This story is a sequel to Steamboat to Nowhere
Following his arrival in Ponyville, Thomas awoke the next day, ready to continue on his way to Tall-Tale once he was all packed up, and while he received good news from Happy Storage World that his truck, trailer, everything in them, and a little bonus surprise were all ready and waiting for him, and his Family were relieved that he was ok following the steamboat accident, he receives bad news from Tall-Tale, and now no longer has a job waiting for him. Dejected, he contemplates what he's going to do next, when an old family friend reaches out to him, and says he wants to offer him a more permanent job. Intrigued, Thomas goes and meets the man, one Mr. Edward Strauss, at his home outside of Ponyville, and he offers Thomas a job in the Smokey Mountains in Western Equestria, near the town of Spirit Water Forest. After some deliberation, Thomas decides to accept the job, little knowing that he's about to embark on the journey of a lifetime
(This story picks up immediately after "Steamboat to Nowhere" leaves off, and will still contain some references to the horrors of Thomas's life while he was still addicted to drugs, and encounters with his demons, but nothing too explicit. Story will also contain some mild profanity, as well as a scene of senseless destruction caused by a drunk driver, but aside from this, it'll be pretty normal, almost wholesome. Also, the later parts of this story, and the ones that follow, will draw heavy inspiration from the lore of Great Wolf Lodge, the 2022 animated movie "The Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure", and the sequel TV show, "Tales of the Great Wolf Pack". I would have tagged it as such, but no tags for these exist yet)
Despite this story being Equestria centric, it did direct my attention towards The Great Wolf Pack: Call to Adventure, and it's subsequent series. Having never done much with Great Wolf Entertainment in the past (nor visited the lodges). In spite of this, I gave it a watch, and rather liked it with its interesting premise, well rounded storyline and morals, and intriguing/interesting characters. Yes, I know that its overall demographic is based more towards a younger audience (and it shows sometimes), yet there is something about; a deeper undertone that is rich with so much more potential for use and stories. On top of this, Wiley, Violet, Sammy, Oliver, and Brinley, are legitimately cool characters that the audience can easily pull for. All having genuine, unique personalities that, like their stories, hold so much more potential for development. With perhaps just some tweaking and plot expansion, could produce a more YA, mature storyline that still holds to its original premise.
Even though this is just a short three-parter, it does provide a nice AU of the series and how it would be if Spirit Water Forest was actually in Equestria, which, ironically, makes so much sense. The way you handled the main bunch as being more older and mature worked well and is something I'd like to see more of. Plus, it holds one of my more favorite tropes; an OC human joining up with a canon cast. It does kind of surprise me that the fandom hasn't taken off much, as there are no other fics elsewhere around it, though I imagine that might change once the series gains more traction.
Heh, I know I spoke more of the pack rather than this, but it was indeed a nice read.
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Hello Owen OHenry,
And I actually only found out about "The Great Wolf Pack: A Call to Adventure", and its subsequent series by accident while doing preliminary research for this story, since I knew very little about the lore of Great Wolf Lodge. I went to one as a kid, and loved the experience, but never went back for some reason. I want to now though, which is a good thing as there's a GWL in Kansas City, close to where I live. And I quite liked the movie and show as well. And your thoughts on this series very much mirror my own. I really enjoyed them, and was really glad that I found them, as it really began to accelerate my plans for this story, and the ones that come afterwards. And was it just me, or did Sammy really remind you of Pinkie Pie, while Oliver reminded you of Twilight, Wiley remind you of Rainbow Dash, and Brinley remind you of Fluttershy?
And I'm glad that you liked how I placed Spirit Water Forest in Equestria. It really did seem like something that would be there, and I could easily imagine the Mane 6 visiting on one of their adventures, and meeting Wiley, and other other members of the Great Wolf Pack. And I'm glad that you think so. The genre of having an OC interact with the main cast of another series has been pretty hit or miss; some people love it, others hate it. I kept this in mind when I wrote the story, and hoped for the best. I think it came out really well with the other Great Wolf Pack members (though they aren't called this yet in the story), and Thomas. And yeah, it also surprised me a bit that "The Great Wolf" pack hasn't caught on here yet, but then again, it is kind of obscure, as you'd have to first know about Great Wolf Lodge, and then look into Great Wolf Entertainments to know about it. If these were out on a streaming service, I think more people would know about them. (I found them on YouTube)
And I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. And don't worry, this won't be the last time you'll hear from Thomas, and the Great Wolf Pack (though they're not called this just yet). I have more stories planned for this series, and Thomas and Co will have many unique and crazy adventures in and around the Great Wolf Lodge, some amazing, and some......bad. (These mostly relate to Thomas's past trauma, and his Demons, as well as a sub-plot involving a greedy landowner who hates Mr Strauss, and the Great Wolf Lodge, and wants to have it shut down). And yes, a future story will explain how the group comes to be called the "Great Wolf Pack", this time with Thomas being its 6th member
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You know, I never thought about comparing the pack to the Mane 6, but, now that you mention it, it totally makes sense. You are right that the characters do align together, though I'd add in that Violet holds Fluttershy's warmth and compassion while Brinley is her timid nature.
I've been thinking about where Spirit Water Forest would exist canonically, as, what sort of universe would it exist in? Would it be in a separate universe of its own, or would it be some kind of hidden realm located in the normal world? The reason I mention this is because I'd like to see a story someday about where a human OC joins the canon (perhaps older) pack, whether that be through a full on universal transport, or just being lost in the wilderness in the right area.
The use of water being connected to both the science and magic of the forest could be used as to how said human arrives there. Perhaps being around a Boy Scout who becomes swept away while on a canoeing trip and winds up in Spirit Water Forest. Or maybe around a Civil Air Patrol cadet who winds up there while on a crash rescue exercise in the wilderness, which both would make him intuitive to work with the pack on helping others. Your concept of a wider threat affecting the entire region seems to be on par as a villain the pack would fight, so I'll be on the lookout to see that.
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Yeah, you're right. I thought that Violet was a bit of an anomaly, since her personality didn't quite seem to match up with the Mane 6, but you're right. She has fluttershy's warmth, and Applejack's eagerness to help others
Hmm, that is a good question. Considering how well-grounded in reality the show is, I could see it being a real place, hidden somewhere within the real world, but it can only be accessed via a certain place, and by certain people. And that would be interesting to see. And those are both good suggestions, but allow me to raise you a wilderness firefighter. Say he or she was helping to fight a wildfire, and once it was out, they were checking around to ensure that the fire was fully out, and by chance, they stumble into the entrance to Spirit Water Forest. The Great Wolf Pack then meet this person, and he or she helps them on their quests before they help them get home again
And I think so too. I don't want to spoil too much yet, but this villain, a greedy, mean old man (who was heavily inspired by Henry Potter from the classic film "It's a Wonderful Life), owns a lot of land in the Smokey Mountains, and he wanted to buy up the land around the old Clearwater Resort when it closed, but Mr Strauss beat him to it, and the old man lost his shit over it, and vowed to make Mr Strauss pay for "stealing what was rightfully his", and this triggers the sub-plot that happens throughout various stories in the series as the Old Man and his hired goons try to ruin the Great Wolf Lodge by any means necessary, and Thomas and the Great Wolf Pack have to stop them.
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Huh, you're right. I didn't think that Violet also held traits of Applejack as well.
I hear what you're saying about the wild land firefighter idea. Heck, they could even be a Smoke Jumper for the Forest Service, who literally jumps into Spirit Water Forest. However, the reason I mentioned the previous ones is that it would provide a reason that a teenaged youth winds up in the forest. Thus allowing someone of their age to join up with the pack, which feels like it would line up better. Maybe, to add even more depth to this, said human could be an orphan who is seen as a lone wolf "by circumstance rather than choice," who not only finds a place with the pack, but could also be taken in by Walter and Janice Wolf. Allowing him to find both friends and family amongst the Anthro community. Having also just recently watched the Legend of Luna show presented by the Lodge, perhaps elements of that can be added in as well, with its tie to folklore and mythology. Even then, the lore around the great wolf spirit itself is also chock full of potential for stuff like that as well.
Oohh, I like that idea. Mr. Potter was certainly a devious villain, and to make one inspired by him looking to destroy the lodge and the forest sounds ripe with potential. Honestly, the show itself might introduce a villain like that at some point.
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Yeah. And this might have included Rachel Raccoon too, as she was also helpful, but as it says in the story, she had to retire due to cancer. (This is in reference to GWL retiring her character as a walkaround costume for some reason back in 2019, save for the one in Niagara Falls, Canada)
Yeah, that's a good idea too. And that could be really interesting. I could see this being the plot of a sequel to the "Great Wolf Pack" Movie, with said Human becoming the pack's 6th member. And "Legend of Luna"? Hmm, I haven't heard of that yet, I'll have to go check it out. And funny you should mention the Great Wolf Spirit. I had plans for him(it?) in my stories as well, though instead of Brinley, he selects Thomas, though he doesn't get a cool wristband. I won't spoil what happens yet, but remember Thomas's strange dream where he encountered that winged wolf in his dream. That becomes important later.
And yeah, he really was. And a really realistic one too, since we see plenty of Mr Potters irl all the time. And that's just it. Yes, he wants to destroy the lodge, but not the forest around it. He simply wants to buy the land, and keep it for himself, and turn the resort's main lodge into another private home for himself. He wants to buy up as much land in Western Equestria, especially in the Smokey Mountains, and in and around Spirit Water Forest as he can, and kick everyone, everypony, and every-creature else out. (Why does he want this? He's driven by greed, though I'm still figuring out his exact motives. But it's nothing wholesome, that's for sure)
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Huh, considering I don't have a history with the Great Wolf Lodge, I'm not all that versed with her character. I've heard others mention her name in other areas, but don't know anything about her character. Perhaps she could be re-introduced as Oliver's mother in the show.
And yes, I highly suggest you check out Legend of Luna, which is a nighttime CGI show done by the Lodge in their main lobby, presented in the format as being a story told by the fireside. It does tell a very good story with nice animation and effects. It could also be considered canon, as its being told by Violet's grandmother to her, also being the narrater. There are some amateur recordings of it on YouTube, so I highly suggest you check it out.
Okay, I can see that. Considering you've built an AU of the series from the ground up, it would pay in for your OC to build up the pack's core. The only downside out of this is that I would have preferred that Thomas be a full human, rather than a half wolf/half human hybrid. I understand that this is integral to his character, but considering he's already in a world of Anthros, the contrast would have been better.
Btw, where did you find that artwork of the pack? Its really cool and takes their designs to a whole new level!
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I only learned about her while I was doing research on the GWL for the story. In the lore, she's Oliver's younger sister, though that's not the case in my story. And as for the Legend of Luna, I watched a video of it on YouTube last night, and it was pretty cool. I might have to see if I can work that into the story somehow, maybe as a story told by Violet to Thomas
Yeah, which is why Thomas is the 6th member of the GWP (or at least he will be shortly), and he'll be the one chosen by the Great Wolf Spirit. I won't spoil anything yet, but how he's chosen, and the aftermath will be quite interesting. And I guess I can see your point, but the reason I had Thomas be a Human with wolf features (aka a Lycan), is actually a nod to another story I was working on with a friend, but haven't finished where the MC there was a Human who got attacked by a werewolf, and became a Lycan/werewolf himself, and started a new life for himself in Equestria
And I found it online when I was looking for art of the Great Wolf Pack to get a look at them for their descriptions for the story. I saw it on Deviantart, though I'm not sure if it was originally posted there or not