Manonymous Part 7: Anon & Apple Family VS Giant Timber Wolf

>7 minutes left
>The wolf took a whole minute to form itself, but it looks like it considers it worthwhile
>There's what you assume to be a look of confidence on the giant's face, and it's growling that same throaty chuckle it made when you smashed some of its comrades
>It looks about 25 feet tall and twice that long: its claws seem razor sharp, and its fangs are jagged and sharp
>This... Is bad
>Really, really bad
>Even at your peak, you'd have trouble fighting something this size, and you've only saved up enough energy for 3 or 4 mintues of stressful movement at most
>And if you just so happen to take a hit, then that'll get cut down by even more
>The new giant timber wolf stares you down, giving a stomp that shakes the earth beneath you
>You sigh, and haul yourself to your feet, trying to think up a way to delay this monster for 7 more minutes...
>Wait
>Do you really have to wait it out for those 7 minutes?
>That 4 minutes of strenuous movement... If you used it for evasion instead of attack, running back to the farmhouse to meet Applejack...
>You could meet her halfway! That would save you both time and energy, and you'd have it easier taking down the wolf together
>But can you really run that long while evading this thing all the while? And worse, it'd completely tear up the farm if you're not careful
>The damage would be catastrophic if it ran wild just trying to kill you: you can't put that on the Apple family
>Running to find Applejack is an emergency back-up plan then
>Fighting it directly is out of the question with how you are now: but what does that leave you with?
>Dodge and hope for the best, you guess
>Not much of a plan, but it's all you've got right now
>... Well
>That's not quite true
>You do have Zecora's medicine
>But let's save that for when you truly are all out of options
>Nothing to do but wait and hope Applejack arrives back in time...

---Applejack's P.o.V, 4 minutes ago---

>Anon, that idiot!
>Thinkin' that he kin take on an entire pack of timber wolves!
>But not like stickin' around would have helped anyp0ny: he was right, if you both stayed, you'd both die
>Askin' fer hard cider and something to light a fire... Easy to see what he's got planned
>It's not a bad idea, timber wolves are legendarily vulnerable to fire
>But it really does take a madstallion to even try lightin' one of those things up
>Takin' on an entire pack? Unthinkable!
>Especially considering a single bite is enough to start causing some major troubles
>Big Mac sees you chargin' down toward the house, stopping his bucking in concern and followin' you in a gallop
>"Hey sis, what's the rush? Somethin' happened in the south fields?"
>You manage ta get out some words while panting and running.
"Timber wolves! A pack of them! Anon's holding them all off fer now, but we need somethin' to light 'em up!"
>Big Mac turns pale at that. "And you just left him alone with them!?"
"His plan! Too tired after buckin' to run. Not too tired ta fight though."
>He nods, trying ta think.
>"And yer sure he kin handle himself?"
"He took on the Shining Armour with two or three busted ribs and won easily. Ah think he'll be alright."
>But will he really? A timber wolf is different to a pony. You could outfight a unicorn with nothin' but grit and willpower. With a timber wolf... One bite and yer done for
>"Alright, Applejack, you git the matches from inside the house and I'll grab the hard cider from the cellar."
"Thanks big brother. We need to take all the shortcuts we can..."
>Just hold on Anon... And whatever ya do, don't get bit!

---Anon's P.o.V, present time---

>Fuck, fuck, FUCK!
>One minute in, you managed to evade the damn thing by ducking between its legs and under its body to keep it off its balance
>But then the damn thing got wise to you and started dropping down and trying to crush you with its body every time you tried
>And now, your arm and leg... Where you got bitten... They're starting to feel numb
>If this keeps up, you won't be able to put your full weight on your leg anymore and you won't be able to make a fist
>Forget running, best you could do is hop and drag your leg behind you
>This is why the alpha was laughing before: it knows what the bites do and it knew that you were screwed once you got bitten
>So now, you're resorting to hiding, hoping to wait it out
>Throwing everything you could find into its eyes took 30 seconds of high-energy movement, but it's gotten you back 30 seconds of rest so far
>Even trade, right?
>The wolf got its sight back by shedding the damaged parts of its eyes and replacing them: and now it's searching for you, trying to sniff you out
>You're not stupid: you made sure to hide downwind so the breeze wouldn't carry your scent
>5 minutes until you get your fire...
>But are you even going to be able to use it now?
>It's getting harder to move your foot and wrist
>Soon your elbow and knee will be locked out too
>A triumphant howl comes from behind you and you duck and roll away from the tree giving you cover
>A half a second later, a giant pair of jaws clamps around the tree and rips it from the earth
>The massive timber wolf snarls, looking down at you from over the 'stick' it has grasped in its mouth
>You grit your teeth and try desperately punching your arm to get some sort of feeling back in it. Nothing.
"Sorry boy, but I'm not in the mood for 'fetch' right now."
>You take a step back.
>The wolf drops the tree and takes one, massive step forward.
>If you run now, you'd have to do it for two and a half miutes straight while dodging this monster
>That'd leave you with one minute of movement plus fire to take it down with AJ for backup
>And the medicine as a final resort...
>But is your leg going to work for two and a half minutes?
>It will work
>It has to work
>Because you have no other choice
>No other options but this
>You grit your teeth, and prepare to dash
"Alright boy, new game... How about 'tag'? You're it!"
>You turn and start running the most spacious path possible
>The wolf gives a howl and takes off after you
>You try and zig-zag as the wolf continuously slams its paws down where it thinks you're going to go, like a cat toying with a mouse
>It's not even trying to kill you: it's just playing around
>It can kill you anytime it wants now, and those bites...
>You're only going to get weaker
>You map out where you remember dropping your shirt in the sun and plan your route to get to it
>You'll need something to soak in the alcohol after all
>The wolf knocks over another tree and sends it flying straight into your path with another swipe of its giant paws
>It wants to try and block off your path, but seeing that in your way, you get a different idea
>Instead of going around the tree as expected, you jump
>Kick off of it backwards with your good leg
>Straight into your pursuers face
>The wolf's eyes widen: it wasn't expecting an attack
>Spinning in midair to boost this kicks power, you slam your leg into the side of the beasts head with as much force as you can muster
>Your foe is sent reeling from the blow, the force making it drop as its head is smashed into another tree
>You use your reprieve to hide amongst the boughs of the fallen trees
>You've been running for 30 seconds: 4 more minutes until you can meet AJ
>If you can hide for another minute, that'll give you time to recover from the kick you just used
>Unfortunately, the wolf has other ideas
>It howls its fury, and starts picking up random trees and tossing them about the farm
>Of course it's mad: it was certain of its victory, and all of a sudden, you pull out a kick like that on it?
>It must be tired of toying with you
>Desperate for revenge
>You grimace, and prepare to run
>Only to realise, you can't
>Time's up
>Your leg refuses to move
"Sonofabitch..."
>You hiss as quietly as you can
>You try grabbing it at the knee and straightening it out by force, but it refuses to move: it's locked up
>Soon your left arm will be the same way
>3 and a half minutes
>You grit your teeth and concentrate as hard as you can, willing it to move through nothing but sheer stubborn-minded focus
>It twitches a little: but aside from that nothing
>And then you hear the sniffing and snuffling
>The wolf has finally cooled down, and it's using its head
>You can feel it coming closer to your hiding spot, the shaking of the earth as each paw hits the ground
>3 minutes
>Then, a pause
>The sniffing intensifies
>And your tree shakes as it's lifted bodily into the air and hurled
>The shock makes you try and grab hold of something, anything, but your hand is now refusing to respond
>With only one hand to provide grip and your exhaustion still affecting you, you don't have the strength to hold onto anything
>You're sent flying out of the tree and hit the ground with a loud thud, rolling back several feet
>The impact knocked the wind out of you, and makes your muscles ache all over
>But it wasn't as hard an impact as it should have been
>You reach under yourself, and pull the thing that cushioned your fall out to take a proper look at it
>Oh hey, your shirt and bag
>At least you don't have to worry about finding those anymore
>Now all you need is...
>"Anon! Anooooon! Y'all still alive!?"
>Perfect timing
"Heh... You're early, Applejack. According to my clock, you weren't supposed to arrive for another 2 and a half minutes."
>Applejack stops her gallop, dropping a pack of matches that she held in her mouth, staring slack-jawed at the monstrous timber wolf slowly stalking towards you
>"Wh... Where in the name of mah grandpappy's apple cider did that thing...?"
"That's what the pack became AJ. I've been trying to dodge it for the past few minutes and failing badly."
>Applejack looks down at you as you try and sit up, and notices the bite marks
>"Oh no... So they did manage to get ya..."
"Give me the bad news now, AJ. What do these bites do?"
>She swallows hard. "They paralyze ya. One limb at a time, until yer weak enough they can tear ya apart themselves... Or yer heart stops. Either way, y'need treatment ASAP!"
>"Ain't no way to do that, sis." You glance behind you to see Big Mac with a barrel strapped to his back. "Timber wolves don't stop chasing til they've eaten what they've hunted."
>Applejack stammers. "B-but, there's gotta be some way to get everyp0ny out of here and away from this thing safely!"
"There is. We kill the wolf before it kills us."
>Applejack stops and looks at you. "But Anon, yer leg, ler arm... How can you fight that beast? How can WE fight it? That monster? I can still see yer exhausted, and half of you is paralyzed!"
"I got one gamble to make... If it works, we win and everyone goes home alive except our enemy. But first, I need to be a selfish asshole and ask you two a massive favour."
>"Y'don't need to ask. We'll keep that thing off yer back while you get us a fire goin'", Big Mac speaks up. You're surprised he caught on so quick. He's not as slow as his speech makes him out to be.
>Applejack nods tersely. No hesitation this time. "Alright Anon. Mah big brother trusts in you, so I'm gonna trust you too. I hope you know what you're doing."
>Heh. That gives you a smile.
"So do I AJ."

>"Sis! Let's go!" Big Mac yells out and drops the barrel next to you as he dashes towards the wolf.
>"Roger! Big brother!" Applejack follows.
>No time to waste. Using your one remaining good arm, you grip your shirt with your teeth and tear.
>Applejack and Big Mac split up, Big Mac taking the right and AJ the left
>The wolf tries to ignore them, making to step towards you
>But a buck from Big Mac to its paw makes it rethink that strategy
>It's on a whole other level from AJ's buck: powerful, lightning fast, no openings presented
>And in one hit it completely obliterates that part of the timber wolf's body
>The beast growls in surprise as the sudden attack throws it off balance
>Applejack has her own method of attacking: throwing several pieces of fruit, wood and stones in the air, she launches all of them towards the timber wolf's eyes with incredible high-precision bucks
>Now blinded and crippled, but already reforming, the beast now turns its anger on the Apple siblings
>You grin at their teamwork as you tear.
"That's right... When fighting a giant, attack the extremities, joints and other weakspots first."
>You break the barrel open with a slam of your fist, dunking and soaking the rags into it and wrapping them around your limbs
>It's slow work with only one working hand, but at this rate...
>Maybe you have a good chance of victory after all
>Applejack is dodging between the front paws and the wolf's jaws as she launches more projectiles as Big Mac works on steadily demolishing the rear legs
>At first, it seems to be working
>But then, the worst case scenario occurs
>Applejack stumbles on a loose apple, losing her balance for a second
>A second is more than enough for the monster she's contending with
>A massive paw slams into her from the side
>Her head and body smash into a tree with a cry, and she slumps down unconscious
>"SIS!" Big Mac gives a roar.
>You curse your slowness and work on igniting the rags wrapped around your hands and feet
>The match is lit
>Big Mac launches a more powerful, but slower buck out of fury
>In exchange for the lower part of one of its leg, the wolf slams Big Mac into the dirt with a single stomp of one of its front legs
>You ignite the rags
>The wolf presses down on Big Mac, with creaking from its joints as it pushes down slowly with more and more force
>You pull one of the medicine balls out of the bag
>There's a sickening crack as Mac's ribs start to give and he roars in pain
>You flick the medicine into your mouth and bite down
>The wolf is satisfied as Mac grows silent and falls unconscious, as it turns on Applejack's still form
>It takes a lot to cruch down that medicine: but once it does break, the pieces melt away in your mouth in half a second, before you can swallow them
>The wolf stalks towards AJ, enjoying the moment of bringing down a prey that has put it through a lot of pain
>And you feel the effects of the medicine take hold
>Your pain fades away
>You can feel your leg and arm again
>Your mind is clear: all appears brighter and sharper in your vision and everything sounds magnitudes louder without hurting your ears
>And your heartbeat
>Oh god, your heartbeat
>You never knew it could beat so hard and so fast
>Your body temperature is rising: it feels as if the fire in your blood has awakened in your entire body
>You stand as time seems to slow to a crawl
>You look over and see the wolf now fully reformed about to crush Applejack underfoot
>And you feel nothing but rage for this monster
>Its paw is brought down with incredible force, meant to crush and kill in a single strike
>But before it can deliver the final blow, its paw breaks and explodes in a fireball
>The wolf stumbles, shocked yet again
>And it stares at the source of the fire
>You
>Standing in front of it, hands and feet burning and standing guard over Applejack's unconscious body
>You crossed the distance in a fraction of a second, and obliterated that part of its body with a single blow
>5 minutes to kill this thing?
>With the way you are now, you'll only need 30 seconds
>The fire that burns over your skin is a perfect match for the fire in your blood, heart, mind and soul
>You have two goals now: protect your friends, no, your comrades
>And KILL
>THIS
>BASTARD!
>The wolf can feel your anger: it tries to back off
>You kick off the ground, and deliver a solid strike to the jaw
>Flaming debris rains down from your hit as the beast's jaw explodes in a shower of burning wood
>Not a deep enough hit though: the wisp within the wolf hasn't ignited yet
>Then you'll just have to keep attacking
>The wolf tries to slam you with its paws, but you're already behind it when it starts to move
>A high kick, and one of its rear legs explodes at the joint
>It turns with a snarl, but it takes two powerful hits to the body in rapid succession
>Its body now aflame and missing its lower jaw and a hind leg, it tries desperately to shed itself of the burning pieces, but its front leg disappears in another flash of fist and fire meeting the flammable wood
>The wolf starts to tumble to the ground, unable to remain standing
>An uppercut to what remains of the head sends it flying straight back up
>The wisp within has finally caught fire--but it holds its shape, staring hatred at you from its one remaining eye
>Another two steps and you stand at the barrel that Big Mac left for you. His gift to let you bring down this monster.
>You touch the burning bandages to the liquid and it ignites
>You raise your head and slowly look the wolf at whats left of its face
>Its one eye widens with fear; it tries to turn, to run, but with only two legs left and its magic burning away, it can do nothing
>You grip the barrel and launch it towards the cowardly beast with a roar
"GO TO HELL, AND TELL THE DEVIL WHO SENT YOU!"
>The barrels shatters against the creature, the burning liquid covers every part of the wolf's body
>But the final blow must come from your fists
>You sprint in, and underneath the beast, ball yourself up, tensing every muscle in your body
>It's a fairly basic technique: use the force of all the muscles in your legs, back, chest and arms to land a single solid blow against a target
>You extend all your muscles at once, and launch from the ground with all the strength you have
>You pierce straight through the monster: the fire drills it to the core, and as you fall back to the ground, the creature finally falls apart
>The wisp rises up into the air, swirling with green magic and the ever-burning fire
>And it detonates, far above the ground into a magnificent ball of flame and magic
>You spare the explosion a single glance before patting out your burning bandages
"30 seconds."
>You still have over four minutes of the medicine's effects: you look at the unconscious bodies of Big Mac and Applejack before gathering them both and heaving them onto your shoulders
>They're both still breathing: they should be fine
>Might as well make the time left count
>With the two siblings hanging onto you, you start the walk back to the farmhouse
>You remember the effort the two of them went to in their battle, how they fought for each other and for you
>You're filled with gratitude and pride for these two and their courage
>The least you can do is let them rest...

------------------------------------------------

>The next thing you know, you're coming to on a nice comfortable bed
>Everything still aches, but you're nowhere near as bad as you thought you would be
>You crack open your eyes, squinting into the light with a grunt, and you hear a gasp next to you
>"Everyp0ny! Quick, quick, come quick! He's wakin' up!"
>Applejack? No, the voice is too high-pitched even if the accent matches
>You look over at where the voice is coming from to see a yellow blur racing out of the room
>Huh
>You slowly sit up, feeling like you haven't moved in a while. A look out the window reveals that it's dusk outside. Musta been out for quite a few hours...
>Quite a few apple trees out there too. Must be in the Apple family house.
>You shake your head slowly, trying to figure out what happened. You remember finishing the fight and picking up Big Mac and Applejack, and then...
>"Anon! Y'really are awake!"
>You look over to see Applejack trembling, with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. She's got some bandages around her ribs, but looks no worse for wear.
>You respond with a grin.
"Just needed a nap after my bit of exercise. Feelin' pretty good right now even after all the punishment I took."
>Applejack gives her own grin. "Just a nap? Guess you don't even know how long you were out fer, huh?"
>You frown and give another glance out the window.
"Judging from the light outside, I'd say 8 hours or so. Why?"
>She chuckles and shakes her head. "Try 32 hours. And of course y'feel fine, ya big galloot, y'had Twilight and Granny Smith tendin' yer wounds most of the entire time too!"
>You raise an eyebrow in shock.
"32 hours!? No way! I can remember the fight like it happened just a few minutes ago!"
>"Twilight said she'd used a spell to help ya sleep better. She healed up alomost all of yer minor injuries, y'know. And Granny Smith always has some antidote stocked for timber wolf bites, so we didn't have to worry about yer heart stoppin' neither."
>She stops for a second, and looks down at the floor, shuffling her hooves awkwardly.
>"An uh, Granny told us about how you brought us both back. Me and Big Mac. Slung over yer shoulder while y'were covered in bite marks, bruises, scratches and burns. And Ah, Ah just wanted to say, Ah'm..."
"If the next words out of your mouth are, 'I'm sorry', I'm going to hit you AJ."
>She stops, stunned out of a response.
"I might've gotten you back here, but it was you and Big Mac that brought me everything we needed to win that fight. And it was you two that held that monster off for all that time while I got everything ready to take it down. And it was your family that took care of me while I recovered. We were a team, AJ. None of us would be here if it weren't for the other. We're comrades-in-arms now. And I won't hear anything more about it."
>You smile at Applejack warmly, and she smiles back.
>"Well, thank ye kindly, sugar. I'd say any member of the Apple family would be proud to call you 'friend'. Ah know Ah am."
>You look around, and ask.
"You said Twilight and Granny Smith helped me recover? Don't suppose I could thank them face-to-face now could I?"
>"Ah'll bring them up to see you now. You just stay there and rest until they say it's alright fer you t'move, d'you hear me now?"
"Yes, MOTHER."
>"Ah'll show you 'mother', yeh little..." And she closes the door, chuckling to herself.
>You smile and allow your head to fall back onto your pillow with a sigh. 32 hours...
>Wait.
>Doesn't that make tomorrow the day?
>Yeah. Yeah, it does.
>You should do something special to mark it.
>The door to your room opens again, and you turn to see Twilight being led by a rickety and wrinkled old earth p0ny with white hair.
>This must be Granny Smith then.
>"Hold still a second there, sonny", she warbles in a shaky voice. She grabs your bitten arm with a grip that has a surprising amount of strength for one so old.
>Shouldn't be that surprising to you though. Your old teacher was something like 100, and you couldn't lay a finger on him if you tried.
>She bends and flexes the wrist and fingers in different ways before nodding her approval.
>"Timber wolf bites're always bad fer ya, sonny. Surprised you lasted as long as y'did with having taken two of 'em. But ever since the old days, when the Apple family first contended with timber wolves during our zap apple harvest..."
>She continues to drone on about the history of zap apples and their ties to the timber wolves as well as how she first concocted the mixture that provided the cure for the paralyzing magic in their bites, all while testing your limbs for flexibility and movement range.
>After a while she lets you go and gives you a stern look.
>"Now, don't y'go messin' with them timber wolves again if y'can help it, sonny. Don't want you to wind up back here goin' through all my expensive herbs and ingredients."
>And with that she wobbles out of the room. Twilight steps forward with a serious look on her face.
>You try to match it with a serious expression of your own.
"Applejack told me about how you healed me up after the battle. Thank you. Truly. Thank you."
>Twilight sighs, looking tired.
>"I don't know what you did, but most of the damage was internal. I consulted some of my texts in the library on the specific patterns of magic damage that kept cropping up, and apparently, it's a rare occurence in those that are affected by magic that both shuts down the body and drugs that enhance its performance."
>You stay silent for a moment.
"I took some special medicine because I got desperate. Thanks to that, me, AJ and Big Mac are all still alive."
>"I know. I'm sure you only did it because you had to. But I have to know..." She takes a deep breath and then gives you a severe look. "Where did you get that medicine from?"
>No point in lying.
"A zebra in the Everfree Forest gave it to me. She threw some traps at me as a test, and I took those as a reward for exceeding her expectations."
>"Somep0ny living in the Everfree? I haven't heard of anything like that..." She raises an eyebrow, looking skeptical. "So, you meet a stranger in the Everfree, they give you some dangerous unknown pills, and you actually take them?"
"Not like I had a choice. If they did what she said they would, then I would live. If they didn't, I would die. And if I didn't take them at all, I would still die. It was my best and only option."
>Twilight holds her expression, still looking with one eyebrow higher than the other. Then, she sighs and rests her chin on the side of your bed.
>"Alright, alright, you had a good reason for using them then. And you did save Applejack and Big Mac, so..."
"Am I forgiven for scaring you out of your wits yet again?"
>She glares at you from her position on the bed. "Yes. THIS time. Please don't do it again..."
>You chuckle and scratch her head, and she closes her eyes and relaxes.
"Sorry Twilight. Can't make a promise I know I can't keep. A man's word is his life, after all."
>Twilight twitches in irritation as she lifts her head and bats your hand away. "Well, at least you're not lying to me. I'll take it for now. And I'll have to study that medicine once we get back to the library too. Think you can walk?"
"Sure thing."
>You throw off your blanket and climb out of the bed, before looking down and realising something.
"Twilight, why am I naked?"