“Ah still think ya’ll are crazy,” Applebloom huffed as she finished tuning the metal spring, pausing to wipe a bead of sweat from her forehead “And Ah still think the catapult was a better idea.”
Her two companions rolled their eyes. One of them, a unicorn filly named Sweetie Belle, flicked her purple and white mane about in what could have been described as a whirlwind, but to her was just what her sister did whenever she thought somepony was acting silly.
Unfortunately, the act of shaking her head around enough to gain lift on her short locks left her rather dazed, and she was left dizzily on her rump while Scootaloo prattled off about how a cannon was superior to a catapult when launching little pegasus fillies through the sky at high speeds.
“…and that’s why cannons are better,” finished Scootaloo with a smug smile. Sweetie Belle rejoined her companions as they started to roll the cannon out the front door of the barn. Applebloom shrugged as she spoke, “Ah don’t know… this thing still seems a might bit rickety…”
Sweetie Belle shook her head, “No way! We helped build it remember? There’s no way this could go wrong!”
She continued to skip along happily behind them, Applebloom sighing under her breath as she did so, “Yeah ya did help. That’s what Ah’m worried about…” Scootaloo interrupted Applebloom’s musings when she suddenly gasped, “Wait! This spot is perfect!”
They stopped as Scootaloo strapped on her helmet, “This is gonna be so cool!”
Moments later, the excitable filly was already clamoring inside the barrel of their spring-loaded cannon. Applebloom took her place behind the cannon, ready to fire on command, she gulped, “Uh, Scoots?”
The orange filly poked her helmeted head out from the tip of the cannon’s barrel to look at Applebloom, “Yeah?”
“Are you sure this is a good idea? Ah mean, what if ya can’t stay in the air?” asked Applebloom.
Scootaloo’s wide grin diminished at the thought, but only for a moment before she was smiling again. “Aw, relax Applebloom! There’s no way that’ll happen!”
Applebloom shared a worried glance with Sweetie Belle, they weren’t so sure. “Okay! Let’s do this!” yelled Scootaloo as she fastened her helmet tighter.
Previous worries somewhat forgotten, Applebloom allowed Scootaloo’s infectious excitement to wash over her, “Alrighty! On three! One… Two…”
“Applebloom! Just what in the hay do you girls think yer doin’!?” Applebloom nearly leapt into the air as her big sister galloped towards them from the orchard.
She gulped, “A-Applejack!?”
Scootaloo’s eyes widened, “Oh Ponyfeathers! Applebloom fire me! Fire me! Fire me! Fire me now!”
Applejack was nearly upon them, her Big Sister Glare paralyzing Applebloom to the spot as she yelled, “Applebloom!”
Scootaloo face-hoofed, “Applebloom! Come on!”
Applebloom looked back and forth between her sister and Scootaloo before sighing heavily, “Aw dang it. Sorry Scoots, Ah don’t think I can do it…”
Applebloom looked dejectedly down at her hooves, only for Sweetie Belle to spring up in front of her, “I can!” and with nary a thought Sweetie Belle pulled down hard on the string that kept the cannon from firing. Applejack dug her hooves into the ground and slowed to a stop just as the cannon let out a deafening boom.
“Woohoohoo!” Scootaloo’s yelling quickly vanished as she was blasted straight over the Apple Family Home and towards Ponyville. Applejack narrowed her eyes at the remaining Crusaders.
“Am Ah in trouble?” asked Applebloom in a small voice. Sweetie Belle was looking similarly down-trodden.
Applejack narrowed her eyes, “Ya’ll can bet on it. Now come on, we got a flying filly to catch!”
Scootaloo was soaring- no, she was flying! For the first time in her life she was actually flying! She felt tears threatening to form, but she didn’t care! She was flying just like Rainbow Dash! Like a pegasus! And then she started to slow down…
“W-what?” She sputtered.
She'd had reached the apex of her flight from the cannon, and now gravity was ready to reclaim her. She looked down. Her stomach flipped. “Oh no! No, no, no! Come on! Work you stupid wings!” She pumped her wings uselessly as the weightlessness started to dwindle and she was left with the feeling of falling. Her eyes shut of their own accord as the wind whipped past her face, her tiny wings flapping uselessly as she rushed towards the ground.
Applejack sprinted through the front gates of Sweet Apple Acres, two small fillies bouncing helplessly on her back as she rocketed towards Ponyville. “Of all the hair-brained schemes ya’ll girls pull…” she swore under her breath as she spotted the little orange dot sailing towards Ponyville. It was starting to slow down. “Ah hay!” Applejack sped up. She pumped her legs harder to increase her speed, leaving deep impressions in the dirt as she surged forward.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle caught sight of Scootaloo not a moment later, “Scootaloo!” they both yelled in unison as the little orange dot started to fall.
Their eyes widened, Applebloom yelled to her sister, “Hurry Applejack! She’s fallin’! Hurry!”
Applejack squeezed her eyes shut, “Ah am hurryin’!” She forced herself to go faster, getting closer to the ground and very nearly throwing her two passengers off.
“Come on! Come on! I think she’s headed for that hill!” Sweetie Belle’s panicked voice rang in Applejack’s ears as she corrected her path straight towards one of the outlying hills just outside Ponyville. She crested its peak and jerked her head towards the sky. An orange and purple blur greeted her vision and sent her and three fillies tumbling down the hill in a mess of limbs, high-pitched squeals, and more than few curses from one stressed out apple farmer. They hit the bottom of the hill and bounced once, separating as they rolled across the ground. The last thing Applejack heard was the startled mewl of something that was definitely not a pony.
****
Applejack let out a long groan as consciousness flooded back into her. She blinked rapidly, clearing her blurry vision. Putting a hoof to her aching head, she rubbed a spot that felt particularly painful. She jerked her hoof back when a lance of pain invaded her skull.
“Ow…” she muttered.
She looked at her now slightly red hoof. It’d been a long time since she’d hurt herself bad enough to bleed. Sighing, she slowly stood on four shaky hooves. She raised a hoof to readjust her hat, but as if to add insult to injury, the Stetson was no longer resting on her sore head.
She groaned again before looking up, more than ready to scold a trio of fillies on the lesson of why launching your friends out of a cannon was a bad idea. She didn’t get the chance. The moment she looked up her blood had run cold. Her eyes turned to pinpricks. And she felt a nagging voice in the back of her mind screaming at her a single word, “Run”. But she held her ground, frozen to the spot by a mix of stubbornness and fear. For before her was something she’d never have expected to see. Standing only a few pony-lengths away was a gigantic white wolf.
It was nearly three times her size, and stood a head taller than even Princess Celestia. Its fur was solid white, but marred with dirt and grime that gave it a grey sheen. A single one of its massive paws was larger than her head, and she could see that it had each of its claws fully extended, digging into the dirt with razor-sharp efficiency. But what kept her rooted to the ground was its head. Hundreds of needle-sharp teeth glimmered from its maw, and its dull yellow eyes were locked squarely onto hers. She didn’t dare make a move. She didn’t even breathe. Her subconscious was screaming at her to move, to run away, to do something. The silence between them drug on for what felt like an eternity, only to be broken by a small adorable yawn. “A-Applejack…?”
Her heart hurt. It felt like her chest was going to explode. Never in her life had Applejack felt so afraid, so totally helpless. She didn’t for a moment take her eyes off of the wolf, but its eyes had already drifted to the source of the voice. A small filly and her two best friends slowly woke, shaking their heads clear from the nasty fall.
Applebloom blinked a few times as her eyes readjusted, “What happened-…” she stopped, her little voice cut off as her mouth hung open. Her eyes were wide.
Scootaloo was the next to recover and was about to ask Applebloom what was wrong, but the moment she saw what Applebloom was looking at she slowly closed her mouth, staring wide-eyed at the wolf that watched them.
Sweetie Belle had no such trouble, “Oh my gosh what is tha~at!”
She quickly ducked behind Scootaloo and Applebloom, who had huddled together.
Applejack felt every muscle in her body tense as she watched the wolf stare at her little sister. It took a step towards them, and Applejack waited no longer.
She jumped forward and came down hard on her front hooves, spinning in place and delivering a powerful buck with her hind legs right into the wolf’s jaw. She turned towards her sister and the Crusaders, eyes wide and yelled, “Run!”
The girls didn’t hesitate to follow her instructions and sped off towards Ponyville. Applejack had barely enough time to sigh in relief before she was knocked off her hooves.
She hit the ground hard, rolling to a stop with a dull ache in her left foreleg. She took in a labored breath turning just as the wolf pounced at her. She rolled out of the way and jumped to her hooves, delivering another buck to the wolf’s side as it came down next to her. It barely flinched in response.
Applejack didn’t get the chance to ruminate on that for long though, as one of the wolf’s great paws swatted her back down to the ground. She tried to roll again, but halfway through she was caught. A large paw came down on her chest, crushing the air from her lungs and pinning her to the ground. She was left with a perfect view of the beast’s massive head, staring down at her with its jaw open wide. Hot breath rolled over her face as it breathed, and she felt her eyes start to water. She blinked away the tears, staring resolutely at the wolf. They locked eyes.
Applejack had never dreamt that she would ever stare down the pale face of death before, or that she was going to meet her end at the paws of a giant wolf, but for the life of her she would not be going quietly. “Go ahead!” she yelled at it, “I hope you choke on me!”
The wolf lowered its massive head dangerously until it was barely a hair’s length away from her. Applejack mentally kicked herself for flinching as it came near. Its mouth opened wide in what felt like slow-motion for Applejack, as she got a full-view of each individual tooth, the wolf’s blood red tongue licking the sides of its mouth in preparation for a meal.
Applejack closed her eyes as the wolf came just that much closer. The seconds ticked by, but no bite came. Very slowly, Applejack opened her eyes. And the teeth came down in what would have been the final bite, if it had actually bit her. It snapped its jaw shut in front of her, and she flinched again, much to her chagrin.
“Well!? What’re ya waitin’ for!?” she screamed at it, on the verge of tears. It backed up only slightly, and then surged forward again mouth wide open!
Applejack screamed. But once again, no bite came. She opened her eyes again, this time letting the tears flow freely. It snapped at her again, this time barely missing her muzzle. She let out a bloodcurdling scream. Fear flooded her veins, but more than that was the humiliation. It was playing with her.
It snapped at her, again and again those razor-sharp teeth came only just close enough that she thought it might be the last thing she ever saw. But each time the wolf would draw back, and torture her once more. So she screamed. She screamed and screamed until her throat was raw and she was blinded by her own tears. All she could see was its mouth and its teeth. Constantly snapping shut just in front of her, promising a painful demise with each bite. She couldn’t take it anymore.
****
Applebloom ran faster than she had ever run in her life. She could see it ahead of them.
“Ponyville! There it is!” Sweetie Belle yelled from her place just behind them.
Applebloom nodded in grim determination, “We have to hurry!”
Scootaloo buzzed her wings defiantly, trying to lift herself, “Come on! Come on! Why!? Why won’t these stupid wings work!?” She let out a scream of frustration as she fell in line behind Applebloom.
Applebloom yelled behind her, “Forget ’em! We need to get help!”
“What do you think I’m trying to do!? If I could just- Urgh!” she jumped and buzzed her wings, only to come back to the ground and resume running, “Fly!”
Applebloom said no more as they passed into Ponyville proper, the cobble road echoing under them as their hooves carried them towards the town’s center.
She didn’t even slow down as they reached the center of town, opting instead to scream as loud as her little lungs would allow, “Help! Help! Please! Somepony help mah sister!”
Heads turned as the trio sprinted through the market square, screaming so loud as to rattle the windows of nearby homes. The Crusaders had nearly cleared the square when an aura of light azure stopped them in their tracks. Rarity was next to them in moments, “Girls! Girls! Stop screaming! What happened!? What’s wrong!?”
The girls immediately launched into a jumbled frenzy of a story that Rarity couldn’t make out. What she could make out however, was that Applebloom had broken down into sobs while Sweetie Belle screamed at the top of her lungs and Scootaloo tried to wrench off her own wings with her teeth.
She furrowed her brow and steeled herself before yelling loud enough to silence them, “Enough! What is going on!?”
Suddenly everypony in the square grew silent, and for a moment Rarity thought she’d yelled louder than she had expected. That changed when the wind carried a new sound over the streets. It was screaming. Horrible, guttural screaming. It was like nothing Rarity had ever heard before.
Applebloom’s eyes had sunken, and her face grew pale as she mumbled the name, “Applejack…?”
Rarity didn’t think about it. She couldn’t. Her mind sequestered itself in its favorite sewing corner and she focused on the most immediate course of action.
She yelled at the top of her lungs to anypony nearby willing to listen, “Well don’t just stand there! Come on! Applejack’s in trouble!”
She started sprinting before she’d even finished speaking, heading towards the sound of screaming. She only prayed there were ponies following her as she ran. She cleared Ponyville’s borders in ten seconds flat and was already midway up a hill when a rainbow blur soared overhead. She would have smiled under normal circumstances. But the terrible screaming had only grown louder and more desperate as she followed the sound to its source.
She reached the top of the hill and looked down, and there, she spotted Applejack. Rarity hesitated, and she hated herself for it. Poised over Applejack, snarling and snapping, was the single largest wolf Rarity had ever seen, had ever dreamt of seeing. It was larger than a bear and twice as long, and it was standing directly over one of her friends.
Rainbow Dash didn’t hesitate for a moment. Before Rarity could even blink in surprise the rainbow blur that she knew so well smashed into the side of the imposing wolf, knocking it off its paws and carrying it straight into the side of the nearest hill in a shower of dirt and rock.
Rarity was already in motion, galloping down the steep hill and into the sunken area that Applejack lay in. She wasn’t moving. Rarity’s breath hitched in her throat, and she nearly stumbled as she ran towards Applejack, but a horrible snarl caused her to lose her footing. She’d nearly reached the prone form of her friend when a giant blur of white smashed into her side. She felt her rear hoof bend painfully backwards as the sheer force of the collision took her off her hooves and sent her skyward. She flew through the air for no more than a second before colliding with the slope of the hill she’d run down only a few moments before. Her vision went black.
Rainbow Dash shrugged off the dirt and rock from her collision, but had barely managed to open her eyes before the wolf was back on its feet and sprinting towards a snow-white unicorn mare.
Rainbow Dash’s eyes nearly bugged out of her skull as she realized who the mare was, “Rarity!” But the fashionista hadn’t heard her, or rather, she had been too slow. The wolf careened into her friend with all the force of an oncoming train, and Rainbow Dash could only watch as Rarity was flung against the nearest hillside with an audible crack.
“No!” she yelled as she surged forward, her wings pumping with enough power to send her skyrocketing towards the wolf. She raised her hooves and narrowed her eyes in the span of a second before they collided, sending them tumbling end over end into the dirt once again. But this time the wolf reacted first.
Rainbow Dash had only just opened her eyes in time to dodge the incoming paw swipe of the wolf. Its claws dug deep into the ground where she’d been only a moment before. She shuddered involuntarily as she watched its claws sheer a small rock cleanly in half.
She heard it snarl as she rolled into an upwards climb. She needed speed. And lots of it. She cast her gaze back down as she soared nearer to the sky, but stopped dead when she saw the wolf headed straight for Rarity’s prone form. There was no time to gain altitude so she’d have to make do with what she had. Rainbow Dash broke into a nose-dive headed straight for the wolf. Even from her low height the very air around her seemed to bend as she sped faster and faster.
She screamed louder than the air around her did as the wolf raised a paw directly over Rarity’s head, “Stop!” The wolf listened. Rainbow Dash hadn’t expected that to happen. Neither did she expect the wolf to jump at her. It cleared the ground and absorbed her vision before she’d registered what was happening, its outstretched paw slapping her right out of the dive. She spiraled. There was nothing she could do, she knew that much. So she tucked in and hoped she was still conscious when she crashed. She hit the ground with a loud boom, and came to a dead-stop.
Ponies encircled the depression that held the wolf and their neighbors; unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies all moving in to help. The wolf was bearing down on an unconscious Rainbow Dash when a rock thrown by a nearby unicorn pegged it in the snout. It turned towards the mint green unicorn mare, snarling.
A cream-colored earth pony mare charged to her friend’s aid, chucking another rock in the air and then spinning to buck it directly into the wolf’s face.
It wasn’t long before a black pegasus with a thunderbolt cutie mark dropped a large rock on top of the wolf, nailing its back. It snarled and bared its teeth, but the ponies nearby weren’t intimidated. A dozen more rocks quickly followed the first few, and before long they were throwing everything they had at the wolf.
Slowly but surely it started to back away from the unconscious forms of the three mares. Quick as a flash, a grey pegasus mare swooped down and picked up Rainbow Dash in her hooves, quickly flying her friend back to the relative safety of the depression’s edge. A moment later two pegasi mares with similar light purple coats did the same, carrying Rarity back to the safety of the edge.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed in on Applejack. The ponies nearby certainly noticed. Rocks flew fast and dangerously, but the wolf was faster and brushed off the rocks as it darted to Applejack its claws outstretched!
But it didn’t get the chance. A blast of powerful violet magic hit the wolf’s chest, causing it to stumble. A second blast forced it back further. It growled angrily, spotting the lavender unicorn that was assaulting it.
Twilight Sparkle stood at the precipice of the depression’s edge, her horn alight with energy. The wolf took a hesitant step forward, and a blast of her violet magic exploded the dirt just in front of it. Then the wolf charged. Twilight’s eyes widened and she sent another wave of magic at the wolf, although this time it was prepared. The wolf skidded to the side, its lithe body, however massive, easily circumventing the relatively slow-moving magical blast. But Twilight wasn’t finished.
Her horn grew steadily brighter, and as her brow furrowed in concentration a thin film of violet energy started to appear around the wolf’s form. It tried to leap, but suddenly found that its chest was held in a rather immovable cast of powerful magic. Twilight knit her brow and closed her eyes, closing out the outside world as she focused solely on keeping the now thrashing wolf restrained. The wolf dug its claws into the ground, howling and snarling as it forced itself to move closer to Applejack. Twilight grunted in irritation, “S-somepony get… down there! Urgh!”
She heard something akin to a shout of worry, but could do little more than focus on keeping the wolf restrained. It was a losing battle. She’d never encountered an animal that could resist magic so easily. Even an Ursa Minor was well within Twilight’s capacity to restrain, if she had to. But the wolf was nearly slipping through her grasp, her magic repelling against and away from its body. It made keeping it still nearly impossible, but only nearly. Twilight was a powerful unicorn, and she would not allow some ravenous predator to hurt her friends.
“Stop!” cried out a voice.
Twilight shifted, barely catching the quiet call. She knew the voice. “Fluttershy?” she asked through clenched teeth, and sure enough, she heard the soft wing beats of her friend landing just beside her. She forced her eyes open to regard her friend, wincing as the wolf struggled harder.
The cream colored pegasus next to her was breathing heavily and Twilight figured she must have flown all the way from her cottage on the edge of the Everfree.
“Twilight! You- you’re going to hurt her! Let… phew… let me… Oh dear…” Fluttershy paused to catch her breath, sitting down and folding her wings, “Just… one second…”
Twilight could only nod and return her attention to the wolf and Applejack, she frowned, “Somepony get down there and get Applejack now!” she yelled loudly to all ponies present, startling Fluttershy from her breathing exercises.
“Applejack’s down there!? Oh my… I-I’ll…” Fluttershy steeled herself, “Twilight! I’ll handle this! Just get Applejack back safely please.” And before Twilight could respond, Fluttershy extended her wings and flew down towards the wolf.
Twilight held back a groan, knowing that if anypony could calm down a rabid animal it would be Fluttershy. That certainly didn’t mean she had to like letting her friend put herself in danger though. “Just hurry!” she called after her.
Fluttershy nodded both to herself and Twilight as she landed just a few lengths away from the wolf. It noticed her immediately. She paused, the look in the wolf’s eyes causing her to falter however slightly. It was not the look a predator gave prey. It was something else; something that made shiver’s run down her spine and her hair stand on end.
She focused. “Come on Fluttershy… you can do this.” She took a deep breath and approached the wolf. “You need to stop.” The wolf’s ears stood on end at the sound of her voice, and what attention it had been directing elsewhere was suddenly all focused on Fluttershy.
She gulped. “I said, you need to stop. Ponies aren’t food and you should know that.”
She stared directly into the wolf’s eyes, not daring to blink as it stared back at her. Its struggling had ceased, and Twilight’s magic started to spread further over its body. Fluttershy continued to hold its gaze. “Lay down. You’re hurt, and you’ll only get that paw treated if you start acting nice.” The wolf continued to stare her down, and she rose to the challenge. Seconds passed that felt like minutes, but Fluttershy knew that this was a fight that she had to win.
Her concentration broke when the wolf let out several garbled barks in quick succession. It took her moment to realize what it was doing. It was laughing. Its eyes drifted away from her, going skyward. Fluttershy followed its gaze, and spotted something approaching from the sky above Everfree.
She turned back to the wolf, “What-?” she didn’t get to finish before several ponies started screaming, and great gusts of wind nearly blew her over.
Fluttershy turned on her hooves just as it landed, the ground rumbling in response. She slowly started to look up, “D-d-d-d-dragon!?”
Whatever courage Fluttershy had felt before was suddenly replaced by fear, and she fell to her haunches, paralyzed. It was huge, nearly five times her height and fifteen times as long. Its sage green scales glowing in the sunlight, rippling muscle hiding just beneath. Long purple spines similar to Spike’s in everything but color trailed down its back and ended at its razor-sharp tail. The dragon’s serpentine neck lowered, and although it was marginally smaller than the dragons she’d faced in the past, the moment its large golden draconic eyes passed over her she started to shake. It was only as the dragon passed by her, its tree trunk sized legs causing the ground to shake as it walked, that Fluttershy heard the wolf laughing again. It was howling and barking in what she recognized as delight, and she turned around just in time to watch the dragon attack.
Twilight’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “A dragon!? What is a dragon doing here!?” nopony responded on account of the screaming and general panic. Twilight could only watch as the dragon passed by Fluttershy and headed towards the wolf still ensnared in her magic. She watched in silence as the dragon raised a single one of its giant legs, and then punched the wolf.
A terrible ache spread through Twilight as her magic was shattered by the dragon’s punch, leaving her horn numb and her knees quaking uncontrollably. It was a preferable alternative to being punched by a dragon directly. The wolf tumbled end over end and slammed against the side of the hill, and then something stranger happened. The dragon started to speak in a language Twilight had never heard before, and from the sound of it, the dragon was quite angry.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done!? I told you to avoid them! I told you to watch out for them! I told you to stay away from Ponyville!”
Twilight listened intently to the strange language as the dragon moved closer to the wolf. It had just managed to stand when the dragon’s clawed hand shot out and pinned it to the hillside. Twilight’s attention was suddenly drawn away as Fluttershy started screaming at the dragon.
“Stop it! Stop! You’re hurting her! Stop!” It didn’t help that she was hitting at its ankles.
Twilight jumped into overdrive, “Fluttershy! Are you crazy!?”
She lit her horn, but winced as it sent a lance of pain through her skull. “Ow! Oh you have got to be kidding!”
Without a second thought Twilight jumped into the depression, galloping towards Fluttershy. Fluttershy just kept hammering at the dragon’s feet, totally focused on getting him to release the wolf. Twilight’s eyes widened as the dragon’s tail flicked towards Fluttershy, fully intending to swat her away like a bug. It was then that she realized she was too slow.
A rainbow blur streaked past her vision then, and Fluttershy disappeared just as the tail swung past where she had been standing a moment before. Twilight let out the breath she had been holding, “Hey Twilight!” and then promptly screamed and spun around to face her friend, “Rainbow Dash!”
“What?” the polychromatic pegasus was hovering just behind her, Fluttershy firmly within her grasp. She looked like she had seen better days. One of her wings was flapping irregularly, and she had nasty bruise over her eye.
Twilight shook her head clear, “Nothing! Get Fluttershy out of here! I’ll get Applejack!”
Rainbow Dash nodded and flew off, leaving Twilight alone in the depression with two giant predators. She turned and sprinted for Applejack. She reached her friend and skidded to a stop, checking her over for any obvious injuries. She smiled when she found only a few scrapes and bruises. “Okay! Don’t worry Applejack; I’ll get us out of here!”
Her horn started to glow, and then a spike drove itself through her skull, “Ow! Ow! Ow!” and her horn lost its familiar glow just as quick. Twilight frowned, looking down at Applejack, “Well… I’ll just have to carry you out of here then!”
Twilight slid her head under Applejack’s forelegs, and slowly started to lift her onto her back. It was not as easy as Twilight had thought it would be.
“Oh my gosh!” Twilight stumbled under the sudden weight and struggled to right herself, “You… You’re so heavy!”
She groaned and lifted, Applejack slipping onto her back as she started towards the hillside, “Oh, you-you’re eally… ugh… heavy…”
She was half-way to the depression’s edge when she heard the dragon yelling in that strange language again, “We are leaving! Do you have any idea how dangerous the Elements of Harmony are!? We do not need you putting everyone in danger like this!”
Twilight slowed to a stop and watched intently as the dragon finished its yelling. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting, or even what she was watching… but the one thing she hadn’t expected to happen was the dragon simply releasing the wolf. It retracted its massive claws in one swift motion and the wolf fell to the ground in a heap. It struggled to stand on its own, and after a failed attempt at righting itself Twilight watched as the dragon lent the wolf a massive finger to lean on. It accepted, and then quickly climbed on top of the dragon settling into a crook just behind its long neck.
Twilight watched in a mix of confusion and curiosity as the dragon spread its gargantuan wings then, but a sudden groan from her passenger reminded her that she had more important things to worry about.
Nodding to herself, Twilight resumed her slow march towards the edge of the depression. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew from behind her, and Twilight turned just in time to catch the dragon fly off, the wolf lying on its back as it flew towards the Everfree.
She furrowed her brow as they flew into the distance, “Urgh! I’ll figure it out later!” and with that proclamation two pegasi flew down to assist her with Applejack.
Applejack blinked as she awoke. The bright light of magical bulbs stung her eyes. Grumbling, she sank deeper into the bed and waited as coherent thought started to form. She frowned. Licking her chapped lips, she spoke up, “Where am Ah?”
She heard a surprised whinny and a snort followed by a thump as something fell to the floor from nearby. Then Applebloom bounced onto her bed, “Applejack! You’re awake!”
Applejack felt a smile tugging at her lips as she watched her little sister bounce around her bed, “Heya Applebloom. Do ya know where we are sugarcube?”
“Yep! We’re at the hospital! The girls were so worried about you! But uh… Ah wasn’t! Ah knew you’d be right as rain soon as you woke up and…” Applebloom suddenly lunged and threw her hooves around Applejack’s neck, “And Ah knew you’d be okay… Ah just knew it…”
Surprised by the hug, Applejack gently patted Applebloom’s back, “Ah shucks Bloom, Ah’m glad to see you too.”
Applebloom simply tightened her grip. It took Applejack a moment to realize she was shaking, “Applebloom? You okay sugar?”
The filly quickly nodded and released her from the hug. She wiped her face with a hoof before smiling back at Applejack, “Wha? Yeah! Yeah Ah’m fine just… just happy ya finally woke up is all.”
Applejack raised a questioning brow, but let it drop when she processed Applebloom’s words. “How long have Ah been out?”
Applebloom looked at the door before turning back to her sister, “About two days.”
“Two days!?” blanched Applejack.
She sat up with a flash and started working her way out of her covers, “Two whole apple pickin’ days laid up in a bed! Ah gotta get to the orchard! We’re behind schedule!”
Applebloom quickly went about trying to push Applejack back down with little results, “Now wait a second! Applejack you need yer rest! Applejack!”
Applejack finally freed her legs from the covers and hopped off the bed, accidently entangling Applebloom in the covers as she did.
“There ain’t any time for rest Bloom! We got trees to buck!” she yelled as she made her way to the door.
Just then the door to her room opened, and a familiar nurse stepped in. Her eyes widened as she spotted Applejack up and about, “Applejack?”
“Howdy Redheart, sorry to bother ya’ll, we’ll be goin’ right quick!” said Applejack, regarding the nurse.
Applebloom peeked out from beneath the blankets, saying, “Ah tried to stop her Miss Nurse Redheart! Ah tried and she didn’t listen!”
Nurse Redheart gently shook her head at the filly before turning to her patient, “Applejack, Applebloom is right. If you could just return to bed, I’d be happy to notify your friends that you’ve woken up.”
“Sorry, no can do. Ah’m already behind schedule for apple buckin’ and can’t spend any more time laid up then Ah already have been," said Applejack matter of factly, shaking her head.
Applejack tried to make her way past the nurse, but was quickly blocked, “It’s nearly midnight Applejack, I’m sure you can at least spend the night here. I don’t want to put my hoof down, but I’d strongly suggest you stay for the night.”
Applejack frowned at her, and then let out a sigh, “Fine. If ya’ll think we should stay for the night then we will. But first thing in the mornin’ we’re leavin’!”
Nurse Redheart sighed good naturedly at Applejack's stubborness, “Alright, I suppose that’s all I can ask. I’ll go notify everypony that you’re awake now.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow, “Right now? Didn’t ya say it was midnight?”
Nurse Redheart nodded as she headed out the door, “They’ve all been waiting here for you to wake up. You’ve got some very good friends Applejack.” Nurse Redheart smiled at her and disappeared out of the room.
Applejack harrumphed, “All the girls are here?”
Applebloom popped up smiling ear to ear from the mound of covers on the bed, the stark white sheets managing to entangle her completely, “Yep! Big Mac and Granny were here, but they had to go cause it was getting’ late. Sweetie Belle too, Ah don’t know where Scootaloo is though. She probably got grounded or somethin’.”
Applejack crossed her front hooves, “Well Ah’ll be.”
****
Twilight Sparkle paced, and it wasn’t exactly an uncommon sight to the small dragon sitting comfortably in the chair across from her. Spike had always found hospital waiting rooms particularly sleep inducing, and that it was currently midnight did nothing to help his drooping eyelids. Casting a final look at Twilight, Spike finally allowed his eyes to shut. It was a short lived relief.
“That doesn’t make any sense! Ugh!” yelled Twilight, quickly closing the book she had been reading with a sharp snap.
Spike jolted awake at the noise, only to return to slouching in his chair a moment later. He yawned, “Twilight? Isn’t it, you know, kind of late to be yelling at your books?”
Twilight stopped her pacing for a moment to regard Spike and the waiting rooms other occupants, they were all giving her similar looks.
She sighed, slightly embarrassed by her outburst, “Hehe, sorry Spike, girls. It’s just been a long couple days. I’ll be quieter.”
She received a good-natured sigh from Rarity, who was currently sitting on the couch in the center of the waiting room, “Perfectly fine darling, I know you’ve been running yourself absolutely ragged these past two days. I assure you, it isn’t easy just… waiting.”
The pink pony sharing the couch with Rarity nodded from her upside down position, the heavy bags under her eyes only offset by her huge smile, “Yeah Twilight! We don’t blame you! I haven’t been able to sleep at all I’ve been so worried! It’s been thirty-six hours!”
Fluttershy frowned lightly at Pinkie’s proclamation, “Um, Pinkie? I don’t think that’s very healthy…”
She was about to continue when Pinkie Pie promptly bounced to her hooves and landed directly in front of her, “Don’t try and tell me what’s healthy for me! I’ll eat all the candy I want and nopony can stop me!” then she leaned in until she was eye to eye with Fluttershy and whispered, “Nopony...”
Fluttershy squeaked and Twilight quickly retook the reigns of the conversation, “Well… Anyway, I was actually trying to find out more information about that dragon and the uh… wolf…”
Twilight paused, watching as Pinkie slowly retreated back to her position on the couch, somehow managing to slide back into her upside down position without taking her eyes off of the still slightly terrified Fluttershy.
Twilight shook her head to regain her train of thought, “And I seem to have run up against a wall.”
“What wall is that darling?” asked Rarity, seemingly unbothered by Pinkie’s antics.
“That language the dragon was speaking in. I’ve cross-referenced at least a dozen books on different languages and have yet to find even a single one that matches what I heard two days ago,” Twilight let out a tired sigh before continuing, “And it doesn’t help that my bestiary only mentions gigantic white wolves living all the way out in the Crystal Mountains. Or that they’re not exactly prone to leaving said mountains. I’m… well, stumped.”
The girls and dragon all let out similar hums at the information; all except for Rainbow Dash, who was sleeping soundly in the chair next to Spike. Spike groaned as a stray cerulean wing thumped him on the head for what must have been the sixth time.
He frowned, “Well, we could always write to Princess Celestia. I bet she knows just about every language, uh, ever.”
Twilight nodded slightly, but quickly shook her head a moment later. “No, no. Princess Celestia’s a very busy pony and we shouldn’t contact her unless it’s an emergency.”
She received a pointed look from Rarity, “Twilight, Applejack has been out cold for two days straight. If that isn’t an emergency then I wouldn’t know what is.”
Nodding slowly, Twilight reconsidered her options, “You’re right. Of course you’re right. I’ll contact her first thing in the morning. Thanks Rarity.”
“Think nothing of it darling,” replied Rarity.
The conversation lapsed into silence for only a moment before the double doors to the hospital proper opened and Nurse Redheart stepped out. There was a tense silence as they waited for her to speak.“Applejack has just woken up and is ready to see you girls, and I’m happy to say that she seems to have made a full recovery.”
There was a collective sigh of relief from everypony at the news. Twilight quickly woke Rainbow Dash before the group followed Nurse Redheart to Applejack’s room.
***
Twilight frowned at Applejack, “You… don’t remember?”
“Sorry sugar, last thing Ah remember was catchin’ a certain fallin’ filly. After that though Ah’m drawin’ a blank,” Applejack rubbed the side of her head with a hoof, “Might’ve hit my head while Ah was wrestlin’ with the varmint.”
Rainbow Dash groaned as she did loops above Fluttershy and Twilight, “It was hardly a ‘varmint’ AJ. That wolf was like twice the size of Big Mac!”
Rarity nodded firmly, “Indeed! Just look what that beast did to my leg!”
She turned and daintily lifted her hind leg. It was in a full cast, and somepony had drawn pink smiley faces all over it. Though nopony had yet taken credit for them, the prime suspect was currently sleeping on the floor of the hospital room.
Rarity sighed heavily, “and don’t even get me started on these garish designs covering the cast!”
Pinkie Pie giggle snorted from her place on the floor, and then promptly fell back asleep.
Applejack rolled her eyes before turning back to Twilight, “So Twi? What do you know about these varmints anyway? Ah’ve been wondering more and more since you girls told me what happened.”
Twilight sighed, a feeling of seriousness descending on the group as she spoke, “Not much I’m afraid. From what little information I’ve been able to gather, I’ve learned that the wolf that attacked you is a breed from the Crystal Mountains. Although I have no idea how one made it all the way here or why that dragon came and… took it.”
She started pacing back and forth around the room, “Although… it isn’t unheard of for a dragon to add well, living creatures to its hoard. I suppose that could explain how the wolf got here; it could be a… trophy maybe? Something the dragon picked up while on migration? But that doesn’t explain why the wolf was so resistant to my magic…”
Twilight hummed and continued pacing, her friends momentarily forgotten. The girls all shared a knowing look and expertly began to tune out Twilight’s ramblings. Rainbow Dash was, naturally, the first to get bored. Letting out a loud yawn, she flew towards the window and opened it before cutting off Twilight mid-sentence, “Anyway! I think I should probably get going. I got cloud cover duty first thing tomorrow morning. Glad you’re okay Applejack!”
She paused halfway through the window before turning back, “Take you home Shy’?”
Fluttershy nodded, “Yes, thank you.”
Giving Applejack a farewell hug, Fluttershy flew over to Rainbow Dash, “Um, are you sure we’re allowed to leave through the window?”
“Totally! Let’s go!” she said, hiding a slightly mischievous smile as she bolted out the open window.
Fluttershy sighed, "Oh, alright," and quickly followed Rainbow Dash into the night.
“They’re not actually allowed to leave that way are they?” said Rarity good-naturedly.
Twilight shook her head, “Nope.”
Turning back to Applejack, Twilight smiled, “Well, regardless of what happened, I don’t think that dragon or the wolf will be coming back anytime soon. I’ll send a report to Princess Celestia in the morning and see if she can’t send a few Royal Guards to poke around the edge of the forest too. Better to be safe than sorry after all. Other than that, I’m glad that you’re okay Applejack.”
They shared a brief hug before Twilight made her way to the door, “Come on Spike, it’s late and we all need some rest.”
He nodded sleepily and held back a yawn, “Okay Twilight.”
Rarity waved them farewell before turning back to Applejack, “Well, I suppose I should head back to the boutique then,” she paused mid-sentence, realizing there was sleeping pink pony just next to her, “Oh you have got to be kidding! I just knew there was a reason they were all so eager to leave!”
Applejack chuckled, “Pinkie Pie duty?”
“Yes, she’s an absolute rock when she’s asleep. We all knew somepony was going to escort her home but,” Rarity huffed, “I didn’t think it was going to be me!”
Applejack smiled, “Well Rare, don’t let me keep you. Applebloom and Ah should probably head to bed too. There’ll be plenty of work to do on the farm tomorrow.”
Rarity nodded as she levitated Pinkie Pie behind her, “Yes well, it’s good to see you’re alright Applejack. And should you ever need help on the farm you know who to ask.”
“You? You are gonna help on the farm?” asked Applejack skeptically.
“Oh, goodnes no! But I’d be more than happy to tell the other girls you could use some help,” said Rarity with a grin.
“Ha! Ah know you too well Rare.”
“That you do. Goodnight Applejack.”
Applejack watched her go. Shaking her head, she smiled and headed back to her bed where Applebloom was already sound asleep. Snuggling in, she fell asleep to the sound of light rain outside the hospital.
***
There was an ear-splitting roar like thunder, and then she was tumbling from his back onto the course ground.
"What were you thinking?"
She wobbled on her back paw as she pulled herself up, “I wasn’t-”
“You weren’t thinking were you!? No thought at all! Just blindly following a scent, was that it!?”
She snarled before she could think, and immediately regretted it. Another roar split the sky and a clawed fist struck the ground in front of her with enough force to send a wave of dirt in all directions.
“Do not. Growl. At me!” he punctuated each word with another subsequent hit into the ground. The wet grass now pocket marked with large craters.
She concentrated on forming words. It was difficult. “I… I thought… food… easier…”
The words were foreign and tickled the back of her throat unpleasantly, the mighty dragon before her simply let out another roar, “You do not go near Ponyville! You do not hunt ponies! You are not an animal!”
She struggled to stay still as the dragon unleashed another roar and pounded the dirt with enough strength to flatten steel. She wanted to run, to chase; to kill… it was what her instincts told her. But she fought them. More words started to form, an effort of will that defied her very nature, “I… Am… Hungry!”
The dragon’s previous anger stalled, and the wolf capitalized, “Starving! Want to eat! Need to! Let me! LET ME!”
The dragon remained silent, his great wings folded, and he lowered his head sadly, “No.” it was not a request, but a statement of fact. She was not to eat ponies. Never, ever could she hunt them under any circumstances. He had made his point clear.
She saw red. She saw veins and arteries pumping with sweet nectar and soft flesh surrounding them. She was biting, chewing, tearing, and devouring. She wanted nothing more than to claw and slash and maim. Every instinct in her mind told her to do it. The dragon was exposing his neck to her. It would take no more than a minute, no less than that even… and then a shrill squeal of happiness so foreign to the Everfree and its inhabitants filled her ears. And all was clear again.
“Anna! Anna! You’re back! You’re finally back!”
A little pink unicorn filly bounded excitedly towards the imposing wolf and dragon, not a hint of fear in her bright little blue eyes. The wolf, Anna, lowered herself onto the soft dewy grass just in time for the little filly to pounce into the soft fur of her great white chest.
She snuggled her face deeper into Anna’s chest, a huge smile adorning her face. “I missed you so much! Jaime kept saying you were off hunting sea turtles, but I know better! There are not even any oceans in the forest!”
The little filly suddenly retracted her head and peered up at Anna with big, curious eyes, “That’s right isn’t it?”
Anna simply nodded, her wolfish grin not seeming to startle the little filly in the slightest. She smiled and quickly turned her head back towards the cave at the other side of the small grass clearing, “Ha! I told you Jaime!”
A droning, slightly buzzing feminine voice suddenly projected from the cave in response, “Ah well, when you’re right you’re right I suppose…”
Jaime stepped slowly into the clearing, his long hole filled legs taking easy strides as he carried himself towards them. His translucent insect-like wings buzzed lightly on his back, all four of them. And his long jagged horn swayed back and forth with every step. Two cat-like orange eyes rolled over them with indifference as he reached what was presumably a safe but conversable distance, “I take it things are well then? Seeming as how no one’s dead?”
Anna’s keen eyes narrowed imperceptibly, but quickly refocused on the little bundle of joy resting on her chest. Jaime smiled toothily at them, and looked like he was about to comment when he was interrupted.
“Still looking as beautiful as ever there Jaime.”
The Changeling Queen’s mirth was suddenly lost, and he turned his attention to the large dragon that had closed the gap between them, “Oh! Ray! Sorry, didn’t see you there! Which is strange given just how ridiculously huge you are! Say, is that a new frill style? I’m sure it’s all the rage back in dragon country, or should I say Greed? Isn’t that one of the more preferable adjectives back where you come from?”
Ray huffed steam out of his nostrils, “Not funny.”
Jaime’s facsimile grin immediately faded, “It never is, is it?”
Ray didn’t speak further as he lumbered past Jaime towards the cave. Anna had risen by then, the little filly happily lying on her back. Jaime didn’t bother to smile as he came into step next to Anna, the wolf’s size easily dwarfing him.
He spoke with his usual sarcastic demeanor as they walked, “So… how was the hunting? You rustle up any interesting meals while you were out and about?”
A low purr escaped Anna’s throat and Jaime raised a brow, “Was that a ‘yes I maimed something interesting’ or a ‘no I am still starving’?”
Anna let out a low growl before trying to speak, “No… None more… Prey in woods… All run to pony.”
Jaime rolled his eyes at her as they entered the cave, “Oh honestly Anna, you really must learn to convey your sentences more fluently. Oh, and let me guess, this ‘pony’ is a little yellow thing? Dainty? Maybe a tad shy around others?”
Anna nodded, already knowing who the pony was and significance she possessed. Jaime nodded along in mock sympathy, “Well, that is too bad then. It’s not like you can just go and sneak a meal from her after all. What would Ray say?”
Anna already knew where Jaime was leading the conversation and cared very little for games of words. “Talk no more. Go bother… someone else.”
Jaime’s playful mood diminished considerably when he realized he’d been caught, “Ah forget it. You were much more fun when you were human anyway.”
Anna snapped at him and received a pleasant ‘Eeep!’ of surprise as Jaime stalked off to his part of the cave.
A small voice came from above Anna as she walked towards a familiar pile of soft leaves and branches, “Jaime can be kind of mean sometimes. I miss when he told me stories.”
Anna settled into her bed, and her little payload slipped off her back and trotted over to lie on her front paws, “I miss when you used to sing to me too. I guess I miss a lot of things…”
Anna gently laid her head down next to her paws and allowed the little filly to find a comfortable spot in the crux of her neck. She was so small, and warm, and it wasn’t long before she had settled and little snores rocked her tiny frame.
Anna brushed against her mournfully, struggling to speak softly and not wake her, “Oh… my little sunshine… I love you so…”
****
Jaime paced back and forth, his hooves falling into a steady beat and rhythm as he stalked the gigantic entryway into the cavern’s deeper and wider sections. The mental debate he was dealing with was certainly worthy of his time, at least in his opinion anyway. But the real problem lied with just who exactly he was planning on sharing the information with, and whether or not it was something to be brought up at all.
Ultimately, the groaning emptiness in his belly was enough to warrant action, and Jaime purposefully strode into the largest expanse of the cave. Dark and damp rock gave way to shining gems and mounds of gold in an instant, and treasures of immeasurable value were stacked haphazardly around the cave with really no care at all.
He would’ve gasped had he not seen it so many times before. Instead he simply swallowed his annoyance and approached the owner of the great hoard. Not so much lounging in his riches as he was simply sitting, using a single massive claw to scratch at a patch of bare ground was the dragon in question himself, and he was looking a bit lost in his own thoughts.
Jaime cleared his throat to get his attention, “Enjoying yourself there?”
Ray stirred slightly; he was obviously aware of Jaime’s presence but made no move to acknowledge him. Jaime let out a noise perhaps too close to whinny and stomped his hoof indignantly, “Enough of the silent treatment. I’m being serious, we need to talk.”
Ray blew out a jet of steam as he opened his mouth to speak, “No.”
Jaime frowned and narrowed his eyes, “You didn’t even know what I was going to say!”
Ray returned his attention to scratching at the stone, “You want to interfere with ponies. Communicate, manipulate, copulate, it doesn’t matter. It is not going to happen.”
Jaime felt a rare emotion bubble up inside of him then, and a small part of him very dearly wanted to test what that horn of his could do. A larger part of him however, was thinking up a clever way of convincing Ray just how wrong he was.
Jaime stiffened, and spoke slowly, “We’re going to die Ray.”
The great dragon bristled slightly and his claw stopped scraping at the stone, and Jaime knew he had gotten his attention.
“You may not see it yet, but I do. Anna, Gracie and I are starving.”
Ray returned his attention to picking at the rock beneath him. “Anna hunts, and Gracie can eat the grass outside.”
Jaime stomped his hooves against the stone and yelled, “And what about me Ray!?”
Startled by the outburst, Ray paused his digging, if only for a moment. “You will feed off of Anna’s love for Gracie once a month as we discussed.”
Jaime wore a horrible scowl, but inwardly he was grinning, “And when Anna starves to death? Then what? How long do you think Gracie would stick around after that?”
Ray’s claw slowed its pace, and he turned his massive head to regard Jaime, “Did you not hear me? Anna will hunt. She will not starve.”
Jaime took a measured step back, laughing a miserable laugh as he did, “You really don’t see it do you? Ray there is nothing left out there! Anna’s ribs are showing and she hasn’t eaten more than a rabbit in days!”
Ray paused then, and for the briefest of moments, Jaime thought he spied fear in those massive draconic eyes.
“You are wrong.”
Jaime shook his head, taking a step forward, “No, I’m not. They’ve all fled Ray, gone either to White Tail or Flutterbug in Ponyville. Why do you think Anna was so close to them today? Huh?”
Ray didn’t immediately form a response and Jaime pushed his advantage, “What did you think was going to happen Ray? Did you think that we’d all just squat in this cave for the rest our lives?”
He took another step towards the dragon, “I haven’t eaten in a month, Gracie is living off of wet grass, and Anna is only a few bad hunts away from going feral!”
“Enough.”
“No! It's not enough! How long do you think it’ll be before she’s truly a starving wolf!? How long before she’s pushed past that limit!? We’ve both seen it happen before!”
Ray involuntarily gripped his gold as Jaime took another step forward, “Enough Jaime.”
Jaime ignored him, “How long before that starving feral dog decides that a meal has been right in front of her all along!? How much will it take for you to open your eyes!? When I’m a starved husk!? When Anna’s gone feral!? How about when she eats her own sister! Will that be enough for you!? Will it!?”
Ray rose with a thunderous roar, his massive wings extending to span the entire length of the cavern, his great tail thrashing against the gold and creating waves in its wake, “That is enough! Everything I do is to protect you all! And to interfere with the ponies would only lead to conflict! How can you not understand that?”
Jaime simply shook his head, holding his ground against the giant drake with only a bitter smile as his defense.
“Well you’re doing a swell job so far Ray. What with collecting your little hoard and starving all your friends, I think you’ve got this whole ‘protector’ thing down pat.”
The air of the cavern suddenly felt heavy, and the great dragon slowly folded his wings against his sides and sagged. His piercing eyes softened, and he let out a long tired sigh, “What then, would you have me do?”
Jaime let out the breath he’d been holding, “Well, I’ve got a few ideas actually.”