“I don’t know why they don’t just use magic and get it over with quickly,” Avera grumbled, throwing two of her cards onto the table. Taking two different cards from the pile, she slid them into her hand before grimacing. “I just don’t see the point.”

“It’s traditional,” Primrose replied, taking a sip of her cider. “Winter Wrap Up was originally done without magic, and Ponyville continues the tradition.” Reaching into a bit bag, she pulled out a couple of bits and threw them onto the table.

My guards and I were currently sitting in the main room of the library, playing a game of Poker. Outside, the muffled sound of singing and music could be heard as the locals worked hard to clear off the thick layer of snow that rested upon the town.

I had woken up this morning to a giggly, bouncing Twilight, who had explained that today was something called Winter Wrap Up: a day where the ponies of Ponyville would work together to clear away the winter gloom to usher in spring.

According to Twilight, it was tradition for everyone within the community to come together to help the process go smoothly. I saw it as a way that the weather team was getting paid to have others do their job.

Supposedly, no magic could be used by any unicorn, as the act of Winter Wrap Up was, in Twilight’s words, "intended for ponies to go back to their roots and feel at one with nature". I laughed because ponies basically controlled the weather, seasons, and animals, so what nature was there to be one with?

Despite my scoffing, I had offered to help out, but Twilight had shot that plan down. “I’m sorry, but there is no jobs that can be assigned to humans, and I don’t have time to make revisions to the plans.”

So, I was stuck in the library for the day, my guards deciding to stay with me. I was actually surprised that Twilight allowed that, considering what had happened a week ago with the love poison.

Although, it hadn’t been all bad. I had gotten to spend a couple of hours with Twilight, relaxing on the couch. She had read most of the time, and, being blind, I was limited in my entertainment. Unable to do much else, I had spent the hours essentially petting Twilight. It was kinda addicting, actually. She had an amazingly soft coat, and the sounds she made when I hit a sensitive spot was pretty adorable.

I paused halfway through picking up my new cards, my cheeks heating up slightly. Careful, Max. We’re trying to avoid that kind of thinking. Don’t want to cause Twilight any problems with the nobles.

But you have to admit, I argued with myself. She was kinda cute, especially when you were able to take off the blindfold and she was practically curled up in your lap.

Clearing my throat, I picked up my new cards and placed them in my hand.

“It’s actually not that uncommon in the smaller cities,” Primrose continued, placing her mug back down on the table with a soft clink. “I know for a fact that the ponies of Oakvale still do it, and they have one of the largest earth pony populations.”

“It still feels like a waste of a day to me,” Avera muttered. “Canterlot’s probably already done with theirs.”

“You could always go outside and help them,” Primrose suggested, not looking up. Avera blew a raspberry at her before scowling.

“I think it’s nice,’ Ebony chirped, sifting through her cards. “It’s a nice change of pace, ponies realizing that magic isn’t an easy out for hard work.”

“But it’s a whole day!” Avera whined, waving her hooves about, unwittingly exposing her cards.

~You should be thankful~ I signed after placing my cards face down on the table. ~At least you know when winter is going to end~

“What do you mean?” Primrose asked.

~Back home, all we had was a gopher that was wrong half of the time~

“Pardon?” Ebony asked, cocking her head to the side. I winced.

~Nevermind. Point is, we didn’t know when spring was coming, and it usually took several weeks to a couple of months for the seasons to change~

“What? Why?” Avera squawked. She paused, blinking once before slapping her face with her hoof. “Right, no magic,” she muttered. I grinned at her and she snorted, rolling her eyes.

“Fine,” she groused. “I guess it could be worse.”

“Better hold off on that thought until after we’re done with this hand,” Primrose said, dropping more bits onto the table.

“Good point,” Avera sighed. Shaking her head, she huffed once before leaning back in her chair. “Alright, let’s see ‘em.”

“Two pairs,” Primrose said, placing her cards onto the table. “Sixes and threes.”

“Three of a kind,” Avera sneered, tossing down her cards and revealing three fours.

Staring down at my cards, I grimaced before throwing my Celestia-high hand down.

“What? Max doesn’t have the highest hand?” Avera asked in faux shock.

“Nope, I do!” Ebony chirped happily. Flipping her cards around in her magic, she showed them to us, a large smile on her face.

Avera slammed her head onto the table as Primrose whistled, picking up her mug.

“Full house, nice,” she said, taking a sip. “Guess that means you win.”

“Yeah,” Ebony cooed, reaching forward and dragging the pile of bits towards herself. “Come to momma!”

“Why do I keep playing with you guys?” Avera asked, her face pressed into the table, muffling her voice.

“Because you’re a masochist,” Primrose said with a nod. Avera just groaned again, but remained face down.

I sighed, rubbing the stubble on my face as I tried to clear my mind and get my head back in the game. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get the image of Twilight curled up in my lap, eyes closed with a smile on her face, out of my head.

Swallowing, I licked my teeth before reaching for my own mug of cider. I rubbed at my right eye as I lifted the mug to my lips and—

WHAM

The front door of the library slammed open, startling me and nearly causing me to spill cider down my front. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to recover completely and some of it sloshed onto my face. Wiping it off with a hand, I placed the mug back onto the table and glanced around.

A tearful Fluttershy stood in the doorway, a large bag clamped in her teeth. Her mane was disheveled and she looked like she hadn’t gotten any sleep recently, as there were bags under her unfocused, bloodshot eyes. They darted around the library until they landed on me, at which point I could see that her pupils were constricted, barely pinpricks.

With a grunt and a flap of her wings, she staggered forward, nearly tripping over the bag in her teeth. She crossed the room at speeds I didn’t think possible for the timid mare and slammed the bag onto the table in front of me. I barely had time to move my mug before it was tipped over. Bits and cards went everywhere as the whole table shook and groaned under the weight of whatever was in the bag.

“Fluttershy, what—” Primrose began before having to dart forward to stop her own mug from falling on the floor and spilling everywhere.

Opening her mouth and releasing the bag, Fluttershy gasped for breath as she turned to look at me. There were unshed tears in her eyes, and she looked like she was close to a mental breakdown.

“There,” she gasped, her voice quivering slightly. “T-that’s five-hundred thousand bits. That means I get you for the day, right?”

What?! I thought, standing up so fast that my chair fell backwards.

“What?!” yelped my guards, all of whom were looking at Fluttershy in shock. She just ignored them and continued to stare up at me, a crazed look in her eyes.

“That means you’re mine for a day, right?” she repeated, her voice raising an octave. “Five-hundred thousand bits, that’s how much your services are, right? Right?!” She took a step towards me, and I took a step back. Big mistake on my part.

The minute I moved, Fluttershy launched forward at a speed that would have made Rainbow Dash impressed. Latching onto my chest, she pulled me down until we were nose-to-nose.

“P-please,” she frantically begged. “Please, please, please!”

“Whoa, hold on,” Primrose ordered as Ebony began to try and pry Fluttershy off of me with her magic. She struggled to hold on to me and gave out a cry of distress when I was pulled out of her hooves.

“You do realize what you are trying to do, right?” Primrose continued as Fluttershy hung limply in the air.

“Five-hundred thousand bits,” Fluttershy sputtered out. “That’s what the sign outside says! Five-hundred thousand bits and he’s mine for the day!”

“That sign is meant as a deterrent for ponies who don’t know that Max is intelligent,” Avera growled. “You, on the other hoof, know that he is, which makes this even creepier. Besides, where did you even get that kind of money?”

“What would Twilight think?” Ebony added, shaking her head. Fluttershy whimpered, hanging her head, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

“B-but… but…”

As my guards chided her, I eyed Fluttershy curiously. Even before she knew I was intelligent, she had been one of the few ponies that actually cared about me. She was obsessed with making sure that I always had enough to eat, that I was healthy, and that Rainbow wasn’t roughing me up too much during our scuffles. Never had she ever indicated that she wanted to pull an Applejack on me.

So, why the sudden interest? I mused, eyes narrowing. Something was wrong here. I couldn’t see Fluttershy acting like the other mares of the town, so why did she just try and buy me for the day?

Grabbing a nearby notebook, I flipped it open and quickly scratched one word down before tearing the page out.

Avera had just opened her mouth to say something else to Fluttershy, but paused when I stepped forward and held up the paper. Fluttershy sniffed, raising her head as she glanced at the paper.

+Why?+

She stared at the word for several seconds before, with a hiccup, she broke down and began sobbing. Tears streamed down her face, dripping down onto the floor beneath her.

“I-it’s Angel Bunny,” she choked out between sobs. “He’s… he’s got F-Flash Fur Fever!”

I deadpanned, blinking several times in confusion. That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. What does a rabbit have to do with trying to buy me for a day?

Primrose blinked, scrunching up her face. “What?”

“It’s an illness t-that can be fatal if not t-treated properly,” Fluttershy continued. “I’ve been t-trying everything to help him, but he just keeps getting worse! If I don’t treat him soon, he’ll… he’ll...” She choked on the words before a long, mewling cry found its way out of her mouth.

I glanced over at my guards, noting that they looked as uncomfortable as I felt.

Clearing her throat, Avera asked, “So… what? You were just going to buy Max and use him to help you forget about the situation?”

“NO!” Fluttershy screamed, startling us. “I was hiring him to help me!”

“Um, care to explain?” Primrose asked, cocking her head to the side.

“T-there is a cure for Flash Fur Fever,” Fluttershy sniffed, tears still streaming down her face. “A flower t-that can be found in the Everfree Forest c-called Rabbit’s Paw due to the shape of the petals. I would normally go to Zecora to get it, but she’s… she hasn’t been home for several days now and I don’t know when she’ll get back.” She paused to wipe her nose and swallow before continuing. “I went into the forest myself to get it, but it’s located in timberwolf territory and they don’t listen to me!” She let out a choked sob, more tears running down her face. “If it wasn’t for Harry the Bear, I wouldn’t have gotten out of there.”

“I still don’t see where this is going,” Ebony said. “What does this have to do with Max?”

“You,” Fluttershy said, pointing at me. “I’ve heard from Rainbow Dash that you have past experience with timberwolves. You’ve dealt with them before!”

+I haven’t really dealt with them before+ I wrote out. +Something else scared them off+

“That’s not what Rainbow said,” Fluttershy hiccuped. “She… she said you held your own against an alpha!”

I started to write something else down, but Fluttershy continued quickly, her tone pleading. “Please! I have the money! I’m willing to pay! Please, I need that flower!”

“I’m sorry, but we aren’t swords for hire,” Ebony said sadly, shaking her head. “We don’t—”

“We’ll do it!” Avera said loudly, slamming her hoof down on the table. Both Primrose and Ebony stared at her, mouths agape.

“I’m… I’m sorry?” Ebony stuttered.

“We’ll do it,” Avera repeated, nodding her head twice.

“But, we aren’t mercenaries!” Ebony cried. “She can’t just hire us!”

“For half-a-million bits she can,” Avera laughed, shaking her head.

“I think you’re missing the big picture,” Primrose growled, rolling her eyes.

“And what might that be?” Avera asked.

“In the end, it’s Max’s decision whether we help or not.” Suddenly, every eye was on me, everyone waiting for my response.

Running my hand over my mouth, I stared down at Fluttershy, thinking. The majority of my experiences in the Everfree Forest weren’t the best, what with the timberwolves and manticores. Fluttershy was asking me to go into the forest, into timberwolf territory, to retrieve the flower that she needed. And she was willing to pay highly for it apparently, judging by the fact she was willing to give up half-a-million bits.

I glanced over at my guards, all of whom were just standing there, waiting with blank expressions on their faces (although Avera’s ears were perked up).

When I returned my attention back to Fluttershy, I found her staring up at me with a hopeful look in her eyes. Her big, tearful, puppy-dog… eyes…

Goddamn it, I grunted, closing my eyes. Those eyes should be illegal.

~I’m in~ I signed as I opened my eye. Avera smiled, Ebony frowned, and Primrose remained indifferent. A confused look flashed across Fluttershy’s face, and her ears lowered.

“Um…” she whimpered, eyes darting over to my guards before returning to me. I stared at her for a couple of seconds before, with a small smile, I nodded my head.

Oof! I staggered backwards as Fluttershy latched onto me, sobbing into my chest.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she cried over and over again, nuzzling her head against me.

“You can’t be serious,” I heard Ebony mutter as I patted Fluttershy on the head. “I can’t believe he’s seriously doing this.”

“Lighten up,” Avera hissed. “It beats sitting around the library all day.” There was a pause.

“I suppose,” Ebony sighed as Fluttershy finally let go of me and fluttered to the ground. She wiped her eyes with her hoof, a large smile on her face.

“T-thank you,” she said again, hiccuping slightly. She sniffed once before glancing up. “T-the flower is bright orange. It oftentimes grows on the side of cliffs. You can’t miss it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Ebony sighed, nodding her head. Her horn lit up and she started to pick up the scattered cards and bits. “We’ll get the flower for you,” she said as cards flew around her head. “How many do you need?”

“If you could grab five, that would be very helpful,” Fluttershy said, hiding partially behind her mane. “That is, if you don’t mind,” she added in a squeak.

“Five it is,” Primrose said, eyeing her closely. “Now, go home, Fluttershy. You look like you need some sleep.”

“Oh no,” Fluttershy replied, shaking her head. “I can’t sleep now. I have to go check on Angel, then go and start waking up the little critters while checking on Angel periodically to make sure his condition doesn’t worsen, then I...” she trailed off, her eyes widening. “Oh no!” she squeaked, her wings snapping open. “I forgot to change his wet washcloth!”

“What—” Primrose began, but Fluttershy was already out the door.

“You realize that this is a bad idea, right?” Ebony asked as she adjusted the straps on her caparisons. Satisfied with their tightness, she began to don her armor.

“You realize that it’s half-a-million bits, right?” Avera countered, playing around with her hoof claws. She retracted and extended them several times before leaving them retracted. Grabbing a hunting knife, she slid it into a hidden sheath in her armor.

“We’re members of Equestria’s Guard, not some griffon swords for hire,” Ebony shot back, glaring at the pegasus. “We could get in serious trouble for this if somepony in Canterlot found out we’re doing this.”

“Then don’t tell anypony,” Avera said, rolling her eyes. “Besides, this isn’t the first time we’ve done questionable things.” I chuckled at that, shaking my head.

“That’s different,” Ebony huffed, turning to face us. “This can be considered accepting a bribe, which, need I remind you, could result in a court-martial. We’re unnecessarily putting our charge in danger for money!”

“And we didn’t during the potion incident?” Avera asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“I didn’t report that incident, so, as far as Tempest is concerned, nothing happened,” Ebony hissed.

“Okay, okay, fine,” Avera grumbled, picking up her helmet and attaching it to a hook on her hip. “This isn’t the first time we’ve gone into the forest with him, though.”

“That doesn’t count!” Ebony tsked, an ear twitching. “For one thing, we were in there for a grand total of maybe half-an-hour. For another, we were instructed to go by royalty, which means that we had a legitimate reason to do so.”

~We do have a legitimate reason to go into the forest~ I signed. ~We’re helping a friend in need~

Ebony closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose with a hoof, growling softly.

“Fine,” she huffed. “Fine. Let’s just get this over with. Hopefully nothing untoward happens.”

“It won’t, now quit complaining,” Primrose grunted as she pulled on the last of her armor. Giving her wings an experimental flap, she double checked to make sure that they wouldn’t get pinched in the armor’s plating.

As my guards finished putting on their gear, I stood in front of my armor. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I eyed the Big Daddy suit in confusion.

~How am I supposed to put this on?~ I asked, cocking my head to the side.

“You’re not,” Primrose grunted, pulling on the last bit of her armor.

~Excuse me?~ I asked, glancing over my shoulder at her. ~Why not?~

“How do you expect to get to the forest while wearing your armor without drawing attention to yourself?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow. “The last thing we need is ponies seeing us.”

~And if we get attacked by timberwolves?~ I asked, cocking my own eyebrow. ~I’m going to want some armor~

“You leave that to me,” Ebony said as she walked past me, placing her helmet on her head. Her horn lit up and she grabbed a spear off of the armory wall. Giving it a quick swing, she nodded once before, with a snap, the spear shaft folded in on itself. She clipped the shortened spear to her back before looking at me. “I have a spell that will take care of that.”

I stared at her for several seconds before grunting and shaking my head.

~Fine, but if something bad happens, you can explain to Twilight why I ended up in the hospital~ Turning, I walked towards the back wall of the armory. ~I’m still taking my axe, though~ I signed before grabbing it off the wall.

“By all means, take it,” Primrose said with a nod. “Just make sure it’s hidden until we get into the forest.”

“Is everypony good to go?” Avera asked, glancing around. Primrose grunted, Ebony nodded, and I took one last look at my armor before, with a sigh, I nodded my head as well. “Good! Let’s get going. Hopefully we’ll be back before Twilight.”

“I still think this is a bad idea,” Ebony muttered as we ascended the stairs. I exited the basement last and made sure to shut the door behind me. Double-checking to make sure that the fire was basically embers, I closed the doors to the fireplace before heading towards the front door.

My guards were already donning cloaks, pulling them around themselves in order to hide their armor. Primrose pulled her hood down low over her eyes, hiding them from view completely.

Grabbing my jacket, I quickly pulled it on before stowing my axe beneath it, making sure that the blade was positioned in such a way that it wouldn’t accidentally cut me. The last thing I needed was to injure myself.

“Remember,” Primrose said as Ebony’s horn lit up and she grabbed the door with her magic, “do not draw attention to ourselves. If anypony asks, we are taking Max for a walk because he’s getting restless. Got it?” In response, I danced back and forth on my feet while making loud whimpering noises.

“Yeah, yeah, ham it up,” Primrose chuckled, shaking her head. Turning to Ebony she nodded her head. Ebony’s horn flashed once, and the door to the library swung open.

Once we had all stepped outside, Ebony quickly closed the door behind us. There was no need to lock it; it wouldn’t stop Twilight from getting in, and nobody was going to steal a book in broad daylight.

The town was in a weird state of seasonal transition: half of it covered in snow, the other half already in spring. Pegasi flew through the air, kicking and diving through clouds, happily clearing the sky in order to allow more sunlight to shine down upon the town. Earth ponies were pushing large snow plows through the streets and hills, clearing off large piles of snow. Behind them, a secondary earth pony drew a garden plow, depositing seeds into the freshly tilled earth. A group of unicorns were going tree to tree, using step ladders to climb up and place hoofmade bird nests in the branches.

Every single pony was still singing happily, repeating the same song over and over again.

Where’s a mute button when you need it? I growled, trying to ignore the song. Regardless of how annoying it was, it was catchy, and was starting to get stuck in my head.

“Step ladders? Really?” Avera scoffed, eyeing two unicorn mares trying to put nests into a nearby tree. One was holding the ladder steady while the other one placed the nests onto the branches with her mouth.

“Do you know how much faster it would be if they just used magic to levitate them up there?” she said.

“No magic allowed,” Ebony grunted.

“At the rate they’re going, they won’t finish today,” Avera noted, glancing around at the working ponies.

“Sure they will,” Ebony snorted. “It’s an all day event. They’ll finish up around sunset.”

“Bet you one-hundred bits they won’t.”

“You’re on,” Ebony said, a smug smile on her face.

“Half-a-million bits sitting back in the basement, and you’re only betting one-hundred?” Primrose said softly. “That’s a waste.”

“Fine,” Avera said, rolling her eyes. “Let’s make it a thousand bits.”

“Works for me,” Ebony said with a nod. A building in the distance caught her eyes, and she smiled. “That, and if you lose, you have to buy me two barrels of Cinnamon Apple Cider from Scratchers!”

“Like that’s going to happen,” Avera laughed. “You won’t be winning this bet. Right, Max?”

~Sorry, not listening~ I signed, grimacing. ~I’m trying not to let this song drive me crazy~

We managed to reach the market place with no problems, only having to stop once to allow a group of earth ponies cross in front of us. I was just about to walk out into the middle of the plaza when I was stopped by Primrose. I glanced down at her, and she motioned forward with her head.

When I looked in the direction she indicated, I saw Twilight standing in the distance, talking with the mayor. She wasn’t looking our way at the moment, but she just had to move her head a few degrees and she would see us.

“Looks like we’re taking side streets,” Primrose said, backing up and heading towards a nearby alleyway. I nodded, watching Twilight for several more seconds before following behind her.

We managed to make it across town without being seen, sticking to the shadows and side streets. It also helped that everyone was too distracted by their singing to take notice of three ponies and a human walking in their midst.

A good fifteen minutes later found us near Fluttershy’s house, on the border of the Everfree Forest. Stepping through the snow that was still upon the ground, I stared up at the trees before us. Devoid of their leaves, the twisted and gnarled branches looked even more evil, almost like fingers reaching out to grab the sky above. Despite the lack of vegetation, it was still dark within the depths of the forest, the sunlight unable to break through.

“Right,” said Ebony as she came to a stop beside me. Lighting up her horn, she opened the flap of her bags and pulled out a scroll. As she unrolled it, I saw that it was in fact a map of the Everfree. It wasn’t that detailed, but had enough information that one could tell where rivers, lakes and clearings were. It also had the territories of the different forest occupants on it in several colors.

“It looks like timberwolf territory is here,” Ebony said, pointing towards a large splotch of red with her hoof. “Fluttershy also said that the flower grows on the side of cliffs, so this spot right here would probably be our best bet.” She pointed at a small cliff that was located near the center of the sea of red.

“Then that’s our destination,” Primrose said, eyeing the map closely before starting towards the treeline. Ebony rolled up the map and slipped it back into her bag before following after her, Avera close on their heels.

I glanced up at the trees one last time before, pulling the axe out of my jacket, I followed after my guards, and slipped into the treeline.

The trees seemed to crowd closer and closer around us as we traveled deeper into the forest. We walked in silence, the only sound that could be heard being that of the snow crunching beneath our feet and the occasional snap of a twig.

Ebony walked in front of me, a soft light emanating from the tip of her horn. It was just bright enough to see by, but dim enough to draw minimum attention to our group. Primrose walked beside her, her hood down and ears perked. Her red eyes scanned the surrounding trees, searching for any signs of movement. At every snap, crack, or hoot that could be heard, her ears swiveled around, locating the source of the noise. Avera brought up the rear of the group, making sure to keep an eye out behind us so that nothing could creep up.

Holding my axe loosely in my hands, I kept my head moving, trying to take in as much as possible with only one good eye.

As we moved further and further into the forest, the path was slowly consumed by the roots of the trees until there was practically no path left to be seen. We were forced to walk in a single file line in order to prevent ourselves tripping over the gnarled undergrowth.

I ducked under a low hanging branch, tucking the axe beneath my arm. ~How much longer until we get there?~

“Not much longer,” Ebony said, pulling out the map to check it. “Probably a couple more minutes, and that’s if we don’t run into any obstacles.”

“Let’s pick up the pace,” Primrose said, her voice low. She glanced around at the surrounding trees, clearly nervous. “The birds have stopped chirping, and that’s never a good sign.”

I paused and concentrated, my ears perking up. She was right: the forest was now deathly quiet. There was no bird calls, no wind through the branches. Not even the groan of trees. It was a silent as a grave.

Ebony reached up and covered her horn with one of her hooves. There was a dimmed flash behind it, and Ebony’s eyes flashed blue for a quick second before returning to normal.

“No nearby life forms,” she muttered, lowering her hoof. “At least, none that I can sense.”

“Then, let’s get while the gettin's good,” Avera grunted, quickly breaking out into a trot. “Don’t want to stick around until something does show up.”

After several minutes of walking, we finally arrived in a clearing. A small cliff was located in the back of the clearing, the top of it covered in a thin layer of snow. Vines covered the rock face, and even from this distance, I could just barely make out several splotches of orange dotting the surface. The flowers appeared to have protection from the snow due to the inward curve of the cliff face.

“Must be a fast growing flower to have grown so early in the season,” Primrose observed from beside me.

“Actually, Rabbit’s Paw is a weed,” Ebony corrected. “I did some quick research on it while we got ready. Not only does it work as a cure for Flash Fur Fever when mixed with elderberry flowers and peppermint, but most herbivorous animals seem to love the taste of it raw.”

“Don’t care,” Avera sniffed, eyeing the border of the clearing. “Let’s just grab what we need to and go.”

“Stallions first,” Primrose said, holding out a hoof while giving Avera a pointed look.

“Age before beauty,” Avera shot back, sticking out her tongue in a childish display. Rolling my eyes, I snorted once before stepping around my guards and entering the clearing. They yelped, scrambling to follow me as I marched purposefully towards the cliff.

“Or we could all enter at once, without checking the surrounding area,” Primrose grunted as she caught up with me. I blew a raspberry at her before heading to the nearest patch of flowers.

There were three flowers grouped together, their stems twining around each other before spreading out in a web of vines. Fluttershy had been correct: they did look like rabbit feet.

Giving one a tentative tug, I found that they were firmly attached to the cliff, the vines burrowing deep into rock face. I gave it a firmer tug, and a bit of rock and dirt came loose, crumbling into dust as I clenched my fist.

Brushing my hand off on my jacket, I lifted the head of my axe up and began to carefully scrape away at the vines surrounding the flowers. I moved slowly, being careful not to damage the flower itself as I worked.

After several minutes of scraping, I was able to free one of the flowers. Slipping it carefully into one of my jacket’s pockets, I started working on the second one.

“Got one,” I heard Avera say from above me. Glancing up, I caught an eyeful of armored-pony ass. She was clinging to the cliff above me, her hoof claws digging into the rock, keeping her in place.

Holding a Rabbit’s Paw in her hoof, she slid it into her saddlebags before glancing down at me. A smirk crossed her face and she chuckled. “Like what ya see?” Her tail flicked, swatting me across the face.

I gave her an unamused look and flipped her the bird, before returning my attention back to the flowers in front of me. I managed to cut another one off and slipped it into my pocket, along with the first.

I had just put the axe blade to the rock for the third flower when I heard Primrose curse under her breath. Glancing over my shoulder, I looked at her in confusion only for my eyes to widen when I saw what she was staring at.

Slinking out of the trees, their teeth bared, were a large handful of timberwolves. At least a dozen in all glared at us, their green eyes ablaze with inner fire. They spread out slowly, keeping their heads down as they stalked closer and closer to the cliff.

“Figures,” Primrose growled, pulling a knife out of her armor. “How much longer are you guys going to take?”

“I’ve got… gah, got two!” Avera grunted from above as a rain of dirt falling down on my head.

“I’ve got one,” Ebony said, her horn aglow as she levitated the flower into her bags. Making sure the clasp was closed, she grabbed the spear off of her back. It flicked through the air, extending quickly to its full length.

Throwing caution to the wind, I quickly scraped the blade of the axe across the rock face, slicing the vines and freeing the last flower. Tucking the flower into my pocket, I turned to face the timberwolves. ~I’ve got three~

“Then we have what we came for,” Primrose said, eyeing the approaching wolves with narrowed eyes. She slowly moved until she was standing in front of me, her wings flared by her sides. There was a loud grinding noise behind me, accompanied with a shower of sparks, before Avera landed with a clatter beside me.

“We can take ‘em,” she grinned, her wings spreading. “There’s only—” she paused, eyeing the nearing wolves “—thirteen of them. We have this in the bag!”

“Keep sharp,” Primrose growled, glancing over at Avera. “We don’t want to—” The nearest wolf took advantage of her distracted state and charged. With a snarl, it leapt through the air towards the batpony, jaws spread wide. Primrose’s head whipped around, and before she could react, the wolf was upon her.

However, before it could do anything, there was a loud crunching noise and a new hole appeared in the wolf’s head, courtesy of Ebony’s spear. The light in the wolf’s eyes extinguished and it collapsed to the ground in a pile of timber. Primrose immediately kicked the pieces of wood away with her hoof, scattering them.

“Cheap-ass fire starter,” she grunted. She didn’t have much time to recover, as, with the destruction of its pack-mate, a second wolf rushed us, this time from the left. My grip tightened on my axe, but before I could act, Avera darted forward. Her hoof streaked through the air in a blur, connecting with the side of the timberwolf’s head. Long scratches appeared across its face, and it lost its balance, crashing into the ground. Before it could recover, Avera drove her dagger into its skull, burying it to the hilt. The wolf’s light was instantly extinguished.

Pulling her knife free, Avera slowly backed up, keeping her eyes on the circling wolves.

“Two down,” she said, her voice emotionless.

The other wolves were now slowly pacing back and forth in front of us, trying to find an opening. One of them inched forward, pressing its luck. It yelped in pain as it received a quick blow to the head from Ebony’s spear, the wood on its face cracking slightly.

Suddenly, three wolves darted forward. Ebony’s horn lit up, and large vines exploded out of the ground in front of us. Two of the wolves were immediately seized by the foliage, howling in pain as the enchanted vines began to crush them.

The third wolf managed to slip through the assault, and made a beeline straight for Ebony. Still recovering from her spell, she was unable to bring the spear up in time. Her eyes widened as the wolf pounced…

...only to have my axe cave its face in.

As the crumpled mass of twigs fell to the ground, I hefted the axe back onto my shoulder with a grunt.

“Thanks,” Ebony muttered. Magic pulsed down her horn and her spear rose into the air again. The vines, having completed their tasks, dissolved back into the ground, taking the remains of the timberwolves with them.

“Eight more to go,” Primrose growled. No sooner had the words left her mouth, two of the remaining wolves charged.

With a flick of her hoof, Primrose sent her knife flying towards the closest wolf. It buried itself into the wolf’s shoulder, causing its to collapse on the ground with a howl. She ignored the collapsed wolf, focusing on the second one.

Ducking to the side as the wolf lunged, she latched onto the beast's back. Her mouth open, fangs extending with a sickening sound. With a snarl, she buried them into the back of the wolf’s neck. She gave a quick flick of her neck, and a loud snap filled the air. The wolf’s body went limp, falling to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Stepping off of the carcass, Primrose spat bits of wood from her mouth. “Ugh, they taste terrible.” She moved over to the fallen wolf, watching the remaining pack out of the corner of her eyes.

Reaching the whimpering creature, she grabbed her knife and, with a twist, pulled it free. The wolf’s howl of pain quickly turned into a gurgling yip as Primrose used the liberated knife to slice its throat. As the light left the wolf’s eyes, she moved back to her original position beside me.

“And then there were six,” Ebony said, staring at the remaining wolves.

“See, I told you we had this,” Avera said with a smirk. It was quickly replaced with a frown, however, when a new wolf exited the trees behind the pack.

He was large, standing nearly twice as tall as the other wolves. A large scar ran across his muzzle, and the side of his face was worn and chipped. He glared at me, his large teeth glinting in the gloom of the forest.

There’s a familiar face, I groaned, glaring at the alpha as he drew nearer.

“Friend of yours?” Avera asked upon hearing my groan. She glanced quickly up at me before returning her attention to the wolves.

~Acquaintance more than friend~ I signed around the axe. ~We’ve met before~

“The situation just got worse,” Primrose groaned, grimacing as she eyed the large wolf. He paused as he reached the center of the pack, his fiery eyes still locked on me. Giving him a taunting smile, I waved at the alpha. He pawed the frozen ground before throwing back his head and howling loudly.

“Looks like somepony wants a rematch,” Ebony said, swallowing thickly.

~Yeah, well, I’m not in the mood for a tussle~ I answered before gripping my axe tighter.

“I don’t think he cares,” Primrose growled, edging closer to me.

“How did you get away last time, again?” Avera asked, her previous confidence waning slightly.

~Something else scared it off~

“Great,” she muttered, ears folding back.

“Ebony,” Primrose said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I think it’s time to suit up the big guy.” Ebony nodded once before her horn began to glow brighter.

The minute the light around her horn increased, the alpha let out a gut-churning snarl. With a loud bark, he dashed forward, paws pounding against the ground as he sped towards us. A chorus of howls sounded as the remaining wolves followed suit, mass rushing us.

“Scatter!” Primrose shouted as the wolves descended. I dove to the side as the alpha flew towards me. His claws slashed at the rock wall behind me, leaving claw marks across the stone. I rolled to my feet, only to get tackled by another wolf. Grabbing its neck, I strained to keep it from taking a chunk out of my face. Luckily, just before that could happen, the wolf was blasted off of me by a ball of pink energy.

“Up, up, up,” Ebony squealed, pushing herself under my arm and forcing me to my feet. I staggered slightly before regaining my balance.

“Don’t move!” Ebony instructed, her horn lighting up. However, before she could complete whatever it was she was trying to do, another wolf bit down on her hind leg. The spell fizzled out as she screamed in pain.

I raised the axe above my head, aiming at the wolf’s back. I didn’t get the chance before the alpha’s paw came out of nowhere and caught me in the stomach, sending me tumbling across the ground.

“Max!” I heard Avera shout as I came to a stop. The axe fell from my grip, skidding several feet away from me. Pain flared in my chest, but upon checking, I determined that I wasn’t bleeding. I’d have a bruise, but luckily, the wolf’s claws hadn’t done any damage.

Pushing myself to my feet, I froze when I saw the alpha charging me at full steam, his mouth agape. My legs refused to work as the jagged maw descended upon me, the fetid breath of the wolf filling my senses.

“Max! Don’t move!” Ebony said from somewhere to my right.

As the alpha pounced, I lifted my arm up in a vain attempt to protect myself. Just as my eyes were closing, a burst of light surrounded me, the telltale sound of magic ringing in my ear. With that, the wolf was upon me.

CLANK

The sound of metal being struck echoed through my head accompanied by a pressure around my arm. A heavy weight descended upon my body as I felt something hard wrap around it.

Opening my eyes, I blinked in surprise at what I saw: the inside of my Big Daddy suit’s helmet. Through the viewport, I could see the alpha’s jaws clamped down onto my armored limb, his teeth sinking slightly into the armor plating. Somehow, I was now in my suit of armor, safely protected by the reinforced steel. The armor was glowing softly, encased in a pinkish aura of magic.

Through the helmet, the entire world was muffled. Avera and Primrose fought off the other wolves, their voices indistinguishable from the wolves’ howls due to my helmet.

As residual pink magic slowly dimmed from the armor, I glared at the alpha through the viewport. Despite the force of his bite, he hadn’t managed to pierce the metal with his fangs. He growled, sending vibrations through the armor.

Pulling my free arm back, I paused before ramming it into the alpha’s face. This caused him to release me with a yelp. Staggering backwards, he whimpered as he pawed at his face.

As the alpha recovered, I stooped down and picked up my discarded axe, fumbling with it due to my decreased visibility. My enlarged blind spot had grown further thanks to the helmet.

Standing back up, I turned to face my opponent, who was now glaring at me. I smirked inside my helmet as I hefted the axe in both hands. Time for round two, bitch!

With a howl, the alpha charged. I swung the axe, burying the blade into the shoulder of the beast. I had been aiming for his head. That failed to stop his momentum, and the wolf plowed into me, causing me to stagger backwards. Claws scraped against metal, leaving long scratch marks.

Lifting my foot, I slammed my boot into the wolf’s leg, bring him down to his knees. As he fell, I brought my knee up, slamming it into the side of the alpha’s muzzle. With a crack and a yelp, my axe was pulled free as the wolf tumbled away.

Rolling to a stop, the alpha quickly got to his feet, and I noted with some disappointment that the axe hadn’t done as much damage as I had hoped.

Shrugging off the injury, the alpha charged me again, and again I swung my axe. He managed to duck under it in time, and before I could recover, he pounced. His claws slipped through a gap in my armor and sunk into my sides. I snarled as pain flared up my stomach, the warm feeling of blood trickling down my side.

The alpha pulled his claws from my side, and I responded by punching him in the muzzle again with my left hand. He was ready, and bit down on my hand. I felt the metal shift as his fangs dug into the armor.

Dropping the axe, I wrapped my free arm around his neck and squeezed. With a startled gag, he released my hand and began to struggle. Ignoring my throbbing hand, I latched onto the wolf, refusing to let him go. Applying more pressure, I felt the wood of his neck shift beneath my arms, flexing and warping.

As the wood of his neck began to crack, the alpha suddenly shook, thrashing around. I was thrown about like a ragdoll, holding on for dear life. With one, final shake, he sent me flying through the air.

I yelped as I landed on the ground with a crash, my armor scraping into the frozen earth. Rolling over, I pushed myself up with a groan.

“Use the gauntlets!” Primrose screamed, holding off a wolf that was on top of her. “Red glow is for fire, blue for ice!”

I glanced down at my gauntlets. The right one was glowing bright red, while the damaged left one just sputtered a dim blue light. Looks like ice is out, I thought, eyeing the broken gauntlet. Focusing instead on the right one, I stood up, eyeing it critically.

~How do I use it?~ I signed frantically.

“It uses an enchantment. Just point and shoot!” Primrose yelled, ducking out of the way of the wolf’s bite.

~How?!~

Movement from my periphery caught my attention and, turning, I saw the alpha charging at me again. I threw myself to the side, rolling to avoid his claws. Staggering back to my feet, I held out my hand, pointing it at the alpha.

Nothing happened.

Glancing at the glowing gauntlet, I concentrated, willing a fireball to form.

Still nothing.

Fire! I thought, shaking my hand slightly. The alpha was turning back around to make another pass. Flame on! Fire in the hole? Bang-bang? Sparky Sparky Boom?! Caliente, señor, caliente! The alpha was nearly upon me, and still nothing was happening. I was beginning to panic, trying everything from using my hand as a gun, to 'Spider-Man'ing it.

The alpha dove, his jaws open wide as he aimed for my head. Taking a step back, I raised my hand and, acting on instinct, snapped my fingers.

A pillar of fire exploded out of the ground in front of me, roaring through the treetops and into the sky. The alpha was immediately engulfed within the inferno and disappeared from view. A wave of heat washed over me, threatening to blister my skin through the armor. The snow around the pillar was instantly vaporized into steam.

The roar of flames filled the clearing, sounding like a jet engine. The remaining wolves staggered back, away from the pillar, as their bodies began to smolder. Primrose and Avera covered their faces with their wings, the batpony shutting her eyes tight in pain. Ebony had a magic shield erected in front of her, shielding her from the heat and flames.

I raised my hand in front of the viewport, turning my head to the side. Staggering back a step, I closed my eyes at the intensity of the flame. It hurt to look at it.

Just as suddenly as it came, the flaming pillar was extinguished. Lowering my hand, I crack my eye open and glanced around.

A large charred crater marked where the alpha had been standing. The ground was still smoldering, smoke wafting up from the blackened dirt towards the seared branches. A perfect circle had been burnt through the treetops, allowing a beam of sunlight to stream into the small clearing. The metal edges of my suit glowed a dim orange, heated by the flames.

Silence fell over the clearing, everyone frozen in shock. My guards could only stare at me, their mouths hanging open. At least, Ebony and Avera were. Primrose was busy rubbing at her eyes with a hoof. The remaining wolves were eyeing the charred ring. There was no evidence that the alpha had once stood there: no burnt sticks, no blackened body. Not even a pile of ashes.

One of the wolves stepped forward and tentatively sniffed the smoking ground. Its ears splayed backwards and it whimpered. With that, it turned and, with its tail between its legs, darted off into the trees. The rest of the pack was hot on its heels.

Lifting my hand, I stared at the glowing gauntlet in shock. Whoa…

“Dude,” Avera breathed as she slowly approached. “What the buck was that?”

“I think I made the enchantment too strong,” Primrose growled, rubbing furiously at her eyes. She tried to open them, but closed them again, wincing in pain. “Please tell me the wolves are gone? I can’t see anything!”

“Yeah, they’re gone,” Ebony said, limping over to stand beside her. Leaning against the blind pony, she waited for Primrose to drape a wing over her back before leading her towards us.

“That’s good,” Primrose muttered, ears swiveling around. “It was getting a little too hairy there for a second.”

“We’re alive,” Avera said, wincing slightly as she shifted one of her wings, “and we have what we came for, right?” Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her two flowers. Ebony did the same, showing off her flower.

I reached for my saddlebags, only to have my hand slid off my armor. They were no longer on around my waist. Glancing around, I spotted them lying on the ground several meters away.

Stomping over to them, I knelt down and gingerly picked up the singed bags. The belt had snapped in half, making the bags next to useless. I opened the flap of one of the bags and checked on the flowers inside. Besides being slightly charred, they looked to be in good shape.

Standing back up, I draped the bags over my shoulder, holding on to the broken belt.

“We good to go?” Ebony asked me as I approached. I gave her a thumbs up, nodding my head in confirmation. “Excellent. I don’t think we will be able to find more after that.” Glancing over at the cliff, she winced as she eyed the smoldering rocks. Most of the Rabbit’s Paws had shriveled up due to the exposure to extreme heat.

“Everything accounted for?” Primrose asked, her eyes shut tight. “Then let’s get out of this forest. There's no telling what could have been attracted by the fire, and I don’t want to be around to find out.” I nodded before realizing that she couldn’t see.

Picking up my axe, I began to stomp towards the edge of the clearing, my guards close behind me. Ebony limped along, guiding a blind Primrose while Avera brought up the rear, nursing her wing.

Flowers in our possession, we exited the clearing and headed towards Ponyville, leaving a smoldering crater behind us, smoke slowly drifting into the air.

Somewhere, a wolf howled, the sorrowful sound echoing around the forest as the sun slowly began to sink towards the horizon.

“Okay, so it didn’t go as smoothly as I thought it would,” Avera said, wincing as she gingerly moved her wing.

After leaving the forest, we stuck mostly to the outskirts of town and somehow managed to make it back to the library without being seen. The sun had just slipped under the horizon when we slipped through the backdoor. Luckily, Twilight appeared to still be out and about.

“It could have been worse, though,” she continued as Ebony carefully removed the armor on her injured hind leg. She grimaced upon seeing the wound, the bite mark clearly visible against her gray fur. It was still oozing blood.

“We could have avoided this if we had stayed at the library like I suggested,” she muttered as she began to clean the wound. Opening a small bottle of rubbing alcohol, she proceeded to pour the entire thing onto her injured leg. As the wound began to sizzle, she gritted her teeth, stifling her scream.

“Doesn’t matter,” Avera replied, dabbing at a gash on her muzzle with a cotton ball. “We got the flowers, and now we have a massive ton of bits! That’s a successful day in my book.”

As I lifted a mug of cider to my lips, my mind drifted to the large bag of bits currently sitting in the basement. Half-a-million is a lot for just some flowers, even with the timberwolves, I mused as the cold liquid flowed down my parched throat. I should probably figure out a way to give some of it back to her.

“Yeah,” Ebony snarked, rolling her eyes. “Successful.” Wiping the excess alcohol off of her leg with a towel, she levitated a roll of bandages over and began to wrap the wound.

Primrose grunted, draining her own mug before standing. “You know, we should probably get out of the armor before—”

With a click, the front door swung open, and in walked all six of the girls and Spike. They all looked tired, but were chatting happily with one another.

“It’s not too much to worry about, Applejack,” Twilight said, removing her saddlebags and placing them on the couch. “I’m positive if we start up again at sunrise, we’ll be able to finish by... noon…” She trailed off as she glanced up, her eyes widening. The others did the same, their mouths falling open as they stared. Rarity looked horrified, Applejack and Rainbow stunned. Pinkie’s mane looked limper than usually, and Fluttershy looked about ready to pass out.

My guards and I just sat there in our charred, bloodied, and battered armor, eyeing the new arrivals tiredly.

“Wha…” Twilight squeaked, her eyes dancing back and forth until they landed solely on me. Her ears splayed backwards as her right eye began to twitch, a hysterical look crossing her face.

I closed my eyes and lowered my head with a sigh. Fuck.

Suddenly, Avera turned to look at Ebony, a large smile on her face.

“Ha!” she shouted, pointing a hoof at her. “I was right! You owe me a thousand bits!” A bit of broken and bloodied armor fell from her leg and landed on the table with a loud clank.

Fluttershy promptly fainted.