The sound of Rainbow Dash hitting the boulder caused everypony to turn and look in her direction. Even the timberwolves glanced to see the victorious kill they had no doubt accomplished. A small cloud of dirt floated away from the pegasus. Everypony held their breath to wait and see if she would move, but as the seconds ticked by, they slowly realized that Rainbow wouldn’t be moving anytime soon. The creature that had swatted the blue pegasus growled happily and trotted over to see whether or not the unmoving pony was dead, but no sooner had it taken a few steps before Big Mac and Applejack were on its heels. The two farm ponies had dropped their fight with the individual timberwolves they were facing and turned to help their fallen comrade. Twilight Sparkle and Zecora stood stunned, unsure of how to help and frozen in wide eyed stares as they watched their friends gallop for the boulder.
The first timberwolf that was sniffing Rainbow Dash turned to face the oncoming ponies. The other two snarled and raced after Big Mac and Applejack from behind, determined to take both ponies down as their beastly companion had just done. Two ponies against three timberwolves were not good odds, and Twilight knew that looking at the situation logically, there was no way this fight would turn out in their favor.
Twilight turned to speak to Zecora, to plead that the zebra had to have some sort of potion that would help, but as she looked at the expression on the witch-ponies’ face, the unicorn knew the situation was about to go from bad to worse. For the zebra before her was not looking at her, nor the timberwolves, but behind her. Twilight knew from just minutes before back at the fox hole what that look meant, and for the second time that day, the unicorn was forced to slowly turn around and look at whatever could possibly be coming after them.
“Rrrrgggahhhh...”
Zomponies. Dozens of them, all coming straight after them. They had finally caught up, and if Twilight had had any hope for how the battle would turn out before, it was gone now. Panic grew inside of her like a balloon and her heart was racing. Her legs began to tremble as she thought of what would come next. Gnashing, scratching, and pulling. Hundreds of images flooded her mind of gruesome acts that would happen to her friends and herself. Frozen in fear, her eyes began to fill with tears as not even her critical thinking could help in this situation.
“TWILIGHT! Take this!”
The unicorn snapped to attention and turned quickly to face the zebra who was just in the middle of throwing a glass bottle at her.
“And take care not to miss!”
Twilight stared confusedly at the bottle, unsure of what she was suppose to do with it. Throw it at who? What would it do?
“Specific potions, no pony will need. If simple oil and fire can do the deed.”
Twilight stared at the zebra with a quizzical look. Suddenly, though, something snapped in her mind and she realized what Zecora meant.
“Zecora, you’ll need to-” Twilight began to say but the zebra was already ahead of her, beginning to use a flint stone to spark a fire into the sticks beneath her cooking pot. The unicorn nodded and turned towards the battle in front of her.
Rainbow Dash was still on the ground with no change. Big Mac and Applejack, however, were trying their best to fend off the timberwolves. Staying close together they were surrounded by the gigantic beasts, each of the wolves taking turns to snap at the ponies in the middle of them. The sibling ponies were sweating, tired from all the fighting that was happening. It was obvious that their movements were slowing, and if Twilight wasn’t quick enough, it would be too late.
The zomponies were split between who they were going after. Some were walking towards the timberwolves, others were heading in the direction of Zecora’s hut. Just as Twilight was ready to take off to the left, Zecora appeared beside her, a few bottles of oil in her mouth. Tossing a few more bottles in the unicorn’s direction, the zebra ran off to the right, causing Twilight to realize the answer to her question. She would head in the left direction so that both of them would be able to cover the most ground.
Hooves scraping into the dirt, Twilight bolted for the left. Picking up speed from her momentum, the purple unicorn approached her first zompony up ahead to the right of her. Tossing the open bottle in its direction, the oil splashed upon the zompony’s head. It didn’t appear to notice, however, and the only thing it did appear to do was turn slightly in the direction that Twilight was running as though slowly understanding that its prey was no longer in front of it.
Confidence replaced the fear that Twilight had had inside of her. Zecora’s idea was wonderful, and so long as they had enough time to spread the oil, it would work. As Twilight spread the liquid from zompony to zompony, she glanced over at the zebra who was doing the same. Never had Twilight seen Zecora run as fast as she did now.
Twilight then turned her attention to Big Mac and Applejack. They were cornered now, against the boulder and over the body of Rainbow Dash. The unicorn was getting closer to them, but she still had a few zomponies to cover in oil before she could get to them. Time seemed to fly faster than normal and Twilight felt like they were running out of it. There was no way she’d get to them in time. Not even Zecora was further ahead of her. They were both in equal distance from the farm ponies and upon closer inspection of the siblings, it looked as though Applejack might be hurt. The orange mare was wincing slightly, although Twilight wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong and only Big Mac dared to buck any of the Timberwolves that got close enough.
Luckily for the oil spreaders, the zomponies were slow. A few tried to reach for them, but none caused harm. And after just a minute longer, both Twilight and Zecora had successfully splashed the last bit of oil on the zomponies.
Unfortunately for them, however, as soon as the zebra and unicorn reached the timberwolves, the friends realized they were both out of oil. They had had just enough for the undead, but not enough for the beasts. Staring up at the timberwolves, the creatures at first didn’t see them, but after Applejack and Big Mac both began to yell for the two of them to get away, the wolves turned to look behind them.
“Zecora..!” Twilight yelled, unsure of what to say now that she grabbed the zebra’s attention.
“Go to the hut and get the fire! I’ll stay here, a distraction you’ll require!”
Twilight didn’t have time to argue. Zecora jumped into the air as soon as a timberwolf narrowly snapped her legs with its powerful jaws.The zebra was able to kick the wolf in the nose before high-tailing it away from the unicorn. Enraged from the kick, the timberwolf growled and chased after Zecora.
Twilight turned around to head back to the hut but came face to face with a zompony. It moaned angrily, raising its hooves to grab onto Twilight. She screamed in terror before twisting her legs to propel her away from it, charging for Zecora’s hut. Each zompony around her was groaning, a few of them slipping in the liquid they were covered in. The smell of rot mixed with oil caused Twilight to choke slightly as she ran through the crowd. The thought of her friends struggling behind her kept the unicorn from stopping to catch a breath of fresh air. She was so close to the hut now but looking ahead she noticed there was an entire line of zomponies blocking the door. The only options she would have would be to push through or jump. Pushing would require coming into contact with them, which would be dangerous for two reasons. One being that they could bite which would mean death, and two the oil would stick to her which would mean she’d burn along with the rest of them. Jumping was definitely more safe, but would she be able to make it? She wasn’t as athletic as Rainbow Dash, nor did she have a pegasus’ wings. Should she dare try it?
It was now or never. Push or jump. The horrible gnashing faces of the zomponies came up before her. With no time left to think, Twilight crouched low before pushing with all her might off the ground. The zomponies reached high with their hooves to grab at their prey. Only one zompony came in reach, but it barely brushed Twilight’s underside by a hair and so the unicorn landed with a grunt, safe behind the line.
She wasn’t completely safe, though. And she knew it. Twilight ran for the door and crashed through, slamming it shut behind her.
Fluttershy, who was still huddled in the same spot, shrieked as the unicorn burst through. Twilight glanced at her scared friend, pausing slightly to pity her before returning her focus to the cauldron before her. The sticks beneath the cooking pot were popping and crackling with the soft heat. How many would be needed to take care of the creatures outside? The amount of sticks under the cooking pot should be enough to handle them, but how many could she carry at a time? Her friends outside wouldn’t last long enough for her to carry two at a time, returning to the hut every time she ran out.
Twilight’s eyes raised towards the yellow pegasus in the corner. Would she..? No. Fluttershy wouldn’t be able to... well...
“Fluttershy...” Twilight said softly, stepping towards the frightened pony. The pegasus looked up with puffy eyes. “I need your help...”
Fluttershy whimpered.
“I know you’re scared, but Rainbow Dash is hurt. She can’t move and everypony else is trying their best to protect each other. All I need you to do is fly above and drop a few sticks. Can you do that?”
Fluttershy stared at Twilight with wide eyes. She looked at the sad smile on her friend’s lips, knowing full well that Twilight wouldn’t ask unless she truly needed help. In her heart, the pegasus knew that her friends needed her, she just wished she was more brave. Brave like Applejack, brave like Rainbow Dash. She winced at the thought of going outside.
“You won’t come into contact with any of them if you just fly.” Twilight urged. “It’s just dropping a few sticks, that’s all.”
Fluttershy’s heart pounded. But the more she stared into Twilight’s eyes, the more she tuned in to the screams of her friends coming from outside the hut, the more she realized that bravery doesn’t mean not being afraid. Running into the darkness unafraid is inspiring and rewards a great deal of pride, but running into the darkness while you’re still scared is what brings about real bravery. Bravery is facing your fear even if you are scared.
Fluttershy’s lip wavered. She closed her eyes, and a tear dripped down her cheek. Then her eyes opened, and the yellow pegasus nodded at her friend.
Twilight sighed in relief and helped her friend to stand before leading her to the cooking pot.
“Take as many sticks as you can. I need you to fly and drop them onto the zom-... onto the crowd.”
Fluttershy nodded, pale but willing. She took a few sticks out from the pot, careful to keep the flames away from her. Twilight did the same, then brought her friend to the door.
“I’ll go first, okay?” she said. Fluttershy nodded in response.
The door opened and they both went out.
Screaming was the first thing they heard. Big Mac and Applejack appeared to have given up and were cowering over the body of Rainbow Dash. Applejack’s right eye was beginning to swell and turn red. Was she wounded? Was that why she was wincing before? Zecora was trying desperately to distract the timberwolves and zomponies from the trio but the enemies were too focused on easy prey. The timberwolves leaned threateningly over them like three hungry vultures. The zomponies at their feet were closing in, mouths open. It wouldn’t have taken much to imagine them drooling with the anticipation of food.
“Fluttershy, now!” Twilight yelled. The yellow pegasus nodded her head, her shoulders shaking in nervousness. While the shy pony took off to the skies, the unicorn rushed towards the line of zomponies in front of her. Only going as close as she would dare, Twilight threw one of the sticks. The flaming piece of wood flew through the air, twirling as it went, before landing right on target. The zompony instantly burst into flame, screeching in pain. It began to run in panic, hitting other zomponies near it, causing a chain reaction of small explosions. Monstrous screaming could be heard as the fire spread. The creatures began to shake and squeal in agony.
It worked!
But this was no time for celebration. Twilight looked above at Fluttershy to watch as the yellow pegasus was flying frantically towards the timberwolves. The sound of the explosions had caused the timberwolves to turn and look at what was going on. The zomponies, however, stayed focused on their target. Once Fluttershy was directly above the wolves, she threw a stick as hard as she could. It missed the wolves, but hit a zompony nearby. It erupted into flame, in turn causing more chain reactions around it. The timberwolves whined in fright before leaping out of the way of the flaming zomponies. They were smart, knowing when to jump out of the way.
“Applejack!” Twilight screamed, running towards the three cowering ponies, or rather the four of them now as Zecora was near them, trying to see if Rainbow Dash was okay.
“Twilight?!” Applejack yelled out.
“Use your rope!” the unicorn shouted.
“Use my... Oh!”
Applejack turned to look at Big Mac while bringing out the rope she had put by her side.
“Can you manage one last run?” she asked.
“Eeyup.” Big Mac responded, taking one end of the rope in his teeth. Applejack picked up the other end and they took off towards the timberwolves.
“I’ll help you!” Twilight yelled, running alongside Applejack. The two farm ponies ran to the right, headed in behind the timberwolves while Twilight ran to the left, all the listening to Applejack shout,
“HEY! You big bullies!! You’re just a big pile of sticks!!”
The orange mare continued to shout out various insults, attracting the timberwolves’ attention and allowing them to follow her towards the crowd of zomponies. She was careful not to get them too close to the fire, though, or else they’d suspect what she was trying to do. Twilight looked up at the sky to find where Fluttershy was. She finally spotted her way off to the left, still throwing sticks at the ground where upon a few bursts of flame would appear briefly. Good, she was still keeping the fire going.
“Applejack! Big Mac! NOW!” Twilight suddenly screamed. The farm ponies appeared from behind the timberwolves, using their last bit of speed to catch up to the wolves. They moved swiftly together up one side of them before Applejack quickly galloped across the front of all three. Halting with all their might, Big Mac and Applejack slid into the ground, causing the rope to pull taut and tripping all three timberwolves perfectly into the fire of burning zomponies.
Screaming and howling, the timberwolves twisted among the flames, the fire burning deep into their bodies. The flames rose higher as though the entire forest was on fire. Sparks flew into the sky and smoke was beginning to build. One of the timberwolves leapt about, trying to get the flames off of itself, but jumping only seemed to make it worse, and the wolf ended up knocking into the other wolves and zomponies. Crashing into everything, the timberwolf suddenly tripped and collapsed upon Zecora’s hut, the entire tree exploding into flame. Zecora gasped as she watched her entire home being eaten in fire. The timberwolves squealed in pain before all three jumped out of the middle of the chaos. Still burning, they ran into the darkness of the forest, howling as they went.
There was a moment of silence among the ponies. Was the battle over? It appeared to be...
Or was it?
Another squeal pierced the air and Twilight, Applejack, and Big Mac all looked up to see Fluttershy floating down from above to where Rainbow Dash was lying with Zecora. The three ponies ran towards the scene in time to see Fluttershy lie on the ground, face in the dirt as though in pain.
“Fluttershy, are you-” Twilight began to say, but she gasped as she realized there was a large burn mark across the pegasus’ back. How foolish had they been to not wait for Fluttershy to move before tripping the timberwolves?
“Oh, Fluttershy, I’m so sorry!” Twilight said, convinced that it was her fault that her friend was in pain.
“I-it’s okay.” The yellow pegasus managed to say. “I-I’m okay. P-Please check on Rainbow Dash...”
Twilight leaned down to put a hoof against her friend’s shoulder before nodding sadly and moving over to talk to Zecora.
“How is she?” Twilight asked, afraid of the answer. The zebra looked up at her with a frown.
“Unconscious and wounded, but alive.” she responded. “Damaged, but she’ll survive.”
Twilight, Applejack, and Big Mac moved in closer to inspect their friend. Rainbow Dash lay sprawled against the ground. Her arm was twisted in an odd angle, her left wing was beginning to bruise, and her left eye was scratched with four lines from forehead to cheek. It didn’t look good, they all could agree on that, but they were thankful that she was still living. They were thankful that all of them were living.
The unicorn turned to look at the burning ground behind them. The flames still reached high, despite the timberwolves having already left. The hot glow reflected against their faces but just as the sun had not been welcoming on their walk here, the flames were no more welcome now. Each of them in turn shifted their eyes towards the fire, watching as the zomponies and the tree that Zecora had once called home burned to a crisp.
Nopony spoke. They had all survived, which would have been a time of celebration, but it felt like nothing of the sort. Many were wounded, Zecora’s hut was gone, and somehow the burning of the bodies before them caused sadness to seep into their minds rather than relief. Everypony’s stomach felt empty. Zecora looked away from the fire, not wanting to watch as her home became nothing more than a memory.
Twilight looked up at Applejack. Her friend’s right eye was indeed hit somehow. It was not bruised quite yet, but it would undoubtedly turn purple with time. Big Mac was beside his sister. Nothing appeared to be cut or scraped on him, but he was sweating, panting with tiredness, and looked ready to collapse in exhaustion.
They had survived, alright. But at what cost?