Working Relationships

Irony

• No comment, just read, mah boi.

Applejack lugged herself over, trying not to spread her wound any farther.  The bandage was barley holding together.  Rainbow Dash tried to help, but she said she was fine.  They had to find Twilight as soon as possible, who knew what evil things they could be doing to her down in their dens.

Twilight was last in the line when something hit her like a smack in the face.

"Hey girls, where is Pinkie Pie?"

They all stopped and a silence over took them.  They didn't even bring Pinkie in their rush.

"You forgot?" Twilight asked.

"Well, darling, you must understand that we were in a rush to get to you, Pinkie wasn't their when we casted the spell, and I guess she just... missed the train, figuratively speaking," Rarity said.

"I just hope she doesn't do anything to drastic," Twilight returned and they all agreed.

The snow was piling up heavily as they searched for a cave entrance, but there was no luck after five minutes of searching.  Applejack had stopped dripping her life force from the cold, but they were all at risk of a dangerous frost bite.

"Twilight, maybe if the wolves are smart enough to talk, do you think they have been able to start a fire or something?" Dash asked.

"I don't fully know, why?"

"Well, if they have, maybe you can use a spell to sense heat, where they could have their den set up underground.  The entrance should at least have some sort of light source."

"I'll try."

Twilight sensed around the open world and to her amazement, there was a heat source only a few yards in front of them.

"Ah' don't see anythin'!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Look harder, it should be right in front of us!"

Rainbow Dash slowly hovered around, but when she stopped flapping and dripped a few feet, her impact to the ground was postponed when she fell through a sinkhole in the ground, a gust of warm air erupting from it as she fell in.

"Dash, are you okay?" Rarity yelled out.

There was a short silence, then her voice came from the hole in the ground.

"Yeah! I think I'm in the tunnel, come down!"

They all followed, Applejack last as they helped her down, but the pressure under  their heads was becoming a little more intense, now that they were maybe six feet under ground.  The tunnel was probably a complex system of dens and based on the wolves of these forests, there had to be an inner sanctum where the alpha male would be.

"The wolves must have taken Fluttershy to the sanctum, they must want something from her..." Twilight started.

"Or it could be because of Fluttershy's amazing skills with all kinds of animals," Rarity guessed.

"Either way, we need to keep going and hopefully we won't run into any problems on the way."

They started traveling deep into the lairs, quietly dodging patrols of wolves behind piles of bones, and crawling their way deeper and deeper.  The wolves were adapted to the lack of air in the tunnels, but for ponies, it was a different story.  With every step they took, it became hotter and hotter as sweat began to drip from their noses.

It was ironic how they wished that they were back up in the snow, just wishing for one gust of cool wind to take them away, but the thought of their friend kept them going.

About after an hour of lurking through mud, sweat, and bones, they stopped when Twilight started talking after an hour of hoof signals and mouthing words.

"I think we're here... You hear that?"

They all pricked up their ears and a faint chanting could be heard around the corner.

When they turned that corner, the space widened as the walls expanded for a hundred feet.  It was a dug out auditorium with hundreds of wolves chanting out some ancient language.  At the center, their was a stand made of piled up wood where too figures were, the alpha male, and a creamy yellow colored pony with light pink hair.\

Rainbow Dash stuck her head out, "They got her hostage!" she whispered to her friends in a hoarse tone.

"Wait a sec', what'r they doin'?" Applejack asked, taking a closer look.

Fluttershy, from the looks of it, was not hurt, but instead was sitting on some sort of throne.  A few wolves started trotting up and laid put a few fruits at her hooves, which she picked up in her mouth and ate.

"Are they... Pampering her?" Rarity asked.

"I think they think she is an alpha female," Twilight said.

"But I thought wolves were supposed to be smart, she clearly doesn't look like a wolf, like at all," Dash said.

"Well, maybe this pack doesn't rank by appearance, I mean, the alpha male is the largest wolf, and Fluttershy is the largest female from the looks of it," Twilight concluded, leaning in to get a better look.

Twilight leaned over a bit to much, and the ledge gave way that they were standing on, and she tumbled into the inner sanctum.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy asked as all the wolves stopped their chanting and started ferociously growling as the rest of the group came tumbling down with Twi.

They all had their flanks against the walls as a hundred wolves conversed on them, teeth showing, but Fluttershy's voice shot up.

"Stop, please.  These are my friends, you can't hurt them."

She was yelling softly at them, and they all stopped and returned to their posts.

"That was a lovely song you all sang for me, but please don't harm these four, we're very close.  Now... Say your sorry," she said, giving all of them a glancing stare.

They all said in unison 'we are sorry'.  Fluttershy was treating these vicious dogs like little foals, but she did have a way with animals.  The four of them made their way to Fluttershy and the alpha male, who was beside her.

"Fluttershy, is that a... Crown, you're wearing?  It's not the best fashion, but when you squint, it looks kind of nice," Rarity, even when surrounded by danger would be able to criticize the looks of others.

"It's been a while, girls, and yes, this is a crown," she pointed to her head, where a crown made of twigs and leaves was perched on her head, "they think I am some sort of queen of the wolves, and this is the alpha male."

He was an extremely large wolf who could easily swallow a pony in one gulp, but he didn't seem hostile at the moment.

"Fluttershy, can we all talk alone, without your friend here?" Dash said, nudging towards the alpha male.

"I suppose, Mr. Alpha, would you kindly leave us alone for a few moments?"

He growled and shifted his way down to the rest of the wolves who were conversing with each other.

Twilight leaned closer towards Fluttershy, "Fluttershy, are you crazy! We need to get out of here, now!"

"Oh Twilight, these wolves are just confused little puppies without a proper queen.  They just need some proper leadership."

"That's what the alpha male is for, we need to get to Timberwoods and call for help!  This is insane!"

"Please, Twilight, it's compassion, and anyways, I know that I can't stay here, but I don't think they will let me go."

"Why th' hay won't they?" Applejack came in.

"They are wolves, they cling to leadership, if I were to leave, they would have no proper leader, I think they are planning on turning the alpha into an omega and naming me the leader," Fluttershy explained, looking out to the sea of gray fur.

"Ah' don't think it works that way, sugar cube..."

"Neither do I, but they are so confused, it's all the alpha's fault, he's lost his touch, he's just a grumpy dog," Fluttershy pointed to him.

"So what?" Dash exclaimed.

"The other wolves said that he lost his touch when his brother didn't return from the... Daily hunt."

A shiver sent down Twilight's back as she realized what she had done to protect Fluttershy and herself as they were lost in the woods.  She disintegrated the alpha male's brother into dust while sleeping in the cave.

"Fluttershy, he doesn't know what we did to his brother back in the woods, we need to get that dust back," Twilight said, seriously.

"Well, I can't leave here, you're going to have to find it without me and bring it back, or the wolves are going to find out sooner or later," Fluttershy told, "You're also going to have to tell the alpha male that you can bring his brother back.  You can bring him back, right Twilight?"

"Disintegration was like putting him in a block of ice, his sub conscience is magically being held together, but we need a good portion of his dust particles to bring him back."

"I trust you, Twilight, if we have gotten this far on the trip, we can easily make it to Timberwoods," Fluttershy smiled.  She wasn't afraid to talk to Twilight about her feelings, but she never got the proper chance to say 'I love you' to her, she would have to wait for the right moment to do that.

Fluttershy called over the alpha male and Twilight introduced herself and the rest of the ponies.

"Now, I know that you must be grieving since your brother hasn't returned, but would you let our friend Fluttershy go if we find him?"

"You know of his location?" he asked.

"Maybe, was he with anypony?"

"He went with a group of others on a hunt many hours ago and hasn't returned.  I just don't see the point of leading when I can't lead with my best friend."

"I understand, so... Do we have a deal?" Twilight stuck her hoof out.

There was a hesitation at first, but soon the alpha succumbed to the too-good-to-be-true deal, and rose his paw and put it on top of her hoof.

They dispatched and Twilight returned to her friends.

"So, what now, sugar cube?" Applejack asked.

"Applejack, I would recommend you stay here with Fluttershy, she can tend to your wounds while Dash and Rarity go with me."

"Oh, no way 'm ah' leavin' Dash again!  Ah' got hurt out there, n' ah' ain't lettin' Dash get hurt too!"

"Don't worry, Applejack, I'll be fine, trust me.  I'm the trotting representation of Loyalty, I can take care of myself, not saying that you can't, we just got a little unlucky, that's all," Dash put a leg around Applejack, and she snuggled he head under Dash's chin.

"Y'all 'member when we slept over Rarity's?"

"Ya', like three days ago?"

"It all jus' seems like it's been months, n' how you wanted to be with me.  Ya' said ya' couldn't stand being without me, but now, it's me who can't live without you."

"Trust me, Applejack, I'm gonna' come back in a jiffy." Dash assured her and started trotting with Rarity and Twilight.

"So how are things actually going with you and AJ?" Rarity asked.

"It's a working relationship, we have to travel a long and bumpy road to find true happiness, but we'll make it," Dash returned.

End Part One