, a griffon was fighting a diamond dog. The griffon looked panicked; feathers falling from him as he flapped around his enemy, using a sword and shield. The diamond dog, meanwhile, swung an axe the size of a full-grown mare, while a crowd of minotaurs cheered above.

The first tier of seats was twelve feet above the arena floor. Plain stone benches wrapped all the way around, and every seat was full. I made out more of the big minotaurs I had already seen, and I even saw a few female minotaurs (it was the lack of horns that gave them away). A particular throb went through my heart when I even saw children; tiny little minotaur whelps pumping their fists and cheering alongside their parents.

The only thing worse than seeing kids this invested in a blood sport had to be the skulls. The arena was full of them; ringing the edge of the railing. Three-foot-high piles of them decorated the steps between the benches. They grinned from pikes at the back of the stands and hung on chains from the ceiling like a horrible chandelier. And there were skulls of every kind: griffon, diamond dog, minotaur, a couple dragons, a bunch I didn’t recognize… I even saw a few pony skulls among them. Some of them were thankfully older; nothing but bleached white bone. Others… I’m just gonna say they were fresher and leave it at that.

#

“Thank you,” Twilight insisted.

“Please,” Rarity said, already turning pale. “No details on that.”

#

Right above a banner displaying a bull skull with crossed axes, sat easily the largest minotaur I had seen. Much larger than the one currently holding me by the collar. He had to be at least ten feet tall, and so wide he took up three seats. He wore a bronze breastplate, with nothing to cover his shaggy goat hindquarters. His humanoid arms were a dark red, and tattooed with scenes of carnage and combat.

I was distracted from him by a cry on the arena floor. I jumped back as the griffon crash-landed, skidding to a stop right in front of me.

He met my eyes pleadingly. “Help,” he whimpered.

I started to run forward, but the minotaur was faster, and hefted me up by the scruff of my neck. I nearly went for his eyes, but a squeeze of my neck caused my arms to tense up. Worst of all, the minotaur was so casual about it. Almost like he had done this before with dozens of dogs.

“This isn’t your fight,” he growled, “Wait your turn.”

I fumed, looking down on the griffon with pity. His wing was bent at a bad angle, and his shield straps pinned his arm down. The Diamond Dog kicked his sword out of his talon and put his huge paw on the griffon’s chest. Instead of letting the griffon have some dignity, the dog then looked up at the giant minotaur. The crowd cheered.

“DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!” they chanted.

They only went quiet when the giant minotaur stood. He smiled down at the griffon, who was whimpering. “No… No-no-please!”

Then the giant held out his hand, and jutted a thumb down.

I shut my eyes as the diamond dog swung his axe, but my ears couldn’t drown out the roar of approval from the crowd. I didn’t open my eyes until the guard minotaur hurled me onto the sand, and I was sure the griffon and dog were gone.

As the crowd quieted down, I lifted my head up, realizing with a punch of shame that I was on all fours like a cowering dog. The giant minotaur had raised his hands, and the crowd went quiet at his gesture. They were all grinning down at me, so I quickly pulled myself up, and tried to hide my fear with a look of anger.

“Now, my friends,” the minotaur alpha said. “It is time for our main event. A creature that Princess Celestia herself wants brought back to her. A dog that defies death at every turn.” He indicated me. “The Lone Wolf of Equestria!”

The crowd roared; some jeered, others cheered. One even threw a stone. It caught me by the cheek, leaving a good-sized cut, but I stood my ground, and glared up at the thrower with a silent death glare.

“For two years now, this dog has been hunted by the royal wenches of Equestria and beyond,” the minotaur continued. “Now, fate has brought him here, to the hooves of King Steel Fists, and his fighting pit of Blood and Sand! Who has a champion that can put the dog in his place, and prove their master worthy of collecting the bounty set upon this dog’s head?!”

“None of you are worthy!” I bellowed at them. The crowd gave a collective “OH!” of both rage and shock, but I strode to the middle of the arena. “Look at the lot of you; watching while others hack each other apart. For your entertainment?” I spat. “You’re all pathetic!”

The giant minotaur laughed, bemused. “And yet here you are,” he noted. “In my arena. Either about to die, or to be sold like a common animal.” He waved his hand to the side of a wall, where a wall of weapons appeared. “Choose your weapons.” He grinned at my jacket. “Choose your armor. And we shall see how you die!”

I fumed, wanting to use those weapons to beat them. But the walls were far too high, and none of the weapons were ranged. But there was armor. And despite the many patch jobs I had given my jacket, it was falling apart.

#

Logan indicated his jacket now, with the multiple bits of armor burned into it.

“That’s how it got this way,” he noted, though his voice got low as it did. “Dad told me it would protect me where he couldn’t, but I figured… Dad’s promise might need a little help.”

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash hummed. “I was wondering when it got like that. I would’ve assumed the dragons gave you it.”

Logan laughed. “Dragons have natural armor,” he said. “Why would they need more?”

“You have no idea how greedy some dragons can get,” Twilight replied.

“Can’t be greedy if you don’t have time,” Logan noted, looking down at his jacket again with a hint of displeasure.

#

My work was a bit of a rush job. I had to suffer a few wolf whistles when I pulled my jacket off. But as I used my lightning, and fused the metal to the parts of my jacket that were falling apart, the minotaur boss noticed another standing up eagerly. The giant waved his hand… and the same diamond dog that had killed that griffon sauntered out. I gave him a glare, but I was more focused on getting the armor sewn in. I had to use lightning to get the thing to stick, and even then, I risked burning the leather.

The Diamond Dog swung his axe, and looked up at the giant for approval. I was still fusing the last of the armor together when he nodded, and the crowd bellowed out in a horrendous knock off to a bell ringing.

Out of time, I pulled my armor- plated jacket back on as the Diamond Dog rushed me. He howled in glee as his axe swung for my head, but I dodged out of the way. I drew my blades with hesitation at first, but as the dog’s eyes bore maliciously into mine, I remembered what he did to the griffon.

This is just like the Storm King, I reminded myself. This is a monster. It’s going to kill me, if I don’t kill it!

When he swung again, I backed up, keeping to the wall. His next swing embedded the axe in the wall. I took advantage, slicing his axe head off and promptly stabbing him in the neck with my blade. With a choked wail, he fell to his back, and I followed up with a swift stab to the eye.

The cheering of the crowd died with him.

“NO!” the alpha bellowed. “Too fast! You must wait for the kill; only I give that order!”

I glared up at him and stomped off the dog. “Not today, you don’t,” I snarled.

The crowd jeered louder. The one that had been standing up and waving looked furious; guess that dog was his pet or something. He hurled something that stunk, but I dodged it. The alpha glared around, but reluctantly sat back down as he saw another waving for his approval.

“Round two,” he declared, as the crowd continued to jeer at me. “And slower this time! More entertainment! Wait for my call before killing anybody, OR ELSE!”

I was willing to push that limit. See what ‘or else’ entailed exactly. But then the gates opened. And a new creature came out.

At first, I almost mistook him for a pony. But he had fur. And I mean thick brown fur. Whether it was fur or his bulky frame, he was a big boy. His fur was dense and hung down lower than his belly, and over his eyes. He had smooth horns, dark as ash, sweeping out from the side of his head. He also had a pronounced hump over his shoulder, making him look like he was slouching. He stomped forward, blew his hair briefly out of his eyes, and snarled at me.

#

“A yak!” Twilight exclaimed. “I heard about them; they live in a very remote region. We haven’t had contact with them in…”

“Years,” Celestia finished. “And for good reason.”

Twilight looked at her teacher with confusion, but then something happened that really shocked every pony:

“Good reason is right,” Logan said. “That one yak was a piece of work on his own.”

The others stared at him in shock. Logan rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, I know,” he admitted. “I agreed with Celestia on something. Don’t expect it again.”

Despite herself, Celestia hid a small smile, as Logan continued.

#

Anyway, I got a pretty good idea of what yaks were, either way.

“The hell are you?” I demanded.

“Yak called Mongo!” the yak roared, fitting perfectly with the crowd. “Yak kill Lone Wolf so Yak can live!”

“Why?” I demanded.

“Boo!” a younger minotaur screamed. “Stop talking and fight!” the others took up the call.

“No choice,” Mongo replied, his voice low and sad for a brief moment. “Mongo only pawn in game of life.” Then he bucked the ground and charged.

I managed to catch him, my lightning sparking as he drove me back a few feet. The crowd roared in approval. Part of me wanted to just snap this weird guy’s neck. But that ‘no choice’ part was getting to me. This wasn’t a monster like the diamond dog. He was too much like the siren’s slaves; forced into a fight he didn’t want. Problem was he wasn’t giving me much room to maneuver or choose.

He pressed forward. I never met these yaks before, but if they were half as good as this guy was, then they knew how to fight. He parried my experimental slash with his horns and tried to slam me with his head, but I leaped over him. He bucked with his hind legs. I spun to the side. We exchanged thrusts and slashes, getting a feel for each other’s fighting style. I thought that his bangs would serve as an effective blind spot, but he proved me wrong when he caught me trying to flip over him, and almost trampled me. He apparently had been fighting with hair in his eyes for a long time, because he was excellent at guarding.

“Blood!” the minotaurs cried.

He glanced up at the stands. That’s his weakness,I realized. He needed to impress this crowd. I didn’t.

He roared angrily and charged. I hit him in the horn and sent him spiraling into a wall. Ole! I had heard humans say this when fighting bulls; felt appropriate at the time.

The crowd roared in approval as the yak staggered, shaking off the wooziness from putting a crack in the wall. He pressed me again, but I had no trouble defending. This yak was bulky – a walking tank – which would be fine for defense, but made it tiring to play offense. I had outfitted my jacket with light armor; it may have made me softer, but I was lighter and faster.

The crowd was going nuts, throwing complaints and stones. We had been fighting for almost five minutes, and neither side had drawn blood.

Finally, Mongo made his mistake. He tried to leap onto me, his horns poised to gore me into the ground. With my magic channeling through me, I caught him by the horns and twisted, pulling him over my head and slamming him onto his back. Before he could hope to recover, I got my knee onto his neck. His bulky frame worked against him, and despite his hooves waving feebly in the air, there was no way he was getting back up. My claws gripped the sides of his head. If I wanted, I could just snap his neck; a quick twist, and it’d be over. He seemed to realize it too, as his hooves drooped, and a broken expression dominated his face.

“Yak done,” Mongo said sadly. “Make Yak death quick.”

I glared up at Steel Fists. His red face was stony with displeasure, but he held up his hand and jammed his thumb down.

I looked down at the yak… and I released him. I shoved him to his side, allowing him to regain his hooves.

“No,” I growled. “Forget it."

“Wha… don’t be fool!” Mongo groaned. “They kill Wolf AND Yak now!”

“Let’s see em try,” I replied, grabbing him and pulling him up.

“Urg…” the yak groaned. “Yak not ask for help.”

“I didn’t offer,” I replied, before we were cut off by Steel.

“No one dishonors my pit!” he bellowed. “Your heads shall both be mounted on my throne!”

I glanced at Mongo. “When you see the opening, run,” I whispered. Then I turned back to the alpha. “Do it yourself then!” I challenged. “You say this is your pit? Come down here and prove it!”

The minotaurs grumbled in the stands. The alpha looked around, and realized I had him. He couldn’t say no without looking like a coward.

“I am the greatest of my kind, pup,” he warned. “I broke a dragon’s back with my bare hands. I will snap you in half like a twig.”

I brought up my blades. “Prove. It.” I challenged, spitting each word.

The minotaurs and even the yak stared at me with wide eyes. Apparently, no one had thought to challenge this guy with such disrespect.

The minotaur then hefted himself off the stand, and lunged into the arena. His landing shook the ground under me.

“Celestia wanted you alive,” he growled, cracking his knuckles. “She’ll have to settle for your pelt.”

Then he lunged. I rolled under his legs and slashed at the back of his thigh. My blade got tangled in his shaggy fur. I tried to cut my blade free, but he used the opportunity to hit me with a kick.

The kick hurled me across the arena, and slammed me into the wall. If it wasn’t for my barrier, I probably would have broken my spine again. As it was, my barrier fizzled out immediately from the abuse, and I was left with the air knocked out of me. I didn’t get the change to worry about it, as the guy scraped the ground and charged, his horns poised to impale me.

I’d already been impaled by a dragon, so I wasn’t willing to get the bull edition. I dodged again and jabbed him with my other blade. My blade went under his arm and hooked into his ribs. He wrenched it from my hand with a simple pivot, and I went skidding across the arena, my mother’s blades gone.

Steel Fist bellowed for a moment, leaning under his arm and feeling for the blade. I pulled myself up, but before I could charge him, he yanked the blade out and held it before me. The thing was like a splinter in his fingers. And I had to watch… while he crushed one of the last mementos of my mother between his fingers.

Now, normally, people don’t get angry when their weapons are destroyed. You guys probably don’t even use weapons, so you don’t know how one could grow attached to the tools of war. But for me, that blade was special. It had been made from my mother’s rib cage. Aside from my scarf, it was one of the only thing I had left of her. So, the howl I let loose was nothing short of enraged.

“What’s the matter?” Steel mocked at my howl. “Realizing how pointless it is? Your attacks are nothing but the bite of a fly. Now come, pup, and let me crush you. I’ll make it quick!”

My remaining blades were still lodged in his fur. I still had my claws, but the blades had a sharper edge to them, and minimized the risk of me breaking my claws. Even with them, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to punch through his muscles. The guy had taken my stab to the ribs with a laugh.

I tried skirting around him, but Steel anticipated my move. He blocked my path, chuckling as he closed in on me. He had me cornered, and he knew it; this had become just a game to him.

But then I looked up at the chains, dangling the skulls of his enemies from the ceiling, and an idea came to me.

I feinted to the other side. He blocked me. The crowd jeered and screamed for Steel to finish me off, but he was having too much fun.

“What did a puny pup like you do to earn the attention of the sun alicorn?” he mocked.

I grinned. “Wanna find out?” I asked. I charged straight ahead, slinking low to the ground so he’d think I was going for between his legs. He stooped, ready to catch me like a grounder, but I jumped for all I was worth. I could risk a bite to his face, but I went for the next best thing; I kicked off his forearm, got my back paw onto his nose, and snapped at the back of his head.

I’m not sure how much my bite actually hurt him; he straightened up and yelled ‘HEY!’ more indignantly than hurt. But it was what I needed. I catapulted towards the ceiling, jumping off his rising head like a springboard. I caught the top of a chain, pony and griffon skulls jangling beneath me. I managed to get my legs around the chain, and with a lightning covered slash, I severed the closest chain near me.

“Coward!” Steel bellowed. “Come down and fight!”

I flipped myself upside down and blew a raspberry at him.

“What’s the matter, fat boy?” I taunted. “Can’t fly?” I flipped him the bird, thankfully avoiding getting stoned by the belligerent crowd.

He roared in anger and jumped, making a wild grab for me. He missed, but caught a chain and pulled himself up. While he was struggling, I unhooked myself and swung down towards him. He was more preoccupied with pulling himself up, so my slamming into his head knocked him off balance. As he lost his grip, I managed to hook my chain around his neck, and tangled it up with the others.

Then, with only a small prayer to my dad that his would work, I let myself fall, grabbing at my blades on the way down. The chains held, my blades yanked his hoof down, and with a harsh CRACK, Steel Fist went still, and my blade pulled free. I dropped to the ground, the air getting blasted from my lungs, but my work complete. I stared up with a satisfied grin at my handiwork; Steel Fist, his tongue lolling out and his eyes rolled up in his head. A bunch of skulls grinning around him like they finally had something to smile about.

“He killed Steel Fist!” the crowd screamed. “He killed our host!”

For a moment, my heart hammered. I had jumped from the frying pan and into the fire. Every male minotaur and even a few female minotaurs drew axes, blade or some sort of steel, and rushed down to challenge me. There was no way I could take on that many bulls.

But then the black guard minotaur banged his door open and bellowed at me. That’s when I remembered the Sirens. Sure, my howl was good at breaking hypnotism. But what about what it did against the mob?

I fought against my struggling lungs and took in a deep breath, praying for the spirits of my pack. And just as the first minotaurs got close enough to swing at me, I howled.

You guys remember that howl I pulled on you with Diamond Tiara and her dad? This one… put that one to shame. Minotaurs were hurled back into the stands. The black guard minotaur smashed right through the arena wall, his cloven hooves sticking out like some sort of wicked witch. My howl faded away, and the minotaurs were left on their collective butts, staring at me in stunned silence.

“That’s our cue,” I told Mongo, who had been watching in stunned silence from the sidelines.

Thankfully, he understood. Together, we raced across the arena and out the far exit. But as we ran, I could hear the disorganized sound of an entire army trying to jump from their ruined stands and follow us.

Author's Note:

Before you ask, yes; I named the yak for that line. To anyone that gets the reference:

Thank you guys again for reading. Hope you are enjoying.

Comments

[Element of Power]

Ah, good ol' fighting pits!
...
That sounded kinda sus'

[Foxbrony]

A fan of 'Blazing Saddles' huh, nice!!! Great work can't wait for more.