Timberwolf Study, Part Five

 

Part Five:

>The mud that normally clings to your coat is cleaned, there's a scrunchy scowl deeply set on your muzzle, and your surroundings are significantly more civilized than usual. Despite all the odds, (You) are Hermitnon.

>And there isn't a time when you would most like not to be, but life is a series of concessions.

>It took several days to recover from your foray into studying the magical composition of the Timberwolf, and you spent it trying to piece together what the Hell you had observed

>And you didn't like your conclusion. Not one bit.

>The initial reading of all magics present in the subje... the Timberwolf wasn't nonsense. It flew completely in the face of your initial hypothesis, but the evidence didn't brook argument: having all the standard sensations present in a form was usually the evidence of a sapient creature, as the capacity for magic was present in the soul - you could scan an Earth Pony or Pegasus and get the same results, horns be damned.

>That meant that the Timberwolves weren't constructs fashioned by some sort of hedgewizard

>Oh no, worse - they were creatures that had been aggressively warped... by Chaos Magic

>That was a can of worms you weren't eager to explore

>You had met Discord exactly once and it...

>Wasn't much better than meeting the Royal Sisters, if you were being honest

>Beyond him being himself, ie a much more annoying version of the Genie from "Aladdin", there was a tenseness to him that you recognized after a time

>A sense of regret that you could practically taste

>And you were already sick of it after being overindulged by a certain pair of Alicorns

>So, you were holding off on that meeting

>On top of that awkwardness you weren't entirely sure if Discord would be so amenable after your encounter with Yellowface

>You were aware enough of that whole 'morality pet' situation to recognize giving them a wide berth for a time would be wise

>So, you chose another meeting you weren't looking forward to instead

>It didn't take you too long to realize you recognized that searing heat radiating off... whatever the fuck that spell was

>You had experienced it before, in varying levels of intensity

>The fury of the summer Star as rays of furious, scorching magic tried to disintegrate you for your insolence in stealing her brother's face

>The gentle Sun in spring using telekinesis to thoroughly wipe the crumbs off your face after a hearty royal banquet

>(You were fairly confident your tail's fur had never quite grown back right)

>Princess Celestia had done something to these creatures, and you were determined to figure out what

>Not so much an experiment today as an interrogation, but we'll title it like one anyway

>'Figure out what is going on with these fuckers'... Part two.

>You could simply get another Timberwolf and poke and prod at the spell that was surely wrapped around their soul, but you weren't especially eager to have to contend with it

>And the end results of doing so were... still something you were struggling with, to be honest

>Subconsciously, you cast a glance over to your right

>Amidst a veritable ocean of discomfort, you gained at least a little strength that your traveling companion was just as uncomfortable as you were

>Clad from ears to tail in a cloak made entirely of leaves you'd fused together, the hood enchanted to obscure them entirely, it was as if you were on a road trip with Death itself

>Which served perfectly to ensure that Ponies were giving you as wide a berth as possible as you stalked the streets of Canterlot

>Everything about this city made your withers tense and your teeth ache

>The white stone it seemed everything was mandated to be made out of was too bright

>The perfectly manicured lawns and placid skies were the height of the unnatural grip Ponies demanded over the very world

>The Ponies themselves were... usually a lot louder, a lot more obnoxious than this, keen on making themselves heard and known amidst their peers and those they designated their lesser

>Lot more of those 'lessers' than 'peers' to be honest, not that many of the citizenry here were

>Either way it was a quiet trip up to the Castle, stalled only by a Royal Guard's brief effort to get in your way, questioning your companion and what business you had with the Princess

>Had to break out the full wingspan and expand that chest tuft a bit but he got the message pretty quick

>No pleasantries right now, not even for the Royal Wagies

>Providence continues to pour in as you managed to catch Princess Celestia during her court's afternoon break

>You weren't big on the idea of causing a huge scene to get an audience

>Honestly, you'd done enough to these sisters

>The fact of which is right at the forefront of your mind as you settle into a chaise in one of her better sitting rooms

>That expression on her face hasn't changed one iota since you last saw it

>A knitted brow, a desperate gleam in her eyes

>She's excited to see you but terrified at the same time

>Either you managed to really learn body language out in the middle of the Everfree all by yourself for half a year or she's just that lacking in self control expressing herself

>"Allow me first to tell you I am delighted to see you again, Annon."

>You fail to stifle the groan in the back of your throat, and regret it when she flinches

"You know that's not right. But sure, great to see you. I hope you don't mind if I blow right past the pleasantries-"

>Not that there's many to be had here, though that errant thought manages to not tumble out of your mouth

"But I'm here with a purpose. I think you know full well where I've been for the past six months. You've certainly made your student aware that she should keep her eyes peeled for me, at any rate."

>The perils of using your spellbook as a diary

>Just a terrible way to keep your magical and personal secrets if it gets lifted

>The Princess doesn't have the grace to look abashed

>"Even if you were always at home in nature, An... Anon, the Everfree is a truly dangerous territory, which little in the way of guardians or oversight. I only wanted to ensure that you were alright, since you... did not care for the accommodations here."

>Real nice one-two punch there, making the effort to get your name right before reminding you of your walking out

>If you were actually a pony, you might feel bad

>Fortunately you just play one on TV

"You know full well why I left. You two couldn't stand to have to see this face every day, and it was making all three of us miserable. I'm not him. I won't be him. And you're distracting from the point."

>With a snort, you slipped of the chaise, pacing as you spoke

"Without that oversight and guardianhood, I've been free to study magic at my pace and study what I want to learn... for a given value of what was actually interesting tucked away in your student's grimoire."

>With the grace of an Olympic ice skater, you leap over her choked noise of surprise at your admitted theft

"But I've taken up a side project as well, to avoid burning out on that. Nature studies. Specifically, fauna. Flora? Maybe both, in this case. The Everfree is choked with Timberwolves, and I've been studying them. Their diets, their behaviors, population centers, all that."

>You take quick stock of the minor widening of the Princess's eyes and the slight increase of her breathing's speed

"I thought at first that they were constructs created by a wizard from the past to oversee the Everfree's more interesting phenomena, but when I inspected their magical makeup... well, my theory could still potentially be true, I'd just have to amend them being corrupted from something else. Something chaotic. That's going to be a pain in the ass to deal with, but I'm far more interested in why your metaphorical hoofprint is stamped so damn harshly on them, too."

>And it was definitely a 'them'

>You'd made sure to test a grand number of them for Celestia's hoofwork before marching all the way here

>Specifically by inspecting the largest pack, the group sequestered near the Castle Ruins

>Every last one of them, bearing souls scorched by her flames

>Celestia looked to be mentally debating herself, but came to a conclusion soon enough, which she punctuated with an audible sigh

>"I understand that you still don't remember much of the past, but I will try and keep this succinct. All three of us ruled this land and our little ponies together, but we did have our affinities. The Thestral and to a lesser extent the Pegasi flocked to Luna due to her mastery of war and her penchant for flight. The Unicorns rallied around me due to relieving them of the burden of the Sun, and my delving into the mysteries of magic, and the Earth Ponies, they were..."

>She swallows down what you strongly expect was going to be 'yours'

>"His. Annon carried the Earth with him where ever y-he went. His court was whatever prairie or field called to him that day, and his law was that of nature's. He held no real sway over the government, and he did not attempt to. His constituents were the plants and animals of Equestria, and he served them first and foremost."

>You knew this, of course

>Celestia and Luna had though trying to recap Annon's life would spark something in you

>Aside from an appreciation and some camaraderie with a fellow nature lover, it did not

>"When the time came to do battle with Discord, he did not take us seriously without the Elements. Our battles were frantic and desperate, and we did not realize the price we were paying until it was too late."

>Celestia pauses briefly to bat at one of her eyes

>You choose not to comment on it

>"The devastation that he did to the environment was palpable, but manageable. It wasn't until much later that we realized that our brother, so tied to the land as he was, was experiencing that corruption as if it was struck across his own breast. He succumbed to Discord's poison... but."

>At this point, she makes direct eye contact with you

>Even during your first, violent meeting, you don't think she wore an expression so serious

>"Annon did not fall alone."

>Ah fuck

>"While my brother tended to the needs of the land, he had his followers. Druids, Rangers. Earth Ponies who felt the call to join him in defending the wilds. They shared in his connection, far closer than we ever realized. As the Beast rose to rampage across Equestria, they shared in his fate. Noble ponies devolved into beasts, melded with the nature they so loved into something twisted. Feral."

>You exhale a breath you didn't even realize you'd been holding on to for the past few minutes

"Timberwolves. They became... miniature Beasts. Minions."

>Princess Celestia nods gravely

>"Correct. With such an influx of followers, it made combating the Beast even more difficult, as they would defend him - and even attack settlements themselves to distract from his main rampage. When we finally felled the Beast, we had hoped it would be a simple matter to deal with the Timberwolves, but... without their leader, they frenzied. It was if some part of Annon was holding them back."

>Well, this all sounds fucking terrible

>Though it does beg a few questions

"If they were so vicious, why do any of them even exist? And why do they only stalk the Everfree instead of trying to tear up the countryside still?"

>Celestia winces again

>"... Because I ensured that they couldn't do anything else, using the spell that's brought you here today. I was able to bind them all with a geas, to bind them to the Everfree Forest and ensure they could never stray too far. I forced them to perform the roles they had taken up in their previous life, patrolling the Forest and watching over the various magical sites that now had no guardian... and when Luna eventually fell as well, I altered the binding to make them custodians of our ruined castle, to ensure nopony attempted to rob it and make off with the inert Elements of Harmony."

>Your mouth is already opening to question why she would do such a thing, before you're cut off

>"I was weak. Grieving. I already had to kill my own brother, and now was faced with having to cull his most devoted subjects. My little ponies, even if they did have their preferences. It felt like truly wiping him from the face of Equestria, and I just... I just wanted to preserve something of him."

>You could kind of see the logic there

>Personally, you would've preserved something with less fangs and claws

>Maybe a journal made public or one of those stained glass murals she was so fond of

>But the pragmatist in you can find the value in 'preserving his memory' and ensuring that the magical forest full of deadly animals and powerful magical artifacts was still being watched over

"Well, that answers most of my questions. I still have at least one, though."

>With that, you gesture to your companion, who raises his clawed digits to pull down his leafy hood

>Presenting the Timberwolf you'd cleansed of the geas, though (You) probably figured that out dozens of lines ago

"Will you help me fix this?"