Welcome Home
Rebirth...
Reincarnation...
The Afterlife...
Heaven...
Hell...
He'd be the first to admit that none of those things had any significant meaning to him. Religion was something he personally chose not to believe in; and so he paid the theories, ideas and other various things connected to it little attention. Could there really be an afterlife? Would the choices he made in life cause him to be sent to a different place once he died? Would he be judged on the decisions that had affected him and others?
To be perfectly frank, he honestly didn't care either way. If his choices affected him, that was fine; and if they didn't, then that was fine too. He chose not to believe in a single figure judging him once he died. But if you believed in those things, then good for you; and if you didn't, then good for you too. That was the right of any person who could think for themselves: the right to choose what they wanted to believe in and accept as truth.
All he asked in return was that you didn't attempt to force your opinion on anyone else. Sure, talking about it and discussing things with others was fine, just like teaching your religion to those who knew nothing about it. But if you started trying to shovel your beliefs down the throat of someone else, then he had a problem with what you believed in. No true God needed people to believe in it to be true, and its existence should speak for itself.
Damien Wick considered himself a pretty simple young adult. He lived his life by a simple set of rules. First: do unto others as you would wish upon yourself. Second: never stop moving forward. And third: life was what you made of it. Your decisions and choices were what mattered, and you should never let the beliefs and opinions of others force you to be someone other then yourself. Only you should be allowed to chose who you wanted to be and what you wanted to do.
That was his belief, and the rules by which he lived his life.
Those rules had served the young man well through his twenty-three years of life; leading him straight and true, and making sure he never regretted the choices he made. Despite the fact that he preferred to be on his own with the solitude of his own thoughts, the desire to be alone had never truly stopped him from living his life day-by-day however he desired. His faith had been destroyed multiple times, his friendships broken and his honest helpfulness taken advantage of, but he had never let it stop him, and had never regretted anything.
Over the years, though, the betrayals had built up upon each other, and he'd begun to spend more and more time alone in his solitude. Eventually the few who still knew him considered him a loner; someone who wanted others to respect his desire to be alone, but was still willing to be there for his friends if they needed him. Not that Damien really had many friends, more like a few acquaintances whom he spent time with every once and a while in order to say that he wasn't some depressed emo who never saw the light of day.
Sure, he might be depressed sometimes, and the way he'd closed his heart off from opening up to others might make his emotions difficult to notice when he expressed them, but that did not make him an Emo! Yes, he might like to be alone, prefer the dark to the light, enjoy clothes of darker shades, and could sometimes be rather silent and unnoticeable in a room full of people, but those were just traits that defined him. They didn't mean he was some super depressed self-destroyed dude who never wanted to have friends again.
Damien refused to be identified by anything other then who he truly was. His looks and his emotions were just a filler, his personality was more complex then a few stereotypes!
Anyways, you're probably wondering what this is all about. How is Damien Wick any more important then every other stereotypical human on the planet? Well, the fact of the matter was he was no more important. He was a perfectly boring male whose story wouldn't even be worth the cost of the book it was printed in, let alone something anyone would want to read. So why are you reading about him then? Well, isn't it obvious?
He died. . .
/ / / / /
“Well...that was super frick'n uncomfortable,” Damien mumbled, absently pressing his hand over the surprisingly wound-free section of his suddenly naked chest.
It was odd, due to the fact he could have sworn he'd been bleeding out from a bullet wound only a few moments ago, but now his skin was intact without even a trace of scarring.
He decided not to worry about it, and took a cursory glance at himself to see if the rest of his body was similarly healed. He wasn't too surprised to find that he was indeed healed of the various scraps, bruises and wounds he'd gained over the rather sudden assault he'd just been subjected to. However, the fact all his clothes had suddenly disappeared was a little confusing and awkward. Thankfully, though, he appeared to be alone, so he didn't need to be too worried about the display he was putting on.
Not that he considered it very much of a display, all things considered. For someone of his age who exercised frequently, he knew he wasn't much to look at. He ate good portions of food, and didn't overwork himself. Yet he had always retained a slightly underweight appearance. This was likely due to the combination of his slim frame and lean non-muscular build. Combined with the various small scars that covered his bare body, he was pretty boring to look at.
Having finished examining himself, Damien took a look around to see if he could understand whatever situation he'd managed to find himself in. The first thing he noticed was that wherever he was...was dark. A soul-crushing blackness surrounded him in all directions, stretching out in an endless void as far as the eye could see, but that the mind knew was endlessly vast. The only other detail was the small circle of light that he was standing in. Its weak warmth and glow was seemingly all that kept the surrounding void at bay.
Unconsciously lowering a hand towards his rather exposed maleness, Damien continued to look around, “So, if I was just shot...then I'm probably dead.” Damien sighed, “Bummer... Alright then, where am I?”
...In between...
Damien's eyes immediately narrowed, and he cast his gaze around the void to try and locate the voice that had just spoken, despite knowing on some level that it would likely do no good. The voice had both echoed from all around the darkness surrounding him, but also within his head. Still though, it was odd hearing a voice that he couldn't locate, not to mention that he'd have to talk back to something he couldn't see... heh, just like someone who prayed at their bedside every night.
. . .
Right, that had been a bit snarky. Apparently dying had done more to his emotional attitude then he'd first thought. It wasn't often that he took pot-shots at religion and the way those who practiced it acted. Taking a deep calming breath, he relaxed and let his mind focus once more; reinforcing the mental discipline that let him function day by day despite the bouts of depression he sometimes experienced.
. . . . Alright, there we go, much better.
“That didn't really answer my question,” he voiced calmly, pausing before asking somewhat curiously, “Mind telling me some more?”
...Time...Destiny...History...Truth...
Damien simply stood still for a moment, feeling his right eye twitch in annoyance at the completely useless answer of the disembodied voice. This was just his luck, getting attacked while shopping due to the t-shirt he'd chosen to wear of all things. Dying from being shot at point-black range after beating down half his attackers. And now he was stranded in some endless void of blackness with a voice spiting riddles like Dumbledore at him.
...was today Tuesday?
“Well...that was useless,” he mumbled, running a hand backwards through his hair as he took another calming breath, “Mind...maybe expanding on that thought?”
...All beings have a beginning and an end...this is not your end...
Well, that certainly set Damien's mind blazing. Did the voice mean he'd get resurrected back on Earth?
Was this the moment that all his denials of religion would be thrown aside by proof that such miracles existed and could happen!?
As his thoughts ran a mile a minute, Damien eventually opened his mouth to ask for some clarification, only to cut himself off as the void rippled and began to shake all around him. Bracing himself, he stayed standing through the thunderous rumbling of the dark realm, watching in awe and horror as the darkness around him pulsed and rippled more, cracks forming and instantly healing in the darkness around him.
He wasn't certain how he knew, but Damien knew without a doubt that the darkness around him was bad for his health, and if the realm was breaking apart it meant whatever was keeping him here was fading. In answer to that thought, the light surrounding the young man flickered for a moment. An icy cold whipped around his body and pierced into his soul, causing a single moment of intense agony unlike anything he'd ever felt before, before the light came back brighter than ever.
...Time...Short...Choose...
As the voice spoke, the void around him rippled once more, only this time without the shaking and cracking that had accompanied the action the first time.
He watched once more in awe as the aura of light around him brightened even more, spider-like lines shooting out across the floor of the void. Tiny dots formed every few feet, with orbs of light forming and hovering over the dots. Thousands upon thousands of orbs lit up the darkness surrounding him, stretching into eternity.
Damien didn't even hesitate as he took his first step, walking along the web of light towards the nearest orb, a rapid array of images flooding his mind and soul before vanishing as he stepped past. As he wandered along the spider-web of light, he was assaulted again and again by images and feelings, each different yet somehow similar in thousands of ways. The ocean of orbs each offering their own unique promise, calling out to him and beckoning him into their light.
and yet...
As he wandered the endless pathways of light, the void would ripple and shake without warning, orbs vanishing as they were swallowed by the darkness. It was a terrifying experience, watching the orbs ahead of him blinking out before he could approach, as the ones behind him were swallowed just the same by the darkness, crushing the light and extending the shadows of the void with each minute that passed as he wandered.
But Damien couldn't stop, passing orb after orb as an ache began to form in his heart and soul. All of them felt so similar, a simple welcoming warmth as they offered him another chance at life... but none of them felt right. He didn't quite know how to explain it, but none of these worlds were the right one for him. None of them contained whatever it was he needed, what his soul cried out for in the void as he wandered along.
“Wait...”
Halting his quick walk, Damien felt himself hesitating as he stood beside one of the thousands of orbs, a feeling he'd long since forgotten reaching out for him without an ounce of reluctance. It... It felt warm, welcoming, judging and comforting all at the same time, and Damien knew without a doubt that it was the most amazing warmth he'd ever experienced. Standing there, he barely noticed as his arm lifted, hand reaching out to press his palm against the orb, the warm surface of the light tickling his sensitive skin.
Breathing in deeply, Damien let his eyes close as he pushed his palm closer against the orb of light. As his eyes were closed, he didn't notice as the millions of lights flickered out all around him, leaving him in an ocean of darkness. The small orb he was touching was the only light in the darkness. It was somehow holding back the endless void all on its own, even as the darkness reached out to wrap its shadowy claws around Damien.
...This connection...I see...so it hass chosen you...
As his palm continued to rest on the orb of light, the faint images and feelings that he'd been experiencing as he passed by the other orbs was blown away by those that he experienced here. They were brighter, more colorful, thick with emotion and feeling, their details writing themselves across his mind, and flowing into his very soul. It was amazing. This world wasn't like the others he'd bypassed, it wasn't welcoming a stranger who needed somewhere to stay, it was like... family... family calling him home, to that home in his heart that he'd closed so long ago.
He'd known since he began to wander the spider-web of light that each orb was a – a doorway, yes, a doorway to another world, a realm that existed out in the multiverse that he was being offered entry to. But this world, this doorway, this realm, it felt so warm and inviting, so different from the indifference that he remembered feeling back on Earth. It was almost like...like someone was calling out to him, welcoming him and promising him that everything would be okay.
'Can you hear me?'
“I...I can hear you,” Damien whispered in answer to the faint voice, a worried look slowly forming on his face.
He, he honestly couldn't remember how many years it had been since he'd felt worry so clearly, or any of the other emotions that he could feel welling up inside of him. This world, it was everything he'd ever wanted to feel. A world that welcomed him despite the darkness of his soul, despite the way he'd closed his heart and soul. This world was pushing it all aside and asking someone as broken as him if he wanted to belong.
But he...did he really deserve something like this?
The warmth of the welcome suddenly increased a thousand fold as Damien's thoughts darkened, shattering his dark thoughts before they could fully form, flooding him with like and warmth beyond even what he'd felt before. It was so intense, so amazing...Damien gasped weakly as he collapsed to his knees in front of the orb of light, no longer able to support himself as the warmth grew brighter and brighter, filling him and nudging at the doorway to his closed heart.
'Can you feel me Damien? Can you feel the promise of my soul?'
“Y-Yes, I...I can feel you,” he whispered, eyes wide as a few tears leaked from his watery eyes.
'All you have to do is reach out, reach out and take hold.'
Damien hesitated, hand trembling as it rested on the surface of the glowing orb, wondering if he had the strength to accept what he was being offered. Could he really embrace what he was so freely being given? He'd long ago locked away his emotions, refused to feel or open his heart again after being hurt so many times before. If he...if he accepted what this warmth promised, he'd change. He'd no longer be able to lock himself away like he'd done before.
Could he though, could he really try again?
'I promise, I'll be there for you.'
Damien's eyes sharpened, and he pushed aside all traces of hesitation and doubt that clouded his mind 'NEVER STOP MOVING FORWARD' and he plunged his hand into the light.
It happened in an instant. An explosion of light and warmth as the orb exploded outwards and blew away the darkness that surrounded him, chasing away the shadows that had begun to take hold, the light overwhelming every trace of the darkness and surrounding him in it's loving warmth. Damien choked, eyes still watering and a few more tears leaking down his cheeks. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel someone holding him, their arms wrapped around him as the light and warmth filled him, changed him...
Though he couldn't see what was going on, Damien knew he was changing. He could feel it both in his body and his soul. It terrified him, being changed...but he'd accepted the offer as it'd been given. He'd embraced it without an ounce of hesitation, letting the new feelings and light fill him and do as it wished. The warmth of whoever was holding him, of the world that was welcoming him, being all he needed in return.
'I've got you Damien,' the once faint voice whispered, echoing with an ageless kindness and warmth. 'I've got you, and I promise as long as you want it, that you'll be welcome.'
'My world hasn't existed for very long, it is new and young. Its trials and tribulations are just beginning, the danger is hidden just beneath the surface. Those that walk my surface aren't ready for it, Damien. They are just as young, just as inexperienced. They need you, Damien; just like you need them. Together you can learn more from each other then you'd ever be able to imagine.'
'Harmony...Chaos...Love...Light...Darkness...'
'Everything is equal, all of it. Embrace this truth, embrace those that open themselves to you, and open yourself in return. And then, Damien, you'll never be alone again.'
“W-Who are you?” he whispered out weakly in exhaustion.
He-He wanted to see her, to see whoever was speaking to him, who was embracing him so warmly. He wanted to know who she was, why she'd offered all of this so freely to him, why she thought he could possibly be the one who her world needed. He wasn't anyone special. He had no rare gifts, no special talents, but...but she sounded so certain, certain that he was everything he'd always thought he could never possibly be.
But the light was too bright, even with it's warmth he was being blinded by it's brilliance. He couldn't make out anything, and worse yet he felt the exhaustion beginning to take hold of him. The changes he'd undergone had worked his body past the point he could normally function. Yet he refused to let it take him, not until he'd seen her, this person who was giving him things he'd long since given up on. This person who was asking him to open his heart and soul to pain once more, to try all the things he'd given up on, to chance being hurt once again. He needed to see her, to look on her with his eyes and see her for himself.
It wasn't to be though, the white light brightened and the feeling of the figure holding him vanished in its all encompassing warmth. Slowly, the white light began to change. It twisted as colors began to flow into it, circling around each other and forming a vortex of color, a rainbow of light and promise that shone brighter than the sun of Earth ever had. Damien felt himself sway as the exhaustion finally proved too much, and as the rainbow surrounded and embraced him he felt a weight settle gently on his shoulder, a promise being formed as the words beckoned him into unconsciousness.
'Damien, Welcome Home...'
A Rather Busy Awakening
“Ughh, my everything...”
With that tired mumble, Damien felt the last dredges of unconsciousness fade away. Full awareness returned to him slowly, his mind running a mile a minute as he thought over the last few notable things he remembered. Trying to make proper sense of them just confused his half-awake mind even more, but he fought past the confusion and forced himself fully awake. Now, let's see here; assault, death, dark void, spider-web of light orbs, warmth, weird voices, home?
Huh...
Okay, so that was a bit weird. None of it had felt like a dream, and he remembered it all perfectly. Which was something that had never happened before when he dreamed, which likely meant it was all actually true. In that case, the fastest way to check would be to open his eyes. After all, if he'd actually been reborn or something on a new world, then he wouldn't recognize his surroundings. Or at least they'd look a little weird to him.
Only, he wasn't sure he really wanted to take the chance that it had all just been his imagination running wild. He didn't believe in rebirth or reincarnation or anything like that, so why would he, of all people, be given a second chance on some new world that apparently both wanted and needed him. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like it was just his horrible luck playing a joke on him.
Letting out a soft sigh, Damien inhaled, and immediately coughed to dislodge the bunch of grass he'd just managed to swallow. Eyes opening with a sudden snap, he coughed a few more times, and then spat to get the rest of the grass out of his mouth. Only to leave his mouth hanging open, as he found himself starring at the lush-green grass covered ground about an inch from his face. Taking stock of the situation, he grunted, slowly forcing his sore and odd-feeling body to roll over onto his back so he wasn't starring into the grass and trying to inhale it every time he breathed.
This left him starring upwards at a brilliant canopy of tree leaves and branches instead, the deep blue of a starry night sky and its stars sparkling through the few faint gaps in the foliage. Despite being slightly surprised at the sight, as he'd not seen a forest so thick and lush except in history books back on Earth, he couldn't help but feel something was a bit odd.
The trees and such were a bit brighter, more detailed and life-like then he remembered them being during his few nature walks through the small parks in his hometown. It was almost distorted in a way, not a bad way per say, more like looking at a cartoon. Yeah, that was a perfect way to describe it, if he wasn't seeing things. Taking a deep breath, as Damien pushed himself up and shifted, he fell into a sitting position, gazing out at the huge forest that surrounded him on all sides, and seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance.
“It looks, like a cartoon?” he questioned softly, bringing a hand up to run through his...”HOLY SHIT!”
Damien tried not to freak out as he stared.
...and stared.
Then just for good measure, he stared a bit more.
After a moment or two, he began to slowly flex his hand. Once, then twice, before turning it over a few times. Then he flexed it again, before spreading out his fingers and just continuing to stare at his hand in half confusion and half awe. He couldn't be sure if what he was seeing was real, but he could feel his hand when he flexed and moved it. It certainly felt real enough, which likely meant this couldn't just be a hallucination.
His hand had somehow been transformed, changing to match the same bright cartoon-like appearance, detail, and color as seemed to be normal in this world. If anything, his hand looked more like it had been animated for a children's show, rather then the flesh and blood limb he knew had been attached to him only yesterday.
Realizing that if his hand had been transformed, the rest of him had likely followed, Damien glanced down at himself. Sure enough, every single part of him had been similarly transformed into this cartoon-like style. Not only that, but he was still naked. Completely naked, and sitting on his ass in the middle of some weird cartoon forest with a new cartoon body.
A forest in a whole new world, that a voice belonging to someone he hadn't been able to see had sent him to...
Right. Well, when he thought of it like that, he kind of sounded a bit crazy.
. . .
That couldn't be true though, right? He hadn't gone crazy, he was definitely not losing it, not even a little bit. But then again... The sounds of nature echoed all around him, the grass and wind felt real against his hands and face, and the smell of the wild filled his nose. It was so much more detailed then on his world. But, in a dream, wouldn't things naturally feel more realistic and detailed then they did in reality?
He supposed this could be a dream; but something deep inside told him that it wasn't. It told him that this was all real, that it was really happening, and that he was wide awake.
As he sat there and pondered this, Damien couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was supposed to do now. He didn't know where he was, or what he was really meant to be doing in this new world. Could he really afford to open up his heart once more? Could he chance falling for the same tricks and inevitable betrayals that he'd suffered through too many times already? That voice had promised that this world would be a home to him, that he would be needed.
But he'd heard promises before. Would the beings that inhabited this world even bother to welcome him? What if he looked too different, spoke too oddly. The thought of opening himself up again, only to be betrayed once more, cut at him deeply. With each passing moment, he began to think of more and more horrible possibilities, and question after question filled his mind as his breathing slowly began to quicken. A heavy rapid-rasping noise echoed through the clearing of the forest as the panic began to set in, and the world distorted and rippled around him seemingly in response.
'SMACK!'
“...Oww,”
Rubbing his cheek to soothe the pain of having just slapped himself, Damien focused on breathing evenly. It had been a long time since he'd broken out into a panic attack like that, especially one caused by his own thoughts and feelings. Slowly taking a few deep breaths, Damien allowed the calming action to restore his normal state of faint-emotionless focus. He couldn't allow stuff like that to happen to him, in this new world he needed to remain calm and think about what he should be doing next, and then just do it.
He supposed in that case, the best thing to do would be to take note of his current situation. Analyze what had happened to him, and determine what steps he needed to focus on.
First things first, he had died. Only to be 'resurrected?' to live in this new world instead.
Secondly, he'd been unsure of his decision to live in a new world. Let alone call it, home, of all things given his past. Until a warm feeling of unconditional and overwhelming ...kindness, yeah, kindness, had been shared with him in that strange void of darkness.
Third, the voice that seemed so welcoming had told him he'd be important to this new world. Not only that, but he would both need the inhabitants of this world, and be needed by them in return. He still wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, having stopped caring about others long ago.
Fourth, choosing to exist in this world had changed him. His new body both felt, and from what he could see, looked different. He was almost certain the changes had not been limited to his appearance. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew this body was far different than his old one.
Last, but not least... He was still. Fucking. NAKED!
Damien ran his hand backwards through his hair, as he always did to calm himself, and stifled a groan of annoyance at his continued nakedness. Letting his hair fall back into place, he had to pause and stare at the strands just noticeable out of the corner of his eye. The sight of white, instead of the normal dirty-blond he was used to seeing, was a rather shocking surprise, and made him wonder just how various the changes he'd undergone really were. For now, though, he should be worrying about where he was, not what he looked like.
Letting his gaze sweep around the clearing and nearby forest once more, Damien made sure to take note of everything in his surroundings. He was slightly displeased to note he couldn't recognize anything, but on the other hand he wasn't too surprised. This just another point towards accepting he'd really arrived on a new world. Annoyance, however, was in full swing. The voice that had sent him here hadn't left him with anything. It had deposited him in some strange place completely defenseless: no clothing to cover himself, and no weapon to protect himself with.
With nothing else to do, Damien carefully climbed to his feet. Surprise was his next strong emotion. His body was moving and reacting so...it was hard to explain. It was almost like he was lighter, yet heavier at the same time. More flexible, and yet more tense and honed like a spring about to be released. His body felt so different, he had a little trouble actually believing that it belonged to him, and not some buff and highly-trained youth that worked out constantly. His new cartoon-like appearance went much more then skin-deep.
With the feeling of soft grass underneath his feet, Damien began to slowly walk forward. The wind flowed through the nearby trees and around his bare body. He embraced the rather unique situation and the feeling of his genitals being ruffled by the breeze. Though the situation was a bit odd, he actually felt quite at home, as he moved silently through the forest. Soft imprints in the grass were the only sign of his silent presence as he moved deeper into its depths, or possibly closer to civilization. He didn't really care either way. It wasn't like he had anything better to do at the moment anyways.
As he wandered through the forest lit by the moon, Damien let the sounds of night and nature flow around him just like the cool wind. It was a situation one would never find themselves in back on earth. Civilization had caused such places to disappear into the notes of history. But here, in this new world...he could hear the sounds of nocturnal creatures moving through the forest, the calm hours of night welcoming them with open arms in the otherwise silent embrace of the night.
“Move faster you two!” a strong feminine voice shouted, “We need to hurry to Ponyville and find out what's happened to the Princess!”
“Yes Captain!” echoed two voices, one male and one female, in response.
Blinking curiously, Damien gazed upwards to where the voices seemed to be coming from, staring at the dense foliage above. Was there some sort of tree-village in this forest or something? A village in the trees would definitely be pretty cool, but he couldn't really see any signs that pointed towards something like that. But then again, how else could someone be talking from what would otherwise just be air?
Maybe he just hadn't been looking hard enough? The foliage, tree branches and leaves, along with the night-sky, no matter how bright the moon was, made it a bit difficult for him to see. His night vision was poor at the best of times, so it was certainly possible he'd just missed something. Still, those voices sounded rather worried, and had that one mentioned a 'Princess'?
“Captain! Lookout!” shouted the male of the two responding voices from moments before.
“ARGH!”
Damien's eyes narrowed, and he wished he could see what was happening as the stronger feminine voice from before shouted out in pain. In an instant, the dense foliage above was suddenly no obstacle to his poor night vision, which had sharpened, lighting up the night in a way he hadn't seen since he was young. As he caught his first sight of what was happening, he couldn't quite say if he was really so sure he was actually awake.
Flying in the sky above him were what appeared to be three horses with wings, and an ominous cloud of starry black smoke.
“What the heck?” Damien stared up at the unbelievable sight, as not only should horses not be able to fly, but was that cloud...squeezing the third horse? “No, they don't look big enough to be horses, I guess they'd probably be better classified as ponies. Or, well, pegasi since these are flying,” he contemplated. The captured pegasus continued to cry out in pain as the other two tried to free her, seemingly trying to cut the smoke with their wings.
“Dammit! Let the Captain go!” shouted the male voice, a loud female “Yeah!” calling out as well.
“AGUHAHHH!!” the strong female that was captured screamed even louder, and a faint 'crack' seemed to echo in accompaniment.
“CAPTAIN!” the two other pegasi cried out in concern, redoubling their efforts on freeing their captain from the cloud of starry black smoke.
“AHHHH, ... L-LEAVE! H-HAGGAHH, HELP, HELP THE PRINCESS!” the captured pegasus forced out through her screams.
On the ground below, Damien felt his fists clenching even as he bit down on his lower lip, as he stared up at the horrible scene. He'd long since given up caring for others, but even so, he still felt a faint desire to help when someone was suffering right in front of him. But at the moment he was useless. He couldn't fly and had no way to reach the torture happening in the sky above the foliage.
As the Captain Pegasus's voice cried out her order, he knew immediately that neither of the other two pegasi wanted to follow it. But when an additional “NOW!” echoed out through another tortured scream from the captured pegasus, they both gave a single strong beat of their wings and blasted away towards what he figured was the 'Ponyville' they'd mentioned before being attacked.
“Hehehe...such a noble little pegasus...” a dark raspy voice seemed to echo along the wind, “Such a pitiful end, goodbye my subject.”
A sinking feeling filled Damien at the smoke's words, and he swore mentally as the cloud suddenly released the pegasus. She immediately began to plummet towards the forest below, and despite flapping her wings...no, she was only flapping a single wing. Her other wing was bent at an odd angle, and didn't seem to be moving at all, even as she desperately flapped her other wing as hard as possible.
He made the connection in an instant, that crack from before had been the odd cloud somehow breaking one of her wings. Which would now lead to her certain death, as if colliding with the dense foliage above didn't kill her, then tumbling and crashing through before smashing into the ground from such a height would. Especially without being able to slow herself, she was a goner.
“This, is going to end badly...”
Springing forward at a rapid sprint he pushed as much force into his legs as possible, willing himself to run faster and carry himself forward. He knew that his appearance would likely shock, maybe even terrify, this pegasus if this world didn't have humans like him in it. But if he actually managed to do something about her falling, he hoped she wouldn't freak out and immediately run away from him. Hopefully the creatures of this new world were welcoming like the voice had suggested, or else this rescue would turn out pretty badly. He just couldn't leave her to certain death.
...wait? Why couldn't he just do that?
It had been a long time since he had cared enough about the fate of another to actually act. Ever since 'that' betrayal he'd pushed aside any desire to help others. He hadn't felt fear for another in many years, nor the desire to put his own life on the line to aide someone else, especially if nothing was in it for him. Yet here he was, body already moving and mind seemingly already made up. Rushing forward without any hesitation, which was completely unlike him these days.
Pushing those thoughts aside to focus as he approached one of the nearby trees, he ignored the sudden heavier feeling of his movement and shoved the flat of his metal-covered foot against the trunk of the tree, not even pausing to wonder why he was suddenly wearing metal armor-like boots and a pair of jeans as he scaled the trunk of the tree.
One foot in front of the other, he ran vertically up the side of the tree trunk. It was almost like he'd been performing parkour all his life, his movements were swift and certain, not an action wasted. Legs burning with exertion, he reached the climbable tip of the trunk, and with a powerful combined thrust from both his legs he launched himself upwards. Like a bullet he tore through the dense foliage and out into the open air with a spin, the fabric of a cloak, that hadn't been there before, fluttering in the wind.
Heavy breathing rebounding off something that was now covering his face, Damien paid it no mind as he quickly locked his eyes onto his still plummeting target. Reaching out with his left hand, a left hand suddenly covered in a mix of metal and scales instead of flesh he noticed absently, he wrapped his clawed finger-tips around the barrel of the wide-eyed pegasus. Ignoring the odd circumstances and strange things that kept happening, he tugged her right against his side, wincing faintly at her sharp pained whimper.
Wishing he'd been a bit more gentle, but not really being able to do anything at this moment, he just held her tighter against his side. The skin-tight suit-wearing pegasus's wide eyes, eyes far larger than a normal pony back on earth, were staring at him in complete shock, but once more he ignored it. Spinning them both to reduce momentum they plummeted together back through the dense foliage, his body protecting the injured pegasus from further harm.
'BOOM!'
A couple short seconds after passing through the tree cover, a resounding boom echoed loudly through the silent night-air of the dark forest. Damien and the pony had crashed into the ground with incredible force, causing it to crater inwards and then bubble outwards into a decently sized impact crater. The accompanying shockwave cutting into the ground and creating a perfect circle of destroyed grass, stone and earth. Breathing a little heavily, Damien lifted his foot out of the deep indentation he'd made in the ground, and walked with a slow purposeful walk out of the crater they'd made.
Still held tight to his side, staring at him with eyes wider still, the pegasus made no sound. Her eyes, despite being huge and wide, contained two tiny shrunk pupils, her good wing had glued itself to her side, and her ears were pinned back. The sight was both adorable, and a little heart-breaking, because Damien knew it meant this pegasus was likely terrified.
“You alright?” he asked simply, noting that whatever was covering his face also seemed to be distorting his voice into a rasp.
The pegasus finally seemed to come to her senses, and without a moments warning began squirming and struggling in Damien's grasp. Not wanting her to get injured by his sharp claws, Damien gently and carefully lowered her to the ground onto her four hooves. He didn't react or make any threatening movements as she practically tripped over herself to flee and stand in front of one of the nearby trees a short distance away, still staring at him in terror.
“W-What, w-what a-ar-are you?” she stuttered out, voice weak.
Damien couldn't contain his wince this time, the pure terror in the pony's voice cutting him deeply. Despite having long stopped caring what others thought of him, it still hurt when someone was scared of him. He knew he wasn't the most friendly or open person, but it wasn't like he was dangerous or anything. He had never hurt or attacked anyone, and was always helping back when he bothered with such a thing.
Making sure not to advance on the pony or do anything that might scare her more, Damien decided to take a look at the clothes that had suddenly appeared on his body. He didn't know how it had happened, but at some point between reaching that tree and taking his first step up the trunk he'd gained a full set of clothes, and even had his body altered slightly at the same moment. His feet were now covered in a pair of silver plate-armor style boots that gleamed in the moonlight, and a pair of dark blue jeans like those he'd worn back on earth protecting his modesty.
A mask-like object had covered his face, kind of like the ones Anbu wore in that Naruto anime he'd seen a few episodes of. Along with that, a tattered cloak hung over his shoulders and arms, with a hood covering all but a few strands of white hair from peaking out around his mask. None of those things compared to the rather abrupt change his arm and hand had undergone though. His flesh and blood limb had been replaced by an arm made of metal and scales.
The underside of his arm and hand seemed to be made of an icy-blue scaled texture, a mix of scales and skin. The upside of his arm was plated with the same silvery metal that covered his new boots, ending in claw-like tips for each of his fingers. This by itself wasn't even the weirdest part, that was the fact that his arm still felt completely normal, not heavier or anything. In fact, he could swear his arm felt stronger than it had been before than anything.
“I'm human,” he stared bluntly, “You can call me Damien, and I mean you no harm little po, p-pon...ug...ughh...ugghhhhhh!”
Damien's words trailed off as he collapsed to one knee, coughing after an agony-filled groan. He struggled to take a few deep breaths, but only made some rasping noises as he tried to force air into his lungs. His chest had constricted, a painful pulling sensation making him want to just shut his eyes and pass out on the forest floor beneath him. Everything was on fire as he fought to stay conscious at the sudden assault of pain his body was undergoing. He instinctively knew that whatever had given him his clothes and new arm, were the reason he was feeling this, like he'd been...drained somehow?
“Knew, t-this was, a bad... bad idea,” he ground out, falling backwards onto his ass as he continued to struggle to breath.
“Ar-are you, um, alright?” the strong feminine voice of the pegasus said uncertainly, but much less terrified then before.
“It's, no-noth... nothing, nothing really,” he forced out through heavy breaths, “How's, y-your wing?”
Before the pegasus could answer, Damien let out a strangled gasp of pain, his new clawed hand rising up and clutching at his bare chest as he drew in another painful breath. Struggling to keep calm and breathe, he barely noticed the echoing clops of the pegasus's hoofs against the forest floor as she nervously approached and uncertainly dropped to her barrel and stared at him in concern, her ears still pinned back nervously.
“I don't think so Mister Human, you look and sound like your in pain,” she voiced, now more calm despite her still obvious nerves.
“Heh.. is it, t-that, obvious?” he asked amused, letting out a deep wet-sounding cough as blood splattered the inside of his new mask. “Ugh...that's, n-not...good.”
“That sounded bad D-Dam, Damien, is there anything I can do?” she asked, ears flicking up as her tail straightened, fighting off the last of her nerves in the face of his obvious injured state.
Damien opened his mouth to speak up and assure the pegasus that there wasn't anything she could do, not even knowing what was really wrong with him in the first place. It was obvious that his change had been much larger then he'd originally believed. Some strange power had granted him the ability to save this pegasus, along with the clothes he'd desperately wanted to cover himself. But that same power had drained him. Not to mention wrecked havoc with his insides, he could still barely breathe, and every breath was now combined with a few coughs, most of which also brought up blood from his seemingly injured lungs.
Focusing, Damien tried once more to speak, only to be cut off by another wet cough and slump faintly, his claw leaving his chest and colliding with the ground to hold him up in his kneeling position. It seemed likely that he wouldn't be able to get any more words out at this point, and he was fairly certain in another few seconds he'd be completely unconscious considering how his vision was starting to darken around the edges. Taking one final raspy breath, he forced his eyes fully open, and stared into the muzzle and eyes of the pegasus who was now only inches away from him, staring in concern.
She looked terrified, but it was no longer because he frightened her. Damien could see that easily, is was because she now appeared to be terrified for him. Though he found it a little odd her opinion and mood had changed so suddenly, he figured it likely had something to do with him having saved her moments ago. And now that he obviously wasn't going to hurt her, it didn't matter how strange he looked because he was now in pain. If he could of, he would have chuckled. He could already tell these ponies were going to be interesting to get along with, if he survived whatever was wrong with him.
“Damien! Human!” she shouted, panicked, before finally narrowing her eyes and speaking once more in that strong voice, “Don't you dare pass out Soldier! Stay Awake!!”
Starring into the pegasus's strong orange eyes Damien tried to force himself to stay conscious, but he could see his vision darkening with every second, and felt his body weakening and shutting down. It was kind of a shame, he would have enjoyed actually getting to speak to the pegasus, maybe finding out why she was so concerned about that Princess, what that weird cloud of stars had been, and maybe even get some answers about this world, since she was the first inhabitant of it he'd met and all. Heh, maybe he would have been lucky and she could have known what was happening to him with this weird drained feeling.
“STAY AWAKE!”
Damien heard the pegasus's voice, but he couldn't manage to keep his eyes open and felt himself falling closer and closer to the ground as the darkness of unconsciousness began to take hold of him. Then, in an instant, his eyes snapped back open as the darkness was forced away by a brutal pain in his face. Shards of the mask that had been created to cover his face fell to the forest floor as the pegasus's brilliant gold-furred hoof pulled away from where she'd just slammed it into him.
As she lowered her hoof to the ground, Damien couldn't do anything but stare, unable to believe this pegasus had just smashed her hoof into his face of all things. What type of way to keep someone awake was that? His thoughts were interrupted the very next moment though, as images began to assault his mind. Image after image as concepts and ideas wrote themselves into his mind and knowledge that he hadn't had access to before was cemented. He wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but Spitfire hitting him with her hoof had driven a rather large amount of her knowledge of Equestria into him.
It was a rather large surprise, the sudden compounding of knowledge that he hadn't possessed a moment ago. He could tell it wasn't a complete encyclopedia of the worlds knowledge or anything, but it would definitely give him a hoof up...hand up he meant in his integration with the world. The various pony puns and methods of speaking would keep him amused for a decade at least though, so that was something to look forward to. Not to mention he'd gotten lucky, Spitfire did indeed know what was wrong with him, or at least suspected what it might be.
Spitfire's shouting voice continued and he took another hoof to the face as she tried to keep him awake, but it wasn't enough and he fell on his face at the hoofs of the injured Captain of the Wonderbolts. The drained feeling from before transformed into a feeling of a vast emptiness, as he finally lost the fight against unconsciousness. A single thought comforted him as he passed into the darkness.
Having 'Magical Exhaustion Backlash' meant he had to at least have magic in the first place...