Pinkie plopped to the ground. "Not again!"
"You mean you brought her with you?!" Comet exclaimed. "There's an enormous timber wolf on the loose!"
"She insisted," Rarity said.
"Okay, no one panic. She couldn't have gone far," Twilight said.
Comet chuckled without humor. "If I had a bit for every time I thought that, I would be a rich pony."
"Then there is no time to lose." Twilight said, "Comet, will you be coming with us?"
Panic briefly filled Comet's face before it was replaced with determination. "Yes. I used to think I was a failure, and used that as an excuse to hide away from the real world. Well, I say no more."
The ponies cheered. Comet felt as if a giant, crushing weight had been lifted from his wings.
"But first," Comet reached into one of his saddlebags, and pulled out another set of armor and a helmet. He smiled at the others' startled faces. "My bags have a spell on them so they can hold up to ten times their size. Standard issue in the army, as is the armor. Unfortunately, I only have one extra set, and they are made for pegasi."
"No problem," Applejack said. "Ah haven't needed them before now. Pinkie will be fine as well, seeing as how I don't think anypony can move as fast as her on her hooves."
"Twilight and I can both perform shield spells," Rarity said.
Comet held out the gear to Rainbow Dash. "If I can believe everything I've heard about you, you'll be right in the thick of things."
Rainbow Dash took it, but rather than put it on, she turned to Fluttershy. "You should wear this."
Fluttershy reached for the gear, but hesitated. "What about you?"
"You know me. I'll move too fast for that timber wolf to touch me," Rainbow Dash said with a confident grin, giving Fluttershy the gear.
"Okay... but not the helmet," Fluttershy held it out. "I won't be able to see anything with it."
Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows, glancing at the helmet. Like Comet's, it was round and came down slightly on the back, with thick straps to hold it in place. Of course, she know Fluttershy wouldn't be swayed into wearing it.
"I'll wear it," Rainbow Dash put the helmet on herself.
"Isn't this a little extreme? We've dealt with timber wolves in the past," Twilight said.
Comet waved the others to follow him and led them to a shallow depression in the ground. The ponies didn't understand at first, then they took a closer look at the depression.
"Oh, my," Rarity breathed.
Comet had just showed them a timber wolf paw print, and it was huge. The print was at least as long as a pony, if not more!
"No problem," Spike said, leaning down to scoop up a clawful of pebbles.
"Yer right," Applejack said to Spike, then to the others, "Remember that time when ah saved Spike from a timber wolf, and he was goin' to serve me for the rest of his life?"
Comet shook his head. "What?"
"Long story," Spike said. "Anyway, there was a giant timber wolf then, and I defeated it myself. All I did was throw a pebble in its mouth. The timber wolf choked on it, and blew to sticks."
Comet cocked his head. "Simple, but effective. Everypony, start gathering rocks."
A bit later, the ponies and Spike were loaded down with stones and following the timber wolf's trail. Fluttershy learned from her forest friends which way Blu had gone. Unfortunately, it was the same route as the timber wolf. Eventually, the tracks led back to the Everfree.
"So, um... we don't need to follow the tracks anymore, right? The timber wolf is back where it belongs," Fluttershy said hopefully.
"Regrettably," Comet said, studying a muddy spot on the path, "Blu went this way as well."
Fluttershy began shaking so hard that her armor clanked. "F-figures."
The group walked quietly into the forest. Immediately, the light dimmed and fog began to fill the air. Comet snorted in frustration as Blu's and even the timber wolf's tracks became hard to see. Twilight and Rarity's horns began to glow, but they couldn't compete with the gloomy atmosphere.
"There's a cave!" Rainbow Dash said, pointing.
The cave of dark-colored stone loomed as tall as a house in the shadow of the Everfree. The opening was pitch black and appeared endless. Slimy green vines draped across the entrance, adding to the creepiness.
"Please tell me Blu did not go in that cave," Twilight said.
"Okay, I won't," Comet said, eyeing the hoof and paw marks leading to the cave.
"Could this get any worse?" Twilight asked despondently.
"Do you really want me to answer?"
"Please don't."
They group walked to the cave and surveyed the entrance. Some of the vines had been recently torn away by something large, and now laid inside the cave.
Rarity sniffed delicately, then covered her nose. "The timber wolf is definitely inside."
Comet could feel the familiar sense of panic rising in his chest, as it had when he had spotted the timber wolf earlier.
He swallowed hard and ground his hooves into the ground. He needed to stop worrying about himself. Blu was in danger. He would get Blu to safety, or die trying!
Maybe that wasn't the best thing to think about.
Instead, Comet looked at the determined ponies and dragon around him. If they could push aside their fear to help a pony they had met only a week ago, then so could he!
The group stepped through the remaining vines, Rarity moaning about the slippery texture. Twilight's horn glowed brighter, filling the cave with light. It was a cavernous space with a high rounded ceiling, and a large, irregular boulder in the center. There was a pony-sized tunnel to the left, with Blu's hoofprints leading right for it.
"Where's the timber wolf?" Twilight wondered aloud.
Then the "boulder" shifted. Everypony had to clamp hooves and claws to each others' mouths. That was no boulder, but the timber wolf!
The timber wolf was bigger than anypony thought, the size of a small house! It appeared even bigger to Comet, now that it was right in front of him.
In shock from the sheer size of the timber wolf, it took them a moment to realize that it was sound asleep.
"Okay, everypony be quiet," Twilight whispered. "Let's just find Blu, and get out of here."
Pinkie pushed Rainbow Dash and Applejack's hooves from her mouth and asked, much too loud, "Why are we being quiet? Is it a-"
Everypony spun to cover Pinkie's mouth, but it was too late.
The timber wolf snorted, then opened it's glowing yellow eyes. When it spotted the ponies and Spike, it leaped to its paws, its ears brushing the ceiling. Then, it opened its mouth and roared.
Rainbow Dash, the only one to react quickly enough, whipped out a wing, releasing a barrage of pebbles at the timber wolf's mouth. She thought for sure that Spike's plan would work, but at the last second, the timber wolf snapped its mouth shut, and the pebbles bounced harmlessly against it's snout.
Twilight shook herself. "We have to try again! Spread out!"
Comet was shaking so badly that he could barely follow Applejack and Fluttershy as they ran to the left. He had pebbles clenched in his glowing wings, but doubted he would be able to throw them if he got the chance.
Rainbow Dash flew around the timber wolf's head to distract it from the others. Every time it snapped at her, one of her friends would throw some of their pebbles, but had the same result as Rainbow Dash's attempt.
"It isn't working!" Twilight cried after another futile throw that rid her of her final stones.
"It is almost as if it knows what we are tryin' to do!" Applejack said.
A terrifying thought occurred to Twilight. "You don't suppose this is the same timber wolf, do you?"
"Ah'm afraid so."
The timber wolf spotted Spike and its eyes narrowed. Ignoring Rainbow Dash kicking its ears, the timber wolf leaped toward the small dragon.
Comet didn't realize he was moving until suddenly finding his hooves wrapped around Spike. He turned his head, terrified to see enormous teeth uncomfortably close. He kicked out his hind legs, hurtling Spike and himself out of harm's way. The timber wolf crashed to the ground with an angry howl.
"Thanks, Comet," Spike said.
Comet blinked, unsure of how to answer. The fear that had paralyzed him since seeing the timber was suddenly being replaced with fierce determination.
The others were right about what had happened in Trinity Twist years ago. He had to stop letting mistakes from the past hold him back from doing the right thing now!
A scream grabbed Comet's attention. The timber wolf had cornered Fluttershy!
Comet dropped Spike onto the ground and flew swiftly across the cave to crash head-first into the timber wolf. Taken by surprise, it stumbled sideways. Comet fell to the ground. While his helmet had taken the brunt of the blow, he was still dazed.
"Comet! Are you okay?"
Comet looked up at Fluttershy with a reckless grin. "I'm better than I have been in years!"
Rainbow Dash distracted the timber wolf again as Applejack ran over. "Are y'all alright?"
Comet and Fluttershy nodded.
"Ah don't know what else we can do," Applejack said. "Spike's idea isn't working, and now the timber wolf is between us and the exit."
"And we haven't found Blu, either!" Comet put in.
"Twilight thinks she must have gone right past the timber wolf while it was sleeping," Applejack said. "The tunnel is small enough so she will be safe. Besides, even if we did find her, we can't leave now because the timber wolf would follow us to Ponyville."
"Look out!" came a cry from Rainbow Dash.
Comet, Applejack, and Fluttershy turned quickly. The timber wolf was charging them!
Fluttershy squealed and zoomed off. Comet grabbed Applejack and yanked her upward with him, barely reaching a great enough height for the timber wolf to pass under them.
The timber wolf crashed into the stone wall. It stumbled backwards, shaking its head.
Comet had an idea. "Pinkie!" Pinkie ran up beneath Comet and Applejack. "I need you to distract the timber wolf so I can talk to Rainbow Dash!"
Pinkie saluted, then darted off. Comet lowered Applejack to the ground, and after a moment, Rainbow Dash joined them.
"I have an idea," Comet said. "If we can get the timber wolf to run into the walls enough, it could knock itself out, so we can get Blu, and get out of here!"
Rainbow Dash grinned and rubbed her hooves together. "I like that idea!"
Applejack nodded. "I'll tell the others the plan."