Deep within Everfree forest...
A brown Pegasus approached the waiting unicorn.
"Why are you out of uniform Lieutenant?"
"There's a problem my Lord..."
The Unicorn turned around to face his underling, his amber eyes showing a bit of anger.
"Your name has been revealed."
"Yes..."
"We've been compromised. We must make sure that the Princesses do not learn of you."
"But how? The only way to keep them from finding out is to kill all those who know who I am, and that's impossible! This child has defeated everything we've thrown at him!"
The Unicorn snickered as he grinned, obviously he had another plan.
"Not everything."
A loud roar was heard close by, accompanied by the voices of ponies struggling to control it. The Lietenant turned in the direction the sound was heard from. After confirming it's source, he turned back to face his superiror.
"I doubt it will work my Lord."
"Don't worry, Lieutenant Darkmane, it's only plan A. There's always plan B..."
Meanwhile in Ponyville...
Wolf and Twilight were walking down the road. Wolf was loading his shotgun, just in case anything happened. Both of them had hoped nothing would. Silence ruled over the town. Nothing broke it, save the patter of the light rain on the ground and in the small puddles that had formed in the storm earlier. A low rumble shook the ground lightly enough so that Twilight didn't fell it, but strong enough for Wolf to feel it. He raised his hand in the air, forming a fist, as if he was ordering men behind him to hold up. He brought up the shotgun to his shoulder and completely emptied his mind, intent on making sure nothing was out of place.
"What's wrong?"
"Shhhhh....."
The rumble came again, stronger this time. Then again, and it began to repeat in a steady rhythm. Wolf's eyes fell to a small puddle. The rain had stopped. The water's balance broke at the same time as the rumble.
"What is it Wolf?" Twilight asked him, fear just beginning to set in.
He answered her short and sweet, cocking his shotgun as two words escaped his mouth.
"Something big."
Their eyes fixed on the treeline ahead, their ears high in the air, listening. Wolf prepared himself for a battle. He recognized these types of sounds all too well. It grew stornger and stronger. The ground was shaking enough to dispalce some rocks lodged into the wet ground. All of a sudden it stopped. Wolf reluctantly brought the shotgun down from his shoulders.
"What was that?" Wolf asked a worried Twilight.
"I don't know...Whatever it was, I guess it's gone now..."
"Maybe..."
A deafening roar shook the entire town as a massive glowing blue bear dotted with various white spots on it's enormous body appeared above the treeline.
"What is that thing?!"
"It's an Ursa Minor...But why would it come here?!"
"Don't know..." He pulled out a couple grenades from his bag.
"Don't care."
He removed the pins and tossed them into the trees the following explosion caught the Ursa off guard, sending into a panicked charge into town.
"That was a bad idea..."
"Any good ones?"
"Yeah, run!"
Twilight took the hint and turned tail and ran. Wolf fired off a few bursts to try and slow it down, before turning and running himself. They ran as fast as they could, the Ursa in hot pursuit. They ran a few hundred meters, before coming across a fork in the road.
"Twi, go left!"
Twilight obeyed and took a left turn, while Wolf turned to the right. He raised his shotgun into the air and fired off a few bursts, trying to attract the Ursa's attention.
"Over here, come on I'm over here!"
His plan worked as the Ursa ran after him. A few more burst of the shotgun, and he turned and ran again. Every once in a while, he'd toss a grenade behind him, but all that'd do was make it angrier. After running around the whole town which was now in panic mode, he had reached the area of town facing the Everfree forest. He turned around only to have the Ursa's claw nick him in the cheek, slicing through his tough skin like tissue paper. Stunned by the cut, he couldn't move out of the way as one of it's massive paws came and pinned him to the ground. It growled at him, revealing it's huge, razor sharp teeth. It's head lunged at him, intent on feasting on it's poor victim, but Wolf's arm shot forward and caught part of it's bottom jaw, forcing it back. Locked in an epic struggle for survival, they each attempted to gain more ground. Wolf put up a good fight, but it was obvious the Ursa was too much for him. With no other option, this one was a longshot, but it was his only hope. Letting go of the Ursa with his right arm, he grabbed a flashbang and tossed it over the Ursa's mouth. The flash temporarily blinded the Ursa, who reared up in pain as it's vision left it. It' came crashing back down to the ground, shaking it's head, trying to restore it's sight. Wolf rolled out of the way of it's massive paw.
"That was too close..."
He grabbed his shotgun as the effect of the flashbang wore off. They both stared each other down. On this day, one would live, and the other would die. A cloud of steam came forth from his nostrils as it gnashed it's teeth. A crowd had gathered a safe distance away, praying on the outcome. The Ursa charged forward in perfect timing with Wolf. Getting within range, the Ursa's paw swiped at Wolf. Jumping in the air in the nick of time, he summersalted onto it's paw while it still travelled through the air, and then jumped onto it's back. It reared up and attempted to shake him off but to no avail. As it came crashing down, Wolf climbed over to it's head, shotgun at the ready.
Below the battle, Twilight walked as close as she dared and yelled to Wolf:
"Don't kill i-"
She was drowned out as Wolf fired as many rounds as his shotgun had, opening several holes in it's head, but not killing it. It shrieked in pain. Wolf cooked off and tossed a grenade into the largest hole, jumping off before the explosion sent the creature falling to the ground, blood leaking out from the holes made by the grenades shrapnel. He rolled as his feet touched the ground, greeted by the sight of a horde of ponies, all of their jaws on the ground.
"Wolf, you idiot!"
"Hey Twilight, I beat it didn't I?"
"Yeah, but you brought something worse!!"
"Worse?!"
A roar louder than anything he had ever heard before shook the entire town as if an earthquake was happening. The ground began to shake even more violently than before as a collosal purple bear with claws half the size of the Ursa minor and teeth the size of large trees emerged from the forest.
"Twilight...What is that?"
"Ursa...Major..."
The Ursa Major walked over to the deceased Minor and gently nudged it with it's muzzle. Seeing no result, it nudged it again, harder this time. Then it realised that it was dead. It looked in front of it's lifeless corpse, and saw Wolf staring right back at it, his left eye twitching. The Major reared up and let out an earth shattering roar. The entire crowd below errupted in screams of terror as they all scattered and ran towards safety.
"Twi, get out of here!!" Wolf screamed as he ran off, the Ursa Major following him closely, it's massive legs sending shockwaves throught the ground. He picked up his bag and tossed every explosive he had into the street, trying to slow it down. He pulled out a radio.
"SAM!! I NEED A MISSILE STRIKE!"
"Copy that, requesting authentication."
"FORGET AUTHENTICATION, I'M GONNA DIE!!"
"At least give me coordinates sir."
"I'LL TRY!"
"Please do. I'd hate to waste perfectly good missiles."
He dropped the bag after pulling out the last two items in it, a pair of markers that would transmit a signal to ships, missile launchers or artillery. In this case, from a ship.
- - - - -
I can't signal a missile strike in town, I gotta get that thing away from here!
- - - - -
He activated the markers.
"SAM, YOU RECEIVING?!"
"Negative sir, you need to get higher."
He turned towards the highest building in town. Running up the stairs, the Major's claws narly ripped off half the building as Wolf ran up the stairs to the top floor. He reached the balcony.
"Sam!!"
"Signal coming in loud and clear sir. Should I fire?"
"Not ye-"
The Ursa Major's roar sent Wolf flying into a wall. He got up quickly and had a brilliant idea. While it's mouth was still open, Wolf tossed the markers inside. He jumped off the balcony and landed right under the Ursa. He rolled as he hit the ground and ran off towards the dam. The Ursa turned around and stormed after him, leaving a trail of destruction in it's wake.
* * * * *
Roughly two kilometers away from the dam and the river below, the Ursa had caught up to Wolf and was literally breathing down his neck.
"NOW, NOW NOW NOW! LAUNCH 'EM NOW!"
"Acknowledged."
* * * * *
In the quiet plain where the Red Dawn's crash site was broken, the peace was shattered. First a loud alarm shook the entire area, then as a pair of hatches opened and launched two missiles followed by a pillar of fire.
* * * * *
In the distance, he could see the aproaching missiles and the raging inferno behind them. This would be a hell of a bang.
"WHY IS MY ESCAPE PLAN ALWAYS THIS?!!"
Wolf jumped off the cliff, narrowly escaping the Ursa's claws and the resulting explosion. The claw ripped off his shirt while the explosion gave him some minor burns. He silently prayed to himself as the surface of the water came closer and closer, the sharp rocks only now coming into view. He cut through the water like a razor blade. The rapid current carried him off. He shot out of the water to be met with the sight of a rock. It slammed into his left ribs, nearly breaking them, while at the same time ripping his new shirt to shreds. A trail of red followed him throught the current, eminating from the fresh cut on his chest. Oh well, one more scar for the collection. He fought with the rapids for as long as they lasted, until he came to calmer waters. As the water was calm enough for him to to swim out, he grabbed on to a branch, and pulled himself closer to shore. He threw his arms forward and let gravity do it's job, his arms falling to the ground, securing his position on the river bank. A shadow appeared over him. It was Twilight.
Before collapsing out of sheer exhaustion, his blood pooling on the wet ground below him, Wolf told her one thing.
"Next time...YOU handle the Minor..."
End chapter 26.