I was wondering through my local convention center. There were a few nicknacks here and there but nothing that really caught my eye. That was until I found something interesting. One of the booths was selling a Deadman Wonderland collar. I wandered over to the stand.
"You lookin' to buy?" I looked up from the collar. I man was dressed up as the merchant from Resident Evil 4.
"Yeah, How much is it for the dog collar?" I could hear him hum.
"Why would you want that?"
I chuckled lightly, "It only feels right if a Deadman has collar. Don't you?" He nodded his head.
"I suppose so. It'll be $20." I handed him the money. I didn't put it on but I put it in my backpack. I was about to thank him when I vision was flooded by a rainbow. It started to get really hot. The rainbow was swirling around me. The...The pain, my blood was boiling inside my veins. I took off my shirt to no avail the heat kept raising even further. The colors started to blend together forming the world around me.
Marble lined the walls, floor, and ceiling. My vision was a little blurry but I could see someone standing in front of a throne. They were completely black with moss green hair and eyes. On her head is what looked like a crooked horn. I felt so cold all of the sudden. I could feel the sweat all over my body. My vision started to clear and I could see her. She looked like some weird bug person hybrid.
"What is this thing? How is he going to stop me?!" She started to cackle. "Drones cut him down." Out of nowhere another bug thing ran up to me. In its hand was a sword. Before I could react it slashed me across the chest. I was sent flying backwards.
'Shit! The wound is too deep. I need to stop the bleeding or I'll die in a matter of moments. Keep the blood in!' I landed on my back. Around me was a group of pony human hybrid people. Five of them had a golden necklace with a gem carved into different symbols. A purple one with a horn had a tiara with a gem cut into a six pointed star. A white one with both wings and a horn was injured on the ground next to me.
"Hold on," The bug woman said, "How come you aren't bleeding?" I, along with everyone else, looked down at my wound. It was a large and deep gash across my chest and stomach but, not a single drop of blood was spilled.
'Wait a second. The collar, my blood boiling, my blood staying in my body with my will power alone. Could I be? Maybe, but at least it'll be a good way to intimidate her.'
"Why would I be?" I started to stand up. Pain shot through my body but I powered through it. I looked up at her, "I am a Deadman afterall." Everyone's eyes went wide.
"T-The Elements of Harmony summoned an undead!?" She all but yelled.
I chuckled, "No I'm not an undead. I should have been more specific. The term Deadman is the name given to those with a Branch of Sin."
"B-Branch of S-Sin?" Her voice held fear inside it.
'I really hope this works.'
"The Branch of Sin is a special power." Bits of blood started to come out my wound. They weren't completely detached, they were connected to the wound by small strands. "Those with a Branch of Sin have to power to control and freely move our own blood." She was clearly shaking. It wasn't just her, the ones near me were as well. I brought my arms up. The blood rushed and swirled around my hands and forearms. It quickly hardened into gauntlet like armor. A hexagon like pattern was carved into them. I bashed my knuckles together like I was playing the symbols. This caused a loud metallic sound to ring out and sent a few sparks to fly. "My branch is known as 'Steel Armor Blood.'"
She was frozen in fear. While all the focus was on me a pink pony a horn and wings snuck up to a pony with a horn. She talked to him for a few moments before they started glowing. The bug queen looked over to them but it was too late. A wave of pink energy washed over us. The bug people were sent flying out the room. When it washed over me I doubled over in pain. My gauntlets liquefied and exploded. It was hard to tell since I went deaf from the pain but I was pretty sure I was screaming. I could feel my blood pooling into my back. My back was splitting open. My blood was whipping around everywhere. I could see pieces of ruble fall around me. The last thing I remember is me screaming a piece is ruble being lifted off the ground.
***
I woke with a start. Above me was a concrete ceiling. I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. I heard a clinking noise when I moved my hands. I looked down at my hands to see shackles around my wrists. My chest was wrapped in bandages. I looked around the room. The walls were made of stone, almost as if they were curved rather than made. My shackles were attached to the back wall. The front wall was nothing but cell bars and door. Next to my cell was four guards in armor. Two on each side of my cell and two across from them. I looked down at the floor, trying to remember what happened.
'What the hell happened?' I could hear someone walking down the hallway. 'I was summoned or something then I was cut by some bug thing. Next I was using my Deadman powers to intimidate the queen, then...' I sighed, 'Damn, it only gets fuzzy from there.' I heard something slide on the floor. Looking over I saw a metal tray with some bread and three glasses of water. I looked at the fifth guard that slid it in.
"You lost a lot of blood after your rampage and we don't know your diet yet. Twilight Sparkle will be here sometime later to ask you some questions." I simply nodded and started eating. I could already tell that it's going to be a long day.
Author's Note
This Chapter has a few spoilers for Deadman Wonderland (Sorta). I'm not sure if it's in the anime but if you've read the manga then you should be fine. The spoiler is about how each Deadman got their powers and where it came from.
An Explanation
It wasn't long after I finished eating that seven women came to my cell. The tallest one had a golden crown on her head. She had two wings and a horn on her forehead. she had white fur and wore a white dress with the sun on it. Her hair and tail was a mix of green, blue, and pink blowing in a invisible breeze. All in all, she looked like she was an actual princess. The next one was closer to around my height. She had a horn on her forehead. She wore a purple sweater vest over a white button up blouse and a pink skirt. Her fur was a prominent purple while her hair and tail was a dark blue with a pink stripe in it.
Next was a woman with orange fur. She didn't have any wings or a horn. She wore a plaid shirt and blue jeans. Her blond hair and tail were tied up into a ponytail. On top her head was a Stetson. Next to her was a another woman with white fur. Her purple hair and tail was curled to perfection. She had a horn on her forehead. She wore a black dress that hugged her figure. Behind her was a woman with butter yellow fur with pink hair and tail. She had wings on her back. She wore jeans and an oversized green sweater. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Just by eyeballing it she had to be a six foot five inch giant hiding behind a petite five foot four inch doll.
Then there was a woman with dark pink, poofy hair and tail with light pink fur. She didn't have a horn or wings. She wore a white tee-shirt with tree balloons on it and a pink mini-skirt. Rounding everything up was a short cyan fured, rainbow haired woman. She had two wings on her back. All she wore was a shorts bra and sweatpants.
"Hello there, Deadman." The tall one started, "I'm princess Celestia. These Ponies here are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity Belle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash." She pointed to each one. "While you were out we did a medical exam on you. Nothing too personal just some basics and a blood test."
'That can't be good.'
"You are healthy for the most part, as far as we know. There is the matter of the blood test however. When the test was finished we found a-"
"A parasitic worm," I cut her off, "I already know about it."
Twilight spoke up, "You do?"
I nodded, "You might want to take some notes." She pulled out a scroll and quill. "The parasite is called the Nameless Worm and it's what gives Deadmen their powers. The worms were originally created by Sorae Igarashi and Hagire RinichirÅ. Together, they studied different ways of heightening a person's immune abilities. The pair used several guinea pigs for such experiments. Their existence was determined to be a byproduct of the pair's research. Once inside a human, the Nameless Worm integrates with their body, permanently altering them. When this occurs, the individual is then referred to as a Deadman."
"When you were explaining your powers you called it a Branch of Sin. Can you Explain it more?" She asked me.
"The Branch of Sin sometimes abbreviated as BoS is the ability to control and freely move the user's own blood outside of their body as an extension of oneself. The Branch of Sin can be formed into various shapes and objects and is often used as weapons. Their powers and shapes vary and are unique to every Deadman. To summon their power, they first need to inflict at least a small abrasion in order to draw the blood out of their body. The blood they extract appears as a sort of string that's directly connected to their veins and arteries, which can be restored afterward if it's still connected to them. In very few cases, the user can completely control their blood while it's not directly linked to them and can even reuse the blood to recreate their weapon/s. In a case where a Deadman sustains minor wounds, they can slow down their blood or halt it at certain portions of their body to prevent themselves from bleeding out."
"That's so interesting. The BoS of everypony is unique so it makes them unpredictable unless you already know what it is."
I chuckled, "It's more than what they are originally given however." This really got their attention, "Branches of Sin can evolve over time. These evolutions have occurred due to their strong will to live and high determination, eventually leading to their newfound abilities. Evolved versions don't stray too far from their original powers and appearance. Patterned, black lines appear on Deadmen when using an evolved Branch of Sin. These marks usually appear near their Branch of Sin's manifest points. Their appearance is distinct for every Deadman, from straight patterns, to curly lines. The main disadvantage to this ability is that it uses a large amount of blood and places strain on the body. Overusing it will cause burns and scars where the marks appear."
Twilight was writing a mile a minute on the scroll, "I should tell you that the Nameless Worn is not contagious. You have to be targeted and injected with it." They seemed to relax at this.
"As Informative as this was I'm afraid we need to get going." Celestia started to guide them away.
"Hold on now." They stopped walking. I got up and walked over to the bars, "Did you think I'd give you such valuable information for free? No, I want something in return as well."
She rose a brow, "And what is it that you want?"
"I want out of this cell."
She shook her head, "Your powers are too unpredictable to let you out. I'm sorry." She looked at me with pity. I hate it when someone pittys me.
"Then what do you say we make a deal instead?"
