It was about 8:00 at night when it began to snow, just as the weather ponies had predicted. Most ponies had already done their shopping and other daily tasks and were now home, sitting by their fireplaces and sipping hot cocoa. Or perhaps these ponies were not sipping that hot, deep brown liquid in their mugs but instead, peering out their window with a wistful expression etched on their face, wondering if foals would be in school the next day or would they be home, running about and yelling their heads off.
Those same foals heading to the nearly barren, snow-covered streets to frolic and shove each other playfully. Protected with hats and scarfs, the foals would dive into that cold, fluffy whiteness and waving their small hooves up and down. After several minutes of continuous laughter, those foals would stand and peer down at their creations, little snow silluetes. Playful jeers and snide remarks would pass between this group of foals before one of them shivers and declares that they go inside. After a mulling it over and murmuring to themselves, the others would finally agree and the foals head inside the warm house for a break from the cold.
Once inside, outerwear would be shrugged off, hats, scarfs, and jackets on the floor as the foals head to the kitchen. Mugs of cocoa, nice and hot, with a side of Hearths Warming Eve cookies (even though it was nearly a week away), waiting for them on the table, prepared by the pony who'd been watching the foals and anticipating their eventual return to the warmth of the house. That pony would receive muffled "Thank you!"s and smile, secretly enjoying the foals' day off from school as well.
All of these visions might pass through the minds of the ponies, watching others rush out of the snow and into their own houses. But while those thoughts pass through the ponies' eyes, there was one who was not in the warm embrace of a well-insulated house or worrying about the musings of foals tomorrow. In fact, this creature was not amused at the moment but instead, very very bored.
A good deal away from the still-bustling city of Canterlot, a creature watched from within the confines of the Everfree Forest. The forest was quite large, stretching from Ponyville to just a little past Canterlot.
The creature was a young Dire Wolf. He was a deep, bluish color and small, only a hoof bigger than the size of an average foal, not huge as what would be expected of a creature of his species. Dire Wolves, when adults, normally grew to be huge, just a hoof shorter than Princess Celestia and weighing almost 400 pounds.
This young wolf was only nine years of age as he stood in the Everfree, watching the city and its inhabitants in the cold. He watched the ponies rush into their houses with mild disinterest. It was cold and snowing, but not quite enough to bother him much. He didn't really get why they were running about like terrified prey.
The wolf rolled his eyes and began to trot off, looking for something to pique his interest. Living near a city could be quite boring, you know. Ponies weren't exactly the liveliest of the bunch. It was kind of hard to find any ponies who actually did anything that wasn't boring . . . or just plain strange . . . like messing with the weather. Why not just let it be? He'd never seen any creatures messing with the weather in the Everfree and they were all just fine. He found it strange that ponies played with the weather constantly.
As he walked, he saw three mares walking together with loads of bags on their backs and one flying closely above them. One was a yellow pegasus, the second a pink earth pony, the third an orange earth pony, and the fourth was a blue pegasus. They were talking and laughing with each other as they walked. They looked a little lost after a while of watching them. The pink-haired yellow one glanced around with a worried expression a few times before the blonde orange one glanced at her and whispered something.
The wolf cocked his head and stopped for a moment. They did look lost, now that he thought about it. They certainly weren't from around here . . . they must've been tourists.
Deciding that that was not interesting and also not his problem, the pup went on his way, leaving the four ponies behind him. In a few minutes, he found himself in a spot parallel to a few stores. A pony exited one and went in the direction he'd come in but he paid no attention to that one. That pony was white-furred, a unicorn, and had bright, blonde hair. He knew that pony from a confrontation a year ago on Nightmare Night. The wolf shivered. He didn't want to relive that experience again.
He turned and saw three foals walk out of a store with small bags full of trinkets and his ears perked up when they began to chat amongst themselves.
One was the color of butter with amber colored hair, it's mane tied up in a bow. The second was just as white as the snow and had two pretty colors fused in its mane in the style of bouncy curls. The third was orange with purple hair that was mussed from the unforgiving wind.
"I can't believe we got it for such a good deal!" the orange one exclaimed. From the pitch of its voice and the giggles of the other two, the Dire Wolf assumed all three were female. They seemed to be about his age or maybe a few years older, but he had no way to know for sure since he wasn't too familiar with identifying age in ponies.
"And we got it a week before Hearths Warming Eve too," the white one nodded. "Nopony can tell me that's not a heck of a deal." The yellow one grinned and leaped in the air in joy.
"Applejack is gonna love this," she said. "Ah just know it! Ah feel it deep down."
"I can see it now; Rainbow Dash doing backflips . . . literally . . . and all because I've given her an amazing gift. It'll show her how much she really means to me. She'll know that she's . . . the most amazing big sister I got . . . even if she's not . . . you know, biological," The Orange one gave a nervously laugh and looked down at her hooves as the other two looked at her.
The wolf wasn't at all interested in what the orange one had to say, but had a strange connection with her. Her hyper attitude matched his own on good days and made him wish deep down that wolves and ponies could be friends. As the orange one sighed, the yellow one smiled.
"Ah think she'll love it. No, ah know she'll love it. Don't ya agree, Sweetie?"
A nod from the white one, "You got that right, Applebloom."
The wolf cocked his head, wondering what the foals were talking about and why they seemed to be so carefree of the snow that was falling lightly from the darkened sky. Most ponies were already gone now, giving the city streets a lonely feeling.
The white one, who the wolf now refered to as 'Sweetie' in his mind, looked around. The wolf instinctively moved back, hiding more of his small form in the bushes. Sweetie looked in his direction for a moment before turning to her companions and murmuring something into their ears.
Oh no, now I've done it, the young Dire Wolf thought, I've gone and gotten myself discovered.
"They said they'd meet us here. I'm sure their coming soon," the orange one said. Applebloom also looked around.
"It's gettin' kinda cold . . ." she mumbled.
The wolf grunted in agreement. The snow was coming down harder, now, and it was getting hard to see the fillies through it. He blinked and turned towards the forest, quickly losing interest in the three fillies. The forest was dangerous but even more so once it got dark. He didn't want to have any trouble but he preferred carnivorous beasts over the unforgiving citizens of Canterlot. With a huff, the young wolf was off.
"Scootaloo! Where are you going?! They said to wait for them!" one of the fillies yelled. The wolf stopped and shipped his head around towards the sound. Those small ponies seemed to have more entertainment to give.
"I'm going to go look for them! They might get lost. It's snowing really hard!"
The wolf returned to his watching spot and looked in the same direction Sweetie was looking. Sure enough, he saw the orange filly, Scootaloo, running down the street.
"Scootaloo! Get back here!" Applebloom ordered angrily. "Ahm gonna get in trouble 'cause of ya!"
So Scootaloo's her name, huh?, the young wolf thought eagerly, Let's see how entertaining she can be.
Suddenly feeling energetic, the wolf burst from the bushes took off after her. He let his tongue be free of the confines of his mouth and let it flop in the wind. Catching up with Scootaloo was no chore, he reached her in a matter of strides. She turned and looked over her shoulder as she ran. The wolf quickly dived into the shadows. Frightened, Scootaloo swerved to the right and quickly hid behind a mailbox.
I've scared her . . . but at least she hasn't seen me, the wolf thought. He flattened his ears and whimpered quietly. Scootaloo did not come out. She peeked from behind the mailbox and said nothing. She hadn't seen the wolf pup, but she was sure something or somepony was following her. After staring at her for several minutes, the wolf realized she wasn't coming out and tucked his tail between his legs in boredom. He began to slink off before she called out in a shaky voice.
"Guys, if you're there . . . you better not be trying to scare me," she said. "It won't work."
She slowly moved from behind the mailbox and the wolf watched her with a hopeful expression.
"Guys?"
Obviously this is not going to be as entertaining as I thought, the wolf sighed.
"Who's there?" Scootaloo blinked and cocked her head. "Hello?"
Scootaloo finally decided she'd hidden long enough, so she began to run again, this time looking behind her frequently. The wolf pup followed in the shadows, curiousity now taking over his vague need for entertainment. After passing several house and business dwellings, Scoolaloo stopped at a station. The wolf crouched and flattened his ears.
Stations were where the trains came . . . and they were loud . . . a little too loud for his liking. His mother warned him not to get too close to the edge of the platform. She'd said that the trains would turn him into roadkill, not unlike the tasty kind that they found on the over-trodden streets of busy Canterlot. Those carriages and such were quite the help when it came to that.
Scootaloo looked around and checked with the receptionist that was half asleep in the booth. From what the wolf observed, she didn't get the information that she desired.
"I don't understand," she mumbled. "Where are they? They should've been here by now-"
"Hey! Why're you following Scootaloo!?" a loud, and quite squeaky voice hollered in the wolf's ear. He jumped back and slammed right into somepony with a yelp. They fell back and he looked around, fearful. The yellow filly, Applebloom, was in a defensive stance and she was staring at him with a look of fear and anger.
"Get off mah friend!" she hissed. Scootaloo was warily heading to the cause of the commotion. She eyed the pup and Applebloom with curiousity. The wolf rolled over, rose to his paws, and stepped to the side, nearly bumping Scootaloo. Scootaloo flapped her wings and narrowed her eyes.
"Were you the one following me?"
"Sure was!" Sweetie Belle wheezed, rising to her hooves. She gave the wolf a glare. "You're heavy!"
And you're bony, the wolf retorted in his head but kept silent. He eyed the three ponies and flattened his ears.
"Why were you following my friend?" Sweetie Belle demanded. The wolf shook his head slightly and took a step back. Scootaloo watched him warily and Applebloom pointed a hoof at him.
"Nuh-Uh! You ain't leavin' till ya answer her!" The three fillies made a circle around him and stood firmly. It was terrifying to the pup. Being closed surrounded and closed in like this made his instincts practically scream, "DANGER! DANGER!"
Trembling, the wolf finally whispered, "I was just bored . . . I-I thought-"
"Creep." Scootaloo said loudly. "Nearly scared the feathers off of me. Nearly." The wolf whimpered and lowered his tail. Seeing the fear in his eyes, Applebloom's gaze softened.
"Hey, don't be scared . . . now that ahm gettin' a good look at ya . . . ya kinda look like . . . a baby wolf."
"I think you may be right, Applebloom," Sweetie agreed, inspecting the wolf. "He doesn't look that old. In fact, he looks like he's about our age . . . or maybe a year or two older."
"How old are ya?"
"Nine . . ."
"He's two years younger than us, Scoots!" Sweetie exclaimed. Scootaloo frowned at her.
"I can do the math myself, Sweetie Belle!" she snarled, causing the other filly to giggle.
"Why were ya followin' Scootaloo?" Applebloom asked gently.
"I'm just bored. I just . . . I just wanted to see if she was doing anything interesting. Some entertainment. It's boring around here."
"Oh." Scootaloo blinked. "It's still a little creepy . . . you following me around, watching me for entertainment . . . but I guess I understand."
"What's your name?" Applebloom asked.
"I . . . name? My mom . . . doesn't call me anything . . ."
"So how does she call you? How do you know she's talking to you?" Sweetie questioned.
"Momma says Dire Wolves don't need to name each other . . . she said that . . . er . . . Momma just howls a certain way and I know she's calling me."
"What mother doesn't name their children?" Scootaloo snorted. Creeper flattened his ears and frowned.
"My momma is a fine she-wolf, I'll have you know. Dire Wolves don't need names to know who's who, unlike ponies . . . I know my momma's voice and scent by heart."
"So, you guys memorize that your whole lives or something?" Sweetie asked.
"Arge, we don't have time for this!" Scootaloo yelled. "We've got to find Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Fluttershy! They said they'd be at the store to pick us up but their not!"
"We'll find them. Maybe Wolfy can help too. He should be able to sniff 'em out." The wolf snorted at Applebloom's words. He had no interest in their problems.
"My neck kinda hurts," Sweetie Belle mumbled. "You fell on me pretty hard . . . and you're pretty heavy."
What would you expect?, the wolf thought angrily, It's as if she expects a pup to be light as a feather!
"So, what do we call you? Certainly not Wolfy." Sweetie giggled as Applebloom glared at her.
"We need to start looking," Scootaloo sighed. "But since you insist on naming him and dragging him with us, how about we name him . . . Creeper?"
The other two fillies were not amused. They gave their friend a warning look. Scootaloo blushed and stammered to explain.
"It's not like that. It's not mean! I mean, he's good at sneaking around and he was being a creep wasn't he? Creeper fits him . . . and I doubt Sneaky will be a better name choice."
"Hm. Seems to fit ya, now that ah think about it," Applebloom shrugged.
"Yea! What do you think?" Sweetie asked the wolf. He shrugged and felt an oddly warm feeling towards the three little ponies who had bothered to name him.
"I think it's alright. I suppose it does suit me," he replied carefully. He didn't want them thinking he actually cared that they'd given him a name.
"Great, now let's find them," Scootaloo sighed. "I'm tired of standing around in this cold." The other two fillies looked up at the sky as if remembering the weather. They nodded and began their search, Creeper followed behind and sniffed about just for show. There was no way he'd find who they were looking for without a specific scent to track. They had gotten further away from the station and been well into town when Scootaloo broke the silence.
"You'd think we'd easily find a rainbow-maned pegasus flying around," Scootaloo grumbled. Sweetie Belle grunted in agreement. Creeper froze when he heard this.
"Did you say . . . rainbow . . . hair?" he cocked his head to the side.
"Yes, have you seen her? Her name's Rainbow Dash, she's got a rainbow lighting bolt coming out a cloud for a cutie mark, and she's cyan," Sweetie hopped up and down excitedly.
"I think I have. Earlier this morning, I saw four bigger ponies. One had rainbow hair. The yellow one looked worried . . . I thought maybe they were lost but I . . . wasn't really concerned about that . . . so I left . . ."
"Please tell me that wasn't before ya saw us," Applebloom groaned.
"It was . . . Sorry, I guess."
"Aw come on! That means you saw them at least an hour ago! They could be anywhere now!"
Feeling guilty, Creeper said, "If you give me something with their scent on it, I could track them for you." The fillies all shook their heads sorrowfully and glanced at each other.
They look so sad, Creeper thought, and it's partly my fault . . .
Creeper couldn't think of a way to help out. He stood there, watching the fillies begin to tear up, before he decided to try to find the ponies himself. It was dark now and his mother was expecting him to go back to her by now but he felt like he'd done wrong. He felt like . . . he should've tried to help those ponies when he knew they were lost.
"I'll find them for you," Creeper said over his shoulder before he ran off. One of the fillies yelled something but he didn't hear. He'd thrust his ears forward, listening for any sound of the four big ponies. He looked out for the rainbow-haired one. What had Scootaloo called her? Rainbow . . . rainbow . . . he couldn't quite rememeber the last part. How could he, when he'd been selfishly thinking that their problems were not his own and of how bored he was.
Creeper had stopped anypony who wouldn't run off in fear to ask if they'd seen a rainbow-haired pegasus flying about with a group. A lot of ponies had told him "No," but there were a few who'd said they saw her in certain stores or talking to some other mares. He followed their directions, asked another pony, and found himself in a dead end. There were almost no ponies out now and the one he'd ran into last had told him to buzz off.
He stopped to rest from his excursion in a small alleyway beside a building of some sort. He was tired and hungry and feeling awfully guilty.
"I should've just helped them out when I saw them. This city's so big. How will I ever find them? Those fillies . . . their stuck in the cold because of me. I can't even take them to the station . . . I didnt bother to remember how to get there from . . ."
"Um, excuse me?"
" . . . !" Creeper whipped around and looked around fearfully.
"Over here," a meek, yellow pegasus was standing in the doorway of the building. "Are you lost?"
"Me? Oh, no. I'm . . . not the one who's lost."
"Are your friends lost?"
"Yes."
"You don't look like you're old enough to be out so late by yourself," the mare got a little closer to him and stroked his head. "Where's your mom, little one?"
"I'm a-"
"Dire Wolf, I know. I've got a special talent with animals. But, shouldn't you be getting home? It's dark out."
"My friends are out there. I have to go back."
"I know how you feel. My friends are out there too. Their looking for Applejack's sister and friends . . ." Something about the name made the back of Creepers brain itch. He felt like he'd heard that name before.
"Why aren't you with them, then?"
"I have to stay near the phone, just in case somepony calls in on three fillies."
Creeper stiffened. "Fillies?!"
"Yea, I know it's too late for them to be out but we got lost while coming to get them. It's a good thing we tried to pick them up early or else it would've been much later before we found some help to look for them."
"Are the fillies Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo?" The mare's eyes widened.
"You've seen them?"
"Yes! Come with me! Wait! No, get your friends first!"
"Oh my." The mare ran back inside, said something to a unicorn stallion inside, and came back out. "Let's go." Creeper let out excited yips as he lead the mare back the way he came. It took about twenty minutes, but when he got there, he let out a series of barks. The fillies weren't too far from where he'd left them so they heard him and started showering him with questions.
"Look! I've found one!" Creeper said triumphantly. The mare landed behind him and darted forward to hug the fillies.
"Fluttershy!" the fillies yelled and hugged back.
"We were waitin' for the next train to wait for ya home," Applebloom said.
"We got the stuff!" Sweetie Belle lifted the bags with her hoof. It was awkward while in Fluttershy's embrace so Fluttershy let go. "Their all intact and perfect, which is a surprise in this snow."
"Thanks for finding our friend, Creeper," Scootaloo hugged the pup tightly. "Sorry I called you a creep. Your name's still cool. Well, it's only because I gave it to you."
"I felt bad," Creeper said truthfully. "I should've helped them out when I saw they were lost."
"It's alright. Let's get you four inside and warmed up," Fluttershy placed a wing on Creeper's shoulders. Creeper looked up at her and his pupils shrunk.
"F-four of us?"
"Yea, dude. C'mon!"
They had arrived at the building relitively quickly. Creeper was suddenly apprehensive of going inside but Scootaloo practically dragged him in. The other mares were there, waiting anxiously for them, and they were pounced on and hugged as soon as they walked in.
"Applebloom! Ahm so happy y'all are alright!" the orange mare cooed. Creeper vaguely remembered her name as Applejack. He identified the others by name as he listened to them talk to each other. Pinkie Pie was a bit overwhelming, as she was jumping and hopping all around him and talking to fast for him to actually understand her. The others finally turned to him, introduced themselves, and began asking him all these questions, but then he heard a howl in the distance. Everypony paused and turned to him.
"Is that your mom?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yes," Creeper gazed at the door longingly. He'd never been gone this long before.
She must be worried, he thought.
"You should head home." Applejack said.
"Yea, you don't wanna get your mom all crazy worried, do ya?" Rainbow Dash agreed. She turned and smiled at Scootaloo, remembering how worried she was while looking for the fillies.
"Go to your mama! Turn her frown upside down. And give her a hug in the process!" Pinkie basically yelled. Fluttershy opened the door and Creeper walked out, saying his good-byes.
"Wait, how do we see you again? What if you're in a different part of Canterlot?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"I don't know . . . I gotta go . . ."
"But, what if we don't see you again?" Scootaloo pouted.
"Well, the odds that I would find your friends was pretty low, but I found them, didn't I? I'm sure we'll meet again someday."
He went outside into the wintery night and disappeared in the snow. The fillies rushed to the door and peered outside.
"Don't forget to give your mom a hug!" Pinkie hollered.
The fillies looked around and saw pawprints and a foggy silluete moving away from them and into the forest. There was another howl, long and deep that lasted for a minute before it was joined by another one. The second was a bit higher pitched and sounded closer. The ponies all listened in silence, enjoying the chilling beauty of it. Then, the howls ended and there was utter silence.
The ponies headed to the station and went home. They missed two late trains, but they managed to catch the third before it left. The fillies stared out the window as the train sped down the track and thought of their new and unusual friend.
Once the train was gone and in the distance, the station was silent once more, the clerk pony asleep in his booth and the city was practically dead except for the blinking early Hearths Warmin Eve decorations and the occational pony taking a night stroll. There were no lost ponies or fillies and no wolf pups watching around with curious eyes.
It was just another cold, snowy night once more.