Awake
Shrieking winds resonated between the skeletal trees of the Everfree Forest, disturbing sounds that were more akin to a chorus of screams rather than gusts of wind. Rather than the thick trees I'd recalled seeing, these were skeletal and twisted, the bark charred and smoking. The ground was dusted with a thin layer of wood shards and soot, the remains of burnt branches lying strewn about the dirt. I wandered through the ruins and soon came across the blackened corpses of numerous squirrels, rabbits, hawks, deer, and raccoons, their bodies still audibly crackling from the heat of the fire that'd ravaged the land. The air was thick with the scent of cooked flesh and scorched wood, so much so that I almost choked.
Snow tumbled down in slim grayish-black flakes and I raised a foreleg to inspect a few that'd fallen onto the back of my paw. No, I was wrong as, rather than snow, it was ash. Soon, I exited the Everfree and discovered that the fire had not only devastated the forest but seemingly the entire land as well, with there being miles of singed fields as far as the eye could see. Just what had happened here? A sickening realization struck me and I bolted in the direction of Ponyville, futilely hoping that everyone was alright.
My heart sank as I came upon the town, or rather, the still-burning ruins that had once been Ponyville. Homes and businesses were reduced to husks of crushed, flaming debris. Sugarcube Corner had been completely leveled and I nearly expelled my guts at the sight of the Cake family lying beneath some rubble, all of them huddled together to form a pile of bloodied cadavers. Further up, I found heaps made up of millions of crystal shards, all that remained of Twilight's castle. Both the princess and Spike were stretched out in a ditch, their hoof and claw nearly touching as they died trying to reach one another.
Rarity swayed back and forth from a partially uprooted lamppost, her noose consisting of her own intestines. Pinkie Pie was impaled on a flagpole, her face distorted into a ghoulish mask of untold horror. Carrion birds picked at Rainbow Dash's broken body, her head lying a few feet away and blankly staring up at me. I could no longer prevent the tears from pouring when I caught a glimpse of the half-devoured Cutie Mark Crusaders, their bodies haphazardly tossed into a massive ditch.
If I had been here, then perhaps I could've saved them, I thought ruefully to myself.
I raced towards Sweet Apple Acres, searching the crater where the farm once stood, frantically shouting Applejack and Winona's names. I found them almost completely flattened, their insides lying on the outside of their crushed forms. Wasting no time, I quieted the rage that'd been building within me and sprinted hastily in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. If I could just make it in time, then maybe there could be a chance to save her. I followed the trail of dead animals until at last I'd arrived home, finding the cottage as a smoking pyre.
"Fen..."
I perked up at the voice and turned. A bruised and blood-spattered Fluttershy stared vacantly at me, a crimson-painted Angel lying limp in one foreleg. She then spoke, her tone hollow and choked.
"Why did you do this? I thought you loved me, loved all of us."
"What are you talking about? I would never do this!"
"Wouldn't you?"
A cloud of black smoke appeared behind Fluttershy, congealing into the form of a semi-solid wolf. A pair of bright red lights flashed within the darkness of his indistinguishable features. He soundlessly walked around to stand at Fluttershy's right side and spoke again, his voice deep and mocking.
"This is who you are, who you've always been."
"No...no it isn't!" I roared defiantly. "This isn't real!"
"Not yet. Give it time. Eventually, this will come to pass, Vánagandr."
Fluttershy and Angel turned a gray-black before crumbling into ashes.
"Stop running and accept who you really are, who we really are..."
Those red eyes were like twin pools of water and as I stared into them, I saw my reflection was that of a black-furred wolf, my eyes a bright, burning crimson and my mouth contorted into a fierce snarl.
"You are the Beast of Slaughter. There is nothing else," we both appeared to state with finality, his words tumbling out of my lips. "Cease this sad masquerade and embrace your destiny!"
"Fenrir!"
A light blue explosion of luminescence momentarily blinded me. The world vanished and when it reappeared, I was no longer in Ponyville but now floating in a dark blue void filled with swirling purple clouds and scintillating stars. One served as a mirror and with it, I discovered that my fur was once again gray-white and my grayish-blue eyes returned. I let out a sigh of relief and found, with no amount of surprise, Princess Luna approaching me. She stopped and raised a wing, using it to gently cup my chin.
"Are you alright?"
Her voice still carried authority, though it contained great concern and tenderness.
"I..."
As much as I wanted to tell her off, that she had no business being inside of my head, I recognized the fact that I was alone in this "Dreamscape" and being tormented by my own negative thoughts.
"No, I'm not alright."
Princess Luna nodded and lowered herself to her stomach, folding her legs beneath her.
"If you wish to talk, I am here to listen."
Hesitantly, I replicated her movements.
"How much do you know of my past?"
"Pretty much everything," Princess Luna admitted.
"I feel as though I'm being haunted by who I was before, that monster is all that I am and because of that, if Fluttershy and the others find out, then I will lose everything."
"You are afraid, afraid of rejection."
I sadly bowed my head in affirmation.
"This is something that I know all too well. I too know the stigma of being someone terrible, someone who went centuries being feared by my subjects and remembered only as a monster. There was a time when I felt as though Nightmare Moon was my past, present, and future."
"So what did you do?"
Princess Luna leaned forward, patting my paw with her hoof.
"I stopped worrying about what others thought of me and with the help of some special friends, I learned to put my past behind me and forgive myself."
"I don't know how to do that," I sighed.
"It will not be easy but you can do it, especially if you have help. If you truly love and trust your friends, then you will tell them the truth. Be honest with them and they will stay by your side."
She then rose to her hooves.
"But first, you must do something for me. You have to wake up."
The darkness gradually dwindled and soon, an orange-yellow glow irritatingly filtered into my closed eyes. I groaned, squeezing my eyelids together in an attempt at banishing the intrusive light but to no avail. Slowly, I managed to peel one open, the orange-yellow veil pulling back to reveal a white fog with several spots covering my eye like flies on a carcass. I moved my eyelid in a series of delayed blinks, causing the fog and mist to subside. Everything soon came into focus, revealing that I was lying on my left side, a thin cotton blanket laying over my hindlegs and hips.
My midsection, chest, and shoulders were wrapped in thick gauze and though I couldn't see it, I could feel several bandages that'd been applied to my head and face. I found a clear tube connected to my right foreleg and followed it to a bag of mysterious liquid hanging from a metal rack, recalling the moment of panic when somepony poked me with a sharp object. I peeked out of my uncovered eye at the room's walls, which were painted an egg-shell white and covered with little yellow ducks, both their eyes and toothy grins cartoonishly wide. A small wall-mounted television across from me displayed a scene of an old pegasus talking to an earth pony couple, who the captions helpfully informed you have been together for three years. The pegasus then brought out the mare's sister, who had been cheating with the stallion and a pair of large guards stepped in to keep the sisters from tearing each other apart while an audience cheered the pegasus' name in excitement.
In the corner of the room, I found a blanket-wrapped Fluttershy curled up with Angel across two chairs. Had she been here for however long I was unconscious? My thoughts were interrupted by that infernal beeping and it didn't take long for me to find the source. A small white box on a single wheeled leg was situated on the left side of the bed, a horizontal line with several jagged points moving across the glowing screen. Carefully, I began to move, my muscles stiff and sore from lack of activity, ignoring the pain as I steadily managed to sit up and let out a sustained groan.
There was some movement on the other side of the room and Fluttershy groggily arose from her seat, rubbing away the dust from her eyes. Her widened gaze fell on me and using her wings, she shot across the room and wrapped her forelegs around my neck. I chuckled and craned my neck so that I could hug her, adding in a foreleg for good measure. Across the room, Angel was shaking himself awake and, upon seeing me and Fluttershy, folded his arms across his chest and shot me a wink. I mimicked the gesture as Fluttershy pulled away, her hooves rubbing alongside my muzzle.
"I'm so happy that you're awake!" She exclaimed, light tears of joy gathering in her eyes. "I was so frightened that you'd never wake up!"
"I'm glad to see you too, Mother," I smiled, then looked around in alarm. "What about the CMCs? Are they alright?!"
Fluttershy clamped my cheeks. "Fen, calm down. They're safe, thanks to you."
She then filled me in on the events surrounding the incident with the chimera and my subsequent trip to the hospital. When I told the CMCs to run, they fled down the other pathway and made it to Zecora's, where Fluttershy happened to be visiting in order to pick up a new herbal tea from the zebra's homeland. The fillies quickly brought the pair up to speed and then the two raced towards the site of the battle, where they found me. That sparkly flash of white turned out to be Discord, who Fluttershy summoned for aid. However, when he tried snapping his fingers, nothing happened.
"Why not?"
Fluttershy scratched the back of her head. "Twilight theorizes that because of the nature of your magic, that since it appears to be different than our own, that it is somewhat incompatible. Discord uses chaos magic, which is rare but still a form of Equestrian magic. He was unable to use his magic to heal you, so he brought us to the hospital."
"What about Twilight's examination?" I asked in a puzzled tone. "Her magic worked on me then."
"That was different. Um, imagine the difference between picking up a rose and using shears to cut the stem off. Twilight used her magic to lift you up and to examine your aura. She didn't try to alter your body or change your form, which is how magic interacts with matter. It's like your magic was clashing with Discord's, preventing it from putting you back together."
I then asked a very pressing question: "How long was I out for?"
"Three days, but they felt so much longer."
Wow...
The door opened and in walked Dr. Fauna.
"Oh my Faust, you're awake! Welcome back, Fen!"
She made her way over to my bed and used a light from a tiny cylinder to peer into my visible eye.
"How are you feeling?"
"Alright. I'm a bit sore though."
Fluttershy relayed the information and Dr. Fauna nodded.
"Yes, that'd be the atrophy. Your muscles will start working when you move around. You were in pretty rough shape when Discord brought you in. It's a miracle that you're alive at all."
According to Dr. Fauna, I had three broken ribs, two cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, heavy blood loss and a bruised kidney. Due to the chimera's venom, there were also respiratory issues, heart palpitations, nausea, muscle spasms, and an onset of necrosis. Thankfully, enough antivenom had been administered in time and the necrotic patches surgically removed, meaning that no amputation was required. As for the other symptoms, the delivery of antivenom meant that they gradually faded and there were no signs of permanent damage. The dislocated shoulder had been reset, the wounds stitched up and a combination of fluids, sleep and blood transfusions fixed the rest.
"There's something else, however."
Fluttershy looked ready to pass out. "What is it, Doctor?"
"With Fen's injuries, it would normally require weeks, perhaps even months to heal and properly recuperate. It's only been three days and yet, he's...almost completely recovered. His kidney is looking well and his stitches are ready to come out."
This was news to me. I knew that I was tough but this was insane.
"Doctor, what does this mean?"
Pushing her glasses further up her muzzle, Dr. Fauna took a moment to gather her thoughts.
"There isn't anything concrete at the moment, just theories. Either Fen is a member of a mutated wolf species who possesses advanced regenerative capabilities or there is strong magic at work keeping him alive."
Mentally filing this information for later, Fluttershy placed her hoof on my undamaged shoulder.
"Does this mean I can take Fen home?"
"First, he needs to get the stitches removed. Then you may take him home."
Deep growling rumbled around us.
Fluttershy giggled. "Looks like someone is hungry. I'll get you something to eat."
"And I'll be back to check up on you," Dr. Fauna added.
The two mares exited the room, shutting the door behind them. Once two minutes had passed, Angel gave the door a glance and then hopped up onto the end of the bed.
"So, uh, how are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. This is just a lot to take in."
"Good. You really had everyone worried. Winona won't stop asking about you, the CMCs keep crying and kicking themselves for what happened to you, and me and Fluttershy haven't left the hospital."
I leaned down so that we were at eye-level.
"Hey, thanks for staying here. It really meant a lot to Fluttershy."
Angel crossed his arms and looked away. "It, um...it wasn't for her."
We both fell silent. It was one thing to have everyone else worry about me but Angel just admitted that he cared too, in his own roundabout way. Things are odd between us but this looked to be the start of a possible friendship. Heh, a wolf and a rabbit being friends. Life is weird, isn't it?
Fluttershy soon returned with a tray piled up with food, apologizing that the hospital didn't carry meat but I assured her that this was okay. There was an egg sandwich, potato wedges, two diner rolls, and some plastic cups of mixed fruit. I was feeling starved and greedily wolfed down her offerings-no pun intended. Afterwards, Dr. Fauna took my temperature while an orderly removed the gauze around my face and to work on the stitches. Thanks to a mirror provided by Fluttershy, I could see the results of the chimera's attack and the doctors' efforts to save my life.
Parts of my fur had been shaved away to tend to the wounds, a collection of faded, jagged white claw marks adorning my body. The ones on my face weren't as deep, decorating my cheeks, the top of my muzzle and over my eye. It was a miracle the chimera didn't gouge out my eye, and that had me wondering what would've happened if she had and whether or not my eye would heal. The viper head's bites were no more than puncture marks, the swelling around the skin having gone down and the dead flesh cut away, leaving those areas smooth and hairless. All in all, my injuries weren't looking all that bad.
Dr. Fauna dictated some notes and took a blood sample before giving me permission to leave. I still limped a little as I was helped to the hospital exit but Dr. Fauna assured Fluttershy that it was more due to atrophy rather than physical damage and would soon fade. Despite Dr. Fauna advising against it, I offered to let Angel ride on my back, something that made the rabbit light up and he was quick to hop on, even humming to himself on the way to the cottage. I suppose I mostly did it just to reclaim that sense of normalcy and that Angel's mirth was just a happy side effect. During the journey home, Fluttershy wouldn't stop smiling and neither did I.
When we arrived at the cottage, I let Angel down and began to search the property. When asked why I did this, I told Fluttershy that I was expecting Pinkie Pie to jump out with a hoof-full of confetti while some ponies yelled, "Surprise!" Fluttershy explained that while, yes, the pink mare did have a get-well-soon party planned, as well to give everypony the chance to thank me for protecting the fillies, it wasn't until I was well enough to attend. This was terrific news as I wasn't exactly in the mood for celebration but was touched by the gesture nonetheless. Still, I entered the cottage warily, just in case Pinkie decided to pop out of a cookie jar or something as she was apparently wont to do.
Fluttershy brought me to the backyard, where a rectangular, oak wood structure with a red shingled roof had been erected. Seeing as how I was too big for the bed, Applejack and her family had built me a doghouse so I could have room to sleep and for my own privacy. Apparently, they took measurements during the time I was in a coma and while it was a tad creepy-sounding but I appreciated the gift. It'd even come with a door that was opened via a push-latch, which Fluttershy demonstrated before showing me inside. The doghouse was big enough so that I could stand without bumping my head on the roof and could fit at least fifteen ponies standing head to hindquarters.
"What do you think, Fen?"
"I love it. Really, I do."
Fluttershy gave me that same smile of boundless joy and compassion I'd come to love and hugged my chest. I licked her cheek and pulled her in close to me. We stayed like this for, well, I'm not exactly certain for how long. All I knew was that I was home and with my Mother. When we finally separated, Fluttershy giggled and rubbed my head affectionately.
Feeling drained, I eased myself down onto a pile of old pillows, which had been generously donated by several of Ponyville's residents. Pulling a quilt blanket over me, Fluttershy tucked me in, humming as she did so and kissed my brow. I really didn't deserve someone like her caring for me. I then recalled Princess Luna's words and wondered if I could really tell Fluttershy who I really was. It was true that she was the Element of Kindness but did that mean she'd instantly accept me as the Bane of the High-God and continue to love me unconditionally?
"Mother?"
"Yes, Fen?"
"While I was in my coma, I met Princess Luna."
Fluttershy beamed. "Really? She's a dear friend of mine."
"She told me that she was once called 'Nightmare Moon' and did terrible things."
Substituting her smile with a frown, Fluttershy sat quietly for a moment.
"That was a long time ago. She hurt others but she's different now."
I chose my next words very carefully.
"So does that mean anyone can be forgiven?"
"If one truly feels sorry and wants to make amends then I believe that they deserve a second chance."
I ingested this information and opened my mouth to speak, to finally get the words off my chest. For whatever reason, my brain locked up and the words just refused to come out. I wanted to say something, anything, but I held back, instead giving her a joyous smirk.
"I think I'm going to nap for a bit. Good night, Mother."
"Good night, Fen. I love you."
"I love you too."
Once the door closed behind her, I let out a huff of anger.
"You are such a coward."
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Are you going to show us how to pronounce the Norse words? ...Please?
11103356
Which one would you like?
Have I posted that "Powersnake" song in the comments here yet? I feel like I would have, but am too lazy to check.
Yes, you are. But anyone in your predicament would be
He can read now?
Poor fen, i am sure he will work up the courage to tell of his past to flyttershy soon, but how she responds will be the ultimate decider to how this story turns i feel.
I thought our boy was illiterate. You stated as much on 3 seperate occasions. How did he spontaneously learn equish?
Not a bad story, even if it seems like nothing is really happening. There really isn't much to criticize here save for the plodding, introspective pace which can be quite endearing at times, but becomes burdensome later on. Usually, stories that end with me shouting at the screen telling them to stop being so fucking stupid makes me immediatly dislike and leave, but this story has personality. Lets hope it doesnt get too far up its own ass.
come on fen, you were this close
Indeed.
Oh, my god, it's Jerry Springer.
11464948
Don'tcha mean "Jockey Springget"?
...I'll see myself out.