Second Breath

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.