A Silver Light in the Darkness

“What... what did you find, Fluttershy?” the studious Twilight Sparkle asked, standing besides her friends as they encircled the unconscious creature that the yellow pegasus had frantically told them about.

Fluttershy simply hovered nearby, looking nervous as she had trouble getting her thoughts together. “I-I-I found him out in the forest. I thought he was just an animal that got hurt... b-but then he... he started talking!”

“Talking?” Rainbow Dash murmured skeptically, looking at the creature like she would any other beast. “This is just like the time you brought back that manticore kitten, isn't it? You thought that thing was saying, 'I love you.' Then it turned out it was just growling at you.”

Looking hurt that her friends wouldn't believe her straightaway, Fluttershy nodded her head in a display of timid determination, saying, “I know what I heard.”

“It kinda reminds of Winona,” the farmpony Applejack said, seeing a resemblance to her pet dog within the creature. “'Cept, you know, more vicious lookin'.”

“Oh, but such a soft coat,” Rarity remarked, running her hoof through the creature's fur.

“And look at these!” Pinkie Pie shouted, tugging on his tails. “I bet he's real good at pin the tail on the pony!”

Twilight rolled her eyes dismissively, murmuring, “I doubt it.” Her gaze was soon locked back on the creature. At first glance, he looked long dead. All that showed anything against it was the subtle movement of his chest as he breathed. Though the unicorn had her doubts that such a creature was anything but a beast, she realized that they should at least find help. “We should take it- er, him, to the hospital. Whatever he is, he might be hurt. At least there, we can see if we can help him.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” the meek mare said, smiling slightly. Though she was now frightened over what the talking creature might be, she didn't want him to suffer. Uncertain glances were shared by all of the others, but none of them had any words of dispute to say and nodded their heads in understanding.

Without waiting for a word of consent, Twilight levitated the point-eared creature up and settled him atop Applejack's back. Despite his size being almost similar to their own, he was surprisingly lighter than one would expect, making it easy for the strong earth pony to carry him without strain. Not needing to say another word, the six friends all turned their gazes back toward Ponyville.

Along the way, Twilight stayed next to Applejack as she further examined the creature, detailing his appearance. Much of his fur was a light, smokey gray. Added with it was a grayish-white that covered his lower jaw, portions of his cheeks and followed a path down his neck, across his chest and underbelly, where it stopped around his inner thighs. The most peculiar thing about his appearance was across his back. Markings made out of a dull-silver fur ran up it, stopping just short at reaching his neck and starting near the base of his tails. They had no rhyme or reason to them, forming no actual design that she knew of. Twilight's mind thought of the stripes of a tiger as comparison, even though the markings were much more intricate than a basic pattern.

While her sights were still placed on the creature. The scholar noticed one much larger detail about him. Having been concealed while he was lying on his side, the attention of the six ponies being placed on the strange creature himself, it had gone unnoticed until now. Wrapped around the creature's waist, a black belt of fine make was worn to strap on an object held within a matching sheathe.

It was a sword, having seen such weapons used as decoration in certain parts of Canterlot castle. The hilt alone was wonderfully crafted, detailed from pommel to guard in ornate symbols and a sparkling blue jewel set into it. As Twilight's focus lingered onto the sword, so too did the gazes of her friends, noticing it for themselves.

“What is that thing?” Rainbow Dash asked, curiously looking at it from her heightened perspective.

“Hm, whatever it is, the craftsmanship is superb,” Rarity said, her eye for quality noticing the details, unable to look away from the jewel that decorated the hilt.

Twilight didn't say anything herself, not having the thought to tell her friends that it was a weapon. She wasn't even sure why such a creature would have it on them. Maybe it held the same purpose as collars did for pets in Equestria, she hadn't the foggiest idea. Still though, it didn't stop her from grabbing the hilt in a magical grasp, consuming it with a magenta glow as she lightly pulled on it.

There was a small resistance as the sheathe released its prize. The double-edged blade nearly sparkled with its flawless surface, not a mark, smudge or notch to be seen. Just looking at the razor sharp edge made the ponies feel as though it could cut them from a distance. While Twilight's curious thoughts were swimming through her head, she continued pulling the sword free from its holding. As her magical grip on the hilt extended to the blade itself, there was a sudden, invisible zap felt from it. It surprised the mare, causing her to immediately shut the blade back into the sheathe fully and take a step back. Though she wasn't injured, the sensation was jarring, feeling as though she had been touched by Pinkie after running her hooves across a carpet.

'Ooo, ooo,” Pinkie Pie chimed, looking excited as she examined the sword for herself. “I know what that is!” Gaining half confused and half expectant looks from her friends, the bubbly mare quickly continued. “It's a knife for a cake! And what better use for such a giant knife than for a giant cake!” Her pink lips began to water as her mind conceived of such a confection. “Just imagine it! Walls of frosting, buckets of sprinkles, enough sugary goodness to keep everypony awake for days!” Pinkie then gasped sharply, realization striking her like a lightning bolt. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake have got to know about our new baking buddy! I've gotta go!”

Without another word, and before her friends could even utter a noise, Pinkie Pie vanished in a plume of dust that had an eerie pony shape to it. All that could be seen of the hyperactive pony was a bright pink streak racing across the land, heading to Ponyville at amazing speeds. Everypony else just looked off to where the mare had gone, stunned silence befalling them. It only lasted for a few moments however, their cargo returning to their thoughts as they remembered they still needed to get to the hospital.

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, the doctor kept a curious, albeit somewhat confused, gaze upon the creature that had been brought in for him to see. “Are you ladies sure you don't want to take this creature to see Ms. Flummoxed?” he asked, adjusting his glasses slightly. “I'm sure the veterinary clinic would be more adequate...”

“But he's not a pet,” Twilight said, “he's not even a wild animal.” She and the others were all waiting in simple room. They kept a reasonable distance away for the doctor to examine their furry companion, his body being laid out on the cushioned table in the room. She had unfastened his sword from his belt, setting it against the nearby wall as to not be a bother.

“He talks,” Fluttershy added, looking concerned for the beast but still timid at what he was.

“I'll take your word for it,” the doctor murmured, his horn glowing as his eyes ran up and down the creature's body. “Let's just get a better look at this creature...” Though the others weren't able to see, the medical unicorn's magic provided a great insight into his patient. Using a spell much like an x-ray, he was allowed a good look at what was underneath the fur and flesh. “Hm... Skeletal structure seems fine... no abnormalities. Seems much like our own, except less dense... It...er, he, appears much like some canine species I've seen, but I've still never seen something like this.”

As the doctor continued to examine the creature, another pony trotted by. Bespectacled eyes falling into the room, the stallion entered with a fond smile. A white doctor's coat was worn over his natural light-brown one, his mane being a dark-orange shade that was oddly shaped like broccoli.

“Having trouble are you, Doctor?” the earth pony asked cheerfully. “Perhaps I can help.” Without waiting for the doctor's reply, he approached the unconscious creature and began to poke him with his hoof. “Hm...” he murmured as he eyed his paw, spreading the clawed toes before dropping it back onto the table. Sniffing his fur and then opening his mouth to see the row of fanged teeth in his maw, the orange-maned doctor took a step away and gave a firm nod toward the group of mares. “Well, he is most certainly not a pony.”

A thick silence filled the room as the five friends held deadpanned expression, staring at the strange stallion who looked somewhat proud of himself. Even their previous doctor held a similar look on his face as he concealed a sigh and said, “Thank you, Doctor. As always, you've been a big help.”

“Always glad to offer my medical expertise,” the fellow doctor replied. “Now, I must be off, many things to be done.” He then left the room, his company being quickly replaced as a nurse came rushing in.

“Doctor,” the nurse said quickly, “Ms. Loose is in the east wing, she's barking at the children there.”

Releasing a heavy, and much needed groan, the doctor rubbed his eyes and murmured, “Not again... I'll... I'll be right there.” About the rush out of the room himself, the unicorn stopped as he turned to the concerned visitors. “I'm sorry, as of this moment, there's no immediate cause for concern with your friend. As far as I've seen, he may be alright after a little time. You're welcome to leave him here to be taken care of. I'll be back as soon as I can.” Then with that, he followed the nurse out of the room, undoubtedly heading toward the east wing.

Several moments ticked by with nopony saying a word. Everypony just gazed at everypony, occasionally looking toward the creature that they had brought. It became apparent that they hadn't gotten any further than what they had originally. However, there was a small victory in realizing that their three-tailed companion wasn't in any serious danger now. But what it actually meant had yet to be decided.

They still had no idea who or what this creature was. What his intentions might be, what his actions might entail. The creature could be as vicious as an enraged dragon, or as sweet as the cuddliest kitten. From the weapon that they had found on him however, things were tilting more toward the former.

“So... what now?” Applejack asked, unsure as to how they should proceed.

All eyes immediately turned to Twilight, the smartest one out of them all. It made the mare take a step back, feeling the sudden weight thrust onto her. Despite her well-read mind and calm demeanor, she hadn't the slightest scrap of a plan. “Well...” the scholar said slowly, piecing together her thoughts as she spoke. “Maybe... we can just wait... I-I don't know... I just don't like knowing what we're up against. Maybe I can write a letter to the princesses? Perhaps they've heard of-” She didn't get the chance to finish, the final words catching in her throat as she was interrupted by her own gasp, hearing a series of groans sounding nearby.

Everypony turned toward the table, seeing the furry creature's body twitching subtly before the thin limbs began to shift back and forth. Tension ensnared the group of friends as the abrupt inevitability was too much of a surprise for them. Still though, the creature began to stand, more groans of unpleasantness escaping him.

“Ugh... my head,” the creature muttered aloud. “... last time I challenge Styx... cheating khart...” Attempting to relieve himself of the throbbing pain in his skull, he shook his head. As his senses slowly returned to him, the strange surroundings he found himself became aware to him.

As it was only a matter of time, the creature's head turned in the direction of his spectators, eyes falling on the mares who were staring at him with the same surprised expression he developed himself. It caused a sudden yelp of a gasp to escape him, being imitated by the five ponies as well, each jumping back a near foot and a half as well.

“What-what are you!” the creature said, attempting to sound demanding but filled with too much shock to properly voice it. “W-where am I? What have you done with me?!”

None of them answered him, the lack of response striking the creature's ire quickly as his brow furrowed into a glare. He jumped down from the table, clearing a portion of the gap set between him and the ponies. It caused the lavender-coated unicorn to panic, her horn developing a magenta glow before the creature was suddenly swallowed by a bubble of magical energy.

The creature was shocked even further at the sudden display, eyes wide as he looked at what he was now imprisoned in. “Magic,” he stated quickly, a familiarity in his tone. “Ha. No such tricks will hold me for long!” His head craning down to his side, another startled gasp escaped him as he found he was bereft of his blade, the weapon no longer hanging at his side. Growling in agitation, the gray-furred creature charged forward, slamming head first into the bubble.

It didn't even flinch. The magic Twilight was putting into it held strong, not so easily damaged by a simple physical force. Only the surface of the barrier showed a slight, miniscule change for a single moment, rippling like water at the point of impact. The creature saw it clearly too, only summoning a determined glint in his eyes as he charged into it again.

Once again, nothing was changed. By then, the other ponies had settled down, sitting in silence as Twilight's concentrated gaze focused on the trapped creature, who didn't appear deterred in the slightest. Again and again, he rammed himself into the magical prison to set himself free, his resolve holding as strong as what was now encompassing him. It left little room to get a word in edgewise, the persistence shown almost comical in a sense.

Time went on unhindered, the minutes slowly piling up as nothing else was done within the room except for the farcical attempts at freedom made by the unnervingly resilient creature. The ponies themselves began to look disinterested, lying down on the ground as they fought back yawns and impatiently tapped their hooves on the floor. Even Twilight was looking bored, waiting for the steam to finally run out of the captive.

That moment seemed to be coming closer however, if his increasingly haggard breathing was any indicator. “I will not... be so easily... beaten,” he said defiantly, staggering slightly as he recovered from his latest failed charge, eyes looking away dizzily. It was the first break in the rhythmic blows that he had been performing.

Twilight looked at the creature curiously for a moment, seeing that he was no longer attacking the magical bubble. He simply stood there, attempting to catch his breath. “You done?” she asked flatly, causing the creature to finally look at her directly.

“Never,” the pointy-eared creature said, still winded but attempting to show an unknown bravado. “Like the crushing tide... I am ceaseless and all powerful.” He paused for a moment, chest heaving quickly from his rapid panting, clearly exhausted. “But... I am not without mercy... To show my honor... still holds... I will allow you a brief respite to... to catch your breath.” Only a frown creased across the scholar's mouth as she raised an eyebrow toward the creature, judging on how serious his offer truly was. But he didn't seem to notice, only attempting to look as imposing as possible before continuing. “Then.... then you will know... the true strength of a prince of Illaisier!”

Rarity's ears twitched as her eyes widened. “A prince...?” she questioned, standing beside Twilight as she stared at the creature. “T-Twilight, you must release him this instant!”

“What?” the unicorn asked, surprise showing on her face.

The fashionista only nodded her head firmly, pointing a hoof toward the him. “Did you not hear him?” she asked rhetorically. “W-we are in the presence of royalty! Such behavior is unacceptable to one such as he!”

All Twilight could do was look dumbstruck, as though her friend had just gone crazy. “Just because he says he is doesn't mean-” she tried saying, cut off as the alabaster mare jammed a hoof into her ribs.

“I said release him,” the civil mare demanded, jabbing the scholar once again for good measure. “This instant!”

Though it was clearly begrudgingly, Twilight's expression softened as the glow around her horn ended and the bubble that encased the newly dubbed 'prince' vanished without a trace. The furry creature stood there for a moment, surprise showing clearly on his face as he looked between the two mares. It seemed as though he himself was not expecting for his freedom to come in such a way.

“I... thank you, I suppose,” the creature said said. “I never expected for a user of magic to be so... coherently understandable...” He soon began to look about his surroundings with a curious, and somewhat confused, look about him. Eventually, his detailing gaze fell back onto the two unicorns, scratching his muzzle with his paw in thought. “Can't be a part of the Pack... No, no... they don't even look like one of those malicious creatures... Then why did I...? Gah, my head is pounding.”

“Uh... excuse me?” Twilight said, interrupting the creature's murmuring. “What... or who, are you exactly?”

The gray-furred creature looked at the scholar, staring at her almost unblinkingly. She noticed his eyes, not nearly as large as their own while his irises held a dazzling azure in them. They only caused her to feel unnerved however, feeling as though they were digging into her very thoughts. “I could very well ask you those same questions,” he responded, clearly seeing that they were on similar terms of unknowns.

“We won't get very far if you don't want to cooperate,” Twilight quickly returned, not wanting to be toyed with by the creature.

“Quite right,” he nodded, his lips shifting into a wry smile. Releasing a huff of amusement, the creature sat down on the floor, becoming more relaxed as his previous exhaustion faded into memory.  “Very well, then perhaps you would like to take part in a little... game of sorts.”

Twilight tilted her head slightly in a questioning manner. “A game?”

“Oh yes,” the creature went on. “It's rather useful where I'm from, called answers for answers. One of us shall ask a question, the other can then answer. In exchange for said answer, the other may ask their own question. It goes on like that for some time, ending when both sides are sated or just grow bored. And as I appear to be the guest in this... perhaps I can ask for the courtesy of starting first?”

Twilight didn't answer right away, her gaze still looking the creature up and down. It was quite surprising to her to be having such a conversation with an animal she had never encountered before, but she was also having trouble reading him.

And just as she attempted to judge him and his intentions, she could feel his own eyes probing her relentlessly, taking in every detail of her expressions and demeanor, gauging her actions and reactions. They occasionally drifted toward Rarity as well as they others that were behind them. From how silent they had become, it was clear that everypony else was giving their undivided attention to what the two were saying.

Eventually though, the scholar saw no harm in playing along with the creature. Nodding her head in understanding, the lavender-coated unicorn gave a simple smile and said, “Alright then, ask your question.”

“Okay,” the supposed prince said, looking somewhat excited as he looked off in deep thought. “Let's see... so many choices, so many choices... Ah, I know. How 'bout the basics. Where am I?”

“You're in a hospital,” Twilight answered. The mare then paused for a moment as she thought one what she was saying, thinking that she should be much more detailed for the strange beast. “It's in the town of Ponyville where we live, within the nation of Equestria.”

“E-quest-ria?” the creature repeated, rolling the name around on his tongue. “Hm... okay then.” With a slight wave of his paw, he gestured for the unicorn to continue, it now being her turn.

It didn't need to take long for Twilight to think of her question, it being the most obvious one she should ask. “Who are you?”

Sitting firmly on the ground, the creature bowed his head respectfully as he said, “I am Prince Arren, son of King Inari and...” a slight sigh escaped him, “next in line to the throne.” Much like how Twilight had, the creature paused as he too thought on his answer. Knowing of the mare's generosity, he figured he could return the favor. “As for what I am... Well... I suppose those are several ways to say it but... For the most part, I'm what we call a fox.” He twitched his ears and wagged his tri-tails in her direction for added emphasis, having a toothy grin plastered on his face. “My turn again... Well, to echo you, I might as well ask who you creatures are.”

Twilight held a respectable demeanor as she pointed to herself and said, “I'm Twilight Sparkle, student of Princess Celestia.” Turning toward her friends, the scholar pointed to each of them in turn. “This is Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy. She's the one who found you unconscious in the Everfree forest.” Once again, there was more to her answer that had yet to come, continuing the flow of detail that had been set. “We're ponies, though there are more than one kind. Rarity and I are unicorns, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are pegasi and Applejack's an earth pony.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you then,” Arren said, bowing his head down once again. Through that action, he realized his odd shift in weight, feeling unusually symmetrical. “By the by, none of you would have happened upon a beautiful piece of craftsmanship by chance? You couldn't miss her. Long, shining blade, sharp edge, connected to a beautiful hilt that could bring tears to your eyes.”

Though slightly wondering on his choice of words, Twilight immediately caught on to what the fox prince was wanting, levitating the sword she had set aside toward him. The prince looked at the sight with a display of surprise, eyes never blinking until the weapon was set in front of him. “Ah,” he sighed pleasantly, “that'd be her.” Running his paw gingerly across the length of the black sheathe, he returned the blade to its rightful place by his side. “Thank you, I feel so much more myself now.” A soft chuckle  escaped him as he amusingly eyed the mare. “I also hope this didn't count as a question, I wouldn't feel right cheating you.”

Unable to prevent a similar chuckle to escape her as well, Twilight simply nodded, saying, “Well, I can simply ask you two in a row. And there is something I need to know. How can you converse with us now? I've never heard of foxes before, yet you speak Equestrian perfectly.”

“Equestrian?” the fox questioned cocking an eyebrow at her question. “I speak in the tongue of my people, my land.” There was little certainty is his voice however as his eyes trailed to the floor in a downtrodden expression. “Or at least... what's left of it... Then again, I am now noticing the fact that we've been having such civil discourse... Huh... how about that...”

It was all the lavender unicorn could do to keep a straight face as she stared at the fox with shock crackling in her mind. Though it seemed impossible, they were in fact speaking the same language. Perhaps there could be some probability to it, but still, that had to be the mother of all coincidences. Though such an answer wasn't good enough for the dedicated scholar, she could see there wasn't much she could do against it.

“There's something else I want to know,” Twilight continued. “You mentioned your home. Illaisier, right? What is that? Why are you here now? What happened to you?”

Arren merely blinked oddly at the mare, looking as though he hadn't given that answer any thought until just then. “Yes...” he murmured, his thoughts turning to his last memories. “We... we left... flying over water and forest... The others and I were... something loud...” There was a sharp gasp as his eyes widened, pure horror crossing the fox's face. “The ship!”

Without saying another word, the royal fox looked frantically about the room, his eyes quickly locating the nearby window. No time was wasted as he jumped toward it, nearly shattering the glass as he forced it open. With a clear opening outside, he looked out to see an expansive forest stretching out off in the distance. All of the ponies watching him all gasped themselves, seeing the fox immediately jumping out of the window.

“Wait,” Rarity said, attempting to stop him, “we're on the second floor!” It was already far too late as the ponies rushed toward the open window. Surprise fell over them all as they saw him land nimbly on his four paws, barely reacting to the two-story plunge as he bolted straight in the direction of the Everfree forest.

“Don't worry, I've got him,” Rainbow Dash said, flying out the window after the furry creature and disappearing into the thick sea of trees herself.

The cyan pegasus had to admit one thing, the fox was certainly fast on his paws. Gliding across the forest floor with little concern, the trees were barely anything else to him but a blur of browns and greens. Rainbow Dash was still certain of her own superiority when it came to speed however, keeping her eyes trained on the prince as she flew above him. Despite it, he easily made up for it in other ways.

Even if she was able to go even faster, the pegasus was indeed having trouble in keeping up with him. With the dense trees close together, leaving little in breathing word, she had to be more cautious. Much of her attention was forced into moving out of the way for oncoming trunks, not wanting to smash face-first into one. Arren on the other hand, held no such issues, easily weaving around the pillars of wood as though he had lived in the forest his entire life. It made her curious as to what this strange species was capable of.

Almost without warning, Arren stopped in his tracks, coming to a small patch of land that was without the overabundance of trees. The only notable thing about the area was the splashing sounds of the flowing river nearby, as well as a peculiar object lying forlorn on the ground. A bucket, one that looked oddly familiar to the pegasus. The fox payed it little mind as he began looking about the area with a discerning gaze. Rainbow Dash wasn't able to expect what would happen next as the fox's nose started to twitch and he began sniffing the ground around him.

Like a dog, he ran his nose near the ground, walking around in circles like a drunkard as his nostrils continued to flare. After a few moments, he pointed his muzzle upward, taking in the scents that filled the air. It was obvious he found something as his head immediately jerked toward the east, barely missing a step as he again charged forward, leaving the cyan pegasus on his tail to give chase once again.

Everything became dark and foreboding the deeper they went into the forest. Barely any light shined down through the thick treetops. All around them, they could hear the rustling of trees and snapping of twigs, no doubt the inhabitants of the forest watching them rush by from afar.

Arren showed no sign of noticing it however, eyes set straight forward as he continued to run as he could. Even as he ran, his nose continued to take in the air around him, picking up the right scent and adjusting his direction accordingly.

Within the reaches of the forest, the tiniest semblance of light showed clearly. It was easy enough for them to see as a large clearing became apparent, like a large circle of light set into the ocean of foliage. Bursting out from the thick trees into open ground, the fox stopped in his tracks as he again began to look about the area, able to see things more clearly with the bountiful light around him.

Rainbow Dash landed beside him, looking around herself but seeing nothing of interest. “Do you even know where you're going?” she asked skeptically.

A sublte forward motion of his head was the only thing that Arren gave as an immediate response. Again he sniffed the air, eyes closed in concentration. “They're close,” he murmured, turning right and looking back into the abyss within the forest.

“Who's close?” the pegasus asked, not exactly sure what the fox was talking about.

The prince walked closer toward the right edge of the clearing, looking ready to break off into another run, saying, “The rest of my-” A sharp, rattling growl broke through his sentence, causing him to take a step back as nearly a dozen pairs of glowing green eyes appeared within the shadows made by the thick canopy above them.

Slowly, the eyes closed in on them, showing the strange creatures that they belonged to as they stepped out of the darkness. Like large piles of sticks and wooden debris, their bodies were a cluster formed to make four pawed legs and snapping, fanged jaws. The pack of timberwolves all snarled viciously, showing their bared, splintery fangs as their eyes focused on the pony and fox.