Six Timberwolves pounced on a single human with an axe.

Twilight and Lyra winced, covering their eyes. As it turned out, they were right to do so; not to avoid seeing any bloodshed, but to shield their optical organs from the sudden spray of wood chips.

The first Timberwolf to reach Chuck was instantly split in half by a fatal swing of the axe, its parts flying all over the dirt path. Even though Timberwolves could repair themselves, it would take this one a fair amount of time thanks to the sudden damage caused by the blow.

The other five Timberwolves were too late, as Chuck ducked out of the way as soon as he destroyed the first one. Two of the wolves collided head-on and were left dazed, while the other three turned and prepared to pounce again. Chuck turned away from them and towards a tree that was close enough to the path that he could reach it without stepping into potentially dangerous vegetation.

Swinging his axe once, twice, and a third time, Chuck brought the tree down, crushing the three wolves that had been about to jump at him once more. He couldn’t help but snicker at the irony of killing wooden creatures with more wood.

He heard a scream from the other side of the tree, and his eyes widened. The two Timberwolves that had previously been dazed had gotten up, and instead of going after Chuck, they chose to go for the more defenseless prey of two mares.

The manticore, however, was having none of it. It jumped in between the wolves and the ponies, growling threateningly at the Timberwolves. These two species of creatures were known for being extremely hostile towards one another, but never had a living pony witnessed a true fight between them.

The Timberwolves pounced, and the manticore swung its massive paw. It smacked one wolf in the face, knocking it to the side, but the other got through and bit down hard on the manticore’s arm. The lion-like creature howled in pain, and the other Timberwolf stood up to charge in, biting the manticore’s neck.

As the creatures toppled to the ground, wrestling with one another, Chuck made his way around the toppled tree to the mares’ side. They stared at the ensuing battle, unsure of which side would win.

“We need to go, now,” Twilight finally decided. “While they’re all busy, I mean...”

Lyra looked to Chuck, who seemed to ignore Twilight. Instead, he stepped forward, axe at the ready. “Chuck?”

The manticore let out a loud howl of pain as the Timberwolf biting his neck finally drew blood.

CRACK!

There was another howl of pain, but this one came from the Timberwolf. It released itself from the struggle with the manticore and fell back, dead - at least temporarily. The axe that had been thrown into its back was quickly removed by Chuck, who charged in at the second wolf.

The creature of bark barely had time to look at the human before the blade, now chipped and dulling, swung at its head and separated it from the rest of its body.

“...and then, just to make sure the Timberwolves didn’t regenerate before we left the area, he took all their pieces and scattered them around the path,” Lyra finished. “Twilight took the manticore to Zecora’s place to get it some help for its wounds, and I took Chuck back to town.”

Bon Bon nodded, having been listening to everything her friend said. “He certainly seems...formidable,” she remarked. “Why isn’t he the Captain of the Royal Guard instead, or something?”

Lyra shrugged. “Whatever the reason, I’m glad he’s in our town at all. After word got around that Chuck walked into the Everfree Forest and came out after befriending a manticore and killing six Timberwolves, a lot of ponies have been feeling much safer.”

The earth pony mare smiled. “I can see why. What happened to his fishing rod, though?”

“Oh, we left it as a toy for the manticore. Zecora’s taking care of it - him - now.” Lyra giggled. “Davenport must have been really confused when Chuck walked in asking for a second fishing rod not even a day after getting his first.”

Bon Bon giggled as well. “Probably.” She let out a yawn and stood up. “I’m going to bed now...try to get some sleep too, okay?”

The unicorn rolled her eyes. “I’m not planning on pulling another all-nighter, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“Good to hear. Night.” With that, Bon Bon left the room, heading up to her bedroom for some sleep.

While she planned to stick to her word and not stay up all night, there was still something Lyra needed to do. Once Bon Bon was in bed, she got up and went to her closet, looking around in it for a few moments before pulling out a pad of stationary.

Taking a quill in her magical aura, she began to write a letter, trying to be as formal as possible.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I apologize for not writing earlier. I wanted to inform you that Ponyville’s new mayor, Chuck, arrived yesterday morning. He’s been getting along rather well with the ponies in town, aside from the few who don’t like him for being a human. The ponies like that are slowly dwindling, however, so I think we’ll be fine sooner or later.

However, I would also like to request reinforcements to the Ponyville Royal Guard, if that is possible. We had an unpleasant encounter with a pack of Timberwolves earlier today, and while Chuck managed to take them out, we all know that Timberwolves are vengeful creatures. While I don’t think they would go so far as to attack Ponyville to try and find Chuck, I do not want to take any chances.

Thank you for your time, and once again, apologies for not writing to you yesterday. I had exhausted myself from working late and the thought slipped my mind. I promise to keep you updated regularly from now on.

Yours truly,

Lyra Heartstrings

Ponyville Mayor’s Secretary