//------------------------------// // 33 - Hello Darkness... My Old Friend // Story: Hazel Eyes in the Moonlight // by Oddling //------------------------------// Before any of the ponies could question what the werewolf meant by his words, he turned toward the closest enemies. Jim sucked in a breath and fixed the abominations in his sights. In the same moment Jim’s perception of time shifted, as if the world held its breath in tangent with him. Extending his senses toward the one thing that had forever been a constant companion throughout his life, Jim felt toward the deepest part of himself. What he sought reciprocated and swiftly stirred to brush against his consciousness. Bright hazel eyes, tinted red around their edges, stared through his mind’s eye. No words were spoken. There was no need. They had always felt everything from the other, only differing in what they wanted. Jim knew the other part of his self just as intimately as it knew him and, for the first time in a long time in their mutual existences, his inner beast could finally agree with him on one thing. The yellow female, the rainbow female, the pup, and the little ones all belonged to him. They were his responsibility, his new pack. Nothing was allowed to take them. The anger, hatred, guilt, sadness and desire that had built upon itself from the moment the dark clouds spread across the skies above suddenly found an escape. Tearing through Jim’s throat, the emotions expelled themselves as a monstrously feral roar, its power and weight shaking the buildings and breaking nearby windows. The force was enough to stop everything in the area and, as the now fiery golden orange glow of the werewolf’s gaze narrowed, it became the perfect time to strike. Jim jumped, his body twisting, and the post in his hands was loosed. What once had been a useful object for illumination had become a spinning pole of devastation. The post struck true, slamming into the group of five wolves a few dozen feet away. Three of the group were reduced to clumps of what they had once been, the remaining two only being spared by their partner’s bodies absorbing the blow. Even then, they were still sent tumbling back the way they had come. The werewolf did not wait to see the result of his throw. Taking advantage of the spin, Jim’s limbs launched him down a different road the moment he landed. His speed took him between an earth pony defender and the teen pegasus mare, the air tugging the two as he passed them. Jim charged his next targets, no longer caring to hold back as even more enemies filtered onto the streets and rooftops. There were too many for him to worry about what the ponies might see him as. If he hesitated and lost one of the ones he wanted to protect… If I fail again… Jim’s eyes flashed dangerously and his body lurched forward even faster. He slammed into the wolves in front of him, claws and fangs delivering his fury into the enemies that strove to harm his charges. ~~***~~ Rose eyes watched the swift movement of Jim’s body as he tore into his enemies. It had taken a few long seconds for Rainbow to calm her beating heart. She had nearly forgotten that incident back in the castle, when Jim had turned that frighteningly curious gaze her way after he hugged Fluttershy against his chest. With the speed and power currently destroying the hostile wolves unfolding below her, Rainbow could not suppress the shiver that ran through her body. If he had truly wanted to, she would have been trapped and forced to endure his snuggling with no chance of escape. A firm shake of her head rid her of such horrid thoughts and she glared at the wolves that had taken to the rooftops. With steely determination the cyan pegasus flapped her wings. She quickly built up her speed then changed direction. Like the love-child of a pinball and a homing missile, Rainbow’s body ripped through the air and, never sticking to the same pattern, she punched, kicked, slammed, and bowled over wolf after wolf from the roofs. Just you watch, Jim. I’ll never let you get your paws on me! I don’t CUDDLE! she thought, pushing herself even harder to succeed. Although, even she knew there was more than simply that image fueling her increased flurry of blows to her enemies. A satisfied gleam filled her eyes as the ribs of a wolf shattered under the power of her buck. ~~***~~ The gurgling shrieks of the wolves snapped Fine Tune out of his shock. He turned to his comrades, his horn sparking with renewed magical energy. “They’re coming from all sides! We’re outnumbered, but with his power I think we can pull this off!” Fine looked around, making use of Jim’s example, and cast his first spell. The remaining nearby lamp posts suddenly found themselves tethered to his horn by strands of the stallion’s pale red magic. A moment later found the posts yanked and suspended in the air above him. His jaw clenched as he poured magic into his next spell. A rapid series of pops and clangs rang out as the metal was severed into smaller pieces. Sweat formed on Fine’s brow as he pushed even more into the spell, the metal chunks groaning as they were compressed and reshaped. Just as the shapes were becoming more complete, Fine Tune’s attention was pulled from his task. “Dad!” Scootaloo called to him. “Don’t waste your magic making them sharp! Rainbow said even the Royal Guards weren’t doing enough damage to the wolves, so just make the metal stronger!” Fine looked to his daughter, his magic sparking from the strain of his divided attention. He could clearly see the plea in her eyes, though he also saw the two little fangs in her mouth. A flicker of anger danced through both his eyes and the magic around his horn, but he managed to hold his composure well enough. There had been enough loss in his life, he was not about to let his emotions cost him his wife and daughter. With a new push of determination, Fine Tune modified his magic. A few moments later and the metal pieces became plates of armor and sturdy handled rods. The flash of a shadow and the gust of air above him drew Fine’s eyes upward. He nearly missed it as Jim clashed with the wolves on the other side of the intersection. Fine Tune looked back to where Jim had been fighting prior. His eyes widened at the destruction. While he had been busy shaping the metal, though it had not taken him long, Jim had destroyed nearly a dozen enemies and crippled others. There were still more heading toward them, but it seemed that Jim’s goal was to hit hard and move quickly to the next location. Fine’s experience with military tactics wasn’t extensive, but even he could tell that this was most likely the only way he and the others could protect the youngsters successfully. He hated to admit it, but he now held a bit of admiration for the werewolf. Regardless of the larger beast’s motives, he was putting everything he had into the fight. Yet another roar from Jim rang out as the werewolf hurled a small cart into the farthest group of hostiles down the road. Unlike the last time, Jim’s roar spurred something on within Fine Tune’s chest. Snorting firmly, Fine floated the new armor and weapons to his comrades. “Alright lads it’s time to pay our assailants back for wrecking our home and harming our loved ones!” The other pony defenders gratefully took the offered upgrades, swapping their meager arsenal for better protection and weaponry hastily. Keeping hold of four rods for himself, Fine looked toward the nearest enemies and raised his head defiantly. “What say we do better than simply holding them back and crush them instead? For Ponyville! For Equestria!” ~~***~~ The sharp clang of a metal rod connecting with the head of a dark wolf pierced the air. Scootaloo flinched from the noise, her ears feeling more sensitive to sound than she was used to. Sweetie Belle suddenly turned and buried her face beneath her left wing. Scootaloo could feel her friend’s terror as she shook beneath the protection of her wing. The young werepony held her trembling friend and looked to Apple Bloom only to see her trying to comfort their mutual friend, Twist. As she looked around to the rest of her classmates, Scootaloo saw that they were all scared. Her amethyst gaze met with Diamond Tiara’s bright blue, the pink filly comforting Silver Spoon despite the fear in her own eyes. Diamond’s eyes turned to something in the distance behind Scootaloo, worry filling her friend’s face. Just as she fully turned her head to see what Diamond Tiara had seen, Scootaloo’s heart leapt in her chest. As if they had learned from the mistakes of their fallen, the wolves swarmed to overrun Jim. Scootaloo couldn’t count them all as the dark wolves rushed their larger foe. Keeping their attacks staggered and assaulting Jim from all directions, the creatures put in great effort to best the werewolf. Jim’s vicious snarl was his answer as he slashed through them with his claws. But despite his overwhelming strength and speed it was not enough. Scootaloo’s eyes widened in horror as she witnessed a single wolf move away from its brethren, its movements calculative and filled with purpose. Fear gripped the poor filly as she tried to call out to Jim in warning, but it was far too late. The opening presented itself too soon and the dark wolf lunged forward through its falling companion. Its patience had been rewarded as its gnarled maw bit deep into Jim’s left thigh. The dark wolf fully committed to the bite, bracing its paws against Jim and rending its fangs as deeply as possible. Jim seemingly showed little care for the successful attack, instead continuing with his furious blows to the rest of the wolves that had foolishly relaxed in their assault against him. Scootaloo watched as her guardian made the most of his enemy’s poor decision, dragging the biting wolf with him with apparent ease. The werewolf’s unpredictable movement cost the surrounding wolves their advantage. As if fueled by the pain Jim stepped up his assault, leaping from building to building and literally cutting down his enemies. A sudden cry of alarm from behind Scootaloo pulled her attention away from Jim’s fight. The light blue earth pony stallion had been knocked onto his side by one of the wolves. The offending wolf leapt at the downed pony, only to find a metal rod swung into its face. In the next moment, the wolf’s head was severed by a powerful swipe of Jim’s claws as he landed beside the group. Scootaloo spotted the previous wolf still clamped firmly onto Jim’s leg as it refused to release its jaws. Anger bubbled inside her chest as she saw the blood spread in Jim’s fur. But just as quickly as she felt the emotion, Jim’s maw swooped down and clamped onto the wolf’s neck. A brief crunch followed and the glow vanished from the wolf’s empty sockets. The head and body of the wolf tumbled to the ground separately as the werewolf turned to a few nearby enemies to continue the fight. The howls of the wolves and the cries of the defending ponies grew as the fight became more intense. Fine Tune used his rods to support the others while they pushed back the wolves with everything they had. Rainbow Dash’s attacks above kept the wolves grounded. All the while Jim pressed on despite his injury and made sure he was always nearby to deliver the finishing blow on any wolves engaged with the ponies. Scootaloo was aware of what was going on around her, yet the only thing that her eyes could focus on was the slowly dissolving head of the dark wolf in front of her. Her amethyst gaze stared intensely at the gnarled fangs in its mouth. She watched as yet another drop of Jim’s blood fell to join with others before it in a small, growing pool. Her ear twitched as the drop landed, the sound seeming louder and matched with a thump in her heart. An abrupt yell of surprise pulled the werepony’s attention away and to the air above a nearby street. Her eyes watched as her idol, Rainbow Dash, veered her flight path away from the snapping maw of a wolf. It had hidden itself inside of a building and waited for the cyan pegasus to fly over before it jumped through the thatch roofing. Scootaloo’s ears twitched when the open maw clicked shut a mere two hooves distance from Rainbow’s leg. Again she felt her heart thump. Movement nearby brought Scootaloo’s gaze down to her father. She watched as his sweat soaked body heaved with heavy breaths. His legs trembled as he forced himself to stand. Her father had neared his limits. She knew he could only hold on for a tiny bit longer. It would not be enough. “Look out!” That was Apple Bloom’s voice, Scootaloo thought as she turned her head. Her amethyst eyes widened slightly as she saw a group of three wolves rush the light blue stallion from before. The middle charged ahead while the other two moved to stagger their attacks. The earth pony swung his weapon into the first wolf and spun around to buck his opponent back. As the other two wolves came around from the side a rod flew toward them to intercept, but lost the thin line of magic that connected it to Fine Tune’s horn. Fine Tune called out in alarm for help. Jim responded immediately, grabbing and throwing an enemy toward the two attackers. The werewolf’s aim was true and connected perfectly with its target, but the wolf furthest back had anticipated the move. Using its fellow wolf as a platform and avoiding the throw, it jumped over the defensive line. Scootaloo felt her body tense in that snapshot of time. Her eyes stared at the open maw of the wolf as it began its descent onto her friends. The bodies she had seen on the way flashed through her mind, to then be replaced with the images of her friends and family. The enemy before her would kill them too. It was in that moment, as Scootaloo felt the hardest pulse within her body, that the day’s rollercoaster of emotions brought her to the tipping point. From the tightness that had formed in her chest that morning as she saw the different stares of the other ponies. To the looks of suspicion that had led to her friends standing up for her and Apple Bloom getting hurt. To the relief and joy she felt when the doc had told her the great news about her wings. Only to lose that happiness to nervousness as it came time to tell her friends about what had happened to her and to hope that they would understand her… accept her. But before she could even do that, the gross magic covered the sky and made her insides twist. Then the dark wolves came. They hurt Jim. They killed ponies, some who she had grown close to because of all the projects she and her friends had done in their quests for their cutie-marks. Jim had been right. She hurt more than ever before. Her pain had lessened slightly, thanks to Jim being there and helping. She still had her dearest friends with her. She even felt a wave of relief wash over her when she found both her mom and dad. But now… now everything she had left was about to be lost to the thing in front of her. It was going to take them from her… ~~***~~ Panic surged through Jim’s mind as he saw the abomination leap off of its companion. He moved to lunge before it could land on the kids, but suddenly found himself under a combined attack once more. As two more wolves bit into his back and tail, three others slammed their bodies against him and a cold dread seized his heart. The world slowed for a moment, almost as if it wanted him to forever remember every detail of yet another failure. In that agonizing second, Jim’s gaze drifted down to catch one last look at the ones he could not save; despite the violent churning of his inner beast craving otherwise. However, what he saw was not as it had seemed. His eyes slowly widened, the golden glow fading slightly back to bright hazel. All of the children were cowered in fear, with Apple Bloom trying to pull Sweetie Belle out of danger. Fluttershy seemed stricken with fear and indecision, her wings spread but unsure of whether they should flap or reach to protect; eyes filled with fear but unfocused. Yet there was one among them that did not show fear. In fact, the emotion displayed on her face was far from such. Her glowing amethyst eyes were burning with anger, and her bared fangs showed a desire that no pony would normally have. It was then that Jim realized that Scootaloo had found it. Though the circumstances were different in her case it made no difference in the end. Just as Jim had done when he found murderous hands wrapped around his throat all those years ago, when the young were told what was expected of them to survive, Scootaloo found her reason… to kill. Something inside of Jim, even deeper than his inner beast, stirred as he continued to watch. As if his body knew instinctively what to do, he swiped the three pests that had slammed into him away and down the street. Meanwhile, Scootaloo leapt toward the enemy in front of her, her wings flapping once and propelling her ever faster. Jim’s hands swiftly sought out the two enemies behind him. His claws found their targets and, just as Scootaloo’s fangs tore into her enemy’s neck, he ripped them from his back and tail. In a crudely elegant dance of death to the accompanying crunches of defeated dark wolves, Jim and Scootaloo tossed their victims aside. The two were-beings looked to each other, their glowing eyes meeting. Scootaloo’s gaze wavered as her mind began to try to process what she had just done. Yet before her thoughts could take her down a dark path, she found herself face to face with Jim. Jim nuzzled gently against the filly’s cheek, his muzzle resting close to her ear. “Don’t forget that feeling. Embrace it. Use it. Protect what's ours.” Scootaloo gasped as she heard Jim’s words and felt their meaning through his touch upon her cheek. Her body began to tremble. She had no idea why. Whether from fear of what she might do, or what the others behind her might think of her, or excitement at finally feeling so powerful, so light, so capable, Scootaloo could not be sure what she was feeling. What she did know was that the inferno pumping through her veins would not subside until those precious to her were safe from harm. Jim stood and swung his gaze across his surroundings. He briefly locked eyes with Fine Tune, the exhausted stallion seeming both furious and heartbroken. A glance to Quartz Recorder revealed a confused but very worried mother. Guilt tugged at the back of Jim’s mind, but he refused to let it show. The ponies could get his earnest apologies once they weren’t in the center of a field of destruction and merciless tools of death. Careful wingbeats drew near, signaling Rainbow Dash’s arrival. She lightly landed on his shoulders and brought her muzzle beside Jim’s ear. “I don’t know what just happened, but every one of those things just came to a stop. They didn’t even try to move when I kicked the last ones off the roof.” Jim’s eyes passed over the streets around them. It was true. The moment Scootaloo had killed the one, all of the others had simply stopped. All of the dark wolves had fixed their empty green gazes solely on Jim and Scootaloo. “Looks like we got their attention,” Jim growled lightly. “They’re planning something.” Jim’s words snapped Fine Tune’s attention away from his daughter to the werewolf. “That shouldn’t be possible. They’re a variant of Timber Wolves, magically altered and enhanced with dark spell-craft. I made it a point to analyze the first one I came across,” he said. “I’m not exactly a long term resident of your world,” Jim responded. “Care to elaborate on that?” “Despite some outlandish ideas about them, Timber Wolves are nothing more than the matured stage of a common plant,” Fine explained. “They’re small colonies of luminescent, parasitic vines called Wolf’s Vein. It’s a harmless plant in its early stages, but once they mature the vines utilize their magic to gather organic materials into a movable form. After that they ‘hunt’ sources of usable organic and magical materials for use in the germination of the next generation.” Jim’s eyes narrowed. “These things are just plants?” “Yes, simply put,” Fine answered. “So it is impossible for them to be planning anything. They’d need to have an immensely superior cognitive capability in order to do so.” “Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” Jim growled, spotting slow movements from the remaining wolves. “But they have the capacity to think. Whether individually or through some other means, they’ve been learning and utilizing various tactics.” Fine Tune opened his mouth to reply, but Jim had one more thing to add. “I know very little about magic, but I’d recognize a weapon anywhere. These things are just tools for killing. Someone or something is either influencing or controlling them. Swords don’t swing themselves and ‘plants’ obviously don’t learn.” While Fine Tune and the others took that unsettling information in, Jim looked to Rainbow. “I don’t like this situation,” he said gently. He could feel the cyan mare’s fatigue in the light trembles of her legs atop his shoulders. “Yeah…” Rainbow swallowed as she kept her breaths measured. “Not gunna lie, this has been the toughest fight of my life so far. There’s still a lot of them left further in town.” “Hmm,” Jim agreed. He could feel the strain on his body from his fights. The painful burning from his newest bites had yet to fade, and his limbs felt heavier than he wanted to admit. “It’s not over yet. We’ve given them reason to pause, but they’re still in our way. You still want to risk your neck here?” Rainbow flashed a glare to Jim and she firmly tapped the top of his head with a hoof. “I’m not leaving. The rest of the girls are safe with Twilight. Flutters, Scoots, the kids, and you are still out here. I won’t abandon you guys.” Jim huffed a light laugh. “Courageous and loyal no matter the challenge… color me impressed.” His smile faded and he looked to the dark clouds above. “You need to be even more cautious now. Don’t push yourself too hard. These things will take advantage of the next opening you give them,” he said softly and closed his eyes. A few seconds ticked by, the sounds of the wolves beginning to move again filling the air. The hoof that had struck his head gently brushed through his hair as Rainbow sighed. “I’ll promise that as long as you make sure you don’t get hurt anymore.” Jim slowly opened his eyes, his gaze meeting Rainbow’s. “I only promised to get you all to safety or die trying,” he said, the golden glow steadily bleeding back into his eyes. “But I’m feeling like putting more effort into this.” He lowered his head to glare at his enemies once again. Rainbow nuzzled the top of Jim’s head, her own gaze hardening and wings spreading. “Make sure it’s nothing less than twenty percent more effort. We’ll stomp these things and save our home.” “Sounds good to me,” Jim replied, his fangs appearing in a grin that promised no mercy to his enemies. A snap of her wings sent Rainbow back into the air. Jim dropped back down onto all fours beside Scootaloo. He looked to her. “Follow my lead, kid.” Jim bolted forth, the dark wolves responding in kind. Scootaloo hesitated for a split second. Part of her wanted to look back to her friends, to see them smiling for her and encouraging her, but she dared not spare the glance. If she saw what a part of her still feared, it would be too much for her to handle. She steeled herself as best she could, squashing her fears beneath a burning desire to put an end to the things that wanted to hurt her friends and family. The battle resumed in full force. The altered timber wolves pressed their assault from every direction they could. The ponies mustered what strength they had left and held their ground, though Fine Tune could only wield one rod in his magic’s tether. The second unicorn of the group somehow found the will to push harder as a result, picking up the slack and utilizing the rest of the makeshift weapons. Before long the defending ponies and the were-beings fell into a rhythm of sorts, their combined efforts steadily chipping away at the remaining enemies around them. Despite the disadvantage in numbers, the ponies found assurance in their successful movements to halt the mutated timber wolves. With each clash they shared with their enemies, Jim was there to bring the timber wolves down for good. Scootaloo was never more than a few steps away from Jim as she followed him. Her movements had been clumsy for the first few encounters throughout the fighting, but she quickly adapted to her larger partner’s methods. She learned that where she was no match for his brute strength, she easily made up for with her agility. The young filly found herself naturally weaving around Jim, her own attacks targeted toward singled out enemies or any that tried to use Jim’s blind spots to attack from. Hope started to flare back to life inside of all of them as the many enemies steadily became fewer in number. When Rainbow Dash joined the fight on the streets the remaining timber wolves were reduced down to a mere half dozen. The last six had only been left alive as they had stayed outside of the fight. In that point in time the conflict between the two sides of the attack shifted to a stare down. With the last of the attacking wolves dealt with, Jim slowly moved between the ponies and their enemies. He felt Scootaloo brush her wing against his back leg, ready to move with him. His ears picked up on the huffs of the tired ponies behind him. Though he controlled his breathing, he felt just as tired as his allies did at the moment. To make things worse, Jim could feel his body’s desire to feed even more than before. He had used up a lot of strength during the fight, a portion of it being devoted to mending whatever damage he had suffered from the bites he had received. There was a part of Jim that was thankful for the break in the fight, but the rest of him was suspicious and tense. The last six wolves had spaced themselves out in an arc around the group, with the two in the center as the exception. It was a formation that could allow them to break through the defense and deal a devastating blow if Jim moved poorly. They had seemingly intended to make their formation in front of the broken windows of the corner shop. With the thin wooden walls that were more window than wall, it was a building that Jim could not jump off of like he had prior. One way or another, the timber wolves had picked a good way to exploit both Jim’s and the ponies’ exhaustion, as well as limit his mobility. Jim’s ear flicked at the measured clops of an approaching pony behind him. “Looks like this is the last of them,” Rainbow said as she came to stand beside Jim. Jim hummed in brief agreement, his sharp gaze catching the shift of the wolves’ attention to the cyan mare. His eyes narrowed. “So it would seem…” “What should we do?” Scootaloo asked. “Everypony’s so tired…” “Both of you lean in,” Jim replied and lowered his head, never looking away from the timber wolves. Rainbow and Scootaloo moved in close to Jim’s head. He whispered his plan to the two then raised his head. As Jim dug his claws into the cobblestone road, Rainbow faced the two toward the left side and pawed at the ground while Scootaloo simply lowered her stance. “Let’s end this,” Jim said firmly and rushed the wolf on the far right. Rainbow sprinted toward the two on the left and Scootaloo stood her ground. Just as she had been instructed Rainbow ran forward only to launch herself airborne at the last moment. Her timing could not have been any closer. Just as Jim had warned the two dark timber wolves leapt up to try and catch her, but could not match her speed. They collided midair and tumbled to the ground. In their moment of weakness after hitting the road, one of the wolves found its head in the jaws of the young werepony. Scootaloo bit down hard, the timber wolf’s protective skull plating ultimately worthless against her teeth. Before the second timber wolf could react, Scootaloo darted away. The timber wolf scrambled to its paws quickly and made to give chase, only to find the brutal force of Rainbow Dash’s hooves smashing its head into the road. Unlike the last time, Rainbow made sure to correct her past mistake. She did not hold back this time and her efforts were rewarded with a satisfying crunch beneath her hooves, though she felt slightly apologetic toward whoever had to fix that part of the road in the future. Meanwhile, Jim had slammed into his first target. He used its momentum towards him to his advantage and dug his claws into both it and the road to change direction. Ripping a deep gouge through the timber wolf’s side, Jim launched himself toward the next wolf. He swiped his claws through it and continued on to the final two. Just as he had expected, they had turned their attention toward Rainbow Dash. Their attack never had the chance to reach her as Jim landed on both of them from behind. Jim stood, pulling his claws out of the last two wolves, and surveyed the surroundings. A feeling of bitter-sweet relief washed over him as he only found wide eyed children and exhausted adults. He looked to Rainbow and Scootaloo. “Let’s go,” he huffed tiredly and lead the two back to the group. As they walked closer, Scootaloo’s gaze drifted around. There were so many timber wolf bodies, a great deal of them almost completely dissolved into piles of black dust. She absentmindedly ran her tongue across her fangs as she recalled the repulsive flavor that had filled her mouth every time she bit into one. In all her years, Scootaloo had never tasted anything like it. The only thing that came remotely close was the one time she had tasted pure cocoa powder. To this day she couldn't understand how something so bitter could be used to make such delicious treats. Her musings were suddenly shattered as she found herself a victim of a collection of firm hugs. Jim silently watched as many of the children swarmed Scootaloo. Whatever worries she had were wiped away as she heard how worried her friends had been for her safety. A tiny smile also spread over his face as a few of the kids praised her for how cool she looked in the fight. However, there were the few that looked unsure of her. Jim looked over to see Fluttershy gently fussing over Rainbow Dash. She had been hiding it, but Jim knew that the cyan pegasus had worn herself out. Scootaloo was probably the only combatant that still had the energy to keep up the fight at that point. Carefully placed clops slowly approached from the side and Jim looked to find Fine Tune beside him. The stallion’s gaze was firmly fixed to his daughter. Jim sighed quietly and stretched his tired body. “We’re not out this yet,” he said and looked over the rest of the group. Fine Tune sighed and looked at the remnants of the battle. “I don’t know if we can manage another encounter like that again. And I’m not sure I want to see her fighting like that either.” “I won’t try to pretend to know what you’re feeling right now,” Jim rumbled quietly. “But I hope you can believe me when I say that my sorrow runs deep. I’ll accept all of your hatred for what I’ve done to her, but don’t believe for a second that you’ve lost your daughter.” Fine Tune turned a glare to Jim, but paused as he saw the look in the werewolf’s eyes that rested upon Scootaloo. Though they were difficult to find, Jim’s emotions still drifted through his eyes for those to see if they looked hard enough. “I’ve been cursed since birth,” Jim whispered solemnly. “I will never forgive myself, even if you do. But underneath the changes, behind the fangs, and inside of that body… is a heart of gold. She’s still an amazing young girl. And she’ll never lose that part of herself.” Jim smiled gently at the happy little moment surrounding the filly. Fine Tune turned his gaze to his daughter. To his pleasant surprise, he spotted his wife as she slowly made her way to join the group hug around her child. As Scootaloo turned and lovingly embraced Quartz, Fine Tune realized the truth in Jim’s words. Despite the longer fur, pointed fangs, and larger wings, Scootaloo was still his precious little girl. All of his previous worries as her father found themselves on the back burner as the two most important things came to the forefront in his heart. He loved his wife and daughter and they needed to be somewhere safe. Jim gently placed his hand on Fine Tune’s shoulder. “We should get moving.” Fine Tune nodded in agreement and turned to the others. “I apologize everypony, but we need to get out of here,” he addressed and looked to Jim. Jim nodded lightly. “Alright kids, let’s get back into formation.” He looked between Rainbow and the teenage pegasus. “Which of you has the energy to get into the air to keep a lookout for trouble?” The younger pegasus stepped forward. “I’m tired, but I can still fly.” Rainbow went to step forth, but stopped when Fluttershy cleared her throat meaningfully. Rainbow looked at her friend with a sheepish, weak chuckle. “Yeah… I don’t think I should do anything too reckless for the time being,” she answered, rubbing the back of her head. Jim nodded and looked to the injured unicorn of the group then to Quartz Recorder. He then looked to Fine Tune. “How do you propose we handle moving the injured guy and your wife? They both may need help getting to the castle.” Fine Tune thought for a moment. “I’ll help Quartz.” He looked to the light blue earth pony stallion. “Can you carry him?” Seeing the earth pony’s nod, Jim turned to the other two stallions. “Then I’ll have the two of you follow the group at the back.” He then looked to Fine Tune. “You can follow behind me in front of the kids. We’ll keep the injured next to Fluttershy in the middle.” Rainbow stepped forward. “I’ll stick with you near the front.” Jim glanced to Fluttershy, seeing she wasn’t against the idea. “Fine by me.” With everything planned out, everyone went forth with their preparations to depart. Once in position, Jim began to lead the group toward the castle once more. Jim glanced back to observe the new formation. He was mildly worried about losing the one earth pony that now carried the injured unicorn, but was more unsure about Fine Tune’s fighting ability. The look of concern on Quartz Recorder’s face as she was carried by her husband’s magic did not sit well with Jim. There was little that Jim could do about the present situation. Cursing silently, he turned his focus forward. As they progressed down the street Jim’s unease with the situation grew. Even without the churning feeling of his inner beast, he knew something stunk. Jim slowed to a stop. He turned a hateful glare to the pile of dark dust beside him, trailing his gaze from one pile to another. Rainbow slowly walked up next to Jim. “Are you alright?” She asked quietly. Fine Tune gently placed his wife down and looked to Jim. “I hope you aren’t hearing more of them…” Jim’s jaw clenched and his hackles rose. His eyes drifted further around, stopping on a small pile of motionless timber wolf bodies beneath a cart he had thrown earlier. A quiet whine of squeaking wood pulled everyone’s attention to the right of the group. Jim reacted without truly thinking, his hand darting out and shoving Rainbow away, as the remains of a newspaper stand exploded. Panic and shock struck the ponies as Jim’s body was launched into the side of a building, a thick smoldering spike impaling his chest and pinning him in place. Jim’s eyes opened wide as he felt what might have been the most unbearable, seething pain of his life. He instinctively reached for the spear, only for the shaft to have thorns abruptly burst from its surface. Had the object not found purchase through his lung, Jim may have managed a louder cry of agony. Fine Tune turned his gaze toward the source of the spike to see a crumbling husk of what had once been an altered timber wolf. He turned back to Jim and lit his horn, a strand of his magic extending to the dangerous object. His eyes widened in horror at what he found. “It turned itself into this weapon!” Jim’s eyes flared with anger and he swiftly sunk his claws into the animated weapon, the shaft letting loose a hissing sound before its glow faded. If anything, he could feel satisfied that he finished the thing off before it could do anything else to him. Though that thought did nothing to change the fact that Jim was still pinned to the wall and critically injured. Snapping out of her daze, Rainbow Dash leapt to her hooves and rushed to Jim. Yet anything she wanted to say died in her throat as she got close enough to smell the heavy scent of his blood; the precious fluid was flowing out of his wound faster than she wanted to see. Her rose eyes looked up to Jim’s face. Jim looked back into her quivering gaze. He wanted to tell her that he would be fine, but he could feel the full extent of his injuries. Even if he were to eat something in that moment, he doubted that his body would manage to convert it in time to save his life. His chest had been punctured by a spear as thick as his bicep. If it had been the thickness of an average spear then he could possibly live through it, despite the difficulty that would come with a punctured lung. No, the only reason he had not kicked the bucket already was because of the thing in his chest. It was both killing him and delaying his death at the same time. Fine Tune slowly approached, stopping just behind Rainbow Dash. “I know this is not something you wish to hear… but-” “No!” Rainbow immediately countered angrily, eyes clenching shut. “There has to be some way to help him!” Jim reached a hand toward her and weakly flicked her forehead. Her eyes darted open to look at him. “I’ll be lucky to live long enough… for this thing to crumble,” he spoke softly. Fine Tune sighed gently. “And that’s assuming the venom from those thorns doesn’t finish him off before then.” Jim chuckled weakly. “Venom doesn’t work on me… nor do poisons.” “This isn’t something to laugh about,” Rainbow chastised, rearing up and placing her hooves on Jim’s waist. Jim forced a grin through his pain, ready to spout a half-assed bit of how this was his time to pay for his long list of sins, but was cut short by the sound of shifting wood nearby. All heads turned to the source. Shoving aside the remains of the damaged cart, the remaining Timber wolf bodies stood from beneath the debris; all four bodies steadily morphing together into one body. Fear spread through the gathered ponies as they watched the timber wolf finish assimilating. Its size had grown to equal that of the werewolf, and its body now sported two sinister heads; each decorated with short smoldering horns and three eerie green eyes. The remaining two heads seemed to have been used to form a protective cage around a burning green fire on its chest. More flames seemed to dance along its spine. Jim slowly took hold of Rainbow’s arm, his gaze locked onto the two-headed entity. “You all need to run. I’ll keep it distracted as long as I can-” Rainbow swiped his hand away, getting Jim’s attention and glaring at him fiercely. The beast inside Jim began to twist and writhe as they both saw Rainbow’s plan begin to form within her burning gaze. A wave of panic surged forth from within him and he reached for her, only to miss as she stepped back. Her mind settled on her course of action as she turned a hateful glare toward her new opponent. Jim took hold of the spear in his chest, cringing as the thorns dug into his hands. He attempted to pull free from the building. “Don’t you.” He pulled again. “Fucking dare. Rainbow!” He did not have the strength to yank the spear free. Rainbow refused to look at him as her ears folded against her head. “You protected everypony. I’m going to return the favor. I won’t let you die like this!” Panic rushed through Jim again as Rainbow charged toward the timber wolf. The feeling spiked tenfold as he spotted a small blur of orange dart after her. Cries of alarm rang out as the others called for Rainbow and Scootaloo to stop. Even Fine Tune tried to reach out with his magic to catch his daughter, but he had forgotten about his prosthetic leg in that moment. Stepping down on the fake appendage incorrectly resulted in Fine losing both his balance and focus as he fell to the ground. Jim’s heart pounded faster and faster as he watched the two foolish ponies run toward the twin-headed creature. The timber wolf let loose a bellow, dark slime spraying from its maws, and it charged in kind. NoooooOOOOOO, Jim cried out in his mind. Fueled by adrenaline, urged by desires of his own and his inner beast’s, and possibly blessed by something more, the werewolf somehow tore the spear free from the wall. He landed roughly, the object through his chest tweaking painfully. Blood rushed up from his punctured lung, forcing him to cough, but he refused to stop. There was no time to waste. He had to get up and end the fight before… Jim forced his body up in time to see his fears play out before his eyes. As Rainbow Dash slammed her hooves into one of the wolf’s heads the other recklessly swung around. Even as Scootaloo’s bite found purchase on its exposed throat, the fight had found their group’s first casualty. The timber wolf’s maw engulfed Rainbow’s wing and, with no time for the mare to react, mercilessly clamped its fangs shut. Rainbow’s body seized as incredible pain erupted from the bite, and a terrible shriek of agony ripped through her throat. Jim’s eyes grew wide as time crawled to a halt, his body frozen as he pathetically reached out for Rainbow.