//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: Timberwolf (Last Edited: 5/19/2022) // Story: Regression: Isekai of Equestria // by JackofEquestria //------------------------------// June 28, 2020 Unknown Jack's dreams had continued since his last meeting with Luna. The Night Princess's advice had been obvious but was easier said than done. He watched as his Dream-Self argued with his younger brother. "Get out of my room, Jack!" Mark yelled. “You’ve barely come out of your room all month," Dream Jack responded pleadingly. "Just come outside man, you're as pale as a ghost." “Why does it matter to you?” Mark spat. "I just don't think it's good for you to stay in bed on your phone 24-7," answered Dream Jack. "It's none of your business what I do!" Mark snapped. "Now get out!" he yelled, pushing dream Jack outside and slamming the door in his face. The scene changed to the beginning of Jack’s sophomore year of high school. “Did you and Yuri have a fight or something?” Bryce (who now wore glasses) asked Dream Jack. “I don’t want to talk about it, Bryce,” Dream Jack growled. "Come on, Jack, you can tell us," said Shawn, who now had a well-toned physique from his sports activities. “Seriously, Shawn, I just said I don’t want to talk about it,” Dream Jack sighed. “There are no secrets among the Circle of Bros," said Chase, who hadn't grown much taller since elementary school but had grown a bit wider. "Now tell us what happened!” The scene changed again. 12-year-old Dream Jack was building a fort in the woods along with his Chase and Shawn. Shawn held a 2x4 up to two trees as Jack and Chase nailed down their respective sides. They were just finishing driving their nails into the wood when Bryce appeared out of the brush. "Hey, guys," Bryce said. "Sorry I took so long. I think my mom's starting to get suspicious." "You've gone this long without any problems," Shawn said. "What did you tell her you were doing?" "I said I was going to the pool to spread the word of Jehovah," Bryce answered. "You've used that one like four times now," Chase said. "No wonder she's getting suspicious." "I don't know if I can keep this up much longer," Bryce sighed. "It may just be time to call it quits." "Just let him go," Jack pleaded. "Absolutely not!" Dream Jack shouted. "We're the Circle of Bros, and our friendship is forever! You just need to be more careful." The scene faded and was replaced with Jack's living room. "Honey, I need to talk to you about something," Jack's mom softly said to 19-year-old Dream Jack. “Ok, what about?” Dream Jack asked. "It's about Chase," she answered softly. "I just got off the phone with Mrs. Carney. She says he's got a glioblastoma. It's a kind of brain cancer." “Is he alright!?” asked Dream Jack, eyes wide with concern. "I don't know, but she says he's going into surgery now," she answered. "Luna, please help me!" Jack finally shouted. Everything turned dark. "As thou wish, young human," said Luna. Turning around, Jack came face to face with the Night Princess. “Why won’t they stop?” he sobbed. “We can stop the dreams after they’ve already started, but as we have stated in the past, only thou are capable of preventing them," Luna responded. “Oh yes, the whole 'thou must forgive thineself' bullshit," Jack said sarcastically. "Thine insolence is astounding!" Luna exclaimed with a glare as intense as a blood moon. "We have been trying to help thou, and yet still thou mock us. Thou shalt not receive our help when next thou ask!" she declared as Jack slowly awakened. Fluttershy’s Cottage Upon opening his eyes, he was nearly blinded by a ray of sunlight shining through the open curtains. Gulping down his pills and throwing on his hat, he rushed downstairs to find Fluttershy making lunch with Angel. The white bunny gave him the usual spite-filled glare, which Jack ignored. Fluttershy, on the other hand, gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad you're awake. I was starting to get a little worried," she said. "Why?" Jack asked as he took a seat. "It's not exactly the first time I've slept in." "I know, but it's already 12:00 in the afternoon. You never sleep this late," Fluttershy responded. "I guess I just had trouble sleeping last night," Jack shrugged. "What's for lunch?" “I made a salad for you and a daisy sandwich for me," said Fluttershy. "Alright, that sounds good," Jack said as Fluttershy placed the food on the table. "So um, you wanted to hang out with Apple Bloom later, right?" asked Fluttershy. "Yeah, I was planning on going after lunch," Jack answered. "Alright, well, I'm going to pick up a load of apples after lunch anyway, so I'll be happy to take you then," she said. "Fine," Jack agreed, although he suspected Fluttershy had just come up with a random excuse to go with him. Sweet Apple Acres Jack and Fluttershy arrived at Sweet Apple Acres about 30 minutes later. When they reached the farmhouse Jack gave an enthusiastic knock. "Ah'll be right there," said Applejack through the door. After a few seconds, the door opened. "Howdy, Fluttershy, howdy, Jack," she greeted. "What brings the two of you here tuhday?" "Um, well, I uh, I came to pick up my order of apples and decided to bring Jack with me," she answered while avoiding eye contact. “But, ya didn' order any apples," Applejack said, her brow raised in skepticism. “I knew it!” thought Jack. "Oh, um, I must have forgotten to order them," she said, slowly backing up. "Um, since Jack is already here, maybe he could stay for the day." "Uh, sure, Ah don’t see why not," said Applejack, still eyeing her with suspicion. "Great, um, I'll be back in a few hours," Fluttershy said before flying off. "Let me guess," Applejack said, turning to Jack. "She made up that story, so she’d have an excuse to come here with ya?” "That sounds about right," Jack nodded. "Well, Apple Bloom is upstairs," Applejack said. "Ah'll be doin' some repairs to the barn if'n ya need me fer anythin'." “What kind of repairs?” Jack asked. "We have a bit of a dry rot problem at the moment, so Ah'm replacing a few boards," Applejack explained. “Can I help?” Jack asked. “What do you know about repair work?” she asked. “I used to be a maintenance worker," Jack answered. "This hat was actually part of my uniform.” “Ah don’t know, Jack,” Applejack said, rubbing her mane. "Sweet Apple Acres kind of a family business. We don’ tend to hire outside the family." "You don't have to pay me. I just want to help," Jack responded. “Why?” Applejack asked suspiciously. "I just want something productive to do, to be honest," he replied. “Maybe if I do a good job, she’ll pay me anyway.” Applejack suspected he wasn’t being entirely honest but was more concerned by what Fluttershy might think. "Ah'm not sure Fluttershy would take too kindly to me lettin' you around mah tools," Applejack said. "So? She's not my mother, and I'm not really a child," Jack snorted. "Why would it matter what she thinks?" Applejack reluctantly conceded. "Alright, Ah can't really argue with that, but ya should tell Apple Bloom that yer here. She’s been expecting ya.” “Sure thing,” Jack responded with a nod. “Well, alrighty then, go on up there and tell Apple Bloom what yer doin',” Applejack said. "Understood, you won't be disappointed," Jack said as he tipped his hat and ran up the stairs. "Hey, Bloom, I'm here," Jack said as he knocked on her door. "Come on in," Apple Bloom said from behind the door. “How are you doing?” asked Jack as he walked into her room. "Ah'm doing great," she responded before saying. "Ya know ya don' have tuh knock, right?” "But, you could have been getting dress…" Jack started. "Oh, I guess that’s not really a problem with ponies," he realized with a facepalm. “What do ya want tuh do tuhday?” asked Apple Bloom with a giggle. "I've actually agreed to help Applejack out with some repair work on the barn," Jack answered. “Really?” she asked. “But yer still a colt. Why would she let ya mess with her tools?” "Well, uh, I have experience in repair work," Jack said. “Oh, is that like yer special talent?” asked Apple Bloom. "No, it's my job," he said without thinking. “I should not have said that.” “Yer job? Yer the same age as me. How do ya have a job?” asked Apple Bloom, her head tilted in confusion. “Shit!” Jack thought. "Um, humans get jobs when they turn six," he blurted out. "Please buy it, please buy it, please buy it!” "That's amazin'! Mah sister barely lets me do anythin' to help out around here, and you already have a job!" she exclaimed. "Well, I had a job back home, but I'm not really getting paid for this," Jack explained. "But maybe if I do a good job, Applejack might decide to hire me!” he thought with a grin. “Then why are ya doin' it?” she asked. "Uh, I just felt like working. It gives me a sense of purpose," he lied. “Blegh! The fuck am I saying? I want money, dammit! I'm tired of relying on Fluttershy for everything.” “Ah’ll come with ya then, mah sister won't let me touch any of the tools, but we can still hang out," Apple Bloom said. "Sounds good. I work better with company," Jack responded. The two ran off to the barn to find Applejack waiting for them. "All right, Jack, Ah need these boards cut to the same length as that one over there," she said, pointing to a pile of boards, one of which was shorter than the rest. “And how long is that exactly?” asked Jack. “Ah don’t know, Big Mac usually does all that fancy math, and he's makin' a delivery to Fillydelphia right now," Applejack answered. “You wouldn’t happen to have a tape measure, would you?” asked Jack. "Ah think Big Mac left it the house somewhere," said Applejack. “Can you tell me where, so I can go get it?” asked Jack. “Why?” asked Applejack. “So I can cut them all the same length," Jack responded. "Duh!” “Can’t ya just line 'em up next to each other?” asked Applejack. "I could, but why would I when it would be so much easier to just use the tape measure?" Jack asked. "Alright, Ah think it's in the livin' room, if'n ya really think ya need it," said Applejack with a shrug. “Ah’ll get it!” said Apple Bloom. "Thanks, Bloom," said Jack as she left. Hill between the Barn and the Farmhouse: Sweet Apple Acres Apple Bloom ran to the house to get the tape measure. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something about Jack she really liked. She didn't really have any other friends apart from Twist, and they rarely hung out. Jack, on the other hoof, played with her almost every day. He was different from the other foals in class, not just because he wasn't a pony. There was something else about him. She just couldn't figure out what. When Jack said he was going to help fix the barn, she wanted nothing more than to be of use. Once she was about halfway between the house and the barn, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head to get a better look, she was stunned to see a massive jet-black timberwolf charging toward her. “A timberwolf! But they never come this far out of the forest!” she thought in a panic as the large timberwolf rapidly gained ground. She was given no time to come up with a plan and bolted toward's the nearest shelter she could find, a lone apple tree whose branches were far out of the wolf's reach. As fast as her little legs could carry her, she shimmied up the trunk reaching the top branches just in time to avoid the wolf's jaws. Frustrated at the loss of its prey, the Timberwolf slowly circled the tree staring at Apple Bloom with its glowing yellow eyes. “HELP!” Apple Bloom shrieked. Sweet Apple Acres Barn 20 minutes later "Apple Bloom's sure takin' her sweet time," said Applejack as she turned to Jack. "Ah'm startin' tuh get worried. Why don't ya go see what's goin' on?" "Sure thing," replied Jack. As soon as Jack exited the barn, he spotted the large beast circling the apple tree. As he got closer, he discovered it was a giant wolf made of wood. He initially thought it best to avoid the massive beast, but it didn't take him long to figure out why it was circling the tree. There in the top branches, hanging on for dear life, was Apple Bloom. At first, Jack was frozen. The wolf was the size of an elephant. Even if he acted, what could he possibly do? He looked to where Apple Bloom was clinging to the tree for dear life. She wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer. Finally, an idea popped into Jack’s head. “If I can get halfway between the house and the tree, I’ll be able to get that thing’s attention and make it to the house before it can reach me. Then Apple Bloom can run to the barn." He quietly crept towards the house when the wolf turned its back to him. Once he had made it halfway between the tree and the house, he turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs. “HEY SPLINTERS, COME AND GET ME!!!!” The wolf turned toward Jack making creaking sounds like a pine tree in the wind. With a rabid sounding bark, it lunged at its new prey. “Oh shit!” Jack thought as he bolted for the house at full speed. Jack only made it three-quarters of the way to the house before he tripped over a rock that was sticking out of the ground like a speed bump. By the time he got back to his feet, the wolf was already right on top of him. As the beast lunged, Jack put his arms up in a seemingly pointless defense. However, to his surprise, a familiar sensation engulfed his body, and his eyes turned emerald. The moment the wolf's jagged teeth made contact with him, a glowing green barrier surrounded Jack's body, and the wolf's head shattered. Jack was stunned at what had just occurred. By any measure, he should have been killed. Was this some kind of divine intervention? If so, why now? Why couldn't God have interfered before he was sent to Equestria, to begin with? Unfortunately, there wasn't any time to dwell on it. The scattered splinters from the wolf's head were beginning to reform, and to make matters worse, Jack had lost all feeling in his body. As soon as the head finished reforming, the wolf lunged towards him, and Jack prepared for the sweet embrace of death, but it never came. The sky above Sweet Apple Acres Rainbow Dash had done everything within her power to avoid this section of sky. She had attempted to fake a wing injury, but this was thwarted by her inability to keep her story consistent as to which one was injured. She had asked Thunderlane and Cloud Chaser to cover for her, but they were already overworked as it was. She even started to forge a signature from the Princess before only to stop upon considering how much trouble that might get her in. She would just have to grin and bear it. Applejack may have banned her from Sweet Apple Acre's, but she had a job to do. As she started to clear out the clouds, she noticed Apple Bloom climbing down from a tree and running straight to a..." TIMBERWOLF!" Upon closer inspection, she spotted Jack lying helplessly on the ground in front of the timberwolf. She would have to act quickly, or both he and Apple Bloom would die. Like a Ju-87, she dove full speed at her opponent, although her payload was body mass rather than bombs. With a CRACK, the timberwolf was reduced back to splinters as Rainbow Dash landed in front of Jack. “Are you alright?” she asked. "I... can't move," Jack answered weakly. Looking back, she could see the wolf's body reassembling. Grabbing Jack, she zipped over to Apple Bloom. "Applejacks in the barn. We can hide there!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Climb up and hold on tight!” Rainbow Dash said as she beckoned Apple Bloom to her back. Once the filly was secure, Rainbow Dash flew to the barn at the speed of a bullet train, slamming the door behind her upon entry. "What do you think yer doin' here?" Applejack growled. "Ah thought Ah told ya, ya ain't welcome here anymore." “Wait, you don’t understand!” said Rainbow Dash. "Ah don't care, Ah told you not tuh come here anymore!" said Applejack. Before she could continue, Jack intervened. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash just saved me and Apple Bloom's lives!" “What?!” asked Applejack. "It's true, sis! We were attacked by a timberwolf, and Rainbow Dash saved us!" shouted Apple Bloom. As hard to believe as her sister's words were, Applejack could tell it was the truth. Even so, timberwolves never strayed this far from the Everfree Forest. Peering out the barn window, she spotted it. The black timberwolf was furiously searching for its lost prey, unaware that they were just a few hundred yards away. “Alright, could one of ya explain exactly what happened here?” she asked. Apple Bloom told her sister how the wolf had attacked her as she went to get the tape measure, how Jack had tried to save her, and how Rainbow Dash swooped in to save the day. After Apple Bloom finished explaining, Applejack and Rainbow Dash went to face the timberwolf, but it was nowhere to be found. After half an hour of searching, the two determined it was safe. “Well, Ah think it’s gone now," said Applejack as she looked to Rainbow Dash. "Yeah," Rainbow Dash answered, avoiding eye contact. "Hey, Applejack?" she asked, finally turning to her friend. “Yes, Rainbow?” asked Applejack. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for yelling at Apple Bloom the other day," said Rainbow Dash. "Ah know ya are, and Ah forgive you," Applejack said. "You mean it!?" asked Rainbow Dash, taking to the air in triumph. "Ya saved my sister's life, of course Ah mean it," Applejack said with a smile. "But it's not me that ya really need tuh apologize tuh, is it?" "Yeah, I know," said Rainbow Dash. "I'll apologize to Jack and Apple Bloom when we get back to the barn." Barn "Apple Bloom, Jack!" Applejack called as she and Rainbow Dash walked into the barn. "It's safe!" Jack, who had managed to get back on his feet while the two ponies had been gone, walked over with Apple Bloom. "Thanks for saving us, Rainbow Dash." "No need for thanks," Rainbow Dash said as she looked him in the eye. "But I really need to apologize to you, Jack. Ever since I met you, I treated you like a villain for no good reason. Even after I realized I was wrong, I still couldn't bring myself to apologize. So, for what it's worth, I'm sorry." Jack chuckled. "I'll tell you what. How about we just call it even? Friends?" he asked as he held out a fist. "Friends," the pegasus agreed as she gave a hoof/fist bump. "I need to apologize to you as well, Apple Bloom," she said, turning to the filly. "A few days ago, I got really mad at Jack and yelled at you both. As bad as it was for me to yell at him, it was even worse for me to yell at you." "Aw shucks, don't worry nothin' about it," Apple Bloom replied. "Hey, Rainbow?" asked Applejack. "Yes?" the Rainbow Dash replied. "Think ya could go get Fluttershy fer me?" Applejack asked. "It'd probably be best fer Jack tuh head on home." "Sure thing, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Rainbow Dash left, and around ten minutes later, she returned with Fluttershy, who took Jack home. Before he left, Applejack told Jack that he could come back and help around the farm some other time if he'd like. Fluttershy’s Cottage 3 Hours Later Jack was staring out the window. His mind flooded with thoughts. “I should be dead," he thought. "What was that energy? It wasn't God; at least I don't think it was.” Finally, it hit him. “Was that Magic?” he pondered. “I’ll ask Twilight about it tomorrow.”