Author's Notes:

Sound for the mood of the chapter: Rainy Mood

It had been a week since I was abducted and forced into that horrid pit to fight for the pleasure of those demented ponies. Seven days of recovery, and yet I was still sore and bruised from my hellish experience. Although I was healing at a steady pace—and regaining much of my old strength again—there were wounds that would never quite heal. After the incident, I was a lot jumpier, and easily startled by random, innocent things like Twilight closing a book, or Sunny nudging me with her hoof. I was also much more withdrawn from the world around me, spending several hours of the day just staring off into space, unmoving. My body would hurt periodically, my wounds springing back to life for no reason other than to cause me grief.

The nightmares, however, were the worst of it. Ever since Luna had visited me, I had not dreamed of the Darkness again, and the strange creature that had plagued my nightmares was nowhere to be found. Instead, a new nightmare had surfaced in its place: I was back in the pit, and those who I had killed there were surrounding me, preparing to finish what they had started. And this time, Twilight wasn’t on her way to save me; I was on my own. These dreams would cause me to wake in the middle of the night with my heart pounding, and tears running down my face. I would just curl up in the dark and cry myself back to sleep.

Twilight and Sunny had both noticed my decline immediately, and had done everything within their power to try and help, but nothing seemed to work. Of course, that didn’t stop Twilight. She had even snuck Pinkie Pie in one day to try and cheer me up, thinking that a day with the Element of Laughter would be enough to snap me out of my funk.

However, despite her efforts, the best that the party pony got was a half-hearted smile. At the end of the day, Pinkie had left feeling downtrodden, as if she had failed me and Twilight. This only served to worsen my depression. I didn’t want to hurt my friends, but I just couldn’t bring myself to return to how things used to be. How could I, after what had happened?

“I’m sorry, Ms. Sparkle, but there is nothing more we can do. The best course of action would be to take him home and let him rest.”

“You can’t be serious! Look at him! He can barely walk on his own!” I sat in one of the chairs in the waiting room, staring blankly at the opposite wall, as Twilight argued with the nurse behind the counter. After seven days of care, they were finally releasing me, despite Twilight’s objections. She believed—strongly—that it was far too soon for me to leave. The doctors, however, insisted that they could do nothing more to help me heal. After one last checkup to make sure that I was good to go, a nurse had escorted us to the waiting room, and bid us farewell.

“This is outrageous!” Twilight huffed, walking over to me. I glanced at her out of my left eye, my right still covered with bandages. “Well, there’s nothing else for it. Let’s get you home and comfortable.” Rising to my feet, I winced as I put weight on my right leg. With one more glance back at the flustered nurse behind the counter, Twilight and I headed out of the hospital and into the crisp, cool air.

Fluttershy was waiting for us outside. Upon seeing me, she smiled and trotted up to me, nuzzling my bandaged hand gently. I scratched her head softly, earning a small sigh of happiness from the shy pegasus.

“Thanks again for helping me get Max home, Fluttershy,” Twilight said, flashing the pegasus a quick smile.

“It’s no problem,” Fluttershy said, hiding behind her mane as we began to walk. As the two trotted ahead, chatting quietly with one another, I limped along behind them, observing the world around us.

It was an overcast day in Ponyville; the clouds were a gloomy shade of gray. Pegasi were flying here and there, placing clouds in the appropriate positions. The wind had some nip to it as it blew, causing me to shiver slightly. While my “clothing” protected my skin from the sun to some degree, it did not keep out the cold. The temperature had dropped noticeably, and the days were beginning to feel much more like autumn than summer. Even some of the leaves were beginning to change on the trees, causing splotches of red, orange, yellow, and brown to stand out against the normally green treetops.

As we passed under a particularly red tree, I frowned slightly. I paused to stare up into the swirl of red, crimson and burgundy. I reached up and brushed a finger over one of the leaves, staring intently at the leaf. Its color reminded me of autumns back home. The cider mill selling fresh doughnuts and apple cider. Afternoons spent raking leaves with my dad before heading inside and drinking some hot chocolate. Evenings spent down in the family room, a fire crackling merrily in the fireplace while we watched movies. Blood…

The blade plunged into his flesh, causing him to jerk. Struggling in my grasp, the man only caused the wound to open wider. Torrents of red blood flowed from his neck, staining the knife and my hands red. With each pulse of blood, the man’s strength weakened. As I dug the blade in deeper, his heart continued to betray him, continuing to pump blood through his arteries and out of the wound. With one last gurgling breath, he died in my arms, my hands now stained with his crimson blood.

I stared up at the leaves for a second longer, before limping my way after the two mares, both of whom were looking back at me with a curious expression on their faces. As I caught up to them, a voice called out from nearby.

“Twilight!” Twilight and Fluttershy both perked up, glancing off to their left. Stopping just behind them, I turned and looked towards the approaching blue mare.

“Hello, Lotus,” Twilight said, greeting the mare as she approached. Lotus flashed Twilight a quick smile as she panted for breath.

“I’m glad zat I bumped into you,” she said, straightening her headband which was holding back her pink mane. “My sister and I heard rumors from our customers zat your human vas in one of those horrid human fighting rings.” Turning to look at me, she grimaced as she looked over my bruised, battered, and bandaged body. “I can see now zat ze rumors vere—unfortunately—true.”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Twilight said, also looking back at me. “He was abducted by a group of ponies and forced to fight. Fortunately, however, we were able to find him in time.”

“Indeed,” Lotus said, casting me one last glance before returning her attention to Twilight. “Listen, ve realize zat zis is a trying time for both you and your human, and my sister and I just vant to say zat if you ever need any form of stress relief, ve vould be more zen happy to help.” She said, giving Twilight a quick hug. “Our spa is alvays open to you.”

“Thanks Lotus, I really appreciate it,” Twilight said, returning the hug. As the mares broke apart and Lotus began to trot away, I stared after the spa pony, chewing the inside of my cheek. Above us, the clouds seemed to darken, and a low rumble echoed across the sky.

A low growl rumbled from my chest as I slammed my fist into my opponent’s mouth. Stumbling back, he spat out blood and teeth before lunging back at me. I brought my right hand up, trying to block his attack. Pain erupted from my finger as I felt his fist connect with my hand, a snap echoing around the pit. Roaring in pain, my finger bent at the wrong angle, I smashed my other hand into the side of his face. As he fell to the floor, clutching his head, I grasped my finger and wrenched it back to its proper position before descending upon the man in front of me.

“We should probably get going,” Fluttershy said, looking up at the clouds with a hint of fear. “There is a thunderstorm planned for this evening, and I don’t think we want to get caught out in it.”

“Right, let’s get going then,” Twilight said, turning and trotting off. Fluttershy hurried along after her, glancing back at me to make sure I was following. I continued to stare after Lotus for several more seconds before slowly turning and limping along after the two mares. Lightning flashed across the sky as we walked, causing Fluttershy to flinch slightly. We didn’t make it far before we were stopped once again by another pony. This time it was Cheerilee.

“Twilight!” The fuchsia mare waved her hoof in the air as she approached. The sky rumbled ominously, causing Fluttershy to squeak and cling to my leg. I winced as she put pressure on my wounds.

“Hey Cheerilee,” Twilight replied, her smile strained. “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to pass along my condolences about what happened to your human,” Cheerilee said, stopping just in front of Twilight. I stared down at her with my good eye, a small frown pulling at my mouth. Does the whole town know what happened? My frowned deepened slightly. And yet, to them, it’s as big a deal as if a dog got into a fight with another dog. None of these ponies really cared. They aren’t really that concerned with my health. I’m just an animal to them.

“To think that something like that could happen here in Ponyville,” Cheerilee continued, snapping me out of my dark thoughts. As if she could sense my mood, Fluttershy looked up at me and shifted uncomfortably on my foot.

“Thanks,” Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “Listen, Cheerilee. I don’t mean to sound rude, but is there anything else you need? We’re actually trying to get home before the storm hits.”

“Actually, yes,” Cheerilee said, casting a quick glance at me. “I was wondering if you had your human checked for signs of aggression after he was recovered.”

“S-signs of aggression?” Twilight asked, blinking at Cheerilee in confusion.

“Yeah,” Cheerilee said, nodding. “You know, to make sure he isn’t dangerous. Most humans recovered from human fighting rings have to be euthanized because they are too aggressive and can’t be helped.” Cheerilee cast another glance at me, and this time I saw a hint of fear in her green eyes. My eye narrowed slightly. Nothing but an animal...

"I don’t think that will be a problem,” Twilight said, pursing her lips. She glared at Cheerilee with a look of annoyance. “He’s acted just fine so far.”

“Well, you might want to get him checked, just in case. You don’t want him to get out of control.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Twilight said, a tone of anger slowing rising in her voice. With that, Cheerilee nodded and ran off, heading towards her own house as the sky rumbled again. After Cheerilee left, we returned to our journey home. As I walked behind Fluttershy and Twilight, I reached up and massaged my bruised neck with my hand. It was weird not having my collar on. After wearing it for several months, I had become accustomed to it. Now, with it gone, I almost missed its familiar weight.

My hands wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air supply. I could feel the muscles in her neck working to clear her blocked airway, flexing and pushing against the palm of my hands. She looked up at me with fear-filled eyes as my hands tightened around her neck. I gazed back down at her, tears falling from my eyes as I slowly squeezed the life out from the human beneath me. I felt her throat give one last spasm before she grew still, and the light left her eyes.

“...is true, but she doesn’t have to insinuate that Max will go on a rampage!” Twilight huffed, rolling her eyes and snorting in anger.

“B-but she d-doesn’t know t-t-that Max is intelligent,” Fluttershy whimpered, glancing at Twilight nervously. Noticing this, Twilight closed her eyes and sighed heavily. Opening them again, she turned to Fluttershy and gave her a small smile.

“Sorry, Fluttershy,” she said, hugging the pegasus. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Fluttershy relaxed, returning the hug with a small smile. They broke the embrace, and we headed off. Making our way through the marketplace, I glanced around at all the ponies. Shopkeepers were closing up their shops and stalls, preparing for the oncoming storm. Customers hurried to and fro, trying to purchase one last thing before retreating to the comfort of their homes. Ponies chatted and laughed with one another as they hurried along. I watched them all with a blank expression, and a heavy heart.

So much pain and death has happened, and yet they are so oblivious. I felt tears building up in my eyes as I watched two ponies hug one another before going their separate ways. A mother scolded her foal for playing in the fountain, pulling the young filly along as they made their way home. Every single pony was happy and carefree. They don’t know, I thought as a pegasus flew over head, giggling as she carried her newest purchase. They don’t care. We’re just beasts to them. Blinking back the tears, I follow after Twilight and Fluttershy as they made their way through the crowd. As we walked, my gaze fell upon a human, tied to a hitching post outside of a store. He was staring at the ground, but as we approached his head rose. His eyes met mine and I turned my face away, not wanting to look at him.

Why is it that a race that preaches love and tolerance turns a blind eye to such cruelty? How can they be so happy when there is such darkness in their world? Just ahead of us, Pinkie Pie crossed the road, bouncing cheerfully along. She waved quickly at Twilight and Fluttershy before she was lost to view behind the buildings. As I watched her go, I ran a hand over my injured chest.

How can life go back to normal after everything that's happened? I dug my fingers deeper into my chest, causing a small amount of pain to flare up. How can I go on, after everything I’ve done? Images of those I killed in the pit flashed before my eyes. I had seen the longing to survive in their eyes, yet I had taken their lives from them, just so I could live. What was the difference between me and them? Just the luck of the draw? A sheer circumstance of fate? Why is it even though I had survived, I was filled with such guilt?

We walked in silence for several more minutes before reaching the library. Twilight opened the door and ushered Fluttershy inside. A rumble of thunder caused the shy pegasus to practically run into the safety of the house. Turning to look at me, Twilight flashed me a sad smile before motioning with her hoof for me to go before her. I had just taken a step when my right eye flared with pain. Grimacing, I raised a hand to my bandaged eye and rubbed it gently.

The tip of the blade sunk into the flesh of my face slowly. Pain erupted through me as I felt the blade slowly cut through the skin and muscle. There was a grinding sensation and I heard a slight crack as the blade reached the bone of my check. As I felt the blade digging into the bone, a blast of light filled my vision. The brute’s body was suddenly lifted off of me, and immense pain erupted across my face as the blade slashed across it. I felt the metal slicing through my nose and check, barely missing my right eye in the process. Blinding pain caused me to scream as I brought my hands to my face. Slowly, I felt myself descending into darkness…

I blinked as something wet landed on the top of my head. Looking up at the dark storm clouds above us, I watched as another raindrop fell and splashed against my cheek. I blinked up at the black clouds as the cool raindrops began to hit my face. Twilight said something, but I was too distracted to hear the exact words. Her tone was one of concern though, and I felt a gentle tug on my hand, but I ignored it. I was too preoccupied with watching the rain fall. As I stood there, slowly being soaked as the downfall increased, I felt tears forming in my eyes, mixing with the wetness already on my face.

Rain. Most people back home had hated the rain. There were always those at work, or at school, who had complained about it. Even my dad loathed it: if it rained, the day was wasted. All it did was trap people indoors, and make the grass grow, just so he would have to cut it later. I, on the other hand, loved the rain. It was something special for me: the feeling of the rain hitting my skin had always had a calming effect. The tears rolled faster down my face as I continued to stare up into the torrent of water that was now descending upon me. Despite what has happened, I thought, as I blinked tears and rain from my eye, life still goes on. No matter what horrors happen, life will continue on unhindered.

I closed my eye and slowly raised my arms, breathing deeply. The smell of wet earth filled my nostrils. I stood there, arms outstretched, allowing the rain to wash over me. I could almost feel the tension, the despair, the anger and the depression washing away as the liquid soaked my body. Despite the horrors I have witnessed, I have also seen kindness as well, I suddenly realized. In the end, everything must pass. The darkness of night must always give way for the light of day.

Tears continued to run freely from my closed eye, and for the first time since I had awoken inside the warehouse, since I had fought for my life in the pit, and awoken in the hospital, I felt at peace.

Opening my eye, I pushed my wet hair out of my face and looked down at Twilight. She looked up at me with concern in her eyes. I reached out and patted her head gently before heading into the library, and out of the rain.

Ow…

After settling down in the library, I discovered one of the few downsides of standing in the rain: bandages don’t generally tolerate getting wet. This meant that I was now seated on the floor, my back resting against the couch. Fluttershy was seated behind me, rebandaging my injuries. Twilight had wandered off towards the kitchen after drying herself off, saying something about getting dinner ready. I had no clue where Sunny was, but I wasn’t too concerned. She was probably off with Spike somewhere, waiting out the storm.

As Fluttershy tugged the roll of bandages taut, I winced again.

“Shorry,” she muttered around the bandages in her mouth. Giving it one last tug, she finished and returned the bandages to her saddlebags. Standing, I groaned as I stretched. I jumped slightly as Fluttershy walked in front of me, appearing from out of my blind spot.

“There, feel better?” she asked, glancing up at me through her mane. I nodded, rolling my shoulder to try and work the stiffness out of some of the bandages. As I stood there, I looked around the room, my eye drifting over the familiar objects. I felt an odd sensation welling up in my chest: one of peace and happiness. Despite everything that had happened within the past few weeks, I was back at the library. I was back at my home here in Equestria. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes. The faint smell of lavender reached my nose, and a small smile touched my lips. It smelled of Twilight. It smelled of home.

“Dinner is almost ready,” Twilight called from the kitchen. “Will you be staying for dinner, Fluttershy?” The dim room lit up slightly as lightning flashed across the sky, causing Fluttershy to jump. Trembling slightly, she cowered closer to the couch.

“T-that w-would be nice, if it isn’t t-too much trouble,” she stuttered, trying her hardest to disappear into her mane. I sighed slightly, and glanced around the room again. A piece of folded up paper sitting on the coffee table caught my attention. Reaching down, I picked it up and glanced at it. I blinked in surprise as I saw my name scrawled across the front. Unfolding it, I quickly read the contents with mild curiosity.

Hey, human Max,

Hope you get better soon, so that we can start wrestling again. Remind me later and I’ll show you some of my moves for the Wonderbolts!

The awesome,

Rainbow Dash

I read the short note several times, blinking owlishly each time. I placed the letter back onto the table, chewing the inside of my cheek. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to be funny, or if she was actually being serious. Fluttershy walked over to me and glanced down at the note. As she read, her eyes widened and a small smile touched her face.

“She really misses that, you know,” she said, glancing up at me. I cocked an eyebrow and tilted my head to the side. “The wrestling matches. Whenever we hung out, there was always a moment when she would talk about your latest match.” She looked down and shuffled her hooves. “She was really horrified that one time she gave you a bloody nose and black eye. Although she would never admit it, she was almost in tears when she came to me.” I looked back at the note, my throat feeling kind of tight. “I know most ponies might treat you badly, or without respect, but Rainbow has always seen you as a friend,” Fluttershy continued, looking back up at me, smiling softly. “Just food for thought.”

The moment was ruined by a crack of thunder. With a shriek, Fluttershy dove behind the couch. As I stared at her tail, which was exposed and quivering, Twilight popped her head into the room.

“Why don’t you two come and get seated,” she said before retreating back into the kitchen. Fluttershy emerged from her hiding place behind the couch and headed to the kitchen. I gazed out of the window, watching the rain fall upon the glass. Blinking, I turned and followed after the pegasus.

As I entered the kitchen, a strange yet familiar aroma hit my nose. Sniffing, I scrunched up my face as I tried to place the scent. It wasn’t bad smelling. In fact, my mouth was starting to water as I took another sniff. Mystified, I looked at what was on the table. Twilight had different fruits and vegetables chopped up into a salad bowl, along with some slices of bread. Steam rose from a bowl of soup. It all looked good, but none of them were the source of the smell. What is that smell? It’s almost like…

A dish placed at my place at the table caught my eye, and as I looked at it I felt my mouth open in shock. There, sitting on the plate, was a huge steak. Steam wafted from the seared meat, filling the room with the delicious aroma. I could see the juices dripping from it, seasoning covering the top of the meat. It was one of the best steaks I had ever laid eyes on, and my stomach agreed wholeheartedly.

As I stood there, staring at the meat, Twilight shuffled up beside me.

“I know you said that you wouldn’t mind not eating meat again while in Equestria,” she said, not looking at me. Instead she decided to stare at her hooves instead, drawing little circles in the floor. “And I know that I said that I wouldn't cook anything that used to be alive, but…” She looked up at me with her beautiful, violet eyes. “I-I...I wanted to get you a treat. Something special, for what you’ve been through. I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you...and how much I care. I just...I just want to see you smile again.” She swallowed audibly, tears forming in her eyes. As she gazed up at me, I could feel the kindness, the affection, the love that she felt for me.

I turned and looked at the meat, before returning my gaze to Twilight. Slowly, I fell onto one knee beside her. She looked at me with confusion before letting out a tiny squeak as I wrapped my arms around her. As I pulled her close, I pushed my face into her mane and started to cry. I’m sorry Twilight. I should have known how much you cared. I should have realized that everything you’ve done for me wasn’t done out of pity. Tightening my grip around her, I hugged the mare close, breathing in the smell of lavender. I cried harder as she wrapped her hooves and wings around me as well. As she murmured into my ear, I felt a smile slowly spreading across my face. You have always stood by me through the hardships we have faced, no matter how small they were.

Finally releasing Twilight, I leaned back and smile my first genuine smile in days, even as tears rolled down my face. Twilight smiled back at me, tears in her eyes as well. Giving Twilight one last, quick hug, I stood and made my way towards the table. I now realize that there is no way for life to return to the way it was...

Pulling out my chair, I sat down and gazed at the steak. Twilight sat beside me, rubbing a wing gently across my back. Fluttershy sat opposite us, not seeming too bothered by the presence of the meat. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t face the changes together.

Picking up the fork and knife, I began to slowly cut into the tender meat, carving out a bite-size piece. You can’t always give up hope for the world. There is still so much to enjoy and to do. Placing the meat into my mouth, I began to chew. At the moment, it was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted. My smile grew as I ate, tears still flowing down my face. I glanced over at Twilight, and saw a smile on her face as well as she watched me.

Thank you, Twilight, for showing me that not all ponies are corrupt, and that there is still some good left in this world…

...and it’s worth fighting for.