Life Begins Anew

Mama always picked the flower covered pup up when it was time for the pack to move on. At first, when the young pup figured this out, she was finicky and upset, trying the best she could to kick away from Mama so that she pack would stay; she always made little animal friends in the different spots of the forest, like the little bear cubs and squirrels that never ran away, so why couldn't she stay and talk to them? It wasn't fair -- it was their territory, Mama had told her so. Why were they leaving like this? It wasn't until the growls grew louder and her mother's grip on her became more and more painful that the cub finally quit resisting.

She still didn't understand it, though. Not until the hunger began to set in.

It wasn't bad, at first, for the shy little pup. Some nights she would curl up next to her mother like she always did, and yawn against her mother’s hard, wooden chest... But she could hear mother’s stomach growl. She didn't mind or worry much...but eventually the young cub’s own pain became too unbearable to ignore. Sleep became a difficult task to accomplish, with the snarls of hungry camp members echoing through the caves, resonating through a dark forest. All the poor pup was left with was snarls from her short tempered mother and sharp pains burrowing into her oaken form.

It was bad, but not horrible. It wasn't horrible until much later... and for a completely different reason.

It had been a normal day, over all. The Timberwolves who had gone off to hunt had returned with no food, saying that there was none left. They explored the expanse of their territory, searching it over and over again for a sign of just a single squirrel or living animal, but it was as if all of them had just run off or disappeared from the face of the planet. Absolutely nothing was left

at that part of Everfree.

So they did what they always did. They argued, snapping furious growls and snarls back and forth between each other, quarreling and having to be broken up before they decided to move again. Mama then gave her normal, low growl of warning to the young pup, clamping down on the back of her neck much harder than she had to, swinging her up from the ground and limping after the pack. Like always. They always left.

But it was normal. A normal day. A bad one, yes, but normal. It wasn't different until later.

The sad cub swung low to the ground, her wooden paws scraping the mud as her mother limped through the forest. She had thought about telling her Mama about it -- telling her that it was hurting her and dirt was starting to cake into the scratches in her wooden legs -- but when she looked up at Mama, she knew that she wouldn't. Her mother's eyes were squinted and drawn up in pain, and her wooden ears were snapped back angrily against her cheeks. Her stomach cramping and letting off low growls, she snorted and stared down the path ahead, marked by paw-prints.

The cub knew that if she went against her mother now, she would be angry, and would just snap and bite down even harder against the pup's wooden skin. It would just be better to let it be, let Mama be as happy as she could -- Mama did so much to help her, after all. So the cub just looked away from her, ignored the pain in her paws, and looked down to the trail swinging around below her and scraping at her paws. It was the best she could do, since she wasn't walking herself. Just stay still, quiet and complacent.

She stared at the ground, and looked at the patterns going by.

There were tiny swirls of dirt branching off of the wooden paws of the pack ahead, swirling up into Timbershy's face. Clouds of the dirt and dust scattered over the paw-prints they left behind, pebbles, ridges in the earth. Timbershy looked at each one, the paw-prints, naming off who's paw each belonged to. Alpha, Omega, Beta--

Mama tensed. The pack stopped. The cub stopped thinking about the paw-prints and looked up.

The cub broke her rule, looking wildly around as her mother's lips tightened into a thin line. What was happening? Her mother never stopped until they were at their new territory and she circled around three times, making a new place to sleep -- why was she stopping now? What was happening? What was happening? What was--

A sharp growl ripped through the back of Mama's throat, the pup's wooden legs stiffening as she watched. The cub could hear her mother sniffing at the breeze, an air of tension flying over the entire pack. An odd smell wafted and misted over the cubs' nose through the dust, everyone around her bared their fangs and dug their claws into the dirt...

There was a sharp whistle, the weary wolfs' vision went black, and then she was on the ground.

After that... It all happened so fast... there were loud, harsh yelps that split through the trees, snarls and the lashing of claws and teeth... two more high-pitched whistles which broke off in the cubs' ears...

The pink headed pup stood up from wherever she was at the time, her head swimming while she shook the dust off of her body. An agonizing headache formed in her head as noises exploded from all sides, her scratched paws aching even more now that they were up. How had she gotten to solid ground like that? Her Mama had... dropped her? Something had to be wrong, Mama never dropped her. Never. Something had to be--

Timbershy opened her eyes, and looked up at her Mama and the chaos swirling all around her.

Mama laid on the ground, eyes closed. A strange object, some sort cylinder with red leaves on one end and a sharp point on the other, jabbed and broke into Mama's hard skin. It had punctured down into her veins beneath the dull, broken wood, a sparkling blue concoction of several pure magics leaking from the hole that... thing had made. Two more Timberwolves, just ahead of her, were laying the same way, leaving imprints in the ground, while the rest of the pack let out harsh barks and yelps, snapping their teeth.

The cub backed up, her legs and arched back shaking as she stumbled backwards, away from her Mama. What was going on? She hadn't seen anyone -- surely nothing would attack the whole pack...? B-But they had, and she was seeing it play out before her very eyes.

Two more whistles. Then three. A few flashes of light and five Timberwolves hit the ground.

The pink pup couldn't stop staring, couldn't move from her spot staring at her mother. She couldn't tell if Mama was breathing. If any of them were breathing. Who was... what was... ?

Four more. Then one. Only the sad little she-wolf was left.

And she could see them.

Walking forward, with large grey boxes with lines in the middle floating along in a magic bubble... were monsters. They were somewhat tall, yet sickly in stature, their heads covered in odd wisps of stringy clouds of what the cub thought looked a lot like the fur on a squirrel's tale. They were different colors, all contrasting against the green and greys of the trees, an odd, sharp stick protruding out of their heads. Circles and squares rimming their eyes... they smelled so strange too, unlike anything the pup had ever encountered...

They were looking at her. With those big, weird eyes, they were looking at the lone pup. They stalked closer, gibberish breaking past their mouths as the grunted at each other in undecipherable noises. Some of them moved their eyes across some of the pack, taking the little cylinders out of them and starting to shake them. They looked... confused, angry maybe, the pup didn't know.

She just knew they were coming closer, one of the large grey boxes in a bubble. Just closer... closer... closer...

The pup ran. She couldn't remember, not even now, how far or how long. She just ran away from the monsters, gibberish and weird noises coming from them as she went. She ran and ran, away from the sight of Mama's blood, away from the pack hitting the ground, away from the boxes. Everything. Nothing. She couldn't tell anymore. She never would. How in the world could any of this happen? Why did she have to run  from this?

When she stopped, she was lost. The pink pup knew she was lost -- she didn't even look around the area or try to see where she was -- but she didn't care. She just cared about her mother. Her mother and whatever was left of the pack....If there was a pack to run back to.

Mama... was she remembering right? That couldn't have happened, right? Where was she going? She couldn't actually have been lost could she? The pack never let her get lost. She tried to think about it, tried to see what happened... they were alive and they were walking, but then that smell and Mama wasn't moving anymore, and maybe she was dead, but Mama couldn't be dead, except she was and so were all of the others except for her and she was all alone and she didn't even have the squirrels and--

It didn't make sense. None of it did. This had gone by to fast, she couldn't understand... Nothing. There was just nothing. Nothing...

A sharp pain shot through the cub's stomach and down her spine, and then the world went black.

Her dreams were filled with red. Red trees, red grass and red wolves howling in the distance before they dissolved into ash.

*          *          *

When the pup woke up she expected to see her pack getting up, barking orders and making complaints on how hungry they were. She expected to be picked up from her mother and be carried with the rest of the pack. She expected to feel her mother's wooden chest pressed up against hers, warming her up in the endless cold nights.

She expected anything other than absolute loneliness.

She twisted her body to the left and peaked one of her eyes open, and an endless valley of green filled her surroundings. She was rested upon a luscious soft grass, under the sea of blue above, with white, fluffy clouds scattered in the sky. Oak trees stretched to the tips of the heavens, and the sun beamed into her face, cooking her flesh and fur. There were no Timberwolves curled up, asleep, beside her. No sign of the pack. No sign of anything.

And...The pack? Where was she? She was just there -- she had to still be there, right?

Panicking, her breath quickening, the weak cub opened both eyes. She couldn't see her mother, or the pack. She lifted her shaking body up, her eyes darting back and forth across the trees, searching the forest for signs of life. She couldn't find anyone. She couldn't even find the alpha.

What happened to her mother and the--

It hit her like a ton of bricks.

Her mind swimming, thoughts pounding I her brain like a drum, it came back to her. The spindly creatures with sticks on their foreheads, the grey boxes that the creatures swung around with their strange, colorful lights, the little cylinders of red that were sticking into her mother's... th-that had killed... killed...

The memories settled into her aching, growling stomach and sat there like lead, pushing her body back to the ground. It happened. It was happening. It wasn't just a dream -- everyone was gone. She was lost in the forest, completely alone, and she never was good at tracking and hunting. Mama always got her food for her and kept her safe. Now she was forced to fend for herself. She had to. But she didn't know how. How? She had never gone into the forest on her own.

She did her best to remember the layout of their territory. A river marked the eastern border of their territory. Which way is east? A memory of her father, from long ago, came into her mind. No faces, really, but a voice. One distinct voice...

"Little oak, do you know which direction we're heading?" A familiar voice asked.

"No I don't, Daddy." She answered sitting up on his back.

"Well, let me teach you a little trick. The sun rises in the east, and the sets in the west."

"So east would be that way?" She pointed to where the sun rose a few hours ago. "And west would be there?" She pointed in the opposite direction.

"That's right." He confirmed.

"What about north and south?" The pup asked.

"That answer lies with the trees."

"Really, daddy? The trees will tell us?"

"Yes, but not with words." He approached a nearby tree and pointed at the trunk near the ground.. "You see this green bark?"

"Yes."

"This green bark only grows on the north side of the trees. We use this to help navigate the territory. Now, which direction are we going?"

"South?"

"Excellent, you are a fast learner. It took me a long time to learn that." He smiled.

"It wasn't that hard, daddy."

"Not for you, because you are a smart pup."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You won't have a problem getting food when you get old enough to hunt. I'm proud to say you are my daughter.

Now let's get moving, we don't want to fall behind."

She looked up at the sky and saw the sun was about to set, and began walking in the opposite direction. Dad's right, I can do

this. With new found fire, she took off in the direction of the river.

Years Later

"Bill, bill, another bill, magazine subscription... Oh hello, what's this?" Derpy picked up a curious and formal letter in a yellow aura, the envelope covered in a blood-red seal. The sending address was from Canterlot, apparently, and it said it was for her. But who could it be from? I don't know anyone in Canterlot. She ripped the envelope open with a hoof, and read over the elegant print of the parchment.

Dear Ms. Hooves,

Although this may be a bit sudden, Miss Doo, I am in dire need of assistance from somepony with your particular set of skills. You're quite advanced in magic, you're a trustworthy candidate in a town that absolutely adores you, and for all the right reasons, and you are a *wonderful mother. I need someone who can take care of a new "addition" to your wonderful town and I know that you are the right mare for the job. Although I may not be able to meet you face to face, I promise you that you will be properly rewarded for you endeavors. If you feel that this is something that interests you, please reply as quickly possible and I will have an associate fill you in on the details and any other instructions that I deem necessary.*

Princess Celestia

Derpy nearly dropped the letter after seeing who it was from, her jaw almost hitting the ground and her breath hitching at the back of her throat. The P-Princess requested my help... with payment... I-I don't know, I don't know what this is... What am I talking about?! I need to do this! With all those bills and Dinky starting another semester at school...

Before Derpy even realized it, a toothy grin began to spread on her snout, as she did a happy little jig with the red envelope still held in her giddy hoof. With a happy little twirl and a shake of her rump, she danced her way up to the confused filly sitting at a small table and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Mommy, is something happening? Why are you dancing all funny?"

"Dinky, all of our problems might be going away soon!" She picked up her pegasus daughter and nuzzled her nose into her cheek. Her daughter giggling and pushing away from her with a puckered face, a single thought ran through Ditzy Doo's mind:

*          *           *

"Believe it or not, Miss Doo, but this is a relatively simple spell. Just the two of us together should be able to perform it when the time comes, if everything goes according to plan. It will take a couple weeks, yes, but it shouldn't be that difficult for a unicorn of your skill level."

No need to worry about the Princess, Miss Doo. This isn't the only facility holding this particular experiment and she's far to busy to visit each and every one.

You can trust us, Miss Doo.

Ditzy Doo's chest heaved up and down in fear as she poked her head around the corner of the tree she was pressed against, her heart throbbing up from her chest and up into her dry, aching throat. She had met the group and it was....Shady to say the least. Every answer they gave seemed to be a rehearsed excuse, but the bag of bits that they slammed onto to the table was no joke. Four hundred bits just to watch over something for a few months? She couldn't refuse.

"Miss Doo, it will be fine. Even a filly could pull this little spell off, if given the help of two or three mages, and I promise you that you'll be rewarded greatly for your time. There's absolutely no need to panic. I'm more than capable of taking care of a few wolves on my own, if need be."

Derpy took a deep breath, struggling to stay calm, and looked to her partner at her right. His grey, fur-covered face was stoic and calm, his green eyes, rimmed by protective goggles, staring determinedly around the bark of the tree he was against. He wasn't scared. He wasn't worried. He was completely calm. Derpy should have been like him, she told herself. Nothing would go wrong.

Hopefully.

"Well, if you're so sure... what exactly would I have to do, though, mister...?"

"Evergreen. And that, too, would be relatively simple. We already know that the spell does what it's intended to, but we also know that it's not quite perfected. As soon as the target is in sight, we'll set off the spell to make it easier to capture." Evergreen pointed out, still out of sight behind a large tree. "After that, we would just be monitoring it's progress and running a couple of tests to see if we need to make any changes to the spell. Raising it will be your job. Our other subjects haven't reacted to well with steel cages and locked doors so we're going to take a different route and entrust it with somepony a little more caring."

She gulped and looked around the tree again. And the gray unicorn was gone.

"Wh-What?!" she screamed in a hushed whisper. "How did..? Evergreen?!"

Ditzy Doo looked over to where her partner had been standing. He was no longer there, and as Derpy saw with another peek behind the tree, was now several feet away, jabbing a hoof through some bushes and muttering something unintelligible to himself, before his horn flared a nasty shade of green. With a loud pop, he was gone.

He had left Derpy alone. In the Everfree. Where those monsters could get her at any second.

"E-Evergreen?! Evergreen!"

Derpy trotted away from her hiding spot as quickly as she possibly could, her breath hitching as she found her partner ducking into some tall shrubs. What is he doing?! Wasn't he supposed to be helping her?

Then, everything slowed to a near stop. Ditzy "Derpy" Doo heard a furious snarl and the snapping of claws. She turned, a squeal bursting from her lips and bouncing from the expanse of trees circling her, and a Timberwolf, vibrant pink flowers breaking off of its branchy head, lunging at her.

It was going to get her. It was going to kill her. She was going to die. She was going to leave her children as orphans.

Derpy wasn't going to let that happen. Her horn flared, her eyes crossing themselves and her teeth grinding together with determination, and then the Timberwolf was being suspended in the air.

*        *          *

The flower covered pup studied the forest floor, tracking the deer that would, with luck, become her next meal. The sun offered little light as it was about to set as she hunted her prey alone. She had been alone for so long now it was hard to remember how long her life had been that way. Not that it mattered, Mama was gone and nothing was going to change that. Same with the pack, they were all gone.

A rustling close by drew her attention away from her past and back to the present, where it needed to be. She pursued the sound to a nearby path. Normally, she would have avoided the paths ponies made in the Everfree, but the desire and need for food outweighed any fear or concern that they would attack. Even if her pack was taken down by the evil things.

The pony was covered in grey fur, and had thicker yellow fur on her head. A strange horn protruded out of it's forehead. It had a blonde tail as well. She was muttering that same strange language those other ones did so long ago when they attacked. It looked like she was searching for something. Not that it mattered, the creature didn't deserve to exist in her land. She began to feel the hatred she had harbored over the years bubbling over. Why do they think they own this forest!? What gives them the right to come and go as they please!? Why should they be allowed to set one foot in this territory!?

Her temper flared and she lunged out of the bushes. It will pay for what they did to my pack! The flower covered wolf raced down the path and bared her sharp teeth, ready to tear it to pieces. The pony gave a loud shriek and just when she thought she had it, she was paralyzed. Somehow floating in the air, her entire body was engulfed in some sort of yellow light. The horn on the pony's head glowed with the light as well.

The pony began shouting gibberish at her while she was suspended in the air. Once it was done, the scrawny wolf felt the earth return beneath her feet. She was still immobilized by the pony, who began muttering again. In her peripheral vision she saw another pony approach her, it's horn glowing as well. She had walked right into a trap. The second pony was silent after a few minutes before it's horn gave off a blinding light. Then the first one followed suit. Her breathing quickened and she began to panic. Fear had gripped her mind much like the way her body was gripped by these ponies.

She clenched her eyelids shut to try to keep the light out. But, it was too bright and caused a sharp pain in her eyes. The pain started spreading over her entire body, as if her wooden hide was being stripped away. She was powerless to stop it. Her life was coming to an end, just like daddy, just like mama, just like her pack. Powerless to save herself from the coming end. Minutes ticked by at an agonizing pace as her entire body felt like it was on fire.

After a few more minutes, the pain had ceased. The young wolf was released and collapsed from the severe pain she had just been forced to endure. With all of her energy ripped from her body, the tired, newly formed pony simply blacked out.

"I... I can't believe it worked!" Derpy exclaimed, as she eyed the unconscious pony in amazement.

"Yes, yes. You did a fantastic job Miss Doo, but this was the easy part." The bored looking scientist stated, putting a damper on Derpy's excitement. "Now you have the privilege of caring for her."

Derpy only grunted a quick response as she eyed the unconscious mare with curious eyes. "Do I get to name it?"

"If you feel the need to, than it shouldn't be much of a problem." The gray unicorn replied, wandering off into bushes once more.

"Your head was covered with blossoms, so how about Cherry Dream? I'm sure you'll love your new home." Of course the unconscious wolf couldn't utter much of a reply, but Derpy was more than satisfied with the choice of a name.

"You'll probably need this." A voice called, catching Derpy's attention.

With a loud slam, the gray unicorn brought a large, plastic cage out into the open, earning an unamused frown from the gray unicorn.

"What? She won't exactly be sunshine and rainbows when she wakes up, you know."