Spirit

Rarity exited the shower. The steam covered the mirror with the exception of the few beads of water that rolled down it, leaving trails. She spent about twenty minutes in the shower trying to get all of the blood washed off. When she finally did, she toweled off and went back to the spare bedroom.

The wolf was fast asleep on the bed. Bandages covered its body, and a small cast on its right foreleg. Fluttershy sat next to it, massaging its back. Rarity could hear the happy whimpers emanating from its mouth. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. She sighed, and the wolf’s ears shot up. It was a little grey cub with a long, bushy tail. It’s fur looked soft enough to sleep in. It could actually probably compete with a cloud, and win. The top of its head had a little tuft of hair that stuck up almost like it was spiked with gel. The cub’s tongue stuck out of the side of its mouth, which made it look goofy, but still adorable.

It looked up and then tried to stand, but fell. it was looking straight at Rarity and wagging its bushy tail.

“Seems like he really likes you, Rarity.” Fluttershy said, looking at the wolf. The wolf yelped at Rarity.

“He?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, he seems to be only three months old. I wonder where his mother is.” Fluttershy wondered. The wolf flipped over onto his back and yelped at Rarity again, begging for her to come closer.

“He had a bunch of cuts and bruises, but I fixed them all up. His right foreleg is just sprained. It should be fine in a day or two.”

“You’re still happy after all that?” Rarity asked the wolf as she sat next to him. “You have some high spirits.” The wolf just stared into her eyes. She felt something. A spark almost. Rarity stared right back into its bright blue eyes. This was something beautiful, although Rarity did not know what it was. It just felt… right.

“Oh, wow. He really, really seems to like you.” Fluttershy observed.

“What did you say, dear?”

“You formed a bond with him. Wolves are fiercely loyal to their packs, and right now, you’re the only other one in his pack.”

“I formed a bond with him? I-I don’t know… I don’t think I’m the right pony to bond to. If anything, he should have bonded to you. I didn’t do anything other than carry him here.” Rarity said, looking away.

“Oh, no Rarity, you don’t understand.” Fluttershy said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. ‘You can’t break a bond like this. You’re all he’s got now. If you leave him, he won’t survive. One day, when he’s older he’ll be able to leave and start a new pack, but right now, he’s only a cub. He’s already been abandoned once. I don’t think he can handle it again.”

“Oh, alright. But what do you expect me to do?” Rarity asked. The cub was rolling around on the bed, still waiting for a cuddle.

“I’m sorry I have to be blunt here, but… I can’t take care of him for you. He’s formed a bond with you, so I can’t do much.” She sighed. “Rarity, I know you won’t want to hear this, but you’re going to have to take care of him.”

“B-but.” Rarity stuttered.

“No buts. There is no other option here. You either take care of him, or he dies.” Rarity and Fluttershy were both silent. The only sounds you could hear were the soft puffs of snow falling off the roof and hitting the window and the sound the little wolf made while he played.

“I- I don’t want him to die…”

“Then take care of him. Just until he grows up a little.” Fluttershy calmed down again.

“But I don’t know how to take care of animals as well as you. Besides, he’s a wild animal!” Rarity complained.

“It’s simple. Give him a place to sleep, a bowl of food, water and take him outside once or twice a day. You don’t even need to worry about a leash. He’ll stay by your side, no matter what.”

“Oh, fine! I’ll take care of him… on one condition. You have to help me whenever I ask.” She said.

“Deal”

Rarity moved closer to the wolf. “If you’re going to live with me, you’re going to need a name. Hmm… I think I know just the name. How does Spirit sound?” He licked Rarity’s nose, which caused her to giggle. “Well, hello there Spirit.”

“Okay, bye-bye Rarity! Good luck with Spirit! Everything you need to know about wolves is on that paper I gave you. You should be fine for a few weeks. If you need anything, just come on over, okay?”

“Okay, thanks for everything Fluttershy!” Rarity called back. Spirit was holding onto Rarity’s back as she walked away. Spirit was undoubtedly a playful little cub. As Rarity walks, he likes to nibble on her ears, which earns a scolding from Rarity. After a minute of two, he bats at Rarity’s mane with his good paw, yelping all the way.

When they finally arrived at the Carousel Boutique, Rarity realized she forgot something very important…

“...Oh no! The fashion show! I’m going to be late!” She was about to start running, but then felt Spirit bat at her mane again. “Well, I can’t take a wolf to a fashion show… I guess I can leave you at home. I won’t be gone for long… just an hour or two at most.”

She quickly opened the door and ran inside. “Bed, bed, bed… aha! I can cut a hole in a box and put some blankets in it! Perfect!” She carefully put Spirit down on her couch and ran into her work room. She emerged again with a medium sized box and a pair of scissors. She quickly cut an arched hole and stuffed some old fabric in it. “There you go baby, this is your home.”

Spirit yelped and sniffed the box. He somehow managed to learn to crawl with only three paws, and crawled inside. He yelped again, and boom.

“Asleep already?” Rarity whispered. “Must have been tired. Even better. He won’t realize I even left!”

She slowly and carefully picked up the box and moved it to the quietest corner of the house. After she placed it back down, she silently exited the building and then ran as hard as she could to the theatre.