Vvulf's vision returned slowly, clearing the blackness from his sight. Instead of being met with the empty, snowy sky above, Vvulf instead saw a lantern swinging lazily about from a roof beam, illuminating the area around him in a soft orange glow. As the rest of Vvulf's senses returned, he sat up, causing a wave of pain to shoot across his body. Looking down, Vvulf noticed evidence of someone having tended to his wounds. While his armor was still mostly on his person, his chest piece had been detached to bandage his battered torso. With a groan, Vvulf pulled himself upright, steadying his stance before grabbing the plate of his armor nearby, reattaching the blood-stained metal to his front.
Just as Vvulf completed his ensemble again, the door to the tiny room he was in opened. The intruder was a young pegasus mare, not quite a filly, but not fully-grown either. Her messy chestnut mane was tied back in a loose ponytail, soot stained her beige coat, small scars ran along her forehooves as well. Her amber eyes widened as she saw Vvulf on his feet, the bowl that had been perched between her wings falling to the floor as her feathered appendages flapped excitedly.
"Baba! He's awake!" The young mare cried out exstaticly as she rushed out of the room.
Vvulf moved to follow after the young mare, not wanting to remain in the small room any longer. His body screaming in protest with every step he took, Vvulf pushed open the door the pegasus had just exited, looking down to see an elderly, pink pegasus stallion. His rosy coat was stained with soot that matched his slate-grey mane, those same amber eyes looking up at him inquisitively, albeit, one was covered by an eye-patch.
"And where do you think you're going?" The stallion asked incredulously, staring down Vvulf as the young mare returned.
"Away from here" Vvulf replied, wincing as his hand went to clutch his side.
"In this condition?" The stallion rebutted, poking a hoof at Vvulf's core, the simple prodding causing the warrior to drop to a knee to remain upright through the pain.
Vvulf grabbed ahold of the stallion's hoof, gripping it tightly with his armored hand, leaning in to the still straight-faced stallion. But the fearful look on the young mare's muzzle behind, what was presumably her father, caused Vvulf to release his grasp.
"I can't remain here" Vvulf said coldly, the stallion put his hoof back on the ground.
"But you will until you've recovered" The stallion replied, turning his back on Vvulf.
"I have spoken" The stallion said as he exited, leaving Vvulf and the young mare alone again.
"Are you... Are you alright?" The young filly asked, moving to help Vvulf stand back up, moving him to rest against a stout crate against the nearby wall.
"Baba said it was a miracle of Faust you survived, you must be really tough!"
"Somewhat" Vvulf replied, sitting on the wooden box with a groan, letting his armored form rest.
"Where am I, Lady..."
"Oh, Mama was a Lady, I'm just little Caramel Star" Caramel introduced herself, Vvulf just stared at the young mare as she smiled proudly. Eventually, the gears in her brain clicked and she blushed, realizing she hadn't actually answered Vvulf's question.
"Ah- Sorry... You're in the Crystal Empire"
"Empire?" Vvulf asked, Caramel giving him a series of rapid nods of affirmation.
"Who rules over this 'Crystal Empire?"
"Oh! That would be his supreme excellency, King Sombra" Caramel replied proudly, as if she had practiced that line before.
"I don't recall any mention of a king" Vvulf mused to himself.
"Who would forget to mention The King?" Caramel asked, stepping closer to the armored man.
"Those who would push their claim over his" Vvulf sighed, leaning back against the wall as he realized his place in this planed regicide.
"You- You don't mean the Usurpers, do you?" Caramel asked in a shy whisper, amber eyes darting side to side, as if she was trying to hide her words from nearby spies.
"I'm assuming you mean those two princesses, Luna and Celestia? " Vvulf asked bluntly, the young mare squirming in place as he spoke.
"Not so loud! What if somepony hears you?" Caramel hissed in a whisper, receiving a blank stare from the armored man.
"Why would you know their names anyway? Any mention of the Usurpers is a stay in the dungeon... Or worse" The mare finished, shivering at the thought.
"They hired me to fight in their war" Vvulf replied matter-of-factly, causing Caramel's eyes to go wide.
"So the rumors of the monster, that was you?" Caramel asked, surprisingly, taking a step closer to Vvulf. Her amber eyes examining Vvulf's blood-caked armor with interest.
"Possibly" Vvulf responded, moving to sit back up, but opting to remain lounged once the pain shot through his body upon movement.
"The dragon or myself could have been inspiration for such tales"
"D-Dragon?" Caramel asked, staring directly into Vvulf's 'eyes', her gaze locked with the helmet's.
"Yes" Vvulf replied bluntly, letting his eyes close slightly, his body yearning for rest.
"Hey, Mister, I never caught your name" Caramel said, waking the armored man.
"Vvulf" He said simply, pain and exhaustion still clouding his mind and senses, lulling him to sleep bit-by-bit.
"Caramel, leave the man to rest!" The stallion called from outside, getting the young mare's attention.
"C-coming, Baba!" Caramel responded, turning back to Vvulf.
"I'll uh... Talk uh... talk to you later, Mister Vvulf" She stuttered out, blushing as she spoke to the fading warrior.
"Yes. Another time, Misty..." Vvulf responded, his mind hazy and fading back into slumber.
Vvulf waved his hand at the young mare, shooing her away with a nod. Confused at the man's response, Caramel shrugged, but smiled and exited the small storeroom. Her questions could wait, Vvulf needed rest and Baba needed help. With the inquisitive young mare gone, Vvulf's eyes slid closed again, drifting off to sleep.
Flashes of battle raced through Vvulf's unconcious mind as he slept, his dreams a mix of gore-filled nightmares. Scenes of bloodied and brutalized bodies, human bodies, strewn about the remains of a smoldering village. Vvulf could hear the crackling of the flames, the sound and smell of corpses catching in the flames vivid within his dreamscape. Vvulf could hear the sound of a child crying, but looking about the hellish panorama revealed no source.
The crying persisted as the flames died out, blown away by a sudden and frigid wind that caused crystal flakes of snow to rain from the sky. The soft crunch of footfalls on snow growing closer to Vvulf as he remained a incorporeal voyeur in this dream.
"Why do you weep, pup?" A familiar, soothing female voice asked, causing the once-constant sobbing to subside.
"T-They're gone... All of them... Pa, Thomas... Olivia..." Vvulf heard himself say, his voice young, soft, his words still choked with tears.
"But you are not alone, pup, mother is here" The voice cooed, moving into view, the massive silver wolf speaking in its soft, soothing tongue.
Vvulf could feel the wolf's fur on his back as the hound circled his small form, shielding him from the sudden cold. The wolf's rough tongue lapped at his face, clearing the salty tears from Vvulf's face.
"Mourn now, pup, but know you will grow from this. The wolf that lives is the wolf that learns. And you, pup, have learned the greatest lesson of all" The Mother Wolf reassured, nuzzling Vvulf's cheek with her muzzle.
"W-What lesson?" Vvulf asked as his fit finally subsided.
"That your will to live is greater than the grasp of death itself" The Mother Wolf spoke, standing up and grabbing Vvulf by the back of his rough shirt, swinging the young boy onto her back.
"Now come, pup. It is time to return to the den"
Vvulf woke from the dream, the foggy memory still at the forefront of his mind. The moon was already floating in the sky above, the soft glow of the silver orb shone in through the cracks of the storeroom's walls, sliding over Vvulf's silvery armor.
"Only two kinds'a folk wear helmets that cover their face like that" Caramel's Baba said from the darkness, standing beside the door as he lit a worn pipe.
"Those who are afraid, and those who are to be feared"
Vvulf watched as the old stallion took a long pull on his pipe, his face illuminating by the dim orange glow of the pipe.
"So, which one are you?" Caramel's Baba asked, stepping into the moonlight as he let the smoke flow from his flared nostrils.
Vvulf remained silent, the two males just staring at each other in silence. After a short while, Caramel's Baba just shook his head and chuckled.
"I see, so I suppose it was wise, or lucky, to have left your helmet on. Ay?" Caramel's Baba sighed.
"Yes, it was" Vvulf replied coldly.
"What's your name stranger?" Caramel's Baba asked, moving to sit on a crate beside Vvulf as he took another long pull off of his pipe.
"Vvulf" Vvulf replied, his mind lingering on the dream for a moment longer before finally letting it fade away.
"Fitting" Caramel's Baba chuckled to himself.
"Sunrise Storm" He finally introduced, tapping the side of his pipe with a hoof.
"Why did you help me? I'm sure you knew I'm currently fighting against your sovereign" Vvulf asked as the old stallion emptied his pipe, tapping the ashes onto the dirt flooring.
"Aye, that I did" Sunrise replied, nodding his head.
"But I know you're not the enemy, 'least not my enemy"
"And who is your enemy?" Vvulf asked, squinting his eyes at Sunrise from behind the facade of his helmet.
"This damnable conflict" Sunrise replied, standing up and starting to head towards the door, pausing as his rugged hoof touched the well-worn wood, the old stallion letting out a sigh as he turned back to face Vvulf.
"Some of us just want this war to be over... To leave a brighter future, a better future for the next generation. If that road is paved over the broken and bloodied bodies of our ponies, that is a toll that must be paid sometimes"
"I see, your words hold wisdom" Vvulf complimented, genuinely impressed by Sunrise's interest in the ongoing war.
"Experience lad... My words hold knowledge of what bloodshed brings, both to those that take up arms... and those who don't" Sunrise lamented for a moment, but turned his muzzle back up to stare at Vvulf.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, there are chores to be done that shouldn't put too much strain on your body"
"I understand" Vvulf responded, giving the old stallion a respectful nod of his head.
Sunrise nodded his head in response, pushing through the old door, leaving Vvulf alone in the dark storeroom. With nothing more to be said that night, Vvulf sat down on the packed dirt of the storeroom floor. With his legs crossed and head resting low, Vvulf opted to meditate instead of sleep, lest he be visited by more visions of a past long forgotten.
Misty paced back and forth in the main war tent, Jade rubbing a hoof over her muzzle as she let out a groan.
"I don't understand why you care so much about that thing" Jade sighed, letting her chin rest on the table before her.
"You've been like this for weeks"
"Vvulf saved your life too" Misty snapped back , giving the white mare a glare.
"Not to mention mine, Lightning's, and all the other ponies during 'The Battle of The Banner'"
Jade just looked away from Misty, refusing to admit that her friend had made a valid point. Just as the two mares were about to have another discussion, the tent's flap was opened, a young, green stallion stepping inside.
"Key Lime, m'am" The stallion introduced, giving Jade and Misty a salute.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes, step inside Key" Misty replied with enthusiasm, practically pulling the stallion inside.
"We understand that you're one of our best spies, so my friend here wanted to know if you have any information regarding a... certain creature" Jade explained, her voice turning sour at the very end.
"Well, m'am, the only talk about creatures was the recovery of a dragon's corpse. Way I heard it, thing was really beat to Tartarus" Key relayed, letting out a chuckle.
"I'd hate to meet whatever did in that dragon"
"That's who she's looking for" Jade groaned, standing up and walking over to put her arm over Misty's shoulders.
"It'll be alright, we'll find your... friend"
"Commander Glory, I think you're going to want to see this" A rust-colored mare said, peeking her head into the tent.
Misty followed the mare out of the tent, her gut dropping at what she saw. There outside the tent was Lightning, Vvulf's iconic axe held between his muzzle. With a somber expression, Lightning approached Misty and laid the weapon at her hooves.
"I- I'm sorry... We searched for days, but this... This is all we found" Lightning lamented before putting a hoof on Misty's shoulder.
"Misty, I don't know if this proves that Vvulf is dead, but we can't afford to search for him anymore. We're worn thin already as-is" Jade explained to her friend, trying her best to deliver her words as kind as possible.
"I- I understand" Misty replied, her words distant, her eyes fixed on the weapon at her hooves.
Jade paused for a second before shaking her head and focusing back on the task at hand.
"Alright everypony, back to it" Jade ordered, clearing the small crowd that had gathered.
"Lightning" Misty squeaked out, stopping the blue pegasus in his tracks.
"Yes?" Lightning replied, turning to face the still-downtrodden Misty.
"Please... Keep looking for him" Misty pleaded, choking back her tears as she bit her bottom lip.
"I know he's alive, so please... Just keep an eye out, alright?"
"Sure thing, Misty" Lightning said with a kind smile, giving Misty a final nod before taking off into the sky above.