Chapter 1
Through the Timbers
By: Nicole Sunstone
“Goodbye Zecora! Thanks for the lovely tea!” Twilight Sparkle shouted back as she walked out of the zebra’s hut. Zecora was not far behind as she waved her hoof to the departing Twilight.
“Goodbye Twilight, my friend! For our afternoon time has reached its end!” she rhymed, closing the door to her hut once she went back inside. Twilight trotted onto the path through the Everfree Forest, knowing that it was only a few minutes before she reached Fluttershy’s cottage on the edge of Ponyville.
Staying on the path, she looked around the forest around her as Celestia’s sun set somewhere on the horizon. Even if the forest proved to be unpredictable at times, she could still admire the magic that came from the woods. Except when that feeling is also accompanied by a foul-smelling odor coming from the shadows. Twilight sniffed and stopped in her tracks.
“Timberwolves.” Twilight whispered, her wings ruffling against her sides. Looking up, she saw a clear sky transition from day to night. Brushing off the sense of caution, she casually flapped her wings as she rose into the sky. However, Twilight wasn’t used to flying at night even though the sky was clear without a cloud in sight.
“Wah!” Twilight shouted as she felt a sharp lightning bolt hit the side of her wing. Rolling away from the thundercloud, she was shocked by another equally powerful cloud. Twilight looked around, her wings starting to flap more frantically as the clouds began covering the sky. While the moon rose above them, the cloud cover left Twilight in the dark and foggy layer as a bolt of lightning struck by her.
Using her magic to blast away the clouds, the weather began to fight back. Twilight had forgotten that the clouds that covered the Everfree Forest weren’t like the others back in Ponyville. They moved on their own and they worked to protect and create the ecosystem of the forest. With this instance, especially with the Princess’ hostile spells, the clouds were armed to fight back.
Launching the lightning bolts back and forth like a ping-pong ball, the clouds targeted Twilight as she tried to roll and dodge the dangerous current of energy as best as she could. Her tail was seared first on the tip, then her mane, and finally a bolt struck the inside of her wing as it flapped to keep her in flight. Twilight screamed as she plummeted towards the ground in the thick of the Everfree Forest.
Crashing through the trees and bushes, Twilight fell on the cold dirt ground of the forest, with the booms of thunder still sounding out. Groaning as she got back on her hooves, she winced when she tried to move her wing. Sighing in defeat, Twilight slowly walked towards the direction that she thought was Ponyville.
With their attack on the potential threat complete, the clouds faded away into nothingness, bringing the forest to a state of pitch darkness. The noises between the trees and bushes as Twilight trotted slowly over the messy path kept her constantly alert. With her wing out of commission, she was extra worried about anything that could come out and attack her. At least the scent of the timberwolves was gone, as far as she could tell.
Sighing as she saw a giant fallen log in the path in front of her, Twilight jumped up and crawled over the top of it. She looked over and yelled as the log tilted forward, throwing her off the side and causing her to roll down the hill until she landed in a swampy puddle of water. Covering herself in the nefarious ooze, Twilight shook off the water and kept walking through the forest.
At first, it was her hooves that was tracking the mud and dirt from the ground of the forest. Twilight’s hooves began to grow out with a thicker, unkept cover of fur. Her hooves slowly shifted to paws as she kept walking and walking down the path. Twilight shook her head as her legs started to grow more thicker fur around them. Shifting into a sleek pair of legs, her canter turned into more of a stalking motion.
Twilight began to feel the creeping of her wild fur on her flank as her tail shortened and poofed out. She blinked and shook her body, her feathers starting to fall to her side. Feeling her wings start to merge into the sides of her body, a low howl came from her mouth. Her wild fur began to stick up on her neck as it covered her muzzle, stretching out. As her mane fell out as easily as her feathers, Twilight snarled to herself with her ears flicking and perking up.
Twilight stopped in her tracks and sat down on her hindlegs, looking at her new forelegs. She felt her teeth and jaw grow out as a thick drool began to run down her mouth. Opening her mouth, her tongue grew to rest in the inside of her jaw as she howled to the moon above her. Listening to the sounds of the forest, she continued to bay as her eyes glowed to match the stars in the night sky, the forest starting to appear clearly around her.
Shaking her head, she ran off into the woods yet again. Her mind wasn’t focused on going back to Ponyville, but rather to run as fast as she could. Her legs pushed off powerfully on the ground as the sticks and twigs started to stick to her body. The trees shook as she blazed past them, letting the leaves fall and stick to her wolf body. Twilight howled, jumping over logs and stumps as her legs started to lose their fur. As she demonstrated her newfound athletic prowess, Twilight’s legs shifted to a wooden form as she snarled and growled.
Her tail merged into the consistently changing wooden body while her ears flicked to the sounds around her. The hoots of the owls and the other growls from the nearby creatures made Twilight feel right at home. Her eyes glowed as her head went through the changes of the wooden form, with leaves and twigs sprouting from it.
Jumping on the fallen log in the middle of the forest, Twilight’s eyes glowed a bright yellow as her body reflected a true timberwolf. Howling to the moon, she knew that her place was there in the Everfree Forest, to forever be a creature that would stalk in the night.