//------------------------------// // Helping Others // Story: Equestria's Warriors: The Snakes Resurrection // by Wildcard25 //------------------------------// After leaving the valley, the group found themselves trekking through a forest. Twilight looked at a map, "We shouldn't be too much further from the desert." "Good, the quicker we get there the sooner we can free our tribes." Skales said. "I wonder how much they've finished the kingdom since we left?" Skalidor asked. Skales turned to him looking cross, "DOES THAT EVEN MATTER?!" Skalidor winced, "Hey, I was just asking." Skales groaned, "Let's just keep going." Dustin looked up and noticed the darkening sky, "Uh, there's going to be some complications to that." Everyone looked up seeing rain clouds were blocking out the sun, and suddenly the rain came pouring down on them. "Well, this is certainly unexpected." Zyphon said, as he used a force field around himself to keep his chrome dry. "We better get someplace dry." Mitsukai suggested. "You mean stop?" Skales asked in disbelief, "A little rain doesn't hurt any snake." "But it can give you hypothermia if you stay out in it." Burai countered. "Can we discuss this someplace dry?!" Rarity whined as she tried covering herself from the rain. "Come on!" Alistair called, as they searched for cover. Luckily they found an empty cave and took shelter in it. "Not much we can do now until the rain stops." Drake said. "Can't you pegasi simply move the clouds away from here?" Skales asked Rainbow, Wild, and Fluttershy. "That wouldn't be right." Fluttershy answered. "Yeah. We can't just move the clouds willy nilly." Rainbow added. "If the pegasi from Cloudsdale sent them here there had to be a reason." Wild put in. "Yes, to hold us up." Skales grumbled. "No sense in complaining about it now." Applejack said. Gathering what materials they could from their bags and inside the cave they created a campfire, with Felix providing the flames. Soon they started warming up, as Johan looked outside seeing the rain was still coming down, "How long do you think the rain here will last?" he asked. "It's hard to tell, the rain doesn't always come and go." Twilight explained. "Guess we could be here for awhile." Omaddon said. "Why don't we play a game while we're waiting?" Pinkie suggested. "Sounds good to me." Spike answered. "That sounds nice." Fluttershy smiled. "Better than doing nothing." Xever added. "Games?!" Skales called out, startling them, "We're stuck in the middle of a rainstorm, our tribes are being worked to death by Pythor, and all you can think of is playing games?!" Pinkie spoke up, "You're looking tense, Skales. I think some snake needs a hug," she opened her hooves up, only to see Skales glare at her, "Maybe hugging later." she backed away. "What's got you riled up?" Alicia asked. "I just find it rather appalling that while our tribes are out there being worked to the bone, you don't seem to care." The Hypnobrai general answered. "It's not that we don't care." Alice spoke up. "We just can't do anything about it now due to the weather." Aria added. "Sometimes you just have to stop and make the most of a situation." Elroy noted. "We do it all the time." Muse put in. Skales grunted, "Well, pardon me but this still feels like a waste of time." "Well, excuse us, Skales, but your attitude about the situation isn't helping us either." Rainbow argued. Skales just got crosser, "Then maybe I'll take my attitude elsewhere!" he stormed out of the cave. "Skales, it's not wise to go out in the middle of the rain." Arcturus called, but Skales just ignored him. "Some snake is quite the grumpy Gus." Pinkie said. "He's just frustrated, Pinkie." Twilight replied. "We all are." Acidicus put in. "Guess, he was just the first of us to snap." Fangtom added. "What do we do now?" Wild asked, "We can't leave him out there." "I'll go check on him." Felix volunteered. "I'll come with." Drake offered, and the two left the cave. Skales slunk through the forest as the rain poured down on him. He finally stopped under a tree looking torn over him snapping at the others, and why he snapped. He was brought out of his thoughts, as a voice called out, "Skales!" He looked over and saw Felix and Drake come over and take shelter under the tree, "Why did you three follow me?" "To make sure you didn't get into trouble out here." Drake answered. "How much trouble can I get into during a rain storm?" Skales asked rhetorically. "Skales, I know you're stressed right now, but keep in mind we all are." Felix explained. "How can you know what I'm feeling?" Skales snapped, "The safety of your tribe is not at risk, so how can you understand what I'm going through?" Felix frowned, "Because our friends are like our tribe!" he snapped back. "What?" Skales asked. Drake continued, "Your tribe is important to you, Skales. And we understand that. But our friends are just as important to us. You see where I'm going with this?" "I suppose." Skales answered. "You're willing to do anything to save them from Pythor's wrath," Drake explained, "I know what it's like to do anything for my friends to save them. Believe me I've done it multiple times." "I see." Skales replied. Felix spoke, "I used to be like you, Skales, thinking such things as games and fun were pointless. But since my purification and Ebon's removal I remembered the important things in life. Friends, loved ones, those willing to stick their necks out for you even if you don't deserve it." Skales started feeling moved by their words, seeing where he was coming from. Drake continued, "It may not be as easy for you to not think about the dangers of our mission as it is to us. But worrying too much about it will only cause you to lose focus." Skales sighed as he started realizing how right they were. Felix laid a hand on his shoulder, "Why don't we head back to the cave?" "Won't my attitude bring down the morale there like they said?" "Don't worry, you just need to take your mind off it." Drake said. "Come on." Felix said, as they were about to step out only to hear growling sound. "Please tell me that's one of your stomachs." Skales hoped. "Mine doesn't sound like that." Felix answered. "Neither does mine." Drake added. "Then what was that?" Skales inquired. They were met with the sound of a wolf howl. Suddenly jumping out from the bushes and trees was a pack of Timberwolves with the Alpha up front. "Timeberwolves," Drake whispered, "Don't make any sudden movements." "I won't." Skales whispered back. Felix spoke, "Keep it calm. It's important that you don't let them smell your fear. Just follow my lead." "What're you going to do?!" Skales asked in a loud whisper. Felix stared the Alpha Timberwolf down hoping to intimidate it with his toughness, but when the stick lupine showed it's teeth and growled, the spirit warrior yoko panicked, "RUN FOR IT!" he took off. Drake and Skales rolled their eyes at Felix's panic, before following him with the Timberwolves in hot pursuit. From the cave, everyone heard the growls and howls in the distance, "Sounds like a pack of Timberwolves." Applejack noticed. "And judging from the screams they're after Felix, Drake, and Skales!" Dustin gasped. "We gotta help them." Alistair stood up. "Right. Come on." Twilight ordered, as they took off. As the three tried to out run the Timberwolves, Drake stopped, "Guys, running won't get us anywhere. I say we fight these walking sticks." Felix overcoming his panic form before stood with him, "Yeah. Let's break them up into twigs. You with us, Skales?" Skales smirked, "Let's do this." Felix and Drake took off and attacked some of the members of the pack, while Skales used his Anacondrai Blade to strike at the legs of one Timberwolf making them fall to pieces and unable to stand. Felix fired a spirit gun shot at one Timberwolf breaking it apart, "Oh, yeah!" he then saw the Timberwolf's pieces started coming back together, "Oh, no." "That's what these things are capable of." Skales reminded him. Drake dodged a Timberwolf's chomp before using Smoke shot combined with a blast of Felix's fox fire to incinerate one. Skales noticed another Timberwolf coming up from behind the boy, "Look out!" Drake spun and saw the Timberwolf was about to take a bite out of him, only for a shot of fire magic to blast him in the face. They looked and saw Eu, Dustin, Alistair, Twilight, and the others. "Reckon you guys could use some help?" Dustin asked. "It would be appreciated." Felix answered, as he dodged a Timberwolf's jaws. "Let's get in the game!" Xever called, as they went into battle. The whole group fought the Timberwolves in the pouring rain, but no matter how many times they took down a Timberwolf they kept reforming themselves. "This isn't getting us anywhere." Skalidor called, as he and Fangtom used their Anacondrai blades to make a Timberwolf back off. "What can we do to stop them?" Arcturus inquired. "They'll only back off if they're ordered by their leader." Twilight answered, as she blasted one with her magic. Skales hearing Twilight's words got a brain blast, "I got it! Quickly, restrain the Alpha!" Everyone hearing that decided to put their trust in Skales, and went for the Alpha Timberwolf. After wearing it down, Alice, Alicia, Valmont, and Belmont concentrated their energies and the siblings creating a rope mixed of spirit and dark energy. The four went at the Alpha and bound it's legs making it fall flat. "Hold it down!" Dustin ordered, as the two sets of twins did so. The group watched as Skales slunk up to the lupine's face, and gazed at it, "Look into my eyes!" he started hypnotizing it, but the Alpha struggled trying not to look Skales in the eyes, "You will obey me!" The others watched while avoiding the rest of the Timberwolves, as Fluttershy asked Twilight, "Can he really hypnotize an Alpha Timberwolf?" "Let's hope." Twilight answered. Skales continued to hypnotize the Alpha, even with the creature struggling to maintain strong, "Obey me!" Skales hissed, putting all he had into it. Finally the Timberwolf lost it's will and its eyes started looking mesmerized., "Now. Call of your pack." The Alpha Timberwolf completely under Skales control, let out a howl causing its pack to cease their attack on the others. "It's working." Burai said in amaze. Skales turned to the Alpha, "Now take your pack and leave us in peace? Do you understand?" The Alpha bowed its head in respect before barking at its pack. Everyone watched as the pack of Timberwolves took off with the Alpha in pursuit. "It worked!" Omaddon cheered. "All right!" Rainbow umped a hoof up. "Skales did it!" Pinkie jumped around. Skales watched, until he looked back seeing Felix and Drake behind him, giving him proud smiles, "Nicely done, Skales." Felix said. "Couldn't have done better myself." Drake added. Skales smiled back, "Thank you." To follow up, the three threw their fists back before doing a triple fist pound. The ponies, humans, and snakes watched feeling proud to see Skales finally learned to appreciate the others besides his own kind around him. Suddenly they noticed the rain stopped, and sunlight shined down from the sky as if shining a spotlight onto Skales. The Hypnobrai general looked up at the sunlight, and smiled as he started realizing what it was his other generals felt when they accepted the assistance and friendship of the ponies and warriors. Skales turned and fixated his eyes on Pinkie Pie, "Pinkie." "Yes?" she asked. "If it's all the same, and not too late. I'll take that hug now." The group were surprised, as Pinkie's smile widened, "It's never too late to give a hug!" she bounced over and embraced Skales tightly. Despite the squeeze, Skales returned the embrace. The others watched feeling proud as Dustin spoke to Twilight, "Skales finally learned an important piece of friendship." "And all it took was a little Timberwolf attack." Twilight giggled. "Looks like we found out why the pegasi had it rain here." Alistair added, and the three smiled. Twilight spoke up, "Well, gang. Let's go and save the Serpentine Tribes. Skales, would you like to lead us the rest of the way?" Skales looked at the Princess of Friendship and smiled before resting his Anacondrai Blade on his shoulder, "It would be my pleasure, Princess Twilight. Let's go!" he ordered, as they continued onward knowing their biggest battle was just around the corner.