-The Rocky Road, Part I-

Canterlot, the cantered slopes cliffside city of the rising sun. The most magnificent of pony engineering of the ancient, and current era.The city hung from the side of the mountain, a great spire that separates the Unicorn Range from The Foal Mountains, on the largest cantilever of existence to date. It swung away from the mountain, wrapped around it in a tight embrace, and perched on top of its marble base, like the bough of a great tree.

It was perched atop that marble bough, that the royal city sat. Comfort and excellence dominated the city’s streets, but its ponies had suddenly become far less concerned with this. Instead, every waking eye had turned Southward. Ponyville was distant, but still visible below the horizon. And before tonight, it had barely been a hoofnote in any Canterlot pony’s life, barely worth any mention. But that had been before, before the light show on the horizon, before the attack.

Although, comparatively, the ponies of Canterlot had seen little from their city’s streets. It was from the greatest tower of Canterlot Castle, that the entirety of the events had been observed. Luna and Celestia had finished their nightly ritual, the lowering of the sun to make way for the moon and the night. It had been the exact moment that the sun had disappeared over the horizon, that the lights had arced over Ponyville.

Luna couldn’t be sure if the event had shocked her sister as much as it had her. Celestia had merely sat in silence, staring out at the smoke and fire as the battle raged. It could only have been that, a battle. What else could it have been, a force was sent, and their new emissary had done his job … remarkably well.

How Coalback had held so much power upon his mortal frame was beyond her, how he even knew sanity at all was even farther from her understanding.

She knew the force of will when she heard it, but this had been like a giant’s rage. She feared to fall under the power of that sort of will, somepony that strong could only have will of such magnitude through gravitas that even she did not hold.

She had only seen such displays of power twice in her eternal life time, only twice that she could remember. During the time of Discord’s imprisonment, and her own. But this had been done not to imprison, but to halt. And that made it all the more beautiful to her, even the scar that that battle had left was beautiful.

It was the image of a bird of prey, a phoenix before it struck down on its next meal. Its wings were spread wide along the newly burned curve of the edge of the Everfree, their edges clearly defined by the stone wall. Its feathers splayed out as the ashen aftermath of the blinding red fires that had exploded from the ground.

The body was curled out from the shape that the burning lights had carved from the ground, bending out to meet with the point where the single figure had stood in their way. Their force had split apart around him, separating like water around a stone in the stream, creating the claws of the phoenix’s shape. Its tail was formed from the destroyed building, splaying out like the ashen imprint of its other feathers.

But it was its eyes that were the most daunting feature, their bright red glow of the still intensely burning fires that had created the great wall. Burning on the spot where Discord had revealed himself. They burned beneath where Discord had heard a mortal’s Name, and had been commanded to reply in kind.

She tore her eyes away from the hypnotizing gaze of the fiery mural so many kilometers away, turning to look again at the platform that she shared with her sister. It was late, near midnight now, and yet the sister of the sun had insisted upon staying awake. Their marble platform upon the tallest tower of Conterlot’s magnificent castle was quiet, serene if not for the harrowing sight before them.

Celestia’s eyes reflected where her gaze fell, the sparkling lights from the lanterns of the ponies as they fled their homes. Like an orange constellation, one to reflect the thousands in Luna’s night sky. It was a rough ring shape, clustering together in a pattern of concentric shapes. She could see the carts lit by the lanterns, surrounding the centermost mass of tiny bodies.

“Sister?” Luna said, ending the silence that had fallen over the air between them. When the diarch of the sun did not respond, she continued. “What is to happen now? We art at war, art we not?” She asked, the implications of the sudden and deliberate attack ringing through her mind.

Celestia never moved, her stoic gaze locked firmly on the ponies. The tension in the air grew as Luna continued to wait for the response she desired, only to be broken by a low hum from the white alicorn’s throat. It was a quiet noise, barely even an acknowledgement of her comment.

“We fear for what a war will mean for the gentle ponies of Equestria.” She said with concern in her voice, but continued to try and receive any response from her eerily silent sister. “We fear that the ponies of this era art not capable of fighting, naught as they used to be.” She tried, but continued to receive little response other than another disconnected hum. “Tia, ist thou … alright?” She asked, her sister’s behaviour had become so strange, and this was not the first time.

Ever since the night that the wolf had fallen from the sky, she had been distant to her, and her subjects. Only when the elements had been present did Celestia appear to be herself, but it had fallen away the second they had left. She had become stiff, calculating. Like she had never seen her act before, golem-like. She had questioned the pony that had replaced the wolf with prejudiced efficiency, answering little for him. Luna had had to take the privilege of answering his confused questions, and asking of his cooperation with herself and her sister. It was disconcerting how her normally so calm and collected sister had become so different.

“I am fine.” Celestia spoke, her voice a sudden but relieving interruption to the silence that had fallen. “And you are correct, Luna. Our little ponies have grown weak in these centuries of peace.” She said sadly, emotion finally starting to emerge into her voice.

“Then what shall be done?” Luna asked again, her sister’s response encouraging her.

Celestia’s face fell, a deep sadness softening her features before she spoke. “Things are already in motion, things that shall change Equestria forever.” She said darkly, moving toward a whisper as she spoke. She stood as her voice fell away, standing to leave from the platform. “I should retire, it is a late hour for me to stay awake. I’ll worry myself sick if I do not rest.” She said, turning a weak smile toward the dark alicorn.

“We worry in thy favor, Celestia. Sleep well.” Luna returned, her voice laced with concern. Her sister left the balcony, her ivory white coat disappearing through the door as she made her way toward her chambers. Luna turned toward the nearest tower, listening carefully as Celestia’s hoofsteps disappeared.

She clicked twice with her tongue, the sound coming out as if somepony had tapped their hooves together. Quickly, as if coming from the shadows themselves, two Night Guard appeared. They bowed low, their long ears nearly touching the floor of the platform before they rose to look at her again, awaiting orders.

“Put Our sister under watch, all of the day and all of the night. Three art to be placed to watch her at all times, and any of her behaviours are to be reported to us.” She whispered darkly, watching them nod in return. “Also, be prepared to house the refugees, they will arrive by the morrow.” She said as a final dismissal, starting to turn away.

One of the guards bristled, his ebony colored armor ringing against itself. His ears stood at full attention, the doubled slit at the sides of his throat opening to reveal their black abyss within. It was with their opening that a sound, quieter than anything a normal pony could hear, sifted through the air. Luna’s ears perked up at the sound, swiveling to catch them with senses that differed greatly from her sister’s.

“Nay.” She replied as the slits closed again, turning an eye to look at the guard from the corner of her vision. “Nay, naught ist to be reported to the Sun Guard. We fear that they are too easily gossiped, and would takest too lightly of this. Naught ist to be reported to anypony else, keep this to only the guards to be assigned the task, swear them all to secrecy.” She finished, lifting a wing and motioning for them to leave.

We have much to do, perhaps a prediction is in order. Yes, that should shed light upon the things that are needed. She thought to herself, her horn lighting with deep magics. Her pupils opened wider, spreading until they reached the edges of her sclera and spreading until all of her eye had turned black. “Show me … Show me the truth.” She whispered under her breath, her words slipping away from the royal vocabulary as she cast her spell.

“So much to be done …” Her voice echoed in her head, her vision fading from this reality, as she looked into another.

---

In his newly revealed shape, the way that Coalback walked was one of the most interesting things that she had noticed. He stood upright and tall, yet he had no tail to keep balance with. And his legs were more evenly proportioned, two long lengths of rippling muscle that ended with his feet.

Heel, toe. Heel, toe. Heel, toe.

That was the pattern, the ever present drumbeat of his footfalls a comforting and constant sound.

It wasn’t like she had never seen a bipedal creature walk before, she saw Spike walking around town all the time. And there had been that crazy minotaur that had visited. But Spike had more of a waddle to his gait, and minotaurs stomped more than walked. No, when he walked, he just … fell. Like a perpetual motion that he created with the constant forward motion of his body, kept alive by those steady footfalls.

Heel, toe. Heel, toe. Heel, toe.

Thump, tap. Thump. Thump, tap. Thump.

The wooden shaft tapped the ground in time with his right foot, supporting the torn and tortured hip and keeping it from collapsing under him. The cold iron tip, shining and sharp, flashed by his face with every step. He clutched onto the shaft of the spear with determination, eyes aimed to the ground, examining his footing carefully.

And the motion didn’t end in his legs, either. His whole body went into the motion, leaning forward and twisting with every step. His abdomen flexed as much as his thighs, the motion mirrored by the lean muscles in his back. The thickly corded muscles there twisting and pulling to keep the precarious balance between walking and actually falling.

Even his shoulders, as far from the ground as they were, moved with the motion. Following the pattern of his legs in their swaying, almost like he was walking the way that she was used to seeing, but only on his back legs this time.

Her eyes traveled farther up his erect frame, examining the scars on his now furless skin. There were far more than she remembered, the smallest having been hidden before. She could see several faded lines of closed flesh crossing his throat, drawing up beside the bite marks there. And if she watched his arms carefully as they passed, she could make out more lines like the first, running up and down his forearm.

She wasn’t exactly familiar with the methods of suicide, but much of an understatement as it is, Coalback had lived a hard life before this. And it was fairly easy to draw the lines between. Hadn’t he mentioned something about a train?

She shivered at the thought, the motion reminding her of another aspect of of his new shape. He didn’t have fur, not in any way that would be comparable. He had a light spread of thin hairs that covered his arms and legs, serving little purpose to warm him. The wiry hairs on his chest and stomach only differing in the fact that they were a similar color to his mane of shaggy hair.

“Coalback? Are you cold?” Rainbow asked, moving to fill the space that was still separating them and wrapping a wing around his hips. From here, that was all she could actually reach. She couldn’t lean against him, she would only be pressed against his leg which would only trip him up if she wasn’t careful. And she couldn’t hope to stand and walk at the same pace as him. The only way she would have been able to be at a similar height to him would be to fly next to him. But if she did that she couldn’t wrap a wing around him, and the wind could make him colder. So she settled to just wrapping her wing around what she could reach.

Coalback didn’t respond, but he did halt the movement of one of his hands. He reached down and set it on the back of her head, pressing reassuredly against it. It was enough to let her know that he was uneasy, so much so that he didn’t want to speak. But she had a very good idea what was bothering him this time.

It only took a slight shift of her eyes, enough to catch the lantern lights in the corner of her vision, enough to be sure. There they were, the ponies of Ponyville, following behind Coalback. That was the strange thing, their reaction to him when they had returned to the procession. They had been … happy to see him.

Stallions stood taller as they pulled their carts. Foals stopped crying. The injured ponies from the hospital stopped their moans. Mares donned smiles.

It had been a serious surprise when they had actually looked to him for leadership. He had been reluctant, trying to explain that it was not his place to do so. But it had taken only one look from him to decide to help anyway.

He had called the way that they had been walking, unsafe. He said that if there was a threat, that they would be out in the open, like sitting ducks. He had told anypony that was willing, to take whatever weapons they had and to position themselves on the boxier carts in a perimeter. He positioned them in a ring, ordering the sick, injured, and the foals to the center.

It resulted in a circular pattern, lanterns swinging and metal flashing as they marched. A circle of protection that centered around the foals, and the injured, and the elderly. Now they marched with determination, waiting for his call to rest.

He was scared to death of them.

That was one of the funny things about Coalback. Stand him in front of a giant, drooling, monster, and he’ll stare it down until it’s crying at his feet and begging for mercy. But the second you put a group of scared ponies in front of him, he falls to pieces. Maybe it was like he just couldn’t handle the fact that he could hurt somepony that hadn’t done anything to hurt him? Or that he had seen what scared mobs could do before. It would explain why he reacted the way he did to the ponies after he had finished with that jaguar.

“What about your leg? Do you want to get a cart to sit on? Maybe we should stop early?” She tried, leaning back into his hand and looking up at him with concerned eyes. A small smile sparked to life on his face, his hand lightly squeezing the back of her neck.

“Wouldn’t do much good to get a cart. We should see about finding a place to set up camp though.” He said, his voice quiet.

“What do you mean it wouldn’t do much good?” Rainbow asked, she could understand his second statement, but the first had seemed a little far into left field. “Got something against carts now?” She asked with a smirk, maybe a joke would help him relax.

“What I mean is, that I weigh more than four hundred pounds.” He said as his smile turned into a smirk. “And I would hate to ask somepony to pull that.” He chuckled.

“Haha,” Rainbow laughed sarcastically. “No, really. Why don’t you want a cart?” She finished, his previous answer being ridiculous. Coalback was big, no doubt about that, but he wasn’t that big.

She looked again at the rippling muscles as they stretched and pulled on his skin. There just wasn’t the kind of bulk that could constitute that amount of weight. Snowflake, the local body building pony who had more bulk than wings, was the only pony she knew who weighed anything near that. Coalback was significantly smaller than him though.

However, Coalback had had several intense moments where he had possessed more strength than he should have. She wasn’t sure if that was a byproduct of his strange magic, or if humans were naturally as heavy as rocks.

“That’s really why,” He said in his defense, turning to look down at her. “And I’m considered the runt of the family.” He explained, watching her eyes go wide.

“No way!” Rainbow said incredulously, that didn’t make sense at all. “You’re telling me, that you’re as heavy as a heavyweight hoofboxing champion, and that the rest of your family was heavier?!” She said, continuing to look at him in disbelief.

“Yes!” Coalback defended again, giving her neck a light squeeze. “And I bet I’m stronger than any old ‘hoofboxing’ champ.” He said, his smile turning into a grin.

“How is that even possible? You don’t even look that heavy.” Rainbow continued, still unconvinced as to how Coalback could get so … dense.

“Did I ever tell you the advantages of being … whatever I am?” He asked, finishing as he tried to figure out what he wanted to say. He continued when Rainbow’s only reply was another questioning look. “My family legacy is more than just a curse, there are many blessings that come alongside this demon.” He explained, trying his best not to simply bore her to death. “There are many, but I won’t even try to list them off now. Just know that one of them is the fact that my muscle structure is more advanced … Denser, stronger, faster. All that jazz.” He said, looking down to make sure that he hadn’t lost her.

She stared up at him with that surprised look that he was starting to get used to. “That explains a lot, actually.” She said flatly, blinking up at him as a thought occurred to her. “Wait, but what about those times when you were-?”

“Being very careful.” He interrupted, stopping her from actually mentioning the point he knew that she was about to cross. “I didn’t want to hurt you, like I said the first time.” He said gently and winked, watching the blush cross her face.

“Alright, alright. I get it.” She said, turning away to try and hide her flushed face. “We shouldn’t even talk about that stuff, or I’m gonna get all worked up again.” She said as an excuse, trying to pull herself away half-heartedly.

“Would that be such a bad thing?” He muttered under his breath, lightly tugging on her mane and drawing a gasp from her.

"Don't, Coalback." Rainbow reprimanded, pulling away from his hand and retracting her wing. "There's too much going on right now." She said as an excuse, the actual reason for her reluctance starting to guiltily weigh down in her chest. In all honesty, she was still unsure of what she thought of Coalback's new body. Even if it was only another step from him being a wolf, he was just so different now.

It felt like her chest was wrapped in tightening coils of rope, and she didn't know what to do. She had known that Coalback had kept his secrets, and there was no doubt that he still hadn't told her everything. It didn't scare her, far from that. But it still felt like there was a new air of ... intensity, one that she wasn't sure she could keep up with. And that was a scary thought.

If what she had seen him do in a body that he had only had for a few weeks had been any indicator of his abilities, what was he capable of in this one? The Greys had been dangerous because of their difference from everything else, so even if he wasn't one of them, it was close enough.

"I'm sorry," Coalback said after a moment, the joviality that had made his voice lighter gone. "Are you angry at me?" He asked, the hurt that tinged his voice almost making Rainbow cringe. Even if he was more intimidating than before, she still cared about him.

"I'm not angry." She said quickly, trying to alleviate him of the idea. "It's just that ... There's a lot I've gotta think about right now. And everypony's relying on us to get through this, so I need to keep a level head. And so do you." She finished, swallowing the lump in her throat before it choked her to death.

His hand gently returned to her back, resting just above her shoulders.“Maybe something else then?” He started, rubbing his hand gently along her back. “How long has it been since you last preened?” He asked, the suggestion present in his question.

Rainbow sighed, the prospect of having a good preen after all this time was sounding very pleasant. “That sounds ... pretty good.” She said, dropping the frustrated scowl that she had drawn onto herself without really realizing it. “But I don’t know …” She finished with a defeated sound, less of a sigh as it was a groan.

Coalback opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of hooves scraping on the ground drew them both to a stop. They both halted their pace and looking up toward the noise, and the haggard pegasus that was the origin. She had a pink coat, her reddish brown mane falling down in more of a pile than a wave, parting around the flight goggles that sat skewed on her head.

“Airheart?” Rainbow asked, the surprise of her presence evident on her face. “Where are the others in your group?” She asked, panic starting to edge in on her as examined the exhausted pegasus.

Coalback hadn’t just reorganized the ponies, he had taken other precautions. He had chosen the fastest ponies that would go, setting them up in groups of four. Their job was to scout ahead and around the path that the evacuation would take, and to run as fast as they could back to him if they found anything.

So the fact that Airheart had come back as fast as she had, couldn’t mean anything good at all. “What happened?” Coalback said gently, leaning down and calmly trying to get an answer from the pegasus.

“Cart- No. It was a sled!” She sputtered, looking up at him with eyes that shuddered with fear. “Overturned by the … a grove of trees ... Went to … investigate … and then- and then-” She coughed, trying to catch her breath again before speaking. “I-it … It took Dewdrop!” She said finally.

“What did, what took Dewdrop? Talk to us, Airheart.” He continued gently, moving his hand up and down in a calming gesture. The sounds of carts died behind them, the procession coming to a halt shortly after they had.

“It was- A troll!” She said, starting to finally calm from her hard flight. “It grabbed him right out of the air, and then it dragged him into the cave! We didn’t know what to do, so I flew as fast as I could to come and get you.” She started suddenly, jumping and bowing her head almost in a panic. “Uh- Sir Douglass!”

Coalback’s previously gentle movements suddenly hardened, his hand closing into a tight fist. Rainbow felt him stifle a growl, even as it seemed like his whole body bristled. “Show me.” He barked, the gentleness completely gone. He hefted the spear, shifting it from the stance he had used for walking, to one for throwing. It was strange, the stance seemed to just fit.

It made sense though, ponies had been forced to adopt weapons like that. It seemed … built for him.

Airheart jumped, shooting into the air in an instant. Rainbow followed suit sending up a small wave of snow as she hovered in the small hesitation. Airheart pointed behind her, sputtering out a direction as she shot back the direction that she came from.

Rainbow was off just as fast, following closely in her airstream as she led the way. They flew low and fast, following the contours of the land as they flew. It only took her a few moments to realize that there was a new sound had emerged in the wake of their sudden departure, a heavy and fast drumbeat.

She turned her gaze slightly, bringing the source of the sound into view from the corner of her eyes. It was Coalback, and she finally had a chance to see him run, really run.

It wasn’t like anything she had ever seen before, not anything like a pony running. When a pony ran, it could easily have been compared to a charging animal. But when Coalback ran, it was so different. It was hard to explain, something like flight, but different still.That heart-like beat that was so steady and slow before had suddenly changed, becoming an intense crescendo of unending impacts.

His heels never even touched the ground, bending and absorbing the force behind every step. His toes impacted the ground with force enough to make the ground spread under him. With every backstroke of his leg the ground tore apart under his toes, creating that torn footprint she had followed.

And he kept pace with Airheart, following almost as closely as Rainbow was. But it didn’t look like he could have done it for long, he was struggling. Even as she watched, he stumbled slightly in his steps, using the spear to vault himself back into his pace. And he was breathing too hard, his chest heaving as he pounded forward.

“Over there!” Airheart yelled, pointing forward toward an outcropping of rocks.

“On it! Meet ya there!” Rainbow yelled, shunting up and out of Airheart’s airstream and shooting forward in a blur. She was there in less than a second, skidding to a halt and examining the scene around her.

It was a mess, there’s not much else that could describe it. There was an oversized dogsled overturned by the entrance of a cavern, the slope leading into it covered in dragging marks. Blood was all over the area around the sled, dying the snow velvet red. Two other ponies stood nearby, cowering behind a stone. A unicorn stallion and an earth mare, both shaking in their horseshoes.

Rainbow took a few steps over toward them, starting to recognise the ponies. “Brass? Cheerilee?!” Rainbow exclaimed, surprised by the presence of the schoolteacher. She hadn’t even seen her in the groups when they left. “Cheerilee, what are you- What are you guys pointing at?” She asked, her first question interrupted by the teacher’s raised hoof, pointing over her shoulder.

She turned her head, following the direction of the scared ponies’ gazes, and freezing on the spot.

It was a wolf, not like Coalback. This one was smaller, but still just as big as her. It was standing over something next to the overturned sled, its harness still hanging from its back. It was breathing heavily, the growls coming out in between every breath. Drool fell from its tongue, barely revealed past its bared fangs.

“Oh, that’s what …” She mumbled under her breath, putting herself in a low stance and slowly starting to back away.

Unfortunately, the wolf seemed to take that as a signal to follow her. It took a step forward, leaving its guarded position over the bundle on the ground to slowly follow her. Rainbow managed to mouth out an ‘Oh shit,’ as she continued to back away. But the wolf kept moving forward, the torn apart harness pulling free from the cords still attaching it to the sled.

One of Rainbow’s hooves slid out from under her, a slick ice patch that she had stepped onto landing her on her flank before she could catch herself. The wolf snarled, a high pitched bark preceding a rush. It jumped forward, and in her fear frozen state she hadn’t been able to react fast enough to jump out of the way.

The wolves claws were practically on her in an instant.

“BACK OFF!” Coalback’s voice suddenly cut through the wolf’s snarl, as well as his foot. It yelped just as suddenly as it had charged, Coalback’s leg launching it back the direction it had come from. Coalback snarled something else, the words unfamiliar to her but ringing with malice. He raised his spear, ready to attack the wolf when it came back around.

But what she hadn’t expected the wolf to do, was to retreat back to the bundle and cower over it. Coalback’s stance drooped, the threat dropping as he stared at the wolf. It was whimpering, cowering over the bundle on the ground in a poor replication of its previously defensive stance.

Rainbow raised her head, looking past Coalback and taking another glance at the wolf, and what it was standing over. The bundle squirmed, a fuzzy head poking out from under the cloth. A puppy, barely the size of a foal. And it looked scared, shaking like mad as it looked up at the wolf, and across toward Coalback.

Coalback’s spear drooped back to the ground as he saw the pup as well, a saddened look donning his face as he examined the scene around them. That’s when Rainbow noticed it, the struggle that must have taken place. There were still harnesses around the sled, seven of them, and it looked like some were missing entirely. And then there was the stink, the one that was coming from inside the cave.

“There are more of you?” Coalback asked the wolf, none of the gentleness that was there before. It was a simple, cold question.

The wolf looked up, one of its eyes swollen shut. It stared at Coalback for a moment, silent as its shaking slowly subsided. “Were …” It said, its voice dripping with sadness. But it was deeper than the bark had been, barely.

“In there?” Coalback asked, the anger returning to his voice in a growl. He didn’t even wait for the wolf to answer before his grip tightened on the spear, and he stomped toward the cave entrance. He stomped up to the entrance, staring into the darkness with a piercing gaze.

A growl formed in his chest, reverberating out before he yelled wordlessly into the darkness. He waited a moment, the sound echoing and eventually dying entirely. A moment later, a gravely sound, more of a hoot than a howl, echoed back out.

“Hey, Ugly!” Coalback yelled into the darkness, the words dripping with malice. That same hooting howl echoing back out in response. “Get your fat ass out here, and fight like something with a spine!” He yelled to it again, a mocking rotation in his voice bringing about another hoot from within the cave.

“Come inside, so I eat doggy-thing.” A scratchy, and too light voice echoing out.

“Coalback, wait!” Rainbow said, stopping him before he could take the step that she saw forming in his body. He turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes throwing back the light in an green glow for just a moment.

“Get some backup, I’ll draw him out.” Was all he said, jumping down into the cave. The wolf whimpered after him, an attempt to call him back that went ignored as Coalback disappeared into the darkness.

“Oh my gosh.” Rainbow muttered, unmoving in the shock of the fact that he had just gone. A growl startled her out of her shaking, drawing her attention back to the wolf.

He was staring at her with angry eyes, although this time he didn’t bare his teeth. “The lord has given you a command.” He growled, flicking one of his ears in irritation. “So go!” He practically barked, the command finally enough to shake Rainbow back out of her startled staring contest with the cave.

“Right, be back in ten seconds!” She yelled, jumping into the air and flying as fast as she could toward the evacuation group, and hopefully, some help.