It was dark, pitch black in fact. Taylor was drifting down into the darkness until he landed on his feet, the young man looks around as he listened, his closed his eyes and listened fully. One of the perks i that when he was younger, he knew he may very well lose what little vision his head left when his old age would eventually come. So he would constantly practice moving about and doing things blinded. From martial arts to everyday tasks. He suddenly picks of a sound of...flames flurrying about behind him, he snapped his eyes open and turned around on a heel. Seeing something form within the black and blue flame, it was a wolf. A very large dire wolf to be in fact. Its fur was jet black with lightning blue streaks along its side and back. Taylor's favorite animal was indeed the wolf. So he was wondering what this creature wanted with him. The creature growled at him for a moment, but Taylor didn't move, he stood his ground and locked eyes with the creature. Taylor had this thing with canines, where he was able to somehow...connect with them just by eye contact. And they would instantly warm up to him, either it be a stray or even the most angriest owned dog in the neighborhood. They always warmed up to him eventually. Suddenly, after the stare down, the wolf suddenly chuckled lightly

"Hmmm, so the rumors about you being different were true it seems human."

Did the wolf just....talk to him like, actually spoke words to him? And in a very cute and adorable voice as well, almost like the voice of an adult woman who still had the voice of her younger self. Taylor's eyes would narrow to her as he would approche her, the floor below him would form ripples of the same electric blue that came from the lightning

"While I know that I am a bit....strange, I know that I must be going crazy if I am in my own head talking to a wolf that just so randomly pops up in my mind while I am unconscious. And yes, I know I am unconscious because I am one of the few who can dream lucid dreams..if that is even a word. But other than that. What are you doing in my head? I don't believe I invited you in here."

He said as he crossed his arms and arches a brow at her. The large wolf walked up to the man and nearly came up to his neck as her real size was now apparently, she would circle him and looked him up and down, her tail playfully slaps at his legs as she then comes in front of him and plops on her rear

"What do you mean Taylor? You are the one who made me after all. In fact you have always had me with you ever since you created me with such love and care."

She said as she lifted up a paw and lightly paws at the mask that adorned his face, she smiled brightly as Taylor brought a hand up to the mask that was on his face, then looked to her as he blinked a few times.

"I know i took much care and time into creating this mask, but i certainly don't remember...shoving a wolf spirit into it. I am just a normal human. How would I even accomplish something like that? I am no master in the ways of the arcane.

He then returns his gaze to her, then would suddenly see lightning spark from his right arm and down his hand, he closes one eye barely keeping the other open as he was expecting pain...but it never came. He would slowly open his eyes fully and would watch the lightning coil lovingly around his arm, then around his body, and around his other arm. He looked back to the wolf as she chuckled once more

"That's because the ones who whisper in the shadows gave me a physical form along with the 'gift' they gave you. But I am sure that you certainly remember me Taylor. After all, I am the friend you had when you were a mere child. I am that little wolf pup that you brought up in your imagination. Little did you know, I was more real than you had ever imagined."

She leaned in and nuzzled his chest gently, suddenly his eyes shot open and would flash back to his childhood, speeding images flash as he suddenly smiled widely and wrapped his arms tightly around the wolf

"Tsubaki! Its really really you?! OH I have missed you so very very much! I thought i had lost you as i got older...when you weren't around anymore...I thought you ran away because I go older. I know that I was growing up, but when I lost you. I was so afraid i would never see you again..."

He buried his face into the large wolf's neck happy to be reunited with a long lost friend. He know she wasn't real when he was younger, but the fact that she had become...real thanks to the ones she spoke about, this man felt a bit of happiness once more. And he definitly needed it with how his current situation was going outside of his head. He felt the wolf gently place a paw on his shoulder and rested her chin on his head.

"I have missed you to Taylor, but as yous aid, the older you got the more you didn't believe in imaginary friends anymore, as your mother told you they weren't real, you believed her and i slowly started vanishing."

He squeezes her a bit tighter and shakes his head repeatedly

"That may be Tsubaki...but I never ever forgot you."

Their embrace lasted a few more minutes, he would look to her with a more serious face now and reach up and cup her jaw and his other hand rubbing one of her ears lightly.

"Now Tsubaki, I need you to tell me what exactly is going on with me right now. You said..'they' gave you form with the 'gift' they gave me. I imagine its partly the reason why I am sparking like a PC rig that has all but fried its expensive contents and thus ending game time."

Tsubaki chuckles lightly at his amusing comparison and murrs lightly as she was given attention, but maintained focus.

"Well Taylor, after you died back home, your body was taken by the very lightning that killed you. As for the ones that were whispering. They are the ones responsible for the reason why you now wear this mask and you now bare this gift. You havv been given the choice to weild this ability for good..or malicious intent. As of now though, you are currently in the neutral zone, as i remember you being quite the neutral kind of person as you grew up."

"And I plan to keep it that way Tsubaki. While I am a man who doesn't wish to have malicious intent in the first place, I will solve my problems as they come along with violence as a last resort. I will make my own path. The ones who whispered to me expect me to follow theirs. I have played way too many video games that involve making 'moral choices'. I will do what I believe is right and, refrain from what I believe is wrong."

He said this as Tsubaki gave him another smile and wagged her tail happily

"Even after all these years...you still haven't changed in the slightest. Sure, you believe in darker things are better than the light. But you are still the very same kind and gentle soul. I am glad that we have come together again."

Both Taylor and her would notice the cracks forming in the dark void, the sound of glass beginning to shatter around them, he would chuckle lightly and gives her one more pet

"It would appear that my real self is starting to awaken. Boy, he is in for a surprise when he wakes up."

"Indeed his is. I cant wait to see you again Taylor. Please be safe until then."

Suddenly everything flashes to white, his eyes slowly opening and his vision and hearing slowly starting to fade in, and with a sudden upward jerk of his body and a sharp inhale, he falls back onto the bed and quickly sits up, the soft beeping of an EKG monitor that started off with slow beeping sped up just a bit more, his heart was raceing quickly as his vision came through fully, he looks around at where he was. It was...a hospital room, and the bed he was sitting in was barely even big enough to fit his large form, his arms and legs barely hanging off the sides as he would then look down at his body, he was...naked. Buck fucking naked. He was suprised that the blanket even managed to keep him fully covered! He would lift up his arms around looks down at his body, those scars that had been given to him when he died were now indeed jet black and....hardened over into tough skin, almost like tattoos but burned into him. They marks seemed to trail along his blood vessels, explaining the lightning like appearance and why they were ALL over his body including...oh god, even there . his eyes were between his legs and looking at his member. He had always wanted to get a tattoo of sorts, but not down there!. Though, everything seemed to be intact and fully functional He had to admit though, despite having his manhood know covered in black lightning like markings, the rest was pretty damn cool looking, it hurt for damn sure, but cool non-the-less.

Taylor's attention was brought to the door suddenly opening as ponies of different colors came in 2 nurses and one who looked to be a doctor in a coat, the sound of their hooves clicking against the tile. Taylor would tense up slightly as he noticed syrenges in their mouths as they came to each side of his bed, the doctor standing in front of the foot of the bed. Taylor began to speak a bit nervously

"L-look, I promise I wont cause any trouble. I know how I acted earlier was a bit...out of rational thought. But i was scared at what had just happened to me.."

The doctor stared at the man for a moment, then looked to the nurses who held the syrenges and nodded to them, he then returns his gaze to him and spoke

"Forgive me young stallion. But we had the sedatives ready just in case you went out of control. Be it with pain or simple aggression. I am Healing Hooves, I am the doctor who will be monitoring you while you are here, and these are the nurses who will be tending to you should you call for them. Ladies, please introduce yourselves

Taylor's gaze would shift to the one on his left, she was mare who had beautiful brown fur and a jet black mane that seemed to rest on her neck while the front was neatly parted to the right side of her face, covering one of her beautiful cyan colored eyes

"Hello there mister Sparky. I am Soothing Sutures. A pleasure to meet you"

She said with a giggle at his new nickname. Mr. Sparky? Really?

"A pleasure to meet you as well miss Sutures. But my real name is Taylor, if you would please call me that from now on."

He said as his gaze would turn to the other mare to his right, when her eyes met his, she would cower back slightly and hide her face in her long mane, she spoke to him shakily, she was a curvy mare, but not overly so, a jet black fur coat with a white mane that was long as well, but was parted down the middle of her face and her eyes were a lovely magenta

"I-I am Night Surgeon...please to m-meet you Taylor.."

Taylor couldn't help but frown at how she was looking at him, all the more reason he hated having this mask on his face, but her would slowly reach out and carefully places a hand on her head and gently begins to pet her, a warm smile on his face

"And its nice to meet you as well Night Surgeon. I apologize for my..appearance, I know I look scary, but i promise you I wont hurt you or anyone here...after all you all took me in when i needed help. You could have denied a potential danger like me..."

He saw Night Surgeon calm down with his gentle pettings, she was...actually leaning into them and forgetting the that he was a new creature here in their land. He would pull his hand away and then look to Healing Hooves who cleared his throat

"So tell me young stallion. What exactly happened to you? You have these strange scares all over your body, and yet they have healed over so quickly, though they look not even over two days old."

Taylor looks back to him then his scars then to him again"Honestly doctor, I don't even know how I am even alive. I remember being struck by lightning, and dying, my heart exploded, I was coughing up blood, I honestly thought I had bought the farm when it happened. And now...I am here in this world."

All three of them were in shock at what happened to him, even Night Surgeon was placing a hoof on his arm to give at least a bit of comfort, he would lower his head but would then look up to them

"I'd rather...not go into detail of how I am still here. Or why I can now have lightning coming from my body. In fact, I better not cause you anymore trouble than I already have, I need to go,"

He said as he would try to get out of his bed and would stand up, keeping the blanket around him, he would take his first step but would fall to his knees and hunch over slightly, both the nurses and the doctor rushing to his side and offering him support, all fo them with worry on their faces

"Don't you worry about me. I just....need to get my strength up for a moment and I will be fine."

He said as he looked around the room, he saw his clothes and boots sitting in the corner of the room and smiles lightly, he would stand up again and make his way to them, he dropped the blanket and would hear the gasps of all three of them as he did, they were stareing at him in pure shook, this scars, they looked so very painful, and all from his neck, all the way down to his feet. Taylor didn't care that they were looking at him. He knew that if anyone saw those type of injuries, they would react in the same.

After he had finally gotten dressed, he would bring his boots over to the bed and he would sit down and put them on, the sretching of the leather and the clacking of the metal on the straps were the only sounds that filled the room after, and suddenly the sound of the zipper coming up as the entrance of his boots was sealed. He would stand up and looks down at the ponies. A six foot human standing a in room of four feet ponies. It was quite amazing and yet scarey at the same time for them

"I will repay all of you one day, but i do not have your currency to do so. But when i do, I will return to pay my debt to you."

As if right on cue, the door opens and a lavender alicorn walked in with a bright smile on her face and a hungry look in her eyes, a look he has seen before. A hunger of knowledge. As he remembers this from the show he used to watch back home.

"It has all been taken care of sir!"

Twilight said in a upbeat tone as she trots over to Taylor and smiles even bigger as she looks at him, those eyes sparkling. Taylor crossed his arms and decided to have a little fun with the alicorn

"Don't tell me, you want to ask questions about me and my species and where I came from yes?"

Twilight was about to say those same exact words but opened her mouth as no words came forth and stared at him dumbfounded

"How...how did you know?"

Taylor chuckled lightly

"Lets just say...I know quite a bit about you Twilight Sparkle. How I know will remain a secret for now."

He said as he would turn to the medical staff that cared for him and bowed his head, Night Surgeon would approach him and looks up to him with those pretty eyes of hers, circling her hoof on the floor.

I am...sorry for how i acted earlier...I get a bit nervous around creatures who look at little...scary."

Taylor could her the little whimper at the end of her sentence, he would crouch down and rest on the heels of his boots, he stared at the mare for a bit, she would lower her head, only to feel his hand lift her chin up and lock eyes with her, he would then reach up and lightly begins to pet her once more, a warm smile on his face

"I don't hold your fear against you Night. In fact I understand it completely. But I am glad you gave me the benefit of the doubt and didn't brand me a monster."

The mare would smile to him gently and nuzzled into his petting again, he would smile to the three of them and would stand up and looks toward Twilight and begins to walk out, with her coming after him. Taylor knew exactly what was going to happen, an onslaught of question waited to bombard him when they reached Twilight's castle study.

Oh god. What has he just agreed to?

Author's Note

And one more for you all! I am trying to put out as much as i can before I move next month on the 5th, from then one, I will be trying to post one or two chapters every week or so

please leave a like and such

As always, may the darkness grant you peace.