Wolfahya, White Wolf: Hybrids Awaken

by Zekira G. Drake

Chapters

The Overdrive Substance
The First Encounter
The Arctic Forces
The Other Spy?
The Stubborn Memory
The First Memory Piece
The First Letter
The Harmony Border

The Overdrive Substance

"Make sure that nothing intereferes the research. Surely that should be easy enough?"

"..."

"...what?! All of the scientists are gone...?!

...mmmph...?!"

[PoV ID: 3]
"Fluttershy? Surprising to see you here. Is something the matter?"

Fluttershy usually doesn't come around these parts on regular days like this, so I wonder why she's here.

"Y-yes... well, not exactly, but um..."

She has someone with her wearing a large cloak, I can't see well who it i-

"AAAAAH! Fluttershy! Wha-"

"Shhh! Tw-twilight, please! Don't draw anymore attention to us than there already is..."

"P-please! I come in peace..."

"It... it can talk?"

"Yes I can talk."

"Twilight, this is um, 'Wolfahya'... did I get the name right?"

"Yes, yes that would be what I wish to be called."

"Oh, your name is really a mouthful to remember...
That pony in front of you would be Twilight Sparkle. She lives in this library."

"..."

W-why is he staring at me like that...?

"U-uuhhh, p-please stop looking at me so vi-viciously..."

"!
S-sorry! I was just a bit curious."

"Curious? About what?"

"I could swear your name sounds familiar in my head, but I don't know where and when I came across it."

That's weird. I don't know anypony with this name, let alone a wolf. And it's really a white wolf, wandering in inappropriate climate. It's impossible that we've met before. Maybe he has read about me or something? Well, I did kind of save the world twice.

"We-well, that sounds great, I must be getting popular or something.
I'd like to ask though. You're a genuine white wolf, yes?"

"Of course I am. What... what else would I be?"

"Then aren't you sweating like mad here or something? Shouldn't you be so dehydrated with your body being fit for cold climates?"

"Ah, I see where you're getting at. I've been to many places enough in that my body has already adapted to a lot of other temperatures. I'll be fine."

"So Fluttershy. Why exactly are you here again?"

"It's by his request. Actually, Twilight, come over here for a second."

Fluttershy pulled me to one corner and whispered.

"He was wounded badly when I found him, and he said that he wanted to go immediately after he woke up after I nursed him. So I needed an excuse to make him stay out of danger, so I brought him to Ponyville..."

"So why does it look like he's the one who wanted to come here?"

"After I described the place, he said something about buying new supplies and stuff like that, to get ready before he goes away again. And then he suddenly took interest of the library."

[PoV ID: 1]

What are they talking about there? I'm getting a bit suspicious here in as much as they're taking suspicion on me, but I guess it's best not to eavesdrop on them. I'll wait here patiently, though I really, REALLY wanna explore this vast library soon...

"Ooookay. So um, welcome. W-what brings you here today?"

Then I heard a separate voice come from afar.

"Okay Twilight, I've finished cove- whoa! Is that a white wolf?!"

Is that a dragon whelp?

"Y-yes I am. Is something the matter?"

"I dunno, it's just that I haven't actually seen a wolf in a long time."

"Spike, this is our guest, Wol...?"

"Wolfahya, White Wolf. That's all you need to know about me."

I don't intend to talk about who I am any further with other innocent creatures like themselves. I really don't want anyone else to get involved in what I do.

"Well, I was just wondering! No need to brush me off like that..."

"Anyway, I'd just like to explore around the place, if it's possible. I am fond of reading books, somewhat."

[PoV ID: 3]

Wow, maybe this is someone I can get along with.

"Really? That's great! What kind of books are you looking for?"

"Books about technology, magic, and if possible a bestiary of sorts?"

Interesting. While I certainly know exactly where all the books of magic are, I just realized I haven't actually touched too much on books about technology.

"Oh, you'd want help locating them I guess, seeing as how this library is large. The sections you are looking for would be-"

"No need, it looks like you've arranged the sections here in the correct alphabetical order. I can navigate on my own."

Looks like he won't be that much of a trouble at all. Hopefully he makes it quick, I need to get back to my research...!

"Hmm, up there."

"O-oh, we'll get it for y-"

...he can levitate with his horns...?!

"You can use magic?!"

"Why yes, yes I can. There's no need to worry about me."

"So um... can I trust you enough to not mess around anything in here? I kind of need to continue with what I was doing."

"Yes, I can assure such. Do not worry about me."

"Great! That's really great...!
Um... Fluttershy...? I'd like to ask you to, um... leave?"

"H-huh? W-why, Twilight...?"

"I'm doing something very important and I don't want anyone else seeing it, not even my best friends."

"B-but, Wolfahya..."

"I'm sure he won't mind what I'm doing, and he's actually doing something here in the library. Isn't it lunchtime though? You should really check back on your farm."

"W-well, I guess you're right...
Bye Twilight."

Quick, quick, close the door!

Whew... much better. I know it's a bit inconsiderate of me to just drive her away like that, but I absolutely just do not want to be disturbed at all right now. I am trusting this wolf enough to continue his quiet reading.

[PoV ID: 1]

'Collection of basic Rune Magic'. What exactly Rune Magic is, I don't know.
The alphabet used in this book looks unreadable, but it looks very familiar. Maybe there's a rosetta stone or something like that to allow me to read these? It's a book about 'basics' after all, I'll be very frustrated if there isn't anything that will help me read this.

I'll skip this one for now until I can find out how to read this. Let me get to the technology section.

...

'Canterlot's Laboratories'. Canterlot? That kingdom found high up there? This looks interesting.

...

Astounding. I thought equipment like this was only used by secret organizations such as the one that hired me. However, I see no traces at all of anything regarding 'enhancement'.

"That dreaded idea of modifying the biological state of a creature...! Just unthinkable! Absurd! Unethical!"

"Huh? Why are you screaming?"

Oops.

"I must have been thinking out loud, I'm sorry."

"Now that you got me listening all of a sudden, tell me more about what you just said. 'Modifying the biological state'? Like, pony experimentation?"

"Well, if you put it that way, yes, that's one variation of it. I don't want to discuss this with you right now; didn't you say you're busy with something?"

"Oh, yes that's right. Sorry."

Because I really don't want to discuss whatever I've found out so far. Not to ordinary citizens like them. That is, if my selective amnesia serves me right, she's an ordinary pony.

Gonna check out this book further, as this-

"Oh my!"

She dropped a glass beaker?! With huge amounts of some colored powder in it.

"A-ah? What happened? And be careful!"

"My hoof just slipped. If only holding things were easier...!
Spike! Spike! Sweep this quick before someone gets hurt!"

What, is that dragon her personal slave or something? I kind of don't like the way she treats him.

"W-wait, I need to get some slippers to be sure!"

"No need. I'll help."

Levitation of miniscule objects is harder than the normal level of levitation magic. The precision and area-concentration becomes very strict.

I've trained this back when I needed to clean up similar situations like this. Admittedly however, I have never tested it before with powdery substances.

"Wow, you're no ordinary magic user."

"If that's a compliment, then thanks."

"Of course it is, silly! I have a lot of trouble lifting objects this small consistently!"

No, it's not that, it's just that I haven't had anyone compliment me in a long time. Anywhere I go, I always get branded as the bad guy.

"Well you'll learn as the need to use the magic further arises.
Alright, carefully lift this pile... take the pieces of glass, carefully manuever them and... there! The glass shards have been laid out perfectly on the table with all the powder placed neatly atop them. However, I can't promise the purity of the powder. It did touch the floor after all."

"That's no problem, there's still a lot in this other jar."

"Well thank goodness. Be careful next time, OK?"

Seriously, if that thing slipped harder then chances are someone got pierced with a glass shard as it broke.

"Wait, um, why is your horn still glowing?"

"...?"

"It's like you're still expelling magic, but nothing is really happening."

What on earth... she's right! I do feel magic coming out from my horn, but I'm not even casting any spell at all!

It's beginning to hurt...! Why isn't it stopping?!

Wait a minute. That powder!

"Twilight Sparkle! T-take some of that same powder, and sprinkle it on me!"

"What?!"

"Just do it!"

As I only have one explanation as to why this is happening.

"Alright, here goes nothing!"

Fuaa...!

*cough cough*

"Power...! Incredible power...!"

As I suspected!

"W-what's going on...?!"

"Twilight Sparkle! Open the door! Quick!"

I ran to the door as she opened it. Pointing my horns to the sky, I let out a ridiculously loud howl which the entire town probably heard. A huge rainbow colored beam shot out from my horns, firing furiously at the sky.

This is using too much of my magic power, I'm going to tire easily! I wasn't expecting to encounter this material in a place like this!

"Aaaargh...!"

[PoV ID: 1]

Haaah... haaah... finally, my horn calmed down. Even though I can't see it, I think the entire town is probably looking in my direction right now.

"...Twilight Sparkle, please close the door. And lock it."

...?

She's just staring at me, mouth wide open and wide-eyed. I think she just got so shocked from what happened.

"Twilight Sparkle!"

"W-what! Y-yes, I'm sorry!"

I ran back inside the structure and shook my entire body.

This is not good. I can see that this is a pony that lives by curiosity. The fact that she's experimenting with these things confirms this impression of mine. If that's the case, then it seems like I have no other choice but to...

"...explain it to you."

"Y-yes, please do, I absolutely don't know what to think, seeing you like that!"

Sigh... here we go.

"However, can you please promise me that anything that I tell you here will be kept only in the corners of this room?
...that goes for you too, dragon whelp!"

"M-me?! D-don't mind me, I'm not listening!"

You're still hearing us though.

"If you say so.
Can I trust you with this information I'm going to impart to you, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Y-yes..."

"Alright. Show me what you've been experimenting on."

I was then lead to her desk. On it was a device with a very complex structure, something unordinary. However, this was not the first time I've seen this.

"The powder that you sprinkled me with is something that we call the 'overdrive substance'."

She... actually pulled out a notebook and pen.

"When come in contact with any sort of power source, it may cause said power source to produce excessive amounts of energy, at the cost of draining the required power that the source normally takes to exude that much.
You sprinkled me with quite a lot of said powder. The reason why I told you to do that was because my body can now tolerate this and endure the substance. However this lead to this certain level that it's possible my magic gets stuck in the gap between my body and outside of it, which will do severe damage to me if it's not released. Sprinkling me further with it allowed me to let go of the entire suspension of energy.
It's best that you don't mess around with this substance with anything that remotely resembles power, be it electricity or magic."

"Something of the sort exists? Wow."

"And this device that you've been tampering around with. This is actually an experimental version of an enhancement contraption."

"'Enhancement'? Is this related to what you shouted earlier? Looks like we will be talking about this after all."

"Yes, so please listen as I'll only say this once. I do not want to discuss this further as I worry that others are hearing us.

The group that discovered the Overdrive Substance have been experimenting with it ever since. After producing many new products, they decided to take it too far.

When I said 'modifying the biological state', I meant in a literal sense. Their final goal is to make a device that allows them to 'add' to living things, exceeding their limitations and giving them capabilities that seem unreal."

"Really? Then why do you make it sound like it's a bad thing?"

"Because it is!
Breaking the limits of the body will lead to very severe biological problems! However, this group believes that their experiments will circumvent this problem, which is just not the case! At least from what I've been seeing, anyone who has been chosen as test subjects have experienced problems with their body, eventually leading to their untimely demise!"

"That's horrible...!"

"Exactly! Now I do not know why this group persists on this foolish experiments.
And with this lecture, you just obtained a very good value of information about what I do and why I'm here."

"So you're in Equestria to hunt down these guys that you claim are going through with this experiment?"

"You can summarize it that way, yes."

"You keep saying 'this group'. Isn't there anything else you know about them? Like, their name of some sort?"

"Unfortunately no, I know not of such.
I went here because our radar back in my land detected a very suspicious disturbance here in this country specifically. It's up to me to find out where it is, and hopefully stop it before anything drastic happens."

"Have you even found any sort of leads that will confirm your supposed 'radar' is even correct?"

"Yes, definitely. Two leads, actually. The second one being this entire contraption that you have here."

"Oh...!"

"The first one, well, notice how wounded I am?"

"Yes, Fluttershy told me that she found you lying outside the Everfree Forest wounded so bad, and that she only agreed to take you here so that you don't have to go back with your, er, 'mission' so soon."

"..."

"W-well of course she was just probably joking and al-"

"No, that's completely fine. I understand.
Anyway, yes, I remember there was this group that attacked me in the forest. I was honestly searching innocently as I got lost in it. You can say that the attackers approached me very suddenly.
It leads me to believe that whoever is behind this already knows that I'm here for them."

"Oh my. That sounds awful... but I'm actually getting very interested in this!"

"What...?!"

Oh no, please don't get more involved than you already are!

"It's just like some of the fictions that I've read. A mercenary that comes wandering around a foreign country for a certain goal that he doesn't know, and when everything unfo-"

"PLEASE JUST SHUT...!"

I shouted again...

"Aaaaaaaah!"

I seemed to have scared her off for good this time. She's suddenly trembling and unable to move properly.

"Look, I'm sorry for just growling at you like that. But you have to understand, I do not want you more involved than you already are! I should not be giving out any of this information!"

"O-okay..."

...

I feel guilty. Like, she should at least know up to the point that we've discussed.

"Alright, let's continue talking. I apologize."

"G-great! So you're not mad at me and you won't eat me?"

...enough with the cannibalism discussion, please! I might actually get too hungry and eat you ponies!

"No, no, no!
Anyway, so I was attacked in the forest and I got out. They weren't able to chase me out despite the entrance being open due to what we call the 'Harmony Border'."

"Harmony Border?"

"There's quite a bit to explain here. But all you should know is that as of current, those creatures chasing me down wouldn't be able to chase me, or anyone else, that can enter a Harmony Border. This entire town seems to be surrounded with it, extended by a few more miles in the radius. I guess it's safe here.
Oh wait, now I remember something; although I don't know any name of said group, I do know that they gave one codename for any creature involved in their activities: 'Hybrid'.

"Hybrid? That's an actual word in the dictionary. Now that I think about it, the name actually seems appropriate with what they want to achieve..."

"Exactly. I've figured out that they are not joking; they will push through with this goal, despite how worse its side effects are.
Where did you find this device?"

"My friend Applejack said that she found this weird thing just a few miles away from the Sweet Apple Acres."

"Did this 'Applejack' describe any weird activity near the site that this was spotted?"

"No... unless you consider a majority of apples suddenly rotting as weird."

"How old were those apples?"

"She didn't say."

"I need to investigate it! Is it possible you can take me there quickly?!"

"W-wait, please! Let me just check my schedule..."

Schedule, really? Wow, talk about being too organized! But I guess that's not a bad thing.

"W-well, I didn't have any time today due to the the experiment on this contraption, but since you already told me what exactly this does, I think my schedule suddenly got freed up all of a sudden..."

"That's great! Please, if I may ask, escort me to this 'Sweet Apple Acres' facility that you speak of!"

"I can definitely do that, but you seem so fired up about this..."

"Don't hide it, I know you are too. The facade of your expressions are weak."

I can tell because I've been faced with many liars before. Been fooled so many times as well, so I trained myself to identify when the subject I am talking to is telling the truth or not.
In this case, she actually shakes her hooves a little bit too much when she slows her voice down.

"A-actually, yes I am! I am still very, very interested in this mission of yours!
I'm sorry, but I must say this in a demanding manner; take me with you! I could use a bit of adventuring!"

What?!

"This is no simple adventure, Twilight Sparkle! Surely you understand that much!"

"Well fine, let me rephrase it: 'a quest to gain more knowledge' would be fit enough for you? Huh?!"

Oh no, as I have feared, looks like there's no talking her out of this now.

"..."

I don't know what to say. I need to force her out.

"Please...?"

What... what's with those eyes all of a sudden?!

Stop! Stop staring at me like that!

!!!

"...OK fine! Just please do not be a nuisance and don't let your excitement disturb me!"

"Yes! Thank you so much! We should go right away!"

"But what about your house? Surely you just don't leave it like this?"

"Oh it's fine, the ponies here are trustworthy enough. Plus Spike and Owlowiscious here take care of the library superbly!"

Great, she also has an owl as a slave?

"Hmph, leaving without me again..."

"Don't worry Spike, you're my #1 assistant for a reason, and I will always be grateful for that!"

The excitement in her voice tells me that her words aren't going to comfort the dragon whelp at all.

"Anyway! Please, show me to this area quickly."

"Right! Just please follow me!
Oh, and... put the cloak back on if you really don't want to draw attention."

"Oh, thank you."

[PoV ID: 2]
Communicator's still jammed. Can't find a suitable substitute for quite a number of weeks now.

If I'm to go by my orders then there is no need for me to be sending constant reports. It's up to me to find the mastermind of this project. I shall take his remains as proof for the mission being completed.

I must admit, however, that these Hybrids have been formidable. It's taking me weeks to infiltrate their entire base. A smart architect must have designed this entire plan to keep me away from it as much as possible.

"Take me to your boss!"

"Hah, we'll never talk."

"Even by my blade...?"

"You wouldn't really wanna dare kill us. You may have kidnapped us stealthily, but you left so much traces for an entire army to corner you!"

...?! Tch, he's right. I can feel all the eyes of the facility watching me. I don't remember leaving any sort of trace at all. How did they...?

"Hmph. I've entered your base undetected and kidnapped your entire research team. What makes you think an entire army is going to hinder me at all?"

"There's one thing you have to remember, spy... you're still in our facility. You may not think that we're not prepared for attacks, but with what you just did, we're more than ready to take you down here..."

If this is just like the last time, then their next move would be...!

ATTENTION. DATA TRANSFER HAS BEEN COMPLETED. THE FACILITY WILL SELF-DESTRUCT WITHIN 60 SECONDS. ALL UNITS HAVE 1 MINUTE TO EVACUATE.

Ugh...!

"So. The great Phantom Vajura, dying in a massive explosion. Not so great now are we?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to untie you here, I have no use for you! Die in this facility if you must!"

"...heh, naive as usual."

Is that an entire aircraft?!
Darn it, they're getting away!

"Bye-bye, worthless pony! There's a reason you ordinary non-hybirds are such weaklings!"

Is he mocking me? You hybrids are the weaklings.

No time for that, I have to escape...!

The First Encounter

"Vajura to HQ. Do you copy? Do you copy?"

"...Vajura... where are you...?"

"...this is Vajura, leaving a message, even though I'm unsure if this will even reach.
Report as of this day: the mission will drag on for approximately at least another week. Vajura out."

"I know you're alive, but please come back soon..."

[PoV ID: 4]
Wow, ah'm startin' to think that the slow-growing season came a wee bit too early! If this keeps on, eventually none of the apples will be ripe enough for eatin'...!

"Calm down y'all, we'll be stockin' more soon!"

This ain't good at all! We oughta find a new place for more trees, or else...!

"But for now y'all gotta wait for the next fresh bunch!"

Ah really don't know how this'll all end up...! There oughta be a reason why all this is happenin'!
There's one pony here that'll know what the hay is goin' on!

...well would you look at that! Just the pony I needed!

[PoV ID: 1]
The more I look at the place, even it is the second time, the more I'm envious of the environment of this town. I thought the inevitable time of war is coming yet again, but it seems that there is indeed a glimmer of hope. The amount of Harmony Essence in this place is astounding! The Chaos Essence also seems to be regulated as well.

"Mr. Wolfahya?"

I wish I could live in a place like this.

"Errr, Wolf...?"

It's like a dream that I've never sought.

"Wolfahya..."

If I go home, would I feel the same aura of peace...?

"Wolfahya!"

"...oh, sorry! I was just spacing out. So are we here?"

"Yes, this is the spot. But I really can't help but notice everyone looking at us as we were walking here."

"...I'm already used to it, don't worry. But, I'd like to say this now: thank you for trusting me this much."

"Well, I've dealt with a lot of ponies and even other creatures before, I actually know when somebody is lying or not."

"Really? You can read minds?"

"No, I've read this book about how lying works. It's about the natural mannerisms that someone does when they lie! I've actually gotten pretty good at it. My friend Applejack also exhibited these back in that time when Discord turn the entire world upside down..."

Discord...? The deity of chaos himself?

Twilight Sparkle, and the Discord Incident. Why does this all seem just too familiar? More importantly, why can't I remember why the hell I know what she's talking about?

"Ah, OK I don't think I need to inquire even further.
Speaking of which, that Applejack is the same Applejack that we are about to meet?
...is it that orange pony over there?"

An orange pony with freckles and a cowboy-styled hat approached us quickly.

"Twilight! Glad y'all can be here! Uh, who's tha-"

"Applejack, please don't be surprised when you see him."

I remove the head part of the cloak to reveal myself.

"Whoaaaaaaa! T-Twilight! Why'd you bring in a wolf in this here farm?!"

"Relax, relax! He's not here to eat us. I would know."

Sigh... I wonder if there's a day where I won't be thought of as eating them.

"Greetings. Call me Wolfahya, white wolf."

"Applejack, he's here to help out explaining what happened on your farm recently."

"To be specific, I would like to investigate on the farm, if you will allow me."

Hm? Why are all of the ponies leaving? Was it because I arrived? Yeah, everyone will naturally go away at the sight of me. Not surprising.

"Well, we've been runnin' out of apples lately due to only a few of the trees actually bringing us good apples to eat! Ah'm thinking that we might need to produce a new fresh bunch'a trees or else we'll eventually be runnin' out of business!"

"Ah... hopefully you don't need to do that. Personally, apples are my favorite fruits."

"Oh? Well that perks up mah hopes! Hopin' you could help out well, even if you do look like you're gonna eat us alive!"

Can they PLEASE stop mentioning that...?!

"...okay, I will.
First, you can help me by leading me to the location where you found this odd device."

I brought out the peculiar machine that Twilight Sparkle was keeping in her library.

"It's that thing again... Follow me."

We were then lead to a middle of a very organized field of apple trees.

"Well, this is the spot."

"If you don't mind me asking, can you describe anything you observed when you found this?"

"Well, ah was in the middle of doing the daily rounds of applebuckin' like usual, when suddenly ah heard a crashin' sound from this area! Next thing I knew, all the apple trees near here had all of its apples fall off, all rotten and unfit for eatin'!
Not only that, the other apple trees are gettin' sick one by one!"

This is bad, it's possible that the Overdrive Substance is spreading on the soil itself.

"That's it? Did you see anything suspicious?"

"Well, after that, some ponies came to the farm and tried force their way inside. Of course, me and Big Mac wouldn' just let anypony come in here when a disaster like this happens!"

Could those be the Hybrids, I wonder?

"We taught 'em good. But they said something like "We'll be back, we WILL get the device!" or somethin' like that. Ah think they'll be back sometime soon, and we're all ready to beat 'em up again when they do!"

Somehow, that isn't comforting at all. Who knows how powerful the Hybrids really are? Next thing we know, it might be an entire army of them coming in here.

"I'm kind of glad to hear that..."

"But that's not solvin' our problems at all! The trees are all producing bad apples!"

"Yes, let me get to that. Do you have a shovel by chance?"

"I have one, Mr. Wolf. But it's all the way back in the library."

"Please retrieve it. It would help if we can dig this spot faster."

"Now hold your hooves just a minute! You sayin' we DIG this spot right here? Now that's somethin' I won't let you do!"

"Applejack, let me have your reasoning here a bit. I understand that you want to keep this place as neat as possible, but please trust me here; I can potentially save your trees if you'll allow me to do this. I have a very, very good idea what is going on. I have no time to explain that right now, we have to act quickly. May I ask for your cooperation?"

"You can... save mah trees?"

"In theory, these trees are just uh, 'sick'. Yeah that's the best word I can describe what's going on. And they'll continue to be sick if we don't remove the thing that's making them sick. The soil itself seems to be infected, and any tree you plant in the vicinity won't even grow. If not tended to quickly, the infection will spread and eventually there would be no more soil to plant anything on! Please, Ms. Applejack."

"...
Well, alright... Ah guess ah can trust you, with a guarantee that our trees'll be back in tip-top shape."

"I can guarantee you that. Just please, trust me."

"It's our best shot, Applejack. Let's get to work!"

[PoV ID: 2]
I was able to land on their air vehicle. But I can't find a way in.

It's not helping that it's currently entering a really thick cloud... I might fall off of this if things go bad. I need to find an entrance soon.

...

I hear something.

"Sir, we have arrived at the target location. We'll drop off the retrieval team and leave the area."

Target location? They're dropping off a retrieval team?

"Hey, you!"

They seem to be above this peculiar farm of apple trees...

"Get off there!"

I have to stop the retrieval team before-

"Intruder! Seize her!"

...?!

I've been spotted. Guess I need to make an escape yet again.

"Vajura to HQ. A hybrid airship was spotted hidden in a cloud above a farm with apple trees.
Vajura out, making an escape."

[PoV ID: 1]
"This is it. This pinkish powdery substance."

"What the hay is this?"

"Exactly what's making all these trees sick. This powder is spreading all over the soil, and we need to get these out."

"Alright, I guess we just have to pick them up quickly and-"

"Wait! Be careful with tha-"

...what? She isn't affected at all? This Applejack is scooping up the Overdrive Powder like it was just nothing! Isn't she feeling anything weird?

"Are... are you sure you're fine?"

"Eh? I feel great! Nothin' like a day's work!"

There must be an explanation as to why she can just hold it like that.

"Mr. Wolfahya? How come Applejack can just hold that Overdrive Substance with her own hooves...?"

"I would also like to know the same thing!
But no time for now, let's gather all of these up and isolate them in this container."

Fortunately the powder doesn't replicate itself. I will seriously be mad if this thing had the ability to do that.

Eventually we scooped up almost everything. If there's anything left, it shouldn't be having too much effect, and that the soil will eventually decompose the powers of the powder for good.

"Alright. Now we gotta put all the soil back in its place.
Ms. Applejack, it will take a while for the trees to be back in their previous condition. In fact, they might be better than what they used to be."

"...for real?!"

"Yes, it's possible that in a few days time, your harvest will even be more than what you usually expect."

Such is the effect of the Overdrive Substance. Depending on its usage, it can be for better or for worse. Used right, it can enhance the lives of everyone. Used too much, and we have things like the hybrids appearing...

"Wow... a... ah don't know what to say. If what you say is true then...!"

"Wait. I hear something. A lot of footsteps, coming in this direction. Wolfahya, Applejack, I'm going to see who it is."

I have a bad feeling about this.

The Arctic Forces

"It is not within the mission objectives to interfere with the activities of the citizens of the town.

My goal is just to find their base, destroy the entire project, and make sure all of its components are silenced.

Does it really matter how many other creatures die in the process?

...what will Wolfahya think?"

[PoV ID: 3]

Those sounds are definitely coming from hooves. Some ponies or other similar visitors are nearby, I guess. But looking at them from this distance, they look very unusual. I haven't seen anypony with those kinds of outfits before. Or even those looks.

"Uh, do you need something?"

"Where is that orange pony that runs this place? We'd like to have a word with her."

Is she talking about Applejack?

Hold on a minute. Could this be the mysterious ponies that she was telling us about just a while ago?

"You'd have to tell me first why exactly you're here."

"...ugh, I don't need any other ponies butting in! Long story short, she has something that belongs to us."

As I suspected, these might be the same group. And that they're after that mysterious device that Wolfahya analyzed.

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that. Frankly, this contraption you dropped here looks like something that has to go through the authorities. I can't let you take it just yet."

"And who are you to just be doing that? You're no authority."

"I may not be, but I AM a student of the Princess herself."

[PoV ID: 1]

Student of some princess...? Again, my memory is toying with me!

Twilight Sparkle, Discord Incident, Princess of Equestria... These bits of information are all like puzzle pieces that have escaped from my mind!

In any case, I should hide myself from sight, cover myself in the cloak just in case. I can't let the Hybrids know that I'm here. I'll only act when I need to. Twilight Sparkle has already caught on that the device should not come back to them, I hope she can negotiate well so that no uproar happens...

"That still doesn't give you the right to restrict us from our own belongings. Hand it over, or we'll get it by force."

By force. I don't like the sound of that. At all.

"Now hold on to your hooves just for second. Ah don't get why y'all so obsessed with this thing over 'ere. Or are you tryin' to hide whatever this is?"

"Shut up!"

Oh no, one of the hybrids actually tried to hoofslap her...

"If that's how you're gonna treat us, then y'all gonna get outta here!"

Wait, is she actually...?!

...

That... that kick. How strong is this Applejack...? I could feel that even from right here! It's no wonder even that hybrid pony she just kicked is still flinching in pain right now.

"We know you're up to no good! Magic Sparkle!"

Magic Sparkle. Does she actually call it that? Firing a projectile ball of magic from her horns.

While I'm glad that these 2 caught on quick, I can't help but think that the hybrids are going to retaliate with full force soon enough...

...

And I was right. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, going against a group of 7 hybrid ponies.
I'll just be here, watching in the distance just to gauge whether they can take care of this on their own. From the looks of things at least, I think these 2 are doing well, unless...

"They're just wasting our time! Use the machinery!"

Oh no, why did my brain have to jinx it...?!

"W-what is that thing?!"

Th-that's!

"A neutralizing cannon!"

Where the hell did these hybrids find enough resources to make such a thing around these parts?! They must have already brought it in when they set up a base here or something!

Now this is a big problem... a neutralizing cannon has been the least of our worries back when these hybrids used weapons on us. Who knows what other weapons they might have brought all the way here to Equestria?!

Can't think about that now, I must move...!

[PoV ID: 3]

"Silence them!"

Oh I don't like the looks of this!

"Applejack, we have to stop that thing from doing whatever it does! I don't like the looks of this!"

"Whaddya think I'm trying to do?! I didn' get them ropes for nothin', you know!"

"Enough talk! You have wasted too much of our time!"

"Not if I can help it!"

T-that growl, it definitely came from Sir Wolfahya... He's actually attacking them?! W-wait a minute!

"Hybrids! You're all under arrest!"

"Y-you! The white wolf scout from yesterday!"

With a loud howl, I can feel that he's gathering magical energy. His horns are glowing, and the air is getting cold... What kind of magic is this?!

"Brrr... T-Twi, what's happenin'?"

"I-I don't know Applejack, b-but I think w-we... brrr, have to stay away..."

I've seen and felt this much magical energy a lot before, but I never knew that some other creature other than unicorns can exude such magic...!

He's opening his mouth, and the cold air subsided... H-he's breathing ice all over the machine?! The suspicious ponies are also flinching so much... are they actually freezing?!

Wait, haven't I read about this technique before...? It's called the-

"Icewolf Bite!"

Now I understand where the name came from; here I can see it in its literal naming!

Just moments later, Sir Wolfahya actually finally closed his mouth. The magical energy was escaping the air, and the suspicious group of ponies now encased in ice, along with that large contraption that they were about to use on us.

"...ooooh, it's been a while since I've used magic to fight someone... heh."

So is this what he does on a regular basis? I'm getting even more excited now...! What other magic does he have?! I want to learn them!

"I-is it over, Mr. Wolfahya? M-mah trees!"

"Eh?! O-oops!"

Oh no.

"D-darn it! I need something to thaw the affected apple trees, quick! Twilight Sparkle, do you not have anything?!"

"W-well! I-I- give me time to think!

I could probably concentrate some of the sun's heat toward the affected trees, it should thaw them out quick!"

"Do it! I have no idea how, just do it!"

W-well OK, here goes!

...

"There, that wasn't too hard."

Actually, I learned a lot about the properties about the sun's rays from snooping around the princess' warm ups... I didn't know it would come into handy here.

"And will you look at that, you already have an entire patch of trees watered thanks to the melted ice."

"Well uh, thanks, I guess?"

Applejack still kinda looks worried from the tone of her voice. I wouldn't be surprised though, the farm is literally her life.

"OK, now that things have finally calmed down... Twilight Sparkle. I need a special request."

"Y-yes?"

"I heard you say earlier that you are somewhat related to the monarch of this land?"

"You mean the princess? Yes, I am Princess Celestia's faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

"If possible, I need you to write a special letter of request. These ponies need to be arrested under both the justice system of both this country and my country. I need you to convince her to send over a police force or something similar to arrest them and take them into custody."

"O-OK, I'll try, I hope she listens to me."

"She better! These hybrids must not relay any of what they find found out back to their leaders, or else it would spell trouble for Ponyville!"

"I-I'll do my best! I need to go back to the library to write and send the letter!"

"I'll stay here just in case something happens. Please make it quick, Twilight Sparkle!"

This is so awkward, but I guess this is the most straightforward way to take care of things...

[PoV ID: 1]

"Ms. Applejack."

"Ah'll be honest here, ah have no idea what's goin' on..."

"You don't need to know anything. I can however assure you that all I said earlier are all true; the trees affected will be revived into a much better state in a few days time, and the trees that we have just thawed out right now are going to be fine.
I do not want to further give out any other information than that. The only thing you need to know is that if you see ponies, or any other creature, with these peculiar necklaces, they're my enemies."

"O-OK... wait just a second, are you implyin' that there's more of 'em out 'ere?!"

"I don't know. There could be just this group. There could be an entire army. I honestly don't know yet. I have yet to find where they came from."

I could hear running footsteps coming toward us. It must be Twilight Sparkle.

"Haah, t-there, I already sent the letter, and I specifically said that it was of highest urgence. There should be a few chariots arriving shortly."

Sure enough, I could see a commandeer of chariots coming from the sky.

Th-that emblem. It's the Canterlot Royal Guard.

"! Brother!"

"Twilight! What's this about an urgent request for arresting someponies?"

It's been a while!

"Sir Shining Armor! Greetings."

"Uh... have we met?"

"No, I don't think so, not personally. But."

I flashed the emblem under my pouch.

"I am Wolfahya, scout of the Arctic Forces. I know of you from the international defense meetings."

"Oh, a member of the Arctic Forces, all the way down here in Equestria? This is surprising."

"You know him?"

"I just said no Twilight, but I do know that faction that he says. You see, annually the best defense councils of the world hold a meeting. The Arctic Forces and the Canterlot Royal Guard are included. Since I assume the position of Captain, I have to be present in these gatherings."

"Oh... wow, it's a small world."

This makes me wonder though... there must be some other connection between me and this land. The many names that keep coming back to my head are all familiar. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia of Canterlot, the Discord Incident... I don't recall having amnesia. Oh wait... never mind.

"Anyway, sir Shining Armor. I don't think I need to say anything? These are your culprits."

"Well of course, we'll get to it right away. Alright boys, take them in."

"They'll thaw out in maybe a few hours or so provided that they don't get exposed to excessive heat. Imprison them and strip them off their gadgets before then, please."

"Sure thing. I'll let the court decide what to do with them after."

"Thank you."

"...you know, uh, Wolfahya was it? I can't help but think that we have to investigate this matter further. We haven't had severe crimes ever since the wedding."

"Please, there's nothing to worry about. I just happened to stumble upon Equestria for no particular reason."

"But we can't just assume nothing is going on."

"Oh but you can."

Please don't get involved.

"Just... please go, I'll just contact you again if something suspicious comes up, OK? I think the ponies here over at Ponyville are reliable in that way too, right? No need to worry."

"Uh, OK, if you say so.
Well Twily, I need to go. Duty calls."

"Alright, see you! Love you, BBBFF. Good luck!"

"Thanks! We'll be off now."

And off the royal chariots go.

Now this is all starting to make sense, somewhat. But at the same time, I feel that it's even more confusing now. For one thing, I feel comfortable that I actually know something around these parts. On the other hand, I feel that I know WAY too much in that my being sent here... maybe isn't a coincidence. Maybe I was sent here for a special reason.

"O....K.... so, Twilight Sparkle. Applejack. Again this bit of information about me has come to light."

"Well, uh, ah don't think it matters much to us, right?"

"Maybe not to you Applejack, but for me... this is one of the biggest opportunities in my life."

"Huh...?"

"You know my brother and where he came from. Also, you already told me a bit too much, and like what you probably thought in your head before, I will stick to you like glue on this case."

...oh no.

"...
...
..."

I thought she wasn't serious. Crap.

"P-please go back to the library. Just do it."

"What?"

"Don't follow me!"

I... I'm so confused right now.

The Other Spy?

"What do I really wanna do?

What do I really feel?

I know I'm just on a mission, just like any other, but still...

I can't help but feel that I should be thinking of something else.

Why was I sent specifically to Equestria?"

[PoV ID: 1]

I ran as fast as I could, ensuring that no one is following me. Eventually I lead myself back in the middle of the Everfree Forest.

Perfect place to lose anyone, but now that I think about it, I might get lost inside this place too. The sun's also going down quick, and if that happens my only light source would be one that I would emit from my horns. Not particularly difficult, but that would make me stand out incredibly to everything else inside this forest.

Anyway, I revealed too much information. I can't drag any other of those ponies even further down this. Sorry Twilight Sparkle, but your curiosity must forever stay as such. This isn't something that beings of harmony like you can handle.

Now that I'm here, I might as well find another route out. Even though the ponies of Ponyville say that there's only one way out of this Forest, I don't believe that. I mean, how would I have gotten here in the first place and not have noticed Fluttershy's cottage the first time? There must be something else that qualifies for an 'exit' here. Seeing as how this is where I first saw Hybrids here, searching here will probably be the best idea.

But... Fluttershy was right, my body is in no condition to fully perform right now. If I go on, there's a chance I'll be forever silenced. Maybe going back isn't a bad idea, but I can't let Twilight Sparkle and the others follow me even further.

Sigh... I guess I'll do that, but I'll have to convince Fluttershy to not tell anyone that I'm still there. Especially that Twilight Sparkle. It could spell trouble for me the moment I see her next.

...

...wow, the shrubs and trees here are so thick, no wonder I got lost the first time. How am I going to remember where I came from?

W-wait...

"Who's there?"

Show yourself. I heard a light rustling of leaves just directly behind me.

"Show yourself, or be my prey."

Regardless of whether the creature behind there understands it or not, I have to intimidate it somehow; I can't physically fight well in these conditions. And I can't see well enough to use the proper magic.

Realizing that something is probably watching me, I lighted the place with a minor illumination spell from my horn.
I walk carefully towards the direction of the noise.

"So be it..."

As I approached the patch of leaves, I moved it out of my sight with my paws, jumped over it and assumed a fighting stance, growling.

"W-who...? Wolfahya? Wolfahya of the Arctic Forces?"

Huh? It's a pony. And not just any pony... a white skinned pony with a dark mane tied to a ponytail style, she has a thick white one-piece mask that she's only wearing around her neck (and not around her snout), and also doubles as a thick sash, much like Vajura's mask, but this time it looks well taken care of unlike Vajura's which is evidently ragged. A white uniform with a large circular illumination tool on the left chest portion, buttons on the underside, one single belt, an orange hoofband on her left-front hoof, and her thick tail beautifully curved. I know exactly who this pony is.

"Guiding Light, an elite of the Light Blade Army? What are you doing here?"

"W-well, I was just looking for any suspicious things that may have been here. I saw you from behind this bush but didn't immediately recognize you to be a horned wolf, so I just ignored you.
Now I would like to ask you the same question."

"Hmmm, uh, to be honest, I got lost in here."

"Do you need help getting out? I'll gladly aid you out of the place quickly."

This is weird. She's so forward in helping me out of here, almost like she's driving me away.

"Look, I'm not positive about this, but I think there is indeed suspicious activity going on around here."

"Y-you don't say..."

...?

"Hybrids attacked me before here, and I have a feeling that if I wander around here for too long, I'll see more of them.
I've already had some hybrids arrested, so my suspicions were correct that there may be activity going on here."

"Hybrids, huh. I thought those guys already destroyed themselves-"

"By Phantom Vajura's manipulation, yes that's what I thought too. But apparently they were able to regroup themselves and resume the normal operations."

"Vajura..."

"I'm here because the radar apparently picked up unusual signs of both mechanical and magical activity here. I haven't gotten too far in the investigation, but I have my first lead, and that's in this forest."

"B-but that bandage. It looks like you got wounded really bad."

"Yes I have. Thanks to a citizen in Ponyville, I didn't die here."

"But if you keep this up, you will. You should just go back first. If you want, I can leave you a report of anything suspicious I find here."

Hmm, I would actually like that. It's nice to have allies again, after such a long time.

"That... that would indeed be delightful, thank you."

"Just stick close to me and I'll lead you out of here."

"Hold on, we got company."

Well all that talking and the fact that both of us are using some sort of illumination, it's no wonder we attracted the attention of-

"Wretched Hybrids. So Wolfahya was right."

"Tsk! An elite of the Light Blade Army AND that snooping wolf spy!"

"I'll have you guys arrested like I did with some of your comrades, prepare yoursel-"

Crap. My wound is suddenly becoming worse...

"...hah, pathetic little white wolf. And I thought mice like us were weak."

"Why you cocky little...!"

"Hold on, Wolfahya. You're in no condition to fight. Can you at least cast something on them?"

"I'll try, but I did use up a bit of magical power earlier, so I might be a bit exhausted there too."

"Well, never mind then. Let's just settle this quick. Our objective right now is to get out."

"But-"

"I have my own plan which may be of interest to you. Play along with how I'll put things."

Guiding pulled out her twin-bladed sword, and threw it in the air, avoiding the hybrids.

"You missed! So much for being an elite!"

No, it missed on purpose, because...

"Timber!"

She wanted to block the way between us and them.

"Y-yo! Careful!"

I immediately went out of the way of the falling trees, backing off into the thick shrubs again.
From that distance, I watched what she did. While the group of mice Hybrids were panicking, Guiding managed to maneuver through the chaos and grabbed one of them. She knocked the hybrid out using her hoof. Carrying him, she did some very impressive maneuvers to again avoid the incoming falling trees and go to where I am.

"Heh, you striders never fail to impress me."

"Unlike Vajura though, at least I have feelings."

What...? That's not true at all, Vajura isn't as heartless as you think she is...!

"Uh, OK... anyway, what are you going to do with that overgrown mouse?"

"I, uh... I'll keep him for interrogation, get some info from him. I know it's not part of my current objective here, but I have enough time to help you out I guess."

"Alright, that's great. Please lead me out of here, the exit where there's a cottage nearby."

"Well, that's the only exit out of here. No problem."

...

While walking, I can't help but keep thinking about what she said about Vajura. No emotions? I... I guess those who don't know her may call her that, but... she saved my life! And the reason I became strong enough to assume position on an advanced canine civilization was because of her. Surely there must be some elements of kindness inside her? She's not the heartless, mission-only-oriented pony that Guiding thinks she is. She's not, I'm sure she's not.

"We're here."

"Wow, that was fast."

"To be fair, we weren't even a kilometer away from this exit."

I walk outside of the trees and back into the field near Fluttershy's home.

"Thank you very much.
So, what are you going to do?"

"I'm taking this Hybrid to the small camp I have set up somewhere in the middle of this forest. Where it is, however, I cannot disclose you that information."

"Not even as an ally of the Light Blade Army?"

"The army's only allies are itself."

"Well that's just... oh well."

"I'll leave you with the information once I get it... I guess.
If you'll excuse me, I'll be back on my way now. The other mice Hybrids are still probably looking for us. I'll go round them up."

"Once you do so, can you sen-"

Wait, no, I can't do that, that would involve having to contact Twilight Sparkle again...

"Yes?"

"Uh, never mind, you have them taken into custody in whichever department you wish."

"Well, alright. Leave this to me. This counts for 'suspicious things' anyway, I'll have something to report to when I get back to our base."

"That's good then. Alright, I'll see yo-"

Wait what? I turned for a second to check the cottage while she was saying her last sentence and Guiding already disappeared... I shouldn't be surprised; Vajura does this to me all the time too.

Walking over to the cottage, I can't help but notice something wrong with Guiding Light. She's talking with a few pauses in her sentences, and it's like she wasn't confident saying some stuff to me. Is it just because she's tired? She can't be, she still performed well in that struggle earlier.

Eh, I'm thinking about it too much. I should concentrate on my own thoughts.

And I can't believe I'm actually going back to this place.

[PoV ID: 6]

Aah, dinner was great. I think I'm getting much better at cooking now. Angel's complaining a lot less than before. I should keep this up.

Oh? Knocks on the door... who could be visiting at this time of the night?

"Yes?"

"We meet again, Fluttershy."

"Aaaaaah- wait, you're... Wolfa- uh..."

"Wolfahya! It's me, the white wolf you just saved yesterday!"

"O-oh, yes that's you. You being a wolf still startles me too much...!
A-anyway, is there anything I can help you with...?"

"Well, you see... I should have listened to you. I tried going out earlier and my body isn't doing so well."

"Oooh, yes that's right, your wound still isn't fully healed at all. It will probably take a few days of letting it heal before you can go out on this expedition that I still don't understand.
I still have the bed I rested you on earlier vacant. Would you like to sleep here for tonight? The room is decorated to feel like the wild, but comfortable enough to have a sense of peace on."

Actually, I was expecting this. Ever since I came back here from the surprise visit to Ponyville, I was thinking that Mr. Wolfy over here should come back here, so I redesigned the room a bit for wolves. I've never taken care of a wolf before, but I tried my best.

"Th-that would actually be great, thank you.
But may I request one small thing?"

"Y-yes, what is it?"

"Please don't tell anyone in Ponyville, and I mean anyone, that I am here."

"W-why?"

"Just please don't."

"O-OK, whatever you say... Promise me you won't just go running off again without letting me treat you, OK? You're the first ever wolf I'm actually going to take care of, and I feel good about myself just being able to converse with you properly like this, let alone taking care of you..."

W-what am I saying all of a sudden? But I guess this is how I actually feel. He may be a carnivore that can eat me at any time, but the feeling of being able to tame a wild animal without needing to force it on them is such a great feeling for me. Granted, he's a civilized kind of wolf, but still...

"Th-that's an awkward way to put it, but OK, I'll be willingly under your care. You ponies are actually great company."

"Thank you. I'll show you back to the room right away. Please follow me."

Crap, Wolfahya is here. I have a feeling Vajura is here too.

What am I going to do? I can't let them find out that I made Equestria my new training ground. If Vajura would find out, then she'd be getting stronger than me again.

I need to beat her. I can't let her outrank me any further.

Hm, this hybrid... might just be my first step...

The Stubborn Memory

"It's been a while since I actually tried thinking about myself.

Who I am, and what I've become. From the little wolf pup to a horned white wolf, among the elites.

I've made enemies, but... have I truthfully made any friends before? Friends that actually last.

Does Vajura consider me her friend?"

[PoV ID: 01]

"Unh...!!!"

Wh-what just...?!

...it was just a dream. A dream that I couldn't remember, as usual. But why is it that most of the time I wake up, I wake up with so much pain? Where does my mind wander off when I'm asleep? I have had my share of brutal experiences throughout my life, sometimes I think that my dreams are actually about the memories that I have lost.

Hm? Footsteps coming toward the room.

"Uhh, Mr. Wolfahya? Are you OK?"

"I... I'm fine, yes. Why do you ask?"

"I was so worried since you were making so much noise, I can hear it all the way from downstairs!"

"Ah, I'm sorry about that. I just have a lot on my mind lately."

"Well, if you say you're okay, then I guess you are... Just please, try not making a lot of noise, it's pretty late at night..."

"I'll try. Thanks for the concern."

"Oh, and by the way, I... want to ask you a few things in the morning, if you don't mind."

"...? Okay...?"

"Oh, thank you. Good night now, Mr. Wolfy~"

W-what did she just?!

Never mind that. She wants to ask me a few things, I wonder what she means by that. We've only seen each other twice, and she seems like an innocent pony who doesn't really meddle in the affairs of others. She's a bit hard to read.

But she's right, I need to get myself some good sleep; she seemed to have worked so hard to redecorate this room to fit my needs. It's so comfortable. I'm still amazed at how quick she got over the fact that I'm a wolf. I can't let her efforts go to waste.

...

Oh, oh please no, I think I know what she wants to ask me about.

...

5AM. I'm having trouble sleeping. I really can't stay here much longer. I need to sneak out. These ponies will be trouble for me if I stay here. Time to make an esca-

Ow ow ow... not good. My condition has me pinned down. I don't have much of a choice; if I force myself to go down the stairs, I'll be making too much noise and Fluttershy will wake up.

This is not good.

...

Soon enough, I found myself trying to sleep on the admittedly comfortable bed that Fluttershy made. But the sun had already risen and it was too late to try and catch anymore sleep.

...she's here.

"Rise and shine, Mr. Wolfy!"

Dammit.

"Here, I brought you breakfast. I know it's still not enough for the nutrition of canines such as you, b-but it will have to do."

I'm surprised she knows a lot. This plate is indeed an alternative. I used to always eat greens like this back when I was still in training...

"Thanks."

"S-so umm... about the-"

"Let me ask you one thing though." I raised my voice. I really needed to affirm whether my suspicion is correct.

"You told Twilight Sparkle that I was here, weren't you?!"

"...!"

I figured as much.

"I-I-I d-didn't mean to, b-but-"

"Then you just broke all of my trust, Fluttershy."

"W-what...?"

"I will not answer anymore whatever you shall ask of me. I am no ordinary wolf, I've already told you that. And if I'm correct, Twilight Sparkle also spilled the beans."

"I...!"

"Shut up. I am leaving."

I don't care whether I'm injured or not. This place will just be troublesome for me. I'll walk as quickly as possible out of this mess.

"W-wait! Mr. Wolfahya!"

"Do you want me to turn around and eat you?!"

"!!!"

"You should have figured out by now that I've been hungry for some meat. Let me tell you something, you pony: I may be civilized, but I am still a wolf. I can pretty much use up all of my instinct to wipe out this entire cottage in one fell swoop."

"P-p-please don't!"

"Then stop following me! Do not EVER let me see you. Again!"

I was so furious at this point despite my injuries, I slammed the door shut. To hell with her hospitality; if I cannot keep my privacy here then I should not be here at all.

Let's just trace back where I left off. So I got lost while investigating the Everfree Forest first. I should probably go back in there just to check again if I've covered everything. There's also been 2 Hybrid encounters so far in that place. There's definitely something there.

"Illuminate."

I never realized how dark this was until I was forced to actually walk. Damn all these injuries. I wish I learned some healing spells from the commander before I left. To be fair, I've never been this injured before.

...I can hear something. Again with all these bush rustling.

"Whoever it is, come out. You've probably already seen me here..."

No response. Bushes suddenly became quiet.

"Show yourself."

Still nothing.

...or so I thought. Suddenly there was this collective pack of growls I hear from all directions. The sound getting even louder and louder, I could sense something was coming close.

"Grrnrrngh..."

Timberwolves. Surrounding me. Great, just great. Can this day not get any worse? Fortunately I'm also born with their same language.

"Look here guys, we got ourselves a snack for the morning."

"Snack? Look who's talking. You look pretty weak yourself."

"A cocky one, boss. Guess he's just waiting to be eaten."

"Alright boys, take him out."

"Y-you don't have to do this!"

Shoot, no reasoning with them it seems. I'm outnumbered too, guess I have no choice but to fight back.

There were many of them, so it was really difficult. However, I was fortunate to find that these wolves are actually slower than what I'm used to, so I could react well using what's left of my physical strength to defend myself. Their only weapon was their teeth; their claws weren't as sharp as I expected them to be, so I look out for their mouths. Though they're in numbers, they actually lunge at me one by one, which made them pretty easy to deal with. The proper rest I got from last night also gave me enough energy to use some magic; I could at least cast my low-level ice spells to fend them off. I'm doing all this while backing up, carefully monitoring all directions until they finally give up.

...

Whew, fortunately these wolves are real pushove-

!!!!!

...No...! Of all the places to be bitten, it had to be on my wound...!

"You jerk...!"

"Alright guys, he's free for the takin'! Breakfast!"

No good... I gotta do something...!

I could keep casting cold spells but I'm not facing the right direction to actually affect these wolves. I can't get up...!

"Help... anyone..."

...can't...

...drifting off...

...

[PoV ID: 99]

He's finally awake.

"...! P-please! Don't hurt me!"

"I won't. I know what you are exactly. You're an ordinary citizen of some distant country and city, forced into the hybrids as they showed their cruelty by destruction of everything you had."

"What? H-how-"

"I've known many others that have fallen the same fate. This isn't the first time we're dealing with these kinds."

"S-so, what do you want from me...?"

"Information. That's all I need. And you're free to go."

"But where am I supposed to go? My homeland is gone now, and I don't know if there's still any of my people left."

"You can talk and think, right? You should consider starting all over here in Equestria. While it's mostly inhabited by ponies, as long as you're blending in with them you shouldn't have any problems.
Anyway, enough of that, I'll help you with that later. Tell me first what you know."

"B-but if I do that-"

Oh, I forgot.

"Remove the suit. You won't get electrocuted, trust me."

"O-Okay..."

...

"I removed the security system all over the costume. They won't find out where we are now unless they spot us with their eyes."

"Hah, thank you, uh..."

"My name is not important. Just tell me what I need to know!"

[PoV ID: 01]

...

...ugh...

Where am I? I feel comfortably lying down on a cramped bed. Am I yet again in another pony's room?

Looks like I can open my eyes now...

"...!"

The library?!

"Mr. Wolfahya. Don't just run off like that next time!"

"Twilight Sparkle...!"

Just as I had feared.

"How did you find me?! Why did you follow me?!"

"Look, I know that you're keeping your so-called mission a secret from us. You want to do this job without involving anyone else, correct?"

"I could say it in a harsher way, but that's one of the reasons, yes. So please leave me alone."

"As if I'm going to say yes to that. You're a pretty smart wolf; you should have figured out by now that I'm gonna keep asking you about this."

"And what if I threaten to actually hurt you?"

"I have more than enough magic to beat you down."

"Twilight Sparkle, you don't understand how dangerous this task is. If I were to involve innocent lives such as yours in it, i- argh!"

Dammit, this wound has been here for more than a day and it's not getting any better!

"You're stubbornness has put you in fatal situations a lot of times now."

"I don't care! I have a mission that needs to be accomplished, and I'm going to finish it even if it cost me all my energy!"

"Sorry, that's a no-go. We're keeping you in here until you're ready to go."

"Dammit!"

"You don't really have a choice, unless you want to um... 'fail your mission'.
Wolfahya. Read this book."

She tossed me 3 books. It seems to be a series of fiction called "The Elements of Harmony".

"I'll be downstairs doing something else, since you wish to be left alone. I'll let you read these 3 books first. While you're free to go ahead and read something else, I highly recommend you read these 3 first in order."

"..."

She went down the stairs without saying another word. That's more like it. Let me heal without asking me anything.

But I guess I'll read these for now. I wonder why she wants to show me this specifically.

The First Memory Piece

"This... this can't be real, can it?"

I'm finding it hard to believe. I need concrete evidence that this all happened.

But... I don't think many others believe my own story anyway when I tell them about the mission. But these ponies seem to believe me with almost no doubt.

Maybe, just maybe, this is what's been forgotten."

[PoV ID: 03]

There's been a lot of strange things we've been finding lately. I wonder where these all came from? Materials that not even Rarity herself knows, these are definitely worth all this experimenting. Good thing I didn't enforce my schedule for the next few weeks to be strict, and I don't think I have deadlines that I need to meet. I can continue experimenting on these strange materials.

Then suddenly I heard the door to the lab slammed open with force. I know Spike isn't that powerful enough to do that, so it's-

"Twilight Sparkle.
You made me read these books to open me up, didn't you?"

"You've read all of them already? That was quick."

"I didn't really need to read every detail of it, for I think I've remembered a huge portion of what I've forgotten.
This book isn't all made up, isn't it? What is it doing classified in the fictional section? It should be in the history section."

"So you've known about us before? The Elements of Harmony, and the wielders of them."

"I didn't pay too much attention that detail before. What I did, however, was how real most of these incidents were.
The second book, the revival of Discord. Equestria wasn't the only one affected by his doings. Back where I came from, we called it the Discord Incident.
A lot of meaningful events happened in my life during the time of chaos. While mostly negative, it was one of the times I changed as an individual. I don't want to explain the specifics of it now.
Bottom line here, why didn't you tell me about the power that you ponies wield?"

"We don't really call it 'power' as much as we just consider it normal magic. A lot of the ponies here in Ponyville quickly forgot about the events that transpired which required the Elements of Harmony. A lot of the young ones are also being told of this story as if it was a fairy tale! I know some fillies asked me before if I was the one who wrote the book."

"Well, I stand before you now as a believer. I apologize for my stubborn behavior in the recent days."

"So does that mean-"

"I cannot be sure that I can tell you everything yet. I can at least trust however that you will be of great aid. Your intelligence and experience will be of good use."

"Yes! So NOW you trust me!"

"I'm just very nervous at how you're being a bit too enthusiastic about this. We could be handling something potentially dangerous here, Twilight Sparkle. I suggest you don't treat this like one of your normal adventures."

"Oh please! I've dealt with a lot of dangerous things before; the ones in the book aren't even the most dangerous ones yet. I can take care of myself."

"But promise me one thing, if I may: whatever information that I may impart, or that we may discover, please keep it to yourself. I want to finish the mission without affecting the lives of you innocent ponies."

"If it's info you want, then just take a look around in the room you're in right now."

Though it doesn't seem like it, I'm very proud of all the things I've kept in the lab. Conveniently enough, the tree grows just enough so that I can expand the laboratory to handle more artifacts. It really seems like I need to show off now if I want to keep his trust.

"Astonishing. I've only known of a few scientist groups that have this huge of a... 'collection', I guess? I don't know what to call them.
What catches my eye however, are those things that are currently on the table. Are you experimenting on those?"

"I only found these objects recently."

"It's probably related to my arrival here in Equestria or something."

"What makes you say that?"

"I've seen those things before. Like this strip of cloth."

Wolfahya then walks over to the experiment table. I normally would tell him not to touch anything, but our recent few meetings make me convinced that he's smart enough to trust anything delicate with.

"I've seen this attached to some of the uniforms of the hybrids."

"Ah, is that so? My friend Rarity actually handed this to me, as she found this to be a very strange fabric indeed. It's not of any kind that she knows."

"Rarity? The holder of the Element of Generosity?"

"Yes. She runs the Carousel Boutique. You can guess by now that she's an expert at fashion and design, so she's the one that knows the most about dressing materials around Ponyville. She came to me personally to inspect this particular piece. I'm guessing what she wants would be its properties, like flammability, durability... those things."

"I'm interested to know as well. The knowledge about it may come in handy when I have to fight those wretched ones."

"That's great, I'm guessing you can help me out in the experiment? Since you're curious about the results too, anyway!"

"Well... My body really needs its rest, so I guess this is something productive I can do.
By the way, if you don't mind me asking, how did you find me?"

"Fluttershy told me you just ran off from her cottage after trying to get information out of you. She looked really scared when she was telling me though, saying things like you were going to eat her or something!"

"That's because it's a possibility."

"...what?"

"Think, Twilight Sparkle. If you've studied the behavior of even just one canine specie before, you know what I'm getting at."

"Hm? Let me think for a second...
...
...instinct? That portion is actually true...?"

"Yes. Especially for wolves. Even a civilized wolf such as myself may give in to his instincts and lose control over his thoughts if something provoked the corresponding stimulus a bit too much. If Fluttershy kept pestering me, I could have injured her then and there.
Anyway, that's outside of my main question."

"Well after she told me that, I ran as fast as I could toward the Everfree Forest, as that was the only place you could've gone to without anypony spotting you. Then I found you unconscious in the middle of a pack of timberwolves. I took care of them myself, and somehow escaped without a scratch."

"You fended them all of just with your abilities? You're better than I thought.
That's a really embarrassing moment for me though... please don't tell anyone about my defeat in that battle."

"What? There's nothing to be ashamed about. You were injured, and you were outnumbered. I think it's only natural that you really won't stand a chance against those, even if you do have magical abilities."

"Yes I know, but... expectations of me..."

"Expectations...?"

"...never mind that. So you got me out and just brought me here to the library?"

"Well, I needed the help of some of my friends to carry you all the way back. My adrenaline only gave me enough strength to lift you until the exit of the forest."

"Hmm... This is yet again another downfall of mine.
I have to thank you though; if it wasn't for you, I would have been permanently silenced..."

"Don't mention it.
Now let's get started with this, shall we?"

"Uh, okay. What exactly is your methodology?"

"Consult the list that I made off the side of the table, those are the things that I've isolated to be possible properties of this material."

"W-wow, do you really write this much?"

"Hm? The list isn't really that long, it's just another of those study notes that I do."

"..."

"I trust you know enough magic to fulfill most of these? I'll do the ones that you can't do."

With that, the testing of this strange fabric has begun.
Wow, I haven't done experiments like this in a long time now. I'm really excited that I can get to study and discover new things after such a long time!"

[PoV ID: 99]
I sent off the mouse on his way. I recommended that he start from Manehattan as it seemed to be the one with the most variety of species around Equestria. I gave him some of my spare essentials to start him off in his new life here.

With that done, I got the info that I need. I just have to write this down and send it to Wolfahya...

...but I don't know where exactly he is. How will I send a private letter if he doesn't give me an address? Don't tell me I have to go all the way back to Ponyville and look for him?

Hm... I'll just try sending it to some random citizen in Ponyville and hopefully it reaches him. I can't exactly go back there just yet. His presence should be awkward enough to remain in the memory of its citizens.

...

This... all this information...

I...

[PoV ID: 02]
After infiltrating one of the ships, I seemed to have just landed in a deserted area. If only I wasn't spotted so early, I could've followed this vehicle all the way to one of their bases. Dammit.

Looks deserted enough for me to start a camp without anyone knowing. Time to make another underground camp. Hopefully this doesn't cave in like the previous one I made deep in the trees of the White Tail Woods.

...? Wait, I spot something coming towards my direction, I better cloak myself.

...!

Guiding Light? What's she doing here? It's been a while since I last saw her. Could Light Blade have also given her an assignment here in Equestria as well? Whatever it is, I shouldn't be bothering her, I have a mission I need to finish.

For today, I'll be taking my time to gather what I've found and send over updates to headquarters. Infiltrations will continue tomorrow.

...

I'm suddenly curious what the others are doing. This mission is taking quite a toll on me, I didn't expect it to be taking this long...

The First Letter

"I haven't found any sign of a base so far, but they've come in groups quite a number of times now.

I'll get back to all of you when I find more evidence. Don't send in reinforcements just yet.

Vajura out."

[PoV ID: 01]

"It seems to be very resistant to a lot of natural weathering properties."

"But like most cloth though, we can rip them apart just fine."

"I don't actually think so; I've tried ripping it with my claws but it won't work."

"Huh? But I just stabbed it with my horn and I just bore a hole in it easily."

"Really? Let me try that..."

I took the piece of cloth and stabbed it with both of my horns. No budge, my horns won't go through them.

"Strange. My horns are definitely sharper than yours."

"Hm...can you try stabbing it with magic?"

I did as instructed. Still nothing.

"I don't get it. Can you stab it yourself?"

I put the cloth on Twilight Sparkle's horn. Her horn glowed with magic and she effortlessly bore a second hole in it.

"Is it possible that only unicorn magic affects it? What do you think?"

"Give me that."

I then wanted to check how sturdy this cloth really was. I just couldn't believe that something as dull as a unicorn's horn could just pierce this thing. I grabbed the cloth and started chewing on it.

"W-wait a minute, Wolfahya! You can't just-"

"Blghrguhrgsjdkh oh man what is up with the taste of this thing? Not only is it a bit elastic, it actually tastes a bit like rubber!"

"Uhhh, do you know I found that cloth all dirty and amongst some decomposi-"

Dammit!

I spit the rest of the cloth away, ripping only a few parts of it.

"Mouthwash! A lot of water! Whatever just get me something to wash my mouth before I puke of this taste!"

[PoV ID: 01]

We're finally done with this.

"Should... should we give this material a name?"

"I'm thinking the hybrids probably have a name for it now. Let's just call it something generic like "Hybrid Materials Exhibit #2" or something. You ponies here probably won't see much of these things around Equestria. Just keep this handy in your laboratory."

"Well, if you say so."

Then I sensed something coming in from the window in the lab. It was an owl.

"Owlowiscious! I rarely see you come to the lab. What's that you have in your talons?

A letter?"

Twilight Sparkle obtained a scroll that the owl was bringing in. Owls delivering letters....? Why does that sound kinda funny?

"...ugh, I can't open it! What's wrong with this paper?"

Strange; the scroll was just folded normally yet her magic doesn't seem to be able to open them. She tried opening it with her hooves but it won't budge either.

Hold on a minute.

"Twilight Sparkle, can you show me the seal of that scroll?"

"Huh?"

"Just show it to me."

She turned it over to the part where the scroll is locked. The seal looks like the emblem of the Light Blade Army.

"Oh, I know what this is now. Twilight Sparkle, stand back. This letter is for me."

"Ah? Okay..."

I readied some magic from my horns. I then exhaled cold breath and onto the letter. The seal opened after that.

"This letter has been enveloped with a special type of seal that only a few know how to open. Then that means this letter must have come from an ally of mine."

"What is it? Can I read it?"

"Let me look at it first."

Unfolding the scroll, I read the first few lines.

"Hi. If you're reading this then you're probably from the Arctic Forces. Send this to Sir Wolfahya."

...?

"That's it?"

"Uh, yeah that's all that was written."

"There's a huge blank portion at the bottom of the scroll. What a waste of good paper!"

"Hm... There's something about this letter that we're not seeing. Or at least I'm not seeing."

"Maybe it's some kind of invisible ink or something! Let me get my dusting materials!"

Twilight Sparkle ran over to a certain part in the laboratory. She returned with some... forensic materials?

"I've used to do some restoration methods on ancient text. It might work for this one."

I let her do her thing. She did some things that I don't really understand. All I really can identify was her pouring some white powder on the letter.

After a few minutes, nothing is still appearing.

"Maybe you're right that this is just a waste of a good scroll..."

"Wait! There's a small something that appeared off of the margins."

Huh? That's odd, did the sender of this letter smudge ink there or something? But it wasn't there before.

"Does it say something?"

"Yeah it does."

"Wolfahya. You're the only one with the ability to read this text."

Me?

...oh, now I remember.

"Ah, I know what this is."

I walked over to the open scroll. I opened my mouth and started drooling on the blank portion.

"...ew..."

After I was done, I blew some cold wind on the drool, turned the scroll over on the floor, and turned it over again. Now the text was visible.

"The rest of the text!"

"I knew it. This was written using the special writing material that was assigned to me specifically by the armies."

I took the scroll and read it in private first.

...

"Okay fine I guess I can read this one to you."

"Huh?"

"You might be interested to know about this. It's more information about the objectives of the Hybrids."

I let the mouse go after I squeezed this info out of him. I convinced him to tell me the truth, and his subconscious actions also say that he's telling the truth.

The current project of the Hybrids has one mission: to create the perfect hybrid that surpasses the supreme power of anything discovered in this world. The leader of this particular project is apparently a pony, but the mouse doesn't know his or her name.

Once they have obtained the methods to create the perfect hybrid, well, you can imagine a very cliche vision behind it; they want to rise to worldly power with what they hold. The reason why they decided to make Equestria their main base was the dominant existence of the ponies in the land. The ponies are apparently one of the most naturally powerful beings in the world today, surpassing even the two-legged creatures we found in a few of our expeditions before. They are looking for all their resources here, be it ponypower, natural resources or whatever, they are currently raiding Equestria quietly. The project is still very young, but they have made so many prototypes and tests of contraptions. These can be in the form of: weapons, suits, mobile devices, and the most gruesome thought, internal organ installations.

I asked the mouse of any known locations of the Hybrids. He knows only of two miniature bases which he gave in the form of Equestrian aerial coordinates. I converted them into locations: the first base would be somewhere around the Neigagra Falls, while the second one would be, as you may have anticipated, is somewhere deep within the Everfree Forest. To be a bit more exact, it's around the other undiscovered exit of the forest, somewhere near the unnamed Ruins. The base there to be specific is found underground.

I will continue with my own mission now, but you don't have to worry about the base in Neighagra Falls as I will check it out. You go ahead and explore the base inside the Everfree Forest. Try asking around if anypony has found the other exit of the Everfree Forest, or the location of the Ruins.

Guiding Light, out.

I rolled the scroll again and proceeded to tear it to pieces.

"What?! Why did you do that?!"

"This is sensitive information. It's only right that I destroy it."

"You should have at least allowed me to make a copy of it!"

"No, I cannot allow you to do that."

"B-but I want to archive this...!"

"If you want to keep a record of this, keep a record of it from your own memory."

"Well I guess you're right..."

"But you're coming along with me, right?"

"...?! A-ah that's right!"

"Seeing as how I can't really keep you out of this anymore, I trust that you're well enough to encounter the unexpected? We're probably going to run into some dangerous situations."

"Oh please, you've read the book."

"Well, true."

"But you can't leave now, right? Your injury needs to heal first before you can continue with your mission."

"...yes. It hurts for me to think that I have to waste time waiting."

"Well, why not make the time worthwhile then? There's lots of things to do here in Ponyville."

"...did you even see how furiously these ponies are looking at me? I'm not welcome here, Twilight Sparkle."

"Oh we'll see about that. Come on, I'll let you meet my friends. They already know you're here anyway."

"W-why would I? I don't-"

"You DO want to meet the other Elements of Harmony wielders, right?"

Dammit, she got me there. While I really have no business meddling around with these ponies, I really want to meet and know powerful creatures. To think that these ponies, of all things, are the ones who could solve the Discord Incident... simply unimaginable, but I want to learn about how they did it.

"I... yes. I guess."

"Great! I set aside the experiments of the other materials here for next time; it's important that you get along with the citizens of Ponyville first!"

"...yeah. Right."

Then she suddenly gave me a garment that looked... really stunning, if I may say. It was shaped so that it would fit a wolf like myself. There were arctic-inspired designs on the cloth, the neckline was laden with a mixture of some specialized fabric that resembled fur, and a few gems that gave the impression of fierceness; that's what I think when I look at it at least. The garment overall gave an overall wild but silent aura, which really strikes me as beautiful.

"Wear this as we go. You would attract less bad attention with this on; ponies here love seeing clothing from the Carousel Boutique! Well, we can already tell that an art piece comes from there just by looking at it, it's just really great. I personally requested this yesterday, and I got it just for you."

"Th...thanks. I... I really like it."

I hate to admit it, but I'm really embarrassed; I put it on hastily just to see how I look in it.

"It looks really... really... really nice."

"Well, for once there's something positive coming out of your words. You should be a bit more cheerful, you'll get more things done with a positive attitude!"

"...and I'm assuming this... uh, Element of Laughter, taught you that?"

"Well, you could put it that way... but it's just something all of us picked up along the way. We've solved many problems, as long as we kept ourselves optimistic and organized.
You'll see what I mean when you get to know the ponies around here. Trust me, they won't be that scared of you anymore."

"I... I'd really rather not, but if this is to learn about something really powerful, then I guess I'll play along."

I'm still very nervous about her forwardness to introduce me to the others. I mean, I may have been here for a while now, but I'm still a wolf in the middle of a pony-inhabited town.

"Don't worry too much about being a wolf in the middle of a town full of ponies. We've welcomed many non-pony visitors before.
Your personality is clear to me now. You remind me a lot of myself when I first arrived here... only you know, I didn't actually scare everyone."

"Cut it out!" I raised my voice a bit. But I should probably prevent myself from getting mad at such small things...

"Heh, you really do remind me of both myself and one of the princesses upon arrival to Ponyville.
Come on, let's go. We'll fix you up in no time."

She really, really wants me to do this.

I keep telling myself that I'm doing this for research purposes, where I get to explore the power of harmony. Yes, that's it. That's why I'm doing this. This is a research .. that's it.

The Harmony Border

"There! Chase him down!"

"He won't be able to find his way out of the forest, we blocked the only exit, corner him!"

"Bring him back, dead or alive!"

"Hnnnnghhhh...!"

"...?!"

"!!!"

"...!"

"Someone... help...!"

[PoV ID: 1]

...

...?

Where... where am I...? I remember running furiously away from the enemy... but the forest was so dark, I thought I was done for sure...

Seems like I am facing that same forest. I must have gotten out from all my running, somehow... And I wasn't captured. I'm lucky... for now.

I wonder though, why weren't they able to chase me as soon as I was able to get out of the forest? The only reason I can think of right now is that I must have crossed a Harmony Border... those wrteched Hybrids will never reach me here...

...I'm still tired... after all that... maybe I should just go to... sleep... again...

...

[PoV ID: 6]

Uuu... I wasn't able to sleep properly last night... Just tossing and turning...

It's rare that the forest is so noisy... so noisy that I can hear it all the way from my cottage... I hope my birds are OK...

Well, since I'm awake, I might as well get up and... get ready for today's activities, I suppose.

"Angel? Angel...?"

Now where did that bunny go to...? It's unusual that he doesn't wait for me to get up before he starts wandering off. He's not in his bed, so...

Let me just check downstairs, maybe he's doing something unusual...

...no, he's not here either. He's outside then, but I wonder... there aren't any cooking utensils prepared, so he must have rushed out without even eating breakfast? Something does not feel right here... let me go outside...

"Angel? Angel, where are you...?"

Ah, there he is... but why is he running so hurriedly...? Now he's panting from all that running...

"What... what have you been doing? I was so wo-"

He's waving his arm furiously, I think he wants to tell me something...

"What is it? Is there something wrong...?"

He's pointing towards a direction... and... playing dead?

"You... uh... wanna... play charad-
Whoa...?!"

Ow ow ow... he's pulling me by my mane again...! But... I'm not complaining. At times like this, this is just his way of telling me that something urgent is up... This isn't the first time he did this to me, and I'm not surprised anymore... I'm just still very surprised that someone as small as him can drag me, a pony!

He finally let me go...

There's... a wounded animal?! A white wolf... and he's unconscious!

"What... what...?! What should I...?!
P-please help me bring him back to the cottage! He must be treated immediately!
Oh my gosh, he has bad wounds all over... what happened to him...?!"

This... this is bad! But this isn't the first time I've had something as bad as this... I must treat him immediately!

[PoV ID: 1]

...ouch...

...where am I now...? I remember collapsing just outside a forest, on some grassland...

Looking around, I seem to now lie on what looks like a wooden cottage... It looks peaceful enough, maybe someone took me in...? Unless I'm dead or dreaming... let me try biting myself...

...ow ow OW OK that was a completely bad idea... but at least now I know that I'm alive and conscious. Still, I didn't expect that I'd be treated this well... I wonder who took care of me?

I still can't stand though, maybe I should continue sleeping in the comfort of this customized bed while I can... I don't even remember having this kind of comfort anymore, it's been a long time...

[PoV ID: 6]

I'm just glad I was able to make it in time... his wounds were so severe! If Angel wasn't there to fetch me, this wolf would have... have...!

Anyway, the poor thing must be famished and thirsty. I should bring him something to eat as soon as he wakes up.

...hmmm, he's still asleep. I'm already finished taking care of all the other animals for this morning, so I probably have some time to look after him. I wonder though, I've never seen a white wolf near these parts before... only timberwolves and the ordinary forest wolves. Did he lose his way, I wonder...? There must be a reason why a white wolf such as himself would wander so far from his natural habitat. It's not even winter yet.

Oh, he's starting to move... looks like he's waking up.

"Hello... hello...? Are you OK? I brought you something to eat. Here..."

I presented the well-formed snack that I specially prepared. I know that the nutrition for cannibals is different.

W-wait a minute... wolves are cannibals, and cannibals... eat...!!!

[PoV ID: 1]
This... this pony took me in? I'm actually surprised... she looks like the type who will be scared at the sight of a wolf like myself. And she actually gave me something to eat...
Well-formed hay mixed with small milk balls and some fruits. It's like she really knows how to take care of someone like me...

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

W-what...?! She suddenly screamed so loud, my ears are still ringing...! Maybe she probably just realized what she's looking at...!

"C-calm down, please, no need to panic...!"

"...you... you can t-talk...??? Thi-this just makes it worse...! P-please don't eat me!"

I knew it. This reaction is natural though.

"I won't, I won't...! I seek solace and understanding! Please just calm down, my head will panic if you panic like that...!"

Honestly, if she doesn't stop this, my instinct might cause me to just outright pounce on her. She has to stop trembling like that and talk to me normally!

[PoV ID: 6]
How can I be so dumb... of all times...! My kindness covered my common sense again, I...!!!

"I won't...! I seek solace and understanding! Please just calm down, my haed will panic if you panic like that...!"

I... what he says is true. A singular source of panic can be the cause of an entire scenery of panic. His voice seems true to his word, I guess... I can trust him.

"O-O...OK... please promise..."

"Promise, I won't eat you. I just need to understand what is actually going on. Where am I? How did I get here? Who are you?"

I should answer this as properly as I can, he seems to be telling the truth...

"You are in my house, just near the edge of Ponyville, and very near to the Everfree Forest.

My pet bunny found you lying just outside the forest, wounded and badly hurt. You were on the verge of losing your life...!

And I... my name is..."

[PoV ID: 1]
Her name is...?

" "

"S-sorry, what was that?"

"."

"I... can't quite hear you...?"

"M-my name is F-fluttershy..."

Fluttershy, a yellow pegasus living on a house in Ponyville, nearing the Everfree Forest. I could swear I've heard of the place before, and her name actually sounds very familiar. Where have I heard it before?

"Thank you for that answer... Would you like to ask me anything in return?"

"W-what...?"

"I mean, you know... oh never mind.
My name is... no, call me Wolfahya. I am a white wolf that's been evicted from his home for a long time now.
I don't know how much you'll believe me, but I've been sent on a mission to inspect the various suspicious magic activity that have been littering Equestria. I've come across many things that you probably wouldn't believe... But that's me.
As for how I learned to talk, well, let's just say that you ponies aren't the only ones with a proper civilization."

[PoV ID: 6]

Wolfahya... what a strange name. And what he does... it doesn't seem to be of any concern to me. I don't understand it too much, actually.

"What happened to you? Why were you outside of the forest wounded badly?"

"I was running away from... hunters, yes, you'll understand it like that. There are some that seek my arrest, dead or alive. They are basically those that oppose my simple mission, and while they're primarily just trouble for me, the fact that there are those kinds of people mean that there is something suspicious definitely going on lately, and I'm hear to find out and hopefully put a stop to that."

This... this is all too much for me to understand. I don't actually know of any other events aside from those that happened in Ponyville and Canterlot.

"I don't understand at all."

"Don't worry, you don't have to. What I explained is just the simple gist of what I'm actually doing, and I don't want anyone else involved in it.
I really appreciate all this concern for a stranger like me, thank you. But I'd like to get up as soon as possible and be on my way."

Leaving already? If what he says is true, then...

"You can't just be getting up this fast, you need some time to rest and take a break! Um... maybe stay for some more snacks or something? Have some warm up exercises before you go? Or... why not take a look around Ponyville? But it will be dangerous for townponies for you to just be showing up there..."

[PoV ID: 1]
Actually, this is a perfect opportunity for me to restock. I lost all my supplies with my encounter of the enemy. I guess I have time, and it's safer for me to go there...

"But it will be dangerous for townponies for you to just be showing up there..."

Well, naturally.

"Can you guide me there then? Like, at least to give them the message that I come in peace. I actually need to go there and look for supplies that I can bring along."

"Like what?"

"Aside from the obligatory nutrition, I also want to see if there are some armaments I can bring along. Though with such a peaceful town, I wouldn't be surprised if I couldn't find any. There are also some things that I may be forgetting, I feel like I can recall them if I hang out for a while in a peaceful place..."

A peaceful place. That's something I'm yearning for... but...

[PoV ID: 6]
I don't really know what he needs... and I don't want to just go into town bringing him there. Why did I even suggest that? I just need something to prevent him from going out so soon! He still needs to stay at least maybe another night without doing anymore strenous activities!

"Please, won't you guide me? I would really like to... I kind of need to."

I... I guess I don't have a choice.

"OK, but on one condition. You have to wear this hood over. So that people don't see who you are immediately. And just to be sure you have to stick to me. All the time. Please don't wander off on your own."

"I won't. I promise. Please do show me around."

I don't normally do this, but since I'm the only one that can trust him right now, there's nothing really I can do. If I leave him be here, there's a chance that he might run off without actually resting, so I'll do this purely for his safety.

"Alright, please follow me...
Angel, please make sure everything is in order while I'm still outside. I'll be back as soon as I can."

[PoV ID: 1]
On the way there, I can really see why there's a huge Harmony Border that protects this place... it's almost like such a heavenly place. I wish I could return to my home, which was also this beautiful. But alas, I cannot bask in this glory for long. I have a mission to fulfill.

"We're here..."

The town of Ponyville, is it? It actually looks very nice. And no kidding, it IS a well kept town. But if something this exquisite exists here in Equestria, how is it that I have never known of this place?

"It's a wonderful place. I wouldn't mind staying in a place like this."

"But the townponies might, however..."

Hmm, I could see eyes beaming towards our direction. Possibly because of this cover that I'm wearing. I guess being with a pony doesn't seem to get their trust.

"Anyway, please do show me around. I'd like to see the place in full."

[PoV ID: 6]
"And this is what most of us call the Treebrary. As the name implies, it's basically a library built inside a tree."

I still find it very odd how place stands out from most of the other buildings in the area. I guess Twilight does receive that luxury, being 'sponsored' by the royal houses and all.

"I think this ends our little tour. But I can't help but notice... we're being stared at even until now."

"I apologize, is it making you uneasy? I could leave now if you needed me to."

"N-no, not at all, it's fine."

[PoV ID: 1]
"If it's fine then, may I request that we go to certain places inside the town now? I'd like to start getting some supplies. I would also like to visit some of the places that interest me."

Especially the library. I'd like to see if I can finally found some information about some of the forbidden technology.

And this is Ponyville, a town which is mainly inhabited by ponies. If that is so, then, I must gather information from here.

"Are there posts around the area where I can place this poster?"

I must find her...

"Wh-what? Is that a Missing poster...?"

"Well, you can put it that way, I guess..."

"Is that a friend of yours?"

"N-not really friend, but more like... a teammate, yes that's it. She's been missing for a while now, and I have received no information her for a very long time."

[PoV ID: 6]

'Have you seen this pony? Name: Phantom Vajura.'

This is what is placed on the poster. Above it is a picture of a pony with a messy brown mane, violet skin that's darker than Twilight's, an unbrushed tail which is held together by this sort of metal clip attached to a violet uniform, and she has a long red cloth mask that covers the lower part of her face, with the rest of the cloth looks like its swaying in the air.
I've never seen this pony before, but I must admit... she looks cool. If Rainbow Dash sees this, she will probably have some positive comments about this pony.

"Oh, I'm very sorry..."

"No need, I am confident that she's still alive and moving about. She can take care of herself, she's a strong mare. Just that I'm worried so much. And when I found out that this place is inhabited by ponies, I just have to ask. You... could say that I miss her, I guess, but this is just... part of my mission, yes, that's it.

[PoV ID: 1]

I have no idea how to bring this out. I don't want to sound like there's something going on between me and Vajura. But truthfully, I don't think I'd be who I am now without her.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen any pony of the sort at all... but okay, I'll help you spread the word around. Maybe some other ponies here know about her. There are a lot of different kinds of ponies here in Ponyville, some that even regularly travel across the lands, searching far and wide."

"That's great! Thank you. Let's do this while we're going around town, if we may."

[PoV ID: 6]

I'm trying my best to ask, but some ponies can be just so rude and just brush me off...!

In the meantime, it looks like Wolfahya isn't any better either... any pony that he approaches either tend to run off or tremble in fear. This is so awkward...!

"By the way, you said that after running you lost all of your supplies. So where did you get all these bits and keep these posters...?"

"Ah, there's this special pouch I made that fits perfectly in a deep part of my body; it fits perfectly in my body, and I can actually keep thin enough objects in it, so I place the most important things I have there. There's a very low chance that it will get lost.
And I... actually know a bit of magic, so I've enchanted this special pouch with a seal that only I can open."

Wolves can use magic? This is new to me. Maybe just white wolves, but I've never known any other creature in this land that can use magic except unicorns, phoenices and dragons.

[PoV ID: 1]
As expected, the consumables here are catered towards the vegetarian kind, such as these ponies. While they are certainly still consumable for me, this just wouldn't be enough. I'll just hunt the rest on my own.

I'm all set to go, but there's this one place that I kind of want to visit.

"That's quite a lot... that you already bought..."

"Yes it is, fortunately my body is large enough to bring a bag this heavy.
I have one last request though, if I may..."

"W-what... what is it...?"

"Can you show me back to that library earlier? I would like to explore inside."

"O-okay... I happen to be a friend of the pony living there..."

"That's great, things will be easier that way."

[PoV ID: 6]
"Um... Twilight... are you home...?"

No one's answering the door...

"Spike? Anyone...?"

I can hear a faint voice inside...

"Sorry, could you please wait a moment? Spike! Spike!"

I... guess right now wasn't the correct time...?

[PoV ID: 3]
Of all the times to be getting visitors, why did it have to be now? I was on to something big here... guess I'll have to cover it. It sounds like Fluttershy at the door, and she rarely comes here... or any other place for that matter, so there must be something important going on...?

"Spike! Spike!"

Where is he...? Oh well, I'll just go answer the door after I covered ALL the equipment...

"Twi-twilight! Sorry, I just had to do something really quick...! A-anyway..."

"Spike! Get an absurdly huge cloth and cover all the materials in here! I don't know where you'll get something that large so fast but you have to do it! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to answer the door...!"

I can't be delaying my schedule again...! I definitely remember how chaotic it was trying to make another schedule in the middle of following a schedule which involves also making a schedule...! This is so not good!

"Just a moment...!"

I open the door to find... Fluttershy?