Misty Glory let out a groan of exhaustion, her grey fur covered with spots of ink from the pile of reports she finally finished. Two short knocks at the door pulled her back into focus, her cyan orbs fixing on the heavy oak door. Fixing her light blue mane, she sat upright and cleared her throat.
"Come in" She beckoned, uttering a silent prayer that she wouldn't have to do any more paperwork today.
"Commander" Storm Leaves, a green pegasus, saluted as he entered Misty's 'office'.
"As you were soldier," Misty said, Storm dropping his hoof back down as she did, "What is it you needed?"
"M'am, reports from Ponyville" Storm replied, holding out a messenger's satchel.
Misty let out a sigh and took hold of the bag with her magic, levitating it onto the desk she sat at.
"Anything else, soldier?" Misty asked, doing her best to keep a professional tone.
"No m'am" Storm saluted quickly before turning and exiting the room through the same door he came in through, the heavy wood slowly swinging shut and closing with an audible click.
Misty bit down on her hooves and let out a muffled scream. She was supposed to be off-duty by now, but with this new delivery of reports, her plans of going into Ponyville for some much needed cider and time away from her station now postponed. Misty set to work, wanting to finish these reports and find someone to relieve her of her station before another messenger came to her office.
Mindlessly, Misty poured over line after inked line of patrol reports. She had thought that rising to her station would have made her life easier, and while it was true her legs didn't ache from patrolling all day, her brain was slowly turning to mush reading over the same report details.
Monsters, brigands, movements and predicted movements of enemy forces. It was always the same.
Something caught her eye in the report she was currently reading though. Descriptions of monster corpses found deep in the Everfree, their bodies covered in deep gashes and hacked to pieces in some cases. Not only that, but signs of camps that were no more than a few days old leading towards Ponyville, the most recent site being only a half-day from the border of the Everfree.
Misty finished the report with wide eyes, reading over it again quickly to make sure she had gotten the details right before quickly standing up and donning her armor. With her sword at her side, Misty rushed to the barracks to rally a unit of guards to investigate the contents of the report.
"At attention!" Misty bellowed into the room, the ponies quickly snapping into straight standing lines. "Gear up and meet me at the front gate in five"
Misty finished giving her order and left the room, the soldiers inside quickly readying themselves to follow their commander. She stood outside the raised portcullis, Storm Leaves joining her after a short wait.
"What is it m'am?" Storm asked.
"I'm not sure, something in the Everfree" Misty replied, staring out at the looming forest beyond, the moon peeking out from between the twisted trees of the forest.
"Whatever it is," Misty said, looking back at Storm, "It's slaughtering monsters and heading towards Ponyville"
"Understood m'am" Storm saluted.
Minutes later, the rest of the unit joined Misty and Storm. Iron armor clanked and torches crackled as the score of soldiers headed to intercept whatever was tearing a bloody trail through the Everfree Forest.
Misty and her soldiers trudged through the underbrush, branches reaching out and scraping against their armor like wooden claws. Even with the moon above and the torches in hoof, the darkness in the Everfree Forest was oppressive, barely being held back by the amber glow of flame and silver moonlight above.
"Commander!" A scout called out, getting Misty's attention "I've got something here"
The scout held her torch over a spot on the coarse dirt, the flame illuminating strange tracks and traces of blood. Whatever it was out here was traveling alone, an even more unsettling discovery given the detailed reports of monsters like manticores and hydras being left bloody messes.
Misty swallowed her fear and steadied her voice.
"Keep your eyes peeled soldiers, whatever it is out here is dangerous"
The unit behind her nodded their heads in response. Misty could tell they felt her fear too. Trying her best to push the thought from her mind, Misty lead the unit forward, now following in the tracks of whatever they were after.
Every sound that echoed out in the dark woods now caused Misty's eyes to dart back and forth, her breath catching in her throat. Barely able to swallow her fear, she continued forward, leading her unit with as much visible courage as she could muster.
That courage left Misty as she heard the blood-curdling scream of one of her soldiers behind her. Turning back, Misty witnessed as another soldier was snatched up in a spray of crimson. Misty's own blood ran cold as she realized what had already consumed two of her soldiers.
"Hydra!" Misty yelled out, drawing her sword with her magical grasp.
The rest of Misty's unit followed suit, dropping the torches in favor of swords and spears. The dulled flame caught on the brown scaled feet of the beast, wicked claws digging into the dirt as it moved forward. Its green eyes glowing in the dark as pair after pair came into view. Misty's unit took a defensive stance, creating a semi-circle around their commander.
The hydra let out a long, low hiss, its heads moving to find an opening in the unit's defenses. Without warning the hydra swung its long tail at the line of armored ponies, sending a few flying into trees nearby, the sickening sound of bones breaking and metal cracking as they fell limp. Misty watched in horror as what little safety she had was torn out from under her. The hydra struck at multiple soldiers, snapping them up in its serpentine jaws. Misty saw Storm Leaves mouth something, screaming at her, but she couldn't hear anything other than the sound of her unit being massacred by this creature.
"Run!" Storm yelled into Misty's face, shaking her by the shoulders and snapping her out of her mortified daze.
Misty ran from the hydra as what remained of her unit tried to do the same, some fled deeper into the Everfree, while others were torn apart by the hydra. The beast let out another long, low hiss and gave chase after Misty and Storm. Misty galloped as fast as her hooves could carry her, her lungs burning and eyes blurred by tears. She could hear the hydra right behind them, the steady, heavy thuds of its feet pounding into her mind.
"We're almost to the edge of the Everfr-" Storm began, but was cut short when the hydra's mouth closed around his haunches.
Storm's hopeful words changed into horrified screams as he was hoisted up and feasted on by the hydra, each of its serpentine heads tearing off different parts of the pony's body. Misty backed up against a tree and collapsed, unable to look away from the horrific display of gore. Misty's bladder released itself, warm urine running down her thighs and forming a puddle where she sat sobbing, muttering silent prayers to be saved.
The hydra let out a hiss that sounded like a laugh, rearing its heads back like a snake poised to strike. Misty closed her eyes, readying herself for the strike. Seconds passed and nothing happened, curious, Misty opened her eyes. She saw the hydra, turned around and facing something deeper in the woods, letting out a long, low hiss at whatever was in the darkness. Misty could barely make out the familiar sound of metal on metal, the sound of armor moving. Her eyes grew wide as she was filled with hope.
"H-Here!" Misty cried out, "I'm here, please help me!"
The hydra hissed and lunged into the dark forest to strike at whoever came to rescue Misty, disappearing into the thick woods and darkness. Misty heard the sounds of battle, hissing and metal on monster. Then, there was silence. The Everfree fell dead silent, Misty's shaky breathing was all she could hear as she stared into the darkness before her, waiting for something to emerge. Her eyes went wide with terror as she watched a pair of glowing green eyes peer at her from the woods.
"Nononononono" Misty sobbed as the hydra slithered its head back out of the wall of trees.
The hydra stared at Misty with dull eyes, looming its serpentine heads above her. Misty's mouth open and closed silently, unable to even scream as she stared into the face of death, tears running down her blood-matted cheeks. The hydra reared back to strike, but as it did, its eyes rolled back into its head and collapsed just inches from her hooves. Misty looked on in disbelief at the felled creature at her hooves. Looking up, Misty noticed a large axe, larger than anything a pony could feasibly use, embedded in one of the heads of the hydra.
The sound of armor moving came from the woods as her savior approached, Misty's legs refusing to move. She watched as the snout of a snarling wolf peeked through the trees. Only after whoever, or whatever, rescued her entered the clearing did Misty realize that it was something foreign to her. It stood on two legs like a minotaur, but lacked the extra joint. Its entire body was covered in armor unlike any she had ever seen, the helmet sporting the facade of a snarling wolf. Misty's mouth opened and closed, a thousand questions running through her mind.
"Rest easy," The armored creature said, its voice low and gruff. A stallion, Misty guessed. "You're safe now"
Misty made to say something, but the exhaustion of the day caught up to her, her eyelids growing heavy and sliding shut. The last thing she saw was the 'wolf' retrieving his axe from the dome of the hydra before she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
Misty's eyes slowly slid open, the dull glow of a small campfire illuminating her tired form. She felt warm and cozy, snuggled up in some warm blanket near the flickering flames. Her eyes began to close again before snapping open, the memory of earlier events filling her mind.
Looking back, Misty saw that the comfortable blanket she was covered with was a thick, white fur cloak. It was denser than any animal's hide she had ever seen, matted with blood and dirt in spots. Turning her head, she saw the creature that saved her sitting with his legs crossed in a way that made her a little squeamish, his metal, perpetually snarling face angled towards the ground.
Misty stared at the creature, examining his form as he presumably slept. The metal plates covering his body were well-worn, marks of cuts and dents covered almost every inch of the surface. The spots decorated with a fur similar to the cloak over her petite form was similarly messy with blood and grime.
"Rest" The creature said without raising his head, startling Misty, her breath catching in her throat.
"I- I-" Misty stuttered, unable to form a cohesive sentence.
"You are lucky to be alive right now" He said bluntly, reminding Misty of the mutilated corpses of her unit further in the woods.
"Rest" He repeated.
"Thank you" Misty finally said.
The creature remained silent, unmoving from its cross-legged position.
"W-who are you?" Misty asked, quickly following that question with another "Or what are you?"
The creature sighed and stood up, grabbing ahold of his axe, the worn weapon almost as large as she was.
"The fire is dying. I will fetch us more wood" He said plainly, ignoring Misty's interrogation.
"But-" Misty made to protest, but fell silent when the lifeless eyes of the wolf stared at her.
He didn't say another word before turning his back on Misty again and disappearing into the darkness of the Everfree Forest, leaving Misty alone in the clearing.
Misty's panic slowly grew, now abandoned by the dying fire. Her ears turned and perked to any and all sounds, all manner of nightmarish creatures forming in her imagination to every twig snapped or rustle of leaves. Misty pulled the heavy furs over her body tighter, covering her ears, trying to deafen the noises of the forest around her. She waited for what felt like hours, time slowly sliding by as she watched the flames die to embers, leaving all but the tip of her snout in darkness. Misty thought to call out to her unusual savior, but decided against drawing attention to herself, opting to lie there and wait, watching the embers pulse orange and red.
Finally, just as Misty thought she was once again alone in these forsaken woods, did the creature emerge from the woods. His arms laden with dead wood, his axe attached to his back, he made his way back to their small camp and added fuel to the fire. The old wood caught almost instantly, bringing back the light and warmth of before, Misty letting out a sigh of relief she didn't even realize she was holding.
"Vvulf" The creature said without warning, Misty's eyes growing wide with fear as she scanned the treeline.
"Wolf? Where?" She asked, her panicked look changing to one of confusion as she heard an amused snort from the creature.
"No, my name" He clarified, "It's Vvulf"
"Vvulf? Is there... Is there any more to your name?" Misty asked, wording the question as politely as she could, not wanting to offend the thing that saved her life.
"No" Vvulf replied bluntly, staring into the crackling fire.
The two of them sat there in silence, both just staring absentmindedly into the dancing flames. After a few moments of the awkward silence, Misty spoke up again, looking up at Vvulf cautiously.
"Vvulf?" Misty asked, Vvulf remaining silent, but perking his head up slightly.
"What are you?"
"Not your enemy" Vvulf answered with slight irritation.
Misty took that as the cue to stop interrogating Vvulf, lest his answer change. She opted to take Vvulf's advice and rest, her legs and hooves still ached from running away from the hydra. Misty slipped off into the land of sleep and dreams.
Misty ran for her life, the wicked cackle of demons behind her. She tried her hardest to escape the entities that were pursuing her, too terrified to even look back, but no matter how hard she tried to run she just couldn't move any faster than a sluggish wade. Looking down, Misty realized in horror that she was barrel deep in viscera, chunks of mutilated flesh and an ocean of blood threatened to consume her. The screams of pain and terror and grew louder and louder as the evil sounds of the creatures chasing her drew nearer, her hooves beginning to sink into the sea of gore below.
Misty let out a soundless scream as she sunk deeper and deeper into the mass of crimson, the sky soaked in the blood red hue as the fluid filler her lungs. She closed her eyes and cried, choking on the viscous flow filling every cavity in her tired body.
But just as she was about to fully give in to her fate, she felt herself being lifted upwards. The ground beneath her slowly rose up, bringing her out of the endless ocean of gore. Misty coughed up the crimson fluid in her lungs, vomiting it up onto the black platform below her.
Misty looked at her small standing of safety, realizing it to be the rough leather, she peered upwards. There above her, with her in his gigantic palm, was the snarling facade of Vvulf, staring down at her.
"Most interesting indeed" A familiar, female voice mused from behind Misty.
Misty turned to see none other than Princess Luna flapping her large wings lazily, hovering just past the gigantic metal claws of Vvulf.
"Your royal highness!" Misty exclaimed, quickly bowing her head in respect.
"At peace, Our little pony," Luna soothed, waving a hoof over Misty, all but the enlarged Vvulf disappearing into a still, black void.
"Tell me, what is this creature?" Luna asked, looking up and down the armored goliath with intrigue.
"He- He's uh..." Misty stuttered dumbly.
"Oh, a stallion?" Luna asked, her interest piqued.
"Doest this creature have a name, a title?"
"Vvulf" Misty replied mindlessly before quickly correcting herself, "His name is Vvulf, your majesty"
"An interesting name for an interesting creature" Luna hummed, flying up to float before Vvulf's permanently snarling facade.
"Prithee, what manner of beast is this 'Vvulf'?" Luna asked, looking down at Misty below.
"I... I don't know, your majesty" Misty admitted shyly.
"I see" Luna hummed.
"Perhaps We should ask him Ourselves. Pray tell, where art thou?"
"Somewhere near Ponyville in the Everfree Forest, your majesty" Misty replied, giving the princess of the night her location as best she could.
"We thank thee, Commander Glory," Luna said, flying down to float at eye-level with Misty.
"Remain with this 'Vvulf'. We shalt send an escort of soldiers once the morning arrives and We have convened with Our sister"
"Thank you, your majesty" Misty said with another bow.
"Now, Our little pony, rest in peaceful dreams" Luna said, her horn illuminating with a deep blue glow that grew to consume the entirety of Misty's dreamscape.
Misty's remainder of sleep went by peacefully, dreams of the sweet candies and hard ale she enjoyed back home coming along with other pleasant things. She enjoyed the respite after everything that had happened, happily losing herself in the moment and allowing the magic of Luna's dream altering spell to wash over her.
Misty's eyes cracked open, the beginning slivers of daylight dancing between the trees. She rubbed her eyes with a hoof, clearing the grime and sleep from them before sitting up, the heavy furs falling to drape over her withers.
"You're awake" Vvulf said, his back to Misty as he tightened a strap on his forearm.
"Good"
"You- You're still here" Misty said, almost in disbelief that he wasn't some figment of a dream.
"Yes" Vvulf replied, standing and walking back to his axe embedded in the dirt next to the now-dead fire.
Misty watched as Vvulf reached to his hip and pulled a rectangular stone from a small pouch she hadn't noticed earlier. Vvulf set to work, taking a cross-legged seat and pulling his axe from the earth, laying it across his lap. In long, slow strokes, Vvulf ran the stone along the edge of his axe, sharpening the rugged blade. Misty sat and watched, amazed by how easy he manipulated the small object in his talons, leagues more dexterously than any other creature and possibly even a magical grasp.
"Is there a settlement nearby?" Vvulf asked, getting Misty's attention.
"What?" Misty asked, having not payed attention to Vvulf's abrupt question.
"You weren't equipped like a traveling force, so you must've been on a patrol from a nearby settlement, yes?" Vvulf asked rhetorically in his gruff, monotone voice, while still continuing to sharpen his axe.
"Where is it, the settlement you came from?"
"Why do you need to know?" Misty asked, growing suspicious of her blunt companion's intent.
"To return you to your kind" Vvulf replied, checking the edge of his weapon with his thumb while holding it up to the wolf's snout to inspect it more closely.
"What?" Misty asked, confused as to why Vvulf wanted to escort her back
"Why?"
"Unimportant" Vvulf replied, attaching the sharpened axe to his back.
"Is it far?"
"N-no, not too far" Misty replied, standing and taking ahold of Vvulf's fur cloak he had lent her with her magic.
Vvulf snatched the cloak from Misty's magical grasp, the energy dissipating as the object was torn away.
"You're welcome" Misty said with a hint of sass, clearly upset slightly at Vvulf's behavior.
"Thank you" Vvulf replied, fastening the cloak to his shoulders using a pair of simple metal clasps.
"Now, lead the way"
Misty let out a sigh, but rose to the order nonetheless. It was slightly demeaning, a pony of her position being ordered around by this foreign creature like she was a cadet back in training. Misty ignored the thought as the idea of a hot bath and a hard drink came to mind back at the fort. With a slight pep in her trot, Misty lead the way back through the Everfree Forest, Vvulf following shortly behind her.
It didn't take Misty very long to get back to the fort, the stone keep visible through the trees as they grew nearer. The sun had risen into the sky completely, the light cutting through the usually ominous forest to create a pleasant scene.
"This is where I leave you" Vvulf said as they neared the clearing surrounding the fort.
"What?! Why?!" Misty exclaimed as Vvulf turned and began to walk back into the Everfree Forest.
"I have no place amongst your kind" Vvulf replied plainly, trudging off into the woods.
Vvulf stopped, feeling resistance on his left leg. Looking down, he could see the hooves of Misty wrapped around his armored calf.
"What is it?" Vvulf asked coldly, staring down at Misty, causing a shiver to run down her back.
"You've been requested for an audience with their royal majesties, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia" Misty replied professionally, staring up at the snarling wolf face confidently.
"I don't meddle in politics" Vvulf said, beginning to move with Misty still clinging to his leg.
"It's a royal summons, you have to answer it" Misty retorted, appalled at how disrespectful Vvulf was being.
"Why?" Vvulf asked plainly, his monotone voice and attitude beginning to irritate Misty.
"Because they are The Princesses, rightful rulers of Equestria" Misty explained, trying her best to not grind her teeth in frustration.
"I'm no citizen of theirs" Vvulf stated matter-of-factly.
"True, but thou'st are still within Our borders" A motherly voice mused.
Both Misty and Vvulf turned to face the speaker. There, escorted by their royal guards, stood both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, the latter of which having spoken and now had a coy smile on her snout. Misty immediately released Vvulf and dropped into a low bow, her snout almost touching the dirt.
"Your Majesties" Misty greeted with the utmost respect.
"Greetings" Vvulf said as if he was speaking to a commoner, not the two ruling forces of the land.
"The disrespect of this creature-" One of the royal guards grumbled, but was stopped by a single raised hoof by Celestia.
"Come now," Celestia said with a kind expression, "He is not privy to our traditions, an honest mistake of a misinformed foreigner"
"Now, Sir knight Vvulf-" Luna began.
"I'm not" Vvulf interrupted, all but Celestia looking at him with a mortified expression.
"T-thou art not... what?" Luna asked, quickly composing herself after Vvulf's outburst.
"A knight" Vvulf replied plainly, standing and staring at the group of ponies.
"Then... Prithee, what art thou?" Luna asked, staring into the hollow eyes of the snarling wolf.
"I am who I am," Vvulf replied bluntly, "Nothing more, nothing less"
"At least thou art a humble... Male, might We presume?" Celestia guessed.
"Correct" Vvulf gave a curt not, Misty looking back and forth between the princesses and Vvulf, her jaw slack with disbelief.
"Then good Sir Vvulf, might thou join Us for a conversation?" Celestia requested politely.
"Aren't we conversing now?" Vvulf asked, rhetorically, causing Celestia to shake her head and smile to herself.
"Thou certainly art an interesting creature, Sir Vvulf" Celestia sighed, amused.
"Mightest We converse in private?"
Vvulf simply gave another curt nod. Celestia turned to the guards and gave them a calm nod, the golden-armored ponies giving a bow before stepping away, remaining close enough to come to their princesses' aid if need be.
"That wouldst include thou as well, Commander" Luna said to Misty, bringing the mare back to reality.
"Thou'st done well, Our condolences to the loss of thine ponies"
Both Luna and Celestia gave Misty a respectful bow of their heads, making the mare's cheeks flush red.
"Go and recover thineself, thou hast earned respite. Go and drink to their memories, may they never be forgotten" Celestia said in her motherly tone.
"By your orders, your majesties" Misty said with a relieved smile, giving them another deep bow before trotting off towards the fort, turning one last time to see Vvulf standing before the princesses before heading inside.
"Sir Vvulf," Luna started, Vvulf staring blankly at them with his snarling facade.
"Pray, do tell what creature thou art"
"It's unimportant" Vvulf replied bluntly.
Luna opened her mouth to object to Vvulf's refusal to answer her question, but the touch of Celestia's wing to her back calmed her temper.
"If thoust deem it so, then so it will be" Celestia said, looking to Luna as well.
"But on to an important matter, Sir Vvulf"
"What is it?" Vvulf asked, still giving not even a sliver of the royal treatment to the princesses.
"It is a matter of the kingdom, a matter of war, specifically" Celestia said grimly.
"I'm listening" Vvulf said, something in his voice and posture perking up at the mention of conflict.
Celestia and Luna felt a shiver run down their spine at the sudden interest this foreign creature showed at the mention of war, his well-worn axe and armor telling them he was no stranger to the violence of battle.
"We wouldst like to conscript thee to fight for Equestria and the ponies within" Luna explained, finally realizing the type of stallion this Vvulf was. He wanted the details in quick and simple order, he wasn't dumb, mind you, but just a stallion that wanted to get to the point.
"What's the pay?" Vvulf asked, crossing his arms over his wide, armored chest.
"300 crowns, with 100 crowns to be paid to thee on the fortnight and every fortnight thereafter" Celestia replied, taking after her sister and delivering the information Vvulf wanted quickly and clearly.
Luna shot a glance at her sister, a look of disbelief in her eyes. To pay a creature so eager for bloodshed twice that of their own soldiers? The idea was madness, but the knowing nod from Celestia calmed Luna's disapproval, clearly her sister had reason for such a bountiful pay.
"Are the terms to your approval?" Luna asked, turning back to look at Vvulf.
For a few moments, there was silence. The Princesses waited in well-contained suspense to their potential ally's answer. If he agreed to fight for their kingdom, perhaps they could still turn this war around. Or at the very least, save pony lives.
"Yes" Vvulf replied coldly, uncrossing his arms and stepping forward to loom over the princesses. The royal guards tensed, ready to go to their princesses' aid if need be.
"But you've bought a mercenary, not a citizen"
"We understand, Sir Vvulf" Celestia replied with a small nod, retaining her composure with the eyes of the wolf staring down at her.
Misty made her way into the fort, having barely made it past the threshold of the portcullis before she was swarmed by her fellow soldiers.
"What happened to you?"
"Where did you go?"
"What are the princesses doing here?"
"What is that thing speaking to the princesses?"
Misty locked up as the wave of questions hit her full-force.
"P-please, I'm-" Misty said, trying to come up with something to excuse herself before she was interrogated further.
"Stop harassing the commander, back to your stations" A stern-voiced and built auburn stallion said, the crowd of ponies dispersing with groans and mumbles of protest.
"Thank you, Comet" Misty sighed, thankful that Comet Showers, a fellow commander, had appeared.
"You look like you crawled out of Tartarus" Comet teased, putting a hoof on Misty's shoulder.
"Come on, I feel like you've got a story to tell"
Misty just nodded her head and followed behind Comet as the two of them headed to the commanders' living quarters. The two trotted along in silence, the shifting of metal on metal and hooves on cobblestones being the only sounds made by the two as they went. Comet stopped outside of the door to Misty's room, turning to face her.
"Go ahead and get that armor off. I'll have some food and drink sent to you, as well as some hot water for a bath" Comet smiled, the stallion's rough features in juxtaposition to his kind nature.
"You've earned your rest, we'll talk later once you've recovered"
Misty nodded her head again, giving Comet a smile, wanting to finally unwind after everything that happened to her. Misty trotted inside, Comet closing the door behind her with a soft click, his hoofsteps echoing in the hallway as he left. Misty unclasped her armor, letting it fall to the ground in a pile. She let out a sigh of relief as the weight of the metal was lifted, her body already feeling better. Not long after stripping out of her armor, Misty heard a knock at the door. Excited to eat and drink something, as well as clean herself, Misty unlocked the door with her magical grasp.
"Come in, it's unlocked" Misty informed whoever was on the other side of the door, welcoming them to enter.
Instead of a soldier carrying a hot meal and water to wash in, Misty found herself now in the company of the princesses.
"Y-Your royal majesties!" Misty exclaimed, dropping into a bow that caused her to bump her snout on the hard floor as she realized how nonchalant she had just greeted them.
"Apologies, your majesties, I didn't know it was you at my door"
"Be at peace, Commander Glory" Celestia smiled, Misty's heart skipping a beat as the princess of the sun called her by her name while she rubbed a hoof over her sore snout, covering her giddy smile.
Misty put her hoof down and stood back up to face the princesses, the two rulers still accepting Misty's invitation to enter her quarters. The entourage of golden-armored royal guards remained outside of Misty's room, guarding it from all entry. Misty noticed not all of the guards were present, but her focus was brought back to her royal guests when Luna spoke up.
"Thine quarters are most quaint" Luna mused, derailing Misty's train of thought as the princess looked around Misty's sparsely decorated interior.
"Thank you, your majesty" Misty said, internally squealing with joy at the princess's approval of her room.
"B-but if I may... What brings you to my quarters?"
"We wished to discuss a matter of importance with thee" Celestia explained, causing Misty to gulp.
"A-and what would your majesties wish to discuss with me?" Misty asked, even though she already knew what the matter was about. The details, no doubt, about to be delivered to her by the princesses
"It is pertaining to thine newfound companion, Sir Vvulf" Luna replied, coming back to stand next to her sister.
"There is something that We must request of thee"
"Anything, your majesties" Misty responded, giving them a quick bow.
"We wouldst ask thee to accompany Sir Vvulf in his endeavors, guide him and keep him... docile whilst in the company of Our citizens" Celestia finally said, blinking her eyes a few times in disbelief to what she just heard.
"Y-you want... What, your majesties?" Misty asked shyly, wanting to make sure she indeed had heard her correctly.
"We art asking thou to be a interpreter for thine foreign savior whilst he remains in Our borders" Luna repeated for her sister, making it clear what it was they wanted from Misty.
"I- I-" Misty stuttered, unable to form a cohesive thought at the moment.
"At peace Our little pony," Celestia said in her motherly tone, Misty's mind calming almost instantly to the kind words.
"Thou'st hath all freedom to refuse Our request..."
"N-No, your majesty!" Misty finally spoke up.
"It would be my honor to fulfill your request. I was just amazed that you got him to stay, he was so ready to leave before... How did you change his mind?"
Celestia and Luna looked at each other, Celestia shaking her head at Luna who nodded in response.
"We made him an offer he couldn't refuse" Celestia said tactfully, Misty just nodding her head in agreement, not wanting to disrespect the princesses with prying questions.
"And you would like me to stay with him... But why me?" Misty asked, looking between the princesses.
"Thou art the one most acquainted with Sir Vvulf, given that factor, We proposed thou'st were the prime candidate" Luna replied, her reasoning was as good as any, given the strange nature of Vvulf.
"So," Celestia said, getting Misty's attention
"Would'st thou still wish to accept Our request?"
Misty gave the princesses a low bow, sweeping her hoof across her barrel.
"It would be my honor to accept your request" Misty replied in her most professional and respectful tone.
"Most splendid!" Luna cheered, clapping her hooves together softly.
"Come, We must inform Sir Vvulf on thine decision" Celestia said, turning and exiting Misty's room, followed shortly after by Luna and Misty herself.
Vvulf stood in the center of the fort's open courtyard, several royal guards standing between him and the growing crowd of the ponies as the soldiers began to gather to gawk at the strange creature. Vvulf knew the guards weren't capable of actually stopping him if he decided to attack any of the ponies present, or if the mob of ponies decided to swarm the strange creature.
"What are you?" One curious red pegasus mare asked, cocking her head as she looked Vvulf up and down.
"An ally" Vvulf replied bluntly.
"For now"
Vvulf's ominous response sent shivers down the mare's spine as she moved back in the crowd, putting distance and bodies between her and the wolf-faced creature. A few ponies left the gathering after hearing his answer while others began to whisper amongst themselves, the mares especially talkative knowing Vvulf to be a stallion of sorts now.
"Sir Vvulf," Celestia called from a parapet walk above, Vvulf looking up to see her, Luna, and Misty standing there along with the remainder of the royal guards.
"What is it?" Vvulf asked plainly, some ponies' jaws going slack with disbelief in how this creature was speaking to their two rulers.
"Commander Glory hath come to a final decision" Celestia said, turning to smile at Misty.
"She will accompany thee"
"I see" Vvulf replied, continuing to stand neutrally and stare up at the trio of mares.
"Doth this displease thee, Sir Vvulf?" Luna asked, confused by his bland response.
"No" Vvulf responded curtly, taking a moment to look back down at the mob of ponies before him.
"When do we set off?" He asked coldly, looking back up at the princesses.
"Set off?" Misty repeated, confused as to what her new companion meant.
"Apologies, Commander Glory, thou art to accompany Sir Vvulf on his campaign in the frigid North" Celestia explained to Misty, causing the mare's stomach to churn at the thought of the war currently raging against the self-proclaimed 'King' Sombra.
"B-By your orders, your majesties" Misty replied, doing her best to hide her discomfort with the request as it was too late to back out now.
Celestia smiled at Misty, lifting the mare's chin with her wingtip to look the royal in the eyes.
"Fret not, Misty Glory," Celestia said in her motherly tone, Misty's fears leaving her as she stared into Celestia's shimmering eyes and heard her name in that sweet voice.
"Thou shalt remain safe at Sir Vvulf's side, We know'st this to be true"
"I trust you, your majesty" Misty responded, Celestia giving the mare a pleased smile and folding her white wing back to her side.
Celestia turned back to face Vvulf who continued to stare up at his companion and the two princesses, his silent gaze piercing into the core of Misty as she locked eyes with the wolf.
"Thou shalt set out on the morrow, once the sun has risen above the horizon" Celestia said, Luna shifting her stance ever-so-slightly at the mention of the importance of the sun, but her expression remained composed and pleasant.
"Understood" Vvulf said, giving a small nod.
"Is there a blacksmith?" Vvulf asked, looking down and across the crowd of the fort's occupants.
"I'm the smithy here" A yellow mare said, raising a soot-covered hoof.
"I need materials for repairs" Vvulf said, focusing solely on the mare blacksmith.
"Aye, I've got the materials you need, but they're not free. Not even for whatever you are" The mare smithy said, staring at Vvulf confidently.
"I can pay" Vvulf replied, retrieving a hefty pouch that jingled full of crowns from his belt.
"That you can..." The mare smithy mused with a smirk, some of the other ponies gawking at more crowns than they see in a season in a single pouch.
"And that you will, come, follow me" The mare smithy beckoned with a hoof, walking away from the crowd of ponies.
Vvulf followed the blacksmith to her workshop, the sea of multi-colored ponies parting to let the armored giant through.
After gathering what he needed from the smithy in a large sac, Vvulf headed for somewhere private, locking himself inside an unoccupied room to complete his preparations for travel.
"Come, there art preparations thou hast to tend to as well" Celestia spoke to Misty, beckoning her to follow, away from overlooking the dispersing crowd.
Vvulf emerged from his reclusive chamber the next morning before the sun had risen, his equipment now looking a little less worse-for-wear. He noticed a small bowl of oatmeal and a mug of ale outside his door at his feet, ignoring the meal as he stepped over it on his way to the courtyard.
Misty stirred from her sleep as the tips of the sun's rays began to barely creep over the horizon. Misty let out a long yawn as she stretched her back, reaching her hooves up above her head and cracking her back. It had felt euphoric to sleep in her own bed again after everything that had occurred in the last few days. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and collected her belongings, leaving her room with what little she owned. With her possessions accounted for and being carried behind her by her magical grasp, Misty headed for the fort's courtyard, noticing an untouched meal outside of the now open room Vvulf had occupied.
Misty wasn't surprised to see Vvulf leaning against a wall in the courtyard, staying out of the way of the rest of their traveling group as they readied themselves. Celestia had explained that Misty and Vvulf would be accompanied by a caravan carrying a resupply of food goods and raw materials.
"You've been standing there for a while, haven't you?" Misty asked rhetorically, already knowing what Vvulf's answer was going to be.
"Yes" Vvulf said, standing up and moving to help the ponies load the wagons.
"Did you even sleep at all?" Misty asked with some genuine concern.
"No" Vvulf said, taking a sack full of grains that a pony was struggling with and hefting it onto the cart with ease.
"What?!" Misty exclaimed in disbelief.
"Why not?"
"It's unnecessary" Vvulf replied, continuing to help the final preparations for their voyage.
"I noticed a meal outside your door, is eating not necessary for you either?" Misty asked in a sassy tone, squinting her eyes at Vvulf. If she was going to be his guide in Equestria, the least he could do for her was take care of himself.
"Correct" Vvulf answered plainly, the last of the cargo having finally loaded.
Misty stood there in a shocked silence, Vvulf didn't need to sleep, eat, or drink to her knowledge. More questions arose as to what nature of creature her armored companion was, but the warming glow of early sun on her face reminded her of the task at hand. Shaking her head, Misty made a mental note to try and have Vvulf explain a little more to her at a later time. Jade Lotus, a stark-white earth pony mare, who had been loading the carts trotted over to Misty and Vvulf, giving the armored giant a nod of acknowledgement.
"We appreciate the help... Sir" Jade Lotus said as she looked Vvulf up and down.
"We're all set to leave, Commander Glory"
Misty looked over at Vvulf, who's gaze was focused on the carts of supplies, his arms crossed over his chest. She turned back to Jade and gave the mare a smile.
"Then let's make the most of the light, Commander Lotus" Misty said, the other two members of the caravan going to work fastening the wagons behind them after receiving a nod of approval from Jade.
"Agreed" Vvulf said, nodding his head and turning to follow the caravan as they exited the fort.
The caravan of five plotted along the rough 'road' of worn earth going North, making their way to the encampment there. Vvulf trailed behind the wagons, his snarling facade constantly scanning the rocky landscape around them. Jade and Misty trotted side-by-side at the front, leading the entourage as they talked to each other.
"So, what is he anyway?" Jade asked nodding her head towards Vvulf, Misty already aware of who she meant.
"I don't know... He wont tell me" Misty admitted, turning back to look at the strange creature she was a companion to.
"And we're trotting with him straight into a war zone?" Jade said, looking back at Vvulf.
"How do we know he's not going to stab us in the back?"
"I mean... He didn't have to save me from the Hydra or even help me back to the fort, but he did" Misty said, looking back at Vvulf, who began to scan the top of the gully the caravan had just entered.
"If he wanted to attack us ponies, he could've started with the princesses when he was alone with them"
"You left the princesses alone with that... Thing?" Jade whisper-hissed at Misty, in disbelief that she would ever willingly allow this foreign creature that close to the princesses.
"Stop" Vvulf said, interjecting into Misty and Jade's conversation. The two mare's blood running cold at the thought that he had heard what they had been saying about him.
"I- I'm sorry-" Jade stuttered out, turning to look at Vvulf.
"Quiet" Vvulf said, scanning the top of the sloped land above. Jade pouting slightly at Vvulf's rude response.
Before Jade could try and give Vvulf a piece of her mind, a bolt lodged itself in the temple of one of the ponies pulling the carts. His lifeless body went limp, held upright by the cart he was fastened to. Vvulf dropped to a low stance, taking ahold of his axe with one hand as the other pushed Jade out of the way of another bolt that embedded into the dirt where she had been standing.
"Eight seconds" Vvulf noted, turning his beastly gaze upwards as he caught sight of their attackers rushing down the sides of the gully.
"Ambush!" Jade said, the other cart pulling pony unfastening himself and drawing his sword as Misty and Jade drew their weapons.
"One" Vvluf began to count, running up the hill towards the score of brigands.
"Two" Vvulf counted, cleaving a pony in two across the shoulders with his axe. Misty, Jade, and the other living cart pony braced for combat, putting themselves behind the carts, out of the danger of the crossbow-pony.
"Four" Vvulf counted, slamming his fist into the snout of a brigand that had attempted to attack him. The pony stumbling back as she clutched her bloody snout with a hoof before Vvulf's axe was buried in her skull.
"Six" Vvulf counted, cutting into two ponies that had been running too close together. Several brigands managing to slip past Vvulf as he cut a bloody path up the hillside towards the crossbow-pony.
Jade made short work of an attacker as they rounded the side of the cart, her spear plunging into the eye socket of the brigand and exiting out the back of her skull. Another brigand was cut down by Misty, her sword blow spraying a mess of crimson onto her face as she cut across the pony's throat.
"Eight" Vvulf finished, grabbing ahold of a brigand that had come at him. Vvulf used the pony as a meat shield, putting him between him and the crossbow-pony, catching a bolt with the pony's back. Vvulf held the pony up by his throat, the brigand gagging as he cried out in silent pain. Vvulf silenced his retching and sobbing when he tightened his metallic grasp, crushing the pony's throat. The crossbow-pony looked down at the corpse of the pony Vvulf had just used, blood pouring from his open mouth as life left his eyes.
"One" Vvulf began again, locking the ravenous gaze of the wolf on the terrified crossbow-pony before hurling his axe at her. The heavy blade of Vvulf's axe split the brigand's head and neck like a log, cleaving the meat and bone in half as her body fell to the ground, feeding into the river of blood running down the slope.
The three ponies at the caravan held their ground well, funneling the brigands to attack one at a time, where they met either the blade of a sword, or point of a spear. Misty had locked blades with a rough unicorn pony wielding a short sword and shield with his magical grasp. Misty tried to get around his defenses, but any time she had an opening it was quickly closed by the deadly stab or slash of the brigand's blade. She was slowly moving against the cart as she was forced to fight defensively, using the flat of her blade to block blow after ruthless blow from the brigand unicorn.
Misty stumbled and fell back against the side of the cart, losing her magical grasp on her sword. The brigand unicorn leered down at Misty as she looked back up at him with wide-eyed terror. That terror became shock and surprise as the unicorn brigand's head was impaled by Jade's spear, the bloody weapon going through one cheek and out the other. The unicorn brigand collapsed to the ground as Jade withdrew her spear, turning back to face the next wave of attackers.
"Get up Misty!" Jade yelled, snapping Misty back to reality.
"I refuse to die in some bucking trench!"
Misty rose back to her hooves, grabbing her sword. The other cart pulling pony let out a cry of pain as a knife found itself lodged in his flank. He fell back, dropping to lie against the cart. Misty lunged forward with her blade, impaling the brigand who had just attacked her comrade, avenging him. Jade impaled one last brigand before what remained of the ambush fled, scrambling up and over the other side of the gully.
"Are you alright?" Jade asked Misty, panting as she stuck her spear into the earth to lean on it. The two mares took a moment to catch their breaths now that the fighting was over.
"I think so" Misty replied, looking over the bloody mess.
Her gaze followed the stream of blood up the hill, over the brutalized bodies, her gaze settling on the blood covered beast at the top of the gully as he retrieved his axe from what remained of the crossbow-pony. Misty's blood ran cold as she stared at her companion, his shoulders rising and falling slowly as he took deep breaths, looming over his kill. Both Misty and Jade could almost feel an aura of pure bloodlust emanating from Vvulf, the hairs on the back of their necks standing up.
Vvulf rejoined what remained of the caravan, stepping over the corpses of the brigands without so much as looking down at them.
"W-were you injured, Vvulf?" Misty asked, her voice trembling with fear as he loomed over her. The hollow eyes of the snarling wolf burrowing into Misty's soul, Vvulf remaining silent for a moment as he stared directly at her.
"No" Vvulf finally replied, relaxing his posture.
Misty let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, thankful that her companion hadn't decided to continue feeding his bloodlust with their bodies.
A groan from the carts got the group's attention, Misty and Jade turning with their weapons ready. They quickly dropped their guard when they saw that it was their comrade that had made the sound, rushing over to the wounded pony. Misty grabbed ahold of the knife in his side with her magic as Jade joined Misty at his side.
"Wait!" Vvulf tried to warn, but it was too late, Misty had pulled the blade from his side. A steady stream of blood began to run down the pony's side, Misty rushing to the cart to find the medical supplies.
"Stop" Vvulf said, putting his bloody hand on Misty's shoulders.
"Move!" Misty scolded with a shove, trying to push past Vvulf.
"I'm trying to help him"
"He's already dead" Vvulf replied coldly, Misty's ears drooping as she looked up at Vvulf's unwavering facade.
"He's... He'll be fine" Misty replied, trying to hold out hope.
"He would have been fine, had you left the dagger in" Vvulf said, taking the gauze from her and putting it back into the cart.
"The blade had sealed his punctured lung. You opened it"
"I- I killed him?" Misty asked in horror, falling back to sit on her haunches.
"In a way, yes" Vvulf responded, Misty's ears pressing back against her head even more as tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I... I..." Misty said, searching for something, anything to say. She watched as Vvulf walked over to the dying stallion, blood leaking from his mouth now.
"P-Please..." The stallion begged, staring up at the snarling visage.
Vvulf silently took the knife Misty had pulled from his side and pressed it into the center of his throat. The blade slid in with little resistance as both mares watched in abject horror. The stallion gasped a few times before his eyes went blank, Vvulf shutting his lids with his pointer and middle fingers while he withdrew the knife slowly. Jade vomited onto the dirt below her while Misty watched the last trickles of blood leak from the stallion's body.
"W-what the buck is wrong with you?!" Jade scolded, retching a few more times as she spat in an attempt to clear her mouth of the taste of bile.
"Would you rather he had suffered longer?" Vvulf asked in his cold, rhetorical tone. Jade turned away from the armored killer, a scowl on her snout in silent contempt for Vvulf.
Vvulf loaded the bodies of the two cart pulling ponies onto one of the carts, unhooking the one from where he had been shot and closing his eyes as well. With the corpses of their comrades loaded, Vvulf grabbed both carts by the bar that would have rested against a pony's barrel.
"How much further?" Vvulf asked, looking down at the two mares.
Jade refused to even so much as look at the monstrous man, remaining bitterly silent as she ignored Vvulf with contempt.
"Half a days trot to the next fort, twice that to the front" Misty finally spoke up, wanting to get away from the strewn bodies.
Vvulf nodded his head and allowed Misty to take the lead, the grey unicorn taking the lead. Misty's eyes constantly scanned the top of the gully, now terrified of another ambush occurring. Jade walked off to the right of Vvulf and the carts, her scanning of the landscape broken only by the occasional dagger she would glare at Vvulf's snarling visage. The trio continued through the rocky landscape, the strong winds blowing past their bodies as they progressed towards their destination.
The trio finally reached their destination, the final bastion of the princesses' hold on the North just ahead of them. The heavy portcullis of the fort was lowered with guards patrolling the top ramparts, clearly this fort was no stranger to enemy confrontation.
"Halt!" A chestnut stallion called out from above the fort's gate, causing the trio to stop and look up at the pony.
"State your business"
"We were sent from the Ponyville fort, we have supplies for the front" Misty replied, gesturing a hoof at the cart.
The stallion looked at Vvulf with a scrutinizing gaze, but finally conceded. He waved his hoof above his head, signaling another pony inside to raise the gate as he descended his perch. Misty, Vvulf, and Jade waited for the portcullis to open, allowing them entry to the fort. The trio made their way inside the courtyard, Vvulf releasing his hold on the carts as the gate closed behind them.
"We had word there was a resupply coming in, but it was a party of five on caravan..." The stallion said, pausing to swallow the lump in his throat as he stared at the blood-splattered wolf visage.
"W-Where's the rest of your unit?"
"Here" Vvulf said, nodding his head back at the two corpses on the cart.
"I see..." The stallion sighed, bowing his head.
"Faust rest their souls. We'll give them a proper burial, thank you"
The stallion waved a pair of soldiers over, instructing them to handle the bodies. With the remains of their compatriots and cargo being attended to, Misty, Vvulf, and Jade moved off to the side with the chestnut stallion to continue their conversation.
"So I take it you... three were the reinforcements mentioned?" The stallion asked, his eyes lingering on Vvulf before returning to the two mares.
"Two," Jade corrected, causing Misty to give her a look of confusion.
"My orders were to take over command of this fort while General Bubbles is deployed to the front"
"I was wondering when they were going to send somepony" The stallion said to himself, rubbing his chin with a hoof.
"So it's just you and I? " Misty asked concerned, turning to Vvulf.
"Yes" Vvulf replied simply.
"And that doesn't worry you... At all?" Misty asked, trying to get some sort of response from the stoic companion.
"Should it?" Vvulf asked rhetorically, looking down at Misty.
"I don't know what you are, mister, but I admire your enthusiasm" The chestnut stallion chuckled, while Misty was left mouth agape by Vvulf's nonchalant response.
"Is there a room I can use?" Vvulf asked the stallion, ignoring Misty's look of disbelief.
"Sure thing" The stallion chuckled, waving Vvulf to follow with a hoof.
"Might as well make your last night comfortable"
With Vvulf and the stallion gone, Jade pulled Misty aside to talk in private.
"You're not actually considering going with that... Thing?" Jade asked Misty, genuine concern in her voice.
Misty looked at where Vvulf had enterd the fort, letting out a long sigh.
"I don't really have a choice" Misty admitted solemnly, her ears flattening against her head.
"You don't- What do you mean you 'don't have a choice'?" Jade asked, obviously irritated that Misty was so complacent with traveling with Vvulf.
"I'm doing this on request..." Misty admitted, rubbing her leg with a hoof.
"On whose request?" Jade asked with venom in her voice.
"The Princesses'" Misty mumbled in response, avoiding making eye contact with Jade as she kicked her hoof idly at the dirt below her.
"What!?" Jade asked in disbelief, whipping her head around to look at where Vvulf had gone inside as well.
"The princesses asked you to accompany that bucking thing!?"
"Keep your voice down!" Misty whisper-hissed at Jade, her cheeks flushing red.
The two mares remained there in silence for a moment, looking at the door Vvulf had gone into. After a while, Jade let out a sigh and shook her head.
"Faust be with you, Misty" Jade chuckled, putting her hoof on Misty's shoulder.
"And with you, Jade" Misty replied, the two of them locking eyes that had sorrow behind them before Jade stepped away, disappearing into the fort.
Misty woke the next morning and exited the room she had stayed the night in, gathering her belongings as she left. Unsurprisingly, she found Vvulf already standing in the fort courtyard, the steam from his hot breath steaming in the cold morning air. Misty just shook her head with a small smile and made her way over to the man.
"Good morning" Misty greeted, trotting up to stand beside Vvulf.
"It's a little cold" Vvulf replied, watching the courtyard slowly come alive as ponies began their duties for the day.
Misty nodded her head, but then snapped her attention to Vvulf.
"Did- Did you just make a joke?" Misty asked in utter disbelief as her armored companion silently headed towards the portcullis.
Misty followed shortly behind, a wide and giddy smile across her lips. Vvulf ignored the childish mare as she practically bounced next to him, his stoic demeanor juxtaposing her excited display.
"Stop" Vvulf warned, turning his gaze to stare down at Misty.
"Right... Sorry..." Misty apologized, flattening her ears against her head as she calmed down.
Vvulf and Misty waited for the fort's gate to open, a small group of ponies stood waiting for them outside. All of them wore heavy cloaks of woven cloth over their armor, a similar fabric covering their snouts. One of the ponies approached the duo, a stallion with a deep blue coat that barely showed through his tightly wrapped scarf. Vvulf tensed slightly as he approached, readying himself and clenching his fist.
"I'm Commander Lightning Moon, I'll be guiding you to the Northern front. You're going to want these" Lightning said, holding out a cloak and scarf of the same heavy cloth for Misty, as well as a set of snowshoes. Vvulf relaxing as the pony introduced himself, the stallion looking Vvulf up and down.
"Why?" Misty asked, genuinely curious, pulling Lightning's attention back to her.
"The weather gets unpredictable towards the front. A snap-freeze will kill an unprotected pony in a matter of minutes, and Faust help you if you get separated in the whiteout" Lightning warned, insisting Misty take the clothes and wear them.
"I- Thank you" Misty said, taking the coverings and wrapping them around herself.
With Misty now properly outfitted for the frigid climate, the duo followed Lightning's group of ponies away from the fort and towards the Northern front. The cleared section of snow around the fort quickly gave way to deep piles of the frozen powder, the steady crunch of ice under foot and hoof being occasionally drown-out by the whipping wind. Misty did her best to cover her grey coat to the cold climate, pulling the scarf up more so her eyes just barely peeked out while she held the cloak closer to her body with her magical grasp. The snowshoes worked wonders for the ponies with them, the flat footwear keeping their entire bodies above the deep snow. Vvulf trudged through the frozen landscape, still managing to keep pace with the ponies, even though he was up to his knees in snow.
"Sorry about the slog, we didn't realize you would have such a... Unique stature" Lightning joked, turning back to address Vvulf, the armored man remaining silent as he continued his march.
"He doesn't talk much" Misty explained to Lightning as she trotted alongside him.
"Something wrong with him?" Lightning asked, taking a cautious look back.
"No... Or... At least I don't think so..." Misty mused, looking back at the snarling visage of her companion.
"I just think he doesn't like to, or doesn't need to"
"So he's a pony of action?" Lightning asked, trying to get a good sense of this foreign creature he was leading into a war zone.
"That would be an understatement..." Misty replied, a shiver running down her back as flashes of Vvulf's brutal nature came to mind.
One of the ponies at the front held up a hoof, stopping the rest of the group.
"The winds are picking up, there's no-doubt a whiteout coming in" She said, dropping her saddlebags onto the snow and digging out a length of woven rope, tying herself in before lighting an enclosed lantern.
"Tie this around yourself, the last thing we need is to lose what little reinforcements we have in a whiteout"
Misty followed her instructions, looping the rope around her barrel and tying it. Misty took the other end of the rope with her magic and offered it to Vvulf.
"What?" Vvulf asked coldly, looking down at the levitating length of rope.
"You heard her, tie yourself in so you don't get lost" Misty instructed, offering the rope to Vvulf again, more insistently this time.
"I won't get lost" Vvulf replied, still refusing to tie himself into the chain of ponies.
"I know you won't," Misty agreed, gritting her teeth with a smile.
"Because you'll be tied in, right?"
Vvulf stood silent for a moment, looking down at Misty with the unchanging expression formed onto his helmet. Finally, he took the rope in his hands, tying it around his waist and finishing with a knot.
"If it gets us moving again" He conceded while Misty let out a squee of delight, quickly recomposing herself.
"See?" Misty said with a sly smile.
"Was that so hard?"
"If you two are done flirting, we need to get moving" Lightning mocked, causing Misty's cheeks to flush.
"The less time we're in the whiteout, the better"
Vvulf just started walking again, trudging along as the group continued forward. The frozen winds finally reached them, and Misty understood why they used the term 'whiteout'. She could barely make out the rope securing her to the rest of the group or the lantern glowing at the front, her entire vision consumed by a white blur of frigid winds. The mare at the front consulted the compass hanging around her neck as they slowly progressed, holding it up to her snout, making sure they continued to go in the right direction through the storm.
"Something isn't right!" The mare at the front called back, having to yell over the winds.
"What's wrong, Mistral?!" Lightning yelled back, making his way towards the front, plodding along in his snowshoes as he used the rope to find Mistral Morning at the front of the pack.
"The compass isn't working" Mistral said at a more regular volume, holding the compass up to Lightning's snout to examine.
Just as Mistral had said, the compass wasn't operating in its usual manner. The needle span wildly, settling on a direction, only to whip around and settle in another.
"Group up!" Lightning called out, drawing his sword.
"What's going on-" Misty began to call out, but was silenced by Vvulf's hand over her mouth.
"Quiet" He whispered into her ear, her heart beating out of her chest with the armored man looming over her.
"Listen"
Misty strained her ears, trying to make-out anything. She focused her hearing, closing her eyes to strengthen her other senses, if even a little. With her focus all on hearing, Misty could barely make out something amongst the howling wind and shifting armor of the ponies somewhere ahead of her, Vvulf releasing her muzzle as she finally picked up on the noise. The sound of a ghastly whinny could just barely be made out over the wind, the sound making Misty's blood run cold.
"W-what was that?" Misty asked, turning her head to look at Vvulf.
"Cut the rope" Vvulf instructed, moving to draw his axe as the ghastly sounds grew nearer and the air grew colder.
Misty was about to protest Vvulf's order, but before she could, both her and Vvulf were pulled forward violently. Misty tried her best to right herself as she was pulled along, her armored side cutting a trough through the snow. Misty flailed her legs, kicking wildly as she and Vvulf were pulled along by the source of the otherworldly cries. Vvulf grabbed ahold of the rope he had begrudgingly fastened himself to, pulling his hulking, armored form closer to the panicked mare. Misty felt Vvulf's armored hand grab onto her barrel, wrapping his arm around her midsection. Vvulf's other hand went to Misty's sword, drawing the short blade and swinging it at the rope leading to the group of ponies ahead. With their tether severed, Vvulf and Misty slid to a halt, the two rolling over one another and ending up lying in the snow beside one another.
Misty hadn't even had time to comprehend what just happened before Vvulf was already back on his feet, axe in hand as he scanned the blinding white of the snowstorm. Vvulf lowered his stance, gripping his axe with one hand while he used the other to pull Misty from where she was buried in the snow.
"Get up" Vvulf ordered, setting her on her hooves. Misty's legs sunk into the snow below, having lost her snowshoes somewhere during their drag.
"Back to mine, keep your weapon at the ready"
Misty did as she was told, trusting in her companion to get her out of this situation like he had done before with similar circumstances. The two stood with their backs to one another, Misty trying to keep from sinking completely into the snow, shifting her weight on her hooves as the chill of the wind and snow hit her. Vvulf and Misty's positions were disrupted when the frozen body of one of Lightning's comrades fell from the sky, shattering like glass on Vvulf's back as he was knocked forward. Misty's eyes darted around with terror, trying to find anything in the swirling storm. Vvulf pushed himself back up, snow falling from his body as he moved back into position with Misty.
The duo snapped their attention to a flash of light, the spectacle illuminating the storm for an instant. The flash of flame from Mistral's lantern breaking silhouetting her alone as her attacker let out a howling shriek of pain, the storm around them consuming the short display as Mistral let out a scream of pain herself.
"Pour the oil from your lantern onto my axe and light it," Vvulf instructed, turning and lowering his weapon to be directly in front of Misty's muzzle as he loomed over her.
"Now!"
Misty tried her best to fight the terror in her body, every single fiber of her being telling her to gallop away as fast and as far as possible. She unclasped the lantern from her saddlebag, opening the case and pouring the dark fluid onto Vvulf's axe. Another ghastly whinny screeched out above the howling of the wind, whatever made the cry approaching at a high speed.
"Light the oil now, Misty!" Vvulf ordered, tensing his muscles and readying himself for whatever was charging for them.
Misty tried to follow the command, frantically using her tinderbox in hopes of producing even just a spark. Another ghastly cry sounded out, the source now only mere feet from the duo. Misty's heart quickened, trying over and over to ignite the oil, but to no avail.
"Misty!" Vvulf yelled, the glowing of ice-blue eyes shining through the storm as the two felt the air get even colder around them.
Finally, a spark lept from the tinderbox, landing on the oil-covered blade. In an instant, the flammable liquid ignited, the orange glow of fire illuminating the storm around Misty and Vvulf. The light revealing the horse-like apparition charging for them with its cold, piercing gaze as well. Vvulf shoved Misty aside, tossing her into the snow like a rag doll, swinging his axe upwards. The flaming edge connected with the neck of the creature, the spirit's eyes going wide for an instant before Vvulf's ignited weapon cleaved through its neck. The monster dissipating into a blueish smoke around Vvulf with a final, piercing cry.
Misty crawled out of the pile of snow Vvulf had tossed her into, shaking the cold powder from her body. The first thing she noticed, was the lack of howling winds and piercing cold, as if the storm had disappeared as quickly as whatever creature Vvulf had traded blows with.
"Vvulf!" Misty called out, remembering her companion.
Turning around, Misty found Vvulf standing where he had struck the last blow to the frigid creature. Frost covered his armor, even his heavy fur cloak was frozen stiff, jutting out behind him as if it had stopped moving mid-billow. Misty let out a sigh of relief as thin sheets of ice cracked and fell to the snow below Vvulf as his shoulders rose and fell slowly, her concern for her companion's well-being lessened slightly, seeing as how he wasn't currently frozen dead. Misty rushed over to Vvulf as he broke free of his icy shell, his hot breath billowing out of his helmet as he knocked the ice from his cloak with his now-extinguished axe.
"Are you alright?" Misty asked with genuine concern, looking up at Vvulf.
"Yes" Vvulf groaned, rotating and bending his joints to cause more ice to break off of his armor.
"You... You killed it, didn't you?" Lightning asked in disbelief, Misty and Vvulf's attention going to the relatively unscathed pony, his apparel similarly frozen, but to a lesser degree to Vvulf.
"What was that thing?" Misty asked, remaining at Vvulf's side as he approached them.
"I think it was a Windigo, spirits that supposedly feed on hatred and conflict" Lightning explained, staring at Vvulf with amazement.
"But those are just old mare's tales, things to keep fillies and foals from fighting..." Misty contested, remembering the stories her grandmother had told her.
"Obviously not" Vvulf said blunty, putting his axe back on his back.
"Yeah... Obviously not..." Misty agreed, wondering what other storybook monsters she would come across whilst in the company of Vvulf.
"Wait! What about everypony else?!"
Lightning's focus returned as he snapped out of the disbelief that this foreign creature had presumably killed a fairytale.
"R-Right, now that the storm has cleared we need to look for anypony who survived" Lightning instructed.
"There" Vvulf responded, pointing an armored finger at two mounds of snow several feet away.
Lightning and Misty rushed to the piles of snow as fast as they could, Vvulf trudging through the snow behind them. The first pile revealed the body of the last pony of the group, frozen solid with an expression of pure terror on his muzzle. Misty turned her head away, moving on to the other pile with apprehension as Vvulf buried the deceased pony in the snow.
"D-Did I g-get i-it?" Mistral stuttered out with a weak smile, her teeth chattering from the cold and frost that coated her body.
"Mistral!" Lightning exclaimed, helping the mare up and out of the snow as best he could.
"I- I d-dont t-think I'm g-going to b-be m-much help-p anym-more, S-Sir" Mistral chuckled grimly between her stuttered words, her body succumbing to the cold bit by bit.
Before Lightning or Misty could say anything, Vvulf scooped the frigid mare up, wrapping her in his thick, fur cloak.
"We need to find someplace warm if she's going to survive" Vvulf instructed, ignoring the different looks he was getting from all three ponies, even the one currently in his arms.
"Right," Lightning replied, focusing back on the important matter at hand.
"There are some old mining tunnels nearby that we could use"
Vvulf nodded his head and allowed Lightning to take the lead, Misty following close to Vvulf's side. Something small inside of Misty was jealous at the special treatment Mistral was receiving from her armored companion, but she scrunched her muzzle and kept her mouth shut. Misty focused on the fact that she was alive and mobile, something that couldn't be said for the other ponies of Lightning's group. Pushing the images of broken shards of pony gore from her mind, Misty followed Vvulf as Lightning lead what was left of the entourage towards their temporary respite.
Warmth and light filled the mine entrance as Lightning finally got a fire started, a task that had been more difficult than normal with his hooves shaking from the cold. The three ponies and their strange companion gathered closer to the flames, the ponies letting out a sigh of relief as they reveled in the simple security of flame. Mistral remained bundled in Vvulf's cloak, the chattering of her teeth having finally stopped. Lightning's face was somber as he stared into the flames, his mind lingering on the lives that were lost in that frozen field.
"Thank you" Lightning finally said, addressing Vvulf and cutting through the silence.
"You... You saved our lives"
"You're welcome" Vvulf replied without looking at Lightning, water dripping from his armor as his icy shell melted.
"How did you know fire would harm the Windigo?" Lightning asked, examining the rugged and wet armor as it glistened in the light of the fire.
"I didn't" Vvulf admitted, causing Lightning's eyes to go wide.
"It was an educated guess that payed off"
"Thank Faust for that" Mistral chuckled weakly, her body still recovering.
The group returned to silence, resting as their bodies thawed from the cold. Vvulf stood up, his armored plates sliding against one another as he did.
"We'll need more wood if the fire is going to last overnight" Vvulf explained as he rose.
"Overnight?" Lightning repeated with confusion.
"We're to be at the front by the end of the day"
"She is in no condition to travel" Vvulf said, gesturing at Mistral, who had fallen asleep by the fire in Vvulf's cloak.
"We wait until she has recovered tomorrow"
Lightning was about to open his mouth in protest, but the piercing gaze of the wolf's visage caused his words to catch in his throat. Lightning just nodded his head as he swallowed his tongue, not wanting to upset the creature that had taken the brunt of the Windigo's frost and walked away seemingly unscathed. Misty moved to follow Vvulf, but a silent stare from the snarling facade made her remain seated by the fire. With his point made, Vvulf stepped out into the evening air, the sun slowly setting over the frozen landscape.
"Who does that... Thing think he is, giving me orders" Lightning pouted, digging his hoof around in the dirt below him.
"What kind of creature is he anyway?"
"The kind that kills Windigos and saves our hides" Misty replied, stifling a giggle as she responded in a manner she thought Vvulf would.
Lightning opened his mouth to say something in return, but ended up just shaking his head at Misty's response.
"I suppose you're right" Lightning chuckled, pulling out a bundle of rations.
"Hungry?"
Misty's stomach rumbled as she saw the food, her face turning crimson in embarassment. Having not eaten anything since this morning and after the excitement earlier, Misty's appetite was more than piqued.
"Starving" Mistral replied, leaning forward and taking a piece of the hearty bread.
"Please" Misty said, taking a piece as well.
The three ponies sat around the fire, enjoying the simple food and the warmth. After finishing their initial piece, the trio of ponies went for a second, filling their bellies as best they could. Vvulf returned to the 'feasting' ponies, carrying a mess of burnable scraps, the best he could do in the inhospitable frozen plains.
"Come, join us, Vvulf" Lightning smiled, holding a thick piece of the hearty bread up for the man.
"No" Vvulf responded, adding more fuel to the fire before taking his original seat again.
Lightning's muzzle scrunched up with a frown, clearly displeased with Vvulf's rude response.
"What's his problem?" Lightning whispered to Misty, leaning over to talk to the mare privately, keeping an eye on the seated warrior.
"I don't think he eats... Ever" Misty whispered back, looking at Vvulf as he rested. She had learned earlier that not even sleep was necessary for her companion, more and more, Vvulf seemed like nothing more than a living weapon.
Lightning sat back silently, his eyes glued to the armored body of their foreign ally. Vvulf's head hung low and watched the flames, the light flickering off of his metal-covered body.
"Vvulf," Lightning spoke up, addressing the man.
"Yes?" Vvulf responded coldly, clearly uninterested in talking to the stallion.
"What's under that helmet of yours?" Lightning asked, Misty's eyes going between the two males.
All focus was on Vvulf, even Mistral sat up slightly to show her genuine interest in this question. Misty had to admit, the thought had occurred to her, but she had never worked up the courage to ask it. Vvulf remained silent for a moment before looking up and at the three ponies, scanning their small campsite with his furious visage.
"Nothing" He responded, looking back down at his open hand before lowering his voice and clenching his fist.
"Not anymore..."
Lightning remained silent after that, realizing he had hit his limit of questions he could ask Vvulf without worry. Mistral remained quiet as well, looking off in a different direction of the mine, avoiding letting her gaze drift onto Vvulf. The armored man himself simply relaxed again, letting his head fall as he rested. Vvulf's ever-furious visage making it seem as though he never truly had a moment of calmness.
Misty's eyes remained on Vvulf however, a sadness behind her expression. Vvulf was alone, hidden behind his armored shell, a wall of steel between him and the world. And it seemed like that was exactly what he wanted. Misty looked away after her realization, lying down on her side as the sun began to set beyond the horizon. The two other ponies mimicked Misty's actions, lying down to rest after the events of earlier. The tunnel was flooded with orange as the sun disappeared, leaving only the burning flames to illuminate the group.
Misty stirred from her slumber, her restless sleep being interrupted by the sound of metal plates sliding together. Cracking open a cyan eye to examine the source. Misty watched as Vvulf let out a quiet grunt and stood up, leaving the fireside and exiting the mine entrance. Misty waited a moment then rose to her own hooves, wanting to know what Vvulf was up to. The grey mare slipping past her equine allies and following after Vvulf.
Misty found the armored man just standing in the open tundra, his gaze fixated upon the moon above. Misty remained in place, watching Vvulf, not daring to move and make a sound that would alert the usually hyper-alert warrior. Misty watched Vvulf as he just stood there, reveling in the soft light of the moon. His arms hung limply at his side, a far cry from his usually tight posture, as if he was always ready to spring into action. Misty stood there and watched Vvulf for what felt like hours with little excitement to speak of.
Then suddenly, just as she was ready to return to the warmth of the fire, Vvulf shot his gaze off in the direction of the cliff above them. Misty followed his gaze, her eyes going wide with a mixture of pure terror and astonishment. There, poised above them was an enormous, silver and grey wolf, the stoic beast larger than any wolf or even Timberwolf Misty had ever seen. The beast locked its intelligent eyes with Vvulf, the armored warrior drawing his axe slowly.
The wolf took a single step forward as Vvulf finally drew his weapon, letting the bladed edge kiss the frozen ground at his feet. Both 'wolves' moved forward slightly, Vvulf's axe cutting a small line in the frozen earth below. Misty watched as the massive beast turned its snout up to the moon and let out a howl that echoed into Misty's very core. With its final cry, the wolf walked back away from the edge of the cliff, looking back at Vvulf one last time before disappearing. With the hound gone, Vvulf returned his axe to the clasp on his back, bending down to collect kindling for the fire.
"What was that thing?" Misty asked, not able to contain herself anymore.
Vvulf locked up for a moment, clearly startled to have come across another soul, but relaxed when he heard Misty's voice. Standing back upright, Vvulf stared down at Misty as she approached, her head tilted to the side inquizitively as she waited for Vvulf's answer.
"An echo of the past" Vvulf sighed, giving Misty an actual answer, albeit vague, but an answer nonetheless.
"I uh... Okay..." Misty mumbled, unsure as to what to say to Vvulf's after that. Instead, Misty began to gather kindling with her magical grasp, giving Vvulf a kind smile.
"I thought maybe you could use some help"
"It's... Appreciated" Vvulf replied without looking at Misty, continuing to gather his own fuel for their fire.
"Come on, we have more than enough"
The following morning, the group left the mine entrance, leaving behind smoldering embers. Not much conversing occurred during the remainder of their travel to the front, last night's events still clear in Mistral and Lightning's mind. The group finally made it to the encampment set on the northern border, the legion of ponies dispersed in tents that went on for what felt like forever. Mumbles and curious looks followed Vvulf as he moved past ponies in their fortified landscape, a small following of soldiers off-duty joining the group as they made their way to the main war tent. Lightning stopped outside of the tent, pulling open the flap for Misty and Vvulf. The stallion shot a look to the other ponies, dispersing them with little resistance.
"Best of luck to you, Vvulf" Lightning said, giving the warrior a nod.
"Same to you" Vvulf replied plainly, the response still putting a small smile on Lightning's face.
Misty and Vvulf entered the tent, Lightning closing the flap behind them, leaving to help tend to Mistral. Vvulf looked around the war tent's interior, taking note of the large map covered in figures that depicted both friendly and enemy forces.
"There was certainly no over-exaggeration when they described you as unique" A stallion said amused, getting Misty and Vvulf's attention.
"General Bubbles!" Misty exclaimed, giving the stallion a salute.
"At ease, commander. I was made aware of your appearance as well" Bubbles said, walking around the grey mare, looking her up and down with an approving smirk.
"And what a lovely appearance it is~"
"T-Thank you, General" Misty replied, putting her hoof back down, but remaining slightly tense.
"I came to fight, not watch you leer at my guide" Vvulf interrupted, getting Bubbles's attention as the stallion let out an annoyed sigh.
"Of course, a beast such as yourself could never appreciate the finer points of life" Bubbles rediculed, shaking his head with an amused smirk.
Vvulf remained silent, crossing his arms over his chest. Misty took a step away from the general as well, moving to the large table and map that sat on top.
"Vvulf is right, General, we must focus on the task at hand" Misty said, putting her hooves on the table, standing over the map.
"Of course, commander" Bubbles said with venom behind his voice, clearly upset at Vvulf for his interruption.
"As of yesterday, we intercepted a message that our enemies are gathering here" Bubbles explained, pointing with a hoof at the map, putting his leg around Misty's shoulders as he did.
"Anything else?" Misty asked, moving the general's leg off of her as she rounded the table to examine the figures of the enemy forces.
"Uh- yes, of course" Bubbles replied.
"They're resupplying, we're exhausting their forces and their resources. This last push should claim us this half of the front for sure"
"That's an awfully optimistic and confident outlook on the outcome of this battle, General" Misty responded, looking up at Bubbles.
"What kind of reconnaissance have you done? Any special tactics set?"
"Please, that wont be necessary" Bubbles explained, waving a hoof dismissively.
"We've mapped that area plenty of times before, there's nothing new out there besides, they're on the run. Nothing more than stragglers, an easy victory" Bubbles said confidently, giving Vvulf a prideful smirk before turning his gaze onto Misty. The mare moving back towards Vvulf, away from the lecherous glare the general was giving her.
"A victory that I will allow you to witness firsthoof, think of it as a gift from the pony that earned Equestria the North"
Vvulf simply stared at the stallion with his arms crossed, silently allowing his foolish words to flow from his mouth like a river of nonsense. When Vvulf was positive Bubbles was done, he left the tent, leaving the beaming general behind. Misty followed shortly behind, not wanting to be left alone with the general.
"Thank you, I thought that the rumors of the general's behavior was only that" Misty sighed, shaking her head.
"There are always individuals like that" Vvulf said, looking out on the gathering forces.
"Power begets corruption, to lead is to force one servitude"
"I suppose that's one way to look at it" Misty replied, her gaze going across the soldiers as well.
Vvulf stood beside General Bubbles and Misty, his companion having made a point to put herself and the general on opposite sides of the armored warrior. The trio, along with other commanders, stood over the soldiers gathered in their rectangular formations, weapons drawn and ready for the contact to come.
"Now, watch in revelry as I claim the North for Equestra and her royal sisters" Bubbles proclaimed confidently.
A younger stallion commander came up to the general, handing him a spyglass with his curled wing. He gave Vvulf a curious look, but remained focused on the task he had been given.
"General, you may want to look at this" The stallion said, pointing a hoof towards the enemy forces.
Bubbles took the spyglass from the young stallion, putting it against his eye as he looked out on the minimally fortified camp the enemies were gathering at. There above their camp hung a banner that caught the general's eye, his blood beginning to boil as he read the demeaning and mocking text directed at him personally.
"I want that banner down. Now!" Bubbles ordered, grinding his teeth.
"B-By your orders, Sir" The young pegasus stallion replied before taking off towards the gathered units.
"Forward March!" Bubbles ordered with a booming voice, carrying his words over all of the ponies under his command.
"Take no prisoners, no surrender! And take that banner down!"
The ponies below let out a spirited war cry, galloping forward with their weapons drawn. The initial clash with the black armored ponies across the frozen landscape was swift and bloody. Armored plates gave way to spear points and sword blades, painting the white landscape in spilled crimson. Vvulf watched the scene of battle with silent interest, studying the fighting style both sides employed. The black armored Northerners tried their best to stave off the onslaught of silver armored Equestrians, but their sheer numbers overwhelmed the exhausted Northerners, forcing them to retreat, going through a wide trench. Misty's eyes went wide as she realized what was happening, the retreat, the overwhelmingly successful charge, the lack of enemy fortifications; The Northerners weren't running, they were leading the Equestrian forces into a trap.
"You need to call everypony back. Now!" Misty exclaimed, turning to Bubbles. The general simply shaking his head at the mare.
"Why would I halt the advance whilst we're so close to greatness?" Bubbles scoffed, allowing his soldiers to continue their charge into the trap.
"They're all going to die! Can you not see you're trotting right into a trap?" Misty asked with utter disbelief at the blinding bravado General Bubbles had, making her question how he even rose to his rank in the first place.
"If I cared for your input, commander, I would ask" Bubbles practically growled, clearly furious that Misty would even dare to question his command.
"I- Yes Sir" Misty conceded, walking away from the group, giving Vvulf a look and a subtle nod.
"Excuse me" Vvulf said, walking away from the gathered leaders as well, General Bubbles giving him a dismissive wave of his hoof.
"Yes yes, go wrangle that obnoxious mare" Bubbles replied without taking his eyes off the continued scenes of battle below. His forces were massacring the Northerners, covering the tundra in black armored corpses and crimson splatters and puddles.
Vvulf followed Misty behind a fortification wall, staring down at the mare with his snarling visage.
"Well?" Vvulf asked, as always, wanting to get to the point.
"Everypony in that trench is going to die, they're leading them right into a trap" Misty explained, hanging her head low.
"I know you probably think I'm paranoid, but something about this whole encounter doesn't add up-"
Vvulf held up an armored hand, stopping Misty's woeful speech. Misty's mouth closed as she looked up at the warrior, his beastly facade looming over her.
"What do you need me to do?" Vvulf asked simply, awaiting Misty's orders.
"R-Right!" Misty snapped back to attention, her eyes burning with passion.
"I need you to get down there and clean up the General's mess. Sweep the tops of the trench, that's where they'll come from"
Vvluf nodded his head and ran off, charging for the front lines. Misty watched her companion hone in on the battle, drawing his axe as he went. Misty let out a sigh and nodded her head slightly, heading back to rejoin the other commanders and General Bubbles.
"Couldn't keep the leash on your beast?" Bubbles mocked as Misty returned, stepping closer to her as he talked.
"You try telling him 'no'" Misty replied, ignoring the general's advances still.
Misty watched as Vvulf changed his course, moving up the sides of the trench and disappearing over the small hill. Misty uttered a silent prayer for his safety, opening her eyes to watch the main battle continue to unfurl. General Bubbles watched with foal-like glee, reveling in his own continued victory as he watched his forces wipe the Northerners off the battlefield. The trench ran red with the fleeing Northerners' blood, the Equestrian forces finally reaching the banner mocking the general. A spear-pony cut down the banner, hoisting her weapon above her head. The celebration of the Equestrian forces was short-lived as the mechanism was sprung, the cutting of the banner triggering the trap while the Northerners escaped the danger zone.
A wave of heavy stones rolled into the trench from both sides, their trigger activated. The solid rocks crushing, battering, and burying at least a quarter of the Equestrian units, their mangled corpses joining the deceased Northerners in the narrow passage. Before the ponies could react and reassess, a deafening cry sounded out, a wave of black armored Northerners descending upon what remained of the Equestrian forces. The silver armored ponies moving to retreat the way they came as the sea of black flooded in, threatening to swallow them whole. But fleeing back through the trench was no longer an option, the path blocked by a detachment of Northerners.
The Equestrian units braced for battle, circling themselves as to best try and defend themselves from the overwhelming horde of Northerners. Vvulf lept from above the trench, coming down in the middle of the unit of Northerners blocking the retreat of what remained of the Equestrian forces. His heavy axe cleaved a black armored unicorn in half, splitting the pony's middle like an old log. A spray of blood covered Vvulf and the ponies around him, the crimson spray coating Vvulf and his axe as he spun with the weapon. His brutal movements clearing a swath of Northern Ponies as he cleaved through armored throats and barrels, the bloody blade leaving an almost tangible trail of crimson in the air as he swung the weapon.
Vvulf paused, axe resting over his shoulders as he remained hunched over, his shoulders rising and falling slowly in tandem with his deep breaths. The Northern ponies around him paused, frozen in fear for a moment at seeing the animalistic brutality of Vvulf in combat. Mustering their courage, several spear-ponies charged Vvulf, attempting to impale the warrior.
Vvulf's eye glinted with that familiar sheen of bloodlust, the snarling visage of the wolf turning up to lock eyes with one of the attacking Northern ponies. The split second of hesitation of the spear-pony's breath catching as her eyes locked with Vvulf's was all that Vvulf needed, lunging forward at the pony.
Vvulf's fist caught the mare in the bottom of her jaw, uppercutting the Northern pony hard enough to crack her teeth. Vvulf continued forward, following the punch with a grapple. Vvulf grabbed the mare and used her to catch the spear of her ally, the point going into her chest before she could even cry out in pain at her bloody mouth. Vvulf cast the mare aside, taking the spear with it. With the spear-pony now without a weapon, Vvulf brought his axe down across the pony's forehooves.
Vvulf silenced the pony's scream of pain with his armored boot, stomping the black, metal helmet in. Vvulf stumbled to the side, looking down to see a spear jammed into his right arm. His appendage hung limp at his side, his own red blood running down the metal plates of his armor.
Without missing a beat, Vvulf swapped his axe to his non-dominant hand. He brought the blade down on the spear's haft, shattering it before slamming his axe into the side of the pony that had wounded him. Vvulf felt the blow of a sword to his back, the sharpened edge cutting through his heavy fur cloak, but skittering harmlessly against his backplate.
Misty watched in horror as Vvulf fought off the swarm of Northern ponies, trading blows. Vvulf stood hunched over, poised to strike as his shoulders rose and fell. Blood leaked from between the plates of his armor, a small flow of it spilling from the mouth of the wolf.
"Is that all you've got?" Vvulf growled, sliding the edge of his axe across the frozen earth below.
Before what remained of the Northern ponies could attack, the Equestrian ponies charged in to aid Vvulf. The brutal efficiency of Vvulf attack clearing enough of the black armored ponies for the Equestrian soldiers to mop up the rest, retreating back towards their reinforced line. A silver armored earth pony stopping to lend Vvulf aid.
Begrudgingly, Vvulf retreated along with the ponies. He knew he wouldn't last against the full wave of the approaching Northerners, his mission successful in rescuing what remained of General Bubbles' doomed charge.
"What do they think they're doing?!" Bubbles exclaimed furiously, watching his ponies and Vvulf make it back to the safety of their fortifications.
Bubbles galloped down to the troops and the foreign warrior as the approaching Northerners were halted by the barrage of arrows and catapults, the ranged offensive forcing a retreat of the opposing forces.
"How dare you commit this... This mutiny!" Bubbles screamed and spat at Vvulf.
"I'll have your head for this insubordination, beast!" Bubbles exclaimed, moving to draw his sword on the injured Vvulf.
Vvulf responded to the general's hostility by grabbing the pony by the shoulders, making the stallion drop the sword from his teeth as he let out a gasp of surprise. Vvulf didn't even give Bubbles a chance to say anything before headbutting him, slamming the snarling, bloody snout of his helmet into the general's muzzle.
Bubbles stumbled backwards, the battered and bloodied unit of ponies looking on with silent applause as the general held his hoof against his bloody muzzle. Bubbles' body shook with a mix of terror and rage, his eyes fixated on the looming glare of Vvulf above him.
"You talk too much" Vvulf said with a deathly coldness, leaving the general in the cold dirt as he made his way to Misty.
"You... You're injured" Misty gasped as she saw the extent of Vvulf condition up close.
"Yes" Vvulf admitted, blood spilling from between his armor plates, dripping into a puddle that stained the ground beneath him crimson.
"I will need some time to recover... undisturbed"
"R-Right" Misty replied, nodding her head vigorously in an attempt to stave off the tears she felt creeping up her throat.
Misty cleared her throat and began barking orders, the ponies around her looking at their general holding his bloody muzzle like a bullied foal. Without another word, the Equestrian soldiers began following Misty's orders, Vvulf retreating to a secluded tent to supposedly heal.
A pair of Northern commanders cautiously trotted their way down the brutally beautiful hallway of the throne room, knealing at the foot of the shadowed throne.
"Your Excellency" One of the Northern ponies, a mare said, bowing low to the ground.
"Speak, worm" A dark voice ordered from the darkness, a pair of green and red eyes locking on the ponies, illuminated by a trailing purple glow.
"Our plan-" She reported, the glowing eyes boring into her.
"Your plan, general" The voice interrupted, correcting venomously.
"O-Of course Your Excellency, my mistake" The mare quickly apologized.
"The Equestrians have summoned the aid of some strange creature. It fought like a beast, it tore through our soldiers even after being severely injured"
"General... Have you come here before me to report your failure?" The voice hissed, sending shivers down the mare's spine.
"M-my apologies, Your Excellency-" The mare began to apologize and grovel, but was interrupted by a jutting black crystal that impaled her barrel. Her head falling limp, the crested helmet of her rank hitting the floor.
"Congratulations on your promotion... General" The voice chuckled as the other pony, a stallion, picked up and put on the helmet.
"A t-thousand thanks, Your Excellency" The stallion said, bowing his head.
"Let us see how this 'Equestrian Beast' fares against a true monster" The voice said, laughing wickedly as the shadow behind the throne shifted, a large, reptilian amber eye sliding open to stare at the newly minted general.
Misty let out a tired sigh, rubbing a hoof over her tired muzzle. In the days following the battle, and removal of General Bubbles, Misty had taken up the remaining responsiblities that were left in the General's abscence, along with other Equestrian commanders. It was almost cathartic, returning to menial documents and overseeing soldiers as she had back in the Everfree Fort. Before she encountered Vvulf. Misty hadn't seen him at all since the battle and his request to 'recover undisturbed'.
"Commander Glory, or is it General now?" A familiar, female voice asked from behind Misty.
"Jade!" Misty's thoughtful expression turned up into a happy smile, the grey mare running to embrace her friend.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well," Jade began, breaking off the hug after enjoying it for the moment, "Since General- Sorry, Commander Bubbles' return to the fort, the princesses thought my leadership would be best employed here at the front"
Misty noticed Jade's eyes quickly dart around for a moment before her gaze focused back on her, giving Misty a warm smile.
"Looking for something?" Misty giggled, teasing Jade.
"I don't see your... Companion anywhere" Jade replied, mentioning Vvulf with a tone like a bad taste in her mouth.
"Oh, Vvulf?" Misty responded, defending the man who had saved both of their lives. If only a little.
"He's recovering right now"
"Recovering?" Jade asked, almost in disbelief.
"Somepony actually hurt that thing?"
"Well, some ponies, to be exact" Misty replied, recounting Vvulf's efficacy in battle.
"Color me impressed. I didn't think anypony had it in them, to take on such a beast" Jade chuckled and shook her head, starting to trot towards the commander's tent.
"But, we've more important matters to discuss, unfortunately"
"What's going on?" Misty asked, following Jade into the tent.
Jade made her way over to the war table in the middle of the tent, taking a rolled scroll out of her saddlebags and putting it on the map-covered table. The white mare moved a silver figure across the map to confront a black figure standing atop some nearby ruins.
"We've got orders to seize the ruins and reinforce them as an outpost" Jade explained while Misty levitated the scroll to herself, reading and confirming what Jade had just said.
"Why the sudden offensive?" Misty asked, setting the scroll back down on the table.
"Given the losses suffered in the last battle and the declining support of the ponies, the princesses realized they needed to show some progress in this Faust-forsaken war" Jade explained, letting out a sigh and rubbing her forehead with a hoof.
"As much as I hate to admit it, we're going to need his help"
"I'm sure Vvulf will help" Misty replied, looking out of the open side of the tent, across the rest of the forces below.
"I wonder if he's recovered yet, it's been a few days now..."
"Well, it's your job to find out" Jade chuckled, returning to the map before her.
"We'll set off when he's ready, so the sooner, the better"
Misty nodded her head and gave her friend a salute, Jade returning the display with one of her own. With nothing more to be said, Misty left the commander's tent and headed towards Vvulf's tent. Moving through the crowd of soldiers, Misty finally reached the isolated, single tent Vvulf had specifically requested be raised for his recovery. Misty smiled to herself, Vvulf was like a spoiled foal. If that foal could single-hoofedly take out a whole platoon of Northerners.
"Vvulf?" Misty called out, letting the man know she was there and approaching.
Misty didn't receive a reply, but something else piqued her ears. The sound of metal on metal banging came from within Vvulf's tent, clearly the man was repairing his armor once again. Curiosity got the better of Misty and the Grey mare stepped forward, creeping closer to Vvulf's tent on her hoof-tips.
Carefully, Misty pulled on a small flap of the tent, moving it aside with her magic. Inside, Misty's eyes tried to adjust, peering into Vvulf's darkened tent. Misty could vaguely make out Vvulf's form, his bare flesh exposed. Misty almost let out an audible gasp at finally seeing what was beneath her companion's armor, but she stifled it by biting her lip.
Vvulf's body was pale and hairless, but what caught Misty's attention and pulled at her heartstrings was the realization that Vvulf's skin was covered in scars. Not just scars from battle, but definate runes carved into the man's flesh. Vvulf's body froze, Misty losing track of the man now that her eyes weren't able to follow his movements.
Misty's heart nearly stopped when she was suddenly muzzle-to-snout with Vvulf, his furious facade making Misty's breath catch in her throat as she stumbled back.
"S-Sorry!" Misty exclaimed, releasing the tent's flap and taking a few steps away from the fabric walls of the tent, putting herself hopefully out of range of Vvulf's axe.
"I requested to remain undisturbed " Vvulf practically growled, putting thick emphasis on his desire to be left alone during his recovery.
"I was sent to check-in on you, you've been in there without so much as a single word for days" Misty replied, her tone a tad annoyed at her predictably introverted companion.
"Sorry" Vvulf replied, causing Misty to stutter at the admittance from the man.
"I-It's alright" Misty squeaked out,
"I just wanted to see if you were okay, you took a real beating in that battle"
"I'm fine now" Vvulf replied, the sound of metal shifting coming from inside the tent.
"Was there any other reason you disturbed me?" Vvulf asked, stepping out of the tent with his usual apparel, staring down at Misty with that familiarly furious facade of his.
"Y-Yes," Misty started, calming her nerves.
"We've got orders to claim some nearby ruins for an outpost"
"I see," Vvulf replied in his monotonous voice.
"When do we depart?"
Vvulf sat in the knee-deep snow, silently waiting with his arms crossed. Misty, Mistral, and a dozen other equestrian soldiers waited beside him, positioned behind their snow pile cover. Much to his annoyance, Vvulf had been involuntarily joined by the small detachment of 'Elites'. Lighting, the leader of the equine elites, was busy reconning the ruins, the dark blue pegasus able to covertly observe their target.
Vvulf's head lifted as he picked-up on the nigh silent sound of Lightning's feathered wings flapping over the wintry winds. The rest of the squad tensed up, fearing their strange companion had detected approaching enemies. Tensions quickly faded once Lightning landed before them, his hooves crunching the snow beneath him.
"I counted at least three-dozen, a hoof-full of crossbows, but mostly infantry" Lightning relayed, trotting over to his allies.
"What's the plan, Sir?" A pegasus mare asked, stepping forward.
"We'll make our move when the storm comes in. If what Mistral feels holds true, we should have some cover soon. It won't be a whiteout, so be quick and stay out of sight. I don't think I need to explain the importance of a swift and silent mission" Lightning said, looking over at Vvulf as he uttered the last lines.
Vvulf silently rose, turning to observe the dimly lit ruins across the barren snow field before them. Misty joined him, peeking her muzzle over the mound of snow.
"This is going to be great for morale" Misty said with a smile, turning her head to face Vvulf as he continued to stare out at the ruins.
"You speak like the ruins are already claimed" Vvulf replied after a moment, causing Misty to chuckle.
"Well of course," Misty said, amused.
"We've got you on our side, this is going to be no problem"
Vvulf let out a 'hm', but offered no further reply. Misty shook her head with a smile and focused her gaze back out at the ruins.
Just as Mistral had predicted, the winds began to pick up, carrying snow from the sky and ground across their sight as their sounds were muffled by the swirling storm. Lightning and the pegasi attached two short blades to their forehooves, Lightning giving the whole group a nod before disappearing into the snowy sky along with the other winged equines. Misty, Mistral, and the rest of the elites drew small daggers with their teeth, the unicorns not daring to use their magic, lest even the dimmest light expose their operation. Misty paused to look back at the still-stationary Vvulf, the armored man standing all alone. Misty uttered a silent prayer and disappeared into the snow-filled scene, leaving Vvulf alone where the detachment had began.
Vvulf took a deep breath, letting his hot breath billow out of his helmet. With nothing left to do, the man advanced on the ruins as well, not bothering to draw his axe yet. The deep snow and harsh winds were little more than a background though for Vvulf as he dashed across the frigid horizon like the hound his helmet resembled. His movements were swift, low to the ground, truly animalistic. And effective. In no time at all, Vvulf was pressed against the crumbling, frost-covered walls of the ruins. His eyes scanned the mess of broken walls and collapsed towers, taking note of every black-armored pony he noticed. With his prey in sight, Vvulf began to hunt. While comparably much larger than his equine allies and targets, Vvulf was incredibly stealthy, the armored man remaining out of the light and sight of the defending Northerners. The whipping winds silenced his armored body shifting as he slunk around the ruins, nearing his quarry with each deft footfall.
The first pony Vvulf came across met a swift and brutal end, the mare's neck breaking with a muffled crack following a heavy blow from the side of Vvulf's armored hand. Vvulf stashed the body away, tucking it away, lest it cause complications if found. Vvulf continued on, silently slaughtering the guards as he went. His latest victims being swiftly dispatched, one by their own blade, the other by their fallen ally's crossbow, the bolt piercing through the back of the plated, black helmet and emerging out of the stallion's eye socket.
Another unsuspecting stallion let out a muffled cry of pain as Misty plunged her knife into his neck, her hoof covering his outburst until it subsided into a bloody gurgle before falling completely silent. Misty hauled the body away, the irony taste of the stallion's blood creeping across her lips as her blade remained between her muzzle. Misty's gaze caught movement, the approaching Northerner's throat being slit by a blinding blur of feathers and steel.
Slowly and systematically, the ruins were cleared. When the last Northerner hit the ground with a muffled thud, Lightning touched down in the center of the ruins, the rest of his allies eventually joining him as the storm continued to blow through the ancient ruins.
"Did we get them all?" A unicorn stallion asked, his voice muffled by the knife held by his muzzle.
"We can't be sure yet, you two, check inside to make sure we're finished" Lightning ordered, pointing a hoof at Mistral and the vocal stallion.
The pair nodded, almost in unison, and moved towards the ruin's single standing tower. The ice-caked stone walls loomed over the otherwise crumbled fortress, jutting up into the swirling snow above, the top of the tower having caved in long ago. The two unicorns sheathed their muzzle-held knives and drew their weapons. The stallion grabbed ahold of the tower's door and began to open it slowly.
The stallion stared into the dark interior, the darkness of the tower's confines being quickly illuminated by a raging inferno that washed over the stallion. Mistral had been lucky enough to be standing behind the wall of the tower proper, but unfortunate enough to have to witness as fur and flesh were fused to armor, melting and charring as the flames consumed the stallion right before her. Mistral was barely able to conjure a protective shell around herself before the wall beside her was demolished, sending the fuchsia unicorn flying.
The ponies watched with abject horror as an enormous black dragon emerged from the crumbling tower, its wings unfurling to their all-consuming width as the beast let out a furious roar that shook the air itself. The dragon refocused its amber gaze on the ponies, opening its massive maw as another wave of flaming death grew inside it.
"Scatter!" Lightning ordered, shooting skyward, narrowly avoiding the blast of dragonfire that consumed most of the elites. Vvulf and Misty arrived to watch their allies be turned to little more than ash and bones, the armored man tucking Misty into himself as he dove behind the remains of a wall. A fireball sailed past where they had just been, exploding behind them in an inferno, the waves of heat washing over Vvulf and Misty as the fire dissipated into the snowy air. Vvulf patted out the flames that had caught on his cloak, the greyish-white fur stained black at the edges by the dragon's breath.
The dragon hissed as it pulled itself out and over the collapsed stones of what remained of the tower's walls, the beast's form filling the center of the ruins almost entirely. Its amber eyes scanned over the ruins, searching for its prey as it slithered through the crumbling walls and long-forgotten towers.
"C-Can you even kill that thing?" Misty whispered in disbelief, having heard tales of the dragons that inhabited this world, but never having seen one in the flesh, let alone one as massive as this one.
Vvulf peeked his head around the crumbling wall they were hidden behind, watching as the dragon lunged forward, snapping its jaws closed and silencing a pony's screams with a bloody spray.
"Perhaps" Vvulf replied, drawing his axe.
"I'll need you to distract it so I can get close enough to strike"
Misty locked up at Vvulf's request, fear paralyzing her body hearing his words. 'Distract the dragon' those words boomed inside her terrified mind, how could she do anything that didn't end up with her becoming a soot stain on the white snow. Her wide, cyan eyes stared up at Vvulf as he examined his enemy, axe in hand as he peeked around the wall. Then, something finally clicked with Misty, she saw that glow, that burning bloodlust inside of Vvulf as he stood there. But, something was different about it this time. It wasn't a blind rage, but a cold and calculating stare, somehow this new sheen in his eyes was even more terrifying than the dragon.
"A-Alright, on my mark" Misty replied, nodding her head as she swallowed her fear.
Vvulf nodded his head once, but never took his gaze off of the dragon. Misty took a deep breath and triggered their plan, stepping out into the open from behind the ruined wall. Using her magic, Misty drew her sword and hurled it at the dragon, the blade doing little to the armored scales, but getting the beast's attention all the same. The dragon turned to face Misty, those slitted, amber eyes staring into her very soul as she look on at the black-scaled death-incarnate. Misty dodged to the side, sidestepping the dragon's toothed maw as it lunged forward, slamming its jaws closed where she had been. The beast's amber eye rotated to stare at Misty, but quickly shifted to watch the silver blur of Vvulf's axe connect with its other eye. The blade struck true, cutting deep into the dragon's orb, the beast letting out a roar of pain as it clutched its blood-spewing eye.
The dragon removed its bloody claws from its face, a crimson river still flowing from Vvulf's blow. The dragon let free a swath of flame, blasting a horizontal line across the ruins and snow as the beast attempted to incinerate the infuriatingly nimble Vvulf. The armored man seemed to always remain just out of the fire's all-consuming touch, singeing the ends of his fur cloak, but little more than that as he dove and dodged the dragon's enraged flames and strikes through the crumbling ruins.
Misty watched from the relative safety offered by a frost-coated wall, marveling at her companion as he harassed and enraged the dragon, passing blows at the beast while remaining unscathed himself. Misty's wonder turned to horror as the dragon finally connected a blow, its heavy tail slamming into Vvulf and sending him tumbling into a ruined wall. The frozen stones crashed and crumbled onto Vvulf, leaving the man half-buried in the rubble.
"No!" Misty screamed out, her anguished cry being drown-out by the dragon's roar.
The soft thud of something landing in the snow nearby drew her attention, following the sound, Misty's eye was caught by the silver blade of Vvulf's axe shimmering in the moonlight. Mustering her courage, sorrow, and rage into a single-minded determination, Misty lifted the weapon with her light-blue magical grasp. With all the might she could muster with her horn, Misty hurled the weapon, the blade cutting along the dragon's soft throat as it spun through the air. The dragon let out a choked roar of pain, its clawed hand going to its neck. Misty's blow hadn't been deep enough to kill, but enough to cause a flow of dark crimson to leak from the beast's wound.
A blur of steel and feathers shot through the air, tearing a long cut along the dragon's side, slicing though the webbed membrane of the dragon's folded wing. Lightning hit the ground behind the dragon, shooting his gaze over to Misty.
"We need to go. Now!" He ordered, launching back into the air as the dragon went into a bloody rage.
Misty caught sight of Mistral and what remained of their group fleeing across the snowy field as the dragon let loose a wild gout of flame. The orange tongues of the fire lapped across the ground and cut through the snowy, black sky, coating anything the dragon's fire touched in a wreath of flame. Misty had no choice but to retreat as well, the warmth of the dragon's fire felt on her muzzle before she turned her head and galloped across the snow. Tears welled in her eyes as she was forced to abandon Vvulf, fighting every urge she had to return for her companion.
The dragon set back down after its wrathful display of flame, the ruins now almost entirely coated in dragonfire. Vvulf could hear the roars of the dragon, feel the warmth of the fire spraying just overhead, but his body remained still. Blood leaked from the mouth of his helmet and from between his armor-plated body, his breathing was slow and ragged, sucking air into his broken body.
'Rise pup' A cool, female voice spoke to Vvulf, echoing in his mind.
'This is not your story's end. Now, rise and fight'
Vvulf's focus returned, the scarred runes on his body burning as their ancient magic bled into his broken body. Slowly, the warrior moved upright, his armored hand grasping at the crumbling, frozen rubble around him, using the stones to push himself up to his feet. Vvulf noticed his axe lying in the snow nearby him, the result of Misty's throw. Vvulf bent down and grabbed his weapon, turning to the dragon as it let out another booming roar, echoing the cry into the empty, snowy night.
Vvulf advanced on the beast, stepping through the ring of fire it had created around itself. The heavy furs catching as he waded through the flames Burning, Vvulf continued his advance on the dragon's blind side, blood dripping from his armored form and onto the black and white earth below. Vvulf lowered his stance, releasing himself of all inhibitions. With one hand on his axe, the other braced against the ground in his low stance, Vvulf charged the dragon.
The dragon had just enough time to turn and see the bloody, silver blur that was Vvulf before pain washed across its every nerve. A hefty thud sounded as the severed arm of the dragon collided with the frozen earth. A torrent of blood poured from the missing limb, the dragon letting out a booming cry of pain, roaring into the snow-speckled sky above. Vvulf didn't relent, maintaining the momentum of his initial charge by spinning around, using the reinforced pommel of his axe as a fulcrum point.
Again, with blinding speed, Vvulf shot forward, cleaving across the dragon's underbelly. The beast fought through the pain from Vvulf's assault, twisting its maw to coat the ground beneath it in dragonfire. Vvulf dashed behind a ruined wall as the orange blast of flame was released, the dragon continuing to spew molten death at Vvulf as the armored man ran around the beast. Vvulf slid around a wall, practically running on all four of his armored limbs as he charged straight towards the dragon.
The dragon's breath followed behind Vvulf, the flames licking at his heels, having already burned away at the ends of his furred cloak. Vvulf lept up, launching himself into the air just as an explosion of fire went off behind him. His armored fist grabbed ahold of the dragon's trailing chain, his metal-plated fingers wrapping around the iron links. The dragon flapped its wings, sending both it and Vvulf attached below skyward. The armored man held steadfast, the whipping winds of the dragon's takeoff doing little more than to billow his cloak.
Steadily, Vvulf worked his way up the chain, slashing at the dragon's underbelly to pull himself to safety from the occasional gout of flame. Finally, Vvulf arrived to the dragon's collar. Taking his axe in hand, Vvulf readied to land the last blow, swinging it back. But, a sudden twist from the dragon caused the weapon to slip from Vvulf's hand, plummeting to the tundra below. Vvulf skittered along the dragon's back, the aerial maneuver having swung him around the best.
Chain still in hand, Vvulf moved forward, digging his fingers into the dragon's tough scales. Higher and higher the dragon rose as it flew away from the ruins, attempting to return to its lair in the North. Vvulf finally reached the collar of the dragon again, his eye shimmering with furious bloodlust. Before the dragon could try and shake the armored warrior again, Vvulf pulled the chain taught, pressing it against the dragon's neck with enough force to dig the metal of his gauntlets into the links, warping both.
The dragon breathed wild fire into the air, lighting up the night sky as Vvulf pulled the chain tighter, blood leaking more furiously from between the plates of his armor. The dragon's roars began to choke, gurgling hisses escaped the dragon's maw as its tongue lolled out and its flapping became erratic.
Vvulf let out a furious roar, the volume rivaling the dragon's own booming calls. With one final push against his physical limits, the dragon's windpipe collapsed, the beast locking up as Vvulf's strength left him. The armored man slid off of the dragon's back, plummeting out of the sky and slamming into the heavy snow of the tundra below. Vvulf watched with the last of his fading vision as the dragon sailed overhead, crashing into the ground further ahead.
Vvulf looked back up, seeing the cold, piercing gaze of the enormous, silver wolf. Vvulf stared up silently at the looming predator, his breathing ragged and slow. The wolf closed its eyes and leaned its muzzle down, licking the nose of Vvulf's helmet.
"Sleep now, pup" The wolf spoke in a soothing, female voice.
Try as he might to fight the urge, Vvulf's eyes slid closed, his body broken and exhausted from the battle. The last thing Vvulf saw before his mind slipped into blackness was the tail of the wolf, the crunching of snow sounding out as the wolf walked away.
Vvulf's vision returned slowly, clearing the blackness from his sight. Instead of being met with the empty, snowy sky above, Vvulf instead saw a lantern swinging lazily about from a roof beam, illuminating the area around him in a soft orange glow. As the rest of Vvulf's senses returned, he sat up, causing a wave of pain to shoot across his body. Looking down, Vvulf noticed evidence of someone having tended to his wounds. While his armor was still mostly on his person, his chest piece had been detached to bandage his battered torso. With a groan, Vvulf pulled himself upright, steadying his stance before grabbing the plate of his armor nearby, reattaching the blood-stained metal to his front.
Just as Vvulf completed his ensemble again, the door to the tiny room he was in opened. The intruder was a young pegasus mare, not quite a filly, but not fully-grown either. Her messy chestnut mane was tied back in a loose ponytail, soot stained her beige coat, small scars ran along her forehooves as well. Her amber eyes widened as she saw Vvulf on his feet, the bowl that had been perched between her wings falling to the floor as her feathered appendages flapped excitedly.
"Baba! He's awake!" The young mare cried out exstaticly as she rushed out of the room.
Vvulf moved to follow after the young mare, not wanting to remain in the small room any longer. His body screaming in protest with every step he took, Vvulf pushed open the door the pegasus had just exited, looking down to see an elderly, pink pegasus stallion. His rosy coat was stained with soot that matched his slate-grey mane, those same amber eyes looking up at him inquisitively, albeit, one was covered by an eye-patch.
"And where do you think you're going?" The stallion asked incredulously, staring down Vvulf as the young mare returned.
"Away from here" Vvulf replied, wincing as his hand went to clutch his side.
"In this condition?" The stallion rebutted, poking a hoof at Vvulf's core, the simple prodding causing the warrior to drop to a knee to remain upright through the pain.
Vvulf grabbed ahold of the stallion's hoof, gripping it tightly with his armored hand, leaning in to the still straight-faced stallion. But the fearful look on the young mare's muzzle behind, what was presumably her father, caused Vvulf to release his grasp.
"I can't remain here" Vvulf said coldly, the stallion put his hoof back on the ground.
"But you will until you've recovered" The stallion replied, turning his back on Vvulf.
"I have spoken" The stallion said as he exited, leaving Vvulf and the young mare alone again.
"Are you... Are you alright?" The young filly asked, moving to help Vvulf stand back up, moving him to rest against a stout crate against the nearby wall.
"Baba said it was a miracle of Faust you survived, you must be really tough!"
"Somewhat" Vvulf replied, sitting on the wooden box with a groan, letting his armored form rest.
"Where am I, Lady..."
"Oh, Mama was a Lady, I'm just little Caramel Star" Caramel introduced herself, Vvulf just stared at the young mare as she smiled proudly. Eventually, the gears in her brain clicked and she blushed, realizing she hadn't actually answered Vvulf's question.
"Ah- Sorry... You're in the Crystal Empire"
"Empire?" Vvulf asked, Caramel giving him a series of rapid nods of affirmation.
"Who rules over this 'Crystal Empire?"
"Oh! That would be his supreme excellency, King Sombra" Caramel replied proudly, as if she had practiced that line before.
"I don't recall any mention of a king" Vvulf mused to himself.
"Who would forget to mention The King?" Caramel asked, stepping closer to the armored man.
"Those who would push their claim over his" Vvulf sighed, leaning back against the wall as he realized his place in this planed regicide.
"You- You don't mean the Usurpers, do you?" Caramel asked in a shy whisper, amber eyes darting side to side, as if she was trying to hide her words from nearby spies.
"I'm assuming you mean those two princesses, Luna and Celestia? " Vvulf asked bluntly, the young mare squirming in place as he spoke.
"Not so loud! What if somepony hears you?" Caramel hissed in a whisper, receiving a blank stare from the armored man.
"Why would you know their names anyway? Any mention of the Usurpers is a stay in the dungeon... Or worse" The mare finished, shivering at the thought.
"They hired me to fight in their war" Vvulf replied matter-of-factly, causing Caramel's eyes to go wide.
"So the rumors of the monster, that was you?" Caramel asked, surprisingly, taking a step closer to Vvulf. Her amber eyes examining Vvulf's blood-caked armor with interest.
"Possibly" Vvulf responded, moving to sit back up, but opting to remain lounged once the pain shot through his body upon movement.
"The dragon or myself could have been inspiration for such tales"
"D-Dragon?" Caramel asked, staring directly into Vvulf's 'eyes', her gaze locked with the helmet's.
"Yes" Vvulf replied bluntly, letting his eyes close slightly, his body yearning for rest.
"Hey, Mister, I never caught your name" Caramel said, waking the armored man.
"Vvulf" He said simply, pain and exhaustion still clouding his mind and senses, lulling him to sleep bit-by-bit.
"Caramel, leave the man to rest!" The stallion called from outside, getting the young mare's attention.
"C-coming, Baba!" Caramel responded, turning back to Vvulf.
"I'll uh... Talk uh... talk to you later, Mister Vvulf" She stuttered out, blushing as she spoke to the fading warrior.
"Yes. Another time, Misty..." Vvulf responded, his mind hazy and fading back into slumber.
Vvulf waved his hand at the young mare, shooing her away with a nod. Confused at the man's response, Caramel shrugged, but smiled and exited the small storeroom. Her questions could wait, Vvulf needed rest and Baba needed help. With the inquisitive young mare gone, Vvulf's eyes slid closed again, drifting off to sleep.
Flashes of battle raced through Vvulf's unconcious mind as he slept, his dreams a mix of gore-filled nightmares. Scenes of bloodied and brutalized bodies, human bodies, strewn about the remains of a smoldering village. Vvulf could hear the crackling of the flames, the sound and smell of corpses catching in the flames vivid within his dreamscape. Vvulf could hear the sound of a child crying, but looking about the hellish panorama revealed no source.
The crying persisted as the flames died out, blown away by a sudden and frigid wind that caused crystal flakes of snow to rain from the sky. The soft crunch of footfalls on snow growing closer to Vvulf as he remained a incorporeal voyeur in this dream.
"Why do you weep, pup?" A familiar, soothing female voice asked, causing the once-constant sobbing to subside.
"T-They're gone... All of them... Pa, Thomas... Olivia..." Vvulf heard himself say, his voice young, soft, his words still choked with tears.
"But you are not alone, pup, mother is here" The voice cooed, moving into view, the massive silver wolf speaking in its soft, soothing tongue.
Vvulf could feel the wolf's fur on his back as the hound circled his small form, shielding him from the sudden cold. The wolf's rough tongue lapped at his face, clearing the salty tears from Vvulf's face.
"Mourn now, pup, but know you will grow from this. The wolf that lives is the wolf that learns. And you, pup, have learned the greatest lesson of all" The Mother Wolf reassured, nuzzling Vvulf's cheek with her muzzle.
"W-What lesson?" Vvulf asked as his fit finally subsided.
"That your will to live is greater than the grasp of death itself" The Mother Wolf spoke, standing up and grabbing Vvulf by the back of his rough shirt, swinging the young boy onto her back.
"Now come, pup. It is time to return to the den"
Vvulf woke from the dream, the foggy memory still at the forefront of his mind. The moon was already floating in the sky above, the soft glow of the silver orb shone in through the cracks of the storeroom's walls, sliding over Vvulf's silvery armor.
"Only two kinds'a folk wear helmets that cover their face like that" Caramel's Baba said from the darkness, standing beside the door as he lit a worn pipe.
"Those who are afraid, and those who are to be feared"
Vvulf watched as the old stallion took a long pull on his pipe, his face illuminating by the dim orange glow of the pipe.
"So, which one are you?" Caramel's Baba asked, stepping into the moonlight as he let the smoke flow from his flared nostrils.
Vvulf remained silent, the two males just staring at each other in silence. After a short while, Caramel's Baba just shook his head and chuckled.
"I see, so I suppose it was wise, or lucky, to have left your helmet on. Ay?" Caramel's Baba sighed.
"Yes, it was" Vvulf replied coldly.
"What's your name stranger?" Caramel's Baba asked, moving to sit on a crate beside Vvulf as he took another long pull off of his pipe.
"Vvulf" Vvulf replied, his mind lingering on the dream for a moment longer before finally letting it fade away.
"Fitting" Caramel's Baba chuckled to himself.
"Sunrise Storm" He finally introduced, tapping the side of his pipe with a hoof.
"Why did you help me? I'm sure you knew I'm currently fighting against your sovereign" Vvulf asked as the old stallion emptied his pipe, tapping the ashes onto the dirt flooring.
"Aye, that I did" Sunrise replied, nodding his head.
"But I know you're not the enemy, 'least not my enemy"
"And who is your enemy?" Vvulf asked, squinting his eyes at Sunrise from behind the facade of his helmet.
"This damnable conflict" Sunrise replied, standing up and starting to head towards the door, pausing as his rugged hoof touched the well-worn wood, the old stallion letting out a sigh as he turned back to face Vvulf.
"Some of us just want this war to be over... To leave a brighter future, a better future for the next generation. If that road is paved over the broken and bloodied bodies of our ponies, that is a toll that must be paid sometimes"
"I see, your words hold wisdom" Vvulf complimented, genuinely impressed by Sunrise's interest in the ongoing war.
"Experience lad... My words hold knowledge of what bloodshed brings, both to those that take up arms... and those who don't" Sunrise lamented for a moment, but turned his muzzle back up to stare at Vvulf.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, there are chores to be done that shouldn't put too much strain on your body"
"I understand" Vvulf responded, giving the old stallion a respectful nod of his head.
Sunrise nodded his head in response, pushing through the old door, leaving Vvulf alone in the dark storeroom. With nothing more to be said that night, Vvulf sat down on the packed dirt of the storeroom floor. With his legs crossed and head resting low, Vvulf opted to meditate instead of sleep, lest he be visited by more visions of a past long forgotten.
Misty paced back and forth in the main war tent, Jade rubbing a hoof over her muzzle as she let out a groan.
"I don't understand why you care so much about that thing" Jade sighed, letting her chin rest on the table before her.
"You've been like this for weeks"
"Vvulf saved your life too" Misty snapped back , giving the white mare a glare.
"Not to mention mine, Lightning's, and all the other ponies during 'The Battle of The Banner'"
Jade just looked away from Misty, refusing to admit that her friend had made a valid point. Just as the two mares were about to have another discussion, the tent's flap was opened, a young, green stallion stepping inside.
"Key Lime, m'am" The stallion introduced, giving Jade and Misty a salute.
"You wanted to speak to me?"
"Yes, step inside Key" Misty replied with enthusiasm, practically pulling the stallion inside.
"We understand that you're one of our best spies, so my friend here wanted to know if you have any information regarding a... certain creature" Jade explained, her voice turning sour at the very end.
"Well, m'am, the only talk about creatures was the recovery of a dragon's corpse. Way I heard it, thing was really beat to Tartarus" Key relayed, letting out a chuckle.
"I'd hate to meet whatever did in that dragon"
"That's who she's looking for" Jade groaned, standing up and walking over to put her arm over Misty's shoulders.
"It'll be alright, we'll find your... friend"
"Commander Glory, I think you're going to want to see this" A rust-colored mare said, peeking her head into the tent.
Misty followed the mare out of the tent, her gut dropping at what she saw. There outside the tent was Lightning, Vvulf's iconic axe held between his muzzle. With a somber expression, Lightning approached Misty and laid the weapon at her hooves.
"I- I'm sorry... We searched for days, but this... This is all we found" Lightning lamented before putting a hoof on Misty's shoulder.
"Misty, I don't know if this proves that Vvulf is dead, but we can't afford to search for him anymore. We're worn thin already as-is" Jade explained to her friend, trying her best to deliver her words as kind as possible.
"I- I understand" Misty replied, her words distant, her eyes fixed on the weapon at her hooves.
Jade paused for a second before shaking her head and focusing back on the task at hand.
"Alright everypony, back to it" Jade ordered, clearing the small crowd that had gathered.
"Lightning" Misty squeaked out, stopping the blue pegasus in his tracks.
"Yes?" Lightning replied, turning to face the still-downtrodden Misty.
"Please... Keep looking for him" Misty pleaded, choking back her tears as she bit her bottom lip.
"I know he's alive, so please... Just keep an eye out, alright?"
"Sure thing, Misty" Lightning said with a kind smile, giving Misty a final nod before taking off into the sky above.
Caramel's eyes slowly cracked open, letting the soft orange glow of the sunrise wash over her smiling muzzle as the sweet morning melodies of the birds began to sing through the air. Determined to start the day off strong, the young mare rose from her bed and headed downstairs. Caramel hummed a tune as she prepared breakfast, the birds seeming to join in her jovial song. Not long after she had taken the oatmeal off of the stove, Caramel heard Sunrise's hoofsteps descending the stairs.
"Good morning, Baba" Caramel greeted as the old stallion took a seat at the table.
"Have you seen our guest yet?" Sunrise asked, rubbing a hoof over his eyes.
"I was just about to bring him some breakfast" Caramel replied, setting a bowl of the warm paste before Sunrise.
"I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Sunrise said before starting on his own meal.
"Bring him to the forge when you're done, we've got plenty to do. Even with an extra body around to help"
Caramel nodded her head and gave Sunrise a kiss on the cheek before leaving for the storehouse, a warm bowl of oats propped between her wings.
"Mister Vvulf?" Caramel called out as she pushed open the storehouse doors, sunlight spilling in behind her to illuminate the armored man sitting in the center of the dirt floor.
Vvulf rose and stood, turning to face the peppy mare. His seething steel visage glaring at Caramel as the young mare set the bowl of food down on a nearby crate.
"I brought you something to eat before we start today" Caramel smiled, her voice wavering slightly as her eyes locked with the facade's. Her gaze quickly switching to the far-less intimidating dirt below.
"I wasn't sure what you ate, so I hope you don't mind oats"
"I..." Vvulf started, but paused, taking a moment to look over at the still-steaming food.
"Thank you" He finished, taking the bowl.
"You're welcome" Caramel beamed, watching with utmost fascination as Vvulf lifted his helmet enough to take a spoonful of the steaming oats.
"Wouldn't it be, I don't know, easier to eat without the helmet on? And aren't you uncomfortable in all that damaged armor? Why don't you take them off?" Caramel asked.
"Tradition" Vvulf replied simply as he finished the meal, lowering his helmet closed again, sealing himself behind the snarling beast again.
"I was told there was work to be done"
"Always" Caramel giggled, turning to leave the storehouse.
"Come on, Baba's already at the forge"
Vvulf knelt down and filled the bucket he had been given, part of him resented this errand boy's task, but simultaneously, he did owe at least this small gratitude to Sunrise and Caramel. With the bucket filled with the chilled water, Vvulf stood and began the short trek back from the creek, to the forge. As Vvulf walked, something caught his attention. The distant sound of alarm bells crying out on the wind, the smell of fires, and the near-silent cries of the nearby village his hosts called home.
Vvulf quickened his stroll to a dead sprint, rushing through the forest the way he had came just an hour prior. As he entered back into the clearing of Sunrise and Caramel's property, Vvulf saw the culprits behind the commotion. Yaks, donned in layered plates of lamelar shingles were ransacking the area, orders being bellowed in a deep and throaty foreign tongue. Just as Vvulf witnessed the transgressors, so to did they notice him. A yak with a long black-haired plume pointed a cloven hoof at Vvulf before barking orders in the same strange dialect, several more of the armored raiders moving in on Vvulf, lowering their horned helmets to charge.
Vvulf reacted without hesitation, sidestepping the first charging yak, bringing the bucket down on the bovine's head with enough force to shatter the wood and drop the attacker. Vvulf's armored boot finishing the job with a forceful stomp, crushing the fallen yak's helmet and the skull within. The next yak let out a warcry at seeing the event unfold before them, but Vvulf silenced the noise with a knee to the jaw as he dashed forward, towards his attackers. Blood and shards of teeth left the yak's mouth, followed by a pained scream before they were grabbed by the horn and belt, turning them broadside to act as a meat-shield. A choked gurgle escaping the raider as they were unintentionally impaled by their charging ally.
Vvulf grabbed the small dagger on the belt he was grasping, unsheathing the blade and slamming it into the exposed neck of the impaling yak. Before Vvulf could retrieve the weapon from between yak vertebrae, another of the armored bovines collided with his side, sending him sliding back. The yak continued to charge, pushing Vvulf back towards the wall of the storehouse. With a sudden and violent jerk of the yak's horns, Vvulf twisted his attacker's neck, eliciting a rapid series of pops and crunches before letting the yak fall to the frozen dirt below.
As, what Vvulf assumed to be the leader, bellowed more orders to his units, Vvulf grabbed ahold of the woodcutting axe leaning against the storehouse. His steel-clad grip tightening around the simple wooden handle of the humble tool, feeling the heft of the head. It didn't compare to his own. But it would do.
Vvulf's charged the raiders again, meeting their advance with his own. The first yak caught the axe's head to the face, cleaving the top of their head off. The scalped yak's body didn't even have time to hit the ground before another joined it, Vvulf continuing the momentum from the first swing into the side of the adjacent yak. Even the slightly-dulled edge of the axe made quick work of the yak's armor with Vvulf's force behind it. Lamelar plates split, spraying a crimson splash out across the frosted earth below, the blood soaking into the dirt and snow.
A cry of pain from Sunrise in the forge stole Vvulf's attention, distracting him just long enough for a yak to collide with him, a horn piecing the man's damaged armor and stabbing into his side. Vvulf let out a grunt of pain before bringing the butt of the axe's handle down on the yak's horn, snapping the bone in two, removing the horn from his side and slamming it upwards, straight through the yak's muzzle.
Vvulf rolled behind the forge's wooden wall, several arrows lodging into the structure before bursting, spreading flames along the surface. While the archers readied another volley of arrows, Vvulf made his advance, his blistering speed allowing him to close the distance with the ranged units before they could loose their second volley. The axe made quick work of one of the archers, Vvulf bringing the blade down in the center of the yak's back, cleaving into the raised shoulders of the bovine.
Vvulf left the axe embedded deep in the meat of the archer, snatching up the dropped shortbow and firing the still-nocked arrow at the central archer's quiver. The effect was immediate, the collection of arrows all catching at once on the yak's side. The explosion blowing the yak's side out, spraying chunks of meat and viscera into the line of archers, the bloody-red mist blinding them for an instant. But an instant was all Vvulf needed to cleave through the remaining archers like a whirlwind of death. Meat, bones, nor lamelar scales were any resistance to the brutal blows Vvulf delivered to the archers, the old woodcutter's axe staining the earth and himself crimson with his charge.
The yaks' leader remained determined, ordering the remaining troops to charge Vvulf before drawing a curved sword at his side, gripping the blade in his muzzle and charging Vvulf as they let out a collective warcry. Vvulf responded with his own bloodthirsty roar, charging to meet the raiders.
Vvulf swung his axe low at the nearest yak, cutting clean through both front legs and leaving a bloody trail as they slid on the ground. The next yak received a full-force blow to the center of their face from the axe, splitting the helmet and head of the bovine with one blow. Several raiders halted and fled as they witnessed Vvulf pry the axe from the gory hole that had once been their comrade's face, leaving only a few yaks following their leader's order to charge.
Vvulf finished off the brave souls that remained with ruthless efficiency, decapitating two yaks with a mighty cleave and finishing their leader with a blow to the side, followed by another to the collar. With the threat of the raiders gone for now, Vvulf turned his attention back to the forge currently ablaze.
Before Vvulf could approach the burning building, Caramel and Sunrise exited, the old stallion leaning heavily on the young mare to walk.
"I see you cleaned up the rest of that lot" Sunrise said eyeing the bloody axe in Vvulf's grip, letting out a pained groan as Caramel set him down.
"Are you alright?" Vvulf asked, dropping the axe and moving to Sunrise as Caramel took off into the clouds above.
"Nothing I won't survive" Sunrise replied, holding a hoof against his bloody side.
"And your forge?" Vvulf asked as both he and Sunrise looked on at the building inferno.
"It'll survive too" Sunrise sighed as Caramel reappeared from the cloud cover, pushing a pouring storm cloud over the forge, letting the rain extinguish the flames.
"I see" Vvulf replied, staring on with Sunrise at the forge as Caramel touched down beside them.
"Mister Vvulf! Are you alright?" Caramel asked, looking up at the armored man.
"Yes" Vvulf responded, looking down at the soot-covered young mare.
"And yourself?"
"Just a little singed" Caramel replied, brushing some of the soot out of her mane with a hoof.
"Caramel, be a dear for Baba and fetch the herbalist. I think our savior and myself could use some of her medicines" Sunrise instructed, Caramel responding with a nod before taking off into the air again.
Sunrise watched her disapper over the treeline before he shakily rose to his hooves, Vvulf giving no protest when Sunrise used his armored leg to steady himself.
"Help me to the forge Vvulf, I have something to give you" Sunrise instructed, allowing the armored man to simply lift and carry him to the charred building.
Once the pair reached the entrance, Sunrise reached a hoof up to his eye-patch, lifting the covering and pulling a small key from the hole where his eye would have been.
"I've been holding on to this, a memento of sorts, collecting dust" Sunrise began, moving over to the far wall and inserting the key into an almost unnoticeable hole near the bottom.
"But I think someone such as yourself would get more use out of it than that"
As Sunrise finished talking, a quiet click sounded out, the hidden panel he had activated jutted out from the rest of the wall, but only just slightly. Wasting no more time, the old stallion opened the compartment, retrieving an object wrapped with a white-scaled hide.
"Here" Sunrise offered, holding out the object to Vvulf. Without saying a word, Vvulf took the old stallion's gift, slowly unwrapping the tough hide covering. What Vvulf saw beneath caused a smirk to cross the man's lips behind his stoic facade.
The item held within the hide was an axe, not just an ordinary tool, or a common weapon, but a master crafted piece of art. Beauty and death forged into one singular piece that captured Vvulf's full attention as he studied every inch of the piece. The dark wooden handle reinforced with intricate weavings of metal, that wound itself all the way up and along the head of the axe. The runes carved into the head of the axe pulsed with enough magical energy that Vvulf could feel its hum in his chest, a low, steady thrumming of ancient power.
"Where did you come across something like this?" Vvulf asked, genuinely curious as he continued to inspect the item.
"The same place that I met Caramel's mother. It was hers before it was mine" Sunrise replied, the flash of some deep pain showing behind his amber eye for just an instant.
"Consider it yours now"
"Is there anything I can give you in return?" Vvulf asked, understanding the sentimental value behind the item.
"No" Sunrise responded, holding up a hoof to silence any objection Vvulf may have had.
"I have spoken"
With nothing more to say, Vvulf simply nodded, finally grabbing ahold of the axe's handle without the scaled wrapping. In an instant the runes on the axe illuminated, glowing a soft blue, causing a wave of frost to form over the blade's edge.
"It seems it likes you" Sunrise said, closing the compartment before replacing the key into the void of his eye socket.
"Its name was Frigor, but you can call it whatever you like. Or nothing at all"
"Frigor" Vvulf repeated, the energy thrumming beneath his armored grasp intensifying as the name was uttered.
"I assume you're fit enough to leave?" Sunrise asked as he opened the storehouse door, his armored guest having remained hidden inside during the herbalist's visit, using the materials Caramel snuck him to treat his own wounds.
"Yes" Vvulf replied plainly, attaching the axe to his back, enjoying the familiar feeling.
"I assume you have no protest?"
"None" Sunrise responded, shaking his head, but paused to cock it to the side for a moment.
"Though, Caramel will at least want to say goodbye"
"Of course" Vvulf agreed, exiting the storehouse behind the old stallion.
Caramel was already waiting outside the building, kicking her hoof idly at the blood-stained ground. As the two approached her, Caramel's glance shot up, a sad smile on her muzzle.
"Baba figured you were leaving" Caramel said, doing her best to have a positive outlook on the situation.
"Yes" Vvulf confirmed, causing a frown to form on Caramel's lips.
"Well... It was nice to meet you Mister Vvulf, maybe you could visit sometime?" Caramel offered, giving a glance to Sunrise who just responded with a single nod.
"Perhaps" Vvulf replied, turning to leave the small homestead, giving his two hosts a farewell nod.
Vvulf had barely left the two pegasi behind, only making it a short ways down the path before he was intercepted by two winded and confused guards, their black armor clattering as the came to a stop from full gallop.
"W-What in Tartarus is that?!" One of the guards exclaimed, putting her spear between herself and Vvulf.
"I- I have no idea" The other guard responded, his demeanor a bit more collected than his companion.
"I wish to speak to your king" Vvulf said plainly, his request coming out in a tone that suggested it wasn't something to refuse.
"It- It talks!? I mean-" The female guardspony began, pausing to look over at her partner.
"I don't... I suppose His Excellency would be interested in something like this" The male guard replied, trying to justify a decision.
"If we could make this swift, please" Vvulf interrupted, causing the mare to jump slightly.
"Ah... Yes. I must ask you to wear these though" The stallion said, holding out a pair of manacles.
"If it makes you feel safe enough to travel" Vvulf groaned, holding his armored wrists out. His glare shooting to the mare as she tried to move to disarm the armored warrior.
"If you value your life. Don't." He warned, the now-terrified guard stepping back into line with her companion.
"Come along" The stallion instructed, leading Vvulf with his partner short on his tail.
Despite the small crowd of curious ponies that had gathered around him, Vvulf made it to the towering spire of the Crystal Kingdom without incident, the guards around the palace dispersing the crowd as Vvulf and his guides entered the towering castle. The eyes of the black armored ponies guarding the halls remained trained on Vvulf as he was lead towards their sovereign, their muscles tensing whenever he passed them.
"Just wait here a moment while I inform His Majesty" The male guide instructed, leaving Vvulf and his partner standing outside the throne room doors. With the stallion gone, the mare beside Vvulf squirmed in place, nervously shifting her hooves.
"His Majesty will speak to you now" The stallion informed as he opened the large throne room doors for Vvulf, revealing a slate-grey unicorn seated on a large black and red crystal throne, flanked on both sides by various creatures, all donned in the inky-black armor of the Crystal Empire.
"You will address His Majesty as such, or as King Sombra"
"Greetings" Vvulf interrupted the stallion, stepping into the throne room, causing the rouge's gallery of guards to tense and draw their weapons. A single wave of the king's hoof halted all action, the guards returning to their statue-like vigils.
"You are a bold one indeed" Sombra spoke, letting a smirk creep across his lips.
"Who is it that is so bold as to address myself, a king, like a commoner?"
"A foreigner to your world" Vvulf replied, his voice monotone and cold as usual.
"And does this foreigner have a name?" Sombra asked, his patience wearing thin for this strange creature.
"Vvulf" Vvulf responded.
"And what, pray tell, is it that you need Vvulf?" Sombra asked, his voice dripping with venom at the mention of the man's name.
"I've come for an artifact you posses" Vvulf replied bluntly, causing even Sombra to be taken aback for a moment.
"I see..." Sombra hummed, rubbing his chin with a hoof.
"And what, pray tell, could possibly be so valuable to encourage you to have such gall?"
"A trinket of sorts, a medallion made of a fang" Vvulf explained, describing the item of his quarry.
"I believe I posses such an item, but it is most likely already stored in the castle's vault" Sombra replied, giving Vvulf a heavy sigh.
"I assume you would be able to identify the item if you saw it?"
"Immediately" Vvulf responded, causing the king to stand from his throne.
"Then come, I'm quite the busy stallion" Sombra instructed, ushering the armored man to follow.
Vvulf followed almost without any hesitation, the idea that his quest, to his knowledge, was nearing its end being too enticing. Unbeknownst to the warrior, however, Sombra's lips crept upwards into a fanged and sinister grin, Vvulf's enthusiasm playing directly into the slate unicorn's hoof.
Sombra lead Vvulf through winding corridors and spiraling stairs until they stopped before a heavy wooden door, a large gem adorning the top of the arched frame.
"Here you are, Your eternal reward" Sombra hissed, throwing open the door, the cursed magics of the dead-end passage taking ahold of the armored giant.
"You must understand that I couldn't possibly part with something as useful and powerful as an artifact from your kind" Sombra monologued, revealing the fanged medallion from beneath his breastplate.
"Least of all to an ally of my enemies"
Vvulf remained still, his gaze engrossed by the enchantment of the door. His breathing becoming slow and deep, a feral growl growing and creeping from the back of his throat to his lips.
"Oh come now, you should have been more clever than this" Sombra berated, pacing around the nearly-comatose man.
"I do wonder how your pitiful Equestrian employers will fare without your assistance?" Sombra mused to himself, letting out a cackle before turning and leaving the man to his fate.
"Enjoy the visions warrior, I'm sure you're no stranger to nightmares"
"You're mine now, pup" A great silver wolf spoke in a sweet female voice, appearing behind Vvulf before clamping her jaws closed over the man.
Misty stood before her units, donned in her armor, Vvulf's large axe securely fastened to her back, a common piece ever since the item was returned to her.
"This is it everypony, the last charge!" She announced, cantering before the line of similarly armored ponies.
"We have the aid of The Princesses on our side. Equestria will prevail this day!"
"For Equestria!" The ponies cried out in unison, stomping the frozen earth below.
With the final battle cry finished, the horn was blown, signaling the amassed army to charge. Finally, the Crystal Kingdom was within their grasp and all Misty had to do was survive and buy the princesses enough time to confront the corrupted king of this frigid empire.
Misty drew her sword and charged with her allies, letting out a warcry of her own as they collided with the black armored northerners, a wave of silver against the final stronghold of black. Misty's blade clashed with another pony's, her ferocity and determination rivaling that of the master of the axe on her back. Pushing the pony back with a shove of their locked blades, Misty followed the motion with a powerful thrust, piercing through the armored barrel of her opponent.
Keeping the momentum of her charge, Misty clashed with another black-armored adversary, parrying the pony's spear, letting the tip skid harmlessly against her armored spaulders. Misty used the opening to pierce her sword up into the open chin of the pony's helmet, skewering the mare's skull before retracting her sword.
Misty turned to her left, reacting just barely too slow, taking a blow to her head from a hammer that knocked her helmet free from her dome and left her vision blurry. As her sight came back, she saw Lightning standing before her, his bladed wings dripping with blood from the decapitated pony that had struck her.
"Thanks" Misty said, regaining her composure, leaving the dented helmet on the frozen earth as Lightning took to the skies again.
Misty redoubled her efforts, cutting her way towards the towering crystal spire. Magical flashes exploded overhead as, Misty presumed, the princesses battled with Sombra. The Equestrian forces performing their part of this grand assault perfectly, distracting the Crystal Empire's units, leaving their ruler without reinforcements to assist against the combined might of the alicorn sisters.
The Equestrians easily overwhelmed the Imperial units, leaving a bloody battlefield strewn with far more black-armored corpses than silver or gold. Just as the last Imperial fell, the gate to the crystal castle opened, spilling out a wave of ponies. The Equestrian forces readied themselves for the second wave, but eased slightly when they realized the shoddy state of their supposed attackers. Most of the ponies exiting the castle weren't armed or armored, many of them already covered in blood or wounds as they exited.
"Help!" Some of the Imperials cried out to their would-be enemies.
"Monster! Demon!"
"Stay your blades!" Misty ordered, her forces following the instructions, but still remaining ready for action. The Imperials simply ran past the Equestrians, caring only for putting as much distance between themselves and whatever was inside the castle.
"That was surprisingly easy" Jade said sarcastically, joining Misty, her left eye sporting a deep cut that ran from brow to cheek.
"We're not finished yet" Misty replied, following the final push through the castle's open doors.
The scene inside the crystal castle was a nightmarish one, blood stained the floors and walls, some smattering of the crimson even reaching up to the arched ceiling above. Corpses lay mangled and torn asunder, limbs and entrails littering the halls. Misty's heart beat faster as she approached the sound of combat, her courage faltering for a moment as a booming roar echoed through the corridor, emanating from the closed doors of the throne room just ahead.
Misty swallowed her fear and charged the throne room, freezing in abject horror as she witnessed Vvulf tear a black-armored Diamond Dog in two with his bare hands. Misty almost rushed to join her long-lost companion, but paused at the threshold, taking a moment to really examine the man inside. Vvulf was much larger, much more animalistic than she remembered, his movements brutal and feral. Misty's mouth went agape as she watched Vvulf's helmet open its jaws, closing the steel fangs over the skull of a silver-armored pony that successfully landed a blow against the monstrous man. Even with the pony's sword embedded in his side, Vvulf continued his rampage, brutalizing indiscriminately both the black and silver armored forces around him.
"Vvulf!" Misty tried to call out over the carnage, but her cry fell on deaf ears as Vvulf continued his rampage.
Misty's breath caught as she watched several spear-ponies, both Imperial and Equestrian thrust their weapons into Vvulf. Even the coordinated attack didn't stop his rampage, a single swing of his armored arm splintering the spear's hafts, his other arm following the blow in a sweeping circle, sending everypony around him sailing across the throne room. A loosed bolt hit Vvulf in the back, causing the armored beast to turn his sights at the culprit. The pony responsible froze in fear as Vvulf charged him, grabbing the stallion before slamming him back into the tile below, cracking the crystalline floors as he pulverized the pony beyond recognition.
Vvulf's gaze finally fell on Misty, a moment later, Misty found herself being snatched up by the hulking goliath. Vvulf held Misty in a single hand, tight enough to dent her armor to his grip, but not enough to crush the startled mare. With Misty in his grasp, Vvulf broke through the line of Imperials behind him, shielding her comparably petite form from bolts and blades as he charged through the halls of the castle.
"V-Vvulf! Stop!" Misty called out, finally getting the man's attention as they burst through the glass door of a balcony.
"Safe" Vvulf grunted out, setting Misty down. Blood poured from multiple holes in the man's armor, the open maw of the wolf-like helmet panting heavily.
"That's right, we're safe now" Misty reassured, turning as she saw Vvulf drop back into a ready stance, his gaze facing upwards.
"Princesses!" Misty called out to the descending monarchs, the alicorn sisters flapping their wings to remain just past the balcony's edge.
"We had heard thou'st had perished" Luna spoke first, examining the monstrous man before her. Vvulf just growled in response, putting himself between Misty and the princesses.
"Something is wrong with him" Misty said from behind Vvulf, peeking her muzzle around the armored frame of the warrior.
"Sombra's corruption, it appears, can even hold power over a creature such as yourself" Celestia sighed, charging her horn, causing Vvulf to let out a warning growl.
"Luckily his enchantments are rather simple lift"
"It's alright" Misty reassured, putting her hoof on Vvulf's leg, putting the feral man at ease.
Celestia's magic washed over Vvulf with a blinding light, causing Misty to shield her eyes with a forehoof. Once her sight had cleared with a few testing blinks, she no longer saw a hulking monster, but the regularly-sized companion she had lost.
"Hello, Misty" Vvulf said weakly, lying in a puddle of his own blood on the balcony, the wounds from his previous form still remaining on his current body.
"Oh Faust! Are you- Will he be alright?" Misty asked, moving to the man's side.
"In a moment" Luna reassured, casting a spell of her own on the fallen warrior.
As Luna's spell washed over Vvulf, the man slowly rose to his feet. He wavered for a moment, but Misty was quick to offer him help balancing.
"I... Apologize. I turned on your forces...l" Vvulf admitted to the princesses solemnly, the events of his rampage still fresh in his mind, along with the taste of blood on his lips.
"We understand thou'st were under an enchantment" Celestia reassured calmly, her voice still holding sorrow for her fallen ponies.
"And what of the king responsible?" Vvulf asked, looking back up at the two remaining rulers.
"'King' Sombra hath faced judgement already" Luna replied, causing the warrior to nod in approval.
"We did discover this, radiating an energy similar to thyself" Celestia said, levitating Vvulf's quarry to him, placing the simple fang pendant in the man's open palm.
"Thank you" Vvulf said simply, closing his grasp around the old bone trinket.
"But this is the end of my quest"
"What do you mean?" Misty asked, causing Vvulf to crouch down to eye-level with the mare.
"This is goodbye, Misty" Vvulf replied, a hint of sadness hidden behind his usual tone.
While Misty's mouth opened and closed, searching for something to say, Vvulf retrieved a small orb of emerald from his belt. Vvulf smashed the sphere in his other hand, keeping the pendant secured in his armored grip. As the gem was destroyed, a ripple tore open behind Vvulf, revealing a swirling portal.
"Wait!" Misty called out, causing Vvulf to pause, stopping just before the portal's threshold.
Vvulf just stared down at the mare, his snarling facade seeming somehow softer to Misty as she looked up at her companion for what she knew was the last time. Misty retrieved Vvulf's battered axe from her back, holding the weapon out to the armored man in her magical grasp. Misty averted her gaze from Vvulf's as tears began to swell in her eyes.
"Keep it" Vvulf spoke, causing Misty to look up at him with confusion. A smile creeping across her lips as Vvulf moved to step through the portal again.
"Then you had better come back for it" Misty teased, a few tears sneaking past her lids and over her cheeks.
"Perhaps" Vvulf replied simply, stepping through the portal, the gateway closing behind the man as his final words were uttered.
Misty stood and stared at the spot Vvulf vanished from, almost hoping that she would see the armored man, her friend, one more time.
"Thou hast earned a well-deserved rest, General Glory" Celestia said in a motherly tone, draping a wing over the petite grey unicorn.
