//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7 
// Story: Of Druids And Ponies 
// by Crackshot 
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“Your training is coming along well, young one. Though, soon I will no longer be able to call you that!” Said the master. That was the only name he knew for the old man that had found him about six years ago.

“Thank you master, your praise is much appreciated.”

“And very much so earned, my student. But now, it is time for you to take your final test.” said the master, a look of sorrow crossing his face. The boys face brightened up at the prospect of his training being over. He had often been told of the final test, but never what it entailed.

“I’m ready, master.” he said, looking determined.

“I am sure you are. Or at least that you think you are.” said the master, drawing a long steel blade, and handing it to his confused student. “This is a fine weapon. Take it my child. Take it, and strike me down.” he said, stretching his arms out. This request was shocking. He could not be serious… could he?

“Master.. I.. I do not understand! You have said that our duty is to protect the innocent, and here you are, commanding me to strike you down?” he said, eyes wide and beginning to tear up. The master was the only true parent he had ever had, his father being a cruel, immoral man, and his mother often being sickly. Then, his face changed to one of the utmost anger. “I will not slay you master. I refuse to.” he said, casting the blade aside. This caused his master to smile and laugh.

“You have learned much my student. You have remembered the most important lesson I have taught you.”

“Yes master, ‘do not do anything that conflicts with your morals. If someone asks you to do something you do not wish to do, goes against the code, or your own morals, refuse.’ I should’ve known this was another test master. But may I ask… how did you know I would not strike you down?”

“It is simple my child. I didn’t. I took a leap of faith. But now you are ready for the true test. Follow me.” said the master as he turned and walked away. His student was truly curious. He was elated, but nervous at the same time. He did not know what to expect. He looked around them, taking in the surroundings as they walked. The forest was truly beautiful this time of year. It was almost winter, and in this forest, the snow would often fall before the leaves did. He watched as a bird flew, landing on a branch covered in a thin layer of snow, knocking some of it to the forest floor. Soon, they had arrived at their destination. “This, my trusted student, is the sacred grotto,” said the master, pulling back a wall of vines, revealing an outcropping of stones, seemingly stacked in the shape of a temple, but without a ceiling or walls. “This is a place untouched by time. A place all druids go to when they face their final test, and discover their spirit animal, and druidic name… And also, where they are to meet their death. There is something I have not told you, my child.” said the master, drawing a quizzical look from his student. “You probably see me as an old man, far beyond his time. Truth be told, I am only a few years older than yourself. The final ritual causes you to age faster than others.” he said, looking downcast. “When a druid master finds his student, he knows his time is almost done, and teaches them all he knows. Then, during the ritual, all the knowledge he could not teach is transferred to the student. But that is not all that the ritual entails.” the student was now very worried. He was going to cause the death of his master? And what else did it cost to be a guardian of nature? “We druids pay a great price for our power. Some do not survive the ritual. The reason being that we draw some of the darkness that is part of the world… concentrate it…. And take it into ourselves.” he said, causing his student to panic.

“So in essence, we are creatures of darkness?! I do not understand!”

“Be calm, child. I understand how you feel, as I asked the same question of my master. We are not creatures of darkness. We take it unto ourselves so that others will not be corrupted by it. It is our greatest sacrifice, to live a life full of pain, and loneliness, in exchange, we get to give all we can to ensure that the rest of the world gets to live in relative peace, living on in legends for centuries. Though, the true reward, is knowing you gave your life to protect those you care for.” this didn’t help the student much, but he hadn’t come this far to turn back now.

“I’m ready.”

“I know you are.” he said, his hands glowing with a dark, shadowy energy. He touched his students face, many images flowing through his head. The last one he saw before his death took him was a wolf, howling at the moon. “Live well, Wolves Fang….” and with that, the master disappeared, his body turning into hundreds of butterflies, each flying in a different direction. But the student was incapable of taking in this sight, as the dark energies and overflow of knowledge transferred directly into his mind had taken its toll. His hair was beginning to turn grey, his skin becoming weathered. He lay on the ground, convulsing, frothing at the mouth, eyes rolled back into his head. Yet, somehow, he had heard his masters last words. Slowly, his hands and feet began to change into paws, each with four claws. His face slowly stretched, bones audibly cracking as he began to grow a muzzle. His teeth turned into viscous fangs, his hair to dark brown and grey fur, which covered the length of his now canine body. And then he was still. His ears were flat against his head, soft whimpers emanating from him. Jonathon Wolf-blood had died in this forest, six years ago. Wolves Fang had been born to take his place……..
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“I didn’t awake until the next day, and was still in wolf form. I was dazed, both from the intake of pure darkness, and from the sudden intake of so much knowledge. But I was alive. After I returned to my human state, I found the masters staff, and took it as my own, as I assumed he had intended. From that day forward, I protected the forest and any innocents that passed through it. At least until the day I appeared here.” said Wolves Fang. Twilight was in a state of shock. There was so much information to take in at once, but now she understood that she had no idea what information overload felt like.

“Was your father really such a terrible man?” she asked, after a very long and awkward silence.

“He justified slavery with a contract, and when the slaves asked about it he beat them. When I would question the contracts, he would beat me. Any workers that questioned him at all had a tendency to disappear. He lied to everyone, especially me. He was evil, straight down to the core. No one mourned his death. Least of all my mother.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I would occasionally sneak out of the forest at the beginning, to see how all the people I had left behind were doing. During one of these excursions, I walked through the graveyard. I found both of my parents tombstones. My mother had died the month before I had been forced to run away. Father had always told me she was sick, and that she was with the doctor.” he said, looking down, hands shaking, angry just at the memory of how many lies his father had told him straight to his face. “What kind of man lies to his son about that? Not one to be respected, that is for certain.” tears were beginning to roll down his face and dripping onto the floor. Twilight was unsure of what to do, as she wasn’t exactly used to handling situations like this, and she was still shocked from all the information she had just received.

“Well, he’s gone now, so his evil can’t hurt anypo-, anybody, anymore, right?” she asked hopefully.

“No, his actions effected the lives of too many. He had brothers who were just as evil, and who no doubt inherited his estate. Evil is like men, you may destroy as many as you want, but two more will always take the place of each one.” he said, his voice seeming to be filled with a mixture of sorrow and anger. He had felt neither of these emotions in a long time, and thus it was awkward for him.

“That may be, but now you’re somewhere where there is no such evil! You can finally just relax, and enjoy life!” said Twilight, trying desperately to cheer up the somber druid.

“You don’t understand. A druid is not meant to relax and enjoy life. We give up that right to become what we are.” Twilights eyes began to widen as the truth of what he was saying set in.

“Do you mean…… are you……?”

“I am dieing, yes. I have been since the ritual. I’ve but a few years left, if I am lucky. I had hoped I could find a way to make more use of that time than I did most of my years. But it seems I have failed….” he said. He had failed his mother, his master, and Gaia. He had failed everyone. Here he was, sitting in a library, reliving the past when there was nothing that could be done to change it.

“No you haven’t!” shouted Twilight, snapping Wolves Fang out of his self pity. “Not yet, at least. You still have time, use it to live! Go out and enjoy life as best you can!” she said. He was beginning to see her point. True, he could not extend his life, as far as he knew. But he could live it.

“You are right miss Sparkle. I should use what time I have to be… happy.” he said, the beginning of a smile cracking his face. “And first things first, I should probably fix my rib. That Pinkie moves fast enough to break through brick!” he exclaimed, drawing a laugh from Twilight. His hand began to glow a bright green, and the room was filled with a peaceful, serene feeling. He put his hand to his rib cage, slowly guiding it over both sides as to make sure he left no wound un-repaired. After he was done, he got up, thanked Twilight for her help and understanding, and began to walk towards the door.

“You do know you’re going to have to tell Applejack about this eventually, right?” asked Twilight as he gripped the door knob.

“I’ll tell her when I think she is ready.” he said, then opened the door and walked outside. Deep down, though, he knew that she would never truly be ready for something such as that. no one would be. He was greatly saddened by this, but decided to tell her the first chance he got.

“Well hey there sugercube! Why tha long face?” asked a familiar southern voice. ‘That would be my luck, wouldn’t it?’ he thought to himself.

“It’s nothing, just thinking about how to tell someone something very important.” he said, turning to face her. What worried him most was that he had something else he had to tell her as well. He had felt this feeling before, when he was a child, so he understood fairly well. The only difference was that then he had these feelings for a fellow human. He wasn’t sure how he should handle this, how she would react, or which confession to start with.

“Well ya know what ya need? Some liquid courage!” she exclaimed.

“Liquid courage?”

“A couple shotsuh whiskey should do ya just fine.” she said, taking his hand and dragging him to a nearby bar. He had never consumed alcohol before, so he didn’t know just how much he could drink. But he was about to find out.