The cave was more or less adequate for his purposes. It was not as big as he would have preferred, but it was large enough to provide both shelter and space to work in. From the outside, it looked quite similar to that...other one, which had unfortunately been...occupied. There was little in the way of food or water, but he had at least managed to forage some edible berries, and found a small stream a tolerable distance away to the north.
The more obvious downsides of his new residence included the distinct lack of both lighting and furnishings. Not to mention he didn't even have a quill and ink, let alone paper. He had always known that this undertaking would be difficult, of course, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to stooping to common thievery to acquire resources. Neuron Probe snorted in distaste at the thought. Well, there was little he could do about it. It would all be worth it, in the end.
Putting aside thoughts of his upcoming activities for the time being, Probe focused on the task at hoof. Namely, removing the magic suppressor so it could hinder him no more. As with treating his wound, he was forced to use the most primitive of tools. In this case, that meant a rock. A few strong strikes with the rock were enough to crack the embedded gem, the shock causing the enchantments to fail. With it no longer magically held in place, he was soon able to pry the accursed device off.
He studied the metal band for a moment, as it lay discarded on the floor. The central red gem, which had originally been used as a battery to fuel the enchantments, had a deep split down the middle. Sparks of residual magic crackled periodically in the wide, unnatural gap. The metal band itself was covered in scratches and scuff marks, a testament to his recent activities. A quick magical scan revealed that the enchantments themselves had been dissipated completely, most likely by a magic surge generated by him cracking the battery gem. He sighed. The gem was, sadly, likely to be no longer usable in any significant capacity. He could try to break it in two, perhaps, and hope the resulting halves would not be too small for any useful application. Maybe they would still be serviceable as minor batteries or components in other magical devices.
With that thought in mind, he levitated the suppressor over to one side of the cavern for safekeeping. As he did so, he felt a momentary thrill at the feeling of his magic no longer being contained. He quickly fought it down though; this was no time to celebrate. He still had work to do. The most pressing concern, of course, was the need to construct some shielding to deter scrying and other magical locating methods. The wild, ambient magic of the Everfree helped in that regard. The magic field which had created the unique environment created interference in most magical means of communication, as well as the all-important locating spells. Unfortunately, the protection was not perfect- a dedicated mage could find ways around that particular hurdle. However, even as he pondered the Everfree's unique magic field, he was already preparing the spells that would most assuredly protect him. They had come in most useful during his original experiments, when he had been in constant danger of discovery. Now it was just a matter of remembering how to correctly apply them after so long...
A few hours later, and he judged his defenses to be sufficient. For the time being, at least- when he moved onto the later stages of the plan, he would obviously need to improve them to avoid being disturbed in his experiments. But for now, he could turn his attention to other things.
Such as the howling coming from outside, for example. Cautiously, Probe crept to the mouth of the cave, and peered outside. The scene he saw confirmed his suspicions: Timberwolves. To be precise, three of them. They had clearly been separated from the rest of their pack, though whether this was accidental or an intentional abandonment he could not tell.
As he watched, another inhabitant of the forest came to investigate the noise. The Timberwolves visibly tensed as the noises of something crashing through the dense undergrowth came closer in origin. And then, a Manticore leapt into the clearing outside the cave. The two parties growled at each other fiercely. Probe held back a gulp- the slightest noise could bring some very dangerous attention to him.
Suddenly, the Manticore threw itself forward with an angry roar. The Timberwolves responded in kind, and soon a fierce battle developed. The Timberwolves clawed and bit savagely, and the Manticore easily used its own claws and barbed tail to reciprocate the damage. The Manticore may have been outnumbered, but its opponents were more fragile than itself. Overall, it was a fairly even match.
Eventually, a solitary wolf loped off into the undergrowth, all other combatants either dead or near enough. Judging the area to be now relatively safe, Probe approached the fallen beasts, ignoring the occasional jolt of pain from his leg. Some movement caught his eye, and he turned his head to see one of the timberwolves shuddering slightly, it's fading magic attempting to pull itself back together. It was too far gone, however. It simply didn't have the energy to heal it's wounds.
An idea bloomed in Probe's mind. A devious, ingenious idea. He rushed back into the cave, and soon reemerged with his broken suppressor. Working quickly, he discarded most of the wooden fragments- he wouldn't have enough energy for an adult body. A younger, smaller one however...
A hasty examination of the magic held in the Timberwolf's body led to an equally hastily created animating enchantment being placed on the metal band and hooked up to the damaged energy-storing gem. The resulting creation still sparked warning. Thinking fast, Probe jammed a suitable chunk of Timberwolf in the gap. He reasoned that if the wood was hardy enough to conduct such a powerful animation spell, then it could surely be used as a conduit for other forms of magic. In this case, bridging the gap in the battery gem. And if it didn't work, so what? It wasn't as if he had anything to lose.
Placing his construction in the wreckage of the wolf's chest, Probe stood back and charged up the gem. The sparking was still present, though not as pronounced as before. The extra energy was enough for the body to be reconstructed, albeit on a smaller scale. When the process was finished, a rather exhausted Timberwolf adolescent lay on its side on the ground. The former suppressor was now being used to help keep it alive, with the Timberwolf fragment having integrated with both it and the rest of the body. Rather fittingly, it was positioned over where the heart of a regular wolf would be located. It still sparked occasionally, but that was acceptable. Probe wondered whether the device would need to be kept charged once the Timberwolf had full recovered. At the moment, it was obvious that without it the Timberwolf would not have enough energy to survive. And by the looks of things, the device was now as much a part of the Timberwolf as the rest of its body. It could most likely go either way. Maybe he could modify the animation enchantment to create a sense of loyalty towards him, just in case? He knew it had probably been done before. Golem creation wasn't unheard of in Equestria, just very rare. And all he would be doing was essentially modifying one that was already made.
Weakly, the Timberwolf struggled to its legs, and made its way to Probe's side. It made no attempt to attack him- it obviously knew its continued life was in his hooves. Probe grinned. It looked like the suppressor was good for something after all. He now had a new and most welcome facet to his security.
Chuckling in delight, Probe made his way back into the cave, the Timberwolf following its new master on slowly strengthening legs.