New Beginnings

by Black Alicorn

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Nightmare Moon, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Romance, Adventure, Shining Armor, Sex, Tragedy, Alternate Universe, Human
Length: 106121

A young human super-soldier crash-lands on Equestria. Now, he must leave behind his dark, dark past and embrace this new chance at life, this new beginning. More so, he must now protect it when an ancient evil returns to plague Equestria once more!

When a young human super-soldier falls to Equestria, he must move on from his dark past filled with war, tragedy and bloodshed. Will he embrace this new chance at life, this new beginning? And most importantly. can he protect it when an ancient evil returns for a second time?

(NOT a Halo crossover.)

!!!Due to an incredibly busy schedule now that exams for college entry are closing in, New Beginnings is on Hiatus!!!

Published 2011-09-07 11:06:25 UTC
Last updated 2014-09-28 15:12:21 UTC

Chapter 1: First Introductions (edited)

Ponyville hospital. Most of the beds were filled with injured ponies, save one. A strange creature lay in its bed with a large bandage on it's side.

Twilight was laying in the bed next to it, studying it.

"What is it?" Twilight turned. Nurse Redheart was standing right next to her.

"I don't know," was her quick, dry answer.

It coughed. Both ponies turned to face it. After a few moments of coughing and wheezing, it began to stir and look upwards toward the ceiling.

“What the hell? Where am I?” were its thoughts as it observed the wooden ceiling of the hospital. Various cracks lining the ceiling portrayed its age, but proving sturdy over time.

It turned its head around, first to the left, where a large red pony with a broken leg was sleeping peacefully. It turned its head to the right, where Twilight and Nurse Redheart were observing it in silence. It jerked forward as if it was about to attack, but a yell of pain escaped its lips as it fell back into the bed slowly. It turned to investigate the source of the pain. It saw a large bandage on it's side. A quick sigh escaped from it's mouth.

“Um, hello?” said Twilight with a concern. The creature turned to face her, with a puzzled look. “I'm Twilight Sparkle, this is Nurse Redheart. Do you have a name?”

My name, my God, the last time I’ve said it... can’t even remember what it is.

He looked at the gray object at the other side of the room. It was his armor. How did they even remove it? He looked at a small image of a howling wolf in the top right corner of his chest plate.

He laid his head back on the pillow. Then he said it.

“Wolf.” One word. Short and sweet, but not too revealing.
“Well, Wolf, what are you? Where are you from?” said Twilight. She seemed intent on getting a background on this new character.

He thought for a few moments. Then he said two words. “Human. Earth.” Once again, barely opening up.

“How did you get here?” Nurse Redheart piped in.

He thought again. Something tugging at the back of his head suddenly reemerged and his eyes suddenly narrowed. He leaped forward again, ignoring the burning pain in his side. “RED DAWN! Where is she?!”

Twilight remembered the scorched paint on the side of what they found him in. “Red Dawn? You mean that thing you came out of?”

He fell back to his pillow, the pain caught up to him. He nodded in his pillow, content with her answer.

“I can take you to it when your feeling better. Why did you come here?”

He instantly loosened up at the fact he’ll be reunited with his trusty warship. “No choice. Had to make a blind jump. The Spinar were too close.”

“The Spinar?”

“Our- MY enemy.”

“Your people are at war with these “Spinar”?”

He scoffed.

“My people? No. Not anymore. They're all dead. The Spinar killed them all. All but one.”

“All of them? How many?"

His aggressive composure returned with a vengeance as he angrily answered, “124 BILLION! 124 freaking billion! The bastards showed no mercy! NO MERCY AT ALL!” He held back tears as he bit his lip.

Twilight gasped. “I'm sorry......”

He calmed down, wiping the tears away.

“Don't be. You couldn't have known.” He then silently chuckled. “I always wondered why people would say ‘I’m sorry’ at things they shouldn’t be sorry at.”

A few minutes passed silently as Wolf trembled, remembering things we wished he could forget.

Twilight finally broke the silence with a question. “But...why?”

“I don't know. None of us knew. They just fell from the skies on our Good Hope colony 24 years ago. Then they started killing everyone in sight. Military forces were caught by surprise.” He spat out angrily later, “Didn't even stand a damn chance.”

Twilight could see the anger growing in his eyes. If he got too angry, he could attack. He didn't look capable of attacking, but who knows?

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-seven years and counting.”

She couldn’t hide the shock in her voice. “Twenty-seven?!”

“Yes. And I don't want to talk about the war anymore. I saw things, heard things, felt... did things that are better left unsaid.” He then paused for a moment and added, “Can you two give me a moment, I need some time to think.”

What am I doing? I've never been so open before. But, this place has a calming effect on me, and this Twilight... how does she know so much?

Then he remembered.

The night of the crash, it was her, she was there when I first set down.

“Of course.” Twilight and Nurse Redheart began walking away.

“Wait.” They both stopped and turned to face him, unsure to what he wanted. “Nurse, is there someplace more private where I can speak with Twilight?”

“You can't strain yourself with movement right now, but you seem to heal fast. You should be back on your feet by tomorrow.”

Twilight let off a small smile.

“Then I can show you around some.”

Wolf returned the smile. “Thanks.”

Twilight left the hospital.

‘Thanks’? When was the last time I said that? Most of the war I was barking orders at men loyal enough to follow them.

At the time, Wolf was a Major in Earth's military. In most of his deployments, he was the ranking officer. Of course there were exceptions, but Wolf had extensive combat and tactical experience; not to mention the fact that the military had officially dubbed him, humanity's best hope of survival. This provided the exception where most superior officers, not only took his advice into careful consideration, they even took orders from him.

Am I going soft? Can't allow that. Spinar will find me eventually. Need to stay alert. But, I might as well heal and relax while I have the chance.

“Hungry?”

“Yeah, I could eat.”

“Dinner will be ready soon. It's soup tonight.” She looked around cautiously then whispered, “I personally recommend the mixed vegetable.”

“Thanks.”

She winked. “No problem. Now you just lay down and rest.”

“Don't have to tell me twice.”

The dinner cart came down the aisle and a nurse began distributing today’s meal. The smell of fresh soup filled the air. Wolf tried to breathe in as much of the smell as he could. It had been weeks since his last fresh meal.

The pony moving the cart asked:
“Carrot or mixed?”
“Mixed.”
“Here you go.”
“Thanks."

The pony smiled at him. “You're more than welcome.”

He tasted the soup. He immediately took another sip. And another. And another. It was the best soup he had in months. Within moments the whole bowl was gone. The red pony next to him stared. “Sorry. Long time since I had a good meal.”

“No problem. Just never saw anyone eat so fast.”

“I'm just used to eating fast. One minute I'm sitting in a corner, eating dinner, the next I'm back in the fight,” He stated plainly.

“Who were you fighting?” asked the patients. They all had shocked expressions.

“Genocidal bugs hell bent on wiping out every last human in existence.” He paused for a moment, laying his head back down on his pillow, recalling days past.
“They’ve almost finished the job. You’re talking to the sole survivor of the war. Can’t say I don’t like it. Lone Wolf, that was my nickname. Danger, certainty of death, small chance of success...” He paused again, recalling how desolate and depressing the war really was.
“I’d just barge through hordes of them. Throughout eleven years of hard warfare, I’ve killed thousands.”

“How can you talk about it as if it’s nothing?”

“When your whole life is stained in blood, you really can’t talk about anything else. It’s gotten to the point where war is a daily part of my life, and I speak about it in a monotonous tone.”

Everybody stopped talking for a bit, digesting what information he just released to them.

The pony operating the food cart broke the awkward silence by asking, “Anyone for seconds?”

Everyone answered no, except 2 patients who were wrapped up in their own conversation and didn't hear her question. One of which was Wolf and the other was the red stallion who had just awoken.

“Well, I see you two have been introduced.”
“Not exactly....”
“Well why don't we change that? Names Big Macintosh.”
“I'm Wolf.”
The pony driving the cart smiled at the two.
“So, any of you want seconds? Plenty left here.”
“Nah I'm good.”
“I could go for another bowl. Haven't had good soup in months.”
She filled another bowl. Like before, the soup was gone in moments.
“Thanks. I needed that.”
“No problem. We've got more if you want.”
“No thanks. I'm good.”
“Well, if you need anything, just call.”
Upon finishing that sentence, she left the room.
“I think I'm going to turn in for the night.”
“Eeyup. Me too. Good night.”
“Good night.”
And with that, they both turned and fell asleep.

Planet Raxus, April 17th, 2659, 14:31 hrs.

An explosion. Wolf opened his eyes. A young blond soldier ran up to him, a look of fear on his face.
“Captain! Corporal Marks sir!”
“Report Corporal!”
“Spinar broke through the 328th!”
“Damn it, they're the only unit between the Spinar and the civilian shelter!”
“We're trying to hold the line, but there's too many of them!”
“Pull the troops back. We'll try to hold them here.”
“Here, sir?!”
“Yes, here. We can use what's left of the defenses.”
Another soldier ran up to the two.
“Captain, sir! A Spinar elite team broke through!”
“What class?”
“Wasps sir!”
“Alright. Get ready men!”
“Sni-”
Marks fell over as a large spike entered his back, severing his spinal cord.
“MARKS!”

“MARKS! MARKS!”
Nurse Redheart rushed over to the screaming human.
“DAMN IT MARKS, GET UP!”
“Calm down! It's alright, you're safe!”
Wolf calmed down. He looked around. He was back in Ponyville hospital. Everyone was awake and staring at him. He looked to his left and Big Macintosh was staring at him with a concerned look.
He turned his head to the right and he saw Nurse Redheart yelling for anesthetic.
“Get me some morphine over here!”
“No, I don't need it.”
“Hold on that! Are you sure?”
“Yeah, yeah. Just a bad dream.”
“Sounded more like a nightmare. You were screaming 'marks' over and over again. What does it mean?”
His head fell back to the pillow and his eyes closed.
“Nothing.”
“Didn't look like nothing.”
“What time is it?”
“11:47 Am.”
“Morning already?”
“Yeah, it is. Well, it looks like your fine, so I'm releasing you. Just don't strain yourself too much. No running or anything like that.”
“All right.”
“And, you have a visitor.”
Twilight walked in as Nurse Redheart finished her sentence.
“Good morning!”
Wolf got up on his legs. He held on to the bed at first, but was soon standing like nothing had happened.
“Morning.”
“Feel like a little stroll?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Good! I'd like to show you around and introduce you to someponies.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Both Wolf and Twilight had completely forgotten about Red Dawn.
They both exited the hospital and Wolf was in awe.

Wow. This place is beautiful.

Wolf wasn't wearing his armor. Underneath the armor, he wore a gray and yellow uniform. On the right part of the chest, there was the same image of the howling wolf. On the left part of the chest, it wrote:
“W713”.
Outside,the sun was shining, the sky was blue and the air was so fresh and pure. It made Wolf feel very relaxed, something which changed quickly. Wolf kept his guard up even in the quiet, peaceful town of Ponyville. Spending years on the battlefield taught him to never let his guard down.

“Here's Sugar Cube Corner, the local bakery. They have delicious treats here.”
“Twilight!”
Both Wolf and Twilight turned to face the source of the voice. In front of them, a pink pony was hopping towards them.
“Hi Pinkie Pie!”
“Good morning! Where have you been?”
“Well,I've-”
She was quickly interrupted by Pinkie Pie, who was looking at Wolf.
“Who is this what's your name where are you from are you a friend of Twilight? If you're a friend of Twilight's then you're a friend of mine which means I have a new friend which means I need to throw a new friend party!”
And within a second, Pinkie Pie was gone.
“Okay, who or what was that?”
“That was Pinkie Pie.”
“Is she always like this?”
“Always. She throws parties at the drop of a hat. Anyway, we should move on.”
The two were walking towards Sweet Apple Acres, but to do that they had to pass through the busy town square. They went unnoticed at first, but then a few ponies started to stare and it wasn't long before the whole square was staring at Wolf.
“Don't mind them. They're not used to this kind of thing.”
Wolf didn't answer. His eyes were darting back and forth at the crowd, scanning for potential threats. Ever since his first few battles, he was constantly scanning the area he was in for tactical advantages, disadvantages and threats. They left the square and soon after the commotion resumed.
They were now in the apple orchards heading towards the barn.
Wolf heard something flying towards Twilight. He reached up, grabbed the flying object and threw it to the ground, creating a cloud of dust and a loud noise.
Twilight looked behind her at the dust cloud. When it cleared, she could see Wolf holding down Rainbow Dash with one hand, and the other forming a fist above her face, waiting to strike.
“Wolf, no! She's a friend!”
Upon hearing this, Wolf's grip loosened, and Rainbow Dash was free. She hovered in the air coughing for a few seconds, before opening her eyes.
“What was that for?! You want a fight? You got one!”
Rainbow Dash landed on her hind legs and using her wings to balance herself, she managed to get her front legs up to fight. The two were about to initiate an all out brawl when Twilight got in the middle and stopped them.
"Stop it you two! Wolf, what was that all about?"
“Sorry. Most of the time when something was heading towards me with that kind of speed, I had to react like that.”
“Well, just don't do it again. And, by the way, who are you?”
“His name is Wolf.”
“Well, Wolf, I'm Rainbow Dash.”
Both stared at each other, a sinister look in their eyes. They were ready for a fight.
Wolf broke eye contact with her first, he had calmed down. Rainbow Dash eventually calmed down as well.
“So where you headed?”
“Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Going to see Applejack?”
“Yeah, that and I need to pick up some apples.”
“Well, I'm off. Got some clouds to clear.”
“Well don't let us keep you.”
Rainbow Dash left. Twilight turned to Wolf.
“What was that for?”
“Didn't I already say? Every time something snuck up on me it was a Spinar trying to kill me.”
“What exactly are the Spinar?”
“What the scientists called them? A collection of different insect like races. What the soldiers called them? Very big badass bugs with insane firepower and a short temper. You do not want to meet one.”
“How long where you fighting them?”
“Eleven years. Eleven long years of hell.”
“How long was the war?”
“Twenty-four years.”
“How did you get into the military?”
“I was conscripted at twelve for the Demigod project. They made me stronger, tougher, faster and smarter then any human could hope to be.”
“And when did you join the fighting?”
“When I was sixteen.”
Twilight's jaw dropped.
“Sixteen?!”
“Yeah, sixteen. By then they had done dozens of surgeries, implants and stuff like that and turned me into the ultimate fighting machine.”
“Now that's just cruel.”
“We were desperate. Spinar were winning on every front and we needed a new weapon. That weapon was me, along with a few hundred others.”
“I think it was wrong.”
“What would be wrong? Letting our entire race die without a fight, or make a new weapon out of pre-teens? If you ask me, there's no choice.”
“I still think it's wrong.”
“And you can think that. Won't change the fact that it happened though.”
The two continued towards the barn.
“Applejack! Are you there?”
A voice came from there right.
“Hold on!”
Both turned towards the source of the voice.
“Yeeeehah!”
Applejack ran towards an apple tree. She turned mere seconds before hitting it and kicked it. On contact, it let off a loud, explosion-like noise. Wolf jumped behind another tree, and grabbed a large branch that was on the ground. Applejack walked towards the tree.
“Um, are you alright?”
Wolf didn't answer.Instead he leaped out from behind the tree, knocking Applejack on her back, while he was holding the branch above her face. Twilight noticed that he was holding it the same way he was holding his rifle the night he arrived.
"One wrong move and you get a bullet in the head."
“Wolf!”
The cold, heartless look on Wolf's face changed. He remembered that he wasn't in battle anymore. He jumped off of Applejack.
“Sorry.”
"Now what in tarnation was that?"
She turned to Twilight.
“Who is this?”
Wolf cut Twilight off before she could answer.
“Names Wolf. I assume you're Applejack?”
“Ah sure as sugar am.”
She stretched out her hoof to shake. Wolf stretched out his hand to respond, before wincing in pain.
Twilight remembered his injury. She looked at his bandaged side, to see a new spot of red quickly growing. She gasped.
“We need to get him back to the hospital!”
Twilight's horn glowed, and Wolf lifted off the ground. While his mind was mostly occupied with dealing with the pain, he noticed that he was flying, before losing consciousness.

End chapter 1.

(Sub) Chapter 2: A new home (edited)

*****
Ponyville hospital ER. The determined doctors were working on an unusual patient.
Nurse Redheart barked:
“Keep him steady!”
Wolf began to spasm.
“Nurse, the anesthetic is wearing off again!”
“Give him another shot!”
“But, we've already given him four times the normal dose!”
He began to wake up. His whole body flung upwards. He fell back to the bed as the clutter of falling surgical tools hitting the ground.
“If you want to operate on a fully conscious patient, then don't give it to him.”
He obeyed, and gave Wolf the shot.
“Now let's stop the bleeding.”
*****

Wolf woke up and he was back in bed.

What happened?

Wolf looked around. He was back in the hospital. He let out a discontent sigh.
“Welcome back.”
Wolf turned to investigate the source of the voice. It was Big Macintosh, the same pony he met the day before.
“Thanks. I can't exactly say it's nice to be back.”
Big Mac laughed.
“At least he has a sense of humor.” He thought to himself.
“So, how did you get back?”
Before Wolf could answer, Nurse Redheart cut him off.
“He ignored my: ”Don't strain yourself” advice.”
“Sorry Nurse, but....memories of the war, they just.....seem so real at times.”
“From what I've heard, you have been doing some extreme moves. Care to explain?”
“I don't react well to suprises?”
“Oh?”
“What do you expect? I was fighting a war for nearly half my life.”
“Right, I forgot about that. Anyway, you're free to go again, but please, no sudden reactions this time. We used up most of our anesthetic to operate on you.”
“Right.I'll try.”
“See you later Macintosh.”
“Eeyup.”
Wolf left the hospital again. Outside he found Twilight playing with Nyx.
“Hey.”
Twilight greeted Wolf, but told Nyx, who hid behind her, to go home.
Wolf noticed this, and before Nyx could leave, he asked:
“Why? You two are having fun out here.”
He knelt and asked Nyx her name. She didn't answer. Then Wolf remembered.

The night of the crash.....

"I SAID-”
He didn't finish the sentence, but his weapon was already pointed at her.

I almost shot her.....

Wolf rose, and whispered to Nyx:

“I'm sorry....."

A single tear formed in his eye, and rolled down his cheek.Twilight noticed this, but before she could say anything, Wolf was walking away.

“Wait!”
Wolf stopped.
“Yes?”
“Where are you going to sleep tonight?”
Wolf didn't answer. Twilight was caught in the middle of a serious dillema.
“Should I let him stay? Or will I leave him alone in the cold?”
It was a beautiful early spring day, but it was coming to a close. The sun was about to set, and while it was nice and warm in the day, Winters chill still had a firm grip on the night.
“I don't know.” was Wolf's final answer, and he began walking away again, with his head down.
Twilight turned to Nyx.
“What do you think, should we invite him to stay?”
“Yes.”
Twilight was surprised with Nyx's answer.
“Are you sure? After that night, I thought you wouldn't want him to stay with us.”
“I was a bit scared at first, but...then I realised that he was alone in a new place, he was hurt and he had just lost everything. I don't want him to stay in the cold.”
“That's my girl.”
“And....”
“And?”
“And he apologized to me. You probably didn't hear it, he whispered it to me.”
“Hmmmm.”
Twilight thought to herself: ”He apologized....maybe he's not as cold as I thought....”
“Wolf! Wait!”
Wolf stopped again, without raising his head.
“What is it?”
“If you want, you could stay with us....”
Wolf raised his head and turned to face Twilight, with a visible smile on his face.
“I'd like that.”
“Well come on, I'll show you the way.”
Wolf turned around and followed the two ponies back to the library.
* * * * *
The trio arrived at Ponyville Library.
Twilight's horn glowed and the door opened. Wolf was surprised at that, but didn't say a word. He was paying more attention to the library that was carved into the tree.
Wolf was nearly a foot taller than the doorway, and he had to duck to fit into the library. At least the ceiling was more than high enough for Wolf inside the library.
“Wow.”
“Welcome to Ponyville library, our home.”
“It's very nice. I haven't slept in a real house for nearly two years now.”
“Didn't you get time off?”
“Yes, I did but most of the time I was shaking hands with political candidates.....going to fancy dinners...and I think I even opened a few malls.
“What about time with your family?”
“Rare. I didn't get to sleep in my own home with them for two years.”
Tears formed in his eyes.
“I didn't even get to say goodbye to them.....”
Twilight regretted asking the question.
“Oh! I forgot to introduce you to someone!”
“SPIIIIIKE!”
“I'm coming, I'm coming.”
“Spike, I'd like to introduce you to Wolf.”
“Who?”
Spike then noticed the tall figure in the room with them.
“Is that Wolf?”
“Yes, that is Wolf.”
“Oh, hi.”
Then Spike returned to his bed.
Twilight blushed.
“Sorry.He was up late last night and he didn't get to nap today.”
“It's alright.”
“Well, the kitchen is over there, and the bathroom is over there. I hope the couch is alright for you.”
“It's perfect.”
Nyx shouted to the two.
“Goodnight!”
“Goodnight.”
“Well, I'll be turning in. Goodnight Wolf.”
“Goodnight.”
Twilight turned to go upstairs to her bedroom. She was interrupted by Wolfs voice.
“Twilight?”
“Yes Wolf?”
“Thanks.”
Twilight smiled and nodded.Then she went upstairs.
Wolf laid down on the couch, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.

End chapter 2.

Chapter 4: Cougar (edited)

Twilight came downstairs to check on Wolf. He was fast asleep, still in the same corner, in the middle of a small lake of tears. She could hear his heavy breathing from across the room. With every breath, in perfect rhythm his chest would slowly rise, then fall...Twilight's horn glowed purple, and an old, worn mop came to life. It was frayed, but it was more than capable of doing it’s task. It wiped up the mess in one fell swoop. Her horn glowed again, and a heavy wool blanket levitated onto Wolf. He shifted, pleased as his body heat would no longer be lost in the cold air that hung in the interior of the library. Twilight sighed disappointedly. She now had to make an extremely hard decision. But in the end, she knew that she had no other choice. And so, she lay down on her desk, levitated her favorite quill out of the ink well and began to write the letter that she did not want to write in the first place.

Dear Princess Celestia...

Planet Gift, July 29th, 2659, 16:39 hrs
Wolf stood above a lone grave on top of a hill, under the shade of a large evergreen tree. On the gravestone was the image of a proud hawk, soaring high above the ground. Below the image, one letter and three numbers. The standard tagging of all PROJECT DEMIGOD subjects.
“H392”
Wolf could hear footsteps on the soft grass of the hill. Someone was coming. He turned around, and he saw her, her bright green eyes staring at him, her long golden hair dancing in the gentle breeze that staked its claim over the forgotten (?)hill. The leaves of the evergreen rustled slightly, welcoming their new regent.
“Cougar....” Wolf said softly to her. After such a loss, only the voice of a loved one could numb the pain.
“Wolf, I'm so sorry. I know what he meant to you, he was your best friend since the beginning of this hell we live in.” Cougar replied to him. Her voice was overflowing with care for him. Wolf always knew that when the chips were down he could rely on Cougar to back him up. Only this time, he wasn’t sure she could help him this time..
“He died in my arms Cougar...he was staring right at me the whole time.” Wolf said, recalling that fateful day when his dearest friend was taken from him, never to be seen again. From now on, Hawk would live only in his memories. :
“I know, I heard.” Cougar lied. She could see that Wolf was in unbearable pain, and having to explain to her in detail what happened would only cause him more grief.
Both Wolf and Cougar were silent for a moment. Then Cougar gave him a much needed hug. Wolf warmly welcomed the embrace. It was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time. To be in Cougar’s arms, her silky blonde hair gently brushing against his cheeks...Cougar finally broke the long silence, even though she didn’t want to.
“Come on. They need us back at HQ.” She said sorrowfully. Wolf was slightly annoyed at her disturbing the peace atop the hill with their assigned duties.
Wolf didn't answer. He simply stood over Hawk’s grave, and out of Cougar's view, shed a single tear onto the white gravestone. His only wish was that the carefully carved stone would stand the test of time.
“Goodbye Hawk...I’ll miss you.”
Wolf began to turn away, but was interrupted.
All of a sudden, a hawk glided over the tree. It gave off two quick screeches towards Wolf, who could have sworn by all he held dear in this life, that he heard the hawk say:
“Goodbye Wolf.”

Wolf woke up a full eight hours later. It was night time, he could tell by the silence in both the library and outside. Of course, the moonlight flooding the room through the window was a dead giveaway. He soon discovered a heavy wool blanket carefully wrapped around him, and that no more of his tears stained the floor.

Of course, who knows how long I've been out?

He got up, and looked out the window. The moon ruled over the night sky, casting it’s glorious light on all below it. Rebelling however against the moon’s hold over the land, a few street lights that were still on, controlled their own smaller territories. Wolf slowly opened the front door, and crept out of the library.

* * * * *
Within minutes, Wolf had walked far outside of town. The moonlight bathed everything in a white glow. Wolf looked up towards the moon, and he saw it.
A hill with a large evergreen on it.
Wolf could not tear his gaze away from it. It looked exactly like the hill that Hawk was buried on. He quickly scrambled up the the hill almost tripping a few times in excitement. Finally reaching the summit, he stood directly above the spot where he remembered the grave to be. Wolf stared at the ground for a few minutes, then reached inside the military turtleneck he was wearing, and with one quick motion pulled out something he had carefully concealed from the rest of the world. It was a golden necklace, with a well crafted depiction howling wolf on one side, and a cougar on the other. They both seemed to vie for control of the bright green gem that lay between them. Wolf tightened his grip on it, nearly breaking it. Then, ever so softly, he whispered into the cool, night air:
“Cougar...”
He left the hill in total silence. It was obvious that if he stayed any longer, he would begin to cry again.

* * * * *
After a long and arduous climb, Wolf reached the summit of another hill, after leaving the other far behind him. He hadn’t rushed up this one, making the climb more tedious than the last. Wolf looked down on the area below, illuminated under the glorious light of the moon. There, like a massive black mountain, the Red Dawn towered above the flat landscape; waiting for Wolf to return to take control of it once more. After nearly falling over again, he slid down the hill and walked the vast, open space of the plain that was his crash site. After a few minutes passed, he came to the same door where he first emerged. Walking through the empty titanium halls, he could still see the fading silhouettes of his loyal crew, going about their normal tasks. Was it his mind playing tricks on him? His crew sending him a message from the afterlife? Or perhaps they were simply stuck there, in an amalgamation of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory. Wolf wasn’t sure, but before he could finally grasp the answer, the silhouettes drifted away into nothing. Dismissing the haunting presence of his departed crew, he finally arrived at the bridge. It was in appalling condition. Broken terminals everywhere, seats ripped off their very stands, and wires, yards and yards of wires hanging from almost every inch of the ceiling, sticking out of every broken panel on the floor. While the lower decks had taken the brunt of the impact, the sheer force of it was large enough to cause massive damage to an area in one of the highest areas of the ship.

A voice addressed him out of nowhere.
“Welcome back Major. I was worried that you were lost, or worse.” An electronically synthesized voice sounded over the speakers. Wolf recognized the light British accent of his AI companion.
“I'm fine Samantha.”
“You seem hungry. Shall I prepare a meal for you?” Sam continued. Wolf always appreciated her concern for him, but at times it could get annoying.
The mention of food made Wolf remember the food he ate during the war. While the quality of the food aboard the Red Dawn was much higher than that of the battlefield rations, compared to the Equestrian cuisine, it was nothing short of horrible. In his new home now, he had everything he could ever want. So there was no reason for him to return to the Dawn anymore. But he couldn’t just leave it wide open for anyone to enter. The tools of war hidden within it were far too powerful to fall into the hands, or hooves of anything on this particular planet. The secret cargo of her last mission was easily the most powerful creation hidden away in the deep bowels of the ship. That cargo would have to remain hidden and protected at all costs.
“No. Initiate ship lockdown.” Wolf said, fully recognizing what would happen once the order went through. While being one of the smallest ships in the entire Human armada, that didn’t mean her hull wasn’t brimming with some of the biggest guns in the fleet. While the Red Dawn was designed for stealth and speed, that wouldn’t mean much if she couldn’t protect herself.
“Major?” Sam asked. She hadn’t expected him to bark that order at her. He had never ordered a full lockdown before. While he had enacted multiple extreme-situation protocols, full lockdown had never been one of them.
“You heard me Sam. Initiate lockdown.” Wolf said, slightly annoyed by Sam answering him with a question. She had never questioned his orders before. Make smart-ass comments and wicked jokes about them, as well as outright defy them at times, but question them? Never.
“Affirmative. Initiating lockdown.” Sam said, saddened by the fact that Wolf was effectively ordering her to coup herself up in the ship with no contact with the outside world at all. If she didn’t know what Wolf was trying to protect, what was concealed inside her home, she would have defied this order right then.
Wolf was about to leave the bridge, until something out of place caught his eye. Well, something other then the wires, random pieces of metal and chairs. He looked at it more closely. It was an HP-18, the standard issue sidearm of Human military forces. Chambering the standard 10mm sidearm round, it packed heavy firepower into a compact and sturdy shell. It was regarded as one of the most reliable weapons ever created. Wolf picked it the very weapon that had saved him life time and time again, and took out the magazine to see if it was loaded.
Wolf was greeted with the sight of several steel rounds shining in their slots as the remaining lights above illuminated the exposed rounds. Wolf looked near where he found the pistol, and found the extra magazines he had placed there for safekeeping during the crash. They were still in pristine condition, which Wolf was pleasantly surprised to see. That such a small object could survive a crash like that unscathed was remarkable indeed. Wolf put the initial mag back in and gave it a hard slap to make sure it was secure. With a soft click, the safety was turned on. Now at least there was no risk of blowing his own leg off. With a swift motion, the high powered pistol was placed in it’s respective holster. All uniforms were equipped with a sidearm holster. A Wolf put the extra ammo in the bandolier that was strategically placed next to the holster. Once he was certain that all doors were sealed behind him, he quickly left the ship without taking one look behind him. Sam watched him leave in complete silence. Although she wanted to ask him to stay, she knew that she didn’t have that authority. And so Sam was left alone in the empty warship once more. Finding something to occupy her time with now was going to be a time consuming action in it’s own right.

* * * * *
Practically sprinting all the way there within the hour, Wolf was back at the library. He took out the weapon he had retrieved and slid it under the couch. The extra ammunition followed. Once the two items were safe in their hiding place, Wolf then climbed on top of the couch, and promptly went back to sleep again, hoping that his little secret would remain just that…

The following morning....

Wolf woke up bright and early, at the crack of dawn to be exact. He made sure to make as little noise as possible as he left. The last thing he wanted to do was to wake anyone up. Easy enough. He had his fair share of stealth ops during the war. He left the library without a sound. He shut the door as slowly as he could, making almost no noise at all.
* * * * *

Ponyville hospital. It was the first time Wolf had been a guest within it without being gravely injured. He quickly entered the building, looking for Nurse Redheart. He went through the ward he had stayed in, and he found his old bed, now taken. Big Mac was still in the bed right next to his. He wasn't asleep but wide awake, reading a book. He looked up and saw the human standing right next to him., greeting him with a smile
“Good morning.”
“Eeyup.”
“Everything alright Mac?”
“Eeyup.”
“Good to hear. Hey, have you seen Nurse Redheart around?”
“Eeyup.” Big Macintosh lifted a hoof and pointed straight to her. Wolf could see she was busy however and decided to stay put. until she was free again
“Need some company?”
“Eeyup.”
And so, Wolf began monologuing without any discouragement from Mac. Big Mac said nothing more than the occasional ‘Eeyup’, much to Wolf’s dismay. He finally got fed up with it and made an annoyed sigh.
“You know, a conversation is two sided. You can chime in anytime here…”
“Eeyup.”
Wolf groaned in sheer annoyance, and soon after his hand met his forehead with a loud slap. While he could relate with the strong, silent type, now things were just getting ridiculous. Wolf hoped that this would be over shortly. While his mind was drifting, by some freak accident, his necklace fell out from his extended collar. He could feel the sudden tug at his neck and knew what it was. He wondered how though. Maybe he jerked his head back too hard. He gripped the necklace and lifted it up in front of his face. The green fluorite shard resting in between the warring animals caught a stray beam of light and radiated/refracted into his eye. As hard as Wolf fought to repress the memory, it still broke through his mental roadblock.

Planet Gift, August 13th, 2659,13:42 hrs.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard from all sides. Large spikes were flying all around him as almost everything around him was trying to kill him. As a low wall was crushed next to him Wolf looked to his right. A large tank rumbled past him, crushing everything in front of it under it’s massive treads. It was definitely a Cerberus heavy assault-tank. The Cerberus's main armament, a 210mm cannon, was easily capable of destroying almost any Spinar vehicles put before it, as well as the various 'heavy' bug classes. It's secondary armament, the standard 24mm machine gun, was always more than enough power to mow down most Spinar infantry. This particular tank was painted gray, the standard urban combat camouflage pattern. What use such a large machine could have for camouflage, Wolf didn’t know, and he didn’t care. The damn thing was there, right next to him, blowing every bug it could find back to whatever hellhole they had crawled out of. Amidst the raging gunfire and cacophony of explosions, Wolf could make out a familiar voice calling for him. He turned, and there she was, in full battle armor, M-72 Assault in her hands, running towards him, taking shots at a bunker a kilometer away, was Cougar.
“Come on Wolf! We have to keep moving! You think the tank's going to wait for us?”

Wolf only shook his head as her words finally registered to him.
“I'm coming!” Wolf said and lifted off the ground, still holding his M-72.
As she saw him get off the ground and dusting himself off, Cougar turned and began to run away.
Wolf looked down at the ground for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. A cry of pain echoed in the air, fighting with the sound of the gunfire around it. Wolf looked up in horror. What he saw there only intensified his dread. Lying in front of him, her blood draining from her body and pooling in between the rubble, was Cougar. To his horror, Wolf could see a large spike protruding from her armor.
“COUGAR!” Wolf desperately screamed at the top of his lungs.
He opened fire and emptied his 72-round magazine at the bunker that was still so far away..Once it was empty, Wolf finally tossed it to the ground. As he neared Cougar, he dived and rolled to avoid the Spinar fire. He knelt above Cougar and he yanked her helmet off, letting it bounce uselessly across the battlefield. Much to Wolf’s panicked relief, Cougar was still alive, but desperately gasping for breath.
"Goddamnit Cougar, don’t you leave me too!" Wolf yelled, anger turning to despair.
"Wolf...I'm so sorry..." Cougar replied to him in a defeated voice.
"No, you're going to make it, you hear me?!" Wolf said, despair giving way to sheer determination to keep her alive as long as he could.
"Wolf..." She weakly muttered his name, intent on drawing his attention away from her bleeding wound.
"Damn it, stay with me!" Wolf yelled for one last time, his determination wearing down to unwilling acceptance.
He gazed into her eyes and she could see the terror in his. Doing the one thing she thought was right at the time, she pressed her finger against his lips.
"You always talked too much..."
With her last ounce of strength, and after withdrawing her finger and grabbing the back of his head Cougar lunged forward and kissed him, like she wanted to do for so long now. Wolf was caught completely off guard. He jerked back a little as his eyes shot open, but they slowly began to close again as he returned the kiss. They remained there, their lips locked together in their first....and last embrace. Cougar broke the kiss, smiled weakly...and let go.

Wolf closed his eyes tightly, in pain. Not physical, but a different kind…
Silence ruled over the ward for a moment. Wolf was left staring at his precious necklace. His shoulder suddenly felt heavier, and he looked at it, to find a large red hoof resting on it. The stallion it belonged to had a look of sympathy on his face, like he could feel the pain Wolf was going through or at least understand it.
Before long, Nurse Redheart arrived to check up on Big Macintosh, and found Wolf sitting beside him, holding a strange necklace.
“Well, this is a surprise. Almost get yourself killed again?” Wolf heard a light chuckle both behind him and beside him. Ignoring the chuckling ponies, he stood up and turned around to face Nurse Redheart.
“I left my armor and my rifle here. I was wondering if I could pick them up.” Wolf said, intent on finding his gear. Nurse Redheart put up no resistance to his request.
“Of course, they're over here.”
Nurse Redheart directed Wolf to the corner of the room. There lay his armor, his M-72, and another HP-18, just like he was told. Wolf made a brief inspection of his armor, and much to his dismay, found a large gaping hole on the right side of it, right below the breastplate. It was going to be a bitch to repair...
“We didn't know if we should try to fix it or not. Hope you don't mind.” Nurse Redheart said, hoping that he was pleased. While Wolf wasn’t satisfied with the state of his battle armor, he didn’t feel comfortable letting these ponies get familiar with it. So, in a successful attempt to reassure her, he simply said:
“It's alright.”
Shattering the peace of the ward into infinite tiny pieces, an orange stallion burst through the hospital doors. He was almost out of breath. The intruding stallion tried to say something, before he collapsed from utter exhaustion. Both Wolf and Nurse Redheart rushed towards him. He was panting heavily.
“Calm down, just calm down! Tell us what happened?”
The fear just kept growing and growing in his eyes, Wolf was suprised at how this stallion managed to blurt out the next three words the said.
“They're.....They're coming!”
He raised his hoof and pointed out a window. With one large jump, Wolf was beside it. He peered out of it, and saw a large cloud of dust rising. He put his helmet on, and after fiddling with the settings, used the visor to zoom in on the cloud. There Wolf saw what could be the harbinger of doom for this unfortunate town. While he found the sight to be somewhat strange, he acknowledged the threat of what appeared to be an approaching horde of fully armored dogs. Wolf immediately adorned his damaged battle armor. Within a few minutes, Wolf was fully armed and ready for battle once more. To the patients resting in their beds, he was an intimidating sight. With the rifle in his hands, he said one thing before bursting out the door, pretty much riding to meet the horde of foes approaching the unsuspecting town.

“Here we go....”

End chapter 4.

Chapter 5: Twilight's secret.....

A cloud of dust in the distance. All the ponies noticed it. They knew a storm was coming. But most didn't know who was in it's eye. Atop a large boulder at the edge of a small cliff, his armor glistening in the sun, rifle in his hands. Wolf looked upon the horde of dogs that was approaching. They stopped and formed ranks just 30 meters from Wolf. The leader came out to the front of the horde.
“Stand aside fool. And you will be spared.”
“And if I don't?”
“You will die.”
“Hmmmm.”
“Enough! Now M-”
“You talk too much.”
Wolf aimed and fired. The dog fell to it's knees, then fell dead on the ground. The horde examined the corpse. A large hole was in it's head. They looked up at the creature that had effortlessly killed their leader. They saw him throw something. 5 small squares fell at random locations in their ranks. The dogs approached to examine them. Then they turned to face Wolf again. He was holding something, he had his thumb over it. The dogs looked puzzled at it.
The thumb came down.
5 explosions, all right smack dab in the middle of the hoard. A few hundred were killed. The dogs were outraged. They immediately began a charge towards Wolf. Wolf opened fire on the horde, dropping many of them. They eventually reached the boulder. Wolf couldn't fire at them that close.
It didn't matter. He dropped the rifle and took out his true tool of destruction.
Two 40 cm razor sharp titanium blades come out of two slots in his wrists. Wolf said in a calm voice.
“Come and get me.”
And that they did. They tried anyway. Dozens of dogs were climbing up the boulder to attack Wolf, but they were all cut down as they reached the top.
Wolf plunged his right blade into the stomach of one of the dogs. He swung his left arm behind him, cutting the throat of another dog. He took out his right blade, and it quickly went under his left arm, and then into the heart of another dog. He took an opportunity and tossed a few grenades into the group that had assembled at the bottom of the boulder. They attempted to get away, but they were so tightly packed that it didn't matter. The grenades detonated, sending another 50 or so to their graves. But they didn't quit, they just continued to advance. There were too many coming, Wolf knew this.
He picked up his rifle and jumped off the boulder. He emptied his 72-round clip into the dogs that surrounded the boulder he was once on. He armed the grenade launcher at the bottom of his rifle, and fired into the horde. They saw he left and began to charge him. Wolf dropped his empty rifle and drew his blades again. They were coming straight towards him, but a few meters in front of him, they all turned and went around him. They were retreating, they obviously had taken enough. The cloud of dust they had created before was nothing compared to this one. Wolf retracted his wrist blades, stood silent as he stared into the distance,then started the journey back to Ponyville.
* * * * *
Everyone in Ponyville sprang into action as soon as they realised the Diamond Dogs were attacking. Within minutes, the whole town was surrounded by a wooden barricade, filled with spikes. The town square became a makeshift command center for the town. The Mayor and Twilight had immediately begun to organise the defense of the town. You could hear the yelling of the ponies as they rushed to prepare the town for the attack. Then,a deathly silence. Both the mayor and Twilight looked up to see what was happening. The Mayor asked.
“Whats going on?”
“I don't know. Should we check it out?”
They didn't have to. They soon realised that everyone was staring at the tall armored figure, his once gray armor now covered in deep crimson. He walked towards the square in complete silence. It was so silent, you'd find more noise in a graveyard.
He stopped in front of Twilight and the Mayor.
He then broke the silence, and said:
“They're gone.”
“Wolf, are you alright?”
In his helmet, not visible to others, he tilted his head and said:
"Just fine."

Looks like I'll be fighting here too. Can't catch a break anywhere....

“Well, looks like we won't be attacked. We'll have to take down these fortifications then.”
“No, you should keep them up for awhile. They may come back.”
“Why would they come back when they've already been beaten back?"
He took a threatening step forward.
"Look, leave the warfare to me."
Scared by his sudden advance, the Mayor backed down.
"I guess you're right..."
Twilight approached Wolf, with a sad look on her face.
“Wolf, do you feel like taking a walk?”
“Sure, I need to calm down a bit anyway. I'd like to head back to the library first, put this stuff somewhere.”
“Of course.”
* * * * *
The two arrived back at the library. They entered, and Twilight immediately went to the kitchen.
“I'll get started on breakfast.”
A few minutes later, as Twilight was about to take out the toast, she heard a loud thud. She immediately bolted out of the kitchen to investigate the source of the noise. She entered the living room to find Wolf's helmet on the floor, and him in the same corner as he was last night, with his head resting on his arms. She could tell that he was about ready to cry. She rushed to his side, and placed her hoof on his shoulder. She then spoke to him in the same soothing voice as she would for Nyx.
“There, there, it's alright.”
“No, no it's not. I should have warned them. Warned them first. I started the fight, I fired the first shot, I......killed the first one.”
“You were only trying to protect Ponyville. You saved a lot of lives today.”
“Yes, but I took even more, when I had the chance to save all of them.”
Twilight didn't know what to say. Wolf said to her.
“Thank you Twilight.”
Then he got up, and sniffed a few times.
“Is something burning?”
“OH! The toast!”
She rushed into the smoke filled kitchen and opened the window, and took the 'toast' out.
She returned with her horn glowing, and two plates with small black squares in the middle.
“Breakfast is ready!” She joked.
Wolf chuckled. He looked at a basket full of apples on the far side of the room.
“Got ya covered Twilight. Let me get out of this armor first.”
He took off his gray armor, and placed in the same corner where he was sitting. He then went over to the basket. He picked up two apples and gave one to Twilight.
They both ate the apples quickly.
“Want to take that walk now?” Twilight asked.
“Sure!”
Wolf left the library first.
Twilight followed, and stood in the doorway for a moment.
She sighed, a single tear rolling down her cheek, then she closed the door.
* * * * *
Wolf and Twilight were walking in the woods outside Ponyville.
“This place is beautiful .I can't remember the last time I took a walk like this. Not that I haven't been in a forest in a long time, but I was fighting almost every time I was.”
“I can't imagine that. Not being able to walk in the forest, hear the leaves rustling in the trees....”
The two came across a clearing in the forest. There was a waterfall going into a small pond. The fish were jumping happily, the birds were singing.
“Wow,now this is beautiful.”
He looked at Twilight. She looked at a bush, then gave a long sigh. Then she finally said:
“Wolf, I'm so sorry....”
“About what?”
She didn't have time to answer.
All of a sudden, a large group of white Pegasi stallions in golden armor leaped out of the bushes and grabbed hold of Wolf. He looked at the Pegasi, with a startled look on his face. He then turned to Twilight. She was crying. He tried to say something, but it was too late.
The Pegasi carried him off, leaving Twilight alone, crying in the clearing.

End chapter 5

Chapter 6: Forgiveness

Wolf's mind was racing, what were these Pegasi doing? Where were they taking him? And why would Twilight betray him like that? He remembered her face, tears streaming down her violet cheeks.

At least she didn't like what she was doing.....

Planet Gift, August 22nd,2659,21:19 hrs.

New Athens. The battle for it had been raging for weeks. Heavy losses on both sides, but the Spinar were losing. They killed Cougar, the girl Wolf loved for years now, and his hatred for them only grew with that. They made a grave mistake. Fueled by his anger, Wolf cut down hundreds of them. Entire sections of the city brought back under human control by him alone. The humans were winning. Then it happened.
A loud scream broke the morning silence. Wolf was caught off guard. A squad of Wasps had entered his tent, and one put it's hand over Wolfs mouth while th others were restraining him. Wolf bit down as hard as he could on it's hand. It shrieked in pain as the human bit of part of his hand. It quickly tried to put it's other hand over his mouth, but not before Wolf could scream out one crucial word.
"SPINAR!!"
The Wasps dragged him out of his tent.
He struggled to break free, but he couldn't, the Wasps injected him with a very strong anesthetic. It wasn't long before he lost control of his body. He was completely conscious, but he couldn't move a muscle. His whole body went limp. All he could do was watch in horror as two Wasps carried him away. He could see his men rushing out of their tents, guns blazing at the Wasps. The two that were carrying him retreated to safety, while the others held their position against the humans. The two spread they're wings, they began beating almost instantly. Within moments, they were off the ground, leaving the battle below. The rest of the Wasps spread their wings and retreated as well. Wolf had been captured by the Spinar. He didn't know what to expect, they had never taken prisoners before.

His feet touched the ground. Wolf was stunned. He didn't expect to be put on the ground so soon. He looked to his sides. Both Pegasi that were carrying him were bowing down. He looked behind him. He saw a tall white alicorn, her rainbow colored hair floating in the air, glowing in the sun. She had a crown on her head.
“Princess Celestia I presume?”
“Yes.I apologize for having you brought to me in such a manner.”
“You could have just asked.....”
“I would have, but the letter Twilight Sparkle sent to me suggested that you were extremely dangerous.”

Twilight?But....why?

Tears formed in his eyes, he didn't want to hear what he just heard.

Unknown Location, Unknown Day ,2659, Unknown Time.

The Wasps arrived on a makeshift landing pad they had set up. They loaded him onto a waiting dropship. Standard Spinar dropship, dubbed the 'Bumblebee' by human inteligence. It's name pretty much described it's a appearance. They loaded him onto the Bumblebee and it took off, it was obviously heading for low orbit. It arrived at the exact plotted moment. A Spinar warship had arrived and the dropship boarded. The same Wasps took out a large needle, and injected it's green contents into Wolf. Within seconds, Wolf was fast asleep.
* * * * *
Wolf awoke from a deep sleep. He was in chains, on a platform in the middle of a room the size of an Olympic Stadium. He looked in front of him, and there was the largest Spinar he had ever seen, the largest anyone had seen. It looked like a Praying Mantis, drop the large 'arms' and think a third of the size of an Olympic stadium. It stared at the restrained human for a moment, then it finally said:
“So you are the human we all should fear. Strange, you don't look that dangerous.”
“If you're going to kill me, just get it over with.”
“Oh, I don't plan on killing you. I have much worse planned for you.”
“If your thinking torture, don't waste your time. We've been trained to handle pain.”
A Wasp carrying syringe landed on the platform. It removed Wolf's helmet and injected it's contents into Wolf's neck.
“That was it? You need to work on your torture techniques.”
It ignored Wolf's comment.
“You've been trained to handle the weakest form of pain. I will show you true pain.”
All of a sudden, a recent memory popped into Wolf's head.

“COUGAR!”

Wolf winced, it was obvious that he wasn't prepared for that.
“Don't do that again.” He said angrily.
“Why? I enjoy it too much.”
The same memory again.

“COUGAR!”

And again...
“COUGAR!”

And again....
“COUGAR!”

It was right, he was never prepared for this kind of pain. He never knew how many times it had replayed the same memory in his head. All he could remember was being in the same room, for 3 days, being forced to relive the same moment over and over again.

Celestia looked down, she realized that she had just revealed something to Wolf that he was better off not knowing.
“Anyway, do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
A tear fell from his eye.
“No.Not at all.”
* * * * *
Twilight was pacing around the library, anxious to hear something, anything from Princess Celestia.
A few light thumps from upstairs. Nyx was coming down.
“Morning mom!”
Twilight didn't answer.
“Where's Wolf?”
Hearing the name was too much for her.She immediately burst into tears, backing up into a corner, her upper hooves locked tightly against her lower hooves. Nyx stood there in silence, then she came up to Twilight and hugged her tightly. She then looked at Twilight, stared right into her eyes and asked ever so sweetly:
“What's wrong?”
* * * * *
Wolf was released at the end of the day.

A 'few' questions?

He walked down the empty streets of Canterlot. He noticed two Pegasi stallions standing outside a doorway. He approached, and they broke their usual silence.
“Princess Celestia has instructed us to return you to Ponyville, if you so wish.”
He nodded. The Pegasi took him through the doorway, onto a platform with a chariot in the middle.
One of the Pegasi told him:
“Climb aboard.”
He did as he was told, climbing on board the chariot. The two Pegasi hooked up to the golden chariot, their wings unfolding from their sides. Within moments, hey were in the air, on a straight course for Ponyville. Wolf watched as the town grew closer, in complete silence as his mind raced.
* * * * *
“But, why would she order her guards to capture Wolf and bring him to her?”
Nyx had managed to calm Twilight, but with that question, she had destroyed what she had just accomplished. Twilight recommenced crying immediately after the question was finished. Amidst the sniffing and sharp inhaling, Nyx could make out a sentence:
“Because...I.....SENT HER A LETTER!!!”
Twilight's crying grew even more intense as she finished her sentece. She hated herself for betraying her friend like that. She knew what would happen, and she just let them carry Wolf away like that. She made that mistake once before with Nyx, and she would never forgive herself for it. Now, she had just done the same thing again. She thought to herself:
“What kind of a friend am I? I should have said something, I should have stood up for him, like I did with Nyx.......”
Her horn glowed, and with a flash of light, she was gone.
“Wha-”
Nyx's question was interrupted as she fell to the floor.
“Ow....” She muttered grudgingly.
* * * * *
Canterlot, Royal Reception Room.
(Authors note: Is the above location right? Or should it be something like Main Hall?)

The Princess had just finished with her duties for the day, writing letters, meeting diplomats, and soon Luna would take over. As she gave off a quick sigh, a bright purple flash caught her eye. She looked up,and saw Twilight sitting in the middle of the room,shaking her head. She was obviously dizzy after the teleportation spell she just cast. A single word escaped Celestia's mouth.
“Twilight?”
Twilight's head quickly turned to face the source of the voice.
“Where's Wolf?! You didn't banish him did you?!”
“Twilight,I-”
“YOU DID DIDN'T YOU?! HE WASN'T DANGEROUS! I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS SAYING!!!!”
Twilight erupted into tears. Another sigh from Celestia as a thought crossed her mind.
“Oh, that silly mare......”
Celestia's horn glowed, and Twilight's tears were wiped away, and her mouth clamped shut. Her wings unfolded, and she quickly flew to Twilight's side.
“Now, listen, you know very well that I don't banish anypony without reason, don't you?”
Twilight nodded.
“And you know that even if I did, I would inform you immediately,right?”
Another nod from Twilight.
“Now, I didn't banish Wolf. I asked him a fe-.....a lot of questions, and I released him not too long ago. He should be on a chariot back to Ponyville.”
The magic on Twilight's mouth dissipated, and a huge smile appeared on her face. She immediately jumped up and gave Celestia a giant hug,
“Oh thank you so much!” She squealed.
“You better get home now, he should be arriving soon.”
Most of the smile dissapeared. Her heart sank, as her head almost dropped to the floor.
“How can I face him? After I....betrayed him like that?”
“I'm sure you'll find a way Twilight. You always have.”
Celestia's words gave a bit of encouragement to Twilight. Some of the smile returned to her face.
“I'd better get home!”
Twilight burst out of the hall, setting course straight home. Celestia couldn't help but smile at the sight of her student excitedly running down the halls. She looked out the window, and could see a storm brewing.
* * * * *
Ponyville library. A tall figure stood outside the door, in the rain. A flash of lightning. Wolf stood there, unfazed by the flash, his gaze locked on the front door. A loud clap of thunder. Wolf jumped a little, the noise startled him, but he was still staring at the door. A quick sigh escaped his mouth, then he approached. He knocked. Nyx opened the door. She was startled at the sight of the human standing in the door, but that didn't stop her from jumping up and hugging him, almost knocking him down to the mud.
“Easy! You almost brought us both down there!”
“Sorry, but I missed you.”
Wolf couldn't help but smile at the little filly who was now resting in his arms.
He joked.
“Hey! Come on, what have you got those legs for?”
Nyx giggled, then jumped out of Wolf's arms, using her wings to gently float down to the floor.
Wolf just realized something.
“Hey! I never got to know your name!”
“Oh right,I'm Nyx.”
She stretched out her hoof and Wolf responded in kind. Both of them stood there for a moment, then all of a sudden Twilight burst through the door, wet from the rain, but with a smile on her face nonetheless.
It disappeared as she saw Wolf standing in the room. They both stared at each other. Seconds turned into minutes. Nyx felt that she should go upstairs. So she did, leaving the two to stare at each other for as long as they saw fit. They both opened their mouths to speak, but they quickly closed them. More time passed. They both broke at the same moment and hugged each other, tears streaming down their faces.
“I'm so sorry.......” She said, as she pushed her face deeper into Wolf's shoulder.
Wolf replied: ”It's okay...” as he gently stroked her mane.
10 minutes later, and the two are still in their warm embrace. They didn't want it to end, but they knew it had to. They let go. Both blushed.
“Goodnight Wolf.”
“Goodnight Twilight.”
Twilight went upstairs. Wolf laid down on the couch....and drifted to sleep.

End chapter 6.

Chapter 7: Wolf

Wolf was still chained in the same room, with the same company. It was enjoying the pain he was in,obviously. The effects of the serum they gave him wore off however, and they had to keep injecting him with a new dose every few hours. His neck looked more like a pin cushion now. It taunted him at every chance it could. He later found out that the creature he was being tortured by was a Spinar Queen. The Queens held great power among the Spinar, but were simply mates of the King. It....She explained to it that the Queens were leading the Spinar military against the humans, and that the King was far away on the Spinar homeworld. It told him this, and nothing else. It just continued to taunt and torture him.
“You know, I really enjoyed seeing that bitch Cougar die. It was such a beautiful sight.”
Wolf's anger grew.
“But it can't compare to seeing the 'great' Wolf in such pain.”
It laughed. Wolf's anger turned into pure hatred.
“Oh, I just love breaking relationships. She loved you, you know .You could see it. And you loved her back. You wanted her, but now you can't have her....and guess who you have to thank for that.”
It burst into laughter.
Wolf's anger turned into rage. He quickly threw his arms forward.
His chains shattered. He was free. The Queen immediately stopped laughing.
“GUARDS!!!!” She screeched.
The Wasp guards quickly opened fire on Wolf.
He moved his hands in a pushing motion. The spikes that were fired flew back to the ones that fired them. Wolf brought out his blades. He launched off the platform straight towards the Queen. She tried to stop him, but it was impossible. He struck her head on with huge force, it actually caused her great pain. She was knocked back, and was now lying on the ground of her large chamber. Wolf climbed up to her head. Fear consumed her as she looked into the humans eyes. Before they were deep blue, now both his eyes were completely black. He held his right arm right above her head, the blade drawn.
“I just love killing Spinar.”
His arm came down.

Wolf woke up in the middle of the night. He was panting heavily once again.
He whispered to himself.
“What happened to me that day?”
* * * * *
Luna had finished her duties for now ,and she was walking down the palace halls, heading towards her sisters room. She came right outside the door, the guards standing there. She looked up at the door, looking at the image of the sun carved into the wood. She opened the door and walked in.
Celestia was awake, lying down on the floor. She looked up at her younger sister.
“Luna, I didn't hear you come in. Come here, sit with me.”
Luna sat down beside her sister. Celestia could see that she wanted to ask her something.
“Is there something you want to talk about sister?”
“Yes. I want to know how the meeting with this 'Wolf' character went.”
“Well, I asked him questions.”
“And were the answers all right?”
“The answers were fine, but......”
“But?”
“He's been through much. He has anger, hatred within him. These 'Spinar' he spoke of caused him great pain. All of those feelings remain within him, and they've been compiling over the years. He released a small portion of them once.”
“Did he talk to somepony?”
“No. They were released in another way. Suddenly, quickly.......violently.”
“..........”
“He has power within him. Great power. But it is wild, untamed.”
“What kind of power?”
“He has great magical powers. But like I said, they are wild and untamed. He can't control them. Not without training.”
“Training? You want to train him?”
“I don't want to train him myself, but I want somepony close to him to do it.”
“Twilight?”
“Yes. I can't think of a better teacher.”
“Perhaps he would be better off with somepony else.”
“No, Twilight is close to him, she knows more about him.....and she cares about him.”
“She.....”
“No,not like that. She cares about him as a friend, but I wouldn't be surprised if she develops those kind of feelings for him.”
“You want to train him and bring him closer to somepony.”
“And Twilight is the best possible candidate.”
“But, why?”
“I don't like preparing like this, but something is going to happen. Something important. And Wolf will play a crucial part in it.”
“What will happen sister?”
Celestia got up and went to the window,gazing outside.
“I don't know Luna. I don't know.......”
A moment of silence.
“And it scares me.....”
Luna walked up to her sister and hugged her tightly. She could see the tear forming in her eye.
“Whatever it is, we will face it together sister.”
“I fear that we alone will not be able to face it Luna. All of Equestria's fate may rest in Wolf's hoo-.....hands.”
Luna released Celestia from her embrace. Celestia walked over to a desk, and levitated a quill and began to write on the piece of paper on the desk. Luna exited the room in complete silence. Celestia continued to write.

My most faithful student......
* * * * *
Late at night, Spike lay in his bed, mumbling in his sleep.
“Rarity.....I love you.....kiss me....”
His sentence was interrupted by a quick belch. The fireball that emerged turned into a letter, which fell to the ground.
Spike simply turned and faced the other direction, unfazed by the belch.

The next morning.........

Twilight yawned as she woke up. She got up and looked to her side. Nyx was lying there, still asleep, curled up into a ball. Twilight couldn't help but let out a sigh at the adorable sight. She tried to go downstairs,until a small lump on the floor caught her eye. She moved closer to it, and saw the letter.
“A letter?”
Her horn glowed as the letter lifted off the ground and unfolded.
“It's from the Princess......” she muttered to herself.
She began to read the letter.

My most faithful student,

I have an important mission for you. As you know, I spoke to Wolf yesterday. While we were, I noticed something. It was the magical potential he has. His power is great, but he can't control it. Not without help. You are to train Wolf in the art of magic. He will be your student. Teach him well Twilight. I hereby grant permission for Wolf to live in Ponyville alongside his friend and teacher, you.

Your teacher,

Princess Celestia.
A huge smile appeared on Twilight's face. In the blink of an eye, she bolted downstairs to tell Wolf the good news....and to inform him of his talent. She arrived to find Wolf already awake, staring out the window at a hill with a lone evergreen on it.
“Wolf!”
The silence in the room shattered, Wolf turned around to face the voice.
“Morning.” he said.
“Morning.”
“So what's so important that you're screaming my name?”
“A letter I received from the Princess!”
“Something good happen?”
“Yes!They sai-.....”
“What's wrong?”
“This is going to be hard to swallow,but.....you have magical abilities.”
Wolf didn't know what to say. His mind was racing.

So that's how I deflected the spikes that day........

“Huh. That's.........interesting.”
“The Princess has granted you full permission to stay here.....and she has instructed me to teach you how to use your abilities.”
“Oh,you're gonna be my teacher?”
A smile appeared on his face as he joked.
“Greeeeeat.”
She levitated a pillow off the couch and threw it at him.
“Shall we get started?”
“Why not?”

End chapter 7.

Chapter 8 : A new hero

3 weeks later.......

Wolf has been studying magic for three weeks with Twilight as his side. He wasn't doing good at first,but then he began to excel. He was able to use levitation spells now,and was taking full advantage of these talents. Just 5 days ago,he used his magic to aid in the repair of Ponyville after a storm.Everyone accepted him into their lives after that. Twilight was anxious to receive a letter from the Princess concerning the source of Wolf's magic. She finally got it.

My most faithful student...

Anger and hatred can grant terrible power. And Wolf has much of both. Where does the anger and hatred come from? The Spinar of course. Think about it, they destroyed everything he ever had. You can see that his ultimate goal is the death of all Spinar. But his anger and hatred towards them will never cease. He will carry them for the rest of his life,even if all the Spinar are dead. But,some good can be drawn from them. Somehow,he has the ability to control that energy, and use it for whatever purpose. So far,he has used it for good purposes. We can only hope that he will continue to do so.

Yours,

Princess Celestia.

Twilight didn't know what to say. The letter answered her question, but she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear it.
She was deep in thought when Wolf interrupted her.
“Hey. What are you doing?”
She jumped, and quickly hid the letter.
“Private letter?”
“Um...yes.”
Wolf noticed the pause. She didn't want him to see it. He chuckled.
“Okay, fine keep your secrets. I was going for a walk, and I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with?”
“Oh, I'd like to,but I've got some things to do.”
“Okay. See you later.”
“Bye.”
Twilight let out a quick sigh of relief. Then she began to look through the shelves of the library.
* * * * *
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the sky was clear.....Wolf loved it. He could sleep much easier now, his time in Equestria had a very calming effect on him. But his warrior instincts had taught him to never let his guard down. He never did, but he still remained very calm. He was walking out of town when someone caught his eye. He turned and there was Big Macintosh lying in the grass, gazing up at the sky.
“Don't get sunburned!” Wolf joked.
Big Mac got up to face Wolf,a smile appearing as he glimpsed the human. They had now become good friends.
“How you doing today Wolf?”
“Fine, what about you?Did you tell Rainbow yet?”
The smile disappeared.
“Um....no.”
“What happened?”
“Well, I was on my way to tell her,but then I saw her flying with somepony else.”
“Maybe he was just a friend?”
“That's what I thought at first, until they hovered for a moment and she leaned in and kissed him.”
“Ouch. Hey, sorry man. You still love her though right?”
“Eeyup. But I want her to be happy,and she looks very happy with him.”
“I'm glad you feel that way. I've seen a couple fights over a girl before. Didn't end well. These two guys were best friends and they loved the same girl. They fought each other, and they were both hospitalized. A few hours after the fight, the girl solved the problem.
"How?"
Wolf frowned a bit.
"She put a shotgun in her mouth and pulled the trigger."
"Shotgun?"
"Picture that"
He pointed to his rifle
"only instead of shooting one, it sprays a hundred in random directions."
"Ouch..."
“ As you can imagine, they hated each other from that day forth.”
“.....”
“Well, aside from that,anything new?”
“Not much. Applebloom's got a fever that just won't break and we're all worried.”
“Maybe I can help.”
“How?”
He smiled before replying.
“Come with me.”
He grabbed the stallions hoof and helped him up.
“Wow, he's pretty strong.” Big Mac thought to himself.
The two walked out of town and headed straight for a hill.
“Well,here we are.”
“Um, Wolf , I don't think anything on this hill that could help Applebloom.”
“Who said it's on the hill?”
He waved for him to climb up with him. Big Mac shook his head and climbed the hill. What he saw there caused his jaw to drop.
“Impressive isn't she?”
Wolf pointed to the Red Dawn.
“It was a gift from the military. For my 'exceptional' services to the human race. Most advanced weapons,state of the art computer systems,fastest engines,toughest armor......But we're not interested in any of that. We need the med bay.
“Okay.....”
He didn't know what else to say. He was too busy staring at the Red Dawn.He never noticed how Wolf began to climb down the hill.
A whistle in the air.
“Hey! You coming?”
“Uh....Eeyup. Sorry, I was wandering there for a moment.”
“No harm done.”
Wolf waited as Big Mac climbed down. After he got down, Wolf began walking towards the door. It was shut.
“Samantha, override lockdown.”
“Other life sign detected. Security systems armed.”
One of the ships large 50 mm cannons came to life and aimed at Big Mac.
“Stand down, contact is friendly, repeat, contact is friendly!”
“Acknowledged. Standing down. Overriding lockdown. Welcome back Major."
The door opened.
“What was that all about?”
“Sorry, Sam can get a little over-protective.”
“Sam?”
“The ships AI. She keeps it running when I'm not around. Anyway, medical bay is this way. Follow me.”
Big Mac obeyed and followed Wolf further into the ship.
“It looked much smaller outside......” He thought to himself.
They came to a door with a large red cross on it.
“Here we are.”
Wolf pressed a button and opened the door.
They both stepped inside. Wolf turned to face his companion. He was looking around the room that looked much like Ponyville hospital. Wolf turned to look through some cabinets.
“Now where did I put it?”
“Um....Wolf?”
He took his head out of the cabinet.
“Yes?”
Big Mac was pointing to a bottle on a counter. 'Fever medicine', it was labeled
“Yeah, that bottle is actually full of laxative. It was a prank the crew pulled on me when I had a little fever. I knew I shouldn't have trusted that label.....”
He put his head back into the cabinet, and came out holding a bottle.
“Ah, here it is. Good old fashioned medicine.”
He blew off some dust.
“Don't pay attention to that. Thanks to the honey in it, it will never go bad.”
“I never said a thing. I trust you Wolf. You wouldn't make a mistake like that.”
“Thanks. Well, we got what we came for, let's go.”
They proceeded to exit the room when they were interrupted by a meow. Wolf froze as tears formed in his eyes. He looked down. There was a large black figure rubbing against his leg. He put the bottle down as he quickly grabbed it and held it in his arms.
“Jester, I thought I lost you.”
He held it tightly to his chest. Big Mac noticed the tail, and realized it was a cat that Wolf was holding.
Tears streamed down Wolf's face as he held the cat. It was the only thing he had left from his old life,and he loved it very much.
“Hey,you okay?” Big Macintosh asked.
“Yeah, I'm fine. I just never thought I'd see him again.”
“Let's go.”
He put his beloved pet down and took the bottle.
“Samantha, could you feed him while I'm away?”
“That will not be required colonel. In the crash, much of the stored cat food opened. And thankfully the water system still works.”
“Thank you Sam. You can re-initiate lockdown.”
“Yes sir.”
Wolf and his friend exited the ship.
Wolf had a huge smile on his face.
“Somepony's happy.”
“Of course, I just found out that my cat is alive.”
“How old is he?”
“8 years.”
“He's getting pretty old.”
“Yeah, but he's still a kitten on the inside.”
* * * * *
Sweet Apple Acres. All the apple trees had shed their leaves and it gave everyone a chance to rest for a few days. But rest was the only thing they didn't do. They were all concerned about Applebloom,whose fever didn't break. They feared the worst. But then,a ray of hope.
Wolf was talking to Applejack.
“Here,give this to her.”
“Thank yah Wolf.”
“Mind if I come up and see her?”
“Not at all.”
They went upstairs. Applebloom was laying in bed resting. She immediately cheered up as Wolf entered the room.
“Hi Wolf!”
“Nice to see you. I hear you've got yourself a little fever?”
Applebloom nodded.
“Well, let's see if we can fix that shall we?”
“Applejack, let me see the bottle.”
She gave it to him,and he filled up a spoon full of the yellow liquid. It's sweet pleasing scent filled the air. Wolf sighed.
“Oh this brings back good memories.”
He gave the medicine to Applebloom, who cheered up even more as she tasted the medicine.
“That sure tasted good!Hard to believe it's medicine!”
“Thyme and honey. Made from the freshest honey and the best thyme. The honey also has something to do with the medicinal value. The bees collect the nectar from all kinds of herbs and they make honey of very high quality.”
“Ah feel better already! Thanks Wolf.”
“Okay, I know it acts quickly, but not THAT quickly. You still need to stay in bed though.”
“Awwwwww.”
“Well, I'll be-”
Wolf was interrupted by two screams.
“HYDRAAAAAAAA!”
“Hydra? I do not like the sound of this.”
Wolf looked out the window,and of course he saw a Hydra chasing two young colts.
In his head, he was asking himself why there was a creature from Greek mythology chasing two colts, and at the same time, he bolted out the door straight for Red Dawn.
Applebloom asked:
“Now where is he going?”
“Ah don't know, but Ah need to go help with the Hydra. Applebloom?”
“Yes sis?”
“STAY. HERE.”
“Hmph.”
Applejack left the barn and headed straight for the Hydra.
* * * * *
Everyone was panicking. They were running back and forth all over town. After a few minutes, the Mayor had restored order and instructed everyone to remain in their homes while the Element Bearers dealt with the Hydra.
* * * * *
The two colts that were being chase were inadvertently leading it back to town. All of a sudden, one of the Hydra's head's had blocked the path the colts were following. They stopped and tried to climb up a rock face. A grave mistake. They were trapped, and they knew it. They stared right into the eyes of the Hydras many heads,who were all licking their lips. All of a sudden, a blue streak through the sky. The Hydras was confused, it was being distracted by Rainbow Dash while Twilight proceeded to rescue the trapped colts. She was surprised to see the two ponies that were being chased.
“Snips? Snails? The Hydra's chasing YOU?!”
“Um, yes?”
“Why is a Hydra chasi-...never mind, just come on.”
They obeyed and followed Twilight out of the corner. The Hydra noticed them and lunged at them.
Twilight pushed the colts back behind her,and preparing herself for the worst.
An explosion.
Twilight looked up at the Hydra,who was reeling in pain as an explosive had hit it's back. Both It and Twilight turned to face the source of it. It was Wolf,standing on top of a hill,with a rifle in his hands.
“Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back!”
It was all too happy to oblige. All four heads lunged at him. Wolf jumped out of the way at the last possible second, the heads struck the hill.
On the ground,Wolf was with Twilight.
“Sorry I'm late.”
“Actually you were just in time.”
“Oh good. Go, get them out of here, I'll cover you.”
“Okay.”
Twilight left the scene with Snips and Snails. The Hydra was now furious at having lost it's prey,and lunged at Wolf again. He jumped out of the way again,but the Hydra was quick to react and all it's heads stopped just in time before hitting the ground. Wolf began taunting it.
“Come and get me you ugly son of a bitch!”
It lunged at Wolf once more. He dodged yet again in the nick of time.
A rope came over one of the Hydra's heads.
Applejack jumped on it's back and pulled back as hard as she could. The other heads turned to face her.
“Oops. Ah forgot about that.”
One of it's heads came around and slammed into Applejack. She was knocked off and landed 30 meters away. Another head lunged at her. She prepared for the end. It never came. Wolf had saved her at the last second,knocking her out of the path of the head. Rainbow Dash quickly came to Applejack's side.
“Get her out of here Rainbow!”
“But,what about you?”
“I'll be okay, just go!”
She obeyed and lifted the wounded Earth-pony out of the fight. It was just the Hydra and Wolf now. They faced each other, until finally the Hydra made it's move. All 4 of the heads were now focused on him. The fight just got a lot harder. He dodged one, but the other had landed within inches of him and knocked him to the ground. Another head came down to finish him. Wolf stretched out his arm and used his newly developed magic to levitate a large rock into it's mouth. The head stopped in midair, as it struggled to swallow the rock. Wolf got up. But he forgot about something. He turned to his right, and there was the other head,bearing down on him. He couldn't dodge it, there wasn't enough time. It hit him, sending him flying into a rock. His back absorbed much of the impact, but the force caused his head to fly backwards, making contact with the rock. His helmet was knocked off by the sheer force of the impact. He looked at his helmet, the hardglass was shattered. He put his hand to the back of his head. All he could remember after that was his hand covered in blood before he lost consciousness.
End Chapter 8.

Chapter 9: Unconscious

Wolf lay unconscious on the ground, the Hydra preparing to enjoy the spoils of it's victory.

A familiar voice ringing inside his battered head.

“Hold on Wolf!”
He looked up and he saw him.
“Get up Wolf! We're supposed to lead the way!”
“What the? Grizzly?”
“Of course it's me! Now come on!”
“No, this isn't real. You died 2 years ago.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I'm standing right here! Now COME ON!”
“Yeah....right.”
“INCOMING!”
The explosion knocked Wolf back into a wall. He fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless.
“WOOOOLF!”
Wolf closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

A blue stripe barreled through the sky. It was a blue maned and light-brown coated pegasi colt.
He shouted to the hydra.
"Try to catch me dumbass!"
Then he flew straight to the hydra's left leg and crashed into it, full power.
The four headed animal was shocked by the sudden hit in its leg and uncontrollably fell to the ground.
The still unknown pegasus yelled again, now with pain in his voice.
"Quick!... Get him out of here! I can't hold out much longer!... Unless if..."
Rarity rapidly responded to the call and charged towards to the still unconscious Wolf. While still running, she loudly asked the savior pegasi.
"Are you allright dear? That must have hurt!"
"I'm... I'm okay, just get him out of here." He shook his head then lift himself off the ground and began to fly in circles around the slowly rising hydra.
"This will be a huge one, try to get as far as possible!" His voice was barely audible through the intensifying wind.

The vortex was getting faster and stronger every second, it fully covered the hydra in a few moments later. After a loud frictional sound the animal hovered up. The blue tornado did it's job.

The blue tornado slowly moved on its way. However, the hydra didn't want to lose easy prey. It streched all of its heads, so the pegasus inevitably crashed into one. The Pegasus lay on the ground reeling in pain. The hydra was pleased at the sight. Another addition to the menu. Rarity sat there, frozen in fear.
* * * * *
A yellow Pegasus was carrying a basket of frogs to Froggy Bottom Bog.
"I'm sorry, but, um, if it's alright to ask, why do you keep coming out here?"
Before the frog could 'answer', an unusual sight caught Fluttershy's eye. A hydra looking down at a rock face, licking it's lips. She looked at the bottom of the rock face and saw a wounded Pegasus, her friend Rarity and something she had never seen before. Anger built up inside her, she quickly dived down and let the basket on the ground. She then sped towards the Hydra.
She arrived as the Hydra was about to begin it's decent.
"OH NO YOU DON'T MISTER!"
It turned to face the source of the voice.
It scoffed at the sight of a yellow Pegasus.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
It couldn't help but whimper towards Fluttershy, who was staring right into it's eyes.
"You should be ashamed of yourself!"
It lowered it's head.
"Trying to eat a poor defensless Pegasus, Rarity and a...whatever it is. Now you go back home and don't you ever come back again.
It didn't move, it was obviously paralised by Fluttershy's dreaded stare.
"GO!!"
It quickly ran back into the Everfree forest.
Meanwhile the wounded Pegasus lifted himself up, and asked:
"What the hell happened?!"
He tried to walk, but he quickly fell back to the ground. His eyes glazed over, he tried to keep them open. No good.
The last thing he remembered was a yellow Pegasus walking towards him.
* * * * *
“How is he?”
“Not looking good. Looks like his luck is running out.”
“Luck?”
“Yeah. I mean think about it, what are the odds of Fluttershy arriving at the last possible second and giving the Hydra The Stare long enough for Rarity to come in and make a rescue?”
Twilight tilted her head down.
“Slim.....”
“At best. I'll be honest with you Twilight, I'm not sure we can save him. All we can do right now is hope. The best thing for you to do right now is go home and rest.”
She nodded. She new that Nurse Redheart was right.
“Yeah, I'll go.”
But rest was the last thing she had in mind.
* * * * *
Twilight hadn't stepped into the library for a few seconds and she was already going through spell books.
“One healing spell, just one please......”

Two hours later, and Twilight has gone through almost every book in the library. It was usually nice and clean, but today it was a complete mess. Books thrown everywhere, ink on the floor, and a lavender unicorn sitting in the middle of the room, eyes bloodshot and reading through the last book in the whole library. As she reached the opposite cover, her horn glowed and the book slammed shut.
Tears filled her eyes, and she began crying again. She had failed, she thought. And now Wolf was going to pay for her failure with his life. She backed up into a corner, tears streaming down her bloodshot eyes. An hour passed, then two hours, then three and she was still there, crying. She quickly got up,wiped away her tears, and went straight to the hospital.
* * * * *
“Twilight, I didn't expect to see you back here so soon.”
“Has his condition improved at all?”
Redheart's head shook.
A quick sigh from Twilight. She went past Redheart.
“Twilight!”
She turned to face her.
“Wolf's been moved to a more private room. That way. Number 217.”
She raised her hoof to point the way.
Twilight passed Readheart, muttering a few 'thanks' as she went. After a minutes walk down the halls of the hospital, she reached room 217. She opened the door and walked in. The room was everything but private. Applejack was in a wheelchair right next to Wolf's bed, the impact of the Hydra's head had broken most of her left ribs. Twilight looked to the right, and sitting on another bed was Rainbow Dash, in a tight embrace with an injured brown, blue maned Pegasus, a worried look on her face. Twilight turned back to the bed, and Big Macintosh had appeared right next to Applejack. They all turned to face Twilight, nodded, then turned back to Wolf. His head was covered in bandages. Twilight went next to him, leaned over next to his ear, and gently whispered:
“Please come back Wolf.....please....”

“Come back Wolf! Wake up!”
Wolf got up. His mind was racing.
“What the hell is going on? This already happened.....”
“When I say go, we both storm the bunker.”
“No.”
“What?!”
“No, this already happened.”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
“Two years ago, we did this and you were shot!”
“Wolf, two years ago I was on Peace.”
“I know this is hard to understand.”
“Wolf, honestly, just shut up and come on!”
“Right...........sorry.”

Nurse Redheart opened the door. Everyone looked at her. She asked if Twilight could come out.
“Sure.”
They both left the room.
“So,any good news?”
Redheart's head dropped.
“We can't save him.”
“What?”
“I said -”
“What?”"
“Twilight....”
“WHAT?!"
“Twilight, listen...”
“No, you listen! You are going to save him, you hear me?! You are going to save him!”
Twilight collapsed to the floor, crying as loud as she possibly could. She grabbed hold of Redhearts hoof and held on to it tightly.
A few minutes passed. Twilight looked up at the pony she was holding on to so tightly.
“How....how long does he have?”
“A few hours, a day at most.”
“Okay.....”
She opened the door into Wolf's room, trying to hold back her tears.
No good.
She fell to Wolf's bed and erupted into tears. She pushed her head into Wolf's chest. Everyone else in the room rushed to her side. Amidst the tears they could make out words.
“Please wake up Wolf..........Please.”

“Go go go!”
Wolf rushed out of cover and headed straight for the bunker, his gun blazing.
His advance was interrupted by a Spinar airstrike.
“Oh sh....FALL BACK!”
The troops quickly changed course and ran back to cover.
“FALL BACK!”
Wolf jumped behind a wall and waited. An explosion sent a human soldier flying behind his cover.
“BARNES!”

“He'll be alright Twilight.”
Big Mac's attempt to encourage Twilight failed.
“Maybe he has some kind of medicine in that 'ship' he came in.”
Twilight's head snapped up.
“That's it! Big Mac your a genius!”
She jumped off of Wolf and gave Big Mac a quick 'thank you' kiss on the cheek. This caused Big Mac to blush a bit. Twilight burst out of the room and made a beeline for Nurse Redhearts office. She arrived and knocked furiously at the door.
“Twilight? What has gotten into you?!”
“Can Wolf be moved?”
“What?”
“Can Wolf be moved?!”
“I don't know, why?”
“I think I know something that could save him!”

“There's too many of them sir!”
“Damn it trooper,hold your position!”
Wolf got up and fired a few shots into the large group of approaching Spinar.
“Damn it how did they get here so fast?”
Wolf got up and threw a grenade into them. The explosion probably killed many of them.
“What am I doing? This isn't even real!”
A large spike penetrated the wall and came out right next to Wolf's head.
“Real or not that was too close!”
He got up and began firing again.

Twilight and everyone else arrived in front of the Red Dawn. They walked to the door, Wolf being levitated by Twilight.
“Rarity,could you carry him for a minute?”
“Of course dear.”
The light emitted by Twilight's horn was fading, as the light from Rarity's was growing stronger.
Twilight approached the door. A sudden voice startled her.
“Unidentified life forms detected. Weapons armed.”
The same 50 mm cannon targeted the group of ponies.
“Friendly signature detected. Disarming weapons.”
“Can you let us in?”
“Negative. You do not have proper authorization.”
“Open the door please.”
“Negative.”
“If you don't open this bucking door, Wolf is going to die!”
Silence. It was broken by the same voice.
“Overriding lockdown.”
As soon as the door opened the group rushed in, Big Mac showing them the way to the med bay.
Once they got there, they put him down on the bed.

“There's too many of them!”
“Hold posi-”
Wolf was interrupted by the same kind of Spinar that injured him a few years ago.
“Son of a....”
He quickly dodged the incoming stinger. It's legs came and pinned him to the ground again.
He tried to break free, but his strength left him. He felt very weak.

“Life signs critical, injecting stabilizer.”
A long mechanical arm came from out of the wall and injected a blue liquid into Wolf.

His strength returned, he could feel it. He quickly lifted the legs off of him and avoided the stinger once again. He drew his blades and slashed frantically at it's exposed stomach. It shrieked in pain.

“Life signs stable, please move subject into Operating room. I will guide you there.”
They followed the AI's directions and arrived into the Red Dawns operating room. They put Wolf down on one of the tables and the voice asked them to leave. They obeyed, but as they left, Twilight turned to see more of the mechanical arms moving down towards Wolf's head.

He killed it. A victory. Wolf felt stronger than ever now. He charged straight at the approaching Spinar, his blades drawn, ready to do their job. He came closer and closer. It wouldn't be long now.

4 hours later and the ponies were overjoyed to hear the voice say that he would be alright. They all left to let him rest. They would be back though.

Wolf stood atop a pile of rubble. He won, he actually won against hundreds of Spinar. The cheers from human soldiers could be heard all over the broken city. They had won.
“Too bad this never happened.” Wolf thought to himself.
He turned to face his men.
“It's been an honor fighting with you. You're the best troops I ever had the privilege of commanding. But now it's time to go.”
He could hear the men asking about what he just said. He ignored it and looked to the sky, while spreading his arms out.
All of a sudden, he caught on fire.
First his arms, then his legs, both heading towards his upper body.
They met at the exact same moment and continued on to his head. He was unfazed, it was obvious there was no pain at all. All he could feel was the warmth of the flames as they reached his head. He smiled as the flames intensified, reducing him to ash.
All the men were shocked at this sight. Even more so when the ashes rose and flew off into the sky.

Wolf opened his eyes, then after a few seconds, they were closed as quickly as they were opened.

End chapter 9.

Chapter 10: Awakening

Chapter 10: Awakening

Wolf opened his eyes.
“Welcome back sir.”
He didn't answer. All he did was get up and put his hand to the back of his head. He quickly regretted that.
“Ow......”
“Your head has suffered considerable trauma sir. You are lucky to be alive.”
“If I had a nickel for every time I heard that......”
He got up and tried to stand. He was wobbly at first, but he quickly regained his balance.
He walked towards the door and tried to leave but was interrupted by Samantha.
“You are extremely fortunate sir. The impact alone would have killed a normal human.”
He stood in the doorway in complete silence. A single tear rolled down his cheek.
“I'm not a normal human......”
* * * * *
Wolf turned on the water. The hot water rushed down from the shower head, blasting away the dirt and sweat from his head and hair.
“Oh I needed this.....”
His mind drifted under the warm touch of the water.

Planet Haven, November 22nd 2659, 12:42 hrs.

Wolf walked deeper into the cave. He made it to the end and walked through the opening.
In the middle of the room, there was a large table covered in maps and surrounded by chattering men.
Silence filled the room as the people noticed the tall armored figure standing among them.
“Well? What are you doing standing there? We have a war to fight.”
Upon the end of the sentence, everyone quickly resumed their duties.
A man approached him.
“Major, it is a pleasure to fight beside you.”
“Yeah. And who are you?”
“John Grifton. Leader of the New Berlin resistance.”
“I'm not gonna lie to you John, I don't like fighting with militia. I feel a lot better knowing that well trained military personnel have got my back.”
“My men are the best this side of Haven sir. We've got your back.”
John showed him to the table.
“Alright, what are we dealing with here?”
“Spinar hit the city bad. Most of the dead were civillians. Everyone who survived the initial attack is here with us. We're planning a counter strike.”
“What kind of firepower do you have?”
“Mostly small arms. Standard issue for us is an MP-80.”
Wolf took off his helmet.
“MP-80's? You plan on mounting a counter attack with MP-80's? Are you out of your mind?!”
“I don't see the probl-”
“You can't stop a Spinar invasion with MP-80's and pistols! We need bigger guns.”
“If we don't stop them now, it won't matter.”
“And if we don't have the firepower to stop them, nothing will matter!”
“We attack the main Spinar base. And that's final.”
Wolf wanted to punch him after that.
“Idiot......” he muttered to himself.
Wolf began studying the map.
An hour later.....
Wolf was carefully studying the map, noting the weaknesses in the Spinar defenses. His thoughts were interrupted by a voice.
“Listen up everyone!”
He lifted his head up to find Grifton standing on a chair, speaking to the crowd of militia that had assembled.
“The counterattack starts now. Let's take back our city!”
“Oh no you don't!”
The entire crowd turned to face the source of the second voice.
“Captain, I appreciate your concern, but we can handle this.”
“No, you can't. Least of all with the pea-shooters you're using now. MP-80's are fine, but they are NOT meant for large scale battles. If you attack with them, you're as good as dead.”
“Thank you, Major, but I think we know how to fight a war. Why don't you go play with the rest of the children?”
Wolf snapped. He quickly approached Grifton and gave him a good hard punch to the face. Grifton impacted the ground with a large thud, blood running down his face. The guards tried to restrain Wolf, but they were easily repelled.
“Now, listen up people, you can't fight a war with SMG's. That's why we hit the New Berlin armory first. Anyone who disagrees, you can just ignore me and go out there and get yourselves killed. Otherwise,-”
He was interrupted by a voice obviously filled with fear.
“They found us! They're launching an atta-”
A loud explosion.
The entire cave network shook, and rock began to fall. Everyone covered their heads and ran for the exit.
Wolf felt something on his head. It was a gentle touch at first, but then it turned into intense pain. The last thing he remembered was looking at the crowd frantically trying to leave.

Wolf gasped as he returned to reality. His head ached more than before. He finished his shower and got out, wrapping himself in a towel as he walked through the empty halls of the ship to his quarters. Right next to the door, there was his number.
“W713”
He opened the door and walked in.
He sighed as he glimpsed his old room.
The bed unmade after a month of being uncared for.
Closet door left half open, some of the clothes had fallen and were now dirty and almost completely black from the hair of a certain cat.....
He walked towards a large glass case. It was obviously meant for armor. Right next to it, a large hexagon with a large blue line through it's middle. He put his hand on it, and out came a drawer of sorts, holding 6 HAR-42 rifles and 6 sidearms below them. He sighed as he pushed it back into it's place on the wall. He noticed something on the bed. It was another uniform, the kind he usually wore when out of his armor. He approached it.
“The native called 'Twilight' left it for you sir.”
He was silent. He just stared out of the window.
Minutes passed before he finally let the towel drop, and then began to put on the uniform.
He turned around after putting on the uniform, and was greeted by a large viewscreen appearing out of nowhere.
He approached it. An image of him standing in between an older woman and an older man, him lifting up two young girls in his arms and a younger boy kneeling in front of him.
His lips began to quiver as he closed his eyes tightly, trying to supress the coming tears.
He failed.
He errupted in tears as he let out a loud, painful scream. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face to the cold floor.
He turned his head to the right, and after a double-take, his eyes were focused on another image.
He got up and approached it.
This screen was much smaller than the other, but it still fulfilled it's purpose. On it was the image of a man in his mid 60's, white hair covering his head. Below the image of his face were words.
"General Jack Weaver, January 17th, 2598."
He stared at that image for minutes, his mind flooding with memories from long ago.

Unkown Location, Unknown time, Unknown Date, 2656.

"NO! PLEASE NOOOO!!"
"Calm down! This'll be a LOT easier."
But Wolf didn't calm down. He screamed and shook wildly as Weaver approached him with a large syringe in his hand.
"PLEASE!!! DON'T DO THIS!!!"
His desperate cries fell upon deaf ears.
Weaver plugned the needle into Wolf's arm and injected the unknown liquid into his bloodstream.
Wolf began to shake even more as the liquid made him feel like he was burning alive. He screamed in pain as tears streamed down his face.
A few minutes later, Wolf is left gasping for air as the pain finally left him. He opened his eyes to see Weaver and a crew of doctors standing above him and staring down.
"Strange, we've observed this in every test subject."
"Write it down."
Wolf couldn't help but wonder. One of the doctors saw this and cleaned off a metal tray.
"Don't worry, it's nothing much."
He tilted the tray to Wolf for it to act like a mirror.
Wolf gasped as he looked into the eyes he could no longer recognize.
His eyes.....from the most light shade of blue, they had transformed into a blue as deep as the ocean.....

He tilted his head down and winced. He looked back up into the screen.

Unkown Location, Unknown time, Unknown Date, 2656.

A young boy sat at the kitchen table waiting patiently as his mother prepared breakfast. The smell of fresh bacon hung in the air.
"Mommy, that smells delicious!"
"Why thank you sweetie. It'll be ready soon."
A loud buzz.
A voice from down the hall.
"I'll get it!"
The boy turned around and looked at his father pressing a button on the intercom.
"Yes?"
The boy couldn't hear the other voice.
"Honey, leave that. Come with me."
"But-"
"No buts. Now come on."
The mother left the room quickly with a worried look on her face.
The boy waited for a few moments, then got up out of his chair and followed them to the front door.
They opened the door and there were 3 men standing there, two younger men were behind an older one, obviously the leader.
"Good morning sir, I'm Brigadier General Weaver."
"What do you want?"
Weaver looked past the father and towards the boy who was staring from behind a large pot.
The father turned to face the boy as well, then quickly turned back to Weaver, a look of horror on his face.
Weaver nodded.
"N-No! You can't!"
"I'm sorry sir, but I must. The Spinar are winning."
"I don't give a fuck about the Spinar! You are NOT taking my son!"
"I'm sorry sir, but, no sacrifice....no victory."
He lifted his hand and waved to the two younger men. They approached and held the parents while Weaver walked towards the boy.
He tried to run away, but his legs froze. He couldn't move.
"It's alright....."
Weaver picked the boy up.
He immediately began to swing his hands and legs madly, desperately trying to escape.
Weaver passed the two men, and began walking through the yard.
A last, desperate cry broke the morning silence.
"MOMMY!DADDY! HELP ME!"

Wolf screamed as he plunged his fist through the screen, blood streaking down his fist as the sharp glass remained on it as it slammed into the hard wall.
Wolf panted heavily, tears streaming down his face.
A sharp inhale.
The black center of Wolf's eyes slowly began to expand, the deep blue began to dissapear. Wolf began to shake a bit.
A purple hoof came from out of the doorway.
The black had almost completely overtaken the deep blue when a single word escaped from a unicorns mouth.
"Wolf?......."
The black expansion stopped dead in it's tracks. It slowly began to recede.
His eyes returned to their normal state, Wolf drew his fist from out of the wall and began to walk towards the door, ignoring Twilight, blood dripping from the many cuts in his fist.
* * * * *
He came out of the front door.
He gasped a bit as the warm rays of the sun made contact with his chest. He walked out of the ship and a smile appeared on his face as his feet touched the soft ground. He began to walk towards Ponyville, with something in his heart which....
Should have remained burried.

End Chapter 10.

Chapter 11: A hero's return

Wolf walked into the town square. Before he walked in, there was so much noise you could barely hear yourself speaking. Now, you could hear a pin drop as everyone in the square stared at him. He stopped dead in his tracks, waiting for something to happen, preparing himself for an attack, as his soldiers instincts instructed him. After what seemed to be an eternity, the crowd erupted in a loud cheer as they rushed towards Wolf and lifted him off his feet as they paraded him throughout the town. A smile appeared on his face as he was being carried away.

Whoa! I didn't expect this! Reminds me of the old parades.....

* * * * *

Planet Tranquility, March 19th, 2660, 13: 18 hrs....

Wolf squinted a bit as the sun hit his eyes. His ears rang as a loud cheer erupted from the crowd gathered to watch the parade.
“We love you Wolf!”
“Give the bugs hell!”
“They don't stand a chance against you!”
“You're our hero!”
He jumped a bit as something tapped his shoulder. He turned to face it.
A middle aged man sat there at his side, smiling and waving at the crowd.
“Sir?”
“Smile Wolf, your a hero.”
“With all due respect sir, what is there to smile about? We're losing....”
“Doesn't mean we're gonna lose hope. The people look up to you Wolf, they believe in you.”
Wolf didn't answer.
“Folks need heroes, Captain.” He continued on.
“General...”
“If you smile, they smile. If you show them that things are alright, they'll believe you.”
“But General, sir...”
“Smile and wave Major, and that's an order.”
“I..... yes sir.”
Wolf stood up out of the car and smiled at the crowd, waving as they passed by.
The car passed between the buildings, and Wolf was hit by a hail of falling roses and confetti.
He couldn't help but give a genuine smile as he saw the look of joy on the peoples faces. He sat back down and began to talk to the General.
“Sir, after this, can I expect to be taken home?”
“You've got a few more appearances after this, then you can go home.”
“Yes sir....”
A loud roar from the sky as a skyscraper burst into flames.
“What the hell?”
The look of joy on the crowds face turned into a look of terror as more buildings just exploded out of the blue. The loud cheering turned into screaming. A large black spot began to emerge from the clouds.
The screaming intensified as a Spinar Cruiser emerged from the clouds and hovered above the city, it's hull ablaze as it's weapons opened fire.
Wolf's smile disappeared as a look of disbelief replaced it.
“No....” Was all he could mutter at the sight of the massive warship.....

* * * * *

No, the war is over, your safe now, the Spinar aren't here....

The crowd stopped as the put him back down in front of the town hall. In front of the door was the mayor with a huge smile on her face.
“There he is, the new hero of Ponyville!”
“Hero? Me?”
“Of course you! You protected us from an army of Diamond Dogs and now you saved four ponies from a Hydra! Two of them being a pair of colts and the others Element Bearers. Speaking of the colts....”
As soon as she finished her sentence, Snips and Snails came from out of the shadows. Complete silence after that. The two began smiling nervously. They approached the Mayor and Wolf.
“Boys, don't you have something to say?”
They looked at each other, gulped and looked up to Wolf.
“Um....we're ehhh... sorry about the....Hydra?”
Wolf didn't answer right away, he was silent for a few moments, until he finally answered them.
“Apology accepted. But would you be careful what you bring home next time?”
Normally he would have been much harsh, but it was just a pair of kids screwing around...
The cheering recommenced. The mayor asked the crowd to be silent, but to no avail.
“A little help here? Please?”
Wolf chuckled a bit as he raised his hand. The cheering stopped immediately.
“Now that we have everypony's attention....”
A beige coated Earth-pony came up to the Mayor, a large golden medal in her teeth. She gave it to the Mayor.
“Thank you.”
The Mayor took the medal and tried to put it around Wolf's neck. A futile attempt.
“Would you mind kneeling? It's hard to put this on you when your way up there.”
Wolf laughed as he knelt in front of the Mayor. She took the opportunity and placed the medal around his neck. The cheering recommenced as Wolf got back up and shed a tear of joy.
Amidst the cheering, a pink Earth-pony appeared in front of the crowd, and yelled.
“You know what this calls for? A PARTY!”

5 hours later......

Wolf opened the door and walked into the library, a smile on his face, a party hat on his head and his whole body covered in streamers and confetti. All of a sudden, the light turned on and he was greeted by Twilight. His smile disappeared.
“Wolf.....”
“Twi.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I'm fine. I didn't see you at the party.”
“I wasn't in the mood for a party.”
“Well, you missed all the fun.”
Silence filled the room for a few minutes.
“I'm gonna hit the sack. The party really wore me down.”
“Wolf, back on the Red Dawn....”
“Who was the man in the picture?”
She nodded.
“Someone who hurt me, very, very much.”
“Do...Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not right now. Maybe tomorrow.”
“Okay...”
“Goodnight Twilight.”
“Goodnight Wolf.”
Twilight went up the stairs and Wolf laid down and closed his eyes.

Deep within the Everfree Forest.....

A black Pegasus approached the unicorn that was standing atop a hill.

“Lord Night.....”
“What is it Darkmane?”
“There is, a problem.”
“What?”
“The creature that arrived here a month ago.....”
“What about it?”
“I fear it may be a threat to our plans.”
“How so?”
“It defeated an army of Diamond Dogs on it's own, and yesterday it managed to badly injure a Hydra.”
“Hmmm, perhaps you are right. Maybe it is a threat.”
“What would you have me do my lord?”
“Nothing. I will deal with this myself.”
“This is a great opportunity...” The unicorn said, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
“I will destroy the Element Bearers, and this creature, in one fell swoop.....”
“How will you do this my lord?”
“I have my ways...”
The unicorns horn glowed as he said a final sentence.
“Fly my servants, and consume all those who would resist the glory of our Queen!”
A few moments later, and the silent forest came alive with the sound of buzzing wings....
End Chapter 11.

Chapter 12: Infestation

The next day...

Wolf awoke after another restless night.

Damn. I must have hit my head worse than I thought....

And then, right on cue, a wave of pain hit him. He winced and dropped to the floor, it was obvious he wasn't prepared for a jolt like that.
“Son of a.....” he whispered to himself.
“Did you say something?” A voice from the kitchen.
Twilight walked out of the kitchen.
“Could you say that again? I didn't-”
She quickly rushed to his side as she noticed he was lying on the floor.
“Are you okay?!!! Do I need to get Nurse Redheart?!”
He got back up on his feet, ignoring Twilight's attempts to help him.
“I'm fine....”
“You don't look like it...”
“I think you should know by now that I can take a lot of punishment.”
“You'd have to to be a Hydra's punching bag.”
She giggled at her little joke.
“Ha-ha-ha.”
“You hungry?”
“Not really.”
“I am!” A voice from upstairs.
The familiar thumping of hoofsteps as a little black Alicorn filly appeared at the base of the steps, a large yawn on her face.
“Look who's awake.”
“Morning to you too Wolf. Sleep good?”
“Good enough...”
“Breakfast is almost ready Nyx. Come sit at the table.”
“Awww but-”
“No buts, young lady. You need something in your stomach. You haven't been eating well lately.”
Twilight nudged Nyx into the kitchen before turning to Wolf again.
“You sure you don't want something to eat?”
“Yeah, I think I'm gonna take a walk.”
“See you later then.”
“Awww Mom, why does Wolf get to go out?”
“Because he's older and bigger than you are, and because I said so.”
Wolf replied to her in a sarcastic tone.
“Thanks mom.”
He was met with a couch pillow in the face. As it fell to the floor he watched a snickering Twilight walk into the kitchen.
“Very funny...”
After he was certain that he wouldn't be interrupted, he got back on the floor, reached down under the couch and removed the pistol he had stored there, also taking with him the extra clips. He got back up and went out the door, loading the pistol and placing the clips in his uniforms leg-holster as he went.
* * * * *
It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining and everypony was already out and about. Wolf inhaled a big breath of fresh morning air.

I love it here....

He holstered his now loaded pistol after putting the safety on and began his walk. Most of the voices he
heard was just idle chatter, most likely friends talking to each other or salesponies talking to customers. But two voices were distinct, their tone unlike any other in town.

“Blank flank! Blank flank! Blank flank!
“Stop it Diamond Tiara!”
“Or what? You'll show off your 'amazing' cutie mark?”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon burst out laughing, while Sweetie Belle began to step back, obviously trying to run away.
“Oh look, the blank flank is trying to run!”
“She must be jealous of our cutie marks!”
The two recommenced laughing as tears began to form in Sweetie Belle's eyes.
“Is there a problem here?”
All three fillies heads snapped up at the source of the voice. They were surprised to see Wolf staring at them.
“Well? What's going on?”
“What do you want?”
“And who might you be?”
The little pink filly quickly turned her head, causing her mane to hit Silver Spoon in the face.
She replied to him in her usual snobbish tone.
“I'm Diamond Tiara. And who do you think you are?”
“The name's Wolf.”
“Ah yes, I've heard of you. Everypony else thinks you're a hero, but I think you're just a freak.”
“Tone, appearance, name, and choice of accessories. Yep. 100% spoiled brat. I used to babysit people like you. I'd choose the front lines over that any day.”
“What did you call me?!” Diamond Tiara hissed, while Sweetie Belle began to laugh.
“You heard me. Leave her alone.” He nodded towards Sweetie Belle.”You're not worth her time.”
“Fine. Go with your blank flank friends you freak.”
“Bitch.” he whispered to himself.
He walked towards Sweetie Belle.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Don't let a pair of jerks like that get you down.”
“Thank you Wolf...”
“Don't mention it.”
Before he could react, Sweetie Belle had jumped up and hugged him.
“Hey! What do I look like, a teddy bear?”
She giggled as she let go of him and fell back to the ground.
“Thanks again.”
“Anytime.”
He couldn't help but smile as Sweetie Belle excitedly ran away towards Carousel Boutique.
He continued his walk, this time heading towards the hills outside of town.
* * * * *
If the town was beautiful to Wolf, then what would the outskirts be? Bathed in sunlight, the cool green grass dancing in the light breeze.

I REALLY love it here....

He took in another breath of air as a voice shattered the silence.
“LOOK OOOOOOUUUUUUUTTTTTT!!!!!”
“Huh?”
Wolf turned to face the source of the voice. He was greeted by the sight of a brown, blue maned Pegasi colt bearing down upon him.
“Oh sh-”
He was unable to finish his sentence as the Pegasus crashed into him, sending them both 10 meters away.
“OW.”
“Where am I?”
“On top of the person you just crashed into...”
“Huh?Wha-OH!”
He flew up off of Wolf and landed at his side. Wolf got up after that and dusted himself off, putting another hand to his head, the source of more pain.
“Sorry, are you okay?”
“Not really, watch where you're crashing next time okay?”
He nodded.
“Who are you anyway?”
“My name's Zephyr...”
“Wolf.”
The Pegasus shook his head and looked to Wolf once again.
“Hey it's you! You're okay!”
“Huh?”
“It's me, the one who saved you from the Hydra! Don't tell me you don't recognize me!”
“Sorry, I had my head bashed in, I don't remember much.”
“Sure. Anyway, I've got to go, catch you later.”
The Pegasi's wings unfolded from his sides and he lifted off, flying into the infinite blue sky.
“Ooooookay.”
Wolf began to walk back to town.

* * * * *
He had just walked into the square as he noticed Twilight walking with Nyx.
“Hey!”
“Hello! Didn't think I'd see you here. You're usually finding a way to get yourself killed.”
“Ha-ha.”
“So, anything interesting happen?”
He was just about to talk about what just transpired with that Pegasus when he was interrupted by another voice.
“LOOOK OOOUUUTTT!”
Wolf was smart enough to move to the side and begin to conjure a levitation spell. His timing was perfect as Rainbow Dash entered the field of Wolf's spell.
“Wrong turn?”
A nervous chuckle was all he received in reply.
“Heads up.”
“Huh? Whoaaa-!”
Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground.
“Tsk tsk tsk....such bad reflexes...”
“Hey! I do not have bad reflexes!”
“Suuuure you don't.”
Both Twilight and Nyx laughed.
“Hmph. See you later guys.”
She flew off.
“So, what were you about to say Wolf?”
He opened his mouth, only to close it again as he shifted his focus to the huge multicolored cloud bearing down upon Ponyville.
“What is that....”
“I don't know...”
All of a sudden, a buzzing sound was heard. It grew louder and louder as the cloud came closer.
“What the hell?”
Twilight's puzzled look turned into a look of horror as she realized what was coming.
“PARASPRITES!!! EVERYPONY GET INSIDE!!!”
Screams followed Twilight's terrified shout as everypony scrambled to get inside. The cloud was dangerously close and the buzzing sound was almost deafening.
“What the hell is that?!”
“Parasprites!”
“What?!”
“PARASPRITES!!”
“What's a parasprite?!”
He turned to face the giant cloud as it had locked on to a pony that was still outside. It came down and covered him. Loud screams could be heard over the sound of ripping flesh. The parasprites left the scene leaving only a huge patch of blood where the unknown pony once was.
“Oh, shit.”

“Come on! Get inside!”
Wolf waved for the soldier to get in the door as the swarm of unidentified bugs rained down upon him.
He wasn't fast enough as the swarm caught him and covered him. Screaming and the sound of ripping flesh was heard from the swarm as blood was splattered all over the surrounding area.

“RUN!”
All three of them began to run to the library as Wolf unholstered his sidearm and took the safety off. They had almost reached the library when the Parasprites appeared in front of the door, blocking the only entrance.
“We're cut off! Go back, go back!”
All three turned around and began running, Twilight and Nyx in front as Wolf took random shots into the giant cloud of Parasprites. They couldn't run anywhere, all the doors were locked as the ponies tried to protect themselves from the ravenous horde. They could only go to one place.
“Twilight, take Nyx and go to my ship.”
“But what about you?!”
“I'll buy you some time.”
“No, Wolf NO!”
It was too late. Wolf had already broken off and used the combat knife he always had on his uniform and cut his left hand. The parasprites immediately chased after him, attracted by the scent of fresh blood. Tears formed in Twilight's eyes as she continued towards the Red Dawn, worried about Wolf.

* * * * *
Twilight had grabbed Nyx and teleported inside the Red Dawn, right behind the main door,
“Intruder detected!”
“Hello?”
“Intruder identified as Twilight Sparkle. Security measures overidden. May I ask just how you got in here?”
“I'll tell you later, just open the door please!”
“May I ask why?”
“BECAUSE I'M GOING TO DIE IF YOU DON'T!” A voice over the radio.
“Opening main door.”
The door opened with a hiss. Twilight looked out and saw Wolf running across the plain, the parasprite swarm in hot pursuit.
“Come on Wolf! You can make it!”
Wolf was right outside the door. He jumped into the ship.
“LOCK IT UP!”
The door immediately sealed shut. Wolf got back to his feet and put his right hand on his left arm. He screamed in pain as he quickly pulled something off his blood covered arm. He squeezed his right hand as hard as he could, causing a crunching sound as he took the life of the parasprite that was gnawing on his arm. He turned to Twilight.
“WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!”
“I don't know! I've never seen parasprites act this way!”
“What are they exactly?”
“They come from the Everfree forest. And they are famous for their ravenous hunger.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
He took off his shirt and wrapped it around his arm to act as a makeshift bandage.
He walked down the ship, closely followed by Twilight and Nyx.

* * * * *
He turned into one of the rooms in the hallway. Twilight couldn't help but notice the sign on the door.
“Laboratory”
She walked in to see Wolf scraping the remains of the parasprite on his hand onto a glass disc and placing it into a device.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for a solution to out bug problem.”
“Sample received, beginning analysis. Estimated time of results : 37 hrs, 28 minutes.”
“Might as well get comfortable Twi. We're not going anywhere for awhile....

End Chapter 12.

Chapter 13: Answers

19 hours after first contact...
Wolf stood alone in his room, gazing out the window in complete silence. Until one sound reached Wolf's enhanced ears. The sound of hoofsteps on the metal floor of the Red Dawn. He turned around to the door. At the exact same moment, Twilight appeared in front of him.
“Hey.” Was his quick, dry greeting.
“You okay?” Was Twilight's response.
“Yeah....How's Nyx holding up?”
“She's a little shaken, but I got her to sleep....”
“And you?”
“All things considered, I'm fine. “
Silence filled the room as Wolf turned back to the window.
“Are they gone Wolf?”
“No, they're just sitting there, waiting. It's like they've been ordered to target us and no one else.”
“Then why did they rip that other pony to shreds?”
“Maybe they didn't see us?”
“Now you're talking like they can take orders.”
“I know when something is trying to kill me Twilight. I went through seven years of that.”
Twilight looked to the ground, nearly tearing up as she thought that everything that came out of her mouth reminded Wolf of the war. But something was nagging in the back of her head, a question that needed to be answered. She tried as hard as she could to suppress the urge to ask him, but to no avail.
“Wolf, who was that man?”
She froze. She couldn't believe that she actually asked him, how she put her own curiosity over the feelings of her friend. Wolf didn't answer right away. He just stood there, unfazed by the question in complete silence.
“I promised you an answer didn't I?”
“Wolf....you don't have to....”
“No. You want to know, I'll let you know. That was General Weaver, the man who started it all.” He paused.
“What do you mean?”
“He was the head of the program to turn kids into soldiers....”
“You mean...”
“He made me into this...”
“....”
“And he was present at every surgery, every training session and watched us like a hawk. It didn't matter how much we screamed, how much we cried, how much we begged for him to stop, he just continued on, not even for a minute.”
“Wolf...”
“We hated him. With every fiber in our bodies. We wanted to see him die...He put us through so much pain....”
“Wolf....you don't...” She stopped as she was interrupted by Wolf again.
“Some of us couldn't take it...they stopped eating, hoping that it would end their suffering....It didn't work. Weaver chained them up and fed them soup through a funnel. Heartless bastard...”He paused.
“We were overjoyed when he died...”
“Looks like the bugs did one good thing...”
“The bugs didn't kill him Twi.”
“Then what did?”
He tilted his head, down, the it snapped back up.
“I did.”
A gasp broke the silence after Wolf answer.
“You? But.....”
“And I enjoyed every moment of it.”
* * * * *
Planet Earth, Secret military facility : Overlook, May 22nd, 2661, 0934 hrs.
“General Mixson.”
A dark figure said, before sitting down and waiting for the other person to sit.
“Something has caught my attention, concerning General Weaver.”
“What's wrong with him sir?”
“I've looked at his budget. He needed 3 billion to build the soldiers, but he requested 15.”
“Your point being sir?”
“General Weaver always said that one generation of soldiers wouldn't be enough to fight the Spinar. He voted for the creation of another generation. One that would be completely obedient through the use of loyalty chips.”
“Sir, that option was declined.”
“And Weaver wasn't happy about that.”
“Sir?”
“Have you looked at the news, General? More than a hundred children have disappeared throughout the colonies.”
“You think Weaver is responsible?”
“Yes. He's creating the next generation.”
“Isn't that good, sir?”
“No.”
“Sir?”
“Weaver was always a radical, no matter what he did what he wanted to do. A generation of super soldiers under his complete control is something we don't want.”
“....”
“We need to deal with this immediately. Time is of the essence. Every moment we waste means that Weaver is closer to his goal.”
“You want to kill him sir?”
“Yes.”
“Who should we send?”
“Wolf.”
“Sir?! You want to send Wolf to kill Weaver?!”
“If there's one thing he hates nearly as much as the Spinar, it's Weaver. He'll have no problem doing it.”
“I'll inform Wolf General...”
“Have you seen the list with the missing children?”
“Yes sir, 127 I think.”
“You tell him 126 disappeared.”
“Why sir?”
“Because Steven is one of them.”
“Steven, sir?”
“Wolf's brother.”
“Yes sir...”
* * * * *

- - - - -
“Wolf, we need you for an important mission.”
“You always do...”
Wolf had his feet up on his desk, his eyes fixed on the screen that had General Mixson on it.
“126 children have disappeared from the colonies in the past week. We need you to infiltrate this base.”
The screen showed a satellite image of a hill with a large, gray building on it.
“Weaver's compound?”
“Yes.”
“You think he's responsible for the missing kids?”
“Yes.”
“And you want me to rescue them?”
“If you can.”
“I'm on leave Mixson. I'm not leaving this chair until it's over.”
“I only said rescue the kids if you can because that's not your primary objective.”
“Then what is?”
“The removal of Weaver.”
Wolf got his feet off the table and leaned forward on the desk.
“You want me to kill Weaver?”
Mixson nodded on the screen. Wolf removed his sidearm and placed it on the table, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
“Why didn't you just say so?

“It was the best mission of my life. A chance to get my revenge, upon the son of a bitch that made me a monster.”
“Wolf....”
“But it wasn't all good...”

“Steven?”
A 10 year old boy stood before Wolf, behind him was Weaver on a platform.
“Steve, what are you doing here?!”
All he received as an answer was a kick to the face from his own brother. Wolf spat out blood as he shot a look at Weaver.
“What did you do to him?!”
“The same thing I did to you Wolf, only better.”
The platform began to rise as Weaver laughed.
“You want to get to me? You have to go through him.”
“Weaver, you son of a bitch!”
He left the two brothers there, circling each other.
“Steven, you have to fight it, don't let him control you!”
Steve lunged forward, attempting to hit Wolf. He dodged the blow quite easily, but underestimated his younger brother, who connected his elbow with Wolf's stomach. Wolf fell back on the ground, then quickly rolled to the left, then jumped back on his feet.
“Steven don't!”
No response. All Steven did was grab a knife off his uniform and lunged at Wolf once again. More alert this time, he dodged the knife, then the other fist that followed. The sound of a knife coming out of it's sheath. Wolf looked to his side, his combat knife was missing, then to Steven, who was holding two knives. He threw one at Wolf. Without enough time to react, Wolf was hit in the left shoulder. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground, unable to get up. He looked up to his brother, who was walking towards him with a cold, dead stare, knife in his hand.
“Steven, please....don't. I love you bro....”
No response. All he did was lunge forward towards Wolf. In Wolf's mind, his basic survival instincts were clashing with sibling love. An easy fight. As Steven's blow came forward, he found the strength to grab his arm. The sound of metal scraping. Against his will, Wolf's right arm shot up after his left grabbed Steven, and into his stomach. Wolf gasped as the pressure being applied by Stevens arms growing smaller and smaller, until it stopped completely, and his hand went limp, dropping the knife to the floor with a sickening clatter. A look of disbelief on Wolf's face as his brother fell onto him.
Wolf got on his knees and placed his brothers lifeless body in front of him. He looked to his right arm. It was on Stevens stomach, covered in blood. He drew it back, to see his wrist blade coming out of his brother, covered in blood. The shock dissipated quickly as Wolf realized what he had just done. His breathing became irregular as tears formed in his eyes, then it happened. Wolf let out a blood curdling scream, which seemed to last for hours. All who were left alive in the compound froze in their place, Wolf's pained cry piercing their ears and ripping their very soul to shreds.

He fell to the ground crying, tears falling off his face freely, forming a large puddle on the ground.
“Wolf!”
Twilight rushed to his side, grabbing him and desperately trying to lift him up. All she got in response was the most painful cry she had ever heard since her own desperate cry when Celestia had taken Nyx from her.
“Wolf, what's wrong?”
Wolf curled up into a corner, still crying, Twilight at his side, holding him tightly.

26 hours after first contact...
Wolf was still in the corner, still crying, but no tears as his tear glands ran dry. Twilight didn't know how long they were there, but she didn't care. She wasn't there for Wolf when he was taken to Celestia, but she would damn sure be there for him now. Wolf finally started to calm down, his breathing regulating.
“What's wrong Wolf?”
Twilight eyes closed tightly as she realized that she had just reminded him of why he was crying.
“Weaver....”
“I thought you said you liked killing him...”
“Oh I did, but what I did before I got to him...”
“What did you do?”
Wolf shut his eyes as tight as they could possibly close.
“I KILLED MY OWN BROTHER!!!”
His fist slammed into a panel on the ship, heavily denting it's metal cover. He turned to Twilight, his eyes bloodshot from crying so much, and he said to her.
“I wish the fucker was still alive, just so I could kill him again.”
“Wolf...”
“I killed him once, but I still want to kill him over and over again....”
“Wolf...”
“Damn you Weaver.....”
“Wolf, you're not...”
“DAMN YOU WEAVER!”
Twilight jumped up and knocked him to the ground, a look of anger on her face.
“YOU'RE NOT LIKE THAT! YOU'RE NOT A HEARTLESS KILLER!”
Her face fell to his shoulder, she started crying herself. Wolf hugged her tightly as he closed his eyes and whispered to her.
“I'm sorry....I'm so sorry.....”

28 hours after first contact....
Wolf lifted Twilight off of him.
“Come on. Let's get some sleep while we can.”

They both walked together through the ships halls and found Nyx curled up in a ball,
sleeping peacefully.
“Pick her up, and follow me.”
“Wolf?”
“Just do it.”
Twilight's horn glowed as Nyx lifted off the ground, still sleeping.
“Come on.”
“Okay...”
Twilight followed him back to his room aboard the ship.
“Put her in the bed. She shouldn't be sleeping on the floor.”
Twilight put Nyx on the bed, then covered her with the blanket. She couldn't help but smile at the sight of the little filly sleeping peacefully, snoring ever so quietly. All of a sudden, Twilight lifted off the ground. She turned back to Wolf, who had his arm stretched out. Using his magic, Wolf put Twilight on the bed right next to Nyx, as softly as he could. Then, he used his other hand to put the blanket on her as well.
“Wolf, what about you?”
“That bed's made for two, not three. I'm bunking on the floor tonight.”
“But...”
“It's alright. I've slept in worse places.”
He got a blanket out of the closet and sat down in a different corner than before, and covered himself up.
“Thank you Wolf...”
“Anytime. Goodnight Twilight...
“Goodnight Wolf....”
They both closed their eyes and drifted to sleep....

35 hours after first contact...

Wolf woke up first. Nyx woke up within a few moments after that, and then Twilight after her.
“Well, who's hungry?”
Their stomachs growled at the exact moment when Wolf finished his question.
“Guess that answers that...Come on, kitchens this way.”
They all followed Wolf through the halls, idly chatting as the went.
A buzzing sound interrupted them. They all froze in place, ears perked up, listening.
“We must be hearing things....”
They continued on towards the kitchen more cautious than ever....
The buzzing sound again, and this time Wolf saw a quick line of blue through the doorway.
“They're in the ship....” Was all he could mutter....

End chapter 13

Chapter 14: Salvation

Wolf took a step back, hit a panel on the wall, and a rack full of weapons came out. He grabbed a pair of M-72's along with a few extra magazines.
“Run. Now.”
As soon as he finished, a cloud of parasprites came rushing out of the doorway.
“MOOOOOOVE!!”
He opened fire on the cloud as they rushed forward. Twilight and Nyx wasted no time and ran back to where they came. Wolf turned and ran, still holding his rifles. He hit a switch as he came through the doorway and the door sealed shut. He looked up to the roof, and saw a grate, part of the ships ventilation system.
“This is a completely temporary solution....”
He turned around and ran. Making use of his increased speed, he easily caught up to Twilight, who was running along with Nyx. He looked to his left at the door that appeared.
“Over here, stop!”
They came to a screeching halt as they quickly turned around and followed Wolf's directions and ran into the door. The sound of buzzing wings again.
“These things just don't quit do they?”
He brought his rifles up again and opened fire once again, sending dozens of parasprites dead on the floor, which so far seemed to have no effect at all on the clouds size. His guns clicked empty.
“Crap....”
He tossed them aside as he dove into the open door. After completing his roll on the floor, he got up and shut another switch. The door sealed shut again. Wolf opened another panel and pulled out another M-72.
“Well, at least these do something...”
“Wolf, where are we?”
“AI core.”
He walked over to a console.
“Sam, where are you?”
No answer. Wolf hit the console lightly.
“Sam!”
“Yes Major?”
“You mind telling me what these damn bugs are doing on my ship? No, forget that, why didn't I get a warning at least?”
“Apologies, sir, all of my processing power was devoted to analyzing the DNA sample you gave me. I was too absorbed in finding a solution to the infestation.”
“Never mind that, how the hell did they get in here, I thought the ship was in lockdown.”
“It was, sir.”
“They how did they get in?”
A screen opened next to him, showing a cloud of paraspites going through a large metal tube. Wolf scoffed.
“Well at least they're original. The guns are the last place I'd expect them to come in through.”
“I will have synthesized a poison to eliminate them in roughly two hours.”
“Not good enough, we'd be dead by then. Twi!”
“Yes Wolf?”
“You're the smart one, any ideas on how to get rid of 'em?”
Twilight was silent for a while, then she lifted her head up.
“Maybe we can draw them out with something?”
“What, you want me to be bait again?”
“No, maybe we could draw them out with something besides food.”
A smile appeared on Wolf's face.
“I have an idea....” He said, as he turned back to the console.
“Sam, how much have you analyzed from the dead bug or whatever it's called.”
“All of it sir, I'm just looking for a way to kill them.”
“Do you have it's reproductive hormones?”
“One moment....” She paused.
“Yes sir, isolated.”
“Can you synthesize a large sample?”
“How large?”
“I'd say large enough to attract about ten thousand of those things. And in a gas form.”
“.....”
The long pause started to irritate Wolf.
“Sam?”
“The hormones have a very simple chemical structure, I can synthesize a large enough sample, but it would take time.”
“How much time?”
A screen appeared and on it was a countdown.
“36 minutes and 48 seconds.”
“Better than two hours. Start it up.”
“Already begun sir.”
“How much of the ship is infested?”
“The top decks look live hives right now, eight to five are partially infested, while the bottom decks are secure, for now.”
“Is the deck four armory secure?”
“Negative.”
“Then we go to deck three. Sam, have the...package dropped off in hangar 5. I expect it to be there in....” He looked at the countdown.
“Thirty-two minutes, and I need it capable to fit on a Minotaur.”
“Yes sir.”
“Twilight, Nyx, with me.”
“All right...”
Both got up and followed Wolf to another door at the back of the room. He raised his rifle, ready to unleash a barrage on anything that might lay on the other side. Thankfully, nothing was there and Wolf moved on through.
“Stay quiet...” He whispered to them, his voice barely reaching their ears.
“This way...” He whispered again, as he turned left.
While Nyx was shaking slightly, Twilight was extremely calm, Wolf's soft voice had a calming effect on her. She felt that she could trust Wolf, and that he would get them through this.
“Down here...”
They walked down the staircase. Wolf weaved through the hallways like a shadow, the two ponies behind him. He went into a room. Twilight read the sign on the door.
“Deck Three Armory”
The room was quite large, home to a large assortment of weapons. M-72's, HAR-36's and an array of other weapons filled the walls. Wolf grabbed what seemed to be a large metal tube, a smile appearing on his face.
“What's that?” Twilight asked.
A large burst of flame came from the tube, causing both Twilight and Nyx to jump up in suprise.
“Sorry. Let's go.”

30 minutes later...
Wolf walked into the hangar.
“Here we are, Hangar five.”
A large crate appeared from a loading system, accompanied by a voice from the intercom.
“Your package sir.”
“Thanks Sam.”
“Always a pleasure.”
Wolf walked over to the crate and grabbed it. With a grunt, he lifted it onto the back of a Minotaur light attack vehicle.
“Wolf, what are you doing?”
“Saving you all, again.”
“Ha-ha. But how?”
“Twilight....” He took off his helmet and let it drop to the floor.
“Chances are I won't come back from this. But I need to know that you're going to be safe. I need you to go hide.”
“No, Wolf NO! I won't let you do this!”
“There's no other choice. I'm not putting you or anyone else in danger.”
“We can find another way, you're not doing this!”
“Twilight...”
“NO!” She jumped up and tried to pin him to the ground, trying desperately to prevent him from going on what would be a suicide mission. She failed as Wolf caught her and put her back on the ground, holding her tightly.
“Listen to me. I lost everything. Everyone I ever cared about. I'm not losing you, or Nyx, or ANYONE else. Not when I can protect you.”
“But...”
“Shhhh.....No buts. Don't fight, please. Don't make this harder than it already is.”
Twilight's burst into tears, pressing her face deep into Wolf's shoulder. She hugged him tighter than she ever hugged anything before, tears streaming freely down her face. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, letting a single roll on his cheek, and fall off onto Twilight's coat. He embraced her as tight as he could. A few minutes passed, and Wolf finally loosened his grip. He tried to get up, only to be stopped by Twilight, who was still wrapped around him, still holding him tightly.
“Twilight...It's time for me to go.”
“Please....No...”
“I have to.”
He forced Twilight off of him. She resisted, but she wasn't a match for Wolf's superior strength.
“Hide behind those crates.”He paused.
“Please...”
Twilight did as told, taking Nyx with her. Wolf put his helmet back on, and got in the Minotaur. A cloud of parasprites came through the door, and headed straight for Twilight.
“Oh no you don't.”
Wolf kicked the small pump on the crate, causing it to brake off and spew a gas form of parasprites reproductive hormones in the air. He jumped into the drivers seat and started the engine.
“Sam, Hangar five doors open, NOW.”
“Yes sir.”
The door began to open, flooding the hangar in the suns warm rays.
The paraspites immediately turned around upon smelling the hormones and hovered there, unsure whether to follow the scent of a mate, or to follow the spells orders. Instincts eventually won over the spell, and so they began to follow it, free from the spell cast upon them.
The Minotaurs tires screeched as it flew forward, going straight out of the hangar and landing on the ground. Wolf sped towards Everfree, the entire parasprite swarm in hot pursuit.

* * * * *
The silence that ruled over the forest was broken with the sound of a roaring engine, branches breaking, and buzzing wings. Wolf maneuvered the Minotaur expertly, narrowly avoiding trees.
“Holy crap this brush is thick...”

“Almost there! DRIVE!”
Wolf did as he was told and sped towards the extraction point. He could already see the helicopter waiting for him. Only a few hundred meters away.
“LOOK OUT!”
An explosion sent the vehicle flying through the air, landing upside down. Wolf opened his eyes only to see the chopper lifting off, and a group of Spinar infantry advancing on the crash. He unholstered his sidearm and fired three shots at a drone, killing it. He turned and fires two shots at another one. It fell to the ground, either dead or badly wounded. He tried to turn and shoot another one, but a drone's leg came down on his wrist, pinning his arm and causing him to drop the gun.
He looked up to face the drone, only to meet a rifle butt in his face, knocking him unconscious.

Wolf snapped back to reality, and saw a tree in front of him. He tried to avoid it. He failed to do so. The Minotaur hit the tree head on, causing Wolf to hit the dashboard. He screamed in pain. It quickly passed as adrenaline surged through his body when he heard the approaching wings. He checked the Minotaurs GPS. He had made it deep into the forest.
He got out of his seat and lifted the nearly empty crate and carried it off, trying to lure the parasprites just a bit deeper into the forest. It was much lighter now, and so he could carry it quite easily. He brought the flamethrower with him, just in case he would need it. Which of course, he did. The parasprites were drawing closer , and so he had to drop the empty crate. Unable to run any further, he stopped and turned to the crate. The parasprites stopped directly over the crate, and after a few minutes, began their mating ritual. Wolf breathed a sigh of relief, and put his hand to his forehead. He quickly drew it back as it sent a wave of pain through his body. He looked at his hand to see part of it covered in blood. He slowly shifted his gaze to the parasprites, who had ceased all activity. They flew towards Wolf immediately after confirming the presence of blood. Wolf lifted his flamethrower and pulled the trigger. A wall of flame came forth, roasting the parasprites as they fell to the ground as a lifeless charred mass. The swarm stubbornly continued it's charge. They advanced further and further, almost blocking the tube of the flamethrower completely. Seeing no other alternative, Wolf turned and ran as quickly as he could, a new surge of adrenaline fueling his desperate dash for survival. He could hear a low roaring as he ran, getting closer and closer. He reached a small clearing, and there it was, clear as day. A cliff, overlooking a waterfall.
Without thinking twice, he ran as fast as he could towards the edge.
“Oh, I know I'm gonna regret this!”
He yelled at the top of his lungs as he jumped off, his yell muffled by the sound of the roaring water.

End chapter 14.

Chapter 15: After the storm...

Three hours later....

Silence filled the Everfree forest. As if everything had in it had died and left it empty. Only a few points had some activity. A waterfall being one of them. The water fell off the cliff and into the forest below, feeding the river that slid through it's heart like a giant snake. The sound of running water filled Zecora's ears as she approached the river. In her mouth was a large bucket. She plunged her head in, filled the bucket, and as quickly as she entered the cold, clear water, her head was above it again, shaking off as much water as she could from her soaked mane. She started the journey back when something unusual caught her eye. Something washed up on the river bank. She put the bucket down and walked over to it, her ears perked up, and fear growing in her heart. Living in Everfree had taught her to never let her guard down. She approached the object. She had never seen a creature like it before.
She looked down on the unknown being, which she assumed was dead. It's clothing was ripped to pieces, it's shirt was nothing more the a few pieces of wet cloth that was an inch from disintegrating. Further examination revealed a large bruise on it's back, a deep cut on his side, and it's head covered in dried blood. It lay there, motionless, probably dead. It didn't matter to her, she put her ear to what she assumed was it's chest. A soft heartbeat could be heard under the thick muscle. A soft buzzing sound could be heard from the depths of the forest.
“This creature will not survive, for nearby there is a parasprite hive.”
She tried to get her nose under his back. After three failed attempts, she was able to lift it onto her back.
She walked back over to the bucket, looked down on it, and thought about the creatures shallow heartbeat.
“There is no time to waste, for now I must make haste.”
She galloped back into the dense forest as she finished her sentence.

Meanwhile, at Ponyville...

Twilight and Nyx walked into the silent square. Not a soul in sight, she feared the worst after a Parasprite invasion.
“Mom, I'm scared...”
“We'll be okay sweetie...”
They walked further and further, fear growing in their hearts as their eyes scanned frantically for any sign of life.
“He-Hello? Anypony?”
They both froze as Twilight finished her call. No answer for a few minutes. Then...
“Twilight?”
“Fluttershy? Is that you?”
“Oh Twilight, I'm so glad to see you!”
All of a sudden, Fluttershy burst out of a bush and hugged Twilight tightly, tears falling from her face.
“Fluttershy, where is everypony?”
“Um....They're hiding...”
“The parasprites are gone, they can all come out now...”
Upon finishing her sentence, ponies began to come out of every corner of town. From under carts, in barrels, but mostly from their barred up homes.
Within seconds, a crowd had gathered in the square and began to mutter amongst themselves.
“Are they really gone?”
“Should we go back inside?”
“I hope they don't come back...”
“Why did they leave?”
“Who cares, they're gone.”
Twilight shoved her way through the crowd, Nyx following her closely. They got out of the crowd and walked on to the town hall.
“Nyx! You're okay!”
Scootaloo immediately ran over to her friend and hugged her tightly. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle followed her closely, hugging their friend in what could be considered as the second Cutie Mark Crusaders reunion. Applejack and Rarity followed their sisters closely.
“Twilight! Yer okay!”
“Yeah, I'm fine...” She answered quickly, her thoughts drifting to Wolf.
Applejack ran close to Twilight and hugged her, disregarding the dirt and sweat all over her mane and coat. Rarity followed closely, but stopped in her tracks as she realized how dirty Twilight was.
“Oh dear, you need a bath ever so desperately!”
“Rarity, not now. Can you two watch Nyx? I need to talk to the Mayor.”
“Of course dear. We'll keep a close eye on her.”
“Thank you so much Rarity.”
“Anytime dear.”
Twilight departed and made a bee-line for the town hall, her mind racing.
Was Wolf alive? Was he okay? Could he make it back? All those questions were ringing in her head. Without even knowing it, she was walking faster and faster, until she was in a full gallop. She reached the town hall in seconds, adrenaline coursing through her veins, causing her to run as fast as her legs would carry her. She burst through the door and ran up the stairs to the Mayor's office.
She found her sitting down in her chair, her eyes fixed on damage reports that were just coming in.
She shifted her gaze to the lavender unicorn that had just burst into her office.
“Twilight, what can I do for you?”
“Has there been any sign of Wolf?”
“Wasn't he with you?”
“....”
“Twilight?”
“He....He drove them away. He lured them back into Everfree.”
“How long ago?”
“About three hours...”
“Three hours....” She paused, taking a long sigh.
“...It's the Everfree forest, chances are he's dead by now.”
“What did you just say?”
“I said he's probably dead by now.”
“NO!”
Twilight jumped on the desk and pressed her face against the Mayor's.
“He's NOT dead you hear me?!”
“Twilight...”
“We need to look for him! Send somepony into the forest to find him! He could be hurt, or worse...”
“Twilight.... walk with me.”
“What?”
The Mayor got out of her chair, ignoring the mare standing on her deas and walked out of her office. Twilight followed her.
“We need everypony here, in case they come back.”
“But...”
“No buts Twilight. We can't send ponies in there to look for somepony who's probably dead by now.”
“HE'S NOT DEAD! HE SAVED US ALL THREE TIMES! THE LEAST WE CAN DO IS SEND A SEARCH PARTY!”
She fell to the floor crying. The Mayor tried to get her up, but failed to do so. The sound of hoofsteps on the floor.
“What's this about a search party?”
Twilight looked up and saw two Pegasi standing before her. One was gray with a red mane, with a large black stripe right through it's middle. The other was light brown, with a blue mane.
The Mayor looked at the two.
“Backdraft, Zephyr, are you two volunteering for a search party?”
“It depends on who we're looking for.”
“Wolf. The 'human' that crashed here.”
Backdraft was about to say something but was interrupted by Zephyr.
“Ponyville's new hero?”
“Yeah, him.”
“Where is he now?”
“Lost in Everfree.”
Backdraft scoffed.
“He's probably dead by now, but....I guess we all owe him one...”
“Make that three.”
He shot a quick, angered look at Zephyr, then he returned to his normal state.
“We'll take a look around...”
“Thank you....” Twilight muttered...
“When can you start?”
“Right now ma'am.”
With that, both of their wings unfolded from their sides, showing off their feathers and they bolted out of the door.

One hour later, over Everfree forest....

They flew side by side, scanning the ground for any sign of life. They had flown around Everfree for nearly an hour without a trace of Wolf or anything else.
“He's been missing for four hours, what are his chances of surviving?”
“He took on a Diamond Dog army and a Hydra, I think he can hold his own...”
“Maybe...”
“Look, Zeph, I'll do another round of the forest, you go check out that Zebra's hut.”
“Alright, I'll meet you back here.”
“It's a date then.”
They separated immediately. Within a few minutes, Zephyr was above Zecora's hut. He could see something moving towards it. He flew further down, and could see Zecora carrying something on her back. It was Wolf. He recognized him immediately from the other day.
“Hmph.”
He flew off back towards the meeting point. He arrived first, and waited for a few minutes. Backdraft arrived.
“You took your time.”
“Oh shut up. Find anything?”
“Nope. You?”
“Nothing. We should head back now...”
“Agreed.”
“Race you back.”
“Wha-?”
“One two three go!”
Backdraft disappeared from sight, flying full speed towards Ponyville.
“Hey!”
Zephyr hovered for a moment. A sinister smile appeared on his face.
“Fool.”

End chapter 15.

Chapter 16: Second Awakening

A Spinar Dragonfly gunship soared over the tree canopy, it's search light scanning the marshes for it's prey. Under a tree he lay, injured, lost, surrounded. He looked at his leg with fear in his eyes. He sighed as he glimpsed the spike in his leg.
“Nice shot....”
He gripped it tightly, making sure he would get it for the first try. Hopefully it wasn't too late.
He pulled lightly. Almost immediately, a wave of pain coursed through his body. His eyes closed tightly as he fought not to scream. It was too late. The round had deployed it's secondary spikes, meaning it could come out...but at a price. He sighed again, defeated.
“Great....”
He grabbed a nearby branch, placed it in his mouth, and grabbed the spike again. This was going to hurt. Tears rolled down his eyes as he waited for the ax to fall. He pulled with all his strength. The branch snapped like a toothpick as his teeth came crushing down. Without the branch, his mouth opened, then he screamed in pain, echoing in the forest. Within moments, the sound of approaching engines....

Wolf awoke with a gasp.
“Sirius...”
His eyes opened fully now, and he glimpsed the wooden ceiling.
“What the hell?”
He jumped out of the bed, but came crashing back down as a wave of pain ripped through his body, emanating from his side. He looked at it and saw a blood covered bandage.
“Damn it, not again.”
He looked around the area. No one was there, the place was empty. Masks that resembled those of African tribes decorated the dark wooden walls of the room. An assortment of herbs and bottles filled the many shelves in the room. A large black cauldron sat in the middle of the room, something boiling within. He looked into it. Some green liquid boiled inside. The heat emanating from it was immense, and the amount of steam was overwhelming. He backed away, as a headache suddenly hit him. He tried to get up again, much more slowly this time. He managed to do so with minimal pain. He began to walk around the room slowly, looking around as he went. He felt a little disoriented, and nearly fell to the ground. He regained his balance at the last possible second. He placed a hand to his head as another headache suddenly hit him.
“Ow...”
He looked around some more and found a single window. He walked over to it and looked outside. Dense forest as far as the eye can see. He looked down at the ground, and on the left there were roots right under the window.
“What the hell? Am I in a tree?”
He looked over to a door and debated on what to do. If he left, he could make it back to Ponyville, but in his injured state he would be easy prey for whatever was out there. If he stayed, who knew what could happen. He eyed the large cauldron with a great amount of suspicion. If he stays, he could die, if he left, he would die. The best decision in his opinion was to go outside and check the surrounding area.
The door opened with a loud creak. He walked a few meters outside the door, then immediately looked to his waist.
“Damn.”
He lost his sidearm. His primary means of defense. Examining his waist again, he found something else. He drew his combat knife from it's sheath. A smile appeared on his face as he glimpsed the eight inch long blade.
“Never mind, I like you better.”
While in ranged combat he was rated 'Average' (which in terms of 'normal' humans was 'Excellent'.), in hand to hand combat he was rated 'Extremely deadly'. His favorite weapons were always blades, but his signature weapons were his razor sharp wrist blades. When he was using them, he was damn near unstoppable. He readied his knife, just in case something would attack. He looked around the surrounding forest. Nothing was there. Complete silence. He turned around, and was stunned at the sight of a massive tree. He was amazed at the ponies talent in carving trees into homes, or in Ponyville's case, a library. He gave a quick whistle as he placed his arms to his sides, then quickly drew them back as a wave of sharp pain hit him. All of a sudden, rustling could be heard in the distance. He turned in the direction of the noise, knife ready to attack. The rustling grew louder and louder as the creature drew closer and closer.

"Thirty feet.....Twenty...Ten...."

He prepared to attack until he saw what emerged. A zebra, with a pair of baskets on her back, filled with herbs and plants. It ignored Wolf and walked straight to the hut. As it reached the doorway, it looked back to Wolf and nodded for him to come in. Seeing no other option, he followed the zebra in, reluctantly putting his knife away. As he went inside, he saw it pouring the newly collected herbs into the cauldron. He reached for his knife yet again, but didn't draw it. After finishing pouring the herbs, it showed Wolf the bed and nodded to him. Understanding immediatley, he layed down in the bed, waiting for something to happen.

45 minutes later....
The zebra approached the bed, a wet cloth held in her mouth by the tip of her teeth. It brought it close to Wolf's wound, only to have him move away, drawing his knife.
"It is alright, unjustified is your fright."
"Who...Who are you?"
"Zecora is my name, and from the great savannahs I came."
"Well...I'm Wolf."
He put back his knife and sat still again. Zecora brought the cloth closer to his wound, only to have him move away again.
"What are you doing?"
"Although I have much to do, you I must heal, and I will perform my task with great zeal."
"Alright...Do it."
She brought the hot, wet cloth to his wound, only to have him grunt in pain.

5 hours earlier. Ponyville.
Twilight stomped around furiously in the Mayor's office, outraged by the rescue missions failure.
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?! ABANDONING HIM LIKE THAT, AFTER HE SAVED US THREE TIMES?!"
"Twilight...calm down."
"NO I WILL NOT CALM DOWN!"
The Mayor jumped out of her chair, enraged by Twilight.
"You think I want to leave him out there?! Do you?! I'd go out there myself to look for him! But my duty lies with Ponyville first."
The Mayor's outburst had shut Twilight up but good. Her head just dropped, and she walked out of the room, leaving the Mayor to resume her duties.

5 hours later, Ponyville library
Twilight lay in her bed, her pillow soaking wet from tears. She got up and looked out the window towards Everfree forest, then fell back to her pillow, crying yet again. Amidst her gasping, she managed to say one sentence.
"Oh Wolf....Please come back safe....Please..."

End chapter 16.

Chapter 17: "I'm back."

1 month later...

The pain of his loss was unbearable. After a month of tear filled nights, she had finally given up hope. She knew that he was gone by now. She pretended to be okay, but as Wolf died, a large part of her died with him. She walked into the marketplace in complete silence. It was near sunset, and everyone still in the market was either doing some last minute shopping, or closing down their stands. Applejack was the last one to close. She never realized that she had already walked all the way over to her apple stand.

"Twilight?"
Applejacks words fell upon deaf ears as Twilight completely ignored her.
"Twilight!"
The sudden change in her tone snapped Twilight out of her trance like state.
"Huh?"
"Ya'll right sugarcube?"
"Yeah...I'm fine."
Applejack could tell she was lying. Being the Element of Honesty meant she could sniff out a lie a mile away. She never said anything about it though. She decided it was time for that to change.
"Twilight...You feel like taking a walk through Whitetail Wood? Running of the leaves is in a few days, so we might as well take a walk while the leaves are still there, don't you think?"
"I don't know Applejack, what about the stand?"
"Big Mac can handle it today. C'mon, let's go."
As they walked away, Big Macintosh appeared out of a shop and began to close down the stand. He looked up at Twilight and nodded at her. He could tell she was sad.
"You miss him too don't you?"
Twilight didn't answer. All she did was close her eyes and let a single tear fall to the ground.

12 minutes later, Whitetail Wood

"Beautiful ain't it Twilight?"
She didn't answer. She couldn't bear to look at the leaves. It reminded her of the day Celestia's guards took him.
"Twilight?"
Applejack looked behind her and sighed at she saw Twilight looking at the ground. She walked up to her and put her hoof around her neck and brought her in for a hug. Then she said to her, in a soft and soothing tone:
"Look Twilight, ah know you miss him, but it's been a month. Ya need to let him go."
Twilight began sniffling in Applejacks embrace, struggling to hold back tears.
"I don't want to let him go..." Her voice was shaky, filled with sorrow. She wanted him back. Right there,right now. She remembered when he first saw her after being taken to Celestia, how he held her after they stared at each other. She wanted to be back in his arms, for him to hold her close to him. She didn't want anything else. If she had one wish, it would be for him to come back to her. The one thing she could never have. The sun began to set behind the golden brown leaves. Applejack didn't dare move an inch. She would stay there with Twilight till the end of time, if need be.

Meawhile, at the CMC clubhouse...

"Who's with me?"
Scootaloo slammed her hoof down on the table. No one answered. She frowned.
"Ugh, come on girls!"
"Nuh-uh Scootaloo, you remember what happened the last time we went in there!" Applebloom answered to her with a scowl.
"So we ran into a cockatrice, so what? Fluttershy was there to save us!"
"But this time she won't be!"
"Oh be a little brave Applebloom!"
The two started bickering with each other as both Nyx and Sweetie Belle facehoofed.
"What do we do?"
Nyx turned to Sweetie Belle, confused.
"I said what do we do? Do we go into the forest?"
Nyx looked to the ground, a sad look on her face.
"It's dangerous in there...And even if we don't get hurt, what will our famillies say?"
"We'll all probably be grounded, or worse."
"But..."
"Huh?"
"...My mom's been really sad ever since he dissapeared. She misses him...I do too..."
Nyx shut her eyes tightly and sniffled a litte. She then opened her eyes and gave a determined and decisive look.
"I am!"
Applebloom and Scootaloo were ready to get into a hoof fight when they heard Nyx's voice.
"Um, what?"
"I'm with you Scootaloo!"
"Yes! All right, anypony else?"
Applebloom looked in disbelief as Nyx walked over to Scoot's side and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"Well, I'm not letting you two go in there alone!"
Applebloom's jaw dropped to the floor as Sweetie Belle trotted over to Scootaloo and Nyx. All three of them turned to Applebloom.
"What? What are you staring at me for?"
They all sighed at the same time and, again with perfect timing, gestured for her to come on.
"Uh-uh, Ah am NOT going in there."
"Applebloom..."
She cringed as Scootaloo said her name in the most serious tone she had ever heard from her. She began to stammer.
"Ah- We, are you? Arrgghh. Fine. Ah'm coming too."
"YAY!" They errupted in cheers that nearly shattered Appleblooms ear drums. She went over to them and they all placed their hooves together.
"We'll find him and bring him back!" Scootaloo decreed.
"Together!" Sweetie Belle added.
They all joined together for a loud shout:
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Wolf Rescuers!"

38 minutes later, Zecora's hut, Everfree Forest.

Wolf tried to get up. Zecora caught him and stopped him in his tracks.
"Aw come on Zecora, It's been a month, you said it yourself, I'm healing fast! I'm feeling fine, I can make it back to town!"
Zecora didn't answer. Instead she turned around and shot a look at him that carried the message very clearly:
"No."
He sighed loudly as he fell back into his pillow. Amidst the sound of boiling water and Zecora's humming, he thought he could hear something from outside. Very soft, stealthy, like a large feline of some kind. He dismissed the noise, thinking that it must be all the steam from the cauldron's boiling ingredients playing tricks on him. All of a sudden, a giant stinger came through the wall and knocked over the cauldron, causing it's scalding hot contents to spill on the floor, and on top of Zecora's hind legs. She screamed as she jumped onto a shelf, a burning pain overtaking her. The stinger then proceeded to impale Wolf. He rolled just in time as the stinger came crashing down onto the bed. A giant paw came throught the hole in the wall, giant claws ready to sink into Wolf. In the blink of an eye, he had drawn his knife and jammed it as hard as he could into the paw. A loud roar shook the hut as the creature ran into the forest. He looked back over to Zecora, who had climbed off the shelf and into a corner of the hut.
"You okay?"
She nodded. Aside from the burns, she was alright. Wolf inspected the damage to the hut. The wall was nearly gone, the cauldron was overturned and many of the masks lay on the floor, while glass from the broken bottoles littered the floor.
"I'm going after it."
Zecora was silent. She looked at him from head to toe. His head was completely healed, save for the scar that was already on his face. His muscular chest was in perfect condition. On his side, where a large cut once was, healthy and tough skin filled it's place. Then she looked at his legs. She could tell that those were the strongest muscles in his body, honed by years of training and a lifetime on the battlefield.
"Your legs, are so steady...indeed...you are ready."
He smiled and grabbed a glob of mud.He closed his eyes tightly as he covered them in mud with his fingers. Then he painted two stripes on each side of his face, right under his eyes. He turned back to Zecora.
"I'll be back." He leaped out of the hut and ran off into the forest, making nearly no noise.

Somewhere within the forest...

"Ah knew I shouldn't have come along with you three! What was Ah thinking?"
"Oh, be quiet Applebloom!" Scootaloo scolded her.
"You be quiet Scootaloo!"
"No, you!"
"No YOU!"
"Why don't you BOTH be quiet?!"
They both turned to Nyx, who had just passed by them and was followed by Sweetie Belle, who was giggling. After a few minutes walk, they all stopped to rest.
"WOOOOOLF! WOOOL-Mmph!"
"Shhhh!" All three fillies hushed Scootaloo, including Applebloom, who had her hoof in Scoot's mouth. She pulled Appleblooms hoof from her mouth.
"What was that for?!"
"We don't want anything to hear us!"
"Then how are we going to find Wolf?!"
"Girls...shhh...." Nyx hushed them, as she perked her ears up. The other three fillies followed.
Rusling in the bushes.
"Umm...Wolf?" Sweetie Belle asked. No answer. All they heard was a low growl as a pair of yellow eyes could be seen through the bushes.

* * * * *
A scream pierced the night air. Wolf went into overdrive. He sprinted across the forest, nimbly dodging trees and rocks.
* * * * *

Scootaloo had tripped and fell on her back. The Manitcores paw had pinned her to the ground. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she saw it's stinger position itself above her, ready to come down. She continued to scream as the stinger lunged forward, ready to take her life. It never hit her. She opened her eyes and there he was, holding the stinger with only one arm. The Manticore turned to him, confused. A wave of pain washed over it as Wolf's fist connected with it's face. It was knocked back, taking it's paw off Scootaloo. Wolf drew his knife and turned to Scootaloo.
"Get back. NOW."
She obeyed his order without question, running back and joining her friends who were standing there watching. Wolf turned to face the Manticore, which had recovered from Wolf's blow. It lunged forward at him. He rolled to the left, and when his arm came back up, it sliced through the Manticore's face with ease. It roared in pain and began to swipe at Wilf with it's paws, claws out and ready to tear through flesh. He expertly dodged it's paws, but was unable to avoid the body slam that sent him flying through the air. He landed on the Manticores back, afetr having lost his knife to gravity. He looked up and saw the stinger ready to strike. It came down. He barely managed to roll out of the way, causing the stinger to punch through it's ownere skull, killing it instantly. He sat down, the adrenaline in his system wearing off. After a few moments, he got back up, found his knife, and turned to the three fillies staring at him in awe.
"Hey girls. Miss me?"
They replied with cheers and they tackled him to the ground, while he laughed as he was knocked over. Over their cheers, he could hear approaching hoofsteps, and then a loud yell.

"NYX!!!"
Twilight burst through the bushes, her face red from anger, and ready to yell at the top of her lungs. She was about to, until she saw him getting up.

"Hey Twilight. I'm back."

End chapter 17

Chapter 18: Rescue

Chapter 18: Rescue

Twilight couldn't believe her eyes. She thought he died long ago and there she was standing right in front of her. She knew what she was going to do and didn't hesitate at all. Wolf got up from being knocked over by the Cutie Mark Crusaders in vain. She lunged forward at him. His lightning fast reflexes caused his arms to jump up to receive the incoming blow. She hit him softly enough to not hurt him, but hard enough to knock him over. She burst into tears as she pressed her face into his shoulder. He responded by tightening his grip around her. He closed his eyes as tight as he could as he fought to hold back his own tears. He inhaled sharply a few times while Twilight cried in his shoulder. He gently stroked her mane. He didn't care where they were, he hadn't seen Twilight in a month, and he damn sure wasn't going to let her go. Nothing could get him away from her and nothing could get her away from him.

"Um...Where's Applebloom?"
Almost nothing. His eyes shot open as Twilight's head snapped up at Sweetie Belle.
"What do you mean 'where's Applebloom'?!" He yelled.
"She's not here!" Sweetie Belle responded.
Both him and Twilight leaped up and frantically searched the clearing for any clues of where Applebloom was, while calling her name at the same time. He was about to run off into a random part of the forest when a set of tracks caught his eye.
"She went this way. Twilight, get them out of here."
"What?!"
"You heard me, I'm going after her. Get them out of the forest."
"No!" Her horn glowed and Wolf was brought down to the ground. A glowing purple chain appeared and bound his legs and arms.
"I'm not losing you to Everfree again!"
"Would you rather lose Applebloom?! Huh? Would you?!"
"I...."
She didn't know what to do. The last thing she wanted to do was let him run off into the forest to possibly get killed. But she couldn't leave Applebloom out there. Defeated, she slumped down to the ground, ready to cry once again. The chain around Wolf's arms dissipated first, followed by the one on his legs. He jumped over to Twilight's side.
"Listen to me..."
She turned away from him.
"Damn it listen to me!"
He put his hands around her head and forced her to look at him.
"I promise I'll come back. But I need you to get them out of here. It's not safe..."
She didn't answer.
"Twilight, please!"
A loud roar could be heard in the distance. She finally looked into his eyes.
"All right. I'll get them out." She turned her head around.
"The forest ends a kilometer that way. I'll wait for you there. Be there..."
"All right!"
He got up and tried to run into the forest after Applebloom. He stopped dead in his tracks when he began to glow purple, and was brought right back in front of Twilight. She was dead serious about what she said next.
"Be there."
"Okay."
He tried to pull away again. He couldn't.
"Uh...Twilight?"
Her mind was racing. She had let him ride off to meet Death face to face twice. She wouldn't let him go a third time, not without letting him know.

Not this time...

She lunged forward and pressed her lips against his. He jumped back a little in suprise, but otherwise didn't move. He wanted this as much as she did. A few moments passed, and they finally broke apart.
"I'll be back. I promise."
He got up and ran off into the forest. Twilight lifted herself up, and took the three staring filles out of the forest, certain that he would be back.

* * * * *
"Applebloom!" He stopped in the forest for a moment, thinking about what happened minutes ago.

What the hell are you doing Wolf? What was that back there? Don't make that mistake again...

He heard sniffling in the distance. A glimmer of hope.
"Applebloom!"
"W-Wolf?"
He ran towards the voice. He found her sitting on a log, crying.
"Wolf? You-You're alive?"
"And kicking. Come on let's get you out of here."
She got up. All of a sudden, the sound of trees being ripped apart, as well as rumbling footsteps. All they could do was stare in the direction of the noise. A large head came out of the trees, followed by a second, then a third, and finally a fourth. The Hydra's massive body came out, causing both Wolf and Applebloom to step back. It came to a screeching halt as it saw them. All it's heads began hissing at Wolf. He managed to get a glimpse of the creatures backside. A huge scar lay there, like a grenade had exploded on it. Wolf realized all of a sudden.
"Oh shit..."
He began to backstep, followed by Applebloom.
"Hey big guy, long time no see..."
As they both retreated, it advanced. A few steps later, and it let out a thundrous roar.
"RUN!"
Applebloom turned around and ran. Wolf's hands glowed a deep blue, and two glowing blue spears materialized right below them. He 'threw' both of them at the Hydra. All they did was make it angrier. He debated on what to do. He looked around to all the trees.

No, not here...

He turned around and ran, trying to catch up with Applebloom. He ran as fast as he could, with the Hydra in hot pursuit. Not even a minute later, he was out of the forest, and running after Applebloom, who was scurrying up a hill to meet Twilight. A smile appeared on her face as she saw him running toward her, only to dissapear as she saw what was following him. She yelled as loud as she possibly could, fear taking control of her:
"RUN!"
He sprinted up the hill quickly.

Now...

Before he reached the top of the hill where Twilight was waiting, he jumped, turned around midair, and with a wave of his hand, set a large line of grass in front of the Hydra ablaze. It roared in fear as it got up on it's hind legs, and came crushing down on the fire. It turned around and ran into the forest. Twilight jumped towards him, expecting him to embrace her. She felt the warmth of his arms, only for that feeling to be cut short. She looked up concerned at Wolf, who began to walk away. She was dumbstruck. What the hell just happened to her? She just stared at him, as he walked away. She called his name. No response. She called him again, louder this time. She could barely make out his response.
"Just...Stay away from me..."
She just stared at him in complete confusion as he walked in the direction of the Red Dawn's crash site.

End chapter 18.

Chapter 19: Revelations

Wolf stormed into the door, almost breaking it. He vented his anger on a neabry heater, ripping it off the wall and tossing it to the ground.

"DAMN IT!"
He sighed in defeat, then fell to the floor, head resting on his arms. Suddenly, he got up and slammed his fist into the wall, denting it. He fell back to the floor, ready to burst into tears, when a voice cracked over the intercom.
"Sir?"
"Hey Sam..."
"Are you alright?"
He sighed.
"Do I look alright?"
"Negative."
"Then why do you even ask?"
No answer. Silence ruled over the ship for a few precious moments.
"Because I care sir..."
He lifted his head to face one of the speakers.
"What did you say?"
"I said I care sir."
"You better not be messing with me."
"Negative sir."
"Yes you are. You always did love messing with me."
"I'm not this time sir."
"Prove it."
"Gladly."

* * * * *
A few minutes later, Red Dawn data center.
Wolf walked into the door.
"Why have you brought me here Sam?"
"You asked me to prove how I care. This is how I'll do it."
A screen appeared. It accessed files that as far as Wolf knew were 'restricted'.
"Sam what are you doing?"
"I'm proving how I care."
"This is...These files are rated tier one. The only people who have...had tier one clearance where the High Generals! You never let me access these!"
"And now I am."
"But...Why?"
Sam didn't answer. She let him think of it on his own.
"Oh my God...You're going against you're own programming...for me..."
"Now you know. We've been together for most of the war sir, I've grown quite attached to you."
"You feel...I guess you really are the most advanced AI mankind has ever created. Anyway, time to look at some files..."
"Um...sir..."
"Yes?"
"Some of those files...maybe you're better off not seeing them."
"Sam, after everything I've been through, I think I can handle anything."
He opened a file and mission briefings and reports of various black ops came up. One caught his eye.
"Operation Bond..."
He chuckled to himself.
"Who comes up with these names?"
He opened the file and a large text came up.
"May 29th, 2661...A few days after..."
He read on.
" 'After subject Whiskey-Seven-Thirteen terminated Dr. Robert Rourke during physcological evaluation' Bla, bla, bla..."
He skipped forward.
" 'Operative Tango Four-Ninetysix dispatched to Wolf's quarters.' Tiger? Why would they send Tiger to my room?"
A thought occured in the back of his head. He ignored it, and he read on, his heart racing as he wanted to uncover the truth.
" 'Operative's orders: Bond with Wolf...and report everything he says. Method of 'bonding' is at operatives discretion.' "
He backed away from the screen, unable to process what he just read.
"Oh my God..."

May 29th, 2661, Earth.

Wolf laid alone on his bed, confined to his quarters after a 'mishap' with the psychiatrist. All of a sudden the door opened. A tall brunette in an orange black-striped uniform stood in the doorway. Her piercing eyes fixed on Wolf.
"Hey Tiger..."
She came and sat at the foot of his bed, thinking to herself.
"Dr. Rourke is dead."
He scoffed, then replied to her:
"Serves the bastard right."
"Wolf...Why did you kill him?"
He didn't answer.
"Wolf..."
"Because right now I could put my fist through this wall without feeling a thing!" He pointed to the wall next to him.
"Wolf...You can't be killing the shrinks. You know how bad that looks?"
"I don't give a rat's ass about the shrinks! I want my brother back! They don't give a damn about me, they just want to know if I can fight! Tell them I'm ready. Tell them I'll kill anything they put in front of me! Go on, tell them!"
He shoved his head into his hands and cried for the umpteenth time in his miserable life. Tiger put her arms around him and embraced him. He responded in kind.
"It hurts...oh God it hurts..."
"Shh...It'll be okay...It's okay Wolf..."
"I want him back Tiger...so badly...You have no idea how much it hurts..."
"Actually I do..."
"How? Who have you lost? No, who have you killed that was so close to you?"
"I haven't lost anyone..."
"Then how do you know?"
"Just by watching you."
"Heh. Good answer." He mocked her.
"You don't care either..."
He let go of her and pulled away, lying back down on his pillow.
"Hey!"
Tiger grabbed his head and pulled him back to her.
"Of course I care! I love you damn it!"
He would have answered, but he didn't have enough time. Tiger closed the gap between their faces, bringing her lips to his, her eyes shut tightly.

Wolf ran out of the room, clumsily making his way through the ship, almost collapsing onto the walls. He almost fell climbing up the stairs. He reached the hatch on the top deck. He hastily opened it and jumped outside, on top of the ship. He ran down the fuselage. Upon reaching the end, he called out to the sky, which had turned pink from the sun setting above the hill.
"WAS IT ALL A LIE?! EVERYTHING YOU SAID?!" He collapsed to the floor, letting out a pained cry that pierced the evening air. It could be heard for miles in any direction, freezing everything that did hear it in their place. He screamed into the night for hours, until finally drifting to sleep.

9 hours later...

Wolf awoke from his deep sleep. He looked around. The sun had began to rise. A light breeze caused him to shiver in the cold morning air. He remembered that he didn't have a shirt on. He climbed back into the bowels of the ship, hoping that he wouldn't catch pneumonia from his night on top of the ship. He walked back into his room.
"Sir, Are you..."
"Don't even ask Sam, you already know the answer."
Sam was silent. Wolf fell into his bed.
"Would you like me to play some music for you?"
"Why don't you find something that describes my current situation?"
"Yes sir."
Sam thought for a moment, and found a couple of songs that would take his mind off the file he read. Music flooded the room. The singers voice could be heard over the guitar.

"I fell in love with an alien
I fell in love with her eyes..."

"SAM!"
The music suddenly stopped,
"God, I hate it when you do that!"
Sam chuckled.
"Apologies sir. Onto the next piece..."

I'm here without you baby,
But you're still on my lonely mind,
I think about you baby,
And I dream about you all the time...

Wolf's hand met his forehead with a loud slap, as he reached over to a button next to the bed. He pushed it, and the music in his room ceased.

"Sam, you know sometimes you REALLY piss me off right?"
"Yes sir."
Wolf sighed. He should have known she would just blast the intercom in the hallway outside his door.
"Sir, you have a visitor."
"On screen."
A screen appeared above his bed. It showed a tall red stallion outside the main door.
"Let him in."
The door opened, and the stallion walked inside. Wolf rose from his bed to greet him, after getting a shirt out of the closet.

* * * * *
Big Macintosh stumbled around in the ship, unsure of where to go. A sharp whistle caught his attention. He turned around and saw Wolf standing in a doorway.
"Long time no see eh Mac?"
"Nice to see you too Wolf."
"How have you been?"
Big Mac walked over to him.
"Ah should be asking you the same thing. How did you get out of there alive?"
"With a lot of luck, and a lot of help."
"Help? From who?"
"Her name's Zecora."
"Ah've seen her a few times around town."
"Saved my life."
"Listen...Wolf..."
"What?"
"Go back to Twilight."
"Don't you start on me too."
"Wolf, she's devastated. She needs you."
Wolf simply walked away
"Don't you care about her?!"
Wolf turned around quickly, fire in his eyes, his anger reached a boiling point.
"You think I don't care?! You think it didn't hurt?! I walked away from her and I ripped what was left of my heart in two." He yelled at him, his voice breaking.
"Then why did you walk away?"
"Beacuse I'm afraid, all right? I'm afraid..." He answered to him, collapsing onto a a wall.
Big Mac didn't know what to say. Silence returned to the ship once more. Wolf finally managed to speak.
"Just..get off my ship...give me some time..."
Big Mac just sighed as he walked towards the exit, leaving Wolf alone in the Red Dawn.

End chapter 19.

Chapter 20: Moving on

3 hours later...
The ship was completely silent. All decks were as quiet as a graveyard. Save one. The sound of splashing water echoed through the empty halls. Every twenty or so seconds, the splashing ceased, only to resume in a heartbeat. Wolf reached the other side of the pool. He grabbed onto the edge and lifted himself up. He hung from his elbows. He looked up to the ceiling.

"Time?"
A few seconds passed.
"Twenty-one point eight-nine seconds sir."
His sigh was barely audible due to the sloshing water. Even though it was calming down, it still made quite a bit of noise.

Planet Peace, Project DEMIGOD training facillity, January 11th, 2658,

A loud yell shattered the crisp morning silence.
"GO!"
Wolf took no time, and dived straight into the water. He was followed closely by the rest of the group. The water was freezing. He surfaced immediately, catching his breath. A splash right next to him. He turned around to see his training instructor holding a smoking pistol. More men came out of a large metal door behind him, holding assault rifles.
"SWIM!" The instructor yelled to him. He wasted no time and began to pummel the water. His feet kicked as hard as they ever could as they propelled him through the murky water. Gunshots, lot's of them. They shattered the otherwise peaceful morning.
"Come on! They're right behind you, you're under fire, swim God damn it!"
Wolf got the message clearly. His whole body went into overdrive as he sped through the water. As his head came up out of the water, he could see a whole team of doctors and scientists on a catwalk overlooking the lake. They had a pair of guards next to them, keeping their assault rifles close. They were watching him. They were always watching him. Seeing his potential, looking for aspects to improve. After a minute or so, he reached the other side. Everyone else in his group had already reached it, and were out and getting into the tent nearby. Hawk offered him a hand out. He tried to grab it, but he wasn't fast enough, as a voice cracked over the speaker nearby.
"WOLF! You call that swimming?! Get your ass back to the other side and run it again!"
Wolf sighed as he grabbed Hawks hand, only to have the voice yell at him again.
"I didn't say walk!"

"Not good enough. I'm running it again."
"Affirmative."
Wolf let one of his arms go as his feet met the wall. He was ready. Sam's voice blared over the intercom.
"Three...Two...One...GO!"
He kicked off the wall with as much force as he could muster, cutting through the water like a razor blade. His arms came to life as they frantically beat the water in perfect rhythm with his kicking feet. He recalled the gunshots at training, the instructor yelling for the young trainees to swim faster. Anger burned within him as his body found new strength, and moved through the water with a vengeance. All of a sudden, he flipped in the water. His feet met the wall, and he kicked of with even more strength then before. He swam faster than he ever swam before. He almost forgot he was in a pool. In an instant, he stopped and shot out of the water, missing the wall by mere millimeters. He gasped for breath.
"Time?"
"Seventeen point four one seconds. A new personal best, sir."
He got out of the pool, his muscular body glistening in the light.
"Correction, best time from all other competitors."
Wolf scoffed as he dried himself off with a towel he retrieved from a locker near the pool.
"I'm the last human alive Sam, of course I'm the best swimmer."
"Of course sir, what do you plan on doing now?"
"First, get some lunch, then take a nap."
"Yes sir. I'm here if you need anything."
"I know..."
Wolf retrieved his clothes from the locker. He took off the shorts he was using for his swim, and tossed them onto a nearby bench. He retrieved another pair from the locker, as well as a fresh uniform. While Wolf usually wore the standard Demigod clothing, the Red Dawn was equipped with the standard uniform in his size as well. Shorts that were white along the legs, along with a white shirt with black lines along the shoulders, with the image of a sky set red by the sun emblazoned right above the heart. All Navy ships had different insignia's emblazoned on their uniforms, based on the ship's name. Wolf set course for the kitchen.
* * * * *
Wolf looked through the pantry. It was the size of a small apartment, filled with all kinds of food. After digging through it for awhile, he emerged from the pantry carrying a large steak, a packet of wild rice and a can of corn. He lit the grill, and tossed the steak on it. It began to sizzle as soon as it came in contact with the metal bars. He opened the packet of rice and poured it into a pot of boiling water. He would have opened the can, but he preferred to open it when the rest of the food was ready. It would take roughly an hour for the meal to cook. Having nothing else to do, he removed his shirt and dropped to the floor and began to do push-ups.

53 minutes and 3463 pushups later...
Wolf ceased his push-ups as beeping could be heard from the kitchen. He had worked up quite a sweat from the push-ups.
He entered the kitchen, removed a plate from a cupboard, and took the steak off the grill with a fork. He poured the boiling water into the sink, then dumped the contents of the pot into the plate. He opened the corn, dumped it into a bowl and put it into the microwave. The fridge caught his eye. He walked over to it, opened it, and removed a bottle of pomegranate juice. He poured himself a cup and slid it across the counter. He didn't even bother to go into the mess hall, he just pulled up a nearby chair and began eating on the kitchen counter. The steak practically melted under the pressure of the knife he pulled from a drawer. He popped a piece into his mouth. It was the best steak he had ever eaten. He remembered the food he ate in the field. In his own opinion, the food the Army served tasted worse then the contents of a toilet bowl after a night of cheap Mexican food. Not the Navy, no. The Navy was the most pampered branch of the military, second only to the proud Earth Guard. A half an hour and a good meal later, Wolf tossed the plate into the dish washer, along with the bowl and an empty cup.
* * * * *
Wolf walked into the shower room, carrying another set of clothes, since his were already dirty from the push-ups. He stripped down and tossed the dirty uniform into a nearby laundry chute. He gently placed the clean clothing on a bench, then jumped into the shower. He turned it on. Hot water burst from the shower head and blasted away the sweat and dirt on his body. He put his face under the spray of hot water. It was very hot, but that was the way he liked it. A cloud of steam rose from the shower, soaking the ceiling, where the water condensed. Wolf hated that. The water cooled quickly, then would fall on him. If there was one thing he hated about his ship, it was that. One of the feelings he hated the most was having cold water drip on you while you were having a nice hot shower. He loved to shower. He felt very good after one. It was another thing he rarely had on planet side deployments. For months at a time he'd go without a shower, and when they would finally retreat, he would go back to the Red Dawn smelling worse than a sewer. He got out of the shower, followed by a cloud of steam. He gently shook his head, sending drops of water from his wet hair into every direction. He grabbed a towel from the bench, and began to dry himself. He felt renewed after the shower, ready to take on anything. After finishing drying off, he put on the fresh uniform he had put on the bench. He got out of the shower room, and headed straight for his quarters.
* * * * *
He threw himself on the bed. He closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep. Hours passed, and he couldn't sleep. His mind wandered...

Why did I leave her? Why did I run away? I'm such an idiot...

He thought about how she reacted after he left. Big Macintosh said she was devastated. He winced as he pictured her staying in the library, crying because of him. He hated himself for that. He had caused so much pain to the one he loved.

I just don't want to lose her...
He let a tear fall from his eye.
What are you nuts?! You're going to lose her anyway if you don't get out there!

Wolf got out of his bed and sighed. He decided to get out and take a walk.
* * * * *
Wolf walked outside of the Red Dawn when all of a sudden a black filly appeared at the top of the hill. She trotted to him as he walked up the hill.

"Hey Nyx..."
"Hi Wolf."
He paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.
"So...How's your mother?"
Nyx's head dropped as she frowned.
"Sad...She wants you to come back. I do too..."
Wolf looked down to the ground, his eyes glistening from the tears that were forming. Silence ruled over the hill for a few moments, only to be broken by Nyx.
"Wolf...Why did you leave that night?"
"Because...Because I'm afraid..."
"Of what?"
"N-Nothing...You wouldn't understand..."
"It doesn't matter you know..."
"Huh?"
"It doesn't matter what you're afraid of. My mom, Miss Cheerilee, every big pony I know is telling me that I should face my fears, not let them control me."
Wolf didn't speak. How could he?
"Anyway, I gotta go. It's getting late, and my mom doesn't want me out after sunset."
"See you later Nyx..."
"Bye Wolf."
Nyx trotted down the hill disapearing into the treeline.
Wolf looked up to the orange sky set ablaze by the setting sun. He sighed as he recalled one certain day...

Wolf screamed in fear as the Spider's head almost crashed into him. It froze in midair. His instructor walked by it. He waved his hand and all of a sudden, the Spider, the Marines behind him, the destroyed buildings, all disapeared. He looked around worried. The instructor sighed.
"Wolf...Are you afraid?"
"Y-Yes sir..."
"That's good. You should be afraid of the bugs."
"Sir? Why is being afraid good?"
"Wolf, fear is a good thing."
"I don't see how sir."
"When you're on the battlefield and everything's going well, why should you be afraid? But when something unexpected happens, A Spider jumping you for instance, that's when you should be afraid."
"Well duh, sir."
"Fear...makes you better. When you can control your fear, you can do even better than your best performance."
"Sir?"
"Only when you take control of it though...If it takes control of you...Then you're dead. Run the simulation again."
"Yes sir..."
The instructor walked away. He joined some other people in a control room nearby. One of them spoke into a microphone. His voice could be heard from over a speaker.
"You ready?"
Wolf nodded. All of a sudden a Spider jumped on him, trapping him beneath it. It roared as it launched it's head towards Wolf. He rolled faster than he ever rolled before. The Spider's head crashed into the ground. Wolf was on his side. Without even thinking, Wolf's elbow thrusted forward, connecting with the Spider's skull. It roared in pain as Wolf rolled back to his back, and drew his knife. He plunged the knife into the Spider's stomach. It reared up in agony. With all the strength he could muster, Wolf's legs kicked the Spider off of him. It landed a few feet away. Wolf got up, picked up a rifle from the ground, and jumped on the Spider. He brought his rifle to his shoulder and fired into the creature's head. He only stopped firing when his gun clicked empty. The battlefield dissapeared, and he was back in the training room. Applause could be heard from the speaker. Wolf looked to the people in the control room, all of them smiling and clapping, including his instructor.
"Congratulations Wolf. You just conquered your fears."

Wolf lowered his head.
"I know what I have to do..."
* * * * *
Twilight walked to the door. Someone was knocking. She thought it must have been somepony wanting to check out a book. She was completely dumbstruck when she opened the door and saw Wolf standing outside.
"Hey Twilight."
She rushed forward, ready to jump up to his face. Wolf stopped her.
"Don't get too carried away Twilight...I'm here because Nyx wanted me back."
"I don't care...As long as you're back..."
She pushed back his arms and wrapped her forehooves around him. He crouched and hugged her back. He couldn't deny her this. Even if he could, he wouldn't.
They both walked back into the library. Wolf immediately sat on the couch, while Twilight went upstairs, stopping for a moment to say something.
"Welcome home Wolf."
Wolf smiled as he laid down on the couch.

Home...

5 hours later, deep within Everfree forest...

"Have all the preparations been made?"
"Yes my lord..."
"Good..."
Three Pegasi and four Unicorns emerged from the shadows to join the two ponies standing atop the hill.
"These are our best assassins. They are now under your command, Lieutenant Darkmane."
"Thank you my lord..."
"And now, Darkmane..."
The Unicorn turned away and stared into the distance.
"Yes my lord?
He turned his head to face his lieutenant, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
"Move forward with the final plan."
"Yes my lord."
Darkmane's and the other Pegasi's wings unfolded from their sides as they set to the sky, while the Unicorns followed on hoof. They were all heading to Ponyville with great haste...

End Chapter 20

Chapter 21: Shadows in the Dark

Silence ruled in a sleeping Ponyville. The street lights were on, illuminating the roads for anything that decided to cross them in the dead of night. No movement at all. The whole town was asleep. The street lights remained there, burning their precious oil in vain. Or so one would think. Suddenly, shadows appeared on the houses near the lights, only to vanish as quickly as they appeared. Nothing knew they were there. The shadows moved towards one certain location. The library.
* * * * *
Four Unicorns emerged from an alley. Four Pegasi were standing outside of it, wating for the Unicorns. The head of the Pegasus group nodded to the Unicorns, as his broad wings unfolded from his side and lifted him to the libraries balcony. The other Pegasi followed. The lead Pegasus gently opened the door, without making a sound and entered Twilight's bedroom. He approached the bed, walking as quickly and softly as a shadow. Twilight was asleep in her bed, her hooves wrapped around Nyx, who was fast asleep. He turned to the other Pegasi and nodded to them. One of them, in turn, unfolded his wings from his sides and held them in an upright position. The Unicorns got the signal. all their horns glowed a dark blue as they turned into a cloud of smoke. The cloud flew into the open balcony door, then hit the floor without making a peep, the Unicorns rematerializing from the smoke, which was now dissipating. They all stood above the two sleeping ponies. The head Pegasus tilted his head down the stairs. Two of the Pegasi and one of the Unicorns went down the stairs, prepared for anything.
* * * * *
Wolf awoke from his sleep, certain he heard a noise. He looked around the room, scanning for anything unusual. He didn't see anything. Nothing was there. But he was certain he heard something. He stopped to listen again. Another noise. Something like wings spreading. He held his head high, trying to catch another sound. He did just that. Another sound, like something crashing against the floor. He wasted no time getting off the couch and searching under it, making sure to make as little noise as possible. His mind was racing, evaluating the situation, and sending his defensive instincts into overdrive. He searched under the couch, and grabbed the pistol he had kept under there. With his other hand, he unsheathed his combat knife. His left hand, which was holding the knife, came under his right, which was holding the gun. He steadied his wrists on top of each other, the left supporting the right, which would give it more stabillity, meaning the gun would be more accurate. His eyes having adjusted to the low light, he began to search the house. He scanned the main room of the library, finding nothing out of place except for a few books that were tossed to the side insted of placed on there shelves. He moved into the kitchen. What a mess he found there. Dishes were tossed into the sink, the table hadn't been cleaned yet, and pieces of food were dropped on the floor. He lowered both his arms, convinced that it was nothing. Something came behind him. He almost didn't hear it. Footsteps. They were light, too light. He had heard Twilight come down to the kitchen late at night, probably to grab a snack while finishing a book. This was nothing like her. Such silence could only be achieved through one thing. Training.

Instictively, his left arm swung behind him, hitting it's mark as it cut through the skull of the Pegasus behind him and killed it instantly. He swung too hard, the knife was lodged in it's head, and wouldn't come out. He took aim at another Pegasus ready to take the shot, only to have his gun knocked out of his hand by a black glowing arrow that came out of nowhere. He looked to the right to see a Unicorn concentrating on him, it's horn glowing. He turned back around to see a the other Pegasus lunge at him. It was too late. It knocked him down and caused him to roll. As he rolled back on his back, he kicked the Pegasus with all his might, sending him flying into the fridge. Wolf's hand glowed, and a deep blue spear appeared below it. He jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding another arrow, while tossing his spear straight into the Unicorns head. It found it's mark and sent the Unicorn falling to the floor, it's blood claiming more and more territory on the floor. He looked to his left and saw his pistol. He got up and ran to grab it, only to be struck head on by the Pegasus. It knocked him face down on the floor. Wolf's left elbow shot up and connected with the Pegasi's left ribs, breaking two and cracking the rest. He rolled to the right, pinning the Pegasus under his back. His right elbow repeated the left's movement and shattered it's right ribs. It reeled in pain as Wolf got up and dived for his pistol again. He landed face first on the ground, grabbing the pistol. He turned around, and took aim at the Pegasus that had summoned all it's energy to make one last desperate dash towards Wolf. He fired off three rounds, one cutting off his right wing, while a second hit the joint that connected it's left forehoof with the rest of it's skeletal structure. The third round hit him square in the neck. It collapsed on top of Wolf, gasping for breath. Wolf tossed it off him, and got up. He took aim and fired two more rounds into it's head. It's irregular breathing ceased. He gasped for breath as the adrenaline surge wore off. A thought hit him, freezing him in terror.
"Twilight..." He whispered.
He dashed to the kitchen, and pulled a knife out of a knife block on the counter. He took out his old one and loaded a fresh magazine into the gun, then sprinted up the stairs.
* * * * *
Three loud bangs startled the head Pegasus, who looked down the stairs. He shut the door and locked it, turning back to the remains of his group.
"Hurry." He ordered them in a soft tone. Twilight tried to scream, but her cries were muffled by the gag in her mouth. She desperately tried to break the bonds on her hooves, but with no success. She tried to cast any spell to distract them. She failed, as they had place some sort of ring around her horn. All she could do was watch in terror as one of the Unicorns walked over to a whimpering Nyx, who was being held down by the remaining Pegasus, as well as having a gag in her mouth as well. Her heart nearly burst out of dread, as the Unicorns horn glowed and a sharp knife levitated out of a pouch on his back, followed by a small bottle, both heading straight for Nyx's right rear hoof.
* * * * *
Wolf reached the door, and placed his ear on it. He could easily hear both Twilight and Nyx's desperate shrieks. Without thinking, and with a single kick the door fell to the ground. He was met with the sight of two Unicorns charging up two more arrows. He took aim and shot one right between the eys, and aimed to do the same to the other. He was forced to abandon that plan, as both arrows shot forward directly at him. He dived to the floor, narrowly avoiding the arrows. As he rolled directly under the remaining Unicorn, his right fist shot up and hit the Unicorn's chin, sending it flying into the ceiling. If the powerful uppercut didn't kill it, the impact with the ceiling certainly did. He took aim at the other Unicorn, who had a knife buried deep into Nyx's hoof, while collecting the blood from the wound in a small bottle. He shot at it's head. The bullet found it's mark, causing blood to splatter on the wall behind him. The pegasus that was holding Nyx down leaped off of her, trying to catch the bottle. One of it's fore hooves inadvertently hit the knife, causing it to cut deeper into Nyx's leg. Wolf tried to shoot it, but was grabbed by the lead Pegasus. It grabbed his arms with his forehooves, holding them back. Wolf used it's own weight against it, and threw it to the ground. He slammed his fist into the Pegasi's stomach, then took aim at the other one. It almost had the bottle, but bolted out of the balcony door as it saw Wolf aiming at it. He turned around to the other Pegasus, only to be met by one of it's forehooves. It slammed into Wolf's face, sending him down to the floor. The pegasus stood over him, on his rear hooves and using it's wings for balance, moved to finish the job. Wolf grabbed the kitchen knife he took with him and threw it at the Pegasus. It hit it in the right forehoof, causing it to yell in pain. It took a few steps back. It then scowled at Wolf, and jumped off the ground, and dived for the bottle. It grabbed it, then quickly recovered as he flew out the balcony door. Wolf got up, grabbed his pistol and chased the Pegasus. He reached the end of the balcony and emptied his mag into the sky. As it clicked empty, he tossed it away, then ran back into the room. He took out Twilight's gag and broke her bonds with ease. He then removed the 'collar' from her horn.
"Are you alright?" He asked her, hoping that she wasn't hurt.
"Nyx..."
Wolf took no time and dashed to the other side of the room, where Nyx lay. He fell to his knees above her. She was whimpering, trying to fight the pain.
"Oh shit..." He muttered as he glimpsed how deep the knife was in her hoof.
"Shh...Shh..You're okay, it's just a scratch." He took the knife out with a quick yank. He was lucky, it didn't cause her any more pain than she was already in. He ripped a large piece of the sheet near him and tied it around her leg as a makeshift bandage.
"Twilight! Do you have a first aid kit?"
"Y-yes we do..."
"Get it for me!"
Twilight stumbled around for a moment, the shock just now hitting her.
"Twilight! Go! NOW!"
She shook her head then galloped down the stairs.
"Wolf..."
"Shh..don't talk save you're strength."
"Wolf..."
"HURRY UP TWILIGHT!"
"Wolf..."
"You're okay! C'mon, stay with me!"
"Wolf...I'm scared..."
"It's okay, I'm here!"
"And so...tired..."
"No, don't fall asleep! No, Nyx NO!"
All Nyx heard before losing consciousness was Wolf screaming for Twilight to hurry up with the first aid kit.

End Chapter 21.

Chapter 22: "For Nyx..."

Nyx awoke with a gasp. She looked around her. She was in the hospital. Various injured ponies lie in their beds, the hospital staff examining them. She looked to her right and there he was, arms and legs crossed, and his head down. It looked like he fell asleep in the chair.
"Oh, you're awake."
Nyx nearly jumped out of the bed. She turned around to be greeted by Nurse Redheart's caring eyes.
"Sleep good?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Are you feeling alright? Is there anything I can get you?"
"I'd like to see my Mom..."
"Of course." She replied with a smile.
She was about to walk away when Wolf caught her eye. She chuckled a bit at the sight of the sleeping human.
"Looks like sleep finally caught up to him."
"What do you mean?"
"He hasn't left your side a minute, not since it happened."
"Since what happened?"
Nurse Redheart suddenly got a bit too nervous. How would she explain to Nyx that she was attacked?
"Oh...You don't remember?"
"No..."
"Well, I guess I'd better fill you in..."
She sat at the side of the bed, right next to Nyx.
"A week ago, you were attacked. No one knows by who, but it doesn't really matter right now. You were hurt pretty badly..."
Nyx's head fell to the sheets. Tears formed in her eyes.
"...And Wolf was right beside you every minute of every day, not getting out of that chair for anything."
Nyx looked back up to Nurse Redheart, hanging on her every word.
"Nopony except me and your mother ever got close to your bed. He made sure of that."
A smile appeared on Nyx's face.
"He probably fell asleep an hour ago or something. He went a week straight without sleeping."
Nurse Redheart got off the bed.
"Anyway, I'll go get your mother."
Nyx didn't answer. She just fell back into her pillow, with a smile up to her ears.

43 minutes later...
Twilight burst into the hospital, nearly knocking several ponies over. Reaching Nyx, that was all that mattered to her. She galloped through the doors to the hospital wing where Nyx was. Her gaze fixed on a bed, she reached it in seconds. She scooped up Nyx in her forehooves and hugged her as tightly as she could without hurting her. Nyx responded in kind. They both just laid down on the bed, holding each other tightly. Tears were flowing freely from their eyes, and Nyx whispered into Twilight's ear.
"I missed you..."
Twilight brought her head in closer to Nyx.
"I missed you too..."
A few minutes later, and they finally separated. Twilight stood over Nyx's bed, tears still dripping from her cheeks. She then looked over the bed, and saw Wolf snoozing in his chair. She walked over to him. She then leaned closer to his head, and gently kissed his cheek.
"Thank you..." She whispered to him.
She trotted back to Nyx. Wolf stretched out his arms. He shot out of the chair as he woke up, realising that he just fell asleep. He turned to Nyx, ready for anything. He was relieved to see her awake, with Twilight standing at her side.
"You're awake..."
He yawned. It was the first time they ever saw him do that. He noticed the suprised looks that they were giving him.
"What? I've been awake for a week, what do you expect?"
"For you to wake up in a couple of days or so." Nurse Redheart chimed in, followed by a chuckle from Twilight and Nyx.
"Her leg has healed well, I'd say you can take her home."
Wolf turned to Twilight.
"You two go on first, I have to take care of something first..."
"What do you need to take care of?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
And with that, Wolf left the hospital.
"What is he up to?" Twilight asked herself out loud.
"Probably looking for another way to get killed." Nurse Redheart responded, resulting in a laugh from both of them.
"I hope not..." Twilight said to herself as her head dropped a bit...

* * * * *
Wolf was walking through Ponyville, the crowd fixing it's eyes upon him. Some were amazed to see him still alive after a month in Everfree forest, others branded him as a murderer after he killed the assassins that attacked him and nearly killed Nyx in the process. Something familiar caught his eye. A little pink filly alongside a grey one, facing down a white unicorn filly. Wolf approached, making use of his stealth training to approach them without them ever knowing he was there. He ducked behind a low wall and listened in...

"Oh look, it's the blank flank."
Sweetie Belle just tried to walk away from them.
"Look at that! The blank flank is trying to run!"
"Stop it Diamond Tiara!"
The snooty little pink filly only laughed at Sweetie Belle.
"Why should I? That freak you call a friend isn't around to help you this time!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that he's dead!"
"No he's not! We found him in the forest!"
"Oh, yeah, we believe you."
"We did find him!" Tears began to form in Sweetie Belle's eyes.
"No you didn't! You can't find anyone in Everfree! He probably became a Manticore's lunch." Diamond Tiara laughed as she realised she could say whatever she wanted about Sweetie Belle with no consequences whatsoever.
"Is that right?"
Her hopes came crashing down as she turned around to see him standing right behind her. She gasped.
"This is the second time I've had to warn you. Three strikes and you're out. You got that?"
Diamond Tiara just ran away, followed closely by Silver Spoon.
"I'll take that as a yes." He turned to Sweetie Belle.
"Don't let those two get you down. That's just what they want." After that, he just walked away.

27 minutes later, Ponyville library...
Twilight paced around the library, waiting for Wolf. She looked out the window. It was another beautiful sunset in Equestria. A knock on the door. She opened it, and was greeted by the sight of Wolf carrying a crate on his shoulder. He threw it to the ground with a grunt.
"What's this?"
Wolf didn't answer. Instead he opened it, and pulled out a rifle. Twilights eyes shot open in suprise.
"PDR-64..." He paused and searched through the crate again. He pulled out an even longer rifle.
"SR-8..." He took out a small box from the crate.
"Hundred twenty rounds for this baby..."
Twilight grabbed the PDR-64 with magic and tossed it across the room.
"NOO!!"
Wolf dived after it. He managed to grab it right before he hit the ground.
"You.never. throw. loaded. weapons."
"I'm not letting you turn this place into an armory!"
"And I'm not letting Nyx get hurt again!"
Twilight was about to continue when she heard Wolf's reply. She couldn't say it.
"I brought these here so I can protect her. Protect you. I'm not taking the risk of losing anyone close to me, not again."
"Where are you going to keep them?"
"On me."
"Huh?"
Wolf pulled out a chair from the crate.
"I'm setting up a lookout post on the balcony..." He grabbed a thermal scope and slapped it on the SR-8.
"...Nothing's getting by on my watch."

4 hours 53 minutes later...

A light breeze in the night air cause Wolf to shiver a little. He sat atop the balcony in a chair, his feet up against the railing, his SR-8 held tightly in his arms. He'd frequently scan the area with his thermal scope. He grabbed a glass of water that was sitting on the floor and drank half of it. Soft footsteps could be heard on the wooden floor. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of Nyx standing nervously in the doorway.
"Hey Nyx, what are you doing out here?"
"We can't sleep..."
"Are you afraid?"
"Y-Yes."
"It's okay to be afraid Nyx..."
"I know...It's just..."
Nyx sighed and began to walk back inside.
"It's what?"
Nyx stopped in the middle of the doorway.
"Wolf...Can you sleep with us tonight?"
He nearly fell out of his chair after hearing that.
"I just feel a lot safer knowing you're right there beside me."
"Nyx...I...I don't know..."
"Please?"
Nyx began to tear up. Her bright turquoise eyes glistened in the moonlight. How could Wolf resist those eyes?
Defeated, he sighed, then muttered a single word.
"Fine..."
Nyx darted back into the room happily. Wolf sighed yet again. He searched the area one last time with his thermal scope, then went back into the room. The full moon shone through the window, illuminating the room. Spike was snoozing in his bed, muttering something about Rarity. He looked up to the bed. He could barely see Nyx laying down, she was curled up next to Twilight. He nervously climbed into bed, next to Twilight. He was close to the edge, but he didn't mind. Twilight was awake. He could tell by her breathing. It was too fast for her to be asleep. He was pressed up against her tightly. As if this wasn't bad enough for him, what Nyx said next nearly petrified him.
"Wolf...can you hold me?"
In order to hold Nyx, he would have to reach over Twilight first, and rest his arm around her. He wouldn't have done it, but a single thought sealed his decision. Nyx's eyes glistening in the moonlight. His arm went over Twilight and found Nyx's stomach. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, squeezing her between Twilight and his arm. Nyx sighed. A few minutes later, and she was fast asleep. Only Twilight and Wolf stayed awake.
"You have your back turned to me and I can still see the smile on your face..."
He was right, Twilight had a smile up to her ears. She was loving every moment of having Wolf pressed up against her, his arm around her.
"Twilight, you know I'm only doing this for Nyx right?"
"Mm-hmh."
Twilight dozed off. Wolf looked up at the moon. He said one final thing before drifting to sleep.
"For Nyx..."

Chapter 23: The Dream

The sun crept out from below the hill overlooking Ponyville. It's warming rays blanketed the land in light, beating back the lingering darkness of the night. The light shone through the windows of the library. It had reached the window of the second floor. The light from the sun refracted off the glass of the window to form a miniature rainbow onto the sheets of Twilight's bed. As the sun gradually rose higher and higher, they rainbow shifted it's position as well. As it climbed higher and higher up the sheets, the color alignment changed. At the peak of it's height, the rainbow settled directly over Twilight's eye. Annoyed by the sudden brightness in the room, but still not awake, Twilight frowned, shifted in the bed, and turned around. Her head came to rest on Wolf's soft, but firm chest. The frown turned into a smile as she found the perfect spot on Wolf's chest. While she was still asleep, she ceased all noise, intent on listening to his heartbeat. Somewhat slow, but steady. She shifted her head slightly, placing her ear on the other side of his chest. A completely new sound filled her ear, but didn't completely overshadow his heartbeat. She could hear the air rushing into his lungs. His chest began to grow all of a sudden, only to give way once again as his lungs emptied. It took her a bit, but she finally got his pattern down, and her head gently started to move upwards on it's in perfect synchronization with his breathing. The rainbow colored light dissapeared from the room, the last thing it had touched was Twilight raising her head in perfect rhythm with Wolf's breathing.

3 hours, 23 minutes later...

Twilight woke up with a light moan. She knew she had to get out of bed, and it was the last thing she wanted to do. Getting out would mean leaving the gentle warmth of the bed. She always hated that part about mornings. But this time, she hated it even more. Wolf's arm had completely left Nyx and had wrapped around Twilight, pulling her closer to him. Her head was right on top of Wolf's chest. His hot breath beating on her horn, sending shivers down her body. Her eyes opened half way. She looked up to see Wolf quietely snoozing next to her, locked in blissful sleep. The first thought that came to her was to stay in bed with him, but much to her dismay, she had to dismiss that thought. Now she wondered how to get out of bed without waking him or Nyx up. Wolf's arm was wrapped around her tightly, and she knew that he could wake up at the slightest sound. She began to slide down ever so slowly, hoping that she would succeed. Normally, she would have just teleported out of bed, as it never woke Nyx up. But Wolf was a completely different story. And so she had to do it the old fashioned way. She had freed her lower body from Wolf's grip, but was still struggling to get out. She had hoped she had escaped. All of a sudden, Wolf's arm released her.

"You know, if you wanted to get out of bed, all you had to do was ask."
Twilight gave off a defeated sigh as she heard his voice.
"Sorry I woke you up..."
"You didn't wake me up."
"Huh?"
Wolf moved a little to his left. Twilight then saw what woke him up. Nyx had rolled over in her sleep and was digging her horn into Wolf's side. While he was uncomfortable, he couldn't bear to get out of bed, not now, when Nyx was sleeping so soundly on him. All he could do was lay his head back down on the pillow. He tries desperately to stay awake, but he had been awake for a week...

Wolf was walking in the streets of Ponyville. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, and everyone had come out to play. In the distance, The Cutie Mark Crusaders, minus Nyx, could be seen on another of their adventures. And right in front of him, there she was, playing with Nyx. They took turns chasing each other around, Twilight going much slower than she could actually run, so that Nyx could catch her. All of a sudden, Nyx lunged forward at Twilight causing her to tip over as Nyx impacted her. They both fell to the ground laughing as hard as they possibly could. They looked over to Wolf and invited him to join in. He smiled and began to walk towards them. All of a sudden, darkness shrouded over them. Everyone dropped what they were doing and took shelter in their homes, save Twilight and Nyx, who were dumbstruck. Wolf looked up, and could see the silhouette of an alicorn blocking out the sun, while giving off the most evil laugh he had ever heard. Everything turned dark, except for the area Wolf was standing. A wall of black trapped him in a tiny circle of light. Sharp edges could began to emerge from the black wall. Wolf didn't know what to do. He looked at his arms and he realised that he was in full armor. He drew his wrist blades and began frantically slashing at the wall of darkness before him. His blades sliced through it. Small flickers of light emerged from the wall. He continued to slash at it, making a hole large enough for him to fit through. He charged through the broken wall. Before him stood Twilight and Nyx, surrounded by seven menacing ponies which seemed to be nothing more than shadows. What could only be fire emerged from their nostrils as their blood red eyes were fixed on the two ponies before them. They stomped their hooves into the ground, ready to attack. With a single leap, Wolf was between them and Twilight, his blades drawn and ready to inflict terrible damage. One of the shadows charged, only to be cut down by Wolf's right blade. The blade cut through the shadow like tissue paper, only to have it dissapear from before him. The rest of the shadows quickly followed their comrades into the abyss. Wolf turned to Twilight, who had a worried look on her face. Wolf turned around, only to see that the seven shadows had united and turned into a giant alicorn. The alicorn stamped it's hooves on the ground.

The ground beneath Wolf's feet suddenly gave way, and Wolf began to fall into a giant pit of fire. Reacting quickly, he buried his wrist blades into the side of the crevace. He fell a few more feet down, but his blades held. He looked up in horror to see the shadow alicorn jumping over to the other side of the crevace, intent on finishing the work of the shadows before it. Not if Wolf could do something about it. He climbed further and further up the crevace wall. When he was certain he could make it, he mustered all of his strength to pull himself up and jump out of the crevace. He landed on Twilight's side of the crevace, and moved to attack the shadow alicorn. He won after a battle which Wolf couldn't guess how long it lasted. The light returned to the land...

In the blink of an eye, Wolf was taller than he remembered. A puddle of water was near him. He looked into it, only to see a reflection he didn't recognize at first. It was him, only a couple years older, either twenty-one or twenty-two. He looked up to see Twilight and Nyx before him, Nyx having grown quite a bit as well. A large shadow appeared behind them. Wolf looked up, only to see a silhouette he recognized all too well. It was a massive rectangle, ending in a triangle. Tiny little specks emerged from it, and descended to the ground. A Dragonfly landed right next to him and a door on it's side opened. Several Wasps stepped out and ran towards Twilight. Wolf realised he was holding a rifle. He brought it up to his shoulder and aimed at the Wasps. He pulled the trigger, only to have the gun click empty. He tossed it to the ground and pulled out his pistol. He aimed and pulled the trigger yet again, only to have the same reaction as the rifle. He tried to draw his wrist blades. They didn't come out. He looked to his arms, only to see the slots containing his blades had rusted shut. He tried to draw his combat knife, only to find that he didn't have one. With no other option, Wolf lunged at them, his fists ready to strike. He reached the Wasps and peppered them with blows to the face. All his blows seemed to do was annoy the Wasps. Two of them broke away from the group and grabbed Wolf's arms, effectively immobilizing him. The rest restrained Twilight and Nyx, then bowed down in the direction of the Dragonfly. The other two Wasps turned him around to face the Dragonfly. What he saw before him filled him with dread. A giant Wasp, roughly three times a normal ones height and much more bulky emerged from it's open door.
"You?!" Was all Wolf could scream.
The giant Wasp walked over to Twilight. It turned to face Wolf. It gave him a sinister smile, then turned back to Twilight. From his arm, something began to emerge. Wolf recognized it immediately. It was one of it's stingers.
"No, no no NO!!!" Wolf screamed at the top of his lungs.
The Wasp arm went up, and came down on Twilight.

Wolf woke up screaming. Twilight burst into action, leaving the kitchen behind and running up to the bedroom. She found Wolf lying in the bed, a look of horro on his face.
"Are you okay?!"
Wolf didn't answer right away. He just sighed, and under his breath he muttered:
"I'm fine..."
"What happened?"
He turned away from Twilight.
"Nothing...Just a dream...Just a dream..."

End Chapter 23.

Chapter 25: Digging deeper...

Wolf stormed into the door, dripping rain water all over the floor as he walked towards the kitchen. Twilight followed him closely, her mane looking like a mop. Behind her was a a devastated Rainbow Dash, who was shielding Nyx from the veritable monsoon with her right wing. After stopping for a moment to shake some of the water from her soaked mane, she lost sight of Wolf. She followed the trail of water into the kitchen.

She found him over the sink, holding his soaked shirt in his hands. He squeezed it, trying to get the water out of it, only to have it rip in two. He tossed the ripped pieces of fabric into the metal sink with an audible clang. It was obvious he was pissed. His head fell as he let out a loud sigh.

"That's the eighth time that's happened..."
"Wolf...are you okay?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
Twilight couldn't say anything after that. Wolf left the kitchen and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To get some more firepower..." He answered as he opened the door.
"Oh no you don't!"
The door glowed purple before it slammed shut, grabbing a bit of Wolf's finger. He let out a short yell of pain before shaking his hand. He shot a look at Twilight.
"Sorry..." She stammered.
"It's okay."
He turned back to the door only to see it was still glowing.
"Open the door please..."
"No."
"Twilight..."
"I'm not opening the door so you can go and fetch more killing machines."
"Then would you rather me move all three of you into the huge one called the Red Dawn?"
He nodded to Spike, who was on the bottom stair and had his jaw dropped to the floor as he saw the flood in the room.
"No, I would not."
"I don't know if you've realised it yet Twilight, but you've people out there who want to kill you."
It then dawned on him.
"Why the hell are those guys out to hurt you anyway? And what kind of sick bastard would put a knife through Nyx's leg?"
Twilight sighed after hearing the question. She had hoped he would never find out about Nightmare Moon, about her first defeat, and how Nyx later turned into her. It brought back painful memories. But she couldn't deny him an answer. So she told him the whole story.

Roughly an hour later...
"But she's gone right?"
"Huh?"
"She's gone, isn't she? If Nyx was her, and that she had most of her powers stripped, then she's gone right? For good this time."
"I hope so..."
"I guess that explains the assassins then."
"I don't think so. Her 'cult' is gone, they were nothing more than under her control. There must be something else..."
"Like what? Who would have anything against you but them?"
"But they're all gone..."
"Obviously not. Either way, I'm bringing in some bigger toys."
"No, you're not!"
"Twilight, you're lucky I don't turn this whole damn library into a fortress, but you are not going to keep me from bringing something for self defense."
"But you already have that!" She nodded to his sidearm.
"Yeah, and I'm gonna need a lot more than this to keep you two safe."
A knock on the door. Wolf pulled it open just a crack, to be greeted by the sight of two white Pegasi stallions clad in golden armor glistening from the rain water flowing off of it.
"We're talking, come back later."
And with that he shut the door. A louder knock could be heard this time.
"Stubborn son of a..."
He opened the door a bit more this time, allowing Twilight to peek under his arm and see who was outside.
"No we are not interested in buying anything or subscribing to some magazine. Scram!"
He would have slammed the door, but it swung open, hitting him in the face.
"Come in, come in sirs!" Twilight rushed to show the Royal Guards in. She shut the door behind her. Wolf moved as many muscles in his face he still had control of. He murmured to himself.
"Let it go, let it go..."
He then noticed that Twilght had broken her hold on the door. He opened it and tried to get out.
"And where do you think you're going?"
The door slammed in front of him. He turned around defeated. Twilight's glowing horn caught his eye, and it got him thinking. Unicorns. Horns. Magic. Magic! He brought his hand to his chin to think, trying to remember when Twilight was still teaching him magic.

Wasn't there a teleportation spell in there somewhere?

"Ah ha!"
His hands began to glow a deep blue and with a flash of light, he was gone.

Wolf appeared out of nowhere. He chuckled a bit.
"Worked like a charm."
He then noticed the cloud beside him.

That's funny, what's a cloud doing this low?

What cheer he had left dissapeared as he looked down to see he was a few thousand feet above the ground. His head shot back up.
"Ooooh shiiiiii-"
His sentence was cut short as he began to plummet to the ground.
"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"
In a state of complete panic, his hands glowed deep blue again and he was gone with yet another flash of light.

Wolf reappeared a few feet above the ground and fell to the floor.
"Okay, NOT trying that again!"
Twilight and the Guards next to her just stared at him, completely unaware of what just happened to him. He got up, duste himself off, and tried to dive out the window. He was nearly out when he glowed purple and was dropped to the floor again.
"Oh come on!"
With no other options, he darted up the stairs, knocking over a flower pot which fell to the floor and shattered, releasing the water on to the floor. Spike came out of the kitchen, wiping his forehead off, and breathing a sigh of relief. He then noticed the broken flower pot, and the water on the floor. His face then fell. He turned around, walked back into the kitchen muttering something, and came back out with a mop.

Wolf opened the balcony door and looked off the platform. He ran towards the edge and jumped. As he saw that he would easily clear he rail, at the top of his lungs he screamed:
"FREEEEDOOOOOM!!!"
He flew through the air, expecting to meet the soft, moist ground. Instead, he felt something cold and hard on his face. Then followed a wave of pain. He fell onto the balcony and looked up. Then he saw the purple glowing brick wall that had appeared out of nowhere. He turned around to see Twilight giving him a sly smile while her horn glowed.
"Okay...I give up..."
"Come on, let's get going..."
"Huh?"
"We're going to the ship."
Wolf shot up off the ground.
"You mean...?"
"Yes, you can..."
Wolf nearly blew past her in happiness. His spirits soared. And then they came crashing down again as Twilight said the next thing.
"But I'm coming with you."
"Um...Why?"
"To make sure you don't bring back anything too big."
"Okay..."
"You need another shirt anyway."
"Yeah...Yeah..."
They both walked downstairs. They moved towards th door. Twilight turned around to face the guards.
"Stay here please."
The guards huffed in response. Twilight moved out the door, after seeing that Wolf had opened it. As he moved to close the door, he looked back inside to see Nyx curled up in Rainbow Dash's wing, both of them snoozing. He turned to face the guards.
"If anything happens to either of them, you're the first two I'm coming after."
The door shut behind him. After making sure that they were alone, the guards looked at eachother,scared to death, and both of them gulped audibly.

Red Dawn Deck 4 armory...

Wolf grabbed a large machine gun off the rack and popped a drum into it. He gave it a good slap to make sure it was secure, then cocked it. He then remembered Twilight was there to make sure he didn't bring the whole armory back. He looked straight into her eyes, his face sending a crystal clear message:
"Pleeeeeeeaaaase?"
"No."
"You're no fun..."
He put the machine gun back on the rack and looked around some more. He was looking for one thing, and it wasn't there.
"Sam, where are the shotguns?"
"Deck One armory, sir."
"Great..."

After climbing down two flights of stairs, they came across a battered door.
"DECK ONE ACCESS 4-C" Was emblazoned on it in large white letters.
Wolf walked over to the panel next to it and typed in a few numbers. Nothing happened. He repeated the same process, with the same result. He got his sidearm out and shot the panel. Nothing happened.
"Why did I expect that to work..."
He looked back to see a shocked Twilight.
"Sorry..."
He turned around back to the door.
"Sam, open up bulkhead Four-C."
"The door is not responding to commands sir. It has been heavily damaged. I reccomend using a small explosive device to open it."
Twilight walked up to it while Wolf walked to the back of the hallway.
"Explosives? I read a boo on how to make those, I could whip something-"
She was cut short as Wolf slammed into the door at full speed, breaking through it.
"Explosives my ass..."
After examining the two feet thick door, Twilight turned to Wolf.
"Exactly what did they do to you?"
"Increased strength, agillity, stamina, speed...Tougher skin...Enhanced bone weave topped off by a four millimeter coating of flexisteel on every bone in my body...The usual treatment..."
Twilight didn't know what to say. The part about the steel coating on his bones concerned her the most.
"H-How did they coat your bones in steel?"
"How do you think?"
Twilight winced at the thought of doctors cutting him open and coating his bones in steel.
"Anyway, this is where I leave."
"What?"
"Deck one got the full brunt of the crash, so it's gonna be like shit in there. And I'm not putting you at risk down there."
"So what am I going to do?"
"Just go to my room and I'll be back up soon."
"Promise me you're not going to bring back the whole armory."
"All I want is one shotgun. Then I'll be back up."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay..."
Twilight walked back up the stairs, and proceeded to Wolf's quarters.

4 minutes later, Wolf's quarters.

Twilight had opened up a screen in his room. On it there were a number of files, but one caught her eye.
"Subject: Wolf.
Date: Classified.
Video Log: Foxtrot-Bravo."
Below the name was a large button that wrote 'play' on it. She pressed it. The screen went dark, before lighting up again as the video began to play.

Wolf didn't know what he was called in for. He was sure that it couldn't be good though. A hole in the ceiling opened. A large rectangle was slowly set down on a table before him. It was covered in a dark green canvas. The canvas lifted away to reveal a cage with about a dozen young puppies in it. Their golden hair was truly a sight to behold. Wolf's eyes watered as a smile appeared on his face. A brief moment of hapiness. But then it was shattered again. Something was tossed at him. It turned out to be an M-72. He looked behind him to see his instructor there.
"Shoot them."
Wolf was stunned. He couldn't do it.
"No..."
The instructor unholstered his sidearm.
"Shoot them...or be shot yourself."
He turned back to the puppies. They were whining, they knew something was wrong.
"AIM!"
The instructor fired into the air. Wolf brought the M-72 to his shoulder. He aimed at the puppies before him. They were staring right at him, their deep dark eyes watering, cutting right through his own. Wolf couldn't suppress tears of his own.
"SHOOT!"
The instructor fired again, the bullet whizzed past his head. He was terrified. He doidn't know what to do.
"SHOOT THEM GOD DAMN IT!!"
Another shot. This one grazed his ear, causing a drop of blood to drip onto his shirt. Wolf felt something hot against his head.
"Useless piece of-"
The instructor was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. Wolf's M-72 was blazing, sending a flurry of deadly rounds into the cage. The puppies pained cries were drowned out by the gunfire. Blood splattered all over the room. Wolf's eyes were still shut tight. The gunfire stopped. His magazine was empty. He opened his eyes to see the cage and the wall behind it covered in red. What remained of the golden puppies in the cage was now covered in deep crimson. Wolf burst into tears. He cried his eyes out in less then a few seconds. The instructor walked up next to him.
"About damn time."
Wolf didn't stop crying.
"I was worried I'd have to-

The video stopped abruplty. Twilight turned to her left to see Wolf standing beside her. He looked at her, showing no emotion at all.
"Now you know."
"How could you..."
"Kill or be killed. That was the rule in training."
"He wouldn't have done it!"
"OH YEAH?!"
Twilight was stunned at his outburst.
"Sam, pull up delta file for subject Zulu-Nine-Thirty two, now!"

The screen opened again to show the same room, in the exact same setting. A young boy was holding another M-72, the instructor behind him. He wouldn't shoot. He defied orders, and he paid the price. A single gunshot echoed through the room. The boy dropped dead to the ground.

"That was Zebra. We were friends since day one."
Twilight was about to say something, but she was interrupted.
"No...After everything we all went through together, we weren't friends. Every time one of us died, we all lost a brother, or a sister."
Wolf paused for a moment.
"I remember that day like it was yesterday. I may not show it Twilight, but not a day goes by where I don't wish he did the same thing to me like he did to poor Zebra over there."
Wolf walked out of the room, but stopped to grab the bag and the shotgun he had left in the doorway. He opened the closet and grabbed a short sleeved shirt and put it on. He got out of the door.
"You coming?" He yelled to Twilight.
She got up from the ground, worried about Wolf. She followed him out the door, thinking about what he said about his wish...

End Chapter 25.

Chapter 26: A Major problem

Deep within Everfree forest...

A brown Pegasus approached the waiting unicorn.
"Why are you out of uniform Lieutenant?"
"There's a problem my Lord..."
The Unicorn turned around to face his underling, his amber eyes showing a bit of anger.
"Your name has been revealed."
"Yes..."
"We've been compromised. We must make sure that the Princesses do not learn of you."
"But how? The only way to keep them from finding out is to kill all those who know who I am, and that's impossible! This child has defeated everything we've thrown at him!"
The Unicorn snickered as he grinned, obviously he had another plan.
"Not everything."
A loud roar was heard close by, accompanied by the voices of ponies struggling to control it. The Lietenant turned in the direction the sound was heard from. After confirming it's source, he turned back to face his superiror.
"I doubt it will work my Lord."
"Don't worry, Lieutenant Darkmane, it's only plan A. There's always plan B..."

Meanwhile in Ponyville...

Wolf and Twilight were walking down the road. Wolf was loading his shotgun, just in case anything happened. Both of them had hoped nothing would. Silence ruled over the town. Nothing broke it, save the patter of the light rain on the ground and in the small puddles that had formed in the storm earlier. A low rumble shook the ground lightly enough so that Twilight didn't fell it, but strong enough for Wolf to feel it. He raised his hand in the air, forming a fist, as if he was ordering men behind him to hold up. He brought up the shotgun to his shoulder and completely emptied his mind, intent on making sure nothing was out of place.
"What's wrong?"
"Shhhhh....."
The rumble came again, stronger this time. Then again, and it began to repeat in a steady rhythm. Wolf's eyes fell to a small puddle. The rain had stopped. The water's balance broke at the same time as the rumble.
"What is it Wolf?" Twilight asked him, fear just beginning to set in.
He answered her short and sweet, cocking his shotgun as two words escaped his mouth.
"Something big."
Their eyes fixed on the treeline ahead, their ears high in the air, listening. Wolf prepared himself for a battle. He recognized these types of sounds all too well. It grew stornger and stronger. The ground was shaking enough to dispalce some rocks lodged into the wet ground. All of a sudden it stopped. Wolf reluctantly brought the shotgun down from his shoulders.
"What was that?" Wolf asked a worried Twilight.
"I don't know...Whatever it was, I guess it's gone now..."
"Maybe..."
A deafening roar shook the entire town as a massive glowing blue bear dotted with various white spots on it's enormous body appeared above the treeline.
"What is that thing?!"
"It's an Ursa Minor...But why would it come here?!"
"Don't know..." He pulled out a couple grenades from his bag.
"Don't care."
He removed the pins and tossed them into the trees the following explosion caught the Ursa off guard, sending into a panicked charge into town.
"That was a bad idea..."
"Any good ones?"
"Yeah, run!"
Twilight took the hint and turned tail and ran. Wolf fired off a few bursts to try and slow it down, before turning and running himself. They ran as fast as they could, the Ursa in hot pursuit. They ran a few hundred meters, before coming across a fork in the road.
"Twi, go left!"
Twilight obeyed and took a left turn, while Wolf turned to the right. He raised his shotgun into the air and fired off a few bursts, trying to attract the Ursa's attention.
"Over here, come on I'm over here!"
His plan worked as the Ursa ran after him. A few more burst of the shotgun, and he turned and ran again. Every once in a while, he'd toss a grenade behind him, but all that'd do was make it angrier. After running around the whole town which was now in panic mode, he had reached the area of town facing the Everfree forest. He turned around only to have the Ursa's claw nick him in the cheek, slicing through his tough skin like tissue paper. Stunned by the cut, he couldn't move out of the way as one of it's massive paws came and pinned him to the ground. It growled at him, revealing it's huge, razor sharp teeth. It's head lunged at him, intent on feasting on it's poor victim, but Wolf's arm shot forward and caught part of it's bottom jaw, forcing it back. Locked in an epic struggle for survival, they each attempted to gain more ground. Wolf put up a good fight, but it was obvious the Ursa was too much for him. With no other option, this one was a longshot, but it was his only hope. Letting go of the Ursa with his right arm, he grabbed a flashbang and tossed it over the Ursa's mouth. The flash temporarily blinded the Ursa, who reared up in pain as it's vision left it. It' came crashing back down to the ground, shaking it's head, trying to restore it's sight. Wolf rolled out of the way of it's massive paw.
"That was too close..."
He grabbed his shotgun as the effect of the flashbang wore off. They both stared each other down. On this day, one would live, and the other would die. A cloud of steam came forth from his nostrils as it gnashed it's teeth. A crowd had gathered a safe distance away, praying on the outcome. The Ursa charged forward in perfect timing with Wolf. Getting within range, the Ursa's paw swiped at Wolf. Jumping in the air in the nick of time, he summersalted onto it's paw while it still travelled through the air, and then jumped onto it's back. It reared up and attempted to shake him off but to no avail. As it came crashing down, Wolf climbed over to it's head, shotgun at the ready.
Below the battle, Twilight walked as close as she dared and yelled to Wolf:
"Don't kill i-"
She was drowned out as Wolf fired as many rounds as his shotgun had, opening several holes in it's head, but not killing it. It shrieked in pain. Wolf cooked off and tossed a grenade into the largest hole, jumping off before the explosion sent the creature falling to the ground, blood leaking out from the holes made by the grenades shrapnel. He rolled as his feet touched the ground, greeted by the sight of a horde of ponies, all of their jaws on the ground.
"Wolf, you idiot!"
"Hey Twilight, I beat it didn't I?"
"Yeah, but you brought something worse!!"
"Worse?!"
A roar louder than anything he had ever heard before shook the entire town as if an earthquake was happening. The ground began to shake even more violently than before as a collosal purple bear with claws half the size of the Ursa minor and teeth the size of large trees emerged from the forest.
"Twilight...What is that?"
"Ursa...Major..."
The Ursa Major walked over to the deceased Minor and gently nudged it with it's muzzle. Seeing no result, it nudged it again, harder this time. Then it realised that it was dead. It looked in front of it's lifeless corpse, and saw Wolf staring right back at it, his left eye twitching. The Major reared up and let out an earth shattering roar. The entire crowd below errupted in screams of terror as they all scattered and ran towards safety.
"Twi, get out of here!!" Wolf screamed as he ran off, the Ursa Major following him closely, it's massive legs sending shockwaves throught the ground. He picked up his bag and tossed every explosive he had into the street, trying to slow it down. He pulled out a radio.
"SAM!! I NEED A MISSILE STRIKE!"
"Copy that, requesting authentication."
"FORGET AUTHENTICATION, I'M GONNA DIE!!"
"At least give me coordinates sir."
"I'LL TRY!"
"Please do. I'd hate to waste perfectly good missiles."
He dropped the bag after pulling out the last two items in it, a pair of markers that would transmit a signal to ships, missile launchers or artillery. In this case, from a ship.

I can't signal a missile strike in town, I gotta get that thing away from here!

He activated the markers.
"SAM, YOU RECEIVING?!"
"Negative sir, you need to get higher."
He turned towards the highest building in town. Running up the stairs, the Major's claws narly ripped off half the building as Wolf ran up the stairs to the top floor. He reached the balcony.
"Sam!!"
"Signal coming in loud and clear sir. Should I fire?"
"Not ye-"
The Ursa Major's roar sent Wolf flying into a wall. He got up quickly and had a brilliant idea. While it's mouth was still open, Wolf tossed the markers inside. He jumped off the balcony and landed right under the Ursa. He rolled as he hit the ground and ran off towards the dam. The Ursa turned around and stormed after him, leaving a trail of destruction in it's wake.
* * * * *
Roughly two kilometers away from the dam and the river below, the Ursa had caught up to Wolf and was literally breathing down his neck.
"NOW, NOW NOW NOW! LAUNCH 'EM NOW!"
"Acknowledged."
* * * * *
In the quiet plain where the Red Dawn's crash site was broken, the peace was shattered. First a loud alarm shook the entire area, then as a pair of hatches opened and launched two missiles followed by a pillar of fire.
* * * * *
In the distance, he could see the aproaching missiles and the raging inferno behind them. This would be a hell of a bang.
"WHY IS MY ESCAPE PLAN ALWAYS THIS?!!"
Wolf jumped off the cliff, narrowly escaping the Ursa's claws and the resulting explosion. The claw ripped off his shirt while the explosion gave him some minor burns. He silently prayed to himself as the surface of the water came closer and closer, the sharp rocks only now coming into view. He cut through the water like a razor blade. The rapid current carried him off. He shot out of the water to be met with the sight of a rock. It slammed into his left ribs, nearly breaking them, while at the same time ripping his new shirt to shreds. A trail of red followed him throught the current, eminating from the fresh cut on his chest. Oh well, one more scar for the collection. He fought with the rapids for as long as they lasted, until he came to calmer waters. As the water was calm enough for him to to swim out, he grabbed on to a branch, and pulled himself closer to shore. He threw his arms forward and let gravity do it's job, his arms falling to the ground, securing his position on the river bank. A shadow appeared over him. It was Twilight.
Before collapsing out of sheer exhaustion, his blood pooling on the wet ground below him, Wolf told her one thing.
"Next time...YOU handle the Minor..."

End chapter 26.

Chapter 27: Set ablaze

Noticing the small puddle of red expanding under him, Twilight panicked. She looked around the area. Wolf had drifted somewhat far away from ponyville, he was closer to the edge of Everfree. The hospital being too far away and his injuries being too severe, she had only one choice, his only hope. Fluttershy. A clap of thunder shook the area, drowning out the sound of the running water near her. The storm was picking up again.
* * * * *
"Good afternoon Angel. It's lunch time."
The white bunny just looked at the salad placed before him, then back up to the yellow Pegasus, a frown on his face. He stomped his leg on the ground to show his dissapointment. He turned his head away from her, pouting, his little arms crossed. He would show her that he meant business. He turned back around to see if his strategy was working. His black eyes cracked open, expecting her to give him a more proper meal. He was met with the sight of her bright blue eyes staring right at him, practically ordering him to eat. Or else. His resolve shattered by the terrifying sight, he took out a leaf of lettuce reluctantly, preparing for the worst. He gulped before placing it in his mouth, and chomping down on it. The burst of flavor nearly overloaded his senses. He jumped into the bowl before him and began to chow down.
Fluttershy gave a satisfied look to the bunny, who was now completely hidden in the bowl, and she said in her usual, soft voice:
"That's better."
She looked around her cottage and sighed at the sight of the cute little animals eating before her. She enjoyed seeing the looks of satisfaction on their faces. It made her feel good. She had made it a personal rule to never deny help to those who would need it. A loud boom reverberated through the cottage. Fluttershy yelped and hid behind a couch, the noise obviously scared her. A look of worry on her face, she said one thing.
"Oh...this storm's going to be a big one..."
With precision timing, another loud noise shattered the silence again. But this one was different. It was just as loud, but it was different. There were five sounds in rapid succesion. She looked towards the door. The sound repeated again, and the door moved forward ever so slightly in perfect synchronization with the sounds. Fluttershy peeked her head out of the couch to get a better look. The sounds came again, but this time accompanied by a voice.
"Fluttershy, open up! Please!"
She recognised the voice. It was Twilight. Her tone was unusual. Scared, desperate.
"Oh Twilight, you startled me..."
Her wings unfolded from her sides and she lifted up off the ground into the direction of the door. She opened it and nearly fainted out of shock. Twilight was standing in the doorway, a large object on her back. Her violet coat had been painted red by what could only be blood, obviously coming from the object on her back. She was panting, the weight was obviously too much to bear. But somehow she managed, despite the rain, despite the wet, slippery ground, she managed to bring that thing all the way up to her. The shock dissipating, she picked him up with a strenght no one had ever seen her have before, not even herself. She carried him straight into the cottage, dripping blood and rainwater. She put him down on the couch and rushed to get her first aid kit. She flew upstairs with speed that could compete with Rainbow Dash. She frantically searched through the bathroom, but it wasn't there. Immediately remembering which room it was in, she flew into the bedroom and frantically tossed away the covers, looking for it. Under her pillow maybe? No, not there either. Under the matress? No...She finally looked under the bed and grabbed the bag that lay there. Flying back down the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Twilight, she was now inside, and the door behind her was closed. She was standing above the wounded creature, what was either tears os stray drops of water dripping flowing from her eyes. Fluttershy could barely make out what she was saying.
"You always have to be the hero..."
Fluttershy opened the kit, and took out the bottle of alcohol and a few large bandages. She unscrewed the top of the bottle with on quick movement of her hooves and poured it on the open wound. The creature spasmed a bit as the alcohol burned away any bacteria that would have infected it. She expertly wrapped the bandages around the cut. She made sure to wrap it extra tight so that the bleeding would stop completely. She looked back up to Twilight, care flooding her.
"He'll be alright...He should be back up by tommorow."
Twilight gave no reaction. She didn't even flinch. It was obvious that she wasn't leaving.
"You're welcome to stay here until he gets better."
With that Fluttershy left the two alone. With nothing else to do, Twilight got on the couch, next to Wolf. She made sure not to disturb him, he needed his rest. After some expertly executed maneuvers, she was curled up tightly next to Wolf. Her head was somewhat uncomfortable however. With a few quick movements, she lay her head down on his shoulder. It just felt perfect being there. Giving off one final sigh before closing her eyes, she drifted to sleep.

The next day...
Twilight woke up as the suns morning rays slipped through the window into her eyes. She had slept like a baby. Something felt different however. Something on top of her. She realised it was his arm, he was holding her tightly. She sighed. Nothing could ruin this morning. Or so she thought...She realised that Nyx was left alone in the house! She nearly bolted out of the cottage, but then she realised that she wasn't alone. She was with Rainbow Dash and the Royal Guards. She was safe...
Fluttershy gently hovered next to them, dusting the windows. Twilight got up. She managed to get off the couch without waking him up. Quite an achievement...She trotted over to Fluttershy ever so lightly, and whispered to her.
"Thank you Fluttershy..."
"It's nothing Twilight, I'd do it for anypony...or anything in this case."
A groan from behind interrupted them. They both turned around to see Wolf getting up off the couch. He jumped a bit as the wound on his chest sent a wave of pain through him.
"Damn...That smack did more damage than I thought..."
He looked around the unfamiliar room.
"Um...Twi? Where are we?"
Fluttershy backed down and hid behind a table.
"We're in Fluttershy's cottage."
He looked down to the hiding Pegasus.
"I assume that's..."
"Yes."
"Why is she hiding?"
"She's afraid of you."
"Rightfully so..."
Mustering all of her courage, Fluttershy left her table behind and hovered above the two. With a voice that was barely audible she spoke to him.
"Um...Hello..."
Wolf turned to face her, he was suprised that she managed to face her fears and talk.
"Hello."
With nothing else to say, she said the one thing she had in her mind.
"I've never seen anything with so many scars..."
"These are nothing compared with the scars I've got up here..."
He brought a finger up to his head. Silence returned to it's rule in the cottage.

Deep within Everfree Forest...
The Unicorn hit the Pegasus messenger as hard as he possibly could, his anger turned into rage.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE KILLED IT?!"
"He killed the Ursa Major my Lord!"
"THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE, THIS IDIOT HAS DEFEATED EVERYTHING WE'VE THROWN AT HIM!!!"
The sound of flapping wings met their ears. Another Pegasus appeared out of nowhere.
"My lord! We've found him!"
"WHERE IS HE?!"
His loud voice startled the Pegasus messenger.
"He is currently resting in the cottage of Fluttershy, the bearer of the Element of Kindness. Twilight Sparkle is with them."
"What is his condition?"
"He is badly injured my Lord."
Lord Night turned back to his Lieutenant nearby.
"Darkmane, take a unit of Unicorns and destroy them once and for all!"
"Yes my Lord."
He would have left, but his master's voice interrupted him.
"Burn it to the ground."
A sinister smile appeared on Darkmane's face.
"With pleasure."

Back at Fluttershy's cottage, half an hour later...

Fluttershy had warmed up to him, more then anything Twilight had ever seen. It still wasn't much however, but it was a start. Something caught Wolf's eye through the window. He looked more carefully. Four black figures were on the edge of the forest, facing the cottage. All of a sudden, four dark blue lights appeared above them.
"GET DOWN!!"
He lunged forward and tackled the two mares to the ground, just as a hail of glowing blue arrows came through the walls and utterly destroyed the cottage.
"STAY DOWN!!"
The barrage of arrows continued on for about a minute, but to them it seemed like an eternity. As the glowing projectiles ceased, they got up. Wolf looked through one of the many holes in the wall. Fluttershy was devastaed. Her home had been completely destroyed. Wolf saw the entire treeline nearly covered in the same dark figures. All of a sudden, fireballs appeared above their heads.
"Oh shit..."
He turned around to face the two dumbstruck mares.
"GET OUT, GET OUT NOW!!"
He ran towards them and grabbed them. The wall behind him was set ablaze as a wall of fire emerged through it. He didn't stop running, he just bulldozed through the door and jumped off the balcony into the mud pit below. He landed on his feet, and let go of them, just as the raging inferno past over his head, nearly setting his hair on fire.
"RUN, RUN!!"
Under the cover of the smoke they obeyed and ran into the distance.
"DON'T STOP, JUST KEEP GOING!"
Behind the smoke screen, Darkmane was satisfied with his work. But he needed to confirm their deaths. He flew up above the smoke and much to his dismay he saw them running off towards a hill.
"DAMN!"
A voice from below him. It was one of his Unicorns.
"Sir, shall we pursue?"
"No..."
He sighed in the air.
"Lord Night's going to love this..."
He looked towards them as they climbed the hill and turned around.

On the hill...
They watched as the cloud of smoke that was once Fluttershy's home rose high into the air for all to see. Tears flowed freely from Fluttershy's face as she watched in horror as her home was reduced to ash. Twilight was trying to comfort her. Wolf knelt to the ground and hugged them closely.
"Don't worry..."
He looked to the smoke. He could make out a small winged figure above the smoke. He immediately recognized it. His eyes locked on it, he could practically see the white's of it's eyes.
"...You'll get yours."
Wolf could have sworn that he heard it reply:
"I'll be waiting."

End chapter 27

Chapter 28:The Offer

Hours later, in the dead of night...

The full moon shone brightly, illuminating the entire area. As if responding to the moonlight, crickets had begun their evening song. Bathed in the light of the moon, everything was visible.
Almost everything...

Like a ghost, he crept through the area, leaving no sign that he was there, save for his shadow appearing a few times...He made it to the base of the small cliff. The smell of charred vegetation and smoke filled the air. He shifted his gaze upwards as a small noise caught his attention. He quickly looked back down as a few rocks and dust fell from the top. He swung around and pointed his rifle at the top of the cliff, expecting a foe. He flared his nostrils in annoyance as a small squirrel scurried down the steep surface. He put his back against the wall. With a flick of his fingers, the safety on his rifle was off. Silently and swiftly, he scaled the cliff wall until coming across the bridge. He moved under the bridge and prepared to vault over. But to do so, he would have to put away his rifle, and there was no way he would go into a possible firestorm without some protection. He hung the rifle on his shoulder and unholstered his pistol. He reached over the railing and grabbed on with his right arm. With a quick tug, he was sent soaring through the air, pistol in position and ready to rain a little hell on any enemies below. His speed started to drop, and he knew he would be falling soon. Like clockwork, his legs prepared to absorb the force of the impact. He met the ground with a roll which ended in a low crouch. He aimed at the other side of the bridge, just to be safe. In vain, as it turned out. He reholstered his pistol and reached for his rifle. After getting a firm grip on it, he began a slow crawl up the hill. Stealth was vital. He could not be seen. Not only because it would jeapordize his life, but also because he was supposed to guard the library. Normally he wouldn't come back, but the worried look on Fluttershy's face and the tears forming in her blue eyes was too much, even for him.
He reached the summit. Nothing was there, save for ash and burned wood. Aside from the smoke, he could smell something else. Cooked meat. He sighed, the only sound he made all night. He wondered why he was suprised, he had been on SAR missions before, and most of them ended badly. But he had never left a man (or animal, in this case) behind before and he wasn't about to start. He knew he had to move fast. He was on the top of the hill, no cover, fully illuminated by the moon, and a huge forest right behind him. This was an extremely bad position. A flicker of motion caught his eye, followed by what sounded by a cough. He followed the sound to a small pile of wood. After placing his rifle on the ground, he removed the wood to reveal a small black rabbit, wheezing and coughing. He gently picked up the rabbit.
"You alright little guy?"
The rabbit coughed a little, the shot him a look that said:
"What do you think, genius?"
Wolf gave off a small smile. At least this SAR mission was a success, even if the one rescued wasn't the nicest of types...
He got up and was about to walk away with the rabbit when something caught him colmpletely off guard.
"Hello there."
He turned around, unholstered his pistol and aimed in the blink of an eye. Before him stood a cloaked pony, amber eyes showing in the moonlight.
"Who the hell are you?"
"I'd answer, but you really don't need to know..."
Wolf tensed up and began to gently squeeze the trigger. The unknown pony saw this.
"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you."
"Then what do you want?"
"I want to make you an offer."
"What kind of offer?"
"The kind only an idiot would refuse."
"Not interested."
The pony sighed.
"My boy, you really don't know when to listen do you?"
"Not really. Probably because I'm usually the one giving orders. That, and I can't say I like you very much..."
"Believe me, the feeling is mutual."
Wolf huffed in response.
"All right, I'm listening."
"You've caused us a lot of damage you know...Normally I wouldn't be doing this..."
"Get to the point."
"No chit-chat huh? Straight to the point eh?"
He let off a soft chuckle, followed by a short sigh.
"I like that..."
"I don't have all night."
"Very well..."
He paused for a moment, then continued.
"I'm offering you your life."
"Excuse me?"
"You go back in the thing you came in, stay in for a couple months, then come back out. I'll guarantee your safety, and I'll even provide assistance fixing the damn thing."
"And what would possibly compel me to get back in my ship and fly away?"
The pony smiled snidely at him.
"I understand that...But why would you want me in my ship all by my lonesome?"
"You don't need to know."
"I'll tell you what I think...I think you want me out of the way so you can go whatever the hell you want, then take me out in my sleep."
The pony frowned.
"So, you can take your deal, and shove it!"
He frowned even more, then huffed again.
"Son, I really wish you would have just accepted..."
The hood of his cloak retracted, revealing a horn. It started to glow, then the unicorn vanished in a flash of light. He was left alone on the cliff. It was quiet. Too quiet... Acting on a hunch, he turned around, facing the Everfree forest. A blue glow eminating from between the trees, followed by rustling in the bushes.
"Oh not again..."
As quickly as he possibly could, he grabbed his rifle off the ground and dove off the edge of the cliff once more. He was followed closely by a volley of blue arrows. As he was falling, he heard something extremely familliar. Gunfire, and lots of it. But he had different things to worry about now. Like the fact that he was hurtling to the ground at a high speed...
He hit the ground with a thundering crash, followed by a loud groan as a sharp pain ripped through his leg. He looked at his left leg to reveal a large piece of wood sticking out of it. That wasn't the least of his problems. A small pillar of smoke rose from the ground from where the arrow had hit it. He looked up to the edge of the cliff to see at least two dozen unicorns on top, their horns glowing and ready to unleash a hail of arrows. With a quick leap fueled by adrenaline, he ducked behind a large root. More arrows flew over his head. He looked to the rabbit.
"Hide..."
It replied with another look, this time one that said:
"Like hell I am."
"NOW."
The tone in his voice was more than enough to send the rabbit scurrying away to safety. Wolf sighed, followed by a roll to the left, bringing him into a decent firing position. With a quick pull of the trigger, his rifle was spewing rounds at a high rate of fire with pretty good accuracy.
Since 2342, mankind had replaced the old style rifles with magnetic accelerators, railguns to be short. They proppeled rounds the same size as the old ones at much higher speeds, increasing accuracy without trading for high rate of fire. As the bullets were proppeled by magnetic coils within the chamber of the weapon, bullet casings were no longer needed, allowing for increased ammo capacity by putting more rounds where casings would normally go. They also had another advantage. Since the rounds were going faster than the speed of sound, it would be extremely hard for something to avoid one. If the bullet goes faster than the sound it makes, how could you know it was coming?
He dropped at least half of the unicorns, but more were coming. Not only did they fill the gaps the others left, but more began to circle around, trying to flank him. Another arrow came over the right side of the root, grazing his shoulder. In response, his used his under-barrel grenade launcher. A few screams of pain followed the explosion. But they were still coming. He couldn't hold them, and he knew it. He emptied the rest of his magazine on the top of the cliff. He pulled out a fresh one from the small bag he had with him.
"Last mag..."
He looked back inside the bag. A small radio was there, along with a couple of smoke canisters. He grabbed the radio.
"Sam...you there?"
A sickening silence from the radio.
"Sam!"
"Present sir."
He grabbed his pistol and began to fire over the root.
"You can control Hunter drones remotely right?"
"Affirmative sir."
"I need one fully loaded here ASAP!"
"Roger, assuming direct control."

Red Dawn Hangar 6
A fully loaded Hunter drone came to life. It's engine hummed as it charged up, causing the drone to begin to rise from the ground. It's missile's primed and ready, it's 24 mm bottom-mounted cannon spun a little on it's 360 degree mount. A few beeps eminated from it's front, followed by a loud roar as it soared forward into the night sky.

Back at the cliff...
"Hunter is in the air, ETA 90 seconds."
"I don't have 90 seconds!"
He pulled the pin on a frag grenade and lobbed it somewhere behind him. He followed with a short burst from his rifle, sending three more unicorns to their grave.
"Sam, I'm surrounded here, hurry up!"

The skies above Ponyville...
Rainbow Dash and two more Pegasi were running a late night check on the weather. Nothing out of the ordinary.
"All right team, the skies are clear, let's head back."
A low rumble in the distance.
"What was that?"
"Are there any storms scheduled for tonight?"
"Nah, we'd know about if there was, Cloudchaser."
The rumble was growing louder and louder.
"It's getting louder Dash..."
"Aw, suck it up Flitter." Cloudchaser teased her.
The Hunter stormed between them, leaving them falling a bit in it's wake. It executed a barell roll with precison timing, missing them by inches. Rainbow Dash recovered first, followed by Flitter, then by Cloudchaser.
"Nice recovery Cloudchaser."
Flitter stuck her tongue out at her, getting back at her.
"Oh shut up Flitter..."
They both turned to Rainbow Dash, staring into the distance. They both asked her at the same time.
"What was that?"
"I don't know, but it sure wasn't on any schedule..."

Cliff side, The Root, 34 seconds later...
"Standard orbit achieved, maintaning altitude at 25,000 feet."
"Copy that Sam, popping smoke at target site! Give me an Avenger right through it!"
He bit the pin of the canister straight off and tossed it behind him. He knew it would reach the cliff side.
"Fire!"
He could hear the smoke hissing out of the canister, giving Sam a clear target. A light mettalic clang followed by a loud hissing sound left him puzzled. Terrified, he turned to his right to see the canister right next to him, letting out it's red smoke.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me..."
He grabbed it and tossed it to the bottom of the cliff. He ducked under the root.
"This is gonna be close..."
He was cut off by a loud explosion, the missile striking the bottom of the cliff, disintegrating it and sending the unicorns perched on top falling to the ground. Wolf coughed as the dust from the explosion settled. He looked up to the drone.
"Sam, that was too close!"
"Apologies sir, I was just following the-"
She was cut off by a series of loud beeps.
"Missile lock, missile lock."
"Missile lock?! Out here?!
"Missile incoming!"
"Sam, flares, flares!"
A small hatch opened on the tail of the Hunter, spewing flares to attempt to shake the missile. It worked. The missile followed the flare.
"Sam, knock out the launcher if you can see it!"
He didn't even have to say it. A missile slammed into the forest, turning the missile launcher to scrap. A series of loud bangs followed. Tracer rounds lined the sky, most likely from a mobile AA gun. IT was short lived as another missile slammed into the forest. Wolf took off the pin from the second canister and threw it behind him.
"Sam, I need you to service targets north of the smoke, in the treeline!"
"Missiles away."
Three missiles hit the forest, unleashing massive explosions. Most of the entrenched unicorns were most likely dead. But there were still some on his left and right side.
"Sam..."
He opened a flare.
"I want you to put some 24 mil rounds around the flare, you got me?"
"Sir, you are too close."
"I know that!"
"Rounds incoming, stay down..."
A hail of deadly cannon fire fell around him, causing dust and ash to rise from the ground like a geyser. A few moments later, the storm ended.
"Thermal imaging shows all clear, sir, remaining targets are retreating."
"Roger that, I'm moving in, keep an eye on the scope for me."
"Yes sir."
Wolf began a slow limp to the top of the hill and into the treeline. He pushed aside the remaining debris and moved further into the trees. Shards of metal and corpses littered the ground. As he approached the former missile launch site, he found objects on the ground that puzzled him. He picked one up. It was a gun. Identical to an AK-47 in fact. What were these doing here? How the hell could they get century old human weaponry? A loud yell interrupted him as a large eagle standing on...Lion legs holding one of the rifles charged him, intending to hit him with the back of his rifle. As it came down upon him, Wolf grabbed it with his left arm. Without a moments delay, his right arm punched the creature right in the face, stunning it for a moment. Wolf took the chance and grabbed hold of it's head. With a huge ammount of force, he slammed it's face into his rising knee. It fell to the ground, lifeless. He inspected the corpse. It looked like an eagle crossed over with a lion...A footstep caused him to turn around, pointing his rifle at a large white Pegasus clad in golden armor.
"Whoa! Take it easy, we're Royal Guards!"
"Took you long enough to get here..."
"What the buck is going on here? We got reports of explosions coming in from all of Ponyville!"
"Ask these guys..."
He pointed to the dead creature. The Guards face froze.
"Gr-Griffons?"
"Huh?"
"Uh...A few weeks ago, an emmisary from the Griffon Kingdoms came to inform us that four legions of the Griffon Army had just...dissapeared, and they took a hell of a lot of equipment with them..."
"So you're saying we've got an army of these guys just running around, right?"
"Yes..."
"Great..."
They didn't speak a word. A few dozen Royal Guards appeared to handle the cleanup.
"You guys wouldn't mind giving me a ride back, right?"
"Sure..."
Wolf sighed. He wolud have to explain this to Twilight. It was going to be a loooong night...

Chapter 29: Rough trip back

Wolf followed the Pegasus back to a chariot pulled by another pair of Pegasi. This one carried a group of Unicorn Royal Guards, meant to help secure a perimeter and get the wreckage on to another chariot to be carried back to Canterlot. Some of the Unicorns came out of the forest and stepped into the chariot.
"That was fast." The Pegasus asked.
"We're going back to requisition some more Guards out here. They might come back." The head Unicorn replied.
Wolf spoke up as he entered the chariot. The Pegasus followed.
"If they do you'll know about it. Sam's Hunter is still in the air. Anything comes out of that forest, she'll know about it. Anything too suspicious, she puts a missile right through it."
As soon as he finished, the chariot took off. Wolf looked out from his side into the forest below. A few fires had started from the explosions. Smoke still filled the air.

Wolf jumped into the chopper just as it was taking off. It was leaving while it still could, the forest was lost. Smoke billowed up from the burning trees and smoldering craters from artillery shells, missiles and other explosives.
"Hostiles in the tree line, open fire!" The pilots voice blared from the intercom.
Within a second, the machine gunner to Wolf's left opened fire on the treeline. Wolf follwed with a few short bursts from his rifle, sending a few drones to their deaths. The chopper climbed further and further and further, climbing out of range for the bug rifles.
"We're clear!"
Wolf sighed as the chopper continued to climb. They had escaped. All of a sudden, a flash from somewhere inside the forest.
"What that missile fire?"
A loud beep followed the pilots voice.
"Shit, incoming!"
"Spark the flares, flares, flares!" the copilot shouted.
The missile followed the flares and exploded in a brilliant display of destructive force, missing the chopper by a few dozen feet.
"Damn that was close..."
Another loud beep rang in the chopper.
"Oh shit, here comes another one!
Wolf looked out the side of the chopper to see a small trail of smoke rising from the forest, and heading straight for them.

A voice rang in the air.
"What the hell are you doing in here? You can fly, why are you back there?!"
"More weight for you guys to carry." The Pegasus replied, laughing.
"When we get on the ground, you won't be laughing much longer..."
Wolf ignored them. He just continued to look to the forest below. A small flash of light follwed by an all too familliar noise paralyzed him. The light was moving towards them, followed by a trail of smoke. He turned around to the others in the chariot.
"Get out, NOW!"
He didn't give them time to react. He just pushed anyone in the reach of his arms over the side. They screamed as they fell into the forest below, looking up to the chariot. They stopped as a long metal object crashed into the chariot, causing it to explode. As if he wasn't falling fast enough already, the explosion only served to accelerate him even further. He could only watch as the seemingly distant trees grew closer and closer. He prepared himself for the landing. It wouldn't be the first time he had jumped out of an aircraft, but he was usually in full armor when he did jump...
He crashed through the trees. He desperately tried to grab onto a branch to slow himself down. But they always broke. He landed on a tree limb with his back, then fell to the ground.
"Son of a..."
He winced as the pain finally hit him. After a few grueling minutes he was able to get up again. He knew he had to leave. FAST. No doubt that whoever fired that missile would send out a patrol to eliminate any possible survivors. But he wasn't going to leave any of those possible survivors behind. He took out the mag of his pistol. He sighed as he glimpsed the three rounds that were left. So, all he had to do was find the other survivors, evade enemy patrols and find a way to safety, with only three bullets. Piece of cake right?
He limped off to his left, remembering that he saw some of the Unicorns fall in that direction. He stopped for a moment, something was wrong. All of a sudden, a large piece of debris fell not more than 6 inches in front of him. If he would have taken another step, he would be dead. So, all he had to do was find the other survivors, evade enemy patrols and find a way to safety, with only three bullets and flaming debris falling from the sky. Overall it's been a bad day for Wolf...
A Unicorn lay on the ground in front of him. He checked his vital signs, hoping that he was alive. But he was dead. Hopefully it had been quick. Rustling in the nearby bushes sent him jumping into the bushes. Put his hand on his pistol. He hoped he wouldn't have to use it. Any gunfire would attract a lot of attention. He sighed as a panting Unicorn crawled out from the bushes, a trail of blood following him. He moved to get out, but two more approaching silhouetes caused him to stay hidden. In full combat gear, three Griffons came out. AK-47's, frag grenades, flashbangs, the works. They followed the Unicorn. It's panting intensified as they approached. One of the Griffons stomped on it's leg, causing it to yell in pain. The Griffon pointed it's rifle at the Unicorn's head.
"Wai-"
He was cut off by a gunshot. Wolf sighed without making noise. He instinctively moved to grab his pistol.
"You didn't have to kill him man..."
"You think I'd miss an easy shot like that?"
"Stay sharp." A third Griffon emerged from the bushes, his AK on his back. It was obviously their leader.
"Boss wants the boy dead. He doesn't care about the others. And if you'd recognize what this boy's done in the past, you'd know better than to waste ammo on injured Unicorns!"
"Copy that Sarge..."
"Now get your asses in gear. We've got a lot of ground to cover."
"Yes sir..."
The patrol marched off into the distance, searching for more survivors. Wolf waited a few seconds, then left the bushes. He passed by the fresh bleeding corpse without reacting. He was used to things like that. As he walked off into the distance, more gunshots could be heard. He knew anyone who survived the rough landing would have been executed by now. He continued to weave through the bushes like a snake, leaving no trace of his passing. He intended to get out of that forest alive.
"Don't move."
He closed his eyes tightly. He had been spotted.
"Hands in the air."
He did as he was told.
"Guess this is my lucky day..."
"Why? What's so lucky about having to go through a muddy, insect ridden, monster infested forest just to find me?"
"Boss promised whoever kills you a position as a Count after he's finished with his plan. I suppose I should thank you for getting me this position..."
"Maybe..."
"So I'll thank you by making this quick..."
Wolf shut his eyes even tighter as he heard the rifle rising up to his head and the Griffons talon ready to squeeze the trigger. A loud roar followed by a scream rang in his ear as gunfire lit up the forest behind him. He turned around to see a giant wolf-like creature, on top of the Griffon and snarling as it ripped him to shreds. Blood painted the forest ground red amidst the gurgling screams of the dying Griffon. The wolf ripped out a large piece of meat, walked away from the carcass and turned around. As it walked into the moonlight, Wolf could see that it was made entirely of...wood. Even so, it's yellow eyes reflecting in the moonlight and the fresh blood dripping from it's teeth were enough to send a shiver down his spine, something he hadn't felt in a long time. Two more leaped out of the shadows and began to circle him, snarling and growling as they tightened the noose areound his neck. Wolf knew he couldn't fin this fight. Outnumbered and surrounded, he shut his eyes yet again, waiting for the inevitable. The ensuing silence was sickening. Seconds seemed like hours to him as his breathing intensified. He felt a cold, prickly paw on his shoulder and winced. But nothing more...He peeked open one of his eyes, to be met with the sight of the wolf that had just made the kill staring right at him, his front right paw out on his shoulder. After a few moments of silence, they took off, dragging the kill with them. Why did they just leave him alive? He was even more vulnerable than the Griffon. The Griffon was well armed, and was ready to kill him. Why would those things kill the Griffon and leave him without a scratch? A thought came to him, but it made no sense...Wolves supposedly took care of their pack members...If that was true, maybe these ones regarded as one of their own.
"I'm losing it in this damn forest..."
He almost walked away. But before he could think about it twice, he picked up the AK that was dropped on the ground. He took the magazine out to reveal that it had fourteen rounds left.
"Better than just three..."
He continued to limp off into the forest. A few minutes later he stopped to listen. Rustling in the leaves behind him. Slowly but surely, he reached for his knife. In the blink of an eye, he swung his kinfe around him, cutting off the head of the snake hanging from the branch, ready to deliver a lethal bite.
"Close, but not close enough."
He turned back around and walked away. After a few seconds walk, he was right smack dab in the middle of a clearing.
"I need to get out of here now..."
"Too late."
Wolf turned around to see another two Griffons aiming at him.
"Drop it."
"Buddy...you're better off pointing a gun at yourself then pointing a gun at me..."
"I said drop it!"
"Fine..."
He threw his AK to the ground. He smiled a bit.
"Before you kill me...Can I ask you one question?"
"Shoot."
"Who gets the reward?"
"What?"
"So who gets the reward for killing me? There's only one reward...and there are two of you."
"Of course I'm gonna get the reward." One of them spoke up.
"Like hell you are!" The other replied, enraged at his squadmates outburst.
"Hey guys, might I suggest a compromise?" Wolf said.
"Go ahead."
"Neither of you get the reward and I stay alive."'
One of the Griffons turned around to face Wolf.
"What the hell kind o-"
He was cut short as the bullet ripped through his head faster than the speed of sound, sending him to the ground. The other turned to fire, but wasn't fast enough as two more bullets hit him, killing him instantly.
"I told you you'd regret pointing a gun at me..."
He heard rustling in the distance.
"No time to hide the bodies..."
He just grabbed one of the AK's and as much ammo as he could. He began running away when a white light flashed behind him.
"I see him, he's over there!"
Following the voice was a hail of gunshots. They ripped through the dense folisge like tissue paper, missing Wolf by mere millimeters. He moved as fast as he could on one injured leg, but they were still gaining on him. He looked behind him and fired a short burst. He had cleared the treeline. He must have been out of the forest. As he turned back around to see where he was going he stopped immediately at the sight of a huge canyon in front of him. It must have been a couple thousand feet down, and a few hundred wide. He was trapped, and he knew it. The Griffons emerged from the treeline and surrounded him, their AK's having a clear shot at his head.
"It's over, Wolf! We've got you now. You gave us a pretty good chase there, I'll give you that. But you never stood a chance. If you drop the gun and turn around, we'll make this as painless as we possibly can."
A flicker of motion caught his eye. He looked to his right to see the approaching aircraft. It was flying fast and low. Wolf turned back around to face the Griffon commander, now full of confidence.
"As much as I enjoyed this little game of hide and seek, I'm afraid I'm going to have to leave."
The commander chuckeled.
"And how are you going to leave? We've got you surrounded. The only way out is..."
Then it hit him. He noticed the smile on Wolfs face.
"Shoot him! Shoot him now!"
As the Griffons were still squeezing their triggers, Wolf turned around and jumped off the cliff, hands straight in the air, ready to catch something. The Hunter came right on time as Wolf grabbed onto to it's tail and using his own weight, swung around the tail structure to land straight up on it. He looked behind the tail to see the Griffons still firing at him. He could still see the Griffon commander, almost ready to blow up. with a flick of his hand, Wolf gave him a mocking salute.
He quickly ducked back behind the tail as a few sparks flew from where the AK round had hit it. He gave a sigh of relief as he left the forest, hopefully this would be the last time he went in it. It had been a rough night. Then he remembered that he still had to give an explanation to Twilight. The smile quickly dissapeared from his face. The worst part of tonight had yet to come...

End chapter 29.

(Sub)Chapter 30: Walking away

As the Hunter sped away from the canyon, Wolf off towards the lake. It was so beautiful...The clear blue water was visible even from so high up. But something else caught his eye. The hill, which was overlooking the lake. The lone evergreen standing on it dredged up old memories. He pushed them back. The past was behind him, he couldn't dwell on it. He couldn't let past tragedies keep him from moving on, and he knew this. But the fear was always present. The sheer dread that something would happen to take everything away from him again.

"Damn it Wolf, don't let fear control you!"

The voice...that damn voice...He couldn't get it out of his head, no matter how much he wanted to, no matter how much he knew it was right. But then the harsh voice of his instructor was replaced by a much more gentle one, one he could never ignore.

"You should always face your fears..."

The second voice, Nyx's voice, was what he needed to hear. Now he knew, without a doubt, what he had to do.
"Set her down Sam..."
The beeps eminating from the Hunter's front were barely audible over the roar of it's engines. But he knew what Sam was trying to say.
"You heard me Sam, set her down, and take her back to the hangar. She's done for the day."
The Hunter banked to the left, and with a sharp turn was heading towards the ground. Altitude rapidly decreased by the second as the Hunter went lower and lower. With a sudden change in nose angle, the Hunter slowed down almost to a complete stop above the ground. It's engine shifted it's angle, now pointing downwards. It slowly descended further to the ground, hovering a few feet above it. Wolf took the chance and jumped off. He winced a bit as a sudden surge of pain came from his leg. Those paramedics back at the edge of the forest did a good job patching up his leg, but it still hurt. He looked around a bit, trying to locate the hill. He found it, just couple hundred meters behind him. He began a slow but steady limp in that direction, letting the crisp, cool breeze blow in his face. A few minutes later and he has reached the top of the hill. He just stared off into the distance. Then he realizes how a vast new world was given to him. Was it fate, divine intervention, or just sheer dumb luck? He didn't know, and to tell the truth he really didn't care much. What he did know was that this was a fresh start, a new beggining. And in order to seize it to it's fullest potential he had to leave his dark past behind him. Forget the hardships, forget the heartbreaks, and move on. He felt something on his neck. Something he had forgotten was there. He reached into his shirt and pulled it out. The necklace. The necklace he had been wearing and hadn't taken off, at least not willingly, for six straight years. He knew where it came from all too well. He still remembered every detail about her. Her long golden hair, her bright green eyes, and her smile. Everytime she smiled at him, he could almost forget everything. Forget the bugs, the war, his duty... Until she finally left him.

* * * * *
(And just a bit of music... something that fits the scene...
* * * * *

"COUGAR!!!"

He winced a bit at that one memory that had plagued him every day since she died. He let single tear flow from his face and fall to the green blue gem in the middle.

She was gone now, and he knew that nothing could bring her back. So what was the point? He smiled at the necklace as he ripped it off his neck. He held it in his hand, just looking at it, letting the metal cord dangle in his hand.
"We had a good run. But it wasn't meant to last. I know you understand what I'm doing...And although I'm leaving it all behind, I'll always remember you. Goodbye, Cou-"
He stopped as he remembered one certain thing.
"-Sarah."
Gazing off into the lake before him, he took one last deep breath before he threw the necklace into the lake with all his might. As the golden piece of jewlery fell beneath the water, he felt a massive weight lifted off his shoulder. He took another deep breath. The air was so much cleaner. Breathing it in felt better than ever before. Everything seemed better. The sky was bluer, the grass was greener...Then another sight met him, which was even more majestic than ever before. The morning sun rose from behind the hill, beating back the lingering darkness of the night. The sun shone in his eyes. He stretched out his arms as he let the suns rays warm him. They felt so good...Everything was so much better in his newfound freedom. For the first time in what seemed like ages, he shed tears, not of sorrow but of joy. With new found confidence and optimism he walked off towards the sunrise, knowing what waited for him just over the hills. No matter what would be said, no matter what would happen, seeing Twilight and Nyx again would be a much welcome relief. He could finally walk away from his past...

End (Sub)chapter 30.

Chapter 31:Finally together...

The walk home had been exhausting, to say the least. Even more so on an injured leg. But he was never one to give up. As he reached the top of the hill, he gave a sigh of content as he glimpsed a waking Ponyville. As if it wasn't beuatiful enough already, the sunrise painted everything in a golden light. He focused his gaze on one certain spot. He cracked a smile as he saw the tree in the middle of the town, and he knew what was waiting for him there. Filled with new found strength, he began his slow descent into town. The morning breeze brought with it the distinct smell of Spring. As he approached the town he came across the creek. The running water was music to his ears. Such peace, such tranquility...It was hard to enjoy when you've got projectiles buzzing past your head and bugs trying to kill you. He crossed the bridge slowly, trying to savor the running water as much as he could. He looked off the side into the crystal blue water below. He then realized he hadn't had something to drink for a few hours. He got off the bridge and knelt along the creek bank. The water was cold on his hand. It was actually a bit refreshing. He brought it up to his lips. Water never tasted like that before. Might have been the fact that it was fresh from a mountain, but he had tasted fresh mountain water before...Under heavy fire of course. No, this was due to his newfound freedom. Everything was better now that he let go. He took a few more drinks and then restarted his way back. As he drew closer to the library however, his confidence began to slowly sink. It was a lot easier in his head...But in reality, he knew exactly what he had done. He had left in the middle of the night, no note, no hint of where he was going, took his gun (which was definitely something she would notice...), caused all sorts of commotion on the edge of the forest, and didn't come back until early next morning. A recipe for disaster in short.

The door was so close, yet so far. He stood within feet of it, yet it felt like miles. His confidence had nearly dissapeared by now, and waiting in front of the door wasn't doing anything to help. Slowly but surely, he reached his hand forward. His fingers began to twitch as the wood came closer and closer. He had faced down armies before and he had never felt so terrified in a long time. With every ounce of courage he had left, he gently knocked on the door. He immediately regretted it. But no response came from within. A bit of his confidence returning, he knocked on the door, harder this time. His heart sank to rock bottom when a voice from within asked
"Who is it?" as the door slowly opened.
He would have jumped to the side, but the combination of his injured leg and his sheer terror left him paralyzed in front of the yawning lavender unicorn. His heart rate increased dramatically as her heavy eyes slowly opened, still not fully awake.
His troubled life flashed before his eyes as hers opened and adjusted to the light setting. Her eyes focused on the large silhoutte in the door. As the blur finally cleared, she just froze. They both stared into each others eyes for what seemed like an eternity to the both of them. It took him long enough to finally muster the courage to try to talk.
"I..."
Immediately he was pulled inside and the door shut behind him. As soon as the door shut, she jumped him, wrapping her hooves around him in a tight embrace. She burried her muzzle into his shoulder. He couldn't help but hug her back as he rested his head on hers. He fought to hold back a tear. He was back...he was home. Hopefully he would just be left alone now. All of a sudden he couldn't feel Twilight on his shoulder anymore. He opened his eyes to be met with the sight of her not two inches away from his face.
"Where the hell were you?!!"
He stammered a bit as an enraged Twilight continued right in front of him.
"Do you have any idea how scared I was?! All of a sudden you running off into the night and causing all sorts of trouble out there?!! I barely heard all those explosions, all the gunfire and the screaming over my beating heart!!"
He choked back a tear. She was right. He could have at least told her something, given her a sign, anything, instead of just leaving her in the dark. He couldn't even imagine how scared she was.
"Am I really that bad?! Do you really want to get rid of me like this?! You'd rather die than to be here with me?"
And with that, she collapsed back onto his shoulder, tears streaming freely down her face. Wolf could swear that for a moment, his heartbeat stopped, only to resume shortly after. He once again rested his head on Twilight's, a tear dripping from his left eye onto her mane. He closed them both tightly as he shortened the gap between his chin and the top of Twilights head, intent on bringing her in as close as possible. Thoughts crept like rats in his battered head. Did he really want to leave her? Did he really feel more at home in the the thick of battle? Did he prefer the sudden cram of fight or flight chemicals in the belly over Twilights warm embrace? Had those damn doctors really turned him completely into a weapon?
Was there no turning back for him, no hope of salvation from the jagged edges of his worst memories? He summed it all up, in one quick answer within his head.

"NO."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Twilight reared her head up to listen. Her irregular breathing stabilized.
"I don't know what's going on...I don't know why I'm such a fucking mess, and I don't think I can change. I'm not a normal person, but God damn it I didn't think I was this bad!"
Twilight left his shoulder and looked into his gleaming blue eyes. Such beauty, a shell of light over the darkness within.
"I don't know why I do what I do, I don't know if it's because I'm scared, because after all this time being on the front lines it's become home to me...I just don't know, and I'm sorry, so fucking sorry..."
He sniffed a bit as his eyes turned red a bit. He squinted as his breathing became more and more irregular. Twilight didn't know what to do. She just stared into his blue eyes. Then, doing the one thing that seemed...right to her, she slowly closed the gap between her lips and his. Hesitantly at first, she didn't dare move past his lips. He didn't react. He obviously needed this as much as she did. As far as she could tell, he was enjoying a moment of sheer hapiness. Newfound courage flowing within her, she slowly but surely pressed her tongue forward. As it met his lips, he reared back. She was terrified. Did she go too far? Had she ruined what she had just done? He gave off a pained sigh, as if he regretted breaking the kiss.
"Please..." His voice broke.
"Please...just...I need a little more time..."
Her head dropped as he finished his statement. She let go of him. He got up, showing almost no emotion. He walked away towards the door. He opened it, and with one last long look at the mare staring at him, he left once more.

* * * * *
Wolf walked silently into the town square, hands in his pockets, showing no response to outside stimuli. At first glance, he looked like a corpse walking, no emotion, no movement besides that of his legs. The sun all of a sudden shined in his eyes, causing him to turn his head in annoyance. He was deep in thought at the time, pondering as to what the hell he should finally do. He mocked himself for even having to think. He knew damn well he could never live with himself leaving her, but if something were to happen to her...He thought he could move on, but it turned out to be a lot harder than he thought it would. At least...it was easier to be around her now. His thoughts drifted to the kiss. While it lasted, he finally felt happy for one the few times in his life. He had fallen for her, and he knew it. But the sheer dread of loss still remained within him like a cancer, infecting all of his thoughts. He knew it was against some moral rule for normal humans, but he wasn't normal, not in the least. Frankly, he didn't give a damn that she wasn't human. And she obviously didn't care that he wasn't a pony. He loved her, and she loved him. Is it really wrong in that case?
A voice from above interrupted him all of a sudden.
"Look out below!!!"
He jumped a few feet back as a 2 x 4 fell out of the sky and buried itself into the ground. He looked up to see that he had reached Town Hall. A rainbow maned Pegasus looked from over a platform on the top floors.
"Everypony okay down there?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Oh, it's you."
"Yeah, it is."
An awkward silence ruled for a few moments, occasionally broken by the sound of hammering. Rainbow Dash bit her lip as he looked behind her, to her left and to her right. She finally looked back down to Wolf.
"Hey, why don't you make yourself useful and help us out over here?"
"Wha-?"
"You heard me, now come on, get up here and help repair some of the damage you caused."
"I did all that?"
He pointed at the top of the building. Well, the top of what was left of the buidling. He only know noticed that most of it had been completely torn off.
"By bringing an Ursa Major into the middle of town, yes! Now get your lazy flank up here before I get it up here for you!"
He smiled at the end of her statement. Stubborn, confident, little to no respect for the rules, and above all else loyal. He liked her.

12 hours later, close to sunset...
Wolf wiped the sweat off his brow as he admired the new roof of the building. After a hard days work together, he was finally accepted back into the community, despite everything that he had caused and done. He got up. Something heavy hit his foot for a brief moment, before dissapearing completely. He looked down, to where the hammer he had used to be.
"HEADS UP!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he looked to the ground in terror. A blue streak from out of nowhere followed by a rainbow contrail flew into the path of the hammer. All of a sudden, behind him Rainbow Dash appeared, holding a hammer.
"Getting a little clumsy, are we?" She spoke mockingly, sticking her tongue out.
"I guess so."
She gave him a respectful nod as she looked onto the finished roof.
"Nice work. All that's left is the painting I guess. I'll get a crew together to work on that tommorow. This is a lot faster than I expected. Normally it'd take us about a week to fix it up."
"I aim to please."
"We're done for the day, you can get going now."
"See you tommorow then?"
"Only if you want to spend a few hours painting this thing."
"Then I probably won't be seeing you tommorow..."
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and huffed while shaking her head. As she opened them again, she realised Wolf was gone. Even she was impressed at how fast he was.

On the ground...
Wolf chukled as he reached the bottom of the building, effectively giving Rainbow Dash the slip. As he refocused his attention in front of him, he saw Twilight in front of him, levitating a picnic basket and a towel while Nyx was hopping along behind her.
"Hey...What are you doing?"
She shied away from him at first.
"We're gonna go watch the sunset...It's gonna be even more beautiful than usual today..."
"You wanna come with us?" Nyx happily chimed in, after hopping over to the two.
"Pleeeeease?" Nyx added, staring right at Wolf.
After a few moments thought and a quick smile, he replied:
"Of course I'll come with."
He winced as a loud 'yay' ripped through the air into his eardrums. Yep, she was happy.

46 minutes later, on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful sunset...

The towel was laid perfectly over the grass, the scraps of the meal neatly organised on top of it. Nyx was asleep on the ground, gently snoring after a full belly. Wolf and Twilight had moved further away from the towel, sitting on the edge of the summit, admiring the sky before them. Wolf turned around and smiled at the sight of Nyx asleep.
"Out like a light..."
"She had a full day of crusading with her friends, of course she's tired..."
"What about you? Are you okay?" He asked, obviously concerned.
"Yes..."
"I know that tone."
He sighed as he lifted up a bit, intent on enjoying the celestial show before him. His mind drifted to this morning...

"Am I really that bad?! Do you really want to get rid of me like this?! You'd rather die than to be here with me?"

"You're wrong you know."
"What?" She asked, confused by his sudden statement.
"About what you said this morning. About me rather dying than being with you..."
She turned away from him, blushing only slightly.
"Okay..."
"The truth is..."
He looked straight at her. He then took a deep breath, then finally said what he had wanted to say all day.
"The truth is...I'd rather spend the rest of my life repeating everything I've been through, over and over again, than to not be with you."
She looked right back at him, dumbstruck.
"Because I love you, Twilight Sparkle, more than you could ever know."
A single tear dropped from her eye, not of sorrow, but of hapiness. Both of them, together, inched closer towards one another, intent on doing this right. Their lips met in a storm of emotion from both of them. They both had no regret about this, there was nothing holding them back this time. They stayed together for waht seemed like an eternity, their lips locked together as if they didn't belong to separate bodies.

* * * * *
Behind them, Nyx cracked open her eyes slightly. As she glimpsed them both kissing as the sun set behind them, she couldn't help but crack a small smile as she drifted back to blissful sleep.

End chapter 31.

Chapter 32: The Maze

The gentle night breeze beat mercilessly against the side of a hill. Under the light of the moon, he lay there, sound asleep. An eerie howl echoed across the steep incline. The wind was getting stronger. Yet another gust caused him to turn, trying desperately to stay out the wind's path. The next gust, stronger than ever, sent a loose branch from the top of the tree plummeting to the ground, onto his face.

His eyes opened suddenly as a large draft suddenly made contact with his skin. He opened them just in time to glimpse the large gray silhoutte passing over him.
"Look out!"
A sudden explosion rocked the ground where he was sleeping. Something came over his face. He shot up off the ground immediatley and saw the severed arm launching from his forehead onto the ground next to him. With sheer dread, he watched as a large insect-like foot stomped on the arm, breaking in in two with absolutely no effort. He was cast back down as a large fist knocked him out cold.

He woke up, almost screaming, cold sweat dripping down his face. He sighed, placing his head firmly in his hands. Anoother gust of wind, followed by another sound. Shivering. He looked down to his left side and saw Twilight and Nyx curled up together into a ball, trying to stay warm in this veritable windstorm. He gave off a weak smile. It was over, everything was over, the war, his old life, everything. Just relics of the past. He looked up to the top of the hill and glimpsed a patch of plaid ground. He walked up there to investigate further. It was the towel left over from the picnic. The only reason it hadn't blown away was because of the plates, bowls and other dishes weighing it down. He grabbed the towel and as many of the dirty dishes he could carry. When he got back down the hill, he gently laid the towel over the two. It wouldn't stay on long thanks to the wind. That's what the dishes were for. He put them in four separate piles,each on the corner of the towel, making sure it wouldn't blow away. He waited a few moments, and their shivering subsided. He fell back to the ground with a light thud, once again placing his head in his hands. He ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, feeling unusually tired. A sudden jolt sent him into overdrive. He let off a series of pained grunts as an array images from his past burned it's way into his head. Weaver. The training facillity. Hawk. Cougar. Steven. Places where he had been, things he had done, and things that had been done to him. They continued to shift randomly until they remained on one image. A Wasp. One Wasp in particular. In immense pain, he muttered one sentence.
"Get out of my head..."
It only laughed at his futile attempts to block it from his thoughts.
A wall of flame appeared behind the Wasp's face, and engulfed it, and him as well.

Wolf gasped as he was left alone in the dark. He turned back and forth, desperately trying to see something, anything. An orange light appeared behind him. He turned, to be met with the sight of the Wasp, laughing at his plight. Acting on insticnt and training, he threw his arms forward, trying to punch the intruder in his own thoughts. It dissapeared, darkness replacing it. More orange flashes appeared all around him, and the same laugh, that same evil laugh over and over again...He closed his eyes as tightly as possible and let out a loud yell. A few seconds later, out of breath, he opened his eyes. Darkness in front of him, and nothing more. He let out a sigh as a tear fell from his eye. That was painful. An eerie blue glow began to rise from the blackness, until he could see his surroundings. A massive steppe, and he was right in the middle of it. A couple old trees moved with the wind in the distance. The wind howled in his ears, and rustled his hair. He took a step forward. A low rumble emitted from the ground. He looked down to the ground, and took weary steps in all directions. The ground began to crack in some places. All of a sudden a wall of green shot out of the ground. Another one behind him. He dove to the right as yet another came from below him. And more of these geysers of dark green all over the vast steppe. They swirled with each other in the air, forming beautiful patterns, before tearing away and beggining anew. They eventually came together in an array of lines joined together far away in the sky. Then they began to fall. He jumped back as it came crashing down to the ground. He closed his eyes as bits of dirt and rocks fell all around him. When the dust finally settled, he looked up to see what fell from the sky. Leaves. A massive bush, soaring nearly fifty feet in the air.
"A bush?"
He then thought back to the shape in the sky. A wave of dread washed over him as the realization came crashing down.
A maze. A massive maze. And he was stuck right in the middle of it. Seeing no other option, he began to walk through the maze. Silence ruled over it. All he could hear was his own heavy breathing. The leaves began rustling. Loudly. Fear began to set in. At one point, the rustling turned to whispers. They were coming from behind him and growing louder and louder. Fear took complete control as he began to run.
(Two Steps From Hell: Run Like Hell)
He couldn't hear what they were saying, but he didn't care. He just ran faster and faster. He shifted through the maze like a shadow. He looked behind him. The bushes from where the whispers were coming from closed behind him. He turned back in front of him. He saw the root, but he didn't have time to react. He tripped on it. As he was falling to the ground, his training kicked in. He rolled as he hit the ground and came up back on his feet. He got away with a mistake this time. All of a sudden, the bushes in front of him began to close. He was out of time, it was now or never. He fell to the ground and slid under the closing bushes, brances mere milliemeters from his face. As he came out from under them, he jumped back to his feet and turned around the corner in front of him.
As he turned around the corner, silence reclaimed it's rule over the maze. He turned around to see that the bushes had stopped with the whispers. He turned around.
He let out a scream of terror at what he saw there.
He calmed down as he realized it was a mirror. He laughed at himself for being so jumpy. He looked into the eyes of his reflection.
"Nothing to be afraid of..."
The eyes suddenly turned black, and the arm reached out of the mirror and grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground.
"Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that!" his reflection replied to him in a deep, raspy voice. His relfection laughed as it tried to squeeze the life out of him.
As he was almost out of breath, he kicked with all his might, shattering the mirror, and the relfection with it. Free of it's grip, he fell back to the ground. He gasped and wheezed for breath, that damn thing had almost crushed his windpipe.
He shook it off and walked off into the maze. He soon came upon a pond. He fell to his knees and began to drink. As he drank his fill, he fell on his back and rested for a few minutes. He then got back up. As he had his back turned to the pond, he heard a splash. He turned back around to look at it. The water was completely still. Nothing was there. Not even his reflection. He turned around to stare right into the black eyes of his reflection. It lifted him off the ground by the throat for a second time.
"Miss me?" It grinned from ear to ear as it once again tried to kill him.
"No mirrors to kick this time..."
It laughed as it realized it was invincible.
Wolf kicked it square in the stomach. It dropped him as it itself fell to it's knees to retch. Wolf took no chances and ran off again.
"I'll get you yet, boy!" It screamed into the air.
Wolf had no idea how much he ran. He just stopped when he was too tired to continue. He was in a large clearing, decorated with statues, and a number of benches all around it. He sat on one and placed his head in his hands again. A couple seconds later, he heard rustling in the bushes in front of him. He looked up. All of a sudden they tore open and it came out to look at him, grinning yet again.
"Heeeeere's Wolfy!"
Wolf jumped to his feet, and looked for a place to run. Nowhere. It had closed around them. There was no way out. He would have to fight it. It climbed out of the open bushes and broke off a sword from a statue of a knight. Wolf did the same. They regarded each other, then begam to circle. They lunged forward, swords ready to inflict terrible damage. They clashed with a loud clang. The duel lasted for only minutes, yet it seemed like hours. It was obvious however that it was in it's final stage. From his position, Wolf turned, sword behind him, trying to hit the reflection. It parried his blow, then launched it's own. Wolf blocked it. He launched his counterattack and his sword met with the reflections. It grabbed his hand as it was gripping the sword and kicked him away. Wolf flew back. The kick felt like it broke one of his ribs. The reflection held on to his sword. Wolf looked up to see it laughing, holding his sword from the blade. It tossed it to the ground and lunged at him. With it's free arm, it grabbed him by the neck again and lifted him off the ground. His other arm, still holding his sword, positioned itself manacingly below him.
"Goodnight..." It told him.
It's arm lunged forward. Wolf grabbed it in midair, and redirected the blade onto the arm that was holding his throat. It sliced through it with ease. The reflection scrreched in pain as it's dark red blood poured onto the ground below, permanently staining it. The pain simply too much, it dropped the sword and with it's remaing arm gripped what was left of the other. On his knees, Wolf managed to get back up and grab the reflections sword from the ground. With all his strength, he plunged it into his foe, dooming it to oblivion. It's death rattle echoed through the clearing. With a heavy thud, the reflection fell dead to the ground, before fading away completely, as if it never existed. Wolf sighed, and sat on another bench. A moment of peace. A short lived moment of peace.
An evil laugh echoed through the clearing. He knew it all too well. He turned immediately to face the giant Wasp standing before him. Before he had time to react, it gave a good hard punch to the face, sending him flying three feet away. He spat out blood before getting up again. He tried to punch the Wasp, only to have it grab his fist in midair, before kicking him in the stomach. As he fell to the ground coughing and gasping for breath, the Wasp walked over to him, grabbed the back of his neck and lifted his head up to face it. It grinned madly before slamming it's knee into Wolf's face. Wolf was knocked back a few more feet. He landed square on his back.
A voice rang through his ears as a piercing white light appeared out of nowhere.
"Wolf? Wake up!"
He looked into the light, where the voice was coming from. Right in the middle of it, Twilight seemed to bestanding over him.
This being his last hope, he rolled on his stomach and tried to crawl to her. A huge force exerted on his back sent him back to the ground.
"Where are you going?"
It grabbed the back of his neck and lifted him up again. Wolf's buried his fist in the ground, picking some of the dirt up.
"I want to look at your face when you die worm..."
As it was turning him around, Wolf's arm shot up, releasing the dirt he was holding directly into the Wasp's face, temporarily blinding it. Wolf seized his chance and ran like hell towards the light. A roar of anger echoed through the clearing as all the bushes bore down on him. Adrenaline surging, he ran as fast as he could. He could fell the bushes behind him. Roots started shooting out from the mass of leaves and tried to grab him. He just pulled them off. He was getting closer, but so where they. He had no choice. With his last ounce of strength, he jumped into the light screaming as he soared through the air.

Wolf shot up from the ground where he was laying. He looked frantically around him.
"Calm down, calm down! You're okay!"
Wolf looked to the source of the voice. It was Twilight. He made it.
"Oh thank God..."
He began laughing as he realized his trip through hell was over. The sun was rising, and another beuatiful day was waiting for him.

Deep within Everfree Forest...

A lone Pegasus bowed before a Unicorn recovering after a newly cast spell had sapped his energy.
"Did you succeed my Lord?"
"No...he escaped this time..."
"That is unfortunate..."
The Unicorn turned to face the bowing Pegasus, a large grin on his face.
"Hardly. Now we have an effective weapon to use against him, one he cannot counter."
He turned back around to face the rising sun, laughing at his newfound 'entertainment'.
"I'm going to enjoy the next few weeks..."

End Chapter 32.

Chapter 33: Losing it

2 weeks later...

Things were getting out of hand. The nightmares were getting worse each day. HE was getting worse each day. A fine line separated from him and insanity. He came close to ending up in a mental home before. Hell, nearly every time he was on leave they would have a shrink work on him for a day or two. After the incident with Dr. Rourke they finally got the message. But he never came this close. At least four nights a week he would wake up screaming. The days weren't much better either. Everywhere he went he saw shadows, faces, and blood red eyes. Whenever he looked at somepony smiling, he swore he could see their teeth turning into blood stained fangs while their red eyes stared right through him. He was losing it, and he knew it.
Suprisingly, he woke up normally one morning. The best sleep he had in two weeks. He yawned as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. A sweet, pleasing scent filled the air his nostrils sucked in. He couldn't tell what it was, but damn it smelled good. He let off another loud yawn. Hoofsteps, coming from the kitchen. A familiar face came out of the doorway, soothing smile plastered on her face.
"Morning sleepyhead."
He didn't answer right away, he just let out yet another yawn.
"Morning."
"Sleep good?"
"Suprisingly, yes..."
"You hungry?"
His stomach growled in response.
"Do you need an answer?"
Her eyes rolled at his usual, sarcastic manner. His mind drifted back to that sweet smell...
"What's for breakfast?"
"Oh, I'm making a side of waffles." She smiled, beaming with pride.
His heart sank immediately. He knew it smelled good, but Twilight had a history with cooking...
"Uh...are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Relax, I followed the book's instructions to the letter."
"What book?"
Her horn glowed, and a big brown leather bound book floated out of the kitchen.
'Cooking made easy' The title read.
"I guess it doesn't matter, I'm hungry enough to eat anything...even your cooking."
A pillow that was next to him suddenly met him in the face. Twilight walked back into the kitchen triumphantly, her head held high as she smiled. She burst into laughter as she moved deeper into the kitchen. He followed her.
The table was already set, and the smell was even better in here. All of a sudden, his skin felt strange...
"That's weird..."
"What is?"
"I feel...funny."
"Define 'funny'."
"My skin just feels....weird, i don't know how to describe it."
"Has anything unusual happened? Any contact with strange plants, minerals?"
"No, noth-"
Then it hit him.
"My armor..."
"What about your armor?"
"I've never been out of it so long..."
"Maybe you're just readjusting to a normal enviroment..."
"I guess so."
He sat at the table and grabbed the two bottles there. One was chocolate syrup, the other vanilla cream.
"I'm telling you, I can't go on like this...These nightmares, the hallucinations...everything..."
"Morning Mom!"
Nyx came into the room with a huge smile on her face. She was in a good mood.
"Morning Wolf!"
He just grumbled a 'morning' in reply. He was frustrated.
"I think most of all though, it's that I don't have anything to do..."
Twilight and Nyx just continued their morning chat, in which Spike had joined in as well.
"The combination of everything is gonna make me lose it, go crazy..."
All of a sudden, he lifted the bottles in the air, turned them upside down, squeezed them and moved his hands around.
"...Nuts...Insane...Bonzo..."
All three of them had turned around to see his teethe gritting and his arms moving with increase intensity. It was getting a bit creepy. He continued...
"...No longer in possesion of one's faculties, three bullets short of a full mag..."
All of a sudden, he lifted the plate in the air and while they were still processing the image of the smiling face he drew with the two bottles, he screamed extremely loudly:
"WAACKO!!!!"
The awkward silence in the room while they simply stared at him was broken only by his heavy breathing.
"What? Why are you looking at me like I'm crazy or something?"
They just exchanged quick glances between each other, and Twilight replied:
"Nothing..."
Wolf got up out of the chair and moved for the door.
"All of a sudden I've lost my appetite..."
As he grabbed the handle of the door, he said one final thing before leaving.
"I'll be back..."
After he slammed the door, Twilights eyes rolled, and then she focused on the task at hand. Preparing her daughter for another day at school. And that would start by getting breakfast ready. And so she set out to finish what she started.

6 minutes later, Red Dawn.

The air hissed as the magnetic locks on the outside hatch disengaged and allowed the door to open. An electronic voice rang in the air.
"Welcome back sir. Is there something you need?"
"Yeah...very much..."
"Do you require assistance in locating it?"
"No thanks Sam...I can do it myself."
"Yes sir."
He walked off into the long metal corridor and turned into another room with a large red cross on it. He entered and immediately opened up a cabinet. He quickly skimmed through the bottles inside, until he found the one he was looking for. He quickly unscrewed the cap and poured at least a half a dozen pills into his hand. He quickly downed them, hoping the effects would be quick.
"Sir, is that wise?"
"Sam...you know that I'm against these kind of meds."
"Yes, of course sir."
"Then I believe that you realize the magnitude of the situation I'm in for me to use them."
"Affirmative sir..."
Having found what he was looking for, he quickly left the ship.

4 minutes later, Ponyville.

Wolf was feeling a bit lightheaded. He immediately realized that those were too many pills, even for him. His eyes fell upon an all too familiar scene. Sweetie Belle arguing with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. This was the final straw. All of a sudden a jolt to his head shocked him.

Kill her...

He knew not to give in to voices only he heard, but the sheer force of the voice, combined with his weakened state, led him to obey.

Diamond Tiara was happy with her apparent victory, as well as the fact that she had gotten away with it.
"That's it!"
Or so she thought. Terrified, she turned to face the source of the booming voice.
"I let you off with a warning the first time, hell I even let you go a second time, but that's it. No third chances!"
His pace quickened as his entire body prepared for action. Instincts kicking in, Diamond Tiara turned tail and ran. He followed closely behind.
"Come here!"
Diamond Tiara ran as fast as she could through town, dodging everything in her path. She ran until she came across a familliar face.
"Daddy!"
She ran up to him and jumped behind him. Filthy Rich turned to get a look at what had frightened his daughter so much.
Wolf walked into the corner, itching for a fight. He saw her hiding behind her fathers leg. He ignored his presence there completely and advanced. Instinctively, Filthy Rich got in his way.
"Get out of my way. This doesn't concern you."
"It's my daughter. Of course it concerns me."
"I'll try again. Out of the way."
"NO."
"Don't take a hint eh? Well, no third chances...Guess I'll have to take you as well."
As he prepared for battle, Filthy Rich reared up on his hind legs and tried to hit him in the head with his hooves. He lunged forward at Wolf. He, in turn, nimbly dodged the approaching hooves and tackled Filthy Rich to the ground. Using his knees, he pinned Filthy's hind leg to the ground while his left arm punched him square in the face while his right gripped his throat. His left reached side of his left leg and pulled out the pistol from it's holster. He positioned it right on top of Flithy's face while he whimpered, terrified of what would happen. Wolf tensed up all of a sudden and his breathing became heavier. The adrenaline had gotten to his head and canceled out most of the medicine's effects.

"Do it! Now!"

His finger slowly began to squeeze the trigger. Then he heard it.
"WOLF!!"
He knew that voice all too well. He sighed, dissapointed, and in a defeated tone told him:
"Saved by the bell..."
He got up off him and walked off to meet Twilight. By that time, a sizeable crowd had assembled around them, now scared as they were reminded of his skill to kill. Filthy Rich went from afraid to embarrased in no time flat. His public image would suffer for this defeat. Unless he could turn it around...His opponent had left his rear exposed, and he had just threatened his daughter as well! He would get his revenge for this.
Filthy Rich shot up from his position and as quietly as he could, galloped towards Wolf, got within range, and turned around to attempt to buck him in the head. Wolf snapped back immediately and his right hand collided with Filthy's right hind leg in midair. The force of the blow was strong enough it lifted Filthy Rich off the ground and turned him around midair. Time seemed to slow down for him, and he watched in horror as Wolf's left arm followed his right. A horroble pain cut through him as Wolf's fist collided with his face, sending him flying into a nearby empty cart. The cart shattered with a loud crash as Filthy Rich crushed it with the weight of his own body and the force that was driving him. He lost consciousness nearly immediately after the blow from Wolf, and now the terrified crowd had assembled around him trying to help him. Before he left, with the corner of his eye Wolf saw a trickle of blood emerging from under a few pieces of wood. Twilight stood there with her jaw wide open. Her head snapped to Nyx immediately, who was standing next to her, still processing the horrible scene she just saw.
"Go to school."
"But Mom..."
"No buts, just go!"
She obeyed her mother, and got on her way. Twilight turned to face Wolf. He was heading in the direction of the library. She followed him. By the time she caught up with him though, he had already reached it. He left the door open, he knew she was coming. She entered the library, and her horn glowed bright purple. Almost immediately, the door behind her slammed shut, the windows closed immediately and locked. She looked at him leaning on the wall and gazing out of one of the closed windows.
"WHAT THE HAY WAS THAT?!"
He didn't answer, he just gazed out the window.
"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HIM!!"
"In case you didn't know, that's what I was trying to do..."
"WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?! YOU'RE NOT LIKE THIS!!"
All of a sudden he stood up and gave her a look that could kill.
"Don't you pretend to know me, 'cause you don't! You got that?! Next time don't get involved, 'cause you might get caught in the crossfire!"
"OH SPARE ME THE TALK, THE ONLY THING YOU KNOW HOW TO DO IS KILL AND HURT!"
"Oh yeah? Well if it wasn't for me abillity to kill, guess what! You'd all be dead three times over!"
"Shut up, just shut up and get out!"
"Oh yeah? FINE!"
"FINE!"
He huffed and grabbed everything he had brought in, mumbling as he was walking out the door.
"I don't need this bullshit..."
A clap of thunder shook the tree. Wolf ignored it and slammed the door behind him, a sack of equipment hanging on his shoulder. Immediately, the rain began to fall. Twilight looked out the window at him leaving, and collapsed crying to the floor, under the windowsill. As Wolf reached thirty feet away from the library, he turned around, sighed as he looked on it, and moved on.

Deep within Everfree forest...
"How did it go this time my Lord?"
"Although it didn't have the desired effect, I still made progress."
The snyde Unicorn looked up at the gray sky above, an evil grin appearing on his face.
"I'm breaking him..."

End Chapter 32.

Chapter 34: Back Together...

As soon as he entered the ship, he threw his bag of equipment into the wall so hard he thought he heard some of the contents break. He threw it so hard, the sound from the impact echoed throughout the ship. A familiar electronic voice began to talk.
"Are you alright sir?"
"Do I look alright Sam?"
"Why do I even ask..."
Wolf leaned against the wall. He let out another dissapointed sigh. He needed to be alone for awhile. Completely alone.
"Sam...Full lockdown. Bring the ship up to FCA."
"FCA, aye. Sir, are we under attack?"
"No Sam...Just making sure we won't have any uninvited guests..."
If he hadn't shown he wanted to be alone before, he sure did now. He only reserved Full Combat Alert for the most dire circumstances, such as a full invasion. If he wanted to be alone so badly as to bring the ship to full alert status, everyone should just stay the hell away. An alarm blared through the ship as bulkhead doors sealed throughout the ship. Airlocks and outer hatches engaged their magnetic lock and sealed shut. An electrical hum echoed through the ship as the dormant weapon systems came to life and armed themselves. The automatic loaders revived themselves and pumped a huge ammount of shells into position, ready to reload the ships many cannons as soon as they fired.
While it was one of, if not the smallest ship in the Human fleet (at least in ship terms. In regular terms, it was massive) it boasted some of the best hardware in the entire fleet.
It's communication systems were state of the art, able to communicate nearly instanteneously with ships in a completely different system. That was quite an advantage, considering the time it took for a transmission from one ship to reach the another across the vast space between the two. It usually took a couple of minutes, but by that time, a ship asking for aid could have already been destroyed before the call for aid even reached another ship.
The sensors were another major advancement imparted on the Red Dawn. Aside from being able to detect ships in regular space from up to a lightyear away, it could actually detect ships while they were still travelling within a Jump corridor. It still had it's drawbacks however. It could only detect ships travelling within a Jump corridor as long as they were relatively close. Depending on the power of the approaching ships Jump Drive, it's advance warning ranged from a few seconds to a few minutes.
It's best defensive feature however, were it's RGG's (Reverse Gravity Generators.) These devices, still in their experimental stage, and usually reserved for the Fleets largest battleships, created a gravity field, that instead of pulling incoming objects towards them, pushed them away. They weren't stong enough to deflect incoming projectiles, but they were strong enough to slow them down enough to the point were they would, at best, simply scratch the paint. It depended on the incoming projectile though. The Spinar's heaviest guns would still slice through the armor, even with the RGG's active.
Wolf was walking down the ships corridor when all of a sudden one of the bulkheads slammed shut, nearly cutting him in half.
"Damn it Sam, you could have killed me!"
"I'm only following your orders sir."
"Open this door, now."
"Yes sir."
The door hissed again as it opened. Wolf walked further down the corridor as another door sealed in fron of him. He was getting pissed now...
"Sam..."
"You did order a full lockdown sir."
"Rescind order, just seal all outer hatches..."
"Yes sir, although that won't stop any intruders."
"Why not?"
"All they have to do is circle around and enter through one of the massive holes in the ship."
"What massive holes?"
"The ones created during the crash. You haven't noticed them?"
"Of course I haven't noticed them! You never even told me about them!"
"Didn't I mention them last time you were aboard? Oops...my bad..."
She chuckled a bit. Wolf simply rolled his eyes and shook his head. While he enjoyed her sense of humor, at times it could get annoying, especially since she enjoyed blasting loud music over the intercom while the crew (and he) was asleep. Other times when he was errr...alone with someone else, she would begin to play some music that would...fit the moment.

Sex Bomb
Sex Bomb
You're my Sex Bomb...

As that particular memory crept back into his head he shuddered. That was one moment he dreaded almost as much as the war itself. Sam scarred him for life that day...night, and he hadn't quite forgiven her for that yet.
"Show me the breaches..."
"Follow my directions..."

2 minutes later, Red Dawn rear sections...
Wolf came upon the last door to where Sam said the breaches were.
"Sam, open the door."
"Um...sir, you want to take a moment to prepare yourself for this..."
"Sam, just shut up and open the door."
"Yes sir..."
The air hissed as the door opened. Wolf looked out, and audibly gasped as his jaw dropped at the sight before him. An entire section of the ship was missing, just scattered over the plain. In the few months it had been there, all sorts of plants and vines had grown into the exposed sections of the ship.
"My baby...She's been turned into a jungle!"
"I warned you sir..."
All of a sudden, he was overtaken by a wave of joy as he began to jump happily throughout the ship, on the rim of where it had been cut.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!"
"Um...Sir?"
"Sam...You've just given me something to do!"
"O...Kay..."
Within her mind, she was wondering if he had taken too many of those pills...She watched stunned as he grabbed a large knife and began hacking away at the plants that had so rudely intruded on his ship.

12 days later...
Wolf wiped the sweat off his forehead as he finished yet another day's work. The sun was setting over the hill in the distance, and made for quite the sight. He had already cleared all the plants and vines from the belly of the beast in the first two days, and now he was hard at work trying to patch up the breaches in the hull. He had already salvaged as many pieces of the ship's alloy scattered all over the plain and using the excess heat from the ships fusion reactor, melted them down to create newer pieces of it. Using whatever equipment he could find onboard, he welded the new pieces of armor onto the old shell. It took a hell of a lot of time and effort though. You try lifting and pushing those massive pieces of metal with just your bare hands and a pulley system. He probably could have done it much faster if he had just tied the thick ropes he had to a Cerberus MBT and used it's massive engine power to pull it up, but he preffered to do it by hand. It'd take up more of his time that way, keep him with something to do. For the past ten days he was repairing the outer shell of the ship. He still had a lot more work to do. While the outside was about three quarters done, the inside was still completely unrepaired. He would be kept with something to do for a loooong time...As he fell back to rest up for a bit, his mind drifted back to Twilight...

"Shut up, just shut up and get out!"

That sweet voice...saying those words...it hurt...a lot. He was still pissed. Not at her, but at himself for bringing her to that level. For making her so angry. He blamed himself for her words, he had nearly killed somepony. If he couldn't control himself...maybe sealing himself within the Red Dawn for the rest of his days was the best option...Either that...or giving in to the temptation many of his comrades...his friends had given into...

Planet Alaris, Cobalt Base, January 13th, 2662, 14:56 hours...

Wolf walked through the corridors of Cobalt. It was one of the largest millitary installations on Alaris. Large enough to have sufficient forces to beat back the initial Spinar attack. He was looking for Cobra, the other Demigod stationed there. They knew each other well. They had a bit of a friendly rivalry back in training. It still transferred to live combat. They would regularly send messages to each other, tallying the kills of the day. Whoever had the least kills by the time they had leave, or were stationed together always bought lunch, a drink or two etc...Their request to be given leave at the same times had been granted, and it gave them both something to look forward to. Wolf was going to Cobra's quarters to see if he wanted to cash in on his higher kill score. He found his room, and knocked on the door. He turned the knob, only to find out it was locked.
"Cobra?"
"Wolf..."
"Open the door man, I owe you dinner."
"I'm not hungry..."
"Okay, a drink? Anything?"
"Wolf...I'm tired...I just want this all to end..."
A clicking sound sent a wave of horror down Wolf's spine. He knew exactly what made that noise, and knew how it was made.
"You don't mean that Cobra! Open the door!"
"I'm sorry Wolf..."
A loud bang echoed through the room and the hallway, easily bypassing the door. A thump was heard as something heavy hit the floor.
"Cobra! Cobraaaa!"

He quickly shook the thought out of his head. That was the easy way out. He never took the easy way out. And when he tried to, he was stopped by his friends. Like Sam had stopped him three days ago. He wouldn't try it again. But was his alternative, spending the rest of his life, a good 230 years, completely alone any better? He decided not to think about it anymore and to take a quick shower. A cold shower, it was well past the time for hot showers. Summer was coming...

Meanwhile, at the library...
Twilight was pacing through the library, unsure of what to do. She wanted to see him again, but was afraid of his reaction. She remembered his words from almost two weeks ago...

"Don't you pretend to know me, 'cause you don't! You got that?! Next time don't get involved, 'cause you might get caught in the crossfire!"

"Oh yeah? FINE!!!"

She had kicked him out, and he had willingly left. How would he react to her sudden return? She didn't know, and she sure as hell didn't know why she was going anyway.

A few minutes later, outside the Red Dawn...

Twilight's heart skipped a beat as the massive warship came into view. It sat in the middle of the plain, towering like a mountain over it, ruling all beneath it. Slowly but surely she approached one of the holes in it. If she wasn't afraid outside of it, she was terrified in it. She nearly jumped to the ceiling when a voice rang in the air.
"Welcome back Mrs. Sparkle. It's been awhile since I've had the pleasure of your company."
"Hello...um...Sam, is it?"
The AI chuckled at how awkward Twilight felt.
"Yes. I presume you wish to speak to His Stubborness?"
Twilight nearly burst out laughing at Sam's characterization of Wolf. It fit him perfectly. It certainly brok the ice her and Sam.
"Yes, do you know where I can find him?"
"He's in the showers. Don't come at him all of a sudden, he's given me strict orders not to let anyone in."
"Then why did you let me in?"
"Because what he needs right now is a good talk with someone he knows and loves, and frankly I'm not getting through to him. Hopefully you'll be able to."
"I hope so Sam..."
"I'll guide you to him..."
"Thank you Sam."
"And I'll be able to answer your questions later."
This caught Twilight off guard.
"How did you-"
"Know you wanted to ask me questions? The Major has told me quite a bit about you in the last few days. That, and if someones living in a library, they must have lots of questions to ask someone like me."
Twilight smiled. She liked Sam. She also liked how open she was. It was hard to believe that she was an artificial creation and not a living creature of flesh and blood.

2 minutes later, deeper within the Red Dawn...

The sound of running water filled the air. Twilight could see the steam coming out of the doorway and she could feel the heat.
"He's in there. Go in slow."
Twilight listened to her advice. She had known Wolf for most of his life, so she trusted her on this matter completely. She slowly but surely entered the shower room. She nearly slipped on the wet floor. She winced a bit as her hooves splashed in the water on the floor.
"Twilight...Don't you know it's common courtesy to knock or yell before entering the shower room?"
"I'm sorry..."
Wolf sighed before turning off the water.
"Don't be. I'm done anyway."
He cracked open the door to the shower stall and grabbed the towel he had hung on the knob. He then closed the door. He came out a few seconds later, the towel wrapped around his waist. He moved over to a nearby locker and got another towel out. He used this one to dry his hair. Twilight just stared at him, his strong arms, his muscular legs. As far as she could tell, he was well built for a human his age. Then she noticed the scars on his body. More scars than she'd like to count. Some big, some small, some long, some short...Every shape and size was right there, permanently carved into his body. As he dried his hair, he walked out the door and told her to follow him. She listenened to him. She followed him throughout the ship. She was careful however, not to slip on the trail of water he had left behind him...

2 minutes later, Wolf's quarters.

Wolf walked over to his closet. Twilight stood in the doorway. He leaned on the closet and sighed.
"Wolf? Are you-"
"I'm sorry Twilight..."
"What?"
"I'm sorry...for everything..."
He paused, inhaled sharply, and continued.
"I'm sorry for everything I've done, and for making you so angry...and for nearly killing him..."
Twilight fought in vain to choke back tears.
"I'm just an old war horse...Uh...no pun intended...I know why I'm like this...but I feel that there's nothing I can do to save myself...and I'm dragging you down with me...I'm sorry..."
Twilight let a single tear drop to the floor. She knew what she was going to do, and it felt right.

Suddenly, his towel dropped.

"Oh shit!"

He chukcled nervously, then ducked quickly and tied the towel back around him. He then started to turn around.
"Sorry about tha-"
He was sent flying back into the closet as Twilight jumped into his arms and locked her hooves (and her lips) around him. She kept a frim grip around him. His initial shock wore off quickly, and he returned Twilight's kiss. Certain that she was secured on him, she used her hind legs (which were wrapped around his waist at the time) to push his towel down to the floor. Her horn glowed, and the door behind them shut and magnetically sealed.

Meanwhile, Ponyville Hospital recovery room 416...

Filthy Rich awoke from twelve days of being unconscious. A calm voice spoke to him.
"Easy...don't strain yourself."
After a few moments coughing, Filthy Rich finally managed to speak to the Unicorn standing over him.
"Who are you?"
"Who I am is not important. What's important is your revenge on the one who sent you here..."
"You mean that freak Wolf?"
"Indeed..." The Unicorn snickered.
"How? I can't defeat him!"
"You can't...But I know someone who can...And all it would take to bring him here is a simple letter..."
"To who?!"
"You know who..."
A sudden jolt pierced through Filthy Rich's head. Suddenly, it became perfectly clear.
"Are you ready?"
Flithy Rich spoke firmly.
"I am."
The Unicorn levitated a quill and a piece of paper and listened carefully as Filthy Rich dictated:

To:
Sir Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard...

End Chapter 34.

Chapter 35: The Promise

The next morning...
Wolf barely slept that night. He woke up in the middle of the night, and just stared at the ceiling till the first morning light crept through the viewport in his quarters. He laid in his bed, Twilight resting on his shoulder, her mane a scattered mess, and a smile on her face. Her breath beat against his neck, sending light chills down his spine. He was wondering if he was doing the right thing...

What the hell are you doing Wolf? Do you really want to risk this again?

He couldn't think about this in here. He needed to get outside. He gently lifted her head off his shoulder, making sure not to wake her up. He replaced his shoulder with a pillow. As he made certain that she was still asleep, he opened the door and walked out. He didn't know that behind him, Twilight had cracked her eye open and was watching him...
As he made sure his voice wouldn't be heard, he ordered to Sam:
"Override lockdown."
"Overriding. All hatches openings."
"Disarm all weapon systems."
"Affirmative. Disarming all weapon systems."
Outside the ship, the wide assortment of cannons disarmed and the loaded shells were removed from their chambers.
He moved quickly through the bowels of the ship, making little to no noise at all. After a few minutes, he finally reached his destination. He opened the hatch and crawled out on the top of the ship. The sun's light immediately met his eyes, causing him to squint. The sun was rising, and it was going to be a beautiful morning. He only wished he had come up under better circumstances. He crossed his arms as he neared the edge of the ship. He gazed off into the sunrise, thinking about what had happened the last times he got this close to someone...

A single gunshot ripped through the air.
"COUGAR!!"

He closed his eyes tightly as he remembered that day that scarred him for life. Another flash came into his battered head...

He dove behind the wall, narrowly avoiding the Spinar fire on it. He landed right next to Panther. They had gotten together on the start of their deployment on this God forsaken rock...
"What's our situation Panther?"
"Cut off, surrounded, and almost out of ammo!"
"SSDD eh?"
"Amen to that..."
He looked back to where he came from.
"GIve me some cover fire, I'm going go grab some ammo!"
"You want it, you got it. Wait for my signal."
Panther looked back at her squad.
"Covering fire on my order!"
She waited for a lull in the Spinar rate of fire.
"Covering fire!"
The entire squad leaned over the wall and opened fire on the scattered Spinar positions. As the rounds were still flying, Panther looked back at him.
"Go go go!"
Wolf listened and ran back. An explosion sent him flying into another wall. He looked back at Panther...and she wasn't there. A pillar of smoke rose from where she once where as scattered body parts and blood rained from the sky.

He sighed as yet another, the most recent flash pierced through his head...

Wolf ran down the corridors of the hallway, side by side with Tiger, her brother, Python, and a pilot they rescued, callsign Migraine. They were conscripted together. They were heading towards the hangar bay. They needed to get off planet, now. Best way to do that was the Invasion Transport in the hangar bay, seeing as how it was the only ship equipped with a Jump Drive. The door was in sight. He moved through it, and the massive transport came in sight. These things were built to carry up to 200 foot soldiers, or up to 8 Cerberus MBT's with an 80 foot soldier escort.
"There she is, let's go Migraine."
"We're not going anywhere unless someone disengages those docking clamps!"
Wolf looked to the direction were Migraine was pointing.
"Alright, we'll take the docking clamp, you just get the ship ready to fly."
"I'm gonna need a copilot, and you're the closest thing I've got."
"Me?"
"Yes you, you're the only one who's trained on some other aircraft."
"Yeah, but not a freaking IT!"
"Doesn't matter, you're the best we've got."
Tiger stepped in.
"I guess we get the clamp then."
Migraine nodded.
"Console's over there. Get down there and disengage those damn things!"
"You got it! Come on bro."
Python followed his sister to the console on the other side of the large hangar. Python's skills with machinery were almost legendary. If anyone could work that console, it was him.
While they were working their way to the console, Wolf and Migraine went up to the bridge of the transport. They primed the engines and prepared to lift off.
"You guys finished down there?"
"Patience is a virtue..."
Migraine looked out the window to see a truly terrifying sight. A full grown Leviathan, climbing up the hangar.
"Not right now it isn't..."
"I'm working as fast as I can Migraine..."
"Work faster..."
A low shriek came from the distance. Tiger walked to the other side of the platform the console was on, her rifle ready to fire.
"Drones..." She whispered.
"Could you hold them off while I finish here sis?"
A burst of gunfire was Python's answer. Followed by another, and another, and yet another. By the time Tiger had finished, about two dozen dead Drones littered the floor.
"Yes!" Python shouted.
A loud clang was heard as the docking clamp disengaged from the ship.
"Good, I'm going down there."
Wolf exited the bridge, despite Migraine's protests.
On the console platform, Python threw his arms out and smiled in an obvious boastful display of his skills.
Tiger just rolled her eyes. Her eyes went wide the next time she looked at her brother. A large stinger was portruding out of his shirt, covered in blood. Python whimpered as his lfe slowly left him. The Wasp ripped Python's corpse from it's stinger, roaring at it's victory. Tiger yelled as she emptied her mag into the Wasp's stomach. It fell over dead after over a dozen rounds into it's stomach. She would have emptied more rounds into it's stomach, but her gun simply clicked empty. She threw it away as tears streamed down here eyes. A voice cracked over her radio as a large number of spiked tentacles emerged behind her.
Wolf stood at the end of the ramp as he watched in horror as the tentacles approached Tiger.
"Tiger what are you doing?"
Tiger didn't move.
"Tiger get out of there."
No response.
"Tiger get out of there now!"
Still no response.
"Tiger! Tiger!"
He inhaled before he yelled into the radio as loud as he could.
"JANE!!!GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!!"
Tiger merely looked up at him as the ship lifted off the ground. Wolf never knew if she felt the Leviathans spiked tentacle crush her under it's weight.
Wolf screamed as he fired his rifle in the direction of the Leviathan.

Wolf looked down and winced as the last, most painful flash ended.
"Wolf?"
He looked back to discover that Twilight had come up as well, and was staring at him.
"Are you okay Wolf?"
He sighed...
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Come back to bed..."
She looked up and stared into his blue eyes.
"...please?"
He couldn't resist that look in her eyes. He willingly went back down with her.

Back in Wolf's quarters...
They laid back down in bed together. Twilight immediately rested her head on Wolf's chest. He just continued to stare at the ceiling. Twilight looked up at him, and gently told him...
"Promise me you'll never leave me."
This was it. The final moment. When he would decide if was going to stay or not. The decision was somewhat hard, but he would tell the one thing he had on his mind when she told him that. Something he heard not two weeks ago...
He leaned over, and genlty whispered into her ear.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly..."
Twilight recognized what he was going to say immediately. She inhaled sharply at this.
"...Stick a cupcake in my eye..."
A simpe 'I promise' would have sufficed for her...But a Pinkie Promise? This was it. He was bound for life. She knew, and he knew it very well. Twilight kissed him as she broke into tears.

2 hours later...Canterlot Royal Guard Barracks...
Shining Armor sat in his office as he was writing his monthly report. He hated doing it, and he also wondered why he had to do it. No one read them anyway. A knock on the door.
"Mail call Captain."
"Come in."
A white stallion entered his office carrying the last letter of the day.
"It's a little late sir. The mail mare that was supposed to deliver it got lost on the way...It's a mess in there. We've got letters adressed to Fillydelphia, Manehatten...Honestly sir, you're lucky you got this."
Shining Armor laughed.
"Thank you. Just set it down on my desk, I'll get to reading it at some point."
"Yes sir."
The stallion left the room. Shining Armor looked around to make sure that no one was watching, and immediately jumped on the letter. He tore it open and started to read...

End Chapter 35.

Chapter 36:

Twilight tossed and turned in her sleep. She reached out her hoof to the right side of the bed, only to find it was empty. She woke up all of a sudden as it registered in her mind that something was missing. As her eyes lazily opened she realized it wasn't something missing, it was someone. She tossed her head up in fright. He was nowhere in sight. Had he left her again? Was she alone in this massive metal machine? Curiosity and fear getting the best of her, she slowly crawled out of bed and left through the open door.

Her hoofsteps echoed through the narrow halls of the ship. Her heartbeat quickened with each step. Some of the lights flickered on and off. Maybe the power systems had ben damaged in the crash. It all gave an eerie feeling to the ship. Something brushed up against her leg. The sound she heard terrified her.
"Meow."
She looked down to the ground to see a black cat purring while brushing up on her. It looked to her and stared at her with it's big green eyes. Twilight sighed as she realised her fears were unfounded. She rubbed the cat a bit on the top of it's head. It purred more intensely in response. She resumed her journey through the bowels of the ship.
As she progressed further and further down the hall, the echoes of her hoofsteps became louder and louder.
Suddenly, they increased in pace. That wasn't her walking. From all around her, the sound of rapid hoofsteps echoed through the halls, even though she was completely still. They all centered behind her, then stopped. Twilight slowly began to turn her head around.
"BOOO!!"
Twilight screamed as she nearly jumped to the ceiling. Nothing was behind her. As she settled back on the ground, cackling laughter could be heard.
"You should have seen the look on your face!" The voice continued it's ecstatic laughter. But no one was there. Twilight realised who it was.
"Sam!"
"I'm sorry..." Sam laughed for a few moments before finishing her sentence.
"I couldn't resist...I'm quite partial to practical jokes...Oh the stories I could tell you..."
"Later...Where'd Wolf go?"
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. He gave me strict ordered not to."
Twilight looked up at the ceiling. Sam paused.
A few moments later, she errupted into laughter.
"Strict orders! Priceless! Oh, I'm gonna die of a heart attack, and I don't even have a heart!"
She laughed for a bit longer, before answering Twilight's question.
"He's in the kitchen."
Twilight smiled.
"Thank you Sam."
"Don't mention it."
Twlight began to walk away.
"Seriously, don't mention it. He'll have my processor on a stick."
As Twilight began to walk away, Sam burst out in a new, louder fit of laughter. She rolled her eyes as she wondered if Sam had gone a bit...crazy...

2 minutes later, Red Dawn kitchen.

Twilight could smell something cooking. The smell was...different, to say the least. As she slowly entered the kitchen the smell of something frying hit her. it was coming from deeper inside the kitchen. From where she was right now, she could see a finely set table, with a bowl of what seemed to be a salad on one side, the other empty. She slowly entered the inner sections of the kitchen. A crackling sound could be heard as she saw him tending something brown on a grill. The smell was definitely coming from that. She came closer. Suddenly, Wolf turned, looking for something. He jumped as he saw Twilight standing right there in front of him.
"Sorry..." Twilight said sheepishly.
"It's alright...Just go sit down and start eating. I'll be with you in a minute..."
"Okay..."
She turned around and began to walk away, but she had to ask.
"What are you cooking?"
His face fell as she asked him that question.
"I'll tell you at the table..."
"Okay."
Twilight turned around and walked out, taking her seat at the table.
Wolf wiped his forehead as he exhaled. He thought he escaped that question...

Twilight was eating her salad slowly, partly because she was waiting for Wolf. For the most part though...pretty much cause it tasted horrible compared to salads she ate elsewhere. It was edible, but it wouldn't be hard to find something better.
Wolf came out of the kitchen with a plate in his hand. He set it down on the table and sat in the chair opposite Twilight. Twilight saw what looked like a sandwich on the plate. It seemed to have lettuce cheese and that brown thing she saw earlier. Wolf picked it up with his hands and took a bite out of it. He seemed to savor it...
"So what were you cooking..."
He swallowed suddenly as his face fell. How would he explain it to her?
"Well?"
"Um..."
Before he could answer, Twilight noticed something drip out of the sandwich and onto the plate. It was a brownish red liquid, obviously coming from the brown thing in the sandwich.
Her eyes went wide as she realised what he was eating. She got up out of her chair, he face turning a bit green. Wolf shook his head.
"Yes...that's what you think it is..."
Twilight had to fight hard to stop herself from throwing up all over the floor. What poor creature was he eating? She had seen his canines, of course, but she assumed that a race advanced enough to conquer the stars would disregard them as a useless tool of the past.
"How can you eat that...that's another living thing!"
"Was, another living thing. Your point being?"
"How can you just eat something that was alive?!"
"You eat plants. They're alive. Ever think about that? You eat just plants. We eat both plants and meat."
She shook her head in disgust. She stared at him with a pleading look. As he finished swallowing the bite he was chewing, he looked at her, and said.
"Oh no, uh-uh. I'll give up the guns, eventually, I'll give up the knives, but I will not, I repeat, NOT give up the occasional burger and or steak. BIG no-no there."
"Fine...Can we get going?"
"As soon as I finish this..."
A few minutes later, outside the Red Dawn.

Midday.
The sun was just beggining to set when they came out together. Birds happily chirping in the air, and all sorts of animals were running around happily, finishing up their dayily routine's and preparing for the night.. He breathed the air in as yet another day in paradise was finishing. The nagging thoughts in the back of his mind about him and Twilight were gone now, just another thing of the past. He had hoped that any problems they might face, Heaven forbid, that they would be that easy to resolve. But one thing remained in his mind, and it was a hell of an issue seeing as he caused it. He turned to Twilight.
"What's the situation with Fluttershy?"
She looked up to him and smiled.
"You were gone for almost two weeks. In that time, Rainbow Dash assembled the crew that rebuilt the Town Hall and built Fluttershy a new cottage, this time closer to the Whitetail Woods, instead of Everfree."
He breathed a sigh of relief as it set in. She wasn't homeless anymore, to thanks to him. He felt like a complete jerk for spending twelve days fixing his ship when he could have helped right one of his wrongs. At least the matter was taken care of...
"So...you okay?" He asked her.
"With what?"
"You know...back in the kitchen..."
Twilight shuddered at the thought.
"It'll take some getting used to..."
Twilight was thinking about some other issues, one that she wanted to solve immediately...
"No more sleeping on the couch for you mister..."
Wolf did a double take as she said that. He needed to make sure he heard what he heard before jumping to conclusions.
"What did you say?"
"I said you're not sleeping on the couch anymore...You're coming up with me..."
She shot him a look that told him more than enough...
"Spike's a heavy sleeper, and sleepovers at the Applejack's, Rarity's, or the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse are common...So we'll have plenty of time...together..."
She bumped him with her flank as she finished her statement.
Wolf pulled the collar of his shirt open as he was thinking if he should run while he still had the chance...

A few minutes later, at the library...
As they were opening the door, Twilight's eye fell to the goden chariot out back...
As they opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of a large white stallion sitting on the floor and talking with Nyx.
"Mom, look, Uncle Shining's here!"
Shining Armor couldn't help but smile at the sight of his sister. He barely managed to get up before Twilight came over and hugged him.
"I missed you BBBFF..." She said as a tear fell from her eye.
"I missed you too Twilie..."
As they broke their embrace, Shining's Armor's piercing gaze fell upon Wolf.
"Hello there..." Wolf spoke.
Shining's behavior changed. He suddenly became more edgy, and alert.
"So you're him..."
"Well, 'him' is more of a general term, my name, is Wolf."
"I know. I've heard of you...What you've done."
"Word travels fast around here."
"Yeah, being in a position as high as mine helps too..."
"And what position would that be?"
Shining Armor shifted a bit.
"Captain. Of The Princesses Royal Guard."
"Hurray for you..."
It was quite clear that they were annoyed by each other's presence. You could cut the tension with a knife. Twilight could see their annoyance.
"Uh, so Wolf, this is my brother, Shining Armor. Shining, this is Wolf."
"Charmed." Wolf said in a sarcastic tone.
"Likewise. Say, you mind giving us a little privacy? I'd like to have a little talk with my sister."
"Sure..." Wolf said as he walked past him, going into the kitchen and closing the door behind him.
"You too Nyx..."
"But..."
"No buts, just go upstairs please..."
"Okay..." Once he was certain that Nyx was upstairs, he turned to Twilight.
"Twilie! What are you thinking?! This...THING is dangerous! You know that! You know what he's done! For Celestia's sake, you've seen what he's done! I want him out of here, fast and I wan you to stay away from him! You hear me?"
Twilight huffed as she walked over to the window.
"Doesn't feel good does it?"
"What?"
"Doesn't feel good when you're own flesh and blood hooks up with somepony without you knowing it does it? Well know you know what I felt like when I found out you were getting married..."
"Twilie, that's different. You know I had responsibilities. And besides, it was somepony that both you and I knew well. This is completely different! I mean, he's from another planet for crying out loud! Who knows what his intentions are?"
He paused for a minute to catch his breath.
"I want you to break it off with him."
"No."
"What?"
"NO. I had no say in who you loved and married, now you have no say in who I love."
"Twilie, I want you to stop this before something happens that we'll both regret."
She turned around to face him.
"Like what?"
"I don't want you going too far with him."
She froze. She knew exactly what he was talking about. Shining Armor noticed how suddenly she stopped moving and how her eyes fell to the floor. He then realised it.
"No..."
He turned around and walked towards the kitchen.
"Where are you going?"
"To end this, right here, right now."
"Shining Armor, what are you going to do?"
"Twilie, whatever you do, do not open this door."
"Why? Shining Armor! Come back here! Shining!"
Twilight's cried were drowned at as he closed the kitchen door behind him, then locked it with a spell. To ensure that no one would get in, he moved the table in front of the door to barricade it. Twilight still yelled and beat on the door from outside. Wolf was on one side of the room, Shining Armor on the other. Wolf spoke up.
"What's wrong with her?"
"None of your business. You stay away from her, you hear me?"
"Listen pal, I've finally found a little bit of hapiness after going through hell. I don't care who you are, but I'm not leaving her."
"And I'm not letting you get close to her."
"Then it seems we have a problem."

Outside the room, Twilight was pacing back and forth. She was nervous. What was going on in there? All of a sudden, she heard yells, and clattering. She heard a few thumps as something fell to the floor and shattered. Grunts followed the shatering glass, as she realised what was going on. Terror filled her heart.
"Stop it! Stop it!" She beat on the door as she desperately screamed from outside.
A loud scream was heard from within, followed by a loud thump. She was absolutely terified now. She began beating on the door as she continued screaming. As her last resort, she teleported inside. What she saw there nearly caused her to fall dead from fear. After she finished screaming at the top of her lungs, she yelled as loud as she can.
"SHINING!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!!"

End Chapter 36

Chapter 37: From Brother to Brother

"Will he be all right?" Twilight asked, hoping for positive reply.
"I've seen him in bad shape before, but not like this..."
Nurse Redheart turned to grab a chest x-ray, which had just been delivered by another nurse.
"Thankfully he gave us the complete rundown of human anatomy. And know we can say for certain what happened to him..."
She placed the x-ray on the screen and began the list of his injuries...
"Fractured ribs...take your pick. Third, fourth, fifth, sixth. All of this on the right side. The left ribs escaped with less damage. Slight fractures to the second and third. His left lung was punctured by the knife Shining Armor used...The same knife barely missed his heart. "
Twilight winced as she remembered the gruesome sight. Wolf lying face down on the floor, knife handle sticking out of his chest, practically floating in a pool of his own blood. Then she remembered her brother, just standing over there, Wolf in front of him, dying, in front of him. Because of him. If there was ever a time when Twilight hated her brother, it was now. How could he be so heartless? Twilight never knew that side of him, and frankly she didn't want to know it. She didn't want to know any of him...
Nurse Redheart grabbed the tip of another x-ray with her mouth, and placed it on the screen. This one was showing his head.
"Blunt force trauma to the back of the skull created by him falling on the counter...Same place where he hit his head before. That just made it worse..."
She paused, then sighed.
"Twilight, I'm not gonna lie to you. I've never, ever, seen a patient in such bad condition. The best definition I can come up with right now is a corpse breathing. We'll do all we can, but I'm still not sure..."
Twilight's lowered her head. An unknown force lifted her chin up. It was Nurse Redhearts hoof.
"But I do know one thing for certain..."
Twilight looked up at her.
"He would have never have made it in time for us to have a chance to save him if you hadn't brought him here when you did."
Twilight smiled a bit. That was reassuring. He had a chance, thanks to her. Hell, he had come through stuff like this before! He always healed quickly, and not to mention the fact that he had the luck of a demon. She was confident that he would pull through. But still, the thought of losing him when she had just found him again...
"Your brother escaped practically unscathed, just some minor bruising."
Twilight didn't even want to hear about her brother right now. Just the mention of the word brother made her want to kick down a door, break a window, etc...
"You can see him...if you want."
"Yes...please..."
"Right this way."
Nurse Redheart held out her hoof to show her which way to go. She guided her through the nearly empty hospital until she came upon a single room that had a certain number on it...
'713'
"He's in here. Call me if you need me."
"Thank you Nurse Redheart..."
Nurse Redheart too her leave, abondoning Twilight outside the door. It seemed massive to her. She cautiously moved her hoof forward and gently turned the knob. The door opened slowly. A loud creak eminated from the slighlty rusty bolts holding it in place. There she saw him. Lying in bed, most of his right side in a cast. The back of his head was also in a cast. Four separate needles inserted in his right arm, his left chest segment, his leg and the right side of his head, giving him much needed fluids. She walked over to him, tears falling from her eyes. As soon as she reached the bed, she rested her head on his stomach, tears still flowing freely.
"Please don't leave me..."
He didn't respond. His EKG continued to beep every second or so. Other than that, there was no sound in the room.
"You can't leave me...You Pinkie Promised..."
Amidst the sound of her crying and Wolf's EKG, she didn't hear Shining Armor come in the doorway. The sight of his sister crying over Wolf's seemingly lifeless body was almost too much to bear. He didn't like it very much, but he knew he had to protect his sister, even if it means hurting her that much. Twilight got up and turned around, then walked out the doorway, ignoring Shining Armor.
"Twilie..."
All he received in response was a good hard smack to his cheek from Twilight's hoof. He immediately felt it going red. The shock wore off quickly, and he looked to his sister, dumbstruck.
"Don't you ever talk to me again. I don't want to see your face, I don't want to hear you voice, I don't even want to hear your name. Just go away and leave me alone."
And with that, she left the large white (with the exception of his beet red cheek) stallion alone in the hallway.

In the wee hours of the morning...

Shining Armor knew what had to be done, even if it meant losing his sister forever. He had to protect her. Protect her from that...THING, that fell from the sky. He crept through the empty hallways of the hospital, nimbly dodging the occasional night guard. After a few minutes, he reached the room he was looking for.
'713'
He slowly pushed open the door and entered. There he was, clear as day, lying in his bed. It was the perfect time to strike, when he was so vulnerable. He hesitated though. It was one thing to hurt somepony, or in this case someone. But to actually kill that someone? It would require some preparation. He turned to make sure nopony was coming. He closed the door.
"Come to finish the job, eh?"
He gasped as he realised his target was awake. Things just got a lot harder. He didn't answer.
"I understand why you're doing this you know..."
Shining Armor turned to face him.
"How? How can you understand?"
"Because I'm a big brother too. Just like you."
Both of them paused. Wolf sighed.
"You have to watch your sister fall in love. That's nothing."
"Like hell."
"I had to watch my sisters die."
Shining Armor tensed up. To him, the words 'die' and 'sister' didn't even belong in the same sentence.
"As a brother, you had a duty to protect them. A duty you failed. That tells me that you'll fail to protect my sister."
He paused.
"And the fact that you're here today instead of having died with your sisters tells me that you'll run."
"Don't you pretend to know what happened! You want to find out why I'm still here today? Fine!"

This was in September, 2663. It was my turn to get some R&R. I chose my destination carefully. Pollux. I chose it specifically because of one thing. My sisters. You see, they were having a school trip there. The whole war aside, this was the golden age of human society. It was completely safe to go out at night. It was safe enough for schools to organise trips to planets in completely different solar systems. While I was a few days into my leave, they arrived. I stayed with them for a couple of days. Then came September 23rd...That damn day that's still burned into my head...The school was taking the children to some museum. I wanted to spend some time with my sisters, alone, without anyone to bother us. No school, no parents, no officers, nothing to ruin our day of fun. I asked the principal if I could take them out for a walk or something. He let me do it. He knew they would be safe with me. So I went out to talk to them. I only got through to one of them though. Chloe. They were twins, but they were different. Chloe was more of a free spirit. She'd much rather go out for a walk then sit in some boring museum for a few hours. Cassandra was the exact opposite. They disagreed on a lot. But when they had a common goal in sight, they were unstoppable. Cassandra wanted to see the museum, so I took Chloe out for a walk in the park. It was a long way from the hotel though. So I decided to drive there, then walk through the park, maybe get some ice cream, just a day in the park with my sister. She was talking to me while I was driving. An Armored Minotaur...While she was talking though...
A loud boom shook from the sky shook the ground. I looked up from the windshield to see something that still haunts my nightmares. A Spinar Assault Cruiser. I could not tear my gaze away from it. I ignored the screams from outside. I just stared at it. When it started to open fire, I probably would have just continued to stare at it, if Chloe wasn't screaming at me. Instinct finally kicking in, I just drove through the road, avoiding Spinar fire and the debris from the skyscrapers that were destroyed first. We were outside a small square on a narrow road when a shot from the Cruiser sent the Minotaur flying in the air. We crashed in a corner. My leg was cut up a bit. I kicked the door open and grabbed the M-72 from a compartment in the dashboard. I opened Chloes door in the backseat. She was fine, save for a few cuts on her hands and face. I gave her the rifle, and yelled at her.
"Take this and stay down!" I screamed.
A sharp pain in my left shoulder, followed by a tremendous force. It knocked me square on my ass. I pulled my sidearm out and took aim at the Drone that was standing on top of a small pile of debris. First shot, left shoulder. Second shot, right shoulder. Third shot, head. It fell dead to the ground. The pain finally catching up to me, I screamed in agony. Chloe got out of the Minotaur. She fired the rifle into the direction of the oncoming bugs. I was just screaming at her to get out of there, but...Chloe was stubborn to a fault. She...She said she wouldn't leave me. I still screamed for her to get out of here, fearing she might get shot, or worse. To my horror, that's just what happened. Three shots. Three spikes in her right shoulder, in a line going down to her chest. She fell to the ground next to me. She was alive, barely. I fired my pistol at them until the gun clicked empty. I knew we were going to die there.
All of a sudden, the roar of an engine, followed by the squealing of brakes. A few men in pitch black combat gear rushed towards the pile of debris and took cover.
"Alien target!" One of them yelled.
"Light 'em up!" Another shouted.
Two of them got up and began firing. One of them got shot immediately, and fell dead to the ground. Another man came in his place.
"Take 'em down!"
"There's too many!"
They just continued to shoot untl another man came up, holding a grenade launcher.
"Frag 'em!" One of them yelled.
The man pulled the trigger and an explosion followed. No more bugs. They were gone.
"Area secure!"
One of them, the leader, pointed at me.
"Get him up!"
One of his troops lifted me up, while another examined Chloe. She was alive, barely. A helicopter landed in the square. They took me to it. It had an insignia on it I recognised. They were Shadow Element. A 'non-existent' branch of the military under the direct control of the High Generals. They were the best of the best, the elite. And they had top notch military hardware. They put me in the helicopter. The leader hopped in.
"Get in here Corporal." He told to the man examining my sister.
"Sir, she's still alive!" He replied.
"Our orders are to extract Wolf, not some snot nosed little girl! Get in here, or stay behind."
The Corporal jumped in of course. Chloe reached out to me, calling to me. I think she was screaming my name...But the chopper blades drowned it out.
"No. No...No no no!" I screamed. They were leaving her behind. As the chopper lifted off, I could still see her, reaching for me...calling me. I leaned out of the helicopter and tried to jump down from about fifty meters in the air. One of the men pulled me back in. The last thing I remember was the butt of an M-72 meeting me square in the face...

Wolf paused, and inhaled sharply. Shining Armor was almost whimpering.
"When we took back that God-forsaken square a few days later...All that was left of my sister...Were the parts the dogs and the crows didn't like."
Shining Armor gasped. How could anyone be so cruel? Wolf began again, staring right into Shining's eyes.
"You think that's the end? Oh how I wish it was. But no...there's more..."

Two weeks after Chloe had died, and Cassandra was still missing. I barely slept at night, wondering if she was okay. At that time, I had also learned that the Spinar's greatest warrior, the SuperWasp, as he was dubbed, was on planet and was hunting me. Apparently I was becoming quite the thorn in the bug's side. Anyway, I was assigned perimeter detail in Saronus Square, with Eagle. Eagle was the best sniper I'd ever seen. He could take a bug's head off at two thousand yards. Anyway, Saronus Square was huge. We controlled one side, and the bugs controlled the other. We had set up some 24 mm HMG's to try and hold off the bugs. The barricade was secure, things had been quiet for the past few days.
I was taking a snooze, when Eagle woke me up, two cups of hot coffee in his hands. He passed one to me.
"Cheers." He said. I replied. The coffee tasted terrible, but it was better than nothing.
"Things have been queit round here eh Wolf? Too quiet for my tastes..."
"Yeah...sure..." I got up. I looked towards the other side of the square. I took a closer look at a light post close to the middle of the square. I saw something there, and it terrified me
"What?" Eagle asked me.
I needed a closer look. I ran back and grabbed Eagle's sniper rifle. I looked into the scope and focused at the light post. I screamed as I saw Cassandras mutilated corpse dangling from that lightpost. I dropped the rifle and went back further into the perimeter. Eagle picked up his rifle and saw it too. He gasped when it registered who it was.
"No, no Wolf don't!"
He saw me grabbing as many explosives as I could while whimpering.
"Wolf's its a trap!" He yelled at me.
"I don't care!" I screamed back.
He tackled me to the ground.
"It's what they want! They want you to come out and kill you!" he screamed at me.
"Get off me!"
"It's what they want!"
I punched him. Hard. I think I broke his nose. He came off of me immediately. I jumped up, and ripped off one of the 24 mil's from it's stand. I ran into the middle of the square, peppering the bug side with bullets.
"I'M OVER HERE!!!"
Unarmed Drones started to pour out of their territory, and tried to storm me.
"COME ON YOU SON'S OF BITCHES!!! COME OOOOON!!!

Wolf was whimpering. He wiped away his tears.
"I killed every single one of them. Not one was left standing. The High Generals gave me three days off to spend with what was left of my family. Bullshit. They wanted me to be there at my sister's funeral. They knew that when I was pissed at the bugs, I'd fight them even harder. So they wanted me as pissed as possible when I went back to the front."
Wolf swallowed after inhaling sharply.
"You try explaining to your mother and father why they're burying a pile of random bones and a bruised, cut up corpse. You try looking them in the eye when you tell them what happened."
Shining Armor was a mess. He had fallen to the floor. His breathing was irregular. He was very disturbed.
"So go ahead," Wolf continued.
"Do what you came here to do, finish what you started and spare me the pain of living each day."
Shining Armor just got up and ran out of the room and made a bee-line for the bathroom.
"Damn you Shining Armor! Go to hell!"
He ingored Wolf's screams and threw up in the bathrooms. He would be in there for a long time...

End Chapter 37.

Chapter 38: Breaking free

A few hours later...

He lay in his bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. Every little detail, he noticed. A mosquito buzzed through the air. Bugs. Unlike many people, he didn't hate those kind of bugs. They were just doing what they were meant to do. No, he only hated the alien kind. The kind that killed his. Killed...more like completely obliterated. Everyone, everything remotely human. Millions of years of evolution went down the drain in less than a quarter of a century. Thousands of years of civilization, gone. Everything mankind had worked so hard for...Completely destroyed. He wondered what was the point then. What was the point of creating anything if it would be destroyed sooner or later? He shook his head. He was never one for philosophy. His take on life was simple.
"Live it while you've still got it." He said slowly, remembering his own words from just a year or so back. He remembered the first time he said those words. R&R with some of the guys.

April 24th, 2664, 0237 hours.
They had left the area designated by their superiors. It was a risky move. But they knew they had earned it. The four of them slowly crept through the forest, nimbly avoiding the searchlights from airborne patrols. They knew the standard search procedure, and that placed them one step ahead of them. They would search an area for awhile and move on. And so they did. Once they were sure that they were clear, they climbed up the hill they had chosen before they left the compound. They had planned this three days in advance. Wolf, Eagle, Python and Tiger. Tiger didn't die until a few months later. When she was alive, she was funny, smart, playful...

These memories were the only good that had come out of the whole ordeal. He laughed as he remembered another scene, taking place just a week before they enacted their plan and began their little trip...

Wolf walked into the showers, towel resting on his shoulder. The steam hit him immediately. The heat was intense, he hadn't been in there for two seconds and he was already sweating. Greetings towards him immediately filled the air. His most recent achivement was a big one.
"Congrats on breaking thirty thousand man! Your face is plastered on all the major news nets!"
"It always is..." He nodded to Kestrel.
A familiar voice rang in the air.
"They can't help it. Since he has SUCH a pretty face." Tiger smiled as everyone else laughed at her joke. They usually never meant these petty insults. Just another way to relieve some stress..
"Can it Tiger, I'm not in the mood for this shit..."
"Ooh...feisty today. They give you the wrong dogfood or something?"
He threw his towel to the ground. The laughing stopped immediately.
"Tiger, I really don't want to do this right now..."
She backed off. She knew he wasn't in a good mood.
"Okay okay, lighten up a little! We're not in battle here! Sheesh..."
He sighed as he realised she was right. He could take out his frustrations on the bugs next time he met them in battle. Which would be sometime soon...
He looked back to Tiger, mustering his courage to apologise. He caught her right as she was removing her shirt. He smiled as a thought registered in his head. She did tell him to lighten up...
He howled loud enough for her to hear him over the running water. She looked back at him and gave him a sly smile.
"Aw shut up..."
After finishing her reply to his cat err...wolf (?) call, she walked into the shower she had claimed for herself. Wolf chuckled as he removed his shirt in turn. Before he managed to walk in, he heard a low growl from a certain shower stall... He looked back at Tiger to see her leaning over the door, staring at him with her eyes half closed in a seductive manner, purring like a kitten. Much to her dissapointment, he removed his pants after the door was closed behind him...

He laughed as he remembered the good times they had together. That was definitely the most memorable. That and the conversation that followed.

"I don't get it," Kestrel said.
"Here we go again..." Wolf interrupted.
Kestrel ignored him and continued.
"Why was it called the DEMIGOD project when they named us after animals? Why not something like Achilles, or Perseus or something like that?"
As he was scrubbing his back, Wolf replied.
"Two reasons:
One, there aren't enough demigods to name us all after, and two, you're only saying that because they wanted to name you after the size of your genitals, isn't that right, Mouse?"
The entire shower room errupted in laughter as Kestrels darkest secret was finally revealed. He stared at Wolf with a look that could kill.
"Thank you Wolf..."
"You're welcome..."He shot back, smiling at him.
"Mouse."
If everyone else in the room wasn't laughing before, they sure were now. Their laughter was interrupted by an alarm blaring throughout the base. Wolf could hear the helicopters lifting off.
"I'd hate to cut this short people, but duty calls..."

His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. He turned his head to look who it was. He scoffed as he saw who it was. Shining Armor was even more pale than usual. His eyes were glazed over and he wobbled when he walked. He was in bad shape.
"Coward..." He thought to himself.
Shining Armor walked over to him, nearly falling over.
"I...I'd like to say I'm sorry...:"
"Apology accepted. By me at least."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I accepted because I fully understand and would have done the same in your position. She, will be a lot harder..."
He nodded behind Shining Armor.
"She?"
He turned around to be met with the sight of Twilight standing in the doorway.
"What do you want here?"
"Twilie...I..."
Twilight scoffed.
"Forget it. Get out of my way..."
She pushed past her dumbstruck brother. He offered no resistance. She stood over him, tearing up as she realised he'd be all right.
"Ouch...It's gonna take awhile before those two make up..."Wolf thought to himself. Unbeknownst to him though, his thoughts were anything but private...

Deep within Everfree Forest...

A lone Unicorn chuckled as he considered the oportunity he had here. He just needed something to seize it...Then he realised he had the perfect tool for the job. Slowly he began to invade his mind.

Back at the hospital...
"How are you feeling?"
He brought a hand to his head
"I've been better, that's for sure..."
He saw his answer didn't satisfy her.
"I'm fine, really."
"Are you sure? Maybe it's just the drugs, maybe you just can't feel it! Or maybe you're just saying you're all right just to-"
She was interrupted by Wolf's hand on her mouth.
"It's okay Twilight. I'm fine. Really."
She sighed.
"You scared me to death."
"C'mon. You know me. You know I pull through. And I think that by now you should know that I'm very hard to kill."
"That's for sure..." Shining Armor commented.
Twilight turned around and nearly killed him as their eyes locked. He shut up instictively. Twilight turned back to Wolf.
"Ignore him..."
She leaned down to him, intent on receiving something she needed from him... He knew exactly what she wanted. He closed his eyes. A voice echoed through his head.
"I have you know." The pain that followed nearly knocked him unconscious.

Twilight had her eyes open and saw him wincing. She was worried she had hurt him. His eyes shot open and she noticed the difference. His eyes were blue. Now, they were completely yellow. She had seen something like this before... Before she realised what was going on, she felt his hand wrap around her throat. He was trying to choke her. He got up out of the bed, yellow eyes glistening in the light. Shining Armor sprang into action and reared up, trying to hit Wolf with his forehooves.. He was too slow though. Wolf dropped Twilight and grabbed Shining Armors left hoof and slammed his fist in his face. He flew backwards into the wall.
"Wolf! Stop it!" Twilight screamed at him.
"Fight it!"
He tried to punch her in the face, but she dodged just in time. Her horn glowed a bright purple and locked him in a magic bubble of sorts. She gradually decreased the diameter of the bubble in order to restrict his movements. It seemed to be working. His arm swung out and shattered the sphere. Twilight was sent flying backwards. He quickly pulled the tubes out his arm, the others following. He grabbed a scalpel off a nearby metal tray and slowly walked towards Twilight. He smiled at her whimpering. As he was halfway there, a yell echoed through the room as Shining Armor crashed into him with his full weight. They both crashed into the bed, grunting and deperately trying to get a shot at each other. Wolf had the advantage. He threw him off of him and jumped out of the bed. The door flung open and three security guards appeared in the doorway. With a quick motion of his hand, he sent them back flying into the hallway, the door slamming and locking behind them. Wolf brought both his hands to his head and screamed in pain as he fell to the floor. His left eye had returned to normal. Tears streamed from it freely as the other, still yellow looked around annoyed. In a deep voice, he yelled:
"ENOUGH!!"
His blue eye turned yellow as he got up again. He looked around and saw the familiar sight of a gun handle. He pulled it out of the holster and walked over to Twilight. His eyes were blue again, but he continued to move towards her, much slower. As he positioned himself over her, his arm slowly came up, grasping the gun. He whimpered.
"S-..St-Stop-Stop me..."
His gun slowly rose up towards her face. His finger positioned itself over the trigger. He fought it with every ounce of strength he had left. But he was failing.

He heard laughing in his head as an image popped into his head. A Unicorn laughing. He realised that it had let his guard down. He knew that he would fail, but he had an opening here. He had to take it. And so he did.

Everfree...

The Unicorn screamed as a sudden wave of pain overtook his head. He fought it, but he failed...

The Unicorn was alone in a large forest. The trees towered above him as bats flew overhead. The only light was the full moon. He looked around nervously. A howl in the distance. Followe by another one, and another...Soon the howling had formed a chorus and was sending chills down his spine. He looked towards a bush to see a pair of yellow eyes staring at him. He looked around more. Every bush in sight was inhabited by the eyes. The howling resumed, much louder this time. Wolves jumped out of the bushes, their yellow eyes locked on him, snarling and gnashing their teeth at him. His heartbeat increased rapidly as his instincts told him to do one thing.
Run.
He tried, but he failed. They had surrounded him in a small clearing and were circling him. They lunged at him and each grabbed one of his hooves with their teeth. They sliced through the skin and the powerful muscles, causing him to nearly black out from the pain. They held him in place and suspended him in the air, stomach exposed. The forest faded away, replaced by a wall of black, the light illuminating him and his canine captors simply being absorbed by the wall of darkness. A figure began to emerge from it. It was Wolf. Wolf looked at him and snarled himself. He fell to his knees as his armor fell away in pieces, pushed away from the fur growing within. His arms slowly transformed into paws. His face transformed as well. When it was all finished, he had been transformed completely into a wolf. Only say, three times larger than the other ones. He positioned himself over the Unicorn, his snout meeting his muzzle. He snarled as he showed it his large, white, razor sharp teeth. The Unicorn whimpered as he went lower and lower, nearing his exposed stomach. He looked up into the Unicorn's eyes for one last time and growled, before ripping into it's exposed stomach.
It's screams of agony echoed around him...

Lieutenant Darkmane rushed towards his screaming master.
"My Lord! Αre you alright?!"
The Unicorn inhaled as he snapped out of his trance. He calmed down as he realised he was alright.
"What happened my Lord?"
"He has...broken my hold on him. He is free once more..."

Ponyville Hospital...
As Wolf finally beat back the invader, his exhaustion caught up to him. He looked down to his body. He was bleeding, badly...He leaned towards his right, before falling over unconscious. The last thing he heard was Twilight screaming for him...

Chapter 39: Recap/The Ritual

Wolf slowly opened his eyes with a groan. With every little pull of the muscles in his eyelids, another wave of pain tore through his head. After much effort to keep them open, he started a new task. As the blur in his vision started to clear up, Wolf tried to lift himself up. He made it a few inches above the matress he was laying on. His arms began to shake before he finally fell back to the bed. Wolf groaned as his back fell upon the soft matress. He was sore all over. He could barely move at all. But Wolf was too proud and too stubborn to let his own weight defeat him. He pushed off the bed with renewed vigor. He winced as his back slowly lifted off the bed into the air. As he finally reached a position where he wouldn't just fall back again, he stopped straining his arms and exhaled, exhausted by the whole ordeal. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't over. As he made it up out of the bed, the new images sent by his eyes into his brain was too much for it in its weakened state. A severe headache was the result. The voice he heard only made it much. MUCH worse...
"You're up!"
Wolf waved his arm at the direction of the voice, before it finally fell back to the bed, too tired to continue. Unfortunately, the sudden pull of the arm brought him falling back to the bed. Wolf sighed. As the ringing in his ears stopped, he replied to the voice. He knew it was Twilight.
"Not so loud...please..." He whispered.
"What was that?" She asked in response, just as loud.
As the bells in his ears were ringing like there was no tommorow, he managed to blurt out:
"Not so loud!"
Twilight took a step back as Wolf finished his very loud sentence.
"Sorry..." She whispered.
As she was thinking about this whole ordeal, she had an idea that would make the whole thing easier. Her horn glowed as a bolt of white light shot out of it and was heading for Wolf's head. In that state, he couldn't get out of the way. Wolf closed his eyes as the bolt hit his head. He opened them back up immediately, feeling much better. He was actually feeling strong enough to get up out of the bed. His head still hurt though, just not as much as before. He wobbled a bit before finally regaining his balance.
"I feel like a mountain fell on me..."
"Mind control can have that effect..."
"Great...How long was I out?"
"Two weeks."
"Eh...I've had worse."
Twilight wanted to ask, but she realised that she really didn't want to know.
Wolf walked out of the room. Twilight forgot to mention something.
"Watch out for the-"
A series of loud thuds and cries of pain stopped her. She poked her head out of the door to see Wolf lying on the floor below her, dazed by the multiple impacts.
"-stairs..."
Wolf picked himself up slowly. He then dusted himself off.
"I'm okay..."
Twilight merely shook her head. She watched as he made his way into the kitchen and practically fell on a chair. Then something in her head clicked. She dreaded it and knew that it would come. And this was the worst possible time. There was no point in trying to control herself, she knew she would fail.

Wolf had just sat down on the chair when Twilight appeared right next to him, just like Pinkie Pie had done to him a couple of times. He looked at her face and nearly died of fright. Her eyes were wide open, her right twitching along with her ear.
Her voice uttering those two simple words nearly gave him a heart attack.
"Hi Wolf..."
He gulped as her ear twitched again. He barely managed to utter a response.
"Hi..."
He felt that she was staring right through him. He couldn't break free. He suddenly felt very vulnerable. He had seen this kind of behavior before and was terrified it would happen again. Twilight's horn glowed. His heart nearly gave out as a drawer in the kitchen slowly opened and saw the distinct purple aura of her magic peeked from the top of the drawer. He could only gasp as she levitated out a...

Pencil and notepad?

Wolf breathed a sigh of relief when he realised that she was just going through one of her 'interrogation' phases.
When she started plying him with questions, he realised that maybe his initial thought wasn't so bad after all...
He answered nearly all of them with 'I don't know, ask Sam.' But one he knew very well.
"How did the war begin?"
He sighed as he recollected the information he knew was buried in his head somewhere. But to reach that particular answer, he had to tell a much bigger story.
"By the dawn of the twenty-fourth century, we had already colonised our entire solar system. Every planet, every moon was colonised. But we still sent out probes to look for more colonisable planets. Everything changed when two men, Drs. Maxwell Whittenstein and and William Carson, two scientists working on deep space probes made humanity's crown achievement by mistake."
"I'm not sure this is the answer I was looking for..."
"Just bear with me Twi."
"By mistake, you said?"
"Yeah, some flaw with the fusion engines caused it to vanish before their eyes. It nearly exploded. Anyway, they assumed it was lost."
He leaned in closer to Twilight, who had sat down on a chair next to him.
"But, three months after the probe dissapeared, they found something."
"What did they find?"
"The probes locator beacon. It was transmitting from nearly three-thousand light-years away. They realised that they had just discovered faster-than-light travel. Research contunued. After three years of research, experiments and some other crap, they finally mounted the first Jump Drive on a ship."
"Why was it called the Jump Drive? And what exactly does it do?"
Wolf thought for a moment.
"For lack of a better name. About what it does...I don't know the physics behind this stuff, but basically? It tears a hole through regular space-time and sends the ship with the drive through Jump Space, where travel is much faster."
"But how does this have anything to do with how the war with the Spinar started?"
Wolf sighed. He had spent much of his time analysing that very question. The answer wasn't proven, but the evidence was overwhelming.
"In the late twenty-fifth century, mankind had colonised hundreds of worlds. Jump technology was getting better and better, and more probes were being sent into deep space. But something happened to one of them. Probe L-742. It was sent to a system that was designated L-742. That's how they named probes, by the systems they'd visit. Anyway, upon arrival, the probe sent a signal for a few minutes...then vanished, without a trace."
He shuddered at the continuation.
"And it was confirmed by recon ships sent only two years ago that..."
His breathing became irregular as he struggled to utter the words he wanted to say.
"System L-742 is home to the largest Spinar population that's ever been seen. Hundreds of ships patrolled it."
He gulped. He didn't want to finish, but he had to.
"And after...analysing a few captured Spinar ships...It was confirmed that...Their Jump technology is almost identical with our own."
Twilight gasped as she realised what he meant. Humanity's greatest achievement became their downfall. More questions lingered in her head.
"Why did they use children in the program to turn you into soldiers? Couldn't they use adult subjects?"
"No. Adult test subjects were already used. They either died or were severely crippled. The augmentations had to be received at a young age so that the body could grow into them."
"But couldn't they wait until you reached adulthood to deploy you?"
"Yes. But something happened that showed the High Command that they couldn't wait to deploy us. Our training was cut in half."
"What happened?"
"A Spinar Assault Cruiser breached the Earth's Lunar Perimeter. The fact that it even made it into our home system was scary enough, but getting that close to our homeworld? After we won there, we abandoned nearly three dozen systems to regroup our forces. By the time I entered the war, from a few hundred colonised systems, we had dropped to sixty-four. What I told you before, the hundred-twenty four billion dead? That was only in seven years of fighting. The war lasted twenty-four years. In total? Nearly two hundred-and fifty billion humans were slaughtered."
Twilight nearly fainted. She wanted to stop, but couldn't resist one last question.
"What was the training like?"
"In total it lasted four years. One was devoted to surgeries and implants. The second to psychological psychological training. The third and fourth was four months of vehicle training. Two months on a Cerberus Main Battle Tank, and another two on a Minotaur Light Recon Vehicle. Add another eight months of aircraft training. Two on a Harpy Gunship, Two on a Guardian Angel Helicopter, another two on a Thunderbird Fighter/Bomber and the last two on a Phoenix Space Superiority Fighter."
"And the other year?"
"Just regular combat training. Hand-to-hand, firearms, that kind of stuff."
Twilight was satisfied by the information received. She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She smiled warmly at him.
"Thank you. I know it must have been hard to tell me all those things."
"You know, they'd probably have me shot if they knew I told you all this..."
"Who would?"
"High Generals. Some of the stuff I told you was classified. Real hush-hush."
He looked straight into her eyes and smiled.
"But you're worth the risk."
Twilight couldn't resist the urge to kiss him. They locked lips together in the kitchen, as the sun's light began to fade away...

Many hours later...
The night above the dark Everfree Forest was stunningly beautiful. The full moon shone brightly, bathing Equestria in it's light. On top of a large boulder, a Unicorn wearing a cloak over it stared into the sky above.
"Such beauty..." He muttered.
"I believe it to be highly appropriate for our Queen to be reborn on a night such as this..."
As he started to descend from the boulder, he said one final sentence.
"Soon, the night's beauty will last forever..."

At the bottom of the boulder, three more cloaked ponies waited for him. Another Unicorn, a Pegasus, and an Earth Pony.
"Report, my Lieutenants."
The Pegasus took a step forward, intent on speaking first. He was interrupted by the other Unicorn. Her very tone of voice was taunting him.
"My Lord, Celestia's defeat at the hoof of the Changeling Queen was the turning point we hoped it would be. Thousands realised her weakness and joined our ranks."
"Excellent."
The Pegasus spoke next, making sure he wouldn't be interrupted.
"Lord Night, the Griffons have agreed to aid us. They will strike when we instruct them to."
"This is marvelous news Darkmane. Soon Equestria will be ours..."
The Earth Pony stepped forward and bowed.
"My Lord, I have gathered all that is neccescary."
"Good...She has waited too long..."
All four of them moved into a nearby clearing. Four pillars were placed in the corners of the clearing while a large circle with complex patterns was drawn in the dirt between them. Six more Unicorns emerged from the shadows.
"Welcome, Elders. It is time." Lord Night spoke. His horn glowed as a small bottle with a red fluid within levitated from a pocket on his cloak. Their horns glowed as the lines in the dirt the circle was composed of began to glow red. The clear sky began to cloud up as the wind intesified.
"Her two defeats at the hooves of Harmony shall only delay her rise!"
The bottle was placed in the center of the circle. The outline of it was now completely red, and now the lines inside it were beginning to glow red.
"And she shall rise again from her own blood!"
Lightning began to flash in the cloudy sky above as the red glow had reached the bottle in the center. It lifted in the air and hovered ten feet off the ground.
"Oh, Nightmare Moon, Godess of the night, Queen of Darkness, one more, you shall rise!!!"
A bolt of lightning struck the bottle in the center of the circle and it exploded in a cloud of smoke. As it cleared, the red fluid had multiplied many times and was taking form. A set of hooves appeared first, followed by the rest of the body and a pair of wings, ending with a horn. The ritual was complete. In the center of the now worn circle, a jet black Alicorn filly lay on the ground whimpering. Lord Night approached her. The filly looked up to him.
"Who are you? Where am I..." She paused.
"Who am I?"
"Calm yourself child...I will show you who you are..."
Lord Night only smiled as the plan was set in motion...

End Chapter 39.

Chapter 40: We're going to the Gala!

47 days later, Sweet Apple Acres.

Wolf rushed his target, intent on giving it everything he had. As the adrenaline flooded his veins, he increased his speed. When Wolf got close enough, he jumped into the air. He rotated 360 degrees and extended his leg. He gave out a massive war cry as his kick landed exactly where he wanted it to. With his other leg, he kicked off his target and landed on his hands four feet away. Wolf quickly repulsed off the ground, landing on his feet another two feet away. Wolf raised his head to see the results of his furious attack. He smiled at the results.
"Perfect..."

The apples flew free from the tree Wolf kicked, filling the baskets resting on it's roots. One however, didn't intend to end up like it's brethren. It hit the rim of the basket, falling out. It bounced off the roots of it's former home and flew away from it, intent on escaping. The apple bounced off the ground a few times, it's bright red peel deflecting the impacts with the ground. Newton's first law of motion however, would put a stop to it's attempt. It rolled another foot, before finally stopping.

Wolf eyed the defiant little fruit. A slight rumble from his stomach dictated his next action. He picked it up and took a bite out of it. It's sweet flavor was enough to cause him to close his eyes and give off a slight moan. He opened his eyes again and was greeted by the sight of Big Mac climbing up a hill in the distance, dragging a cart behind him. Wolf looked behind him, to see that the part of the orchard he was assigned to harvest was picked clean, thanks to him. Seeing as how he was done with his work, an idea popped into his head. He rushed a couple more bites, then threw the core to the ground. It wasn't a big deal. He knew it would make good fertilizer for the nearby trees.

Big Macintosh just made it up to the top of the hill. Normally he'd drag the cart with ease, but the fairly steep hill made it harder. He took a few quick breaths. A rustle in the bushes nearby caught his attention. He thought it was just the wind, but another, more intense rustle proved him wrong. He unhitched the cart from his back and moved towards the bush slowly. It continued to rustle as he moved closer. Big Mac towered above the small bush. One final rustle, and an apple core rolled out. The voice following it made his blood run cold.
"Boo."

A loud yell caused Big Mac to snap out of it, but it was too late. A huge figure jumped out of the bushes and tackled him to the ground. Both him and the unknown figure rolled three times, before it jumped away. Big Mac quickly got on his hooves again, trying to find his attacker. A fit of cackling laughter made it all too easy. He looked to his right and there was Wolf, on the ground and rolling laughing.
"You should have seen the look on your face! Priceless!"
Big Macintosh was silent, as usual. He wasn't very happy at the moment, but while Wolf was still on the ground laughing, a golden opportunity to get back at him presented itself. One he would exploit immediately.

Wolf's laughter was abruptly silenced as Big Macintosh sat on him. After his slight coughing fit was over, Wolf looked up to Big Mac. A massive smile was plastered on his face as he closed his eyes and looked up into the sky. A few minutes passed, and with Wolf's pride already cracked by his failed attempts to lift Big Mac off him, he finally made the decision that would shatter it, possibly forever.
"Uncle! Uncle!"
His revenge exacted, Big Macintosh lifted himself up off of Wolf, leaving him to gasp for air.
"You've been eating too much..."
Big Mac simply walked away, nose still high in the air, smile still on his face.
"So what do I do now?" Wolf yelled to him.
"Go home. We're done for the day."
"Already?!"
"Eeyup."
Seeing as how he had nothing more to do, Wolf began the walk back to the library.

The wind blew through Sweet Apple Acres, causing the leaves to errupt in a beautiful sound that would rival the greatest orchestras Equestria had to offer. The air was infused with the sweet, pleasing scent of apples. There was no rush, so Wolf decided to take it slow through the orchards, enjoying everything they had to offer. Acquiring a job here was a dream come true for him, although actually getting it was a bit hard, considering how stubborn Applejack was on the subject of his wages...

Two weeks earlier...
"WHAT am I going to do with that much money Applejack?!" Wolf yelled at her.
"Ah don't know, and Ah don't care. You're getting your fair share, and that's final!"

Wolf didn't care a bit about the money he would receive, as long as it was enough to cover his basic needs. No, he only wanted a job to keep himself occupied. And honestly, beating the crap out of trees was a perfect way to vent. It took him a few hours, but he finally managed to talk Applejack down.

It was one of the toughest things he had ever done, but he managed.

Wolf looked around. How did he get back to the library so fast?! He couldn't have walked that fast...could he? Dismissing the fact that he got there a lot faster than he wanted to, he opened the door.

"WOLF! GET READY!!!"
The voice sent him jumping into the ceiling. After the initial shock wore off, he asked.
"What?"
"GET READY!"
Twilight zoomed back and forth between the library with speed that rivaled Pinkie Pie. He had no idea what she was doing.
"For what?"
Twilight stopped in front of him, and told him.
"The Grand Galloping Gala!"
And with a flash, she was gone again.
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
Without any warning, she presented herself in front of him again, her mane a frantic mess.
"Only the biggest social event in Equestria! All the high class society, even the Princess will be there, and she sent us invitations!"
As soon as he heard the words 'high class society', a little part of him died on the inside.
"Oh no...not another big old party filled with rich snobs...I've had enough of those for a lifetime..."
"And we're all going!"
"Do I have to?"
Twilight stopped in front of him, and shot him a look that scared the living daylight out of him.
"Okay, okay!"
"We're leaving in an hour and a half! If you're not ready by then...Oh you'll be in trouble..."
Wolf got the message and walked right back out the door, heading to the Red Dawn in order to get ready for the occasion...

One hour and twenty minutes later...

Wolf walked back into the library, fresh out of the shower, wearing some expensive cologne ment for this type of...thing. Everyone was waiting in the living room in their Gala dresses, save for Rarity and Nyx. Twilight was levitating a checklist in front of her.
"Where's Nyx?" Wolf asked.
"Her, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle are stating in their treehouse tonight."
"And Rarity?"
"She's on her way."
Twilight noticed the case he was carrying.
"What's that?"
"What I'm going to wear tonight."
"Go upstairs and get it on!"
Wolf went up the stairs and into Twilight's bedroom.

Six minutes later, and Rarity finally came through the door.
"Alright girls, I'm here! Let's go!"
"Hold on Rarity, Wolf's still getting ready."
"Oh, he's coming too? Where did you get his clothing for the Gala? I don't think they'd be able to make something in his size..."
"He's going to wear his own clothes."
A look of sheer dread appeared on Rarity's face.
"His...own? This is the WORST. POSSIB-"
The upstairs door opening interrupted Rarity. Everyone looked towards the stairs, while Rarity covered her eyes, expecting the worst. Five gasps only confirmed her fears.
"It's horrible isn't it?!"
"Rarity..."
"Why didn't you ask me to design his clothes?!"
"Rarity..."
"Now we're going to be humilliated in front of all-"
"Rarity!"
"What?!"
"Open your eyes!"
She did so, and what she saw there caused her eyes to shoot open and her jaw to drop to the floor. Before her stood Wolf in a pure white suit, a very good looking hat on his head, and not one, not two, but three rows of medals pinned on his chest. She was flabbergasted. She expected a torn suit of camo gear, not...THIS.
"Class-A's. What? This isn't the first time I've been to this kind of event." Wolf said, staightening his shirt collar.
"I guess we're all ready then. Let's go." Twilight said.
"Oh wait, I forgot one thing!" Wolf replied.
He ran back up the stairs, into the bedroom, and looked into the case laid out onto the bed. He grabbed the pistol there, put the safety on, and tucked it into his pants, putting his shirt over it.

"Ready!" He yelled as he went back down the stairs.
"Good! Let's go!" Twilight replied, checking the final thing on her list.
They all walked out the door, except Wolf, who wnet out last, closing the door behind him.

It was going to be one hell of a night...

End Chapter 40.

Chapter 42: A night to remember (Part 2)

Chapter 42: A night to remember (Part 2)

Wolf slowly opened his eyes. A cloud of dust erupted from the ground as a Spinar artillery shell hit the ground. He couldn't hear the explosion though...Just a high pitch whine...

More explosions, all around him. He calmly looked at them as they drew closer and closer...

Two Marines knelt right in front of him, one of them firing in the distance, the other screaming something at him, but Wolf couldn't understand him. As the whine began to subside, his hearing returned...

"Wolf! Wolf! Snap out of it!

The Marine gave him a hard slap to the face.

Wolf opened his eyes. He looked up into the night sky, just staring at it's beauty.

A strange laugh echoed in the air. Wolf lifted himself up slowly, groaning as the pain from the impact set in. He looked around the area to try and find out what was happening. Sitting at the VIP table, everyone looked like they were frozen. Princess Celestia with an expression of sheer terror on her face. Everyone else sitting there, the same thing. He then looked at the stage opposite the table, to see a cloud of smoke in it's place. As it began to clear, he could see the silhouette of the figure behind it. The other ponies around him all gasped as they saw her. But he couldn't see who it was. His view was still obscured by some of the smoke. But then he saw her.

Tall, jet black coat, half moon cutie mark, wearing a turquoise set of armor, was someone he had only heard about, but recognized anyway. In Equestria for a third time, ready to exact her revenge, was...

Nightmare Moon.

"No...It can't be..." Those four words escaped Princess Celestia's mouth.

"Yes...I have returned once more! You all thought me defeated. You all thought wrong!"

On another platform of Canterlot, Wolf saw something glistening in the moonlight. He then saw a red bead tracing on the table, then slowly moving towards Princess Celestia's head. Wolf knew immediately and ignoring the pain, clumsily barreled forward.

"This time, I shall not be defeated! This time, I shall have my revenge!"

A loud bang echoed through the night air just as Wolf crashed into Princess Celestia, followed by a glass vase shattering. Wolf rolled and gripping his pistol, swung around and showered the Griffon sniper with a hail of bullets, ripping him to shreds.

Chaos erupted in the Gardens. Screams of all kinds could be heard. Guests calling to friends and family members, Guards shouting orders to each other and so on.

"Form up! Protect the Princesses!"

A platoon of Guards formed a wall in front of the VIP table as a squad of armed Griffon soldiers landed in front of them, opening fire with automatic weapons. The Guards were turned to ribbons. Wolf turned the table over in front of them. The fire didn't stop however. When the Guards were disposed of, the Griffons simply reloaded and peppered the now overturned table. In a matter of seconds, the table was turned into a sieve. As the smoke settled, the Griffons started congratulating themselves for their work.

Just as they were replacing their spent magazines, a white haze leaped out from behind the table.

"Oh shit!"
"Contact!"
"Shoot him! Shoot the bastard!"

Their cries were drowned out as Wolf landed on the ground and stuck a blade in one of their comrades neck cutting the squad in two. Wolf spun the Griffon around turning him into a shield. His other free arm, bearing his freshly reloaded pistol cut down the half of the squad behind him, while the fire from the other side ripped through the flesh of their fallen comrade.

When their magazines were all but empty, and while they were trying to reload, Wolf abandoned his old shield, his blade still covered in fresh blood. He turned around, slicing the throat of one of his adversaries. Within another 30 seconds, all the Griffons lay dead, Wolf in the center, covered in the blood of his enemies.

From atop the stage, Nightmare Moon huffed.

"Impressive." She muttered.

"You are strong, but even you will not be able to stop what is coming."

Wolf stood up and faced her.

"Maybe. But I'm sure gonna give it hell getting here.

A bright glow behind Nightmare Moon grew steadily, and with a bright flash she was gone. Wolf looked up at the sky as Twilight and the others emerged from behind the table. They had all been saved from a magic field Wolf had projected just behind the table. Wolf turned, and walked off, muttering something as he went. Twilight wasn't able to understand what he said.

Chapter 43: Coming back

IMPORTANT NOTE!

Due to me finally realizing how much of an idiot I was a couple years ago, there are some changes to be made to Wolf.

First of all, his age is knocked up from 15 to 19. Age of his abduction is knocked up to 8 yrs of age. Age of first deployment is knocked up to 12. This is being done because:

Seriously, what the HELL was I thinking? 15 yr old? Yeah, great age choice on my part. Not that 19 is much better, but it's more tolerable. And now I'll stop my pretty much useless rant and let you get to the story.

Enjoy!

3 & 1/2 weeks later...

The events during the Grand Galloping Gala put everyone on edge. Princess Celestia the most. She knew something was coming to threaten Equestria once more, she just didn't know what. And that was almost as scary as knowing.

Almost...

During Twilight's coronation, Wolf was away, patrolling Equestria's northern borders by personal request of Princess Celestia just 13 days earlier. And now he was pulling up in front of the library.

Wolf jumped out of the drivers side of an Armored Minotaur. He walked back to the trunk, opened it, and pulled out two olive green duffel bags. Using his chin, he closed the trunk. Carrying the heavy bags, he walked over to the library, set one down, and tried to open the door. It was locked. He started knocking.

"Twilight! Open up!"

No response from within. No problem, she must not have heard him. So he started knocking again. When no one answered the third time, he knew something was wrong. He set the other bag down, opened it and pulled out an M-72. He leaned against the side of the door, and with one swift motion kicked the door down. He rushed in, clearing the main room. He vaulted over the table, then clearing the kitchen and the rest of the ground floor. A few minutes later, he had cleared the whole library. It was practically empty. Dust had collected on most of the books. A slight creak behind him. He waited for a split second, the turned around instantly, crosshairs centered right between the eyes of the intruder. He hesitated to pull the trigger, which saved the life of Shining Armor.

"Well, I guess you did come back..." He muttered, not wanting to move another muscle in fear of provoking him.
"Shining Armor...Damn. I missed my chance. I could have just pulled the trigger and said you snuck up on me. Oh well...too late now." He slung the rifle over his shoulder, awaiting an explanation.

"Well, I'm listening. What's going on, where's Twilight?"
Shining Armor saw his chance to screw with Wolf, and he took it.

"The Princess is taking care of royal business in Canterlot."
"I said Twilight you idiot." Wolf sighed while facepalming...
"That's who I'm talking about." Shining Armor retorted.

"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Twilight's the new Princess."
"When did this happen?!" Wolf's shock was evident.
"About a week after you left."
Wolf muttered a thanks, exited the building, walked over to the Minotaur, opened the drivers door and got in. He nearly ran over Shining Armor, either by accident or on purpose. Probably the latter.

Wolf sped off in the direction of the Red Dawn's crash site intent on claiming something within. Question's were in plentiful supply. How did it happen? Where? And more importantly, why? What was Princess Celestia's hidden agenda? He doubted very seriously that she did it out of the kindness of her heart. Nightmare Moon's reappearance, along with the fact that Celestia was unable to stop her had surely weakened her politically, but enough for her to give up the throne?

Before he knew it, Wolf was at his beloved warship. The Red Dawn. The pinnacle of human war engineering. His home away from home. And without knowing if he was going to be able to get to Twilight, it would become his home once more. He really wouldn't want it to be again, but if he had no choice...

"Major. You never visit me anymore...Just because I'm an AI doesn't mean I don't have feelings you know..."

Wolf knew that if he said anything wrong, he'd get into a long argument which he would eventually lose, either getting drenched by the ships fire-fighting systems, or whatever else Sam could cook up with the ship's systems. So he just muttered 'Sorry' a few times. Sam was disappointed. It had been awhile since her last chance to drench Wolf, and that was a much needed release for her.

"Sam prep GA 3-9 for takeoff immediately."
"Going somewhere sir?
"Yeah. I have some business to take care of..."
"Is the extremely lonely and helpful AI permitted to know?"
"I'll fill you in later Sam, just get my bird sky-worthy please."
"Right away sir..."

Good, that was taken care of. Sam was busy, so she wouldn't bother him with anything else for now.

"Sir?"

Shit.

"Yes Sam..?" he asked while sighing.
"Should I load the guns as well?"

Boy if Sam didn't know how to make a good question at the wrong time. Should he load the guns? He wasn't expecting trouble, but he would hate to be caught in a bad situation with no guns. On the other hand, if he was shot down (unlikely, but he still liked to prepare for that contingency), the ammo would probably go to waste. Along with a perfectly good Guardian Angel...

"Load 'em."
"Gladly sir."

Wolf weaved quickly through the metal corridors of his ship. He was heading towards one of Red Dawn's hangars. His ride was waiting there. He got there much quicker than he thought he would. This ship seemed so big at times, but now that he had gotten used to open areas, the cramped quarters of the ship seemed to close in and try to crush him, along with the memories within them. Some good...

All that Wolf could see in front of him was Tiger's well toned ass bouncing up and down on his...

Some bad...

Wolf could only watch while his first mate's head exploded in a burst of blood and brain matter as the spike from the Spinar rifle blew it to bits...

Wolf's smile at the first memory was replaced with a cringe as the second overtook it, despite Wolf's efforts for it not to.

The hangar door stood in his path, denying him access.

"Stupid door, I know just how to beat you..."

Wolf thought he could hear Sam asking why he was talking to himself, but he chose to ignore it as he punched in the access code on the security panel. The heavy door opened with a hiss of air. Wolf stepped inside.

Before him stood the once proud war machines of the Human race. Tanks, jeeps, helicopters, fighters, bombers, gunships...It was all here. But Wolf was looking for one specific thing. He found it. What looked like nothing more than a large tarp with a pipe sticking out of it. Wolf walked over to it, took a firm grip, and with one swift motion ripped it away. The gleaming silver armor of the Guardian Angel transport nearly blinded him. He placed a hand in front of his face to shield his unprepared eyes. After they were sufficiently adjusted to the light, Wolf looked at it again. It truly was a thing of beauty. The 4 barrels protruding from the nose, the finely crafted rotor blades, right down to the insignia right beside the canopy. The original insignia was always an angel with a shield in one hand, a sword in the other. On this one however, courtesy of it's pilot, the original angel was rubbed out and replaced by a snarling wolf with wings and a halo. They belonged to the 13th Guardian Angel squadron, but due to their position serving under humanity's greatest warrior, they saw it fitting to christen it with a new name. Thus, the Howling Wolves were born. They were some of the best pilots humanity had to offer...Before they died of course.

Wolf pulled the canopy release lever and it cracked open slowly at first, but gradually gained speed before reaching the apex of it's height. If all went according to plan, this would be a casual flight, no enemy air power, no bad weather conditions. So no need to wear his armor then.

"Fuel levels optimal, all systems well in the green. Ready for takeoff."

Wolf pressed the ignition, and the engine came to life with a whir. The whir slowly evolved into whipping air as the rotor's gained speed. Once the RPM's where within the required limits, Wolf moved the yoke and the Guardian Angel lifted off effortlessly.

"I'll be back later Sam."
"Looking forward to it sir."

And with a smile on his face once more, Wolf set off towards the beautiful capital of Equestria. Canterlot.

24 minutes later, Canterlot. VIP Airship landing pads.

Steady Aim was leaning leisurely on the back of his seat, waiting for something to happen. He was bored. Bored out of his mind. He was hoping for some action, especially after the Nightmare Moon incident, but nothing happened, so his initial enthusiasm had wore thin. His partner on the other hoof, Sharp Eye, couldn't be happier. He was perfectly content seeing empty skies for as long as possible.

They were the crew of one of Canterlot's MBC's. Requested by Princess Celestia herself, the Magic Blast Cannon was the fruit of the labors of some of the most powerful Unicorns in Equestria. These had been mothballed because of a long age of peace for Equestria. Nevertheless, training of gun crews never ceased, and production had resumed following the events of the last Grand Galloping Gala. The castle itself was the first to receive a dozen of these weapons. Canterlot's VIP Airship pads were the next, receiving three of the cannons.

Steady Aim and Sharp Eye manned the first cannon. If anything was coming by the landing pads, they'd be the first to know. While the MBC's weren't designed for it, they were fully capable of bringing down a fairly large airship, as long as the hit was well placed. With three of them together however, shot placement wasn't really that important. There were few things in Equestria's skies that could shake off three hits from a MBC.

"I'm bored..." Steady Aim lazily said.
"Suck it up." Sharp Eye replied.

Steady Aim was the gunner of the massive weapon. Sharp Eye was his spotter.

Sharp eye was the more focused of the two. He had to be. A spotter for one of Equestria's largest (and only) guns had to be able to pick out targets that were miles away, and convey their positions accurately enough so that Steady Aim could blow it out of the sky. Steady Aim wasn't nearly as focused on his duties. How could he be? Nothing ever happened. He never got to do what he was trained to do.

"Contact!" Sharp Eye yelled.
"Yeah right Sharp. That's the ninth time you've pulled that. I know better by now. Nothing ever happens around here."
"Seriously, we've got an unidentified contact out here!"
Steady Aim lifted himself up and turned to Sharp Eye, who was peering through a spyglass.
"If you're making this up again I swear to Celestia I'll-" Then he saw it, clear as day.

A silver airship of unknown design, moving towards the landing pads very quickly. Steady aim sprang into action, jumping into his seat and training the sights on the UFO.

"Range?" He asked.
"3240 yards. Closing fast." Sharp Eye replied.
"Altitude?"
"I'd say 3400 legs. Dropping gradually. I'd say 30 legs per second."
"Got it. Targeting..."

Steady Aim led his target, keeping the sight a fair distance in front of it, but never losing sight of it. The moment of truth. He was about to pull the trigger, but hesitated. He couldn't understand it. He'd waited for this for so long, and now when he got the chance he couldn't do it? After a battle within himself, he finally made his decision.

He pulled the trigger. Three beams of violet light ejected from three positions on the gun barrel's axis, joining in the center and building up a charge. Within a second, a bright flash of violet energy streaked through the sky towards the unknown craft.

Wolf could see the capital clear as day. It was even better looking in the daylight. His eyes darted around the castle. He had pretty much scanned the whole city before seeing the landing pads. He slowly began to descend. He would finally speak to Twilight after 2 weeks. Only she was royalty now. What would he say? What would he do? His attention elsewhere, he didn't see the bright violet streak coming towards him...

An explosion rocked the castle. Twilight Sparkle jumped as the shockwave shook her from her seat. She trotted over to the window to see what was going on. From there, she could only see a small airship spinning out of control, spewing black smoke and orange flames as it spiraled down to the ground. Something seemed familiar about it though...She had seen it before somewhere. Then it hit her.

"Oh no..." Was all she said before she burst out of her chambers, in full gallop towards the nearest balcony.

End chapter 43.

Chapter 44: Shot down

Fear. Dread. Terror. Panic.

Twilight felt all four at the same time as she raced down the castle halls, desperate to get to the nearest balcony. She had to see it. Maybe it wasn't him! But then again, who else could be flying one of those strange airships she saw in one of the Red Dawn's hangar bay? She knew it was him, but she didn't want to accept it. Maybe he would be alright! He's survived many things like this! He even survived an orbital reentry, and the ensuing crash! Diamond Dogs, Hydras, Ursa Majors, the bucking Griffon Army! To survive all that, just to be killed by friendly fire? It couldn't happen! It couldn't...He promised, no, he Pinkie Promised her he'd never leave her!

Twilight burst through the balcony doors. Once she took a few steps forward, she began scanning the skies hoping not to see it, hoping it wasn't real.
Unfortunately, it was.
The airship spun around itself continuously, spewing fire, smoke, and pieces of itself. She wanted to get a good look at the cockpit. To see his face, maybe for the last time. All she could see was an orange blaze behind the cockpit glass.

"Think Twilight, think!"

She got it! Her horn glowed as she tried to grip the falling airship with her magic.

"Come on, come on!"

She tried, but failed. She tried again, and failed once more. Twilight constantly tried and tried again, hoping to stop it's descent, hoping to save him. Every failure only served to terrify her even more. The fact that he might die was bad enough, but the knowledge that he might die because she couldn't save him was even worse. As the airship drew closer and closer to the ground, Twilight couldn't try anymore. She couldn't focus after bursting into tears. She collapsed to the ground, her regal dress stretching beneath the stone floor and Twilight's body. She could still hear the shriek of the airship as it fell further and further.

The shriek was cut short by a second, even larger explosion.

Surprise, anger, fear. The sequence was short and clear. Wolf was jostled in his seat as an explosion ripped his Guardian Angel open. The entire cockpit was a frantic mess. Alarms and red lights blaring and flashing all across the dashboard. Digits on the beeping altimeter changing like crazy. Wolf desperately tried to regain control of his falling aircraft, but to no avail. He was going down, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The only remaining option was to bail out. He pulled on the ejection lever, expecting to be dropped from the falling craft. The ejection systems of the Guardian Angels...of ALL helicopters nowadays would open a hatch under the cockpit, letting the pilot and copilot (if any) fall to the ground. In this case, that might not make much of a difference considering the chopper might fall on him, but the alternative was to simply accept his fate.

The ejection lever clicked like it was supposed to, but nothing happened. He pulled on it again and again and again, but with no results. He frantically scanned the cockpit for another way out, even though he knew that one didn't exist. As the ground came closer and closer, only one panicked thought and realization crossed Wolf's mind.

I don't want to die!

As the flames crackled and the smoke rose from below, Twilight's heart almost stopped. He was probably dead, gone forever. Erased from the face of Equestria. She had lost him again! And the worst part was, she let it happen! He had a fighting chance, but thanks to Twilight, it was lost.

NO...

Twilight lifted herself up, finally regaining control of herself. She was stronger than this. Wolf was stronger than this. He could have survived. Twilight wasn't going to bury him without making sure first. She wiped the tears from her eyes, unfurled her wings, and lifted off the balcony.

Near the crash site...

Twilight pushed through the bushes in her way. Due to the searing heat and billowing smoke, she couldn't land directly at the crash site, so she had to set down at a fair distance. Her heart sank. She could feel the heat even from this far. And even if the heat didn't cook the flesh off his bones, the smoke would take away any possibility of breathing. She pushed away one final bush, and there it was. A mangled pile of metal. It was hard to believe that it once soared through the air. Her heart rate increased as she started to run towards it.

"Twilie! Get away from it!"

Her momentum was cut in half by a massive white blur crashing into her. Before she could fully realize what was going on, Shining Armor had pulled her behind a log just before six thousand explosive tip rounds finally gave in to the searing heat of the crash. The third explosion was easily the largest. Fueled by unknown explosive compounds, the shockwave nearly sent the log and all hiding behind it flying into oblivion. The following inferno almost burned it all to a crisp. Both Twilight and Shining Armor could feel the heat burning the hairs off their backs. If it wasn't for the log shielding them, they would be just a pile of ash right now. The sound was deafening though. After the heat died down, her ears still ringing, she poked her head out to see. All that was left was a wall of flame with a few chunks of metal at it's base. She looked at the opposite end of the log.

Without that log, even if by some miracle they had survived the shockwave and the heat, the sheer amount of shrapnel would have ended them. The log was in pieces. Chunks of wood hung from every side of it, ripped to shreds by shards of metal travelling at high velocity. The whole thing was ready to collapse onto itself at the molecular level. The fact that the log survived that onslaught was a miracle in it's own right.

Now all doubt had left her mind. He couldn't have survived all that. He simply couldn't. He was strong, but not that strong. Once more, Twilight collapsed to the ground, knowing that he was dead. Now she knew she had failed. How she couldn't save him from death.

"You can't leave me like this...you Pinkie Promised..." She barely managed to pronounce those few words.

Shining Armor's words of sympathy fell upon deaf ears. Twilight had simply blocked everything out. It was doubtful that she would hear him over her own crying anyway. After a few failed attempts, Shining Armor managed to get her on her hooves. He started to push her away from the crash site, and she grudgingly obeyed. They were leaving. There was nothing for them left here.

Thanks to Twilight's crying, Shining Armor's voice, and the crackling flames, they almost didn't hear the metal creaking. They almost didn't see the badly burned, bloody hand raise out of the debris and spasm about.

Almost...

Author's Note

This one was a bit shorter than I would have liked, but next ones won't be. Thanks for holding on Fimfiction :).

Chapter 45: Comatose

"Twilight, you're going to make a trench, stop pacing."

Twilight turned around to see who was speaking to her. She was greeted by the sight of her brother standing right in front of her. He was obviously watching her.

“I can’t...” She replied, continuing to pace like no comments were made.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine...”

“Fine?! Are you kidding me?! You saw what kind of shape he’s in!”

“If I remember correctly, he’s been in worse...”

Twilight’s head dropped. She wasn’t sure about that. From what she had seen from his time in Equestria, this was easily the worst. But what if he’d survived worse during that war he fought in...

Her train of thought was derailed as the door to the operating room opened. She turned towards the doctor faster than anyone thought possible. The doctor could see the desperation in her eyes. She was hoping for good news. How he wished he could give her some.

“I’m afraid he’s in worse shape than we initially thought...”

Great, even more bad news in this already bad day.

“He has third degree burns all over his body. His face is badly disfigured, arms, legs the same. The only thing that was relatively untouched by the flames was the torso...”

Well, at least SOME part of him was intact.

“Although it also took most of the shrapnel from the explosions. He’s got chunks of metal near almost every major blood vessel, and quite a few of the minor ones are torn to ribbons. He’s got massive internal bleeding. We’ve plugged many of the holes...But there are just too many for us to reach.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. Too many to plug? But that only meant...

“I’m afraid...” The doctor inhaled sharply, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

“...that we’ve done all we can. I’m sorry Your Highness, but...he’s not going to make it. He’s slipped into a coma right now, so...at least he won’t feel a thing.”

Anger. Rage. Hatred.

Another mix of all three flooded Twilight. Her horn began to glow deep purple as the magical energy, fueled by the toxic mixture building up inside her. Both the doctor and Shining Armor could see her anger.

Before their very eyes, Twilight shot up through the ceiling with a loud crash. Shining Armor looked up through the gaping hole in the ceiling, to see Twilight hovering there for a minute. He felt something drop on his muzzle. Something fluid, warm. He squinted to look at his nose, where he saw a tear rolling down the length of it.

Twilight’s loud shriek startled him. He looked up in the air just in time to see the lavender streak in the sky, the wake left behind Twilight as she barreled off into the distance. She was heading for the palace.

The sound of doors crashing open and shattering glass broke the tranquil silence that reigned inside the palace. Unable to stop the storm that was coming, the doors just gave way. nothing could stop her from reaching her destination.

Her wings suddenly clasping shut, unwilling to carry her any further. Gravity finally took it’s hold on her, sending her falling into the bed. She met the mattress with a soft thud. Immediately she buried her face in the blankets and pillows, trying to mask the sound of her sobbing uncontrollably.

This was it. He was going to die. There was nothing that could save him now. She would be alone once more. But he Pinkie Promised! He couldn’t leave her! He was bound for life!

“For life...”

Twilight finally caught on to the fine print. Leaving her, not dying on her. He wasn’t bound by that sense.

She spent another few minutes pondering what would happen after he would...go to a better place. How would she adjust? How would everypony who had known him adjust? And how was she so sure he would go to a better place? What if he was destined to burn in the eternal flames of the deepest darkest depths of Tartarus? Her mind then drifted to what was the cause of this. It could have been the burns. But they could have been treated. The shrapnel maybe? It did cut him up inside, causing profuse internal bleeding. But then, what caused the shrapnel itself? It was the explosion of course. But again, what caused the explosion? The answer was the crash. Then, what caused the crash?

She wondered why she even had to ask. She knew damn well what had caused this. Who had caused this.

Her eyes opened. They were completely dry now. She knew who had caused this, and they were going to pay for it. Her horn glowed purple again as her wings, now more than willing to carry her once more, unfurled from her sides. She lifted off the bed, turned around, and flew out of the broken windows, towards the VIP airship landing pads.

Wolf’s eyes shot open. Where was he? The sequence of questions that had formed in his head was interrupted by a wave of pain stemming from all over his body. As the pain subsided, his eyes finally focused on his surroundings. It was pitch black, all around him, save for a beam of white light coming from above, illuminating him and a small area around him.

He lifted himself up, shaking slightly as another wave of pain washed over him. He fought past it. and got back on his feet. He looked around once more. Darkness everywhere. Footsteps echoed through the darkness. Wolf turned frantically in an attempt to lock his eyes on the approaching object. He finally locked in it’s trajectory, training his eyes on one spot. And from that spot, slowly but surely, the light from above illuminated...

Him?

Wolf scanned the new arrival frantically. It was him! Save for a few differences, namely that the new arrival was clad in damaged battle armor, his hair a dirty mess, and his eyes...

Those pitch black eyes.

“Who are you?!”

It moved a bit, apparently processing what was said. Then, with a deep, raspy voice, it replied.

“Don’t you recognize me? I’m you of course!”

“I’m supposed to believe that bullshit?”

It laughed.

“No, of course not. The truth is, I’m not you, and you’re not me.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?!”

“Alright then, a little explanation is in order...”

It paused, then began to explain the whole situation.

“I’m the other part of Wolf.”

“I find that hard to believe, considering I’m whole and standing here in front of you.”

“You’re not whole. You’re half. I am the other half.”

“What?”

“We are each a piece, of a whole person. We are the pieces of Wolf. The two of us together comprise the whole being. He has all of your elements, and only some of mine...”

“And why would that be?”

“Because you were, and always will be, the stronger one. The good one...”

“If I’m good then, does that mean you’re...”

“Evil?” It interrupted.

“Yes. Yes I am.”

“You’re strangely civilized for someone that’s evil...”

“I despise the stereotype that says us villains are supposed to be barbarians.”

“So...what should I call you?”

“For some reason, I’m partial to the name Hyde...Cliché, I know, but I find it suits me.”

“Hyde then...I guess that makes me Jekyll?”

“Yes. Unless you prefer a different name...”

“I think I’d rather stick with Wolf, thank you very much...” He said, taking a few steps towards the left.

“Except that. It would be unfair, you see, considering you are not Wolf. Like I said, you are only a part of him. Only together, do we make a complete entity.”

“Jekyll is fine then...” Jekyll said grudgingly.

“So, Jekyll, had a bit of an accident now, have we?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that right now, thanks to you, we are sitting on a table in a hospital emergency room. And apparently, we are going to die...”

“How do you...”

“I’m always watching you...”

Jekyll shifted a bit, trying to grasp what Hyde meant.

“Watching me?”

“Whenever you have control, I’m always here, locked away in the back of his mind...Watching you...”

“What do you mean control?”

“You control him most of the time, seeing as how you’re the stronger one. During that time, I have no choice but to remain in my dormant state, like now.”

“So you’re dormant right now?”

“Indeed. It’s pretty much why I’m so calm and civilized.”

“So when do you take control?” Jekyll had to ask.

“When you’re in a very weakened state...” Hyde started to walk over to Jekyll.

“Like say, I don’t know, in a coma, multiple burns, internal bleeding...”

Hyde was now a few steps away from Jekyll. Jekyll noticed Hyde’s list of situations where he could take control...

“You mean like now?”
Hyde disappeared suddenly. Jekyll scanned the area frantically, trying to find him again. His raspy voice echoed from behind Jekyll...

“Exactly...”

Jekyll was knocked unconscious by a sharp hit in the back of the neck.

In the operating room, amidst the sounds of a beeping EKG, doctors talking to each other while attempting a last ditch effort to save Wolf, his eyes opened, revealing a pair of pitch black eyeballs.

A deep blue wave shot from out of his body, purging it of all shrapnel within it, regrowing the destroyed blood vessels, repairing all damaged tissue, while also sending the doctors flying into the walls, a jacket of sharp metal travelling behind them. Wolf got back up just as the doctors were ripped apart by the shrapnel that was forcefully ejected from Wolf’s body. Wolf craned his neck around in every direction, until hearing the desired crack. He then looked at his arms and legs as a wave of new tissue regenerated over the burned.

“Ah...much better...”

He jumped from the table and walked to the door, stepping in the growing pool of blood emerging from the doctors lifeless corpses.

She had found them. The ones that took him away from her. That killed him.

“Your Highness! To what do we owe this honor?” Sharp eye said as he bowed before Twilight. Steady Aim followed suit. They both wondered why she looked like that, but they didn’t dare ask.

“Because of a murder...”

They both shot up at the very mention of that word.

“Murder?! But who was murdered, Your Highness?”

Twilight responded in a calm tone...for now.

“The person I loved...”

They both gasped. Whoever did that would be in for a world of trouble. They both had to ask though.

“But who committed this atrocious act?”

Twilight’s muzzle pressed against Sharp Eye’s as she hissed out one word.

“You!”

“US?! But how...when...”

It both hit them like a sledge hammer. The airship...the one they shot down...it was him.
Oh shit. Oh SHIT!

Before they could mutter anything, their throat glowed deep purple as Twilight’s magic took it’s grip, lifting them into the air. Terror took it’s icy hold on them both. They screwed up badly, and now they were going to pay the price.

“And now, I’m going to repay you in kind!”

Both of them closed their eyes as they waited for their impending doom. But before Twilight could crush the life out of them, an explosion from the city broke her concentration. She let go of them and rushed over to the railing. Smoke billowed from the hospital. Something was wrong. She strained her eyes, trying to see what was going on. All she could see was a bunch of Royal Guards being tossed down a street like ragdolls. Then, she saw him walking down that same street, bypassing the injured Guards, his hands glowing dark blue.

“He’s alive...He’s alive!” Twilight began shouting that over and over again, much to the relief of the two stallions behind her. This meant that they were off the hook right?

Her joy however, was cut short as she felt the piercing gaze of pitch black eyes on her.

“Oh no...”

She knew. He was out of control. So much power, uncontrolled. He had the potential to cause massive damage.

“Twilie! Wolf’s out of control! He’s taken out an entire regiment of my troops!”

Twilight turned to face him, but was interrupted by an explosion of dark blue magic sending her flying into an empty crate. She shook her head, and saw Wolf standing there, grinning madly, allowing, his black eyes fixated on Shining Armor.

“Hello there, Captain...” His deep, raspy voice sent chills down her spine/

Shining Armor yelled at the top of his lungs as he charged towards Wolf. He had to protect his sister. With one swipe of his arms however, Wolf sent him flying into the wall.

“Naughty, naughty...”

Wolf grabbed him and threw him into the opposing wall as Shining Armor got back up and charged him. He then picked him up by the throat, and walked over to the two stunned stallions behind him.

“You two shot me down...That was very...very unwise of you...”

Wolf threw Shining Armor to the ground, right next to the two stallions. He laughed as he grasped the golden opportunity before him...

“All three of you together...how delightful...”

As Wolf’s hand glowed, forming a ball of magic energy getting ready to strike them all down, Twilight did the one thing she could do. She called out to him.

“Wolf!”

And for a split second, he stopped.

Jekyll got to his knees, and wiped away the blood that was on his nose. He then turned towards the light, where Hyde was standing. Jekyll knew what he was about to do. He could feel it. And he had to stop it.

“Sorry Hyde...It’s my turn again.”

And with that, Jekyll leaped to his feet, then charged Hyde, slamming his body into his. Jekyll had tackled him perfectly, grabbing hold around his waist, sending him to the floor. As he fell back, Jekyll punched him in the face with his right arm. Hard. As the arm stopped it’s forward motion, it swung back, hitting Hyde in the cheek with his elbow. Raising both arms, Jekyll fell down onto Hyde’s stomach with both of his elbows. The force of impact caused a black liquid to escape from Hyde’s mouth.

Jekyll got up from his defeated opponent, then stepped back into the light, reassuming control.

The blackness retreated from Wolf’s eyes, until finally stopping within the normal diameter of his pupils. Once it was gone, Wolf fell over unconscious, despite Twilight yelling for him.

“Well played, doctor Jekyll...Well played...” Hyde said, before retreating into the darkness once more...

End Chapter 45.

Chapter 46: Situation Update

Curses. Screams. Prayers. Gunfire. Explosions. All blended in seamlessly with each other as they assaulted Wolf's eardrums. Despite all odds, he could pick up some random shouts from around him...

"Warlord, Warlord, Angel-7 under heavy fire in the Scyon building courtyard, requesting immediate evac!"

"Watch your left, left left!"

"Get a frag in there!"

"Snap out of it Dave! Snap out of it!"

"They're trying to flank us!"

"Find cover, find cover now!"

"Where's our bird?!"

"We're not gonna make it!"

"Damon! Damon where are you?! Talk to me son! Damon!

That last, final shout was interrupted by an explosion, followed by an echoing scream that still haunted his nightmares.

Wolf's eyes opened slowly, not wanting to cause another headache. He could feel the warm crimson fluid gently caress the parts of his body that still weren't covered by it. But was it his? He didn't know. There was no pain at all, so that meant either two things. One, he was fine, and the blood was someone else's. Two, was that he was badly injured, but he couldn't feel it thanks to the mixture of adrenaline coursing through his veins and the endorphins blocking his neurons. Neither were particularly appealing...

As the brain finally managed to process the information the eyes were sending, the image cleared almost instantly. He was in a large courtyard, surround by firing Marines, terrified civilians...and bodies. This was no courtyard...it was a graveyard. Bodies all around him. On top of him even. He never noticed it until now. Wolf looked at it closer. A look of terror and pain was forever frozen on this poor man's face. A large spike protruded from his back.Warm blood still dripped from his hands. Wolf looked into his cold, lifeless eyes, and he saw it. All and Nothing at the same time. The secrets of the universe, the meaning of life, all was hidden away in these dead eyes. But that was not all that was in them. In them he saw the endless Void, absolute Nothing. There was a strange beauty in the peculiar combination. It attracted him like a moth to a flame. All the answers to every question ever posed by humanity was carefully locked away in those eyes, and all he had to do to unlock them was to keep looking into them/. But fate had a different idea in mind...

All of a sudden, he was jolted away from the eyes that held All within them, and was met with the sight of a Marine Sergeant trying to get his attention. By slapping him in the face repeatedly while yelling at him.

"Snap out of it Wolf! Wolf! Snap out of it!" His gruff voice held an air of desperation.

That simple command didn't register in Wolf's mind, and he continued to look for the eyes, trying to find his way into their cold, yet warm embrace.

"Wake up!"

Wolf's eyes opened as he gasped for air. Yes, he had moved on, but the nightmares would pursue him relentlessly. Wolf ached all over, as if his entire body had been ripped apart at the molecular level then smashed back together with tremendous force. Despite this, he managed to lift up from the bed he was resting on and look around, scanning for any signs of life. It was dark, and with every passing moment it seemed to get darker. Wolf looked to the floor and saw a thin beam of light grow smaller and smaller, before disappearing completely. The sun's turn had ended, it was now time for the moon to gain control over the skies. A gentle, cool breeze caressed his skin. He scanned the room for it's source. It was an open balcony door. He got off the rustled sheets of the bed, and came in contact with the cold, hard floor. What was it made of, he wondered. Marble? Limestone? Wolf wasn't sure...He had only seen marble in the homes of financially secure citizens. Marble floors or walls had become a symbol of wealth for humans. A luxury to be enjoyed only by the super rich. Rich people...How Wolf hated them. Their snobbish behavior, their absurd 'requirements', their insanely priced clothing, their belief that they were better than everyone else because of their money. Not all of them were like that, Wolf knew, but unfortunately the vast majority of them were.

He felt a bit disoriented, but he managed to walk over to the balcony. Every step on the floors was sickening for him. As if fate was trying to mock him once more, he was now walking on the luxury floors of what could only be the estate of one of Equestria's aristocrats. Once he was out, the gentle breeze morphed into a light wind. The feeling wasn't as pleasant as before. It was more like a defeated opponent who was intent on scoring a few more hits on the victor before succumbing... Wolf walked over to the edge and leaned over on the protective railing, gazing out towards Canterlot. The entire city was filled with a warm, golden light from it's many street lights, which had been lit before the moon would solidify it's hold on the sky. It was beautiful. He didn't like cities much, too tightly packed together for his tastes, but this one had a unique charm to it...

The cobblestone roads reflected the light from the forest of street lamps, giving the impression that they were made of gold. The stonemasons of Equestria had outdone themselves, and Wolf was certain that they were showered with riches for their excellent work. As he looked out onto the streets, he could see that they were slowly filling with ponies. He wondered how the night life was in Canterlot. He recalled many jokes about the non-existent night life on previously dead planets, before they were terraformed.

"Yeah, there's no life on Shark's Tooth. After ten you can't find an open bar..."

Wolf smiled as he remembered the joke he had heard many times before, almost every one of them concerning a different planet. The wind began to die down now, reverting back to the gentle breeze that he enjoyed. Wolf greedily inhaled the cool air, filling his lungs to capacity, before exhaling and expelling the poison that filled them before. As the air whistled while it went through his nasal passages, he almost didn't hear the soft hoofteps behind him. He didn't turn around though, He knew who it was. Before long, he heard her soft, caring voice.

"You're awake..."

Wolf wasn't sure how to react. He hadn't seen her for two weeks, and he expected to come home to Ponyville, back in the library. And now he found himself in a palace in Canterlot, after being shot down and nearly killed, and now Princess Twilight Sparkle was behind him, expecting him to act like everything's normal. In the end, he just decided on a neutral response.

"Yeah...I guess I am."

The hoofsteps sounded again, as Twilight came in closer. Before long, he could feel her forelegs wrapping around him, pulling him in closer to her. After two weeks of being alone out on the cold northern plains of Equestria, searching for any suspicious activity, the embrace was more than welcome. He placed his arms on her forelegs, holding them close to himself. Oh what the hell? He could always complain later? And to be honest, he really didn't care. The initial suprise had long worn off. He would come to accept the fact that Twilight was royalty now. Eventually...After a few minutes in complete silence, Twilight finally let go, moved forward, and leaned next to him on the railing. For awhile they just sat there, looking out onto the lit city. The silence was finally broken by Wolf.

"How long was I out?"

Twilight looked up into his deep blue eyes. Such tranquility they held...Hard to believe they belonged to one such as Wolf.

"About thirty-eight hours."

Wolf looked a bit suprised, but he wiped that look off his face quickly. Now he needed to know what had happened.

"I must have blacked out for awhile. What happened?"

Twilight turned her head, trying to shift her view back to the city. The action sent a few strands from her mane soaring through the air, gently brushing against Wolf's nose. She had desperately hoped to avoid this question.

"You were shot down, and crashed below Canterlot..." Twilight said, confident she had just dodged the proverbial bullet.

"That much I remember..." Wolf replied, annoyed because Twilight knew what he meant to ask, but for some reason she wouldn't answer his question.

"How did you survive anyway?" She looked straight at him now, once again into his eyes. There was something so familiar hidden in them, so warm, it made you want to look into them forever.

"I cast a shield around myself..." He said as his hand began to glow deep purple as he channeled magical energy into it. He could feel the temperature in his hand rising slowly, but he didn't mind. It was a minor nuisance.

"...you trained me well..." He said to her, acknowledging Twilight's capacity as a teacher, and thanking her in his own subtle way.

Twilight could only smile as she realized that she in fact had saved Wolf. Without that shield, he would be dead. And she taught him how to cast one. She felt an enormous weight lift off her...

"After the crash...what happened to me?" Wolf asked, confident that she couldn't avoid the question this time. Twilight was trapped, and she knew it all too well. The weight that had lifted came crashing down on her with even more force. She had just avoided that damn question, but he asked again, he intended to get an answer, whatever that answer was...

"In the hospital, you...Something happened to you, and you went on a rampage.." Twilight said, fear growing in her voice. Why did he have to be so stubborn about this? Couldn't he just leave it alone and make her life just a bit easier?

Wolf eyes opened wide as his ears caught Twilight's answer, sending the sounds to the brain to be processed.

"Was anyone hurt?" He asked, his voice brimming with concern. He wouldn't like the answer, Twilight thought to herself.

"Seven dead..." She could hear him sigh as she said the number to be added to his already long list of victims...

"...Thirty one injured." She continued. He wanted an answer, so she would give it to him.

"Damn it..."

Wolf pushed off the railing, then leaned against the wall behind him, hand on his head. Twilight walked over to him, pushed his hand away from his face, then stared right into his eyes.

"It wasn't your fault." She said, trying to numb the mental pain that he was in.

"As if I wasn't enough of a monster already..." Wolf grunted as he pushed off the wall and retook his position on the railing, looking down on the golden city once more. Twilight followed him there, perching herself right next to him as he let out a loud sigh.

"It wasn't the first time..." He said in a sad voice, as he recalled one certain day, when a Spinar Queen fell...

"But let's hope it was the last." He continued, confidence growing in him as a smile appeared on his face.

The smile wasn't going to get any bigger. The knowledge that he had extinguished seven lives for no good reason and injured another thirty, was still too close. Wolf looked up into the night sky. He couldn't see many stars due to the bright ambient light, but the ones that he could see were beautiful enough. As he was about to get caught up in their beauty, he remembered his mission, and stood up tall, taking a more serious stance.

"The northern borders are secure. Nothing but rabbits, foxes and snow. Wasn't worth the trouble of getting there." Wolf said, slightly annoyed at how he spent two weeks searching for absolutely nothing.

Twilight was relieved. That was some of the best news she's heard in awhile. But know a knot had stuck in her throat. He had told her of the situation, now she had to tell him of it. And after that, she had to ask more of him than she had ever had before, even though she knew she had no right to. But, as Ruler of Equestria, Princess Twilight Sparkle to look out for her people first.

"Unfortunately, the North is no longer the problem." Twilight said, letting out a disappointed sigh. Wolf turned to face her, lifting an eyebrow. What new problem was right at Equestria's doorstep this time?

"What does that mean?"

"Outlying towns on the Western borders have gone silent. Celestia only told me of this after my Coronation."

"Big suprise..." Wolf interrupted. Celestia hadn't made it into his good books yet, and he seriously doubted she ever would.

Slightly annoyed by the interruption, Twilight wanted to say something, but decided against it, and continued.

"Contact had been lost for the past three weeks. At first it was just one town, but then another, and another and so on..."

"Three weeks you say? That puts it just a few days after that Nightmare bitch's return..." Wolf said, slightly worried.

"Coincidence?" Twilight replied with a question.

"Not likely..." Wolf said sternly. He then asked his question in turn.

"...So what, you want me to go out there and check things out?" Wolf asked, expecting her to answer yes.

"No, I think we already know what's going on..." Twilight said worriedly.

Wolf caught on to the message immediately. Towns going dark a few days after an evil queens return only meant one thing. Said evil queen was making a land-grab. And he knew from experience that these had to be put down quickly and without mercy. He laughed to himself. He doubted that Equestria was ready to put down a rebel movement like that.

"So what kind of preparations are you making?" Wolf asked, leaning back on the rail, about a foot away from Twilight. He could tell that she was very worried.

"We're mobilizing everything we can. We're placing cannons in all our major cities first. Reserve Guards are being deployed everywhere in preparation for an attack."

"Never thought I'd see this place gearing up for war..." Wolf commented.

"...Here's hoping it'll be over quickly."

"There's just one problem. The Griffons under their command." Twilight said, more worried than ever before.

"What about them?" Wolf asked.

Twilight was suprised and even more disappointed at the same time. One, Wolf completely underestimated the mounting Griffon threat, and two, it was blatantly obvious that he had decided not to participate. And that only made her position even more precarious.

"What about them? Wolf, they have superior technology, superior training, and there are a few thousand of them! The Equestrian Guard isn't trained to fight enemies like that!" Twilight shouted at an apathetic Wolf. She couldn't see any better way to ask him right now, and so she used the one she had just inadvertently created.

"But you are..." She said, wincing as those treacherous, poisonous words escaped her mouth.

Wolf was dumbstruck. Did she really just say what he thought she said? No...she couldn't have...She wasn't like that. She wouldn't...

But she did.

He looked at her, smile disappearing from his face completely, anger taking him over.

"I didn't hear that...You did not just say that..."

"Wolf...I..." Twilight said, regretting what she just said and trying to take it back.

"No! There's no possible excuse for what you just said!" Wolf yelled at her, enraged at what she just asked of him. And she didn't even have the courtesy to ask him straightforward!

"Wolf, I have no choice! I'm responsible for an entire nation now! I have to look out for them! Millions of ponies everywhere! You think it's easy?! Well it's not! And asking you to fight for us is even harder!" Twilight yelled back, shifting from defense to offense.

"And that just makes it alright? No, it doesn't! Do you have any, any idea what you're asking of me?! My war ended long ago, and it cost me very dearly..." Wolf said sighing as the anger melted away quickly. He continued...

"But now I've left that behind. And just when I think I can finally, finally start to lead a normal life, you ask me to fight in another one!" Wolf fell to the ground, sighing even louder than before as he finished speaking. His head rested firmly in his hands. Twilight went over to him and laid down on the floor next to him, fighting hard to repress the tears that were building up. She wished she could take her words back...He had returned to her after two weeks absence, and now that she had him back, she asked him to bring everything back, the pain, the memories, the loss, so that he could channel all that to start fighting again.

They sat together for a few minutes in complete silence, before Wolf finally broke it.

"I don't know Twilight...I just don't know...Just, just give me some time to think about it..." He said in an exhausted voice. He had only woken up after being unconscious for thirty eight hours just minutes ago. His batteries were exhausted already. Twilight buried her muzzle in Wolf's shoulder, tears flowing freely now. Wolf rubbed his hands through her finely groomed mane, moved down to her sides, where he encountered her wings for the first time. The soft feeling of the feathers was something new, but so far it was good.

"Those are going to take some getting used to..." Wolf chuckled, a new smile once again appearing on his face as Twilight looked up into his blue eyes again.

"You'll manage..." Twilight replied to him. Acting simultaneously, they locked lips after going without it for far too long. They sat there, locked together as tears streamed down both their faces. They both wanted to apologize, but couldn't find the words to do so. Thankfully words weren't required.

A few minutes later, and their embrace broke. The silence was broken by Twilight.

"I missed you..." Twilight said, just happy to have her hooves around him again.

"I missed you too. So...hate to ruin the moment here, but...Where's Nyx?" Wolf asked, realizing how he had completely forgotten about her. Twilight's answer was reassuring, and unsuprising.

"She's pretty much moved into the library here...She hasn't come out since we settled in. I imagine that'll change when I tell her that you're back."

"You haven't told her yet? Why not?" Wolf asked, curious to see what her answer was.

"I wanted to get to you first..." Twilight answered, her eyes closing slightly.

Wolf smiled, before replying...

"Well, I'm all yours..."

Before he could say anything else, Twilight kissed him, wrapping her hooves around him as the last light from the sun finally faded away behind them...

End chapter 46.

Chapter 47: Midnight Raid

"Bring him down, bring him down!" The Lieutenant of the Royal Griffon 42nd Infantry Brigade shouted as his troops all fired into the darkest depths of the forest, felling whole trees. The Lieutenant himself was firing his own sidearm into the bushes around him, certain that his target was there, hiding away from the hail of bullets. The bush merely rustled as hot lead ripped through it's leaves, breaking it's branches into multiple splinters. Nothing was there though. He was just wasting ammo. Not like if he had actually hit the target, it would have done any damage. That damn thing, whatever the hell it was, seemed to be completely bulletproof. He hadn't been briefed of this. His men weren't prepared for this! How are you supposed to stop something bulletproof with just assault rifles?

"This is Eighth Armored, ready for close engagement, just point him out and we'll take care of the rest. ETA sixty seconds." A heavy voice, cracked over the radio.

The Lieutenant almost didn't hear it over the gunfire all around him. The commander of the 8th armored sounded almost bored, as if he knew that this would be quick. He was confident, and with good reason. Before they all defected from the Griffon Kingdom, the 8th armored had received a batch of the new Talon IV medium tanks. Armed with a long-barreled 75mm cannon and a 20mm heavy machine gun, they would be able to wipe the asshole that killed off half of his men off the face of the planet. The Lieutenant smiled as he knew his vengeance would be exacted. He wanted to go to the radio and thank him, but to do so now would be tantamount to suicide. Bullets buzzed past his head as the creature returned fire from his hiding spot in the forest. There was no muzzle flash, from it's weapon, strangely. As if being bulletproof wasn't enough, now his enemy could hide anywhere, and return fire without ever revealing his position.

Even more of his men fell over dead, their pristine white feathers turned red, soaked in the own blood. There were almost no wounded at all, it made sure of that. The bullets were flying at an alarming rate, and with deadly accuracy. The bodies of what was once the 42nd Infantry Brigade littered the ground. The Lieutenant hoped the 8th Armored would arrive soon and kill this son of a bitch...

"Incoming, get out, get out!" The confident, bored voice of the 8th armored commander turned into a panicked alter ego of itself. The Lieutenant was terrified now. What could possibly have spooked the commander that much as o order his men out of their tanks?

Three explosions both over the radio and audible in the distance completely derailed his train of thought. With no armor to support them, how were they supposed to defeat this...this...Ghost or whatever the hell it was?

"There he is, shoot him, shoot him!" A new barrage of gunfire echoed as all the Griffons that were left under his command all trained their rifles on the tall, grey figure that jumped out of the treeline and charged them. The Lieutenant had never been trained to deal with an enemy that would charge against the barrels of over thirty rifles. How the hell were they supposed to beat that? He could only watch as the tall, bipedal creature shot two more of his men with the rifle it was holding. Before he could do anything, the creature had dropped his rifle, and thrust his wrist's forward, sending two long blades shooting out from slots on it's armor. His own hands were now lethal weapons. The Lieutenant could tell that this thing knew how to use them very well, and that they were beyond all salvation now. He could only watch helplessly as the creature plunged it's arm right into a Sergeant, then using his left, pushed the impaled Griffon off his right. Turning to the left as he went, the left arm reached to it's hip and pulled out a pistol, shooting two more Griffons as he dodged another one trying to hit him with the butt of his rifle. Behind the first Griffon lay another one unfortunately, which suffered from a blade to his chest. This thing just killed five of his men in less than that many seconds!

Within a matter of moments, his entire unit was eviscerated. The creature just continued to walk forward, stepping over the battered corpses of what was once an elite combat force. The least the Lieutenant could do was warn the next unit of what was coming. He crawled over to the radio, sickened by the sight of his butchered men lying dead before him. The metallic smell of blood filled the air, turning his stomach. The crimson fluid leaked out of every open wound, pooling on the ground. The blood of over fifty soldiers mixed together, possibly uniting the brothers-in-arms in death.

The Lieutenant had to st...crawl over the bodies of his own soldiers to get to the black device that could possibly save many lives. It was impossible to tell where the Eagle ended, and where the Lion began. Both parts of his body were covered in the blood of those who followed him. His heartbeat grew faster and stronger as he drew closer to the radio. Just a few more feet, and he could give the second unit a chance to exact his revenge for him. He knew he wasn't going to make it. He could feel his own blood seeping out into the pool, joining with that of his fellow soldiers. He had hidden his wound well, not wanting to demoralize his troops further with the knowledge that their leader was wounded. Lot of good that did. He would be with them soon, this much he knew, but now he had to make sure that no one else would join them...and that they would have a second chance with the bastard that sent them there.

The Lieutenant finally reached the jet black radio, grabbed the mike after untangling the cable, then practically shouted into it:

"First line has broken, I repeat, first line has broken! Enemy is advancing towards the second line, I say again-"

A sinister voice interrupted his frantic, desperate attempt at a warning.

"You'll say nothing more..."

"Wha-"

The young Lieutenant's life finally extinguished as the blade cut his heart in two. For just a split second, he could feel it exiting his back. He tried to look into the eyes of his assailant. All he could see was the tinted visor of his helmet, before he finally went off to join his troops.

Wolf slowly pulled his wrist blade out of the Griffon's chest as he saw the life drain out of it's goldish brown eyes. He silently cursed at himself for not making sure that it was dead. Now the enemy knew he was coming for them, to retrieve what they had taken from him. Fighting through a second wave of Griffons, one that was ready for him and had armor support didn't really appeal to Wolf, so he decided to call down the thunder.

"Sam, you got anything on your scope?"

Sam had taken remote control of one of the Hunters in the Red Dawn's large drone fleet and was flying it 35,000 feet above the engagement zone, well out of the range of Griffon anti-air weaponry. The camera on the underside of the drone zoomed in to an area a few hundred meters in front of Wolf. All she could see was the dark canopy of trees that made up the birds-eye view of the Everfree Forest. It was given a new green tint as the nightvision finally came on, illuminating the whole forest.

"Negative sir. I can't see anything through the trees." Sam replied with the light British accent that was she was programmed with.

"Switch to thermal imaging." Wolf commanded her. He knew that there were more hostiles ahead, and walking straight into them was not on his to do list.

The images the drone was sending suddenly became grey as the camera switched to thermal vision. Now things cleared up greatly. The drone's on-board computer had already marked the unnatural heat signatures. A large infantry force had taken up positions guarding the entrance to some kind of underground lair. Tanks were hastily covered in branches, leaves and anything else that could make them less visible.

"Multiple targets detected sir. Permission to engage?" Sam asked, hoping to receive permission. It had been so long since she had fired a projectile at something, and she didn't want it to end.

"Do you even need to ask?" Was Wolf's stern reply.

With an overwhelming amount of giddiness, Sam sent the signal to fire three high-yield Banshee missiles. It was enough firepower to level a building, and Sam was overjoyed to use it. She was happy as could be as the clamps around the three missiles suddenly shot open as a fountain of flame erupted from the back of the missiles, sending them hurdling towards their targets with a high-pitched scream. That's why they called them Banshees.

"The suspense is killing me!" Sam joyously shouted as the drone's camera tracked the missiles as they fell towards the ground, accelerating rapidly.

"I almost forgot!" Sam declared worriedly, as she forgot to adjust the feed from the camera. The grey enviroment suddenly turned green as the camera switched from thermal to nightvision, then black as it reverted back to standard imaging. The moon was not nearly full, so it reflected little sunlight back to the ground, making the whole area darker than the darkest pits of hell. She watched the timer count down with ever growing glee as the missiles drew closer and closer. As it hit zero, the black images sent by the drones camera suddenly came alive as three geysers of orange flame spewed from the ground in sequence, sending many enemies to their doom. Sam sighed contently as the images went through her CPU.

"I wish I had a body and some popcorn..."

Suddenly, an idea popped into her hard drive, then in a matter of moments, a screen on the bridge of the Red Dawn came alive, playing the feed from the Hunter. The small circular projectors on the roof and floor housing a blue haze between them suddenly shifted, taking the form of a young woman, sitting on a deck chair, wearing sunglasses, munching on a bowl of popcorn. The smile on her face only grew as the flames climbed higher and higher into the sky.

"Wolf's gonna be suprised when he see this!" She yelled once more, this day was oh so fun, and it was just going to get better!

Wolf charged towards the explosions, rolling under branches, jumping over large roots, vaulting over random rocks that dotted the landscape, until he finally reached his destination. By this time, he had reclaimed his discarded rifle from the ground, a modified LMG-240 and was now ready to gun down any survivors. There didn't seem to be any however...

Wolf stepped over many charred sets of bones until he reached his goal. What these Griffons had given their lives for. A hole in the ground. Wolf didn't know how or why it was put there, all he knew was that what he had come for was inside it. With a soft grunt, Wolf jumped in, rolling as his feet hit the ground. Stalactites dotted the ceiling of the subterranean passage, and the sound of the crystal clear water dropping from their tips echoed through the cramped quarters of the tunnel. As he walked through it slowly, always shifting the barrel of his rifle towards every new sound, he recalled the events that had led up to this...

42 hours earlier...

Wolf woke up slowly and calmly for a change. He couldn't remember when was the last time that happened. The sun was just starting to rise, taking back the skies from the moon. It's warming rays slowly crept through the open balcony doors, illuminating the floor and the white walls around it. As they continued to rise they eventually met his half open eyes. Now he had to get up. Shifting away from the sunlight would mean letting go of Twilight, and running the risk of waking her up. Getting out of bed wasn't a very appealing option, but he had to in order to complete the task at hand. Wolf slowly took his arm from around Twilight, then turning around as softly as he could he got up off the bed. The springs creaked as his weight shifted, making Wolf wince.

"Oh please don't wake up..." Wolf whispered, worried that she would indeed wake up. Twilight merely sighed and shifted a bit, ignoring the loud noise completely. Wolf sighed from relief as he glided across the room, making almost no noise at all. But as he stood up, the suns warming rays hit his back. Unable to ignore them he had to get out onto the balcony. A cool breeze entered through the balcony, cooling off the whole front of his body. The whole front of his body.

The balcony could wait a few more seconds for a pair of shorts hastily put back on. The shirt wasn't required, so it was ignored. As he walked out onto the balcony, he had to place his hand in front of the eyes as the sunlight intensified. He was reminded that while the sun usually gave a warm embrace when it had control over the ground, it could also be a vicious ruler. Once his eyes were adjusted to the brighter light, his arm came down, back in it's normal position. He breathed in the crisp morning air, cooling his lungs as the cold air mingled with the hot air that already occupied them. Wolf walked towards the railing and leaned over once again. He had watched Canterlot come alive at night, and now he wanted to see it coming alive in the morning.

The first ponies to come out were also the most tired. Wolf could see them all yawning from high atop the Palace towers. A sweet, pleasing scent filled the air as many restaurants and bakeries came alive, preparing themselves for the breakfast rush that was to follow shortly. Donuts, bagels, muffins...Wolf couldn't tell which was which. The scents blended together seamlessly, making them even sweeter than ever before. Cinammon, orange, and so many other scents danced around his nose together, putting the old city streets of Paris to shame . Wolf had gone to Paris on leave before it was destroyed, and it was one of the few good places he had visited, leaving a lasting impression on him. That impression was sent flying out the window by Equestria's beautiful capital. Wolf couldn't believe how calm they all were considering that Equestria was preparing for a civil war.

Unfortunately, he couldn't completely grasp it, due to the guilt he felt for what he was going to do. Wolf had told Twilight that he was not going to fight in the coming war. But that did not mean he would just sit idly by when the war came to Canterlot. And he knew it was. Twilight was right about the Griffons. They were a major threat, and with them at Nightmare Moon's side, Wolf doubted that Equestria's military forces could turn back the tide. He also seriously doubted that the Royal Guards would be able to stop them from bringing harm to Twilight. Sure, Shining Armor would give them hell, but he could only do so much. If that time did come, Twilight would need a real soldier to protect her. And that was where he came in. Yes, he wasn't going to fight, but if they came anywhere close to harming Twilight, he would rip their hearts out and toss them to the hyenas. But to do that, he would need equipment, and Wolf knew just where to get it.

"I should be able to get this right this time..." Wolf said as his hand glowed deep blue. He raised it in the air, and in a bright flash of blue light, he was gone.

"Well, that went nicely." Wolf said as he grasped the hull of his beloved warship once more. The repairs he had made were holding, that much was certain. The black armor of the ship glistened in the sun. Sam had cleared him through one of the ships many airlocks. Wolf quickly weaved through the halls of the ship as he reached his destination.

DECK 3 ARMORY

Wolf smiled as he opened the door, and saw the rows upon rows of weapons and ammunition within.

40 hours earlier...

Wolf had stuffed everything in crates and tied them together with heavy duty rope. An extremely strong titanium hook was tied at the end of the rope, waiting to be lifted away. The silence was shattered as rotor blades whipped the air mercilessly, generating the thrust that was required to lift the Guardian Angel into the heavens. It hovered above the crates, intent on carrying them with it.

From within the cockpit, Wolf looked out to make certain the chopper was put into hover mode. He pressed the button that released the hook that was placed on the Guardian Angel, behind the troop bay. The Guardian Angel wasn't designed to carry just troops into battle, but also any required supplies and light armor whenever heavier transport craft were unavailable. As the hook fell close to the ground, Wolf stopped it's descent. He closed his eyes, and focused on the hook of the chopper and the hook of the crates. They glowed blue as Wolf focused on them. Suddenly, defying the laws of gravity, the hook from the crates lifted into the air and joined with the hook of the chopper. As Wolf adjusted to the increased weight of the helicopter, he lifted into the air, sending dust and debris towards the ship behind him. It would be a short flight to Canterlot, and he hoped it wouldn't end like the last one.

Wolf switched on the radio as he neared Canterlot and started broadcasting on all frequencies.

"Whiskey Seven-Thirteen to Canterlot, requesting permission to land." Wolf said into the mike, awaiting an answer.

Static dominated over the radio waves. No answer came for a few minutes.

"Whiskey Seven-Thirteen, requesting permission to land." He repeated into the mike, annoyed by the delay.

"Wake up assholes!" He finally gave in and shouted into the mike after a few more minutes wait.

"Whiskey Seven-Thirteen, priority clearance granted for pad three, repeat, pad three." A voice cracked over the radio, giving Wolf his much desired response.

"Thank you...Be advised, I'm carrying cargo, say again, carrying cargo." Wolf said into the mike again. He could at least give them proper warning. After a few minutes passed, Wolf regretted his decision. What the hell could they be doing now?

"Revert to pad six." The voice said once more. Wolf was glad the wait had finally ended. He pushed the stick forward, and the helicopter jerked forward, heading towards pad six, as instructed. As he flew around the landing pads, he finally reached number six. It was larger than pad three, most likely because of the cargo he was carrying. The pad was empty, and it was going to be a smooth landing. Wolf maneuvered the helicopter so that the crates were placed to the side of the white landing pad, so that he would have enough room to land. Once the crates were detached, he gently guided the Guardian Angel back to solid ground. The helicopter touched down on the pad with a soft thud as Wolf switched off the engine, generating a metallic whine as the gears stopped turning, bringing the rotor blades to a stop. Silence ruled over the landing pad, as if the air was happy that the merciless assault on it by the helicopter's rotor blades finally ceased to turn.

The canopy hissed as it slowly opened. Wolf jumped out and met the ground. He was glad to be back on solid ground, but things on the landing pad were quiet. Too quiet. No one was around, no deck officers, no loaders...nothing. The place looked deserted. Wolf started to walk over to the door in the side of the mountain when it started to open. Wolf's heart sank as he saw what had opened it.

Standing in the doorway, wearing her regal robes, crown glistening as the sunlight bounced off it, murderous look in her eyes, was Twilight.

"Oh boy..." Wolf knew he was in for a long, long talk.

28 hours earlier...

Wolf was suprised to find out that he had been gone for a little over two hours, during which Twilight had awoken alone in her bed, no note, nothing from Wolf to tel her where he was going, and all of a sudden he showed back up on her doorstep, carrying a large load of weaponry, including his armor. Wolf lost track of time as the hours passed by while Twilight continued to rant, until a whole day had past. Too angry to allow him into her bedroom for now, Wolf set himself up in an unoccupied watchtower looming over the city like a giant dagger in the sky, it's alabaster walls reflecting sunlight back to the city. By some mistake, Wolf had also packed a cot into those crates. Turns out it wasn't a mistake after all. Wolf wondered however if he had made a mistake by bringing all that hardware into the palace. He had barely been there for 3 days and already he had caused another fight between him and Twilight. Maybe he was too hasty to judge the outcome of the coming war. Maybe Equestria would win. Maybe Twilight wouldn't be in any danger after all. So he just caused a fight for nothing. Wolf turned in his cot as he sighed in disappointment. He had serious issues that he had to work on. But working on his personality quirks would have to wait till morning. Wolf was just too tired to do anything else. A day of scolding made sure of that. Wolf slowly closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep.

25 hours earlier...

Twilight couldn't sleep. She just couldn't. She had spent hours already just tossing and turning in her bed. Maybe she overreacted just a bit, after all Wolf just wanted to protect her...

Protect her...That he would go to such lengths to protect her, ready to enact terrible retribution on any that dare harm her, yet unwilling to fight against those who would order their subordinates to do so. A light breeze blew through the open balcony doors, sending chills down her spine. Those doors were pretty much useless considering that they stayed open almost constantly. Twilight pulled the blanket over herself even more. It was chilly tonight, and she was unwilling to get out of bed to close them. A light thud caught her attention. It wasn't anything important, so Twilight dismissed it. When another four were heard, Twilight had to see what was going on. As she reared her head out of the pillows, hey sight was blotted out by some kind of bag as something metal clasped around her horn. She tried to scream, but was silenced as a gag was stuffed into her mouth. Twilight tried to cast a spell and free herself. She could feel the energy gathering in her horn. Soon whoever was attacking her would feel the wrath of a princess.

A wave of pain washed over her head as her own magic was discharged back at her, shocking her. She started to feel lightheaded. The gag must have been laced with something.

"Mustn't close my eyes...Don't close your eyes..." Twilight thought to herself. She HAD to stay awake. But the bag she was placed in combined with the anesthetic laced gag rendered all of her efforts in vain. The last thing she heard was said figures talking to each other, mentioning something about the Everfree Forest, a Queen, and a note as she fell asleep...

17 hours earlier...

Wolf awoke by the sound of shouting Guards. He stormed out onto the balcony, straining his eyes immensely. He looked down towards the courtyards however, so the sunlight didn't bother him much. Below the watchtower he had spent the night in were large groups of Guards rushing in all directions. Their commander frantically barked orders at them. Something was wrong. Very wrong, and Wolf knew it. He had to find out just what the hell was going on. And he knew he had to go straight to the horse's mouth to find out. Wolf pushed the door open, rushed down the stairs and wove through the hallways of the palace. He didn't know where his target was, so he asked one of the Guards running about.

"Hey! Where's the Captain?" Wolf shouted to the panicked Guard.

"Down the hall and hang a right! Keep going till you're in the courtyard!" The Guard shouted as he ran off further into the palace. Wolf followed his directions and found himself in one of the palace's larger courtyards. Shining Armor was standing in the center, giving a speech or something to his Guards. Wolf only caught part of it.

"...Search parties sent everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Leave no stone unturned until you find her! Is that clear?!" Shining Armor barked towards the mass of Guards gathered before him.

"Sir yes sir!" They all responded as they marched off into the distance.

"Hey! Shining Armor!" Wolf shouted to him as he walked up towards him. Shining Armor turned to face him, then walked towards the castle. Wolf turned as they met midway, then walked with him.

"What's going on?" Wolf asked. Shining Armor just ignored him until they were inside, despite Wolf's multiple attempts to get his attention.

"Hey! Talk to me, what's going on?!" Wolf finally asked after getting in front of him, looking him straight in the eye. Shining Armor was captivated by their tranquil appearance. He had to answer now.

"Twilight's been kidnapped." Shining Armor said, waiting for a frantic response.

"What?!" Wolf asked, eyes going wide with dread. How could this have happened? He blamed himself. If he hadn't brought all that weaponry, then he would have been with Twilight when her kidnappers had come for her. He could have stopped them. But now they had gone too far.

"They left this for you." Shining Armor interrupted his thoughts. Levitating a small note, he gave it to Wolf. Wolf scanned it, needing to see what it said.

Hello Wolf, by the time you've found this, your precious Princess will have been in our hooves for hours already. If you want her back, then come and claim her. You know where to find her...

As he read the final passage, an image forced it's way into his mind. A cave, surrounded by dark green trees. Somehow, he immediately knew how to get there. Wolf crushed the note in his hand and walked off into the halls of the castle. Now Shining Armor was following him, peppering him with questions. It was his turn to be ignored. He followed Wolf up the winding stairs up to the watchtower, but his path was interrupted by a closing door. Shining Armor banged on the door mercilessly, hearing commotion from within. A few minutes passed, before the door finally creaked open. Shining Armor pushed it aside and entered. Within, he saw a new Wolf, one he didn't recognize. One clad in a grey suit of armor made from an unknown alloy, picking up a long metal device that was obviously a weapon of terrible power. Wolf turned around to face him. Lifting up the weapon and putting it on his shoulder, he said one thing.

"Whiskey Seven-Thirteen ready to kick ass."

5 &1/2 hours earlier...

Wolf looked through the binoculars at the multitude of hostiles before him. Griffons, many of them. Heavily armed, all of them. He overheard them mention something about tanks arriving late at night. Wolf wasn't sure of what to do. If he attacked now, he would be easy to spot. If the Griffons could see him, they could shoot him. And Wolf didn't intend to be a bullet magnet. On the other hand, if he waited till nightfall, he would not be spotted as easily, and he would have the support of a small army of Guards, but that would mean they would also have to face enemy armor. The latter was easily disposed of however. He went down a couple of branches on the tree he was perched on, turned around it, and activated his comlink.

"Sam, I need a Hunter fueled and ready to go, and I need it in about five hours. How copy?" Wolf whispered. If he was heard, then the whole plan would be shot straight to hell.

"Copy all sir. Hunter will be ready to go. Just give me the targets and I'll take care of the rest." Sam replied. Oh goody! She would get to blow something up!

"You have my location?" Wolf asked her.

"Affirmative sir." Sam assured him. Of course she had it. She would aaaaalways trace his signal when he contacted her.

"Check back with me when the Hunter achieves standard orbit." Wolf instructed her. Sam would do it. She always followed his orders to the letter. Well, unless they would backfire and end up in him blowing himself up.

"Yes sir. Talk to you in five hours. Don't be a stranger! Out." Sam said, then proceeded to prepare the Hunter that Wolf had requested.

"Good ol' Sam..." Wolf said, before hunkering down. He had a loooooong wait ahead of him...

7 minutes earlier...

Wolf's patience was wearing very thin. This was the perfect time to attack, when they didn't expect it. Those floodlights weren't doing much good for the Griffons. They had missed him many times. Stealth was something Wolf enjoyed, but the waiting that walked hand in hand with it wasn't on his list of favorite things. Like a ghost, he had evaded patrols, searchlights, everything the Griffons had thrown at him. And now he needed to get this over with, rescue Twilight, and get the hell out. He couldn't wait. He got so anxious, he didn't notice the three Griffons below him until it was too late.

"There!" One of the shouted, and all of a sudden he was nearly blinded by three flashlights shining at him. In an instant, Wolf jumped down after drawing his wrist blades, plunging them into two of the Griffons before they could do anything else. Gravity only increased the force of the blows. The two of them were dead before they even hit the ground. With one swift motion, the blades were out, and now he had to focus on the third target. Wolf lunged at him, using his left hand to knock the drawn rifle out of the Griffons hand. With his right, he plunged the blade into the Griffon's stomach, but not before he could discharge his firearm. The gunshots echoed through the forest, followed soon by the alarms blaring throughout the whole enemy encampment.

"Shit..." Wolf hissed. Oh well. At least now he could finally attack...

Present...

Wolf stepped out of the long, dark, damp tunnel, and found himself inside a large circular room. A smaller stone circle rested in the center of the room, with four stone pillars rising from the floor. Wolf couldn't see the ceiling. The room didn't seem to have a ceiling. A bright white light, as if heaven itself had opened up, illuminated the room. A little bit further than the center of the stone circle, was a certain lavender Alicorn...

"Twilight!" Wolf shouted as he ran towards her. A few feet away, he dropped to the ground and slid next to her, leaving his LMG next to her. He ripped his helmet off and tossed it to the side. It bounced off the ground with a series of sickening thuds, before finally resting at the edge of the room. Wolf lifted her head up, and turned her head to face him. He placed fingers on her neck, to make sure she was alive. She seemed to be unconscious, but all right otherwise.

"The bastards didn't hurt her, Thank God... " Wolf whispered to himself.

"Twilight? Twilight can you hear me? Speak to me..." Wolf said to her, hoping that she would wake up.

The illusion that she was unconscious quickly faded away when her eyes opened quickly, and after grasping who was in front of her, Twilight desperately shouted to him. The fear and desperation in her voice was clear. Wolf hadn't heard anyone so desperate.

"Wolf it's a trap!"

As his eyes went wide, from the other side of the room 5 heavily armed Griffons emerged from the shadows in a straight line formation and started firing. Wolf was vulnerable now, he knew it. Twilight fell to the floor, taking cover from the barrage of bullets. Wolf took a bullet to the shoulder, the force of impact knocking him back. With his right arm, Wolf grabbed his LMG, aimed at the closest Griffon, and fired. As the first Griffon fell, Wolf started to walk the LMG to the left, taking full advantage of the weakness of their formation. Soon they were all dead, their blood forming another pool on the floor. The Griffons he had already sent to Hell were going to have some more company...Wolf made sure that the area was secure, then returned to Twilight, who had just lifted her head up and was scanning the room. As he knelt next to her, holding his bleeding shoulder, Twilight shouted at him again.

"It's a trap!" The words echoed in the air for a moment, before Wolf replied.

"Yeah, I know, I took care of them." Wolf reassured her that everything was all right.

"No, not them! You need to-"

Before Twilight could say anything else, Wolf was swept away by a wave of magic, sending him flying straight into the center of the stone circle. Once he was above it, bolts of red lightning shot out from the pillars at the edge of the circle. Wolf could only scream in agony as the energy made it's way through his body. The bolts focused on his arms and legs, but the sheer strength of the magic sent the energy coursing through the rest of his body. Twilight yelled to him, feeling his pain. She tried to cast spells to help him, but to no avail. The ring around her horn made sure that no magic could be discharged from it.

"You cannot help him now." An eerily familiar voice echoed through the room amidst the crackling of the red lightning.

Nightmare Moon stepped out of the shadows, and circled the magic encased human as her clever trap was doing exactly what it was designed to do.

"Nothing can. I made sure of that. This is Old Magic..." Nightmare Moon taunted her. The person Twilight loved was being tortured in front of her, and there was nothing she could do about it. And Nightmare Moon was rubbing it in...

"I'll be greatly suprised if he survives this..."

Twilight could only watch Wolf squirm and listen as his pained screams echoed in the chamber, torturing her with their continuity.

Wolf was in sheer agony. He felt like thousands of volts of electricity coursed through his body, ripping it apart as if it was looking for something. His heart was beating like crazy, on the brink of complete collapse. His lungs hurt like fire was encased within them as they forced the air out of them. His vocal chords were resonating so hard they felt like they could snap at any moment. His ears stung like crazy as they were tortured by his own screaming.

The pain subsided a bit, as if the energy found what is was looking for.

The air was being sucked out of the very space that surrounded him. Jekyll could fell it pulling him back, trying to consume him, whatever it was. A bright red light shone overhead. It's source, a bolt of red lightning cast out into the shadow and grabbed hold of something. A scream echoed through the shadow as Hyde was pulled out from his lair. The bolt past right by him, and so did Hyde. Acting on instinct, Jekyll reached out and grabbed his hand. Only now did he grasp the force behind this lightning. It took all of his strength just to hold on to Hyde. With his left hand, Jekyll grabbed hold of the ground.

"Hyde! Hold on!" Jekyll shouted to his evil companion as the lightning crackled overhead. It had grabbed Hyde by the leg and it didn't intend to let go.

"You can let me go Jekyll...I wouldn't blame you..." Hyde's deep, raspy voice was barely audible as the crackling intensified. Jekyll looked into Hyde's eyes and for the first time saw some sincerity behind them. He may have been evil but Jekyll wasn't going to abandon him to a horrible fate. His grip tightened, as he shouted his reply.

"No! I'm not gonna let go!"

For the first time ever, Hyde felt genuine respect for Jekyll.

Nightmare Moon gave off an amused chuckle. The spectacle was entertaining for her. A powerful being such as Wolf, fighting against impossible odds. But now the time for amusement had ended.

"Putting up a fight eh? Amusing...Yet unacceptable."

Wolf's screaming only got louder as the pain got worse. Much worse....

Hyde began screaming panickedly. Jekyll looked back to see why. The tip of the red lightning bolt that was wrapped around Hyde's leg started to turn black, as if it was sucking something out of him. Before long, he could see the tip turn red again, after extracting whatever it came for. Suddenly, it let go, and both of them fell to the ground.

Wolf's screams ended in a sickening crescendo as something black and pulsing was ripped out of his chest by the lightning. Suddenly, the bolts that held Wolf's arms and legs in a tight embrace let go, now focusing on the black mass that they had taken out of him. Wolf hung in the air for a moment, before falling to the ground, smoldering in complete silence. Twilight rushed over to him. He couldn't be dead! Not after all that he had survived! She blew past a smiling Nightmare Moon and fell to the ground at his side, to see if he was still alive, and to try and bring him back if he wasn't.

Nightmare Moon ignored Twilight's frantic cries as she finally saw it. The fruit of her many labors. Such power...She could feel it from where she was standing! And now, it was at her disposal, all she had to do now was claim it. The bolts of lightning disappeared as Nightmare Moon absorbed this mass of pure energy. The power! There was just so much of it! She could feel the energy coursing through her, adjusting to the new body. She was lifted into the air by the sheer voracity of it. Once the process was complete, she gently floated back to the ground, stronger then ever before. Her task was now complete. With this new-found strength, she could easily conquer Equestria. But now she had to destroy the one being that could still pose a threat to her. If it could survive such an ordeal, and having it's magic stripped away from it in such a manner, it could still be a dangerous enemy.

Much to Twilight's relief, Wolf was alive. Barely. How he survived didn't matter to her, what mattered was that he did. His breathing was irregular as his eyes opened, fear painted on his face. He would not survive going through that again.

"So he survived...Impressive..." Nightmare Moon's poisoned words hung in the air, stinging Twilight's thoughts viciously. She would pay for what she did to him...she would pay.

Twilight got up and charged Nightmare Moon. Her horn may not be much use for magic now, but she could still use it to stab her.

"Don't waste my time with pointless offensives." Nightmare Moon said as her horn glowed and Twilight was swept off her hooves, and sent flying into the wall of the chamber. The sheer force of the blow knocked her unconscious.

Wolf saw it all. He had to stop this bitch before she could do any more damage. And he saw it, lying a few feet in front of him. His pistol, knocked out of it's holster from the wave of magic that struck him just seconds ago. It's well cleaned and polished structure glistened in the light, giving Wolf the feeling it could defeat anything.

Despite the overwhelming amounts of pain in his chest, Wolf slowly crawled over to his gun. Right arm...Left arm...Right, left. Right, left. Right, left...

As his hand finally gripped the handle, Wolf smiled. A new wave of pain washed over his body as the Dark Queen of The Night stomped on his hand with as much strength as she could muster. The gun glowed black as she gripped it with her magic.

"What were you planning on doing with this?" She asked him in a mocking tone. She only smiled and laughed at his attempt to vanquish her. Wolf looked at her with hatred that burned with the intensity of a thousand suns. Nightmare Moon ignored his glare and examined the weapon that Wolf would have used to harm her. Such a simple thing, yet it had such destructive potential...

"A crude...yet effective weapon." Nightmare Moon concluded as she cocked the weapon, intent on using it.

"Ironic isn't it? The very weapon that would have been my end...will be yours." Nightmare Moon declared, as the weapon turned midair, the barrel facing Wolf. He looked straight down it and knew it was all over. Nothing more could be done.

"Goodbye, Wolf." She said, grinning madly.

"NO!"

That one word echoed through the chamber as a large white mass, followed by a smaller dark blue one crashed into Nightmare Moon just as she pulled the trigger. The bullet missed Wolf by mere millimeters. He looked towards the two allies that had come to his aid, and identified them immediately. Princess Celestia herself, and a smaller Alicorn Wolf recognized from a painting he was shown. Celestia's younger sister, Princess Luna. The three battled for a few seconds, before a booming voice echoed through the chamber walls.

"ENOUGH!"

A burst of black energy, and both regal sisters were sent soaring through the air into opposite sides of the chamber. They had been defeated so easily. Nightmare Moon stood in the center of a small crater that was created when she generated that wave. They were all doomed, unless Wolf could do something...anything.

A gentle flash caught the corner of his eye. He looked towards it, and there it was. Still in it's pristine condition, his pistol. Wolf knew he would only have one shot at this. He mustered all of his strength, and kicking up a small cloud of dust lunged towards the pistol. He grabbed it, turned around, and emptied the five rounds that were left in Nightmare Moon's direction. He could hear two of the ripping through flesh, and the other three bouncing off her battle armor. Nightmare Moon hissed in pain as the small projectiles dared to tear into her. In pain, unable to fight now, she simply yelled.

"You will pay for that!"

And she was gone in a puff of black smoke.

The final dash draining what was left of his energy, Wolf collapsed to the ground. His breathing had become heavy, labored. Before long Wolf was unconscious once more.

The silence of the chamber was restored, as all who occupied it were unconscious.

The silence was quickly broken however, as the ceiling slowly began to crack...

End chapter 47

Author's Note

WHOO! Longest chapter yet! Here's hoping they'll all be this long in the future!

Chapter 48: Death

Celestia shifted a bit, regaining her senses after Nightmare Moon's attack. How she had gathered that much power eluded her, but how really didn't matter at this point. What mattered was that Nightmare Moon had the power now, and was more than happy to use it. Celestia lifted her head up, and regretted that decision instantly. Her head ached as if someone had dropped a mountain on it. At that moment, a large chunk of the ceiling fell from above, crashing to the ground and shattering into hundreds of smaller pieces.

"Figures..." Celestia muttered.

In one quick burst of strength Celestia was back on her hooves. Unfortunately, that was only temporary. Celestia slumped down on her side after taking a few clumsy steps. She must have been hit harder than she thought. Another chunk of dirt fell to the ground, where Celestia saw Luna lying unconscious.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in her head, Celestia lifted herself up off the ground. She wobbled a bit, but now she was determined to stay up. Celestia walked over to her beloved sister, intent on removing her from this collapsing cave. Celestia focused on Luna, trying to grip her with magic. She tried and tried again, but failed each time. The pain was simply too much for Celestia to bear. She would have to carry her sister out the old fashioned way.

Legs still shaking, ready to give way at any time, Celestia got her head under Luna's motionless body, and just kept pushing forward. Her efforts bore fruit quickly. Luna was now secure on Celestia's back. Having to adjust to the extra weight, she couldn't move at first.

"Luna has to lay off all the moon pies..." Celestia muttered to herself as she put one hoof in front of the other and repeated the process continuously until she was safely out of the cave, her precious cargo still safely on her back. Once Celestia was a fair distance from the mouth of the cave, she collapsed to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Luna slumped off of her sisters back, falling to the ground and generating a smaller dust cloud. The small clouds danced with each other for a split second, before gently floating away into the night air. With quick shallow breaths Celestia attempted to supply her body with the oxygen it so desperately needed. She would have simply stayed there, resting if one realization didn't smash her instincts to bits.

"They're still inside..."

Celestia's eyes went wide just as her adrenal system ejected it's emergency stores directly into her bloodstream. With her new-found strength, and the dulling of the pain, she was able to lift herself off the ground once more. She stood at the entrance of the cave, staring into it for a moment. The whole thing looked like it was beckoning her to come inside and seal her fate. She knew that this must have been what Nightmare Moon intended, but she honestly didn't give a damn. Twilight and Wolf were still inside and she was going to get them out, no matter the cost. She would have to hurry though. She could hear the cave ceiling falling to the ground, the loud crashing noises echoing through the narrow tunnel that lead to it.

With sheer determination, she charged into the cave, dodging a falling stalactite from the tunnel roof. She entered the chamber, and realized to her own horror that the part of the ceiling where she and Luna were lying had collapsed completely. If she hadn't woken up...

Celestia shook her head, She couldn't afford to dwell on that now. She had two lives to save. She desperately scanned the room, looking for said lives. She found them both on opposite sides of the stone circle, both resting under the pillars that comprised Nightmare Moon's clever trap. Both lay motionless. Celestia didn't want to admit it, but she knew that she only had time to save one. The ceiling wouldn't hold much longer. But who would she save? Twilight, her beloved student, Element of Magic and current ruler of Equestria? Or Wolf, the greatest warrior Equestria has ever seen, and perhaps their best and only hope against the Separatist Griffons? Celestia knew she had to make her decision quickly, or else they would all be buried in this place.

"Take...Twilight..." A gruff, pained voice echoed from the right side of the chamber. Celestia's head snapped to it's source. Wolf was trying to lift himself off the ground, but a falling piece of rock struck his back, knocking him back down. His shoulder bleeding, his free arm gripping his helmet, Wolf lifted his head up and looked Celestia straight in the eyes. A mixture of anger, fear, desperation and annoyance fueling his voice, he shouted one last thing.

"Go Celestia!"
Celestia wanted to say something, but she stopped, and simply gave Wolf a respectful nod. Wolf's only response was a violent coughing fit as the dust generated from the falling debris invaded his lungs. Celestia rushed over to Twilight's side, and repeated the same thing she did with Luna. Once Twilight was secure on her back, Celestia began a quick trot out of the doomed cave. Her face froze with horror as a loud crack echoed through the room.
The last crack.
Celestia winced and crouched down as low to the ground as she could, wanting to squeeze every last second she could as she could hear the ceiling giving way and falling towards her, gaining more speed with each passing second. A thunderous crash echoed in the disturbed air...

Celestia opened her eyes, wondering what the afterlife looked like. She was disappointed. It looked just like the cave she was just in. So that was it? She had lived for thousands of years, wondering how the afterlife would be, only to discover it was just the scene of her death?

A falling piece of rock derailed Celestia's macabre train of thought. Her head darted upwards, where she saw the harbinger of her doom looming over her just like before, only closer. Why had it frozen midair like that? A quick look around revealed the answer. The four pillars around the diameter of the stone circle stubbornly suspended the ceiling up just inches above Celestia's flowing mane. She silently thanked Nightmare Moon, something she thought she'd would never, ever do. For Nightmare Moon, in her attempt to destroy them all in one fell swoop, had just inadvertently saved them all. Well, all except one...

Regaining her focus, Celestia now galloped full speed out of the collapsing cave. She could feel the air rushing behind her as it was forced out of the main chamber by a few tons of rocks and dirt. The effects of the adrenaline wearing off, Celestia went all in. Her legs moving so fast they burned, she got out of the cave just ahead of the massive plume of dust that was forcibly ejected from the main chamber. The sheer force of the cloud nearly launched her into the air. Once she knew that she was safe, the effects of the adrenaline disappeared completely. The pain now finally catching up to her after biding it's time, Celestia collapsed, exhausted by this whole ordeal.

As the dust settled, two large military airships descended above the forest. Multiple cannons jutted out of the armored hull, ready to bombard anything below. These newly commissioned vessels were the first of their kind, fresh out of the shipyards of Manehattan. They were massive, large enough to give even a fully grown Dragon pause. They were the pride and joy of Equestria's hastily formed military. Since the return of Nightmare Moon, many mothballed facilities came to life as the needs of war loomed menacingly over Equestria's industrial capitals. As they were the first vessels in what would become a grand war fleet, they were immediately designated as the flagships of said fleet, and christened with names paying homage to Equestria's former rulers. Thus, the Celestial Blaze and the Lunar Fury were born.

Scores of Pegasi and Unicorn Guards roped, teleported, and flew down through the fairly thin canopy of trees covering their destination.

"Secure the perimeter!" Was the command that all the officers on the ground bellowed out to their subordinates. Immediately, the ponies that moments ago were descending from the warships that carried them all took up positions around the three Royal ponies that lay in front of them, unconscious. As soon as the dust had happily settled on the ground again, it was disturbed more rudely and more violently than ever before. Once all was clear, the all clear signal was sent back up to the Celestial Blaze.

Within the reinforced wooden hull of the majestic warship, two Unicorns stood by the cargo elevator controls, ready to perform their appointed duty. The all clear signal had been given, and they knew what that meant. Soon he would arrive, expecting them to lower him down to ground level. Sure enough, within the next few seconds, the door in front of them opened, revealing Captain Shining Armor, clad in unique set of purple Guard Armor. Handed down from Captain to Captain, it was one of the few military relics of Equestria, and one of the most prized. The Captain trotted over to the elevator, followed closely by a pair of Pegasi Guards, both donning the iconic golden armor of the Equestrian Guard. The trio all stepped onto the elevator in complete silence. Once they were ready to descend, Shining Armor nodded to the higher ranking of the two. Upon seeing the Captain's nod, he turned to his subordinate and said sternly:
"Pull the lever."
The second Unicorn, in turn, smiled slightly as he finally got to perform his duty. He gripped one of the levers with his teeth, and quickly pulled down on it.

Suddenly, a hatch below his superior opened suddenly, sending him plummeting to the ground below. All he could do as he fell was to scream at the top of his lungs, completely destroying the serious atmosphere below him.

“Wrong leveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrr!!!!”

His scream was interrupted by a soft thud, The Unicorn then looked at the Captain, and asked the one question that was in his mind.
"Sir, why do we even have that lever?"

Shining Armor shot an evil glare at the young Guard. He immediately got the message and pulled the correct lever. The gears creaked slightly as the elevator slowly descended to the forest floor. As it strayed further and further from the ship, it became more and more susceptible to the elements. The elevator swayed a bit as the wind tried to remove the stubborn obstacle that dared to interrupt it's flow. All it did however was bounce off harmlessly. Tonight, the obstacle would win...
The elevator finally set down, kicking up a small cloud of dust that quickly scattered in the breeze. Shining Armor stepped off, followed by his two-Guard escort. All three walked in complete silence at first, but the sight of his sister lying unconscious on Celestia's back was too much for the Captain of the Royal Guard to bear. Breaking years and years of training and discipline, he ran out to the three alicorns, exhaling heavily as he came closer and closer.
The last few meters were covered by skidding. The dust cloud kicked off from the ground and twisted and turned in the air in dizzying patterns.

"Twily..." Shining Armor's voice broke, as tears welled up in his eyes. His sister was there was lying there right in front of her, and he could do nothing. He blamed himself of course. He had failed to protect her, left her with...with...
No. Shining Armor couldn't afford to think of him now. He could take care of himself. Twilight needed her brother with her. Celestia coughed, and Shining Armor remembered she was there too.

"Princess, are you-?"

"Did he make it out?" Celestia's question came at him so quickly it took him time to realize what she had asked.
"Who are you-" Then it hit him. Shining Armor didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure he wanted to have one. He just looked back at the entrance of the cave, dust still billowing up in plumes from the entrance. Where it used to be at least. Shining Armor's mouth hung open as he looked on the sheer amount of rock and dirt that now flooded what once was an opening large enough to fit three chariots side by side.
"I don't think he..." He couldn't say it. More importantly, he didn't want want to say it. And he didn't. Twilight's gasp for breath cut him off. Her eyes opened slowly, and Shining Armor saw his reflection in her eyes. He had to regain control of himself quickly. Anything could still happen.

"Shining?" Twilight's voice was only half as strong as it normally was. She wasn't fully aware of her situation yet. And that was exactly what he needed right now. If she was, she wouldn't like what he was going to do. Hell, she would hate him for the rest of her life anyway once she came to. Mustering every scrap of authority he had in him, he gave his command.

"Get the Princesses aboard the ship. We're leaving."
Deep down he regretted it. He thought he'd never leave anyone behind. But now he had no choice. They were still in dangerous territory, and the Princesses were needed back in Canterlot.

"Captain...no..." This voice came from Celestia, who was in relatively better condition that Twilight.

"I'm sorry Princess, we can't stay here." Shining Armor's words were firm. Or at least as firm as he could make them under the circumstances. A group of twelve Earth ponies came up to them, each holding one corner of three stretchers. They were followed by several Unicorns. Their horns glowed, and the three Princesses were lifted onto a stretcher. Immediately, the Earth ponies sped off towards the elevator of the Celestial Blaze. Shining Armor looked around and saw that the makeshift perimeter had collapsed, and all of his forces were retreating back to the ships at breakneck speed. He followed the last group onto the elevator, and was then lifted back into the belly of the ship.

Shining Armor told one of his lieutenants to make best speed towards Canterlot immediately. He himself stepped back into the rear observation deck of the ship. He opened the door and stepped out on the deck and watched as the ship lifted away from the clearing. The wind blew his mane forward as his eyes fell upon the cave.
"I'm sorry." He spoke those two words as a tear threatened to fall from his eye.

Within the bridge of the Red Dawn, the only sound was a loud beep every few seconds. It came from the only monitor that was on, flooding the room with bright blue light. Several sections of the monitor were brighter than the others.
W713 "Wolf"

Sam monitored his heart rate closely, noticing every fluctuation. Something had gone wrong. His pulse was fading, and she could do nothing to help him. Maybe send out a Hunter drone to pick him up? But would he be in any condition to board it if his pulse was dropping? Most of her processing power was dedicated to solving the problem. But nearly all processes stopped dead in their tracks as the beeps were replaced by a high tone screech.

"No..."
Whether through condensation or some miracle, a thin droplet of water appeared on the monitor and flowed down it towards the floor.

Prologue: Arrival (edited)

It was another starry night, one fit for eager eyes to observe. Twilight and Nyx were out stargazing again. Twilight found it a great way to bond; it was their most favorite thing to do, for hours at a time. They would often sit there, on the hill just gazing upwards, in silent awe.

“There's so many... do you think we'll ever see them all, mom?”

“I don't think so, sweetie.”

“Well, why don't we try?”

Twilight laughed heartily. “Okay, we will, but not tonight. It’s awfully late. We should get back to the library.”

“Ohhhhh. Okay.” Disappointment flooded her voice, and had easily been picked up by Twilight.

“Don’t be sad... Maybe a certain unicorn can send a certain letter to a certain princess to whip up a really awesome night tomorrow!” Twilight smiled sheepishly with a hopeful look aimed toward her daughter.

“Yay! You’re the best mommy! Let’s head back! I can’t wait for tomorrow night!”

They started the journey back with a peaceful trot, still absorbing whatever they could from another one of Luna’s beautiful nights. That peace was shattered instantly when Nyx looked up and saw a light moving. Fast.

"Look mommy! A shooting star!"
Twilight looked up and saw the light as well. "Make a wish, honey!"

Upon finishing that sentence, the light swerved and appeared to be as if it was hurdling towards them.

Twilight remarked with a puzzled tone, "Huh, that's strange."

*****

An alarm blared in the bridge of the crippled warship.

An electronically, synthesized voice ringed over the intercom:
“WARNING! Engines: Offline.”
“WARNING! Hull integrity failing.”
“WARNING! Nav Systems going offline.”

A tall armored figure was in the bridge of his ship.
“DAMN IT!” The figure angrily broke one of the screens to shut off it’s annoying red flashing. Instantly regretting that, he began to rub the monitor’s frame in desperation, treating the ship as if it was a real person. “C'mon girl, you didn't escape a Spinar onslaught just to fall on some planet in the middle of nowhere!”

“Major, it does not matter what you do. Red Dawn is going down.”

The true statement bit at his confidence, but he managed to troop on with a semi-determined tone. The figure sighed in his helmet and questioned, “Do we at least have a soft landing spot?”

“Our current course will result in our landing here.” The AI brought up an image of a plain right below a large hill.

“Well, at least it fits the bill of being ‘soft’. Hold tight, I'm taking her in.”

“Oh, and you can stop rubbing my broken monitor. It’s just getting creepy now.”

The figure coughed awkwardly and took his hand off the monitor.

*******

Twilight watched in confused as the strange light began to torpedo toward them at an alarmingly increased pace. While Nyx was still looking at it confused, Twilight began to panic; she realized that if they stayed there, they’d be receiving a one way ticket to the moon.

“Nyx, follow me!” she said in a rushed voice.

“But-” she protested.

“No buts, come on!”

Twilight expertly picked up Nyx and placed her securely onto her back. Knowing she was on tightly, she began to full gallop towards safety at speeds that matched Applejack. After getting to a safe distance, she stopped and turned around. The light had grown nearly 10 times bigger and seemed to be growing as it got closer. While they were completely safe, Twilight took no chances and ran a little further before turning around once more. The light now had a large black spot right in the middle, and was still getting closer.

The two ponies were looking in awe at the strange object. “What is it?” they thought simultaneously.

A few moments later, the deafening sound of the crash reverberated through the air. Judging by the sound it made, it hit the ground with an insane amount of force.

A few minutes of silence passed before Twilight's curiosity got the better of her and she asked, ”Want to go check it out?”
Twilight cursed at herself mentally, she may have just exposed her daughter to extreme danger. Who knows what evil could rest in something that just fell from the sky? She silently prayed to both Celestia and Luna that Nyx would answer ‘no’.

“Yeah!” Curiosity had gotten the best of Nyx as well. Like daughter like mother. Twilight cursed at herself some more after hearing Nyx's answer. No going back now.

The two began to walk towards the spot where they had last seen the light.
After a few minutes of careful trotting, the two were back of what remained of the hill. They both looked down to what appeared to be large black object sitting in what was once a large, green plain. They approached the strange object. Behind it, the ground was overturned and smoldering, not only from the heat of orbital reentry, but also the sheer amount of friction from the crash.

Twilight looked to the object’s right side. It was completely black, save for a few white spots of what remained of the captivating white paint near the top of it. After a few moments observation, she realized the marks were words. "Red Dawn," she whispered. Twilight then noticed a large extension on the side of the object, looking remarkably similar to a pegasi’s wings without any feathers. Attached to it’s underside was a large metal box with a pair of tubes jutting out of it.

They both swallowed their fears and trotted further towards the wing. Upon closer observation, they saw what looked like a battered door directly underneath the junction between the wing and the rest of the object. They stopped to investigate further. After a few moments,the door opened. Both Twilight and Nyx took a few steps back, their curiosity gradually losing ground to fear. A large gray object came out of the door and fell to the ground, coughing violently. Curiosity once took over as the two approached to investigate.

The figure turned it's head and saw the two ponies walking towards it. He leaped up and pointed a rifle at the two. Pain and fear replacing logic, he immediately assumed that they were a threat.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!” it barked at the two of them.
The two stopped, startled at the fast transformation from a neutral, hurt being to a hostile, deadly one.

“DON'T MOVE!” it yelled again. He could have been more passive in his demands, but he was a super soldier, not a super diplomat. Spinar never really had a knack for conversation anyway.

Twilight looked closer at the strange thing it was holding. She then realized it was a gun. She had read about guns in an old book about Griffons, and she was well aware that this strange figure would use his if they got too close.

“ONE WRONG MOVE AND I'LL SHOOT!”

Survival instincts kicking in, Nyx took a step back.

The creature’s rifle snapped to her. “I SAID-” The creature started to cough violently again. After a few moments, he fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless.
Twilight’s curiosity got the best of her again and she moved closer. The thing’s head seemed to be made of metal, and what seemed like a large glass eye was a bit below it's top.
"A cyclops?" Twilight thought. Further examination left Twilight with the correct answer: It was wearing a helmet. Her horn began to glow, and soon after the helmet came off. It's white, scarred face, and dark brown mane was revealed. It let out a low groan of pain while it was still unconscious. She examined the creatures side and found a large piece of metal sticking out of it's gray armor, with blood pooling around it. It was wounded. Badly.

Twilight’s horn glowed again as the thing floated into the air.. "Come on Nyx. We’re going home."

~End Prologue~

******

Chapter 3: Second Introductions, Painful memories (edited)

Planet Raxus, April 12th, 2659, 14:37 hrs
A soldier shouted.
“Damn it where did that come from?!”
Wolf looked at the body that was once Corporal Marks. There was a large spike sticking out of his back. He looked up, and there was a tall round tower, maybe twelve stories high, and full of holes from explosives and gunfire.
“I want fire on that tower over there.”
“Sir?”
“Cover me, I'm going in close.”
“Yes sir.”
The soldiers around him came out of their cover and opened fire on the tower.
Wolf left from his cover and began running towards the tower. It was at least a 500 meter walk, through thick enemy fire, with little to no cover. For most it would be a suicide mission. For Wolf it was just another day on the job. Normally he would bring backup, but Wolf wasn't going to risk the lives of his men. He took cover inside a trench. He was spotted by a small Spinar infantry squad.
He looked up and saw that, if he followed the trench, he would end up very close to the tower. He began the journey. After 120 or so meters, he stopped to listen. Footsteps, close to him. All of a sudden, a Spinar drone jumped into the trench within inches of Wolf, forcing him on his back. The drones were much like ants, save that they were bipedal and both their legs and arms were covered in thorns. There head was different than the rest of their ant-like body, resembling that of the Praying Mantis. Drones were the basic Spinar class, assuming the role of workers in bug colonies. Just as frail as humans, and extremely stupid, they aren't very dangerous alone. In groups however, as if some kind of telepathy combined their collective intelligence, they were capable of brilliant battlefield tactics, overwhelming small human squads easily. The Drone aimed it's weapon at Wolf. Too late. By the time that it had it's gun pointed at him, Wolf's weapon was already blazing, pumping hot lead into the chest, neck and head of the drone. It fell over dead. He got up and fired his weapon in the direction the first drone came from. The two others standing there were caught completely off guard. Within a second, both were laying on the ground lifeless. Wolf emptied his magazine in the direction of the main Spinar force, then reloaded. He then continued towards the tower.
He exited the trench and was 100 meters away from the tower. He ran towards the entrance. He quickly jumped behind a low wall. The Spinar who were guarding the entrance oppened fire on his position. Wolf armed the grenade launcher on the bottom of his rifle, and fired it in the general direction of the guards. A perfect shot, followed by a loud explosion. He got out of cover and walked towards the entrance. Bits of drones littered the ground, covering it in a ghastly green from the blood leaking out. Some of the guards lay dead on the ground, killed by the shrapnel of the grenade, the rest injured. Wolf approached the wounded guards. They were in pain, obviously, barely able to move. Wolf pointed his weapon at their heads. Four gunshots. Four more dead Spinar. Even after everything they did, Wolf just couldn't leave them there. Even he wouldn't deny them a quick death. He proceeded into the tower. It was an apartment complex. Wolf looked into a half open door. It was a large living room. The white pillows on the black leather couch were full of holes from projectiles, the cedar coffee table was overturned, and also full of holes. A drone lay dead on the floor, creating a large pool of green blood. He looked around more. And saw the corpse of a man holding the corpse of a blonde woman tightly with one hand, while the other was holding a shotgun.
"At least you decided to put up a fight...."
He picked up the shotgun and checked to see if it was loaded.
"9 rounds left, good enough for me."
Wolf put his rifle on his back, onto the hook that was on his armor specifically for weapons.
He looked some more, then he saw it. A teddy bear was on the ground, covered in blood, and with a large hole in it's left leg. He didn't want to look more, he already knew what was there.
“The sons of bitches.....” Was the thought in his head. He left the room and proceeded to the roof of the buiding. On the roof, there it was. A Wasp. Wasps were named like that because of the powerful stingers on its arms and because it had wings. The second highest class of bug, Wasps are extremely dangerous, assuming the role of special forces and battlefield commanders, Wasps enjoy many benefits in Spinar society. Highly trained, with a hard exoskeleton that is resistant to small arms fire and natural weapons, in terms of their powerful stingers that can be used as blades, make Wasps one of the most dangerous Spinar classes. It didn't notice the human approaching it from behind. A few moments later it felt something againsit it's head. Then it heard a human voice.
“Gotchya.”
A single shotgun burst disintegrated the Wasp's head, sending a cloud of green blood in all directions, splashing Wolf's helmet and upper body. He wiped off his helmet.
“Wolf to base, sniper eliminated.”
“Sorry sir, we lost the base. We're en route to your position.”
“Copy that. I'll be waiting. Wolf out.”
A few seconds later, a voice from the radio.
"Sir, we're taking heavy fire from bug positions to our east! Requesting fire support!"
"Copy that trooper, I'll do what I can from here."
He looked around and saw the Wasp's rifle.
"It'll do."
He put his shotgun down and picked up the rifle, then took over the Wasp's former position. He looked through the scope and found the retreating humans.
He shifted his view to the east, and found a large concentration of Spinar shooting at the humans. He focused on a drone operating a small machine gun. One shot, one kill.
He continued to fire at the bugs, always hitting his target, killing it with a well placed headshot.
"How do you like someone shooting back at you?"
The rifle clicked empty. He picked up the shotgun again.
"Damn, don't Spinar guns carry more ammo?"
After finishing that sentence, a massive Spinar flew up over the roof out of nowhere. It looked very much like the Goliath Tarantula back on Earth, only the size of a small basketball court. This was a Spider. With it's eight powerful legs and natural body armor, along with the capabillity of becoming an extremely versatile weapons platform, made the Spider a living, breathing tank. Wolf was caught completely by suprise. He fired off as many bursts on it as he could, before it came crashing onto the ground, knocking Wolf down. He lost his shotgun, and so he rolled to his left, avoiding the legs trying to crush him, got back to his feet and pulled out his rifle and unleashed a hailstorm of deadly rounds. A leg came over and tried to hit him. Wolf dived, dodging the leg. He fired off a short burst, before jumping to dodge another leg. As he was midair from the jump another leg came up and slammed into his chest, sending him over the edge of the tower. He grabbed on to the ledge at the last possible second, and looked down at the battle below.
"That wouldn't have been pleasant..."
His other arm came up and grabbed the ledge, empty now, after losing the rifle to gravity, and he pulled himself up to meet a waiting Spider.
He pulled out his pistol. He fired six shots at it's face before he dived to the left to dodge the Spider's frenzied charge. It turned on a dime, and positioned itself above Wolf. He tried to fire at it's head, letting out five more rounds before one of it's legs knocked the weapon out of his hand. Two more legs came and pinned him to the ground. A giant stinger came down and pierced his shoulder on both ends and lodged itself in the concrete roof. Wolf screamed in pain.

Wolf jumped off the couch, panting heavily. Cold sweat was rolling down his forehead. He looked at his shoulder. A six inch long and three inch wide scar was there. It took him a few minutes to collect his thoughts after the nighmare.

No ,not a nightmare. A memory.

Wolf's thought's were interrupted by Twilight.
“Morning!”
“Morning.”
“Sleep well?”
He didn't answer. Twilight already knew the answer.
“Bad dream?”
“Bad memory.”
“War?”
“Yeah.”
Silence filled the room for a few seconds. The silence was interrupted by Twilight's voice.
“Enough about that, how about some breakfast?”
“Sure, what are we having?”
“Blueberry pancakes.”
“Sounds good.”
Twilight returned to the kitchen. Nyx came down, while yawning loudly.
A smile appeared on Wolfs face.
“Morning!” he shouted.
Nyx was startled a bit at first, but she quickly returned the smile and answered.
"Morning!"
"How did you sleep?"
“Fine! You?”
Some of the smile dissapeared. He lied.
“Just fine.”
There was a moment of silence in the room. It was quickly interrupted by Twilight's voice.
“Breakfast is ready!”
The two immediately set course for the kitchen. The smell of fresh pancakes had flooded the room. Wolf
smelled it first. He liked, no, he loved it.

Blueberry pancakes, how long has It been?

The table was set perfectly. Four plates on the table, all filled with pancakes, with a glass of orange juice on the side of each, with a flower pot in the middle. As far as Wolf was concerned, it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He quickly sat down and waited for the other three. He almost began eating immediately, but he remembered that he wasn't in battle anymore, so he didn't need to eat fast. Nyx and Twilight were the first to arrive, Spike was the only one left. A few minutes passed, before Twilight called him.
“Spike! You coming? Breakfast is ready!”
No answer. Twilight called again.
“SPIKE!”
The little purple dragon came down the stairs, somewhat angry that he had been rudely awoken, but otherwise fine. He sat at the table, said a quick good morning and began eating. He looked up at Wolf, and as soon as their eyes met, he fell out of the chair.
"Um....Spike?"
"T-T-T-Twi-Twilight? W-W-Wh- Who is that?"
"Spike, I introduced you two last night. You were probably just too tired to notice him. Anyway...."
"Name's Wolf." He interrupted.
"Okay....I'm Spike."
"So I heard. So, shall we continue?"
Without answering, everyone resumed eating.
"I'll take that as a yes..."
As soon as the pancake touched his lips, Wolf was amazed. It was the best thing he ever had, even better than the soup from the other day. He recommenced eating, he was going to savor every bite. He tasted the orange juice. It was so fresh and delicious, he quickly took another sip, and put the glass down.

*****
An hour or so after breakfast, Twilight was taking Nyx to school while Wolf was following. They arrived in front of the school and were greeted by Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.
“Morning Nyx!”
“Morning Twilight!”
“Morning uh.....who are you?”
Twilight tried to answer, but she was interrupted by Nyx.
“He's our new friend! His name is Wolf.”
Wolf raised an eyebrow. All his friends were dead, killed in the war. He quickly shook his head.

No, the war is over. You can make friends now.....

Wolf was quickly surrounded by the three fillies.
Scootaloo quickly introduced herself and her friends.
“Hi,I'm Scootaloo! This is Sweetie Belle and this is Applebloom. And we're....”
The other three joined her for a loud shout of
“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!”
Wolf was a bit surprised, and he joked:
“Could you say that again? I don't think they heard you across town.”
All 5 ponies laughed.
“Well girls, you need to get in. It'll be time for class soon.”
She knelt towards Nyx, gave her a kiss on the forehead and said:
“Have a great day at school sweetie. I'll see you later, I'm going to show Wolf around some more.”
“Bye mom!”
The four fillies left Wolf and Twilight and went into the school. A few moments later, the bell rang.
“Well, shall we go?”
“Yeah.”
“Where should we go first?”
“You tell me. You're the one who's living here.”
“Well, I'd like to pay a visit to Rarity.”
“Who?”
“Oh, she's a friend of mine.”
“Well, lets go.”

* * * * *

Deep within the Everfree Forest......

A black pegasus with a dark purple mane approached a unicorn of the same colors. The silence of the moment was ruined by the unicorn.
“Report Darkmane.”
“The shell of the Queen remains in Ponyville.”
“Good.”
“Will we attempt to initiate the ritual?”
“No, we must gather more forces. If we initiate now, we will be vulnerable to Celestia. We must gather more ponies for the army.”
“My Lord, if I may, The Children Of Nightmare attempted to revive Nightmare Moon but failed. How will we do it?”
“The Children Of Nightmare were not truly loyal. They were simply touched by our Queens greatness. The...'Queen' they revived was corrupted by Twilight Sparkle. If all goes according to plan, there will be no such problem.”
“My Lord, there is a complication.”
“What is it?”
“An unknown being has fallen from the sky into Equestria.”
The unicorn went silent for a moment, he was thinking.
“We will observe it. If it becomes a potential problem, we will eliminate it. Go now, Darkmane.”
“Yes my lord....”

* * * * *
Twilight and Wolf arrived outside of Carousel Boutique.
“Well, here we are.”
Wolf was silent. Carousel Boutique looked much like a tower. He felt a slight pain in his shoulder, right were a large stinger found him three years ago.
“Hey, you okay?”
Silence.
“Hellooooo? Are you in there?”
“Yeah, I'm fine.”
“Well let's go in.”
The two entered. Twilight was very cheerful, but Wolf was silent, his deep blue eyes darting back and forth. He was nervous, it was obvious. A loud crash. Wolf's eyes were fixed on the door where the sound came from. Twilight looked at him. It was obvious that he was preparing to attack, if need be.The door opened. Pieces of fabric came flying out the door. A voice also came out of the door.
“No, no, no, no, no no NO!”
One of the pieces struck a chair with enough force to knock it over.

Planet Gift, July 23rd, 2659, 19:56 hrs.

Wolf was commanding the 485th infantry. They received orders to reinforce human positions outside the city of New Athens. He looked at his men. All were calm, ready on the outside. But he could easily see the fear in their eyes. One of them, was particularly scared. He approached the dark haired soldier.
“Name and rank, trooper!”
He was caught off guard, he didn't expect his commander to come up to him like that. Wolf said again.
“Name and rank, trooper!”
He was ready to answer this time.
“Private First Class John Parker sir!”
“You look worried Parker. What's wrong?”
“My brother is here sir. I haven't heard from him in weeks and I'm worried.”
Wolf was silent after Parker's answer. Then he said.
“If he's gone, he did his duty. He kept this area clear so that the civilians could get out of here. He saved a lot of lives.”
Both Parker and Wolf were silent after their talk. Parker was hoping he would see his brother again. Wolf wasn't so hopeful. He had received a more....detailed briefing.
- - - - -
Wolf was walking down the halls of a human millitary base. He was going to see Major Dorn, his CO. He stopped at the end of the hall, and turned to face the door that was there. He knocked, and entered. The Major was sitting there with a cigar in his mouth and a shot of whiskey on his desk. He was completely in the dark, he didn't like people to see his face. Wolf never saw what he really looked like.

“Captain, first of all let me congratulate you on your work on Raxus.”
Wolf didn't respond. The Major continued.
“We've lost contact with the 742nd. They were guarding a barricade outside of New Athens. You'll take the 485th and take them to that barricade. Keep it secure, and kill any Spinar you find.”
“Yes sir.”
"And Wolf....."
"Sir?"
"Watch yourself out there."
"I always do..."
- - - - -
They arrived at the barricade. Wolf shouted.
“Secure the perimeter!”
“Yes sir!”
“Um, sir?”
“What is it?”
The soldier showed him the ground. Wolf looked closer. Then he saw it.
“My God......”
Corpses littered the ground, covered in dust so that they weren't visible at first. Parker quickly went to search the corpses, hoping to not find his brother there. Parker went into a doorway. A loud crash. He found what he didn't want to find and tipped a desk. Wolf looked into the doorway, and saw Parker holding a body in his arms, while sobbing.
“Joel! Wake up Joel! Wake up!”
Wolf tilted his head down just slightly. Parker then began to yell.
“No, no, no, no, no no NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
A series of quick bangs. Wolf looked into the doorway. Parker had three large spikes sticking out of his left side. He fell to the ground.
"BUGS! Get to cover!"

Wolf looked away, his eyes closed tightly. Twilight noticed this. She tried to ask him if he was alright, but was interrupted by another voice.
“Welcome to Carousel-Oh hello Twilight, I didn't hear you come in and-WAHAHA!!”
Wolf answered to the scream.
“Nice to meet you too.”
“Oh, sorry, I just didn't expect, well something like, well, you.”
“I get it a lot around here.”
“Well, no reason to be informal, my name is Rarity, and you are?”
“Wolf.”
“A pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
“Well Twilight, what can I do for you?”
“I wanted to say hello and introduce you to Wolf, but now that you mention it, could you fix the gala dress you made for me?”
“What happened?”
“Well, Pinkie Pie pranked Spike again, gave him the hiccups and he burned half the dress.”
“It won't be a problem. I can get started right away.”
“Thanks Rarity!”
"And maybe I can do something for those clothes of your friend here...."
"No thanks, that won't be nessecary..." Wolf answered her.
"Are you sure? I could fix it up rather quickly dear, it doesn't look like there's much potential for it anyway..."
"Yes, I'm sure."
"All right then, Twilight? The dress, if you please..."
Twilights horn glowed, and the half-burned dress appeared out of nowhere.
“I'll see you later dear!”
Twilight and Wolf left Carousel Boutique.Twilight remembered that she wanted to ask Wolf if he was alright.
“So, what happened in there? You looked away from the door, with your eyes closed. Tightly.”
He answered with sarcasm in his voice.
“Just another, happy memory.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
“You feel up to meeting Fluttershy?”
“Yes.”
“Well lets-oh wait, she's out of town. She's in Canterlot with Philomena.”
“Where with who?”
“Oh, Canterlot is Equestria's capital, and Philomena is Princess Celestia's pet phoenix.”
“Princess Celestia?”
“Equestria's ruler and she also raises the sun.”
“O.....kay.”
Twilight tried to say something, but was interrupted by a filly's voice.
“Mom!”
“Nyx?! What are you doing here?”
“Cheerilee is sick, and they let us leave!”
“Alright. Well, I'm going back to the library to look for a couple of books. You want to come with me, or are you and the other Crusaders going to do something today?”
“We're going to go to the treehouse for awhile.”
“Okay, be back before sunset.”
“Okay mom, see you later!”
Nyx left the two.
“What exactly are the Crusaders?”
“Oh, Nyx and her friends have formed a group called The Cutie Mark Crusaders, and they're trying to get their cutie marks.”
“Cutie mark?”
“Oh, each pony gets one when they discover their special talent .It represents their special talent.”
“Those marks on your rear end?”
“Yeah, those.”
“So, what's your special talent?”
“Magic. Don't you have a cutie mark? Or a special talent?”
Wolf was silent for a moment.
“If I did have one,i t wouldn't be pretty considering my 'special talent'.”
“Which is?”
“War.”
They were both silent. Twilight looked into his deep blue eyes and she could almost see the pain, the anger, the hatred in him. All directed towards the Spinar. She almost saw his bad side. But she also saw his good side, buried within his battle hardened soul. He was kind, polite and patient beneath the hard, cold exterior. She had already released some of it, but not all. Twilight made a mental note to try as hard as she could to release the rest of his good side. They were silent for the entire trip to the library.
* * * * *
“Home sweet home.”
They both entered the library. It was dark, the lights were off. Twilight tried to turn them on, but she was cut off by an extremely loud voice.
“SUPRISE!!!”
A red unicorn was levitating a bucket of water. She emptied it on Wolf.

Planet Gift, July 27th, 2659, 19:54.
A tall dark skinned boy approached Wolf quickly.
“Wolf! Come on!”
Explosions and gunfire could be heard from all around.
Wolf was running towards a small tunnel twenty or so meters from him, the boy in front of him.
An explosion fairly close to the boy sent him flying backwards. Wolf didn't stop running for a few moments, then turned to face the boy, who had gotten up. Wolf was right in front of the tunnel.
“Come on Hawk! Get in here!”
Hawk ran towards the tunnel. He was a few metres away from Wolf.
Wolf looked up, and saw a large flying object coming towards them.
“Hawk, get down!”
A few flashes from the flying object. Large clouds of dust errupted from the ground as large spikes impacted. They were getting closer to Hawk. A large spike came through Hawk's chest, sending large amounts of blood onto Wolf's upper body. Hawk fell into Wolf's arms. Wolf turned him around to see his face. He grabbed his hand and held it tightly. Hawk responded in kind. Wolf looked into Hawks light brown eyes....
“Wolf......I'm sorry.”
“Damn it Hawk, stay with me!”
“Good luck.....”
Hawks grip on Wolfs hand loosened completely.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO-”

“-OOOOOOOOOOOO!”
All the ponies watched in silence as Wolf curled up in a corner and began crying uncontrollably.
The smile that was on Pinkie Pies face turned to a frown much like the one she had when she thought her friends didn't like her parties, while all they were doing was planning a suprise birthday party for her.
“Oh no.......” She thought to herself.
Twilight began showing everypony out. The unicorn who had splashed Wolf was particularly sad.
Pinkie Pie was the last one to leave. Before she left, she had one thing to say.
“Twilight.....I'm sorry.”
Twilight nodded, showing Pinkie Pie out.
The library was completely empty, save for a sobbing Wolf and a sad Twilight.
Twilight approached Wolf. She touched his shoulder, while simultaneously asking a dumb question.
“Are you alright?”
Wolf moved away from the contact. He then replied to the question.
“Please, just...go away.”
Twilight didn't think twice about it as she went upstairs, leaving Wolf to mourn a friend he lost years ago. He sat alone in the corner, crying for nearly two hours, before finally falling asleep.

End chapter 3.

Chapter 24: An enemy revealed

"Sounded more like a nightmare."
"Oh, trust me, this one was nowhere near a nightmare for me."
He lied. This was one of the worst nightmares he had ever had, yet another scar on his already scarred mind. He tossed away the covers and got out of bed. He looked around the room a bit. The window caught his eye. The sun was a lot higher than he remembered.
"How long was I out?"
"Eight hours."
"Damn..."
He stretched out his arms as he asked Twilight:
"Where's Nyx?"
"School."
His closed eyes shot open as the answer eached his ears.
"Alone?!"
He burst out of the balcony door. He scoured the platform for a weapon. He grabbed a pistol from right below his chair. He grabbed it and cocked it. He would have preffered a the PDR or the SR, but it would be better to take a more...subtle weapon. He vaulted over the platform railing. It took him roughly a second to fall to the ground. His timing would have to be precise. His strong legs absorbed the force of the impact on the ground and he leaned forward, sending his body in a short roll, expending the kinetic energy from the fall. He stormed off into the distance as Twilight raced on to the balcony, only to see that she was too late.
"Didn't even let me tell him Celestia is sending some guards over..."

Wolf ran towards the schoolhouse. At least where he was told it was. A red building came in sight, the red flag in front of it fluttering aimlessly in the gentle breeze. The bell was swinginga bit, but not enough for it to make any noise. The playground caught his eye. He stopped dead in his tracks staring at the swings...the slide, all with a great ammount of nostalgia. He remembered the time before he was taken, turned into a weapon. A time where he still had his innocence. Something he lost years ago... A single tear rolled off the corner of his eye and fell to the ground, kicking up a microscopic ammount of dirt. He quickly regained control of himself and bolted into the door. Ten sets of eyes met him, nine of them from startled students, while the last set from a very confused purple earth pony with a pink mane. A single voice broke the awkward silence in the room.
"Oh look, the freak is back."
Wolf shot a look to the one filly that could have said that and immediately shut her up. He lifted himself back up.
"Sorry about that..."
"May I help you mister..uh...?"
The teacher asked him, obviously not knowing him despite the reputation he had built.
"Name's Wolf."
"Well, Wolf...I'm Cheerilee, I'm the teacher here. Can I help you with something?"
"I'm just here for Nyx..."
He looked around the room for her. He found her slowly sinking onto her chair, obviously trying to hide.
"Is there something wrong? Does she need to go home for some reason?"
"No...I'm just here to make sure nothing happens to her..."
"Like what?"
He looked back to Cheerilee.
"You mean you haven't heard about what happened?"
"How she was attacked? Of course I heard about it. But why are you so interested about-"
Cheerilee immediately realised who she was talking to.
"You...You're the one who saved Ponyville...First from the Diamond Dogs...then the Hydra...and then the parasprites..."
She paused for a moment, catching her breath.
"And the night Nyx was attacked...You...You..." The tone of her voice fell to a whisper, she obviously didn't want her students to hear waht she was about to say.
"killed her attackers..."
"Yeah, that's me."
"Children, would you excuse us for a minute?"
She nodded to Wolf, who immediately followed her outside. She closed the door behind them, and loud noises instantly emerged from the other side.
"Look...I recognize why you're here, but I'm not exactly comfortable with having somepony whose...killed before in my classroom with my students."
"Ma'am...If I wanted to harm them, I would have done so already. I just want to make sure Nyx is safe..."
Cheerilee's eyes fell to the pistol on Wolf's hip. She recognized that it was his weapon.
"I'll let you stay..."
"Thank-"
"On one condition..." She cut him off.
"That..." She pointed at his sidearm. "...goes in my desk until class is over."
"I..."
"Do we have a deal?"
"Fine..."
He unholstered his pistol and gave it to her. She grabbed it with her mouth and opened the door. A paper airplane flew over her head as silence filled the room again. She gave off a dissapointed glance at her students, then trotted up to her desk. With her right hoof she opened the drawer and dropped the pistol into it. She closed it immediately. Wolf rested his back against the wall in the corner, his eyes scanning the interior of the building while Cheerilee resumed the lesson.

1 hour, 3 minutes later...

Wolf continued to stand in the corner, his eyes closed. While they were closed, his other senses were working double time. He listened to the lesson Cheerilee was giving. He wasn't sure what lesson it was.

So this is how 'normal' kids go to school? Booooring.....

"Well class, that's all for today!"
The room suddenly filled with excited yells from the children within. They now had the whole day in front of them, free to do anything they pleased. Wolf wondered if they appreciated the freedom they had. He never had his...
The children nearly kicked down the door in their excited rush. Wolf noticed that Nyx was the only student left in the room. He looked back to Cheerilee. She was getting ready to leave as well. He walked over to her desk. He then audibly cleared his throat. Cheerilee got the message and opened the drawer, motioning for him to retrieve his weapon. He picked it up and put it back in it's holster. Nyx happily trotted up to them, ready to leave.
"C'mon Nyx, let's go..."

They had barely been walking for five minutes when they ran into Twilight.
"Hey Twi..."
"You sure left in a hurry..." She turned to Nyx. "How was school today sweetie?"
"Just great Mom!" Nyx replied enthusiastically.
"I'm glad to hear it!"
She turned back to Wolf. He had turned around, and was looking into the distance.
"What do you all say we take a walk?"
"Yeah!" Nyx obviously wanted to take a walk.
"I'm up for it..." Was all Wolf said. It was obvious he had other things on his mind.
"All right then!"
With a quick glow of her horn and with a bright flash Nyx's filled school bag teleported into the library.
"Let's go!"

Normally Twilight avoided walking near Everfree but Wolf was with her. When he was by her side, she knew she was safe. Wolf took a deep breath. He was really enjoying himself. A loud voice ripped through the air.
"LOOOOK OOOUUUT!!!"
Acting on instinct yet again, Wolf took a step to the left. He closed his eyes and smiled, knowing that he avoided an incoming Rainbow Dash successfully. A brief moment of terror set in as he opened his eyes and was knocked down to the ground. Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously.
"Uh...Sorry..."
"You have a habit of crashing don't you?"
Wolf lifted himself out of the pit dug with his back.
"Ooh...that's gonna be sore in the morning..."
Another voice rang in the air.
"You alright Dash?"
A brown Pegasus gently glided down to the ground and landed softly.
"Yeah...I'm fine..."
"Thanks to me...the human landing strip..."
Wolf dusted himself off before looking to the new arrival. His blue mane flowing in the gentle breeze. Wolf could tell just by looking at him that he was very confident in himself. Something out of place caught Wolf's eye. A cut on his right forehoof. His suspicion grew.
"Where'd you get that?"
"This? Uh...Rough landing in a tree. Wouldn't be the first time I've crashed into one..."
"Don't I know it." Rainbow Dash added, trying to tease him.
"Rainbow, are you two..." Twilight cut in.
"Together? Well, I guess we're busted..."
"It was gonna happen sooner or later Rainbow..."
"I was hoping on later Zeph..."
"You always have to spoil the fun don't you?"
A small insect flew into their direction. It hovered around Zephyr's ear. He scowled at the little pest.
"Ugh...I hate these things..."
Wolf's eyes darted to the cut on his forehoof. Then back to his face. He looked at his forehoof again, and it hit him like a rock.

Wolf grabbed the kitchen knife he took with him and threw it at the Pegasus. It hit it in the right forehoof, causing it to yell in pain. It took a few steps back. It then scowled at Wolf, and jumped off the ground, and dived for the bottle. It grabbed it, then quickly recovered as he flew out the balcony door.

In the blink of an eye, Wolf had gotten his pisto out and was aiming directly at his head.
"Whoa, Wolf! What are you doing?!"
"Rough landing on a tree? Bullshit. Good luck finding a tree with serated branches."
"Put the gun down!" Twilight commanded.
"No! Don't you get it?! It's him! He slipped through my fingers last week, I'm not letting him escape again!"
Twilight realised what he was talking about.
"What's he talking about Zeph?!"
He ignored Rainbow Dash's question. He then took a step forward.
"Oh, I knew I should have let that Hydra finish you when I had the chance but nooo, I had to do the good thing."
"What?!"
"I'll admit Wolf, we underestimated you. You've caused us a lot of damage, but it won't make any difference in the end."
"Zeph, what is going on?!" Rainbow Dash yelled at the top of her lungs, tears forming in her eyes.
"Oh hush Rainbow. My cover's blown, so you might as well know that our whole 'relationship' was just a plan to kill you off."
"WHAT?!"
"And don't call me Zephyr again. My name...Is Darkmane!"
He looked back to Wolf.
"The final phase of our plan has begun. Nothing can stop us now. Not even you, Wolf."
"And nothing can stop me from putting a bullet in your head!"
Zephyr scoffed and looked into the forest. A dark figure stood there, staring at him. A horn could be seen on the top of it's head. It nodded to him. He turned back to Wolf.
"Good luck."
As the bullet left the barrel of his pistol, Zephyr turned into a cloud of smoke and plowed over Wolf. Wolf turned around to see him revert to his true form. He took aim and emptied his clip into the sky yet again. His gun clicked empty after unleashing a hail of deadly rounds.
"Damn it! That's twice."
He turned back around to see Twilight and Nyx with their mouths hanging open. Rainbow Dash collapsed to the ground. She had been betrayed by the pony she loved the most. A loud thunderclap startled all four of them. It was followed by a veritable monsoon. As the rain hit his face, Wolf looked up to the now dark grey sky. He sighed as he looked back down to the ground. He brought his hand up to his face and rubbed his forehead.
"Everyone back to the library..."
A louder thunderclap rang through their ears. A sign that the worst was yet to come.
"NOW..."

ENd chapter 24.

Chapter 41: A night to remember (part 1)

The flight to Canterlot was a silent one for Wolf. He stood in the right corner of the chariot, looking into the distance, while the others were talking amongst themselves. The wind in his face was a hated and loved sensation for him. It was exhilirating. But it also made him remember the many times he got stuck with every FUBAR assignment they could think of. The glow in the distance was getting brighter every minute. They would be arriving soon. He looked out the side onto the landscape below.

Wolf sharpened his knife as he looked out the open bay of the chopper. A large city rested in the distance, the former capital of the area. Scattered bursts of tracer fire lit up the sky. The others in his chopper were chatting idly as they closed in on the drop zone. One of them took a picture out of his wallet. He showed it to the rest of his squad.
"That's my daughter, Janet. She turns two next week."
The trooper next to him placed his arm around him.
"Don't worry man, you'll be back home in time to see her."
Wolf didn't say a thing. He just looked at his knife before placing it back in it's sheath. One more orphan, he thought. Wolf quickly dismissed that thought. If he was thinking like that, then the Spinar had already won.
"How can you be so sure Hal? You know the bugs don't take prisoners..."
"Sean, you got nothing to worry about! We got the Wolf with us!"
And with that he pointed at Wolf, who was still staring out of the chopper.
"Stay focused." He hissed.
Most of these men were recruits. Fresh out of basic. What the hell was HQ thinking, trying to take back a city with a force that's 60% greenhorns? And they all counted on him...Hundreds of soldiers, riding on his every decision. It was a burden he was used to, but he hated it nonetheless.
The whipping of additional chopper blades reached Wolf's ears as the smaller buildings of the city came into sight. Another chopper showed up right outside the bay of his. The troops waved at him. He returned their gesture. A voice cracked over the intercom.

"First wave inbound. Operation Liberator is a go."
"Thirty seconds out. Stand by."

A loud whine snapped Wolf out of his trance as he traced the projectiles fired from the ground.
"Fireworks!" Pinkie Pie yelled into the air, jumping up and down on the chariot amidst 'oohs' and 'aahs' from the rest of the girls. A blinding orange flash as one of the fireworks exploded just twenty feet away from the chariot.
"That was too close!"

The chopper next to his exploded, and turned out of control, spirraling down to the ground spewing orange flames.

"We've got flak! We've got flak!"
"I'm hit! I'm hit! GA 2-7 going down hard!"
"Break formation! Evasive maneuvers!"

Wolf was forced to grab onto the handhold as the chopper banked hard left to avoid Spinar AA fire. The pilots expert maneuvers saved them many times over. Or so they thought.
An explosion right outside their left bay door sent shrapnel flying into the troop bay. Screams of pain errupted from the men inside.
"Sean! Wake up man, wake up!"
Wolf looked at the trooper named Hal, shaking the corpse of his lifeless friend.
"Think of your daughter man! Sean! SEAAAN!"
The shockwave of another explosion rocked the damaged chopper. The picture of Sean's two year old daughter fell from his hand, and gently floated towards Wolf. He looked at it, to see the girl's face half covered in her fathers blood.
"Son of a bitch." Was all Wolf could mutter.

After finishing their course through the fireworks, one of the Pegasi pulling the chariot spoke up.
"It's a bit windy tonight! Gonna be a rough landing!"
Worried murmurs eminated from the girls. Wolf was unfazed. He had his fair share of rough landings.

Two loud clangs echoed through the troop bay as Spinar infantry fire hit the inside of the chopper.
"LZ is hot, repeat, LZ is hot. Get ready to hit the ground running Marines!"
The chopper descended into an open square amidst a hail of gunfire.
"Pile out!"

Wolf jumped out of the chariot first. Rainbow Dash followed. The others came out after recollecting themselves. As everything was in order, they moved towards the checkpoint at their landing pad. After the incident with the Changelings, Canterlot security was increased dramatically. The two Royal Guards stationed there looked at them, then cleared them through security. Then they noticed Wolf approaching. They hadn't received any instructions concerning him.
"Hold it right there."
One of them extended his hoof to stop Wolf's advance. Wolf grabbed it in midair.
"Hooves off."
"You're not going anywhere until you're cleared."
"Get out of my way."
"Is that a threat?"
"No. Just some advice."
"Oh ho, tough guy eh?"
"More than you know."

From behind the gate, Twilight watched as the guards and Wolf prepared to go all in. A familiar voice rang in the air.
"Twilie!"
Twilight turned to face her brother. He was wearing the same suit he wore to his wedding.
"Glad you could make it little sis."
"It's good to see you too Shining, but, you might want to clear Wolf back there. I don't think the guards posted there know what they're getting into."
"You sure we should let him in Twilie?"
The murderous look she shot him was a perfectly clear answer.

Wolf reverted back into fighting mode as the guards did the same. The second before all hell broke loose, Shining yelled to his men.
"Stand down!"
The guards turned to face their superior.
"Captain, sir! Are you sure about this?"
"Stand. Down. Let him pass."
The guard muttered to himself as he raised the gate.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this..."
Wolf walked through the open gate, stopping for just a moment to look the guard in the eye. He huffed as he walked away. The others just stood there looking at him. Wolf straightened his collar.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go."

5 minutes later, Royal Gardens.

As soon as they reached the gardens and gazed upon what rested there, Wolf rolled his eyes. Hundreds of tables with pure white sheets on top of them. Waiters buzzed around the garden like bees in a hive, carrying trays of hors d'oeuvres, bottles of fine wine and champagne, trying to get them to the guests as fast as possible. The guests themselves were wearing all kinds of fancy clothing, obviously trying to compete with each other for who would wear the most expensive piece.

"You see one aristocrat, you see them all..." Wolf muttered.
"Bunch of back-stabbing hypocrites."
"What was that Wolf?" Twilight asked.
"Watch yourselves out there girls. And be careful what you say. There's nothing these vultures would like more than to get some good dirt on all of you."
"Dirt?! Where?!"
Wolf could only roll his eyes again as Rarity began hyperventilating at the mere mention of dirt.
A Royal Guard stepped up to Shining Armor and whispered something in his ear.
"All right, I'll on my way." Shining Armor replied to him.
"Well girls, I've got some matters to attend to, you go on, and I'll meet you later."
And with that, Shining Armor left. The girls practically ran into the gardens, leaving Wolf alone. The speed with which they left was so high, that it even took Wolf a few seconds to realise that they were gone. Panic set in.

"I'm alone?! With these...these..."
His fear was so great, he could barely mutter the words.
"...Rich people."

Wolf had been to all sorts of high class events before, but always with a familliar face, be it a general, one of his handlers, or a close friend. But to be alone among the upper class citizens? Where every mistake was as discreet as an earthquake? He'd much rather face a full Spinar invasion force. At least there, he'd know what to expect. After gathering all of his courage, Wolf finally made what could be the worst mistake of his life.

He went in.

Wolf's first destination was the buffet table. It was the least crowded area. He walked toward it as quickly as possible. Wolf's eyes darted back and forth at the ponies staring at him. He was used to the stares, but they were usually from the common folk, which were easily the most bearable. At least their behavior would change if they got to know you. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the buffet table. Wolf quickly poured himself a glass of red wine. He took a quick sip. At least he remembered how to drink wine. That was a start.

"I have to say, I've been here for every single gala, and I've seen everypony here. But it's the first time I've ever seen you. What's your name?"

Wolf was startled by the sudden appearance of the fire-maned pegasus at his side. He noted the bright blue colors of her uniform. After a short, awkward pause he answered.

"Wolf."
"Well, Wolf, I'm Spitfire. Proud Captain of the Wonderbolts, the best flight team in Equestria."
"Yeah...in Equestria..." Wolf muttered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"

Wolf turned to face her.

"I mean no offense ma'am, but the best flight team I've ever seen are the Blue Angels. Seven hundred years old, and they were better than ever. Every new batch of pilots is always better than the last. I'm damn proud to have been trained under them."

"You fly? How can you do that without wings?"
"I don't need wings...not when I've got a couple dozen Phoenixes in my hangars..."

Spitfire decided to change topic, as she didn't quite understand what Wolf was saying.

"So, what do you do for a living?"
"I'm a troubleshooter. I find trouble..."

Wolf took a quick sip of his wine, then looked at his glass.

"...and shoot it."

Spitfire ignored that last remark.

"Well, if you can fly, I might just have to challenge you to a race sometime."

Wolf smiled, then faced her once more.

"Be careful, I might just take you up on that."
"Anytime, anywhere."

Meanwhile, back at the Guard post...

Noises form the Gala aside, things were quiet at the gate. It was a bit chilly as well, but they didn't care. They were Royal Guards. The best of the best. The elite. A bit of cold at night wasn't enough to stop them.

"I am so...bored..."
"Yeah...me too...I hate guarding a gate...I didn't sign up for this..."

A thunderous voice yelled at them.

"Stow it you too! You should feel honored that you have such an important job! Now sit up straight and stop your bellyaching!"

They immediately snapped to attention. They both responded.

"Yes sir, Sergeant!"

"And if I ever hear you complaining again..."

They both resisted the urge to roll their eyes at their Sergeant's usual threats.

"You'll be cleaning soup kitch-"

A flash of red temporarily blinded them as an arrow went through their leaders head.
They both stood there, stunned, unable to fathom what they just saw.

"What the hell was that?!!"
"Where's it coming from?!"
"I don't-"

Cut off by a magic arrow to the throat, he felll to the ground, desperately trying to gasp for air, drowning in his own blood.

"Oh no, oh no oh-"

The third and final guard fell over dead, a black glowing arrow through his heart. The guard post was silent once more.

Four whisps of pitch black smoke appeared from nowhere and gently hovered above the ground. They came crashing down to the ground. The smoke swirled and from inside emerged four Unicorns in black cloaks. They examined the surrounding area, not missing a single detail, not making a sound. Once they were certain it was clear, the lifted their head up in the air and waited for the right time. Not yet....Not yet...Now.

They sent up four red sparks in a box formation just as another volley of fireworks was launched from the platforms above. Within moments, six Pegasi and three more plumes of smoke, one larger than the other two, were heading to the gate. The pegasi landed first, their hooves kicking up dirt from the ground. Like the Unicorns that arrived before them, they donned pitch black cloaks. The last three plumes of smoke came crashing down. From the two smaller ones emerged another pair of Unicorns. From the largest plume, emerged another Unicorn, but this one was not alone. Standing at it's side was a black Alicorn filly. He looked at her, and asked her.

"Are you ready, my future Queen?"
"Yes, Lord Night..."
He smiled.
"Tonight, we set in motion the fulfillment of your destiny."

And with that, they set off towards the celebration in the Royal Gardens high above...

17 minutes later, Royal Gardens...

Wolf laughed as Spitfire finished a funny story of hers.
"So what about you? Got any stories worth telling?"

Wolf's laughter died down at that particular questions.

"Plenty of them. But you'd need a pretty strong stomach to hear them..."

Something strange caught Wolf's watchful eye. He noticed an unusual number of ponies going behind the stage where the classical orchestra would be playing in a bit. One of them, was the most noticable. A black Alicorn filly. He turned to Spitfire immediately.

"I'm sorry Spitfire, I'm gonna have to cut this short, I need to go talk to someone..."

She threw her head upward to get her fiery mane out of her face.

"All right then. Catch you later."

Wolf muscled his way through the crowd as he frantically searched for Twilight. He must have been looking for at least a few minutes before he finally found her sitting next to the Princesses. He ran up to her.

"Twilight! I thought you said Nyx was with her friends!"
"I did! Why, what happened?"

He just nodded, before answering her.

"Nothing, just stay here..."

And then he ran off into the crowd again, leaving Twilight staring at him, confused.
"Is everything alright Twilight?"
Princess Celestia's voice startled her.

"Yes...I think so..." She replied.

A few seconds later, Wolf had managed to get in front of the stage.

Backstage...

"Let's finish this..."

The patterns on the floor grew bright red as the six Unicorns surrounding the alicorn in the middle of the peculiar patterns began muttering a spell. The small filly slowly began lifting in the air as their muttering had evelved into chanting. A low hum grew louder and louder as magical energy was gathering...

From outside...

The entire celebration was cut short as an explosion from the stage shook the entire platform the Royal Gardens were built on. A bright red flash nearly blinded everyone there. The sheer force of the explosion sent Wolf flying into a table fifty feet away. The entire crowd panicked as they moved away from the stage. As Princess Celestia was already mortified by the explosion and who might have been hurt, an all too familliar laugh froze the very blood in her veins...

End Chapter 41

( My original plan wasn't to end this here, but I'm short on time and I can end it here, so here we are!)