Straggler

by Anansi

Chapter I: My Name Is...

Straggler

Chapter I: My Name Is…

The sun was high in the sky as many Equines walked about, some enjoying the day while others went about their daily routine. Three mares of particular were enjoying their company as they made their way through the market, acquiring materials and food. A yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane and matching tail, three pink butterflies on her flank as her cutie mark. A white unicorn with a curly mane and tail with light blue eye shadow and three sparkling gems as her cutie mark. The last was a violet Alicorn with a dark purple mane and tail with a single lavender highlight in each, a single sparkling star as her cutie Mark.

“Thanks again for helping me get things for the castle, girls.” The alicorn spoke to her friends.

“Think nothing of it, darling.” The unicorn replied with a wave of her hoof. “Fluttershy and I are more than happy to help you settle in to your new home.”

“Of course.” The pegasus replied with a warm smile. “I needed to get some food for my animals; and I’m sure Rarity needed some materials for her dresses.”

“Which I happened to snag a few pieces of fabric for my latest fashion line.” Rarity replied as she motioned to her stylish saddle bag. “I also managed to get some fabric for your décor, Twilight.”

“Thanks, Rarity.” The Alicorn Princess replied. “I could use some curtains to block the light when it gets hot.”

“You’d think a castle grown from a magic box would have more furniture than a few thrones and windows.” Rarity scoffed, when she saw how empty the freshly grown castle actually was, she was overwhelmed with disappointment.

“At least I’m only decorating for me and Spike. I don’t think I could handle furnishing every room right now.” Twilight rolled her eyes in annoyance, knowing that she would inevitably have to find a way to decorate the guest rooms in a unique and appealing way. And she knew that she would need Rarity’s help when the time came.

“On the upside, you have plenty of room for your books.” Fluttershy commented as the three stopped by a vendor to grab some fruit and vegetables.

“That’s an understatement.” Twilight replied with a chuckle.

“I don’t think the Library in the Crystal Empire had as many shelves as just one floor of your castle!” Rarity added, making no attempt to hide her amazement. “I feel especially bad for Spike. He’s the one who has to organize the whole thing.”

“I wouldn’t make Spike organize it all by himself.” Twilight rebuked. “Especially given my tendency to throw all the books on the floor to reorganize them. Though I will be looking into getting some help for Spike, preferably someone with a love and understanding of literature like me.”

“Good luck with that, dear.” Rarity commented as Twilight paid the vendor her bits and continued toward the center of the town, satisfied that their excursion had been fruitful.

As they made their way into town they came across a familiar pink ball of energy with two blue and a yellow balloons for a cutie mark. “Hiya guys!” The pink mare beamed at the sight of her friends. “What ‘cha doin’?”

“Just getting some things together for Twilight’s castle.” Rarity replied with a smile.

“Cool! Can I help?”

“No thanks, Pinkie. We got everything I need for the week.” Twilight apologetically replied.

“Oh…” Pinkie replied, her ears dejectedly folding down momentarily before shooting back up with renewed excitement, quickly dismissing her previous sorrow in favor of a more upbeat mood. “That’s alright! I’ll help next time!” Pinkie then looked to Fluttershy, maintaining her wide goofy grin, causing Fluttershy to lean back uncomfortably with a worried expression. “Fluttershy~?”

“Yes, Pinkie Pie?” The timid pegasus asked.

“Is Discord around?”

The three puzzled mares looked at each other with matching expressions that showed their confusion at the query. “Why do you need to see Discord?” Fluttershy asked the bubbly mare.

“I’m throwing a HUGE party to celebrate Twilight’s new castle and I need Discord’s help to make it off the rails!” Pinkie hopped in place at the thought of the jubilee her planning would bring.

“Unfortunately…” Fluttershy began with uncertainty in her voice. “Discord was sent away by Princess Celestia on a diplomatic assignment.” Once again the pink mare frowned at the disappointing news. “But we’ll throw an extra big party when he gets back.” Fluttershy hurriedly added, trying to lift the pink mare’s spirits, only to be hit with a rather unexpected reaction.

“Ah, phooey!” Pinkie pouted with a playful tone. “Ah, well. I’ll just use this time to make the party bigger and better.” The pink mare bounced with glee. “It’ll be AMAZING!”

The other three mares just chucked in amusement at the party pony’s enthusiasm. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever you throw together Pinkie.” With a compliment from the alicorn, Pinkie bounced off into the distance, eager to plan her next grand party.

“That pony certainly loves her parties.” Rarity commented.

They kept moving towards the center of town on their way to the edge of town. On their way they passed by a strand of yellow tape surrounding what remains of the oak library. A pang of loss shot through Twilight’s chest at the sight of her former home and grimaced from the memory, a look that did not go unnoticed by her friends.

“You miss it, don’t you Twilight?” It was more a statement than a question from Fluttershy, Twilight just nodded in return. “It’s hard to let go of something, especially if it is abruptly taken away.”

“Yeah…” Twilight solemnly replied. “Had a lot of good memories tied to that tree.”

“You still have them, Twilight.” Fluttershy reassured. “The library may be gone, but your memories are still there.”

“And you’ll make even more in your new home!” Rarity beamed. “The tree will eventually be removed, so you won’t need to be reminded about what was lost anymore.”

Twilight lifted her head at the encouragement, knowing her friends were trying to lift her spirits. “Thanks, girls. I’ll get past this soon.”

“In the meantime,” Rarity commented. “Let’s get back to the castle and fix up your room-”

“WATCH OUT!” Rarity was cut off by the slightly cracking voice of her younger sister falling from the sky with her friends in tow.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity and Twilight used their collective magic to catch the three falling fillies, horns glowing lavender and lapis blue as they reacted.

The fillies tumbled to the ground, screaming frantically as they fell with a scooter and wagon tumbling in the mix, threatening to land atop the small ponies as soon as they returned to the earth. They suddenly stopped mere inches from the ground, a suspended scooter and wagon captured in coronas of lavender and lapis.

Applebloom was the first to open her eyes and take note of how they had not collided with the dirt. She examined her surroundings and took note of the lavender overtone that coated her vision of the world and saw the three mares approaching them with concerned and questioning looks.

“Whoa…” Scootaloo commented once she opened her eyes, a scooter mere centimeters from her face.

“What were you doing this time?” Twilight asked the three rambunctious fillies, setting the orange and yellow fillies down while Rarity lowered her sister and the make-shift trolley.

“We were on our way to Sweet Apple Acres to help Applejack and Big Mac harvest apples.” Scootaloo replied as she touched the ground again.

“We’re hoping to get our catcher cutie mark.” Sweetie Belle replied with an energetic bounce. The three older mares just smiled at the fillies attempt to earn the marks in life.

“But there was a crowd in the way, so Scootaloo thought it would be a good idea to go over a ramp to avoid it.” Applebloom continued, giving an annoyed glare at the orange mare.

“Why not just go around?” Twilight asked with a raised brow.

“You wouldn’t get hurt that way.” Fluttershy added.

“We were running late,” Scootaloo commented, getting her scooter and the wagon right side up and realigning it, the three fillies hopping back on the make-shift trolley. “So I thought we’d take a short cut.”

“Through the air?” Rarity questioned with evident concern in her voice as she watch her sister step into the red wagon.

“Less friction that way.” The young pegasus replied.

“She does have a point.” Twilight agreed.

“We gotta go now or Sis will start to get worried.” The Yellow Earth Pony interjected.

“Be careful, okay.” Rarity reluctantly commented.

“No promises!” The fillies shouted as they took off toward Sweet Apple Acres, leaving a dust cloud as Scootaloo’s wings flapped at a rapid pace and propelled the trio forward fast enough to make Sweetie Belle and Applebloom jerk back and grip the side of the wagon to prevent themselves from falling out.

The three older mares just stared in worry as they watched the energetic fillies zoom off into the distance. “I worry for those girls.” Fluttershy commented with a grimace.

“You and me both, Fluttershy.” Rarity added.

Twilight just chuckled at the two mares. “I doubt anything will happen if Applejack is watching them.” She continued towards the newly grown castle and prepared herself to decorate her new home. “Come on, Spike is waiting for us.”

---

Passing by the white picket fence lined path towards Sweet Apple Acres is always a sight to behold for the residents of Ponyville and passers-by. The large healthy apple trees and the multiple colors of juicy spheres that hung from their strong welcoming branches. To the fillies that were speeding towards the Apple Farm, however, it was just a pathway towards their intended destination.

As Scootaloo rounded a corner, drifting into the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, the wagon tilted onto two wheels before being pulled taut and slamming back onto all four wheels and zooming towards the large red barn, passing a large field with a red Stallion with orange hair and a green apple with a single slice taken from it as his cutie mark, a single strand of hay in his mouth as he plowed the field.

“Hello, Big Mac!” Sweetie Belle called to the working stallion who just smiled and waved as he continued to pull the metal plow.

The three fillies eventually reached the entrance to the barn to find the orange mare rolling a small barrel out of the barn. “Hiya, Sis!” Applebloom called as they skid to a halt next to the orange mare.

Applejack tilted her brown Stetson back, leaning an elbow on the barrel and striking an amused pose at the three fillies. “And where have you three been?” AJ teased the fillies who simply paid it no mind.

“We kinda got caught in rush hour.” Scootaloo responded.

Applejack chuckled at the pegasus’ reply and rolled the barrel to the wagon. “Whatever the reason, I need you three to deliver this batch of apples to Zecora’s. She’ll be giving you three a package to bring back to the farm.”

“What’s it for?” The yellow filly asked as she eased the barrel into the wagon with her sister.

“A little gift for Twilight’s Castle. You’ll have to make the delivery if you want to find out.”

“You can count on the CMC! Let’s go girls!” Scootaloo beamed as her wings spurted to life.

“Hurry on back so you can help with the harvestin’!” Applejack called as the three fillies shot off toward Everfree.

The orange mare stood at the entrance of the barn, a worried expression on her face. Big Mac had finished plowing the field and had made his way back to the barn to get ready for his next chore. “You think they’ll be okay?”

“Eeyup.” Big Mac replied.

“Maybe I’m worryin’ too much.”

“Nope.” He continued into the barn, leaving a still frowning Applejack to stare at the entrance for another few moments before entering into the barn herself.

---

On their way to the town entrance they were greeted by a pink filly with a platinum tiara and a grey filly with blue glasses. “Well if it isn’t the Blank Flank Brigade.” The pink filly stated in a condescending tone. “Still trying to get your cutie marks? It’s never going to happen for a bunch of talentless fillies.”

“If anything they’ll get an Ugly Mark for being completely useless.” The Grey toned filly commented, her voice less condescending, but still carried the same belittling edge as her associate.

“Out of the way Diamond Tiara.” Applebloom demanded, ignoring the fillies’ previous comments. “We’re trying to make a delivery.”

The pink filly just smirked in amusement. “Delivery ponies, huh? Maybe you can pick up my new tiara.” The two fillies laughed at the insult, only to have dust kicked in their face as the CMC sped off towards Everfree.

“She really gets on my nerves.” Scootaloo called over her shoulder as she neared the entrance to Everfree.

---

They entered the forest, slowing their pace due to the winding path and protruding branches that littered the dirt road. “Keep to this path, Scootaloo.” Applebloom told the pegasus. “It’s the safest way to Zecora’s.”

“Okay!”

“I thought Everfree was dangerous no matter where you went?” Sweetie Belle commented.

“It’s usually safer near the forest’s edge, but Zecora told me to always use this path because most of the creature’s territories are scattered deeper in the forest.” The yellow Earth Pony replied.

Sweetie Belle stared into the cloaked depths of the surrounding forests. “What if they decide to…expand?” She asked, the concern evident in her tone.

“Don’t be so scared, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo called over her shoulder.

“The only way they would come here, is if there was something to hunt. And there’s never anything to hunt in this part of the forest!”

AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

The fillies stopped when they heard the tell-tale call of danger. “D-did you hear t-that?” Scootaloo stammered out.

“Unfortunately…” Applebloom and Sweetie Belle said at the same time, their voices coated in fear as they clung to each other.

“I was hoping it was in my head.” Scootaloo added.

“M-maybe we should t-turn around…?” Sweetie Belle suggested.

Scootaloo nodded in agreement and prepared to turn back to Ponyville only to be met with glowing green eyes and teeth of sharpened oak, vile drool, and toxic breath skulking out of the bushes behind the young fillies. The CMC were petrified when they saw four Timber Wolves step into the light, bodies of oak and fur of ivy bristling in the subtle wind, their heads held low and their gaze hungry as they moved towards the girls.

“SCOOTALOO!” Applebloom’s scream was enough to send the pegasus’ wings into a fear induced frenzy and speed off away from the hungry wolves.

The wolves took chase after the CMC, three more piling in behind the initial four to join the hunt. “There’re more of them!” Sweetie Belle shouted. They continued to speed deeper into the woods, unsure of where they would escape to, their only concern was getting away from the dangerous pack.

“Faster, Scootaloo! Faster!” Applebloom shouted as the wolves started to close the gap between them.

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Scootaloo shouted back. The pegasus was abruptly cut off when another, much larger Timber Wolf, jumped out in front of her. “AH!” She veered off to the left and into the forest as they continued to be chased by the wolves.

Scootaloo dodged and weaved under and through protruding branches, turning sharp corners to avoid trees and puddles of water. The Timber Wolves had no such qualms as they barreled through trees, uprooting some of the smaller shrubs, and splashing through puddles in pursuit of their prey.

The chase lasted for twenty minutes, the fillies dodging and evading the occasional lunge from the trailing wolves. “They’re still after us!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

“Hang on!” Scootaloo shouted as she approached a wide opened gorge, the Castle of the Two Sisters in sight. She charged towards a raised rock, increasing the pace at which her wings fluttered as much she was able, and shot off the rock. They soared through the air momentarily before landing on the other side. As the landed, one of the wagon’s rear wheels barely touched the ledge, snagging momentarily before they continued to run, the rear wheel warping from the rough landing. The Timber Wolves ran across the ancient rope bridge, their claws thumping and scraping against the wood planks of the suspended path.

“Why won’t they just give up?!” Applebloom commented, holding onto the side of the barrel and wagon.

“I don’t…know…” Scootaloo commented, fatigue creeping into her voice. “But…I wish they would…take…the hint!” Scootaloo swerved around a fallen stone block as she preceded deeper into Everfree, deeper than any pony has dared to venture.

The CMC continued to swerve around large trees and boulders in an attempt to lose the persistent predators as they leapt over and smashed through the obstacles to no avail. After five more minutes of running, the sun now lowering in the sky, the CMC ran into a small, vertical overhang, too steep for the filly pegasus to climb over with the added weight.

Scootaloo tried to swerve around the overhang only to have the rear wagon wheel wobble and snap off once they hit a deep sink hole, making the wagon drop to the ground with a violent shake. The drop caused the barrel along with Applebloom, to fall out of the wagon. The wagon itself swerved out of control and fishtailed into the overhang as Scootaloo tried to turn, causing her and Sweetie Belle to collide violently into the dirt wall.

Applebloom tried to get up to run, but found that she had twisted her front left leg and badly scarred her hind right leg. She looked to see Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle clinging tightly to each other and staring with wide eyed fear in her direction and dreaded to look behind her. She could hear the low growl of the wolf behind her and feel the rumble in her bones, a testament to the ferocity of the creature lurking just behind her.

Every fiber of the young Earth Pony’s being told her to run, but fear gripped her heart so strongly that she could not so much as shake. She wanted to blink, but found her eyes unable to peel away from her quivering friends.

AWOOOOO~ RARGH!

The fillies tensed when they heard the call of another wolf not far off. ‘Is this it?’ Applebloom frantically thought in her head. ‘Am I gonna become wolf chow?!’ She gave one last look to her frightened friends before she swallowed her fears and dared her muscles to look behind her. She had resigned herself to the deathly stare of the ravenous wooden wolf. But what she faced, she did not expect. The largest of the wolves did not leer at her out of hunger, instead it was staring off to into the forest with its teeth and ambitions bared.

The filly was confused to say the least, her fear slowly subsiding at the revelation. ‘What are they growling…?’ She did not need to question for long as she saw a figure in a black cloak standing off to the side, its hood covering its head, but Applebloom could tell it was some kind of canine by the way it carried itself. The cloaked canine was slightly bigger than the lead Timber Wolf, but it seemed to stand calmly as opposed to the Timber Wolves. The pack leered at the newcomer with a feral growl. ‘Not another one!’

Grrragh! Grragh! Rrragh!’ The Lead Timber Wolf barked at the cloaked figure, who just stood its ground, unfazed by the hostile wolves. Instead, the cloaked canine took a challenging step forward, one that caught the rest of the Timber Pack off guard and made some of them take a tentative step back. Rargh! The Lead Wolf barked at the pack, stopping their subconscious retreat.

Applebloom could see the cloaked figure smirk under its hood. “Still a bunch of pups.” She heard the figure speak in a low, amused tone, noticing the voice was distinctly male. He hunched low and bared his black claws, gleaming in the small rays of light with a distinct crystalline shine, and shot towards the pack at lightning speeds that the fillies’ eyes could not track by themselves.

What happened next was a maelstrom of savage movement as cloak canine bit at the neck of one of the smaller Timber Wolves, capturing the wood wolf in his jaws and squeezing down with enough pressure to break and splinter before twisting his head and snapping the Timber Wolf’s neck. Before the rest of the Pack could react, the cloaked canine had already pounced on another Timber Wolf, knocking it on its back and started to claw at the Timber Wolf’s exposed belly, tearing away layer after layer of wood until the Timber Wolf lay lifeless on the forest floor.

By now the Timber Wolves had recovered enough to encircle and rush at the cloaked canine. The first Timber Wolf that charged the cloaked canine lunged at him from the side with its teeth and claws, ready to tear the cloaked figure to shreds. When the wolf’s claws connected with the fabric of the cloak, it found…nothing. The wolf slid on the dirt, its claws covered in the fabric, but found that cloak was devoid of a wearer. The wolf only had a moment to process the revelation before it found itself pinned to nearby tree and just as suddenly decapitated.

The Timber Wolves stared at the now exposed newcomer, revealing him to be a Black Wolf with markings of platinum and blue tipped fur, with dreadlocks covering his head and a three pronged scar on the left side of his face. The wolf turned to face the rest of the pack, dull platinum eyes glowing in the shadows of the Everfree.

The fillies sat in a mixture fear and awe as they watched the newly revealed wolf leer at the stunned pack. The Lead Timber Wolf was only dazed for a moment before it regained its senses and growled at the Black Wolf in an attempt to establish its dominance, the remaining five Timber Wolves surrounding the Black Wolf.

“Insulant mutts!” The Midnight Wolf boomed as he raised onto his hind legs, his body coursing with black-blue arcs of lightning before slamming down onto the ground discharging the energy directly at all but the Lead Timber Wolf, igniting their wood skin and setting them ablaze. The flaming wolves howled and yelp as they continued to burn and darted off into the forest, two of them collapsing before they made it out of sight, the flames of their burning remains blazing harmlessly in the forest.

The Lead Timber Wolf growled at the Midnight Wolf again, visibly displeased with the stunt, but refusing to back down. The Midnight Wolf just smirked in response. “You’re not from this deep in the forest, are you? Most Timber Wolves continue to fight, despite being engulfed in flame.” The Timer Wolf charged the Black Wolf, lunging at him with its full size and strength. The Black Wolf leapt to the left, avoiding the large Timber Wolf’s clumsy charge. “Not much for conversation, eh?” The Timber Wolf clawed at the Black Wolf, swiping up a large cloud of dirt as he missed the agile wolf. “I’ll take that as a no.”

The Black Wolf dodged a downward swipe from the large Timber Wolf, landing on the trunk of a nearby tree before lounging towards the Wooden Wolf with claws extended and brimming with black electrical energy. The Timber Wolf reared up on its hind legs, raising its claw high into the air, eager to bring it down on the Black Wolf’s head. The wolves soon crossed each other, each striking for the killing blow. As the Black Wolf passed and landed behind the Timber Wolf, a single black-blue spark surged up the Timber Wolf’s body before it landed. The Timber Wolf soon erupted into a wild show of lightning before bursting into a violent flame.

AWOOOOOO~… The Timber Wolf released one last pained howl before it collapsed to the ground with a yelp. The Black Wolf stood tall with a tired sigh, as his head faced the ground. He looked up to see the three fillies still frozen in place.

‘They must think I’m going to kill them.’ He went to retrieve his cloak, scooping it off the ground in his sharpened teeth and using his electrical powers to clasp the platinum chain of the cloak together, opting to leave his hood off. ‘No need to scare them more than they already are.’ He took note of the yellow filly lying on the ground with a pink bow in her red mane. The wolf noticed that the yellow filly had a swollen front leg and a small crimson blotch on her hind leg. ‘That cut needs to be treated.’

The wolf slowly approached Applebloom, the yellow filly trembling at the sight of the large approaching wolf. ‘What now?’ Before she could try to move, her sight was obscured by purple and violet hair.

“S-stay back!” Sweetie Belle shouted at the wolf, causing him to stop and raise an angled brow.

“D-don’t come any closer!” Scootaloo added. The wolf stood still for a moment, before continuing towards the fillies. “I-I’m warning you!” The wolf now stood over the fillies, the ponies barely coming up to his knee. “Please?” Scootaloo squeaked out, earning an amused smirk as he passed between them stopping next to the injured filly.

The wolf lay down on his stomach leaning in to examine the filly’s injuries. “You’re ankle is twisted.” He told the yellow filly. “You’ll be fine as long as you don’t walk on it for a while. That cut on the other hand,” He motioned to the crimson blotch on her hind leg. “We’d better get it patched up before it gets infected.” He looked around and noticed an odd growing plant. “You there, pegasus. You mind getting that plant for your friend? It will help heal her injury.”

Scootaloo took a second before replying to the request. “Uh…sure?” With uncertainty in her mind, she hurried to the plant and plucked it. ‘He seems nice. He didn’t attack us after all.’ She plucked the strange vibrant green grass and made her way back to her friends. ‘I’ve never see a plant like this before.’

“Thank you.” The wolf replied as Scootaloo placed the plant on the ground next to him. “I assume you ponies don’t know what this is.” The three of them nodded in unison. “That’s what I thought.” He reached out and pulled on Applebloom's hind leg, his body arcing with electricity again. The bolts grabbed hold of the plant and levitated it to Applebloom’s leg, holding it just above the cut. “This may sting a bit.” He placed the leaf to the cut, which caused Applebloom to inhale sharply when she felt a sting in her leg. “Just bear with it for a moment. This plant will clean any bacteria that might have seeped in.”

After a few moments of stinging pain in Applebloom’s leg, the yellow filly opened her clenched eyes as it slowly subsided into a soothing warmth. She looked to see that the wolf had withdrawn a white bandage from a pocket inside his cloak and began to wrap it around her leg. “Did Scootaloo need to get that weird plant if you had bandages the whole time?” Sweetie Belle asked the wolf as he finished wrapping Applebloom’s leg and tore the wrapping, placing it back into his cloak.

“I only have the bandages. I don’t any disinfectants.” The wolf replied, rising to his full height. “You should be fine now. Can you walk?”

“I think so.” The uncertainty in the filly’s voice was evident, but the wolf kept patient while he waited for the filly to rise. Applebloom placed her hooves firmly on the ground, only to feel a sharp pain shoot through her front leg as soon as she tried to rise and fell with a squeak.

“Hmmm.” The wolf mused as he looked at the swollen ankle on the filly’s front leg.

“Are you okay, Applebloom?” Sweetie Belle asked her friend as she and Scootaloo rushed to Applebloom’s side.

“It’s my leg.” She raised the swollen limb for the other fillies to see, the reddening area a worrying sight to them.

“It must have happened when you fell out of the wagon.” Scootaloo commented. “The wagon!” The pegasus took off toward the wagon and her scooter.

“You’re not going to be walking on that anytime soon.” The wolf commented and moved to join the pegasus by the toppled wagon and scooter.

“Aww.” Scootaloo said in a disappointed tone. “The wagons missing a wheel.”

The wolf examined his surroundings, and found the separated part. “I’m guessing you can’t move that thing without the fourth wheel.”

“Yeah, and we still need to make a delivery.” Her ears folded back as she spoke, unaware of Sweetie Belle, with Applebloom over her shoulder, approaching from behind.

“Not to mention we can’t get Applebloom back without hurting her hoof even more.”

“What are we gonna do? We’re too far into Everfree for somepony to find us.”

“Not to mention Sis and everypony are probably worried about us.” Applebloom noted the slowly setting sun.

“Then we had best get this wagon fixed.” The wolf commented as he dipped down and took the severed wheel in his mouth. He returned to the wagon, charging his body and the wheel with black-blue energy and levitated it to the warped and broken bar. The sparks soon intensified until the metal began to heat and meld before the energy slowed, rapidly cooling the metal and binding it together.

“Whoa.” The fillies commented.

“That’s so cool!” Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo commented.

The wolf simply smirked. “I think you mean, shocking.” He turned the wagon over, noting the slight lean in the wagon’s balance. “I don’t think this wagon will support you and your cargo.” He motioned to the turned over barrel.

“Applejack won’t be happy about this.” Applebloom commented and the CMC cast their gaze downward in response.

The wolf stood over them, not sure of how to react. ‘Is this Applejack someone of importance? It’s been a few years since I left the forest. I don’t know how Equestria works now.’ He spared one last glance at the toppled barrel before he made a decision. He moved in front of the three fillies and lay on his stomach before looking at Applebloom. “Hop on.” He said simply. The fillies simply looked at him with a questioning glance. “You can carry the barrel in your wagon if I carry you on my back.”

Applebloom looked at her friends for a moment, unsure of how to respond to the request. After a moment she took a staggered step forward, easing off of her swollen hoof, but still unsteady on her injured hind leg.

“Are you sure?” Applebloom asked once more.

“This will not be the first time I’ve had to carry a filly on my back.” The wolf replied simply. That was all the encouragement that the filly needed before she tried to hop onto the large Wolf’s back, she had slight difficulty accomplishing this feat due to how big the wolf was, but thanks to her friends she managed to climb onto his back and settle into a comfortable position, finding the cloak to be deceptively smooth. He rose with a slight stagger and turned to see that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had rolled the barrel into the wagon and were ready to leave with the wolf. “Stay close.” He warned, turning and examining their surroundings as he did. “This part of the forest is especially dangerous.”

---

They had made their way back through Everfree, hiding behind bushes and avoiding the various creatures that prowled about. They eventually made their way back to the Castle of Two Sisters. The fillies admired the structure as they passed around the half restored monument, not having to worry about Timber Wolves to chase them this time around.

“Rarity says we can visit the castle when they are finished restoring it.” Sweetie Belle told them.

“I wonder what it’s like inside.” Scootaloo commented.

“It’s must be huge!” Applebloom added.

The wolf just chuckled at the comments, his thoughts drifting to two young mares that stood in awe when they first set eyes upon this very castle. ‘It’s been a few years since I woke up in Everfree.’ He thought as the fillies continued to chat amongst themselves. ‘Things have changed so much. The castle in the mountains, the pony settlement where Discord’s throne had once been. Even this old castle was destroyed when I stumbled upon it. I’m not certain I can even function in this new Equestria with how much they have done.’

“Hey, Mister?” The wolf was jarred from his thoughts when he heard Sweetie Belle’s voice.

“Hmm, what is it?” He replied to the pale unicorn.

“Have you been to the Castle of the Two Sisters before? You do live in the forest.”

The wolf took a moment before responding to the query. “I have.”

“What’s it like?” Scootaloo was the next to question the wolf.

“Big. Divine. A fantastic work of art. At least it was at one point.” The wolf’s tone held a twinge of solemnity to it, a detail that did not go unnoticed by Sweetie Belle.

“How would you know?” The unicorn questioned the wolf with a raised brow. “The Castle has been destroyed for over a thousand years. Only Princess Celestia and Luna have lived that long.”

The wolf tensed at the response, not expecting the filly to call him on his words. He quickly thought of a reply that he hoped would satiate the fillies’ suspicions. “Artist’s sense. They can rebuild most things in their heads. I’m sure you know at least somepony with a similar sense?”

“Hmmm.” The unicorn pondered the question for a moment. The wolf hoped his bluff would be enough to deter further inquiries from the fillies, and luck was on his side as a certain white unicorn came to the filly’s mind. “Rarity is good at restoring ancient fabric. So I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah, she fixed the tapestries for the castle after all.” Scootaloo added.

The wolf silently breathed a sigh of relief when the fillies began to chatter about the, seemingly, shared acquaintance. But a more pressing issue tugged at his mind in that moment. ‘One thousand years?!’ If he had spoken, one could hear the blatant shock of disbelief in his voice. ‘That can’t be right! How could Discord manage to fling me a thousand years into the future? No single creature has that kind of power. None! It’s hard enough to send oneself back through established events, let alone events that have yet to even occur. So...how?’

“Look!” The wolf was jarred once again as Applebloom stirred on his back and pointed into the air. The wolf took note of a streak of rainbow cutting through the sky. The wolf suddenly became aware of the fact that they had exited the forest and was halfway towards their destination from the forest’s edge.

“It’s Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo beamed at the sight of her idol soaring through the sky.

“You think she might be looking for us?!” Sweetie Belle asked, matching her friends’ excitement.

“Hey~! Over here~!” Scootaloo called.

The wolf stood still for a moment, uncertain of if he should stay and finish escorting the fillies to town, or leave and let the search party handle the situation. He noticed that the Cyan pegasus had looked down at them and made an immediate b-line towards them before the wolf could ultimately make a decision.

Rainbow Dash landed hard in front of them, a look of relief on her face as she approached Scootaloo. “Where have you three been?” She immediately questioned the fillies. “We’ve been looking for you for over an hour!” The fillies turned their gazes to the ground again, upset at having made the town worry for them. Rainbow Dash held her gaze for a moment, but relented with a sigh. “As long as you three are safe, that’s all that matters.” The fillies gave a thankful smile at the comment and earned a smirk from the prism mane pony. “We’re almost back to Ponyville. I’ll fly ahead and let everypony know you’re safe.”

“Thanks, Rainbow!” The fillies replied in unison.

Rainbow spared a glance to the dreadlocked wolf, glancing up slightly to make eye contact. “I don’t know who you are, but thanks for looking after these three.”

“You’re welcome.” The wolf replied simply. He noticed that Rainbow Dash was still eyeing him, not out of caution, but more out of concern. “Is there something on my face?”

Rainbow just raised a brow at the question before shaking her head. “It’s nothing.” She began flapping her wings, lifting slightly off the ground and kicking up small clouds of dirt. “See you back in town.” She shot off towards the sky, leaving the group to travel the rest of the way.

“She’s. So. AWESOME!” Scootaloo stated.

“She is certainly interesting.” The wolf concluded. “Come on, pups. Let’s get you home.”

As Rainbow Dash continued towards Ponyville, her mind raced with thoughts of the Black Wolf. ‘Was that a wolf? I’ve never seen a wolf that big that wasn’t made out of twigs and grass.’ Ponyville came into view as the ponies searched around town for the missing fillies. ‘He seemed to be having a hard time standing, the color in his eyes, despite the dull gray of his iris, suggests exhaustion…not to mention the fact that there is a trail of crimson behind him. I’d better get a doctor while I’m delivering the news.’

When the CMC returned to the entrance of Ponyville, they were met with a number of concerned ponies. “Applebloom!” Applejack called when she saw her sister riding on the back of the Black Wolf, she and Big Mac running to meet them.

“Sweetie Belle!” Rarity called as she ran to meet the group as well. “Thank Celestia you’re safe!”

“What happened to you?” Applejack questioned with poorly hidden concern when she saw the state of her little sister’s legs.

“We got ambushed by Timber Wolves.” Applebloom replied as she was lifted onto her Brother’s back.

“They chased us past the Castle of the Two Sisters.” Sweetie Belle added as she was squeezed by her own elder sibling.

“A surprising feat, just so Timber Wolves could eat.” The familiar exotic tone of Zecora spoke as the Zebra approached the fillies. “It fills me with dismay to know that they stray. One must fear for possible danger drawing near.”

The ponies began to mumble amongst themselves at the prospect of danger from the Everfree. “I would not worry about that.” The wolf spoke up, catching the town’s attention.

Twilight approached the newcomer with a raised brow, but quickly put on a welcoming smile along with a beige mare in reading glasses and white mane with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie following behind. “You’re the wolf that escorted the girls back to town.” The beige mare commented. “On behalf of Ponyville, I would like to extend our thanks. I am Mayor Mare.”

“And I am Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.” The wolf stared at Twilight with a raised brow, causing the alicorn to fidget uncomfortably. “Um, is everything alright?”

“…I must have been in that forest longer than I thought.” The wolf commented. “I was not aware of another alicorn.”

“Really?” Twilight commented.

“What, have you been living under a rock or something?” Rainbow Dash added.

“Depends, do you consider a mountain a really big rock?” The wolf replied, earning a questioning look from the ponies, by now the crowd had dispersed and returned to their daily routines, leaving only friends, family, the Mayor, and a random medical pony.

“That explains it.” The Cyan Pegasus deadpanned.

“At any rate. It is a pleasure to meet you Mayor. Princess Twilight.” The wolf replied with a nod of his head.

Twilight took note of how the wolf struggled to raise his head back up, but dismissed it for the moment. “So, can you tell us your name?”

The wolf opened his mouth to respond, but found it increasingly difficult to do so as he staggered back for a moment. ‘That damned Timber Wolf did more damage than I thought...’

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked the wolf.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just had a rough time with those wolves.”

“Maybe you should rest.” The Pegasus persisted, finally noticing a long trail of crimson behind the wolf. “Is that…?” Fluttershy squeaked at the sight.

“He’s been bleeding for the past while.” Rainbow Dash confirmed. “I’d say he did more than just escort them here.”

“Yeah, he actually fought off all eight Timber Wolves, including the leader, by himself.” Scootaloo replied.

“He even helped fix the wagon and my leg.” Applebloom added.

“How come we didn’t notice he was bleeding?” Sweetie Belle added.

“Probably because we never bothered to look behind us.”

“Either way, you need to get treated before you lose too much blood.” The Mayor stated as she motioned for the medical pony to come examine the wolf.

“That will not be…neces…sary…” The wolf collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily as he did.

“I beg to disagree.” The Mayor added with a concerned tone. “Get him to the hospital, immediately!”

“I’ll handle it.” Twilight stated. “He looks too heavy for any normal pony.” Her horn glowed with her lavender aura and encased the limp and panting wolf in her magical aura. She took to the sky, using her wings to move faster toward the hospital. “I know it’s not the best time, but can you tell me your name? So help the doctors give proper care.”

The wolf felt his vision leaving him again, his consciousness fading into blackness. Twilight’s voice was little more than a muffled roaring in his ear, but he could still make out the question. ‘Name...What was it again...? It's been so long since I've last heard it. Uh~... what was my name?’

As the wolf tried to remember recall his thoughts, Twilight had landed at the hospital entrance, the medical staff had already wheeled out a stretcher and she gently eased him onto it. “He’s lost a lot of blood.” Twilight explained.

“We’ll do what we can.” One of the doctors replied.

Before they could wheel the wolf through the door, he suddenly spoke. “Da…Ji…Ha…da…ri…”

“What?” Twilight asked as she followed the doctors to an operating room.

“Call…me…Daji…Hadari.”

Comments

[forsaken tendencies]

im waiting for the next chapter might i ask when it will come out or at least a time frame of when to expect it
oh yea well done by the way love it

[Anansi]

At the current moment, I would say about a week or so.

[forsaken tendencies]

4674322 yay ^-^

[forsaken tendencies]

just saying that im still here waiting and i still really love the story its the first time ive read about an actual wolf so far

[forsaken tendencies]

hey just curious if your still alive if so prove it to me by uploading the next chapter