Author: SaiyanUltima
Rewritten 8/20/15
Sin Firestorm, a legend of history and war, sat quietly in the living room and ate his early breakfast as the sun rose to shine upon the blizzard covered Ponyville. Snow clouds still blocked out the sun, but that did not prevent some bit of warmth spreading across the world. He had brought a full stack of books to entertain himself and decided to read through one of the novels that were given to him months ago by a now-retired librarian. He felt ashamed of himself for not indulging himself with good literature, but things were not peaceful enough for him to do so; at least not as peaceful as it is today.
Sin had done everything he could to prepare this town for any sort of trouble to come, other than the most important one—his early stroll through the quiet town to see how things are going. Sin was definitely a strategist and a well-equipped man. He believed in backup plans. His backup plans had backup plans. His inner inhabitants loved to tease him about it, but it was the meticulous care he paid to every detail that always made his work flawless—like the many weapons he has in his bedroom. A normal man would never have brought this much to the table when it comes to the protection of others, but Sin was not a normal man. He was man above men for many good and bad reasons.
"This is not bad," he said with a mouthful of his chicken salad sandwich, the scent of meat shrouded in a spell to keep everyone from noticing his eating habit. He adjusted his reading glasses and took another bite as the morning stayed quiet, his eyes skimming each sentence while his mind absorbed every word. "But, seriously, have I grown so bored from my life that I'm acting like an old man? I mean, come on, reading in the morning."
In some sense of his meaning, it was very true. Sin had grown old in some point of his young eternity that he lost his perspective of being a young man with forever ahead of him. His teenage attitude was gone, replaced with a strange façade to act like a true gentleman of senior age, something he found to be quite relaxing and strange at the same time. He should be acting like a young man with eternal youth, enjoying his life by making his own and doing whatever he wants to do—legally that is. And yet there was no desire to be a kid or a teenager, but to be a grown man with extreme maturity. Now, mind you, he does have the every day weakness all men have—that being lust and arousal—but he has no one to share that with.
He lifted his head to look up towards the stairs, his ears twitching at the sound of someone descending the second floor. His mind came far off the book as the pony coming downstairs yawned and smacked her lips of the dryness they held. She was very aware of the added guests that are here, but she was not prepared for what she was about to see.
Her hooves grew louder with each step, barely heard through the roaring blizzard that covers Ponyville. She managed to ruffled her large wings, but only because if was Skyla who messed up some of the feathers after the preening. Still, she could not blame her filly for wanting to be in her mother's wings, especially after discovering yesterday that the house has two more occupants.
Pulling herself away from the desire to go back upstairs and sleep in was difficult, but she forced herself under control, sliding into awareness while whispering one word that came to mind when her nose was touched by its aroma.
"Coffee,"
After making it into the kitchen, Cadance lifted her head to the coffee pot that was still brewing. As the aroma took her into a full wake-up call, she looked around to see if anyone else was awake, eyes widening when she saw the human sitting in a chair with his arm propped on a stack of books and the other holding one to his gaze.
Now she focused on the man as though it depended on her life, which was situated into the same infatuation she felt yesterday. Her blush formed once more and deepened as the two caught sight of one another, eyes locked on and cheeks flushed as they stared in silence. There were numerous ways for Cadance to greet the man, but her mouth would not move like it should. She felt powerless underneath that soft gaze of his, entrapped in a web that seemed to ensnare her heart.
It was not stupid dream, she said mentally, eyes widening before she could process what he was wearing on the bridge of his nose. Is he wearing glasses? Her mind finally processed his appearance, causing her heart to flutter even more. Sweet Celestia, he is wearing glasses, and...and...so cute!
"Is there something wrong?" Sin's voice snapped the alicorn of her daze, only so that she could grow nervous under his soft stare.
There was a flutter against the walls of her mind, as gentle as the wings of a Monarch Butterfly. "No...No, there is nothing wrong at all. I'm just surprised to see you here." She did not say another word, the effort to clarify what she meant was too much in her nervous and groggy state, but she stroked a caress over the embarrassment she'd been feeling since yesterday.
Sin still felt Cadance' emotions run frantic and the small compression in his chest that was very heavy, but he needed to make himself acquainted with the mare and she needed to do the same for their sake—if he could get her to stop acting so nervous and open up a little, maybe act a little friendly and not so shy.
He stood up and set his book on the stack, bookmark spaced between the pages for later. This was not easy for him, but it was a moment that needs to be done. Could he bring himself from the faltering mask he wears and be a little normal than he wants to be? He kept his movement gentle, his voice calm. He did not want the alicorn to feel fear or experience any sort of uncomfortable feeling than she already feels. If he could allow himself to open up and stay calm, she might tae this transition of living together as entirely natural and not try to avoid him.
Cadance had been more then aware of Sin approaching her, of the transition, but she hadn't grasped the thought of a handsome male of his figure showing such kindness and maturity. She had stayed with Shining Armor, clinging to what was thought to be true love, and learned the other side of his nature. There was no doubt or disbelief in what she sees in this man, what she feels every time he looks at her so calmly. She was beginning to realize that Sin was very different from most males, but the question was 'How is he so much when he shows so little?'
He walked past the blushing mare, but not quick enough for her to miss the redness across his cheeks. "A little early to be awake, isn't it?"
Cadance groaned, remembering her sluggish wake-up call that is still in bed, hogging the covers. "My daughter stole the bed covers from me. She always does this when we leave the Crystal Empire."
Sin tried not to veer from the fridge. His stomach growled with lack of proper nourishment. For the first time since he'd been a normal man so greatly reflected upon for guidance, he could have a meal in peace and not wander through any thought about trouble brewing around him. He reached into the fridge and removed some ingredients to prepare breakfast for everyone like he always does for others. He half expected to feel lazy and make the mares cook, but that fatherly drive in his head bested him.
"Where is her father?" Sin asked, genuine concern in his voice. "Shouldn't he be around to help his own daughter overcome whatever problem she has?" He looked over his shoulder to the alicorn glaring at the floor. Suddenly he realized and felt sorry for Cadance.
"Let me guess," he grabbed the top cabinet above his head. "You're going through a separation trial that involves sharing custody, right?"
"We divorced a few months back, and I left my empire for the safety of my daughter and myself."
Sin began adding ingredients into the mixing bowl. "Oh, so you are monarch getting away from your ex-husband. I cannot imagine what it must be like," he reached for the butcher knife to his left, and then started slicing a loaf of whole wheat bread. "But where exactly do you reside in the diplomatic power of a royal pony?"
"I rule the Crystal Empire. I'm the Princess of Love and the Crystal Princess."
"And the Crystal Empire is doing good, I see." Sin felt calm the way he did when his trip stopped at his old home. That place was his life and even when he was just a weak man that ran away from home, he was a dangerous man fighting for the Crystal Ponies. But that is another story for him to tell. For now, he was content with the present happening of that remarkable kingdom.
"It's been a very long time since I lived there," he stirred the eggs that were dipped in the mixing bowl, while falling into nostalgia. "Everyone was so scared when Sombra attacked and overthrew Jade. I still remember when he tried to kill me with his horn."
"Wait, you were at the Crystal Empire?" Cadance sent a suspicious glare to Sin. "When were you at the Crystal Empire? Because if I recall correctly, none of the documents spoke of a two legged creature living there."
Calm as he was about hinting his past, Sin realized he said the wrong words.
"That's because my existence is not in any book or scroll. My history is in the passing of the creatures you see today, and the memories of my existence are inside the Crystal Heart."
There was a questioning note in his voice, and Cadance realized his words were not at all intended to slip out of his mouth, but rather stay hidden. But, alas, the urge to speak of ones past took over and escaped, and not she was very suspicious of him.
Cadance took a seat at the dinner table, adjusting to face the human, just behind the counter that is in the middle of the living room, her eyes never leaving him. Now she was testing him. "My subjects suffered a great deal when Sombra was banished to the deepest tundra in the Arctic North. They still haven't recovered from the mental trauma he inflicted with his dark magic."
"I know, and they probably never will. But you are the one that saved them, correct?" he received a nod. "Well then, thank you for saving them from that monster. He really was a devil in mortal form."
Cadance tilted her head, curiousness shimmering in her orbs. "Who and what are you, exactly?"
Sin stopped with breakfast and said nothing, his eyes swimming with the demons of his past. He could feel the tension of his mind winding its way around his body and slipping over his hand to the point of forgotten entry when many needles were once embedded in his muscle. Those few seconds of silence dropped between him and Cadance and seemed to sting the goosebumps crawling on his skin into the many scars across his back. It made him quiver unpleasantly.
Her question. Just that one question did this much. Who would have ever thought his barriers would have a single weakness found in that iron mind of his? He had a core of pure steel and no doubt that he had made some impact with Equus' history and progress in recovering from the damage his subconscious mind carries.
And yet. . .
You are by far the greatest weapon I have created. A vessel that wields two of Tome Gods, and only in the first stage of my research.
You can't do this to me! I am not a guinea pig. . . I AM A LIVING CREATURE. I AM A HUMAN!
Not anymore, my precious weapon. You are now the key to my paradise, the door to my kingdom. You are now like me. You are now a god.
"I am Sin Firestorm," Sin said regrettably, "But as for what I am. . . I don't know anymore."
"Don't know anymore?" Cadance questioned. She could tell Sin was very lost in thought, and he was touched by memories that seemed to be more painful than relieving. "How can you not be so sure of what you are?"
Sin turned from the oven, his magic doing the work for him, and frowned down at her. His green eyes had gone dull, much like a person who has lost the will to live, but then flashed two different colors, and the pupils thinned to a demonic setting. The left eye became black, its pupil pure white, and the right eye became white with a black pupil. His hair wave freely and banded with a deeper, almost rainbow running the white. His sudden change took her breath away.
"I am not what you would call normal or unique, and I certainly believe it is not a good thing that I am showing you this. The truth, however, is my moral, and I always give the truth. I have been turned into the one thing I swore to never become, but I fight the urge every day." Sin leaned into her. "So to completely honest. . . I lost my grasp on myself when my captors experimented on me."
Cadance found herself short of breath. Her eyes met his with deeper connecting. "That does not make any sense. All you have given me is a riddle about yourself."
Sin chuckled and inclined his head, something the princess found to be cute. "It will make sense when you understand me more," he rubbed the back of her neck and smiled warmly, "But for now, just think of me as a guardian angel watching over this town. That's all you need to know; at least for now."
Sin smirked. Cadance growled, a low, frustrating note that made Sin laugh and had his inner inhabitants' hair raised on the back of their necks. He stopped rubbing her neck and returned to his cooking, his body rippling with the effort not to shift into the warrior that would frighten and devastate Ponyville.
He held his hand up to stop the magic that kept his cooking in motion. "Now before I head out to do some shopping, how do you like your pancakes?"
Twilight Sparkle woke to the sound of a friend knocking on her door, the sheer force echoing through the castle like a movie theater. The sky was filled with snow clouds pounding all of Equestria. She yawned and watched as the door slowly swung open to reveal a teenage dragon poking his head through. He was the same purple dragon that everyone came to love as a little brother—well, except for his lovely marefriend—but he was no longer the baby his sisters knew him to be. No, his growth finally caught up with his age and gave him a unique figure.
"Twilight," Spike said quietly, so as to not startle or ruin her morning. "I'm sorry to disturb your sleep—that is if you're still sleeping—but there is somepony here that wants to speak with you." His handsome yet nervous smile did that slow, melting touch it often does when she is having a bad day as Celestia's student or the Princess of Friendship.
Twilight rose out of bed, stretching her legs and wings. "Even when there is a big blizzard in the middle of Winter, a princess' work is never done. Oh well, I better get ready for another audience."
"Actually, you're free for today," Spike clarified, receiving an 'oh' from the young alicorn. "The only thing you need to do is go speak with Mayor Mare, who happens to be in the Dining Hall right now. I don't know all the details, but the most she told me is she hired somepony as a guard for the town."
"A guard?" Twilight questioned.
"Yup, and she seemed pretty happy with hiring somepony."
"That's strange of her to do," Twilight pondered, rubbing a hoof under chin whilst brushing her mane. "To hire somepony without speaking to me about it is wrong. Then again, my authority is still very little in Ponyville, and she does have more influence than I do."
"Twilight," Spike said softly, holding out a large folder. "She said the stallion she hired is said to be a great warrior that fought in the Gryphon Wars, and he was the highest ranked General in King Talons army before suddenly going into retirement."
Twilight spun to the dragon and raised an eyebrow at him. Her mane, usually dark purple with its pink stripe, was slightly longer and sparkling in some strands, just the way her teacher's mane does, but without the magical flow. "Don't you mean he was in the Gryphon War?"
"No, I mean this stallion was in all four of the Gryphon Wars," Spike opened the folder and held it up the pages for her. He pointed a claw at the details and added, "Take a look at this page and read it aloud."
Twilight wasn't one to humor others about their suspicions, but Spike was her little brother, and he appeared to be bewildered by the documents. As groggy as she was, Twilight indulged herself with Spike's strange behavior over the simple folder.
"Very well," she sighed, and then began reading aloud page twenty-nine. "Sin Firestorm (A.K.A. the Reaper) is a very humble and modest man that is believed to have no limits in power, but that is just a theory made by Doctor Strain, the Royal Doctor of Gryphonia. The most recent recording of Sin Firestorm's power was during the Fourth Gryphon War when a siege of rogue dragons, that just so happened to be part of the mysterious group known as The True God's, attacked and killed many of the King's subjects. Nopony knows the origin of this cult, but it is believed their intentions are to bring all of Equus into a new world order that is ruled with an iron hoof."
Twilight looked up to Spike. "Okay, so he has great power. Nothing more than a simple investigation I need to have approved by the princesses." she said skeptically.
Spike lowered his claw to the next paragraph. "Keep reading. Don't stop until you reach the end of page thirty."
Twilight returned to the page, albeit rather frustratingly. During the siege of these dragons, many Gryphons witnessed General Firestorm rise to the sky, draw his sword and cut down forty dragons with a single swing of his blade. The most accurate description of this incredible feat is an injured soldier in King Talon's army watched him transform into a powerful being that was shrouded in a black and white aura, shaped into an alicorn, before screaming a spell that is from the ancient language of the alicorns.
The death toll for Gryphonia was severe, but the devastating power of their Master General equaled to the loss of loved ones. Approximately six-thousand Gryphons were laid to rest, while hundreds were left crippled or traumatized by the near-fateful destruction of their kingdom.
This, however, did not bode well for the dragons that did survive the war. Though the war ended when King Talon and General Firestorm forced the remaining armies Prance and Prussia surrendered to their leaders' beheading, a difficult decision was approved between the two. General Firestorm and King Talon flew to the Capitals of Prance and Prussia and committed genocide on the remaining dragons. It was upon King Talon's command that his Master General killed hundreds of rogue dragons and thousands of radical Prench and Prussian Ponies by launching a large, red beam from his hands.
The term for his spell is unknown in its true origin, but General Firestorm said to have named it after one of the original Alicorn's of Tome, the Infinity Wave. Whether or not he will reveal to us what he can do is still up for debate.
Signed by Gryphon Chancellor Horgon
"Okay, you were right to bring this information to me," Twilight murmured, willing to let her number one assistant to have the glory of being right. "But is that all there is to know about him, just facts about his past?"
"No, there are a bunch of good qualities as well," Spike turned a few pages, "Here, this has something to do with every royal across the world having a deep friendship."
She heard that little apprehension in his voice. "But there is a catch to what this page says, right?"
Spike nodded. "Yeah, the date on this page dates back four hundred and ninety-six years. And look at this picture I found in the back, taped under the lining."
Twilight gazed at the photo. . .and gasped.
Princess Luna had never been so lost in her life, but now wasn't the time to assess where she had gone in the Realm of Dreams. She had just lost her first battle with keeping herself steady against the unforgiving pressure of guilt and fell into a deep sleep of sorrow and depression. When she was able to endure it, others would pay the price. She would become cold and almost careless of others when dealing with the pain, and if anyone were to see her show the smallest sign of emotional defeat, she would act crude to curtain her lies.
She found herself in a dream that is bound in death and fire, but it was no dream of hers. A barren wasteland of Gryphons, Dragons, and many foreign ponies spread across the ground in streaks of blood and mutilated flesh. Those are still alive hid behind the remaining defenses of a broken kingdom that is made of stone and steel, its sturdiness barely enough to hold the many soldiers that stood at top, watching a great battle unfold for a fifth day of constant destruction.
Princess Luna bat her eyes to the many signs of war and became sick to her stomach. She had not seen so many lives lost to war since the day her parents committed mass genocide on the Prussians for taking her beloved. It was all the same to her, a disgusting display of ignorance and greed coming together for another conflicting round of who surpasses whom.
Her stomach growled in response, twisting and churning her breakfast to the point of vomiting. "Oh goddesses, I'm going to be sick," she threw her hoof to her mouth and gagged at a head rolling down the mountain of bodies, next to her. Who would be so foul as to dream of a world that is filled with death?
"You haven't won yet!" a male voice yelled, his cry of bravery so familiar to the alicorn that it made her gasp. "I'll keep going until one of us stop breathing!"
She did not bother to wait for the owner of said voice to appear, but follow very quickly and discover the reason behind his fury. She didn't know if it was him, but the many sounds that came afterward drove her to make sure. She knew where the voice came from had to be in the midst of those various blasts happening in front of her. There was no mistaking it to be extremely powerful magic, clashing and exploding between two deadly warriors.
"It cannot be him," she managed to gasp out, before running up the largest hill and stopping at the top to see the source of her curiosity. "This cannot be some sort of dream that he made on his own. It cannot be true, because my immortality curse failed."
Princess Luan watched from a safe distance, two males, an infuriated, malformed alicorn, and a two-legged man, throw punch after punch in a lightning-fast brawl that is getting them nowhere. Blow after blow, their bodies rippled in response, before gushing blood from a few bruises. The two-legged male screamed at the beast whilst trying his best to avoid the next punch. His efforts, however, were proven futile, for the next blow he took to the chin sent him flying across the battlefield and into a large boulder.
As shocked and terrified as she was right now, perhaps she was deliberately drawn to this dream by some mystical force or a premonition of Equestria's future. Luna knew her power in dreams and night was far above her own parents, but for whatever reasons, even as she worked feverishly to draw a conclusion, her instincts said enough to make her realize what is currently happening.
The energy. The darkness that surrounds this vision. This was no premonition. Princess Luna was dwelling into a nightmare that occurred elsewhere, and she was trapped until it ends.
This is his nightmare. . .But I have not been this deep in his mind since I was banished to the moon. She pondered quietly, watching the battle continue. The two-legged male seemed to be defeated or dead, until he burst through the indention his body left on the boulder, his normal figure engulfed in an aura of black and white, shifting into what appeared to be a rough outline of an alicorn with a curved horn.
The disfigured monster managed to shake off the rubble that clung to his horrid mane, its waviness fueled by those he devoured from head to toe. "Did you really think that a maggot such as yourself can hurt a god like me?"
The man all but threw himself at the alicorn, his body shivering with pure, uncontrollable fury as the ground shook. He felt like a failure, and growled as the memories of a small colt repeated, causing every instinct he had to burst. He lowered his head, hissing obvious words whilst finding a reason to not lose control. He'd had enough of this destructive monster. More than enough. He was the Lieutenant of the Gryphon Army, the Immortal Human, and it was time to let go of his morals.
Well, are you going to fight, Sin Firestorm?" the cackling alicorn asked, his long draws of breath seeping with the screams of his victims. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to say. . .Are you going to fight—"
Sin raised his head. Several of the surviving Gryphons and Ponies had watched from their hiding spots. Luna raised an eyebrow and crawled across the dirt to remain hidden, for she did not want to corrupt the nightmare in any way possible. Sin Firestorm. . .but. . .mother and father gave him that name. It just can't be true. You cannot be alive and so close that I am drifting through your nightmare. Is it, my love?"
Sin scowled at the stallion whilst clenching his fists, his claws digging into his bloody hands. "You. . .You killed Feather Heart. You monster, how dare you?" His body began to pulse, his aura now vibrating with a darkened rainbow as the sky turned black. "HOW DARE YOU KILL THE MOTHER OF MY NIECE!?"
In a fit of his own conviction, Sin responded to the pulses by arching his back. Lightning stuck all around as though he became a powerful magnet for electricity. The entire kingdom of Gryphonia watched in awe. Finally, Sin unleashed a powerful screech and flexed to the overcharge of light and dark magic surging through him, before allowing the last bolt of lightning to consume him in blinding light.
The stallion raised a hoof to his eyes, his crooked smile falling. "What the hay did you just do?"
Sin remained where he stood when the sudden change of his body ended from the collapse of his humanity. His aura violently glowed around him with bolts of various magic. The ground beneath his feet was caved in and still crumbling, the sounds reverberating during the short observation of his transformation.
Sin was a new man with a darker purpose. His muscles were near double their normal size, and other parts of him were altered. His ears were that of a pony but still on the sides of his head. His long, white hair lashed aggressively, and a small streak in the middle shifted in colors. His claws and fangs were very obvious now, shining brightly in the light of his newfound power. A tail emerged from the edge of his waistline, its color and nature the same as his hair, and large wings painfully sprout from his back.
Sin!? Luna mentally yelled. She was flabbergasted by her lover's form. Never in her life did she see him change into something so strange.How the. . .Since when did you. . .I don't understand this. Where did you get such power?"
"You just keep killing innocent beings, like they're nothing but toys to you," Sin looked away in disgust and regret. "You even killed Feather Heart for your own amusement, and now the kingdom I protect is without its queen. And the princess is without her mother."
Remembering the look on Feather Heart's face, Sin became stronger. He crouched and scowled at the beast, his aura now expanding from the explosive release. "This time you're going to fucking pay. . .BLACK DUUUUST!"
. . .
Luna shot up from her bed with a fright, gasping. She panted heavily with a hoof over her chest, her heart racing at a very uncomfortable rate as the nightmare replayed, fresh in her mind. That drift right in the center of her dreamscape she had perfected and protected so diligently since the last incident felt weak. She had not felt such fear for a very long time. She'd fought with her own demons and swallowed her own pride as princess, but never did she feel so confused.
"Wha—what did I see just now?" she looked down to her bed to find a spot on her blanket covered in sweat, which was unusual, yet helpful in bringing her lost hope back to life. "Did. . . did we just reconnect, or did I accidently drift in his nightmare?"
Luna sensed how weary the connection was. She had already accepted the pain of her lover being gone, allowing it to flow through her, not once trying deny to resist. They were bound together, intertwined forever, both feeling every emotion and sensation like a tornado bouncing between them. She concentrated on figuring out what this nightmare meant, pushing confusion aside.
If this lasted much longer she would have no choice but to try and search for an answer, although the daytime is when she rests. That was my love, but he seemed much stronger than before, and that magical pressure he possessed almost choked me. But that was a nightmare, so how could I have seen a piece of his past when he's dead?
This did not sit well with the Princess of Night. Every little turn to the answer seemed to lead her into a dead end. This maze of confusion seemed endless, and all she could do was tap her chin repeatedly whilst feeling that wonderful connection call to her. It does not make any sense. Unless. . . he's not dead but—
Luna looked towards her desk and gazed at the one picture she has of her long-lost lover, remembering the happiest moment in life when he asked for her and Celestia's hoof in holy matrimony. T'was was the greatest night of her life, a perfect evening of her and Celestia sharing the same joy with their true love, before having the worst pony in Equestria split them apart with his silver tongue.
Luna could not compartmentalize the memory like before. She could not distance herself from it. The agony of betraying her lover really was as bad or worse than the image of plunging her horn into his heart. Her body shuddered with the sickness of the memory.
"He's not dead," she whispered, tears falling as mixed feelings of guilt and love reform to her surface. "That was our connection. But if so, how are you still alive?"
She looked towards the picture again. "Did my curse work?"
Sin cursed in every language he knew, holding his left arm as it singed with hot grease that spilled. Cadance was already to the rescue as he darted to the kitchen sink, running cold water over the massive burn while two fillies hid under the table for their clumsiness. He was the Immortal Human—the Reaper, he hadn't been careful when Skyla and Rose Spark entered the kitchen for orange juice. His inability to remember there are little ones in the house burnt him greatly when he tripped over them and accidentally flipped the hot skillet. He had no one to blame but himself.
"Goddamn it. Son of a Bitch. Fuck me with a fire hose!" he spat as the cold water ran over his hand.
"What happen?" And came down the stairs a very groggy Spitfire with nothing on and her mane in a mess. She hadn't processed the damage while entering the kitchen, but the smell of hot food and the sound of whimpering fillies was a start. "Did I miss something?"
Cadance ignored her friend and tended to Sin, forcing herself between him and the sink. "Let me see your hand." she said calmly.
Sin shed his composure fast, becoming a very angry man that wanted to hit a wall or shatter a vase, although he knew all too well that his actions would make things worse. "Motherfucker, that really hurt!"
"It was a-an accident," Skyla stuttered to Spitfire, her mane drooped over her face to hide the tears as she ran behind the Pegasus. "We just wanted to get something to drink, but we bumped into him and—"
Sin hissed as Cadance removed his hand from the water and checked. "It's fine, kiddo. It wasn't your fault."
"It's a bad burn, but nothing too serious." Cadance looked up from his hand. "She did not mean to bump into—"
"I know. I know the fillies did not bump into me on purpose," Sin shook his head, disregarding the foals of any fault. "Besides, I should have paid attention when I had the skillet in my hand."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sin." Rose Spark whimpered. "I didn't mean to bump into you."
"I didn't either." Skyla added.
Sin sent Skyla and Rose one weak smile, placed his hand back in the water and waited for his power to consciously fix the problem, striding to keep some bit of dignity, the set of his shoulders the only thing that gave his discomfort. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was serious pain.
"Don't worry about it," he chuckled through the throbbing. "Accidents happen all the time, and it was my fault."
Spitfire stepped to his side and looked over the counter, curious. Her rump angled to his left leg and nearly split when she pushed against it. The sensation woke her up as Cadance gawked at what was happening to the third-degree burn. Sin did not say to Cadance that he could heal as well. She did not say a word to him, neither did Spitfire, not even when his magic engulfed his hand in green and started the healing process.
"Holy hay." Spitfire said, before smiling like a teenager that just did her first flip. "Okay that is not normal, but it is very cool. I didn't know there was a spell that can heal somepony's wounds."
"There isn't, and I'm not using a spell." Sin looked down at the fire-mane Pegasus, his nervous smile flustering her body. "I'm what you would call a very unique person with very special powers."
"Amazing." Cadance whispered, drawn by the magic, unaware that her daughter and Rose Spark were still hiding.
"Okay, now I am impressed," Spitfire announced. "There are many ponies who have done some pretty incredible stuff, but this the coolest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Nopony can heal their own wounds like that, not even the princesses."
Sin stepped back from the mares and shook his hand violently, removing the numbness that came as the green around it accelerated his body's natural healing ability. "You do not know me, but I can do many things that others cannot. I have been able to heal most of my wounds, but it requires much of my magic to do so. If I do not have enough then my wounds will stay and heal on their own."
Cadance frowned at him. "If you can heal like, then shouldn't you be able to heal all of those scars on your back."
Sin shook his head. "Those are from being trapped inside a lab with scientists experimenting on my body. I had those long before gaining the power I have today. They're permanent and impossible to remove, because magic was used to make them."
"Oh. . ." Cadance looked away, ashamed. "I. . .I'm sorry. I just thought you were—"
"Ah, don't sweat it, Cadance." Sin smiled warmly, before shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, some mares are into guys that have scars. And judging from the way you blushed when you saw them the first time, I'd say you're the kind of mare that likes a stallion with a gentle nature but looks handsomely rugged."
Cadance' face immediately turned red, and she spun around to hide it as her flirtatious friend took this chance to get a little closer.—or so she thought. Before Spitfire could speak or touch him, Rose Spark and Skyla poked their eyes out from beside the fridge. Their eyes watered lightly as he turned to them both and sighed in disgust of his own outburst. He knew it was his fault for getting. Yet he still acted so childish by screaming and cussing up a storm to abate his anger. Now the filly he raised and the one he met were so scared their bodies were shaking, and it made his stomach churn.
"We didn't mean it." Rose repeated.
"We're sorry for getting in the way, Mr. Sin." Added Skyla.
Sin kneeled and reached for the back of their necks, pulling them close to his chest while Cadance ran cold water over her cheeks to help with the redness on her cheeks. Spitfire stood and watched the human wrap his arms around the girls, although they were terrified at the moment.
Sin's touch bored into Rose and Skyla's skin, making them want to fall deeper inside his care and warmth, but they stayed very still, determined to fight the tears that are swelling.
"You have nothing to be sorry about. I was not paying attention when you two walked into the kitchen, and I was burnt for it. Besides, its best that I was burnt, because I cannot bear the idea of such adorable fillies getting hurt because of my clumsiness." His tone was soft. Gentle. Loving.
Rose and Skyla heard the sincerity in his voice and knew it was the truth. Sin really did find himself at fault for the grease spilling on his hand.
"I'm sorry for yelling and cussing in front of you both. You should not hear a grown man act so immaturely when he has at fault for his own stupidity." he said lovingly, before nuzzling their heads to express his care. Once that was done, he lifted the girls by their bellies and placed them in chairs. "Now then, I believe I have breakfast to finish before running some errands with Rose Spark. So does anyone want some mixed berry pancakes before I go?"
"Wait, where are you going exactly?" Spitfire asked, curiously. "The blizzard is preventing most ponies from going outside, so how do you plan to—"
"Are we going to get toys and stuff?" Rose Spark interrupted, very excitedly.
"First off, I can teleport or fly the closest cities in Equestria, and I can amplify the heat of my body with a little magic." Sin looked down to his excited daughter, smiling. "And secondly, yes, I promised to get you some toys. But we will do that after I go take care of something I forgot about"
Excitement took hold in the kitchen as Rose Spark gasped and smiled. Joy overwhelmed the filly as she wrapped her hooves around his hand, nuzzling it like a stuffed teddy bear while the rest of his cooking was set on the table with a snap of his fingers. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
"Hey, Skyla and I need to go get some things in Canterlot. Maybe we can go together, and Skyla can pick out some toys for her and Rose to play with." Cadance suggested.
Sin nodded. "That would make things much easier, and we can get to know one another since we're going to be sharing this house."
"Has anypony ever told you that you have a really nice flank?" Spitfire suddenly asked, causing the man and alicorn to blush at her. She shrugged her shoulders defensively. "What? I'm talking about Sin. He's got a really nice flank that stallions never have."
"Spitfire, not in front of my daughter!" Cadance barked, before throwing her hooves over Skyla's ears, although it was completely unnecessary since the little filly was too distracted by the pancakes.
"Same here!" Sin added. Unfortunately his blush said all Spitfire needs to know, and she was going to use that against him. "Seriously, who talks like that in front of foals?"
"Mr. Sin, your hooves are tickling my ears." Rose giggled.
Spitfire smiled deviously at him. "What can I say? I like a stallion with a small flank, and you fit that criteria."
Cadance shook her head in disappointment. "After all these years, you still have not changed your ways. You're still the same mare that flirts without regard of those around you hearing what you say." She groaned as her friend cornered Sin. "Spitfire, you're a pervert."
"Only with cute stallions," the Pegasus quipped, her eyes fluttering lustfully as they locked with his. "And this hunk of handsomeness is to cute for me to resist."
Maybe I should have taken that other job in Prance. Sin mentally sighed. Seriously, what is it with females of any species having this need to express their attraction for me?
"So do you have a marefriend?" Spitfire asked out of the blue.
Sin did not answer that, not when he already had enough problems on his plates. He took another look around the room just to hide the blush that formed, but Cadance' smile drew him in, for he knew what she was thinking.
Oh crap, she's just like her friend.
I completely forgot that he is single. Hmmm. . . I wonder if he's alright with having a small herd of just me and Spitfire; that is after I get to know him better. Cadance' smile grew as she pondered the idea of her and Spitfire sharing him. What else was there to think when the only thing keeping her focused is him? There was no time like the present to think about such things, especially when you're the Princess of Love, trying to find true love.
Spitfire reached for his hand and giggled with mirth, "So the cute stallion does not have a marefriend. Now this should be interesting, don't you think, Cadance?"
"Don't involve me with your methods, you pervert." Cadance said. "I'm not into that idea of winning him over with—"
"Okay, did everyone just forget that two fillies are sitting at the table and are in earshot distance of what is being said!?" Sin yelled to the ceiling.
Rose Spark looked up from her plate, devouring a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "What's a pervert?"
"It's somepony that flirts with other ponies too much." Skyla answered. "Ms. Spitfire is flirting with your daddy too much, so my mommy is calling her pervert for it."
"Oh, that makes sense. But doesn't that mean Mr. Sin is a pervert because he's making your mommy blush by wearing no fur or clothes over his furless chest?" Rose Spark asked.
Sin looked at both fillies with wide eyes. "I burnt my hand, and some the grease got on my shirt as well!"
"I think so," Skyla quipped.
Rose Spark turned to her flabbergasted father. "Mr. Sin, you're a pervert. Shame on you."
Dropping his glasses to the table, and putting back on sleeveless shirt,, Sin gave up trying to be the mature one and stared at the giggling fillies, flatly.
"Savior, Warrior, Friend, and Loyal Guardian. Now I'm being called a pervert by two fillies that I just fed." he grumbled. "Fuck it, I'm going to have a stiff drink and—"
Sin could not finish his sentence. A loud banging at the door interrupted him, something he did not expect to hear this early in the morning. He walked away from Spitfire and Cadance and approached with a firm channeling of magic in his left hand, just in case he was about to have a fight. There was no malicious intention on the other side, but sensing no hostility did not make him feel any better. Whoever was knocking at his door obviously had a strong hoof, seeing as how the hinges were shaking out of place.
"Okay?" Sin opened the door and looked down to a pink pony with an unsettling glare in her eyes and fluffy volume in her wild mane. He raised an eyebrow at her as the snow blew through the door, unsure of what to do. "Is there something you need, miss?"
The pink mare narrowed her gaze, boring his skull with her frustration. "Did you really think that you would go through my town without me figuring you out?" she asked in a dark manner. "Did you think that I would not find you, punk?"
Sin leaned back, ready to dart back inside and lock the door. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaking me someone else. I have never met you before."
"Oh no, I am here for you, Sin Firestorm." she clarified. Sin was now very defensive. Clearly this pony had a problem with him. "My friend, Rainbow Dash, told me yesterday that a new face was in Ponyville. She told me you both met at Sugarcube Corner yesterday evening, but you left before I could see you."
"And you are?"
"Pinkamena Diane Pie, but call me Pinkie Pie." Pinkie said seriously. "And now that I found you, I have something to say to you."
This girl is off her rocker. I don't know her. Should I take her to a psychologist?
"Nopony gets through my town without me knowing they're here!" Pinkie said loudly. "Not even a great warrior that just came to Ponyville gets past my Pinkie Sense. And do you know why?"
Scratch that, she just needs a Shrink.
Pinkie Pie reared up and balanced against Sin's chest, her eyes drilling into his with aggravation. "Because they cannot be properly acquainted with my town—" suddenly her glare was replaced with a bright smile, and she jumped back with glee. "—Without a Welcome to Ponyville Party!"
Sin fell backwards on the porch, unable to process the insanity of his morning. Fuck it, just get me an exorcist!
Pinkie Pie leaned over Sin. "By the way, Rainbow Dash is right, you're really cute."
"So I've been told." he replied.