Chapter 1: Movie Night

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The moons shone high over the plains of Feral, as the snoring of the soft wind echoed throughout the valley.
Within the plains is a familiar cottage, with an eye-appeasing front garden.
The home of the green kitsune, the once-hero, Emerald.

Emerald was sound asleep in his bed, not making as much as a snore. He only rustled silently in it.
He then heard a noise, and opened his eyes.
Emerald was in a bed. Not his, though. A bed of flowers, in fact, in the middle of Feral's valleys.
Emerald sat upright and looked around. Birds flew high, leaves were blowing in the soft wind. The air felt as fresh as it could. And the weather felt... perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. A absolute perfection of a day anyone could ask for.
And that's what unsettled Emerald. He looked around nervously.
"Emerald!" A voice called out to him. It was a soft, female voice. He turned around.
It was Ruby, a pink senri, and Emerald's girlfriend. She was sitting on a small hill with a small picnic basket. Emerald smiled at her and walked towards her, not saying a word.
He closed his eyes before he made it her though, and opened them, and then...
Everything around him was disastrous. All the plants were dying, except for the ones at Emerald's paws. The sky was a bloody red, with storms forming.
Emerald was surrounded by clouds of darkness that moved around him a circular motion. He tried to keep his attention on them, but they were moving too much.
"Emerald! Help!" Emerald turned around upon hearing the voice.
Ruby had being held down by claws of darkness, one of them grabbing her Spark. She screamed in pain and agony, as it tried to pull her Spark out. The dark clouds then completely enveloped her, her scream fading away.
He stood in disbelief, his pupils shrunk in fear, forming tears of agony. A shadow then covered him as a familiar humanoid figure appeared in front of him.
"Time to turn out the lights." It said, before throwing his hand down at Emerald.
Emerald closed his eyes and screamed as it came towards him, thinking it was the end.

Emerald eyes then shot open in fear. He woke up in his bed, hyperventilating.
He looked around. The sun was rising over Feral, and the orange sunlight was going through his window.
Emerald sighed, thanking that it was just a nightmare, but it did happen a time ago.
Emerald got out of bed, shaking his fur, and decided to get ready.
It was two and a half months since the nightmare everyone experienced. Since the Dark Spark's campaign of terror.
Many citizens had their Sparks stolen from them by Daran, the Dark Lord.
Emerald and Ruby, they were special Sparks, the ones who unlocked hidden magic through their own compassion. Special Sparks that had brought an end to the terror. However, the fact they were spared was also a curse, at least to Emerald.
He had to bear witness to the bloodshed firsthand. The Sparks who were stolen didn't. To them, it felt like they were only asleep, at best, and woke up to a world that had seemingly never changed.
Emerald wished he was taken. So he would wake up, none the wiser. So many things had traumatized him, including the fear of seeing his beloved on death's doorstep. And himself.

Emerald stepped outside his sanctuary, and inhaled deeply. The air was fresh, the wind was soft, and only a few clouds filled the sky. Not a perfect day, but a nice one, all things considered.
Emerald wondered what to do today. He thought to himself, and remembered something he had to do.
He went to the travel gate and teleported away.
Meanwhile...

A similar sanctuary was somewhere else in the plains. The home of another once-hero of Feral.
Emerald's girlfriend - the pink senri Ruby.
Ruby walked up to her mirror shortly after waking up. She looked at herself, gazing upon the emerald-ruby necklace, which was a gift Emerald gave her, a sign of his love to her.
She took a deep breath. "All right Ruby, this is it. Just another day with me and him."
She looked at a framed photo her and Emerald, with her head resting on him. She put her paw next to it and smiled.
After getting ready, she decided to begin her day.

Meanwhile, at City Fera.

Emerald was at the cafe there, deciding to have breakfast.
"Hey, E." Emerald heard a voice. It was coming from Azure, a big, blue werewolf, the closet thing Emerald could have for a brother.
"Hey Az! What's up?" He asked.
"Not much, getting brecky-o before I go back to my job."
"How's pizza delivery going? Is it good?"
"It's pretty nice. Mostly. But last night..."
Emerald raised an eyebrow. "What happened last night?"
Azure gained a traumatized look. "I... I don't wanna talk about it." He then shuddered in fear.
"O...ok. Hey, how's that Olivia kid?"
"Oh, her? She's really doing great now. She now calls me "Uncle Azure"!" He went into a superhero pose. "I am now worthy of title of metaphorical uncle, Emerald. I am a babysitting extraordinaire, wouldn't ya say?"
Emerald chuckled. "I guess."
The two chuckled. "Azure!" A voice yelled in the distance. "I need someone to unclog the sink!" It was Azure's boss.
"Why? What happened?"
"It's Jeffery again. He did the you know what."
"The one with the salami or the imported Lakeroot Valley dye?"
His boss paused. "Eh, probably the second one."
"Sorry, E. Mister Bauss needs me. Nice talking to you." Azure said.
"See you later, Az."
Azure pulled out a plunger and put on his pizza hat. "To the employee bathroom!" He bellowed, running at full speed.
Emerald finished his breakfast and walked out.

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