I awoke, though I had feverently wished I had not. I could feel my body scream in pain, my body, all but beaten to death, and I could feel I procured more than just a few cracked or broken bones. I would have loved to say I had been through worse than this but…I would be downright lying. I feel so weak…so spent…and as much as I just wanted to lay down and rest I needed to get up. I needed to stop that monster. I try to lift myself up, to get back into the fight, but it was to no avail. My body seems to deny every request of movement I'm throwing its way.

Slowly I turn my head to the side, catching a glimpse of what I was there for. Of what I and others like me had been here to do. That mass of dark energy lay a few meters in front of me, the same mass of energy that we was tasked with destroying. If we didn't then…

Fighting against every one of my rational senses I reach out a hand toward the darkness a spark of electricity began to form around my palm, gathering together into a small mass of lightning like energy. All I needed to do was just need to disrupt it…If I can do that…then…

My eyes widened as I felt something grab ahold to the back of my head and, in that same instant, felt my face greet the concrete floor over…and over…and over again until he was picked up, none to gently, by my hair. I barely managed to open my eyes when I found myself face to face with my torturer. Silver fur surrounded his body, and long flowing silky hair ran down the length of his back, reaching to his knees. His tail swished back and forth behind him and his long ears stood straight up, barely moving. He had the built that others could only dream of, muscular but not overly so. The tatted black robe that hung off his body did little to leave anything to the imagination.

His foxlike muzzle held a coy smile upon it as he stared into my eyes with evil intent.

"Ah…So here you all little hero…Been wondering where you went to after…Well…You know…I decimated you ship…"

I barely opened my mouth to speak when I felt his hand tighten his grip on my hair threating to be pull out from my skull.

"Now now…The grown-ups are talking…" He said with a chuckle in his voice. "Tell me…Little one…How it feels to fight against a god? It must troublesome right. Tell me its troublesome." He forced my head to turn, and my eyes widened at what I saw.

Bodies of others, maybe a dozon or so. Some of them I knew personaly…others I didn't but all of them were comrades…My comrades…they were…were…

"You see this…THIS Is what happens when you fight against fate! That…and you never get in my way without paying the price!" He laughed. "But look at you Little Kazuki! The last survivor on this dying, world besides myself. Well that's no surprise though…You were trained by the best after all!" He forced my head to turn back to the mass of dark energy. "Look…its almost complete…can you believe it? After all these years…I can finally have the world I wanted…yes…The world I have dreamed of!"

He pushed me till I was down on my knees, and forced me to keep my eyes open as the mass of darkness began to grow. "Yes…I can finally be…with my Eve…" He chuckled at first but then it grew into nerve wrecking laughter. "Together, we will destroy all who stands against to us!"

I cursed myself for being so weak. I could…I could not do anything. I felt so helpless and my…My palm…It still had the energy…it was small but it was there. With one last hope of turning the tide I looked at the fox-being out of the corner of my eye and spoke in a low voice three words. He turned to face ma with an raised eye brow not hearing what I had said.

"What is it…Do you wish to join me in my dream world as well? It's much too late for that little-!?"

I rammed my clawed hand into his chest digging it as deep as I could before pulling away and awkwardly began to make my way toward the mass of energy. I could hear him curse and threaten me out loud as he doubled over in pain but I paid him little mind. If…If what I do works then we were both finished anyway. With raised palm I aimed what little I had left of my own energy toward the mass of darkness.

"Y-You fool!" The silver fox screamed behind me. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!?"

I turned to face him and could feel my body giving way to the injures I sustained. "Yeah…It's what I said right before I hit cha…" The energy behind me began expanding without remorse or signs of stopping. "I said…I'm sorry…" The energy exploded, overwhelming all that it consumed. I could see, just before I welcomed deaths embrace, the image of a girl, A human girl, pure white hair dancing gently in the wind. Her bright blue eyes shown with kindness as the gazed back into mine.

"…I…I'm so sorry…I won't be able to live my life after all…"

The morning dew dripped lazily from the treetops, and the song birds chirped happily from their nest. Little critters ran this way and that way busily doing what they do best, scurrying about. It was a normal day in the plains of Equestria.

At least one would think it was…

In the river, not too far from the Everfree Forest, was a brown furred figure, its lower body submerged while its upper body rested on the rocky gravel. He was, for the being was most certainly a male, unconscious. His body was covered with cuts and bruises and a trail of blood had trickled down his forehead and nose, drying in the heat of the sun to cake his fur in a red nasty mess. He had been dressed in a black no-sleeve shirt, with tan pants, both of which looked no better than their owner, being torn and tattered to the point of disrepair. All and all, the poor being had looked as though he had been through the gates of Tartarus and back again.

It was then that one would hear a cheerful little ditty coming not too far away from the strange being. The voice in itself belonged to a pink maned pony with butter-yellow fur with three little butterfly's adorning on each side of her flank.

She happily trudged a cart full of clothes, having just washed them not to long ago up river humming a happy little tune as she did so. It only took a quick look for her to see the strange creature and for her to, just as quickly, dive in a nearby patch of bushes with a freighted squeak. They shook violently as her eyes peered from an opening she had made to view what had caused her to flee. They blinked twice before, trying to register what it was that she was looking at. After about five minutes she would pop her head out to see if she could get a better look at the being. To her surprise she could see that not only was it not moving but it seem to have been hurt somehow. Or possibly worse…

"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness!" She stammered, quickly moving toward the creature. "What do I do!?"

She quickly wrapped her fore hooves under his arms, and slowly began to pull the rest of his body out of the water, praying to the heaves above that she was not causing more damage to the poor creature. It took about a full five minutes to finish her task.

The shy little pony twisted him so that he could face upwards, and despite the urgency of the situation, she could not help but study and be amazed by the look of the strange creature's face.

The same brown hair covered his face, along with what she had suspected was his hair. Despite the blood that had caked part of his face she could tell that he looked feline in origin, complete with a pink button nose and a cute little muzzle.

She pressed her ear against his mouth.

Nothing…

"N-No…Please wake up!"

She closed her eyes, breathed in deeply, and lowered herself, pressing her lips against his own, letting her breath fill his lungs. After she did so she would raise up and begin pressing down on his chest with her fore hooves repeatedly.

He didn't stir…

"C-Come on Fluttershy! You can do this!" She said quietly to herself, trying to give herself a boost of confidence.

She repeated her past actions, ending with her once again pressing her hooves into his chest.

Nothing again…

"Please…for me…" She said as tears began to form at the corner of her eyes.

She did it once more.

And was rewarded by a fit of coughs and a sputter of water escaping his mouth. When it did she almost squealed with delight, but quickly corrected herself. "N-No time for praising yourself Fluttershy! I have to get him back to my cottage!

She ran to her cart and dumped the contents out there of. She quickly pulled it to where the creature was and quickly (but not too much so) loaded the poor thing onto the cart. She then began a fast yet careful trek to her little cottage on the hill.

"Don't worry. Just hang on. I promise to save you." Fluttershy thought she had whispered it to herself, but as she trekked along to her home the creature's ears would flick ever so lightly, responding to her voice ever so slightly.

Fluttershy closed the door she had left the strange creature in and made her way downstairs trotting over to adorn her saddle bag, all the while mulling over what she the poor creature. She had dressed and cleaned his wounds after removing his torn clothes (Much to her embarrassment she found out that the being was in fact a male due to what his pants had hidden from her view), and had covered him with a thick blanket. She was still quite worried about him. He had many outer injures and Celestia knows how many inner ones. She was sure he would need an expert to look him over when all was said and done. She had decided to acquire Twilight's help in the matter. Hopefully she might even know what this creature was.

She turned to a little white bunny and gave it a stern expression. "Angel, momma's gonna be right back. I need you to look after our guest until I do." The bunny turned his back to her, folded his arms and held his head up high. "Please Angel. I don't want to leave him without someone to watch him." The bunny held his pose without a flinch. "I'll make that extra special carrot cake you like." The bunny looked toward the yellow pegasus and nodded with a bright smile. Fluttershy nuzzled the bunny and made her way toward Ponyville.

It took little time for her to reach her destination, a large hollowed tree made into a lovely little home/library. The sign Books and Branches hung just above the door, swaying gently in the cool morning breeze. Fluttershy gulped as she placed a hoof upon the door and gently pushed it open. The jingle of the bell announced her presence as she entered.

"H-hello? Twilight? Are you here?

A lavender hoof waved from behind a overly large book whose title read 'Princess 101: A Study Guide'. A cute but distracted grunt came from behind the tome as the hoof singled her to come over. Fluttershy slowly made her way around till she was behind a lavender pegasus like herself with a deep purple mane and a pink streak running along it. A picture of what looked like a big purple star sat upon her flank much like Fluttershy's picture of the three butterflies .

Fluttershy meekly tapped upon her, and spoke in a low and gentle voice. "Um, Twilight, if its ok with you, I mean if you're not busy, I…I really need you to come over right quick to my house." She shuffled her hoof on the ground as she added. "It's really important…"

The pegasus named Twilight took a quick look behind her toward Fluttershy as she spoke allowing the yellow pegasus catch sight of the horn that grew from the top of her head. "Well I am a little busy Fluttershy. Studying up on Princess Posture and Techniques and all that…but I can take a bit of time away from the books." She smiled warmly. "What do you need?"

The mare looked away as she spoke. "Well…the thing is…I found this creature I never seen before by my cottage. He was hurt, very badly. Angel is watching him right now but I really don't know how to treat him beyond what I had done." She looked towards her friend. "I was wondering if you could come over and see him right quick. Maybe you have some information about his spices."

Twilight placed a hoof to her chin. "Well…I could. It shouldn't be too much trouble." She smiled. "Besides it really has to be something different to have you stumped so much." Closing the book, Twilight set it aside and adorned her saddle bag, filling it with many books about animals and medical practices. "Right then, show me this strange creature Fluttershy."

"What the hey even is that?!" where the only words that came out of the winged unicorn's mouth after staring straight at the hurt creature for about ten full minutes. She quickly levitated a book in front of her and began to flip through the pages. "It can be that…or this…It's defiantly not a Diamond Dog…too feline in appearance." She took a second look at the creature lying motionless in the bed. "I'm sorry Fluttershy I just don't know…"

The yellow mare just shook her head. "I'm just worried that he might be more hurt then I can see."

Twilight ears popped up as she spoke. "Hey! I can use my magic to see if he has any inside wounds!"

"Y-you can do that?"

"Well…not per say. You see, I'll use a little of my healing magic to see if any damage to bones or anything else. Maybe even patch up anything that looks life threating."

Fluttershy smiled lightly. "Well…anything to make him more comfortable would be more then appreciated…"

"Right! Stand back." With a glow of her horn Twilight wrapped the creature in a pale purple glow. She had enveloped him all of two seconds before she instantly released him. "I-Impossible!"

"Twilight?!" Fluttershy gripped her friend as she stared wide eyed. "W-what's wrong?! Is it that bad?"

The lavender winged unicorn raised a shaky hoof to the unconscious being. "H-His body…I-its healing its self!"