Hello, fellow readers! Welcome back to Shadows of Harmony! So real quick, who do we have this time:

Guest: Don't worry, those two will meet Discord eventually.

Kiwifruit152: Well, here's more.

Thanks for the feedback! Now let's get back into it!

Chapter 5: New Friends

"What a peaceful place..."

Volcan walks into Ponyville with Shadow and Twilight in tow, the wingless dragon noting the atmosphere compared to where he's been before. The citizens walking around, going about their business and conversing, it's a nice sight to see. Unfortunately, it didn't last long as they notice the dragon among them.

They were understandably cautious at the new face, yet that didn't stop him from walking to where he needed to go. Each stand he stopped at, the salespony was told that he's just making a purchase and has enough bits to afford it. Though he made sure to tell Shadow and Twilight to speak on his behalf, as he would likely just intimidate the ponies.

"OK, that should be the basic supplies." Volcan double checks as the three left the district, "What else do I..."

The other two notice him trail off before hearing him sniff. He then does it a couple more times before speaking again:

"What is that smell?"

Shadow takes a sniff himself to answer his question, "Baked goods."

"Baked?" Twilight repeats, "Oh, that might be Sugarcube Corner."

"Where is this cube corner of sugar?" Volcan asks her.

"It's not far. I'll show you."

She was right in that, as it was only a couple of minutes until they reached the building. Volcan didn't wait to enter, being the first inside with Twilight following close behind. Shadow was the last one to walk in, seeing the familiar face of Pinkie Pie greet the dragon:

"Hello there, scaly stranger! Here to expand your palate of gems and gold?"

Said dragon was honestly surprised at her question, "Yes, how did you know?"

"You're not the only dragon I've met who has a bit of a sweet tooth. What will it be today?"

Volcan took a moment to think before answering, "I have heard of this 'cheesecake' on my travels. Do you have such a thing?"

"Yes we do!" Pinkie then pops up with a plate in her hooves, which has a slice of cheesecake.

The dragon gladly takes the plate and takes a bite of said cheesecake. Needless to say, he was pleased as evident by the joy on his face. Pinkie then pops over to Shadow and Twilight, noting something interesting:

"Yay! I got to meet two new friends in one day!"

"Two?" Twilight repeats, "Who else is there?"

"Rainbow brought over a green hedgehog named Naturo, Nat for short, from her camping trip with the others. He's nice."

"Hedgehog?" Shadow repeats, "Did he say where he was from?"

"Nope, I forgot to ask him."

"Where is he now?"

"Rainbow had things to do, so he decided to go visit Rarity's boutique."

Shadow then turns to Twilight, "Stay with Volcan. I have questions for this Naturo."

The latter was unsure of his serious tone, but eventually agrees. "OK."

The black wind zoomed on out via his skates as Twilight is left with Pinkie, the two looking over to see Volcan finishing his dessert. He looked rather peaceful when he did, placing the plate on the nearby table.

"Thank you for the food." He politely said, "Can I-"

The trio then heard panicking outside, exiting the building to see a group of ponies running towards their direction. They stopped upon seeing Twilight, speaking rather fast until she calmed them down:

"Everypony, calm down! What's going on?"

"There's a group of Timberwolves that came out of the woods!" One of them answered, "We saw them heading towards the town hall!"

Volcan has heard of these beasts, but has yet to encounter any in his travels. This is a good chance to see how fierce they are.

"Where is this town hall?" He asked them.

"It's not too far from here!" Pinkie answers, "Come on!"

The group headed there in no time, reaching the town hall to see five Timberwolves stalking towards the CMCs. Volcan was fast to jump into action, landing between the fillies and the wood wolves before turning to the danger:

"As tempting as it is to make you all firewood, I'd rather fight you claw to claw."

The CMCs took the chance to run for cover as Volcan leaps at the closest wolf, delivering a knee strike to shatter it. He dodges a pounce from one on his left and spun around to roundhouse one on his right, making it spin in the air in pieces. He then felt one sink its teeth into his tail, which he barely felt before swinging his tail to smash it into another one.

The last one tried a desperate pounce to take him down, only to be countered by a sharp elbow strike into its skull. All that was left was pieces of wood and leaves around him as he ponders:

"Hmm, I have heard these things can regenerate..."

"It will be better if we avoid collateral damage, Volcan!" Twilight counters in annoyance.

"Very well."

With one controlled stream of red fire, he burns the timberwolf remains to ashes before the wind blew it away. The next thing he knew, the ponies gave him a cheer for his heroics. The CMCs approach him as Apple Bloom was the first to speak:

"Thanks for the help, mister Volcan!"

"Uh, you are welcome." He said back, still processing the positivity around him.

"It's pretty rare for us to meet a nice dragon." Sweetie Belle adds.

"As in you're the second one we met." Scootaloo corrects.

"I am not surprised. A lot of dragons are... rude, but there are exceptions." Volcan admits.

As the dragon warrior finds himself in Ponyville's good graces, another visitor of the town was about to get a surprise guest of his own.

"This scarf is expertly crafted. Did you do it yourself?"

Speaking of the other visitor, Naturo was conversing with Rarity as he was rather curious on what ponies wear. To his surprise, they are as varied as the people in his world. From there, the elegant unicorn shifts the topic to his keepsake as he answers her question:

"No, my mother made this herself. As long as I wear it, I know she is here with me... In spirit, at least."

Rarity notices the pause, but leaves it alone for now as she was touched by his sentiment. "Aww, handmade gifts are the greatest treasures."

"I agree."

The two heard a new voice enter the conversation, turning to see Shadow standing at the entrance before walking in. "I heard that a new hedgehog is in town."

"Shadow! Good to see you." Rarity greets, "And yes, this is Naturo. Nat, this is Shadow."

"So this is Shadow." Nat recalls, "You're right. He does look cool."

Shadow briefly smirks at the compliment before getting to business, "I don't recognize your face. Where are you from in your world?"

"I live in the forest, usually away from civilization."

"What would be the closest location from your home?"

"A kingdom ran by Princess Blaze."

"Are you friends with her?"

"No, I- Sorry if I'm rude, but this sounds like an interrogation."

"It is."

Nat was taken aback by the honesty, "Why!? I haven't done anything wrong!"

Shadow slightly narrows his eyes, "Not that I'm aware of."

Rarity steps in to assure the innocence of their new friend, "Shadow, he's not like that! In fact during our trip, he saved Scootaloo from falling into a rushing river!"

"Is that right?" Shadow then gets an idea, "Let's take this outside."

"Huh-" Nat was confused by this before the black blur zooms to him and teleports the two somewhere else.

Rarity was understandably worried, "Oh my! Where did they go!?"

Shadow warps Nat to a clear spot at the edge of town before the green hedgehog shakes him off:

"What is your deal!?" The latter questions.

"I have to determine your intentions." The former answers before getting into his battle stance, "Words are not enough for that."

Naturo caught onto what he's getting at, narrowing his eyes before getting into a fighting stance himself. The two stood a few feet away from each other, staring themselves down as the wind blew by. Once it calmed... the fight starts.

Shadow went first, closing the distance to deliver a straight punch. It was mainly a feint to see how Nat would react, but got something else:

Nat actually deflects the punch, countering with his own that Shadow easily catches, before following it up with a palm strike.

The black blur was pushed back a bit, but swiftly regains balance as he looks back at Nat. The scarf-wearing hedgehog shifts back to his battle stance, showing that he's taking a defensive approach, as Shadow dusts his chest off and goes back on the offense.

It's clear to someone like Sonic that Shadow's going easy, yet Nat was able to hold his own with mainly deflects and counters. Of course it didn't last once Shadow put effort in, where Nat finds himself overwhelmed by his assault before getting knocked off his feet. Falling onto his stomach, he needed a moment to recover from the sudden defeat... and clenches his fists.

Shadow adjusts his glove a bit as he admits his assumption, "...Well, I overestimated your skills-"

BOOM!

The ultimate life form did not expect a surprise attack from Nat, feeling a solid fist connect with his cheek that knocks him back a bit. He manages to dodge the hook right after, but had to block a surprisingly fast backhand that pushes him a good few feet. He readies himself for a fight as he sees Nat lower his fist with his back turned:

"You started this fight... I'm finishing it."

On the second sentence, he sees the scarf-wearing hedgehog look over his shoulder towards him. His orange eyes showed a deadly glare as their pupils were now slit, making him look more monstrous than before as he turns around and got into an aggressive battle stance instead.

Shadow felt the tension rise and goes into a defensive stance, which was the right call as Nat rockets at him with shocking power. The parallels weren't unnoticed by him, as he's now getting overwhelmed by his opponent. However, there is a clear difference:

Nat had great power with his unexpected aggression, but he lacked the finesse to use such power properly. Due to this, some of his attacks left openings for Shadow to exploit, yet this boost in power isn't just offense and speed as Nat is able to tank attacks better than earlier.

Knowing this, the black blur had to evade and block attacks as the two exchange blow after blow. The two then collided their fists into their cheeks at the same time, blasting the two back pretty far before they launched right back at each other... only to be stopped.

"Knock it off, you two!" It was Sonic, using his new 'Power Boost' state to cease their clash by deflecting their strikes.

Shadow steadies himself as he turns to the blue blur, "How did you find us?"

"I was passing by Rarity's when she mentioned you two disappeared. I just had to guess that you warped him away from town."

"Who are you?" Nat questions, still riled up from the fight, but doing his best to stay in control.

"I'm Sonic, the hedgehog that our friends keep comparing you to. Sorry for Shadow's behavior, he tends to be protective when it comes to possible threats."

"...I am not here to harm anyone. I want to be left alone."

"That's good to know. Hear that, Shadow?"

"I heard." Shadow answers.

"Good, then let's chill out before you do some damage."

Nat then calms himself with a deep breath, where they see his eyes revert to normal. While Sonic just noticed that detail, Shadow had to ask about such a power:

"How often do you use that power?"

"Uh, not often." Nat was understandably confused by the sudden question, "Why?"

"Such a rage shouldn't be suppressed. It needs to be controlled, trained, or else that anger will be used against you."

"...Why do you care about it?"

"Cause I've been in that place before. It controls you... blinds you to what's important... a feeling I know too well."

In that moment, Nat sees him not as an enemy, but a kindred spirit. His anger has fully subsided and his face shows concern before speaking again:

"Can you teach me to hone my power?"

Shadow didn't hesitate with his answer, "I will teach you discipline, focus, and train your body to its limit."

"...I'll take that as a yes."

Sonic steps in real quick to remind them, "Before you do that stuff, can we head back to town and tell Rarity what happened?"

With that said, the three went on their way back as the blue blur couldn't help but think about that detail he saw. The wild eyes, the feral demeanor... the only time he's seen that was on a previous adventure to stop Dark Gaia. But that form only came out at night, yet this Nat can access it during the day?

He might have to see their training session later, just to confirm his curiosity.

Back with the dragon warrior, Volcan finds himself in an interesting position. He usually travels from place to place, as dragons aren't welcomed outside their own territory, but his heroic deed gained him the praise of the townsfolks. Perhaps staying in one place for a bit might do some good, but how long will that last?

As he ponders this, he was walking with Twilight through town when the studious student got his attention with a question:

"If you don't mind me asking, what made you want to travel in the first place? Is it really just for training?"

"No, there is another reason." He answers, "I'm sure you noticed this wrapped around my body?"

"Yes, I have. It looks nice. What is it made of?"

"These are my own wings. Dragons are known for bullying others, even their own. Some... do worse."

Twilight was taken aback by that fact, "O-Oh my. That's horrible."

He didn't realize that his voice had a bitter growl as he decides to admit his mistake, "Yes, but I was no better. The day my wings were ripped off, I was exiled for my retaliation against them. Now they can't fly... much less walk."

Twilight was understandably shocked at hearing about such violence, which Volcan notices her silence and her expression before letting out a sigh:

"I apologize, I tend to overshare at times. To end my story, I currently have no place to call home."

Despite him getting on her nerves once or twice, she felt a bit of sympathy at his situation and gives him an offer:

"That's unfortunate. Well, if you do need to spend a night indoors, I may have a spare bed for you to use."

His surprise was evident on his face as he stops in his tracks, "W-What!? I thought I annoyed you!"

She stops soon after to clarify, "After dealing with Pinkie for awhile, I'd like to think my nerves are tougher. Besides, we are friends now."

What happens next is something she did not expect. In a rush of joy, Volcan scoops her up and gives her a hug:

"Thank you, Twilight! Thank you!"

"U-Uh, you're welcome!" Twilight assures him, feeling heat in her cheeks.

Volcan soon realizes his action and puts her back down on her hooves, "Oh, sorry! I-I didn't mean to do that. I'm just very grateful."

"It's all right. It's the least I can do."

After clearing things up and assuring Rarity that no one got seriously hurt, Shadow took Naturo to a clearing to start on his training. It wasn't a sparring session, since they fought earlier, but a moment to calm the mind in meditation. Surprisingly, Nat took to this very well.

In fact, he was eerily quiet up until their session came to an end. The night had came without them realizing, leading to Shadow witnessing Nat's transformation into his beastly form. The scarf-wearing werehog was worried at how the black blur will react... only for him to show a straight face:

"Interesting form."

"U-Uh yeah..." Nat nervously said.

"I knew it!" Turns out, Sonic had been watching and waited for this moment to confirm what he thought earlier:

"You have that Werehog form! I thought I recognized that feral appearance from your fight."

Nat was surprised to hear that, "Wait! You know about Werehogs!?"

"Long story short, I had that form on a previous adventure awhile ago... Wait, did you imply that there are more people with that form?"

"Yes. My father was from a tribe of them."

"Really? I was cursed with dark energy. Is this tribe connected to Dark Gaia or whatever entity you have?"

"Hmm, I don't think so. He told me that they were born with this power."

Shadow steps in to ask Sonic something, "Is this form controllable?"

The blue blur pauses for a moment before admitting, "It made me more aggressive, but I never lost control completely."

The two see Nat look away from them as he eventually answers, "...There are nights where I don't have control."

"Yet, here you are talking with us." Shadow points out, "Might be connected to your mind being clear right now."

"A clear mind... it might be possible. Still, I need time to master this form."

Sonic then slides in next to Nat to assure him, "Then we're here to help when you need it, dude!"

"Let us return to the library." Shadow said, "It's been a long day."

The trio did just that, arriving back at Golden Oaks as the moon shines in the starry sky. When they enter the library, Nat marvels at the rather homey feeling of the large tree as they go to where Twilight likely was. The studious student was still up, reading a book in the study when they entered.

"There you are-" Twilight greets before noticing Naturo in his Werehog form, "O-Oh, is this a new friend?"

"Yes, actually." Sonic answers, "This is Naturo, Nat for short, and this form is what he takes when night comes around."

"I see..." Her cautious tone turns curious as she approaches the scarf-wearing werehog, "I've never seen someone like you before."

"That is cause I'm not from here, miss..." Nat retorts, mainly to learn her name.

"Twilight Sparkle. Nice to meet you." She then lets out a yawn, "As much as I want to, I'll wait until tomorrow to ask any questions."

Shadow then remembers a certain dragon, "Do you know where Volcan went?"

"I actually extended an offer for him to rest here, since he had no place to go. He also mentioned something about staying in town for a few days."

"I see..."

Sonic couldn't help but smirk at this, "Looks like you'll have a lot on your plate when I head out, Shadow."

"I'm very aware." Shadow then got an idea before looking at Nat, "I'll have you spar with Volcan tomorrow to determine what you're capable of."

Nat was honestly a bit nervous, but agrees mainly to test himself. "O-OK. I'll try my best."

With that said, the group headed to bed to begin their plans the next day. Once again, a hooded figure was hiding outside the library on the balcony to spy on them. She stood out of sight as she eavesdropped on their conversation, growing ever curious at these new faces:

"More to deal with... my plans need more adjustments. Hmm, perhaps I should recruit an underling or two."

After she mumbles this to herself, an idea pops into her head before she teleports away. Unbeknownst to her, these new visitors will be more important than being mere obstacles to her plans.

And done! Sorry for the wait, had a lot of stuff happen. Other projects and all that. Also sorry if not much happened this time, I had this chapter be more of an interlude to introduce the characters to each other. By wrapping up said introductions, I can now focus on fleshing out their dynamics.

Not much to say here, since it's been awhile, so thanks for reading and I'll see you next chapter!