I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR LOVE

Chapter 3: Missed the Starting Gun

“So the trail hooks around the pond here, and goes past this mountain. Make sure to stay away from the mountain. After the... incident with Rainbow and Applejack, there's been a shelf of unstable rock overhanging the forest below it.” Twilight rolled up the map in her magical grasp, placing it in her racing saddlebag.

Spitfire trotted up even with her, eager to get to the starting point for the race. “So why hasn't anypony done something about it, if it's so dangerous?”

Twilight rolled her eyes in exasperation. “Just the mayor being stubborn. I offered to do it myself, but she said I wasn't a 'licensed demolition expert, government sanctioned road worker, or even a certified geologist', and not to touch it or else.”

“Or else, what?” the pegasus asked. “What can she do to you?”

Looking at her companion out of the corner of her eye, she arched and eyebrow and asked, “You mean besides jailing me for unlicensed demolition, destruction of park lands, public endangerment, reckless spell use, and impersonating a government official?”

“Oh.”

“No, what stayed my hoof was her threatening to tell the Princess on me,” she finished with a shake of her head.

Spitfire was so thunderstruck, she almost tripped over her own hooves. “What?” she asked incredulously.

“ 'I'll take it under advisement, Twilight,' she said.” Twilight paused to wave a hoof at the ledge in question. “Advisement, hah! Here we are, years later, and look at it!” She shook her head and resumed walking. “I swear if it didn't keep everything neat and orderly, I'd help the Princess get rid of the bureaucracy that's choking the life out of Equestria,” she said, clenching a hoof dramatically.

“She at least changed the route a little, right?” Spitfire asked. “I mean, as a public official she may have her hooves tied by bureaucracy, but she can hardly ignore a danger to the public.”

Twilight blew a raspberry at the notion. “Of course not! That would break with tradition, and if there's one thing this town is big on, it's tradition.” She sighed in exasperation. “No, the only concession I was able to get out of her was putting up a sign in the danger area, urging ponies to slow down there.” Twilight kicked a rock in the path out of frustration. “Fat lot of good it will do, though. The whole point of a race is to get there before everypony else. Who's going to slow down, I ask you? She wouldn't even hear my suggestion to turn it into a rally type race instead of an outright marathon. Said that the rules were too complex.”

In an effort to shift the conversation, Spitfire gestured backwards with her head and asked, “So how long are you going to let them do that?”

Twilight turned her head to note Trixie and Cheerilee, literally hanging off of her rump. They had grabbed onto her with their forehooves, and were alternating licks and kisses with nibbles and outright bites to anything within reach. The librarian's cutie mark was almost completely covered with hickeys, making it indistinguishable from the rest of her coat. They had latched on like a pair of remoras as soon as the town was out of sight and hadn't let go since. Twilight had only let them continue because there was nopony around for her to get embarrassed over.

Bucking her rear end straight up, she tried to shake them loose. “Alright you two, free ride's over.”

The two of them fell to the ground, Trixie lading on her rump, and Cheerilee ending up with her face in the dirt, but a grin on her face nonetheless. “Mistress!” Trixie exclaimed, “does that mean we have to pay to... continue?”

“Ooo... you naughty filly!” Cheerilee husked as she stood and brushed herself off.

With her face turning a bright red, Twilight stomped her hoof, sending up a small cloud of dust. “No, it doesn't- I don't even- I... Augh!” A field of purple energy surrounded her two assailants as Twilight levitated them off the ground. All four of them moved off the trail and into the woods with the floating mares leading the way. “That is it!” the lavender unicorn growled. “We are getting to the bottom of why you two are acting like this, and we aren't going anywhere until I find out!”

The showpony and the teacher looked at each other with lusty grins. “Ooo... Mistress is maa~ad!” They said in unison.

“Does this mean Mistress will spank us?” Trixie asked hopefully.

“Or humiliate us?” Cheerilee added.

“Or-”

“The next words out of your mouth Trixie, had better be an explanation for your behavior,” Twilight interrupted.

Trixie made a moue of sadness. “Does Mistress not want naughty pets to punish?”

Setting them down in a small clearing behind some tall bushes, Twilight shook her head. “I already have a pet, Trixie. I just want my fillyfriends to be themselves, not the sex-crazed nymphomaniacs they've turned into ever since we first... you know... did it.” Some of Twilight's anger turned into embarrassment as she said this, turning red again.

“And how does Mistress know this isn't the 'real us'?” Cheerilee asked in a sultry voice.

The librarian rolled her eyes. “Are you forgetting that I've known you both for quite a while now, and nothing in your past behavior indicates that this is normal?”

This seemed to give them both pause, and they looked at her blankly. Spitfire took this opportunity to say, “Perhaps they're under some sort of influence? Do you know a spell to check for that?”

“I suppose I could start with a basic first aid diagnostic spell to see if there's anything physically influencing them,” The lavender mare replied.

Twilight's horn began to glow, and almost immediately, her eyes widened and her pupils shrank to mere pinpricks. “Augh!” she shrieked and fell to the ground, covering her face with her hooves.

“Twilight!” the three mares cried out, as they rushed to her side.

With one foreleg still covering her face, she waved them off with the other. “I'm okay, I'm okay,” she said reassuringly. “Um, Trixie?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“When was the last time you had cast a spell?” she asked from her unchanged position on the ground.

The azure mare pondered this for a moment. “I believe it was last Sunday, why?”

“And was this a spell you cast on yourself?” the librarian continued with her interrogation.

Trixie nodded before realizing that covered as she was, Twilight couldn't see it. “Yes. Well, myself and Cheerilee, that is.”

Twilight pondered this for a moment, then asked, “What spell was it, Trixie?”

Nervously, the showmare asked, “What does this have to do with-”

“Please, Trixie,” Twilight interrupted, “it's important! What. Spell. Was. It?”

Trixie's hooves fidgeted nervously as she said in a quiet voice, “A cloudwalking spell.”

Twilight's head almost lifted from it's position. “Cloudwalking?” she asked, perplexed. “It shouldn't have...” Her voice trailed off as sudden realization set in. “This cloudwalking spell, Trixie; did you use the original spell as made by Flashbang, or did you use the notations I had made in my copy of Cloudbuilding: The Art and the Science?”

The azure mare's response was so meek, it was almost Fluttershy-like. “Um, yours,” she squeaked.

“I thought so,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Trixie, those were incomplete notes. They didn't even have the full calculations, let alone the mental diagrams needed to properly formulate the spell.” She hummed in thought. “Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken this long for a problem to arise, but what's really surprising is the form in which that atavism appeared.”

A purple magical sigil in the vague shape of an eye appeared, floating in the air in front of Twilight's head, just below her horn. She rose to a sitting position, her eyes still closed. “Well, there's only one thing we can do,” she said as her horn began glowing.

The other unicorn and earth pony backed up, fear evident in their expressions. “W-w-what are you going to do, crucial babe?” Cheerilee asked.

Twilight stood to all four hooves calmly, but with intense resolve. “I'm just going to remove the blockage in your frontal lobes that's inhibiting the flow of mana in your bodies. I believe this is why you two have been acting so strangely lately. I'm not going to lie. This will either be very painful, or very pleasurable. I'll try to make it the latter, but I can't make any promises in that regard.” Twilight's body glowed with a purple aura as she lifted into the air with her two patients. A whirlwind swept the area around the four of them, leaving Spitfire trying to shield her eyes from the swirling dust and debris.

Trixie and Cheerilee's eyes glowed white as Twilight's magic wrapped around them like a lover, slowly working it's way into them. The librarian's magical sensor swiveled as it focused on each of them, directing the magic. She eased into their brains, being very careful to avoid going near their primary thaumaturgic glands. Sweat began to form on her brow as she turned to the herculean task of unraveling the knot of built-up magic. Her breath came in short gasps, and her brow furrowed in concentration.

Her attention almost slipped when Trixie let out the first scream of pain, followed closely by Cheerilee. She had trouble keeping them still as they writhed in her magical grasp, trying to free themselves from the terrible pain coursing through their bodies. There's too much magic built up! They couldn't handle it if I just released it into their systems. It's risky, but there's no other option. I guess I'll just have to take it into me long enough to redirect it.

Twilight altered her spell mid-cast, taking the excess energy into herself. It was painful. Oh, so painful. Her own shriek added to the cacophony created by her lovers, and then drowned them out completely. It was only the thought of possibly losing them that allowed her to keep her attention focused through the agony of the liquid fire coursing through her veins. I will NOT FAIL THEM!

Spitfire was so startled by the sudden appearance of Princess Celestia, that she lost her hoofing, and the wind launched her into the side of the larger mare.

“CAPTAIN, REPORT!” Celestia had to resort to the Royal Canterlot Voice just to be heard over the rushing wind.

The Wonderbolt tried several times to say something, but kept having to spit out debris that would fly into her mouth. Celestia noted this, and her horn glowed in a golden aura. “Just think it at me, Captain. It'll be faster.” Spitfire did so, accidentally leaving out no details to her diarch. “I see.”

“Is there anything you can do to help, your highness?” Spitfire pleaded.

Celestia shook her head. “I'm afraid this is Twilight's show, right now. If I were to interfere, there's a good chance I'd do more damage than good.”

Trixie and Cheerilee had passed out, and were gently lowered to the ground, yet the wind still swirled about Twilight like a maddened dust devil. The eye sigil swiveled around before stopping on the nearby mountain with the unstable shelf. Almost mechanically, the mare's foreleg lifted, and pointed at the same spot.

Celestia noticed this and hastily erected a rainbow-hued barrier around herself and the three helpless mares.

Before the barrier could even fully form, a single mote of white light, no bigger than a housefly formed in front of Twilight's hoof, with several smaller motes swirling towards it slowly. Even though the hurricane-like winds should have been as loud as a freight train barreling down the tracks at full speed, all sound ceased to be. A perfectly round hole appeared in the cloud of debris as the mote of light lanced out towards the mountain, stretching out to a length of over two kilotrots, bringing back the sound with what felt like like a giant guitar string being plucked and allowed to reverberate.

DOOOOOOMMM

A new gust of wind bent every tree nearby as well as those in the path of the beam of light, stripping them of every leaf, both dead or green, first towards and then away from the mountain, which now had a circular hole burned straight through it, centered where the troublesome shelf once existed.

Excess energy now expended, Twilight slowly lowered to the ground until she rested on all four hooves. She turned to the barrier as it dropped, and a smile found it's way to her face. “Princess!” she shouted hoarsely and threw herself into her mentor's forelegs where she was eagerly welcomed.

“Twilight, my faithful student,” Celestia said. “When I felt you in such terrible distress, I teleported right over. Are you feeling well?”

Blushing at her concern, Twilight nuzzled up to the alabaster alicorn, delighting in the comfort the action brought. “Everything's fine now, Princess.”

“Then why aren't you opening your eyes, hon?” Spitfire asked.

Twilight waved a hoof at her as if it were nothing to be concerned over as the sigil swiveled to meet her gaze. “Oh, that's just because I'm blind.”

(\ /)
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*(“)(“)

“But it's my fault, you're blind!” Trixie shouted. “I should be punished!” The distraught showpony turned her attention to Princess Celestia, who calmly sat sipping tea from a delicate cup. Stomping a hoof which caused a stack of books near the shelf Spike was working to refill to be knocked over, she sternly said, “Princess, I must insist that you arrest me for causing this! Lock me away in a dungeon! Anything to keep me from harming... If... if it weren't for me...” she trailed off as the tears came unbidden.

Twilight came up and put a foreleg around her withers, pulling her into a hug. “Trixie, sweetie, there's no way you could have known what could have happened. If anything, I'm as much to blame in this as you are. I should have finalized those notes years ago.”

Hugging her from the other side, Cheerilee added, “If I hadn't been so insistent and bothered you in the carriage, you might have picked up on y- the mistake.”

“And if I hadn't asked you two to tail us on our date,” Spitfire chimed in as she hugged all three of them, “then you wouldn't have needed to try to learn that spell unassisted.”

Spike paused in his work to look to the Princess, who sipped her tea, politely ignoring the mares in an attempt to give them a little privacy. He finally caught her eye, and just gave him a calming smile, so he returned to reshelving the books knocked down from Twilight's tremendous blast.

Trixie broke free of them, and wiped her tears away. “Thank you, but I really don't think I belong here with you, Twilight. Not if I'm going to cause this kind of harm to you.”

Twilight grabbed her by the shoulders, making her face her. The blindfold hid the unicorn's lavender orbs, but the purple magical sensor floating in front of it let the mare see directly in her mind. “Trixie, look at me.” The azure mare could not bear to meet her gaze and looked away, but reluctantly did so when Twilight shook her and forcefully said, “Look at me!”

“This isn't the first time this has happened to me,” Twilight said.

“What?” Trixie asked in shock.

Now it was Twilight's turn to look away, this time in embarrassment. “Um, Princess? Would you mind telling this? I kind of... you know.”

Nodding, Celestia set down her cup with a light TINK. “Of course, Twilight.” She turned to the other mares. “When Twilight had first learned about astral forms as a filly, she became very curious about my own form. Now, as you may or may not know, astral forms show us as we truly are. The astral realm is one of those places that lays bare everything about us, including our power.”

Celestia smiled gently at the memory of her faithful student, and how earnest she could be when studying. “Because I had never expressly forbid it, Twilight studied for weeks on her own, learning to cast the spell allowing her to see into the astral realm. When she had finally mastered it,” the alicorn shook her head wistfully, “she used it while I was distracted... raising the sun.”

She gave that a moment to sink in. “Naturally when I raise the sun, my magic is at its peak, so what the poor filly,” Twilight blushed, being called this in front of her fillyfriends, “saw, magically blinded her. It was temporary, of course, but it took a few days for her eyesight to return. That was when I taught her this spell she's using now.”

Trixie looked at the diarch, hope shining in her eyes. “So... this isn't the first time this has happened?”

“No.” Celestia replied. She put a hoof to her chin in thought. “This is what, the third time? Fourth?” she asked her student.

“Fifth, actually.” Twilight sheepishly answered.

“And you're sure, her eyes will recover?” the azure mare asked.

Celestia nodded. “Very. I checked her eyes myself before you two woke up. Give her a couple of days at least, and I'm sure she'll be right as rain.”

Turning to her lover, Trixie said, “I'm sorry all this happened, and for my part in it, Twilight.”

Twilight gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek, causing the azure mare to blush. “I'm just glad everything turned out alright, love.”

Spitfire and Cheerilee stood before her. “We're sorry about everything too, hon,” the Wonderbolt said.

“It sort of started out as a way to make sure that one of us didn't get the upper hoof over the others in our attempts to win your heart,” Cheerilee added. “When we saw the paparazzi trying to take pictures of you, we sort of agreed to make sure that all of our dates went on uninterrupted. We didn't want your life to be complicated by them. I guess you could say that we did it to protect you.”

Pulling all three of them into a crushing hug, Twilight said, “Thank you all. You don't know how much that means to me.” With a sniffle, she released them and looked to Celestia. “So, what happened with the race, Princess? Who won?”

Celestia gave her a wry smile. “Actually, I had them delay the race until a certain pony clears a dangerous obstacle from the course that she had created.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked intelligently. “What do you mea- ooohhh...” she said, finally catching on. “Was it really that bad?”

The Princess shrugged. “I'm no geologist nor an engineer, but even I can tell that peak won't last much longer as it stands now. Although the rock itself was seared into a solid tube, it is still shale, and I've been informed by the Royal Geologist that it won't be long before the formation collapses, possibly injuring somepony.” She coughed into a hoof to clear her throat and said, “Therefore I am appointing you, Twilight Sparkle, under the supervision of the Royal Geologist to demolish said structure to his satisfaction.”

Leaning down, she winked at the unicorn. “It's too late to do it today, but until it's done, the Running of the Leaves will have to be delayed. Once he gives the all clear, the race can be resumed.”

Twilight bowed low, shame evident on her face. “I'm so sorry, Princess. I was looking for a safe direction in which I could disperse the energy, but when my eye- er, sensor landed on that darn shelf I figured I could harvest two apples with a single buck, so...”

“I'm sorry, but to which shelf are you referring?” Celestia asked.

Surprise quickly morphed into outrage in the little librarian. “You mean the mayor hasn't even requested a survey team yet? She said she would take care of it! Why that-”

The alicorn placed a calming hoof on the mare's shoulder. “Twilight, not every bit of government business comes to my desk. The mayor of a small town like this requesting a survey team wouldn't even make it to my chancellor's desk.”

The righteous indignation deflated at this line of reasoning from the Faithful Student's ultimate source of reason. “Oh. Right.” She shuffled a foreleg in embarrassment. “Um, does this mean you'll be spending the night since the race was delayed?” she asked hopefully.

Celestia chuckled as she ruffled Twilight's mane affectionately. “If you think you have the room, I can stay through the rest of the weekend if you like.”

With wild abandon, Twilight jumped into the air with a hoof-pump. “Yes!” She landed again and asked, “What about Princess Luna? We could accommodate her too, if she doesn't mind a communal sleeping arrangement.”

“Neigh. I'm afraid Luna has already made other arrangements,” the alicorn answered with a knowing smile.

Sudden realization struck Twilight and she gasped. “Oh, my stars, I forgot to clean up our room! Excuse me Princess, while I tend to that now.” She looked to her fillyriends and asked, “Would you mind attending the Princess while I make everything... presentable?”

A deep blush overtook the four mares as they remembered the near week of debauchery that had been going on in the room upstairs; the room in which the Princess would be sleeping for the next few days. “Of course, Twilight.” Cheerilee replied. “We'd be delighted.”

“Thanks, girls!” she said as she dashed to the stairs. She stopped to turn around a sketch a quick bow to the Princess, before resuming her race up to the waiting mess.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room, only interrupted by the sound of Spike continuing his never-ending work. After letting the three mares stew for a bit, Celestia asked, “So, when are you due, Cheerilee?”

“Due for what, Your Highness?” she asked.

“For your baby, of course,” the Princess replied with what could only be called roadsapple-eating grin.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight closed the door and leaned against it, breathing a sigh of relief. Her magical sensor surveyed the room as she sniffed the stale, sex-filled air, making her cringe. Already, she could feel the wetness forming on her marehood, and she licked her lips.

She cried out in frustration and banged her head with her hooves. “Augh! I can't afford to get distracted right now! There's no way I can let the Princess sleep in our...” She shuddered at the thought.

Her horn glowed as she telekinetically threw open the windows, actually cracking one in her haste. A magically summoned wind blew through the room, but with the pallet on the floor refreshing the musk, there was little point in that. Twilight growled in irritation and neatly folded the bedding into a pile on her balcony so that she could wash it out later.

Walking back in, she was greeted by the shocking sight of a stain on the wooden floor, that could have only come from one source. Well, to be accurate, it would actually be four sources, but only one cause. Sniffing the area, Twilight found that it didn't actually smell too strongly, and wouldn't even be noticeable covered up by the fresh pallet, so put it on a to-do list she summoned from nowhere with a POOF.

After sending the list back to its place on her desk, she went back out onto the balcony, searching the ground. Spotting what she wanted, she teleported down to a flower stand and greeted the pony tending to it. “Afternoon, Roseluck. Could I trouble you for a couple of bouquets?”

The cream colored mare shrieked and whirled around, holding her hoof to her chest. “Aaahhh! Oh, it's you, Twilight. You startled me.” Her brow furrowed as she caught a good look at the mare. “What happened to your eyes?”

“Long story. Sorry about the scare,” Twilight replied. “So, um, have any good roses? The Princess is staying at my place, and I want it to smell and look its best for her.”

Smiling, the mare flipped her dark red mane over her shoulder and asked, “Your usual Princess bouquet, then?”

Twilight twisted her face in thought for a moment before saying, “One of those, and a regular bunch of red ones, food quality. Oh, and I'm almost out of daisies, could I have a bunch of those too?”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” As she turned around to fill the order, Roseluck casually asked, “So, how are things going with your fillyfriend?”

Distracted, Twilight looked back to her library worried about what might be going on back there. “Huh? Which one?” she asked.

The earth pony almost ripped the paper in which she was wrapping the order completely. “What?”

“What?”

“Um, nothing. Here you go, Twilight. Ten bits, please.” Hoofing over the large bundle of flowers, Roseluck nervously looked around.

“Thanks,” Twilight said as she hoofed over a small bag containing twelve bits and took the bundle. “Keep the change.” And with that, she teleported away again.

“Told you she was with all of them,” came a voice from the other side of the cart.

Roseluck nodded reluctantly. “Sorry I ever doubted you,” she replied sarcastically. “Here.” She hoofed over a small sack of bits to Berry Punch who emerged from behind the cart with a grin.

“Pleasure doing business with you,” she said. Taking note of the earth pony's sour expression, Berry asked, “Aren't you glad I put that fifty bit limit on the pool, now?” She leaned her back against the cart casually playing with the bag. “Three hundred fifty bits if Cheerilee had won alone would have been nice, I know, but at least you only lost fifty, right?”

Roseluck grumbled something unintelligible, sparking a feeling of generosity within the barkeep. “Tell you what; next time you come in to my place, your first drink is on me, okay?”

Smiling and shaking her head, the cream colored mare replied, “You're a bad influence, you know that?”

Berry grinned back at her. “Just make sure you bring Lily Valley and Daisy and the bits they owe when you do come.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight finished arranging the flowers in a vase and turned to examine the room one more time. Fresh bedding, check. Fragrant flowers, check. Room aired out and dusted, check. Chocolate mints on pillows... Looking to the pillows, she noted a distinct lack of complimentary mints on them. Roadsapples! Where's the mints?

Digging out her last shopping list, she noted that only one item on it hadn't been crossed off. That's right! Bonbon was out of chocolate mints last week. Deciding that she had already left her guest for far too long, she improvised with a chocolate covered rose petal on each pillow instead. Guess it'll have to do.

The librarian levitated the bedding in from the balcony and floated it as well as the rest of the flowers behind her as she made her way back downstairs. As she passed the open archway leading to the library's lobby, she called out, “Spike, come help me with the wash.”

Silence greeted her summons, causing her to back up and actually look into the room. The tableau that greeted her was distressing, indeed. While the Princess poured herself another cup of tea, everypony else in the room, Spike included, stared at her with expressions of shock, their mouths agape.

A feeling of dread overcame her, causing her to back away slowly and return to what she was doing. Just walk away, Twilight. Just... walk away.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

“Pony will pay. All the ponies will PAY.” Repeating this mantra to himself as he walked, Rover only gave the scantest attention to what he was doing. He was far too intent on his promised revenge to really watch the path before him; not that he could make it out very well in the dark of the night. It hardly mattered though, since he knew his way around the mountain paths almost as well as he did the tunnels where he ruled... had ruled, that is.

Reminded of what he had lost once again, he stopped long enough to rip a helpless bush out of the ground, and throw it off the path. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't as helpless as he had first thought, and spent the next few minutes cursing as he pulled thorns from his paws as he resumed walking.

Before he realized it, mountains had given way to forest, and Rover looked around nervously. He tried to take comfort by flicking at the gem that hung from his collar, only to remember that it had been taken from him by Fido, the big bruiser and enforcer of the trio that had led the pack. This focused his resolve, and he strode into the forest with a swagger as if daring anything to get in his way.

Rover followed the split in the path It had told him about, and it wasn't long before he smelled something vaguely familiar, making an evil grin spread across his muzzle. Just like It said, they are here, waiting for a real alpha to lead them. He let loose a low chuckle as he stepped into a clearing, allowing himself to be bathed in moonlight.

Looking around, it seemed as if the forest itself was alive and moving to surround him, yet, the Diamond Dog felt no fear. Rover demanded the alpha to come forward with a howl of challenge, and waited for him to appear.

The wait wasn't long, as a part of the forest came forward into the light of the moon. He was a massive specimen, towering over the smaller dog. Sap dripped from his paw-long teeth, each sharp enough to slice through the toughest of hides. Rippling muscles creaked as they strained against his incredible weight. This was truly a prime example of Timber Wolves that greeted Rover.

The timber wolf snarled ad him, but Rover smacked him across the snout with enough force to turn his head, and leave him seeing stars. Surprised that such a tiny creature could hold so much power, it sniffed at him, trying to figure him out. It only took a few seconds for him to recognize the smell of an apex predator, one more powerful than he. With a submissive whimper, the timber wolf rolled onto his back, presenting his belly and throat; the force of such a felling nearly knocking Rover from his feet.

Rover jumped onto the wolf's neck and grabbed his throat, applying pressure to the windpipe; not a lot, just enough to drive home the point that even through his toughened wooden hide, the Diamond Dog could easily reach his vitals. With that, he was welcomed to a new pack, his new pack with a howl from every timber wolf in the area.

Things were beginning to look up for the formerly homeless dog. After all, when you've hit bottom, where else is there to go, but up?