The Third Alicorn

Everfree

Terra smiled as he entered Ponyville. With his help, the ‘busy day’ had turned out to be more of a ‘busy 6 hours’, leaving him with the rest of the day to spend as he wished. Hopefully, something to do would show itself, seeing as the only thing on his to-do list was visit the library to finish catching up on history… something he was not looking forward to after the visit from Twilight Sparkle the previous night.

After a bit more walking (and unfortunately no interruptions) Terra found himself looking at the library door. He paused for a moment to prepare himself for the mental conflict he was about to partake in, then pushed open the door.

Twilight looked up in surprise from the book of prophesy she was studying, a look of anger flashing across her face before being replaced with a careful mask of politeness, “So I got a reply from the Princess,” She stated conversationally.

“And what did she say, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“She told me what the line meant. She also mentioned that the only known books on prophesy were lost in the fight against the Nightmare and that she doesn’t remember getting angry at a blue and green earth pony stallion any time in recent history.” Her voice slowly grew harder as her façade of calmness cracked.

Terra simply raised an eyebrow “I thought I asked you not to mention me?”

At this Twilights front completely crumbled and her voice took on that steely tone of somepony struggling to control their anger, “The only reason I am not dragging you off to see Princess Celestia right now is that she told me not to worry about it…”

“See, she agrees with me.”

“…she also expressed an interest in meeting the pony who managed to decipher the prophesy,” Her tone took on a confident air at her small victory. Nopony would deny a direct summons from the princess.

“Well, she’ll just have to wait. I’ve got better things to do than spend time on a train to Canterlot. Oh, good, its right where I left it.” Terra settled down to continue reading from where he left off the previous evening.

“B-but NOPONY ignores a direct summons from Celestia!”

No response.

“I know you can hear me Terra!”

Still no response.

“… Oh look! There’s another line of prophesy!”

Terra showed no signs of having heard her.

“Fine… have it your way. You’re going to put that book down eventually, and when you do-“

“SLAM!” Twilight jumped at the unexpected sound of the door opening, narrowly avoiding the cyan Pegasus that came barreling through and promptly exited through the (closed) window on the other side. Twilight stared in annoyance at the broken window until Rainbow Dash came back through, “Dash, what have I told you before?”

“But Twilight there’s-“

“I don’t care,” Twilight frowned in concentration as she slowly pieced the window back together with her magic.

Rainbow let out a sigh, “To keep my speed to a manageable level to minimize unnecessary collisions and collateral damage I believe were your exact words… sorry Twilight.”

“Apology accepted, now why were you in such a hurry to see me?”

Dash perked up “Oh right! Fluttershy has a timberwolf down at the cottage she wanted you to go over because she can’t tell what it wants and you might be able to help.”

“Wait… I must have misheard you, I could have sworn you said timberwolf… wolves made of wood.”

“That’s what I said! And one is at Fluttershy’s cottage right now!”

Twilight just stood there with her mouth open for a few seconds, just as Dash reached out to poke her, her mind reengaged, “Research!” she grabbed her saddlebags as her telekinesis grabbed at multiple items and started checking off items as the flew in, “Paper, quill, more paper, back up quill, ink, second backup quill in case the first breaks, more ink in case the first spills-“

Dash watched with growing annoyance until she had to interrupt, “Twilight don’t you have enough stuff? Fluttershy is waiting, come on.”

Twilight gave a chuckle of embarrassment, “hehe… right, let’s-“

“What does it look like?” the two mare’s heads turned to the, until now, forgotten earth pony that was sitting quietly in the corner.

“Why does that matter at all?” a very confused Rainbow Dash asked.

“Because the wood of a timberwolf reflects its personality. For example, and oak timberwolf is stronger than a pine timberwolf but the pine is more resilient.”

At this Twilights ears perked up, “But that’s not in any of the books I read.”

“Twilight, I spent years in that forest with only the animals to keep me company, I think I learned a thing or two about them that isn’t in books. But that’s beside the point description please.”

“Uh… birch?”

“With a scar across its left eye?”

“How did you know that?”

“That’s the only birch timberwolf that I know in the pack that controls this area of the forest… and I might be able to help.”

Fluttershy’s cottage was different form how it was usually, the presence of an apex predator quieting all but the largest of animals that resided there. The predator in question, a great white timberwolf lying behind the house and close to the Everfree, was not interested in the numerous forms of prey cowering around him. This was a place of sanctuary for all, a place to get dangerous injuries healed; though that was not the reason he was here, he was waiting for somepony. His ears perked up as he heard the distant sound of footsteps, a sniff told him that, yes there were ponies coming. One scent was of that annoying wing-pony, another was one who positively stank of magical power, and the last… the last he knew as well as that of his own pack, the scent of the forest-pony.

“…I’ll say it again Twilight, while I know more about the creatures of the Everfree than quite possibly anypony, I WILL NOT tell you. If you wish so badly to figure them out then go out there and do your own research.”

“But…”

“This conversation is over Twilight. Now, it looks like we’re here.  I’d assume the wolf is out back, since we can’t see him from here.” As Terra said this a large wolf came trotting out from around the cottage, followed by a pale yellow pegasus.

Twilights instincts screamed at her to flee, an urge barely kept in check by her curiosity and Rainbow at her side, or rather above her. As Terra walked to meet the wolf her fear and curiosity turned to confusion and wonder as, when the two met, the wolf showed submissive behavior towards the significantly smaller stallion.

Terra focused on his innate magic. Slowly, the barks and growls of the timberwolf in front of him changed into words.

"Forest pony can understand now?"

“Yes old friend, what brings you out of the forest at this time?”

The wolf tilted its head, “Wolf is not old, forest-pony is old.”

“I will not dispute that, but you did not come out just to call me old.”

“Wolf needs help, stone-eyes got packmate.”

“Ah? And I should help why?”

“Stone-eyes also got pony.”

“Ah bribery… but what happened to stone-eyes?”

“Was good meal.”

Terra broke off the trance with a sigh. The wolf pack’s hunger had made his job harder. He turned to the girls behind him, “Well, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I know what the wolf wants. The bad-“

“Wait just a minute,” Twilight interrupted, “what where you doing there?”

“Talking to the wolf. How else was I supposed to figure out what he wanted?”

“But how would the wolf know what you were saying… Tartarus, how would YOU know what IT was saying, assuming it had a language.”

“Tell me Twilight, do you know what a timberwolf’s size correlates to?”

“Well no but-“

“It’s age, although their growth rapidly declines when they reach adulthood, a timberwolf never truly stops growing.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Do you know how long this wolf has had to pick up on the language of ponies? Five-hundred years.”

“Assuming that the wolf is intelligent enough to understand our speech that still doesn’t explain how you understand IT.”

“Uh guys…” Fluttershy whispered.

“Ask your friend Applejack that. I don’t feel like explaining it again. Yes Fluttershy?”

“Oh uh… what does the wolf want?”

“Oh, that. It wants me to go into the forest and free a pack member that was stoned by a cockatrice. Of course, needless to say, I’m going.”

“WHAT!” Dash dropped out of the sky in surprise, “You would help one of those… those… monsters!?”

“Miss Dash the timberwolves are not monsters, just predators”

“But they eat PONIES!”

“I’ll have to agree with Dash on this one,” Twilight interjected.

”Fluttershy, what do predators eat?”

“Well… meat.”

“Exactly, and what, Miss Dash and Miss Sparkle, are ponies made of?”

“But- we’re ponies! We’ve got a civilization and a culture and a-“ Twilight blustered.

“Timberwolves do too you know.”

“wha?”

“They have a philosophy, a nice and simple one: Win or die. Basically, if you lose in a fight against them you deserve to be killed and eaten. It doesn’t matter how smart you are or what your race is, if you’re weaker, you’re prey.”

“How can you say something like that?”

“I am merely speaking for the timberwolf since you can’t understand him. Anyways, the bad news is that the timberwolves decided to have the cockatrices in question for lunch, so we’re going to have to go about this a bit… unconventionally.”

“Wait… we? Who said anything about going in there with you?” Twilight said, still angry at losing the argument. Dash just nodded in agreement.

“Well, you came here to do research on timberwolves didn’t you? And what better way than meeting a whole pack that isn’t trying to kill and eat you? Fluttershy would probably be interested in learning a new cure, and I doubt Dash would be willing to let you go into the Everfree without her. Besides, the cockatrice also got a pony.” Terra turned and followed the wolf into the forest

The three ponies just blinked at Terras accurate reading of their characters before scrambling to catch up.

“Umm… why are we stopping at a patch of poison joke?”

“Do you know what poison joke does Twilight?”

“It plays a joke on whoever touches it.”

“Yes, a joke based on whatever that being is most proud of. A lesser known fact is that they also interrupt any and all magic that it comes in contact with, quite deadly to creatures that require magic to live.”

“So… how does that help?”

“A cockatrice’s stare is an enchantment, the being affected is still technically alive, just in a kind of stasis, rubbing them with poison joke breaks that enchantment and frees the individual… of course, they get a joke played on them but that’s better than being a statue for all eternity.”

Twilight shuddered remembering her past experience with a cockatrice, “Anything would be better than that. But… how do we pick it if we can’t touch it and can’t use magic?”

“The stems are safe to touch.” That being said, Terra picked one stalk and carefully wrapped it in a large leaf.

It was not long after that that the group reached the clearing that held the timberwolf pack. At first, it just looked like a couple trees had fallen and the forest had yet to regrow. Then one of the logs opened an eye, then another, and another, until all the wolves had awoken. The ponies stopped, paralyzed with fear as the camouflaged wolves revealed themselves. That was, until Terra entered the clearing.

Terra ignored the numerous stares, from both wolves and ponies, and went straight to the duo of statues near the center of the grove, followed by the three elements of harmony. First he rubbed the poison joke on the timberwolf statue. The stone quickly crumbled into dust, freeing a very trembling and tired looking timberwolf. It quickly ran off to join the rest of the pack which, now at its full strength, disappeared into the forest. He then turned to the pony statue, “I don’t suppose you recognize this pony?”

Twilight cocked her head to the side, “Now that you mention it, no… and Pinky introduced me to everypony in ponyville.”

“Figures that would be the case…”  Terra said while carefully rubbing down the statue, shortly after saying that the statue broke.

The bubbly mare that emerged seemed none the worse for wear from her imprisonment in stone, “Thank you for freeing me my friends, but I’m on a mission from The Elders to deliver something to the ancient… one…” her voice trailed off when she noticed that the ponies who had rescued her were not, in fact who she thought they were.

“Hello, my names Twilight Sparkle. You were caught by a cockatrice and may be a bit confused, as we’ve never met. Who are you and where are you from?”

The pony started slowly backing away from the unicorn and pair of pegasi, a look of fear present on her face.

“It’s ok, we’re not going to hurt you, we just want to know where you’re from so we can take you back there.”

At this, the pony’s slow retreat turned into a sprint away from the unicorn. Or it would have, had not the pony come face to face with Terra the moment she turned around to run. When she saw him, her run turned into a full-fledged face plant.

“Well that’s new,” He said with a raised eyebrow “I’ve never been bowed to before.”

“Ancient, I was sent to deliver an important message,” The pony said, head still bowed in reverence.

“Well, out with it then.”

Instead of responding, the pony pulled a pristine white book out of her saddle bags and handed it to Terra.

“Umm Terra? Is that what I think it is?” Twilight started.

“Yes Twilight, it is. Don’t worry, it is highly unlikely that it is the same prophesy…” He said before opening it up, “Or it could be the same one… well, this complicates things. What was your name?” he asked turning to the messenger.

“Azure Flash, Ancient.”

“Well Azure,” he said, handing the book back, “Report back to the elders that you found me, and tell them to expect a visit in the near future.”

“Of course Ancient.” With that said, she vanished into the forest.

“Twilight, it looks like Celestia is going to get that meeting she wanted.”