Is this what it feels like to prepare for war? Ever since he left the library with Applejack, Stephen's heart had been growing heavier and his stomach had tied itself into several knots. “What exactly is going on tonight?” he asked as they walked through the dusk-lit town of Ponyville.
“We’re makin’ sure the timberwolves don’t come into town,” said Applejack. “Did I hear that you already had experience with them?”
“According to Fluttershy, they’re what chased me out of the forest a couple of nights ago. Although I still don’t know what they are.”
“Not many ponies do,” said Applejack. “What we do know is that they come out of the Everfree forest around the start of zap-apple season.”
“Okay, remember that I’m not from Equestria? I don’t know what any of this stuff is. Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me what you know?”
Applejack sighed at Stephen. “Nopony knows much about the Everfree forest other than it’s not natural and don’t work the same as the rest of Equestria. Twilight thinks it’s because of a strange magic that resides there and goes dormant when winter comes around. Winter weather makes the trees lose their leaves and a lot of their branches. When we wrap up winter and spring comes, the magic wakes up and brings the whole forest to life for a week.
“The apple trees come back to life and grow the most delicious colorful pieces of magical fruit you ever did taste in your life. That’s a zap-apple. But those fallen leaves and dead branches come together and start howlin’ and lookin’ for food. That’s a timberwolf. Then at the end of spring’s first week, the magic settles down, the timberwolves fall apart and the zap-apples disappear.”
Stephen stopped walking so he could try to comprehend everything he just heard. After a moment, he gave up. “None of that makes any sense!” He cried. “Are you telling me I got chased out of a forest by a bunch of sticks and leaves?” The thought of getting chased by inanimate objects made Stephen a little upset with himself. “Do these things hunt ponies?”
“They sure do. That’s why we gotta chase them off the farm and keep them from goin’ into Ponyville.” Stephen’s heart sank to a new low when he heard that. There was some comfort in knowing that his fears from two nights ago were justified. But that being known, he was even less enthralled about going out to confront them. Applejack had to double-back and push him to get him walking again. “Now don’t you fret,” she said. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Well that’s good,” Stephen droned sarcastically, dragging his feet as he walked. “Now I feel much better about the idea of chasing after a pack of carnivorous tree bark.”
Applejack stopped pushing Stephen. “Well, here we are,” Applejack pointed to a sign over the end of the driveway reading ‘Sweet Apple Acres’. As Stephen approached the large barn-shaped house at the top of a hill, he took in the sights of apple trees planted in neat rows for as far as he could see. The estate was huge. The front field alone was at least fifteen acres. Applejack trotted ahead of Stephen. “Hustle up there, Stephen.” Picking up his pace, he followed Applejack to the house.
Once inside, an affectionate border collie greeted Applejack, who lovingly nuzzled her in return. “Winona, say ‘hi’ to our guest,” Applejack commanded. As the dog looked up at Stephen, he half-expected her to talk like the ponies. With a frantically wagging tail, Winona let out a pleasant sounding bark. Perhaps there was some normalcy in this world after all. “Good girl, Winona,” said Applejack. “C’mon, Stephen. You gotta meet the family.”
Stephen followed Applejack into the family room where he was introduced to Applejack’s nuclear family. There was a wrinkled green pony reclining in a rocking chair. Her nappy, white mane was tied into a bun. This combination of things that Stephen never thought he’d see was introduced to him as Granny Smith.
“Ain’t he a delightful young whippersnapper?” Granny Smith said with a laugh. “We’re always in need of a good helper around here. You’ll do a fine job, sonny.”
Applejack spun Stephen around and brought him face-to-chest with a red-coated wall of muscle. “This is my older brother, Big Macintosh,” said Applejack.
Until now, Stephen had been slightly taller than all the ponies he’d met. But Big Macintosh was at least a head taller and one hundred pounds heavier than Stephen. Stephen had to back up a couple of steps so that proper eye contact could be established. An orange, unkempt mane sat on top of his head and he wore a yolk over his shoulders. “It’s nice to meet you,” Stephen said. Big Mac merely nodded in return.
Applejack’s younger sister, Apple Bloom, was a ball of energy with a yellow coat and a pink bow decorating her red mane. The little pony was ecstatic to have company helping them chase the timberwolves until she caught a glimpse of Stephen’s flank. “How come you ain’t got a cutie mark, mister?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Apple Bloom, don’t be rude to our guest!” Applejack reprimanded her sister.
Stephen wasn’t even sure how to answer. He looked around the room, noticing that everyone else, excepting Apple Bloom and himself, had a mark of some kind. “I really don’t know.”
“Don’t you have any special talents?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Apple Bloom, stop pestering Stephen!” Applejack shouted again.
Apple Bloom didn’t seem to notice her sister. “Did you get picked on as a foal too?”
The way she spoke made Stephen believe that having a cutie mark was a big deal. But he had neither time nor knowledge to explain the situation. So how could he answer in a way that would dismiss the subject? “This really wasn’t an issue when I was growing up,” seemed to be a fitting answer.
Apple Bloom hopped up onto Stephen’s back and stood proudly. “Well I know I’m gettin’ my cutie mark tonight!”
Stephen found the young pony’s enthusiasm amusing. It was like how a child would expect to tackle a carnival game and win every prize. Plus it was a welcome distraction from his churning insides. “Really?” Stephen asked. “What’s your cutie mark going to be?”
“I’m gonna get my cutie mark in whoopin’ some timberwolves!”
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack tackled her little sister off of Stephen’s back. The ponies wrestled playfully for a minute, ending with Applejack pinning Apple Bloom and rustling her mane. “C’mon, ya little filly, it’s time to suit up.” The words ‘suit up’ were like knives in Stephen’s heart.
Suiting up was a process of tying pots and pans together under Granny Smith’s supervision. After about an hour of preparing the wares, the ponies tied each other up. Once Big Mac was set, he fastened a set of pans over Stephen’s back. Several more were tied to his legs and one was strapped atop his head like a helmet. By the end of it, everyone looked like the poor man’s version of armored warhorses. The makeshift armor clinked and clanked with any movement.
“Atten-hut!” Granny Smith’s voice called into the kitchen. Like soldiers, Big Mac, Applejack, Apple Bloom and even Winona fell into line and stood at attention. With a bit of clanging, Stephen set himself at the end of the line. Granny Smith, adorned in a war helmet, walked the line at a snail’s pace. Why did she get an actual helmet while Stephen was stuck wearing pots? Stephen had sweat coming down his face. He looked ridiculous. He felt like he was on his way to the battle of Normandy. Granny Smith’s hips squeaked like a rusty door hinge when she walked. All of this together made it very difficult for Stephen to keep his composure. “Now listen here, troops!” Granny Smith continued. “Tonight’s the night you carry the legacy of Sweet Apple Acres. I want each of you little ponies to go out there and show them cotton pickin’ timberwolves what for. So I’d better not see any of you puttin’ down anything less than everythin’ you got!” She stopped and looked Stephen dead in the eyes. “Do I make myself clear?” she shouted into Stephen’s face and stamped the ground. Stephen’s fear-induced paralysis kept him from jumping out of his skin. This old gray mare could probably still kick his rear end. How is it she wasn’t going out with them? “Because of my bad hip this’ll be your first year chasing off the timberwolves without my help. We got a rookie in our ranks so listen careful now. All ya gotta do is run along the edge of the forest. Those timberwolves’ll be a-howlin’ somethin’ fierce and tryin’ real hard to get onto the farm. Make as much noise as you can and you’ll scare ‘em off. Any questions?”
“Ma’am! No, ma’am!” the Apple family resounded. Even Winona barked a response. Stephen, however, was too nervous to speak.
“Now fall out!” Granny Smith saluted her family. Stephen saluted back with them.
The Apple family filed out of the house and into the field behind it. They had almost five hundred yards to walk to the edge of the orchard where the forest began. For Stephen, each step was like lifting a lead weight. All he knew was that he was turning himself into bait and quite literally presenting himself to his hunter. Stephen froze again, his armor rattling with his fearful palsy. Applejack turned around and trotted back to meet him. “Whoa there, sugarcube,” she said. “You’re shakin’ like a rattlesnake. Why so nervous?”
“You know exactly why I’m nervous!” Stephen snipped at Applejack.
“Try not to get too worked up there, buddy,” said Applejack. “My Granny Smith’s been doing this since she was young.”
“Last week I ran away when a squirrel fell out of a tree and landed next to me. How the heck am I supposed to chase off a wolf?”
Applejack seemed frustrated with him for a moment before her face softened into a compassionate smile. She placed a hoof over Stephen’s shoulder and said, “Listen to me. What I’m telling you is the honest truth. Just stay close to me and you’ll be safe.” On cue, howls rang out from the forest. They were close. Applejack reared up and cried out, “Yee-haw!” before bolting straight towards the edge of the forest, clanging like a rusty tin-man the whole way down. The others weren’t far behind.
The battle with the timberwolves had barely begun and Stephen had already made his first mistake. Stephen had seen enough Discovery channel to know that the animals that fall to the back of the herd are the first to be picked off by predators. Now his unwillingness to move had put himself in that exact situation. “Stephen, you moron!” he shouted at himself. “Applejack even told you to stay close to her.”
Weighing his options, he first considered that maybe he didn't need to go all the way to the edge of the forest. Perhaps he could run around here and chase back any timberwolves that happened to get through the others? But what about the animals at the back of the herd that always get picked off first? However, if he were to run with the Apple family, he would be physically closer to the timberwolves and thus more likely to be taken. But what about the animals at the back of the herd that always get picked off first? Torn between options, Stephen started trotting in place.
What am I worried about? Stephen thought to himself. Isn’t this just a dream? he thought, lifting his front leg to move forward. But what if it’s really not a dream and the animals at the back of the herd always get picked off first in this world too? “Seriously, brain?” Stephen shouted at himself. “I cannot handle this type of betrayal right now!”
Remembering the bruises he woke up with that morning, Stephen decided that counting on this being a dream wasn’t the best idea. If, by chance, he wasn’t dreaming; being at the back of the herd and getting eaten was not an appealing concept. Besides, Applejack promised she’d look out for him, right? She promised he would be safe. Stephen would just have to have faith that she was telling the truth. When these pieces of logic came together, Stephen’s legs went into autopilot and he charged towards the edge of the forest.
As he approached, he could see Big Mac, Applejack and Apple Bloom running back and forth. Drawing closer, the ringing metal, Applejack’s cheering and Winona’s barking began to overpower the timberwolfs’ howls. Only once did Stephen dare to look into the forest and see sets of glowing yellow eyes staring back at him. “Eyes forward, Stephen. Don’t look at them,” he reminded himself.
Locating Applejack, Stephen ran alongside her. The moonlight caught her face when she turned her head and gave him an approving smile, her silent reassurance easing Stephen's fear. For a few minutes, they ran together and Stephen felt safer, just as Applejack had promised.
Suddenly, Applejack stopped and doubled-back. Stephen tried to match her footwork, only to cross his two front legs and topple over like an unstable house of cards. Why did he try that? He’d just gotten the hang of running on all fours. Fancy footwork was still out of the question.
By the time he looked up, Applejack was clear across the field. He had fallen behind yet again. Stephen scrambled to his feet. When he got up, a growl and a bark came from behind him, chilling his spine and freezing his whole body in place. With morbid, yet reluctant curiosity, Stephen slowly forced his head to look over his shoulder.
Four horrible glowing yellow eyes pierced through Stephen’s soul. Two wolf-shaped bodies came into the moonlight, looking like poorly made wooden puppets with jagged, uneven and sharp edges. Antlers made from tree branches protruded from their heads. The creaking and cracking sounds that came from their joints contradicted the graceful appearance of their movements as they advanced on Stephen with the same fearsome charisma of a real wolf. One of them growled and revealed several wooden stakes in its mouth, each so sharp that they shone in the moonlight. Applejack was right. These creatures were not natural. One of them raised its head to the moon and let out a blood-chilling howl.
“Applejack!” Stephen shouted, hoping she could hear him from so far away and over the noise of battle. Stephen took off like a frightened horse. It was times like this that Stephen was glad he was a pony. Adrenaline or not, he knew what thirty miles-per-hour felt like and he knew that he’d never be able to run this fast as a human, even in a dream. Helping Stephen continue at this speed was the sound of the timberwolves’ barks and wooden feet thumping on the ground just behind his flanks. Stephen’s back hooves smacked against one’s jaw when it got too close to his tail. Where was Applejack? Didn’t she promise to help him?
Stephen could see the moonlight caressing the cobblestone walls and thatched roof of a well about ten yards away. If he could hide behind it, he might have a chance. Instead, he tripped over himself with about three yards to go. His fate would have been sealed if the timberwolves hadn't pounced at the same moment he tripped. They flew over his head and collided with the cobblestone well.
Stephen tried to get to his feet but by the time they would cooperate, it was too late. Not only were the timberwolves back up, but they looked even angrier. Wrapping around the side of the well, Stephen tried again to hide behind it. When the timberwolves persisted, he rattled and screamed to no avail - the timberwolves inched closer still. Now that he thought about it, they had chased him all the way up to the barn while he was making that noise and were unaffected. Of the entire pack, why did Stephen have to get the alphas? Or maybe they simply weren’t afraid of the noise anymore now that they had him pinned, petrified and out of ideas. The only certainty was that he was about to find out if this was a dream or not. If it were a dream, being killed here would definitely wake him up. If not, he wished he had paid more attention in church as a kid so he could remember which prayer to say.
A distant metal clanging quickly grew louder and closer. Applejack was here! Stephen was going to be safe after all. “Don’t worry, I got ya!” came a voice that sounded too young and high-pitched to be Applejack. “You get your muddy sticks away from him, ya nasty timberwolves!” Apple Bloom shouted as she approached at full gallop. Stephen didn’t want her here. She was just a child. What if she found herself in the same type of trouble he was in?
His fears were confirmed when one of the timberwolves turned around and barked in her face. Apple Bloom, until now, had been staying near her brother and successfully warding off the pack. She wasn’t at all prepared for one to stand its ground against her. Startled and confused, she fell over. Not knowing what to do, she was almost as paralyzed with fear as Stephen. However, her lungs were still working so she used them to their full potential by letting out ear-piercing, fear-filled shrieks into the night.
One timberwolf approached Apple Bloom with a hungry look in its eyes while another did the same to Stephen. Desperate for a solution, he noticed that he was still within reach of the well. The bucket was hanging over it and in line with the timberwolf’s head. If he pulled the bucket close to one of the roof’s posts, he could swing it around like a tetherball and hit the wolf. But there was no guarantee that would do anything and even if it did, it might just draw the timberwolf’s attention back to Stephen.
Despite Apple Bloom’s cries, the timberwolves continued their advance. Stephen kept trying to move but was frozen in place. He didn’t want Apple Bloom to get taken too. He’d never been in a situation like this before. How was he supposed to act? Horrible images of various possibilities flashed through Stephen’s head. One of the Timberwolves ganging up on Apple Bloom, one of Stephen staying still and they both get eaten, one of Stephen lashing out and sacrificing himself to save Apple Bloom and one of Stephen saving them both.
He simply couldn’t do it. A man who spent his whole life avoiding conflict would never be able to protect anyone. Stephen was disgusted with himself as his fear bound him like ropes. Unable to help, he could only resign himself. The nightmare would be over momentarily. Whichever fate awaited Stephen and Apple Bloom, he just hoped it wouldn’t hurt.
After what sounded like a gun shot, the demonic collection of calamitous timber to Stephen’s left yelped and flew away several feet. Big Mac was in its place, landing back on all fours from the powerful buck. When Stephen’s timberwolf got to its feet, Big Mac rattled himself extra hard as he chased it off.
To Stephen’s right, a rope appeared from his peripherals and wrapped around the neck of Apple Bloom’s timberwolf. The rope led several feet over and into Applejack’s mouth. With a muffled, “Get over here!” Applejack yanked the timberwolf away from Apple Bloom. Turning around, she bucked the timberwolf airborne. Without even giving it a chance to land, Applejack let out a victorious, “Yee-haw!” and lunged through the air to head butt the timberwolf in the gut. Then she curled up in mid-air and thrust both of her hind legs forward. Given the context, Stephen was nearly sickened when Applejack’s kick produced the sounds of cracking wood. Applejack landed safely on her haunches, using one of her front legs to hold her stetson in place.
When the beast landed, it scrambled to its feet and ran back into the forest with a limp, whimpering like a beaten dog the whole way. In a few more seconds, the howling had died down in the distance. The battle was over. A relieved Stephen collapsed and took his first real breaths since this ordeal started.
However, the peace only lasted until Applejack got down into his face. “Didn’t I tell you to stick close to me?” she shouted. “I thought you were runnin’ with me until Apple Bloom told me ya’ll were getting chased up the orchard!” Then she turned to Apple Bloom, who by now, was already sobbing from shock. “And you, little lady! You know better than to chase after a timberwolf by yourself! Why didn’t you stay with Big Mac?”
Apple Bloom looked up at her with watering eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. “I’m sorry! I just wanted to help Stephen!”
Applejack dropped down and hugged her sister close. Stephen caught a glimpse of Applejack fighting to keep her composure before she turned her head down, letting her hat cover her face. Apple Bloom buried her face into Applejack’s belly and muffled her sobs. “Now calm down, Apple Bloom. It’s alright now. You’re just fine, ya hear?” Applejack repeated while petting her sister’s mane.
“Your heart was in the right place,” said Big Mac. “But if you’re helping Stephen, who’s helping you?”
“I should’ve done something,” Stephen muttered to himself.
There was a moment of silence as all eyes turned to Stephen. That statement wasn't intended to be heard. But they heard it, nonetheless. Apple Bloom dried her tears with her foreleg. Applejack shot up to her feet and stormed over to Stephen. “You’re darn-tootin’ you shoulda’ done somethin’!” Applejack put her face right against Stephen's and shoved his head to the ground. “You saw that hungry hunk of sticks comin’ at my sister and ya stood there like a lump on a log!” Applejack’s voice started to crack and her eyes were welling up again. “What if something happened to her?”
If I had a younger sister I wouldn’t have taken her out to chase wolves in the first place, Stephen thought to himself. He chose not to vocalize it. Applejack was already quite upset and he didn’t want to risk being on the receiving end of what she did to that timberwolf. So he settled on, “I just didn’t know what to do.”
Applejack’s eyes went wide. She stopped pinning Stephen’s face and straightened her neck. Stephen could practically hear the gears turning in her head. “You’re not from around here,” she reminded herself. “I shoulda’ stayed back to make sure ya’ll didn’t get separated.” Her voice was quiet and sincere. She looked back over at Apple Bloom, who was back on her feet with dry eyes. If anything, she looked concerned for Applejack. Applejack sighed and lowered her head. “It’s over now. Let’s just go inside, everypony.” With that, Applejack trudged towards the house. Winona followed by her side.
As Stephen got to his feet, Apple Bloom called his attention with a tap on his shoulder. “I’m sorry I got you in trouble, Stephen.”
Why would she apologize to the man who was about to watch her get eaten? “No, I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
Apple Bloom smiled at him. “Aw that’s alright! My big sis is always there to help me out of a pickle. You should come inside. Granny Smith’s got a big heapin’ victory dinner waiting for us.”
Stephen watched Apple Bloom scamper towards the house. When he looked back up, he was met with Big Mac’s gaze. What kind of wrath would the older brother have for him? Stephen prepared himself for the worst. Instead, Big Mac simply nodded and trotted away. With a heavy heart, Stephen followed suit.
The food was delicious. There was no denying that. Stephen had never tasted fresh, homemade apple pastries before. But he couldn’t shake the guilt of freezing up. Mentally replaying the situation on loop, he counted all of the missed opportunities to protect Apple Bloom. Though he still wasn’t sure what he would have done, he was still guilty with the knowledge that he should have done something.
What if this hadn’t been a dream? Indeed, the timberwolves were frightening. But this was a dream, for goodness’ sake! He probably could have taken them on if he put his mind to it. But if he freezes up so badly when he’s dreaming, there’s no way he would have fared any better in the real world.
Dawn was breaking over the eastern horizon as they finished their feast. Once the light of day was clear, Stephen thanked Granny Smith for everything and began walking back towards the library. He got to the end of Sweet Apple Acres’ driveway when he heard Applejack calling him. Turning around, he saw her halfway down the driveway and galloping towards him at full speed. “Wait up!” It didn’t take her long to clear the remaining distance.
“What’s up?” Stephen asked.
“I wanted to come down and see ya off. You weren’t ‘bout to head out without sayin’ ‘goodbye’ were ya?”
“I figured you wouldn’t want to talk to me after what I did.” There was a long, awkward silence between them. Stephen could tell Applejack was trying to think of something to say. But Stephen beat her to it. “Look, Applejack, I’m really sorry. I don’t think I can emphasize enough how sorry I am. All I can say is that I’ve never been in any kind of fight before, I’ve never been able to get close to wild animals before and I’ve never seen anything like a timberwolf before. I’m not brave and I’m not cut out for this stuff. I didn’t know what to do so I froze up. I know that was lousy of me and I feel terrible about it. So again, I’m sorry and all I can do is hope you’ll forgive me.”
Applejack took a moment to think. “Well…Apple Bloom didn’t get hurt. So I can’t be mad at ya.” After taking another moment, she continued. “I’m sorry too. I shoulda’ stayed with you instead of tellin’ ya’ll to stay close to me.”
“But you still managed to come and save me. It’s just like you said; what if something happened to Apple Bloom because I couldn’t do anything to help?”
“Now I know not everypony is born brave. But if you wanna be brave, ya gotta know that real courage is something that you get from a desire to help those you care about, even if it’s tough or frightenin’.” With everything she said being true, Stephen had nothing left to say for himself. Dejectedly, he looked away, only for Applejack to bring his eyes back up to hers with a hoof. “Now don’t you fret,” she said. “Just keep that in mind and you’ll do better next time.”
“Hopefully there won’t be a next time. Last night was the craziest thing ever!” said Stephen.
Applejack laughed at that sentiment. “Boy howdy! You really haven’t been around here very long, have you?”
Stephen’s eyes got wide. “Last night wasn’t the craziest thing that ever happened to you?”
“Not by a long shot, sugarcube,” Applejack chuckled. Stephen didn’t even want to try to imagine what could be worse than timberwolves. If this was a lucid dream, it might actually happen and he couldn't handle any more excitement for a while. “Twilight says you usually disappear around this time in the morning,” said Applejack. “You going to be off soon?”
“If it wasn't the weekend my alarm would have already woken me up," said Stephen. "So I guess I’ll be out of here whenever my body decides to wake up.”
“You comin’ back later?”
“I’m not sure,” said Stephen. “I still don’t know what to think of all this.”
“Well if you come back, we’ll find something to do with our friends that’s a little more your speed. What do ya say?”
“I could look forward to that,” Stephen said with a smile. “I’m going to go find a place to hang out and rest a little before I wake up. Thank you for everything.”
“Any time, partner!” Applejack smiled and tipped her hat at Stephen.
With a goodbye wave, Stephen walked off the orchard and started making his way towards the library.