Outfoxing the Competition

"Fillies and gentlecolts! Welcome to what I hope will be the first of many Ponyville Pet Shows! Today we are showing off the special talents of our favorite critters both large and small!"

Mayor Mare, the head of Ponyville, was giving another rousing speech to excite the ever-growing crowd of ponies. Her brown coat and grey mane presented the older mare with an air of dignity, yet the approachable personality of a grandmother. Though not known very far outside of Ponyville, those who made this town their home always lifted both ears whenever the mayor spoke.

"I would like to thank everypony for coming; especially those of you who helped organize this wonderful event! Give yourself a round of applause!" The mayor beamed and outstretched a hoof towards the crowd. "I know some of you traveled very far in order to be here today, and to you I say, 'I am honored.' I am honored to know that our humble town of Ponyville can call you her guests. But let us not deviate too far from the main event! You will each be called into the ring. Once inside, you will show off your pet's special talent. The judges will score based off of originality, obedience, and ability. No matter what happens, you are all winners for coming out today and giving your pet the attention he or she deserves. This is a day to celebrate the wildlife all throughout Equestria! So, without further delay, let's have our first contestant step forward!"

"Psst."

Chase shifted his eyes to the side and saw Apple Bloom grinning up at him.

"Hiya! Glad to see you didn't chicken out," the filly snickered.

"Puh-lease. Reyn and I are taking this competition! No questions asked."

"I dunno. Fluttershy is the best animal-tamer this side of Canterlot!"

"Yeah? Well, I'm the best, er, fox-tamer on the other side of Canterlot!" Chase stuck out his tongue in an immature display of wits against the little instigator.

"Yer just lucky that Winona couldn't enter! She's the most loyal and obedient dog… ever!" Her eyes grew wider as she emphasized the final word in her sentence. "Speakin' of chickens, don't go countin' yours before they hatch. There's a lot of tough lookin' animals here!"

Chase held out a foreleg and cheered as Reyn slapped a paw against his hoof. "And they're all about to get scrambled!"

Fluttershy smiled as she listened to Apple Bloom and Fox Chase playfully argue with one another. "We're number fifteen, Angel. You're going to make mama so proud today!" Angel peeked out from around Fluttershy's leg and glared at Reynard.

. . . . . .

Chase's eyes were heavy as the first dozen contestants fell into the cliché role of pet tricks. A dog that could catch a flying disc. A cat that could adorably tumble over a ball of yarn. Nothing ground-breaking. The force of Chase's yawn caused his eyes to water as the mayor announced the next contestant.

"Up next we have Silver Shill, with his pet parrot, Punchline!"

Chase and Apple Bloom groaned in unison as the opening acts failed to impress either pony. As the mayor exited the ring, a sickly-pale blue pony entered. Nesting atop his slicked-back grey mane was a green parrot.

"Wake me up when it's my turn, would ya?" Chase fluffed the grass under his head and closed his eyes.

"Stop yawnin'! It's makin' me sleepy!" A hoof was covering Apple Bloom's stretched jaw. "It really is contagious…"

The crowd's murmuring stopped as Silver Shill awkwardly cleared his throat and squinted at the note cards in his trembling hoofs.

"H-hey, Punchline, what do you c-call a sleeping cow?"

The ponies in the crowd continued staring at Silver.

"A bull dozer," the parrot squawked.

"I sure hope nopony has a box of pet crickets," Chase whispered to a giggling Apple Bloom.

"Heh… okay, off to a good start. What do you call an alligator in a vest?" Silver Shill's voice droned on.

A groan was heard from within the crowd.

"An investigator!" The bird spread its wings and bounced around happily. The younger ponies were giggling up front, while their parents could only roll their eyes.

"Get ready to hold your sides for this one, everypony. Why do seagulls fly over the sea?"

"So they don't haveta listen to yer awful jokes," Apple Bloom whispered into Chase's ear. Both ponies were red in the face trying not to laugh.

"If they flew over the bay, they'd be bagels!" Punchline bowed to the forced applause of the crowd.

"T-thanks, everypony. We'll be outside Sugarcube Corner this weekend if you think you can handle more hilarity." The frightened pony removed himself from center stage and shuffled off onto the sidelines.

The judges all looked at one another and shrugged.

"At least that one woke me up a bit." Chase stretched his body and grunted as Reynard jumped onto him.

"What're you and Reynard doing for the show?" Apple Bloom rubbed a hoof down the fox's back.

"Guess you could say it's an obstacle course of sorts. Just a little more unique," he winked. "I've trained this fox to hold his own in any situation. He may not look it, but he's pretty tough!"

"Well, I've seen Angel's carrot trick and he's gonna melt some hearts out there! First prize is goin' to be Fluttershy's!" Apple Bloom narrowed her eyes. "But I'm sure y'all have second place in the bag!"

. . . . . .

"Up next with her pet bunny, Angel, is one of Ponyville's very own residents: Fluttershy!

The crowd was much more excited now. The clapping of hooves caused Fluttershy's ears to lower. She bashfully stepped a hoof over the swinging rope. Angel marched underneath and waved his paws to the cheering crowd.

"Okay, Angel, just like we practiced." Fluttershy's legs were shaking. Her head slowly rotated to examine the massive crowd around her. "Oh my... There are so many ponies here..." She shook her head free of doubts and huffed. "No, Fluttershy! You have to be strong for Apple Bloom!"

Angel's paw was outstretched. His foot was pounding the grass flat as he waited for his treat. Every bunny had their price to perform.

"Right, right! I have your treat in my bag." Fluttershy smiled and used her teeth to open the clasp holding her bag shut. "Let's see... We have carrots, a few bits for shopping later, there's your sweater in case you get chilly..."

Fluttershy bit her lip and felt her throat tighten with anxiety. Angel wrinkled his face and crossed his arms.

"Um, Angel, I don't know what to say... It's not in here! But I promise after the contest I'll buy you as many fresh candy carrots as you'd like!"

Angel's foot stopped assaulting the ground. He threw his arms up in frustration and stomped away. Fluttershy cowered as the crowd waited for the performance to begin.

"W-wait! Angel! Come back! We have to-"

Angel turned around and shook his head defiantly. The crowd parted allowing the bunny to completely abandon his owner.

"But we promised Apple Bloom..." Fluttershy's eyes welled up with tears. Her wings opened and sent her flying off into the nearby woods sobbing uncontrollably.

"Oh boy." Chase facehoofed. "Is he always this moody?"

"Angel is sorta high maintenance. Honestly, I'm not surprised he pulled a stunt like this." Apple Bloom glared at the bunny sitting beside her. "You should be ashamed of yourself! Treat or no treat, Fluttershy was lookin' forward to the pet show! How could ya-"

Her voice was cut off as Reynard sprung forward and tackled the bunny. A growl escaped his snarling mouth.

"Reyn! That's enough!"

The fox blinked and looked back at Chase.

"I'm upset too, but it's not our place to punish Angel. Let him go."

Reyn hopped off Angel and slowly padded over to Apple Bloom.

"Let's just focus on our own problems for now."

"I'm gonna go talk to Fluttershy." Apple Bloom sighed. "She could probably use a friend right now. Yer comin' too, Angel! Hop to it!"

Apple Bloom and Angel pushed through the crowd and followed the path Fluttershy took into the woods.

"I'm glad you're so fired up, but save your energy, furball." Chase patted Reyn on his head. "We're up soon."

"Our next contestant is..." The mayor raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat. "The Flim Flam Brothers?"

The crowd was silent as the two showponies trotted into the ring. Clenched in each of their mouths was a piece of cord attached to the cloth-covered cage. After they were done wheeling in their pet the brothers spat out the rope and smiled enthusiastically.

"Hello, one and all!" Flim excitedly reached his forelegs out.

"We're so pleased to be back in town for what I think will be our finest demonstration yet!" Flam slung a foreleg around his brother's neck. "Brother, take it away!"

Flim bowed to the audience. "Now I'm sure by this late in the contest you're all tired of seeing cats chasing balls of yarn and the inevitable dog performing parlor tricks."

Chase and Reyn looked at one another.

"So, we're bringing something a bit more exotic to the table!"

The cage rattled behind them. The aggressive clanging against the bars caused some of the younger ponies to back up and hide behind their parents.

"Behold! A pet so loyal and tame even a foal would be safe to approach him!"

Flam's horn started to glow a faint shade of green. The magical aura surrounded a tattered corner of the oversized table cloth and quickly yanked it from around the cage. The audience gasped collectively as the beast was revealed.

A twisted wooden limb reached out toward the two brothers. The darker wooden body had stray leaves scattered throughout as if creating a sparse illusion of animal fur. Both claws and teeth were sharpened to perfectly spiked points. Soulless green eyes stared back at the onlookers.

The fearsome Timberwolf: scourge of the Everfree Forest as well as a nuisance to unlucky ponies losing their ways on mountain paths.

"Now to open the cage." Flim and Flam flicked the latches in unison and the iron gate slammed against the ground. "Timber here has been trained by the finest animal tamers in all of Equestria: us!" Flim trotted ahead and motioned for the beast to exit. "Come on, boy, it's safe here."

The rickety wolf stepped forward and sniffed the air. He obediently sat in front of Flim.

The mayor stepped forward and tried to steady her voice. "W-while I appreciate your efforts in expanding the pool of critters; I must insist your friend return to his cage. He's making the townsfolk very uncomfortable!" She gulped and studied the motionless hunk of wood.

"Now, now, mayor, this contest is for animals all across Equestria. Our friend here is harmless. Flim and I have a two-week training course that can be offered to anypony! We took months of hassle and simplified the entire procedure so that we return your pet more obedient than ever! Satisfaction guaranteed." Flam smirked. "How about some volunteers to come greet him? I'll prove to you that this creature is completely reformed!"

"This doesn't seem right... Role always told us that Timberwolves were essentially corrupted sprites contained within a physical body. That's why we always used them for his spell practice. It doesn't make sense that you could train magic to listen to you as if it were a real animal!" Chase narrowed his eyes and caught a glimpse of the glowing red collar hanging around the wolf's splintery neck.

. . . . . .

Apple Bloom pushed the leaves of the bush to the side and saw Fluttershy curled up in a clearing. The sunlight was filtering through the leaves and projecting moving shadows onto the downtrodden mare's body.

"Fluttershy? You okay?" Apple Bloom shook the leaves from her mane. "We're all worried about ya."

Fluttershy sniffled and buried her head into her hooves. "I made a complete fool of myself! I can't go back... What kind of animal expert can't even get a bunny to listen to her?"

Angel crept forward and placed a paw on Fluttershy's mane.

"Look, we all know Angel can be a hoofful and he's certainly the independent type, but we both know at the end of the day he loves ya!" Apple Bloom did her best to lighten the mood.

The bunny pressed his body against Fluttershy's hoof with a hug.

"But what about Applejack's wagon?"

"Eh, not much we can do now. I wouldn't worry about it. Honestly, if you wouldn't have tried to help, that wagon was just gonna fall apart anyways. I'm sure my sis will just retire the ol' thing. It's cheaper to just get a new one." Apple Bloom forced a smile.

Fluttershy wiped her eyes and displayed her pearly white teeth. "Okay, as long as you aren't upset with me."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fluttershy, I don't think anypony could ever be upset with ya. Now come on, let's go catch the rest of the pet show! If we can't win we might as well see how Chase makes out."

. . . . . .

A pink hoof flailed wildly in front of Chase's face. He took a step back and raised an eyebrow at the bouncing pink mare giggling in front of him. "Uh, can I help you?"

"I was going to ask you the same question!" the mare snickered and pushed her snout against his. "You look like your brain just went kersplat. Everypony else looks super happy except for you! Say… you don't hate animals, do you?!" Her eyes widened.

"Wha-? No! I have an animal with me! And who in Equestria are you anyways?!" Chase ruffled his mane in confusion. Reynard was watching the mare's curly mane jiggle as she bounced.

"My name's Pinkie Pie!"

"Okay, and… you're… wait, what did you say about my brain?"

Pinkie lips curled into a pout. "Jeez, I'm only here because I wanted to put a smile on your face! Like I said, everypony else has a smile except for you! I thought maybe you weren't having a good time." She squeed.

"I just have a lot of stuff on my mind." Chase moved his eyes back to the Timberwolf, who was now running around with a colt on his back. "Forget it; I don't wanna trouble you. It was nice to meet you Pin-"

Pinkie smushed Chase's muzzle with her hooves and formed a smile. "You look a lot cuter when you're smiling! Say, what was your name again?"

Chase blinked helplessly as he felt drool dripping from his mouth. "Mynameshace."

"Huh? Didn't quite catch that." Pinkie released his face from her kung-fu grip. She planted her flank on the ground and tilted her head.

"My name's Chase," he said rubbing his cheeks.

"Neat! So you chase things? Or do they chase you?"

Chase rubbed his head and groaned. "Uh… Look-"

"Anypony else want to come see the ferocious Timberwolf before we put him away?" Flim exclaimed to the crowd.

"Oh! Me!" Pinkie jumped and waved her hooves wildly. "We can chat more when this is all over! I'd love to hear more about what you chase!" Pinkie bounded away and left Chase among the crowd of ponies.

"Wait, I don't-" Chase looked down to Reynard and sighed. "Can you explain what just happened?" The fox shrugged.

Pinkie hopped over the rope and stopped with her mouth agape. "I had forgotten how creepy these things look up close! Gives me the heebie-jeebies in my hoovesies!" She inched closer.

"No need to be scared, my dear! He was a dangerous creature at first, but Flim and I were able to shoo away his bad habits and enforce only the best behavior!" Flam pointed a hoof forward. "Is that an alligator on your tail?"

"Oh, yeah! That's Gummy. He was supposed to enter the pet show, but since he decided to be a lazy pants and not blink everypony thought he was just a stuffed animal. They said I couldn't compete! Can you believe that?!" Pinkie shook her tail and Gummy fell onto his back. His eyes blinked out of unison and elicited some laughter from the crowd. "I'm just glad I was able to catch the last few acts of the show! Especially this one! It was a little boring spending all of my time looking at rocks for the past few weeks!"

Pinkie slowly reached out a hoof and placed it between the jagged ears of the Timberwolf. Her body quivered and she quickly pulled her foreleg away. "Uh oh. Pinkie sense! Something bad is coming!"

Flim and Flam shot each other a confused look. "How about you just go back with the rest of the crowd and we put Timber back in his cage, okay?" Flim said, while pushing Pinkie away.

"You don't understand! I only get to a-twitchin' when there's trouble a-brewin'!" Her teeth were chattering. "Uh oh! Where's Gummy?!"

The tiny alligator was on the back of the Timberwolf attempting to chew on a branch. Without teeth there wasn't much he could do aside from soaking the wood in a layer of slobber.

"Alright, lil fella, show's over." Flam grabbed gummy and tried to yank him away. Gummy chomped onto the wolf's collar and held on tightly. "Eh, you're a real fighter!" He yanked again and tore Gummy away from his chew toy.

Clenched between the soft gums of the toothless alligator was a red collar.

Flam dropped Gummy and slowly turned around. "Flim? Could you… come over here?"

The wolf shook his head clear. A loud snarl showcased all of his pointy teeth.

The audience wasn't sure what was going on. Heads were turning and the murmur was growing into a roar. Chase bit his lip and pushed to the front of the crowd.

Pinkie took a spot next to Chase and shivered. "Not sure why, but my hooves feel all tingly! I only feel this funny when something strange or terrible is about to hap-"

The Timberwolf leapt forward and crashed into the center of the crowd.

Apple Bloom arrived just in time to hear the screams and stampeding of the panicked ponies.

"I knew it! That stupid collar was enchanted to control the wolf! They didn't tame it! They were just controlling it! Ugh!" Chase was galloping away while the wolf decided which pony to pursue.

"What in the hay is goin' on?" Apple Bloom's tiny legs struggled to keep up with Chase. "We just got back and everypony is tramplin' each other!"

"That Timberwolf is going nuts! Flim and Flam were keeping him under control with a magic collar! The second that thing came off the wolf went crazy!"

"Piece of cake! Fluttershy can use her stare to-" Apple Bloom looked around and groaned. "Or she's hiding…"

"I thought you said she was good with animals!"

"Well, she is, but not when they make loud noises and are scary like that howlin' pile of branches back there!"

Chase skidded to a halt in front of his wagon. He placed a hoof on the tarp. "Time to show you just how tough this little fox can be!" He smiled and knelt down to the filly's level. "Apple Bloom, I've been doing some thinking while you were gone."

She caught her breath and collapsed onto the ground. "Whaddya mean?" Her big eyes were staring up at Chase.

"That prize money means a lot more to you than it does to me. I came out here because I wanted to make some quick bits and finish paying off my trip to Canterlot. But I couldn't stop thinking about your struggles and how strong of a filly you are. You and Fluttershy have a lot more heart than anypony else here."

Apple Bloom blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Shucks, ya don't haveta embarrass me…"

"If we pull this off and I get the money, I'm giving it to you so you can fix your sister's wagon." Chase grinned. "So quit blushing and focus on figuring out how to carry all those bits home!"

Apple Bloom's eyes lit up as she jumped onto all four legs. "Ya mean it?! Wait a sec… How exactly are-"

Reynard jumped out from under the tarp with a small wooden sword sheathed on his back.

"That wolf should just be happy I'm not stepping hoof out there, too." Chase and Reynard turned and charged back to the shouting ponies.

. . . . . .

"Everypony, take shelter! Help will be on the way soon!" The mayor shouted as the Timberwolf continued to chomp at every available flank.

Chase and Reynard shoved through the stampede and caught a glimpse of the hazy green eyes charging toward them. "Okay, Reyn, not quite what we had planned for your demonstration, but if you can take this thing down we'll win for sure! Aim for his weak spots. Just like when Role first showed us how to defeat Timberwolves!"

A green aura flashed around the wooden blade clenched in Reyn's mouth.

"Who would've guessed we'd be fighting one of these things without Skye or Role to help out. I'm a little scared…"

Reyn gave Chase a wink.

"Yeah, of course you're not scared. Always making me look bad…" Chase cleared his throat and shouted. "I'd now like to show off the special talent of my pet fox, Reynard!"

The ponies looked back as the large Timberwolf stomped toward the unsuspecting stallion.

"Hey! Behind you!"

"Get outta there, ya maniac!"

Chase stepped aside. "Without further delay, I give you Troupe Reynard's finest vulpine!"

Reynard's paws pushed off from the ground and propelled him over the wolf. The wooden monster turned and swatted at the speedy fox. Reynard dodged with a quick roll and jerked his head to the side, slashing through the claws of the Timberwolf. Splinters of wood exploded into the air.

A fearsome howl echoed through Ponyville.

"A Timberwolf is the embodiment of corrupted magic manifesting itself into the environment. If the vessel is destroyed then the magic will fade until strong enough to reform the creature." Chase turned his head to the castle jutting out from the mountain off in the distance. "See, Role, all that magic talk did sink in after all."

Reyn landed and slid his body to face the beast once again. His bushy tail flicked in anticipation.

"Good one, Reyn! Just try to immobilize him! We can let his 'owners' figure out the rest!" Chase gave an evil grin at the two brothers hiding behind the mayor. Their forelegs were wrapped around one another.

The wolf sprung forward and opened his massive jaws.

Reyn stood his ground and watched as the beast hit the apex of his jump.

Without delay, the fox jumped and slashed his sword.

Both creatures landed on the ground. Their bodies remained motionless.

Reynard had a small gash across his front leg, but nothing a quick rinse and a few bandages couldn't fix. The Timberwolf was much worse off. His body was now crumpled into a heap on the ground. A left foreleg and hindleg had been cut clean off. His body convulsed as he tried to once again mount an attack on the victorious fox. Reynard watched another glimmer of green magic appear at the tip of his sword.

Chase whistled a victory tune and Reynard twirled the sword around before finally sheathing it onto his back. The fox struck a pose on all fours with his chin lifted to the clouds.

The mayor slowly stepped forward and lowered her body to investigate the mighty vulpine. "Y-you're the one who trained him?"

Chase nodded. "Sure did. He's been my partner since I was a colt. I've taught him everything I know, and he's even shown me a few things. True friends can always learn from one another even if they're different species." Chase trotted over to Reyn's side and placed a hoof between his ears. "Not very often you see a fox trained to use a sword in combat! He's a weird one!"

The mayor shook her head in disbelief. "This… has been a weird day in general. You two stay here and I'll round up the townsfolk."

"For…?"

"I have to announce the winner of the competition, don't I?" She nudged Chase in the leg and winked.

Chase 's eyes met Reynard's.

"You do know who the winners are, don't you?" The mayor sensed that her obscure hint of who won had gone over Chase's mane.

"Uh… the joke-telling bird?" Chase squeed innocently. Reyn even joined in with his own toothy grin.

The mayor planted a hoof against her face and sighed. She wasn't exactly in the mood for a joke now that a rampaging wolf had just scared the cutie marks off half the town.

"Told you his brain went all kersplat earlier!" Pinkie appeared and tapped her hoof on Chase's head. "I get it now! You chase wolves! Right?"

Chase groaned and looked over to Apple Bloom. She waved a foreleg and smiled.

Guess my trip to Canterlot will be delayed a bit longer after all. Still, things could have gone much worse.

"Hey! Isn't anypony going to ask why I'm back in Ponyville?!" Pinkie shouted.

"I still don't even know who you are!" Chase yelled in confusion.

"Sometimes I think Ponyville is cursed…" The mayor muttered to herself.

/) To be Continued (\