A nightmare.

What was originally supposed to be a moment to question for some information had turned to a revelation of biblical proportions. We were in a room filled with bodies hung by the hundreds. If it wasn't for the cold air to regulate the temperature and keep the flesh relatively well-maintained, this place would stink to the unholy depths of Tartarus. There's no way of dodging the bodies either. The simplest nudge will have you bumping into someone's family member or loved one. The tiniest nudge out of place will land you an intimate meet-and-greet with someone new, though your introductions will be as one-sided as talking to a wall.

Some poor family may not even know that this is how their loved ones are being treated, left in a room like they trees growing in an orchard. "There's so many bodies." I whimpered, trying not to move too much out of fear of an unpleasant run-in with one of the black-tagged cadavers.

The stallion who was previously bright spirited, seemed a dim comparison to his usual self. The dichotomy of personalities was almost as unsettling, adding to the eeriness of where we were. "I remember quoting a backlog. Well here it is, in all of it's gory glory."

Dad seemed to have reservations about it, but waded through the corpses like he was almost used to it. "There shouldn't be a backlog this terrible. There isn't this many ponies dying in a day."

"It's not entirely by circumstance." He said with a grim tone. "It's this backed up for a reason."

"And you know why." Dad said.

"Honestly, I don't." Replied the young stallion as he started looking to the other side of the room. Using his magic, he parted the bodies to show us a door. "I only know that this place exists. But across the room is that one door we employees are told to never go into. If we do, it's our jobs."

"And quite possibly your lives." I surmised.

"This place is a stern reminder. Some of these ponies I've worked on personally, and I know they were sent off to their way. But here they are again. I originally thought it was because the patrons didn't pay their maintenance fees, but it's quite the opposite." The stallion then added. "You would think that those of us who deal with death on the daily would be immune to the idea of using death as a means of psychological warfare. But it's never really the image for me, it's always the intent. That's why I'm always so unnerved coming into this room in particular, because I know who goes missing but never why."

"This place is a nightmare." I said as dad stood by my side.

"What's inside that room?" Dad questioned.

"None of us knows. We only know of this room and where not to go. None of us dared to find out." The stallion closed the gap between the bodies and spoke. "As ghoulish as it may look, it's natural. Death isn't this thing to be stigmatized, it's just a process. We all go through it. How it's dealt with is often left up to those who are closest to us. Maybe we get what we want, maybe we don't, maybe we don't plan that far ahead for something like this, and then it just happens for some out of tragedy or confrontation. I've had to help clean up after worse situations, and some things are a nightmare to deal with. But someone has to do it, deal with all the naturally recurring indignity and filth, and sometimes make it presentable for the family to see." He walked by one corpse and gazed up, his eyes briefly widening for a second before he summoned a bag to place over the face of the body he observed. "Our process is ugly, but if there's any beauty in it, it's that we still give it our best to give the families that final chance to say goodbye. The real tragedy for me is when someone bastardizes that process by taking that peace away and giving them the horror of one's rest being brutally humiliated."

Dad didn't look up to the faces of the dead, but rather looked at the fading cutie marks upon the flanks of the deceased. "You're in something that going to drag you down to hell when it's all over and done." He warned.

"I know... But I just can't bring myself to abandon what I genuinely like to do. It's not a fetish, gracious no, it's just a youthful fascination that turned into an occupation." He replied with a reserved voice. "My name is Guiding Light for a reason, I guide those I touch back to their original beauty."

I couldn't help but to find myself being morbidly curious at times, glancing upwards to the necks of the deceased before my dad yanked my head back down as a sign to not gaze up too far. "Tell me the truth, did you work on Count DuMoneé?"

"I did... and he was on my table when we first got him." He confessed as he started motioning his hooves. "Restructured his skull, glued some parts of his head back together, embalmed the body, filed off some of that decayed flesh, fur implants, dye those implants to match the coat, glued together what's loose and out of place, glued the eyes and mouth shut, I made him look the part of his pride. All in a day's work."

Dad then asked. "Were you there for the exhumation process?"

"We never went back for it. So no." He answered.

"But his body was found in his mansion this past Saturday." I added, causing both of the stallions to stare at me with varying measures of horror in their eyes.

On that note, Guiding Light shook himself out of it and trotted past the bodies like they were a complete afterthought. He walked over to the door we came through and urged us to come along. "We should go. Time's far spent."

Upon walking out of the abysmal room, a voice called out from further down the hall. Both my dad and I were started by it. "LIGHT!"

Guiding wasn't as startled, immediately calling back. "Yes sir!"

"We have a wayward traveler who drunkenly stumbled off the mountain path. He's gonna need another one of your glow-ups."

The young stallion closed the door behind us, rolling his eyes as he called back out. "How long has it been since they found him?"

"Looks like a few days. And he's got your favorite: MAGGOTS!"

While dad and I seemed to be on the verge of vomiting, he merely shuddered as he heard the news. He turned to us wearing a fake smile. "Fun fact. Maggots love the nasal cavity and esophagus. It's always hard cleaning after them when they're always coming out of your throat. Try to get found before that happens." He slowly turned around with a sigh of defeat, trotting off to the direction of where the voice came from. "Coming!"

"I know you like educational stuff, baby girl. But I think we've had enough of this tour for today." He urged as he tapped me on my back.

My horn filled with magic as I knew exactly what he wanted me to do. "You and me both. Let's go."

My magic surged, flashing us from inside of cold storage to the outside front of the venue. The sun was well into it's dying arc of the day, the land and buildings around us glowing orange. Dad cleared his throat as he addressed me. "Violet, under no circumstances are your mother and I to be anything but cremated."

I couldn't disagree with his sentiment. "I second that motion."

After a relatively quiet day at work and building off the momentum of gaining a potentially useful ally─using that term quite liberally, I gathered my things and made my way to the train station to pick up Kalimba. She seemed pretty giddy today, much more upbeat about our reunion as opposed to being reserved like she usually was. It seemed that something about her time away made her more accommodating to the idea of me being around, which seemed idealistically flawed considering the trouble we'd run into every time we meet up.

Seriously, dead bodies and broken families, she's tap dancing at the idea of being seen as anything other than a sex slave on the weekly. Perhaps the freedom is starting to let her stretch her legs more. Of course, she's also realizing her life's dream to being a student to both zebra and unicorn magic, getting the best of both worlds as I promised to her. And she's got a life free from abuse. We haven't been called to many fights since I've joined the V.I.P. Sector, so she's not fighting like she's expected to. And I think that while she doesn't openly accept that her father is still alive after everything that happened, I'm sure that she's satisfied in the thought that she can verbalize her disdain for him so easily and often at her own time.

Considering her past, she's optimistic about her future. I was the exact opposite.

A lot of what I had to deal with over the past few days was more or less the idea of having to negotiate with my own mental stress and trying to help others shoulder their own mounting weight. A lot's been on my mind since yesterday. Thoughts of the worst happening to Alabaster was starting to sneak around the dark corners of my mind, especially with what he's done for me. Yeah I missed my friends, but I was more disturbed by the idea that the psycho responsible for our griefs had given my friends a run-in. It felt like he was at every turn and corner, and I'm just sitting here hoping that he didn't fully realize just how close he was to having complete control over my doings.

Walking into the halls of the arena, I was quiet with many of those thoughts swimming through my mind. At times I'd mumble over what I could do to make things work. And it showed on my face that I was slowly being consumed by the skepticism. Kalimba saw it for herself and tapped me on my shoulder. "You seem tense."

"Just a lot on my mind." I replied.

The mare circled around me and walked backwards. "Such as?"

"Personal stuff." I answered simply, not truly wanting to discuss it any further out loud.

"Tell me." She said as she stopped me from moving forward with a hoof in my chest. "Abeg, tell me what is going wrong. Is it anything I can fix?"

"It's nothing about you. It's just... him." I said before a sharpness pierced the side of my head, causing me a good deal of pain.

Kalimba started to use her magic to massage the side of my head, slowly working away the pain. "Why do you hold your head? Do you have a headache, or are you unwell?"

As the pain began to subside, I looked to the mare as she diligently worked at the side of my head. "Why are you being so kind to me all of a sudden? I remember at times I was getting halfway cussed out by you."

"Because I know dat you have a terrible time with dat other mare trying to assert her rank and authority. She must not do much for you other den give you a hard time."

I shrugged at the idea of her answer. "It's not that terrible." I said, keeping in mind what all I had went through with Blue yesterday.

The zebracorn rolled her eyes. "But I can see she does not give you much room to work. I understand dere are other things dat help make your day a lot harder."

I found it within myself to chuckle at her sudden display of care, perhaps she was trying to reciprocate to me what I was offering to her through my promises. "The way you're acting, you must think I'm going to take it out on you or something." I joked.

"...I never refused dat option." She said as she moved in closer. Catching me by surprise, she planted me against a wall and pinned me between a column and one of her forelegs. "If we work together, I need you to be in your best mind. So if you need to, you can use me to your imagination's content. Do not be afraid to see me as your stress relief, you did earn dat privilege after all you have done."

As she kept me pinned, I noticed that in the silence between our dialog, her eyes wandered down from mine to a slight elevation below them. Her breathing was quiet, we were very close to one another at that moment. It wouldn't take me a day to discover what she was feeling in that moment. "I have a question and I don't mean to be so blatant with it. Are you... in a mood?"

She inched a slight bit closer, mumbling to me her answer. "I'm only doing what I know most stallions would prefer. A brief moment of relief to ease your mind, sex is good for dat. It is only normal dat I condition myself to allow for dat to happen for who I so choose when de time is nigh."

"Sex is nice, so is masturbation, but you don't see me cranking out soldiers when I'm feeling distressed." I replied.

She leaned into my ear, brushing a hoof onto the center of my chest. "But no one holds you doing dat. You do not get de reinforcement of your ego by your lonesome." She nuzzled her head against mine, kissing the tip of my ear before letting out a soft giggle. "It takes a mare's touch, her words, her expressions, be dey real or not. It does a lot for many a stallion to hear a mare mewl in his ear."

I could feel the sensation of her magic brush against my underbelly, enticing a favorable reaction from a certain part of my equine anatomy. She rubbed me in a way that ticked me so immensely that I couldn't help but to kick up a hind leg to stave it away, not to mention the uncomfortable sensation of feeling myself becoming unveiled to the world. "It helps a lot of stallions, but what's good for the many ain't often what works for everybody."

"Den perhaps I could show you dat deep down, it all remains de same." She said with an ambitious growl, giving me a lick on the side of my face.

That solitary moment had me completely ignorant to what I was initially thinking about initially. The only thought that started to overflow in my mind was how I wanted to just give in and take her on at that moment. I had every right to answer her cries for attention. If anything, she was giving me the green light to mount her at that moment for the sake of relief. She knew how to manipulate the tension within a stallions body far more than I knew how to control it. But thankfully I was given some tips and pointers of how to find ways to stave off that lust.

Another kick of the hind leg gave my features a coarse reminder that it shouldn't be out in the way, still didn't shake the thought of finding a way to destroy her later. Yeah, I had to concede that argument. "I'll give you what you're begging for later. Right now, let's get back to our grind."

It took a minute before I was ready to walk into the lounge. But once we did, I was swiftly brought back to reality with the sound of a distressed mare pleading with the main contributor to her problems. "But there's no way my brother would just simply not show up today! I haven't heard from him at all, he was absent at his job, he wasn't at the home, he got scooped up on late Tuesday night and he hasn't been seen since. His face was on one of those damned masks you have lying around, you did something!"

Predictably, he outwardly denied it to the room. "I did nothing, dear. I've only just gotten here and you're already trying to tell me that I'm guilty of some transgression made against your traitorous brother."

"You would be the only one responsible." She called out. "I may not be all that informed to your dealings, but I do know that you have the ability to make things happen─"

He interrupted her by standing behind her, creeping around each side of her head as he spoke. "So we're going to conclude with something. Your brother was a member of the Inner Circle, correct? And now he's not here to fulfill his duty. So now I'm going to have to find a replacement. But it appears I don't really have to do much of that, little miss daddy's girl." He giggled as he pulled at her tail, snickering as he mocked her. "Daughter of Count DuMoneé. His most treasured secret. His deepest carnal desire."

Petrified in place, she whimpered to the stallion behind her. "Please, stop."

The stallion tsk'd at her, leaning past her face to whisper at her. "Oh no dear. There's no stopping when I say go. You'll do well in knowing that I hold the leverage. So if you disobey me, your brother will pay a dear price." He walked away, leaving Blue paralyzed in fear while calling out to the room. "ALL TO GATHER!"

Everyone in the room did as he instructed, coming from their various corners of conversation to mass at the center of the room. He didn't seem to have anything to say without dragging her along by her horn. "What is he doing with her now?" I asked myself.

My presence didn't go unnoticed by him. "Ah, captain. What an unusual surprise. It seems you've gotten on the ball when it came to your attendance. I'm glad to see you've decided to play along." Considering how pissed off he was when I got in the way of his fun last week, I was unnerved by the calm and cool demeanor he had in casually greeting me. He then went on to dancing with his cane and putting the spotlight on Blue. "Hear ye, hear ye! I am sure most of you remember our little show from last week. As you can tell, that was a lot of fun for me. And of course, our dear Blue Royal here decided to come to her brother's rescue, so sweet she is. And in turn, she got a much-anticipated reunion with her dearly-departed father, who showed his affection by give her every last ounce of what he still had left inside. My, I've never seen a stallion so spoiled rotten."

"Disrespectful asshole." I mumbled under my breath.

He glanced at me, indicating that he heard what I said. However, he carried on without a single beat missed. "But that performance was so riveting, I thought that she would do anything to keep her traitorous bastard brother safe. And she's agreed to do whatever it takes to keep him alive." He spun himself around before throwing his hooves at her to present her like she was some sort of a grand prize winner. "So without further ado, I hereby anoint Blue Sapphire Royal unquestioned admittance to the Circle. Welcome!" The other ponies in the room applauded as he smiled with venomous intent. He leaned over to the mare. "Remember dear, it's better to play along." And then he shoved his cane in front of her to speak into like a microphone. "Now she will say a few words in regards to her new position."

Still in grief over her brother's disappearance, more than the threat that was made against her, she found very little ability to say much of anything. "I... u... I─"

He continued to taunt at the mare. "Speak up, dear. Everyone wants to know what the newest member of the Inner Circle will say. We want a speech!"

The mare started shaking violently, breathing heavily, trying to negotiate with her emotions and failing terribly at it. She was far too unstable to come up with anything, so she apologized tearfully. "...I'm sorry." She said with a thin airy voice.

She tried turning away, but not before he hugged her and playfully tapped her muzzle. "Oh, not one for speeches, I see. Well that's quite alright, I'm sure your brother would've been proud of you."

"What about him, I'm doing what you asked, where is he?" She begged.

The evil stallion snickered. "My dear, do you think he would maintain his position after that stunt he pulled on us last Sunday?"

"Wait' wasn't it the captain who led that raid?" Damper Trot then chimed in, offering to be nothing more than a bystander.

"I mean of course it was, but he was merely doing his job. It would look highly suspicious if he were to get a warrant for this district and suddenly not act on it. He had to lay the hammer down sometime." He promptly directed his attention at me. "Isn't that right, Nondis?"

"Yeah. Just doing my job, hunting for arimaspi." I tried to sound as casual as I could, but the truth was that I was spiteful of him, as much as I was terrified of his demeanor.

"Well, I know that you would love to be the hunter of things wrong with the world. I suppose I should let you get back to your work tonight."

I blinked for a second, unsure of what he meant to imply. "My work?"

"But of course." He said, walking over to me with his cane spinning around in his magic. "Surely you've come across some interesting information this past Sunday, especially where your search lead you to. And to think we were just but a few meters from each other that evening. It's unfortunate that you didn't give me a chance to look you up. I just wanted to show you my affection."

"You knew I was there?" I asked, a tad shaken from his confession.

The cane stopped spinning and pointed directly at the side of my head, namely the area where the pain was sourced from. "That spell I placed on you is judged on proximity, you know. The further away from me you are, the more adverse it's effects. The closer you are, the more muted the response. So if you were to ever run back to your world, I'd make sure that I'd be the only think you'd think about for the rest of your life... not that you'd live for long. That much stress on the brain can lead to immense distractions, I'm sure death would find its way to you in some unforeseen circumstance." He's not wrong there, me driving with a sudden jolt in my head and I'm forced to keep my eyes on the road without passing out. God forbid that I'd swerve into oncoming traffic. The stallion carried on. "But I did leave hints and spoilers on this week's special matchup. They were all on the fliers."

"Let me guess, you got something else new going against something that can use weapons." I asked.

The stallion smiled eagerly. "I don't have 'something else new going against something that can use weapons.' I have someone."

I looked down and realized that for all the relatively peaceful conflicts we've had in this venue, it was only a matter of time before the fighting portion had finally kicked in. "My champion?"

"That, and you!" He corrected happily and excitedly. "I have you going against one of my newer champions. The crowd's been ranting and raving since the big reveal this past Saturday, so much that I had to put out a disclaimer to keep the matchup a public secret. And this one is a tag-team of favorites. That's my headline for tonight... and my punishment for you."

...Honestly, this seemed much more tame in terms of what I was expecting. But that doesn't mean anything if he has me going against something that's either going to haunt me or trigger me in some way. Knowing him, it's going to be just that. "This isn't going to be some shit I like."

And true to his cause, he was just as carefree as ever. "But everyone else most certainly will."

Little time had passed before we were shown the passageway to the arena floor. Along the way we saw a deluge of patrons flooding the betting pools and throwing in exorbitant wagers to hope that it pans out in their favor. And of course, the odds are probably skewed against me. But the business owners are probably looking at the amount of money they can sucker a bunch of ponies into taking on the first few rounds. As long as they can pose the odds in favor of my opponents, ponies will be gullible enough to take the under. And if they buy in, the bookers make off like a bandit when they bet on me. It makes perfect sense, play me as the loser, watch me win, and get paid while everyone else in the general population runs away with empty pockets.

Still didn't change my mind on how I felt being on the floor of gladiatorial combat.

Apparently I was slated for the main event after a number of matches, but I didn't quite understand why it was that I was going to be fighting as a pony, for the title of Beast of the Week. The only way I could see that being a remote possibility is if I was fighting as a human. But I don't think that would sit too well with the paying audience.

Either way, I didn't have to like what I was getting thrown into. "Why do they have us going through all these warm-up matches? Is this a tournament arc in some anime?" I found myself mumbling my complaints under my breath.

More so, Kalimba was listening in to whatever I said. "Silly boy, what in Equestria are you talking about?"

I waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I'm just ranting."

The mare stood in confidence as she offered me an alternative. "If you want, you could have me do most of de work."

"Then you'd get hurt while I watch?" I answered uncomfortably.

"It is what normally happens around here." She shrugged.

And there it was, that instance of careless abandon she had. Every time something dangerous or risky came to mind, she was always the first to offer herself as a trading piece for my safety. But she never considers anyone else's feelings into account when volunteering herself for these things. She simply didn't care, it's almost like she was banking on the idea of death snuffing her out. So I explained to her how I didn't approve of her wanton disregard for her own being. "Look here. If something happens to you, I'm not really going to be sound in mind. I might be frantic, desperately trying to save you from death. It's just that we've done a lot up to this point, and I want to make sure you have a future is all. You're doing great up to now, I don't want that to be a waste."

The mare shrugged once more. "My future is without you, it's going to be shit."

"Probably the first time I ever heard you cuss." I replied, still trying to plead with her over what she was trying to do.

Using her magic, she turned my head to her and walked towards me. "Look at me." She said before she sat herself before me and placed her hooves on either of my cheeks. "You brought light into my existence. If worst comes to worst, we die together."

"So much for optimism." I answered sarcastically.

"If you die, I'm coming for you in death." She emphasized.

"Try not to do that." I said, feeling a bit awkward.

She took the moment to lean in for a kiss on my lips, pulling my head in to offer me little escape while she took that initiative. While I was more caught up in the surprise of the moment, I suppose she was trying to make one to go out by. As soon as she pulled back she placed a hoof on my lips to prevent any kind of protest. "If I go tonight, this moment will be de one I want to remember. Do you understand?"

I shook my head and used my magic to move her hooves off of me. "Well I guess I've gotta make sure you stay upright long enough to be disappointed."

The mare walked off and started looking at a dirty mirror, taking in the sight of herself. She used it to glance back at me while she spoke. "If we live, I will bear de title of a single muddah with pride." She watched through the mirror as I damn near tripped over the air in front of me. I was about to confront her with that statement, but she turned around with a subdued giggle. "Dat was a joke." She said, playfully smiling, possibly trying to make the best of our moment before facing off what might be our finest hour, or our last.

At that point, I just laughed back. "At this point, I don't know what's a joke anymore."

In a show of miraculous timing, a knock came at the door of the preparation room before it was opened immediately after. "Hey there, party ponies!" And of course, it was the usual malcontent looking to poke the bear. "Oh, I forgot one thing before you both get started. Just a tiny little bit of oversight, you won't even notice it."

Kalimba looked to him with her usual stern expression. "Dis seems like you are forgetting something important."

"More like a major inconvenience for the sake of your amusement." I cosigned.

The stallion smiled and danced, as careless as ever. "Ah, I can't get over on the two of you, can I?" He stopped and pranced over to the zebracorn, circling around her as his eyes dressed her down inch by inch. "Kalimba, you've grown into your own pony so quickly and so vividly. It's almost like I have to quash that growing individuality so that it doesn't get out of control."

"You forget that I own her now." As much as I hated using that language, it was the only way to solidify my disapproval of his statement.

"Well that's true, you do own her. But I've never seen a slave owner lose so much control over their acquired property. You should probably teach her where she belongs, if you value her life." He replied with a smirk, grabbing at her tail.

"She's my champion." I reiterated, using my magic to free her tail from his hoof.

"I guess value is in the eye of the beholder." He said, starting to become frustrated with me. "But enough about her, let's get on with you."

"What about me?"

He then circled me, shaking his head with disapproval. "That form. You're not going to be fighting as a pony, you're going to be fighting as your true self. That's what I have on the billing."

Ah, figures he'd had me competing for that title as my normal self. Who would have thought that anything else would come out of this? I hate this guy, I really do. "Wouldn't you get a better show if I fought your goons on even hoofing?"

"That's only fair up till the next round." He replied.

"I thought dat only champions are allowed to fight. Not de owners." Kalimba argued.

"I explained why the provisions have changed." The stallion said while finding a nearby support pole to dance on.

I looked away as he started to flutter his eyes at me. "No you did not." Kalimba replied in my defense.

He responded by turning my head to force me to watch him dance on the pole. "Then let me be clear to you, my lovely zebra whore. Your owner planned out a raid on Sunday, one that threatened the many businesses and vendors of the market. They're not happy with the captain's actions and they want blood. My event tonight is going to give them what they want, a chance to see him possibly endure defeat, to become humiliated and embarrassed before them. Once that's finished, we'll leave him out in the public square of downtown for all beholders and press to see." As he climbed to the top of the pole, he locked his hind legs around the pole and held himself up while he looked at me completely parallel to the ground. "It'll be a message, to never go against the denizens of Corrotto ever again."

"Say I was to lose your little gauntlet. What else then?" I then questioned.

"Why I'm sure you know that certain rules pertaining to your champion still apply. I can choose to keep or kill, either way removes you from her equation." He said as he pulled himself up on the pole and twirled back down. As soon as he dropped, he gave Kalimba a jealous glare. "You don't seem as sickly nowadays."

"I have been taking care of myself." She was far from amused.

The stallion teleported himself seamlessly, just simply popping in next to the zebra as he lifted her tail. "No strange zebra remedies to keep you at your highest form? It seems to me that you've been going to a specialist with that niche collection of knowledge. I do know that you have friends in Ponyville." Kalimba promptly snatched her tail away out of spite. "And when you lose, I'll be sure to embarrass you in front of the whole town. It'll be a most unforgettable sight."

"Your beef's with me." I reiterated.

The stallion teleported next to me, backing me into the counter, hoping to pin me against it. "Why must you be in the way of my fun nowadays? I'm just curious as to why you've garrisoned yourself against me."

I simply stopped dead in my tracks, wearing a scornful glare at the stallion. "Leaving bodies in my world crosses every red line I had with anyone. Even the princesses know better."

He moved in closer, smiling menacingly with a mocking tone of voice. "Oooh, such strong words. 'Even the princesses know better.' I can imagine how they'll react to such a strong statement." He placed his hoof on my chest, much like Kalimba did earlier. "I know you don't like showing off in public. But tonight will be a night you'll have no other choice. I'm sure you understand that your refusal will mean that I have to go looking for... other alternatives."

If I guessed correctly, that probably meant my friends. I tightened up my stance and firmed my resolve. "If I beat your gauntlet, and I will, you let Alabaster free and tell me everything I want to know."

The stallion tapped his hoof impatiently, seeming as if he was displeased with my conditions. "I can give you the first, but never the second. That second is already confirmed for another wager in pending. You'll have to settle for my lovely little faggot instead."

I winced on the inside hearing him speak so brazenly about Alabaster, also with a tinge of guilt considering what happened last Friday night. "Fine. But I want you to also keep Kalimba out of your mouth for the rest of my time here."

"Not going to happen." He brazenly denied. "And you forget that I'm also allowing you to live no matter the outcome, I think that's reward and consolation enough. Your wanting Alabaster free will be an added bonus."

"...Fine then. Alabaster's freedom it is."

As we heard our room over the intercom, the psychopathic ringleader pointed his cane at me with a spiteful smirk on his face. "Well... I'm waiting for the wardrobe change. Might want to get on that before the audience gets impatient."

Accepting his wager, I summoned my magic and performed the transformation spell.

***Point of Perspective: NONDIS***

Back onto my own two legs, I towered over the stallion who seemed to smile greedily at me. "Alright, are you happy now?"

He bit his lips as he noticed that I wasn't wearing any clothes upon transforming back. He started to run his hoof across my abdomen, trying to sink himself further down. "I am most satisfied with the result of your compliance. Now my beast, go give me glory. Show me what you can do."

While I was human, I still had my magic to stop him from getting too fresh with his copping a feel. He was more than satisfied with the sample he had and marched away with the memory of my skin against his hoof. I shook my head while turning to Kalimba. "I swear that motherfucker's going to have me kill him." I said out of a flash of anger. "So I have a feeling this isn't going to be fair."

Kalimba was just as visually invested in my anatomy, trying to use her magic on the sly and pull my hand away to reveal what it was I was covering up at my crotch.

"Hey! No peaking at the merchandise!" I urged, causing the mare to lustfully retract her hoof.

She looked up to me, her eyes coming to grips that her eye level was just at the top of my inner thigh. "Well I cannot say dat I am not interested in being commanded by such a large being. I wish to know now, what is dat thing you especially do not want the world to be seeing? Come now silly boy, do not hide. I wish to see what's on de other side."

This time, my hormones could be held in check. So I snapped her back to the present. "What's on the other side is my losing you to him." I reiterated. "And I'm sure you don't want to be his sex slave."

Just the thought of him doing whatever he wanted, combined with the memories of what he did on Tuesday night was what made her see that outcome being nothing short of terrible. That warning was enough to snap her back to the straight and narrow. She went from trying to goad me into showing off, to trying to goad me into shape.

"Shine your eyes, captain. I do not wish to be his servant in any capacity."

The stadium was rocking and rolling with the sounds of cheering and sing-alongs to the music that was piped in from the speakers around the venue. The colors of the venue were restored to their vibrant selves, as much as the arena had returned to it's former deafening volume. And above all else, the main thing that could be heard is the sounds of the two announcers booming throughout the place.

"FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS!" Scotch hollered out to the crowd with a dignified bow.

"BASTARDS AND BITCHES OF ALL AGES!" Botch snarled loudly to the audience, pointing at the many patrons.

"SCOTCH AND BOTCH HERE AGAIN TO BRING TO YOU THE COMMENTARY OF TONIGHT'S SLATE OF ACTION─"

"YOU WANT BLOOD, WE GOT IT!"

"YOU WANT PASSION AND CARNAGE, WELL THIS IS THE PLACE YOU'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR! AND IF NOT─"

"BROTHEL'S DOWN THE STREET IF YOU WANT TO GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

"TONIGHT WE HAVE AN INTERESTING LINEUP OF MATCHES LEADING UP TO OUR TEASED SURPRISE MAIN EVENT!"

"LAST WEEK, WE TICKLED YOUR BALLS WITH A CERTAIN GUEST APPEARANCE TAKING ON OUR PREVIOUS BEAST OF THE WEEK TO CLAIM THE TITLE!"

"AFTER ALL, WHAT BETTER TO TAKE DOWN AN ARIMASPI THAN THE VERY CREATURE THAT LEGEND HAS NOTATED AS IT'S SWORN NEMESIS!?"

"Y'ALL KNOW WHO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"AND IF YOU DON'T─"

"─THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP AND WATCH THE SHOW."

"AND WORD FROM THE BOSS, NO SPOILERS ALLOWED!"

"WE GOTTA STAY EMPLOYED, YA KNOW!?"

"BUT TONIGHT, A STORY WILL COME TO THE FLOOR OF OUR ESTEEMED ARENA!"

While the two commentators gave a pause for dramatic effect, Botch started chuckling and teased the audience."SO HOW ABOUT THAT SUNDAY, HUH!?"

The entire arena started to boo loudly as a very small mention of items fell to the arena floor at the mention of that event. Scotch continued to speak to the crowd. "WE KNOW THAT MANY OF YOU ARE UPSET THAT SOME OF YOUR MOST FAVORITE VENDORS HAVE BEEN IMPRISONED FROM THE RAID ON SUNDAY!"

"ALL LED BY CAPTAIN MONKEY-BRAIN LONGSHANKS!"

"BUT THE BOSS DIDN'T LET THAT GO UNPUNISHED! HE TOOK BACK THE BASTARD THAT SOLD YOU OUT!" Scotch announced, playing to the crowd and earning their praise of approval.

"FUCK THAT GUY!" Botch cosigned much to the delight of the audience.

"HEY NOW, BOTCH. HE'D LOVED FOR THAT TO HAPPEN IN A PUBLIC SQUARE."

"IS HE REALLY?"

"SOME SAY IN CERTAIN CIRCLES, HE'S VERY GIFTED WITH HIS TONGUE, KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT TO HIT, WHERE, AND WHEN TO SET YOU OFF." Announced Scotch, causing the imaginations of the various mares in attendance go wild.

Botch sought to play off of that fact to the mares. "OH LADIES─"

Scotch then kindly interrupted him. "I'M SORRY BOTCH, BUT HE'S RESERVED HIMSELF FOR... STALLIONS ONLY."

The audience mostly booed at the news. "SORRY LADIES, YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. BUT INCOMING PLOT TWIST!"

Scotch planted a hoof against his ear, appearing as if he was listening in to a call from one of the event managers."IT SEEMS THAT THE CAPTAIN HAS INFILTRATED THE DISTRICT TONIGHT, BUT HE FOOLISHLY CAME BY HIMSELF! WHAT IDIOCY─"

"─A WHOLE DUMBASS─"

"─A COMPLETE FOOL! BUT TONIGHT, YOU ALL GET TO PAY WITNESS TO A MOST GRAND NIGHT IN THIS ARENA'S HISTORY!"

Botch turned to his fellow commentator. "BUT FIRST, LETS GET SOME SHIT OUT OF THE WAY! WHO'S UP FOR TONIGHT!?"

"WE'RE LOOKING AT A GROUP OF THUGS, A COLLECTION OF SOULLESS BASTARDS LOOKING TO MAKE A QUICK DOLLAR ON THE ARENA FLOOR!"

"SOME BASIC BITCHES A LEVEL OF SELF-RESPECT LOWER THAN A SHITTY-ASS MERC!"

"WE HAVE COMING IN FROM THE RED GATE, THE LOT OF THUGS─"

"─THEY'LL PICK YOUR PURSE AND YOUR WIFE'S PUSSY CLEAN─"

"─THEY'LL KILL EACH OTHER OVER THE PRIZE MONEY─"

"THE... BODY SNATCHERS!"

The gate opened to reveal a group of common thugs all cheering and hollering as soon as they were announced. Some even tapped at their ears to hype up the crowd. Of course, the response from the crowd was mild at best. They didn't seem to care much for the guys that looked to be the big benefactor of a victory.

Scotch once more planted his hoof against his ear, much to the intrigue of the crowd. "AND THEIR VICTIMS... WAIT! I'M JUST GETTING WORD OF A CHANGING DEVELOPMENT, FOLKS!"

Botch did the same, appearing shocked. "NO FUCKING WAY!"

"THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! WE'RE BRINGING IN SOME HEAT TONIGHT! FRESH OFF THE CAPTURE, WE HAVE THE ONE─"

"─THE FUCKING ONLY─"

"HE'S THE NEW... *AHEM* ...Candidate for Beast of the Week."

Just as anticlimactic as his announcement was, the black gate before us was dropped to the ground and we were revealed to the crowd. And given that they saw my face on the floor, the boos started pouring in. While earlier was a small amount of trash thrown at the mention of my name, this time was a series of refuse and wastes tossed our way, everything from spoiled food, old syringes, plastic cups, and other disposable paraphernalia.

Walking to our portion of the floor, we could hear a series of insults being hurled our way, including many colorful threats to my safety. But I didn't mind it too much. "You know, I thought that the announcements were a lot more fun on the outside looking in. But now that I'm the one on the floor, this is total bullshit."

Kalimba staved off her own bits of trash hurled her way while she spoke. "You will learn to live with deir biases."

"Guess there's bigger shit to worry about other than how we're announced." I said as I looked a the group of ponies before us, counting out as many as twelve of them. As I started to size down their biggest guy, I dodged a rotten tomato that was hurled my way. "Like getting pelted with rotten fruit, for example."

"NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING!" Scotch continued.

"WHY THE FUCK IS HE HERE AND NOT THROWN IN CHAINS!?" Botch questioned on behalf of the viewers.

"BECAUSE THE CAPTAIN HERE IS LOOKING TO FREE HIS HOMOSEXUAL ASSOCIATE!"

"WAIT, DOES HE ACTUALLY... CARE ABOUT THE GUY?"

"WELL HE IS THE ONE WHO WROTE OUT THE WARRANT! THE CAPTAIN WILL NEED HIM FOR FUTURE VISITS!"

"MAYBE THE CAPTAIN'S SEX LIFE IS SECRET BECAUSE HE'S PROBABLY BLOWING THE BASTARD'S BACK OUT!"

"CAN THE CAPTAIN TRULY FIGHT? DOES HIS REPUTATION MATCH UP TO HIS ABILITIES!? IS HE A RAGING HOMOSEXUAL IN SECRET!? WE MAY FIND THE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS TONIGHT!"

"THINK ABOUT IT FOLKS! WE BUSTING A SCOOP BEFORE THE PRESS AND TABLOIDS EVEN GET TO IT! AND WE'RE DOING IT IN REAL TIME!"

While the two continued to spread unfounded rumors about my preferences, I started to imagine the many violent ways I could put these guys away. "I'm going to kill someone today." I said through gritted teeth.

"Dat would be preferred for many here." Kalimba added.

The two commentators commenced the match. "SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO─"

"LET'S GET THIS MOTHERFUCKING PARTY STARTEEEEEED!"

While the group of twelve made a beeline for us, Kalimba jumped ahead of me and readied herself for her first assailant. "No time to think! We are fighting now!"

"Lady, how do you think I got this position!?" I replied as I ran up and punched the first one I saw. In seconds, Kalimba was being rushed by three of them while nine dedicated themselves to trying to take me down as quickly as possible. But at least two of them grabbed one another and flung one of them at me, all while another kicked me in my side. As another two rushed me, I stumbled back to gain some balance, only to fall backwards as one stood behind me with a confident smile on his face. When I got back up, another one gave me a solid blow to the jaw, causing me to stumble back again.

"OH, THAT'S GOTTA HURT!" Botch called out for the audience.

I worked my jaw for a split second, seeing if anything was broken, any teeth were knocked loose, standard three second inspection. After that hit, I nodded and cracked my knuckles. "I'll show you what hurts."

Again, they pulled the same combo, but throwing two guys at me this go around. It didn't bother me much but they did throw in a bit of a twist by trying to throw some sand in my eye. I thankfully fell back before that could happen, but once I tried to get back up, another blow came to the back of my head. One of the stallions stood up over me and asked with a cocky demeanor. "You done yet!?"

I quickly rubbed the back of my head, very much pissed off. "Not even!"

While I was trying to keep my magic as a trump card for later, I had to find other ways to make my position more advantageous. Watching the group of goons interact with one another, I saw that they were offering Kalimba very little attention. Unsurprisingly, they only wanted the glory of bringing me down, so I had to get serious, no more holding punches.

I moved towards one that tried to scamper away, getting flanked by another who wanted to be my tripping log. Instead of going after the ones in front, I decided to use that fake opening and take a step back, feeling for when he got close. And just like clockwork, I felt him brush against the back of my legs.

I simply sat down, pinning him down until I heard something snap. The pony beneath me yelped out in pain while he tried to squirm from under me. As one tried to come in for a surprise blow, I weaved and countered with a few solid blows to his neck and jaw. Another ran in from the front, trying to charge his magic to blast at me. All I did was pick up the one I sat on and used him as a shield to protect myself from the incoming blasts.

Two others flanked me, trying to do the same, but by the time that happened, I just had to step aside and let the one they had coming at me from the front pass by. After juking him out, I watched as a bolt intended for me blasted back the one I faked out. The one from earlier who tried to punch me again had gotten back up, only to promptly receive another blow to the face. I tossed aside the first meat shield for a second in him instead, using it to shield myself from more blows of the two that then became my front. Another came running after them, trying to maximize their front. Each of them spit up to try and hit me at three different sides.

As much as I wanted to save my magic for a trump card, I had very little alternative. So I decided to play dirty. I hid my hand as I used my fingers to swipe some sand into the eyes of one assailant that tried to come at my left. He was left blinded for a while as the other two closed in on me. All I had to do from there was use my current meat shield as a projectile towards the one up front and give a forceful kick to the one that came in from the side.

A bolt of magic hit me from behind, leaving me a bit stunned from the impact. I turned around to see the perpetrator smiling as two others held knives and sticks. Instead of going empty handed, I picked up two of their friends and hurled them over at them. Of course they landed short, but the distraction was enough for me to close the distance. Once more, I played dirty, sliding one of their hind legs from underneath across their body. The one that held a stick, namely a splinted 2x4, tried swinging at me from the side, namely at my legs. But as soon as I jumped to avoid the blow, I landed and kicked sand in his direction. He jumped back, but my other foot found his weapon and stomped it out of his possession. I drove an elbow into his eye socket, rendering him completely unconscious.

I looked at the last one standing and said to him. "You must be a prophet, you spoke that ass whoopin on yourselves." The one with the knife tried to sneak up from behind, but I looked back in enough time to react to him lunging in. Instead of dodging completely, I sidestepped him and shoved his face down into the dirt and kicked his head in twice before he was left gurgling. Next I yanked the last remaining one into my possession and slammed his face into the ground and punched him until he was neutralized.

On that note, I got up to see if there was anyone else that Kalimba was dealing with, she seemed as if she downed two of her own assailants before dealing with the final one. "You fucking stuck up bitch!" He screamed while running at her.

"Keep yourself away!" She warned as he leapt at her. She dodged his attack by sliding out of the way and then pivoting herself to kick him in the back of the head.

Stumbling forward from the impact, he felt the back of his head and screamed once more at the zebracorn. "Fucking zebra slut!"

She calmly waited for him to run back in for another round, and gave him exactly what he asked for. Her hind leg kicked out at him, causing him to stumble back as she set up another moment to give him a barrage of kicks. Two to his chest, one to his face, landing down to sweep his hooves from beneath him, using her magic to toss him into the air, and then leaping up to drive his face into the dirt.

I couldn't help but stare in amazement. And I was sure that the audience shared my same sentiment in seeing her put the guy down with such flare. "HO MOMMA! SHE'S GOT STYLE!" Botch even praised her admirably, again to the crowd's delight.

Looking at me, her horn quickly ignited and shot a blast past my shoulder to one of the guys I used earlier as a shield. She stared at me and gave me a quick warning. "You better be more careful."

I nodded at her before seeing a stallion get up off the ground, namely the one I kicked that came at me earlier from the side. He saw it as an opportunity to ambush Kalimba. "Watch your ass, Kali!" I called out to her, causing her to instinctively spin around and send a bolt flying in the direction of her about face.

While she didn't score a direct hit, the aura singed his right side, causing him to lose his balance along his run. He regained himself and yelled at me for ruining his surprise attack. "You son of a bitch!" So he unwittingly turned his attention to me to bring me down, not realizing that he still had to cross by Kalimba. She didn't take his intent to harm me in good standing and hopped to her forelegs before bucking the stallion at full wind-up. The blow sent him across the arena and landing flat into the wall, I watched him almost peel off like a sticker as he flopped to the ground.

Any others that were still wide awake wanted no part in us and ran off, carrying their compatriots towards the gate they entered from. A crude industrial buzzer sounded in the arena, indicating our victory by means of withdrawal. Some members of what appeared to be the on-site medical staff checked the unconscious stallions for any life signs. I gave the zebracorn mare a nod of approval. "You kept up."

She smirked slightly as she replied. "Did you expect me to do anything else?"

The announcers went about their usual gig. "WELL HE'S A FIGHTER, BUT THIS ZEBRA GIRL IS ALL ABOUT STYLE!" Botch stared off.

"THE AUDIENCE LOVES HER! SHE'S A STAR IN THE MAKING, FOLKS!"

"I WONDER WHAT ELSE SHE DOES WITH STYLE!"

Kalimba rolled her eyes with disgust. "As if any of you will ever find out!"

"THE WINNERS OF THIS FIRST ROUND OF TONIGHT'S LINEUP..."

"KALIMBA AND... Candidate for Beast of the Week."

The crowed was awash with the mix of boos and cheers. Understandably many cheered for Kalimba and her performance, but many booed me due to underlying bias. I was a little miffed at the way they announced me though. "Sheesh, they could've called me 'the human' at the very least. I'm kicking their ass, at least give me the respect after a win."

"I told you about deir biases." She replied as we walked into our own respective gate. As we got closer, many hesitated in throwing things at us because Kalimba was so close to me while we made our way to our prep room.

As per usual, standing outside of the room was none other than the ringleader himself. He immediately went to Kalimba. "Ah, you done some improving on your physique. Should've peeped that when you took the captain on in front of the lounge that other night."

She answered the stallion with a growling tone. "You forgot who I had to deal with."

"Oh I didn't forget about Prod. Not as much as you would like to forget him yourself." He replied with a devious smile.

I stepped between them both to hinder him from talking to her. "That's the first round of how many?"

"Three." He said, looking up at me.

"Then two more and we're good, right?" I said, holding up two fingers.

The stallion snickered as he clopped his hooves together. "I wouldn't expect it to be as easy. You should temper your expectations."

On that note, he walked off and we were left to get some rest before our next round. When the door closed, I started feeling against my jaw. Parts of my face were still sore from the blows I took, but thankfully those guys were a lot more unorganized than I initially took them to be. I looked at the young zebra mare as she stared at herself in the dirtied mirror. "So it seems the ponies out there loved your moveset."

"I suppose so." She replied without any care about the circumstances.

"You've improved a whole lot since we first linked up." I pointed out.

"I was always sickly den. But we have a zebra friend helping me to regain my strength." She answered quite plainly.

"It's almost been a month since we've done this. Pretty awesome to see you go so far so quickly." I said, walking to her side.

"I always could do dis, but I was always made too weak to do so." She answered, cleaning up her face from the dirt.

"And then you know magic on top of it. Pretty lethal combo."

She glanced over to me. "Is dat so?"

I continued to heap praise on the young mare. "Yeah, you killed out there! I almost wish I could do half the shit you can. I'm just straight forward, guess that's why I'm not as loved by the audience."

The mare briefly took my praise for granted. "I am merely a tool to be used."

"Not always." I urged. "You're loved, and you're a friend to someone else. Tools can have individuality too, serve a certain purpose, but they can't be embraced by others around them nor can they embrace who they're around. Personality is what makes you desirable, and I'm sure that there's somebody out there who'd love to discover that for themselves."

The mare looked to me quietly before turning back to the mirror. "Dere is some time before our next match. I suggest you rest until den."

I took her advice and sat myself on the nearby couch to relax myself before our next match. The last thing I needed to be was stiff and uptight going into a fight. So I tried to start off with a bit of reactionary humor. "I wonder what your dad would say if he saw how strong you were."

"I do not care about what he says!" The mare groaned with annoyance, enticing me to laugh at her. "I care about what you say." Her follow-up reply made me stop dead, causing me to feel a bit saddened over the fact that I knew what she was going through in her mind, at least to an extent.

"Lady, you're trending for disappointment with me." I warned her.

She immediately replied. "I know my future, I know you are not a part of it. That cannot be anymore disappointing."

About an hour passed between our first and second round. And in that hour, there were some random deliveries made out to Kalimba. Reasonably, flowers and cards. Seemed like she had started to develop more of a following than what I had imagined. Meanwhile, some fairly threatening letters came in for me instead. Seems like they intend to bet heavily against me given the fact that they don't particularly like me. It's fair, I did bust down some of their operations and cripple others in the wake of the raid I led on Sunday. Par for the course.

The lady on the intercom told us to get to our places, normally starting with the home favorite to do the work, and then announcing the house's betting benefactor. I was certain that the bets against me would only get more and more rampant. This only meant that the pain of their loss would only fill the coffers of the betting house. Hell, they do it all the time in my world. We bet against Lebron teams just like Seattle residents bet against the OKC Thunder, or how we UT Austin students bet in favor of the home team instead of the University of Oklahoma. This wasn't any different.

I made a preliminary checklist during our break, namely pulling out some small tools and items that could be of use. I simply stuck with my scouting loadout: Standard issue guard sword, a few road flares if it gets dark, and even a stun gun for the possibility of my going against another magic user. I didn't want to fully exploit my trump card yet, so this was going to be my next-best alternative. Kalimba didn't need anything out of what I offered, she opted for only what was gifted to her since birth.

On that note, we headed out to the arena, waiting at our assigned gate as the announcers went loud on the speakers.

"LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS!" Scotch started the round off with a boisterous belt.

Botch followed suit. "IT'S YOUR TWO FAVORITE COMMENTATORS HERE AND WE'RE LOOKING TO GIVE YOU MORE OF THE ACTION!"

"TONIGHT STARTED OFF WITH AN ABSOLUTE SURPRISE!"

"KALIMBA, A CHAMPION OF ONE OF THE NEWER VIP MEMBERS DECIDED TO PUT ON A LITTLE SHOW FOR THE REST OF US!"

"SHE'S A REAL FIGHTER AND A GIFTED ARTIST IN THE DANCE OF DESTRUCTION!"

"I HEAR SHE'S ALSO A RABBIT IN BED! ONE TIME, SHE TOOK HER OWNER AND LEG-LOCKED HIM INTO MATING WITH HER!"

"CAREFUL NOT TO GET CAUGHT UP WITH THAT ONE IN ESTRUS, BOYS!"

"SHE'LL BREAK YOUR DICK OFF!"

"BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY SHOWN BY TONIGHT, DON'T EVER CROSS HER BY ANY MEANS!"

"OR SHE'LL BREAK YOUR DICK OFF!"

"AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY!"

"AND WE ALL KNOW WE'VE BEEN WANTING TO SEE MORE OF HER IN ACTION! WELL YOUR WISH IS OUR COMMAND!"

"BUT THIS TIME, IT'S GETTING A LITTLE SPICY IN HERE!"

"A BIT OF AN EXOTIC TASTE!"

"A WHOLE DIFFERENT BREED OF ENTERTAINMENT!"

"FROM THE BLACK GATE, WE SEE OUR DARLING YOUNG DIVA SHOWING HER TRUE STRIPES! KALIMBAAAAA!" In a twist of patterns, they opened our gate first instead of announcing us for the latter. As I was about to walk out there with her, a pony who appeared to be the event staff held a hoof out in front of me to hold me back. While I watched her walk out there, she almost didn't notice that I was nowhere near her. She was partially caught off guard by the amount of fanfare her name had suddenly gotten. It was pretty incredible to see that she was so well-received, they even threw a few flowers at her hooves.

"AND WITH HER IS NONE OTHER THAN... Candidate for Beast of the Week." The event staff moved from my path and instructed me to walk forward. There was nothing but boos and jeers for me along the way. Of course, the number of things that they threw at me only remained consistent, if not increased. So I had to make a quick jog to Kalimba's side just so that I didn't have to get pelted by shit any longer than I needed to.

Admittedly, it wasn't a great feeling, it reminded me of the hard times I had in high school dealing with a lot of bullying incidents. I didn't want those memories to resurface for too long so I focused on the present and tried to keep my usual demeanor. "Seems you're developing a fan club." I joked.

Kalimba wasn't ignorant to the difference in bias either. She seemed more frustrated about it than I tried to not be. "Dis is not right. I am your champion, why are dey trying to differentiate our commentaries so wildly?"

"You don't think it's to build you up before they tear you down?" I asked, looking around the arena, namely the crowd.

She shook her head. "It has always been me getting torn down. Tonight is most unusual."

"I'm thinking it's some psych bullshit." I said quietly, peeking at the two announcers at the top of the red gate.

The gate started to open, alerting the zebracorn. "Less on dat. More on what we are facing."

I continued to joke with her. "Look at you being a main character." I said with a light chuckle.

"AND FROM THE RED GATE, WE HAVE A MEMBER OF THE BEAST TAMERS GUILD! A PROUD REPRESENTATION OF THE VERY ENTITY THAT WAS ASSAULTED ON SUNDAY! PLEASE GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO CRACKER BARREL!"

"The restaurant?" I questioned with a raised brow. A lone brown stallion with spurs on his legs walked forward, waving his cream white Stetson at the audience. He turned back around and whistled at the gate, allowing for six wolves fashioned from what appeared to be tree sap, pine wood, and dark magic. "Oh... that's not country-style cooked."

"Timberwolves!? Since when was dis in our agreement!?" Kalimba asked angrily at the the announcers.

"They're throwing me in the beast category. I'm sure they've worked out how it's going to be 'fair' in their eyes." I replied as the announcers continued with their commentary.

"CRACKER BARREL IS AN AVID COMBATANT IN HIS OWN RIGHT, BRINGING IN MANY WILD BEASTS TO THE GUILD AND MAKING MANY PROFITS ON MARKS THAT WOULD BE OTHERWISE UNOBTAINABLE!"

"TIMBERWOLVES ARE SO HARD TO CAPTURE BECAUSE OF THEIR ELUSIVE NATURE! AND THERE WAS EVERY INTENT BEHIND THAT PUN FOLKS, BROTHEL'S DOWN THE STREET!"

"WHAT MAKES THE BEAST SO HARD TO CAPTURE IS THAT THEY TRAVEL IN PACKS, AND WOULD UNIFY TO BRING DOWN THEIR INTENDED PREY!"

"AND CRACKER BARREL BROUGHT A WHOLE PACK OF THOSE SONS OF BITCHES! WHICH MEANS HE'S NOT JUST SHAKING STICKS!"

"WE'RE LOOKING AT QUITE THE SITUATION FOR THESE TWO TO BE FACING AGAINST! WILL OUR NEW DIVA CLAIM VICTORY OUT OF THE JAWS OF THESE TIMBERWOLVES? OR WILL HER BEASTLY COMPANION STEP UP TO THE MANTLE THIS ROUND?"

"HAVING THAT SAID, LET'S! GET! WIIIIILLLLD!"

The round started with the wolves running directly at us. Kalimba ran past me to get the attention of the six wolves and lead them away from me, all while screaming her instructions. "I'll take de wolves, you take him!"

"Gotcha!" I called back out before having to dodge a whip lashing at my toes.

I turned to the tamer as he rocked from side to side, twirling his whip as he tried to slowly walk to me. "Come on in, big guy. I'm not gonna hurt ya. Let's just take it easy."

"I'm not the one you want to be talking to like that." I strongly advised to him.

"He's trying to psych you out!" Kalimba hollered after blasting a wolf with her magic.

"I'm sorry, there's a level of disrespect I don't simply ignore." I said, starting to let my anger flash through.

She called out, once more as the the tamer pony flicked his whip, cracking a small cloud of dust inches before my face. I wiped my eyes to get the bit of dust out, only to discover something strange about my situation. Suddenly I began to feel woozy, light-headed for no real reason. The whip cracked in front of my face, unleashing a small plume of dust, that one making me sneeze as I inadvertently breathed in some of it.

"Easy does it now. Just come around here real quiet like." The stallion said with a docile country tone. "Atta boy."

At that moment, I was caught between sneezing and wanting to close my eyes for some sleep. And it was hard trying to get myself to come back to reality. "Snap out of it!" Kalimba hollered at me, but even she seemed a whole world away at that point. I was just tired, I didn't want to go to sleep, but my body was just urging me to slip under. I fell to my knees and started toppling over. The arena seemed to cheer brightly as I started to close my eyes off to the world.

It dawned on me that the crowd was cheering for me to finally slip under. I initially didn't care too much about it. All I wanted to do was just not be there, and sleeping was my best way out of it. Then again, I'd have to wake up to the idea of not having Kalimba around to help me anymore. It would've meant that she'd be a collaborator to him... a sex slave to him... or his next puppet.

The pain began.

The tinging sharpness against the side of my head, it made me envision the idea of him dragging her everywhere, doing whatever to her in front of everyone. I remembered he threatened to use her in front of the entire town, an indignity I'm sure her father would very much wish not to see. I saw how easily her freedom could slip out of her grasp. It dawned on me just how much she was banking on me to stay upright. My success and continuation meant that she could stay free, and if I went down, she'd sooner die than live the existence she just climbed out of.

I thought about dad's words, his lesson with the wrench at my leg. The pain in my head was a stern reminder of how I needed to be up and moving. And as one could imagine, the sensation of my head getting stabbed with a fork is enough to wake me the fuck up.

For the moment, I pretended to be sleep, slowly reaching down into my waistline for my taser. When that tamer of a stallion approached me, he looked down on me with a proud smirk. "Hoo-wee! You done went down real easy, boy. Guess you ain't all the hubbub that's been goin' round. Bless your heart, your little parts and whatnot."

That was the final straw. The level of hubris this guy had was enough to piss me off by default. But to hear the way he spoke to me as if I was some sort of pet to be put down was worthy of a taser to the neck. I rolled over and gave him just that, his body seized and he fell stiff to the ground as I got up, being the one who stood over him instead. The more I pulled the trigger, the happier I started to become. "Wow, you went down real easy. Guess you ain't worth half the shit you talk. Bless your heart." I stomped at his stomach another four times with all of my might, watching as he puked on the ground. I gave him another shock just to add the insult to injury. "You must've thought I was some sort of special, like I'm gifted. Yeah, I'm very acquainted with southern mannerisms, I know the bullshit behind those church-friendly conversations. Best believe I know 'em. I may be a city boy, but I'm a peach cobbler eatin', sweet tea drinkin', horse pettin', football lovin', southern American who's blood type comes back with the results of a goddamn proud Texan. And you best learn your place before I put you in one... boy."

One blast later and Kalimba was dusting herself off with pride. "Dat is de last one!"

I glanced over to see the results of her work, pieces of wood and sticks all over the arena. The place smelled like the floor of a pinewood forest. "Timberwolves, wolves made of actual sticks. Could've gone with a better choice." I noted, still holding my taser to Cracker Barrel to give him an occasional jolt.

Kalimba then pointed out something unusual. "They have not call de match yet."

I looked around and saw nothing indicating that the match had been brought to a conclusion. Even the last round had a crude sounding horn to tell us that the round was over. Instead, it was just the sounds of the crowd booing me and cheering for Kalimba. I leaned down to the stallion and gave him another jolt of electricity. "Alright you, I told you I ain't stupid." I then picked him up off the ground and held him up. "What's your plan here?"

The stallion chuckled in response. "Y'all think I'm stupid tryin' to play nice when there's money on the line." He said, spitting in my face. "When there's a hunt, you do what you can to get that mark, even if it means to play dead."

I angrily and slowly wiped my face of his loogie payload, the corners of my mouth tilted in various directions as I contemplated the idea of simply shooting him dead. "The dead don't play anything."

He answered me with a sarcastic smile. "I'm not dead."

That was enough for me. It was enough to let me know that I had time today. So I slammed his face into the puddle of his own vomit and stomped his head in repeatedly, actively jumping on his skull to render him almost completely unresponsive. But instead of that, he was just moaning repeatedly as his hooves seized against his chest. I was left a panting, indignant soul with almost every possible trigger pulled on my anger switch. Self-control wasn't exactly a trait of mine when it came to him, nor did I felt it needed to be. He was very much close to crossing over when I was done with him. "Well... tell God you found the right one when you see him."

While I was satisfied with the result of my beatdown, I had very little sympathy for his current state. But while I was paying all of my attention to him, I was not made wary of the more subtle danger that took place during my act of hostility. Instead, I was completely caught off guard by the shouting of my accomplice. "NONDIS!" She cried out.

"What!?" I replied before I saw a massive wolf form from the various sticks and branches left around the arena. I was left flabbergasted by the event, unsure of how to even deal with the situation. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT THING!?" I called back to her loudly.

"TIMBERWOLF!" She answered back before it's large wooden paw came crashing down. She narrowly avoided the impact, galloping at full speed away from the creature.

I shouted back over to her, running around and trying to formulate a plan. "Where did this son of a bitch come from!?"

"Dey come from places like de Everfree forest!" She replied urgently. "I cannot fight dis thing, I do not know how!"

The two of us united together, running beside each other as I started to think back to my training. Eventually something came to my mind. "Wait... Aw shit! I forgot about that! KALI, SPLIT UP!"

"What did you forget!?" She asked before heading off in a different direction.

I then recalled what I learned from my courses in basic training. "Defense class, lesson twenty-seven, timberwolves combine when their entire pack is knocked out! They become a bigger beast capable of mowing down a small rural town."

The poor zebracorn sounded winded as she chided me on the spot. "Idjiot! Do you not tell me dese things before we fight dem!? So what do we do now!? How do we fight dis shit!?"

"Magic works, fire often works even better!" I answered.

Kalimba turned around for a brief moment, sending a blast directly for one of it's legs, only for that leg to recover shortly after. "Every time I hit it, it heals itself! Are you sure dat magic works!?"

I began to question myself on my own magic, but then I remembered that I had something that could be as close to fire as I needed for it to be. A lightbulb popped over my head. "I have an idea!"

"What is your idea!?" She asked, now getting focused by the large timberwolf.

"Roadside assistance!" I said, running back over to her direction, namely to get the heat off of her.

"What!?"

"Hey! Over here!" I shouted to the large wolf before flagging it down to chase me. But as I passed by Kalimba, I dropped a road flare next to her to pick up. "Take what I dropped and run! The moment that son of a bitch open its mouth, you throw that thing in its throat! For now, I'll be the bait!"

"Are you insane, you stupid baboon!?" She hollered while following my instructions.

"Take that top off, run the rough part of that cap against that black bean on the top of the long stick, just like a match!" I called out while feeling myself getting more and more tired of trying to outrun the monstrosity chasing me down. Even the audience knew I was starting to run out of steam. "Any moment now please! We humans don't exactly run very fast by pony standards!"

She frantically took the top off of the flare and struck the top as I instructed her to do. It took her two to three attempts before the flare finally got rolling. "GOT IT!" She ran over, holding the bright red flame in her magic and tossed it into the mouth of the timberwolf before it could chomp down on me. As soon as it entered, the flames and sparks caught some of the loose branches and leaves, providing some kindling for the fire to manifest. "Now if you do not mind explaining to me what I just threw into its mouth!"

As soon as I heard that monster coughing, I knew it was safe for me to slow down. I ran over to her and caught my breath beside her, buckling down to hold my knees as I slowly explained to her what was going on. "Roadside flare.... We use those... at night... in places... where there's no light... and we have an accident... on the side of the road.... I use those to light... up dark rooms... on some of my missions and raids."

"Like torches?" She asked.

I gradually began to regain some of my breath. "Exactly.... No fire needed to start... or anything, just strike them... like a match, and watch 'em burn." I finally stood up and placed my arms above my shoulders to breathe better. "Needless for me to say that you shouldn't use them around dried foliage."

"Could cause a forest fire." She said as we looked back at the timberwolf, who's neck started to erupt into flames. Coughing and gagging only brought more oxygen to fuel the ongoing inferno in it's neck and expand it further into it's chest. The creature went down, writhing from the pain and lack of oxygen it was getting. The creature suffocated from the fire and then lit up like a effigy at the Burning Man Festival. At the center of the arena was a large fire that the arena staff had to hurry and put out.

"Yup, just like country cooking." I said, covering my nose with my shirt. "One thing about both this Cracker Barrel and the ones I'm used to back home, I can't taste either of what they tried to sell me on."

The alarm blared, indicating that the match was over. Effective immediately, a fire crew was brought out to tame the flames by dumping dirt and water on the burning remains of the creature that dared to chase us down. "WHAT AN EXHIBIT OF QUICK THINKING AND GOOD RESOURCEFULNESS ON THE PART OF KALIMBA!" Scotch announced to the crowd.

"BUT IN PART OF THE BEAST CANDIDATE, NOT MUCH TO BE SEEN OTHER THAN A BUNCH OF STUMBLING AROUND! HEY BUDDY, THE GUARD SAID IT WANTS IT'S SHOW OF INCOMPETENCE BACK!"

That instance made me even more angry, realizing that I wasn't getting any credit for the work I put into saving our hides. I couldn't help but to storm off of the arena floor. "You know, this bias bullshit is starting to really irk me."

"You are not de only one." She added, trying to stay right next to me as we left the floor.

At last the announcement was made. "AND SO OUR WINNERS OF THIS ROUND ARE THE BEAST CANDIDATE AND... DIVA KALIMBA!"

The crowd erupted at the sound of Kalimba's name. I shrugged at the response of the crowd, but at least praised my accomplice. "Huh, they even gave you a catchy name. You should trademark that."

"Dey even had a little more excitement pronouncing your name." She said, trying to cheer me up a little. Even then, I didn't care.

But the one who really did care was clopping his hooves with joy, eagerly cheering us while we walked into the preparation room. "Yes! The pageantry! The showmanship! The quick and cunning planning that's so impromptu! It's everything on the billing! I can't believe I'm saying this Captain Nondis, but you are showing yourself every bit of what you're advertised to be in the public eye! I must say that I'm impressed with your tactics."

"Your guys out there sure aren't selling that." I said, very much upset with the way they commentated it.

The ringleader frolicked over to my side as he whispered. "Well can you blame them, they're playing to the crowd! The crowd wants to see you fail, but I want to see you succeed!"

"And why is that?" I questioned vehemently.

"Because I've haven't even gotten to the thing that will make you truly great in this world! An opponent far worth the billing for many of Canterlot's citizenry to see! Your name will bring about a lot of notoriety and tourism, much more than it already does now."

I snorted off his comments, walking away from him to better vent my frustrations. "So I become your beast of the week, what then?"

"Well I wouldn't quite go that far. You've still one more round to do." He teased.

"And we're done here, right?" I asked firmly.

"For tonight." The stallion appeared disappointed by my eagerness to leave.

"And you won't bother me for the rest of the night?"

That's where he really started to test me, walking up to me and planting his hoof on my abdomen. "I never agreed to that. If anything, I'll be more inclined to discover more of what makes you tick. I'll be even more of a big fan..." His hoof slid down and pressed into my crotch. "...and an even bigger fetishist."

I didn't even care about the force I used when I slapped his hoof away from me. "I'm sure you understand that I don't swing that way."

His eyes widened, appearing in disbelief that I actually struck at him. "Silly Nondis, surely you must have realized. It's not what you don't do for others. It's what you're going to do for me." He said before turning away and walking out of the room. "You'll do well to remember that... Boy."

As soon as the door closed, I located the nearest chair and slammed it into the ground until I broke it to pieces. I unleashed a loud scream as I began to pace the room. "I can't stand his fucking guts!"

Kalimba tried to remain focused on the fight ahead. "Dat round was much harder den de first one. I can believe dat dey will throw out something dat will be nothing short of a trauma."

"Meanwhile you'll get paraded like some new star." I snapped back.

Kalimba continued in trying to focus on the overarching circumstances. "Remember, dey do host champion tournaments every now and den. It could be dat dey are posing me for a position to compete."

"And they're making me out as a pariah. As if I'm not already one here." I replied harshly, still pacing off my frustration.

Realizing that changing the subject wasn't going to help me any, she finally questioned me directly, using her magic to slow me down. "Are you okay?"

"I should be. None of this should even matter to me, it's a bunch of social rejects and societal refuse with moral ethic issues telling me that I'm worthless to them. You'd at least think that the very thing that's only accepted in society because of fetish reasons and warfare superiority is the thing that a bunch of social outcasts would like to rally behind. I'm attacked at my job, I'm attacked in society for stupid shit, I'm attacked here, PELTED WITH ROTTEN FOOD AND DRIED SHIT! WHAT THE FUCK DO I HAVE TO DO TO CATCH A BREAK!?" I screamed loudly, startling Kalimba. While she reared back almost as if she was expecting to get hit by something, I just walked over to the bench I rested on earlier and sat down. "I shoudn't fucking care about any of this shit. But something inside of me is still aching, maybe it's past shit from middle and high school, but I still don't feel like it's negligible... Not with all the shit I'm going through right now. I shouldn't care, I shouldn't fucking care about this. WHY THE FUCK DO I CARE!?" I asked myself out of frustration.

The zebra, more or less surprised that nothing happened to her, eased up and sat down next to me. "De night is almost over for us. Once we finish, we can leave here and go wherever you please."

I threw my head into my hands trying to find some way to ease myself back down from my raging high. "Yeah, I guess that's what I need to do. And I'm sorry for popping off at you, I'm just... I can't believe that I'm gonna say that I'm a tiny bit jealous, but they literally held me back while you were getting your due praise. You probably didn't even notice when I wasn't walking next to you until they announced me. It gave them every chance to pelt shit at me and I was trying my best not to let it throw me off. Then there was that fucking asshole who thought that cracking his whip in my face was going to be the easy way of putting me down, belittling me as less than a man and treating me like a fucking zoo creature. And you-know-who ain't doing me any difference either. Everything about tonight pisses me off way more than I want to admit. Hell, for the second time in my life, I actively wanted to watch the life fade from someone's eyes. I may become murderous tonight, and that fucking scares me."

Kalimba had her reservations about touching me, but she still reached out regardless.

"I know you're probably preparing for the worst if I snap at you, but I'm not gonna hurt you even once." I reassured, still working my way back down. "You're a good mare. Really you are. But I'm just some suburban wannabe who voluntarily jumped into some shit he had no business being in. I'm not the type of asshole who's gonna smack down on you when shit's happening to me." I finally found the moment to bring myself from a boil to a simmer, at least being able to reason with myself over how I was acting. I made the further attempt to put her more at ease with me. "And I know you say your future is going to be shitty when I'm gone, but that's not the case. You're amazing, and tonight just showed how much credit you deserve. It won't be me, but someone nice will eventually come around and do you justice. You're already pretty, long-skinny legs, tall, already a unique breed and that makes you desirable to many curious colts, smart, athletic, and you aspire for more... even if you don't see the initial optimism of your situation. And you have a good start to a new life once all of this is over. I could even get you in the guard, a few words to Celestia and Shining, you're golden... literally. The world is yours, even when I die or leave for something else."

Kalimba paused for a moment, sighing before clasping my arm with her forelegs. I glanced to see her holding it rather tightly. She gazed down to the floor. "You don't... you just don't understand. It is not you leaving or dying I am worried about as much right now."

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"...It's hard to explain."

***Point of Perspective: Twilight Sparkle***

Today was a juxtaposition of a lot of emotions for me. From one end, it's the mystery of not knowing where today would take me to start. Then it goes into second-hoof embarrassment over the idea of my parents possibly getting raunchy with other ponies instead of with each other, all while trying to bleach out the idea of my parents getting naughty in general. Then there was a turn for the macabre, seeing the process of death and the instance of it's manipulation, as well as the perversion of it all. Now here we were, going from the cold, uncomfortable silence of the morgue to the bombastic fanfare of an arena packed out with fans consisting of the careless and crass denizens of Canterlot, both corrupted and curious alike.

The speakers around the place were far louder than they were on Tuesday. The colors, while muted on our last visit, were much more vibrant and outstanding. The energy was much higher, I could easily guess that our arrival came at what could've been the apex of the night.

Along the way, I noticed that there was a lot of bets being made, namely for something called 'Beast of the Week'. Pretty much everypony was dumping their money into the defending champion of that title instead of the unnamed challenger. I wondered why they'd keep the final matchup so privatized, especially since the betting pool already knew who they wanted their money for... or in the aspect of how they spoke, who they wanted their money against. However, when asked about the match, many ignored us or outright grew violent, prompting dad and I to leave well enough alone.

Either way, our entrance into the main bowl of the arena was stocked full of patrons, each with their own tickets of the wager in possession. "A lot of a crowd today, I see." Dad pointed out the obvious, seeing how full the stands were.

"Maybe it's a sign of things returning to normal?" I asked.

One stallion bumped into him, not even caring about the impact, he seemed only interested in finding a seat. "That or a really big event. You saw how scrappy the lobby was on the way in."

At the center of the arena was an opening to the world above, many hindlegs dangled from above as the ponies cheered on the event. "That's absurd. You'd think that they'd do a lot more safety regulations around here to not potentially get sued."

Dad then gave me a grim reminder. "You have to remember that the guy in charge has connections with the city morgue."

Looking up once more, I saw even some tails dangling from above, which only meant that they were either being held back by something, or they were leaning in for a better view. "Perhaps he's banking on some victims to fall in."

Suddenly, a techno song started blasting though the speakers, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers and dance spontaneously. It was on the magnitude of an enormous concert. "The music is awfully loud tonight." Dad added.

"It feels like a club." I replied, seeing many of the ponies not even care about what was going on at the floor of the arena.

"I wonder how many of these curious souls know what happens here." Dad quizzed as he glanced around the lower bowl.

"It's scary to think about it, how many have died tonight in this arena?" I asked.

Dad was swift with his reply. "Not nearly enough to cause a backlog of bodies. The numbers would have to be around a hundred a day. But a backlog like the one we saw has to be numbers following an epidemic."

Moments of seeing the bodies dangling from the ceiling flashed back before my very eyes, causing me to hold back my disgust. "How many ponies in Canterlot pass away in a day on average?"

Dad took a moment to ponder on the statistics he knew from. "On average, sixty-something. Add another forty from here and you'd have the requirement for a backlog to occur." He surmised.

"But if there were a hundred a day over the course of maybe a month, what then?" I rebutted.

"There would be no keeping the bodies past that point. They'd be cremated past a certain date, it's mandatory to prevent disease." He added sternly.

"But do you think cremation takes place after the backlog gets tremendously bad?" I asked.

"If anything, Nondis showed that there's a proper way to handle a mass casualty event should there be a surplus of bodies. They're taken off site and burned elsewhere to, again, prevent the spread of disease. Those changelings he executed en masse, they were done properly, everything by the book." He explained.

"So if they do have a backlog that large, is it possible that they're intentionally storing the bodies for another purpose?" I concluded.

Dad then gave his definitive answer. "You would have to find substantial evidence of there being tampering in that mortuary to open a case. Even then, it would be either be a civil dispute or a class-action lawsuit. Nothing that would require the elements getting involved. Perhaps if there was something behind that door─"

Dad's explanation was suddenly interrupted by a wayward stallion who wore a brown cloak over his head and body. The voice sounded distinctively familiar to me as he passed. "Excuse me."

The wayward stallion's intent appeared much different from the others. There was too much of a rush from him to indicate that there was any kind of deal going down. It was far too much regard for a minor incident at a place where even common courtesy was an afterthought. His appearance was that of a tourist, possibly a curious soul too kind for a place like this. I trailed behind the stallion, watching as a member of the audience got upset about him walking in front of him. He was pushed out the way, inadvertently causing his hood to peel back and reveal the face of the unicorn stallion that sought to venture into the arena. "Senator Somber Spiral?" I questioned.

The senator quickly recognized my undisguised voice, he glanced around and flipped his hood back onto his head and tried to rush his way back out of the lower bowl. "Excuse me!" He said to many who he crossed, showing that same courtesy in a place that was seemingly devoid of it.

Dad and I ran back in the way we came, hoping to intercept him and find out what was his reason for coming. "Let me deal with this." Dad galloped ahead to cut him off on one side while I stayed on the other to pinch him off of an escape.

And just like clockwork, the wayfaring senator crashed into dad, not recognizing the stallion who began to retain him with his magic. The senator pleaded with panic in his eyes. "Whatever you want, money, jewels, I can get it for you─"

I ran up to him and quickly placed my hoof over his muzzle and whispered to him in my undisguised voice. "Senator. Please tell me what you're doing here."

Of course, he already knew my voice from many debates and sessions in parliament. "Princess?"

"Keep your voice down." Dad urged as he shook the stallion.

Unlike me, he didn't quite recognize dad's voice, assuming him to be some undercover guard. "I just thought... I just..."

"Easy. Let's go someplace else and talk." Dad said as he adjusted the hood on the senator's head.

We walked from there to a hall near a row of moaning mares and stallions. It wasn't exactly a backdrop I was comfortable with, but it was a place with many eyes being brought to them instead of us. While Somber Spiral and I were stunned silent by the raw display, dad shook the senator back into the present. "I'm sorry." Somber said, jolting himself out of his curious trance. He then pleaded with us. "Look, my reputation would take a hit if somepony were to know I was here. Please don't speak of me─"

"Hey. We're all in the same boat, let's try not to sink it while we're onboard." Dad muttered.

After shaking off the display myself, I dove back into the conversation with a disclaimer. "For the record, my name here is Gleaming Star, not any title other than that."

"Right." He verified.

"Now why are you here?" I questioned him.

The senator hurriedly answered me. "I'm here to find my daughter."

Dad and I looked to one another, knowing that he had a young foal. "A little filly in a place like this?" I asked, becoming initially furious.

Dad promptly answered me with a chilling truth. "They often do black market trading for young fillies and colts, but those transactions are the hardest to track. Trust me, it's one of the things that tainted Prod."

The stallion immediately corrected both of us. "No. Not that one. Another."

The both of us appeared confused from his revelation. "You have another daughter?" Dad asked.

"It's a long story..." As he was about to begin, there was a loud cheer from the arena, which prompted our attention. "Please help me find her. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to her. I've just seen her a few days ago, but she's─"

Not wanting to be around the moans and shrieks of ponies getting their stimulation from the other side of the wall they were lodged in, I urged a change of scenery. "Before we continue, let's take a seat like normal patrons and discuss what she may look like."

Seeing that we were willing to assist him, he showed his gratitude as we walked back into the arena grandstands. "Thank you."

While he walked ahead into the concourse, dad and I quizzed ourselves over the circumstances. "A senator's daughter gone missing?" I muttered.

"In Canterrot no less. She must be beyond saving." Dad replied.

Without warning, the lights in the arena dimmed immediately, causing much of the place to fall into total darkness. "What happened to the lights?" I asked.

A pair of spotlights showed to two unicorn stallions on the floor of the arena, each of them wearing shades and standing at each other's backs with microphones. "Must be the main event." Dad plainly illustrated.

The red one spoke first. "FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! BASTARDS AND BITCHES OF ALL AGES!"

The green one followed. "THE HOUR OF THE GRAND EVENT HAS COME TO GRACE YOUR EYEBALLS WITH A GLORIOUS PERFORMANCE OF OUR TWO HEADLINERS!"

"YOU WAITED ALL WEEK FOR THIS, NOW WE'RE GONNA GIVE IT TO YOU!"

"YOU'VE KEPT YOUR EYES PEELED FOR OUR NEWEST STAR AND THE BEAST CANDIDATE!"

Down below I could see a large spotlight show to a black gate down below, slowly revealing a set of hooves. The announcer then called out to the crowd. "GO ON... SAY HER NAME... SO THAT THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD CAN HEAR!!!!"

The gates opened fully, revealing a zebra with various golden rings on her body. The mare appeared with a large red chrysanthemum affixed to the top of her mohawk, situated above the left side of her horn. She walked out slowly, often looking back to the tunnel while the crowd endlessly praised her name.

Dad was surprised to see her at the center of the arena. I was more shocked to see that we caught her in the middle of a bout. Meanwhile, more shouts of admiration came to favor the mare.

"I love you, Diva Kalimba!" One guy shouted desperately.

"You're so beautiful! Marry me!" Another was about to topple a few others just to get closer to the ground floor.

"No way, she's marrying ME!" The guy next to him envied how close he was getting and yanked him back.

Another guy amorously signaled with his hooves outstretched. "I'll give you my whole world for a day!"

We looked around to see where the senator had wandered off to, instead he was actually at the bottom of the aisle, standing in the middle as he looked out ahead, completely motionless. "He seems frozen." Dad pointed out.

"I wonder why." I added.

We ran down to try and check in on him, dad being the one to ask him about his status. "Hey, are you─"

The stallion pushed dad out of the way, distantly chanting to himself. "My daughter... they're cheering for..." He began to leap over the little bit of railing before dad and I caught him in time. He struggled against us as he tried to scream at us his reasoning. "THAT'S MY DAUGHTER! THAT'S MY DAUGHTER!!!"

"Hey, get in line!" A heckler called out from behind us.

"I'll make her call me daddy next!" A young stallion rowdily replied as he stood on his seat and started thrusting the air, earning a bunch of fellowly laughs from onlookers.

"Hey, control yourself." Dad urged in his ear. "You can't be getting lost in all of the mess when we're working against time."

He turned back around, trying to explain himself in a rushed manner. "My daughter's name is Kalimba. Kalimba Mavembe. She's a zebra unicorn hybrid─"

"Slow down." Dad urged once more. "Take a minute to breathe and let's get through this slowly."

I blinked oddly at the senator, snapping back to what he confessed to in the midst of his rush. "Wait. Our Kalimba?"

Dad caught on to me and followed up. "Used to be Prod's sex slave, Kalimba?"

I looked at her, standing at the center of the arena, getting flowers thrown at her hooves from members of the audience. And then I looked back at the senator, who appeared so lost in the image of the mare before him. I was in so much disbelief that I couldn't help but to verbalize it. "No way."

The announcer continued. "FROM THE BLACK GATE, WE HAVE OUR NEWEST STAR, ADORNED WITH FLOWERS AT HER HOOVES AND PRAISES FROM THE AUDIENCE! SHE HAS STYLE, SHE HAS GRACE, AND SHE'LL KICK YOU IN YOUR FACE! GIVE IT UP FOR HER!"

While the crowd went into an uncontrollable frenzy, dad was more amazed over the reception. "What in blazes─"

But the senator continued to shout out loud his relation to her. "That's her! THAT'S HER! That's her, that's my little girl!"

"Quiet!" Dad used his magic to quickly put an end to the senator's verbal frenzy. "There's a long conversation we should be getting into after this."

Meanwhile the announcer turned his attention to the same gate. "ALSO FROM THE BLACK GATE, WE HAVE A CREATURE WHO'S LACKLUSTER PERFORMANCE TONIGHT CONTINUES TO DRAW YAWNS AND EYE ROLLS!"

The red announcer mockingly replied. "MR. GOODY TWO-LEGS HIMSELF!"

"WHO'S SO OFTEN CARRIED BY THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR VIP CHAMPIONESS!"

"HE LOOKS FUNNY WHEN HE RUNS!"

"AND HE'S WHAT YOU ALL BEEN WAITING ALL NIGHT FOR! YOU'VE WANTED YOUR CHANCE! NOW YOU'VE GOT IT! INTRODUCING... OUR. BEAST. CHALLENGER."

While the announcement was loud, it was nowhere near the fanfare of Kalimba. Though that was the least of my concerns, they mainly rested on the fact that they pointed at the gate and watched eagerly as the audience immediately transformed their cheers into jeers. A familiar figure walked out from the gate, chains conjoining his arms before him as he was restrained throughout his entrance, possibly to make it as slow as they could. He strove to move forward as many items of refuse were thrown at him in the midst of his push. "Nondis!" I called out.

Dad groaned with worry. "This isn't good. This is devolving fast."

Some even went the extra mile to get a good wind-up before tossing their trash into the direction of the human. "The guard can't save you now!" One guy called out venemously.

"Go cry to your purple princess, bitch!" Another onlooker shouted, much to the approval of his peers.

Some carried out with simple insults. "Yeah, go tell her to read you a bedtime story!"

While others aimed as low as they could. "You looked better when you couldn't walk!"

***Point of Perspective: NONDIS***

After an unceremonious march back to Kalimba's side, I dared anyone to try and throw something in the vicinity of where she stood. I hated having to use her as a means of protection, but if she was open to be my protection, I had to oblige in that privilege for my own sanity.

When I was standing side by side to her, I grumbled over to her. "Shine my eyes, right?"

"I told you what to expect." She answered.

"Last and final round for the night." I tiredly stated. "You got my back, I got yours."

She nodded, but not without giving me a relatively firm plea. "Do not lose me to him."

I folded my arms and waited on the announcers to continue with their bullshit. "Let's just hope the game ain't rigged against us."

The spotlight showed the red gate as Scotch went on with the commentary. "AND FROM THE RED GATE, WE ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET FOR OUR VERY OWN!"

"HE'S A LEGEND HAILING FROM THE LANDS OF GRIFFONSTONE!"

"A PROUD MERCENARY WHO'S NAME RILES UP THE PARTY NO MATTER WHERE YOU SEE HIM!"

"HE'S SINGLE, LADIES!"

"AND A SPECIAL BONUS, A SLAYER OF ARIMASPI BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!"

"NOT SOME COWARD HOLDING HIS BACK TO A TREE WATCHING HIS LIFE FLASH BEFORE HIS EYES!"

"A PROVEN KILLER!"

"NOT SOME FRAUD MONSTER SLAYER!"

"A REAL MURDERER!"

"NOT SOME POMPOUS PRINCESS-PAMPERED PUFFBALL! SAY THAT FIVE-TIMES FAST!"

"AND YOU ALL LOVE HIM!"

"YOU FELLAS WISH YOU WERE HIM! BE REAL!"

"AND NO ONE─"

"─AND WE MEAN NO ONE─"

"KICKS ASS─"

"─SO MUCH ASS LIKE..."

"♫GAAASSSSTOOOOOOONNNNN!♫"

I wasn't familiar with the name or even why there was so much fanfare built around my opponent. I watched as fog started clouding up the red gate's entrance as it was opened. Colorful lights beamed from within as a shadowy hooded figure stood forward with a proud stance. It reached out, showing not a hoof, but claws. The arena screamed loudly as if we were thrown into a dramatic wrestling match. The lights of the arena turned blue, still hiding the figure within the fog. But along with him came a second figure, appearing to be a pony themselves covered in a thick cloak. The duo ominously marched at us before the claws pointed at me, then the ground, earning a loud cheer from the crowd. They then pointed to themselves before removing the hood over their head.

The lights flashed white at that moment, namely for dramatic effect for the crowd to absorb. But for me, the moment that hood came down and I saw who I was fighting, my hands locked into fists. I could feel my jaw seize shut, my teeth mashing against themselves. The screaming of the crowd dulled to a watery afterthought, drowned out by my memories of fighting on the train back to Appleloosa. I remembered the desperation of trying to do what I had to save Rainbow Dash that day, but also the desperation I had in trying to live. I remembered the knife in my gut, the yellow claws that held the weapon.

Him. It was the very same assassin that came for me. "You." Kalimba looked back to me, seeing how focused I was on the griffon that stood as my opponent.

The griffon seemed to squint for a second, but then recognized me as soon as the smoke cleared. He laughed from the irony. "Wait... seriously."

Scotch ran over to the griffon, holding his mic to get a few words from the celebrated fighter. "GASTON, YOU'RE OUR REIGNING BEAST OF THE WEEK! GO ON AND TELL THE WORLD WHAT YOU'VE GOT TO SAY!"

He took the mic and placated to the crowd, much like a wrestler hyping the crowd. "THE. CHAMP. HAS. ARRIVED." While praises of his cheesy comment brought the crowd to a roar, he tilted his head and gave his attention to me. "And in more ways than one! See, I didn't know that this matchup was going to be tonight! I thought I was just bagging some other lanky creature like another arimaspi or some shit! Turns out... I get to make good on my contract!"

"You're fucking lucky I got chains on my arms, you motherfucker!" I shouted back over to him, unfortunately being drowned out by the crowd cheering for him.

He couldn't understand me, putting his claws to his ears. "SEE! EVEN NOW HE'S BARKING AT ME! WHY DON'T YOU TELL ME HOW YOU FEEL REAL QUICK!" I shouted back, only to get silenced immediately by means of his having a microphone while I did not. "SHUT UP YOU STUPID MONKEY, BEFORE I PUT ANOTHER FUCKING KNIFE IN YOUR GUTS!"

No shit the announcer wanted to play on that for the crowd. "WAIT, AM I HEARING THAT CORRECTLY? YOU STUCK A KNIFE IN HIM?"

"ON A TRAIN RIDE FROM ARIMASPI MOUNTAIN TO THE RURAL PONY TOWN OF APPLELOOSA, I CUT DOWN THREE OR FOUR GUARDS TRYING TO DEFEND HIM AND I GUTTED HIM WHERE HE STOOD!" He regaled to the crowd, earning more praises from them. "GUTTED HIM LIKE A STUCK PIG, SLICED HIS SKIN LIKE A FINE FABRIC, LEFT HIM ON THAT TRAIN FOR DEAD!"

Botch, who was standing at the center of the ring, placed a hoof to his ear and walked over to me. "THE BOSS REQUESTED THAT WE GIVE THE CHALLENGER A MOMENT OF FINAL WORDS TO SAY TO HIS OPPONENT. WHAT YOU GOT TO SAY BEFORE YOU GET DOWN AND DEAD!?"

I tried to yank the mic over to my mouth, but the chains restricted me from doing so accurately. So I had to lean in and scream. "TWO FUCKING FEET OF INTESTINE I LOST TO YOU! AND I LEFT YOU FOR DEAD ON THOSE TRACKS! DON'T YOU FUCKING FORGET IT!"

The griffon smirked as he replied in the mic. "And I'm still here. So who's worse at killing who?"

I then shot back at him. "Hold up a minute, wasn't it you who buddied up w─"

The mic was abruptly taken from me while Scotch asked his question. "CHAMPION, ONE THING TO SAY BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR OPPONENT DOWN!"

Again, he grabbed the mic and paced around while offering his diatribe. "See, the boss works in mysterious ways. I myself have a lot to thank for my new abilities and my tag-team partner. I appreciate everything he's done for us here, and he pays well too. He paid me five hundred thousand bits to show you where you belong. Six. Feet. Deep." The crowd erupted at his response. "Now let's hurry up, I got a lovely new diva to donate sperm to and a few drinks to knock back." He said, looking at Kalimba specifically.

While two of the event staff finally got around to addressing the chains on my arms, Kalimba instead addressed my history with the griffon we were facing against. "So de two of you fought?"

"He was hired to assassinate me." I clarified.

The mare stood before me, looking to come to my defense. "Den I will not let him through─"

The moment my chains were undone, I pointed at the mare with a strict order. "Don't you put a damn hoof on his ass, that's mine. You deal with that other one."

Scotch and Botch both used their magic to levitate themselves away from the arena floor, up to a booth above the ground where they could safely commentate the action. Scotch shouted to the crowd. "THE FINAL MATCHUP OF THE NIGHT─"

Botch followed suit. "─OUR THRILLING MAIN EVENT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR─"

The two then called out in perfect unison. "BEGINS... NOOOW!"

I hollered out at the top of my voice angrily, charging forward. "Fuck you! It ends now!"

Just as I ran to him, he ran to me. Kalimba veered off to the direction of his own lackey while I made my clash with the griffon who tried to take my life. Gaston flapped open his wings and jumped high into the air, going for his usual tactic of diving into me from the air with blades hidden within his feathers. But there was a difference this time, instead of there being scalpels with a number of toxins coating the blades, there were makeshift feathers grafted into his wings to better integrate with his ability to fly. As such, he had much more control over his flight patters, making him much harder to predict when in the air.

Those upgrades he mentioned made the onset of the fight a bit trickier to navigate, but there was less of a difficulty considering the solitary fact that there was no hulking arimaspi chieftain trying to stomp me into the ground. He didn't have the advantage of trees hiding his movements while he threw grenades at me.

Still, his speed made it hard for me to defend myself. He took full advantage of my not having my claymore on me. "No sword to defend yourself today, huh?" He further pointed out, making more dives against me from the air, forcing me to do what I could to dodge his aerial runs. One of his dives in particular had him come right by me and slice into my upper arm. I looked over to see a large gash where my shirt once had a sleeve. I winced from the pain, but noticed that the pain had completely stopped in that area. He was more than likely using the same compound to keep me from feeling when I had been sliced into. "I'll cut you up better than the last time!" He said, maintaining his aerial superiority.

Glancing around, I tried to quickly find anything I could use to bring him even closer. But the only thing I had on me was my taser. And since the range of it was only eight feet, I had to wait until he swooped back down. So I stood still to bait him into coming in for a strike. The moment he swooped down, I drew my taser and hit him in his leg. He shrieked from the pain, unable to properly move his hind legs. "You're a bit stronger than last time, but you ain't got your big guy to back you up!"

"And you ain't got your weapons!" He yelled back, finding the strength to move his wings and sever the lines connecting from my taser to his body. Regaining full control, he flapped open his wings twice. Suddenly, a pillar quickly rose from next to him. He reached his claws into it and smirked. "Speaking of which, I got a surprise for you!"

As soon as his claws came out with what appeared to be an assault rifle, I felt everything inside of me switch to panic. "SHIT!" I started running the exact opposite way, trying to make myself harder to hit while gaining some distance. The sounds of the gunfire made me flinch down, my heart raced while I tried to find cover.

"Why you running, Funaki!?" He called out with a manic laugh, firing many shots towards my direction until I found what appeared to be a sanitation ditch built for blood overflow.

Sliding down into the ditch, I kept my head down while yelling back. "Your aim's shit and I don't wanna get hit while standing still!"

"It ain't that bad if it's got you running!" Gaston replied back with laughter. More gunfire continued to whistle over my head, cracking into the wall before me. The dust and debris from the impacts had me covering my eyes so I wasn't blinded. But that cover wouldn't last for long as the part of the arena floor I hid in was slowly being raised. I turned my head, desperately trying to understand what was going on.

Botch then shouted out to me, mainly to appease the onlookers. "OH NO, THERE'S NOWHERE TO HIDE!"

When the floor came to a standstill, completely flushed with the rest of the arena floor, I looked back to the griffon who loomed at me with the barrel of his weapon pointed squarely at me. "Dance for me, will you!?"

He fired a shot at my side, ricocheting a bullet off the ground and into the wall behind me. The crackle of the round landing beside me caused me to quickly get back up to my feet. But as I was about to move to the other side, I heard yet another bullet crack to the side of me. He fired yet another round, trying to aim for my feet, but instead grazing my right leg. I winced from the impact, almost buckling under my own weight. I was left straining to keep myself on my feet. It appeared as though there was nowhere for me to go.

But as quickly as I found myself in dire straights, I also knew the way to counter this was to throw off the aim of the weapon. Of course, I was simply thinking like a human when there's one of our weapons involved. I rationalized like a human would. And the only way to get myself out of it was to stop thinking like a human would. Even though I had intentions of using my trump card here, the sudden gunfire had me mentally revert to that state of only being human. So I resorted to what I knew, and that was to use my magic as an extension to lift the sights of his weapon and keep him thrown off.

The griffon cheesed as one of his talons gripped the trigger of the weapon, but before he was able to squeeze, a white aura wrapped around the muzzle and yanked his weapon upwards, causing him to fire a round into one of the lights above. The griffon tried to free the weapon from my telekinetic grasp, but the magic was far too strong for him to move on his own will. And since he had no magic of his own, he couldn't break my manipulation.

Just as it was on the sticker, my magic proved to be the trump card it was.

I didn't need to get close anymore. I just held the weapon in one hand and used my left hand to send debilitating bolts of magic into his chest. The audience began to transition from cheers to shocked silence as I suddenly took the advantage. I shook him off of the weapon before dismissing it into my own arsenal. I followed up by summoning my claymore and running at the disoriented griffon. "Alright! LET'S DANCE, MOTHERFUCKER!"

The announcers, who favored their defending champion, were left asking the questions in lieu of the audience's own reactions. "MAGIC!? FILLIES AND GERMS, IT SEEMS LIKE CAPTAIN GOODY'S BEEN HOLDING OUT ON US!"

"FROM WHERE DID HE LEARN UNICORN MAGIC!?"

"I'LL GIVE A RINGER UP TO THE BOSS AND SEE IF THAT'S PERMITTED!"

Seeing that I was getting in closer with my weapon, the griffon made a last-ditch effort to send his wings at me to stave off my rush. But instead of doing just that, he gave me plenty of real estate for my blade to cut into. In seconds, he went from having two wings, to having two halves of wings. The griffon screamed in horror and pain while I closed the distance between us. He held his arms in front of him, crying out in vain to protect himself.

Just like his wings, his arms joined with the ground as independent entities. "I'm fucking done with you!" The griffon almost wept at the sight of his life being definitively taken by me. He grimaced and strained as my blade was firmly injected into his body, offering him a much more brutal return of the damage he inflicted upon me. Looking down to see the damage, he started to resign to despair. "Stay in hell where you belong!"

"Look, we can make a deal!" The griffon pleaded, moving his severed limbs to seemingly grasp at the blade in his body, only then being reminded of what he no longer had. He looked at me with eyes overflowing with regret. "Hey, can't we just settle this over a drink or something?"

That moment was truly the first time I ignored my personal morals. Instead of being talked out of committing to what I felt was the only way to conclude matters, all there was to stop me was my own self. But history had a way of reminding me of my shortcomings. Chrysalis could've been had her head removed, but I was convinced otherwise. The only result came from that was the fact that it almost got my father killed. Even with Count, a proxy instance, when Alabaster suggested that he was to be cremated, Blue urged that he'd be buried next to the mare he couldn't stand. As a result, she was sexually abused under the rotten vestige of her father. I didn't follow through and make sure that Gaston was dead for certain, I only assumed he was dead. And since Gaston was highly revered to many here in Corrotto, there's no doubt there would be some who'd try to save his life and give him an advantage.

In short, I thoroughly learned my lesson.

Winding back, blade at my shoulder, I unleashed the finishing blow. The sight of the griffon's head tumbling from his neck onto the ground had disturbed me very little, especially with what all I've experienced the past two weeks. And even if it didn't feel like it, vengeance was mine. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" I shrieked out in a truly madness-fueled rage, especially towards the peacefully silent onlookers in the audience. My voice was firmly heard throughout the venue that time. "WHO'S NEXT!?!?"

***Point of Perspective: Twilight Sparkle***

The man I fell in love with stood proud and victorious over the very entity who came so close to successfully taking his life, but he no longer stood as the man I once knew. There was a primitive aura around him, from the way he looked around, to the way he hunched over the body of his felled opponent.

"Nondis?" I whispered.

Dad leaned over and quietly explained to me what was going on. "The adrenaline is running through him real bad. It's hard to deal with your prospective killer in a rational manner when your adrenaline overruns the senses. And given his treatment from tonight, I can understand the rage." But as he justified the man's state of being, he began to see something else in him, a darkness that neither of us predicted. "But this, this is different."

The green announcer called out to the audience in a stammer. "L-LA-LADIES AND GENTS... I-I DON'T BELIEVE IT!"

"GASTON IS GASTLY AND GONE!" The red announcer cosigned. As dad pointed out, he saw how the human lurched towards one section, levitating the head and the body from which it was severed behind him. With complete disregard, he dropped his former assailant. "WAIT... WHAT IS HE DOING?"

His finger pointed high up into the stands. "HE'S POINTING UP TO THE VIP BOX, HE'S SHAKING HIS HEAD!"

In a similar fashion to how his opponent pointed down to the ground and then to himself, he did just that, but with a fresh horror backing his threat. Without any further words, he grabbed his sword and sliced into the griffon's head. "HOLY SHIT!" It took him two strikes before the head was completely bisected. "HE'S CLEAVED HIM IN HALF!"

While I was horrified of what I was seeing, I understood in a way what he was trying to achieve. While to many in the viewing audience, including my father, who thought this was just a mindless show of violence, I knew this was two things in one. The first was a message sent to Umbra Sanctus himself, the second was his way of ensuring that the body couldn't be used for anything other than cremation. It's exactly as dad told me, once a body reaches a certain condition, it cannot be salvaged. This was just insurance. "HE'S ALREADY DEAD! WHERE'S THE COMPASSION, THE RESPECT!?"

Predictably, the announcers still commented in opposition to the human's victory. "HE'S STILL CLEAVING AWAY! SOMEPONY STOP HIM!"

And as easily as they showed themselves to be manipulated by the commentary, members of the audience began to reciprocate the disdain for what was being shown before them. "Is this what a human does in battle?" One whispered behind me.

"He's a savage." A mare uttered quietly.

"Nothing at all like in the newspapers." A stallion said beside me.

"He's way too dangerous to be left alive." The crowd began to show their disapproval by jeering the floor, especially as Nondis finished his work, completely coated in blood and tissue.

"He's a harm to everypony!" One angrily shouted out.

"There's no way that mentally unstable mess is protecting the princess!" Another mare called out.

Dad shuddered as he watched. "I'm beginning to think there's some merit to that 'sword and a brick' story."

Meanwhile, Senator Somber Spiral was more invested in his daughter's performance. "KALIMBA! GET AWAY FROM HIM QUICKLY!" He shouted with worry.

While there were some disillusioned with the captain's brutal display, others were still just as invested in the zebracorn mare. "Aw shut up old man, she knows what she's doing!" A heckler hollered back.

Seeing that the main event was practically over with, the audience then turned their attention to the second fight taking place on the floor. But instead of Kalimba being as aggressive as the crowd would advertise, she went on the defensive. Looking on, we saw why. The unorthodox movements from her opponent seemed very unequine, mechanically defunct but operational. "Something about that fighter doesn't seem right." Dad mumbled to himself.

Given that it was his daughter in the ring, Somber urged us to take action. "We have to help her!"

Once more, dad tried to correct the senator over his behavior. "You have to calm do─"

"Wait." I interrupted. As the bout carried on, I started to see the many instances of her form faltering. She appeared to be actively stepping away at every given chance. And whenever her opponent got close, she blasted a magic attack and backed off. "She's not fighting head on... she's fighting them away."

Dad, who was more acquainted with combat found himself agreeing. "You're right. She looks terrified over something."

***Point of Perspective: NONDIS***

My fists still glowed with magic, especially having used them to make each of my blows that much more impactful. I wanted to ensure that this body wasn't going to be used for any other things. As I finished up, I noticed that the crowd had went from looking at me to taking interest in another bout.

"NONDIS!" Kalimba unleashed a bloodcurdling cry for help.

I popped back up and turned around to see the zebracorn on the defensive. "Shit! You good!?"

"GET HIM AWAY FROM ME!" She cried out in horror as I ran over to her. I even went as far as to take a blow for the zebra. But in doing so, my nose made me aware of a distinctively putrid smell. I swung back at the hooded figure, coming to a chilling conclusion.

Prod's face, as decomposed as it was, was staring right back at me. "What... the hell."

In a disgustingly haunting groan, he moaned as a zombie to say only one word. "p̷̠͊.̶̲̚.̸̨͋.̷̟̕l̵̛̟.̶̢̛.̸̦͗.̵̪͗a̸̢̎.̸̘͠.̸̪͋.̸̛̙ý̷̹.̸͈̂.̵̱̇.̷̬̏"

Looking further, I could see parts of his body were actually wooden, and some of the joints were made with screws and sockets. I jumped back and stood beside Kalimba. "What the hell is that thing?" I asked myself.

"Prod! You are dead!" She cried out before the puppet-like zombie pounced to make an attack on her. She galloped away while I reached out with my hand.

But in an attempt to use simple levitation, what felt like a jolt of electricity branched out in various portions of my forearm, spreading through to my fingers. My whole hand flinched, causing me to lose my grip on the sword. I reached down to grab my hand, realizing that I had casted myself to my limit. I then informed Kalimba of my situation. "My magic's shot! I might've gone overboard with the griffon! It's your go, I can't do much for you, other than keep running him down!"

"You don't understand! He's supposed to be dead! He's still moving!" She cried out, galloping away from the ghastly apparition of her former owner.

I called out to her, running to get back by her side. "Kali, look! You're right, he's dead as shit! But you know who's running the show! Count died in front of me and I still had to deal with seeing his rotten mug in MY WORLD! Hell, can you imagine what Blue went through seeing her decaying father on top of her!? It isn't just you! We're all in this shit together, and no one will understand the trauma we fight other than us!" While the creature leapt to us, I used the very little magic I had remaining to get back my sword, even if it caused my hand to surge with pain again. I solidified my grip on my weapon and swung at the creature, cutting it's cloak and revealing that it's entire body was a wooden marionette covered in enchanted runes. The zebra's eyes widened while I planted my blade into the ground, needing the time to recover. "I've got your back! But you can't keep running away from this! You the one who put him in his grave, show his dead puppet ass what for!"

"How!?" She asked. "How in all creation do I do dat!?"

"You have magic!" I replied, seeing the grip of my sword singe from the heat of my hands. "Just do what you did last time, lure him in, line your shot, and blow his fucking brains out!"

Kalimba clenched her eyes for a second before she could summon the courage to actively fight back against the image of her former abuser. She watched as the puppet wearing his face clumsily reorganized itself and barred at her. "Prod!" She cried out to the deceased face. "Do you remember what you did before I killed you!?"

"p̷̠͊.̶̲̚.̸̨͋.̷̟̕l̵̛̟.̶̢̛.̸̦͗.̵̪͗a̸̢̎.̸̘͠.̸̪͋.̸̛̙ý̷̹.̸͈̂.̵̱̇.̷̬̏" The creature promptly answered.

Kalimba angrily stomped her hoof into the ground, letting her horn fill with all the magic she could muster. "Dat's right! You played over me for de LAST TIME!"

The higher her horn glowed, the more I cheered her on. But it wasn't just me who was giving her all the encouragement she needed to keep going. The entire arena began to chant her name, rooting for her to succeed. As they did, her magic grew more and more potent until it began to change from it's usual red to a faint pink color, almost completely white. "YOU GOT IT, KALI! TELL HIM HOW YOU REALLY FEEL!"

The mare craned her neck before casting her magic ahead. A small ball of energy formed at the tip of her horn as she aimed her horn for the puppet. She gave one final yell before unleashing her payload. "GO AND FUCK YOURSELF!" A high pitched whistling sound was heard before the ball at the tip of her horn erupted into a large and girthy beam. The puppet's body was caught dead center of the blast. While much of the body was disintegrated, the face was partially preserved on the head of the heavily singed puppet. Behind the puppet was a larger imprint of it's shadow that was left on the wall of the arena floor.

The blast narrowed and flickered out of existence as quickly as it was unleashed. Seconds passed in silence while I walked over to the zebracorn. She collapsed from the sudden exertion of all of her magic. I held her up and checked in on her. "You good?" The mare opened her eyes and looked in the direction of the puppet's remains. "He's pretty gone now." I added.

"Is it over?" The mare was beyond exhausted.

I looked over to the remnants of my own battle, verifying the results for myself. "It is."

The horn sounded once more, indicating the end of the round. The two announcers then descended to the floor of the arena. "LADIES AND GERMS! KALIMBA DOES IT AGAIN!"

"BLOWING AWAY THE COMPETITION!"

"AND IT'S NO CONTEST, FOLKS!"

"THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH, AND CHAMPION OF THE WEEK─"

"YOU KNOW HER NAME! DIIIIVAAAAA KALIIIIMMMBAAA!"

While the announcers were busy fellating the crowd and pushing her name out there. I had enough and stormed over to Botch. "Hey!" I called out. "I won my shit outright! Where's my prize!?"

The commentator covered his mic as he addressed me dismissively. "Okay, look guy, we'll get to you in a minute." Then he got right back to his job. "DIVA KALIMBA IS OUR NEWEST CHAMPION FROM ONE OF OUR NEWLY MINTED VIP MEMBERS! IF YOU WANT TO SPEND SOME TIME WITH HER, APPLY FOR YOUR SLOT TODAY! REMEMBER, THERE ARE LIMITED SLOTS ONLY AND THEY DON'T LAST!"

"BUT WHAT'S THAT? WHAT IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THE ADMISSION FEE?" Scotch advertised. "THE BOSS IS BEING GENEROUS TODAY AND OFFERING A RAFFLE PRIZE! WINNER GETS TO SPEND AN HOUR IN OUR EXCLUSIVE VIP LOUNGE, COMPLETE WITH THE PRIVILEGES AND AMENITIES OFFERED TO THE REGULAR MEMBERS! GET YOUR TICKET FOR UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICE OF TWO-HUNDRED BITS!"

"AND YOU CAN BUY AS MANY TICKETS AS YOU WANT IF YOU WANT TO INCREASE YOUR CHANCES!"

"REMEMBER, ANY ONE WHO WINS CAN POTENTIALLY SPEND AN HOUR WITH DIVA KALIMBA IN THE FLESH!"

"I'M ALREADY BUYING TEN TICKETS TONIGHT!"

"TICKETS ARE ON SALE, BUT ARE IN LIMITED SUPPLY, SO GET YOURS FAST BEFORE THEY'RE GONE!"

The crowd cheered when they saw Kalimba slowly standing back on her hooves, she showed her disdain for the method of how the announcers used her for their advertising. "I am not staying for some idjiot meet-and-greet!"

As I was about to walk off, I noticed that our gate was still closed, as was the opposing gate. Event staff seemed to stand at the ready for intercept. "Seems like they're actively keeping us here." I pointed out.

Finally, the tone of the announcers changed. "HEY SCOTCH, AREN'T WE MISSING SOMETHING!?"

"OH WE DIDN'T FORGET! THE WINNER OF OUR WEEKLY MAIN EVENT, OUR NEW BEAST OF THE WEEK!"

That announcement came with an endless stream of boos and jeers, not to mention the various insults that were directed at me. The announcers continued to play off of that hatred. "YEAH YEAH, WE KNOW, RULES ARE RULES!"

"AND WE KNOW ALL OF YOU HAVE GROWN TO HATE OUR BEAST OF THE WEEK ALREADY! TRAGEDIES ARE COMMONPLACE!"

Botch placed a hoof to his ear as he proudly made yet another announcement. "WHICH IS WHY THE BOSS UPSTAIRS IS MAKING TUESDAY YOUR EXCLUSIVE SHOT TO TAKE! HIM! DOWN!"

I nearly broke my neck in hearing that asshole bust out with that bit of news, especially since it was something I never agreed to.

"YOU GOT WEAPONS, YOU GOT MAGIC, YOU GOT THE TACTICS TO BRING HIM DOWN!? YOU CAN SIGN YOUR GANG OR GROUP UP TO MAKE YOUR MARK!"

"EACH CONTEST WILL BE A BATTLE TO THE DEATH!"

"GRAND PRIZE IS FIVE MILLION BITS AND UNLIMITED VIP ACCESS FOR A MONTH! SO BRING YOUR FRIENDS IF YOU WANNA HAVE A GOOD TIME!"

"Fuck this!" I screamed, storming off to the gate. The gates didn't open until I had gotten close to them. Kalimba immediately followed.

Upon entering the hall where our preparation room was situated, the ringleader of this cruel circus of a venue heaped praise for me. "Ah, captain! My hero─"

I grabbed at the stallion's collar with my still-searing hands and yanked him off of his hooves to my eye level. "A fight to the death every fucking round!? You must have lost your goddamn mind if you think I'll go for that!"

The stallion was thoroughly amused over my anger and continued to play off of it. "I could always bring your friends along for the ride." His eyes lifted to the ceiling as he smiled. "Or better yet, your brothers. I know Stanton would be a great candidate to fill in for you. And it never takes much to get him or your older brother to come running along."

I took the sword in my hand and presented it's blade to his neck. "You keep my family out of this!"

Without a damn care in the world, he placed his hoof against the blade, dismissing it completely from my possession. "Then do me a solid for this upcoming week. I know you'll rather put yourself in the fire as opposed to letting your fellow humans get a partial taste of what you endure."

"I never agreed to any of this!"

He then popped up right beside me, leaving me to hold yet another corpse. "Haven't I already told you? It's not what you don't do for others. It's what you're going to do for me. And since you don't 'swing that way', I'm going to get my entertainment out of you this way. So now you get me all giddy for later, and you don't even have to lay a finger on me to get me to... show up."

I dropped the body at once, and pointed my finger to him. "When I am done, I never want to see your fucking face again."

"Oh, you'll always see me, whether you want to or not." He replied with a victorious smirk. "All I can say is this: Don't plan on skipping out."

He began to walk off. But as his unsanitary stunt reminded me of Saturday, I couldn't help but to remember what I was missing. "Where's Alabaster!?"

"Yeah that's right, I did agree to that little bonus." The stallion answered with sadistic grin. "Can't I just give you a little clue to start from?"

"No bullshit. Unharmed. Give him to me."

He rolled his eyes at my demands. "See I didn't agree to all of that." He said before clopping his hooves together. "But seeing that you did give me a bit of a show tonight... and a bloody one at that, I'll let you get him back under two of those three conditions you've demanded. He'll be dropped off in the VIP lounge in the next fifteen minutes." Upon the conclusion of our agreement, he directed his attention to the zebracorn. "And Kalimba, my dear you've put on a show tonight! You know you'll be a hot topic for the rest of the week. I expect many good things from you, and probably not as much resistance as your owner over there."

This time, it was Kalimba who snapped back at him. "Why did you use Prod? Why not let him stay undisturbed?"

The stallion teleported behind her and spoke into her ear. "Well I thought you could've used the waking-up. But I think I'm satisfied with what I saw. I'm happy to see that you've made a niche for yourself." But as she was about to turn her head away from him, his magic gained a good grip of her mane and held her in place. "But do keep in mind that if you step out of line, Prod will be paying a visit. I've got my eye on you now. Do me proud."

The stallion disappeared without much of a trace, not even a flash of magic. But for some reason we could hear him laughing around the room. "...The nightmare never ends."

†Gaston the Griffon†
No one cries like Gaston.
No one dies like Gaston.
No one gets their innards rearranged like Gaston.

***Point of Perspective: Twilight Sparkle***

The crowd, while initially disappointed with the overall result of the bout, left the arena much more content over the possibility of getting their shot at Nondis. It would probably be the topic going into Tuesday night. All that meant was that I had to make sure to come back around to possibly protect him if need be.

Meanwhile, Somber and dad stared at the head of the puppet that was used. Both were pretty somber in seeing what lied before them. "How cruel. To use the face of a pony on a puppet... I don't think I should linger here." The senator grew pale as he walked away. "If only I could save my daughter from this hell."

I stood by dad, checking in on him. "You okay?"

"That's Prod's face down there." I never knew my father to be any kind of angry other than when we got in trouble. But tonight was my first time actually seeing that anger fester on his face in such a manner. I never imagined his eyes could grow to be so fierce, then again I'm sure he probably hid that about himself. He closed his eyes and sent a beam at the wooden head to finish the job. The face of his former comrade boiled and burned to ash. "Even if he was terrible in life, he still deserves better than this in death. Seriously, they're dead! Just leave them be!"

While dad had his moment, I remained where I was in observing the brutalized remains of the griffon. "So that's the assassin who tried to kill Nondis." While I pitied the state he was in, I wasn't sympathetic in any way of his passing. If anything, there was some part within me that welcomed it. It's not like he knew just how hard it was for Nondis to get back into walking again, or the pain he brought to my friends. As much as I hated even thinking like this, his death was well-deserved. "I'm glad Nondis has closure on that issue. I just wish it didn't have to come with so much of this bad stuff chained to it."

The last of the puppet's head had been immolated to ash, dad tapped me on my shoulder as he continued to avert his eyes. "It's time we go."

As we walked the concourse, our final thoughts of the night were made known to one another. "...Even if he isn't a menace to harmony itself, he's cutting it close."

Dad vehemently argued a different extreme. "He's disturbing the natural order. What more do you need?"

"It has to be more than that. Something bigger."

***Point of Perspective: Equus Nondis***

It took a good hour before my arms could finally cool off to where I could use magic again without the risk of pushing myself too far. But the moment I transformed back into a pony, it was my horn that let me know that I should stave off any future transformations for the next two or three hours.

We walked into the VIP lounge, greeted by Blue holding her brother up beside her. "Alabaster!" I greeted the stallion.

He appeared to have very little strength, his legs were all whipped and cut up, his mane completely disheveled, his coat as grimy and dirty as a poorly maintained prisoner, his voice barely had any presence. "Ugh, everything hurts."

"What did they do to you?" Kalimba questioned, concerned for his being.

"Pain, just pain." He staggered forward as Blue continued to assist her brother.

Finally reunited with her brother, Blue reassured his safety. "We're going to get you home."

I then redirected my attention to her instead. "You alright?"

"I could be better." She answered. "What they did to you was unforgivable."

And on cue, the progenitor of this fresh hell appeared from a back room, waltzing in like he had just made a killing off of tonight's failed wagers. "Well if it isn't the happy family."

I carefully walked around the two siblings to angrily address the psychopathic bastard. "I said unharmed!"

"I said two of three conditions. Learn to listen, boy." He replied, completely brushing me off. "Now remember, Tuesday is your day. Do remember to swing by... Or you will be following the example of Alabaster. And I do guarantee that your brothers will be around to make do with some substitutions. Everything is ready for them, all they have to do is show up." He blew me a kiss and winked before fading out of the room. "Ta, darlings."

"Conditions? What was he talking about?" Blue questioned as soon as he completely disappeared.

"He politely declined de cash prize for de alternative of letting your brudda free." Kalimba answered.

Blue's eyes shimmered as she looked to me. "You didn't have to do that!"

"You wanted your brother, you got him. Just take him and go." I replied.

Alabaster was becoming less interested in his own pain, checking in with me. "Are you alright?"

"I'm pretty pissed off and I'm tense as fuck." I confessed. "I've got to be here on Tuesday for a bunch of goons looking to tap my ass out. He's threatened to get my brothers involved, as you've seen. But I'm not going to let that happen."

Blue spoke out to my defense. "Tonight was enough! The way they treated you out there was horrible!"

"I can deal with shit like Tuesday. I just can't deal with shit like tonight is all."

Blue looked at me, speaking with a low voice. "...If you need to."

"I don't need it." I immediately knew what she was referring to, and shot it down. "Not yet, I don't think."

Alabaster, who was already weak, slumped forward to fall. But his sister held him up to prevent it from happening. She wiped her eyes and tried to fight through her emotions. "Thank you for saving my brother. Whatever you want, anything─"

"Just get home. Do that now." I ordered.

Before the two took their leave, Alabaster smiled as best as he could while trying to reach a hoof to me. "You're such a sweetheart."

"Rest up, bud." I said, giving him a light tap on the head. "Now get your asses out of here."

The reunited siblings departed from the lounge, leaving the place to slowly flood out of members. It appeared that many of the other members have either made their exit a while back, or they lost interest and opted to partake in the other activities within the district. For the most part, it was just the servants, the bartender, and the waning numbers of VIP card holders.

At long last, there was a silence I could enjoy for the time being. I walked over to the bar and ordered a drink. Kalimba did the same, but going for something much stronger. We both sat next to each other and thought out all the shit we had to put up with tonight. I chuckled and offered the mare a toast. "So, you got a bit of a fan club now."

"I couldn't care less." She said with her usual crassness. I couldn't help but to laugh at her.

"Well it's just like I said. They'll all come running for you eventually."

"Dey are not de ones I want to see. Idjiot cowards who hide behind deir mudda's tail like dey are scared of a little deady body is not my type."

"You were scared of a dead body." I pointed out.

"No, I was scared of fighting a deady body. Dere is a huge difference!"

"Hey Crème, what happened to the party?" I asked the bartender.

"They made their money and went home. They really liked how you got all of them a serious payday. Entire arena was betting against you, and everyone in here betted on you." He slid me another drink. "This one's a house special of mine, I call it the 'Forget-Me-Not'. It's a special cocktail that can help you drop a bad memory like an apple out of a tree." He also slid Kalimba one as well. "Still some time before they start the raffle. The results will be in about thirty minutes from now."

I drank down the concoction and thought about whatever terrible things happened from earlier tonight. It didn't quite live up to the billing. "Yeah, I'm think I'm beyond saving. Thanks for trying."

The bartender watched quietly as Kalimba leaned onto my shoulder. "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked.

She didn't give me a clear answer, only pulling at my hoof as soon as she got out of her seat. "Why don't you come with me for a bit? A forget-me-not must come with a good memory to make it work better."

"The better question is what good memories are you trying to provide?"

When it came to Kalimba, I learned that she was often the one who initiated all of our previous encounters. And this one would be no different. We meandered off to one of the press boxes. Looking down below, I saw that the arena was made clean, especially after our bouts tonight. There was a small gathering of stallions and even fewer mares, each of them looking for the chance to become a winner in that raffle they advertised earlier. Admittedly, I think those same ponies are the ones that were smart enough to blow their life savings on wagers tonight, especially since most of the venue went home broke and even more angry at the fact that I costed them money.

Now that I think about it, it was probably better that we stayed until the crowds thinned in the district.

I think the crowd of ponies only numbered up to around twenty before the raffle began. Meanwhile, we watched as we identified which ones got the prize. "You know, I'm starting to like the idea of being up here as opposed to being down there."

As soon as the first winner was announced, a mare was leaping up and down hysterically over the opportunity. "I'm sure many would agree, as far as I can see."

Again, the raffle continued while the first winner was sorted off to the side. "I just can't believe that asshole has me fighting off all of creation next week." I said, taking another sip of my drink.

"Silly boy. You should focus on your more immediate challenges instead of crying about what is not here yet." She replied.

"You mean the crowds gathering outside? I think it'll be a bit hard to hide in the chaos given the whole damn city knows who you are."

The mare scoffed as she watched a stallion take the second winning ticket. "I mean, if we have to stay here a little longer, I would prefer dat some good comes from it."

The mare walked off, leaving me to watch the pool of winners grow. "I'm still waiting on that thing you said would help the drink work it's magic."

When I turned around, I could see a servant come in with a massage table. After it was wheeled in, Kalimba dismissed the servant. She pointed her hoof to the table. "Come and lie down." The zebra waited patiently as I took a slow stroll to the table. When I sat down, she motioned me to lay on my stomach. I did as she instructed, waiting for whatever came next. A sweet honey-like smell graced my nose as I could hear the sound of oil dripping to the floor in it's surplus. I closed my eyes with anticipation, and being rewarded with the warmth of oil being drizzled onto my back. A pair of hooves soon followed, starting at the small of my back. She gently pressed down, kneading in the knots of stress throughout my body. "I know it is hard to find de moment to decompress. Keeping all dat tension and stress in your mind will kill you before you learn how to address it."

"Lessons from Zecora, I take it?" I asked, feeling myself sink even deeper into relaxation.

"Yes." She replied. "Even sex workers and slaves need some time to recuperate. If not, den you stay sick, you die."

"I guess that's why you've been so healthy tonight." I said.

"Indeed." She confirmed sweetly. "You're still so tense, you need to relax."

As she worked her way into a knot in my upper back, I began to feel some discomfort. "It's fucking hard with all the shit we go through, you know."

"Close your eyes. Breathe. Calm." While she whispered those words, she continued to rub out the tension that stemmed to my right foreleg. My eyes popped open from the surprising amount of relief I felt. She giggled at my reaction. "Dat's better."

The fatigue through my body gradually melted away, I was left becoming more and more vulnerable to her touch. "You know, that actually feels nice. Maybe I was wrong about the guard thing, there could be some masseuse work in your future."

Her ministrations slowed to a halt. I looked up to see what had gone wrong. She fell into a lengthy stare before snapping back to the present, explaining where her mind took her. "...Prod used to make me do dis after one of his jobs. Of course, he would turn me over and do his usual thing smelling like whatever mess. I hated it when he'd tell me I missed a spot and den he'd hit me with something to knock me down. From dere, it was all de same."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I replied. "I know it's probably a bad topic since the whole... him being reintroduced into the equation."

The zebra scoffed. "Am I supposed to say I was delighted? I was terrified, scared, I wanted to run far away until he couldn't catch me. But you helped me face him head on, just like you did when you set me free."

"I didn't set you free." I rebutted. "I gave you a gun and a choice. That's all I did. It was you who came up with the plan, the one who made yourself presentable, you took him on at the cost of your dignity and the risk of yourself, and then you got what you wanted because you acted to make that happen. You did it all over again out there."

The mare leaned onto my back, hugging me from behind. "But none of dat would be possible without you. I could have been somepony else sex slave dat night too. And just like tonight, you did what you could to keep dat from happening to me. You gave me a place to live, a life to earn, a hope for more, and even an idea of what I want for myself."

"All of that you just described was all because you wanted it to be. You could've refused to come with me or go where I told you, and you'd still be here in the same rut. You made your own life."

The mare smiled as she took up the oil once more. "You know, you are right. I do make my own life." She slapped me on my flanks, issuing some more instructions. "Turn over, I need to get your chest and neck."

As I did what she instructed, she slowly poured the warm oil onto my chest and stomach. It tickled me at first, but then I almost caught myself from sleeping on her when she started rubbing my stomach. "Kalimba, you're making this press box feel like a luxury suite."

The mare continued with her work, but not before rubbing at my chest again. My eyes were closed to the room while she gave my chest considerable attention. I wasn't noisy about it, but I deeply enjoyed what she was doing, so much that I began to feel somewhat aroused by the level of attention I received. It didn't go unnoticed, I could tell from the low-pitched giggle she had. "I get de feeling dat you are more den relaxed in a certain area."

My eyes shot open and looked down to see myself giving her some other form of approval. I instinctively tried to kick myself back out of it. "Sorry. I'll try to get that down."

"Shut up, you silly boy." She said, tapping me on my muzzle. Far from shy about my growing interest, she halted my attempts to restrain myself. She took the oil and drizzled a slow pour down my stiffening length. That too tickled, but not for the reason which occurred on my stomach. Instead, it was the excitement of something new, the caress of her hoof against me, slowly coating me in the sweet scent of honey and lavender. In an absolutely tantalizing display of worship, she nuzzled my every dimension, showering every shape with her lips. "Let me do my work in peace."

The lushness of her lips were amplified by the oil that dressed them with every kiss. There was very little I could say in seeing the amorous zebra diligently apply her craft. It seemed that she was determined to show me all that she knew from her experiences. Her work was quiet, but effective. She didn't need to moan at everything she did, she just kept her eyes on me, seeing if I approved of every move she made.

There was very little to disapprove, especially if it had to come from me. She managed to keep massaging my chest with one hoof, gingerly easing me into relaxation. But the attention she gave me down below was far more than what I had come to expect. It was a surreal climb, one I knew that had to come to an end eventually. But even in spite of that, I sought for more. I started slowing my breaths, trying to control myself better.

That was a crucial mistake.

In trying to time myself to be slower, all she did was match my rhythm. I tried to use my magic to slow her down, she levitated the oil onto my horn to disrupt that effort. She postponed the attention she gave to my sex and instead focused on the mess she left on my head. She sucked around the base of my horn and promptly glided her tongue up the length of it. The magic within my body was slightly triggered and surged throughout every orifice of my body, releasing a wave of endorphins. That instance alone made me much more turgid than I had ever been in my existence, so much that I had actively came to an edge. The mare looked down below, seeing how I was oozing with precum, leaving trails of my first fruits to spin a thread as fine as a spider's web.

She tapped against my aching loins, causing me to shudder from the pleasure. "Dammit─"

Kalimba silenced me with her tongue against my cheek. "Shh, you silly boy."

The darkness of her voice, the rich raspy texture of her words, the texture of her tongue against me. I wanted her, she made me that way. Even if it was only for a night, I wanted her. "Does this usually come with the service?" I asked, trying to take a moment to calm down.

"Not usually at my pace." She answered, using her magic to tease at my loins, causing me to ache with anticipation of my release.

"Oh, I get it now. You like teasing." I said through strained breaths, compressing all desires to relieve myself manually.

"What good is jumping to de usual stuff when dere is so much to do? Idjiots only think of deir destination, never de journey."

"Everyone's an impatient tourist." I joked.

"Yes." She replied, climbing off of me. "I never get to do dis."

"You like it slow?" I asked her, earning a blush to contrast against her beautifully unique coat of periwinkle.

She tilted her head as she answered. "Yes. I like it dis way. Everypony I dealt with just goes for what dey want, it leaves me a lot of frustration. But you... you make me want dis for myself."

"And this is how you relax?"

She pulled at me, urging me to get off of the table. In doing so, she purposefully crossed my path, namely to brush her tail under my chin. Watching her climb part-ways onto the table to brace her self, she made certain that her tail was out of the way. "Sure I cannot be dat tall for you."

"You say that like you're a second story window." I said as I approached closer, licking my lips. "You're more of a split level."

The mare rolled her eyes at my cheesy response. "You stupid boy." Her complaints came to a quick halt when my tongue began to breach her innermost depths. It was the first time I had ever seen her become so docile. She rocked herself back and forth, breathing lightly to not give herself away. But even she broke way as I kissed her lips with those of my own. "Nakupenda."

I broke off, confused by what she uttered. "Say what now?"

She looked away from me, her ears beet red as the magic she used to shove my muzzle back to the place where she preferred it to be. "Silly boy, just mind yours."

Admittedly, my tongue could never match the mark of her abilities. Though in spite of that, she seemed quite content with what I was giving her. In fact, for her often serious demeanor with spots of playful jabs, she loved the moments when my tongue would flee from within, only to be guided back in by her simply lifting my chin closer to her. My hooves held her down, grasping a feel for her slender, yet toned figure. She whispered words to herself, namely in her family's tongue. In time, my tongue grew to know of her, and my hooves became well-acquainted with the many places that enticed her to break silence.

I was also greedy, wanting attention for my own self. I reached down to tend to myself, but often find myself being dissuaded by a spark or two to keep me away from what she felt was her prize. My patience grew short, and I stood from behind her, planting my forelegs around during my mount. I used my magic to align with her, eagerly seeking our reunion with one another. "May I?"

Kalimba groaned quietly, still looking away from me. "You talk too much." That was her way of saying yes. I worked my way inwards, slowly feeling her grasp around me. That moment of contact was so divine, it sent shivers down my spine. I hunched over her and kissed into her neck, earning the gift of hearing more of her native tongue. "Ndio."

My work began, pressing through the passive resistance that in truth greeted me with warmth. Every withdrawal, I felt myself grow cold from the lack of her presence. I slid my hips into her, grinding with every moment I bottomed out. It was my way of thoroughly introducing myself to her. And it didn't go without a lasting impression, much of her body's approval was offered through the process of her opening up to me. Her back sank down, leaving plenty of room for me to tend to the spaces that were exposed. My lips singed the skin over her spine, causing her legs to rattle beneath our combined weight.

Lust overcame the both of us, especially her. She took the opportunity to yank me in, forcing me to give more attention to her neck. Of course, she loved taking charge and giving me non-verbal commands. So when I obliged, she let me know how much she liked it. This time, she waited for me to lean in, staring at me while I worked. If I stared for too long, she'd use her magic to pull me into a kiss. And each we did, there was hardly any manners or words between. I'd occasionally stop just to give her that attention, and she adored it. It was her way of feeling like she couldn't be marked by anyone else so intimately.

Our speed grew, impacts more frequent, and her breathing rose. What used to be quiet gasps were becoming sighs and urgent pants, which were intermittently broken up by the sound of our lips aggressively clashing with one another. My eyes glided from the image of myself being repeatedly reintroduced to her womb, to the vision of the mare rolling her eyes back on occasion before glaring at me with longing. The combination of all of what she was, the essence of her, the musk she gave off, the sweat on her back, and the oils still lubricating our bodies became too much for me to resist any longer. "I'm almost there." I whispered into her ear.

"Baba.." She bit her lip, forcing her magic onto my hips to drive as deep as I could. "Kujaza yangu."

I wanted to withdraw from her before it was too late, but every ounce of fight I had in favor of that was subsequently made in vain. She backed herself into me, in spite of my stopping to try and retreat. Her magic fed into my flanks, pressing into the sensitive sector between my respective parts. There was no holding back anymore. "Shit!" I panted and groaned while she milked me for every ounce of my seed, carefully massaging the various areas to further enhance my orgasm. As she took on what I offered, she dropped her head and inadvertently pushed the table away from us, causing us both the collapse onto the ground.

I tried to pull back and admire my work, but she held me within, grinding her flanks into my hips. She reached back and pulled my head towards hers, giving me another lick on my cheek. "Silly boy."

Still feeling myself on the decline, I had moments where my hips still reactively sank back into her. "Why am I always the silly one?" I asked tiredly.

"Because you are." She replied, rubbing my cheek.

With my climax at an end, I started to feel myself lose my ability to retain. "I should probably pull out." I tapped against her hips.

The mare addressed me with scorn, but still amorously held me in place. "And dat is why you are silly. You do not just break de moment like dat. You embrace it, you take pride in de act you have performed, and you look at de one you join with and you take in de beauty of who dey are."

While I confess that the moment was pretty erotic, I couldn't help but to shake the sense that we should still find the time to leave where we were. "We're on the floor of a press box room, you know."

She couldn't care less. "And de moment could not be any better."

From outside, I could hear the various cheers from the winners of the raffle. That feeling only grew knowing where we were and who owned the place. "Kali..."

The mare turned to me smiling, pleading like a filly. "Please, let us stay a little longer."

"Or we can get a hotel and we can continue from there."

The mare pursed her lips and reluctantly agreed. "Fine. But we are cuddling when we get dere."

As I promised, when we got to a hotel of our choosing, we shared a bed and I held on to her for the entire night. And as the morning came, there was an unrecognizable smile on her face. I was even surprised by it. Her mane was let down, partially cascading over her face. Her eyes shone with a brilliance of red amethyst, her lips as inviting as the gentle touch she had in greeting me.

We laid there for a while, joked for a little bit, even shared a bit of kisses afterwards. But the time soon came for us to leave, and order had to be reinstated. She knew that none of this was a pattern for the future, she just made the best of it. The one night she clamored for, the memories she'd hold onto, all the sweet nostalgia that would be stemmed from this morning was the cherry on top of our temporary affair. And she loved every second of it.

Showers ran, hygiene maintained, we rushed out to the train station nearby. And just to show that the morning couldn't be any better to us, the train was delayed by only forty minutes from when we arrived. And yes, guard presence was almost non-existent.

We waited on a bench, hoping to make the time pass by with some casual conversation. "Good to know that security isn't absurdly high for no vindictive reason whatsoever."

"Dat I can agree with." She said, looking to the many other platforms with ponies waiting for their trains. "Today is exceptionally pretty, albeit cold."

"I'm just glad I'm doing this in pony form, I don't think I'll handle too well in the skin I'm usually in."

"Is it really like dat for you?" She asked.

"Yeah. We don't have coats of fur, so we just wear coats and layers of clothes." I replied.

The zebra snickered. "You better watch out, some ponies would take dat as a sign of a good time."

"Yeah, you equines are weird." I mumbled back, earning an even louder giggle from Kalimba. I couldn't help but to look at her as she expressed the moment of undisrupted happiness, possibly the rarest thing that anyone has ever seen from her outside of her childhood. "...Some guy is going to be a very lucky bastard when he finally makes you crack."

"Shut up you idjiot. Just start a herd and make more of us happy." She jested. "Dat way you can have a dozen mares in your bed."

"Sorry, it's the rule of one for me. I heard that herding was pretty expensive anyways." I replied, summoning my travel sack of gems. As soon as it appeared, I was caught off guard by the fact that there was only one small sapphire inside. "Ah shit, I forgot to go to the bank and make my withdrawal yesterday."

The mare levitated the sack over and took out the singular ruby. "You are fine. I am paid enough."

I took back the tiny jewel, knowing that it wasn't anything worth the work she put in last night. "Kalimba, I still need to pay you. I'm just squandering your time at this point."

She then argued back at me, allowing me to keep the jewel. "I told you already, I don't need your money."

I shook my head and got up from my seat. "Look, can you shadow me to the bank for a bit?"

Realizing she couldn't talk me out of it, she sighed in submission. "Where you go, I'll follow."

***Point of Perspective: NONDIS***

A few minutes later, we got close to the bank and I took a nearby alleyway to transform myself back so that I could be recognized when I walked in. As soon as I showed up to the counter, the teller perked up. "Hey there."

"Good morning, captain. How may I help you?" She asked.

"I'm just here to make a quick withdrawal. Got to take care of some commission work for my clothes." I lied casually.

"Of course sir. Do you have your account card with you?" I reached inside my pants and pulled out my wallet, slipping my card onto the counter. She picked up the card, read the runes, and verified the information through her log book. "And how much will you be taking today?"

"Twelve thousand."

"Okay..." She said, scribbling a number down and walking into the back. I waited a minute or two before I was given what I asked. "Alright, here's your twelve thousand. Your total amount remaining in your balance is 15,791,845 bits."

"Alrighty then─" I said as I was about to put away my funds, but staggered to a halt as my brain performed an impromptu audit. "I'm sorry, what was that balance again?"

"Your balance is 15,791,845 bits."

I placed a hand on my forehead, trying to piece together where the hell I managed to get another fifteen million. "Ma'am, are you sure that's the right account?"

"Yes sir. The number and information on you account card matches our records."

I shook my head in denial. "Can we check that account history, I don't remember requesting or accepting any transactions."

The mare went back to her log book, summoning forth a number on my card to match the amount that was allocated to the account. "There was one made a bit earlier today, probably an hour and a half before you came in. The individual wished to remain anonymous, but they cleared the transfer from their account to yours."

"How much did they transfer?" I asked.

"15,000,000 bits."

My jaw practically took a vacation on the floor. "I'm sorry wha─"

The number on the card had suddenly flashed. Without any prompt from either me or the teller, the number started shooting upwards. "Oh, it looks like another transfer came in... just now apparently." She verified.

While I watch the number continue to tick upwards, so much that even the hundreds of thousands had become a blur, I hunched over like I had been punched in the solar plexus. "How much?"

The number finally locked in place, leaving my final balance at exactly 29,791,845. "14,000,000 bits." She confirmed.

"WHAT!?" I shouted out. I snatched the card and looked around the venue, noticing a few ponies making their own transactions. But I immediately identified a certain blue unicorn mare who briskly walked out of the lobby. "Hey!"

I caught up to her on the front steps. She pondered continuing on, but decided against it. She was probably caught off guard that I was there at the same time she was. "Good morning, captain. It's a lovely day for a walk out." She said quietly.

I walked to her, leaning in to discreetly ask the question. "Blue, what is going on? Who in the hell just dropped damn near thirty mil in my shit?"

"Oh, that." She shrugged off the amount as hardly worth noting. "Well I just dropped off an anonymous charitable donation for your efforts in last night is all."

"You didn't have to drop thirty million." I replied.

"I didn't. The other half came from my brother. He's the one who took notice that you passed up on the grand prize to save his life. So he reimbursed you for it. So that's fifteen million." She explained. "Then there's the moment you took my father's corpse off of me, defying you-know-who in his face and sticking up for me. That's a good ten. And then you told me about how you cremated my father's ashes. My brother says he can't be used again. That's another five from me. So yeah, that's our family saying thanks for everything you do."

"You gotta take some of that back." I suggested. "I mean I don't know how to work the lobbyists like you do."

"It's fine. You can still leave that mess to me. Seriously. I may be cash broke now, but I still have stock portfolios, assets, and properties to liquidate. I could sell twenty houses and make back what I gave you." She stated with a sigh. "I just wish I could give you the peace of mind you deserve." My heart ached for her as I tried to give her my bank card, she held her hoof up to reject it. "Take it. The guard isn't going to pay you enough for the shit you go through with us."

I still held out my card, to which she levitated it back into my wallet, then sinking it back into my pocket. She gleamed at me dimly while I replied. "You two are like the most not-rich-but-rich kids I've ever met."

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"I mean you both don't act like you're a pair of rich kids swimming through your parent's money. There should be a lot more reckless endangerment, more wild sex parties, cocaine sniffing, abuse of employees, mismanagement of funds, stuff like that."

She hummed a lonesome guffaw. "That's fine. Money doesn't buy true happiness anyways."

"No, but the tax collectors will be on my ass come next year." I stated with some worry.

"Just save fifteen percent, pay that, hide some twenty percent in stocks and bonds, and you're good to go for the rest of your life." She advised. "Just don't have a habit of trying to live a life of perpetual luxury, it never lasts long."

I giggled nervously, unsure and uncomfortable with the sudden flush of wealth I obtained. "And I was just thinking of taking the half of my one million you sent me and dropping some gold bullion in some accounts in my world for millionaire status."

The mare was quick at math, piecing together what I had said and equating it to what I had now. "Well now you have more than enough for your entire family. Hell, you done the world for mine as it is."

I wanted to reach out and hug her for what she did, but she started walking off down the street. I had to flag her down again. "We're still on for Monday in court, right?"

"I think I can do it." She answered, adjusting her mane. "But yeah. Keep your books warm."

I watched as Blue disappeared into the crowd of ponies further down the street. Kalimba crept up behind me, she seemed to have watched everything from a distance. "What was dat all about?"

I felt against the sack still on my waist, but then hesitated. I still felt uncomfortable about the wealth I obtained. The first thing that went through my mind was how I was going to go about redistributing it. An idea immediately came to mind. "So... How about I pay you a lifetime cut and we never talk about money ever again?"

Kali appeared lost with my suggestion. "And why would you do dat?"

That was when I finally reached in my sack and counted out how much I would be taking myself, around two thousand in gems. I closed the sack and handed it over to her. "How about this, you go in that bank and make yourself an account. Start off with ten grand. You'll see what I mean the next time you come here."

She looked at me oddly, uncertain of what I was planning on doing. But she took my advice and walked into the bank.

Approaching one of the tellers, she was questioned at her arrival to the counter. "Um, hello there. Can I help you?"

"Yes, I wish to open an account." She promptly placed the sack on the counter. "Will ten thousand bits be enough for now?"

"Yes ma'am." The mare nodded with approval and pulled out some paperwork, cycling through her log book to make an addendum. "Alright, let's get started with your name."

"Kalimba Mavembe."

Hello to all, nice to see you peoples again. I know I tried to make good on my 2-3 week window, but I had a few more distractions IRL that hindered my thought process. But at the very least, I have come back to finish this chapter. The Next one I believe is about a third done, but I can safely say that the storm has yet to truly hit the shoreline yet. But I will say that it's getting that much closer to it. This chapter was slower paced, in terms of time spent and not in the action, I only intend to do that with action-intensive chapters from here on.

Meantime, I want to take the time as usual to thank the readers for sticking around so long. I will hope that my payoff will be as eventful as the recent chapters.