Prologue

Second Breath
By: Duelist96
Prologue

Damian placed his hand on the hot rock as he scaled the tall cliff side. The sun was high in the air and was warming up the rocks. He scaled the cliff as the hot rocks burned his skin. During his climb, he would curse the evil sun and grunt in pain from the searing heat. The only thing that kept him from blowing up was the fact that he was on a mission. He looked up to see his other two partners standing on the edge waiting for him.

He wanted to do this mission by himself since he had the skill, but the guild master decided that he should take two other members. He would never question the guild master, but sometimes he wondered if the master was still sane. He pushed these thoughts aside so he could go over the known information about his target.

The target was an outstanding noble to the people of Divergence, but that’s what he allowed them to see. The dark truth to the noble, was that he hunted down anyone that was part of the Underground. To say that he was ecstatic would be a complete understatement. He has wished for this moment for many nights and now he has his chance at revenge. He couldn’t help the malicious grin that formed on his face.

He reached the top of the mountain where his two comrades were waiting. He looked towards the sun to see that they still had a few hours until they begin their job. Making sure that this would be one assassination that he would enjoy, he grabbed his pouch on his left. He opened the pouch and pulled out the many tools that he planned on using. He was going to make this noble suffer for all his wrong doing, and he was going to revel in that pain.

Happy with the condition of his supplies and the amount that he had, he placed the pouch back on his side. With nothing to do but wait, he walked over to the mountain’s edge and sat down. He looked down into the deep chasm as he remembered stories that the master told him. He was told about when water once filled the chasm to the brim and everyone used its life giving water. He thought it was all fantasy until he finally took a good look at the chasm.

As he looked at the worn and discolored rocks he believed that it could have been possible that water once filled the chasm. He couldn’t help the smile that was forming as he dreamed of a better future. He was too far into his thoughts that he didn’t hear the other two members walk up behind him. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked at the culprit.

The member gave a slight jerk of his head, signaling that they should get moving so they were in position. Damian silently cursed himself for letting his thoughts get the better of him and allowing one of the members to sneak up on him. Deciding he would make his punishment for himself after the mission he rose to his feet. Once standing, he brushed off some of the dirt and pulled his hood up.

He nodded to the two members who nodded back. He took one step forward and then felt a sharp pain in his gut. He gave a slight cough and could taste iron running across his tongue. He brought a hand up to his mouth and wiped at it. He looked at his palm and saw fresh blood. His mind was sent into a panic as he looked towards the searing pain that he was feeling. When he looked down, his eyes widened at the sight.

He saw one of a few hidden daggers that Underground members used for assassination attempts. He lifted his gazed to see the first member smiling at him. He could feel his rage boil as he took another step towards the traitor. The second member moved quickly and pierced his sternum with another hidden dagger. He grunted in pain as the dagger went through his sternum, but stopping barely away from his heart.

He looked at the two of them and felt disgusted at the huge smiles they had on their faces. He could feel the strength from his body leave him and couldn’t continue to stand. He fell to his knees and stared at the ground as his blood dripped onto its surface. Through the pain and the haze of his fleeting life, he had only one question.

“Why are you doing this?” Damian asked with no emotion.

“It’s just simple business, Damian. You aren’t the first that fell by our hands and you certainly will not be the last,” the first member said, pulling Damian’s head up to look at him.

“The noble promised us wealth and power if we took out the high ranking members of the Shadow Step. Now with Night Angel out of the picture, we can finally take out the last few members,” the second member said.

Damian felt as two separate hands grabbed him by the shoulders and dangled him over the edge of the mountain. He had no strength left to fight back, and resigned to his fate. He let a few tears fall as he pictured the Underground up in flames and the laughing noble. The two members gave one final smirk as they released Damian and let him fall to the bottom.

He could hear the rushing wind and looked towards the sky as he imagined the laughing noble. He knew that he should feel angry about the noble laughing at his failure, but he could only feel the tears fall from his eyes. Judging by how long he had fallen he knew he was about to hit the ground. Taking in a deep breath, he let his body go limp and waited for the impact on the rocky ground.

After falling for several seconds, Damian opened his eyes again. He looked around to see that he was still falling, but his surroundings had changed. The mountain was no longer in front of him and the breeze was a little cooler than before. He looked down to where his gut was and saw that it had stopped bleeding. Putting a hand to where he was stabbed he began feeling around it.

He noted that there was no scar or even a feeling to show that he was stabbed there. He turned to in the air to face the ground and saw the fast approaching trees. He quickly put his arms to his face and protected himself from the many branches. The trees slowed his descent a considerable amount, but not before doing some damage to him.

Damian finally hit the ground with an audible thud and groaned out in pain. He laid on the ground as he tried to let the pain pass. The pain eased away slowly and he lifted himself in a sitting position. He scooted back a bit and rested against a tree as he looked out into the forest. He couldn’t see far as pitch darkness encompassed the entire forest. Lifting his hand to the tree that he was leaning against, he channeled his magic.

His hand turned a black color before making contact with the tree. He only held his hand there for a few seconds before quickly removing it. Damian shook where he sat as the horrendous things that he felt wash away. He was never one to travel outside of Divergence but he had heard the stories about the Forest of Hell.

Even with the past knowledge of the forest it still didn’t explain how he got there. Taking a huge sigh, he slowly lifted himself to his feet. He stood on shaky legs as his body screamed in pain. Damian continued to lean against the tree until he could find the strength to take a step. While he waited for the pain to completely subside, he decided to do a quick inventory check.

He patted around his body to make sure that he had everything that he left with. He felt the pack that he kept on his left side and his two daggers on his right. Finding that everything was still there and that his heart was still beating; he set out to leave the forest. During his walk, Damian made sure to keep his eyes open for any kind of danger.

He was glad that the forest was encased in shadows, giving him the upper hand if he was attacked. As he walked through the forest he came across a decrepit looking castle. He gave it a few looks before continuing his walk. He wanted to take a look inside to see if there was anything of value, but with all the vines that were covering it he decided to keep on walking. He had been walking for two hours until he saw a light at the end of the forest.

Damian gave a small smile as he quickened his pace to get out of the accursed forest. He stepped through the light and smiled at the sight before him. He stared at the rows of apple trees that were in front of him and couldn’t help but chuckle. Sure he wanted to get back to the Underground as soon as possible, but he needed a little break.

Damian walked towards the nearest tree and climbed to the top. He grabbed two apples and slowly ate them as he looked out towards the field. He was certain that he was near one of the farming settlements that were outside the wall. There were only a few farms that survived outside the wall, and that was because only a few people knew how to survive.

The only time a farm was in danger was during the night when the demons came out hunting. Damian saw first-hand how blood-thirsty the demons were and shivered at the thought. Those demons lived only in the Forest of Hell, which was why he needed to leave the forest as fast as he could.

Damian finished off his second apple before settling in for a quick rest. He gave one last look over the apple trees as they shined in the morning light before he fell to sleep’s embrace.

Applejack

Applejack had a huge smile on her face as she exited her house and headed for the orchard near the Everfree forest. She was worried at first about planting trees there because of all the creatures that lurked in those woods. She was happy to know that there was a place that she could plant the trees without any fear of the creatures attacking her.

She adjusted her signature Stetson to cover her eyes from the rising sun. She trotted happily as she whistled a little tune to herself as she reached the orchard. Reaching her first tree of the day and didn’t hesitate to get started on her work. Applejack bucked and collected the fallen apples for four hours straight. She wiped the sweat from her brow as she stared at the final tree that needed bucking.

As she trotted over to the tree, she could hear the faint sounds of snoring. Applejack huffed as she concluded that Rainbow Dash was sleeping in one of her trees again. Her friend had been doing that for the past couple of weeks and it was starting to annoy her. Instead of yelling at her friend to find another place to sleep that wasn’t her tree, she decided to buck her out of it.

She reached the tree and turned around. She prepared her body for the hardest buck that she has ever given to make sure that her message was clear. She shot out her rear hooves and hit the tree. The bark of where she hit splintered and caused the tree to shake. She heard her friend fall from the tree and land on the ground.

Grinning to herself a little, she trotted around to the other side to give her friend an ear full. She rounded the trunk of the tree, but stopped in mid-step as she stared at what was on the ground. Instead of her friend Rainbow Dash lying on the ground, it was some weird creature that she hasn’t seen before. She looked the creature up and down with caution to see if it posed any threat.

“Ouch,” the creature spoke.

Applejack took a few steps back when the creature spoke. She didn’t take her eyes off of the creature as it slowly stood up. When the creature was fully erect she was able to get a better look at it. If she were to stand on her hind hooves, then she would just reach under its chin. She couldn’t see what it looked like since it had a hood pulled over its face.

She noticed that he was wearing a black cloak that had white and red stripes running through them. There was a symbol on its right shoulder that were two daggers crossed together with a shadow hanging over them. She squinted her eyes to see if she could get her eyes to look through the darkness of its hood.

She was able to see that it had ocean blue eyes that stared right back at her emerald green ones. She jumped slightly as she saw the creature move its hand to its pocket. She steeled herself for an incoming fight. When the creature pulled its hand back out, it was holding an apple. The creature extended its hand forward, offering the apple to her.

Unsure of what to think of the action, she slowly walked towards the creature. As she neared the creature it placed the apple on the ground and stepped back a couple of steps. She looked down at the apple, then back up at the creature, before picking the apple up with her mouth. Instead of eating the apple she carried it over to one of the nearby baskets and placed it with the others.

With the apple safely placed with the others, she turned around and stared at the creature. The creature didn’t move from its spot and continued to stare at her. She felt a small shiver run down her spine as the creature continued to stare at her. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she walked away from the creature, hoping to walk out of her orchard and get her friend Twilight for help.

She started trotting off; looking like nothing was out of the ordinary. She noticed that the creature was watching her leave, but made no movements to stop her. She had her back turned towards the creature and picked up the pace a little. She didn’t get far, as she heard something hit the ground behind her. She looked behind her to see if the creature did anything.

When she turned around she was surprised by what she saw. Her friend Rainbow Dash was atop the creature and it was unconscious. Rainbow looked angry, but when her gaze met Applejack’s, she smiled. Rainbow got off the creature and walked towards her friend to see if she was okay.

“Hey there, Applejack. Are you okay?” Rainbow asked as she looked her friend over.

“I’m fine, Rainbow. Thanks for the concern. Any reason why you just tackled that thing to the ground?” Applejack asked. It wasn’t like she wasn’t thankful for her friend helping her, but it seemed that the creature didn’t want to attack her.

“Well, I saw this creature looking at you as you walked away and I just wanted to make sure that it didn’t hurt you. Now go and get Twilight while I keep an eye on this thing,” Rainbow said as she sat next to the creature, waiting for it to stir again.

Applejack gave a look between her friend and the creature before trotting off. She felt a pang of worry with leaving her friend with the creature but somepony needed to watch after it. Not wanting to take any chances, Applejack picked up her pace and headed for the direction of the library.

Damian

Damian was happily sleeping in the tree until he felt his face make contact with the ground. It took a few seconds for the haze of sleep to pass before he could register the pain. After letting his discomfort be known to no one in particular, he slowly got to his feet. Once he was standing and shook away the unease, he let his eyes wander.

His eyes settled on an orange pony that was staring at him. As the pony stared at him, he took the chance to get a look at the pony. The pony had an orange coat with a blonde mane and tail. The pony’s mane and tail were tied off into a pony tail near the ends. He noticed the three apples that were on both sides of the pony’s flanks. He reached the eyes of the pony and could see that her radiant emerald eyes were staring into his own.

With little knowledge of the creature, Damian moved his hand towards his pack. He noticed that the pony jerked a little from his action and he slowed down. He reached into his pack and pulled out an apple that he packed away. Guessing that the three red apples on her flanks meant that she liked apples, he placed it on the ground.

With the apple on the ground, he took a few steps back to allow the pony comfort to get the apple. He watched as the pony looked at him and the apple before slowly picking it up. He thought the pony was going to eat it, but was surprised to see the pony take it towards a bucket that was filled with apples.

Damian was surprised to see a pony not eat the offered food and have it put away for later use. He watched as the pony turned around to stare at him with confusion. He continued to stand in place as he let the pony observe him. After what felt like an eternity standing in the one place, the pony finally decided to move.

He watched as the pony walked around him to leave the orchard. He held his ground so he wouldn’t scare the pony away and allow her to leave. They cast each other one final glance before the pony’s back was towards him. He was about to set out for his next destination before something collided with him. He felt the darkness envelop him as he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Library Basement

Damian’s eyes slowly opened as he felt a throbbing pain in his head. There was a bright light and he tried to lift his hands to cover his face. He felt his hands stuck to something, and when he looked down, he saw they were tied to a chair. Taking a calming sigh, Damian took the chance to fully open his eyes. When his sight returned, he looked around at his surroundings.

He was in a barren wooden room with nothing in it except himself tied to the chair. The light was overhead and there were no shadows near him. He looked to his sides and saw that his knives and pack were missing. He struggled in his bonds, trying to get near the shadows or a hand free.

His struggles alerted someone to his presence, and they were headed his way. He could hear at least eight different steps being taken. The only thing that threw him off was the clopping sound that they made. He put it up with the wooden floor possibly making that sound for whoever was walking on it.

The door flew open and gave presence to eight ponies. He was able to pick out the one that he ran into at the orchard. Knocking that one out of the equation, he looked over the others. There was a pink one that had a poofy mane and tail with bright blue eyes. On her flanks were three party balloons. This one made him a little nervous because she had a big smile.

There was a white one that had a horn on its head. The white one also had a purple mane and tail and blue eyes. On her flanks were three diamonds. There was a lavender one that also had a horn. She had a purple mane and tail with a dark purple and pink streak, her eyes were purple. On her flanks was a six pointed star surrounded by six stars.

There was a cyan one that had wings on her back. She had a rainbow mane and tail with wine colored eyes. On her flanks was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt. He could see that she was sizing him up. There was a cream colored one that also had wings. Her mane and tail were pink and he guessed that her eyes were teal. It was hard to tell since she trembled behind her curtain of mane. On her flanks were three butterflies.

The next two were taller compared to the other ponies. The first one was an alabaster white with light purple eyes. She had both wings and a horn. Her mane and tail were ethereal and were colored blue, light green, and pink. On her flanks was the sun. She held a stoic expression as she stared at him. The one next to her was a little smaller. She was a midnight blue with azure eyes. She also had both wings and a horn. Her mane and tail were ethereal and was blue with stars in them. On her flanks was a crescent moon and it was also splotched with black. She was staring angrily at him.

Damian returned the stare right back at her. This seemed to help as she became more infuriated with him. He was hoping to get her angry enough to kick him into the shadows. From there he could easily escape his confines and escape whatever prison he was in. He continued to stare back at the blue pony hybrid and she started walking forward. He grinned a little as his plan worked.

His hopes were crushed when the alabaster white pony hybrid stopped the blue one. The next thing that happened completely threw Damian through a loop.

“Sister, control yourself before you fall into his trap,” the alabaster pony said.

“What are you talking about, dear sister? This creature has no power what so ever, and he is currently tied down,” the blue one shot back.

“If you were listening to his mind then you would have known that he wanted to be knocked back in the shadows,” the alabaster one stated firmly.

“What the fuck are you?” Damian couldn’t keep quiet from the current events.

All the ponies snapped their attention to him with their mouths agape. A silence slowly filled the room as no one dared to talk. Getting tired of the silence, Damian finally spoke again.

“So is anyone going to say something or are we just going to look like idiots?” Damian asked irritated.

“You can talk?” The lavender pony asked as she got a little closer to investigate him.

“Yes, I can and so can all of you. Mind telling me your names, since I apparently have nowhere better to be?” Damian emphasized his point by slightly moving his hands.

“You are certainly a rude creature, aren’t you.” The white pony stated.

“Well let’s see why: I’m in some God forsaken place that I don’t know, and I’m apparently getting interrogated by a bunch of ponies,” Damian said sternly.

“Does somepony need a cupcake?” The pink pony asked as she pulled a cupcake from her mane.

“No, I don’t need a cupcake. What I need is some fucking answers here,” Damian said, his voice growing more firm.

“That is no way to talk to somepony that was just trying to be nice. The least you could have done was be polite and let her down gently,” the orange pony said with some anger.

“Well, excuse me for my poor behavior. Maybe I should thank you all for tying me to this chair and having me locked in some dark room,” Damian said sarcastically. An argument was about to be under way when the alabaster pony slammed her hoof down and yelled at them.

“Enough, all of you!” The alabaster pony stated firmly.

“Let’s get these pleasantries out of the way so we can deal with it accordingly,” the blue pony said.

“Hello there, my name is Twilight Sparkle. These are my friends Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. These two next to me are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Twilight introduced all her friends and pointed to them as she spoke their names.

Damian could feel his eye twitch at the mention of the princesses. Every fiber in his being was begging him to break free of the bonds and kill them. He took slow even breaths, trying to keep himself collected. After a few seconds and with a clear mind he spoke.

“My name is Damian. Before we get any further into this interrogation I want to know what you are. I can tell they are regular ponies, but what does that make the rest of you?” Damian asked as he kept his face expressionless.

“Well, Rarity and I are unicorns, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are pegasi. The princesses on the other hoof are alicorns,” Twilight stated happily.

“What does being an ‘alicorn’ entail?” Damian heard stories of unicorns and pegasi, but the thought of alicorns was baffling.

“Well being an alicorn means that you possess the traits of all ponies,” Twilight continued to answer.

“So does that mean you and your friend along with those princesses are able to use magic?” Damian asked, trying to figure out the capabilities of his captors.

“Yes, we can. Can you perform magic?” Twilight asked, bringing over a quill and parchment using her magic.

“Why don’t you untie me and we can find out,” Damian said as he smirked a little.

Damian then felt a hoof collide with his left cheek. It wasn’t hard enough to draw blood or break any teeth, but it still hurt. He looked over and saw that it was Luna that had struck him. He gave off a low growl as he pulled against his bonds, hoping they would break and he could strangle the arrogant princess.

“You better learn to control yourself, or the next one won’t be so gentle,” Luna threatened with venom in her words.

“You know, I was going to kill you when I broke free from my bonds, but now that you hit me you gave me a whole other reason.”

“Oh, and why were you going to kill me in the first place?” Luna asked with a cocky grin.

“Just because I want my knives back, and I don’t much like nobles,” Damian answered.

“Are these the knives that you are referring to?” Celestia asked, levitating two knives over in a golden aura.

“They are, and I would like them back before you break them.”

“Why should I?” Celestia asked as she looked him up and down.

“Because those knives hold more sentimental value than my own life.”

“Did somepony important give you these knives?” Celestia continued to question.

“Yes, and those are the only things I can remember him by,” everypony watched as Damian physically sagged in his chair.

“Before making a decision about your fate, I would like to know what you are.”

“I’m just a human with many dreams and aspirations,” Damian answered as he looked back into her light purple eyes.

Celestia only nodded as she gathered the rest of the ponies and left Damian alone. As Celestia walked up the stairs, she stopped and placed the knives on a table that was far away from Damian. He showed no signs going towards them, but instead opted on looking at them. She left the human to think his own thoughts as she felt a pang of sadness for him.

Library Main Floor

“So what should we do with him?” Twilight asked, looking towards her mentor.

“I believe we should throw him into the Everfree and feed him to the timber wolves,” Rainbow suggested. This got her a glare from almost every other pony.

“I personally think that he should be executed before he can harm any of the residents,” Luna stated.

Celestia rolled her eyes and shook her head from her sister’s answer. She had told her time and time again that things have changed. Execution was banned after Celestia found a different way of judging ponies and handing out punishments accordingly. Celestia made a mental note to try and explain this to her sister again when they got back to the castle.

“I don’t think we would have to worry much about that. The only ones that would feel his ire would be the ones in Canterlot. I can’t really blame him, since some of those ponies aren’t the best of the bunch. What do you think, Applejack, since you were the first to meet him?” Celestia asked as her gaze fell on the earth pony.

“Honestly princess, I don’t rightfully know. I feel that he has something good inside of him, but his outburst towards us says otherwise. The only thing I can’t understand was when he gave me an apple and allowed me to leave. He could have attacked me if he wished, but he didn’t,” Applejack said as her gaze drifted from the door and back to the princess.

“Do you believe that he should be given a chance and see what he is capable of?” Celestia asked.

All the ponies looked at each other as they took today’s events into account. He hasn’t shown much of what he could do, but he has been somewhat cooperative. Looking at each other one final time, they had an answer. They looked towards the princess and nodded their heads. The princess gave a small smile as they headed for the basement.

Basement

Damian was lost in his own world as he stared at the knives. His mind was filled with so many memories that he didn’t hear the door open and close again. His attention was pulled when he heard one of the ponies clearing their throats. He turned his attention towards them, but remained expressionless.

“Damian, with much consideration among my sister, me, and Twilight and her friends, we have decided what to do with you,” Celestia started.

“You’re going to cut my head off and place it on a pike for all your enemies to see,” Damian stated and this caused Twilight and her friends to shiver.

“As much as I would love to do that, Damian, we have come up with something else,” Luna said, a little disappointed.

“You will be free from your confines but on a few conditions. You will have your magic cut off, my sister and I will be watching over you from afar, and you are to stay within distance of a designated pony and do what is asked of you. Escape will not be possible, as my sister and I can read your thoughts and we know the land better than you,” Celestia stated with a firm expression.

“Very well. So who am I going to be staying with?” Damian asked.

“You will be staying with Applejack and her family on the farm. You will help her with chores if she asks, but you can still decline. You are free to do as you see fit, but remember the conditions that you have to follow.” Celestia said. Damian only nodded his head slightly in approval.

Celestia’s horn lit in a golden aura as the ropes and chair disappeared. The entire room was bathed in light, leaving no shadows behind. Celestia walked over to Damian and placed her horn on his head. He felt the magic from Celestia travel from her horn and into his body as it locked away his magic. When she was finished he walked towards the table that had his knives.

The knives disappeared from sight and he looked over at the princess. They were levitating near her and Damian made his anger known.

“Why can’t I have my knives back?” He asked with slight irritation.

“You may be free, but I will not allow you to have these on you at any time. Don’t worry though, as I will keep them somewhere safe,” Celestia said as she puffed them out of existence.

“They better stay safe, or we will have a huge problem,” Damian threatened. Celestia was unfazed by his threat.

“Well you best be on your way since it’s getting late. Don’t forget that we are always watching you, Damian, and you cannot escape our grasp,” Celestia said before walking off with her sister.

When the princesses were gone Damian looked at Applejack and gestured for her to lead the way. Applejack let out a nervous chuckle as she trotted up the stairs and out of the library. He stayed a couple of feet behind her, but kept pace with where she was going. Applejack could feel the sweat start to form as she thought of ways to explain this situation to her family.

Family Meetings and Terrible Lessons

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Second Breath
By: Duelist96
Chapter 1: Family Meetings and Terrible Lessons

Damian made sure to keep his distance from Applejack as he looked around town. He noticed all the other ponies were leaving their homes to do their morning work. As he walked by the ponies stopped in their tracks to stare at him. He could feel their stares on him as he continued to follow, and he was ready to turn around and yell at them. He felt completely humiliated and useless without his magic.

He continued to follow the earth mare, trying his hardest to ignore all the stares. It took quite a bit of walking, but the two finally reached a cobblestone path. He was surrounded by the vast amount of apple trees that were along the path. During the walk, he took the time to look at each individual tree and enjoy its beauty. They continued along the path for a couple of minutes and he could see a barn out in the distance.

Next to the barn was an old style farmhouse that looked like the ones from Requiem. It was a type building that had class to any farmer and provided all the necessities one would need, without any distractions. They were nearing the farmhouse and he could see the mare glance between him and the house. Damian took the time to look closely at the front door and could see a red earth stallion leave the building. The stallion was tall for a pony, guessing that he reached about his height.

The stallion turned around and waved at the mare, but stopped midway when he saw the creature walking behind the mare. He could see the stallion’s eyes narrow, giving him an evil glare. Damian shrugged off the stare, used to seeing it from the nobles before he killed them. The stallion walked up to them and met them halfway. The two stopped as the mare was sweating profusely from the slightly intimidating figure.

The stallion continued to look Damian over, trying to see what he would do. After a few seconds of being looked over, he looked down at the mare and spoke to her.

“Who is this, AJ?” The stallion asked as he pointed a hoof at Damian.

“Well, Big Mac, his name is Damian and he will be staying with us for the next while,” AJ said as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“What is he?” Big Mac asked, never breaking eye contact from Damian.

“From what he has told us, he’s a human, and not very friendly towards others,” Applejack answered as she wiped the sweat forming on her brow.

“Are you going to be a problem for me and my sister?” Big Mac asked as he stared at the human.

“It depends on how you treat me. If you want to avoid anything, I think that I may have a suggestion. Does that barn of yours have a top level that I can stay in?” Damian asked as he kept his demeanor calm.

“It does. We usually use it for family that stops by for only a day,” Big Mac answered.

“Then I will take residence there and we won’t have to deal with each other after that,” Damian said as he turned around and headed for the barn.

He reached the barn and when he was about to open the doors, they were slammed into his face. He grabbed his face in pain as he felt blood trickle out of his nose.

“What was that?” A small girl’s voice called out.

Damian waited a few seconds and was met with his assailant. It was a tiny little filly that had a beige coat with a red mane and tail. Her eyes were a brilliant orange and she wore a red bow on top of her head.

“I’m so sorry, sir. Are you okay?” The little filly asked with worry.

“Does it look like I’m alright?! My fucking nose is bleeding because you can’t open a fucking door correctly!” Damian screamed at the filly.

The filly gathered tears in her eyes and she didn’t hold back her wails. Her crying was loud enough to catch the attention of Big Mac and Applejack. The two ponies ran towards the sound of crying and were quickly at the young filly’s side.

“Are you okay there, Apple Bloom? Did you fall down and hurt yourself?” Applejack asked as she looked over her younger sister.

“I was walking out of the barn and I accidentally hit that guy over there in the face. I asked if he was alright and he just yelled at me,” Apple Bloom said as she continued to cry.

Applejack passed her sister off to Big Mac, who took her inside the house. She quickly turned around and faced the human as she got right in his face. Every fiber in her being told her to yell at him, but she was raised better than that.

“What are you thinking, yelling at a little filly like that?” Applejack asked, her face only few inches from his.

“It’s not my fault that she doesn’t know how to open a door correctly. I’m lucky that I got away with a broken nose. Next time I might end up with a broken bone,” Damian said as he glared at the mare.

“Good, then maybe you might learn some manners,” Applejack shot back.

“I have manners. It’s not my fault that you ponies can’t have a well-mannered family,” Damian retorted.

Applejack had enough of Damian’s sass and she was going to lay down the ground rules for him. She made her point clear when she jabbed a hoof into his chest to get her point across.

“You listen, and you listen well. You will never yell at my family, you will not insult my friends, and you will apologize to my sister later. Now head on up to your room and I will bring you your meal. Don’t forget that the princesses are also watching and you probably lost a few points with them,” Applejack gave one final jab with her hoof before stepping away and heading for the house.

Damian got up from the ground and dusted himself off. He watched as the mare walked into the home and disappeared out of sight. Growling slightly to himself, he walked into the barn and slammed the door shut. Now that he finally had some privacy, he took off his cloak. He ran his hands through his short black-red hair as he climbed the stairs. When he reached the top, he saw that there was a bed made of straw and plopped himself down.

He could see the sun beginning to set out the window, and sighed. He heard the barn door open and could hear the clopping of hooves on the steps. He looked over at the stairs and saw Applejack with a plate on her back coming up. She walked towards the human, but stopped several inches away. She placed the food on the floor and left him alone without saying a word. He scooted over to the plate and picked it up.

He walked towards the window and looked out at the expansive orchard. He was surprised to see how large the apple farm was. Back in Divergence, farmers could only have a set amount of land. If they wanted more, they would have to buy out the other farm or kill the owner and his family if the owner had one. He looked down at his plate and saw that it was filled with different kinds of apple treats.

Kind of expecting an apple dinner since he was on an apple farm, he happily ate the food. He easily ate through the apple slices, apple fritters, and apple sauce that he was given. With his stomach now full of food, he gave one final look out to the orchard. As he stared, he found a favorable tree that he could go train at. Feeling his eyes become heavy, he walked towards his straw bed and laid down.

He looked out the window to see the sun disappear and give way to the moon. He smiled as he felt the comforting light of the moon shine down upon him. Allowing the moon to be his guide, he let sleep take his tired form as he nodded off. He awoke inside a plain white room with nothing inside. Shrugging his shoulders he sat down on what he guessed was the floor and crossed his legs. He balled his hands into fists and placed them together in front of his chest.

He inhaled deeply through his nose and held it for five seconds. He slowly exhaled his held breath and repeated the process. He was deep into his meditation that he didn’t hear the soft fluttering of wings behind him. He was pulled from his zen like state when he felt something touch his shoulder. Letting his training control his body, he grabbed whatever was on his shoulder and pulled it forward.

As he pulled, he spun on the ground and used his free hand to push himself into the air. He fell to the ground and landed on the culprit that had placed their hand on him. He was certain that it was a hand that touched him, until he saw a blue boot clad hoof. He looked a little to his right and saw that it was one of the princesses that he met earlier in the morning. She gave him a stern glare as he held her in place.

“Do you mind getting off of me?” Luna asked irritated.

“I don’t think I want to. You look better on the ground so you can’t sneak up on me,” Damian replied coldly.

Luna’s horn flared to life as she teleported out of the human’s grasp. Damian growled in annoyance as he sat on the floor. Luna appeared a few feet in front of him, her expression one of annoyance as well. The two continued to stare at each other until Luna finally decided to speak.

“You look very different without that cloak on,” Luna commented.

“I was expecting to have peace and quiet, so I took it off. Now you and Applejack have both seen what I look like,” Damian said as he leaned back slightly.

“You look very young compared to the way that you act. How old are you exactly?” Luna asked, hoping to get a little more information on the human.

“I’m nineteen years old,” Damian said as he yawned.

“What did you do back in your old world?” Luna asked as she sat on her haunches.

“None of your business,” Damian answered as he rolled onto his side.

“Are you always this rude to those that talk to you?” Luna asked, not hiding her anger.

“Only to the ones that deserve it,” Damian replied calmly.

“So says that man that yelled at a little filly,” Luna shot back.

“Is there anything else that you want, or can I finally get some quiet?” Damian asked irritated.

“Yes, I came to see what your dreams were like and help you if you needed it. As much as it pains me to help such a rude creature, I can’t let those that sleep under my moon suffer nightmares,” Luna said, taking calming breaths.

“Well you’re wasting your time if you think I will allow you into my dreams. So why don’t you just run along and bother someone else,” Damian said.

Luna let out an annoyed huff as she spread her wings and lifted herself off the ground. Her back was turned to the human, but before she left, she turned around to give him some advice.

“You will only lead yourself to ruin if you continue to act like that,” Luna said as she took to the sky.

Damian watched as she left his dream world and go to one of the other ponies. Sighing heavily, he laid back down on the ground as he envisioned a grassy field and cloudy sky. He took refuge under the only tree in the field and stared at the many clouds. A small smile spread across his face as he tried to name the different clouds and find any that looked like familiar objects. He lifted his hand as he swirled it around, just trying to entertain himself.

As his hands twirled around, the clouds formed into the one man that changed everything for him. He was a withered old man that held a gentle smile. Anyone that ever met him would always feel calm as he treated you like a regular person. Damian felt a few tears fall along the side of his face as he remembered their first encounter. He couldn’t help but chuckle at how fresh it was still in his memory.

He was only five when he was walking around the streets of the Peace Keepers. It was a poor district of Divergence, and he hated every section of it. His district was meant to keep the peace of the city, but they were treated like trash. The nobles and brawlers would always come down to his section for a little sport. The screams of his people still ring inside his head as they were killed slowly.

There was one thing though that haunted him more than anything. The one, true reason for why he joined the underground. After his birth, the nobles sent the brawlers down to his home to collect him and his family. Everyone knew what it meant to ‘collect’ someone and they just allowed it to happen. Brawlers would come down to the city and take the family out of their home. The family would be presented in front of everyone on their knees.

The nobles didn’t like other people having magic, unless it was in their own bloodline. Once the family was collected and presented to the people, they were read their crimes. No one spoke out against them, unless they wished to join them. Once their crimes were read, they were immediately executed and left to rot. He was lucky to get away when a friend of the family took him away before they arrived.

When he was four, she finally told him what happened. He was completely devastated by the news and quickly ran out of her home. He hated her for not saving his family and wished for her death. He soon regretted that wish when a couple days later, she was found killed. The brawlers found out about her housing a magical child and went to deal with the problem. When he found her mangled body, he could do nothing more than blame himself.

With his anger now directed at those that have really caused his pain and suffering, he set out to make a difference. Winter soon rolled around and he was trying his best to survive. It was very tough, but he was able to last day after day as he rationed his food and water. Near the end of winter, he was found by an old man in a robe. He was shivering from the cold as he stared up at the hooded figure. He remembered the exact words he was told as the man offered his hand.

“If you wish to make a difference and avenge your family, then come with me,” the man simply stated.

With nothing really left to lose, he took his hand and accepted his offer. From that day, everything changed as he learned under his master. The training was harsh and his mentor was tough on him, but he knew that he cared. A few tears escaped his eyes as he looked at the smiling cloud face of his mentor. He extended his hand and covered the face as he whispered to himself.

“I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop this from happening,” Damian said to no one in particular as tears slowly fell from his face. Luna noticed everything that happened from her view, and wondered if there was a chance to help the human.

The dreamscape soon gave way, signaling that his body was about to get up. He took a small inhale as he waited for his eyes to crack open. His eyes slowly cracked open as the harsh sunlight hit his face. He would have groaned in discomfort, if he wasn’t already use to waking up early. He got up from his hay bed and looked outside. He scanned the many trees that were around the farm and inhaled deeply.

The air was crisp and clean and had a slight hint of apple to it. He let the calming sense of apple fill his nostrils as he looked over the many trees. He found a decent tree out in the distant and decided to go for a walk. He exited the barn with only his pants on as he let his body soak in the warming rays of light. He grabbed a few apples from the nearby trees as he headed down the path for his destined tree.

The walk to the tree was a good few minutes, but it was a nice warm up before he got started. He reached the tree and looked it over more closely. The tree was slightly taller than the others, showing that it had been here longer. The trunk was a little aged, but looked like it could still take a beating in the harshest weather. Finishing off his third apple, he threw the core to the side and brought his arms up.

Every morning he would wake up to beat on a practice dummy or spar with his mentor or fellow members. His mentor pushed him to make friends with them so he could help them grow stronger, but he saw it as just a hindrance for his plan. Putting the past behind him for now, he went to beating on the tree. It started out as a simple training session, but memories of what happened and what could be happening filled his mind.

His anger slowly boiled over and he pounded against the tree as hard as he could. His face burned red from anger as his knuckles started to bleed. Pain was shooting through his arms, but he ignored it as he let his anger out. Sweat was slowly rolling down his body as his fist became caked in his blood. He kept going at it until his attention was pulled by a hoof pressing against his leg.

He quickly turned around to be met by Applejack, who was looking at him curiously. Her eyes were soon drawn to his knuckles that were dripping blood all over the ground. She looked at the tree and saw where he had been hitting it, thanks to the blood. She wanted to say something, but she just pointed to a nearby rain barrel. He didn’t say anything as he walked over and wiped down his body.

Applejack

The sun slowly rose over the horizon and caused the apple farmer to stir. She blinked her crusty eyes, trying to get her body to respond. It took a few seconds, but she was finally on her hooves and stretching. She wasn’t able to sleep much, thanks to her mind thinking about Damian. After seeing what he looked like without his cloak, her mind grew worried about the young man. She wasn’t entirely happy about taking care of him, but he looked too young for the pain he was in.

She slowly shook her head as she grabbed her signature hat and headed for the kitchen. She joined her family at the table and ate her breakfast in silence. Apple Bloom’s eyes were still puffy and red from all her crying and she didn’t have much of an appetite. Big Mac tried to console her, but the human screaming at her really caused her distress. Applejack thought about contacting the princesses so they could get rid of Damian.

The thought of the human leaving her farm was a comfortable idea, but it was only the first day. She sighed a little as she decided to let him stay a couple more days and if his attitude didn’t change, then he was going to be leaving by force. She finished off her breakfast and left her farmhouse. Once outside, she filled her lungs with the fresh air and relished in the smell of her apples.

She walked towards the barn and opened the doors. She grabbed a few buckets and her rope before going to the stairs. She climbed the wooden stairs with caution, hoping that the human was already awake. She neared the top and slowed her pace as she mentally prepared herself for a shouting contest. She reached the top and slowly opened her tightly clenched eyes. Her head was quickly looking around for any sign of the human.

There was no trace of him, except for the cloak that was hanging on the chair. She walked towards the window and looked out, hoping to find him somewhere. Her eyes wandered over every patch of the orchard, but no sign of the human. She was ready to bolt out of the barn and get Twilight if he actually ran away. Her train of thought was stopped when she could hear a slight thumping sound.

Her ears swiveled as she looked for the source of the sound. For a few seconds, her ears flicked everywhere before settling in one direction. With the noise found, she turned her head in the direction she heard it. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted the human near one of her apple trees. With the knowledge of his location, she walked down the steps and left the barn. She trotted at a brisk pace so she could catch him in case he decided to walk off.

The thumping sound increased in sound, and she picked up the pace a little more. She was able to see the human and she was about to call out to him, but stopped herself. She never really got to get a look at him before, but without his cloak on, she could only cringe at the sight. On his back were two black wings etched into his skin. His left arm had a dual dragon spiral that went up to his shoulder. His right arm had three sets of flames around his wrist, elbow, and shoulder.

The markings on his body though, weren’t what really made her cringe. What really made her cringe was the scars that were on his back. The most prominent being a giant ‘X’ covering his entire back. Whatever may have caused those scars seemed to really get to him as he hit the tree harder. She noticed the blood dripping from his hands and she had to put a stop to it. She gently walked up behind him and touched his leg with her hoof. She was startled when he turned around to face her.

She cringed internally as she was greeted with a new set of scars. There was a slash across his abdomen and a star near his left shoulder. She could see the fire in his eyes and she actually felt sorry for him. She wanted to say something, anything that might offer him some comfort, but she couldn’t find the words. Her eyes wandered until she was met with his bloody knuckles and decided to show him something.

She extended her hoof and pointed at a nearby rain barrel that they used for really hot summers. He seemed to understand what she wanted and headed over in that direction. She let her breaths slowly leave her body and filled her lungs with more air as she tried to compose herself. Every fiber in her being wanted to ask about those scars, but she decided against it, knowing full well that he would just blow up in front of her.

She looked over and saw that he was finished washing himself. He was now walking off in the direction of the barn and she galloped after him. She was soon at his side and he looked down at her, if only briefly. There was an air of silence as the two of them walked together. She could see that from the way that he walked, he wanted to get away from her. She wondered why he wouldn’t take off, but chalked it up to the fact that the princesses were watching him.

They soon reached the barn and they both entered. He was headed towards the stairs, but was stopped when she gave a loud cough. He turned around and she tossed him one of the buckets. He easily caught it and the hat that were thrown to him. He looked at the items in his hands, before looking back at her and speaking.

“What are these for?” Damian asked with no emotion.

“Those are what you need if you are going to help collect apples,” Applejack replied as she placed her buckets on her back.

“At what point did I agree to help you on your farm?” Damian asked a little annoyed.

“Well, as the princesses said, I’m to watch over you, and if you’re going to be staying here, then you will help around the farm,” she answered as she pushed the doors open.

“I’m also sure that I still had the option of refusing to help if I wanted,” Damian replied as he went to put the items away.

“You could, but do you really want to do that when you’re being watched over by the princesses?” Applejack said as she turned around.

This seemed to get a reaction out of him as he stopped in his tracks. His grip on the hat tightened as he remembered his predicament at the moment. He gave a slight growl as he set the items down and walked up the stairs. The apple farmer was ready to go after him, but he quickly came down by jumping the rail and was now wearing a shirt. She didn’t see the shirt up there, but assumed that it was probably inside the cloak. He grabbed his placed items and walked towards the barn doors as he spoke to her.

“Is there an orchard that I can work at that is private from the rest?” Damian asked as she led him through the rows of apple trees.

“The field out to the west is in a pretty secluded area and should offer what you want. Just make sure to come back at sundown and not overwork yourself,” Applejack said as she pointed to the direction of the field.

He gave a slight nod of his head as he walked where her hoof was pointed. She kept her eyes on him until he was out of eyesight and continued down her path. She sighed heavily as she walked down her path and stopped in front of her first tree. She placed her buckets around the trunk of the tree and turned her back to the tree. She lifted herself on her forehooves and pulled back her hind legs.

Her legs shot out from her backside and struck the tree. The tree shook slightly and the apples fell into the buckets. She would’ve been working at a faster pace, thanks to the late start, but they were able to get a lot done in the past couple of days. Thanks to that, she was able to have a few late starts if she wanted them. To her though, she didn’t really like the idea of starting late. She had a set schedule of when she wanted to do her chores, and she stuck to it.

She easily went down the trees and bucked them, making sure that she got the ripe apples instead of the bad ones. She was stopped from her work when a pink blur ran right in front of her. It took her a few seconds, but she was able to make out her friend Pinkie, who had the happiest smile on her face.

“Hey there, Pinkie. What can I do for you?” Applejack asked as she got back to work.

“Well, I was wondering if you would like to help me and the others prepare Damian a party,” she said as she smiled even more.

“I’m not entirely sure about that, Pinkie,” Applejack replied and she noticed her friend get depressed as her mane flattened.

“Why not?” Pinkie asked on the verge of tears.

“Well, it has only been a day, but he doesn’t seem that friendly. I mean he just yelled at my little sis and has no intention of apologizing. Plus, I also think that he would just like to be left alone as much as he can,” Applejack replied.

“Then that just means that I need to make this party extra special for him. I’m going to need more confetti and more cupcakes.”
Pinkie said as she pulled a notepad and pencil from her mane and scribbled down what she needed.

“Are the others somewhere nearby?” Applejack asked.

“Of course. Do you want me to get them?” Pinkie asked as she hopped in place.

“I would, thank you. I have something that I want to say before you even get started on this party,” Applejack explained.

Pinkie gave a mock salute as she ran off as fast as she could. Applejack was ready to buck the tree she was standing in front of when her friends came back as fast as she left. She saw that her pink friend easily retrieved their friends, and were eagerly awaiting what she had to say. Taking in a slow breath, she calmed her nerves to speak what she had been thinking.

“Since you’re all here now, I have something I want to say. I like the idea of throwing him the party, but truthfully, I don’t think he will be staying for long,” Applejack began.

“What do you mean? I know that you can call it quits if you need to, but what has he done exactly to already have you think this?” Twilight asked as she sat on her haunches.

“It’s what he did yesterday, and what I saw this morning,” Applejack said.

“Did he hurt you, darling?” Rarity asked as she gasped a little at the thought.

“No, he didn’t hurt me physically, but emotionally a little. My sister accidentally slammed the door in his face and he just completely blew up in her face. She has been sad since then and now I’m kind of worried. Now you add that he is younger than we initially thought and he is covered in scars. His upper body even has three different markings on him. I’m kind of worried that he may end up harming us,” Applejack said as she looked out to the west orchard.

“So how long are you giving him before you make the decision?” Fluttershy asked in a hushed tone.

“I’m giving him two days. If his attitude hasn’t changed and he hasn’t apologized to my sister, then I must ask the princess to find him a new place to stay,” Applejack said as she gave a buck to her tree.

“Very well, then. I do have one question, though. You said that he was younger than we thought. How old is he exactly?” Twilight asked, curious about what he actually looked like.

“I’m not very sure. I didn’t really ask him yesterday or today when I sent him to the west field,” Applejack replied.

“I know how to find out. Just give me a few seconds,” Pinkie said before throwing down a smoke bomb and disappearing again.

“Sometimes I wonder how she is able to do that,” Rainbow said as she watched the disappearing smoke.

“I’m sure we all do, sugarcube, but it’s just best to leave it be,” Applejack replied.

True to her word, there was a flash as smoke filled their vision. Once the smoke cleared out, they saw their pink friend smiling happily. She continued to smile and her friends got tired of waiting for an answer.

“So were you able to find out his age?” Rarity asked.

“Yuppers. Luna told me that he is nineteen years old,” Pinkie replied happily.

“Only nineteen? The scars on that boy makes it look like he has been to Tartarus and back for many years!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Well, we really don’t know what he did before he came here,” Twilight added.

“I guess we can throw him that party then. Just don’t expect him to be entirely thrilled about it,” Applejack warned.

“Don’t worry, silly filly. Auntie Pinkie will make sure everything goes smoothly,” Pinkie said as she pulled her friend close.

“Pinkie, we’re the same age,” Applejack deadpanned.

It didn’t seem to matter what she said at that point as the bubbly mare hopped towards the barn. Her friends soon followed and she found herself going with them. She gave one last look back to the west orchard before galloping after her friends.

Damian

Damian was busy climbing each tree and throwing the apples in the basket. As he went about his ‘chore’ he tried to use his magic. He could feel as the energy pulsed in his body and flow to his hands. Sadly when it reached the tips of his fingers it would just fizzle out. Every fizzle left a dull pain in his fingertips. He sighed heavily as he continued on with his ‘chore’ and continued to try and summon his magic.

“I believe I already told you that you wouldn’t be able to use your magic,” Damian fell out of the tree when he heard something speak.

He looked around to see who spoke to him, but found nobody. Thinking that it was his mind playing tricks on him, he shook his head and got back to work. He continued to mess with his magic, when the same voice from before spoke to him.

“Stop trying to use your magic. You’re only going to end up hurting yourself,” Damian knew that he wasn’t crazy and was going to confront the voice.

“Who are you and where the fuck are you?” Damian asked angrily.

There was a bright flash and he had to lift his arms to shield his eyes. The flash died down, and he slowly removed his arms from his face. Out of all the ponies that he has met so far, he really didn’t want to talk to this particular pony. In front of him stood Celestia with her wings spread wide and her expression serious.

“You know, I’m pretty sure to others, having your wings flared out might make you look intimidating, but it doesn’t work on me. So what can I help you with?” Damian asked with venom in his voice.

“I’ve only been watching you for a day and I must say that I have been gravely disappointed,” Celestia said with no emotion.

“Well, who the fuck asked your opinion, anyways?” Damian asked, his anger slowly rising.

“I think that you still don’t understand what’s going on here. I’m giving you a chance to show that you aren’t a threat, but you seem to be hard headed about being nice. I mean who actually yells at a little foal for an accident. I can’t believe my sister thinks that there is some hope for you,” Celestia stated coldly.

“Why does your sister think I have some hope?” Damian asked.

“She saw what you were dreaming about and paid attention to the cloud you messed with. Seeing that you still hold some heart, she believes that you could happily live among us,” Celestia said while shaking her head.

Damian was stone stiff at what he just heard. Luna saw what he drew in his dream sky and knows something about him. His breathing became heavy as his anger soon reached its boiling point.

“When I get my hands on her, I’m going to make her pay for not leaving my dream,” Damian whispered to himself.

“If you’re serious about following through with that threat, then maybe I should just lock you away,” Celestia said calmly.

“How?” Damian asked, surprised that he was already found out.

“You forget that I can read your thoughts,” Celestia stated plainly.

“Stay out of my god damned head. I’m already shackled enough, I don’t need you invading the only place that I have left to myself,” Damian said as he got in her face.

“Listen here, Damian. I can be a very just ruler, but if I must, I will do what is necessary to keep my ponies safe. I don’t know what your past is like, but we are sort of similar. We want to keep those that mean something to us safe, no matter the cost. If you want to keep acting like a foal, then go ahead. Just let me know when you want to spend the rest of you time in the dungeon,” Celestia said before she took flight.

He watched as the white alicorn left and he let out a low growl. He turned to the tree that he was working on and punched it as hard as he could. Blood formed on his knuckles as the tree slightly shook from the force. He was too distracted to keep working, so he decided to call it early for now. He picked up the few apples that fell from the tree before heading back to the barn. During his walk back to the barn, he let the conversation run through his head.

As he thought back to it, he really hoped that the alicorn was listening. There was no way that he was like her, and he hoped to never be like her. He reached the barn faster than he thought during his angry walk. He sighed heavily as he opened the door and walked inside. He was hoping to get some simple peace and quiet, but that idea was long gone when he stepped inside.

“SURPRISE!” The six ponies that he met yelled.

He grabbed at his chest as his heart beat against it, trying to break free. His nerves slightly calmed as he looked around the barn. There was cake, cupcakes, and punch on a nearby table. Another table had a few presents and there was a large banner overhead. The banner said ‘Welcome to Ponyville Damian.’ He looked at the six ponies and saw that the pink one was smiling largely.

“What is this?” Damian asked a little annoyed.

“Well, I thought about throwing you a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party to help you adjust. So do you like it?” Pinkie asked with a hopeful smile.

Damian didn’t say anything as he walked towards the sweet treats. He grabbed one of the plates and filled it with the delicious looking confectioneries. When he believed that he had enough sweets, he turned towards the stairs and walked up to his room. He heard a deflating sound, but ignored it, not really wanting to deal with whatever the problem is. Once he was up in his little cove, he took off the hat and hung it off the windowsill.

He sat on the edge of the sill as he heard the ponies shuffling about. Wanting a distraction from the noise, he looked out the window and spotted a flying bird. He scooped a little frosting from his cupcake and stuck his finger out. The bird noticed the frosting on his finger and flew towards him. The bird landed on his finger and began eating the frosting. While the bird was busy eating, he slowly ran his fingers through its feathers. The bird stopped eating for a few seconds to look at him, but seeing that he wasn’t causing any harm went straight back to eating.

Barn Main Floor

“You doing alright there, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked, a little concerned.

“I’m not really sure. It didn’t seem like he hated the party, but he also didn’t look like he was enjoying it. I don’t know what to think about that,” Pinkie replied as she continued to stare at the stairs.

Her friends quickly wrapped her in a hug, letting her know that the thought was at least nice. This seemed to help a little, but she didn’t completely return back to her normal self. Not wanting to let the food and drinks go to waste, they stayed a bit to have a social gathering. Applejack made sure that her friends were fine as she headed for the stairs. She would be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t worried about going up the stairs.

With some of her resolve that she still had left, she climbed the stairs and looked over at the human. She watched as he pet a bird that was perched on his finger. He was eating the sweets and seemed to be slightly enjoying himself. The bird finished off the frosting that was on his finger and took off into the sky. The human soon turned around and met her emerald eyes with his own blue eyes. She let out a silent sigh as she got ready to speak to him.

“So what was that about down there?” Applejack asked, trying to be casual about it.

“I’m just not a party guy. I’m happy for the treats and everything, but I just don’t do well in such a weird setting,” Damian replied calmly.

Applejack had to shake her head slightly when she heard him speak. He would always talk to her and the others in an angry tone. Hearing him be so calm right now was completely throwing her off. She was able to get her mind back on track so she could continue to talk to him.

“So you really didn’t mind the party?” Applejack asked.

“Not really. I understand why to have one, but I need to know two things. The first is why are you throwing me a party, and the second is how long are you giving me?” Damian asked.

Applejack froze in place from his second question. She had no idea how he was able to tell that she was thinking about him and she was starting to panic. She thought about lying to him, hoping that he would buy it. She mentally slapped herself for thinking that since she wasn’t a good liar at all. She sometimes wished that she wasn’t the Element of Honesty at times and that lying would be easier for her. She sighed heavily as she answered his questions.

“I can answer the second one, but the first can easily be answered by my other friends. You have exactly two days starting tomorrow, or I will have the princesses send you somewhere else. I’m not asking you to completely change, but try to be a little nicer and do the work that is asked of you. If you can at least do that, then you can stay here as long as it is needed,” Applejack replied.

“I’ll take that under advisement,” Damian replied back.

She wasn’t entirely sure if he would try, but at least she laid out the simple terms that he could do. The only thing that was left was to see was if he would give it a shot, or just continue to be an exploding firework.

“Let’s head downstairs so I can hear why you all are throwing me a party,” Damian said as he folded his plate.

Applejack headed for the stairs and he started to follow her. He stopped and looked over at the side railing. Stairs never really bothered him, but why take something when you have a faster way of getting there. He noticed the mare had already descended the stairs and decided to go for it. The farm mare reached the bottom of the stairs and she looked behind her to see that the human didn’t follow. She felt a little irritated that he didn’t follow, but that changed when she heard a thump.

Her attention went back to the main floor and she noticed the human. He was slightly kneeling before getting back to his feet. All her friends were staring in confusion at what he did. Fluttershy was the first to say anything.

“Are y-you o-okay?” Fluttershy asked a little timidly.

“Yeah, I’m good.” Damian answered.

“Any reason why you didn’t use the stairs, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Just felt like taking a quicker route to the floor. I can certainly say that I won’t be taking the stairs as often now,” Damian said as he grabbed a nearby chair and sat in it.

“Before we get anymore sidetracked, Damian here, would like to know the reason behind the party,” Applejack said as she joined her friends.

“Well that’s easy. I wanted to throw this party for you so you would feel welcome and that we also want to be your friends,” Pinkie Pie explained.

“Ha!” Damian gave a quick laugh at her explanation.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight asked.

“The welcoming thing I can understand, but the friend thing is really stupid. I don’t need any friends,” Damian answered.

“Well, sure you do. Why else would you be a grumpy pants?” Pinkie stated.

“No, I’m pissed because I’m stuck in a world with talking ponies. Friends really don’t have any meaning to me and I never really wanted any,” Damian answered back.

“But you can’t live your entire life just being angry. You need to smile every once and a while, and what better way to smile than with friends,” Pinkie tried to explain.

“Yeah and then all the friends I would make could easily stab me in the back,” Damian said sarcastically.

“Is that how you got those scars?” Applejack asked a little nervously.

“How I got those isn’t really your business. I have them, and that is all you need to know,” Damian replied.

“So, you don’t want to be our friend?” Pinkie asked as she started to get sad.

“No, I don’t. Sorry if you feel that I need a friend, but I’m better off not having any,” Damian replied.

Nothing else was said between them, but they couldn’t if they wanted to since he already left his seat. He gave a small wave before ascending the stairs. Applejack wanted to get him back down, but she needed to be there for her upset friend. They had all seen their pink friend get upset when she couldn’t make a pony smile, but this was a new low for her. Her mane was deflated and her coat was a darker shade of pink. Her eyes would hold a sad look, but now tears were starting to form.

For the first time that she knew, Pinkie failed to make a pony happy. Her friends wrapped her in a hug as she tried to figure out what to do. With nothing really left to do, the mares went around and started packing everything up. She wanted to go up the stairs and let the human have it, but since she already laid out the rules for him, it was now up to him if he wanted to change. Her friends joined her at the barn, since it was starting to get late.

Damian saw the setting sun and the mares heading for the farm house. He let out a small exhale as he went back to his hay bed and closed his eyes. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep, thanks to the peaceful moon.

Dream Realm

He was back in a lush green field. He sighed again as he had a feeling of a certain pony showing up. He took a seat and filled his lungs with the faux air. The air held a wonderful scent of apples along with the smell of frosting. He was pulled from his peaceful thoughts when he heard the flapping of wings. His eyes opened and he saw Luna coming towards him. He got to his feet as the alicorn landed a few feet in front of him.

“Good night, dear Damian. I was-” she was soon cut off when his fist connected with her muzzle.

Luna was sent back several feet and landed on her back. She grabbed her muzzle, stifling a groan of pain. She used her wings to balance herself on her hooves as she glared daggers at the human. Dark clouds formed overhead and the sound of thunder could be heard all over. She flew in front of his face and used her Royal Canterlot Voice.

“HOW DARE YOU STRIKE ME!” Luna yelled, seething with anger.

“I believe that I told you to stay out of my dreams!” Damian yelled back, not fearing the angry alicorn.

“I was only doing my job!” Luna continued to yell, but not as ear shattering as before.

“I don’t care what you job implies. I told you to leave, and you didn’t. You have no reason to see what I dream about and you especially don’t have the right to tell your sister,” Damian said as he sat under the same tree.

“So my sister has already talked to you?” Luna asked as she lowered herself to the ground.

“She has and I will tell you that I’m perfectly fine with everything,” Damian answered.

“You’re not fine. If you were fine then you wouldn’t be as broken as you are now,” Luna said.

“Do you want to know why I’m so broken?!” Damian asked, his patience wearing thin.

“Yes, and then maybe you can get help from those that want to be your friends,” Luna said as she summoned a table and a chair.

“Since you haven’t heard yet, I will tell you this. I don’t need any friends,” Damian answered.

“But everypony needs-” Luna was cut off when he held a hand up to her face.

“I already had this conversation with those six mares. Now, the reason that I seem so ‘broken’ is because I have nothing now. My master is probably dead, my guild in ruins, and I’m stuck in this fucked up world where everyone thinks that a simple problem can be solved with a smile,” Damian stated coldly.

“Very well, Damian. If that is how you feel, then I won’t push the issue any further. Celestia and I already know about the terms Applejack has set, and we will prepare for your arrival in those two days,” Luna said as she got out of her chair and disappeared in a veil of smoke.

The human rubbed his eyes for a bit before turning to the tree and giving it a hard punch. The tree reverberated and sent an apple tumbling down. He picked up the dream fruit and stared at it intensely. His terms were mainly just doing as he was told on the farm. That was the only thing that she asked for and he could still do what he wanted. He sat under the tree as he let the thought swim around his head. He couldn’t help but laugh as he saw the actual idea start swimming in front of him.

His stance changed as he decided to at least do what was asked of him. He threw the dream apple as he looked up in the blank sky waiting for his body to wake up. It wasn’t long until there was a bright light that filled the entire area. He filled his lungs with the faux air as he got ready for his morning training and his chores.

Damian

His eyes slowly opened as the sun rose over the horizon. He stretched his limbs and let out a big yawn as he jumped to his feet. If the time was the same as it was back in Divergence, then he needed to look at his scars. He found a partially broken mirror on the ground, covered in many scratches and dried mud. He looked at his front and back and saw that his scars were still closed. He remembered when and how he got those scars, but easily pushed it to the side.

He walked back up and grabbed the hat that he placed near the window. He didn’t bother putting it on his head since it was only going to get in the way right now. He looked over at his cloak and let out a heavy sigh, disappointed that he was stuck with the one set of clothing. Deciding to wash his shirt in the rain barrel after training, he set out for the same apple tree. He walked through the many trees and he couldn’t lie that they didn’t look beautiful.

The sun would capture their bright red colors and cast a soft red hue over the dirt path. He grabbed his few apples since he didn’t have any breakfast brought to him, and ate them quickly. He reached his destined tree and took his shirt off, placing it in the rain barrel, his hat sitting right above it. He cracked his neck as he prepared to punch the tree. He took even breaths with each strike that he made, making sure that he stayed calm.

He could feel the light scratches that were forming on his knuckles, but he was glad that he wasn’t bleeding all over the tree. He went at it for a few seconds before switching up his style. He combined different jabs, punches, and kicks as he assaulted the tree. Sweat trickled down his body as he neared the end of his training session. He brought his fist up and put everything thing he had behind the punch. With a solid hit the tree shook and dropped a few apples.

Inhaling deeply and then breathing it out, he walked over to the rain barrel and started washing himself. He decided not to be entirely thorough with his cleaning since he was going to be working. With most of the sweat washed off his body, he pulled his shirt out and put it on. He grabbed the hat and walked towards the west field. He wanted to think to himself, but he chose not to, for fear that the princesses were listening.

He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself at the idea of being afraid that they heard his thoughts at this moment. He just assaulted the lunar princess in his dreams and there was no way that she was going to keep it a secret. He could only shrug his shoulder as he reached the rows of trees and sighed heavily. With nothing really left to do, he climbed the tree and went about throwing the apples into the baskets.

He once again tried to use his magic, and it continued to fail. He was able to live without magic and never saw the need for it. After learning how to use his magic, he could never see himself without it. He felt like a small child again, but this time there was no one that could help him. There was a high chance that either Celestia or Luna was listening in on him, but they didn’t seem to want to disturb him.

He worked the day away, sweating as he suffered a little under the sweltering heat. He didn’t mind the heat sometimes, but he was more of a cold person. He looked towards the sun to see that it was hanging in the middle of the sky. Deciding that it was probably around noon, he went for a little lunch break. He walked down the rows of apple trees, only to be stopped by the farm mare. She was breathing heavily as she tried to speak to him.

“Where… have you been?” Applejack asked as she got some of her breath back.

“I did my regular morning training and then went to the west field to work. Is something wrong?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“I thought that you may have ran away. I spent the last couple of hours looking all over the fields for you.” Applejack said as she gave a sigh of relief.

“Well, you found me. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to get some lunch,” Damian said as he tried to walk around her.

“Hold on there, sugarcube. Wouldn’t you like to join my family and I for lunch?” Applejack asked.

“As nice as that sounds to get some probably decent food, I have to decline. I would only cause problems for you, your brother, and your little sister.” Damian explained.

“Well, if you come have lunch with us, then you might be able to apologize to Apple Bloom for you outburst,” Applejack said.

He could hear it in the tone of her voice. She was giving him a suggestion and possibly a hint on what he could do to keep his stay at the farm. He really wanted to just stay out of their manes and keep to himself, but anything to possibly irritate the princesses seemed like a good plan. He smiled internally as he imagined the two princesses in a frustrated state because Applejack allowed him to stay. He could easily rub it in their faces and prove to that arrogant Celestia that they weren’t the same.

The option to just completely prove the princesses wrong was too much to pass up. He gave a slight nod that the farm mare easily understood. She walked off towards the farmhouse and he easily followed behind her. They were about several feet from the farmhouse when the mare stopped him with an extended hoof. She had a serious look on her face as she stared into this eyes.

“I will let you know that I have a grandma that lives with us. She knows that you are staying here, but hasn’t met you. She is a hard working mare and if you hurt her in any way like you did my sister, then this will happen to you.” Applejack said before turning her back to a nearby tree.

She lifted her rear legs as she prepared one of her stronger bucks. Her hind legs shot out and impacted the tree with a loud smack. He could only stare, slightly wide-eyed at the indention in the tree. Not only that, but the whole entire tree was shaking, and all the apples fell from it. He gave a small gulp at the strength of the farm mare. He didn’t know why he was surprised when he knew that she worked most of these fields with her brother.

She was staring back at him, asking if he understood the consequences. He gave a slight nod of the head, and she smiled as she continued her walk back to the farm house. He stayed back a few seconds to look at the damage on three. There was a perfect indention of her hooves on the tree without any sign of blood. He shook his head as he jogged toward the farmhouse and caught up to her. She opened the door and allowed him through first.

As soon as he stepped through the door, his nose was assaulted by many different apple scents. He could smell apple pie, apple fritters, caramel apples, and his long-time favorite, apple cobbler. He heard the door shut behind him and the orange mare walked by him. She walked up the stairs and disappeared around the corner. He wasn’t told exactly where he was allowed to go, so he just stood at the door entrance, waiting to be called.

It was a few minutes later until the form of the farm mare could be seen. Her looks were about the same, but it could be slightly made out that she did clean herself up. She walked down the stairs and headed for the dining room. She stopped as she reached the human and looked at him.

“There’s a shower room that you can use at the top of the stairs. It’s the second door on your right and a change of clothes. Rarity dropped them by early in the morning. They might be a little big on you, so after lunch you need to head to Rarity’s shop so she can get your measurements,” Applejack said.

“Heh, you actually trust me to go there by myself and come back?” Damian said as he chuckled slightly.

“No, I don’t. That’s why I’m having Apple Bloom go with you since she will be staying with her friend for the night. That, I believe is enough to make sure that you go there and come back.” Applejack said as she slightly flexed her hind leg.

He had to give it to the country mare. She was smarter than she looked, and made the situation all the more interesting. He saw her flexing her hind leg and he just gave a nod. There was a chance he could have just ran away when he was walking with Apple Bloom, but he didn’t want to be chased for the rest of his life. Granted he probably wouldn’t get far with the princesses listening to his thoughts.

He was glad that he had better morals than most members of his guild. Most of them would either hold the little filly hostage or even kill her. His master taught him that only cowards would do that and not worth his own time to teach. That was one of the top ten bits of advice that he took from his master. Seeing that the mare was now gone, he headed up the stairs to take his shower. The shower room was right where she said it was, and he entered the surprisingly spacious room.

The shower room was an old modern style. Nice oak wood floors, with a cherry wood sink. There was a simple shower in the corner of the room with a curtain that would give him some privacy. He looked over at the sink and saw the aforementioned clothes. He walked up to them and looked them over. His shirt was obsidian black with a blood red tint. His pants were a pair of black cargo shorts that went just below his knees. The shirt surprised him because he thought that the prissy unicorn wouldn’t like such dark colors.

Shrugging slightly, he took off his clothes and went in the shower. He turned the first dial that he saw and was sprayed with ice chilling cold water. His body slightly shivered from the cold, but she soon adjusted. The cold water running over his body felt so good that he let his mind just let go. There was no pattern to his thoughts except that they kept going to the apple fields. It was weird that he was thinking about something so out of place, but it probably could have been worse.

He scrubbed down his hair and body and let the water wash away the suds. Feeling refreshed from having an actual shower, he turned off the dials and exited the shower. He grabbed a nearby towel that was apparently set out just for him. He wiped down the excess water and put on his new clothes. Applejack was right when she said they would be little large on him. Still, the clothes were a nice fit and he was happy to have something to wear that didn’t smell like ass and sweat.

He exited the bathroom and walked down the stairs. He found the doors to the dining room and just stared at them. He could easily just sit out in the living room and be served there, but they probably wouldn’t be happy about that. With nothing really set in his mind, he opened the door and was met with four different eyes. He easily picked out Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom who quickly averted her gaze. He looked at the last mare in the room and gave a good guess that it was Granny Smith.

She was a feeble mare with a lime green coat and amber eyes. Her mane and tail were white as snow, showing that she has aged a lot. The one thing that he couldn’t figure out about the mare was her smile. The farm mare mentioned that the elderly mare was aware of his presence, but why was she smiling?

“Well, don’t just stand there, sunny. Come have a seat and get your grub on,” Granny Smith said.

She was so polite and kind to him that he had no idea what to do. He expected the mare to have some sort of anger or malice toward him, but there was none. Doing as she suggested, he took a seat at the far end of the table, away from the other ponies. Once he was seated, the ponies went about getting their food and eating. He waited for them to get their food first before he grabbed his own. He saw that they had their plates full of the different apple treats that he smelled and went to get his own.

He was stopped by an orange hoof of his hand. He looked up at the country mare and saw her moving her eyes to the side. He followed her eye movement to see that she was pointing out Apple Bloom. He looked back at her and her gaze pretty much said everything. Taking a deep sigh, he did the hardest thing that he could do at the moment.

“Apple Bloom, I’m sorry for yelling at you,” Damian said in the best apologetic tone that he could.

The little filly looked up at him with wide eyes as she tried to figure out what to say. She was looking between her brother and sister, who both had held a stoic expression. She then looked at the human who was waiting for her answer. A silence started to form as she thought about what was right to say, then she decided what was best.

“Thank you, Damian. I hope that we can be friends hopefully,” Apple Bloom said as she smiled.

There was that word again that he hated to hear. He didn’t voice his opinion, but gave a slight nod of his head. She beamed happily as she went back to her food and Applejack gestured that he could eat now. He casually took a few pieces of the food that was offered and ate in his silence. The ponies seemed fine with talking with each other and he was glad not to have any of it directed towards him.

Lunch went over smoothly as he helped clean up some of the dishes. With everything cleaned, he waited by the door as Apple Bloom went to get her saddlebags. He was left alone to his own devices while Big Mac and Applejack went to finish their chores. He waited around for several minutes before finally succumbing to boredom. He looked over into the kitchen and saw a knife set on the counter. Thinking that it would still be a while before the filly came down the stairs, he went to check out the knives.

He looked at the seven knives that were neatly placed in their wooden holder. He pulled them out one by one to see which one he liked. There were three fruit knives, a cleaver, two steak knives weirdly enough, and a bread knife. He put away the bread knife and cleaver since they were unbalanced. He put away two fruit knives because one was too short and the other two long. One steak knife was put away because the blade was dulled beyond repair.

He picked up the two remaining knives and started passing them back and forth. They felt alright as they flew from hand to hand and switched it up. He twirled the blades in his hand, feeling the cold spin around his fingers. They spun in a blur as he started to juggle them. He could feel himself form a small smile as he lost himself in his work. It felt right to hold these knives, even if they were used for food than anything else. He was startled when a high pitched voice came from behind.

“What you doing?” Apple Bloom asked a little loudly.

“Holy shit,” Damian said as he tossed the two knives into the wall.

He could feel his heart pound in his chest as adrenaline coursed through his veins. The knives were stuck firmly in the wall, the little filly looking at them with wide eyes. They were in the left wall of the door that she entered from and was looking back at the human. The adrenaline in his body slowly dissipated and his heart finally slowed down. Apple Bloom seemed to have gotten over her initial shock when she found her lost voice.

“Was I interrupting something?” Apple Bloom asked, her eyes never leaving the embedded knives.

“Sorry, I was just passing the time. You have everything that you need?” Damian asked the startled filly.

She gave a quick nod as he gestured for her to lead the way. She took off in a small gallop that he easily kept pace with by taking longer strides. He looked over to his left to see Applejack and Big Mac waving. He waved back and alerted the younger apple sibling to her relatives. The filly gave her own wave and they continued on their walk. He watched as the filly gave a huge smile and happily hopped in her walk. It was so weird to see her in such a pleasant mood that it made him wonder what was really going on.

He was told that he was going to get measurements for clothes, but now experience was telling him something entirely different. His mind raced with the thoughts that it was some elaborate ruse to get him cornered. The ponies were trying to put him in a corner so they could kill him or dissect him. He could feel his adrenaline pumping in his body again, ready to put up a fight if he needed. He was pulled from his train of thought when the filly spoke to him.

“So what was that you were doing?” Apple Bloom asked as she gave him a curious look.

“I was just messing with some of your knives. It’s a way for me to determine if they are any good, and a great pass time,” Damian answered as he kept his eyes forward.

“Where did you learn to do that?” Apple Bloom asked, her eyes showing interest in what he can do.

“One of the perks of my job and something that I taught myself,” Damian answered as he tried to gauge the filly’s questions.

“So what is it that you did for a living? The cutie marks on your arms are hard to understand,” Apple Bloom said as she stared intently at the human’s arms.

“Let’s get a general understanding about me. First off, you don’t need to know what I did. Second, I have no idea what a cutie mark is. Finally, these are rites of passage that I took to get these,” Damian explained as he waved his arms.

“Would you like to know what a cutie mark is?” Apple Bloom asked as she smiled at her chance to explain something.

“Please, enlighten me.”

“Have you noticed the three apples that are on my sister’s flank?”

“No, and I choose not to look in that general direction,” Damian said with a serious expression.

“Well, a cutie mark is a way for a pony to figure out their special talent. My sister and brother are good with apple farming. Rarity has an eye for design, and Fluttershy can talk with animals.”

“Rarity is the white unicorn and Fluttershy is the butterscotch pegasus, correct?”

“Yes, have you met them already?”

“I have, but it could have been a better greeting. I don’t exactly know how to gauge Fluttershy since she really didn’t say much.”

“Yeah, she can be a little shy at times. It usually takes her a while to open up to ponies, but even then she will still be shy.”

Damian just gave a slight shrug of his shoulders after the filly was finished. He really didn’t expect to talk to many of the ponies, save the princesses and Applejack. Their walk finally ended when they reached a very intricate building. He had to stop and stare at the building because of its ridiculousness. It was a two story house made out of a carousel. He could only rub his temples at the thought of this favor lasting longer than it should.

Knowing that it would be best to get it done as quickly as possible, he gave a hefty knock. There was a few moments of silence before some scrambling could be heard. He made sure to smooth out the clothes so the white unicorn could get a better look at how they fit him. The door opened as he expected to be greeted by the unicorn, but instead it was another filly. The filly was pure white with a small horn protruding from her head. The horn was buried underneath her mulberry mane that had light rose streaks. Her tail was the same color and she looked at him with curiosity filled harlequin eyes.

“Hey there, Sweetie Belle, is Scootaloo here yet?” Apple Bloom asked as she walked in.

“Yeah, she’s already in my room planning out our next attempts at getting out cutie marks. May I ask who your friend is, though?” Sweetie Belle said as she stepped aside and allowed the human through.

“This is Damian, and he is a human. He’s staying on the farm while my sister tries to figure out what to do with him. He’s here to see your sister and get fitted for more clothing,” Apple Bloom explained.

“Cool. Wait here while I get Scootaloo. She’ll be so interested to meet our new friend,” Sweetie Belle said excitedly.

“Wait, but I’m-” was all Damian could say before the two fillies disappeared up the stairs.

He let out a heavy sigh as he looked around the living room. It was overly designed for his tastes, but he wasn’t surprised to see the amount of fancy furniture the unicorn owned. Even remembering the way she talked brought a slight irritation to him. He knew that she didn’t grow up with any high class people, but she acted like she did and that was the worst thing he had ever seen. Seeing as the prissy unicorn was nowhere in sight yet, he decided to take a seat on the couch. Once he was seated, it wasn’t long before the two fillies from before came running down the stairs with a third in tow.

The new filly was gamboge and had tiny wings on her side. Her mane and tail were a scraggly mess like the cyan pegasus, but thankfully was only the color cerise. Her eyes were a light purple and she looked at him with curiosity. She slowly walked around him as he kept his attention on the little filly. She did one walk around before settling in front of him and smiling wide. She held out her hoof as she introduced herself.

“Hey there. The name’s Scootaloo. What’s your name?” Scootaloo greeted happily.

“The name’s Damian, and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Damian greeted as he took the filly’s hoof.

The two of them gave a couple of shakes before pulling back their appendages. Scootaloo looked back at her friends and gave a sharp nod. The friends returned the gesture and they headed back up the stairs. Damian watched as they disappeared around a corner and sat himself down again. He was expecting something more from the filly, since she seemed like the cyan pegasus, but nothing really happened. All she did was introduce herself and then left with the others to do who knows what. Feeling a little uncomfortable with the setting, he stood up and cupped his hands as he called out to the unicorn.

“Rarity!” Damian yelled loud enough so he could be heard around the house.

“I’ll just be a moment, darling,” Rarity called out.

Happy that he was able to get the attention of the white unicorn, he brushed himself off as he waited. It didn’t take long before he could hear the clopping of hooves against the wooden floor above. Rarity came from around the corner, smiling brightly as she greeted a potential customer.

“Good day, and welcome to Carousel Boutique. My name is Rarity and-” Rarity started only to stop when she saw the human at the bottom of the steps.

Her bright smile turned into a scowl as she calmly walked down the stairs. When she reached the final step, she was quickly in his face. Her sapphire eyes were cold as she stared straight into his soul. A tense silence settled into the room as the two of them stared at each other. The unicorn was the first to break the eerie silence before tensions increased.

“What can I help you with?” Rarity asked in a slightly irritated tone.

“Applejack sent me so you could get my measurements,” Damian replied.

“I see. At least the clothes that I made were able to hold up until you got here. So let’s head to the stage in the back and I can get you all fitted,” Rarity said as she turned in place and walked away.

He could only shake his head slightly as he followed the mare. Every fiber in his being was screaming at him to just yell at the mare and stop acting so fake. The only thing that stayed his tongue was being able to stay at the farm. Staying at the farm or with the princesses wasn’t all that much fun since he was being watched 24/7, but at least on the farm he at least had some type of freedom. He wouldn’t even last an hour with the princesses since as soon he would arrive, he would try and start something with them.

They reached the staging area and he saw a blue aura envelop the door. He heard as it clicked in place and heard the locks being turned. The unicorn didn’t turn around as she grabbed her red glasses and a measuring tape. She then grabbed a notepad and quill before turning around to address the human.

“Please remove all your clothing so we can get started,” Rarity said in a slightly commanding tone.

“I’d rather not,” Damian said.

“Why not?” Rarity asked unamused.

“Well, it’s because I don’t want to be naked in front of you,” Damian easily replied.

“Why does it matter? You can see clearly that all the ponies here are naked and it’s perfectly normal,” Rarity explained.

“Maybe if you’re a pony it is. If you’re human like me then you don’t have the luxury of fur to hide your private areas,” Damian said as he gestured to his lower half.

The unicorn stared at him with a confused expression for a few seconds before it finally clicked. Her face grew a slight blush that she quickly shook away as she took even breaths to calm down. Once she was collected, she looked back at the human.

“I think I understand. If that’s the case, then you can remove everything and keep your boxers on,” Rarity said.

He would still prefer to not get naked in front of the unicorn, but he just wanted to get this over with. He took off his clothing, except his boxers, and stood on the stage. He held his arms out while the unicorn got work. He had never been fitted for clothes before and he was glad that he never did. The process was long and very boring. He listened to the little scratches that the quill made as the mare took down his measurements. He grew slightly irritated when she went along his inner thigh and near something that he didn’t want her near.

Thankfully she made the measurement quickly so she could get away from that part of him. A few hours later, and she had everything that she needed. She took her glasses off and placed her notepad next to them. The human got off the stage and walked towards the clothes before they were wrapped in her blue aura. He looked back at the unicorn as she levitated the clothes to her and placed them on her workstation.

“Can I ask what you’re doing?” Damian asked as he took a seat in a nearby chair.

“I’ll need the rest of the day to get you an appropriate wardrobe made. I’m just going to trim these up so that you have something to wear until you pick up your clothes tomorrow. Also, what kind of clothing would you like to be made first, and what are your preferred colors?” Rarity said as she started her work on the clothes.

“Anything that I can work in would be a nice starter. Shorts and t-shirts would really be appreciated so I have something to wear under my cloak. Colors that I would prefer would be black, red, or blue. If it isn’t too much trouble as well, can you also put a wing on the left shoulder in the back?” Damian described.

“Very well. I will have those to you some time tomorrow afternoon. You can pick them up when you come to get Apple Bloom,” Rarity said as she handed him back his clothes.

Damian just gave a nod of his head as he got dressed. He was surprised to see how well the clothes fit him after the unicorn messed with them. Even more interesting was that there was no sign of any alterations that were made to his clothes. Happy with how the clothes were no longer baggy, he waved goodbye to the unicorn and headed out of her house. He saw the slowly setting sun and began his trek back to the farm. The walk went fairly quickly since he wasn’t distracted by anything and headed into the barn. He opened the door to see the orange mare waiting for him.

“So how did everything go?” Applejack asked.

“It went decently. Met your younger sister’s friends, and I had a strange feeling that they’re going to cause a lot of trouble here soon,” Damian said and not long after, there was a huge explosion.

He looked over at the country mare, who only shook her head. She got up to her hooves and headed for the door. She stopped at the doors with a hoof placed on one of them before turning to meet the human.

“You have no idea how much trouble they cause, though I can never stay mad at them since they have great determination. I’ll let you turn in for the night and get you when it’s time to get Apple Bloom,” Applejack said as she walked out the door.

He only nodded his head slightly as he started climbing up the stairs. He found his cloak and pants neatly hung on a hanger and placed on one of the rafters. He ran his hand over the soft material as he gave a small smile. Even with his magic and knives taken away from him, he was glad that at least something was left of his semblance. Bowing his head slightly as he whispered to himself, he let the memories of his master fill his find. After his prayer was finished, he grabbed the blanket and threw it over his body. His eyes closed quickly as he went straight to sleep.

Day 2

The sun slowly crawled over the horizon as a certain human was already up and moving around the orchard. His morning training was out of the way and he was now collecting the apples. He figured that if he started early enough, then he would be able to get to relax earlier when his chores were finished. None of the other ponies ever expected him to finish his side since it was so large. He only had to collect for a few hours, so at least there was something that could be sold in the streets.

He finished hauling in his fourth bucket when he saw the farm mare approaching. He set the bucket down next to the other three and wiped his forehead with a cloth. He leaned against the wall as he waited for the approaching mare. Applejack soon reached him and smiled as she greeted the human.

“Good morning there. I see that you’ve gotten a head start again,” Applejack stated as she looked at the four apple filled buckets.

“I just thought that if I got finished earlier then I could have some time to myself,” Damian replied.

“As long as you don’t work yourself into the ground, I won’t have a problem. Which reminds me, I have something for you,” Applejack said as she started digging through her saddlebags.

She pulled out a black stetson from her saddlebags and presented it to the human. She held it gently in her teeth as she offered it to him. He hesitantly reached for the hat before gripping it and pulling it towards him. He looked it over before looking at the farm mare curiously.

“What’s this for?” Damian asked as he went back to inspecting the hat.

“I just thought that you would like something to keep you from roasting out here in the sun. I know that you work in the early mornings, but I thought just in case if you ever needed it, it would be there,” Applejack said with a slight smile.

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” Damian said as he hung the hat on a side wall.

He had no idea what had gotten into the mare. It was only his fourth day in Equestria and only the third day that he had been on the farm. The mare was treating him more kindly than he really liked. As he thought about it though, it was seen that most of the ponies tried to solve everything by being friendly. There was also a chance that she was trying to be his friend, but he quickly dismissed that idea since he told her and her friends that he didn’t want any friends. Whatever the reason may be, he just had to suck it up so he could stay on the farm.

“Come on. Let’s head to Rarity’s place so we can pick up Apple Bloom,” Applejack said as she walked off.

He gave her a nod before wiping down the rest of his body the best he could. He threw the cloth into a nearby trash barrel and chased after the mare. He still kept his distance as he followed the mare since he still didn’t quite trust what she was planning. He would see her look over her shoulder and in his general direction to see if he was still following. Her small smile never faltered during their walk, but she did slow down so she could walk next to him. He noticed as she came near his side and prepared himself for anything that the mare would throw at him.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m proud of you so far,” Applejack said as she still smiled at him.

“Anything that keeps me from being around those princesses of yours,” Damian said as he refused to meet her gaze.

“Still, you could have done anything that you wanted, but you didn’t. You stuck to the rules that were laid out before you and followed them all the way,” Applejack continued to compliment.

“Yeah and there was the fact that I don’t know this land at all, so there is really no place for me to go,” Damian replied.

“True, but that you didn’t attempt anything shows that you’re at least trying.”

“If that is how you want to see it, then fine by me. I’ll continue to just stay out of everyone’s way and do what was asked of me.”

The rest of the walk was spent in silence as the two neared the boutique. The farm mare didn’t even knock as she opened the door and walked right in. Seeing as the mare just walked in, he did the same and closed the door behind him. Once inside, he could hear the clopping of multiple hooves as they neared the stairs. Apple Bloom was the first to show up as she jumped from the top step and fell for the bottom. Not really thinking about his action, he moved quickly as he caught the filly before hitting the ground.

“Woah, that was so cool. Where did you learn to do that?” Scootaloo asked as she walked down the steps.

“Just a natural reaction that I have. I’m more surprised that I jumped to save her. I was sure that she would be fine jumping from the top stair and even if she wouldn’t, her sister would be able to save her,” Damian said as he gently put Apple Bloom down.

“Well, whatever the reason was I’m glad that you did that,” Applejack said as she lightly patted his leg.

He just shook his head as he noticed the other two ponies show up. Sweetie Belle walked down the stairs and led the other two fillies outside. Rarity slowly walked down her steps as she gently combed her mane. He wanted to give the white unicorn utter crap with the way that she looked. He decided against it, since Applejack was still with him and he really didn’t want to get his leg or ribs shattered by one of her kicks. He also didn’t want to test the unicorn’s magical abilities when he didn’t have a way to defend himself from such attacks. He was about to get the unicorn’s attention before he heard someone calling from the kitchen.

“Rarity, I have your tea ready, and I cleaned up your studio,” The voice said from the kitchen.

“Thank you, Spikey-Wikey. You’ve been such a great help around the shop today that I believe you deserve a special treat,” Rarity said as she levitated a gemstone from a nearby chest.

“Who the hell is Spikey-Wikey?” Damian whispered to the farm mare.

“His name’s Spike and Rarity is the one that calls him that pet name. He’s also Twilight’s dragon assistant,” Applejack explained and he could feel his heart skip a beat.

“How old is the dragon?” Damian asked in slight fear. After his last encounter with a dragon, he was ready to run if it was an adult dragon.

“He’s only a baby dragon,” Applejack said and this helped to calm his nerves.

He turned back to the kitchen when he heard a loud crunch and he finally met the dragon. He was about as tall as the fillies and seemed relatively harmless. He had mulberry scales with lime green ones near his ears. His underbelly had his soft yellow scales that were still developing. His eyes were pistachio and his spikes on his head all the way down to his tail were harlequin. He was eating the gem that Rarity gave him before he stopped to look at the human in front of him.

“So you’re the human that Rarity and Twilight have been talking about,” Spike said as he looked him up and down.

“I guess I am, since I’m the only one of my kind here,” Damian said sarcastically.

“Well I’m Spike and Twilight’s number one assistant,” Spike said proudly.

“Damian and I kind of just want to get my clothes and get out of here,” Applejack said as she looked at the unicorn.

“Of course, darling. I have them finished and done the way that you want them, much to my distaste,” Rarity said slightly disgusted.

Again he could feel his anger reach a peak before he had to let it slide. If he didn’t find a way to let his anger out soon, he would end up destroying something. Taking the clothes that the unicorn levitate to him, he looked them over before deciding that they were satisfactory. He put them in an offered bag and flung it over his shoulder. He started walking for the door until he was stopped by a loud cough. He looked over at Applejack to see her giving him a cold glare. He looked at her with confusion before he realized what she wanted. Sighing heavily, he faced the unicorn and said something that almost made him lose his lunch.

“Thank you, Rarity,” Damian said through clenched teeth.

“You’re welcome, darling,” Rarity said before walking into the kitchen.

Once the mare was gone he didn’t even wait for Applejack as he left the boutique. He sat on one of the benches outside her home as he rubbed his temples. It seemed like either option of staying at the farm or being stuck with the princesses was going to bring its own set of headaches. He was lost in his own world that he didn’t even notice a certain cream colored pegasus stop in front of him.

“Um… e-excuse me, Damian, is e-everything alright?” Fluttershy asked as she looked at him with concern.

“I will be once I get back to the farm and get some time to myself,” He replied without looking up.

“Do you w-want to talk about it?” Fluttershy asked as she took a seat next to him.

“Not really,” Damian replied as he leaned back.

“It’s not a good idea to keep your emotions bottled up,” Fluttershy said as she looked at him.

“True, but I don’t really have anyone to talk to it about and even if I did, I still wouldn’t say anything. I also appreciate the kind gesture of offering to listen, but I’m going to have to respectfully decline,” Damian said as he made eye contact with the timid pegasus.

“If that’s what you would like, then I won’t push any further.” Fluttershy said as she jumped off the bench and headed inside.

Applejack walked out before the door closed and tapped the human on the leg. He looked down to see her gesturing with her head for him to follow. He grabbed his bag and popped his bones into place before following the country mare. She didn’t say anything on her their way back to the farm. He took the peace and quiet as he let his mind wander to some better times of his life. His thoughts were soon cut short when he reached the barn and walked inside. He was about to close the door, before the orange mare stopped it with her hoof.

“Can I speak to you for a few minutes?” Applejack asked in a somber tone.

“I guess, I mean I can’t really keep you locked out of your own barn to avoid talking to you,” Damian said as he opened the door.

The mare walked in and took a seat at the nearby table. He closed the door and grabbed his hat before walking up the stairs. He placed the bag and hat near his hanging cloak before walking back down. He saw that the mare was still upset about something and sat next to her at the table, against his better judgment. A heavy silence filled the room as the two of them just sat there, neither one looking at the other. Several seconds of silence lingered before the mare finally spoke up.

“I can see why you were so nervous around Spike,” Applejack said as she looked at the floor.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Damian said as he feigned ignorance.

“Don’t bother trying to lie to me. I can see right through it, so it’s better if we just talk about this."

“Then enlighten me about what you learned about me,” Damian said in a challenging tone.

“I couldn’t figure it out until I spoke to Apple Bloom. She mentioned something about ‘rites of passage’ that you took and how it was related to the tattoos that you have. Then I take in the fact that you were slightly nervous about there being a dragon, and then looking at your dragon tattoo, it made sense. I’m not going to ask what led up to the decisions that you made, but I need to know if you will be able to handle living here with the fact that there is a dragon,” Applejack said as she fixed him with a hard glare.

“I really don’t give you enough credit. You may be a simple farm mare, but you’re very perceptive. Since he is a baby dragon as you said and since dragons also have a long lifespan, I will be able to handle living with a dragon,” Damian said as he stared back at Applejack.

The mare nodded at his response before getting up from her seat. She shook herself a bit so she could get feeling back in her hooves before walking out. He opened the door for the mare that gave him a slight nod and walked out. He closed the door and headed upstairs. He looked out the window and scanned the many apple trees. He couldn’t help the slight chuckle that escaped his lips as he thought about what Applejack said. She told him that she could easily see through his lies, but there were some that she hadn’t called him out on.

There was still much more the ponies needed to learn about the human if they thought they could read him like a book. He was pulled from his musings by a series of loud knocks against the door. He walked down the stairs and opened the door to be greeted by the three fillies. Apple Bloom looked at him with slight hope as she spoke.

“Hey, Damian, do you think that you can help us fix our treehouse?” Apple Bloom asked as she looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

“Sure. Do I need to grab anything, or is everything already there?” Damian answered as he looked back inside the barn.

“We have the tools that we need so you can just follow us.” Scootaloo said.

He nodded his head as he walked out of the barn. He closed the door behind him and started following the fillies. The three friends were smiling as they ran around and laughed. He stayed back as he kept his eyes on them to make sure that there wasn’t something planned. They walked for a couple hours before finally reaching a huge tree. He could see the treehouse hanging in the branches, some of the wood looking very old. The fillies ran up the ramp so they could get started early on the repairs.

He reached the top of the step and was handed a hammer and nails from Sweetie Belle. He didn’t need to be told what needed fixing as he scanned the entirety of the structure. He looked down at the tools and could only shake his head in slight disappointment. They were only doing slight repairs that would require more repairs later on as time went by. Not entirely up for having to repair the building so often, he made a note to try and make it look brand new. He saw the fillies getting started on their repairs, and he joined them.

Several minutes in and he was the only one left working on their clubhouse as he was told. Apparently, it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse where the three of them came together to plan the series of trials to get their cutie marks. Since he had the fillies not working on anything at the moment, more for his safety than theirs, they went about planning their next crusade.

“So you want to try this before we have to head home?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Yeah, since it should be pretty quick to see if we get our cutie marks,” Scootaloo replied.

“Then it’s settled,” Apple Bloom agreed.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TREASURE HUNTERS!” The fillies yelled at the top of their lungs.

Damian looked over his shoulder to see the three fillies running outside. Letting out a sigh of relief, he set his tools down and laid on the floor. He never thought that he would get a few minutes of rest while they were around. He stared up that the cracked ceiling before he looked through the rotting sunroof. He stared at the open sky as he let his body relax from the extensive repairs that were made. Seeing as he would have some time before the fillies came back, he closed his eyes and tried to take a short nap.

“AHHHHHHH!” Damian shot straight up as he heard the screams of the fillies.

The screams the fillies made was something he had heard many times before. Fear. Whatever was out there was scaring the three fillies and it was close. There was a good chance that Applejack or even Big Mac didn’t hear it since they were so deep in the forest. He jumped to his feet as he quickly looked through the toolbox. He had no idea what he was going to find when he stepped out of the clubhouse, but he needed something in case it got ugly. Much to his disappointment, he walked out with two hammers in hand.

He really wished he had his knives or a least some pair of knives that he could use. With no time to really go and get any, he set off in the direction of the scream. The sun was already starting to set and give way to the moon. He picked up his pace as he needed to find the fillies fast before night came. They weren’t inside the Everfree, but they were close enough that he could feel the darkness that came off of it. He shivered as he remembered that first touch of darkness and swore that he would reach them.

The moon was steadily rising and the land was blanketed in darkness. His heart pounded in his chest as he heard crickets chirp in the night and the wind softly blowing against the leaves. He was worried that he was headed in the wrong direction, or worse, he was already too late to help the three fillies. He shook his head as he refused to think that something bad happened to them. He lowered his body and increased his speed as he continued in the one direction he knew that was correct. A few minutes went by in utter silence before he could hear some faint whimpering.

He looked over a bush to see the three fillies lying in the ground. He looked to his left and right before running through the bush. He looked around again before walking to the limp bodies of the crusaders and kneeling over them. He leaned close so that his voice wouldn’t attract anything as he nudged them.

“Girls, is everything alright?” He asked in a calm whisper.

“Damian, it’s a trap,” Apple Bloom groaned in pain

He looked at the filly with a raised brow before he heard rustling from behind. He turned around quickly to be greeted by nothing. He stood stock still as he listened for anything else that might mean something was with them. With no other sounds being made, he turned around gently before having all of the air knocked out of him. He caught a glimpse of a tail that struck him in the gut before he was sent flying into a tree. He groaned at the hard impact as he panted for breath.

He placed his hand on the tree to help stabilize his posture as he looked around. He couldn’t see anything, but he knew that it was nearby. He slowed his breathing as he waited for some sort of sound to where the creature might be. He heard a slight rustle from the bush and threw one of his hammers at it. He heard a soft ‘thunk,’ but nothing more was heard. He looked at the last hammer that was in his hand and threw it to the side. He started walking towards the fillies who were slowly regaining consciousness. He was halfway to them when something wrapped around his leg and jerked him back.

He was pulled through the bushes and lost all sight of the fillies. He could feel something still wrapped around his leg and rolled onto his back. He looked down to see the same tail that had struck him was now dragging him away. The dragging stopped as he was released in an open field, trees encircling him. He saw the bushes in front of him rustle as a creature came into view. It slithered slowly as it looked him up and down, gauging his possible threat.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Damian said to no one particular.

The creature that slowly slithered towards him was something that he only knew from textbooks. The creature was long since extinct in his world, but now he was facing it first hand, and knew why the books said that death was imminent when you ran into one. A basilisk was a creature that hunted during the night. Many people lost their lives to the creature’s potent venom as it hunted them. He had to take step back and to the side as the creature neared him. Every fiber told him to run and try to escape the creature, but he remembered the three fillies.

The basilisk was probably the reason for their fright and he was the only one in its way. The creature saw him as competition for its food and wanted to end him. Seeing as there was no way to get away from the creature without getting the crusaders involved, he planted his feet into the ground. The basilisk stopped in its tracks as it watched the human lift his arms up and prepared for a fight. He watched as the serpent’s tongue flicked at the air, sensing the heat that came off his body. Its eyes grew to slits as it prepared to strike.

The strike came fast and precise as it tried to go for his neck. He barely had anytime to jump to the side and avoid a slow, painful death. The creature coiled its body to strike again and he used this as his chance. He ran towards the creature and gave a sharp punch to the side of its head. He felt his fist make contact with the creature, but it didn’t even faze it. He felt pain shoot through his arm as he pulled back. He looked to see that his knuckles were already bleeding from the impact.

The basilisk looked annoyed from his attack, and bared his fangs. He could see the venom shimmer in the moonlight as it dripped from the points. He had no idea what to do at this moment. He couldn’t hurt the creature because of its tough scales and dodging would only be futile since he would run out of stamina and become easy prey for the creature. He needed something, anything that could possibly help him drive back the creature. He scanned his surroundings, never staying off the creature for a long period of time.

He couldn’t find anything that could help him until he saw a large, old tree. It was leaning a bit to its side and looked ready to fall over. He wasn’t sure if it would kill the creature, but if it could hurt it enough to get it to leave, then that was fine by him. The creature never let him out of his sight and he was hoping for that. The creature kept low and slithered towards him as he backed up. He was slowly nearing the tree and took a quick look back to see if he had his back to it still. The creature used this to strike at him with its tail.

He didn’t have any time to react as he was struck in the side by the tail. He could see barbs sticking from the tail and cursed himself for forgetting about them. The basilisk only needed one barb in its prey to get the venom flowing in its blood. The strike flung him right into the tree and lost all his breath. He panted heavily as he watched the creature slither towards him. He planted his hands firmly on the ground as he had only one shot at this. The creature eyed him with a deadly gaze that he gladly returned.

He watched as it bared its fangs again and reared its head back. Time slowed as the creature lunged forward, fangs ready to finish him off. Using all his strength, he threw himself to the side and heard the crack of breaking wood. He watched as the tree fell on top of the basilisk and pinned it to the ground. He could hear the loud hissing sounds that it gave off as it writhed underneath the tree. He watched for several minutes before the body became limp and the hissing stopped. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn’t find the strength.

The venom was coursing through his body now and he knew that he was a goner. He looked up at the night sky as he chuckled to himself. If he had to say anything about what happened to him, he would only say that he had died twice for his own stupidity. He could hear rustling from nearby bushes and when he looked over all he could see was a blur. His vision was getting cloudy and his breathing was getting harder to control. His eyelids felt heavy as they slowly closed. All he could hear was frantic voices from someone that was right next to him. It was starting to get faint, but he could make out a two words.

“Don’t die,” the only two words that he was able to understand before his vision was lost and he could no longer hear anything.

His face grew a slight smile as he thought about joining his family that he had lost. His master would be there and greet him with open arms. Everything was looking good for him, and he couldn’t be happier.

Healing Is a Problem

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Second Breath
By: Duelist96
Chapter 2: Healing Is a Problem

Darkness surrounded Damian as he floated along the empty abyss. He had a content smile on his face as he stared deep into the nothingness. Many people feared death, but he was one to never shy away from it. He understood death was a natural order to his world and accepted any fate that could befall him. His true joy though, came from the thought of reuniting with his most likely dead master in the afterlife. Believing in some mighty overlord was never something he wanted to accept, but he did think there was a place the soul goes to after one dies.

He was enjoying the peaceful quiet of the dark void until a dim light caught his attention. He looked over to his left to see a flashing white light in the distance. Curious to what the light was, he corrected his course as he floated towards the light. It was never really explained how one would reach the afterlife, but he thought the flashing light was a good sign to follow. He floated for a few minutes before the light’s intensity increased. He had to shield his eyes as he neared the light. He was an arm’s length away before he had to shut his eyes and cover them with his hand so he wouldn’t go blind.

His hand grasped some object made of metal. The object was cold to the touch and felt like a door knob. Risking a chance at going blind, he removed his hand and noticed the blinding light was gone. He looked down to see his hand grasping a brass door knob, but it wasn’t attached to any door. His brow raised in confusion as he tried to figure out the mystery of the knob. Looking around, he didn’t see anything else in the void and decided to turn the knob. He wasn’t expecting any noise to come from turning the knob, but he could hear it click from its hold. Against all better judgment, he pushed forward.

As he pushed forward, he felt something press against his body. Something was pressing against his right side and it felt sturdy. He looked to his right to notice nothing was there. He pulled back a little from whatever he was pressing against and reached out with his hand. His hand made contact with whatever was pressed against him and slowly took shape. Black wisps appeared around his hand before slowly covering the object. He watched the wisps for several seconds, before he was able to make the object out to be an actual door.

Shrugging his shoulders, he grabbed the doorknob made out of the wisps and gave it a turn. He could hear the mechanisms inside the doorknob work as he slowly pushed the door open. There was a small flash of light, and when it disappeared, he was greeted with nothing again. Looking at the wisp covered door then back into nothingness, he took a tentative step forward. Nothing seemed different from before, and he continued on his walk. He was too distracted in his walk to notice the door close behind him and the black wisps follow him.

He had no idea how long he was walking for and if he was even in the area the door led him to. Growing more frustrated during his walk, he stopped in mid stride as he tried to remain calm. He thought back to what his master had taught him and sat in where he was standing. His palms were placed on his knees as he took deep, even breaths. His senses slowly came back to him and he could make out a quiet noise from behind. His eyes shot open as he jumped to his feet and looked around.

“Who’s there!?” Damian yelled as he tried to pinpoint the noise.

“It’s not nice to yell, Night Angel,” a voice said from the dark abyss.

“Shade, get out here, now,” Damian demanded as he recognized the voice.

“Now, it isn’t nice to demand others to show themselves, Night Angel,” Shade said as he appeared in front.

The human had his arms crossed as he waited for Shade to show himself. There wasn’t much to the creature that he was familiar with, but it did contain a few noticeable features. The black wisps formed a cloak that was frayed at the bottom and moved to a nonexistent breeze. No feet appeared, but he already knew about Shade’s likeness to floating in the abyss. The hood was next to materialize, but to his surprise the dark creature kept it down.

He could see the head starting to form and it still disgusted him when he looked at it. He was looking at his own face, but with its own special touches. His once black hair was white as snow and his blue eyes turned into a crimson red. The arms slowly showed themselves, but were quickly covered up. Shade always preferred to wear long sleeves, so he could leave the impression that he could be hiding something.

The dark creature stood at the same height as the human as they stared at each other. Damian gave him an infuriated look, while Shade gave one of enjoyment. The creature’s happy smile could easily bring the worst out of the human, but there was nothing he could do about the entity. Silence settled between the two before the human finally gave a heavy sigh and tried to figure out what the dark creature wanted.

“What is it that you want?” Damian asked, showing his anger towards the creature.

“Can’t a good friend come and say hello to his old pal, Night Angel?” Shade asked in a cheery tone.

“You know very well how much I hate you.”

“How can you hate me when I saved your life?” Shade asked as he acted dramatic with a hand on his head.

“Should have guessed you wouldn’t let me die in peace,” Damian grunted in annoyance.

“Do you remember the reason why, though?” Shade asked as he floated closer to the human.

“If I die, then you’ll die as well.”

“Exactly, and since I haven’t enjoyed myself as much as I have wanted, I had to keep you alive. I must say though, I’m surprised to see you’re able to handle yourself without my help.”

“Never needed your help in the beginning, and I certainly don’t need it now,”

“Do you honestly believe that?” Shade asked with a slight frown.

“I do. I also would be living a fine life if you never came around to begin with.”

“And I told you that it couldn’t be avoided. Magic essence may be able to live for a really long time, but we don’t have the choice of who we end up with,” Shade explained as he gave a scowl.

“Why me, though? There were millions to choose from and I’m the one that ends up with the shitty life,” Damian shot back with a few tears starting to show.

“Because that’s just how it is. Whether either of us like it, we’re stuck with each other to the end,” Shade said as he gave a sudden flash.

“Everything okay?”

“It’s that damn bitch.”

“What did she do to you?”

“You remember the magic seal she placed on you?”

“Yeah,” Damian answered as he gave a slight nod.

“After your body started to shut down, the seal started to let up. I took that time to start healing your wounds and keeping the venom from reaching your heart. The sun bitch sensed my presence and put a new seal on you. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s more powerful than the first one,” Shade explained.

“She really can’t keep her nose out of my business, can she?” Damian asked as he shook his head.

“She’s the main reason why you’re alive as well. After she sealed me up again, the poison started to move through your system since I hadn’t gotten rid of it at the time,” Shade said as he stared up at nothing.

“So how long am I stuck here?”

“Your body seems to be doing well and all the poison is out of your system. I’d say that you may leave at your leisure,” Shade said as he summoned a door.

“I want you to know that I still hate you, but I’ll see what I can do about that new magic seal,” Damian said as he reached for the door.

“No rush, Damian. If you can, talk to her about dark magic. She kept mentioning it as the reason for sealing me,” Shade asked.

“Sure thing. She probably also thinks that she got rid of you and it’s going to be a great surprise for her to learn who she’s really dealing with,” Damian joked.

“Get out of here, Night Angel. I’ll talk to you later,” Shade said as he disappeared from existence.

The human couldn’t help but shake his head at the way his magic essence acted. Nineteen years they have lived together and he barely understood him. There was a deep hatred for the dark creature, but some respect for what he offered. If it wasn’t for the creature living inside of him, he would have died some time ago. He opened the door and walked into the blinding light as he prepared to greet the world.

Hospital

The sound of beeping along with the smell of a sterile room assaulted the human’s nose. His nose wrinkled as he wanted something better than whatever he was smelling at the moment. He gave a harsh cough that sent a surge of pain along his side. His eyes slowly cracked open to take in his surroundings. His eyes were blurry and crusty, showing he had been out for a while. He lifted his left arm and started rubbing at his eyes so he could see where he was at.

It took a minute, but his vision slowly came back to him. He could make out the white tiles on the floor as they reflected the light back into his eyes. He looked over to his right to see an IV and heart monitor reading his vitals. The ceiling had two lights that were glowing with a fierce intensity that could easily compete with the sun. A lone chair sat to the side of his bed and it was clear that it had seen some use.

He stopped looking around the room when he felt a small breeze. He reached for the sheet that was covering his body and hoped he was wrong. He lifted the sheet and immediately pulled it back down. His face grew slight red from the embarrassment and fury that was building inside of him.

“Fucking damn it,” Damian cursed in a whisper.

The ponies had completely stripped him of all his clothing and didn’t even bother giving him something to cover up in. He wanted to throw the heart monitor out the nearby window to release his building anger, along with getting rid of the annoying beeping sound it made. He decided against it as he felt another surge. He had no idea how they did it or if they even bothered, but he needed to find a bathroom.

The human carefully swung his legs over the side, wincing slightly from a sharp pain in his side. Looking down, he found where the basilisk had stung him. There were a couple stitches left, but it seemed Shade had done a decent job with it before he was sealed away. His feet touched the cold linoleum floor and heard a small clang. He felt the vibration from the clang resonate from his finger and looked down.

There were two rings that were on his middle finger. One was made of silver and had crescent moons running along it and the other was made of gold that had suns running around it. It didn’t take much to figure out who put them there and gave a small growl. He tried to pull the rings off, but with no luck. Giving up for now so he could use the restroom, he pulled off everything that was attached to his body except for the IV.

He knew that being disconnected from the heart monitor would set off an alarm at the front, but he didn’t care. He shuffled along the cold floor until he finally reached his destination. He turned on the light and shuffled in as he closed the door behind him. He walked over to the toilet and started doing his business. Once he was finished, he washed his hands and headed back to bed. He was sitting on the edge when his door was slammed open.

Wincing from the pain in his side, he grabbed the bed sheet and covered his lower half as he glared at whoever entered. He saw who was standing at the door and was already infuriated with her new behavior. Her flowing mane easily told him who it was and he laid back in bed as she walked towards him. The Princess of the Sun was about to say something when he cut her off.

“Ever hear of knocking? It shows politeness because you never know what is beyond the door,” Damian said, not even bothering to look in her direction.

“I asked the nurses to tell me if anything strange appears while you’re in here,” Celestia stated with a serious gaze.

“Sorry for the false alarm, then.”

“So you’re doing well?”

“Yes, but I have a question.”

“Which is?”

“What are these things that you put on my fingers, and why can’t I remove them?” Damian asked with a slight scowl.

“They’re magic inhibitor rings. They lock away a pony’s magic and can only be removed by the ones who placed them,” Celestia explained.

“I’m going to take a shot in the dark, but it was you and your sister that placed these, correct?” Damian told flatly.

“We did because if we didn’t, your dark magic would have endangered my ponies,” Celestia said as she gave the human a harsh glare.

“What do you mean dark magic?”

“I’m talking about the magic that you possess. I don’t know what kind of magic you have, but it’s too dangerous to allow freedom.”

“My shadow magic is not dark magic!” Damian yelled at the solar princess.

He noticed the princess’ eyes widen after he mentioned his kind of magic. She stood stock still as she looked at him, gauging his body response. She could only recall one pony that used shadow magic, and he hasn’t been seen in the last thousand years. She knew what the powers of dark magic could do to a pony, especially shadow magic, but she was confused as well. The human in front of her admitted to knowing shadow magic, but he showed no signs of corruption like the last pony. She shook her head slightly as she was determined to get some answers.

“Where did you learn your magic?” Celestia asked with a hardened gaze.

“I wasn’t taught it. I was born with it,” Damian said as he offered his own hardened gaze.

“No pony is born with such an evil magic, it’s unheard of.”

“Possibly in your world it is, but in mine, a person can be born with any kind of magic. I just happened to get the bad draw.”

“Then how come you’re not corrupted by it?” Celestia asked, never letting her gaze falter.

“Because Shade isn’t evil,” Damian said as he continued to stare back at her.

“Your magic has a name?” Celestia asked with a raised brow.

“Of course he does. I don’t know how your magic works around here, but in my world, magic is a living creature.”

“Our magic is the same, but most ponies never really get to know the names of the magic entities that reside in them. That you can even speak to such a vile creature and not be corrupted warrants even more protection for my ponies.”

“So I guess asking for these rings to be taken off is out of the question?” Damian asked.

“It most certainly is,” Celestia said as she frowned at the human.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying. So do you have anything more to say, or can I be left alone?” Damian asked as he got comfortable on the bed.

“I’ll let you rest for now, but we will be having more conversations later on, and you will give me answers to my questions,” Celestia said as she turned around.

“I’ll only give answers to the ones that you need to know!” Damian yelled to her as she walked out of the room.

The door closed with a sharp click and he went back to lying on the bed. He stared up at the bright ceiling before giving a heavy sigh and turning to his side. A few tears escaped his eyes as he looked at the rings on his fingers. He understood the reason why people in his world feared his magic, but to know the ponies of this world also had a problem with it really bothered him. He decided not to dwell on that thought for long as he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.

Dream Realm

The human was sitting in a lush green field, shaded by a giant tree. His chin rested on his pulled up knees as he looked out to a calming lake. He could feel another enter his dreamscape and didn’t even bother looking to see who it was. He knew of only two that ever entered his dreams and since he wasn’t ready to punch a certain night princess in the muzzle, he knew it was the other being.

“Happy to know your answer, now?” Damian asked without looking up.

“You know I can never feel happy when you’re this way. Why do you go through these weird emotional states with me?” Shade asked as he sat next to him.

“I need you to be honest with me. I still hold much hatred towards you, but what am I really angry at? I lost my family because of you and then the other family after I ran away. Am I really mad at you or myself for not really being able to do anything?”

“That isn’t something I can answer entirely. I’ve existed for a long time, but every person I’ve been with has always held some hatred towards me. Their hatred for me isn’t misplaced, and I do deserve some of that. You are free to hate me because I have caused problems for you,” Shade answered as he looked in the lake at his own reflection.

The human joined the shadow entity in looking at his own reflection as he reflected on his words. Everything that he said was true and he didn’t even hesitate to admitting to his own effect he had on others. The hatred he held for the creature would probably never go away, but they were stuck together. They understood how the other felt because of their bond and couldn’t really keep him away.

It was weird to look in the crystal clear blue water, as he couldn’t see Shade’s reflection. He remembered asking the entity why he didn’t have a reflection and the answer he gave was a bit puzzling. The shadow entity explained that since his entire existence was a shadow, he never had a true form. He would only take shape depending who he was bonded with, and he never looked the same. He showed the human his different forms over his years of existence and they truly never matched.

If the human wanted to take a guess at what his true form was, it would be what it was during the first time they actually talked. The shadow entity didn’t look like anything except a dark cloud that waited to be molded into something. It took years for the entity to take form and he was less than pleased to see Shade take his form. After listening to his words, he understood a little more where his magic was coming from.

“I understand what you mean. I can’t change that past, but you did have a hand in everything that happened. I still hate you, but I don’t wish you gone. You’re the only one that I have left from my home world, and I can’t lose you yet,” Damian said.

“I don’t plan on losing you either. You have much to learn from me and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you live,” Shade said as he gave the first smile the human ever see him give.

The two sat together as they continued to stare into the lake. Neither said anything as they had nothing to offer to the other. The sight was serene and even though it was a dream, the smell was comforting to the human. The water was clean and the air fresh. He could smell the wildflowers that were scattered about, offering their own scents to help calm his nerves. The pleasant smells were nice, but his mind soon wandered back to his home.

Everything in his home smelled rancid and gross. Dead bodies were common to come across and the smell of their decaying flesh was always prominent. Most people got used to the smell after living there for several years, but there was sometimes that one smell that was stronger than the others. One smell stuck to the human, and that was the smell of burning flesh when he was with Master. He was pulled from his memories when he felt another presence make itself known.

“Luna, so nice to see you,” Damian said sarcastically.

“So, I take it that this creature is the one that you call Shade?” Luna asked as she ignored his greeting.

“That is him. What can I help you with?” Damian asked, making sure the alicorn could hear his annoyance.

“I came by to say a few things. First, I wanted to say that I’m glad to see you’re healing well and are able to walk around,” Luna started.

“How long have I been in the hospital, anyways?” Damian asked.

“You’ve been in the hospital for the past week. Now if I may, I wish to get to my other points. Thank you for saving Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom. Finally, I also want to talk about making friends,” Luna said as she offered a small smile.

“Are you not going to let that go? I told you that I want nothing to do with the ponies in this world.”

“Why must you be against this idea? I’ve seen your deep conscience and having friends would help alleviate some of your problems,” Shade saw the anger that was beginning to show in the human and decided to step in.

“I’m sorry, but not really. Damian doesn’t need any friends as they are a hindrance to him. Now, would you please kindly leave him alone,” Shade said as he gave a small scowl.

“Very well, but his problems will only get worse until he opens up to others,” Luna said as she gently shook her head.

The alicorn soon spread her wings, taking one last look back at the human before taking off. The shadow entity continued to float where he was before turning around and joining the human again. He could feel the anger and sadness emanate from his body and took this as his queue to leave him alone. He gave the human a reassuring pat on the shoulder before disappearing with the wind.

Seeing he was all alone now, the human crawled up to the tree and started to climb it. He found a large enough branch and laid down. The green leaves gave enough shade, but not too much where the sun was blocked out. He could see some of the dream starting to disappear and prepared for a probably rude awakening. His magic entity showed up for a quick second to wave him goodbye and he was happy to return it.

Hospital

Damian’s eyes clenched tightly as he refused to go back to sleep. He could feel the burning light from the ceiling lights assault him, and there was a faint noise in his room. The clopping of hooves could be heard on the cold tile floor, but it also didn’t help that one of the visitors was speaking very loudly. Whoever was visiting him was trying to whisper, but it was in a vain attempt. The voice sounded familiar to one of the ponies that he met and he was hoping with everything that he had that she wasn’t there.

Seeing that sleep was now only a wish, he carefully opened his eyes. Through the blurriness, he could make out three colors. He saw orange, lavender, and cream in the distance. His heart raced in his chest that Pinkie was hiding somewhere, but couldn’t find a trace of her pink coat anywhere. Thinking that the pink mare had stepped out of the room, he slowly rose out of bed. His eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light again and he could see Rarity and Rainbow Dash talking with their friends. He carefully stretched his arms, avoiding to cause stress to his wound as he waited for them to notice he was awake. It didn’t take long thanks to an overly energetic mare greeting him.

“Good Morning!” Pinkie yelled in his face.

The sudden appearance of the pink pony and her loud yell startled him out of bed. He flailed his arms and legs as he fell out of the bed. He hit the ground on his bad side and groaned loudly in pain. His groan got the attention of the other mares in the room and heard them give a collective gasp. The human gritted his teeth as he fought against the flashes of pain that was running through his side. He felt a magic aura encase his body and gently float him back to the bed. He noticed the lavender hue and knew it to be Twilight’s magic.

His sheets were encased in a blue aura, courtesy of Rarity as she helped her friend settle the human back in bed. He was gently placed on the thin mattress as the seamstress pulled up his covers. The lavender unicorn carefully adjusted his bed so he was sitting up slightly while the white unicorn levitated him some clothes. He quickly took the offered clothes and found a pair of boxers. His face turned slightly red in embarrassment as he slowly pulled up his boxers. With his boxers on, he put on a pair of pants before setting aside his shirt.

“It’s good to see you’re awake, Damian,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Kind of wish I was still asleep so I can avoid being blinded by the lights,” Damian said.

“Would you like the lights dimmed a little?” Twilight offered with a small smile.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Damian replied as he got comfortable in the bed.

The lavender unicorn’s magic flared to life as she grabbed the switch on the other side of the room and slowly lowered it. She brought it down enough to where the human could see into the light and not feel his retinas burning. He relaxed further into his bed while the ponies continued to give him small smiles. He noticed their small shifts from side to side, clearly showing they had something to tell him.

“Whatever you have to say, just say it,” Damian said a little annoyed.

“We wanted to thank you for saving the foals,” Rarity started.

“You really had us worried when we found you. If it wasn’t for Zecora, I don’t think any of us would have known you were out there,” Twilight said.

“Well, there would have been two certain individuals that would have known about my deceased body,” Damian said with a slight growl

“Maybe, but they said that they were having a hard time finding you when you were slipping to the other side,” Pinkie said as she slightly deflated.

“I don’t know why you didn’t just leave me out there. I was content with dying and possibly joining those that I care about,” Damian said in slight irritation.

“But we couldn’t just leave you out there. You’re our friend, and as such, we should look out for you,” Fluttershy said while slightly coming out of her mane.

“Is everyone here deaf? I’ve told Luna twice and I’m sure this is my third time telling you that I don’t need friends. So drop the topic for fuck’s sake!” Damian yelled at the ponies, causing them to shrink back.

Rainbow Dash was quickly in his face as she gave him a hard glare. Her wings were beating furiously behind her as she tried to keep from throttling the human. He could hear her heavy breathing before she finally spoke.

“If none of us are your friends, then why did you save the foals?” Rainbow asked with a raised brow.

“I saved them because they were in trouble. Anyone would have done the same thing,” Damian defended as he pressed his forehead against her forehead.

“True, but let me ask you another question. Why did they end up in that situation?” Rainbow pressed further.

“They asked for my help in rebuilding their treehouse. I ended up doing most of the work since they were making a mess and they decided to go treasure hunting. Next thing I know, I hear screaming from one of them and did what I had to,” Damian explained as he pushed against her more.

The two were ready to pummel each other when the door opened again. Everyone looked towards the door to see three fillies walk in. The fillies noticed the human awake and quickly ran towards him. They jumped into the air and landed on him harshly, but thankfully avoided his wound. All three fillies looked at him with hurt filled eyes as they hugged him.

“We’re so sorry that you got hurt,” Sweetie Belle said as she held his arm.

“We didn’t mean for any of that to happen. Can you ever forgive us?” Apple Bloom asked as she looked up to him with her big, tear filled eyes.

“It’s not your fault. Some of the blame is on me for not keeping a better eye on you and allowing this to happen,” Damian said as he gently stroked their manes.

“Yeah, but we’re the ones that went out into the forest and attracted the creature with our arguing. If we just headed back to the farm instead of trying to argue where treasure might be, you would still be fine,” Scootaloo cried.

“Things happen and I can easily prove that. This isn’t the first time I’ve ended up in this situation and it probably won’t be the last. Also, I’m only hurt along my side. As long as my feet still work, then there really isn’t any damage done to me,” Damian assured the fillies.

The three foals were ready to utter more apologies, when a nurse came into the room. The mare had a light gray coat that easily contrasted her light amaranthish gray mane and tail. Her mane was done up in a bun and she had a nurse’s cap on her head. Her cutie mark was a red cross with four hearts near where they crossed. The mare walked up the human and grabbed the clipboard that was hanging on the end.

“Hello, Damian. I’m Nurse Redheart, and I’m here to see how you’re doing today,” Redheart said as she gave a warm smile.

“I’m doing better. Quick question, though. Why was I naked?” Damian asked with a small frown.

“Well, we needed to remove your clothing so we could attend to your wound. You’re a very lucky stallion to have survived your encounter with a basilisk,” Redheart praised as she looked through the many sheets of paper.

“Any reason why you didn’t put my pants back on when you were done?”

“I wasn’t aware that you would want them back. I assumed that you wore clothing for the same reason we do. Though after inspecting your bottom half, I can understand why you were wearing them,” Redheart said as she gave him a sly grin as his face burned red.

“Can I just sign myself out and head back to the farm so I can pack my things for when I get to Canterlot?” Damian asked as he sunk into his bed.

“Why do you need to pack up for Canterlot?” Applejack asked with a raised brow.

“Because I probably failed your little test.”

“Well, you’re wrong about that. You can be really hard to be around at points, but you’ve done as I’ve asked. You also saved my sister and her friends, so that allowed for a little more leeway. You’ve also helped increase our harvesting, so I’ll allow you to stay. You just need to keep up the good work,” Applejack answered as she gave a smile.

“That’s all good news, but you can’t leave yet. You still have a couple of days left before you can even be considered healthy enough to leave,” Redheart stepped with in with a serious look.

“I’m still able to walk, right?” Damian asked.

“Yes, but I don’t see what-” Redheart started, but was interrupted by the human.

“Then I can leave. As long as my legs aren’t injured, I’m fully healed.”

“It doesn’t matter if you can walk or not. You just survived the venom from a basilisk and sustained a serious wound. Until that wound is completely healed and we’re sure that we removed all the toxins from your body, you can’t leave,” Redheart explained as she got face to face with the human.

“Listen, I’m trying to make this easy on you. You can either let me sign myself out or I escape during the night.”

“You wouldn’t even dare,” Redheart challenged.

“This isn’t my first time in a hospital, and probably won’t be my last. Either way, I’m getting out at some point today,” Damian said as he refused to back down.

“Are you insane? Just what makes you think that I’ll allow such a thing?” Redheart asked as she slowly became frustrated.

“Because you know very well that I’m fine, especially since I was visited by your two bitch ass princesses,” Damian answered as he showed the inhibitor rings.

“Now that was uncalled for. The princesses are the most caring and kind-hearted rulers you could ever meet,” Twilight defended.

“Yeah, they’re real caring individuals when they constantly give you death threats,” Damian shot back with a hard glare.

“They’re only looking out for their subjects. They’re the ones that have to make the hard decisions and suffer whatever any consequence that happens,” Twilight stated as she walked towards the human.

“Well good for them. They get to know the consequences of their actions and then easily sweep it under the rug. They’re the same like everyone else from my world. They have you blinded to the good that they do so you won’t accept the bad that is happening around you,” Damian said as he swung his feet over the side of the bed and started walking towards the unicorn.

The lavender mare was ready to retort what he was saying when a loud stomp could be heard. Everyone looked over at Redheart, who was trying her hardest to keep her anger in check. She noticed that everyone was looking at her now and cleared her throat before she addressed the human.

“Very well, then. You can just follow me and I will get everything sorted for your release.”

Redheart didn’t even stay in the room as she turned around and walked out. Silence now filled the vacant room as everyone looked at each other in confusion. The human and lavender mare were about to start up their argument again when they heard the nurse scream down the hall.

“Take it outside if you’re going to continuing arguing, we have patients that are trying to sleep!”

The human gave one final stare at the lavender unicorn before grabbing his shirt and putting it on. He noticed the ponies looking at his scars, especially his more prominent ones. He assumed that Applejack had told her friends after she first saw them, but it was easy to see their slight discomfort. He didn’t say anything as he walked past them and headed for the front desk. The sound of hooves clopping followed him and he looked over his shoulder to see the mares following him from a distance.

He ignored the mares following him and joined Redheart at the front desk. The mare started placing papers in front of him and pointed to where he needed to sign. He easily signed through all the papers the mare had given him and she filed them away for a later time. She faced the human again and gave a small nod as she went back to work. The human easily returned the nod as he turned around and left the hospital. The mares looked at each other hesitantly before waving goodbye to Redheart and catching up to the human.

It didn’t take the mares long to reach the human as his pace slowed. They noticed that he was looking around at his surroundings, trying to see where he was at. They could see him purse his lips slightly as he scratched his chin in confusion. His foot raised as he was about to take a step forward, but turned on his heel to walk towards the mares. He reached them in a few large strides as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“Which direction is the farm in?” Damian asked as he fought against his embarrassment.

“Just follow me, sugarcube. We’re quite a good distance from Sweet Apple Acres and I don’t need you getting lost on me,” Applejack joked.

The human just nodded his head slightly as he followed the orange mare. The other mares soon joined their friend as they started their walk towards town. Twilight looked back at the human and was about to speak when he cut her off.

“I know that Redheart said we could continue this outside, but do you really want to? Does it look like I will take in any consideration about what you have to say about the princesses?” Damian asked with a flat stare.

“I guess you’re right. I just wish that you wouldn’t be so harsh with them. They only want to keep us safe, and you haven’t been the nicest of ponies,” Twilight stated as she looked at the ground.

“I kind of have a reason to not be nice. I haven’t done anything wrong since day one except for maybe yelling at Apple Bloom,” Damian quickly added the last part as he saw the farm mare look in his direction.

“You were going to attack my friend if I didn’t stop you,” Rainbow shot back as she flew in front of the human’s face.

“I wasn’t even going to attack her,” Damian defended.

“Then what exactly were you doing in her fields?” Rarity asked.

“He was sleeping in one of my trees,” Applejack answered.

“Then what happened?” Pinkie asked as she bounced next to her friend.

“I kicked him out of it thinking it was Dash sleeping up there. He falls down and then we stare at each other silently. I was ready to call for help or buck him straight in the face until he pulled out an apple. I was hesitant at first, because I didn’t know what he was or what he had planned, but I didn’t see any real malice. He places the apple on the ground and I collect it to place with the others. After that is pretty much what you’re all aware of,” Applejack explained.

“So he never threatened to harm you or even move in your general direction?” Twilight asked as she noticed the small grin the human had.

“Not a bit. I was still nervous as heck as he kept staring at me, but he didn’t do anything that would be considered harmful,” Applejack said as she looked back at her friends.

“Maybe next time you and your princesses should get the full story before you start judging someone,” Damian said as he made sure the guilt washed over the mares.

“Sorry. I’ll make sure to write a letter to the princesses and explain the misunderstanding,” Twilight apologized as she held back a few tears.

“Your apology is accepted, but don’t bother writing to the princesses. They failed to even try and get the full story and made it so I can’t really trust them. Also, I’m still very upset with all of you for letting this happen as well,” Damian said as he stared forward again.

“Do you think that we could start over at some point?” Twilight asked with a little hope.

“I don’t think we can start from scratch, but I might be able to let up on all of you if you don’t jump to conclusions again,” Damian offered.

The lavender mare nodded her head as she gave a small smile to him. He remembered another thing his master had taught him and it always proved useful. His master would always tell him to never blame people for another person’s incompetence. He found those words to be very true as he walked with the mares. The ponies in front of him were only doing as they were instructed by their ruler and couldn’t be entirely held responsible. He could still give them slight blame though, since they never even bothered to ask him about the events prior to everything now. He could just only sigh as he continued to follow them in the town.

Silence settled into the group again and he couldn’t help but notice that it was a recurring theme between them. He was actually thankful for the silence because conversation with the mares would only lead to him strangling them. The only one that would possibly avoid such a fate would be Fluttershy, since she seemed to be occupied with being scared of everything. He noticed her slight shakes that she gave when she would casually look back at him. He wasn’t even going to bother calming her down since it seemed like she would take off the first chance she could get.

Taking his gaze off the timid pegasus, he looked forward to see he was somewhere near the center of town. He took a few seconds to look around and see the many ponies that were out, looking at him. Many of them were stock still as they watched him walk by, confusion etched in their faces as they tried to figure out what he was. Giving a heavy sigh, he picked his pace up a little so he could reach the farm faster. A small scowl started to form, but that soon changed when he felt something tackle him to the ground. Everything happened too quickly for him to process properly.

He was standing upright, following the farm mare back to her home. He let his gaze focus on the ground so he wouldn’t make eye contact with the residents and now he was staring very closely at the dirt. It wasn’t even his choice as he felt something sitting on his back, nearly causing his wound to open again. He didn’t know what had taken him down, but it seemed to acknowledge his presence when he let out a low groan. He heard someone give a sharp gasp as they quickly jumped off his back.

He rolled onto his back, making sure to go opposite of where his wound was. He was staring up at the blue sky, but that was soon blocked by two brilliant gamboge irises. They looked down at him with general curiosity, but he could see a hint of excitement. What that excitement was, he didn’t know, and didn’t want to find out. He continued to stare into the bright orbs for a few seconds before finally speaking up.

“You mind backing up so I can get up?” Damian asked.

He heard the creature above him gasp again as they stepped back. Taking a deep breath, he rolled back a little so his legs were in the air, then quickly rolled forward. He landed on his feet and used his momentum to stand straight up again. Brushing off some of the dirt on his front, he turned around to see who had tackled him. He was given a slight startle when the creature quickly got near him and started poking him. He could hear her mumbling to herself and took this time to take in her appearance.

The creature that had tackled him to the ground was a unicorn and could clearly see that she was a mare. The unicorn had a very light aquamarine coat and on her flanks was a golden lyre. Her mane and tail were a light grayish cyan with white streaks running through them. Her entire color combination reminded him of a mint he used to enjoy. He was able to see her magic aura was gold as her horn flared to life and lifted his hand to her face. The mare grabbed hold of his hand in her hooves and it was surprising to see her do it.

The mare continued to mumble to herself as she moved each of his digits separately. He looked around to see the other six mares talking with another resident. The mare had no other features on her body, so that left her to being an earth mare. Her coat was a light greenish apple gray and he barely saw three wrapped candies in a wrapper that as a swirl of light blue and light yellow on her flank. Her mane and tail were a moderate cobalt blue with a very light fuchsia stripe in each. Her eyes were a moderate arctic blue that quickly met his gaze.

He noticed the mare shake her head as she walked around the six friends and towards the unicorn that was still messing with his arm. He watched as the earth mare grabbed the unicorn’s tail in her mouth and pulled her away. The unicorn gave a small yelp as she felt her tail being tugged and her hooves dragging along the ground. The earth mare gave a small glare to the unicorn who sat on her haunches while giving a small blush. The earth mare turned around and addressed the human.

“I’m very sorry about that. My marefriend can get a little out of hoof at times,” the earth mare apologized.

“Who are you, and why did she tackle me to the ground?” Damian asked.

“My name is Bon-Bon and I run a local candy shop here in town,” Bon-Bon said as she extended a hoof and he shook it.

“My name is Lyra Heartstring,” the unicorn said as she offered her hoof in greeting and he took it as well.

“So why did you tackle me to the ground?” Damian asked as he let go of their hooves.

“My marefriend has an interest in new species. It’s one of her hobbies to learn of the different cultures that exist and know about their lifestyle. I must admit though, I haven’t really heard anything about you. What are you, exactly, and where do you come from?” Bon-Bon asked as she looked at the human closely.

“How can you not know what he is, sweetie? This is one of those humans that I told you that existed long ago,” Lyra said and this easily got the human’s attention.

“You’ve heard about my kind?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“Of course, though much of your existence is more of a fantasy,” Lyra explained as she gave a nervous chuckle.

“Why am I not surprised? I lived in a world where talking ponies didn’t exist, so I end up in a world where humans never existed. That’s just perfect,” Damian said sarcastically.

“Can you teach me a few things about your world?” Lyra asked with hopeful eyes.

“Don’t even try, Lyra. He hasn’t even told any of us about his world or what he did for a living. Though I can make a few assumptions to what it might have been after speaking with the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Twilight said.

“Going off topic, Bon-Bon said that you were her marefriend. Are you two together?” Damian asked.

“We are a couple, yes,” Bon-Bon answered as she stood next to the mint unicorn.

“You’re both mares, correct?”

“We are. Do you have a problem with our relationship?” Bon-Bon asked as she became slightly aggressive.

“I couldn’t really care less about who you’re dating. Just be with whoever makes you happy in the end and everything will work out.”

“That’s very surprising to hear from you,” Rainbow said as she flew closer to the human with a slight glare.

“Why’s that? You think that I have a negative opinion on everyone that I meet?” Damian asked as he took a few steps towards the pegasus.

“Granted, though we have a few things sorted since our first meeting, you’re still not the most approachable person,” Rarity said as she looked around nervously.

“That’s because you deserve it. Besides being tackled to the ground, they’ve been very courteous. Bon-Bon also made sure that I was okay and apologized for Lyra’s actions. I also don’t blame Lyra because I did the same when I met someone new,” Damian explained.

“Well, if you do change your mind, stop by this address and we can talk,” Lyra said as she scribbled something on a piece of parchment.

The human took the paper as the two mares walked off. He looked over to see their tails intertwine and their heads leaning against each other. He gave a slight shrug as he pocketed the directions and gestured for the mares to continue. The rest of the walk was easier as they were able to wave to some of the ponies and continue on their path. They finally reached the apple farm and the human headed for the barn. He opened the door and walked up the stairs while the mares followed him up. They watched as he looked around his tiny sleeping quarters to see there were a few new items.

“What’s with the bed, nightstand, and dresser?” Damian asked as he looked through the new furnishings.

“Like I said, you’re staying here and I thought you would like something a little more comfortable,” Applejack said with a smile.

“Where did you get them?”

“They were spares we had stored away in case we needed them for anything. Your clothes are in the top drawer of the dresser and your hat is in the nightstand.”

“The girls and I also made you a little something after everything that happened,” Apple Bloom said as she gave a nervous smile.

“Where is it?” Damian as he looked through the drawers.

“Lift the sheets to your bed,” Apple Bloom gesture with her hoof.

The human walked over to the bed and gripped the sheets. He hesitated for a second from how soft the sheets felt. He could only remember the few times he ever felt something so soft and now he realized how alone he was. Shaking his head slightly so the mares wouldn’t see his break in composure, he pulled the sheet back to see a patch on the bed. The patch was a shield in shape and was red with a gold outline. In the center was a foal that reminded him of Scootaloo. The foal was standing in the center of the patch with its leg held in a salute and two daggers crossed over each other.

“What is it?” Damian asked as he looked over the patch.

“It’s a patch to show that you’re a guard for the Cutie Mark Crusaders,” Sweetie Belle happily chimed.

“Thank you.”

“I think we’ll leave you be for now. Lunch will be ready in a couple of hours and you can rest up after,” Applejack said as she grabbed her little sister and walked down the stairs.

The other mares gave their own goodbyes as they started to leave one by one. The human was left alone in his room, or he would be, if a certain lavender mare didn’t linger around. He looked over to see the unicorn pawing at the ground nervously. Heaving a heavy sigh, he placed the patch on top of his dresser and addressed his one other occupant.

“What do you want?” Damian asked as he sat on the edge of his bed.

“I just wanted to say to not overdo it and avoid getting hurt if possible. You may not care much, but we want to help you out as best we can. You may not consider us friends yet, but we do want to help you,” Twilight said as she offered a small smile.

“You really don’t know when to give up, do you?”

“And you can’t stop being stubborn, so I guess we all have our faults. Take care of yourself and make sure to get plenty of bed rest. Also, Redheart gave me these pills to help with your pain,” Twilight said as she levitated a bottle over to him.

“Thanks,” Damian replied as he read the instructions on the bottle.

The lavender unicorn gave a small nod as she turned around and headed down the stairs. Looking at the small clock on his nightstand, he still had a good chunk of time to himself. Popping the lid to the bottle, he grabbed one of the pills and threw it down his throat. Placing the bottle on the nightstand, he stood on his two legs as he went about doing some stretches. He could feel the slight tingle his wound gave off, but it wasn’t much like before, thanks to the pain pills. Popping his neck and shoulders, he placed his hands on the floor and brought his legs up. He moved his hands a bit so he could find a comfortable position.

Finding his balance that didn’t irritate his wound, he slowly moved down. Once his elbows almost reached a ninety degree angle, he pushed back up. Not finding any problems with the first push, he went about his second one. He started off slow as he built into his regular rhythm. He counted every push that he made, trying to reach his goal of fifty. His breathing became labored as sweat started to form. His arms gave a dull burn as he reached his half way point. Being in the hospital for a week and not having a proper meal since his release, he found it very hard to continue.

Grunting at his weakness, he pushed himself even further. He could feel his wound throb as he continued to push against the ground. He felt something wet travel along his side and could hear a faint dripping sound. He cracked his eyes to see a few specks of crimson collecting on the floor. Taking a careful breath, he slowly brought down his right leg until it touched the floor. He did the same with his other leg and slowly rolled onto his back. Giving a few deep breaths, he brought himself up and leaned against his bed.

Looking at his side, he saw his bandage slowly turn crimson. Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he pulled the bandage off to see a few stitches came loose. Placing his bandage back on, he slowly got to his feet and traveled down the stairs. Opening the barn doors and squinting from the harsh sunlight, he walked towards the farm house. As he neared the building he saw Apple Bloom sitting near one of the steps. She noticed the human coming towards the house and quickly trotted to him. She had a warm smile that turned into a concerned frowned as she noticed her darkening bandage.

“Are you okay, Damian?” Apple Bloom asked as she gestured to the reddening bandage.

“I’m fine. Do you have a needle and thick thread I could use?” Damian asked as he applied pressure to his wound.

“Yeah, it’s up in the sewing room. Follow me and I can get you what you need,” Apple Bloom offered as she led the human.

The human followed the filly into the house and he noticed Applejack in the kitchen helping Granny Smith. Not wanting to get her riled up with his small wound, he quietly followed the little farm filly up the stairs. The filly took a right at the top step and entered the first door to her left. He followed her into the room and noticed the old style sewing machine that was in the room. He noticed the filly go to a closet and started to dig through it. He grabbed the chair from the desk the sewing machine was on, and sat down.

He could hear the young apple filly mumble to herself as she searched for what he needed. It didn’t take her long as she came out of the closet and presented the needle and thread with a triumphant look. Nodding to the filly, he grabbed the two items and started his painstaking task for threading a needle. It took him a few tries, with some cursing in between, before he finally got the thread through the eye. Taking his bandage off, he started towards his wound when he noticed the filly was still in the room.

“Can you leave, please?” Damian asked.

“What are you going to do?” Apple Bloom asked with a raised brow.

“I’m just going to close up my wound that I opened again. You can go out and play since I have it from here.”

“Will you be okay?” Apple Bloom asked with general worry.

“This isn’t the first time I had to do this. Just do me a favor and don’t tell your sister. She would probably give me a lecture about not resting like she told me to.”

“If you say so,” Apple Bloom said with her gaze on the floor.

The filly looked up at the human with a bit of worry before giving a small smile and exiting the room. He waited a few seconds before the sound of clopping hooves were far away. With no hoofsteps within range, he started closing his wound. His teeth were clenched tightly as he felt the needle push through his flesh. Once the needle was pushed through his skin, he tied the end of the string and started closing his wound. He could feel the blood collect on his hands as he slowly closed his opening. It took a few minutes of fighting against the pain before he finally closed off his wound.

There wasn’t much blood, but enough to cover his hands. He breathed deeply as he relaxed into the chair. His eyes lazily wandered about to make sure there was no blood on the floor. Seeing there was no mess to clean up, he put the chair back in its place as he headed for the bathroom. He easily found the room as it was to the left of where he was at. He entered the bathroom and turned on the sink. He grabbed a cloth and soaked it with hot water. Once the cloth was soaked, he took away the rest of the bandage and cleaned around his wound.

The wet cloth grew red from the dried blood that it cleaned off and had a nice bloody handprint from his hand. Finished with washing off his wound, he looked around the linen closet for any more bandages. He found a nice bandage in the back and grabbed it. Placing the package near the sink, he cleaned off his hands and cloth to hide his evidence. With the cloth thoroughly washed and his used bandaged properly disposed of, he opened the package and applied his new bandage. Turing on the hot water after the bandage was secured, he gave a few splashes to his face to help him relax.

He heard the distant clopping of hooves on the wooden floors, and they were nearing his location. The sound lasted for a few seconds before coming to a dead stop. Not really thinking anything about it, he grabbed a dry cloth and dried his face off. As he dried his face off there was a knock on the door and a pony calling out to him.

“You in there, Damian?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, what do you need?”

“I just came by to let you know lunch was ready and to see if you’re doing well.”

“Thanks, I’ll be done in a few seconds. I’m also doing fine. Took one of those pills that Twilight gave me and I’m doing fine.”

“Okay, just don’t strain yourself too much. Nurse Redheart has enough to deal with when Rainbow is out practicing her stunts,” Applejack gave a small chuckle.

“Stunts for what?” Damian asked as he exited the bathroom.

“Training for the Wonderbolts,” Applejack answered like he should have known.

“Who or what are the Wonderbolts?”

“They’re a special aerobatics group made entirely of pegasi. They perform many airshows and are our air force in times of need,” Applejack explained as they walked into the kitchen.

“I didn’t think you would need some sort of guard force, since everything here looks so peaceful,” Damian stated.

“We usually don’t, especially because of my friends and myself being the bearers of the Elements of Harmony.”

“The what?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

The farm mare didn’t answer him instantly as she took a seat at the table. The human took his own seat as he started to fill his plate with the many offerings of food. He was sure that he was overfilling his plate, but he wanted to make sure he had something filling in his belly. The other farm ponies that were present were watching him with slight amusement. Their small chuckling could be heard thanks to the filly, who couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“What’s so funny?”

“I think your eyes might be bigger than you stomach there, sugarcube,” Applejack answered as she tried to control her laughter.

“Maybe, but I haven’t had a real meal since I’ve been in the hospital. I also didn’t eat anything before coming here, so I would like to be safe than sorry.”

“I’m just messing with you. You’re free to get as much as you want and whatever you don’t finish, we can just wrap it up for later,” Applejack said with a warm smile.

The human could only sigh internally at the mare’s actions. He easily saw that she was trying to get close to him, even after everything had been said. The only thing that made sense that the six mares were trying to befriend him was because of their world. Maybe if he was born in a more friendly environment, he would be open to the idea. Sadly, this wasn’t true and he had to make sure that his survival came first. Weird way for him to think after he saved three fillies from a basilisk.

The thought of the basilisk brought something else to his mind. It wasn’t something that was entirely important, but it was there to help pass the time. He didn’t even think about it until he thought about the interest it would bring to have something like that. Knowing there was no way the farm ponies would let him back in the forest, he had to wait till nightfall. Gathering his thoughts back in one place, he wondered if the princesses would stop him. He mulled over the thought for a few seconds before deciding he was still going to go for it.

With everything settled for now, he went back to eating his food. The Apple family enjoyed lengthy conversations with each other and tried to get the human to join in. He offered a few opinions himself, but remained relatively quiet. He was able to finish off his first plate, surprising everyone at the table with how clean it was. He looked back at the food that was still around and decided against having seconds.

“Can you pack me something for later today?” Damian asked as he stretched.

“I can do that for you, sugarcube. Would you like some for lunch tomorrow as well?” Applejack asked as she went about cleaning the table.

“Sure.”

The human went about cleaning his plate and putting away while the ponies cleaned everything on the table. He took a quick glance around his shoulder to see that they weren’t looking in his direction. Seeing that the ponies weren’t looking, he reached over and grabbed a knife that wouldn’t be missed. He looked back to see the ponies still busy, and quickly concealed the weapon in his pants. With the knife secured, he went about cleaning up some of the mess that Applejack would allow him to help with.

With everything cleaned and put away for the afternoon, Applejack and Big Mac left to finish up a few trees. With nothing really left for him to do, Damian walked out of the house and headed for the barn. Knowing that he had his lunch and dinner stored away for later, he went over to his bed to lay down. Since he didn’t have anything until the sun went down, he closed his eyes to get a quick nap.

Night

Damian woke up to see small amounts of moonlight filtering through the roof and window. He rubbed the small sleep from his eyes and took in his surroundings. Nothing had really changed except for a pair of clothes that were next to him. He figured Rarity must have made him new ones after his last pair got destroyed. Getting out of bed, he grabbed the new set to see what they looked like. There wasn’t much to them, but what he saw caused him to give a small frown.

On the front of the shirt were three red apples that resembled Applejack’s cutie mark. He didn’t know if this was some kind of joke for the mare, or if she was being serious, but either way, he really didn’t like it. Exhaling a large breath to avoid blowing up, he folded the shirt and put it away with the few others that he had. With his clothes put away, he looked out the window to see the lights in the farmhouse were out. Giving a slight nod to no one, he jumped over the railing, grunting a little from a small throb of pain in his side.

Shaking his head slightly, he started off for the forest. The cool night air felt nice against his bare skin, helping to alleviate some of the pain in his side. Looking around, he found the direction he went before with the CMC and started walking. The walk to the clubhouse didn’t take long since he didn’t have the three fillies slowing him down. He found the treehouse nestled up in a sturdy tree and looked around.

He couldn’t remember much about what happened during a week ago, but had a pretty good guess where to go. Taking one look around the many trees, he picked a direction and started walking. He wasn’t sure how much time he had before the princesses came in and decided to move fast. He pulled his thoughts from the princesses as he tried to recollect any memories of where he fought the basilisk. The location proved difficult to be found since everything looked the same, but he soon came to a familiar opening. The clearing was the same as it was before when he found the fillies, and he brought his guard up.

Carefully walking forward, he reached the spot the fillies were lying at before and felt the grass. Replaying the events that happened, he recreated his actions to find where he was sent. Several minutes of walking around and looking at some broken limbs, he found where he killed the vile creature. He found the fallen tree and the monster was still trapped underneath. He gave a smirk, glad that the creature was dead. Walking over to the basilisk, he grabbed the knife he had hidden and ran it along the creature’s body.

Reaching the head, he grabbed its mouth and pulled it open. He looked at the razor sharp teeth that lined the creature’s mouth and gently bounced his knife on each tooth. The human hummed to himself, a slight sway to his head as he tried to pick which tooth he wanted. It took several seconds before he found one of a decent size. Not wasting any time, he plunged the knife into the creature’s gum. He made sure to keep close to the tooth so he could find where it was rooted at.

Blood started to drip from the creature’s tooth as he pushed in deeper. Not finding any root, he slid his knife around the tooth, slowly separating the flesh from the tooth. After running the blade through the entire front of its gum, he made tiny slits so he could get a better view of the tooth. He gave an interested hum as he found the root of the tooth. Concentrating even more, he carefully pushed the tip of the blade near the root. He made sure to be careful to avoid the poison sac that was next to it.

The last thing he wanted was to have venom running out of the tooth and getting killed by it because he cuts himself somehow. The roots were tough as he had to apply a great deal of pressure to get them cut. His efforts were rewarded when he cut through all the roots and pulled the tooth free. More blood dripped from the hole that was in the creature’s mouth, slowly gathering around his feet. He lifted the tooth in the air as he let the moonlight bounce off of it. He smiled as the tooth shined brightly from the moonlight and grinned that he was able to start another trophy collection.

Wiping the blade on the basilisk’s body, he pocketed the tooth and knife away as he started walking. He decided to take a slow walk back to the barn, as he wanted to enjoy more of the forest. He remembered the cold feeling the forest gave off when he inspected it with his magic, but it seemed pretty docile. The forest had a feeling to it that gave him an impression that it lived off its own resources instead of what others used outside of it. The Everfree gave an eerie feeling so no one would bother it and leave it in peace.

The forest was its own living space and refused to accept anything else that could change it. He shook his head at the thought as he continued walking. The wind blew past him, shaking branches on the trees and giving it a calming vibe. Stopping in the clearing he found the fillies in before, he decided to try something. He looked at his hand that held the magic inhibitors and wondered exactly how they worked. Barring any consequences to the back of his mind, he focused on a simple spell. He could feel his magic gathering, but something was telling him to stop before he went any further.

It was a familiar feeling he had before as a child and knew that it was Shade telling him to stop. He would always listen to the magic entity, but he ignored him this once to see what would happen. He also didn’t want to bother him since the magic entity was weak the last time the human saw him. Focusing even further, his magic flowed up to his arm and he could feel it starting to form. He felt a sense of pride that the princesses probably messed up with sealing his magic. Taking a chance, he pushed forth his spell, a simple flash it was supposed to be, but didn’t turn out that way.

As soon as his magic reached the tips of his fingers, a tremendous pain shot through his arm. His entire arm felt as though it was shocked and burned at the same time. His teeth were clenched tightly as he held back his blood curdling scream. He brought his arm to his chest, holding tightly as a few tears escaped his eyes. He breathed heavily through his nose as he tried to fight against the pain. He fell to his side, his arm still clutched to his chest as he waited for the pain to die out.

The human rolled along the ground for a few minutes before the dual pain sensation finally dulled. He could still feel the slight burn and shock, but he was able to get his breathing under control. He took deep, slow breaths as his mind finally processed what happened. His access to his magic was easier, but the rings prevented him from casting it. He knew Shade had felt the pain and he wasn’t really looking forward to that conversation at the moment. Gathering his thoughts as his heart rate finally slowed, he sat up.

His eyes never left the ground as he flexed his arm. Everything worked like it should and it didn’t feel like there was any real damage done. Looking at his arm, he noticed that it was the same as before and assumed the rings caused that awful sensation. Not really sure how the rings could cause something like that, he made sure to know what he was dealing with. If the princesses had magic inhibitors like he was wearing, then there was probably worse things as well to seal away magic. His breathing became heavy as his anger finally hit a boiling point. He balled his hand into a fist and went about punching the ground.

He could feel the dirt, grass, limbs, and even pebbles scrape against his flesh. He could see blood collecting where he was punching, but he didn’t care. He continued to assault the ground as he released his anger. It was Divergence all over again, and this sparked an even deeper hatred for the alicorns. Breathing heavily as he ceased his assault on the ground, he pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off. He closed his eyes to get his anger under control and as he was about to leave, he heard something behind him.

He turned quickly on his heel in the direction of the noise. He noticed a plant swaying more than it should have and carefully looked around. The chirping of bugs filled the air as he tried to find what was hiding in the thicket. Continuing to scan the surroundings with his eyes, he slowly reached for his knife. He was about a couple inches from the handle when something ran out of the bush. Reacting quickly, he grabbed the knife and pulled it up to defend himself. He stared at a cloaked figure that watched him with glowing golden eyes.

The cloaked figure was about the same height as the ponies, if possibly a couple inches taller. The figure didn’t move or speak as it continued to stare at him. The chirping of the bugs stopped as the human and figure continued to stare at each other, neither moving from their spot. Taking calming breaths, Damian addressed his newest arrival.

“Who are you?”

“Do you not remember the one that saved you?” The figure asked in a deep tone.

“Not really. I don’t remember much after going unconscious,” Damian replied as he kept his eyes on the figure.

“Then allow me to introduce myself, Damian,” the figure replied.

The human was about to ask how the figure knew his name, but stopped as he watched the figure throw away their cloak. The figure’s coat was striped with light heliotropeish gray and dark bluish gray. Her mane was styled in a mohawk and along with her tail was striped colored with light gray and dark persian bluish gray. Her eyes were a strong cyan now and her jewelry that was around her neck, left foreleg, and both her ears was a brilliant amber. Her hooves were an indigoish black. On her flank was her cutie mark, but it seemed more like a tribal tattoo and it was shaped in a spiral with small triangles circling half of it and pointing his direction.

“A zebra?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“A very accurate observation. My name’s Zecora and I was the one that found you dying after your run-in with the basilisk,” Zecora stated.

“I remember Twilight mentioning a person named Zecora found me. So what do you want?”

“Nothing more than a few moments of your time. It’s getting late out here and I don’t need you getting attacked again.”

“What makes you so sure that I’ll be attacked again?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“I have lived in this forest for many years after I left my homeland. I have learned about the creatures that stalk this eerie place, and the most dangerous come out during the night,” Zecora explained.

The human was about to retort what she was saying when he heard an ear piercing howl. The howl came from far away, but it was enough to cause him to pause. He wasn’t certain what that howl meant, but looking at the zebra gave away she knew something about it. She also noticed his pause and smirked as he gave her a small glare. The zebra put on her cloak again as she gestured with her hoof for him to follow. Looking around for a few seconds, he sighed heavily as he followed the female zebra.

Zecora’s movements were fast and fluid, showing her knowledge of the forest as she led the human. Damian fought to keep pace with her as he found himself tripping over a few roots every now and again. The duo walked for only a couple of minutes before they came upon a hut. The entire building was made of wood and leaves, idols placed around the hut to give it a shaman feeling. The human looked at the idols and assumed that they were related to her homeland since he saw nothing like them around Ponyville.

The zebra opened the door and he walked in. She closed the door behind her and started taking off her cloak. She threw the brown garb on a bed as she walked over to a cauldron. The human looked around at the many trinkets he assumed was from her home before walking over to the cauldron. Inside the black pot was a green liquid that was starting to bubble. He looked at the zebra as she walked around her home, grabbing various plants and herbs as she hummed to herself. He grew curious as to who this mare was.

“What exactly do you do?” Damian asked as he took a nearby chair.

“Potion making, herbalist, and shaman are my top skills, but I do dabble in a few other things. May I have a piece of your hair?” Zecora asked as she started throwing ingredients into the cauldron.

“What do you need it for?” Damian asked defensively.

“So I can make you a potion to heal your wound. I assumed that you were growing tired of the constant pain and wanted me to offer my services,” Zecora explained as she extended her hoof.

“What do you want for it?” Damian asked, knowing there was some sort of catch.

“I would like to know a few things about your skills as an assassin,” Zecora said as she continued to hold out her hoof.

The human stared wide eyed at the mare as he processed what she said. No one in Equestria knew what he did for a living, but the zebra was able to figure it within the week, maybe even less. The potion maker noticed his stare and smiled at him in a friendly manner. Shaking his head a bit, he looked straight in the shaman’s eyes, determined to get some answers.

“How do you know about that?” Damian asked as he leaned forward.

“You skills are not uncommon from where I was born,” Zecora started.

“Where were you raised?”

“I was raised in Zebrica for several years before I moved to the Everfree forest,” Zecora explained, her hoof still held out for his hair.

“Are you going to tell the others about what I did?” Damian asked with a slight growl.

“I have no reason to tell them such things. Your skills are meant to protect those that are innocent and destroy those that seek to do harm.” Zecora said in a serious tone.

“Why should I believe that you’ll never tell them?”

“I haven’t said anything to them for the entire week you were in the hospital. Your skills are lost on them, but to me are as clear as day. I could have told them after I found you, but I didn’t. You have potential, but it’s up to you to decide what to do with it,” Zecora said with a hardened stare.

The human and shaman continued to stare at each other for a while longer. Shaking his head, he reached up to his hair and pulled out a few strands. He gave the strands to the zebra, who threw them in her cauldron. There was a flash of green smoke and the once green liquid turned to an ocean blue. The zebra grabbed a cup and filled it with the liquid before presenting it to the human. He hesitantly took the cup and looked down at it as he gave it a few swirls. He held the cup in his hand as he looked up at the zebra again.

“How exactly is this going to work?” Damian asked as he gave a quick glance to the concoction again.

“The potion is meant to only work for you since it knows your essence. If anypony else were to drink from it, they would only get a sour taste. If you drink it, then the effects of the potion will take place and your wound fully healed.”

Looking at the cup for a few more seconds, he found there wasn’t really much to lose. He grasped the cup firmly as he threw back the entire concoction into his mouth. He quickly swallowed everything that entered his mouth and gave a sharp cough as a little bit went down the wrong pipe. He expected a bad taste from the drink, but was surprised that it actually tasted like a sugar muffin. He could feel a warmth radiate in his gut that slowly moved through his entire body. The warmth soon reached his wound and he let out a calming sigh as he felt the potion do its job.

The potion continued throughout his body, healing a few scrapes and bruises that were still around before finally dispersing. Letting out a comforting sigh, he pulled away his bandage to see the wound fully healed. He ran his fingers across where it used to be and found no discomfort or pain from the touch. Zecora walked over to him and took his cup over to the sink. The mare threw the dirty dish into the sink before turning around and joining the human again. She sat in a chair across from him as she waited for him to keep up his end of the bargain.

“So what do you want to know exactly?” Damian asked as he leaned back in his own chair.

“How long have you been an assassin?” Zecora started off easy.

“I was four when I was found and I trained a couple years after that. I would say at least seven years I’ve been a full-fledged assassin.

“What is your main weapon that you use to dispatch your foes?”

“I have training in everything that I would need to use, but my most favored weapon to use was my knives.”

“What was your main reason for becoming an assassin?” Zecora asked and this hit a nerve in the human.

“To get revenge for my family and their friends that looked after me,” Damian answered with slight anger.

“What’s the other reason?” Damian looked up at the mare in confusion.

“What are you talking about? That’s the only reason I became an assassin,” Damian defended.

“As I said before, you have potential to do good things, but that only depends on you. Only you can decide how to live your life, and are hopefully ready to suffer the consequences,” Zecora stated as she rose from her seat and walked towards her bed.

“Oh no you don’t. You don’t get to walk away after saying something so vague and cryptic like that. What aren’t you telling me?!” Damian yelled furiously.

“The same thing I tell Twilight and her friends. I’m not your enemy, Damian, but a very potential friend. Whether you see that or not isn’t for me to decide. Now, you should head back to Applejack’s place before she wakes and sees that you are gone,” Zecora said as she crossed her hind legs and prepared for a meditation session.

The human looked out the window to see nothing but darkness. He banged his head slightly for thinking he would see some sort of sunlight in the forest. Taking the zebra’s advice, he left the hut, slamming the door on his way out. Looking around, he started sprinting for the barn so he could make there in time. He soon remember why he hated forests and it was because of the many branches that smacked him in the face. He ran for a couple minutes before the edge of the farm could be seen. He didn’t hear any noise coming from the trees and didn’t see any of the farm ponies. Assuming they were still asleep, he put on extra speed so he could make it to the barn.

He reached the large red double doors and quickly opened one of them. He closed the door behind him and started panting heavily from overexerting his body. He slumped down against the door as he started to laugh to himself. He found the entire situation hilarious since he ran through a deadly forest to avoid becoming scolded at by a mare. Shaking his head as his laughing fit started to calm down, he slowly got to his feet and walked towards the stairs. He slowly ascended the staircase, a few chuckles still escaping him as his thoughts wandered.

He reached the top step and stopped when he saw a familiar orange hoof near the edge. His entire body was frozen as his eyes slowly moved up to meet the mare’s emerald glare. Clearing his throat, he brought back some of his control and continued to climb the stairs. The mare didn’t say anything as she stepped aside and allowed him to walk to his bed. Thinking that she was going to leave after he reached the bed, he laid down. He was dead wrong when he heard the clopping of hooves on the wood and could feel the mare’s stare on him.

“What’s up, AJ?” Damian asked.

“Where were you this morning?” Applejack asked with a serious tone.

“I was in bed sleeping,” Damian answered as he feigned ignorance.

“Don’t lie to me, sugarcube. I came in here to get you for breakfast and you were nowhere to be seen. Now, where were you?” Applejack continued to press.

“Like I said, I’ve been here all day. I was probably out cleaning myself when you came in,” Damian defended.

“Then care to tell me why you smell like sweat and dead trees?” Applejack asked with a bemused look.

The human didn’t say anything as he couldn’t find a way out of his capture. The mare moved closer to him when he didn’t say anything and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Her angered look soon calmed as she nudged the human a little.

“Just tell me where you were, Damian. You made it back safely, and that’s what matters at this point,” Applejack said in a calm tone.

“I was in the Everfree forest.”

“Why were you in there?” Applejack asked with a raised brow.

“Just grabbing a little something.”

“What was so important to grab that you had to go back in such a dangerous place?” Applejack asked as she waved her hoof around.

“Just continuing a hobby that I had back from my home.”

“Like what exactly?”

Instead of trying to explain it to the pony, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the tooth. The mare’s eyes went big as she stared at the large tooth. She looked between the human and the tooth a few times before shaking her head. Taking one last look at the tooth, she faced the human with a slight frown.

“You went back into that forest for a tooth from the basilisk that killed you?” Applejack said as her frown hardened.

“What can I say? I have weird hobbies, but this is one of my favorite. I collect trophies or things that interest me,” Damian explained.

“But why did you take so long getting back here?” Applejack asked with slight annoyance.

“I was about to return, until I ran into Zecora.”

“What did Zecora want with you?”

“She took me to her hut so I wouldn’t get hurt again.”

“Thank Celestia that she did. That forest is very dangerous during the night and you were lucky that she was around. If she wasn’t, you probably could have been attacked by a manticore, a pack of timberwolves, or even a hydra!” Applejack exclaimed, acting a little hysterical.

“Well, that didn’t happen. She also made me a potion that could help heal my wound,” Damian rolled to his side and showed her his healed side.

“At least she was kind enough to do that as well. So is this going to be a regular thing where you leave during the middle of the night to gather your trophies?” Applejack asked with a raised brow, her small panic attack receding.

“Only if I can’t grab it before leaving. I also doubt that there is anything in there for me to go hunting for when I don’t even know the layout of the forest.”

“Well, at least you came back unharmed and didn’t cause any trouble for Zecora. Now get up, we’re going to Twilight’s,” Applejack said as she headed for the stairs.

“What are we going to see her for?” Damian asked as he grabbed a shirt.

“She’s going to take you around town so you know where everyone lives.”

The human screamed internally at having to deal with the lavender mare. He knew that she would still try and befriend him. and he was getting sick with it. He was able to get the princesses to leave him alone about it, but it seemed these mares were determined to win the battle. Not bothering to even complain, he jumped the railing and stormed outside. He heard the farm mare trot next to him and he looked down at her. The mare was ready to say something when he gestured for her to lead.

Shutting her mouth quickly, she started walking, the human following behind her. She was surprised how quickly silence settled between the two, but she could understand where it was coming from. She wasn’t entirely thrilled about the idea too, after the lavender unicorn came over late at night asking she bring the human over. She wanted to give him his own space for a while until he had finished healing, which didn’t need to be worried about thanks to Zecora. She also wanted him to grow accustom to his life before throwing him in front of everything.

Shaking her head slightly, she looked back to see the human was still following her and his gaze was far off. She turned her head back around as they neared the familiar oak tree library. She didn’t bother knocking as she opened the door and walked inside. She looked back to see the human hesitate, and it was understandable. The last time he was in the library, he was tied to a chair in the basement and at the mercy of the princesses. That thought still panged her with guilt since she thought there was a better way of dealing with his presence.

She didn’t have long to think about it as the human walked in and closed the door behind him, slightly harsh so the lavender unicorn could hear. He took a seat on the couch as he waited for the mare to show up. Applejack took a seat across from him as she stared intently at the floor. Damian saw her lost look, but didn’t bother addressing whatever issue she was having. His wait didn’t last long as he looked towards the stairs and saw the unicorn come walking down. The mare had a huge smile on her face and it made him sick.

“So, can we get going and get this over with?” Damian asked as he got out of the chair.

“Sure, just let me get my checklist and we can get going,” Twilight answered as she walked to a nightstand.

The mare pulled out a scroll and unfurled it to make sure it was the one that she wanted. He felt that she was purposefully taking her time because she was taking too long to decide if it was her list. His right eye started to twitch as he neared his breaking point, but thankfully the lavender unicorn gave a small nod as she placed her scroll in her saddlebag. She turned back to the human, a smile still plastered on her face as she walked to the door. Her lavender aura encased the door as she held it open for him and the farm mare.

He quickly walked out the door and waited as the farm mare and librarian soon joined him. The unicorn pulled out her scroll and quickly looked through it. After a few seconds of looking, she placed it back in her saddlebag and looked towards the towering human. Her smile faltered as she saw the annoyed look he gave, but she gave a deep breath to bring back her smile. With her nerves steeled again, she looked back at the human, hoping her smile would help ease his slowly growing temper.

“You already know where Rarity, Applejack, and I live, so that leaves Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said while she smiled.

“Don’t you think that heading for Rainbow’s place is kind of a waste of time? He wouldn’t have much of a way to get up there or even walk there,” Applejack asked.

“Where does she live?” Damian asked.

“She lives in her cloud home up there,” Twilight answered as she pointed up with her hoof.

“I’m with Applejack on this. Going to see where she lives is kind of a waste of time if I can’t really reach her,” Damian said as he looked back at the unicorn.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I have a cloud walking spell that I can cast on you so you can walk around her home,” Twilight explained.

“Like hell you will cast a spell on me. I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m kind of tired dealing with the magic of your world,” Damian growled angrily.

The sudden anger from the human caused the unicorn to jump a little. Her smile was lost as her ears drooped back. She was aware of that he probably wouldn’t like the idea of having magic casted on him, but hoped that he would take a chance to think about it. Applejack saw her friend sadden and quickly went to her side. She stroked the unicorn’s back as she tried to help cheer her up. While the farm mare was busy consoling her friend, she looked back at the human with a slight glare. He gave one back as he stayed determined about what he said.

The orange mare turned back to her friend when she heard a few sniffles. She was about to see if the lavender mare was fine, but was cut off by a hoof from her friend. The unicorn gave a small nod and the farm mare backed off. The unicorn shook harshly for a few seconds before looking back at the human, hurt evident in her eyes.

“Very well. I won’t cast the spell on you, but you are going to see where she lives,” Twilight stated and made her point by stamping her hoof. He noticed her resolve and not wanting to deal with an argument, he agreed.

“That’s fair enough,” Damian replied in a monotone voice.

The unicorn gave a small nod as she turned around and started walking. Applejack and Damian followed behind her, but the farm mare gave a firm kick to the human’s leg. She noticed the human wince from the kick and when she looked up, she could see his glare. She easily gave one back before he looked forward again. The three of them walked through the town before coming up to a building that truly didn’t belong. They stopped out front and the human took the time to look over the building.

The entire building looked exactly like a gingerbread house. Frosting ran along the sides of the building and the support beams were candy canes. The windows had gumdrops surrounding them and a pleasant scent wafted from the building. He looked over at Twilight as she cleared her throat.

“This here, is Sugarcube Corner. This building makes many of the delicious treats that we eat every now and again. This is also where Pinkie lives and works,” Twilight said as she pointed to the building.

As if on cue, Pinkie came bursting through the door. Her legs were spread wide as she tried to give the human a surprise hug. She was about to reach him, but felt her flight stopped before reaching her target. She wiggled her body a little to feel something grasp her firmly. Looking at her sides, she noticed a set of hands holding onto her. She looked forward to see the same human looking at her with a blank expression.

The human slowly set her to the ground and when her hooves made contact he let her go, she bounced over to Twilight. She looked at the unicorn for a quick second before giving her a huge hug. He heard the unicorn give a slight giggle before being let go by her pink friend. The pink mare looked over at the farm mare and gave her the same hug. The orange mare gave a giggle of her own before being let go. The energetic mare looked back at the human and beckoned him over with open hooves.

“No thanks. I just want to get through this and head back to the farm,” Damian said sternly.

“But you look like you need a hug. I saw Twilight and Applejack needed one and now they’re feeling better. You need one as well and when I give it to you, you’ll feel happy,” Pinkie said happily.

“Why are you so insistent with making me happy?” Damian asked.

“That’s why she’s the Element of Laughter. It’s her job to make sure that all the ponies around her are happy,” Twilight explained.

“The what?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah, I forgot to explain that part to him, Twi. I think we’ll save that lesson for a later time, though,” Applejack said as she laughed nervously.

“Okay, we’ll talk about it later, but I’ll still tell him about what we are so he can come up with questions later,” Twilight said.

“Not like I’m going to be tested on it,” Damian mumbled to himself and none of the mares heard him.

“Applejack is the Element of Honesty. Rainbow Dash is the Element of Loyalty. Pinkie Pie is the Element of Laughter. Rarity is the Element of Generosity. Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness. I am the Element of Magic. All six of us together make up the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight summed up.

“I may not know what that means, but I know I’m going to be bored from that history lesson,” Damian grumbled.

The group was about to leave, but Pinkie bounced into her house to grab something. As they waited, Rarity showed up and decided to join their group. He watched the mares talk with each other and noticed the white unicorn give a slight glare every now and again. Pinkie finally showed up with a few bags in her saddlebags. Not even wanting to know what was in them, he started walking when Twilight took the lead again.

The human kept quiet as the mares chatted up a storm with each other. He was glad that they were distracted with each other so he could let his mind wander. There wasn’t anything he really wanted to think about, but just wanted to let it roam free. He was lost in his own thoughts that he almost didn’t notice the group stop. He looked around to see they were near nothing. He was about to say something when he saw the lavender mare pointing up. He looked up and saw an impressive cloud home.

The entire house was made of cloud, and the architecture was amazing. He had only seen the use of the columns on the building in front of him in ruins. There was even a rainbow waterfall near the edge that really surprised him. Rainbows were very rare in Divergence and it was amazing to see one up close. He was too distracted by the cloud home that he didn’t notice the cyan pegasus come flying down. He was pulled from his looking when the pegasus gave a sharp cough. He looked over to see the mare floating a few feet away from him, giving him a hard glare. Not liking her look, he addressed her.

“What’s your problem?” Damian asked.

“Nothing, just looking at you,” Rainbow replied.

“Then get rid of that glare,” Damian shot back.

The pegasus was about to retort when an orange hoof was placed on her shoulder. The two mares gave a quick glance before the pegasus relaxed her aggressive behavior. Nothing else was said as the mare continued to glide along with the group, leaving for their last stop. The group was silent except for the occasional beat of the prismatic mare’s wings. He noticed that they were now walking out of town and nearing the forest. The human grew a little tense as they neared the forest, unsure where they were going.

His nervousness died slightly as they neared a cottage. The building was decorated with hummingbird feeders and bird houses. The entire area was a lush green, and a small river ran in front of it. There was a small bridge that crossed over to where the cottage was. The group walked forward while Damian looked around at some the animals that ran around. He continued to look around while one of the mares knocked against the wooden door. He heard the hinges creak a little and turned around to see Fluttershy hiding behind the door and her mane.

She noticed the human standing in the back and lowered herself even more. Rolling his eyes, he backed away from the group and took a seat near the river. He watched the slow moving water as the mares tried to coax the timid pegasus to leave her house. He wasn’t sure how long he was sitting at near the river, but the cream colored pegasus finally joined her friends. He looked back to see her carrying a picnic basket on her back. The mare’s friends smiled at her as they joined the human.

He sighed internally as he followed the six mares out to somewhere. Chatter started back up after they were all together and the human was left with his thoughts again. They walked through the town again, ponies only giving him a quick look before going back to their own thing. He noticed the mares walking towards the park and gave a low groan with how long this was going to last. He kept his cool as he continued to follow the mares to the park. He was staying relatively close to the mares. He stopped following when he noticed Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo backed against a wall by two fillies.

The filly on the left had a pale magenta coat and her cutie mark was a tiara. Her mane and tail were a light grayish violet with white streaks going through them. On her head sat a tiara that looked the same as her cutie mark. He also noticed her eyes were a brilliant cornflower blue. The filly on the right had a cornflower bluish gray coat and her cutie mark was a fancy spoon. Her mane and tail were ceruleanish gray with cornflower blush gray streaks running through it. She had a pearl necklace that was a pale cyan. He also noticed her grayish violet eyes. He neared the five fillies and caught the tail end of the conversation.

“Leave us alone, Diamond Tiara,” Apple Bloom said.

“Why should I, blank flank. You’re the only ones in class that haven’t received their cutie mark, and probably won’t ever receive them,” the pink filly said.

He saw the three fillies were fighting back their tears and had enough of whatever was going on. He quickened his pace until he was standing over the two bullying fillies. The other three noticed his presence, but kept silent as they waited for him to do something. Taking in a deep breath, he yelled at the two fillies.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Damian yelled, startling the two fillies.

The fillies turned around and their expressions turned from startled to disgust. They made their displeasure known as they insulted him.

“What are you, some kind of hairless diamond dog?” The silver one asked.

“Who are you anyways?” The pink one asked.

“The name’s Damian. Who are you?” Damian asked with an aggressive tone.

“I’m Diamond Tiara and my father is Filthy Rich. He’s one of the five richest ponies and very influential,” Diamond boasted.

“I’m Silver Spoon,” Silver Spoon added in.

“So you’re a little bitch,” Damian said.

“Excuse me?” Diamond asked with a raised brow.

“You said your father was a rich person and that he was influential. That makes him a low life who has a daughter for a bitch,” Damian replied.

“How dare you. Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into? My daddy can easily get the princesses to arrest you if you continue to insult me,” Diamond threatened.

“Please, I met your princesses and I’m already under some punishment. If you want to get your daddy killed though, then go ahead and tell him,” Damian said as he gave an evil grin.

“You wouldn’t even try it,” Silver Spoon said as she tried to call him in his bluff.

“I very much would try it. I have no attachment to her father and seeing as how he’s some stuck up prick, I won’t mind ridding the world of his presence,” Damian said as he gave a dark chuckle.

“You would never get to him. He has the best security team around,” Diamond said as she smirked in victory.

“He might, but I would never know until I tried. I don’t mind killing off a bunch of idiots that didn’t know what they were up against. Maybe before I even kill him, I might have you watch so it haunts your every dream as a reminder that you caused it. Now get out of here,” Damian said as he lowered himself to the filly.

The fillies were shaking harshly before they took off galloping. He watched them gallop until they were out of sight and turned to the three fillies. They seemed shaken up, but had small smiles as well.

“Is everything okay now?” Damian asked as he rose to his feet.

“Yes, thank you, Damian,” Apple Bloom said as she hugged his leg.

“I knew you weren’t such a bad pony,” Sweetie Belle said as she hugged his other leg.

“Thanks for that,” Scootaloo said as she gave his leg a quick hug.

He patted each filly's head as they walked away. He watched them leave until they were out of sight. Once they were gone, he started walking the direction the mares went. He knew there was a long conversation waiting for him when he got to them, but it wasn’t important. During his walk he wondered what kind of trouble he would get in after scaring two fillies and probably scarring them for a long time. Shrugging his shoulders, he reached the park and saw the mares looking at him.

“Where have you been?” Rainbow asked.

“Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were being picked on and I stepped in,” Damian answered as he took a seat.

“Who was giving them trouble?” Fluttershy asked from behind her mane.

“Some fillies named Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Those two probably won’t be picking on them after my little talk with them,” Damian answered as he pulled out an apple.

“What did you do them?” Applejack asked with a raised brow.

“Just warned them of the consequences if they didn’t stop,” Damian answered calmly.

The mare looked at the human for a few more seconds before going about their picnic. He was right when he believed that the mares were going to take a long time in their meal. They all went about playing games and talking. They tried to get him to join them, but he just shook his head. Night soon came along and they started to pack their things. They all said their goodbyes as they walked back to their homes. The farm mare and human didn’t say anything as they reached the farm and went their separate ways. The human fell onto his bed as he let sleep take over his body.

Dream Realm

Damian found himself in an empty void. He knew this conversation was coming and waited for the one that was going to chew him out. It didn’t take long for Shade to appear and he looked very pissed. The human stretched as he got ready for the verbal lashing that was about to take place.

“Any reason why you didn’t stop when I told you to?” Shade asked.

“I needed to know what would happen, okay. I wasn’t expecting that pain filled sensation when everything was going along smoothly,” Damian replied.

“Yeah, well because of that, I’ve had to use some of my power to make sure I didn’t take any serious damage. Look at me, I’m smaller than I was before,” Shade said as he gestured to his body.

“Yeah, but there isn’t much we can do about that. Until I can get these inhibitors off, your power is going to be really cut back,” Damian said.

“You plan on getting even with them at some point, right?” Shade asked.

“You have no idea the payback that I’m going to bring,” Damian said as he smirked.

“Very well. You probably won’t be hearing or seeing me very much until we get this settled. Will you be okay till then?” Shade asked with slight worry.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You worry about taking care of yourself until I’m free,” Damian assured the magic entity.

The magic entity nodded as he disappeared into the shadows. With Shade gone, Damian went about through his memories until he felt a familiar presence. He turned around as he saw a familiar alicorn glide towards him. The alicorn stopped when she was several feet away from the human. Her expression showed her displeasure as she stared at the human. Silence settled between the two before the mare finally spoke.

“Why must you make everything difficult?” Luna asked.

“I don’t make anything difficult. You just happen to put me in situations that cause these things to happen,” Damian replied casually.

“You just threatened to mentally scar a young filly and even publicly threatened to kill her father. That’s enough reason to haul you up to Canterlot and throw you in the dungeons,” Luna said with a slight scowl.

“I only threatened them because I don’t make false threats. If they want to threaten me and my life, then they better be ready to face the consequences,” Damian shot back.

“I hope you’re ready to face those consequences when my sister and I show up tomorrow morning,” Luna said as she lifted herself to the air.

“We’ll see what happens. Just remember that I won that bet to stay here at Applejack’s farm. I also defended three fillies from two bullies that needed to be taught a lesson. Make sure to remember that because if you don’t, good luck trying to get me thrown in the dungeon,” Damian said as he started to laugh.

The alicorn gave a loud snort before finally taking off. As he watched her fly away, he flipped her off as he spat on the invisible ground. Turning in the opposite direction, he started walking with no real set area to go to, but to walk.

Consequences

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Second Breath
By: Duelist96
Chapter 3: Consequences

Night seemed to last a lot longer for Damian as he sat in the empty expanse of his mind. It was silent in the void without Shade around to annoy him or start a conversation with him. He wasn’t sure for how long he walked, but it was long enough to clear his mind before he finally sat down to think to himself. His mind seemed so boring and empty without his magic entity to talk to and he was starting to grow restless. These were the nights that he truly hated having when he slept. Nothing irritated him more than having nothing to do, but sit and wait for something to happen.

The human laid on his back as he stared up at nothing. He lifted his left hand to see the magic inhibitor rings and let out a heavy sigh. He blamed himself for Shade’s inability to pester him. He wasn’t sure how much damage the magic inhibitors did to his magic entity, but it was enough that the dark creature had to seclude itself. Seconds passed that felt like hours as he stared up at the white nothingness. His eyes grew heavy as they slowly tried to close and allow him time to relax.

He fought against the urge to close his eyes as he didn’t want to think about anything else. He rolled to his side, staring into more nothingness. There was a faint flash. He lifted his body up halfway as he focused on where he saw that small flash. He stared for a couple minutes, but nothing happened. He shrugged, assuming that he was probably seeing things. He was about to lay down again when the flash returned. The flash was a little more intense than before and he was quickly on his feet.

The human started walking towards the flash as it slowly started coming faster. As the flash’s frequency increased, so did its intensity. Damian slowly neared the flash and had to lift his hand to keep from going blind. The flash soon started to have a strobe effect as it blinked erratically and brightly. The human grunted from the intensity of the light as it burned his eyes a little. The flash continued to blink in and out of existence for several more seconds before completely dying off.

The human removed his hand from his face as he looked around. There were no more flashes and everything felt calm. His brows furrowed as he contemplated what he saw. There were only two times he remembered such an event happening in his head, but he paid it no mind when it stopped for seven years. The only time those flashes happened was when he was training under his master. Master was teaching him to sense danger when sleeping in a hostile environment.

The human found it odd that he would be having this flash again. It was true that he didn’t like this world and that at any time the ponies could attack him, but they never tried. The forest would have been the likely cause of his flashes, but he wasn’t in the forest at the moment. He remembered falling asleep on the bed that Applejack had provided him and nothing else. He continued to think what else could have caused these flashes and he ended up at the same conclusion.

He knew the princesses made their dislike for him well known, but he believed they wouldn’t be dumb enough to attack him. He kept trying to find any other reason why these flashes would occur until he remembered what Luna had said. The lunar princess mentioned that she would return in the morning with her sister to talk about what he did. The Princess of the Night didn’t mention anything else about others joining her, but after his last few incidents, they probably brought some backup.

His thoughts turned towards what kind of backup they would bring when the flashes happened again. The flash blinked erratically like before, but instead of being white like before, it was now a deep crimson. All train of thought stopped as his hands clenched to fists and he mumbled under his breath.

“You stupid bitches,” he quickly closed his eyes as he tried to force his body to awaken and prepare for a fight.

Morning

Damian’s eyes shot open as he quickly looked towards his left. He saw a white pegasus clad in brilliant gold armor and shackles in his hooves. The human knew exactly what the pegasus was planning on doing and quickly acted. He moved fast as he gave a sharp uppercut to the stallion’s jaw, causing the pony to stagger back. The human didn’t hesitate as he rolled out of his bed and shoulder checked the pegasus in the chest. The pony crashed through the wooden railing and fell to the ground.

The guard hit the ground with an audible thud. Damian looked down to see that the guard was still okay, but slightly dazed. He was about to jump to the ground level when another pony, an earth stallion clad in the same golden armor, tackled him out the nearby window. The human could feel the broken shards of glass scratch against his arms as he fell to the dirt below. He hit the ground hard, the wind in his lungs escaping from the impact. The stallion stood over him, shackles in his muzzle as he tried to wrap them around the human’s wrists.

The human was not going to let this end quickly from a simple tackle and restored to a horrible method of attacking. He brought his head forward at a fast pace and before the stallion could do anything, he made contact. The human felt his forehead impact in the small area between the guard’s helmet and face. He winced as pain surged from his head and down his body. The guard staggered back as it tried to recover from the vicious blow. Damian rolled to his front and quickly jumped to his feet as he prepared for another fight.

The human knew that nobody won in a head-butt, but when push came to shove, he would suffer the small amount of pain that came with it. The guard shook his head as he stared at the human angrily. The stallion gave a loud snort as his nostrils flared to life. A hint of anger could be seen burning in the guard’s eyes and the human prepared for an attack. The guard charged at him and he was going to meet the stallion with an attack of his own. Damian planted his right foot in the ground as he took a big step with his left.

When his left foot made contact with the ground, he pressed all his weight down into the ground as he threw out his left fist. The guard had jumped into the air again, going for another tackle on the human. The human’s fist and the stallion slowly closed in on each other. The two were about to make contact when they were both halted in a golden aura of magic. The human struggled to move, but couldn’t break free of the magical hold. He looked around for the source of his restraint, but couldn’t find anything.

The human looked back at the stallion who was staring back at him with a stoic demeanor. The human noticed the stallion’s muscles relax as the fire behind his eyes quelled into a calm look. Damian gave a small growl as he struggled in his magical confines. He noticed a shadow loom above him as he struggled and looked up to see Celestia floating down. The white alicorn landed next to the guard and looked at the human with a serious expression. Her wings folded to her side as she spoke to the human and guard in a calm tone, but they could hear her authority as well.

“Iron Wall, Damian, you will stop your fighting this instant.”

The guard gave a small nod while the human gave a small growl. The alicorn released the guard who went back into the barn to get his comrade. Celestia looked back at the human for a few seconds before letting him go as well. The human brought his arm back to his side as he looked back at the alicorn. Neither of them looked away from the other as they tried to read what the other would do next. During their stare, Luna floated down from the sky with a pair of her own guards at her side. The human took a quick glance at the other two guards and noticed the obvious differences they shared with the ponies.

The two guards standing next to Luna had deep purple armor and their fur was a dark grey. They had wings like a pegasus would, but they were membranous. Their eyes were a brilliant yellow and he could see their eyes had slits in them. He noticed their two protruding fangs from their muzzles as they reflected the sun’s light. The human guessed that they were probably some sort of bat-pony hybrid.

“You are somewhat correct in your assumption. They are thestrals and are another type of pony that lives here in Equestria,” Luna said as she looked at the human.

“What did I say about reading my mind?” Damian shot back.

“You better watch your tone around our Mistress. We are not like Celestia’s Day Guard. We are her mistresses Lunar Guard and you will treat her with respect,” the thestral threatened.

“Then I guess you should lie on your back so your ‘Mistress’ can shove something up your tight ass,” Damian retorted.

The guard didn’t seem to find his retort acceptable and made that very well known. The human only remembered being on his feet before losing all of his air and falling to the ground. He grabbed at his abdomen in pain as he suppressed the urge to scream. Tears started to well up in his eyes as he was certain that there would be internal bleeding, but he refused to let them fall. He wasn’t sure how long he was on the ground, but he was soon on his back as he noticed a dark blue aura surround his body.

The pain in his gut slowly died away as he could finally breathe again. He took huge breaths of air as he coughed up a few droplets of blood. He lifted his shirt to see a noticeable hoofprint on his gut and looked towards the thestral. The bat pony was unmoving as she stared him down as the human also noticed Luna’s horn glowing. The human ignored the alicorn as he turned his attention back at the thestral and spoke just loud enough so the bat pony could hear him.

“I am going to beat you into the ground the next chance I get,” Damian threatened.

“I dare you to try,” the thestral said.

“I will once Luna finishes healing up my small injury. Then after I beat your ass, I’m going-”

“Enough, both of you! Echo, you will stand down this instant, and Damian, you will stop this foolish behavior this instant!” Luna yelled at the two of them.

“What will you do if I don’t?” Damian asked as he slowly got to his feet.

“You can forget about having a deal with us,” Luna said. She gave a smirk as she noticed the human looking at her with slight interest.

“What kind of deal?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“Luna told me what you said to those two foals and the threat you made to one of my ponies,” Celestia said.

“Maybe that wouldn’t happen if the kid wasn’t such a brat,” Damian shot back.

“Either way, I’ve come here to make a deal with you. I could easily lock you away in the dungeon for everything that you’ve said and done, but my sister has come up with another solution,” Celestia said as her features slightly calmed.

“What kind of other solution?” Damian asked as he walked over to the barn and sat on one of the hay bales.

“You can either spend the next several years in the dungeon or you can answer some of our questions,” Luna said as she stared at the human.

“Do I get a choice in what the questions get to be about?” Damian asked.

“No, you don’t. You also can’t back out of any questions either. So which do you choose?” Celestia asked in a serious tone.

“So it’s either spend time in a rusty old dungeon or answer every little personal question you have about me?” Damian asked as he looked at the two alicorns. Both the princesses nodded their heads at him.

“Fine, when you want to start this interrogation?” Damian asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“We’ll start once Twilight and her friends are informed so they can be here and know how to better deal with you,” Celestia answered.

The human wanted to say some smartass comment to the princess, but decided to keep it to himself. He was thankful that the princesses allowed him to get cleaned up before the interrogation got under way. He saw Applejack trotting up to the barn and as she came to say hello, she noticed the princesses standing behind him. She gave the human a look that said, “What did you do now?” as he walked past her. The farm mare trotted up to the princesses so she could greet them and see if they would like anything to eat or drink.

Damian entered the barn, and took a quick look around. Seeing there were no other ponies around, he released a deep sigh as he walked up the stairs. He started cycling through all of his clothes, before settling on his old outfit. If he was going to be interrogated by a pair of princesses, then he needed to make sure he wore what his job entailed. He slipped into his cloak, and adjusted his hood so that it didn’t press against his neck. He gave a quick look over his cloak to see that everything was still in place.

His right arm was bare to the elements, showing his flame tattoo as well. Only Applejack and her friends saw his tattoos, and he knew that they were going to ask what they meant. The human could feel his rage boil over, and he gave a hard punch against the wall. The wall splintered around his fist, pieces of wood embedding themselves in his knuckles. Damian pulled his hand back to see a few pieces of wood sticking out. Giving an irritated sigh, he started pulling out the pieces of wood.

His knuckles were covered in specks of blood as he tried to find something to wrap around his hand. He found a small cloth on his nightstand, and wrapped it around his knuckles. Damian gave a few clenches of his hand to make sure he could still grip things. He gave a few rolls of his shoulder to make sure that his light armor wasn’t pressing against him. He loved the cloak as it was a gift from his master, but he hated having to wear the armor underneath it. Taking a look out the window, he gave a small scowl as he pulled his cloak off.

Folding the cloak inside out, he grabbed at the few pieces of armor, and pulled them out. Putting on the cloak again after putting away the armor pieces, he let out a comforting sigh at the lighter weight. Damian jumped over the railing, and headed for the door. He opened the barn door to be greeted by a smiling mint green unicorn. The human gave a few head bangs against the door before pushing the mare to the side with his foot. The mare looked up at him in surprise after being pushed to the side.

Damian walked passed the mare as she trotted to keep up with him. He looked down to see the mare giving off the same bright smile as before. He shook his head as he rounded the corner of the barn to see a large tent set up. The unicorn gave a low whistle before trotting quickly inside. The human could feel a few drops of blood slide down his head, and closer inspection showed that he was digging his nails into his skin. He took a deep inhale, the wondrous scent of fresh apples filling his lungs.

The smell was refreshing as ever. Even with his dislike for many of the things in Equestria, it was nice to smell fresh food. He looked around, and found a tree that was bearing ripe apples. Damian walked over to grab a snack as he was interrogated by the princesses. He pulled down on a flexible branch, and pulled a few of the apples off. Cleaning the red apples on his cloak, he took a big bite. The sweet, succulent juices of the apple filled his mouth as he listened to the soft crunch of the apple. Swallowing his first bite, he took another as he walked back to the tent.

Damian took in the outside features of the tent, and it wasn’t anything too great. It was a simple tent that he had used before, and walked inside. As he walked into the tent, he spotted all nine mares sitting in a circle. Lyra, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Twilight were all beaming bright, warm smiles. The princesses along with the other mares gave varied expressions that went from irritation to slight discomfort. He looked around to see the farm mare patting a pillow next to her, maintaining her smile.

The human gave an internal sigh as he sat next to the mare. He noticed Twilight and Lyra grab a few pieces of parchment, quills, and ink. Both of the unicorns were busy organizing their materials while Damian continued to eat his apples. He felt something tap against his side, and he looked over to see Applejack with a confused expression. The orange mare pointed at the three apples in his hands, and then at him.

“I just wanted a little something to snack on,” Damian said.

“Very well, sugarcube, but let me know next time, and I can get you something more of a meal,” Applejack offered.

Damian gave a quick nod before turning back to the other ponies. He looked over at Pinkie to see her bouncing in place, boredom from having to sit down evident on her face. He was actually a little worried the pink mare would explode from how much excitement she was trying to contain. He looked over at Rarity, and he quirked a brow as he watched her sketch in a notepad. He assumed that she probably got some sort of inspiration from his outfit. He looked back at Celestia, and he noticed that she was about to begin speaking. He cut her off to address the elephant in the room.

“I don’t care if you find this rude, but what the hell is she doing here?” Damian questioned as he pointed at the mint green unicorn.

“Twilight told me about her interests in humans, and I saw this as a great opportunity for her to learn about them. She seems very enthusiastic to start, so why don’t we?” Celestia asked as she gave a knowing smirk to the human.

“You’re getting sick pleasure out of this, aren’t you?” Damian questioned in his head.

“Very much so. I might not be able to lock you away in the dungeon because of Applejack vouching for you, but I’m going to make sure you understand not to cross the line,” Celestia replied. Her grin widened even more.

“Why do you hate me so much? Besides the obvious answers,” Damian inquired.

“It’s not that we hate you, Damian. We see potential in you, and we don’t want it to go to waste. We also wish to know more about you, but you’re being quite stubborn about sharing anything,” Luna said.

“I wonder why,” Damian shot back.

“Please, Damian, just use this as a chance to at least learn something. I’ve dropped the friend subject, and I only wish for you to understand everything there is about Equestria. Knowing more about our world will probably make your stay a little easier,” Luna offered.

“As long this isn’t about me making friends, I believe I can go along with this conversation. The only fair thing is since you’re all allowed to question anything about me, I get to question anything about you,” Damian said.

“We will do no-”

“Done,” Luna said in an even tone. She ignored her sister’s glare.

“What are you thinking, Luna? This is supposed to be a punishment for him,” Celestia questioned.

“This may be a punishment for him, but he does deserve to know things about us as well. I may still think about our old laws before my banishment sometimes, but I remember that we would share helpful information towards anypony that asked,” Luna said as she looked back at her sister.

“Very well, sister,” Celestia said as she relented.

Damian waited as the alabaster alicorn took a few calming breaths. Luna noticed her sister trying to calm her growing irritation, and she noticed the guards looking at the human with strong glares. The dark blue alicorn decided to break the ice, and she hoped that it wouldn’t escalate quickly.

“I’ll start us off with something simple, Damian. Would that be okay?” Luna asked.

“Go for it,” Damian said as he gestured for the alicorn to continue.

“What was the name of the city that you grew up in and the name of your planet?” Luna asked.

“My planet’s name is Requiem. I grew up in the city Divergence,” Damian answered.

“What is your planet like?” Twilight asked.

“It’s an alright planet, but that’s only if you stay in the city,” Damian replied.

“What happens when you leave the city?” Applejack asked.

“If you were outside of the city, then you were usually working the fields. Working the fields outside the city is pretty much a death sentence. Beyond the fields is the Forest of Hell, and that place makes sure that you’re dead,” Damian said.

“What is the Forest of Hell like?” Luna asked.

“People only know of the rumors about that forest. No one ever came back alive to talk about what they saw. It’s believed that the forest was filled with dangerous creatures and fauna that could kill anyone,” Damian answered as he crossed his arms.

“What kinds of creatures lived in the forest?” Fluttershy asked with a little hesitance.

“Animals ranged from little rabbits to gigantic hydras. Basilisks were believed to have lived there once, but a few fossils have shown that they don’t exist anymore,” Damian answered.

“Can anyone else use magic like you?” Lyra asked.

“Yes, but it isn’t well liked if you’re not a noble, especially more so if you have the magic I have,” Damian replied.

“What do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked.

“Nobles are believed to be the only ones that can cast magic. That is somewhat true, but anyone can be born with the ability. Sadly, if anyone that is born with the ability to use magic, and isn’t a noble, then they are executed,” Damian said. A few of the mares gasped at this.

“How could they do something like that?” Twilight asked.

“It was one of the many laws created in my city,” Damian answered.

“You also mentioned something about your own magic. What exactly do they not like about yours?” Celestia asked.

“I had one of the rare magic forms. Most people are born with the basic element spells, but a few are born with something similar to mine,” Damian said.

“You mean your dark magic?” Luna asked.

“It isn’t dark magic!” Damian yelled. His outburst caused the four guards to ready themselves for an attack.

“Guards, stand down,” Celestia ordered. The guards complied as they went back to standing at attention.

“If it isn’t dark magic, then what is it?” Lyra asked.

“It’s just shadow magic. I hardly even used it, but when I did, it was helpful for my job,” Damian said.

“And what job would that be?” Celestia asked.

Damian saw the small smirk that graced Celestia’s lips. He knew that she was trying to get to this subject, and he really didn’t want to talk about it. His hands were clenched tightly, his nails starting to dig into his skin a little. His body gave a slight shake as his anger rose. He took a few calming breaths before relaxing his hands. He looked up at the solar princess, and gave her a slight scowl as he answered.

“I was an assassin.”

“Does that mean you’ve-” Fluttershy started before being cut off.

“I’ve killed people, yes. I’ve killed about a hundred people in my line of work,” Damian answered nonchalantly.

“How could you do something like that?” Twilight asked. Worry laced her tone.

“They threatened myself, my master, and all my guild mates,” Damian answered.

“Who were your usual targets?” Celestia asked.

“Mostly nobles lost their lives to me,” Damian answered.

“So, you’re a danger to our princesses, then?” Echo asked as she stepped forward.

“Probably not as much, but after a few of their mistakes, I’ll just say that you shouldn’t leave them in the same room with me,” Damian said as he gave a grin at the bat pony.

“You better watch that threat of yours, or I’ll personally haul your ass up to Canterlot,” Echo threatened as she stepped closer.

“What methods did you use to dispatch these nobles with?” Celestia asked, ignoring the argument between the guard and human.

“My main method was using my dual knives, which better still be safe. If I wasn’t using those, I would work with wire, poison, fire, and sometimes an ‘accident’ that would happen,” Damian answered. A slight chuckle escaped his lips.

“Seems like you were very good at your job,” Luna commented.

“Personally trained by the guild master. I wasn’t one of the highest ranked members, but I was pretty notorious,” Damian said as he looked at the dark blue alicorn.

“As much as I like learning something about Damian, can we please talk about something else for a bit?” Twilight asked, her eyes averting the human’s gaze.

“I’m fine with that. It’s not like I have a choice anyways,” Damian said.

“How was your government set up?” Lyra asked.

“Well, at the top was the nobles,” Damian started as he glared at the two princesses. “Below them were the brawlers. They were assigned to protect the nobles, and they had some interesting abilities,” Damian said as he shook his head.

“What kinds of abilities?” Rainbow asked.

“Some were resistant to magic, and that is one of the reasons why my magic wasn’t well liked,” Damian replied.

“Was your magic able to hurt them?” Twilight asked with intrigue.

“Yes, my magic was able to hurt them. It seemed they were only able to be protected from the more common magic,” Damian said.

“Besides shadow magic, what other kinds of magic were rare for others to have?” Lyra asked.

“I’ll tell you about that later. The next class was the merchants. Those people made sure that money flowed in the city. Below them were the farmers,” Damian said. He gave a small glance to Applejack to see her reaction.

Damian was glad to see that the orange mare wasn’t mad. He was expecting the mare to give him a cold glare, but she seemed really happy. The farm mare looked like she was happy to know that there were farmers in his world. Looking away from the mare, he continued with his explanation.

“After farmers are the peacekeepers. Those people are usually considered fodder,” Damian said with a slight growl.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked.

“If Divergence was ever in a time of need, then people in the peacekeeper class were left for dead without a second thought,” Damian answered. His voice only grew more angered.

“Were you part of that group of people?” Applejack asked with worry.

“I was, but at the same time I wasn’t,” Damian said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Then what were you?” Rainbow asked.

“I was part of the Underground,” Damian answered.

“What was the Underground?” Echo asked.

“The Underground was created to fight back against the nobles and create freedom for everyone,” Damian explained.

“What made up the Underground?” Celestia asked.

“Mostly regular people, but there were a few magic users that were there,” Damian said.

“Did you find others with a rare type of magic like yours?” Luna asked.

“Sadly, I didn’t. There weren’t any other rare magic users in Divergence, but myself. The best my master and I could come up with was that they were around the world,” Damian said as his attention turned to the floor.

“Is this where you’re tell us about the other rare kinds that existed?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, I guess this will be a good time to mention the others. There was my shadow magic, then there was blood, illusionary, and necromancy,” Damian explained.

“How is it that all your rare magic happens to be considered dark magic here?” Twilight asked with widened eyes.

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Damian asked.

“You should know because you might be planning something against our princesses. You pretty much admitted to wanting to cause them harm, and you have only caused trouble as well during your stay,” Echo said.

“You have a problem with me?” Damian asked as he stood from his cushion.

“I’m not the only pony that has a problem with you. After hearing everything you said, I think we’re better off locking you away, or even having you banished to that damnable forest,” Echo said as she trotted straight up to the human.

Luna could feel the tension in the air as the thestral and human stared each other down. The night princess was about to stop them when Celestia’s wing halted her actions. The blue alicorn turned to her older sister with a confused expression. The only response that older sister gave was a shake of her head. The younger alicorn looked back at Damian and Echo to see their hardened glares. The human looked up at the princess, and she flinched from the rage that was burning in his eyes.

“Can I have a chance to fight her?” Damian asked.

“I will-” Luna started, but was cut off by her sister.

“You can challenge her to a fight,” Celestia said. Luna’s eyes went wide at what her sister said.

“Tia, you can’t be serious about this! One of them could get hurt if they fight!” Luna shouted in her telepathic link.

“I’m sorry, sister, but this must be done. Those two were already at each other’s throats before this started. This can also solve a few problems as well,” Celestia answered calmly.

“What problems could this solve?” Luna asked.

“Damian will lose some of that attitude of his. He will learn that his actions must have consequences. This also seems like a good chance to see what he is capable of without his magic,” Celestia explained.

“At the cost of my own Captain getting seriously injured,” Luna shot back.

“She is the Captain of your Night Guard. I believe that she will be able to handle this,” Celestia said as she tried to keep her sister calm.

Luna looked between her sister and the two contenders. Worry was evident on her face as she thought about the possible outcome this fight could have. She could see that the human was grinning as he looked down at the bat pony. She was about to say something until Damian spoke up.

“I guess we should take this outside then,” Damian said as he walked towards the flaps.

“I guess we should,” Echo said. A huge grin was plastered on her face.

The remaining ponies in the tent looked at each other before getting up, and following the pair outside. The three remaining guards led the group outside to see Echo and Damian doing a few stretches. The princesses took a spot under a shady tree while the other mares sat in front of the tent. Damian could see the mares give worried glances to each other as they watched him prepare for his fight. His attention was turned back to the bat pony as she walked towards the middle of where they stood. He joined her in the middle, grins still plastered on their faces as they studied each other.

“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous enough to tell you that I’m Luna’s Captain of the Night Guard,” Echo said as her grin widened.

“Guess that will make you number five then,” Damian said with a slight chuckle.

“Number five of what?” Echo asked, her face scrunching in irritation.

“The fifth Captain class person that I will have fought and beaten,” Damian said.

“We’ll see about that,” Echo said as she jabbed a hoof against the human’s gut.

The two parted ways as Iron Wall walked to the middle. The stallion looked between the two of them. They each gave him a nod to show they were ready to begin. The stallion looked back at Celestia for any final words. The alicorn gave a small nod to show they could begin. The stallion sighed internally as he gave each fighter one last glance. The earth stallion raised his left hoof as he counted down in his head. A gentle breeze blew through the open land as Echo and Damian got into readied stances.

The mares and princesses watched in silence as Iron Wall threw his hoof down. Once the hoof made contact with the ground, the two fighters charged each other. Echo had her wings spread wide as she flew straight towards the human. Damian ran with his head low, hoping to end this fight quickly. The two fighters met in the middle, and the human made the first move. He went to punch the bat pony into the ground, but she easily stepped out of the attack’s range. The thestral turned around and gave a hard buck to the human’s chest.

Damian was sent flying onto his back, groaning at the intense pain shooting through his body. Echo did a quick follow-up as she got on top of the human. The human lifted his arms to his face as she started beating his arms with her forehooves. Damian grit his teeth as he felt every blow shake his bones. The mare was relentless in her attacks as she was determined to break through his defenses. The human could feel his strength draining from his arms, and he needed to act fast if he wanted to turn the tables.

Echo lifted a hoof into the air to deliver a heavy attack, and he took this as his chance to break free. Damian brought up his right leg and kicked her off of him. The bat pony was sent a few feet into the air before using her wings to steady herself. Echo shook her head as she glared down at the human. Damian rolled to his feet as he gave her a glare of his own. The thestral bared her fangs as she charged the human again. He was hoping the mare would charge him, and he was glad to see her coming at him.

Echo was closing in fast, but he could follow her movements enough to follow with his plan of attack. The bat pony pulled back one of her hooves, aiming for his head to finish this fight. Damian stood his ground as he spread his feet apart. His eyes never left the bat pony as she continued to close in. Echo was only a few feet from the human when he dodged her attack. The mare was about to recover, but she wasn’t fast enough. Seeing the mare was trying to recover from her miss, he continued his movements. The human’s foot slid along the dirt ground as he jumped into the air.

Using the momentum from his jump, he turned to his side and spun. He brought down his right leg against the mare’s back, and sent her to the dirt ground. A small imprint of the mare’s body was made in the ground as the human landed on the ground again. Damian stood his ground as he watched the mare stumble to her hooves. Echo found it hard to stand on her hooves as she staggered back and forth. Anger was beginning to take over, and she was tired of messing around. The thestral worked the straps of her armor, releasing it from her body.

The armor was regulation for all guards to wear, but the bat ponies hardly ever wore them. The armor was too heavy for them to fight in, and it limited their fighting abilities. Echo threw the armor to the side as she gave a few rolls of her shoulder. She looked back at Damian to see him staring at her. His eyes never looked away from her as he tried to see what she was planning. After a few more rolls and shakes of her body, Echo prepared another attack. Her wings spread wide, more than before when she was wearing her armor.

Damian saw the mare take one step before she slammed her head into his gut. The human felt the air leave his body as he was sent onto his back again. Echo hovered in the air as she watched the human roll on the ground. Damian grabbed at the ground as his rage reached its breaking point again. The human pushed himself to his feet as he looked up at the grinning bat pony. Damian let out a low growl as he readied himself for another attack. Echo shook her head slightly as she flew higher into the air.

The thestral felt the cool breeze blow against her sweaty fur, and she enjoyed the feeling before looking down at the human. She was about twenty feet into the air before wrapping her wings around her body. The thestral let gravity take over as she dive-bombed towards the human. The wind whistled in her ears as she neared Damian. As she fell further towards her target, she noticed him readying an attack. Damian went to punch her out of the air, but she easily dodged it.

Her right wing pulled away from her body, causing her to spin around his attack. Echo used the momentum of her spin to land a kick against the human’s face. Damian fell to the ground hard, his face slamming against a few rocks. Echo landed softly on the ground as she looked over the human. Damian gave small twitches showing he was still alive, and she trotted away from him. The bat pony tried to hold back on that kick, but sometimes she put in more force than she wanted at times.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Damian asked as he staggered to his feet.

“The fight is over. You can barely stand as it is, and you’re bleeding from your head and mouth,” Echo pointed out.

“I don’t hear anyone calling this fight as over yet,” Damian taunted.

“You’d be a fool to continue this silly fight,” Echo said. She turned around and walked towards her armor.

Echo was several steps away from her armor when her ears flicked back. She heard footsteps against the ground, and she gave a disgruntled sigh. The thestral easily dodged the human’s attack, and she followed it with a kick to his back. Damian fell to the ground again, panting heavily as he tried to move. Echo saw the human trying to get back up, and she had to end this now. She gave him a chance to surrender and he didn’t take it. The mare trotted in front of the human, his eyes glaring at her.

Echo gave a deep sigh as she lifted a hoof high into the air. Damian yelled internally at his body to move, but it wouldn’t respond. The thestral brought her hoof down and slammed it against his head. There was a quick surge of pain before the human lost himself to the darkness. Echo scanned the human’s prone form before giving a sharp nod. Applejack was quick to get to the human’s side as she looked over his damage. The orange mare was able to pull off his cloak and shirt to see a set of hoof prints on his chest.

She turned Damian on his side to see another hoof print on his lower back. Applejack gave a wince at the purple that was starting to form around the hoof prints. Her eyes looked up to his head to see blood dripping from his head and lips. The orange mare ran over to her rain barrel, and grabbed a cloth. Applejack thoroughly soaked the cloth before returning to the human. The farm mare gently got the human on his back again and started to wipe away some of his blood. Applejack was worried that Damian was more injured than he looked, but calmed a bit when she felt his soft breathing against her fur.

Applejack was able to get some of the blood and dirt wiped off his face, before carefully pulling him onto her back. Twilight was quick to help her friends as Fluttershy went to the house to get the first aid kit. Rarity took his clothes, and poofed them away to her shop so she could fix them later. Pinkie pulled out a tray of assorted food for when Damian would wake up. Rainbow floated in place as she felt a small amount of respect towards the human. Applejack entered the tent, and placed the human on the ground. Twilight grabbed a couple pillows to lay underneath him as they waited for him to come to.

Dream Realm

Damian found himself in the white room again, but he didn’t feel a sense of calm. The fight that he had with the thestral flashed through his head, causing his anger to return. The human imagined random objects ranging from tables to windows. He went about the objects that he summoned, and threw them around the room. Shards of shattered glass littered the floor, along with splinters of wood. The human went about destroying more objects, until a hand was placed on his shoulder.

“Relax, Damian,” Shade said calmly.

“How can I relax? I just got my ass handed to by a pony that doesn’t go above my waist!” Damian exclaimed.

“Do you know why you lost that fight?” Shade asked as he floated down to meet the human at eye level.

Damian didn’t notice, but Shade wasn’t in his ‘human’ form. The dark entity had gone back to being a mass of black wisps. Taking a few breaths, Damian summoned a chair for him to sit in. The magic creature did the same, waiting to hear his host’s response.

“Because I lost my cool,” Damian said as he heaved a heavy sigh.

“That is true, but not the only reason,” Shade explained.

“Then what’s the other reason?” Damian asked.

“You’ve never fought something like this before,” Shade answer plainly.

“What’s that supposed to mean. I killed a fucking dragon before arriving here. How does that not allow me an edge against a tiny pony?!” Damian shot back in anger.

“Dragons from your world are different. You’ve felt the magic of this world, and you know that it’s immensely different from ours,” Shade explained.

“So, you’re saying that I had no chance of beating her?” Damian asked as he rubbed his face.

“I’m not saying that exactly. You could have beaten her, but your chances were slim. If I was free, however, then you would have won with no problem,” Shade said.

“Fuck, if I was back in the Underground, Master would have given me thirty lashes for my failure,” Damian said in a quiet tone.

“Then after your lashes, he would have taught you how to win next time. Sadly, he isn’t here to do that, but you’re capable of learning from this failure,” Shade said reassuringly.

“I’ve got a lot to learn, don’t I?” Damian asked as he looked at the magic entity.

Shade would have winced if he still had his face, but it seemed the human could tell his reaction. Damian turned his gaze away from him, looking straight into nothingness. The dark entity blamed himself for letting things get like this, but he needed Damian to get stronger. There was much the human didn’t know about his magic, and he needed to figure it out on his own. The magical creature would give a helpful nudge to the human when he needed it, but he never pushed him to learn. Shade was pulled back from his musings when Damian spoke to him.

“How have you been doing?” Damian asked.

“I’ve seen better days,” Shade said jokingly.

“Were you able to figure anything out about the magic inhibitors?”

“I went to see them, but they won’t be helping us.”

“Why’s that?” Damian asked a little annoyed.

“They have no life to them. They’re just a magical construct that does the job they were created to do,” Shade explained.

“So, I’m still stuck with them?”

“I’m afraid so. I won’t give up trying to get them off of you, but I need to focus on my healing again,” Shade explained in a somber tone.

“Continue to focus on that. I need you alive if I wish to keep walking around,” Damian said jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

“I will, Damian, and I promise to keep you safe,” Shade said with confidence.

“Glad to hear that. Now, let’s wake up so I can finish this interrogation, then get back to training,” Damian said.

“Just remember that if you lose, it’s not the end of the world. When you’re on the ground, get right back up and try again,” Shade said.

Damian gave a grin to Shade as he gave him some weird form of a fist-bump. The black wisps gave a small bow before taking off to heal. The human looked back to see the same pillar of light, and walked towards it. He stepped inside, closing his eyes as he waited to wake up.

Tent

Damian’s eyes opened slowly as pain coursed through his body. His back, chest, and face ached from the blows that he received from the bat pony. His vision was soon filled with emerald green orbs that shimmered slightly in the dim light of the tent. He felt something wrap around his arm, and wondered what was going on. Damian looked at his arm to see Applejack pulling him up. He wondered how she was able to grasp his arm, but shoved the thought aside for now. The human groaned loudly as he sat up straight, and a tray of assorted snacks was placed in his lap. He looked through the treats to see a cupcake, an apple fritter, a peach, and a glass of orange juice.

“What is this?” Damian asked.

“We thought you could use something to eat after you woke up, sugarcube,” Applejack said, giving a small smile.

“How long was I out for?

“About an hour and a half,” Echo responded.

Damian turned towards the bat pony, a scowl present on his face. The thestral smirked at him, making gestures with her hoof to have him fight her again. Reeling back his anger a little, he allowed the bat pony to taunt him.

“We will have a rematch later,” Damian said.

“I look forward to it,” Echo said as she continued to grin.

“So, where’s my cloak and shirt?” Damian asked as he now realized that he was half naked.

“I hope you don’t mind, darling, but I sent them to my shop so I can repair them,” Rarity said with a sheepish smile.

“You’re not going to do anything with them, are you?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

“Not unless you wanted me to do something with them. I was just going to repair them, and hopefully make it look brand new,” Rarity said.

“As long as you don’t change anything, then go ahead and fix them,” Damian said as he took a bite into the apple fritter.

“Ah, it’s good to see our guest is awake,” Celestia said as she gave a warming smile.

Damian didn’t even hide his disgust as the alabaster alicorn walked in. His scowl softened a little when he saw Luna walk in behind her, but he still held some anger towards her. The blue alicorn saw his small scowl, and nervously walked back to her seat. The two princesses got themselves comfortable in their cushions, as the human bit into his peach.

“Do you mind if we get started again?” Luna asked.

“If you don’t mind me eating, we can start again,” Damian replied as he peeled his orange.

“What do those black markings on your body stand for?” Celestia asked.

“First off, they’re called tattoos, and no, they are not similar to cutie marks. The two black wings on my back are to show that I’m part of the assassin guild. These three flames on my right arm are to show that I’m one of the few top members. The dual dragon spiral is to show that I found and killed a high dragon,” Damian said.

All the ponies stared at him with wide eyes after hearing what his dragon tattoo stood for. Applejack was surprised as well because she didn’t even think the human went that far with a dragon. All the ponies nervously shifted in their pillows as Celestia gave the human a harsh glare. Damian met her glare with one of his own as he rested his chin on his knuckles.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t throw you out of Ponyville?” Celestia asked as she stood up from the pillow and walked towards the human.

“Why would you want to throw me out?” Damian asked with slight confusion.

“You have admitted to killing a high dragon, and I will not allow you to be a threat to Spike,” Celestia stated.

“I guess you don’t listen well, so I will explain your poor thinking at this moment,” Damian said as he stood up. “A high dragon, and I know you’ve seen one, is a dragon that has been alive for at least a thousand years. Last time I checked, Spike is still a baby dragon. Unless he goes through an insane growth spurt, and becomes a danger to myself, then I’ll kill him.”

Celestia continued to glare at the human for a few more seconds before returning to her pillow. She knew the human was right about her meeting a high dragon, even a few elder dragons, but she didn’t want to put Spike in danger. Even though Spike wasn’t a pony, she treated him like any other pony, and would do anything to keep him safe. She also knew Twilight would as well, but if Damian was capable of killing a high dragon, then she worried for her faithful student’s safety. Celestia was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Twilight speak up.

“Is it also possible that dragons are different from your world?” Twilight asked with a slight worry.

“I would have to assume so. Your world is filled with magic, so that means the dragons that exist here have actual magic,” Damian answered as he scratched at his chin in thought.

“What are your dragons like?” Fluttershy asked with genuine curiosity.

“I’m going to assume that most of you have seen a fully grown dragon.” He was met with nods as a response. “Dragons from my world look probably similar to the ones here, but their elements aren’t based on pure magic.”

“Then what are they based on?” Luna asked.

“After a baby dragon is born, there is a gem that is next to their heart. A dragon can be born with any element, but it usually takes on the dominant element of its parents. As the dragon matures, the gem grows stronger. The gem soon stores enough energy that the dragon can call upon it to use when needed,” Damian explained.

“What happens if the gem is damaged?” Rarity asked.

“Depends on the severity of the damage. Dragons can suffer either slight pain, never being able to use their element again, or all the way to death,” Damian answered.

“So, that’s how you killed the dragon?” Celestia asked, her eyes showing a hint of protectiveness.

“That, and I also went for its heart to make sure,” Damian said as he gave a shrug of his shoulders.

Damian looked at Applejack, and was met with a harsh frown. The apple mare gestured between the two of them with her hoof, while shaking her head. The gesture wasn’t lost to the human, knowing full well that they were going to talk later. A silence settled between everyone as Twilight and Lyra compared their notes. The human took this as his chance to get a few answers of his own.

“May I ask a question?” Damian asked, seeing if he still had the luxury of asking his own.

“Of course, Damian. Please ask whatever is on your mind, and we’ll answer it the best we can,” Luna said as she offered a small smile.

“Twilight talked about something called the ‘Elements of Harmony’. What exactly is that?” Damian asked with a raised brow.

Luna’s smile fell as she looked at the floor. Her voice was soft, hurt as she gave a small explanation. “They are six magical artifacts that helped to free me from my hatred.”

“What do you mean?” Damian asked as he cocked his head a little.

“A long time ago, I grew jealous of my sister,” Luna started. Celestia draped a wing over her sister’s back to give her comfort. “I lost myself to my jealousy, and turned into a horrible creature called Nightmare Moon. I was banished to the moon for a thousand years. I returned to make an eternal night, but was saved by Twilight and her friends.” Luna gave a smile to the six mare that helped her.

“What about the meaning that Twilight gave them?” Damian pressed.

“Well, the name of each element is pretty self-explanatory. Applejack can’t lie to save her life. Rarity will help those that are in need. Pinkie will make sure that nopony is ever scared of anything. Fluttershy is caring to all things, and will help them if they need it. Rainbow won’t ever leave a friend behind, no matter what. My element only exists when all five come together,” Twilight explained.

Damian gave a small nod as he processed everything he was told. The ponies chatted amongst themselves as it started to near lunchtime. The human stood up from his pillow, stretching his back. He heard the ‘pop’ sounds from his spine as he put them back into place. The ponies continued to talk, and he went for one of the lunch tables. He reached one of the tables, and frowned heavily at the sight of the food. Everything that was offered was either hay or flowers. The human mentally slapped himself for not telling them about his diet.

Damian turned around to ask where he could get something else to eat, but saw Applejack gesturing to him. She was telling him to follow her, and he went with it. He might not have liked being ordered to follow her, but there was a chance that she could probably get him something better to eat. The farm mare parted the flap on the tent, letting the human exit first. He was a little confused as to why she did this, but pushed it to the back of his mind. Damian stood a couple feet away from the door as Applejack trotted up to him.

“I didn’t want to be rude in front of the others, but how did you really get that dragon tattoo?” Applejack asked as she gestured to his arm.

“I already told how I got it,” Damian defended, worried that the mare figured out his secret.

“Twilight said that I can’t lie about anything, but my Element of Harmony also allows me to know when others are lying,” Applejack stated firmly.

“So, what are you getting at?” Damian asked as he crossed his arms.

“I want to know the truth about how you got your dragon tattoo. You can lie to about it to the others, but I want the complete truth,” Applejack firmly stated as she poked his knee with a hoof.

Damian let out a heavy sigh as he gave in to the orange mare’s demands. “I wasn’t lying about how you got it, but there is a second way of getting it.”

“And that would be?” Applejack asked as she gestured for him to continue.

“You can either kill a dragon, or you can raise one,” Damian said.

“I’m sorry, what?” Applejack asked with a raised brow.

Damian looked at the mare, giving a slight shrug. “Yeah, you can get this tattoo for either killing a dragon or raising one.”

“So, you actually raised a dragon? How long did you have the critter?” Applejack asked with general interest.

“I had her for about six years. Master found out I had her and had me return her back to her parents,” Damian answered.

Applejack’s eyes widened a little at the answer. “Isn’t that kind of dangerous?”

“It can be. It depends on which dragons you’re visiting. I was lucky that her parents were the friendlier dragons,” Damian explained.

“Did she have a name?” Applejack asked as she sat on her haunches.

Damian sat next to the mare, leaning back slightly so he was staring up into the sky. “Her name was Autha.”

“What was she like?” Applejack asked, listening closely to the human.

“Her scales were a dark grey, her eyes a light silver. Her underbelly scales were cyan, and her spines were green,” Damian explained as he gave a small smile.

“During your six years with her, was she anything like Spike?” Applejack asked.

Damian scratched his chin in thought. “Not entirely. She acted like any other baby would. By the time I gave her back to her parents, she was starting to walk.”

“Do you miss her?” Applejack asked with care.

“I do. I was really attached with her, but Master was right when he said I had to return her,” Damian answered, giving a slight frown.

Applejack saw the sadness in the human’s eyes, and didn’t say anything more. She sat with the human, looking at the sky along with him. A small breeze blew past them, the leaves rustling in the wind. The two said nothing, letting the silence fill the space between them. They were soon interrupted by a low growling sound. Applejack turned to Damian, who tried to play it off. Damian looked at the farm mare as she gave a knowing grin.

Damian let out a heavy sigh as he spoke. “Do you have anything that I could actually eat that isn’t hay or flowers?”

Applejack gave a smile as she got to her hooves. “Follow me, sugarcube. I kind of guessed you wouldn’t eat anything that was going to be offered, so I made sure to have a lunch ready for you.”

Damian gave a single nod as he got to his feet. Applejack trotted off for the house and he followed after her. He entered the house to see Granny Smith sleeping in her old rocking chair, squeaking as it moved back and forth. He walked into the kitchen to see the farm mare pull out his lunch from the fridge. She gave him a warm smile as she placed the food on the table and started to take off the lids. Once the lids were removed, Damian went to one of the cupboards and grabbed a plate. Applejack went about cleaning the dishes as he filled his plate with the offered food.

Damian listened as Applejack hummed to herself. The tune of her hum suggested that she was happy, and he couldn’t help but give a small smile. He continued to eat his food, quickly trying to finish so he could get through the questioning quicker. He was stopped when the orange mare spoke up.

“This is probably not my business and I might not understand it, but do you have to fight Echo again?” Applejack asked, her body never turning away from the sink.

Damian swallowed his bit of food before replying. “I do. I can’t let her walk around thinking that she can take me down whenever she wants.” Damian picked up an apple slice as he continued. “It has to do with pride, and that’s something I won’t let get walked all over on.”

Applejack gave a small laugh as she turned towards the human. “I understand what it means to have a strong sense of pride. The only other pony I would say that has as much a strong of pride as myself would be Rainbow.”

Damian raised a brow as he wondered how much pride the apple mare had. “How much trouble has your pride gotten you into?”

Applejack gave a little sigh before giving a light laugh. “It has gotten me into trouble a few times. The worst one was when I nearly ruined the farm.” Applejack gave a slight shake of her head.

Damian finished off his food, setting the plate on the table as he inquired further. “What happened to your farm?”

Applejack didn’t say anything at first, looking at the human with unsure eyes. She was silent for several seconds before sagging a bit as she spoke. “Big Mac hurt his back, and I took over his workload. Ended up running myself ragged, making me a danger to everypony here in Ponyville. I still feel bad when I think about it.” Applejack’s once happy look turned sad as she scuffed at the floor with a hoof.

Damian saw this upset her, and he tried to find something to say to help brighten her mood. He was about to speak when there was a knock. Damian looked back at the kitchen entrance to see Echo leaning against the wall. The bat mare said nothing, but gestured with her hoof to return back to the tent. Damian looked at Applejack with a slightly concerned look, trying to figure out what to do. Applejack stopped his thoughts as she shook herself free of her slight depression and started trotting back to the tent.

Damian watched the retreating orange mare, looking back at Echo, then back at Applejack. He scratched the back of his head as he headed back to the tent. The bat mare moved to the side, letting the human pass by first. Once he was past her, she hovered behind him, keeping a close eye on him. The two of them reached the tent, and Damian pulled the flap aside to let the mare in first. Echo floated in place, looking at the human with a raised brow. He gestured for her to enter, and after a small growl, she entered.

Damian took his seat on the cushion next to Applejack, waiting for the princesses to join them. The wait wasn’t long as the princesses trotted away from the table, taking a seat on their cushions again. Twilight and Lyra were flipping through their notes, conversing about things they may have missed or comparing their thoughts. Damian looked at Applejack to see that she was smiling again. He didn’t buy it for a second as he could see the slight sadness that lingered from their previous conversation. Damian said nothing as he lifted a hand, and began gently stroking her mane.

Applejack’s body tensed as she felt the human’s hand on her mane. She felt his fingers scratch at her scalp, eliciting a hum of pleasure. The feeling of the human’s hand running through her mane reminded her of a happier time when she was a filly. The feeling was short lived as she felt the human start scratching behind her ear. Feeling the human scratch behind her ear, Applejack bolted back from his touch. She gave deep pants as she tried to collect herself. She looked up to see Damian looking at her with a raised brow.

“Is everything okay?” Damian asked with slight concern.

Applejack took some deep breaths before addressing the human. “Yes. Sorry about that. You don’t know this, but scratching behind a pony’s ear is more of an act of intimacy.” Applejack could feel her face burn from her slight blush.

Damian’s face grew a bit red from this news. He rubbed the back of his head nervously as he tried to defuse this situation. “Sorry about that. I just thought that you would like that since it usually helps to calm down some animals.”

Applejack looked at the human, giving him a reassuring smile. “Like I said. You didn’t know and now you can avoid it in the future.”

The two shared a small laugh as they looked at everyone else in the room. Most of Applejack’s friends were looking at them with surprise, while the princesses and the guards were a little threatening. The only one that didn’t look as threatening was Luna, who gave a small nod of her head. Before the situation could possibly turn worse, Luna decided to move on with more questions.

“So, Damian, how did you get those scars?” Luna asked, trying to distract everyone from what they saw.

Damian didn’t even hesitate to jump in on the question. “Each of these actually have their own story, but I think that I can sum them up pretty well.”

Damian received nods from the ponies, showing he could continue. “This slash across my abdomen was when a new recruit set off a trap during one of my missions. The star on my shoulder was when I was shot with an arrow from a lookout. The X on my back was when I was tortured.” The latter caused most of the ponies to drop what they were holding.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Lyra, Rarity, and Applejack all looked at him with wide eyes. Their mouths opened and closed as they tried to figure out something to say. When they couldn’t find any words to speak, they looked at the others, hoping they would have something to say. Celestia took a few seconds to ponder what Damian had said before looking at the ponies around her. The solar diarch looked out the window to see the sun was starting to set.

Sighing heavily, Celestia moved on with the conversation. “Seeing that the sun has started to go down, this will be the last question of your punishment.” Damian gave a sigh of relief that his interrogation was finally over. “What were you tortured for?”

Damian tensed at the final question. The memory of the torture was ingrained into his brain, unable to leave his thoughts as long as he lived. This was something he never really wished to talk about, especially with others that don’t need to know. He looked at all the ponies, their features showing they were a little uncomfortable as well. He looked at the princesses to see that Luna had a little apprehension, but Celestia’s hardened gaze bore through him. He thought about lying to them about what would happen, but then he would have to face Applejack about it later. The farm mare had said that she didn’t mind him lying to her friends, but in some way, he felt they would find out eventually.

Rubbing his face with his own hands, he sighed heavily as he brought back those painful memories. “I was hired to kill a noble lord from one of the fifty head households. Everything was going so simply that I thought it would go over easily.” Damian gripped at his pants tightly as the memories started flashing through his mind.

“It ended up nearly getting me killed. Apparently, there was a spy for one of the nobles and placed the job on the board. Their plan was to kill off the high ranking members of Shadow Step.” Damian closed his eyes tightly as he let his mouth do the talking.

“I arrived at the house, and everything was going along so well. I reached the master bedroom and that was when everything went bad. A few guards were able to get the jump on me and everything after that is a blank. I remember waking up on a cold table, darkness surrounding me. The head noble that I was meant to kill walked out, and he had a malicious grin on his face.”

“He didn’t say anything at first, instead going for the first strike. I heard the sound of ringing metal, then the next thing I knew, I felt a blade cutting into my back. He cut deeply enough to leave this scar, but not enough to cause any fatal injuries. All he wanted was one answer from me, and that was ‘who was my leader’?”

“I defied him by not answering, but he didn’t seem to care. Since he was able to get a spy into our network, then he would have no problem getting information out of others. He continued to question, though, thinking that he could break me. As it came across that he wouldn’t be able to, he made another scar so that I would have this X. He planned on killing me off later, but Master was able to save me in time before the noble had the chance.”

Damian’s body shook harshly as he remembered the feeling of cold steel against his back. He felt a hoof rubbing his back, but he didn’t open his eyes. He could hear some shuffling from around him, signaling that the ponies were starting to pack.

His attention was pulled to Celestia, but he refused to look at her with open eyes. “I see. Thank you for your time, Damian. I will end your punishment today and allow you to get some rest. Luna and I will speak with you later when you have composed yourself.”

Damian could hear the hard edge in Celestia’s tone, but he was thrown off by something he didn’t expect to hear from her. Care. He didn’t respond as he heard the ponies walking out of the tent, their murmurs of ‘goodbyes’ spoken before finally leaving. Once they were all gone, he opened his eyes to see Fluttershy and Applejack looking at him with concern. The shy mare was quick to wrap him in a hug as she fought back her own tears. Damian didn’t do anything as he just let the mare hug him, only wanting to get to bed.

It seemed that Applejack knew what he was thinking as she helped him to his feet and started leading him to the farmhouse. Damian tried to turn for the barn, but the orange mare wouldn’t have any of that. She made sure the human followed her inside her house. Once inside, Fluttershy released the human and headed upstairs. Applejack led the human back to the couch, moving things around so he could be comfortable. The shy pegasus floated down the stairs, a blanket in her hooves as she neared Damian.

The two mares worked together as they threw the blanket over him, giving a warm smile as they trotted off. Damian grabbed the edges of the blanket, pulling it over his head so he could shut out the little bit of light that was pouring in. He wasn’t sure how long he was under the blanket, but he soon drifted off to sleep. Nightmares of everything that happened during that fateful day were there to greet him.