The sun had begun to set as Twilight Hour peaked into view behind the Everfree Forest horizon. Day animals made their way to the safety of their nests, borrows, and hideaways as the night would be taking hold of the world soon. However in the calm of the last light of day, a small white pony with an odd lion tail, and rainbow highlights, pushed her way past the brush and branches, carrying a small saddle bag with her. Though she wasn’t alone as an equally white arctic wolf, standing on two legs and dressed in a familiar purple, stepped out just behind her accompanying her on her journey through the wild woods.
“Well, that was a lovely visit,” spoke the wolf quietly, “It’s nice to see that Zecora is doing so well despite living in the Everfree by herself. Still, I’m curious as to why you felt the need to invite me along Lightning?"
“Sorry Doc,” Lightning Bliss replied to her wolf friend rather abrasively, “but I really needed this oil for my bed. I admit I do suffer from moments of anxiety sometimes, and this oil helps me sleep. Zecora tends to make the best potions around these parts and she’s closer by, plus I didn’t want to bother Aeon for more of his stash. I also tend to get lost easily in the Everfree forest pretty easily and…”
“Say no more Blissy,” Doc giggled at her flustered explanation, “I am happy to assist you regardless. I’m sorry you have moments struggling to sleep though. Maybe you ought to come by my office for another visit some time.”
“I dunno Doc…” she stopped for a moment as if in concentration, “I couldn’t pinpoint the problem to you even if I tried."
“It wouldn’t hurt to try though Lightning. Just a friendly offer, give it a thought?” He placed a friendly hand paw on her shoulder.
“Thanks, Doc, I will, and thanks again for coming along with me on short notice. I do tend to wander off and on when I’m distracted. Yikes!” She squeaked on her last words as she looked up into the trees, trying to spot what little sky she could see through the thick branches and leaves. “Perhaps a double good thing I asked you to come along. I just realized how dark it gets. I’d hate to walk home alone in this!”
“Goodness, you are right.” Doc agreed, having looked up at the darkening sky as well. “It’s nearly past Twilight already. We really should pick up the pace. I’m pretty sure Timber Wolves start coming out around this time.”
“No need to tell me twice Doc. Hop on!” With that Bliss crouched herself down, presenting her back to her canine friend.
“Uh Lightning…” he spoke, taking a hesitant step back from the white alicorn’s back, ”I don’t think that’s a good idea. I merely suggest we walk a little faster.”
“What? You don’t trust me?”
“I didn’t say that,” he spoke while rubbing his head awkwardly, ”but sitting on a pony’s back... seems a little odd for me being a canine and-”
His soft shy words were suddenly cut off by the loud, hair standing on in at the howl of a large predatory wolf in the distance. A chorus of howls quickly followed. They froze for several seconds, waiting for the howls to end, only for them to come back again. Each time they seemed to get louder, and seemed unlikely to stop soon. The Timber Wolves were on the prowl and were moving fast. The gruesome howls merely ignited Lightning’s need to get out faster and prompted her horn to begin glowing as her alicorn magic flowed out, surrounding Dr. Wolf in a soft rainbow-colored glow. Before he could protest, Doc found himself lifted off the ground and promptly dropped on his rump on top of her back, the sudden shift in weight causing him to frantically grab her mane for balance.
“Lightning?!” He shrieked out.
“It’s like riding a bike you don’t control Doc!” she snapped back at him. ”Just hang on, I’m gonna canter.”
Bliss was ready to bolt but could tell Doc was still struggling to keep his form upright on her back. Bolting now would guarantee he’d fall off, so instead, she waited for him to stabilize himself, eyes darting around the woods urgently.
“Lightning this is very precarious!” The wolf psychologist struggled to stay in the middle of her back, finding himself slipping to her left, having to awkwardly kick to right himself back up. “I don’t think I can stay on!”
“Gah! Ouch! Doc that hurts!” she whinnied out as his tiny pawed feet nicked her sides, “Easy on the claws, and sit straight up like normal!
“I told you this wasn’t a good idea!”
“Ouch...maybe you’re right,” Bliss snorted in frustration but gave out a heavy sigh of disappointment, “I guess we could have made good time if-”
Her words died in her throat as a sudden low growl manifested behind her flanks, freezing her in place. It was a sound she could only describe as something instinctual she only recognized from her nightmares. It rumbled as if from the ground, up into her hooves and into her chest, making her freeze in terror. Doc turned to face the threat behind them, and was met with glowing yellow eyes admitting from the wooden living timbers of the beast ponies called, “Timber Wolves.”
What he could make out of the creature was best described as a collection of trees and bushes that came together to form a familiar shape of a wolf, only this was no furry canine relative he could promptly communicate with. These animals were aggressive and territorial from what he learned about from pony books. One thing only reinforced that notion and added another on top of it: based on the thick smell of swampy breath it was emitting from its rocky, jagged mouth and the narrowing of its eyes, it was hungry. Along with the rest of its pack directly behind it.
“Oh no…” Doc suddenly managed to right himself up, and frantically grabbed Lightning Bliss’s mane, “Lightning GO! RUN FOR IT!”
Lightning was a statue, completely frozen in place in fear.
“LIGHTNING?! MOVE! Quickly! The path is open!”
Bliss could barely hear Doc over the sound of growls and snarls behind her. She trembled under Doc’s weight, feeling herself giving into an ice-cold fear. The leader of the Timber Wolves snarled louder and stepped forward, his jaws eager to chomp down on a rainbow pony and wolf sandwich.
“Oh dear…” Doc gulped in terror as the beast was nearly on top of them, forcing him to take drastic measures, “Sorry to do this, Lightning!”
A sudden sharp pain raced from Lightning’s tail and shot up into her spine all the way up to her back, prompting a newfound instinct to flee. Not bothering to look the fact back to see it'd been Doc who'd bitten her tail as hard as he could, Lightning found her hooves once more and kicked off the ground as the Timber Wolf lunged. The beast was met with nothing but dirt as it plunged it’s wooden muzzle hard into the ground where they'd previously stood. Holding on for dear life, Doc sat low on Bliss’s back, keeping balance with her movements as she galloped through the brush, leaping over rocks and dead tree trunks as they fled for their lives, the fear and adrenaline encouraging her to go faster with every heartbeat.
“Sorry, Doc!” She blurted out as she ran.” I didn’t know what came over me!”
“Don’t worry about that now just keep going!” He called back as he looked over his shoulder urgently. To his horror, the pack of Timber Wolves was right on them. There were dozens of them, all of various shapes and sizes, but the same eager and hungry glowing yellow eyes. Still so close he could smell their foul breath. One managed to leap over two of its packmates in an attempt to snap at Bliss’s flanks. Doc managed to lift one of his legs up just at the Timber Wolf's jaws snapped, just missing his paw.”Lightning! Can you fly up?”
Hearing his idea amongst the sound of her beating heart, the howls and snaps of the Timber Wolves, and her clap of her hooves, Bliss looked up to see if there was a break in the treeline. She panted at the effort but could see no holes big enough for her to break through, but that didn’t mean she couldn't attempt to gain elevation and distance themselves from their attackers.
“I can try to!” She cried out, “Hang on!”
Taking a quick breath, she leapt into the air, extending her wings out and flapping as hard as she could to gain momentum. For a moment she smiled thinking they were home free only to realize she was still drifting near the ground despite her efforts, then it dawned on her. Bliss had never flown with extra weight on her back before as heavy as Doc. Needless to say, the effort to flap her wings harder just to gain distance off the ground was staggering. But there was little choice for her to make, she had to put all she had into her wings just to keep them up in the air. As she continued to climb she attempted to spot an opening in the trees but with no aid in sight, the forest was too thick. When that failed, she instead looked for a branch thick enough to support the two, fairly small creatures, but the only ones in sight were all within pouncing distance of the wolves. Meanwhile, in the chaos of their prey now being airborne, a Timber Wolf saw its chance and leaped into the air to grab for her long lion tail.
“LIGHTNING FIVE O’CLOCK!” Doc barked as he spotted the wolf lunge.
Bliss cried out in terror and pointed her head at the leaping wolf. As if by instinct or threat that its host was in danger, her rainbow magic lit from her horn and fired upon the wooden wolf monster, shattering it into pieces. Though the defeat of one of their assailants was relieving, it did not fix the problem they now faced, which was her losing her stride in flight, and falling back to the ground. Startled and too exhausted to fly anymore, Bliss found herself backed up against a large oak tree as the rest of the Timber Wolf pack began to surround her and Doc, growling and snarling, seeming to discuss who is to lunge at them first.
“I...I can’t fly and...fire at the same time,” she panted out.
“We’ll figure a way out of this Lightning,” Doc tried to console her, only to suddenly find himself being enveloped in her rainbow magic again and levitated up then placed down behind her. “Lightning? What are you doing?”
“No choice Doc… I’ll zap as many as I can…” she stated without looking back at him, “then you can make a run for it and get help…”
“Absolutely not!” he snapped almost in a growl. “That’s not an option!”
“DOC!” Bliss snorted back,” NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR-”
Suddenly, a wolf lunged at them both, prompting Bliss to fire back in defense. This signaled for the rest of the wolves to come in to the attack. A full battle broke out as the sounds of rainbow magic filled the air. Doc grabbed the nearest tree branch he could muster and wielded it like a club, quickly wacking a wolf that snapped near Bliss’s side. Despite the efforts of the rainbow alicorn and her small wolven friend, the Timber Wolves' magical ability to keep rebuilding themselves was only drawing out the battle. Bliss’s magic was draining fast and the color in her eyes along with it. Doc continued to smack and punch back as many wolves she couldn’t fire on as he could. One wolf finally lunged for his club, grabbing and attempting to shake it from his hands.
“AHH!” He howled out, “NO!”
The Timber Beast ripped the club from his hands and reared up to bite down on its furry counterpart that is Dr. Wolf, only for it to suddenly bite down on a familiar white wing, shooting out to protect Doc just in time. Doc Watched in horror as the wolf bit into flesh and feathers and proceed to shake it’s head back and forth, trying to tear it free of its prey’s body.
“AHHH GET OFF ME!!!!” Doc heard Bliss’s cries of agony just before the beast was obliterated by her rainbow firepower.
“LIGHTNING YOUR WING!” Doc cried out seeing the shredded limb hanging off her side. He grabbed onto his pony sibling as she slumped back closer to him, clearly exhausted and in shock. The pack now seeming to realize their prey were drained and weakened by their efforts, started getting closer as if to enjoy their moments of toying with their dinner. Doc bared his teeth, attempting to look intimidating as possible. He didn’t know what prompted him to do this, other than a primal instinct to protect one of his own pack members. Despite his efforts, the Timber Wolves continued to close the distance between them. Lighting looked half-awake as she lifted her head up in shock. Their doom was nearing if she didn’t think of a plan soon. Her firepower meant nothing against enemies that could rebuild themselves from the surrounding woods, and even Doc’s wolven growls had no intimidating effect on them. There was only one choice left she could think of, knowing that with her current state it was a gamble. Closing her eyes she focused the last remaining magic she had left, and focused on a spell for teleportation.
“Please let this work.” she pleaded to whoever would listen, “Just...teleport us somewhere SAFE!”
“Please do!” Doc called out with her, holding on while still baring his teeth and giving his best snarl. He felt the familiar warm yet energetic magic of Lightning’s power surround them both, and in a flash of brilliant white light, he found himself wiped of all energy as the air clapped around them, before blacking out.