Metaphorical Future

Octavia could only stand in shock at the scene before her. She wanted to cry in joy, she wanted to jump and scream but all she could do was stand and stare. Before her, lit only be the glow of the emergency lights, lay row upon row of plants…or at least they would have been rows if the passing of time hadn’t turned it into a living jungle. They stood several meters tall, each row a different plant and each plant fully laden with fruit, vegetables and grain.

“Octavia!” cried Junebug as she looked up from the pile of food before her, “Th-This is AMAZING!”

You would be hard pressed to get more excited than Junebug in that moment. She looked as if she had just been given the most amazing gift ever…and perhaps in that moment it really was. She quickly snapped her attention back to the food in front of her, picking up an apple and devouring the whole thing within a few seconds. Octavia still found herself unable to move and quickly looked over at Bumpkin who was still stood next to her.

“What…? H-How…?” she stuttered quickly.

“Ain’t got a clue,” replied Bumpkin quickly, “Junebug found this place when we were all investigating doors, she came running to find all of us and after she did I came to get you. I still can’t really believe it myself…first thing I thought was how are all these plants still alive down here? I guess they must have been doing experiments on them or something because by all rights they should be dead.”

“This is…incredible,” murmured Octavia as she finally took a step forwards, “With all this food we could…we could feed everypony and still have more than enough spare. We…we have to find a way back to them!”

“Buck that!” retorted Bumpkin with a slight chuckle.

“We have a responsibility to them! How could you say that?!” Octavia replied in disbelief.

“We have a responsibility all right and we’ll find a way out…but not before I’ve filled myself to bursting point! Hey Junebug there better be some of those apples left or you’ll be sorry!”

As Bumpkin charged off towards the other ponies Octavia could help but smile slightly. It was true that she had a duty to those ponies she watched out for but perhaps in this case Bumpkin was right. She licked her lips and quickly trotted down towards the others who were all munching into various fruits and vegetables.

“Catch!” called Helia as she threw a corn husk at her.

Octavia caught it and sat down quickly before pulling off the husk and examining the corn cob under it. Her examination didn’t last long though and she quickly sunk her teeth into it and started eating. The cob was raw of course but right then Octavia could have imagined she was sat eating haute cuisine at one of Canterlot’s five star restaurants. For a time no sounds other than that of chomping molars filled the air as the five ponies ate and even after they had finished the air remained still.

“By Celestia…I’d forgotten what it feels like to be full…” murmured Berry before belching loudly.

The others chuckled slightly and a murmur of agreement ran between them. Octavia gave a small stretch as she lay on the ground before slowly propping herself up and looking around at her companions.

“So…did anypony find anything else?” she asked slowly.

“Not a thing,” replied Helia with a groan, “just more labs and dead ends.”

“Same,” added Bumpkin.

“I found some locker rooms with showers and stuff,” finished Berry, “None of it looked usable though.”

Octavia looked back at the lush jungle next to them and frowned to herself slightly.

“It has to be daytime outside by now but who knows what time it actually is,” she murmured to herself, “by the time we find a way out of here it could even be night again.”

“You saying we should bed down for a rest and try again later?” asked Bumpkin curiously.

“It may be the best option we have right now. Once we are all properly rested we can search again and hopefully find the exit.”

“What about heading back the way we came? It’s been some time so those timberwolves may have…”

“No I’d rather not. Even if they aren’t there they know our smell and will likely pick up our scent before we’ve gone far. I’d like to try and find another way out and avoid them entirely if possible.”

Bumpkin nodded and lay back against the ground, “Well it isn’t the comfiest place to rest but it could be worse.”

“Too right Bumpkin,” cut in Berry as she rolled over to look at her, “Although if we’re resting here you better not snore.”

The others laughed but Octavia herself instead shed a tear. She quickly wiped it away before anypony saw it; it wasn’t sadness, rather joy. To hear other ponies laughing again, it was like a gift from the heavens! It was strange though after so many years of struggle and turmoil, she had almost forgotten what it felt like to be happy. With a small sigh she stretched out for a moment and then curled up where she lay.

“We should all get some shut eye,” she said after a moment, “Junebug do you think you can take first watch? I doubt there is anything down here but I’d rather be safe not sorry.”

“Sure,” replied Junebug with a smile.

“I’ll take second watch,” added Helia, “Just wake me in a few hours.”

It was indeed several hours later that Helia found herself on watch duty. Her short sleep had been refreshing but she was eager for her time to be up so she could return to the land of dreams. She yawned widely and stretched slightly, her wings fanning out behind her instinctively. There was a short pause before she looked back at her wings and sighed.

What a fool she had been. So caught up in her own sorrow and self-pity that she hadn’t even seen what had been going on around her. She had always scorned earth ponies for having lost nothing during the Overload, always blamed them for her misfortune. And yet all along they had also been suffering in their own way.

“Now’s not the time to feel sorry for yourself Helia,” she thought to herself as she shook her head, “What I wouldn’t give to feel the wing in my feathers again though.”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As her imagination pictured her soaring effortlessly through the clouds her wings stretched wide in response. She could almost feel it, the rush of the wind, the gentle caress of the sun, the tingle of…

Her eyes shot open and she almost choked on her breath. What had just happened? She looked round at her wings but nothing looked different. Had she just imagined it? And yet it had felt so real. Looking back at her friends she tried to settle herself…

It came again. This time Helia was on her hooves in an instant, her wings spread wide and tingling with a sensation she had almost forgotten existed. Her breathing quickened as panic began to take over. What was happening to her? In an instant she rushed to Octavia’s side, nudging the earth pony awake in a rather urgent manner.

“Huh? Wha…is it my watch already?” murmured the grey pony as she stirred from her sleep.

“Miss Guardian!” urged Helia, “I’m sorry to wake you but…but…but…

Octavia could sense the panic in Helia’s voice, an emotion that washed away her own sleepiness in an instant.

“What is it Helia? Go slow.”

“I-I don’t know…I…I was just sitting here and I suddenly felt…for a moment it suddenly felt like I was flying…like I was actually flying!”

“Flying? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know! I was just imagining what it would be like to fly again and then suddenly….I…I don’t know, it just suddenly felt like I was flying! My wings felt…different…I didn’t recognise it at first but it was like I had my magic back again.”

Octavia didn’t reply, she just stared at Helia. For a moment Helia wondered if what she had said had stunned her but then Octavia began to shake slightly.

“Miss Guardian? Are you alright?” asked Helia.

“I…can feel it too…” murmured Octavia, “I…I can feel…things…like…like the ground. I can feel the rocks this place is built into…and…that plant over there…”

Now it was Helia’s turn to fall silent. For a moment they just looked at each other, both totally aghast by what was going on around them.

“What does this mean?” Helia’s voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper.

“I don’t know…” replied Octavia slowly, “But we have to find out. Wake the others…gently…”

It wasn’t long after that all five ponies were awake and standing. As each of the remaining three had woken they had felt the same thing as Helia and Octavia. A feeling so familiar to them and yet alien at the same time. Junebug had burst into tears and both Bumpkin and Berry looked completely stunned. For a while they had simply sat in shock but now all five were ready to go.

Following Octavia’s lead they made their way further into the facility. The feeling came and went as they walked, pulsing strongly and weakly as they progressed. They searched for what seemed like hours but eventually they found it…and when they did none of them could believe their eyes.

It sat in the middle of a square room, the walls covered in electronic devices of various kinds. It suspended itself above a small pedicel, gently bobbing back and forth on the spot. A pale yellow glow radiated from its shiny surface illuminating the room many times more than the emergency lighting could ever do. As they looked at it they all felt a pull as if attracted like a magnet and for a moment all of them lost all sense of time and space.

Octavia shook her head viciously, tearing her eyes away from it and quickly nudging her companions. One by one they snapped out of their trance and shook themselves. They all felt faint, as if starved of oxygen for too long and each could feel their heart racing.

“W-What is it?!” exclaimed Berry as she looked back at the object.

Octavia didn’t reply, instead she simply stared at it. The object was small, barely bigger than an apple, but its surface was jagged and cracked like a stone exposed to wind and water. It was a light yellow colour and a slight translucency allowed them to see a pulsing light at its centre.

“Some sort of crystal?” replied Bumpkin at length as she took a step to the side, slowly circling round the pedicel, “Ain’t seen nothing like it before though.”

“I remember Rarity used to use a lot of gems on her clothing back in Ponyville…but nothing like this,” added Junebug.

“So what do we do?” asked Helia, “Whatever we’re feeling is definitely coming from this thing. Is…is it really…magic?”

Nobody spoke all of them too caught up in the ‘what ifs’.

“Help me…”

They all jumped a foot backwards in shock. Each of them looked from one of them to the other in quick fashion, each trying to work out what they had just heard.

“T-Tell me you all heard that…” murmured Berry nervously.

“Y-Yeah…” replied Bumpkin as she nervously looked around the room.

“It was like it was in my head…” added Junebug.

“Keep calm everypony,” snapped Octavia as she looked around her friends, “We have no idea what is going on here, let’s just take things one step at a time.”

It was only as Octavia stopped talking that Berry gave a loud gasp and pointed. Octavia turned but it was too late for her to do anything. Helia looked like she was in a trance, the Pegasus swaying slightly on her hooves as she came to a stop right next to the crystal. Without saying a word she raised a hoof towards the crystal and touched it.

The next sequence of events happened very quickly and chaotically. As Helia touched the crystal there was a piercing pop that filled the air. The other ponies recoiled at the sound moments before Helia was flung across the room and into the opposite wall. As she landed with a crunch on the floor the crystal too wobbled in its floating. The glow it was emitting faded for a moment and in those seconds it fell from the pedicel. With a splintering crack it hit the floor and shattered.

Berry and Junebug had started to move towards Helia moments before a massive pulse of energy erupted through the room. Each of them was flung to the floor, luckily for them not as far as Helia but enough to daze them slightly. As the dust began to settle each of them began to slowly pick themselves up from the floor.

“Is…is everypony alright?” asked Octavia as she painfully dusted herself off.

“All my limbs are still here,” commented Bumpkin with a hint of sarcasm, “What the hay just happened? What just happened to Helia?”

“Helia!” cried Berry loudly as she shook the Pegasus.

Octavia and Bumpkin both looked towards them. Helia lay motionless on the ground, cuts and bruises covering her body and her front right hoof looking slightly singed. Berry looked completely frantic as she tried to rouse her friend. Bumpkin was quickly at her side and gently pulled Berry to one side as she turned her attention to Helia.

“Still breathing…still got a pulse…” commented Bumpkin as she lowered her ear to Helia’s mouth and chest, “She’s just unconscious. Berry, help me get her into a more comfortable position.”

Despite her panic Berry managed to help Bumpkin in lifting Helia away from the wall and lowering her onto the floor. Bumpkin quickly checked the Pegasus over for any other problems but she couldn’t find any.

“No serious injuries, I think she was just knocked out cold by the impact,” stated Bumpkin as Octavia walked up beside her.

“That is good news,” sighed Octavia, “But what just happened?”

“Beats me,” replied Bumpkin with a shrug.

“M-Miss Guardian!” stammered a nervous sounding Junebug from behind them, “You…you m-may want to look at th-this.”

“What is it Junebug, you sound like you’ve seen a…what in Equestria is THAT?!”

Whatever Octavia had been expecting to see certainly hadn’t been what was now before her. It was a pony, but unlike the ponies around her this one was very different. His mane and coat was as white as snow and seemed to radiate with the same kind of glow the crystal had been giving off. He lay unmoving on the ground; his body almost piled in a heap as if thrown there but Octavia was still able to notice one other feature, something that made a chill run up her spine.

“T-Tell me I’m not imagining this…” she said slowly, “…but he’s a unicorn.”

Sure enough a short horn protruded from the stallions head, almost completely obscured by the mass of unkempt hair on his head. Slowly she approached him, her gaze flicking left and right every so often, until she stood but a few feet away. He looked young, barely a stallion out of his teens. A small smile sat on his face as if he was dreaming pleasantly but otherwise he was completely still and lifeless.

She reached out towards him, her hoof hesitating for a moment as she looked back at the others, and then lightly placed her hoof against his back. Nothing happened. Octavia blinked, the earth pony expecting another sudden burst of energy or something else entirely. But there was nothing, even the unicorn before her failed to move at her touch. She sighed harshly and turned away.

“What in Equestria were you thinking?!” exclaimed Bumpkin as she leaped forwards, putting herself between Octavia and the unicorn to which she looked with incredible distrust.

“You expected me to stand and stare?” replied Octavia, “If something was going to happen I wasn’t about to let another one of you end up like poor Helia.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to go looking for trouble!”

“I’ll keep that in mind…anyhoof it looks like whomever and whatever he is he’s safe.”

Bumpkin snorted loudly in reply, the earth pony obviously not liking how lightly Octavia appeared to be taking things, “Oh we really need to get out of here.”

“Agreed,” nodded Octavia, “Junebug, take Berry with you and scout out as many of the other corridors as you can. I don’t care about anything unless it’s an exit or an imminent threat.”

“I…I would like to stay with Helia…if that’s alright,” asked Berry slowly.

Octavia sighed, “Very well, Bumpkin would you go with Junebug? I don’t want any pony alone right now.”

“So long as you promise not to do anything else rash,” replied Bumpkin.

Octavia just nodded and Bumpkin, content with the response, headed for the door. Junebug followed, casting occasional glances backwards at the white unicorn until she was out of the room. Octavia meanwhile settled herself down on the ground next to Berry and Helia. As she did the Pegasus began to stir, her eyes fluttering as small moans escaped her lips.

“Easy Helia!” cooed Berry slowly as the Pegasus slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment her vision was fuzzy and all that occupied her mind was a dull thumping pain but at length her vision began to clear and she looked up.

“W-What?” she murmured quietly, “Oooooh…my head…what?”

“Just relax,” instructed Octavia as she placed a hoof gently on her chest, “You’ve had quite a trip.”

“Trip?” came a confused response, “What do you mean?”

“Well I was hoping you could tell me, what is the last thing you remember?”

“We were just discussing that crystal rock thing…a-and then…there was that voice…” Helia stopped and looked at Octavia, “…I…I don’t know…I remember hearing it and then…I woke up here.”

Octavia nodded to herself, “It looked like you were in some sort of trance, I can’t really say for certain…but as we were all wondering where that voice came from you reached out and touched the crystal.”

“I what?” exclaimed Helia.

“Then you got flung across the room, the crystal broke and we all got flattened by this blast of energy. When we picked ourselves up…well we had a new acquaintance.”

“Acquaintance?”

Octavia motioned over her shoulder, Berry helping Helia to a sitting position so she could see. For a moment Helia just sat and stared, her face frozen in complete shock.

“Is…is that…a pony?” she asked at length.

“Not just a pony, a unicorn,” informed Octavia as she too turned to look back at the white stallion, “He seems to be alive but we can’t get a response out of him at all.”

“W-What…?”

“Trust me I wish I knew what was going on here too,” interrupted Octavia as she looked back at Helia, “Secret underground laboratories, feelings of magic, strange floating crystals, ponies going into trances and now him…this is all getting more than just a little unusual.”

Octavia exhaled harshly and slowly stood up.

“Don’t worry though. As odd as this situation is we still aren’t in any imminent danger…or at least none that I can see. Right now I’m just glad you’re awake, how are you feeling?”

“Confused,” replied Helia as she looked mournfully at Berry Punch, “I…I think I just want to go home.”

Berry drew Helia into an embrace, the two ponies going silent as they tried to console each other. Octavia just gave a small nod and turned away, she knew how Helia felt right then. Things were definitely getting out of hoof and now she had even more problems to deal with, namely their new friend. She looked back at the white unicorn with a frown. What were they going to do now? By rights she should just get everypony together and get out but at the same time she felt responsible for him now. What would happen if they left him here? Would it be safe to take him with them?

The questions in her mind were still floating back and forth by the time Bumpkin and Junebug returned. It had been some time and both ponies looked tired from their search but Octavia could see a spark of encouragement in their eyes.

“We found a way out!” said Bumpkin quickly.

Octavia’s head snapped towards them, “Where?”

“It’s a bit of a trek, must be a good half mile from here through a few collapsed corridors and such like,” replied Junebug, “It looks like that emergency shaft that we came down but it’s much bigger. There were elevators and a big open reception area.”

“Don’t tell me the elevators were actually working?” questioned Octavia.

“No such luck,” Bumpkin scoffed, “But there looked to be several stairwells too so one of those should be clear. How is everypony here anyway?”

“Better to see you two back,” replied Berry as she flashed them both a smile before looking at Octavia, “Are we going?”

“Providing Helia feels ready to walk yes,” Octavia looked at the Pegasus.

“Ready,” nodded the Pegasus firmly.

Octavia nodded to herself, “Right, Junebug, Berry, go back to the room with all the plants and grab as much as you can carry. If you can find anything that can be used as a bag, fill that and bring it along too. I’m not leaving this place without taking as much of that food with us as we possibly can. We’ll set out and meet you in this reception area.”

Junebug and Berry nodded firmly and quickly left the room, heading back along the corridors towards the plant room. Bumpkin meanwhile was helping Helia to her hooves, the farm pony looking much brighter now that an exit was in sight.

“Bumpkin!” called Octavia quickly, “There’s something I need you to do.”

“What?” replied the earth pony as she turned to look at her kin.

“You’re not going to like this…but I need you to carry him out with us.”

For a moment Bumpkin didn’t realise what Octavia was saying…him? But they were all…

“Oh no! No no no no!” replied Bumpkin as her mind twigged onto what Octavia was asking, “Are you out of your mind?! We don’t know the first thing about him nor do we know if he’s dangerous!”

“I know all that,” retorted Octavia harshly, “I’ve been sat here since you left thinking about what we should do with him. He may indeed be dangerous; Celestia knows this whole world is dangerous now! I don’t know what to make of him either but after what I’ve seen here today maybe, just maybe, he might be able to shed some light on what’s happening.”

Bumpkin was about to reply but as an angry response formed on her lips she was interrupted.

“I think she’s right,” cut in Helia.

“What?! Are you serious?!” replied Bumpkin as she looked back at the Pegasus.

“I know how you feel Bumpkin, this is all just too strange to comprehend. I never imagined we’d find anything like this when we set out…but we have. And isn’t it a Guardian’s duty to protect everypony?”

She looked at Octavia, the grey mare giving her a firm nod in response. Bumpkin sighed and shook her head.

“Alright, alright,” she said slowly, “I guess you both have a point. I just…”

“It’s alright Bumpkin,” cut in Octavia, “I know you’re just looking out for us all, me especially. But if this pony can tell us anything it has to be worth the risk right? Even if he can’t I couldn’t call myself a Guardian if I left him behind?”

“Alright, you win, I’ll carry him,” replied Bumpkin.

“Good, now let’s get a move on, I don’t want to be down here any longer than is necessary.”

With that the ponies sprang into action. Octavia and Helia made for the door and Bumpkin, hesitantly, hoisted the stallion onto her back. He felt warm but at the same time completely lifeless. She shivered slightly but otherwise set her eyes forwards and followed her companions. She soon took the lead though, guiding them through various corridors and over rubble where their path otherwise seemed blocked. As they approached their destination they could begin to hear voices, Junebug and Berry Punch seemingly having already arrived. As they too clambered their way into the same room Octavia paused for a moment to survey her surroundings.

The area did indeed look like some sort of foyer. A long desk occupied one wall that was covered in decaying paper and moss. Chairs lay scattered about as if flung there in a violent rush. Corridors led off in all directions and Octavia once again found herself wondering just how big the underground facility was. Her attention though was quickly drawn to the far side of the room where several rusty looking elevators stood. There was no sign of life in any of them though.

She turned her attention to the ponies before her, Junebug and Berry. On their backs sat a pair of food bundles. They had wrapped each bundle in leaves and secured it to their backs with plant stems it seemed; very ingenious.

“Junebug, Berry, glad to see you made it,” she called as she made her way towards them.

“Barely!” sighed Berry Punch, “These bundles are surprisingly heavy. Think I’m going to sleep for a week when we get back.”

“We got as much as we could,” informed Junebug as she gave the bundle on her back a small shake, “It was hard work getting it here but I wasn’t going to leave any of this behind if I could help it.”

“Good, the more we have the more mouths we will be able to feed, Celestia knows we need it right…”

“Sweet Luna!” exclaimed Berry as she took a few steps backwards, “You brought him with you?!”

“Yes we did,” replied Helia before Octavia could speak, “We might not know everything about him or this place but we can’t leave any pony behind.”

Octavia smiled slightly as a rather surprised Berry Punch tried to formulate a response.

“You’re beginning to sound more like a Guardian than I do. Anyway let’s get moving, Bumpkin lead the way,” chuckled Octavia as she turned towards the elevators.

Behind her Helia couldn’t help but blush. Soon enough the group were climbing the stairs that spiralled up beside the elevator shafts. They were a lot more solid than the set of stairs they had descended previously, these ones being made of concrete with proper supports. Each of them could have sworn that it took days to reach the top but in reality it was only a little over thirty minutes; the endless coil of steps having a very hypnotic effect on them all. As they reached the top they could feel the temperature beginning to fall and the howl of the wind began to fill their ears.

“Wonder where this will lead out,” commented Berry Punch.

“Hopefully somewhere we can get our bearings,” replied Octavia, “We must have walked miles down there so your guess is as good as mine for where we really are. I just hope we don’t come up anywhere near Las Pegasus, the last thing I want to deal with right now is an angry dragon!”

Berry shivered at the thought, she too didn’t like that particular scenario.

As they rounded a corner in the stairs they found their progress blocked by a pile of rocks. Wind whistled through them and many of the rocks were damp with melted snow; the way out had to be just beyond it. Helia, being the only one not carrying something or badly injured, stepped forwards and began to knock the rocks aside. Thankfully for her the rocks didn’t seem to be propped up by much and a few hard shoves was all that was needed to send them tumbling down and out of the way. As they fell the wind quickly filled the gap, each pony turning away from its bitter chill for a moment before slowly proceeding out of the stairwell.

What they found outside caught them all by surprise. Carved into the side of a mountain was a large open balcony. The remains of various entrances and lift shafts dominated the inside edge whilst the outer edge looked out over the west ocean. The floor may have once been pristine white marble but was now cracked and broken, intermixed with dead trees and plant life that had tried to make the balcony their home.

“Woah…” murmured Bumpkin as she looked out at the view.

“Woah indeed,” added Helia, “This balcony looks like the main landing area in Cloudsdale.”

“Pegasus architecture for sure,” added Junebug, “So where now?”

“We’ll have to find a way down, come on,” replied Octavia quickly.

Their search didn’t take long; indeed there wasn’t much ground to search in the first place. To one side of the balcony was a path cut into the rock face. At some point it may have been a passable highway but after many years of neglect and weather beatings it had been reduced to little more than a thin sliver. None of them were eager to test their luck but a further search turned up no other way down from the balcony so they had little choice.

The trip was slow and steady, Octavia leading and testing each hoof step carefully before she put her weight on it. A few times a piece of the path would crumble and roll off down the mountainside, each of the ponies going tense every single time it occurred. Despite the precarious nature of the path though they were slowly approaching the base of the mountain and Octavia could see not only the bottom but a major landmark as well. In the distance, a little way up the coastline was the remains of buildings. Some tall towers still stood in defiance to the weather but other had crumbled and fallen.

“You see what I see Bumpkin?” asked Octavia.

“You mean the remains of Las Pegasus? Yeah I see them! Hope we don’t have to go too close to them but at least we know roughly where we are now right?” replied the earth pony.

“Yes, once we reach the bottom we can rest a while and work out where we are going next.”

It didn’t take them much longer to reach the bottom of the path and soon they were all standing on solid ground. Behind them the mountain loomed up into the sky and all around them the remains of a large pine forest stunted their vision. For a moment all the ponies allowed themselves a moment of peace. A little food was unloaded from the bale on Junebug’s back and together they ate in relative silence.

Eventually though Octavia felt the need to move on again. Gathering all of them together they drew a map in the snow marking down what they knew about their surroundings. East was the direction they needed to go but for the moment more exact directions eluded them, they would just have to keep a lookout for landmarks. And so the party set off once again, making their way east through the pine woods. Octavia hoped their journey would be uneventful and short; fate, however, seemed to have other plans for them.

At length Octavia stopped still, her vision looking ahead at one of the trees. It was a sturdy pine tree, or rather what was left of one. Its bark had been shredded beyond recognition and deep grooves had been carved into the inner wood. Fresh snow had been falling but the imprint of rough paw prints could still be seen in the old snow beneath. Octavia felt a shudder run up her spine.

“Timberwolves…” she murmured quietly.

Her companions remained silent as she slowly approached the tree to examine it closer.

“These markings can’t be any older than a day,” she said as she turned and sniffed at the air.

She couldn’t smell anything but that wasn’t a reassurance, if they were upwind of them the wolves would likely have already smelt them.

“We have to get away from this area,” she hissed quietly as she examined the tracks.

They appeared to be heading away to the south but the fresh snow made it difficult to be completely sure. Looking back at her companions she motioned forwards and took off at a gently gallop. She let out a small groan of discomfort as she did; the wounds on her stomach still fresh enough to cause discomfort.

“You sure its timberwolves?” asked Berry as she drew level with her.

“Absolutely, nothing else I know of except maybe a dragon that could leave a mark like that…and I don’t think dragons mark their territory with scratch marks,” replied Octavia as she steered them away to the north hoping she was going in the right direction.

“We have no luck it would seem,” scoffed Bumpkin quietly.

“Everyone, mouth’s closed, eyes open!” instructed Octavia, the entire group falling silent and setting their eyes forwards.

The gentle gallop continued but it was clear that the exertion was already showing. Whether it was injury or heavy load didn’t seem to matter as all of them began to flag in their speed. Octavia was the first to slow but Bumpkin and Berry were quick to follow. Helia looked the most refreshed of them all but her earlier trip across the room had left her with a headache that pounded in her ears with every step she made.

“Not much further! Not much further! If they could get a few miles from the ripped tree they would likely be out of the hunting area!”

Octavia knew that timberwolves didn’t stray far from their home; they hunted as a pack but they always had a den to go back to. She had evaded packs of them on a few occasions by being able to skirt the edge of their territory but this time they just had to hope they were running in the right direction. If the wolves picked up their scent they would undoubtedly follow them and they would be a lot quicker than they were right now.

Just then it hit her; the smell! Like decaying wood and boiling brambles it struck her nose like a freight train and her blood chilled at the realisation. She looked both ways as she ran but nothing came into vision, were they behind them? Turning sharply to the right she hoped to get a look behind her but found something much worse.

A snarling maw of wooden teeth bore down on her like a bat out of the night. She barely had time to flatten herself to the ground as the timberwolf skimmed over the top of her. Scrambling to her feet she took only a moment to look at her attacker before she took off again at a run once more. Her companions followed but each was now looking around them in fear.

How had the wolves been able to get so close to them without her knowing? Had she missed something? Had they been tracking them all along but had been waiting for them to tire? Was it just a lone straggler? It didn’t matter! They had been detected and all they could do was run. Even so she had to do something, try to slow them down.

“All of you keep running! I’m going to try and slow it down,” she said quickly, “Whatever happens keep running and don’t look back.”

The others seemed content to simply nod as they continued to run. Octavia meanwhile pulled slightly to the side of the group, looking frantically for anything she could use as a makeshift weapon. She spotted it quickly, a tree that had partly fallen over and had a long branch sticking out at a low level. Jumping over it she gave the trunk a firm kick with her rear hooves causing the branch to swing round into the path of the pursuing wolf.

It wasn’t the most effective attempt. The branch did indeed catch one of the wolf’s limbs but it was going fast enough to shatter the branch to pieces as it passed by. There was a stumble but nothing more; Octavia cursed her luck. She had to find something more robust to try and slow it down.

As they rounded a rocky outcrop though it appeared that luck was very much not on their side. Two timberwolves stood before them, both seemingly waiting for them. There was little time to stop or even to dodge as one of them leaped at them with a powerful swipe. Luckily for them all the blow missed them directly but it did strike a nearby rock, shattering it to pieces in the process. The fragments flew off in all directions, some striking the ponies directly and others tangling their limbs causing them to crash to the ground with a splat that only wet snow can make.

Octavia moaned as she slowly raised her head. She hugged one of her front hooves to her chest and glanced around quickly. Her friends lay scattered all over, the various loads they were carrying also littering the area. A little way off Helia was raising her head, a brief look of hope crossing her face before it fell like a stone in a pond. Fear gripped her, colour draining from her face as her vision locked onto something behind Octavia.

The grey mare didn’t need to look around to know what it was, she could feel the timberwolf’s presence behind her and she could smell its breath. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop it; she just didn’t have the time.

“I’m sorry…” she mouthed quietly before it happened.

The blow was like being hit by a train and sent her mind spinning just as her body spun through the air. As she struck a large rock there was a sickening crack and a shrill scream split the air like a knife. Helia found herself unable to do anything but watch; her body frozen and her mind desperately trying to accept what she had just seen. This was it, this was the end, she was going to die and nopony would find what remained of her body. Sadness washed over her, regret that in that moment she was powerless to do anything. She hated how she always ended up feeling this way ever since…

“I wish I could fly…” she thought to herself as tears began to flow down her face.

In that moment though something happened. Something that none of them could have predicted or even considered possible. In the snow a short distance away the white unicorn that had been thrown from Bumpkin’s back began to glow. In a flash a bright pulse of magical energy erupted through the barren trees. The two timberwolves were flung away from the ponies, both landing in a heap a short distance away, and quickly began to bark and growl at the unexpected interruption.

Helia suddenly felt a well of strength flare up inside her; a warmth that filled every inch of her being and calmed her mind. She knew what she had to do and slowly she pulled herself to her hooves. She could do it…she could do anything! She snorted loudly, setting her sights on the two timberwolves and spread her wings. Another burst of energy erupted through the forest, this time from Helia. As her wings unfurled they flared wide and long, trailing ribbons of energy and colour flowing over them and off into the snow behind her. She coiled her back legs and sprung forwards.

The sonic rainboom was near instant as Helia’s speed went from nothing to eye watering in a mere second. Neither of the two timberwolves stood a chance against her as she crashed into them one after the other sending splintered fragments of them in all directions. To Helia though nothing was out of her control as she pulled up, soaring high into the sky before arching back and heading for the forest floor once again.

The third timberwolf caught her eye and she went straight for it. At the last moment she swung her rear hooves round and kicked out delivering a spine shattering blow to the unfortunate timberwolf. To her left a series of whimpers sounded as two more timberwolves turned tail and began to flee. Helia, however, didn’t appear to be in forgiving mood though. She didn’t even bother to avoid the trees as she flew, the old wood shattering as she flew straight through it. It took less than the blink of an eye to reach her target and when she did she didn’t hold back.

As she reached them she spun round, a sharp uppercut liberated one of the wolves head from the rest of its body. As its body fell to the ground Helia grabbed hold of the rest of the wolf’s body. With a building scream she lifted the body from the ground, swung it round her head and then released. The other timberwolf took the full brunt of the impact as both of them shattered into pieces.

She looked around once more. Another few wolves could be seen fleeing into the trees but it seemed that Helia’s rage had reached a boiling point. Instead her mind switched to another matter, Octavia. Turning quickly she sped back to the others to find Junebug and Berry crouched over Octavia. Bumpkin lay nearby, her front leg seemingly broken. As she touched down they all turned to look at her but Helia had no time for questions, instead she brushed her companions aside and knelt down next to Octavia. The earth pony lay in a heap on the ground, the white snow around her slowly turning red as blood oozed from various new lacerations.

“Octavia! Octavia! Don’t die on me now!” she cried frantically as she looked back and forth over the earth pony.

Octavia gave a small groan and her eyes fluttered slightly, opening just enough so she could see the pony above her.

“A-Are…you…an angel?” she asked quietly her vision filled with the wafting flow of energy coming from Helia’s wings.

“N-No! It’s me! Helia!”

“Heeee…lia? I’m…so-sorry I couldn’t…”

Octavia stopped mid-sentence and coughed. A few specks of blood appeared on her lips and for a moment she closed her eyes and took a few laboured breaths.

“Am…am I going to die?” she asked quietly half expecting to be greeted by a solemn silence.

“No!” replied Helia firmly, her eyes filled with a steely determination, “We’re all going to be alright…all of us!”

As if spurred on by her words the magical energy wafting around the Pegasus began to drift off in different directions around her. Thin tendrils of rainbow colour snaked its way towards each of her companions and gently swam around then like a warm breeze.

“We’re all going to…be…alright…”

With a thud Helia collapsed into the snow beside Octavia, Junebug and Berry looking shocked but finding it impossible to move. Both of them could feel the energy washing over them and both could feel a gentle comfort like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Their aches and pains seemed to fade to nothing, cuts and bruises healed before their eyes and a moment later they too collapsed to the ground. Unlike Helia though they both kept their consciousness and slowly began to look around them.

“What in the name of Celestia was all that?!” exclaimed Berry as she slowly pulled herself to her hooves.

Junebug didn’t respond, instead she was staring at Helia and Octavia with wide eyes.

“June?” asked Berry as she looked at her curiously.

“Berry…look at them! They…they have their…”

Berry looked and soon joined Junebug in her staring. Both Octavia and Helia lay quietly in the snow, the gently rise and fall of their bodies the only sign that they were both still alive. This isn’t what they were staring at though. On Octavia’s flank was a purple treble clef and on Helia’s a sunflower…cutie marks.