The Brothers Don't

Macintosh's eyes snapped open. Sharp, glittering teeth of solid ice hung inches over his face. Behind the wolf, Flash Sentry hovered on armored wings; each of his hooves held a small blade, and each blade had pierced through one side of the winter wolf's skull.

"Close one!" Flash said, tossing the body aside. It crumbled into chunks of snow by the dying fire. "You up yet, Macintosh? We could use whatever you've got in you!"

Blearily, Macintosh turned his head.

Shining Armor lowered his head and sprinted through the body of a winter wolf. Another came at him from the side, biting into his armor. Shining used his magic to dislodge the beast's teeth, then turned and smacked it in the snout with the back of his hoof. A third wolf leapt at him from behind. He raised his hind legs and bucked, smashing the wolf's face into frozen powder.

Macintosh's vision cleared a bit and focused on Zecora. She was a whirlwind of black and white, and he couldn't tell which stripes were on her body and which were from motion blur. Naked and armed with nothing but a stick of enchanted bamboo, she spun toward, jumped on, and cracked open one wolf after another at a dizzying rate.

Flash Sentry swooped down from above. The stormy winds challenged his balance, but he managed to stab at least one wolf with every quick descent, then rose into the swirling fog just overhead. Another dive, another stab. It drew the attention of many winter wolves, nervously scanning the skies, giving Shining and Zecora the opportunity to attack.

"...Spitfire?" Macintosh groaned. His eyes swiveled weakly in their sockets. "Where's...?"

A thunderclap burst from somewhere high in the sky. Every wolf, pony, and zebra froze in place and listened. An electric buzz filled their ears, swiftly growing in volume.

"Get down!" shouted Shining Armor. He and Zecora hit the snow; Flash Sentry pumped his wings, zipping past the camp and away from the battlefield. Macintosh swung his legs, teetering off the edge of the cot and crawling underneath it.

The wolves looked toward the crackling sound. Through the clouds, a bright blue surge of lightning soared down at them. They howled and scrambled to escape, but Spitfire was too fast. She burst through the tightest pack of them at full speed. Bolts of lightning shot out from her dark trail. Dozens of wolves exploded or melted on impact. Shining Armor leapt to his hooves and quickly beheaded a couple survivors.

Spitfire and Flash Sentry looped around and regrouped. Zecora and Shining crouched hoof-to-hoof; Flash and Spitfire landed hard on either side of them, casting a flurry of snow into the wind.

Only fifteen wolves stood their ground when the flakes had settled. Their yellow eyes ignited and glowed brighter than ever. Their bodies turned to slush and rushed toward each other, joining into a massive tower of ice some fifty feet from Team Harmony.

"What's going on?" Flash shouted.

"They're... joining together!" said Spitfire.

"Timberwolves can do this, too," Zecora said. "Captain, we all look to you."

Shining Armor watched as the column of ice reformed, sprouting legs, a tail, and finally an enormous head with eyes that burned like two ferocious Suns. The gigantic creature howled into the storm, and its voice shook the ground beneath their hooves.

"I... I..." Shining stuttered.

From behind them, a deep voice rumbled, challenging the giant wolf with characteristically few words.

"I got this."