> Beyond
>  by Jay David
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Dreams Made Real
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike had never been one for long journeys, even back when he was young. Trekking across the land, having to spend overnight stints on a train, he was never that enthusiastic about them, at least not until they actually reached their destination. However, while that may have made him an odd choice for this particular scenario, it was nevertheless someplace he needed to be. Standing at the very edge of the deck, he looked out to the far horizon. The sun had risen a while back, so he no longer had the most beautiful colours of the daytime sky to watch, but the open sea still had a feeling of awe for him. Thankfully, the waves were gentle today, and the silvery shape of their vessel made it through the waters at a decent speed, even taking into account the rather lacklustre winds they were having right now. Exhaling, he closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment of peace and calm. But, as was often the case with the young dragon, peace never lasted long for him, and soon his non-existent ears perked up as a voice called to him. "Good morning, Spike."

Though denied his moment of quiet, he still smiled, looking over his shoulder to see a young mare approach him. A unicorn, yellow in her fur, with a curly orange mane and tail, the former of which was tied atop with a light-blue bow. As she drew nearer, Spike nodded to her. "And good morning to you, Pumpkin. Sleep well?"

The young Cake chuckled briefly. "I know it's cliché to say that the sound of waves is soothing and helps with drifting off, but it really did. Has done since we set off actually."

"Wish I could say I have. Dragons weren't meant to sleep on the move I think," Spike replied.

"Heh, that explains the bags under your eyes," Pumpkin remarked, only to be shot with a glare from the drake. "That...you totally don't have!"

The two eventually laughed together, staring out into the wide blue before them. After a full minute of silence, Spike spoke up again, albeit while keeping his gaze ahead. "I never asked, since I was just grateful she had somepony to come along with her besides me, but why sign up for this? It's not as if there's any guarantee we'll find something."

Pumpkin nodded. "True, but hey, my best friend offers me the chance for adventure? Why say no to that?" Again, she looked ahead. "But you know, I think the main reason was...well...I guess I kinda felt like it was probably my only chance to really do...this sort of thing." After seeing Spike look to her with confusion, she explained. "You know, adventure? I grew up on stories on how you and your friends would do all these exciting things, save the world, go to new places, and I loved every one of them." She sighed. "But after a while, it felt that those stories would be the closest I'd ever get to experiencing those things myself. As something told to me by my parents. Equestria's been at peace for years, and sure, that's all well and good. But it also means that I'd never have the chance to actually be part of a story that gets told to somepony else one day." Slowly, she regained her smile. "So when she came to me and told me what she planned, I saw that as my chance."

Spike had been listening carefully to her the entire time, then gave a single, slow nod once she'd stopped. "Yeah, I admit, I miss the adventures myself. Not being in danger, obviously, but being part of something big, something...that would change the world. You're right, those chances don't really come up these days." He smiled to himself. "Guess that's just a testament to how good my oldest friends is at her job." Then, he gave her a sterner look. "But, I'd be careful what you wish for, Pumpkin. Adventures always sound, until you live through them. Take it from somecreature who knows a thing or two about it." His smile returned. "You'll probably wind up wishing for your peaceful life back home before this is all over."

Pumpkin smirked to him. "We'll see." In the moments of quiet that followed, she saw him start to walk away, and so decided to speak up again. "Oh, before I forget. My brother wanted to talk to you down below about something."

Spike nodded to her, then carried onwards, heading now for the door of the ship that led down to the lower levels. The steps down creaked, adding to the usual sounds of a ship at sea, and before long he was down in the hold of the vessel, wherein was a number of barrels and other containers. There, looking them over and holding a parchment, was a young pegasus stallion, bearing creamy fur and a more spikey brown mane. Only once he was close to him did Spike finally speak. "News?" 

Sighing, Pound turned to face him. "Not the good kind, I'm afraid."

Walking closer to him, Spike shrugged. "Pound, we've been over this. The Silver Oak was made by some of the best shipwrights in Equestria. She'll hold no matter how far we go."

Pound shook his head. "It's not the ship, Spike. It's what's inside it."

Getting the message, though very much not wanting to, Spike looked over the aforementioned barrels again, before putting his claws on his hips. "...How long?"

Looking back to the containers himself, Pound laid it all out for him. "I've been keeping stock every day since we set off. Even with our careful rationing, we're in a tough spot. By my count, we can go maybe one more day before we reach the official halfway point of our supplies. After that, we'll have no choice but to turn back."

A long exhale escaped Spike. "I was hoping...I dunno, that things would turn out differently."

Pound nodded, then glanced upwards, to the ceiling. "So did I. But facts are facts, and she'll need to be told."

In response to that, Spike began rubbing his temples. "They both will. I can say with certainty that your sister's gonna be really disappointed with this one." 

Another nod from Pound. "I know. She comes out here, hoping for adventure and excitement, and instead all we get is a long time out at sea before just turning around and going home without anything to show for it."

Spike frowned. "No need to be that gloomy about it."

"Truth is truth," Pound countered. "However sour it may be to hear." he gestured to the barrels. "I grew up with parents who made it abundantly clear to me how important it is to recognise when something just can't be done. To know what you have and what can be done with it. And right now, we're at our limit, no ifs, ands or buts about it." After a few moments, he sighed again. "I'm sorry. I guess...this upset me more than I thought it would." As before, he looked up to the ceiling. "Do you want me to tell them?"

Thinking on that, Spike shook his head. "You can tell Pumpkin, sure. Me? I think it's best if I'm the one who lets my niece in on this." Having declared that, Spike once more began to leave the hold, heading back up the way he came and reemerging into the crisp sea air of the decks above. Craning his neck upwards, he spotted her standing atop the crows nest of the mast. With a flap of his wings, he launched himself, getting up to her within seconds. Fortunately, there was room for two up here, and after settling himself in, Spike looked to the youngest of their number. "You okay?"

Flurry Heart had grown into quite the young mare since her early childhood, but right now there was no look of joy upon her face. Instead, there was merely a quiet sadness. She didn't even look to Spike after he'd spoken to her, but rather keeping her eyes set on the vast and endless waters they'd been travelling through. "We need to turn back, don't we?" Spike didn't answer, and that silence was all the response she needed. "I knew there was a chance of this, sooner or later." She hung her head, and only after having done so for a solid minute did she at last look to him. "Was I crazy, Spike? Coming all the way out here?"

It was a tough question, especially considering the now-inevitable return they'd have to make. But even so, his natural uncle instincts was to try and reassure her. "No. Not crazy. You had good reason to make the journey."

Flurry raised an eyebrow. "I had a dream, Spike. A vision in the night for a few days about some land past the edge of what we know, and all of a sudden I'm heading out there and dragging others with me!"

Folding his arms, Spike leaned against the top of the mast. "Don't forget, you're an alicorn. Prophetic dreams aren't exactly unknown to others like you. And you're out of the ordinary even when it comes to those standards, having been born as one and all."

Flurry looked away. "Always nice to be reminded how unusual and unnatural I am," she said quietly.

Realising how his words had been interpreted, Spike was quick to respond. "No! That's not what I...!"

But he stopped when Flurry looked back to him, this time with a smile. "It's fine, Uncle Spike. I know what you meant." She fell quiet for a time, but when she spoke again her grip on the edge of the crow's nest tightened. "Ever since I can remember, I've felt...like I was just...an oddity. Even alicorns, rare and otherworldly as they could be, seemed like they fit into the world and how it was supposed to work. But me? Everything about me was unprecedented. Like I was a surprise to the world itself, and it and I have been trying to find a real place for me ever since." Her eyes narrowed as she looked ahead. "Equestria, even as my home, my place of birth, felt distant to me in a way I don't think I can ever explain."

Spike gently placed a claw upon her shoulder. "Did...did you ever tell your mom that?"

Hanging her head, Flurry shook it shortly afterwards. "I've...often had a hard time talking to anypony about this, even family." A small smile came to her as she again turned to her companion. "Except you, Uncle."

Spike continued to look to her softly. "Well, when we get back, you can make a start on having a nice, long sit-down with your folks about it."

Flurry continued to smile to him for a short time, but eventually her expression became more solemn. "So, that's settled then. We are turning back."

Spike looked down, towards the decks. "You know Pound. His numbers don't lie. So unless we just don't want to eat anything for the next few days, the sad truth is that this is as far as we go." He waited until Flurry gave him a quiet nod before speaking again. "If you like, I'll send the message home. I've sort of been negligent in keeping the folks back in Equestria up to speed about us anyway, so..."

Flurry said nothing for a while, choosing to just look ahead. But then, as she did so, she began to squint. Confusion and uncertainty were prevalent in her right now, and it looked as though she wasn't sure of what she was looking at. But then, slowly, her eyes widened, and where once there had been an utterly defeated look, now her face was reinvigorated with hope and excitement. "Uncle...you might want to write about something else to them now." Spike wasn't sure of what she meant, and watched as she pointed straight ahead. Turning, he too looked to where she was now focused on, and his eyes widened shortly afterwards in a manner similar to hers. There, on the furthest edge of where they could see, the flat horizon had been broken by something unmistakable. Something Flurry knew exactly what to say about. "Land ho!"
> Coming Ashore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The instant Flurry had called out what she'd seen, everycreature was on deck. Pumpkin, Pound, Spike and the young alicorn were all assembled together, staring out at what was, undeniably, land. There were smiles on all of them, even Pound, completely overturning the dour mood that had overtaken the ship in the time prior. They simply stood there, looking out together as the wind and the currents brought the Silver Oak closer and closer. The land ahead grew larger with every passing minute, and before long they had a good opportunity to get a real and proper look at it. There was a beach of course, but far from the gentle sands of the ones back home, this one was stony from one end to the other. But it soon became apparent that the biggest draw of the eye was not the stones, but the trees. There was a vast forest, stretching as far as the eye could see. But these were not the familiar, broad-leafed examples of Equestria, but tall and imposing conifers. Never before had any of them seen trees as big as those, giving a very clear sense of age to this new place. So dense was the forestry that little could be seen through it, save for more trees of course. After having been content with just looking at it all, Pumpkin soon shivered. "Is it me, or did it just get colder?"

A quick glance around the area showed that there was indeed a cool mist abound, and even Spike, fire-breather though he was, began rubbing his own arms. "Makes sense. Coasts at this time of morning. Hasn't had a chance to get warm yet."

Pound looked to him. "We should probably think about getting the ship moored."

Spike nodded to him, then stretched out his wings and flapped, flying over the rails and heading over to the edge of the forest. He landed next to one of the larger trees, giving it a quick pat before looking satisfied. "Yep, I'd say they're definitely strong enough."

With their own wings outstretched, both Flurry and Pound grabbed hold of some strong rope on the deck, which had already been tied to one of the rails of the vessel, before flying over to meet with their draconic friend. Together, all three tied the rope around the tree, securing the Silver Oak. But, for good measure, Pumpkin lowered the anchor to keep it in place in this impromptu harbour they'd made for themselves. "There. That oughta do it," she declared confidently. Then, in a move that resulted in her brother giving himself a facehoof, Pumpkin jumped off the edge of the boat. After landing in the water with a big splash, she soon remerged, laughing boisterously as she paddled over to the shoreline. She shook vigorously to dry herself before smiling widely to the rest of them. "Look at this! Swimming in new water!" Then, she took in a lungful of air. "Breathing in new air!" She jumped up and down in place. "Standing on new ground!" Rushing past the rest, she looked on in awe at the forest. "It's all so...so...so..."

"New?" Pound finished for her.

The young mare turned to her brother, giving a slight pout. "Come oooooooon, Pound! How can you not be more excited about this?!"

Pound stood beside her, offering her a smaller smile than what she was giving. "I am excited, Pumpkin. But we can't lose sight of other things. Our supply situation hasn't changed, so we'll need to think about that. And even then, we're in a wholly different part of the world. We're going in blind here, and we need to be ready for whatever we're going to encounter."

Spike sighed as he folded his arms. "Pound's right. Our first job needs to be to find fresh water." He looked left and right, along all of the coastline that they could see from here. "Sooner or later, we'll probably find the mouth of a river. Move further along it and we'll get to fresher water to replenish." Pumpkin seemed at least a little disappointed that she couldn't indulge in her giddiness right now, but accepted what was being said by way of a silent nod. After nodding back to her, Spike spoke up again. "Still, with all that said, I'll bet you're pretty pleased to have your dream be proved tr...Flurry?" His expression became one of concern as he looked to his niece, as did everycreature else. Her knees were wobbling, and her horn was flickering slightly with magic. She'd shut her eyes tightly and was breathing heavily, prompting Spike to rush over to her. "Flurry! What's wrong?! Are you alright?!"

After almost a full minute of being this way, the princess was now breathing in a calmer way, opening her eyes again and speaking, albeit in a manner that suggested some degree of tiredness. "Yeah, I'm...I'm fine."

Just to be on the safe side, Spike gently led her over to one of the larger rocks nearby, giving her a place to sit on. As Flurry recovered, Pumpkin walked over to her. "What the heck was that?"

Flurry shook her head. "I...I'm not sure." She glanced over her shoulder, to the forest. "Auntie Twilight always told me that we alicorns have...senses. A feeling for magic and the general aura of the world around us." She looked back to her friends. "It's part of the reason why we can see things sometimes, like my dreams of this place. But the aura here, it's...it feels...different. It's not like the feeling I get in Equestria."

Pound looked to her, then to the nearby trees. "We never considered it, but maybe magic in other parts of the world just work differently to what we're used to back home? Different rules?" A thought then came to him, and he looked over to his sister. "And you? You use magic too. Do you get any kind of bad feeling here?"

Pumpkin considered that. "Well...I did feel colder before the rest of you, but besides that...no, I guess not." She chuckled. "Figures you alicorns would have a leg up on us unicorns about that stuff."

Flurry smiled, yet still frowned. "Yeah, well, on days like these, I'd rather not." After taking a few more breaths, she seemed to recover, leading to her standing up again. Spike was close, ready in case anything happened, but Flurry raised her hoof to him in reassurance. "I'm fine, Spike. I just...needed to attune myself, I guess."

Spike looked to her, waiting a few moments to see if there was any kind of relapse. When he was certain there wouldn't be, he breathed a sigh of relief. With that matter settled, he looked up, to the sky, before stretching out his wings again. Up he went, climbing to greater and greater altitudes, before eventually stopping. He looked in all directions, save for the ocean they'd just come from, before descending once more. After having landed, he placed his claws upon his hips before addressing the group. "Okay, I think I spotted a river mouth some distance away. It'll be about an hour's walking to get there."

Flurry nodded. "And the forest?"

"Goes on and on and on," Spike answered. "I don't think I've ever seen one as expansive as this. Not even the Everfree."

Pumpkin broke out into a grimace. "Ugh, I don't even wanna think about this place being like the Everfree." She turned to her brother. "Remember all those scary stories Auntie Pinkie used to tell us about it on Nightmare Nights?"

Pound shivered slightly. "I couldn't sleep for a week after some of them."

Spike smiled to them. "Don't worry, I don't think we're gonna meet up with any Cockatrices or Manticores this far from our homeland."

"No," Flurry began. "But...we will meet something." All of them turned to her, seeing that she was apparently fixated on what was in front of her. When they followed her gaze, they saw that it was on one of the larger rocks, just on the edge where the beach met the forest. Their eyes widened, for they swiftly understood her behaviour. For there, upon the surface of the rock, was etchings of some description. Words. Writing. Not natural, they knew that much, and all four of them began to congregate around it and stare at the markings for a good long while. After that silence, Flurry looked to them all, speaking what they all knew had to be said. "There's somebody out here."

All of them were stunned by this revelation, all looking to each other silently, as if hoping somecreature would speak first. Thankfully, that role fell to Pumpkin, who soon developed a wide smile over the matter. "Well, this is good, right? Not only do we have a new land to explore, but we've got new people to meet! That's pretty exciting if you ask me!"

Pound shook his head slightly. "We need to tread carefully, Pumpkin. We might have just stumbled on something delicate here."

Pumpkin looked to her brother with slight annoyance. "Seriously? What's the downside this time?"

Pound looked to her and frowned. "Look, I'm as thrilled as you are that we're not alone out here. But step into the horseshoes of whoever's living here. As far as they're concerned, a bunch of complete strangers have just come out of nowhere and started walking around their homeland, completely uninvited." Then, he turned to Flurry. "If we meet anybody during this trip, the first thing we'll need to do is convince them that we're not a danger to them."

But Pumpkin merely rolled her eyes. "You really think things are gonna be as tense as that? Don't forget where we come from, bro. Back in Spike's day, people used to be at each others' throats all the time. Changelings, Dragons, Yaks, you name it. But then look at what happened. Friendship after friendship after friendship. If it can happen back there, it can happen here."

"I want to believe that, Pumpkin," Flurry assured her friend with a soft tone. "But there's still a lot we don't know. We'll have to play it by ear, and if we meet up with anyone out here, we can decide then how we're going to handle things."

Spike nodded. "Agreed. One thing at a time. For now, we have the more immediate concern of water."

Pound glanced over to the Silver Oak. "The ship should be safe enough to stay here for the time being without being watched, and frankly I don't like the idea of us splitting up right now."

His sister beamed to him, nudging him playfully in the side. "Alrighty then! Hiking trip to the river it is!"

Spike looked again to Flurry. "Are you gonna be okay for that?"

The princess smiled back to him. "I'll be fine Spike. I'll let you know if this place is getting to me again."

He watched her for a second or two, then quietly nodded, satisfied by her answer, at least for now. So, with the plan set, the quartet was off, making a good pace along the stony shore towards the river they'd spotted. But, unbeknownst to the four of them, within the darkness beneath the forest's canopy, two pairs of piercing eyes watched as they made their way. One looked with curiosity, the other with suspicion, and in the gloom of those trees, the former spoke first. "Brother...what are they?"

"I know not, save that they are not of our lands," the other replied.

"No creature has ever come from across the Great Waters before. I thought such a thing impossible," the first voice added.

"Clearly, it is not," the second replied firmly. "We will watch them. Stick to the shadows, make no sound, never let them out of our sight." 

"And then?"

A silence, then the second voice gave the answer. "That depends on them. If they heed the stone's warning, remain beyond our woods, we will leave them be, and hope that they will go back to where they came from."

"And if they don't?"

A silence, followed by a low growl "Then...they will be prey."
> First Contact
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The group had been walking along the shoreline for a few minutes now, and Pound, ever the cautious one, kept looking over his shoulder to make sure the Silver Oak was still there, rather than drifting away. Pumpkin, far less concerned about their situation, smiled to him and bumped into him on purpose, coaxing at least a small moment of sibling enjoyment from her brother. Flurry, for her part, was deep in thought over this whole matter, then looked over to her uncle. "Did you send word home?"

Spike nodded. "Yep. Laid it all out in the letter. The new continent, our plans to resupply, then poof, sent it back to Equestria."

Pumpkin looked over her shoulder to the older dragon. "I will never get used to the fact that you just have an in-built message feature, Spike. I've known a few other dragons before, and I'm pretty sure none of them could do it."

Spike shrugged. "Yeah, it was a pretty big surprise for me when I first learned about it too. But, Twilight used to speculate that it was a consequence of how I was hatched. You know, coming out from a big burst of unicorn magic and all that? I was always gonna be different from other dragons because of it."

Pumpkin chuckled. "Magical, message-sending fire. Yep, that's definitely one for the history books." But, barely a minute had passed after she'd said that before the quiet of the moment was interrupted by the very distinct sound of her stomach rumbling. After a brief bout of embarrassment, the young mare looked to her friends. "So...I know we've got water covered, but what about food?"

"We'll need to look around more before we know what's around to eat," Pound explained.

Taking that in, Pumpkin looked to the side, to the nearest tree. "What about them? Think there's any fruit or the like in those branches?"

Flurry shook her head. "Unlikely. I'm no plant expert, but I'm pretty sure conifers aren't really known for an abundance of fruit."

Pumpkin smiled to her, then stopped and stared at the aforementioned tree. "Well, we'll never know unless we try."

So, the group watched, seeing her, unsurprisingly, head towards that very tree, stopping at its base before looking straight up to the towering heights it reached to. Pound, knowing his sister better than any, frowned to her. "Pumpkin, don't. You're going to hurt yourself."

"Not if I'm careful," Pumpkin assured him.

Pound, in response, facehoofed. "Which you probably won't be."

Flurry, looking to him, smiled. "Don't worry, Pound. If anything happens, all three of us can fly. So we'll catch her."

Pound was not entirely convinced, but allowed his sister to keep going all the same. The unicorn smiled widely as she kept looking up that massive tree, then glanced to its base to try and see a suitable spot to grab hold onto. As she did so, Spike scratched the side of his head. "Wait, why aren't we trying to go up there ourselves if we can fly?"

Flurry shrugged. "You know pumpkin. She was always going to want to be the first to try this."

And try she did, as she took hold of whatever gaps in the bark she could, testing their sturdiness before hoisting herself up. All three of her friends watched closely as she inched herself higher and higher, her expression one of eagerness to see what, if anything, was up there. Unfortunately, her adventurous moment was brought to a screeching halt when, out of the darkness of the woods, something charged out. So fast was it that it just looked like a dark-grey blur, but Pumpkin saw it head for her just in time, and so let go to avoid being struck by it. All o them were stunned, no more so than Pound, who stretched out his wings and flew straight to his sister. "PUMPKIN!!!"

She was falling fast, but thankfully her brother was faster, catching her before she hit the ground, after which he swooped around and brought her safely back to the group. As for Flurry and Spike, they already knew that the siblings would be fine, and as such had kept their focus entirely on the attacker, who had since landed upon the stones of the beach close by to them. Instantly, they recognised it as a wolf, though one far larger than any they had seen in Equestria. In terms of height, it was about a head taller than Spike, with a powerful build, bearing its teeth aggressively as it growled to them. Piecing eyes locked onto them, and the two stood closed together, ready for the beast's next move. "Well, we wanted to meet new people," Spike remarked. "Now we have."

"Not exactly the meeting I'd have hoped for, Uncle," Flurry returned dryly.

With the snarling creature just a short distance away, Spike elected to be as cautious as possible, raising his claws and stepping forward slowly, trying his best not to look threatening. No easy task for a dragon, granted, but he attempted it all the same. "Easy there, boy. We're not gonna hurt you."

The wolf, in response, narrowed his eyes. "That makes things easy then."

Both Spike and Flurry stood there, stunned. "He talks?!" Flurry exclaimed.

"Apparently!" Spike replied.

Again, the beast lunged, this time heading straight for Flurry. Lucky, despite her royal upbringing, the alicorn was fast enough in her reflexes to be able to dodge the oncoming attack. As for the wolf himself, no sooner had he landed upon the stones where she'd been standing when Spike, now choosing to take a more active role in this encounter, gave a lunge of his own, colliding with their assailant in the side and forcing him back somewhat. When the wolf retaliated with an attempted bite, Spike quickly stretched his wings out and flew high above him, beyond what he hoped would be his range. While this had been happening, Pound had landed again, setting his sister down, and Pumpkin, having quickly recovered from the shock of the wolf's arrival, soon glared angrily at the animal. "You! Oh, you'd better believe you're in hot water now, buddy!"

One snap from the wolf's jaws in her direction was enough to make her think twice about her threat, and she backed off, if only by a single step. Pound, in readiness for having to defend his sister again, spread out his wings in an attempt to intimidate. Unfortunately, the wolf was unimpressed, and began to charge towards the young pegasus. This time though, he was halted not by any actions of the twins, but by Spike, who had grabbed hold of his tail and pulled him back just before his teeth could get to the Cakes. He might have not been a fully fledged adult dragon, but Spike's strength was still enough to be able to keep the creature at bay. He certainly put up enough interference that the wolf decided to target him once again, turning swiftly before attempting to make another run forward. Here, it was Flurry's turn to get involved in the fight, as she had levitated one of the nearby larger stones of the beach with her magic, sending it flying towards the wolf's head. After seeing the rock collide, and thus causing the enemy to become at least a little disoriented, Flurry stood her ground and spoke aloud. "Look! We don't known who you are, but we want no trouble here!"

With teeth still bared, the wolf responded. "You trespassed! You will be driven back!"

Spike frowned to him. "I don't know what crime you think we've committed, but we didn't intend any offense. And besides..." He gestured to the entirety of the group. "You're outnumbered and surrounded. This fight isn't going to end well for you."

For the first time, the beast smiled. But it was in that way that showed that they knew something the group didn't. "Count again." With that, he let out a loud howl, one which echoed all over. This had an immediate response, as about a dozen other quick blurs shot out from the tree-line. Before the Equestrians could react, they now found themselves as the ones with a disadvantage, as they looked around to see an entire pack of wolves having now encircled them. None of them were as big as the original, but they were still of a worrying size. Among them though, Flurry noted one in the pack that seemed quite out of place. They were clearly the smallest of the group, with a lighter brown, borderline blonde fur. The absence of any of the scars or scuffs that the others had suggested that this one had been in fewer scraps, but they eyed them warily just the same. The first wolf, still smiling, spoke aloud. "Brothers! Sisters! Show these outsiders that we are not to be trifled with!"

Spike, knowing they needed to act fast, leapt into the air with wings outstretched. But this was not to fly away, but to give him enough distance from his own to let loose his fire. A torrent of flames burst from his mouth as he swept around the three ponies, shielding them from the wolves with a ring of bright green. The wolves, stunned at this, backed away, save for the first, who had still been in the middle of the Equestrians when this had happened. There was confusion among the pack, even fear at what this would lead to, but Flurry, looking to the obvious leader, called to him again. "I said it before and I'll say it here. We mean no harm to you! Whatever your grievance, we can talk about it!"

The original wolf seemed frustrated and enraged at the situation, and for a moment it appeared as though he might lunge again out of pure defiance. However, before he could do so, a voice called out from among the rest of the pack. "Brother!" All within the circle of flame turned to see that it was the smallest of the wolves who had spoken, stepping forward and looking to his apparent sibling with concern. "If these outsiders truly mean us no harm, we should not risk the safety of the pack by fighting them! Just look at what they can do!" he pleased, gesturing to the flames with his paw.

The elder wolf's eyes darted all around, taking in the situation. For almost a solid minute, it was completely up in the air as to where things would go, but eventually, the animal let out a deep sigh. His body language calmed, and he gave a single nod to both Spike and Flurry. The message was received loud and clear, and Spike nodded back. He flew up into the air again and, with many flaps of his wings, went around his ring of fire to blow it out. After landing back down, he saw Flurry begin to approach the wolf, but he barred her path, silently shaking his head to her. Instead, he took on the approach himself, watching cautiously at their now-inactive attacker. "My name is Spike. This is my niece, Flurry Heart, and our friends, Pound and Pumpkin. We come from a land called Equestria. And I speak the truth when I say that we did not journey all this way to cause problems for you."

The leader of the wolves eyed him carefully, taking a single step forward. He sniffed the air briefly, then narrowed his eyes. "Are you...Others?"

Spike was uncertain how to respond at first, leaving the floor open for Flurry to answer. "We do not know of whom you speak, but I assure you, none from our homeland has ever been here before, at least as best we know. So whoever you're thinking of, I'm certain we are not them."

The wolf stared at them intently, looking from one Equestrian to the other, even the twins standing behind him. After a time, and after looking to his younger sibling, the latter of which giving him a quiet nod, the beast again looked to Spike and Flurry. "So you claim. You will come with us."

Spike wasn't confident about just going along with the ones who'd attacked them, but Flurry, after placing her hoof on her uncle's side as reassurance, looked to the wolf leader and answered. "We will cooperate."

A snort from the creature. "We shall see."
> The Mother of Wolves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Words could not even begin to describe how tense and uncomfortable the walk had been for the group. Equestrians and wolves together, journeying side by side, through the dense forest of this new land. Everyone was keeping their eyes on each other, all anticipating some sort of betrayal or underhanded attack by those they were travelling with, which naturally led to little in the way of ease for any of them. Every once in a while, Spike would glance over his shoulder, seeing the shoreline they'd come from grow more and more distant. They were leaving what passed for familiar around here, instead entering a place that only the wolves would have known intimately. If things turned south, he knew they'd be in a bad place. For now though, he also knew that diplomacy needed to be their priority, regardless of how unlikely it was to actually work. However, not all in their group was so willing to be silent, as Pumpkin eyed one of the closest wolves and chose to just ask the obvious. "So...why'd you attack us?"

The wolf, who had previously been among the reinforcements for the first, looked to her briefly before focusing their attention ahead. "You ignored the warnings of the stone and trespassed into our forest. We responded."

The voice suggested that this particular beast was female, though the mare only considered that for a moment before answering. "Well...it's not our fault we can't read your language," Pumpkin said with irritation.

"Just as it is not our fault we could not have predicted strangers from across the Great Waters arriving on our shores," the she-wolf countered.

The smallest of the wolves, the one who had advised the eldest to cease the fight, looked to Flurry. "It was thought by many of our kind that the Great Waters marked the very edge of the world."

His tone suggested a curiosity, a desire to understand more, and Flurry offered him a small smile as she regarded him. "The people on our side of the water felt the same. We've been sailing for...a very long time now. Honestly, we were right on the verge of turning back before we finally sighted your land."

The wolf tilted his head. "...Sailing?"

Again, Flurry looked to him. "Y...yes? Sailing? On our boat?"

The wolf blinked to her, then looked over his shoulder, to the direction they'd just come from. "Boat? Is that what you call the sea beast you rode on?"

Flurry's smile widened. "No, it's not an animal. We made it."

Her canine conversation partner narrowed his eyes. "You are certain you are not Others?"

"If I knew what those were, I could tell you," Flurry explained.

The wolf opened his mouth, only to be halted when the elder brother, walking at the head of the pack, looked back to him with a disapproving scowl. "Caution, Hati. We know nothing of these outsiders. Do not trust their words just yet."

Hearing that, the youngest wolf, now identified with a name, hung his head slightly. Flurry, waiting for the eldest to look away, started to walk slightly closer, then brought her voice down to a whisper. "Hello, Hati. My mane is Flurry Heart."

Hati, briefly looking to his brother to ensure he wasn't listening in, looked back to Flurry and resumed his earlier smile. "Yes, you all introduced yourselves already." Flurry blushed with embarrassment over having forgotten that, but said nothing as Hati continued. "Well, you've clearly already met our eldest brother, Skoll." The Equestrian princess looked over to the large wolf leading them before looking back to Hati. "Your talkative friend over there is currently arguing with my sister, Lupa. And, well, there's a few too many others to name right now."

It was a statement that soon proved to be more true than Flurry expected. For as they journeyed onwards, she could see, through the corners of her eyes, other figures moving through the trees. The rest of her friends had spotted them too. Wolves, and plenty of them. Every passing minute added more and more to the already large pack, and before long there were at least two dozen of the enormous canines surrounding them. If things were tense for the Equestrians before, they were even more so now. But soon, even the surrounding scenery began to change. For they soon came upon a spot where the trees seemed more sparse than before, giving way to a clearing of sorts, wherein there was a large rocky protrusion from the ground. The stony mound had what appeared to be a cave at its base, which was flanked by two more of the wolves, who eyed the dragon and ponies warily. The group halted here, and the leader of the pack, Skoll, walked ahead, stopping just short of the cave entrance to look back at Flurry and the rest. "Wait here."

The situation was strenuous enough, so nobody questioned the instruction, waiting outside among the wolves for Skoll to return. In the following minutes, Flurry looked to one of the other nearby escorts, a larger male than Hati, who was keeping his eye on her. "So...big day, right? Our people meeting one another? Quite a moment for the history books, wouldn't you agree?"

The wolf frowned to her, speaking with a gruff tone. "What is a book?"

Flurry instantly looked despondent. "Oh boy, Auntie Twilight would not be happy here."

Thankfully, her attention soon fell back to Skoll, who had reemerged from the cave and gave a single nod to the group. "Enter." The other wolves backed off, giving the Equestrians their opening to move forward. Flurry led the way, entering the cave just behind Skoll, with Hati right beside her. Deeper and deeper they went, before finally reaching the back wall of the place. Here, they came upon what had to be the literal top dog of the pack. A wolf larger by far than any of them, at least half the size again of Skoll. Though this one appeared far less active, instead lying upon the cold, hard ground of the cave. Their eyes were open, but they were just staring ahead of the wall, as if unaware of anybody else close by. Skoll approached, looking almost reverent to the larger animal, before whispering. Though quiet, his words could nevertheless be heard by the group. "Mother...these are the outsiders." He then turned his gaze to Spike, Flurry and the twins. "You stand before Fenra. Matriarch of the pack. Speaker of the Windborn. Be sure to show the proper respect."

Slowly, the large parent raised her head, looking to the Equestrians. There were no questions, no accusations, just a blank stare. A pang of worry came to Flurry as she looked to her host. Something wasn't right with her, that much was obvious. But what, she had no clue. After a long quiet, the mother of the pack finally answered, though her voice was quiet and tired-sounding. "Yes...yes they are."

Skoll looked from his mother to the group, then finally back to the former. "They seem to have...powers, Mother. Do you think they might be...what we think they are?"

But his mother simply rested her head back upon the ground. "I know those ones, son. These are not them." Another moment of silence before she spoke again. "What do they want?"

Here, Flurry chose to speak, though she did her best to do so in as respectful a tone as possible. "We mean no harm, to you or your children. We've come from a very, very far place, and all we want is to learn more about this new land."

Fenra did not raise her head again as she answered. "Ah...I see. That's...nice."

Flurry waited to see if she was going to speak again, glancing over to Hati for a moment before refocusing her attention on their leader. "Um...I'm sure we can learn a great deal from one another. Opening a dialogue could mean great things, for both of our peoples."

"I'm sure it could," Fenra replied, showing the same unenthusiastic demeanour she'd had since they arrived.

Again, Flurry awaited a further answer, only for the silence to instead be filled by Hati's voice. "Mother is quite tired at this time of day. Though be assured, her words still show she is willing to have you here."

"That is something, I suppose," Pound remarked.

Spike, clearing his throat, stepped forward, watched carefully by Skoll. "More immediately though, we were in the middle of searching for the nearby river. For fresh water."

Slowly, Fenra's eyes closed. At first, it appeared as though she may have been falling asleep, but that assumption was dispelled when she spoke again. "Skoll...Hati...take them there."

Skoll gave a bow of his head, then turned to start walking away from her. Hati watched him go, and the two brothers shared a quick look to one another before starting to move in unison. Flurry and the others soon followed, and before long they were back out in the daylight. After briefly allowing their eyes to adjust to the new light levels, they looked on as Skoll turned to face them fully. "My brother and I will take you to where you need to be. After that, you return to your..." He paused, trying to remember something from earlier. "Boat? Was that it's name?" After seeing Spike nod to him, he continued. "Then let us make haste. The sooner you get your water, the sooner we can be done with one another."

Pumpkin frowned to him, then looked to her twin. "Not exactly one for diplomacy, is he?"

"We've not given them any real reason to trust us yet, Pumpkin," Pound countered.

But the two twins soon found themselves picking up the pace as Flurry and Spike began following Skoll in earnest. Hati wasn't far behind them, and soon all six were heading away from the wolves' den and back into the forest. Given where the sun was in the sky, they could tell they were going back in the direction they'd been going in prior to the attack, so there was that if nothing else. But, as per usual at this point, there was tension as the travelled together. Eventually though, Hati looked to Flurry and regained his earlier curiosity. "Tell me, how were you able to journey across the water as you did?"

Flurry, happy there was at least one wolf willing to strike up some kind of conversation, smiled to him. "It wasn't a quick journey by any stretch, but the boat was well-made, so it got us over without any problems."

"Aside from spending day after day being bored," Pumpkin added, much to Flurry's chagrin.

But Hati shook his head. "No, I mean...how did you manage to cross without being attacked?" Naturally, words like that earned him the attention of every single one of the Equestrians. And when it dawned on the young wolf that they had no idea what he was talking about, he elaborated. "Attacked? From...the deep-dwellers? The leviathans? The beasts of the below?"

Finally getting what he was trying to explain to them, all of them stopped in their tracks, eyes wide, as the realisation of what they had unwittingly gone through finally crept into their minds. Skoll too paused here, looking back to the group and tasking just a brief moment to smile, apparently amused at the horrors his guests were experiencing right now. Pumpkin, just as unnerved as the rest, was the first to voice what they were all thinking. "You mean...were were sailing over actual, full-blown sea monsters this whole time?!" Hati, uncertain of how to respond, simply gave them a quick nod, to which Pumpkin began to think things over before morphing her expression into one of pure irritation. "And I never got to see any of them?! What a rip-off! Do you have any idea how much more interesting that voyage would have been if we'd have been under attack like that? Maybe with a storm overhead for good measure?" She pouted. "Ugh! Such a wasted opportunity!"

Skoll and Hati looked to each other, taken aback by this unexpected reaction. "These Equestrians are...interesting," Hati declared, clearly trying to be as polite as possible.

Skoll, looking ahead, sighed. "That they are, brother. That they are."
> Fresh Water
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As was now the standard when travelling with the wolves, things were quiet with the group. Skoll was at the head as they made their way through the trees, with Spike not far behind him. The two occasionally eyed one another, and while they said nothing, the implication was clear. Both of them were the heaviest hitters of their respective sides, so if things went bad, they needed to be within reach of one another. It was a sensible move, though admittedly one that didn't do wonders for the tension levels. Further back, at the rear, Flurry was walking alongside Hati, and though the younger wolf would glance to his elder brother with some concern, eventually he broke the silence by speaking to the princess. "It won't be long now. The river is just up ahead."

Flurry nodded to him, giving a small smile as an unspoken thanks for being willing to speak to her. But, as the moments passed, a new thought came to her. One she knew was going to mean bringing up what was undoubtedly a difficult topic, but one which her curiosity forced her to speak about. "Hati...was...was your mother alright?" Instantly, she saw her canine companion turn away, proving her fear that this wasn't something he wanted to discuss. "I'm sorry, it's just...she didn't seem all that...well."

When she got her answer, it wasn't from Hati, but from Skoll, whose hearing was clearly better than they suspected, as he spoke loud enough to be heard from the front without even turning to look to her. "She is fine."

It definitely wasn't an easy discussion point, so Flurry got the message loud and clear, not bringing it up again. Hati, for his part, still seemed to want to speak with her, and so looked back to her after about a minute. "What is your home like?"

Flurry's smile returned. "Equestria? Oh, it's a wonderful place. Home to many incredible people. Not just ponies and dragons, like us, but Yaks, Changelings, all sorts." Her smile widened. "I could tell you so much about it."

Hati smiled back to her. "I would very much like to hear about it." A quick look to his brother, and his disapproving expression, soon dampened his enthusiasm. "Though perhaps...later."

Flurry nodded, understanding. Then, her mood perked up again, and she once more regarded Hati. "Oh! I never asked. What's your homeland called." After seeing Hati look to her with some confusion, she continued. "Ours is Equestria, so what name does this place have?"

Hati again looked confused, as if the question had never once been asked of him. "We call it...home."

Pound, who had been walking next to his sister and listening in on the conversation, looked back to the wolf. "You never named your land?"

"We never needed to," Hati explained. "It was simply...the land."

"I get it," Pumpkin chimed in. "Names are pretty hard. I know I wouldn't want to come up with one for a whole country."

Flurry considered what Hati had said, then shook her head. "So, how many people live here? Is it just you wolves, or are there others?"

Hati looked ahead. "There are others. But we usually do not meet if there is no need to. You might encounter them during your travels, though I cannot guarantee how you will be received."

Pumpkin chuckled. "Heh, don't worry about us, Hati. We Equestrians are pretty tough."

Skoll, having also been listening in on the conversation, smirked to that remark. "I will believe that when I see it." Pumpkin shot him an annoyed look, which the larger wolf ignored, and the latter soon stopped, prompting the rest of them to do the same. "Stay sharp...we are here."

Their guide spoke true, for soon all ears perked up at the sound of flowing water just up ahead. The trees became less dense, eventually giving way to open space, and as the group emerged from under the forest's shade, they looked on at the river they'd been seeking. Unsurprisingly, it was lined on either side by stone, which had been cut deep by the waters over the years, leaving at least a six foot gap between the edge of the land and the river itself. All gathered at the edge, looking down to that which they'd been seeking, and upon having finally seen it, Spike nodded. "Good. Now that we know where to find it, we'll need to just go back to the ship, get a pot, gather up some water and bring it back for boiling."

As before, Hati looked to them with confusion. "You...do not wish to simply drink it?"

Flurry shook her head. "We need to treat the water first, Hati. There's no telling what'll happen if we just drink it as-is."

Skoll chuckled, looking to his younger sibling. "Perhaps their stomachs are simply more...delicate than ours, brother."

Spike frowned to him, and Skoll enjoyed this short moment of victory over the visitors to his land. But his moment was cut short as his ears began to twitch. His head darted forward, across to the other side of the river, and he began to assume a more aggressive stance, not unlike how he'd been when they first encountered him. Everyone turned to see what he was looking at, and before long they too began to hear something. Oddly, it sounded remarkably like, of all things, the squealing of pigs, but moments later they realised that they were dealing with something far more than that. Enormous shapes began to be seen in the dark of the forest of the others side, and eventually, those figures began to emerge into the light for all to see. These were not pigs, but boars, and large ones too. In fact, each one of them seemed to dwarf even the likes of Skoll, who was growing increasingly tense at the sight of them. All in all, there were about ten of the creatures now lined up on the other side, and one of them, heavily scarred, stepped forward, sniffing the air before speaking aloud. "Skoll."

"Moccus," Skoll replied. For a long time, there was silence, save for the wind in the trees and the sound of the water. The only real movement by anyone was simply looking between the two respective leaders glaring at one another across the water. After a while though, it was Skoll who broke that silence. "So...your people have migrated back."

The words had been spoken without any happiness over that development, and the leading board, Moccus, picked up on that, snorting loudly before answering. "So it seems."

Flurry, who needed no help recognising the dislike between the two, leaned over to Hati and whispered. "Not exactly friends, I take it?"

Hati too kept his voice quiet. "No. Friendships between any of the peoples of this land are rare."

But, despite the attempts of the two to keep as quiet as they could, their brief conversation had been noticed by the boars, who now looked to them and the other Equestrians with interest. "What...are those?" Moccus asked.

Skoll only glanced in the direction of the group he'd been escorting before focusing his attention on his opposite. "Outsiders."

Moccus narrowed his eyes. "Ally or enemy?"

"Neither," Skoll answered firmly. "We are showing them the way to the river so they can drink. That is all."

Moccus looked to him, then turned his gaze over to the Equestrians. All of them were concerned by this sudden attention, save for Pumpkin, who instead decided to just smile and wave at the creatures. After a while, Moccus let out another snort. "You expect me to believe that you wolves aren't up to something?"

"You expect us to believe any differently about you?" Skoll spat back. "Coming here, right to the edge of our territory?"

"Boars go where they wish. Everybody knows that," Moccus answered back.

Hati, showing increasing concern over the rising hostility, walked ahead of Flurry to meet with his brother, while Flurry watched him. "Skoll. We do not need to get into a fight here. We can all walk away from this."

Moccus looked to him, then smirked. "So you're Fenra's new one, eh?" He then looked to the rest of his fellow boars. "A wolf who wants to avoid a fight. Seems the rumours were true. The might she-wolf has spawned a coward!"

There was laughter abound among the boars, and Skoll's teeth were soon bared in response. Spike, hearing the angry growls of their guide, looked back to his friends. "The moment things go bad, we need to leave."

He received nods of agreement from both Pound and Pumpkin, but Flurry did not seem to have been swayed by the suggestion, as she kept her attention squarely on the wolves and boars, with Skoll taking a step forward. "You will not speak of my family again, you filthy pig!"

Moccus, satisfied that he was getting under the wolf's skin, pressed the matter. "Tell me. Does your tribe consider the trade worth it? because I know I'd have been sorely disappointed with it."

The words were definitely provocative, and it looked as though Skoll was right on the cusp of bringing the confrontation to the point of actual violence. But then, to the horror of Spike and the confusion of everybody else, Flurry leapt forward, placing herself right in front of Skoll and standing defiantly against Moccus. "Boars! Hear me!"

Moccus, taken aback by this development, stumbled for a moment. "Wha...?"

"There is no need for conflict here!" Flurry continued. "You might not like one another, but remember that you are both leaders to your people! Ask yourselves if a few insults are really worth putting your own at risk of harm from the other!"

Everyone was stunned by what she'd done, especially Spike, who was likely going through a rapid mental list of all the ways her mother was going to utterly wreck him for having let her do this. Pound, for his part, facehoofed over her involving herself, while Pumpkin smirked in clear approval of how gutsy she was being. As for the two tribes arrayed against each other, there seemed to just be a general confusion over this, as though this was the first time anybody had ever attempted such an intervention. As time went on though, and Skoll and Moccus turned their attention to each other, they paused and considered what had been said to them. They clearly still didn't like one another, that much was obvious, but the tension seemed to have been cleared, at least for now. With one final snort, the boar leader turned away. "Come, it is a waste of our time to be here. We move out!"

And move they did, as all the boars began following Moccus away, each one delivering a defiant snort of their own to the wolves as they began to head away. As for those on the other side of the river, they waited until the sights and sounds of the boars were truly gone, after which Fluttery let out a long sigh. Spike, however, was none too pleased. "Flurry!"

Instantly, the princess turned to her uncle, chuckling nervously and scratching the back of her head. "So...um...yeah, kinda got ahead of myself there."

"Ya think?!" Spike responded.

By contrast, Hati looked to her and smiled as he approached. "Thank you. I don't think I've ever seen anybody actually try to stop a fight like that before."

Flurry opened her mouth to speak, only to be prevented when Skoll chimed in. "For good reason. It is nobody's concern what happens when the tribes fight," he said sternly.

The young alicorn frowned at him. "Does nobody here see the value in just keeping the peace?"

Skoll regarded her, looking her over and considering her words. Then, he scoffed, turning away. "Truly, you Equestrians are are strange lot." He took a few steps further away, then continued. "I return to our den with my brother. You have your water and the way to get to it. My obligation is fulfilled."

And that was the last thing he said to them before heading back into the forest. Hati, for his part, looked to Flurry one last time before running off to join his brother, leaving the Equestrians by themselves. Spike, having calmed down from the stressful situation his niece had put him in, sighed, then looked to the water. "Well...let's get to it then."