Guardians of the Old Forest

Chapters

Into the Darkness
Dawn's Invisible Light
Passion Blooms
A Knife in the Dark
A Battlefield Without a Soul

Into the Darkness

branch creaked, bringing the forest's silent watchfulness to a brief halt as the slight sound echoed through the musty dark of the Everfree.

Roseluck froze, glancing around and waiting for the silence to return.

“I still haven't found any Wolfstone roses.” Daisy glanced over her shoulder. “We should go. Before it gets dark.”

Rose didn't bother answering this time. She didn't come here to argue; she came here for that rose. For Lily. As the quiet, watchful forest became still again, Rose dared to take another step.

When a few hesitant crickets began to chirp, Rose finally let out the breath she'd been holding. She crept forward, peering into the gloom for those precious white petals. Though she would never dare tell anypony, more than anything, she wanted her friendship with Lilly to become something more... much more. She couldn't let anything happen to her.

A bush rustled behind the two ponies.

Daisy glued herself to Rose's side. “What was that?”

“Quiet,” Rose chided. “It's probably nothing.” Wishful thinking, probably, but she couldn't turn back now.

Something crunched against the fallen leaves behind them. The crickets fell silent again.

“Rose!” Daisy whispered, painfully loud in the abrupt quiet, “We have to get out of here!”

“You heard what Zecora said. 'Unless I get these pale flowers, your friend is in her final hours.' We have to find some! It's the only ingredient we're missing for the potion that will cure her.”

Daisy groaned. “Your friendship with that weird zebra is going to get us killed, and I didn't even want to come out here in the first place. Isn't there some safer way we can save Lily?”

“You're being too loud!” Rose whispered, whirling to face Daisy head-on. “And no, you know there's no other way. We tried all the doctors. They all said trots is incurable. Zecora's the only one who knows a remedy, so we have to find the ingredients!”

Daisy trembled where she stood. “B-b-but...”

“No buts! Lily needs us. We have to–”

Daisy pointed her hoof at something behind Rose.

Rose winced. All she could see was the wide-eyed terror in her friend's eyes. Her own bravado wavered and died like a candle in a storm. A draft of cold, damp breath washed across her neck and shoulders, making every hair of her coat stand on end. Barely able to breathe, she spun her head around.

Just inches away, the face of a timberwolf loomed. Long thorns covered its hide – it seemed to be entirely made of briars, except for a big patch of pale lichen around one eye. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of jagged teeth and releasing a guttural growl.

Rose sat transfixed by the hypnotic green eyes of the wolf. She could feel it feeding from her fear – savoring it. Its open jaws edged closer.

“Rose! Run!”

The spell of those seductive green eyes shattered. Rose bolted up and away from the wolf.

The wolf's jaws snapped shut on empty air. It snarled, launching itself toward her.

Rose scrambled away, her hooves skidding against the loose leaves of the forest floor. She ran toward Daisy, dodging tree trunks and bushes. A low-hanging branch blocked her path for a moment, and she dove beneath it, sliding over the leaves before popping back up and dashing away.

The forest cleared for a small space ahead; she could risk a glance behind her without running headlong into a tree.

The timberwolf snapped at her tail, snagging a couple stray hairs on its thorny face. If she made the slightest mistake, the slightest stumble, the wolf would have her.

She turned to look where she was going, just in time to see Daisy trip over a log and fall.

Rose turned, running away from her friend to draw off the wolf.

It didn't work. The wolf ran straight for Daisy. Its eyes gleamed as it watched its now-helpless prey.

Rose turned back toward her friend. She would never let this happen.

The wolf skidded to a stop right above Daisy. She stared up at it, still flat on her back, and just trembled. With a savage snarl, the wolf lunged for Daisy's neck.

Rose lashed out with her back hooves, smashing into the wolf's face, and the wolf's jaws crashed down onto the log instead of Daisy.

Yanking its head up, it spat out chunks of bark and moss. Its eyes flashed, and it roared at Rose.

She took off again, jumping over the log and galloping deeper into the forest, the wolf nipping at her heels.

Daisy called out for her, but she couldn't turn back now, not with the wolf right behind her. Every step made her cringe as thorns from the wolf's face drove into the soft center of her back hooves.

She plunged into a tight thicket of dead rhododendrons, hoping to slow the wolf down.

It did slow as it crashed through the brush, but not enough. It gained on Rose as the two struggled through the thick branches.

Rose's heart was exploding. She could hardly breathe, but the snapping jaws of the wolf behind her kept her moving. She kept wriggling her way through the clinging branches, desperate to get further away. Her mane snagged, and jagged sticks scraped her through her coat, but she didn't dare stop.

Finally, she burst out of the thicket, in the clear again and able to get a little distance from the wolf. She ran as fast as she could, ignoring the pain in her feet; this was her chance.

The wolf still struggled, thrashing at the branches holding it back. As Rose ran even further away, it howled, a long, lonely sound.

Rose's blood ran cold at the sound of the timberwolf's howl. It froze when she heard an answering call from her left. Two more howls wailed from her right.

She redoubled her efforts, running even faster. The forest around her grew darker, and it wasn't just because of the approaching night. The trees around her were thicker, mossier, and they loomed over her like vultures. Nearly all the underbrush was gone now, leaving her with only the huge, gnarled tree trunks all around.

A new timberwolf shot from the trees on the right. Rose dodged to the side, barely avoiding its claws. She veered off to the left only to come face to face with another.

Rose felt a sharp sting of panic run through her legs. She had never been a very athletic pony; already her longs burned and her legs felt weak. Now she had two new wolves on her tail. She cringed and kept running, hoping for a miracle.

The two new wolves trailed just behind her on either side. They would have her if she turned.

Rose ran on. It was her only option. The thorns in her back feet hurt all the time now, not just when stepped on, but she had to ignore it, or things would only get worse. She glanced a the wolf on her left. It licked its teeth with a leafy tongue. Much worse.

Something white in the gloom ahead caught her eye.

Impossibly, there it was. The little rosebush ahead was unmistakably the Wolfstone rose she needed – a pure-white Polyanthus, with clusters of three tiny blooms all over.

She veered toward it. Wolves or now wolves, she wasn't about to let that slip by. If by some chance she made it back from this, she wasn't coming back without the medicine to save Lily.

Another wolf jumped out from behind a tree, blocking her path to the rosebush.

Rose skidded to a slop, tracing long trails across the forest floor with her hooves.

Behind her, the two that had been chasing her slowed to a calm stop and fell into place, blocking her escape.

Her heart racing, she turned in a circle, looking for something, anything that could get her out of what was about to happen. Instead, she spotted the first wolf again. It had two hoofprints in the lichen patch around its eye now. It stalked toward her, staring her down the whole way, and she knew it would have its revenge.

An uncontrollable chill ran through Rose as the injured wolf stalked up to her. She couldn't take her eyes off it.

The wolf towered over her as she cringed away. She could smell rotting meat in its breath. The branches in its leg tensed for a pounce.

She clenched her eyes shut, squeezing out a tear. She never thought it would end like this. Leaves rustled and crunched; the wolf made its move.

“Stop!”

For a brief moment, nothing happened – a glorious, impossible nothing.

Rose dared to open her eyes. She wished she hadn't. The thorny wolf's jaws were open, just inches away from her face.

The jaws receded with visible reluctance. The wolf sat back on its haunches and glared at her with its injured eye.

“Who is this pony before me?” the deep, gravelly voice spoke again, coming somewhere from the left.

Rose looked, but the only thing there was an enormous, particularly gnarled tree trunk.

Moments passed and no one answered. The timberwolves around her glared at her, naked hunger in their eyes.

Rose decided she should answer before the wolves did anything. “I'm Roseluck. I, uh, run a flower stand in Ponyville.” Rose gave the best smile she could under the circumstances. Whatever this was, it was the only thing between her and being literally thrown to the wolves.

Leaves rustled and branches creaked. The giant tree trunk moved, and the face of a colossal timberwolf lowered down. Thick layers of moss and ferns grew on it, but the glowing green eyes were unmistakable, even if the color was a deeper, darker green than the other wolves.

“Why have you come to our peaceful forest, Roseluck of Ponyville?”

Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing; she couldn't believe what she was hearing. “I... I came to get a Wolfstone rose.” She backed away a little, glancing from side to side. “I need it to make medicine for my sick friend.”

The giant wolf growled. She could feel the sound of it in her bones. “As it ever was, so shall it ever be. Ponies have always come to our forest, always harvesting, always rending, always breaking, always burning.” The huge green eyes narrowed. “I know not of this 'Wolfstone' rose you seek, but–”

“It's right there.” Rose pointed at the bush below the giant's feet.

The giant eyes narrowed further, and the huge mouth bent into a frown. “You are no different from the rest of your cursed race, as eager to destroy as you are ignorant.” Its eyes trailed down to the rosebush. “This sacred rose is called 'The Soul of the Forest'. It was planted in this place by my grandfather, the very first timberwolf. It is the only one of its kind left in the forest. All roses are sacred to the pack – this one more than most. That you should dare to defile it shows you to be the worst of our pony enemies.”

Rose sank down and glanced back and forth at the other wolves creeping toward her.

“And yet, you bear the mark of the rose. Perhaps you can be redeemed.” The giant face lowered down to her level again. “I am called Fang Horn. The task of reforming and educating you, I give to my three sons.”

“Um...” Rose tried to keep as far from the wolves around her as she could. “I'm not sure what's going on here, but can I go home now?” Her words fell on deaf ears.

A dark colored timberwolf jumped out from behind Fang Horn.

“This is my youngest son, Bark Hide, and this is Moon Howl, my eldest.” The face nodded toward one of the wolves surrounding her.

A short, stocky timberwolf nodded back.

“And I believe you have already met Briar Thorn.”

The wolf she kicked earlier snarled at her and gave her a glance that could have shattered stone.

“Go with them, and learn well. The future of the forest depends on you.”

The one he called Bark Hide ran up to Rose and nudged her to the right.

She cringed at the contact from the patch of cold, damp moss on the wolf's nose. Moved more by instinct than anything else, she edged away from him.

She crept along in the direction indicated, keenly aware of the eyes of all the wolves watching her. A well-worn path revealed itself, even in the dimness, and she followed it.

“I can't believe this nonsense,” a new voice behind her said.

She glanced back. Bark Hide followed her, with Moon Howl at his side.

Moon Howl spoke again, “Are we seriously taking a pony to our village?” He glanced at her, furling his bushy eyebrows.

Rose turned back to the path ahead. She didn't want to cause trouble.

The little dirt path wove its way around the ancient tree trunks around her, leading her through a dark maze. Occasionally, she could catch glimpses of the eye-patched wolf, Briar Thorn, stalking her between the trees.

“And now we have to take care of one? This is madness. We should be tearing her to shreds right now!”

Rose winced at Moon Howl's words. It was true, she knew. That was exactly what she had expected from the wolves. Rose dared to glance back again.

“Fang Horn thinks it's for the best.” Bark Hide looked up at her before turning back to his brother.

“You can't possibly be on its side.”

Bark Hide shook his head, waving the moss on his face. “No, of course not! But you know how it is. Every year, we lose ground to the ponies. Fang Horn thinks we need to negotiate with them and set up a truce.”

“Then you're just as much of a fool as he is.”

Bark Hide snarled. “If you're going to be like that, then maybe she can sleep in your den.”

Moon Howl jumped aside as if burned, the big cedar burls on his shoulders flexing as he landed. “No!” He fell back into place behind Rose, still glaring at the other wolf. “Are you crazy? Have you smelled that thing? I'm not letting it anywhere near my den.”

“Then behave yourself, or I'll make her sleep with you.”

Moon Howl hissed. “You can't do that.”

“Briar would back me up.”

Both wolves glanced ahead and to the left, where Briar Thorn still slank between the tree trunks. The wiry, thorn-covered wolf just kept glaring at Rose with his injured eye.

Moon Howl flicked his tail. Rose could hear the swish of pine needles. “Whatever. But for now, it's staying with you, since you like it so much.”

Bark Hide growled, low and ominous. “Watch that tongue of yours, brother. It's going to get you in trouble some day.”

“And you watch that pony.” Moon Howl stopped walking. “I'm going hunting.” He looked directly at Rose. “I've got a sudden craving for meat.”

Bark Hide watched his brother trot away. He kept up behind Rose without breaking his pace.

Rose turned her attention back to the path and limped onward. It was broader and better trampled now, but wove around even more to avoid the massive oaks. She could still catch Briar Thorn's gleaming eyes staring at her whenever there was a small break in the trees.

Bark Hide stepped up next to Rose. She jumped to the side, her heart racing. She hadn't heard him coming at all.

“Stand straight, and do exactly what I say,” he whispered. “We're coming up to the village now.”

Rose strained her eyes in the dark. She couldn't see anything ahead but more pathway.

On her left, a new wolf popped out from a hole under a huge tree root. Its green eyes glowed at her. Another emerged from a pile of brush on her right.

“Stop,” Bark Hide snarled at her. “Stand right there. Don't move.”

Rose froze in place. She didn't dare disobey.

Bark Hide let out a long, undulating howl.

Timberwolves poured out of the darkness, circling around Rose and Bark Hide. In just moments, an ever-moving ring of green glowing eyes encircled them.

“My fellow wolves of the River Pack,” Bark Hide called out, “Fang Horn has given me and my brothers this pony. She is to be taught our ways and taught to respect the forest. She is not to be harmed without the permission of Fang Horn.”

The circle of wolves drew closer.

“She will be living in my den until further notice. Treat her well, and teach her to respect us.”

Wolves crowded around her now. The stench of their breath gagged her. She fell to the ground as the first one sniffed her, and she laid there, trembling and clenching her eyes shut as more and more came up to her for a sniff.

Rose struggled to keep control of herself as wolf after wolf sniffed at her. Their foul breath washed across her face and whiffed through her mane and tail. Twigs, branches, and leaves of all kinds brushed up against her fur. Just yesterday, she had been tending her flower stall and nursing her sick friend – living a perfectly normal pony life. Now, here she was, surrounded by timberwolves and separated from everything she had ever known. With a start, she realized she didn't even know which way was home. She'd gotten so turned around during the chase, she had no idea which way Ponyville was anymore. Even if she could escape, where would she go?

A rough wooden paw poked her in the side. “Get up. You're an embarrassment.”

Rose opened her eyes to see the ring of curious wolves was gone. Only she and Bark Hide remained. Still shaking, she managed to stand up.

“Some first impression you made.” Bark Hide snorted. “You didn't even sniff any of them back. If you're going to last around here, you'd best learn some manners.” He sauntered off. “Come on, let's go.”

Rose hurried to follow him. It felt strange, depending on a timberwolf for safety, but somehow she felt she was safer with him than with the others.

He stopped in front of a big pile of brush. “Get in.”

She stared at it. It just looked like a big pile of branches and leaves. “Um, I don't really know–”

He snorted at her, blowing her mane back.

“Oh, um, okay.” She stepped up to the pile, still unable to see any kind of entrance. She poked at it with her hoof, at a loss.

Bark Hide gave a guttural grunt and pulled on a protruding branch with his teeth. The branch pulled back a whole section of the pile, revealing a doorway.

“Oh.” Rose flashed a strained smile, sidestepping over to the door.

As soon as she stepped inside, she cringed, expecting an awful stench. Instead, it just smelled like fresh herbs and damp pine needles. A small dome of branches and leaves spanned overhead, and the floor was packed dirt, except for one big patch of soft-looking live ferns. A few green-glowing mushrooms bloomed from out of the roof.

Bark Hide slipped in behind her. Before the door fell closed, she caught a glimpse of Briar Thorn watching her from the darkness.

With a creak, the door flopped closed. With both Rose and the big wolf inside, the small room closed in on Rose. She pressed herself against the wall, struggling for what little distance away from the wolf she could get.

He glanced left and right and checked behind him, and then, he changed. His face lit up with a huge grin, and his eyes glowed brighter. “Bless my bark! I've got a real, live pony right in front of me! I never even dreamed that–” He shot down, putting his face right into hers. “Ooh! What do pony hunting parties look like? Where do you do your ritual dances? Can you show me one? What are your holidays? How does it feel to fly? Does your pack have a–”

“What?” Rose stared at him, wide-eyed, and fell to her haunches. “Bark Hide, what are you–”

“Just call me Bark. All my friends do.”

“And I'm your friend?” Rose raised an eyebrow.

“Of course!” Bark spun around in a tight circle, forcing Rose to hug even tighter against the wall. He ended up facing her again. “I've always been curious about ponies. I used to sit at the edge of the forest and watch them when I was a pup.” He sat down on his haunches, but still twitched with energy. “It is so amazing to finally have one right here, right here in my den!”

Rose coughed from the smell of his breath. Of all the places to find a new friend, this was the last she would have expected. “So... you want to be my friend?”

Bark nodded vigorously.

“And you want to learn about ponies?”

He nodded again.

Rose shook her head. “Okay, ask away.”

The manic grin on his face grew even bigger. “What kind of leaves do ponies like to sleep on? Where do they plant their foals? Why doesn't–”

“Woah, hold on.” Rose held a hoof up. “One at a time.” She sighed. “Ponies don't sleep on leaves. They sleep on beds. And what do you even mean, 'planting foals'?”

Bark cocked his head to the side. “You know, where you put your younglings in the ground to grow.”

“We, ah, we don't do that.”

“Really?” He moved in even closer. “What about the flying? What's it like to fly?”

Rose shook her head. “Only pegasus ponies can fly.” Seeing his confusion, she continued, “The ones with wings.” She edged along the wall a little, trying to get a bit more room in the tiny hut. The thorns stabbing into her back feet made her cringe.

Bark's mossy eyebrows furrowed. “What's wrong?”

“Besides being a captive in the middle of a timberwolf village?” She gave a dark chuckle. “When I was running away, I kicked Briar Thorn in the face to save my friend. Now I have thorns in my hooves.”

“And that's bad, right?”

Rose looked at him as if he'd just eaten glue.

“Hey, honest question. I kind of like having thorns in my feet, actually.”

Rose jumped back again when he moved toward her.

He sat back and sighed. “You're safe now. No one's going to hurt you. So relax, and let me take a look at those feet.”

Rose glanced back and forth. Slowly, she limped her way over to the bed of ferns and laid down, leaving her back feet hanging off the edge.

Obviously straining to look as non-threatening as a timberwolf could, Bark stepped over to the ferns. He knelt down and examined Rose's feet.

“Now, I guess there are some things you should know if you're going to live here,” Bark said, still squinting at Rose's hooves.

“Live here? I can't live here! I have to get back home. My friends are going to miss me! Lily could die!”

Bark Hide pressed a rough paw against her back legs, preventing her from getting up. “You're stuck here for now, and there are some things you have to know.”

“Fine.” Rose growled and flopped back down onto the ferns. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

“First of all, you're an inferior here, so don't ever look anyone in the eye for too long. They might take it as a challenge.” He brought his paws together right next to her hooves.

“Inferior? That is just so– Ouch!” Rose flinched her hoof away as Bark Hide made contact.

He held up a thorn with his paw. “You can't expect them to greet you as an equal, now can you? How would ponies treat a captured timberwolf, hm?”

Rose looked away and slid her feet back toward Bark Hide.

He twirled the thorn around in his claws for a moment, staring at it. It must have been at least an inch long, and a red stain covered most of it.

“Secondly”– he tossed the thorn aside –“you can't attack anyone. Fang Horn ordered everyone to leave you unharmed, but if you start a fight, all bets are off.” He moved in to pluck another thorn.

Rose fought the urge to cringe away. Her hooves hurt enough already, without a wolf picking at them, but she knew the thorns would have to come out if it was ever going to feel better, and she couldn't do it herself.

Bark plucked another thorn. “And for the love of everything growing, when someone sniffs you, sniff back. It's rude to snub everyone like that.”

Rose buried her face in her hooves. “I had no idea what was going on, okay?”

“Okay, last one.” He moved over to her other back hoof. “And the last thing you really need to know, I guess, is to never do something that pisses off Fang Horn. He's the leader of the whole wolf pack, and the only reason you're still alive is because he said so.”

Rose winced as he pulled out the last thorn. “So, getting a piece of that rosebush would be–”

“Don't even think about it.” Bark growled, covering his face with a paw. “You don't know anything!”

“Why's it such a big deal? It's just a plant, and I only need a little piece. It wouldn't hurt the–”

“Just a plant? If you keep thinking like that, you're not going to last long around here.” He spun around and sat down next to her on the plush ferns. “Back in the ancient days, the beautiful forest stretched from sea to sea, watched over by the Great Mother, and every race lived in peace with the forest. But as time went on, some of the races began abusing what the Great Mother gave them. They cut down trees for wood, plowed up fields for crops, burned the precious trees for mere warmth.” He shook his head back and forth. “The Great Mother came back to find these atrocities, and she wept. She tried to put her beloved trees back together again, and though her power was great, she could not. Her attempt to do so created the first timberwolf. Ever since then, whenever a plant of the forest is maimed, its parts will become part of a timberwolf.”

Rose took a moment to stare at Bark's side, right next to her. Big chunks of coarse bark rose and fell with his breaths, and springy green moss filled the crevices. Who had chopped down the tree that became him?

“Roses are especially sacred to the wolves, for it is said the Great Mother loved them especially.” He turned his head, glowering down at her. “We are the guardians of the forest now, and we constantly have to fight off ponies like you – ponies who take without thought, ponies who butcher plants for the most frivolous reasons, ponies who cut and break and burn and...”

Bark Hide took a deep breath. He turned his head away and sat silent for a moment before continuing. “Taking a piece of that rosebush would go against everything you should be learning here.”

Rose winced, but it had to be said. “But I need it for a really important reason. Without it, my friend is going to die!”

“Weren't you listening to anything I said?” Bark rose up and whirled to face Rose, his jagged teeth bared. “Forget about it. If you harm that rosebush, Fang Horn is going to have you killed. Got it?”

Rose shrank down into the ferns. “Okay.”

Bark Hide brightened immediately. “Okay, good. Now, tell me about ponies, where do they plant their young? When do they–”

“We don't plant our young.” Rose glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Why would we do that?”

“Huh... That's how we've always done it. When a father is ready, he plants the core of a new wolf into Mother Earth. Over time, it accumulates pieces of plants and grows into a pup. Isn't that how ponies do it?”

“Not exactly, no.”

“That's weird. Anyway, what about their dance-chants? Do they–”

Rose let out an explosive yawn. She couldn't help it.

“Oh. You're tired. I'm sorry. We'll wait until tomorrow.” Bark Hide circled around her and spun in three tight circles before settling down onto the bed of ferns. “Come and sleep with me. We can talk in the morning.”

“Sleep with you?” Rose raised an eyebrow.

“Of course. Where else would you sleep? I promise I'll keep you safe.”

“Uh, yeah, I'm sure.” Rose lifted herself to her feet and took a step away from the bed. “It just wouldn't be very appropriate to...”

Bark lifted his head up. “What? Why would it be inappropriate to share a bed?”

“Well, it's just that some might see it as something sexual.”

He cocked his head to the side, lifting his ears. “Something what-you-al?”

Rose groaned. “Never mind. I'll explain it tomorrow.” Shaking her head, she limped back to the pile of ferns and laid down next to him. “Good night, Bark.”

He shifted closer, and Rose tensed when a tough, mossy paw wrapped around her. “Good night, Rose.”

Within minutes, Bark Hide's chest began rising and falling in a slow, smooth rhythm. The wolf was asleep.

Despite the long, tiring day, though, Rose couldn't find sleep. Every detail reminded her of how foreign this place was, and of her own peril. Every little noise from outside–

Bark Hide shifted in his sleep, pulling Rose in tighter.

Rose groaned. As if trying to sleep in a timberwolf's den wasn't bad enough, here she was being used as his teddy bear or something. She couldn't imagine being able to get much sleep tonight.

Dawn's Invisible Light

long, low howl jolted Rose awake. It sounded like it was coming from just outside the wall.

Bark Hide raised his head as another, more distant, howl pierced the quiet of the nighttime forest. He rose to his feet, hopping over her to land on the dirt floor of the den.

Rose sat up. “What's going on?” she whispered, “Did something–”

Bark Hide drowned out her voice with a deafening howl of his own. He turned towards Rose and flashed a toothy grin. “The zap apples!” He howled again.

Rose covered her ears. That was far too much sound for inside this little den. All around her now, even with her ears plugged, she could hear a cacophony of howling timberwolves. She glanced back and forth. “What's going on?” she shouted, hoping Bark could hear her over all the howling.

Bark Hide pranced around the tiny room, jumping around and never staying still for even a moment. “Can't you smell it?” His grin grew even wider. “The zap apples are coming!” He jumped into the air again, landing with his tail wagging. “The zap apples are coming!”

“Oh.” She knew timberwolves howled when a zap apple harvest was coming, but she had no idea they got this excited about it.

After a few more moments of howling along with his pack, Bark settled down.

As the last few howls died down, Rose yawned. It gave her the eerie impression that one of the howls had been her own, but she knew it was only because this was the middle of the night, and she hadn't been sleeping well so far. She glanced over at Bark Hide. “Why do you wolves care so much, anyway? Why is it such a big deal?”

“Are you kidding?” Bark Hide laughed. It sounded like tree limbs rubbing together. “Have you never had one? They're delicious! They're the Great Mother's gift to all who share her forest!”

Rose yawned again. “But they won't be ready until five days from now, right?”

“Yeah. How'd you know?”

Rose curled back into the bed of ferns. “Lucky guess.”

Bark laughed again, softer this time. “They call you Roseluck for a reason, huh?”

Rose didn't answer. Now that all the commotion was over, the bed seemed to be calling her name, and she could already feel herself drifting off to sleep.

Roseluck heard the sound of birdsong echoing through the trees. She peeled her eyes open.

For some reason, she was staring at an odd tree branch. It had just a few pine needles sticking out of it, and a broken-off part on the tip facing her was covered in damp moss. With the two holes in it, it almost looked like a nose... and the pine needles could be its whiskers... She let her eyes trail upwards, where they met another pair of eyes, glowing green.

The memories of last night came flooding back to her.

She jumped up to her feet and scrambled to the far wall, putting as much distance as she could between herself and the wolf.

He just sat up straight and tilted his head to one side. “Do ponies always wake up like this?”

It was only Bark Hide. If there was any timberwolf she could trust, it was him. She allowed herself to relax. Her back feet still stung a little, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She shook her head, trying to clear it. “No... not usually.”

“I got you breakfast.” Smiling, Bark nudged something toward her with his paw.

Rose gagged. The carcass of a light brown bunny sat there on the dirt floor and stared up at her with glassy eyes.

She turned around, trying to keep her breathing steady. “Ugh. Ponies don't eat that kind of–” A vicious snarl from outside the den cut her off. She froze and looked up at Bark Hide. “What was that?”

“It sounded like my brother.” Bark stepped over to the door. “Come on, let's see what's going on.”

“I'm not sure that's–”

Bark pushed the door open. A growl came from outside, then a sound like something heavy hitting a tree.

Rose's legs trembled, but she craned her neck out and crept toward the door anyway.

Bark Hide stood at the door, staring outside and filling most of the small doorway. “It's Moon Howl and Birch Fur. They're fighting a Lupus Mal!”

Pushing up close to him, Rose peeked out into the darkness. The short, squat wolf, Moon Howl, had his teeth clamped onto the back leg of another wolf she didn't recognize.

“They're fighting a what?”

The other wolf hit Moon Howl with a brutal series of kicks, but Moon Howl kept his grip, despite the bits of wood splintering from his face.

“They're fighting a Lupus Mal,” Bark said, “It’s how we settle disputes. Don't ponies do it the same way?”

Moon Howl dragged the other wolf backward now, scrambling for traction on the loose forest floor.

“Well, it's usually not quite so...”

A loud snap echoed through the forest, and Moon Howl broke free, holding the other wolf's broken leg in his mouth.

“... violent.” Rose winced.

Moon Howl spat out the severed limb, and it flopped to the ground. The other wolf backed away slowly, the short fir needles covering his back all standing up straight.

Moon Howl lunged, and with a leg missing, the other wolf couldn't dodge in time. Moon Howl blasted into the wolf's chest, shattering the injured wolf's body entirely.

Rose's jaw dropped. “Did he just...? What was this dispute about – what was so important that they had to kill each other?”

Bark Hide laughed. “Oh, it was just some little hunting rights thing. They've been arguing about it for days – I'm surprised it took them this long.”

As Moon Howl stalked away from the scene of the fight, he glanced toward the hut, and Rose could swear he glared right into her eyes.

“But it's just so violent and–”

“And no one died. Look”– he pointed out towards the shattered bits of the other wolf –“see that green-glowing gem in the middle? That's Birch Fur's core, and it's fine.”

“Huh?”

“It's his core. Hm, how do I put it? It's like his heart. A timberwolf's core is where all his energy is kept. As long as that's okay, he'll pull himself back together. See? He's starting already.”

Rose watched as the pile of wood scraps began to glow and move back together. Piece by piece, the wolf's body reassembled itself. Even the broken leg limped its way over. Before long, the fir-needle-covered timberwolf shook his head, scratched behind his ear, and walked off.

Bark Hide backed up into his den, letting the door fall closed again. “So, ready for breakfast?”

“Well, yes”– Rose's stomach growled –“But I don't–”

“Good, good.” He tossed the dead bunny toward her. “Enjoy. I caught it just this morning before you woke up, so it's nice and fresh. Just a little something to make you feel welcome.”

“Bark Hide, I don't–”

“Just call me Bark.”

“Okay, Bark, but ponies don't eat things like that.”

“Huh?” Bark tilted his head to the side. “You don't like rabbits? Well, I guess I might be able to find a squirrel or something... maybe a raccoon, but that would take a while. Maybe–”

“No!” Rose shrank down after her outburst, a bit ashamed to have yelled at him. “We don't eat meat at all.” She shuddered at the thought.

“What?” Bark slumped. “Then what do you eat?”

“Well, mostly plants.”

Bark recoiled away from her, holding one paw up to his chest. “You eat plants?” His face contorted and he glanced away. It looked like he was going to be sick. “You mean like, fruit?” He looked back up at her with a faint hope in his eyes.

“Well, yeah. Sometimes fruit, and sometimes eggs or dairy products... but mostly plants, like grass and oats.”

Bark shuddered. “That's... that's disgusting!”

Rose shrugged.

“Well... just don't eat any plants while you're here, okay?”

“Hm, okay.” Rose shrugged again. “As long as we can find enough other stuff. A pony's gotta eat.”

That seemed to stun Bark for a moment. “Wait... you have to eat?”

“Well, yeah. Of course.”

Bark just sat there for another moment. His brows furrowed. “What happens if you don't?”

“We starve.” Rose looked at him from the corner of her eye.

“And what's that?”

She sighed and covered her face with a hoof. “Running out of energy for so long and so badly that you die.”

“Woah.” Bark stared blankly ahead for a moment. “Being a pony is hard. Taking care of you is going to be harder than I thought.” His eyes focused on her again. “Well, only eat plants if you really have to, okay? The timberwolves are going to be really offended if they see you doing that.”

“Okay, fine.”

“So... if you're not going to eat it, do you mind if I...” He eyed the bunny hungrily.

Rose rolled her eyes. “Go ahead.”

She hid her eyes behind her hooves as soon as the timberwolf pounced toward the dead bunny, but she couldn't block out the sounds of the little thing being crunched and swallowed. She gagged again.

“So,” Bark said as soon as he finished, “should we go find some food for you?”

Her stomach lurched again. “No thanks. I'm not... hungry anymore.”

“Okay, suit yourself.” He shrugged.

After a few moments of not thinking about it, Rose managed to quiet her gagging down. “Why do timberwolves eat, then, if you don't even know what starving is?”

“Well, we don't have to eat, and nothing bad happens if we don't.” He licked his lips. “But we do really enjoy it. It's very tasty.”

Rose shuddered. She did not want to think about what the wolf had just tasted.

“So, pony, what do you do, back at home?”

At least Bark Hide was gentlecoltly enough to know when a change of subject was needed. Rose took a deep breath. “Well, mostly I do gardening, I guess.”

“Gardening?” His leafy ears perked up. “What's that?”

How to explain that? “Well, um, I plant flower seeds, and I make sure they have all the water, sun, and fertilizer they need to grow.”

“Really?” His ears perked up even more. “That's what you do?”

Rose smiled. Finally, something she could be proud of among these wolves! “Yep, that's what I do.”

“That's so amazing! I wish I could help plants grow like that!” He pawed at the ground. “I try to, sometimes, but I'm not very good at it.”

“Wait...” Rose's own ears perked up. “You have a garden?”

He looked down and away from her. “I wouldn't really call it...” He glanced up, just for a moment. “Would you like to see it?”

Rose let her smile grow. “I'd like that.”

Passion Blooms

e growled from behind her. “Get moving!”

Bark Hide's rough paw shoved Rose out through the door of his den. She stumbled from the sudden push, but she didn't fall.

“Hey, what was–”

“Quiet,” Bark snapped at her. “You speak when spoken to, pony.”

Rose stared at him, her mouth agape. What happened to the wolf she was talking to inside?

“Come,” Bark Hide commanded. “Don't fall behind.” With that, he stalked off into the forest.

Rose hurried behind him. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone in the timberwolf village. Even though she could hear birdsong high above her, the morning light did nothing to brighten this dark corner of the Everfree.

A few little timberwolves, even smaller than Rose herself, froze in the middle of the path through the village. Glaring at her, a larger one came and whisked them away. All around, green eyes stared at her, glowing from the darkness of warrens under tree roots, or peeking at her through cracked doorways.

Rose followed Bark around a line of closely spaced woodpiles, and then through a tight gap between two enormous oaks. She couldn't help but notice rows of little bushes sprouting on the other side of the narrow path. Unnatural things, each one had a miniscule pair of glowing eyes that followed her as she walked by. They gnashed at her with their tiny wooden teeth.

“Don't touch them,” Bark snarled.

She nodded. She didn't want anything to do with those creepy timberwolf babies.

Only after the village completely faded from view, blocked by the many twisted tree trunks, did Bark Hide finally speak again. “I'm sorry about that little show back in the village. It's just that, well, my entire life, I've kept my interest in ponies secret. I can't be seen being soft to you now.”

“I... Well, I guess I understand.”

As Rose followed him in a twisting route around the huge tree trunks, the path faded, giving way to simple, untouched forest floor. Rose's still-sore back hooves appreciated the change from dirt to a soft, springy covering of fallen leaves. Still, her feet didn't feel so great. “Is it much further?”

“We're about half way there.”

Rose sighed.

“It's just on the other side of the Freestone River, after Spruce Hall.”

“Spruce Hall? What's that?” Rose hadn't expected any buildings out here in the deep forest.

Bark trotted off to the side a little and laid a paw on one of the tree boles. “We're almost there.”

The tree he touched was different than the rest. All the trees Rose had seen in this part of the forest so far were huge, gnarled oaks, but this one rose straight, thin, and true, well above the canopy of the oaks' leaves. Its bark was rougher and flakier than the oaks'. It must have been some kind of evergreen, but she couldn't tell exactly what kind, not just from seeing the trunk.

“Are you coming?”

Rose looked up with a start. Bark was almost out of sight up ahead. She galloped to catch up.

Gradually, as she followed Bark along, the giant oaks gave way to more and more tall evergreens. The ground cover changed, too, with tiny, fragrant pine needles and isolated sprigs of grass replacing the mouldering oak leaves. Too many oaks still lingered for her to be able to see up into the canopy of the evergreens, though.

Bark paused at the edge of a long, dry trench, covered in rocks at the bottom. “This stream bed is the Doorstep. It marks the edge of Spruce Hall.”

Rose's jaw dropped when she looked out ahead. Nothing but evergreens stretched out before her, but these ones weren't relatively small like the ones she'd seen so far. These trees were massive, even bigger than the oaks behind her. Each one as wide as a house, they stretched hundreds of feet into the air. standing apart from one another allowing light to filter in. In the patched of sunlight, tall, stringy grass sprang up through the covering of needles.

Now that Rose could finally see up into the canopy, she could tell these were definitely spruce trees, though they were a variety she'd never seen before, and the warm light filling the area and the airy, yet enclosed atmosphere did remind Rose of a great hall inside a castle.

She caught Bark Hide looking at her and smiling. “Yeah, I like this part of the forest, too,” he said before trotting off again.

Rose followed along in awed silence, constantly craning her neck up to look at the trees, until she began to hear the roar of a waterfall up ahead.

“Is that the Freestone River?”

Bark turned his head around, but didn't stop moving. “It is. We're almost there.”

“And which way is Ponyville?” Rose asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. She would need to know that if she was ever to get back, but she couldn't let the timberwolves guess why she wanted to know.

“Oh, the Freestone flows right into Ponyville.”

Rose felt like slapping herself. She should have known she had nothing to fear from this wolf.

“And here it is.”

Rose stepped up next to Bark Hide. They stood just above the crest of a high waterfall. To their right stretched a deep, wide river. To their left, water crashed down a huge cliff face to fall into a roiling pool far below. Mist constantly rose from the falls, coating everything, and every surface it touched was covered in rich green moss. It dwarfed even the giant trees around it.

“Okay, follow me, and be careful.” Bark hopped onto one of the many stones lining the lip of the falls, then bounced on to another. He made it halfway across before he turned to check on Rose.

She still stood firmly rooted on safe ground, staring at him in disbelief.

He paused, sitting down on a rock out in the middle. “What's wrong?” She could barely hear him over the falls.

She looked down at the mossy stepping stones. They glistened with moisture. The crest of the waterfall beckoned her with its hypnotically rippling waves. “Isn't there somewhere else we can cross?”

He hopped a couple stones closer. “Everywhere else is too deep.”

“Well...” Rose took a step back from the falls. “Maybe we could swim across somewhere upstream?”

“And get all soggy?” He jumped a few more stones and landed back beside Rose. “What's the matter?”

“'What's the matter?' Are you crazy? I can't do that!”

Bark looked over at the waterfall, then back at Rose. “Why not?”

“It's too dangerous!” Rose threw her hooves up, amazed that he still didn't understand.

He laughed. “It's not dangerous – just don't slip.”

Rose stared him down.

“Okay, fine. We'll find another way for you to get across.” He glanced all around, looking for some other way. “I could carry you.” His eyes shone bright with hope.

“Really?” Rose kept her disapproving stare firmly in place.

“Come on, Rose. It'll be fine, trust me.”

She shrank down a little. “Are you sure there isn't any other way?”

“There isn't. Now come on.”

Rose moved a little closer. “Well, okay... how do I–”

Bark held out his paw.

She winced, but she took hold of the paw. As soon as she did, it flung her up onto Bark's back. She clung onto a couple sticks poking out of his back, too stunned to do anything else.

With a leap that nearly broke Rose's grip, Bark took off, bouncing from stone to stone as if it was nothing.

Rose glanced at the water rushing over the edge beneath them. Once. After that, she just clenched her eyes shut and held on, hoping for the best.

Finally, Bark's back stopped heaving beneath her, leaving only the rhythmic rise and fall from his breathing. The way his mossy, wooden back flexed mesmerized Rose... it somehow made her feel secure, like she could–

“You can get off me now.”

She shook herself back into reality and released her hold on Bark. Had she really just been deriving a sense of comfort from a timberwolf? She let herself slid off Bark's back.

He just stood there, staring at her, and she couldn't read his lupine face.

“So,” she said, “are we going the rest of the way?”

Bark shook his head... which soon developed into a full-body shake, flinging a few droplets of water onto Rose. “Yeah, this way. Come on.” He trotted off, away from the falls, and Rose had no choice but to follow.

As they progressed away from the river, the giant spruce trees all around them became smaller and smaller. The thin, wiry grass around their feet grew thicker.

Rose was sorely tempted to sneak in a few bites. She hadn't eaten anything in nearly a full day now. She refrained. She could only imagine what Bark might do if he caught her eating plants.

They trekked on and on, and before long, the trees around them were tiny. They were just saplings; they couldn't have been more than ten years old.

Bark pushed his way through the ever-denser young trees, but he didn't crash through them as Rose would have expected. As he passed through, the young trees all bent out of his way, slowly bending back in his wake, all without a sound.

Rose kept as close as she could behind him. She didn't fancy having to push through this kind of thick brush herself. “What happened to the trees here?” she asked. “Why are they so small?”

“The river once flowed here, moving slowly away.” He glanced back at her. “That was before the breaking of the great beaver dam.”

“Really?” Rose hopped over an old, dried-up log, scrambling to keep up. “What happened to it?”

“I happened to it.” He glanced back again, this time with a wide, toothy grin. “My people have no love of beavers, as you might guess.”

Rose continued on in silence, a little cowed at the idea of her only friend here massacring woodland creatures.

Finally, the two of them broke free from the last of the brush, coming out into a wide, shallow depression – the old riverbed.

Rose's jaw dropped. She had never seen so many flowers in one place, growing so vibrantly in the sun. Bright sprigs of Salvia coccinea grew among the great purple bursts of Gilia capitata. She could even spot some of the light pink Anagallis arvensis she'd been hunting for years. She couldn't even identify half of the blooms in front of her.

“Bark, this is... this is...”

He looked back at her, a huge grin on his face.

“This is incredible! Did you do all this?”

“I didn't plant them, but I come here sometimes to guide them up, and I do what I can to nurture them. The old riverbed makes for some really good soil.

Rose stood still at the edge of the shallow valley, looking in awe at the natural garden laid out beneath her.

Bark's smile grew even more, and his eyes flashed bright. “Come on – one of my old trails starts here, and if we hurry, we should be able to get to the fire lily patch and still get back before dark.”

“You have fire lilies? A whole patch?” Rose's eyes went wide.

“Hundreds.” Bark trotted off, down a narrow path through the flowers.

Rose hurried after him, genuinely happy for the first time since her encounter with the wolves.

The fire lilies waved in the breeze through the sunny little valley, filling it from brim to brim with the light and warmth from the little candle-like flame in each flower.

A phoenix fluttered down from the trees on the other side. Bark visibly tensed and crouched away, but rose looked on in awe as the firebird flitted from flower to flower, nibbling at the tiny flame inside each one. She had always wondered how fire lilies pollinated. Now she knew.

If Rose hadn't been sitting right next to a huge timberwolf, she never would have believed she was deep in the Everfree Forest.

Bark eyed the phoenix warily, still crouched down low in the brush. “We should get out of here,” he whispered.

“You're scared... of a little bird?”

“I'm not... It's just that... They're dangerous, okay?”

Rose just looked at him, suppressing a giggle.

His glowing eyes narrowed, and he pressed his muzzle right up next to her. “A bird like that killed my grandfather. It's not a joking matter.”

The laughter died on Rose's lips. “Okay. Let's go.”

Bark slank away, back into the taller brush and trees, and Rose followed, taking care to be as quiet as she could. Despite her smaller size, she couldn't match the stealth of a timberwolf, and she still made more noise than he did.

He kept going until they were deep in the trees, with the lowest branches well above his head. He looked up at the sunlight still filtering in from above. “We should probably be going back soon, anyway. Come on, I know a shortcut back to the village.”

Rose glanced back at the valley, remembering all those beautiful, delicious-looking flowers. Her stomach growled loudly.

Bark shot into a low, ready crouch. He glanced all around, his ears perked. “What was that?”

“That was me.” Rose blushed. “It means I'm hungry.”

Bark relaxed and started walking again. “You're what?”

“Hungry.” Rose shook her head as she followed him. “It means my body is telling me I need to eat soon.”

“Oh, that's right.” Bark hide stopped, tapping his chin. “And you don't eat rabbits or squirrels or deer...” He stood for a moment longer, still deep in thought. “Hm, I think I smelled a family of badgers a little way back. Do you like badger?”

“What? No!” Rose took a step back from him.

“Yeah... I don't really care for them either. Too stringy.” His brows furrowed as he dipped back into thought. “What about fish? Do you eat fish?”

Rose groaned. “No! Ponies don't eat anything that moves around, okay?”

He glared at here from the corner of his eye. “Well, you can't eat any plants.”

There had to be something. “What about fruit?”

Bark recoiled away a little. “Ew... you want to eat fruit?”

“Well... yeah. That would be good.”

“Just regular fruit, not zap apples?”

“Yeah. Maybe some regular apples... some peaches or something?”

Bark shuddered and stuck his tongue out. “But that's what plants use to...” He shook his head. “Oh well. The plants freely give that, and if that's what you want, we'll find it... I think there's a blueberry patch not too far from the path up ahead. Come on, let's go.”

Rose laid on her side on a bed of pine needles, just outside the huge blueberry patch. She'd eaten her fill and then some, and she doubted she could have moved even if she had to.

Bark eyed her with one brow peaked. He'd hardly been able to watch at first, and though he seemed to have gotten used to the idea of her eating berries, he still kept glancing at the blue stain around her mouth and grimacing. “So... you got enough to eat? You'll stay alive now?”

“For a while.” Rose giggled. “Hopefully.” She looked up at him. “Thank you, by the way. I don't know what I'd do if you were like the other wolves.”

The look of suppressed disgust faded from his face, replaced by a warm smile. “I'm glad I could help.” He stared at her for a moment longer. “What brought you to the forest in the first place, anyway?”

“It was my friend, Lily.” Rose's heart jumped in her chest. Could she tell him? She had never told anyone before. “Well, more than a friend, or at least I hoped we could be more than friends some day.” She paused for a moment, waiting for some kind of doom to come crashing down on her for finally revealing her crush. Nothing happened. It actually felt good to finally confide in someone, even if that someone was a timberwolf. “Well, she got sick, and Nurse Tenderheart says it's a disease called 'the trots'... It's an intestinal disorder that makes her unable to digest food. She can barely keep anything in her, and she just keeps getting weaker and weaker. The nurse said Lily was going to die.”

Bark picked his head up, crossed his front legs, and perked his ears. His back legs stuck out to either side. He actually looked... cute, like a big, wooden puppy. She had his attention, at least.

“Well, I couldn't accept that. I went to an old friend of mine, a zebra named Zecora. I used to be scared of her, but once I got to know her, I found out we actually have a lot in common. I used to trade flower-growing secrets with her all the time...” She sighed. That seemed like another life already; had it really been just yesterday? “She said she could cure it, but she needed a special ingredient – a rare flower called the Wolfstone rose.”

“So that's what you were looking for... and why you wanted the rose...” Bark stared down at his paws.

Rose sighed and looked up at the spruce forest around her. She knew now, there was no hope of getting that flower and curing Lily. She spotted something moving between the trees. She stared in that direction, straining her eyes to pick out what it was.

She spotted it again – a thorn bush moved a little. Only... that wasn't a thorn bush... it was a timberwolf, a familiar one. Briar Thorn. What was he doing, slinking around and spying on her? She caught a glimpse of his scowling green eyes. It was probably best to just ignore him... probably. She'd keep a watchful eye out for him, though.

Briar Thorn took another step, and Bark's ear twitched. Did Bark know he was being followed?

“You know roses are sacred to us,” Bark said, “That one more than most. If a timberwolf youngling is planted, and no trees are murdered to give it substance, he will instead grow into a beautiful rosebush – the kind you call Wolfstone. But... the forest is much abused now, and that never happens anymore. The one in front of Fang Horn is the only one left. He looked her in the eye. “I know how badly you want it, Roseluck, but you can never have it.”

“I know. I know.” Rose let her head fall to the ground.

Bark's face twisted into a grimace. “Well, the zap apples will be here in just five days. That's something to look forward to, right?”

Lily had always loved zap apples; Bark's attempt to lighten the mood fell flat. “Let's just go back,” Rose said with a heavy sigh.

The shadows of the old oak forest around the timberwolf village were even darker than usual by the time they returned. Somewhere, above the trees, sunset was well on its way.

“Keep moving,” Bark growled, as the two of them walked into the village. Evidently, he was still set on keeping up appearances.

There didn't seem to be anyone around to appreciate his efforts, though. The village was deserted.

Bark glanced around. “Where'd everybody go?” He ran from one side of the village to the other, and he poked his head into a few of the dens. After a few moments, he came back to Rose, still swiveling his head around. “Where'd they all go? I've never seen anything like this.”

Rose kept close to him. Somehow, the absence of the timberwolves was getting to her even more than having them all around.

A distant chorus of howls filtered in through the trees on the left.

“That sounded like it came from Fang Horn's glen! Come on!” He rushed away, off toward the sound.

Rose hesitated for a moment, but as Bark dashed away, she could already feel the creeping loneliness of the empty village closing in... and Briar Thorn was still out there somewhere. She hurried after Bark Hide – the last thing she wanted was to be alone out here.

She ran, chasing after Bark in a dark parody of the chase that led her here, struggling to keep up with the wolf, rather than to get away. She pursued him down the winding trail through the giant oaks, always on the verge of losing him entirely.

Ahead, Bark Hide skidded to a stop.

She trotted up next to him, gasping for air after the run. “What's... going on?”

Fang Horn's clearing was full of timberwolves, completely packed. Bark and Rose stood unnoticed, just outside the edge of the crowd.

“It's my brother.” Bark pointed to the middle of the crowd, right in front of Fang Horn.

She looked out, expecting to see Briar Thorn, but instead, she found the burly Moon Howl circling in the middle of the crowd – the other brother.

Bark Hide crept in closer, and Rose stuck close behind him. She could begin to hear what they were saying.

“... And I think your brittle old branches might not be up to the burden of running the pack anymore!”

The crowd of wolves exploded again at Moon Howl's outburst. Rose couldn't tell if they were howling in agreement or in outrage.

Fang Horn's huge, mossy head turned to follow Moon Howl's pacing. “My eyes have watched this forest for three thousand years, and my branches have failed not. My purpose has faltered not. My vigilance has slept not.” His eyes narrowed. “You are but a summer sparrow, and yet have much to learn.”

Moon Howl snarled. “You haven't failed? What a joke. Where were you when ponies razed the Birchwood valley? Where were you when the dragons burned the southern village? Where were you when a pony crushed me under a rock?” A beam of light from the setting sun shone on him, lighting him orange as if on fire, and he whirled around to glare directly at Fang Horn. “You were sitting there, as always, doing nothing!”

“From this glen, my eyes can see the whole of the forest – all of its beauty and wonder. In all my years, ever have I sought peace and–”

“Peace!” Moon Howl stalked toward his father, taking himself out of the sunlight and making him suddenly dark. “Don't talk to me about peace. We are at war! They will never stop until the entire forest is gone and every one of us is dead!” He stalked even closer. “And here you sit, day after day, year after year, doing nothing, all for the sake of your precious peace.”

“Peace is the most–”

“We don't have time for your bleeding heart! Trees are dying. Timberwolves are dying. We need a realist – a wolf who will take action.”

The crowd mumbled and shuffled around. Rose ducked down, sure she didn't want to be noticed just now. She spotted Briar Thorn circling around the other side in the darkness and watching everything.

“How little you know, young one. Action has already been taken. The young pony here with us now will learn our ways and our values. She will spread the word, and peace will be made between our peoples.”

Moon Howl glared at the giant wolf. “How naïve can you be? She will learn our ways, and when she goes back to her own kind, she will betray us! Our homes will burn in unicorn fire, and our younglings will be uprooted! Ponies can never be trusted. We should kill her now, before she betrays us all!”

Bark Hide backed up a little, pushing Rose back. He turned to face her. “We should probably go now... I'm not sure you'd be safe if they notice you. Come back to my den, and we'll wait it out.”

“Will he–?”

“Don't worry. Fang Horn will talk some sense into them. He's the one in charge, and he always will be.”

As Rose followed him back to the village, another loud howl broke out from behind her. She wished she could be as sure about that, but she couldn't stop worrying.

Rose jumped again, this time at the sound of a cricket chirping just outside the den.

Bark held her closer, snuggling into the soft ferns of the bed. “Don't worry, little pony. You'll be fine. As long as Fang Horn lives, no wolf will dare lay a paw on you.”

Rose knew he was right, even though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong... but what else could she do but try to get some sleep?

A Knife in the Dark

ose's eyes sprung open as a timberwolf burst into the den. She scrambled behind Bark when she saw the lichen-splotched face of Briar Thorn.

The prickly wolf ignored Bark Hide and spoke directly to her. “You have to go. Now!”

“You're not getting rid of me that easily!” Rose shot back. She was confident, now, that Bark would protect her.

Bark held a paw up against her chest, blocking her back. “Don't jump to conclusions.” He turned to Briar Thorn. “Why? What's the matter?”

Briar Thorn glanced back through the door as if he expected something to come rushing through at any moment. “The matter is that Moon Howl has killed Fang Horn.”

Rose's jaw dropped. Bark Hide wobbled for a moment, then crashed down onto the floor. Neither of them could find words.

“He's going to blame it on the pony, and use that as an excuse to start a war. You have to get her out of here! He's probably already gathering the pack to come kill her.” Briar Thorn glanced at the door again. “You two go. I'll stay behind and see if I can delay them a little. Now go!” He jumped back out through the door, not waiting for any response.

Rose was the first to recover. “But I didn't kill anyone!”

“I know that. Bark knows that. But the other wolves will believe Moon Howl when he says you killed him.” Briar glared at her.

Seeing no other option, she ran to the door. “Come on! Let's go!”

Bark didn't move. He just laid there on the floor, whispering, “Dad?”

“Bark!”

He roused up when Rose yelled his name, jumping to his feet, alert and tense. “Follow me!” he whispered, slinking through the door.

Rose followed him out through the sleeping village as quietly as she could, wishing again that she had the timberwolf's stealth.

As soon as they left the village behind, Bark broke into a long lope, rushing unseen through the forest like a nighttime breeze.

Rose struggled to keep up, staying as close as she could to avoid getting lost in the pitch black forest. She kept imagining she would trip on a log or smash into an unseen tree trunk at any moment, but Bark led her through the forest masterfully.

After running for a while, Rose began to wonder if Briar Thorn had even been telling the truth. What if all of this had just been some kind of a prank, or just a way to get rid of her? She looked behind her and felt a shiver through her back. What if this had just been a trick – a way to get the two of them alone out here so Briar Thorn could take matters into his own paws?

A howl echoed through the trees behind them. Bark froze in place. Another howl answered the first, even closer.

Bark winced. “They've caught our scent! Run!” He took off at full speed.

Rose struggled to keep pace. She knew she was no match for the wolves in speed, and the howls didn't sound far behind. A cold dread pierced her chest. She realize she was probably going to die tonight, out alone in the forest. Nopony at home would ever know.

The ground beneath her feet changed from leaves to pine needles, and Rose knew where Bark was taking them. She could only hope he had some kind of plan.

Another howl broke out, right behind her. She glanced back, and her heart froze. She could see a pair of green-glowing eyes gaining on her.

She put on more speed, as well as she could with panic squeezing the breath out of her.

Another pair of eyes appeared on the left, then two more on the right. Rose began to lose hope as more and more appeared, all around them.

“Bark!” she called out.

“I see them.” He didn't even look back at her. “Just a little further.”

The sound of the river came from up ahead. They were close now. She hoped Bark Hide had a good plan ready.

She risked a glance back. No less than five wolves hounded her trail, and the closest could only be a few lengths behind.

Bark stopped her with his paw just before she crashed into the water. “Get on!” he shouted, turning to hold the other wolves at bay.

Rose wasted no time in climbing onto his back. She scrambled up his rough skin of bark and again took hold of the sticks coming out of his back.

He backed away from the half-circle of glowing eyes closing in around them, back toward the roaring falls. With a lurch, he hopped backward onto the first stone, then the second, and another two.

Rose let out a sigh, and a weight lifted from her when she saw the glowing eyes stop at the edge of the river and go no further. When she turned to look at the other shore, though, all her dread came rushing back to her. Glowing eyes lined the far shore as well.

“Bark!” she screamed, hoping he could hear her over the roar of the falls.

He didn't seem to hear; he just jumped back again, nearly dislodging her.

“Bark, stop!” She kicked him as hard as she could along his sides.

He swiveled his head around to glare back at her. The accusatory surprise in his eyes faded to dread. He must have seen the eyes on the far shore.

Rose gulped. Well, this was the end. She would have plenty of regrets, but it had been a pretty good life. She just had never imagined it ending like–

“Hold on!” Bark's voice roared above the falls. He turned sideways, facing downstream, over the brink.

No... he couldn't possibly be thinking of–

His back tensed up for a leap.

Oh no... He was! She rushed to follow his instruction, latching herself on as tightly as she could.

He jumped.

Rose watched the water fall out from beneath them as she felt an awful lurch. For one terrible, wonderful moment, she was looking down the falls, suspended in time far above the crashing foam below.

The moment didn't last. The sickening feeling of weightlessness grew, along with the wind tearing at her mane. She looked back with terrified awe at the seemingly stationary wall of water keeping pace behind her.

The roar of the falls rapidly grew louder. Rose never even felt the impact.

Princess Luna looked up from her book with a start. Visitors to her night court were rare, to say the least.

One of Celestia's guards rushed up to her throne. He made only the most perfunctory of bows. “Your Highness.”

One of Luna's eyebrows rose. “Yes, what is the matter?”

The stallion looked directly up at her. “We've been getting reports of timberwolves massing at the edge of the Everfree Forest.”

“This is not unusual. The wolves have prowled the forest for a very long time, even before I was...” She shook her head. “It is not anything to be frightened about. The wolves have always been there, and they always shall be.”

“Not like this.” The guard glanced over his shoulder. “There are hundreds of them, and more are gathering every hour.”

Luna's eyes widened. This was unprecedented. She focused back on the guard. “Very well – I will need you to deliver some messages. Sound the call to arms, and send word to deploy the border patrol squadrons.”

“Is that all, Princess?”

“No.” She rose from the throne and flared her wings. “Rouse my sister.”

Rose groaned and pried her eyes open, blinking in the bright sunlight. She laid, cold and soggy, in a pile of water plants. The grasses and reeds were soft, but her back legs and tail still drifted in the lazy current. She coughed – her lungs burned with every breath – and a little water came out.

She rolled to her feet and staggered out of the water. Not far away, she found Bark Hide, or what was left of him. His back legs – everything below his chest – were gone. He had been soaked through, and only now were parts of him starting to dry out in the sun. He was laying peacefully in the grassy field that stretched out all around them.

She glanced around. The river was slow and meandering here on the plain. She recognized the spot; she'd been here before once, hunting for lilacs. It wasn't far from Ponyville.

She looked back at Bark, and her heart fell. She winced. Rose hadn't known him very long, but she still felt close, and despite him being a timberwolf, she had counted him as a friend, her only friend for the last couple days. To see him lying there, torn to pieces, quashed any enthusiasm she would have felt after escaping the–

Bark opened his eyes. “Oh, good. You're awake.” He stretched his front paws out. “You had me worried for a while.”

Rose's jaw dropped. A tiny gasp was the only sound she could manage.

“Um, could I ask you favor?”

Speech still eluded her. She nodded, her mouth still wide open.

“Would you mind looking up and down the river a little, to try and find my back legs? Hopefully, they're around here somewhere.”

“Wha– how... how did you survive that?” Rose's voice finally came back to her. She fell back onto her haunches.

Bark smiled. “It's just a flesh wound. My core is fine, so I'm fine.” He raised his head and looked around. “It is kind of hard to walk around like this, though, so if you could help me find my legs, I'd really appreciate it.”

“Uh, yeah.” Rose glanced back down at the missing half of Bark's body. “Sure.” She couldn't decide between leaping for joy or throwing up. She brushed her damp forelock out of her face.

Bark's eyes darted to the side, then back to her. One mossy eyebrow rose.

She shook her head and started walking upstream through the thick grass. She would just have to find his legs, like she said she would.

Well, there they were. Bark's legs and lower body bobbed in the current, stuck on a clump of marsh grass a quarter of the way across the river. She was going to have to get wet again... and get covered in stagnant pond scum... and float back downstream on Bark's back legs. She sighed. This wasn't going to be glamorous.

He did save her from the other wolves though. She owed him at least this much.

Rose took her first step into the chilly water and shivered. She had only just dried out... and now she was going back in. She waded along the flat, squishy bottom of the river until she made it out to the legs. They dislodged easily enough with a hard shove, and she hopped onto them as she pushed them back into the main current.

Rose kicked furiously, struggling to push her ungainly raft to the shore before the current drifted her past it.

As soon as she made it out of the main channel, she made some real progress. Before long, she pushed the water logged legs through the shallows and up to the grassy shore. They were far too heavy for her to move on land; she'd have to hope this was close enough.

Bark's face popped up over the grass.

Rose looked at herself. She still stood hock-deep in river muck, lodged between the wolf's back legs. Her white fur was smudged green and brown, and her mane drooped down, dripping on her face.

She could see the corners of Bark's eyes pinching. He had to be suppressing a smile.

“Not a word,” she said, glaring at him, “or I push this back into the current and send it downstream.”

A greater look of innocence had never been feigned. Bark looked positively angelic... for a timberwolf.

“Right.” Rose rolled her eyes. “Now help me drag this thing out so we can put you back together.”

“Actually, it's probably close enough now... ah, yes. There it goes.”

A green glow surrounded the broken legs, and they floated toward Bark Hide.

Rose scrambled off the floating body part, landing in the grass with a soft thud.

By the time she looked up again, Bark was back together and standing on all fours. He shivered. “You know that weird feeling when half of you is warm and dry and half of you is cold and wet?”

She glowered at him from where she sat, and squeezed some of the muddy water out of her tail. “No.”

He chuckled and glanced at his back. “I just wish I knew where my tail was.”

Rose looked. His tail was indeed missing. She hadn't seen it before because that half had been underwater. She gave a little chuckle of her own and shook the water out of her fur as well as she could. “It's probably far downstream by now. Come on, let's get back to Ponyville.”

Every trace of mirth vanished from his eyes. “P-p-ponyville? Ah, but I...”

“What's wrong?”

“I... I can't go to Ponyville! They'll kill me on sight!”

“Well, you can't go back home, not after rescuing me.”

“But I–”

Rose walked up to him and laid a hoof on his foreleg. “You protected me when we were in your village.” She stepped away and winked. “Now it's my turn.”

He raised the leg she had touched. “You can't be serious. They'll tear me to shreds... and burn the shreds!”

“I'll protect you.” She held eye contact with him for a moment before walking away. “If we head north from here, we should hit Everfree Road right about where it meets the forest. From there, we can follow it to Ponyville.”

She looked back. Bark still sat right where she'd left him.

“Are you coming?” she shouted back at him, “I promise you'll be safe!”

He rose, a little wobbly at first, but he caught up to her quickly. “But... how am I going to make a good first impression without... without my–”

“Without your tail?”

He winced, glancing backward.

“I'm sure everypony will understand. You'll be fine. Now, come on.” She walked off again, and when she looked back this time, she was pleased to find Bark trailing along behind her.

A Battlefield Without a Soul

shout broke the tune Rose had been humming. “Ma'am! Look out behind you! Run!”

Rose looked up to see a white pegasus in royal guard's armor rushing toward her, spear held at the ready.

She froze. What in the world was that guard going on about?

He charged in closer. “Ma'am, there's a timberwolf stalking right behind you! Run! I'll hold it off!”

Oh. Of course. Still, what was a royal guard doing way out here? She moved in front of him, blocking his path to Bark Hide.

The guard sidestepped, and Rose matched him. After another failed attempt, his face scrunched up. “Step aside, ma'am. There's a wolf right behind you. I need to get to it, for your own safety.”

“His name is Bark Hide, and you'll do no such thing. He's under my protection.”

That stopped him cold. His spear drooped, and he sat back on his haunches. “Ma'am, I–”

“And my name is Roseluck.”

He shook his head. “Miss Roseluck, I need you to surrender your prisoner to me, to be taken to command for study. You should evacuate the area. Timberwolf activity is at an–”

Rose took a sudden step toward him. His slight flinch gratified her and told her all she needed to know. “No, he's under my protection. I'm not leaving him.” She heard a sigh from behind her. Looking back, she could see some of the tension melt away from Bark's shoulders.

“I must bring this wolf to command. They have to know about this.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I'm going with him, everywhere he goes.”

The pegasus glared at her out of the corner of his eye, but what choice had she given him? “Very well. I will escort both of you to central command. Move along.” He circled wide, attempting to get behind Bark.

Bark, of course, kept Rose in between him and the guard at all times, which meant he would end up leading the way for the rest of their trek. He glanced back at Rose, lowering his head down, and whispered, “Should I sniff him?”

“Huh?” Her face scrunched up as she stared back at him, until she remembered her first meeting with the timberwolf pack. “Oh! No, no. Ponies don't do that.” She laughed. “That's just a wolf thing.”

Royal guards lined both sides of the path as Rose followed Bark Hide toward a huge white and gold tent. She glared at them, silently daring them to make a move. She had promised Bark he would be safe, and she would keep that promise, whatever it took.

The guards glared back, the tips of their spears tracking Bark along as he passed through. All around them, ponies watched, murmuring to each other. Dozens of pegasus ponies swirled overhead.

Rose glanced over to Bark Hide. He trembled as he walked, glancing rapidly at all the ponies around him. His leafy ears were pinned flat against his head.

Two more guards blocked the entrance to the tent. Rose couldn't tell them apart at all.

“Halt,” one said.

“Who goes there?” the other finished.

The guard who first found them stepped up into the view of the others. “This pony, by the name of Roseluck, has captured a timberwolf and taken it prisoner. I'm bringing her in for questioning.”

“Hey!” Rose whirled around toward their escort. “Bark Hide is not a prisoner!”

The guard said nothing. He just glared at her.

Rose turned back to Bark. He trembled where he stood, glancing back and forth at all the guards around him. She put a hoof on his leg, hoping to calm him, but he jumped at the contact, making every guard in view twitch.

One of the guards slipped inside, while the other remained, blocking the entrance and staring them down.

The sun shone down through a few thin clouds, and in the distance, bird calls echoed in the forest. The pleasant day was completely at odds with the tense restlessness of the pony camp.

Finally, the royal guard returned from inside the ornate tent, or was it a different guard? Rose couldn't tell. He took his place beside the door. “The princesses will see you now. Proceed.”

The princesses? Rose's jaw dropped. She had never met royalty before; she was just a humble gardener.

The two guards stepped aside, allowing them into the tent.

Rose just stood there, still too stunned to move.

Bark looked over at her and made a tiny whine.

She shook her head. She couldn't be nervous now; she had to keep a brave face for Bark Hide. Taking a deep breath, she plunged ahead through the tent flap with her head held high.

Rose bowed low as soon as she entered the tent, hoping Bark would follow her lead. She glanced to the side.

Of course he didn't bow. He still had a lot to learn about pony customs.

When she looked up, she was amazed to see not only Celestia and Luna, but Twilight Sparkle, too, as well as several other ponies. A fourth, empty, throne stood next to the others; Rose could only assume Princess Cadance was off on some errand.

She tried to keep her best, most presentable smile on her face, but she wasn't sure it was working, especially as the moment of silence stretched on. Was she expected to speak first? “Um, I–”

“Greetings, Roseluck of Ponyville. We see you have brought us a most interesting guest.”

Rose winced at being interrupted by Princess Luna, but she was relieved to hear her call Bark a guest, not a prisoner. “Yes, your majesty. His name is–”

“My name is Bark Hide.”

The eyes of all three princesses widened.

Princess Twilight gasped. “It can talk?”

“So... the rumors are true,” Princess Celestia murmured.

“Well met, Bark Hide,” Princess Luna said. “Why have you come before us?”

Bark looked to Rose with a question in his eyes. She nodded, telling him to go on. He took a bold step forward, stamping his foot into the middle of the tent. “I've come to warn you of an upcoming war with the timberwolves.”

Princess Celestia shook her head. “Then I'm afraid you've come too late. War is already upon us. We received reports days ago of increased wolf activity, and we have been preparing for the worst.”

“You can still help, though.” A big white unicorn with a blue mane stepped out from behind the thrones. His armor was very different than the guards'. “What can you tell us about them?”

Bark glanced over at Rose again before answering. “Well, I know they're being led by a wolf named Moon Howl.” He glanced away for a moment before continuing. “They'll probably wait for nightfall before attacking, and they fear fire.”

The princesses all looked back and forth between each other, sitting on their thrones. Rose wondered if they were sharing some kind of telepathy.

“So, we have until nightfall to build enough fires...” The unicorn tapped a hoof to his chin.

“No!” Bark shouted, “You can't!”

For a moment, all eyes converged on Bark Hide. He cringed down, hiding behind Rose... or at least trying to.

Rose broke the silence. “There doesn't have to be a war. We can talk to them. All they want is for us to leave the forest alone.”

“Hm, perhaps,” Princess Celestia said.

“Princess!” The unicorn butted in again.

“Yes, Shining Armor?”

So that was who he was. Rose glanced back at him again. She'd heard a lot about the new prince, but she'd always thought he'd be smaller.

“We can't be sure these wolves are trustworthy. It's too risky to–”

“If there is any chance for peace, we must try.” Celestia's tone invited no argument. “Arrange for a small security detail to escort my sister and me to the edge of the forest, and have somepony find an olive branch.”

Shining Armor bowed and headed for the door, saying nothing. Princess Twilight winced.

“Um, Princess?” Rose gulped as all the room's attention focused back to her. She knew how the wolves would react to seeing the ponies approaching with a dead tree branch, though. “They don't like it when plants get hurt. Maybe a white flag instead?”

Princess Celestia nodded. “Shining Armor, a flag instead of the olive branch, please.” She looked back down at Rose. “Now, what to do with you two?”

Bark cringed away from the pony princesses. “Please don't do anything to–”

“Take us with you!” Rose jumped in front of Bark Hide.

The princesses just stared at her, occasionally glancing at each other.

She stepped even further forward. “Nopony knows the timberwolves like we do. We can help.”

Princess Luna glanced over at Celestia, then back down at Rose. “Very well. The two of you will come along to assist with the negotiations.”

“Shouldn't I come, too?” Princess Twilight asked from the far left.

Celestia shook her head. “No. If the worst happens, and my sister and I are captured, we will need someone to lead our forces... and we will need the elements of harmony intact.”

Rose winced at the idea of being captured. The wolves still thought she killed Fang Horn. She wouldn't be kept alive this time.

“WILL THE LEADER OF THE TIMBERWOLVES PLEASE COME FORTH. WE WISH TO SPEAK WITH YOU.”

Again, Celestia's voice echoed out through the forest, scattering a flock of birds this time. Rose had experienced the royal Canterlot voice before, on Nightmare Night, but she had never imagined it coming from the usually serene Princess Celestia.

The words faded to silence with no response, as they had the last four times. This time, though, a pair of green eyes glowed from the darkness under the branches.

A low voice growled from the murk. “What does a pack of tree-killers have to say to the timberwolves?”

More glowing eyes appeared behind the treeline.

Princess Celestia stepped forward. “There doesn't have to be any violence here. Tell us what it is you want, and we can negotiate a peace between our peoples.”

A snarl answered her. “You expect us to negotiate after you sent a spy to assassinate our beloved leader? No! You will pay for what has been done.”

A chorus of howls followed his words, and even more glowing eyes appeared in the shadows. Rose felt a twinge of fear. The wolves under the trees were beginning to badly outnumber her escort.

“We sent no spy,” Princess Celestia insisted.

The voice hissed. “She walks among you as you speak!” His tone dropped to a sultry purr. “You want to negotiate? This is my offer – give us the assassin, and I will delay our attack by one full day.”

Princess Celestia's eyes shot over to Roseluck, with a piercing stare like none she'd ever experienced before. She froze in place, unable to respond to the question in the alicorn's eyes.

“She didn't kill Fang Horn.”

Rose could finally breathe again, as Princess Celestia's gaze swept over to Bark Hide.

The timberwolf stalked forward, almost into the trees. “Do you hear that, my fellow wolves? Roseluck did not kill Fang Horn! She never left my sight. But the real killer is here, isn't he?”

“You are a traitor to our people, and you speak lies!”

“No, Moon Howl, you are the traitor, the killer, and the liar.” A cacophony of howls and snarls followed Bark Hide's words.

“You have no voice here, traitor,” the wolf in the shadows said, “This is our deal – you give us the assassin, and we will delay our attack by one day.”

Princess Celestia again stepped forward. “There is no need for war, delayed or not. We can negotiate a peace.”

“I didn't come here to negotiate.” Moon Howl's voice dropped, and the glowing eyes narrowed. “Fang Horn's death will be avenged.”

“This is not–”

“His death will be avenged.” Everypony turned to look at Bark Hide when he interrupted Princess Luna. “And there will be no war. Moon Howl, I challenge you to a Lupus Mal.”

Rose had expected another roar from the hidden wolves, but the silence that followed was even more unsettling.

“You're mad!” Moon Howl said with a snarl, “You know you can never defeat me.”

“But I'm challenging you anyway, on the issue of who killed Fang Horn, and for leadership of the pack.”

“Foolish pup, no one has ever defeated me.” The corners of the glowing eyes turned upward, and Rose could imagine the predatory grin on Moon Howl's face. “I accept. I relish the opportunity to end you myself. We will meet here, at sunset.”

Moon Howl's eyes vanished into the darkness, and all the other sets of eyes soon followed, except for one lingering pair.

Rose turned to Bark Hide. “Is it true what he said, that you can't beat him?”

Bark turned away. “I have to try.”

Behind Rose, the pony bonfires burned high, casting a russet glow to rival the deepening sunset. All the color seemed gone from the world; only orange and black remained.

Bark Hide took a heavy breath. She could feel him trembling as he watched the treeline. No other wolves had shown up yet. “You don't have to do this, you know.”

Finally, silhouettes appeared against the darkness of the forest, glowing dark red in the light of the setting sun. Their eyes glowed like green gems in the dim light.

Bark stood up. “Yes, I do have to.” He began to walk forward, but stopped for a moment, turning back to face Rose. His eyes gleamed in the dull, contrasting light. “Remember, no matter what happens, you can't interfere. If anyone helps me, I forfeit the dispute, and Moon Howl will have his war.”

Rose nodded. “Be careful.”

“I just wish I had my tail. I'd hate to die looking so ridiculous.” Bark walked away toward the line of trees.

Rose returned to her place next to Princess Celestia. Normally she would have been awed by her proximity to royalty, but right now, she could only worry about Bark. She didn't like the idea of him all alone out there, not after all they'd been through.

The two wolves met just outside the forest. Timberwolves lined one side, and ponies lined the other. For a long, still moment, nothing moved except the slight breeze through the treetops. Complete silence fell across the battlefield, broken only by the distant crackling of the bonfires.

Moon Howl circled around Bark, while Bark turned round and round to keep facing his opponent. He glanced over at the ponies and shuddered, his ears pinning themselves back. Still, neither wolf broke the silence.

For a moment, Moon Howl stood still, facing off. There was a barely perceptible tightening of his burled leg joints.

He pounced.

Bark dodged to the side, just in time. He even managed to get a quick bite at Moon Howl's flank as he passed.

Moon Howl whirled back around and snarled.

Bark grinned, spitting a few wood chips out of his mouth. He made a dash at Moon, catching a bit of shoulder as the bigger wolf shied away.

Moon just shook it off and began stalking, slow and unstoppable, toward Bark. He couldn't catch up that way though; Bark kept circling, not letting him get close.

Rose turned away as Moon Howl made another quick lunge. She wished there was something she could do. Watching from the sidelines like this was unbearable. Bark was scoring hits, thanks to his speed, but only light ones, and they didn't seem to be affecting Moon Howl. He couldn't keep dodging the bigger wolf's attacks forever. Sooner or later, he was bound to–

A crashing sound snapped Rose's eyes back to the fight. She watched in horror as Moon Howl plowed through Bark, shattering off both legs from his left side.

Bark tumbled down, crashing onto his side and rolling onto his back. The tiny pieces of his legs rained down across the field.

Moon Howl whirled around, and his eyes flashed when he saw Bark Hide laying helpless. He sprinted across the distance separating them and leaped up, arcing high with his jaws opened wide for Bark's neck.

Rose's mouth gaped. She couldn't look away.

Bark Hide thrust his one good paw upward just as Moon came crashing down, putting both wolves' full force into one blow.

Moon Howl's jaws closed over Bark's neck, digging in, but Bark's foreleg jutted deep into Moon's chest.

The light in Moon Howl's eyes flickered.

Bark yanked his one foreleg back out, and the eyes went dark.

Clutched in Bark's paw was a green glowing gem.

Piece by piece, Moon Howl's body broke apart into simple chunks of wood. He crumbled into bits on top of Bark Hide.

Bark worked himself up and out of the pile, shrugging off the lingering pieces. He still held Moon Howl's core in his paw.

Rose rushed up to him. “Are you okay?”

“No.” He pushed himself to a wobbly sitting position. “But I'll be all right.” He winced. “Do you think you can find my legs again?”

Rose sighed, and her worry evaporated. She had seen him in worse shape, after all. She pointed to the gem in his paw. “What about that? Are you going to...”

“No. I'm leader of the pack now. They'll do what I say; Moon Howl is no longer a threat.”

Rose nodded and hurried over to where Bark lost his legs. She gathered up as many pieces as she could carry and turned back.

Two alicorns, one white and one deep blue, blocked her path. They smiled, and their horns lit up.

As rose delivered her few pieces to Bark, the rest of his legs came floating over, surrounded in yellow and blue magical auras. When they drew close, the color of the glow changed to green, and the pieces reassembled themselves onto Bark Hide.

He stood on top of the woodpile that once was Moon Howl as soon as his legs were back together. He gently set Moon's core down on the ground, and he smiled at Rose. As the last light of the sunset faded from red to blue, he shouted out to the wolves in the forest. “Moon Howl has been defeated!”

The wolves in the trees roared.

“This dispute is settled. Roseluck did not kill Fang Horn – Moon did, to incite you all to war.” Bark took a few steps closer to the forest. “And I am the new leader of the pack. As my first act, I declare this attack canceled!”

The glowing eyes watching under the trees began to vanish, and within moments, unbroken gloom returned to the forest.

“I wonder...” Bark whispered to Rose, “Did Fang Horn plan all of this? He always did seem to be in control of everything, and he always played the long game...”

Before Rose could reply, she heard ponies approaching behind her. She turned to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

“So, Bark Hide, you're the leader of the timberwolves now?”

Bark nodded.

“And you would be willing to negotiate a peace treaty?”

He smiled and nodded again.

Princess Luna's horn glowed, and she closed her eyes. After a moment, the full moon crested the horizon. When she returned her attention to Bark Hide, her eyes narrowed. “How do we know we can trust these timberwolves?”

Princess Celestia glanced from Bark to Princess Luna, then to Rose.

Approaching footsteps pulled Rose's attention toward the forest. A pair of glowing eyes betrayed the approach of another wolf. In the competing lights of the newly risen moon and the lingering fires, Briar Thorn came walking up to Rose. The patch of lichen on his face reflected the bright red fires, but the rest of his thorny body glistened with the pale moonlight.

Rose's jaw dropped when she was what he carried in his mouth.

Briar Thorn carefully placed the branch of Wolfstone rose at Roseluck's feet.

“What is this?” Rose stared at him.

The thorny wolf glanced side to side before locking his eyes back on her. “I've been watching you, studying you, seeing if you are trustworthy. I made my decision.”

Rose looked up at Princess Celestia. “Yes. We can trust them.”

“Thank you, Roseluck,” Princess Celestia said with one of her slight smiles. “Sister, could you please oversee sending our forces home?”

Princess Luna glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye, but after a moment, she nodded.

“You will be able to return home now as well, Roseluck.” Princess Celestia turned back to Rose with an odd look in her eyes.

Rose glanced over at Bark Hide, then to the rose branch at her feet. She wouldn't be seeing her new friend anymore now. “Oh. Right... home.” She sighed.

“Of course,” the Princess said, her smile growing, “now that we have opened diplomatic relations with the wolves, we're going to need an ambassador... somepony who knows them and their customs, somepony whom they can trust, and if we're particularly fortunate, somepony who can count their leader as a friend.”

Rose gasped. “Really?”

Princess Celestia's smile grew even more, and she gave a miniscule nod.

“Oh thank you! That would be perfect!” Rose could have hugged the alicorn, had her instincts not stopped her from invading the royal's personal space. She glanced back down at the rose at her feet. “I just have one errand to run first.”

“Of course, Roseluck. As ambassador, you will need to travel frequently between the wolf and pony territories. Take all the time you need.”

“Thank you!” Rose grabbed the branch in her teeth, being careful of the thorns, and to the surprise of everyone, galloped straight into the forest, heading for Zecora's hut. She would finally be able to cure Lily.

Celestia's smile never faded. She turned to Bark Hide. “Now, about the treaty, what is it that you would like to...”

Epilogue

“I still can't believe you just left me out there. And how could you have all that fun without me?” Daisy held a hoof up in the air.

Rose rolled her eyes. “I didn't leave you. I saved your life.” She shook her head. “And it wasn't fun!”

“Well, I'm glad to see you back, anyway.” Daisy glanced at the door again. “I really should be going, though. The train leaves in five minutes.”

“You go ahead, Daisy, I'll catch up soon.” Rose waved goodbye as Daisy slipped out of the room.

Lily took another sip of Zecora's potion. “I can't thank you enough for all you went through to get this for me, Rose.”

“I'd do it all again.” Rose blushed. She knew she couldn't keep her secret any longer. “And, um, Lily? There's been something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time now, and I hope you'll forgive me, but I've always had kind of a crush on–”

Lily reached her hoof up out of her bed and pulled Rose down to her. She held their faces just barely apart for a moment before planting her lips on Rose's.

The End