”It’s fine, calm down. They know of me, not about us, or anything we are planning. This might even work to our benefit, but I don’t see it working against us in any way that would stop us. All we have to worry about if we have enough time to prepare…” Fenrir muttered to himself as he jogged toward his cave in the Everfree. The human had left the walking to Fenrir, so he did not stumble when the wolf answered him. They still had to talk out loud to communicate, but they had come into agreement on how to do it.

“Your lies have changed their view of me. No pony with half a brain would have challenged me in such a fashion in the past… Nor would I have talked to them. Their misguided bravery will work against them, in due time.” Fenrir said in a low whisper. He hadn’t gotten a feel for how to change the tone of his voice for effect, but his vocabulary was growing by the minute. It was frightening how fast the beast learned to use his intellect. The point where the beast would not need him was fast approaching, so Twilight questioning him was a welcome excuse to speed things along.

“Twilight’s suspicious state of mind makes her easier to manipulate and predict. She’s sure to share her concerns with her friends. I doubt they will be convinced into taking action against us just yet, especially with Pinkie’s Element rendered ineffective. My guess is that we have until tonight to move freely.” The wolf muttered to itself as it leisurely walked through the shadowy forest. “If we take her at her word, then she will come to us with the intention of “saving” us from the darkness that holds us, like they did with Nightmare Moon. She has no reason to think the Elements would not work on us, as she is under the impression that one of us is controlling the other. We must prepare for that time when she comes to us with her friends.”

“What we should do is to motivate the Diamond Dogs to work faster. The Elements defeated my Mistress, I do not wish to face them unprepared.” The wolf whispered to itself softly, still loud enough to be distinguished by his keen ears. There were a few seconds of the wolf simply walking in silence before its head nodded up and down. The wolf’s fangs were bared into a crude imitation of the smirk The Liar had shown to the ponies before the humongous predator accelerated into a full run through the thick forest, somehow not disturbing the foliage any more than a passing breeze.

Fluttershy sipped her tea gingerly as she tried to wrap her head around what Twilight had just told her. The idea that the Fenrir she had been talking to and that had come to her for help was nothing more than a lie constructed by an otherworldly entity… She didn’t have the courage to say it aloud, but it sounded preposterous and if it were anyone other than Twilight, she wouldn’t even have considered it.

“Why… Why would Luna do that to Fenrir?” Fluttershy asked aloud. From how Twilight had told the story, Fenrir had come to Luna out of a simple wish to protect her. She understood Luna’s attempt at healing him, but she had no right to force Fenrir to live beyond his years. “It just seems so… cruel of her.”

“Cruel of her? Fluttershy, Luna restored Fenrir to his prime and then set him free. She’s done him more favors than he deserves.” Twilight interjected, her brow furrowing into an annoyed frown. Fluttershy winced and drew back behind her mane at Twilight’s hostility. Twilight’s frown disappeared and Fluttershy could hear her sigh. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, Fluttershy. It’s just that everything’s been so hectic with Fenrir and all…”

“It’s okay, Twilight. I understand…” Fluttershy forced out and took the teacup in her hooves to occupy herself. She was becoming extremely self-conscious around the aggravated unicorn. She could understand that Fenrir had a tendency to rile ponies up, but Twilight’s aggression still unnerved the timid pegasus.

“Could you explain what you meant with Luna being cruel?” Twilight asked after a few silent moments, considerably calmer this time. Fluttershy carefully laid her tea cup down as she pondered Twilight’s question. It was so obvious to her, but now she had a hard time finding the words to convey that certainty to Twilight. Twilight waited patiently as Fluttershy stared at the table between them, trying to summon the words to explain her opinion.

"I've cared for countless animals here. They come to me when they are hurt, when their life is in danger from an ambitious predator, or when they've lost their direction..." Fluttershy paused, taking a calming breath and raising her head to look Twilight in the eyes. "They come to me, I care for their needs; I give them food, a place to sleep and all the affection I can spare, but... that doesn't mean they all leave."

"Sometimes they come to me after they've barely escaped a predator, or when a frightened pony has hurt them unnecessarily and... they don't leave." Fluttershy drew in a breath and averted her eyes. Twilight reached out and set a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder sympathetically.

“Fluttershy, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…” Fluttershy smiled and set her other hoof on Twilight’s offered hoof and locked eyes with the unicorn again. She didn’t push the unicorn’s hoof away but she still shook her head silently. She had to keep going. She felt like it was important for Twilight to understand.

“No, no, listen to me... please... They come to me and I try to make them all better, but... they are never afraid of death. They accept my help, hoping to live, but I have never seen an animal afraid of death." Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion at this. Fluttershy shook her head as she realized what Twilight must have been thinking. “They fight tooth and nail for their lives and what they think as important, but they do not cling to a life full of pain… that is purely a pony thing.”

Twilight gazed into the depths of her half-empty tea cup and followed the tendrils of steam as she the meaning behind Fluttershy’s words sink in. Kamos had described the Fenrir that came out of Tartarus as a “beaten and scarred beast that had survived in Tartarus for a thousand years by his own power.” Twilight’s brow furrowed even further as she contemplated Fluttershy’s perspective on the matter. What if the wolf hadn’t sought Luna out to get healed, but to simply let go of the life that must have been long and painful in the hooves of the mare he had served?

Taking the lengths Luna had to go to keep the wolf alive, that theory was starting to make more and more sense. It would also partly explain the wolf’s hostility and why he had thrown himself at a dragon at the first chance he got. Twilight turned to Fluttershy as she arrived at the conclusion that Fluttershy had tried to convey to her.

“Fluttershy, we didn’t know what he’d gone through. You can’t blame yourself for caring for him.” Twilight whispered soothingly as she got up to wrap the pegasus in a comforting hug. Fluttershy quietly hugged Twilight back as she breathed unevenly, clearly on the verge of tears, but adamant on fighting them down. If she was right, then this was not the time to grieve the wolf, not yet.

“Thank you, Twilight, really, but we don’t have time for this right now. He’s still out there, confused and in pain, so I can’t start to grieve in his stead just yet, can I?” Fluttershy gave Twilight one last squeeze to reassure the unicorn before letting go and quickly wiping the moisture from her eyes. Fluttershy gave Twilight a sad encouraging smile and Twilight answered with her own.

“Yes, we need to be strong now, don’t we?” Twilight’s voice sounded a little choked, but she stood up with her head held high in confidence regardless. Fluttershy glanced at the tea-set on the table between them, but then decided against mentioning clearing it out, before embarking on another quest to save Equestria, or in this case, one broken soul. Twilight started walking out onto the path that led out to the road to Ponyville, Fluttershy moved to follow her friend, assuming Twilight would go tell the other elements what she had learned before possibly confronting Fenrir.

At least, she would have, if Angel, the high-functioning sociopath that the bunny was, didn’t decide to leap out from under the table and kick the lavender unicorn right on the cutie mark. The bunny then started chattering angrily and pointing toward the table and Fluttershy. Twilight then proceeded to levitate the tea-set away and magically wash them, insisting for Fluttershy to let her do it. Fluttershy discreetly handed the bunny a treat while Twilight was busy blasting the teacups with magic. Angel hopped away with the extra treat in his cheek after giving Fluttershy a firm nod.

Rainbow Dash was flying around Ponyville’s airspace to try and get her muscles nice and warmed up for a trick she was going to try. After the first few times she had tried to shake her guards, they had come to an understanding. She would stop trying to shake them if they helped her with honing her signature tricks. It was so much easier to practice trick flying with a few other talented (not as talented as her, of course) pegasi helping her out.

George had actually begrudgingly started coaching her with some of the new tricks she had been working on for months. Turned out George was the chief instructor for pegasi guards up in Canterlot, because of his special talent in reading body language. Apparently it also could be used for spotting flaws in technique and his experience in shaping fledgling pegasi into members of the royal guard gave him the experience to know what Dash needed to work on and how to convince her to do it.

“You guys keeping up alright?” The colorful athletic hopeful shouted behind her shoulder and glanced behind her to see George and the two yet unnamed guards following a cautious distance behind her.

“Hooves together, for Celestia’s sake!” George barked back in a tone that brooked no argument. Rainbow Dash’s fore hooves snapped together at the pegasi guard’s order. She didn’t like taking orders that much, but the guard commander knew what he was talking about, so she swallowed back most of her snarky remarks. She could feel her body cutting the air more cleanly when she held her hooves together, yet trying to avoid tensing them up. She was aware that she looked like a particularly colorful wasp when she flew like this, but there was no denying the added acceleration.

Rainbow Dash decided to try and outmaneuver the three pegasi guards that were following her, just for the hell of it. She started speeding up in earnest after she turned to fly over Ponyville again. She didn’t want to clue George in too much, so she tried to get as much distance between her and his keen eyes, before she started doing anything. She grinned as she saw the three armored pegasi struggling to keep up behind her. She looked around for a cloud she could use and spotted one on the edge of the Everfree. It was about three times larger than her and looked to be solid enough.

Rainbow Dash didn’t dare to glance back to see if George had caught up. It was those kinds of obvious tells that had given him the edge to outmaneuver her before, probably. She sped into the cloud, but instead of smashing through it, as it was natural for pegasi going at the speeds she was, she smashed all of her four hooves on the side of the cloud. She could feel the mass of condensation shift under her and her knees bend to absorb the impact. Rainbow Dash’s grin widened into a full-blown smile as the cloud acted just in the way she had hoped and she flapped her wings upwards with all her might, kicking the cloud apart at the same time.

The resulting explosion of vapor and fragmented light hid her ascending form as she let her initial jump carry her above and behind the group of armored guards following her. She hadn’t mentioned this stunt to George, so he would have to be some kind of psychic to see through it. Rainbow Dash extended one wing lazily to turn herself over and gazed down toward the group of two guards rushing to where the destroyed cloud had been. Her smile faltered as she saw that the pegasi didn’t have their commanding officer with them, but was still smiling as she started hovering on the same height as the frantic pair of subordinate guards.

“That was quite a spectacle. I’m sure the crowds would love to see stuff like that.” George’s voice called out from her left. She didn’t turn around, but noticed a small cloud floating under her. She set down on the cloud to rest her wings and turned her head toward the smirking guard, resting on his own little cloud. He was really something else if he had the time to gather the two clouds while chasing her.

“I really thought I got you this time! What gave me away? I was really careful not to clue you in.” Rainbow Dash asked, feeling pleasantly sore from the exertion and a little more out of breath than she would have thought.

“A lack of visible tells is a tell itself. I knew you were trying to hide something and our past dealings clued me onto what it might be, so I decided to hang back for a moment.” George’s voice was as calm as could be, but RD could see the subtle twitching of his lips that signaled that he was holding back the biggest grin ever. The confident smirk he had on now was the professional way to go about this, but he was obviously fighting back the urge to gloat about his cleverness… Well, at least that’s what she thought it was. Her special talent wasn’t it reading ponies, unlike George.

She stared at the mirthful pegasus for a while, before noticing movement below them and to the left. She glanced down, unconsciously forfeiting the impromptu stare down she had started with George. The colorful athlete saw both Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle walking down the road toward Ponyville, Twilight’s guards trotting a respectable way ahead of the two, while Fluttershy’s guards where hanging back and watching the airspace. One of the pegasi actually waved at her when they noticed her looking in their direction. Actually, they were all looking at her, or the quickly evaporating rainbow spectacle she had created only moments earlier. Twilight also waved at her, but then kept on gesturing for her to come down to them. She saw no reason not to, so she lazily rolled off the cloud and floated over to the purple unicorn, setting down with a thud. “’sup, Twilight?”

“Rainbow Dash, I need to talk to you! It is of utmost importance!” Twilight stated, determination burning in her eyes.

“Okay, Twilight, lay it on me!” Rainbow Dash said and mirrored Twilight’s determined pose. The unicorn blinked and then promptly blushed after realizing how embarrassingly she had acted. The prismatic pegasus smirked at the unicorn’s reaction. It was fun messing with Twilight, but Rainbow Dash dropped the act and sat down on the road to let the flustered unicorn continue. It did seem to be important, to have the introverted unicorn acting in such a theatrical way. The only instances the bookworm had acted like this was just before they had to go and vanquish evil, or when she was especially excited about something she was studying. It was frightening how often those two instances correlated, though.

Twilight then went on to explain what Kamos had told her about Fenrir’s origin and why he had known to seek them out in the first place. She also mentioned how Fluttershy had proposed that Fenrir had not come to Luna to be healed, but to die. Rainbow Dash listened to the story intently, despite Twilight’s overly analytical storytelling enough of Kamos’ words got through to get the message across.

“Wow… I didn’t realize Fenrir was such a badass!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as soon as Twilight finished her story. The incredulous look on Twlight’s face made Rainbow Dash blush in return and awkwardly bring a hoof up to the back of her neck. “Uh, I mean… It’s not like I’m okay with what he did, but… I don’t know, what he did is just awesome, okay?”

“What are you talking about, Dash? Fenrir ran away from Luna as soon as she cured him!” Twilight said, her voice rising into a shout. Rainbow Dash didn’t understand why Twilight was getting angry about this, but she still felt like she had to defend her point.

“That could be because of the spirits Luna stuffed down his throat! Fenrir fought through Tartarus to come back to her, after a thousand years to boot! I don’t know why you’re against the idea, but that’s awesome in my book.” Dash shouted back and started to hover off the ground with her hooves crossed over her chest. She was too agitated to stay grounded without doing something drastic.

“The Fenrir we know is not the one that did that. The one we have come to know has been lying to us this whole time!” Twilight shouted back, her demeanor changing as soon as the words left her mouth. “What we have been talking to is a pained lie born from misguided kindness. I only hope some of that loyalty you admire is still in the Fenrir we know.”

Twilight deflated and sat on the ground glumly, with an expression that was a mix of sadness and anger. Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy for any input on how she should approach this confusing scenario. Fluttershy simply put her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder reassuringly. Had it been something she said, or was this all about Fenrir and his possible transgressions? She had got the impression that Fenrir was the victim here, so why was Twilight so against the idea of acknowledging his loyalty? And if the infuriating Fenrir they knew wasn’t the one that had been loyal to Nightmare Moon, then wasn’t that a good thing?

“So, we’ll just go to him and find out if he’s up to no-good shenanigans!” Rainbow Dash declared and did a flip in the air to land next to Twilight. The confident pegasus nudged the unicorn’s side with a wing to get her going. To her it just looked like Twilight was getting too caught in the minutia of things to actually see the obvious solution. It was either that, or she was missing some nuance of the situation, but she had given up hope on fully understanding the strange things that seemed to go on around them. “Are we getting everypony else, too? George can get the elements, just to be sure, you know. I’m awesome and all, but I admit that I might not be able to take Fenrir on, if it comes to that.”

“Azure, report!” George barked as he merged his guards with those of Azure with a few waves of his hoof. The ponies were well-trained and knew how to coordinate themselves without being told explicitly. Azure saluted quickly before answering her friend and superior officer.

“Valor told me that Kamos paid the Element of Magic a visit, by her request. Kamos then had three of his own unicorns cast a shield, barring all eavesdropping attempts and spoke with Twilight for a few minutes. It is both my belief and that of Valor that Kamos told Twilight what happened at the gates of Tartarus.” Azure Wind nodded at the end of her report and signaled for them to start following the three element bearers down the road toward Ponyville.

“Damn that zebra! Now the elements are trying to fix Fenrir, is that it?” George muttered, more to himself than anyone. Azure Wind still thought to answer the aggravated pegasus.

“I believe the Element of Magic is still unsure as to what they are to do. I believe she came to Fluttershy for advice, rather than rally her up to go against Fenrir.” Azure Wind then gave him a sideways glance, before quickly adding: “It’s not like I was eavesdropping or anything. She came to talk to Fluttershy, argued with Fenrir about what he was and then went inside to talk.”

“Wait, Twilight Sparkle told Fenrir that she knew what he was? Fenrir knows that the Elements know there’s something amiss with him?” Azure nodded and George let out a hushed expletive, before waving his two guardsponies over. “Find Kamos, get the elements from him. Bring them to Twilight Sparkle.”

The two guardsponies saluted quickly and flew over towards Ponyville. Kamos would have a few of his ponies in the town, the guardsponies just had to find them and they would call Kamos. George hated how Kamos did things, but he did agree with Luna’s decision on leaving the elements with him. The zebra had an aggravating habit of acting without letting anypony outside of his own group of shady ponies know, but George knew that the ponies working under the zebra were just as, if not more, competent than the best the guard had to offer. The only difference was that his minions did not respect orders from anypony else than the charismatic zebra.

George hated that once again Kamos had doctored the situation to play out according to his plan, the plan he had not shared with the rest of the guard assigned to the elements. The thought that Kamos could be playing against them was unlikely, but George could not help the small aggravating doubt in the back of his mind.

The great wolf had not left them alone since he returned from “testing the waters” as he put it. He had walked among them, giving pieces of his great wisdom to the grunts building his devices. His mere presence made the subordinate dogs work faster and actively avoid making mistakes, though Fenrir had not disciplined them physically, only pointing out the flaw in their work and telling them to do it again.

“Does the dragon bone act like a metal, or akin to a normal bone?” Fenrir asked a dog working with the forge master in making weapons from what they had scavenged from the dragon. The dog’s ears were down along his head and he looked confused. The great wolf growled and hunched his head closer to the dog. “Bring me an untouched piece of the bone and a hammer, now.”

The terrified dog scurried away into one of the new tunnels carved into the side of the mountain. The dogs had extended their mines to reach the mountain they had avoided in the past, to keep away from the dragon. Now that the great wolf had dealt with the reptilian menace, not only did they take the treasure it had hoarded, with Fenrir’s permission this time, they had hastily constructed workshops and new smelting rooms under the mountain and within it at Fenrir’s insistence. Many of the other dogs did not understand why they needed to change the way their ancestors worked metal, or why the wolf had them work on mixing acrid minerals until they became too volatile to keep near an open flame.

After the first demonstration of mixing these two ideas, the fear was only an incentive for them to work harder in making more and honing the ideas Fenrir had conveyed to them. Fenrir had not been lying when he insisted that it was not his size that made him strong.

“Rover, come here.” Fenrir simply commanded as the dog was scurrying back toward them with a shard of bone and a sledgehammer from the forge. Rover quickly made her way to the great wolf, trying to keep his fear of the larger predator at bay. Fenrir had taken to keeping Rover close for his opposable thumbs and the fact he was able to go into the hastily constructed tunnels to relay his commands and observe the smelting of the ore they had unearthed and not found any use for before.

“Here is bone and hammer!” The dog exclaimed, panting from his desperate sprint up and down the tunnels. Fenrir simply nodded and signaled for Rover to step forward. Rover thought he knew what the wolf wanted him to do, but he did not dare make the assumption. He took the hammer and the shard of bone from the subordinate dog and turned his attention to Fenrir for further orders.

“Take out your knife and try to cut the bone.” Rover did as he was told, taking out the short knife that Fenrir insisted he carried with him. The metal used in it was from the first batch of the “alloy” made out of a specific mixture of metals Rover had gone through the trouble of memorizing. The gradually smarter dog did as he was told, but was only able to chip the bone and make small cuts into it, before his blade became lodged into the tough material.

“Now, set it on a stone and try using the hammer.” Fenrir calmly ordered and kept those disturbingly intense eyes on the smaller canine. Rover quickly looked around and saw a stone large enough jutting out of the ground. The smaller dog had the presence of mind to try nudging the rock to see if it was a stable enough to work as an impromptu anvil. After making sure the stone was more of a boulder than a peddle, Rover set the piece of bone down and brought the sledgehammer up above his head.

When the hammer made contact with the shard of bone, there was a sharp “crack!” and a low boom that made his spine tingle. He had closed his eyes as the hammer made contact, to prevent shards of it from getting into his eyes and he was surprised to see the bone embedded between the shards of the boulder he had set it on. He could see a miniscule crack on the bone, but why was the stone he had set it on in pieces? The stone had broken in a way a hollow stone wouldn’t, so had it been the bone that split it, or some unseen crack in the boulder?

“Interesting, strike it again.” Fenrir ordered just as Rover was contemplating on if it were a good idea to be messing around with it in this way. He didn’t dare disagree with the great wolf, so he brought the hammer down again and the ground under the piece of bone exploded into a high-speed shower of shrapnel all around them.

Rover howled as more than a few decent sized chunks of rock hit his torso and legs. He had been right next to the point of impact, so the force behind the rocks was enough to draw blood. A pony would have broken bones and mangled limbs, but Diamond Dogs were built to be tough enough to claw through the earth. Rover might have been in unspeakable pain, but he would be no worse for wear in a few days. Still, he would be rolling around in pain for a while.

“This is definitely something we can use.” Fenrir growled out, with that frightening snarl on his snout. The wolf turned his attention the the whimpering dog, as if he had momentarily forgotten his existence. ”Rover, as soon as you’re done being a bitch, go tell the forge workers to try and avoid putting the bones to the anvil. Tell them to gingerly grind some of the bones to dust, or a paste, whichever comes out, and mix it with the gunpowder.”

Fenrir then got up and walked away, humming a strangely chipper tune as he passed the dog. Rover decided to try and let the pain subside before moving, as Fenrir seemed to have lost interest in him for the moment, but he felt the icy hand of fear grab him again as the wolf spoke up again, close enough for him to smell the putrid stench of his breathing. It was especially frightening how silently the wolf could move, given his gargantuan size.

“Oh, and you might want to mix it with one part of ground up bone and... well, let’s say 10 of the gunpowder. It might be a tad excessive, but we don’t have time to fine-tune the recipe anymore than this.” Rover immediately forced himself into a hunched standing position and bowed to the great wolf in response to his subtle threat. Fenrir did not have to be growling or barking to be intimidating and Rover had learned to not ignore even the subtlest of hints of the wolf’s aggravation. The three dead diamond dogs were more than enough proof of the wolf’s hairline-trigger when it came to acts of aggression.

“At once, great wolf!” Rover barked out and started limping toward the caves. The innovations and believes the wolf brought to the diamond dogs will undoubtedly help them grow out of their stale lifestyle of hiding in caves and hoarding gems. There was real power to be had in knowledge and Rover was sure not to forget this lesson.

The great wolf’s hurry did worry him, though. He had not told them why he forced them to craft his innovations so quickly and the fact that most of the things he’d had them build were things used for combat both worried and excited him. Who could the wolf be preparing for? Surely not the ponies, as the wolf had gone through great lengths to keep them docile. Why would he throw that away so soon?

Then again, it was not his place to question the great wolf. If he really was gearing up for a battle against the ponies, then the pack would stand with him. Those of the Light would learn what those in the Dark are capable of. It had been a while since the Diamond Dogs tasted pony flesh.

“Are ya sure you haven’t seen them? Ah don’t want to go into the Everfree if they’re somewhere in town.” Applejack asked the increasingly worried Rarity, as she fidgeted in place, itching to run into the Everfree and drag her sister and her friends back by their tails. They should have known better than to go into the Everfree by now!

“Now, are you absolutely certain they didn’t get another ride from Fenrir? If those three are with him, I doubt anything would, or could, hurt them.” Rarity asked, trying to rationalize the situation into the best possible scenario. Applejack narrowed her eyes at Rarity, but fought back on the urge of doubting the big wolf. Fenrir was nice and all, but she would not trust her kin with him. Nothing could hurt the three little fillies if he was protecting them, but nothing could stop him from hurting them either, if he lost his wits again.

“Yes, I am. Fenrir disappeared at the crack of dawn, before Applebloom was awake and definitely before her two friends came over. There are only the fillies tracks going from the barn and into the forest, over Fenrir’s pawprints. Those three numbskulls followed him in the forest, the way I reckon!” Applejack huffed and made a move to barge out of the boutique and into the dangerous forest after her sister, before a hoof stopped her.

“It is ill-advised to go into the forest with the numbers we have, Applejack.” Regal Poise calmly stated, locking eyes with the frantic mare. Applejack looked like she was about start taking out her frustration on the diplomatic unicorn, but another stallion stepped in to calm her.

“As much as I hate to say it, he’s right. We’ll at least need pegasi guards to search for the fillies proper. I suggest we go get Azure Wind to help us and enter the forest from Fluttershy’s cottage. I can pick up their trail when we get close to where they entered from.” Stalwart Shield, the officer in charge of Applejack’s guard calmly stated, giving Regal Poise an annoyed glance. He was an earth pony about the size and build of Big Macintosh and had been nothing but professional throughout the few days he had been on the Apple family’s farm. He obviously felt responsible for letting the fillies out of his sight, but his calm way of going about going after them still didn’t sit well with Applejack. “A few unicorns wouldn’t hurt either, Regal.”

“Hey, from the way things are going, we’ll all end up going in there. All I’m saying is that it will be that much harder to guard the Element bearers in that forest.” Regal Poise then glanced at Rarity, who was glaring at the unicorn guard with the fury of a thousand suns. Regal flinched back and coughed into his hoof before turning back to Stalwart Shield. “But taking into account that two of these fillies are related to the bearers, we are honor-bound to see to their safe return. I, of course, volunteer to help you in your efforts, leaving my subordinates to guard Rarity.”

“You don’t have to worry about dividing your forces, Regal, since I’m going into that forest and dragging Sweetie Belle out of there myself.” Rarity announced and started trotting to the door. “The dragon might have been disposed off, but that horrid place is still too dangerous at night for three fillies, so I suggest we get going.”

With that said, Rarity calmly trotted to the exit and opened the door with magic.Regal giving her an annoyed glare. If it weren’t for the severity of the situation Applejack would have told the two of them get a room already.

“Celestia dammit, Rarity... Okay, you heard the lady, let’s go!” Regal ordered, muttering at the stupidity of it all while they left the boutique. Applejack set a brisk pace she hoped Rarity could keep up with as they started making their way to Fluttershy’s cabin. They barely made it to the edge of Ponyville when a pegasi guard flew over them, heading into town. Applejack didn’t think much of it and kept trotting, but both Stalwart Shield Regal Poise stopped to look where the pegasi was heading to.

“That was one of George’s, I think.” Regal absent-mindedly pointed out as they watched the pegasi in question flutter about the sky above Ponyville, until one of Kamos’ masked pegasi approached him, coming out of a cloud in the sky. Applejack trotted up to Regal and shook him with a hoof to gain his attention.

“We ain’t got time to be watching the scenery, Regal. Mah sister’s out there and we are going to get her out before anything happens to her, ya hear!” She never appreciated the unicorn’s way of trying to get into everypony’s good graces through flattery and big words. Now that she thought the unicorn was just stalling for time, just so that he wouldn’t have to go into the scary forest, she was right about ready to punch the stallion.

“Applejack, please calm down. We came to a stop because the pegasi that passed us is most likely retrieving the Elements of Harmony from Kamos. It would be unwise to separate the bearers if there is a situation that calls for them to be brought forth.” Regal Poise quickly explained, while taking a few steps back from the aggressive mare. Applejack still considered punching the smooth-talking stallion, but glanced at Stalwart Shield before giving into this impulse.

“I’m sorry to say that he’s got a point. I can’t think of another reason for a pegasi guard to seek out one of Kamos’ agents. If things with Fenrir have come to a head, then it would be suicide to go into the forest without all of the elements gathered.” Stalwart Shield said in a calm tone, turning his gaze toward the dark forest in the distance. If Fenrir had really turned on them, could they possibly beat him, even with the elements? He was huge, unnaturally fast and had proven to move quietly enough to sneak up on them.

“You don’t think that... Fenrir had anything to do with Sweetie Belle and her friends disappearing? I admit he is fearsome looking, but to attack three little fillies...” Rarity quietly asked Stalwart Shield, then turning to Regal Poise when the earth pony only averted his gaze. Regal Poise did not look like he was comfortable at all, but he still gave the distressed mares an answer.

“If the Elements are being brought out, then there has to be some reason for them. Either George believes Fenrir might become a problem in the near future, or there has been a development that sanctions the use of the Elements of Harmony against him. I would like to believe the three fillies disappearing at this time is a coincidence, but...” Regal decided not to finish his sentence, as the horrified expressions on Applejack’s and Rarity’s faces were proof enough that they had gotten the message.

“Ah’ll destroy that overgrown wolf, if he’s done anythin’ to those fillies!” Applejack forced out through gritted teeth. A small part of her mind reminded her that they were not sure that Fenrir had actually done anything, but the rest just ignored that part and continued on feeding the righteous fury inside her.

“We will destroy him, if that is the case, Applejack.” Rarity hissed out, staying somewhat more composed, but the cold fury she felt still seeping from her every word. Again, a small part of Applejack’s mind reminded her that they were jumping into a lot of assumptions here, but it was ignored yet again. She never had trusted the wolf to begin with.

“Now, we don’t know anything for sure yet...” Regal Poise cut in, before being interrupted by Twilight’s surprised voice.

“Rarity? Applejack? What are you doing here?” Twilight shouted out as she rushed past her guards and to her two friends. Applejack and Rarity shared a glance and turned back to Twilight with worry etched into their faces. Twilight opened her mouth to ask more questions, but caught on to the general mood of the meeting quick enough to hold her tongue.

“Twilight, Applebloom and her friends are missing. Please tell me this has nothing to with the elements being gathered.” Applejack rushed out, taking a step towards the confused unicorn. Twilight opened and closed her mouth several times, looking between her two distressed friends in confusion.

“Not that I know of, no. The elements were called out by George, just in case Fenrir became a problem. You think that Fenrir has something to do with their disappearance?” Twilight asked, stepping closer as the worry in her friends faces lessened somewhat.

“To be honest; we have no idea. The timing was just too much a coincidence for my liking. I would like nothing more than to be wrong on this matter.” Regal Poise stated with an authoritative tone in his voice, now that two distraught mares weren’t glaring at him with promise of murder in their eyes.

“I believe we need to gather the elements and ask the wolf in person to bring this matter to a close.” George stated and the other officers around him all nodded. Azure Wind, George and Shield Valor all knew of Fenrir’s backstory and his possible motivations in taking the three fillies, while Regal Poise and Stalwart Shield believed in helping their charges ease their minds, whatever the truth might be.

They had five of the bearers gathered, with only the physical vessels and the Element of Laughter missing. They all turned their eyes towards the town and to the pair of pegasi flying back toward them. One of them was one of George’s golden-armored subordinates, while the other was a dark-clothed pegasus with a dark blue mane, one of Kamos’ subordinates. They were carrying a large chest between them, presumably holding the physical presentations of the elements within it. Now, they just had to track down Pinkie Pie.

Applejack realized that it was not something she had any sure way of doing. Pinkie Pie did sleep at a spare room in the cake’s house, but there was no telling where she was between the time she woke up and went to sleep. Usually when stuff like this happened, Pinkie was already there, chatting excitedly about what they were going to do and the parties she could throw in celebration. Of course, the situation was more serious than it had been on any of their other excursions, but she had thought Pinkie would pop up somewhere like she usually did.

The two pegasi set down on the road in front of them and shook of the harness they had used to carry the box to the gathered ponies. The pegasi wearing dark blue cloth over most of his body moved to open the crate and Applejack and her friends drew in a breath in anticipation. The pegasi stopped and glanced back at them, probably confused as to why they would be pre-emptively admiring the elements, but tipping the box open with a wing all the same. Applejack leaned back in anticipation and folded her ears back to be spared from whatever noise PInkie would make when she burst out of the crate.

There was only a warm glow emanating from the box with the powerful magical relics resting inside. Applejack glanced around to see her friends looking just as perplexed at the lack of Pinkie in the box.

“This is usually where Pinkie Pie makes an appearance, isn’t it?” Rainbow Dash, quick to point out exactly what her friends were thinking. The royal guards looked at the mares, then at each other, before turning to the operative tasked with the protection of the Element of Laughter. The pegasi under the mask didn’t flinch at the attention, only nodded when he noticed all eyes were on him.

“We will ensure Laughter joins your group before you confront Fenrir.” The pegasi flapped his wings and hovered in place for a moment before adding a clarifying statement as an afterthought. “She will be carried or teleported to you if all else fails. Rest easy, we will ensure the success of this operation.”

They watched the pegasus fly away in stunned silence. Despite having seen Kamos, they had assumed Pinkie Pie did not have guards, like they did. To find that she actually had a whole unit of ponies that both dressed and acted like assassins guarding her was a disconcerting thought. After a moment, Twilight levitated the elements over to her friends, clipping PInkie’s element on her neck for safekeeping, as the pegasi had not taken it with him.

“I must press that we are not going into the forest to initiate hostilities with Fenrir. I know you feel concern for the three fillies, but blaming Fenrir for their disappearance, without compelling evidence, is only inviting trouble and very rude to boot.” George bellowed out in a voice every mare and stallion present could hear. Applejack had to reign in the parts of her mind that wanted to debate the issue, but she did nod her agreement after a moment. The wolf had been civil and nice to the fillies and as much as she thought it to be a ruse.

“Don’t kick Fenrir’s ass without asking first, got it.” Rainbow Dash stated and hopped up into the air, starting to impatiently fly circles above the group.

“Close enough, let’s go.” George said and hopped into the air, the pegasi guards following his example. Two of them and Azure Wind immediately jetted up above the tree line and scouted ahead as George sized up the group.

“Kamos’ operatives will catch up to us in the forest.” George fluttered in place as he peered at the path leading into the forest and back toward their diverse group. Applejack smirked as she heard the stallion snort in annoyance. “Regal, Valor, stay with your charges. Stalwart, take point. Unicorns stay close behind him and his guard. Pegasi are with me. At your convenience, elements.”

Applejack turned her eyes over to Twilight, who flinched at the sudden attention, but promptly adjusted her crown and started trotting along the path to the forest.

Dramatic convenience, either that or just fucking magic, but there was no way that the Diamond Dogs should have been able to construct everything he had told them in the time he had given them. He did have some theories about the Diamond Dogs possessing some kind of innate magical ability for molding the earth, but the fact that they could master making metal alloys so quickly was still unbelievable.

He wasn’t even sure how he knew so much about metallurgy, but there was no denying that the knowledge was convenient. Maybe he had been an engineer, or something, before Luna tore his identity asunder.

True, those alloys had not gone through any other test than having his considerable weight applied to them and cutting through dragon bone, but it was enough serve the purpose he intended for it. Now, with the discovery that the bones of the dragon he killed acted as a kind of accelerator for kinetic energy... Well, the explosives were the only use they could get out of it in such a short amount of time, so it didn’t matter if his mind was abuzz with ideas.

“You might want to start making blades and brass knuckles out of the bone. making armor out of it is a horrible idea, though.” Fenrir’s mouth absent-mindedly pointed out as he lay about in front of the cave he had annexed from the dragon. Their agreement on the control of the body had started to become hazy, as Fenrir kept on saying his thoughts out loud, before he could even register that the wolf was paying attention. It was like someone looming over your shoulder while you were writing a letter and correcting your grammar.

“Great wolf!” One of the grunt dogs hollered out as he barreled into the scorched clearing. He could feel Fenrir’s anger flaring at the dog’s disrespect, but he was able keep a calm facade up as the dog slunk forward, clearly realizing his own mistake.

“Something to report, I assume?” Fenrir’s growling voice rumbled out as he leisurely raised his head to look down at the comparatively small dog. The dog only timidly nodded, his shaking hind legs betraying the fear that had muted him. “You either spit it out, or I’ll be the one spitting you out from between my teeth.”

“The ponies are coming, great wolf!” The scared dog blurted out hurriedly. This caused Fenrir to stop fighting to try and make his threat into reality. The wolf knew he was better suited to dealing with anything concerning the ponies.

“I see. I take it this was a large group?” The dog nodded his head repeatedly as a response. “Were the colorful ones wearing jewelry?”

“Yes, the ponies had trinkets, with shiny gems!” The dog was obviously trying to hide his excitement of this fact, but the thin rivulet of drool slowly making it’s way to the ground gave his thoughts away. He had to wonder about their obsession with gems, as he was pretty sure they didn’t eat them. Those with the IQ below double digits must have been conditioned to liken the sight of gems into being rewarded, or something. He would have asked the dogs about this, if there wasn’t a homicidal predator sharing his brainspace.

“Thank you, go make yourself useful somewhere around here. Rover!” The small nameless dog scurried away and it only took a few seconds for the slightly more intelligent dog’s green eyes to peek out from a strategically placed hole in the ground. The speed they could move in those tunnels was impressive and something he could use to great effect when the ponies turned violent.

“Tell the craftsmen to forego further manufacturing and bring what they have ready to me. Leave dogs to hammer and whittle out the bolts and spears and to bake the ceramics, but bring me the rest, now.” Fenrir’s rumbling voice said to the border-line catatonic dog. The dog’s luminescent green eyes stared at his from the hole from a moment before the dog remembered he was supposed to repeat the order.

“Keep making ammo for the fight, bring the weapons we have up.” Rover’s grating voice said from the shadows of the hole. Fenrir’s head nodded once in response and he spread it into a grin he knew they found uncomfortable.

“I knew there was a reason you were in charge before me. The ponies are coming and I’ll need you to relay further instructions to the mongrels... Actually tell the bolters to start setting up on the hill over there already, just send the one in charge to me.” He nodded to a hill on the side of the clearing they were on. If the ponies were coming for him, or for the fillies, this is where they would come. He was putting a little too much hope on the idea that the ponies didn’t know better than to march into a large open area, but if the Diamond Dogs could somehow build and work forges in hours, the ponies could be a little dimwitted.

It didn’t take long for dogs of varying sizes and breeds to start appearing out of holes dug into the mountain, carrying with them a small assortment of spears, mallets and a messy assortment of ropes and stones that were supposedly the bolas he’d told them to make. He nodded to the empty space in front of him without a word and the dogs set the objects down, the one with the bolas surprisingly having the sense to start untangling the ropes, before being specifically told to do so.

“7 spears, 5 hammers, a bunch of bolas and a yet undetermined amount of bombs. I believe these are not weapons you are all familiar with, but it is not the weapons that will make you dangerous, it is how you are going to use them.” Fenrir calmly stated, nodding at each pile of weapons as he mentioned them. The dogs in front of him were listening intently. The smaller former alpha was there, but he could not for the life of him remember his name. It was either Spot, or Fido, something equally cliché, but he didn’t care enough to ask the dog. He was in charge of the spear squad nonetheless.

“The bombs are not designed to be deadly, you lacked the means and the time for shrapnel grenades but they will be used as a means to disorient the ponies as the bolters and the spear squad launch their attack. Given the strength of the unicorns in the group that is heading our way, they will be your primary target if hostilities begin.” Fenrir paused and the dogs nodded, an excited glint in their eyes that unnerved one part of him and made another nod in approval.

“These spears are not to be thrown, but used to stab ponies from underground, hence the long shaft and narrow head. They have been fitted with a piece of dragon bone between the blade and the pommel, which will hopefully add to the force of the thrust. If that is not the case, switch to your old spears. You will initiate hostilities only on my command, which will be three barks in quick succession, not two, or four, exactly three... You can all count to three, right?” The small dog nodded immediately, while the other dogs gathered started counting slowly with their fingers. Fenrir let out an annoyed growl that made them flinch.

“Okay, I’ll howl then! You better fucking be able to tell a howl from a conversation. The ponies are on their way here and I will try and buy us some more time. If I do not give you the signal, you are not to attack the ponies.” Tiis time all the dogs gathered nodded their heads. Fenrir turned back to the gathered tools of war on the ground. “These hammers are very simple to use, but the dragon bone they are crafted from gives you the ability launch projectiles at breakneck speeds by hitting them with it. In simpler terms, use the hammer to hit rocks at the ponies, or scrape at the ground while charging to disorient them with a shower of pebbles.”

“The bolas are a tool you might not be familiar with, but they can be used to incapacitate either pegasi or earth pony, do not bother trying to use them on unicorns, as they do not need free reign of their limbs to use magic. You use them by grabbing one of the weights, whirling it above your head and then letting it fly toward the legs, or wings, of whatever you want to trip. You, go stand over there while the craftsman demonstrates.” He nodded toward one of the taller dogs, that wasn’t the one that had made the bolas. It would be far more effective to show them how the bolas worked, than trust the idiotic dogs to figure it out from a simple explanation.

The dog that had made the bolas grabbed one and started to whirl it above his head. The action looked comical with the ridiculously long forelegs these dogs had. The dog let the bola fly and the flapping sound the weights made as they flew across the field made some of the dogs look around, confused as to what was making it. This included the dog he had ordered to act as a target and caused him to stumble and fall as the bolas whipped around his legs and stretched forelimbs, demonstrating the bolas’ purpose and function in one fell swoop.

Fenrir’s mouth smirked, dramatic convenience for the win.

“Take one bola each and the rest for the dogs under you, practice hitting moving targets on each other, until the ponies get here. The bombs are self-explanatory and are to be used first when I give the signal. Roll them, do not throw them; the ceramic casings need to stay whole for them to have any effect. Dismissed.” Fenrir watched the small former alpha gather the spears and jump down a hole, his dogs would not need bolas, as they would be underground for most of the battle. The fact he realized that on his own was something that brought him some amusement; the cliché of the weakest and smallest compensating with intellect was as true and tested as anything could be in fiction.

It was forming out to be a nail-biting climax to a disorienting story of trying to accept a monster. Maybe the lesson Twilight would choke out at the end would be the sobering truth that there are real monsters out in the world. There is not always a silver lining to a cloud, or a happy ending to a story. Sometimes the Big Bad Wolf eats both the Red Riding Hood and the grandmother, leaving the Hunter to drag out the eviscerated remains out of the slain wolf.

Before the simple woodsman is put to death for killing the two and consorting with the devil, as the story takes place in medieval times. Luckily, that was not the case for the ponies, as a thousand years on the moon does not drive a pony insane beyond repair. Oh no, just zap them with rainbows and they’re fine within 8 to 10 weeks. Not to mention the whole “The Night shall last forever! BUAHAHAHAH!” being completely forgotten and forgiven, for dramatic convenience, what else?

There was no god in Equestria, there was only the force of Dramatic Convenience.

Something a little too far-fetched to be believable? Oh look, there’s a Lord of Chaos fucking with ponies through hilarious pranks and enticing monologues! Look at that, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain! We’ll even make him flirt with Pinkie Pie, so you shippers don’t have to think of intricate plots to your clopfics! LISTEN AT THE VOICE TALENT WE PAID FOR! BUY OUR SHIT, GOD DAMN IT!

He was brought of his furious thoughts as Fenrir’s head shot up and his ears swiveled about. A wordless question to the wolf made him aware that the wolf had thought to have heard laughter, distant and unfamiliar, but still enough to put the great wolf on edge. Neither he nor the wolf could hear anything now, but Fenrir was not one to distrust his senses and The Liar was not one to care if there was someone laughing at him from afar, as long as they didn’t have a high-powered rifle.

He had assumed that the concept of a sniper was something he would not find in Equestria, but now he was not that sure. A pegasus hiding in a cloud with a Dragunov was a terrifying thought.

“Fenrir! Fenrir, are ya here, I’ve gotta talk to you!” Applejack’s distinctive southern accent cut through the sounds of Diamond Dogs throwing pieces of rope and rocks at each other. The dogs had the presence of mind to stop what they were doing and hurry to positions, at least, leaving only Applejack’s determined trotting as the only sound in the surprisingly quiet forest.

Fuck Dramatic Convenience, the silence was hurting his ears.

“Hello, Applejack. I am sorry for sneaking out from your barn with no notice, I needed to clean up the dragon’s hoard before moving in, ya know. The Diamond Dogs nearby were kind enough to volunteer their services, for some odd reason.” He smirked in a way that didn’t show much of the sharp parts of his fangs, but bared his teeth nonetheless. He hoped the ponies would interpret this as a friendly smile. Rarity actually looked around nervously and pressed herself closer to her guard at the mention of Diamond Dogs. She must not have been as stupid as the show made her out to be, she was aware that the Diamond Dogs would hold a grudge.

“Applebloom’s missing, Fenrir. You wouldn’t know where she’s at, would ya?” Applejack trotted up to him, separating herself from the protection of the group of royal guards and seriously OP unicorns without a second thought. The Element of Honesty at her finest, people!

“The small yellow one, with the bow?” He asked, leaning his head back as Applejack strained to glare at him as close as possible. She blinked and after a moment simply nodded in response, still looking suspicious. He responded to her obvious apprehension by roaring “Rover!” at the top of his lungs. It took a few moments for the slightly smarter former alpha to pop out of a hole in the ground. He looked apprehensive about the whole situation and confusion was clear on his face, but he hoped to work past that.

“Rover, tell the element of Honesty here where our three fillie guests are.” The diamond Dog blinked once, twice, and a third time, before jerking his head toward Applejack and then back to him jerkily. It was amusing to see an idea form in their little heads, but he only hoped the dog would have the presence of mind to stay as close to the truth as possible, given the obvious clue of talking to the element of Honesty.

“The small ponies are in tunnels, yes. They see much gems, they take the grand tour of caves! They see our halls and our slides, the young love the slides!” Rover excitedly finished, jumping up a little at the mention of the slides.

“Yes, they are given a tour of the intricate cave system of the Diamond Dogs. As Rover said, they are probably enjoying the slides the dogs use to travel down into the lower chambers quickly, but the climb up takes much longer. In conclusion, the young ones are indisposed at the moment.” He quickly finished for the Diamond Dog, before he could slip into an easy lie. He wasn’t sure if the Element of Honesty had magical bullshit detecting powers, but it didn’t hurt to assume as such and prepare. Applejack looked a lot more uncertain in her approach now, along with the rest of her fellowship. He couldn’t help but smirk at the comedy of the situation.

“Say, as long as you are here, with all of your guards and the wretched magical artifacts that destroyed my Mistress, would you like to hear a story?” He casually asked, standing up in an excited manner that made some of the guards bristle. Being tentative around them at this point would be suspicious, after all. “It would pass the time as we wait for your young to stop torturing the dogs with their youthful, borderline monstrous, energy.”

“I... I reckon we could do that, sure.” Applejack tentatively answered, glancing at her friends, clearly confused at the turn the situation had taken. She had trotted up to him fully prepared to buck his teeth out to get her sister back safely, but now she had promised to sit down and listen to a story.

“Perfect, now sit down wherever you like and I’ll tell you all about how, my life got flipped-turned upside down. I’d like to take a minute and - No, don’t sit there, there’s a hole - God damn it...“ He paused, unable to remember how the song went after the interruption of one of the guards almost falling into one of the many holes the Diamond Dogs had dug on his command.

“Well, anyways, I’ll tell you about the real history behind Nightmare Moon’s rise and fall. I was there, so I’m as infallible of a source as you can get.” He glanced at the sun before continuing his story. He deduced the time had to be around 7 or 8 in the evening. If Celestia didn’t sneeze particularly violently or just forget to lower the sun, then night should fall in about an hour or two, hopefully. He had an hour or so he had to entertain the ponies for it to be dark enough for the battle to be both terrifying and dramatic.

“Let me start at the very beginning...”

Watch this, or you are not a pleasant person. Trust me, you need it in your life!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEQ_6geAKwE&list=FL43ve81tIyAwTkJZM-VDCuA&index=1

Author's Notes:

Seriously, watch it. Also, I think this will be the second to laast chapter in this story... so TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR THE NAIL-BITING CONCLUSION TO THIS CLUSTERFUCK, I GUESS!