Silent Night

CRASH!

Luna opened her eyes, which were still still heavy with sleep. She got groggily to her hooves and looked around. She was outside Zecora's hut.

Something was wrong.

She felt dizzy and groggy and couldn't stand up. Blurred figures were tumbling, lunging and rolling everywhere. Brown and rainbow splotches filled her vision.

Then she realized what was wrong.

She struggled to her hooves and looked around wildly. All she could hear where shrieks and barks. She winced when pain swept through her and suddenly her vision cleared.

Timberwolves. Everywhere she looked were Timberwolves.

Zecora's hut was in shredded ruins, her flowers ripped apart and scattered everywhere. She saw tufts of white and black hair scattered and she realized that Zecora was fighting them. She looked around and saw Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and even Fluttershy were there.

Luna whipped around when a loud yell sounded and saw the zebra writhing, caught in the jaws of a Timberwolf. The creature had clawed her, pulling out some hair and soaking her pelt in scarlet blood.

Zecora's head spun. She had been watching the Princess while she made a potion for helping her calm down. She had heard a distant howl and then all of a sudden there they were, tearing through her house and clawing it apart. She had started fighting them, desperate to protect Luna from the Timberwolves. Lucky for her, Rainbow Dash had spotted the pack and had called to her friends, except for Twilight who was still in the hospital with her foals.

Luna had woken and had started fighting, hampered by her leg injury. A Timberwolf bigger than the rest had slammed her into a tree and she had slumped unconscious.

Now that same Timberwolf was shaking Zecora and a full-fledged battle was going on. She heard the clopping of hooves and saw a flash of dark blue as a hoof hit the Timberwolf and sent him spinning away, breaking his grip. The zebra staggered and found her footing, she stood shaking in front of Luna, who had blood splattered on her hoof.

"Run Zecora, get out of here and run. Get help before somepony dies." She ordered, eyes full of ferocity to defend everypony here.

Zecora nodded and darted off, breaking through the pack and delivering a few blows of her own before her form was engulfed by the trees beyond the battle zone.

Luna looked around, trying to decide where to start fighting. She saw a familiar butter-yellow shape backing away from three advancing Timberwolves and she sprang, her hooves grabbing the shoulders of one as she landed on its back.

She felt it rear up, just like she wanted and she did a flip, kicking down near the base of its spine and she felt her head spin as she flipped it and the creature landed hard on its paws and she clubbed it with a hoof. The Timberwolf bucked and she brought her hooves down hard on its shoulders, slamming it into the ground and she jumped off, feeling a surge of satisfaction as the three wolves ran. Fluttershy flashed her a grateful glance and soared into the sky, dive bombing some of the creatures.

Luna felt teeth meet her rump and saw the wolf she had saved Zecora from with blood trickling from its head. She reared up, hearing an audible smack as the wolf collapsed with her weight and then bucked. Her wings pumped and she was airborne for a moment before hitting the ground. She felt her skin tear and warm blood spill over the wound but she turned around to see it again and felt the claws lash her muzzle. She backed away, snarling and felt her tail brush a tree. She turned around, kicked the wolf with both back legs and took off, wings beating hard.

Claws. She felt them dig into the wing she had broken so long ago and drag, tearing her feathers and even scraping bone. She cried out, feeling blood pulse out and started to fall, only saving herself by wrapping her forelegs around a thick tree branch and clinging there, looking down at the snarling pack of wolves. She felt claws dig into her ankle and her grip started loosening. "No!" She cried, feeling her hooves slip. She closed her eyes and fell.

Something grabbed her waist and she felt herself rising. She heard a smack and a whine from a wolf. She opened her eyes and saw the pack below her, an eagle talon and a lion paw wrapped around her waist. "Discord!" She gasped, looking up at him.

He looked down and snorted. "Hello Luna." His voice was expressionless and cold, he wasn't exactly happy to see her.

Luna ignored the tears and looked down, seeing the large wolf with the bloody head. "Drop me on him, if he dies then the pack will run." She pointed down at the wolf.

Discord nodded and released his grip, dropping her. His eyes clouded with worry for a moment before he blinked it away and watched her fall.

Luna fell through the air and landed on the wolf, who howled. It's head snapped up and the malicious eyes glared into her own. She took her hoof, aimed and the blow came down right between his eyes. She felt blood soak her hoof and the wolf collapsed underneath her.

Discord looked back and saw Luna sink into the crowd and a loud howl from a Timberwolf. He smiled, then saw the brown wave come towards him. He flapped his wings harder, trying to get higher but one of the wolves saw him. It leaped into the air and its sharp claws punctured the membrane of his bat wing. He let out a cry and tried to fly, but he felt himself fall. A blunt paw met the side of his head and he lost all consciousness, sinking into a world of darkness.

Luna let out a triumphant yell, then saw the wolf claw Discord. His wings flared and she saw the three puncture marks in his bat wing. She saw him get hit by it as he fell and he started falling faster.

Luna started running. She flared her wings and took off, nearly screaming when pain shot through her injured wing. She reached out with her forehooves and grabbed his paw, swooping up and then falling, crashing into a tree. She lifted him onto her back and jumped down.

She saw her friends, who were joined by BonBon, Lyra Heartstrings, Time Turner, Derpy Hooves, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Zecora. She smiled weakly. "Ok, those who are injured the most, follow me. Those who can tend to their scratches and bites by themselves, go home and get some rest." She ordered, turning and taking off, flying slowly in the direction of the Ponyville hospital, followed by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, both were covered in small scratches but they were carrying Applejack and Zecora. Luna nodded and tried to go a bit faster, but stopped when a searing jolt hit her body and continued at her slow pace.

~~~

Luna looked at her bandaged wing. "I thought I got rid of these stupid things." She muttered, squirming as they rubbed against her now exposed skin. Her leg injury from Discord's talons was wrapped up and she had another bandage around her hoof, she had chipped a hoof when she clubbed the Timberwolf. She looked at the ponies with her and sighed.

Rainbow Dash had sprained a back leg and Fluttershy's wing was bruised. Zecora had hurt her ribs, not broken but enough that they needed bandages. She had injured her eye dodging a claw strike and getting poked with a thorn in the bushes and she had a concussion.

Applejack was still being treated.

As if summoned, the farm pony limped out of the room. "Nothin' broken, ah reckon ah got lucky." She said. She had lost a lot of blood, Luna could tell just by the look of her.

She had tried bucking and had gotten her legs clawed badly. Her back legs were covered in pearly white bandages. Her neat enough mane was shredded along with her tail. She smiled. "Ah have to take a while off from buckin' the apples. Poor Big Mac'll have to make do without me for a while, ah reckon he'll ask Rainbow to help her when she's all done healin'. Those two have been seein' each other for ages now, I reckon they migh' be goin' steady." She said, limping over to her friends and sitting down.

Nopony noticed Fluttershy blush and the faint murmur she let out was barely even audible.

Luna sighed and looked at Discord's room as the door opened. She saw him step out, his bat wing bandage to her side. She ran to meet him and felt his arms wrap around her, lifting her in a hug.

"I'm sorry!"

They both said at the same time.

Luna felt happy tears run down her face. "Discord, I love you. You aren't banished, I would never kill you." She sobbed.

"Luna my love, I'm sorry I clawed you." He whispered. She lifted her head and they kissed. She felt her hooves touch the ground and she looked around. A smile spread across her face and she turned to see her reaction reflected on her boyfriend's features. "We spend too much time in the hospital, but we're going to have make another trip a while away from now." She sighed and turned to him, pride in her dark blue eyes.

Discord cocked his head to one side, confused. "Why? Nopony's injured, nopony's sick and we're too old for check ups. Why do we need to come back? And a while away, planning doesn't make sense unless..." His yellow eyes widened in shock as she spoke the words he was about to say,

"You're going to be a father Discord."