//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: The sprint // Story: Timbercub // by PinkiePieFox //------------------------------// Twilight Sparkle. Ran! She ran hard and fast through the Everfree as hard as her little equine legs could push! Jaws snapping at her hooves but he did not look back. Her saddle bags weighed her down, she would have removed them if she could have but doing so would have cost her precious seconds, seconds that she was in desperate need of at the moment. She had traveled deep into the Everfree in search of ingredients that she needed for her experiments, she thought it would be no trouble at all. “Not bothering Zecora, Check! Gathering the ingredients, CHECK.” She run through her mental checklist as she pushed herself harder, anything to keep her mind off of the snapping jaws. “Not being attacked by wild beasts in the Everfree? NOT CHE-EEK-!” She squeaked as she tripped over a branch and is sent tumbling down a steep incline. She slowly stood but the growl of the Timberwolfs told her she was caught. ~=+/ Three Months prier\+=~ Fluttershys cottage was a nice and joyest place for every animal to come, relax and recover from the hardships of their everyday lives inside of the forests. And today did not seem to be no different. “Fluttershy? Are you home” Came the voice of Twilight Sparkle. Fluttershy creaked the door to her home open just a fraction before seeing Twilight and opening it fully, reaching though and pulling Twilight into her home so fast she seemingly vanished from the front stoop and the door slammed shut. “Oh my,Oh my,Oh my,Oh my!” Fluttershy repeated in half glee part not knowing what to do. “Calm down Fluttershy, tell me what’s wrong. Your letter didn’t say.” There was a small growl and a tugging on her tail. “meep” Fluttershy squeaked out. Twilight turned looking at her own tail now to see a stick lay- “No thats not a stick, wait, Is that a? No it couldn't be. Timberwolfs were extremely protective of their young, but that would mean.” Twilights eyes grew the size of dinnerplates “F-f-ff-uttershy? Why do you have a Timberwolf cub in your home?” She said audibly shaken by the appearance of the small living wooden creature. “W-well, she kinda just appeared in the back, and he was hurt, so I took care of him.” she was hiding behind her mane as she spoke with Twilight. Twilight signed, the creature was small, It could not have been very old but it still unnerved her. She slid back from the Timberwolf looking at it and removing her tail from its mouth quickly else it gets a flavor for her or something. The Timberwolf looked up at Twilight with dem green eyes and let out a little “woof” at twilight that made Twilight cringe back slight and move away from it. But the Timberwolf was not deterred. The cub charged up and leaped her at. Twilight screamed scared tripping over the rug and falling her horn discharged quickly, not even charging in the slightest, a light purple light shot out of her horn hitting the small creature. There was a whine and then a tumbling of wood hitting the floor. “Twilight!” Fluttershy called out as she seen her friend react, but it was far too late; by the time Twilight sit up she seen fluttershy sitting on the floor next to a small pile of wooden sticks. Fluttershys let out little sobs as she sit next to what remained of the Timberwolf laying on the floor. Twilight was stunned to move but after a minute stood up. “I-i didn’t.” “No.” came the voice of Fluttershy in a whisper that made Twilight frown and lower her head. “I dont know what happened….” he spoke in nothing more than a whisper. Later that day Fluttershy had buried the small cub at the edge of the Everfree forest behind her home. It was a small grave but it had a small stone that Twilight insisted on engraving herself for the small Timberwolf cub knowing it would not make up for what she had done, no matter how inadvertently it had happened. Twilight knew that she had to do something, if not only for the cub, for Fluttershy who had love for all animals, including Timberwolves. It was a short affair, and was overwith within only twenty minutes. What Twilight didn’t know at the time, was that this happening would trigger things. Things that should not have happened. Two months later after leaving Fluttershys cabin the Timberwolves had howled loud and long into the night, ever. Single. NIGHT! It was not something that happened. Everypony had been worried and they were justified in their feelings when the Timberwolves began marching on the town of Ponyville. After three attacks but luckily no deaths Twilight had decided to look into the matter. She read long into the night for two weeks before finding what had made the Timberwolves act as such. Twilight looked up from the book she had been reading. “Its because of me.” she spoke out. Timberwolf Cubs Timberwolves are very protective of their young, they stay close to them at all times and will kill anything that dares to try to harm one of their own. Even if other Timberwolves did not see the happenings they will still know a cub was harmed and where and will make every effort to harm and kill the ones responsible! Be Warned! this is not to be taken lightly! Twilight had skipped ahead. “To ward off attacks.” Twilight read aloud, there was also some ingredients lower down the page, some of them where a little more difficult to find and was only found within the Everfree forest. She could get them. It would be no problem. ~=+/ Present Time\+=~ The Timberwolves stalked around Twilight as she lay on the ground, she looked up trying to crawl away but the pain in her back leg caused her to wince. The bright green eyes of the timberwolves looking at her from the darkness. Stalking closer to her with every step. She could feel the breath of one as he appeared right in front of her face, it let out a growl as Twilight shook in fear. A howl echoed throughout the forest causing the timberwolves to to perk up they backed up some looking within the darkness before looking back at Twilight with hunger in their eyes. Twilight closed her eyes turning her head away. Silence, there was no sound, nothing but the rumbling growls coming from around her there was howling and then barking, yelping and the shattering of wood. Twilight sit, unmoving with her eyes shut tight. After a long while she slowly opened her eyes, a dead timberwolf lay upon the ground before her, the others were gone. Twilight looked around frightened her heart raced harder her breathing sporadic, her eyes became blurry as two small glowing lavender orbs appeared within the shadows, and then, darkness.