Howl to the Future

"No," Rainbow whispered, gazing in utter shock at Celestia's limp body. "How is this - no!"

With that, the six wolves slowly turned towards her, and immediately, 'Pinkie' began to sing:

"Oh, child of the wind. Offspring of an ancient kin. Once again your path begins. One in all and all within. "

Neither Rainbow or Spike made a peep. Their eyes were still fixed on Celestia.

'Twilight' winced at that. "Re'lah. Your seem to be a bit rusty on the song front..."

"Yeah, seriously. What have you been doing for a thousand years?" 'Applejack' commented.

'Pinkie' stared blankly ahead, ignoring the remarks. "It's the message that matters."

"Indeed. And I believe she has it," 'Rarity' smiled.

Twilight grinned at that. "Then let's complete the pack, shall we?"

The figure in black nodded. "Dea."

With that, they began to inch closer to Rainbow Dash. Still, she stood her ground, snarling aggressively.

"I may be the last mare standing, but these hooves are going down swinging!"

The five converted wolves held steady at that, before turning to each other, smiling.

"Mph, there's no holding back for her, is there?" 'Fluttershy' grunted in annoyance. "They're so similar... she never could keep herself at bay."

"Yet she is who we need the most," 'Twilight' sighed. She then glanced out of the balcony, warily gazing at a contingent of Imperial Troopers marching their way. "We must have made a lot of noise, though... we need to tread lightly. Come quietly, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "None of us are going anywhere."

She who stood alone against the storm.

That was, until Spike joined her side.

"Yep, that includes me," Spike grunted, to which he received a smile from Rainbow for. He chuckled slightly at this. "Hey, Twilight may bug the crap out of me sometimes, but I can't just let her go roaming the woods." He then glanced at Rarity. "Plus, wolf or not, she's still..." A dreamy expression came upon him. "Well, you know..."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Yuh huh. Can we talk about this later?"

"The dragon talks far too much," 'Rarity' muttered, blackened tendrils hovering about her back along with the rest of her kin. "And I'm not the only one who thinks this."

"Yeah yeah, I see what you did there," Spike said, rolling his eyes. "I think I'm going to start crying!

"But not as much as you're going to be!" Rainbow snarled.

"Couldn't have said it better myself!""

Spike then took a deep breath, fire swelling in his chest.

"Keep em busy, Spike," Rainbow Dash whispered, winking towards him.

Spike gave her a blank look. "Me versus six wolves who just took down a goddess? Sure! The Empire will probably make a statue for me at this point with the tagline: 'Spike, martyr of the war on pricks!'"

Rainbow chuckled slightly. "Just trust me."

"E'Yup..."

With that, she flapped her wings and took off again. However, this time, her flight path took her over the top of the six wolves, out the balcony, and into open skies. The wolves' tendrils swooped after her, but she was too quick. Soon, she became a speck in the distance.

"DAMNIT!" 'Applejack' roared. "So much for loyalty! This wasn't part of the plan!"

"Neither was this!" Spike snapped.

And the skirmish began.

The wolves twirled about, snarling.

Spike released a pillar of green flame.

Tendrils flew from the wolves.

Spike winced, still puffing fire...

"Oh crap..."

Yet the tendrils did not strike him. They batted against a wall of flame, neither side gaining on the other.

"Chaos magic... I should have expected it," Twilight grumbled.

"Then let's not even bother with him!" 'Rarity' growled.

Twilight shook her head. "No, keep the pup at bay, I have a fly to catch."

"What fly?!"

"You'll see..."

Twilight then turned about, and sure enough, Rainbow was hurtling back towards them at super-luminous speeds.

Twilight put on a satisfied smirk. "Bingo."

At the last second, Rainbow was entangled by a fury of tendrils.

"OH DAMNIT! LET ME OUT OF THESE FREAKY THINGS! WHAT ARE YOU GUYS, SLENDERMARES' COUSINS?!"

She was soon brought before a smiling Twilight, her body, save for her head, encased in black. "The Slendermare, hm? Haven't heard it be called that before..."

Rainbow's eyes widened in horror.

"Haha, no need to be afraid, though. You're coming with us... I know you value your independence, but eventually, none of us will have to control you. The old and the new will become each other... and equilibrium will begin."

Rainbow furiously shook her head. "UH-UH! I'M NOT SOUL MERGING OR ANY CRAZY CRA- MPH MPH MPHHHHHH!.!.!"

A tendril wrapped around her mouth, silencing her, as she struggled furiously against the magical grip.

"But... I will enjoy a bit of quiet for now."

"R-Rainbow!" Spike cried, huffing in exhaustion as his flames finally died.

Twenty tendrils of black were sitting before him, like a group of eels about to bite down upon prey.

"L-Let her go, damn it!"

"Your friend will be fine, dragon," 'Twilight' sighed.

He shook his head head, grunting in annoyance. "It's not that! It's just that she owes me five bits!"

'Twilight' gave him a blank look, before a tendril encircled him, it coming from 'Rarity'.

He quickly found himself off the ground.

"WOAH!"

With a motion, he was smashed against the ceiling, knocked unconscious, and then set gently back on the ground.

"Poor thing, always biting off more than he could chew," 'Pinkie' sighed. "The song does not flow steady for everyone."

"We can talk about it later," 'Twilight' mumbled, one of her ears perking at the sound of frantic shouts and orders echoed from the palace's lower levels. The Imperial Trooper contingent was closing in.

"They're on the third floor!"

"Hurry! I heard a crash! Someone's still fighting!"

"FOR PRINCESS CADANCE!"

Twilight nodded towards the Figure in Black. "Tara blash te dego."

She nodded back, and closed her eyes. A swirling black energy surrounded her, as a gateway into the space between spaces formed.

Yet... before she could finish... she paused.

"Tara! Seeya me?!"

'Twilight' gazed upon her with horrified eyes.

"De snara..." she whispered.

The group gasped.

Piercing the tail end of her cloak was a single arrow.

Suddenly, she collapsed.

The Red Ranger narrowed his eyes, still pointing his crossbow at her. "You shouldn't have forgotten me, because I certainly haven't forgotten you."

Twilight turned hatred-filled eyes upon him, though within a second, he relapsed back into unconsciousness... a small, satisfied smile on his face.

'Twilight' blinked in disbelief, shaking in tranquil rage... the rest of her pack doing the same. Suddenly, without saying a word, she ripped towards him like a bullet, her jaw wide, her fangs dripping.

She aimed towards his neck...

'Kill kill kill kill... vengeance... poison... kill...'

Twilight Sparkle suddenly awoke within the lonely, dark forest: one she wasn't sure she or her new master had created. A blue mist surrounded her, and was slowly growing thicker. The last thing she remembered was the Figure in Black arriving... and the first thing she noticed was that she was back in alicorn form.

"What?" she said, coughing slightly afterward. "What happened?!"

'KILL KILL KILL!.!.!'

A powerful voice rocked the forest... one sounding only slightly different from her own.

And then it was given form.

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

She twirled about. Charging forth from the forest came the wolf that was her, yet the mind that was not.

"For what?! What are you doing?!" Twilight called.

"MOVE! I'M KILLING SOMETHING! I'M SORRY IF THIS IS A BAD TIME!" she hissed.

Twilight winced in thought, before glancing behind her. A ghostly image of the Red Ranger sat on the forest floor: sleeping soundly and satisfied.

"Let her do it," a voice whispered from the side. She turned, and to her awe, there stood a ghostly, wolf version of Rainbow Dash.

"W-What?!"

"Let her kill him. Remember what he tried to do you earlier? Hunt or starve... kill or be killed. It's all the same thing: all in the name of Preservation."

Twilight narrowed her eyes. "Rainbow Dash would never say that."

"And you shouldn't listen to her, anyway," another voice called.

She raised her eyebrows, for standing on the other side of her was a wolf-like Fluttershy.

"Now that sounds more familiar," Twilight smiled.

"Preservation consists of both restraint and aggression," she whispered, apparently ignoring Twilight. "This, however, serves no one. Close that door and it can never be reopened... nothing new can come from it. No seed can grow. Give her Restraint."

Twilight closed her eyes, nodding at the statement.

"You're about to have your mind back!" Rainbow hissed. "He'll try to kill you again... and the entire Crystal Empire will think you're responsible for what just happened! And Equestria is just a message away... He's got more blood on his hooves than anyone!"

Twilight held steady at that. 'Rainbow' did have a point...

"He exists to end," Fluttershy whispered. "But some endings bring about new beginnings... the phoenix grows stronger after sinking into ash. This is not the case."

And at that, a memory came to Twilight. Princess Celestia's voice echoed in her mind.

A phoenix is a majestic and magical bird. While it appears healthy and happy most of the time, every so often it must renew itself by shedding all of its feathers and bursting into flame. Rather melodramatic, if you ask me. It then rises from the ashes, fresh as a daisy..."

And then Shining's:

I'm joining the guard for my own reason. They aren't stupid. I'm not out for glory, or fame, or because I'm paranoid about the changelings or griffins: I just want to be ready in case the real bad guys threaten Equestria. In case they threaten you. For sometimes, the best defense is the best offense.

Twilight narrowed her eyes.

"I'm no judge. I can't hand out a sentence until I know more..."

She then turned to the charging wolf, as the mists twirled and danced around her. After a second, all she could see were two, beaming purple eyes coming at her from obscurity.

"This place has always been misty, hasn't it?" Twilight stated calmly.

"HE'S DEAD! DEAD!.!.!"

Twilight sighed. "Wisdom doesn't come on a cloudy day. I know this all too well. You have quite a few things to learn."

She continued charging. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!.!.!

Twilight fluttered her wings, sighing.

"I may be a teacher now, but I'm still willing to learn. And I hope you are too. For I have learned wisdom from the best."

At that, her horn came to life, and just as the snarling wolf came into view, a brilliant beam of light came from it. The wolf let loose a terrific snarl.

"RAUUUUUUGGGGGH!.!.!"

With the roar of thunder it struck, and the wolf was rendered unconscious. Her form slid to Twilight's hooves, breathing heavily... and falling into slumber.

With that, Twilight took a deep breath, as she, herself, fell into wake.

She gasped as she awoke, quickly glancing at her back, only to see it was still covered in fur. She was still a wolf.

"It would have been way too easy," she sighed.

Her eye then caught something, and a horrified look came to her face. The room was covered in bodies, all breathing, but all unconscious. Princess Celestia was behind her, laying on the floor with a hypnotized gaze.

"Princess..." she gulped. "I'm so... so... sorry."

Curiously, the Figure in Black lay across from her, obscured by her cloak per usual, though Twilight gave her no heed. She continued sweeping the room, and noted that Rainbow, the Red Ranger, and Shining were all scattered about as well...

However, she quickly smiled in relief at who was at his side.

"Twi!" Applejack called, checking his pulse. "Thank goodness..." She then lowered an eyebrow.

"Wait, you are Twilight, right?!"

She quickly nodded. "Yeah, it's me."

"Yeah... but how can I know? Answer a question only the real Twilight would be able to..."

Twilight gave her a blank look. "You know very well that the-the spirits already know everything I do."

Applejack winced. "Damn, you're right."

Twilight then smiled again. "Do I seem like I'm lying though?"

She glanced at her pensively for a moment, before answering: "E'Nope."

"Good. I guess I'll just have to trust you too, then, I suppose," Twilight nodded.

"Don't worry, I won't bite," she smiled.

Twilight then drew closer to Applejack, glancing at her brother. She gulped at the sight.

"Shining... no..."

In certain areas of his body, his veins were puffing out: black in color. Around his eyes were a deep shade of purple. The Prince of Light had seen better days.

"Any ideas what happened to him?" Applejack whimpered.

"I- I don't know," Twilight said, furrowing her brow in confusion.

Suddenly, her ears perked. In all her shock upon awakening, she had failed to hear the voices growing near the room:

"We're almost there! Draw weapons! If the Red Ranger is dead, kill any demons you see!"

"You hear that?" Applejack gulped.

"Yeah," Twilight said, standing stun and staring at her brother. She attempted to think, but her mind was a blur of thoughts.

Applejack's tone became serious. "Twilight, we gotta go."

She continued to stare.

"Twilight!" Applejack called, grabbing her to get her attention. "Look... I know you don't want to leave anypony, but they're gonna think we did all this! They'll take care of Shining, I swear!"

"What about the Princess?! What about Spike and Rainbow!" she cried.

And for the first time since the beginning of the ordeal, her eyes were watering.

"There's nothing we can do for the Princess, and Spike's just unconscious."

"But what about the wolf in black! We need to make sure she's brought to justice!"

A sigh came from behind her.

"She's right, Twilight. Time to go."

Twilight turned about. Rainbow was slowly getting to her feet, her body bruised and battered, and one of her wings clearly strained. The rest of her friends stood behind her, now apparently themselves again. They were as equally taken aback at the sight as she was.

"Princess!" Fluttershy squeaked, loping to her side. "W-What happened?! Did w-we do that?!"

Applejack shook her head. "No time to worry about it sugar: she's the same as Princess Cadance at the moment. Ain't nothin' we can do for her."

The group's ears perked again. The shouting was now on their floor.

"I'm going to put their heads on pikes if they hurt anyone! We shouldn't have trusted the Prince of Light! He was clearly influenced by emotion!"

"Damned straight. We aren't having another Sombra! MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

"And we'll be worse than her if we don't go..." Applejack gulped. "As in... you know."

Twilight suddenly nodded at that. "R-Right... right, we need to leave... but where to?"

"O-Out of the Empire, that's for sure!" Rarity shrieked.

"How though?! We're trapped in here!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Easy, I could fly you guys down to the ground!" Rainbow grinned.

Twilight shook her head. "Look at your wing! It's crooked!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I'm sure it's fine. Don't you remember who your talking to here- OUCH OUCH OUCH OUCH BUUUUUUUCKKKKK!.!.! SON OF A BIT- I MEAN COW!.!.! COW! BUUUUUUCKKKKK!.!.!"

A flutter of her wings proved otherwise.

"Alright, Plan B!" Pinkie declared, an unusually worried look taking over her features.

"There was never a Plan A!" Twilight cried.

"Then Plan A!" Applejack called.

"Oooo, can we call it Plan X?" Pinkie said, her excited tone making a comeback. "Plan X sounds so much cooler!"

"CAN WE PLEASE STOP UNNECESSARILY LABELING THE PLANS!" Twilight shouted.

The others took a step back from her.

"Yes, ma'm," Pinkie squeaked.

Twilight began to take deep breaths, calming herself. A moment later, as if it had been injected with caffeine, her brain came to life again.

Suddenly, Twilight grinned. "Wait a second: BRAIN BLAST!"

"A superpowered mind," Pinkie sang, bouncing. "A trustworthy canine!"

Twilight blinked, giving her a blank look. "Er... right."

The shouts in the hallway were now right on top of them.

"Second guest room on the right! Remember your orders, storm troopers! If it's bad: don't ask for any identification!"

FOR THE EMPIRE! HOORAH!

Twilight then cleared her throat. "Alright, plan of action!"

Pinkie put on a pleading look.

Twilight sighed. "Plan... X."

Pinkie put on a wide grin, as Twilight shook an incredulous head.

"Come on, Twi, quit horsin' around, they'll be in here any second!" Applejack shouted.

"Right!" Twilight nodded, before turning to Rainbow. "Rainbow, you go out there and distract the guards. Keep them as busy as you can... mislead them if possible."

"You mean I get to trick people?!" she grinned. "Awwwweeesooome!"

With that, she dashed into the hallway, as Twilight turned to Rarity. "As for you, Rarity, I hope you can get used to those claws very quickly..."

Rarity raised an eyebrow, though a second later, a smile began to form.

A platoon of nearly thirty Imperial Troopers clanked down the hallway, as rapidly as they could with the heavy armor they wore.

"For the first time in a thousand years, we're taking control of our own damned destiny!" one proclaimed.

Another nodded. "We'll prove that the Crystal Empire needs no damned babysitter, not even Equestria!"

"Oh hell yeah-"

A chuckle interrupted him.

"Woah! Talk about a bruised pride!"

At that, they halted, gawking at the blue pegasus who had just burst out of a room before them.

"You!" the squad leader, distinguished by his glistening, red armor shouted. "Where are they?! Are they still in there, or have they fled?!"

Rainbow cocked her head. "You talking about my friends?"

The squad leader snapped forward, glaring at her. "Do NOT trifle with me. WHERE ARE THE WOLVES?!"

Saliva flew from his mouth, nearly landing on Rainbow.

She winced, waving a hoof in front of her face. "Ew, dude... and I thought they had bad breath."

Rainbow then smirked. "But yeah, if you're looking for Twilight, then I'm afraid your princess is in another castle. Well... floor, that is."

The leader gazed at her pensively. "You're sure of this? And what happened to your wing?"

Rainbow put on a sheepish grin. "Er... flying accident. But yeah, I'm sure!"

There was a moment of silence as the squad leader seemed to weigh his options. Finally, he smiled slightly.

"Hmph, I figured. Your reputation proceeds you, Hero of the Skies. We'll sweep another floor." He glanced at his troops. "About-face! Make haste to the fourth level!"

"By your will, squad leader!"

They then began a ferocious march out of the corridor.

Rainbow took a deep breath, a prideful smile on her face. "Woah... that's gotta be my best prank yet. Gotta love reverse-psychology." She faked a wave at the soldiers. "Seeya, suckers."

"EEEEEEP!"

A distinctively Fluttershiish squeak came from the room.

Rainbow closed her eyes. "Oh crap..."

With that, the squad leader chuckled, turning back to her... though surprisingly with a respectful smile. The rest of the soldiers did the same.

"Ohohoho, well played. You aren't as stupid as they say."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Reverse-reverse psychology," he explained. "Fake that your friends aren't in that room, so that I'll think they are, but make it obvious enough that I'll think you're actually using reverse-psychology in order to trick me into thinking they're not there, but somewhere else!"

Rainbow's became slackjawed. "You're... you're pretty smart for a storm trooper, you know that?"

"Yeah, but he can't shoot for shit," another soldier mumbled.

"I heard that!" the squad leader snapped, before turning back to Rainbow, his eyes narrowed. "But yeah, play time and mind games are over, kid. It's time for the Empire to strike back. MOVE IN!"

"BY THE LIGHT OF CADANCE!.!.!

With that, the soldiers charged forth, though Rainbow held her ground.

"WAIT, THEY REALLY AREN'T IN THERE- OOF!"

A soldier shoved her aside. The door flung open. Archers stuck their bows into the room.

"NO!" Rainbow shouted.

They fired. The rest of the soldiers advanced... Rainbow fell to her flank.

"What?! Where the hell are they?!"

At that, Rainbow's eyes widened. A massive grin folded over her face as she glanced into the bedroom. Every sheet, every curtain, every tablecloth was gone... and a needle and thread was on the floor.

The squad leader marched over to the balcony. Hanging down from it was a ladder made of hastily stitched together cloth. In the distance, he could barely see five figures making haste down the streets of the Crystal Empire.

"Oldest trick in the book..." the soldier said, his eyes narrowing. "Well played, though we can still catch one fish..."

With that, he began to twirl about. "Alright, Rainbow Dash of Equestria, you are under arrest for impeding-"

He paused, his mouth hanging open. She was already gone.

With a defeated sigh, he fell to his flank, shaking his head in disbelief. "That pony... she's going to drive me to drink."

"Same here, sir!"

"Not with you, Darth Ruby, you sing when you get drunk."

"Dawww..."

As he stood up, however, a voice came from behind him.

"Mph, don't break the keg yet, soldier."

The squad leader slowly turned, gazing in awe at the Red Ranger as he rose to his hooves. He quickly snapped a salute. "Sir!"

"Call me Red Shard," he grunted, before glaring at the rope ladder. "And I don't care where those wolves are heading... we're going to find them, and let justice be done upon them." At that, he took a deep breath. "AND THEN, WE SHALL DRINK TO THE FALLEN!.!.!"

"HOOOORAH!.!.!

"Woah, who's in the cloak, though?" a soldier asked.

"And what's wrong with Prince Armour?!"

"And is that... is that Princess Celestia?!"

"Concerns, though only for a few of you," the Red Ranger nodded.

With one quick motion, he snatched an arrow from his quiver, one surrounded by a strange, black mist. Like a machine, he immediately snapped it onto his crossbow and locked it with a satisfying CLICK!

"But not all of us," he said. He then pointed towards two soldiers, and then at the Figure in Black. "You two, drag this meatbag out of here. You know where to take her."

"Yes, sir!"

He pointed to a unicorn. "You!"

"Sir?"

"Take the Prince of Light to the House of Healing. If he dies, I'm holding you responsible. After you're done, do the same for Princess Celestia. Do not buck up your teleports."

The soldier gulped. "Yes, sir."

He then turned, gazing over the rest of the soldiers.

"And as for the rest of you..."

He slung his crossbow on his back, his eyes narrowing.

"Let's hunt some demon."