The Severed Exile

Chapters

Prologue
1: The Escape
2: Lone Survivor
3: Nothing Left to Lose
4: The Last Stand
5: The Unknown Lands
6: Remorse
Epilogue
Afterword.txt

Prologue

Location: Uncharted Lands, Southwestern Equestria
Time: Daybreak

"Kaffir! Kaffir!! Wake up, ya stubbo'n lump! Lions be on da assault. We havta scram, pon! WAKE UP!"

Kaffir groaned as he was shaken awake forcefully. "Huh, wha..." he muttered sleepily as he head cleared, the sounds of screaming suddenly ringing through his conscience as his eyes widened. "Lions? Now!?"

"Dhem dirty fuzz-necks caught us wit' our guard down. Dhey here in full force and dhey not takin' any prisonahs." Allambee shook his head as he craned his head toward the door. "We needta get outta here an' fast!"

"No, no not yet. Where's mother? Father?" he asked worriedly as he scrambled to his hooves and began to pack his things, stuffing an assortment of random things, including a blood-stained journal, into his pack in a mad rush.

"It probably be too late fa dem, pon! Dhey already killed half our people! And dhey be werkin' on da otha half as we speak! Unless ya want ta be part o' dat statistic, we need ta leave NOW!" Allambee stomped a hoof.

"Not without my family!" Kaffir barked back stubbornly as he threw his saddlebag over his back and rushed out the hut. Nothing he has ever done in his life prepared him for what he was about to see, his deep azure eyes dilating in shock and horror, all time slowing down around him as he witnessed the gruesome scene before him. Zebras of every age, gender and class being taken down and ripped apart by their mortal enemy, the lions. Great, ferocious furred beasts with jagged teeth and claws meant for rending and tearing. The streets and huts were coated completely by the blood and entrails of fallen zebras, half eaten corpses littered the walkways in piles while some lions roared out in satisfaction with blood-drenched maws and bloated bellies.

"Kaffir! Snap outta it, mon! Let's move! C'mon!" Allambee nudged into Kaffir anxiously.

"No. We can't leave yet. I need to find my family!" Kaffir pushed Allambee back and began to gallop through the village, avoiding crossing paths with one of the attacking lions the best he could, though they were mostly distracted by the village warriors. Despite the trained zebras combat prowess, they were no match and easily outnumbered by the feral aggressors. He finally reaches the hut where his family lives but to his horror, he finds his father, Olwenyo, standing over the half-eaten corpse of a dead mare whom he quickly identified as his mother. "M-mother!? NOO!!"

"Kaffir!" Olwenyo called out as he stood on his hind-legs, brandishes a sharp-pointed spear. "Kaffir, you must flee, my son. This village, our people, we are no more." the zebra shook his head. "There is nothing we can do to stop them. You must flee. Save yourself!"

"I'm not leaving you behind, Father!" Kaffir stomped down stubbornly. "The warriors are keeping them distracted, we can all escape together!"

"I can't, my son." his father sighed solemnly as he looked down at the corpse of his lover. "I cannot bear to lose anymore than I have already. Your mother is gone and I'll be damned if I let these maned bastards take you or your sister as well! I plan to fall this day, but I will take a dozen of them with me when I do!"

"Perhaps a dozen of us will feed on your corpse, if that's what you mean..." came a deep, growling voice as a dire lion appeared, his maw curled up in a sinister smile, his teeth bare, red-tinted and jagged for all to see. "There's plenty of you to go around, I'm sure."

"Lionotus!" Olwenyo roared as he brandished his spear, glaring hard at the dire lion before him. "You have tormented the lives of my people for too long and today you have crossed the line. This ends NOW!"

"You and what army, meat? Oh wait..." Lionotus snerked, mocking trying to hold back a laugh. "We killed them all. Dead. Quite unfortunate, really. So, then, what have you got then, exactly, that's going to 'end this'?"

"My unbreakable will." Olwenyo snarled as bucked off the ground with astounding force, sending the zebra propelling through the air toward Lionotus, spear hefted and ready to impale the great lion, however Lionotus simply swipes a paw, deflecting the spear as his other paw darts forward and grabs Olwenyo by the neck, the zebra dangling helplessly in the air.

"Now now now, we both know that's just not how things work between us, silly zebra." Lionous shook his head, clicking his tongue, making a 'tsk tsk' sound. "We both know that heroism and valiance has bought nothing but the most painful of deaths..." he snarled wickedly as he lifted his paw and jabbed it forward, it ripping into Olwenyo's stomach obscenely. He twisted and worked his paw about, causing Olwenyo's body to jerk and contort before he finally rips the blood-drenched furred paw out, clutching Olwenyo's liver while his intestines and other organs dangled grotesquely from the wide open wound. "Mmmh, liver. My favorite. Don't mind if I do..."

Kaffir's heart lurched in his chest, skipping a beat too many as he felt a cold chill rush up his spine, watching his father twitching and contorting as he dangled helplessly, his entrails dangling down below his hind legs and dripping crimson, creating a puddle beneath the grievously wounded zebra. "Oh, I'm sorry...are you suffering?" Lionotos asked as he takes the fresh, dripping organ and bites a sizable chunk out of his, chewing obscenely into it, causing Kaffir to clutch his own stomach in utter disgust. "Here, let me help you with that..." he offered plainly as he tosses the liver aside like a useless table scrap before grabbing Olwenyo by the throat and pulling...

RRRRIIIPPP

Lionotus pulled a massive jumble of flesh and muscle from Olwenyo that went from his lower jaw down to his lower chest, the dire lion holding the dripping mess triumphantly while Olwenyo gurgled and thrashed about for several moments before falling limp, finally at rest. "Hmph, too bad. I like it when my prey plays hero." Lionotus smirked as he looked at Kaffir and tossed the disemboweled zebra away for others to devour. "How about you? Will you make the same mistake, meat?"

Kaffir found himself stepping backwards, his eyes wide and his mouth agape, all emotion and reason having left him from what he had witnessed before finally looking around frantically, a thought entering his mind. "Nikita! Where is she? Where's my sister!?" Kaffir screamed out.

"Does he mean this 'sister', boss?" came a voice as a lion walked up, holding a flailing little zebra filly in his maw.

"N-Nikita..." Kaffir felt his heart sink even lower as he stepped back even further. "Please, for the love of Mother Sun and Sister Moon, let her go..."

"Let her go?" Lionotus quirked a brow as he reached a paw over and snatched the young filly from the smaller lion's maw. "But she's...she's so cute! I want to keep her, thank you."

"She's too young! Please, you must have some reason, some dignity!! Let her go!" Kaffir pleaded desperately.

"Nngggmm..." Lionotus groaned as he looked at the young filly before looking at Kaffir, back and forth, back and forth, again and again before sighing. "Fiiiiine. You can have her back..." he would say rather begrudgingly before smiling wickedly, grabbing the filly by the head and twisting it hard, Kaffir nearly throwing up as he heard perhaps the most horrendous moist cracking and ripping noise ever. "Oops...I think I broke her..." Lionotus mocked a pout as he tossed the filly's removed head toward Kaffir. "But hey, I thought instead of me letting her go, we could share! You can take that part, and I'll keep this. Deal?"

Kaffir didn't respond as he stared on at his sister's head, he nearly crumbling to the ground in despair until he heard his friends voice screaming behind him. "Kaffir! Stop ya fuckin' stalling and lets get outta here!!"

"Yes, I think your friend there has a good idea. You should go now before I decide to stop being so nice." Lionotus waved a paw in a brushing manner.

Kaffir gritted his teeth toward the careless, maniacal lion before finally turning and galloping toward his friend Allambee. They both began to escape the destroyed and blood-splattered village. "Where are we to go anyway?"

"To da known lands of da north, mon. Dhey say dhere be ponies. Dhere might e'en be some o' us dhere too. But dhere be a great desert between here and dhere we havta cross." Allambee said as he galloped.

"After what I've seen, a desert would be like paradise..." Kaffir muttered as he galloped on, the pair making good pace as the sun began to rise into the sky. "Do...you think anyone else escaped?"

"Nah pon, dhey all came in wit' da intention on killin' all o' us." Allambee shook his head.

"Then...how...why did they just let us go?" Kaffir quirked a brow as the question crossed his mind.

"No clue mon, my guess would be fa sum sick huntin' game, cause we not da only ones runnin'..." Allambee said, nodding back behind himself.

Kaffir peered back over his shoulder and to his horror, there were lions chasing them. 3 of them...

The Severed Exile

1: The Escape

Location: Southwestern San Palamino Desert
Time: Early Noon

"Dun luk back, pon! Keep runnin'!" screamed Allambee as the two zebras galloped hastily over the hot sandy earth, huffing as they ran for their lives, three ferocious lions hot on their tails. Kaffir couldn't help but look back behind his shoulder despite his best friend's commands, the visage of those snarling monsters chasing him only making him redouble his efforts as he charged forward, his hooves kicking up the loose sand, making a dust trail behind himself in hopes of blinding the aggressors.

"They're not letting up. I do not know how much further we can run..." Kaffir huffed out, the pair having been running for the last 2 hours nonstop. He could feel his legs burning from more than just the desert heat in the high noon sun, the strain upon them from the long stint of sprinting taking it's toll.

"I dun't know eitha. We havta lose dem sumhow.." Allambee panted out in reply before looking over his shoulders. He narrowed his eyes at the three lions charging behind them unrelentingly, he eventually coming to a stop. "Here." he cranes his head back and pulls out the large glaive he had sheathed in his saddle bag, tossing it toward Kaffir, causing him to stop as well. "Take it and go. Protect yaself and use it in memory o' me."

"W-what? Allambee, you are not serious.." Kaffir said, shaking his head in disbelief at his closest and now last friend.

"Take it, mon! One o' us hasta survive. You be younga, more virile. Ya deserve dis chance at life. My gift ta you fa being mah best bud." Allambee said as he pulls his hoof-blades from his saddle-sheaths.

"No!" Kaffir screamed. "We can survive together, my brotha. Don't do this. If you die, there will be only me left!"

"Dhen so be it!" Allambee said as he reared back and up, standing tall on his hind hooves. "You be dah sole survivor, mon, ta carry on da legacy of our people. Dat be your responsibility now. Go! Dis be no option for ya ta choose."

"But..."

"I said go!! Ya were stubborn enough gettin' ya outta da village, pon. Ya dun't need ta be stubborn now. Just go!" Allambee roared out demandingly as he slipped his hooves into the cuffs of the hoof-blades, twisting to lock them in place as he spread his hind-legs apart, getting into a stance. "Come at me, ya fuzz-necks! I'll take ya all to da grave wit' me!" he said as the lions charged him, Kaffir shaking his head at the display before picking up the long, bladed polearm and sliding it into his saddle-pack before turning and running.

He ran a good pace before turning around, witnessing the battle unfold behind him. He watched as Allambee stepped and twirled, dodging pounces and claws while swinging, only to have his blades parried and deflected. "Hah!" Allambee screamed out as he swiped his blade at an oncoming paw, slicing it clean off, the lion screaming out in pain as he recoiled, limping away. "Who's next! I'll de-paw all ya son'sa cockatrices!" Allambee roared out in vigor as he continued to swing his curved hoof-blades viciously at the lions.

A large lion emerged from the dust that was kicked up from the battle, his mane greater than those of his allies, his teeth bared viciously as he approached from behind. "Fool..." he growled, causing Allambee to look over his shoulder. "You should have kept running..."

"Screw ya, pon! I'll kick all ya asses! Bring i-" he was interrupted immediately as he was tackled hard to the ground, he landing with a hard thud as he tried to scrabble and buck his aggressor off of him, but it was too late as the lion drove his claws into Allambee's lower half and bit down viciously into his flank. "AAGGHH!" he lets out a blood-curdling scream as the other lions followed suit, driving their claws into him and biting into his flesh, some simply letting the blood seep from his wounds while others began to rip chunks of flesh and meat from him piece by piece all while Allambee kicked and struggled fruitlessly.

The large lion walked up to Allambee and looked down upon him, baring his teeth sinisterly as Allambee groaned out in pain, blood beginning to pool grotesquely from him as he was rended and bitten viciously. "So much for your valiance, aye zebra? Now you're just another meal..." the dire lion shook his head.

"Ngghh...sc-screw ya, pon....screw...ya..." Allambee strained out in agony. The large lion slams his paw down into Allambee muzzle and shuffles it upward, exposing the zebras neck as he snarled a sinister laugh.

"On the contrar...screw you, 'pon'." he growled before diving forward and driving his teeth into Allambee's neck, blood spouting out copiously as Allambee's body began to kick and thrash, gargling heard as his eyes widened and blood began to spill from his nostrils and mouth. In one foul rip, the large lion tears out Allambee's throat, blood spurting from the large open wound in time with his heart-beat, the zebra's eyes rolling back into his head as his body convulsed and jerked one final time before laying dormant and still, the large lion chewing and enjoying his chunk of bloodied flesh.

He turns and looks over his shoulder, noticing Kaffir standing in the distance, his eyes wide with shock from witnessing his best friend, and his last ally, viciously murdered and devoured. The large lion smiled and his blood-drenched maw mouthed the word: "Soon." before grinning ferally, turning back and helping the others devour the fresh corpse..

Kaffir felt himself grow even more cold and numb as he turned and began to run, the images of blood and gore, the agonizing screams for mercy, the snarling, roars and heckling all playing through his mind as he galloped over the hot sandy earth, his saddlebags rattling loudly, the contents inside being the only remaining remnants of his lost civilization. All he could do now was run. Run and hope he can find this so-called land beyond the desert. If not, he just had to get away. Go anywhere.

Anywhere but here...

2: Lone Survivor

Location: Northeastern San Palamino Desert
Time: Mid-noon

"That..fool..." Kaffir huffed out he padded over the scorching, sandy earth, the evening sun beaming heavily down upon him, searing into his off-white, striped coat as he walked along. "Why did he sacrifice himself so...what purpose does it serve? We were all that was left..." he gritted his teeth, his eyes welling up with tears as memories began to play through his mind. "Why Allambee...why him...why not me!?" Kaffir stomped a fore-hoof into the sandy earth in frustration, causing it to drive itself into it a good depth, effectively causing Kaffir to trip mid-stride and fall forward onto his chest. He rolled helplessly onto his side, groaning but feeling otherwise too weak to pick himself back up, the unforgiving desert heat sapping what little energy he had left from him.

"Why...couldn't they...have taken me instead..." Kaffir huffed out weakly, tears blurring his vision as he closed them, the desert heat finally getting to him as he let himself drift off...

"Ready stance...hup!" the zebra trainer called out, all the colts raising up onto their hind-hooves, brandishing their wooden spears as they balanced themselves with practiced ease. "Forwaaard thrust!"

"HAH!" the colts all shouted as they took their spears and jabbed straight forward with them before pulling them back and readying themselves once more.

"Good! Now...block!" the instructor called out as he paced, watched the colts carefully. They all positioned their spears in a downward position in front of themselves, holding up the haft before themselves, blocking. "Good! Now....sweep and recover!" he calls out, the zebra colts spinning about on their hind-hooves, their spears sweeping low before themselves before they stomp down, readying themselves once more. "Alright, colts! Thrust, block, sweep, recover. Ready!"

"Hah!" the colts called out, gripping their spears, determination etched on all their faces.

"Thrust! Block! Sweep! Recover!" the instructor called out, the colts performing the combination of moves flawlessly, sounding off loudly with each practiced maneuver as they did them. The instructor kept shouting, working the colts vigorously. Kaffir was toward the middle of the pack of colts, pushing himself along with the other colts, at least until the 6th succession, he mistepping mid-sweep, causing him to trip and fall to his side with a loud thud.

"Stop!" the instructor called out as he saw Kaffir fall. "Kaffir! Why are you on the ground!?"

"I...I lost my balance and tripped. I'm sorry..." the young Kaffir said as he scrambled back up onto his hind hooves.

"You lost your balance and died, that's what you did!" the instructor barked back. "You can't afford to have any mishaps! The lions prey on the weakest of the pack! Do you want to be the weakest!?"

"N-no instructor." Kaffir responded.

"I said do you want to be the weakest!?"

"No instructor!" Kaffir shouted back with a little more vigor.

"You're not convincing me!" the zebra instructor scoffed and shook his head. "In my group, we will not have any weak zebras! None! Now, you start galloping laps until I tell you to stop, and don't you dare let me catch you slowing down! You slow down, you die!" he called out, stomping a hoof as Kaffir groaned to himself, leaving them formation of colts and began to run around the training ring.

Hours as the instructor continued to train his pupils, the whole time Kaffir galloped around the circle, he huffing and groaning since he'd been doing so without even so much as a break or slowing down, keeping his pace the best he could but just barely. Eventually the shouting stopped and the colts began to disperse, the instructor finally turning around as he watched Kaffir run another pass. "You can stop. Go home. If I see you falter again, I'll have you thrown in the arena." the instructor said before walking off, Kaffir finally slowing down and slumping, his legs and lungs burning from the rigorous running.

"He be too tough on ya, bruddah..." Allambee said as he walks over to Kaffir. "We still young, ya know. We got time ta train."

"Maybe...but I doubt...the lions would care...how old you were..." Kaffir shook his head as he panted.

"Trust me, da day ya get caught by a lion otha den one of da village warriors is da day all discord breaks loose." Allambee shook his head. "Dhey take what dhey can get, and we be tossin' warrior at dhem like candy, so dhey be pretty preoccupied."

"You say this, but what of the day that we both become the village warriors and we're thrown at them?"

"Dun ya worry ya mane 'bout tat, pon. I'll be da best warrior dhis village eva seen." Allambee announced proudly.

"And ya be gettin' no closah to bein' dat 'best warrior' if ya don' get home and do ya chores." came a deep, firm voice from behind Allambee, the colts' fathers padding up behind him.

"Doh, ya fahdah. Ya take care, Kaffir!" Allambee waved a hoof as he scampered off.

"Seems like ya son be messin' up again in da class." Allambee's father shook his head as he looked at Olwenyo. "Ya should be keepin' a bettah eye on 'im, 'lest he become foddah for da lions..." he casted a sideways glance at Kaffir as he turned to follow Allambee back to their home.

"Father I'm...I'm sorry." Kaffir sighed as he bowed his head dejectedly at the comment made toward him.

"Pay him no mind, my son." Olwenyo shook his head as he looked at Kaffir. "I know you are capable. I believe in you."

"This would be the third day in a row that I messed up..." Kaffir sighed again. "If I mess up again, I'll be thrown in the arena..."

"Perhaps. But remember this, son..." Olwenyo walked over to sit beside his son. "No matter how slowly you may come to perfect things, make sure you never stop. You may be discouraged by how others treat you, but do not let it bother you. In order to be strong, you must be strong to yourself. We live in harsh times, as it should be, but you cannot falter. Believe in yourself."

"Yes father.." Kaffir looked up to his father and nodded before looking down again. "Father? Do you think one day I will be thrown at the lions to fight and die?"

"You will not be thrown at the lions, son..." Olwenyo shook his head, chuckling to himself at the thought. "When the time is right, you will face them, and they will know fear. They will face your determination firsthand and falter to your resilience." he said as he ruffled Kaffir's dreaded mane. "Come. Let us return home."

Kaffir shook awake, nightfall having enveloped the desert, the temperature having dropped dramatically to a bitter cold in contrast to the unforgiving heat of the day. He rose to his feet slowly, shaking off the last of his sleep before huffing and beginning his trek forward, moving in a brisk gallop toward the horizon. "...make sure you never stop." The words played through his mind again and again as he began to gallop faster and faster, determined now to escape the desert.

3: Nothing Left to Lose

Location: Ghastly Gorge
Time: Nightfall

Kaffir panted as he slowed down, feeling the land beneath him beginning to soften. Grass. He looked around and found himself on a green plain of sorts and in the distance was a deep canyon. For once in his life, he was never more relieved to a hole in the earth. "Finally..." he muttered to himself as he walked onward, looking at his surroundings and trying to get a feel for where he now was.

The land was vast and open, the gorge a good distance away and toward the northern part of it was a dense forest. "If I can get to the forest, perhaps I can forage for some food. I haven't eaten in several days now.." he muttered once more as he began to trudge forward.

"Neither have we." came a deep voice from behind him, causing Kaffir to stop suddenly and look over his shoulder, hoping it was not what he thought it was. As he peered, his fears were true: lions. 5 of them, all glaring menacingly at him. "Oh...did we startle you? Our presence should come as no surprise. You'd truly think your friend would've been able to distract us long enough for you to escape?"

"No..." Kaffir shook his head. "I had known his death would have been for naught."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that..." said one of them as he stepped forward, being the largest of the pack. Lionotus, the name seared into Kaffir's mind like a brand. "He was quite the meal if you ask me. Enough to keep us sated while we trekked across the desert, but such a place can be quite taxing on the appetite."

"Disgusting." Kaffir spat.

"Only to you grass-eaters." Lionotus retorted. "I would have figure you would have a little bit more respect for our ways than this. It's quite simply the circle of life as we know it and we just happened to be at the top of it to keep things balanced. You see, you eat the fruits of the earth, and we eat you, and whatever of you we don't eat goes back into the earth."

"I'd be one to think us killing you would suffice as a suitable sacrifice for the lands." Kaffir snarled.

"You would think, but that's just not how things work now is it." Lionotus shook his head. "You stripe-coats didn't start fighting back until very recently and we applaud your efforts, we really do, but something so unnatural as a zebra with any sort of combat prowess other than running away just wasn't meant to be. Tis a shame, really. It would've made hunting you down a little more interesting."

"We've improved. We can stand hoof to paw with you any day!" Kaffir said threateningly.

"Is that so? Tell that to your friend then. As a matter of fact, tell that to your entire civilization. Oh wait..." Lionotus's maw curled into a sinister smirk. "...they're dead. All of them. So much for 'improving', eh guys?" he turned back to his entourage, they beginning to cackle like hyenas.

"You will regret those words." Kaffir snarled as he turned back to grab his glaive.

"Oh, perhaps we would have, but since you've taken us exactly where we wanted to go, and have no further use for you being alive, then it wouldn't be so much." Lionotus waved a paw dismissively.

"...what?" Kaffir said, he quirking a brow, a little confused by the comment.

"You see, we could have just as easily caught and killed you as we killed your friend, but if anyone knew the lay of the land, it would be the zebra. And this land here looks very ripe and...inhabitable. I dare say, just beyond that forest there..." Lionotus pointed one of his clawed digits. "...is yet another civilization just ripe for hunting. And you lead us right to them. Why, it's almost enough for us to want to thank you."

"You're sick..." Kaffir said, shaking his head in disbelief as he padded backwards toward the forest defensively.

"Oh, are we? Why, we were going to offer a token of our gratitude: We'll make your death quick and painless. Gaurenteed. Who can turn that down?" Lionotus smiled coyly.

"You're not destroying another civilization. Not while I still stand here!" Kaffir growled as he rose onto his hind hooves and brandished his glaive, the blade on it long and curved, shining in the glow of the full moon.

"Oh this won't last long." Lionotus shook his head. "Your valor is quite impressive, meat, but we implore you, don't make this any harder than it has to be. Let us kill you, quickly and painlessly as promised, feed from you and we'll go in and introduce ourselves, say hi, maim a few here and there, maybe abduct some others as a carry out special, the usual thing I'm sure your own kind is used to.

"Over. My. Dead. Body." Kaffir said threatening;y as he shifted his hind-hooves apart, getting himself into a ready stance.

"...oh that won't be any problem at all. Why, even my son here could best you in combat. He's already ripped out a few throats in his day, isn't that right Leonir?" Lionotus turned toward the smaller of the lions, he nodding proudly before turning back to Kaffir. "What have you got against 5 lions anyway?"

"Nothing..." Kaffir said plainly.

"Oh, well I could have told you tha-"

"I have nothing because you and your kind took it all away from me. My home. My people. My mother. My sister. My father. My best friend. I have nothing left because of disgusting monsters like you!" Kaffir roared out, gripping his glaive firmly. "I have nothing to lose anymore, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let you pass me and take that away from somepony else!" Kaffir continued in rage as he brandished his glaive, pointing the large blade threateningly at his aggressors.

Lionotus sat back on his haunches, a little perturbed by the monologue before he snorts, trying to hold back laugh. "ooooOOOOoooo~, scary. Real scary. A stallion with nothing left to lose. Hey guys, nothing scarier than a stripe-coat with nothing to lose, amiright?" he said, the 4 lions doing a mock scared pose of sorts in response. "In shaking in my fur. I really am. Quite scary stuff. Actually, I'm just kidding. All of this is just plain silly now. Let us kill you and move on, okay? This doesn't have to be hard."

"Shut-up and face me if you're so sure of yourselves." Kaffir said as he narrowed his eyes at Lionotus. "...unless you are afraid of what I'm capable of."

"Oooh, dem fightin' words right there, bro. Not cool, man. Not cool. Rend! Ponce! Take this idiot down, but don't kill him yet. I want him to feel us savoring him in his last breath..." he commanded, two lions stepping up menacingly, growling threateningly as they began to circle around Kaffir, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Kaffir stood his ground as the lions circled him, his concentration keen and undisturbed now as he zoned in, ready, waiting, blood pumping through his veins. This was it. This was his final stand. The possible fate of an entire civilization rested in his hooves. It was all or nothing.

"Bring it on..."

4: The Last Stand

Location: Ghastly Gorge
Time: Midnight

Rend and Ponce circled Kaffir threateningly as he stood, ready and waiting, his glaive hefted into the air, the blade pivoted, sharp and ready to spill blood. Lionotus sat casually near his son Leonir and another older lion, Kragath, the 3 watching the event casually from a distance. Kaffir kept his eyes forward, his ears pivoted, following the 2 lions' paw-steps.

Ponce had maneuvered himself behind Kaffir, and immediately upon realizing that Kaffir wasn't moving, lowered his front half and hunkered down, ready to pounce. "...rrrrrrrrRRHAH!" he suddenly roared out as his powerful hind legs propelled him forward, sending him flying through the air toward Kaffir, his front paws extended, claws extended, ready to tear into him-

THOK

Ponce was immediately side-swiped by the tail-end of Kaffir's glaive as he turned about almost at the last possible moment, catching the blunt tip of the pole-arm just beneath Ponce's jawbone. Before Ponce could land, Kaffir pivoted the pole-arm up and back over himself, dragging Ponce's airborne body with it and slamming him into the ground hard, causing the lion to pant out, every last bit of air being forced out of his lungs, causing him to cough and gasp from the impact.

"Hey! Nobody slams my buddies into the ground but me!" Rend suddenly roars out as he rushes into the fray, he leaping off the ground and twisting his body back to swipe down hard into Kaffir but this left his side open and vulnerable, which Kaffir took full advantage of, pivoting on his hind-hooves, he twirled his body about and slams the side of pole-arm straight into Rend's kidney, causing the lion to recoil over in pain. Kaffir side-steps out the leaping lion, him hitting the ground like a rag doll and rolling a good ways before doubling over and grumbling.

"Damn you idiots, stop playing with the food and take it out!" Lionotus roared out as Ponce recovered finally, rolling onto his paws and dashing forward toward Kaffir. Kaffir turned and swiped his blade toward Ponce but he deftly ducks beneath to swipe and moves forward, rising up on his hind paws and beginning to swipe at Kaffir viciously. Kaffir held his pole-arm before him, deflecting one swipe before bending backward to dodge another. He stepped back and twisted his body, twirling about quickly, his pole-arm sweeping down and taking Ponces paws right from underneath him, he hitting the ground hard once more, panting as Kaffir leaped back, readying himself once more.

Rend recovered, he rising up onto his paws but barely in time for Kaffir to go on the offensive now, the zebra stepping toward the injured lion and swiping the blunt end of his pole-arm toward him and slamming it into the side of his maw, knocking him over once more. "HAH!" Kaffir screamed out as he raised the pole-arm blade high into the air and swings downward, intending to slash into Rend but he rolled away just in time, causing Kaffir's blade to become stuck into the grassy earth.

Ponce took this opportunity while Kaffir struggled with his pole-arm to rush up and tackle Kaffir to the ground, his arms locking around him as the two slide a good distance toward the canyon's edge. Ponce rose him from him and raised a paw into the air. "Time ta go night-night, zebbah!" he snarled with a cackle before swiping down, only to have his swipe deflected by Kaffir's fore-hoof. He immediately delivered a sharp jab straight into Ponce's snout, the hard, cleft hoof causing the lion's nose to break immediately from the blunt force of the blow, the lion rearing back and clutching his snout, roaring out in pain as blood spilled copiously from his nostrils.

Kaffir rolled over and bucked hard, tossing Ponce from on top of him as he scrambled back up onto his hind hooves. Before the lion could recover from the blow, he turned and performed a strong side-kick with his hind leg, his hoof careening into the side of the lions skull, cracking it slightly as it sent him rolling a good ways. Kaffir shuffled toward him slowly as the lion tried to lift himself from the floor, dazed, his eyes bloodshot as blood poured from his nostrils like a running faucet. Kaffir rose himself once again in front of Ponce, the lion looking up at him, completely at Kaffir's mercy. In the very next moment, Kaffir turned his body once again, twirling around and kicking his hind-leg out at Ponce again using the momentum of his turn, kicking him into the side of the head once more, sending the injured lion tumbling right off the edge into the gorge.

Ponce screamed as he plummeted toward the grey, jagged earth below, but before he fell too far, tunnel worms shot out the large holes in the gorge's sides.. One of them chomps down on Ponce's lower half, the other biting down around his upper, jagged teeth sinking in and through the lion's body, blood gushing everywhere. "AGGGGHHHH!!!" The lion gave a blood-curdling scream that echo'd throughout the canyon before there was an equally as grotesque fleshy rip heard as the serpents tore the lion in half in a mist of deep crimson before retracting back into their holes which they came to enjoy their meal.

"Ponce!? Nooo!!" Rend roared out as he scrabbled onto his paws and began to charge at Kaffir. "When I'm done with you, I'll wear your face like a condom!" Rend snarled, his mouth foaming as he leaps into the air, Kaffir turning about and sending a side kick into Rend mid-air. However, Rend catches the zebras hind-hoof into his paws, his claws digging into Kaffir's thigh and flank, blood drooling out from where his claws punctured.

"Agggh!" Kaffir wails out as Rend takes his leg and throws him away from the canyon's edge, Kaffir rolling across the ground like a rag doll. Rend began to charge toward Kaffir again, the zebra moving himself up onto his hooves once more, though a little weakly as blood drizzled down his hind-leg. He watched as Rend charged toward him before looking to his side, noticing his glaive nearby.

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M CHARGING AT YOU!" Rend roars out, panting and huffing audibly in a freakish nature as he rushed toward Kaffir. He leaps once more, his body twisted back to swipe down hard into Kaffir, but the zebra simply rolls out of the way, forcing Rend to miss as he slides away, whipping himself around for another charge. As he did that, Kaffir moved toward his glaive and grabbed it once more, doing his best to pull it out the earth. "They told me to bring a pail lunch...YOU LOOK PALE ENOUGH TO ME!" Rend roared once more in a maniacal psycho manner and he began to charge.

Rend jumps into the air once more as Kaffir struggled with the glaive. At the last possible moment, the glaive jerks free as Kaffir twisted his body, the large blade arcing through the air and cutting through Rend's recklessly exposed midsection, a gout of blood splashing through the air as Rend's body twisted mid-air, flying past Kaffir and landing on the ground. He pants and growled, but as he got up, his intestines and entrails began to spill out of the open wound, causing him to stop and attempt to scoop them back up inside of himself in a horrific display. "Ha! Hahaha! Y-you can't kill me! I'm already dead tommorow!" Rend cackled as he tried to stuff himself, but once he looked up, Kaffir was standing before him, brandishing his glaive.

In one twist and swoop, his blade slices through Rend's thickly-maned neck, lopping the lion's head clean from his body as it twirled in the air and landing with a hard thud on the grassy earth. A gout a blood spewed from the headless disemboweled body, it twitching and squirming against the ground for a moment before laying lifelessly finally.

"NO!" Lionotus roared out as he rose to his feet, growling in frustration. "This isn't over, grinder! Kragath! End this foolish meat-wad. NOW!"

"With pleasure, Pride-master." Kragath said as he rose up onto his paws and jumped into the fray. He was older, but he appeared armored in comparison to the rest, a plate protecting his chest and guards protecting his fore- and hind-legs, each paw covered in a clawed metal protector. He stalked toward Kaffir head on and rose onto his hind-paws, shuffling into a combat stance, ready to strike. "You should have just laid down when we gave you the chance. I won't be so forgiving, meat."

"Hmph." Kaffir scoffed as he brandished his glaive and jabbed it toward Kragath, the armored lion stepping to the side and grabbing the spear as it thrusts forward. Taking an armored paw, he slams it into the pole-arm, snapping the wooden haft into two before quickly pulling his paw back up and swinging it backward, backhanding Kaffir across the muzzle, causing him to grunt as he toppled back onto his back, dropping the broken glaive onto the ground as blood spilled from his nose from the metal-reinforced blow. Kragath stalked over to the zebra and grabbed him by his dreaded mane, his metal claw raised into the air, ready to swipe down.

As Kragath swiped down, Kaffir raised a foreleg to block, but it was barely enough, the force of the swipe knocking Kaffir's leg downward, the block barely stopping the metal claws from digging into Kaffir's face, however one of them pierces into Kaffir's eye deeply, causing him to scream in out pain. In retaliation, Kaffir knocked the paw away and sent a hoof-punch into Kragath, just below his breastplate, causing him to cough out as the air was knocked form his lungs. The zebra tugs himself away from Kragath's grip and readied himself once more, only this time with a bloody snout and a bleeding, now blind eye left eye.

Kragath recoiled and lunged a swipe toward Kaffir, he dodging out the way expertly like a boxer. The lions swiped at him again and again and again, each time Kaffir dipping, ducking and dodging nimbly. He continued this, stepping back until he felt his hind-hoof nearly slip off the ledge into the canyon. In that moment, Kragath pounced toward Kaffir in an attempt to knock him backwards, but instead Kaffir side-stepped and lifted a hoof, swiftly kicking Kragath in the stomach, causing him to spit up a little blood from the force of the blow.

The lion recoiled quickly and tried to grab the zebras leg, but Kaffir pulled it back before he could, causing him to stumble forward into yet another upward kick, his hindleg careening into the lion's jaw and causing him to stand upright fully. He responded with a few swift jabs into the sternum, the lion doubling over only to be finished off with a powerful uppercut, sending him tumbling backwards and slamming into the ground with a deep thud.

Kaffir took the moment of repose to stumble back toward his broken glaive, his vision a little blurred as he tried to readjust to only being able to see out of one eye, though amid his staggering, he felt himself suddenly being tackled to the ground. Landing hard, he looked up and realized that Kragath had recovered very quickly and his metal paw was raised into the air, coming down toward his head viciously. He cranes it to one side just in time for the claws of it to sink into the grassy earth, the lion struggling to get his claw back out. He leaned up and head-butted Kragath squarely in the maw, the lion recoiling back with a roar as the zebra scrabbled a hoof out to grab anything he could. As Kragath recovered from the blow, Kaffir felt something in his hoof and grabbed it, quickly using it to his advantage

SCHNICK

Kragath stopped as he felt the cold sensation of a large blade being driven into his side, blood pooling from his maw as Kaffir sighed a little in relief. The zebra pulled the glaive blade back out of his aggressor and bucked, the weakened lion tumbling onto his side and curling up, trying to clutch the grievous wound. "Enough!' Lionotus suddenly called out as he rose to his paws. "If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!"

The pride-master charged into the fray now, though not as recklessly as the others. Kaffir rolled away from Kragath to ready himself, Leonir immediately getting up to check on his fallen comrade. Lionotus rose up on his hind-paws and roared before swiping down at Kaffir, the zebra ducking out the way with practiced ease and takes the broken glaive and jabbed it toward Lionotus.

"Nope!" Lionotus barked as he grabbed the short bladed stick and pulled it, causing Kaffir to stumble forward. He lifted his hind-leg and delivered a knee into Kaffir's midsection, causing the zebra to double over and recoil back, clutching himself. Before Kaffir could react further, Lionotus turned and roared out, swiping his claws toward Kaffir, the sharp digits digging into the zebra's flesh and ripping a hefty portion from him in a spray of crimson.

"AGGGHH!" Kaffir screamed out as he hit the ground, shivering from the burning pain, a deep, wide chunk of his side and chest flayed away in one foul swoop. Lionotus shook his clawed paw, the strip of furred flesh hitting the grassy ground with a splat as he began to lick the blood from his paw, smirking coyly as he approaches his prey.

"If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself..." Lionotus said as he casts a side-ward glare toward Kragath, Leonir busying himself trying to dress and nurse the grievous wound in the armored lion's side. Lionotus turns his attention back to a shivering Kaffir, padding up and grabbing the zebra by his mane and lifting him into the air high. "You had a chance, meat-wad. I would've took a chunk out of your throat and been done with it, but no. You had to be a cheeky little bastard, didn't you!?" Lionotus said as he balled his paw up and punched Kaffir into the stomach, causing the zebra to spit out a wad of blood. "Hmph, look at you now. Now you're going to die very, very slowly, just like your mom did, like your dad, your best friend, like everyone you ever knew in your short, miserable, pointless life! I'm going to make sure you're still live and kicking, begging for mercy while I eat your entrails. Any last words, you pathetic lump of flesh!?"

"....fuck....you...." Kaffir said in a strained quiet snarl.

"...come again?" Lionotus leaned a little closer as he quirked a brow.

Kaffir suddenly looks up at his aggressor, his entire single eye glowing a bright orange as he gritted his teeth, veins suddenly beginning to bulge out of his body as he shook with an almost unrelenting, unrestrainable rage.

"FUCK YOU!!!11!1one"

POW (Critical!)

Kaffir slams his head forward into Lionotus's skull with enough force to cause it to crack obscenely. Lionotus suddenly releases Kaffir, the zebra slumping to the ground as the lion stumbles backward in a daze, blood spilling from his nose from the skull fracture. Kaffir rose to his hooves, snarling viciously as he charged toward and plowed his head into Lionotus's sternum, sending the pride-master flying backward into the ground. "That...is for my people..."

Kaffir scrambled on top of Lionotus and lifted a hoof into the air, pinning the lion with his other hoof as he shook with a beserker's rage. "This is for my father!" he growled out as he slammed his clefted hoof into Lionotus's face. "This is for my mother!" he roared as he delivered another merciless blow. "This is for my sister!" Yet another blow. "This is for my best friend!" Yet another blow. "This is for the years!" Hit. "...and years!" Hit. "...of torment!" Hit. "... oppression!" Hit. "...fear!" Hit. "...that you made us suffer!!" Hit. "This!" Hit. "Ends!" Hit. "NOW!!"

Before Kaffir slammed his hoof down again, he had finally realized that he was pounding into a mushy red pulp by now, Lionotus's face completely imploded, blood and brain-matter spilling from any and every orifice of his crushed, shattered skull. He panted and huffed, looking up toward Leonir and Kragath, the young lion's eyes wide at the grotesque scene before him. "FATHER!!" he screamed then snarled as he leaped over Kragath and attempted to charge at Kaffir but was stopped before he could go, the old armored lion grabbing Leonir by his tail and holding on like a vice, keeping the adolescent cub in his place. "What are you doing!? LET ME GO!"

"It is not worth it anymore...just let him go..." Kragath growled out in pain as he held a struggling Leonir by his tail.

Kaffir rose from Lionotus's body and offered one last feral glare toward the two still living lions before charging off toward the dense forest, disappearing into it quickly. Kragath finally let Leonir go as he charged after Kaffir a short distance before stopping. He roared out in frustration before looking back at Kragath, murder in his crimson eyes..,

Kaffir dashed through the forest with agility and determination, despite the grievous, profusely bleeding wound in his side and his missing eye. The blood coursed through him rigorously as he did his best to pace through the dark, gloomy forest to the best of his ability. After several minutes of running, he sees a large river ahead of himself. He narrowed his glowing eye as he charged forward in a powerful gallop. Seeing no other way to cross the river, he knew there was only one option. He gallops forward, and timed his approach.

Gallop

Hop

Skip

Jump...

5: The Unknown Lands

Location: Everfree Forest (?)
Time: Unknown

Kaffir landed perfectly on his hooves as he took a few steps forward, taking a moment to rest finally as he felt himself calm down from his adrenaline-induced rage. At least, he would have if he needed to, the zebra oddly not feeling tired at all now. Nor did he feel pain. The only thing he did feel was cold. He looked around for a more, the dense forest dark and foreboding around him as he moved forward along the open path in front of him.

As he walked along, he felt as if something was right about it all. The further he moved, the colder it became. Was it the weather? He looked into the sky for a moment to see, however there was neither moon nor a single star in the sky. He quirked a brow at this as he looked forward again, only to be looking into utter darkness from where there was a forest path before him. He turned about, suddenly realizing that darkness was now all around him. He was now lost. Completely.

"Hello!?" Kaffir suddenly calls out. "Anypony out there!?" he said, but his words only traveled. They did not echo. The cold around him began to grow more and more, causing him to shiver beneath his coat. He began to trudge forward once more, occasionally calling out when he could, to anyone he could, but to no avail.

"Useless meat..." he heard a voice suddenly, a familiar voice. He turned around and readied himself, only to realize there was nothing there. "Was it worth it?" the voice continued to speak as Kaffir looked around cautiously. "Was it worth fighting to your last breath for such a pointless cause?"

"Where are you, coward. Show yourself!" Kaffir called out.

"I'm dead, you imbecile!" Lionotus's voice responded. "All because of your petty vengeance. All because you wanted to get back at us for the deaths of your people and your family. When is it that you're going to realize that whether you fight us or not will do ill to stop the continued unrelenting onslaught we will have upon equine-kind?"

"Fool, I have stopped you from killing innocents. They do not deserve to be tormented by the likes of you."

"Who said anything about who does and doesn't deserve whatever is coming to them!" Lionotus barked out in rebuttle. "It's funny how you fail to realize that this isn't about that. It's the circle of life. We live to feed, and you live to die. That is your purpose in life. That is your overall meaning, your reason for existence. To die so that the rest of us can live!" he roared.

"Liar! We have a greater purpose!" Kaffir snapped back but began to crumble as the cold began to get more and more bitter.

"Your so-called 'greater purpose' would be to be spit-roasted to perfection over an open flame should we have the patience to wait that long to devour you!" Lionotus's voiced snarled. "Your meat-wads have no perception of what's right and wrong, selfishly fighting back when you know full well you cannot break the cycle of life. Your people died because they were meant to die. And now you're going to rot pointlessly. Good riddance, I say..."

"Screw you! I'm n-not going to rot!" Kaffir called out, shivering from the cold as he tried to struggle back to his feet. His body was shivering and shuddering hard from the biting cold that enveloped him mercilessly. He took a step forward before suddenly...

Bright flash...

Kaffir blinks as he suddenly feels his body lock up, every muscle in his body tensing up as he crumbled back to the ground, panting and shivering from the sudden strange burst that coursed through him. "Wha- what was...th-that..." he said, shivering, a little perplexed now. Still, with what resolve he had left, he rose to his hooves once more and began to pad forward the best he could.

"Cycle of life, my flank...we don't deserve to die. We don't deserve to live in fear like that...nopony does..." he muttered to himself as he trudged forward, forcing himself to go despite the bitter, unrelenting cold that only became harder and harder to resist. "...but...what if he's right...what if our purpose in life is to be food..." he began to think as he looked forward. In the distance, he could see a small glint of light. He began to trudge forward, making his way toward it.

"What would be the point in living if our purpose is to be killed and eaten? What sick plan is in that? Is that truly how the world intends to work?" Kaffir continued to mutter as he moved closer and closer to the light, the brightness of it growing larger and larger, almost engulfing. He squinted his one good eye as it grew blindingly bright. "Perhaps...perhaps I should have just died..."

"No." came another familiar voice.

"...f-father?"

Bright flash...

"Agh!' Kaffir said as he crumbled again, his muscles tensing up like before as he shivered, panting out. "F-father? Was that...you?" Kaffir called out as he looked around, the bright light now gone, he now plunged back into a perpetual darkness.

"Yes, my son." came the voice again as a tall zebra appears from the darkness, approaching Kaffir.

"Father! But...but how!? I thought..." Kaffir shook his head in disbelief.

"I heard what you said, my son." Olwenyo interrupted. "What have I taught you?"

"Huh?" Kaffir tilted his head.

"I pray you did not forget..."

"No, of course not father. I just..." Kaffir bit back his words as Olwenyo narrowed his eyes sternly at him. Kaffir looked at the ground and began to repeat his father's words: "No matter how long it takes to perfect things, make sure you never stop. You may be discouraged by how others treat you, but do not let it bother you. In order to be strong, you must be strong within yourself. Believe in yourself."

"Good." Olwenyo nodded. "So tell me, within that should you harbor any thought that you should lay down your life for someone else?"

"...nowhere, father." Kaffir said, his head hanging dejectedly.

"Nowhere. Except in your own heart. You must banish such thoughts, my son. You must be strong within yourself. Do away with what that monster tells you. It may be his understanding of life, but it will not be yours as well. We have lost too many of our kind to such prying thoughts, but I'll be damned if I see my son succumb in the same way..."

"I'm sorry father..." Kaffir sighed.

"There is no need to be. You fought valiantly, for me, your family, your people. You bested the pride-master and sent them packing from which they came, and that is enough for me to be happy. I have never been more proud to call you my son." Olwenyo nodded.

"Th-thank you father..." Kaffir smiled as he rose to his hooves. "...but...where are we?"

"We are in the unknown lands, my son." Olwenyo nodded. "This is our new home. Your family eagerly awaits your return."

"My family? Mother? Sister? What about Allambee?" Kaffir said excitedly.

"They are all here, and cannot wait to see you once more."

"Hai!" Kaffir said excitedly. "Wh-where are they? Why are they not with you?"

"Because, my son, it is not your time to come home, just yet." Olwenyo shook his head. "You still have a life to live."

"Huh?" Kaffir said, tilting his head. "What...do you mean?"

Olwenyo lifted a hoof and placed it on Kaffir's shoulder and began to gaze into his eyes, they beginning to glow brightly. "Go. Live once more, my son. We will be waiting for your return one day..." he said as his eyes grew brighter and brighter suddenly until...

Bright flash...

Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep

"We have a response! We have a response! Pack it up, bring me the surgical tools. Stat!"

Kaffir groaned as he opened his eye, grunting as the pain began to slowly come back to him, his lifted his head and looked down at himself, seeing the grievous wound across his chest and side as he slams his head back against the gurney he was laid upon, whining out in pain as it began to surge through him thrice-fold now.

"Calm down there, pal. We'll get you something for that. Nurse! 20 ccs of ketamine, stat!" a masked pony standing over him barked out as another one moved away, a clattering of metal, shuffling and clopping of hooves and melodious electronic beeping filling the air. The masked horse suddenly had a view tools in his hand as he began to work on closing the wound in Kaffir's side and chest, weaving a through to connection the sides of the open wound, each pierce causing Kaffir to wince out.

"Ketamine, sir." came a feminine voice from the other masked pony.

"Good, give him a shot. He needs it badly, and fast." the pony responded as he continued his work. Soon Kaffir felt a needle jab into his claw-punctured leg as a numbing rush began to flow through him. In the next few moments, the beeping began to slow down and he quickly felt himself becoming drowsy, the pain washing away almost instantly just as before but he was still aware for the moment as the pony worked on closing his wound.

"It's okay there, buddy. You're in good hands now. You can rest." the masked pony said reassuringly, but Kaffir didn't need to be reminded twice, his head flopping back and to the side as his eye closed, drifting off into a deep slumber, a rest he could never have before.

6: Remorse

Location: Ponyville Hospital
Time: Early Noon, 2 days later

"Ugh..." Kaffir groaned as he opened his eye, sighing as he looked around himself. He seemed to be propped into a bed of sorts, white sheeting, everything around him surprisingly clean, a smell of disinfectant lingering in the air, par usual in a hospital if he had ever been to one. He examined the architecture, something he isn't accustomed to, a little astounded by it as he tried to rise up, pain suddenly shooting up his spine, causing him to wince and lay back down, a grim reminder of his near-death experience.

"Easy there. It'll be another week or so before you're able to move. You've been asleep for the past couple of days, so I bought you some food." came a feminine voice as Kaffir turned his head, a solid white mare with a light pink mane standing next to him. He had to do a double take, the appearance non-zebra equine was astonishing enough. Then a realization suddenly dawned on him. If he had have not fought back...

"Here, I bought you some food. It's not the best, but from the blood work we've taken of you, you're quite malnourished." the nurse nodded as she grabs the tray from her cart and places it in front of Kaffir, pulling the plastic lid from over it, steam wafting up from the otherwise nutrient-rich piles of mush that was on the plate, an apple and a glass of juice. "Now, you're going to have to eat every bit of that. Some patients don't exactly like to eat the food here, and we understand, I wouldn't eat it either to be honest, b-" she was interrupted as she heard a munching noise, turning as she noticed Kaffir's snout plunged right into the plate as he devoured the food without a single care in the world, slurping down everything on the plate in less than a minute. Once he was finished though, he shoot back upright, groaning due to the strain that produced on his still healing wound. "My, you're not one to be picky, are you. Well, finish your drink and I'll bring you another plate if you like.." the nurse said, biting back a little snicker as Kaffir wraps a hoof around the small glass and downs the drink almost without even gulping.

Once he was finished, the nurse put the lid back on the tray and retrieved it, placing it on her cart. "We'll give that a little time to digest and I'll be back with a little more next time." she offered a smile and nudged the cart from the room, the door closing gently behind her. Kaffir licked the remnants of mush from his bandaged snout as he laid back, sighing deeply.

There was a knock at the door suddenly, he quirking a brow as it opened slowly, another nurse, at least he would presume by the small little hat with a cross etched on it, peeking inside, this time being a pale yellow coated one with a blue-and-white mane. "Ah, you're awake. You have some visitors that would like to see you." she said as she pushed the door open wide.

4 mares trotted inside, the leading one had a purple coat and a blue-and-purple mane that banged down in the front. She also appeared to have a boney pertrusion erecting from her skull. The next one had an orange-coat, a long, blonde mane, freckles and a large brimmed hat. The next one behind her had a cyan coat and an oddly prismatic mane, almost like a rainbow. And the last one had a yellow coat and a bright pink, flowing mane. He also noticed the last 2 mares had wings folded against their back, another oddity that caused him to quirk his brow.

Mares. Mares everywhere.

"Eesh, you girls were right. He was in pretty bad shape. Good thing we have some of the best medical staff in Equestria." the purple mare nodded her head as she looked over the various bandages and braces that covered the bed-ridden zebra. "Did he get hit by the early noon express to Canterlot?" The comment caused Kaffir to quirk a brow. The hay was that?

"Ah don' reckon he's foolish 'nuff ta get hit by a train, Twi..." the orange one shook her head. "Whatever happened to 'im, from th' looks ah it, he probably woulda preferred that. Just sayin'..."

"Uhm, actually..." the yellow one began to speak up meekly. "...I found him in forest. See, the chickens were making such a fuss and I think it was something spooking them coming from the forest. So I went and checked it out, and, uhm, there he was..." she covered her face with her hooves, shaking her head from remembering the scene.

"Yeah, and if I wasn't there to help get him to the hospital, he might not have made it!" said the cyan pony proudly. "Good thing I happened to be flying about doing my late night weather pony rounds and saw Flutters. Who knows, probably would've have lost both of them if you ask me..."

"Rainbow!" the purple mare quipped. "This is no time to be acting heroic. While I'm sure your contribution to all of this might have been the most dire, that still doesn't make Fluttershy's impact any less. I mean would you have gone into the forest had she not have been seen going?"

"Well....no actually, b-" the cyan pony shook her head but raised a hoof.

"Then that's that, but we are grateful that you did help nonetheless, isn't that right?" she said as she turned her head toward Kaffir, all the mares suddenly looking at the zebra now. He quirked his pierced brow as he looked around at each of them but he didn't say anything.

"Stallion o' few words, ah reckon." the orange mare nodded. "Might be better if we cut th' chatter and atleast introduce ourselves. Be perty awkward ta be talkin' to a bunch of ponies ya got know clue 'bout."

"You're absolutely right!" the purple mare said before she cleared her throat. "Well, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Over there is Applejack." she pointed toward the orange mare, she giving a bow. "There is Rainbow Dash." she pointed toward the cyan pony who smiled and preened proudly. "And next to her is Fluttershy." she pointed at the last one, who seemed to be busying herself trying to hide behind Rainbow, blushing in embarrassment.

"And who are you, exactly?" Rainbow Dash suddenly interjects as she stepped up to the foot of the bed, Twilight shooting her a dirty look, she giving back a look that said 'what?'.

"Kaffir..." the zebra finally spoke, the mares blinking as they looked at him curiously, noting his accent. "...my name is Kaffir."

"Kahfur?" Applejack tilted her head. "Oddly strange name ya got there, bil-"

"Kuh-FEAR." he suddenly annuciated, almost as if anticipating that his name would be difficult to pronounce.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Kaffir." Twilight smiled and nodded. "I hope you find your stay in Ponyville to be nice and peaceful."

"Ponyville...?" Kaffir asked as he looked up toward Twilight.

"Yes, Ponyville." she said, quirking a brow at the odd questioning statement.

"...how many...of you live here...in 'Ponyville'?" Kaffir asked suddenly.

"Well, I don't know remember the exact census number. I can probably find it easily in one of my books, but it's roughly 3 to 4 thousand if I remember correctly, give or take. Why do you ask?" Twilight tilted her head curiously.

Kaffir's head bowed, his eyes widening at the astounding number before shaking his head. "...nothing. No reason." he muttered and sighed. "Merely a curiosity."

"Well, if there's anything else you want to know about Ponyville, feel free to drop by the library here in town. I have plenty of books about the history, landmarks, everything you could ever wish to know." Twilight offered a big smile. "Also, I'm quite curious as t-"

"So, why'd ya get so banged up, huh?" Rainbow Dash suddenly floated over the bed, peering at him closely. "Was it some vicious dragon? A manticore? Hydra? Maybe you did get hit by a train. Oohh, getting hit by a train and living! That'd be so cool! Whoa, how'd you get that?" Rainbow Dash pointed toward Kaffir's pierced eyebrow. "Did that hurt? Looks pretty neat if you ask me. I wouldn't mind one myself but that looks like that'd hurt. Oh man, I bet you have some pretty rad stories to tell. Almost might be as good as Daring Do, only grittier!"

"Rainbow! Ah reckon th' poor stallion don't wanna remininse on his near-death s'perience. That sorta thing tends ta be a lil traumatizin' on the mind." Applejack shook her head, causing Rainbow Dash to cross her fore-hooves in a huff. "'sides, he still needsta recover. All this talkin' probably givin' him a headache. C'mon girls, lets let the colt rest." Applejack nodded as she headed toward the door.

"Good thinking Applejack. We'll see you another time, Kaffir. Remember to drop by the library if you need anything." Twilight smiled and winked before walking out of the room, Fluttershy skipping out immediately as well. Rainbow Dash continued to flaps her wings and float in the air above Kaffir before looking down at him, smiling deviously.

"Now that they're gon-"

"C'mon Rainbow!!" came Twilight's voice from beyond the door.

"Oh come on! Ugh...cya around..." Rainbow said a little dejectedly as she landed and promptly exited the room behind the others.

Alone once again, Kaffir laid back and sighed. 3 to 4 thousand ponies. 3 to 4 thousand innocent lives he had put in danger. He closed his eyes and tried to marinate that statistic in his mind, though the more he thought about it, the more painful it all seemed and the more remorseful he felt for his presence.

"You fool!" Leonir roared as he stamped his paw, pacing around. "First he dispatches Rend and Ponce, then he incapacitates you, and then he turns around and pounds my father's skull into a bloodied pulp, and you let him go free!?"

"We've been over this." Kragath shook his head. "He was not worth the kill. He was too strong. He would've taken care of you like the rest of us and we would have no heir to the pride."

"Oh, now we're scared of food now? Is that it? Is that what we've become!?" Leonir growled. "Pathetic! How in Equestria did we get bested by a zebra! We eat those morsels for breakfast yet one kicked our asses like it was nothing!"

"We did route him and he did suffer serious injury. I doubt he survived the ordeal, but it would be better if we let him pass away before hunting him down again. Give it a weeks time and we will search him out."

"We should have killed him when we had the chance, and that's that. Now he's free to escape. He could recover, or find allies, who knows. Despite his...state, he was still weak!"

"You would have underestimated his power! You saw what he did to your fath-"

"Fuck what he did to my father, he needed to die! And you let him escape!" Leonir roared.

"You are not thinking rationally, whelp. You would have charged into him and gotten yourself killed."

"Don't you call me whelp, you old coot." Leonir spat. "As of my father's death, I am now the pride-master. And what I say goes. And I said we should have killed that zebra."

"I may not be the pride-master, but your father trusted my opinion. And my opinion was that is was not worth it!" Kragath roared back.

"Your father might have honored your opinion, but I find it to be rubbish. As a matter of fact, I find you to be rubbish. Bested by a zebra. Pathetic." Leonir shook his head and turned away. "I will not have the likes of you in my pride. You are dead to me."

"Is that your word, then? You are banishing me? Fine." Kragath rose to his paws and sighed. "I will not see our pride run into the ground by thoughtless petty vengeance by some foolish whelp. Good riddance." Kragath turned and began to pad away, his metal-cladded paws clinking as he disappears into the distance.

"I don't need you, old coot. This is all I need..." Leonir said as he held up a large strip of zebra flesh. "This is all I need to have vengeance against my father. All I need to find a new civilization to feed upon. All I need to lead my pride to greatness once again. You hear me, Kaffir!? We will come for you and when the time comes, I will take utmost pleasure in gutting you! You mark my words!

The blood moon is nigh..."

The End...

...or is it?

Epilogue

Location: Ponyville
Time: 2 weeks later

"Well, Mr. Kaffir. It seems like you're ready to get back out there. Now you're still healing, so try to avoid any strenuous activity for the next month or so and then you can remove the bandages and go about your daily routine." Nurse Redheart smiled and nodded. "If you can please sign here, you'll be good to go."

Kaffir took a look at the clipboard before taking the quill and simply drawing a squiggly line.

"...right." Nurse Redheart shrugged before taking the clipboard. "Be safe and take care!"

Kaffir nodded and silently walked through the door leading out to Ponyville, squinting his eye as the sunlight blinded him for a moment, it being high noon and having been corralled inside for the past week not exactly helping him get used to it. As he looked around, he listened to the peaceful, cheerful chatter and clamor of ponies walking to and fro, working, socializing, or just simply strolling along, enjoying the weather.

He has never seen so many ponies out and about and without a single care in the world, their "world" being one of peace and prosperity in massive contrast to what he was used to. He shook his head at a thought, he immediately turning, trying to find his way out of this place. He saw a path leading to a bridge that lead back to the same dark forest in which he came, he beginning to trot briskly in that direction.

He approached the large bridge and began to cross it before he heard a flapping noise above him. Suddenly, Rainbow Dash lands in front of him, her eyes lit up with excitement. "Ohai! They let you go, huh?" she smiled before looking about for a moment before looking at Kaffir. "Where ya goin' anyway?"

"I cannot stay here." Kaffir shook his head. "I have to go. I do not belong here..."

"Pfft, you don't belong? We accept anypony here in Ponyville. Granted there was that one time with Zecora..." she said as she thought for a moment before shrugging. "But that's in the past. Zebras are pretty cool ponies once you get to know 'em. At least you don't talk in lyrics."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I simply cannot stay. My presence here is..." Kaffir bit back his words before sighing. "It just isn't right. Please, excuse me."

"Now hold on." Rainbow Dash said as he stood firmly in his path. "You mean to tell me I go out of my way to drag you out of that forest and get you medical treatment when you were pretty much on the verge of death and you're just going to leave! So not cool, man!"

"But I-"

"The least you can do is stick around. No harm in that, right? You might not think you belong now, but who knows, maybe you'll like it here. Plus it's pretty safe and whatever it was that nearly killed ya won't be coming here anytime soon. There's plenty of bad stuff inside Everfree, yet none of it's ever come out to do anything to us. Haven't exactly figured out why that is." Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "So c'mon, stay with us, will ya?"

"You don't understand. I ju-"

"Pleeeease?" Rainbow Dash suddenly leaned forward, smiling really big, causing Kaffir to rear back while the cyan mare batted her eyelashes.

"...fine." Kaffir sighed, unable to resist. "I'll stay..."

"Awesome!" Rainbow Dash did a flip into the air with a powerful flap of her wings before landing , walking by Kaffir and canting her head toward Ponyville Square. "Need to get you familiar with the town if you're going to be here awhile. I know, let's head to Sugarcube Corner! I'm sure you'll get to know plenty of ponies there. C'mon!"

"Right..." Kaffir shook his head as he turned and followed Rainbow Dash back into the town begrudgingly. This was his new home now. He will either be pleasantly surprised or come to deeply regret this decision.

Only time will tell...

Afterword.txt

Location:
Time: Unknown

The prison warden clopped slowly down the solitary confinement pins, peeking inside each of the solid, cast iron steel doors, making sure the inmates were sound asleep or getting there since it was time for lights out. Granted, it was hard to tell since there was very little lightning in the pins, if at all, so often times they had to be firmly reminded.

The warden's ear flicked up as he heard the tell-tale whirring of a holographic keyboard being used, he walking up to a cast iron door marked SCU-2948, sliding the view-port open and peering inside. There, sitting in front of a laptop, was a shadowy figure, his hooves waving around quickly and expertly as letters streamed onto the screen, he seeming to be in deep concentration writing some sort of extensive prose of some sort.

TANG TANG TANG

"Hey! Shut that shit down and go to bed, it's lights out!" the warden yelled through the view port after slamming his hoof into the door for emphasis, causing the shadowy figure to look toward the door, his azure eyes narrowing to a glare as he turned back and motioned his hoof to move the pointer on the small screen. He quickly finishes what he was doing the document and goes to save it, he pausing for a moment before waving his hands around, the holographic keyboard selecting a series of letters:

The Severed Exile (Completed).txt

>save

Once done, presses button on the side of the laptop and closes it, shutting it down for the night. He gets up and moves over to the small, hard-surfaced cot and lays upon it, sighing softly as he closed his eyes drifting off to sleep, his mind wandering on its own as he dreams of the next iteration to his writing...