Curses. Screams. Prayers. Gunfire. Explosions. All blended in seamlessly with each other as they assaulted Wolf's eardrums. Despite all odds, he could pick up some random shouts from around him...
"Warlord, Warlord, Angel-7 under heavy fire in the Scyon building courtyard, requesting immediate evac!"
"Watch your left, left left!"
"Get a frag in there!"
"Snap out of it Dave! Snap out of it!"
"They're trying to flank us!"
"Find cover, find cover now!"
"Where's our bird?!"
"We're not gonna make it!"
"Damon! Damon where are you?! Talk to me son! Damon!
That last, final shout was interrupted by an explosion, followed by an echoing scream that still haunted his nightmares.
Wolf's eyes opened slowly, not wanting to cause another headache. He could feel the warm crimson fluid gently caress the parts of his body that still weren't covered by it. But was it his? He didn't know. There was no pain at all, so that meant either two things. One, he was fine, and the blood was someone else's. Two, was that he was badly injured, but he couldn't feel it thanks to the mixture of adrenaline coursing through his veins and the endorphins blocking his neurons. Neither were particularly appealing...
As the brain finally managed to process the information the eyes were sending, the image cleared almost instantly. He was in a large courtyard, surround by firing Marines, terrified civilians...and bodies. This was no courtyard...it was a graveyard. Bodies all around him. On top of him even. He never noticed it until now. Wolf looked at it closer. A look of terror and pain was forever frozen on this poor man's face. A large spike protruded from his back.Warm blood still dripped from his hands. Wolf looked into his cold, lifeless eyes, and he saw it. All and Nothing at the same time. The secrets of the universe, the meaning of life, all was hidden away in these dead eyes. But that was not all that was in them. In them he saw the endless Void, absolute Nothing. There was a strange beauty in the peculiar combination. It attracted him like a moth to a flame. All the answers to every question ever posed by humanity was carefully locked away in those eyes, and all he had to do to unlock them was to keep looking into them/. But fate had a different idea in mind...
All of a sudden, he was jolted away from the eyes that held All within them, and was met with the sight of a Marine Sergeant trying to get his attention. By slapping him in the face repeatedly while yelling at him.
"Snap out of it Wolf! Wolf! Snap out of it!" His gruff voice held an air of desperation.
That simple command didn't register in Wolf's mind, and he continued to look for the eyes, trying to find his way into their cold, yet warm embrace.
"Wake up!"
Wolf's eyes opened as he gasped for air. Yes, he had moved on, but the nightmares would pursue him relentlessly. Wolf ached all over, as if his entire body had been ripped apart at the molecular level then smashed back together with tremendous force. Despite this, he managed to lift up from the bed he was resting on and look around, scanning for any signs of life. It was dark, and with every passing moment it seemed to get darker. Wolf looked to the floor and saw a thin beam of light grow smaller and smaller, before disappearing completely. The sun's turn had ended, it was now time for the moon to gain control over the skies. A gentle, cool breeze caressed his skin. He scanned the room for it's source. It was an open balcony door. He got off the rustled sheets of the bed, and came in contact with the cold, hard floor. What was it made of, he wondered. Marble? Limestone? Wolf wasn't sure...He had only seen marble in the homes of financially secure citizens. Marble floors or walls had become a symbol of wealth for humans. A luxury to be enjoyed only by the super rich. Rich people...How Wolf hated them. Their snobbish behavior, their absurd 'requirements', their insanely priced clothing, their belief that they were better than everyone else because of their money. Not all of them were like that, Wolf knew, but unfortunately the vast majority of them were.
He felt a bit disoriented, but he managed to walk over to the balcony. Every step on the floors was sickening for him. As if fate was trying to mock him once more, he was now walking on the luxury floors of what could only be the estate of one of Equestria's aristocrats. Once he was out, the gentle breeze morphed into a light wind. The feeling wasn't as pleasant as before. It was more like a defeated opponent who was intent on scoring a few more hits on the victor before succumbing... Wolf walked over to the edge and leaned over on the protective railing, gazing out towards Canterlot. The entire city was filled with a warm, golden light from it's many street lights, which had been lit before the moon would solidify it's hold on the sky. It was beautiful. He didn't like cities much, too tightly packed together for his tastes, but this one had a unique charm to it...
The cobblestone roads reflected the light from the forest of street lamps, giving the impression that they were made of gold. The stonemasons of Equestria had outdone themselves, and Wolf was certain that they were showered with riches for their excellent work. As he looked out onto the streets, he could see that they were slowly filling with ponies. He wondered how the night life was in Canterlot. He recalled many jokes about the non-existent night life on previously dead planets, before they were terraformed.
"Yeah, there's no life on Shark's Tooth. After ten you can't find an open bar..."
Wolf smiled as he remembered the joke he had heard many times before, almost every one of them concerning a different planet. The wind began to die down now, reverting back to the gentle breeze that he enjoyed. Wolf greedily inhaled the cool air, filling his lungs to capacity, before exhaling and expelling the poison that filled them before. As the air whistled while it went through his nasal passages, he almost didn't hear the soft hoofteps behind him. He didn't turn around though, He knew who it was. Before long, he heard her soft, caring voice.
"You're awake..."
Wolf wasn't sure how to react. He hadn't seen her for two weeks, and he expected to come home to Ponyville, back in the library. And now he found himself in a palace in Canterlot, after being shot down and nearly killed, and now Princess Twilight Sparkle was behind him, expecting him to act like everything's normal. In the end, he just decided on a neutral response.
"Yeah...I guess I am."
The hoofsteps sounded again, as Twilight came in closer. Before long, he could feel her forelegs wrapping around him, pulling him in closer to her. After two weeks of being alone out on the cold northern plains of Equestria, searching for any suspicious activity, the embrace was more than welcome. He placed his arms on her forelegs, holding them close to himself. Oh what the hell? He could always complain later? And to be honest, he really didn't care. The initial suprise had long worn off. He would come to accept the fact that Twilight was royalty now. Eventually...After a few minutes in complete silence, Twilight finally let go, moved forward, and leaned next to him on the railing. For awhile they just sat there, looking out onto the lit city. The silence was finally broken by Wolf.
"How long was I out?"
Twilight looked up into his deep blue eyes. Such tranquility they held...Hard to believe they belonged to one such as Wolf.
"About thirty-eight hours."
Wolf looked a bit suprised, but he wiped that look off his face quickly. Now he needed to know what had happened.
"I must have blacked out for awhile. What happened?"
Twilight turned her head, trying to shift her view back to the city. The action sent a few strands from her mane soaring through the air, gently brushing against Wolf's nose. She had desperately hoped to avoid this question.
"You were shot down, and crashed below Canterlot..." Twilight said, confident she had just dodged the proverbial bullet.
"That much I remember..." Wolf replied, annoyed because Twilight knew what he meant to ask, but for some reason she wouldn't answer his question.
"How did you survive anyway?" She looked straight at him now, once again into his eyes. There was something so familiar hidden in them, so warm, it made you want to look into them forever.
"I cast a shield around myself..." He said as his hand began to glow deep purple as he channeled magical energy into it. He could feel the temperature in his hand rising slowly, but he didn't mind. It was a minor nuisance.
"...you trained me well..." He said to her, acknowledging Twilight's capacity as a teacher, and thanking her in his own subtle way.
Twilight could only smile as she realized that she in fact had saved Wolf. Without that shield, he would be dead. And she taught him how to cast one. She felt an enormous weight lift off her...
"After the crash...what happened to me?" Wolf asked, confident that she couldn't avoid the question this time. Twilight was trapped, and she knew it all too well. The weight that had lifted came crashing down on her with even more force. She had just avoided that damn question, but he asked again, he intended to get an answer, whatever that answer was...
"In the hospital, you...Something happened to you, and you went on a rampage.." Twilight said, fear growing in her voice. Why did he have to be so stubborn about this? Couldn't he just leave it alone and make her life just a bit easier?
Wolf eyes opened wide as his ears caught Twilight's answer, sending the sounds to the brain to be processed.
"Was anyone hurt?" He asked, his voice brimming with concern. He wouldn't like the answer, Twilight thought to herself.
"Seven dead..." She could hear him sigh as she said the number to be added to his already long list of victims...
"...Thirty one injured." She continued. He wanted an answer, so she would give it to him.
"Damn it..."
Wolf pushed off the railing, then leaned against the wall behind him, hand on his head. Twilight walked over to him, pushed his hand away from his face, then stared right into his eyes.
"It wasn't your fault." She said, trying to numb the mental pain that he was in.
"As if I wasn't enough of a monster already..." Wolf grunted as he pushed off the wall and retook his position on the railing, looking down on the golden city once more. Twilight followed him there, perching herself right next to him as he let out a loud sigh.
"It wasn't the first time..." He said in a sad voice, as he recalled one certain day, when a Spinar Queen fell...
"But let's hope it was the last." He continued, confidence growing in him as a smile appeared on his face.
The smile wasn't going to get any bigger. The knowledge that he had extinguished seven lives for no good reason and injured another thirty, was still too close. Wolf looked up into the night sky. He couldn't see many stars due to the bright ambient light, but the ones that he could see were beautiful enough. As he was about to get caught up in their beauty, he remembered his mission, and stood up tall, taking a more serious stance.
"The northern borders are secure. Nothing but rabbits, foxes and snow. Wasn't worth the trouble of getting there." Wolf said, slightly annoyed at how he spent two weeks searching for absolutely nothing.
Twilight was relieved. That was some of the best news she's heard in awhile. But know a knot had stuck in her throat. He had told her of the situation, now she had to tell him of it. And after that, she had to ask more of him than she had ever had before, even though she knew she had no right to. But, as Ruler of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle to look out for her people first.
"Unfortunately, the North is no longer the problem." Twilight said, letting out a disappointed sigh. Wolf turned to face her, lifting an eyebrow. What new problem was right at Equestria's doorstep this time?
"What does that mean?"
"Outlying towns on the Western borders have gone silent. Celestia only told me of this after my Coronation."
"Big suprise..." Wolf interrupted. Celestia hadn't made it into his good books yet, and he seriously doubted she ever would.
Slightly annoyed by the interruption, Twilight wanted to say something, but decided against it, and continued.
"Contact had been lost for the past three weeks. At first it was just one town, but then another, and another and so on..."
"Three weeks you say? That puts it just a few days after that Nightmare bitch's return..." Wolf said, slightly worried.
"Coincidence?" Twilight replied with a question.
"Not likely..." Wolf said sternly. He then asked his question in turn.
"...So what, you want me to go out there and check things out?" Wolf asked, expecting her to answer yes.
"No, I think we already know what's going on..." Twilight said worriedly.
Wolf caught on to the message immediately. Towns going dark a few days after an evil queens return only meant one thing. Said evil queen was making a land-grab. And he knew from experience that these had to be put down quickly and without mercy. He laughed to himself. He doubted that Equestria was ready to put down a rebel movement like that.
"So what kind of preparations are you making?" Wolf asked, leaning back on the rail, about a foot away from Twilight. He could tell that she was very worried.
"We're mobilizing everything we can. We're placing cannons in all our major cities first. Reserve Guards are being deployed everywhere in preparation for an attack."
"Never thought I'd see this place gearing up for war..." Wolf commented.
"...Here's hoping it'll be over quickly."
"There's just one problem. The Griffons under their command." Twilight said, more worried than ever before.
"What about them?" Wolf asked.
Twilight was suprised and even more disappointed at the same time. One, Wolf completely underestimated the mounting Griffon threat, and two, it was blatantly obvious that he had decided not to participate. And that only made her position even more precarious.
"What about them? Wolf, they have superior technology, superior training, and there are a few thousand of them! The Equestrian Guard isn't trained to fight enemies like that!" Twilight shouted at an apathetic Wolf. She couldn't see any better way to ask him right now, and so she used the one she had just inadvertently created.
"But you are..." She said, wincing as those treacherous, poisonous words escaped her mouth.
Wolf was dumbstruck. Did she really just say what he thought she said? No...she couldn't have...She wasn't like that. She wouldn't...
But she did.
He looked at her, smile disappearing from his face completely, anger taking him over.
"I didn't hear that...You did not just say that..."
"Wolf...I..." Twilight said, regretting what she just said and trying to take it back.
"No! There's no possible excuse for what you just said!" Wolf yelled at her, enraged at what she just asked of him. And she didn't even have the courtesy to ask him straightforward!
"Wolf, I have no choice! I'm responsible for an entire nation now! I have to look out for them! Millions of ponies everywhere! You think it's easy?! Well it's not! And asking you to fight for us is even harder!" Twilight yelled back, shifting from defense to offense.
"And that just makes it alright? No, it doesn't! Do you have any, any idea what you're asking of me?! My war ended long ago, and it cost me very dearly..." Wolf said sighing as the anger melted away quickly. He continued...
"But now I've left that behind. And just when I think I can finally, finally start to lead a normal life, you ask me to fight in another one!" Wolf fell to the ground, sighing even louder than before as he finished speaking. His head rested firmly in his hands. Twilight went over to him and laid down on the floor next to him, fighting hard to repress the tears that were building up. She wished she could take her words back...He had returned to her after two weeks absence, and now that she had him back, she asked him to bring everything back, the pain, the memories, the loss, so that he could channel all that to start fighting again.
They sat together for a few minutes in complete silence, before Wolf finally broke it.
"I don't know Twilight...I just don't know...Just, just give me some time to think about it..." He said in an exhausted voice. He had only woken up after being unconscious for thirty eight hours just minutes ago. His batteries were exhausted already. Twilight buried her muzzle in Wolf's shoulder, tears flowing freely now. Wolf rubbed his hands through her finely groomed mane, moved down to her sides, where he encountered her wings for the first time. The soft feeling of the feathers was something new, but so far it was good.
"Those are going to take some getting used to..." Wolf chuckled, a new smile once again appearing on his face as Twilight looked up into his blue eyes again.
"You'll manage..." Twilight replied to him. Acting simultaneously, they locked lips after going without it for far too long. They sat there, locked together as tears streamed down both their faces. They both wanted to apologize, but couldn't find the words to do so. Thankfully words weren't required.
A few minutes later, and their embrace broke. The silence was broken by Twilight.
"I missed you..." Twilight said, just happy to have her hooves around him again.
"I missed you too. So...hate to ruin the moment here, but...Where's Nyx?" Wolf asked, realizing how he had completely forgotten about her. Twilight's answer was reassuring, and unsuprising.
"She's pretty much moved into the library here...She hasn't come out since we settled in. I imagine that'll change when I tell her that you're back."
"You haven't told her yet? Why not?" Wolf asked, curious to see what her answer was.
"I wanted to get to you first..." Twilight answered, her eyes closing slightly.
Wolf smiled, before replying...
"Well, I'm all yours..."
Before he could say anything else, Twilight kissed him, wrapping her hooves around him as the last light from the sun finally faded away behind them...
End chapter 46.