Nine Realms

There was no question about it, Asgard was an impressive place to look at. From the grand palaces, to the elaborate walkways that led from one place to another, it really did seem like there was no element of this realm that didn't exist to impress. But, while most of the Equestrians were gawking at the marvels of this place, there was one among them who was not so enamoured, and that was Fluttershy. Given that it would be some time before they had their audience with the King of this realm, the ponies had all gone their separate ways for the time being, to look around and enjoy what this realm had to offer. But Fluttershy, being Fluttershy, was still longing for the forests of Vanaheim. This realm here? It just didn't "wow" her in the way that it did her colleagues, and this was not helped by the fact that, given what she'd seen here, there were few, if any animals living here, save for the occasional raven that flew high overhead.

A long sigh escaped her, letting it known to all how dissatisfied she was. But then, after a few minutes of walking through the less populous parts of the city, her ears perked up. It was a sound, and one she knew well. A whining that could only come from some kind of animal in distress. Now, being the kind of person that she was, Fluttershy could not and would not allow a sound like this to go un-investigated, and so, after looking around for a bit, she finally picked up on the direction the sound had come from, and so rushed forward to try and find whatever poor creature needed her help. On and on she ran, passing many an Aesir on the way, though these latter people had largely learned to ignore the ponies during their time here. There came a time, however, when Fluttershy turned one corner in particular, and while she was sure that she was getting close to the source of the sound, what she saw there ahead of her did not inspire confidence.

"...Oh dear."

There, in a dark and secluded edge of the city, there appeared to be what looked like a miniature fortress, looking not at all as appealing as the rest of the buildings in Asgard. But, from what Fluttershy could hear, that was where the sound was coming from, so she knew she had to get inside. The only problem was that the front gate of this place was heavily guarded, with at least half a dozen Aesir standing there, all equipped with large and dangerous weapons. Realising that she'd have to be smart about this, Fluttershy kept to the shadows, trying to go around the building and find some other way in. On and on she looked, never letting her eyes stray from this place, until finally, with a smile creeping onto her lips, she nodded.

"There we go!"

Sure enough, there appeared to be a small hole right at the base of the building, on its far side. It would have been too small for any of the Aesir to get in, but for her, it would simply be a tight squeeze. So, with this opening now known to her, Fluttershy took her chance, creeping quietly towards it. Thankfully, she was always known as the silent one among her friends, so she attracted no notice. Once it came down to the business of getting through the hole, however, things proved somewhat more difficult. Oh, she could get through, but not without tremendous effort, and she had to be sure not to let out any grunts of effort, lest the guard hear her. But, with great determination, she made it through. However, upon having done so, a look of horror came to her, for at last, she had finally seen the one who had called.

"Goodness!"

It was a wolf, but one far larger than any she had ever laid eyes upon. In truth, its scale was more akin to an Alpha Timberwolf than any wolf she'd ever encountered in her life. Laying upon the ground, it was heavily bound with iron chains, which secured every limb, wrapping tightly around its grey and ragged fur. All of this culminated in a large metal muzzle that held its mouth shut. Naturally, such a sight was far from pleasant, and Fluttershy, ever willing to feel sympathy for the plight of captive animals, looked to this creature with tears in her eyes. She walked forward, again trying to be as quiet as possible, but even so, the ears of the beats perked up, and its bright green eyes snapped open. As soon as it saw her, it growled menacingly, but this did not deter Fluttershy, who simply smiled to it.

"Don't worry...I'm here to help you."

The creature's growling ceased, at least for now, and it looked to her inquisitively, allowing her to take a few steps closer.

"Tell me...what's your name?"

The wolf, though appearing hesitant, soon let out another growl. But this was no sound of aggression, like before, but rather a lower, softer sound. After a few moments, Fluttershy smiled.

"Fenrir? That's a pretty name."

Then, her smile faded, and she looked to all the uncomfortable-looking chains it was kept in.

"Why are you here? Like this?"

Again, the beast growled, and Fluttershy soon frowned in response.

"The Aesir put you here? How terrible!"

Slowly, she glanced around.

"Well, don't you worry, Mr Fenrir! Fluttershy's here to help!"

Eventually, and after some careful thought on her part, she found what she was looking for. It was the bolts that connected Fenrir's chains to he floor and walls. Flying over, she began to yank on them, but, as one would expect, they were tight, and not so easily moved. Continually, she refused to let go, and Fenrir watched with increasing interest as, little by little, the tiny pony began to actually cause the bolts to budge. It took a long, long time, but at the end of it, the chains were finally loose, and Fluttershy moved to each one in turn, setting them out and ensuring they were no longer secured. Feeling this, Fenrir gave an almighty shrug, casting his bindings off. Fluttershy, seeing him unfettered, smiled warmly.

"Now, doesn't that feel better?"

The wolf looked to her, wagging its tail slightly, only for Fluttershy to then be struck with the realisation that his muzzle was still on. So, flying over to him, she reached out and undid the ties that kept it firmly upon its mouth. Within moments, it fell to the floor, and Fenrir stretched out his mouth for the first time in who knew how long. Fluttershy, naturally, was giddy at having freed this creature, but not so much so that she did not know what needed to be done next.

"Now then...follow me."

Curious, Fenrir followed her, seeing her reach the tiny gap that she'd come in through. Once there, the mare tilted her head.

"Okay...now we just need to figured out how to get you through here."

But, it appeared as though Fenrir was one step ahead of her in this regard, for soon, he gently nudged her to one side with his paw, before promptly starting to dig and scape at the opening, widening it so as to allow him through. However, through that entire process, Fluttershy had to visually signal to him to keep quiet, just in case the nearby guards heard them. Fenrir, apparently, understood her signs, and so set to work in a more stealthy manner. Much like with his chains, it took a great deal of effort and much time to do, but eventually, the work was done, and the great beast began to squeeze himself out to freedom. Fluttershy followed, and once outside, she smiled widely to her now-unbound friend.

"Go, Fenrir...you're free!"

The creature turned, and after a moment of hesitation on his part, he leaned closer, opening his mouth and giving her a friendly lick on the side of her face. Fluttershy giggled to this, then watched with pride as Fenrir turned around and started to scamper off. Where he was going, she did not know, but, what she did know was that, in her heart, she was happy with what had happened here.

"Well, Asgard might not be my cup of tea...but at least I can say I've done some good while I was here."