Pinkie Pie seemed to had been following a balloon that was flying toward something green and shiny. "Ooh, what's that?~" she went closer and closer to it, forgetting about the balloon briefly.

Patch continued his way towards the Everfree Forest. Pinkie Pie kept following the glow as it shined bright in the Everfree Forest, pulling her mentally and physically. Patch kept going until he found the book along with a timberwolf pup. The pup tilted its head at him. Patch tilted his head the other way and blinked to it. To both of their surprises, neither of them had attacked the other. Patch smiled to the pup, coming a little closer to it, but then he heard another shriek. It had been Pinkie Pie. Surprisingly, both of them went to see what was wrong.

"Pinkie Pie!" the former Dalmatian called to the earth pony. "Pinkie Pie... Are you alright?"

The pink earth pony turned to them, her mane no longer poofy and frizzy, but looked long, straight, and depressing. "Fine... Beat it!" she sounded anything but constantly cheerful.

"Uh, Pinkie Pie, are you sure you're okay, because you don't seem like your usual self." Patch said out of concern.

Pinkie Pie just laughed and made him trip. "Just get out of my way if ya know what's good for you..." she smirked and walked off, she also didn't seem to have her cutie mark.

"Okay, what the heck was that all about?" Patch asked. "And what the heck happened to you?"

Something was very wrong in Ponyville.

---

"Papa never said that it would change their personalities." The timberwolf pup said.

Patch looked back at the puppy. "Oh, you can talk..." he noticed then, a little surprised since the pup didn't speak before.

"Y-Yes, but we don't usually talk to ponies because it's for protection for our families, but for my papa he's, well, evil or so I think." The timberwolf pup said.

"I see..." Patch could sort of understand that. "By the way, could you tell me about this?" he showed the claw.

"Oops, I guess one of my claws must have came loose." The timberwolf pup said.

"Oh, no harm done..." Patch chuckled. "Let me help you with that..."

The pup and Patch got to working together, slowly becoming friends.

"I haven't seen you around Ponyville until today..." the pup said to him.

"Oh, umm... I'm visiting..." Patch tried to make up a story, not revealing the truth just yet.

"Really?" The timberwolf pup asked. "So, you're like, from the human world?"

"Promise not to tell anyone?" Patch asked him.

The timberwolf pup smiled and nodded, hoping that this would mean they would become friends.

"Well... I am, only, I'm not a human myself," Patch explained. "Me and other friends of mine are apart of Princess Celestia's secret Earthian army, we're from a dimension where humans are more in charge since they're kind of the only animals intelligent enough. Some humans can talk to animals though, but we mostly come here and we help serve Princess Twilight Sparkle with her dragon friend, Spike."

"Wait, this Twilight Sparkle, did she have a cutie mark that had stars and a symbol of magic?" The timberwolf pup asked, concerned.

"Um, yeah, how'd you know?" Patch asked.

"Oh, no, this is bad," The timberwolf pup said. "My father took away her cutie mark along with her wings and her horn."

Patch was a little nervous now. "Why would he do that...?"

"I-I can't tell you..." the timberwolf backed up, feeling he said too much. "You must go... Now!"

"Please, tell me, you can trust me; besides, we're friends now, right?" Patch asked the timberwolf pup.

"W-We're friends?" The timberwolf pup smiled.

"Only if you will be my friend and I will be one back." Patch promised.

"Well, then, I guess we are friends." The timberwolf pup smiled.

"I guess we should first start our friendship with an introduction," Patch smiled. "My name is Patch."

"It's nice to meet you, Patch; my name is Timber." The timberwolf pup introduced.

"Oh, that suits you." Patch replied.

"Thanks," Timber smiled before frowning. "And as for about my father, he, well...He wanted to steal all the cutie marks and flying ability/wings and magic/horns so then our clan would be more powerful than the ponies."

"Well that won't do," Patch frowned. "You don't wanna hurt ponies, do you?"

"No..." Timber shook his head. "But ponies are just afraid of me because, well, you know... I'm a timberwolf... Especially the Apple family..."

"Oh, come on, isn't there one pony that isn't afraid of you?" Patch asked.

"I don't know..." Timber said before looking shy. "There is one pony I do really wanna be friends with though... The littlest Apple."

"Apple Bloom?" Patch replied.

"That's her name." Timber nodded then.

"I can make that happen." Patch smiled.

Timber looked shy.

"I promise," Patch vowed. "You can count on me."

"Gee, thanks..." Timber smiled. "You're pretty nice for a common pony."

"Thanks." Patch smiled.

They both soon heard a howl.

"Uh-oh, that sounds like my father." Timber frowned.

"I should let you go, don't worry though, I'll make this all better." Patch said.

Timber nodded and rushed off away from Patch while Patch went his own way away from the timberwolf.

'Tomorrow, I'll introduce Apple Bloom to him.' Patch thought to himself.

---

Atticus was a little wary, then saw Patch coming. "There you are!"

"Hey, Atticus!" Patch smiled. "You won't believe what I have to tell you!"

"Oh... What is it?" Atticus smiled back since Patch was excited.

"I made a new friend and you won't believe of what he is." Patch said.

"What is he?" Atticus asked.

"Don't freak out, but he's a timberwolf." Patch replied.

"A timberwolf?!" Atticus asked out of shock.

"Yeah, and he can talk!" Patch smiled.

Atticus's left eye twitched.

"Now, before you say anything, he's really nice and just wants friends..." Patch told him.

"Oh, Patch, what's next?" Atticus face-hoofed. "Someone befriending a Changeling?"

"But he really is really nice." Patch frowned.

"Patch, I'm sorry, but I don't want you to see him anymore," Atticus said. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Atticus..." Patch pouted.

"Promise me, Patch Pongo..." Atticus said firmly. "You're my best nonhuman best friend."

"I promise..." Patch frowned.

"That's a good boy..." Atticus said. "The last thing I want you to do is to get hurt by one of our worst Equestrian enemies."

"But they don't have to be." Patch said.

"I said no, Patch." Atticus said firmly.

"You just don't know!" Patch replied. "There could be friendly creatures outside of the ponyfolk!"

"Patch, that's enough, it's time to go inside." Atticus said.

Patch sighed and followed Atticus inside their temporary shelter for the night. Mo seemed to be running in her sleep and even yipped like a puppy. Atticus snickered to this as he then used his horn to put a blanket around his girlfriend. Patch soon went to bed, but decided to still go and get Apple Bloom and Timber to meet and where he'll have to keep this a secret from Atticus. He dreamed up plans for this as he kept it to himself, knowing Atticus wouldn't approve. Atticus soon went to sleep. The others seemed to sleep okay despite the cutie mark scare with the timberwolves.