Book of The Seraph: Ascendedby Stygian TigerChaptersSerenityDivinityArrivalHatchedPanic?SerenityBlazing sun, a meandering river, a greener pasture. There sat reading under the lone cherry blossom tree, on the hill overlooking a rich valley, he rested. The gentle sunshine caressed his youthful features and warmed his very soul. There was no place more peaceful than there. His own little quiet place under a tree looking over a secluded valley in the middle of who knows where, reading a book. His mind's very definition of peace; you see, he had been here before. A lot, in fact, it was his dreamscape, though he didn't know that. A solid 22 Celsius, the weather was just right. The shade given by the centuries old cherry blossom tree he lay under shielded his eyes from the harsher of the sun's rays, whilst also allowing the perfect amount of light needed to enjoy his book. The river that was overlooked by the perch he sat on wandered at a leisurely pace, the sound of moving water giving the perfect ambience. In the distance, he could see the castle, mighty and ancient yet still aesthetic and nothing short of beautiful. It looked over the sun-dappled countryside as if it was protecting all that grow there. The sun sat high in the sky, overseeing all that was below it, giving the land its nourishing light. It was because of the sun that any on this was alive, and not just a desolate rock. The boy couldn't help but feel thankful towards the celestial body, for without its benevolence, all that stood before him would be dust. It was reassuring to the child knowing that his special hideaway was guarded by such a powerful object. The day time full moon sat directly above the castle, looking as if it were perched on the tip of the main spire, exuding a calming white-ish aura on the afternoon canvas. Luna was watching over the ground below, helping her sister, the sun to craft the most bewitching scene one could imagine The entire place had an air of grace about it. It felt, like an honour to be sat there. Nothing could even come close to being this pristine, not in a thousand lifetimes. Time seemed to slow in that place, it gave one a sense of overwhelming clarity, a knowledge that somehow, some way, everything was going to be okay. A slight gust of wind tickled the boys nose as he looked away from the majestic view that was set before him. A single lone butterfly ambled through the air, daintily making its way towards him. He held out his finger to provide the butterfly purchase. It gracefully landed on the tip of his finger and looked at him with an innocent stare of curiosity. It was like a scene from a storybook. The scent of grass and flowers and warmth was made more complex by an unknown aroma. It was deep, rich and sort of broad in a way. It was very familiar to the boy, though he couldn't place its origin. He decided to wave it off and just enjoy his time there, familiar smell and all. The scent grew in strength, quickly becoming quite overwhelming. Exploring the sensation it gave further revealed something quite alarming: It smelled bad. Nothing was meant to be bad here, it was his peace, his perfection. It was then when the force of the odour hit the boy in its full force. It stung his nose and throat, it burned his lungs and it irritated his eyes, the mellow earthy scent quickly morphing into something ugly and quite definitely not perfect. The sound of the easy flowing water had been twisted and warped into a hushed roar with the occasional cracking or popping sound. As the boy started to hack and cough thanks to the smell, only two words came into his head: smoke and fire. Just as quickly the boy had realised this, his quiet place, his peaceful escape, his embodiment of the most perfect relaxation turned dark and grey. The image of a valley populated with flowers, the great castle off in the distance and even the river all lost any semblance of vibrancy. The very walls of his dreamworld were coming apart, dissolving before his very eyes. The land was disintegrating, falling apart, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Crack The boy shot his eyes open, though this was quickly stopped by the tears and hacking that had taken hold. The room was hot. Very hot. A menacing orange glow shone under his door, tempting him, daring him to open it and face what was lurking behind. The air was thick with smoke, he couldn't even see to the other side of his fairly small room. He tried to open the window to clear some smoke, panic gripping his very soul in a vice grip, to no avail. They were stuck. The door finally gave way, a vicious red hellfire greeted him, spreading across the walls and engulfing the carpet. All he could do was back into a corner and stare his inevitable death in the face. He couldn't make it through the fire, not in bare feet and pyjamas. In that moment, he felt something he had not felt in a very very long time: complete and utter helplessness, something he wished he would never have to experience again. The bed erupted in a torrent of flame, the highly flammable sheets becoming prey to the encroaching demon that had cursed the house. He couldn't even breathe now, if the fire didn't get him first, surely he would choke on the smog of poisonous gasses released by the firestorm. The boy curled up into the fetal position, tears of both choking and dread streamed down his face. His secret place couldn't help him now. He was finished. The flames licked at his entire being, burning, searing and melting entire areas of his body. A high pitched scream, a shriek of pain and a final cry for the sweet embrace of the reaper, was washed out by the hellish symphony of a raging inferno. The local papers ran a special extra that contained the obituaries of all who were affected. The headline read: FOUR FOUND DEAD IN BRITISH HOME BLAZE Author's Note I know its not ponies just yet, but please bear with me, it's coming :) DivinityAnd then the boy opened his eyes. White. White everywhere. A never ending cascade of glowing white in all directions was all that enveloped his senses. He felt like he was floating, a sensation completely foreign to the boy, but not one unwelcome. He looked down, to reveal that there was no ground in sight, only the infinite white. He tried to speak, only to find that no sound was carried in this place, wherever he was. The only thing with shape or colour in this place was himself, his body being the most familiar thing on this plane. He noticed that he wasn't wearing his pyjamas, but a white robe that was wrapped under his left arm with one end and hung over his left shoulder with the other, wrapping him in an almost holy looking manner. Somehow, all of the injury and pain inflicted by the fire had disappeared, all he felt now was calm. This was surprising to the boy, for as harrowing and life changing such an event could be, he seemed to look back on it without any major distress. He felt like he was in the presence of a loved one, someone who would just stroke his hair and say 'everything will be alright'. This strange feeling of passivity at everything that has happened didn't pass over the boy's head, he was just content to lie there, zone out and get lost in his brain's absent ramblings, forgetting all of life's downfalls. He had tried to summon some feelings about his situation, about how he had been in a fire and about how this was probably all in his head, but he just couldn't; it was like trying to strike a match under water, you could try all you like, but it wasn't going to happen. After who knows how long, something appeared in the void. A shapeless shadow, a slight darkness, an irregularity in the unchanging white. It was coming closer to the boy at a leisurely pace, as if it were walking down a countryside path. As it came closer, the feeling of passiveness increased. The shadow stopped moving when it came close. It seemed to shift and shake as it moved, turning itself into a shape more recognisable by the child, a person. It came face to face with the boy. He was by no means a short person, standing at five foot eleven at sixteen, but when the figure gave itself shape, it stood easily eight inches taller. 'What are you?' They boy thought to himself, 'What is this place?' It spoke with a thundering, yet gentle voice, shattering the silence in the no-place they were floating in. "My name is Azrael. This place is called Limbo." His features, from what the boy could tell, were well defined, though a dark mask sat on his face, obscuring it from view. 'Why am I here?' He thought, uncertainly. The figure spoke again, "You had your life suddenly and agonisingly ripped away from you. You are still but a child, an innocent soul, free of sin; caught up in a web that you could never foresee. You are here because I want to give you another chance." So as to punctuate his point, three huge pairs of dark wings, each pair a little smaller than the last, unfurl from his back. The boy was speechless. That proves it, he's dead. He's gone, passed to the other side, probably sailing through the air as ash, thinking about it. The blanket of calm remained in place as he thought. 'What do you mean a second chance? Is that even possible?' "It is, indeed. You had so much time left, there were so many things that were meant to happen in your life, but due to some madman, they can no longer take place. I can give you another go, so to speak. There is only one issue" He paused for a moment. "You can not go back to your old world... Once a soul leaves its world, it can't go back. You would have to go to another at random. You would, of course, retain all of your memories and appearances, as such things are tied to the soul; It would be a new beginning, but a beginning none the less. The alternative is to stay here in Limbo wandering forever. A soul once scorned such as yours has been can not enter the Higher Realm, or Heaven as you call it. You would be doomed to walk among your people, watching your loved ones wither and die in front of your eyes until, at the end of everything, you are all that is left." The boy pondered for a while 'Why can't I just go to Heaven? What do you mean a soul scorned like mine?.' "Father seems to want everything and everyone in his realm to be the definition of perfect. He spares no time consoling souls that have been cracked or broken through a traumatic experience. He is not as all loving as you humans make him out to be. Enough on that dark matter, all you have to do is ask yourself with a clear mind what you want." He waved a hand and the smothering blanket of calm was lifted. The boy instantly fell to his knees, tears welling up and cascading down his face. Thoughts of 'I'm actually dead' and 'I'll never see my family again' flooded his mind. He broke down into silent sobs, for without the blanket of calm, he could feel all the emotions that he was numbed to rushing back to him. His head dropped to the floor with what would have been a soft thud. After a while, his sobs stopped, the child falling still. He was sat there for a few moments, just steeling himself after a mental breakdown. 'I want another chance.' He said with finality. The angel smiled knowingly from beneath his mask. If only he knew what was waiting for him in his future. "It shall be done." With another wave of his hand, a hole opened up in the white beneath his feet through which, he could see green. The boy just hovered there above it. "Before you go, a few things." Azrael said mysteriously. The angel placed his hand on the boy's chest, exposed by the robe, and a light flooded from beneath it. When he took it away after a few seconds, a strange mark lay there on his skin like a tattoo, only this mark was changing and growing, spinning and shifting shapes, eventually ending up looking like a sort of magic circle that enveloped his chest and right shoulder area. Another marking, this time written by what looked like a brand appeared on his skin around his right bicep. It read: Lingvo Renascitur ex cineribus A few seconds later, the boy slowly started descending through the exit in the plane. As his torso passed through, the angel spoke up one final time. "I am bestowing upon you the title Vir, as a reminder of where you came from, a reminder of how you are here and a ground point going forwards. Use it, and that, he pointed to his chest mark, as you wish." The angel smiled at Josiah one final time "Good luck." He said as boy slipped fully through. "Is it done?" A new voice called from nowhere in particular. "It is. It's all up to him now. I hope it goes according to plan..." Azrael sighed, taking off with one flap of his wings. "I have faith..." The other voice said quietly. Author's Note Vir is Latin for Man ArrivalJosiah expected a slow drift down to the surface, or better yet, no fall at all. Instead, as soon as he was ejected from Limbo, he plummeted. He plummeted like a rock from thousands of feet in the air. The edge of the atmosphere, actually. He was pretty sure he was somehow leaving a trail in the sky, if the diamond shape of fire around a translucent purple and gold shell was anything to go by. An average passerby might have mistaken the falling fireball to be the average meteor burning up in the atmosphere and pass it off as such. Not one, though. Alone, peering out of the town's tower observatory's main window searching the night sky, sat a pegasus stallion: Sky Step, a royal guard reserve and the owner of a small blacksmiths. It was a sort of tradition for him at this point, coming up here once a month every month to watch the heavens as time slowly ticked away from him. It all started when his father had died and he had used the night sky as a coping mechanism, though now he just does it because watching Princess Luna's starscape change throughout the seasons is simply breathtaking. He had sat on his perch in the tower and observed space countless times in the past, so this time he could tell that something was off; a shooting star that wasn't burning up or disappearing. In fact, it was getting bigger and faster as he watched it. He quickly stood up and ran down the several flights of stairs leading from the tower's main room to the outside world. That shooting star will be coming down and he wanted to be there for when it does. There may be a pony or a piece of property in its way when it landed. He couldn't let that happen. He was a Royal Guard, after all. Of course that was just a rationalisation, he just wanted to see what an actual shooting star looked like, and this was his chance. As he chased the vapour trail path left by the object, a loud boom resounded through out the valley that Neighwick was built in. It had landed and he would be the first there. Sky Step, as his name suggests, took to the sky with a single flap of his wings and accelerated towards the crash site at a speed that would turn even the head of a Wonderbolt. He wasn't a scout for no reason. After about five minutes of flying at top speed, he arrived at the site. It was a mess. There was a crater about four meters deep and fifteen meters across, smoking and smouldering from the impact, some parts of the ground that had a high sand content had been completely turned into glass. Rocks and debris of the derelict barn house on the edge of town were scattered everywhere. Luckily there was no one there, as the area had been abandoned due to a flooding issue a long time ago, much to Sky's delight. Most noticeably, in the centre of the crater, there sat a large glowing purple and gold orb, pulsating and moving like a lava lamp. Whatever this thing was, it had survived re-entry somehow and didn't have a scratch on it, a feat quite impressive for an object the size of a trading cart. This was nothing like what Sky had imagined a shooting star to look like. He expected a glowing golden ball of pure white, much like the static stars of Luna's night canvas. Then again, this was not a shooting star, a fact becoming more and more obvious by the second. With that thought, as if on queue, the light emitting from the orb began to fade, and white cracks began to spiderweb around it. Whatever it is, something is coming out. Whatever this Purple and gold shell around him was, it was protecting Josiah from the heat of re-entry, taking all of the heat and dispersing it somehow. He just floated inside of it, not able to move either because of the shock of where he had just been or the fact that he was strapped into the angelic equivalent of a planetary drop pod, he didn't know. 'I wonder what sort of place I'm being sent to.' Joe thought, unable to determine anything from his point in the sky. 'I hope it's not too different from home... Readjusting will be hard. I just can't believe I died.' He was inwardly surprised that he wasn't freaking out more. Of course he poured his heart out if front of that figure, Azrael, but that was just the start. He was clearly going to have some issues going ahead. 'I really hope this place has half decent psychiatrists...'. Looking at things from a non subjective outside point of view was something that he was surprisingly good at considering his age and lack of experience. 'Why did he have to drop me from the sky? Couldn't it just have been a nice doorway through some random person's wardrobe and be done with it? I feel like I'll draw attention, falling from the sky like a damn meteor...'. A large part of him still thought that all of this is a long drawn out dream and he would just wake up any minute. You don't just meet a deity, do you? Were the Buddhists right all along? He had been an atheist his entire life, religion just didn't make sense in his eyes, especially considering there is no solid proof. 'I met a godly being that sent me into a new world with some freaky tattoos and a blessing because my soul is too pure or something like that... Nietzsche clearly did a bad job.' He was falling through the air for about five minutes in total until he hit the ground. Decimated the ground would have been a more apt description. He couldn't actually feel the force of the impact, but the sudden lurching halt of momentum was enough to knock him out cold. Author's Note This isn't meant to be a religious story, I just like the thought of angels and all that. :D Because of this, the divinity in my story will have inspiration from many past and current religions, faiths and mythologies HatchedAs the light faded and the orb cracked and splintered, Sky took a few steps back. Something was emerging, that much was obvious, but he couldn't be sure what. For all he knew this could be the baby of a constellation creature, much like the Ursa Major that attacked that new settlement, Canterlot, not too long ago. That ended quite badly for them, and so Sky was taking precaution. He proceeded to summon a dark cloud from his forehooves and give it a charge, just in case. As the orb spider-webbed with cracks each emitting light, Sky sturdied himself, ready to pounce on the new threat if needed. He can't lie to himself, he was scared beyond belief, but his inherent evolutionary curiosity got the better of him. Pieces of the orb fell and broke apart in the air, disintegrating and scattering on the wind, eventually leaving behind a body of some kind, spindly and pale. Whatever this thing was, Sky knew for certain it was no pony. Or anything else he had ever heard of before, actually. It was covered in sickly white looking skin, not a trace of fur in sight. Perhaps it was all burned off in the fall? Something on the skin's surface moved a little, a shrinking black circle of some kind spun on his right shoulder before disappearing completely. The chest of the strange creature seemed to be rising and falling in a regular rhythm, no blood or bruses were present anywhere he could see. Sky knew that this meant that whatever this thing was, it was still alive and, for all intents and purposes, unharmed from the drop. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't just leave it here to the rats and bears, but if he took it away, it could wake up and attack him. He decided the best course of action was to call the guards and have them deal with it like they did with the other threats and lost animals. It would be given a cell to sleep in, and then when it woke up, it would be nursed back to health until it could be released back into the wild. He readied his wings and took to the sky, confident that this strange creature wouldn't wake up in the 20 minutes it would take for him to get back with the creature control section of the local royal guard division. As he flew, thoughts of what the hell that thing is crossed his mind. The closest thing he could think of would be a cat person or a diamond dog, but it doesn't have claws or a muzzle or a snout. Beyond that, where did it come from? Why did it fall from the sky? Is it sapient or is it just an animal? What the hell was that moving circle on its skin? None of these questions escaped his mind as he made his way to the Neighwick Guard HQ. "Tsu will know what to do..." He whispered to himself. He raced past the river, soared over the Great Dark Forest, and zoomed over a small hamlet or two, turning the heads of the few nosy ponies who were out at this time. He was starting to see the Misty Heights, the second biggest mountain range in all of Equestria, in the distance. He was getting close. Small buildings came into view as he approached the newly rebuilt town, the high set slate roofs of the cobble and sandstone constructions passing right below his speeding hooves. As he flew into the centre of the town, he decided it would be quicker to navigate the intricate streets on hoof. He landed harshly, not bothering with grace, he just needed to get to the guard. They would surely care about the strange new creature that just destroyed the old barn house by falling from the sky. As he shuffled through the streets of Neighwick, he quickly made his way to the barracks they were stationed at. Nodding at the entry guards, knowing them from his time as a reserve, he entered the building. He made his way to the office of the Mundane Threat Suppression Unit branch, knocking on the door and steadying himself ready to face his superior officer. "Enter." A strong, gruff voice answered. As Sky entered the room, an immediate sense of authority pressing down on him. "Ah, sergeant Sky Step. What can I do for you today? I don't believe you're on rotation this month..." He trailed off, looking at a time table. Captain Tsunami was a large unicorn stallion, covered in scars, old and new from his various tours across the unstable boarders of Equestria as a soldier. His coat was a brilliant white, and his mane was greyed with age. Various wrinkles and pockmarks dotted his features, giving the appearence of a wise, experienced old stallion. His cutie mark was an image of two crossed spears in front of a silver shield, denoting his willingness to fight and protect his country. He had retired to the Royal Guard when he lost sight in his left eye, a long pink scar running diagonally across his face owing testament to this; he was not a stallion to be trifled with. "Good evening, Captain." Sky said in, clearly rushed and still flustered from the flight over. "I'm here to report a foreign object that fell from the sky, it destroyed the old barn on the edge of town!" "Hmm," Mused the Captain. "The princesses should have been able to spot it before it could hit anything and notified us... This is troubling indeed. At least now I know what the noises and explosion earlier were..." "On top of that, Captain, it was no rock that fell to Equus, in the crater was a golden purpleish ball or egg of some kind. It looked magic in origin, but I couldn't feel any inherent magical energy coming from it. When it cracked and hatched, there was a spindly, naked catperson looking creature inside. It's unconscious, but I don't know for how long." Sky made a worried face. "I suggest we send the guards to escort it to a cell before it can wake up. It can't be doing too well after a fall from that height, but there were no bruises or blood so whatever it is, it's not normal... I've never seen anything like it." "You've made the correct choice, sergeant. Whatever this thing is, it sounds dangerous, falling from the sky without a scratch... I'll mobilise the guard, as well as a few ponies from the local creature control. That should be enough for an unconscious sky monster. You are dismissed." His face softened for a second as he looked back at Sky. "Why are you up so late, anyway, Sky? You know Nurse Cross said you should stop staying up in that smithy you run. It's not good for your health." Sky slumped his shoulders a bit and let his eyes droop, a gesture not usually shown in front of a superior officer, but the Captain was sort of like a second father to him, and he wasn't actually on duty this month. "On the 21st of every month I go up to the observatory on the edge of town and watch the sky for a night. You know that, Tsu" "Ah yes" He muttered. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I must be going senile in my old age" He laughed, smiling "Just make sure you're not working yourself to death, no pony ever got anywhere by dying before they could get their enjoyment out of life. Anyway, It's late, try and get yourself off to sleep." The Captain pushed. Sky nodded, saluted, and left the room, sitting down just outside to recover, the tiredness of the night catching up with him. As he did, he could see a group of three guards scramble out of the building, heading toward the animal control centre. They would get the job done, he thought. That wouldn't stop him from following, however. Call it sheer fascination with the strange creature he had discovered. As the guards left the building, Sky Step stealthily followed, hiding behind a cloud. Both this, and the nightfall should mask his presence enough to watch what goes down. Author's Note Been a while... Panic?The first thing Josiah noticed at the rousing of his consciousness was the splitting headache that had overcome his mind. The second was the intense heat emanating from underneath his back. His eyes shot open, and both pains intensified immensely. This resulted in the strange mixture of reflexively jumping off of the floor and falling back to clutch his head in pain. This ended with Josiah going right back to where he started, only now he was on his stomach. This only lasted a second however, as once again an almost burning heat graced his skin, this time however, he managed to stay on his feet long enough to scurry away from it. As he slowly opened his eyes, each millimetre inviting another pulse of head pain, he gradually became aware of the situation around him: he was in the centre of a smouldering crater. He was frozen in a mix of shock and confusion, all his mind could muster was '...Well then'. His body went into autopilot as his mind shut down, trying to logically process everything he had just experienced before it would relinquish control to it's fleshy avatar once more. He slowly managed to climb out of the fairly large crater with relative ease, the sides were steep enough to slip on, but not enough to inhibit climbing all together. When he finally got to the top of the crater and looked down at the carnage he had brought against the land, he snapped out of autopilot and regained his perspective. His eyes went from cloudy and vacant to sharp and focused in a few seconds. "What on earth have I gotten myself into this time..." In that moment, the average night time ambience hushed to a choked silence. Josiah realised this, and felt something was off. His eyes darted from one shadow to the next, trying to figure out if something else was there with him, to no avail; the light from the smouldering ground had completely reset his natural night vision. Suddenly, he felt as if he was pulled in a direction, right as something whizzed through where his neck would have been just a second ago. He only just had time to look in the direction the noise came from, but still he saw nothing. Due to him looking in the direction of the first noise, he was completely oblivious to the others directly behind him. He felt three jolts of pain in the back of his neck. He looked away from the dark bush he was staring at and plucked one of the sources of the pain from his flesh; a dart of some kind. Mind still in shock, he looked forward again slowly, only to be met by two huge, almost glowing, sapphire blue eyes. These were all he could register before he tumbled to his knees and fell into the dirt. For the third time tonight. "This is Sergeant Silver Spire, I have captured the creature, and will now proceed to bring it back. Over." An armour clad Royal Guard looked over the downed creature, not sure if the order to bring it back even if it was awake was the correct course of action. It looked so weak, so defenceless. Its spindly limbs were perhaps three quarters the width of his, and not to mention at least twice as long; it couldn't hurt them if it tried. The trip back to the guard barracks, aside from a single accidnetal trip, was wholely uneventful. The ponies were never out and about this late, so they got no strange looks. The creature had been encased in a opaique magical container, usually meant for things like manticores and baby hydras; things with teeth and claws. Interestingly, however, the creature currently being subjected to the magical prison had no such appendages meant for attack, or at least none they could see. An order was an order, however, and their orders were to make sure the animal was safely brought into captivity. It could be incredibly dangerous for all they knew. Knowing that this was the exact procedure that he had seen take place tens of times on other larger animals, Sky Step decided to break off his reconnaissance after the creature had been sedated and captured. He was tired and he had all the time to eye up their fallen sky thing tomorrow, anyway. This little fact didn't stop him from wondering about the creature all the way back to his home in town, and even after he got into bed. The platoon of local guard ponies returned from their mission with ease, slipping through the garage like door specifically built for this purpose. One of the guards in the hallway looked at the magic continer and whistled a single exhale. "That looks rather small for a beastie box." He was refering to the ball of magic that held the creature. "Aye, well this is definitely no beastie by the look of it." Silver Spire retorted, as he magicked the ball into a steel cage built directly into the wall. He then released his magic, letting all the guards who were around the containment area see their new guest. "Well he's certainly a looker." One guard commented. "Rather pitiful, if you ask me." Another said. Captain Tsunami rounded the corner and made his way into the containment area. All of the guards stood to attention the second he had entered the room, but were quickly dismissed right after. "Well it won't be here for long. Only until we can get somepony to catagorize it, it seems to be a new kind of creature in these parts of the world." There were some surprised inhales at this realisation, but nothing more. The now armour clad pony walked up to inspect the sedated creature, oogling at its extremities and foreign biology. Silver Spire trotted up to him and asked: "What will happen after that, Captain? I don't know much about things that fall from the sky, but it surely we should make sure it isn't hurt too bad before we just release it back into the wild..." "Well you do have a point" He mused, looking over the boy's back at where there would have been charred skin and bones if it were a normal creature. "It looks fine on the outisde, but there may be injuries on the inside... The hospitals have magic that can detect that kind of thing, not to mention all the blunt force trauma that comes with falling out of the sky. I'll see about getting it looked over at the Cross Infirmary, not that they will know what to look for, exactly. " With that he stood up straight and walked out of the room, on his way to write the Sun Princess a scathing report about how a relatively big object slipped her right by and plowed into one of her towns.
SerenityBlazing sun, a meandering river, a greener pasture. There sat reading under the lone cherry blossom tree, on the hill overlooking a rich valley, he rested. The gentle sunshine caressed his youthful features and warmed his very soul. There was no place more peaceful than there. His own little quiet place under a tree looking over a secluded valley in the middle of who knows where, reading a book. His mind's very definition of peace; you see, he had been here before. A lot, in fact, it was his dreamscape, though he didn't know that. A solid 22 Celsius, the weather was just right. The shade given by the centuries old cherry blossom tree he lay under shielded his eyes from the harsher of the sun's rays, whilst also allowing the perfect amount of light needed to enjoy his book. The river that was overlooked by the perch he sat on wandered at a leisurely pace, the sound of moving water giving the perfect ambience. In the distance, he could see the castle, mighty and ancient yet still aesthetic and nothing short of beautiful. It looked over the sun-dappled countryside as if it was protecting all that grow there. The sun sat high in the sky, overseeing all that was below it, giving the land its nourishing light. It was because of the sun that any on this was alive, and not just a desolate rock. The boy couldn't help but feel thankful towards the celestial body, for without its benevolence, all that stood before him would be dust. It was reassuring to the child knowing that his special hideaway was guarded by such a powerful object. The day time full moon sat directly above the castle, looking as if it were perched on the tip of the main spire, exuding a calming white-ish aura on the afternoon canvas. Luna was watching over the ground below, helping her sister, the sun to craft the most bewitching scene one could imagine The entire place had an air of grace about it. It felt, like an honour to be sat there. Nothing could even come close to being this pristine, not in a thousand lifetimes. Time seemed to slow in that place, it gave one a sense of overwhelming clarity, a knowledge that somehow, some way, everything was going to be okay. A slight gust of wind tickled the boys nose as he looked away from the majestic view that was set before him. A single lone butterfly ambled through the air, daintily making its way towards him. He held out his finger to provide the butterfly purchase. It gracefully landed on the tip of his finger and looked at him with an innocent stare of curiosity. It was like a scene from a storybook. The scent of grass and flowers and warmth was made more complex by an unknown aroma. It was deep, rich and sort of broad in a way. It was very familiar to the boy, though he couldn't place its origin. He decided to wave it off and just enjoy his time there, familiar smell and all. The scent grew in strength, quickly becoming quite overwhelming. Exploring the sensation it gave further revealed something quite alarming: It smelled bad. Nothing was meant to be bad here, it was his peace, his perfection. It was then when the force of the odour hit the boy in its full force. It stung his nose and throat, it burned his lungs and it irritated his eyes, the mellow earthy scent quickly morphing into something ugly and quite definitely not perfect. The sound of the easy flowing water had been twisted and warped into a hushed roar with the occasional cracking or popping sound. As the boy started to hack and cough thanks to the smell, only two words came into his head: smoke and fire. Just as quickly the boy had realised this, his quiet place, his peaceful escape, his embodiment of the most perfect relaxation turned dark and grey. The image of a valley populated with flowers, the great castle off in the distance and even the river all lost any semblance of vibrancy. The very walls of his dreamworld were coming apart, dissolving before his very eyes. The land was disintegrating, falling apart, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Crack The boy shot his eyes open, though this was quickly stopped by the tears and hacking that had taken hold. The room was hot. Very hot. A menacing orange glow shone under his door, tempting him, daring him to open it and face what was lurking behind. The air was thick with smoke, he couldn't even see to the other side of his fairly small room. He tried to open the window to clear some smoke, panic gripping his very soul in a vice grip, to no avail. They were stuck. The door finally gave way, a vicious red hellfire greeted him, spreading across the walls and engulfing the carpet. All he could do was back into a corner and stare his inevitable death in the face. He couldn't make it through the fire, not in bare feet and pyjamas. In that moment, he felt something he had not felt in a very very long time: complete and utter helplessness, something he wished he would never have to experience again. The bed erupted in a torrent of flame, the highly flammable sheets becoming prey to the encroaching demon that had cursed the house. He couldn't even breathe now, if the fire didn't get him first, surely he would choke on the smog of poisonous gasses released by the firestorm. The boy curled up into the fetal position, tears of both choking and dread streamed down his face. His secret place couldn't help him now. He was finished. The flames licked at his entire being, burning, searing and melting entire areas of his body. A high pitched scream, a shriek of pain and a final cry for the sweet embrace of the reaper, was washed out by the hellish symphony of a raging inferno. The local papers ran a special extra that contained the obituaries of all who were affected. The headline read: FOUR FOUND DEAD IN BRITISH HOME BLAZE Author's Note I know its not ponies just yet, but please bear with me, it's coming :)
DivinityAnd then the boy opened his eyes. White. White everywhere. A never ending cascade of glowing white in all directions was all that enveloped his senses. He felt like he was floating, a sensation completely foreign to the boy, but not one unwelcome. He looked down, to reveal that there was no ground in sight, only the infinite white. He tried to speak, only to find that no sound was carried in this place, wherever he was. The only thing with shape or colour in this place was himself, his body being the most familiar thing on this plane. He noticed that he wasn't wearing his pyjamas, but a white robe that was wrapped under his left arm with one end and hung over his left shoulder with the other, wrapping him in an almost holy looking manner. Somehow, all of the injury and pain inflicted by the fire had disappeared, all he felt now was calm. This was surprising to the boy, for as harrowing and life changing such an event could be, he seemed to look back on it without any major distress. He felt like he was in the presence of a loved one, someone who would just stroke his hair and say 'everything will be alright'. This strange feeling of passivity at everything that has happened didn't pass over the boy's head, he was just content to lie there, zone out and get lost in his brain's absent ramblings, forgetting all of life's downfalls. He had tried to summon some feelings about his situation, about how he had been in a fire and about how this was probably all in his head, but he just couldn't; it was like trying to strike a match under water, you could try all you like, but it wasn't going to happen. After who knows how long, something appeared in the void. A shapeless shadow, a slight darkness, an irregularity in the unchanging white. It was coming closer to the boy at a leisurely pace, as if it were walking down a countryside path. As it came closer, the feeling of passiveness increased. The shadow stopped moving when it came close. It seemed to shift and shake as it moved, turning itself into a shape more recognisable by the child, a person. It came face to face with the boy. He was by no means a short person, standing at five foot eleven at sixteen, but when the figure gave itself shape, it stood easily eight inches taller. 'What are you?' They boy thought to himself, 'What is this place?' It spoke with a thundering, yet gentle voice, shattering the silence in the no-place they were floating in. "My name is Azrael. This place is called Limbo." His features, from what the boy could tell, were well defined, though a dark mask sat on his face, obscuring it from view. 'Why am I here?' He thought, uncertainly. The figure spoke again, "You had your life suddenly and agonisingly ripped away from you. You are still but a child, an innocent soul, free of sin; caught up in a web that you could never foresee. You are here because I want to give you another chance." So as to punctuate his point, three huge pairs of dark wings, each pair a little smaller than the last, unfurl from his back. The boy was speechless. That proves it, he's dead. He's gone, passed to the other side, probably sailing through the air as ash, thinking about it. The blanket of calm remained in place as he thought. 'What do you mean a second chance? Is that even possible?' "It is, indeed. You had so much time left, there were so many things that were meant to happen in your life, but due to some madman, they can no longer take place. I can give you another go, so to speak. There is only one issue" He paused for a moment. "You can not go back to your old world... Once a soul leaves its world, it can't go back. You would have to go to another at random. You would, of course, retain all of your memories and appearances, as such things are tied to the soul; It would be a new beginning, but a beginning none the less. The alternative is to stay here in Limbo wandering forever. A soul once scorned such as yours has been can not enter the Higher Realm, or Heaven as you call it. You would be doomed to walk among your people, watching your loved ones wither and die in front of your eyes until, at the end of everything, you are all that is left." The boy pondered for a while 'Why can't I just go to Heaven? What do you mean a soul scorned like mine?.' "Father seems to want everything and everyone in his realm to be the definition of perfect. He spares no time consoling souls that have been cracked or broken through a traumatic experience. He is not as all loving as you humans make him out to be. Enough on that dark matter, all you have to do is ask yourself with a clear mind what you want." He waved a hand and the smothering blanket of calm was lifted. The boy instantly fell to his knees, tears welling up and cascading down his face. Thoughts of 'I'm actually dead' and 'I'll never see my family again' flooded his mind. He broke down into silent sobs, for without the blanket of calm, he could feel all the emotions that he was numbed to rushing back to him. His head dropped to the floor with what would have been a soft thud. After a while, his sobs stopped, the child falling still. He was sat there for a few moments, just steeling himself after a mental breakdown. 'I want another chance.' He said with finality. The angel smiled knowingly from beneath his mask. If only he knew what was waiting for him in his future. "It shall be done." With another wave of his hand, a hole opened up in the white beneath his feet through which, he could see green. The boy just hovered there above it. "Before you go, a few things." Azrael said mysteriously. The angel placed his hand on the boy's chest, exposed by the robe, and a light flooded from beneath it. When he took it away after a few seconds, a strange mark lay there on his skin like a tattoo, only this mark was changing and growing, spinning and shifting shapes, eventually ending up looking like a sort of magic circle that enveloped his chest and right shoulder area. Another marking, this time written by what looked like a brand appeared on his skin around his right bicep. It read: Lingvo Renascitur ex cineribus A few seconds later, the boy slowly started descending through the exit in the plane. As his torso passed through, the angel spoke up one final time. "I am bestowing upon you the title Vir, as a reminder of where you came from, a reminder of how you are here and a ground point going forwards. Use it, and that, he pointed to his chest mark, as you wish." The angel smiled at Josiah one final time "Good luck." He said as boy slipped fully through. "Is it done?" A new voice called from nowhere in particular. "It is. It's all up to him now. I hope it goes according to plan..." Azrael sighed, taking off with one flap of his wings. "I have faith..." The other voice said quietly. Author's Note Vir is Latin for Man
ArrivalJosiah expected a slow drift down to the surface, or better yet, no fall at all. Instead, as soon as he was ejected from Limbo, he plummeted. He plummeted like a rock from thousands of feet in the air. The edge of the atmosphere, actually. He was pretty sure he was somehow leaving a trail in the sky, if the diamond shape of fire around a translucent purple and gold shell was anything to go by. An average passerby might have mistaken the falling fireball to be the average meteor burning up in the atmosphere and pass it off as such. Not one, though. Alone, peering out of the town's tower observatory's main window searching the night sky, sat a pegasus stallion: Sky Step, a royal guard reserve and the owner of a small blacksmiths. It was a sort of tradition for him at this point, coming up here once a month every month to watch the heavens as time slowly ticked away from him. It all started when his father had died and he had used the night sky as a coping mechanism, though now he just does it because watching Princess Luna's starscape change throughout the seasons is simply breathtaking. He had sat on his perch in the tower and observed space countless times in the past, so this time he could tell that something was off; a shooting star that wasn't burning up or disappearing. In fact, it was getting bigger and faster as he watched it. He quickly stood up and ran down the several flights of stairs leading from the tower's main room to the outside world. That shooting star will be coming down and he wanted to be there for when it does. There may be a pony or a piece of property in its way when it landed. He couldn't let that happen. He was a Royal Guard, after all. Of course that was just a rationalisation, he just wanted to see what an actual shooting star looked like, and this was his chance. As he chased the vapour trail path left by the object, a loud boom resounded through out the valley that Neighwick was built in. It had landed and he would be the first there. Sky Step, as his name suggests, took to the sky with a single flap of his wings and accelerated towards the crash site at a speed that would turn even the head of a Wonderbolt. He wasn't a scout for no reason. After about five minutes of flying at top speed, he arrived at the site. It was a mess. There was a crater about four meters deep and fifteen meters across, smoking and smouldering from the impact, some parts of the ground that had a high sand content had been completely turned into glass. Rocks and debris of the derelict barn house on the edge of town were scattered everywhere. Luckily there was no one there, as the area had been abandoned due to a flooding issue a long time ago, much to Sky's delight. Most noticeably, in the centre of the crater, there sat a large glowing purple and gold orb, pulsating and moving like a lava lamp. Whatever this thing was, it had survived re-entry somehow and didn't have a scratch on it, a feat quite impressive for an object the size of a trading cart. This was nothing like what Sky had imagined a shooting star to look like. He expected a glowing golden ball of pure white, much like the static stars of Luna's night canvas. Then again, this was not a shooting star, a fact becoming more and more obvious by the second. With that thought, as if on queue, the light emitting from the orb began to fade, and white cracks began to spiderweb around it. Whatever it is, something is coming out. Whatever this Purple and gold shell around him was, it was protecting Josiah from the heat of re-entry, taking all of the heat and dispersing it somehow. He just floated inside of it, not able to move either because of the shock of where he had just been or the fact that he was strapped into the angelic equivalent of a planetary drop pod, he didn't know. 'I wonder what sort of place I'm being sent to.' Joe thought, unable to determine anything from his point in the sky. 'I hope it's not too different from home... Readjusting will be hard. I just can't believe I died.' He was inwardly surprised that he wasn't freaking out more. Of course he poured his heart out if front of that figure, Azrael, but that was just the start. He was clearly going to have some issues going ahead. 'I really hope this place has half decent psychiatrists...'. Looking at things from a non subjective outside point of view was something that he was surprisingly good at considering his age and lack of experience. 'Why did he have to drop me from the sky? Couldn't it just have been a nice doorway through some random person's wardrobe and be done with it? I feel like I'll draw attention, falling from the sky like a damn meteor...'. A large part of him still thought that all of this is a long drawn out dream and he would just wake up any minute. You don't just meet a deity, do you? Were the Buddhists right all along? He had been an atheist his entire life, religion just didn't make sense in his eyes, especially considering there is no solid proof. 'I met a godly being that sent me into a new world with some freaky tattoos and a blessing because my soul is too pure or something like that... Nietzsche clearly did a bad job.' He was falling through the air for about five minutes in total until he hit the ground. Decimated the ground would have been a more apt description. He couldn't actually feel the force of the impact, but the sudden lurching halt of momentum was enough to knock him out cold. Author's Note This isn't meant to be a religious story, I just like the thought of angels and all that. :D Because of this, the divinity in my story will have inspiration from many past and current religions, faiths and mythologies
HatchedAs the light faded and the orb cracked and splintered, Sky took a few steps back. Something was emerging, that much was obvious, but he couldn't be sure what. For all he knew this could be the baby of a constellation creature, much like the Ursa Major that attacked that new settlement, Canterlot, not too long ago. That ended quite badly for them, and so Sky was taking precaution. He proceeded to summon a dark cloud from his forehooves and give it a charge, just in case. As the orb spider-webbed with cracks each emitting light, Sky sturdied himself, ready to pounce on the new threat if needed. He can't lie to himself, he was scared beyond belief, but his inherent evolutionary curiosity got the better of him. Pieces of the orb fell and broke apart in the air, disintegrating and scattering on the wind, eventually leaving behind a body of some kind, spindly and pale. Whatever this thing was, Sky knew for certain it was no pony. Or anything else he had ever heard of before, actually. It was covered in sickly white looking skin, not a trace of fur in sight. Perhaps it was all burned off in the fall? Something on the skin's surface moved a little, a shrinking black circle of some kind spun on his right shoulder before disappearing completely. The chest of the strange creature seemed to be rising and falling in a regular rhythm, no blood or bruses were present anywhere he could see. Sky knew that this meant that whatever this thing was, it was still alive and, for all intents and purposes, unharmed from the drop. He didn't know what to do, he couldn't just leave it here to the rats and bears, but if he took it away, it could wake up and attack him. He decided the best course of action was to call the guards and have them deal with it like they did with the other threats and lost animals. It would be given a cell to sleep in, and then when it woke up, it would be nursed back to health until it could be released back into the wild. He readied his wings and took to the sky, confident that this strange creature wouldn't wake up in the 20 minutes it would take for him to get back with the creature control section of the local royal guard division. As he flew, thoughts of what the hell that thing is crossed his mind. The closest thing he could think of would be a cat person or a diamond dog, but it doesn't have claws or a muzzle or a snout. Beyond that, where did it come from? Why did it fall from the sky? Is it sapient or is it just an animal? What the hell was that moving circle on its skin? None of these questions escaped his mind as he made his way to the Neighwick Guard HQ. "Tsu will know what to do..." He whispered to himself. He raced past the river, soared over the Great Dark Forest, and zoomed over a small hamlet or two, turning the heads of the few nosy ponies who were out at this time. He was starting to see the Misty Heights, the second biggest mountain range in all of Equestria, in the distance. He was getting close. Small buildings came into view as he approached the newly rebuilt town, the high set slate roofs of the cobble and sandstone constructions passing right below his speeding hooves. As he flew into the centre of the town, he decided it would be quicker to navigate the intricate streets on hoof. He landed harshly, not bothering with grace, he just needed to get to the guard. They would surely care about the strange new creature that just destroyed the old barn house by falling from the sky. As he shuffled through the streets of Neighwick, he quickly made his way to the barracks they were stationed at. Nodding at the entry guards, knowing them from his time as a reserve, he entered the building. He made his way to the office of the Mundane Threat Suppression Unit branch, knocking on the door and steadying himself ready to face his superior officer. "Enter." A strong, gruff voice answered. As Sky entered the room, an immediate sense of authority pressing down on him. "Ah, sergeant Sky Step. What can I do for you today? I don't believe you're on rotation this month..." He trailed off, looking at a time table. Captain Tsunami was a large unicorn stallion, covered in scars, old and new from his various tours across the unstable boarders of Equestria as a soldier. His coat was a brilliant white, and his mane was greyed with age. Various wrinkles and pockmarks dotted his features, giving the appearence of a wise, experienced old stallion. His cutie mark was an image of two crossed spears in front of a silver shield, denoting his willingness to fight and protect his country. He had retired to the Royal Guard when he lost sight in his left eye, a long pink scar running diagonally across his face owing testament to this; he was not a stallion to be trifled with. "Good evening, Captain." Sky said in, clearly rushed and still flustered from the flight over. "I'm here to report a foreign object that fell from the sky, it destroyed the old barn on the edge of town!" "Hmm," Mused the Captain. "The princesses should have been able to spot it before it could hit anything and notified us... This is troubling indeed. At least now I know what the noises and explosion earlier were..." "On top of that, Captain, it was no rock that fell to Equus, in the crater was a golden purpleish ball or egg of some kind. It looked magic in origin, but I couldn't feel any inherent magical energy coming from it. When it cracked and hatched, there was a spindly, naked catperson looking creature inside. It's unconscious, but I don't know for how long." Sky made a worried face. "I suggest we send the guards to escort it to a cell before it can wake up. It can't be doing too well after a fall from that height, but there were no bruises or blood so whatever it is, it's not normal... I've never seen anything like it." "You've made the correct choice, sergeant. Whatever this thing is, it sounds dangerous, falling from the sky without a scratch... I'll mobilise the guard, as well as a few ponies from the local creature control. That should be enough for an unconscious sky monster. You are dismissed." His face softened for a second as he looked back at Sky. "Why are you up so late, anyway, Sky? You know Nurse Cross said you should stop staying up in that smithy you run. It's not good for your health." Sky slumped his shoulders a bit and let his eyes droop, a gesture not usually shown in front of a superior officer, but the Captain was sort of like a second father to him, and he wasn't actually on duty this month. "On the 21st of every month I go up to the observatory on the edge of town and watch the sky for a night. You know that, Tsu" "Ah yes" He muttered. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I must be going senile in my old age" He laughed, smiling "Just make sure you're not working yourself to death, no pony ever got anywhere by dying before they could get their enjoyment out of life. Anyway, It's late, try and get yourself off to sleep." The Captain pushed. Sky nodded, saluted, and left the room, sitting down just outside to recover, the tiredness of the night catching up with him. As he did, he could see a group of three guards scramble out of the building, heading toward the animal control centre. They would get the job done, he thought. That wouldn't stop him from following, however. Call it sheer fascination with the strange creature he had discovered. As the guards left the building, Sky Step stealthily followed, hiding behind a cloud. Both this, and the nightfall should mask his presence enough to watch what goes down. Author's Note Been a while...
Panic?The first thing Josiah noticed at the rousing of his consciousness was the splitting headache that had overcome his mind. The second was the intense heat emanating from underneath his back. His eyes shot open, and both pains intensified immensely. This resulted in the strange mixture of reflexively jumping off of the floor and falling back to clutch his head in pain. This ended with Josiah going right back to where he started, only now he was on his stomach. This only lasted a second however, as once again an almost burning heat graced his skin, this time however, he managed to stay on his feet long enough to scurry away from it. As he slowly opened his eyes, each millimetre inviting another pulse of head pain, he gradually became aware of the situation around him: he was in the centre of a smouldering crater. He was frozen in a mix of shock and confusion, all his mind could muster was '...Well then'. His body went into autopilot as his mind shut down, trying to logically process everything he had just experienced before it would relinquish control to it's fleshy avatar once more. He slowly managed to climb out of the fairly large crater with relative ease, the sides were steep enough to slip on, but not enough to inhibit climbing all together. When he finally got to the top of the crater and looked down at the carnage he had brought against the land, he snapped out of autopilot and regained his perspective. His eyes went from cloudy and vacant to sharp and focused in a few seconds. "What on earth have I gotten myself into this time..." In that moment, the average night time ambience hushed to a choked silence. Josiah realised this, and felt something was off. His eyes darted from one shadow to the next, trying to figure out if something else was there with him, to no avail; the light from the smouldering ground had completely reset his natural night vision. Suddenly, he felt as if he was pulled in a direction, right as something whizzed through where his neck would have been just a second ago. He only just had time to look in the direction the noise came from, but still he saw nothing. Due to him looking in the direction of the first noise, he was completely oblivious to the others directly behind him. He felt three jolts of pain in the back of his neck. He looked away from the dark bush he was staring at and plucked one of the sources of the pain from his flesh; a dart of some kind. Mind still in shock, he looked forward again slowly, only to be met by two huge, almost glowing, sapphire blue eyes. These were all he could register before he tumbled to his knees and fell into the dirt. For the third time tonight. "This is Sergeant Silver Spire, I have captured the creature, and will now proceed to bring it back. Over." An armour clad Royal Guard looked over the downed creature, not sure if the order to bring it back even if it was awake was the correct course of action. It looked so weak, so defenceless. Its spindly limbs were perhaps three quarters the width of his, and not to mention at least twice as long; it couldn't hurt them if it tried. The trip back to the guard barracks, aside from a single accidnetal trip, was wholely uneventful. The ponies were never out and about this late, so they got no strange looks. The creature had been encased in a opaique magical container, usually meant for things like manticores and baby hydras; things with teeth and claws. Interestingly, however, the creature currently being subjected to the magical prison had no such appendages meant for attack, or at least none they could see. An order was an order, however, and their orders were to make sure the animal was safely brought into captivity. It could be incredibly dangerous for all they knew. Knowing that this was the exact procedure that he had seen take place tens of times on other larger animals, Sky Step decided to break off his reconnaissance after the creature had been sedated and captured. He was tired and he had all the time to eye up their fallen sky thing tomorrow, anyway. This little fact didn't stop him from wondering about the creature all the way back to his home in town, and even after he got into bed. The platoon of local guard ponies returned from their mission with ease, slipping through the garage like door specifically built for this purpose. One of the guards in the hallway looked at the magic continer and whistled a single exhale. "That looks rather small for a beastie box." He was refering to the ball of magic that held the creature. "Aye, well this is definitely no beastie by the look of it." Silver Spire retorted, as he magicked the ball into a steel cage built directly into the wall. He then released his magic, letting all the guards who were around the containment area see their new guest. "Well he's certainly a looker." One guard commented. "Rather pitiful, if you ask me." Another said. Captain Tsunami rounded the corner and made his way into the containment area. All of the guards stood to attention the second he had entered the room, but were quickly dismissed right after. "Well it won't be here for long. Only until we can get somepony to catagorize it, it seems to be a new kind of creature in these parts of the world." There were some surprised inhales at this realisation, but nothing more. The now armour clad pony walked up to inspect the sedated creature, oogling at its extremities and foreign biology. Silver Spire trotted up to him and asked: "What will happen after that, Captain? I don't know much about things that fall from the sky, but it surely we should make sure it isn't hurt too bad before we just release it back into the wild..." "Well you do have a point" He mused, looking over the boy's back at where there would have been charred skin and bones if it were a normal creature. "It looks fine on the outisde, but there may be injuries on the inside... The hospitals have magic that can detect that kind of thing, not to mention all the blunt force trauma that comes with falling out of the sky. I'll see about getting it looked over at the Cross Infirmary, not that they will know what to look for, exactly. " With that he stood up straight and walked out of the room, on his way to write the Sun Princess a scathing report about how a relatively big object slipped her right by and plowed into one of her towns.
