Prologue
The crunch of flesh and bone beneath her hooves caused Applejack to pause only for a second. Blood dripped from the heavy iron shoes that had been placed upon her back legs and she was forced to lock her feet to keep from slipping down on top of the creature she had just dispatched.
“Fall back!” Cazz’s voice carried over the fray to where Applejack stood and his ragged grey fur quickly followed.
Swinging her tail about impatiently Applejack narrowed her eyes against the glare of the sun and her pupils danced over the frantic bodies and clashing blades with the young ferret’s feet. Feet that bounded towards her at an impossible speed. She traced the outline of his legs up past his tight bow like body, to rest on the creature’s determined frown. He seemed taller than before and his braided vine vest seemed almost childishly small as it clung to his matted wiry frame.
Her lip twitched upwards in a half-snort half-grin; maybe she had gotten smaller still. She chuckled at the idea and that it might possibly be true, not something that she could just readily dismiss as absurd. Poison Joke she had found played by no rules. It would be just the sort of prank the impish plant would enjoy playing on an already victimized pony and they were currently waist deep in the dreadful stuff. She sighed. So much had changed in the last few weeks.
Her focus was destroyed by a sudden scream and instinctively she began to coil her muscles and let her body sink downward. A black blur skidded along the corner of her left eye and she held her breath: It had to be another Guile Monster. The stench alone was enough of a clue.
Applejack shut her eyes and her lashes twitched nervously against each other. Guile Monsters were too fast for her to try and track with sight, but if she relied on her nose to pick up the closeness of their stench it shouldn’t be an issue. Shouldn’t... Inwardly she shook her head. Sometimes being honest was not good for battle moral.
Forcing herself to stay calm and alert she sucked in a deep breath. Blood, rotten fruit, molded leaves… her nostrils tickled as she picked through each different scent to pinpoint the thing’s whereabouts. It was close, she knew that much. She took another breath. It was really close. Sliding her left legs slightly further to the left she tightened her muscles even more. It should try to reach at her from here, she was almost completely sure of it.
Taking a deep breath she began to count down in a whisper. “Ten… nine…”
“Diessss witch!”
“Three two one!” Her back legs shot out instinctively and her body rippled in shock as she connected with the beast. She grimaced and tightened her eyelids in pain. It was like kicking a rock.
“They toldsss ussss that yousss would do thatssss.”
Applejack’s eyes blew open and she whipped around, her mane and tail following just a fraction behind her on the breeze. “How in the hay did you…” She stopped. Before her was no monster but indeed a thick chunk of stone, behind that was the leering face of her target. She laughed. “I knew it was too strong to be the likes of one of you.” Turning her gaze from the creatures half-concealed face to the giant crack down the stony shield she bopped her head up and down. “That’s about right.”
“Itsss can rot in the lowessst partsss of… of…. Ssss!”Unable to think of anything horrible to say the Guile Monster’s scaled face contorted into a deep frown and bobbing its throat in a circle it spit out a glob of purple slime at her. Which she sidestepped and let steam on the ground.
“The nerve of some…”
“No talksss to usss, only diesss…” Stepping out from behind its makeshift shield it brandished a thin blackened claw, which was covered in presumably the same purple liquid it had spit out earlier.
Applejack wound towards the ground once more, coiling her leg muscles into compact blocks of power. Her eyes however clouded. The thing may be stupid, but it was fast. She probably wouldn’t get a chance to turn around, let alone throw a buck before it reached her. “Of all places…” She mumbled.
Smiling it took a step forward, only to bring its hind claw shakily back and frown. Its neck was pouring blood and a thin spear vibrated in the air from it. The Guile’s dark eyes narrowed in confusion and then bulged out to completely push all color out and away. “Magicksss?” It Held its arms out to her, claws twitching up towards the sky as if in some way she could change its fate with that simple gesture. Then it took one last shuffle forward before crumpling to the ground.
Applejack’s own face went wide-eyed in shock and she sat down in confusion. “What in the hay is this?”
“I said fall back!” Cazz pushed passed the shaken pony and reaching down to the still twitching Monster pulled his wooden spear from its neck.
On seeing the ferret Applejack hurriedly stumbled back up to her feet and senses, letting loose an angry snort. “Ain’t no need too. You and me alone could hold the ground from these lot.” Swinging her tail towards the forest at their back she added. “If we go back now no telling when or if we’ll get to come back here again.”
Cazz shook his head and pointed his free claw out across the sea of blue flowers. “There are just too many, much more than we had thought. We must go before they regroup.”
“No!” Her voice was hoarse and it cracked when she spoke. She needed sleep. “I’ve never run from a fight that needed fighting. I don’t care if there are a million of those critters out there…” She stamped a hoof down and the gravel beneath it jumped. “I certainly ain’t starting now!”
Skipping over to stand directly in front of her Cazz bent down and locked his green eyes with hers. “I will not have you die for us… I will not carry that weight!” The ferret’s voice hissed at her from between yellowed teeth. Red flecks of blood spiraling down from the fur at his cheeks with each word.
Applejack snorted and she glared right back at him, tilting her head to free a few loose strands of yellow hair that annoyed her eyes. “It ain’t over yet.” Then softer she added, “Cazz, this is what we talked about before. We need to stay.”
“Pony, we talked of keeping peace and saving lives. We need…” Cazz’s voice was interrupted by a sharp long whine and both pony and ferret looked around in surprise, scanning over the bodies of Parasprites, Guile Monsters, and vermin alike for a possible source.
Another screech echoed towards them and Applejack felt herself getting sick. This was not like her. Of all ponies she was not one to cower at the unseen and yet… her left ear started twitching and she reached up absently to press her hat down against it. This was not an earthly noise that penetrated her ears. It was the sickening cries of something much worse. Of cruel evils, deep hatred brewed to perfection, very dark magic. It was a poisonous howl devoid of any emotion. No… She shuddered. It was not devoid of feeling, rather it was gorged on the feelings it inspired in each ear that heard it.
“So they had them after all.” Cazz dropped his spear and its thin body disappeared below the midnight colored stalks that surrounded them.
“Brought what?” Applejack tried not to show fear but her voice came out in a whisper and her twin pillars of strength, the single hope she always took into any fight, were quivering beneath the emblazoned apples at her hips. Her eyes were wide open now, not from the battle but from a feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. Deep down she knew what this sound was, she had heard it before…
The ferret beside her followed his spear and dropped on his knees to the earth. His arms fell lifeless at his side and his fingers touched at the blood that had started to pool in the dirt, but he could not bring himself to move them away. With tears in his eyes he looked at her and uttered a single word. “Timberwolves.”