The ground was moving, or I was moving, whichever it may be, my limbs twitch awake. The ground beneath me was shaking, and there was the roar of an engine nearby. I groaned and breathed in moist hot air. I slid my back legs and promptly hit a metal wall. The place was cramp as well, the solid metal wall also explained the heat. I took one more gulp of musty air and opened my eyes. The area was poorly lit by slits near the top of the wall. Shadowy figures laid clustered together. I sat up only to find myself squeezed between two other creatures.

"You're up, almost thought you'd sleep through the whole trip." The voice to my immediate right made my ear twitch. I turned my head in the voice's direction, he was a pony.

"Where am I?" I looked around the cramped room, then the ground seemed to buck me upwards. "Are we moving?"

"Well, yes we are moving, as for where we are?" the pony shrugged, "that's anyone's guess, but experience tells me we're going to market."

"Market?" I squinted queerly at him.

"Yeah, you know back to be re-sold." The pony snorted, "don't know why I'm being re-sold, I did as ask and more! Cheap bastard probably couldn't afford me." The pony lifted a hoof with a chain attached to it. "Well whatever, I'll probably go to a cushy family for my record."

"Huh?" I couldn't manage another response, he sounded like we were… oh, oh shit. I lifted my forelegs finally noticing the clamp around the left one. It all rushed back with dreadful clarity, the fall from the Vertibuck, the mad dash through the streets, being captured by the enemy.

"Were being sold…as slaves," I stated out the visible, everypony looked towards me.

"Wait, you're a fresh one, aren't you? You're a soldier." the Pony next to me leaned closer to me. He didn't need to bend much; his face was caught in one of the beams of light the slits emitted. He was a bright green pony with round brown eyes.

"Yeah, Steel Ranger Valiant knight." I looked to my hooves, the Pipbuck was gone. Well, at least they couldn't blow my head off. At least I hope so anyway, for all I know they could have lied about that too.

"Ranger? Holy crap you're the one they tore out of that armor!" He leaned back accidentally hitting the pony behind him. "Sorry!"

My armor, they destroyed it, I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. I felt my heart clench, though not out of fear or even trepidation of being without it. It was the loss, the loss of something important, a piece of me violated and taken. "Well, sorry to break this to you, but don't even think about trying to escape." His voice brought me out of my stupor.

"Why?" I shook my head, I was alive and not worse for wear. I was hungry, but not weakened severely.

"Look, whatever you heard about prisoners back at the city is bullshit. You behave, be respectful, and do as your told, you won't have a problem and will be treated well, or as well as a soldier pony can be." Well, that didn't sound too bad, but I wasn't just a civilian, I was a soldier.

"You're not a soldier?" I looked to everypony there, weren't they all captured like me?

"Nah, I was a civilian, got caught when the invasion started, I've been here since the beginning, don't know about these ponies though." He threw a hoof in their direction.

"What happens if I get caught escaping?" I imagine torture, but better this pony tells me rather than guesswork.

"They cut a leg off, the second attempt another leg, trust me there is no third, but if there is, they just kill you." The pony sighed. "You don't want to be legless either, you'll end up in the streets starving. Worst try to escape still, and you'll be stopped. So again, please do yourself a favor and just behave."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." I swallowed a lump in my throat, weaponless and being sold to slavery. I think death would have been preferable. Time, I just needed time. Yeah, it won't be soon, but I'll find a way out of here. I must, if I was alive, that means Strider's sacrifice was still meaningful. I'll bide my time, play along and hopefully someday I can return to everypony.

The wagon, I couldn't imagine what else we were on slowed to a stop. "Hey, look this next part is going to sting. But it's meant to make life easier on everyone." The Slave whispered close to me. To the far right, I heard the distinct sound of maglocks opening. Light and sound burst into our cramped box.

"Tolle eam et transibit!" A Zebra in elaborate armor hopped into our box. He dropped a sack on the ground and dug his hoof in it. He pulled out several medallions and passed them around. I got mine last, but the green pony didn't get one strangely enough. The necklace was made of wood with a strange black sun of sorts on it.

"Urgeas in collo tuo!" The Zebra motioned his hoof to his neck. The green pony looked to me, he gestured to his neck where he had the same blacks sun tattooed on his neck. I pressed the medallion against my neck.

Instantly I felt it sear my flesh, the medallion seeped into me, and I gritted my teeth to keep from yelling. "Grrr!" I clutched my neck and fell back slamming against the wall. Just like that, the experience ended.

"Now, get up and move out!" The Zebra shouted in his language and hopped out. Wait, I understood that. I lifted my hoof to my neck only to have it pulled back down. The chain on my clamp went taught and forced me forward. No longer shrouded in darkness, I could see my chain was connected to the pony in front of me and the one behind me. Great, we were all chained together, I followed out and hopped onto a cobbled path. I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the light, after a few blinks I caught the world around us. My entire group was being led down the cobbled street, strange stoned buildings rose at either side with Zebras filling the sidewalk. Hundreds of them wearing elaborate and colorful robes stopped what they were doing to shout at us. They stretch their hooves at us and shouted enough bad words to make Flag flush.

I looked up to the buildings, somewhere pristine white marble, others had murals of Zebra art on them. There was a vast building we were being led to. It had an orange tiled roof with massive marble columns with Zebra art paint around them. Signs hung between the columns, and to my surprise, I could read them. I guess this is what he meant by making it easy. The medallion had literally burned their tongue into me. Zebra magic was strange, to say the least.

"Halt!" The command snapped me from my musings. I looked to the enormous red tiled building just ahead. Zebras with pony slaves scurrying behind them came in and out of the building. Rather than enclosing fully, the building had an open area in the middle. Stands of vendors littered the area. Better built stands were inside the shade of the red building. The lesser shabby looking shops were open to the elements.

"Hey," the pony ahead of me called back.

"Yeah?" I blinked, I had spoken back in Zebra.

"It's going to be weird for a while, but you'll get a handle of it soon. Keep talking Imperial, be respectful, and don't talk unless spoken too." He glanced back up front and straightened. Soldiers, lots of them surrounded our little group. They wore armor made of steel strips held together by studs at the center. Their legs had bracers as well, shining steel with the Legions symbol carved into the bracers. While their skirt was beautiful red with a gold line at the end. Peeking from their cloaks at their sides I could see sword hilts.

"Ave, true to Caesar." My ears twitched at the voice, I leaned left trying to look casual. The Zebra that was leading us saluted an old Zebra. The old Zebra wore beautiful red robes, he had gold rings around his front hooves. I could see peeking from his cape a golden collar of sorts. It was almost like neck armor, but it had the engravings of a dragon slain by a Zebra on it.

"Centurion, what are these wretches?" The old Zebra chuckled, his eyes a piercing green glaring at us. I glanced off to the side avoiding eye contact.

"Slaves, they are to be put to auction." The Centurion or his name was Centurion or whatever, waved a dismissive hoof at us.

"Hmm, these are wretches, but there is a warrior among them…. or at least a pony soldier." The old Zebra spat the name in mockery. "Look how they know their place, looking down, but that one. Yes, the blue one pretending I didn't see him looking at me. He remains tall as if at attention waiting for his commander to order him."

I swallowed a lump in my throat, just keep quiet, don't ruffle any feathers.

"Heh, put him in the mines, they need the strong ones. I don't recommend you let this one be sold as a house slave like the rest. He will only try and escape." The old Zebra cackled and turned around. Behind him a chair awaited him, he sat on it, and four mechanical legs protrude from it. He was hoisted up in the air and went on his way. The soldiers, they did a crisp salute and followed the old Zebra.

"A soldier huh," the Centurion lifted a hoof and waved over some guards from the street. They rushed over and saluted the Centurion. "Take this one to the mines, have the Prefect there take care of him."

"Sir!" The Zebras moved to stand by me. The Centurion came back and unlocked me from the rest. He then placed new restraints around my front and back hooves. The soldiers shoved me out of line, and they began leading me away from the market. They took me through the streets, keeping a tight formation on me.

"Where are the mines exactly?" I looked to the Zebra to my left, he glared and threw a back hoof at me. He struck my cheek, and I almost stumbled forward.

"Silence slave!" He spat on the ground, the Zebra behind me pushed me forward. Right, speak when spoken to. I calmed my breathing and followed silently. Though I looked around, finding landmarks places to mark down and try and remember. This was my survival training put to good use, navigation without armor assistance. Find landmarks and locate true north, though the second would have to be done later. For now, I watched every street turn, every sign, every building with specific art on it.

By midday, the Zebras took me to another wagon inside a warehouse. Or I assumed it was, it was a blue stone building with a spiked metal door on it. Inside, several ponies were being loaded into wagons. The security here was insane. I could only imagine this was where the soldier slaves were gathered. I glanced up, metal walkways lined the ceiling. Zebras with rifles in hooves patrolled and looked down on everypony inside. Despite the security, the ponies here outnumbered the Zebras. That said, at the far end of the warehouse placed on a raised platform, a Zebra operated a heavy gun ready to tear everypony here to ribbons.

"Move!" I was shoved up to a wagon with ponies loaded up. There was a guard at the door, he nodded to my guards and unlocked me. He pointed to the wagon with his hoof. I sighed and hopped inside. The door was slammed shut behind me, and the truck roared to life. I sat quietly by the door, looking over the ponies inside. They seemed no worse for wear, some bore scars others just looked tired and defeated.

"You soldiers?" I knew it was obvious, but they nodded in return.

"My name is Valiant Knight, I'm a Steel Ranger, and I'll find us a way out of here." The soldiers looked among themselves.

"There is a way out," one quipped.

"What?" I blinked,

The one to the far corner opposite mine, he sat up and tapped his heart with his hoof. "Faith my friend, we will all be released through our faith." I slacked against the wall. Great, religion that was going to save us. I'm sure the ponies of the old world thought the same when the missiles were falling.

"Right, faith." I guess I was on my own for now.

"The seven steps my friend, you will know soon enough, he will teach you." The ponies before me changed, they put their hooves to their hearts.

"Step one, secure the keys, step two, ascend from darkness, Step three, release the just." The other ponies nodded in agreement and were muttering along with the steps. "Step four, skewer the behemoth, step five, wield the hammer of vengeance, step six rise from the pit of hell. Step seven, Freedom." The ponies all said the final step in unison.

I just nodded, these guys were looking for hope, if this is hope, then I'd have to work with that. Find a plan and hope this religion of theirs keeps their spirits up. I closed my eyes and tried to rest, but the whispers in my head started hissing at me. Awake it is then, I leaned against the wall and just concentrated on the sights I had seen. I began to form a map in my head, one I'd have to write down eventually.

In the time I was sure of the map I imagined, the wagon came to a stop. Everypony sat up, so I followed suit. The doors opened, and though I was sure it was night time, it might as well feel like it was still daylight outside. Stadium size lights lit up the night driving back the darkness. I hopped down on a gravel floor to a Zebra barking orders at us. If I thought the warehouse was heavily guarded, this place might as well be a military base. Guard towers with spotlights littered the area, they were spread apart evenly around us. I moved with the other ponies to notice where we were going. A huge crater was just next to us, and a vast complex was hanging off the side of it. Mining equipment large and small was being moved on a conveyer belt into the crater.

Nearing the facility, I could make out a spiraling path to the bottom of the crater. It was maybe some twenty meters from the facility. There was a checkpoint where the road began, two pillboxes with heavy guns trained on us. I hummed remembering the guard positions, the guard towers held three Zebras, two gunners and one manning the spotlight. They were spaced far enough to shout between. If anything happened to one of them, it was in sight of all the others. I'll be honest, escape was starting to really seem like a lost cause.

"Watch out!" I heard a pony scream, instantly I was shoved away from the hole. A loud mechanical roar drowned everypony out, I put my hooves to my ears and grit my teeth. Suddenly, from the crater, a large metal limb rose and planted itself on the ground. A second limb followed and from the depths rose a colossal robot spider. I was shoved to the center as everypony compressed together. Were they insane, why weren't we getting the hell out of the way? The spider lumbered out, its eight legs sending tremors on the ground. Each step sent a quake up my spine as it trudged onward. I saw its head as it climbed over us, it had an open cockpit, and its mandibles were two heavy guns with spotlights on them. Its thorax had a strange looking gun, I couldn't place it as anything else. It's barrel or shooting…thingy, I really couldn't tell was two long flat bars. The space between them must be where the projectile was fired. My gawking was cut short, the flat bars retracted into the rest of the gun, before withdrawing yet again into the thorax. The spider passed us entirely, it headed to the facility where it seemed to dock into the back of it. The spider laid down on top of the facility, huge maglocks rose out to clamp onto the sides between the legs. Its eight legs remained around the building like pillars.

"Fuck me this is hopeless." I was stuck here, there were no two ways about it, the Zebras had this place locked down tight. There was no way in hell I was getting out of here, I felt my lip quiver, but I dared not cry. Now was the time for strength, now was the time to endure, like that old Zebra coot said, I didn't know my place as their slave. So, escape is not an option alone, but maybe just maybe, I could get everypony here up for a getaway.

"Move it!" A Zebra shouted us back into marching to the facility. On entry, Zebras started separating us into mares and stallions. Mares went left through a set of double doors, we got sent into paths squeezed together through metal bars lining our flanks guiding us Celestia knows where. After an hour or so, I passed through the damn enclosed path. A Zebra waved me over to a station of many, I walked to it, and the Zebra pointed to a stool beside his station. I sat down while he looked down at the console before him. He tapped away silently before the console whirred to life. The Zebra reached below the console and pulled out a tag. He grabbed a device and tucked the tag in it, suddenly two Zebras grabbed me and kept me still. The Zebra put the device in his mouth and hopped up holding my head. Wait, was he about to do what I think he was doing?

I felt a sharp pain on my right ear, I gritted my teeth letting out a growl. I refused to allow them the pleasure of screaming. Then I felt something sear into my ear, I went taught against my holders, but I endured it. "There, slave 555 you will be assigned mining duty tomorrow morning, find a cot in the barracks and sleep. Or don't you will work regardless if you sleep or not." The Zebra that tagged me shrugged. I was shoved from my seat and pushed to where everypony was gathering. I resisted the urge to touch my throbbing ear. Instead, I just followed everypony through. I passed through a set of double doors to a vast warehouse-like room. I could see hundreds of tents like little houses stretching beyond me. There was an entire village practically living here. Everypony moved about without a care, most looked downcast and outright dejected.

"Fresh meat for the grinder huh?" A pony came up to me, he was offensively white, like the snow outside the shield. He had an equally white mane cut short and swept back away from his soft blue. His cutiemark was three snowflakes ironically enough if this guy ever got lost in the snow, I don't even think the Zebras could find him.

"y-yeah, I'm Valiant Knight." I offered up my hoof to shake.

"Nope, looks like you're 555, or I'll just call you Fives for short. Don't use your name, if the guards hear about it, they'll beat you senseless until you stop." The white pony shook my hoof nonchalantly.

"I'm 246, or Equal as my friends call me, been here long enough to spot new slaves." Equal shrugged.

"Right, thanks for the info I guess, know where I can get a place to sleep?" I asked and offered up a smile.

"Course, you're in the fives sector, come on I'll show you." Equal waved me over, and I followed behind. This place was like living in the wasteland. Ponies huddled together around whatever they could get working from the old world. Here I found tents surrounding an above ground pool. A water talisman powered pool to be precise. They were grabbing buckets of water from it, and it never seems to go down. Others gathered around food processors that used only Celestia knows what to generate synthetic food. I found my place, the fives area huddled together around the only place where ponies could wash and use the bathroom. Well, at least I wasn't going to be dirty, I guess.

"There you are, find the pony in charge here, nice stallion goes by O-seven he should be at the center of the camp. Hey, keep your nose clean alright? I know you're new, but if you keep faith in the seven steps, you'll know freedom one day." Equal gave me a mocking salute and left me by myself.

"Right, seven steps." I moved through the encampment, not sure what else to call it. I found I hoped anyway, O-seven, he was an older Unicorn with a dark purple coat and a dark green mane. His mane was cut short much like most ponies’ I'd seen, and his eyes were black as coal. I approached the pony and waved a hoof at him. "Hey, I'm new here, a pony named Equal sent to find O-seven?"

"Ah, fresh meat then, yeah come on I'll find you a cot and try to get sleep. You start work tomorrow early." The pony waved back his greeting and just as quickly walked off. I followed behind, I figured he wanted me to follow anyways. We passed a mass of tents to one near the very end of the warehouse. He pointed a hoof to the shelter against the wall labeled B10. I thanked him and went inside and picked the cot against the far wall. The others had things on them, Helmets, saddlebags, and goggles. Well, at least it seems the Zebras gave us tools to work with. Not that it comforted me much, I laid down and tried to get some sleep. But the dull throb of my pierced and later seared ear wasn't helping.

I spent a few hours staring at the ceiling before three ponies came in, they saw me and didn't even greet me. They were dirty, clearly exhausted and there were bags under their eyes. Quietly, they stowed the gear they had on, a harness and leather barding and plopped down on their cots. I turned to my side, trying to calm my mind, to let me rest for the day ahead. It was an exercise in time wasting, I couldn't relax. I felt so damn vulnerable and alone here. Worst I could feel the whispers clawing at my mental walls, waiting for my guard to fall for the voices to become shouts and for my eyes to see what wasn't there. I was utterly hopeless now, alone, no chance of escape, my own mind wanting to kill me. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth.

It should have been me

[Bat Pony] I don't know what happened, one moment I was forcing myself to sleep, now I was being shaken awake by one of my tent mates. "Come on, don't want to be late, you don't get food if you're late." The rust-colored bunkmate grunted. I nodded, stood up and stretched, I felt rested, so I guess I at least had a few hours of sleep under me. Quickly I followed my tent mates, we went to the cleaning facilities in our area first. I took a shower, a quick and bloody cold one at that. I then followed them to get breakfast. I had to close my eyes to eat my synthesize food, better not think about what made. I was however assured it was filled with the protein needed for the work ahead.

My tent mates led me back outside, though not before directing me to a post where Zebra guards asked for my tent number. I was then measured and issued equipment for the work ahead. They assigned me a pickaxe, a helmet with a headlamp, and some goggles. I was going to turn around to leave until a scarf was tossed on my back. The Zebra who threw it motioned toward his muzzle, right for the dust in the mines.

Equipped for work, I went down the spiraling path from last night. I looked down below as we walked, the spider was back, perched on the spiral walls. Metal spikes at the end of its legs were jammed into the walls. While above it, I could make out the MWT logo on the spider's thorax. "Don't stare too long." The voice next to me made me jump.

"What?" I looked at the voice next to me. It was Equal, geared up like me.

"Stare too long, Zebras get suspicious of you. Trust me you don't want that." Equal shrugged.

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind." I kept my head straight but shifted my eyes taking down Zebra positions. Every sixty or forty meters give or take had a pillbox. A heavy gun poked from a slit pointed down into the crater. This place was starting to make Stable 29 look like an open yard in terms of security. How the Zebras kept this much personnel from the front and still manage to beat us was insane. I groaned finally arriving at the bottom, I parted ways with Equal and was waved over by my tent mates to a group. Hell, we were all divided into groups, no doubt by our numbers. In four squares hundreds of ponies chattered among themselves. Ahead of us was a prepped stage, speakers, microphone, the works. What was this, slave talent show time? A pony stepped up on the scene, he was an old stallion with a bright red coat and black mane with greying sides. He had his hair tied into a tail behind his neck. He had a thick beard and bright orange eyes. He was also clad in a black priest robe of all things, which almost made me think I was about to be part of a bloody sermon.

"It is another day, and as I can see, we have many new faces among us. For those who are new, welcome to the pit. I have a few words of advice for these new faces, words to remember and keep in mind wherever you end up. Here in the pit, we are all brothers. Every one of us plucked from the fires of war. No matter if our homeland is the north or beautiful Equestria. We all ceased to be strangers when we put on our uniforms. Now here in the pit, we are united as we should be. For we are brothers, and in the glory of the seven steps, we shall be free in this life or the next." The red pony finished his speech, standing on his hind hooves and forehooves spread out bathing in the sound of hundreds of hooves banging against the floor.

The red pony sat back on his haunches and called for silence with raised hooves. The thunderous applause slowly died out. Another pony, a gruff looking unicorn in mining gear walked up next to the red pony. The pony stood and left the platform, the surly unicorn floated over a clipboard from a saddle bag at his flank. "Alright, sevens are hauling today, fours are staying topside to man equipment, ones will work the belt." The unicorn licked his lips while he flipped the next page on the clipboard.

"Finally, fives will be mining, remember if you need air or water make sure your team leaders know it. Now get to work, the seven steps guide you." The gruff unicorn stowed his clipboard and left the platform. The assembled ponies started breaking off into groups, I stood awkwardly looking around, I wasn't exactly sure what team I was supposed to go to. With everypony moving around, I lost track of my tentmates.

"Hey, 555 you're with me come on!" I jumped at the voice and looked around.

"Here you dolt!" A sheath of magic wrapped around my head and tugged it to the side. I followed its lead to a unicorn with a grey glowing horn. I ran up to him, and he led us down to one of the tunnels. I wasn't sure how long these tunnels were, but it took us thirty minutes to reach our mining area. The mine was huge with three levels, several ponies were already there, I stuck close to my leader so as not to get lost.

"Alright 555," The team leader began.

"Fives, uhm, sir." I interrupted him, and almost snapped to attention.

"Don't sir me, I'm 514 or just call me Lead got it?" He grunted but didn't let me respond, "now you're taking the rocks there on the far right, any gems you find you deposit them in the hauling cart. It will be lowered from the top every ten minutes. Load as much as you can and keep mining."

"Roger that," I moved to my location, grabbed my pick and wrapped my scarf around my muzzle. Well, here goes day one of being a slave. I hoisted my pickaxe wrapping my hooves around the pole and started picking away. Pick, pick, pick, little by little breaking rocks apart. By the time the first cart came down on a chain, I had a bucket near my station. The work wasn't easy, I stopped counting time after four hours. Nopony talked, Zebra guards came in and out at regular intervals. My body was already starting to ache, my arms were growing sluggish, and my coat was sticking to my skin from the sweat.

"Don't pass out Fives, here." A pony next to me passed me a canteen.

"Thanks," I sat on my haunches pulled down my scarf and took a greedy gulp of water. With my mouth moist again I return my companion his canteen, I picked my scarf up and returned to mining.

Hours passed, I was getting fatigued, my swings were slower than everypony. I looked around, and even the older ones were keeping a steady pace compared to me. Damn it, at this rate I'd collapse, I needed to keep going. I took deep breaths and tried matching my speed with the pony who gave me water. I was a few seconds behind, but I was getting there. My action didn't know unnoticed, the pony glanced at me and chuckled. "Here, let me help you Fives," the pony stopped swinging and took a deep breath. He started whistling a tune, at a particular note he would swing his pick at the rocks.

Soon another pony started whistling the same tune, his swings matching the whistle. I quickly picked up on the rhythm and swung on the right notes.

"Hmm hmm hmmm hmm hmm" the ponies started humming the tune, our picks swinging in unison. I was already starting to feel better, my breathing was evening out, and I felt as if my heart was matching the beat of our picks. It was like doing an exercise with my squad during Knight training, keeping cadence to stay on track.

"Cold: the air and water flowing!" Swing.

"Hard: the land we call our home!" swing.

"Push to keep the dark from coming!" Swing.

"Feel the weight of what we owe!" swing.

I smirked under my scarf, everypony in the mine was singing, our picks cracking the stone in unison.

"This: the song of sons and daughters!" Swing.

"Hide the heart of who we are!" Swing.

"Making peace to build the future!" Swing.

"Strong, united, working till we fall!" Swing.

The Zebra sentries went on about their business ignoring our singing. My smirk threaten to crack my face, our voices called out again, in unison we defied them, in Equestrian, not Zebra we sang, and our picks swung, our hearts beat, our souls resonated as one.

"Cold: the air and water flowing!" Swing.

"Hard: the land we call our home!" Swing.

"Push to keep the dark from coming!" swing.

"Feel the weight of what we owe!" Swing.

I forgot I was tired; honestly, I felt as if I was floating on air. Our picks resonated like a well-oiled machine, each one cracked the stones, and we sang to our heart's content. I grinned, beneath my scarf the tingly feeling almost made it hard to keep cadence.

"This: the song of sons and daughters!" Swing.

"Hide the heart of who we are!" Swing.

"Making peace to build the future!" Swing.

"Strong, united, working till we fall!" Swing.

"Bring it home lads!" a pony, I didn't really care who shouted.

"And we all lift! And we're all adrift together, together!"

"Through the cold mist, till were lifeless, together, together!"

Everypony hummed the tune as always, the beat of our hearts and picks. The song started again, and for the time being, the world outside meant nothing. All that mattered was the song and the swing of our picks.

"And we all lift! And we're all adrift together, together!" I practically shouted in a magnanimous chorus to everypony. A loud whistle pierced through the song, and everypony stopped singing. I fell on my haunches removed my helmet and wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Not a bad day Fives," the pony next to me slung his pick, grabbed his bucket and took it to the center. I followed suit, and we poured the last of our haul into the cart.

"Alright, everypony out! The work day is over!" Lead shouted over us, and we returned to the surface. When I exited outside, the day had turned to night. Holy hell, were we there for twelve hours? I sighed and followed my team to one of the tents in the pit. Food and water were being served, with Zebra guards keeping an eye on us. I grabbed some food; more wholesome processed mystery paste that I tried very hard not to look at directly. I took a seat on a sparsely filled table and ate in silence.

"So, how was your first workday?" Equal plopped down next to me, he took his helmet off and plopped down by his food.

"Well, I'm sore, tired, and I'm pretty sure we're going to be doing this forever," I grunted swallowing an unusually thick part of the mystery paste.

"Well, that's slavery for you! Don't let it get to you, we got a break coming. Every end of the month we get to rest to go to the fighting pit." Equal patted my back before starting on his paste.

"Fighting pits?" I gave him a side glance.

"Yeah, pit fighters fight for the entertainment of the Zebras, we get to watch whenever they feel generous." Equal shrugged.

"Whose fighting in the pits?" I felt my stomach twist into a knot, and it wasn't because of the paste.

"Ponies, who else? We fight in hopes of getting picked up by Zebra sponsors as Gladiators." Equal took the last slurp of his paste and pushed his tray away. "Ugh, this stuff never goes down easy for me."

"Hold on, what do you mean by Gladiators?" I leaned closer to him.

"They're like prizefighters, except they're still slaves, just better-treated slaves." Equal explained while he stood up from the table. "Anyway, I'm heading back, I need some sleep. You got the rest of the night off to do what you want, but keep in mind you're going to need to be up at the same hour tomorrow."

I watched Equal leave, left alone with my thoughts. I wondered if anypony could join the pits. But I'd be fighting ponies, I sighed and got up. I took both mine and Equal's trey to a pile by the food station. I secured my gear and began the climb back to the barracks. Fighting ponies huh, the sick bastards, it wasn't enough to work us for twelve-hour shifts. They also wanted us to kill each other for their amusement. Worst, making us watch and calling it a reward was sickening. This was clearly a message, to see us kill one another for some semblance of freedom. I resisted the urge to throw myself at the nearest Zebra. Tempting as it was, I didn't need the heat right now, so I quietly returned to the barracks.

I went straight for our tents, I took a cold but refreshing shower and returned my gear to my tent. I found my bunkmates already laying in their beds. Lucky them, I miss when sleep just came to me without worry. Well since I'm not sleeping anytime soon, I decided to explore the various encampments. The food encampment I already knew, and the water encampment wasn't anything new. But, just next to the processor camp, previously blocked from my view the first time coming. I found the fourth camp, one huddled together on a shoddy looking church. It was welded together from scraps of metal and wood, it also had glassless windows.

I walked closer to the church, where I could hear a pony preaching the steps. I'll be honest, religion was never my thing. I believed in Celestia and Luna as gods, as much as Alicorns dead goddess. This world didn't have or need gods. Not that I was going to reproach anyone who had religion. Everypony needed something to keep them going. Despite the NCR claiming it was bringing back civilization, the waste was still a waste. Even if more farm was farmable, the NCR kept things close together. So a pony that didn't have NCR troopers patrolling nearby liked to believe a higher power was looking out for him.

I stopped outside the door, why go in really? I turned and found a pony I saw earlier. The old red pony, with the priest grab and a bemused look on his muzzle. "Uh, sorry I didn't mean to stand in your way." I stepped aside to let him through.

"Oh, you are not in the way, more you seem lost." He gave a soft chuckle.

"I was just exploring, I know the way back to my tent." I looked him over, I wasn't sure how to address him.

"Orchestra, Red Orchestra, another fellow soldier." He offered his hoof to me.

I shook it nodding, "Valiant Knight, if we're using our names." That earned him a hearty laugh.

"Oh, no you are still slave 555, I have retaken my name in the arena," Red smirked with something aching to pride twinkling in his eyes.

"You're a pit fighter?" I took a cautionary step back.

"No, I was a Gladiator, but I retired; it was my benefactor's last gift." His voice was raspy with an air of fondness. I did not believe anypony would have any good memories of the creature that owned them.

"You were friends?" An interesting question of how was somepony friends with their slavers.

"No, he was my master and my teacher, but I respected him and he, in turn, respected me." Red stroked his beard before grinning broadly.

"Say, how about you join me inside, I came to speak with our brothers." Red walked up to the door and put his hoof over the door.

"Thanks, but I'm not really the religious type." I hope he wasn't offended, he seemed like a nice enough pony.

"Religion? This is not about spirituality, this is about something we pony can put our faith in." Red Puts his hoof to his chest. "I do not preach religion, I preach the one truth here in this pit. We, Valiant Knight, are all brothers here." Red bowed his head once and entered the church the door left open behind him. I peered inside, rows of ponies seated in pews at either side watched Red go in. Quite a few stood and shook hooves with the old stallion. A pony approached to close the door and spotted me.

"Oh? Would you like to come in?" He stepped aside with an outstretched hoof.

Did I? I thought about Red's words, his truth about the pit. I shrugged and entered giving the pony a grateful nod. Red had made it to the front of everypony, when he spotted me, he sent an appreciative nod my way. I pulled my lips into a smile and nodded. Nothing to lose by just listening to him talk I suppose, better than the alternative.

"Hello, I see new faces among you," Red chuckled, and I looked around to ponies looking at one another. "I am not so great to claim to know everyone's face. But I know the look of those who are new to the pit. Some of you hide your hopelessness well, while others," his gaze shifted towards me. "Try to hide the iron will beneath, the will to leave this place behind." Red stood on his back haunches and spread his forehooves out. "You are not alone, as you sit here and listen to me, know you are not the only one to feel this. To feel so powerless and subjugated, to find comfort in the routine and to feel content."

The ponies murmured among themselves, eyes shifting at one another. "But to do so is to break, and though they may revel in it, our masters do not need broken ponies. Neither do we, broken ponies do not work, but worst of all, broken ponies do not hope." Red sat back on his haunches and removed his priest garb. I blinked wand my mouth parted, his body was a canvas of scars, his coat crudely grown around various cuts. Yet despite the horrors inflicted on his body, his Cutiemark was the only part of him not scarred. A violin with two musical notes on it, the priest garbs hid it well for me to not notice it earlier.

"This," he pointed to a nasty side scar on his left side between his back and front leg. "Was a Zebra sword, while in the arena I removed my armor to stop myself from drowning. So, a blade stuck clean through and gutted me on the spot." Red pointed to a scar where his chest and neck met. "A spear dug into me and nearly severed my spine." Red finally pointed to a scar between his front legs. "And this one, this was the last scar I received before my retirement, a sword that would have ended my life, had it not been stuck in the rib cage. With a punctured lung and the blade still in me. I killed my opponent and secured myself as the greatest fighter in the arena." Red looked down to his hooves, then he turned for us to see.

His hooves had a substantial cut left to right that lined up when both hooves were put together. "This is the scar that is most dear to me. I got it from a Zebra who was beating an exhausted worker. I stood between them, and though everyone else meekly lowered their gaze, I remained strong. The Zebra lashed out with his sword, I put my hooves up defending the pony behind me." Red gave a lopsided grin and pointed at his back. "That's where the lashes scars come from by the way." A few ponies chuckled in the quiet room.

"These scars on my hooves were signs of my purpose, a sign of the truth about this place." Red closed his eyes stood back up on all fours. "The truth that everypony here is my brother. From the cooks to the fighters in the pit and my fellow Gladiators. We. Are. Brothers." Red banged his hoof, "From that day, I began to seek a path to freedom, a path that would assure every one of us was free!" Red banged his hoof again, "A path that everypony here would remember that they would chant, shout, and revel at in the sight of our Zebra masters. A sign that we are not broken! That we can work their mines, we can kill each other in their pit for the amusement of their people! But we will not be broken by ANYONE!" Red banged his hoof, everypony followed suit. "In my search, I made these steps, I made a cadence that we may all shout to our dying breath, for in this life or the next we will be free!" Red lifted a hoof high above his head.

"Step one!" he shouted and ignited the room into a chorus, and I could not help but watch in bewilderment.

"Secure the keys!" everypony threw their hooves in the air.

"Step two!" Red spread his front hooves again watching us.

"Ascend from darkness!" Could I believe it? I shouted as loud as anyone else.

“Step three!” Red cheered, his muzzle breaking into a mad grin.

“Release the just!” I clapped my hooves together.

“Step four!” Red shook nearby Pony, his mad grin spreading to everypony in the room.

“Skewer the behemoth!” I wanted to believe, not in some power, but in Red.

“Step Five!” Red smacked hooves with everypony who raised them.

“Wield the Hammer of Vengeance!” I banged my hoof against the ground.

“Step Six!” Red jumped in place laughing gleefully.

“Rise from the pit of hell!” I wanted to rise, to leave this place and to never return! To return home to Stable 29. To my mother and the order, I wanted to forge this damn war and all it cost us.

Red raised his hooves once again, this time calling for silence. Nopony dared speak as he lowered his hooves slowly before pointing at me. “Step Seven,” his voice was barely above a whisper.

“Freedom!” I shouted with a grin on my face, hope-filled me, and I doubted I could sleep at all after this.

“Freedom” Red repeated, “remember that Valiant Knight, here in the pit we are all brothers and we all have one unified dream. Freedom, in this life or the next.” Red sighed, his crazed grin faded to the smile of an old stallion remembering the past. “Well, I think that is enough excitement for us all, get some sleep everypony. We have work to do tomorrow.” Red said, and everypony started to say their goodbyes to each other.

“We?” I blinked, “are you working the mines with us Red?” I walked up in front of him.

“Ah, no but I am there to make sure everypony works and does not lose hope.” Red patted my shoulder, he then turned and disappeared into a crowd of ponies.

Well, the hour was late, and I wasn’t feeling like sleeping. All the same, I returned to my tent, and I laid down on my cot. Red’s words swam in my head giving me a pleasant buzz. I sighed and rolled onto my side. I closed my eyes and just ran the nights event in my mind.

I spent the next three weeks working the mines, I mined, hauled, and I worked the conveyer belt outside. Each night, I would go to the church and hear a tale from Red. He would speak of the arena, and the ponies he met and fought to the death there. He spoke of the honor of being a Gladiator compared to the bloodthirsty pit fighters. It seemed the Zebras that sponsored fighters valued more than killing, they appreciated honor and skill as much as brutality. Killing an enemy quick is a more valuable trait.

By the fourth week, the end of the month arrived. We got packed into wagons and were driven to the Arena. The arena was not what I was expecting. For one, the drive wasn’t nearly long enough to return to the city. So that massive stadium I saw the first time I gazed at the empire wasn’t it. Instead, we were taken to another mining pit. There were two facilities at opposite ends of the hole. A crude metal cage covered the top of the pit. On closer inspection, as we were taken to the nearest facility. I noticed massive banners hanging on the buildings, one blue and the other red. Written in Zebra, one said Valor and the other Bastion, or at least those were the closest translations.

We entered the blue Valor facility and took the spiraling path inside to the stands. The top of the track was cut off past a specific area. There were several Zebra guards with a heavy gun pointed at our direction guarding the path further down. I found a seat right at the front of the stands, complete with mesh wire large enough for me to see through, but for a pony to be unable to climb through. At the center hanging from a crane was the announcer box. Massive spotlights on the box circle the arena below and I could make out a Zebra in an elaborate robe sitting inside the box.

“Fellow patrons and slaves of the glorious Zebra Empire!” The speakers on the box cracked to life with the jubilant voice of the Zebra inside. “I, your gracious host Vita welcome you to another glorious competition, of strength and valor here in the glorious arena of General Pompei!”

The entire bottom rows erupted into cheers, peering at the rows opposite of me, I could see why. The whole bottom rows were filled with Zebras. No wonder the security kept us from going down further, I could only imagine what would happen if they didn’t. “Today we have many great fights, so without further delay. I give you, from House Valor, Crackshot!” I could see Vita leaned out of the box and point down below. I could not see where, but a pony trotted up to the center of the arena. He was a bright yellow pony, with blue paint marks all over him. The Zebras burst into a mixture of boos and cheers.

“Yes, a favorite of House Valor! But his opponent shall be none other than Rock Breaker!” Vita’s announcement was followed by a spotlight tracking from the center of the arena to a tunnel opposite of Crackshot. The tunnel was covered by a portcullis that slowly raised upward. From the shaft, a monstrous pony trotted out, and the crowd erupted in thunderous applause. He was all muscles, with veins straining against his coat.

“Jeez, what does that guy do, eat his opponents?” Seriously, how was so damn big? Even my father wasn’t that absurdly big. Rock Crusher clad in similar armor with red paint on his body had a nasty looking ax across his back. I looked back to Crackshot and found no weapons on him, at least that I could see. Facing an opponent almost twice his size, I expected to see Crackshot cower in fear. Instead, he met Rock Crusher with stoic conviction. Meanwhile, the lump of meat Rock Crusher was hollering and flexing his muscles at everypony.

“Are our fighters ready?” Vita leaned out of his box one hoof cupping his ear.

“FIGHT!” The crowd was so loud my ears folded flat against my head.

Down below, the two ponies raised their hooves, and their mouths move.

“Well then, BEGIN!” Vita started the match, and Rock Crusher moved first. He rushed Crackshot, stood on his hind legs and lept at him. The smaller pony rolled out of the way and reached down for something in his chest. He flung his hoof out from his chest, and Rock Crusher staggered to the side.

“Oh, a clean hit!” Vita’s voice betrayed his delight. Rock Crusher took a knife to his shoulder, the name Crackshot made a whole lot of sense now. Rock Crusher bared his teeth in a toothy grin and pulled the knife out with his mouth. He spat the blade out and drew his ax firmly in his teeth. He rushed Crackshot with murderous intent. Crackshot jumped back and flung another knife. Rock Crusher jumped his great legs thrusting him forward swinging down his great ax.

Crackshot rolled to the side, the ax just missing him. Rock Crusher, for a pony his size reacted fast. He swung his ax straight at Crackshot’s neck. The pony ducked, then rushed at Rock Crusher. Like a snake, he slinked his way over Rock crushers back. He drew tow knives and stabbed him in the back. Rock Crusher roared in pain but bucked the pony off him.

“Oooohhh another great move by Crackshot but wait, Rock Crusher isn’t done yet!” Vita leaned so far out of the box, I faintly hoped he’d fall. But true enough, Rock Crusher turned on a dime ax swinging. Crackshot ducked beneath the swing. But Rock Crusher was ready, as right behind the ax his hoof came up for a mean right hook. Crackshot was flung off his hooves into a heap on the floor. He rolled away for a few seconds before staggering back up.

“An amazing comeback by Rock Crusher with a devastating right hook!” Vita gasped into the mic, “look out, he’s going for the finisher!” Vita jumped in his box with excitement.

Rock Crusher leaped into the air, hooves wrapped around his ax for a straight cut. Crackshot threw out a knife and rolled off to the side. Rock Crusher crumbled to the ground on his landing. Crackshot stood up at the ready one hoof near his chest. Rock Crusher remained motionless on the ground, the battle belonged to Crackshot.

“Patrons of the pit, I give you today's winner, Crackshot!” The mixture of boos and cheers returned.

This sport was sickening and barbaric, how could the Zebras enjoy this? How could they enjoy watching two people kill one another for sport? I gritted my teeth, these bastards how depraved were they? Enslaving us wasn’t enough? They had to make us kill one another, and make us watch too?

I stood up, I want to be the first to get the hell out of here when the trucks get here. I looked down and saw Rock Crusher move. The big lug staggered up to his hooves and turned to face Crackshot’s back. The distracted pony was too busy enjoying his victory to notice. The crowd started shouting look out, and Rock Crusher’s name.

“Behind you!” I don’t know what came over me, I stuck my neck out of the mesh barrier and shouted at the top of my lungs. It was in vain, Crackshot merely looked confused at the crowd. Rock Crusher, with a knife sticking from his right eye grabbed his ax rushed Crackshot. The pony never got the chance to react as Rock Crusher buried his hatchet into his back. Crackshot screams were drowned out by the ecstatic crowd.

“Stop it!” I yelled into the maelstrom of cheers, my heart clenching painfully in my chest. I turned to look at the other ponies. They looked on grimly, not one even tried to warn Crackshot, their eyes seemed to gloss over as they waited for the inevitable.

Rock hoof stood on his hind legs, he pulled the knife from his eye socket with a roar. Crackshot, bleeding on the dirt tried to crawl away. His moans of pain lost in the frenzy of the crowd. I looked to Vita, hoping against hope he’d put a stop to this. Instead, the sick bastard was grinning ear to ear watching everything unfold.

Rock Crusher planted a hoof firmly against Crackshot’s back. He then pulled the ax free from Crackshot’s back. The pony screamed into the storm of cheering Zebras, his shouts as deaf as mine.

“What turn of events! Crackshot is down, and Rock Crusher now stands as the real winner! Now let’s give Rock Crusher some options!” The spotlights on Vita’s box swiveled to panels previously hidden by poor lighting around the edges of the arena. The boards opened and from the bottom came out mining equipment. A giant drill, a piston smashing against an anvil, and other equipment we used in the mining pit.

Rock Crusher grinned, he grabbed Crackshot by his tail and dragged him to one of the machines. An ugly looking device with gears spinning in place in the same direction. “Oh, he’s going for the Rock breaker, classic Rock Crusher!” Vita swept his hoof at the crowd.

“No, that sick bastard, is he really going to do this?” I turned to my compatriots, they simply looked down and closed their eyes. That’s right, they had already seen this brutality before. Why should today be any different? “Damn it stop it!” I leaned out as far as my neck could fit through the mesh fence. I yelled until my throat hurt to no avail.

Rock Crusher stood on his hind legs again and lifted Crackshot over his head. Crackshot wiggled helplessly trying to free himself. His blood spilling onto Rock Crusher who grinned madly, with his entire muzzle red from his and Crackshot’s blood, he proved a grisly sight to behold. The beaten pony ceased to struggle, his body slacked against Rock Crushers hooves. Rock Crusher threw Crackshot head first into the machine.

I watched with eyes wide open, the machine greedily devoured Crackshot. From the left side of the device, Crackshot’s processed body was splattered on the dirt floor in a bloody viscera of bone and meat. It took a whole two minutes for the last of Crackshot to splatter into the meat pile. Rock Crusher roared throwing his hooves into the air before banging his chest.

I fell back and threw up on the ground. A pony came up and held me up before depositing me back on my seat. I had seen death on the battlefield, I had torn Zebra apart in the battlefield. But this, this was something else. This wasn’t the byproduct of war, this was entertainment. The cheering crowds and the god damn announcer making commentary as two living beings kill one another. Damn the Zebras, damn them all to the deepest pit of hell I can conjure up.

“I wish they’d finished Project Wipe stripe.” I spat the words with a fire in my belly. I wanted them dead, all of them. They were beyond sympathy, they cheered as two ponies, former comrades and countrymen kill one another. To allow a monster like Rock Crusher to indulge in his cruel passion just to get a good kick out of it. They all deserved to die if I could deploy Stripe Wipe here and now I would, only to watch all these miserable bastards die in agony.

“Hey, Fives!” I shook my head and looked for the voice that called out my nickname. Equal, he was on his haunches next to my seat. Everypony around me was already on their hooves exiting the pit.

Equal gently pulled on my hooves to stand me up. “It’s time to go, buddy, come on.”

I nodded meekly and followed him out. I felt hollow inside, the hope Red had filled me with gone in the blink of an eye. How could I have faith when we were killing one another for the Zebras? Where was the hope in all of this? Was I just a fool for believing in Red? Did anypony really understand, or was it just easy to cling desperately to Red’s words and ignore the bitter truth? That in the end, there was no hope, we would all die here as slaves or as pit fighters.

I barely registered Equal, he was saying something as the wagons pulled up and we began to climb aboard. The trip back was nothing, a blur at best and just black spots of me just zoning out staring at the wall. Equal guided me to the Five Camps when we arrived in the mining pit. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or not, I couldn’t really focus. I just wanted to lay down and never get up again. Before I zoned back to reality again, I was being helped onto my cot by my bunkmates. I looked at them, but they didn’t spare another look. They just sighed and with a dejected look went to bed.

I tossed and turned on my cot for a few hours. I was trying to get rid of the mental image of seeing Crackshot turned to paste. I felt my stomach churn and groaned pitifully into my pillow. I wasn’t going to sleep, that was obvious. I got up and left my tent to wander around just looking at the metal ground.

“I see the fighting pits got to you.” Red, there was no mistaken that rough old voice.

I looked up from the ground, my mouth was dry, and my vision blurred, but I was sure I was by the church. I collapsed onto the ground crying into my hooves. I said I wasn’t going to cry anymore, why was I so damn weak? How could I have hoped to escape this place? How naïve and full of myself was I that I thought I could rally everypony here to escape? There was no escape, this place, this hellhole was going to be my tomb and everyone else’s.

“Tell me, how did he die?” Red walked over to me and placed his hoof gently over my head.

I shuttered and looked up with bloodshot eyes, “he was ground into a paste.” I hiccupped and clenched my eyes shut, as more tears fell. “He” I hiccupped again, and I groaned trying to regain control. “Damn it, he tossed him into a rock crusher, and the sick bastards just cheered!” I should have never let my rage dim. This was a lesson, a lesson that my ancestors taught everypony. “Better dead the striped!” I seethed. “The bastards cheered, and the only mercy afforded to him was that he passed out from blood loss before he was tossed in!” I let out a mournful howl and cried harder. Red all the meanwhile sat by me and let me finish.

I think I cried for a good twenty minutes before finally settling down. Red didn’t say a word still, just remained by my side quietly letting me pull myself together again. What was the point, Strider gave his life for me, and now I’m a slave?

IT should have been me.

I gritted my teeth and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hoof. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to break down like this.”

“No, I expected as much, the pit always draining on newcomers.” Red sighed.

“Did you kill ponies like that?” I looked to him, hopeful he was not like Crusher. Then again, I didn’t know this pony, for all I know behind the charisma was a monster.

“No, I would never have been sponsored if I had been. Zebra’s looking for Gladiators do not find pleasure in the brutal killing of ponies. They look for efficiency, honor, and the promise to one day become the top champion and bring honor to their name.” Red glared at the ground and spat in disgust. “ponies like the one you saw? They are a disgrace, they no longer remember who they are. They are bloodthirsty monsters who revel in their cruelty and purposefully indulge in the bloodshed to remain in the pit.” Red sighed, his body sagged, and he sat back on his haunches. He rubbed his temples with his hooves and his orange eyes seemed to lose their glow. I think I was looking at the stallion behind the stories and speeches.

“Are you alright?” I couldn’t help it, I just rather forget my troubles and help Red.

“Aye, just old age catching up to me,” Red said with a wry grin. He stood back up and popped his bones stretching. “Well, you should get some rest son, there’s work to be done tomorrow.” Red excused himself with a nod and a pat on my back.

I looked at him go, just who was this pony? His stories of the arena were as far back as he ever let on. Being a Gladiator, he almost made it sound romantic, a champion who fought with honor and gained the respect of Zebra and Pony alike. Then again, why would I want the respect of bloodthirsty bastards like them? I wonder if I escaped this place, could I survive City 6 and retrieve the data from Meadowbrook?

“Damn it,” I’m losing my mind here! Going through Pink Cloud to get an unfinished weapon? I walked up to the church and sat on the steps before the door. I can’t escape this place, I don’t have anything I could use. I’m stuck working a bloody mine until I die or hope the Equestrian Army can save us. Ugh, this is pointless, sitting here won’t get me anywhere.

I left the church and returned to my tent, I closed my eyes and just started counting to tire my fried brain. [Bat Pony] I awoke with my bunkmates, it was pretty much habit to wake up at the same time now. I grabbed my gear and did my morning routine, well most of it. I threw up when I looked at the food processor making food. I remembered the pit last night and threw up my empty stomach, much to everyone’s displeasure. I still managed to cram some food in, albeit with the help of lots of water. After an unusually long piss, I followed my fellow slaves to the pit.

Red spoke again today, this time he encouraged all of us who went to the fighting pit for the first time. “Remember, here in the pit we are all brothers. Only those who have strayed from this truth will truly never lave this place free. They have sold their honor and their very souls to bloodlust and despair. So, do not despair and work brothers. Work for we can still be free, in this life or the next.”

We stomped our hooves, though I can’t say my heart was in it. I looked around, the new ponies like me were easy to find. They had downcast eyes devoid of hope, Red’s words rang hollow in their hearts. I feel they do on mine as well. How could I remain hopeful now, after everything that’s happened? Just one fuck up after the other that led me to be a slave for the very bastards that killed my best friend.

“Alright listen up!” the foreman snapped me from my gloomy thoughts.

“Sevens you’re mining, Fives you’re hauling, Ones are working the belt, and Fours are operating equipment.” The foreman adjusted his helmet and gave everyone a nod, “alright, you all know what to do. Get to working lads, the seven guide you.”

I moved to the mine and this time stayed at the top level of the shaft. Much like the pit, the mine spiraled downwards with the middle having tracks leading to a platform where the hauling carts were loaded. The path themselves didn’t have ponies mining them, but the deeper we dug, the more paths were made. I went to stand by a cart and waited my turn to push it into the platform. The way it worked was, five tracks were connected to the main track. A pony worked the levers that changed the paths. Each cart would load up, then be hauled out. Then the next one and so on, when coming back we all went back to our starting positions. Essentially, we were a pony powered conveyer belt.

“Hey, Fives!” O-Seven, our camp leader came up to me. He grabbed something from his saddlebag and tossed it at me.

“A radio?” I looked at the device in my hooves, wait this was usually done by a black pony O-seven always picked.

“Where’s the black pony?” I raised a brow while I strapped the radio to my harness.

O-seven paused, he looked down before responding, “dead, hung himself last night.”

“Shit, I’m sorry.” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly.

“Doesn’t matter, we have a job to do Fives.” O-seven turned to leave, but he paused. “In this life or the next Fives.” O-seven shook his head a final time and left.

“In this life or the next,” I guess he chose the next one.

The radio crackled to life, “listen up, we got another team member down below with the radio, designation Whisky. When he calls for a cart, you make sure shit runs smoothly. Let another pony take your cart, you just worry about doing what I tell you over.” The radio instantly crackled back to life before I could respond, “Oh almost, your designation is Foreman, got that over?”

I hit the receiver, “copy that O-seven, over.”

“None of that shit, I’m designation Shovel One, keep the channel clear, Zebras don’t like to hear our chatter, Shovel One out.” The transmission crackled off. Great, Zebra bastard even monitored our working radios. Well, whatever I got a job to do, not like I can change shit anyhow.

I went to stand by the edge of the tracks, I peered down to see my fellow slaves picking away the rocks. While I waited for Whisky, I went to check on everypony making sure everyone was alright. That suicide just made me realize how many ponies might be worst off than me. The way the top level was laid out was simple. The pit was at the center, the path started at the left and on the right was everything else. To the far right was a metal shed of sorts. We had a few ponies there coordinating with the ones outside. There was also some equipment I honestly haven’t checked out myself. Seeing as I always ended up on a cart when it came to hauling duty. Finally, adjacent to the shack were metal support beams used to expand the mine.

I walked around to the stations, giving everyone some words of encouragement. I almost felt like I was with my friends again, almost. These ponies were strangers, there were so many of us, with teams never staying the same. I hadn’t seen that pony that started singing the mining song since my first day. Just a sea of faces changing each day. The only real ponies I seemed to know, were Equal and Red. O-seven was just the pony in charge, I hardly saw the pony really.

“Whisky to Foreman how copy?” Whiskey’s voice crackled over the radio.

“Hard copy Whisky, over.” I hit the receiver and walked back to my post.

“Bring down the first cart, over.” Whiskey ordered.

“Copy, Foreman out,” I walked to my post and signaled the first pony with my hoof. “One going down!”

The pony grunted pushed the wagon to the platform. The lever pony switched the tracks. Thus, we started our routine hauling gems, I guess I got lucky I got put in charge of coordinating. Not as demanding a task hauling the wagons. Even if I was an earth pony the work got tiring, not that the Zebra bastards cared.

After eight hours, I did another round checking up on everypony. With things winding down, I finally decided to see inside the shed. I entered two ponies sitting in front of a desk with some equipment. “Hey, just checking up on everypony, you guys okay?” I stepped up just behind the two ponies.

“Oh, hey there, yeah we're doing good. What about you?” The pony on the right asked.

“Ah you know, looking forward to that Zebra pension.” I gave him a lopsided grin.

“Hah, don’t I know it” The left pony cackled.

“Hey, mind if I ask what this stuff is?” I pointed to the equipment.

“Well Five-Fourths is operating the master radio, that’s what lets us send signals outside this mine.” The right pony pointed to the left one, “I’m looking for any strange seismic activity, making sure we don’t all end up dead here.”

“Whoa, never seen a seismometer!” I didn’t even stop my tail from wagging. These things were cool, with some modification. I could use it as a deep scanning tool to map out things like vaults and underground tunnels.

“Yep, she’s a thing to marvel at, Equestrian made too.” The pony shrugged and then narrowed his eyes at the screen. “Hmm, there it is again Five Fourths, its been doing this a lot lately.”

“you keep saying that, but nothing ever happens,” Five-Fourths grumbled.

“What is it?” I leaned over to look at the terminal screen he was staring at.

“Right there, every now and then there’s a tremor, a very light one at that passing through.” The pony leaned in squinting at the screen.

“That’s bad?” I” suddenly felt really cramped in here.

“Not technically, tremors happen all the time. Seeing as the crust of our planet is shifting on molten rock from below the mantle. But the strange thing is this tremor readings happen regularly, and at intervals that can be predicted. Like clockwork, these tremors just come and go, and they happen early within a certain time frame.” The pony scratched his head looking at the screen frustrated.

“Well, just keep an eye on it I guess, better safe than sorry. The day is almost done, and I rather get out of here in one piece.” I patted both ponies back and turned to exit the hut.

“What the, it's moving.” I paused at that statement.

“What is?” I looked to him, the readings, zigzagging lines on the screen were growing more erratic per second.

“Earthquake?” I swallowed a lump in my throat.

“No, earthquakes don’t behave like this, this is like its moving, the waves are getting progressively stronger.” The pony stood from his chair, that was all I needed to know something terrible was going to happen.

“I’ll get everypony out!” I ran out of the shack to the edge of the mine pit. I hit the receiver on the radio hailing O-seven, “Shovel One, I got word from the seismic team. We have an incoming seismic event. Request immediate evacuation.” Please say yes, please let us be safer than sorry!

The radio crackled to life, “We got a few hours before shift end, I need a solid confirmation, or its all our asses on the line here over.”

“Seismic team confirms of something huge coming our way, we need to evacuate Shovel One, over.” Come on damn it!

“I’ll relay the message to the Centurion, standby, Shovel One out.” The transmission ended, and I peered down the mineshaft. A cart was slowly being brought up, and the pony waiting for it was stretching. I turned and started to make my way to the shaft. Suddenly, the ground beneath me shook something fierce! Everypony yelled as they were tossed on the ground violently. Then, I heard metal crunching and muffled screams.

The shaking subsided to the ground vibrating beneath our hooves. I groaned rubbing my head and blinked away the fuzziness from my vision. When things came to focus, I saw the ceiling had caved in on the metal shack. It was utterly warped and bent into the ground. I felt my heart size up, my legs tensed, and I struggled to move.

We need to get out of here, it just clicked in my mind, and my body rushed into action. “Cave in! Everypony out!” There was nothing I could do for the shed ponies. They were dead, I had to save who I could. With that in mind, I hit the receiver on the radio. “Whisky we're getting out of here get everypony up right now!” I paused to wait for a response.

“We felt that too, coming up now!” He finished his transmission.

I hailed O-seven next, “Shovel One, I issued out an evacuation order, we had a cave in. Seismic is gone, how copy?” All I received back was static, right the master radio was inside the shack. Well, looks like we were on our own. I ran to the spiraling path and stood at the entrance. “Come on everypony hustle, hustle!” damn the narrow paths, the team had to come up three abreast. As everypony kept coming up, I felt the ground rumblings start to pick up. “Oh shit, it’s coming back! Brace everypony brace!” Ponies barley had the chance to hug the ground when the floor shook violently. I immediately regretted being so close to the edge. Part of the floor gave out, and my hind legs fell from under me. I fell flat on my stomach, and I slid to the edge. I wrapped my hooves to the nearby support beam before I fell. “Fuck!” I screamed clenching my eyes shut.

“aaahhh!!” I heard screaming and the sound of rocks falling. Then as quickly as it came, the shaking slowed to rumble.

“I got you!” O-seven, thank Celestia, came up to me and helped me back up.

“Whole god damn place is shaking outside!” O-Seven sighed.

“I know, shack's gone, we lost the seismic team.” I sighed and rolled onto my back panting.

“Sir! Were stuck the path collapsed!” The yell made grit my teeth. Fuck, we got ponies stuck below now. To make matters worse, I notice the ceiling start cracking. I stood back up, watching as several places on the ceiling had quickly growing cracks.

“There’s nothing we can do lad, we need to save everypony else.” O-seven sighed and started for the entrance. “To the entrance lads come on!”

“No, I’m not abandoning everypony else!” I moved to O-seven, without warning he threw a jab to my face, and I crumpled to the floor. “Don’t be an idiot! Were done that’s an order from your team leader!” O-seven barked, “don’t throw your life away!”

I spat on the ground and glared at him, maybe he was right. But I left Strider to die, and that will haunt me until my last days in this world. “In this life or the next,” I wiped my mouth and stood up. “Listen up! Its time to act what we preach! If you want to leave go, but I’m going to save everyone! Remember we are all brothers! Don’t let your brothers die!” I moved to tracks. I grabbed the lever and sent down the platform meant for the carts, I hit the receiver on my radio. “Whisky, start loading up ponies as many as you can. If you got wounded, make them go first!” The ground shook violently without warning, more pieces of the ceiling fell into the mine. I fell to the ground on my back, the ceiling above me cracked and it collapsed. I rolled away at the last moment.

“Damn it’s kid were done let’s go!” O-seven barked at me. Quite a bit of ponies already sprinted to the exit. But a fair number were indecisive, looking between O-seven and me. “If you want to run, go! But I’m not going to live the rest of my life knowing I let ponies I could save die. Freedom everypony, in this life or the next!” I moved to the lever, by some miracle it had only been obstructed by the rocks not destroyed. I pushed against the boulders blocking it, come on big bastard move! Just like that, the boulder budged, and I fell forward with it. I looked up to see O-seven with several ponies standing by the rock.

“Fucking hell, I’m going to kick your ass for all eternity if we die here, kid!” O-seven spat on the ground.

“I’ll try to keep that from happening then,” I smirked looked to the ceiling. The cracks were spreading, and we needed more time. I had an idea, the support beams piled up by the crushed shack. “The support beams, I need everypony to grab one and place it against the greater cracks come on!”

“Were on it!” six ponies or so rushed towards the beams.

I moved to the edge to look down the mine. Several ponies were crowded on the platform. “It’s full, bring it up!” I barked to O-seven. He nodded and pulled the lever. While the cart came up, I looked to the spiraling path. The collapsed area was precariously balancing against the edge at around three floors up. The platform rose painfully slow, too slow to for us to us to rely on it.

“Shit!” I looked to the spiraling path. Three floors down I saw the collapse that blocked the path. I looked back to the support beams and the volunteers setting them up. An idea came to me, and I hit the receiver. “Whisky, I’m going down with some ponies. We're gonna die here if we rely on that lift alone.” I cut the transmission as the first batch of ponies dismounted the platform. “Hey, I need your help to save everypony else come on!” I moved to the support beam stack, as I did there was another violent tremor that flung us on the ground.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuccckkkkk!!” I heard the scream, I turned to see a pony cling to the ground while he reached over the edge of the mine. Somepony fell, sweet fuck we need to move! The tremor subsided, but the rumbling was much more prevalent than before. The shockwaves were getting worse, it's now or never.

“Come on! Are you gonna let them die so you can live?” I shouted at them, and that made them move. Most came to me the rest fled out of the mine. Eight ponies, eight brave souls did not let fear conquer them. “Grab three support beams come on!” I tried to push the first beam up, but another pony and I dropped it. “Fuck that’s heavy!” I looked to the ponies setting up the beams, instantly my eyes widen in recognition. They were using their harnesses to lift the beams in teams of four. Fuck, that means we could only bring two, I hope that was enough. “break up into two teams four each come on!” I helped two of my comrades remove their harnesses. We tied them to our beam and hooked them around our necks. “Alright, ready, heavy!” We lifted and fucking hell I really wish I had my armor! “Support beam team! We need pickaxes, come four come with us!” My team with as much speed as we dared trecked down into the mine. The shaking made our footing tricky, and the cracked ceiling had left plenty of loose stones for anyone of us to trip on.

In the most extended two minutes of my life, we made it to the obstruction, several boulders blocking the path. “Set em down!” I gritted my teeth and dropped the beam. “pickaxes!” The ponies behind us gave us their picks. “Good now go, only leave one pony on the lever, the rest of you get out of here now!” The ponies hesitated, one of them opened their mouth to protest, but I wasn’t having any of it. “Damn it, soldiers now is not the time do as your told, now go!” They did, and I looked to my eight pony team. “Four of you set up the beams here, and here” I pointed to two spots that would hold the ceiling together. Well, I hoped anyway, and that would have to do. I grabbed my pick, and two others joined me, and we hacked at the boulders center. The goal wasn’t to break the rocks but to dislodge the ones on top.

We hacked one after the other we concentrated in one point, the rock giving away to our combined efforts. As I picked, I saw the lift come up again with ponies. One of em pointed a hoof at me and yelled down below. “To the obstruction lads get the pickaxes ready hurry up!”

“They’re coming up!” the pony behind me shouted with hope filling his chest. Soon I could hear the ponies on the other side start picking.

“Come on lads work, with all of your might!” I shouted and hacked the rocks, they crumbled and as I reared my pick for another strike. The ground shook violently, and I fell back. In my fall I fell against the pony behind me and was pushed off the side.

“Fifty-Eight no!” somepony shouted. There was no time, I couldn’t spare the time to grieve. I struggled up, and I put my hooves to the rock facing the mine. I pushed, the other ponies dropped their picks and did.

“All as one, on my command, everypony.” I planted my rear hooves firmly on the shaking earth. I licked my dry lips and shouted with all my might. “HEAVE!” The rock dislodged and tumbled down below. I nearly followed it, but somepony grabbed me by my mane and pulled me back.

The pony behind me spat out my hair and blew a raspberry. “Fuck, cut your hair Fives!”

I laughed madly and stood to my hooves, I looked to the ponies on the other side and waved them through. Only one at a time could fit, but they pushed through in quick succession. “Let’s go hustle it up everypony!” I looked back to my team guiding the ponies up. “The hell are you doing go! Job’s done get the hell out!”

“Like hell it is, we all get out of here, together!” One of them barked back.

“In this life, or the next!” The one who saved my life smirked at me.

“You crazy sons of bitches!” I smirked and kept ushering the ponies through. I think it was almost ten minutes until the last one hopped over. I grabbed him and looked to his harness. No radio, where was Whisky god damn it? I looked into his desperate eyes, pleading to let him go. “Where’s the pony with the radio that was down below, where’s Whisky?”

“D-dead, crushed by a rock!” He stammered, I closed my eyes and let him go. “Fuck, let’s go!” The ground heaved unlike before, and I was slammed against a support beam headfirst. Thank Celestia I had my helmet, I think that would have killed me. I struggled up, and my team began to move up, through the shaking I could hear the distinct sound of metal warping. I looked to the beam I was thrown against and saw it bend away from me. I looked up as the ceiling cracked open above us. Something pushed me forward, and I landed in a heap with the rest of my team.

“AAAAHHHHHH!” there was a blood-curdling scream. I got up as fast as I could to see the mine collapsing the floor beneath cracked apart. The broken bodies of ponies who couldn’t make it were swallowed by the earth. I looked down below me, the pony who rescued me twice now was stretched out. I wrapped my hooves around his and pulled. I quickly fell back on my ass and felt a wet splat against my lower legs. He was light, too light. I moved him to the side and noticed he had been cut his half. His lower body left beneath the rubble that almost killed me. I bit my lip looking at the dead pony.

“Come on Fives we have to leave NOW!” I was pulled to my hooves, and I nodded running after the rest of my team. I spare a single glance to see the ceiling collapse behind us crushing what was left of that brave pony. Without the weight of the beams, we made it to the top in record time. Where the lever had been several boulders, a snapped support beam and a trail of blood going to the mine exit. “Go come on!”

We ran for the exit, the mine falling apart behind us. The sound of warped steal made my heart flutter. One of us could be crushed in an instant after that dreadful sound. So I pushed it to the back of my mind and ran with everything I got. “O-seven!” I heard one of the ponies ahead of me. Sure enough, we slid to a stop to a pony leaning against the wall bleeding.

“Fuck, go damn it go!” He gasped out, I looked to see him put a hoof over his left hind leg. There was a horrible gash across his thigh marring even his flank.

“You heard the stallion go!” I grabbed O-seven, he tried to protest but was too weak to stop me. I heaved him over my back, and we ran. I could hear the tunnel cave behind us, metal snapping and rock crashing against rock. My team was getting ahead of me, the weight of O-seven slowing me down. But I would not leave him, and I sure as shit refused to die now! I starched my neck out as far as I could my hooves clacking against the stone.

“Almost there come on!” The pony ahead of us yelled. I gritted my teeth, pumping my hooves, my heart hammering against my ribcage. I could see the entrance a white light making the outside impossible to see. With a surge of adrenaline, I poured everything I had left and caught up with the back of my team.

I heard a great crash, the light made me close my eyes. I felt the cold air of the outside, and I slid to a stop. There was only silence, fuck, please tell me I’m not dead. I opened my eyes squinting to see a crowd of dusty ponies look on with wide eyes.

“Shit, the next life looks like shit too.” I panted out and gave everypony my best smile.

“HOORAH!” Everypony cheered and rushed us. Somepony took O-seven off my back. I spared him a glance, but he was passed out from blood loss.

“Fives saved everypony!”

“Brothers to the end!”

“Were alive, by the seven steps were alive!”

“FIVES! FIVES! FIVES!” The shouting was getting out of hand. Everyone’s voice was reverberating through the pit. I was hoisted into the air, and I looked down to see my blood-soaked hind legs. The ponies carrying me didn’t seem to mind one bit.

I gave everypony a lopsided smile, I was just glad we were all alive to be this damn loud. So when enslaved by Zebra bastards, do as one would do and rejoice when possible. I raised my hooves triumphantly fand everypony got even bloody louder! The dead would be mourned, they will of that I will make sure. But for now, for the sake of everypony shouting my nickname. I was happy, my heaving chest slowed back to its average pace, and I was feeling like I was walking on air.

“Alright, alright put me down already!” I laughed and wiggled in place. My carriers did so, and I was mobbed by everypony. I felt my hooves were going to fall off from all the shaking and hugs I was giving.

“Make way, make way for Red come on!” That voice made my ears twitch, I looked to my left, and the crowded parted to let Equal through. Behind him, none other than Red himself walked towards me with a smile on his face. I lifted a hoof to say hello, but instead, he slammed against me wrapping his hooves around me. I laughed and hugged the old stallion back, that fuzzy feeling in my chest spreading to my entire body.

“Well done my friend, well done!” His gruff voice rasped near my ear.

“Is this how you felt when you stood up to those Zebras?” I said back.

Red sat back on his haunches and held me at arm’s length. “No, not even close, this?” Red motioned to everypony around us. “I have only ever dreamed of this, to see everypony smile like this. You have sparked the kind of hope I never thought possible.” Red was grinning ear to ear, his muzzle threatening to stay like that forever.

“Whoa, incoming Fives!” the merriment died down. There was a loud blaring from above us, and I looked up to see the massive spider robot move to face us. The robot trained its guns on us, followed by the sound of hundreds of weapons being cocked. I squinted through the bright lights to look at the spiraling path around the pit. Hundreds of Zebras line the route, guns trained us, holy shit, did they think we were about to revolt?

“Red, what do we do?” I looked to him, he hummed in thought. Then a sly smile crossed his muzzle.

“Calm everypony down Valiant.” Red gestured to the Zebras.

“Me? Why would they listen to me?” I looked back to the Zebra hordes.

“They will believe it, right now you hold a great deal of power. Use it wisely my friend.” Red stepped aside and gestured next to him. The crowds parted and looked to me with looks of conviction in their eyes. Fucking hell, these guys would fight if I told them to, wouldn’t they? I swallowed a lump in my throat and moved to stand before everypony. Looks like I was going to save their lives twice today.

“Everypony!” I shouted as loud as I could. The Zebra’s seemed to tense when I stepped up. “I’m fucking tired, how about we home for some gross paste and a good nap?”

There was a lull after I spoke, and I admit it, I think I’m about to piss my pants if they don’t listen and charge. But, just like that, everypony laughs and starts to file into groups towards the path. The Zebras visibly relax, but they keep an eye on us the entire time going up.

When we got back to the barracks nopony went to bed. Even my bunkmates didn’t go to bed. Instead, we threw a party. Or the closest thing we could throw, which was cranking up the food processor and all the water we could drink. We also had special guests, Zebras, and if I had to guess, a regiment size of them all around the barracks. With the celebrations taking place, I found myself sitting on a table alone with Red. It was strange, the feeling in my chest, that fuzzy feeling coursing through my whole body earlier? Well, now it had transcended into a warm sensation on my chest. I put a hoof to my chest and smiled to myself.

“Hope,” Red nudged my side, “what you are feeling is true hope, my friend.” Red nodded to everypony around.

“I don’t know, after yesterday, this hope of mine is fleeting at best.” I sighed resting my head on my hooves. “I’m sure the Zebras will do something to erase this hope.”

“Please, they cannot kill your hope, its clear to me now.” Red took a sip of his water and leaned on the table.

“Come on, you saw me breakdown yesterday.” I looked down to my cup of water, my reflection stared back at me with a sorry look on its muzzle. Once the high of survival dies down, you remember your circumstances. Looking at everypony here celebrating another day alive was good, it was, but it didn’t change a damn thing.

“Come now Valiant, if your hope was dead, why did you save your fellow ponies today?” He lightly tapped my shoulder with the back of his hoof. “Look around you lad, you did this, you brought smiles to these jaded souls,” Red smirked and sat up spreading his hooves. “You could have run, you could have chosen to lie down and die, but when the time came, you survived. Better yet, you put your comrade's lives before your own!” Red smacked the table and made me jump in place. “Valiant, if your hope were dead, none of us would be here today celebrating. Instead, these ponies would be in their beds. They would lie down and try to convince themselves they had no choice but to run.” Red smacked the table again, “but not today, no today everypony here feels alive! Do not ever underestimate what you have done here today. Because the Zebras will never forget, that when they thought us broken, they saw we were not so beaten as to cower from their guns.” Red sighed and tapped his chest, he stood up on the table and caught everyone's attention.

“Comrades, this is hardly a celebration, join me, I know you all know this one!” Red slapped his knee and began singing.

“Oh, we'd be alright if the wind were in our sails We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails And we'll all hang on behind!” Red’s voice carried a jolly tune, and everypony joined behind him.

“And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! And we'll all hang on behind!” The singing was horribly offkey, but damn if it wasn’t a hell of a song to hear. I guess I was just a pessimistic ass because I’ll be damned if my hoof didn’t start tapping with the tune.

“Oh, we'd be alright if we make it round The Horn We'd be alright if we make it round The Horn We'd be alright if we make it round The Horn And we'll all hang on behind!” Red started another verse, I smirked and joined him on the table.

I took a deep breath and followed the chorus. “And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! And we'll all hang on behind!” Hell, I think I liked this one better than the mining song. Much livelier, and I think it was meant to be sung by a bunch of jolly idiots.

“Well a night on the town wouldn't do us any harm A night on the town wouldn't do us any harm Oh, a night on the town wouldn't do us any harm And we'll all hang on behind!” Red wrapped a hoof around my neck and swayed to his singing.

“And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! And we'll all hang on behind!” I followed suit the chorus kicking even louder than before. From the perch on the table, I could make out our Zebra guest. They stood in groups, rifles within hoof reach. Yet as they watched us with withering glares, Nopony paid them any heed. I think that’s what was pissing them off. We weren’t meekly bowing our heads to their presence.

“Now, another festival wouldn't do us any harm Oh, another festival wouldn't do us any harm Woah, another festival wouldn't do us any harm And we'll all hang on behind!” Red swung onto his hind legs bringing me up with him. He pointed his hoof in a sweeping motion to see the sea of happy faces. Contrasting those smiling faces. I guess he was right, again, it had been so long since anypony here had anything to celebrate. The Zebras had grown lax, content that we were broken, that we were just husks of ponies following orders just to avoid their wrath.

I smirked, “louder lads! I don’t think our guest can hear us!” My statement was met with loud, rambunctious laughter. “And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! And we'll all hang on behind!” I almost flattened my ears against my chest from the volume.

“And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along! We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along! And we'll all hang on behind!” We threw the chorus up one more time and banged our hooves together in celebration. Red and I remained on our perch, watching everypony relax into conversations with one another. For a moment, we were free, I could feel it. For now, we were free and were nothing more than friends together for a party.

“Hey Red,” I looked to the old stallion, my smile replaced with a look of determination. “I want to set everypony here free.”

Red raised a brow, but the smile on his face was slowly turning into a mad grin. “Set free you say?”

“Yes, I want to get the hell out of here. While we still can,” I sat on my haunches and raised my hoof up. I looked at it, chipped from the constant hard labor. With these hooves, I would set everypony free. In this life, or the next.

“What do you mean while we can?” Red’s mad grin was becoming impossibly big.

“This will fade, while everypony is feeling like this. While everypony has hope burning in their heart. If we're going to get out of here, it has to be now.”

“How?” Red’s tail was wagging now, freaking wagging!

I looked at him, I didn’t have a plan per se, but I knew what had to be done until I had that plan. I needed to safeguard this hope. This was going to be the sparks of rebellion, and there was only one way to do that. The path was clear, I had to make everypony here hope. “I need to kindle this hope, I have to make sure this flame becomes an inferno, one that will light our rebellion.”

“AHAHAHAH!” Red cackled madly he banged his hoof against the table madly. “Yes! I have waited and waited so long!” Red grabbed my head between his hooves, he leaned in so closer me, I could feel his breath on my nose. “How Valiant, tell me how will you incite rebellion!”

“I’m going to become the champion of our people,” I grabbed his hooves and looked back at him. I wanted to channel my determination to him. “I’m going to join the fighting pits, I’m going to become a Gladiator, and become the symbol for our people to rally behind.”

Red sighed in utter bliss, he then let go of my face and wrapped his hooves around me. “Then there is a task I must ask of you,” Red whispered near my ear.

“What’s that?” My ear twitched feeling his breath tickling me.

“There is a pony, a Gladiator who shows immense promise. He is remarkable really, and I need you to recruit him to our cause.” Red pulled away and held me at arm’s length.

“Isn’t he part of your seven steps thing?” I raised a brow to him.

Red sighed shaking his head, his eyes downcast. “I failed to imprint on him the importance of comrades, and the truth of our struggle. He is content to be alone and fight alone. I’m sure he plots his own escape as we speak. But he will not do it alone, so we must turn him to our cause before it is too late. He is a very skilled warrior I am told. But he is also so much more.” Red pursed his lips together, “if he could open his closed heart, and let go of his silent suffering, he can truly help us rebel against our masters.”

“…” I looked to Red, the way he spoke about this pony made me think he hoped he had done what I did. Well, I wasn’t going to let this go to waste. I will free our people and get him to help. “Alright, what’s his name?”

“He never let go of his slave number, even in the fighting pits, I am told. Instead, he simply goes by what the crowds have dubbed him.” Red stroked his beard. “In our mother tongue, he is known as the Butcher.” Red pointed a hoof to our Zebra guest, “but to them, he is simply known as Lanius.” Ah, the word butcher in Zebra.

I frowned, but Red picked up on that, perceptive as ever. “Do not confuse him for the bloodthirsty fools of the pit. He is not a monster, but he has killed his way to his current position. He is poised to be the next champion as we speak.”

Wow, he’s never lost a battle? This guy must be some super soldier or former special forces from the Equestrian Fourth. “Okay, I won’t let you down Red.” I put my fist across my chest in a salute.

“I know you won’t disappoint my friend,” Red patted my shoulder before getting deadly serious. “However, if you ware to not become a monster. Remember this and remember it well Valiant. In the arena, you will be fighting your brothers. Some have forfeited it that right, like the one you saw. But most are simply trying to better their lives. You will have to kill these ponies, and if you are to survive this. You must remember to steal your heart. Only by this sacrifice, will you be able to become the champion our people need.”

I nodded my response; my words would fail me. Red was right though if I was to get us out of here. I would need to close my heart to the suffering of my brothers in the arena. I stood up and gave Red a silent farewell. I was tired, it was a long day, and for once, I felt like sleeping. The voices in my head were hushed. I could only hope they remained like that for a while because the arena was going to take all my mental fortitude to survive and conquer.

I returned to my tent, my tent mates were still out partying. I laid down on my mat and stared at the ceiling. “Freedom, in this life or the next,” I muttered to myself and closed my eyes. So it begins I suppose.

Level Up: 10

Perks Added: Strong back: Hard labor has sculpted your body and made you stronger than you once were. Carrying weight is increased by 25+, you can double up on this perk for an additional 25+

Quest Perk: I am Spartacus: when dealing with slaves, or former slaves you have a 10+ to your speech. Likewise, when dealing with slavers, you will have a 10- penalty to your speech. I mean seems like a fair trade off, since when have slavers been the talkative type? Red Eye notwithstanding.

Author's Notes:

Well here’s my favorite chapter so far, I wrote and rewrote this bastard a lot. But I believe I finally got it right. I hope everyone likes it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’ll be sort of busy with school these coming weeks. But know the next chapter is being written as I upload this. Well, that’s about it for now.

I also wanted to let you guys know, I’m starting a Patreon. I’m doing this to ask for help from you guys. This chapter was brought to you in part, by a new program I found out about in a writers community here in FIM. It’s called Grammarly, and it’s so bloody helpful! I recommend it to anyone who wants to improve as a writer to get it. There is a free version and a pay version. I’m aiming to get the paid version because I believe it can help me make these chapters truly amazing! I also want to write my very own book, which means I need to keep writing to get the skill I want. I haven’t set it up fully yet. I need to come up with rewards and stuff. But I hope you guys can help me, so I can afford the subscription and bring you guys into my creative process! Well, I rambled long enough, please enjoy the chapter. Leave a review telling me what you think, what needs improving, etc. I respond to all my reviews!