//------------------------------// // Waiting Game // Story: A Wolf Among Ponies: First Contact // by Ardashir //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Waiting Game Fluttershy touched down before the great tree of the Library, folded her wings, and silently nosed the door open. “Twilight?” she called in a softer than usual voice. “Spike? Anypony?” To her relief it looked empty inside, but then, she’d timed her visit for the mid-day slow period. Okay, just make this quick so I can get back home before my, well, guest can get into trouble. Stepping inside and hind-hoofing the door shut, the yellow pegasus headed for the shelves that she remembered as having the reprints of the old readers from her own fillyhood, keeping her hoofbeats against the wooden floor as soft as she could. Ah, there they were – McHoofey’s Basic Reader, right alongside Edifying Truth’s Early Equestrian History: True Tales of our Lovely Land and Mercator’s As the Pegasus Flies: Equestria and Its Neighbors. With mouth and wing she slipped them into her saddlebags; now all she had to do was to write her name and the titles in on the slip at the front desk, and she should be able to leave without having to – “Fluttershy!” The pegasus froze. “Yeek!” She turned her head to see a familiar purple unicorn coming down the stairs. Twilight Sparkle walked over to her, craning necks in an equine hug before saying, “Where have you been since Nightmare Night? Nopony’s seen you for days; did Princess Luna scare you that much?” “Uh, no. I was busy caring for that critter – you know, the one with the theobromine poisoning?” “I remember you telling me. How is he?” “Recovering, but he’s still weak.” “I was talking to Rarity and Rainbow Dash,” the unicorn continued, “They haven’t seen you since before Nightmare Night. We were wondering if we should drop by for a visit.” “Oh, no!” Fluttershy shrank back, eyes wide. “No visitors! He’s still sick! And scared! He’s… not used to ponies – he’s okay around me, but anypony else would spook him.” “Oh…” Twilight resumed. “Yesterday when I saw Rarity, she was saying something about you missing Spa Day, and she seemed upset about something else, too.” “Ah! I’ll be sure to apologize to her. And to Aloe. And to Lotus, too. I wouldn’t want them to think I didn’t want to see them anymore. I’ve just been too busy.” She smiled and hoped it didn’t look as strained as she felt. Turning to leave, she hesitated, and asked as casually as she could, “Er, Twilight? Did you ever hear anywhere of, errr, Princess Celestia being called ‘The Burning Queen’? Or wolves being able to talk like ponies?” “Huh? No,” Twilight furrowed her brow. “Maybe something in connection with The Song of Syhlex and non-ponies fearing her after that, but that would have been nine hundred years ago.” Her horn glowed and a massive hardwood-bound tome floated over. Fluttershy wondered if it was the oldest book in the library, older even than the one she'd seen a few days ago. The hasps on the cover were of bronze,old enough to have turned green. They creaked stubbornly as Twilight opened it to reveal an old woodcut illustration. The pegasus tried not to gulp as she saw the picture, printed in faded ink onto actual pre-paper papyrus – a fearsomely-drawn Celestia flying over a pack of lean and baying silhouettes like but unlike stylized Timber Wolves, their pointy muzzles tilted back as though howling to or at her. Tree silhouettes flanked them, and beyond them all stood a mountain with some sort of oddly glass-like city on it. The book slammed shut with an eruption of musty dust; Fluttershy gave a little jump as Twilight floated the tome back to its place. “These ‘accounts’ are so old, they’re as much Old Mare’s Tales as anything else – half-forgotten stories about shapeshifters that replace ponies, wolves-who-speak pretending to be ponies to eat other ponies, and witch-kings that vanished with their kingdoms.” The unicorn carefully returned the book to its shelf as the pegasus watched, keeping silent. The Mare in the Moon was just an Old Mare’s Tale, Fluttershy thought. Nightmare Moon was just a make-believe goblin for Nightmare Night. Until it all happened for real… She inhaled a calming breath, drew in the nose-tickling scent of the library tree, the dustiness of the books, Twilight’s warm mare scent and the fainter sharpness of Spike’s. “Just an Old Mare’s Tale… Anyway, I have to be going with these books –“ Her hopes of escaping without more questions were dashed as Twilight levitated them from her saddlebags. “Now, Fluttershy, you know I have to personally record what’s checked out,” the purple unicorn looked at the three books as they floated before her. “You've been forgetful about that lately. McHoofey, Mercator, Edifying Truth…” She gave Fluttershy a sly grin. “What, helping some foal with their studies?” Fluttershy got ready to nod but froze when Twi giggled. “You’re not teaching that sick animal friend of yours, are you?” “Oh, no!” She thought fast, seizing on the out Twi had just given her. “Or yes – I am helping a colt from the school. He’s kind of embarrassed about it – doesn’t want anypony to know I’m helping him.” She snatched the books out of Twilight’s aura with mouth and wingfeathers, slid them back into her saddlebags. “In fact, I have to meet him at my house right now!” She started for the door, only to stop at Twilight’s voice. “Sure you don’t want some help?” Fluttershy gulped as Twilight said behind her, “I’m starting to help tutor the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It’d be no problem adding one more to the list. I figure I owe you something for bringing Princess Luna by and dragging you out to see her that night.” “Oh, no no no!” Fluttershy rushed through her words. “It’s all fine, really! He’s very shy, not like me at all.” Twilight really looked dubious at those words, her tail lashing against her sides. Still, she said nothing more as Fluttershy added, “Have to get going, need to pick up some groceries, too busy to chat, we’ll talk later, bye!” She all but flew out the library, almost slamming the door behind her. Once clear of the library and under Celestia’s Sun in the cool of early November, she took a deep breath again and sighed. So that was done. Fluttershy wished she dared to ask her friends for help, but she remembered how the Wolf reacted when she’d revealed that she knew he could speak. She’d jumped back, ears down and wings flared as he’d leaped to his feet, a fangs-bared predator. “You…” He stared at her, eyes wide and ears down, halfway between a belly-to-ground submission posture and crouching for a snarling leap that would end with his fangs in her throat. “I, you, WHO DID YOU TELL?!?” He half stumbled towards her, still weak, but his fangs gleamed like knives and anger snapped at the fear in his voice. “How did you learn I can speak?” “Eeep!” Fluttershy rose from her crouch and backed away, making sure to watch him without staring into his eyes. No need to antagonize him even more right now, to judge by the way his tail bottled out and his hackles bristled. “Nopony, I swear! And I heard you talking when you were delirious! Something about the Burning Queen and Nightmare Moon, and some great dark wolf lord named Fenris, and maybe a bit about the end of your world, but that’s it! I promise, nopony else knows.” He came at her, bristling and growling. She got ready to use The Stare, but at that point he collapsed with a sickly groan followed by wet gurgling coughs. She snatched the bucket she’d been using for him and let him empty himself. Thankfully it was less of a mess than the day before. The poison must be working its way out, she thought. “Can’t tell,” he moaned when he finished. “Please, you can’t tell. We’ll all die if you tell. Please, flier-pony, please… Don’t kill me with your magic…” He passed out and laid helpless as the bucket dropped from her hooves to clatter against the earth floor of the room. Fluttershy gaped at him in disbelief. Days later and she still shook her head at the memory. He thought I was going to kill him? With MAGIC? I’m not a unicorn! Shuddering at that disturbing thought, she trotted towards the Everfree Road and home. # # # Fluttershy lay on the rug before her couch, McHoofey’s Reader open between her forehooves. Beside her lay the pony-sized white wolf, her foalhood copy of My First Hearth’s Warming balanced between his forepaws. The cottage was quiet; Angel Bunny and her animal friends were making themselves scarce. Only her and the wolf, his canid-carnivore scent pulling at her equine hindbrain, urging her to run – no, fly – from the predator. He needs a bath really bad, but he won’t get into the tub and I don’t dare take him to the river… Flaring her nostrils, she took a deep whiff of the incense bowl she’d lit to help offset the rankness. “All right then.” She pointed at the foal’s book with a butter-yellow hoof. “Can you read that line right there?” The wolf sniffed the hoof, then looked back at her, less cautious than their first lesson with the McHoofey’s a few days ago. Then he followed the hoof back to the book and his furry brow creased as he began working through the words. “All through the night, Clover, Pansy, and Smart Cookie kept the fire of Friendship alive by telling stories to one another,” the wolf read, the words clear if oddly accented. He looked at Fluttershy. She nodded and he continued. “And by singing songs, which became the carols we sing today…” His ears twitched as he looked down at the next word and growled “Ev… Ev…” “Sound it out, Ardi,” the pegasus looked over, indicated the word with a butter-colored forehoof. “Ev… En… Tchu…” “Ev…en…tu…a…lly?” He shook his head. “Eventually, the warmth of the fire and singing and laughing reached the three leaders and their bodies began to thaw.” Ardi sniffed and asked, “Am I doing well so far, Flutter-flier?” “Very well,” she said, hoping she didn’t condescend. Ardi was an adult among his folk or so he’d told her, she didn’t want to treat him like a foal. “Now go on.” Fluttershy saw Ardi look at the next section. His ears went down slightly as he read it. “And as they – thawed, the Fire of Friendship even began to melt their hearths…” “No, no, it’s ‘melt their hearts.’ Hearts, not hearths. You’re getting it wrong.” He stiffened, fangtips showing. “Oh, Ardi, that’s not what I mean. You’re missing the tone mark.” He looked at her blankly. She pointed at the line he’d read. “See? The tone-marks between the words. That’s the mark for nickering, not whinnying. Otherwise, they’re spelled the same.” She continued as Cheerilee would with a young colt in the schoolhouse. “Hearts – nickering. Hearths – whinnying. Hearts – Hearths. See?” She wondered if she needed to say more; griffins and minotaurs often had problems learning Equestrian because of the tonality. His eyes lit up at her words. “Pony-speech like wolf-speech, then!” He gave a tongue-lolling grin. “We have words that sound the same too but are not – Tones!” He looked thoughtful. “Like ‘kill’ and ‘eat’.” He made two snarls that sounded the same to Fluttershy, or nearly. She made herself stay beside him rather than take to the air as her instincts told her to. “You’re doing wonderfully, Ardi." Fluttershy felt a little surprise at how fast he was picking up written Equestrian, and his speech was much more fluent now as well. Ardi was much more clever than she would have guessed. Then again, he said his people have hidden from ponies for almost a thousand years. His tail wagged at her words. “Maybe we can start you on something a little more complex, like the Happy Mare’s Home Journal.” She looked at the magazine on the side table by the incense bowl; not just any issue, but the Winter Prep issue. That reminded her, she’d need to start stocking up for winter. That usually filled the utility room and half of upstairs; maybe she could move Ardi upstairs? Beside her, the wolf continued in that growling accent. “P—Princess Pl…atinum, Com—Commander…Hurry Cane, and Chan…cell…or Pudding Head agreed to share the beautiful new land, and live in Harmony ever after…wards.” “…And together, they named their new land –” “Equestria,” the pegasus finished the sentence for him, then extended her wing and hugged him. “Ardi, you did great.” The wolf just stared at the book in his paws, eyes wide, his breath coming in a soft panting huh-huh-huh. Fluttershy wondered if something was wrong. ### Ardi tried to hold his ears steady, keep his paws from shaking as the realization hit him. All through his travels, he’d seen markings like those throughout the Pony lands. Only now he knew what those marks were – pony-speech, killed and frozen to speak anew after the words died away! Like petroglyphs on den-cave walls, except with frozen words instead of pictures! And she was showing him how to make the frozen words speak again! To him! To a Wolf! We Wolves would never let anywolf live who knew secrets about us like this! He glanced at the yellow flier-pony beside him. But she helped me... Why does Fate have to be this cruel? ### The yellow-feathered wing lifted, hovered half-open over him. “Ardi? Is something wrong?” A low growl escaped his throat; Fluttershy felt an instinctive urge to take to the air before she realized it was Wolf for “No.” “Flutter-flier?” He looked up and past her, to the closed front door. “What is happening in town? Are they,” he shook himself and she saw how his hackles lifted slightly, “hunting for me?” “No, Ardi, nopony is hunting for you, or even looking for a wolf.” Fluttershy spoke carefully. She did not want a panicked pony-sized predator in close quarters with her. He relaxed as she said, “At most I heard Lotus complaining about the ‘wolf-suited pony’ that ran out on a dance with her.” “Lotus?’ Ardi sniffed and shook himself. “I do not remember her. I remember little beyond fleeing the Nightmare.” “Given how sick you were I’m not surprised, you poor dear.” He scratched at his ear with one forepaw as though in thought. “Not matter. Now how get away from Pony-dens? Wait until dark and then slip away through town?” “Oh, no!” Fluttershy thought of how to explain it to the wolf as she stared at her, curious. “Not right now! This is soon before hibernation time for the Everfree creatures. And this year has been, well, difficult for them.” She closed her eyes and shuddered. Difficult for them and everypony else thanks to Discord. In only a day he’d upset the Everfree beasts so badly. And what he’d done to her with but a touch? You’ve been kind for long enough! She shook herself and looked at the patient wolf. “They normally avoid the town, but right now most of the food they would have had stored away is gone and we’re the closest source for more.” “More food?” Ardi said, looking at her. He said calmly, as though discussing the weather, “They will eat ponies?” “They might try,” Fluttershy said. “But they won’t get any. The town asked ponies to volunteer for a watch, we used to have one but that was long before I moved here. They keep an eye on the town at night and if they caught anypony they didn’t know wandering around they’d ask qeustions. If they didn't like the answers, they'd arrest them.” Once again he looked confused. “I mean, they would, oh, put you in a cage. I suppose.” Ardi shivered. “Cage me,” he said, “kill me.” Fluttershy doubted that would happen, even if some ponies did fear wolves almost as much as true monsters. But for some reason Ardi seemed convinced that ponies were savage. She remembered what he’d said that first night after he discovered she knew he could speak. The utter panic in his voice and eyes. She knew that ponies weren’t total pacifists. There was the Guard, and some local towns had their own patrols – the Apples were once such for Ponyville, receiving it as a land grant in exchange for guarding against the Everfree monsters and raising Zap Apples. Sometimes Applejack still seemed to see herself as the town defender. But cold-bloodedly killing him? She wondered how poor Ardi could have ever come to believe that of ponies. “Flier-Pony, I mean,” He growled and closed his eyes, as though thinking carefully on what he would say. “Thank you for hiding me, Fluttershy. For saving my life.” He hesitated, gave her an odd look. She wondered what was wrong. Then he spoke one word. “Why?” Fluttershy blinked. “Why what?” “Why did you spare me, when I was helpless, when you could kill me or give me to your Alpha?” “What?” He winced and she bit her tongue at frightening him. “Ardi, I, well…” How to say it? She took a deep breath and said, “Because it’s what we ponies do.” Ardi looked down, his ears drooping and tail folded close in worry. She barely heard him mutter under his breath, “Not what all ponies do. Not what Stalliongrad ponies do.” Fluttershy wondered what else to say. She sighed. This conversation was going nowhere. Rising to her hooves, she checked the pot of herbal medicine warming on the hearth between the teakettle and the beans. The combination of smells tickled her nose as she lifted the pot with her mouth and poured the potion into a small wooden bowl carved with pegasi in flight. The mixture was a Zecora special, a mild diuretic with added Zebra alchemy to build back the patient’s strength. And well-diluted; she’d been tapering him off since the full-strength potions of the first couple days. Normally she’d have ceased the potion by now, but Ardi seemed to be taking a long time to recover. He took a larger dose for his size than Winona and he’s a Wolf, not a dog. Maybe it doesn’t work as well on wolves. Or the theobromine hits them harder and takes longer to purge out. I’ve never treated a Wolf before… She set the bowl down before her “guest”; Ardi sniffed and wrinkled up his muzzle. “Smell bad,” he said, growling his distaste. “And makes me pee.” “It’s supposed to, to make sure the poison’s out of your system.” Fluttershy said. He looked unconvinced. "Wolves would never make so much trouble over sick packmate." He sniffed at the bowl and gave a growl. “You have to get better Wolf way.” “What is the ‘Wolf way’?” “Rest a few days, maybe three, maybe four,” Ardi shrugged. “Get better or…” He seemed to stiffen before looking away, hanging his head. “Or… ask pack to leave food behind until get better.” Fluttershy was curious. Did he just lie to me? And what was he saying before about Stalliongrad? Never mind. She looked at Celestia’s sun outside and gasped. It was already past noon, and if she wanted to resupply from the stands in town square she’d have to hurry. He watched silently as she put her saddlebags back on. “Ardi,” she said as she did, “Now listen. Later we have to discuss how we’ll be sneaking you out of town. I want to be sure you’ll get away safely.” She headed for the door. “And I’ll have to get some things for your trip home, like food,” he licked his chops, “and more medicine.” He growled his disgust. She smiled. “Oh, it won’t be so bad. I’ll be gone a little bit, but I’ll be back.” She pointed at the storeroom where his pallet lay. “Just stay there and you’ll be safe. Nopony will come here…” Her front door shuddered under the pounding of somepony’s hooves. “EEEP!” Yellow pegasus and white wolf both shot to their feet – her wings flaring, his fangs showing, both with tails tucked and ears pinned back. “Fluttershy?” Rarity’s voice came through the door; a faint growl rose in Ardi’s throat. “No!” Fluttershy whispered, silencing the wolf with a hoof. “Upstairs, Quick!” She indicated the stairway with her muzzle. “Stay quiet, and keep away from the stairs and windows!” Ardi pulled back, turned, and almost teleported up the stairs. The yellow pegasus waited until he vanished into the upper-floor loft, then fluttered to the front door and opened the top half. “Er, hello, Rarity.” The elegant white unicorn smiled back at her, gem-blazoned saddlebags hanging over her sides. Some strands of her normally-perfect amethyst mane hung loose; her eyes looked a little puffy, and her breath smelled of Vanilla Oat Swirl. Something’s wrong… “Fluttershy, darling,” she repeated, a faint quaver in her cultured voice. “I was just going into town for the Spa and some shopping, and decided I simply must pay you a visit. Nopony’s seen you since Nightmare Night except Twilight. And some of the market-stall ponies in the square.” “Uh, I’ve been caring for a sick animal,” she repeated the now-familiar cover story. “He got into the Nightmare Night candy and it poisoned him.” “I know… Twilight told me something about you seeing to some wild beast from the Everfree.” She shifted her weight on her forehooves, back and forth, like Fluttershy herself when she was about to turn and run. “May I come in?” “Eep! Oh, yes, of course. Sorry—” She shot the bolt and opened the bottom half of the door. Rarity trotted inside, hooves echoing on the wooden floor. The wolf reek hit her and she recoiled, nose wrinkling. “Ugh! It smells almost as bad as Discord!” Fluttershy shuddered; Rarity’s face went from annoyed to apologetic. “Oh, Fluttershy, I’m so sorry. I, I didn’t think.” “No, no, it’s all right,” Fluttershy said softly as her friend nuzzled her in apology. Discord, who drove us all mad… “Er, pardon me for asking, but is something wrong? Uh, are you having a problem with an order?” “No…” the marshmallow unicorn’s lip quivered for a moment. “Not an order…” # # # Ardi shot up the stairs, into a part of the pony-den he’d never seen before. A large open room, half-filled with pony things. Looking and sniffing around, he doubled back past the stair opening, to the other end near the wall, then went on his belly by the railing. Now he could see anything coming up before they could know he was there, waiting. Be like Ghost Walker – no sound, no scent… Birds twittered from overhead, where sunlight peeked through pinpoint holes in the thatched roof. He swiveled his ears to catch any sound coming from below, tongued his nosepad for any scent. His ears caught first Fluttershy’s voice, then another. Then his nose caught another pony scent, like-unlike Fluttershy's. Mixed with – flowers? And sweet fruits and – pup’s milk? What? Does this new she-pony bathe in it? He settled down to listen. Pony-speech, back and forth, Fluttershy’s and a louder, more rhythmic one with the pitch of another she-pony. Nothing he could make out that suggested they were coming up after him; he began to relax and looked around. To his left, a pony-bed against the wall, next to one of those windows, beside other pony furniture he didn’t recognize. Ahead beyond the stairwell, another window before a pool of sunlight on the wooden floor. Beside that, a wall of stones like the “hearth” below, but smaller. And to his right from wall to wall, boxes and bales and other things he’d seen in pony dens and some things he’d never seen before, not even on that Night of the Nightmare. One caught his attention; a strange arrangement of pony fabrics, like but not like those “costumes” from that night, in some sort of frame hanging from the roofbeam. He shifted to get a better look and sniff at whatever it was. And he scraped his foreclaws over the wooden floor. He froze. It sounded loud as a shifting rock. Did those downstairs notice? “Darling,” the sound of hooves on the floor below, going to the stairs? “Just what do you have up there?” SCAT! # # # Fluttershy mouthed the teakettle’s handle, brought it over from the hearth to the table with the two cups. Rarity was skittish from the moment she walked in the door – something bothered her, but she wouldn’t say what. While the pegasus poured out the honeyed tea and tried to work up the courage to ask her, the unicorn’s ears perked up at a faint scratch overhead. “Darling,” she rose from the couch, “just what do you have up there?” Fluttershy set the kettle on the table to clear her mouth as Rarity started over to the stairs, hooves clopping on the wooden floor. “No!” she squeaked as she put herself between the unicorn and the stairs. The last thing she or Ardi needed was for Rarity to go on a panic-stricken stampede through town. “He-he’s not used to ponies; it was all I could do to get him to trust me enough to help him – if he saw you, he’d spook!” Thinking fast, she added, “Oh, I heard that when Luna was in town for Nightmare Night she visited you, too?” “What? Well, yes, Twilight asked me to make an outfit for her so she would be less, well, intimidating.” Rarity tossed her mane and gave one of her artistic sighs. “I did what I could do in the limited time given me, pity I never finished my costume, but of course I still worked a small miracle in that time.” She held her head high, before drooping and snorting. “And then Pinkie Pie and the foals with her came in and yelled something about Luna eating a princess, of all things! Poor Princess Luna was so horrified she tore my creation from herself and fled the Boutique!” “I’m sorry to hear that your lovely dress was ruined,” Fluttershy said. Inwardly she sighed in relief. Rarity seemed to have forgotten about seeing her guest. Fluttershy added, “I imagine it would have looked lovely on Luna.” “But of course dear.” Rarity gave a small laugh. “Everything I make looks lovely. Nearly everything, anyway.” She looked at Fluttershy and smiled. “Which reminds me, I hoped to ask you if you could model for me again sometime.” “Oh, no no!" Fluttershy set her hooves wide, fearing that she might collapse otherwise. “Rarity! You know what it was like for me that time I modeled for Photo Finish! I was so miserable!” Rarity nodded in agreement “I know. Dear, I’d not ask you to appear on stage before crowds, just in the Boutique for moi. As a favor? After all, I’ll need somepony around,” her voice began to break, “Now that… that… that…” Her sapphire eyes filled with tears and she collapsed back onto the couch, one fetlock thrown over her eyes. “BWAAAAAAAAAA! I’VE LOST MY DEAR LITTLE SISTER!” # # # Ardi’s ears flattened at the outburst from below; he crouched back behind the stair railing, looking for a place to hide if he needed to. WHAT? # # # “What? Oh no! You mean Sweetie Belle’s run off to Canterlot, or into the Everfree? I can get Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and we –“ She stopped as Rarity set a free forehoof to her lips. “No dear, nothing quite that dreadful,” Rarity said from under her other forehoof. “But nearly, I assure you. My sister and I fought terribly the other day.” “Oh,” Fluttershy said, feeling both relieved and worried at the same time. She loved her friend, but she knew how fussy Rarity could get at the best of times. And right now, as they all dealt with the fallout from the Day of Discord, everypony was even more on edge. “Well, she’s a sweet filly, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.” “Dear, that is not the point,” Rarity said, rolling back onto her barrel. “The point is I want to convince my sister that I do care about her, but she’s not even speaking to me right now. She’s staying at Sweet Apple Acres and declaring herself Applejack’s sister now! Can you imagine?” “I guess I have to,” Fluttershy said under her breath. She heard the scrape of claws from overhead. Rarity glanced up. Hurriedly, Fluttershy said, “Well, the Apples will be hosting the Sisterhooves Social, maybe you can go through it with Sweetie and make it up to her?” Rarity just looked at her, her blue eyes watering and lip quivering. Oh no, Fluttershy thought. “BWAAAAAAAAAAAA!” # # # Ardi winced again at the cry from below. Whatever was up with Loud Pony, she and Fluttershy sounded too busy to come up the stairs. And making too much noise to possibly hear him moving. Silently, he rose from the floor and started exploring the upper den like stalking a deer, moving carefully, keeping clear of the stair opening and well back from the windows. Sniffing past some shelves filled with unidentifiable pony things, he came across an obvious pony bed, like but unlike the ones in Stalliongrad cabins. The wolf sniffed at the thick quilt, decorated with butterfly petroglyphs; like all the rest of the den, it bore the sweet yet fearsome scent of its owner like flowers around a dragon’s den. But no others. This must be where she sleeps – alone? No pack around to keep her warm? Mingled in with Fluttershy's scent in the rest of the den were a multitude of other animals. A rabbit was most prominent, but so were ferrets and squirrels and mice and many small animals that a Wolf would gladly devour. Pets? Other former and now slain prisoners? Just thinking of them made Ardi shiver. He took a cautious look through the window just beyond the bed, flanked with fabric curtains. A pony-path wound south between two split-rail fences, flanked on its left by pony fields and pastures and its right by the twisted blackness of the Everfree Forest. Alone and so close to Discord’s Demense? He shuddered and backed away, wondering how much magic the flier-pony must wield to live so close to the Twisting One’s legacy. Dropping onto his belly, the white wolf skidded past the edge of the stairwell to the other window, the one by the warm wall of stones with the sound and scent of chickens. Chickens… Meat… Not that pony-bean paste, but real MEAT… Ardi licked his chops as he approached the window. He saw what was on the other side of it and froze in mid-drool. Again, Discord’s Demense stretched before him, gnarled and fell and darker in full daylight than under a moonless night. # # # “Oh, dear, it won’t help in the least,” Rarity sniffed when she could speak again. “That was the source of the problem! My dear little sister asked me to enter the Social with her, but I simply thought of all that dirt and mud,” Rarity shivered elegantly, “and I just couldn’t. And then she ran away!” She whimpered, but didn’t break into tears again. “My adorable little sister is going to become an uncouth apple farmer and It’s! All! My! Fault!” “Maybe if you talked it over with Applejack?” Fluttershy said as her ears picked up more movement overhead. Ardi must have overheard Rarity’s meltdown; what if he panicked? Desperate to convince the unicorn to go, she tossed out the first thing she could think of as she glanced to the side and saw that book of Equestrian Wolf tales with the picture of a savage wolf slipping into a pony’s hide. “I’m sure it’s not all that bad... Maybe you could convince Applejack to switch places with you and you could still take Sweetie through the Sisterhooves Social?” Rarity glanced at her, her eyes going wide as she continued, “Maybe if you hid under an illusion or the like?” She got ready to say more but stopped as she saw Rarity rubbing her chin. “Nothing that drastic, not like my and Twilight’s little project… But maybe if I was willing to get,” she gave a dramatic shiver, “dirty in the mud, and if Applejack was willing to loan her Stetson? I could always visit the Spa later…” Her eyes went wide and she embraced Fluttershy. “YES! YES! YES! Darling, you are SUCH a great friend! That idea will work perfectly, thank you so much for suggesting it!” “Oh, uh, don’t mention it.” Fluttershy wondered just what she’d suggested. She winced at the sounds of claws clicking overhead. Rarity looked up again, her ears turned forward in obvious interest. The pegasus continued “But I’ve taken up enough of your time, and I want to let you get ready for your, ah, great plan.” She choked as Rarity went by her and again headed for the stairway. “Darling, I apologize, but I have got to see what’s making all that noise! What do you have up there, a timber wolf?” “Oh, no!” Fluttershy got between Rarity and the stairs. “But he’s very shy, he’s afraid of ponies, you’d just scare him.” Rarity just smiled and walked around her, looking into the storeroom as she passed. Fluttershy backed up to block the stairs, wondering what she’d say. He’s alone, he’s sick and frightened, he won’t hurt anypony… “He can’t be much shyer than you –” Rarity’s horn glowed as she tried squeezing past her friend. And the canine reek from the blanket pile in the storeroom really hit and she recoiled, nose wrinkling. “On second thought…” Rarity croaked out as she wheeled for the door. Rarity threw the door open with her horn, gasped as the outside air drove off the wolf reek. “Ugh! That’s worse than when Opal got so sick that one time.” After stepping outside and taking a few deep breaths, she turned back to Fluttershy. “I have some errands to run, and there’s the Spa. Maybe you could take just a little time to join me, darling?” “I’d like to,” Fluttershy said. She thought of something Ardi said. “Oh, Rarity, this will sound odd, but, did you ever read about how the Stalliongrad ponies deal with wolves?” “Huh?” Rarity blinked at her. “Why the sudden interest in Stalliongrad?” “I suppose I wanted to know something to discuss with Lotus and Aloe when we visit the Spa.” “Well,” Rarity shrugged as they went outside. “Not much. Just that they have stories about wolf attacks, and a special guard to hunt them down. They even have a statue commemorating some invasion by wolves one winter some years ago. They killed them all in the main square.” She snorted her amusement. “As though you can be ‘invaded’ by animals! But you know what Stalliongrad is like, Lotus and Aloe told us how happy they were to leave more than once.” “The poor frightened wolves.” Fluttershy said. She thought of what Ardi said and more, of his reactions to some of her suggestions. Things were starting to make more sense. “Oh, Rarity, you don’t know if they tell any stories about the wolves, oh, I don’t know…” She circled one hoof in the air, trying to look nonchalant, “Talking or anything like that, do you?” Rarity gave her the sort of look she might direct at an adult mare asking if Clover the Clever, Private Pansy, and Smart Cookie were coming for Hearth’s Warming this year with gifts to put in their saddlebags. Well, any adult mare other than Pinkie Pie, anyway. Fluttershy blushed and hid behind her long mane. “No, Fluttershy, they don’t tell stories about wolves that can talk, those all died out centuries ago, probably before Luna was exiled. Or so I remember from studying ancient history in school." Fluttershy looked at her in surprise. Wait, they once did exist? I mean, still do? She hoped her sudden interest wasn’t too obvious. It must not have been, because Rarity trotted down her front walk and over the bridge to the road, “Now can we please get going? I’d like to get that shopping done sometime today.” She smiled and added. “Besides we have simply got to get you to the Spa. Helping animals is very noble dear, but you need to see you yourself as well!” “I’d love to, if it wasn’t any trouble,” Fluttershy said as she closed the door and trotted off beside her friend, hoping that nopony else dropped by while she was gone. Or that Ardi could hide if they did. # # # Ardi padded down the stairs and across to the front door, claws clicking over the wood. His movements before were slow and weak; now with his captor gone they were firm and full of purpose. Like most Wolves, he could recover quickly when he needed to. Even when I don’t have the pack threatening to leave me behind if I can’t keep up. He snorted at the story he’d told the flier-pony. Leave food behind? She knows nothing about us! You keep up or you die, as Fate wills and your strength permits. He froze and gulped. She knew one thing, The Secret that Wolves had kept since the Time of Wanderings, before the Mare in the Moon. That wolves could TALK and weren’t the brute beasts ponies thought they were. And he also knew one thing more, a Pony Secret every bit as vital. He stared down at the “books”. He now knew those pony petroglyphs were frozen pony-speech, and that he knew how to make them speak again. Why did she show him that – how to make the dead words live and speak again? Now he knew, and could show other Wolves how to do the same. And the “book” on top lay open, to a page showing a Pony picture of a Wolf, dressed in the skin of a Pony, luring Ponies in to be killed and eaten. Curious, he turned the page and froze. On the other page, spear-heads and fliers and Earth ponies gleefully trampled the Wolf from the first picture under their hooves. He could almost hear the dying howls. The flier bore a long mane and tail and looked entirely too like his host. He closed the book with a shudder. She knows too much. And so do I. First things first. He checked the door. Unlike the doors of Stalliongrad Pony cabins, it had a top half that could be opened separately, and there were simple slide locks on them both. He shot both bolts and pushed against the door with one shoulder. It rattled but held. Good. He took a few moments to check the rest of the pony-den, reeking of the fearsome scent of its owner. The den-within-a-den where he’d been staying, with the reassuring scent of Wolf coming from the pile of soiled blankets. His act had worked; the flier-pony thought of him as a near-invalid, and while for some reason she had yet to turn him in or kill him, he held no illusions over what would happen once she knew him to be hale again. “So, you’re healthy, are you?” Flier-Fluttershy said in that soft voice of hers. Looking innocent, she trotted over to the door of her den. “You can walk? Run?” “I think so, yes,” Ardi said, not bothering to hide his skill with Equestrian after days of captivity. He just felt thankful that he’d found somepony willing to help. Maybe they weren’t all bad? “I want to thank you for all your help, Fluttershy.” “If you really want to thank me, that’s easy,” Fluttershy said as she opened the door to reveal a herd of ponies there, spear-head and flier and earth including the Poisoner, hopping up and down with another plate of sweet-smelling death balanced on her head. All bore hunting spears set in lance harnesses and wore wolfskin capes like Stalliongrad kazaki. Ardi froze and snarled as she finished with, “You just have to give us a good chase before we kill you!” Ardi raced off yelping in terror as Fluttershy and the herd pounded after him, steel-shod hooves striking sparks from the stones as the whinnying wolf killers followed in hot pursuit. The white wolf shook himself, continued checking the room, sniffing for anything odd. Shelves of boxes and bags and glass bottles that smelled of natural herbs and odd things that tickled his nosepad; a basin with a hoof-pump he’d seen her use. Another, smaller window opening onto the same scene of field, road, and fell woods as the one above. A door to outside, bolted.. He heard chickens beyond and wished he dared snatch a few. Then through another door into an even smaller room with a big tub of shiny white stone set on four metal hooves. Shelves with brush and comb and odd-looking bottles which smelled like flowers. And a large basin of the same hard white stone set into the floor beneath a lifted wooden lid. From its dung-scent and hoofmarks on the floor to either side, Ardi guessed that this was for dumping scat; lifting his leg, he sent the now-used potion into it. All that done, he returned to his chamber to think, circling around before settling in on the pile of stained blankets. Until now his plans for the she-pony who saved him for whatever odd and doubtless self-serving reason were simple. She knew too much. Kill her and flee as soon as he had the strength, but before she could turn him in. It would be simple enough. She was foolish to live alone away from the pony-herd, inside a den with no room for her to fly in. He would just leap when she wasn’t watching and clamp his fangs into her soft throat. Snap her neck, slice through the great veins so she bled out, clamp down against any breath so she couldn’t cry out. The vision rose before his mind's eye of a dying Fluttershy gazing into his face, horror in her eyes. He shook himself. His aunt and uncle always did say his imagination was too strong. Anyway, she would be dead and he could sneak out the back door and flee into the shadow of the woods. He shuddered to think of what might catch him there, but given a choice between the pups of the Burning Queen and the monsters of Discord’s Demesne, he’d take the latter. Because no matter his personal feelings or his fears or even the part of him which spoke against hurting his captor, he had to escape. His pack, all the packs, needed to know that the Nightmare was returned. The packs knew enemy enough in the Burning Queen. But the Nightmare too? What next, would the Twisting One be set free? More, he’d broken the oldest law of the packs. A Pony knew he could speak, that all Wolves could speak, and yet lived. Ponies lived to hunt and slay Wolves. And that was when they thought of them as mere animals without reason. Did they know the truth, all his folk would die. And he had done this thing. So long as it was just the lone flier, he could have killed her without trouble. Well, save for that stare she gave him. He snarled his misery to think of it. Was it not enough that flier-ponies could control the weather and hurl lightning down on Wolves, or seize them into the air and slay them? Did they need the power to make a Wolf want to show throat and belly in submission with just a look? Anyway, so long as it was her, it was one thing but now? When she told the flowery-smelling one, and the others? When all the ponies knew? And their fury descended upon Wolfkind? He shivered, hackles rising. Of all he could have done wrong on this hunt for information, how could he let The Secret out before ponies? What evil spirit watched over his whelping to choose THIS fate for him? Ardi shuddered at the knowledge of what would happen to him when he returned to Adelwolf and his pack and told them the truth. Having his ears and tail torn away and being made gangrel, denied family and den in this world and for all eternity, outcast forever, would be the best he could hope for. But he had to do it. If his folk faced their death, if the Pups of Fenris the First Lupus Major were come to their final battle because of him, the last thing he could do was to make sure his pack knew of his evil foolishness so they could make ready for the end. And if that meant he had to kill every pony in this cursed pony-den to escape, he would. Ardi returned to his pile of blankets and laid down facing the open door. But it took a long time for him to sleep and find dreams. And when he did, the laughing faces of the Nightmare and the Burning Queen faced him at every turn over the burning bodies of his slain pack. # # # Fluttershy returned as the sun was setting, wreathing her house in shadows. She opened her door. Or tried to. It rattled but stayed shut. “Umm, hello? Is somepony there?” Fluttershy tried to think which of her friends and neighbors would drop by and then lock the door. Nopony she knew, and besides, something told her she’d have heard it when they found Ardi in the back. Maybe – she gulped – a burglar? In Ponyville? Not unless the CMCs were trying for cutie marks in housebreaking. Then Ardi locked it. He's more clever and wary than I thought. But I wish he wasn't so scared of ponies. She fluttered up to the second story, slipping in through the back window. She usually left it open in all but the worst weather for any of her little animal friends like squirrels and birds who didn’t use the front door. Shadows slithered over the floor and along the walls inside. She dropped to the bedroom floor and as she did, she felt a sudden tension in the air. She couldn’t explain it, but she knew, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that her guest was awake and heard her. “Ardi?” She called down the steps. “I’m back. I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.” No response, but she heard the softest click of toe claws against her wooden floor. She started down, wondering why he made no noise or gave any greeting. What¸ she thought with some amusement, is he getting ready to pounce? She reached the bottom of the steps, looked around the room. “Ardi? Where are you?” As she spoke she felt more than heard a sudden soft whisper of movement to her left. Two spots of ghostly blue eyeshine focused on her from atop her sofa, like old stories about the pale corpse candles in marshes – lights borne by drowned ponies, coming to lure you to join them. They rose and their owner came at her in a rush. “Eeep!” She was half a length in the air before her mind processed what she’d seen. Ardi, hiding behind her sofa. If she’d come in by the front door she would have passed right by him without even noticing. Like he was… lying in wait for me? She shook the thought away. Ardi might be a Wolf but he could speak, he was a thinking being, not some savage monster from a horror story. “Flutter-flier,” Ardi said. “Did you bring meat?” His ears were set back and there was something about the way he moved, like he felt unease. He nosed at her saddlebags. Then, his voice sounding wary, “How talk with pony-packmates go?” “Oh! Ardi,” she said, sighing with relief. “I’m so happy it was you. I’m so silly. I thought it might be somepony who wanted to hurt me.” He seemed to wince at that. “My talk with Rarity went well, and it gave me some ideas for sneaking you out of town.” He bristled and made a low whine. “Oh, no, no, I promise, nopony but me knows that you can speak! Please come along, I have some things here for you.” She went into the living room and Ardi followed. She noticed how he still kept out of line of sight of the windows. She faced him in the center of the room close by the fireplace. The herbal medicine still bubbled in its pot. Ardi sniffed and made sure to keep her between him and it. Fluttershy had to smile. So like a foal. He noticed her smile and stiffened, starting to bristle. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy realized what the problem must be. “I’m smiling, not snarling. Ponies show their teeth when we like something or somepony. Maybe you could try it. I mean, if you want to.” Hesitantly, his dewlaps parted and she saw gleaming fangs parted in a lupine grin. “Wolves smile too, when something makes us happy,” he said. “Like hunting. Or…” he seemed to be trying to find some word. “Ending a – threat.” “Oh! Well, that’s… nice.” Fluttershy wondered at the way he stared at her. From an animal, one of her critter friends like Mister Bear, she would have been put on guard. It would have set off the warning bells for 'in a dangerous mood, be ready to use The Stare if needed'. But Ardi was such a perfect guest. “I just wanted to tell you that I think I know how to get you out of town quietly. It’ll just be another day or so.” “Really?” He turned his pointed ears towards her, very attentive. “How? I sneak out at night after all?” “Oh, no,” she said. “Too much of a chance of your being seen by ponies working or traveling late, or pegasi working the overnight weather patrol shift. You’ll be leaving during the day.” She turned to her saddlebags and pulled out a poster. “See?” She watched as he slowly worked the words out. “Sis-ter-hoof Social?” He looked at her. “What is this? How will it make me easy to sneak out of town?” “Oh, this is something the Apples do every year,” Fluttershy rolled the poster back up and put it away. “They have contests and races for every mare and her little sister in town who wants to participate. Six-legged-races, obstacle courses, pie-eating contests, everything.” He still looked confused. She imagined that wolves didn’t get very many pies to eat. “How does it help?” He sniffed and let his tongue loll in a lupine grin. “Will you tell everywolf I am your littermate, your little sister?” “Oh, no, Ardi,” Fluttershy said. She rubbed him by his ears. “That would be just silly.” She went to the stack of books by the sofa, selected the largest one in the stack. Selecting the largest one in the stack, she set As the Pegasus Flies before him and opened it to the Central Equestria Small Towns section. He leaped back, tail tucked and ears down. “Pony witchcraft!” he yelped. “Burning Queen!” His gaze was locked on the open pages at the sight of Celestia standing rampant at the eastern side of the area map, the sun rising behind her. “Oh, Ardi, this isn’t anything magic! It, it won’t do you anything.” Looking nervous, he walked back over to the open atlas. “It’s called a ‘map’. It’s like a picture of the land seen from above.” She bent down, turned a page with her mouth. “See? This is Ponyville. There’s the town…” She indicated a mass of squared-off black dots near the center. “…and the river…” Her hoof traced a blue squiggle down the page. “…and here’s my house, right at the bend in the Everfree Road.” She pointed to one of the squared-off dots, sitting by itself next to a large dark mass. “You do see that, right?” Ardi woofed deep in his throat. She almost guessed his thoughts. Another Pony secret… “This is the Everfree.” She tapped the dark mass to the left. “And Whitetail Woods, on the other side of town.” Another tap with the hoof, on another dark mass that seemed less sinister. “And down here, to the south…” She swept her hoof down near the bottom, onto a riot of little circles and squares covered with parallel lines, “…is Sweet Apple Acres. That’s where Applejack and her family will be having the Sisterhooves Social the day after tomorrow. Everypony in town will be there, or nearly everypony anyway.” “While they watch sisters-thing, I sneak out of town to north?” Ardi looked at the map again. “Yes!” Fluttershy said, delighted. “It’ll be easy. There’s a lot of little streams flowing from the Everfree along the West Pasture. Lots of little ravines overgrown with brush. We just have to keep low and follow them by the edge of the woods until we’re about a league north of town, where it starts to run off into the foothills by Ponyville Dam.” “Wall of earth holding back lake?” the white wolf broke in. “I remember it.” Then his voice dropped into a growl, low and menacing. “On way to Ponyville-den. Smelled Diamond Dogs there.” He finished with a long complicated snarl and a snap of his jaws. Fluttershy blinked. She wasn’t a linguist, but she understood a curse when she heard it. He looked at her balefully. “Will not hide with Diamond Dogs!” “Oh, no, Ardi, that wasn’t what I mean at all.” Slowly he relaxed. “I meant that the roads and trails north, back to your packlands near Stalliongrad, start there. Once you’re on them you should be safe so long as you travel by night and keep under cover by day. It would be so much easier if we just told ponies that…” She let her voice trail off at his warning growl. “Anyway, the hard past will be getting you out of town, but once we’re there, the rest ought to be easy.” “Maybe,” Ardi said. The wolf looked at the map, sniffed at the image of Celestia like he expected her to bite him. He shifted from paw to paw, whined softly. “Ardi? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy lightly touched his shoulder. He stiffened like he expected to be hit. “Oh, I’m sorry, is that bad manners among wolves?” “No, I….” He sighed tnen closed the book with one paw, snatching it back like he expected the book to hurt him somehow. Remember what he’s let slip about how wolves fear ponies and our magic. “Need somepony to show me way north to foothills,” Ardi said. He hesitated as though picking his words carefully. “I do not remember it from being sick. Somepony has to help, but only pony I know is you.” He looked at her, his eyes pleading. “Will you help me, Flutter-flier? So I can go home and tell,” he swallowed again, nervous. “Tell everywolf that we are safe?” “Ardi, but of course I’ll help you!” Fluttershy nuzzled him. He yipped in surprise. “You’re my houseguest and my friend,” He made a sort of choking sound at that. Maybe she’d better check to be sure he was well. “I’ll be happy to help you. I mean, if you want my help. I don’t want to be a bother.” He looked at her in confusion, one ear hanging. “No, no bother. I will be happy to have you there when I leave Ponyville-den and, and rest of my troubles behind.” He yawned widely and rose slowly. “Maybe I can sleep now? I wish to have rest for trip.” “And I want to make sure you have some food to take with you,” Fluttershy said. She turned and headed for the basin and hoof-pump. “I’ll make some more of my soybean paste right away.” She sighed in contentment as she started mashing the soybeans. For once a problem would end simply and quietly around here. # # # As she set the pot of mashed beans on the hearth fire, Ardi returned to his pile of blankets. He thought of what the days ahead would bring and of his decision, for his sake and the sake of the packs. In two days’ time, Fluttershy and I will be heading out of this town. I can return to the packs with word of the Nightmare’s return, and the alphas of the Packs can decide on how to handle this. He drew himself up. They are wiser than I. They will have word from the other packs' scouts. They know what needs to be done. He looked at the wall, as though he could see through it to spot Fluttershy, that strange, strange flier-pony. And I will have silenced the one pony who knows we can speak, who saved my life. Her death is the price for our safety. Her death is the price for my weakness. It has to be done. He snarled low at himself for thinking of her gazing at him with pleading eyes as her neck shredded between his jaws, the taste of her blood filling his mouth. He’d been weak already. More weakness would just make everything worse. It has to be done. It is the scent-trail Fate has given me. Because then we Wolves will be safe. Forever.