//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: The Karma Begins // Story: Black as Sin // by BearstarSeraph //------------------------------// Chapter 2: The Karma Begins Vegeta opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground in a wooded area. He tried to sit up. “What the fuck?” he said feeling his body. He looked back at himself. Then he closed his eyes and hung his head. “The gods must be punishing me…” he thought. He thought back over the wish. “‘Everfree Forest’ and ‘materialized’…” he said out loud. He looked down at his “hands”. “Isn’t the Everfree that spooky forest where all the bad stuff happens? …Yes that must be it. She wished My Little Pony was real… and then…” Vegeta spent a minute or two moving various parts before he attempted to stand on all four legs. Then he twisted his neck to look behind him as he watched what twitching different back muscles did to the gigantic set of wings. He noticed something and attempted to twist his new body to get a better look at his rear. He then checked the other side. “Hmmm… No butt tattoo,” he said out loud. Vegeta gingerly took several steps before he trusted his new body to move on its own. He pushed his way through the bushes and low limbs. “Bulla!? Bulla, where are you? It’s Daddy! You’re not in trouble, Princess! Just answer me!” Suddenly Vegeta heard a growling sound. He looked to his left and saw a giant creature. “And you look like a carnivore,” he thought. The creature roared. “Look you,” he turned to face it, “I don’t have time to deal with you, so buzz off!” The creature braced its legs and arched its back. “Fine,” Vegeta mimicked the pose, “You want to play? Let’s…” His ears drooped. “I can’t feel my energy.” Vegeta was now running for his life from an angry manticore. His screams of help were punctuated with screams of pain as his feathers kept getting ripped out by the bushes in his path. “Now I know what a chicken feels like,” he thought. “Bulla!” he screamed, “When we get home you’re grounded for a month!” Suddenly he spotted an opening. He reeled right and dashed as fast as his new legs would take him. Then the thundering footsteps stopped. Vegeta looked behind him, when he should have been looking forward. Vegeta ran right off the cliff and promptly plummeted. “I can’t fly! I can’t fly!” he shouted trying desperately to pull some fragment of energy below him. Then the wind flipped him on his back. “Wait! I have wings!” He tried to flip back upright, “Come on! Spread out! Spread out!” Vegeta’s wings unfurled violently, jerking his body upright. Then he felt a snap behind his left shoulder. Vegeta twisted into the cliff then rolled to the bottom. He lay still for some time. Finally, he started to shift. Vegeta shakily came to his hooves. He winced as he tried to look behind him. His left wing was limp. After twitching some muscles, he assumes it was dislocated if the wing joint was structured similar to a sapiens’ shoulder socket. Vegeta slowly shuffled away, careful to be as quiet as possible. “Bulla better be alright,” he thought, “But this is her world. She knows this place inside and out. She is going to be just fine. And when this is all over, she will be grounded for a year.” Vegeta spotted a stream. He hid in the bushes and scouted out the wildlife. He saw nothing larger than rabbits for some time. Then he looked up at the sky. “Sun’s getting low. Predators will be out soon,” he thought as Vegeta struggled to his hooves. He carefully approached the water, looking for any signs of crocodiles or other water creatures. Suddenly the sky went dark almost instantly. Vegeta looked up. “There must be a mountain blocking the sunset,” he tried to be rational. He returned to the water. He tiptoed to the edge, being careful to check the firmness of the bank with each step. Vegeta stuck his tongue in then quickly pulled it back into his mouth. “Good, it's fresh,” he thought. Then he noticed his reflection. He put his right hoof on his head to feel. “Ok…” Vegeta said out loud, “I am both a pegasus and a unicorn at the same time… I did not know creatures like this existed.” He stood back on his four legs and looked at his full profile. He raised his good wing carefully to get an idea of his size. Vegeta was as tall as he was as a Saiyan. Including the horn, he may be even taller than Piccolo. He was as black as black could be. His large eyes were so dark it was almost impossible to tell iris from pupil. His good wing was as long as he was tall, plus the horn meaning his full span was as long as a stretch limo. He had no hair forward of his ears, but otherwise had a long mane that looked like a flag swirling in a strong wind. “Wait a sec?” he said as he took a second look at his curly tail. It was waving too despite his full control over its movement. He sighed frustrated. It took several minutes for him to figure out how to swallow and not drown at the same time. Then he searched for a nearby place to rest. He found a large overhang near where the stream passed by the cliff face. It looked too perfect for his tastes. He searched the area, but found no signs of footprints, eating, or excrement. Nothing but a patch of blue-leaved plants growing in an unshaded area next to the half-cave. “Well, if you’re poison, Bulma will be contacting Namek soon enough,” Vegeta said, walking through it to get underneath. He tried to find a way to rest that did not aggravate his wing, but was only moderately successful. As he was about to nod off, he got the sudden sensation he was being watched. Vegeta jumped to his hooves, “Who’s there? Show yourself!” Nothing. He exited back through the blue plants and his instincts drew him the few yards to the stream. Vegeta thought he saw a reflection of eyes in the water for a split second, but when he blinked all that remained was the moon. He looked up and saw a moon in the canopy clearing. “It seems large enough to be the only satellite,” he thought, “Most twin moon fantasies have smaller ones.” Vegeta took an extended blink. “Life has taught me prayer is useless,” he began, “But I also know few human stories are without beings to be prayed to. Whoever is out there, protect my daughter. You owe Bulla’s love for your existence. Please repay it.” Vegeta wandered back to the overhang and fell asleep in the soft blue foliage.