And just like that, I have another chapter written!
Thanks to anyone who enjoyed the previous chapter enough to bother reading this one, it means a lot to me if you take time out of your day to read my story.
I felt myself rising slowly out of my slumber, but instead of trying to hold on to it like I usually did, I completely abandoned it, and shot awake.
I was lying on a sofa in my house's main room. It was dark. Moonlight slipped into the room between the window's shutters, casting stripes of light on the ground. I heard the loud moaning of the wind outside as it wove between trees.
I stretched, my bones popping and crackling as they shifted into their usual places. Blinking several times, I stalked over to the bathroom, and entered it. I turned the sink handle and used my paws to splash cold water over my face, banishing any remains of sleep that I still had.
I walked up to the doorway separating my house's main room and my bedroom. A form was lying under the covers in my bed, moving ever so slightly as it breathed. I walked up to it, my footsteps muffled by the dirt floor.
A white Pegasus lay on my bed, with cloth covers covering its body. Its chest and stomach were bandaged heavily, covering wounds sustained from the hunt two days ago. The pegasus' wings were bent dramatically, having been damaged the most. Her mouth was ajar slightly, and wispy breath leaked out of it every time she exhaled. She looked so peaceful, it was almost a shame that I had to wake her so early.
"Hey…wake up!" I whispered, and shook her shoulder with my paw. The pegasus stirred, and cracked her eyes open slightly. Yawning quietly, she rubbed her muzzle with one hoof.
"Wha? Is it time to get up already?" She asked. Her voice was dry and raspy.
"Here, let me get you some water. But yeah, we have to get up if we want to get a good head start," I told her, and walked out of the room. I grabbed the bowl of fruits, dumped them out, and filled the bowl with water from the bathroom sink. When I came back to my bedroom, the white pegasus was already up, stretching her legs.
"Here you go. Now hurry up, we're losing time." The mare took the bowl, gulped down the water, and set down the bowl on my bed. She arched her back and tried stretching her wings, but only managed to twitch them slightly. However, that did not alter her anxious mood, and we walked over to my front door.
I cracked it open slightly, and looked outside. The moon was still high up in the sky, so I assumed that only six or so hours had passed since we went to bed. That means that we had a good four before the other wolves woke up, and discovered that we had escaped.
I opened the door fully, and stepped outside. Everything was a luminescent blue, casting a peaceful feeling over the town. The pegasus and I sunk in this feeling as we trotted quietly through town, trying not to make any noise. The pegasus grunted every now and then from the pain in her chest, and I realized that I would have to support her most of the way.
"So, miss pegasus, where to? Do you know where the closest pony town is that we can get to?" I asked her, my voice barely a whisper.
"The closest town is Ponyville, but it is still really far away. It should be a good ten or so miles that way," the pegasus answered, gesturing South with her hoof. Funny, I didn't know there were any pony towns even remotely close to where we were. We turned South, and walked down a path bordered by houses. It almost felt like we were being watched and observed, even though I knew that everywolf was asleep right now.
"My name's Lunarescense, by the way," the white pegasus said, facing me. A fitting name, I thought, because of how similar her coat was to the moonlight that lit our path.
"Can I just call you Luna? Lunarescense is a really long name to use in casual conversation," I asked. Lunarescense shook her head furiously.
"No, no, no. We ponies are ruled by two princesses, Celestia and Luna, and it would be offensive to use one of the great princesses' names to address me. Please, just call me Lunarescense." I nodded in response.
"Alright, I'll call you Lunarescense if you want," I said. Wow, I had no idea that ponies were ruled by princesses. I was learning a remarkable amount of things about the world outside of this forest tonight. Of course Irae, being the bookworm that she is, probably already knew these things already.
Lunarescense and I soon reached the very outskirts of town. We had not been spotted, and we ourselves had not seen a single soul. Now, we could talk normally without fear of getting caught.
"So, Lunarescense, what exactly were you doing in this forest before I caught you?" Lunarescense was about to answer when I heard a familiar voice speak out, surprising us both.
"I thought I would find you here." I looked up in shock, realizing that we had been caught. I relaxed only marginally when I realized that it was Irae, her purple coat difficult to see in the dark.
"I-Irae? What are you doing here?" I stuttered. She smirked, and stepped closer.
"I know you well enough to see when you are stressed out about something, even when you are trying to hide it. And when you volunteered to take the pegasus home, it hinted at what you planned to do. I also had a theory of sorts, but wasn't sure until now," she continued, her tone of voice making me feel like I was being lectured.
"And that is?" I asked, having now gotten over my initial shock.
"That you were soft." Irae stated bluntly. I recoiled slightly at her words. An emotion passed through me that I did not feel often.
Fear. I was afraid. I was afraid. I had no idea what Irae's intentions were, and I worried that I might have to confront her.
"Please, just leave and forget you saw me here. I have to…" Irae interrupted me.
"You have to what?" I winced, and gave my answer.
"I have to atone. For too long, I have been killing and hunting innocent beings. Please, understand that I cannot live like this anymore," I pleaded, and I saw Irae falter slightly. Then, she regained her composure and walked forward, towards me. I tried backing away, but she caught up with me, and in a swift motion, wrapped her front legs around my neck.
I panicked and tried squirming away, when I realized that she was hugging me. And just like that, all fear and panic that I had melted away. I pressed my neck against hers, and we stood like that until Irae broke away from me.
"Thank goodness, Haste. I thought I was the only one…" Irae trailed off.
"What?" I asked her inquisitively.
"I thought I was the only one who was soft," Irae finished.
"Whatever do you mean?" Lunarescense spoke up, stepping forward. She had, until now, been silent and just observed our conversation.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Lunarescense. What I meant by soft is that, well, some wolves here are too compassionate for our prey's life, and break away from the pack. I, myself, was planning on leaving soon," Irae said, looking down.
"In that case, I have you to thank as well," Lunarescense said, and raised her hoof. Hesitantly, Irae grasped it with her paw and shook it.
"Well, if you are done, Lunarescense and I have to get going, if we want to get far enough away before the rest of the pack discovers our disappearance. Thank you, Irae. For understanding." I said, and nodded respectfully to her. I then raised my head, and trotted past her, Lunarescense following behind me.
"Wait!" I heard Irae call out, and turned to see her trot up next to me. "I'm going with you."
"Irae…are you sure?" I asked, worried about the frail wolf.
"Yes, I am certain. And besides, I already made my peace with this town," She said, gesturing behind her.
"Whatever do you mean?" I asked her.
Irae was about to speak up, when we heard a cough behind us. It was quiet, but definitely made to catch our attention. Lunarescense, Irae, and I all turned, wide-eyed. Behind us stood a medium-sized, lean wulfir. He had a long, thin blade protruding from his forehead.
"Advocacy? Is that you?" I said, my voice shaking again from yet another unexpected wolf catching us.
"Yes, it's me. Now, you all were saying something about leaving Proudcrag with this here pegasus?" Advocacy said, raising one eyebrow.
"Advocacy, p-please, I can explain," Irae began, her voice cracking, when Advocacy stalked up to us, and silenced her.
"Nah, it's all cool. I'm going with you," he said, without skipping a beat. Lunarescense, Irae, and I deadpanned from the unexpected words uttered by our friend.
"You what now?" I said, breaking the silence.
"Well, there are several reasons I can give," Advocacy began, raising one paw. "One, you are my friend, and you have earned my loyalty, so I am with you no matter what you do."
I was shocked by his words. As long as I had known Advocacy, he had never said anything of such caliber. He was willing to give up his entire life, his prestige, and social status just to help a friend.
"Two," Advocacy continued, "If Irae is going, so am I," this confused me, but I continued listening.
"Three; after my parents found out that I had gone out with a common, non-royalty wolf, they flipped a bitch. However, I could care less for their opinions, so I told them to fuck themselves. You can imagine how they reacted," Advocacy continued, snickering. I also laughed alongside him, when something dawned on me.
"You went out with someone? When?" I asked. Irae stepped forward, and answered, a hint of a blush on her cheeks.
"When I told you I had made peace with this town, this is what I had really meant," Irae said, took a deep breath, and continued.
"After you took Lunarescense home, I sought out Advocacy, and confessed my feelings for him." Advocacy grinned, and continued for her.
"When she told me how she felt, I, like a proper wolf, treated her to a nice dinner, and we had a delightful evening. Unfortunately, word must have reached my parents, because they were pissed when I got home." Irae nodded slightly, and nuzzled Advocacy's neck with her muzzle.
"Sorry about that," she said.
"It's cool, anything that pisses my parents off is cool with me," Advocacy said, then turned to me.
"So, are we going, or not?" I just stared at him blankly, then shook myself back to reality when I realize what he said. "Right, right. Let's get going."
The four of us began walking, with Lunarescense and me in front, Irae and Advocacy behind us. We wave around trees, over logs, and ran along rivers and creeks. We made a good amount of progress, having gone about a mile or so before the sun rose over the horizon. However, Lunarescense was beginning to feel tired, so we stopped temporarily. While she rested, I spoke with her.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" I asked her, worry coursing through me.
"My chest hurts a lot. I fear that I will be slowing us down greatly," she spoke, in that angelic voice of hers. Her beautiful grey eyes were clenched have shut in pain. Irae put a paw on her shoulder, and spoke comfortingly.
"Don't worry, Lunarescense. We have plenty of time. And anyway, the chances of the other wolves knowing which direction to go is very slim. We're probably safe already. Now come on, the sooner we get to Ponyville, the sooner we will be completely out of harm's way," Irae's words were inspiring, and I felt a new energy fill me.
'We could actually do this,' I thought. 'We might actually be able to escape!'
I looked over at Advocacy, who was sitting on his rump, grasping his paws.
"You alright, Advocacy?" I asked, worried for my friend. Advocacy just grinned that lopsided grin of his, and spoke.
"Nah, it's fine. I just haven't ever really run very far at once. But I'm sure I can handle this."
I nodded, acknowledging his response. After stretching my own legs, I looked to everyone in our group.
"Come on, we should get going. I bet Lunarescense's parents are worried sick about her," I said, and stood up. Irae, Lunarescense, and Advocacy all also stood up, and we set off once again.
When we came across a stream that Lunarescense said she had followed in the forest, we altered our path so that we could walk along it. After a long moment of silence, I asked Lunarescense a question that had been in the back of my mind.
"Lunarescense, you never did answer my question. What were you doing in this forest?" Lunarescense looked at me quizzically, before her expression became one of sadness.
"I was looking for a friend of mine who had disappeared," she said, before drawing a breath and asking me a question. "You haven't…seen her, have you?" I understood what she was getting at, and shook my head no. She looked relieved, but not by much.
There was no more talking for a while, and we just walked along the stream, listening to the ambient sounds of the forest. We must have truly been a sight; a wounded pegasus, two fenrir, and a wulfir who was royalty. Of course, we were now deserters, so Advocacy's social status was now meaningless. From what I had seen, though, he didn't seem too bothered by that.
My thoughts were interrupted by a cry of pain from Irae. Lunarescense and I turned around, expecting the worst, to see Irae lying on the ground, clutching one of her front legs. Her was contorted with pain. Advocacy knelt at her side, one paw on her shoulder.
"Irae, are you all right? What happened?" Irae looked up at Advocacy, fighting back tears.
"I think I broke my ankle," she said, pained. Advocacy moved her paw away from the afflicted limb, and upon seeing it, comforted her.
"Hey, it alright. I've broken my an-" he stopped, blinked, and continued. "-huh, I guess I've never broken my ankle. Haste here has probably hurt his ankle lots of times though, right?" Advocacy said, looking at me pleadingly. Even though I, myself, have never broken an ankle myself, I nodded anyway.
"Can you stand?" Lunarescense asked trotting up to Irae's other side, her gray eyes twinkling with compassion.
"Y-yes, I think so. Thank you, Advocacy," she said, and slowly rose to her feet, making sure not to put her weight on the wounded limb.
"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't I carry you?" Advocacy suggested, but Irae and I both shook our heads no.
"Advocacy, that's a bad idea. Not only are you not very physically capable, but it would make you tire out much faster," Irae said, her words dripping with wisdom. Advocacy just shrugged.
"Fine, if you say so. But my offer still stands should you need help," he said, and began walking. Lunarescense and I followed suit, with Irae between us. She stumbled a bit, but soon found a rhythm with which she was comfortable, and we regained speed.
Another hour passed, and we had walked another two miles. Everyone seemed in a very upbeat mood, and Advocacy had a very large grin plastered over his face. If somewolf were to look at him now, he would be unable to tell that Advocacy was royalty. His fur was matted and dirty, and his dark blue hair was no longer combed like it usually was.
"You know, Advocacy, you look very handsome with your hair tousled like that," Irae commented, blushing slightly. Advocacy just grinned more, and wittily responded, "Thanks. You know, I've always wanted to go with the whole 'rugged outdoorswolf' look, but my parents wouldn't go for it. Just another boon to leaving that god-forsaken place," I envied Advocacy's lack of worry.
Suddenly, we heard a loud, shrill squeak. We turned around, and saw a sight we were not expecting. A tiny wolf was tearing after us, panting furiously. His fur was soaked with sweat. It was Deer.
"Guys! You have to run! The pack is coming!" Deer shrieked, still running after us. He caught up with us, and jumped onto Advocacy's back.
"Go! You have to get out of here!" I looked at Deer, confused, still not comprehending what he was saying, or why he was even here.
"Run, you idiots!"
Then, reality dawned on me. It fell over my entire being, enveloping me.
'The pack must have followed us all the way out here,' I thought, and began to panic.
"Advocacy! Irae! Lunarescense! We have to run, the pack is coming!" Their eyes bulged, and as one, we tore off down the stream. Irae cried out, having stepped onto her broken ankle, and Advocacy grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and tossed her on his back. Deer jumped down and ran alongside us.
I chanced a look behind us, and saw many outlines in the trees behind us. I heard howls and snarls.
'So this is what our prey feels like,' I thought, and paled when I saw Lunarescense falling behind. I grabbed her with my teeth, and put her down on my back, just like Advocacy. I noticed that she was very, very lightweight, almost as light as Deer. I wondered if she had hollow bones, like a bird.
'I'll ask her later, granted we survive.'
I noticed Advocacy beginning to really struggle. His jaw was clenched shut, displaying the mass amounts of effort he was putting forward. Irae was sobbing quietly, tears staining her cheeks. Deer was working his little legs off, having to do three bounds for every one that we did.
Up ahead, I saw the stream end. As we got closer I saw that we had reached a bend, where the stream dropped off several metres and bent right sharply. Both sides of the stream were hills, slanting down towards the running water. It formed a natural moat of sorts.
Advocacy reached the edge of the stream first, and in a nimble bound leaped over it. Deer reached it second, and dove into the water, paddling to the other side. I reached it last, but by the time I did, the pack was right behind me. Time slowed down. In one quick motion, I craned my neck back, sunk my teeth into the pegasus' back, and threw my head forward. The pegasus slid off of my teeth, and flew over to the other side of the stream. She stood up, ignoring the pain from her new wound, and looked at me. I bellowed, "GO!" and turned around to face the pack, Lunarescense's blood on my tongue.
I could see them coming closer, closer. They snarled at me, hate clouding their eyes. I unsheathed my claws, the blood from yesterday's battle still evident.
'I killed wolves yesterday, and I am going to do it again.'
The mass of wolves hit me like a wave, pushing me back. I tore at them with my claws, ripping through flesh and bone. Deterring them to my left, I jumped right to avoid the rest. A massive wulfir came up in front of me, a massive, broad blade towering above his head. He swung it down, and I raised one set of claws to block it. The heavy blade hit my paw with full force, bending each claw down before snapping it off, flinging the shard into the air. I raised my second paw to strike when the wulfir suddenly swung up.
I felt the massive blade cleave me in two. It hit me square in the shoulder and tore through muscle and sinew with ease. My front leg was sent spinning into the air, blood arcing from it like a fireworks display. I felt no pain, just an ice-cold numbness as my nerves were shot into oblivion. The last thing I heard before tumbling backwards over the edge of the stream was Lunarescense screaming in horror.
Then, I felt nothing. My vision went completely black, and complete silence filled my ears.
My life did not flash before my eyes. I did not have an out-of-body experience. I just died. And when my body, the only window to the physical world was broken, I became nothing. My consciousness was trapped in complete isolation.
But that was only because I was not really dead. Some tiny part of me held on, still fighting for existence. I began to feel it, and upon realizing what it was, I grabbed it for all I was worth. Pinpricks flooded my body, and then everything hit me. Existence flooded over me, tearing every nerve in my body. The darkness was replaced with an unrelenting white. It was the worst thing I had ever felt, but it was better than the complete isolation that I had felt only moments before.
My vision returned, and I saw the forest bobbing up and down. Colorful blurs were in the foreground, and as my eyes refocused, I made them out to be Irae, Deer, and Passion. They were running. So was I, for some reason, but my legs were not moving.
A flash of gruesome red slaughtered my vision for a brief moment as a branch struck my shoulder.
I screamed. I screamed like I had never before. The manic bellow that I let out shocked everywolf around me, and they turned their heads, only to see me emptying every bit of air from my lungs to fuel my insane orchestra of pain. I screamed and screamed, but my screams slowly died down as the pain subsided. My lungs burned, punishing me for releasing my pain in such a manner. My face was wet with tears, and I moved my front legs to wipe them away, and when only one paw greeted my face, I craned my head to see the fleshy stub that was all that remained of my front leg.
My mind was too crammed full of thoughts rushing about, many of them insane ones caused by near death. Unable to form a coherent thought, I did the first thing that I could to enter a state of calm. I passed out.
(PERSPECTIVE CHANGE TO ADVOCACY)
My legs burning like never before, I ran alongside Beque. To the other side of Beque ran Irae and Passion. Beque, being the huge fucking brute that he is, carried Lunarescense and Haste.
Haste. Fucking hell, the guy took quite a blow. We could only watch as the massive wolfir hit him with his blade, and cut off his arm. Haste had then fallen into the stream, blood gushing out of his shoulder like a spilled bucket. Luckily, Passion and Beque had been there. They had been running along with the rest of the pack, but their priorities were different. They had come to help Haste and us escape, and help they did.
When Haste fell into the stream, Beque charged into the fray and grabbed him, pushing wolves away like he was running through a field of wheat. He ran up the hill, grabbed the wounded Lunarescense, and then we all tore ass away from there. Taking a few turns, we managed to lose the fuckers. I didn't know if Haste was still alive until all of a sudden he started screaming like a maniac, which I took as a good sign. The fucker was alive. Lunarescense was crying her pony eyes out and clutching his side.
In the distance, we began to see the end of the forest. What looked like a path began to form below us, and we followed it. Another ten or so minutes later, we were out of the forest.
This was the first time any of us wolves had ever left the forest. The lack of trees on the landscape was, well, appalling to say the least. We were used to the claustrophobic conditions of the forest, and this wide open space was intimidating. The only thing that prevented us from hesitating was the sight of houses in the far, far distance.
All of our hearts sang with joy. We were almost there! Redoubling our efforts, we ran up and down rolling hills, the little town slowly getting closer. Our paws were sore to no end, and mine began to bleed as fur was torn from them by the unrelenting ground, but I paid the pain no heed. That town was the gate to our new life. We six wolves were the best of friends. And now, after everything we've been through, one could even consider us to be family.
Tears poured freely from my eyes. I howled in happiness, unable to contain my joy, and Beque joined in. Passion and Deer yipped in joy. Irae just kept her jaw clenched shut, trying to fight through the pain in her broken leg.
'Fuck that,' I thought. I didn't care for anything right now, the only thing I felt was a euphoria the likes of which I had never experienced before. I grabbed Irae, and put her down on my back. She blushed hotly from the bodily contact, but said nothing. She wrapped her front legs around my neck, and her back legs around my sides.
"Thanks," she said, and I grinned even more. The town was now only a quarter mile away, and I couldl even see individual ponies milling around.
The ponies were colorful, much more colorful than wolves. I saw earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. They all looked so happy, and it made me feel only better, knowing that my future was among them.
Before we knew it we were a stone's throw away from the town. Ponies closest to us caught sight of us, screaming and fleeing in terror at seeing a group of wolves running at them full speed. Several stallions grouped up, and stood in front of the town, blocking our path.
But we didn't give two shits about them. They were just a physical obstical between us and our new life. We ran straight towards them. Some of them began to falter, seeing as we weren't deterred by their bravado. Before they could move out of the way, Beque and I barged right through them, Deer and Passion following behind us.
"Fuck you, fuckers!" I yelled as we passed them, still ecstatic. My paws were now hurting like a bitch, no, two bitches, and every time I pressed them against the ground I left a bloodstain, but like I said earlier, the amount of shits I gave was zero.
We ran through the streets of the town, ponies screaming in horror and fleeing upon seeing us. It was a nice place, really. Much nicer than Proudcrag. The homes were built of wood and had roofs made of hay. They were ornate, and well built. I didn't get to admire them more than that, because ahead of us the town hospital came into view.
We ran straight towards it, and right as we were about to run right into it, Beque reared up, and kicked the fucking door down. It was ripped off of its hinges, and clattered to the ground bent and distorted. The inside of the hospital was also cheery, but not as colorful, save for the doctor and nurse ponies. Upon seeing the door get knocked down and several very bloodied and battered wolves run in, the ponies screamed and began to panic. I, still in my ecstatic state, reared up, Irae clinging to my back, and bellowed at the top of my lungs.
"Alright motherfuckers listen up! We here mean no harm to any of you fuckers, and all we need is some help! We have a friend is about to fucking die, and he needs some serious fucking help, RIGHT NOW!" The ponies stopped panicking, and looked at me, dumbfounded.
"Well, GET TO IT MOTHERFUCKERS!" A nurse, reacting quickly, gulped and ran up. "Atta girl," I said, smiling, and led her to Beque. He knelt, and I helped her get Haste off of her.
Her reaction was surprising, but not uncalled for. Upon seeing Haste's lack of arm, she turned a sick color of green and disgorged her stomach contents all over the floor. I rolled my eyes, and patted her on the back.
"That's fabulous dear. Now, if you're done being prissy, I have a friend who is half-fucking-dead and isn't getting any better," I said, and she nodded, wiping her mouth. A doctor and another nurse ran up, avoiding the vomit, and moved Haste onto it. As they scurried away, I put Irae down, and reared up again.
"Now here's some ground rules, motherfuckers. Until my friends and I are all better, you are all under house-fucking-arrest. If anyone tries to leave, I will fucking kill you." Ponies gasped, but I ignored them and continued.
"If my friend dies, I will kill every single one of you. So you had all best pitch in to make sure you all leave as alive and soon as possible." The other ponies nodded and began to slowly shuffle towards where Haste was being taken. "Hurry it the fuck up!" I shouted, and sat down on my rump, pleased.
"That whole charade right there was uncalled for, you know," Passion muttered, scowling at me. You scared them all out of their skin."
"I know, Passion, I'm just really, really happy. Have you fully, completely realized that everything is going to be alright?" She nodded.
"Everything. We're finally fucking safe. Our lives will only get better from now on." Passion nodded again, and sat down next to me. Once the ponies organized a little, they separated into groups. Most of them were working on Haste, trying to stabilize his condition, while the rest alternated between each of us, treating our various injuries.
There wasn't much that the ponies could do about Lunarescense's injuries, because Doctor Rags had already patched her up after she had been captured. Irae's front leg was put in a cast. My paws were all heavily bandaged and treated, because most of the fur had been torn off. I was put on painkillers, because I had pushed my untrained muscles so far beyond their limit that some had actually completely become unraveled. Passion, Deer, and Beque just had mild treatment for their paws, which had cuts and were worn to the point of skin breakage.
Two days passed, and the ponies began, ever so slightly, to warm up to us. Many a rescue had been attempted by brave ponies outside of the hospital, but each time I held my blade to a nurse's neck and they backed off. In fact, it almost became routine. I would be sitting on a hospital bed, half-dozing, when a nurse would walk up and say, "They're mounting another rescue, mister Advocacy," and I would just nod, we would walk over to the window, I would press my blade against her neck lightly, they would back off, and we would have a laugh out of it.
The ponies were actually very nice. After I apologized profusely for my initial outburst, they realized that I had only done it out of worry for my friend. I even eventually caved and offered some non-vital nurses the opportunity to leave, but none did, refusing to go until their patients got better. I have to say, I was grateful. I made friends with the doctors and nurses, many of which thought I was quite dashing. I promised that as soon as we made some money, we would pay the ponies for their efforts handsomely.
When we were asked if we were staying here, my wolf friends and I exchanged glances, and said that yes, we would consider it. This made the ponies excited, because apparently we had quite the personalities. God, I loved this place.
Haste rose from his coma on the third day. I was lying on a hospital bed talking to a nurse who was re-bandaging my paws, when one of the head doctors, Doctor Coneighger, rushed into the room. His calm and collectiveness faltered slightly as he spoke.
"Mister Advocacy! Please come with me right away. Your friend is awake."
I surprised the nurse bandaging me by hopping off of the bed and onto my unbandaged paws. I winced slightly at the pain, but paid no further attention as I followed Doctor Coneighger through the hospital. A few turns later, I arrived at a room that was labeled simply, "Surgery 2".
Inside, I saw most of my friends already there. Passion and Lunarescense were standing next to Haste's hospital bed, holding his one paw in theirs. Beque was standing behind Passion. Deer sat on his shoulders. Irae was sitting in a chair next to the doorway, and stood up when I entered the room. She sidled up next to me, and rubbed my nuzzle with hers. I walked up to the foot of Haste's bed, and looked at my friend.
Haste had a bewildered expression on his face. I would assume that he was not at all expecting to still be alive; the look that had been on Haste's face before he took on the pack had been one of grim resignation, like he was accepting that he was going to die.
'It's a good thing Haste was wrong,' I thought, and spoke.
"Hey, Haste. How are you, man?" Haste looked at me with a far-off look in his eyes, then blinked and responded.
"Hello, Advocacy. I am, well, better than I took myself to be the last time I was conscious," Haste said, and then turned to the doctor and nurse ponies waiting in the hallway. "Thank you all for helping me, without your help I would not be alive right now. I am very grateful for the kindness that you have shown me and my friends, even with our less-than-friendly entrance."
Two mares came forward; their names I had learned earlier were Nurse Redheart and Nurse Sweetheart.
"It's fine, it has actually been nice to get to know you wolves. As it turns out, you are all not as savage as we had previously thought. In fact, some of you," Nurse Sweetheart gestured to me with her hoof, "have turned out to be quite the gentlecolts." Irae scowled a bit at Nurse Sweetheart's bold comment, but calmed when I rubbed her back with his paw.
"Thank you all for taking two days of your lives to help us complete strangers. Now please, go home and rest. I'm sure your families and friends are worried sick about you."
The small bunch of ponies burst into cheers, glad that their patients were completely healed, and that the whole ordeal was over. They began to pack up supplies and things, all the while recalling their memories of the past two days. They all went to the lobby, and opened the front doors for the first time in two days. I turned to Haste, who, with Passion's help, had gotten out of his bed and now stood awkwardly on his remaining three legs.
(PERSPECTIVE SWITCH TO HASTE)
I stood, balancing most of my weight on my back two legs because of the imbalance in my front. Passion's paw was on my shoulder, pushing it up to help me balance.
"Thank you," I said quietly, and she smiled sweetly at me. Passion was really the best friend a wolf could have; she was always so caring and, well, passionate. She would often help others selflessly. I wondered what prompted her to leave the pack with us. Did she just now stand the killing of innocent creatures, or did she do it out of loyalty to her friends?
'I suppose I should ask her later,' I thought, and began to walk towards the doorway. Passion moved with me, still supporting me. Lunarescense walked up to my other side, and I turned my head to look at her.
"What now, Haste? What are you going to do now that you are here?" Lunarescense asked me, worried. I just smiled at her, and answered.
"We are going to go find your parents, I'm sure that they are worried about you," I said, but Lunarescense just shook her head no.
"You don't need to come along, I can handle myself completely fine. I may be crippled, but there is always a chariot that I can take. And anyway, you're worse off than I am. Please, stay here and get better, for me." She said pleadingly, and I could feel myself soften.
'God, she is just so damn adorable. I really hope she knows what she's doing,' I thought.
"Ok, Lunarescense, but at least let me accompany you to wherever these chariots are," I told her, and she agreed. However, our conversation was cut short by three infuriated mares running into the room, one pegasus, one unicorn, and one earth pony. The pegasus had a cyan coat, and a vibrant rainbow mane and tail. The unicorn looked a lot like Irae, with a purple coat and a short purple mane. The earth pony was very muscular, and had a blonde mane tied up in a mane, on top of which rested a cowboy hat. The cyan pegasus barged right into Advocacy, and wrestled him to the ground. The purple unicorn concentrated on Beque, and enveloped him in a purple aura which lifted him into the air. Beque swung his legs helplessly, looking like a fish caught on dry land. Finally, the blonde-haired earth pony ran up to me and Passion, and in one smooth motion twirled around, bucking us both backwards into the wall with her hind legs.
I heard bones crack. The whole building shook from the impact, betraying the incredible force of the strike. Passion cried out in pain, her voice high and very feminine. Her arm, which had been supporting my shoulder, had been pushed against her side too much. It did not take an expert to tell it was dislocated.
Passion and I slumped against the wall, our bodies wracked in pain. Irae and Deer gasped. The blonde mare walked straight up to us and reared up intimidatingly. Passion cowered, curling up next to me.
I, however, was really fucking pissed. This, this bitch, had dared to hurt Passion, the one wolf that I knew that would not even consider hurting anywolf! I sprang to my legs, pushed up with my two back ones, and threw myself at the blonde mare. She tumbled backwards, and her cowboy hat fell off of her head. I unsheathed my one good paw's claws. I was lying on top of the mare, pressing down on her chest with my knees, my paw raised high in the air. Bloodstained claws extended from my individual fingers, reflecting the fluorescent light above me. My shoulder stump was pointed towards the blonde mare, and I saw her eyes widen at seeing the bloodstained bandages wrapped around the severed limb. I was about to bring my claw down to end this miserable bitch's life, when I felt a weight pull against it, and I turned my head to see Lunarescense holding onto my front leg. She looked into my eyes pleadingly, and I felt my body soften once more. I was about to get off of the blonde earth pony when she bucked upwards with her hips, sending me over her head and onto the ground, onto the ground next to the unicorn. Before I could get up, the thrice-damned mare jumped on me again, pinning me to the ground.
Irae, upon seeing the pegasus tackle Advocacy, lost her usual calm and unsheathed her foot-long claws. The rainbow-maned mare turned to see the scowling wolf lunge at her. Her eyes widened, and just as she was about to tear the pegasus to pieces Passion fought through the pain in her arm to bound forward, knocking Irae away. Irae was just about to get up again when a very loud voice bellowed at us.
"ENOUGH! THAT IS ENOUGH! STOP FIGHTING RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU KILL EACH OTHER!" We all turned towards the voice, stunned.
Two ponies stood in the doorway. They both had wings, so I was about to conclude that they were pegasi, when I noticed that they also had horns, like unicorns. One was coloured white, with a flowing mane of pastel rainbow colours. The other was much smaller than the white one, and had a dark blue coat and mane.
The three ponies who were assaulting us hurriedly got off of us, and kneeled before the two unicorn-pegasi, pressing their faces against their hooves. I noticed that Lunarescense did the same.
'She must be royalty,' I thought, but stayed laying down on the ground as I was.
"Rise, my little ponies," the bigger unicorn-pegasi said, and the ponies got to their hooves. "Now, what is the meaning of this?" She pointed to us wolves, who were still splayed out across the ground from our fight. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" the unicorn-pegasi demanded, stomping her hoof. Advocacy sat up, brushed himself off, and answered loudly and clearly.
"We are wolves, miss-" the purple unicorn that had used magic on Beque just moments before interrupted Advocacy, furious.
"You pitiful wolves will not refer to her highness Celestia as 'miss'! It is downright disrespectful to call a princess a title that would be given to a common-" Advocacy, without blinking or losing his cool, just interrupted her and continued.
"We are wolves, your highness. We have come from the forest that lies North of here, to bring this wounded pegasus here," Advocacy gestured to Lunarescense, "back to her family." With that, Advocacy bowed, and stepped back. I was amazed as to how he could keep his cool like that, but hey, that's Advocacy for you. The pegasi-unicorn still did not seem very pleased with the answer.
"What do you mean? How could six wolves possibly be needed to accompany one Pegasus? And why is she so wounded? Explain yourselves!" This time, I rolled over and stood up to answer, inciting a gasp from the smaller unicorn-pegasi.
"We all accompanied this pegasus because we are all fugitives," the smalled unicorn-pegasi shifted, lost in thought, "and we like I said earlier, we have come here to bring this pegasus to her family. I am sorry to say that it was my fault that she is wounded so terribly, because I was the one who caught her when my pack was hunting."
The bigger unicorn-pegasi just continued asking questions, and the three mares that had accosted us just sat on their rumps, listening.
"You say you are fugitives. Please elaborate." I sighed, and answered her question.
"You see, a few days ago, when my pack went hunting, I caught this pegasus. But when I became regretful for my actions, I decided to help her escape from the clutches of my pack, and bring her to her parents. My friends here helped me, and we barely managed to escape with our lives. Please, do not be angry at us. We will leave this town as soon as possible."
I bowed down before the white unicorn-pegasus, and walked over to Passion, who was lying on the ground, clutching her wounded limb. I grasped her back and leg, and she gasped right before I violently pulled back, wrenching her leg back into place. Passion screamed, and I felt that scream chill me to my very core. I wrapped my front leg around her shoulders, and pressed her against my chest as she screamed into my fur, barely coping with the pain. It was terrible, but unfortunately the only way to fix he leg.
My keen wolf senses picked up the smaller unicorn-pegasus whisper something to her larger companion, but I couldn't tell what because of Passion's screaming. The larger unicorn-pegasus faced us, and when Passion had quieted down, spoke once more.
"My sister and I wish to speak with you all more formally as soon as possible. These three ponies here," the unicorn-pegasus gestured to the three mares that had attacked us, "are going to accompany you to my royal palace in Canterlot. There, we will speak about your intentions here." With that, she turned around and left the room. The smaller unicorn-pegasi, who I assumed was her sister, looked over us wolves once more before leaving as well.
The pegasus, unicorn, and earth pony all stood, dumbfounded. The blond mare snatched her hat off of the ground, and put it onto her head. Beque got to his feet, and scowled menacingly at the three mares, who cowered under his behemoth-like form. Advocacy and Irae advanced slowly towards them, growling.
Lunarescense stepped between us, narrowly preventing another fight. "How about we leave before somepony gets hurt, alright? The princesses are probably waiting outside, anyway." I grunted, and wrapped my one good front leg around Passion, who stood up. The mares left first, each glaring at us wolves whenever the glanced at us. We followed them, and after walking down a few hallways, arrived at the hospital lobby. There were now only a few ponies about, mostly nurses still packing their things.
We walked out of the hospital, and into the Ponyville town square. There was a crowd of ponies waiting outside, having heard that the wolves had finally released their pony hostages. During the last two days we had forgotten how isolated we were from the rest of Ponyville, and that we had no idea what the ponies outside thought had been happening. A collective gasp rose up from the crowd when they saw us wolves leaving the hospital. Some tried to rush at us as a mob, but a bellowing voice stopped them in their tracks.
"STOP! THESE WOLVES ARE COMING WITH ME, TO CANTERLOT." I looked towards the source of the voice to see the larger unicorn-pegasus towering over the crowd, her rainbow-coloured mane flowing in the wind. The mob hurriedly backed off, pressing their snouts against their hooves.
"This way, wolves," the larger unicorn-pegasus said, waving us towards her. We walked towards her, past the three hesitant mares that had attacked us just moments before.
"You three as well, come with me," the unicorn-pegasus added, and the three confused ponies followed us, but at a distance.
We walked for a distance, past houses and streets. Ponies stopped to watch us, mouths agape. I walked with my good leg around Passion's shoulder for support. Advocacy and Irae walked side by side, and Deer, being the little scamp that he was, rode atop Beque's shoulders.
Before long, we arrived at a Cliffside on the very outskirts of ponyville. Two large, ornate chariots rested on the ledge, with four winged stallions tied to each. We walked up to the chariots, and the two unicorn-pegasi entered one of them. The wolves and I exchanged glances with each other, then the ponies. They were as confused as I was. Taking the initiative, Advocacy stalked up to the other, empty, chariot, and opened the door.
"Ladies first," he snickered, beckoning to the three mares that had accosted us at the hospital. Scowling at us, they entered the chariot, and Advocacy climbed inside after them. Lunarescense, Passion, Irae, Deer, Beque and I all followed suit.
There were two rows of seats, with room for five on each side. Lunarescense, Passion, Irae, Advocacy and I all sat opposite the mares. The mares all sat together, with Beque taking up the last two spaces, being the giant wolf that he is. Deer sat on his usual perch, on Beque's shoulders. After we all sat down, the stallions tied to the chariot took off, flapping their wings gracefully through the air. I thought it odd as to how four pegasi could carry a chariot full of ponies and wolves, but decided not to let it bother me too much.
Despite the cramped space, no one said anything, no one said anything for most of the trip. It was only until about an hour or so passed when tensions began to rise. Passion had been wimpering into my shoulder the whole time, still feeling lots of pain from her previously dislocated leg. The rainbow-maned cyan pegasus had grown increasingly annoyed, and when she couldn't take it anymore, just about shouted at Passion.
"Sweet Celestia, quit crying like a baby and take it, you wimp!" Passion froze up from the outburst, and I, once again enraged at these fucking mares, lashed out, striking the cyan pegasus in the snout. She gasped, and was about to jump at me when Beque calmly reached over with his front leg and pressed the three mares back against their seats, keeping them in place.
"Let me go, you big lug!" the rainbow-maned mare shouted, squirming under the large limb. Deer snarled at her, his little eyes full of hate. The hat-wearing orange mare pushed against his leg as hard as she could, but even she was not as strong as Beque. Beque just kept a calm poker face, and kept his arm over the three mares.
"I swear, the moment you let me go, I'll buck you so hard between the legs your voice will raise an octave!" the rainbow one kept shouting, but Beque, being the gentle giant that he is, just blinked at the threat.
This continued for another half hour, until we felt the chariot touch down. Beque moved his arm away, but the blond-haired mare and the cyan Pegasus had already tired themselves out struggling, and lay in their seats, defeated. The short-haired purple unicorn just sat in her seat, having just sat calmly the entire ride.
We left the chariot. Beque had to carry the two exhausted mares on his back, a fact that they were none too pleased about. Passion had stopped wimpering, and was once again helping support me. The purple unicorn left the chariot last, and thanked the four stallions who had pulled it.
Before us stood the two unicorn-pegasi, with two guard flanking each of them. The guards looked at us with distaste and suspicion, but I paid them no heed. Once our group had gathered outside the chariots, the larger unicorn-pegasus spoke in her royal tone.
"Wolves and ponies! I will now teleport you into my royal palace, so as not to frighten the citizens of Canterlot by your presence." She looked at us six wolves as she said this. Then, she closed her eyes and concentrated. There was a flash of light, and a wave of pure magic rolled over me. When the spots in my eyes faded, I saw that we were now in a large throne room.
We wolves had never experienced magic before, so we began to panic a little. The rainbow-maned mare snickered.
"What, you've never seen a little teleportation before?" I glared at her, and calmed down. The two unicorn-pegasi strode over to the center of the room, where a large golden throne ruled over the rest of the furniture in the room. The larger unicorn-pegasi sat down, and spoke.
"Now, we can have a more formal conversation. I will begin by introducing myself," we all faced her, paying attention.
"My name is princess Celestia. I, along with my sister Luna, rule over this world. The forest where you wolves live also falls under our rule."
"I control the day, and my sister controls the night. We also rule, or used to rule, over three different species. The three most prominent species in this world, which we call Equestria, are ponies, griffins, and wolves. Originally, these three were equally distributed, but after some past conflicts, ponies became the dominant species, and the other two were banished into the very corners of Equestria." We all listened intently, because this was all very important and new information.
"So, that begs the question. What are YOU doing here?"
So, I'm going camping for the next three days, so I don't know if I will be able to finish writing the next chapter in the time I usually allot for writing. This story was finished a bit earlier than expected, so that is always a good thing.
Thank you all for reading this!
