The Fabled Tracks of Destiny
The lonely trail of train tracks sat before the silver wolf amidst the mild winds and slight snowfall. She nursed the cut on her left foreleg gingerly, which had been caused by a frightened pony, just like the other few injuries she recently received. The last train to she-didn't-know-where of the season, and she'd missed it. Again. Before she knew what she was doing, she found herself sprinting down the long stretch of track. I won't let fear hold me back this time. I need to know what's out there! The ponies of the crystal empire nearby wouldn't dream of welcoming her in; she'd found that out the hard way. But she couldn't live with the isolation anymore, so wherever these tracks led was her only hope left. There had to be at least one pony out there who would listen to her... right?
The tracks kept going, but the silver wolf was losing energy. Scratch that— she was spent. She could feel tears dampening her fur as they slipped down her cheeks. She whined as she barely found the strength to hop onto the nearby train platform to curl up and fall asleep. She was too tired to think about the chaos that would inevitably ensue the moment somepony saw her lying there in the morning.
"Princess Twilight! Princess Twilight!!" Violent pounds of the front door echoed throughout the Golden Oaks Library, awakening the lavender alicorn rudely.
"What's with all the racket?" Twilight moaned groggily as she made her way downstairs. When she opened the door, she was surprised to find a crowd of frenzied ponies waiting for her outside.
"Princess Twilight, there's a wolf at the train station!"
Twilight's eyes widened. A wolf? They'd never been sighted in Ponyville before, but she had no time to think about that now. This threat required immediate action. She teleported past the crowd of ponies, galloping to the station. "I'll handle this, everypony!" Twilight called behind her as she pressed on.
"Aww, how cute! It's sleeping!"
"Pinkie Pie?! What're you doing here?!" Twilight asked, shocked.
Pinkie Pie answered in her typical fast-talking, huge-explanation voice. "I came to see the woof, silly! Everypony was screaming 'Woof! Woof! Woof!' so I thought it was Bark Like a Dog Day, but then I remembered that holiday was cancelled generations ago, so I asked somepony why everypony was screaming 'Woof!' and they said it was because there is one at the train station, and I got confused for a second because I didn't know what a 'woof' was, but then it hit me: Duh! Dogs say woof all the time! They must mean a dog is there. And they were right! An adorable, sleeping dog, right here! Why are you here, Twilight? Did you hear about the woof too?"
"Pinkie Pie, that's a wolf!" Twilight exclaimed.
"I know! I just told you that, silly! Isn't she just the cutest thing, napping away, all furry and adorable?"
Twilight face-hoofed.
The silver creature stirred, moaning softly.
"Look! It's waking up!" Pinkie Pie announced excitedly, bouncing up and down.
Twilight assumed a fighting stance, horn glowing and at the ready.
The wolf's eyes fluttered open, and the instant she saw ponies, she scrambled to her paws and started to back away, whimpering.
"Shh. There, there. It's okay. We won't hurt you."
Twilight and Pinkie turned their heads to see Fluttershy entering the scene.
"Fluttershy? How did you--?"
"Oh, I came as soon as I heard. There's no need to panic." She continued to step softly toward the wolf, who was looking at her with astonished bewilderment.
"Do you have a name, Mr. Wolf?" Fluttershy asked, smiling, stopping inches away from the canine.
The wolf frowned. "I'm a girl," she corrected indignantly, lifting her head and chest proudly. "My name is Sharlina."
"O-oh dear, I'm terribly sorry. You're the first wolf I've ever seen, and--"
"You can speak our language?" Twilight asked, eyes wide.
"Yes," the wolf responded. "...not that it does me any good."
"Yay!" Pinkie Pie bounced up and down. "The woof speaks Equestrian! You should teach Winona. She's a woof just like you, and--"
The wolf's eyes widened. "Another wolf? Here? Th-that's not possible..."
"Forgive my friend," Twilight stepped in. "She's a bit confused. There's a dog on the far side of Ponyville living at Sweet Apple Acres, but you're the first wolf we've ever encountered. Where did you come from?"
"Oh." Sharlina breathed a sigh of relief. "Me?" The wolf's teeth caught on her lip. She found herself not wanting to say anything about her past home.
"It's okay." Fluttershy came around to the wolf's side, gently draping her wing over the wolf. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."
Sharlina spoke in a soft voice of wonder, just above a whisper. "You're the first ponies I've met who haven't screamed in horror at my appearance..."
"That's silly! Why would anypony do that?" chimed Pinkie Pie, "You're the most adorable woof I've ever seen!"
"...Is she always like this?" The wolf whispered to Fluttershy, who gave a small smile and a nod in response.
"You're not here to hurt anypony?" Twilight's voice. She knew it seemed insulting to ask, given the wolf's apparent nature, but it was a clarification question. For safety.
"No." The silver wolf shook her head. "I just came to get away from my past. I followed these tracks all the way from the Crystal Empire."
"Goodness!" Fluttershy cried. "That's a long way from here. Are you okay?"
Sharlina paused, waving each of her paws one at a time, then wagging her tail to make sure everything still worked. "I'm fine, just exhausted. I was up way late last night..."
"You're quite the deep sleeper," Twilight remarked. "The whole town was in hysteria!"
Sharlina looked guilty. "Did I cause that?"
"N-no, that's not— Well, yes, but—" Twilight's words were cut short with a sorrowful sigh from the wolf.
"It's okay. I don't belong anywhere. I'll just go..." Maybe farther down the tracks...?
Sharlina turned to leave, and Fluttershy called out, "Wait! Please don't go."
"Are you sure you want a beast like me around?" the wolf asked forlornly, staring at the ground.
A moment of silence.
"You're no beast," Fluttershy declared firmly. "You seem like a lovely wolf, and nice creatures are always welcome in Ponyville."
Sharlina turned her head to face Fluttershy. "Do you mean that?"
"I do."
"Well, if you insist..."
"Yay!" Pinkie cheered. "The woof is staying!"
Sharlina couldn't help but giggle a bit at the pink pony's reaction. Her laughter was rather infectious, she had to admit.
"You could stay with me at my cottage," Fluttershy spoke up, "but with all the other animals, it's probably not the best idea..."
"She could stay with me," Twilight offered. "It would be a wonderful research opportunity."
Sharlina's tail wagged. "Really? Yay! Thank you so much!" She lunged forward, embracing Twilight in a tight hug.
"You live in a tree?" The wolf asked, intrigued.
"Yup!" Twilight pulled open the door with her magic. "Feel free to make yourself at home. I'm off to get more quills and parchment. I'll be back soon!"
"Okay, Twilight." Sharlina smiled as the alicorn left. Spying a staircase, she wandered up it curiously.
Nightlight spoke. "Twilight, do you have a moment? I— AAAAAHHH!!!" Nightlight screamed as he caught sight of the wolf in the room.
Sharlina's eyes widened. Nightlight was a unique sight to her; she could've sworn by his voice that he was male, and yet... he was so pretty. "I've never seen a pony like you before..." Her voice flowed like the wind, gentle and breathy.
Nightlight shook, afraid of the new arrival. "Y-you can talk?" he managed to speak.
"Yes..." Sharlina approached Nightlight carefully, stopping mere inches away from the royal-blue-furred pony. She placed a paw gently at his side. "It's okay, I won't hurt you." Sharlina's bright green eyes searched Nightlight's with thoughtful exploration. Nearly the same hue as mine...
"Wh-where's Twilight?" Having the wolf's claws on his fur put him on edge, so Nightlight shook the wolf's paw off him.
Mischief glowed in Sharlina's eyes. "I... ate her!!" she exclaimed, then laughed maniacally.
"Wh-what? How could you?! Twilight was the best pony I ever—!"
Sharlina's laughter became friendly. "You ponies are so gullible!" She snickered. "I-I can't believe...! You actually thought...!" she managed to speak through stifled giggles. Though she was laughing, she was slightly hurt by the fact that the pony had actually believed her.
"So Twilight's safe?" asked Nightlight worriedly.
"As a cub in the womb!" Sharlina smiled brightly.
Nightlight tilted his head. Such an odd phrase... "So... why are you here?"
"Twilight said I could stay here. I didn't know there was another pony here, too."
"Oh." Nightlight stared at the floor, silence dulling the conversation.
Just then, Sharlina's stomach growled violently, and she smiled sheepishly. "Heh, sorry. I haven't had anything to eat for a couple days. Do you have any food around here?"
Don't eat me! Nightlight silently prayed, but to his relief, the wolf was looking around instead of at him.
"W-we have some apples in the kitchen..."
"Apples?" Sharlina tilted her head. "What are those?"
"They're a type of fruit."
"Ooh, like berries? I love berries!" At this point, Sharlina was smiling broadly and wagging her tail rapidly.
"Um, no... Here, just try one. You might like it." He used his magic to levitate an apple in front of the wolf, who eyed it like a curious cat. She's kinda cute. Nightlight thought, allowing himself to smile.
Sharlina sank her teeth into the red, roundish fruit, and when she did, her green eyes lit up. "Mmm! Yum! Best thing I've ever tasted!" She tore the apple apart within seconds, savoring its juicy taste.
Nightlight desperately hoped he'd never have to suffer the same fate as that poor apple had. The wolf had mercilessly devoured the entire thing, including the core. He shivered a bit, his instincts telling him to escape while he still could.
"Hey, pony boy. You okay?" The wolf's paw was on the blue unicorn again, her eyes full of concern.
"I-I'm fine..."
Sharlina saw right through his ruse. "No you're not! You're shivering, and..." The wolf trailed off. "...You're afraid of me... aren't you?" It wasn't a question. It was said with the soft voice of someone solving a problem with an answer they knew to be true.
Nightlight nodded meekly in response.
"Oh..." Just like the ponies back at the Crystal Empire; she was always greeted with fear, never trust. As each terrible memory replayed itself through her mind, tears welled up in her eyes, and before she knew it, her face was buried in her forelegs, and she was crying.
"Sh-Sharlina?" Nightlight spoke her name tenderly, almost as if he was afraid to say it. "Please, don't cry."
Sharlina glanced up, and pulled Nightlight close. She spoke softly. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to make friends when you're a wolf?" she asked, tears gleaming in her eyes and slipping down her furry cheeks.
Nightlight shook his head in response, not sure what to say. He dropped down to the floor to meet Sharlina's eyes.
"I'll be your friend," he found himself speak.
"Y-you will?" Sharlina wiped away her tears. "Thank you..." She nuzzled Nightlight's face, smiling. Nightlight blushed. The wolf's fur was warm...
Sharlina licked Nightlight affectionately, causing Nightlight to laugh. He has such a cute laugh.
"You two seem to be getting along well."
Sharlina blushed, turning to face Twilight, who'd just arrived back home. "I-I hope you don't mind..."
Twilight chortled softly. "I don't. I think it's cute," she confessed, causing Sharlina's blush to deepen. Twilight took down notes on her newly-purchased parchment. Wolf is docile and affectionate.
"Is Sharlina really staying here?" Nightlight asked excitedly. It warmed Sharlina's heart that this pony had taken such a liking to her already.
"She is." Twilight smiled, happy to see that her number one assistant was overjoyed about the situation.
"Yay!" Nightlight hugged Sharlina, who embraced him with open arms, nuzzling him affectionately. So warm... He sighed, content.
"Well..." Twilight's voice became uncertain. "that is, if Princess Celestia approves. I need to notify her straightaway about all this."
Sharlina stiffened. "Princess Celestia?" Her voice was deep, cold.
Twilight backed away a bit. "Um, yes? I-is that a problem?" The question was asked in a worried tone, not a provoking one.
Sharlina looked at the ground. "Yes," she curtly replied before carrying on. "This 'princess' of yours drove my people to exile! They starved, froze, and..." Sharlina sighed. "Frankly, the events that took place are unspeakable."
"What?" Twilight was dumbfounded. "Why would the princess do that? There must be a reasonable explanation..."
"The only thing I think reasonable is that the pony princess deserves every ounce of my hatred 'til the day I execute her."
"You can't execute princess Celestia!" Twilight was panicked by this point. "Look, if you want to stay here, you have to promise me you won't harm the princess. We can work this out peacefully."
"If that wretch is in the conversation, I don't believe we can," Sharlina replied coldly. She made her way to the door, her fur bristled and ears alert. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back by nightfall."
"Oh, no you don't!" Twilight held her tail back with her magic.
"Ouch!!" Sharlina rubbed her tail with her paws gently, glowering at Twilight.
"How do I know you're not out to hurt the princess?"
The wolf sighed, seeing her point. "In that case, do you have any books I could read?"
"You can read?" Twilight tilted her head. This fact had caught her by surprise, making her temporarily forget her anger.
"Yes. My people prided literacy above nearly all else."
Nightlight trotted up to Sharlina, apprehensive, wondering if it was safe to approach her at the moment. "Hey, um... Whatcha readin'?"
Sharlina shrugged. "A fantasy novel. It's actually quite interesting." Even if the characters are despicable pony-spawn.
Nightlight smiled. "I like to read fantasy too. In fact, I do write some myself sometimes..."
That caught Sharlina's attention. The wolves she remembered growing up with never approved of fantasy. It was nice to have someone around who was on the same page as her. She turned to face him. "You write stories?" She smiled. "You'll have to show me sometime."
"I-I don't know... I mean, I haven't even shown Twilight before... Which reminds me: you'd better be careful. Twilight's considering kicking you out."
Sharlina sighed. "That figures..."
"Can you promise not to hurt the princess? At least for the time being? I don't want you to leave." Nightlight looked at the wolf with large, puppy-dog eyes.
"I... suppose so..." Sharlina reluctantly agreed, ruffling the pony's hair and smiling a little. "I shall give this diplomacy thing a try, but if it doesn't work, there are no guarantees I will hold myself back."
"That's okay. That's all we needed to hear." Nightlight smiled.
Sharlina smiled back. "I like you." She nuzzled his cheek, causing Nightlight to blush.
"Okay!" Twilight announced. "The letter has been sent, and the princess seeks audience with us tomorrow morning. I trust you'll be attending, Sharlina." Twilight's eyes narrowed. She had grown wary of this wolf.
"Of course," Sharlina replied, forcing herself to be polite so as to keep from being kicked out.
"Twilight, Sharlina has agreed to our terms. She... um, she will be staying then, yes?"
Twilight's gaze did not lighten or move from the silver wolf. "For now. Though if the princess approves, we'll be sending her off to Fluttershy's cottage instead."
Nightlight's gaze fell. "But, Twilight—"
"I don't want to hear it. Now, I'm going to be upstairs studying until bed. You can fetch dinner for yourselves." And with that, Twilight trotted quietly up the stairs, slamming the door to her bedroom.
Sharlina wagged her tail when Twilight was gone. "Can you show me your stories now?" she asked, her eyes bright.
Nightlight grinned. "Maybe a little..."
"Aww, I didn't know you were a hopeless romantic!" Sharlina said adoringly.
Nightlight blushed. "Yeah, well..."
And so the two fawned over Nightlight's notebook until they became too tired to read any longer. Then they fell asleep, side-by-side, each unconsciously cuddling the other.
