//------------------------------//
// The Crusaders and the Timberwolf 
// Story: Fairy Tales of Equestria 
// by VioletRose13 
//------------------------------//

Once upon a time in a small village on the edge of the forest, there lived three fillies who were best friends and they formed a special club called the Crusaders. The fillies’ names were Bloom, Scoot, and Belle and they did everything together. Bloom lived with her Grandmother on a farm near the village and the forest. Belle and Scoot were frequent visitors and they always played out in the meadow whenever they came over. Little did they know that their humble young lives would take an unexpected turn.

One beautiful morning in the spring, while Scoot and Belle were on their way through town to visit Bloom’s farm as usual, they saw that everypony in the village was running straight to their homes and tightly locking and bolting up the doors and windows, as if they were afraid of something. Then, out of nowhere, one frightened mare clumsily ran into the two fillies by accident and they fell to the ground on top of each other.

“Oh, sorry about that, girls!” The mare panted as she got back onto her hooves. “I didn’t see you there.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Scoot said.

“Yeah, but what’s going on, ma’am?” Belle asked curiously. “Why is everypony hiding?”

“Haven’t you two heard?” The mare said to the fillies. “There’s a Timberwolf on the loose!”

Without missing a beat, a startling howl rang through the village and the mare galloped straight back to her house to hide.

Belle and Scoot were shocked and terrified at the horrible news so they ran down the road and towards Bloom’s farm as fast as they could to tell their friend about the Timberwolf. When they finally arrived, they were surprised to see Bloom standing outside the gate around her farmhouse with a length of rope over her right shoulder.

“Hey, girls!” Bloom greeted as she happily waved her hoof at them as her friends ran towards her. “What brings you two here?”

“Bloom, what are you doing out here?” Belle asked in a confused tone.

“Don’t you know that there’s a Timberwolf on the loose?” Scoot asked worriedly.

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m standin’ out here with this rope. I’m gonna catch the Timberwolf.” Bloom said.

“What?!” Her friends cried in shock.

“But, Bloom, what about your grandma?” Scoot asked.

“Yeah. If she catches you out here, we’re all gonna get in big trouble.” Belle added.

“It’s okay, girls. Granny’s asleep right now and she won’t wake up for at least a few hours. And don’t worry; it’ll be perfectly fine, I promise. But I can’t do this alone. I’m gonna need some help. Wanna come with me?” Bloom offered.

“Us?!” The two fillies exclaimed with wide eyes.

“Yeah! If we go on this hunt together and catch that thing, we’ll be heroes! So what do ya say, Crusaders? You in?” Bloom offered her open hoof to her friends, waiting for a response.

Scoot and Belle thought long and hard about their friend’s daring proposal. On one hoof, they didn’t want to get into trouble with anypony or get seriously hurt by the Timberwolf. On the other hoof, they would probably never get another opportunity like this to be called heroes.

In the end, Belle and Scoot reluctantly agreed to Bloom’s offer. And soon, the three fillies went out into the meadow beyond the farm in search for the horrid Timberwolf.

As they made their way deeper into the meadow and closer to the forest, the Crusaders heard whistling coming from up above. They looked and saw that the sound was coming from a little bird with sky blue wings that was sitting in a nearby tree.

“Hey! Whatcha doin’?” The bird chirped, flying down from her perch to get closer to the trio.

“Howdy, Rainbow Bird.” Bloom said.

“What brings you three out here? Where are you going?” Rainbow Bird asked.

“We’re going to go catch a Timberwolf. There’s one on the loose.” Belle replied.

“A Timberwolf on the loose?! Sounds exciting! That’s totally for me! Can I come with you guys? Can I? Can I?” The bird asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

“Well… okay! The more the merrier!” Bloom said. “Come on, follow me.”

Bloom led her friends further, as if she was the leader of a marching band; Belle, Scoot, and Rainbow Bird were following close behind.

“Be careful guys. Timberwolves are dangerous.” Bloom said.

“Where do you think it could be?” Scoot asked.

“Don’t know. It could be anywhere, so be prepared.” The Earth filly said.

That was when the group heard a twig snap. “What was that?” Rainbow Bird asked, huddling closer to Scoot.

“I don’t know. But it might be the Timberwolf. Get ready.” Belle said.

But it wasn’t the Timberwolf. It was only a little duck with pink feathers waddling by. She gasped when she saw the Crusaders and Rainbow Bird.

“Oh! Don’t worry, guys, it’s only my pet duck, Ducky Pie.” Belle said.

“Hey, Belle!” The duck said as she waddled to the unicorn filly.

“Ducky Pie, what are you doing out here? And how did you get out of the house?” Belle asked.

“What can I say? I know my way around. That’s how I roll. Plus… I’m kinda lost. But what are you doing out here with your friends and that bird?” Ducky Pie asked.

“We’re hunting.” The filly replied.

“Hunting? That sounds pretty fun. And exciting.”

“Wanna come with?”

“Well… okay. I guess I could do that. What are you guys hunting for anyway?”

“We’re hunting for a Timberwolf.”

When Ducky Pie heard what her young owner had just said, she let out a dramatic gasp and she quickly began to panic and waddle around in a state of terror. The Crusaders and Rainbow Bird tried their best to calm her down, but she wouldn’t stop.

“Ducky Pie, stop that! Calm down! Don’t worry!” Bloom said.

“Don’t tell me not to worry! Timberwolves eat little creatures like us for lunch!” Ducky Pie cried, nearly in tears.

“But don’t be afraid! We’re gonna catch the Timberwolf!” Rainbow Bird added.

“You are? Oh! Well… then… we could go hunting for something a little less ruthless and evil, but if all of you guys are okay with it, I’m fine too!”

In the end, Ducky Pie joined the group, though she was as terrified as can be. Little did they know was that there was something else watching them in the tall grass. When it finally crept up onto the group, in a loud voice, it yelled:

“Boo!”

That made the Crusaders and two birds jump and scream in fright. Scoot moved the grass out of the way only to see a cat with ivory white fur and blue eyes.

“No! No! Guys, come back! It was just a cat.” Scoot said to her friends.

“A cat?” Rainbow Bird and Ducky Pie exclaimed.

“Yes. I am Rari-Cat.” The cat said proudly as she made her way to the Pegasus filly.

“Bad kitty!” Belle scolded.

“You can’t just go around scaring other ponies like that!” Ducky Pie angrily added.

“That wasn’t nice!” Bloom commented.

“What? I was just having some fun. Take a joke, as they say.” Rari-Cat laughed.

“Well, I’m not going if she’s going!” Rainbow Bird said, crossing her wings over her chest.

“Who do you think you are?” The duck demanded.

“I’ve told you it was a joke! Please, don’t make such a big deal!” Rainbow Meow groaned.

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” The Crusaders shouted.

“Look, if ya’ll wanna come with me and my friends to catch the Timberwolf, then you have to learn to get along and work together. OKAY?” Bloom said.

“Yeah, I guess.” “I suppose.” “Maybe.” The trio of animals said, nodding their heads shamefully.

“Good. Now we can go on with our hunt and nopony’s gonna stand in our way.” Bloom exclaimed proudly.

But then Bloom felt something tap her shoulder and she heard someone clear their throat. The group looked and saw that it was Bloom’s elderly Grandmother! She woke up from her nap and she was really angry because Bloom had gone out into the meadow without her permission. Bloom gasped and backed away from the old mare before her, her friends doing the same.

“Bloom, what in tarnation are you and your friends doin’ out here in the meadow?! How many times have I told ya not to come out here by yourself?! It’s dangerous out here! Don’t ya’ll know there’s a Timberwolf on the loose?!” Granny said, an angry look in her eyes.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re out here, Granny. We’re gonna go catch it.” Bloom replied.

Her friends nodded their heads and said, “That’s right.”

“What?! Oh, no you’re not, lil' missy! That thing might catch you three first! Now I want ya’ll inside the gate, so you girls follow me. And your little critter friends have to stay outside.” Granny said, dragging the Crusaders back to the barn.

When the group finally made their way back to the farmhouse, Granny threw the fillies behind the gate, closed it, locked it, and went back into the house to continue her nap, leaving the Crusaders to sadly stare out the gate at their new friends.

“Sorry, guys.” Bloom said sadly. “Looks like a change of plans.”

“Oh, come on! I really wanted to do this!” Scoot protested.

“This is so unfair!” Belle whined.

But no sooner had Granny went back into the house than a sickeningly disgusting smell wafted though the air, filling everypony’s nose.

“Ew! What is that smell?” Rari-Cat complained, plugging her nose with her paw.

“I don’t know but whatever it is, it must be revolting!” Rainbow Bird commented, doing the same gesture.

“For once, I agree with you both.” Ducky Pie whined, trying to fan away the smell by flapping her wings.

“You guys smell it, too?” Bloom asked worriedly. “I was hopin’ it was in my head.”

Then, in the distance, the Crusaders saw a pair of yellow eyes staring at them through the trees of the forest. When they came closer, the girls could see that they were the eyes of the Timberwolf! The animals didn’t see it and it was heading right for them. The girls were so scared that they were unable to find the words; all they could do was stammer, mumble, or babble. The animals were very confused and they didn’t know what their pony friends were trying to tell them. Finally, when the Timberwolf was just behind the three animals, the Crusaders blurted out:

“TURN AROUND!”

Rainbow Bird and Ducky Pie obediently whipped their heads around only to see the Timberwolf right behind them. They screamed in terror and ran off, each in a different direction. Rari-Cat was the last to turn around, however.

"What are you girls talking about?" She asked. When she saw it standing behind her, she was nearly frozen in fear. She let out a frightened squeal. “Girls! What do I do?!”

“RUN!” The Crusaders shrieked.

Without missing a beat, Rari-Cat jumped up onto her paws and clawed her way straight up the nearest tree which was the same tree where Rainbow Bird was hiding in. The Timberwolf couldn’t reach them up there, so it went after Ducky Pie instead.

It chased after her; no matter how hard she tried to run, Ducky Pie couldn’t escape the Timberwolf. It was getting closer and closer, catching up with her, the little pink duck screaming in terror the whole time. And then it caught her and in an instant, it swallowed her whole.

“Ducky Pie! NOOO!” The fillies, Rainbow Bird, and Rari-Cat cried.

As the Timberwolf kept spitting pink feathers out of his mouth, the Crusaders, Rari-Cat, and Rainbow Bird mourned the loss of their dear friend.

And now, this is how things stood: Rari-Cat was on one branch with Rainbow Bird on another, neither of them too close to the other. And the Timberwolf walked around beneath the tree, looking up at them with greedy eyes. Meanwhile, the Crusaders stood by the fence watching all that was going on. They knew they couldn’t just stand by while their friends were in trouble.

“Girls, we have to do somethin’! We need to save our friends!” Bloom exclaimed.

“But how can we do that if we’re just stuck in here? Your grandma took the key.” Belle asked.

As her friends tried to think of a plan, Scoot had already come up with an idea. She urged Belle to climb up onto her back and for Bloom to get on top of Belle. They hoisted each other onto the top of the wall and, one at a time, they grabbed a branch that stretched out over the high stone wall. And soon, they climbed over onto the tree with Rainbow Bird and Rari-Cat. The girls were greeted warmly, but the reunion was short lived when they saw the Timberwolf below them.

“Okay, listen. We have a plan.” Bloom whispered. “We’re gonna catch that Timberwolf with this rope and tie it to the tree so it can’t chase anyone anymore. But we’ll have to work together.”

“She’s right, guys.” Scoot commented. “Now Rainbow Bird, I want you to fly down there and buzz around the Timberwolf’s head to get its attention, but you’ll have to be careful not to get too close for it to catch you.”

“You got it, sergeant!” The little blue bird said before giving a salute.

In a blur, Rainbow Bird flapped her wings and flew down from her perch in the tree and she hovered right in front of the Timberwolf’s face, doing her best not to get herself caught. The little bird was certainly driving the Timberwolf mad and oh how it wanted to catch her, but she was far too clever and fast and he simply couldn’t do anything about it.

“What’s the matter, woody? Hungry? Soup’s on!” She teased. The Timberwolf growled and snapped at the bird many times, but she was always just out of reach.

While Rainbow Bird was distracting the Timberwolf to the best of her abilities, Bloom and Belle made a lasso with the rope they brought with them and Scoot lowered it down while the Timberwolf wasn’t looking. And soon, the girls caught the Timberwolf by the tail and they pulled on the rope with all their might.

Realizing that it was caught, the Timberwolf began to jump and thrash around wildly trying its best to get loose from the rope. But the girls kept their grip and the Timberwolf’s relentless jumping and thrashing only made the rope around its tail even tighter. Unaware of its surroundings and desperately to get free from its trap, the Timberwolf broke off the large tree branch the Crusaders climbed onto to get to the tree.

“Oh no! There goes our escape route!” Rari-Cat cried worriedly.

“Okay, ladies, we have the Timberwolf caught. What now?!” Rainbow Bird demanded.

“I… I don’t know.” Bloom cried. “If we climb down now, then the Timberwolf would still get us. Oh no! There’s no way out!”

Just when things were looking bleak, the Crusaders heard something from down below.

“You guys hear that?” Bloom asked.

“Hear what?” Rainbow Bird asked.

“You hear it, too, Bloom?” Scoot asked.

It sounded like hoofsteps coming towards the farm. The group looked down to see that it was a trio of hunters. They were out looking for the Timberwolf and they soon came across the tree.

“Guys, look! Hunters! That means we’re safe!” Scoot cheered.

“Hey, up here!” “We’re in the tree!” “Over here!” “We need your help!” “Help us!”

The Hunters looked up to see the group of five sitting in the top of the tree. They were confused until they saw the Timberwolf; then they figured out what was going on.

“Don’t worry, kids!” One of the hunters shouted.

“No need to panic!” Another hunter said.

“We’ll catch this monster for you!” The last hunter added.

“But we already caught the Timberwolf!” Belle said.

“And don’t worry! We’ve caught it by the tail!” Scoot added, holding onto the rope tighter.

“And we just need ya’ll to tie it up! We'd do it ourselves, but we're kinda in a pickle here.” Bloom said before letting out a nervous chuckle.

“Alrighty, then. Let’s go.” The second hunter said, leading her companions towards the large creature. “Okay, on the count of three, we charge. One… Two… Three! Get it!”

That was when all three hunters jumped onto the Timberwolf, wrestled it, and tied it up with the rope tied to its tail. The Crusaders and their friends cheered as they climbed down the tree, now knowing that there was nothing to fear.

“Oh thank Celestia for savin’ us!” Bloom sighed in relief

“All in a day’s work.” The lilac hunter said proudly.

“It was nothin’.” The Earth pony hunter added, rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof.

“That was something alright!” Scoot cried.

“Yeah, we owe you!” Belle added.

“Thanks for catching the Timberwolf, too.” Bloom said.

“Hey! We caught it, not them!” Rainbow Bird protested.

“Well, anypony helped. So anypony caught the Timberwolf.” Belle commented.

“Wait, girls! Do you realize what this means? It means we worked together as a team! We cooperated in order to catch the Timberwolf!” Rari-Cat said.

“She’s right! We did!” Scoot said, smiling and flapping her wings excitedly.

“Thanks kids, but we wouldn’t have done it at all if it wasn’t for Bloom, Scoot, and Belle!” The Pegasus hunter said before everypony cheered for the fillies.

“Aw, shucks. Thanks, everypony.” Bloom said, blushing.

“But we couldn’t have done it without all of you.” Belle added.

“Yeah, you could!” Rainbow Bird said.

“That’s not important now. The important thing is that we caught the Timberwolf.” Scoot said.

“Ooh! I have to tell Granny about this!” Bloom said as she took the Timberwolf to the gate. “Granny! Granny! Look at what me and my friends did!”

Bloom’s Granny came out of the house, unlocked the gate, and walked out to see her granddaughter standing proudly with a piece of rope in her mouth and standing with her friends.

“Bloom! What are you doin’ outside the gate?! Now, I thought I told—” Granny began. Then she saw the Timberwolf on the other end of Bloom’s rope and she began to panic.

“The Timberwolf! Run for the hills! Everypony, save yourselves!” She cried.

“No, Granny, don’t worry! It’s okay. The Timberwolf can’t hurt anypony now. It’s all tied up, see that?” Bloom said, showing her grandmother the Timberwolf’s rope binds.

Granny inspected the Timberwolf curiously and saw that Bloom was right.

“Huh. So it is. But what happened?” Granny asked.

“I’ll tell you what happened, ma’am… the Crusaders happened! They got us all to work together to catch the Timberwolf!” A hunter said.

“Yeah! And they saved our lives, too!” Rainbow Bird said excitedly.

“We were stuck in the tree and the Timberwolf was gonna eat us but then the Crusaders saved us in the end!” Rari-Cat added.

“By capturing the Timberwolf, the Crusaders just saved the entire town!” The Hunters cheered.

Everypony was as happy as can be, but Granny looked far less than pleased with the fillies’ heroic deed. She glared at the trio, shook her head discontentedly, and let out a sigh.

“Are… are you angry with us, Granny?” Bloom asked.

“Angry? Angry? ANGRY!? OF COURSE I’M ANGRY!” The old pony shrieked.

“Oh, boy.” The fillies whispered. Rainbow Bird and Rari-Cat nodded.

“Ya’ll didn’t listen! I told ya to stay inside the gate! What you did was dangerous! What if somethin’ happened to you? What have ya got to say for yourselves?” Granny yelled.

The Crusaders looked at each other, then at their friends, then back at Granny with guilty expressions on their faces.

“You’re right, Granny.” Bloom said sadly.

“We should’ve listened to you.” Belle added.

“Now we know how dangerous it is to hunt for Timberwolves.” Scoot finished.

“We’re sorry.” They said, hanging their heads and looking at the ground.

“Well…” Granny started. “What you three did was pretty wrong, and I’m angry at you because… it was because I was scared for you, girls. I’m sorry I snapped at ya’ll. And right now, I’m just glad ya’ll are okay.”

“But, we’re really sorry we snuck out in the first place, Granny.” Bloom said.

“Yeah. We’ll listen you from now on.” Scoot added.

“We promise.” Belle said, nodding her head.

“It don’t matter if you listen to me or not. Right now, the important thing is that ya’ll are alright.”

Granny smiled and pulled the three fillies into her embrace for a group hug. Rari-Cat was wiping a tear from her eye while the Hunters just smiled and Rainbow Bird was nearly on the verge of tears herself. But she quickly wiped away said tears away with her wing, still trying to act tough.

“Aw, great! Now you got me acting all sappy!” She said trying to act abrasive as usual.

And soon, a wonderful, triumphant procession happened. The three Crusaders at the head, followed by the trio of hunters leading the Timberwolf through town, and winding up the procession were Granny and Rari-Cat. Above them all was Rainbow Bird excitedly flying in the air and chirping merrily.

“Woo-hoo! Look what we’ve caught, the girls, Rari-Cat, and I!” She cheered.

And if anypony had been listening very carefully, they would’ve heard Ducky Pie loudly quacking inside the Timberwolf’s belly; for in its hurry, it had swallowed her alive.

But soon, everypony noticed that the Timberwolf began to cough and gag violently, as if something was lodged in its throat and it was trying to get it out. Everypony nervously gathered around the gagging creature, unsure of what was going to happen next. And then, out of nowhere, the Timberwolf coughed loudly, collapsed to the ground beneath it, and then shattered into nothing but useless splinters as something large and pink came flying out of its throat. It was Ducky Pie!

And with the Timberwolf forever gone from their lives and Ducky Pie back, the Crusaders, Granny, and their animal friends all lived happily ever after.