//------------------------------// // 8 - A Sister's Love // Story: A Wolf in Cybernetic Armor // by Shadow Quill //------------------------------// Twilight gaped at Fluttershy while Shadow simply waited for the pegasus to explain herself, although he was already beginning to piece together some of the details concerning why she had been acting different around him. Finally, Twilight seemed to get her mind back on track, her jaw closing with a click as she spoke, “A wolf?” Fluttershy nodded, “The creature buried under that stone and someone you called a sister, is a wolf?” Again, Fluttershy nodded. “So, let me see if I’m understanding this correctly. You met an honest to goodness wolf, not a Timberwolf, mind you, but an actual flesh and blood wolf. Creatures that haven’t been seen in Equestria in almost two centuries because of their rivalry with their wooden cousins, and you decided that keeping their existence a secret was a good idea?” Fluttershy didn’t seem phased by the unicorn’s rising temper, only turning her attention back to the tombstone as she replied, “I didn’t want to tell anypony because Ebony was the only one I knew about. She would have been stuck in a zoo or something worse if ponies had learned about her, so I didn’t say anything to protect her.” “But a living, breathing wolf,” Twilight seemed to be stuck on that particular detail as she walked up to the grave and sat down next to Fluttershy, “it would have been one of the greatest discoveries in our lifetime if you had told somepony. We could have found more, maybe even started a conservation program to get them reintroduced to the wild, so they wouldn’t go extinct. Why would you let them die out if you knew there was a chance to save them?” “Because I never once found a trace of any others.” Fluttershy whispered, “I know it sounds silly, but in my heart, I knew she was the last. I never found any clues or any leads that might have lead to more.” She looked the unicorn in the eyes as she continued, “Don’t you see? If I had told ponies about Ebony, she would have been locked up and protected when she wanted to be free. I may not have known her very long, but I knew she would rather die than be in a cage. And don’t try to tell me that the unicorns in Canterlot wouldn’t do that. We both know better.” That shut Twilight up, leaving the group in silence for a few moments before Shadow stepped forward, his voice soft as he sat down on Fluttershy’s other side, “Would you tell us about her? I would like to understand how your relationship with this Ebony translates over to your actions towards me.” Fluttershy kept her eyes locked on the tombstone, her gaze traveling far away as she began to speak, and the trio settled in for a long wait as the pegasus told her tale. The land around Fluttershy’s new cottage was still wild and unkept, the grass tall and the trees bare of the bird houses that she could envision in her mind’s eye. Rainbow Dash hadn’t understood why she had wanted to live on the ground, away from the cloud city of her birth, but she knew in her heart that this was where she belonged. Then, as the light of Celestia’s sun shined down on the edge of the nearby Everfree Forest, Fluttershy spotted movement within the bushes. Fearing it was some monster come to attack her, she hid in the bushes near to the house, too afraid to move in case she drew attention to herself. She couldn’t even think of flying, her wings pulled tight to her flanks as she peaked out from between the branches. There, in the full glory of the sunlight, were a duo of silver beings. Their bodies slunk low to the ground and their bright blue and gold eyes searching through the brush. The long and fluffy tails that followed their lithe and streamlined bodies were still, held above the ground to avoid rustling the loose leaves and twigs between their paws. Fluttershy’s eyes widened in awe as she beheld something she never imagined could be real. Wolves, not the wooden monsters of dark magic that were native to the Everfree, but actual wolves. Creatures that were said to have died out long before she was born, and yet her eyes told her the truth as the duo halted before a knot of thickly bunched bushes. These were living, breathing animals, and she felt herself drawn to their sleek and powerful bodies as they began to advance on the brush. Then, like a nightmare made real, Fluttershy gagged as a nasty stench reached her nose, her hoof covering her muzzle in a vain attempt to stop the smell from getting in as she watched the bushes begin to move. From within the darkness of the forest, strode a group of seven Timberwolves, the large, wooden monsters towering over their flesh cousins as the pair growled low in their throats. Fluttershy watched in fascinated horror as the Timberwolves slowly encircled the smaller canines, their glowing green eyes boring into the outnumbered and overpowered duo as the wolves made a valiant stand. In a flash, the battle had begun, but it was over almost before the first Timberwolf struck. With so many against so few, along with their magical strength working to aid them, the fight was short, bloody and brutal as the Timberwolves tore the smaller wolves into pieces. Fluttershy covered her mouth with both hooves as tears streamed from her eyes, her horrified gaze locked onto the gruesome scene as the duo was ripped limb from limb, leaving the grass and bushes coated in blood and other gore as the Timberwolves returned from whence they came. As soon as the battle ended, Fluttershy made a mad dash into her cottage, shivering and sobbing as she relived the attack over and over. Yet, just as she was about to cry herself into hysterics, something scratched softly against the door. Fluttershy froze, thinking the Timberwolves had come back, but her fear turned to confusion as the scratching was accompanied by a pitiful high-pitched whine. Her curiosity peaked, Fluttershy carefully moved over to the door, opening it just a crack to see what it was that had made the heartbreaking whine on her front porch. At first, she saw nothing, but then she felt the door being pushed open, and she yelped as she sprinted back into the living room, hiding under the couch as she quivered in fear. Yet, nothing happened. Her fears once again fading slowly, Fluttershy peaked out from under the couch, her eyes scanning the room in hopes of spotting whatever it was that had invaded her home. Then, she felt a soft and cold nose press against her side, the soft whine from before sounding from directly next to her as a small and warm body nestled under her right wing. Frozen once again, Fluttershy didn’t dare move as the small form pulled her wing over its body with what felt like tiny and very sharp teeth, the whining turning into a contented purr as whatever it was curled up against her flank and fell still. Barley able to think straight through her fear, Fluttershy slowly turned her head to look at her flank, lifting her wing slowly as she peered at the small thing that had snuggled up against her. A pair of molten gold eyes opened in the darkness under her wing, and a set of white fangs flashed in the light as a tiny, lupin head moved into the light. Her heart melted as the tiny, black wolf pup shuffled along on its belly toward her face and licked the tip of her nose, pulling a giggle from her throat as she slowly came to realize that she wasn’t in any danger. “Where did you come from little one?” She asked, not truly expecting an answer as the pup playfully batted her wing with its paws, flipping onto its back and revealing it was a female as it panted and played with her feathers. Fluttershy giggled again as she slid out from under the couch, walking over and closing the door as the little pup waddled out from under the couch and tried to jump up to lick her face. When that proved futile, Fluttershy watched as the pup walked around behind her and began to play with her tail, forcing her to move it out of the way as she sat down. Just as she was getting comfortable, Fluttershy felt something soft and warm wiggle between her hind hooves, her eyes shooting wide open as a vibrant blush overcame her cheeks. The pup was pushing its head directly between her hind legs and suckling on one of her teats, the sensation not altogether unpleasant but probably the most alien and embarrassing thing Fluttershy had ever felt. She glanced down and saw the pup’s tail wagging in joy as it tried and failed to get the milk it wanted, leaving Fluttershy with a dilemma on her hooves. Should she move and risk the pup hurting her on accident, or leave it be to keep sucking on her teat while she tried to think of something else to do? Her choice was made for her as one of the little wolf’s fangs caught the sensitive flesh of her teat, making her wince and squeak in pain as her rump lifted of its own accord. The pup was left unable to reach the unproductive milk-givers as it turned around and looked up at her with the most adorable eyes she had ever seen. Yet the little sting from the pup’s teeth told her all she needed to know about her little guest. The pup was in the process of being weened, meaning it wanted to drink her mother’s milk, but was being forced to stop because of the pain her teeth were causing the mother when she bit down by accident. This made Fluttershy feel a bit less guilty as she walked away from the pup, her cheeks still bright red as she searched through her refrigerator for something the pup could eat. Finally, as the pup returned to playing with her tail, she found what she was looking for. Pulling out a piece of fish she had gotten for one of her injured eagle friends the previous week, she offered the small trout to the pup as her nose sniffed the air in curiosity. Fluttershy placed the cold meat on the floor and let the pup investigate the food, her tiny teeth trying in vain to break the tough scales that covered the fish’s body. She looked up at Fluttershy after several failed attempts to break through to the sweet meat and gave another whine as she pawed at the fish with one leg. Fluttershy was at a bit of a loss. She could cut the fish with a knife, but she might miss some of the small bones and the pup could choke. She could pull bits and pieces off with a set of her tweezers, but that would take too long. Then, she remembered how mother bears prepared meat for their cubs, although the very thought of doing that revolted her on an instinctual level. Then, she looked back at the hungry puppy begging for her to help and felt her resolve crumble as she let out a gusty sigh, “I know I’m going to regret this, but it looks like I have no choice.” She bent down and bit into the fish, her gag reflex kicking in as her stomach rejected the idea of even letting her keep the meat in her mouth as she slowly chewed the flesh between her teeth. She had to stop several times to keep herself from throwing up but managed to use her tongue to spit out all of the small bones and scales before taking a small bowl and spitting the remainder into the bowl. She wiped her mouth with a hoof and placed the bowl on the floor, the pup nearly diving head first into the fresh meat as she devoured the fish with gusto. Fluttershy smiled even as she washed her mouth out with a cup of water, although her joy at her success was short-lived as the pup finished the bite of fish and turned to her, begging for more. Fluttershy turned to look at the fish, back to the pup, and then realized that she was far from done. She let out another sigh, praying to Celestia that she wouldn’t have to do this for too much longer. She wasn’t sure her stomach could take this much abuse. She bent down and took another bite, her eyes watering as she refused to throw up, taking careful steps to remove all of the bones and scales before spitting the bite into the bowl. The pup destroyed this offering as well, and the next one, and the next, until Fluttershy had gone through almost the entire trout. By this point she had given in on the idea of ever tasting food the same way again and was relived to see the pup finally slow down and then waddle off into the next room, its stomach distended from the sheer mass of fish she had eaten as Fluttershy finally was able to wash the leftovers from her mouth. However, she feared she would never get the smell and taste of trout out of her mouth and nose. She walked back to the living room, only to find that the pup was gone. Her ears jerked upright as she began searching the room from top to bottom, ending up with nothing as she began looking through the rest of the house. All of the rooms turned up nothing, save for one. Just as she was about to start looking outside, she heard the squeak of her bedsprings, and she raced up to her bedroom only to stand in the doorway in shock and relief. Lying on her bed, curled up on one of her pillows, was the pup, sound asleep and purring gently as her little sides rose and fell. Fluttershy felt her heart melt once again at the adorable sight and found herself walking softer than usual as she made her way up to the bed. The pup opened one eye as she climbed in with her, shifting until she was curled up between Fluttershy’s front legs, her head rested against the pegasus’ chest as she opened her mouth in a tiny yawn. With that she rolled onto her side and fell asleep for real, leaving Fluttershy with a wolf pup pressed against her heart, and a very sinking feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with the fish she had nearly eaten. ‘This little one belonged to those wolves from before,’ The pegasus thought to herself, ‘she has to be.’ She felt her heart clench at the idea of the little puppy before her having to grow up all alone in the wild, and in that instant, she realized what she was going to do. She carefully bent down and nuzzled the puppy between her ears, humming a lullaby her mother had sung to her when she was little as she placed her head next to the sleeping bundle of warmth. “Goodnight, my little Ebony.” She whispered as she closed her eyes, “I’ll protect you and care for you until you can once again roam free.” As Fluttershy finished her tale, Twilight wiped her eyes with a hoof as she tried to keep her tears from falling, “That was beautiful, Fluttershy. I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a sad yet happy story.” Fluttershy nodded, a small smile gracing her lips as she replied, “Ebony grew up with me as my first true animal companion, although it made treating the sick and injured animals that I found a trick when she kept thinking they were food I had gotten for her. Yet as time went by, we grew to be more than just companions. I could understand her more than I can even understand Angel Bunny, and he’s the closest thing I have to another true companion in my care right now. We could carry on full conversations, even though she couldn’t speak, and we could practically move as one when we went for walks in the forest or around my cottage.” “So, what happened?” Twilight asked, her expression guarded as she continued, “Wolves were said to live up to ten years in the wild, yet the tombstone you made says she only lived to be two years old.” Fluttershy’s expression fell as she turned her attention to the ground in front of her hooves, “I let her go when she turned one year old. She ran off into the Everfree and I didn’t see her for weeks at a time, although she would always come back and sit on the edge of the forest where I could see her, just to let me know she was still there for me if I needed her. Then,” her voice cracked as a tear ran down her face, “one day I made the mistake of going to look for her.” Fluttershy was terrified. Somehow, she had lost the trail and had gotten turned around in the dark forest, her sense of direction completely lost as she stumbled over roots and branches as her wings got caught on thorns and brambles. She was cold, tired and thirsty, only able to put one hoof in front of the other in a desperate attempt to find her way back to her home. Then, from the darkness, a shadow loomed. At first Fluttershy thought it might be Ebony, come to help as she always did, but then she saw the wild mane and small bat wings as the whipping scorpion tail became visible. It was a manticore, and the terrible feline was staring right at her. Fluttershy screamed as she began running as fast as her hooves would carry her, her wings pinned to her flanks in fear as she pounded through the brush as the manticore let out a terrifying roar and gave chase. Her breath rushed through her gaping mouth as she tried to think of something she could do in order to get away, but her mind came up with a blank as she felt the hot breathing of the leonine monster washing over her flanks. She made a sharp turn when she spotted the shaft of light streaming through the branches on her left, hoping against hope that it was a way out of the forest. Yet her hopes were dashed as she slid to a halt, the tips of her hooves dangling over the edge of a huge cliff as she desperately looked left and right for another way out. Yet there was nothing and nowhere to run as the manticore followed her out of the bushes, its tongue licking its lips in anticipation as it stalked slowly up the incline towards the trembling pegasus. Fluttershy knew she was going to die. Unable to fly away and with nowhere to run, she closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable as the manticore drew closer. Yet just as the hot and rancid breath of the beast washed over her, it let out a thunderous and pained roar, backing away as Fluttershy’s eyes shot open in shock. Her jaw hung low as she witnessed a black blur climb all over the manticore, tearing chunks out of the beast’s flesh as the lion hybrid swatted in vain at the speeding form. Then, one of its massive paws managed to clip the blur, sending it flying back towards Fluttershy as she was finally able to make out what it was. The familiar body shifted in midair to land on her paws as the black wolf slid to a halt between the manticore and Fluttershy, her hackles raised and her teeth bared in snarl as she stared down the cat creature. Fluttershy found her voice as she managed to squeak out a single word, the wolf’s ears rotating towards her as she spoke. “Ebony?” The wolf turned to look at her for just a moment, those dark golden eyes shining in the sunlight like molten metal as her snarl turned into a panting smile. Fluttershy knew in an instant that her friend had come to save her, and her heart sang with joy as she rushed forward to hug the wolf around her much broader shoulders. “Thank you so much, Ebony.” She whimpered as she pulled herself onto her friend’s back, “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up.” Ebony snorted as she turned her attention back to the manticore, the beast snarling at the smaller predator as the two slowly circled. Yet just as the larger feline came around to the cliff side of the open space, Ebony spun around and charged off into the trees, leaving the monster to roar in frustration as Fluttershy held onto Ebony’s ruff with all of her strength. The pair raced through the bushes at speeds that would have normally made Fluttershy sick, but all she could think about was the soft fur pressed against her face and the thundering heartbeat that rang in her ears as Ebony carried her to safety. She had come, against all odds she had come and protected her against the monster when all hope was lost. Fluttershy unfolded her wings for the first time that day and hugged them around Ebony’s middle, giving the wolf the best hug she could as they raced out of the forest and into the clearing that led to her cottage. Fluttershy climbed off the wolf and stumbled as her shaky hooves touched the ground, Ebony stepping up to her side to support her as she got her balance back. “Oh, thank you Ebony.” Fluttershy murmured as she straightened herself out, “It looks like you finally paid me back for saving you all those months ago as a puppy.” The large canine snorted in her face, her expression saying all she needed it to as the wolf slowly turned around and began to walk back into the forest. “Wait!” Fluttershy called, causing Ebony to halt for a moment as she turned her head to look at the pegasus, “Can’t you stay for a little longer? I’ve missed you so much these last few weeks.” Ebony rolled her eyes and jerked her head towards the forest, growling softly as she turned her gaze back to Fluttershy. “Yes, I suppose that is where you belong.” Fluttershy agreed as she walked up and hugged the wolf around her shoulders, feeling her soft tongue run between her ears and over her mane in a loving gesture before they pulled part. “Don’t be gone so long this time. I miss having you around the cottage.” Ebony nodded, turning back to the forest, although just as she was about to disappear into the bushes, she froze and began to back up, her hackles raised and her teeth bared as the large form of the manticore slowly advanced into the open. Fluttershy froze in fear as the feline roared once again, leaving her stone still as the beast charged past Ebony and made straight for her. Fluttershy could only stare in terror as the scorpion tail rose up and came down straight at her, the pegasus’ eyes closing in anticipation of the terrible pain that the poisonous stinger would bring. But instead, she was met with a pained yelp, her eyes flying open as she saw Ebony take the stinger directly to the chest, her body falling to the side as the manticore wound up to strike again. Yet Ebony wasn’t down for more than a second before she was up and running again, dragging the manticore back into the forest by its tail as the larger beast spun around to try and swipe her with its claws. Blood dripped onto the ground from the wound in Ebony’s chest, but the wolf refused to give up as the duo finally disappeared into the foliage, leaving a panting Fluttershy in the middle of the clearing, her heart ramming against her ribs as she realized how close she had come to dying. Then, another roar dragged her back to reality, and she raced into the forest as fast as her hooves could carry her, following the sounds of battle as thorns ripped into her hide and brambles dug into her fur before ripping small tufts free. Yet she paid that no mind, her entire being focused on finding Ebony as the roars and snarls faded into nothing. She came skidding to a halt at the edge of a small clearing, just as the manticore’s tail vanished into the brush on the other side, leaving Ebony the victor as the winded pegasus rushed to her side. “Oh, Ebony.” She whimpered as she tried to slow the bleeding with her hooves and whatever she could find, “I’m so sorry. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” Ebony let out a sigh as she laid down and rolled onto her side, letting her head rest against the ground as she looked up at Fluttershy. The pegasus was confused for a moment, until she saw the resignation in her friend’s eyes, “No, no, no, no, no! I won’t give up! There has to be a cure for the venom somewhere!” Yet as she spun around to race away, she was drawn up short by a sound that she hadn’t heard in almost two years. It was a sound that brought all the memories of Ebony as a puppy running around her cottage racing to the front of her mind. It dragged her all the way back to that first day when she had heard it through her door. Ebony was whining, whining for her to stay and comfort her. Her heart breaking, Fluttershy turned back around and walked up to the wolf’s side, laying down next to her and resting her head over the larger lupin’s neck, “I’m here Ebony. I won’t leave you.” Ebony’s eyes locked with hers as her breathing became ragged and shallow, her heart and soul bared for the sobbing pegasus as she turned her head and licked Fluttershy along one cheek. The mare smiled even as more tears ran down her face to replace the ones Ebony had licked off, and she managed to force one sentence out as the wolf rested her head on the ground once more. “I love you too, sister.” With that, Ebony’s eyes closed for the final time, her shaking chest falling still as her last breath passed from her body. For a moment, Fluttershy thought that there was something she could do, anything to save the first being she had ever loved, but there was nothing to do. Ebony was dead. Tears ran down both mare’s cheeks as Fluttershy finished her second story, wiping her face as the drops fell onto the tombstone before them, “She died right here. Right here in my hooves, and I couldn’t do anything to save her. She was the first being I ever cared for like that. She was more than a friend. She was my family, my sister, and I loved her more than anything else in this whole world, save for my parents.” She turned to look up at Shadow, her lips curling into a bitter smile as she continued, “When we first saw you in the Castle of the Two Sisters, I though we were going to have to fight you and possibly get hurt battling a Timberwolf, but as you stepped into the light, for a moment, I thought, I wished…” “You saw Ebony, your sister, standing before you, alive and well by some miracle of fate.” Twilight finished for her, all of the pieces falling into place in Shadow’s processors as the pegasus looked up at him with raw emotion in her gaze. “And then you went and saved us from the hydra, just as Ebony saved me from the manticore all those years ago. I thought you were her given new life, and I felt that hole in my heart fill for the first time since she died.” The pegasus let out a bitter laugh as she turned her head back to the tombstone, “What a cruel twist that I would fall in love with a machine, something that cannot love me back.” She let out a sigh as she got up and walked back to the edge of the clearing, turning to look at them over her shoulder as she said her final piece, “Feel free to stay here as long as you like. I’m tired and feel like I should go to bed. Today’s been filled with a lot of painful memories, and I would like to have some time alone if you wouldn’t mind.” With that Fluttershy walked back though the brush, Twilight quick to follow while Shadow remained next to the grave. His processors were working overtime, and he was having trouble piecing together the information that his mind was coming up with. Love? Memory? All of that was mixed together into a logical loop that threatened to activate his hypercore to keep him from going into shutdown. Yet he couldn’t get the data to stop processing over and over as he replayed Fluttershy’s story in his audio receptors and accessed the files pertaining to their interactions the past few days. It was all new and unusual to the cybernetic hound, and he found himself back at the library without any memory of having walked there. Twilight was already up and asleep in her bed while Spike snored without a care in the world in his basket, leaving the mechanical wolf to ponder this new development alone as he prepared to shut down for the night. He called the falcon down from the balcony so it could recharge inside his body, the drone’s scanners having been running overwatch from the top of the library for the last few days and nights. With the drone safely tucked away under his plating, Shadow powered down and finally stopped the logic loop that had been plaguing him, although he was reminded once again that he was on a time limit as the usual shutdown data was presented to him. He managed to rest peacefully through the night, but as the moon drifted over the slumbering land of ponies, something new began to take shape, something that not even his creators had ever thought possible. Shadow’s processor began to adapt to the energy that had been around him from the beginning of his adventure, shifting the circuity into something else as the machine rested. Only time would tell if he would come out of the change better or worse, but both worlds were about to get a few surprises in the form of the first true A.I. …Power Core: 76%... …Portal Recharge Time: 05:19:28:06…5…4…3…2…