Applebloom skipped cheerily back to the farm with her new pet in tow. To think, she was the proud owner of her very own pet. This was great, she finally had a pet, and a real one as well, not like that pet rock Applejack had given her for her last birthday, that thing didn't even eat the little biscuits or drink the water she periodically put out for it (although it was extremely talented at playing dead, staying still, and... well, being a rock). The other girls were going to flip when they found out! And who knows, Splinter might be able to bag them their cutie marks in wolf care. Celestia knows they tried everything else.
She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to catch another glimpse of her totally awesome pet. Despite his limp, he still managed to look proud, strong, and most of all, threatening. His hide was webbed with scars, the most noticeable of which was a pair of jagged grooves running across his face, beginning at the tip of his nose and leading across his face.
She could see why a lot of ponies would be afraid of him, in fact, even she got a little edgy when she was around him. But if you were willing to just overlook the scars, the razor-like teeth, the sharp claws, the yellow eyes and the way he looked at you hungrily from time to time, you'd find a perfectly normal, kind hearted puppy... Who just happened to kill and eat little animals. Admittedly, she was doubtful of him at first (particularly due to the gory mauling he gave her brother), but after that night at the barn, after how he almost seemed to cry when Sweetie Belle made that comment about his missing leg, and how he had accepted that apologetic hug, she could see that he was a far cry from those vicious monstrosities that Granny Smith mentioned in her bed time stories. He was just a lonely little pup with nopony to love him, but she could fix that.
Applebloom stops in her tracks, gives me a quick once over and returns to her skipping as if nothing had happened. Well, she's a quirky one alright. We had gone through our little walking session (or 'walkies', as she liked to call it) with staggering amounts of speed... Or rather, SHE did, I was more or less dragged along. It's actually kind of frightening how fast this little foal is, she's like a lightning bolt, a southern-accented lightning bolt wrapped in a frilly pink bow.
*Rumble*
'I bet she tastes like her brother.'
What? Bad brain! She's a child, for Drathgurg's sake! But gods, I'm hungry. Well, I did skip on breakfast, but can you blame me? That miserable excuse for food smelt worse than a manticore's ass crack crammed full of chimp feces and ancient milk. Frankly, I'd rather go through death by starvation as opposed to putting that in my mouth. Don't get me wrong, I'm a survivor down to the bone, and I've crammed all kinds of horrid shit in my gob (and I mean all kinds), so my standards aren't exactly high, but there are things that even I'm not willing to eat. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find something edible at one point or another after I haul my wooden ass back to the farm...
*Rumble*
But I'm hungry NOW!
I look back at Applebloom, who was still bouncing along like the energetic little nuisance she was. She was so lively, so healthy, 'so unsuspecting.'
'Come on, scarf the bitch.'
No... As appealing as it sounds, I hardly think my new owner's companions would take too kindly to me eating their youngest family member. Besides, I promised myself that I'd give these ponies a chance to impress me, and by Drathgurg, I'm a wolf of my word!
'No, you really aren't.'
... Good point.
Still, the image of being hunted down by a mob of angry technicoloured donkeys isn't a very appealing one, it would probably be for the best if I just-
*Sniff sniff*
Wait...
A foreign scent wafted through the air, almost like... woodchippings? No... something living... Something familiar...
*Sniff*
That smell...
*Sniff sniff sniff*
That's the smell of...
*Sniff sniff snort sniff... snort*
"Come on Angel, it's time to go home" whispered a soft, elegant voice somewhere off in the distance, barely audible even to my ears.
IT!
Angel wriggled against Fluttershy's delicate hooves as she carefully picked him up and went to plop him back into her deep green saddlebags. Did he look like a Chihuahua? Well maybe... But that didn't mean he liked being hauled around in a bag! Ever since he'd wandered off into Everfree forest she had been keeping him suffocatingly close, he couldn't as much as take a dump without her watchful eyes staring him down. 'I mean c'mon, at least let a bunny do his business in privacy!'. So he had screwed up once, big deal! So he got lost for a couple of hours, whoop-de-doo! So he was hunted by a ravenous timber wolf, so what? Everyone makes mistakes once in a while, besides, it's not like he was going to run into any wolves out here!
"MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEER!"
As if on cue, a three legged, yellow eyed demon came charging wildly over a nearby hill, a small filly flapping about behind it, tangled in a rope wrapped around the beast's neck.
Was that... No! It couldn't be...
No
Freaking
WAY!
Angel delivered a firm kick to Fluttershy's foreleg 'LET ME GO, OH FOR THE LOVE OF EQUESTRIA LET ME GO!' Fluttershy dropped him with a pained squeak. She cradled her bruised foreleg to her chest, her eyes squeezed shut, little droplets already beginning to spout from them.
He didn't wait around for the tears.
"ITS COMING FOR ME! OH SWEET CELESTIA ITS COMING FOR ME!"
There it is! The little bastard (or bitch, I'm still not too sure on its gender yet)! That's the mangy S.O.B that cost me my leg! Its pale white ears drooped lifelessly and it's beady black eyes flared with terror as I sounded my mighty battle cry.
"MOTHERFUCKEEEEEEEER!"
Yeah! That's right, run you delicious little dick! Give me a challenge!
I doubled my pace, which was still painfully slow compared to my usual speed. Briefly, I doubted my abilities to actually catch this damned rabbit, what with only three legs and all. To hell with it, disabled or not, i'm hunting this hellspawn of a bunny down, and then, i'm gonna eat the bastard, feet first!
I'm coming for you, asshole!
Angel blasted through the field and back towards Ponyville, surely the wolf wouldn't follow him there. Splinter held the gap between the two of them (three, if you counted Applebloom, who was now screaming incoherently), denying his prey any distance.
Lacking one of his forelegs, he had to compensate by pushing himself even harder, meaning his stamina would suffer. Luckily for him, though, the blind rage and fury that he felt numbed the burning in his muscles and the metallic, coppery tinge in the back of his throat. He could feel pain later, now was the time for killing.
"Your ass is mine you fuzzy little FUCK!"
There! Fluttershy's cottage! If Angel could just stay ahead of the wolf until he reached it, he'd be in the clear. Fluttershy had thoughtfully added a 'bunny flap' to her front door so that Angel could go outside to poop (she had it installed after the umpteenth time he'd used her sink as a toilet). It was no bigger than your average cat flap, the perfect escape route! He glanced over his shoulder to check on the wolf's progress. Oh dear bunny-gods! How the heck did that thing move so fast? The monster's teeth were bared in a ferocious, curved snarl, thick ropes of stringy saliva hanging out of its mouth. Its maw was an evil hole of jagged, yellowing teeth, like it had decided to go and chomp down on a pane of glass. Briefly, Angel tried to imagine how it would feel to become chow for such a monstrosity.
'It's no use running, Angel, because it'll catch you in the end. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some day. It's lost a limb and it's still coming for you, and you know it won't stop until it gets what it wants, and it just so happens that it wants you. It'll scoop you up in those big, vice-like jaws and eat you up. Those plaque stained shards will burrow themselves extra deep into your back and strip away a nice big slab of meat, and you'll be left alive, left alive to watch.'
'Screw that!' screamed Angel mentally as he kicked himself into overdrive. He worked his legs relentlessly, his veins and capillaries virtually clogging with adrenaline. Slowly but surely, the wolf began to shrink back into the horizon. He could do this! Just a little farther, he was almost there!
Angel burst through the bunny flap, skittering across the floor and slamming headfirst into the wall before collapsing. His vision erupted into light, his entire body becoming numb and stiff. The only sound that he could hear was the frenzied slamming of his heart and his deep, ragged breaths.
'I made it... I actually made it... I-'
*Smash*
A nearby window exploded inwards as the dreaded timber wolf ploughed it's way through it, the foal bound by the rope around its neck following in suit. Its wooden body clattered against the floor as it landed beside him on its side. It quickly got back on its paws, swaying from left to right uneasily. Hide! He had to hide! Angel firmly ordered himself to get back onto his feet, he had to, lest he become this thing's lunch. He bit down on his lips with his buck teeth as he dragged himself to the closest hiding position: underneath a nearby dresser. Movement alone was torture, however the alternative was by no doubt far more excruciating.
"Where the hell are you?" barked the wolf cruelly. The little filly hastily untangled herself from the rope, her mane dishevelled and her eyes wide with shock, she was shaking wildly, the chattering of her teeth audiable from across the room. The poor thing looked ready to faint.
"I know you're in here somewhere, don't think for a second that you can hide from me!"
Angel scurried further beneath the dresser, burying himself into the plush, grey clouds of dust bunnies. It... He... would never find him here. Here was safe, he'd never check beneath the dressers. Of course he wouldn't... Why would he? There was nothing beneath here, why would a big bad wolf check here of all places? Yes, he was safe... He was safe...
'Oh please, Celestia, let me be safe'
*Sniff sniff* "I can smell you, you son of a bitch! The longer it takes me to find you, the longer i'll take to kill you!"
The wolf began to circle menacingly around the room, his claws clicking against the floor, the sound beating into Angel's ears and stabbing into his heart, each individual 'click' hammering another nail into his coffin.
*Click... Click... Click...*
"I'm going to find yooooouuuuu Sang the wolf with a sick giggle.
*Click... Click... Click*
Quietly, the wolf began to hum a disturbingly jolly tune to himself. It was happy... abnormally happy. It was as if the wolf he was ridiculing Angel, taunting him with song. The humming grew louder, filling the cottage, but still not loud enough to drown out the daunting click of his claws.
The wolf began to sing.
"Run rabbit, run rabbit, run, run, run"
*Click... Click... Click*
"Don't let the wolf have his fun, fun, fun"
*Click... Click... Click*
"You'd best fly, or else you're gonna die"
*Click... Click... Click*
"So run rabbit, run rabbit... run."
*Click*
"Run."
*Click*
"RUN."
*Click*
A wooden paw slammed down directly in front of the dresser with a resounding thud, sending a cringeworthy chill down Angel's back. 'Move... Please, for the love of Celestia don't stop here, just keep on walking, please...'. It didn't know he was here... It couldn't. The wolf let out a mirthless laugh.
"I can hear your heartbeat."
Angel froze.
The wolf shunted the dresser aside with his snout, casting it across the room. His fiery yellow eyes bored into Angel, glaring at him hungrily. An evil smile hung upon the wolf's scarred face, his lips drawn back, revealing his blade-like teeth. So, this was how it ended? Grub for a timber wolf?
Despite his gut wrenching terror, Angel couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit disappointed that his life didn't flash before his eyes.
"Just make it quick." squeaked Angel before fainting overdramatically (if he was going to die, he was going to die with style).
Huh, well I'll be damned, the fluffy asshole can talk. You learn something new every day, eh? I feel like I should be shocked, or at least a little bit surprised, but honestly, what does it matter? So my food can speak, big deal, it ain't going to stop me from eating it. Shame the little fella gone and fainted though, now I don't get to ignore his pleas for mercy. Ah well, a meal is a meal, and I'm famished!
"Bon appetit, motherfucker."
*Slam*
"You step away from Angel Bunny this instant!" blares an insanely loud voice from behind me. Sweet Drathgurg, somebody has one hell of a set of lungs!
I turn to meet this pony/megaphone, coming face to face with an all too familiar mare. Milkshake pink mane, creamy yellow coat, and teal eyes... Woah, those eyes... They're so... eye-y. Wait, I can't move! Why can't I- eeeeeyyyyesss... Gah! No, resist! Resist the eyes! But they're so big and... Big. Really big. Super-duper-techno-trooper big. Why? Why are they so god damned humongous? And why do I feel so sleepy? Heh, i'm like... The sleepiest I've ever been right now. I need a power-nap...
I collapse onto the floor, the world spinning in circles.
This is like cockatrice meat all over again.
The pup laid stoically upon the mound of deathly grey ash that he used to call home. He would scream if his throat wasn't so painfully dry. his young face was matted with soot, and burnt out cinders clung to his body. Everything was gone, everything. The fire had all but destroyed the once grand and marvelous forest. It used to be the pinnacle of beauty, a brilliant masterpiece painted by nature and life. It used to be so colourful, so alive.
Now it was nothing but dead.
The once proud and green pine trees were now nothing more than pitch black pillars reaching up out of the bare, crispy dirt. The deep red roses and lively, yellow daffodils were gone along with the moist, fresh spring grass. Now, the earth was barren and colourless, save for the occasional ember, still smouldering on the ground, as if unsatisfied with the colossal amount of life it had already consumed, still calling out for more. The exotic and exciting scents of the wild had been replaced by the vile, nauseating stench of burning wood and flesh. The wonderfully varied wildlife was gone, their only remnants the twisted and fried corpses which littered the wasteland, all burnt beyond recognition.
The pup opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is a dry croak, followed by a fit of hoarse, throaty coughing. He tries again, but the words catch in his throat, as if refusing to leave the refuge of his mouth and wander out into the empty, lifeless plain that used to be so glorious. He gives it one more try, forcing the words out of his dry, throbbing throat.
"Mum? Dad? Anybody?"
His feeble calls lead him into another bout of violent coughing, this time speckles of soot stained blood flicking from his mouth as he wheezed. He rests his quivering head in his forelegs, his gleaming yellow eyes staring off into the distance. Everything was charred, as far as the eye could see. He was alone. Completely and utterly alone. A single tear crawls down his face, cutting through the soot that clung to his cheeks.
"I want my mum..."