Was it a bad sign that most of the nurses on staff knew her by name? Yes, Ponyville was a small town, but it truly said something when more than one pony knew Fluttershy’s medical history by heart. At least they knew what medicines she was allergic to.

It wasn’t her fault that the town was a magnet for danger.

The timid little mare trotted down the hospital corridors. She sneezed as she tucked a lock behind an ear. Familiar place or not, it carried that chemical smell that burned her nose.

“Two zero three...” she mumbled to herself. The stairs had put her at the other end of the building, but, like the nurses knew her, Fluttershy knew the hospital’s layout. Applejack’s room number wasn’t hard to find.

Nurse Redheart walked out of Applejack’s room just as she arrived. “Miss Fluttershy, welcome. Your friend’s inside.”

“Is she alright!? I just got the word. I know I’m a little late but I live outside of town and—”

“It’s not a problem at all. I’m sure she understands. I saw wounds like hers during my time as an army surgeon, so I’m telling you she’s fine; they’re quite mild. In fact, I think I heard the doctor say she could be discharged today if she’s feeling up to it.”

All Fluttershy heard was that Applejack was attacked by some animal and had to be hospitalized. Was Redheart just trying to soften the blow of seeing Applejack in a wretched state?

“...Are you sure?”

Redheart smiled warmly. “Of course, Fluttershy. She’s fit as a fiddle, and as grumpy as any Apple would be when forced out of the fields. Now go in there. She’s waiting for you.”

Redheart nudged Fluttershy’s flanks forward and the pegasus reluctantly walked in. Was it really as bad as she thought?

The moment she stepped through the door, she was smothered in a sea of hugs. All of her friends were here, and with the addition of the Apple family, the room was bursting with ponies.

“Land’s sake, I’m fine—Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy let out a sigh. Applejack was hooked up to a sea of monitors and bandages, but was none the worse for wear. Gauze covered her breast and legs in patches.

“I thought you were eaten by a manticore.”

Applejack reached for her plate of cold breakfast and tossed an over easy egg at Rainbow Dash. “Blame her for puttin’ words in mah mouth like I wrastled some dragon or other. Shoulda seen the look on Twilight’s face when she came in.”

Twilight, sitting in a corner with a book, looked sheepish. “I must admit, Applejack, I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“Don’t rightly know if that’s a compliment or not.”

“Applejack woulda taken a dragon in a straight fight, I know it!” Pinkie balanced on her hind hooves and delivered a few practiced punches. “With a left and a right and a kerpow!”

Pinkie flipped and spun. “He’d be on his back!”

“‘n I woulda tanned both their hides.” Granny grumbled. She rapped her walking stick on Applejack’s bed. “What was you thinkin’?”

Applejack huffed indignantly. “I can take care of mahself, Gran. Thought it was either Mac or some bum with sticky hooves.” She side-eyed Rainbow Dash.

“What?” the pegasus exclaimed.

“Whatever the reason or the result,” Twilight interjected, “we are all glad that you’re fine.”

Being a little on the pudgy side and shorter than most, Twilight wasn’t all that imposing of a figure. Standing on a chair, she addressed the room and even impulsive Granny Smith gave her the room.

“Now after the breakin yesterday, tensions might be a little—”

“Wait, breakin? Where? When?” Applejack interrupted.

This was news to Fluttershy, too. “I never heard about that either.”

Twilight held up a hoof. “There was a breaking at the castle yesterday. Nothing was taken, no pony got hurt,” she added as Applejack opened her mouth. “That’s not important right now. The police are already investigating. Now Applejack. Everyone’s here, so why don’t you start from the beginning. What happened last night?”

Applejack huffed and picked at a bandage, something that caused Rarity great offense. “Now dearie, please don’t pick at the bandages if you don’t want them to get infected.”

The earth pony huffed again, and sneezed. “I’ll stop pickin’ if you stop comin’ to the hospital with three different perfumes.”

Rainbow snorted and saddled up to Rarity as the seamstress blushed. “Is Rares hoping to pick up a hunky doctor?” Rainbow sniffed and backed off. “Jeez, Rares, Applejack’s right. Lay off on the Eau de Stank.”

“I think we’re getting a little off topic,” Twilight said above the noise.

“Alright!” Applejack shouted. She brushed a hoof across her scalp. “Where’s mah hat?”

Big Mac walked forward, the familiar stetson in hoof. It was marred with grass and dirt stains, and Fluttershy distinctly saw a claw mark across the brim. Applejack sighed, adjusted her hat, and began.

“Woke up hearin’ something in the dead of night. It’s usually just some critter or Mac checking up on the animals. Or somepony filching from the stock.”

“I didn’t do it!”

“Whatever it was, you did it, Dashie. Anyway, got me a lantern and walked out to the west orchard. ‘s the closest to the Everfree, but ya don’t get bigger ghoulies comin’ so close to town or the farm. Even if it was a monster, shoulda been somethin’ ah could handle. If not, house was in shoutin’ distance. Got me a lantern and rope. Light normally scares off varmints and thieves, so I followed the sounds to the shed. Kinda thought it was a pony wantin’ to steal some farm equipment, but...”

At this, Applejack trailed off. She rubbed the bandages on her chest.

“It’s okay, Applejack. We’re here for you,” Fluttershy comforted. She wasn’t sure if Applejack heard her.

“Ah remember chains. Don’t know what it was doin’ in the shed, but ah knew real quick ah wasn’t dealin’ with no pony. Somethin’ about that sound. Sounded almost like a cryin’ pony, but...”

Applejack shivered. A little form stood on her hindhooves and nuzzled against Applejack’s foreleg. Fluttershy didn’t even see Applebloom hiding on the other side of the hospital bed.

“Next thing ah knew, the monster’d come right through the door like a stampeding bull. Smashed it like it ain’t nothin’ even though it was locked from the inside. Came right at me but ah got away. Chased me through the orchard. Wouldn’t stop fer nothin’. Ain’t seen a wolf quite like it. Never. Got me as everyone in the house came runnin’ out the door. Clawed and bit me up, it did. ‘Bout then, ah’d caused enough ruckus that Mac ‘n Bloom found me. It skedaddled into the forest. No way to find it in there. After that... well, don’t rightly know.”

“Yer wool-head plum passed out, yougin’.”

What? Were there any words in that?

“Wolf,” Twilight cut in. “You said wolf.”

Applejack blinked and plucked at her chest. “Yeah. Had eyes like a Timberwolf. Didn’t act like a wolf, though. And I know fer a fact that it had fur. Saw it with mah own eyes.”

Twilight bit her lip and shook her head. “There are no Timberwolves with fur.”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed.

“Ah know what ah saw.”

“I’m not saying that, Applejack,” Twilight tried to say, “and no one’s mad at you. We’re just worried and glad you’re fine.”

“‘s not like I imagined the thing. It dun did this to me.”

At that, Applejack pulled back the gauze on her breast. Fluttershy could feel the very air in the room shift.

“What...?”

Everypony’s eyes were drawn to her breast. Fluttershy’s were on the gauze. They weren’t stained with blood. Where there should have been a vicious bite mark was nothing other than smooth skin and Applejack’s fur.

“It bit me. Ah know it bit me. Ah could feel it!”

“Applejack—”

“Think I’m making it all up, Twi?”

“AJ, it’s kinda hard to say that when you’ve been scratched up. Stop being wool-headed.” Rainbow Dash pondered the words just as they left her mouth and then shook her head. “Dang, only Granny make that one work.”

“Darn, tootin’!”

“Still, that leaves a wild wolf skulking about.”

“Rarity’s right,” Twilight said. “We have a wolf to find.”

“Applefest’s a’comin’,” Big Mac said quietly. “With Applejack shacked up, none left to spare.”

Twilight shook her head. “True, an Apple knows the fields best, but if this wolf entered the forest, we need a tracker. Zecora’s out of town, but we have a pony who knows the woods even better.”

“Who?’ Fluttershy asked. Twilight looked at her. And stared. “Oh...”

“You know how wolves behave and the ins and outs of the forest better than anyone, Fluttershy. If anyone can figure out what we’re dealing with and stop it, it’s you. All we need is a few moments of your time, Big MacIntosh, so she has a place to start.”

“Ah’ll show her,” Applebloom volunteered. “It’s the old west orchard shed.”

Twilight nodded and clapped her hooves together. “Then it settled. Fluttershy, are you up to it?”

Anything to help a friend.

“This here’s the shed.”

Applebloom pointed toward a sorry looking structure that, even without the splintered door, looked ready to collapse in on itself.

“We’ve been meanin’ to fix it up for a while now, but we hadn’t no time.”

“Right.” Fluttershy took a deep breath. “Okay, Applebloom. I’ll take things from here.”

It wasn’t much to go on, but other than Twilight with a month’s research at her back or Zecora, there were none better suited for the job.

“I gotta ask, Fluttershy. Ah know what we’re dealin’ with, but he really necessary?”

Applebloom pointed behind the pair of them to where Harry Bearington the grizzly was chewing on an old boot.

“He insisted.”

Applebloom looked as Harry, then to Fluttershy, then back at Harry.

“...Alright then.”

It was an old, dusty shed that held little more than irrigation supplies, fertilizer, shovels, an old tree shaker, and some other farming equipment. The air was dusty, but Fluttershy could see what items were cleared of dust enough to show active use in the preceding months. Not much worth looking at there. The tree shaker was pretty large and blocked her view of the rear wall.

“Are there any back doors?”

“Nope. Just the front. What’s left of it.” Applebloom kicked at a splinter.

That brought her to the obvious. Great iron hooks were screwed into the floor. Applejack once said their use was for ratchet straps. Whoever was in the shed last might not have had the same idea. Several hooks were looped with sturdy iron chains and manacles. New ones. The monster had been deliberately locked inside.

...Did a pony just try to kill Applejack?

Fluttershy looked behind her. Harry was watching her quietly. Applebloom hugged the door and didn’t dare go inside, but it was clear she saw the same thing she did.

Fluttershy sniffed. With the doors open, the myriad of smells were diluted with the open autumn air, yet she could still detect a faint hint of iron. Blood. Fluttershy looked close to the floor, searching.

There. Thin blood splatters, equidistant, with a castoff trail. Claw marks. Could be a wolf. Timberwolf blood glowed with nature magic. Wait, was it? Or was that just the daylight? Hmm...

Either way, that begged the question: why would a wolf hurt itself?

“Where did Applejack go after here?” Applebloom pointed west towards the forest. “Alright, Applebloom. I’ll be going with Bearington. You stay home until I get back.”

Applebloom’s response was immediate.

“No! My sister just got mauled by a wolf! Ah’m gonna help find it! Least find it’s lair so it won’t do it to another pony.”

“Applebloom, I know the forest better than anypony here.”

“So? Me and mah friends go to Zecora’s place all the time.”

“There is a trail to Zecora’s house. A wolf won’t be using any trail. I need you to stay safe for your sister and tell her what happens when I come back. I need to tell Twilight, so we can tell them both at once.”

“If you come back,” Applebloom muttered. Fluttershy’s ears flattened. She was just upset. Her sister was in the hospital.

“I know you’re angry, Applebloom, but this is a wolf we’re dealing with. A wild one. You saw what it did to Applejack. I need you to stay here, even if I don’t come back.”

Fluttershy swallowed. It shouldn’t come to that, even without Harry, but there was always a chance.

Applebloom sighed in resignation. “Fine, but ah don’t have to like it.”

Luckily dealing with small animals had prepped her to deal with unruly children. Sweetie Belle tended to be worse. Applebloom usually had chores to keep her occupied. Sweetie was a terror when she put her mind to it. With a few more words and grumpy growls, Applebloom grudgingly cantered back home.

The trail of disturbed grass and broken twigs was easy enough to follow, and after hitching up her saddlebags, Fluttershy set out. With tracks, she might have been able to tell if it was a wolf or a timberwolf. Narrowing down the species would say a lot, but little rain in recent days and a warm sun had hardened the earth enough to provide her with no prints. Even Harry’s large form lumbered slowly behind her had trouble impacting the hardened ground.

He rumbled something as they neared the orchard’s edge. The Apples tilled and mowed as close to the Everfree’s edge as they could, but they never planted anywhere nearby.

“Where?”

Harry whined and snuffled close to one of the nearby apple trees. Fluttershy walked closer and Harry took a defensive posture as she examined his find.

Blood.

Lots of blood.

Fluttershy swallowed back the wave of bile. It can’t have been Applejack’s. She’s fine.

It didn’t help. The smell was enough to make Fluttershy’s stomach clench and she looked away.

“Deep breaths...”

The air was cool and crisp. She just had to get far enough away to not smell it. Deep breaths. She had a responsibility and needed to be strong for Applejack. Choking back an early breakfast that wanted to come up, she calmed her breathing enough to continue.

Harry yowled at her.

“I’m fine. Just...” She nodded towards the blood splatter.

Whatever happened, it caused a serious wound. Blood pooled in the grass between two trees. Fluttershy could see splatter on the leaves where something, presumably the wolf, thrashed about.

“This is where it got her.”

She didn’t remember hearing anything about blood from Applejack, at least nothing even close to what would cause this much. It should have stained her fur. Well, standard hospital procedure would have been to wash Applejack in order to properly clean and disinfect her wounds. Hospital staff might not have noticed what was hers and what wasn’t. Since Timberwolf blood glowed, that would rule out one of them as the attacker. It was impossible to pass off luminescent blood as belonging to a pony or normal wolf.

So that meant there was a wild wolf in the Everfree.

“About eighty milliliters you think?”

Harry nodded.

It wasn’t enough to kill a pony, let alone a wolf, but left without proper medical attention, exsanguination would be guaranteed. The trail leading into the Everfree Forest didn’t make the prospects any more hopeful. Harry growled and lay down flat for Fluttershy. She crawled onto his back and now, mounted, was prepared for what awaited her. Taking a moment, she looked behind her. No Applebloom following her. Good.

The three biggest dangers of the Everfree were exposure, the plants, and the insects. The larger creatures rarely pursued ponies unless hungry, threatened, or frightened. Those that qualified were normally crepuscular or nocturnal, thus why Fluttershy was comfortable venturing out during the day. The Everfree was notorious for its monster activity to such an extent, it overshadowed its other dangers. Rockbiter spider venom would cause agonizing pain for days, and it was a coin toss what Poison Joke would do.

“Just stick to its trail, Harry.”

Injured as it was, the wolf would have stuck to a safe trail to avoid further troubles and predators. Harry sniffed about, but it wasn’t hard to track the beast’s path. Bright red blood clung to roots and branches alike. Sometimes she would ask Harry to walk in circles around a droplet of blood so the pair of them could pick up the wolf’s trail and find the next blood drop or disturbed patch of undergrowth. At one point the wolf must have collapsed against a tree; the entire base was caked with red.

“That’s far too much to survive.” Harry grumbled in agreement.

It wouldn’t be long. Whatever happened in the orchard, it was making the wolf bleed out. That was probably what saved Applejack’s life. It didn’t stop because other ponies were closing in, it wanted a safe place to lick its wounds.

The forest canopy was enough to make it seem like twilight hours. Some of the trees were hundreds of years old. In places, the leaves were so dense that it could be high noon on the summer equinox and be completely dark. Moss clung to tree trunks. There was little underbrush now; the trees were so large that the stole too much nutrients for larger plants to grow.

As Henry waddled up the crest of a hill, Fluttershy knew their trek was at an end. A still form lay at the base of a tree trunk. The forest was just light enough to see it, but not its species.

Fluttershy’s breath hitched in her throat.

She knew what she was seeing, but couldn’t believe it. He was there, completely still and unmistakable. The color drained from his cheeks. The horrible wound in his stomach. The impossible near luminescence to his blood.

Noteworthy was dead. Vines and brambles ensnared him as if he had been laying still for weeks, yet he couldn’t have been there for more than a day. His forelegs bore the remains of manacles and broken chains, undoubtedly linking him to the old shed. Something small and shiny protruded from his stomach. The vines and bark gave the wound a wide berth and the skin looked almost infected.

Fluttershy slid off Harry’s back.

“...Mister Noteworthy?”

Silence.

“Okay...” she breathed. “Okay... Go now, Fluttershy, and Celestia help you.”

And there went her legs.

As the darkness overtook her and Harry rushed to her aid, Fluttershy couldn’t help but give a drunken smile at the strangeness of it all. A wolf that was not a wolf, glowing blood that was pony blood, and the very forest almost consuming a pony’s corpse.

That wasn’t the strangest thing.

No, the strangest thing of all was Noteworthy died with a peaceful smile on his lips.

Author's Note

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