Mlp werewolf au. Ember and his pack must overcome many obstacles- including each other- to make it though the ride called life. A story of showing trust and loyalty, and the importance of togetherness.
The coldness of winter can be unforgiving. Ember, a Lead Alpha, does all that he can to keep his quickly growing pack under control. Things may make a turn for the worst, however, when they decide to leave their cave to find someplace else to take root in. Will they make it, physically and emotionally, or will they freeze in harsh blizzards of the Everfree?
The chill of winter is something that many experience to some extent. This winter, however, was everything but calm and gentle. The winds howled, the branches on the tall pines were weighed down with heavy snow, and the ground itself was pure white. A lone wolf trudged across the terrain, her paws crunching the snow beneath them. She suddenly paused, her ears perking up to the sound of something else moving in front of her. A doe walked out of the brush, its eyes focused on crossing the frozen lake in front of it. The wolf crouched low, her emerald green eyes narrowed in concentration. She was a Hunter, and a good one at that.
The doe started to cross the lake, oblivious to the furred creature slowly coming up behind it. The ice underneath it started to creak, and it slowed its pace. It wasn't enough though, as the thin ice broke, causing it to plummet into the frigid waters below. The wolf took this as her chance, running out and jumping onto the doe’s back, her claws digging into its flesh. It began to cry out in pain, but the cry was silenced when the wolf bit its neck, ripping out the main artery in it with a sharp tug. She carefully pulled it out of the water, dragging it back towards land. The now dead doe’s fur was getting slightly covered in blood, a bright crimson trail following it as it continued to be dragged along the path. The wolf soon stopped after some time, knowing that this would take forever.
She stood still and started to change form. She became taller, her light gray coat thinning out and lightening even more into a sky blue. A light brown mane and tail with light pink streaks in them sprouted, and her claws retracted into her paws as they turned into hooves. The only thing that didn't change were her eyes, still a sparkling emerald color. She then hoisted the doe onto her back, carrying it towards a cave etched into the mountainside in the distance. Upon nearing it, she slowed her pace, realizing that she was stepping into a rather heated argument. A red earth pony stallion was yelling at a dark blue pegasus stallion, who was yelling back at him just as loud. On the sidelines, two mares sat; one unicorn with a light blue coat and dark blue and white streaked hair, and one lilac coated pegasus with black tipped wings and black and gray hair. The unicorn turned and saw the sky blue earth pony and gestured for her to come over to them. “Alphas? What's going on?”, she asked.
“Collin and Ember are having another one of their dominance arguments.”, the unicorn answered simply. She then pointed at the doe. “Could you bring that to the Den? The kids have been bugging Firefly all morning for something to eat.”
The earth pony nodded. “Yes, Alpha.”, she said before heading into the cave.
The pegasus mare leaned over and poked the unicorn in the shoulder. “Do you think they're going to stop soon?”
“I doubt it, Sirena. Unless one of them walks off or submits, they'll be here all day.”
Sirena sighed, her magenta eyes flashing red without her really noticing it.
“You flashed.”, the unicorn noted.
“I did? Sorry. I'm just a bit annoyed with these two.”
“How do you think I feel?”
They then started to pay attention as the dark blue pegasus’s eyes starting turning into an icy light blue. “I have as much authority over things as you do.”, he growled at the red stallion.
“Excuse me? Last time I checked, I was the Lead Alpha around here, not you. The only reason why I let you two into this pack is because I saw that you had potential to becoming great Alphas yourselves. But clearly this is not the case, as you keep disrespecting me!”, the earth pony growled back, his eyes also now blue.
“Then stop treating me like an Omega, Ember! That's all I ask.”
Ember looked appalled, his eyes fading back to their original red for a moment.
“An Omega? I wouldn't treat you like that, not intentionally anyways.”
“Then why won't you let me take some responsibility for a change? You have enough on you taking care of the 9 of us as is.”
“That is what I'm supposed to do, Collin. Now leave me, before you get me even more mad.”
Collin glared at him, before spinning on his heels and stomping angrily into the cave. Sirena stood up and went to follow him. Ember sighed before pacing back and forth, his eyes flickering between red and blue. The unicorn stood up and walked over to him. He stopped in front of her, looking up to meet her eyes.
“You're mad.”, she said softly.
He scowled. “I know that already, Shine.”
She winced and whined as he said her last name. If he wasn't mad before, he definitely was now. Her eyes turned red and she sat down again. The stallion sighed and sat down in front of her.
“Sorry, Speckle. I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just… Gah, that pegasus can be so-”
“Stubborn?”, Speckle finished, giving him a knowing look.
He nodded, watching as her eyes faded back into their sapphire blue. “Can you blame him? All you male Alphas are stubborn to some extent. It's how you are.”
“I guess, but-”
“You should cut him some slack. He is Second in command, after all.”
“I know, I know. But where did he pull the Omega line from? He knows that I treat the two rankings differently.”
“I'm not completely sure about that one, either. But I'm guessing he's just frustrated that he's not getting the power that he thinks he should.”
“I suppose. But that still doesn't mean he should disrespect me.”
Speckle shrugged. “Guess different ponies show anger in different ways. He’ll come around though. He usually does.”
Ember smiled slightly and leaned down to kiss her. “You should have been ranked a Beta.”, he murmured. “You can read ponies like a book.”
She scoffed. “I'm perfectly happy with being an Alpha, thank you very much.”
Ember started to say something else when an urgent voice called out, “Alpha!” He stood up quickly, watching as a light green unicorn stallion with black hair ran up to him.
“What is it, Scout?”, he asked.
“Sir, I spotted a Rogue in our territory. I asked him to leave but he's not backing down.”
The earth pony’s eyes widened. “Well, that's a first.” He turned to Speckle. “Go get Collin.”
She started to speak. “But Sir-”
“I don't care if he's still mad at me, this is important. Go get him.”
She nodded quickly. “Yes, Sir.”, she said before running inside.
"And Mark?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“Could you go check the west side of the perimeter? I've been smelling some strange things over there.”
The unicorn nodded. “Of course, Sir.”, he said before changing into his wolf form and taking off.
The wind had calmed down at this point, although a slight fog was taking its place. The two wolves made their way quickly through the snow, but the way to the east side of the perimeter wasn't the shortest. So, with nothing else to do, Collin decided to strike up their previous conversation. “I'm still mad at you.”
“Well, get over it. We don't get everything we want, now do we?”
“Says you. You're the Lead.”
“I am, and thank you for finally acknowledging it. I didn't ask for this, Collin. It was given to me, and I had no other option but to take it.”
“How so?”
“Ugh, I am not telling you my life story right now. We have this Rogue to deal with.”
“Fair enough.”
They stopped in their tracks as a low growling sound emitted somewhere in front of them. They quickly scanned the area, before slowly stepping forward. A black wolf suddenly stepped out from behind a tree, bearing its teeth at them. Collin started to growl at it, but stopped when Ember raised a paw. He turned into his pony form, Collin following suit. “Show yourself.”, Ember said to the other wolf. It changed as well, revealing a tall dark green unicorn stallion with light green hair and piercing blue eyes. “Who are you?”, Ember questioned.
“I may ask the same about yourself.”, the unicorn replied.
“I'm Ember, the leader of the pack whose territory you're trespassing.”
“Your little Scout told me about the whole trespassing thing. I don't see why you Alphas are always so picky about your territories. The whole forest is our territory, why can't you all just share it?”
“If you were an Alpha, you'd understand why that isn't a good idea.”
The unicorn's eyes flashed red for a second, then he smiled. “My apologies. I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Grassblade, pleasure to meet you. I'm just passing through, trying to get someplace warmer, you know?”
Collin snorted and snarled, “If you really want to go down further, turn around and try crossing the lake. You'll probably die of hypothermia in the water while you're at it.”
Ember turned and gave him a glare, before turning back to face Grassblade. “I'm afraid my answer is no. I'm not saying that you're not trustworthy, but I'm not taking any risks.”
“I understand. I'll be taking my leave now.” He turned back into a wolf, giving Collin one last look before slinking off the same way he came.
Ember turned to look at the pegasus. “What was that for? And don't say it was because of me. What if that was a lead Alpha? I would have been called out on it for sure.”
“I just didn't like him. And didn't you notice that his eyes flashed red for a moment there? Don't only female Alpha’s eyes turn red? And he was clearly a stallion.”
Ember scratched his chin in thought. “I did notice that. That's odd. We're going to have to ask Quetzal about it.”
Collin gestured behind him. “Lead the way, Alpha.”, he said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“Don't push me, Rookie.”, Ember muttered before they changed into their wolf forms and headed back to the cave.
“Quetzal!” The dark blue unicorn dragon hybrid’s head snapped up.
“Yes, Alpha?”, she asked as the stallions walked into the Den.
“I have a question for you. Don't only Female Alphas eyes turn red?” She nodded once. “Well, Collin and I went to go talk with that Rogue that Mark spotted. I must have said something that made him upset, because his eyes flashed red. Is that a rare occurrence or what?”
She tilted her head to one side in thought. “My only answer for that is that he was treated as a female in his old pack, so it stuck.”
“Makes sense. Where are the girls?”
She tilted her head to a tunnel. “They're with Firefly and Nicky in Nicky’s chamber, Sir.”
“And Speckle?”
“In yours. Said something about having a headache, so she went to lay down.”
“Probably having another one of her episodes. Thank you, Beta.”
“Of course.”
Collin watched as Ember left, before slumping onto the ground in front of Quetzal. She raised an eyebrow, brushing her blonde mane out of her face. “What's up with you?”, she asked.
“Him. That's what's up with me. He's always giving me the short end of the stick.”
“Collin, you've only been in this pack for two moons. Did you really think he would give you all that responsibility right off the bat?”
He shrugged after thinking about it. “Guess not.”
“Exactly. Be glad that you're his Second in command so quickly. It took me five moons as a Delta to finally prove to him that I was worthy enough to become a Beta.”
“Really?”
She nodded as she stood up. “Now, if you'll excuse me, there is a tree out there with my name on it.”
“Ew. TMI much?”
“I have no regrets.”
Nicky sat and watched as the two young ones run around the chamber. She remembered when she had that much energy as a pup, until it had to be transferred to speed and agility when she was ranked as a Hunter. The teal coated unicorn filly with two toned blonde hair came up to her and sat down. “What are you thinking about?”, she asked.
Nicky smiled down at her. “Nothing important, Limelight. It's just that you two have so much energy in you. I'm surprised that you can even sleep at night.”
The filly’s twin sister, a light purple pegasus with navy blue hair with a lime green streak in it, ran up to them, grinning as she sat down as well. “It's maybe because we burn out from running around so much.” , she said.
A voice behind her laughed. The fillies turned and looked at the older dark purple pegasus with flaming orange hair. Limelight walked up to her. “Is your leg doing ok, Omega?”
“It's doing better, thank you for asking, Limelight.”
Her eyes suddenly grew wide, and she turned back to her sister. “Ooh, Crescent! I just realized something. The Elder pack is coming to rank us next half-moon! I hope they rank me a Beta, so I can be as smart as Quetzal is.”
Firefly smiled at her fondly. “Limelight, they'll have to rank you as a Delta first. Then you have to train for at least two moons before you can possibly be promoted to Beta status.”
Limelight pouted. “That's a long time to train.”
Nicky shrugged. “It'll go by faster than you think.”, she noted. “And what about you, Crescent?”
“I don't know for sure yet. Being an Alpha would be cool, but I wouldn't mind being an Omega either.”
“Well, there are pros and cons to both ranks, but I'm sure you'll be great in either one.” Firefly said genuinely.
Ember and Collin were now sitting outside of the cave, trying to have a somewhat pleasant conversation, but as usual, one of them would light the match to a flame war. And without the females to watch them, things could get ugly, fast. Thankfully, Mark showed up just in time to see Collin's eyes turn blue as he snarled at Ember, his wings fully spread and chest fur fluffing out. “Um, Alphas? I'm sorry to interrupt your bickering, but I spotted something on the south side of the perimeter.”
“Is it that Rogue again?”, Ember asked.
“No, Sir. It's two pups, and one of them looks to be hurt.”
“Pups? How did they get this far in this weather? And why didn't you bring them with you?”
“They wouldn't let me. Maybe you should go talk to them.”
“I will.”
Collin had now calmed down enough to ask, “Do you want me to come with you?”
“That won't be necessary. You will stay here and wait till I get back. Besides, if it's pups out there, they will be more willing to talk to one Alpha as opposed to two.”
The snow crunched beneath the dark brown wolf’s feet, his red eyes scanning the area as he moved quickly to the south edge of the perimeter. He then paused, opening his mouth slightly as he breathed in a scent. It confused him for a second, yet he shrugged it off and continued forward. Sure enough, huddled underneath a pine tree, two wolf pups sat side by side, one with light brown fur and the other a pale gray. The elder wolf stepped into their line of sight, changing himself before they could try to run off. Nonetheless, the light brown pup jumped to his feet, trying to nudge the other one up. “Stay where you are.”, Ember called out to them lowly as he drew nearer. “And change yourselves.” The pups looked at each other before doing as they were told, revealing a light brown unicorn colt with curly black hair and chestnut eyes and a pale gray pegasus colt with blond hair and sparkling golden eyes. They immediately dropped to their knees, bowing their heads towards the ground. Ember blinked, trying to understand why that position seemed so familiar to him. Disregarding the thought, he told them to rise. “What are you two doing here? Where are your parents?”
The unicorn colt spoke. “Alpha, my brother here hurt his leg while we were trying to run away from a group of Rogues. As for our parents… our mother died a few moons ago, and our father left us shortly thereafter.”
Ember’s heart ached when he heard this. These poor pups, they didn't look to be more than eleven moons old and yet they probably had been through more than he ever did as a young one himself.
“How about I take you boys in? You could definitely use a place to sleep at night.” Their eyes widened.
“Y-you would do that for us, Sir?”, the colt asked.
He nodded. “Of course. Besides, someone needs to look at your brother’s leg. It could be infected.”
The colt looked over at his twin. “Did you hear that, Mist? We're going to have a new home!” Mist nodded, letting out a small sigh in relief. Ember lowered himself, telling the two to get on his back. Once they were on, he stood up straight and headed back to his home.
The whole pack was outside of the cave at this point, waiting patiently for the Alpha to return. When he did, Quetzal rushed to him, levitating Mist off of his back and then running into the Den. Firefly followed her, going as quick as she could with a bummed out hind leg. The others turned to Ember, starting to ask him and the other colt questions. The colt whimpered and buried his face into the Alpha’s mane as they crowded around him. Ember sighed. “Back up, everyone. You're scaring him. You can all introduce yourselves one at a time later.” They started to filter out back into the cave, Mark going back to his post. Only Speckle remained, and she slowly walked towards them.
“May I speak to him?”
“If he wants to talk.”
The colt sat up, turning his head to look at her.
“What's your name, little buddy?”, she asked in a soft tone.
“Dust Cloud, m’am. And my brother’s is Mist Rise.”
“ It’s nice to meet you, Dust. I'm Speckle. And if he hadn't told you already, the one you're sitting on is Ember. He's this pack’s lead Alpha. He'll make sure that you two are taken good care for. Quite the father figure to the most of us.”
Dust nodded then politely asked Ember if he could get down. Once on the ground, he followed the pair into the Den, where Quetzal was wrapping a bandage around one of Mist’s front legs. “Is he going to be ok?”, Dust asked.
She nodded. “His leg healed up pretty well on its own, actually. It's still bruised, so he shouldn't walk on it for a couple days, but otherwise he'll be fine.”
Firefly gave the pegasus colt a gentle pat on the shoulder and a warm smile.
“Welcome to the injured club. I'm Firefly, by the way.”
The colt nodded and smiled back at her. He then glanced over to Dust and gave him a look.
“Mist says thank you for helping him, Beta.”
Quetzal waved it off. “It's nothing, really. Just part of my job.”
Ember raised an eyebrow. “Is he a mute?”
Dust shook his head. “No, Sir. Ever since what happened with mom, he just… stopped talking. We still communicate mentally, of course.”
“I see.”
Crescent and Limelight then ran into the room, stopping short when they saw the colts. Dust sat up straight, looking around the room when a wave of scent hit him. Mist could smell it too, and looked at his brother, confused.
Limelight walked over to them. “Hi there! My name’s Limelight, and over there is my sister Crescent Wishes. What's yours?”
“Dust Cloud, and Mist Rise my brother.”
“It's nice to meet you both! Dad, may Crescent and I go play in the snow?”
Ember nodded. “Sure, why not? Just make sure someone goes with you.”
They then ran off to go get Nicky. Quetzal was now eying the colts necks curiously, causing them to become a bit self conscious. Ember noticed this and spoke up.
“Does something in them interest you, Quetzal?”
She nodded. “Sir, I think these two are Omegas.”
“Omegas? What brings you to that conclusion?”
“They have Marks. Look.”
The stallion lowered his head to look at them, and sure enough, a patch of pink skin was present on both of their necks. Alpha females and Omega females were the only ones to have Marks, as they were the reproducers of the pack. Male Omegas were rare, especially those with Marks.
“Well there's only one way to make sure. Firefly, stand up please.” She did so. “Show me your eyes and Omega position.” Her orange eyes turned into a bright yellow, and she dropped onto her knees, bowing her head to the floor. Ember then asked the colts to show their eyes. Two pairs of yellow eyes soon stared back at him, and they went into their positions as well. “Hmm. Looks like we found them at the right time. No wonder why there was a group of Rogues after you. They were trying to get you Marked.” Dust looked up at him in slight confusion. Speckle then tilted her head to the side, revealing her own neck. The patch of pink skin had two puncture hole scars on it.
“When someone Marks you, you become mentally and emotionally bonded to the one who does it to you.”, she explained.
Firefly simply shook her head. “But why to these two? They're still pups, for crying out loud!”
“Rogues don't care. They do whatever they please. As long as they don't join another pack, rules don't apply to them.”
The others soon took their leave, leaving just Ember and colts to themselves. Dust hesitated at first, then mustered up enough courage to ask the Alpha a question. “Alpha? Did you happen to smell anything off earlier?”
He shook his head. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Why?”
“Well, we did. It happened when your daughters came in.” The stallion looked confused, then his eyes widened in understanding as he put the two together.
“By the stars," he muttered.
“What is it?”
He looked down at them and smiled slightly. “Well, boys. It looks like you found your soulmates.”
The night was calm, and the mist that hung near the tops of the pines made the forest look ominous. The stars dotted the vast expanse of navy blue sky, and the moon’s light draped all in contact with it with an eerie white glow. Ember laid out on his stomach across the flat surface of the cliff top, trying to make sense of all that had happened within the day. His ears then perked up as he heard something coming up behind him. Turning his head, he smiled as Limelight laid down beside him. “What are you doing up here?” she asked.
“And what are you doing not in your bed?”
She shrugged. “Couldn't sleep. I went to see if anyone else was awake, besides Mark of course.”
He turned his head back forward, resting it in between his front hooves, looking up at the stars.
Limelight nudged his side. “Dad, do you think the Star pack is real?”
He sat up at this, raising an eyebrow as he looked at her. “And who told you about that?”
“Mom did. She said that's where Grandma went.”
He sighed, trying to blink away the tears that were forming in his eyes, but they fell anyway. His daughter looked up at him with concern, her dark red eyes now a swirl of yellow, green, purple, and dark blue.
“Are you… crying?” she asked softly.
Her father turned away from her, mentally cursing himself. Lead Alphas didn't cry, period. To them, the action was a show of weakness, as they were the ones who kept their packs in order.
The filly reached out and touched his hoof. “It's ok,” she said when he finally looked back at her.
He smiled a little and hugged her, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “This is why I love you girls. You always know how to make me feel better.” She nodded sleepily, eyes now back to red. “Do you want to go to bed now?”
“No. Can I stay with you? Please?”
He nodded. “Of course, dear. Anything for my little flower.”
Ember woke early the next morning, which was rare as he was usually the last one to wake up out of the whole pack. Quetzal turned her head to look at him as he walked past the Den to the cave’s entrance. “You're up early,” she noted, following him.
“Never as early as you,” he murmured, his voice still low and raspy from sleep.
The dragon hybrid chuckled a little. “Too bad Speckle isn't here, she'd probably love to hear how you sound right now.”
He scoffed. “Of course she would. Not to mention her Heat is coming up in a couple of weeks. Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about, Beta. I feel like this place is starting to get a little too small for the lot of us. It was fine for the seven of us before, but now we've grown by five. A large pack in a small area is not good in the case of intruders. Not saying that Mark is a bad Scout, mind you.”
Quetzal nodded. “I understand your concern, Sir. But may I bring up that we have two injured members now? They are certainly not fit for traveling long distances.”
“Well, we'll see what they think. Go wake the others. We're going to have a meeting.”
“Is everyone here?” Ember asked. Quetzal nodded, stating that she had done a head count after waking each member of the pack and going to get Mark. “Good. Sorry to have you wake up so early, everyone.”
“I'll say.”, Collin muttered, clearly not in the best of moods.
“Anyways, Quetzal and I have noticed that our pack has gotten bigger in the past few moons. And this cave is not going to stretch itself to meet our needs. So, I have decided that it is time for us to find someplace else.” Light chatter ensued as the others wrapped their heads around the situation. When Ember cleared his throat, all was silent again. “Does anyone have any questions? Or shall we go straight into a vote?”
Firefly raised a hoof.
“Go ahead, Omega.”
“What about Mist Rise and I? The both of us won't be able to walk very far with our legs.”
“Quetzal already mentioned that. Mist can be carried by one of the Alphas. As for you, Firefly, I guess you can stay in your pony form and fly above us.”
She nodded.
“Any other questions?”
Sirena then spoke. “Do you know where we're going? And how long it's going to take?”
Ember racked his brain for a second, then his eyes flashed with an idea. “I was thinking we travel north. Towards the Saddle Horn Peaks. It should be less populated there. As for time, three days at the least.”
Quetzal took a moment to process this information, and then she agreed. “Nicky, how are we looking on food?”, she asked.
The sky blue earth pony turned and walked to the Den. After a while, she returned.
“At least four days, if we ration it well.”
“All right, now that that is settled, are we clear for a decision?”
They all nodded. “We’re all fine with leaving, Sir.”, Speckle said.
“Wonderful. Everyone stretch your legs, because we'll be walking for a while.”
The air was warm, yet humid as the pack followed their leader. Quetzal was lined up behind Ember, followed by Sirena and Speckle, who carried the pups on their backs, Collin and Mark on either side of them, and Nicky behind them. Firefly took the rear, flying about five feet above the others. Suddenly Ember stopped, signaling everyone else to stop. Firefly landed, quickly transforming into a wolf to hear the mental conversation. “Why'd we stop, Alpha?”
“I smell wolves up ahead. And they don't smell very friendly.”
“So what do we do? We've come too far to just turn around,” Nicky pointed out.
“We continue forward. I'll do the talking, and if anything happens, I need you all to run.”
Firefly spoke up then. “But what about you, Alpha? We can't just leave you.”
“I'll be fine. Now everyone keep calm.”
Just then, a series of howls rang across the field, and a decent sized group of wolves appeared. The dark brown wolf stepped forward, changing himself before speaking. “Good afternoon. If you are all part of a pack, I apologize for passing into your territory. Me and my pack are just trying to get to the Snakebite River. So if you would be so kind as to let us through, we would most definitely appreciate it.” One wolf transformed and laughed at him.
“Pack? Ha! We ain't no pack. We're all just Rogues. And don't even think about trying to sweet talk your way into having us let you through. The river is our turf.”
Another wolf stepped forward, one that looked very familiar. Collin immediately started growling at him, eyes instantly turning blue. The wolf turned out to be none other than Grassblade, a wide smile on his face. “Well hello again, Ember. Fancy meeting you here.” The red stallion raised an eyebrow at him, clearly not amused to see him again.
“Hi, Grassblade. I thought you were a loner.”
The dark green unicorn shook his head. “Of course not. I probably wouldn't have lasted this long without being in group of some kind.”
“I see. Well since we've already met, I figure we'll just chat for a little bit, and then we can go through and be out of your way.”
Grassblade snorted, narrowing his eyes. “Not going to happen, buddy. Not unless we have a trade.”
“Ok, fine. What do you want?”
“Well, me and the boys have been awful hungry, and that doe that mare is carrying smells delicious.”
“You're not getting it. It's the only food source we have until we find another one.”
The unicorn pouted, then smiled wickedly after smelling the air. “My, I just realized what a big pack you have. I'm sure it would be so nice to catch a break once in while, wouldn't it? Tell you what. We'll let you through, only if you hand over the Omegas and Unranked.”
At this, Ember crouched low, his eyes almost completely white from how pale blue they were. An earth-shaking growl rumbled from his chest, and some of the Rogues ran off, clearly intimated. About a hoofful of them remained now, Grassblade one of them.
“Do with me what you want, but if you so dare to lay a hoof on my girls, I swear I will rip that smug little smile off your face, and then some.”
Quetzal backed up a little, never seeing the Alpha this mad, and hoping she never would have to again. Grassblade seemed unfazed, though, as if the threat was petty to him.
“Fine. How about a good old fashioned standoff, then? Just you and me. Winner takes all. ”
Quetzal almost transformed herself to protest on how unfair that was, but Ember turned his head to look at her. Turning back, he smiled slightly.
“I'll play your little game, Grassblade. Only so I can whoop your tail.”
Grassblade laughed. “On the contrary, I will be the one to whoop tail.”
They both began to circle each other, watching each other's movements carefully. Grassblade then lunged forward, trying to land a bite into the other stallion, but Ember jumped out of the way, rolling onto the ground before launching himself into the unicorn's side. A crack was heard, and the two fell into the snow. The earth pony placed his front hooves on either side of Grassblade’s head, looking down at him with a smirk. “Guess this ended faster than you thought, huh?”
The unicorn's eyes went red, and his teeth were bared. “It hasn't ended. It's only just begun.”, he growled, firing a beam of magic into his face.
The other Alpha howled in pain as he backed up, pressing a hoof against his nose, which had blood oozing from it. Speckle gasped, wanting to run over and see if he was ok, but she knew better not to. Two Alpha males fighting with each other usually results in injury, and in some cases, death. A female coming in between them in such an aggravated state would get her hurt for sure.
Ember’s eyes turned back to that almost white blue, and he walked over to the unicorn who was still laying on ground. He reached down and grabbed one of his forelegs, digging his sharp teeth into the flesh. Grassblade yelped, trying to kick him away, only to yelp louder as he felt a bone snap. Ember flung him towards a tree, his back slamming into its trunk, more cracks heard in the process. The other Rogues looked at him with wide eyes, then looked to the other stallion. He smiled. “You want to mess with me? Fine.” He then gestured to his pack. “But you got a lot more where that came from.” The Rogues looked at each other, then turned tail and disappeared, splashing could be heard in the distance as they swam as fast as they could across the river. Quetzal walked over to the Alpha to check on him. “I'm fine, Quetzal. Although my sense of smell will be impaired for a few hours, he hit me pretty good.” He then turned to Collin. “Care to do the honors before we leave?”, he asked.
“Gladly.”, the pegasus answered.
Turning into a wolf, he made his way towards Grassblade, who lay limp in the snow. The unicorn's head lifted slightly.
“Have you come to finish me off?”, he asked weakly.
Collin shook his head, turning sideways and lifting one of his hind legs, sighing as he relieved himself. When he finished, he ran back to the others. They all then continued forward, towards the river’s bank.
The group was now at the river’s edge, watching as the wild waves tumbled, crashing against rocks and taking anything light down with it. Ember took a cautious step into the water, quickly withdrawing his hoof from its icy cold depths. “Ok, so we're definitely going to need to transform for this.” The others agreed, doing so without another thought. Quetzal scanned the river bed to see if there was anywhere that was shallow enough so they could just walk across. When she did, she led the others to it. They all got into a single file line, the two mares carrying the pups in the middle. Holding onto each other's tails so they wouldn't get separated if the current got stronger, they began to cross. Unfortunately, Mist couldn't a good grip on Sirena because of his leg, so when she accidently stumbled on a loose stone, he slid off, getting swept into the frigid waters below.
“Mist!” his brother cried, about to jump into the water after him, but Sirena held him back.
“Everyone keep moving, I'll get him,” Nicky called out, passing the doe to Mark and lowering herself into deeper water, the coldness of it not distracting her from her goal.
She swam out to the pup, who had gotten lodged in between two rocks, struggling to keep his head above the surface. When he saw her, his eyes lit up, but he still looked scared as ever.
“Calm down, kid. I've got you. Now don't move,” she told him softly as she leaned down and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, slowly pulling him out of the crevice.
The others had made it across, and they were waiting for Nicky to make it safely to them. Once her paws touched solid ground, she dropped Mist and shook the water out of her fur. The pale gray pup ran to his brother after shaking himself, pulling him into a tight hug. The females then stood around in a semicircle around them, taking turns to rub themselves against them to help add warmth back into Mist’s body. Dust told them his thanks, and after everyone ate for a little bit, they continued on their way.
The night had fallen, and Ember’s eyes were blue to help him see better in the dark. The others followed him wordlessly, until a low whine made him stop in his tracks. He sighed, turning his head. “What is it, FIrefly?”
“Sir, my leg is starting to hurt really bad. Can we stop for the night?”
“That's fine with me. Go check on her, Beta.”
Once they all transformed, Quetzal was already on it, examining the pegasus’s hind leg while the rest of the pack went into a clearing. When the two approached, they noticed that most of them were laying down in the snow, Sirena’s wings draped over the colts to keep them warm. Only Mark and Ember stood, Mark looking at the Alpha in disbelief. “You want me to what?” he asked, surprised.
“I want you to get some rest. You've been on your feet for as long as I can remember since you were in this pack. You need some time to relax.”
“But, Sir, I'm a Scout. And Scouts don't sleep. It's our job to watch for danger at all times.”
“I know, all the more reason that you need rest. At least for one night. I'll take your shift tonight.”
Mark tried arguing against it, but the other stallion was undeterred. Limelight then ran up to her father.
“Can I come with you, Dad?” she asked excitedly.
He started to nod, then looked up to his mate for confirmation, but she had fallen asleep due to Crescent gently kneading her hooves into her back.
“I'll tell her if she wakes up sometime later.” Nicky said, giving him a nod.
Mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ to her, he turned to walk down the path, the little one right behind him.
“Dad?”
“Yes, Limelight?”
“How come you've never told us what happened to your mom?”
Ember froze, looking at her with wide eyes before sighing. “You're much too curious for your own good, you know that?”
He expected her to giggle, or to say, ‘I know,’ but was slightly surprised when neither came. She instead sat down and stared up at him, her eyes changing to the swirl of colors. He cleared his throat before patting the patch of snow in front of him, sitting down himself as she came over to sit. “Limelight, sweetie. Please don't get mad at what I'm about to tell you, and please, for the love of the moon don't go around telling everyone else about it either. Only your mother knows, and once I'm done, only you will too.” The teal unicorn tilted her head to the side, then sat up straight and nodded. He gulped before continuing. “Honey… Your grandmother is, well…, I-i had kill her.”
Limelight’s eyes went wide, and she only whispered the question, “Why?”
“I didn't do it for no reason, if that's what you're wondering. She was sick, contracted Moon Fever.”
“Quetzal told me about that once. Isn't that when someone who isn't your mate Marks you and the Mark gets infected?”
Ember nodded, glad that this was going better than he had hoped. “There wasn't a Beta in our pack, and the nearest Healer was miles away, too far for us to bring her to him. The infection worked its way quickly, as Marks are close to the brain. After a week, her eyes were sunken in and her coat lost its shine and grew pale. Months later, she started having seizures and hallucinations, sometimes madly running out of the cave, not being seen until a few days later. It was eating her up alive, she wasn't the mom that I knew before. One night, all hell broke loose. She was having another one of her hallucinations, and apparently thought that my father and I were the ones who had done this to her. My dad tried to calm her down, but she ended up breaking one of his legs. The look in her eyes… The angry growls she made… I knew that if we didn't do something, we both would have been killed and she wouldn't even know what happened the next day. So, I made a move. The painful wail that escaped her before she fell to the ground, it just broke my heart. To think that I, her own son, could do that…”
He stopped speaking then, not caring about his reputation anymore, letting the tears fall freely. His body shook, years of holding back these tears taking its toll. His daughter had him lean down, pulling his head against her chest, gently stroking his mane. “I am the worst Alpha who ever lived,” he said between sobs.
“No, Dad. You're not. In fact, I think you're one of the best Alphas around. You take care of all of us. We all love you.”
The stallion sniffled after a while, all cried out.
“Thank you, sweetheart. For not hating me or getting mad.”
The filly shook her head at him. Why would I get mad at you? Or hate you? You did what you thought was best, and that's all that matters. You can't go back and change it.” She leaned forward and kissed his nose. “Promise me something.”
“Anything, dear.”
“Promise me that you'll tell everyone else about this tomorrow morning. If you want to continue to be a great Alpha, you shouldn't be keeping secrets from your pack.”
He stared at her, astonished at her courage to say the least. “I-I can't. Everyone would be so mad at me. Firefly would be devastated, Quetzal would lose her respect for me, Collin would probably give me a good punch in the face… I just can't do that.”
“What if I stood by you? Would that help?”
“I guess, I don't-”
She silenced him by pressing a hoof to his lips. “No, you're going to do it, whether you want to or not. You can't let this burden you.”
Ember sighed, nuzzling her cheek. “You're just like your mother.”, he muttered, before finally agreeing to what she wanted him to do.
“Good. I'm glad that you told me. I don't mean to be nosy, Sir, but once I saw how much it troubled you before, I had to ask.”
“It's alright. I was going to have to tell you girls sooner or later.”
She glanced down to the ground then back up at him. “Hey, Dad?”
“Hmm?”
“What do you think I'm going to get Ranked as?”
“Well, based on all that you just told me, most likely a Beta. You know how to get your point across.”
She smiled, raising her hooves above her head as he stood up. Placing her on his back, he started forward. “So, now that you've learned about my past, got any other heart wrenching questions to ask me?”
The pack woke in the morning, the snow was practically glowing as the sun’s rays glinted off of it. Ember stirred, feeling his mate’s body twitch. He lifted his head to look down at her. Her eyes opened instantly, looking up at him with sleep still in them. “Good morning,” he murmured in a soft tone.
“Good morning! How are you?” she asked while smiling brightly.
The Lead Alpha grinned at her sudden excitement. The morning hours triggered something in her, something that the others appropriately nicknamed ‘Morning Speckle’.
“I'm alright, dear. Thank you for asking. And you?”
“Oh, I'm doing great! Are we going to be walking again today?”
He nodded. “Quetzal told me we walked about five miles yesterday, and Saddle Horn Peaks is fifteen miles away from our old cave. So we still have a ways to go.”
She groaned dramatically, resting her head on his shoulder. She then tilted her head and looked into his eyes, smiling after a few seconds. He gave her a look.
“What are you smiling at?” he asked.
“Nothing, Sir. It's just that your eyes are really pretty.”
“Well thank you.”
Collin turned to face them, about to say something when Speckle suddenly gasped.
“Alpha, look! His eyes are really pretty too.”
The pegasus scoffed. “Our eyes are the same color, Speckle.”
“Really?” she asked, tilting her head to one side as she first looked at Ember’s red eyes, then to Collin's. “Huh. You're right. Well, the both of you have pretty eyes.”
“Thank you. Ember, can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure. How about you go check on the pups, Hun?”
“Okie dokie!” she said, jumping to her feet and going over to where Nicky and Firefly sat, watching the two fillies as they played in the snow.
Collin smiled at her as she left, glancing over to the Lead. “She's adorable when she's like that, isn't she?”
The other agreed. “Now, what did you want to tell me?”
Collin hesitated before answering. “Well, Sir…Sirena's Heat is coming up in a month, and… I was wondering if I could share it with her.”
Ember gave him a look. “You're an Alpha yourself, you know. You don't really need to ask me for permission for that.”
“I know, Sir, but, you know...”
“I do, and I appreciate your coming to ask me. If you're looking for my blessing, then you have it.”
The other's eyes lit up. “Really?”
He nodded. “Of course. How can I say no to that? Unless, of course, the Elders forced her to go through Heats alone all the time, which I doubt they would ever do.”
“Thank you, Sir!”
“Not a problem. Don't you hurt her, now. She may be your soulmate, but she's still in my pack.”
“Of course not, Sir. I would never hurt her on purpose. She's everything to me.”
“I know you wouldn't.” Limelight came up to them then, apologizing for interrupting. “You're fine, sweet pea. We were done talking anyways. What is it?” She gave him a look, and he instantly understood. “N-now?” he asked with a bit of nervousness in his voice.
She nodded, and he sighed. Collin gave them a suspicious look, but didn't say anything. The red stallion cleared his throat as he stood up, catching the attention of the rest of the pack. They all looked at him with curious eyes. He gulped, looking down at his daughter as she took his hoof and nuzzled it affectionately before setting it back down. He smiled a little at her, looking back up afterwards. Taking a deep breath, he then said, “Everyone, there's… there's something I need to tell you.”
The area was dead silent when Ember finished speaking. The rest of the group didn't move, and from far away they didn't even look like they were breathing. The Lead slowly laid down, resting his head in between his front hooves in shame. “If you want to shun me, that's fine. I'll understand,” he said sadly. What happened next was something he hadn't expected from most of them. One by one, they rose and wrapped their hooves around him in a hug. Soon everyone was huddled around him, and he could feel the love radiating in the tight embrace. They soon broke away after a while, because, all comfort aside, having eleven ponies on top of you can get pretty uncomfortable quickly.
Limelight was the only one who held on, her hooves lightly wrapped around his neck, reaching up to whisper into his ear. “I knew you could do it, Dad.”
He smiled and quickly kissed her cheek before starting to speak. “Thank you. I'll take that gesture as your acceptance?”
They agreed. “Of course, Sir. We probably would have done the same thing in your situation,” Sirena said.
Collin then stepped forward. “You still haven't told us what made you become a Lead Alpha,” he noted.
The other stallion nodded, sitting up after Limelight let go. “My father was old enough to be considered an Elder when I turned twenty. This was two moons after the whole Moon Fever incident, by the way. The other Elders decided to take him and deem me as a Lead, since not many regular Alphas would do what I did.” The others nodded, feeling bad for him. He stood up once again, looking to each of them before turning around. “Let's continue forward, shall we? The last thing we need is for some of those Rogues to come back.”
The group trudged forward, in their wolf forms now, after eating some of the doe that was left over. The way was relatively quiet, no other sounds except for shallow breaths and crunching of snow under their paws. They had walked about three miles from their last resting spot when Ember froze.
“What is it now?”, Collin questioned.
“Mountain lion. It probably smelled the doe Nicky’s carrying. We're going to have to run.”
“But, Sir-”, Firefly started.
“I know about your leg, Omega. But I think your life is more important. You're going to have to fight through the pain.”
She sighed and muttered, “Yes, Sir.”
Sirena then spoke to the pups on her back. “You sure you'll be able to hold on tight, Mist?”
The pup nodded, Dust verbally giving his answer. The pack heard yowls and hisses coming from either side of them, and about ten or so of the large tan coated felines emerged from amidst the trees. “By the stars,” Ember grumbled. “It's a whole group of them. And here I thought they were solitary creatures.”
“They are, Sir,” Quetzal put in. “I'm not sure why so many are here at once.”
“Well, now is not the time to find out. Let's go.”
They started to run, the mountain lions right on their tails. Unfortunately, due to Firefly’s injury, she was about a foot behind the rest of the pack, something one of the lions used for their advantage. It pounced on her, digging its claws into her back as they both fell to the ground. She howled in pain, getting yanked backwards. Ember’s and Collin's eyes went blue when they heard the cry. The Lead Alpha glanced to the dark gray wolf that was running beside him. “Collin, lead the others out of here. I have to go get her.”
“Sir, you might get hurt!”
“I don't care. I'm not letting one of my pack members die from something I can stop.”
He turned around, running towards the fallen wolf and the cougar on top of her. He leaped, bearing his claws and teeth and inserting them into his target, flinging the cat off of her. The cat hissed and spat as it skidded across the ground, running back and striking Firefly in her bad leg. She yelped, the loss of blood causing her to slump forward and pass out. Ember growled lowly at the mountain lion, his eyes dangerously close to that pale blue color. It looked at him for a split second, before turning around and running away. The other cats followed its lead. The Lead carefully hoisted the Omega onto his back, running down the path that the others had taken.
“Firefly! Is she ok?” Nicky asked, her voice filled with concern.
“She passed out,” Ember replied, laying her down gently against a rock.
The other recently changed ponies huddled around them, Quetzal coming forward to examine her wounds. She sighed when she looked at her hind leg. “This leg keeps getting worse quicker than it gets better. At this point, I think it would be best to just cut it off.” The other mares gasped, looking at the Beta with wide eyes. She looked back at them with a saddened look. “I don't think we have any other option. If this wound gets infected, she'll probably end up not being able to use it all.” Ember sadly agreed, stating that something similar to this had happened to his father. Sirena raised a hoof to speak.
“Go ahead, Alpha.”
“Sir, we can't do this now, can we? She's lost enough blood as it is if she passed out. Not to mention other animals would smell it and come after us.”
“You make a good point, Sirena. What are your thoughts on this, Quetzal?”
“I agree with her, Sir.”
“Very well. Let's continue onward once she wakes up. Speckle, do you mind staying with these two while Collin, Mark, and I go see what's ahead of us?”
“No, Sir. I don't mind.”
“Good. Rookie, Scout. Come with me.”
The three stallions left, leaving the others behind for a few moments as they continued onwards. Speckle turned to look at the Beta as she flipped the wolf onto her back to look at the wounds there. She then tsked, shaking her head slowly.
“This poor Omega. What did she do to deserve all this?”
The unicorn shrugged. “I'm not sure, Quetzal. I'm just surprised she's been able to stay mostly positive all this time. Knowing me, I'd probably just become depressed.”
“It's in her nature. And it's in yours too, Speckle. I can't remember the last time I've seen you be sad about something for longer than 30 seconds.”
She chuckled a little at that. “You're probably right.”
“Of course I am. I'm a Beta, after all.”
Speckle rolled her eyes, then looking down at the copper coated wolf. “How deep are the wounds on her back?”
“Not very. Thank goodness that mountain lion didn't have a chance to do any more damage. Those cats can be vicious.”
She cleaned and bandaged the wounds, taking extra care with her leg. The wolf then started to stir, opening her bright orange eyes a little before whimpering and squeezing them shut again as pain coursed up her leg as she tried to get up. Speckle could sense this, leaning forward and gently patting her shoulder. “Lay down, Omega. You are in no shape to be walking around right now,” she said in a soft tone. Firefly turned her head to look at them, laying down and transforming in the process. She looked tired, bags under her eyes. “You alright, Firefly? You look like you haven't slept.”
The pegasus nodded. “I haven't. My leg was hurting badly last night.”
The Beta gave her a look. “And why you didn't tell me this earlier?”
Firefly cowered in embarrassment. “I'm so sorry, ma'am. I didn't want to have to wake you so you could look at it. I thought it would go away.”
“It's alright. You're not going to worry about it anymore soon.”
“What?” the pegasus asked, confused.
“We're thinking about amputating your leg, Firefly,” Speckle responded.
“O-oh. Does everyone else agree on having it done?”
The unicorn and dragon hybrid both nodded. “I see. Well if anyone knows what to do for sure, it'd be you guys. I trust in your decision.”
“Thank you, Omega. I appreciate your honesty,” Quetzal said.
Speckle rose and went to find the stallions, which wasn't that difficult as they were coming back towards them at that moment.
“Is she awake?”, Ember called out to her when they got close.
“Yes, Sir,” she replied.
“Great. Thankfully we didn't find anything else on the path, so it should be smooth sailing from here on out."
“I'm glad to hear that, Sir. Do you want me to go tell the others to get ready?”
“Yes, please. I need to talk to Firefly for a bit while you're doing that.”
She nodded and took off. The Lead split from the other two stallions to go see the wounded Omega. She looked up at him, her eyes flashing yellow as he drew closer. “You doing alright, Firefly?” he asked. She nodded once.
“I suppose. As alright as I can be. Thank you for saving me, Sir.”
“You don't need to thank me, Omega. It's my job to assist any of my pack members who are in need.”
He helped her stand, yet she winced and hissed quietly, the pain zipping up her spine as she even so much as put her hind leg on the ground. He noticed this and shook his head. “Looks like I'm going to have to carry you again,” he murmured. She looked down in embarrassment.
“Sir, I'm not a pup. I don't have to be carried everywhere.”
“No, but I'm not letting you walk around like that. Either you're flying or I'm carrying you. Take your pick.”
She weighed her options before sighing in defeat. “Ok. I'll let you carry me, Sir.”
“Wise choice, Omega.”
He then dropped to his knees, allowing the purple pegasus to climb onto his back, tucking her legs against his sides once she was settled. She whimpered a little when he stood up. He snorted. “What? You're afraid of heights now? You're a pegasus, for crying out loud.”
“No, Sir. It's just that you're tall.”
He couldn't help but laugh at that. “Please. You think I'm tall, try riding around on Collin's back.” He then cleared his throat. “Um, not that I've done that before… Totally haven't.” She giggled a little.
“It's ok, Sir. I won't tell anyone else.”
It was early the next morning, and the group had been walking since the last time they'd stopped. Ember did allow them to have little breaks from time to time for food or rest, but he knew that the goal was to keep moving. If the creatures that appeared during the day were intimidating, the ones at night were not forces to be reckoned with. Especially not Timberwolves, cousins to Werewolves from the east. Although clashes between the two species were rare, when they did happen, whoever lost in the fight would end up seriously hurting. The Lead sighed in relief as the place they were heading for finally came into view. The terrain was not as heavily surrounded with trees as was the their old cave, meaning that it would be harder for trespassers to sneak by unnoticed. “We're here, everyone,” he called out to those behind him. They all sighed in unison.
He let Firefly down, Quetzal and Nicky immediately coming to her side so she could lean on them. Saddle Horn Peaks, as it was appropriately named, was a series of mountains that were clumped somewhat close together, from above taking the shape of a saddle. Each mountain had about ten to twelve caves etched into their sides, perfect for a community. However, when Ember sniffed at the air, he couldn't smell the hide or tail of another wolf pack around. He then asked Collin if he could smell anything.
“No, Sir. I don't smell any other wolves around here except for maybe one in that cave over there.” He pointed to the cave he was speaking of.
“I'll go check it out. You and Mark go and establish the perimeter.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The dark blue pegasus and light green unicorn went off to go do just that. Speckle followed her mate after having the girls get off her back and stay with the others, yet something about the wolf’s scent had the boys following her as well. Ember stepped cautiously into the cave, alert for anything. Turning a corner, he saw a blond coated male wolf laying down on the ground, eyes closed as it slept. The second it smelled him, its eyes snapped open, teeth bared as it growled at him. “Calm down, dude. I'm not going to hurt you,” Ember muttered. Just then, the colts ran past him, slamming into the wolf with a tight embrace.
“Dad!” Dust excitedly exclaimed, so happy to finally find his father.
Mist smiled, brighter than Ember had ever seen him do in the few days that he knew him. Speckle appeared at his side, about to say something but he silenced her. The wolf transformed, revealing a tan unicorn stallion with blonde hair, similar in color to Mist’s.
“Boys? It's been so long. I'm sorry I left you to fend for yourselves. I was being selfish and heartless. If you could forgive me, I would be grateful.”
Dust laid down at his side. “Of course, Dad.”
“Thank you. Mist, how are you?”
The gray pegasus didn't say anything, but looked up at him with bright eyes. “Still the silent type, huh? That's alright. Your brother talks enough for the both of you.”
“Hey!” the unicorn colt exclaimed with a pout.
“Joking, Dust. Your mother sure would be proud to see you two now.” He then looked up to Ember. “Thank you for finding them, Sir. I tried myself after some point, but after that blizzard happened a couple moons ago, I lost their trail.”
“You're welcome. Your name?”
“Sandstorm, Sir.”
“Nice to meet you. I'm Ember.” He then gestured to the mare beside him. “My mate, Speckle.” Sandstorm looked at her with a smile.
“She's lovely, Sir. It's nice to meet you, Speckle.”
“Likewise,” she replied.
Then, something suddenly snapped. The unicorn stallion's pupils shrank, as if they were being exposed to a bright light. He started to growl, causing the colts to back up a little in fear. When he lunged towards Mist, Speckle was in front of him in a heartbeat, bearing her teeth, her eyes bright red.
“Dust, come here,” she ordered, the colt running over to hide behind her beside his brother.
The three backed up slowly, reuniting with their Lead Alpha. Ember stared at the stallion blankly, confused as to what just happened. One second, the colts' father was all happy and smiling, the next, he looks like he's about to claw his son’s eyes out. There was no reason for that, unless…
“No,” he whispered to himself.
Speckle heard it and looked at him with wide eyes. “Sir, is he…?”
“Yes, Speckle. Take these boys out of here. I don't want them to see this.”
She obeyed, ushering the two young ones out of the chamber. Poor Mist, who knew what was going to happen, walked out with tears in his eyes. Ember walked slowly to the unicorn with a heavy heart. He sighed before making his eyes turn blue and commanding in a loud voice, “Submit yourself, Omega.” Sandstorm fell to his knees, tilting his head to the side while he had it bowed, exposing his neck. Sure enough, his Mark spot was a gray color instead of pink, indicating that he had Moon Fever. The Lead lowered his head, taking the main artery in the other’s neck in between his now sharp teeth. “I'm so sorry,” he whispered before biting down and pulling.
The unicorn wailed before he slumped over, the sound breaking the earth pony’s heart for a second time. He then just sat there for a moment, not saying word as he silently cried. He froze as he smelled his daughter coming towards him. “Limelight, please don't come in here. You don't need to see this.” She refused, going in to sit beside him anyways. She looked to the now dead unicorn lying on the floor in front of her, going over to close his eyes. Sitting back down beside her father, she looked up at him.
“I'm sorry you had to do this again,” she murmured.
“I didn't have another choice. He was going to attack his own son. Those poor boys… They're probably going to hate me forever now.”
She shook her head. “No, they're not. They'll probably respect you more than ever now. You put their father out of his never ending misery. At least he was able to see them one last time.”
Ember nodded slowly, pulling her closer to him. “I thought you were my little innocent angel, but it seems that you know more about things than I do.”
She shrugged. “I can just, read ponies I guess. Especially you, for some reason.”
“I take some comfort in knowing that.”
He rose, going over to drag Sandstorm’s body up a ramp that was inside the chamber. It led to a small cliff face that was just above the mouth of the cave. The moon still loomed in sky, shining brightly. The others looked up from where they sat on the ground. Dust then understood why the Lead told them to leave, and he held a hoof over his mouth to keep his sobs as quiet as possible. The moon's light shone onto the unicorn's body, causing a bright light to burst from his chest. A ghostly figure of the stallion then appeared, standing before Ember. “Thank you.”, he started. “For bringing my boys to me. I'm going to miss them so much. Tell them I love them.”
“I will, Sandstorm. I'm sorry for having to do that.”
“Ember, don't beat yourself up about it. It was my fault I got Moon Fever. I wasn't being careful, and it lead to my downfall. Just, take good care of them for me. They deserve someone better than I ever was, and I see that in you. Farewell.”
His spirit then floated up into the sky, disappearing after some time. Suddenly a bright light caught Ember’s attention, and he looked up. A new star shone beside the moon, twinkling as if to tell of its existence. He smiled a little. “I'll make sure your sons will be the best Omegas they can be, Sir. I promise you that.”
Ember and Collin buried Sandstorm in a clearing not too far from the cave, the Lead making a ring of stones around him when he was completely covered to serve as a marker. The colts simply sat and watched, the fillies beside them as a means of comfort. Dust couldn't stop the tears from flowing, yet he tried to stay as quiet as he could. Mist, on the other hand, was completely silent. He'd been to a funeral before: his mother’s. The light brown unicorn was shaking tremendously, sniffing as he did so. Limelight cautiously wrapped a hoof around his shoulders, pulling her close to him. He stiffened in shock, feeling his pulse quicken. He soon gave into her touch, practically melting into the embrace. It was only when he felt his horn start buzzing did he open his eyes. The filly was looking at him curiously, as she felt it as well. They gazed into each other's eyes, each pair wide with awe and fascination.
Their heads snapped forward when Mist walked towards the ring of stones. The pegasus colt laid down in front of it, Crescent at his side. She draped a wing over his back sympathetically. He looked over at her, and she looked over at him in turn. He laid his head on her shoulder, soon falling asleep. The other adults besides Ember were about 10 feet behind them, talking quietly amongst themselves. The Lead stepped towards the young ones, his daughters heads turning to look up at him. He gestured with his head for them to go to the rest of the group, seating himself in between the colts once they left. He glanced over at Mist, who had woken when Crescent got up. He had a grumpy expression on his face, which quickly turned into sadness when he looked at the stones in the snow. Ember sighed. “Come here, both of you.” The pair immediately sat in front of him, looking up curiously. “Boys, I know this may not be the best time, but I have to ask. Your mother, was she an Omega?”
Dust answered instantly. “No, Sir. She was an Alpha.”
“I see. Did she-”
The colt nodded. “Yes, Sir. She did get infected with Moon Fever.”
“May I ask from whom? Or did she not tell you?”
Dust had to think a little harder for these questions, but he did come up with an answer. “She never told us directly, but I remember once when she was having a dream after she got sick. She kept whimpering and said a name once or twice. What was it? Oh, I remember. The name was Astral.”
Ember raised an eyebrow. “Astral?”
“Yes, Sir. Do you know him?”
“Not personally, but I've confronted him a couple times back before Collin, Sirena, and Mark came to join the pack. Apparently he and Collin were in the same pack, but clearly something didn't click between the two Alphas, so that's why they left. Remind me to claw his eyes out the next time I see him.”
Dust winced before looking over to his brother, who had fallen asleep again. Ember shook his head fondly at the pegasus colt.
“Poor thing. I'm sure the trip took a toll on him.”
Dust nodded. “I'm pretty tired too.”, he said before yawning.
“Don't I know it. Tell you what. You guys can sleep all you want for the rest of the day. Of course, you're going to need to get up for food.”
The unicorn nodded, watching as the Lead stood up and carried Mist over to the rest of the pack, Dust following close behind him. Ember handed Mist to Nicky, telling her to go into the cave and choose one of the chambers for herself, then to let the colts and fillies nap with her.
Collin came forward. “Sir, do you mind if Quetzal, Speckle and I go for a hunt? Quetzal informed me that we're low on food.”
“Go ahead. Besides, you could use the exercise.”
“Are you calling me Fat?”
“No, I'm calling you a heavyweight.”
Collin rolled his eyes and followed the two mares who had transformed and gone ahead of him.
The three walked down the path, alert and ready for anything to happen. The females had already snagged two hares each, Collin set with an elk whose body he carried proudly on his back. He glanced over at Speckle, who had been walking to his right, but she now had stopped, placing a paw on her forehead. Concerned, he changed to his pony form, Quetzal following suit. “Speckle? What's wrong?” he asked. The white wolf looked up, and he could see that her eyes were flickering back and forth between red and blue. She transformed, eyes still doing the same thing as before. The stallion looked confused, as she didn't appear to be mad in any way, shape, or form.
He glanced at Quetzal, who looked back at him just as confused. When the unicorn's eyes finally settled on red, a sudden wave of scent bombarded the pegasus, making his eyes turn blue. He started to back up slowly, trying to cover his nose with a hoof to block out the smell, but to no avail.
“Quetzal, can we head back now? I-I can't…”
The dragon hybrid nodded. “Of course, Alpha.”
She was going to have Speckle turn around and go back the way they had come, but the mare had other ideas. Collin didn't even know what happened, one second she was over by Quetzal, the next she was underneath him, looking up at him with red eyes. He stiffened like a board when her tail flicked upwards, grazing in between his hind legs. Struggling to keep his wings at his side when they so desperately wanted to pop open, he stammered, “O-ok, Speckle. T-that's enough.” She didn't pay him any mind, doing the action again. This time, his wings unfurled, a throb coursing through them. He looked up and stared at Quetzal, his blue eyes reflecting pleading. She understood, going over to pull the mare out from under him, pushing her down the path. He sighed in relief, taking a moment to breathe and let his eyes fade back to red before following them once more back to the cave.
Ember’s head snapped up when he heard the trio approach. He smiled at first when he saw the food they were carrying, but his eyes then turned blue when he smelled Speckle. “Great,”he muttered. “She started early.” Collin was looking extremely uneasy, constantly looking down at his hooves. “Quetzal, bring Speckle to my chamber. Nicky, Firefly, bring the food to the Den. The rest of you go with them and stay there," Ember ordered. The others went to do that, Collin walking past him when he stuck out a hoof to stop him. “Not you, Rookie. I need to ask you something.”
The pegasus gulped, sitting down in front of him. “Yes, Sir?”
“You seem like you're about to jump out of your skin. What's wrong? And may I ask you why do I smell Speckle on you? Did something happen?”
Collin then broke out into a nervous sweat, shaking slightly. Ember noticed this and sighed. “Rookie, calm down. I'm not going to get mad at you. I just want to know what happened.”
“Well, Sir, we were just walking to see if we could find anything else to bring back, when I saw she had stopped. So I asked her what was wrong. Her eyes kept changing colors, and then when they stayed on red, I could just… smell her more than I did before. Then she came over and just started rubbing on me. I'm sorry, Sir. I didn't do anything to her.”
“It's alright, she was just acting on instinct. You know how females get on their Heats. Be glad Quetzal was there, otherwise I wouldn't be as calm as I am on this if something else happened.”
“So you're not mad at me?”
The earth pony scoffed. “Far from it. I'm glad you managed to contain yourself. That's hard to do when you have a female on her Heat right under you. Well, that was all. Go join the others. I have some business to take care of.”
“Got it. Just, go easy on her.”
Ember rolled his eyes and chuckled as he stood up. “Right, like that's going to happen. You'll know what I mean soon enough.”
The Lead slowly entered his chamber, seeing his mate lying on the floor, eyes closed. She opened her eyes when he got close, red eyes looking up at him excitedly. He let his eyes change to blue, raising an eyebrow.
“Alpha? Are you going to help me? It hurts.”, she said in an innocent tone.
“Of course, dear. Now roll over.”
She did as she was told, rolling onto her back and wagging her tail expectantly. He smirked as he went over and hovered above her. Leaning down to kiss her nose, he ran a hoof down her face, gently caressing her cheek before kissing her lips. Spreading her hind legs apart with his tail, he entered her slowly, causing her to let out a soft moan. After letting her adjust, he pulled back, snapping his hips forward again.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, moving in sync with him, lifting her hips as he pushed forward. Suddenly she gasped, her walls clenching tight around him. He shivered, carefully continuing to thrust as he felt her heartbeat quicken. She reached up and pulled at his mane, bringing him down to roughly kiss him. When they broke away, they were breathing heavily. Speckle’s back arched and she moaned loudly as Ember rubbed continuously against her clit, sending her over the edge. He released soon after, pulling her close and gently stroking her mane as his body convulsed. She rested her head on his shoulder, sighing contently.
“Thank you.” she murmured sleepily.
He nuzzled her cheek as he pulled out and had her lay down beside him.
“You're welcome, my love. Anything to please you.”
She smiled, eventually falling asleep in his embrace.
Ember walked out of the cave the next morning with a bit of a limp as he went to go find a tree to relieve himself at. Collin and Quetzal were sitting outside, looking up at him when he approached, the pegasus noticing the way he was walking. “Geez, she got you good, didn't she?” The Lead glared at him.
“Shut up. It's not my fault she wanted to do it three times in a row after we woke up. Thankfully she finally fell asleep on me after that, so I can come out and breathe for a second.”
“Fair point.”
“You're going back in, Alpha?” Quetzal asked.
“I guess. I don't think I'd be able to hear her pained cries and wails for the rest of the day.”
She nodded once, turning her head to face Collin again. They started to talk, Ember taking his leave to continue his objective. Settling on a pine that was relatively close to the entrance of the cave, he got to one side of it and raised one of his hind legs, urinating on its trunk. He yelped as a pain coursed through him, relaxing once it subsided. He shook himself, going back over to the pair. “So what are you guys talking about?” he questioned.
“The different phases of the moon and the numerical distance between us and the stars.” Quetzal answered.
He cocked his head to one side. “Um, ok? Why that would interest Collin is beyond me.”
Collin scoffed and snorted. “Excuse you. Space is very interesting to me, thank you very much.”
“Suit yourselves. I'm going back inside. If Speckle wakes up and finds me gone, she'll run over anything in her way to get to me.”
Luckily, Speckle was still sleeping soundly, her chest slowly rising and falling. The stallion laid down beside her. She subconsciously gravitated towards him, draping her hooves under his shoulders. He leaned forward and gave her a feather-light kiss on the forehead, not wanting to wake her. Closing his eyes, he let himself drift off. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but this time, it was one of the worst things he could have done.
The area was dark, so much so that the stallion could barely see what was in front of him. Suddenly his ears perked, hearing a sound coming towards him. A figure stepped out of the shadows, having a striking resemblance to Ember, except that his coat was a darker shade of red. He clapped his hooves slowly, a bright smirk on his face. “Well done, Ember. Two deaths in 10 years, and now you risk getting your mate pregnant by sharing her Heat with her. You're quite the Lead Alpha, aren't you?”
Ember snarled at him. “I don't need your pity, Crimson.”
“Ah, you remembered my name. It's been so long since we last met, I even prepared a whole speech for if you forgot it. I guess I can throw it away now. Anyways, I wasn't going to give you any pity in the first place.”
“What do you want, you ugly, deceiving asshole?”
“Woah, hey now. There's no need to be calling yourself such names. All I want is that rush again, the feeling of blood coating your muzzle after ripping some sorry wolf’s throat out. It's a nice feeling.”
Ember looked appalled, his eyes turning blue. “Those “sorry wolves” were my mother and the colts father! Have you no guilt at all?”
Crimson shrugged. “Nope. That's your problem. Although that does explain why you cried in front of your daughter twice. I was right. You really are turning into a softie.”
Ember growled lowly.
“Man, I forgot to tell you last time how hot you sound when you growl. Too bad Speckle is already super horny, otherwise she'd probably get wet just by hearing one of those.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be ripping your heart out of your chest right now.”, the Lead said angrily.
“Well, for starters, I don't have a heart. You're the one with the whole ‘body’ thing, remember? And second, all I'm giving you is a simple request. Either find another wolf to kill or let me out. Just for a day.”
“Not going to happen. I know how you tick, and you'll end up destroying this pack.”
“Me? Nah. You? Possibly.”
Ember was about to ask what he meant when he disappeared into the smoke, leaving him alone.
Ember woke with a start, hearing his mate whimper as he accidentally pushed her away, waking her in the process. Her eyes were still red, but she seemed more relaxed than she had been before. “Awe, I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to frighten you. I just… had a bad dream. Come here, sweet heart.” She did so, letting him hold her. “You ok?” She nodded once, closing her eyes and resting her head against his chest. The red stallion lowered his head, pulling her’s back to give her a slow kiss. The mare opened her mouth slightly, allowing their tongues to wrestle with each other. She moaned softly as his tongue pushed past her lips, intertwining with her’s. He grazed his hooves down her back, squeezing her hips as he pulled her closer to him. They laid like that for a while, until Speckle got a little daring.
Pressing a hoof to his chest, she lowered it slowly, stopping just above his sheath. His ears lowered, and he gently broke the kiss. “Don't tease me, Shine,” he growled in a playful manner, surging forward to attack her mouth again. She pulled away after a minute or two, lightly kissing down the trail her hoof had previously made. When she kissed the spot where her hoof had stopped, Ember quivered. Her tongue simply flicked over the opening of his sheath and his member slid out, desperate for attention. The stallion still had his eyes open, but they slipped shut when she wrapped her lips around it, tongue making circles around the tip while she slowly bobbed her head back and forth. He soon held a hoof to the back of her head, holding her steady as his hips thrust forward.
They both moaned simultaneously, Ember twitching before unleashing his load down her throat. He sighed and laid his head down, closing his eyes for a moment as his body relaxed. When they opened again, he was slightly surprised to have Speckle's tail in his face, then realizing that she had flipped over. He smirked as he lifted her tail, revealing the puffy light pink folds that had themselves known. Leaning forward to press his lips against them, he let his tongue push them apart, dipping down and pulling back in a steady motion. She whimpered, lifting her hips as she slid her hooves down her chest to further arouse herself. It worked, as a few minutes later her body stiffened, and she shuddered as warm liquid flowed out of her. Ember turned to face her, seeing that her eyes had finally turned back to their sapphire blue. “Welcome back,” he said softly.
“Hi. I didn't do anything too crazy this time, did I?”
“No… you only just gave Collin a mini heart attack.”
“Wonderful,” she muttered.
“Hey, it's all good now. I took care of it.”
“Thank you.” She yawned and stretched, suddenly freezing when she took in the smell. “Did we-”
“Not now, but yes.”
She sat up, pushing her messy mane out of her eyes. The red stallion sat up beside her, reaching out a hoof to help her get the dark blue and white locks to detangle. Once her mane was in a suitable fashion, she leaned over to quickly kiss his cheek, rising to her hooves so she could walk around. Her ears suddenly twitched as the pair heard a faint scream echo through the chamber, sending them running to find the source of the sound.
The pair found that the others were all outside, Firefly practically on top of Nicky, her hooves tightly wrapped around the sky blue mare's neck. Her orange eyes were glossed over with fear, staring at something that was on the ground. Ember sighed. “Omega, get off Nicky. What happened?”
“There was a snake that was beside her, Sir. It frightened her.”, Quetzal explained.
“And where is the snake now?”
A muffled noise answered him, and he turned to see Mark in his wolf form with the dead creature hanging limp in between his jaws. “Thank you, Mark. You can go bury that somewhere and go back to your rounds.”
The black wolf nodded, going past the others to do just that. Quetzal then noticed Speckle and ushered her over. “What's up, Quetzal?”
“Firefly’s leg hasn't gotten any better since I last checked it. I think it's time for us to do something about it.”
“By that you mean sawing it off?”
“Well, yes.”
The unicorn gave her a look at her bluntness, but then shrugged it off. “If you say so. What do you want me to do?”
“I need you to hold her leg steady. Nicky and Sirena, hold her down so she doesn't squirm.”
The earth pony raised a hoof. “Yes, Nicky?”
“Are we not going to give her an anesthetic? Or something to numb the pain?”
The Beta nodded, glancing back to Ember.
“Um, Alpha? The pups…”
He snapped out of his trance and looked at her. “Right. I got them. C'mon, kids.” The four quickly jumped to their feet, crowding around his hooves. He smiled down at them. “Ok, ok. You guys are going to have to back up and let me walk. Collin, a little help here?”
The pegasus went over and gently picked up Mist by the scruff of his neck, placing him on his back. Crescent sat on her haunches, lifting her front hooves above her head, as she wanted to be carried as well. The stallion did the same thing as he had done with Mist, now having both the filly and colt seated on his back. Limelight trotted into the cave at her father’s side, Dust following closely behind them, Collin taking the rear.
Quetzal glanced back to the other mares. “Shall we get started?”, she asked. They nodded in unison, quickly taking their positions.
The bone in Firefly's leg had to be dislocated from the joint, and she let out a whine as she felt it pop out of place. Quetzal made quick work of severing the remaining tendons and ligaments while the pegasus’s brain was still registering the pain from the bone. Speckle pulled, and the now successfully disembodied leg went with her. Firefly's head was lying in Nicky’s lap, pinning her front legs above her head, while Sirena gently yet firmly had her hooves pressed into the mare’s abdomen to hold her still. The dragon hybrid quickly conjured up a needle and thread, cleaning the wound and stitching it closed. Nicky stroked Firefly's mane, speaking to her in a soft voice. “See? It's over now. You doing ok?” The Omega nodded, a sudden tiredness coming over her. Quetzal finished bandaging the patch of skin she had stitched together and gave the mare's other hind leg a gentle pat.
“I'm done now. You did very well, Omega.”
“Thanks, Beta. I'm so tired, can I go take a nap?”
“Well, I'd prefer you'd stay here for a while so I can check on you, but if you really want to get up, I'm not going to stop you.”
“Oh, I'll stay here then. I don't think I'm ready to start walking around anyways.”
Speckle and Sirena rose to their feet, telling their good nights to the three mares before heading into the cave. Quetzal let her horns dim, using her now bright green eyes to help her see in the dark. Nicky picked up the severed leg and went off to go bury it, her eyes now a glittering violet color. When she returned, she found that Firefly was fast asleep, her face looking peaceful. The earth pony sat down beside her, joining Quetzal as they sat in silence.
The two stallions were laying down facing each other talking quietly, eyes both blue as there was hardly any light in the chamber. The fillies used the little light they did have to braid Ember’s tail. He finally looked back at them after a moment. “What are you two doing back there?”, he asked while raising an eyebrow.
“We're making you look pretty, Dad.”, Limelight answered simply.
He sighed and shook his head fondly. “Looks like you already started, so continue.”
After watching for a few minutes, the colts decided to go and do the same thing to Collin's tail. He stiffened and glanced back at them for a second when they started, but soon relaxed. Speckle stepped into the chamber, her horn aglow. Sirena cocked her head to the side in confusion at the sight in front of her, then straightened it and shrugged.
“Here, Mist. Let me.”, she said as she went over and held Collin's tail while Dust continued to braid part of it.
“Oh no. Not you too.”, the stallion muttered to himself.
When the colts and fillies finished, the pair raised their now braided tails and examined them. “I don't know about you, but I think we look gorgeous.”, Ember said dramatically.
“I'd agree. Top notch.”
They then looked at each other and burst out laughing. The others looked at them, confused, but soon smiled at their sudden joy, as it had been something they hadn't seen in awhile.
Firefly stirred from her slumber, slowly opening her eyes as the sun’s light warmed her coat. Looking around, she immediately noticed that Nicky and Quetzal were fast asleep beside her, the former snoring loudly. The dark purple pegasus started to move, then realized that something was off. It was when she felt an itch on her hind leg, she automatically went to scratch at it with her other hind leg, except there was no other hind leg to do that with. Sighing, she lowered one of her front hooves to scratch the spot. Her ears perked when she heard hoofsteps approaching from behind her. Turning her head, she looked up at the Lead as he walked out of the cave’s entrance. His gaze locked in on her, and he gave her a smile.
“Well, isn't this a first. The Omega is up before the Beta. This is something I'm definitely not going to let go. Quetzal’s going to hate me for it, but she'll be fine. How are you feeling, Firefly?”
“I'm feeling well, Alpha. Thank you for asking. And you?”
“I'm alright. It's another day, plenty of things could happen.”
“That is true.”
Just then, the dark blue dragon hybrid stirred. Her dark yellow eyes opened, and she glanced over to the pegasus, then to the earth pony. He smirked down at her, and her eyes widened and her ears lowered. “Oh no. Don't tell me I overslept.”
“Sure did, sugarcube. And guess who's going to torture you about this day for the rest of your life?”
She groaned loudly, waking Nicky accidentally. The mare sat up and glared at her, then looked to the others. “Wait, what happened?”
“Quetzal overslept.” Firefly explained simply.
“Oh, she did? Ha ha! This one’s going in the history books, Quetzal.”
The hybrid groaned again, her eyes flashing green in annoyance. “Ok, I get it. I'm a Beta, and Betas are known for getting up early. Can we just let this one slide? Granted, I did stay up with Nicky last night watching over Firefly after her surgery, so does that give me any excuse?”
Ember hummed in thought. “I suppose I could let it go. But not until I go tell the others. Better yet, Nicky, how about you do the honors? You can get word around faster than I can.”
Before Quetzal could stop her, she was off. She sighed and stood to her feet. “I'm going for a walk. Just so I don't become a laughing stock here.”
“Can I come with you?” Firefly asked.
“Sure, I don't mind. But do you think you're ready to start walking?”
Ember stepped forward to help her up. She was a little shaky with the first few steps, but she soon got used to it. She followed her friend into the woods, their hoofprints turning into pawprints as they changed forms. Nicky soon came ran out of the cave, darting past Ember as she followed the prints after them. He chuckled as he sat down, watching the sun rise above the pines.
“Sir?” a voice called out softly. Ember cracked open an eye, looking at the stallion who was standing before him. He sat up once again, rubbing his eyes.
“What is it, Rookie?”
“I wanted to ask something of you, Sir.”
“Shoot.”
“Well, Sir. Remember when I asked if I could share Sirena’s Heat with her a few days ago?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“I realized that I haven't Marked her yet, so…”
“Ah, I see. Well, son let me tell you-”
“Don't call me son.”
Ember rolled his eyes. “Marking your mate is a rather big step in furthering your relationship. Are you sure you want to do this? And are you sure she's ready for it? Son-”
“I'm not your son.”
“I just don't want you doing something you may end up regretting. Yes, I know she's your soulmate and all, but you don't want to rush things. S-”
“CALL ME SON ONE MORE TIME!” Collin yelled, his eyes bright blue.
Ember’s own eyes widened, then narrowed as he muttered under his breath, “Boy, does this kid have daddy issues.” Collin cocked his head to the side at him, and he cleared his throat. “Again, I ask: Are you sure about this?”
“Sir, I wouldn't have come to talk to you if I wasn't sure, now would I?”
“Fair point. Alright, I give you my blessing, but on one condition. You both hold the keys to each other's hearts, just don't break yours in the lock.”
Collin's nose scrunched up and he snorted. “Was that supposed to be an innuendo? Cus that was… pretty good.”
Ember bowed. “Well thank you. I must have learned it from a certain someone we know.” They both smiled, looking up as the trio returned from their walk. “Well, look who's back. Hello again, girls.”
“Greetings, Alphas. You guys seem to be in a good mood. What about?” Firefly questioned.
“Well, Omega. Old Rookie here is finally going to get a pack of his own started. He's planning to Mark Sirena.”
The three mares squealed in excitement. “Took you long enough, Collin.” Quetzal noted.
He rolled his eyes. “Hey, I like to wait on things like this, ok? Don't judge me.”
“Oh, of course not, Alpha. We wouldn't ever judge you. I, for one, would much prefer my mate to wait rather than to rush me into something as big as this.” Firefly said genuinely.
“Thanks, Firefly.”
Quetzal was now just standing there, and Ember could see the gears turning in her brain. Then she spoke. “Sirs, this is going to take a lot of work. Alpha Collin, may I ask when you want to do this?”
The pegasus nodded. “I was thinking tonight, especially since I hear there's going to be a full moon.”
The hybrid groaned softly, racking her brain as she sorted all the information then translated it into simple terms. “It's not going to be easy, but I'm sure if we work together, we'll get it done by nightfall.”
Ember nodded once, rising to his hooves. “Alright, then. Quetzal, go get Speckle and bring her here. Collin, you're gonna have to stall till one of us comes to get you both. We want to keep this as a surprise, so no one say a word about it to Sirena if you run into her. Got it?”
“Yes, Sir.” the others replied.
“Good. We meet back here when all is said and done.”
The sun had now set, and the clearing outside of the cave was decorated with hanging lanterns made from small logs tied together with vines. Speckle and Quetzal had also made a large arch from twigs, leaves and a few of the leftover vines. As the full moon began to rise, the lanterns glowed brightly, illuminating the area around them. Nicky went to go get Ember so he could have a look at what they had done as the others made finishing touches. The Lead indeed examined the setup, nodding once or twice at things to show his approval.
Yet, something was troubling him, for as he stood alone under the arch, watching the moon float higher into the cloudless sky, his eyes turned to the only color that truly reflected his conflict: purple. Speckle immediately sensed something was off and walked over to stand beside him. “Ember, are you alright?”, she asked him quietly. He didn't respond, just continued to watch the moon. She then went to stand in front of him, forcing him to look down at her. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking the question once more. His now violet colored eyes only seemed to glow brighter in the moonlight. He sighed, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again, back to their original color.
“I...I saw him again, Speckle.” he stated simply.
“Who-” she started to ask, then stopped when she saw the look in his eyes, one of pure fear, and she then knew whom he was speaking of. “I see. Did he have any demands?”
“Just to do the same thing I did with Sandstorm again. I-I couldn't, not without a good reason to.”
His voice wavered, and he sat down, lowering his head so she couldn't see the tears streaming down his face. She reached out a hoof and placed it under his chin, tilting his head up so he could look at her. Leaning forward, she captured his lips in a gentle and comforting kiss, stroking his cheek in the process. He ran a hoof through her mane, tilting her head back slightly so he could deepen the kiss. She pulled back however, looking into his eyes and leaning his forehead against hers.
“Alpha, I know you've been through a lot. But I want you to still stay strong. We all need it, especially now.”
Ember nodded, hugging her tightly. He whispered a soft “Thank you” before standing up. He turned his head and located Quetzal. Calling out to her, she made her way as quick as she could over to him.
“Yes, Sir?”
“Go get the couple in question. Let's get this thing started.”
Sirena had a hoof over her eyes, following Collin's voice as he led her out of the cave. She, of course, asked him why she had to do something so odd when they were just going outside, but he simply answered, “It’ll be worth it, trust me.” When they reached the clearing, he looked to Ember, who gave him a nod as both he and Speckle stood under the wooden arch. “Ok, Sirena. You can uncover your eyes now.” The lilac pegasus did so, gasping as she took in her surroundings. The others all stood off to either side of the arch, smiling brightly at them.
“Collin, did you… plan this for me?”
He smiled. “Well, the whole ceremony thing was Quetzal's idea, but I did come up with the source of it.”
She looked slightly confused, so he held out a hoof to her. “Shall we?” She took it, walking with him to where the other pair stood. Sirena now had Speckle in front of her, the same with the stallions. Collin turned to her, bowing. “Sirena Punk, I, Collin Notes, ask for your permission for me to Mark you. If you decline, know that it is not your fault.” She, for one, looked surprised at his request, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. But as she recalled in that moment all the times that they had shared, and all the things he had done for her, she knew that she couldn't say no.
“I… grant you permission to Mark me, Sir.”
The stallion raised his head, a flicker of true joy reflecting in his eyes, only to disappear as quickly as it came as he stood up straight. They both turned back to the pair in front of them. Ember stepped forward.
“Collin, do you promise to protect this Alpha at all costs, and to take care of her and your offspring for as long as you all shall live?”
Collin nodded once. “Yes, Sir. I do."
Speckle then spoke to Sirena. “Sirena, do you promise to recognize that although you are an Alpha, Collin still has power over you and that you should give him the love and respect he deserves?”
She nodded as well. “Yes, Ma'am. I do.”
The unicorn and earth pony looked to each other and nodded simultaneously. They then placed a hoof onto Collin and Sirena's foreheads, saying this together: “Then by the power in us, we grant you our blessings to perform this act of ultimate unity in the eyes of us and your witnesses.”
Once they lowered their hooves, Ember spoke. “Collin, you may now Mark your mate.”
The stallion stepped towards Sirena, who had her head bowed in submission, exposing her neck. The pink Mark spot practically glistened in the moonlight, and mare's coat looked like it was glowing. Collin let his fangs emerge, gently grazing across her skin as he focused on the spot. He kissed it softly before sinking the sharp canines into the flesh. Sirena gasped, her body trembling as a jolt ran through her. Once the feeling subsided, she sighed contently as she felt the spot tingle, signaling that the deed was done.
Collin pulled back slowly and carefully, retracting his fangs and looking at the work he had done. Her previously Unmarked Mark spot now had two puncture wounds in it, both of them oozing a few drops of blood. He learned back and kissed her happily on the lips, not caring if there was anyone else, for in that moment, it was just the two of them. Soon all sound rushed back into his ears, and he heard whistles and hooves clapping in approval. Sirena smiled against his lips, and they broke away breathless. The others came over and told them their congratulations, the mares giving Sirena many hugs.
“Sir, I have another question for you.” Collin said to the Lead as the pair sat away from the rest of the pack. The little celebration had lasted for a few hours now, and the white glowing ball known as the moon loomed above them.
“Go ahead, Rookie.”
“Sir, I was wondering… would it be alright if I take Sirena away from here for a few days? Now that she's Marked, and her Heat’s close approaching… I wouldn't want to disrupt everyone else with all the, ahem, noises that would be emitted constantly.”
Ember pondered on this for a second, then nodded. “I see your point. I had a bit of trouble keeping Speckle quiet during her Heat, and I Marked her six moons ago. Very well, I suppose it would be alright. Just don't go too far. I need to able to reach you if something happens.”
“Of course, Sir. We'll just stay at one of the caves in the mountain beside you. Is that alright?”
“Yes, that's fine.”
Collin’s nose twitched as he took in a scent, his eyes flashing blue. He then noticed Sirena across the way, and she looked to be distraught. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and her back arched, crying out in pain as it felt like someone had taken a hammer and a stake and was hammering it through her spine. Collin was up and by her side in a heartbeat, asking if she was ok. Her eyes opened, revealing dark red irises. He inhaled deeply, closing his own eyes. When he exhaled, he opened his eyes, and they were a bright blue, as bright as the sky on a sunny day. “So, the time has arrived. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this.” Ember saw the exchange and went over to them quickly.
“Sir?”
“I know what you're going to ask, and yes, you can go. And do it now, before your love fueled passion takes over and makes me want to take my eyes out.”
The pair nodded, bading the rest of the group farewell before taking off into the night, using the moon's light to guide their way.
A week had passed since the ceremony, and Mark had occasionally went to go check on Collin and Sirena during his rounds. This morning, Ember laid out on the cliff face, relaxing as the sun shone brightly and he looked out across the horizon. Hearing a sound behind him, he turned his head. Limelight stood, a bright smile on her face.
“Good morning, Dad!”, she said cheerfully.
“Good morning, my little flower. Don't tell me that your mother’s morning mood is rubbing off on you, is it?”
The teal coated filly giggled, shaking her head. “No. I'm just excited about today.”
“How so?”
She gasped, eyes wide. “Dad! What do you mean ‘how so’ ? Did you forget that the Elder Pack is coming?”
Ember chuckled. “Of course I didn't forget. It's been awhile since I've seen my father.”
She went over and sat down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Hey, Dad?”
“Yes, dear?”
“How come there aren't other packs around here? You'd think with all these caves, there'd be at least one pack living here besides us.”
“Well, the reason why is because this used to be a grounds for the Elder Pack at one point.”
“Really? How did you know?”
“It's all about scent, my dear. I could smell traces of some of them when I first entered the cave.”
“Huh. Wait, how would they able to find us here? We're so far away from the old cave… what if they miss us?”
“They're not going to miss us, sweetie. The Guardians have a really strong sense of smell, even stronger than Alphas.”
“Even yours?”
“Even mine. Speaking of smell, here come the pair we've been waiting for.”
Peeking down, the two could see the pegasi approaching in the distance. “Howdy!”, the Lead called out to them.
"Hello to you as well!”, Sirena called back, her hair slightly disheveled.
Ember glanced down at his daughter. “Limelight, could you go down and join the others please? I need to speak to Collin for a bit.”
“Sure thing, Dad.”
Once she darted off, he called down to the stallion in question. “Rookie! Get your fluffy little butt up here!”
The dark blue pegasus scoffed. “My butt isn't fluffy.”
“How would you know? You don't look at it on a day to day basis.”
“Ok, Mr. Creepy, I'm coming so I can show you my ‘fluffy’ butt up close.”
“Can't wait.”
Collin groaned as he walked into the cave.
“What did you need of me, Sir?”
“I just wanted to ask you how it went.”
“That's it? You call me all the way up here just to ask me that?”
“Listen here s- er, Rookie. Don't sass me. I get it, you're still on a rush. But don't use that as an excuse for giving me an attitude. Do you understand, Alpha?”
“Yes, Sir. I'm sorry. It went well, if you must know.”
“I'm glad to hear that. And you two came back just in time. The Elder Pack is on its way.” Seconds after he spoke, their ears perked up to the sound of yips and howls in the distance. Ember smiled and stood, going down the ramp to speak with the others. “They're here. Look alive, everyone.”
A horizontal line of wolves emerged from the tree line, a large group behind them. Their eyes were a regal looking gold color, and they stood up straight, acting like their rank. One wolf broke from the line and went towards the pack, who were all bowing, the Omegas in their positions. When she transformed, she let her eyes fade to their original color, a two toned brown. She was a white unicorn, wavy black and light blue hair running down past her shoulders. “You may rise.”, she stated. Speckle looked at her as she stood with the others, stepping forward to hug the mare. “It's good to see you again, dear sister. How are the girls?”
“They're doing fine, Dewdrop. Actually, I'm glad you mentioned them, because I hope your coming here isn't in vain.”
“What do you mean?”
The girls had crept up to the front at that point, and they peeked out from behind their mother and waved hello to their aunt.
“We're getting Ranked today, Auntie Dewdrop!”, Limelight said with a bright smile.
Dewdrop looked down at her.
“That you are. I've been waiting for this day ever since you two were born, and now that it's here, I couldn't be happier.”
Speckle smiled at her elder sister's choice of words, leaving them to talk amongst themselves. A few other wolves had transformed and were speaking with Ember, three of which she recognized immediately. “Mother, Father! Elder Kindle, how are you?” The orange earth pony with red hair and glittering red eyes looked up at her.
“I'm doing alright, Alpha Speckle. You're keeping my son in line, are you?”
“Of course, Sir.”
Ember scoffed. “Dad, honestly. I'm not that bad of a Lead, am I?”
“I didn't say that. I was just asking your mate a question.”
She went over to speak to her parents, as she felt a slight tension that was rising between the two stallions, and didn't want to be part of it. The white unicorn mare with dark blue hair and magenta eyes stepped forward and hugged her daughter. “Hi, Mom.”
“Hello, Darling. How long has it been since we've last seen each other? Two moons? Three?”
“Four, actually. I missed you guys.”
“We missed you too. We can't wait to see the girls up there when they get Ranked.”, Horizon Blue said, his brown eyes aglow.
He brushed his white mane out of his eyes, giving the light blue mare a warm smile.
She agreed. “I can't wait either. I'm so excited for them.”
Not too far from them, Collin and Sirena stood side by side, the former simply smiling as the lilac pegasus chatted with her parents. Rose couldn't be happier about seeing that her daughter was Marked. Onyx, on the other hand, glared sternly at the stallion across from him. Collin cowered slightly as the other pegasus stared him down.
“What makes you think you can do whatever you want with my daughter? Last time I checked, you're the one who had left your old pack with her, and now she's Marked.”
The dark blue pegasus didn't say a word, getting more and more nervous by the second. Ember could sense the uneasiness and glanced over to them, then back to his father.
“Dad, I don't have time to argue with you right now. There's something I need to settle.”
The elder earth pony snorted, but stayed where he was, in case his son needed his assistance. Firefly slowly made her way towards him, as some of the other Elders were talking to other members of the pack and were standing in her way, causing her to have to go around them. Kindle looked at her in amusement as she hobbled up to him. “Sir…”, she started, out of breath.
“Take a minute, Omega. I've got time to kill.”
She did so, taking deep breaths until she was able to speak. “I'm Firefly, Sir. It's nice to meet you.”
“Kindle Lit. I guess I'm not the only one who's a crippled, huh?”
She looked down and saw that he didn't have a right front leg, yet he stood as if he had all four legs. “I guess so. Does it not bother you?”, she questioned.
“Nah, not anymore. I've just gotten used to it. I'll have you know, I'm one of the fastest in the pack, despite of my lack of a leg.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Really?”
“Yes, really. You just gotta not think about it. It'll easier as you go along, trust me.”
“Well thank you for the advice, Sir.”
“Not a problem. Now, I think your friends want to speak with you.” She turned around and saw Nicky and Quetzal on the other side of the clearing, waving at her to come over. She glanced back at him and smiled a little, turning to take her leave.
A low growl rumbled in Ember’s chest as he witnessed Onyx slapping Collin across the face, yelling at him. The earth pony ran up to them, getting in between the two stallions. He glared at the yellow pegasus, eyes flashing blue. “What was that for?”, he asked in a surprisingly calm tone.
“That kid doesn't know how to be a proper Alpha, letting his emotions control his actions. You should give him some discipline.”
“And clearly, someone should have done the same to you. You don't go around hitting others like that.”
“Don't tell me what to do. I'm an Elder, I can do whatever I want.”
“Uh huh, sure. Well let me tell you this, Mr. Bolt. This is my pack, and you just abused one of my members. So I have every right to go talk to the Head and tell him to banish you.”
The other stallion's eyes narrowed, turning into a bright silver. “You wouldn't dare.”, he growled.
Ember stared back, bright blue eyes showing that he wasn't backing down. “Indeed I would, Sir. Just try me.”
The next thing that happened was a blur. Ember found himself on his back on the ground, the large pegasus on top of him. Onyx snarled at him, sharp teeth glistening in the light. He then yelped, getting yanked off of the one on the ground. Collin went over and held a hoof out to Ember, his own eyes bright blue. The Lead took it, getting to his feet and looking up to see his father was on top on Onyx, growling loudly.
“Knock it off, Onyx. Leave them alone. You don't own Sirena, and neither does Collin. She can be with whoever she wants, and she chose him. You don't control her life, leave them be.”
“Get off me Kindle. So I can tear that pathetic little earth pony into shreds.”
The stallion's eyes turned from silver to white, and his body trembled with anger. “Excuse me! That's my son you're talking about. I know he may not be the best in the world, but you have no right to call him pathetic. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't bash your face in.”
Ember went over quickly and pulled his father off. “Dad, stop.” He then looked to Rose. “Ma’am, please get your mate out of here before we do something we might regret.” She nodded quickly, going over to help the downed stallion up, the two of them turning to leave, the pegasus turning back to glare at the three of them before slinking off. Ember glanced down to the other earth pony, who had reduced to a shivering heap on the ground. “Dad, it's ok. He's gone. Breathe.” Kindle looked up at him and jumped up, his son gasping as he hugged him tightly.
“I-I never done that before.”, he murmured.
Collin came up to them and rested a hoof on each of their shoulders. “Well I'm glad you did. Thank you for standing up for me, Sirs.”
“No need to thank us, son. It's what we do.”
The dark blue pegasus flinched, but tried not to bring attention to it. Ember noticed it, however, and chuckled. “Hey, Dad?”
“What?”
“Don't call him son. He gets triggered easily.” Collin snorted and walked away, making sure that Sirena was behind him first.
The sun was still high in the sky, and the branches swayed as a breeze flowed through them. Everyone turned their head to face the front when they heard a howl ring out. A large gray wolf walked towards the small crowd, his violet eyes glancing at each pony he passed. He stopped in front of Ember, transforming in the process. He was a tall unicorn, with a coat as black as night and short gray hair. “Lead Alpha Ember. You know the drill. Arrange your pack into a line based on Rank.”
Ember nodded once. “Yes, Sir.”
He went to the others and gently nudged them into their places, Quetzal assisting when needed. The line went in this order: Collin in the front, followed by Sirena, Speckle, Quetzal, Nicky, Mark, and Firefly, the colts and fillies taking the rear. Ember took his place in front, looking to the Head for approval. The unicorn walked down the line, stopping at the Omegas. “When did that happen, Firefly?”, he inquired, pointing to the space where her hind leg would have been.
“A week ago, Sir. It was going to get infected.”
He nodded, starting to walk again, then stopping when he noticed the colts. “Wait a second. What are these two doing back here? They should be behind Speckle or Quetzal. They certainly look like Alpha or Beta material.”
They changed their eye color, looking up to the Head with bright yellow eyes. “Well I'll be. It's been a long time since I've seen a Male Omega. Two, in fact.” Dust let his eyes fade, then cocked his head to the side.
“Sir, why did you immediately assume that we were an Alpha or Beta? Just because we're boys doesn't mean we're meant to be those roles.”
The unicorn's eyes widened in surprise, then he smiled. “My apologies, little one. May I ask for your names?”
“Dust Cloud, Sir. And Mist Rise my brother's. May I ask for yours?”
“Comet Tail.”, he replied. He then looked at the fillies, one of which was rather excited, as she could barely sit still. Comet smiled at her. “Well, Limelight. I think you're the most excited out of all of us.”
The others laughed at that. Limelight nodded quickly. “Oh, I'm very excited, Sir! I know that whatever role is given to me, I will take it gladly so I can help my pack and any other werewolf who needs my assistance.”
“Wise words. Now follow me, the both of you.”
The three stood on the cliff face, Crescent trying her best not to look up and down constantly so she wouldn't get motion sick. Everyone else was looking up at them, and she was able to locate her parents rather quickly in the crowd. Speckle gave her a small wave while Ember simply looked on ahead with a smile. Comet examined the both of them closely, even doing so much as to try to lift their tails and see how they would react. Limelight instantly tucked her tail in between her legs, looking at him with a confused expression. Crescent did the same thing, only she growled lowly at him. He nodded once, as if the reactions confirmed his evaluation. He turned to the crowd, a smile on his face. “Ladies and Sirs, you all are gathered here today to witness the Ranking of these two lovely fillies here. May all of the family members and friends of this pair come to the front.”
Soon the pack stood in the front line, Speckle’s parents, Dewdrop, and Kindle standing alongside them. Comet looked at Ember. “Ember, you look like a proud father right now, that's for sure. Why don't you come up here? I'm sure the girls could use the close support.” He nodded, quickly making his way up to stand beside them. Comet gestured to Limelight before speaking. “Limelight here is so bright and full of energy, yet she also contains an intelligence and wisdom that I have yet to see on any other pony beforehand. Limelight, it is with my greatest pleasure to Rank you as a Delta.” She gasped and then smiled brightly, tilting her head up the Head could lean down and touch noses with her. She felt a wave of calmness come over her, and her body relaxed. He pulled back, asking the new Delta to show her new eyes. She did so, her eyes turning into a lovely navy blue, almost as dark as her mother's eyes. She looked to her father and smiled, and he could see the joy in her eyes, something that warmed his heart.
The Head then gestured to Crescent after the uproar of applause and cheering died down. “And this one can knock you off your feet in seconds flat. She knows how to take the lead, and would do anything to protect her family and friends. Crescent Wishes, I am honored to Rank you as an Alpha.” The cheering and applause started up again, Speckle just standing there with silent tears of pride and joy running down her face. Crescent tilted her head up, touching noses with Comet. She felt a jolt of electricity course through her, causing her heart to pound in her chest. She changed her eyes when he pulled away, they were now a bright red. The two turned and ran to hug their father, who was sitting down with his arms open. He leaned down and kissed their foreheads, quieting Limelight down when she started crying uncontrollably.
“Shh,shh. It's ok, sweetie. I'm so proud of you, honey. It's going to be alright.” She sniffed and nodded, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
“Thank you.”, she murmured.
“Your welcome. I'm so proud of the both of you.” They giggled when he kissed their foreheads again, resting their heads his chest as he hugged them tightly.
A few days had passed since the Ranking ceremony, and the Elder Pack were long on their way to another cave. Ember did warn Comet about Onyx before they left, the Head saying that he would take care of it. A heavy snow had fallen the night before, causing the pack to have to stay inside, as the entrance of the cave was blocked up with tightly packed snow. Firefly was a bit concerned about Mark, as he was still out there, probably stuck in one of the other caves around them. She sighed and sat down in the Den, watching the little ones chase after a ball made from leaves and vines. The chamber was dark, so her bright yellow eyes were in full effect, allowing her to see all that was going on in front of her.
When Mist accidentally tripped and fell on his face, she was up in an instant, having him sit down for a second so she could look at him. Once he got the all clear, he bounced to his feet again, running after his brother as the ball rolled past him. Firefly’s ears then perked up, turning her head towards the tunnel that connected all the chambers together. Quetzal and Nicky came in, their own eyes aglow in their respective colors. Limelight ran up to them, looking rather excited. “Miss Quetzal! Miss Nicky! Do you want to join us?”
The Beta smiled kindly at the Delta, but shook her head. “I'm sorry, Limelight. I can't, I was asked to come get the boys.”
The colts came up to her, looking curious and confused. “Maybe Nicky can play with you until they come back.”
The Hunter shrugged. “Sure, I don't mind joining you girls. Besides, I could use some running around, since I can't go outside.”
“Very well. Come with me, boys.”
“Sir? I brought the colts.” Ember turned his head, glancing to each of them before nodding once.
“Thank you, Quetzal. You may go.”
The dragon hybrid turned and left, sensing the boys’ uneasiness. They cautiously walked up to him, since they could tell something was bothering him.
“Sir, what's wrong?” Dust asked quietly
. The Lead just looked on straight ahead, as if he was zoning out. Then he spoke. “Boys… I realized something this morning.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know what you are? I mean what you really are.”
Dust seemed to be confused by his question, so he asked the Alpha to clarify. “What rank are you two?”
“Omegas, Sir.”
“And your gender?”
“Male, but if you want to get technical, we’re hermaphrodites.”
“Exactly my point. Everyone who sees you at first glance thinks you of a different rank. And those who know what you are only want to take advantage of you. I just… I just feel like I made the wrong choice of taking you both in. If there comes a time where I can't protect you… I'd never be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to you.”
“And that is where I disagree.”, a voice sounded behind them.
The colts turned their heads to see Speckle standing there, her eyes red.
“Speckle, didn't I tell you not to get into private conversations that I have with other members?”
She snorted. “Yes, but I'm stepping in for this one. I don't know what's been getting into you lately, but what you said about not taking in these two is wrong. They owe you their life. They would have been either dead or someone’s sex slaves if you didn't make the decision you made. I'm sure they are very grateful for it, aren't you boys?”
Dust nodded. “Yes, Ma’am. We're very grateful for everything this pack has done for us. If we could do something in return for you, we would do it wholeheartedly.”
“See? So I'd suggest you get out of your little funk and start getting yourself together, Ember. Omegas, you are dismissed.”
The colts stood up, walking past her to get back to the Den. The unicorn mare turned back to her mate and raised an eyebrow. “What's up with you? I haven't seen you like this since Sandstorm.”
“Don't bring him up.” The other Alpha grumbled.
“And why not? It's not like he's going to come ba-”
“I said, don't bring him up!” Ember growled as he glared at her, his eyes bright blue.
“Ok,ok. Sheesh. Since when did you get so snappy?”
“Since when did you get such an attitude?”
“Since always, sugarcube. But seriously, what's the matter? You've been on edge a lot more in the past few weeks than I've seen you in the past moon.”
“I don't want to talk about it. It's complicated.”
“That's what they all say.”
“I'm not joking.”
“Right.”
“Speckle…”
“What else do you want me to say, Ember? How do you expect me to take you seriously?”
“I don't know, just do.”
She scoffed, turning around. “Collin and Sirena are having another one of their story sessions in the main chamber, if you want to join us.”, she said before walking off.
The trio were all laying down in the main chamber, talking with each other when Ember appeared. Collin looked up at him and gave him a smirk. “Well, look who showed up, the Old Stallion himself.” Ember snorted as he sat down.
“Don't call me that, Rookie. Unless you want me to start calling you Son again.”
That shut the pegasus up rather quickly. Sirena rolled her eyes, glancing to Speckle. “Say, now that Ember is here, why don't you tell us how this whole thing between you started? You've heard our story, now it's our turn to hear yours.”
The Lead looked at his mate, who looked back at him for a few seconds. “I'm down with that. Speckle, would you like to do the honors?”
“Of course. Now where do I begin?”
The night was cold, and the sky was overcast, the moon occasionally breaking through the clouds to shine its light onto the ground below. Speckle quickly made her way across the terrain, trying to get back to her cave before it got too dark. Just then, she heard a noise. At first she just ignored it, but then the noise got louder. Looking around, her nose twitched as a scent filled it. “Rouges.”, she muttered to herself. “They must have smelled me across the way.” She quickened her pace, but it wasn't quick enough, as three burly looking wolves appeared. One of them locked eyes on her, coming closer. Speckle did the only thing she could do: run.
The wolves ran after her, clearly not intent with letting her get away. Ahead of her, a large tree stood, looking ready to topple over. She ran to it as fast as she could, getting behind it and pushing at it with all her might. It fell, hitting the ground with a thundering crash. One of the wolves got hit by the tree, but the other two simply climbed over it and leaped at Speckle, forcing her to get on the ground. One of them grabbed her by the neck, slamming her back against the rough bark of the tree. She wanted to cry out in pain, but the wolf's grip on her neck made it hard for her to breathe. The other wolf growled, transforming himself.
“Thistle, let go. We want her alive.”
The wolf that had his grip on her released it, causing her to fall to the ground, gasping for air. The wolf transformed, glancing at the gray unicorn. “Sorry, Thorn. I thought you wanted me to be rough.”
“Yeah, but not so much that she needs an oxygen tank. Geez, I shouldn't have brought you guys in the first place. Shadow is probably unconscious at this point from that tree falling on him.” He then looked at Speckle, his demeanor changing almost instantly. “Well, well. What is a pretty little thing like yourself doing out here all alone? You must be wondering why we're here.”
She looked up at him, anger in her eyes. “You're just here to rut me.”, she spat
. The stallion's face didn't change expression, it even seemed that he was happier knowing that she figured it out, something that made her stomach churn in disgust. “I'd be lying if I said no.” He stepped closer, reaching out to take a strand of her mane and twirl it around his hoof. He then sharply tugged it, causing her to yelp. Seeing no other option, she let out a distress call, the wail echoing through the forest before Thorn firmly pulled her to her feet, pressed her back against the tree, and covered her mouth with a hoof. “Listen here, you little troublemaker. If you want to get out of this unscathed, you keep your mouth shut.”, he growled.
She narrowed her eyes, but didn't attempt to make any more noise, as she was forming a plan. Thorn then used his other hoof to slowly run down her side, stopping at her hip, and she bent her knees abruptly, making him lose his balance for a second. When he removed his hoof from her mouth to help regain it, she thrust her head forward, her horn piercing his throat. She pulled it back, watching as the stallion backed up, both front hooves to his neck as he gurgled on his own blood, body twitching as he fell over. Thistle’s eyes were wide as saucers, and looked up at the mare, his friend's blood glistening on her horn. He was deciding whether to run or to fight her, taking the second option.
He didn't get one step closer to her, however, as a large dark brown wolf with red eyes jumped onto his back, taking him to the ground. The stallion yelled and kicked at it, but it was all in vain. The wolf grabbed his head and tilted it up, grabbing the artery in his neck and ripping it out firmly with its sharp teeth. The furred creature got off of the bleeding pony’s back, looking up and down the mare against the tree. It then sniffed the air, carefully taking a step towards her. It transformed, and the pony that was revealed made her heart stop for a brief moment. He was a tall red earth pony stallion, with vibrant red eyes and a orange and yellow mane and tail to compliment them. “Ma’am, are you alright? I heard your call. These arrogants didn't hurt you, did they?”, he asked, his voice as soothing as a nightingale’s song, yet as deep as a lake. Speckle was dumbstruck to say the least, and didn't respond until the stallion called out to her again.
“Huh? Oh, yes, I'm alright. Thank you for your help, Sir.”
“Call me Ember. And I don't think you really needed my assistance.”, he noted, pointing to Thorn, who was lying in a puddle of blood. “You can handle yourself pretty well. That's something I like in a mare.”
She reached down and picked up some snow off the ground, cleaning up her horn before glancing up at him and raising an eyebrow. “So I'm on your hit list?”, she questioned.
Ember gave her a grin. “Well, based on what I saw a few minutes ago, I'd even call it so much as you were presenting to me.”
She blushed and suddenly got really self conscious, crossing her hind legs. The stallion laughed, going over and giving her a playful push. She squeaked and started walking, unsure of whether to trust this stallion or not. He walked alongside her, then tilted his head to the side. “You haven't told me your name, Miss.”
“And why would you want to know? You've probably got a bunch of names in your book, and I don't want to be one of them.”
“Probably because I was so kind as to come and help you. And, to be honest, I don't have any names.”
Speckle stopped, looking at him like he was crazy. “You're joking, right? You're like, gorgeous. How could you have not been with at least 3 other mares with how you look?”
“You flatter me, Miss. I've tried being with others before, but it never worked out.”
She started to feel bad, wanting to apologize for asking, but he beat her to it. “Sorry, I didn't mean to be so blunt. You were probably just messing with me.”
She nodded once, turning to start walking once again. She had only taken a few steps when she paused, realizing that Ember wasn't going to leave her be anytime soon. “Don't you have someplace to be?”, she questioned.
“Don't you? It's not safe for someone like yourself to be out here alone, especially at night, as you clearly saw.”
“Gracias, Captain Obvious. I think I know that.”
He snorted. “Then why won't you let me walk with you? You clearly need a big, strong Alpha like me to bring you back to your home safety.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure I do. It'll definitely bring up some questions from my parents.”
“Hey, I won't even come up to the entrance. I'll just stay back and wait for you to go inside.”
“Fine. If it's the only way to get you off my tail.”
“Ooh, we have a sassy one, don't we? I can dig sassy.”
“Just, stop talking for like, two minutes, would you? I'd greatly appreciate it.”
The stallion gave her a look, but didn't say another word until they reached Speckle's cave. “And this is where I leave. Good night, Ma’am.”
He turned around to go, when the mare called out to him. “Hey, Ember?” He glanced back at her, seeing her smile. “It's Speckle. My name, I mean. And thank you, really.” He nodded and smiled back, then transforming into a wolf and disappearing among the trees.
The pegasi had their eyes glued to the unicorn while she was speaking, occasionally shifting their gaze to Ember as he sometimes put in things from his perspective of the encounter. Speckle noticed that his tail was flicking up and down constantly, a sign that something was annoying him, yet when she took a quick glance around, she didn't see anything major that would call for that reaction. Until, that is, she realized that Collin was staring him down rather intently, with a smug look on his face. “Why so happy, Rookie? Do something in me really amuse you?”, Ember asked. The dark blue pegasus simply nodded, sitting up. “What is it?”
“Oh, nothing. Just your face.”
“Ah, I see. Is that how we’re playing it? Well, right back to you, buddy.”
The females both sighed, knowing where this was going. The occasional bragging brawl, as they liked to call it, usually consisted of light hearted insults, witty comments, and of course, bragging to no end. One of said brawls could last from an hour to a day, as that did occur on one occasion. The stallions did tend to get aggressive, but it was nothing too extreme that would call for an intervention. That was going to change, however, with Ember having an extremely short temper during that time and Collin not necessarily knowing when to stop when he was on a roll, it was just like a bear trap, and words were the unlucky ankle to get jabbed with sharp metal teeth.
The pegasus touched a nerve when he made a comment about Ember’s mother, not meaning for it to sound mean or rude, but the Lead had his final thread of calmness broken. He lunged forward, landing a good hit to the side of the other stallion's head. Collin fell over, the sickening sound of his head bouncing off of the hard stone floor would make anyone’s stomach churn. Thankfully, Quetzal was walking by when it happened, so she came in running, eyes zeroed in on the downed Alpha. She quickly checked to see if everything was alright, Collin groaning when she touched the spot of impact. She used the tips of her claws and very gently made small circles in the area, trying to ease the pain. She asked Sirena to go get some ice, then glared at Ember, eyes bright green.
“Why did you do that, Alpha? To your second in command, no less.”
“If you heard what he said, you probably would have done the same thing.” He grumbled.
“Oh, don't be ridiculous, Ember.”, Speckle put in. “It wasn't that bad, we've both heard worse.”
“Well, I don't know what it is, but Speckle, you need to get your Alpha to calm down. I'm just worried he's going to end up hitting someone else, and they'll have more serious injuries.”
“Of course, I was just considering doing that. Ember, our chamber. Now.”
Speckle paced back and forth, her eyes red. She was trying to make sense of all that was going on with her mate in the past few weeks, and ever since they arrived at this place, it felt like his behavior was getting less and less like himself. Then she remembered what he had told her before Collin marked Sirena, and the look he had in his eyes, and her blood ran cold. “By the stars… I-it's starting again, isn't it?” The earth pony didn't say a word, just stared down at the floor. She sighed, sitting down in front of him. “I wouldn't have been so rough with you if I realized it earlier. I'm sorry.” He lifted his head up slowly, catching her eyes with a look that she knew all too well. Her eyes narrowed and she raised an eyebrow. “Oh, so my apology isn't going to be enough, huh? I see how it is.”
She leaned forward and stared into his eyes, which flickered to a light blue. She reached up to caress his cheek, him leaning into the touch. Her lips were an inch away from his, and she gave him one last look before letting her eyes shut and closing the gap between them. Ember’s body stiffened as she wrapped her legs around him, feeling her warm, wet nethers rub against his throbbing hard member, a low growl escaping his throat. She paused for a second, not sure whether or not to stop what she was doing. He broke the kiss and nuzzled her neck, assuring her that he was alright and for her to continue.
Her hips moved in slow circles, further arousing the both of them. She soon felt a low throb deep between her loins, and she wanted to be relieved of it. Gently pushing him down to the floor, she positioned herself above him, letting gravity do the work as she lowered herself slowly. A string of moans and low growls left the Lead, his eyes closed in pleasure as she started to move up and down. It didn't take long till he lost it, his lower half tingling after he forcefully shot up into her. Her own climax came shortly afterwards, a shudder coursing through her, liquid dripping down her hind legs and onto the floor below. When she got off of him, she curled up into a ball, body aching. He rested beside her, and, for just a moment, he felt content.
Sirena and Collin were still in the main chamber, the stallion with his head laying across her lap. She gently ran a hoof through his mane, as a means to give him some comfort. He, for one, was rather confused about the whole ordeal that happened, and wasn't sure what to make of it. “Sirena?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“You don't have to call me that, you know.”
“Sorry, force of habit. What is it?”
“Just, what happened earlier? I've never seen Ember snap like that, not even on his bad days.”
“I don't know. I've noticed he's been… off more lately. But I'm sure he didn't mean to hit you.”
He gave her a look. “Um, I'm sorry, but did you see how fast he got up and jumped at me? How did he not mean it?”
She sighed. “Collin, you know what I mean. He probably just reacted out of anger. He was probably mad before, and your comment was the weight that broke the branch. He’ll be back to apologize soon, I'm sure. Either he does it himself or Speckle makes him, it'll come out.”
“I guess so. I'll have to talk with Speckle and see what she says. Thanks for making me feel better, Sirena.” He started to lift his head so he could kiss her cheek, but whined when a sharp pain caused him to lower it again. She smiled and lowered her head, kissing him instead.
“Rest, my love. The day is still passing.” He nodded, sighing and relaxing as he fell asleep.
Speckle opened her eyes slowly, having them adjust to the darkness. She stretched and rolled over, half expecting Ember to still be laying beside her, but wasn't surprised when she found that he wasn't. She rose to her feet, shaking off the sleep that still clung to her. Walking towards the Den, she noticed that it was rather quiet. “Guess it's still early.”, she murmured to herself. When she stepped into the Den, a lone pair of red eyes looked up at her.
“Good morning, Alpha Speckle.”, Collin said before turning his attention back to his outstretched wing, which he was currently preening.
“Good morning, Collin. Where's everyone else? You'd think at least Quetzal would be walking around.”
“She, Ember, Nicky and Sirena went on a hunt. They should be back soon.”
“Ah. Did you speak with Ember?”
“Well, no. He came in here to come get Quetzal. I told him good morning and he just looked at me and didn't say a word back. How rude. I was about to call him out on it, but he left as quick as he came.”
“Hmm. How's your head?”
“Better. It was hurting a little earlier but I'm fine now. That's actually what I wanted to talk with you about, Alpha. Both myself and Sirena have noticed that Ember hasn't really been like himself lately. Do you know why?”
The mare scratched her head, a troubled look on her face. “How do I put this? Ember has had… a bit of an issue on his shoulders for a while now.”
“I'll say.”
“Let me finish. He has an alter ego.”
The pegasus stared at her blankly, as if he was not shocked by the information. “Ok… I think we all have an alter ego, Speckle.”
“No, I mean his is bad. He calls him Crimson, and he has a tendency for, well, killing. It's more like a separate entity, really. I've witnessed him change once before, it was scary to say the least.”
“I see. So what Ember’s doing now, is that part of him changing?”
“Sadly, yes. He has fits of rage and aggression, and once he jumps off the deep end, it's best to stay clear of him.”
Collin tilted his head to the side for a minute, then tilted it back. “What happens after this ‘change’ is over with? Do things just go back to normal?”
“More or less. Sometimes he would run off after a snap, and I'd have to go after him. Let's just hope it doesn't get that far.”
The others came in about 15 minutes after their little conversation, Ember appearing to be more talkative and calm. He apologized to Collin, and soon the two Alpha males were having a chat as if nothing happened. The mares left them be, each of them dispersing to a different spot in the cave. Off in their own chamber, the colts and fillies slept huddled together, until Dust accidentally kicked his brother in his sleep. Mist yelped, the sound waking the others. They crowded around him, the fillies giving him comforting hugs.
When Crescent pulled back, she gazed into his eyes and smiled. “You are just so cute, you know that? I like you a lot.”
He made a sound, something that resembled a grunt. “What was that?”
He made yet another noise, then he opened his mouth, and a soft, shaky voice said, “I-I l-like y-you t-too.”
The rest of them gasped loudly, bright smiles on their faces. “Mist, you spoke! And here I thought I'd never hear your voice again.”, Dust noted.
“I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to w-wait so long. It just became normal.”
Crescent spoke then. “That's ok, Mist. I'll admit though, it would have been nice to hear your voice earlier. It's nice to listen to.”
“T-thank you.”, he stammered, a blush on his cheeks as he looked down at his hooves.
Looking up suddenly, he then growled lowly, his eyes starting to flicker between gold and bright yellow.
“Mist, what's wrong?” His brother questioned, but he soon started to do the same thing.
The fillies glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. When the brothers eyes settled on yellow, a strong scent made itself known, causing Crescent’s eyes to turn red. Before any of them could move an inch, Firefly and Speckle came running in. “Mom, what's going on with Dust and Mist?”, Limelight asked, rather concerned.
“They're starting to go through a Heat, girls. It's best if you stay away from them for a few days.”
Both colts started to whimper, as mere uncomfort turned into throbbing pain, and with the fact that they were Omegas, it was doubled as there were two areas that needed attention. Speckle looked to Firefly, who gave her a nod. “Girls, come with me please.” The fillies followed their mother, taking one last look at the colts before heading off.
Mist whined. “M-miss Firefly, why is it hurting so much?”
Her eyes widened, surprised that words were coming out of the young pegasus’s mouth, but answered him calmly. “I don't know, sweet pea. That's just how Heats work.”
His wings were outspread and stiff and his eyes were squeezed shut. Dust was off on his own away from them, tending to himself. One hoof stroked at his member lazily while the other pumped into the soft folds below it. He whined when it didn't help much, the few seconds of pleasure quickly subsiding, becoming a more apparent pain, one that he couldn't satisfy by himself. He curled up into a ball, trying his best not to think about it. Firefly got up and laid down beside him, Mist resting on the other side of her. She draped her wings over them, speaking to them in soft tones.
“I'm sorry you have to go through this, it must be worse even for you. But if you're going to become great fathers for your children when you come of age, it's something you'll have to get through.” They nodded sleepily, huddling under her wings for warmth and comfort.
Ember shifted his gaze to the trio when they came into the Den. He sat alone, wrapped up in his thoughts until they approached him. “Well, hello there. What do you girls need?” Speckle looked down at the two beside her.
“Limelight, how about you go find Quetzal? She's probably got some information on training to tell you. And Crescent, go look for Nicky. I need to speak with your father.” The pair ran off, each going a different direction.
Ember watched them go, then looked back to his mate, eyebrow raised. “You need to speak to me about what?”
“Sir, Mist and Dust started their Heats today.”
“Already? Is it their first time?”
“I think so.”
He sighed. “Then Firefly's got some work to do to keep them quiet during their flare ups. Unless she starts soon, then we'll be having some trouble.”
“She's not due for another week, Sir.”
“Good. Anything else?”
She hesitated, but asked what she wished to. “Sir...about Crimson...do you have any control over him?”
The stallion started laughing and shook his head. “If I had any control over him, things would be a lot easier, wouldn't they? So the answer to your question is no. He's as unpredictable as a rapid. Any other questions?”
“Just one. Did y'all see Mark this morning?”
“We did. He's doing his rounds as usual.”
A soft voice interrupted them. “A-alphas?”
They both turned to find Mist standing at the entrance of the chamber.
“Did he just-”, Speckle started.
“Yes. I'm glad you found your voice, Mist. What is it?”
“W-well S-sir, I need to go to the bathroom and Miss Firefly is asleep.”
Ember stood up. “I'll take you. Come on, Omega.”
Speckle watched as they left together, a faint smile appearing on her face. “Your son’s going to look up to you, Ember. I'll know he'll make you proud.”, she murmured to herself before turning around to go check on the twins.
The warmth of the sun made the cold snow be slightly more bearable, the pack running around to stretch their legs. Ember lowered his head towards the ground, picking up a faint scent of squirrel and following it. Crescent ran beside him, as she was learning how to hone in on a specific scent and track whatever it was she was following down. Her eyes were focused in front of her, and her ears were perked, listening closely for any sound of the small furred creature jumping around in the snow.
Even though he was in his wolf form, the Lead couldn't help but beam at the sight of his daughter acting like the Alpha she was. She soon darted past him, pouncing onto the squirrel and holding it down with her paws. She then held its head in between her jaws, turning it until its neck snapped. She turned around and walked back towards the others, who congratulated her.
. “Atta girl, Crescent. Using the good old run and gun tactic.”, Nicky said.
“Thank you, Miss Nicky. I'm glad I have a mentor like you to show me the ropes.”
“Aw, stop it. You're being too kind.”
“She's got a point,” Quetzal put in. “You're as good at teaching hunting skills as I am at teaching things about medicine and intelligence.”
“Ok, now you guys are making me blush. You're too sweet.”
“Alright, girls. We have to keep moving if we want to get back to the cave early.”
“Yes, Alpha. Sorry.”
Ember turned his head forward, continuing down the path they were going currently. A small pond came into view, and it was as quiet as most large areas were during the winter. The water’s surface looked like a mirror, shiny and clear as the sun had melted the first few layers of thin ice. The Lead stepped out to the bank, laying a paw down onto the ice. It cracked beneath it, and he felt the cold water lap around the bottom of his paw. He gestured for the others to come over, then lowered his head to take a drink. They all quickly transformed.
Speckle, as usual, had to be the adventurous one, and she jumped into the pond, splashing those that were nearby. Her head popped above the surface, and she swam back to shore, shaking herself dry. Sirena shielded her face with a wing as the cold droplets flew through the air. “Geez, Speckle. I know you're the morning swimmer type, but I didn't think it'd go this far.”, she muttered.
“What can I say? It wakes me up.”
“I can tell.”
The others simply ignored the unicorn and kept with their task of taking in as much water as they could, as this was one of the few water sources nearby. Once they finished, they changed back and started on their way down the path they had came from. Just outside of the cave entrance, Firefly paused before transforming and outputting an idea she had. “Hey guys, I just thought of something. It's going to be the beginning of spring sometime next week, right? So how come we haven't done a snowball fight yet?”
The others glanced at each other, trying to come up with a reasonable answer but failing.
“Well, Firefly. A lot of things have been happening these past few months. I guess it just slipped our minds.”, Ember finally said after a few seconds of silence.
“I know. Maybe it can help get out some of the stress we've been having. I know it'll help me for sure.”
The Lead shot a quick glance to Quetzal, who simply shrugged. “Does everyone agree on this idea?” A series of yes’s and nods answered him. “Alright then. Let's play, shall we?”
Three walls of tightly packed snow stood in a widely placed square in the middle of the clearing. The group of 12 were split up like this: Ember, Quetzal, Nicky and Crescent were behind one wall, Speckle, Mark, Limelight and Dust were behind the second wall, and Sirena, Firefly, Collin and Mist were behind the last wall. Each of them had a pile of snowballs beside them, ready to be fired.
Ember poked his head over his wall to lay down the rules. “Ok, everyone. The first team to still have players behind their wall wins. You get hit three times, you're out. Unicorns, no using your magic to cast spells to make the snowballs explode; that applies to you especially, Speckle. You're only using it to throw snowballs and make them if you run out. Pegasi, no flying over your wall and air striking others. Oh, and please don't throw too hard. We've got little ones.”
The four young ones instantly looked at him, annoyed expressions across their faces.
“So we’re good? Great. Quetzal, if you could do the honors?”
The dragon hybrid nodded and her horns glowed, a large ram horn suddenly appeared out of thin air. She brought the end of the horn to her lips, blowing into it. A loud, long note rang out, signaling the start of the fight.
Snowballs flew through the air, landing in many different places. Each team held strong, ducking and dodging when necessary. Soon though, hits were landed, taking out a member from each team, and they went to go stand on the sidelines, watching as those that remained continued to fire at each other with the hard white orbs. The teams whittled down until Ember, Nicky, Collin and Sirena were the only ones still standing. Both pairs weren't going down without a fight, and they showed it in their well placed shots. The earth ponies ducked behind their wall as snowballs rained down over their heads.
Nicky leaned over quickly and whispered in the Lead’s ear. He ran the idea through his head for a few seconds, then smiled wickedly and nodded. They worked together to place a rock inside of a fairly large snowball, Ember peeking his head over to see where the pegasi were. When he didn't see them, he proceeded to get the loaded snowball and threw it over, yelling “INCOMING!” as it flew through the air.
Apparently, Sirena was telling Collin something herself, and by the time the dark blue pegasus could react and shield himself, the rock filled snowball crashed onto his head, stunning him and making him dizzy.
“Well put pine needles in my fur and call me a porcupine…” he said all drawled out before slumping over.
Sirena looked shocked for a second, then her eyes turned red with anger and she stepped out from behind the wall. She heard the laughter coming from behind the other wall. The other pair peeked over a few seconds later, their faces becoming pale once they saw her expression. Ember gulped nervously, starting to go towards her to go check on Collin, but her ears flattened and she growled at him.
“What was that for? First you hit him, now this! What did he do to you?”
No words came from the red stallion, he stood frozen in place. Quetzal in the meantime had taken the liberty of checking on Collin herself, relieved to find that he didn't have any major damage to his head, just a small bump had rose from the impact. He stirred a few minutes later, trying to regain his senses. He sat up slowly, looking over at scene in front of him. “W-what happened?”, he asked sluggishly, catching the attention of Sirena. Her eyes faded back to magenta as she came up to him, gently grasping one of his front hooves. He looked at her stomach, reaching out with his other hoof and placing it against it.
“I'm going to be a father.”, he murmured softly, mostly to himself.
She nodded, placing her hoof on top of his. Ember still stood in place, only moving when he saw the exchange. His stomach churned, as if he was nauseous, but there was no reason for it. He turned around and walked off, his face downcast for more reasons than he could count.
In the next couple of days, Ember’s physical and mental health appeared to get worse and worse. He rarely talked, his eyes were more often than not purple, changing to blue easily as he was quick to get angered. His fur and hair were getting matted, not that he really cared at this point. He was restless, not sleeping at night and being cranky in the morning. The rest of the pack noticed this change rather quickly, trying their best to help him out. Not even Limelight’s wise words were enough to bring him out of his funk. Poor Speckle, she tried her hardest to get him to even so much as look at her when they talked, but that was to no avail.
The others kept their talking about him with each other to a minimum, trying to figure out what caused him to be like this. Worst of all was that Crimson would nag at him every day, reminding him of all the bad things he'd done and not letting up for a second. This morning, he sat outside of the cave, looking off into the distance, losing himself to his mind once again. A voice interrupted his thoughts, however, causing him to groan quietly. “What do you want, Rookie?”, he asked gruffly. The other stallion simply sat down beside him, not saying a word. A few seconds passed before Ember had to break the silence. “What are you doing?”
“Sitting. I hear it helps your posture.”
“Well that's just ridiculous.”
Collin gave him a look. “Is it? I see you've been doing it a lot.” No response. “Really, Ember. What's been going on with you these past few weeks? I've never seen you like this before.”
“Well, I don't know myself, if that says anything.”
The pegasus hesitated, but spoke a thought that came to him. “Speckle told me about your little issue.”
Ember seemed unfazed by this. “Did she now? Well good for her.”
“Ember, if you tell us what's going on, we can help you.”
“No one can help me with this. I have to face it myself.”, the Lead said lowly.
“Ember-”
“Just leave me the hell alone, ok? I don't want to talk about it anymore.”, he growled, his patience run out.
Collin stood and looked down at him. “As you wish, Alpha.”, he said in a cold tone before turning around and leaving.
Crimson appeared in a puff of smoke in front of Ember. He was transparent, but that didn't make it any harder to see the wide grin that was on his face. He had appeared to Ember previously one late night, so for the stallion to see him now wasn't very surprising. “Crimson: 3, Ember: 0. Looks like I'm in the lead in this little game we’re having.”
“I never agreed to this, Crimson.”
The ghost like figure laughed. “No, but I did, so that's enough say for you. I was right when I said you'd be the one who would destroy his pack. All I've done was watch, and what a joy that's been.”
Ember sighed, not saying anything else. Crimson smirked. “Aw, mountain lion got your tongue? Well that's good for me, cause the more sadness and negativity that's brewing around here, the stronger I get, and you'll be seeing me soon.”
The sound of hooves coming towards them caused him to freeze. He gave the Lead one last look before saying, “Well here comes someone else you have to talk to. Behave yourself now. Or don't, that's fine by me.”
He disappeared as suddenly as he came, leaving Ember by himself as Speckle came to him. “Ember?”, she asked softly, not wanting to disrupt him if he was thinking.
“Yes, Speckle? What is it?”
“Sir, Firefly’s on her Heat now. She started this morning.”
“Great. Now that's more wailing that I have to hear at night. Anything else?”
“Nicky wants to go on a hunt with Sirena and Crescent later today.”
“Tell her that's fine.”
“Sir… We're all worried about you.”
“Oh no. Not you too.”
“I'm not joking. I know what you're going through, and-”
“Hold it right there. Do you really know I'm going through? Have you experienced the amount of frustration and anguish I have? I don't think so.”
“Ember, I-”
“Speckle, hear me out. Do you think I enjoy going through this? Cus I don't. Do you think everything’s gonna be fine and dandy after this blows over? Maybe, but who's to say? I could be stuck like this for months, moons even. And you'd have to deal with it.”
Her eyes narrowed, flashing red briefly. The stallion rose, turning to face her. “I'm tired, Speckle. I really am.”
“Don't you think I know that? I can see it, we all can. And what are you going to do about it?”
He lowered his gaze, now staring at the ground. Speckle waited for him to look back up at her, giving him a stern look when he did.
“I don't know.”, he said softly, looking disappointed in himself.
Just like that something snapped, and he suddenly was enraged. He rushed forward, pressing her roughly against a wall, arms tightly around her neck as he put her in a chokehold. Her eyes were wide with fear, strangled noises escaping her as she struggled to breathe. She managed to get out a few notes of a distress call before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell limp. Quetzal was outside seconds later, watching with panic as Ember immediately dropped the mare, backing up slowly, fear in his own eyes. Before the Beta could move, he was off and running, at the same time Collin ran out of the cave, his eyes quickly darting from one scene to the next.
“What the- Ember, wait!” He called out, starting to run after him, but Quetzal stopped him.
“Let him go. I think we have more important things to attend to right now.” Collin agreed, although his eyes never strayed from the running stallion until he was out of sight.
Speckle opened her eyes and lifted her head. She found herself in the same white room that she had appeared in once before. This time, three young ponies were huddled around an older pegasus mare. Speckle cocked her head in confusion, going over to them. One of the young ones, a unicorn filly with a bright red coat and black and light green streaked hair, was holding a tiny blue earth pony foal, his eyes were squeezed shut as he slept soundly. She turned her head and looked up at the older unicorn, giving her a bright smile.
“Do you want to hold him?”, she asked. Speckle nodded, taking the foal into her arms. He stretched and yawned, opening his eyes to reveal lovely violet irises.
The mare beamed, speaking softly to him. “Hi there, little guy. You sure have gotten cuter since the last time I saw you.”
The foal cooed and giggled, sticking out one of his hooves for her to hold. The pegasus mare smiled at them , standing up. “He likes you.” Speckle glanced up at her briefly, then locking gazes with her. “S-Sunny? What are you doing here?”
“I came to speak to you. Children.” The pair quickly faded into thin air, leaving the foal still in Speckle’s embrace. The yellow pegasus unfurled her wings, stepping forward. “My son is going through some things, as I am sure that you know already. But it appears that it's worse than I previously thought. Ember has...an Infecto.” The unicorn seemed confused, so she explained.
Afterwards, Speckle had a question. “Is there a way to get rid of it?”
Sunny nodded sadly. “The only way is have it be transferred into another being, like yourself, and then destroy it from the inside.”
“I see. Do you know where he is?”
She nodded again. “Yes, I do. Guess that’s an advantage of being a spirit. He has departed to the Crevice, a ravine not far from where you are currently. But don't go after him, for something more pressing is going to come afoot.” Speckle was starting to ask what it was, but the other figure stopped her. “I must go. My strength is beginning to fail me. Best of luck to you, Speckle.” Just like that, she was gone. The unicorn mare sat on her haunches, rather conflicted. The foal in her arms had fallen asleep again, and it gave her some comfort to look at his peaceful face.
The first thing that Speckle heard when she came to were voices, low and distant. The first thing she felt was a cold, damp cloth on her forehead. Removing it, she proceeded to sit up, only to find that a blanket was over her. She pulled that off as well, rolling over and slowly standing up. Collin and Quetzal walked in seconds later, surprised and relieved to see her up and walking. “Speckle! You’re awake, thank the stars. How are you feeling?”
“I’m alright, thank you Quetzal. Has Ember come back?”
They both shook their heads. “No. He took off before I even knew what was happening. And this one…” Collin then gestured to the Beta standing beside him. “She wouldn't let me go after him.”
“Only because I thought Speckle’s well being was more important at that moment. Besides, do you think he would listen to you if you talked to him? He needs some time to figure things out, then when he comes back we’ll confront him on it.”
“Ok, but what are we supposed to do while he’s gone? Act like he didn’t exist?”
Quetzal snorted. “No. In his absence, you’re the one who’ll be our Lead until he returns.”
Collin’s eyes flicked to purple ever so briefly, then switched back to red. Before he could say anything though, a sharp wail rang out through the clearing. “That’s Mark, he’s in trouble.” The stallion quickly called for Sirena, she was at his side in a matter of seconds. With that, the three Alphas ran towards the sound, leaving the Beta to guard the cave.
Ember sat near the edge of the cliff, looking down into the dark abyss. Crimson appeared beside him, looking down as well. “You could jump, and this would all be over.”
“I just might,” Ember growled, annoyed.
“Well, I would have to look for a new host, and you’d be stuck in something for the rest of eternity, so I suggest you don’t.”
“Why do you care all of a sudden?”
“ I don't. I just don't want to be the one to see you at your worst state, aka dying. Not to mention you probably wouldn't get a funeral, since no one would be able to retrieve your broken corpse.”
“Fair point.”
The transparent figure merely floated a few inches from the ground, occasionally bobbing up and down in place. He looked unamused, as if he didn't like where this conversation was going. Finally he turned to look at the stallion. Ember’s eyes appeared to be glossed over, and his face was drawn into a scowl. His coat, still matted, looked dull and pale, as if he was being drained of all color. Crimson smirked. “It's only Day one, and already you look like a bat out of hell. Not that I mind, of course.” Ember growled lowly, but said nothing.
“Then again, it would make the attachment process much more enjoyable. It's not everyday an Infecto like myself gets to attach themselves to such a looker like you. I should consider myself lucky.” The earth pony then seemed sad, still not saying a word. Crimson gave him a look. “What's got you in the dumps? Clearly it's not about me.” Ember’s gaze shifted to him for a second, then shifted back. He sighed, standing up. The Infecto seemed even more confused, not knowing what he was doing.
The Lead smiled devilishly. “You want me, Crimson? Fine. You're going to have to catch me first.” Before a word could come out of the ghost’s mouth, he let his body go slack, falling off of the cliff into the dark depths below.
The trio arrived at the east perimeter, not completely sure of what to expect when they got there. It was worse than what they imagined. Three wolves, all large and muscular, circled Mark, who was growling and snarling at them. One of them noticed the others approach, and stopped his circling, the other two taking suit. Collin recognized their scents instantly, and it made his eyes turn blue rather quickly.
He transformed, giving them a cold stare. “Astral, Grassblade, Onyx. Three faces I hoped I would never see together. Fate’s not on my side, it appears.”
The tallest wolf, with light brown fur, transformed himself, revealing the first unicorn that was mentioned. He gave the pegasus a wicked smile, as if he couldn't be gladder to see him. “Oh, Collin. You have no idea how long it took for me to find you. I’m glad for us to finally meet again.”
His bright blue eyes shifted to look at Sirena. “Ah… Alpha Sirena. Still looking lovely as always. Did you miss me?”
She glared at him. “What do you want, you mangy fleabag?”
Astral only seemed to smile brighter. “Now, Alpha. That's no way to talk to someone. You kiss your mate with that mouth? Such a shame. To answer your question, I want you. We have some… unfinished business to take care of.”
Collin growled and stepped forward. “Don't you dare take a step towards her, or my teeth will be lodged into your neck.”
“Is that a threat I hear? Rather petty, if you ask me. In fact, I even think it’s one of the oldest in the book.” Another growl sounded from the pegasus. Astral smirked again. “Relax, good sir. You don't have to worry about little old us. It’s your Lead we want to talk to.”
“Well he’s not here, so you best be leaving now.”
“You must be joking. No Lead Alpha would just leave their pack to fend for themselves.”
“ I said what I said. Now go, or there will be consequences.”
The unicorn frowned, clearly not having expected this to occur. “Well fine. But mark my words, we’ll be back. And we're not leaving without getting what we want.” With that he turned around, changing back into a wolf and darting off, the pair close behind him. It took a while for Collin’ eyes to fade back to red, as he was practically trembling with anger. When they did though, he glanced over at Mark.
“You alright, Mark? They didn't hurt you, did they?”
“No, Sir. They didn't get a chance to. Thank you for coming, all of you.” Quick nods were what he got for a response. Abruptly, Sirena stiffened and her fur prickled, feathers ruffling.
“What’s wrong, Sirena?”, Speckle questioned her.
The lilac pegasus only stared at her neck, not a sound coming out of her. Collin followed her gaze, and then he too stood up straighter. “Speckle… your Mark. It’s fading.” Sure enough, the puncture wound scars on the pink patch of skin were getting lighter, as if they were getting erased. “We have to find Ember, and fast.”
They found his body lying on the cliff face, motionless as the moon slowly floated up higher into the sky. “Ember!”, Speckle cried, rushing over to him. She frantically checked for a pulse, sighing in relief when she felt it, although it was weak. He wasn't in the best shape, covered in many cuts and scrapes, a large wound across his stomach, oozing blood. She laid beside him, head lowered onto his side as she silently sobbed. The pegasi kept their distance, knowing that an Alpha under stress could turn violent in a heartbeat.
Collin's gaze shifted, however, when he saw a ghost like figure appear in front of the downed pair. Speckle looked up, eyes widening. Crimson’s face was grim, red eyes aglow and his coat seemed darker than ever. “He’s not dead yet, relax. Damn fool thought it was funny to try and test me by falling off the cliff. I almost didn't save him, too bad he’s so important to you guys.” The mare gave him a look, cocking her head to one side.
“You’re his Infecto? You seem… nicer than I thought.”
The creature then hissed. “Don't think I did it because I care about him, I don't. I didn't want him being stupid.”
“That sounds like caring to me.”
He hissed again, then stopped, thinking on it. Finally he muttered, “Maybe a little.”
“Then there's no need to get rid of you. I'm sure he would appreciate what you did.”
He blinked. “Yo- you’re giving me another chance?”
She nodded, then cut him a stern glare. “As long as you promise not to make him do anything drastic by force.”
His eyes narrowed, but he turned her words over. “Fine, whatever. But can I come out on occasion? I don't know about you, but living in someone isn't the most roomy.”
“It's up to him.”
He muttered something under his breath, then sighed. “Do you want me to wake him up?”
“I would like that, thank you.”
The figure walked towards Ember, shaking himself off before jumping into the stallion, disappearing in the process. Seconds later, said stallion stirred, holding a hoof to his head as if he were dizzy. “W-what happened? Ow, my head…” He paused when he looked at Speckle, his face going through a series of expressions in seconds, first happy, then confused, then disappointed. “Oh, Speckle… I'm so sorry. I don't know what was wrong with me. It's like I lost control.” She smiled at him and nuzzled his cheek.
“It's ok, Ember. I forgive you. We can talk about it when we get home. Can you walk?”
He attempted to stand, but his knees buckled and he fell back down with a whine. Collin stepped forward, a warm smile on his face. “I'm taking that as a no. Looks like I’m going to have to carry you again.” Ember snorted and his ears lowered, but he knew he didn't have much of a choice.
After the others helped him on, he grumbled, “If I hear a word about this from anyone else, you all are sleeping outside for a week.”
Speckle couldn't help but laugh. “Ok, Alpha. As you wish.”
Quetzal was still standing at the cave’s entrance when she saw the group approach. Her heart dropped at the sight of Ember, and she ran towards them. “Alpha! Are you alright?”
“I’m ok, Beta.”, he replied weakly, eyes half open.
Collin gently lowered himself to the ground, allowing the other stallion to get off. Quetzal had ran off to go get Firefly, the both of them emerging moments later. The Omega covered her mouth with a hoof and gasped, walking quickly over to him. “Alpha, what happened?”
“I’ll explain later. Please, could one of you go get me some food? I'm starting to feel light headed.”
Speckle was the first to move towards the cave, using her red eyes to see in the dark. The other mares went to work with cleaning and bandaging all of the cuts that on Ember’s body. He was rather calm throughout, rarely flinching or crying out. The large cut on his belly had to be stitched closed, and he growled lowly when he felt the needle pierce his skin. Quetzal paused, watching him closely. He glanced up at her, nodding once, signaling her to continue.
She slowed her movements, having the needle go in and out, making sure that the thread was straight and didn't snag. When she finished, Sirena cleaned up the now closed wound once again, covering it with a piece of gauze. Ember sighed, thanking the trio for patching him up. They gave their welcomes, backing up to give him some space as Speckle returned with a large hare in between her jaws.
The others strolled into the cave, leaving Ember, Speckle and Collin alone. The pegasus shifted his gaze from the unicorn to the earth pony as she dropped the hare onto the ground in front of him, which the Lead tucked into eagerly. She raised an eyebrow, slighty perplexed. “Collin? Are you ok? You seem...distant.”
The stallion didn't answer for a few moments, lost in his thoughts.
“Rookie, she asked you a question. It's rude to ignore it.”
“What? Oh, sorry Speckle. I’m fine, just a bit overwhelmed, I guess. Everything that's happened in these past few hours, it feels like I’m finally catching up with it.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. “I understand. It must have been rough for you, it sure was for me.”
Ember had been thinking on something while they were talking, and suddenly his eyes became slits,showing that he was concerned about it. “Speckle, could you go inside please? There’s something I need to discuss with Collin.”
She nodded. “Yes, Sir.”
When she left, the two pairs of red eyes locked with each other. “Sir?”
“By what you’ve told me, those Rogues are coming back, and they want me.”
“Yes, Sir. How are we going to prepare for their return?”
“Simple. We have the others relocate to another cave, leaving just us Alphas. We see what the Rogues want, settle it, then call the rest of the pack back.” Suddenly, he felt a cold chill run down his spine, something he had felt once before. He sighed. “What is it, Crimson?” The transparent figure floated out of his host’s body, his eyes aglow with excitement.
“Now, I don't mean to interrupt your lovely little conversation, but I had to come out and ask. Is there going to be any killing going on? Because that would make me a very happy camper.”
The stallions both narrowed their eyes in annoyance. “Only if it's necessary.” Ember replied.
“Aw, come on. Don't you guys hate those wolves?”
Collin answered this question. “Yes, but not enough to kill them. Actually, wait. Make that not kill two of them.”
“See? Collin catches my drift. Maybe I should attach to him instead.”
Ember rolled his eyes. “That's not the point. I just want them to stay away from my pack. Nothing more, nothing less. If one of them makes a move on us, then that's a different story.”
“Fine, fine. But I’m coming out the second I notice anything threatening.”
“Whatever. Collin, go relay the plan to the others.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The Lead lowered his head when the other stallion left. “Tonight is going to change us, one way or another.”
The four Alphas made their way to where the Rogues were last seen. Ember let out a howl, the sound echoing across the field. The trio of Rogues appeared moments later, transforming themselves. “Well, if it isn't the Lead Alpha himself. Pleasure to see you again, Ember.” Grassblade sneered, a less than friendly smile plastered on his face.
“Likewise, Grassblade. Now, let's get this over with, shall we?”
Astral tsked. “If by ‘over’ you mean making a deal, then sure. Onyx, you first.”
The yellow pegasus glared at the Lead, his eyes briefly turning silver. “Thanks to you, I was banished from the Elder Pack. All I ask is for you to talk with the Head about letting me back in. It's been months since I’ve seen Rose, and it's driving me insane.”
Ember had his eyes narrowed, but he raised an eyebrow. “I’ll consider it.”
Grassblade then stepped forward. “Well, I’m sure you can guess what Astral and I want, so I’m not going to go through the trouble of repeating it.”
Speckle growled, fed up with having go through this yet again. “Haven't y'all heard of the term Marking? We are both Marked, and clearly we’re not interested in the likes of you. So could you just drop it?”
Grassblade snorted and rolled his eyes. “Fine. If that's what you want. Don’t think I’ll be forgetting this anytime soon, Speckle Shine.” He turned and slinked away, transforming as he did so.
Astral, on the other hoof, wasn't intent on giving up so easily. His eyes bore daggers at Collin, who stared back just as fiercely. They started to circle each other, both growling lowly. “Collin, don't you think things would be easier if we just shared?”
The dark blue pegasus laughed bitterly. “Me? Share with you? Over my dead body will I ever think that.”
The unicorn’s eyes darkened, and he hissed, “Then you leave me no choice.”
He leaped forward, landing face first into the ground as Collin rolled to the side at the last second. Pinning the unicorn down by sitting on his back, he roughly pulled his head up and stared into his eyes.
“Don't underestimate me, Astral. You have no idea of what I’m capable of.”
Astral didn't have time to spit out a witty comeback, as he then screamed out in pain, feeling his horn bend then snap in half. His cry was muffled as Collin slammed his head back into the dirt. The pegasus’s eyes were now pure white, making him look even more angry than he currently was. As much as he wanted to take matters into his own hooves, he knew that he would have to gain approval first.
He glanced over at Ember, asking this with venom dripping in his voice: “Permission to kill, Alpha?”
The Lead didn't skip a beat, and he answered just as darkly. “Permission granted.”
As much as Collin wanted to leave the mutilated corpse once known as Astral in the grass to rot, the others insisted on burying him, for a number of reasons. The pegasus finally agreed, although he wasn't the most thrilled. When they made it back to the cave, they found Nicky and Firefly outside waiting for them.
Well, Nicky was waiting for them. Firefly had fallen asleep at her side, as she was not used to staying up late. Ember shook his head fondly at her and greeted the Hunter. “Good evening, Nicky. Looks like Firefly tried keeping you company.”
The sky blue earth pony nodded. “Yeah, she did. Sure was chatty tonight, though. Probably because it's a full moon.”
The rest of the group looked up, and sure enough, the white, round, glowing ball floated overhead. Ember sighed. “It's a full moon already? It feels like I’ve lost track of time, I don't even know what day it is anymore. Well,I’m going to go sleep. Good Night, everyone.”
“Good Night, Alpha.” the others responded, starting to disperse and go their separate ways.
Collin paused for a moment through, feeling a strange tingle go through his wings. When the feeling subsided, he called out to Speckle as he saw her about to head down the tunnel to her chamber. “Speckle, wait.”
She stopped mid-step and turned to face him. “Sir?”
“Could you stop by our chamber before you go to sleep? I want to talk to you.”
“Of course, Sir. I’ll be there in 10.”
The light blue unicorn stepped into the chamber quietly, finding the pair of pegasi lying in what looked like a nest, made from moss, twigs, and feathers. The mare couldn't help but smirk. “I sometimes forget that you're part bird.”, she mused.
Collin rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha, ha. Very funny.”
“What did you want to talk to me about, Sir?”
The stallion hesitated, then lowered his head and sighed. “I don't know if I can do this, Speckle.”
“Do what?”
He gestured with his head towards Sirena, who was asleep beside him. “This. Be a father. Onyx already doesn't like me being with Sirena, how do you think he’s going to react when the baby comes? Not to mention my short temper…”
Speckle shook her head. “Collin, don't work yourself up about it. It's ok to be worried about becoming a parent, it's natural. You should have seen Ember while I was pregnant with the twins. I could rarely get a break, he went everywhere I did. When I had them, he was so scared about holding them, thought they were going to break if he so much as touched them.”
Collin laughed a little. “He must have freaked when they started crying.”
She nodded. “He did. See? You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
He agreed and looked up at her, a bright smile crossing his face. “Thanks for making me feel better about this, Speckle.”
“Not a problem. If you need advice about anything, you can talk to me or Ember. We’ll help you out the best we can.”
“Alright, thank you. I really do appreciate it. Good night, Speckle.”
“Night, Collin.” The unicorn turned to leave when a little flash of light caught her eye. She saw the stallion drape a wing over his mate, it was large enough to completely cover her body. It was when Speckle took a closer look at his feathers did she let out a soft gasp.
Collin’s eyes snapped up to look at her. “What's wrong, Speckle?”
“Your feathers. One of them is silver.”
He looked down at his wings, and there was for sure a shiny looking silver colored feather at the front of his primary feathers on each wing. “Well I'll be…” He breathed, clearly not having expected this. “It's true. I always thought it was a myth but it's true.”
“What is?”, the mare questioned, not sure what he was getting at.
He gave her a look at first, then his gaze softened. “Right, your parents probably didn't tell you about this legend because your a unicorn. Well my mom told me when I was younger… before she passed away, that is. How did it go again? Ah, I remember now. Long ago, back before the first Elder pack existed, there was a pack full of strong werewolves. Most of them were earth ponies, a few unicorns and only one was a pegasus. His name was Lighting Cloud, and he was one of the fastest in the pack. He was known for bragging a lot about his accomplishments, something that irritated his fellow pack members. It got so bad that he was soon banished and left to fend for himself. Enraged, he set out to go do something to prove himself worthy to the rest of his pack. First, he tried climbing up the tallest tree in the area and jumping off of it, not flapping his wings. That didn't work. Then he tried fighting some Timberwolves, that wasn't enough either. When he saved three pups from their cave during a fire, he gained acceptance in the pack, as well as his silver feathers, for truly being a strong wolf. Now, only the strongest of pegasi can obtain silver feathers, those with a brave heart.”
Speckle smiled. “Looks like you’re one of them now.”
“Seems so. I can't wait to show everyone else.”
“I'm sure they’ll be proud, Collin.”
“Thank you. Now you run along. I’m sure Ember’s waiting for you.”
She laughed lightly. “Of course he is. Go to sleep, you goof.”
He smiled at her. “Will do. Night Speckle.”
“Night.” She left the two alone, smiling brightly all the way to her chamber.
Collin turned to look down at Sirena as she stirred, letting out a whimper. He pulled her closer to him with his wing, whispering comforting words into her ear. She soon stilled and fell asleep again, a faint smile on her lips. He laid his head on top of hers and sighed, letting his eyes slide shut. “I did it, guys,” he murmured. “I hope you’re proud of me.”
A gentle nudge woke Speckle from her slumber. She opened her eyes slowly, glancing around the dark chamber before locating Ember walking out of the room. Lifting her head, she questioned, “Ember? Where are you going?” No response came from the stallion as he continued walking. The unicorn raised an eyebrow, getting up and following him. Still Ember didn't say anything, transforming into his wolf form and taking off. Speckle’s eyes narrowed, yet she followed suit, her now white coat glowing in the moonlight. Her sapphire irises faded into a ruby color, her vision coming into focus as she continued to follow the tall dark brown wolf in front of her. They soon arrived at a large clearing, devoid of trees and replaced with tall grass. In the center, a waterfall flowed from a crevice in the side of a mountain, it’s waters spilling out into a river below. Speckle’s eyes went wide, surprised to find such a sight in this area. Ember darted towards the waterfall, his mate following close behind him. When they reached its base, they found a small cave behind it, slipping inside and sitting down side by side. The dark brown wolf lowered his head and groomed the light red patch of fur on his chest. The pair sat in silence for a moment , listening to sound of water roaring in front of them.
The white wolf finally couldn't take staying quiet anymore, and she changed form. “Why did you bring me here, Ember?”
“Do I really need to answer that question? I thought it was obvious.”
“Sure, if by obvious you mean dragging me out here in the middle of the night.”
Ember rolled his eyes. “I didn't drag you. You decided to follow me.”
Speckle snorted. “How’d you find this place anyways?”
“On a perimeter check with Mark. I noticed it wasn’t too far outside the north side of our territory, so I figured one day I’d bring you here.”
“To do what, exactly?”
“Sheesh, if I knew we’d be playing 21 questions, I’d be better prepared. Just for us to get away from the craziness back home. You know how hectic it can get.”
Speckle nodded. “Yeah, I know. Especially for you.”
The wolf laid down, rested his head in between his front paws and sighed. The mare sat beside him, running her hooves through his fur. She felt the muscles in his back tense and relax as she massaged his shoulders, lightly pressing her hooves down along his spine. Eventually she laid down and curled up against him. His soft fur and warm body caused her to fall asleep, and she smiled as she felt his fluffy tail drape over her.
Speckle woke to the feeling of something warm slowly gliding up in between her hind legs. She stiffened and shuddered when it slipped past her folds, then drawing back. She noticed Ember’s hooves were wrapped around her waist, her back was pressed against his front. His head was buried in her mane, purring lightly, as he continued to dream. The unicorn gently slid out of his grip, casting a faint illumination spell to wake him up. It worked, as he stirred seconds after the light flashed in his direction. His sleep filled eyes gazed up at her, and she looked back down at him in turn.
“What is it, Hun?” he asked lowly.
“You woke me up.” , she said quietly.
“I did? Sorry.” It was then he realized that a certain part of him was exposed, causing him to blush brightly. “Oh. I see what you mean now. I guess I got a little… excited in my dream, didn’t I?”
“You don't say.”, Speckle mused, a slight blush of her own dusting her cheeks as she watched him sit up, said appendage catching her eye. She bit her lip, the stallion noticing it and raising an eyebrow.
“See something you like?”, he inquired, intently opening up his hind legs and leaning back.
He watched as her cheeks flushed darker, a light shade of red now.
“I-I… um…”, she stammered, looking down at the stone floor.
He smirked, eyes changing to blue. “You don't want to leave me hanging, now do you sweetheart?”, he asked in an innocent tone, yet the look on his face was anything but.
She looked up at him, her breath hitching as he stood up and circled her, pausing in front of her to stare into her eyes. His gaze wasn't cold, yet it held a sense of authority and dominance. Her eyes flickered to red, and she instinctively bowed her head. Ember raised an eyebrow at first, then smiled as a realization dawned on him. This could become rather interesting. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up as a cold shiver ran down his back. “Crimson, now is not the time.” , he muttered quietly to himself.
“C’mon, can't I watch? It'd be so hot. I could even give some pointers.”
“I said no, so get your little butt out of my head before I shut you out.”
“Man, you're such a party pooper.”
The stallion felt the ghost’s presence dissipate, refocusing his gaze on the mare in front of him.
His eyes flashed a darker shade of blue, and he growled, “Submit yourself, Alpha.”
She bowed before him, face close to the ground while her hindquarters were raised high in the air. He started to circle her again, taking note of her round rear, and her soft pink slit that was practically begging to be spread open, as a few drops of fluid dripped onto the floor, showing that mare was far more excited than she let on. When he stopped circling, he lifted her head and leaned forward, catching her lips in a rough kiss. Pulling back slowly, he took her bottom lip in between his teeth, tugging at it lightly before letting it snap back into place. She shivered, eyes closing as he ran his tongue down her neck, lingering on her Mark spot. His fangs emerged, and he dug them deep into the pink patch of skin. Speckle gasped loudly as an electric shock ran through her, her horn starting to buzz. Ember growled lowly, and she froze, her horn stopping as she felt her heart pound loudly in her chest. Her fur bristled and she straightened in shock as he suddenly smacked her flank, a soft gasp escaping her. Again another slap was given, this one on the opposite side. The heat in her cheeks flared once again as a stinging sensation occurred.
More of the warm liquid trickled down her legs, and she started to pant. The earth pony hummed in satisfaction, then leaned down to whisper into her ear. “Now, you’re going to be a good girl, aren’t you?” She simply nodded, then winced as her rear was hit again. “I need a verbal answer, Alpha.”
“Y-yes, Sir.”
“Good.” He rose onto his hind legs, positioning himself behind her. Her back arched when he rocked his hips forward, sliding into her with ease. He gripped her sides as he continued to thrust deeply, quickly reaching the point where he would pull out completely, only to slam himself back in, earning low moans from the mare. Her pleasure filled cries jumped up a few octaves when he roughly pulled at her hair, pushing himself even deeper into her tight, velvety walls. They tightened even more around him, locking him in place. Speckle’s heart was racing, and her coat was drenched with sweat. She felt her mate twitch, then shudder as he coated those soft walls with white. Her own body jerked as she then squirted profusely and her horn sparked, eyes squeezed shut. Her legs buckled and she dropped to her knees, exhausted. She didn't even notice that Ember had pulled out until she felt his nose nuzzle her cheek. Within seconds, she was out like a light. The stallion sighed contently before lowering his head and falling asleep again himself.
It was before the crack of dawn, and Ember slowly strolled towards the cave’s entrance, carrying a sleeping Speckle on his back. He was a little surprised to see Collin walking out of it, the pegasus’s eyes blue. “Rookie? What are you doing up this late?” Collin raised an eyebrow at him as he got closer.
“I would ask the you the same thing …” He paused, glancing at the mare. “...With Speckle, no less.”
The Lead snorted. “Well excuse me for wanting to take a little break from here. You’d think someone like yourself would understand that.”
“I didn't-”
“I’m just messing with you. Now, you didn't answer my question.”
“It's Sirena. Starting to have her cravings now. Today it's fish.”
“Ah. Funny, the one thing Speckle couldn't stand when she was pregnant was fish.”
There was silence between them before Collin cleared his throat. “W-would you like to join me, Sir? You know the paths better than I do.”
Ember nodded. “Of course I'll join you. Besides, I wouldn't want my Second in Command to get kidnapped by vampires. Or worse, witches.”
Collin rolled his eyes. “Really?”, he muttered. “If I knew you'd be like this I wouldn't have asked.”
“Oh, lighten up, you. Now I'll be right back. I got to put this sleepy head in bed.”
“You go do that. I'll be here. Thinking.”
The pair of stallions walked calmly down the path, Collin occasionally yawning from being up so early. Ember, on the other hoof, was as perky as a daisy, and didn't show any signs of tiredness at all. When they reached the river, he was the first one to wade into cold water and then stand still. Moments later, his head zipped down into the water, snatching a passing fish in his jaws. He came back up with his prize, throwing it against the rocks on the bank. He then got out and sat on the bank, holding the wriggling fish under his hooves, quickly grabbing a heavy rock and hitting it upside the head with it. Soon the aquatic creature went limp, and the earth pony proceeded to transform himself, then tearing the fish’s underbelly open.
Collin had a more practical way of catching fish. He dipped the tip of his tail in the water, swaying it back and forth in a steady motion, acting like a bait. He soon felt a tug at it, and he flicked his tail upwards, the fish flying through the air before landing on the bank. He managed to get a few more fish before getting out of the river, shaking the water out of his coat. Ember simply sat and watched him, his sharp gaze unwavering.
The pegasus coughed nervously, avoiding his eyes. “What? You don't like how I catch fish? Well that's your problem.” His ears perked as he heard a sound between a whine and a growl, then realizing that the wolf was laughing at him. “Hey! Don't laugh at me. At least I'm not the one who got his face all wet.” The wolf transformed again, and Collin could now hear Ember's laugh clearly. His mouth was then drawn into a scowl, and he looked annoyed. “It's not funny.”, he muttered.
The Lead wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as he quieted down. “I'm sorry… I'm just a bit tickled today. Don't know why.” The pegasus sat down in front of him, catching his eyes. The sound of the river rushing beside them was quite calming, and the two felt their heartbeats slow to a steady pace.
“Sir, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, Rooks. What's up?”
“What were your parents like? Well, moreso your mother.”
Ember's eyes flashed for a split second, showing that he still wasn't the most comfortable with talking about such a touchy subject, but he answered anyway. “If you must know, she was a kind soul before she got infected. Always there to support me, and she always stood up for me as well.”
“And your father?”
“He was rather distant. When my mother passed away, he did’nt talk with me normally at all. Always ordering me around, yelling at me more often than not. I started to hate him, and almost ran away on a couple of occasions.”
“Wow. I'm sorry to hear that, Sir. But… you two seem to have a more or less good relationship now. What changed him?”
Ember shrugged. “I don't know. I guess with him going to the Elder Pack, and him trying to cope with my mother's death, something clicked. He still has that stubborn streak though.”
Collin chuckled. “Sounds like someone I know.”
The Lead’s eyes narrowed. “You’re one to talk. And what about you? What was the deal with your parents?”
The pegasus flinched, his feathers ruffling. His gulped, then took in a deep breath to calm himself. “I...um… didn't know my parents that well. I lived with grandparents until I was of age. Then I stayed with my mother for a few moons, until she got sick and died. As for my father, we weren't that close. I would try my best to be good for him, to make him proud, but he would just call me a disgrace and tell me to leave him alone. When he left, even though I knew he didn't really love me, I felt like part of me went missing.” He stopped suddenly, face going pale with fear. “What if… what if I’m not a good Dad to the baby? What if I start acting like my Dad and not show it any love?”
At this, he broke, instinctively cowering under his outspread wings, crying loudly. His body shook with his sobs. The other stallion came over to him, gently pushing down one of his wings to look at his face. “Collin… come here, bud.” The pegasus practically fell into the earth pony’s open arms, crying even harder. Ember gently held him, running his hoof up and down his back slowly. “Alpha, look at me.” A pair of watery purple eyes glanced up at him. “Can I tell you a secret?” Collin nodded once. “I was scared too. Probably even more so than you are. And look at me and the girls now. Everything between us is fine and dandy, and I know you'll be a great father to your kid. Believe me when I say that.”
Collin looked down for a moment, then smiled a little, looking back up at his Alpha. “Thank you, Sir. Could you not tell Sirena about this? If she hears that I was crying like a foal, she'd be on my case about it for the rest of my life.”
Ember winked at him. “Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. Now let's head back home. The sun is up and we both know that a hungry mate is a scary mate.”
Collin laughed. “That sure is true.”
As the two were on their way back, another question popped into Collin’s head. “Sir, can I ask you something else?”
“Go ahead.”
“What’s it like living with Crimson? I've been wondering that for a while now.”
“Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he has much to share.”
Right on cue, said Infecto floated above them. “You called?”, he purred, absolutely interested in talking about himself and his living conditions.
“Hi there, Crims. Old Rookie here wants to know what it's like living with me.”
“Oh, let me tell you, it is not a walk in the field. His body so warm and tight, it's like I’m walking around in a sweat suit. Don't ask me what that is, it takes a long time to explain it. The only place I can find some freedom is in his mind, but he kicks me out before I can take a breath. I still think I could have given you pointers last night, Ember.”
Collin raised an eyebrow. “Pointers on what?”
“N-Nothing!”, Ember stammered, glaring at the ghost while blushing brightly.
“So is that all? You just sit and watch?”
“Pretty much. I always try to give the big lug some advice now and then, but he never takes it. But, of course, if I really need some fresh air, I don't have to ask for permission.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The figure floated over and picked up a sharp stone. Going over to Ember, he lifted one of his forelegs and quickly cut him with the stone. He ignored the Lead’s hiss of pain, instead watching the blood trickle down his leg. He held a hoof out and touched the blood, and instead of it phasing through his see through hoof, it started to become absorbed by him, a dark red coat appearing. Soon, a stallion with a splitting image to Ember stood beside them. The pair were in shock, their mouths hanging open briefly.
“Y-Your real!? But I thought you were just a spirit.”
Crimson rolled his dark ruby red eyes. “Please. If I had to stay as a ghost for all of eternity, things would be a bit more complex, now wouldn't they? Besides, Ember, how did you think I was able to save you when you fell off the cliff? My ghost form clearly wouldn't be able to carry you. And you forget that we Infectos are turned, not born. I was just like you guys before I was turned, not that my life held anything interesting.”
Collin looked confused. “You’re an earth pony though.”
“That, my friend, is where your wrong.” Seconds after his spoke, a pair of dark red pegasus wings suddenly burst from his back, and he gave them a showcase flap. “I can shapeshift. It make things easier the more simple the vict- I mean, pony is.”
“Which is why you look like me.”
“Correct, good Sir.”
“But why stay with me? If you have a physical form then can't you just do what you do on your own?”
The darker stallion pouted. “So you don't want me anymore? I save your life, and this is how you repay me? Chasa was right, some ponies really are cruel.”
“I never said that, Crimson. I was just asking a question.”
“Oh. Well I only do it as a form of protection. All Infectos do. There’s a race called the Queet. Their only purpose in life is to find us and kill us. Problem is, they can shapeshift like we can, which makes scouting them out harder. So, we made the whole attachment process a thing to hide us. Of course learning about who you’re attached to can be beneficial.”
“I thought you weren't attached to me though.”
“Not yet, I'm not. It's a rather...complicated process… and it’d be best if only your ears heard it.”
Collin snorted. “Why is that? I feel like I have a right to know too.”
“Look, Rookie- darn it. I'm starting to get your lingo. I really don't think you should know about it. Unless, that is, you have an Infecto yourself…”
“ I don't. I think I would know if voices started talking to me in my head.”
“Some Infectos can be mute, never showing themselves unless they want to be seen.” This made the stallion start to panic, until Ember calmed him down. Crimson's eyes darted between them, then he cleared his throat. “Now, can we get going? I don't know about you, but I could use some food right about now.”
The trio walked towards the cave, Sirena coming out to greet them.
“There you two are. We were wondering when you’d get back.” She froze when she laid her eyes on Crimson, pupils becoming as small as pin pricks. “S-Sir? What happened?”
Ember raised a hoof and waved. “That's not me Sirena. It's Crimson. He apparently has an actual body now.”
After the Lead spoke, said stallion stared to fade back into his ghost like state. “Hmm. I'm surprised the blood made me last this long. I wonder…”
Immersed in thought, he subconsciously floated back into Ember, disappearing from view. Sirena blinked in surprise and confusion, but her gaze quickly switched over to the fish on Collin’s back. She went over and picked one up, gingerly carrying it inside to Den. The others followed her. She sat down and ate it happily, giving her mate her thanks. He nodded and sat down beside her, letting out a surprised yelp as she accidentally hit him in the face with her wing. She froze again, quickly blurting out worried apologies.
“It’s alright, Love. It didn't hurt, I promise.”
She calmed down after that, curling up against him. He draped a wing over her, and she purred.
“It's like I'm under a warm blanket.”, she murmured tiredly. The stallions couldn't help but smile at that, talking with each other quietly as she slept.
As the sun rose slowly into the cloudless sky, eight of the pack members ran quickly amongst the trees. The four pups were in the middle of the horizontal line, with Firefly, Quetzal, Nicky and Speckle spaced out alongside them. They were all chasing an injured moose through the brush. Nicky increased her speed, launching herself onto its back, gripping tight with her claws dug into its sides. The large animal bellowed, yet kept running, trying to shake the wolf off of it. Crescent ran up beside the moose and went for one of its legs, knocking it off balance. It tumbled to the ground, Nicky jumping off before it could crush her paws. The other wolves pounced on it and held it down, ignoring its wild thrashing in an attempt to get free. Soon it stilled, cold bleeding body splayed out in the grass. Nicky went over to Crescent and gave her a wolfy grin, her tail wagging slightly. “Nice job with the assist there, Cres. Of course, I could have taken that moose down myself, but help is always appreciated.” Crescent rolled her eyes, but nodded. “Now, who wants to help me carry this back?” Instantly, the others departed, leaving the Hunter by herself. “Hey, you guys… ugh. You’re all being just great pals, you know that? Just leaving me here… to do this by myself. Just splendid, all of you.” She then sighed, leaning down to take ahold of one of the moose’s ankles, dragging it ever so slowly back to the cave.
By the time Nicky made it to the cave’s entrance, there was quite a commotion going on. Transforming herself, she raised an eyebrow. “What's going on over here? I haven't seen everyone together in one spot in a while.” Ember gave her a stern look, silencing her before he started talking.
“The time has come for the pups to officially begin their training. They must leave here with their instructors and train on their skills for the next two moons.” Speckle looked concerned, and she quickly raised a hoof. “Speak, Alpha.”
“Sir, are you sure they can cope with being away from home for that long?”
“They're old enough, Speckle. And they're in good hooves, aren't they?”
He emphasized the last two words, cutting glances at both Quetzal and Firefly.
“Yes, Sir. We won't let you down.”, Quetzal promised. “Good. Does anyone else have any questions?”
“What about Crescent? Who’s going to mentor her?”, Collin asked.
“I will. If she’s going to be the Lead Alpha in her pack, then she needs my guidance.” The dark blue pegasus nodded once. Ember shifted his glance back to the selected five. “Omegas and Beta, you can go. Limelight, come with me to the landing. The rest of you are dismissed.” The shuffling of hooves going in different directions could be heard, until all was quiet again. Ember and the teal filly went up the ramp to the landing, the wind blowing gently. Limelight watched as the stallion's previously stern facade crumble, and he pulled her close in a tight hug. “I'm going to miss you, my little flower.”, he murmured, running a hoof through her mane.
She hugged him back, closing her eyes. “I'm going to miss you too, Dad. But hey, this will bring me one step closer to becoming a Beta, right?”
He chuckled. “You’re already a Beta in my eyes, Limelight. Training’s only to make it more prominent.” She smiled, opening her eyes, which had changed to navy blue.
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Of course. Now, go on. You don't want to keep Quetzal waiting.”
“Ok. Bye, Dad.”
“Farewell, my dear. Good luck.”
Limelight quickly ran after the four other wolves that were in front of her. She panted as she fell into stride alongside Mist. The light grey pup turned his head and smirked at her. “Sure took you long enough, didn't it?”, he mused.
“Shush, you.”
They continued to follow the older wolves across the fields, until Quetzal finally stopped. Night had long since fallen upon them, and group were quite a ways away from their cave. Dust stifled a yawn, but it was clear to see how tired he was. Firefly transformed and spread her wings, flying up into a nearby tree. After checking her surroundings, she called down to Quetzal. “Everything looks good around here. There’s a creek to the south of us.”
“Wonderful.” The pegasus floated back down to the ground and stretched. Her feathers ruffled and she laid down in the grass. Mist sat down in front of her, followed by his brother. Limelight was a bit hesitant. Not that she wasn't used to sleeping outside, mind you, but the fact that they were out in the open without any safe place to stay in unnerved her slightly. The Beta glanced at her. “What’s wrong, Delta?”
“I..I don’t like this. It’s too… spacious.”
“Oh, is that what the issue is? Well you’re going to have to suck it up, Buttercup. First lesson in becoming a Beta: one must be able to live in any condition, whether they like it or not.” The teal filly let out a soft sigh, nestling her head in between her hooves as she laid down.This was going to be a long two moons, she was sure of that.
Ember’s ears twitched as he heard voices sound from below him. He had fallen asleep on the landing, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the bright moon above him. He stretched and yawned, standing up slowly. Heading down the ramp, he saw Speckle and Sirena sitting down across from each other, in the middle of a conversation. “So how are you feeling today, Sirena?”, Speckle questioned.
“I’m alright Speckle, thank you for asking. I can’t believe how big my belly is getting. I can’t walk around without feeling it’s going to drag on the floor.”
Speckle smiled at her. “I know. Mine was twice as big when I had the twins. Well at least you don't have much longer to worry about it.”
Sirena scoffed. “Yeah, cause four months is such a short time.”
“It’ll go by faster than you think, trust me.”
The pegasus was about to respond when she suddenly yelped, feeling a sharp pain course through her stomach. Unbeknownst to them, Collin had been passing by the Den when he heard his mate cry out, running inside with a growl, his eyes white. “WHO HURT HER?”, he spat, sharp gaze locking with Ember. The Lead simply raised an eyebrow at him.
“It wasn't me. I just got here. And you need to learn how to contain your anger, Rookie. Doesn't do us any good when you snap like that.”
Collin scoffed as he started to calm down. “Your one to talk.”
“Enough, Alpha.” The earth pony turned to face Sirena. “Are you alright?”
The lilac pegasus nodded. “I’m fine, Sir. The baby just kicked a little hard, that's all.”
Collin's ears perked at this, and he stepped forward cautiously. “C-can I feel?”, he asked in a soft tone. She nodded, rolling onto her side. He gently rubbed her swollen stomach with a hoof, feeling a little kick against it. His eyes lit up, and he gave her a bright smile. He thought on something for a moment, then started to ask “Do you-”
She shook her head. “Quetzal didn't tell me, and now that she's gone…” Silence filled the area until Ember cleared his throat.
“Well, I was going to wait till tomorrow but… I might as well say it now.”
The pair looked up at him. “Say what?”
“Quetzal informed me this morning before she went hunting. It’s a boy. Congratulations you two.”
It took a moment for the news to sink in, but once it did, Collin gently hugged Sirena, pressing a light kiss onto her lips. She smiled when he pulled back, resting her head on his chest. They both looked down when there was another kick, the stallion lightly rubbing at the spot. “I know, little buddy. We can't wait to meet you too.”
Darkness. That was all that the Lead felt as he solemnly gazed out from his spot near the cave’s entrance. It was raining, the dark grey clouds gathered together to dispose of their heavy burdens of water onto the land. Ember was still, the only movements he made were from his eyes and nostrils as he breathed. He was used to this feeling; he had felt it before. But there was something… different about it this time. It was like he was as cold as the rain droplets that splattered against his coat. But was he? It made him think. Thankfully, Crimson didn't decide to show himself, leaving him to sit in peace. As the rain splashed into large puddles that were forming, Ember rose, stepping out of the dryness of the rock above him and into the dampening forest. He didn't bother to go back and tell the others where he was going, he wanted to be left alone for awhile. Yet he didn't hear his mate nor his daughter following him closely.
As he sat at the Crevice, the previous emotion he was feeling was replaced with something else:calmness. The wind was starting to pick up around him as he heard it whistle through the ravine. His ears then twitched, causing him to turn his head. He watched as Speckle and Crescent approached him. “Ember? Are you alright? We saw you leave.”
“So you did. I’m fine, just needed some time for myself.”
The unicorn nodded, then her face gave off a worried expression. “You shouldn't stay out here. It looks like it's going to storm.”
Thunder rumbled and lightning clapped after she said this, making the pegasus filly beside her jump back in alarm. She stuttered “Y-Yeah Dad. L-Let’s go back.”
Ember stood up slowly, turning around to.head back with them when a startling scent caught his attention. He tracked it, it leading to a small wooden outhouse that was enrobed with overgrowth. In front of it was a cage, bright and shiny, as if brand new. Speckle cocked her head. “What in the name of the moon is a cage doing out here? It isn’t hunting season, and even if it was, there's no bait or anything.”
“It’s not out here for hunting, Speckle. It’s here for catching, us to be more specific.”
“W-What?”
The stallion walked towards said cage, touching it with a hoof only to have it recoil back and turn into a paw. “It's made from silver. And it looks like whatever put this here already claimed a life. Look.” In the distance, a pile of bones stood, a bare skull topping the pile. Speckle looked down, then screaming and scrambling backwards as her blood ran cold. “Speckle, what-”
He then followed her gaze, his own heart skipping a beat. In the cold mud, two letters had been sloppily written: E.H. “E-Ember… those... those are your initials. That wasn't there before.”
“It knows we’re here. Both of you, go home as fast as you can. Get Collin and Mark and have them come here. Now. “
“ Yes, Sir,” the pair said in unison, darting off into the brush as fast as their legs could carry them.
Ember’s red eyes darted around as he took in his surroundings, feeling the hair on his back prickle, though he didn’t know what was causing him to feel on edge. A thin mist started to form, clouding his vision slightly. Moments later, the two he had requested for slunk through the trees. Collin’s eyes glanced between the Lead and the cage beside him. “Sir? What’s this?”
“We have a werewolf killer in our midst. And there’s only one creature around here that kills werewolves with silver…”
“Witches,” Mark finished, his blue eyes narrow slits.
“Exactly. And they know about me.”
He then gestured to the ground in front of him. They saw the letters, their faces becoming grim. “What should we do about it?”
“Let’s play their little game, shall we? Just to make sure they’ll leave us be. Mark, take the cage. I have a feeling Collin and I need to pay Comet Tail a visit soon.”
“Alpha!”, Nicky cried as she ran towards the trio as they arrived at the cave. Her mane was disheveled and her coat sticking up in random places, as if she had been in a fight.
“Nicky, what happened?”
“H-He came back. I tried to fight him off but he was too strong. I…”
Her body slumped forward as she suddenly passed out, Mark catching her in his aura before her hit the ground. Ember's face turned sour as he frowned. Something was wrong. Very wrong. “Mark, go back to your post. Collin, bring Nicky to her chamber. I’ll go check on the others.” The two separated, the earth pony taking in a shaky breath before heading inside. His eyes quickly adjusted to the lack of light in the tunnels, and his ears perked to the ever so faint sound of sniffeling. He followed the sound to Collin and Sirena’s chamber, which was the deepest chamber in the cave. He found the two mares huddled together, trembling, their eyes snapping up to look at him with true fear. “Speckle… Sirena… It's me.” They both sighed in relief before they slowly went over to him. He instantly noticed the deep scratch that was on Speckle's cheek, blood trickling out of it to stain the rest of her face. “What. Happened.” Those two words were filled with so much anger that she shivered.
“He took Crescent, Ember,” she said in a low tone, not meeting his gaze. He froze, feeling his heart race in his chest. He then started to shake, a dark, bitter laugh passing his lips.
Eyes flashing white, he snarled, “Oh, Grassblade. I should have killed you the first time I saw you. Guess now I get my chance.”
As lighting flashed and thunder roared, a dark figure scanned its surroundings, sitting promptly on a cliff face. His horn glowed, showering the area around it in a dim yellow light. Bright blue eyes shifted occasionally, watching for movement. A barely audible whimper directed his attention to the purple pegasus filly lying down beside him. He smirked. “Do not fret, my little pet. Your daddy will be coming soon.” Crescent lifted her head weakly, looking him in the eye. She had a long chain around her neck, acting as a leash. Her wings were literally pinned to her sides, sharp thorns wrapped around her middle to keep them in place. Grassblade turned his head back to its previous position. He chuckled to himself. The whole ordeal had been so… easy.
So he had made a deal with some witches to set the bait in return for ingredients they needed for a potion. Nothing major, just a werewolf heart and brain. While Ember had been distracted with the cage, he had made his way to the cave. That annoying little Scout was nowhere to be seen, so he just waltzed right in. Of course, there had to be a guard outside the entrance, but she was nothing. For a Hunter, she was surprisingly weak. He’d fought with stronger Omegas before. Alas, he did find who he was looking for. Speckle put up quite a fight, as was expected. A quick blast to the wall did her in though. Now here he was, holding Crescent for ransom until her good ol’ pops came over to rescue her. He would have taken the other one too, if he knew where she was. It was a foolproof plan, really, as he knew the Alpha in his rage would come alone, making things much more simple. And if he didn’t make it… well, the unicorn would be left with his daughter to take care of. It wouldn't be wise to let her go anyways, not unless he wanted the rest of the pack to come after him. He snorted, looking down at his hooves. His fate was sealed, he knew that. But it wasn't going to cause him to just stay in the shadows and sulk. This had to end, and soon.
Ember paced back and forth, his tail flicking around aggressively. Collin watched silently, sitting on his haunches. Finally the older stallion stopped, letting out a sigh. “Let me guess. You want to come with?” Collin nodded once. “Well tough luck. I have to do this on my own.”
“But, Sir-”
“I said no, Alpha. Besides, with Nicky currently down, there needs to be a guard.” The pegasus cowered at the sharp tone, making Ember lift his head gently. “Please, Collin. I know you want to help, and I appreciate it. But Grassblade has my daughter. I have to be the one to get her back. I don’t want you getting hurt. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir. And… thank you. For being concerned about me.”
Ember's gaze softened briefly, and he simply nodded in response. He turned around without another word, heading towards the item he had his eyes set on: the cage. Upon reaching it, he took ahold of it, ignoring the sudden pain his hooves underwent as the cold metal seared into his flesh. Hoisting the cage onto his back, he changed into his wolf form and headed towards the place where he first saw it.
---()---
The rain was falling harder now, almost to the point where it was blinding. Still the dark brown wolf trudged on, making his way down along the Crevice until he reached the outhouse. Once there, he tossed the cage onto the ground and waited. And waited. And waited some more. It got to the point where he was starting to lose feeling in his paws. Finally he saw a light glowing in the distance, it growing ever brighter as it drew closer. Ember transformed, glaring at the unicorn stallion who appeared with cold eyes. His ears then perked at the sound of a chain rattling. His eyes widened at the state Crescent was in as Grassblade dragged her along, like she was his slave. The earth pony’s eyes, which were already blue, instantly changed to white, and he growled with such a loudness that the anger he felt could quite easily be detected. Grassblade merely smiled at him, not so much as batting an eyelash. “Why, hello again, Ember. It’s been awhile, hasn't it?”
“Cut the crap, Grassblade. Give me my daughter!”
“Such language, dear Alpha. And in front of the one who's supposed to be your successor.”
“She’ll be hearing a lot worse out of you if you don't give her back.”
“Is that so? Then take her. Save her the trouble.” The unicorn shoved the wounded and bound filly towards her father, causing her to fall face first into the mud. She whined, slowly getting up and hobbling over him, the chain around her neck dragging on the ground. Ember gently ushered her behind him, his eyes then snapping back up to meet Grassblade's.
“Don't think I’m done with you.”
“I never would have dreamed of it. You know, I figured my end would be something like this. Dark and dismal, and such pain and agony coursing through me that even my thoughts would be consumed by it. And that your face would the last thing I see, draped in hatred. And now those speculations are about to become a reality.”
Ember looked confused. All this time, he felt nothing but hostile rage against Grassblade, but after hearing the unicorn talk about his death that way, he felt almost… guilty? He didn't have much time to process it though, as the other dropped to his knees, bowing his head like an Omega. This made the earth pony stiffen. This was a trick. A well thought out one, but still a trick. Grassblade was making himself appear to be powerless so he could get the upper hand. Ember wasn't going to let him have that satisfaction, so he quickly came up with an idea. Turning around to face Crescent, he hastily unwound the chain, trying to make as little noise with it as possible. Once it was freed, he ran towards the unicorn, hooking it around his neck and pulling it tight. Grassblade gasped and gurgled, struggling against him to breathe. His horn started to glow, but was cut short when Ember slammed his head against the nearby cage. A pained scream echoed across the field, and the earth pony could smell the burning flesh underneath him. Quickly opening the cage’s door, he threw Grassblade into it, closing it and holding it closed with the chain.
Blood started to soak the damp grass under the cage, as the unicorn had a forced shift, for werewolves in their wolf form had a higher pain tolerance. The effort was fruitless, however, and the caged wolf howled pitifully as more and more bleeding burn marks covered him. Ember took the remainder of chain that was sitting on the ground and picked it up, pulling the cage to the Crevice. Without another word he pushed the cage over the edge, watching it fall and tumble into the dark depths. He breathed heavily for a few moments, thinking over about what he just did. That guilt he had felt before was completely gone now, and it was replaced with a sense of accomplishment. He turned his head at the sound of something hitting the ground. He then panicked, rushing towards his fallen daughter. “Crescent!” She looked up at him, her face etched with a hurt expression. He gently pulled off the thorns that were still around her, watching as she tried moving her wings, only to yelp in pain and keep them where they were. Ember ever so carefully pulled her close to him, looking her over. His heart sank at what he saw on her neck. Her Mark spot had been punctured, even though it was fading quickly, the fact that it had been done at all made his already hot blood boil even more. Listening to her soft whimpers increased the urge to hold her and cradle her to sleep. So that's what he did, rocking his filly back and forth till exhaustion overtook her. He then placed her on his back, walking at a slow pace back home.
Crescent woke from her dreamless slumber, feeling the familiar sensation of warm, soft feathers wrapped around her. LIfting her head, she tiredly gazed up at Sirena, the mare’s eyes quickly changing from red to magenta as she gave her a gentle smile. “Good morning, kiddo. How are you feeling?”
“Better, thank you Alpha.” The filly glanced around, noticing that a certain body wasn't present. “Where’s Mom?”, she inquired.
“She’s with your father. Something about Mark spotting some wolves on the perimeter. They went to go talk to them.” Crescent attempted to stand, but pain shot through her legs and she whined, laying back down. Sirena’s face became stern. “Crescent, I’ve done all I could to attend to your wounds, now you have to do your part and rest so they can heal.”
“I know that, Alpha… but I just want to see what’s going on. Please let me go…” Her eyes flickered, then shone red as her ears lowered and she stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. Sirena cut her a glance, then she closed her eyes and snorted.
“Fine, fine. But you’re not going to be walking around.” The mare stood up, unfurling her wings and quickly stretching, her large belly barely brushing the stone floor. She gasped softly as a kick rammed against her side. Crescent looked up at her, concerned, Sirena returning the expression with a meek grin. “I’m alright. Guess the little guy didn’t approve of my stretching. Now get on. Let’s go meet the newcomers.”
Ember and Speckle walked together in stride, silent as they approached Mark at the North side of the perimeter. They saw him looking nervously at a pair of mares, a light pink pegasus with raven black hair and grey tipped wings, and a dark pink unicorn with a light pink mane with a red streak in it. When he turned his head and saw them, he let out a sigh of relief. “Alphas! Do you mind telling these two that they need to leave? They’re speaking some gibberish and I have no idea what they’re saying.”
“Easy there, Scout. No need to turn them away so quickly. They must have a reason for being here.” Ember gave the mares a look over, something about the pegasus seemed awfully familiar, though he didn't know what it was. “Good morning. May I ask what brings you here?” The pegasus responded, in a language that made Speckle’s ears perk up. Ember noticed this, and he smirked. “Something she said interest you, Speckle?”
The light blue unicorn rolled her eyes. “She’s speaking in Prench, and in case you forgot, that’s one of the languages I can speak fluently in. Let me handle this.” She looked back to the mare and smiled at her. “Bonjour. Je ne crois pas que nous nous sommes rencontrés auparavant. Puis-je vous demander votre nom?”(Hello. I don't believe we've met before. May I ask for your names?)
The pegasus smiled brightly back at her. "Oh, merci aux étoiles! Je ne pensais pas qu'il y aurait une solution qui nous comprendrait. Je m'appelle Lovelace, et c'est ma soeur Valentine.” (Oh, thank the stars! I didn't think there would be anypony around that would understand us. My name is Lovelace, and this is my sister Valentine.)
“C'est sympa de vous rencontrer tous les deux. Je suis Speckle. Vous dites donc que vous avez été expulsé de votre ancien pack? Quelque chose pour?” (It's nice to meet you both. I'm Speckle. So you say that you've been kicked out of your old pack? Whatever for?)
Valentine answered these questions. “Oui. Et nous ne savons vraiment pas quoi faire pour. Notre Alpha nous a simplement dit qu'il y avait trop de femelles dans son sac et que nous n'étions plus les bienvenus. Nous avons voyagé ces bois depuis des semaines.” (Yes. And we don't really know what for. Our Alpha simply told us that there were too many females in his pack and that we were not welcome anymore. We've been traveling these woods for weeks.)
Speckle’s ears drooped at this. Too many females? Over sixty percent of the werewolf population was female, last time she checked. Even her own pack was mainly comprised of females. It didn’t make any sense...unless. “Qui était exactement votre Alpha?” (Who exactly was your Alpha?)
"Un étalon nommé Astral.” (A stallion named Astral.)
Ember visibly stiffened at the name, glaring at the pair. “You know him?” Speckle quickly explained the situation, hoping that that would calm him down. His gaze softened, and he looked on with sympathy. “I’m sorry to hear that. We’ve had some run ins with him before. Let’s just say that they didn’t end...pleasantly."
Lovelace nodded. “Je comprends, Monsieur. Nous ne l'aimons pas non plus.” (I understand, Sir. We were not very fond of him either.)
The unicorn across from her translated, and Ember gave a short nod in agreement. All of them turned their heads at the sound of hooves quickly coming towards them. The Lead raised an eyebrow at Sirena, who was carrying Crescent on her back. “Sirena? You should be inside.” The lilac pegasus merely shrugged.
“Your daughter is as persistent as you are, Sir.”
Just then, Collin came running up behind her, his breathing a bit heavy. “I...I tried to stop her, Sir. B-But she… phew… wouldn't.”
“At ease, Rookie. It appears we have a more pressing matter on us now.”
One look at Crescent sent Valentine running over, quickly examining the filly. Sirena’s eyes narrowed and she backed up a bit. “Hey, now. Personal space.”
“Ses bandages! Ils doivent être changés.” (Her bandages! They need to be changed.)
Speckle went over and placed the filly onto her own back. “Je m'en occupe, merci Valentine.” (I'll take care of that, thank you Valentine.) The dark pink unicorn nodded, turning back to stand with her sister. Ember had been watching the exchange closely, quickly picking up that she was a Beta. He assumed that Lovelace was an Alpha, which fit her well. He decided to ask to make sure.
“Lovelace, what is your Rank?”
“Je suis un Alpha, Monsieur.” (I am an Alpha, Sir.)
He was correct, and that made the wheels in his head start to turn. He grew quiet as he pondered. His eyes then snapped up, glancing at each of his pack members. “I feel we must make a consensus. I sense there is potential in these two, and they would make a nice addition to our pack. All who agree raise a hoof.” Speckle and Crescent both instantly raised their hooves, leaving the other three to look at each other. Mark slowly raised his hoof, followed by Collin. Sirena looked skeptical, and had every right to, but she raised a hoof as well. “Then it is decided. Lovelace, Valentine. Welcome to the group.”
“Merci Monsieur. Nous ne vous laisserons pas tomber.” (Thank you, Sir. We won't let you down.)
Speckle smiled and turned to head back to the cave, the others following behind her. Sirena glanced at Lovelace, who was walking behind her. “Just to get this out of the way, the dark blue pegasus is with me, got it?”
The light pink mare laughed. “Ne vous inquiétez pas de moi, madame. J'ai perdu mon intérêt pour les étalons il y a longtemps.” (Don't worry about me, Ma'am. I've lost my interest in stallions a long time ago.)
“I’ve no idea what you just said, but I’m going to guess that we’re clear.”
Speckle giggled quietly to herself, wondering how things were going to turn out now with the new members, hoping for the best.
Speckle, Lovelace and Sirena were all sitting outside of the cave, in a clearing.
Both unicorn and pastel pink pegasus were teaching the lilac pegasus Prench, which she was starting to pick up, albeit slowly. “Essayons encore une fois. Sirena, que penses-tu des ailes de Lovelace?” (Let's try this again. Sirena, what do you think of Lovelace's wings?)
“Ils sont assez jolis, Speckle.” (They are quite pretty, Speckle.)
Lovelace clapped her hooves in approval. “Vous allez mieux, Sirena! Et en seulement une semaine. Je suis fier de toi.” (You're getting better at this, Sirena! And in only a week's time. I'm proud of you.)
Sirena beamed, a faint blush painting her cheeks. “Je vous remercie. Je suis heureux d'avoir de si bons enseignants.” (Thank you. I'm glad to have such great teachers.)
They all looked up as Ember and Collin appeared, smiles on their faces. “Well it seems to me that the lessons are going over well, don't you think so Ember?”
“I would agree. Although I think a certain someone needs to head in for the night.”
Speckle frowned. “I’m not a filly, Ember. I can go to sleep when I wish.”
“You say that now, my dear, but you forget what happened the last time you stayed up late.”
Her ears lowered, and she slowly stood up. “Alright, I'm coming. Bonne nuit mes amis.” (Good night, my friends.)
“Bonne nuit.”, the pair of mares said together in unison, watching as she followed the earth pony back into the dark tunnels.
Early the next morning, before the break of dawn, Ember was shaken awake by his second in command. His eyes opened wearily, and he glared at the other stallion with a low grunt. “There better be a good reason as to why you’re waking me up this early.”
“There is, Sir. But I want you to see it for yourself.” Ember muttered under his breath, but he rose to his hooves, shaking his head to get rid of the sleep induced fog he still had. He trailed behind the pegasus, squeezing his eyes shut at the harsh light from the slowly rising sun shining in his eyes. He blinked a few times before glancing over at Collin.
“So what did you want to show me, Rooks?”
Collin merely pointed to a spot above him. It took the red stallion a second, but he soon noticed the bright light that illuminated the top of the mountain beside them. It appeared to be pulsating, growing dim then getting brighter in a steady pattern.
“What is that?”
“I don't know. Maybe we should go find out?”
Ember scoffed. “As if. There’s no way I'm climbing all the way up there. That's a death wish.”
“I could ca-”
“No. I'm not saying that I don't trust you, but no.”
Collin pouted, but stayed silent. Ember then suddenly shivered, gasping as he felt a rough tug at his ear. His back arched, bones shifting and readjusting as others aligned into new positions. Collin started to panic, unsure of what to do. “E-Ember? What’s happening to you?!” The stallion opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a pained cry as he felt the skin on his back stretch, a pair of wings emerging, then falling flat against his sides, feathers sprouting at random times. Ember’s eyes were closed, and he waited for the pain to go away. When it subsided, he cautiously cracked open an eye, seeing Collin's shocked expression plastered to his face.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Collin?”
The pegasus's mouth opened and closed like a fish, but no words were being said for a few moments. “B-By the stars… Ember… you have wings!”
“ I- What?” Turning his head, his face paled at the sight of two light red wings dragging onto the ground. He lifted them, examining the feathers. “How did this happen?” He got his answer when a cold tingle ran down his spine, spreading out to his new wings. “C-Crimson?”
“Good morning! Long time no talk, eh?”
“Crimson, what did you do?”
“Nothing big. Just transferred my shapeshifting abilities to you for a bit. I feel like I should be getting a thank you for helping you with your little problem. Anyways, have fun!”
“Wait, I-” The Infecto already had vanished from his thoughts. He sighed. “Well, guess we're going to see what's up there after all.”
Once up in the air, Ember tightly gripped onto Collin's hoof, using it to steady himself. The Alpha smirked. “Are you sure you don’t want me to carry you? You seem a bit unstable.”
“Don't push me, Collin. Unless you want to start a little aerial brawl, which I would be very happy to commence.”
“I’ll pass. Now come on. Let’s go see this thing and come back before anyone else wakes up.”
“After you.”
The two started their way up the side of the mountain, the wind swirling around harder the higher they got. At one point they had to hold onto each other so they wouldn't get separated. At last they reached the top, landing on the flat, rocky surface. Ember shivered at how cold it was, his feathers ruffling to keep him warm. His eyes flickered in slight annoyance as the light went off again, pulsating faster this time. “Ok, we get it. Your shiny. Now if you could stop flashing for a few minutes, we’d be grateful.”
As if the thing could hear him, the light stopped. The pegasi walked towards the center of the peak, searching for what was glowing earlier. Collin found it, carefully pulling it out of the hole it was in. It was a large stone, pale white in color. It glowed and glistened in the light, sparkling in different colors as the stallion tilted it. “For something so small, it sure is bright. I wonder…”
Before Ember could get another word out, another flash from the stone interrupted him. The two shielded their eyes, lowering their hooves once it faded. “Geez! You've already blinded us more than once. Do it to us again, why don’t you?” He then glanced over to Collin, his eyes widening. “Rookie? ...Bud, you alright?”
The other stallion's face was blank, devoid of emotion. His body was trembling, and he was sweating profusely. Ember looked concerned. “Collin, you're kinda starting to freak me out a bit. Speak to me, bud.” No response. He went over to shake him went a low growl stopped him in his tracks. Collin's eyes were stuck in the middle of changing, the top part of his irises red while the bottom half was blue. He growled again, spreading his wings. Ember paused, then inched forward. Gently, he pressed his forehead against the other’s, making him stiffen in surprise.
The touch triggered something, as the dark blue pegasus backed up and shook his head. His eyes opened, back to red. He looked perplexed, not knowing what just happened. Ember shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing what happened himself. “Let's just head back, please? Any longer and I might turn into a popsicle.”
Back on the ground, the pair were sitting side by side, staring at the stone. Ember’s wings had crumbled into bits moments after he landed, which for once he wasn't surprised at. Collin poked at the shiny rock, still confused by what happened earlier. One thing was for certain, though: the instant Ember's forehead touched his, he felt… different. Not in a bad way. It felt like the gesture deeply calmed him, and that it further strengthened the bond between the two Alphas. Was it just speculation? He wasn't sure. Ember cleared his throat, catching his attention. “So you say you haven't seen the light before this morning?”
“That's right, Sir.”
“Hmm… the way this stone looks reminds me of something. Like of an old legend.”
“You mean the legend of the Moonstone? Because that fits its description almost perfectly.”, a voice sounded behind them. They turned to see Speckle standing there.
“Aren't you supposed to be asleep?”, Ember mused.
“Possibly. But it’s hard to sleep what with all of Crescent's whining and whimpering. Poor thing is still having nightmares. I woke up at least three times to go calm her down.”
“I’ll go check on her in a minute. Do you remember what this thing’s supposed to do? Besides being good for a dance party.”
Speckle racked her brain for a second, then her eyes flashed and she blushed as she remembered. “ I… um, would rather not state that.”
“And why not?”, Collin quipped.
“I-I just can't, ok? Besides, you’re gonna to find out soon enough if it keeps flashing. I’m going to go before I get it too.”
“Speckle, don't go! What do you-”
“And she's gone. Guess she doesn't like being pressed for answers.”
“Guess not.” They resumed their staring at the Moonstone, noticing it was starting to light up again. They were better prepared this time, turning away from the flash of light. Tingles ran up and down their spines, and they looked each other. “I feel… weird.”, Collin stated.
“Me too. It's probably just a bit of motion sickness from being up so high. Let’s head inside.” They did so, Ember deciding to bury the stone near the cave's entrance.
Speckle gently ushered her daughter into Nicky’s chamber, the earth pony mare still sleeping soundly. Crescent curled up beside her, quickly falling asleep again herself. The unicorn smiled fondly at them, slipping out of the cavern as quietly as she could. She suddenly felt her body jerk, a flood of emotions overtaking her mind. She had to lean against the wall of the tunnel to keep herself from toppling over. Slowly she made her way back into her own chamber, finding Ember lying on the floor, his body twitching wildly. “Ember?”, she called, sitting down and groaning as her head spun. The stallion lifted his head and faced her, and the mare could see that his eyes were a color she’d never seen them be before: a bright pink. He crept towards her, voice low as he said
“S-Speckle? I-I don’t know what’s happening to me. I don't feel right.”
She was going to ask when a tapping noise answered her. Looking down, a gasp escaped her as she gazed at the thick, dripping member in between his legs. It had doubled in size and length, the flared head grazing a few inches below the upper half of his waist. Her eyes widened as she put the two and two together, then narrowed. “I told you to be careful with that stone, and now look what happened.”
Ember whined, feeling too sensitive to take a scolding now. Speckle sighed, closing her eyes briefly. When they reopened, a dark ruby color took the place of sapphire. She raised an eyebrow at the stallion's slight change in behavior. He appeared to be almost desperate when it was usually the other way around. Thinking nothing more on the matter, she leaned forward and held onto his shoulders, pulling him up and pushing him against the wall.
His breath hitched, and he purred blissfully as her eager hooves ran along his shaft. Getting a little daring, she raised one of her hind legs, resting it against his side. Rocking her hips forward, she smirked as she heard him moan. He was at her mercy now, and just the thought of that made him shudder. She nipped at his chest, taking a small patch of skin between her teeth and sucking on it as her hips dipped down again.
Hearing him start to pant, she pulled away and turned around, easing herself onto him, moaning herself as the hard flesh penetrated deeper than she thought possible. Feeling a bulge start to form, she hooked her other leg around his, bringing them both to a sitting position with one quick motion. Leaning back, she felt his forelegs snake around her stomach, planting little love bites on the back of her neck as she continued to move.
Eventually, the pent up tension between the pair was broken, a fountain of fluids warming up the mare’s already hot insides, and she cooed happily as he rubbed at her stomach in a comforting manner, soothing her. He started to lift her off of him, pausing when she tightly gripped his hooves. “Mhmm... Not yet. Just… give me a minute.” The stallion obliged, resting his head on her shoulder.
“You sure know how to make me lose my mind…”, he noted softly.
She nuzzled him. “In a good way?”
“In the best way. I love you, Speckle. Don't think anything's going to change that.”
“I love you too. Just, give me a warning before you go bringing back magical love rocks.”
Ember rolled his eyes, but he chuckled. “Wasn't my fault it was as bright as a beacon. But I will, for you.” And as the minutes passed, they both fell asleep peacefully in the other's embrace.
A few days had passed, and the sun was once again coming up over the horizon. This time, however, the whole pack was out, gazing upon their Lead as he paced back and forth, pausing occasionally to make a point. Now he stopped completely, eyes half lidded. “It has come to my attention that we have been slacking off on our training lately. Not that it is anyone's fault, what with all the events that have been happening recently. Nonetheless, I find that if we're going to handle any future issues, then we need to step up our game. Any questions?” Collin raised a hoof.
“Yeah, I got one. Why you always gotta wake us up so early? An Alpha’s got to sleep sometimes.”
Ember’s face deadpanned. “Perhaps going to sleep a bit earlier will help solve that issue. And I only do it to get you up and moving. An incident can occur at any time, and it’s no help if you're being sluggish. Any more serious questions?” When no one else responded, he took that as his cue to continue. “Alright then. I’ll be splitting you up into groups. Mark, Speckle and Nicky. You three are the fastest in the pack, not counting the young ones. For that, you’ll be running the mile from here to the pond and back. Collin, you and I are going to are going to do some combat practice. Lovelace, since I’m not sure how your fighting skills are, you’ll be joining us.” He then turned to the three that were remaining. “Valentine, do you mind taking Mark’s place while he's gone?”
“No.”
“Good. As for Sirena and Crescent, you can stay and watch us.” The filly frowned slightly.
“But Dad, I wanna practice combat too.”
Ember's face started to become stern, but one look from Speckle made his gaze soften. “I…suppose that would be alright. Just know that I’ll be going easy on you.” Crescent nodded, her eyes shining brightly. The Lead’s head lifted and swiveled side to side as he took in one last look. “Do I make myself clear?” A chorus of ‘Yes, Sir’ was what he got for an answer. “Excellent. Ok you three, move out.”
Halfway through the run to the pond, Speckle felt her paws start to ache, more so than usual. It came to the point where she had to stop, dropping to the ground and rolling onto her back to catch her breath. The others instantly turned back to see if she was alright when they noticed she wasn't with them anymore. “You doing ok, Speckle?” The white wolf’s tongue lolled out of her mouth briefly, but she pulled it back in before answering.
“I...I’m fine. Just feeling a little off today. It’s like my body’s feeling a bit more heavy than normal.” Getting back to her feet, she trailed after the pair once again.
Back in the clearing, the pair of stallions were in their wolf forms, circling each other. Ember's fur was bristling, and his eyes were blue, though it was in mock anger. Collin eyed him in a similar fashion, ignoring the occasional bug that would dart across his vision. “So, Rookie. How do want to play this? I can make this quick and easy, or I can go a little more rough if that's what you want.”
“Pft. Rough is my middle name, good Sir. Don't expect me to play nice either.”
“Wanting to go hard, do you? Alright. I'll be generous, I’ll let you strike first.”
The dark grey wolf frowned. This was Ember's way of getting him to give him an opening to get a good hit in. “I think I’ll pass. Why don't you come at me, big boy? Or are you too scared to break a paw?” Ember growled and bared his teeth, sharp canines glistening in the light. He charged forward, surprising the other by wrapping his legs around his neck and hoisting himself onto his back, bringing them both to the ground. Collin yelped as his claws raked down his sides, hissing as he felt the sting of his new wounds being exposed to the air. Ember purred contently.
“What was that earlier? Me breaking a paw? I think the tables have turned, my friend.”
“Don’t get so cocky.”, Collin grumbled, struggling to get out of the larger wolf’s grip. Ember rolled his eyes, setting his head atop the other's forehead.
“Mhm… keep squirming like that and I’ll be barely able to contain myself.”
“Then get off of me, you perv!” The dark brown wolf obliged, rolling over and throwing him off with his hind legs. Collin took a moment to regain his footing, then whirled around, glaring coldly at his opponent. “You’re not being very fair.”
“Fair? There is no fairness in fighting. Either you have the upper paw or you don't. Let's turn things up a notch, shall we? I’m starting to get bored.”
“Likewise.”
The circling started up once again, Collin lunging forward first. Ember dodged him, landing a hard bite on the other's tail. A pained cry escaped the grey wolf, proceeding to kick at him until he let go. Ember growled, tackling him to the ground once again, this time latching his claws into Collin's shoulder blades and ribs. The latter clawed at his face, narrowly missing one of his eyes. The dark brown wolf dipped his head, pressing his muzzle squarely against his second in command's neck. The one under him froze, then lowered his paws in defeat. Ember released him, shaking himself before transforming. “You’ve given me some new facial scars, thanks.”, he noted, his voice thick with sarcasm. Collin snorted as he changed forms himself.
“And you’ve probably broke one of my ribs, you don't see my whining about it.”
The red stallion then looked thoughtful. “You’re getting better, Rookie. Just don't let your guard down.” The pegasus nodded once, his body jolting as the Lead leaned forward to butt foreheads with him, which he gratefully accepted. As the waves of calmness crashed over him, he could feel some of the lighter wounds start to close up. This was new. Was it a side effect from the Moonstone? And if it was, did it only affect the two of them? More questions were swirling in his mind than answers. Ember unfortunately broke his train of thought by pulling away, straightening himself. He turned to face the three females who were sitting across from him. “Alright, who’s next?”
As the sun set, Ember found himself in his usual spot, up on the landing. He watched as the daylight faded and the night slowly took its place. Letting his eyes close, he sighed deeply, barely hearing the sound of hooves coming up behind him. “Sir?” Turning his head, he gave a warm smile to Sirena as she sat down beside him.
“Oh, Sirena. What brings you up here?”
She looked off to the side. “Nothing important, Sir. I’ve just been noticing a few things lately, and I’d like to relay them to you.”
Ember turned his head back to its previous position. “Go ahead.”
“You and Collin have been getting awfully close lately. And the whole head thing? Don’t think I didn't see that. Is there something you two aren't telling us?”
The stallion hummed in thought. “Should there be? Collin's like a younger brother to me. Don't tell him I said that.”
The pegasus didn't seem convinced. “And with the foreheads?”
“That's just a reassurance thing. It calms him, it calms me, nothing more to say about it. Anything else?”
“One more thing. I know since you’re around her more often, you probably haven't seen it, but Speckle is starting to get bigger. Rather quickly, might I add.”
Ember nodded once. “I’ve noticed. If she starts getting morning sickness soon, it’ll confirm it. At least your little fella’ll have someone to run around with, and not be stuck hanging around us old grumps here.”
Sirena laughed lightly. “Oh I’m sure he won't mind. I think he’ll take a good liking to you, especially. You’re big and strong, like his father.”
The Lead smiled at that. “I just hope he gets some traits from you. Like your kindness, protectiveness…” He didn't have to look at the mare to tell that she was blushing. Just the sound of her feathers ruffling was clear enough. “You should go get some rest, Sirena. You’ve had a long day.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll be fine. I need to think about some things.”
“Well, Good Night, Alpha.”
“Good Night. Oh, and Sirena?” She paused. “Give Collin a hug for me, will you? Tell him I’m proud of him. I’d do it myself, but you know me. Have a figure to uphold and what not.”
She smirked. “Of course, Sir.”
Then she left him alone with the stars, their soft light bathing him in the midst of the darkness.
Ember had woken up after the sun’s rays graced the landscape, now walking alongside the raging river, head lowered as he let the sounds of rocks grinding against each other under his hooves and water splashing against said rocks fill his ears. He looked up and glanced around as he heard a sudden low hum radiate throughout the area. He soon found its source: a diamond, clear as the water it was in, so much so that if it wasn't humming, than he would have most likely missed it. He picked it up, examining it more closely. As the sun’s light hit the crystal, it appeared to glow, shooting off beams of color. It was beautiful, much like a certain someone he knew. He decided to bring it back for her.
Said unicorn had been waiting for the stallion outside of the cave, although her eyes were half lidded due to her falling asleep. He chuckled and shook his head, going over to her quietly as to not startle her. “Speckle, dear. You didn't have to wait for me.” Her ears perked at the sound of his voice, and she smiled at him wearily.
“Of course I did. What else was I to do?”
“You could have been sleeping.”
“Sleep is for the night owls. I...wanted to spend some time with you. Without all of these distractions.”
He snorted. “Are you calling training sessions ‘'distractions’?”
“No, no...it's just… oh, you know what I mean.”
“I don't think I do. What’s bothering you, love?”
She sighed, leaning against him. “What's the use? It’s not like you are going to understand me anyways.”
“I beg your pardon? Understand what?” She stayed quiet for a few moments, clearly intent on not answering. Ember continued to press her. “Speckle..”
“It's nothing, okay? It’s none of your concern.”
“Clearly it is, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up. Tell me what’s wrong. Now, Alpha.” She cowered at his sharp tone, gulping nervously.
“I-I’m scared..”
This made the Lead realize the gravity of the situation. He tried again, making his voice more gentle. “Scared of what?” She straightened and gestured around her.
“All of this. Astral, Grassblade…” She paused once she saw him flinch. “All that's been happening makes me scared for what’s going to happen next… Not to mention our daughter’s out there. What if she gets hurt? Of worse?” She stopped speaking when she noticed that her mate's eyes had changed to blue, and she lowered her gaze to the ground. He placed a hoof under her chin and forced her to look at him.
“I know all these things, Speckle, believe me. Don’t you think I’m worried about her too? Yet I entrusted Quetzal and Firefly to watch over her and the boys. I know that they would lay down their lives for those three, just as they would with any of us. You should cut them a little slack.”
The mare nodded slowly. “I should, I’m sorry. I guess I got ahead of myself.”
He smiled slightly. “No harm done. I think it's the hormones that are getting to you.”
“Hey! You try carrying a foal inside of you for eleven months and see how emotional you become.”
“Joking, dear.” He then retrieved the diamond and held it out to her. Her eyes brightened and she gasped. “Oh, Ember...it’s gorgeous…”
“Just like you.”, he purred, wrapping his tail around her’s.
She blushed brightly, trying her best to ignore the heat that was flaring up at the tips of her ears. Glancing around, she located some dried vines and brought them over to herself. Casting a quick spell, the vines wrapped around the diamond and tied a knot behind her neck, now serving as a necklace. She beamed as he tilted her head towards him, kissing her softly. Since they both had their eyes closed, neither of them noticed the gem starting to glow once it settled on her chest. After a few minutes, they broke away, taking a moment to breathe. The mare then yawned, her eyes beginning to close. Ember gave her a look. “You really should go back to sleep, you’re not used to getting up this early.” She obliged, following him inside to rest.
Speckle woke later in the evening with a throbbing headache. She groaned as her body pulled at her to go back to sleep, yet she rose to a standing position, albeit her steps were on the shaky side. Suddenly freezing in place, she realized that something wasn't quite right. Looking down at her legs, she noticed that they were much wider than before, and the bottom of her hooves had changed to a dark blue. “W-wh-”, she started to say, then slapped a hoof over her mouth in shock. Her voice was now a good three octaves lower than it normally was, which could only mean one of two things: either she was still dreaming, or she had been turned into a...stallion? Panicked, she let out a distress call, sending Ember, Lovelace, and Collin rushing in.
The trio all stopped in their tracks the moment they laid their eyes on the new stallion in the chamber. Ember blinked, surprised more than anything. If it weren't for those wavering sapphire eyes, he wouldn't have believed it. “Speckle? Is that you?” The light blue unicorn nodded, still confused out of his mind. The Lead turned to the other two. “Alphas, leave us.” They did so, and the chamber was quiet once again. Ember was cautious, walking towards his freaked out mate slowly. When he reached him, he gently cupped his face with his hooves. The newly changed stallion’s breathing had been rapid and shallow, but slowed as the other nuzzled him gently. The Lead sighed. “I'm so sorry, Speckle. Go ahead, scold me. I deserve it.” He gave him a confused stare, shaking his head.
“I ain't going to do that. You didn't know, so why should I blame you for that?”
“Well, thank you. Now all we have to do is figure out how to change you back.”
The other stallion snorted. “You say that like it's going to be an easy task.”
Ember rolled his eyes. “When you put it that way, sure.” He then took a moment to look at the necklace. “Well, if you got transformed with the necklace on, then shouldn't it reverse it if you took it off?” The unicorn attempted to, but quickly realized that the gem had somehow fused to his chest, deeming it non removable. “There goes that idea.” They both hummed in thought before his eyes flashed.
“Why don’t we ask Valentine about it? She’s a Beta, after all.”
“It’s worth a shot.”
It was now morning again, and the mare turned stallion was distraught, head down as he sobbed. Ember sat alongside him, rubbing his back as he looked on tiredly. Speckle was known to have some nasal discharge whenever she was truly upset, so to see the male with clear mucus flowing out of his nostrils, mixing with his tears to form a sticky mess in his beard would be enough to disgust anyone else around. “I-I'm not getting out of this, a-am I? I...I’m g-gonna be stuck like this… for the rest of m-my life!”, he cried out in between gasps and hiccups. Eventually, he was reduced to a quivering lump on the ground, only loud sniffles could be heard from him.
His ears perked up as he noticed that Ember was softly humming a little song, one that the other recognized. He grew quiet, looking up at the red earth pony who was sitting at his side. It was rare that the Lead hummed, much less sang, but whenever he did, it always drawed everyone's attention to him. He stopped after a moment and looked down, giving the other a soft smile. “I knew that would calm you down. There’s no need to cry, sugar plum. We’ll get through this together.” A slow nod was what he received as an answer, then a gasp as something was dawned upon.
“That's it! In order to reverse the effects of the diamond, we have to reverse the one it's worn on!”
Ember blinked. “I don't follow.”
The unicorn huffed, cleaned his face, and scrambled up to a sitting position. “I’ll put it this way. I put on the necklace as a mare, right? And I turn into a stallion. So put it on you-”
“And I turn into a mare.”
“Correct!”
“That's great and all, but again, how are you going to get it off?”
This was when a sly smirk crossed his face. “Oh, I’m not, but you are.” A beat of silence passed, making the earth pony feel slightly uncomfortable with the way the other was staring at him.
“Um, Speckle? What are you-”
He was abruptly cut off when the unicorn suddenly tackled him, bringing him to the floor. Ember's eyes narrowed. He wasn't too surprised with the action, it was common whenever the mare was in Heat. Something about this was different, however. Just the low purr that was emitting from the one on top of him and the overly content smile he had was more than enough to send some mixed signals through him, a couple that his body instantly reacted to. He tucked his legs close to his torso and instinctively draped his tail against his stomach. The unicorn chuckled throatily. “Don't worry. I ain't going to go do anything rash...unless you want me to.” A sharp glare was given, and he grinned even wider. “No? Alright. It's a shame though, that you didn't find another diamond. It would make things much more interesting.”
Ember continued to stare, although now his body was starting to betray him, reaching up to stroke his cheek. The purring only intensified, sending the earth pony’s twitching tail into overdrive, and it shot up, none too gently brushing against the insides of the other’s thighs. “Getting a bit touchy, are we?” The tail stopped its movements and Ember blushed a little. His heart skipped a beat when he felt something warm drip onto his chest, then his stomach. He watched on with growing panic as the stallion’s body began to melt, his form dissipating at a rapid pace.
“S-Speckle? Your melting!”
A deformed hoof was pressed against his mouth, silencing him. “IT’s AlrIght. JUsT leT it haPpen.”, the unicorn’s now distorted voice assured him, not that it was helping much. Before Ember could utter another word, he was gone, the last sliver of him getting absorbed into the Lead’s coat. Things went still for a few seconds, then the utter shock and worry set in. It was short lived though, as a voice could now be heard. “E-Ember? Can you hear me?” He furrowed his brow.
“Speckle, what did you do?”
“Not important. Did the diamond come out yet?”
“What are you- ah!” A sharp pain radiated in his chest, and he watched in brief horror as his skin split open, the gem roughly pushing through his flesh so it could be visible, then stopped as the skin tightened around it to hold it place. “Ah, there it is. Now all for you to do is push it out.”
“Push it out? It hurt like crazy just for it to get put in! Now you want to take it out?”
“Do you want to help me or not?” He sighed, but nodded.
“Ok, fine. But, how?”
His ear twitched as another voice piped up. “Perhaps I could be of some assistance?”
“Whaddya got, Crimson?”
“Oh, well. It’s going to hurt, but if I push right here…” Ember then felt a light tap at the crystal. “Oh, good! Speckle, give me a hoof, would you?”
“I'm on it!”
The earth pony's chest started to glow, then throb and pulse. He bit his lip and closed his eyes. The dull pain he was feeling got stronger as Crimson began to push, the tip of the gem now sticking out. He pushed harder, now half of it released from its encasement. Ember grunted in pain as one final push was given, and the gem flew out, shattering once it hit the stone floor. He sighed in relief, then gasped as an odd sensation overtook him: something thick was gushing out of the hole in his chest, said hole closing up once it was completely out. He stared at the large blue puddle that was spreading out on the floor, backing up as a hoof suddenly sprang from it.
The hoof felt around, searching for something secure to gain a sure footing on. Once it found a spot, a head formed out of the goo, followed by another leg and a torso, the hooves scraping at the stone as a figure pulled itself out. Features were becoming more distinct, and a mane and tail sprouted from their appropriate places. Finally the head lifted and turned, giving Ember a tired look. He smiled. “Welcome back, love.”
Speckle attempted to speak, but couldn't due to exhaustion. Her shoulders dropped, and she whined lowly. Stiffening as she felt his nose graze the back of her ear, she sighed, leaning back as warmth enveloped her. Her eyes closed as he tenderly rubbed her belly, her tail flicking around contently. It stopped once she fell asleep, hooves occasionally twitching as she dreamed peacefully. Ember continued to hold her, humming softly before succumbing to sleep himself.
The sound of a voice echoing down the tunnel jolted Collin out of his sleep, his ears perked as he tried to take in what it was saying. “Rookie! If you’re not out here in the next five minutes I’m sending Nicky in after you!” The pegasus grumbled, annoyed, yet he sat up, flexing his wings as he stretched. He stood to leave when a low, sleep filled voice made him pause.
“C-Collin? Where are you going?”
He looked down at Sirena, seeing her eyes were barely open. She had been on bed rest for the past week or so, needing to be taken care of despite her constant protests. Her stomach was larger than he had ever seen it, and the frequent pains in her back were a signal that the foal was coming, and soon. He gave the mare a soft smile.
“Ember just needs me for something, that’s all. Go back to sleep, dear. I’ll be back soon.” She bobbed her head and then lowered it, letting her eyes shut. Collin left quietly, off to go see what in blazes did the Lead need from him.
“You called me, Sir?”
“That I did. Mark just informed me that we got some company on the south perimeter.”
“More Rouges, I presume?”
“No, worse. Vampires.” Collin cringed at the word. Vampires? Of all the things that could want to pass through their territory, those flamboyant, sparkly bloodsuckers were the last thing he wanted to hear about this early in the morning.
“Let me guess. You want me to go talk to them?”
“Precisely. I’d do it myself, but someone has to stay here and guard the place. And before you ask about Lovelace, I sent her to go help Mark keep these things at bay before you get there.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and Collin? Remember-” “Don’t strike unless they strike first, got it.” The pair stared at each other for a few seconds before Ember stepped forward and rested his forehead against the other's. “Good luck, Rooks,” he murmured softly. Collin nodded and pulled back, changing into his wolf form and taking off.
------()------
The run to the perimeter was short, although to Collin it felt like a life time, what with all the thoughts that were rushing through his head. He finally slowed when Mark and Lovelace came into view, the latter calling out to him. “Still can’t understand you, sweetheart,” he called back, making her roll her eyes. Mark came up to the male Alpha, then gestured with his head behind him.
“You got this covered, yeah? Lovelace and I were going to do a run around to make sure no more of those pale creeps are lurking.”
“Yeah, I got it. How many are there?”
“Five. One of them is so sassy I think they could compete with Sirena.”
“You're hilarious, Mark. Now go, both of you.” They both darted off, and the pegasus took a minute to look calm and collected as he headed towards the spot Mark had pointed to. When he arrived, a chorus of voices sounded all around him.
“Ooh, what do we have here? Another werewolf. At least this one looks cute.”
“Look at those feathers! They would look great on a choker.”
“Can he see us? I don't he can see us.”
His ears lowered. Wonderful. They were one of these types. Loud, obnoxious, and blunt. “No, I can't see you. I can certainly hear you though, and I think it would be best if we got this over with quick.”
“And he’s straight to the point. I like this fella already!”
Collin groaned. Five figures emerged from behind the trees, all dressed in black hoods, said hoods shielding their faces. One look at them all made Collin start to do what he did best: be sarcastic. “Oh, what’s this? Am I part of a cult now? Are we all going to hold hooves and sing Kumbaya?” One of the vampires gasped in disbelief.
“Oh no. He did not just diss on my hoods! I worked hard on these!,” she hissed.
“Kirstie, please,” another voice pleaded, this one deep and rumbly.
The tallest one, which Collin assumed was the Lead, stepped forward and let out a high pitched screech, silencing the other two. They all pulled off their hoods and stared him down, sending shivers up and down his spine. The towering beige unicorn raised a hoof to fix his neatly groomed blonde mane, sharp ice blue eyes unwavering as he stared at the pegasus across from him. “So, werewolf. Should we just cut to the chase?”
“I’d appreciate it. But names first.”
“Scott.”, the unicorn replied, redirecting his gaze to a tan coated pegasus mare with long silvery grey hair. “Kirstin.”
The next a tall dark brown earth pony stallion with short black hair. “Kevin.”
Then another earth pony, this one's coat a shade lighter than Scott’s and he was the same height as Kevin, sporting dark brown hair and a thick beard. “Avi,” his low voice rumbled.
Last a short tan unicorn, with short dark brown hair to suit. “Mitchell, but call me Mitch.,” he said matter of factly.
If he wasn't standing in front of him, Collin would of thought him a female, with how feminine his voice sounded. Scott nodded once, then arched an eyebrow. “That satisfactory enough for you?”
“It’ll do. Now what do you want from us?”
This question make Scott smirk. “Oh, you know. Nothing major. We’ve been traveling these woods for days, and not once did we see anything large enough to provide food for the lot of us.”
“We’re here to take your crap!,” Mitch suddenly blurted, earning a cold glare from the other unicorn. “Sorry.”
Scott huffed and turned his head. “I believe what my mate was trying to say was a contribution to our cause would be very much appreciated.”
Collin’s eyes then narrowed. Something was off about this group, he could smell it. He decided to play rough and see what would happen. “Well tough luck, you giant. We got enough mouths to feed as it is. So if you could be so kind as to turn y'alls cult looking butts around and go back from whence you came, I think we're done here.”
One of Scott’s eyes twitched, and his tail thrashed wildly behind him. “I-I’m sorry? I’m finding it hard to believe that you just dismissed me.”
“Sure did, Scotty boy. Now scram before I call in the rest of my pack.”
Both eyes were now twitching, and the unicorn’s ears were lowered. The eyes turned a vibrant red, the other four following his lead, five pairs of red eyes glaring at Collin with unbridled hatred. Large bat wings burst from their backs, their coats becoming dull and dingy. Sharp, glowing white fangs peeked out from their lips as they snapped their jaws and snarled at him. The dark blue pegasus, to his own surprise, was rather unfazed by all this. He knew that this fight wasn't going to have him get out unscathed, but he didn't care, he was up for a challenge. Letting his own eyes fade to white, he growled back just as fiercely. His wings ruffled menacingly, and he bared his teeth, taking a battle stance.
Transforming quickly, he narrowly dodged an attack from Mitch as he leapt at him, claws fully extended. The vampire hissed as he landed in the dirt, spinning around to pounce on him again. The others tackled him as well, quickly bringing him to ground as their claws sliced through his skin in multiple areas. He howled in pain as a claw cut a large gash on his right eye, forcing him to close it, which now limited his vision. The vampires took quick note of this, using it to their advantage, digging their claws and teeth in deeper. Collin’s heart thumped harder as he felt a set of fangs press against his neck. He remembered what he learned in training, and let his body go limp.
The bites and jabs stopped, and the group backed away, staring at the body on the ground. “Is he dead?,” Kirstin asked. Scott shook his head.
“No. He’s only playing dead to get us to leave him alone. Well I ain't. All of you back up.” They obeyed, going back a couple feet. The unicorn slowly crept towards the wolf, looming over him. “I know you aren't dead, werewolf. Get up.” As much as he wanted to, Collin stayed still, as still as a log. Scott kicked him in the stomach. “I said 'get up’.” There was no movement, not even the bat of an eyelash. The vampire stared at him for a few moments, then shrugged, lowering his head to land the final blow.
What he didn't expect, however, was the sudden blur of fur and his neck in Collin's jaws. What was brief panic before turned into on growing fear as the dark grey wolf started to bite down hard. A garbled cry escaped Scott's throat, and he scratched at his opponent in an attempt to get him off. He struggled to breathe as his windpipe was closing up, and with a sickening crunch, his body slumped as it was crushed. The others looked on with horror filled eyes as they watched the werewolf proceed to rip out their Master's trachea, then the bones in the back of his neck until his head sat cleanly detached from the rest of his body. Collin lifted his head, staring them each dead in the eyes. “Anyone else want to try me? I’ve got all day.,” He offered, spitting out a wad of blood onto the grass. No one else dared to move forward, instead they all moved back, glancing quickly at each other before turning tail and retreating. The now pegasus heaved, his body racked with pain from the numerous wounds that were inflicted on him. His ears perked as a voice rang out in his head.
“Collin!”
It was Speckle. Her voice was urgent.
“Speckle, what is it?”
“It's Sirena. Her water just broke. She needs you now!”
There were no more words that needed to be said, as the stallion ran home faster than he ever had in his life.
Ember’s head turned as a loud, thunder-like sound rippled through the chamber, startling everyone else that was in the Den. “What was that?,” Speckle questioned, her body now tense as she was on alert.
“Probably Collin. He's the only one I know who can break the sound barrier when he's under stress. I’ll go see what's going on.” The stallion stood and quickly trotted to the cave's entrance, where he saw said pegasus crash landing onto the ground with a thud. “Collin!,” The Lead cried, rushing over to his fallen comrade. Collin heaved and coughed from the impact, but he rose to his hooves.
“I-I'm fine. Just got a little light headed and lost my balance. Where's Sirena?”
“She's in the Den. But you're not going in there like that.”
The pegasus growled, his eyes flashing white. “Darn it, Ember. I knew you'd be like this. Why not?”
Ember's face deadpanned. “Have you seen yourself lately? You're covered in blood and scratches. The least you could do is clean yourself up.” He then turned and called, “Speckle?” She was out in a flash, slowing down once she saw Collin.
“Oh, geeze. Looks like those vampires didn't take too kindly to being told 'no’, huh?’
“He needs to get cleaned up, Speckle.”
“Got it.”
Her horn instantly began to glow, and the pegasus was lifted up into the air. He started to spin, feeling a cool mist begin to form around him. As he spun faster, the blood dripped off his body as water washed it away. He then suddenly stopped, causing him to hold his head as he became dizzy. Once lowered back to the ground, Speckle darted back inside to tend to her friend. Collin was about to follow her when Ember stopped him by raising a hoof, stepping towards him to press a featherlight kiss to the tip of his muzzle.
“Collin… before you go, I just wanted to say… I'm proud of you, bud. And know that wherever life takes you three, whether it's sticking with us or moving on, you have my complete support.” The second in command's previously annoyed stare turned soft, and his bottom lip started to quiver. Ember's eyes rolled, but he chuckled. “Hey now. Don't waste your tears on me. Save those for when you see the baby. Now go. Your mate needs you.”
“Ember...I...thank you.”
Collin walked swiftly into the Den, his eyes locking onto Sirena's laying frame. She was drenched in sweat, her coat sticking close to her body and her now wavy mane resting on her back. Valentine sat calmly in between the mare’s raised hind legs, giving her instructions in a soft tone. Speckle was at her side, letting gentle words of encouragement escape her lips to further comfort the lilac pegasus. Both unicorns looked up when he approached, Speckle giving him a soft smile. “She's doing very well. Had a couple flare ups when she started having contractions, but other than that things are going smoothly.” He smiled back and reached out, gently taking ahold of one of Sirena's hooves. She turned her head towards him, her magenta eyes widening as she took him in.
“Collin…”
“I'm here, Darling. I'm here.”
The mare laughed tiredly. “Took you long enough. Our son is taking his sweet time on coming out. What happened?”
Collin's eyes darted around as he tried to come up with a believable answer. “Uh, thorns. Fell into a big patch of them on the way back.” Sirena's eyes narrowed.
“Collin, there aren't any thorn patches around here for miles, and even if there were, I don't see a single one sticking out of you.”
The stallion chuckled nervously, though it was short lived as the mare suddenly cried out in pain. “Ah! H-He’s moving down!” Valentine moved and spread her legs open even further.
“Ok, Sirena. Je vais avoir besoin de vous pousser jusqu'à ce que je voie la tête.” (Ok, Sirena. I'm going to need you to push until I see the head.)
She did so, hissing through clenched teeth as she pushed, her eyes squeezed shut and her grip on Collin's hoof growing tighter.
“Arrêtez!,” (Stop!) The dark pink unicorn suddenly exclaimed, her horn glowing red.
Sirena's wings ruffled as she felt her walls stretch and a large mass get slowly get pulled out of her. Then her and her mate’s ears perked when they heard it: a tiny cry as their son took in his first life giving breaths. Tears sprang into her eyes once they opened, although she could barely see straight as the umbilical cord was cut and Speckle and Valentine cleaned the foal and rubbed him dry. Her sight regained as her friend came back to her, holding the baby close to her chest as she beamed.
“Congratulations, you two. He’s beautiful.”
He was given to his mother, who looked down at him with awe. He was a tiny thing, not much longer than Collin's hoof. Donning a teal coat and blue tipped wings, his little nose twitched as he slept. “Hi there, little one.,” she cooed softly. The tears that welled in her eyes before came back in full force, and she let those tears of joy and happiness roll down her face. Collin shed a few tears of his own, wiping them away quickly before anyone else saw them. “Can I.. can I hold him?” He asked timidly, slightly fearing that his mate's motherly instincts would kick in and she wouldn't wish to give her child to anyone, not even him. But to his relief, she nodded, handing the foal over. He cradled him in his arms, taking note of how soft and velvet like the little one's coat was. “Hey there, little guy. You're just a cutie, aren't you?” The foal turned his head towards his father's voice, his ears perking up slightly as he listened to the sound. Sirena laughed lightly.
“I see who he's attracted to now.” Her face then became thoughtful. “Soundwave.”
The stallion looked up. “Pardon?”
“His name. Soundwave.” He turned it over in his head before smiling and looking back down at the tiny pegasus in his hold.
“Guess what, little buddy. Your name is Soundwave now! How do you like that?”
He could of swore he saw the corners of the foal’s lips turn up in a smile, but he then blinked and saw that they were back to normal. Either way, he was happy, and as he handed his son back to his mother's waiting arms, he knew she was happy too. He lifted his eyes to see Speckle standing there while Valentine had left, a bright smile on her face. He smiled back at her, mouthing a silent 'thank you’ before curling up beside Sirena. She had transferred little Soundwave to her chest, where he was eagerly sucking from one of her milk filled teats, tiny smacks could be heard as he sucked. Collin watched on with interest, his gaze shifting as she rested a hoof on top of his. “We’re parents now.”,she noted, tucking her wings at her sides. He draped a wing over her back as he moved closer, kissing her forehead.
“Yeah, we are. We're parents to the best little miracle we could ever ask for.”
“Praise the stars.”, a voice sounded behind them. Collin's head swiveled and he saw Ember approach, a warm grin gracing his features. For the first time, the pegasus could no longer see the Lead as his mentor and coach. Instead, he saw him as a close friend. “I guess I shouldn't call you Rookie anymore, huh? You’ve clearly outgrown that stage.” Collin smirked.
“Perhaps calling me Lead would be more fitting.”
The red earth pony scoffed. “Please. You ain't leaving the nest just yet, so that means you're still under me. But… Lead Alpha Collin does have a nice ring to it. I’ll consider it.” He looked at the baby still latched to Sirena's breast. “He’s a cute little thing. What's his name?”
“Soundwave.”, the mare replied, gently pulling the foal off and rubbing his back, slowly bouncing him up and down to get him to burp. He finally did after a few minutes, the sound pleasing. She laid him down beside her, covering him with a wing. “Sweet dreams, little one. We love you.”
It had been a few months since Soundwave had been born, and he was already up on his hooves, running around after Crescent when she wasn't training with her father. He had even said his first word, which was 'Mama’, although funnily enough, it was to the wrong pony. It was to Speckle, as she was on her way to go relieve herself. Luckily, Sirena was behind her, and she could only laugh.
“No, buddy. I'm not your Mama. She's behind you.”
The little foal looked confused, tilting his head to the side. When he did turn around, Sirena beamed down at him. He glanced between the two mares, realizing that the pegasus looked more like someone who would be his mother than the unicorn.
“Mama?,” He tried again, his little tail wagging when she nodded and hugged him, smiling brightly.
“Yes, dear! It's me.”
Today, the whole pack was outside, enjoying the warm sunshine. Soundwave had found a butterfly and was chasing after it, rising up on his hind legs to bat at it. Unfortunately, he didn't see a rock that was in his path, and he tripped on it, landing on the ground with a loud whine. Collin quickly made his way over to him, picking him up by the scruff of the neck and dropping him gently in front of Sirena. She looked him over closely, making sure he didn't have any cuts on him. When all seemed to be clear, she kissed his forehead and tickled his tummy, and he giggled, kicking his hind legs to get her away before she finally pulled back. Everyone's ears lifted as they heard the familiar yips and howls of the Elder Pack as they drew nearer. “They're back already?,” Crescent questioned as she stood up. Ember nodded.
“They come twice a moon, dear. It's been six months already.” He stood as well and shook himself. “Alright, everyone. You know the drill. Lovelace and Valentine, place yourselves behind Sirena in the line.”
As the Elder Pack mingled with Ember's pack, the Lead quickly noticed someone was missing. He weaved through the crowd, searching for him. When he didn't see him, he went over to Speckle's parents, where they were chatting calmly with their daughters. “Elder Horizon, Elder Sandy. I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but have either of you seen my father? I can't find him anywhere.” They both looked at each other and shook their heads no.
“We haven't seen him, for a week now it seems. The Guardians haven't been able to pick up his scent trail either. It's odd.”
Something about that made cold shivers trickle down his spine, and he could feel an invisible weight rest on his shoulders. “Oh. Well, thank you. I… need a moment. Excuse me.” He left without another word, and Speckle watched, a worried look on her face.
“What is it, Crimson? It's not like you to be reacting this strongly,” Ember questioned once out of earshot. The Infecto floated into view, a frown his expression.
“Your father, no one has seen him, and not even the Guardians can pick up his trail? Something's up, Ember. And I don't like it. I don't like it at all.”
“Well what do you suppose we do? Send out a search party?”
“It's better than have us do nothing.”
The stallion sighed. “I'll talk to Comet about it before he leaves. Now you get back in here, mister, before someone sees you.”
“Aye, Aye Captain.”
Collin trudged towards the pegasus and unicorn across from him nervously. He stopped a few times, a nudge from Sirena causing him to continue forward. Finally they reached the pair, the dark blue pegasus struggling to keep his wings under control as they threatened to fluff up and hide him. “Elder Rose, E-Elder Onyx… it's good to see you again,” he stammered.
“It's good to see you as well, Alpha Collin,” Rose said, changing her attention to the foal on Sirena's back. “And who is this little cutie?,” She cooed softly, grinning at him.
“This is Soundwave, our son,” the lilac pegasus announced proudly.
The yellow stallion looked straight at the Alpha, Collin's heart threatening to beat out of his chest it was thumping so hard. His body tensed as he waited, waited for a harsh word or a blow. Yet none came. One of his eyes opened cautiously. Onyx’s stare didn't waver, but his lips drooped down into a slight frown.
“I’d, um… like to apologize. For everything I’ve ever said or done to you or your Lead. I wasn't being myself, Rose can confirm that. Would you… find it in your heart to forgive me?”
Collin's ears twitched to make sure they were hearing the words correctly, and his eyes widened, tackling the other in a near back breaking hug. “I do...I do…,” was his soft reply, ignoring the fact that the others were watching as he cried freely. Onyx's body had become stiff, and he pat the emotional youth's back before breaking the unexpected embrace.
“Just don't push your luck.”, he grumbled, though it was in mock annoyance.
Comet’s voice drifted to those below him as he stood in the same spot he had roughly six months ago. “Ladies and Sirs, I am pleased to announce the newest member of this pack, Soundwave. Sirena, if you could be kind as to lift up his mane, please.” She did so, exposing his forehead. The Head leaned down and lightly pressed his nose against it, the foal giggling and cooing before stopping and shivering.
His wings retreated under his fur, which was turning into a grey color with streaks running down his back. His hooves then sprouted digits and fluffy fur coated them as they turned into paws. A little black nose emerged from his muzzle, twitching curiously. She gently placed him down, and he took a second to gain his footing, turning around to take a better look of himself, instantly drawn to the bushy tail he now had. He chased after it for a few moments, sitting down when he started to feel dizzy. He looked down at the crowd and let out a confident yip, earning an uproar of applause and cheering. Collin picked up the wiggly pup and spun him around, kissing his cheek. As the sun’s light began to fade, so did the Elder Pack, gathering together to return home in the early hours of night.
In the cover of the tall pines, a lone figure lumbered slowly down a path, their steps long and dragging, as if they had just woken up. They were wide awake, however, paying no mind to their surroundings as they shuffled along, eyes open and unblinking. They repeated three sentences, as if it were a chant: “She's dead. She's always been dead. I'll see her soon.” The sun's final rays of light vanished, showering the forest in shadow. The figure finally blinked, their eyes turning into an eerie green, a faint smile appearing on their lips as they continued to walk.
Up upon his perch, Ember watched the land that was stretched out before him, his eyes darting at the slightest movement. Crimson had started to come out and watch with him, taking over whenever he fell asleep. Tonight, the Infecto seemed to be on edge, like he could sense something was going to go wrong. “What's got you riled up, buttercup?”, Ember asked in a partially joking manner. Crimson turned his head to stare at him.
“Can't you sense it? I'm not joking when I say I've been feeling more and more light headed lately. I don't know what it is, but it's making me start to go mad.”
“You were mad already, but I see your point.”
“Thank you. At least someone else gets me.” They both looked down as Mark came running into view.
“What's the matter, Scout?”
“Alpha, it's your father. Lovelace just spotted him earlier.’ Ember and Crimson exchanged glances before standing up and heading down to meet up with him.
“Take us to him, Mark.”
Lovelace turned to see the three stallions coming towards her. “Lovelace, where did you see him?” She pointed to a small clearing in the distance, the pair of earth ponies running off in that direction. Ember's eyes widened at the sight of his father. “Dad? What on earth… what happened to you?” The orange earth pony practically hobbled into view, his stance stiff and rigid. His head was tilted to one side, and his voice was raspy as he said nothing but this:
“She's dead. She's always been dead. I'll see her soon.”
The Lead’s blood chilled, and he looked on with uncertainty. Whatever it was, it was clear as day: something was controlling his father. That something got Crimson into a bad mood, and he arched his back like a cat, his fur standing up on end. “Ember, get behind me,” he ordered, grunting in annoyance when it wasn't followed right away. “That thing in him is a Queet, and it's not going to come out without force.”
“Are you sure? It might be another Infecto that's acting weird.”
“I know a Queet when I hear one, and that there is a Queet. Now if you could be so kind as to move, I'd appreciate it.” The roughness that radiated through the word made Ember snap out of his daze, and he he backed up a foot or two. His face contorted to one of worry, and his voice was soft as he asked- no, pleaded
“Just don't hurt him too badly. Please.”
Red stared into red, the darker stallion lowering his gaze just for a second. “No promises.”
As if a string had snapped, Kindle charged towards Crimson blindly, nearly crashing into a tree at the sudden rush of it. His eyes were wide and clouded, his irises almost completely indistinguishable to the grey mist surrounding them. His opponent hissed and spat, launching himself onto his back, biting down hard on one of his ears. Kindle thrashed around, managing to throw him off, his body sailing towards a tree.
He whined when he felt one of his ribs snap, struggling to stand up due to the impact. A blood curdling screech was then heard, and Ember felt his heart stop as he saw his father, or what once was his father, transform, walk over and claw at the Infecto, ripping out chunks of flesh.
His own blood boiled, and he transformed himself, running towards them, grabbing Kindle's tail and swinging him like a bat into a nearby tree, trying to ignore the sickening cracking noise of his skull as it slammed against it. His body lay limp, never to rise again unless by some divine intervention. His saw a green mist drift out of his body, trailing up to the starry sky until it disappeared.
Ember transformed back, his ears flat against his head as he walked towards Crimson. The sight that lay before him would have made his stomach churn if his vision wasn't blurred with tears. The fallen one’s chest had been ripped open, his lungs and slowly beating heart were visible. He coughed roughly, blood trickling out of the corner of his mouth. “Well, guess this is the end of the rope for me.”, he wheezed, short of breath. The Lead dropped into a sitting position and cradled him in his arms.
“Crimson, no. I can...I can get Mark. He can bring you back. We...we can fix you…” he said in-between sobs. “I-I don't… I don't want to lose you too…” The stallion slowly shook his head.
“There ain't no fixing this old clutz. What's done is done. I wish my way out would have been a bit less painful, but I'll take what I can get.”
Ember was now a teary eyed, trembling mess, barely noticing that the Infecto had changed to his true form until he felt a cold claw touch his cheek. The creature's black body was riddled with scars, proof that he was a fighter. His platinum grey mane laid flat against his head, a jagged horn poking out from it. His green eyes looked up at him, a soft, almost loving expression on his face. “I'll miss you, my friend.”, He whispered, lowering his foreleg back to his side. His head then fell back, his lungs expanded, then deflated, and his heart beat its last.
Of all the times Ember had cried, this had to be one of the times he cried so hard he lost his voice, now silent as the hot tears flowed. He closed Crimson's eyes, holding him close. His gaze then turned to the sky. “Star Pack, If you can hear me, let these two be happy and at peace. They deserve it more than I can ever deem possible.”, He thought, rising and placing Crimson's body on his back, then going to retrieve his father. If anything, at least Sandstorm won't be alone anymore.
Sunrise. The sky painted with yellows, oranges, and blues. The fiery ball got larger as it rose past the horizon. The Lead breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh air. His tail wagged as Soundwave ran in circles around him. “I wanna go fwying, Uncle Emmber!” The little one piped, his red eyes bright. Ember laughed heartily.
“I know buddy, I know. But you can't fly up here. It's too high.”
“But Cwescent gets to fly up hwere…”
“That's because she's older than you, bud. I don't worry about her falling and hurting herself.”
The young pegasus colt pouted, his outspread wings quickly folding back at his sides. He then started to jump in place as another figure appear on the landing. “Papa!”, He exclaimed, running up to hug the other pegasus. Collin smiled, picking his son up and holding him close to his chest.
“Hey there, kiddo. You keeping the old stallion company, are you?”
The Lead rolled his eyes and snorted. “Well thanks. I'm only a moon older than you.”
“You're still old.”
“Anyways, what brings you up here, Collin?”
He cleared his throat, gently putting the little one down. “Go down to your mother, bud. I'll be there in a minute.” Soundwave ran off, his hoofbeats growing quieter as he vanished into the tunnels.
“He looks up to you, you know.” Ember raised an eyebrow.
“Does he now? I haven't noticed.” He said with a hint of sarcasm.
“No need to be sassy.” Collin took in a deep breath before he sat down. “So Sirena and I have discussed over it, and-”
“You're leaving.”
“Well, yes. We figured that since Soundwave is old enough to be fit for travel, we'd like to start things anew, if you get my meaning.”
“I got it loud and clear. We’ll miss you.”
“And we you. Don't worry, we'll stop by to visit. I know Speckle won't be able to go long without seeing Sirena.”
“Isn't that the truth.” He then after and stood, leaning towards the other and kissing his cheeks, nose and forehead, scratching the stubble that was growing under his chin.
“H-Hey, what's with all the love today?”, Collin inquired as he laughed, his wings fluttering. Ember chuckled as he nuzzled his fellow Alpha affectionately.
“It's a custom. We like to show leaving members how much we care about them before they go.”
The pegasus smiled and nuzzled him back. “At least you do it gently. I think Speckle would of broke my back if she hugged me any harder.”
“That’s how she is. Now come, we must give you three a proper send off.”
The pack had gathered together, forming a circle around Sirena, Collin and Soundwave. Smiles were upon every face, and eyes gleamed with happiness. Ember was about to start speaking when his ears pricked, picking up another sound. Crescent heard it too, and she went running towards the source. “Limelight!” She cried happily, tackling her twin sister to the ground. The teal unicorn yelped at the sudden action, but she smiled, her tail swaying side to side.
“Hi, Cres. It's good to see you too.”
“Still the jumpy one, eh Crescent?” another voice asked.
The purple pegasus looked up and grinned at Quetzal, who was standing in front of them. “Maybe. It might be the fact that I'm happy that you all are back. We missed you.” Firefly floated down, landing next to the Beta, followed by Mist.
“I'll say,” the latter said, “That if it weren't for that telltale streak in your mane, then I wouldn't have recognized you. Missed me, Cres?”
Crescent smiled shyly and blushed, nodding once before getting off Limelight and helping her stand. “Of course I missed you, you goof. Where's your brother?”
“He’s coming. You know him, always has to go off the beaten path.”
Dust appeared moments later, darting ahead and teasing his brother by wagging his tail. “Last one to hug Alpha Ember is a muddy stick!”
“Hey, no fair! You have a head start!”
They both took off, running down the path and plowing into said stallion, knocking him over. They laughed and he ruffled their manes. “Welcome back,boys. Still lively as ever, I see.” They beamed and hopped off him, running around to greet the others. They tilted their heads at Lovelace and Valentine's responses, confused, but smiled politely anyways. Soundwave was elated, bouncing in place as they crouched down and greeted him. Limelight approached her parents, being swept into a warm embrace.
“Mom, Dad…”, she started, her voice cracking as she began to cry.
“Shhh, it's ok. We're here. Your home.”, Ember cooed softly, gently holding the young mare, her eyes closed as he continued to comfort her.
Speckle's horn lit, picking something up and bringing it over to them. “There's someone who we’d like you to meet.”, She said with a slight smile.
Limelight's eyes cracked open, and she gasped as she reached out to hold the little thing that was given to her. It was a earth pony foal, his navy blue coat soft and smooth against her chest. His black and grey mane rested against his head, and curious lilac colored eyes stared up at her. “His name is Obsidian.”, Crescent said behind her.
“Well hello there, Sid! I'm Limelight, one of your big sisters. You're probably not going to like us very much in the future, cause we’ll be teasing the mess out of you.”
The foal didn't understand her, but he tilted his head and cooed, placing a hoof on her nose, his lips curled up in a smile. The others reformed the circle, Ember coming towards the trio. He glanced around at everyone, smiling brightly. “It has been a long few moons. Decisions have been made, some resulting in joy, others not. But in it all, it has made me realize how grateful I am for each and every one of you. You all are my family, and I have done and will continue to do everything in my power to make sure that nothing comes between that. So as we send these three off so they can begin a new chapter in their lives, I want you to remember this: We may not last forever, but the love we share with each other will.” He walked up to Collin and pressed foreheads against him one last time. “Good luck out there, Lead.” he murmured to him before pulling away, Collin grinning from ear to ear. He looked at his mate, seeing her smiling back.
“You ready to go, Love?”
“As ready as I'll ever be.”
“And what about you, buddy?” Soundwave nodded quickly, his wings flapping excitedly. They changed forms, Sirena picking up her son by the scruff of his neck and placing him on her back. One by one the other pack members transformed as well, waiting for the signal. Ember scurried up to the landing, fixing his eyes on the rising moon before closing them and letting out a howl. Soon, everyone's howls filled the air, even Obsidian joined in, though his was a bit scratchy. The pair ran through the opening in the circle and into the darkening forest, off to start a new adventure.