I had no idea what time it was…

A punch hammered my exposed ribs, making me cringe and groan in pain. Blood trickled down my lips and sides. Small cuts and bruises littered the sides of my torso as the feral hound dog laid a beating into me. Again and again he’d pummel my helpless body with brutish punches.

I tried breathing in short strides so that my ribcage wouldn’t have to expand all that much during inhales. The way my arms were tied were no help and left me short for breath. The diamond dog snickered as he cracked his knuckles. “Oooh… you’re sooo much fun… not like ponies,” he sneered then slammed me again with yet another punch.

He had removed my t-shirt and jacket during the beating and simply tossed them aside, stating that he wanted to see his results. Luckily he had left my pants on along with my holster and pistol, although he was under the premise that it was a pocket pussy. A punch slammed across my face, stinging the heavy bruise that already painted my left eye.

I simply let both eyes shut, moaning in pain as I dangled about, suspended by the ropes that tied my hands together. Another relentless punch connected with my mouth, knocking my head back.

I grunted in continued pain as the metallic taste of blood tainted my mouth. I left my head cocked back as I swallowed deeply, my blood leaving a horrid aftertaste. “Why…” I whispered in a croaky voice, but the diamond dog just shrugged.

“I dunno. Kinda feels good,” he replied before slamming a punch into my gut, making me gag and twist as the wind was knocked out of me. I gasped in shock as my lungs refused to operate properly.

I gagged slightly before posturing myself. “You… weren’t always… like this,” I whispered with a wince of pain, but he just shrugged.

“You’re right, we weren’t. But our new boss showed us that this way we’re more fearsome. Ponies don’t bother us and, when they do… they leave an example for the others…” he trailed off, licked his thumb, then clenched his fist.

He stepped back and hammered a maddening punch into my forehead. I heard his knuckles crunch, followed by a yelp of pain. Stars blurred my vision as I watched him stagger back in agony, holding his busted hand. All the while, he was muttering curses to himself as he paced around me in a furious and pain filled rage.

“Oh you… you… you’re gonna get it now!” he screeched, holding his hand tight to try and foolishly alleviate the pain from his obviously broken knuckles. He stepped forwards and readied himself in an awkward stance. He was obviously not used to using his less dominant hand to hit with.

“This… this is gonna hurt… a lot!” he warned me. I swallowed deep and readied myself. He readied his fist and winded back for a punch. Just as he leaned back, I grunted and pulled myself upwards into a chin-up while at the same time thrusting my right foot forwards.

My steel toed boot tip hammered him in the jaw, knocking him back and onto his ass. A deep exhale escaped my mouth as I let myself dangle once more. My fingers quickly went about to playing with the terrible knot that the dog had tied. It was a simple double loop and within seconds I had undone myself.

My body fell to the floor with a bit of a thump. I grimaced to myself as I scrambled to my feet. The diamond dog was struggling to get up but I never let him think twice about my well being.

I rushed forwards and tackled him into the wall, hard. His gasp filled the room just before I gripped his head with my right hand and thrusted his head into the stone wall. His head clacked off the wall, his body instantly going limp.

I let his body fall to the ground in a heap. He probably wasn’t dead, but I didn’t much care to check, he got what he deserved. I looked to one corner of the room, where my jacket and shirt lay. I grabbed my jacket but left the shirt, it was ripped pretty bad. Slipping on the jacket, I left it unzipped so that it didn’t constrict my sore ribs. Leaving my handgun holstered, I peeked into the hallways.

Moseying through the hallways, I found myself lost in an abyss of underground mazes. “Oh man…” I muttered. I could hear Rarity scream, but I could never figure out which way it came from. The screams seemed to come from every direction. The corridors were gloomy and barely lit. I constantly found myself feeling the walls to try and find my way.

I tried to think to myself about what I should do…

Time seemed to slow as hairs pricked up on the back of my neck. Without a second thought, I ducked. Just as my head lowered, a large stalactite was swung where my head had been only moments before.

I pivoted my body in a one-eighty clockwise motion, hammering him with a tight jab from my left, followed by a heavy haymaker with my right. The diamond dog whom had managed to sneak up on me staggered back, grasping his head to try and orient himself.

I clenched both hands in front of me, and then struck with a trio of straight punches, all of which connected with his cheeks. Staggering back just a little further, I unclenched my right hand and readied for what would appear to be a palm strike.

I lunged forwards, letting myself come a little closer than arm’s length. Striking forwards with my right palm, I surged my palm into his throat then gripped it tightly, my fingers digging into his neck. He gagged, now completely immobilized as I restricted his windpipe.

I pivoted my left foot behind me, all the while sneaking my right leg to his right side then striking it behind his legs and finally slamming him into the ground. Easing off on the tension to his throat, I whispered my demands.

“Where is she?! The pony?” I fumed, but he simply gagged, tapping on my hand to try and get me to ease off some more. I placed my right knee on his chest then eased off with my restricting grip.

“The… main room,” he gasped. I drew out Belladonna and cocked back her hammer before placing the barrel up to his forehead.

“Show me, and if you try anything stupid… my personal buddy plays plastic surgeon with your face,” I threatened. He nodded and I stood up, gun leveled on his center mass. “Well… let’s get going, shall we?” I offered.

He held his hands slightly into the air while leading me along. “Please… just don’t kill me!” he pleaded for his life. I tilted my gun to and fro as I made it look like I was contemplating the decision.

“Oh well… I dunno. You kidnap my friend… take me prisoner… nearly beat me to a pulp-“ I started but he made quick work to cut me off.

“Please, that wasn’t me! I don’t even like this new boss!” he squealed in his defense.

“So why haven’t you joined the resistance?” I asked and he gulped.
“Well… well… well I… well you see…” he stammered while still trying to buy time and think of an excuse. I kept a straight face on while still training my aim on his back.

“Well what?” I asked, still making it out like I was contemplating the option.

“Well it’s just that… you get treated really badly if you don’t give full allegiance to the new boss… I didn’t want to get treated bad!” he cried and I just rolled my eyes. We strolled down another hallway and accidentally bumped into several other hounds.

They turned to me with shocked eyes. I aimed my sights to the roof above their heads and fired. The thunderous report of my hand cannon echoed throughout the caverns while the heavy slug pummeled the roof and littered light debris down upon the canines.

They looked to me with now frightened eyes. “Get the fuck outta my way!” I yelled and they quickly complied without a second glance. I turned my attention back to my guide and rekindled the topic we had recently been on.

“So… as you were saying?” I asked and he shivered fearfully.

“I… I had no choice. Please, I don’t have a family, but I want one! PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!” He began to cry as we continued along. I let out an irritated sigh. Finally we arrived into a large room where a brutish looking diamond dog whipped my friend.

A handful of other dogs watched and cackled in humor as my friend was whipped again and again. I looked briefly to my escort. “Go on, get outta here…” I told him. ‘I was never gonna kill you anyway,’ I mentally added in.

He scurried away with haste as I stepped into the large open room, handgun at the ready. Before they noticed the new presence, I lined up a shot with the wall near their heads.

The echo of the gunshot was extreme, and deafened me slightly. They all looked over to me with shocked expressions. I kept my sights lined up with them, the triangular muzzle of my mighty hand cannon still wisping out smoke. “Let. Her. Go,” I snarled in a deep tone. The crew of dogs all scurried away in a fume of dust, but the one who was whipping my friend remained.

“Bold… but stupid,” he snarked. I merely shrugged, Belladonna’s sights now trained on his chest.

“Funny… I could say the same for you,” I taunted.

“But cowardly,” he chipped in and I snickered.

“Indeed. Kidnapping a pony and whipping her. Doesn’t get much worse than that,” I added to the insult, but he just spat to one side. I managed a quick glance to Rarity. She had several whip marks. They were mean looking but not deep and probably wouldn’t leave much of a scar.

He took my undivided attention as he began to speak. “I meant you. You’d kill a defenseless creature, without so much as giving it a fighting chance,” he quipped but I just smirked.

“You’re no better,” I countered, but he nodded with a sly grin, presenting his open hand towards Rarity, as if to show me some grand achievement.

“Oh but I am. I did not kill her, but merely whipped her into working. I simply showed her who to respect,” he informed me, like it was some sort of righteous moral thing.

“Well… in that case… maybe I’ll just shoot out your kneecaps. Show you who to respect... who to bow to,” I replied. His brows lowered in anger.

“You would… you… you coward,” he snarled. “You could never suffice in a fight against someone like me... you… weakling,” he boasted. “You wouldn’t be masculine enough to take me on.”

‘Weakling? A WEAKLING?!’ my mind boomed in anger. ‘He calls me a weakling after he whips Rarity?!’ My lips curled as my nose scrunched back. My thumb moved to the hammer of my pistol.

I depressed the hammer and set Belladonna aside. “EVAN! DON’T!” Rarity cried, but a whip lashed out, slashing her across the back and silencing her with haste. The whip made a nasty slashing noise that made it sound very gruesome.

“You’re gonna feel… every single mark you put on her…” I trailed off, clenching both my hands into fists. As my body tightened, my jacket stretched to accommodate my size. A smile crept across his lips, no doubt from the fact that he had conned me into a fist fight.

He charged forwards with great force, but wasn’t expecting my next move. I took a step back with my right foot then swung it low. My steel toed boot connected with his left side, making his body arch. Without actually setting my foot down, I swung it back then hammered it up high, connecting a kick with the side of his head.

He staggered back while I re-postured myself. “Lucky hit!” He rumbled forwards like some sort of juggernaut. I went to pummel a kick to his head, but he simply plowed through me like I was a soap bubble.

My body was sent skidding across the ground. I swept myself up, once again posting myself into a fighting stance. His head shook side to side, his right foot scraping across the ground like an angry bull.

He was built thick… maybe I underestimated this guy a little… maybe a lot. He was hulking and could easily hold his own with me. If I made one simple mistake that he took advantage of… this would be over before it began.

‘No more slipups Burdy…’ my conscience whispered. I rolled my eyes. “Yeah… like I need you to tell me that,” I quipped. The hulking diamond dog tilted his head to one side in wonder.

“Tell you what?!” he grumbled but I ignored him, pacing towards him with careful precaution. Just as I neared him, he began to barrel forwards again. I waited patiently for my moment.

Finally, just as he dipped his head to barrel into me, I twirled my body to the right with a three-sixty spin, completely dodging his charge. He hammered head-on into a wall, creating a small crater into the stone barrier.

Stumbling back, he tried painfully to regain balance. I charged towards him, lept into the air, and then delivered a painful roundhouse kick to his head. He collapsed to the ground with a thump, but it wasn’t long before he was back up.

I kept my distance, not really wanting to figure out just how strong he really was. He held his arms in a wide arc, almost like some sort of grizzly bear trying to give a hug. I stepped back as he approached.

He kept getting closer and again I stepped back. Just as he got close, I darted to the left and under his armpit. He swooped down as if to grab me, but missed horribly. His muscles started to swell, gaining even more muscle mass.

Before, there was a bit of thought between whether or not he was stronger, but now… now there was no doubt. He could crush me like a robin egg. He raised his arms into the air and flexed, letting out a roar that shook the ground beneath me.

“NOW… NOW I CRUSH YOU!” His voice echoed like thunder. I just grimaced to myself.

‘Why did I allow myself to get conned into this?’ I thought while the massive, hulking horror stormed towards me. He was slower than ever, but his muscle mass was just crushingly intimidating.

He cocked back with his right and swung a powerful punch at me. I ducked, swooping to the left. Hitting first with my right, then with my left, I hammered a one-two into his gut. I stopped and gasped, realizing that his muscles had become incredibly dense.

I looked up to see him cocking his left arm high into the air. “GUH!” I gasped, jumping and rolling to one side. His hand came crashing down, smashing a large crater into the ground where I had previously been.

He slowly turned towards me, fury in his eyes. “Rarity… RUN!” I yelled. She didn’t answer, and I gambled a glance to her. She was petrified from the mere sight of the beast, so much so that she was stuck in place. “RARITY, FOR THE LOVE OF CELESTIA! RU-U-U-U-U-N!”

She blinked then gulped. “EVAN! LOOK OUT!” she screamed. I didn’t even have time to react as a painful strike hammered my side. The sheer kinetic force sent me careening across the room, slamming me into a wall with ruthless force.

My body fell to the ground in a clump. The footsteps of the beast boomed towards me. I managed to look up. This diamond dog was still the height of a regular diamond dog, but its body mass… it had changed so dramatically.

His hands grabbed the back of my left leg and tossed me to the other side of the room. My body crashed into the unforgiving wall with a brutal impact force. I groaned in pain while managing to crack open my left eye. Blood trickled down and stung my vision.

Rarity had her mouth agape as she watched me in fear of what my fate might be. The big lug hulked towards me. I hauled myself to my feet, wiping my left hand across my lower lip to remove the blood that had accumulated.

The beast cocked back his right hand and hammered it towards me. In the last possible moment, I shifted my left hand to the outside of his strike then my right to the inside of his elbow. I snugged his punch tight and pulled it just under my left shoulder, letting it swing harmlessly under my armpit and pulling his momentum force onto me.

Pivoting my stance, I pulled a 180 degree spin and ducked under his armpit, now side by side with the beast. I yanked his arm over my right shoulder then heaved his body over mine. His back slammed into the ground as I backpedaled. He grunted loudly as he stood to his feet, wincing slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.

He turned his glance to me, but I was already moving. I hammered a straight punch into his face with all the strength I could muster. The kinetic force staggered him back, disorienting him for the moment.

Stepping back then leaping forwards, I spun my body and delivered a mid-flight kick that connected with the side of his head. His body crumpled and fell, but I lost my balance as I landed, tripping and falling face first into the dirt.

I scrambled to my feet but was greeted with a heel to the head. My body was propelled back and I was slammed into a wall. I grimaced in pain, my eyes clenched shut to try and ignore the pain my body was experiencing.

Suddenly a great force plummeted into me, pinning me against the wall and squeezing the air from my lungs. I wheezed, blood spitting out from my mouth as the hulkish hound attempted to crush my body in his arms.

His shoulders pressed into my chest while his arms wrapped just under my armpits, restricting my body from the ability to breathe. I squirmed while his muscles started to constrict me further.

Gathering what little strength I had left, I raised my right arm into the air then drove my elbow downwards. My elbow slammed into the top of his skull and I felt his grip loosen. I hammered again and I heard him grunt feverishly.

With one final blow, his grip around me was released and I fell to the ground, gasping violently for fresh air. The beast held the top of his head, whimpering in pain. I stood up just as the dog stepped back.

“Come on pooch, I haven’t even gotten warmed up yet,” I taunted. Truth be told, I was almost gassed. He had literally nearly squeezed the life from me just there.

The beast clenched his fists and let out an ear piercing roar that nearly shook the cavern room. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, his muscles grew slightly. His biceps swelled to an unparalleled might while veins started to ripple down his body.

My fists unclasped as I stood in shock. “Oh shit…” was all I managed before he swung a mighty kick in my direction. I brought both my arms up and blocked the kick, but the force still flung me across the room, hammering me into yet another unforgiving stone wall.

I winced and rolled to one side just as a foot stomped down upon me. I missed the stomp by mere inches, but the shockwave force lifted my body off the ground and I bounced a few feet across the floor.

I rolled onto my back and my eyes went wide. He was right above me. He dove down with his upper body and grabbed me by the waist before pulling me into the air. I struggled in his arms, but it was no use. I felt my world spin as he jumped into a back flip, but made sure to crush me between his body and the floor.

I groaned painfully as I felt him lift me up with one hand and then hammer my body with his other. He then hammered a second punch into my forehead, but as the hit struck, he released his grip on my body and let me careen through the air.

My body touched ground, skidding across the floor in painful skips. I struggled to get up, but only found myself on my hands and knees. “You are strong… but not as strong as me!” the big brute howled.

He picked me up on his shoulders, his head in front of my body. He lept up and tilted his body backwards. Pulling his arms forwards, he bent my body a little just before my back was slammed into the unforgiving ground.

I could barely even manage a groan before the dog rolled over, grabbed one of my feet, and swung my body across the room. I didn’t even bother tensing up to try and absorb some of the impact.

My body simply slapped against the wall and fell into a lump on the ground. As he stomped his way over, I watched his stance. His arms were wide, as if to ready himself to grab me. He was also slow… slower now that his mass had increased and his bulky muscles restricted quick movement.

I bit my lip. I had no energy left. I was… a failure. My eyes clenched closed as time seemed to slow. Painful memories returned to me…

‘You’re a failure!’ screamed a voice from a distant memory. My fists clenched. I had failed… again… like the many times I had before.

‘You’re an idiot… just a fucking retard, DURR!’ yelled a painful and hurtful voice. I whimpered in anger as a deep inhale sucked through my nostrils. My biceps tensed as memories continued to flood my mind.

‘You’ll never go anywhere, cause you’re a fucking idiot!’ screamed the same voice from before. A fury from deep inside… somewhere deep down… something that I had thought gone… resurfaced. Memories of Tristan burned into my mind and snapped the final boundary.

The fury burned in my body as a snarl escaped my lips. My eyes shot open as the anger inside me surfaced. It felt good… no… it felt great. Everything seemed to have a sharper definition to it. My chest swelled out as I took in yet another deep breath.

My mind burned in anger… in pain… in inner turmoil, and above all else… I had a burning and furious hatred that swelled itself inside my heart, ready to burst. I swiveled to my feet in fueled hatred.

I swung back my hand but let my fist unclasp. I slashed my hand forwards, striking my nails across the dog’s upper face. It screeched in pain as it staggered back, its hands covering its face. Looking to my fingernails, I spotted blood under the nailS and smiled.

“FREEZE!” yelled a voice and I looked over. The dog whom had guided me here had snatched up my pistol and was now pointing it at me. Several other dogs had joined him and there were seven in all.

“HIYAH!” screamed a rather feminine voice. A streak of white flashed through the air and the gun was booted from his grip. Rarity pivoted on her hindlegs alone, swinging in a counter-clockwise spin.

She kicked out her right hindleg and swung a nasty kick into the diamond dog’s jaw, punting him into a wall. His head smacked off the stone and he fell in a heap, completely unconscious.

The other mutts looked to her as she took a martial artist stance. I smirked to myself as I watched her pounce through the air, kicking three mutts in the head while still airborne.

“What a dame,” I whispered to myself as I turned my attention back to the hulking beast that was my primary threat. He had managed to regain some of his vision and was stomping towards me.

I moved with quick precision. My right hand jabbed into his gut just as I ducked to the left, under his right armpit. He grunted and tried to swing at me, but I swung my body around and jumped onto his hunched back.

I began to pummel the back of his head as he thundered around like a buffoon. Finally, I planted my feet against his back and pushed myself off, landing on my feet and wiping off my lower lip.

Blood tainted my mouth with a nasty brass taste, but the rage that burned inside me kept my senses razor sharp. He turned to face me and we both charged, attempting to grab one another. Both our hands connected, interlocking and pushing against one another.

We both roared in each others’ faces as we pushed, each trying to overpower one another in a show of muscular strength. He ran off his brute and raw might while I… I ran off a raging fury that boiled my insides.

Our grip on each other tightened further, veins bulging from our muscles. Finally, despite my rage induced fury, he began to slowly overpower me. He took an effortful step forwards, sliding my feet backwards.

He took another step, then another, and another. I dug my feet into the ground, but he started to push downwards. My elbows started to give as my body was pushed down. My elbows began to cock and finally reached a ninety degree angle.

My knees began to buckle and I was forced down to a kneel. He pushed my arms further down, my elbows now pushed down to my sides. I twisted my palms upside down, twisting his hands as well. He was at first shocked, giving me just enough time.

I slid both my feet towards him, making sure to place my legs on the outsides of his hips. I snatched my right arm for his right, grabbing it by the triceps, pulling it over my chest and to my right shoulder. I held his hand with my left, keeping it suppressed.

My hips raised while my left foot planted on his hips. He gasped in shock, not sure what was happening. He tried to quickly pull his arm away but it got locked into my left leg, which was still planted to his hip.

I raised my right leg up under his shoulder while the calf of my leg pressed across the back of his shoulder, pressing down to lock his shoulder into place. He squirmed, but now his left arm was also immobilized. My right hand held his right arm down hard while my left pushed back on his face.

He grunted, trying painfully to break free as I pushed his body back. As his face was held back, my left leg quickly aborted its stance on his hips and snagged up and over his head, now driving down on his neck.

I straightened my body, pushing his body back. He whined in pain as I outstretched his body to its limit in a classic arm bar. With anger still boiling inside, I used my right arm to twist his arm and expose his elbow.

I pulled back with my left hand then thrusted it forwards, severing his elbow and snapping it in a grotesque manner. His screams of agony quickly filled the room as he squirmed, trying in vain to break free.

I released him from the hold and slid back, up to my feet, then took a few steps back. Grunting and cringing in severe pain, the beast arose, cradling its busted limb. “Well now… I’m warmed up. Shall we begin?” I taunted before rushing forwards, jumping into the air and delivering a powerful midair punch to his forehead.

‘You’re a fucking idiot!’ The painful voice of my memories returned yet again.

The beast fell back, dazed and unable to regain his balance. I lunged onto his chest before clenching both fists. “IDIOT THIS MOTHERFUCKER!” I roared before I began to slam the bottoms of my fists into his skull.

A burning passion blossomed inside me. I had this insatiable urge to just… kill him. To smash his skull into the ground. To rip him limb from limb. The urge was like no other I’d had before… maybe like the tetanus potion, but this was no side effect. This was a natural urge.

Time seemed to slow into a blur as I continued to bash his head. My swearing and curses echoed throughout the tunnel system. Mostly it just consisted of quick, repetitive: fuck you, or a small variation.

Something was tugging at the back of my mind, trying to pull me out of this blood lust. It kept screaming… and screaming… and crying... and sobbing.

“EVAN!” I suddenly broke out of the rage. Time seemed to return to normal. The hazy red blur that had tainted my vision evaporated. I had my right fist high, ready to crush the beast’s skull in with the final blow.

“Evan… please… just sto-op,” Rarity whimpered through a sob. I looked down to the diamond dog. His face was badly bruised, welted, and bleeding from the snout and lips. My hands shook and quivered as they unclasped in front of me.

Blood… mostly his, smeared my hands. Rarity moved cautiously behind me and rested her forehooves in my right elbow crevice. “It’s over… just please… no more,” she whimpered in a petrified voice.

The dog was alive, barely, but was breathing heavily through his mouth. I got off him, standing and wobbling a bit as I tried to balance myself. “Rarity… I… I-“ She quickly cut me off.

“Please darling, just… let it go,” she pleaded for me to spare his life. I just stumbled back, a look of saddened shock on my face. I ended up collapsing on the floor near the wall and just leaned my back against it.

Rarity paced over and laid against me, her head resting on my chest. “Darling just… it’ll be okay… just let it go,” she cooed me. My eyes were wide as I looked to the mess I had made. Truly, I had wanted to kill him, but… not like that.

Maybe I was becoming soft. Back on my world I probably would’ve done worse had someone mercilessly whipped a close friend of mine. But now I could barely stomach the idea of beating some… something to death. It wasn’t even a pony. But... it didn't feel right... to think like that... something deep down wanted me to but... the majority of my conscious just wanted me to let him live.

A group of diamond dogs entered, but my nerves were at ease. The leader of the group had a white parcel of tattered shirt wrapped around her upper muzzle. “Come on, we’ll show you the exit, hurry!” she ordered.

Both Rarity and I stood up, though now I was feeling rather sore. Nothing seemed to be broken, but I was willing to bet that I’d feel this in the morning.

Retrieving my handgun and holstering it, we followed the dogs out of the mine and to the surface. The leader, my accomplice, turned to me. “Thank you for freeing us. Perhaps one day our paths will cross again… in a less aggressive situation… I’d like that.” She smiled and I returned the gesture.

“I’d like that too.” She nodded and, with that, the group split up and all went their separate ways. Now only Rarity and I stood in the field, back where she had been kidnapped. Her belongings were still there, along with the gems.

I quickly resurfaced the topic on my mind. “Rarity, about back there, I-“ She cut me off rather quickly.

“Darling… whatever happened… I’ve never seen something like that. I thought for sure that you were exhausted and then… you scared me. Your eyes looked like… you were possessed. I don’t want to know, and perhaps we should just pretend none of this ever happened.” There was a silence before I nodded. I had only had this happen once or twice before, and neither of those times had positive results. They only ended in bloodshed.

“Okay… good amount of gems we picked up, huh? Nothing beats a hard day’s work!” I said enthusiastically with a bloody smile. She just rolled her eyes before swaying herself towards me, falling forwards and into my arms.

“Oh darling… I can’t walk, I’m exhausted!” She flailed her hooves and wiped her brow. I raised my eyebrows as my body burned in retort from her weight on me.

“Seriously? After what my body’s been through, you want me to carry you?” I asked, rather rhetorically. She gave me a pouty face.

“Oh but darling… my body is sooo exhausted. Would you please be a dear?” She pleaded, eyes fluttering at me and bottom lip pouted out. I let out a sigh and she took that as a yes. She quickly hopped into my arms, levitating her gems in a magical aura.

Later, Twilight’s perspective…

I browsed through ’69 Shades of Neigh’. Like Evan had said, it was very… descriptive. Several times I had to stop reading for some… alone time.

Luckily for me, both Spike and Evan were still absent, so I didn’t have to worry about either of them hearing me while I relieved myself.

“ ‘Let me ask you something first. Do you want a vanilla relationship with no kinky fuckery at all?’ ” I muttered the story to myself, in a rather quiet and subtle voice. My own loins started to quiver again. I wondered if things would heat up…

The door suddenly opened to the entrance of the library and my ears shot up in attention. I heard muffled groans that sounded as if they were a bit painful.

I snuck a marker on the page I was on then stuffed my book under my bed mattress before leaving to investigate. I poked my head out of my room to observe the library. There was mucks of dirt on the floor.

“Ugh… Evan! Never kicks off his boots,” I muttered to myself. I trotted down the stairs in search for my… ‘faithful’ student. I tried following the dirt trail, but it stopped near the middle of the floor, then ceased to exist.

Groaning to myself, I decided to check his room. I puttered towards his room before stopping in mid trot. A glint of red on the floor caught my attention. I leaned down to see that the red was… blood?!

“EVAN?!” I called out frantically. Praying to myself that it wasn’t bad, I rushed down the basement stairs and into his room, only to find it vacant of his presence. “EVAN?!” I called again, rushing back up the stairwell.

There was a vocal grunt from inside the washroom, loud enough that I heard it over my thumping heart. Rushing in without knocking, I spotted my dear student… in brutal shape.

His jacket and shirt were missing, and his pants were dusty and ripped in several spots. Blood stained some spots on his pant leg while his torso… bruises, cuts, and hit marks covered over half of his upper body. His left eye was swollen with a purple bruise and his bottom lip was split. His upper lip wasn’t damaged, but there was a bruise on one of his cheeks.

More blood oozed from his forehead as he looked to me, an alcohol swab already being applied to his forehead. His arms proved no better as there were several cuts along his arms, not deep but still present.

“Evan… oh my goddess!” I rushed up in shock, quickly observing one of his wounds.

“AGH!” he boomed, pulling away in wincing agony. “Don’t grab me so hard, I’m a little tender,” he chuckled before letting out a pained exhale. "UGH... oh man." He was having trouble breathing as he applied the alcohol swabs to his numerous injuries.

“What… what happened?” I gasped and he just shrugged.

“I understand now why Rarity doesn’t do the dirty work,” he laughed and my eyes widened. Spike had never come back this brutalized. What in Equestria did Rarity have him do?

His wounds continued to bleed and I discarded the topic. “Evan…” I trailed off and dipped my head in remorse. I was becoming a terrible teacher. My student was constantly getting injured in near death experiences.

I gently pressed my hoof against his battered chest. His eyes clenched shut as he winced. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered, but he shook his head.

“Nah, don’t be. Rarity was the one who pulled me into this,” he laughed, but I stepped back.

“I’ll get you to the hospital-“ I began but he cut me off so fast, I barely even understood what he said.

“Nuh-uh!”

My eyebrows raised. “What? Why not?” I asked and he stuttered out an answer.

“The library’s full,” he stammered. I leaned back in confusion but he shook his head, trying to piece together his thoughts into words. “I meant… uhm… I can’t because… I wouldn’t want to take up valuable space. It’s not that bad,” he told me and my jaw dropped.

“Evan! Your wounds are… they look painful,” I told him but he just smirked before rolling his eyes, taking me into a gentle hug.

“Don’t worry. It’s worse than it looks… OH WAIT! I meant… you know… not bad. Trust me Mom, I’m okay,” he assured me.

‘Oh great… the mom thing,’ I thought to myself. I had tried to talk to him about it but… every time he gets emotional and I get scared that I might lose him as a friend. I’d probably never know what’s wrong with him, but I’ll just go with it for now.

“Well…” I began, leaning back from the hug. “Let mommy have a look,” I told him, hoping to perhaps settle him a little. He painfully sat down on the closed toilet seat while I pulled out some medical supplies.

Together we began wrapping up his wounds. I spotted several deep scars on his body, scars I never knew existed. I suppose I wouldn’t have known they were there since he usually wore clothing, but as I got close to his face, I noticed a faint scar going down the right side of his forehead. It passed down through his eyebrow, removing the hair where it passed, missed his eye but continued down a few millimeters on his cheek.

Taking nothing of it, I finished wrapping him up. Now he looked almost like he did when he was burned… wrapped in bandages and lotion creams. He took me into a loving hug.

“Thank you Mom… I love you,” he whispered. I gulped as I pulled his body into mine, making sure not to squeeze him too tight.

“I love you too,” I began, quickly remembering his… mom thing. “Son,” I finished, tapping into his weird mental thingy. We hugged for a while longer before he broke from the hug.

“I know I said I’d read that book with you as soon as I got back, but… it’s kind of late and I really just wanted to go to bed,” he stated and I nodded. It was quite late, I would admit.

He groaned as he stood up. Despite his injuries, he still moved rather freely. He leaned down and gave me a peck to the cheek. “Good night, love ya,” he whispered then moved towards the stairwell. I sighed silently as I raised my hoof to my cheek.

With a sigh, I moved towards my own bedroom. ‘One day Twilight… one day,’ I silently assured myself.

As I reached my sleeping quarters, my body began to shut down even before I had flopped onto my bed mattress. By the time my body actually touched the bed, I was already asleep.

Hours later…

My sleep was peaceful yet empty, though that didn’t disturb me. Suddenly something was tugging at my blankets. I awoke with a heavy drowse. Looking to my clock, I saw that it was only 2:30am.

A small whine was emitted from the creature tugging at my sheets. It was Lassie…

“Well hello there Lassie. How are-“ I began but a tremendous roar immediately cut me off.

“I’LL FUCKING GUT YOU!” roared the voice, making me flinch. Despite knowing that Lassie and I were the only ones in my room, it sounded as if it had come from right in front of my bed.

A loud crash echoed in the house, though again it was hard to depict where it had come from. More cursing echoed in booming roars. ‘WHAT IN CELESTIA’S NAME IS GOING ON?!’ I thought frantically as I bounced out of bed and snuck up to the railing of the stairwell.

Nothing was happening on the main floor. Something else smashed, it sounded heavy, really heavy. Clanging and more crashing noises emitted, but now it sounded more distinct.

“EVAN!” I gasped, leaping off the railing and flying down to the basement door.

“COME AND GET ME YOU FUCKING BITCH! FUCKING COWARDLY LITTLE FUCKING WHORE… FUCKING… BITCH!” screamed an utterly terrifying voice that I think belonged to Evan… I think.

‘Was he talking to me?’ I wondered. I hoped he wasn’t. Very cautiously, I pried open the basement door. Something banged against the wall, followed by the smashing sound of glass. Flinching, I flicked on the lights to the basement.

“EVAN!” I cried out.

Everything went deathly silent. I waited several moments but nothing happened. It was as if time itself had ceased. I slowly, and very cautiously, descended the stairwell. Finally reaching the bottom, I spotted Evan…

My mouth went agape. All his weight training equipment was… overturned. Several weight plates were scattered, one was jammed into the wooden wall. I gulped deeply.

Blood was leaking from his right hand where a shard of glass was protruding. Evan just stood there, completely still. His right arm was cocked back while his left was extended slightly forwards and looked as if he was holding somepony… maybe something, against the wall, where his smashed mirror lay in pieces.

Gasping loudly, he stepped back, body unclasping. “OW! SHIT!” He began to stomp around before yanking the glass from between his middle knuckles. A bit of blood spurted out and he squeezed down hard with his other hand.

“Evan… what… how… are you okay?” I was nearly in tears. What in Equestria was going on?!

“Bad dream,” he replied, almost as if it was nothing…

Minutes earlier, Evan’s perspective…

My sleep was peaceful and uninterrupted. Maybe I was a bit sore, but I really didn’t care. I lay on my side but something awoke me suddenly.

“Time to come home,” whispered a deathly voice, so quiet that it almost sounded like a simple huff of wind. I rolled onto my back and looked to the bottom end of my bed. A demonic presence stood there, nearly sending shivers to my very soul itself.

The identity of the figure was unknown to me. He or she was a simple cloud of black mist. The only thing I could make out was a pair of dark, hellish red eyes.

“What?” I asked fearfully and the looming dark cloud began to mist over my body. I felt constricted for breath. My lungs felt as if they were filled with thick water vapours or something.

I wheezed for oxygen… this had to be some sort of bad dream… it had to be. “Come home, my friend,” it whispered. A boney cloud that resembled a hand began to hover towards my face. The index finger extended and tears came to my eyes.

Down inside, somewhere deep, my soul lashed out in fury. I felt extremely threatened, like I had a few times back on my world. “Come home with me,” the deathly voice whispered.

An animalistic snarl escaped my mouth as my body lunged up and forwards. Pummeling our bodies off the bed, I let out a monstrous war cry. Clenching my right fist and slamming it into what I believed to be its head, I let out a pained howl as my fist slammed into the cold hard floor.

The mist floated away and I was able to breathe again. “You belong with me,” it whispered while I wiped saliva from my lower lip. I was drooling like a rabid animal as my body arched into a more primal stance. My whole body tensed, muscles now expanding to their maximum.

Painful images flashed through my mind, trying to make me remember something. Every time a near complete memory would surface, my mind fazed and the memory blurred.

“Remember…” it hissed. Releasing my inner torment, I lashed out at the foggy figure.

“FUCK YOU!” I shouted in absolute anger, hammering a punch into its chest. My body simply whisked through the black, dense fog. I pivoted in a one-eighty motion, trying to hammer it with a haymaker, but my punch simply went through it.

The deathly creature outstretched its arms, hands digging into my chest. Suddenly, I felt as if I was dying. My life seemed to drain as it felt like my soul was being pulled right from my body.

I gasped and tried to grip its arms, but my hands simply went through. As my life neared its end, my mind seemed to split. Everything that told me to love and cherish was pushed aside.

Only hatred and pure anger remained. A shriek of fury echoed from my throat as my hands darted forwards, grabbing for anything. My face lashed forwards and I bit down viciously.

I felt my teeth catch into something leathery. I bit down harder and pulled back. Black liquids squirted and something screeched in pain.

The cloud dissipated and a satanic creature stood before me. It had the legs of something along the lines of a goat, but the upper body of a human, though the flesh was leathery and red. Two horns protruded from its forehead, giving it a truly demonic look.

I spit the glob of flesh out, sputtering my lips to try and get rid of the awful taste of satanic blood. “You fight dirty!” it screeched, but I merely shrugged. A second presence stood beside me. Derreck scrunched his nose as his face twisted to an angered frown.

“I’m gonna eat your guts,” both Derreck and I said at the same time. We both stood at equal heights, but his body mass was larger than both the demon and I combined. We charged at the beast, but its body dissipated into the darkness.

Something whipped across my back, making me yelp in pain. Derreck roared in fury. “YOU’RE DEAD, YOU COWARDLY FUCK!” he roared so loudly that the house might have collapsed had he yelled any louder.

Derreck grabbed a set of 50lb dumbbells then hurled them across the room as if they were simple baseballs. The figure appeared just behind Derreck, but I moved like a streak of lightning.

“FUCKING WHORE!” I yelled at the top of my vocal capacity, delivering a mid-flight punch to the demon’s skull. It stumbled back and both Derreck and I pummeled it to the ground.

The beast again disappeared into the looming darkness. “WHERE THE FUCK’D YOU GO, COWARDLY BITCH?!” Derreck scowled angrily, heaving up the bench press bar before he hurled it like a javelin.

The bar slammed into the beast’s chest, impaling it and pinning its body into the flimsy wooden dresser across the room. The demon squirmed before again dissipating into the dark. “Don’t be afraid of the dark, be afraid of what’s in the dark!” Hissed a voice that seemed to echo from all directions.

“BE… AFRAID… OF ME!” Derreck roared, arms cocked at his sides and fists clenched. He picked up a weight plate then threw it like a frisbee. The plate sliced through the beast before stabbing into the wall.

Both Derreck and I pounced onto it. “Let’s crush it under the squat press!” Derreck ordered. We kicked its body across the floor, near the large squat press machine. Both grabbing an edge on one side, we tipped the heavyweight machinery onto the creature. It yelped in pain but, once again, vanished into the dark, gloomy air.

Spotting it nearby, I rushed it, roaring all the while. “I’LL FUCKING GUT YOU!” I screamed, pummeling it into the wall. The creature shrieked and slashed its claws across my face.

I staggered back, but before it could get a second strike, Derreck plowed into it with a straight punch. We began to chase down the creature, roaring profanity at it until finally it seemed to dissipate for good.

“Time… to come home!” It shrieked. My face seemed to curl in pained anger.

“COME AND GET ME YOU FUCKING BITCH! FUCKING COWARDLY LITTLE FUCKING WHORE… FUCKING…” I trailed off in a fuming fury. “BITCH!” I yelled a random assortment of swears as I charged it.

The beast seemed to stand idly as both Derreck and I pinned it to the wall. I hammered a punch with my right while Derreck slammed with his left fist. The beast’s face shattered apart. Everything started to bleed red. My world pounded as the sides of my vision fogged.

We continued to hammer punches into the beast and everything seemed to get brighter. A faint voice began to echo in my head as everything disappeared into the blinding light. Suddenly everything was a bright white light.

I stopped, completely still as everything started to formulate in my vision. I was standing in front of what used to be my mirror. I stepped back in shock, body unclasping. A sharp pain seared through my right hand and I noticed a shard of glass stuck in my right knuckles.

“OW! SHIT!” I winced in pain as I began hopping around. I pulled the shard from my knuckles and my left hand immediately rushed and began applying pressure to the wound. Twilight rushed up to me, sputtering things that I could barely understand. I gulped as I realized what had happened.

This hadn’t happened since… a long time ago, and I was kind of unsure as to what it was. It couldn’t be just sleep walking, no way in hell. But I had no real explanation other than…

I looked to Twilight, and with a very casual expression, told her the first thing to came to mind. “Bad dream…”

Author's Notes:

Sorry it took me... about a month to get this chapter out. I know excuses aren't a great thing, but it's kinda funny if you like a bit of dark humor.
So I tried to gently close an industrial door so it wouldn't slam so hard, but my hand got caught in the door and it slammed my right hand pretty hard. Then my right index finger got a bit infected so I had to cut open the top of my finger and squeeze out all the juices, which were chunky and nasty.
Then immediately after that got better, I got some kinda flu sickness and was pale white yet still going to work... and my truck's busted, broke the sterring column and there's a hole in the rear fuel tank... poor Cadence.
Anyway, for those of you still reading, thank you for putting up with my sorry ass, have a good Valentine's day... or Hearts and Hooves day, whatever you wanna call it.