Straggler

by Anansi

Prologue: Displaced

Straggler

Prologue: Displaced

‘Where am I?’ Deep in a forest nestled near the center of Equestria, a lone quadruped stirred from his slumber. The creature rose from his side, his black cloak falling off of his back, and revealing the quadruped to be a two meter tall Wolf, fur as black as a starless night during a New Moon, with dreadlocks up to fifty centimeters long hanging off his skull. The left side of his face had a three pronged scar over his eye, a permanent reminder of a past encounter with a fearsome creature.

Platinum hued streaks of fur ran along his sides like wild lightning that formed to the shape of an ethereal wing, devoid of feathers, reminiscent of tribal markings. His fore legs bore two pluming clouds of fur, one standing at a meter long on the upper back of his foreleg, forming to an elegant point with shades of sapphire lining the edge and coating the tip. His ankles bore smaller plumes of fur standing at ten centimeters in length and sporting the same blue lining as the larger plume.

The Wolf tried to examine his surroundings, struggling to clear the fog in his head as he blinked away the haze that hindered his vision only to find a surprising, though not unexpected, discovery. ‘So my vision has left me again, huh?’ He opened his eyes to reveal a platinum iris, the mark of a creature that had been blinded since its birth. ‘Okay... What happened to cause this?’ He lay back down on his stomach, letting his body feel for the earth around him and take the time to check for any unforeseen ailments. ‘My Mortal Sight is inactive, and I can’t gather enough energy to activate my Aura Sight either. The only thing I can think of is...a battle? I have no idea of knowing which one it could be though.’ The Wolf’s body began to arc with strong electrical currents of obsidian black with a sapphire hued outline, breaking at their peak as they rose off the fibers of his fur.

The sounds of the forest sang into his perked ears, the same blue fur adorning the tips. The birds chirped away as they called for their families and would-be mates. The rustling of the bushes could be heard as predators and scavengers searched for their next meal. Wherever this forest was nestled, it was not a hospitable environment.

The Wolf readjusted his eyes and felt the flash of electricity across his iris, his iris starting to glow and shimmer like a borealis veil in the night sky. ‘There we go.’ He thought as he found his powers slowly returning to him. ‘I should be able to reactivate my sight.’ The Wolf closed his eyes. ‘Aura Gaze should allow me to get a better view of the situation.’ The Wolf reopened his eyes and his iris continued to glow even brighter as he took in his surroundings for the first time. He released a satisfied sigh and allowed a smile to crease his lips as he looked upon the trees. ‘Reminds me of Home…’ His smile faltered when he thought of his home, the word itself repeating in his head as his mind finally seemed to clear, the glow in his iris dissipating from his eyes.

‘Home… Home… Home… Home!’ He suddenly sprung up to his feet as the memories resurfaced in his head. The sight of crimson stained fur and large scaly husks littered the once harmonious field and died the pristine lake from a glistening silver to a blood red. One particular husk made the Wolf tense and fall to the ground in a hopeless stupor. ‘Niwa…’

The Wolf wanted to curl up and die as the sight of his most cherished companion lay on the ground in a lifeless pile. The sight of his greatest failure burned its way into his memory as he looked to the sky to see the fiercest of dragons looking down on him with a look of twisted satisfaction as he leered high in the sky. The Wolf could only stare with blind hatred as he released a mighty howl and charged at the menace. He could not remember what happened during the exchange, only that he had finished his fight and limped away with what little life he had left, the only remnant of the Dragon’s life was its name echoing in the Wolf’s head as he struggled to answer one final question. ‘Sanguis… How could you betray us like that…?’

The Wolf lay on the ground for a few more moments, lamenting his past mistake. He saw no point in continuing to indulge in his bitter thoughts as they only seemed to reopen old wounds and remind him of his actions prior to his awakening. He was on the verge of giving up when a youthful voice rang in his ears.The sound of laughter resounding in his mind, giving him peace and a smile.

‘Those little pups.’ He continued to reminisce on his memories, laughing and playing with two young fillies. Tending to them as if they were his own. In his mind, he watched them grow older and older maturing into fine mares of renown. Until his mind returned to another image, the Wolf shooting back to his feet as he suddenly remembered why he had lost consciousness in the first place. A chaotic amalgamation of creatures had formed together to create a being of pure mischief and destruction as he twisted the land to his own liking, a conniving smile shown vividly across his face as a single sharp fang peered out of his maw.

“Discord!” The Wolf roared as he quickly retrieved his cloak and bolted through the forest at incredible speeds, the platinum trimming along the edges gleaming as the few patches of sunlight reflected off its surface, showing lightning bolts embroidered into the design. ‘I remember now! That bastard threw me into some kind of portal! It must have sent me to Everfree. That’s why the trees look so similar to my home.’ He continued through the dense foliage, leaping over large trunks and fallen branches. ‘We were trying to stop that psychopathic Draconequus before he tore Equestria apart!’ Soon after, the Wolf found himself staring into a bright light at the edge of the forest. ‘His throne should be somewhere around her-’ His thoughts were interrupted when the light vanished and his eyes were greeted, not by Chaos, but by Harmony.

As he stood at the edge of Everfree, he eyed a rustic settlement that had once been the throne of the Master of Chaos himself. ‘What in the…?’ He noticed several Ponies and Stallions walking through the street with a jaunty step and wide smiles across their faces. The Wolf couldn’t help but fall on his haunches in a shocked stupor. ‘It can’t be. Discord had the three of us dead to rights and yet…’ He looked up to see two pure white Pegasus stallions draped in golden armor pulling an equally golden chariot into the center of the town, an annoyed looking purple pony resting her head on the side of the golden chariot. ‘Everything seems so peaceful. Did we…did we win? Did those little pups actually best Discord?’ As the relief set into his mind, it suddenly flashed with one final thought. The Wolf released an amused hmph as he looked up towards a mountain city he did not recall from his memories. He smiled weakly at the thought as a stray bittersweet tear ran down his cheek. He slowly rose to his feet and turned back into the forest. “They don’t need me anymore.”

Author's Note:

Thank you to WolfTheWyvern for his assistance in editing and proof reading.