Equestrian Titan

by Codex92

A Ruff Day

Since the appearance and capture of the manticores a few days ago, Garfield spent his time relaxing and be a normal teen, only instead of having to expect a super villain running amok, he had to worry about mythical creatures from another world in a whole other world he was sucked into. He hung out with the girls for the rest of the weekend, learning more about the others and what Equestria was like from Sunset, at least all she knew before she ran away to this world when she was younger.

Then came the start of his first day of school; getting his schedule, learning more of the layout of the building while searching for his classes, and, the worst part, trying to catch up with whatever lessons he missed out on for the year. He may have been home schooled and have an extensive knowledge on animals via his shapeshifting prowess, though that was when he was a little boy, and he had traveled from place to place, stuck with the Doom Patrol for a while before splitting up, then finally made his home in Jump City with his new friends and teammates. He never had the time to learn a lot and missed out on a lot of schooling, but high school education was going to be dull and murder to his brain with all the different subjects he needed to study for. Luckily, he met two genius friends who could help tutor him and explain some of this stuff better, if he stays awake long enough to listen to Twilight's extensive lectures, which sounded more boring than what his teachers explained.

After school, Applejack decided to hire Garfield after some thought, definitely going to be needing the help this year. His first task was helping Big Mac with some deliveries of apple products for the different stores in the area, from just the fruit itself to sauce, juice, cider, et cetera. The older brother of the blonde cowgirl evaluated his first day, making sure he stored the products sold to the shops properly. He did ok, even though he tried to overcompensate with how much he lifted after watching him carry several heavy crates with ease, but he learned to pace himself a bit. They got the deliveries done in no time, having Garfield around can save Big Mac and Applejack some energy to get the rest of the harvest done this year. But, if he was going to be their delivery boy, he was going to have to learn how to drive a truck, and how to use a manual stick-shift, not a moped he rambled about on the ride over.

It was now Friday once again, to Garfield's relief, wanting to spend the weekend relaxing after his pounding brain tried to process the lessons thrust on him the whole week. "Uuuuuuugh. I'm not gonna be able to get all this," he whined miserably. "Why did I decide to enroll? How am I supposed to understand all these algebra equations, the history of a world I don't know about, and figure out all the elements in the periodic table in a few days!?"

"You know you can ask us for help, right?" Applejack said.

"He was kind of struggling in chemistry," Rarity said. "Perhaps there's a study method you're used to learning. It worked on us when Twilight helped us for those exams."

"Guess I'm a slow learner," Garfield muttered, knowing it's going to take him years to get any of the study material he's given. "And I kinda wanna earn some dough so I can pay my rent for Rainbow Dash and avoid doing a whole lot of chores."

"Well, better get started, then," Applejack said. "And don't forget about your homework, either."

"...Right. Homework..." Garfield mentally groaned, wishing some dangerous creature from Equestria could show up and distract him right now.

He and Applejack said goodbye to the others and made their way to the farm to get some work done. His job for today was making sure the livestock were fed and their pens were cleaned. The chickens and pigs cooperated with him as they went for their dinner, cleaning the chicken coop of any loose feathers and droppings while leaving any of the eggs they laid alone, not wanting to disturb them if Applejack decided to breed a few more chickens for their farm. That, and he didn't want to tick off the Rooster, knowing just how aggressive those birds can be with their mother hens.

Right as he moved on to the pig pen, Applejack's younger sister, Apple Bloom, ran up to him. "Hey, new guy!" she called out. Unlike her older sister or the most normally skin-colored older brother Garfield met in this world, Apple Bloom had yellow skin like Fluttershy, but her hair was long, red, and had a pink bow tied behind her head. She wore a green t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and a pair of orange boots with red soles. "Are ya busy right now!?"

"I was just about to clean up the pig pen," he said.

Apple Bloom looked at the pen, the pigs rolling around in the mud, their trough had bits of last week's meal still caked at the bottom, and their little shed to rest had mud tracked all over on the inside. "...Looks fine to me," Apple Bloom said. Garfield sighed heavily in exasperation, obviously wanting to keep his job and do as his boss says, and her little sister, who knows more about farmwork than he does, was oblivious to how badly the pigpen needed to be cleaned. "Anyway, we got a delivery to make, and since Applejack and Big Mac are a bit too busy with the harvest, it's your job to do it."

"I'm not sure if your sis told you, but I can't drive that old pickup," Garfield said. "...Or drive a stick-shift. How do you expect me to make a delivery if I can't transport the goods?"

"It ain't that big of a load; just a crate of apples to the animal shelter," Apple Bloom summarized. She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket, which had the address for said shelter written for him. "Shouldn't be that hard carryin' some apples there on foot."

"Have you done that before?" Garfield asked.

"Ah've done lots of stuff on this farm," the preteen answered vaguely, making the shapeshifting teen grumble. "Now, chop chop, mister delivery man! Time and money's wastin', and you're wastin' mah time and money!"

"You're not the boss of me!" Garfield shouted, flailing his arms around while Apple Bloom ran off giggling. He sighed again, looking over the address with a groan. "...Might as well do this before she tells Applejack I've been slacking. Little troublemaker..."

Deciding to get the job over with before getting in trouble, Garfield made his way to the barn, grabbed himself a crate of stored apples, and began his trek down the road to the animal shelter. At least he got a little more of an understanding of the town thanks to the couple deliveries he went on with Big Mac, even though he could have done so as a bird, but after saving Fluttershy from the manticores, he didn't want "the green creature's" presence known to the public. At least the shelter wasn't too far away from the barn, being a few blocks away.

Once inside, he walked over to the reception desk, finding no one around. "Uhh, hello?" Garfield called out. "Delivery from Sweet Apple Acres!"

A moment later, the door to the back where all the sheltered animals are kept opened up, the sounds of different creatures could be heard from the main lobby. And to Garfield's shock, the person who came out to greet him was none other than Fluttershy.

"Oh, hi, Garfield," Fluttershy said.

"Fluttershy, you work here?" he asked, only to realize he sounded stupid when it would be obvious Fluttershy would work somewhere around animals. "Oh, duh. You like animals. It makes a lot of sense."

Fluttershy giggled in response. "I know. But I like working here. Can you bring the apples in the back?" Garfield nodded, lifting the crate and following Fluttershy into the back. He found many kinds of household pets being cared for in the shelter, from average animals like cats and dogs to smaller ones like gerbils, hamsters, birds, and fish, the rodent species roaming about in the many twisting tubes built in the room for them to explore safely. Some of them got excited when they saw someone new walk in with Fluttershy, some of the loose pets out of their cages running up and trying to paw at Garfield. "Ok, ok, easy, everyone. Don't want Garfield to trip over you."

"Sheesh. Didn't think you taking care of so many pets," Garfield commented, carefully stepping over the excited canines wanting to be petted by him, placing the crate down on a nearby counter. "And you take care of them by yourself? Must be tough."

"Oh, it's a lot easier with this." Fluttershy pointed at the pendant around her neck, where her magic gem granting her ability to speak with animals was located. "I know what they want or need, when they're hungry, or if they want to have a little chat. They have a lot of things to say."

"You sure it's not just, 'Gimmie food! Food!' or, 'Play with me or I'll tear up the sofa!?'" His joke got Fluttershy to laugh at the absurd things her animal friends really tell her, but she could imagine that being true before she understood them clearly. "Well, the delivery's done. I'm gonna head back to Applejack's."

"Are you sure you have to leave so soon?" Fluttershy asked.

"Well...I don't know if her sister told her I was making a delivery," Garfield said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I don't want to lose my job I just got a couple days ago for leaving my post."

"I can text her and let her know you'll be late while you stick around to help me feed everyone," Fluttershy said, taking out her cell phone. "...If you don't mind."

Even though it was going to delay him from cleaning that pig pen, despite it going to get dirty again within a couple hours, that was going to be future Garfield's problem. "Eh, why not? At least I don't have to clean up after he pigs...until I get in trouble for it."

"I'll take the blame for you," Fluttershy said, quickly texting Applejack to let her know Garfield was going to stay and help her out for a little bit. "The storage room is back through that door. You can put the apples in the empty bin in the fridge and bring out some food for everyone."

"Ok." Finding the door Fluttershy mentioned, Garfield carried the crate in the room where the pet food was stored, placing the apples in a storage bin in the fridge.

He got to work with Fluttershy feeding all the animals, filling up food bowls or feeding them by hand. Fluttershy was a little amazed seeing her animal friends quickly warm up to Garfield so quickly, even the birds as they perched on his arm while pecking at some bird seed in his palm.

"Wow, they never usually warm up to anyone they just met," Fluttershy commented. Her own pet rabbit, Angel, who she brought with him, proved her wrong when he leered at the green teen. "Well, not all of them."

"I guess you can say I have a way with animals in my own way," Garfield said with a toothy grin.

"Did you want to be a zoologist?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"Ehh...I didn't really put much thought in my future," he admitted. "I just...went with the flow in my life, no big plans or anything. Just winging it most of the time."

"Oh. I just thought that since you were curious about my love for animals," she said. "I'm usually really shy when it comes to meeting new people, but...somehow, with you, Garfield, I don't feel all that timid as I usually do."

"Maybe because we have some things in common," he guessed. "Do you like video games?" Fluttershy gently shook her head, scratching that similarity off the list. "Ok...Uhh, I'm a vegetarian."

"So am I," Fluttershy said.

"Cool! But, uh, don't be off put by this, but when I was younger, I did like eating meat," Garfield said.

"Really? What made you want to change your diet?" Fluttershy asked. "...Was it because you were...chubby?"

"Pthh! No way! I'm as skinny as a twig," Garfield scoffed, rolling up his sleeves to show his thin arms and minuscule biceps. He looked down at a puppy sitting in his lap, knowing the exact reason he turned away meat years ago. He pet the content pup resting on his legs as he spoke. "I think as I got older, I didn't enjoy eating any meat that much, and whatever kind I ate tasted...bland for me, I guess...It's not weird I used to eat meat before, right?"

"No, it's fine," Fluttershy assured. "We are omnivores, but all of us can decide what we do or don't like to eat. Better to eat whatever makes you healthy than not eat anything at all."

"Heh. That's true," he said. "But I love me some dessert. Balances out those healthy veggies with sugary ad fatty treats, right?"

Fluttershy giggled, unsure if that was true, but it could make sense if Pinkie could scarf down sweets without suffering in a diabetic coma. They continued feeding the pets and playing with them until it was almost sundown. With the sheltered animals put in their cages for the night, Fluttershy and Garfield exited the building, neither of them realizing how late it got with how busy they were with the animals and learning more about each other.

"Boy, time sure flies when you're having fun, huh?" Fluttershy asked.

"No kidding. I just hope Applejack doesn't kill me for sticking around this long," Garfield said. "Although, I don't think there were that many chores I needed to do. I'm sure the pigs can stay dirty for another few days before needing a bath." Fluttershy nodded in agreement, making a note to herself to apologize to Applejack for keeping him away from his work. "Well, I'm heading back to Rainbow's. See ya later, Fluttershy."

Right as he was about to walk away, Fluttershy quickly, but gently, grabbed his arm, getting his attention. "Garfield, if you're not busy tomorrow, do you want to...come by the shelter and help out some more?" she asked, her cheeks turning a light pink as she pulled her arm away, looking down as she tapped her fingers together timdly. "That is, if you don't mind."

"Hmm...Well, tomorrow's Saturday, and I have the day off from Applejack's farm tomorrow," Garfield pondered aloud. "And I don't think I had anything planned for the weekend except homework..." He rubbed the back of his neck, easily won over by Fluttershy's cute shyness from her request, grinning wide and nodding his head. "Sure! It's a date!" Fluttershy gasped a little, Garfield reacting a couple seconds later when he realized what he said. "Ah! N-Not like a DATE date! I just meant I'll be over tomorrow to help!...B-But I mean, any guy would probably kill to ask you out for a date! Er, not me, but I-I mean no, I could if I wanted but-!" He stopped himself, already making the situation awkward as he blushed in embarrassment. Fluttershy didn't say anything, trying to understand what her new friend meant, even though he was being silly at this point. "...I'll see you tomorrow!"

He quickly ran off, making his way to Sweet Apple Acres to pick up his backpack while leaving Fluttershy confused. After gathering his belongings, he trudged along the road back to Rainbow's house, chastising himself for sounding like an idiot in front of Fluttershy. He was only trying to be funny, but Fluttershy's reaction to his, "It's a date," comment made it seem like he was trying to hit on her, followed by his stupid rambling trying to avoid the subject and constantly bringing it up. After losing Terra, he didn't want to get involved in finding a date again when the girl he loved still lingered in his mind. He didn't want to lose someone else like that, even after it's happened several times with Terra in different ways.

Back home in Rainbow's house, his roommate saw him walk by while she watched a movie in the living room. "Hey, Garf. Applejack run you ragged today?"

"Not really," he said. "Cleaned up the chicken coop and made a delivery to the animal shelter Fluttershy worked at. I ended up staying behind to help her with the animals longer than I should have."

Rainbow began to smirk, cackling cheekily. "Oh, really?" she asked. "Are you sure you didn't stick around because you like her?"

Garfield cringed, grumbling irritably as she teased him. "N-No!"

"Well, you two seem to hit it off well, both of you clearly interested in animals," Rainbow mentioned. "I know she's always nervous being around anyone else, but maybe finding a boyfriend will be good for her. If I text Rarity right now, I bet you she'll say you two should go out with each other."

Garfield huffed, making his way upstairs to put away his stuff. "We're not dating, and I'm not interested in going on a date after..."

The sudden pause in his statement made Rainbow curious, Garfield stopping for a moment with his head hung low. "...After what? Did you have a bad relationship?"

"...I don't want to talk about it," he mumbled, continuing his ascent and made his way to his room.

He found Tank in Rainbow's room, her door wide open and the tortoise out of his little habitat pen for some "running" room. Leaving him be, Garfield walked to his room, tossing his backpack in a corner and plopped down on his bed, letting out a heavy sigh. He began to wonder what was happening back in his world: if his friends were ok, the Teen Titans were still holding strong throughout the world, and, as much as he wanted to ignore her, wonder what Terra was doing. Did she get her memories back? Or was he only grasping at a hope that continued to remain lost? Maybe tomorrow, he'll get his mind off of everything that made him miserable with some chipper animals with Fluttershy.

---

The next day, Garfield walked to the animal shelter, unsure when the best time to come around was, though he figured about 10 A.M. would be a good time. When he walked in, he could see Fluttershy panicking as she paced around in the next room from the door window. Wondering what was going on, he let himself in, hoping whoever owned the place didn't mind he was wandering around the entire building without an employee or volunteer guiding him.

"Hey, Fluttershy," he greeted.

"Garfield, thank goodness you came!" Fluttershy exclaimed worriedly. She rushed over to him, dragging him over to a small medical table for minor veterinarian examinations in the shelter, where a brown and white collie laid on its side, whining in pain and agony. He recognized the pup as Winona, Applejack's canine companion, whom he met on his first day with a slobber attack from the energetic collie. "I've tried everything, but she's not telling me what's wrong!"

"What's up with Winona?" Garfield asked. "Did she get hurt?"

"I don't know! Maybe she's in too much pain to tell me?" she uttered.

While he tried to figure out what was wrong with Winona, Garfield noticed something was missing around Fluttershy's neck. "Uhh, where's your magic pendant thing?"

Confused, Fluttershy touched her neck, realizing she forgot to put on her pendant this morning. "Oh. That's why I wasn't able to understand her. I didn't think of it when Angel was acting a bit grumpy this morning when I gave him his breakfast. I hope I left it in my backpack when I got back home. Can you see if you can figure out what's wrong with Winona until I get back?"

"Sure, I'll give it a shot." Fluttershy grinned, then left to find her backpack and search for her pendant. As soon as she was out of sight, Garfield looked around to see if anyone else was around the shelter. "Ok. Coast is clear. Time to find out what's wrong with you, girl."

Winona whined, squinting her eyes open, seeing Garfield for a brief moment before he suddenly disappeared. A moment later, a collie like her suddenly leapt up onto the counter beside the table she laid on, though due to the color blindness all canines had, she didn't know this collie was two different shades of green fur, and its white eyes had no pupils.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" the new dog said, sounding a lot like the new human her master had hired on their farm.

"Who...who are ya?" Winona asked, sporting a similar southern accent like Applejack, though sounding a bit younger than Apple Bloom. Before she could ask her new friend more questions, she whimpered and squirmed. "Urgh. Mah tummy's hurtin' real bad."

"Oh, so you just have a stomachache, huh?" Garfield asked. "I'll make sure to let Fluttershy know. What exactly did you eat?" Winona groaned, her ears pressing back against her head as she seemed to look guilty. "...Did you dig into some garbage you weren't supposed to get in?"

"...M-Maybe," Winona uttered. "But it smelled so yummy and Ah wanted to try it."

"Better not be chocolate. That could do some serious harm to a dog," Garfield said. He walked up to Winona, gently patting her head with his paw, assuring her she'll get better soon. "Don't worry. I won't tell Applejack you decided to go dumpster diving."

"How do ya know mah master?" Winona asked curiously.

"Well, if you can promise to keep this a secret from Fluttershy, since she can understand animals pretty well." Garfield backflipped off the counter, transforming back into a human, shocking the collie as she let out a startled bark. By some strange magic she couldn't comprehend, her canine friend had turned into the new human she met a few days ago. "I can turn into other animals, but keep this between us, ok, girl?"

Winona nodded, her tail wagging slightly before her stomach grumbled, making her wince and whine miserably. Fluttershy came back in the room not a moment later with her pendant, along with Applejack when she began to expect the worst from her pet.

"Consarn it, Fluttershy, Ah thought Sunset told us to keep our gems on at all times in case of trouble," Applejack warned, not being too harsh with how easily upset Fluttershy could get.

"Sorry, I won't forget next time," Fluttershy apologized.

Applejack rushed over to Winona, surprised to see Garfield here, though she was more concerned with the health of her little companion. "She ain't too sick, is she?"

"I wasn't able to figure it out after getting used to having every creature talk to me with my magic," Fluttershy said. "Did you find out anything, Garfield?"

"I believe I have, ladies," Garfield said, gently rubbing Winona's belly. "Winona's got a little stomachache. She must have eaten something she wasn't supposed to."

"But Ah fed her breakfast before doin' mah mornin' chores today," Applejack said. Her phone suddenly buzzed in her pocket, pulling it out and seeing who messaged her. She got a text from her older brother, along with a picture of what looked like a knocked over trash can in the kitchen. She looked at the collie in disappointment, the cat out of the bag when she saw that look as she whimpered sadly. "Winona, ya know better than to get in the trash. Must have snuck back inside and stirred up trouble before ya started gettin' sick."

Winona whimpered apologetically. "She says she's sorry," Fluttershy translated. "But now we at least know what's wrong with her. I think I have something to help soothe her stomach pains." She headed over to the medicine cabinet, looking at each bottle before finding what she needs, then went back to Winona. Pouring some of the liquid medicine into a spoon, she hovered the medicine up to the sick puppy's nose. "Drink this, Winona. It'll help you feel better."

Curiosity overwhelming the smell of the medicine, Winona clamped her maw on the metal spoon, sucking in the medicine and swallowed it, smacking her lips while cringing at the awful taste. "Yeah, I hate medicine, too," Garfield said. "Why can't they make stuff that tastes good if it's good for your health?"

"Probably not in a hundred years, but at least now Ah know she's gonna be alright," Applejack said, petting Winona's head, the collie already starting to feel a little better.

"For someone who says they don't know what they have planned for the future, you could make for an experienced veterinarian," Fluttershy said.

"Heh. I just have a way with animals naturally," Garfield said sheepishly. She looked at Winona, her tail gently thumping the table, her energy slowly coming back as her stomachache slowly faded. "I used to travel around a lot when I was a kid, so I got to see many different types of animals."

"Ah thought ya lived in someplace called Jump City," Applejack said.

"Yeah, but only for the last couple years," Garfield admitted. "Before I settled there, my parents actually used to travel the world, studying all sorts of creatures, and they took me everywhere."

"Oh, so that's why you know so much about animals?" Fluttershy asked curiously. "I'd love to meet them if they came here with you."

"...Yeah...they're...not really...around anymore," Garfield uttered, surprising both girls and felt sorry for him. "I'm ok, though. I got over what happened, so I don't let it bother me too much."

"Sorry to hear that, sugarcube," Applejack said sympathetically.

"So...you've been an orphan?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yup. But, I met a whole lot of friends, and...I used to just wander from place to place before finding a new home back in Jump City," he said. "I lived with a group of friends who were just as different as I am, and even though we got on each other's nerves, we always got each other's backs. Wish they were here so you could meet them."

"I would love to meet them," Fluttershy said. "What are they like?"

Just as Garfield was about to talk about his friends, both Fluttershy's and Applejack's phones began to vibrate. Both girls pulled out their phones, reading a text message that shocked them.

"Uh oh. Looks like we got some more magic portal trouble," Applejack said.

"What's going on now?" Garfield asked curiously, wishing he had a phone of his own.

"There's...a pack of wolves made of sticks and bark at the school's football field?" Fluttershy said, confused by the odd description of the creatures.

"Uhh...is that supposed to be a riddle?" Garfield questioned, scratching his head.

"Whatever it is, if they're like wolves, they could seriously hurt people," Applejack said. "Come on, Fluttershy. Maybe your magic can help convince a pack of wolves to calm down."

"I hope so," Fluttershy uttered, trembling a little after her failed attempt last time with the manticores. "Garfield, can you stay and watch Winona until we get back? I know we promised you could come with us next time, but...it's dangerous."

"Sure, no problem," Garfield said. Fluttershy and Applejack quickly ran out to take on the dangerous creatures from Equestria. Not too long after they left, Garfield looked back at Winona, gently lifting the collie and placing her in one of the empty kennels. "I know you're not gonna get out, but just in case I don't make it back, I don't want them to think I just left you by yourself unsupervised in a shelter." He closed the door and locked it after patting her side. "Get well soon, and try to stay out of the garbage next time."

Winona yipped in response, watching Garfield run off after Fluttershy and Applejack to help with this new threat in town.

---

At Canterlot High, over where the football field is located, the school's team ran in a panic while Sunset tried to usher them to safety, leaving Pinkie and Twilight to try to hold off the mystical wolves that lunged through another portal while the students were busy practicing. "Get into the school! Quickly!" Sunset said, guiding the last of the football team inside. Once they all ran through the door, she quickly shut it, looking back as she watched fireworks and bits of bark flying all over the field. "Timberwolves. Why did it have to be timberwolves?"

Running back toward the field, she saw the pack continue trying to sink their jagged fangs into Twilight and Pinkie while they held them off. Eight of the monstrous beasts made of wood had jumped through when the magic portal appeared, connected with logs, branches, and even leaves, formed into wolf-like forms with glowing green eyes. They might not be as deadly as a manticore, but they can be just as menacing as a real wolf, and hard knock down.

Twilight tossed aside any that lunged for her or Sunset, slamming them into the ground or in the bleachers. Pinkie, meanwhile, tossed exploding candy at them, blowing the timberwolves to pieces fairly easily. Unfortunately, despite crumbling them to bits with their strengths, the enchanted wood formed back the timberwolves back to normal, barely leaving a scratch and only infuriating them more.

"Oh, come on!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Just stay down! Bad wood doggies!" She dug into her pockets for some more ammo, only to find them empty. "And I didn't stock up on explosives today!" One of the wolves tackled Pinkie, letting out a shriek as she was pinned down. Right as it thrust its fangs into her, a rainbow blur tackled it off her, smashing it and scattering its pieces across the field. "Phew! Thanks, Dashie!"

"Made it just in time," Rainbow gloated, though it was short-lived when she saw the timberwolf she easily smashed through reform itself. "Uhh, ok! Breaking them isn't gonna work!" She quickly ran away when it chased after her, outrunning it with her enchanted speed. "Sunset, do you know what these things are!?"

"They're timberwolves, and we just had to get a dangerous pack come from Equestria!" Sunset said.

"Ok, but can you explain how they keep rebuilding themselves!?" Twilight exclaimed, slamming another timberwolf to the ground, only to back away when it reformed and glared at her for smashing it.

"All I can recall is that they're enchanted beasts from the Everfree Forest back in Equestria," Sunset explained while nervously staying on her guard. "No pony has ever tried to study them because they blend in with the foliage, and since they live in what I assume is a normal wolf pack, there could be dozens of them lurking for prey. And destroying them...well, I don't know if they can even die!"

"Well, if they're made of wood, then let's find some fire and burn them! Who's got a lighter!?" Pinkie asked.

Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy soon arrived at the school after getting the group text, but when they saw the pack, they didn't know whether to hide behind the bleachers or try to help. "Oh my goodness! What are those things!?"

"Clearly not normal wolves," Applejack said. "Fluttershy, ya think ya can talk to them?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy uttered nervously. "But if it didn't work with the manticores, I don't know if my magic can help me talk to these wolves made out of nature itself." Neither of the girls were aware of one of the members of the pack sneaking around the other end of the bleachers. Its growl caught their attention, slowly turning around, then began to panic as they're now about to be discovered by the rest of the timberwolves. "Oh no."

"N-Nice wooden puppy," Applejack said, hoping it wouldn't get hostile if they tried to be nice.

The timberwolf barked, charging them, making Rarity panic as she created her diamond shield, making it smash itself to pieces as it rammed into the barrier. "Definitely not nice!" Rarity exclaimed. She then shrieked when she saw the wood and bark moving on its own, the timberwolf forming itself back together, shaking off the impact as it glowered at them. "Ok, we're in a bit of trouble. THEY CAN COME BACK TO LIFE!"

Rarity's screaming alerted a couple more wolves to their position, all the girls surrounded by four timberwolves each. While holding them off as best as possible, Garfield arrived, shifting into the size of a fly as he observed the field. Even though he wasn't good at riddles or puzzles, he expected the text to be a code and the animals were a play-on words for the gray wolf, otherwise known as timber wolves. These wolves were literally made out of wood, always coming back no matter how many times their bodies have been blown to pieces, and the only way that would be the best way to beat them is with fire.

"Oh man. This is gonna be tough," he uttered to himself. "Well, if they behave like real wolves, then maybe another beast should show them not to mess with their turf."

Garfield turned into a kitten, the same one he used to tease Starfire with, hoping their more bite than literal bark by instinct. He pounced down toward the circling pack, the timberwolves surrounding the girls, Rarity keeping her shield around them to protect them, though not much longer with how exhausted the ones who could fight were getting.

"This is really bad!" Twilight exclaimed. "There's no way to stop them!"

"Ah think Ah'd rather deal with another manticore than these things!" Applejack said.

Garfield ran up to the pack, catching Fluttershy's attention when she saw an odd green kitten coming toward them. "Oh no, run away, little guy!" she called out.

He didn't listen, stopping a fair distance from the wolves and mewled loud enough for them to hear. Their ears perked up, staring at the odd green kitten with a cute face, letting out a playful hiss at them while scratching the air. Luckily for Garfield, they did behave like real canines, and their instinct to chase around a small cat weaker than them kicked in, ignoring the girls and began running toward him. Letting out a yowl, he ran away, giving them a chase as he headed out of the football field and toward the bushes not too far away from the school.

"...Well, that was lucky timing," Pinkie said.

"That poor kitty's gonna get hurt! We've got to help him!" Fluttershy said, blindly running after them.

"Fluttershy, wait!" Rainbow Dash called out, the other girls running behind her, not willing to let her get hurt just to save the life of a little cat.

Garfield leapt into the bushes, lying in wait for the right moment, watching the timberwolf pack loom closer as he let out a threatening growl. The wolves weren't scared in the least as they prowled for their easier prey. Without disturbing the leaves, Garfield shifted into a much larger feline, his growl deeper, and much more menacing, confusing the timberwolves as they looked at each other with a questioning gaze and murmur. The closest timberwolf was suddenly tackled to pieces by a saber-toothed tiger, not a helpless little kitten. Completely caught off guard, they yelped when this mysterious creature smacked them hard with its powerful paws, scattering their pieces all over.

When the girls finally caught up with the creatures, they all gasped when they saw the prehistoric feline standing over the broken timberwolves, though its fur was green and its eyes were nothing but white sclera, no irises or pupils, just like the lion Fluttershy met a week ago who rescued her from the manticores.

"Is that a real saber-toothed tiger!?" Twilight exclaimed, shocked and amazed at seeing an extinct animal in the flesh with her own eyes.

"And it's...green?" Rarity questioned. "Why is it green?"

"It...can't be," Fluttershy uttered. The tiger looked at the girls, definitely confirming that it had to be the same shapeshifting creature with its eyes and protective demeanor, even as the timberwolves pieced themselves back together. Not lowering its guard, the green prehistoric feline growled and crouched, ready to pounce as the pack surrounded their new foe. "It is."

"She's right," Sunset agreed. "It's the shapeshifter."

One of the wolves howled, commanding the others to attack the saber-toothed tiger together. One pounced on Garfield's back, trying to bite into his neck, but he reared back, smacking another leaping in front of him with his paws, then bucked the wolf on his back forward, slamming it into one of its pack buddies. He tried to go for the alpha, only to get tackled by two timberwolves, trying to smack them away while avoiding getting scratched and bitten, the rest of the standing pack pouncing on top of him.

"We gotta help it!" Rainbow said. She quickly zipped off, then reappeared with a few containers of sprinkles, tossing them to Pinkie. "Incoming!"

Zooming toward the pack, she ran by and kicked the wolves on top of the tiger, freeing him, rolling back up on his feet to continue fighting. Spotting the alpha, Garfield roared and run toward the pack leader, zigzagging around the timberwolves trying to stop him, assisted by Pinkie, Twilight, and Rarity as they continued trying to wear out the wolves with their magic. He pounced on the alpha as it tried to evade, managing to knock off its back half while the front was still connected. It struggled to put itself back together, only to have the rest of it broken apart, first the torso, then the still functioning head.

After what felt like hours of constantly smashing the timberwolves over and over, Garfield pounced the leader again, keeping its paw held down firmly on its rough neck, then growled at the other members of the pack. Right as they were about to attack, the alpha barked at them, stopping this never-ending battle. It looked up at the saber-toothed tiger, ready to react if it tried to trick them. It let out a bark in surrender, Garfield lifting his paw away and letting the alpha get back up.

"Uhh, what's happening?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't know, but...I think the timberwolves are...giving up?" Sunset wondered.

The girls looked at Fluttershy, hoping she could understand them, but with the timberwolves being different creatures like the manticores, she couldn't understand them. They watched the alpha and shapeshifter as they seemed to discuss something, Garfield then turning back to the girls, nodding his head to Sunset's response.

"Guess that answers that," Applejack said, though still very confused as she scratched her head.

"Better warn Twilight again," Sunset uttered, pulling out the enchanted book from her backpack and writing a quick message to the princess from the other world.

The girls escorted the timberwolves to the portal, at a safe distance, Rarity and Twilight ready with their magic in case any of them decided to stray off and attack one of them. Passing the football field, they saw the football team watching in awe as they corralled the Equestrian enchanted wolves to the front of the school, some taking out their phones and taking pictures or recording the odd scene, along with the green saber-toothed tiger assisting the seven magical girls. Once back at the pedestal where the school's statue once stood, the timberwolves slowly walked through, where Princess Twilight on the other end made sure that they returned to the Everfree Forest where the belonged.

After the last of them left, the alpha looking back at Garfield for a brief moment before walking through, the girls all sighed in relief. "That was a close one," Pinkie said. "I thought we would be wood wolf food for sure." The girls then looked over at the green tiger who helped them, a new thought crossing the party thrower's mind. "Unless we're soon to become tiger food for helping us, I vote Rainbow as the sacrifice!"

"Whoa, hold on a second! I'm not become cat food to that thing!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"He won't hurt us," Fluttershy assured, slowly approaching the calm saber-toothed tiger, eyeing her while sitting patiently. "You were that kitten earlier who distracted them, weren't you?" Garfield nodded his head slightly, remaining quiet so she didn't hear his voice, assuming she could if she was a creature that didn't exist today. She kneeled down in front of him, trying to figure him out while the other girls watched in awe, the shapeshifting creature completely harmless unless it needed to defend itself or others defenseless against more dangerous creatures than itself. She reached her hand out, getting the chance to rub the creature's head, hearing the tiger let out a low purr. "Thank you again. Can you tell us what are are?"

Garfield continued to remain silent, looking off elsewhere, then, to Fluttershy's surprised squeal, turned into a hawk, letting out a caw and flew off into the sky. The girls all watched in awe as their savior left without a word, but at least they saw firsthand that he was an ally, not another wild animal from Equestria.

"It really can turn into any animal," Rarity uttered as they watched the green hawk disappear in the distance. "Sunset, did Princess Twilight figure out what that creature was yet?"

"So far, the closest possible creature it could have been was a changeling, like I guessed," Sunset said. "The only problem is the fact that this friendly creature's transformations are always different shades of green, and those eyes...Changelings could turn into anything of any color, not stick with one and have no pupils or irises like a mindless puppet's."

"So, it's not this changeling thing?" Fluttershy asked. "It's...something else?"

"Probably," Sunset answered, still unsure. "We'll have to ask it when it doesn't just leave after saving the day."

"But why green?" Rarity questioned. "Doesn't really go well if it can turn into any kind of animal, even something as ancient as a saber-toothed tiger."

"Does it have a skin condition where it's always green, even though it's common for reptiles and amphibians to have that skin pigment?" Twilight questioned. "Also, what else can it turn into?"

A lot of questions rose from this mysterious green shapeshifter and what it could do, but at least they knew it was friendly and could help them with any other creatures that curiously come through the mysterious portals that have begun appearing.

---

Garfield swerved over toward the animal shelter after getting far enough out of sight from the girls, diving down into the bushes outside the building. Turning back into a human, he let out a breath, dusting off his clothes of any leaves before making his way inside. Letting himself into the back, he went over to the kennel he placed Winona in, the collie barking and getting up as she pawed at the cage, already feeling good as new and wanting out.

"Well, look who's all better," he said. He opened the cage, only to have the puppy leap at him, quickly catching her and laughed as she attacked his face with affectionate licking. "Ok, down, girl! I don't need a tongue bath!"

He placed Winona down on the floor, letting her run around a bit, then helped Fluttershy a little bit by feeding some of the other animals while "waiting" for her and Applejack to return. It didn't take long for the two to return, Winona yipping happily when she saw her owner, running up to her and scooped up by the farm girl.

"Looks like the medicine kicked in, and Winona's already feeling better," Fluttershy said.

"Ah'm just glad it wasn't anythin' too serious," Applejack said between her laughter while her dog licked her face. "Thanks for both of your help."

"...Both?" Garfield asked. "I just knew she had a stomachache from the noises she was making."

"But since I didn't have my gem on me, I wasn't able to understand her," Fluttershy said. "You have a way with animals, Garfield."

"Too bad I'm not like you, able to talk to them like a person," he said with a grin.

"Well, thanks again, you two," Applejack said. "Hopefully, Winona's learned her lesson and won't go diggin' in the garbage again, right?" Winona whined, understanding the message clearly. "Ah'll see y'all later."

Fluttershy and Garfield waved goodbye to Applejack as she headed back to her farm. "So, what else do you want me to do?" Garfield asked Fluttershy. "I started feeding the other animals while watching Winona."

"We can clean some of the cages. They're a bit messy." Garfield grimaced, but at least they wouldn't be as messy as a pig pen he avoided yesterday. While they got to cleaning, Fluttershy told him about what happened at the school earlier, along with the friendly shapeshifter who helped them fend off the timberwolves. It didn't take long for them to finish cleaning the cages and kennels, soon heading out to Sugarcube Corner for a little break. While slurping on their shakes, Fluttershy offering to pay for the two of them, they overheard some of the other younger crowd in the shop about what had happened at the school. "Oh my. I guess what happened at school is slowly spreading around."

"That's what happens when magical creatures are running around in another world and causing trouble," Garfield said nonchalantly.

Fluttershy looked at her phone, seeing the bit of news spreading around about the timberwolves, along with the saber-toothed tiger someone snapped a picture of and posted on a social media site. "Even the friendly creature who saved me last week. Look."

Fluttershy showed Garfield the picture taken not too long ago, nearly choking on his shake as he took a sip when he saw himself as that prehistoric tiger. Struggling not to blow his drink out his nose, he coughed and stared at the image, along with the heading involving the wooden canines and a green mammal, which was supposedly an extinct creature, pretending to be surprised at the sight of both the timberwolves and himself.

"Holy cow! It's a green saber-tooth!" he exclaimed. "Is that even real!?"

"It was, and I actually touched it," Fluttershy said. "Too bad it didn't talk back to me. I would love to know who he is and what he really is."

"Uhh...H-How do you know it's a he?" Garfield asked nervously.

"Well, it was a male lion when it saved me from the manticores, and even though saber-tooth tigers are extinct, its muscle build looks more masculine than a females if I compared them to other wild cats," Fluttershy answered. "And if it could turn into something like a saber-tooth, it could turn into just about any kind of animal in the world, extinct or alive today."

"Heh. That's a...crazy theory, huh?" Garfield asked, chuckling timidly. "At least it's friendly, right? So, it's not a threat to society, is it?"

"Thankfully, no," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "Sunset thought it was something called a changeling. They're shapeshifting bug ponies in Equestria who could turn into anyone and anything, but it doesn't sound like a changeling if the animals it turns into are always green."

"M-Maybe it's a weird changeling who likes the color green?" Garfield theorized.

"Hmm...Maybe, but then there are the eyes," Fluttershy continued. Garfield began to worry, already caught on camera when he tried to keep from being noticed by anyone else. And if anyone found him transforming in the act and getting a picture of it, he might not have a choice but come out and admit he was the mystery animal hero who saved Fluttershy and her friends. "...Well, as long as we know he's good, we don't have to worry about him causing any harm."

"Yeah, unless he's forced to turn into a T-Rex, or a..." Garfield didn't finish that thought, recalling the one dangerous form he took that made him more aggressive no thanks to a certain villain named Adonis. Being exposed to that biochemical liquid, they both turned into deadly werebeasts, losing all sense of human consciousness and turning into a feral beast, attacking anything in their wrath. He only used it once, when it was Raven's birthday; the day her father, Trigon, would be summoned and lay siege on the world with his demonic power. He only used it for a little while to try to save her with the rest of the Teen Titans, but even though it was brief, he was mere inches away from losing control and giving into his held back carnivorous instincts. "I hope I don't have to use that against something from Equestria."

"What did you say, Garfield?" Fluttershy asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"N-Nothing! Just...talking to myself!" he quickly said, slurping away at his shake to hide his grief from his worst moments in the past. "Love this shake, though!" Garfield nearly finished his whole shake, drinking too fast as he winced from the brainfreeze he just gave himself. "AHHH! Brainfreeze! Nnngah!" Clutching his head, he fell out of his seat and rolled around the floor in agony. Fluttershy leaned over and watched him, hoping he was ok. "Bad idea! Never drink shakes that fast!...Oh, hey, a quarter."

Fluttershy giggled, seeing he was fine, then went back to drinking her shake, being careful unlike Garfield was with slower slurps.

Comments

[DGJabberwocky]

Great chapter

Though I do wonder when the truth will come out

[Voltaje]

This is getting into shape, I wonder if Garfield use the portal, will he be a changelling? Or a pony that can shapeshift? If he were to be a changelling, then his secret may be compromised, anyway, let's see what comes next :D

[sonicfan05]

Another great chapter!

Once again, Beast Boy saved the day again by stopping random creatures from Equestria. I wonder how long he would keep his animal shapeshifting abilities a secret from the girls.

Can't wait for the next chapter!

[Dusk Star Shine]

I bet is Garfield were to walk into the portal to Equestria he would turn into a Changeling King like Thorax, also that part at the end of this story reminds me of a short between Sweetie-Belle and Button Mash where he found a 'Bit' on the floor after falling down from drinking a shake too quick and got brain freeze.

[Garuda IV]

"Yeah, unless he's forced to turn into a T-Rex, or a..."

Next time on Equestrian Titan...

[Lotharin]

Hahaha! All I can see is that scene from Button's Adventures, where Button Mash challenges sweetie belle to a shake drinking contest. "Aaahhh! Brain freeze! Oh hey, a Bit!"

[Chris Russell]

9830653
i agree

[LightningChaser04]

"Does it have a skin condition where it's always green, even though it's common for reptiles and amphibians to have that skin pigment?" Twilight questioned. "Also, what else can it turn into?"

Nope, as a baby, it was a regular human whose parents were scientists. Once, when they were in Africa, a crazy radioactive green monkey bit it and it became sick, so its parents created a serum to save his life. The baby was safe, but it turned green and could shapeshift into animals.