Wow...This one took a long time to write, and it wasn't for a lack of ideas. I actually had too many ideas. I cut down a lot of what was in this chapter, and I'll figure out a way to incorporate it in later chapters.
I apologize for the length of time between chapters. I don't have an editor/proof-reader, so I do it myself. This means that I proof read it once, let it sit for a day or two, then I proof-read it again with a fresh eye.
Please comment on what you like/dislike/and any errors you see, because I guarantee I've missed some.
WARNING: There is a bit of gore in this chapter! It isn't bad, but I figured I would warn y'all before anyone freaked out on me for not doing so.
My heart was racing as fast as Rainbow Dash when I jumped down to the floor. I was panicked, trying my best to escape the magic that had trapped me. That was when it hit me. The ground was no longer covered in grass and dirt. It was solid stone. It was a moment before I realized I was back in the Infirmary, and that it had only been a dream. Even though it had been a dream, it was such a vivid one that I had thought it to be real. Before I could manage to get back in my bed, I fell over. The sudden movement had caused my body to lock up as soon as it came to rest, and I couldn’t move. I was about to call for Nurse Softcast when I felt somepony help me to my hooves and hold me steady while I regained my ability to move. When I looked to my side I saw no other than the soldier mare from the night before, Quicksilver.
“Please don’t do that again. I don’t feel like protecting you from yourself. It wasn’t in the job description when I was ordered here. Instead I need to be doing my job of standing guard over you in case the Lupine decide to kill you. That affront to their Chieftain didn’t go unnoticed, and some of them may take action without his blessing in order to gain his favor. They have been known to kill for lesser offenses after all.” She smiled slyly as she helped me back into my bed. I wondered why she would be in the Infirmary already, but she explained perfectly, “I was ordered by General Gale Force to guard you with my life. I don’t know why you’re so important, but you have someone who obviously likes you. Plus, if any wolves come in you have the best fighter in the entire Royal Army by your side, besides General Gale Force of course.” I couldn’t help but stare at her for a few moments. I was so confused by her sudden change from the night before.
“How, in Luna’s name, have you managed to keep up your charade this long?” I asked her this out of disbelief. Her voice had to give her away, and if not that, than they had to see her mane once in a while. Those both were dead giveaways as to her being a mare. She just smiled slyly and shook her head.
“What do you mean Pathfinder? A gruff voice said. I looked up from my bed to see smile on her face. That was evidence enough that she had managed it. Although it was fairly convincing, if one tried hard enough, one could discern some feminine qualities to the notes.
“Okay, I guess you can disguise your voice, but what about your mane? No one has mentioned that before? “ I was really amazed at how she had kept the fact that she was a mare quiet for so long.
“Oh, that’s nothing. I only take my cap off to shower. And all the showers stalls here in the castle are assigned by individual, so I never have to worry about others walking in on me.” It was starting to make more sense after her explanation, so I just gave up on it. Instead, I was curious as to why the Equestrian Royal Army maintained a detachment in the castle when there was already the Royal Guard here to protect the Princesses.
“So, why exactly does the Army have a force in the castle when the Royal Guard performs the duty of protecting the Princesses?” My question didn’t catch her off guard, as she answered it with methodical precision.
“The Royal Army’s 1st Corps moved its base of operations back to Canterlot after the Changeling Invasion. Prior to that, Celestia had ordered we set up our HQ in Manehattan. The 1st Corps consists of 3 divisions. There is the 1st Unicorn Division, nicknamed ‘Canterlot’s Pride’. They got that name, because their Division all received training at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Next is the 1st Earth Pony Division, the ‘Iron Ponies’, so named because they have never been broken in battle.” She paused for a second to take a breath. I couldn’t help but think how much history each of these units had.
Finally, she continued, “Then there is my unit, the 1st Pegasus Wing, ‘Staliongrad’s Saviors’ or ‘Stalliongrad’s Survivors’. This unit earned that name during the first Lupine Rebellion. The Lupine had rolled over the 2nd and 3rd Earth Pony Divisions and straight into Stalliongrad. They were pushing through the city, being harassed by the remnants of the ‘Thundering Third’, when our Division arrived. The fighting was brutal. They had superior numbers, but we fought hard, giving up little ground as we hit them quickly and then disappeared. Finally, we were able to turn the tide of battle when one of their generals slipped up. He led his entire command into a trap laid by General Stormwing. His grave miscalculation gave us the upper hoof, and we pushed them out of the city. ” I was amazed at the story. There was so much pride in her voice, and fire in her eyes, that I almost believed she had been there.
“If you’re the 1st Pegasus Division, than why are you a part of the Royal Equestrian Army’s 1st Corps?” It didn’t make any sense in my mind, but maybe she could convince me otherwise. So far, the unexplainable seemed pretty easily explained in her company, and maybe she could keep that going. She grinned at the question, as if she had wanted me to ask it.
“That originates back to the founding of Equestria. The Royal Equestrian Army was created when Equestria was. The 1st Corps was the whole army in the early days. There weren’t enough Pegasi for an Air Force, and so it is tradition that the First Pegasus is a part of the Army instead of the Air Force. This gives us a unique job in the Army of rapid deployment, guerilla warfare, and reconnaissance.” Once again Quicksilver did an outstanding job of explaining everything. This led me to one more question. I figured it was just that she was well versed in the storied history of her unit, but it also seemed she was knowledgeable of more than just her unit when it came to the military.
“So, do you study military history as a hobby, or are you pushing for a commission?” I didn’t sugarcoat the question. I presented it to her plain and simple, and she smiled.
“Both actually. I want to lead more than just a handful of Pegasi into battle, but I also thoroughly enjoy reading up on the history of war. Not just Equestria’s wars either, because looking at history, the most successful generals all knew their enemy well. They also understood the lessons of the past, otherwise they would have been doomed to repeat them. I know the way the Lupine fight. I’ve studied every major war they’ve been involved in from a century prior to their first rebellion to the present.” Her extremely efficient manner of answering questions amused me to no end. She was definitely officer material, and military through and through. She would make a fine general some day, if no one caught her first.
“Well, you don’t happen to know much about me do you?” Now was the time to test whether she was well informed through the secret mill or not. She had been waiting for this moment, and she pounced on it with a sly grin.
“Do you really think I would have come here without finding out everything there is to know about you? Rumor is that you don’t remember exactly who you are. Guards say you have amnesia from an event involving the Elements. Rumor also has it that you aren’t an average pony.” She casually spoke these words to me, watching my every reaction. I raised my eyebrow at the second rumor.
“And why do they say that?” I was genuinely curious now. If I was considered abnormal, on top of the amnesia that is, than I wanted to know why. She just continued to smile that sly half-smile of hers.
“That’s the thing. They say you’ve been trained. You have the hardwired reflexes of a trained warrior. They say that, because only a soldier can intercept an opponent the way you did in the throne room. I was told you performed an intercept maneuver that not even some of our top guards know. It was a technique that originated in an interesting place centuries ago. It came from the Den Forest.” This revelation confused me. I had heard that name in my dream. But that dream had been of Lupine and Griffon’s fighting. The Den Forest was part of the Lupine’s territory. I could have easily been trained by the Lupine, or I could have been trained to fight them. Either one would explain why I knew how to perform that intercept, and why I had battle reflexes. Quicksilver watched me the whole time I thought, obviously looking for a clue as to what I was thinking.
“There’s more too. I checked the records. There is no Earth Pony named Pathfinder recorded for the past 50 years. The last recorded Pathfinder died 50 years ago in Trottingham. So, who are you? You’re obviously an important pony, or you wouldn’t have been brought before Celestia like you were.” I knew there wouldn’t be a record of a Pathfinder, because that had been a name we’d made up. It was an alias intended to keep ponies from worrying over my name. After a few moments of pondering her question, I answered.
“You ask who I am. I wish I could tell you. It isn’t for being ordered to keep it a secret. It’s because I truly do not know who I am, or who I was. You think of me as a threat, and you are a very smart pony to do so. The truth is, I am a pony without an identity. I exist on no official records. By all intents and purposes, I shouldn’t be here.” This was the hardest thing to come to grips with. It was as if I had suddenly appeared in Equestria. I had no past, and as such I had no identity. The emotions I felt had clearly made their way into my facial features, as I saw her gaze soften.
“It must be hard for you, not knowing who you are. Could you at least tell me your real name? I mean, if I am going to be protecting you, I want know who I am guarding.” It was a very reasonable request, but one I wasn’t sure I could grant. It could undo all the precautions taken in bringing me here. I wrestled with the idea for a few moments before making my decision.
“I guess you’re right…I should probably tell you, but you are sworn to secrecy from this point by the Princesses. My name is a secret only the Elements, the Princesses, and Captain Shining Armour know. My name…” I paused for a second to make sure nopony in the infirmary was listening before I continued, “My name is Dohi Waya. It means Peaceful Wolf. Before you ask, no I don’t know why, but it’s my name, and I will hold onto it with my life, because it is the only part of my past that I remember.”
This show of emotion and trust softened her even more. Even though she was military, she was still caring, and my predicament must have set something off in her. She looked at me with pity, and I couldn’t blame her. I must have looked pretty pitiful, with the bandages on my body and the emotions plastered across my face.
“I’m sorry for you Waya. I hope you find out who you are, because your fate is one that nopony should suffer.” I was tired of the pity and the conversation that had led to it, so I stopped talking. There was no need to wallow like this in my own despair. That lead to defeat, and defeat was the one thing Equestria and I could not afford. Suddenly, I noticed Quicksilver stand straight up as she put a serious look on her face.
I looked to the entrance to see what had caused her to tense up so quickly. It was the Elements! My mood lifted as soon as I saw the six of them walking down the center aisle of the Infirmary, well, walking really only described half of them. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity all walked along calmly enough. Fluttershy shuffled along a bit slower, with her eyes on her hooves. Rainbow Dash hovered low to the ground as she moved. Then there was Pinkie. Pinkie bounced along in such a manner that she looked like she had springs attached to her feet.
“So, how are you feeling today Pathfinder?” Twilight asked in her typical tone. I smiled a second, then thought of an answer.
“Well, I feel kind of like I was run over by a ranbow-maned Pegasus.” My response caused the six of them to laugh and RD to blush. I also could’ve sworn that I had seen Quicksilver’s face almost break from its serious expression. Twilight turned her attention to my guard as soon as she stopped laughing. It was obvious that she had been the first thing Twilight had noticed. It was hard not to notice a Pegasus soldier in full armor.
“Name, rank, and unit soldier.” She ordered. Quicksilver’s response was immediate.
“ Corporal Quicksilver of the 1st Corps 1st Pegasus Division, ‘Stalliongrad’s Saviors’ Ma’am!” The response was by the book. It also amused me to see a soldier respond in such a way to a civilian, even if that civilian happened to be the Element of Magic.
“Good. Shining told me that General Gale Force had placed a guard over Pathfinder. My brother couldn’t afford to release any of the Princesses’ guards to protect you, so he suggested to General Force that he do so. I’m happy to see that his suggestion wasn’t taken lightly.”Everypony seemed so worried about my safety that it frustrated me. I wasn’t important enough to rate a guard, yet they gave me one. I should never have had an audience with the Princesses, yet I had one. I felt as if they all knew something about me that I didn’t, and I couldn’t stand that feeling.
“Well, since that’s taken care of…Has any more news come in?’ I really wanted to shift the conversation away from me and to the war. That way no one could feel sorry for and I wouldn’t have to bear their pity. The look Twilight gave me was full of concern, whether it was for me or for the news I couldn’t tell. Next, she glanced to Quicksilver. “She’s trustworthy, and she’ll find it all out eventually, so she might as well know now.” Twilight knew I was right, and so she answered my question.
“The dragons cannot lend us their help. A sudden disease has swept through their nomadic nation. While it is not deadly, it can cripple an afflicted individual for months at a time. We’re also getting reports from Eastern Command of the Leo Republic augmenting their units along the border. They are either preparing to attack while we are preoccupied with the Lupine, or they are merely maintaining the security of their own country to ensure the Lupine don’t attack them as well. Whatever they are doing, it is putting everypony even further on edge.” This was no good at all. Equestria would have to stand against the Lupine with only the Griffons by our side. It wasn’t like the last time. Last time they had support from all over, including the dragons. The Lupine were harassed mercilessly by Equestria’s allies, this time she practically stood alone.
Then a thought occurred to me, How did I know Equestria had help in the last Rebellion? Maybe my memories were returning to me, and I really had been a soldier. Maybe I was a military project, one meant to be unleashed when the Lupine threatened again. That would explain the lack of memories, the knowledge of the First Lupine Rebellion, and the battle reflexes. I decided that would be my current take on what I was until evidence was provided against it. I didn’t want to think that I could possibly be a Lupine plant.
“Well, we have to go again Pathfinder. Princess Celestia wants us to sit in on the war planning so that she may have our input. We promise that we’ll visit if we can. Right girls?” Twilight’s words broke me from my train of thought. The others all nodded and voiced agreement, but it seemed like Pinkie really wanted to say something, and say something she did.
“ONCETHISISALLOVERWECANHAVEACONGRATULATIONSYOU’REALLBETTERPARTYANDTHEREWILLBECAKEANDBALLOONSANDPARTYGAMESANDCUPCAKESANDPUNCHANDWECANINVITEQUICKSILVERANDSHI-“
“Pinkie! Breathe!” Applejack yelled to the Pink mare whose voice was progressively getting higher. AJ’s sudden break from silence surprised me. She hadn’t said a word the whole time, and when she did, it was to yell at Pinkie. It didn’t seem like her, and I was wondering what the problem was. The rest of the group looked at AJ in surprise as well. Clearly they had been taken aback by her sudden reaction to Pinkie’s energy. There was a large intake of air as she inhaled. It would have been comical if it wasn’t so disturbing how long she speak without breathing.
“Okay…We should go now. We’ll see you later Pathfinder” Twilight started walking away and the others went to follow her. This was going to be my only chance to talk to Applejack, so I decided to stop her.
“Hey Applejack! Would you mind staying an extra couple moments? You don’t mind letting her stay, do you Twilight?” The entire group stopped and looked at Applejack and Twilight. Twilight just nodded her head, and Applejack walked back to my bed slowly. “You wouldn’t mind giving the two of us a private conversation would you Quicksilver?” She looked to me, nodded, then walked to the far end of the room, where she stood guard by the doors.
What did you want to talk about Sugarcube?” She tried to feign a happy tone, but I wasn’t buying it. At the same time I smiled at the sound of her voice. It seemed so familiar, but I know I’d never met her before, so there had to have been a pony in my past who talked like her. I decided to let that go and ask her the question on my mind.
“You’ve been quiet since this mess began. I know I don’t know you all that well, but you seem like a pony with opinions that are usually heard. What’s wrong?” I hoped that she wouldn’t get mad at me for this, but it was the only way to make her feel better. Getting things off your chest was the only way you could feel better, and sometimes it helped to have others share your burdens. She stared at me for a long time, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She did a good job of keeping emotion off her face, but one can only do that so long before they break, and I could tell that, even though she was tough, she was close to breaking. The way she seemed to snap at Pinkie before was simply the cracks starting to show. Finally, she sighed heavily.
“Ah guess ah cain’t keep going on like this.” The fact that she had just admitted that something was wrong amazed me. She paused for a few moments, and it seemed like she was figuring out the best way to go about her problem. Finally, she seemed to make up her mind, and she started speaking, “This ain’t the first time Ah’ve come into contact with the Lupine.” That revelation alone shocked me, but it already started to make more sense. “Ah was only a filly, didn’t even have mah cutie mark yet. Mah parents and Ah were up north, visiting family in Trottingham. We’d started on our way home, walking the roads. Mah father had just set his hat on mah head because Ah kept pesterin’ him to let me wear it.’” I saw a flash of an image of Applejack as a filly when she mentioned it. For some reason, filly Applejack was crying.
She continued to say, “On a pretty quiet dirt road we were accosted. Three wolves sprung outta their hidin’ spots in the bushes along the road. Mah father stepped between them and mah mother and Ah. It-It…” I could see her start tearing up. I interrupted her for her own sake.
“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to.” I didn’t know if she would want to finish telling her story or not. She just shook her head after a moment gathering her self and started again.
“It didn’t help. They jumped on him and he yelled to mah mother and Ah, ‘Blossom! Applejack! Run!’ It was the last thing he said, and then he went down fightin’.” While her tone was undoubtedly sad, there was also a hint of pride in it. “He managed to break on of their legs, and that helped us get a little further, but only a little.” I knew it was hurting her to relive this bad memory, but I hoped it would bring her a little ease of mind with someone else to help her bear its burden.
“When they set upon us again, they went for mah mother. I paused, paralyzed in fear. I couldn’t look away as they killed her.” Her story brought the vivid image of a trio of wolves, one bleeding from a compound fracture, tearing into a light red mare as little Applejack sat watching in horror. I felt a burning hatred grow inside me for these wolves. I knew what they were about to do and I had to stop them. I barely heard Applejack recount the rest of her story, because I was watching as it played out in my mind.
“They finished and turned to me. Ah’d never felt as afraid as I did in that moment. Ah knew Ah was dead, but then Ah heard a very angry growl from the tree line to mah right.” I could hear it as well, it was so close by that it was as if it come from inside me. The three wolves advancing on the filly turned their heads to where I was watching to see the newcomer.
“Ah thought another wolf from their pack had joined them, but Ah was wrong.” I noticed, in a momentary lapse in the vision, that her eyes were glazed in recollection and there had been a clear shift in tone in her voice. “The other wolves laughed at the newcomer, he was much smaller than they were, and he seemed quite a bit younger, but he had just reached adulthood by mah guess.” I walked in the footsteps of the younger wolf as he strode towards the group. “He walked towards them calmly and he spoke, ‘For the crimes you have committed, both here today, and since your banishment from the tribes, you are condemned to death by the rule of the Council of Elders. Speak your final words now.’ That was the moment Ah let mahself hope that he was there to help.”
I heard his words and watched as the others sneered at the wolf who dared challenge them while outnumbered. I realized that I was seeing the events from the lone wolf’s perspective. The three wolves spoke, “We are not afraid of anyone the Council sends, not even if he is the son of Blood Warrior. We’ll enjoy killing you” I couldn’t hear Applejack speak now, I was completely drawn into the vision.
“Have it your way. You are hereby proclaimed Didahihi(Murderers) and Dalonige Digadoga(Yellow Tails). Your lives are forfeit.” With that I lunged towards the nearest of the three. My teeth closed around his throat in an instant, and before he had so much as a chance to yelp. The warm wash of blood on my muzzle excited me. Unfortunately, in the progress of attacking the first of the three I had turned my back to the remaining two.
I was tackled from behind by one of them, and we went rolling. The whole way teeth flashed and claws scratched. I had a long scratch down my right side, but it wasn’t deep, so I barely registered the pain. I was lucky when we hit came to a halt, as I landed with his right foreleg in my jaws. All it took was a forceful bite, and I heard the sickeningly satisfying crunch of shattered bone. He yelped, but still had the strength to make an attempt for my now unguarded throat. His attempt, luckily, was just that, as I stepped to the side and used his momentum to run him into a tree. While he was dazed, I finished him.
The last of their little pack tried to get away, but he was running on a broken foreleg and I didn’t let him get far. He turned to face me and I tackled him to the ground.
“Please…mercy! “ The way the injured wolf begged was pitiful. It wasn’t fitting of a Lupine. I felt the rage build up inside of me.
“Mercy? You want mercy?” The pinned wolf nodded emphatically, as he tried to save his own sorry hide. I despised him, yet I also pitied him. He was no longer a wolf. He was a trapped animal. I could practically smell the fear pouring from him. “Fine. Mercy it is. The same mercy you showed the pups you slaughtered and the ponies you murdered.” The look of relief on his face changed to disbelief as I tore his throat out. He had actually expected to receive mercy after what had happened. He had definitely been delusional.
After taking care of the last of the renegades, I walked back to the little filly that was left alone by the death of what I assumed to be her parents. She looked terrified as I approached, even if I had just killed the wolves that murdered her family, I was still a wolf, and I understood that. I was about to speak when suddenly she fainted. I rushed forward, hoping that she hadn’t been injured and that she had only fainted from shock. I had seen enough killing of young ones from the trio of dead murderers than I should have seen in a lifetime, and I didn’t want another on my hands.
I turned her over with my muzzle, making sure there were no significant injuries. Luckily she didn’t seem to be hurt. There was no way to ensure she would be found out here, and I wasn’t about to leave her to fend for herself, so I decided to brave the danger of going into a pony city to take her to the medicine men that they called doctors. I wanted to be sure there weren’t any internal injuries, and at the hospital they could sort out where she belonged.
I noticed a Stetson hat on the ground beside her, so I picked it up and placed it on her head. It was too big for her, and it covered her eyes. The sight made me smile. I wished I could have arrived before they had killed her family, but at least I had saved one life. I hoped that one day this life would save many others. I’d only just met her, but she’d already changed my life, and I was sure she would do the same for many others down the road. That would make it all worth it.
“And that’s why Ah’ve been so quiet the past two days.” Applejack’s voice suddenly brought me out of the vision I was in. “Ah woke up that night in the Trottingham Hospital. Ah had teeth marks on mah neck, and mah father’s Stetson was on the bedside table. Somepony said they saw a wolf walking away from me when they walked out a side door of the hospital. That wolf saved my life, and then he brought me back to the city.” She still seemed surprised by the kind act of the wolf, but I didn’t blame her. If I had seen my parents murdered by wolves the same day, I wouldn’t expect one to save me either.
“I’m sorry you went through that Applejack. “ That was all I could think to say. She really seemed to be a bit better off than she had at the beginning of the recollection, so I hoped this meant that she would be a little more vocal. She obliged me that by speaking again.
“Ah never did get to thank him. So, that’s why Ah despise the Lupine, and why Ah dread going up against them. Ah hope I don’t have to face him, because Ah wouldn’t be able to hurt him.” She was clearly sincere about her last sentiment. If she found him in battle, she wouldn’t be able to fight him. “Thank yah kindly for helping me get that off of mah chest Waya. It means a lot to me Sugarcube.” She leaned over, gave me a kiss on the cheek and then walked off down to the other end of the Infirmary.
I was shocked by the kiss, and I blushed hotly. Once I regained my wits, I couldn’t believe what had happened to me during her recollection.. I had experienced her memory, and that meant that she was one hell of a story teller, or I had actually been there. The latter option scared the hell out of me, because that meant two things.
One, I was Lupine.
Two, I was the son of Blood Warrior.