Noble Valor trudged along, feeling like the loneliest pony in all of Equestria. In truth, he probably was the loneliest pony in all Equestria. 'It's probably for the best,' he thought, 'I don't deserve the luxury of friends.'
In front of him laid the Everfree Forest, stretching as far as the eye can see on either side of him. The one place in Equestria where plants grew unaided, animals took care of themselves, and clouds moved on their own. One of the few places pony folk feared and avoided like the pony pox, especially since the last Summer Sun Celebration when it started invading Equestria.
"I'm sorry, Iron Clad," he said quietly, "You too, Lightning Joust. This is for the best." With those words, he entered into the dark brambles of the Everfree Forest, completely alone.
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"Well, that fills up this bucket," said the purple scaled dragon, "Done yet, Crusaders?"
The founding (and only) members Cutie Mark Crusaders lined up. They comprised of Apple Bloom, a yellow Earth pony, Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn, and Scootaloo, an orange Pegasus. Each one of them had a bucket full of multi-colored berries harnessed to their sides.
"We're ready, Spike," Apple Bloom jovially replied.
"Yep," Scootaloo added energetically, "ready to take that bake sale by storm."
"Thanks ever so much for helping us, Spike," Sweetie Belle said, smiling sweetly.
"Ahh, it's all right," Spike said with a wave of his hand, "I didn't have anything else to do seeing as how Twilight gave me the day off."
'Besides,' he added silently, 'someone has to keep you three out of trouble.'
"By the way," he asked, "what are you guys gonna bake with these Everfree Berries?"
All of them answered cookies, muffins, and cake at the same time, eliciting confused looks from everypony there, including Spike.
"Well," Apple Bloom replied, undeterred, "whatever we make with them, it's gonna be delicious."
"Yeah, we're gonna rock that bake sale!" Scootaloo exclaimed.
"It's gonna be so much fun!" Sweetie Belle squeaked excitedly.
Spike gave a small smile as he bent to lift his bucket, when he heard a branch snap. Apparently, the Crusaders had heard it too for they grew suddenly silent. Knowing the many dangers of the Everfree Forest, Spike warily glanced about, readying himself for action.
"Ewww!" Scootaloo replied, covering her nose, "what is that stench?"
The second he heard it, Spike caught a whiff of it. It was a foul smell, the smell that followed death and decay. He knew that smell he knew all too well. He turned with a start, seeing five pairs of red eyes staring at them. "Crusaders, run! Timberwolf!"
As the companions ran, five timberwolves exploded from the brush, howling as they bounded on their quarry. They moved in unison, their wooden limbs clacking as they loped across the terrain.
The Crusaders and Spike ran for all they were worth with Spike pacing himself behind the Crusaders. He turned to glance behind him, seeing the timberwolves gaining on them. A small flutter of panic bloomed in him, increasing his speed. He turned back and saw the Crusaders had stopped. A split-second later he saw why.
In front of them, a rock ridge rose from the ground cutting off their retreat. Spike skidded to a halt, taking inventory of the landscape around him. He hoped he could find another escape route, an improvised weapon, anything he could use. Seeing nothing, he turned to face the incoming wolves.
The timberwolves fanned out in front of the ridge, leaving no gaps for escaping through. They stalked closer, obviously in no hurry now that the pursuit had ended. In moments, they would be close enough for Spike and the Crusaders to feel the putrid smelling breath on their scales and coats.
Spike flexed his claws in anticipation. He knew, in the end, it was going to be futile, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Not with his friends lives on the line. "Stay behind me," he said, eyeing all the wolves in turn, "and if you see a chance, run for it." He inhaled deeply, preparing to unleash his fire breath.
Before anything could escalate, a loud cry pierced the silent air and a grey blur flashed overhead. All eyes, including the glowing red eyes of the timberwolves, were drawn towards the source of the movement. The figure landed between the timberwolves and their quarry, causing the red of their eyes to intensify.
Before anypony had a chance to react, the cloaked figure charged the timberwolves. Spike and the Crusaders stared, dumb-founded at what was unfolding in front of them. Nopony except for maybe Rainbow Dash would charge a timberwolf, and even she wouldn't charge a pack of them.
But this pony was.
The timberwolves faltered for a second, their eyes shifting slightly. With a start, three of the wolves broke rank and ran. 'I'm seeing it,' Spike thought, feeling his jaw drop, 'but I still don't believe it.'
The two timberwolves left, however, weren't impressed. Their eyes flashed a brighter hue of red and bound headlong towards the charging pony.
As the timberwolves closed, the cloaked figure veered left, pivoted on his front legs, and drew back his rear legs for a kick. As soon as they were in position, he rocketed his kick back, landing it on the timberwolves' muzzle. As the kick hit, it sent the timberwolf into a flying spin in the direction of the kick. Upon landing, it shattered, sending a puff of red smoke into the air.
'One down, one to go,' Spike thought, restraining himself from biting his claws.
The last timberwolf, taking advantage of the opportunity, closed the distance and leapt turned towards his opponent. The cloaked figure, recovering from his assault, managed to dodge the timberwolf but at the cost of his cloak ripping from the passing claw. Recovering from their actions, the two combatants turned to face each other, leaving Spike and the Crusaders temporarily forgotten.
The timberwolf began circling the cloaked figure, looking for an opening he could exploit as the cloaked figure turned his body accordingly, keeping the timberwolf in sight. The timberwolf growled angrily, its narrowed eyes glowing redder by the second. As the two stared each other down, the timberwolf leapt towards the cloaked figure.
The cloaked figure charged the timberwolf, unfazed by the sudden attack it launched. Spike expected the cloaked figure to use the same move he used on the last one. Apparently the timberwolf did too, because when the cloaked figure was close enough, it made to grab it.
However at the last second, before the timberwolf was could close its claws around him, the cloaked figure ducked, allowing the timberwolf to pass harmlessly over him. The timberwolf shot a confused look before a look of realization slowly dawned on it. The cloaked figure brought himself up, brought his rear legs up, and launched them back at the wolf's posterior. The timberwolf went rolling across the ground, pieces of sticks and bark falling off as he landed.
The cloaked figure sighed and pulled back its hood. It revealed a white stallion with a shimmering silver mane. He turned his brown eyes to Spike and the Crusaders, calmly looking at them as though he hadn't faced down a pack of timberwolves just seconds ago. "Have any of you been injured?" he asked, just loud enough to make himself heard.
Spike looked at the Crusaders, all of them shaking their heads in the negative. Seeing that, Spike followed suit with a relieved smile. The stallion's face relax, his relief obvious. "That's good," he replied, more to himself than anypony else.
Turning his eyes back to them, he gave them a small bow. "In that case," he began in the same volume, "allow me to introduce myself. I am N..." He trailed off towards the end, collapsing on the ground as he did.
Spike and the Crusaders ran towards their fallen savior, fear increasing with every step. Spike reached him first, placing his claws on the stallion's side. He felt a dampness on the cloak under his claws. Peering down, he saw the grey cloak's color shifting to dull maroon. It took only a second to realize it was blood.