Whispering Thunder (In dedication to a good friend)by ThunderwolfChaptersChapter 1- Lone WolfChapter 2- DownfallChapter 3- "Friends"Chapter 4- RunawayChapter 1- Lone WolfThe sun hang directly above the Equestrian land, feeding a life nourishing warmth its plants, animals, and its ponies. A small group of ponies were playing buck ball in the Emerald Forest just a short distance from the small, peaceful village named Et Tuta Latet, which means hidden or protected because its located in the surrounding protection of the highlands' rocky mountains, along with the small saturated emerald green forest filled with berries, fruits, and other various herbs and natural foods that supply the peaceful farmers of the village. Thunderwolf was inspecting a patch of moss that grew on an old rotting log with a book on plant research. He felt a slight tap on his flank and he turned to see that the ball the other fillies were playing with had found its way to him. Thunderwolf smiled and rolled the ball closer to the group in their view and spoke with a hint of excitement "Hey, can I play?" The fillies made a weird face and looked at each other's. "Buck ball is a pony game, which means its only for ponies, not nasty wolves or bats" the oldest filly said in a sassy tone. The words pierced Thunderwolf's heart because he knew he wasn't a normal pony. His mother was a normal pegasus, but his dad was a bat pony... and doctors didn't know where the wolf trait Thunderwolf possessed originated from. "I thought this game could be played with anypony who's a friend and have a good time" Thunderwolf said. Thunderwolf rolled the ball to the fillies, but they just backed up. "I don't know what you think your doing, but we're not your friends" oldest filly said, "You're an abnormal freak, and you'll never have friends" She turned and started walking and the rest followed leaving behind the ball. Thunderwolf sat with his head hung low and tears flowing down his face into the forest ground. He kept silent, but his stance was yelling for comfort that would be given by no pony he knew, other than his parents who were at home. Thunderwolf lowered to the ground and covered his face with his hooves and imagined himself being hugged by all of the friends he didn't have. He was interrupted by a small squeak. He opened his eyes and looked up, but then he looked back down. It was a squirrel who was offering its acorns as an attempt to lighten Thunderwolf's mood. Thunderwolf smiled and pet the squirrel, the nugged the acorns back to it. "At least I have you, and the rest of the nice creatures in this forest" Thunderwolf said with a sniffle. He stood back up and grabbed his book in his mouth and started to walk down the path as he waved goodbye to his squirrel friend. Thunderwolf arrived at his house in Et Tuta Latet by dusk. "Welcome home" a mare pegasus said, who's mane was a light yellow and had a light grey coat and a cutie mark resembling a double helix ladder for that her talent was science. "Thank you mom" Thunderwolf put his book down and closed the door and picked his book back up. "Did you have fun?" Thunderwolf's mom said, but Thunderwolf just nodded and continued upstairs into his room. She heard a knock on the door and opened it and it was Thunderwolf's father. He was a dark grey bat pony with a darker grey mane. He had midnight blue eye glasses that went well with his emerald green eyes; the same color as Thunderwolf's. "Welcome home Midnight Storm" Thunderwolf's mother said, giving him a kiss on the nose. "Thank you Topaz" Midnight said with a smile. "Where's Thunderwolf? I have a gift for him" Topaz pointed to the stairs and Midnight already knew, Thunderwolf was down again, and most likely because of his lack of friends. Midnight knocked on Thunderwolf's bedroom door and there was no answer. "Thunderwolf? May I come in?" Midnight asked, but again, the there was no answer. Midnight looked down, then back up. He knew the door was unlocked, but he respected Thunderwolf's privacy and won't enter unless permitted. "Thunderwolf, I have a present for you. Its from Manehatten" Midnight said knocking on the door again. There was a moment of silence, but then the door opened and stood Thunderwolf with watered eyes. Midnight walked in and hugged Thunderwolf and said, "Its ok, what I have might cheer you up" Thunderwolf smiled a little, and dried his face and sat awaiting his present. Midnight pulled out a golden object. The golden object had five gems surrounding a slightly larger purple gem in the middle. The middle gem was a purple six pointed star. The gems were shaped oddly. One was dark purple and shaped like a diamond, another was pink and shaped like a butterfly, another was blue and shaped like a balloon, another was red and shaped like a thunderbolt, and the last one was orange and shaped like an apple. "These are the elements of harmony" Midnight explained, "The gems used to be regular relics, but when six friends united, they used the elements of harmony to fix disharmony, and spread the power of friendship" The word "friendship" was all Thunderwolf needed to be hooked. He smiled and took the object on his nightstand and lied down into his bed. Midnight chuckled and smiled, then he flipped the light switch as he walked out the door, closing the door behind him, just before he said goodnight. Thunderwolf closed his eyes smiling, because he wanted to do research on the object his father gave him. Midnight always brought home strange books, photos, relics, and replicated objects for Thunderwolf to research in the library. They practiced this method for the reason he was always picked on at school, so he's educated from them. Though it's not a legitimate alternative, he's still a higher intelligence level then other fillies, and even full grown ponies too. Chapter 2- DownfallThunderwolf woke up early with a smile on his face because he wanted to start research on his dads gift right away. He grabbed it and trotted down the stairs into the kitchen and sat at the table before Topaz even realized he woke up already. "Well you're up bright and early" Topaz said with a chuckle. Thunderwolf smiled, "Yes, it's because daddy got me another present" Thunderwolf said pushing the object in the middle of the table. Topaz was in the kitchen, she glanced back and smiled, "What is it?" "I have no idea, but I'ma find out all about it at the library" Thunderwolf said, keeping himself in check, saddened a little because he thought he was weird that when he got excited, his tail wags like a dog, and he gets very embarrassed. Midnight walked into the kitchen and hugged Thunderwolf, "Good morning" "Good morning dad" Thunderwolf said cheerfully. "Good morning handsome" Topaz said walking to Midnight and gave a little kiss and a hug. "Need any help" Midnight asked walking into the kitchen. "Yes please, I'm almost done" Topaz said following into the kitchen. After a few minutes, Topaz and Midnight walked out with plates of pancakes and muffins; Thunderwolf's favorite. They all sat and ate till it was all gone. When Thunderwolf was done, he looked up at his mom, "Mom? Why am I so weird?" There was a moment of silence as Midnight and Topaz looked at each other. "Thunderwolf... you're not weird, you're... unique" Topaz said, in attempt to not upset him, because every time this subject was brought up, it usually ended in tears shed by him. Thunderwolf looked down, "And... why aren't I the same as you..." The words lingered with the tone of smoke rising from a gun that was fired to execute. "Thunderwolf, what are you taking about, you have traits from both of us" Midnight explained. Thunderwolf looked up into Midnight's eyes and asked, "Then why does mom dye her hair from pink to yellow and you wear green contacts over your yellow eyes?" The questions backed them into a corner. "I'm a mix between a batpony and a wolfpony..." Thunderwolf said as his eyes watered. Midnight and Topaz were silent. Thunderwolf grabbed his object and dragged to the door. "Thank you for breakfast, I'll check in later..." Thunderwolf said as he opened the door and walked out and closed it behind him without another word. Thunderwolf made his way to the library and checked in at the registration desk. He researched books on elements or elements of harmony, friendship, harmony, the particular shaped gems and relics. Book after book, he found that most lead to the same village; "Ponyville" Thunderwolf thought to himself, then looked for a book that was on Ponyville. It stated that it was considered the village of friendship, because it was the most friendly and welcoming village in Equestria. Before Thunderwolf could find directions from Et Tuta Latet to Ponyville, he was interrupted by the smell of smoke. He walked to the front and the administrator was gone. He walked to the front door, only to be met with the sounds and sight of complete chaos. Ponies were running from masked bandits, houses were on fire, and any unicorn bandit used their magic to destroy as much as possible. Thunderwolf was stunned, but his first instinct was to run home and check on his parents. Thunderwolf ran, faster then anypony has ever seen. He ran faster then the full grown bandits along with the flying pegasus bandits. He was too fast for them all. Thunderwolf reached the road his house was located, but he stopped dead in his tracks... his house, the place he grew up in from a little colt, where his best, bad, and good memories were born, was engulfed in a blazing swirl of hell fire. Thunderwolf couldn't speak... he didn't speak, he just slowly walked to the house as tears flowed from his eyes gazing at his fortress of solitude burn to ashes in front of him. Thunderwolf's eyes widened, and his heart sank into his stomach. He saw Midnight and Topaz hugging, surrounded by fire, with no way of getting out. Thunderwolf yelled to them, but they just looked up with pain shouting from their eyes. The roof caved in and they were out of sight. Thunderwolf cried their names, and before he acted, a blunt hit from behind knocked him out. Thunderwolf woke up in a hospital bed with machines wired to him and other ponies neighboring him separated by curtains. He heard moans and grants of pain, and also coughing and sneezing in distant rooms. Thunderwolf disconnected the wires and got out of bed. His face made instant contact with the floor because he was still dizzy from the concussion. A white pony with a medical cutie mark entered the sectioned curtain room and gasped as she saw Thunderwolf. "Oh my goodness, what in Equestria are you doing?" She exclaimed as she helped Thunderwolf up, "You're not supposed to be out of bed for three more days" Thunderwolf pushed her aside and ran out the room, through the halls, and out the building before anypony even noticed. Thunderwolf ran back home, or where his home used to be, but as he arrived, he was surrounded by burnt broken down houses of black piles and colorless pillars facing his punch to the gut; his house was a pile of black ash with black wooden pillars still textured with ember colored veins. Thunderwolf was speechless. He was motionless with nothing running through his mind but all of the memories that were born in that house. Tears flowed from his eyes like river streams as he remembered his parents standing in the middle of all of it with that sad look on their faces. The expression saying "I've failed you." Thunderwolf looked down and saw a golden glimmer. "Thunderwolf!" A stallion yelled from behind. It was one of the doctors from the hospital coming to retrieve him. Thunderwolf grabbed the object and sprinted into the Emerald Forest and didn't stop. Tears ran down his face as he ran. No sense of direction, no real plan, nor any fallback plan. Just the pure motivation to find the village-of-friendship he read in the books he researched. Aimlessly running as fast as he can, he happened to find cave that tunneled through the mountain, giving Thunderwolf an easy route out the mountains. He left his small protected world and was now in the large open Equestrian land. Thunderwolf ran to the only unnatural land form which was a dirt path that stretched over the smooth rolling grassy hills. His running slowed to a trot, then walk, then he stopped. He dropped the object from his mouth and looked down. Tears fell upon the beautiful precise detail on the pure golden bars that made up the shape the six gem stones were mounted on. He sat and cried some more... but then he stopped with a single sniffle. He took a deep breath and grabbed the object again and started to follow the path; no idea if he's progressing in the right direction or not. Chapter 3- "Friends""Ponyville" Thunderwolf thought to himself, "Friendship... happiness" he kept thinking as he looked back at his wings. "That's right... I'm a pegasus" he thought as he opened his wings. They were as large as an alicorn's wings. Thunderwolf never flew before. He never tried because when he opened his wings, all of the other fillies and colts would point and laugh because of his oddly large wings. Even if he was to fly, they would call him a flying rat because he was part bat pony. "I can't fly, I couldn't before, and I won't ever..." Thunderwolf said to himself as he closed his wings and continued to walk. The day soon faded to night, and he was so far from home, he wasn't able to see the mountains. The open land with not as many obstructions as he grew up with filled him with awe as the smiling moon castes its faint blue glow upon the land. Thunderwolf began to get sleepy, so he looked for a suitable place to sleep, but there was no decent land structure. He looked around awhile longer, till his stamina gave out. He fell gave up the fight and lied next to the path and slowly fell asleep. Thoughts of his parents and the life he had before ran through his mind. Though many were painful, he kept digging for the good times. A voice called to him. A very familiar voice that he remembered. One that made him check under his wing to make sure he still held on to a special object, and he did. The voice was calling to calm him, to stop the tears that fell as the sad memories haunted him. He then fully remembered the voice, and he was so relieved and happy that he had no problem falling asleep with a smile. "Autumn..." The sun rose, casting its harsh summer rays upon the land. Thunderwolf's thirst was now clenching, and as just a little colt, how was he supposed to know anything about survival. He picked the object up and started walking to hopefully find a source of water. His hunger started to tug at him as well, but he didn't slow his pace. Thunderwolf kept thinking and thinking about how his life used to be, but he was too thirsty to cry any more tears, so he just cried on the inside. He kept pulling himself. His vision was blurred. Thirst. He was scared. Water. He couldn't think straight. Hope. Thunderwolf dropped the object and his hooves gave out from under him. Hunger. He lied there, as he saw two black figures circle in the sky above. Exhaustion. The hot, bright new world faded to a cold, black nothingness. "Thump, clop, squeak, rumble, tumble" Thunderwolf awoke to the sound of a wagon and the hoof steps of another pony. He opened his dry, crusted eyes to see that he was lying in a wooden wagon that was filled with wheat and various fruits like apples and mangoes. Thunderwolf sat up, still dizzy from hunger and the after effect of thirst. He had an IV connected to him, but it looks like it wasn't put in by a professional. Thunderwolf looked forward to see the back of a large, dirty brown stallion pulling the wagon. He had a dirty sweat and dirt smell and a few other foul smells. "Uhh, excuse me mister" Thunderwolf spoke "Hmm" the stallion said, not even looking back "Thank you for helping me" The stallion just continued with his business. Thunderwolf looked down and noticed he was chained to the wagon. He pulled and struggled, but it was pointless, the metal wouldn't budge. "You better quite down back there. I'm thinkin, and your not gonna disturb me" the stallion said with a snap. Thunderwolf was scared and didn't know what he got himself into... but he wanted out. After a long, silent travel, they arrived at a small camp. There were four other ponies and they all looked frail and dirty, though they were posted near a lake and had plenty of food. "Alright boys, I've found us a 'friend' who will 'help' us with our chores to work off the life debt he owns us" the stallion said. The most frail, most dirty pony spoke up, "Wow Rough Edge, that's one hell of a catch" Thunderwolf gasped at the foul language they used, for that no pony back home used that kind of language, not even old ponies or lower classed. One of the other ponies climbed up on the wagon and got close, like real close to the point his nose was a centimeter away from Thunderwolf's. He looked into his eyes with a killer expression on his face for a good ten seconds. "Yeah, he ain't nothin. Just a lowly mountain pony" he said, turning around, wiping Thunderwolf in the face with his tail making Thunderwolf tumble over the chains. The other ponies laughed. The third pony spoke, "Alright Bullseye, that's enough, don't wanna beat him too bad, then he can't work off his debt" Bullseye snapped back, "Don't you go tellin me what to do Rust now ya hear" he said with a hoof up, signaling to fight. Thunderwolf couldn't believe it, this was friendship? Well, it was the longest anypony kept him around, even if it was against his will. "Rough Edge, what in the flying rat hell did you do for three days" Bullseye said, kicking the mangoes and apples at Thunderwolf. "Is this sorry shit an excuse for a three-day haul" Rough Edge dismounted the wagon and walked to one of the tents, "Well, the damn village that was just found in the mountains that I was goin to steal from was already being raided, so I brought home what I had" he said, disappearing into the tent. Rust gathered all of the supplies from the wagon and took it into the same tent as Bullseye followed, leaving Thunderwolf alone with nothing but the open wagon and the IV, which was now detached and across the path. A cracking thunder boomed from above, startling Thunderwolf making the back of his coat stand straight up. Though thunder was in his name, he was horribly terrified of it. He jumped out the wagon, only to be restrained by the metal cuff and chain. Thunderwolf hid under the wagon with his hoof being forced in the air because the chain was too short. Boom. Crackle. Bang. Rumble. Thunderwolf endured the harsh conditions of the storm. With each thunder boom, it shook Thunderwolf's body. Hours have passed with no stop, and he shivered both from the cold, and the terrifying streaks and sounds of death that roared above. Thunderwolf was sleepy, but the conditions forced him awake. The next day. Thunderwolf was finally asleep, but with horrible nightmares... Almost just like a kick when he was down. "Alright now, get up" Rough Edge said standing, looking at the chain leading to Thunderwolf's forced-levitated hoof. Thunderwolf slowly opened his eyes, still sleep deprived, but he still listened. "I said, Get Up!" Rough Edge said, kicking the mud in Thunderwolf's face, causing him to shoot up, hitting his head on the bottom of the wagon. Thunderwolf yelped, but then he quickly corrected himself, making sure his new friend did seem him as weird like the rest. Rough Edge yanked the chain, pulling Thunderwolf out, stumbling over his front hoof, but being held up by the chain. "Come on little friend, I need a little favor from you" Rough Edge said, in a sarcastic tone that Thunderwolf believed it was him really calling Thunderwolf his friend. Thunderwolf smiled, and he brushed off all of what happened before. The night before was an honest accident, and when he woke him up, it was because he should've gotten up faster... at least what Thunderwolf thought. Rough Edge unlocked the cuff from Thunderwolf's hoof and pointed to a horribly managed crop plot. Thunderwolf was skilled in plants, but it was in such bad condition, that he couldn't make out what plants they were trying to grow. Thunderwolf went and started to pull weeds and rough up the dirt. Thunderwolf had to completely remove the grass and stir up the dirt to bring out the healthy dirt for planting. Rough Edge didn't understand, but he was too lazy to care. He sat at the entrance of the plot keeping post. Later, Rough Edge was asleep. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and awoke to see Thunderwolf, dirty and exhausted. The whole plot was professionally refined, and it looked healthy as ever. Rough Edge blinked, not even noticing his mouth was dropped open. Thunderwolf smiled at his friend's reaction. Rough Edge shook his head to snap back to the situation. "Alright, not bad" Rough Edge said. Rough Edge turned around and stretched with uncivilized grunts and fluctuates. "Follow me buddy" Rough Edge said, putting emphasis on 'buddy'. The sun was setting and Thunderwolf sat patiently at the wagon with the cuff chained to his hoof staring at the tent with his head slightly tilted, confused waiting for Rough Edge to come back to tell Thunderwolf what Rough Edge wanted to say to him. Rough Edge appeared out from the tent as he brought Thunderwolf a thin, dirty sheet of cloth and dropped it in front of him. "Here boy, keep doin us favors and you'll pay off your debt in no time" Rough Edge said. Thunderwolf smiled as he picked up the cloth that was covered in dirt and stains. Rough Edge turned around, and Thunderwolf flinched at his tail, but there was no contact. Thunderwolf opened his eyes and Rough Edge already disappeared into the tent. Thunderwolf took the cloth an looked up at the wagon and sighed. "Still to high" he said as he crawled under the wagon an snuggled into the blanket. Thunderwolf was hungry, but hydrated because before Rough Edge chained him to the wagon, he brought a rusty bowl of water, and he said "Once I see plants breaking the surface, then you'll get to eat, but not ever till then". Thunderwolf knew this seemed cruel, but he thought it was just one of those hard games with difficult rules that the other fillies and colts used to do when they play pretend. Thunderwolf smiled and hugged the cloth and slowly fell asleep. Thunderwolf's torture and mistreatment continued for months and years. Thunderwolf finally worked his way to getting his own tent. It was tattered and wasn't very much of an improvement from living under the wagon, but he was thankful for what he had, and continued to think of the ponies as friends. Thunderwolf was abruptly pulled from his peaceful sleep from the cold chilling splash of a pale of water thrown by Rough Edge. "Wake up boy, time to get back to work" Rough Edge said, unlocking the same rusty chain that has kept Thunderwolf captured from the beginning. Thunderwolf shook the water off, again followed by a correction, trying to not show any wolf traits. He followed Rough Edge to a rusty tub. "I want this filled to the brim with warm pure water" Thunderwolf's eyes widened, "That much?!" Rough Edge's eye twitched, "what" he said at a low tone, "What boy!" He said a loud and hostile tone. "What did I say-" he said as he picked up his hoof "'bout talkin back boy!" He said as his hoof collided with Thunderwolf's face; The force causing him to slam to the ground. Thunderwolf groaned stayed down as he opened his eyes, scarily looking up at the beast that stood over him. Though it took quite some time for him to realize, Thunderwolf knew this was no friendship, this was slavery. "Now get up and do what I say, you hear" he said picking up his hoof again, "If you know what's the best for ya" Thunderwolf began the process of purifying the lake water by making a fire and collecting the steam into a bowl. The process was painfully slow and he got burned a lot, but he managed to fill the whole tub with pure, warm water, only taking the whole morning till midnight. Thunderwolf smiled and wiped his head and called for Rough Edge, "The bath is ready!" Rough Edge appeared from their tent and walked to the tub. Rough Edge examined the tub, then took a sip, "Hmm" he said as he put his hoof in the water, making a dirt cloud spread from one end to the other because of the excessive amount of dirt that was dried on his coat. He pulled back and grumbled and yelled, "Ain't good enough!" as he turned away from the tub, rose his hind hooves and bucked the tub, spilling all of the warm water Thunderwolf worked so hard for on Thunderwolf and causing the tub to land on him. The water was sudden and most of it was still trapped, causing Thunderwolf to be trapped under the tub with little air. Kicking and struggling, Thunderwolf managed to lift the tub, draining the water, and afterwards lifting the tub upside to escape. Thunderwolf crawled and coughed up water as if he breathed a gallon of water. Thunderwolf coughed some more and wheezed for air, then passed out. Rough Edge laughed the whole time hierarchically, but then when he noticed Thunderwolf wasn't moving, he walked over and stomped his Thunderwolf's back, causing him to cough up more water as he screamed of pain. "Get the hell up boy" he said as he forced Thunderwolf up, "Because you did a shit job, you ain't eatin' for the rest of the week or drinking till tomorrow night because you drank the bath water" Rough Edge pulled Thunderwolf to the crop plot and chained his hoof to a long chain, "Now I want every single plant picked, ripe or not" Thunderwolf picked at the plants and waited till Rough Edge disappeared into the tent and fell to the ground and started to cry. Thunderwolf was still shocked from the near death experience and was still in pain from the back aching stop from Rough Edge. Thunderwolf, after what seemed like two years, finally came to the self agreement that these were bad friends, and he wanted out... but how is the question in mind. The next morning, Thunderwolf awoke to the foot steps of Rough Edge that Thunderwolf has grown to fear and stood straight up. Rough Edge glared at Thunderwolf, trembling within his own skin, then at the plot, speckled with seeds with a pile of freshly picked plants. He glared back at Thunderwolf and grumbled, "Hmm, okay" he said, unlocking Thunderwolf's shackle, "Now come, your gonna clean my tub up after you made that mess" Thunderwolf's heart raced. He thought out a plan for escape, but he needed something to distract him. As he noticed Rust and Bullseye appear over the horizon with the wagon, his plan began to become more and more distorted and complicated and success seemed even more vague. "Rough Edge, you puttin that boy to work?" Bullseye said as he unmounted the wagon. Thunderwolf stayed back plotting while they talked about the next cruel task they'll force Thunderwolf to do. Thunderwolf thought and thought, but he couldn't think of an idea to distract them. Eventually, his time ran out. Chapter 4- RunawayThey looked at Thunderwolf with plans of black, but Thunderwolf looked back with plans of grey, for that his plan wasn't thought out. As they closed in on him, like a miracle, a rainbow colored shokwave appeared in the distance as a loud boom followed. The three looked and stared with awe. Thunderwolf took that opportunity and tuned around and jumped on his fore hooves giving a strong buck to Rough Edge's face, knocking him unconscious, tumbling over Bullseye and Rust. Thunderwolf sprinted as fast as he could to the forest. As he ran, he heard a yell, "Launch!!!". Thunderwolf looked up at a huge bolder heralding towards him. Thunderwolf ran faster, but the bolder landed, crushing his hind hooves. He cried out in pain. Thunderwolf heard the break; like stepping on a dry twig in the forest. Thunderwolf tumbled and rolled and stopped. Thunderwolf lied there in pain for awhile, but then he picked up his head and stomped his hoof down. "I can't let them catch me" Thunderwolf thought "What they'll do if they catch me will be worse" Thunderwolf opened his huge wings and flapped them as hard as he can. Thunderwolf flew from the ground straight up by fifty yards, stopping Rust and Bullseye in their tracks. Thunderwolf didn't know how to fly, but he knew how to lift off the ground... which was ironic since he was terribly frightened of heights, but loved speed. Thunderwolf didn't think of that right now, he had to loose them. Thunderwolf repeated his wing motion, casting him kilometers into the sky, to the point he couldn't see Rust or Bullseye, neither could they see him. He kept this pace till he got light headed, then passed out, his wings still open as he was limp, free falling to the earth below. Thunderwolf was able to gain consciousness and realize his situation. He tried flapping his wings, but they only made him flip and roll in the air. He put his wings out stiff, just to get him to an angle so he would be over the trees. Thunderwolf streaked into the dense canopy and clipped both of his wings on several trees. Thunderwolf hit the ground and knocked the wind out of him. He finally gave in to the stress, pain and fatigue. Thunderwolf blacked out once again. "They're all waiting for you" A female voice echoed in the pitch black dark realm Thunderwolf found himself in. "Huh? Who's waiting? And who are you?" Thunderwolf called back. "Your friends are, my dear. Don't give up" "Mom?" Thunderwolf called, "Mom, is that you" Thunderwolf's last call was unanswered, and only to be faded out by the waking world pulling him back, with pain, hunger and thrust clenching at his mind. Thunderwolf stood up, only to be met with the immense amount of pain from his hind hooves, causing him to fall back down, landings upon his clipped wing, which shot more pain throughout his body. Thunderwolf screamed and rolled back straight. Thunderwolf thought all hope was lost, and the cold unforgiving night wasn't helping that belief. "Don't give up" Thunderwolf said to himself under his breath. Thunderwolf looked up at a sharp rock, then he looked around and found dry vines that were strong. Thunderwolf smiled with determination and broke off the sharp rock and dragged himself to the vines and collected as much wood as he could from around him. Working through the night, carving the wood, fitting parts together, and fail after fail, Thunderwolf eventually crafted a small wooden wagon he could rest his hind body on as he pulled himself with his front hooves. The craftsmanship wasn't perfect, but he was still experienced so it held together under normal circumstances. Thunderwolf pulled himself to a river stream and took a sip. Thunderwolf knew it wasn't wise to drink un-purified river water, but he was too thirsty to wait and make a fire. Thunderwolf eliminated two of his inconveniences, and now he had to find food, and something to keep him warm in the winter nights. Thunderwolf searched and searched for anything to eat, but the forest he was in was too dark and dense to support any of the plants that produced the life nourishing fruits, herbs and spices that the Emerald Forest -Thunderwolf missed so much- had. The morning sun rose guiding Thunderwolf though the forest. Thunderwolf eventually decided to ignore the hunger and continued to look for something that would keep him warm. He looked and looked, but couldn't find anything. After a work filled night, and a day's worth of travel, he gently got off the wagon and lied down in the grass, moving a layer of leaves over himself to keep heat in. Thunderwolf closed his eyes and fell asleep, but it wasn't long till he was woken by the freezing cold, depriving him of his sleep. He moved back on the wagon and continued to travel. At this point, he just wanted to find a way out of this forest. He traveled from night till day, and had no luck of escaping the dreaded forest. Paths seemed similar, but at the same time different. He eventually saw something different, a hole. Thunderwolf knew a lot about animals, but he never seen one that could make a burro that big. He moved in closer and inspected the hole. He looked down the darkened void to be met with two yellow eyes. Thunderwolf backed up emerged a large, diamond dog. Thunderwolf knew diamond dogs before, and they were his dad's favorite traders. Thunderwolf smiled and reached out his hoof to greet him. "Hello, sorry if I disturbed you, my name is Thunderwolf" "Yack!" The diamond dog smacked Thunderwolf's hoof away, almost knocking him off his wagon, "Stay away from our gems!" Thunderwolf was confused, but then he assumed that he just got to close. Thunderwolf kept his smile and politely talked, "Excuse me, but do you know where Ponyville is?" "Eh?" The diamond dog said as he realized that Thunderwolf wasn't a threat, "Oh, oh yes... uhh" Thunderwolf smiled and raised his ears, waiting for his response. The diamond dog noticed how bad he wanted to know, and a smile creeped from one ear to the other. "Hmm, yes, yes, I know where Ponyville is" Thunderwolf smiled not even correcting himself for wagging his tail. "But, I have to ask one favor" the diamond dog said as he glanced back at a shovel, "How about you be a good friend, and help me find some shiny gems, then you'll get what you want" Thunderwolf smiled, "Sure, how much do you want me to find" The diamond dog placed the shovel in Thunderwolf's mouth and tuned around with the devious smile similar to the one before. "Oh, just a few" Thunderwolf worked like a well oiled machine with his mind burning with determination. The luminous sky lost its ray, leaving behind twinkling wonders. Thunderwolf dropped a green sapphire gem on a stack that was well over the wagons intended capacity. Thunderwolf smiled and looked up at the diamond dog, which was too busy in a mind battle with another diamond dog in a game of chess. Thunderwolf walked closer to him and tapped his shoulder, almost losing balance, "Uhh, sir, I've found a lot of gems" The diamond dog glared at Thunderwolf, but his jaw almost dropped off when he noticed the wagon over flowed with shiny gems. Thunderwolf smiled because he knew this was his talent he practiced with his mom. The diamond dog seemed to notice too, and turned back to his game as he waved his paw and signaled Thunderwolf to turn around. "A few more, then I'll tell you" Thunderwolf's ears lowered, but he turned and did what the dog said. The diamond dog and his friends were asleep and Thunderwolf continued to work under the new rule of less sound and more work. A warm, orange glow creeped from the hole where Thunderwolf entered, reflecting off of the three huge gem piles. The diamond dog woke up with a snort and looked around. His eyes widened at the site of the gems and how much the cave expanded only over night. He walked over to Thunderwolf, weekly swinging his pickaxe. Thunderwolf sniffled and coughed dropping the pick on the ground. The dog pulled himself away and looked at Thunderwolf with a weird look, "Eww! What is wrong with you" Thunderwolf coughed and looked up at him, "I think it was the river water..." The diamond dog looked onto Thunderwolf's eyes lined with crust from sleep depravity and sickness with disgust. "You know what" The diamond dog said as he pointed to the exit hole, "Deal's off, get out of here before you get everyone sick" Thunderwolf's ears lowered, "Bu- but" "Out! Now!" The dog rose his voice. Thunderwolf lowered his head and walked out. The morning sun shined on Thunderwolf's nose, causing him to sneeze. He looked forward to the hazy world ahead as he remembered when his health was bad, his need for eye glasses increased. Aimlessly walking through the cold, Thunderwolf looked up and shivered at the memory of fear he had when he flew. As his eyes were glued to the sky, he tripped over a root, sending him tumbling down a rough slope, breaking his wagon into small prices. Thunderwolf's vision was even more blurred from the trauma. Thunderwolf dragged himself saying, "I will not give up" over and over. He pulled himself out of the forest and onto a dirt road. Thunderwolf's vision started to fade and blur and his strength began to die. He heard a light thump and looked forward to see a basket. He looked up and saw a blurred yellow pony figure with light pink hair. Thunderwolf's vision faded to black, and his conscious slipped away.
Chapter 1- Lone WolfThe sun hang directly above the Equestrian land, feeding a life nourishing warmth its plants, animals, and its ponies. A small group of ponies were playing buck ball in the Emerald Forest just a short distance from the small, peaceful village named Et Tuta Latet, which means hidden or protected because its located in the surrounding protection of the highlands' rocky mountains, along with the small saturated emerald green forest filled with berries, fruits, and other various herbs and natural foods that supply the peaceful farmers of the village. Thunderwolf was inspecting a patch of moss that grew on an old rotting log with a book on plant research. He felt a slight tap on his flank and he turned to see that the ball the other fillies were playing with had found its way to him. Thunderwolf smiled and rolled the ball closer to the group in their view and spoke with a hint of excitement "Hey, can I play?" The fillies made a weird face and looked at each other's. "Buck ball is a pony game, which means its only for ponies, not nasty wolves or bats" the oldest filly said in a sassy tone. The words pierced Thunderwolf's heart because he knew he wasn't a normal pony. His mother was a normal pegasus, but his dad was a bat pony... and doctors didn't know where the wolf trait Thunderwolf possessed originated from. "I thought this game could be played with anypony who's a friend and have a good time" Thunderwolf said. Thunderwolf rolled the ball to the fillies, but they just backed up. "I don't know what you think your doing, but we're not your friends" oldest filly said, "You're an abnormal freak, and you'll never have friends" She turned and started walking and the rest followed leaving behind the ball. Thunderwolf sat with his head hung low and tears flowing down his face into the forest ground. He kept silent, but his stance was yelling for comfort that would be given by no pony he knew, other than his parents who were at home. Thunderwolf lowered to the ground and covered his face with his hooves and imagined himself being hugged by all of the friends he didn't have. He was interrupted by a small squeak. He opened his eyes and looked up, but then he looked back down. It was a squirrel who was offering its acorns as an attempt to lighten Thunderwolf's mood. Thunderwolf smiled and pet the squirrel, the nugged the acorns back to it. "At least I have you, and the rest of the nice creatures in this forest" Thunderwolf said with a sniffle. He stood back up and grabbed his book in his mouth and started to walk down the path as he waved goodbye to his squirrel friend. Thunderwolf arrived at his house in Et Tuta Latet by dusk. "Welcome home" a mare pegasus said, who's mane was a light yellow and had a light grey coat and a cutie mark resembling a double helix ladder for that her talent was science. "Thank you mom" Thunderwolf put his book down and closed the door and picked his book back up. "Did you have fun?" Thunderwolf's mom said, but Thunderwolf just nodded and continued upstairs into his room. She heard a knock on the door and opened it and it was Thunderwolf's father. He was a dark grey bat pony with a darker grey mane. He had midnight blue eye glasses that went well with his emerald green eyes; the same color as Thunderwolf's. "Welcome home Midnight Storm" Thunderwolf's mother said, giving him a kiss on the nose. "Thank you Topaz" Midnight said with a smile. "Where's Thunderwolf? I have a gift for him" Topaz pointed to the stairs and Midnight already knew, Thunderwolf was down again, and most likely because of his lack of friends. Midnight knocked on Thunderwolf's bedroom door and there was no answer. "Thunderwolf? May I come in?" Midnight asked, but again, the there was no answer. Midnight looked down, then back up. He knew the door was unlocked, but he respected Thunderwolf's privacy and won't enter unless permitted. "Thunderwolf, I have a present for you. Its from Manehatten" Midnight said knocking on the door again. There was a moment of silence, but then the door opened and stood Thunderwolf with watered eyes. Midnight walked in and hugged Thunderwolf and said, "Its ok, what I have might cheer you up" Thunderwolf smiled a little, and dried his face and sat awaiting his present. Midnight pulled out a golden object. The golden object had five gems surrounding a slightly larger purple gem in the middle. The middle gem was a purple six pointed star. The gems were shaped oddly. One was dark purple and shaped like a diamond, another was pink and shaped like a butterfly, another was blue and shaped like a balloon, another was red and shaped like a thunderbolt, and the last one was orange and shaped like an apple. "These are the elements of harmony" Midnight explained, "The gems used to be regular relics, but when six friends united, they used the elements of harmony to fix disharmony, and spread the power of friendship" The word "friendship" was all Thunderwolf needed to be hooked. He smiled and took the object on his nightstand and lied down into his bed. Midnight chuckled and smiled, then he flipped the light switch as he walked out the door, closing the door behind him, just before he said goodnight. Thunderwolf closed his eyes smiling, because he wanted to do research on the object his father gave him. Midnight always brought home strange books, photos, relics, and replicated objects for Thunderwolf to research in the library. They practiced this method for the reason he was always picked on at school, so he's educated from them. Though it's not a legitimate alternative, he's still a higher intelligence level then other fillies, and even full grown ponies too.
Chapter 2- DownfallThunderwolf woke up early with a smile on his face because he wanted to start research on his dads gift right away. He grabbed it and trotted down the stairs into the kitchen and sat at the table before Topaz even realized he woke up already. "Well you're up bright and early" Topaz said with a chuckle. Thunderwolf smiled, "Yes, it's because daddy got me another present" Thunderwolf said pushing the object in the middle of the table. Topaz was in the kitchen, she glanced back and smiled, "What is it?" "I have no idea, but I'ma find out all about it at the library" Thunderwolf said, keeping himself in check, saddened a little because he thought he was weird that when he got excited, his tail wags like a dog, and he gets very embarrassed. Midnight walked into the kitchen and hugged Thunderwolf, "Good morning" "Good morning dad" Thunderwolf said cheerfully. "Good morning handsome" Topaz said walking to Midnight and gave a little kiss and a hug. "Need any help" Midnight asked walking into the kitchen. "Yes please, I'm almost done" Topaz said following into the kitchen. After a few minutes, Topaz and Midnight walked out with plates of pancakes and muffins; Thunderwolf's favorite. They all sat and ate till it was all gone. When Thunderwolf was done, he looked up at his mom, "Mom? Why am I so weird?" There was a moment of silence as Midnight and Topaz looked at each other. "Thunderwolf... you're not weird, you're... unique" Topaz said, in attempt to not upset him, because every time this subject was brought up, it usually ended in tears shed by him. Thunderwolf looked down, "And... why aren't I the same as you..." The words lingered with the tone of smoke rising from a gun that was fired to execute. "Thunderwolf, what are you taking about, you have traits from both of us" Midnight explained. Thunderwolf looked up into Midnight's eyes and asked, "Then why does mom dye her hair from pink to yellow and you wear green contacts over your yellow eyes?" The questions backed them into a corner. "I'm a mix between a batpony and a wolfpony..." Thunderwolf said as his eyes watered. Midnight and Topaz were silent. Thunderwolf grabbed his object and dragged to the door. "Thank you for breakfast, I'll check in later..." Thunderwolf said as he opened the door and walked out and closed it behind him without another word. Thunderwolf made his way to the library and checked in at the registration desk. He researched books on elements or elements of harmony, friendship, harmony, the particular shaped gems and relics. Book after book, he found that most lead to the same village; "Ponyville" Thunderwolf thought to himself, then looked for a book that was on Ponyville. It stated that it was considered the village of friendship, because it was the most friendly and welcoming village in Equestria. Before Thunderwolf could find directions from Et Tuta Latet to Ponyville, he was interrupted by the smell of smoke. He walked to the front and the administrator was gone. He walked to the front door, only to be met with the sounds and sight of complete chaos. Ponies were running from masked bandits, houses were on fire, and any unicorn bandit used their magic to destroy as much as possible. Thunderwolf was stunned, but his first instinct was to run home and check on his parents. Thunderwolf ran, faster then anypony has ever seen. He ran faster then the full grown bandits along with the flying pegasus bandits. He was too fast for them all. Thunderwolf reached the road his house was located, but he stopped dead in his tracks... his house, the place he grew up in from a little colt, where his best, bad, and good memories were born, was engulfed in a blazing swirl of hell fire. Thunderwolf couldn't speak... he didn't speak, he just slowly walked to the house as tears flowed from his eyes gazing at his fortress of solitude burn to ashes in front of him. Thunderwolf's eyes widened, and his heart sank into his stomach. He saw Midnight and Topaz hugging, surrounded by fire, with no way of getting out. Thunderwolf yelled to them, but they just looked up with pain shouting from their eyes. The roof caved in and they were out of sight. Thunderwolf cried their names, and before he acted, a blunt hit from behind knocked him out. Thunderwolf woke up in a hospital bed with machines wired to him and other ponies neighboring him separated by curtains. He heard moans and grants of pain, and also coughing and sneezing in distant rooms. Thunderwolf disconnected the wires and got out of bed. His face made instant contact with the floor because he was still dizzy from the concussion. A white pony with a medical cutie mark entered the sectioned curtain room and gasped as she saw Thunderwolf. "Oh my goodness, what in Equestria are you doing?" She exclaimed as she helped Thunderwolf up, "You're not supposed to be out of bed for three more days" Thunderwolf pushed her aside and ran out the room, through the halls, and out the building before anypony even noticed. Thunderwolf ran back home, or where his home used to be, but as he arrived, he was surrounded by burnt broken down houses of black piles and colorless pillars facing his punch to the gut; his house was a pile of black ash with black wooden pillars still textured with ember colored veins. Thunderwolf was speechless. He was motionless with nothing running through his mind but all of the memories that were born in that house. Tears flowed from his eyes like river streams as he remembered his parents standing in the middle of all of it with that sad look on their faces. The expression saying "I've failed you." Thunderwolf looked down and saw a golden glimmer. "Thunderwolf!" A stallion yelled from behind. It was one of the doctors from the hospital coming to retrieve him. Thunderwolf grabbed the object and sprinted into the Emerald Forest and didn't stop. Tears ran down his face as he ran. No sense of direction, no real plan, nor any fallback plan. Just the pure motivation to find the village-of-friendship he read in the books he researched. Aimlessly running as fast as he can, he happened to find cave that tunneled through the mountain, giving Thunderwolf an easy route out the mountains. He left his small protected world and was now in the large open Equestrian land. Thunderwolf ran to the only unnatural land form which was a dirt path that stretched over the smooth rolling grassy hills. His running slowed to a trot, then walk, then he stopped. He dropped the object from his mouth and looked down. Tears fell upon the beautiful precise detail on the pure golden bars that made up the shape the six gem stones were mounted on. He sat and cried some more... but then he stopped with a single sniffle. He took a deep breath and grabbed the object again and started to follow the path; no idea if he's progressing in the right direction or not.
Chapter 3- "Friends""Ponyville" Thunderwolf thought to himself, "Friendship... happiness" he kept thinking as he looked back at his wings. "That's right... I'm a pegasus" he thought as he opened his wings. They were as large as an alicorn's wings. Thunderwolf never flew before. He never tried because when he opened his wings, all of the other fillies and colts would point and laugh because of his oddly large wings. Even if he was to fly, they would call him a flying rat because he was part bat pony. "I can't fly, I couldn't before, and I won't ever..." Thunderwolf said to himself as he closed his wings and continued to walk. The day soon faded to night, and he was so far from home, he wasn't able to see the mountains. The open land with not as many obstructions as he grew up with filled him with awe as the smiling moon castes its faint blue glow upon the land. Thunderwolf began to get sleepy, so he looked for a suitable place to sleep, but there was no decent land structure. He looked around awhile longer, till his stamina gave out. He fell gave up the fight and lied next to the path and slowly fell asleep. Thoughts of his parents and the life he had before ran through his mind. Though many were painful, he kept digging for the good times. A voice called to him. A very familiar voice that he remembered. One that made him check under his wing to make sure he still held on to a special object, and he did. The voice was calling to calm him, to stop the tears that fell as the sad memories haunted him. He then fully remembered the voice, and he was so relieved and happy that he had no problem falling asleep with a smile. "Autumn..." The sun rose, casting its harsh summer rays upon the land. Thunderwolf's thirst was now clenching, and as just a little colt, how was he supposed to know anything about survival. He picked the object up and started walking to hopefully find a source of water. His hunger started to tug at him as well, but he didn't slow his pace. Thunderwolf kept thinking and thinking about how his life used to be, but he was too thirsty to cry any more tears, so he just cried on the inside. He kept pulling himself. His vision was blurred. Thirst. He was scared. Water. He couldn't think straight. Hope. Thunderwolf dropped the object and his hooves gave out from under him. Hunger. He lied there, as he saw two black figures circle in the sky above. Exhaustion. The hot, bright new world faded to a cold, black nothingness. "Thump, clop, squeak, rumble, tumble" Thunderwolf awoke to the sound of a wagon and the hoof steps of another pony. He opened his dry, crusted eyes to see that he was lying in a wooden wagon that was filled with wheat and various fruits like apples and mangoes. Thunderwolf sat up, still dizzy from hunger and the after effect of thirst. He had an IV connected to him, but it looks like it wasn't put in by a professional. Thunderwolf looked forward to see the back of a large, dirty brown stallion pulling the wagon. He had a dirty sweat and dirt smell and a few other foul smells. "Uhh, excuse me mister" Thunderwolf spoke "Hmm" the stallion said, not even looking back "Thank you for helping me" The stallion just continued with his business. Thunderwolf looked down and noticed he was chained to the wagon. He pulled and struggled, but it was pointless, the metal wouldn't budge. "You better quite down back there. I'm thinkin, and your not gonna disturb me" the stallion said with a snap. Thunderwolf was scared and didn't know what he got himself into... but he wanted out. After a long, silent travel, they arrived at a small camp. There were four other ponies and they all looked frail and dirty, though they were posted near a lake and had plenty of food. "Alright boys, I've found us a 'friend' who will 'help' us with our chores to work off the life debt he owns us" the stallion said. The most frail, most dirty pony spoke up, "Wow Rough Edge, that's one hell of a catch" Thunderwolf gasped at the foul language they used, for that no pony back home used that kind of language, not even old ponies or lower classed. One of the other ponies climbed up on the wagon and got close, like real close to the point his nose was a centimeter away from Thunderwolf's. He looked into his eyes with a killer expression on his face for a good ten seconds. "Yeah, he ain't nothin. Just a lowly mountain pony" he said, turning around, wiping Thunderwolf in the face with his tail making Thunderwolf tumble over the chains. The other ponies laughed. The third pony spoke, "Alright Bullseye, that's enough, don't wanna beat him too bad, then he can't work off his debt" Bullseye snapped back, "Don't you go tellin me what to do Rust now ya hear" he said with a hoof up, signaling to fight. Thunderwolf couldn't believe it, this was friendship? Well, it was the longest anypony kept him around, even if it was against his will. "Rough Edge, what in the flying rat hell did you do for three days" Bullseye said, kicking the mangoes and apples at Thunderwolf. "Is this sorry shit an excuse for a three-day haul" Rough Edge dismounted the wagon and walked to one of the tents, "Well, the damn village that was just found in the mountains that I was goin to steal from was already being raided, so I brought home what I had" he said, disappearing into the tent. Rust gathered all of the supplies from the wagon and took it into the same tent as Bullseye followed, leaving Thunderwolf alone with nothing but the open wagon and the IV, which was now detached and across the path. A cracking thunder boomed from above, startling Thunderwolf making the back of his coat stand straight up. Though thunder was in his name, he was horribly terrified of it. He jumped out the wagon, only to be restrained by the metal cuff and chain. Thunderwolf hid under the wagon with his hoof being forced in the air because the chain was too short. Boom. Crackle. Bang. Rumble. Thunderwolf endured the harsh conditions of the storm. With each thunder boom, it shook Thunderwolf's body. Hours have passed with no stop, and he shivered both from the cold, and the terrifying streaks and sounds of death that roared above. Thunderwolf was sleepy, but the conditions forced him awake. The next day. Thunderwolf was finally asleep, but with horrible nightmares... Almost just like a kick when he was down. "Alright now, get up" Rough Edge said standing, looking at the chain leading to Thunderwolf's forced-levitated hoof. Thunderwolf slowly opened his eyes, still sleep deprived, but he still listened. "I said, Get Up!" Rough Edge said, kicking the mud in Thunderwolf's face, causing him to shoot up, hitting his head on the bottom of the wagon. Thunderwolf yelped, but then he quickly corrected himself, making sure his new friend did seem him as weird like the rest. Rough Edge yanked the chain, pulling Thunderwolf out, stumbling over his front hoof, but being held up by the chain. "Come on little friend, I need a little favor from you" Rough Edge said, in a sarcastic tone that Thunderwolf believed it was him really calling Thunderwolf his friend. Thunderwolf smiled, and he brushed off all of what happened before. The night before was an honest accident, and when he woke him up, it was because he should've gotten up faster... at least what Thunderwolf thought. Rough Edge unlocked the cuff from Thunderwolf's hoof and pointed to a horribly managed crop plot. Thunderwolf was skilled in plants, but it was in such bad condition, that he couldn't make out what plants they were trying to grow. Thunderwolf went and started to pull weeds and rough up the dirt. Thunderwolf had to completely remove the grass and stir up the dirt to bring out the healthy dirt for planting. Rough Edge didn't understand, but he was too lazy to care. He sat at the entrance of the plot keeping post. Later, Rough Edge was asleep. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and awoke to see Thunderwolf, dirty and exhausted. The whole plot was professionally refined, and it looked healthy as ever. Rough Edge blinked, not even noticing his mouth was dropped open. Thunderwolf smiled at his friend's reaction. Rough Edge shook his head to snap back to the situation. "Alright, not bad" Rough Edge said. Rough Edge turned around and stretched with uncivilized grunts and fluctuates. "Follow me buddy" Rough Edge said, putting emphasis on 'buddy'. The sun was setting and Thunderwolf sat patiently at the wagon with the cuff chained to his hoof staring at the tent with his head slightly tilted, confused waiting for Rough Edge to come back to tell Thunderwolf what Rough Edge wanted to say to him. Rough Edge appeared out from the tent as he brought Thunderwolf a thin, dirty sheet of cloth and dropped it in front of him. "Here boy, keep doin us favors and you'll pay off your debt in no time" Rough Edge said. Thunderwolf smiled as he picked up the cloth that was covered in dirt and stains. Rough Edge turned around, and Thunderwolf flinched at his tail, but there was no contact. Thunderwolf opened his eyes and Rough Edge already disappeared into the tent. Thunderwolf took the cloth an looked up at the wagon and sighed. "Still to high" he said as he crawled under the wagon an snuggled into the blanket. Thunderwolf was hungry, but hydrated because before Rough Edge chained him to the wagon, he brought a rusty bowl of water, and he said "Once I see plants breaking the surface, then you'll get to eat, but not ever till then". Thunderwolf knew this seemed cruel, but he thought it was just one of those hard games with difficult rules that the other fillies and colts used to do when they play pretend. Thunderwolf smiled and hugged the cloth and slowly fell asleep. Thunderwolf's torture and mistreatment continued for months and years. Thunderwolf finally worked his way to getting his own tent. It was tattered and wasn't very much of an improvement from living under the wagon, but he was thankful for what he had, and continued to think of the ponies as friends. Thunderwolf was abruptly pulled from his peaceful sleep from the cold chilling splash of a pale of water thrown by Rough Edge. "Wake up boy, time to get back to work" Rough Edge said, unlocking the same rusty chain that has kept Thunderwolf captured from the beginning. Thunderwolf shook the water off, again followed by a correction, trying to not show any wolf traits. He followed Rough Edge to a rusty tub. "I want this filled to the brim with warm pure water" Thunderwolf's eyes widened, "That much?!" Rough Edge's eye twitched, "what" he said at a low tone, "What boy!" He said a loud and hostile tone. "What did I say-" he said as he picked up his hoof "'bout talkin back boy!" He said as his hoof collided with Thunderwolf's face; The force causing him to slam to the ground. Thunderwolf groaned stayed down as he opened his eyes, scarily looking up at the beast that stood over him. Though it took quite some time for him to realize, Thunderwolf knew this was no friendship, this was slavery. "Now get up and do what I say, you hear" he said picking up his hoof again, "If you know what's the best for ya" Thunderwolf began the process of purifying the lake water by making a fire and collecting the steam into a bowl. The process was painfully slow and he got burned a lot, but he managed to fill the whole tub with pure, warm water, only taking the whole morning till midnight. Thunderwolf smiled and wiped his head and called for Rough Edge, "The bath is ready!" Rough Edge appeared from their tent and walked to the tub. Rough Edge examined the tub, then took a sip, "Hmm" he said as he put his hoof in the water, making a dirt cloud spread from one end to the other because of the excessive amount of dirt that was dried on his coat. He pulled back and grumbled and yelled, "Ain't good enough!" as he turned away from the tub, rose his hind hooves and bucked the tub, spilling all of the warm water Thunderwolf worked so hard for on Thunderwolf and causing the tub to land on him. The water was sudden and most of it was still trapped, causing Thunderwolf to be trapped under the tub with little air. Kicking and struggling, Thunderwolf managed to lift the tub, draining the water, and afterwards lifting the tub upside to escape. Thunderwolf crawled and coughed up water as if he breathed a gallon of water. Thunderwolf coughed some more and wheezed for air, then passed out. Rough Edge laughed the whole time hierarchically, but then when he noticed Thunderwolf wasn't moving, he walked over and stomped his Thunderwolf's back, causing him to cough up more water as he screamed of pain. "Get the hell up boy" he said as he forced Thunderwolf up, "Because you did a shit job, you ain't eatin' for the rest of the week or drinking till tomorrow night because you drank the bath water" Rough Edge pulled Thunderwolf to the crop plot and chained his hoof to a long chain, "Now I want every single plant picked, ripe or not" Thunderwolf picked at the plants and waited till Rough Edge disappeared into the tent and fell to the ground and started to cry. Thunderwolf was still shocked from the near death experience and was still in pain from the back aching stop from Rough Edge. Thunderwolf, after what seemed like two years, finally came to the self agreement that these were bad friends, and he wanted out... but how is the question in mind. The next morning, Thunderwolf awoke to the foot steps of Rough Edge that Thunderwolf has grown to fear and stood straight up. Rough Edge glared at Thunderwolf, trembling within his own skin, then at the plot, speckled with seeds with a pile of freshly picked plants. He glared back at Thunderwolf and grumbled, "Hmm, okay" he said, unlocking Thunderwolf's shackle, "Now come, your gonna clean my tub up after you made that mess" Thunderwolf's heart raced. He thought out a plan for escape, but he needed something to distract him. As he noticed Rust and Bullseye appear over the horizon with the wagon, his plan began to become more and more distorted and complicated and success seemed even more vague. "Rough Edge, you puttin that boy to work?" Bullseye said as he unmounted the wagon. Thunderwolf stayed back plotting while they talked about the next cruel task they'll force Thunderwolf to do. Thunderwolf thought and thought, but he couldn't think of an idea to distract them. Eventually, his time ran out.
Chapter 4- RunawayThey looked at Thunderwolf with plans of black, but Thunderwolf looked back with plans of grey, for that his plan wasn't thought out. As they closed in on him, like a miracle, a rainbow colored shokwave appeared in the distance as a loud boom followed. The three looked and stared with awe. Thunderwolf took that opportunity and tuned around and jumped on his fore hooves giving a strong buck to Rough Edge's face, knocking him unconscious, tumbling over Bullseye and Rust. Thunderwolf sprinted as fast as he could to the forest. As he ran, he heard a yell, "Launch!!!". Thunderwolf looked up at a huge bolder heralding towards him. Thunderwolf ran faster, but the bolder landed, crushing his hind hooves. He cried out in pain. Thunderwolf heard the break; like stepping on a dry twig in the forest. Thunderwolf tumbled and rolled and stopped. Thunderwolf lied there in pain for awhile, but then he picked up his head and stomped his hoof down. "I can't let them catch me" Thunderwolf thought "What they'll do if they catch me will be worse" Thunderwolf opened his huge wings and flapped them as hard as he can. Thunderwolf flew from the ground straight up by fifty yards, stopping Rust and Bullseye in their tracks. Thunderwolf didn't know how to fly, but he knew how to lift off the ground... which was ironic since he was terribly frightened of heights, but loved speed. Thunderwolf didn't think of that right now, he had to loose them. Thunderwolf repeated his wing motion, casting him kilometers into the sky, to the point he couldn't see Rust or Bullseye, neither could they see him. He kept this pace till he got light headed, then passed out, his wings still open as he was limp, free falling to the earth below. Thunderwolf was able to gain consciousness and realize his situation. He tried flapping his wings, but they only made him flip and roll in the air. He put his wings out stiff, just to get him to an angle so he would be over the trees. Thunderwolf streaked into the dense canopy and clipped both of his wings on several trees. Thunderwolf hit the ground and knocked the wind out of him. He finally gave in to the stress, pain and fatigue. Thunderwolf blacked out once again. "They're all waiting for you" A female voice echoed in the pitch black dark realm Thunderwolf found himself in. "Huh? Who's waiting? And who are you?" Thunderwolf called back. "Your friends are, my dear. Don't give up" "Mom?" Thunderwolf called, "Mom, is that you" Thunderwolf's last call was unanswered, and only to be faded out by the waking world pulling him back, with pain, hunger and thrust clenching at his mind. Thunderwolf stood up, only to be met with the immense amount of pain from his hind hooves, causing him to fall back down, landings upon his clipped wing, which shot more pain throughout his body. Thunderwolf screamed and rolled back straight. Thunderwolf thought all hope was lost, and the cold unforgiving night wasn't helping that belief. "Don't give up" Thunderwolf said to himself under his breath. Thunderwolf looked up at a sharp rock, then he looked around and found dry vines that were strong. Thunderwolf smiled with determination and broke off the sharp rock and dragged himself to the vines and collected as much wood as he could from around him. Working through the night, carving the wood, fitting parts together, and fail after fail, Thunderwolf eventually crafted a small wooden wagon he could rest his hind body on as he pulled himself with his front hooves. The craftsmanship wasn't perfect, but he was still experienced so it held together under normal circumstances. Thunderwolf pulled himself to a river stream and took a sip. Thunderwolf knew it wasn't wise to drink un-purified river water, but he was too thirsty to wait and make a fire. Thunderwolf eliminated two of his inconveniences, and now he had to find food, and something to keep him warm in the winter nights. Thunderwolf searched and searched for anything to eat, but the forest he was in was too dark and dense to support any of the plants that produced the life nourishing fruits, herbs and spices that the Emerald Forest -Thunderwolf missed so much- had. The morning sun rose guiding Thunderwolf though the forest. Thunderwolf eventually decided to ignore the hunger and continued to look for something that would keep him warm. He looked and looked, but couldn't find anything. After a work filled night, and a day's worth of travel, he gently got off the wagon and lied down in the grass, moving a layer of leaves over himself to keep heat in. Thunderwolf closed his eyes and fell asleep, but it wasn't long till he was woken by the freezing cold, depriving him of his sleep. He moved back on the wagon and continued to travel. At this point, he just wanted to find a way out of this forest. He traveled from night till day, and had no luck of escaping the dreaded forest. Paths seemed similar, but at the same time different. He eventually saw something different, a hole. Thunderwolf knew a lot about animals, but he never seen one that could make a burro that big. He moved in closer and inspected the hole. He looked down the darkened void to be met with two yellow eyes. Thunderwolf backed up emerged a large, diamond dog. Thunderwolf knew diamond dogs before, and they were his dad's favorite traders. Thunderwolf smiled and reached out his hoof to greet him. "Hello, sorry if I disturbed you, my name is Thunderwolf" "Yack!" The diamond dog smacked Thunderwolf's hoof away, almost knocking him off his wagon, "Stay away from our gems!" Thunderwolf was confused, but then he assumed that he just got to close. Thunderwolf kept his smile and politely talked, "Excuse me, but do you know where Ponyville is?" "Eh?" The diamond dog said as he realized that Thunderwolf wasn't a threat, "Oh, oh yes... uhh" Thunderwolf smiled and raised his ears, waiting for his response. The diamond dog noticed how bad he wanted to know, and a smile creeped from one ear to the other. "Hmm, yes, yes, I know where Ponyville is" Thunderwolf smiled not even correcting himself for wagging his tail. "But, I have to ask one favor" the diamond dog said as he glanced back at a shovel, "How about you be a good friend, and help me find some shiny gems, then you'll get what you want" Thunderwolf smiled, "Sure, how much do you want me to find" The diamond dog placed the shovel in Thunderwolf's mouth and tuned around with the devious smile similar to the one before. "Oh, just a few" Thunderwolf worked like a well oiled machine with his mind burning with determination. The luminous sky lost its ray, leaving behind twinkling wonders. Thunderwolf dropped a green sapphire gem on a stack that was well over the wagons intended capacity. Thunderwolf smiled and looked up at the diamond dog, which was too busy in a mind battle with another diamond dog in a game of chess. Thunderwolf walked closer to him and tapped his shoulder, almost losing balance, "Uhh, sir, I've found a lot of gems" The diamond dog glared at Thunderwolf, but his jaw almost dropped off when he noticed the wagon over flowed with shiny gems. Thunderwolf smiled because he knew this was his talent he practiced with his mom. The diamond dog seemed to notice too, and turned back to his game as he waved his paw and signaled Thunderwolf to turn around. "A few more, then I'll tell you" Thunderwolf's ears lowered, but he turned and did what the dog said. The diamond dog and his friends were asleep and Thunderwolf continued to work under the new rule of less sound and more work. A warm, orange glow creeped from the hole where Thunderwolf entered, reflecting off of the three huge gem piles. The diamond dog woke up with a snort and looked around. His eyes widened at the site of the gems and how much the cave expanded only over night. He walked over to Thunderwolf, weekly swinging his pickaxe. Thunderwolf sniffled and coughed dropping the pick on the ground. The dog pulled himself away and looked at Thunderwolf with a weird look, "Eww! What is wrong with you" Thunderwolf coughed and looked up at him, "I think it was the river water..." The diamond dog looked onto Thunderwolf's eyes lined with crust from sleep depravity and sickness with disgust. "You know what" The diamond dog said as he pointed to the exit hole, "Deal's off, get out of here before you get everyone sick" Thunderwolf's ears lowered, "Bu- but" "Out! Now!" The dog rose his voice. Thunderwolf lowered his head and walked out. The morning sun shined on Thunderwolf's nose, causing him to sneeze. He looked forward to the hazy world ahead as he remembered when his health was bad, his need for eye glasses increased. Aimlessly walking through the cold, Thunderwolf looked up and shivered at the memory of fear he had when he flew. As his eyes were glued to the sky, he tripped over a root, sending him tumbling down a rough slope, breaking his wagon into small prices. Thunderwolf's vision was even more blurred from the trauma. Thunderwolf dragged himself saying, "I will not give up" over and over. He pulled himself out of the forest and onto a dirt road. Thunderwolf's vision started to fade and blur and his strength began to die. He heard a light thump and looked forward to see a basket. He looked up and saw a blurred yellow pony figure with light pink hair. Thunderwolf's vision faded to black, and his conscious slipped away.
