Chapters Prologue: The New Traveler
A lupine was following a narrow, sand-covered pathway through a vast, crimson gorge. He couldn't see far ahead as he traversed the wide, crimson canyon, his side cramping as he marched forward.
The wolf then paused and turned his head. Dark clouds were hanging above what looked like a forest of black trees from a distance. Not wanting to delay his walk any further, he simply let out a small sigh and continued forward. From here, Everything seemed quiet, except for the whispering wind.
That is until his ears twitched. Something was coming from nearby. A roar...? A scream...? It was hard to tell who or what made that sound. He dashed through the canyon, causing the sound to become louder and louder as he went further and further.
It didn’t take long for him to find out what was going on, though. Nearby, his eyes spotted movement. Feeling the ground shake beneath his feet with each passing second, he peeked his head out from the rocky wall behind him.
A giant monster of rock, standing at about half the size of the surrounding cliffs, towered over a small, cowering boy. He screamed again, shrinking away as the monster took another step forward and reached its hand towards the boy. The wolf needed to act fast if he wanted to save that poor boy. He had to!
As quick as a flash, The wolf sprinted towards the rock monster and lunged between it and the child, blocking its path.
“Leave him alone!”
The rock monster growled at the wolf and batted him aside. The wolf skidded on his back through the sandy ground with a "grunt". Springing back up and wiping a small bit of blood from his lips. He then ran back and circled around the monster, trying to disorient it.
It tried to swat him away like a fly swatter might with an actual fly. However, the wolf refused to be as harmless as a fly. Just behind the rock monster, he could see the child. Eyes wide with fear. Gazing at the wolf like a drowning soul gazing at the surface of the ocean. The wolf was his salvation. His only salvation. He could not lose.
After dodging a handful of hits, the wolf halted and let out a low growl of his own. Now it’s his turn. He took out his long, bandaged staff from behind and briefly spun it. The rock monster clenched its fists and let out a loud roar at the wolf. But that didn’t scare him one bit.
The wolf then unleashed a series of swings, desperately trying to find a weak point in the rock monster’s hide. Blow after blow only seemed to weaken his staff and increased the monster’s anger like thunder in a raging storm. The monster finally got a lucky hit and launched the wolf into a nearby wall.
The mere hit wracked his body with agony. A million voices screaming from his nerves gave him unanimous permission to pass out. But two other voices calmly spoke to him from his head.
...Please, son, listen to us. Everything we’ve taught you, we teach you them out of love...
...Remember this, son. No matter what happens, never forget what you’re meant to do...
The rock monster turned back towards the scared boy and slowly stomped towards him. The boy skid back to the wall and blocks himself with his arm while whimpering. “Please, help me.” The monster reached its hand out towards the boy again
Suddenly, the wolf’s eyes jerked open. He groaned as he slowly grabbed his staff and got up from the ground. He would not lose! As long as that boy needed his help; as long as he could still do good for this world... He would not fail! “I won’t let you hurt that boy!” The monster glanced out his shoulder and growled at him again.
Still covered in a lot of bruises and scrapes, but the wolf pushed himself through his agony. He trotted towards the monster using his staff. He then lifted his head and spotted a small, yellow glow on the monster’s back. “Of course! Why didn’t I notice that before?” The wolf's walk gradually increased. Grimacing through the pain and spinning his staff around again like a propeller.
The rock monster let out another loud roar and charged at the wolf. As both charged at each other, the monster riled its fist back. The wolf, already expecting this, crouched down while running. It lunged its fist down at the wolf, who then leapt into the air just in time. The impact of the fist was powerful enough to shake the ground and send enormous clouds of dust flying, creating an enormous crater into the ground.
Luckily, the wolf landed on the monster’s giant arm. The monster tried to punch him away, but continued to miss. The wolf dash through its arm. He then hopped on its head and stood there. This caused the monster to let out its biggest roar yet. It tightened its fist and rushed it at the wolf. Fortunately, he leapt into the air again, causing the monster to miss and pound its own head instead.
While it was rubbing the pain from its head, the wolf spotted the weak spot again. With nothing left to lose, he swung his staff downward and slammed at the weak spot. Glowing yellow eyes fading to black as the wolf landed on the ground. Its body slightly shook before crumbling piece by piece.
Gigantic clouds of dust flew towards both the wolf and the boy. He ran towards the boy and blocked him with his own body. The dust slowly cleared up, and the wolf backed away. The boy then got up from the ground and hugged tight on the wolf’s legs.
“Thank you for saving me.”
The wolf smiled and patted the boy’s head. “No problem.” He then bent down and was face to face with the boy, still groaning from the pain of his legs.
“Are you okay?” The boy asked.
“Yeah, I'm fine. Just need to walk it off,” The wolf replied. “So, what’s your name?”
“Timothy Junior,” He replied. “But you can just call me Timmy, or even Junior if you want. I’m trying to look for my family, but I don’t know where to go.”
“Oh. Well...” The wolf felt around his jacket and stopped at his pocket. Then he took out a golden compass and placed it on the boy’s hand. “Here. It’s my lucky compass. This can help you with that.”
“Wow!” The boy muttered in awe as a slight flash gleamed onto the compass. “Thank you so much, but are you sure you don’t need it yourself?”
“No worries,” The wolf replied. “I can use my own senses to guide me. You definitely need that more than I do.”
The boy hugged the wolf on the legs one last time and the wolf hugged him back. He then waved his goodbyes as he ran past the monster and into the distance. Once the boy was out of sight, The wolf turned his head at the path behind him and narrowed his eyes.
“Now, to continue my mission,” He growled, walking across the sandy pathway of the canyon.
Author's Note
This prologue is made to act as an Establishing Character Moment. It's suppose to show who the wolf really is before the following chapters.
Chapter 1: A Brand New Era
A few days later...
Within Twilight's Castle, Spike and Starlight took their leisurely stroll down the corridor on their way to the library. With her horn glowing in a cyan-colored aura, Starlight levitated half of a tall stack of papers. While gently flapping his wings, Spike clutched onto the other half, trying to make sure nothing fell off.
"Are you sure you can carry those, Spike?" Starlight asked. "I can levitate the rest for you if you want."
"No worries," Spike replied. "I've got this."
"Okay then," Starlight shrugged.
When they both arrived, Starlight eased one of the crystal doors open and slipped inside while Spike followed suit. Twilight jerked her head up and widened her eyes once the sound of the two doors opening hit her ears. "Twilight! We're back!"
Twilight placed the scroll on the center of the table. "Oh, hey, guys. Glad to see you here."
"Uh... We kinda live here, but yeah," Starlight said, levitating the stack in front of Twilight. "And we've got that scroll paper you've asked for."
"Oh, thanks," Twilight replied. "You know, I have been practicing on giving out my speech to every creature at the coronation."
"But it doesn't start for less than a few weeks," Spike said, placing the rest of the stack on the table.
"I know. That gives me plenty of time to keep practicing until then," Twilight replied, levitating the scroll back up to her face. "Now, then. As Equestria's new ruler, I promise all of you that for every creature in Equestria and beyond, there will be a new era of peace, harmony, and above all, friendship."
"Not bad," Spike said as both him and Starlight clapped their claws and hooves together.
"Are you sure? 'Cause I think that it might be a bit on the nose, right?"
"C'mon, Twilight," Starlight said. "You've practiced this about multiple times. I think you deserve a break."
"Starlight's right," Spike chimed.
Twilight sighed. "Maybe, you're right."
Spike then held her hoof while Starlight placed hers on Twilight's shoulder. "C'mon. Let's go see how our friends are doing. Maybe we could invite them to a picnic to celebrate now that there's no more enemies to fight."
"Great idea!" Twilight galloped out the door while both Spike and Starlight followed her.
The trio trotted into Sweet Apple Acres. Their eyes darted every which way until Spike pointed his claw forward. "There she is!" Applejack was bucking an apple tree with Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh before turning her head towards the group and waving her hoof at them while sporting a smile.
"Hey there, guys. How's it goin'?"
"Nothing much," Twilight replied as she, Starlight, and Spike walked towards Applejack.
"Just wanted to know how you were doing," Starlight added.
"Ah'm doin' great," She answered. "Just bucking some apple trees to make some apple products for the coronation."
"Great!" Twilight said. "Hey, after you're done, do you and the others want to have a picnic?"
"Sure thing,"
"Okay. See you then," Starlight said, walking with Twilight and Spike to the exit.
The group then teleported to a still being repaired Canterlot, where Rainbow Dash zoomed through the air right past them. The momentum from the speed was enough to blow at the trio's manes and spikes, but that didn't seem to bother them that much.
In the sky, both Rainbow and the other Wonderbolts bucked and zoomed into every single cloud until it was completely clear. She then zoomed in front of the group, blushing as she noticed the frazzled manes and tilted spikes on their heads.
"Oh. Sorry about that."
"It's fine," Starlight said before both she and Twilight poofed their manes and Spike's spikes back to normal.
"So, we see that you and the other Wonderbolts are getting ready for the coronation, too, right?" Spike asked.
"Yep!" She replied. "There's still less than a few weeks worth of clouds left to clear, but once we're done, this coronation is gonna be awesome!" Rainbow backflipped in the air.
"Great!" Twilight said. "So, after you guys are done for the day, how 'bout a picnic with us and our other friends?"
"I don't know. I'm gonna have to ask Spitfire about that." Rainbow Dash said, rubbing the back of her head.
"No need," Spitfire said. "You can go ahead with your friends when we're done. You've earned it."
"Thanks."
"Anytime."
"Well, we better check and see how Pinkie Pie's doing. See ya." Twilight and the rest of the group waved goodbye before teleporting away.
The group teleported to Sugar Cube Corner. They pushed the two, wooden doors open and walked inside, only for a pink blur to dash right past them and bounce all across the lobby like a bouncing ball. "Pinkie?" Starlight said.
Pinkie then halted her bounce and leapt into the air. "Woo-hoo! Hey, guys, you'll never guess what just happened!"
"What is it?" Spike asked.
"I've just got... PROMOTED!!!" Pinkie Pie beamed.
"Really?! That's great!" Spike said.
"I know, right? Now, I can finally be able to do most of the stuff that Mr. and Mrs. Cake can do as their assistant manager. This is one of the top ten best things that's ever happened to me!"
"Well, how 'bout a picnic with us and the others to celebrate after you're done with your work? We've already asked Applejack and Rainbow if they could come," Twilight said.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world!"
"Great!" Starlight said, pointing her hoof at the lobby. "Though, you might want to clean up the mess you've made during your excitement."
Pinkie Pie darted her eyes around before blushing at how much she'll have to clean up. She then let out a nervous chuckle. "Oops. Sorry."
"Anyway, let's go see how Rarity's doing," Spike said.
"Oh, alright," Twilight said, strolling out the door while Starlight and Spike follow close behind.
At Rarity's Boutique, Rarity was sewing on some purple and pink fabric with white trimmings until a knocking sound hit her ears. She then opened the door and widened her eyes when she saw it was the trio.
"Oh, Twilight, Starlight, Spike," Rarity said, standing on her hind legs and stretching her arms out towards the frame of the door. "Good to see you."
"Uh... Hey there, Rarity," Twilight said. "Sorry to bother you while you're working. We just came to ask if you wanted to come for a picnic with us and our other friends once you're done."
"Oh, that would be wonderful, darling," Rarity answered. "Of course, I'll come."
"Great!" Spike said. "... So, what are you working–?"
"No peeking!" Rarity shouted, tilting her hind leg in front of Spike, who peeked into her boutique. The trio all looked at each other with confusion. "I mean... Sorry about that. It's just a surprise for the coronation. It's not ready yet."
"Oh. Sorry,"
"Well then, I guess we'll leave you to your work," Twilight said. She then teleported herself, Starlight, and Spike away in a flash of purple light. Rarity then wiped the sweat off her forehead, walked back inside and closed the door behind her.
Fluttershy was in her sanctuary, next to her cottage. She waved a conducting baton in her mouth while a few birds each sung a beautiful tune in harmonic order. She then placed the baton down. "Great job, everyone." The birds each took a bow as if they were in an actual stage.
"Hey, Fluttershy," Twilight said, walking towards her, along with Spike and Starlight.
Fluttershy turned her head and waved her hoof at the trio. "Oh, hi, guys."
"Are you and your birds preparing for the coronation, too?" Starlight asked.
"Mmm-hmm. We've just finished making the song for it. Take a listen." Fluttershy bit into her baton again. "A one, two, three, and..." She muffled while waving her baton. The birds each let out a beautiful chirp before singing in harmonious order as Fluttershy continued waving.
After a few minutes, Fluttershy placed the baton back down and the bird ceased their singing. The trio clapped their hooves, or in Spike's case, claws, together. "That was great, Fluttershy!" Spike said.
"Yeah, very beautiful!" Starlight added.
"Oh please. You're making me blush," Fluttershy said, bashfully. "But, you don't have to thank me. Thank my bird friends for helping me." The birds all blushed together as well while sporting nervous looks at the trio. "So, why are you three here?"
"Well, we were wondering that, after you're done with the song, maybe you could join us for a picnic before the coronation," Starlight replied.
"A picnic?" Fluttershy asked. "Sure, I'd love to go."
"Great! Meet us at the large field on the outskirts of Ponyville, okay?"
"Sure."
The trio roamed out of the sanctuary while Fluttershy waved her hoof at them. As they kept going, Spike looked down at the long sheet of paper that listed all of their friends' names and used a quill to scribble a check mark next to Fluttershy's.
"Well, we've checked all of our friends and they've all agreed to go on this picnic with us." Spike said.
"Great! Now, we can finally–" Starlight said before Twilight jerked her eyes and spread out her wings.
"Wait! Sorry, but there's one more thing that we need to do,"
"What's that?" Starlight asked.
"Check on the princesses and see how they're doing before their retirement." Twilight replied.
"C'mon, Twilight. We've already completed the whole list, so can't we have that picnic?" Spike asked.
"Sorry. It's just that there's something I gotta do before the picnic, now that it crossed my mind," Twilight replied.
Both Starlight and Spike glanced at each other before giving a nod to Twilight. "Okay."
In a flash of purple light, the trio teleported to Canterlot and galloped across the street. Rainbow Dash turned her head towards the group and gave a good wave. "Hey, guys! How's it..." The trio then passed Rainbows, who then raised an eyebrow at them. "...going?"
At the Royal Castle, both Princess Celestia and Luna were seen bending down and unhooking their saddlebags open. "So, are you excited to get ready for our retirement, Luna?" Celestia asked, levitating a pink and white hawaiian shirt and slipped into it.
"Of course I am, sister," Luna levitated her own dark blue and white hawaiian shirt and slipped it over her body as well. "Though, I hope it doesn't turn out like last time."
"Oh, that was in the past. This time, it will be different," Celestia then levitated a pink scrunchie, held her flowing mane up, and tied it into a literal ponytail.
"Yes, it will..." Luna replied, tying her mane around her own scrunchie as well. "Though, I must admit, it was still fun, minus the arguing, though." Both sisters paused for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle and turning back to their own saddlebags. "Hey, that reminds me. Are you sure that Twilight can handle all of this with her friends?"
"I know she can. They've been through a lot and they've all got each other for support."
"I know, but how are they going to rule over Equestria together? Besides Twilight, they've all got their own occupations to work with, especially at the school, and I'm not sure if they'll-"
"Luna," Celestia wrapped one of her wings around Luna. "It's okay. I'm sure that they'll find some way to rule together."
"Yeah, you're right," Luna said as both her and Celestia hugged each other tight.
Suddenly, slamming open the front door came Twilight, Starlight, and Spike. They both halted in front of the princesses and panted as sweat ran down their bodies.
"Twilight? What brings you here?" Celestia asked as she and Luna let go of each other.
Twilight wiped some stray sweat off of her forehead. "Just wanted to know how you two were doing."
"We're doing fine," Luna answered. "Just packing up our saddlebags to get ready for our retirement in less than a few weeks."
"Oh, that's great." Twilight lowered her head down on the ground and paced her hoof across it.
"Is something wrong?" Celestia asked.
"I-It's just that you've two have taught both me and my friends so much now and..." Tears began to develop on Twilight's eyes as she tried her best to hold them back.
"We understand," Celestia and Luna both walked up to Twilight and paced their respective hooves around Twilight. "Maybe we should reconsider the-"
"No," Twilight finally answered, wiping one tear off her cheek. "It's not that. I-It's just... I'm gonna miss both of you."
Spike and Starlight gave off a warm smile. Spike also placed his claws on his heart as he and Starlight watched Twilight open up her feelings towards the princesses.
"We'll miss you, too, Twilight." All together, the three princesses wrapped their hooves around each other for a great big hug. Tears brimmed down from their eyes as they fully embraced each other. Spike and Starlight looked at each other and then back at the group, still sporting warm smiles. What a beautiful sight to see.
Meanwhile, at the docks of Ponyville, a large, brown boat swam from across the ever-expanding sea. It halted at one of the boat slips and let down the brow. The same gray wolf from earlier walked down to the rock and waved at the sailors.
"Thanks for the lift and the recovery, guys!"
"Anytime!" The sailors saluted together before trudging through the ship. The brow lifted up from the dock and slid inside. The ship then sailed through the high seas and out into the horizon. The wolf then narrowed his eyes again and traversed across the dirt road.
At last, he made it up the steep hill. All around, the view seemed so... different, but in a good way as he gazed at it. The sky looked like a light-blue spectacle from above and everypony sported a pleasant grin on their faces as they walked across the ground from down below. Everything looked so bright and pastel-colored like rainbow-colored candy.
"So, this is Ponyville, huh?"
How could anything be this amazing? Almost like he was an alien that just landed on Earth. But despite the gorgeous look of Ponyville, a strange voice called out from his head.
Remember, my protege! They're counting on you!
Jerking his eyes open, the wolf pounded his head and narrowed his eyes once more with his fists clenched tight. "No! I can't get distracted! I need to continue my mission!" The wolf jumped off of the hill and continued down the road. Whatever mission he was talking about, he needed to move forward in order to get it done.
Author's Note
The reason why I chose this activity for the Mane Six and their friends to do is because I couldn't think of anything else that was related to the themes and conflict later in the story.
Also, one of the ideas that I have for the Mane Six and their friends is to give them a flat character arc due to them having already grown as characters and achieved their own self-actualization and purpose, unlike the wolf antagonist.
Sorry about that. I did the best I could.
Chapter 2: All Against One
At the vast field on the outskirts of Ponyville, the group melted together as they enjoyed the warm sunlight. Twilight sat on the picnic blanket, levitating a brown book in front of her. Applejack threw a thin stick with her tail through the fields, causing Winona to chase after it. Rainbow Dash laid on the grass with her black shades on. Pinkie Pie bit and chewed on some cake. Rarity looked in the mirror, trying to apply lipstick. Fluttershy rocked her pet bunny, Angel, to sleep. And Spike and Starlight were out on the side, practicing magic together.
"What a great idea, calling all of us together for a picnic, Twilight," said Fluttershy.
"I know, right?" Rainbow Dash chimed. "I've never had this much time to chillax since after that fight with Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy."
"Yeah..." Applejack added, getting ready to throw the stick over Winona again. "Let's not ruin it by temptin' fate, okay?" She then threw it away while Winona ran after it.
"I'm just saying that I think we've deserved a break after that," Rainbow Dash shrugged.
"I'm with Rainbow Dash on that one," A familiar voice said.
The group then turned their heads towards a nearby tree. Discord was on top of that tree, lying on a curved branch like a bed while using knitting needles to make an infinite scarf with no fabric.
"Discord? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.
"What? Is it wrong for a draconequus like me to just sit down and relax with his best pals?"
"Well, no, but–" Twilight replied.
"Besides, after what happened a few days ago, I can't just let my bestest pal, Fluttershy, go through something like that again, right?" Discord blinked his eyes in a girly fashion as eyelashes appeared on them.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at the sight of the draconequus' face. "Fine! You can join!"
"Thank you," In a flash of white light, Discord teleported and laid on the field with the others before poofing up and putting on huge sunglasses with a small neon sign that said '20% cooler than Rainbow Dash '
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pointing her hoof at Discord. Discord chuckled like the sly trickster that he is. Rainbow Dash simply groaned and put her shades back on, already regretting her decision.
Unfortunately, as the group was relaxing, a familiar silhouette peeked out of another tree from far away. He glared at the group with white, blank, narrowed eyes and grit teeth. "I finally found you... evil monsters!" The silhouette then clenched his fist before leaping through the tree, leaving some falling leaves behind.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's eyes jerked open as she felt her entire body shaking rapidly. She tried to hold it together, but to no avail. The others took notice of Pinkie's shuddering as it got faster and faster.
"What's wrong, Pinkie?" Rarity asked, turning away from her mirror in concern.
"Is your Pinkie Sense actin' up again?" Applejack chimed. Starlight and Spike walked towards the rest of the group, staring at Pinkie's shuddering.
"I don't know!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed through her struggle. She rolled back and forth around the ground, hoping that it would stop her shuddering from getting faster. Unfortunately, it shook even faster until it reached its peak. "Maybe there's something really bad from close by that's causing it!"
The entire group glowered at Discord. "What? It wasn't me, this time!" He then placed his eagle claw on his heart and raised up his lion's paw. "Honest!"
"Then if it's not you that's causing the shuddering, then who is?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, it can't be Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, or Cozy Glow, since they were turned to stone and placed at the Canterlot Garden," Twilight replied. Her thinking was interrupted as the sound of a rustling tree hit both her and the rest of the group's ears.
The leaves started vibrating little by little as the group walked towards it. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy held onto each other's hooves while Discord watched with curiosity. Rainbow Dash and Spike held their hooves and claws out while Applejack tipped off her hat. Rarity stood on her hind legs and curled her hooves, acting as fists. And Twilight and Starlight's horns glowed as they kneel down. Most with flared nostrils and narrowed eyes. Whoever was in there was about to get the biggest beatdown of their life.
However, the group only saw a small squirrel climb down the tree. The group stopped their battle postures in disappointment.
"It's about time we met face to face, Twilight Sparkle and group," The group's eyes widened at the sight of the wolf behind their backs. The wolf growled as he went into a fight stance of his own.
"Who are you?" Twilight asked. "And how do you know who we are?"
"All you need to know is that I'm going to make you evil jerks pay for the wrong you've done!" The wolf growled.
"What? What are you talking about?" Starlight asked. This only infuriated the wolf even more.
"You know what you did! And now, I'm going to make you all pay for it! Starting. With. You! "
With a fresh roar, The wolf lunged at Twilight, wild as the wolves he seemed to be uplifted from. Rainbow Dash didn't understand his fury, but her loyalty drove her to match his lunge with one of her own. Tackling him away from Twilight, she rolled and kicked him aside.
Yet, whatever fury drove him, refused to let a mere throw break him. He smoothly rolled back to his paws and re-engaged, this time towards Applejack. The cow mare tried to send him flying with a kick, but he proved far more versatile, sliding under her kick and sweeping her off her legs.
Feeling his ears twitch again, the wolf glanced over his shoulder. Pinkie Pie aimed her Party Cannon at his back, smiling like the devilish trickster she was. "Surprise!" She soon got the surprise herself when the wolf backflipped over her, causing her to miss her shot. He then jumped off of her head, making her fall forward.
Having enough of this uncivilized ruffian, Rarity bucked him away in the face as he dropped. He swiftly sprung back onto his feet and growled at Rarity. "Oh, it. Is. On!" The wolf then charged at her with his fist, ready to hit her back. A green fireball went past the two, causing the wolf to flinch back. "Huh?"
"Nobody hurts Rarity!" Spike breathed out a couple more fireballs at the wolf. The wolf, struggling to hold back his fear, evaded them all and closed in on Spike. Spike holds his fists up, ready to fight him in close quarters combat. The wolf then slid under his flight and bounded away from him, much to his confusion.
Twilight and Starlight both looked at each other with confusion until the wolf kicked the latter away. He then tried to swing his fist at Twilight, but she ducked and blasted a magic beam at him. Even though it only made him stumble, he still felt a bit of blood on his lips, much to Twilight's horror. "Oh sweet Celestia, I didn't mean to–!"
"Yeah, right! You evil pony!" The wolf took out his staff and rushed towards her. She blasted a few magic beams, trying to defend herself. Even if she knew why the wolf was so angry, she couldn't hold back the hurt she felt from his words. In quick succession, the wolf spun his staff at the beams, negating every single one of them as he drew in closer. Twilight's eyes jerked open. How could such a simple staff negate her magic like that? She then teleported away from the wolf's swing of the staff.
He then turned his attention to Discord, who merely yawned in a cocky manner. "Let's do this!" The wolf then sprinted at the draconequus, spinning his staff like a propeller. However, Discord would not let that bother him. He smirked as he snapped his fingers. In a flash, a massive bubble surrounded him, causing the wolf to bump into it and fall back.
"Oh, please. Do you even know who I am?" The wolf then got up from the ground and smirked, too. "Actually, yes, I do." He poked his staff at the bubble, completely popping it, much to Discord's surprise. "But that won't stop me!" He then unleashed a series of swings at the trickster, but Discord quickly detached and reattached his body parts.
The wolf panted as he continued, but then an idea just popped up in his head. He swept under Discord's legs, who detached and reattached them as well. But he then thought fast and swung at Discord's torso, causing him to fall to the side. Before the wolf could deal one more blow, Fluttershy rushed in to block him. He then noticed Fluttershy's quivering look as his staff swung downwards towards her.
Seeing Fluttershy flinch at his attack, the wolf immediately halted before his staff could actually hit her. He then backed away from her with a guilty frown. No matter how much fury and hatred he had, he just couldn't bring himself to harm a defenseless being. He averted his eyes and growled under his breath.
Unexpectedly for him, Another magic blast, this time bigger than before, launched him into a nearby tree with a hard grunt. "Get away from her!" Twilight and Rainbow Dash demanded. The wolf quickly grabbed his staff and got up from the ground. Wiping the last bit of slobber and blood off his mouth and chest, he charged at them with the staff again.
Suddenly, a white flash of light teleported him away from Twilight and Rainbow Dash, leaving the staff behind. The wolf reappeared in the sky. He shrieked as he started falling and landed in a tree. His body slammed into each branch with a few grunts before crashing into a bush. "And that's for almost hurting Fluttershy!" Discord shouted. While covered in scratches and bruises, the wolf simply coughed some leaves out of his throat.
"Huh?" He spotted his staff on the ground, but Fluttershy picked it up. "Hey! Give that back!"
"No!" Fluttershy yelled. "Now listen here, you! Just because you're angry at us doesn't mean you get to be a bully!"
That caused the wolf to flinch backwards, enlarging his eyes to the size of saucers. Gazing away from the group, with a shameful frown running down his face, he suddenly felt a slight tightness on his chest where his heart should be. A bully? Is that... really what he's become? "I–"
"Yeah!" Spike chimed. "You may think we're evil, but if you think that you have the right to try and hurt us for no reason, you're the real evil one around here!"
Those exact words alone were enough to cause his heart to pump in his chest even faster. Hyperventilating, his head started pounding into his temple as if the world was spinning around him. He then rubbed on both his heart and head. Evil?! He can't be the one who's evil, can he?! If so, then what is wrong with him?! And is he really in the wrong? How could he be sure?!
Eventually, all the group's eyes widened as they took in what was happening. From the way the wolf held onto his chest and head to his painful groaning, they quickly got what they were doing to him and sauntered towards him.
"Huh?" The wolf let go of his head and chest as Twilight placed her hoof on his shoulder.
"Look... We may not know who you are, or why you think we're evil, but attacking us isn't the way to go. Two wrongs don't make a right, you know."
This is strange. Why would these evil monsters care about whatever happens to others like him? Could it be that he was... wrong about them...? Could it be that he really is the one who's evil...? No, that can't be true, right?! They've got to be faking it, right?! But no matter what he thought, it still wasn't enough to shake off the terrible feeling he had from both inside and out.
"So... Now, will you tell us who you are and why you're doing this?" Fluttershy asked.
When the wolf couldn't find a clear answer to the question, he was left with no choice but to dash away without speaking.
"Hey, get back here right now!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
All the wolf did was glanced at them from behind before bolting off. This, however, only made Rainbow's patience wear thin. "I said--!" Rainbow was about to rile back her flight and chase after him, only for Applejack to stretch her hoof out in front of her before she could.
"That's enough now, Rainbow Dash," Applejack said, letting down her hoof. "We'll deal with him later."
Twilight sighed. "Applejack's right," Fluttershy then gave her the staff. "Besides, without this, he can't do much harm magically. Now, is everyone else alright?"
"Yeah, we're fine," Starlight replied, rubbing on her cheek.
"I just can't believe that no good wolf just came out of nowhere and attacked us for no reason." Rarity added as she and the others walked towards the rest.
"And called us evil," Pinkie Pie said, drooping her ears and deflating her mane and tail a bit. "That really hurt my feelings."
"Maybe we must've done something really bad to him that made him so mad," Spike said. "But what...?"
"Maybe if we find out what this staff is, and it's history, we'll be able to find the answer," Twilight replied.
"And how do we do that?" Discord asked.
Twilight rubbed her chin for a bit before a light bulb appeared out of her head. "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! Maybe they know something about this staff. C'mon, guys! Let's go figure out what's going on."
Chapter 3: Recovery And Research
The group galloped through the dirt roads of Canterlot. Everypony in there gasped and watched as they spotted some of the bruises and scratches on a few of them. "Don't worry, everypony. Everything's going to be fine," Twilight bade. They soon made it to the Royal Castle, slamming the doors open as they halted at the Throne Room.
"Twilight? What's wrong?" Celestia asked.
"We've been... attacked," Fluttershy replied.
The two alicorns gasped at the mention of the attack. After what happened a few days ago, they couldn't be more shocked to hear what just happened.
"Attacked? By whom?" Luna asked.
"Was it Chrysalis? Tirek? Cozy Glow?" Celestia chimed.
"No," Twilight replied. "It was a brand new enemy."
"Tell us everything," Celestia said.
"Okay. Long story short: We were all relaxing at an open field in Ponyville when a tall, gray wolf came out of nowhere and attacked us with a long staff that negates magic and called us evil for some reason. We beat him and took his staff, but he managed to escape and now we need your help to figure out what the staff is and it's history in order to stop him," Pinkie Pie said before taking a deep breath.
"...Right..." Luna said. "Now, may we take a look at this... staff ?"
Twilight walked over to the Princesses with the staff at hoof and passed it down to them. They both carefully examined it. Every angle. Every branch. Until they spotted something written on the bandaged part. "Gabriella?" Celestia read.
"Huh?" The group said, darting their heads at each other in confusion. "Who the hay is Gabriella?"
"That name sounds so familiar. We just can't put our hooves on it," Celestia said, rubbing her chin in thought.
"Hmm... Maybe a book at the Canterlot Library will have the answers we're looking for," Luna said.
"Good idea, Luna," Both Celestia and Luna got up from their royal thrones and strolled down the room, passing the group. "Follow us." Despite a bit of confusion, the group did as they were told.
Odium stared at the still water beneath him.
The wolf sighed. "This doesn't feel right," He muttered to himself while holding onto his heart. Is this really what he wants to do?
Suddenly, his reflection soon shifted from its original image as the water warped and rippled. "Huh?" As he stared down, the reflection soon formed into an black, elderly silhouette with white, glowing eyes. The wolf quickly screamed and stepped back. After a few seconds, he crawled towards the reflection and peered down. "It's you..."
"Why are you sitting there? Shouldn't you be carrying out your mission?" the reflection asked.
"Yes, I know, but... I've been thinking," The wolf replied. "Is what I'm doing really the right thing to–?"
The reflection shushed him. "Now, listen. I know that this might seem wrong, but unless you complete your mission, others will continue to suffer. You know you don't want that, right? I mean, what would they think if you were to let that happen?"
The mere mention of that made sweat run down his fur as he glanced down from the reflection with a deep frown. Is what he's doing really the right thing to do? How can he tell for sure? What would they even say to him if they found out? But no matter how wrong he thought it was, letting others suffer was even more wrong, wasn't it? ...He just ...didn't know what to do.
He quivered for a moment, clenching his eyes shut. He opened them again. "Okay, I'll do it."
"I knew you'd make the right choice in the end. Now, go out there, find those evil beings, and teach them a lesson once and for all!" Soon, a fish swam by, causing the reflection to warp back into the wolf's. He then got up from the ground, sighing and shaking his head at what he had to do as he ran into the woods. His body was still sore from the fight, but his passion for the greater good drove him to keep going.
Back to the group at Canterlot, who soon made it to the library. Celestia and Luna entered in first while the group followed them. They then walked in front of the librarian at the counter.
"Excuse us," Celestia said, taking the staff from Twilight and showing it to the librarian. "We were wondering if you could help us find a book about this staff." The librarian squinted her eyes at the staff.
"Hmm... Sure, your majesties. Lemme check and see if we still have it," The librarian got up from the counter and guided the group across the library.
"That was easy," Fluttershy whispered to Rainbow Dash.
As they strolled through the large sections, the librarian led them into the one that had a picture of Earth on top. "Here we are. The World History Section," She then searched through one of the shelves as the group watched. “Let’s see… Where is that book...?” The librarian continued scouring, but then lifted her head out of the shelf. "It's not there."
"What?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Other ponies, including the rest of the group and the librarian, shushed her. "Sorry. What?"
"It must've already been checked out, which is weird because not many ponies go to this section for some reason. Sorry about that,"
Twilight sighed. "It's okay. Thanks for the help, though."
The group walked out of the section, most of which with their heads down low. "So much for findin' out about this here staff,'' Applejack sighed.
"Fortunately, we already know of another place here in the library that can help us. Right, sister?" Celestia asked.
"Exactly," Luna replied.
"You mean...?" Twilight asked.
"Yep." Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all walked through the library, past the others. "Follow us." The rest of the group glanced at each other with confusion before doing what was said. They made it to a shelf that had two books with the sun and moon on them. Celestia and Luna pulled at them with a clink before letting go. The shelf then slid to the side, revealing a large room. The rest of the group, sans Twilight and Discord, stared at awe at what just happened as they entered.
"Of course!" Twilight said. "The Restricted Section! Why didn't I think of this before?"
Celestia and Luna guided them through the corridor. "So, how are we going to find the right book in this place?" Applejack asked. "No offense, your majesties."
"None taken," The group then entered the secret library. They spread out across the room, searching from shelf to shelf. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Twilight, the Princesses, and Discord scoured through the top shelves while the others tried the bottom. Pinkie Pie looked through the corners until her eyes darted her to a dusty, old book with a weird continent on it.
Pinkie Pie grabbed the book and showed it to everyone. "Is this it?"
"Let us see," Celestia and Luna both levitated the book out of Pinkie's hooves and squinted their eyes at the cover. "Yes! This is exactly what we need."
"Finally," Discord said.
The two sisters both laid the book on a nearby table and flipped it open. Much to the group's surprise, the first page had a stained-glass picture of a golden fleece with a long, black mane and tail. She also wore a dark-grey cloak with holes at the front. In front of her was a shiny, white crystal ball on a wooden pedestal.
"Who is that?" Fluttershy asked.
"That is Gabriella," Celestia replied. "Gabriella the Seer."
"Gabriella?" Rainbow Dash and Discord both snickered. "What kind of name is that?" The group glared at the two, who then stopped snickering and rubbed the back of their heads. "Sorry."
"Anyway." Luna flipped to the next page. "She was a powerful and mysterious seer who lived in a far away country on the other side of the planet."
"Other side of the planet?" Starlight asked.
"Yes," Celestia said, flipping to the next page. "However, she wasn't always this way."
Luna flipped the next page. "She was once a sweet little girl, but somehow got corrupted by nihilism and machiavellianism and used her magic and weapons for her own gain."
"So, this staff must've been created by her, right?" Spike asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Celestia turned the next page. "But once she was found out by the former rulers of the country, they banished her permanently to a large cave deep within the Black Tree Forest."
"That sounds awful," Fluttershy said.
"But we still don't know why that wolf guy wanted to hurt us," Applejack said.
"Maybe the seer must've done something to make him do it," Twilight replied. "Can you flip to the next page in order to see why?"
Celestia and Luna turned the page, only for their eyes to widen when they noticed that the next pages were torn out.
"What?!" Everyone shouted.
"But this doesn't make sense!" Rarity exclaimed. "Where did the other pages go?"
"Did they tear off once you picked the book up, Pinkie?" Twilight asked.
"I'll check," Pinkie scanned the corner for the other pages, but none were there. "Nope," she replied. "I don't see any."
"Great!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, crossing her forelegs. "Now what?"
"I guess we're going to have to find him and explain to him what we know," Starlight replied.
"But even if we do find him, how are we going to tell him without getting into another fight?" Applejack asked.
"Good point," Twilight said, rubbing her chin. "We'll need a well-thought-out plan."
"Fortunately, we might know exactly what to do," Celestia remarked, turning to her sister, who nodded.
Everyone huddled together while whispering the plan.
Chapter 5: Here We Go Again
The group made it back to the castle. Almost everyone in the group started walking towards the entrance, except for Odium, who just stood there with a guilty frown. They all sighed before easing the doors open.
"Oh, Twilight? Everyone?," Celestia said. "Good to see you all back,"
"How did it go with Odium? Did you calm him down?" Luna asked.
"Sort of," Twilight replied. "But he's going to work hard to make amends for his mistakes, starting with us,"
"Oh, that's great," Celestia said. "Where is he?"
Twilight and the others peeked their heads back out the door. "You can come inside, now."
Odium walked into the room while the others stepped out of his way. With his head hung low, he approached the princesses.
"Odium," Celestia said. "Is there something you'd like to say to us?"
He sighed. "Yes, your majesties... I'm s-sorry for thinking that Twilight and her friends were evil and for attacking them because of that."
"Good," Luna chimed. "You may go now."
And with that, he walked towards the entrance. "See ya,"
"Phew!" Pinkie Pie whispered to Twilight. "And here I thought we were going to—" Twilight covered her mouth, but Odium quickly turned around.
"You were going to wha...?" Odium asked.
Twilight nervously chuckled. "N-nothing! You can go on to fix your mistakes, now! Have a safe trip!"
"What were you going to do to me?!"
Twilight bit her bottom lip. "T-turn you into stone if we had to, but we—!"
"YOU WHAT?!!!" Odium yelled.
"I thought you learned that we weren't evil, Odium! We thought that you’ve changed!" Rainbow Dash chastised.
"And besides, we only do that to truly irredeemable villains!" Applejack chimed.
"How could I be any different after everything I've tried to do to you? I'm the heartless jerk who tried to brutally hurt most of you, so I don't blame you if that's what you were going to do to me. If not, then what else, huh? You're going to do something else to me? Something horrible to me? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA TO DO?!!!" Odium yelled, holding onto his chest.
"No, Odium!" Twilight shouted, tearing up. "Just...!"
Twilight tries to approach him again, but he smacks her away with a loud growl, causing her to fall back and the others to gasp. As a result, the impact caused Pinkie Pie to accidentally drop the staff out of her mane.
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Pinkie Pie grabbed the staff and tried to put it back, but she was too late, as Odium already spotted it.
"W-why do you still have that around?" Odium asked.
"We were going to get rid of it after we—!" Spike replied.
"Yeah, right," Odium said in a mocking tone. "And by it, you mean me, right? If so, then WHAT A GREAT IDEA!!! Gabriella may have been wrong about a lot of things, but she wasn't wrong about one thing: You all are vindictive, manipulative, murderous beings who would kill anyone that would go against you! Well, guess what. I'm not going to be one of them without another fight...!"
And just like that, Odium lunged at the group with both fists riled up.
"LOOK OUT!" Fluttershy shouted.
In retaliation, Twilight, Starlight, and Discord teleported away while the rest simply ran to both sides.
"Did you really have to bring that up, Pinkie Pie?" Discord asked.
"Sorry," Pinkie Pie replied.
As soon as she reappeared, Odium quickly kicked Twilight to a nearby wall. As she got up from the ground, Odium menacingly stood before her.
"I'm not going to be another one of your victims, Twilight Sparkle and friends!"
"We weren't going to kill you, Odium! We're sorry!" Twilight replied, sobbing.
Odium tightened his teeth before glancing down at his clenched claws and releasing them. His face fell as he briefly saw the monster he's become. Before he could open his mouth to say anything else, he was soon encased in a pale yellow and blue aura of magic and flung into another nearby wall. The impact was enough to leave a large crack behind him as he fell on his face with a hard "grunt".
"Leave. Them. Alone!" Celestia demanded in a low voice.
After a few seconds of groaning, Odium sat up from the ground and looked down at his black nose. A large drop of blood dripped from his nostril, prompting him to wipe it off, only for another drop to form. This, however, caused the group to gasp at the sight of it.
"Oh dear, I am so sorry-!" Celestia panicked.
Despite being on the verge of passing out again, he slowly got up from the ground while holding onto his crooked back. He then clenched his fists as he glared at the group. "Y-yeah right! This is what you all wanted all along, wasn't it?! Just go ahead and continue, since you're all so protective of those you like, and so heartless and murderous with those you don't like!"
"That's Enough! No one talks to my sister like that!" Luna shouted.
"Then, kill me for it, why don't cha! You all know you want to! Just admit it! Or better yet, just show it, you heartless, callous jerk—!"
"JUST FORGET IT, ALRIGHT?! " Fluttershy yelled before the rest of the group and Odium all darted at her. "We've tried to be nice! We've tried to reason with you! We've tried to tell you a thousand times that we weren't going to do that to you, and yet you still refuse to listen to us?! What is wrong with you?!"
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie chimed. "You should be ashamed of yourself, you... party pooper!"
"They're right! You've been nothing, but violent, hateful, untrusting, and hypocritical towards us all because of some petty mistakes that we've fixed a long time ago, when all we've been trying to do is help you and be nice to you! And if you keep acting like that, then you're the one who's being heartless and callous around here and don't even deserve to be considered a good being!" Twilight chastised.
On the surface, the tightness Odium felt remained the same as he stared at the group's consistent glares. But deep down, the very contents of his brain told an entirely different story. Violent. Hateful. Untrusting. Hypocritical. Help. Nice. All these words and more passed through his already messed-up brain until said tightness steadily faded away in turn.
How did it come to this? Why did this have to happen? Those were all Odium could think about at the time. Then a few flashes occurred in his mind as if he was having a seizure. That had to be it. After all, The others couldn't see the flashes and they were too bright and quick for him to read clearly. But once they soon cleared up, his gut twisted up as he took a good, hard look at what he was seeing.
First, the many years of him being tricked by Gabriella that caused all this; Then, him ruining the lives of those he tried to help that made them hate him now; and now, him consciously attacking others twice under a petty, callous, unforgiving, and spiteful assumption of them being evil despite their kindness and helpfulness. Something that he should've been all along.
How did he not realize this before?! How could he have made this happen?! He's poison! That's who he is! He thought that he was so noble, so good, and always destined to do the right thing, but that's not true! It never was true and it will never be true! He's turned out for the worse! He's nothing, but a jerk! A monster! A cruel, heartless, horrible monster! In fact, he was definitely born that way! He brought all of this on himself and now he can never turn back no matter what!
And so, within a few seconds, he let out a deep, quiet sigh. "You're right. I've been nothing but evil to you. To all of you." Odium then lowered his head. "So just go on ahead. Do what you must. I don't care anymore."
Altogether, the group soon dropped their resolve as they took in what was going on. Their expressions saddened while they glanced at each other and then back at him. He's not kidding. He's really asking for it.
"What are you all waiting for? Do it." Odium said.
But instead, the group strode towards Odium before laying their hooves, or in Spike and Discord's case, claws, on his shoulders in pity.
"Odium, it doesn't have to be this way. You can still make things right again." Twilight bade.
"No, I can't. I've caused nothing but trouble already, so don't I deserve to-?"
"Odium! Just listen to us, alright?!" Fluttershy yelled.
"We're not going to let you get off scot-free, but we're not going to let you suffer, either. We're not evil or heartless like you think we are. That's exactly what we've been trying to tell you all along." Twilight continued.
Rainbow Dash pressed her muzzle onto Odium's. "But that doesn't mean we're gonna give you an apology for what we've said earlier, so don't even think about it!"
"I know," Odium replied. "So... What punishment are you going to give me?"
The group exchanged stern glances before turning their focus back to Odium.
Author's Note
The reason why I made the group temporarily punish Odium for his crimes was because I wanted to show that they've grown past the Easily Forgiven habit and to subvert the trope through them allowing the punishment, but still not wanting him to suffer, and Odium doing nothing to object to it because he knows that he's caused too much trouble to deserve forgiveness or redemption and needs to pay for the pain he tried to give the group.
I was originally going to have Odium get a self-realization of how evil, violent, hypocritical, and irredeemable he's become, but I couldn't find a great way to do that that would fit with both the current story and/or his character. Sorry.
The thing about my character, Odium, is that he's a really spiteful and vindictive person (or wolf). I wanted to created a character that's not entirely wrong in terms of reasons or motivations, but goes about things the wrong way in terms of actions and behavior. I also wanted to use Odium to teach others about how the road to hell is paved with good intentions and how you need to show said intentions through your actions since good intentions usually aren't enough by themselves if you don't show them through your actions.
One of the reasons why Odium relapsed back into his hateful demeanor is because he believes that that's all he is now and that he can never go back no matter what he do. He truly believes that he's incapable of ever being good, if at all, because he's been made irredeemable through his actions, behavior, and injustices due to revolving his entire life and self-worth around extreme morality, justice, integrity, and right and wrong ever since his birth.
Also, I'm sorry for bringing this up, but what Odium was really going to do before the group gave him his real punishment was turn himself in to the guards in order for them to send him to Tartarus for eternity for his crimes due to him believing that he's unworthy of forgiveness or redemption.
Chapter 6: A Well-Deserved Punishment
The group led Odium around the outside of the Royal Castle. His eyes were completely covered by Rainbow Dash as she directed him to where the group was walking to while flying. A large frown was plastered on Odium's face, but he followed along anyway.
"We're here," Celestia said as everyone halted.
"You can uncover his eyes now, Rainbow," Twilight said.
After letting go of Odium's face, Rainbow Dash backed away from him. He eased open his eyes and lifted his head up until he blinked at what he had to see. A giant hole of bricks towered over the group with some police tape wrapped in front of the bottom of the area. A small group of construction ponies banded together as they used their tools to fix up the hole.
"Huh?" Odium stepped towards the side of the construction site. "What is this?"
"Your punishment, silly," Pinkie Pie replied.
"She's right," Applejack chimed. "You have to help all these worker ponies rebuild the rest of the entire castle with those tools right there." She pointed at the large bucket of cement and trowel.
"But, what about my actions? How is this better than Tartarus or even death? Aren't you letting me off too--"
Luna sighed. "Look, Odium. We know that you feel like you don't deserve forgiveness after everything you've said and done to us. Believe me, I know what it's like."
"But that doesn't mean you can't work hard enough to fix what you've started," Celestia added. "At least, if you're willing to, that is."
"They're right," Twilight chimed. "And like we've said, we're not heartless or evil like you think we are."
"Just don't go all soft on us either, you know!" Rainbow Dash added.
Contemplating about it for a moment, Odium simply nodded. "...Okay."
"Great!" Fluttershy cheered. "And to keep a close eye on you while you work, we've got a whole group of guards here to make sure there's no trouble from you, okay?"
"Yes," Odium walked past the police tape and grabbed both the trowel and the bucket.
"Oh, and one more thing..." Twilight said. "You're always welcome to join us at the coronation once you're done, okay?"
Odium beamed a soft smile. "Thanks, but... no thanks. I've still got more work to do outside of Equestria. Plus, I still don't think I deserve it after everything I've done and said, if it's okay with you guys."
"It's okay. We understand," said Fluttershy, who folded her ears and plastered a frown similar to what Odium had.
The group strolled away from the construction site, leaving Odium to his work. Is this really the best punishment for him or are they really letting him off too easily like most of the other villains they've fought? Who could say, for sure?
Author's Note
Now, I'm finally done with the story. It took me a lot of time, help, and unintentional pestering to get this done, but it finally happened.
Let me know what you think of the story as a whole in the comments section below. Thank you to those who've helped me, those who actually liked this fanfiction, and those who gave me advice on the things I've done wrong outside of the fanfiction.
Originally, I was going to name the title, "A Bittersweet Ending", due to the fact that Odium was originally going to actually be put in Tartarus for eternity or even death instead of working hard to fix up the rest of the entire castle under close scrutiny and leaving Equestria by himself in order to fix the rest of his mistakes, but for optimization purposes and due to the complaints regarding the Tartarus idea, I had to rewrite it. Sorry.
Also, this isn't the end of Odium's character arc nor is he fully redeemed. After the story is finished, I have planned some ideas for him that could help further develop his character. Though I can't give any more spoilers until then.
Also, also, I was originally going to expand this chapter into having the citizens of Equestria hate and distrust Odium for his actions towards the group in a similar way to how Sunset Shimmer was scrutinized by the students in Canterlot High. It's not expanded yet because of a few reasons:
Because I didn't want to spoil more of Odium's arc yet.
I'm still conflicted on whether or not to actually do it yet.
I'm worried about what the readers will think when I do add it, maybe in a similar way to how they complained about my Tartarus for eternity idea.
If you want to know more about Odium, here's his wiki page down below:
Odium
Anyway, have a great day, everyone. 👍😉
Chapter 4: A Whole New Perspective
Meanwhile, at the Canterlot Train Station, the Friendship Express chugged its way through the rails before halting at the depot. A walking sound came from the train and onto the Station. It then chugged backwards to reveal none other than the wolf.
He stepped down the stairs of the depot and strolled across the dirt roads of Canterlot, all with tightened fists and a determined look in his eyes. But something didn't look right. Everypony had their eyes locked on him and whispered under their breaths. Some covered themselves up, while others just stood there, quivering with chattering teeth as he walked by.
Why are they all looking at him like that?
However, the wolf's thoughts got interrupted when he turned his head forward, spotting the group strutting straight towards him. "You...!" Glaring his eyes, he quickly crouched down and clenched his fists.
"Wait!" Twilight shouted. "We're not here to fight, we just want to talk."
"Yeah, right! Why should I trust you, you e–?"
"Because we know about the seer," Starlight said, stepping forward.
The wolf's eyebrow raised. "Huh? N-No. This has gotta be a lie!"
"It's not," Applejack said. "We're telling you the truth."
"Yeah, right!" The wolf chuckled. "How'd you even find out? I never even once told you about the seer."
"You didn't have to," Twilight replied. "You have to come with us. There's something you should know about her."
"No tricks or lies?"
"Pinkie Promise," Pinkie Pie said, crossing her hoof on her chest and poking her eye.
"Okay, then..." The wolf glared at the group before following close behind them as they made their way back to the Royal Castle. Twilight simply rolled her eyes along the way.
At the Royal Castle, the group pushed the doors open. Celestia and Luna jerked their heads up as they saw the group walking towards them with the wolf.
"Back already?" Luna asked.
"And you've brought the wolf with you as well?" Celestia added.
"Yes, but don't worry. He's here to listen, not to fight." Twilight replied.
"But that doesn't mean I trust you guys, though." The wolf said.
"But, can you at least tell us your name?" Celestia asked.
The wolf glanced at both the Princesses and the group. After a few seconds, he sighed and stepped forward. Sweat slid down his fur as he stared at the Princesses' faces. "My name is Odium -- Odium Sui, your majesties," Finally answering.
"Good," Luna said. "Now listen closely."
Together, both Luna and Celestia's horns glowed their respective auras as they flipped open the book. Odium stared at them with an eyebrow raised again. As soon as they stopped turning the pages, they both showed him the stained-glass picture of the seer.
"Huh?" Odium's eyes widened the moment he looked at the picture. "Is that–?"
"Yes, it is," Celestia said. "That's the seer, Gabriella."
"B-but—!" He stuttered.
"And that's not all of it," Luna added, levitating the book in front of him. "Here's her history,"
Odium skimmed his finger through the page, quietly reading to himself. However, once he stopped reading, his face dropped. All he could do was take a step back as the book floated back to the two sisters. "No... N-No, i-it can't be true...!"
"I'm afraid it is," Celestia replied.
"B-but... How did you...? Why didn't I...? This can't...?"
"Uh... Are you okay?"
But it didn't take long for them to find out the answer, though. Because once he was done rubbing on the back on his neck, his eyes looked like hot tears were going to form. Not being able to take this anymore, Odium dashed past the rest of the group without saying a single word.
"Odium, wait!" Twilight shouted. But it was already too late. Odium slammed the door behind him.
"C'mon! After him!" Twilight and the others, sans Fluttershy, galloped through the hallway.
"Oh, dear," Fluttershy said, following close behind. The door also slammed behind them while the Princesses watched in concern.
The group panted as they ran across the streets of Canterlot. They soon halted, scanning the area for signs of where Odium could be, but to no avail.
"Has anypony seen a tall, gray wolf with a brown jacket run down here?!" Applejack shouted.
"I did," A random pony replied. The group galloped towards the random pony.
"Really? Where did he go?" Twilight asked.
The random pony pointed to a dark alley with paw prints leading to the inside.
"Thanks," Rainbow Dash said.
Following the footprints towards the dark alley, the group finally found Odium down on his knees with his ears folded in total silence. They slowly approached him with Starlight reaching her hoof out to try to console him.
"Odium? what's wrong?" Starlight asked.
However, as soon as her hoof became close to Odium's shoulder, he looked back at the group with gritted teeth. Eyes were bloodshot red as he continued sobbing. The group flinched back from the wolf's depressed state.
His voice started cracking. "Nothing...! Just leave me alone...!"
"Odium, please," Twilight bade, approaching him. "We only want to help you."
"Why...?"
"Because that's what we do. We help others in need, including creatures like you." Twilight replied.
"Twilight's right," Starlight said. "But we can't do that if you don't let us in."
Twilight stretched her hoof in front of Odium. "Now, what happened? What did Gabriella do to you? And why were you so angry with us earlier?"
Odium gazed at the hoof. His eyes darted away for a bit. Should he do it? Should he try to show them what happened? Not a very tough choice, but still something for him to think about.
"Thanks, Discord," Fluttershy said.
"My pleasure."
The group, minus Odium, studied the area around them. The black trees seemed to shift along with their vision as if they're being watched from all angles. Jitters from their pulses began to build up in response to that.
As soon as she backed away, a slight squishing sound hit Rarity's ears from close by. "Huh?" She darted downward, recoiling back from a cold, muddy puddle as it dripped beneath her hoof. "Eewww!"
They gazed upward. Thick, grey clouds loomed overhead, covering the entire area in a never-ending shade. A deep, narrow path stretched in front of them, laced with brown moss.
"Odium, where are we?" Twilight asked.
"The Black Tree Forest," He answered. "Don't worry. It's not completely bad, though."
"Speak for yourself!" Rarity complained, shaking the mud off.
"So, this is the country that you used to live in?" Starlight asked.
Odium nodded. "C'mon. Let me show you around." Odium took a fixed step forward, completely halting once he glanced at the inside of a large, rocky cave. Suddenly, his head started throbbing, causing him to hold onto it with a "grunt".
"Odium!" Twilight shouted. "What's wrong?!"
Images quickly flashed in his mind. He soon dropped to his knees and clenched his teeth. The group bolted over to him. "Odium, snap out of it! Are you okay?!" Starlight shouted.
"Huh?" Odium hyperventilated. "Oh. I'm fine. We should keep going." Odium blushed as he continued strolling. The group glanced at each other, but then shrugged and went along with him. Whatever happened inside that cave must've been extremely horrible and painful for him.
The group coughed and winced after stepping out of a large fog.
"Finally! And here I thought we'd never make it out of there," Discord coughed.
Unfortunately, once they got their vision back, they all soon gasped and recoiled at what was in front of them. The path and clouds stretched across a large town, or at least what was left of it.
"No...!" The group roamed through the path, avoiding large piles of dust, dirt, and debris that littered the ground.
As they moved forward, they glanced around. Many of the buildings towering over them looked collapsed. Some had missing roofs, while others had a lot of cracks on top of them. There were doors and windows that were either boarded-up or broken. Dry grass, vines, weeds and other unwelcoming vegetation wrapped themselves around said buildings like snakes would to their victims, and nobody was there to greet them... at all. This town seemed completely unrecognizable, at least in Odium's eyes.
"My word! What is this horrible place?!" Rarity asked.
"Rogue Town. My old home," Odium replied. "It wasn't really the best place to live in when I was younger, but it barely looked anything like this."
"Goodness!" Fluttershy said. "I wonder what happened to it that made it this way."
Odium darted back and forth before gasping once he caught a glimpse at one of the buildings. It looked very similar to all the others, except shorter and had a sign that said 'We're always there to help you'.
"My old house...!" Odium ran towards his house and pried the broken door away. All he could see from the inside was darkness and messed-up furniture. "Where are they?!"
"Where's who?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"My family!" Odium rummaged through the furniture. "I was sure that they would still be here! I wanted to check and see if they were okay, but...!"
"Don't worry," Fluttershy bade. "I'm sure they're still out there somewhere."
That wasn't enough to make Odium feel better, but it was a good possibility. "It's just that... they've taught me so much about justice, and helping others, as well as cared for both me, the family, and others, and it made me feel loved and motivated."
Suddenly, the sound of broken glass filled Odium's ears from nearby. He soon looked down to see a ruined picture frame of a younger, rounder, more innocent version of himself hugging his family together underneath his foot. A tear fell on the photo as Odium picked it up... his tear.
Twilight approached him. "I'm sorry. They sound like a really great family..."
"Uh, I hate to ruin the moment, but you'd mind tellin' us what Gabriella did to you?" Applejack asked.
"I was saving that for last." Odium replied, wiping the tear.
They all made it back to the cave, walking to the inside. All that was there was a white crystal ball sitting on top of a rocky pedestal and a large pile of dust on the ground.
"Where's Gabriella?" Starlight asked.
Odium sighed. "This is Gabriella..." He pointed at the dust. "Or at least what she is now."
"What happened to her?" Fluttershy chimed.
"A long time ago, after I moved out of my family's house, she took me in from the cold air for a few days before training and planning with me for years."
"But why would she do that?" She continued.
"She said that she and others needed my help from you guys."
"What did we do?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"I'll show you," Odium tapped on the crystal ball, hoping that it still worked. It then started glitching before showing a series of images of every misdeed and fault that most of the group has done: Twilight heckling Trixie and almost driving her to suicide, Starlight's fascist philosophy and acts of messing with time when she was still a villain, and of course, Discord's overall plan of disguising himself as Grogar and uniting the Legion of Doom.
The entire group all blushed in embarrassment as they continued to watch the images.
"She made me watch these visions every day for those years just to help me with my focus on you guys. After that, she gave me the staff before..." Odium explained, biting on his bottom lip. "Painfully and horrifically turning into dust right in front of me."
"Odium. She tricked you the whole time," Twilight said. "All those events were fixed and solved... by us . Plus, we've saved Equestria multiple times and did a lot of other good things, too."
"Twilight's right," Applejack chimed. "What she did to you was wrong, but that still doesn't excuse you attackin' and tryin' to hurt us."
All of a sudden, more images popped up on the crystal ball. Odium and the group watched carefully at all of them. There was one image of Timothy being spanked, and both physically and verbally abused by his parents that he found, one of the giant rock monster crying while its siblings hugged it, and two more of an old lady laughing at some random items and the two crooks growling under their breaths. "That wolf's gonna pay for letting that old hag steal all our stuff!"
Afterwards, one last image popped up on the ball, showing Gabriella watching through an image-version of it while an image-version of Odium slept on the other side of the cave. "Several years spent in this horrible cave and yet it already feels like an eternity has gone by." She then let out a deep, quiet sigh before perking back up. "No matter. Because as long as this wolf's willing to help me with my plan, I don't care what happens to me. And if I have to die in order for it to be complete, then so be it."
And with that, the entire group, minus Odium, all gasped in horror at the lengths that Gabriella is willing to take in order to accomplish her goal. Now realizing the truth, Odium just stood there, doing nothing, but hanging his head low.
"We're so sorry that this happened to you, Odium," Twilight said, tredging through the mucky puddles to reach out to him.
"Yeah. I cannot believe that that no good, Gabriella character made you do all of this." Rarity chimed.
"And didn't even care what would happen to either you or herself in the process. That definitely wasn't right."
Odium sighed. "No, it's all my fault. I'm the one you should be blaming."
"That's not true. How were you supposed to know that all of this would happen?"
"Because I was given the chance to ignore her, to not give into my own hatred and idiocy and move on with my life. But... I didn't take it. So, it's my fault that all of this happened, not Gabriella."
"Odium, it's gonna be okay," Starlight said. "You can start over, make up for your mistakes."
Odium darted his head away from the group, who then stood next to him. Odium continued to dart his head away in distress, but that didn't stop them. They soon reached their hooves out to Odium. After a few seconds, Odium grabs onto the hooves.
"Now, c'mon. Let's go back to Equestria," Fluttershy said. And with that, Discord instantly teleported the group away.
Author's Note
The reason why I added that scene of Odium losing everything and having all his good deeds turn out for the worst wasn't for empathy or shock value, but for giving him a proper punishment for his actions if it seemed like he got off too easily or anyone didn't like him. Sorry for the melodrama and if I was being too harsh, though.
Also, it's not the backstory itself that supposed to be sympathetic (despite what I've been trying to do with it and my attempts with it), but Odium's extreme guilt, self-hatred, and pain for his actions since he genuinely based his entire life and self-worth around morality in spite his hatred and determination to punish injustice.
Also, also, most of this entire backstory happened before the series started, while the training and planning happened from before the start of the series all the way until after the penultimate episode. The entire backstory happened on the other side of the planet for years.
