Over the clouded skies of the Everfree Forest, there was a pegasus in flight. This particular pegasus was massive, a full head taller than Big Mac, one of the larger stallions that resides in Ponyville and a definite above average sized stallion. His size was massive that he may be on eye level with Princess Celestia herself. He was powerfully built, every inch of his body was rock hard muscle. His coat was a deep black color, darker than that of the night sky, supplemented by a silver mane hanging around his head and neck. He had very large graceful wingspan far larger than the average pegasus.
And his cutie mark was different, but also unique. It was a symbol or an image that resemble a dragon, white in color. Other than his cutie mark, what was unique about this pegasus was his eyes, His eyes were a deep red, filled with great sadness. His eyes held remorse and a deep feeling of loneliness. A loneliness that never ceased to leave him.
As a young foal, the pegasus never had many friends while growing up. The only friends he ever had while growing up was his older brother and his friends, but also his dear sweet mother and caring father. He never knew his real parents, but he was happy with what he had. A mother and father that cared for them deeply. And they were his only friends, and that made him happy. But there was still something, like an emptiness inside him. He did not know what it was, but it was a feeling,or question that he had always wanted answered.
But now it did not matter to him, something else was on his mind and that was finding his older brother. The black pegasus had been flying for three days, searching for the place that his brother resided in. He did not know exactly where he was going, only that he followed instructions given to him by a friend.”
He could still remember the words that were said to him by the Wise One three days ago,” You will find your brother in the southern lands, in a forest filled with monsters. This forest is a place of untold danger. The Everfree forest is where you will find your brother, but you find something else beyond the forest. Something very special.”
“And what will I find beyond this forest, Master?” The pegasus asked.
The old one smiled,” Now that my young friend, you must find out on your own.”
The pegasus sighed wondering what the Old One meant by his words,” What is so special beyond the forest, Master.” He said to himself,” And where can I find this forest.”
No answer came, which meant he was on his own. Normally he would get answers from the elders back home, but getting an answer from the Wise One was never easy. Leaving home wasn’t exactly easy either, but he manage to get this far without any trouble. So things were going well for him, except he was lost. And for obvious reasons, one he did not know where his brother was, and two it was freezing cold.
Flying in the cold air was taking a toll on his body. Flying did help a lot in traveling great distances, but eventually he would have to land soon so he could rest and regain his strength. So with that in mind the large pegasus continued to fly. Sadly the area around him was not really suitable for resting. The land was covered in deep snow, no signs of life anywhere. Winter was at its harshest this time of year that much he knew. If he did not find shelter soon he would surcumb to the bitter cold, luckily there were some trees in the distance. A forest not far from him, which meant if there was a forest there was bound to be a place for him to rest. Beating his wings faster, the pegasus cut through the branches of towering trees, trying to find some place warm and dry. There were not many suitable places for him to rest in, but he continued on. He very was careful as not to make his presence known to the forest as there were sure to be some predators that lurked in this woods. All of which made the process that much more difficult.
Eventually he found a clearing, suitable for him to land. Landing gently the pegasus’s hooves touched the snow covered ground. The clearing that he stood in was small and the trees were barren. He looked around, searching for any sign of life, but there was none. None the less, he still had to keep his guard. Otherwise the predators that roamed these land would find an easy meal. Not wanting to waste time the stallion walked deeper into forest, but being very cautious of the surrounding area. He hoped to find shelter soon before nightfall.
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Back at Sweet Apple Acres, the sun was slowly descending and the moon was beginning to rise to the night sky. Signify that the day was over and that all creatures should prepare themselves to a long deserved sleep. To where we find Fluttershy still wide awake in the barn, watching as the dragon continued to sleep. Sleep was beginning to take a toll on the shy pegasus making her yawn quietly so as to not to disturb the dragon’s sleep.Then she heard some noise behind her.
The door to the barn opened revealing Applejack with a lantern in her hoof. “Everything alright in here sugarcube?” she asked closing the door behind her.
Fluttershy nodded,”Everything is-”yawn” all right.” she answered.
“That’s good to know.” Applejack said,”How’s our friend doing.”
“I really don’t know?” Fluttershy answered softly, watching as the dragon continued to sleep.”He hasn't woken up yet."
“Well I hope he gets better.” Applejack’s gaze fell upon the dragon. ”It getting kinda late.” Her eyes meet Fluttershy.” I think its best we get some sleep ourselves.”
“I...I don’t Applejack, I don’t want to him alone. I mean what if he needs help and I’m not there when he needs help.” The pegasus said, feeling a little uneasy to leave the dragon alone.
“Now don’t you worry bout a thing. Granny Smith and I can handle things from here.” Applejack reassured,” And if anything happens to our friend then I’ll be sure to let you know if we need anything.”
“Well okay… I guess I can go home if that's okay with you,” Fluttershy said as she stood up.”You will let me know if anything happens to him right?”
“I will and don’t you worry bout a thing.” Applejack said reassuring her friend.
Fluttershy nodded and stretched her sore muscles as she stood up, Applejack following her as both mares left the barn quietly. The shy pony looked back over her shoulder one last time before leaving, wanting to make sure the dragon will be alright. The door closed quietly behind them, leaving the sleeping dragon alone.
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Back in the forest the black pegasus was still searching and the moon had already risen to its full height. The pegasus sighed sadly, annoyed at not finding a suitable place for him to rest and to make matters worse a howled was heard from distance. Making the stallion more aware of his surroundings.
“This day seems to get better and better,” he thought. “First, the cold weather, and now I may have to deal with ravenous wolves. Can things get any worse?”
Suddenly a growl was heard and three pair of yellow eyes appeared in the bushes in front of him. Slowly without moving the Stallion took a defensive stance. Three creatures jumped out of the shadows.They looked like large wolves but much more feral and they didn't have any fur at all, instead their whole body seemed to be made out of sticks and branches. The creatures slowly drew near. Timber wolves were known to be the apex predator of the Everfree forest, but usually there was always a bigger predator other than them.
The black stallion’s wings spread out from his back. The angle at which he held his wings caused the feathers to splay upwards and outwards, giving the impression that the pegasus was considerably larger than he actually was, the feathers on his wings spreading giving him a much more larger appearance. Two wolves backed away from this suddenly display, but the third was not bother. The leader only growled as he stood his ground.
Another wooden wolf jumped out of the bushes behind him. The pegasus eyed the wolves with a smirk. The wolves just stared back at him growling, but a few moments passed when none of them moved. “So who’s first?”
Suddenly one of the wolves burst out from their formation and charged. The stallion jumped to the side and the wolf missed its target. The second wolf charged towards him, baring his fangs. Moving swiftly the pegasus sidestep, delivery a swift kick to the wolf’s side. The timber wolf was sent flying, hitting tree before breaking off into small pieces of branches and sticks. The second wolf charged intending to sink its teeth in the pegasus’s flesh, but pegasus bucked low and swung his hoof upward hitting the wolf hard in the chest. The wolf choked, missing his breath and grasped as he fell. The stallion spun out of the way to avoid being crushed as the third wolf tried to pounce, but missed as the pegasus moved away keeping his distance.
Both predator and prey were at a safe distance from each other. The timber wolves quickly recovered and were growling in anger seeing their prey was standing without a scratch. The pegasus stomped his hoof readying himself as the timber wolves prepared to charged. Without warning the wolves charged, the leader lifting his its gigantic claws to strike him. The pegasus stood his ground, feeling the wind surround him. Spreading his wing to their fullest the stallion unleashed a gale-force wind. The powerful gust of wind impacted and dented into the timber wolves chest, throwing them backwards with more force than when he had punched the first wolf.
The timber wolves broke apart their bodies shattering in pieces, their forms disappearing leaving nothing but sticks and branches. The pegasus ceased his flapping, the wind dying down as his wings came to a complete stop. He looked to where the wolves were thrown, but there was nothing except a pile of wood. The pegasus turned his back as he continued his searched for a place to sleep. Just as he took a few steps, all the pile of sticks began to glow green and float into one area in the air at this point, the pegasus hears a magical reconstruction of the timber wolves and starts to turn around, "That’s… new.." The pegasus trailed off as he looked up at the twenty foot tall timber wolf that had reconstructed itself behind him. The timber-wolf emitted a loud roar, causing all the the creatures in the forest to run. if there were any. After the roar was over, he looked up to it again, straining to see the top of it. The winged pony didn't panic though, instead he just gave a cocky grin, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."
And with that, the black pegasus ran straight and began charging to what looked like the wind was surrounding his body. The Giant timber wolf didn't know what to expect, until it was too late. After a moment of charging, the pegasus shot out straight towards the timber wolf. The timber wolf look horrified and opened its mouth as a result roaring. The pegasus charged in a burst of speed running as his body was in gulf by the wind. This resulted in a charging wind force that was blowing the ground and the trees as it moved. He continued to pick up more and more speed as he sped towards the the giant wolf.
The pegasus collided with the timber wolf's chest and shot out its "other end" in a fraction of a second. The black stallion dropped to the ground, landing with a gentle thud. The timber wolf just stood there unmoving, it blinked before moving its head around. It smiled evilly and growled as it turned around to its prey, growling. It bent its legs and charged at the pegasus while roaring. The pony didn't even react, he just stood there with a smirk plastered to his face. The wolf was about to strike, ready to take a bite out of him. But right before it got him, the wolf fell apart into small bits of wood. The pegasus looked down at the pile in front of him with an eyebrow raised and said, "I guess he wasn’t as tough as he looked." With that said and done the pegasus continued on, leaving the pile of wood as it was.
Half an hour had passed and the night was getting colder. The pegasus was tired after his encounter with the timber wolves. He had already used most of his energy flying and then fighting with the wolves, it was taking its toll on his body. But luck was on his side tonight, because he had found a cave that was unoccupied. But he still kept his guard up, knowing full well how dangerous it was to sleep in a caves. Luckily the cave was empty, except for a pile a fruit that was sadly spoiled and chest.
He knew the cave was occupied, but whoever was here was gone long by now, or fell victim to the creatures that roam in this forest. Whatever the reason, it would have to wait until tomorrow. Exhausted from the fight and the journey the pegasus gently laid head down his vision going black as he closed his eyes to sleep.