Present
It was the end of the summer, with everyone preparing for the upcoming first day of school. It was the end of fun and late nights and the beginning of work and early mornings. The sun was barely rising from the horizon. Parents were preparing for work, and foals were accustoming themselves to waking up early again. The Ponyville weather team had just finished preparing for more cloudy and windy days. Rainbow Dash, seeing that she would not be needed for the rest of the day, decided to practice her tricks.
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“Come on, Twilight. It’s only the first day of school tomorrow! No one’s going to be checking out books for another month!” Spike complained as he finished dusting each bookshelf and began re-shelving the books. Although he was used to the chores, being woken up at sunrise to complete them was unnerving to say the least. Unfortunately, he knew there was no changing his friend’s mind when she sets up a task.
Twilight froze from his words just as she had finished dusting the last bookshelf and quickly turned to face Spike at a speed Rainbow Dash would have approved of. She looked at him as if he had grown two more limbs. “You said it yourself, Spike. Tomorrow is the first day of school! What if some foal will need to do a research paper? What if they learn something that catches their interests and want to learn more about it? I want to make sure the library is prepared for in case they do stop by the library!” Twilight nearly shouted.
Realizing she was panting, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the breathing exercises Princess Cadence had taught her. After a few more breaths, she headed towards the kitchen to prepare lunch for the both of them. Spike continued re-shelving the books, all the while muttering how a certain unicorn needed to get out of the library more often.
After putting the books back in their proper places, Spike headed towards the kitchen. When he saw Twilight preparing soup, he considered running out of the library to avoid her “meal” or risking his stomach in hopes of her serving something more edible. I don’t know how, but my stomach can digest all kinds of gems with no problem yet one taste of her food and I’m stuck in the bathroom for hours he thought with a shudder.
With his stomach growling up a storm, he came to a decision. “So uh, w-what are you making, Twilight?” Spike asked, hoping he didn’t sound afraid. In a cheery tone, Twilight replied while stirring the soup, “I’m making a vegetable soup. I got the recipe from a cook book I saw in the market place and I wanted to try it out.” Mentally checking off the ingredients for the soup, she continued to stir.
Unbeknownst to Spike, Twilight had been practicing on her cooking when he wasn’t home. She lost track of all the failures she made when she started off. After reading several cook books and experimenting with different flavors, Twilight had slowly but surely improved on her meals. She felt had enough practice to finally cook something they would both enjoy.
Within minutes, the soup was ready and Twilight poured two bowls and placed them out on the table. It actually looks like it’ll have flavor the dragon thought as he looked into his bowl of soup. The steam from the soup gifted his nose with a mesmerizing aroma of different spices. Spike took a glance at Twilight as she sat down and floated a spoon towards him and noticed the proud smile she wore as she stared at her bowl. Setting his guard down, Spike took the spoon from her magical grasp and started on his lunch. Maybe Twilight’s cooking won’t cause anymore stomachaches.
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Three tricks in a row done flawlessly. I’m just too awesome today Rainbow thought with a smirk as she pulled up from a nose dive. She began maneuvering through Ponyville, using the town as an obstacle course. She would zip through the streets testing her speed and agility while avoiding the ponies walking by. As she passed through, she saw the library out of the corner of her eye.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Twilight. I wonder if she has a new copy of Daring Do. With that in mind, Rainbow headed straight towards the library. She had planned to slow herself down at the last minute but did not plan for the gust of wind that suddenly sent her to the branches. Knowing she couldn’t right herself in time, Rainbow braced herself for a yet another painful impact.
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As Spike was about to taste the first spoonful of Twilight’s soup, his eyes widened when a sudden chill ran up his spine. Sensing something was going to happen, he carefully looked at the spoon, then at Twilight as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the soup with a satisfied smile. Seeing as how there was nothing wrong with the meal, he closed his eyes and eagerly prepared himself for what may be a delicious lunch.
Right before he could taste his food, the library shook from impact, sending all the books that were organized crashing down to the floor.
Spike froze with the spoon only a millimeter away from his tongue as he stared with wide, horrified eyes at his hard work laying down on the floor. As he turned his gaze at Twilight, his eyes shrank when he noticed an uncontrollable twitch in her eye. “Uh, T-Twili–” Spike was interrupted by the sound of the front door slowly being opened, the door creaking. Rainbow’s head slowly peered through, wide fearful eyes searching for Twilight, and hoping against all hope she did not anger the mare. Sadly her prayers were not answered.
“Hello there, Rainbow Dash. How nice of you to drop by.” Twilight said in a terrifyingly sweet tone as she gave Rainbow a maniac grin. Rainbow noticed pieces of hair sticking out of her combed mane. Oh buck me… Rainbow offered a sheepish smile, sweat trickling down her face. “H-Hey Twilight, h-how’s it going?” Twilight slowly walked closer to her friend. Rainbow’s eyes widened at each step. Oh buck me buck me buck me buck me!
“Oh, nothing. We just started eating lunch after spending hours cleaning up the library and re-shelving the books!” Twilight had nearly shouted near the end, her grin turning into an annoyed frown.
Rainbow Dash winced at the reply and pinned her ears to her head, rubbing one of her forelegs and looking off to the side. “Sorry about that,” she began as she took a look out the window, “weather calls for wind and clouds since summer’s almost over. I tried going for the door but the wind sent me to the branches.” Rainbow faced Twilight with worry sketched across her face, believing she had crossed the line with her friend
Twilight sighed and shook her head. “It’s fine.” Rainbow sighed in relief. “BUT,” Twilight gave her a stern look and motioned to the books scattered on the floor, “you’re going to help re-shelve all these books,” she stated firmly.
Seeing as how she wouldn’t be left with much of a choice, Rainbow gave a defeated sigh. “Alright, tell me where you want ’em.”
After hearing the conversation and deeming the area safe, Spike emerged from the kitchen to assist with clean up, groaning since he knew he won’t be able to eat for a while. Rainbow began with the pile closest to her. As the three cleaned up the mess, Rainbow came across a book that caught her interest. Werewolves and Lycans: Legends and Myths? “Hey, Twi, I didn’t know you had these kind of books.”
“Hmm?” Twilight turned to Rainbow and noticed the book she held. “Oh, that book?” Taking the book with her magic, she skimmed through some pages. “It’s been in the library for a while now, but it’s not really something that catches my interest. I’ve never been one for supernatural creatures, I just read it to pass the time. Plus, stuff about werewolves and lycans are just stories made to scare foals at night.” Setting the book back to its proper place in the fictional section, she turned to the rest of the work.
Rainbow stared at the book for a few moments, debating whether or not to ask Twilight more about it. Not wanting to delay shelving the rest of the books, she decided to ask more after everything was cleaned up.
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After another hour of sorting and shelving, the floor was left spotless. “Ugh, FINALLY we’re done.” Rainbow said in exhaustion. She made a mental note to avoid flying near the library when the weather calls for wind.
“Maybe next time you’ll avoid crashing into the library.” Spike muttered under his breath. Satisfied that nothing else would likely happen in the near future, he returned to the kitchen to eat his forgotten lunch. Shortly after he emerged and headed to the front door. “If you guys need me, I’ll be with the Crusaders. I need a break from this place.” Not bothering to wait for a response, Spike opened the door, gave Rainbow an annoyed looked, and shut the door behind him.
Rainbow gave a grunt and decided to lay on the couch. Now that the books were back in place, she was able to rest for a bit until she recalled the book form earlier. Looking at her friend from the couch, she asked “Hey, Twilight. You mentioned that you read that book about the supernatural?”
Upon hearing the question, she raised an eyebrow at Rainbow. “Yes, the one with werewolves and lycans?” Rainbow gave a nod. “What about the book?” Twilight asked, curious and excited that her friend was interested in something other than Daring Do.
Knowing there was no going back, Rainbow asked “Mind telling me more ’bout it?” She prepared herself for if Twilight squealed in excitement.
Twilight stared at her friend with a sparkle in her eyes. Yes! She wants to read more books! Realizing that she might have appeared excited, she mentally scolded at herself. Okay, keep it together, Twilight. She’s just curious about the book, it doesn’t mean she’ll actually read it.
Clearing her throat and adopting a teacher-like approach, she began to explain the main parts of the book. “Well, the book starts off with explaining how when Nightmare Moon gained power, she had transformed some of her royal guards into supernatural creatures as a means of attacking Princess Celestia’s forces. She transformed them into either batponies or werewolves, each being having different abilities. The book focuses on the werewolves, how they transformed under the moonlight, their strengths being their hearing, sense of smell, healing faster than others, and supposedly being as strong as the princesses themselves.” Twilight paused and took a look at Rainbow Dash, surprised that she was actually paying attention.
Rainbow noticed that she paused for a while. Curious and wanting to learn more, she urged Twilight to continue. “Okay, so what about lycans? What’s the difference?”
Shaken out of her stupor, Twilight cleared her throat and continued. “Well, it mentions that lycans branch off of the werewolves, so they aren’t that different. The main difference is they are able to transform whenever they chose but still transform during a full moon.” Taking a quick glance into the section on lycans, she continued. “According to the book, lycans can still maintain control of their powers as long as they remember who they are.”
“Remember who they are? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means as long as they don’t forget they’re still a pony, they won’t lose themselves to the power.” Twilight closed the book and sent it back to its place on the shelf. “The book says that a common mistake among lycans is trying to forget their past. They try to move on in life but end up leaving everyone else behind, all their memories, and soon, themselves.”
Twilight paused for a moment, a saddening look upon her face. She looked towards a photo of her and her friends. Rainbow noticed the look on her face and followed her gaze.
Twilight spoke, but with a hint of sadness. “Once they’ve lost themselves to their lycan half, they don’t remember ever being a pony. The lycan half completely takes over and basically devours anything that lives, regardless if it was their loved ones.” She turned her face towards the floor before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She then faced Rainbow Dash and continued with a reassuring smile. “Like I said, it’s just something to scare the foals and keep them away from forests. While they did exist for some time, they died off over four hundred years ago. Otherwise, we would have known by now.”
Confused, Rainbow asked, “We would have? How?”
Seeing her confusion, Twilight explained, “Well the book says that a lycan’s howl is different from wolves and timberwolves. Since they’re still part pony, their howls will sound more like a pony doing a close imitation of a wolf howl.”
This piece of information sent Rainbow’s mind back to her memories. That howl… the night he was gone… Her eyes widened when Twilight’s description of the lycan howl was similar to what she heard more than fifteen years ago. Her blood ran cold and she felt her body going numb. I have to know… I NEED to make sure it wasn’t…
Seeing a sudden change in Rainbow’s eyes, Twilight grew concerned for her friend. “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?” she asked in a worried tone.
Twilight’s voice snapped Rainbow Dash out of her thoughts. Sensing her friend’s worry, she said in a non-convincing tone, “Nothing’s wrong, Twi.” Noticing the time, she quickly added, “Just saw the time and remembered I gotta get ready for work tomorrow.” Rainbow was sweating bullets and wore a huge grin in hopes of Twilight believing her. She didn’t like lying to her friends, but she felt this was something too personal to tell anyone.
Twilight grew suspicious but nonetheless looked out the window and her eyes widened as she took note of the sky’s sudden change in color. “Wow, I didn’t realize we’ve been talking for so long,” she said, turning back to Rainbow with a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry I kept you here for so long.”
“It’s fine Twi, you were just in your egghead mode since I don’t really ask a lot of questions,” Rainbow reassured her with a smirk. Remembering the lycan howl, she asked “Hey, mind if I take that lycan book? Something you said caught my attention and I wanna take a closer look.” Although she hoped Twilight wouldn’t be suspicious or ask questions, she braced herself for the response.
“You do realize this is a library, right? You don’t need to ask.” Twilight said with a giggle. After quickly scanning the bookshelf and finding the book, she handed it to Rainbow with her magic. Twilight said with a smile, “Let me know if you have any questions about it.”
Taking the book in her foreleg, Rainbow Dash turned to face the door and spread her wings. “Thanks egghead, see ya later.” Flapping her wings to take off, she was interrupted by Twilight. “Rainbow…” she hesitated but felt she must say something. “if you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, you can always come to me.” Rainbow Dash did not turn to face her friend as she stood there with her wings spanned out. “I’ll keep that in mind…Thanks.” And with that she took off. Twilight watched her friend leave then closed the door with her magic.
Walking up the stairs to her bedroom, Twilight recalled the change in the pegasus’s behavior at the description of the lycan howl. One minute she’s interested then the next she’s… afraid. She wanted to push more out of her friend but felt she was treading on a delicate subject. She decided to push the thought out of her mind when she reached her room. When she entered, she saw Spike curled up in his bed beside hers. He must have returned and saw Dash and I were talking, probably wanted to give us some privacy she thought with an appreciative smile. She followed the young dragon’s example and decided to rest as well. Her last thoughts before falling asleep were of her cyan feathered friend.
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Flying near Sonic Rainboom speed had the night air biting at Rainbow’s fur, but it was nothing compared to the coldness inside. Since they’re still part pony, their howls will sound more like a pony doing a close imitation of a wolf howl. Twilight’s words echoed in her mind and spurred her to fly home faster. Upon seeing her cloud home, she headed straight towards her bedroom window and all but hurled herself through. She landed on the floor and dropped the book, her body shaking and her breathing slightly shuddering. Closing her eyes and taking a moment to compose herself, Rainbow Dash took several deep breaths and willed her heart to slow down.
Once she felt she was calm enough, she opened her eyes and read the cover of the book. Even after all these years, the howl was still fresh in her mind. If what Twilight said was true, then… Not wasting another moment, she took the book in her forelegs and settled herself on her cloud bed. Once she was comfortable, she made to open the book but froze. Her breathing quickened and her body started to shake uncontrollably.
I’m not sure if I can do this. I don’t know if I can handle the truth… Every emotion she had kept bottled up for years threatened to burst. Her mind and heart were at war, a storm growling and growing in size. The rain felt like ice, the cold piercing through her, nearly pushing her over the edge. She shut her eyes as tears threatened to burst. I can’t do this alone… Rainbow Dash curled around herself, the book still in her forelegs. The storm darkened everywhere around her, the rain feeling like needles striking all around her.
Before she was consumed by it, she heard a voice over the roars of thunder. If you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, you can always come to me. Rainbow’s eyes snapped wide open as the words echoed in her mind.
The roaring storm of her inner turmoil had slightly calmed down, and a dim light penetrated through the clouds. Where she was once cold and numb, something warm sparked within and slowly spread throughout her body. The storm ceased but the dark clouds still remained. She was still cold but no longer numb. The sense of loneliness was no longer present.
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Steeling herself, she opened the book and began to read.