After a thousand years since the pony war, the Wolven Empire begins negotiations...
Wolves, loyal, honored, cunning, like their tribal ancestors were, have formed an empire of brethren. During the age of expansion, a scout ship among the seas landed on the ground of another great civilization. This was the the land of Equestria. As the team began diplomatic relations with the local population, their iron-fisted leader, Discord, immediately declared war on the empire, sending his captive ponies as worriers. The war ended when the twin goddesses dethroned the dictator. Our story begins about one thousand years after the end of the war as the olive branch of peace could be in grasp of the two nations.
Damon walked into his office for another slow day’s work, closing the white chestnut double doors behind him. Trotting over to the tinted windows, he scanned over the vast empire he knew as his own. He watched from the presidential tower as the civilians of the Wolven Empire continued their daily lives, oblivious to their spectator.
Damon was a pure snow white male alpha wolf, slender in build, with dark silver eyes. His position in the Empire was president as of two years ago. Before that, he was a senator. From an emotional standpoint, Damon was a kind, honest wolf, trying to benefit his brethren like those before him.
After five or so minutes of being an observer to his people, the president turned to his desk to begin the minimal task of sorting through his morning reports. As Damon sat in his leather office chair, he looked at the pile of papers on his desk awaiting his signature, only to see a scroll sitting directly on top of them. The scroll was fastened by a gold ring, engraved with what looked to be a C.
At first, Damon just stared at the paper, unsure of its origin. After a few seconds passed, the president buzzed the intercom, knowing that he should be cautious rather than curious. A second later, his secretary's voice answered, “Mr. President, what can I do for you?”
“I just have a quick question,” Damon replied, still transfixed on the scroll. “Sasha, did I receive any mail recently?”
A short silence filled the room before the voice returned. “Well, besides the monthly reports from one of the outer settlements, no real mail has been dropped off today. Any reason?” Sasha inquired.
“Oh, no reason. Just wanted to see how the day’s schedule looked, nothing more. Thanks Sasha,” Damon replied before signing off.
With his cautious attitude satisfied by his attempt to find the origin of paper, his curiosity peaked, wanting to know what was inscribed on the scroll. He reached out and grabbed the paper, careful not to tear it with his claws. Damon delicately removed its binding and unfurled the paper as he began to read,
To the leader of the Wolven Empire,
Our nations have been at bay, neither knowing nor caring about the other. For many years, this is how it’s been. In those years, I would have hoped to change all of that, knowing our mistakes in the past. Our poor, blood-filled history. Few even remember the war of our people, which is why it would be a time as good as any to make amends.
Our two civilizations are in a time of national peace, something our lands have not achieved in many years. I believe now would be the time to extend an olive branch to your great empire, as you intended for us many years ago. An alliance would benefit us both, so I ask you to consider my request to bury the thousand year hatchet of the past, so our nations may prosper.
In good heart and trust,
Princess Celestia
Damon stared at the letter, rereading it multiple times over. ‘This- this has to be a joke. A- A mistake…’ his thoughts stuttered in his mind. Unlike most wolves in the empire, Damon knew all too well about the sender of the message. After all these years, the ponies have made contact.
Shortly after the assembling of the Wolven Empire, the time of expansion began. During this time, one of many scout ships sailing the seas landed on the grounds of an uncharted mass. The scouts found not only sentient beings, but an entire civilization. This was Equestria, land of the ponies.
As instructed prior to departing the empire, the scouts began diplomatic relations with the new kingdom. Unfortunately, during this time, the tyrant Discord was in power. He broke all negotiations and declared war on the wolves. The wolves, an honor-bound, warrior race, accepted the threat, and began to rally the grand wolf army. The army, steel-tipped by the spec-op team known as the Wolfpack and commanded by Seth Eclipse, set off by ship toward Equestria. At the same time, Discord forced his slave ponies into a militia, hoping to bring more chaos to his disjointed land.
Although warriors in nature, the wolves hated to strike down innocent beings and the one who took it the most to heart was Seth. He was trained as a warrior since he was a mere pup, long before the threat was relevant. He trained along with seven others, including his brother, Dawn. The eight of them, the most highly trained and dangerous wolves in the empire, formed the Wolfpack.
Seth was taught to kill whatever threatened the empire, to obey orders, and to do all it takes for his wolven brethren. The one thing they didn’t mention, and what pained the warrior the most, was what to do if he was fighting a war against innocents.
Two years passed as the war drew out. Lives were lost, cities burned, armies grew tired of killing. Only five remained of the Wolfpack. Seth led a strike on an unknown town in a pointless war, knowing he had done it many times over. He hated it.
The five man squad had already infiltrated the enemy lines. Their goal was to secure the town hall for inbound forces as the team flanked the ponies from the middle. At that moment, they were stationed in an abandoned café, waiting for the order from Seth. The team was armed with black powder muskets using a new, experimental cartridge system. The idea was to shorten reload time between shots. So far, it was very effective.
Seth knew the plan well; place an explosive near the edge of town, set it off, let the ponies investigate, and then take the hall. Nothing could be simpler. After going over the plan in his head one more time, Seth signaled Dawn to push the trigger on the primer. Half a second past, then a muted explosion could be heard in the distance, followed by a rush of ponies toward the smoking building. Now was the time to take the hall. The other wolves dashed out first, followed by Seth taking the rear. As he exited out the building, he was able to see the war-torn town once again. Buildings half destroyed by cannon fire, barricades covering the streets, entire trees ripped from the ground. ‘What anger could have caused this chaos to claim this once peaceful town?’
As the team was approaching the town hall, a white and red blur caught the attention of Seth before slowing to a trot. Lying on the side of the building, half covered in blood, was a small pony, a child from what he could tell. He could easily tell that the kid had been dead for a day or two, but the cause of the fatality made him stop in horror. She was half burned from an incendiary grenade, a kind which only he and his team possessed.
He just stood there, not even aware of his mission or his surroundings. All he knew was that one of the Wolfpack had killed a child in cold blood. It wasn’t like Seth or his team haven’t seen death before; they killed countless ponies. Sure, he didn’t like it, but he could somewhat live with himself afterwards as they were armed and probably going to kill him. In his mind, that was justification for killing them.
This however, was something completely different. This was killing a purely innocent life like it was a blade of grass. Seth just stood there, not even aware of the unicorn charging at him from across the street. The last thing he remembered was the bone-chilling cold of his heart being punctured.
As reality fazed in and out, all Seth could do was wait for his cruel life to unfold. ‘I’m horrible, a monster.’ is all he thought, until out of the dark shadows of his thoughts came a hazy voice, barely recognizable; “…he looks stable. Heart rate ste… …and brain electromagnetic readings are nominal; we might have just brought back a de…” That was all Seth could hear before going back under.
Standing at the bedside of his unconscious brother with look of relief on his face, Dawn listened to the doctor as he explained that his brother had survived one of the most brutal injuries of his time. Dawn smiled at the thought that passed through his mind, ‘I guess miracles do exist.’ Dawn Eclipse looked nearly identical to his older brother. They shared the same dark gray coat, same facial marks, same ice blue eyes, and the same Wolfpack symbol burned on their right front leg. The only differences would be Seth was slightly larger than Dawn, and had a light scar over his right eye, coinciding with his light grey fur line. Back in the war, the two of them were always mistaken for the other. Until now, Dawn hadn’t considered miracles to even exist; especially after that fatal day.
1000 years ago,
Dawn led the pack as they ran to the center of town. As second in command, he made sure the troop got to the target, while the alpha covers the team. Running down the street, Dawn could see devastation everywhere, and this is why he needed to reach the target. If this mission was a success, they could pave a road straight to Discord’s front door. This terrible, bloody war could be over.
Arriving at the town hall, Dawn bashed the double doors with his left forearm, priming his rifle as he did. Seeing that the room was pony-free, he yelled “Clear!” Like planned, the first two wolves were to clear the upper floors, while the third would cover the second ground story doors at the other side of the building. His job was to cover the entrance from flaking attacks while waiting for orders from Seth. ‘Hold up, where’s that wolf anyway?’ He didn’t run in like he planned to. As Dawn quickly scanned the interior of the hall, the wolf heard “clear” multiple times as the team checked the town hall.
‘Seth, you’ve really outdone yourself’, Dawn thought knowing this whole plan had been his inspiration. Chuckling to himself, Dawn glanced out of the door to see if any hostiles were inbound. To his horror, he saw the wolf that was not only his commanding officer, but also his older brother, lying on the ground, wounded. A unicorn was standing next to him, horn covered in blood. Quickly engulfed with pure rage, Dawn yelled to his team, “This one’s MINE!” before dropping his gun and charging at the now aware unicorn, the fear stricken face of which believed his imminent and painful death was near. All that met the three remaining wolves of the Wolfpack were two bloody brothers and the mutilated body of what looked to be a pony.
A retreat was called as the team pulled their C.O. back to the extraction point, top priority being to save their leader at this point. As soon as the brothers reached a medical unit, the doctors began the tedious task of patching the hole through Seth’s side while making sure to keep him as stable as possible.
Dawn sat outside, refusing to believe what just happened, nor caring that he was drenched in his victim’s half dried blood. “It’s my fault. It was my lead, I…” is all he could say, now mixing tears to the already disturbing amount of red in his fur. As Dawn huddled himself into his chair, one of the medics from the treatment unit walked up to him carrying a clipboard, but backed away slightly when he saw the blood. “What do you want?” Dawn yelled, half with rage, half with sorrow.
“Well…” the doctor began, "there's not much we can do. The damage to his heart alone is more than we can hope to repair, not to mention the massive blood loss."
“Then tell me,” the red coated wolf demanded, now increasing in rage. “Why are you telling me this now, out here, while he’s still alive and you’re not treating him?”
“There is an alternative…” the doctor began, earning the slightest interest from Dawn.
“Tell me then!” Dawn ordered, wanting anything to save his brother’s life.
“There is a new method of self preservation, causing the victim’s heart rate to slow to an amazingly low pace. It would be just fast enough to survive, but so slow enough that the blood would clot. Then he can be treated elsewhere.” The doctor continued, pausing only to check his clipboard, “In this case, he would be treated once we have the technology to perform such a surgery. Mind you it may take years until we are remotely close to performing such a surgery, and the whole process is still in an experimental pha–”
“Freeze him,” Dawn said coolly before getting up and trotting toward the shower hall.
With a look of disbelief, the wolven medic stuttered, “Th-there is still a huge risk factor to consider! He might not even survive the freeze shock!”
Dawn just turned and glared at the perplexed wolf before saying, “You just told me he wouldn’t make it if we did nothing. If we freeze him, he at least has a chance. For my brother, I’m willing to try it.”
The doctor just stared as the bloody wolf trotted down the hall.
“Oh, and doc, prepare to freeze me as well, he will need a friend when he wakes up.” Those were the last words Dawn spoke before he left that time.
A team of scientists, general surgeons, and a handful of medical technicians had been dispatched from the Empire as word finally reached the head of military staff. The freezing chambers, otherwise known as cryo chambers, consisted of a metal cylinder with a transparent face about 2’ X 2’ to see the user.
On the rig were multiple compressed gas tanks as well as liquid storage. The theory of freezing a living being was first hypothesized shortly after preservation and medicine skyrocketed during the Wolven Age of Knowledge. Contrary to belief of most wolven prey, wolves are more knowledged in the studies of science than ranged combat, knowing that paw to paw combat was prefered by most wolves.
This is why the civilization was only just achieving reloadable weaponry.
This was one of many lectures Dawn had to sit through before he and his dying brother began the stages for freezing. One side note that caught the brother’s mind was that in cryosleep, you didn’t dream, or even have thought. The idea reassured Dawn, knowing Seth wouldn’t have to suffer much longer.
The process seemed relatively simple. They place a mask over your mouth and muzzle, slowly fill your body with a liquid through your lungs while you breath, and supposedly slow down the aging process. After being injected with different chemicals, your brain shuts down all secondary functions and ‘Poof’, you’re a wolven popsicle.
While Dawn lay down in the tank, back against what felt like foam, he looked over at the adjacent tank. Seeing his brother Seth Eclipse, he knew this would be the last time he would see him again for potentially years. He looked calm, as if not a care in the world could hurt him.
The medical team placed the mask over Seth, then Dawn, as they began to initiate the process of cryo sleep. Feeling the somehow breathable liquid run down his throat, Dawn’s last thought before drifting off was, ‘Here’s to peace brother…’
The capsules were sealed as the two wolven brethren drifted off into cryosleep.
Unfortunately, the plan to unseal the two wolves and treat Seth was quickly forgotten. Due to the failure of taking the little town hall to provide a flanking attack, the army was cut down by the pony militia. After receiving notice of such an attack, Discord was enraged at the knowledge of the near loss of his throne. Discord personally led his slave army against the now weakened empire. In the course of thirteen years, both sides took severe casualties, and the ponies even invaded the empire, causing much turmoil amongst the wolves. As the main legions of Discord’s slowly approached the capitol, an unbelievable stroke of luck rained down upon the empire. On the day of the summer solstice, two unknown goddesses approached Discord’s army. As they began to free the slaves, Discord retreated to Equestria, followed swiftly by the goddesses.
From that point on, the war, at least from the wolves’ stand point, was over.
In the course of fifteen years, the empire had nearly been obliterated. Only seven percent of the population survived. Even less, if you exclude the wounded. The Wolven Empire was nearly killed off in one of the bloodiest wars either race had seen. For the first two hundred years, the only focus was on rebuilding the smoldering masses that were once grand cities, as well as restoring order. The following five hundred were spent returning to the original state of the empire. And from that point on, the empire attempted to flourish as a civilization of knowledge, as well as power.
Equestria suffered a much larger death toll due to the first invasion and the wolves’ experimental weaponry. The reconstruction of their society took a much longer and harder time to progress; With their natural way of life a figment of the past, the ponies were at a loss of morality. At the loss of one of their princesses, the kingdom fell into disarray. These horrid times were never recorded in pony history, attempting, and succeeding, to forget its bloody past. Once Equestria was restored to stable society, the citizens mostly focused on magic rather than science, showing their lack of technology compared to the wolves. The remaining princess influenced the kingdom to turn away from violence, snuffing the flame of the history of war out.
Over the years, ponies died, memories forgotten, and eventually all that was remembered of the wolves were the lesser, mindless pack hunters roaming the forests of Equestria. Nopony even remembered the wolven empire. Well, almost nopony…
“Silv’, Silv’! Get up! We’re nearly there,” yelled the driver of the deuce.
“Then wake me up when we get there…” Silver murmured in response to what looked to be a private driving the god-forsaken steel trap of a military transport.
Silver was a light grey, skinny beta male in his mid forties. He didn't mind the looks, he knew he was a nerd, but at least he didn't lack the decency of a common wolf to let a brethren sleep. Usually, he wasn’t as short tempered as he was today.
Today, however, Silver had been sitting on a piece of cold hard goverment steel for the past ten hours, after being told he was needed for a recovery project. The reasons he was out in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of wolven border was beyond him. Silver wasn’t an archaeologist, he was a technician, a bloody technician. One of the best. He didn't need to be called out to dust off some old war-torn piece of junk, he was needed back home, designing more efficient motors and other ‘things that could wait’ as the government put it. And after thinking this through in his mind over and over, Silver moaned.
“Why are we here?”
“Well, sir,” the combat wolf began, “I’m a bit religious, so it might seem slightly different from your point of–” was all he got out before Silver intruded.
“NO!” Silver screamed in pure rage before relaxing, realizing how loud he yelled even though it was just the two of them. “No, I meant, why are we here,in the middle of the tundra, miles from the nearest city?”
It was true, the truck was in the middle of a tundra, like the rest of the Wolven Empire. The empire was surrounded by snow and trees, but that’s how the wolves began, so they just lived on. Some better than others.
“If they didn’t tell you, they probably told me less. We’re just to meet with the rest of the team,” the ‘private’ answered.
“Figures, the one time I go out of town, it was t – team? What team!?” “Looks like we’re here though,” the ‘private’ announced, breaking the peeved wolf’s concentration.
What met the two wolves made them both forget about their previous conversation. There, out in the frozen wasteland, illuminated by massive industrial spot lamps, was a massive, armored, armed, triple-decked, behemoth of a train.
The combat wolf just stared, unsure what he was looking at, questioning his first thought of it even being a train.
The technician standing next to him however, looked in awe. He knew exactly what it was. During his days back in the university, he took a class in the history of trains. He was able to rattle off some facts and model codes, but this, this was history in the making. This was the Titan class freight convoy, the Iron Clad.
During the beginning of the war, a railway was built strictly for the military to get troops and supplies to the coast. Back then, they just used rerouted freight trains to get the men down and back. As the threat of invasion was looming over the Empire, the design for the Iron Clad began. The idea was that if enemies invaded, the Clad could push back forces and resupply their brethren. Its first, and regrettably last, field test was a shipment of medical research supplies back to the capital from the retreating forces. The plan seemed to go flawlessly, up until the cargo was loaded. As the train began its trek for home, it ran into a team of invading saboteurs, who had blown miles of track in preparation for the invasion. The train was lost in the ever-changing tundra, never heard from again.
“And here you are, my beauty,” Silver muttered to himself, advancing to the train. As he approached, two wolves in kevlar armor, more for the heat than protection, introduced themselves to Silver. He didn't care in the least to know or remember their names.
“We are truly sorry for the short notice, it’s just this needed to be seen,” one of the wolves finally said as they reached the outer edge of the hull of the Iron Clad.
“My pleasure!” Silver replied. “I might not be a historian, but in the tech world, this, this has its own tale. I'm just thankful you called me here to oversee this project.”
Both of the accompanying wolves to Silver exchanged confused glances, before one interjected, “Well, Dr., this might seem odd, but it wasn’t the train we called you to see.”
“Oh?” Silver questioned, slight shock in his voice. “Just follow us, you’ll see,” the other wolf said, gesturing to a dislodged panel of one of the cars.
As the team continued through the abandoned legend, Silver’s irritation began to return to the level it was aboard the truck. ‘They call me to the Iron Clad, a train lost in time, a train I studied, for what, led aboard to find what exactly?’ Silver questioned himself. None of this made sense to him, none! He wanted answers. Now!
“Ok, I've had it, I'm done being in the dark. What exactly does this have to do with me if I’m not going to work with the trian?” Silver yelled, receiving no reply.
The team exited the train parallel from which they entered. At noticing this, Silver realised he never examined the interior well enough to quench his thirst for knowledge, all that he remembered was that he nearly slipped on the iced floor.
Silver, now grumbling to himself about the cold, his ride, the lack of sleep, and anything else that came to mind, nearly tripped over a recently placed tarp. On said tarp was a large, sealed metallic container of sorts. The size of it was about the size of a large refrigerator.
“Let me guess, this is my job. A box?” Silver inquired with much distaste.
“We called you here,” began one of his guards, “because there was more than just medical research aboard the day this train derailed.”
The doctor just rolled his eyes while the two military officers began opening the box. Silver peered inside, trying to hide as much suspicion as possible. Inside the box were two ‘tubes’ (not knowing a better way to define them) about a few meters long. At the ends of the ‘tubes’ were frosted over screens. Looking over at the two officers and seeing concern in their eyes, Silver turned back and slowly brushed off the view port. Through the newly cleared ports, to Silver’s complete disbelief, was a wolf, staring right back.
A pale look came over Silver, now stumbling back, “W-what, a-a-are th-they?” Was all he could muster, still working out what just happened.
“This is why we called you here. What do we do now?” the first officer asked.
After a minute of silence, Silver finally directed, “Get them back to the empire. By means other than a truck. I wish to join them on the trip.”
One week later.
It was first consciousness that met Dawn, although, he was unaware of this fact. The wolf was only interested with thought and exactly what he knew of it. ‘OK, I’m actually thinking, good. This could mean that I'm being unfrozen, also good. This also could mean that the freezing process failed and I’ll be alone with my thoughts for, probably years on end. This is not good.’ The wolf continued with more simple thought processes for some time, until a voice pierced his rambling thoughts for good.
“…Dawn… Dawn, can you hear me? Dawn Eclipse, can you hear me?”
Conscience finally made itself aware to Dawn, as he slowly began to awake.
With all of his will, Dawn slowly attempted to open his eyes. In return, he was blinded by the new found light. He was able to mumble a few words with the little strength he had.
“For wolven sake, do you mind turning the lights down?”
There was a small chuckle to Dawn’s right. As his eyes slowly adjusted to the ambient light, Dawn squinted to find his spectators were what looked to be two doctors and presumably a high ranking official. The lead doctor stepped forward, a slight grin on his face.
“Welcome Dawn, it’s nice to have you back.”
“Nice to be back,” Dawn softly muttered, memory slowly returning. “But seriously, these lights are ki–” he cut off, remembering what just happened to him.
“Anything wrong, sir?” the doctor inquired, slight concern in his tone.
“Where am I, where is my brother?” Dawn barked, more literal than metaphorical. At this point, he was sitting up in his bed, causing him much discomfort, but Dawn didn’t care.
“Don't worry, your brother is being taken care of,” the official spoke up, gaining the attention of Dawn. “After all this time, we’re glad just to see him in the state he’s in.” One question came to mind at the last phrase the second wolf said.
“How long? How long have we been under?” Dawn pleaded, hints of horror in his tone.
“Sir, this might not be the best time to ask that ques–” the doctor began, before Dawn interjected.
“Tell me!”
“You’ve been frozen ‘round one thousand years Dawn,” the official answered, silencing Dawn for the rest of the day.
Dawn was standing on his hind legs, leaning over Seth’s bed. It had been two days since he was revived, and today they planned to wake his brother. The wolf in question was turning in his bed, still technically unconscious.
After the initial rousing, Dawn wasn’t told much about, well, anything. Apparently, the doctors were waiting for both he and Seth to recover before explaining what has happened since the war. All Dawn could think was how the war ended, and at what cost. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as the official from the first day entered.
“Dawn, Seth should be coming to any minute now. I convinced the docs to lay off for a few minutes while we… talk.” The wolf said, standing next to the bed himself.
Dawn only nodded, focusing on Seth, who was beginning to stir.
In the darkened mind of Seth Eclipse, the depressed wolf had begun to question many thoughts, including if he was even alive.
‘I know I was injured, but was it so severe that it finally killed off the the once strong warrior?’ Seth questioned.
‘No! You have survived worse. The scar over your eye proved that.’ A voice responded.
‘True, but does it matter? I’ve killed countless others, my death is justified.’
There was no response, proving to Seth he was right.
In the distance, a light started to form.
‘Is this th-the end?’
‘No, only the next step,’ called the voice.
At this point, the light surrounded Seth’s entire field of awareness, as the wolf began to enter reality.
“Seth… Seth!…” called a voice through the blinding light.
Slowly, a white, sterile looking room began to fade in as the light subsided. Seth tried to turn his head towards the voice, but found the stress to do the simple task to be overwhelming. He was able to relax the side of his aching skull on the pillow, with much effort. What met his gaze was not only surprising, but just plain relieving.
“Seth?” his brother called to him.
“I’m still here,” Seth weakly answered, slowly followed by a small smile.
“You were always the strong one of the pack, weren't you?” Dawn answered, his expression empty of concern and filled with joy for his newly reunited brother.
The two laughed for over a minute, until the official cleared his throat, calling the wolves to attention.
“I’m sorry to cut the two of you off, but, there are things we must discuss, about what happened.”
The reunited brothers just stared at the wolf, giving him their full attention.
“I’m going to say this bluntly, but with the truth; you both deserve that much. You both have been frozen for the better part of one thousand years. When you went under, we were winning the war. The tide turned for the worst a week later. You were shipped back home and then brought back by train. That train was lost by saboteurs who bombed the main tracks to the capital. You never arrived. One member of the Wolfpack died protecting the train from the intruders. The rest of the team was killed in combat the year before Discord invaded the empire.”
The official continued to describe the war for several minutes, not losing the attention of his audience. “In the end, the war lasted fifteen years. Both races were nearly extinct. To this day, we still don’t know what happened to the ponies or their dictator, Discord. Since then, we have struggled to get back to the status we were then. As you can tell, we have made progress, and in a technological aspect, we have passed our previous peak years ago. Even though we have achieved much, we still regret our mistakes in the past.”
By the tone of his voice, the two knew he had finished his speech. The room was then filled with a somewhat eerie silence as the they took in what the official had said. After half a minute, Seth finally spoke.
“What do we do now?”
The official spoke after a small pause.
“We hope to bring you back to the Wolven Empire.”
After a moment, Dawn asked, “What will we do?”
“That is up to you,” the wolf said, before turning to the door. “Oh, by the way, my name is Damon.”
In the following five years, the brothers returned to the empire's military, seeing as it was and has been their only home. After several months of reorientation of technology and science of the new Wolven Empire, the wolven brethren took a firm grasp among their fellow soldiers. Since the war, there has been no conflict. Seth took up research and development as he was always a tech when he wasn’t fighting. Dawn began a career as a pilot, wanting to fulfill his dreams of flight.
Being unfamiliar with the new world, the two struggled, especially Seth. The elder wolf still suffered from the stress of killing innocent beings. Every week for the next year, he requested to take therapy courses to help ease his nerves over the matter. Damon was always in contact with the two, and began a friendship with Seth. When Damon became president, Seth agreed to fill the position of Assistant of Defence. The job was slow, but it gave Seth time to continue his works in research.
8:05 A.M. Present day
Seth was in his office, as he usually was in the morning, sipping a decaffeinated coffee, checking his E-mails as he normally did. Seth’s office was comprised of a desk with assorted pens and papers, three wooden chairs with leather upholstering, and a two monitored computer. On the wall hung two paintings, one was of the symbol of the Wolfpack, the other was of him and Dawn in the tundra. It might be considered simple by most standards, but the simplicity of the room satisfied Seth’s needs.
After finishing his morning ritual of coffee sipping, deleting spam and the occasional important e-mail return, Seth sat back in his chair, preparing his mind for an uneventful day. During this mind set, a thought suddenly occurred to Seth. He, Seth Eclipse, a warrior, was now a desk job worker, somebody he used to mock back in the day. The slight joy of the joke amused the wolf, as he began to sort papers. The only side-note the job of Assistant of Defence in a country without war in centuries is that it was always the same routine. A sudden buzz canceled Seth’s thoughts
“Yes, Mr. President,” Seth answered obediently.
“Seth, we just received a letter,” called Damon from his office.
“Not to be rude, but isn’t mail for the interns downstairs?”
“This letter is a bit too important for an intern. Meet me in my office, asap,” Damon ordered before silencing the call.
‘Well, forget the same routine,’ Seth thought as he got out his chair and walked for the door.
As Seth nudged the president’s door open with his head, he could tell that Damon was in a state of confusion. He was sitting in his chair, looking at what seemed to be the letter in question. In the past years, Seth hasn’t seen his friend in this much of a mess over a piece of paper.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Seth called from the doorway, catching Damon off guard.
“Seth, we have been friends for five years, you don't need to use sir around me,” Damon chuckled.
“Sorry, I'm still military,” Seth returned.
“I wanted to inform you of this letter that arrived today, and it involves you.”
“Me?”
“Look, I’ve always been truthful, about everything. Now, the letter states a potential peace offering to the wolves. I want you as our head diplomat. It might not be easy, but I’ve known you for only five years and you have a cooler head than any of those pencil-pushers down the hall. It’s not an order, but, I ask you not as the president, but as a friend. Will you take the job?”
After a moment’s pause for Seth to think, Seth spoke up, “For you, the long lost warrior will be your diplomat.” Seth laughed at his own joke. Damon just smiled, a hint of concern in his eyes. “So, who’s the new friendly nation we’re dealing with and when do I ship out?” Seth asked, still in a fairly joyful mood.
“Well…” Damon began, much concern now showing. “We have dealt with the nation before…”
“Come on, spit it out,” Seth coxed, slightly less amused
“Seth, this might–”
“Tell me!” he demanded.
“Equestria. You will be shipped out by helicopter tomorrow,” Damon answered blankly.
“What?” Seth Eclipse managed to say, after considerable pause. “What?!”
“Seth, I didn’t–” Damon began.
“You are sending me back to the place I’ve been trying to forget for the past five years?!”
“You are the only wo–”
“You truly thought I would willingly walk right up to the land of the ponies, ask to see their leader, hope they don’t kill me, be haunted by the bloody fact that I killed hundreds, maybe thousands of them, and still ask them if they want to be friends?!”
“Seth–”
“I nearly died there, remember! How do you think I will react to the first sight of a pony? For all I know, my instincts might just tell me to sink my teeth into its neck!” By this time, Seth was yelling like a madwolf. “And you thought I would blindly accept this? Why in wolven hell did you think I would go?” This time, Seth let Damon speak.
“Seth, I’m sorry. I know this was probably the last thing you wanted to hear today, but truly, I have given this premise of international peace much thought, even before the letter. I need to tell you a story. After the war, each leader of the Wolven Empire was given a book, passed down, ruler to ruler, president to president. It contained the history of the war and all before it. After the war, the remembrance of ponies or their nation died out with the miniscule population. The book held that memory, so if the Equestrians ever did make contact, we would have guidance. Seth, you and your brother are the only two wolves who know the ponies, let alone have been on their land.
“I thought the empire would have more time before anyone had to make a decision, but just in the slightest chance, I read the book. When I heard that two surviving members of the Wolfpack were found, I looked up your records. Seth, I know your battles, your strategies, your… losses. The book also mentioned your deep hatred for the war, and the cost of the lives, not just for the wolves, but the ponies as well. The war left a scar on your conscience; I hoped establishing peace would put a mend to that scar. If you want to walk out on this, I wouldn’t think anything of it.”
Surprising to both wolves, Seth was actually considering accepting the president's proposal.
Inside the wolf in question’s mind, Seth was listening to every voice that yelled at him. ‘Say no you idiot!’ one voice screamed.
‘This could be exactly what you need.’
‘What friend sends you back to a place where you once killed ponies?’
‘If he knows my past, why didn’t he send my brother?’
‘Exactly how am I going to contact the—Hold it! Why didn’t he contact my brother?!’
With that thought, all the rest fell silent.
“Why didn’t you contact my brother for this mission?” Seth questioned, feeling slightly idiotic for missing such a detail for so long.
“I did,” Damon began, a look of sorrow on his face. “He told me to send you. Dawn knew the war troubled you more than it ever did him. I argued against it, but he always made the point that if we were to restore peace between the two nations, it had to be you, for you were mortally wounded by a pony. You must forgive them, as they must forgive you of your deeds. You have already forgiven them, now, you must ask for their forgiveness.”
After several seconds, Seth finally spoke. “I'll go.”
“Thank you, Seth.”
“What’s the plan to get me into the nation?” Seth asked, wanting to know every detail.
“You will leave at 07:00 on a Chinook for some plains outside the mountain range of their capital known as Canterlot. From the plains, you will follow the railroad tracks until you reach the city. You then will infiltrate the castle without detection by any civilians. Once you enter the castle, you should be fine. The Princess is expecting you. This mission is highly top secret, so until told otherwise, this is a stealth op. I will be in contact with you via a radio that will be sent with you. Any questions?”
None were asked.
“Good, I'll see you at the Wolfpack Air Force base tomorrow morning. By then, I will have a few parting gifts already stocked for the trip. The rest of the day is yours. Enjoy your last day in the walls of the empire. It will be a while before you get back.”
“Thank you, Damon. If you don’t mind me asking, I would like one last request.”
“Anything,” Damon replied.
“I would like my brother to fly me out to Equestria tomorrow.”
“Done.”
The rest of the day consisted of office cleaning, box packing, trips to a storage unit, and stuffing assorted items into three military duffle bags. Some items included a few military vests, his official officer's suit, assorted snacks, a knife he was given a year into the war after one of his men was lost to an ambush, and a Barrett M107 Dawn gave him two years back for recreation. The necessities of the trip (tent, food, supplies, etc.) were going to be supplied by the military in a pallet-style care package.
For the remainder of the day, Seth walked to the outskirts of the capital and continued into the tundra forests. Before the war, after training sessions he used to walk out in the woods to clear his mind on a frustrating day. Today, Seth just wanted to say his farewells to his land. He found a small cliff edge near the heart of the forest and lied down as he collected his thoughts.
‘Well, forget the simple day. By tomorrow, I’ll be off in a nation that I never thought I would see again. And to top it all off, for the first time in my life, I’ll be the lone wolf.’
For hours, Seth sat on the edge of the cliff, wondering what the next step was. Finally, as his watch chimed that it was 7:00 pm, Seth began his last trek back to the empire.
6:30 am
Seth was checking his bags for the third time that day, making sure he was ready for his new life. He was presently in an officer’s barracks at the Wolfpack Air Force base, where he spent the night due to the fact that he already locked down his house. The C.O. of the base was rather kind about the subject, and gratefully gave the veteran a place to stay. He had already made a run for the mess hall, wanting to use as much time as possible for preparation. As Seth was securing his bags once more, a knock came from the door.
“Yes?” Seth called out. The door opened to reveal his brother, a slight smile on his face.
“The tower’s calling for us down there, you ready?” Dawn asked, spying the three duffels. “Obviously you are,” he joked.
“Har har har,” Seth sarcastically laughed. “You ready to fly to the land of magic ponies?” he retorted.
“About as much as you are ready to go to the peace talks with their leader.”
“That little then,” the two laughed together, as brothers do.
“Well, we best be off. You don’t want to be late for your date,” Dawn called out as he left the room with one of Seth’s bags.
At the field of the base, a Chinook was waiting for the two wolves, being loaded with a pallet of what looked like everything a castaway dreams of. Also waiting for the brothers was none other than the president. As the two approached the helicopter, the wolf gestured for them to come over to him.
“Hello boys, nice to see you two up this early and still perky. You two ready for the flight?”
“Yes sir,” the brothers said in a casual unison.
“Well, I hope you do well out there Seth. And Dawn, get him there in one peace and unseen.”
“And how am I supposed to do that, you gave me the biggest copter built,” Dawn joked.
“I don’t know, fly casually. You’re the pilot.” A small snicker could be heard from Seth at the remark. “Well, so long you two. I hope to be seeing you back soon, Seth.”
“Goodbye, Damon.” Seth called as he entered the Chinook.
“I’ll try not to break this one this time,” Dawn joked as he too entered the helicopter.
Dawn walked straight for the cockpit, while Seth finished securing the supplies and closing the ramp. After finishing the final checks of the interior, Seth joined his brother. As he locked himself into the copilot's chair, he donned the headset previously resting on the control panel. Dawn had also finished his pre-flight checklist, and was about to contact the tower.
“W.P.A.F.B. tower, this is Wishbone Page oh niner niner on pad two, pre-flight check complete. Requesting permission for take-off,” Dawn called out.
“Uh, roger Wishbone Page oh niner niner, permission granted. Have a good day, and good luck to you.”
“Copy that. Thank you tower, we are taking off,” Dawn said signing off.
Soon after breaking contact, Seth felt the massive helicopter lerch off the landing pad towards the skies above. It hadn’t been the first time Seth had flown, although it was the first he was in the cockpit. To be honest, he didn’t know what half the buttons did anyway. For the first half hour, Seth just stared out the window, looking over the peaceful lands as they came and left, while Dawn, who was used to the sights, pulled out a map and was plotting the course for the mission.
After about yet another half an hour, Dawn finally spoke up.
“Wanna know the plan?”
“I thought I made the plans, remember?” Seth gibed.
“Yeah, but the last one nearly got you killed, remember that?” he retorted.
Not wanting to remember that day, Seth changed the subject back to it’s origin.
“Ok, let’s hear it”
“In about another hour, we will be over the coast of Equestria. At that point, we will gain altitude into the cloud line. We just need to stay out of visual sight. To our knowledge, they don't have radar. After the better part of an hour, we will be over the drop point. If the coast is clear, we will land, if not you will make a jump.”
“Ok then, lets hope for a cloudy day and a ghost town landing site,” Seth replied, not wishing to be forced out of a helicopter at such heights. Being in research, he was never forced to do any paratrooper training, plus, an average fear of heights made him feel somewhat uneasy. Though to be honest, it wasn’t the height that worried him; it was the sudden and violent stop that comes with hitting the ground at high velocities should something go wrong.
After another few minutes in silence, Seth was preparing himself to ask the question he needed to say all this time. And that time was now.
“Dawn?” Seth asked.
“What’s up?” Dawn answered through the headset.
“Why did you recomend me?”
“What?” This took the wolf by surprise, not seeing his brother even knowing of the fact.
“You recommended me for negotiations instead of yourself, why? Damon told me you said the war affected me more than you, which might be true, but I still have nightmares of that place.”
“I do too, of losing you. I relive that night when you were hit. Every time it feels as real as it did then.”
“Then why send me off to that same place?” Seth asked, getting more and more confused.
“I… I’m not strong.”
“What?” Seth asked, even more confused.
“I’m not strong. It was the day of our last mission.”
“Dawn, you know that wasn’t–”
“We were at the the town hall,” Dawn continued, obviously ignoring Seth’s attempt to stop what he started. “We had just secured the building when I saw you stabbed. The pony who hit you was just backing away. I… I lost myself. I charged in, not caring how gruesome its death was, how bloody it was. I almost lost you to… them. I never got over it, to this day. I will not negotiate peace with the creatures that nearly took my only brother and family away from me.”
Silence filled the cabin. After several minutes, Seth spoke up.
“I… didn’t know. I’m sorry, I had to bring it up.”
“Don’t be,” Dawn said, in a surprisingly light tone. “You needed to know eventually, why I never talked about the war often.”
“And you are fine sending me in to be the diplomat?”
“Yes. It needs to be done. You are the wisest wolf I know. Thats why you hated the war the most. Thats why you need to lead us to peace.”
The rest of the trip was rather uneventful. Due to the fact they had to fly to such heights to be undetected, both wolves had little chance to get a view of the new land. Seth was mostly checking what supplies he was given, while Dawn was grabbing some much needed rest while the auto-pilot took over the flight. Five minutes before they reached the LZ, Seth kicked Dawn in the arm to wake him up.
“Five more minutes… just let me sleep…” Dawn said drowsily.
“If you don’t wake up, I’ll throw you out of this tin can in five minutes,” Seth threatened.
“Fine, fine. I’ll get up,” Dawn muttered as he began checking the navigation panel. “You ready back there?”
“All set back here. Are we landing, or am I just dropping in?” Seth joked, hoping his statement wouldn’t be literal.
“I can't tell from here. Why don’t you pop the hatch and see what you can.”
“Will do,” Seth called, before securing himself to the base of the hull with a cable. After doing so, he pulled the opening lever to the back ramp and began his recon. From the ramp, Seth could, with slight difficulty from the cloud cover, see most of the fields below. From this view, you couldn’t see any war damage from back when he was last here. Although, Seth could spy a group of farmers, working on their harvest for the year.
“Well…” Seth muttered under his breath.
“Well what?” Dawn replied, surprising his brother, not knowing he was still wearing the headset.
“We got farmers about five, six miles from the LZ.”
“Well then, our goodbye will have to be cut short. You better strap up for a jump.”
“Yeah… I know,” Seth sighed, not wanting to think about the jump.
After some time of getting the tight paratrooper vest onto his brother, Dawn, who had once again activated the auto-pilot, began the crash course of parachuting.
“Basically, you will take a running jump out of the back of the helicopter. Normally, after ten seconds, you would pull your shoot, but since this is a stealth mission, you won't deploy until you are about 30 meters from ground level. Because you are new at this, the parachute will self deploy. All you have to do is cause enough drag on the way down. Basically, look like a snow angel in the sky.” This remark earned Dawn a slight chuckle. “Got it? Good. You’re all set for the jump, just run when ready.”
“Goodbye, Dawn.”
“Goodbye, Seth. It’s been one hell of a life with you.”
1. Wolves were not meant to fly! 2. Kill Dawn for making me jump! This was a mistake, a really bad mistake!’
Seth was free-falling—well, more like tumbling—from around 6000 to 7000 feet towards solid earth, and he hated heights.
‘Ok… ok, focus. You need to think,’ Seth mentally chanted. He was usually better under pressure, but free-falling was a different subject. ‘Snow angel… Snow angel… Look straight forward and relax, nothing can go wrong…’
…Well, like most things in life, there always was an ironic twist. Seth didn’t realise it, but his brother wasn’t the only spectator of his mature, ballet performance in the sky.
Canterlot castle
5 minutes before drop
Shining Armor was on his usual patrol of the castle walls. Checking up on the guards, keeping areas secure, telling ponies to move along; It was a pretty simple life being head of the guard. Today, Shining was reviewing the tower security, and first on the docket was a pegasus by the name of Stormfront. The pony in question was right around the corner, spectating from the east-side balcony of Princess Luna’s tower.
“Attention!” Shining yelled, wanting some early joy to a so far slow day.
“Ah!” The pegasus jumped, before standing to attention. “Reporting for duty, sir.”
“At ease. Anything to report?” Shining inquired, now in a much more calm and cool tone.
“Nothing as of yet,” Stormfront replied, catching the joke. “Is there anything I can do for you, sir?”
“No, it’s just another review day and I needed a laugh. Sorry it had to be at your expense,” the senior guard replied. “You have a good day Storm.”
“You too, sir,” the pegasus replied, caching a gray dot in the corner of his eye. “At least it… is a… sunny…” was all Storm could say before losing his train of thought on the falling gray pony.
“Oh, Storm?” Shining Armor called out, trying to release his fellow guardspony from the trance.
“Look sir,” Storm said, gesting in the direction of the gray dot. “I think it’s a falling pony!”
“Hmm…” Shining grunted, looking in the direction Storm had gestured. He quickly spotted the object and declared, “That’s no pony…”
“You want me to check it out?” Storm inquired, still transfixed on the dot.
“You stay here, I’ll get this one,” Shining ordered, half for protocol, half to get out of a slow day. “If anyone asks, tell them I’m checking out a disturbance.”
A flash of of purple later, and Shining Armor was gone.
Back in the sky, Seth was cursing under his breath, noticing the ground approach at a much faster rate than earlier.
“I’m going to kill that wooffffff–” Seth exclaimed, but was cut off by his shoot pressing against his chest. “What… what in wolven he–” he tried to get out, again being cut off, but this time by the impact of him landing on the ground.
For a few minutes, Seth was lying on the ground, dazed by both the parachute deployment, and the impact. After regaining his air and his balance, Seth took a few glances around his new surroundings. First impressions were good; no one seemed to see his landing, terrain was more than adequate, and he could see the tracks. The only downside was that, compared to the Wolven Empire, Equestria was uncomfortably warm. All things considered, the mission was going well. Now, it was time to get supplies.
“This is Lone Wolf to Eagle 1, do you copy?” Seth called through his earpiece.
After a few seconds of delay, “This is Eagle 1, I copy. Ready to drop the package on your mark,” Dawn called from the Chinook above.
“I’m ready, Dawn. You are clear for drop.”
“Package is away! Good luck down there.”
Form the ground, Seth could already see the pallet of supplies pop out of the cloud cover and begin its descent.
“I have visual of the package,” Seth reported.
“Well, its time for me to head out then. Good luck, Seth.”
“Goodbye, Dawn. Ow, by the way. When I get back, I'm pushing you out of a copter.”
“And I’ll enjoy it. Eagle 1, out,” Dawn called, before signing off.
At this point, the pallet had already deployed the parachute and was about to touch down. Seth trekked over to the landing site of the pallet, unstringing the tangled parachute from his back. The now free chute blew off in the mild breeze as the newly arrived supplies landed with an impressive thud. As Seth began looking over his baggage, checking for any damage from the drop, he noticed a piece of paper tucked under one of his duffle bags. Upon further investigation, it turned out to be a picture of himself with his brother, a miniaturized version of the same picture that hung in his office.
After a few seconds of memorable thought, he tucked it into one of the bags and began loading anything he needed for the trip to the capital. This included strapping on one of his military vests, taking a swig from his canteen, grabbing a map, tossing a few ration packs into a duffle, and tossing the three bags onto his back. Knowing he wouldn’t be back for the pallet for a few days, Seth tossed the light camo cover over the remaining supplies.
*snap*
‘Ok time to get some distance on the capital. With any luck, I’ll be there by sundown.’ Seth assured himself.
*Snap*
Seth cocked his head at the new noise. After a few seconds of doubt, he began his trek for the city. ‘Just follow the rails, stay out of sight, and I should be fi–’
*SNAP*
“Freeze!”
‘Crap…’ Seth thought, already planting himself in a defensive pose, trying to locate the voice’s origin. That origin, unaware to Seth, was charging at him from his 7 o'clock, and at a speed to knock the nearly already dazed wolf off his paws, and nearly unconscious.
“Wolven hell, you… told me to freeze, and I did,” Seth weakly insulted, staring at a rock that was about a foot from him while he tried to regain his bearings.
“Stand Down!” The voice demanded.
“Really, really! I’m already on the ground. How much more ‘down’ can I stand?” Seth asserted, a touch of annoyance in his voice.
A white cylinder landed right on top of the rock. “What are you doing here!”
Slowly, Seth gazed up at his new aggressor. It, he, was what looked to be a white stallion, horn protruding from his head, with a blue symbol across his chest plate. The expression on his face was a mix of confusion as well as anger.
At the sight of the pony, Seth’s instincts flared. He attempted to lunge for his new predator, only to be held back by his weakness as well as his three overstuffed duffle bags.
At the sign of aggression, the stallion raised his hoof and struck the weakened wolf across the left of his muzzle, rendering the wolf unconscious.
After several teleportations, a great deal of dragging, and some odd glances by his fellow guards, Shining Armor had finally drug the intruding wolf to the the princess for further orders. Up until now, Seth was still under from the bash to his skull, the pain of which caused the wolf to stir. From his limbo state of consciousness, Seth could easily feel the pain, as well as partially make out voices from his surroundings.
“Princess, I have found an intruder…” The voices faded in and out as Seth began to become more aware of what was around him. “…was found at the plains just beyond the city limits. A box of supplies was found alongside his position. I have already dispatched a few guards to capture it. What do you suggest we do with… him?” The familiar voice of Seth’s attacker inquired.
“Untie him immediately! I must speak with him at once,” a new feminine, almost worried voice called out.
‘Wait, I’m tied up?’ the wolf questioned. It was true, as he began to open his eyes, he noticed he was lying on the ground, paws tied together with a thick white rope.
“Are you sure? He tried to attack me back where I found him,” the first voice questioned.
“And by attack,” Seth began, not caring for protocol or politeness, “you mean try to lunge at you after you threw me to the ground.” Seth looked up at the two arguing voices to find the white-coated stallion from earlier, along with a much larger, white, winged unicorn female. The multicolored mane of which was flowing in a breeze that slightly confused Seth. This one seemed to be the princess, as she was on a throne.
The two instantly turned to the new voice, slight shock on their faces. Seth returned their stare with a look of mild irritation. After several uncomfortable seconds passed, the princess illuminated her horn, which in turn caused the ropes to loosen around the wolf’s legs. This was no surprise to Seth however. During the war, he had seen multiple events of the unicorn breed using telepathy and many other forms of magic. He didn't understand it, but at the time, he didn’t need to.
At the point of his release, Seth slowly stood up, examining himself for injuries and other abnormalities. One key difference was that he was still wearing his vest, but his three bags were absent from his back. After a thorough inspection, nothing out of the ordinary found, Seth spoke again.
“Thank you.”
“You're quite welcome,” the female, or mare by pony terms, replied. This earned a puzzled look from the white guard.
“Why have you trespassed onto our lands, wolf?” the Guard asked, wanting to join the conversation.
“My business does not concern you,” Seth replied, now fairly ticked off with the pony. “My reason for being here is only for the princess, no one else.”
“Very well then, if you would excuse us Shining Armor, we have some business to discuss,” the princess replied in a cheery tone.
“But Princess Celestia, I must protest, he is a killer wolf!” the stallion, Shining Armor, pleaded, earning a hateful gaze from Seth.
‘Not all wolves kill. Well, we all eat meat, but thats beyond the point,’ Seth thought to himself.
“I think I can handle myself. Now, if you don’t mind…” the princess implied, coaxing the impatient unicon out of the room.
“Good day, Princess,” Shining said in defeat, finally giving up on the matter and cursing under his breath as he walked out of the door.
With a glimmer of magic, the doors closed, leaving the wolf alone with the princess. Another round of silence filled the room. This time, it even creeped Seth out.
“Well, why don’t we get to business, shall we?” The princess announced, trying to break the ice. “I assume you are here from the Wolven Empire. Have you considered our proposal?”
“Well, yes. We have considered the idea of peace between nations, and we believe that it would be a very beneficial gain for both of us,” Seth began, trying to make this thing short and sweet.
“Wonderful, just wonderful,” the Princess exclaimed. “Oh, I am ever so sorry for the rude welcome to Equestria. I do hope you are alright.”
“Don’t worry about it. It was nothing, your majesty,” Seth reassured her, trying to sound humble, yet wanting to get this negotiation thing over with. He was already sweating through his fur, and not just because this place was forty degrees warmer than home.
“Very well. If I may, I never got your name.”
“My name is Seth Eclipse.”
A slight glimmer of panic ran through Celestia’s eyes at the name, which Seth was unaware of. She had noticed the mark on his leg, the scar over his eye, but the name just locked the fact in place. ‘This wolf is a killer!’
“Is anything wrong, Princess?” Seth called out, noticing Celestia was staring at him for a good ten seconds.
“No, no. Everything is fine,” Celestia answered, noticing her own suspicious behavior. “I just remembered I have to write to my protege about an upcoming event. Back to the matter at hoof, I would like to ask a favor of you, Seth.”
“What might that be?” Seth asked with trepidation, not liking where this might be going.
“If you could, would you mind staying in Equestria for a few weeks, get to learn the society and customs of our culture. It would probably do the peace treaty some good if you could give a little background about Equestria.”
‘Well crap. How did I know?’
“I could possibly stay. I’m not expected back anytime soon. If it does the treaty any good, I’ll do it. Where is my residence?” Seth asked, not even believing what he just said.
“Good. Wonderful! Take the next train to a town called ponyville. From there, talk to the librarian, she will guide you from there,” Celestia instructed in her ever present, cheery tone. “Oh! And one last thing. You might want to wear this cloak.”
Before Seth could even ask, a cloak was thrown onto him.
“Good luck, Seth Eclipse,” the princess called out as she walked out of the room.
Seth was now standing, alone, in the middle of the throne room of the Princess of Equestria, a land which he had hoped to never have anything to do with ever again.
“What… the… WOLVEN HELL did I just get myself into?!”
I am glad to hear that your studies of friendship are going well. It is nice to know that my star pupil is getting along so well with her new found friends. On a more pressing matter, I have an important favor to request of you. I have been in contact with a neighboring land for the past few days now, and they wish to establish peace between our two nations. They have already sent a diplomatic representative to converse the treaty with.
However, due to an unforeseen event elsewhere in Equestria, I will not be able to provide accommodations for him. I am sorry to call upon you so abruptly, but if you could provide hospitality for this visitor to our lands, it would be both kind and noble of you, not to mention it would further strengthen the relations of our two nations. I have already spoken to him, and he is on his way to Ponyville. He should arrive around late afternoon if all goes well. I will send his belongings to you tomorrow morning. This is a great task, Twilight Sparkle, but I have complete faith in your judgment and wisdom.
Your guiding mentor,
Princess Celestia
Seth had already been roaming the streets of Canterlot for the past fifteen minutes trying to find the station, concealed by the hooded robe. It was a white velvet cloak bearing the Equestrian emblem. However, the robe was a bit tight and hot due to the fact Seth was still wearing his combat vest. He tried to keep the painting to a minimum, but he was used to the snow covered streets of home. In one of the pockets of the cloak, Seth had found a train ticket for his ride to ponyville.
Being his first view of an Equestrian town—besides the war—Seth was a bit shocked by the architectural design. Nearly every building had at least five hearts imprinted somewhere on it, be it windows, doors, paint, etc. Wasn’t there a shed of masculinity in this nation? What further baffled the canine, was the fact that a gray wolf was strolling through town with one of the worst disguises ever imaginable, and they lived their lives like nothing was ever different.The one pony who spotted him was that guard when–
“Eclipse!”called a distinct voice from behind the wolf.
‘Can't even finish my thoughts without him popping up,’ Seth thought, trying to stay nonchalant, but still trying to avoid the sight of his pursuer.
This, however, was quickly thwarted by the white stallion placing himself dead center in the wolf’s path.
Seth gazed into the eyes of his obstruction, irritation growing every second.
“Look, I don’t know why you’re here, and frankly, I couldn't care less. All I know is that you are here, and you are a wolf,” Shining Armor began, earning a legitimate growl from Seth. “I know wolves aren't known for their kindness, so if you dare harm even one fiber of a pony, I will personally hunt you down and–”
“That’s it!” Seth howled, grabbing the unsuspecting pony by the breastplate and forcing him to the ground. “I have had enough of your comments against wolves! You think all wolves love killing just for the bloodlust? NO! We kill for honor, something you as a soldier need.” Shining reached out his hoof trying to dislodge the grip of the wolf, failing to even make a change in force. “For the past five years, the only killing I’ve ever done has been forest hunting. I don't kill for bloodlust, I never have! And I don’t kill the innocent
Seth trailed off in his speech, easing his grip on the now dented plate. The wolf’s final comments confused Shining Armor to the point of curiosity, but he still had to bring up the reason of why he was here.
“Well, the reason I’m here was not to insult you. The princess requested that I escort you to the train station, seeing as it is your first time here and all,” the stallion said, not wanting to aggravate the wolf any further. Shining knew there had to be more to the canine’s story.
Without another word, the two continued down the streets of Canterlot, receiving the same little attention from the townsfolk. It took only five minutes for the pair to arrive at the station, while if Seth was alone, he probably would have missed his train. As the two waited for the train, Seth finally broke the silence that plagued the two during their walk.
“Thanks,” was all the wolf said, putting an end to the silence for a good half a second before he spoke again. “Why do you hate wolves?”
“What?” a surprised Shining Armor asked, not expecting to be part of another conversation with the wolf.
“You heard me. You obviously have some sort of discomfort with us. I’d like to know why.” Seth jabbed at the guard, seeing nothing better to do.
“If there is any hatred, it would be from me just being worried for the safety of Equestria and all that is within. Nothing more,” Shining answered, not wanting to continue further. There was a reason for his distaste for the piece of fur standing next to him, and he knew it all too well, as Seth could clearly see. However, Seth also knew that this pony could likely have him killed for pissing off a royal guard, let alone assault, so Seth dropped the subject, not wanting to be executed on the first day.
The next quarter of an hour was filled with continuous silence until the intercom sounded the arrival of the train. As the locomotive pulled into the station, Seth could only feel his pride, honor, and his dignity drop below the surface of the planet. Like the town, the train was covered in possibly even more hearts. The only pleasant point of the trip would be getting away from the guard.
As the conductor called for the the passengers, Seth boarded the train and promptly found a vacant car for the journey. Shining Armor watched as the train departed, hoping never to see the wolf again.
“Are you dropping off family?” an elder mare asked but a few feet away.
“What? Oh, no. Just helping a visitor to the station, that’s all,” Shining answered in his usual kind tone.
“Wow, a canterlot guard escorting a pony to Ponyville. That’s a first.”
“Yeah, its kind of a long– Wait, did you say Ponyville?” the stallion questioned, just becoming aware of the fact.
“Yes, my daughter lives down there with her husband. They just stopped off to visit me. Isn’t that nice? They took time out of their busy schedule just to see little old me. I wish I could do the same, but with all my work in the foreign trades, I barely have time to breathe.”
“I know the feeling. Now, if you don’t mind, I have to discuss a few issues regarding foreign affairs myself,” Shining announced, beginning his short journey to the throne room of Canterlot Castle
The ride to Ponyville was rather pleasant. The trip mostly consisted of Seth staring out of the window, both for the beauty of the land and to concentrate on his thoughts (and yes, stick his head out like a common dog, once. Just once). The land was beautiful. There was no sign of the war, none. The craters, the scorched fields, the incinerated towns, all gone. Now, now there was life.
As the train lurched to a stop, Seth returned his thoughts to his surroundings, knowing he needed to concentrate to stay unnoticed. He had been sloppy on the way in, so it was imperative for him not to mess anything else up. It was about late afternoon at best, and Seth assumed it would be best to arrive before nightfall.
The concealed wolf stepped off of the train only after the majority of the passengers had already departed from the considerably smaller platform. From there, he began his trek into the town. First impressions were that ponyville made Canterlot look like a metropolis, although to Seth’s displeasure, it still had hearts. From what Seth noticed on the train, the town was founded around agriculture, due to the fact that there were a plethora of crop fields surrounding the outskirts.
It seemed relatively simple from this point on: lay low, don't draw unwanted attention to himself, and get to the library before anyone noticed there even was a wolf in town. The passers by of this town seemed just as ignorant of his presence as the last town was. As long as there were no temperamental guardponies around, this would be a cakewalk.
Or so he thought.
Without warning, Seth was hit by what felt like a cannon causing his already sore hind leg to buckle under the pain. Thankfully, the cloak was still concealing the wolf, who was now questioning what just hit him. As he peered in the general direction of the strike, Seth’s heart dropped when his stare was met by a pink, poofy-haired mare. He had just blown his cover.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you there. I was just running to get to Dashy’s place and see if she wanted to go pranking with me. She always does. Unless she's practicing for the Wonderbolts, or messing with clouds, or napping,” the mare rambled, obviously not aware of her companion. “But today, I’ve planned the best prank ever. She won't have any choice but to join me, we’re going to have so much fun. So much fun it will make making cakes look like nothing. Well, cakes are fun to make, so it might make the cakes look like something. Not a big something, but a something. OH, but not too small of a something either, cause cakes are always fun! Speaking of fun, I just had a party yesterday and it was the funnest party I ever had. Well, maybe that one part where Twilight… Yeah, that one was a lot funner than yesterday,” continued the pink pony. While she broke off into a different subject, the now highly disturbed wolf was wondering which of the two of them were more threatening. “…This one time—WOHHHHH!” the mare gasped, now hovering a good three feet in the air. The sudden outburst and lack of physics caused Seth to roll back a few feet.
And after five seconds of broken reality, the mare shot off like a cannon down a street, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.
“What the fu…” were the only words the bewildered wolf could manage to say after what just occurred. After the shock wore off, Seth began his journey once again in the search for the library.
Ponyville library
For the better part of the last hour, Twilight Sparkle had been sorting books, cleaning used scrolls, discarding broken quills, and anything else the unicorn could think of to make the library she called home more welcoming. All this time, she was being lectured by (and lecturing) her assistant Spike, who at the moment was dusting an assortment of items and locations.
“Look, Twilight,” the dragon continued on their debate, “I don’t see the big deal about this guy staying for a few nights here. I mean, he's not a king or anything. The guy’s just another decent living being.”
“Spike, don't you get it?” The mare continued, obviously planning to win this quarrel. “Diplomats report to kings! They’re basically the eyes and ears for their entire nation. Our work here will represent all of Equestria. The fate of not only the nation, but the diplomat's nation as well, rests in our hooves!”
“And claws,” Spike added.
Without even listening to spike, Twilight continued, “We need every thing to be perfect; the slightest flaw might cause an international dispute! I couldn't bear knowing I could have started such a thing.”
“Twilight,” Spike called to his long-winded friend.
“What if the debate eventually leads to a break in natality!?”
“Twilight.”
“Or maybe start a full on war! Just think of the death!”
“Twi–”
“All the death and destruction just because of me!” Twilight moaned, now beginning to shed tears.
“TWILIGHT!” Spike demanded, getting rather tired of the one-way conversation.
“Yes, Spike?” The mare answered, snapping straight out of her previous sadness.
“Thank you,” the dragon mumbled. “Do you still want me to pick up the stuff for the casserole?”
“Oh, I nearly forgot. Yes, I still need the celery and probably another bunch of daisies. Do you mind running to the market and seeing if they still have some?” the now calm Twilight requested.
“Not at all, it would be nice to get out and about,” Spike called halfway out the door. “Away from miss crazy mare,” he finished under his breath.
With Twilight alone, she could keep her thoughts to herself as she cleaned nearly every surface of the tree-library.
‘I wonder what nation is asking us for peace? And what are they like? They could be explorers, wishing to know what lies around them. And the diplomat, a captain of his own ship. They could even be scholars like myself! And he, one of the wisest and most brilliant, to secure peace and knowledge for their kind. Or, they could be brutal tyrants! And the diplomat is a fierce, bloodthirsty general. They didn’t come to negotiate peace, they would take it by force!’
These, and similar thoughts, continued forming from Twilight's mind for some time, until they were rudely interrupted by a sudden knock of the door.
‘Ok, Twilight. You can handle this. You turned one of the worst possible ponies back into the princess’s sister, this should be easy. Plus, Celestia sent him to me herself. She can't give me anything I (or at least my friends) can't take, right?’
Another knock sounded, this one was a bit unsure.
‘Well, Twilight, it’s time to see who your guest is, shall we?’
Twilight approached the door, gave one final calming breath, and turned the knob. The breath didn’t help.
Staring down, the now the fear-stricken unicorn was face to face with a snow white, cloaked gray wolf, scar embedded over his right eye. The ice blue eyes penetrated past whatever confidence Twilight had left and extinguished her spiritual flame. The last act Twilight performed before falling into fear’s grip of unconsciousness was to feebly utter the word “Wolf.”
“Hello?” Seth cautiously said to the now unconscious unicorn, who in just mere seconds of the sight of him fell flat on her back (or side) after barely saying ‘wolf’. The wolf in question was now staring, dumbstruck, at who he had assumed to be the librarian. Knowing his febil jester would do him little good, Seth concentrated on what exactly to do. He never actually had a wolf unconscious left under his care, let alone a random pony he hadn't even met. Back in the war, if somewolf was down, you would toss him onto your back and run to the nearest foxhole. Something told him that this would take a little improvising.
After a bit of a struggle, due to the still sore leg and the fact he was wearing two pieces of abrasive clothing, Seth managed to get the purple unicorn onto his back after nuzzling his head under her chest. After achieving his tack, the wolf promptly entered the hollowed tree and closed the door behind him.
The first thing Seth noticed was architecture: for once, nothing had a heart. Another difference he noticed was that the library seemed to serve the purpose as a household as well. What tipped the wolf off was a desk against the wall that seemed too cluttered to be of public use.
There seemed to be three other rooms to the library, a second room, a basement and a second floor. Knowing first priority would be to get the unconscious pony on his back to a better location, primarily a bed, Seth chose to climb the stairs. On the other side of the door at the peak of the stairwell revealed a bedroom. Being a wolf, he could clearly see the star spangled bed as well as a dresser, bookshelf, and what looked like a large pet bed. He walked over to the bed, and as gently as possible, lay the pony down on the bed.
Or at least try to. What ended up happening was the pony slipping off the sheets and landing square on the floor. It took another minute to get her back atop the bed the second time, this time with success. He then stripped of both articles of clothing, seeing no other way to cool down, before returning his attention back to his host. Seth couldn't help but stare at the pony, now unconscious on the bed. She was a purple coated pegasus with a darker shaded flat main. The emblem on her rump was of a star surrounded by smaller, less vibrant stars. Seth knew that every pony had one similar to this, but the name and origen were lost to him. After some time, he finally broke his trance off the pony, realising he still had a job to do.
The time was roughly evening, so he assumed his host would be out until the morning. In retrospect, he could use the time. So far he had been assaulted by guards, insulted by rude ponies, tricked into going to a farm town by royalty, met up with the guard again, saw a pony defy physics (which still had Seth’s brain hurt over trying to comprehend the bending of reality), and to top it all off, scare his host nearly to death, literally! He could use the time alone.
The only fatal flaw in his plan though, was the basic need for food. Usually, Seth could suppress the urge for a time, however it had been all day since he had a bite to eat, and that was a piece of dear he and Dawn snacked on on the way here this morning.
‘Possible choices
A. Check the pantry of this library's kitchen
B. Find a restaurant in the town
C. Find a hunting ground’
A was reasonable, although it also seemed pretty rude to ransack the food supply of the wolf-pony in this case- that you're staying at. B was definitely off. C was probably the most reasonable, he loved hunting back home and it was a reliable food source. With his mind made up over his hunger, he began down the stairwell to the forest outside the town. Or so he thought.
“Hey Twilight, Spike told me you were having daisy casserole, so I came by to-”
Standing at the doorway, now aware of the presence of the wolf, stood a technicolor maned pegasus, poised to strike. The two exchanged quizzical yet threatening shares for five seconds. Then, the pegasus made the first move, bolting towards the awaiting wolf, who had donned a slight amused grin. Already plotting his attack, Seth lunged towards the inbound projectile. He was tired of losing today.
The sudden move caught the pony off her guard, losing focus on her target and nearly hitting the stairs. Halfway over the pegasus, Seth extended his hind legs, achieving contact with his purser's winds, forcing the pony to the ground. Seth landed perfectly as planned on the opposite side of the room, again waiting for the pony to make the next move. Upon stumbling to the ground, the pegasus quickly regained her awareness and this time charged on foot toward the wolf. In tern, Seth used his right forepaw to toss the unprepared pony to side of the room,landing on her back, hitting the desk and knocking over some books. Not wanting to continue the struggle, Seth lunged atop the pegasus, pinning her down with his forepaws.
“Mother bucker, what have you done to Twilight!” The pony demanded, trying (and failing) to struggle out of the wolfs grasp.
“I haven't done anything. Who are you?” Seth asked, wondering why he was pinning a strange pony in another stang pony’s house.
“Ya, you would like to know, wouldn’t you!”
“Look, this doesn’t have to get any worse.”
“Ya it does!” The pony yelled, seeing her one shot. With all her strength, she lunged her hind knee straight between her captor’s legs. With a howl, the wolf relieved his strength and fell to the ground in a pile of pain.
Squinting up at his attacker, Seth saw the pegasus standing over him, still as aggravated as ever.
“Two words. Cheep. Shot.” He muttered, still in deep pain. He may have been army, but a nut shot is a nut shot.
“Two words. Don’t. Care.” The pegasus replied, now raising her hoof to strike the final blow.
Seht squinted, waiting for the impact, but instead was given the feeling of weightlessness. Opening his eyes, he found both him and the multicolor-maned pony floating two feet in the air surrounded by a purple ara. Both he and the pegasus had the same confused expression about their newfound conundrum. Moments passed, then without warning, both of the adversaries were heroled and pinned to the nearby wall.
“Alright!” A shill, annoyed yell boomed from the top of the stairwell. The owner being a peeved off purple unicorn, horn brightly light. “Which one of you was the one who knocked over my books?!?!”
Without hesitation, the pegasus pointed her hoof straight at the confused Seth “He did it!”
[hl] “So you're saying this fleabag is a king?” The pegasus asked now leaning against the wall with an icepack dawned on her head.
For the past five to the minutes, Twilight Sparkle had been trying to explain what was going on to Rainbow Dash, while the cyan pegasus tied multiple ropes around the wolf (ignoring every protesting comment from Twilight). Seth was lying on his back, tied as if he was a cow, slowly trying to cut the rope with his claws. He had been able to figure out from context that the pony who had threatened him was Rainbow Dash, and that the librarian was Twilight Sparkle. Twilight seemed to be the pratagy the princess mentioned, as well as the town librarian. It seemed odd that a student a princess was given a low level job like this, but look at his life, a thousand year soldier working a desk job, let alone being a diplomat. So far, besides the ropes, the two had given the wolf little attention.
“No, he is a representative of the king. His job is to tell the rulers what we are like.” Twilight explained, still trying to clean the mess Dash had made. “and you tying him up isn’t doing us any favors!”
“Then why did he attack me? And why did Celestia send him here?”
“How should I know? The princess has only sent me the one letter, nothing more. If you have any questions, why don’t you ask your captive.” Twilight gesture to the bound Seth. With much annoyance, Rainbow removed the muffling Seth’s mouth.
“Ok, what is it with ponies and wanting to tie me up?” Seth asked with real interest in the response. All he received were confused stairs from the two.
After a moment, Rainbow began her questioning
“Who are you, wolf?”
“Rainbow!” Twilight protested, not wanting to cause any more problems with their guest than they already had.
“My name is Eclipse, Seth Eclipse. I am a diplomat from the Wolven Empire.” Seth stated.
“You're here to negotiate with Equestria?” Twilight asked, now fairly intrigued.
“Basicly. But first, can one of you untie me” slight annoyance in Seth’s tone.
“Oh, sorry about that, just give me one-”
“Twilight, this wolf is... well, a wolf, a killer! You can’t just let him go!” Rainbow protested.
“Hang on, I got it.” Seth announced, finally breaking through the last binding. Once free, he stood, now towering over the ponies.
“Hey, I didn’t say you could be free!” Dash protested, now charging towards the wolf, only to be halted by Twilight’s magic grasp of her tail.
“Rainbow!”
“Thanks,” Seth acknowledging the favor, a small smile perking on his face.
“No problem.” Twilight responded, letting go of the irritated Dash. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions?” she asked, wanting to know everything about the wolf.
“Oh, sure.”
“So, you said you were a diplomat, right? How long have you been in the job?”
“As of today, around seventy two hours.” Seth responded, chuckling at his own answer.
“Oh.” Was all twilight said.
“Wait, what! Three days?” Rainbow interjected. “They send a boy to negotiate for their nation? Wow, wolves are domb.”
“Rainbow!” the unicorn scolded.
“It’s ok, not the first criticism I heard today.” Seth replied “Did you have any more questions?”
“Oh, yes.” Twilight perked up, grabbing an unusually long scroll from the nearby table, surprising both Seth and Dash. “So, you are a wolf?”
“Compared to...”
“Well, here in Equestria, we have a similar species known as timber-wolves, I was wondering if you were a crossbreed of a different species or not.”
“Well, to answer your question, I’m a pure gray wolf alpha-male” he replied. ‘Now, what was that about timberwolves again?’
“Fascinating, and you hold power in your land by your title as ‘alpha-male’?” Twilight asked, getting more and more intrigued by the wolve’s way of life.
“Not exactly, the alpha-male title was used for our form in combat and strength. Wolves are born fighters, sprinters, athletes and so on. Alpha wolves get a bit of everything.”
“Huh, I wouldn’t have guessed” The librarian replied, now beginning to write on another piece of parchment.
“I got a question,” Dash blurted out, obviously tired of the nerd herd. “Why are you wolves wanting to do anything with us? You seem pretty content with home.”
“Well, my agitated friend, we wolves happened to be contacted by your princess a few days ago. That, is why I’m here.” Seth said smugly, not letting his temper rise.
“Ok, then why do you have that scar over your eye? I doubt thats a birth mark.”
“I rather not go into that matter at this time. You were saying Twilight?”
“I thought you said you were a diplomat. If thats true, then how did you get that bad of a cut?” The pegasus persisted. “Plus, what's with that mark on your leg” Dash jestering to the wolf pack emblem.
Seth mealy ignored the pegasus, although memories of the past had begun to take their effect. He tried to suppress those chaotic thoughts, only for them to return in spades. Memories of his battles, more precisely the day he gained his scar, and lost a wolf.
Seth was now staring off into his own thoughts, aggravating Dash from lack of attention.
“Wolf, hey wolf! I'm talking to you!”
“Rainbow, can't you see he’s probably stresses from all this? Give him some space!”
“Ya, like the space he gave me?”
Seth’s phased back into reality, realising he was the center of attention. “Look, it’s been a long day, I just want some rest.”
“Here, let me show you to your room, it’s just up-”Twilight was then interrupted as Rainbow Dash shoved Seth away from Twilight.
“No, I’m not going to let my best friend get mauled by a wolf in the night! If he wants a place to stay, the Everfree Forest is packed full of killers just like this mut!”
Rainbow’s comment was met by a fierce growl from Seth, whose deadly glare was locked on the pegasus. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.
“First, I’m not a mut! I’m a thousand years old alpha-wolf!” the angered wolf spat out. Seth was tired of this, all of this, and it was time to let it out “Second, I may be new to the job, but not to you ponies. OH NO! I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR TOO LONG NOW . You think I’m a killer, YOU ALL DO! Well thats right! I kill! ALL WOLVES KILL. We hunt, cook, and eat meat. Thats just who we are. No one ever considers that wolves just might have more to offer. In the past thousand years, we rebuilt our shattered way of life for the better. We perfected air travel, we invented electricity, plasma fields, railguns! All this, we did all this, after nearly being exterminated by you... PONIES!” By this time, he was half yelling to them as he was himself. All these years of built up fear, anger, regret, sorrow, hatred, was finally released.
And the victims of his rage were speechless.
Seth, now finished with his rage quit, started quietly sobbing into his few as he layed down on the hard oak floor. After several moments of not so complete, but still awkward silence, Twilight finally spoke up.
“Seth?”
“AHH!!!” Seth yelled out as if in moral pain, before charging for the door, knocking it off its hinges.
After several moments of more awkward silence, this time actually silent, It was Rainbow to take the break.
“What just happen?”
[hl]
Canterlot Castle
One hour earlier
“Well, if there isn’t any objections, I call this meeting adjourned.” the celestial god announced to her console, not wanting to spoil the precise evening in a stuffy throne room. Princess Celestia had just sat through one of the longest, and probably the most important council sessions in years. It was summoned to discuss the events of the wolven peace agreement. Usually something at this high of calabar made meetings worth sitting through, but after a stressful day of preparing for the departure of the wolf, she needed a night off.
As the crowd of council members departed for the night, giving their pleasant farewells to each other, the princess slowly, but intently, strided towards her waiting chamber. Tonight, she had promised Luna to end the council meeting early to view her rising of the night. Her sister had been working on a new constitution for the past few months, and tonight would be the grand unveiling.
“Princess Celestia, we need to talk.” Called a distinctive voice from the entrance of the throne room.
‘Shining? Usually he isn’t so bold.’
“Yes, what do you wish to speak about.” the princess chimed in her usual manner, turning to her guest.
“How could you send him?” An angered Shining Armor asked.
“Who?”
“The wolf, you sent the wolf to Ponyville.”
“Yes I did, I knew if we were to ever secure peace between-”
“You knew I had issues with that wolf, and instead of even considering to listen to me, you send his to live with my SISTER!”
“Shining?”
“No, I’m sorry, but unless that wolf leaves ponyville, I resign my command of the guard. I don’t want to be standing by while another life is taken by those beasts. Good evening princess”. And without another word, the former guardpony walked out of the throne room.
Princess Celestia stood there, trying to understand what just happened, why her best guard flipped over one simple task for his sister. Eventually, she did walk to the balcony to get some fresh air and spectate on her sisters work, still focused on the dilemma.
“Well, do you like it!” Luna yelled, catching her sister off guard and nearly losing her balance.
“Luna! How many times have I told you not to do that! The elder sister sarcastically scolded the younger.
“You just seemed so stressed, plus the face you made was worth it all.” Luna commented, laughing at her sister’s nonexistent anger.
“Ha ha, very funny. But I love the consolation though. You truly have outdone yourself.”
“Then why are you unhappy” Luna inquired, noticing a slight frown on the usually cheery face.
“Oh it’s nothing to concern yourself with, it’s just theses peace talks again.” Celestia confessed, not wanting to get into a debate with her sister at this hour.
“Is the council giving you trouble for summoning the diplomat? I truly don’t see any problem with a new guest in our land.”
“No, it’s Shining Armor, he is still arguing about the decision to bring him here.”
“Well, I see his point, with his background and all. But the guy’s a trained diplomat, and he’s stuck here at the castle.”
“Well, thats not entirely true- Wait! What do you mean ‘background’?” Celestia asked, not knowing of anything prior to this mention.
“I was tragic. Years back, when Twilight was just barely a foal and Shining was just getting into the roil academy. He and his parents were out near the base of Canterlot mountain for a picnic and a dueling section.” by this point, Luuna was already starting to shed a tear. “About mid-way through a duel, the family was ambushed by a pack of wolves. They never saw it coming. Since they had already drained most of their magic, the wolves had little resistance. Shinings parents held off most of the attack while he fled for help. By the time he had got the Canterlot guard, there was nothing left to defend. Twilight was at home with Cadence, so she was completely unaware of the event. Shining later told her that it was an accident that took her parents lives, not wanting to scare his young sister.” As Luna finished the tail, now with a steady flow of tears, Celestia had only one question.
“How did you know?”
“Ever since my return to Equestria, I have looked over all the dreamers of the night. One in particularly trouble dreamer finally caught my eye. Every so often, he kept dreaming the same dream. When I figured out it was Shining Armor, I came up and asked him one day what it meant. He told me everything I told you.”
“Oh, It all makes sense now...”
“What?”
“I haven't been entirely truthful with you, sister.”
“What have you done?” Luna questioned, now with a tone of slight anger.
“I sent the wolf to Ponyville.”
“You what?”
“I thought Twilight could handle him.”
“She may be strong, but this is a new level you are putting her through.”
“She is ready for this.”
“If you are confident in her, I will trust you. Good night sister” Luna pardoned as she made her way to her tower.
“There is one more thing.” Celestia called to her sister, hanging her head low.
“Oh, what is it”
“The wolf is the Eclipse”
“Then you have doomed us all.” Luna called, before departing for her tower once again.
‘Well, haven’t we screwed things over’ called the ever annoying tant of Seth’s subconscious.
The wolf had just ran from town in a panic as well as rage. On the way, he was met with confused, but more frightened stairs from the passersby. After running blind through the unfamiliar streets, he eventually was able to follow a path that lead to the outlining forest. Now he was resting next to a deceased pheasant he had ‘ran into’.The next few minutes were occupied by Seth regaining himself while realising what he had just done (with the help of his dim witted voice in his head), as well as dine on the deceased bird.
“Well, I doubt you helped,” Seth vocally remarked to himself.
‘You literally ran away from your own job! how could I help?’
“They tied me up!”
‘You were captured once or twice in the war, and even earlier today,’
“I was tied up by girls! You have to admit thats wierd!”
‘Point taken. But still, you were chosen for this task for a reason and you let your emotions get the better of you.’
“And it’s only after these things happen that I ever talk to you,” Seth reminded, not wanting to continue this pointless debate.
‘Fine, tonight you can sleep here. But when tomorrow's dawn has risen, you are going back to that unicorn. Deal?’
“Alright, deal” Seth mumbled. “anything to get you to shut up.”
At that moment, a twig snapped to the left of Seth, earning his full attention as well as a warning growl.
“Oh, I’m so sorry for disturbing you mr. wolf, I just saw you run by my house and I thought something was wrong.”
Out of the trees came a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. She seemed rather confident in approaching Seth, if anything, she was truly apologetic.
And it worked.
Seth couldn’t explain it, but all his anger was slowly being defused by the little pony, which left him as speechless as a mute.
“I heard some commotion from around here. And so when I found you, I was only curious to see if you were ok.” The mare said, approaching the wolf with a heart-warming smile.
‘Heart-warming smile, what is wrong with you Seth? You are a wolf, not some lap-dog’ Seth chanted to himself. But to his utter bewilderment, he not only let go of his defensive posture, but actually sat down at attention.
But he just couldn’t help it. Those celestial blue eyes could make you melt.
“That’s a good boy. How about a scratch behind the ear.”
‘No. No. No. Why am I wagging my tail!!!!’
“Aw, look how happy you look! You're just a cuddly little thing, aren't you?”
‘Cuddly? That tares it.’
“Look, I’m sorry, but this is not working” The now free Seth began. “I know you were meaning good and all, but I have been having a really bad day and I just want to get some sleep, so if you don’t mind-”
“Oh my Celestia, a talking wolf!” The pegasus chimed. “Please, come over to my house, I insist. It’s the least I can do for interrupting your night. I don’t mind having company, especially from a nice fella like you.” the pony jived, fluttering her eyes.
“Well, I just want some time alone... and, well... today has...” Seth kept losing himself to those hypnotic puppy dog eyes.
“Oh, this is wonderful! My own talking wolf in my home!” the pegasus cheered
“On one condition” Seth intruded, “You can't tie me up”
“Why in the world would I do that?” she asked, taking it as a joke.
“Trust me, I wouldn’t know why either” Seth half-heartedly laughed as the two began their walk out of the forest.
“So, you just run into a forest, just because you see a wolf go in before you?”
Seth had been debating this fact with the pegasus for the entire journey to the cottage. At the moment, the mare was heating a kettle for what he assumed from the aroma was an herbal tea, while Seth adjourned himself on the nearby couch at the pony’s request.
“Well, like I said, you looked distressed. It’s in my nature to help other animals” she answered, still in her ‘heart-filled’ tone.
“Fine, I’ll let it go. By the way, I never got your name.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, my name is Fluttershy”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Seth.”
“Thank-you. You know, you are the best wolf I have ever met.”
“You’ve met a wolf?” Seth asked with a slight laugh.
“Well, no. You are the first I’ve ever seen close up!”
“Brave pony”
“Thank-you.”
“Your welcome, and you’re probably the nicest pony I’ve met.”
It was true of course, but the more Seth realised it, the more he figured that this moment was probably the best time he had in Equestria.
“You must not have met too many ponies then.” Fluttershy replied, trying to sound modest.
“I’ve met a dozen ponies already, and you still take the cake.” Seth chuckled to himself, remembering his day.
“Oh, you're too kind.”
“Well, In your defence, I was tied up by three of them.”
“W-what?”
“Don’t ask.”
As the tea started to boil, Fluttershy moved the kettle to a tea cosy and took out two cups. While she poured the first beverage, as knock came from the door. Seth joined Fluttershy in the kitchen to avoid being seen from the common room. Fluttershy understood the silent message and trotted over to the door. Seth could hear her open the door and greet the guests in her usual happy tone. However, the voices of the guests caught his attention.
“Hi Fluttershy, I’m sorry to bother you this late in the evening, but I was wondering if you have seen anything or anypony odd as of late.”
Twilight. The last pony (well, maybe third) Seth wanted to see right now. He just wanted one night’s sleep before returning to talk with her and that rainbow one.
“Well, I haven’t seen anypony most of the day,” Fluttershy began with a tone of discomfort. “Why, is somepony lost?”
“Well, not exactly. I was supposed to have a diplomat over to negotiate some peace treaties, and Dash... sort of drove him out.”
“Oh, what does he look like? I could keep an eye out for him, if you like?”
Twilight hesitated at the question, earning a concerned look from Fluttershy. “Well, he’s not a pony...”
“Is he a griffin, because I haven’t seen one since Rainbow had Gilda over.” Fluttershy interrupted, slightly less concerned.
“No, I just don’t know how to say it. He’s a wolf.”
A moments pause filled the air.
“That's all you're worried about? A wolf?” Fluttershy was now laughing (well her version of laughing) as Twilight just got more and more annoyed with the lack of seriousness.
“Fluttershy, this is serious! Of all the ponies I was going to ask, I thought you were going to be the most level headed!” Twilight half yelled.
“Oh, I’m sorry Twilight. I promise to listen and take this as seriously as you want” Fluttershy said, retreating into her hair.
“I’m sorry for barking at you, it’s just... he’s probably not dangerous by nature, but he’s gone through a lot today. That’s why I want to find him before... anything unexpected could happen.”
“I understand Twilight” Fluttershy responded, acknowledging her friend's dilemma.
“So, have you seen anything?”
It was now Shy’s turn to hesitate, which lead a stressed Seth on the edge of his seat, metaphorically.
“Well, I did see a wolf...”
“Where?”
“He went into the forest...”
“Did you see which way he went?”
“Ya, he didn’t go too far, just beyond the first tree line”
“Thanks Fluttershy, this makes everything a lot easier!” Twilight said before departing for the forest.
‘Well, first pony friend I’ve met and she has already given me a day’s rest from those insane friends of hers-’
“And then I went after him.” Fluttershy called out to Twilight, who took a 180 at the new information.
“You WHAT!” the unicorn stammered.
“And now he’s in my kitchen.” Fluttershy said, once again retreating into her mane.
‘- And immediately backstabs me right after that. Just my luck’ Seth thought, immediately face-pawing.
Twilight pushed past Fluttershy, horn ablaze, charging for the kitchen. What met her was a less than enthusiastic wolf casually sipping on a cup of tea.
“Hi” Seth greeted with a half smirk.
Twilight opened her mouth as if to say something, but ended in a state of confusion. Evently, her horn’s energy faded as she slowly closed her mouth, although she still held the concerned look.
After several moments and half a cup of tea later, Seth finally broke the silence.
“We should probably talk.”
“That would be good.” Twilight said, dropping her head in exhaustion.
The three walked over to the den (at Fluttershy’s urging request to know more about the wolf) and sat separately. Again, silence filled the room, as the three waited for one of them to break the figurative ice.
“Look, I’m sorry about earlier,” Twilight finally began. “It’s just that I was stressed over you coming over and Dash tying you up, things just got out of hoof.”
“Look, I get the whole ‘wolf’ thing gets to ponies. Frankly, I got tied up earlier this morning,” Seth said.
“Oh, sorry to hear th- Wait, tied up earlier?” Twilight stammered.
“Canterlot guards, pestering jobs, long story.” he half laughed.
“I won't ask,” Twilight replied. “About Rainbow Dash, she can get a little hot headed when intimidated”
“Am I that intimidating?” Seth laughed
“Well, you are a wolf. No offence.”
“And I am a good half a foot taller that you.”
“Are all wolves this big, or is it just the alphas?” Twilight jived.
“Oh, Twilight?” Fluttershy called from the couch. “You do know what alpha wolves are known for, right?”
“Of course, Seth told me everything.”
Fluttershy’s eyes grew beyond their ordinary large size at the news, as well as her cheeks reddening.
“He even gave me a few examples” Twilight continued, graceful as ever. The pegasus was now darting her eyes, unsure of what to make of this. Seth was only facepawing at every comment.
‘Well, time to end this trainwreck early’
“Uh Fluttershy, do you mind getting us a bit more tea?” Seth called, trying to defuse the awkward conversation.
In less than a second, Fluttershy had taken both teacups and dashed to the kitchen.
“By the way, wolves are known for a little more than just fighting and knowledge.”
“Oh?” Twilight delightfully replied, still oblivious of the hints. “And what exactly are they known for?”
“Well, as an alpha wolf... oh Pterolykos help me out here” Seth moned.
“Pterolykos?” Twilight repeated.
“Pterolykos, the winged wolf. Basically our god.” Seth answered.
“So what are you maskulin alphas about?” the unicorn scaler insisted, edging closer to the embarrassed Seth.
“You are not making this easy for me, are you?” Seth said, shaking his head. “Well, as alphas, we have certain roles amongst our fellow canines. Certin... reproductive... roles.”
“Oh. Oh...” Was all Twilight could say as her cheeks turned a deeper shade of purple by the second.
After a few minutes of silence, Seth assumed that Fluttershy was not returning to the conversation. Truthfully, he couldn’t blame her in the least. Finally, Twilight gained the courage to speak.
“There is one last thing I have to ask though,”
“What was with that blowout earlier?”
Twilight only nodded.
Seth hesitated as he turned to face one of the walls. He was trying to think how far this should go, losing all emotions other than a sullen look in the process.
“You're a historian, right?” Seth began. Again, she nodded.
“Good, it will help explaining a few things. First, how far back in pony history do you know?”
Twilight pondered the question for a few seconds then replied, “Probably a little beyond the first hearth's warming eve.”
“And how far back was that after or before the war?”
“W-war?” Twilight began, obviously lost by the question.
“The great pony war, roughly a thousand years ago.” Seth continued in his ever dark tone.
“There hasn’t been a war since the days before the three tribes united.” Twilight corrected in an unsure tone.
Seth mulled over this news. ‘A historian, let alone the princess’s pride student, doesn’t know about this? Twilight must know. Although, she’s too innocent for such things. The biggest news she probably gets is that a new pallet of books are being delivered for her to sort. I can't destroy her like this.
“N- never mind.” Seth finally said looking to the ground.
With a quizzical look, Twilight was about to protest before a wall clock chimed.
“Wow, nine already? I should probably head back home. If you want to join me, you can, or you can stay the night here if Fluttershy likes.”
“Oh yes oh yes ohyesohyesohyesohyesohyes” the pegasus bluted out from the kitchen, running towards the two, only silenced when an annoyed unicorn glared at her.
“That's probably for the best. I still haven't even introduced you to Spike and- Oh Celestia, I forgot about Spike! Gotta’ go Fluttershy.” And with that, Twilight was out the door.
“Wait!” called Fluttershy, running towards the door. “So that's a yes for me keeping him...as a guest?”
[hl]
As Twilight walked in the the library's door, a waft of burning daisies impaled her nostoles.
“Spike!”
“There you are Twilight, where have you been?” the dragon called from the kitchen, douching a pot with a hefty amount of water.
“Never mind me, what did you do!” pestered the annoyed unicorn rushing over to her kitchen, horn lit.
“Well, since you weren't home when I got back, I thought I would get a head start, thats all.” Spike replied in a defensive tone.
After several cleaning spells were cast, Twilight placed an apologetic hoof on her assistants shoulder.
“I’m sorry for blowing up like that. It’s just this foreign affair thing still.”
“By the way, where is that king guy anyway?” interrupted Spike, cracking a smile.
“First, he’s not a king,” Twilight corrected, earning an eye rolling from the dragon. “Second, not too well to say the least.” Twilight sighed while pulling out some gems and tossing them to Spike.
“And what would you say if you were to tell me the most?” Spike inquired, needing to know more on the subject.
“Well, lets just say he and Rainbow didn’t hit it off to well...”
“Come on Twilight, I need to know more. None of this hiding behind the bush stuff.”
“Fine, I’ll tell you about him tomorrow. He probably will stop by to pick up his things anyway. Right now, I just need rest.” The unicorn said before climbing the wooden stairs. “And you need to clean the last of your cooking.”
“Clear! Seth, take the next floor, I got this one.” called an unknown voice from across the war-torn hall.
Seth, not exactly aware of his surroundings, bolted for the flight of stair in front of him. He was in a half-destroyed public office building. Once achieving his goal, he kicked down the door atop the stairwell, knife strapped to his right paw. As he began to search the hallway and the rooms adjacent to them, questions rushed through the wolf’s mind.
‘This...this can’t be. I’m... back? Back in the war?’
“Seth, get those rooms clear, we need to move out!” called the same mysterious voice, breaking the wolf from his thoughts.
Seth continued down the hall, clearing the empty rooms as he ran. Meeting at the end of the hall was a hole leading down to the previous story. Below stood a coal-black wolf, red patches across his hide. Seth stood atop the destroyed flooring, not believing his eyes.
“S...Shadow?”
“All clear down here sir, time to catch up with the rest of the team.” called the wolf below.
“Shadow, you're alive?” Seth exclaimed, still in bewilderment.
“Am I supposed to take that as an insult? Now get down here so we can get out of here.”
Without even realising it, Seth trekked down a pile of rubble and began walking with Shadow out of the building towards an empty grassless burnt field.
“How, I saw you die!” the confused wolf stammered.
“Look, I’m alive, the pack’s alive, everywolf is fine.” Shadow reassured his troubled warrior.
“This doesn’t make any sense, you died during the battle for Trotingsdale!”
“Relax, let all that behind you. Everything is fine. You're just acting paranoid again.”
Seth felt his previous troubles beginning to lift away, like they were just balloons in the breeze.
“You know, you are probably r- Wait, you said the pack was ok, right? The whole Wolfpack?” Seth questioned, returning to his old paranoid self.
“Yes? They are just waiting for us outside of town.” Shadow answered, giving a cautious look to Seth. “Is everything ok Seth?”
“I...I don’t know. All I remember is you, and the others...dying,”
“Ok Seth, now you are just creeping me out. Lets just get back to camp and you can grab some grub.”
“Sure, sure. Thats probably it.” Seth said, looking to the ground as the two continued down the plain.
For several minutes, the two were silent. Finally, Seth spoke up again.
“Do you mind if we talk?”
“Sounds like you need it,” the black wolf replied.
“I just don’t get it, I know we are at war and all, but this just doesn’t feel right,”
“And you're telling me this now why? You keep saying this is wron-”
“No,” Seth interrupted. “Not like wrong as in unjustified, but wrong as in not possible wrong. I can't put my paw on it, but it just is... off.”
“I don’t really get what you're saying, but exactly what feels off?”
“Well, like I said, you being d-”
“SHIT!” Shadow yelled as the two stared at the burning remains of what used to be their camp. “Seth, you take the south end of camp, I’ll take north.”
Before Seth could protest, Shadow was nowhere to be found. He began sprinting towards the tents, trying to spy any sign of life. What met him was the exact opposite. Bodies. Endless piles of wolf and pony bodies. Some barely touched, others too mangled so you couldn’t tell what species they were before. It seemed like shallow lakes began to form from the ample supply of blood. Seth, dreading the sight of this horror show, wanted with every fiber of his wolven body to run like hell.
Except he didn’t. Against his will, he continued further into the slaughterhouse. The bloodstreams seemed to rise to the point he was having to wade through the liquid. His body rounded a corner, meeting the last bit of pure darkness this world could place upon a wolf.
Standing in front of Seth, surrounded by the six deceased members of the Wolfpack, one hoof atop Dawns bleeding yet alive head, was a cloaked pony Seth could only imagine originating in the pits of whatever hell ponies were condemned.
“So, the proud warrior returns, only to see his friends and family dead.” scoffed the pony.
Rage as well as fear coursed through the veins of the wolf. Breaking free of his transparent bonds, he lunged for the monstrosity, hoping to exact revenge for his brethren. With a simple wave of it’s hoof, Seth felt a bone-cracking blow to his ribs as he was flung against a deceased corps.
“You really thought it was going to be that simple?” Snarled the pony. “Even though your actions were fruitless, sacrifice is needed for misjudgment.”
The pony walked over the the immobilized Seth, ripped the knife out of his paw, and turned back to his brother. It turned it’s head to face him, revealing a dark naval blue hide and teal eyes.
“And this is only the beginning, Eclipse.”
With one quick movement of it’s hoof, the knife penetrated deep into Dawns scarred chest.
“NOOOOO!”
Seth jumped off the couch he was on,heart racing, dripping in a cold sweat. It was roughly an hour before first light based on the lunar positioning. ‘It was a dream.’
The wolf had many dreams similar to of this, especially during the first weeks after he first awoke in the new world. Each was more or less the same; Seth watching his troops die, entire cities going up in flames, but this one took the cake. They got less and less frequent as time and counseling progressed, until the point when he himself had started to forget the nightmares entirely. The elder wolf began to let his guard down, not needing to fear the return of the mental threats that once pledged him. This in turn was a cause of his short defences.
Without alerting Fluttershy, Seth walked out of the cottage, getting some much needed fresh air. To his luck, a small stream was flowing not an eighth of a mile from his previous residence. He began cleansing his fur of the swet, not caring of the chilling cold, as his mind was on other matters.
‘What had this meant? It was just a dream, but, it felt... real.’
He kept at it for several minutes, until his senses finally noticed the sun peeking over the hills in the distance. As the sun began to dry his soaked cote, Seth retreated to a field of grass next to the stream as he looked over the town not far away.
He kept replaying the dream over and over in his head, trying to find any strand of sense among the gruesome scenes. Every time, he found only death, destruction, and little mercy from the hooded beast.
In the distance, Seth’s ears perked at the sound of pawsteps through the grass. He turned his head to see Fluttershy walking towards him, carrying a basket in her mouth.
“Aren't you up a bit early?” The wolf called.
Fluttershy dropped the basket and took out a large bowl of what looked to be a fresh salad “I’m usually up this early so I can feed my animals. Why are you up?”
“Just a bad dream and I couldn’t get back to sleep.”
“Oh, what was it about? If you don’t mind me asking.” Fluttershy asked before walking over to the wolf.
“It’s... complicated.” Seth said with some difficulty.
“Oh, ok then. Do you want something for breakfast? I’ve already got some for my animals, I could easily get something for you.”
“I would hate to burden you, but if you insist...” Seth said, not trying to sound overly desperate for a morsel to eat. A small fesen was little to cure a days worth of hunger, and that was yesterday.
“Oh, I’ll be right back!” The pegasus called as she dashed for the cottage, leaving Seth to continue his thoughts.
‘Wait, what do ponies eat for breakfast?’
Twilight was already preparing breakfast when Spike stumbled down the steps in his usual morning exhaustion.
“Morning Twilight. What's for breakfast?” Spike called, causing Twilight to jump.
“Oh hey Spike, I already got some pancakes on the table. Aren’t you up a bit early?” Twilight asked, placing the last of the hotcakes on a serving plate and levitating it to the awaiting dragon already seated at the table.
“Not really, it’s already eight A.M.” spike said, gesturing to the wall clock.
“Really? Wow, I must of lost track of time.” Twilight admitted in embarrassment.
“You know, for a pony who is so organised and has checklists for checklist, you really have a horrible perception of time passing.” Called the dragon, who had already finished off on of the cakes.
“Sorry. It’s just I have to go to Fluttershy’s house today and I’m just thinking of everything I’ll need.” Twilight explained while just staring on her own breakfast.
“I thought you needed to see that king guy?”
“The diplomat spent the night at fluttershy’s, so I’m going over to her house to see how he’s doing.”
“Mind if I tag along?”
“What?” Twilight stammered, caught off guard by the proposal.
“Can I tag along? You said you would tell me what this guy’s like, so meeting him will just cut out the middlepony.”
“Well, I did promise you more details...” the unicorn was struggling to spare her assistant from the wolven diplomat. “I don’t know Spike.”
“Come on Twilight, you promised!”
“Fine, but you have to do everything I say, ok?”
“Just like every other waking moment of my life?” Spike laughed at his own joke, while earning a glare from his mentor.
“Spike!”
“Ya, I’ll do what you say.”
“Ok after breakfast, we’ll go to Fluttershy's”
“But I’m already done.” Spike lifted his sparkling plate for Twilight to examin.
“Then can you run up and pack the books on my nightstand?I read over a few things last night and I might need them for today.”
As Twilight finished her breakfast while Spike began packing her books into her saddlebag. The books ranged from ‘The Dictionary to Diplomatics’ to ‘Physics and Philosophy of Predatory Predators’. After brushing her mane, and receiving both the saddlebag and an inquiring look from Spike, the two were out the door.
Until a crate of assorted equipment landed inches from where Twilight was standing outside the library.
“Oh sorry about that, I didn’t see you down there.”
“Derpy!” Twilight called after recovering from nearly being crushed. “Do I have to remind you about last time this happened? Those hospital bills weren't cheap!”
The disoriented mail-mare in question was giving Twilight the most apologetic face she could. “Sorry, it’s just that this came all the way from Canterlot with your name on it. It weighed a ton, so I just had to let it go.”
“Well, thanks for making the trip. What is it anyway?”
Derpy looked at the crate of supplies for a few seconds in deep concentration. “Did you order an oversized survivor’s kit?”
“No, but I might know what this is!” Twilight announced, remembering the letter from yesterday. “Just move the stuff into the library quick, we have a meeting to catch.”
Derpy complied with her normal smile and began the task. As Twilight was about to resume her walk to Fluttershy’s, a small piece of paper next to the pallet caught her eye. At further investigation, it was a small picture of two wolves that fell off the crate. She immediately noticed Seth was one of them, but the other is still a mystery.
“Who’s that, Twilight?” Spike asked.
“That, my dear Spike, is our diplomat.” Twilight said, gesturing towards Seth.
“Oh. So he’s not a griffin.” Spike sighed in relief.
“Yes, but he is still a wolf. Wolves are predators” Twilight protested, obviously expecting more out of the dragon.
“Ya, so are griffins, and griffins can fly. Frankly, I’d rather be in a room with a wolf than any relative of Gilda.” retorted Spike as he began walking towards the outskirts of town.
“Am I the only pony who is taking this as a threat?” She asked rhetorically, joining Spike on the walk.
“Didn’t Fluttershy?”
“No! Of all ponies I would think would react to this, she was on the top of the list. Turns out she loves the guy. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was already planning to keep him as a pet.”
Spike laughed “Angle’s going to hate this”
Seth was still out next to the river, lapping up the yoke of a sunny side up egg. He had debated with Fluttershy on exactly what she could prepare vs what the wolf could physically eat. It wasn’t like he was picky, but like most canines, greens just didn’t sit well with him. In the final compromise, Seth was given the egg.
“Did you like the breakfast?” Called Fluttershy, who had just returned from her morning shopping.
“Ya, you ponies really know how to cook. I mean you have tea, eggs, and I think I passed a few pastries on my way out of the castle in the capital.”
“Well thank you. It’s nice to hear a somepony appreciating my hospitality.” Fluttershy replied walking over to Seth. “Why haven’t you gone into the house? Aren't you afraid somepony will see you?”
“I didn’t want to scare off your animals, and it’s such a nice day.” Seth lied.
‘And that rabbit locked me out of your house.’
Seth rolled his eyes at his subconscious while Fluttershy fumbled with something in one of her bags. The wolf was going to ask how an animal caretaker gets paid if she usually works with strays when something round in the pegasuses hoof caught his eye.
“Oh, F-Fluttershy? What are you doing?”
Next to Seth was the yellow pony slowly inching forward with a polished leather collar. The metal tag was engraved with ‘Seth’. He in turn slowly retreated his neck, calculating what this could possibly mean.
“Well, seeing that you need to stay low profile, I just thought the collar would make you look like my pet. Nopony would suspect a thing! If it’s ok with you of course.” Fluttershy replied, flashing her abnormally large eyes.
“Well, besides it being degrading as a wolf, it’s a good idea for a disguise. We're really playing the ‘hiding in plain sight’ card, aren't we?”
With a bit of struggling and a hint of a growl from the wolf, Fluttershy was able to attach the collar.
“Now, let me just tighten the strap here and-”
A gasp could be hear from near the cottage. The two of them turned, still in their embrace, to find a startled Twilight Sparkle and a rather large reptile.
“F-Fluttershy?” Twilight mumbled, jaw still dragging on the ground.
“This isn’t what it looks like!” the pegasus yelled. Seth could only shake his head in shame.
Shining Armor was on his couch in his small house, packing a suitcase. He had been doing so since the night before, but he had long since stopped after finding a picture. It had been tucked away in a pocket of one of his old cadet uniforms he uncovered while hunting for the luggage bag. The picture was of his mother, father, Twilight and himself a week before the incident. For the past hour, he had been staring at the photo, recalling old memories of his past. What finally broke his cycle of thought was a knock on the oak door.
Regaining his sense of his surroundings, Shining stood from the couch, stretched his limbs and trotted to the door. After unlocking it, the unicorn was met by none other than the goddess of the night herself.
“Princess. To what do I owe this pleasure.” Shining greeted as he bowed before the alicorn.
“I’m sorry to intrude on you at such short notice, Shining Armor. However, considering all that has occurred, I thought it would be wise to see how you were doing.” Luna replied. Shining stood from the bow and gestured Luan inside.
“So, were you sent by your sister to see if I was up to anything?” Shining asked as he returned to the couch.
“No, I came by my own means. Tia did mention that you resigned yesterday over the news of the diplomat.” Luna replied, joining the former guard.
“What did she expect? Even if I didn’t have my history, that’s still not right.” Shining scoffed.
“I agree.”
“Don’t talk me out of going- Wait, you agree?” Shining asked, taken aback by the turnaround.
Luna looked to the ground in sorrow. “Yes, especially if the wolf is the Eclipse.”
“Eclipse?” Shining repeated.
“His name is Seth Eclipse. But during the war he was known to the ponies as the Eclipse.” Luna explained, joining Shining on the couch.
“What war? Who is this guy?” Shining demanded.
Luna sighed. “The wolven war was before our time as rulers of Equestria, during Discord’s era. While he was in power, he started a war with the wolves and they invaded Equestria. There are few records of the war, but some important documents were uncovered. One was of an elite team of wolves known as the Wolfpack. This pack was lead by... the Eclipse.”
“Wait, you said that the war was in the Discord era.” Shining protested. “If this Eclipse guy was in it, wouldn’t that make him over a thousand years old?”
“It was said that the wolves had the ability to preserve life over an extended period of time. He must have done so.” Luna explained. “During the war, the Eclipse and his team had been had killed countless ponies as they defended their land. It wasn’t until five years into the war did we manage to defeat the wolf. After the loss of their warrior, the battle turned in favor of Discord ten years passes as the ponies invaded the Wolven Empire. On the summer solstice of the fifteenth year, my sister and I freed the ponies from Discord’s hold and drove the cowered back to Equestria. Ever since, we have lost contact with the devastated nation.”
As Luna finished her explanation of the war, Shining had but one question remaining. “What were their intentions?”
“What?” Luna asked, looking to Armor.
“You said Discord started the war. What was the wolves intentions on being part of it?” Shining said, staring at Luan in return.
“There is little known on the war, much less on why it started.” Luna elaborated, thinking back to her studies of the war “I can’t tell you what their intentions were, but they were experienced hunters.”
At the last comment, Shining Armor stood up. “Well princess, you convinced me.”
“Of what?” Luna asked, concerned with where the guard might be going.
As Shining approached the door, he turned to the lunar goddess. “You convinced me that I should be watching over my sister against the monster your sister sent.”
“For the last time, claiming a diplomat as a pet is not an option.” Twilight explained, as Fluttershy was attempting to show her side of the story. At this time, Seth was attempting to take a much needed nap after waking up before the dawn’s early light. Keyword: attempting. Even with the mares next to Fluttershy’s cottage, Seth couldn’t find peace by the stream.
“But Twilight, it was merely a disguise.” The butter mare rebuttled with pleading eyes. “He even agreed to it. Plus...” Her voice got low, but not low enough that Seth couldn’t overhear the conversation with his canine ears. “He... seems cute.” She admitted.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight yelled.
“Twilight...” Fluttershy begged.
“Guys?” The reptile called from Twilight’s side. He was ignored as the two began to bikker again about Seth and his status as a pet. “Well, if you need me, I’ll be with the wolf.” He walked over to where Seth was lying down in the grass and sat next to him.
Seth had been watching the three of them as they were talking, and during that time was trying to figure out what the reptile was. At the moment, he was settled on a giant lizard. A giant talking lizard. He gave the reptile a curious look as he approached.
“Sup.” The lizard greeted.
“Sup.” Seth replied, slight question in his tone.
“So, you are the wolf Rainbow Dash took down.” The lizard said with a bit of a chuckle. Seth nodded. “So what’s you name?”
Seth gave a slight shrug. He seemed nice enough. A bit cocky, but nice enough. Giving a slight smile towards the lizard, he answered. “Seth Eclipse. Diplomat from the Wolven Empire. And you are?” He returned.
“Spike the dragon.” He said. “I’m with Twilight.”
Dragons do exist. The wolf thought to himself. This is going to drive the techs back home insane with everything here. “Funny, I wouldn’t see Twilight as a ‘dragon’ pony, but what the heart want, the hea-”
“Hold up there wolfy, I’m just her assistant.” The dragon protested, looking defensive.
“Sorry for the misunderstanding.” Seth apologised, turning his attention back to the two mares who were still conversing. “How long do you think this will last?” He asked.
“Well... knowing Twilight... have wolves predicted the end of the world? If you have, it’ll take that long.” Spike replied with a laugh. Seth gave a slight snicker, but nothing beyond that. He was intent to hear what the two were saying.
“Well, I guess I just don’t see any reason why we can’t be friends.” Fluttershy spoke, getting a little more defensive. Funny, it didn’t look like it fit her carrying self Seth saw earlier.
“Really?” Twilight asked, getting annoyed herself. “I highly doubt you were just thinking of being friends. Friends don’t get collars for friends and get so close to put it on.”
“He was struggling.” Fluttershy protested.
As Seth became more and more aware of the nature of the conversation, he looked to Spike. “I’m a bit lost here. What’s the social embodiment of a collar when given to someone?”
Spike giggled at the sophisticated overtone the wolf was trying to create. “What does it mean for a wolf?” Spike asked, trying to hold back tears of laughter.
“Well... it is basically a symbol of degradation. You are lowering your standards to being a... dog.” Seth replied, still very confused. At hearing this, Spike began to roll on the grass, uncontrollably laughing. It was so obvious that even the mares noticed the dragon’s behaviour, but turned back to their debate rather quickly.
“You have got to be kidding me, wolfy.” Spike finally said as he calmed down. “When you give a dog collar to somepony, you sort of claim them as your pet... let that sink in for a sec.” Spike said, turning back to the mares.
Seth’s face scrunched in confusion for a few seconds, then he realised the intent. “Oh...” Seth replied as he stood up. “Well... if you don’t mind, I believe that my diplomatic work has been neglected for some time.”
Spike joined the wolf as they walked to the mares. Their approach was not noticed by the two arguing ponies as they seemed preoccupied. Spike cleared his throat as to get their attention, but to no success. Seth did the same, also getting the same result.
As if the day couldn’t get any more awkward, a familiar rainbow streak was headed towards the cottage. Seth turned towards the sight only to notice that the pegasus known as Rainbow Dash was being followed by a second pony, this one being orange in color. Rainbow landed and trotted over to where Spike and Seth were standing, the second pony doing the same.
“Hey guys,” Rainbow Dash greeted. “So I see you found our wolf fr-”
“Not now!” Twilight and Fluttershy both interrupted, going straight back to their conversation.
“Wow, what’s got their tail in a twist?” The orange mare with the stetson asked. She had a peculiar accent that differed from the others. It was not one Seth had ever heard. “Also, why is there a large dog here? Did Fluttershy find herself a new pet?”
At the question, everyone turned to her, even the two arguing mares.
“What? Wha’d I say?”
“Long story...” Seth replied, looking away from the orange pony and shaking his head slowly in annoyance.
“See? Applejack agrees with me.” Fluttershy continued, trotting over to the stenson pony’s side.
The orange mare in question, Applejack, was staring at Seth. “So... he can talk? You said we were hunting for a dog out here, but you didn’t say it could talk.” She said in confusion.
For Seth, he felt his last shreds of self respect fade away. He was diplomat for his nation, and now he was show and tell for ponies while two of them argued over if he was one of them’s pet. Prefect.
As if Spike could read his mind, the dragon patted the wolf’s shoulder. Then, with a nod towards the gravel road back to town, both he and the Spike walked quietly back to Ponyville. It wasn’t for a good solid half hour of bickering and questions did one of the ponies actually figure out that the topic of conversation had even left.
“Um girls? Where’d the dog go?” Applejack asked.
After walking around the edge of the farming town, Seth and Spike finally made it to the library. They had been having a strong debate over the concept of magic and it’s uses in everyday life.
“Well... couldn’t they just mail it? I know ponies haven't grasped the field of electricity as well as wolves, but... still. A bit of a waist of a talent if you ask me.” The alpha wolf explained as the dragon opened the door.
“I find it rather fun to be able to deliver messages vie fire. If I’m on the go, I can just send a letter at will. That, and I don’t have to worry about Derpy losing the letter on the way.” Spike noted. When he got in, the dragon made his way for the kitchen, as he had promised the wolf some tea for his troubles from the past few days. As he was about to take a seat, Seth noticed a familiar crate of supplies sitting a corner of the room. Going over to it, he found a note addressed to him and a second addressed to Twilight. Taking his, Seth sat on one of the library’s reading couches and unfolded his letter.
To Seth Eclipse
I hope the supplies have arrived undamaged, as the mailmare that delivered them seemed to be rather... uncoordinated. As for the reason of this note, I would like to thank you again for coming this far in preparations for the peace talks. I sent a second letter to the Wolven Empire in saying that everything is going well here and that you would decide how to proceed. They told that they dispatched a transport with more representatives would be dispatched for the drafting of the peace treaty.
The reason I have you staying with my student, Twilight, is to give you a view of what life in Equestria is like. If you feel that it is worth being a part of, then you make the final call on whether or not Equestria and Wolven Empire are united in peace.
In hopes that peace may finally arrive, Princess Celestia
I thank you for providing me with housing, and allowing me to observe pony life. So far it has been... fascinating to say the least. Ponies seem to be a little more... enthusiastic that first predicted. Frankly, I see it as a plus. In regards to the peace talks, I will most likely stand by in Ponyville while the representatives meet to draft the peace accord. I shall contact them and give the go ahead for them to land in Equestria. If you don't mind, I doubt they want to skydive in, so I ask you not send too many guards during first contact. They will be unarmed, and only have one escort.
In hopes for the future, Seth Eclipse
Finishing the letter, the wolf ruled it up and handed it to the dragon. He had offered to write it for Seth, but was denied. Seth had wanted to think about exactly what he was saying, as he had the power to define history. This was going to change a lot of things for the world, and he needed this to go just right. Taking the scroll in question, the dragon then proceeded to incinerate the writing.
“What the hell!” The wolf barked, shocked by his writing being destroyed.
“Relax.” The dragon assured, gesturing the the smoke. “Remember? Magic mail-delivering fire?” He reminded, the wolf relaxing a bit. “So now that you have that sorted out, what should we do here?” Spike then asked, seeing as the two guys were alone and had nothing to do.
“I need to contact the wolves to send the representatives, but then I have little to do.” He said, smiling at the kid’s rather trusting nature. Apparently there was little to fear in the land of ponies. Another reason to have an alliance with them. He then smiled and walked towards the crate of supplies. “While I talk, mind making more tea? Whatever blend you use is amazing!” He complimented, grabbing the radio system and trying to tune into the right bandwidth. “Come in Noble Pack, this is lone wolf.” The wolf called out, waiting for a return.
After a few seconds, static filled the line before a familiar voice was heard. “Lone wolf, this is Noble Pack. Good to hear you are still alive, brother!” Dawn’s voice called through. “Hell... I was worried. I thought I saw you get nabbed by a pony on the way to the capital.”
“I was,” Seth replied with a chuckle. “It ended with me gaining a concussion and being tied up like a hog.” There was silence for a few seconds, only bits of static being heard.
“And... you still want to be friends with these ponies?”
“They might be a bit defencive, but these ponies deserve a second chance. Dawn... they are different now. I know we promised not to talk about the war, but... the war is truly behind us, and them. These ponies... they are the very essences of harmony. I can’t explain it... and my better judgment tells me not to believe my eyes, but... they are innocent equines in a peace-loving society.” The wolf finished, unknowingly smiling from the joy the land had presented. His first days might have been a bit off, but everything the ponies did was in the best of heart. Even the rainbow-maned assaltress had only attacked his wolven pride out of fear for her beloved friend. It took courage to attack a wolf after all.
“Seth, it’s hard to believe that these ponies are peaceful. They... they took you from me. I cannot forget that.” Dawn’s words were cold, but never the less, true. “I will follow your judgment, but I do not hold your peace of mind.”
“I understand. Just bring the representatives to the castle. After you drop them off, meet on the edge of the forest line near a farm town called Ponyville. Talk to someone at Canterlot, they will direct you.” The wolf replied, noticing something in the corner of his eye. Twilight had returned, now watching the wolf. She had an expression of both confusion and sorrow. Spike had also joined her, carrying a tray with tea. They were both watching the wolf. “Hey Dawn, I need to go. I will meet you when you arrive.”
“Understood. Stay safe, brother.” The wolf on the other side signed off as Seth turned off the connection. He then looked to Twilight, wanting to hear what was on her mind.
“Let’s walk.” She then stated, opening the door with her magic.
The two had left ponyville without a word, the wolf alongside the pony. Spike had remained at home, per Twilight’s request. He seemed to know not to argue with her. When they had reached the border to the everfree, the mare finally spoke up.
“So... you and your brother... were part of a war?” She asked, looking to the wolf with questioning eyes. She was more afraid of the truth than angry at Seth. “You mentioned it earlier... but...”
The wolf only sighed, wishing to hold on to the secret longer. However, his time was out. “... Twilight... what happened then is something I try not to remember. However, I know if I try to hide it from you, you will only dig deeper. There are parts of the war that you shouldn’t know... If I tell you some of it, can you promise me not to keep looking?”
The mare nodded as the wolf began to tell a brief outlook on the war the mare was so curious about. Seth mentioned how Discord enslaved his soldiers, how the wolves were forced to attack Equestria, and even gave a little insight as to how he had survived after a thousand years. Though most of the description was left bare of the graphic imagery, the purple mare was in shock, tears slowly falling from her eyes as she could only imagine the sights, the pains, the death... the living. To see your victim cling to life as you were forced to take it with little mercy. The everlasting blood of your treacherous actions staining your body and mind, only to do it again a mere few seconds later. The worst knowledge that stuck her heart was the single most important fact that neither side wished to fight. The ponies were slaves, given weapons and told to fire. The wolves were bound by the shackles of honor and loyalty. It pained the warrior to retell his old life, knowing that it only broke open old wounds that had scarred over time. When the wolf was finished, the two remained silent for some time as they walked, neither knowing what to say. Finally, it was Twilight to speak, her voice unsteady.
“...Why?” The wolf only looked over, sighing.
“There is no reason to war... not this one at least-”
“No. Why did you come here? You said you were a diplomat... but you of all wolves have the largest right to hate us. Why?” She asked, her expressions still mortified, but now including a bit of curiosity.
This time, the wolf was less quick to jump into the question. After some thought, he finally replied. “Because of what I did in the war. I needed something to help me feel like I’m not the monster my consciousness keeps telling me I am...”
Again, only silence. It almost surprised the wolf that she didn’t have more questions, but it wasn’t unrealistic. The world the unicorn believed to be peaceful and carefree was torn from her with the fact that the nation she believed in, was once the battleground for one of history’s bloodiest conflicts. It was right for her to stay silent. If anything, Seth should comfort her.
However, they were not alone. Taking in a breath of air, the alpha noticed a distinct smell to it. Pungent. Decaying moldy tree. But why had he not smelled it before now? Because, it was approaching. The wolf’s head raised, his eyes darting for the forest, his ears on a swivel. Each movement in the forest caught his eye. However, there was nothing indicating a threat. It didn’t take the unicorn long to notice that the wolf was on alert.
“What is it?” She asked, looking around. Seth only glanced back at her for a second, as the scent was growing. Something was definitely approaching. Then it appeared. Multiple yellow eyes piercing the forest cover. There were seven... no, eight pairs in all. They were pack hunters for sure, but what sent a true pulse of fear through the wolf was what was revealed about the attackers once they walked into the light. They were wooden canines. “Timberwolves...” The unicorn muttered, slowly backing up.
The wolf kept his glare on the approaching group, not letting his eyes sway away. He needed to intimidate the pack. “Twilight, stay close to me. Whatever you do, don’t break off. We won’t out-run them. Not now. Let them circle us. It will give us a chance.” He barked, watching as the woodwork began to orbit around the two. Seth lowered his body, a growl growing in his throat. With each passing moment, the timberwolves continued to study the mare and the wolf as the two did the same, each waiting for a moment to strike. Finally, one brave piece of oak charge at the unicorn, only to earn his head bursting into splinters by a purple ray. A second wolf took the advantage of the distraction, charging at Twilight from the side. Seth managed to lunge and tackle the beast to the ground in time. The timberwolf was relentless under Seth’s grip, lashing out at him with jagged stick-teeth. It landed a bite to the forearm, but only before getting it’s spruce neck snapped in half by the greywolf’s mouth.
While the canines doubled on the ground, Twilight took a third wolf out with an explosive blast to the side, catching a fourth off guard when the parts of his brother pelting it’s body. With the wolves thinning in numbers, and Seth back on his paws, the standing timberwolves stopped their attack, only watching the duo. The alpha gave a light laugh to the sudden peace. However, Twilight’s eyes went wide when she realized why they had stopped. Seeing her fear, the wolf silenced his joy. “What is it?”
“We didn’t kill the timberwolves...” She muttered, both now looking around at the scattered wood. The branches and twigs began to glow, soon gathering into a new form before the two. Even the pre-existing timberwolves were breaking apart to create the new figure. It was a much larger wolf, one taller than the treeline. With it was finally formed, the beast roared out in rage, soon charging at the the two inferior beings.
Instantly, the wolf turned to run, hoping to at least make it to the town before fighting this behemoth. Twilight had the same idea, keeping up with Seth. With his hurt leg, however, the wolf cringed with every step. He wouldn’t make it to the town if he dared slow up. That’s when he fell. Tripping over a simple rock, the wolf skidded along the ground until friction finally stopped his movement. He tried to stand, desperate to live, but it was already too late. Wooden jaws gripped the his body, piercing his skin. The warrior yelped in pain as he was thrashed about in the monster timberwolf’s hold. The bite only increased, soon feeling blood across his lower half of his body. The pain was excruciating as the splintery wood was driven through his flesh. As his vision blurred, he heard an explosion. Opening his eyes, he could see the unicorn below him, firing spell after spell at the timberwolf. She was saving him.
With the new threat acquired, the large beast gave a final bite before throwing the bleeding body aside. The wolf felt the air rush against his damp fur, then the impact of hard earth. The sharp pain was instant, but left as soon as it came. The only thing the wolf felt as his vision blurred was the slight haze of his entire body yelling at him to stop. Stop fighting, stop moving, stop living.
What kept the wolf fighting was the purple blur in the distance. The mare. Twilight. Even though he had just met her, he couldn’t just leave her. He couldn’t abandon her. She just saved him, and now she was paying the price while he was passing out. That's what drove Seth to keep breathing. To keep awake. He wasn’t going to let another die by his actions again.
But it was too late.
The beast charged, tramping Seth’s savior in his footsteps. Then, whirling around, it took the mare between it’s massive wooden teeth, and bit down. That’s when Seth went under.He failed. Again.
He was the monster. Whatever he did, he either killed, or had his own killed. There was never a victory in the entire wolf’s life. The faces of all those he had lost circled around him, each glaring down at him, judging him, condemning him. Now, a new face joined in the ranks. Twilight. For the short time he had known her, she too had succumb to his curse of fate. She died do to his failure. She died, because he was a monster.
After what could have been minutes or hours, the wolf awoke to the smell of burning wood. The second thing to register was the pain. Crashing down like a ten-foot wave, Seth spent every ounce of energy not to fall under and instead tried to lift his pain-stricken body. With strained eyes, his vision slowly cleared to make out the surrounding landscape. The field he had once been on was now torched and scattered with smoldering debris. In his attempt to move, Seth found something on top of him, keeping him pressed to the ground. Looking back, he found body tossed on him, the equine’s coat a burnt purple. For a few seconds, the wolf’s mind pieced together the significance of the mystery mare atop him, let alone why he was even in the field. Then it clicked. The forest, the attack, the timberwolf. “Twilight!”
Seth’s eyes flared open, looking across the mare. Her coat was red with blood, scorched from fire. Was she dead? Did she win? She had obviously burned the beast alive, which would explain the carnage. Then she made her way... here... to be with him. She died watching over him. A complete stranger. Seth would have cried, if he hadn’t seen her chest slowly rise.
There was a chance. She could live. He would not let her be another to die for his actions. He would prove his curse wrong. Twilight was one life, but her one life is what drove the wolf to stand, pull the mare atop his back, and begin the sprint to Ponyville. “Twilight... Just keep breathing...” the wolf chanted. “Don’t die... not now...”
Entering the town, the local welcoming committee actually made their trip well worth it. Instead of helping the bleeding mare on the injured wolf’s back, the townsfolk irrupted into a screaming frenzy of incomprehensible whales and shouts for help. The wolf barely cared, his mission was clear enough. He needed to reach ponyville hospital. Of all the shouts and screams, only one word truly affected the canine. “Monster!” With every wail of the phrase, another spike of pain found it’s way to the wolf. “Monster! Monster! Killer Monster!”
He kept chanting to the mare for her to survive, but the seeds of doubt were planted. Sure she was alive now, but with her condition, could even magic save her? Could anything? If she didn’t make it... it would be true. He would be the monster.
No. Not yet. He was close. He just had to reach the hospital. It wasn’t far now. “Don’t you dare die on me now... Not now... For gods’ sake, let me have this one... Just one life not pulled into my curse! Just one!”
“Number 23... 23...”
A tan stallion stood from a leather, a cast over his right wing. Walking to the calling nurse, he gave her semi-appreciative smile. The nurse however returned his gesture with one of shock and utter horror. The stallion took a step back from the silently screaming mare, looking to himself to see if it was that repulsive. Seeing he was fine, he looked behind him to the newly arrived pair that had burst through the door. The two were heavily injured from the amount of blood dripping off of them on to the white tiled floor.
Then he realized the one carrying the mare was not an equine. “Shit! It’s an attack!” He yelled in desperation, turning to the petrified nurse and barging past her, only wishing to save his own skin from the beast’s teeth. He didn’t need to out-run the monster, just the mare he had pushed between him and it.
The mare in question stood after a second, opening her eyes to see the body of a local pony, the wolf glaring down at her. Shivling into a ball before him, realising everypony else had left her for dead, she could only utter one sentence as tears began to fall from her closed eyes. “Please... just make it quick...”
It never came. He just watched the mare, his expression not changing from the deathly glare. When she raised her head in curiosity, she was met with a growl. “Just keep her alive. She cannot die.” The wolf bellowed, sending yet another wave of fear into the mare. As she curled into a ball once more, the wolf departed as fast as he arrived, leaving her and the mare alone within the waiting room of the hospital.
The second round of screams was even less effective on Seth’s nerves. His job was done, and he could depart Ponyville that much more quickly. The seed of doubt was rooting itself deeper into his heart. However, Twilight was alive when he had given her to the nurse. It was only a matter of how well the doctors were. Considering they had such high magical talents here, there was hope. Hope is all the wolf needed to combat the doubt.
Yet, his physical battles were drawing to a close on defeat. He himself was weak, and the adrenaline spike used to save Twilight was now only a lingering trail of endurance. The wolf was back in the scorched plains where he first awoke when his legs finally gave out from under him. Falling to the ground with a thud, the wolf only smiled. If he was to die here and now, with the knowledge he had saved a life, he could rest easy. The monstrous curse would die with him, his journey done.
This was not the end of Seth’s journey, however. The sound of the helicopter blades beating against the air proved this. The wolf’s eyes opened, catching the sight of the lone grey chopper falling ever closer to the ground. When the cabin was in view, he saw the pilot.
“d...dawn... Dawn... Dawn!” He called out, trying to push himself to stay awake to see his brother once again. Like a guardian angel, the chopper touched down, the younger greywolf brother dashing for his elder.
“Seth!... Just stay with me... Stay with me...” The younger spoke, tossing the helicopter's medic kit down and instantly beginning his work on the wounds. Even though he had only just arrived, beads of sweat were visible on Dawn’s face. As the clouds of darkness began to block out the wolf’s vision, he reached a single paw out to his brother.
Gripping his arm, Dawn turned and looked into his brother’s eyes. “Im not leaving you brother, not again. Not again...” He spoke, his head falling back, his grip loosening. For once, Seth was willing to fall into the void of darkness, his conscience clear of the curse.
