Survival of the Wolves

Chapters

Chapter 2: Pillars and Heroes
Chapter 3: Into the Nightmare
Chapter 4: Tests and Chances
Chapter 5: A New Packmate
Chapter 6: Fallout
Chapter 7: Wolf Life
Chapter 8: Nightmare Moon
Chapter 9: The Next Step
Chapter 10: Close Encounters
Chapter 11: A Rough Reunion
Chapter 12: New Friends
Chapter 13: Old Wounds
Chapter 14: Welcome Home
Chapter 15: The Alicorn Reunion
Chapter 17: Family
Chapter 18: A Noble Lesson
Chapter 19: Welcome Back
Chapter 20: One of the Herd
Chapter 22: The Lines Between Friend and Foe
Chapter 23: Being a Hero
Chapter 24: Send Off
Chapter 1: The Wolves and the Alicorn
Chapter 16 - Resolutions and Rest
Chapter 21: The Return of...

Chapter 2: Pillars and Heroes

The next day, Star Wing trotted down the hallway, a book for the library dancing in her magic aura. Ponies took a wide berth around her, but she ignored them.

One day, Star reminded herself. One day, they will love you. It may not be this day, but there is always tomorrow.

As she approached the library, she noticed two royal guards stationed outside. An odd choice, but one Star could get behind; books, after all, were the greatest treasures in the world. And one of them was the greatest guard of all: Flash Magnus.

“Good morning, Guardian of Good,” Star greeted, only for one to cross his spears over the door, blocking her way.

“Keep walking, Moon Spawn,” the bad guard growled.

“Hey, take it easy, soldier,” Flash noted. “That’s a Princess you’re speaking to, and the daughter of Star Hunter, easily the greatest thestral guard I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.” He grinned. “My apologies, Princess Star Wing.”

The guard glowered at his superior. “She’s not Star Hunter!” he warned. “And Star Hunter wasn’t a pony. You’re too soft on non-ponies for your own good.”

“And if they take over,” Flash replied teasingly. “I’ll be the one they spare, allowing me to turn the tables from the inside.”

Star laughed. “You guys are just delightful,” she replied, before hovering her book over to them. “But let’s cut the comedy. I need to return this before it’s late.”

Flash’s partner scoffed. “Why should we care?” he replied.

“Because Princess Luna can have you scrubbing latrines for a month if you don’t learn some respect,” Flash replied darkly. “Actually, why does she need to get involved? I can have you scrubbing latrines for a month if you don’t show her some respect.”

Star grinned as the guard bristled under his armor. Ultimately, though, it was two against one, and the guard lowered his head in reluctant submission.

“Sorry… Princess Star Wing,” he muttered.

Flash shook his head. “Despicable, isn’t it, Princess?” he mused.

“You got it wrong,” Star noted. “You have to put more emphasis on it. Like this.” She turned to the book. “Bookie, I love you like a son. But… YOU’RRRRRRRE DESSSSSSSSPICABLE!” She and Flash chuckled, while the guard just rolled his eyes.

“Alright, Princess,” Flash said, opening the door for her. “In you go.”

Still chuckling, Star crossed into the library and walked over to the librarian. The librarian snatched the novel away from Star, checking it over like her aura had mud all over it instead of magic. Barely noticing, Star proceeded into the fiction and adventure setting, looking for another book to read.

However, as she browsed the various fantasies and legends, she picked up hushed voices.

“It’s a sign, Starswirl,” someone was hissing. “You know it as well as I do! Princess Luna asking for more praise? Like the demon deserves the right?”

“Have care how you speak about my student,” an older, familiar voice said.

Her ears perking, Star scurried to the edge of the shelves, and resisting tap-dancing in glee. Starswirl the Bearded – her mother and aunt’s teacher, and the greatest magic user in the history of Equestria – was standing not six feet away from her, conversing with – Star’s guts twisted despite herself – Lord Ego; easily one of her mother’s worst opponents. Who was currently rolling his eyes as Starswirl lectured him.

“Luna’s always had a fondness for the darkness,” he admitted. “But her heart has always remained pure.”

“With all due respect, your greatness,” Lord Ego said, lathering up the ‘greatness’ part, “Are you sure your fondness for your former student isn’t clouding your judgement? We’ve heard her excuse the wolves’ murderous rampages and the thestrals thirst for blood.”

“Murderous rampages?” Starswirl demanded. “Who has suffered under them?”

“All of us will,” Lord Ego insisted. “Soon! Have you not seen the way they feast on animals? How they trespass on our lands and attack our ponies?”

“The lands they trespass on were taken from them,” Starswirl pointed out. “The ponies they attacked were the first to strike.”

“And yet, they are always so eager for fights!” Ego refuted. “It’s in their nature, after all. You can see it if you watch run them down and devour their prey like wild beasts? And they cavort regularly with the thestrals, who answer directly to Princess Luna. And to make matters worse, Princess Luna has started demanding more to her name. More praise, more admiration!” he scoffed. “As if she deserves more than her sister?”

Star grimaced. Luna’s sister was getting more than her fair share of praise and admiration. Why was this guy trying to make her look so bad? What did they ever do to him.

Thankfully, Starswirl just shook his head. “The wolves may be a matter of concern,” he said. “But I refuse to believe that my student would turn on her own family.”

“Can you be certain?” Ego whispered. “Isn’t it better to be careful? Even if she’s not planning anything, the wolves could manipulate her. They are vicious and cruel beasts; surely they would have ways of manipulating our Princess of the Night.”

Starswirl hummed, considering the idea. Star couldn’t blame him for giving the noble that one; the wolves weren’t exactly like the ponies. From their hunting habits to the eerie way they could do everything ponies could… yeah, Star could buy that they’d be up to something.

That’s when it hit her! This was her chance! She could prove herself; in front of Starswirl the Bearded, no less!

“The wolves need to be taken care of,” Lord Ego was continuing. “We must ensure that they can never harm a single pony in our fair kingdom.”

Starswirl’s eyes narrowed, contemplating the task, before Star strode out from her hiding spot.

“Sounds like what you gentle-stallions need… is a hero!”

The wizard and the noble turned, regarding Star with wide eyes. She struck a heroic pose.

“Fear not, my friends,” Star declared. “Your suspicions regarding the wolves are shared. If they pose a threat to our fine kingdom, you can rely on Star Wing to protect you!” She flared her wings, letting the star-like spots that she was named for glitter and shine. “I shall face these monsters head on, and I will show them the might of the night!”

Star Wing smiled, proud of herself for her speech. But her grin faded as Lord Ego laughed. Hesitantly, she tried to laugh along. Until...

“You?!” he demanded. “The Moon Spawn? Don’t make me laugh!”

“Too late,” Star mused as he laughed again.

Starswirl grimaced at Lord Ego’s cruel laughter. “Lord Ego, if the wolves truly are the threat you think they are…”

“Starswirl! Your Greatness! Your Excellence! Your Clarity!” Lord Ego insisted, before pointing at Star. “That’s the Moon Spawn; the daughter of the one who risks manipulation. How do we know SHE doesn’t have plans to help the wolves overthrow our kingdom?”

Star Wing blinked, struck dumb by such a brutal accusation. “W-Never!” she insisted. “I would never turn my back on this kingdom!”

“A likely story,” Lord Ego scoffed. “Do you not think that every spy has had to say those words!”

“I’m not a spy!” Star insisted.

But even when she looked to Starswirl, silently pleading for him to understand, suspicion was the only thing that shined in his blue eyes.

“Master Starswirl, please…” Star insisted.

“No,” Starswirl decided. “He is right.” He glared at Star. “If you are somehow involved in this, then we cannot trust you alone.”

Lord Ego grinned in triumph. “My thoughts exactly,” he said, turning to the door. “GUARDS!”

Flash and his partner from earlier stormed back in, the latter grinning triumphantly as Lord Ego pointed at Star.

“Take this spy to the dungeons!”

“Princess Star Wing?” Flash stammered. “A spy? But…”

“At once,” his partner declared.

“But… Flash, please…” Star tried to insist, only for the crueler guard to smack her across the side with his spear.

Star hit the ground, frozen in shock. She had endured plenty of cruel words and barbs before, but actually being struck was new for her.

“HEY!” Flash barked. “Spy or not, she’s royalty.”

“She’s still a spy,” the guard insisted. "Lord Ego said so.”

“That’s right,” Lord Ego noted. “I gave you an order, Flash Magnus. And a good soldier follows orders.”

Flash gave Star a saddened look. But, with a sigh of defeat, he reluctantly cuffed her.

“I’m sorry, kid,” he whispered, before glancing up at Starswirl. “This isn’t right, Starswirl.”

“I will admit it seems rather…” Starswirl started to say.

“Master Starswirl, your Greatness, please,” Lord Ego’s voice oozed like oil. “Don’t tell me you’re too soft to do what must be done.”

Flash winced. “Oh, no…” he muttered.

“What?” Star asked.

“He pushed his pride button,” Flash muttered.

Indeed, Star noticed Starswirl straighten. The old wizard’s eyes were alight with injured pride. And he turned back to Lord Ego with his head high.

“No,” he declared. “In fact, tonight, we will find these wolves. And we will show them the might of Equestrian justice!”

Flash sighed. “You’ll have to do it without me,” he said. “Like you said… I got orders to follow.”

With that, he escorted Star out. And as the doors swung shut behind them, Star’s last sight of Starswirl was him glaring out a window towards the wolves’ forest, while Lord Ego grinned after her in smug triumph.

As Starswirl and his sortie gathered at the edge of the forest, they saw the wolves grouped around a campfire. Starswirl glowered at their smiles; how they could afford to be telling stories and having fun after all the evil they had committed.

A villain is a villain, through and through, he thought.

Yet, despite his own assurances, several of the soldiers next to him looked hesitant.

“I still don’t like this,” a pegasus admitted. “Every single one? C-Can’t we spare the pups, at least?”

“You spare the pups, you give them the chance to grow up and take revenge,” another earth pony refuted. “Besides, these things killed a bunch of my family’s cows and chickens. They can’t go nearly quickly enough.”

“Be silent,” Starswirl hushed. “You’ll give away our position.” He crept further back and drew the other soldiers to him. “Now; earth ponies and pegasi will begin with a barrage of arrows. Before they can realize what’s happening, the unicorns will lay down a barrage of spells. While they are disoriented from the brighter magic, the pegasi and earth ponies will hit them with another barrage.” He glared at the biggest of the wolves. “The Alpha is mine. No one else interfere with her; there’s no point in risking your lives.”

The reluctant pegasi swallowed nervously, but readied his crossbow all the same.

“Now, take positions,” Starswirl commanded.

The ponies moved into a semi-circle around the camp, aiming at the dens and tents the wolves were ducking into. Starswirl narrowed his eyes as Shiva halted, her and one of her wolves talking right out in the open.

It was almost too easy. Maybe she was expecting an attack. Maybe she was talking with that other wolf about attacking the ponies.

‘Well, my apologies, ‘Alpha,’’ he thought with a glare. ‘But you’ll never get the chance.’

“Fire!” he said aloud.

And despite his reluctance, the pegasus lined up his crossbow with the head of Shiva’s companion.

‘I’m sorry,’ his thoughts whispered.

He fired.

Chapter 3: Into the Nightmare

Something cold and wet hit Shiva's face several times in rapid succession, she groaned as her eyes slowly peeled open and she awoke with a gasp. She found herself laying down on her side on a bed of leaves, lifting her head, she saw her Wolves around her.

"Oh, thank everything sacred, you're awake Alpha," one she recognized as Don - said.

"We really thought we had lost you," Another – Myst - said.

Don – a warg that specialized in medicine, as evidenced by the healing herb necklace around his neck, lit his fur and scanned her body. After a few seconds, a look of huge relief appeared on his face.

"She's okay,” he announced, “The spell didn't affect her."

Shiva watched as the Wolves let out a collective sigh of relief. Her heart tore at how banged up they looked; how their heads drooped from exhaustion, and how broken the light in their eyes was. Quite a few were openly weeping, others seemed to be in shock as they just stared into nothing, mates were crying in each other's forelegs while pups were bawling their eyes out.

Shiva turned to Don.

"How long was I out?"

"Twenty-four hours.” Don sighed. “You took a pretty hard hit, Alpha. I'm sure that if you weren't a Lupa-class wolf, you would have died."

Shiva nodded and looked over her wolves.

"How... how many did we lose?"

The wolves around her lowered their ears and heads, tears flowing. It was all the answer she needed.

"The attack caught us completely off guard,” Don explained. “We've lost the vast majority of our Warriors and Hunters, and nearly all our Wargs. When Starswirl hit you, we gave our all to get you and once we did we called a retreat, fleeing into the Everfree Forest, where they could not follow us. But most of the Wargs stayed behind, sacrificing themselves to allow us to make it. But that isn't the worst."

"It wasn't just the adults,” Myst added sadly. “The pups... oh Faust the pups, not even they were shown any mercy.”

Shiva's jaw dropped as her eyes widened. "What...?"

Don nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so, Alpha. We grabbed as many as we could but we couldn't save as many as we wanted to. Most of the ones we could save are now orphans."

A third pterolycus with damaged warrior armor – Shiva recognized her as Diana – limped up.

"I’m sorry Alpha. We tried to retrieve your mate's body, but were unable to. But I was able to protect something of yours, Alpha, though it cost me my pack."

Shiva was about to ask what, but two voices answered her.

"MOM!"

Shiva was nearly knocked over as two pups rammed into her at full speed, Lupa-class like her. Her pups.

"Kodo! Celine!" Shiva wrapped her forelegs around the two in a tight embrace as they sobbed into her chest.

They weren’t completely unhurt; Kodo had lost an eye, and Celine was holding her leg like it was broken. But that didn’t matter; they were alive. They were okay.

“I wasn’t able to grab anything else,” Diana admitted. “But…”

“No, it’s fine Diana,” Shiva assured the wolf. “You’ve done more than enough.” Her heart did throb for her possessions; her father’s old cloak. The plushie her mother had given her as a pup. But those things hardly mattered. Her children were safe. They were hurt, but they were alive. That was all that mattered. She looked to the others. “Did we manage to bring anything from the old camp?”

Don lifted a tome. “My mate and I did manage to keep several of our rare tomes…” His head lowered. “And we were also able to grab our more valuable artifacts, though not as many as we wanted, and I was able to grab enough healing items to last a short while though I will need to make more soon.” Don signed as he wiped his eyes with a foreleg. “She didn’t make it.”

Shiva sighed, looking down… and noticing something she had missed before: her son and several of the male survivors had bloody hindquarters, and they carried themselves with great pain.

“What did they do to you?” she whispered.

Kodo covered himself with shame. “They… made sure we wouldn’t be able to have children,” he admitted. He nodded at a precious few who’s hindquarters were still intact. “Thankfully, it could’ve been worse. Most of our wargs defended us. Kept our… stuff… safe.”

“But...?” she started to ask, before remembering Don's words: 'Nearly all of our wargs... dead.'

Shiva stared out over her broken pack, struggling to comprehend. Starswirl’s face flashed before her again, filled with so much disgust. Luke’s face did as well, uncomprehending even as the arrow punched through his face. The sight caused Shiva’s fur to glow with outrage.

What does that evil stallion have to be disgusted by?! She wanted to scream. Look what he did to us! What did we do to deserve this?

“Everyone’s been waiting for you to wake up,” Don added, snapping Shiva out of her thoughts. “We… were hoping you’d have a plan.”

Indeed, she saw the survivors beginning to congregate around her. They were limping forward on trembling limbs, their heads bent from exhaustion. The pups clung to the few they trusted, and all eyes – desperate for guidance – were on Shiva.

Shiva wanted to rally them with anger. She wanted to go back and turn Starswirl’s disgusted look into a look of fear. She wanted so many violent, horrible things to befall upon the monsters who had done this.

But she knew that would accomplish nothing. If anything, it would only get more of them killed. And she had already lost enough.

She pulled herself to her paws, as the pack took in a collective breath. When Shiva spoke, her voice was hollow at first. Yet the pack listened to it like a drowning man holding onto a lifeline.

“My pack,” Shiva said sorrowfully. “My brothers and sisters… what can I tell you? What words can describe the pain we have suffered?”

The wolves whimpered, one female fenrir holding two pups close to her.

“We’ve been hurt,” Shiva continued. “We’ve been bled. We’ve been beaten down by the most ‘evil’ creature in all of Equestria.”

The wolves nodded; growls began to sound. Shiva’s heart rampaged in her chest; if she wasn’t careful, these poor souls would throw themselves right back into the arms of death.

“Now I know,” she continued. “Some of you want to assume that creature is the ponies. I tell you now, that is only the work of the true evil manipulating your grief.”

The wolves paused in confusion, but Shiva kept going.

“The true evil that has led us to so much suffering… is Fear. Fear; the first step in the cycle of hurt.” She pointed. “I know you feel it’s icy grip now. Believe me, I feel it in my heart too. It tells me to turn back and answer the pain we have suffered with pain twice over. It pleads with me to burn them to the ground; to put them through every foul torture in the book before sending them off to Tartarus.”

“Yeah,” one of the pterolycus growled.

No! Shiva wanted to hiss, but she contained herself, and shook her head before more could agree.

“But I won’t listen,” she said, silencing the potential rioters. “I cannot inflict more suffering upon us. Not to you; not to my family.” She looked directly at the pterolycus who had spoken, hoping he’d understand. “I can’t ask you to go back into battle: to risk your lives pointlessly when right now, it’s a victory for us to be alive right now. The greatest insult an enemy can suffer is to be ignored. And I say this enemy has more than deserved that humiliation.”

“So, what would you have us do?” another fenrir asked. “Nothing?”

“No!” Shiva barked back, regaining the crowd. “First, we’re going to make a home for ourselves here. We will regrow our numbers, rebuild our homes, and regain our strength. We will adapt and re-prosper, just as every creature has done when beset by Mother Nature’s wrath. And when our strength has returned, and the ponies try this again? I promise you, they won’t find quivering, malnourished pups. They will find REGRET!”

“Regret,” several of the wolves muttered, nodding in agreement.

“They will find DEATH!”

“DEATH!” more of the wolves barked, their tails wagging.

“THEY WILL FIND THE WOLVES OF EQUESTRIA!”

“WOLVES OF EQUESTRIA!” the wolves howled in agreement.

Sighing in relief, Shiva would turn to the inside of the forest. “Now,” she said. “Let’s get to work.”

The chains clinked idly against the wall. Star sighed as she hung in her cell; a place that had become as familiar to her as her own room.

Sometimes, Star wondered if this cell should have just been her room. At least then she’d have some books or something to read as she passed the time. Anything was better than dealing with the silence. The silence and the glowers the guards guarding her constantly shot her way.

A door crashing open jarred Star loose from her thoughts. She looked up as the guards spun to the hallway, their eyes widening in fear.

“Princess?!” one of them stammered. “You… but you can’t…”

The guard was seized in a magic aura and thrown out of sight, Star hearing the sound of tools or something crashing to the floor. A second later, the door burst open, and Luna stormed in, anger flashing on her face before it faded to relief upon seeing her daughter.

“Star!” Luna breathed, her magic enfolding the chains and unlocking them. Star fell into her mother’s embrace.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Star joked as she held her. “I promise I’ll change my ways. I assure you.”

Luna barked a short laugh, but it held no humor. As she carried her foal out on her back, Star saw the guards pulling themselves up, glaring at Luna in fury.

“You won’t get away with this!” the guard swore. “Princess Celestia will hear about this!”

“Oh, she most certainly will,” Luna promised, marching up the stairs and to the throne room.

Star’s heart trembled at the mention of Celestia. “Mother,” she said. “Maybe we can just… skip talking to Celestia, and…”

“And what, my beloved daughter?” Luna asked, struggling to keep her voice even. “Allow those awful stallions to throw you right back into prison?”

Star looked away. “Isn’t that just going to happen sooner if Celestia hears about it?”

“It shouldn’t,” Luna insisted. “I refuse to stand for it anymore!”

Star shivered as they drew closer to the throne room. If there was one thing that isolated her more from anyone else, it was how she saw Celestia.

Every pony – even Luna – saw Celestia as a great and wonderful mare. But Star had no idea where they were pulling this image from. To her, Celestia was but a puppet: a toy for the nobles to do more damage. And she proved it, when Luna forced open the doors… and Lord Ego sat right at the foot of Celestia’s throne. Celestia had just been in the middle of laughing at some joke he had made, before the BOOM of the doors opening yanked her attention to her sister.

“Luna?” Celestia demanded. “What is the meaning of this?”

Luna lifted Star off her back before pointing at Lord Ego. “He threw my daughter in the dungeon!” she said, struggling not to screech.

Lord Ego stood as Star scrunched up in her mother’s grip. She barely glanced at Celestia, but she saw the anger in her eyes directed at her. Star had no idea what she had done to cause it, but it made her terrified of Celestia all the same.

“And you let the little creature out?!” Lord Ego demanded.

Celestia sighed. “Luna,” she said. “Is it true, then? Are you really trying to seize power from me?”

“Seize power?!” Luna demanded. “I’m only asking for justice!”

“Justice is what we want as well!” Lord Ego refuted. “Don’t think we don’t know what you and the wolves were up to!”

Luna gaped at him, clearly just as confused as Star was, while Lord Ego turned to Celestia with a disarming smile.

“My beautiful and powerful princess,” he insisted, his voice making Star shudder with disgust. “Your sister may no longer have the wolves to do her bidding, but how can we be sure she won’t make such plans again.”

“WE MADE NO PLANS?!” Luna boomed, looking to Celestia pleadingly. “Sister – TIA – I have been nothing but loyal to you! I bore the Element of Loyalty itself!”

“Any pony who must say they are loyal is no true loyalist,” Lord Ego replied. He turned back to Celestia. “We must assure your safety, my Princess. It would break all our hearts if something were to happen to you.”

Celestia nodded, her glare on Star making her shrink. “You’re right, Lord Ego,” she replied. “Guards; return the Moon Spawn to her cell.”

“TIA!” Luna protested, as the guards converged on Star. The little alicorn merely curled up, already accepting her fate.

“Control yourself, Luna,” Celestia growled. “Lord Ego has told me of how you cavorted with the wolves and thestrals. How you planned to take my throne.”

“It’s not your throne, it’s ours!” Luna insisted, struggling to keep calm as she felt her rage beginning to burn over. She wasn’t aware of it, but her coat started to darken. Her eyes lit up a bright cyan.

“You see!” Lord Ego insisted, pointing a hoof at Luna. “Even with all her allies gone, she still refuses to remember her place.” He bowed before Celestia. “My bright and shining star, I understand she is your sister, but you must see her for the monster she has always been. If that Moon Spawn is the only thing she cares about, measures must be taken to ensure she remembers her place.”

Celestia sighed. “Not to worry, Lord Ego. I had hoped that my sister could control herself.” She glowered at Luna. “But it appears I was wrong.”

The guards picked Star up and began to carry her away. Luna tried to grab her again, only for Celestia to block her.

“Either remember your place, sister,” Celestia said. “Or your child will never see another moon’s light again.”

As the doors shut between Luna and Star, the tiny alicorn tried to give her mother one last smile. But it was hard to find any positivity or hope in this.

That’s what Celestia does best, Star thought morosely. Taking all the hope out of my sails.

As the door boomed shut, Luna did not move at first. Her rage built like a steam kettle. She almost went light-headed as pressure built, her voice wanting to scream.

“Now,” Celestia continued. “Return to your tower, Luna. I will call you when you are needed.”

Lord Ego laughed. “As if she ever will be.”

Celestia tittered alongside Lord Ego’s laugh. And as their mocking voices rolled over Luna’s ears, a wave of cool calm fell over her. A terrifying grin adorned her blackening features.

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “Luna?” she tried to say, stepping forward. “I gave you a…”

“Not… another step,” Luna growled.

“Princess!” Ego insisted. “Princess Celestia, you see? She’s…”

A beam of magic shot for Ego. Celestia was barely able to deflect it. Even then, the shockwave sent both alicorn and noble crashing into the wall.

“Luna!” Celestia boomed.

But Luna was rising into the air, darkness swirling around her like a hurricane.

“You expect me to sit idly by while they bask in your ‘precious light,’ and insult and demean my beloved night?!?” Luna demanded. “Do you think I will allow this transgression to stand, Celestia?! Do you really think I will let you TAKE MY DAUGHTER FROM ME AND LET YOU THREATEN HER!!??”

“Stop this at once!” Celestia ordered.

But as the darkness enclosed over Luna, the moon began to rise. And Celestia and Ego turned, horror adorning their faces as the moon covered the sun, bathing the entire kingdom in shadows.

“I will protect my daughter from you, from the monsters that hurt her. If there can only be one princess in Equestria,” Luna declared from inside her sphere of darkness. “Then that princess… will be ME!”

The sphere of darkness exploded, throwing Celestia and Ego into a wall. Ego screamed as a snapping sound emanated from his back.

Celestia briefly looked at him in concern, before evil laughter drew her gaze. Where Luna had once floated, a pitch-black mare had taken her place. Slit-pupiled eyes like a dragon glared down at Celestia in contempt. Dark blue regalia adorned her body, and her mane and tail had changed to literal galaxies of stars.

“Stop this, Luna!” Celestia demanded. “Lower the moon at once! It is your duty!”

“I have but one duty now, Celestia,” The nightmarish alicorn in front of her growled, as her horn lit up with magic. “Killing all of you!”

Chapter 4: Tests and Chances

As Star was escorted back to her cell, she reflected on how this wasn’t the first time Celestia had her tossed in the dungeons before.

She recalled a time that the nobles loved to laugh about when they saw her. It was fuzzy for Star, but according to their stories, they had managed to get Celestia to throw a month-old Star into the dungeons for crying too loudly.

An easier memory to recall was when Star was two, and had just tried to enter preschool. Two other unicorn fillies took one look at her leathery wings, and ran screaming to their parents. Their parents got Celestia, and the next thing Star knew, she was in the dungeons. The other children quickly learned how they could get Star in trouble just for screaming about her wings or colors, and Star quickly learned to only associate with her story-book heroes from then on.

But even then, that wasn’t enough. After all, how could she forget the indignity she had suffered when she just tried ‘smiling’ at one of the nobles? Off they went to Celestia, screaming about how Star had ‘bared her teeth’ at them like some sort of dog, and back into the cells Star went.

It’ll all be worth it, though! Star tried to think. I’ll do something great, and then they’ll regret ever messing with me.

Almost like fate was testing her, a BOOM suddenly shook the corridor. Darkness fell over the windows. The guards turned.

“What was that?” one of them demanded. “W-What’s happening!”

“HELP!” another voice cried. Several nobles ran down the corridor. “A monster is attacking Celestia! It already destroyed the throne room.”

A monster! Star shuddered in glee. This is my moment!

She looked down at the cuffs she had on. The guards may have had the keys, but Wing remembered her stories. She remembered a master thief who had managed to pick a lock with his teeth. And when Star had brought the idea up to Flash Magnus, he had assured her such a thing was possible.

Jamming her sharpest tooth into the lock, Star twisted, feeling a sharp jolt of pain that was immediately rectified by the cuffs bursting loose.

The guards screamed, trying to catch her with a spell, but Star lashed the cuffs like she had read an ancient Neighponese warrior do with a weapon called ‘nunchaku.’

Though young, her alicorn strength gave her an advantage, and the nobles raced away screaming as the guards hit the ground, groaning as the felt at their dented helmets.

Star tossed the cuffs aside. “You’ll thank me later,” she assured him, before beating her wings like a hummingbird and taking flight.

Back towards the throne room she went, as the sound of combat drew closer. Nobles ran screaming from the battle. Several fainted when they saw Star Wing coming for them.

But Star flew over their crying, fainting bodies, and pressed on towards her ultimate goal: This is it! This is finally it! They’re gonna feel so horrible for how they treated me and Mom. Why I’ll bet Mom’s already helping out. Kicking names and taking flank! Or however it goes!

Unfortunately, it was not to be, as Star soon found out. At first, Fate denied her; as she burst into the throne room, a one-liner already on her lips, she found only a broken room. Lord Ego lay bloodied and broken in a pile of rubble, a moan the only sign of life from him. At first, Star looked around, ready for an ambush. Then a scream of agony drew her eyes up.

Celestia tumbled out of the sky, her white fur ashen and her regalia broken. She hit the ground with a brutal CRUNCH, and lay where she had fallen. Up above her, a dark figure was silhouetted against the black moon, laughing just like the villains in Star’s stories.

Star grinned confidently, and launched into the air.

“Oh-ho, don’t you start laughing now, honey,” Star Wing taunted. “It’s not over till the fat mare… sings?”

As she drew level with the villain, she couldn’t help but notice how… familiar the villain looked. Yeah, the black fur and the regalia were new, but she knew that mane. And the eyes – even changed – had a familiar light to them. A light that brightened as the two alicorns circled each other.

“Star?” Luna’s voice emanated from the villain. “M-My Beloved Star?”

Star’s fight left her. “Mom?” she whispered. She drifted closer. “What happened to you?”

Luna looked down at her hooves, horror crossing her face. “I… they took you from me,” she whispered. “They…”

“I-It’s okay,” Star insisted, looking down. Celestia was still breathing. So was Lord Ego – as bad as that was. “W-We can fix this!” Star insisted. “Mom, we… I’m sure we can fix this! All we have to do is…”

But before she could think of something, a spear shot between them. Royal Guard pegasi were racing towards them, spears at the ready. Flash in the lead.

“Don’t give up, Star Wing,” Flash called. “We’re coming to help.”

“No, stop!” Star insisted, trying to block them. Flash paused, staring at her in confusion, while the guards behind him laughed.

“What happened to ‘I’m gonna be a hero?’” one of them mocked. He indicated Luna. “There’s your chance, ‘hero!’ Go on, fight her!”

Star spun, despair and horror in her eyes. Luna stared at her, shaking her head pleadingly.

Star couldn’t do it. This was her mother! There had to be another way!

Then, they all saw a light shining from below. Celestia had gotten back up. And she had some sort of gem set with her.

Star Wing’s heart dropped. The Elements of Harmony.

“Celestia, no!” Star pleaded, dropping out of the sky. “Don’t…!”

“Star, stop!” Flash cried.

But the other guards launched past him.

“I knew it,” one of them growled, aiming his spear at Star’s body. “Like mother, like devil cursed daughter!”

“KEEP AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!” Luna bellowed, as a powerful ray of light shot towards the guards.

As the guards screamed in terror, Celestia shot up between them and the beam. The Elements of Harmony flashed with light of their own, and Star Wing was blinded by an explosion of color.

When Star could see clearly again… she saw that her mother was gone. Celestia drifted slowly to the ground, her eyes – wide and horrified - locked on the moon as it slowly lowered. A mare had been imprinted across the moon’s silver surface.

My mother, Star thought.

Star sunk to the ground, unable to notice Celestia beginning to cry. Unable to care about the guards, who glared at how close Star was and descended, pointing their spears at her.

Star’s chance was gone. She had the opportunity to be a hero, and she had lost it. And not only that… she had lost her mother. The one pony who actually loved her; who had tried to protect her from the hate. Unknown to Luna, her presence had been what allowed Star to keep smiling in the face of adversity.

But now she was gone. And though she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the moon, her thestral enhanced hearing could pick up the guards and nobles.

“I knew it. I knew it! That Moon Spawn talked all that nonsense about being a hero, but where was she during all this?”

“Now that Luna isn’t around to protect her, let’s send her the same way as the wolves.”

Star couldn’t take it anymore. She didn’t know how to fix this, and she didn’t have the strength to care. Turning from the guards, the nobles, Celestia, and everyone else who had hated her, Star finally indulged their one desire.

And she ran.

Unfortunately, Flash was faster than her. He skidded to a halt in front of her as she left the castle behind.

“Star,” he protested. “Star, what are you doing?!”

"I failed, Uncle Flash,” she stammered, struggling not to panic. “I couldn’t fight her! I couldn’t prove I was a hero, and they’re gonna kill me! The nobles, they’re…”

Flash hushed her, holding her close. “Star Wing, I assure you: no pony could fight their own loving mother, and I know how much Princess Luna meant to you.” His ears flattened. “But you’re right about the nobles. I fear they’ve been planning your death for some time. They’ve just been waiting for the right moment.”

Star hunched over, struggling to breath. “Oh, Faust, what do I do?” she mumbled, before Flash picked her back up.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not going to let it happen.”

He moved her to a small grove at the edge of the forest. Briefly, he raced back to the castle. But he returned just as quickly, with Star’s saddlebags in his teeth.

"Listen to me, Star Wing,” he said as he landed. “I can't stay long, but you must flee. Run, hide, and never come back. If the nobles find you, they will kill you, and I can't let that happen. In your saddlebags are everything you'll need to start, including some of your belongings."

He then pulled out a familiar medal in the shape of a gold alicorn head, facing to the right with silver edging, two wings fully spread open, and a ribbon with a white center stripe and midnight blue side stripes. The eye was an emerald, the horn was decorated with tiny sapphires, the two spread wings with tiny rubies along the length of the feathers, and the ribbon clip was in the shape of the Castle of the Two Sisters and decorated with diamonds.

“Is that… Daddy’s High Royal Order?” she asked as Flash draped it around her neck. “B-But that’s one of the highest awards in Equestria! What did I do to…”

“He asked me to give it to you when you were old enough, but now I know I wouldn't have another chance,” Flash replied. He gave her one more tight hug before taking a few steps back. "Now run Star, run away. Hide. In the forest. Anywhere. Never come back."

He pointed to the forest, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. Star nodded, and raced into the forest, struggling not to look back.

And as Flash watched the filly of his best friend vanish into the dark, he looked to the sky and took his helmet off.

"Dear Faust, if you're watching, please watch over her. Please.”

Flash put his helmet back on and stood there for a minute, making sure Star had escaped before turning and flying back towards the Castle.

What he hadn’t told the young alicorn was that even if she had fought her own mother - even if she had won - the nobles still would have had her killed. They’d been planning it since Star had been born. The only thing that stopped them was Princess Luna, as the nobles greatly feared her wrath, despite how much they hated her.

"But now they'll never get the chance," Flash thought firmly as he returned to the castle. He did his best to hide his look of disgust as he flew by the trembling nobles peering out of the castle windows. "If only you could hear me, you slimy snakes. I'll never let you have that filly for your foul schemes."

Yet, despite his defiant thoughts, he couldn't help but glance back.

And feel his heart drop into his chest as he recognized the gnarled trunks and pitch black leaves of the forest Star had just disappeared into.

"By Faust... Did I send her into the Ever-Free?!"

Chapter 5: A New Packmate

Meanwhile, inside the Ever-Free Forest, a pack of wolves watched the ruins of the Castle of Two Sisters collapse. Celestia had barely moved from her spot where Luna – or whatever that black alicorn was – had been defeated. She stared up at the moon as if reflecting on her entire life.

Further away, the wolves could make out the armored visage of Flash Magnus. As the wolves watched, Flash placed something on a gravestone, before bowing his head in either mourning or respect.

“How ironic,” Kodo mused darkly. “The ponies are barely done with destroying us, and already they’ve turned on each other.”

Myst chuckled. “I find it fitting, all things considered.”

Kodo shook his head. “I don’t,” he said. “I think we should take advantage. Just go in and…”

“No!” A golden wolf stepped forward in the pack, her brown eyes carrying the same fire as Shiva. “You heard Alpha Shiva; we’re going to focus on rebuilding and re-strengthening ourselves before we try and fight them again.”

Kodo still gave the crumbling tower a dark look. “Wish we could do that faster,” he grumbled. “Those ponies deserve to be punished.”

“No doubt,” the golden wolf agreed, glaring at the castle herself. “But for now, let’s let them rip each other apart. While they weaken, we grow stronger.”

The other wolves nodded reluctantly, before Myst gave the golden wolf a curious glance.

“Why aren’t you back at camp, Celine?” she asked. “You’re still fit for breeding, after all.”

“I’m not going to just be a pup factory,” Celine growled. “I can do more than get pregnant. Like hunt.”

“But if you get hurt?” Kodo asked. “This place can be pretty dangerous.”

Celine grinned at him. “I’m not alone,” she replied. “I’ve got you with me.”

Kodo glanced down. Though their wounds had been healed, there was still clearly no return from the damage Starswirl and his goons had inflicted on them.

“I can’t exactly be called a ‘guy’ anymore,” Kodo noted.

Celine gave him a sympathetic look, and brushed his shoulder. “You’re still willing to do what you can for the pack,” she assured him. “That’s what makes a real male.”

Kodo grinned softly at her reply, before a scream drew their gaze. The wolves looked at each other in confusion.

“Is that… a pup?” Myst asked.

“There’s no howl behind it,” Kodo reasoned. “If it’s a kid… it’s gotta be a pony.”

The mere word sent a shudder of disgust through the pack. Yet, as another scream permeated the air, Celine felt the instinct of a mother wolf pulsate through her veins. Driving her to take off in the direction of the scream. To reach whoever was in trouble and help them, regardless of whether it was pony or wolf.

Star Wing had never been in the Ever-Free Forest before. She had always wanted to go in; she always had ideas of conquering the evil things inside. But now, as she ran away from those that wanted her dead, she realized just how naïve she had been to think she could take on anything in the forest.

The twisted, gnarled trees almost seemed to resemble faces, laughing at her plight. Creatures scurried in the darkness out of the corners of her eyes, leaving her jumping at shadows. And the wind hissed laughter, sounding almost like the voices in Star’s mind.

“Why couldn’t you help me,” Luna’s voice pleaded, as several sharp branches clawed at Star’s wing.

She wrenched away, only to stumble into a pit.

“This is where Moon Spawn like you belong,” Lord Ego’s voice hissed as she hit muddy, slimy water.

Something shifted underneath her, and Star yelped, bursting from the water and trying to fly with sodden wings. The trees shivered with malicious laughter as the water weighed her down, sending her tumbling to the ground.

“Moon Spawn,” the wind hissed. “Demon. Devil. Deserve to die…”

Star Wing shivered where she fell, her horn pulsating with light. “Shut up,” she growled. “I could’ve been your hero! You didn’t give me a chance!”

“Demon.”

“I could’ve proven you wrong!”

“Devil!”

“You weren’t fair!”

“Deserve to die.”

“Star,” Luna’s voice seemed to whisper. “Help me.”

Eyes seemed to poke up from everywhere. Star’s horn bristled and popped with light. Overwhelmed, she let out a shriek, and a burst of light destroyed the trees around her, leaving her in a small, crater-like clearing.

For a moment, the wind went silent. Though the darkness still remained, the voices went quiet. Star took a moment to compose her, breathing deeply, in and out. Out and in.

“I’ll be a hero,” she reminded herself. “I’ll… I can just live here. A-And when they need me, I’ll be there. Nothing can stop me!” She looked up. “You hear me? NOTHING’S GONNA STOP ME!”

In response, several glowing green eyes opened, regarding her with unamused hunger.

Star’s wings, ears and tail drooped. Timber wolves.

The broken branches from Star’s fit slid over to the green eyes, becoming part of the bark-armor that made up their forms. Growling, Star charged up another blast of magic. But with her energy worn out from her fit, all she managed to do was blow the head off one of the beasts; a head that grew back from moss and branches easily.

As the pack bore down on her, Star managed a nervous chuckle.

“I guess… you guys… are gonna stop me, eh?” she noted, glancing around at the crater she had made and the destroyed trees with them. “Um… can I just… replace these? I’m sure I can do it.”

The lead timber wolf jumped at her, Star only escaping due to her smaller size.

“Okay, fine!” she snapped at them. “Be like everypony else! Don’t give me a chance!”

She stomped her hoof and took off. However, one of the timber wolves almost got lucky. As it’s jaws snapped at her back, they managed to snag her saddlebags.

Star yelped, trying to grab them back, but two more wolves lunged at her. Wisely letting go, Star tumbled backward as the timber wolves smashed into each other, and the one with her saddlebag rolled backward, her supplies flying away into the darkness.

To make matters worse, the two timber wolves smashing together just reformed into a larger timber wolf. And as Wing struggled to get back to her hooves, the bigger timber wolf romped forward effortlessly and jumped for her throat.

Yelping, Star held up her forelegs, and screamed in pain as the beast’s jaws latched around her legs and her head. Desperate, Star pumped what little magic she had left into her forelegs, trying to hold apart the jaws threatening to crush her.

But she was still young, and her magic reserves were few. And as her strength slowly failed her, and the jaws of death pressed down closer and closer towards her head, Star saw the other timber wolves gathering around. Flanking her, but patiently waiting for their Alpha to finish the job.

This can’t be right, Star thought frantically. “I-I’m not supposed to die!” she protested, kicking feebly at the timber wolf’s underside. “I’M NOT SUPPOSED TO DIE LIKE THIS!”

The timber wolves didn’t care. And as the last of Star’s strength left her, and the wolf’s teeth began to press into her neck, drawing a tiny amount of blood, Star didn’t even have enough energy to cry. Slowly, her eyes shut, and her body began to accept her fate, even as her mind bounced around in her head like a superball. No-no-no, someone save me! Someone help me! That’s how it worked in the stories! PLEASE, I’M SO SCARED!

But then, just before her throat could be crushed, and her story could end, Fate decided to be kind to her. A new howl – not one of timber wolves – filled the air.

Seconds later, a golden form smashed the big timber wolf to mulch, releasing her from its death grip. As Star landed she gaped up in shock: it was… another wolf. But this one was made of flesh and fur, not bark and moss. A pair of giant owl-like wings were spread across it’s back, and it’s fur shimmered like a unicorn horn.

The rest of the wooden pack jumped, growling at the flesh wolf. But the golden one growled right back. And as more flesh wolves gathered around her, the timber wolf pack seemed to realize it was outmatched.

Reluctantly, the timber wolves crept away into the forest. One stayed, glaring at the wolves, but another blast of magic from the golden one sent it scurrying away with a damaged snout.

Hesitantly, Star looked up, her eyes wide and fearful, while her whole body trembled. Cautiously, the golden wolf got on her level, looking at her with sympathy.

“Are you alright, young one?” she asked.

Star pulled herself up, dusting herself off. “Well, I’m… with wolves again.” She glanced back at where the timber wolves had gone. “Though I gotta say, I prefer you guys to them.” She reached out and touched Celine’s fur, noting how soft it was. “Fluffy… much better than wood.”

The other flesh wolves exchanged confused looks, but the golden one only had eyes for Star. Despite her words, Star’s voice shook, struggling to remain even. And her eyes were glazed, half-focused on her fur.

“Little one?” the golden one said. “My name is Celine. Who are you?”

“S-Star Wing,” she replied, struggling to smile as she extended her wings. “Y-You can guess where I got the name. I-I thought it would be a good hero name... o-one day, you know? When I was trained?”

Celine tilted her head. “And is that why you’re out here?” she asked. “To train?”

“Because you need way more practice,” one of the wolves in the back snarked, producing a round of laughter.

Celine glared at her pack mates, but Star tried to join in; hoping it would defuse things. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Just like you guys need to work on keeping secrets.”

The wolves paused. Their glares caused Star’s heart to hammer.

“I-I mean… you did a great job keeping things with my mom secret. I sure didn’t know about it until…”

“Hold on,” Celine said. “Your mom?”

“P-Princess Luna,” she said with a nod. “You… they said you were going to overthrow Celestia.” She glanced back. “P-Pardon me, but it doesn’t look like it worked.”

Kodo stepped forward with a glower, but Celine motioned for him to wait. “Kodo…”

“Those ponies honestly thought…?” Kodo demanded.

“Stay calm,” Celine ordered. “Get Mother. She needs to hear this.”

Kodo glanced between them, and then turned to his wolves. “That filly tries anything…” he started to say, but Myst just nodded.

“We’ll handle it,” she promised. “Go.”

Kodo spared Star one more glare, but his glare faltered under how pathetic the little filly looked. Rocking back and forth, murmuring to herself. “Mom? Mother? Mother’s okay… she was… she… no!” She slapped herself. “Pull it together, Wing. You’re better than this.”

Sighing, Kodo left to find his mother.

He found Shiva with three of the survivors; two males, one female. One of the males had been a victim of the spell, and he was looking down with a glower.

“I’m sorry that it has to be like this,” Shiva insisted to him. “But this isn’t just about feelings right now; this is about ensuring our race goes on.” She looked to the un-fixed male and female. “I expect you two to treat him,” she indicated the fixed one, “With respect. He had every right to love you,” she indicated the female, “Before Starswirl and the others ruined his chances of getting to start a family.”

“Mother,” Kodo said, drawing her gaze. “We found something.”

Shiva’s eyes darted to him. “Can it wait?”

Kodo shook his head. Shiva sighed, turning back to the trio.

“I’ll be right back,” she promised. “But you three understand.” She glared at the non-fixed male. “Just because you can breed with her doesn’t give you the right to act like you’re better than him.” She indicated the fixed one.

“I understand, Alpha,” he promised.

“Good.” Shiva turned back to Kodo, and followed him into the forest.

As the Alpha reached the clearing where Celine was tending to Star Wing, she had to pause, taking in Star’s form.

She was an alicorn, but she was also so young and tiny. The terrors of the Ever-Free should have broken such a young soul. Yet, she was still trying to smile, her eyes wide as she retold some kind of story to Celine.

“A-And then,” Star was saying. “Princess Luna launched right at King Sombra with her scythe, like… SWOOSH and BACK! And Sombra? Sombra was like, “Aw, no…” A-And she beat him!”

“I’m sure she did,” Celine said before glancing at Shiva. “Mother.” She turned and bowed, while Star blinked dumbly up at the Lupa.

“Oh h-hello,” Star said. “You… look a lot like an alicorn. Was that too obvious? I don’t know, I’ve been kinda… running through this forest for about an hour or two, so I-I’m a little… uh… on edge. Even though I’m not actually out on an edge, am I?” she tittered a broken, stressed laugh.

Shiva glanced at Celine. “What’s her name?”

“Star Wing,” Celine replied, as Star continued to talk.

“N-Not that it matters,” Star Wing was insisting. “You know? Because… heroes don’t get scared. A-And I’m a hero! Or at least… I was gonna be. There… we had this demon, a-and I was gonna beat it, see? I was gonna… I was gonna beat it and then... e-everyone was gonna love me! They’d appreciate me, they’d… they wouldn’t punish me for looking at them wrong…”

As Star spoke, Shiva felt her heart throb at how much the young alicorn was struggling to sound chipper, despite the horrifying treatment she was implying the ponies had put her through. Unwilling to hear anymore, Shiva cut off Star’s rambling with a simple nuzzle. It was gentle and kind, but it stopped Wing dead in her tracks. She made a few more attempts to speak, before the dam finally broke, and she seized Shiva by the neck.

“Hey!” Kodo barked, only to be answered with sobs.

Shiva motioned for him to stay back as the little filly cried into her fur, sobbing uncontrollably. Picking her up, Shiva gently rocked the filly back and forth, patting her back and letting her vent.

“They… took my mommy,” the filly whimpered through her tears.

“Just let it out,” Shiva encouraged. “We’re here for you; you’re among friends.”

Eventually, Wing cried herself out. As her last sniffles faded into gasps for breath, Shiva dried the filly’s tears.

“Now,” Shiva said. “Who took your mom?”

Star hiccupped, helping Shiva wipe away her tears. “I-I mean… they didn’t ‘take’ take her. B-But t-they were mean to her. They hated me… hated her. B-But Mom loved me. A-And Uncle Flash - that is, uh, Flash Magnus? He was good to me. And I figured, ‘hey, one of them likes me. Maybe I can earn the love…”

“Flash Magnus?” Myst asked. “The Pillar of Equestria? And you wanted the other Pillars to show you…”

“Oh, not just the pillars,” Star rectified. “The ponies. The nobles! C-Celestia? I was gonna show them.” She looked down. “But Mom… she… it just got too much for her, and then…” Star covered her face. “How was I supposed to fight my own mom? How can a hero do that?”

Shiva would look up at the moon – at the new visage of Luna on it – and understanding dawned on her face. “They can’t,” she whispered.

Star looked up in confusion, as Shiva settled the mare on her lap.

“Ponies in this day and age,” Shiva said sadly. “They let fear of the unknown control them. They let it justify hatred; they let it excuse cruelty. And trying to change it…” Shiva glanced at her pack mates. “Will only get you hurt.”

Star followed her gaze, looking at the downtrodden wolves. She wiped away her tears again, her brow creasing in thought. “Uncle Flash tried to change it,” she whispered. “He helped me get away.” She looked up and around. “Oh Faust… he probably thinks I’m dead!”

Shiva winced. “I’m sorry to say it,” Shiva said. “But it might be better for them to think that. You and I are similar, Little Wing, in that not many ponies will seem to mourn our passing.”

Star shook her head. “But there’s gotta be some way,” she insisted. “The heroes in the stories; they always found a way.” Her ears perked. “Wait. YOU!”

Shiva blinked as Star gripped her fur.

“You can teach me, right?” Star asked. “Heroes always need mentors. A-And you just said we’re similar. You can teach me how to be a hero! A-And then… When the ponies need us, when they look up and yell to save us, w-we’ll emerge from the darkness, apparently rising from the dead, and save the world from fear and hate! We will!”

Shiva winced. She didn’t believe such a thing was possible so soon after her people had been attacked. Even now, a dark, ugly part of her yearned for the day the wolves were back to full strength; when they would burn Canterlot and the Elite to the ground. A part of her wanted to watch the ponies' sins foam up around their waists. And when they looked up and screamed, ‘save us’ like Star envisioned, Shiva could see herself whispering, ‘No.’

But as Shiva stared into Star Wing’s eyes, she saw more than just an innocent’s imagination. She saw a broken soul, struggling to piece itself together; hanging on by a delusional thread.

Shiva sighed, unwilling to shatter this poor youth’s delusion, and wrapped her in a hug. “Yes,” she said. “I’ll teach you. I’ll teach you everything I know. And we will help you grow into a strong, powerful hero. A hero who will save the world.”

Star Wing’s eyes glittered, and she hugged Shiva back. Shiva then turned her eyes up to Canterlot.

“And the beasts who hurt you,” Shiva whispered, too softly for Star to hear, her voice black with bitterness, “Will never have you again.”

Picking the little filly up by the scruff of her neck, she brought her back to the camp. As she walked, Star blinked with surprise as she was carried by the Lupa-wolf like one of her own pups. Yet, as she felt the gentle way Shiva was holding her, her surprise faded into amusement; with the amusement serving as a poor cover for her joy.

These wolves may not have been ponies, but they had shown her more love than Lord Ego and most others had ever shown her in her entire short life. Star had been a fool to think these wolves were monsters.

But don’t you worry, Star thought as Shiva carried her. A good filly learns from her mistakes. And if the ponies don’t want me as their hero… I’ll be your hero instead… my saviors.

As Shiva brought Star into camp, several wolves bristled at the sight of a pony, but the way Shiva held her waylaid their anger and replaced it with curiosity.

“My brothers and sisters,” Shiva said, indicating Star. “This is Star Wing; daughter of Princess Luna.”

“A pony,” Diana, who had just gotten back from a hunt, growled as several others looked surprised at what Shiva had just said. “Tell me she’s not going to be here long.”

Shiva glared at her pack mate. “Princess Luna was betrayed by her own,” Shiva explained. “The nobles who destroyed our home and our people turned their sights onto this mare and her mother.”

Star shivered in Shiva’s grip, but she just adjusted her grip, comforting the filly with her warmth.

“It’s too late for Luna,” Shiva said. “But it’s not too late for this one.” She looked up at the others. “I won’t ask you to forgive the nobles who hurt you. But I do ask you to recognize that this filly was not involved in any of that. She was hurt by the same creatures who hurt us. She may not be our sister in blood, but she is our sister in pain. And I beseech you to find it within yourselves to see her beyond what she looks like, and allow her to prove herself as a valued pack member.” Her voice lowered. “After all… we could use all the help we can get, eh?”

The pack’s bristling dwindled at Shiva’s truth. Like it or not, they did need help surviving. And an alicorn filly could grow into a powerful ally.

Thus, no one complained as Shiva brought Star back to her den. In fact, a group of wolves followed Shiva, a familiar pair of saddlebags in their teeth.

“Alpha Shiva?” the leader, Diana, asked. “We found these saddlebags out in the forest. They had an odd scent on them, and they led back to you. Could it be…?” She glanced at Star, who’s eyes widened at the sight of her things.

“My… my stuff!” Star Wing stammered. She nearly lunged up to seize the bags, before halting herself, and bowing to Diana. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Diana blinked; it wasn’t often that an alicorn - even one so young - bowed to a wolf. But when she looked to Shiva, the Alpha smiled and nodded. Grinning herself, Diana handed the saddlebags over to Star, noticing the glint of gold around her neck.

“What are you wearing?” Diana asked.

Star briefly glanced down at her neck. “Oh, just, uh…” she chuckled sheepishly. “The High Royal Order. My dad got it; it’s… an award for great valor and outstanding leadership.” She toyed with it. “I… probably shouldn’t be wearing it, but… it was my dad’s, and Dad’s not here so…” she paused, before diving back into her saddlebags.

Diana and Shiva exchanged a worried look, before Star re-emerged with a book.

“N-Now here’s something a little more interesting,” she declared with glee. “‘The Fall of Discord,’” she opened the book with a laugh. “Mom would read this to me every time I got scared; it would always assure me that no matter how bad things got, heroes won out in the end.”

Shiva curled up next to Star. “Would you like to read it to us now?” she asked.

Star looked around. “Can I?”

Shiva nodded as another Wolf, a Warg, came up. “First, let me take a look at you Star Wing.”

Shiva placed a paw on Star’s back as the Filly looked up at the warg curiously. “Star, this is Don, a warg that specializes in medicine.”

Star blinked. “Like a doctor?”

“Yes.”

“And a warg?” She paused for a second before a look of understanding appeared over her face. “Oh… the Wolves’ “Unicorn” right?”

Shiva nodded again. “Exactly Star.”

Though Star was a little reluctant, remembering the last time she was looked at by a doctor, Star let Don look her over, watching as he took out a small bottle no bigger than his paw along with what looked like cotton swabs. Don then pulled out a second bottle and from it poured a white foam-like fluid which he rubbed into and over his paws, noticing the look of wonder he spoke while he put the second bottle away.

“Paw cleaner, as one of the Wolves’ Healers I need to have my paws clean while tending to wounds, last thing I want to do is cause an infection while treating a wound.”

Once he was done rubbing the foam over his paws, he picked up the first bottle and carefully poured a few drops of a clear liquid onto a cotton swab.

“Now Wing, this is going to sting for a few seconds but it’ll pass quickly and clean those wounds on your neck, forelegs and wings.”

Star nodded and allowed him to gently press the swabs against her wounds. She flinched at the sting but held her tongue. It was a bit surreal to her; every doctor she had met before had treated her as if they’d rather let her get sick and die, or even try to use their medicines to hurt her worse. It had gotten to the point where the only ones Luna allowed to heal Star were either Flash or Meadowbrook. Yet this Wolf doctor showed her a gentleness that helped her to relax as he did his work. As he worked, Kodo found another book in Star’s bags; a photo album.

And with Don’s encouragement, Star began to share the pictures inside, depicting memories such as Star trying on Flash’s helmet, Flash reading her a story as she peeked out from under his helmet, a few very old pictures of Luna, Star Hunter and Star Wing all together as a family, and even one of Flash Magnus holding a newborn Star Wing. Through her stories and explanations, Shiva and the other Wolves learned that while the other Pillars weren’t around Star very much, nowhere near as much as Flash was anyway, they always treated her nicely and apparently taught the young Alicorn everything that her teachers should have taught her, but instead wasted by treating her like a demon.

After cleaning her wounds Don gave her a checkup, up to examining her teeth. Once he was done he nodded with a smile and put his things away.

“So what’s the verdict, Doc?” Star joked.

Don gave her a smile and a chuckle. “Well Star Wing, I’m glad to say that the wounds on your neck only went deep enough to draw blood and that’s it. Using your Earth Pony strength when you did likely saved your life as it bought Celine and her pack time to reach you. I know it may not seem like much but I’ve learned from experience that even a single second can make the difference between life and death. Beyond that you’re as healthy as one would expect for a foal your age. It’s clear to me that the ones that did care for you made sure you were looked after.”

Star gave him a smile as she laid down next to Shiva and as the other wolves gathered round, Star began to regale them with the tale of how Luna and Celestia - once united as sisters and friends - had took down the laughable evil of Discord, Shiva looked back towards Canterlot, struggling not to let the bitterness take hold.

You nobles will pay for this, Shiva silently promised. Not just for my sake anymore, but for Luna’s sake. And this filly’s sake. Anyone that can do this to a child… she shook her head. One day, we will get our strength back. And if you’re not paying for this already, you will pay for it then.

Chapter 6: Fallout

Starswirl had hoped that by destroying the wolves, he was bringing peace back to Equestria. He believed that he’d return home to find every pony’s minds at ease.

He didn’t expect to return to a battlefield.

As he stepped through the ruined courtyard, his eyes wide with shock at the devastation, he saw his fellow Pillars entering the ruins, disbelief etched across their faces.

“My friends,” Starswirl called, joining them. “What happened?”

“No idea,” Rockhoof replied. “We just felt a dangerous presence in these woods, and we came to investigate, but...

“Wait,” Meadowbrook said, looking around. “Where’s Flash?”

Fear entered Starswirl’s old heart.

“Flash Magnus!” He barked, racing into the ruins. “Flash!”

Luckily, they found their fellow Pillar still alive. He knelt next to the ruined entrance to the throne room, gazing forlornly at an old portrait, his wings hanging loose on his sides and his helmet sitting next to him.
“Star Hunter, I’m sorry, so... so sorry. I failed, failed to keep that promise.”

“Flash?” Mistmane asked.

Flash choked back his sobs. His head lowered, allowing the others to see that the portrait was a photo of the Solar and Night Guards. Flash was posed at the front, alongside a grinning thestral. One the Pillars recognized as a Night Guardsman that had been Flash’s best friend and one Luna had been sweet on before he tragically fell in a battle with a rogue griffon flock protecting her.

Meadowbrook carefully placed a hoof on his shoulder, causing the Stallion to flinch at the touch but he didn’t pull away. Instead he lifted his head and turned to look at them, causing Meadowbrook and Somnambula to place a hoof over their mouths as Mistmane and Rockhoof gasped softly in shock.

Flash's eyes were almost entirely red from his crying and his nose was freely running, but that wasn't the cause of their reaction: It was the sheer brokenhearted look in his eyes which had deep dark circles under them, looking like he hadn't slept in days. None of the four had ever seen him like this, even in the face of the toughest opponents he had always been ready to face it with a smile and filled with hope and bravery. Here, it looked like all that same hope and bravery had been lost, drained out of him only leaving something akin to a shell.

The only time they had seen him anywhere even close to this state was when his best friend Star Hunter had passed.

Mistmane was the first to find her voice. "Flash?" She asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"I... I killed her." His tone sounded as broken as he looked.

"Who?" Somnambula asked gently, Flash choked back a sob as he turned fully to face his fellow Pillars.

"Star Wing. Hunter's filly."

“Princess Luna’s filly?” Starswirl asked. He looked around. “But… what happened to Luna?”

Flash shook his head. “The noble’s treatment of her caught up to us. She went insane… and Celestia…” He covered his face with a hoof.

“No…” Meadowbrook whispered. “But Luna… Luna was always so dedicated. So passionate! She…” She paused. “No… after what the nobles have been putting her through…”

“But what about Star Wing?” Somnabula asked. “What do you mean you killed her?”

Flash shook his head. “I couldn’t let the nobles have their way with her, now that Luna wasn’t around to protect her, I knew they would have killed her. So I took her to the edge of the forest, and told her to run.”

“But… couldn’t that be good?” Mistmane asked. “If she’s not in the castle, maybe we can find her and get her somewhere safe.”

Flash barked a humorless laugh. “Oh, I forgot one little detail, didn’t I?” He looked up in self-loathing. “The forest I just sent her into was the Everfree Forest!”

Rock Hoof gasped. “But that’s one of the most dangerous areas in Equestria!”

“I know!” Flash bemoaned. “But I wasn’t thinking straight! In my hurry to save her from the nobles I sent the filly I always saw as my niece to her death, trying to protect her and instead I killed her!” He covered his face with a wing. “She probably died thinking I had betrayed her and Hunter."

With that he buried his head into his hooves again along with his wings as his body shook with fresh sobs, the others hearing him mumble in between each. "Star Wing, Hunter... I'm so sorry."

The others looked at each other with sadness, while they didn't know Star Wing as well as he did, they did know of his bond with the alicorn filly. They had seen him play with her when off duty, read stories to her, and even share his lunch with her, and that was just to name a few things. Wordlessly, the four surround Flash and wrapped the brokenhearted Stallion in a group hug, trying to help him with his grief.

But Starswirl could not join them. Though he had found the little filly amusing, it was her mother that drew his true feelings. Whatever the cause, Luna had been his student; the closest thing he had to a daughter. Her own child’s fate was a tragedy, but Starswirl needed to know more about what had happened to Luna.

In the ruins of the throne room, he found what he hoped would be a better source of information: Lord Ego, a brace and several bandages adorning his sides, watching Princess Celestia as she sat before the two thrones, her head bowed in despair. He blinked, wasn’t Celestia’s mane and tail pink before he left? Now they were several colors, like a rainbow.

“Lord Ego,” Starswirl said, walking up to the injured noble. “The wolves have been disposed of.” He glanced at Celestia. “But… what has happened in my absence?”

Lord Ego glanced between them for a moment. Finally, he sighed. “Princess Luna… was forced into a corner. Our attempts to control her…”

“If you value the rest of your bones, ‘Lord’ Ego,” Celestia growled, rising up but not looking at either of the unicorns. “You would be wise to tread lightly.”

Lord Ego flinched, his brace creaking as he backed up. Starswirl blinked at the two in confusion.

“Celestia,” he said. “What is the meaning of all of this? What has Princess Luna done?”

Celestia was silent, before turning to Starswirl. The old unicorn gasped at the broken light in her eyes; the tears streaming down her face.

“She was corrupted,” Celestia whispered. “By envy and hate.” Her ears flattened as she looked down. “And I did nothing to help her.”

“Princess, please,” Lord Ego insisted. “You did everything you could have…”

“Did I?” Celestia demanded, her fur glowing as she whirled on the noble. “I let you burrow into my head with fearful accusations and conspiracies! I let you turn me against her! I let you convince me to stand by and do nothing while a child was arrested. A child!”

“N-Not really a child, Your Excellency” Lord Ego tried to justify. “A Moon Spawn. She…”

But he had said the wrong thing. His silver tongue had failed him. As Celestia flared up, her fur shimmered like she was becoming the sun itself.

Starswirl was forced to look away, the light searing into his eyes. He heard Lord Ego’s voice, frantic.

“N-No, please! Your Grace! YOUR MAJESTY! I WAS ONLY… WAIT! NOOO!”

Then the light faded. Starswirl opened his eyes.

Lord Ego was gone; a few magic sparkles fading away to ashes around where he stood. When Starswirl turned to Celestia, she was looking back at the throne, and at the setting moon.

“Celestia!” Starswirl protested. “What did you…?”

“I sent him to the dungeons,” Celestia replied. Her head lowered. “I should be down there myself, to be honest.”

Starswirl’s eyes softened. He walked up to her.

“Don’t think like that,” he insisted. “It’s… never easy being a protector of Equestria. Whatever Luna… may have done…”

He looked down, hesitation and sorrow halting him from saying more. Though, his hesitation was probably for the best; Celestia’s coat continued to shimmer as she struggled to hold back her tears.

“Tell me something else, Starswirl,” she whispered. “When you drove the wolves from our land… was there any evidence that they had been conspiring against me?”

Starswirl paused. Had there been any evidence? He had been focused on making sure the wolves wouldn’t be around to do anything, not to see whether it was justified or not. A villain was a villain, no matter what after all.

“Whether there was or wasn’t,” he declared. “The wolves will not be a problem for you. I’ve ensured it.”

Celestia didn’t reply. Her head just bowed lower, and her tears dripped onto the floor.

Starswirl grimaced at her grief, before glancing up at the moon again. Choosing not to press his luck as Lord Ego had done, Starswirl walked out of the room, leaving to find some pony else that would realize the good they had done. The loss of Princess Luna was tragic, but surely others would see that the destruction of the wolves was necessary. Now they could never hurt them again. This was a very good thing!

Despite Starswirl’s beliefs, the rest of the Royal Army felt nothing but disgust as they looked over the ruins of the wolves’ village.

“There’s nothing,” Sgt. Swift Winds, the same Pegasus that had fired the arrow that killed Shiva’s mate, Luke, reported. “No secret plans, no messages to the thestrals or Princess Luna…” He shook his head. “Mares and stallions, I do believe we have made a huge mistake.”

“Mistake?” one of the mares demanded, indicating one of the wolf bodies. “Do you think they’ll consider it a mistake?”

“I mean…” another unicorn noted. “They’re not around to say much about it anymore…”

“You think that matters?” Swift Winds barked back. “I’m glad you can live with the blood on your hooves, but I don’t know if I can!”

“Me neither!” the unicorn added. “I thought we were doing something good, but…” she retched as she noticed a very small wolf body. “Celestia have mercy on us… what did we do?”

Swift Winds could only shake his head, gazing in regret at the carnage. “We… followed our orders, I guess,” he said.

The unicorn glared up at him with tear-stricken eyes. “Then I don’t think I can follow another order like this again,” she replied. Taking off her helmet, she threw it to the ground, and walked away.

One by one, the other soldiers took off their helmet and armor, walking away from the site as well. After a moment of reflection, Swift Winds shed his own armor and joined them.

But even then, it wasn’t enough to lift the burden on his heart.

Swift tried in some way to alleviate it. He wandered into a nearby tavern, and drank until he couldn’t feel anything. But the problem with not feeling anything? He didn’t realize what he would say in that stupor.

“We called them the animals,” the former soldier grumbled darkly to his fellow drinkers. “Ha! We’re the real animals. All they did was look different, but that was enough for our superiors. ‘Kill them all,’ they said. ‘Kill them all, and make sure they never come back.’” He hiccupped, sloshing ale down his front. “And we did.” His head rolled. “Celestia have mercy on us, we did.”

As he bemoaned his situation, several ponies looked on with horror in their eyes. The youngest of the group - an earth pony named Apple Tart - left the tavern, heading to where the wolves had once stood.

As the young earth pony took in the carnage, she noticed other ponies starting to arrive as well, looking around in sadness. Apple Tart found herself regretting all those times she had seen the wolves and felt fear in her heart. Worry at what they might do to her; suspicion that one day, she’d be like those squirrels or rabbits that the wolves ran down.

Now it might never come to pass. And yet… it shouldn’t have had to come at this rate, not like this.

As the weeks passed, despair hung over Equestria like a dark storm cloud. Celestia’s grief at the loss of Princess Luna and Princess Star Wing infected the ponies like the flu. And with the former soldiers bemoaning the horrible things they had done to the wolves, it was hard to find joy or happiness in the land anymore.

So, some ponies tried something to alleviate the guilt. Weighed down with lilies, roses, orchids and other flowers, they followed the trail – stained red from blood – that the wolves had left as they fled into the Ever-Free. For fear of their own lives, the ponies didn’t venture any further than the entrance to the Ever-Free. But as Apple Tart set down the flowers, she gazed into the shadows, faint sparks or fireflies almost looking like eyes staring back at them.

“We’re sorry,” she whispered. “For all of this… we know you can’t forgive… but we’re all so sorry.”

Then, Apple Tart turned. And the ponies returned home, their hearts still burdened, but a small ember of hope igniting; hope that maybe somehow, the wolves would hear them.

They weren’t off the mark. For what they had mistook for fireflies actually were eyes. The eyes of Star, Celine and Myst.

Star stood ready, her horn glowing in preparation for an attack. However, as the ponies turned away, her horn’s light faded in confusion.

“Uh… what are they doing?” Star asked. “They show up, say some stuff and then leave?”

“Maybe it’s a trap,” Myst noted, glaring at the flowers. “Maybe they’re hoping those things will be poisonous.”

“Can’t be,” Celine insisted, peering at the plants. “Those are lilies, roses and orchids. Lilies… could be poisonous, but roses and orchids aren’t.”

“So, they’re planting some sort of trap,” Myst decided.

Celine sighed. “Look, whatever they’re doing, we can’t decide anything without Alpha Shiva.”

Star Wing nodded. “Well, you guys go ask her,” she offered, glaring at the forest. “If those ponies try to hurt you, I’ll show them just what kind of hero they missed out on having.”

Myst glowered at the filly’s boldness, before turning to Celine. “I’ll stay here,” she whispered. “Make sure this runt actually means what she said.”

Celine rolled her eyes. “Come on, Myst; you can trust her. She was rejected by the ponies just as we were, after all.”

Myst hummed, unable to refute that information, though she still kept an eye on the alicorn filly as Celine raced back into the forest.

Once again, she found Shiva handling another trio of lovers.

“I understand you two love each other,” she said to a pair. “But you have to understand we’re in a very trying time.” She’d indicate the two males. “This is not a time for you to be deciding on who’s the better lover, and this is really note a time for you,” she indicated the female, “To be feeling objectified.”

The female pouted. “Well, it really feels like my ability to breed is the only thing that matters about me,” she muttered.

Shiva sighed. “If you really want to contribute beyond motherhood, you’re free to go on hunts,” she decided. She indicated the two males. “But I want these two with you, and I want you to promise you’ll tell me if you need something. We’re not in a very good time, but I’m not going to force you into a role you don’t want.”

The trio of wolves bowed. “Thank you, Alpha Shiva.”

Nodding, Shiva sent them off, before her eyes brightened at the sight of her daughter.

“Ah, Celine,” she said. “What do you need?”

“We saw some ponies on the eastern border to the Ever-Free,” Celine explained.

Instantly, a growl started up at the mention of ‘ponies.’ Shiva calmed the wolves with a wave of her paws, but even her expression was stony.

“What were they doing?” she growled.

“They set lilies, roses and orchids at the entrance to the Ever-Free,” Celine explained. “Then they said… something we couldn’t hear, and left. Star Wing and Myst are watching the borders, but… I don’t think they wanted to hurt anyone.” She looked away. “If anything, they looked rather guilty.”

“Oh, guilty?” one of the wolves snarled. “They killed our friends and family, and they feel a little bad about it?”

“Screw all of them!” another wolf agreed. “When we’re ready, we should slaughter all of them, and then leave flowers at THEIR last sanctuary. See how they like it!”

“Why bother with flowers; we should…”

“ENOUGH!” Shiva boomed, silencing the surrounding wolves. “You all are missing the most important part: they left.

“But…”

“No,” Shiva insisted. “They returned to their own territory, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s the end of it.” Her eyes softened. “I’m not asking you to forgive them for the pain they put you through. I’m asking that you don’t risk what we’ve been building – are still building – for a few foals. Fear is the true enemy here. And we cannot let it overcome us as it overcame them.”

The other wolves grumbled and huffed, but they didn’t turn away. And Celine felt hope as she shared a small smile with her mother.

“Our strength is returning, my brothers and sisters,” Shiva assured them. “The ponies couldn’t kill us. And for now, the Ever-Free can’t either. Let’s make sure it stays that way.”

Celine nodded, the others following along grudgingly, and she returned to tell Star Wing and Myst. They had already survived one attempt at extinction. Celine was perfectly content with not having to go through another.

Chapter 7: Wolf Life

Star quickly discovered that wolf life was very different from pony life.

As she slumbered, her book still clutched tightly in her hooves like a teddy bear, she was roused by Shiva’s wet nose nuzzling her, the feeling and soft exhales tickling her slightly and causing her to giggle as she awoke.

“Mph… mama?” Star mumbled, opening bleary eyes.

“In a way,” Shiva replied with a grin.

For a moment, Star yelped, forgetting where she was. However, as the green forest returned to her, and she saw Kodo and Celine already up, the memory of the last two nights returned to her.

“Right,” she yawned. “Wolf life.”

“Yep.” Shiva said. “Come along.”

She turned away, only to grin as Star took two steps and fell flat on her face again, soft snores emanating from her once more. Kodo sidled up to his mother with a grin.

“May I?” he asked cheekily.

Celine grimaced. “Are you sure you have to?” she asked. “She’s still a kid after all.”

“Sorry, Celine,” Shiva said. “But she has to understand how things work around here.” She nodded at Kodo. “Go on.”

Grinning ominously, Kodo positioned himself behind Star.

“WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” he boomed. “Get on your hooves, you LAZY brood! What? Come on, partner; the day ain’t gonna complete itself, you gotta get your tail up!”

Star yelped, leaping into the air and flying after Shiva. But Kodo kept it up, barking after her with a booming voice that roused the whole pack.

“You remind me of my lazy uncle; don’t you be coming out with that ‘reading all night’ excuse again. I AIN’T HAVING IT! That goes for the rest of you; GET ON YOUR PAWS, before I pull my bow and arrow, and get you lot up myself! Whether you be live or dead it don’t make much difference to me.

“Kodo…” Shiva started to say.

“Y’all so FAUST-CURSED LAZY! THE HECK’S WRONG WITH YOU!”

“KODO!” Shiva barked, snapping Kodo out of his funk. “They’re up.”

Kodo deflated. “Had too much fun with it again, didn’t I?” he mused.

“Aw, look on the bright side,” Celine replied with a grin. “Tomorrow, I get to do it to you.”

“In your dreams,” Kodo laughed back.

“Won’t be having any,” Celine replied. “I’ll stay up all night if it means catching you…”

“Children-Children!” Shiva chastised. “We have work to do.” She turned to the others. “Now, everyone; we’ve done okay making the Ever-Free forest our home, but this isn’t just about surviving. This is about prospering. If the ponies show up, thinking they’ll finish what they started, do you really want them coming across a bunch of malnourished pups barely able to keep alive?”

“Heck no!” the wolves boomed back.

“Exactly,” Shiva said. “So, get with your packs and start your assignments. The Ever-Free Forest is known for being an independent force of nature. But that’s gonna change when we make it ours!”

The wolves howled in glee, racing off. Star started to follow along, before a thought occurred to her.

“Um… Alpha Shiva?” she noted, turning back to the Lupa-wolf. “Where do I go?”

Shiva hummed. “Good question,” she replied, taking Star by the nape and directing her back towards the den. For a moment, the Lupa wolf just frowned at her for a while.

Star shuffled in place, before posing dramatically. Shiva blinked in confusion at her pose.

“Well, what did you want me to do?” Star asked. “Do flips or something? You’re staring anyway; I might as well give a show!”

“I’m trying to figure out what you can do,” Shiva replied. “In the wolf pack, contribution is everything. You’re still young, but you’re also an alicorn; that means you’ve got a wide range of abilities that can help us. Unicorn magic, pegasus abilities, even earth pony strength; they’re all yours to choose from.” Shiva adjusted her stance. “But what is it that ‘you’ want to do? What is it that ‘you’re’ good at?”

Star flinched. “Well, I wanted to be a hero,” she admitted. “But…”

“Don’t focus on the past,” Shiva chastised. “Focus on the future.” She drew closer. “What do you mean by ‘being a hero?’ You want to save people from danger?”

“Yes, exactly,” Star said, perking her ears up. “Like my mother did against Discord, or how my father did against dragons and griffons.” She glanced away. “Just… you know, with more glory behind it.”

Shiva’s grin faded. She made Star look at her. “Star Wing, listen to me,” she said firmly. “In a wolf pack, it’s not about your personal glory. It’s about the success of the team. If you want to defend others, I may have some ideas for you. But you need to promise me that you won’t put your own personal glory above your team. You work ‘with’ your pack; not ‘for’ them.” Her eyes narrowed. “The ponies would tell you to go and die for them so they can sit up in their big mansions without a care.” Her eyes softened. “The other wolves and I are going to ask that you help us survive, so we can all live together. Understand?”

Star considered it, and ultimately nodded. “I think so.”

Shiva chuckled. “You say now, but experience will show us.” She stood. “Come on.”

Eagerly, Star followed behind Shiva as she led the young alicorn over to a group of pups. The warrior Diana stood before them, her ears perking as Shiva returned.

“Alpha Shiva,” she whispered, before turning to the pups. “Pups.”

The pups quickly spun, bowing in respect to their Alpha.

“At ease, my children,” Shiva said with a grin. Her focus turned to Diana. “Little Star Wing wants to be a defender of the pack.”

Diana peered at the dark alicorn. “You sure she’s up to it?” she asked. “We’re not gonna be soft like ponies.”

Star laughed. “You’ll do worse than throwing me into a cell for crying?”

The pups blinked at each other, and even Diana was silent for a moment. Slowly, she shook her head.

Star stretched. “Then I’m pretty sure I can take it,” she replied. “Just tell me what to do.”

Snapping out of her shock, Diana indicated the pups. “Just join in formation over there,” she said, pointing between a pterolycus and a warg. As Star took her spot, Diana turned back to Shiva. “Those nobles need to pay.”

“They will,” Shiva replied, nodding at Star. “And Star will be leading the charge when the time comes.”

Diana glanced at the filly as she grinned at the two wolves beside her. Her eyes softened at the look of happiness in Star’s eyes when the pups reciprocated her grin. “Let’s hope so.”

Shiva turned back into the forest, as Diana addressed the pups.

“Alright, young uns,” she declared. “You’re with me because you want to focus on defending the wolves. Some might focus on building homes, others might focus on hunting or clearing away forests. But us? We’re going to be guarding anyone who needs us.”

Star grinned giddily. This was it. This was where she truly became a hero.

Of course, it didn’t all come at once. Before Diana let them anywhere near weapons or combat training, she put them on sprints through the forests. Utilizing sticks and branches in games of fetch, Diana had the wolf pups running day in and day out. Star’s legs quickly grew tired of the constant games of fetch, but when she tried to use her wings… Diana caught her wings with her teeth.

“First, you’re learning to run,” Diana barked. “What happens if you break one of your wings, eh? You gonna find some way to fly with only one of em? Keep running!”

Remembering the drill sergeants from both her books and the guards, Star rolled with it. Or tried to; her legs grew so sore and tired that when the order finally came for the pups to rest, Star straight up collapsed. Luckily, one of the pups caught her, and helped ease her to the ground.

“Better get used to this,” he warned Star. “You won’t be able to help a lot of folks like this.”

His words sticking with her, Star threw herself into her training. Eventually, the day came where she could run for eight straight hours and not collapse from exhaustion. And on that blessed day, Diana had her and any pterolycus pups start using their wings.

It wasn’t quite the same as Star envisioned flying; Diana constantly had them stay under the tree canopy, forcing them to dive and duck through the leaves and branches. Any time Star tried to climb higher, Diana would snag her with her teeth and drag her back down.

“You want the enemy to spot us in the air?” she’d demand. “Stick to the tree canopy!”

Yet again, as time went on, and Star grew used to the winding maze of leaves. She even started to get cocky with it, incorporating flips, spins and corkscrews into her flying style.

Of course, the corkscrews and stunts quickly proved to be ineffective for perching in trees and keeping watch through the leaves. But even then, as Star Wing got used to her new environment and adapted, she was able to still utilize her tricks and techniques.

Yet, even as she adapted to the skills Diana taught her, Star had to deal with another problem: growth. As the years went on, Star began to increase in size. Where once, she could zip through tiny gaps between branches and leaves like a hummingbird, attempting the same maneuvers years later only destroyed the branches with loud POPPING noises, and led to her pack mates yapping at her for giving away their position.

Not one to be deterred, Star adapted again; she cut back on her eating; not enough to starve herself, but enough to ensure that she grew up thin, better able to slide through the gaps of branches and leaves like a serpent.

Her focus on flight changed her mane and tail into an almost permanently ruffled style; in order to avoid it snagging on branches, she purposely had them trimmed short. Her body grew, still thin but with muscles behind it from leaping through the trees and aiding in fights.

And there were plenty of fights to be had. Whether it was with timber wolves, manticores, star spiders or worse, Star and her pack were there to keep any dangerous predators from hurting their gatherers and hunters.

Intriguingly, the list of predators never included ponies. Though Star and her pack always saw the ponies on the edge of the forest, ever so often leaving flowers or tears, or sometimes studying the plants, they never ventured any further into the Ever-Free; preferring to stay at a distance, and building a small town for themselves.

It irked several wolves to see the land that had once been theirs turned into pony territory, similar to the land they had lost before the attack. But whenever they went to Shiva, she would ask the same thing.

“Are they trespassing into our territory?” she’d demand. “Are they giving us a reason to attack?”

The answer was always a reluctant no. And, to be honest, compared to the more aggressive animals already inhabiting the Ever-Free, the ponies seemed to be nothing more than a minor curiosity. Of course, everyone kept an eye on them. But they proved to be far less of a danger than the predators the wolves already had to deal with.

At first, Star always tried to take initiative; she was the first one into the fray, and more often than not, she’d try to be the one that struck the last blow on their predators. But, once again, her pack mates were there for her.

When the day came when a manticore managed to hit her and shredded a wing, Star almost thought that was it for her. However, two other wolves – one the very same wolf that had caught her all those years ago – seized the manticore by its scorpion tail, giving Star the time she needed to recover and bring the beast down with a bite to the neck.

Slowly, Star understood what Shiva had been talking about; how the pack was there for each other. But with this revelation came another problem to adapt around; the passage of time.

Star had heard about how alicorns lived long lives. She thought she understood when Diana - her teacher - was taken by time. But it didn’t exactly occur to her how it worked until the day when Darius – the wolf that had been by her side for all that time and the very first friend she ever made – stood wrinkled and aged, while Star still looked like a young adult.

Star thought she was prepared for the passing of her pack mates after Diana was lost to age and time. But when Darius eventually passed, Star was left in a state of turmoil. Shiva found her, staring down at her reflection in a small clear pond, clutching the lock of Darius’ fur that Nix - Don’s nephew and the one who took over after his death - had bequeathed her as part of their burial ceremonies.

“I don’t understand it,” Star admitted to Shiva. “We… I thought I was the same age as him.” She looked back. “Why did he… get like that?”

Shiva sighed. “It’s a curse, being long-lived,” Shiva admitted to Star. “I can’t tell you how many brothers, sisters, and even children that I’ve had to watch grow old and die around me, while I still remain young.” She nuzzled next to Star, wrapping Darius’ fur around her metal and fixing it with a charm resembling Darius’ bow and arrow, next to a second one; a bone that had been curved into the shape of a Pony helmet and painted grey with a red plume, a reminder of her uncle Flash Magnus. “Best thing I can tell you? Don’t focus on the inevitable end. Instead, take solace and joy in the time that you have with them. Treat every day like the present it is, and then use the past to remember the good times you had.”

Shiva looked at the water as she thought back to when her father was alive.

“Reminds me of something my father once told me.” She looked back at Star, who looked back with a curious face. “My Dad once said: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why they call it the present.””

Star chuckled. “Ha… present. Like… ‘gift’ present, and not just… ‘now’ present.”

“Exactly.” Shiva laid a wing over Star’s back. “I know how close you and Darius were, Star. From what I know, he was the very first friend you ever made. Just remember: he may no longer be here in body, but he’ll always be with you in spirit. As long as you remember that, then you’ll never be truly alone.”

The advice was sound, and yet Star found herself less willing to interact with Darius’ child, and the next generation of packs. Oh, she still worked with them; laughed with them, even mentored them as Diana had long before her. Yet, Star still found herself growing closer to Celine, Kodo and Shiva; the ones who remained young; whom Star hoped would never become as horribly wrinkled and aged as Darius had.

And even then, they could only relate to Star so much; as much as they tried to treat her like family, Star knew, deep in her heart, that she was different. She was an alicorn – an equine – and they were canine. And though the difference meant little to them, Star still felt a desire to see the lights from her old life. Flash Magnus, who seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. Her mother, sadly only visible from her imprint in the moon.

Until one fateful night. The night where, as Star and her newest pack returned, escorting a group of hunters with a fresh batch of meat. Star took a look back up at the moon… and paused.

“What is it?” Logan, one of the newer pack mates asked.

Star pointed a shaky hoof up. The moon was blank; her mother’s image was gone.

“W-Where’s my mother?” she whispered. “Where’s the Mare in the Moon?”

At that moment, they heard a series of screams from the direction of the pony town. Her heart seized with a fearful passion, Star took flight, taking care to stay below the tree line.

On the edge of the forest, Shiva caught up to Star, holding her back with tendrils of light. Yet, even as the Alpha held her back, Star still caught sight of the town.

Faintly, in what looked like the town square, an older black alicorn was addressing the masses.

A very familiar black alicorn.

“Mother…” Star whispered.

Chapter 8: Nightmare Moon

Shiva was the only reason Star didn’t rush out and try to reunite with her mother.

“Star, stop!” Shiva barked, restraining the alicorn.

“But… Mother…” she whispered, nodding desperately at the town square.

“Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” the dark alicorn was snarling. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”

“I did!” a young unicorn mare shot back defiantly. “And I know who you are! You’re the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!”

Star balked. “But… that’s not right! That’s my Mom! That’s Princess Luna!”

“Be silent!” Shiva hissed, pulling Star back as Luna – or Nightmare Moon – lifted into the air with an evil laugh.

“Remember this day, little ponies, for it will be your last. From this moment forward, the night will last FOREVER!”

“Seize her!” another, older mare cried. “Only she knows where the Princess is!”

“Stand back, you foals!” the dark alicorn snarled, bursting into a patch of star-colored clouds and escaping the panicking ponies.

Heading right for the forest.

Having focused on keeping Star from trespassing on pony territory, Shiva was unprepared for Star lunging back into the forest. With the poor Lupa wolf left spinning and disoriented, Star Wing pursued the star-colored cloud with all the rampancy of a starving animal.

“Mom!” she called. “Mother! Please, it’s me!”

The star colored cloud whirled on Star, nearly knocking her out of the air. However, cyan blue eyes opened in the mist, locking on Star with a familiarity that the younger alicorn longed for.

“Star?” The elder alicorn shimmered back into existence. “My beloved Star?”

“Yes,” Star whispered, tears poking at the corners of her eyes. She glanced down at her grown body. “I… know I’m a lot more beautiful than I was before,” she noted with a chuckle. “But it’s me, I promise.”

Indeed Star Wing’s time in the forest had done nothing to diminish her beauty; her coat was a shimmering night black, speckled with spots like the splash of freckles across her face, which Flash Magnus had always said made her look adorable. Her body was toned and fit from the years she had lived with the Wolves. Her electric green eyes shined with spirit, her white mane and tail tousled from the years of flying and her Cutie Mark - a small midnight blue circle sparkling with stars - sat proudly on her flanks.

Around her neck was the High Royal Order medal that once belonged to her father, clearly well taken care of from its shine, even the ribbon still looked new and decorating it were multiple charms of different shapes with tiny tufts of fur on all but one, reminders of the wolves Star had befriended and been part of her pack over the years she had lived with them.

Luna chuckled insanely. “A thousand years…” she mused. “A thousand years I was trapped on the moon. Believing you to be dead. Believing my sister forsook me.”

Star’s smile turned into a glower. “Celestia forsook us both,” she growled.

“Indeed,” Luna agreed. Her smile turned mad as she returned her gaze to her daughter. “But you. You have a sun-hating face, yes? You would not disobey your loving mother?”

Warning bells rang in Star’s head, but they were overwhelmed by her relief that her mother was back.

“I am your daughter,” she said. “Your flesh and blood.” She held her hooves out. “I never want to leave you again.”

Luna – or Nightmare – smiled, but there was something off about her smile. A cunning manipulation that made Star’s heart flutter in her chest. Yet, the alicorn still embraced her daughter. And Star shivered as she felt Luna’s fur twine with hers.

“Your loyalty is admirable, my beloved daughter,” Luna whispered in Star’s ear. “However, the ponies are not the same.” She lifted Star to forelegs’ length. “If we are truly to remain together… there is something you must do for me.”

Star’s heart tangoed again, but she narrowed her eyes in determination. “Name it.”

Shiva and Celine found Star waiting on an old pathway. Her eyes were narrowed and her posture like she was on the hunt.

“Star,” Shiva warned. “Whatever that alicorn asked you to do, I fear it will carry grave consequences for us all.”

“We’ve spent a thousand years preparing for this, did we not, Alpha?” Star asked. “A thousand years, we have recovered and prospered in the Ever-Free. Now, my mother has returned, and the ponies would seek to return her to the moon.” She turned her eyes back to the path. “I cannot allow that to happen again.”

“But how do we know the ponies will even try anything?” Celine demanded. “They’ve stayed outside the Ever-Free for centuries. Why would they suddenly come in now?”

Right on cue, Kodo burst forward.

“Alpha,” he cried. “Sister… Wing!” He paused, breathing as if he had run a mile. “Six mares have ventured into the Ever-Free. They managed to survive a rockslide and a rampaging manticore. They’re heading this way.”

Star’s horn glowed. “And we’ll be taking care of them,” she growled, donning a mask made from timber wolf bark. With it on, Star managed to look just like a timber wolf.

Shiva winced. “I really don’t like this…” she said.

“They’re trespassing on our territory,” Star insisted. “And they’re going to try and hurt my mother. Isn’t this what we trained for?”

Shiva and Celine still looked uncertain, but Kodo’s eyes narrowed with determination.

“It is,” he agreed, donning his own timber wolf mask. “Come on, then, Wing; let’s show these ponies why they were wise to stay out of the Ever-Free.”

Shiva stopped both of them, her face a mask of frustration. She eventually sighed.

“Just be careful,” she said. “We’ve managed to survive for thousands of years. I won’t be able to stand it if you get each other killed over six foals.”

Star and Kodo exchanged a look before Star grinned.

“It’ll be hard for them to hurt us,” she noted, her horn lighting up and draining the illumination from the forest. “When they can’t see us coming.”

Sure enough, as the forest faded away into shadow, they heard gasps just up ahead.

“When I said my eyes could use a rest,” a prim and noble-like voice cried. “I didn’t mean literally.”

“That ancient ruin could be right in front of our faces and we wouldn’t even know it,” another voice complained – Star recognized it as the one that had called Luna ‘Nightmare Moon.’

The mere thought filled Star with rage. It wasn’t enough to banish her? Her thoughts snarled darkly. Now you had to reforge her image into some kind of monster?

“Wing,” Kodo whispered. “This dark thing is working too well. I can’t see.”

“Hang on,” Star replied, her horn charging again.

A ball of light formed in front of his and her faces. And as they turned forward, they found themselves facing the six mares.

Screams emanated from five of the mares. A white one scrambled backward, cowering at the sight of Star and Kodo’s masked faces. Grinning ominously, Star began to bear down on the mares… until she realized one of them wasn’t screaming.

She blinked; a bright pink mare with a mane fluffier than cotton candy, was cackling at Star’s face like it was the funniest thing she had seen in the world.

“Bleh! OOOO!” the mare blurted out, forming her own face back. As she exploded into another batch of laughter, Star almost found herself giggling as well, before a glare from Kodo caused her to stop.

“Pinkie!” the purple mare with the familiar voice screamed. “What are you doing? Run!”

“Oh girls,” the pink mare – Pinkie? – chastised. “Don’t you see?” Her voice took on a musical tone as she bounded around Star.

When I was a little filly, and the sun was going down…

“Tell me she’s not…” Kodo and the purple mare whispered in sync.

The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown…

“She is,” the white mare deadpanned.

But Star didn’t even notice the frustration of the others. Her ears slowly perked as she listened to Pinkie’s song.

I’d hide under my pillow

From what I thought I saw

But Granny Pie said that wasn’t the way

To deal with fears at all.

“Then what is?” a cyan blue pegasus asked.

“She said…” Pinkie started to say, before Star whispered in sync.

“You… gotta stand up tall,” she said. “Learn to face your fears. You’ll see that they can’t hurt you. Just laugh to make them disappear!”

Indeed, that had been how Star had survived her time with the nobles. Even in the forests, when predators had seemed scary and Star began to long for life back home, she always told herself… ‘find something to laugh at, and the world wouldn’t be as scary.’

And with that in mind, before Star knew it, she and Pinkie were singing side by side.

So giggle at the ghosties

Guffaw at the grossly

Crack up at the creepy

Whoop it up at the weepy

Chortle at the kooky.

Snortle at the spooky.

“And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he’s got another thing coming and the very idea…”

Pinkie went into a long ramble, allowing Star to snap out of her glee and realize Kodo was staring at her in dumbfounded shock. Using Pinkie’s ramble as an out, Star scrambled away, taking Kodo with her, and leaving Pinkie to finish her song with some very confused mares watching her.

Hiding in the few shadows left from her spell, Star was left to watch on in awe as the six mares continued on their way.

“Say,” the purple mare noted. “Did anyone think those creatures looked kind of… familiar?”

“Might-a been timber wolves,” an orange mare dismissed. “We saw them all the time during Zap Apple Season.”

“Maybe…” the purple mare admitted. “But… I can’t help but feel there was more to them than that.”

Despite her words, the mares didn’t look back, and continued their path forward. Kodo glanced over at Star, who was watching them with intrigue.

“So… what happened to making them pay for their crimes?” he asked.

“I…” Star shook her head. “I didn’t know others used that.”

“Used what?” Kodo demanded.

“Giggling at the ghosties,” Star tried to explain. “Being able to laugh at the world’s cruelty. It was how I got through life with the nobles, but…”

She turned, walking after the mares. Conflict tearing her heart to pieces. Luna had said these mares wanted to stop her. They were going to hurt her, so they had to be the bad guys.

So, why did that feel so wrong? Like Star was on the wrong side of something bigger than she knew.

Sticking to her shadows, with Kodo following curiously along, Star followed the mares as they made their way past a sea serpent and into a series of ruins. As they made their way up, a starry cloud shifted around Star.

“You failed me, ‘daughter,’” the voice whispered. So full of disappointment and anger it was, that Star froze where she stood.

“But Mother…” Star stammered. “These mares are different. They aren’t like the nobles who hurt us. M-Maybe…”

“All ponies hurt us!” Luna hissed, reforming into her dark persona. “How can you have sympathy for their sun-loving faces?”

The venom in her voice caused Star to step back. Kodo jumped forward to defend her.

“Hey, leave her alone!” he snapped. “She was doing what you wanted.”

Luna huffed. “A wolf of Equestria,” she mused, glaring down at Kodo. “The ponies destroyed your race, thinking that I would use you to overthrow Celestia.” She chuckled darkly. “How fitting would it be to have you destroy the one chance they have at stopping me?”

“Mother, stop!” Star insisted, putting herself between the alicorn and Kodo. “Remember what I told you? We would never get anywhere by hurting those around us. We had to rise up and show them we were better.”

“We ARE better than them,” Luna snarled at Star. “They should be on their knees, thanking me for allowing them to live.” Her eyes narrowed in disgust. “Time may have aged your body, but you are still nothing but a foal if you can’t see that.”

Star backed up, the hurtful words stabbing into her like daggers. Kodo’s fur bristled, and he growled threateningly at the alicorn.

But just as Nightmare began to paw the ground in preparation for a fight, a glow in the ruins tower drew her gaze.

“The Elements…” she hissed, before casting another hateful look at Star. “If you truly love your mother, you won’t interfere!”

The nightmarish alicorn then flared her wings and launched into the air, turning back into starry clouds and flying towards the source of the glow.

“What the heck is she doing?” Kodo growled, stepping forward before noticing Star had not moved. “Wing!”

“She…” Star shivered, almost looking and sounding like a filly again. “She never spoke to me like that. Something’s wrong with her. Something’s really-really wrong with her.”

“And what are you going to do about it?” Kodo demanded. “Are you gonna stand there and cry? Or are you going to find something funny about the whole thing?”

Star bristled. “There’s nothing funny about this!” she snapped, before pausing. “Though crying won’t accomplish anything either.”

“Which leaves option three,” Kodo growled. “Doing something about it.”

Star looked down at her hooves, regret and conflict shining on her features. But after a deep breath, she looked up in determination.

“I pick option three,” she replied.

Nodding, Kodo flared his wings, same as her. And together, the wolf and the alicorn shot towards the tower, just as a beam of light burst from the roof.

The duo halted in the air, watching in shock as a rainbow beam arced through the air and back down into the tower. The elder alicorn’s scream sounded, long and loud.

“Mom?” Star whispered. “MOTHER!”

But as she tried to race into the tower, a shockwave knocked her and Kodo out of the sky, and it took everything they had to glide back down to the ground, blobs of light blinding them as magic burned in the air.

When their senses returned to them, Star and Kodo looked back to find the six mares slowly struggling to their hooves. Strange jewels were fitted around five of their necks, and a sixth was perched on top of the purple mare’s head, enclosed in some kind of tiara.

But Star didn’t have time for them. Her focus was on the dark alicorn, who wasn’t that dark anymore. Lying in a fetal position among the shattered remains of her armor, a Luna much closer to the mother Star recognized shivered and sobbed. Her mane was lighter than before, and her mane had solidified into a bright blue. But when her eyes opened, they were no longer the cyan, slit pupiled orbs that had terrified Star’s instincts. They were the warm deep blue that she remembered; the eyes that would glisten at her and give her a bright side to yearn for.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Star tried to make her way back up the tower. Back to her mother.

But just before she could come into Luna’s sights… a flash of light blinded them again.

From the rising sun, a familiar white alicorn drifted down to the ground.

Celestia.

Star’s heart hammered. Her eyes widened in fear, her pupils turning to slits.

Celestia. The one that had thrown her in a cell for crying too loudly. Who had taken Luna from her before. Who the Nobles could always count on to make Star’s life as miserable as possible.

It tore Star’s heart to leave Luna. But with Celestia standing tall over her, there was nothing Star could bring herself to do.

And when Kodo grabbed her and motioned back towards home, Star obeyed with a bowed head.

Yet, as Star and Kodo retreated back into the forest, Star spared the castle one final look.

I’ll come back for you, Mother, she promised. I’ll free you from Celestia.

And I’ll bet anything those mares will be the key to doing it.

Chapter 9: The Next Step

Luna had awoken from a nightmare, and arisen into a dream.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, others were… cheering for her. Her sister was happy to see her. No more nobles constantly following her around, forcing ugly and cruel words into her mouth. Instead, there were only ponies partying. Glad to have her back; celebrating the return of the Lunar Princess. Granted, there were still some second looks being shot her way, but Luna couldn’t blame them.

Not if what had happened was true. That she had apparently lost herself to some… ‘darker’ persona.

Nightmare Moon…oh, how that name would haunt her dreams and waking hours. The fact that she had ignored her own daughter’s advice… given into her primal anger like an animal…

Luna paused. My daughter!

She looked to Celestia, who seemed to be letting the festivities wash over her like a soothing shower.

“Sister,” she whispered to Celestia. “My daughter… is she…?”

Celestia paused, her posture straightening. Looking around at the partying ponies, she motioned for Luna to follow.

Luna obeyed, but she could still feel her heart shivering in terror. There’s no way… Luna wanted to protest. I-I swear I saw her. But… did I? Things were so fuzzy as Nightmare Moon. She couldn’t tell what had been real and what had been madness; madness brought on by isolation and anger.

Eventually, however, the two reached a secluded spot. And Luna watched for what felt like the first time in eternity as Celestia let her royal persona drop. Gone with the royal princess of the sun. In her place was her older sister. Tired and weary, eyes shining with love… and sorrow.

“Luna,” she began hesitantly. “I’m so sorry…”

Luna shook her head before Celestia could continue. “No… I saw her!” she looked back. “Or… I thought I saw her. Nightmare… she made things so fuzzy.” She clutched her head. “I had no idea what was real and what was not.”

Celestia draped a wing over Luna’s shoulders. “My poor sister,” Celestia whispered. “I’m truly sorry for how I treated you and her. And it breaks my heart to tell you this, but… after, well… everything… Star disappeared. Flash Magnus told me that she had fled into the Ever-Free to escape the nobles. And…” her head bowed. “We never saw her again.”

Luna turned hopefully towards the Ever-Free. “But… if she fled into the Ever-Free… maybe… I swear to Faust, Celestia, I saw her! She was older… wiser… T-There was a Wolf of Equestria with her.”

Celestia blinked, shaking her head. “Impossible,” she whispered. “The wolves have been extinct for a thousand years. Star Wing has been gone for just as long. Are you sure you weren’t speaking to timber wolves or something like that?”

“I…” Luna paused, clutching her head. Had she just been talking to timber wolves? Had her time as Nightmare Moon maddened her that much? Was she safe to be around others?

Or… tears began to fill her eyes. What if Lord Ego was right about me? What if I am a monster that needs to be kept in chains?

Celestia’s ears flattened at her sister’s inner turmoil. She embraced Luna, hushing her as Luna began to weep.

“I just… want her back,” Luna cried. “My beloved Star… why…?”

“Sh,” Celestia whispered. “It’s alright.” She wiped the tears from her sister’s eyes. “Let’s get you settled, Luna. You need to rest and recover; it’s been a long thousand years.”

Luna nodded, too exhausted and wearied by emotions to speak. Yet, as she gazed towards the Ever-Free one last time, she missed Celestia gazing at the wild forest with a thoughtful expression. All that mattered to Luna at that moment was that her daughter might be gone. Truly gone.

If she is, Luna noted in resignation, then maybe I deserve to be haunted by her.

Meanwhile, in the woods, Star was restrained by Shiva, desperately yearning towards the town.

“Let me go!” Star was insisting. “Alpha, with all due respect, let me go!”

“I can’t do that, Wing,” Shiva insisted. “You need to approach this with a level head.”

“Level head?!” Star demanded with a high-pitched cackle. “How much more level-headed can I be right now? My mom is back! She’s alive! But now she’s being held by that puppet Celestia!” She turned back towards the town. “Who knows what they’re going to do to her! W-What if they…?”

“Believe me, I share your worry,” Shiva insisted, cupping Star’s head. “Truly I do. But rushing in like a timber wolf isn’t going to help your mother at all.”

“You’re right,” Kodo growled, stepping up. “We need to be much more careful than that.”

Celine glared at Kodo’s posture. “Kodo, I really don’t like how you phrased that,” she warned.

“Why not?” Kodo demanded. “This is what we prepared for, right?” He looked back to Shiva. “Isn’t this what we worked for, Mother? The ponies would not find malnourished, quivering pups?” He waved his paw at the camp; which had seamlessly become one with the forests. “We beat the spell that rendered us barren,” Kodo insisted. “We’ve taken the forest for our own; cockatrices now serve as our food! We could easily roll over the ponies with one smartly planned out attack.”

“But what if the ponies don’t deserve it?” Celine insisted. “Haven’t you ever seen the ponies? Every year – on the very same day we were attacked – at least five or twenty ponies would go to that exact same spot the first group did and plant flowers.” She looked to Shiva. “What if they actually feel bad about what happened? What if we’d be attacking the wrong people?”

Shiva grimaced, seeing both of their points, but Star growled in frustration.

“This is getting us nowhere!” she insisted. “Every minute we spend talking is another minute Celestia gets to torment Mother!”

“Then calm down and think about it!” Celine snapped.

Star, Shiva and even Kodo paused; it was rare for Celine to snap at anyone; she was normally so docile.

Celine breathed. “Star. Just think of this like your stories,” Celine offered. “When Sombra enslaved the Crystal Empire, did your mother or your aunt just run in and fight him?”

“Well…” Star started to say.

“They had their armies,” Celine insisted. “They planned it out, and they used strategy. That’s what we have to use now.”

“The question is what strategy?” Kodo noted. “I’m all for taking down these ponies.”

“But if we use violence,” Shiva insisted. “We’d just be proving the nobles right about us.” She hummed, scratching her chin. “We need another approach.” She turned away. “The three of you… go find something to hunt. Keep yourselves busy; you will be the first to know when I come up with something.”

Kodo and Celine glared at each other, while Star fidgeted, struggling to keep herself calm. Nevertheless, they still obeyed Shiva, and left to their own devices.

Star delved deeper into the forest than usual, her timber wolf armor hiding the glare that was struggling to shine on her face.

Why couldn’t Shiva understand? Wouldn’t she want to save her own mother if she could? Why did it feel like no one understood her?

Because you’re a pony and they’re wolves and the two sides are never going to understand each other? A dark voice offered.

Star paused. Where had that come from? In her moment of hesitation, she ran across Celine.

“Hey Wing.”

Star forced herself to grin. “Hey, Celly,” she replied. “So… Alpha Shiva’s probably gonna go for peace, right?”

Celine sighed. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “My dad lost his life in the raid. Even though Shiva talked to us about not letting fear control us, I saw the look in her eyes. She wanted revenge, just as much if not more so than Kodo. If he convinces her it’s for the best…” she let the sentence hang, but Star knew how it would probably finish.

And why shouldn’t it?That dark voice asked. After everything the ponies did to you – what they’re probably doing to Mother – why shouldn’t we show them what kind of beast they’ve been dealing with?

Because that’s not how a hero works! A stronger voice refuted in Star’s head. A hero stands up for the people, no matter how difficult they make it. Mother couldn’t keep herself tall… so I have to.

Star nodded to herself, trying to strengthen her resolve. But even as her determination flared… she was snapped out of her thoughts by Celine’s gasp.

She launched into action before she could think. Tearing down into the foliage, Star tackled into something soft, rolling it to its back and baring her fangs at it.

“Star, stop!” Celine cried.

Star froze, grateful that she was wearing her timber wolf mask. What looked like a pony was staring up at her in shock and fear, strong blue eyes wide with surprise.

Yet… something was off about her. Her coat was white with black stripes. She had a large Mohawk and several golden rings around her neck. She was also slightly more muscular than most ponies Star had seen.

It clicked; this creature wasn’t a pony, but a zebra.

Star clambered off her, as Celine raced to her side. The zebra’s eyes darted between the two, shock changing to awe.

“Wolves of Equestria, Shiva’s Spawn,” the zebra whispered. “It was my belief that all of you were gone.”

Celine and Star exchanged a look – Star’s disguise seemed to be keeping the zebra from knowing who she was. Celine chuckled. “Not quite,” she admitted. She peered at the zebra. “Um… who are you?”

“Zecora,” the zebra replied with a bow. “A pleasure to meet you. Now, if may I ask, who are you?”

“Celine,” the golden wolf introduced. She chanced a glance at Star before saying. “This is… Wing. My pack mate.”

“And bodyguard,” Star added. “Which makes me curious what your intentions are.”

“To simply survive and prosper,” Zecora replied. “As is the goal of all in nature’s roster.”

Celine hummed, scratching her chin in intrigue. “A goal that would be easier to obtain… if we were to work together.”

Star tilted her head at Celine. “Uh… what are you doing?” she asked.

“Planning,” Celine replied. She turned brightly to Zecora. “Zecora… I think I have a deal that will work out for both of us. Can you come with me to meet my Alpha?”

Zecora gave Star a small look. “If I say no,” she noted. “Will your bodyguard make me go?”

Celine waved Star off. “That was just her being affectionate,” she replied.

Rolling with her claim, Star struck a pose with a grin. "She ain't lying," Star noted, causing the zebra to chuckle.

Smiling at Star’s antic, Celine crossed her heart. “I swear on my mother’s life, no harm will befall you.”

Zecora hummed, glancing between the two with intrigue. Eventually, however, she nodded. And together, the three returned to the camp.

At first, the wolves growled as Zecora entered their midst. But as they saw her stripes and rings, their growls turned to confused murmurings.

“Wait… that’s not a pony…”

“I think it’s a zebra.”

“A zebra?! I thought they didn’t live around here.”

Keeping her eyes forward, Celine led Zecora to Shiva, who was looking over several plans that Kodo seemed to be drawing out, several warriors behind him.

“If we hit the town from these angles,” Kodo was saying. “We can disable any pegasi and earth pony defenses. My wargs have also been working on magic disabling spells; we’ll be able to…”

“Before you get too far ahead with that plan,” Celine said. “I think I’ve got a better alternative.”

Shiva turned, tilting her head at Zecora.

“My name is Zecora; a pleasure to meet you,” the zebra said with a bow. “Your Beta Celine, wished for me to meet you.”

Leaving Kodo’s plans behind, Shiva peered at Zecora with intrigue. “And why would that be, my daughter?” Shiva asked.

“Zecora lives out here in the forest,” Celine said. “I was thinking… maybe she could help us.”

Shiva tilted her head, a hum of intrigue escaping her. “That is the way of the wolf…” she mused, before nodding. “Very well. Celine, I want you to find out what Zecora knows, and how we can help her in exchange.” She grinned at Zecora. “I’d rather find a situation that works out best for both of us.”

“As would I,” Zecora agreed. “It would be most welcome to have a new ally.”

“And just think,” Celine noted before escorting Zecora to the healers. “If we can work something out with a zebra… why not a pony?”

Kodo bristled, and his warriors growled, but Star saw the light of curiosity working in Shiva’s mind. And the disguised alicorn found herself praying that whatever Celine and Shiva came up with… it allowed her to meet her mother sooner rather than later.

At the same time, in Ponyville, Twilight received a letter from Princess Celestia.

“My faithful student,” Twilight read. “You have done far more than I could have ever asked for. Thanks to you, my sister is returned home safe, and the Elements of Harmony have been restored. My gratitude and love for you is endless. However, it pains me to say, but I would like to ask more of you.”

Spike sighed. “Come on,” he muttered.

“Spike,” Twilight chastised. “If the Princess needs me to do something else, I’ll do it.” She looked back at the letter and continued. “’Before Luna’s banishment, she had a daughter – Princess Star Wing – who vanished into the Ever-Free. My beloved sister believes that she saw the young alicorn in the forest somewhere. I would rather you not take too many risks, but if you and your new friends could investigate the Ever-Free, and discover if there is any truth to her claim, her gratitude would be as endless as mine. Your dear teacher and friend, Princess Celestia.’” Twilight sat back for a moment. “You know… there was something off about those timber wolves we met.”

Spike blanched. “You’re not thinking of going back in there so soon, are you?”

“Of course not, Spike,” Twilight replied. “Traversing a forest like that again with no plan? What do I look like, Rainbow Dash?”

“HA!”

Twilight winced. Rainbow Dash had appeared in the window.

“You’re funny, Twi,” Rainbow Dash mused, before opening the window. “But what was this about going back into the Ever-Free to search for a missing princess?”

As Twilight explained the situation to Rainbow Dash, however, they were unaware of an orange pegasus filly listening in.

“Rescuing a missing princess?” Scootaloo whispered giddily. “Oh-ho… there’s got to be a cutie mark in doing that.” She raced away. “And even then… maybe it’ll make Rainbow Dash proud of me.”

With all that in mind, Scootaloo zoomed away to plan her own rescue.

Chapter 10: Close Encounters

Luna sat at the edge of her tower, gazing out wistfully at the world.

Her ears perked as she picked out a small humming noise. Following the noise, she found her beloved sister, gazing up at the moon, and softly humming to herself.

“But into the stillness, I’ll bring you a song,” Celestia whispered. “And I will your company keep… until you’re tired eyes, and my lullabies have carried you softly to sleep…”

“Tia?” Luna asked.

Celestia flinched, looking back at Luna with guilt. “A-Apologies, Luna,” she said. “I…”

Luna joined her at the balcony. “Your song sounded lovely,” she noted.

Celestia smiled sadly. “Every time I lowered the moon, I found myself singing it,” she admitted. “It was my lullaby to you.” She looked down in guilt. “My apology for being a horrible sister.”

Luna’s eyes softened. She leaned gently against Celestia and stared up at the moon.

“I… had one for your daughter as well,” Celestia admitted.

Luna looked to her in intrigue. “You did?”

Celestia nodded, before taking a breath. Her voice was soothing and gentle, like a wind’s whisper through chimes.

“Once did a pony who shone like the sun, look down on her kingdom and sigh.

She smiled and said ‘surely there is no pony so lovely and so well beloved as I.’

But great was her reign and brilliant her glory that blind was she to the pain

Which fell dark upon the young niece that she ‘nored.

And grew only darker as days and nights passed.

Celestia looked down, tears brimming in her eyes.

Yet, no matter what pain came to her,

Her niece would not dampen her light

And though she was not loved as she deserved.

She hid her tragedy from Mother and Aunt’s sight.

Luna winced, remembering how Star always found a way to keep smiling despite what she was going through. She swayed in tune with Celestia’s song.

But masks can be cracked, and illusions shattered

If love is not granted their host

And that foolish pony did nothing to stop

The hatred of ones who had needed her most.

Celestia’s voice swelled.

Lullay young niece, good night Star Wing mine

Rest now, in mother’s embrace.

Bear out my lullaby, winds of the earth

Through cloud and through air and through space.

Carry the peace and the coolness of night

And carry my sorrow in kind

Star Wing, you’re loved so much more than you know.

May troubles be far from your mind.

Her voice dropped.

And forgive me for being so blind.

As Celestia’s apology washed over her, Luna found herself remembering better memories.

Her on the Lunar Throne, standing at attention with Star Hunter and her other thestral guard Bat Fang flanking her, while Flash Magnus and one of Celestia’s other guards flanked a similarly at attention Celestia. Star Hunter was grinning, his eyes darting up to her, while Bat Fang glared at his partner in disapproval. Yet Luna chuckled as she noticed her own grin breaking through her queenly mask as she glanced down at Hunter as well.

Even if she was an alicorn, there was a certain thrill to having a bodyguard who loved her; was more willing to throw himself on the fire to protect her. She found photos of them spending time off from the throne: Star Hunter watching in awe as Luna reconstructed the stars and moon. Star Hunter standing guard over Luna’s bed. Flash Magnus laughing and Bat Fang looking on in disapproval as Star Hunter and Luna lay covered by her sheets, both blushing a bright blue, but unable to hide their grins.

Luna couldn’t help but chuckle, remembering the scandal that had come from their affair. Flash had seen nothing wrong with it – ‘a guard in bed with the princess ensures maximum protection’ – and had even teasingly used it to suggest a guard stay with Celestia too. Of course, Luna’s dear sister didn’t find it quite as funny. And granted, Luna didn’t find it as humorous either when she found out Star Wing was growing in her womb.

But Luna also remembered the joy that had come from holding the newborn foal. Granted, Star hadn’t made it the most heartwarming of moments; she had wrestled with the blanket they had tried to wrap around her, almost like she had grown tired of being constrained by Luna’s womb and wanted to be free. Her little thestral wings were spread wide, whacking Star Hunter and Flash. Eventually, they had managed to wrestle her into a small bundle, Star Wing’s face poking grumpily out from the bundle of blue blankets they had managed to trap her in. Flash had a black eye and Hunter was rubbing a bloody nose, but both were still smiling in triumph. All while Luna was holding Star, doing her best not to laugh.

Tears welled up in Luna’s eyes, even as she smiled at the memory. The first year of Star’s life was the best in Luna’s life. She had Star Hunter, they had Star Wing, and with Flash always being there for Hunter, things felt like they would be alright.

But then Hunter died defending her from rogue griffons. Celestia grew withdrawn after arguing that it was for the best – “the nobles thought your whole arrangement with him was scandalous enough anyway” – and, of course, the abuse that was thrown Star Wing’s way. Even though Flash and Luna had done their best to protect her…

Luna lowered her head. “I’m sorry, Star Wing,” she whispered, gazing back out towards Ponyville and the Ever-Free Forest. “Please… be alive. What grace is given… give me the chance to apologize to you in person…”

Scootaloo eagerly ventured into the Ever-Free Forest, followed by several other fillies; Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, Pip Squeak, and Silver Spoon, among others. However, as the shadows of the great forest swallowed the children up, several of them began to pause and falter.

“Are you sure about this, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked. “This seemed a lot easier back in Ponyville.”

“Oh, come on!” the purple maned pegasus protested. “Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts now, Sweetie Belle. We’re rescuing a princess. We’ll be heroes.”

“I’d hardly call rescuing the daughter of Nightmare Moon heroic,” Diamond Tiara noted snootily.

“Nah-nah, Princess Luna,” Apple Bloom corrected. “And Princess Luna is good now. So… maybe finding her daughter will make sure she doesn’t turn into Nightmare Moon again."

“Exactly!” Scootaloo agreed, facing the forest bravely. “We’ll just take a quick look around, see what we can find, and head right back. Any information has to be better than nothing.”

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon still stepped back, and even Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom glanced back over their shoulders towards Ponyville. “Let’s hope we find something good,” Apple Bloom replied. “The scolding Applejack’s gonna give me if we risked our necks fer nothing…”

“Let’s just stay within eyesight of the town,” Sweetie Belle offered. “Then we can…”

She paused. The other foals only got to stare at her for a second before realizing what she was looking at. Their eyes widened.

A pair of eyes was watching them from the darkness. Electric green, and slit pupiled like a thestral or a dragon. It was hard to make out anything else in the darkness.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon screamed, racing away. However, the other fillies remained, regarding the eyes with curiosity.

“Those ain’t timber wolf eyes,” Apple Bloom whispered.

“Then what are they?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Scootaloo grinned hopefully. “P-Princess Star Wing?” she asked.

Without warning, the eyes shut. A scuffling sound emanated from the trees.

“H-Hey!” Scootaloo barked. “Princess! Wait!”

She charged after the eyes, Apple Bloom in hot pursuit.

“Scootaloo, stop!” Apple Bloom cried.

“But what if that’s the princess?” Scootaloo insisted. “We could bring her back! We’ll be famous!”

Sweetie Belle and Pip Squeak stepped back, ready to go to the adults for help. And in their moment of hesitation, their friends vanished in the shrubbery. Sweetie Belle’s heart hammered as she turned and galloped back to town, followed by the others.

Oh, Sweet Celestia, Sweetie thought. What if this is some kind of trap?

This is so not going to work, Star Wing thought to herself as she flew through the branches, the sound of the fillies right behind her. What was I thinking?!

All she had wanted was to see if Celine was right – if the ponies were just as kind as Zecora had been. But now, she had two kids on her tail. Well, not literally, but… what would Shiva say if they followed her back to camp?

Banking in the air, Star forced herself behind a trunk, keeping her breathing steady as she heard the fillies come to a stop just below her.

“Princess?” the orange one called, turning in a circle. “I-It’s okay! We just want to bring you back home. Your mom misses you; she really wants to see you again.”

Star shut her eyes, struggling to hide her tears. She could believe that; she wanted to see her mom again just as much. And yet… could she really trust these ponies? After everything they had put her through? There were only two of them now; where had the others gone? Had they gone to warn the others? Had Star Wing’s impulsiveness just risked the wolf pack?

“Uh… Scoot?” the other pony asked, looking around. “This ain’t exactly on the trail.”

The orange one - Scoot? - glanced around at the thick vegetation; child’s play for Star to navigate through, but only because of her thousand years of experience with it. For the fillies, it probably looked impossible to traverse.

“N-No problem,” Scoot insisted. “W-We can find our way back. Ms. Cherilee said something about following your own hoof prints when…”

A growl sounded right from where they had come. Star peered out from her hiding spot, and her skin paled under her dark fur. Several green eyes – far different from hers – were lighting up from where the ponies had come from. Timberwolves stepped out, gazing hungrily at the duo.

Scoot's friend stepped back, the two fillies standing shoulder to shoulder as the pack approached them. “Y-You wouldn’t happen to have a pot or two with you, Scoot?”

“Forget the pots,” Scoot whispered. “Where’s Sweetie Belle? A-And Pip? Y-You don’t think they…?”

She was cut off as one of the timber wolves lunged.

Star flashed back: she remembered her first encounter with the canine creatures. The terror she had felt as they had overpowered her. Just barely checking to make sure her timber wolf armor was on, Star lunged out from her hiding place.

A loud crack sounded. As the two fillies closed their eyes in fear, the wolf that had pounced on them suddenly exploded into shards of wood. The entire forest went silent.

Still shaking, the two fillies gasped at the sight of the creature before them.

With her armor, Star Wing almost looked like some sort of wolf herself. Though she could not hide her thestral wings or alicorn horn, her helmet and padded armor gave her a wooden vibe that allowed her to almost seem to be a spirit of the forest. Her electric green eyes flashed with magic, and she lowered herself into a combat stance, grinning psychotically at the timber wolves.

“Alright, you sequoia she-dogs,” she growled, flaring her wings. “Let’s dance!”

The wooden wolves barked and lunged at her. But with two powerful blows, Star exploded them into dust. Briefly, the third and final wolf tried to build itself up with the remnants of its pack mates, but Star shot up to it, kicking it in the snout, and sending it cartwheeling through the air before smashing against a tree trunk, bursting into piles of bark and mulch.

“STEEE-RIKE!” Star cheered. She twirled around. “Now WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!”

The forest remained silent. Not a single creature dared to rise to her challenge. The alicorn turned back to the fillies, who stared at her with hanging jaws.

“Hey there,” she greeted.

Scootaloo blinked. “Um… hi?”

“A-Are you…” Apple Bloom stammered. “P-Princess Star Wing?”

Star grinned, before another voice sounded.

“APPLE BLOOM!”

“SCOOTALOO!”

Apple Bloom spun to the voices. “Applejack?” she charged forward. “Applejack, we’re over here!”

“Rainbow Dash?” Briefly, Scootaloo moved to join her. But then she remembered Star. But when she turned back to the alicorn… her heart plummeted as she found the creature gone. Vanished into the woods.

Further away in the forest, Star leaped from brush to brush, chuckling as she did so.

Okay, I’ll admit, she thought. That was kinda fun. I should do it more often.

Back at the clearing, Scootaloo slumped to the ground as the brush parted, and the Mane Six rushed out.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack cried, scooping her sister up in a hug. “When Sweetie Belle told us what was happening, we thought we’d be too late! Sweet Celestia, what were you thinking?"

“Scootaloo!” Rainbow Dash barked, zipping to the younger pegasus’ side. “Scoot, what…” she paused. “Uh… what are you looking at?”

“We saw her,” Scootaloo insisted. “She was right there.” She pointed at the clearing.

Twilight raced up next to her. “Princess Star Wing?” she asked. “You saw her?”

Scootaloo nodded dumbly. “Right there…” she mumbled, still pointing. “Right there…”

Twilight stood, her eyes already tracking where the alicorn could have gone. However, Applejack stepped up next to her.

“Twi,” she insisted. “We can’t keep up the search with the little uns out here. We need to bring them back.”

“But I promised Princess Celestia…” Twilight shook her head. “You’re right. Plus, we can split up. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, get the fillies back home. Rarity, you go with them too; Sweetie Belle will want to know they’re alright.”

“Of course, darling,” Rarity agreed.

“Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, come with me.”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged worried looks, before depositing the stunned fillies on their backs.

“We’ll come right back for you,” Rainbow Dash promised, before the three mares took off back for the town, the fillies still staring back at where Star Wing had been. Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, meanwhile, turned back towards the forest.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight asked. “Is there any sign of her?”

Fluttershy peered at the ground. “My animal friends often leave tracks like this,” she noted, scraping at where Star Wing had impacted the ground. “I think if I can just figure this out…” she turned her head up. “I think she went this way.”

Cautiously, Fluttershy headed deeper into the forest, Twilight and Pinkie Pie right behind her.

“Oh Starry,” Pinkie called. “Princess Starry Wings? We know you’re out here, and we just want to be friends.”

Fluttershy hushed her. “You’ll scare the animals,” Fluttershy warned. “And some of them get angry when they’re scared.”

“Like the manticore?” Twilight asked, remembering how Fluttershy had tamed the massive lion.

“Exactly,” Fluttershy replied. “If we take it nice and slow, we won’t disrupt the animals here, and everything will be just fine.”

A low chuckle made the three mares pause. “You sure about that?”

Hesitantly, they turned their gaze upward. In the trees, several eyes peered down at them; wolf eyes, but shining with an intelligence that was too much like ponies.

As Twilight lit up her horn, she realized they were wolves. But not timber wolves; these wolves were made of flesh and fur. Owl-like wings protruded from their backs, and their teeth shined like diamonds.

Twilight gasped. “The Wolves of Equestria,” she whispered. “But… you were just…”

“A myth?” one of the bigger wolves growled – a moonlight silver fellow with one gleaming blue eye. His other eye was covered by an eye patch, an ominous red series of scars running down his face. “You ponies certainly tried to make it that way. It’s a crime that has yet to be punished.”

Before Twilight could ask what he meant, she failed to notice the wingless wolves hiding in the trees. At least until they jumped the ponies.

Chapter 11: A Rough Reunion

Star strode back into camp with a satisfied sigh. Her encounter with the fillies had been close, but from the looks of things, it had all resolved out perfectly; the fillies were back with their parents, and curiosity would be risen about the forest. Soon, the ponies would eventually have to venture in, and steps could start being taken to get them to help Star reunite with her mother.

Yes, sir, everything seemed to be going just fine.

Then a scream ripped through the air. Star winced as the sound drilled into her ears.

Shiva burst out of her den. “Who is that?” she demanded, looking around. “Is everyone accounted for?”

Celine searched before gasping. “Kodo’s not here,” she said. “Neither are Logan or Red or…” her face paled. “None of the wolves who wanted war are here.”

Star’s ears flattened. Why did I have to jinx it? She thought.

At the same time, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity gently set the cutie mark crusaders down at their clubhouse.

“Look, kid,” Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo. “As much as we appreciate the help, the Ever-Free Forest is way too dangerous for you guys. You could’ve been really badly hurt.”

“Darn tootin,” Applejack agreed. “Just leave this to the grown-ups, okay Apple Bloom. We got this…”

Suddenly, Twilight’s scream ripped through the air. The mares whirled on the sound, Rainbow Dash’s ears perking in alarm.

“That’s Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “They’re in trouble!”

Without thinking, Rainbow Dash took flight, racing back for the Ever-Free.

“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Rarity wailed, running after her.

Applejack almost followed, but paused long enough to point at the fillies. “Stay here,” she ordered, before racing after her friends.

Together, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity drove into the forest.

At the same time, Celine and Star raced towards the sound of screaming as well, Star barely able to hold herself together.

Oh-no-oh-no-oh-no…Star wailed in her mind. This wasn’t what I wanted at all.

Unfortunately, what she wanted contrasted badly with reality. And it wasn’t long before she found the source of the screaming;

Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were all tied down, Kodo and his entourage grinning ominously over them as Logan – the youngest and Kodo’s son – fitted a gag over Twilight’s mouth. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were already similarly gagged.

“Kodo, stop!” Celine cried, skidding to a halt before him. “What are you doing?”

“Dealing with trespassers,” Kodo replied darkly. He indicated the three ponies. “These three intruded on our territory. Mother always warned us that they would. And they sure didn’t find malnourished pups.” He glowered down at Fluttershy. “DID THEY?”

Fluttershy sobbed through her gag, tears spilling down her cheeks. Celine stepped forward.

“Kodo, back off,” she insisted.

Before Kodo or his minions could argue back…

“You’d do well to listen to her, partner!”

The wolves spun with a snarl, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack standing ready to fight. Their eyes briefly flicked to the wings and horns on Kodo and Celine, but if they found the odd alicorns odd, they didn’t have time to comment on it.

“Let our friends go now!” Rainbow Dash barked. “Or you’ll be in for a world of hurt."

“Fighting’s not really my thing,” Rarity admitted. “Especially against alicorns. But I’ll RIP YOU DOGS TO SHREDS IF YOU HARM ONE HAIR ON MY FRIENDS HEADS!”

The wolves growled – Kodo with anger, Celine with hesitation. As they slowly circled the three mares, Star stepped back, the shadows concealing her. Shaking her head, she spun and raced back for camp.

At the same time, Celine kept exchanging a worried look with Kodo. “Kodo, this isn’t how Mother wanted us to do things.”

“We can argue about it later,” Kodo insisted. “For now, you want these guys to hurt anymore of our pack?”

“Anymore… you hurt our friends!” Applejack protested. “Ya got em trussed up like chickens!”

“They trespassed on our territory,” Kodo snapped back. “You all tried to kill us.”

“Then maybe you should have taken the hint and stayed off our turf!” Rainbow Dash snapped.

Kodo reared back, his eyes glistening as he prepared to attack. But just before another battle could break out…

“ENOUGH!”

Mare and wolf alike froze as the commanding voice washed over them. The shadows lit up with light, as Alpha Shiva strode out, regarding the wolves with disappointment and the mares with suspicion.

Behind her, Star shivered in the few shadows left, her eyes darting between the two sides with fear.

For a moment, no one spoke. Rainbow Dash and Applejack still stood ready to fight, but their limbs quivered with nervousness, and their eyes were wide with awe.

After a tense moment, Shiva turned to the tied up mares. “Release them,” she ordered.

Not questioning her order, Kodo bent down, his claws relieving Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy of their bindings. Twilight didn’t dare rise from the ground, gaping up at Shiva; her wings. Her horn.

“You…” she whispered. “You’re an… alicorn?” She looked between them. “The three of you…”

Shiva hummed, a grin playing across her face. “A wolf alicorn, yes,” she admitted. “Lupa Class. Alpha Shiva of the Wolves of Equestria.” She bent lower, regarding Twilight with her dark brown eyes. “And you… are the Element of Magic.” Her tail wagged. “We saw your conversion from the shadows of the Ever-Free.”

Twilight swallowed, while Applejack managed to find her voice.

“F-Forgive us, yer grace, but did ya also see Princess Star Wing? We heard she was out here, and…”

For a moment, Shiva was silent. Her eyes darted to the shadows Star hid in. Star tilted her head, silently asking if she should come out. But after regarding how battle-ready Rainbow Dash seemed, along with how Fluttershy was shivering, Shiva’s eyes hardened, and she gave Star a barely perceptible shake of her head.

“What do we get if we tell you what we know of Princess Star Wing?” Shiva asked the ponies. “Ponies tearing down our home?" Her voice grew cold. "Killing our people? Destroying our way of life?”

Twilight flinched with every word and the bitter venom behind them. “The… ‘attack’ on your kind was a major sore point of Equestria history,” she offered weakly. “The loss of the wolves was a tragedy and…”

“Words are wind,” Shiva dismissed. “It’s actions that truly define who we are.”

She nodded at Kodo. Reluctantly, Kodo and his wolves stepped back, and with a flare of Shiva’s magic, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were floated over to their friends.

“So, let my actions show my stance,” Shiva said. “You are free to leave this forest. Should you wish, you may return. But only with something we can barter and trade with.”

Applejack’s ears perked. “Ya mean like… apples or something?”

“Apples, supplies, information,” Shiva agreed with a nod. “Come willing to trade, and we will be happy to welcome you. However,” her gaze darkened as she moved closer to Twilight. “You are not to inform your Princess of our presence yet. I will know if you try, and you will not like what I will have to do to protect my pack.”

Twilight swallowed, and she nodded. “I-I promise,” she said. “Celestia won’t know about you.” She paused. “S-So, d-do you know where Princess…”

Shiva’s glare silenced the mare. “Earn our trust,” Shiva said, “And I will tell you of the Princess.”

Twilight winced, but lowered her head in acceptance. “Come on, girls,” she said. “We’ve bothered these wolves enough.”

Reluctantly, Applejack and Rainbow Dash turned to follow Twilight and the others, glaring down Kodo and his group as they left. As soon as the ponies were out of earshot, Shiva turned back to Kodo’s group.

“Artemis,” she called, gaining the attention of a pterolycus. “Keep an eye on them. I will be sending our best scouts and spies to aid you. Keep watch on them from the clouds; if the Element of Magic tries to inform Princess Celestia in any way…”

Artemis nodded. “I understand,” she said, before taking flight.

Shiva turned back to Star. “You will not be among them,” she warned the alicorn. “They asked for you personally; showing that you’re with us could ruin this experiment in many ways.”

“But…” Star protested. “A-Are we fighting them or making peace with them?”

Shiva smiled. “A wise warrior once said, ‘offer one paw but arm the other.’” She looked back at Twilight. “I’d like to believe that these ponies are different from the nobles who hurt us, but I will not forget the pain we were put through.” She nodded at Kodo, who bowed his head in thanks. “And we will be prepared if this investment turns out to be a mistake. Until then…”

Kodo winced as she fixed him with a very disappointed glare.

“M-Mother…” he tried to protest. “T-They were trespassing…”

“The den,” she growled softly. “Now.”

Groaning, Kodo lowered his head and followed after her, Celine struggling to hide her grin.

Back in Ponyville, Twilight and the others barely managed to pull themselves away from a crowd of concerned citizens.

“It’s nothing, really,” Twilight insisted. “Just some timber wolves I wasn’t prepared for. Everything’s fine.”

Despite her words, Applejack’s grimace and Rainbow Dash’s constant looks back made it very difficult to get everyone to stop asking questions. But eventually, the Mane Six managed to lock themselves up in Twilight’s library, where Twilight cast a silencing spell to ensure no one overheard them processing Shiva’s words. Even then, they felt like there were eyes on them, and not the friendly kind.

“So, what’s the plan, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. “If you ask me, that wolf has Princess Star Wing, and just isn’t telling us.”

“To be fair,” Fluttershy noted. “We did trespass on their territory.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to argue, but Pinkie got between them.

“It doesn’t matter who’s right here,” Pinkie insisted. “I think Shiva’s giving us a chance. If we can just keep quiet enough to earn her friendship… maybe she’ll be okay with revealing herself. If she does have Princess Star Wing… maybe she’s just trying to protect her.”

Twilight looked down thoughtfully. “The history books did say that Princess Star Wing and Princess Luna weren’t very popular…” she admitted.

“Ah still don’t like this,” Applejack admitted. “Keeping this secret? That feels too much like lying. If these wolves are gonna be our neighbors, ponies should know about it.”

“But what if that causes more problems?” Rarity argued. “What if they get violent?”

“Let them,” Rainbow Dash growled. “We beat them before, we can do it again.”

But Twilight shook her head. “No, we can’t, Rainbow. The Massacre of the Wolves was easily the greatest regret in Equestrian History. Having to fight them again…” she shook her head. “You might be able to, but I’m not sure everyone else will.”

Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack for support, but the farm mare hung her head.

“She’s right, Dash,” she admitted. “Granny Smith raised us on the tales of the wolves; how we should never judge others by their covers.” She grimaced. “Ah still don’t like this secret thing, but I don’t like the idea of fighting em either.”

Twilight nodded. “Then maybe it’s better to keep this on the down low. Princess Celestia wanted me to learn about friendship… maybe this is a way to put those lessons to good use.”

The others nodded, and Twilight dissipated the spell, as Spike walked over.

“So… you girls are okay?” he asked. “I’m pretty sure Princess Celestia is going to want to know how you’re doing.”

Twilight grimaced, pondering it for a moment. She glanced at her friends; Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy nodded, and while Applejack and Rainbow didn’t look happy, they nodded as well.

Breathing, Twilight turned back to Spike. “Take a letter, Spike,” she said. “’Dear Princess Celestia... our investigation is still underway. We are trying to avoid unnecessary risks, which means that this search will take longer than expected. Rest assured, we will not rest until Princess Luna is reunited with her daughter. We look forward to the day we can help your family reunite with each other. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.’”

Outside, Artemis hummed at Twilight’s letter. It didn’t directly mention Alpha Shiva; it didn’t even mention the wolves.

Back towards the forest, Kodo poked his head up, tilting it in intrigue. Artemis signaled to him that the ponies had not told Celestia about them.

Grimacing, Kodo ducked back down and returned to Shiva.

“Well?” Shiva asked.

Kodo sighed. “They didn’t tell Celestia about us,” he said.

Shiva and Celine shared a smile. “The first step,” Shiva mused.

Star stepped forward hopefully. “First step?” she asked. “To what?”

Shiva pet Star’s head. “To reunite you with your mother, of course,” she replied. “Without having to hurt any pony along the way.”

Chapter 12: New Friends

It only took a few days for the wolves to receive a visitor.

“Alpha,” Artemis declared. “The Element of Honesty approaches. She has supplies and might be looking to trade.”

Shiva rose from her den with a grin. “The first steps are being taken,” she whispered, before casting a nervous look at Star. “Star Wing, she can’t know you’re here. Find something to hunt until our business is concluded.”

Star nodded. “Yes, Alpha,” she replied, before taking wing. As Star vanished into the foliage, Shiva adjusted her wooden armor and smoothed out her fur.

Celine walked up next to her. “Nervous?” she asked.

“Impossible,” Kodo replied. “Mother doesn’t get nervous.”

“You might be surprised, my son,” Shiva replied.

Kodo’s eyes softened and he nuzzled against her. “If this does go wrong, you have us,” he assured her. “We won’t let anything happen to you.”

Shiva nodded. “I just don’t want anything to go wrong,” she admitted. “We’ve been out of contact with the ponies for so long…” Her head lowered. “And what they did to us…”

Celine gently touched her side. “It’s as you said,” she noted. “Fear is the enemy. The ponies were just its hapless victims.”

Assured by her daughter’s words, Shiva took another breath. “You’re right,” she said. “Let’s see what they’re like when fear isn’t controlling them.”

With her confidence returned, Shiva strode to the borders of her territory. Applejack was waiting, shuffling in place as she and the wolf guardians waited.

“Howdy, Alpha,” Applejack greeted. She turned to her saddlebags. “Now, I ain’t too sure on what wolves like, so I reckoned… ‘why not show em all that we got?’” Carefully, she laid out several Apple Family products; from freshly picked apples to apple pies to apple tarts to…

Shiva’s eyes widened as Applejack set out a jar of rainbow-colored jam.

“That’s Zap Apple Jam,” Shiva whispered, struggling not to sound awed. “How’d you find this?”

“There’s a grove we Apples protect,” Applejack replied proudly. “Timber Wolves make it a bit of a risk to keep it that way, but the risk is worth the reward, eh?”

Shiva chuckled. “Indeed.” She nodded to Celine. “Celine, care to show Applejack what we have to offer in exchange?”

And as Celine started to lay out different tools and weapons that the wolves used, Shiva found herself returning Applejack’s grin. This could turn out to be better than she had hoped.

At the same time, Star flew aimlessly through the forest. Her gaze shifted wistfully to Canterlot Castle, so close and yet so far away that it felt like the castle was teasing Star.

Somewhere in there, her mother was being kept. As a prisoner? As a guest? As just another pony? Star had no idea, and it ate her up not knowing.

It reminded her of how confused she had felt when Star Hunter had died. It made no sense to her; one day, he had left her, promising he’d be back. But then he never came back.

Star had wanted to search for him. She wanted to figure out where her dad was. But all Luna could respond with was a tearful, ‘Your father can’t be with us anymore.’

That helplessness. That confusion. That sensation of hating not knowing. Star found herself flapping harder and harder, almost as if she could escape her own feelings if she flew fast enough.

Unfortunately, all it did was cause her to almost crash into a tree. As she rolled and swiveled to avoid the trunks, she made a wrong turn and dove right into a cavern. Struggling to bank in the air, she collided with something soft and fuzzy.

A series of hisses shot Star’s heart up into her throat, and she summoned a wind spell, blasting herself backward and out of the cave. Rolling back to her hooves, she flared her wings and lit her horn, growling like a wolf as whatever was inside charged out and hissed at her again.

However, both sides paused. The creatures inside were ponies. Kind of like Star. In fact… They were very much like her. Slit-pupiled eyes. Leathery wings.

“Wait…” Star muttered. “Are you guys… thestrals?”

One of the thestrals peered at her. “But… you’re a thestral too,” he noted.

“No,” another whispered, pointing at her horn. “You see the horn?”

Several gasps rang through the bat-ponies. “It can’t be…” their leader mumbled, stepping closer. “P-Princess Star Wing?”

Star took a step back. “How do you know my name?” she asked. “Unless…” the answer clicked, and she gasped. “Are you a relative of Star Hunter?”

The leader’s eyes lit up. “You remember!” He turned to the others. “She remembers!”

“Well don’t leave her hanging,” what appeared to be the leader’s second in command whispered. “Tell her!”

“Seriously,” Star Wing agreed. “I feel like I should be geeking out right now, but I’m not sure why.”

“Right-right,” the leader cleared his throat, looking back at her with green eyes so similar to her own. “I’m Star Chaser; descendant of Star Fighter, brother to Star Hunter.”

Star Wing covered her mouth in glee; she was staring at one of her… cousins? It didn’t matter. He was family! And yet, the first thing out of her mouth was, “Our family really likes the ‘Star’ name, don’t they?”

Chaser chuckled. “I guess so,” he admitted. “Then again, it’s got a lot of fame, considering who managed to earn the love of an alicorn princess.”

Wing nodded. “Good point,” she admitted. “But, wow, where have you guys been all this time?”

Chaser’s grin faded. He turned back into the cavern. “That’s… a long story,” he admitted.

Wing tilted her head at his odd reaction, but walked up next to him. “I mean… I like stories,” she replied. “Want to share it?”

Chaser’s grin returned, but it didn’t have the same light as before. Motioning for her to follow, he ventured into the cave.

“After you fled,” Chaser said as they walked. “The thestrals got accused of helping the Wolves and Princess Luna in some sort of coup. After the Wolves got wiped out and Luna was banished, the Thestrals had to find some way to make sure that they wouldn’t get targeted next. So, their leader, Bat Breaker, agreed to switch from eating meat to these ‘blood rations’ the nobles offered that would quell our cravings.”

“Except they didn’t,” his second in command hissed. “The blood rations were nothing but colored water; enough to quell our hunger, but nothing else.”

Wing tilted her head.

“Imagine it this way,” Chaser told her. “No matter how much you eat, you’re still starving and your body is suffering from malnutrition.” He looked away. “Flash Magnus was good to us; he had always considered his friendship with Hunter to extend to us. But before we could tell him about the fake blood, he and the rest of the Pillars disappeared fighting this ‘Pony of Shadows’ creature.” He shook his head. “With him gone, we didn’t trust Celestia to have our best interests in mind.”

“Our ancestors decided it was better to live in exile than be effectively enslaved by those who would drive us to a slow extinction,” his second in command concluded. “We’ve been out here ever since.”

Chaser smiled as a glint of gold caught Wing’s eye at the darkest part of the cavern. “That being said, we never forgot how Flash Magnus helped us.”

Wing swallowed as she beheld a statue of her uncle and father, standing together as if about to fight off some unknown enemy. Beneath them were the words ‘Star Hunter and Flash Magnus; the Ponies that proved Day and Night Ponies could live and thrive together.’

Despite the kind words, Star Wing couldn’t help but feel an emptiness in her chest. “Flash Magnus is… gone?” she whispered.

“Disappeared,” Chaser clarified. “No one ever found the body.” He nodded. “But without him…”

“Yeah,” Wing nodded. “The nobles were free to ruin whatever they wanted.” Her brow furrowed as she thought of them. Their smug faces; their pompous attitudes. The way they had laughed about getting Celestia to imprison Star Wing just for crying. It made her blood boil; almost made her question whether or not the nobles were truly the civilians she was supposed to protect as a hero.

Out in the Ever-Free, Star Wing had gotten to know how it really felt to be appreciated; to be supported; to be loved! Wasn’t that what heroes fought for; to protect those they loved and to stand up for what was right? How had anything the nobles done ever been right? Why did they deserve to get protected by the likes of Wing’s father and Uncle Flash? Why did Hunter and Flash have to lose their lives so that those smarmy rich brats could continue to live the good life while good people like thestrals or wolves struggled just to carve out a basic living for themselves.

Wing’s hooves ground into the dirt. She looked back at Chaser. “You know,” she noted. “Princess Luna recently returned from banishment.”

Chaser nodded. “We had heard.” He glanced at the others. “There was talk of us rejoining her; seeing that she was okay.”

“But that would mean going back to the ponies,” his second in command hissed. “The only reason we should go back to them is if we’re going to feast on their blood.”

Despite the anger she felt, Star Wing felt a shiver in her soul at the thought of ‘really’ hurting those ponies. “But all that would do is prove them right,” she noted. “That we deserved to be hated.”

Chaser sighed, but nodded. “She’s got a point, Whisper,” he noted to his second in command. “We stoop to their level…”

Whisper just fluttered her wings. “I’m just… tired of them thinking that they’re somehow better than us,” she snapped. “Because they’re not! They’re evil! Anyone that can justify starving others - killing them - shunning them for the crime of looking different - they don’t deserve anything that they have! Don’t you guys feel that way too?”

Wing pressed her hoof against her heart. “Every day,” she replied. “But no matter what I wanted, I knew that there had to be another way.” Her eyes brightened. “There is another way.”

Chaser and Whisper both looked at her, almost pleadingly.

“Alpha Shiva and the wolves of Equestria still live,” Wing explained. “They’ve repaired most of the damage the ponies inflicted on them, and Shiva’s even trying to form an alliance with the lower-class earth ponies.”

Whisper hissed at the idea, but Wing raised a hoof.

“These ponies aren’t like the nobles,” she explained. “They work hard, take initiative, and don’t hide behind others. Heck, the six we’re dealing with delved into the Ever-Free and ended up saving my mom.”

Chaser and Whisper’s eyes lit up, and Wing offered her hooves.

“If you can promise to help us,” Wing said. “We might be able to turn Equestria against the nobles and Celestia. We’ll get my Mom back, and…” she shivered at the thrill that went through her gut. “And we’ll make the nobles the villains. Then no pony will bat an eye when we give them the justice they deserve.”

Whisper’s grin was ominous, and Chaser noticed. He clasped Wing’s shoulder.

“Just as long as you promise to be careful,” he said, looking back at the statue of Flash and Hunter. “A few bits of bad blood can easily blind us to the good that can still be in something.”

Wing nodded, looking back to Flash. “I won’t forget,” she said, unsure if she was talking to Chaser - or somehow hoping that Flash would hear her, wherever he was. “I promise.”

Back at the wolf camp, Shiva saw Applejack off with a wave.

“Hope the new yoke works for you,” Shiva called after her.

“Hope y'all enjoy the jam,” Applejack replied back. “I’ll come back with more soon.”

“We look forward to it,” Celine said. As the farm mare vanished out of sight, the golden Lupa smiled up at her mother. “That actually went well, all things considered.”

“Indeed, it did,” Shiva noted. “Maybe this plan won’t turn out so bad after all.” She turned back to the camp, and let out a howl: “Star Wing, our business is done. Return home.”

Yet, as Shiva returned to the den that served as her home and throne, she heard an odd shuffling from where Star had run off to. Shiva peered at the foliage; why did it sound like Star was coming back with something?

Her ears perked. An awful lot of some things.

“Kodo,” she whispered.

“Already on it,” Kodo said, as his pack mates took up defensive positions, aiming bows and arrows or lighting up spells ready to fire.

As the wolves got ready for a battle, Star Wing popped out, glancing around. She put her hooves up.

“Okay, I surrender,” she joked.

Kodo sighed, lowering his bow. “What the heck are you doing, Wing?” he asked. “Who’s with you?”

Star Wing’s grin widened, as Star Chaser came out next to her. The wolves stopped in their tracks, jaws dropping and eyes widening as the thestrals gathered around Star Wing.

Shiva herself had backed up, her eyes the size of dinner plates. “S-Star Wing…” she stammered. “W-What…?”

“Oh, nothing too important,” Star Wing teased. “Just my long-lost family.”

Star Chaser stepped up to Shiva and offered his hoof. The smile Shiva gave Star would have lit up the dark side of the moon.

Chapter 13: Old Wounds

Twilight swallowed nervously as she neared the edge of the forest. Spike sat on her back, alongside a plethora of books and materials.

“Are we sure about this, Twilight?” Spike asked. “Books aren’t exactly the same thing as apples.”

“It’s all we’ve got to offer, Spike,” Twilight replied. “Besides that, Alpha Shiva said she’d accept information. If we can trade her something like this… maybe she’ll reveal more about Princess Star Wing.”

Despite her words, Twilight’s heart still fluttered with nervousness. Though Applejack’s trade with the wolves had worked out very well, there was still so much that could go wrong. Twilight could say the wrong things, or Spike could make a threatening gesture. Part of Twilight wanted to leave Spike behind and just go in alone. But if she did that, what would stop one of the rogue wolves like Kodo from just attacking her.

Twilight shivered on the edge of the forest; almost tempted to run back and hide. However, the thought of disappointing Celestia – her closest friend and mentor – steeled Twilight’s nerves, and she forged into the forest.

It didn’t take long for the wolves to find her. For a moment, their eyes lit up the shadows, and Twilight feared she had come across timber wolves again. But the wolves were quick to show her their fur covered bodies. However, their eyes still narrowed as they spotted Spike on her back.

“Is that a dragon?” asked one of them – Kodo, Twilight remembered with a grimace.

Twilight swallowed. “Yes,” she admitted, grinning half-heartedly at her dragon. “This is Spike. My assistant and friend.”

Spike spared her a brief grin, though his grin died in the wake of the glares the others were shooting him.

“I’m, uh…” Spike coughed. “Guessing you guys didn’t have that good of an experience with us?”

Kodo’s lips pursed. “You could say something like that,” he admitted.

“Look, Spike is different,” Twilight insisted. “I’ve raised him since he was an egg, and I assure you, he’s not mean or cruel or anything else dragons have been to you.”

Kodo exchanged a glance with his fellow wolves, but they just shrugged. Kodo huffed.

“I guess we’ll see,” he noted, stepping out of the way and allowing Twilight to move forward.

Slowly, Kodo led Twilight and Spike to their encampment. Twilight’s eyes widened in awe at the various huts and memorabilia the wolves had built for themselves.

Carefully, Spike slipped off Twilight’s back, though he didn’t stray far from her; especially when Kodo turned back to them.

“I’ll get the Alpha,” he said. “Don’t try anything funny until we get back.” He paused. “And even beyond that. Look, just… don’t try anything funny at all. You understand?”

Twilight nodded before he was even done speaking. “We understand,” she assured him.

Kodo still watched both of them with a narrowed eye before heading off into the village.

As the two waited for Kodo’s return, Spike noticed a smaller wolf pup watching him. Cautiously, he waved at her.

Her ears perking, the young pup crept closer to him. She was followed shortly by a group of more pups.

Twilight stepped back, glancing at the other wolves. But her worry faded as she realized they were smiling. Watching the two newcomers as if curious what they’d do.

Spike shared a glance with Twilight, and she motioned for him to approach. Carefully, Spike took a knee and offered his talon.

The pups crowded around, sniffing at his hand. The leader of the puppy pack giggled up at Spike’s expression, and licked at his talons. She curled her head underneath his claws, encouraging him to rub her ears.

As he obliged with the young pup’s demands, the others grew more insistent, snuffling and butting their soft heads at him for attention. Unable to contend with so many pups, Spike fell over, laughing as the pups began laughing as well, playfully pouncing and tickling the dragon.

Twilight, at first, watched on with worry. But as she realized that the pups genuinely meant no harm, she started to find the whole thing amusing. She began to chuckle as well, noticing a few of the other wolves struggling to contain their laughter.

Then…

“Having fun?” a voice asked.

Adults and pups alike froze. Twilight slowly turned to find Shiva standing next to her, as if the Alpha Wolf had just appeared out of thin air.

“A-Alpha Shiva,” Twilight stammered. “I…” she briefly went for her books before following her gaze to Spike. “T-They approached first, and we didn’t want to seem like we meant any… o-or that is to say…”

“Hush,” Shiva said, resting her paw on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight’s anxiety was soothed with a small grin. “You know the best part about children?” She gazed at the pups, who went right back to playing with Spike. “It’s their innocence. To them, there is no fear of the unknown.” Her eyes grew teary as they shifted to Spike. “And something different would be seen more as a new friend than a potential monster.” Her ears flattened as she looked down. “But of course, sometimes we must instill that fear in them; to ensure they are protected.”

Twilight looked down. “I…” she tried to say.

But before she could find the words, Shiva shook herself. “But… enough of my morose musings,” she said, turning fully to Twilight. “What did you have to share?”

“Oh!” Twilight quickly dove into her saddlebag, bringing out several books. “I-I brought several tomes of magic. Lessons in both friendship and magic that I’ve collected over the course of my studies, both in Canterlot and Ponyville.”

Shiva hummed in intrigue, picking up one of the books and carefully looking over it’s contents. Twilight pressed her hooves together, hoping that she found it suitable.

Shiva glanced at her worried expression with a teasing grin. “Would it be a bad time to mention that reading isn’t exactly a national pastime of ours?” Shiva noted.

Twilight’s hopeful expression crumbled like a shattered mirror. Before she could deflate in horror, Shiva laughed.

“I’m joking, Twilight,” Shiva said.

“Oh, ha,” Twilight let out a breathless laugh. “I… yes, jokes. Like Princess Celestia.” She looked down. “Oh…”

Shiva tilted her head. Settling herself in a casual position, she peered at Twilight with curiosity.

“Tell me,” she asked. “What is Princess Celestia like nowadays?”

Twilight chuckled. “She’s… confident. And kind.” She looked up. “I remember when I first saw her raising the sun. I thought she was the most beautiful mare in the world.”

Shiva hummed, her voice soft. Inviting more. Twilight found herself relaxing.

“In a way,” she admitted. “You remind me of her. You’re willing to listen… you try to make others feel at ease around you. And… you care.”

Shiva’s ear twitched. A brief flash of confusion crossed her face. “Princess Celestia cares? About more than just the nobles?” She noticed Twilight’s look of confusion. “Princess Star Wing spoke about Celestia. She gave the impression that Celestia didn’t care about anyone that didn’t spend all their time praising how great she was.”

“W-No!” Twilight stammered. “No-no-no, she’s not like that at all. Or… at least… she’s not to me.” She looked down. “Then again…”

Shiva blinked, drawing closer. “What is it?”

“I did always get this feeling of… pain from her,” Twilight admitted. “Like something happened long ago, and she doesn’t want it to happen again.” She looked up hopefully. “M-Maybe she’s learned from whoever she was when Princess Star Wing knew her. She changed!”

Shiva hummed in thought. “Time does have a habit of doing that,” she admitted.

As Shiva spoke, she glanced back up towards the trees. In the shadows, hidden by timber wolf armor, Star Wing and Celine watched as Twilight poured out her heart about Celestia. Star Chaser and several other thestrals watched as well, their eyes narrowed.

Star shook her head. “That’s not Celestia,” she insisted. “Celestia was a puppet for the nobles. She only cared about what they thought of her.”

“Ponies change,” Celine offered. “Given enough time.”

Star shook her head. “I don’t believe it,” she insisted, turning away. “I can’t believe it.” She spread her wings and took off.

Celine looked to her mother, who watched with a grimace.

“A-Alpha Shiva?” Twilight asked, drawing the Lupa back.

“Oh, apologies, Twilight,” Shiva said, settling herself again. “Please continue.”

As Twilight hesitantly continued to tell her about Celestia, Celine took off after her surrogate sister.

Celine found Star pacing in a small clearing. Her horn was shimmering, and several knives spun around her.

“Star?” Celine asked.

Star took a deep breath, and turned to Celine with a grin. “What’s up, sis?” she asked in a chipper tone.

Celine watched her knives warily. “Look, I know… that Celestia didn’t treat you right, but..."

THUNK!

Celine jumped as one of the knives suddenly spun, lodging all the way up to the hilt in the trunk of a tree.

“But, she has Mother,” Star replied, her voice somehow still casual. “And it’s probably not a good idea to challenge her, right?”

THUNK! Another blade cut into the tree, the magic aura not leaving it, and instead dragging the knife down, cutting a deep gouge into the bark. Celine watched the knife progress with a fluttering heart.

“Probably not,” Celine admitted. She sighed. “Star, you always had hope that you could be a hero.”

“Yes,” Wing agreed, even as another knife flew towards the tree. THUNK! “A hero to the right people. People like you.”

Star’s look of anger faded as she crossed over to Celine. “You, Alpha Shiva, even Kodo. You showed me that happy endings do exist. That dreams can come true… that someone can become a hero.” She pressed her hoof into Celine’s chest. “You are the ones I want to protect.”

She turned away, gripping the knives she had gouged into the trunk. “And Celestia?” THUNK! She stabbed the trunk, making Celine jump and back up. “She stood by as the nobles did what they wanted.” THUNK! “Threw me in a cell for crying!” THUNK! “Crying!” THUNK! “Do you really…” THUNK! “Think…” THUNK! “A pony…” THUNK! “Like that…” THUNK! “Can be…” THUNK! “REDEEMED!?”

THUNK-CRASH!

Star and Celine jumped back in shock as Star Wing’s stabbings cut through the entire tree, and the trunk crashed to the ground.

“Oops,” she mumbled, putting her hooves to her mouth as Celine sighed.

“I’m sorry, Star,” she whispered.

But Star shut her eyes. “This isn’t your fault, Celine,” she insisted, turning back to her. “You and the others were there for me. You never have anything to apologize to me for.” She looked back towards the forest. “A-And I know that I should appreciate those who want forgiveness… for a time, forgiveness was all I wanted.” She looked down as a crashing sound emanated. “But what did I even want to be forgiven for? What did we do to deserve this in the first place?”

Celine had no answer. And before she could formulate one, Shiva burst out into the clearing.

“Star?” she demanded, racing to Star’s side and taking in the stabbed trunk. “Star…”

She touched Star’s shoulder, and the alicorn slumped to the ground.

“I don’t know what to do, Alpha,” Star whispered, struggling to hold back tears. “I want to believe in Twilight. I want to believe she’s telling the truth, but…” She clutched at her heart as she choked on her sobs. “How can Celestia be any of that now?” She looked up. “Why couldn’t she be like that when Mom and I were around?”

Shiva’s eyes softened, and she wrapped Star up in a hug. “As horrible as it may sound,” Shiva offered. “Maybe you and Luna were the wakeup call Celestia needed; the push to show her that what she was doing was wrong.”

Star clung to Shiva like a security blanket. “How do we know?” she whispered. “How do we know Twilight isn’t indoctrinated? How do we know my Mom isn’t in a cell right now?”

“Sh,” Shiva hushed, holding Star against her chest as the alicorn sobbed. “There is one way. It’s risky, but it may just be worth it.”

“Alpha?” Celine asked.

Shiva looked up. “We’re going to leave the safety of the forest,” Shiva decided. “We’re going to let the ponies of this town, at the very least, know that we’re alive.” She made Star look up at her. “And after that, we’re going to Canterlot, and we’re going to find your mother.”

Chapter 14: Welcome Home

It was finally time. As Shiva stood at the edge to the Ever-Free, awaiting Twilight or one of her friends, she tried to slow her rapidly beating heart.

Star fluttered up next to her. “Are you sure about this,” she asked. “I-I don’t want to risk you guys. It’s like you told me; it’s not about the one, but the many.”

“It’s not just about you, Star,” Shiva assured her, gazing out at the town of Ponyville. “This used to be our home as well. Before the ponies drove us away from it.” Her voice darkened at the memory, and she shut her eyes as the face of her mate – an arrow in his head – flashed across her mind again.

Star sensed her grievance. She hesitantly reached out, before thinking better of it, and backing up. Shiva, for her part, gave Star a small smile.

“Go,” she said, nodding up to the trees. “I want you, Star Chaser, and the thestrals watching over us. Just in case this goes wrong.”

“Come on, Mom,” Kodo said. “You already have us.” He grinned as his pack of wolves stepped up, weapons ready and fangs bared at the town.

Star chuckled. “Don’t underestimate the wing speed of a thestral,” Star noted. “You guys run into trouble, we’ll be down there to help you like beans through a cockatrice.”

“I bet I can take out twice as many ponies as you,” a red-furred pterolycus noted.

Before Star could accept the challenge, Shiva gripped her nape and glared the red-furred wolf down.

“No one is fighting unless absolutely necessary,” Shiva said firmly. “Some of you may not have been around when the ponies drove us away, but fighting them is nothing like hunting prey.” Her eyes shut, and her fur pulsed with a haunted light. “It was dark, brutal and terrifying. There is no glory in it, and there is no fun in it. Understand?”

The red-furred wolf and Star both looked down in guilt. Their guilt was broken up when Celine barked.

“Alpha,” she called. “The pink mare approaches.”

Shiva let out a slow breath. “Star,” she repeated.

“Right,” Star agreed, re-donning her timber wolf mask and taking to the trees. Shiva gave one more look to Kodo and his soldiers. They nodded, weapons at the ready. Shiva turned to the entrance to the Ever-Free as Pinkie happily bounced towards them.

“Alright,” she muttered. “Here we go.”

She strode out of the leaves and into Pinkie’s field of view. The pink mare gasped in delight upon seeing the wolf, and zipped to her side.

“Hi there,” she greeted. “I’m Pinkie Pie. I’m sorry it took me so long to come back, but I had to make sure that my treats were perfect.”

She revealed a wagon she had been pulling along, displaying several cupcakes and doggy treats, all forming a smiling face bordered by the phrase, ‘Welcome to Ponyville.’ Pinkie Pie zipped back around, checking over the various treats.

“I know chocolate can be kinda harmful for doggies,” she admitted. “So, I went on a really-really long road trip to find the perfect sugars and snacks for you guys. I wanted your welcome to Ponyville party to be the best party ever!”

Shiva chuckled, even as her dogs watched the pink mare warily. “Thank you, Pinkie Pie,” she said. “You’re too kind. Though, if I may note…” she nodded at the town. “Ponyville stands on what used to be our home.”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “In that case…” she pulled the wagon back, and pulled out a frosting bottle from her mane. Quickly making some adjustments, she pulled the wagon back, revealing that the ‘Welcome to Ponyville,’ had been changed to ‘Welcome ‘back’ to Ponyville.’

Shiva chuckled at the mare’s antics. “Well, we can’t really say we were welcomed ‘back,’ when we haven’t entered the town."

Pinkie Pie gasped in delight. “You really want to see the town?” she asked.

Shiva nodded. Yipping in delight, Pinkie Pie raced back to town, pausing briefly to make sure the wolf was following.

With all the air of walking into the ocean, Shiva left the safety of the forest that had been her home, and began crossing into Ponyville, followed by her bodyguards and children. Celine munched on one of the cakes Pinkie had offered, grinning when Kodo gave her an unsure look.

“They’re actually really good,” Celine noted through a mouthful of cake.

Kodo hummed, only for his glower to deepen when he noticed the red-furred wolf eating a treat as well. Sighing, he took one of the treats himself, holding it in his mouth like a cigarette.

As Shiva followed Pinkie past the field of no-mare’s-land and into the town, she slowed briefly as the ponies in the town paused in their daily activities, staring at her in shock.

“Is that…” someone asked.

“I don’t believe it!” another one whispered.

“After so long…”

“But I thought they were dead!”

Shiva might have heard more shocked whispers, but they were quickly hidden as Pinkie pulled out another wagon, this one with some sort of stereo on it. Pinkie burst into song.

Welcome-welcome-welcome

A fine welcome to you

Welcome-welcome-welcome

I say how do you do

Welcome-Welcome-Welcome

I say hip-hip-hooray!

Welcome-Welcome-Welcome

To Ponyville today.

Confetti burst into the air, and another cake popped out of the wagon. Pinkie handed the pastry to Shiva, who accepted it with a bow. At her bow, she noticed the awe and shocked looks fading into curiosity. Thankfully, she detected malice on none of them.

It didn’t stop Kodo’s fur from bristling, or from him watching the ponies with bated breath. But the ponies did nothing to provoke his anger. They just watched, cautiously but patiently waiting for Shiva to make the first move.

Until…

“A-Alpha Shiva!” Twilight’s voice cried.

Shiva’s tail wagged as Twilight galloped to Pinkie Pie’s side.

“But you… w-we kept your kind secret, I assure you it…”

“Calm,” Shiva assured the mare. “I figured it was time I stopped hiding in that forest.” She looked around. “This place used to be our home, after all.” She looked to Twilight. “And I want to know that I can trust you.”

Twilight’s nervousness faded, and she nodded. “O-Of course,” she said, before motioning. “Please. I want to show you something.”

Nodding, Shiva followed after the mare, Pinkie Pie trying to prance next to her before Kodo got between them with a glower.

Despite his protectiveness, the ponies didn’t act with any hostility. As Shiva walked through the town, several even smiled and waved at her. From a cloud above, Rainbow Dash watched them carefully, though she did grin and salute when Shiva nodded up at her.

“So,” Pinkie noted as they walked by. “That shop’s Quills and Sofas. What was it called back when you were in charge?”

“It wasn’t called anything,” Shiva admitted. “It was a den; a house for one of my betas, named Caesar, and his wife and son; Cornelius and Brown Eye.”

“Neat,” Pinkie Pie said, like the information was really amazing. She gasped and bounded over to Shiva’s other side, Kodo still trying to keep himself between them. “What about there; that’s Sugarcube Corner; where I make all my sweets. What was it like for you?”

“That was our old cleaning ground,” Shiva admitted.

“Oh, you took baths there?” Twilight asked.

Shiva swallowed. “We, uh… cleaned our prey. You know? Skinned it and prepped it for eating?”

Twilight pursed her lips, her face turning a slight pale shade. Even Pinkie lost a bit of pep in her step, though she did try to keep her voice perky.

“Interesting,” both of them decided.

As they walked through town, Star tried to keep an eye on them without exposing herself. Though in doing so, she nearly plummeted out of the tree before Chaser caught her.

“Easy now,” he warned her.

“Thanks,” she replied. “It’s just gonna be difficult to jump in if anything happens.”

Luckily, nothing did happen. The other members of the Mane Six approached, and said their hellos. And Shiva got to see more of her old grounds:

The place where her pack had gathered to eat and share stories was now the Golden Oaks library. The fields where they had hunted and gathered had become Sweet Apple Acres. And the birthing den where mothers brought their children into the world had been converted into a schoolhouse.

But the biggest surprise remained for when Shiva found her original den. Instead of some new Ponyville building… she found a statue.

A large statue of herself, sitting with a foreleg over the shoulders of one of her fenrirs, with a warg on her right sight and a pterolycus cradling a pup on her left. Under the statue was a large, brass plague.

Twilight and the others said nothing as Shiva approached, reading with a curious air:

"The Cost of Fear"

"Fear is a powerful yet dangerous thing, as we found out on that terrible day. We let our fear rule us and it led to one of our greatest mistakes: The possible extinction of fellow Ponies who while very different from us were still Ponies in the end, something we didn't realize until after it was too late.

We had always feared this race because of their hunting ways and scary appearance, we had always thought that they would one day attack us, a fear that the Nobles preyed upon. Thanks to their lies we let our fears rule us and it led us to do something horrible. We stood on that field after the survivors fled into the Everfree, staring at our blood-covered hooves in shock and horror, like a blindfold had been lifted from our eyes and shown us what we had become.

Monsters

Many of us could not believe what we had done. Killing the adults was one thing, but during our attack not even foals had been spared. We had done something beyond forgiving, something we would deeply regret for the rest of our lives. We could only hope that if the Survivors live long enough they do not take their revenge on our descendants, for this horror is ours and ours alone to bear.

We built this monument as a reminder of the cost of letting fear rule and to at least give the ones we killed some form of peace. Should the survivors and/or their own descendants read this, please do not blame ours for what we did to you. We know we can never be forgiven for what we have done, but let it die with us, let us take this burden to the grave.

We are sorry, sorry for all we did to you, for the lives we took that day, for letting our fear control us. We know we can never be forgiven, but let us try to right this wrong, even if we have to do it from beyond."

Below the plague was a list of names. Shiva’s ears flattened as she recognized all of the names:

Luke.

Caesar

Brown Eye

Brutus

They were all the members of her pack; all the ones that had died on that fateful day.

Her head bent; her teeth clenched. Her paws dug into the ground.

Kodo was the first forward, nuzzling against her with a concerned whimper. The Mane Six – who had joined Shiva on her tour – looked to each other with worry.

“A-Alpha Shiva?” Fluttershy asked, approaching carefully.

Shiva looked back at her, and the yellow pegasus moaned in sympathy at the tears shining in her eyes. Yet, despite the sorrow on Shiva’s face…

“Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for showing me this.” She turned back to the statue. “The others. They need to see this as well.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course.”

A few minutes later, the wolves of Equestria had gathered to witness the sight of the statue. Star Wing was huddled among them, her timber wolf armor hiding her from any prying eyes.

Star Wing watched on with a grimace as Shiva sat next to her statue.

"It was as many of us hoped, my sisters and brothers," Shiva said. "Those we called enemies saw the true enemy Fear... even though it was too late to save all of us from its icy grip." She looked at Twilight and the others. "Let us learn from the mistakes of our ancestors. Let's never allow Fear to turn us on each other again." She'd gaze forlornly at the statue. "Let us ensure that the fallen didn't die in vain."

Shiva stepped up to Twilight and offered her paw. Twilight thankfully took her paw, and they shook, eliciting a cheer from the ponies and even a few of the wolves.

Kodo stayed silent, as did his red-furred friend. And even though her heart leaped for the joy on Pinkie and Celine’s faces, Star found that she couldn’t join in.

Not when Canterlot was still so easily in their sights.

Would you react this way, Celestia? Star couldn’t help but wonder. Or would you let someone else decide whether this was okay or not?

As Twilight watched the partying crowd, she turned back to Shiva.

“Alpha,” she said. “I appreciate your willingness to do this. But… does that mean you’re ready to tell us what happened to Princess Star Wing?”

Shiva hummed, gazing out over the crowd. “I want to see how this pans out,” she admitted, before touching Twilight’s shoulder. “But rest assured, Element of Magic; the Princess is a lot closer than you think.”

Shiva looked back over the crowd, and when Twilight followed her gaze, she caught sight of one wolf that didn’t look like the others. Slit-pupiled, electric green eyes sparkling underneath what looked like armor. Armor that Scootaloo was watching like she had seen it before.

Twilight’s heart pattered in her chest: the wolves did have the Princess! And from the looks of it, she was unharmed. Better than unharmed; it looked like she had prospered.

But Twilight forced herself to contain her excitement. This was all about developing a friendship unlike anything she had encountered before. And judging by what Shiva had told her, Star Wing needed assurance that Celestia had changed.

Well, don’t you worry, Princess Star Wing, Twilight wished she could tell the disguised alicorn. Celestia is different. And one way or another. I’ll prove it.

Chapter 15: The Alicorn Reunion

The next few weeks felt like an eternity. As Star watched the wolves and ponies hesitantly settle into being neighbors, she wished that they could find a way to make peace… faster, if that made sense.

Granted, they were already doing their absolute best to try and get along with each other. Celine and a good number of the wolves had moved into Ponyville, with Kodo and his followers creating a safe path for visitors, which several ponies used to semi-move in with the wolves, curious in their way of life.

Star had been ecstatic when two pony mares named Bon Bon and Lyra actually asked to join one of the hunts. Shiva had seemed rather suspicious of Bon Bon at first, but despite her suspicion, she allowed it. And the two mares did very well, helping Artemis and Celine bring down a Hydra of all things.

Star had hoped against hope that it would finally mean they were ready to take Canterlot. But Shiva still had her wait.

Until one fateful day when Ventus - a younger wolf - approached with a pegasus mare around his age. Both looked wracked with nervousness, but were carried forward by a strange determination.

“Alpha?” Ventus asked.

“Yes?” Shiva replied.

“I know it’s only been a few weeks since we started letting ponies around us, but… Rose Luck and I...” he paused, extending a wing to the mare by his side. The mare - Rose - gratefully snuggled up against him.

“I think we’re…” she said nervously. “I think we’re in love.”

Shiva tilted her head, as Star tried to resist squealing in glee above them. “Explain,” Shiva replied curiously.

“Well…” Ventus said. “We started talking about a week ago.”

“I was curious about how you guys handled gardening,” Rose admitted. “And Ventus seemed like one of the kinder wolves.”

“Anyway, we… started talking…” Ventus explained nervously. “And we hit it off pretty fast. Before we knew it, we just wanted to keep spending time with each other. Meetings started to become more like dates, and now…”

“I-I mean, if this is a problem for you…” Rose added, though both looked like they were hoping it wouldn’t be.

Shiva, for her part, just grinned, before settling herself into a more relaxed position.

“If you both truly desire to be with each other,” she assured them. “I’m certainly not going to try and stop you.” Her grin faded. “But you also must understand: love is going to take time and it’s going to take work. You’re going to have to be willing to go through a lot with your significant other; both good and bad.” She turned to Ventus. “Ventus, what do you enjoy about being with Rose?”

Ventus chuckled. “What isn’t there to enjoy?” he admitted. “She’s smart, she’s kind… and she always smells wonderful.”

Rose chuckled, before Shiva turned her gaze to her.

“And Rose?” Shiva asked. “What do you enjoy about being with Ventus?”

Rose blushed. “He’s kind,” she admitted. “He’s polite and sweet. He reminds me a lot of Winona; the Apple Family dog.”

Shiva nodded. “But you understand that he’s different from Winona, yes?” she noted, turning to Ventus. “And Ventus, you know that she can’t smell wonderful all the time.”

The young lovers blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“Every creature has flaws,” Shiva explained. “Things that might get on others nerves. It’s important that you identify those flaws and figure out what you can do to live with them. Being able to stand each other, even when they aren’t doing the things you like… that’s the sign of true love.”

Rose and Ventus hummed at the thought, but looked up with determination.

“If it means we still get to enjoy the good,” Ventus said. “Then I think I’m willing to endure the bad.”

“Me too,” Rose agreed.

Shiva grinned softly. “Let’s make sure of that.”

And as she coached the two through identifying pet peeves and being able to take care of each other, Star felt her hopes begin to rise. If such a thing as love could exist between the two species, could Shiva finally see that she was denying Star a different, more powerful type of love?

She got her answer when Shiva eventually sent the two young lovers off. Looking right up at Star, Shiva’s face split into a grin.

“It’s time?” Star asked eagerly.

Shiva nodded. “It’s time,” she agreed. “Let’s tell Twilight; we’re going to Canterlot.”

Star shifted from hoof to hoof, her wings struggling under the armor she had on.

She stood by Shiva and Kodo at the train station in Canterlot, the rest of the Mane Six around them. Since word still hadn’t left Ponyville about the wolves, Shiva was disguised as a foreign unicorn noble, with Star and Kodo as her bodyguards. Star’s wings were concealed under her armor, though she didn’t need a disguise to appear pony-ish, she still feared that others would see who she really was.

Yet, despite her fears, any unicorns who noticed the newcomers seemed to only have eyes for Shiva. Not that her unicorn form was anything to sneeze at; thin and attractive, with brilliant white fur that shined from beneath a see through satin robe. Her cutie mark being a bright red sun with a faint imprint of a howling wolf. Her face regal and turned up. She would have fit in perfectly in the Canterlot nobility circles.

Of course, that was assuming they didn’t know how kind she could really be. Or the fact that her upturned nose was due to her disgust.

“It’s been a thousand years,” she mused. “And yet I can still smell the stink of superiority.”

Twilight winced. “Some things… take a long time to wash out,” she admitted.

“Too long,” Star grumbled.

“Hey, come on, it’s not that bad,” Pinkie insisted. “We can give you a tour.”

“Or rather, Twilight could give us a tour,” Rarity noted. “You were raised here, were you not, darling?”

Twilight’s eyes shined brightly. “Yes, actually. I know just the place.”

She led the group through the marble streets. The unicorns mostly stayed out of Shiva’s way; recognizing the aura of a pony that was there strictly for business. Yet Shiva’s regalness faltered when Twilight brought them to the Canterlot Museum.

And to a section dedicated to the Wolves of Equestria.

Within, Shiva, Star and Kodo found displays of various items ranging from sentimental gifts, tools, weapons, and even a set of intact armor used by her hunters. There was even a to-scale and accurately detailed statue of Shiva with her wings spread in a proud pose, standing tall over a beaten prey.

Under the statue was a plaque like the one back in Ponyville, only in gold rather than brass. It read.

“Shiva.”

“This is the Wolf Alicorn named Shiva, leader of the Wolves of Equestria; their greatest hunter and a powerful mage. Shiva was known for initially being mistaken for an alicorn, similar to Celestia and Luna; however, she never took part in ruling Equestria, rejecting Celestia’s offer to join the alicorn royalty so she could look after her own kind.

According to various records recovered, Shiva was said to be a firm but fair leader who gladly listened to what others had to say and took their opinions into account. It was she that kept the peace between ponies and wolves for the longest time, despite the manipulations of the nobles and the anger of her own wolves.

Sadly, it is unknown what became of her after the Nobles encouraged the Massacre of the Wolves. It was said that she was killed in a battle with Star-Swirl the Bearded, though eye-witnesses also reported the wolves recovering her body and escaping with it into the Everfree, making the confirmation of her death impossible. Many believe she has passed into legend, along with the rest of her kind. Many more firmly believe she survived and is still out there, waiting for the time to return. Whether it will be for peace or for vengeance is unknown.”

Kodo huffed. “Peace or vengeance, huh?” he mused.

Star grinned up at Shiva. “I guess we answered that question, no?”

Shiva simply hummed, before turning back to Twilight. “We need to stay focused,” she decided. “Take me to Celestia.”

Twilight did not disappoint, and before long, the group found themselves before the Solar Princess.

Star resisted the urge to glower, hoping others would just assume it was her being a serious guard. Celestia may have changed - her mane was now a rainbow of colors - but Star could still remember her sitting just as she was now. Blindly agreeing with the flank kissing nobles over what punishments Star should get next for the crime of being alive.

If Shiva sensed Star’s trepidation, she didn’t show it, regarding Celestia with more of a curious air. Celestia, for her part, was more focused on Twilight.

“Twilight, my beloved student,” she said warmly, before glancing at Shiva and her guards. “Who are these fine mares?”

Kodo grimaced, crossing his hind legs as Twilight chuckled.

“They… have something important to share with you,” she admitted, turning back to Celestia. “May we move somewhere more private?”

Celestia tilted her head at Twilight’s odd request, but nodded all the same. The group walked to her personal tea room. Once seated, Celestia turned to Shiva with a warm smile.

“So, my little pony,” she asked. “Who would you be? I’m glad to see Twilight is reaching out to others already.”

Shiva returned Celestia’s smile, placing her ‘hoof’ on the necklace projecting her disguise. “Well, I’m not sure if you remember me, but…” she took the necklace off, her form shifting back into her wolf form. “I remembered you, Celestia.”

Celestia’s jaw fell open. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. Star resisted the urge to burst into laughter.

“Kodo, please tell me you have a camera,” she whispered.

“Don’t need one,” he whispered back through his own snickers. “I know that spell for recording sight. And this sight is going to be my new wallpaper.”

Luckily, everyone else was too busy struggling not to laugh to hear him. Celestia recovered quickly however, letting out a sigh of relief.

“So, my instincts were right,” Celestia said, standing and striding to Shiva with happiness in her eyes. “After all these years, you did still live.”

Shiva tilted her head. “You knew I was alive?”

Celestia hummed. “Not… directly. But I’ve always had a sort of sense related to other alicorns. It’s hard to explain, but even though we only met briefly, I always knew you were one.” She grinned. “Besides, from what I’ve heard about you, you were always crafty.”

Shiva chuckled. “I had to be. It’s a dangerous world out there.”

Celestia nodded, chancing a glance at Star before sighing. “Shiva… I know it’s a thousand years late, but… I’m truly sorry for what my ponies did to your wolves.” Her face hardened. “Once I found out what they had done, I stripped them of all their titles and power. Lord Ego - the one behind it all - died rotting in the deepest, darkest dungeon in Canterlot.”

Shiva’s gaze hardened as well. “I hope you’ll forgive me not feeling pity for him or those who followed him.”

“I don’t expect you to,” Celestia assured her. “If I had known beforehand, I would have stepped in. But after Luna…”

Star’s glower deepened. Shiva noticed her shaking with suppressed emotion. “Where is Luna, by the way?” the wolf alicorn asked. “I believe I have someone she’d be interested in meeting.”

Celestia chanced another look at Star, and her expression brightened. “She would be delighted to see her.” She took a moment to hug Twilight. “Thank you, Twilight,” she whispered in her student’s ears. “A thousand thank yous… you truly are my best student.”

Twilight nearly went catatonic in glee, as Celestia led Shiva - who quickly re-disguised herself - and her ‘guards’ to Luna’s tower, the Mane Six staying behind to tend to the giggling Twilight.

They found Luna still staring wistfully out of the tower, dark bags under her eyes.

“Luna,” Celestia said, breathless with glee. “There is somepony who wants to meet you.”

Luna gave a tired look to Shiva’s unicorn form, but Shiva just shook her head.

“Not me, your grace,” she replied, before Star paused.

“‘The ace-the ace!” Star recited from one of her stories.

Luna’s eyes widened. She got to her hooves and crept towards the ‘guard.’ “Star?”

Unable to stand the suspense, Star ripped off her helmet. Her wings - which had been squirming and writhing under her armor - ripped the breastplate apart, flaring to life. And Luna gasped as Star Wing stood before her, falling to her flank in shock.

“S-Star?” Luna whispered. “M-My little Wing?”

Star surged forward. “Did she hurt you?” Star asked, looking around at Luna’s surroundings; her royal room; her lack of bruises or injuries. “O-Okay, maybe that was a dumb question, but…” Star blinked up at her mom, and Luna blinked down at her daughter.

A mere second passed, before the two fell into each other’s forelegs,

“It’s you!” Luna sobbed in relief. “My sweet little star child…!”

“You’re okay!” Star whispered through her tears. “I was so scared they were being mean to you again.”

Luna hushed her, stroking her mane. Yet, Star’s words caused Celestia to flinch. She turned back to Shiva, who was watching the whole thing with a heartfelt smile. Even Kodo was grinning despite himself.

“Um… so, Alpha Shiva,” Celestia said. “I-I have something that you might want to see…”

However, Shiva turned to Celestia with a knowing look. “Celestia,” she said gently. “Star has told me a lot about you. And not a lot of what she had to say was good.” She nodded at Star. “She has a lot of unresolved issues with you, and I really don’t think it’s a good idea to let them fester anymore.”

Celestia grimaced. She knew Shiva was right, but at the same time, it felt wrong to break up such a touching reunion.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Luna looked up to them with eyes filled with more joy than Celestia ever remembered seeing.

“W-Where did…?” she paused, seeing Celestia’s expression. The memories of her time with Star came back, and Luna reluctantly looked down at her daughter. Star hadn’t even acknowledged Celestia’s presence, apparently trying to burrow her way into Luna’s fur.

A mutual understanding passed between the two sisters, and Celestia reluctantly stepped forward.

“Star Wing?”

Star tensed, keeping her back to Celestia. She chuckled, wiping away her tears.

“It’s so good to see you again, Mom,” she said. “I-I bet you’re wondering where I’ve been, yeah?”

“Indeed,” Luna agreed. “But first…” she looked up at Celestia. “I believe my sister has something she wants to say.”

Star grimaced. “Her or the nobles? Because you know how great of a ventriloquist Auntie Celestia was. She’d be speaking, but all we’d hear were the nobles.”

Star laughed - a bit too loudly. Celestia winced, while Shiva just sighed.

“Star,” Shiva prompted. “Please… just go ahead.”

Star turned to Shiva, her laughter high pitched and almost insane. "Go ahead and what?" she demanded, finally glaring at Celestia. "It's not like I can go back to being three years old, you know?! I-It's not like when Mom found me in the dungeons for - oh, what was it for, Auntie, 'not bowing the right way to Lord-Ego-Creep-tic-or-whoever-he-was?' It's not like whenever I asked, 'What did I do to make Auntie Celestia so mad at me?' you can just... walk in and be like, 'oh, it was for these reasons!'" She'd pause. "Oh, wait, you did do that! Except all the reasons were completely unfair!" Her voice grew angry as she pulled one of her wings. "’Crying too loudly?’ 'Having leather wings?' Well, forgive me, your most high and mighty grace, I'm very sorry no one gave me a customization option at birth! I’m most certainly regretful I didn’t know it was a crime to cry when I was only five months old!"

Celestia started to tear up. "I... made mistakes..." she said. "Star Wing, please know, I deeply regret everything..."

"No," Star Wing growled. "I don't need that, okay? I never needed you. I didn't need you to teach me how to be a hero for the people; I learned!" She turned to Shiva. "And I did good, didn't I? I mean, I don't want to brag, but I was okay, right?"

Shiva nodded. "You were perfect," she'd say. But Star was on a roll; whirling back on Celestia, who backed up.

"And I became a hero," she'd rant, bearing right after Celestia until she had her cornered against the wall. "For the right ponies; the wolves. The ones who loved me without me needing to save them. The ones who showed me how to be the best mare I could be. They showed me how to fly; they showed me how to fight. I had a THOUSAND spectacular birthdays without you; I didn't even need you to send me a dang card! Okay? WHO NEEDS YOU?!"
Celestia looked away, tears streaming down her face. Luna tried to rest a hoof on Star's shoulder, who was breathing shakily, staring at Celestia in a bit of horrified shock.

Oh-gosh-oh-gosh-I just yelled at Princess Celestia! Was running through Star’s mind in a panicked chant. She's gonna kick my tail and... wait, why is she backing down? Is she for real? Did I just botch a possible bad guy turning good scenario?! With these conflicted thoughts, all the fight drained out of the young alicorn. Her own eyes teared up.

"Curse it," Star grumbled, wiping at her tears. But then, with a voice like she was only three again, she whispered, "What did we do to you?"

Celestia broke down, and embraced Star. Luna embraced her, Shiva embraced her - even Kodo embraced her. And all five alicorns, for that moment, just held each other, and let their emotions out.

When everyone had calmed down, Celestia sighed.

"I have made many mistakes," she admitted. "More than any creature on this planet. But one of the biggest..." she gave Star a sincere look of regret. "Was the way I treated you and your mother."

Star contemplated her words.

"You don't have to forgive me," Celestia admitted. "I know I can't ask you to forget. But just know that I am very different from the mare I was back then. And I will do everything I can to prove that... if you'll let me."

To prove it, Celestia let her horn glow, and summoned something very familiar to Shiva: a large plushy around the size of a large pup of a wolf alicorn. It was the very same one Shiva’s parents had given her as a pup; it was all she had left of them.

Shiva gasped in shock and delight, taking the plushy and holding it close.

“Prince… Celestia…” she stammered. “I… thank you.”

Star watched as Shiva held her old plushy, and took a slow breath, turning to her mother. Luna looked just as equally worn out, but accepted a hug from her daughter all the same.

"For Mom's sake," Star would say. "For my Alpha’s sake… I'll try." She'd crack a smile. "But it's gonna take way more than a montage to do it." She'd grin at Shiva. "Seriously, you remember when I thought I'd be able to become super buff with just a training montage."

Shiva smiled and chuckled, while Luna looked on in confusion. “What montage?” Luna asked. “What did she do?”

Shiva struggled to hold back her laughter. "She did five push ups, then immediately ran away to try and do something else."

Luna cocked an eyebrow. "Which was...?"

Shiva grinned at Star Wing, who blushed. "Scare away some prey as part of a comical mishap," she'd admit. "Wasn't as funny when Alpha Shiva had me hunt down the prey myself." She shook her head. "Took me a whole week, and that was certainly not covered in a montage."

Luna would laugh. "Oh, Star..." she'd coo. As the group chuckled and laughed, Luna gazed to Shiva with gratitude in her eyes.

“Alpha… Shiva. Thank you for looking after my little star.” She looked down. “When I was banished to the moon… the most painful part was knowing I had left my daughter alone in a place where she was hated.”

Celestia winced as well. “When she came back, she said that she thought she had seen you,” Celestia admitted. “But I wasn’t sure if either of you would still be alive. After Star vanished… that night… I searched everywhere and never found a trace.”

Luna gazed at Shiva in confusion. “How did you find her?”

Shiva smiled. “A few days after we got chased into the Ever-Free, my daughter found her and got me. Star was keeping herself together as best she could, but we could all tell she was at her limit. I couldn’t just leave a foal out on her their own. And after I nuzzled her… and she started crying…”

Star blushed. “Well… to be fair, Alpha Shiva was the first… no, second… third? Okay, she was one of the few creatures who showed me any love. And after what happened… I just… really needed it.”

Luna smiled. “I’ll bet.” She turned to Shiva again. “I’m very grateful to you, Shiva. To know that my filly was safe after so long… it’s a feeling I can’t put into words. All I can say is thank you. Thank you very much.”

Shiva nodded, and hugged the alicorn. And for a while, the five sat there, willing to just stay in that embrace forever.

Chapter 17: Family

Celestia and Luna walked towards the Canterlot Palace with Shiva and Star in tow; the latter two under disguise.

Star skipped with both excitement and nervousness. "Oh, I can’t believe we’re going to meet the rest of the royal family. Oh-oh, can I call Cadence…” she took on a stereotypical hick drawl, “'Cousin Cadence?'"

"Goodness, Star," Shiva chastised. "Think of poor Applejack; you besmirch her name."

"I mean it as a compliment," Star simpered. "The accent's just too good." She'd pause. "By the way, is Cadence...?" She glanced at Celestia.

Celestia chuckled. "No. She's more... adopted, if that makes sense."

Star pondered her words. "So then, can I call Twilight, 'Cousin Twilight?'" She used the same accent again.

"That's twice I warned you," Shiva noted, though she was struggling not to laugh. Same for Luna.

The group entered the room where Celestia held private meetings, where Cadence and her fiance Shining Armor awaited them.

"Hello everypony," Celestia greeted them, "I called you here because there is somepony I want you to meet. Two actually.."

At her signal Shiva strode in with a lot of dignity and poise. She grinned at Cadence's shocked expression.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Shiva mused.

"Shiva? The Wolf Alicorn?" Cadence stammered. "I thought you were..."

"Gone?" Shiva asked.

Shining could only nod. "Well… Yeah."

Shiva grimaced bitterly. "Some tried," she admitted. "The nobles of Canterlot." She grinned. "And yet here I stand, while the dust from their disgraced bones has been scattered to the wind." She gave a bow. "Not to worry though; as far as I'm concerned, their sins have been paid for. Now I seek a future of cooperation. Where such tragedies will not be repeated." She offered a paw. "Can we have that?"

Cadence smiled softly and shook her paw. "Of course," she'd promise.

Luna speaks. "The other we want to introduce you to..."

"Guess who?" Star said, appearing behind Cadence and Shining and covering their eyes. They jumped with yelps, only to find Star Wing struggling not to fall over laughing. Luna struggled not to either roll her eyes or laugh herself as she finished:

"My beloved daughter; my little Star Wing."

Getting control of herself, Star gave a salute to the others. "How we all doing tonight?" she asked, gazing at their stunned faces. She hummed, like she's taking a test. "Taking a shot in the dark here, but I'm guessing, we're all a little shocked."

Shining chuckled. “A bit,” he admitted.

“Star,” Cadence whispered, embracing her cousin. “I had always heard about you. But I never got to… it’s so very good to finally meet you.”

“And you as well,” Star said with a grin.

Before Cadence or Shining could say more, a door burst open, and another stallion raced in. The mares turned, regarding the newcomer as his eyes alighted on Shiva.

“I knew it!” he hissed with a grin, before quickly composing himself and clearing his throat. “Um… forgive me, dear Aunts and cousins… and soon to be cousins,” he added with a nod to Shining. “But I had heard the rumors of a surviving Wolf of Equestria.”

Celestia, Luna and Cadence exchanged worried looks, but Shiva strode forward with a quiet, if slightly suspicious grin.

“You’ll find those rumors to be true, sir…?” Shiva tilted her head, prompting the stallion to clear his throat.

“‘Prince’ Blueblood,” he corrected firmly, before quickly covering with a smile. “And you are Alpha Shiva, yes?”

Shiva nodded.

“Ah, excellent,” Blueblood bowed. “You’re as beautiful as the stories depicted.” He didn’t rise from his bow. “Alpha Shiva, on behalf of all nobles in this castle, I beg your forgiveness. We are nothing like our ancestors, and we would be glad to see this travesty put behind us.” He glanced up, allowing Shiva to catch the crafty look in his eye. “Yes, I’m quite sure we can make a very nice alliance out of…”

“Please,” Shiva said, halting his talk. “Don’t try to beguile me with your silver tongue.” She grinned in supposed playfulness. “I know it’s a difficult distinction, but wolves are not werewolves. Silver doesn’t work on us.”

Blueblood cleared his throat again, wiping away some sweat on his brow. “O-Of course.”

“Shiva…” Celestia asked nervously, but the wolf just winked at her counterpart, before walking up to Blueblood.

“It came to my attention,” Shiva added as she circled Blueblood. “That many nobles have some items that used to belong to me and my people.” She gave Blueblood a winning smile. “Surely, they wouldn’t need too much convincing to return them to their proper owners?”

“Oh, but of course,” Blueblood replied. “It would be my utmost honor…”

“You can be blunt, sire, I can take it,” Shiva replied. “Just say you’ll help me.”

Blueblood blinked. “I’ll… help you.”

“There you go. Was that so hard?”

“A bit.”

Shiva held back a laugh, as Blueblood looked away, noticing Star Wing. He gasped. “It can’t be…”

Luna followed his gaze. “Indeed it is,” she replied. “Prince Blueblood, this…” she motioned for Star to join them.

But Star Wing didn’t seem to notice them at first; she was much more focused on conversing with Cadence.

“So, Cadence,” she was asking, glancing between her and Shining. “I’m getting some very interesting vibes from you two. Are you…?”

“Betrothed,” Cadence replied, though she noticed Blueblood striding over. Star didn’t follow her gaze.

“Oh, congratulations!” she cheered, hugging her cousin and then hugging Shining. “I always get a sense for these things. Had to, considering…”

“Star Wing,” Luna said firmly, but Star didn’t even look their way. Luna grimaced before glancing at Blueblood. “Er… ‘that’ is my long lost daughter. Star Wing.”

Tilting his head at Star’s apparently deafness, Blueblood crept over.

“But the legends said she had been lost forever…” he paused, looking over at Shiva, who sat on her haunches and grinned like the whole thing was a game. Blueblood gasped. “But of course! She was mentioned to be lost in your territory, was she not, Alpha Shiva? If you survived, surely she would as well.” He laughed a practiced laugh, walking over to Star.

Star still tried to ignore him, only for Cadence to back up, pointing firmly at Blueblood. Star took a breath, still keeping her back to the prince.

“Well,” Blueblood noted. “It seems your time with the wolves has… made you rusty to proper etiquette. I’m sure being back among your own will fix that up; I myself would be honored to show you how Canterlot has changed these past few…”

“I’m not marrying you,” Star replied.

Blueblood blinked. “E-Excuse me?”

Star glanced over at Luna. “Isn’t that what he was asking?” she asked. “To marry me?” She glared at Blueblood; her grin more like a wolf baring teeth. “Sorry, but Shiva never saw the need to teach me the language of snakes.”

Blueblood gaped in indignant shock, before Star flared her wings and vanished with a teleportation spell. Celestia covered her face with a groan.

“Apologies, nephew,” Celestia said. “Star Wing has had really bad experiences with nobles, after what happened so long ago.”

Blueblood stammered. “But I’m not one of those foul nobles!” he protested. “I’m a polite gentle-stallion! I’m the epitome of politeness and grace! I’m…”

Whatever else he was, it went up in smoke, as Shiva and Luna teleported after Star.

Shiva and Luna found Star on the edge of a rooftop, staring up at the stars.

Luna sighed. “Star,” she said. “You shouldn’t have acted that way to Blueblood.”

Star chuckled. “Well, that’s a first,” she noted. “I expected Celestia to defend him. But you?” She peered down at Luna, her eyes sparking with bitterness. “After what they did to all three of us?”

Shiva raised an eyebrow. “What happened to ‘being a hero?’ What happened to ‘ponies can be different?’”

“They aren’t…” Star almost snapped, before gripping her snout. Struggling, she looked back up at the sky with a sigh. “The nobles were the worst thing that happened to me,” she admitted softly. “They made Celestia do all those horrible things to me and Mom. They took…”

She paused. And in her pause, Shiva found her opportunity, climbing up after her and settling with her against the roof.

“Yes,” Shiva admitted. “They took many things from us. Your childhood, my people, my home…”

Star winced, looking away in guilt as Luna settled next to her.

“But Blueblood has taken nothing from us,” Shiva pointed out. “The nobles that are alive today? Have done nothing to us.” Shiva grinned. “Now should you call them out for trying to charm us to earn political favors? Absolutely. But don’t throw the sins of their ancestors at their hooves. They don’t belong there.”

Star looked down in thought. She nodded softly. She looked at Luna.

“I’m still not marrying him,” she said.

Luna and Shiva’s laughter bounced off the roof, bringing Star’s smile back.

“Of course, my beloved daughter,” Luna replied.

Shiva, however, put her paws behind her head. “You say that now,” she said. “But if he manages to charm you, and I find you two in bed together…”

Star rolled her eyes. “You’ll be free to throw this back in my face all you want,” she replied.

The three girls laughed, their joy echoing off the castle walls. As they sat there, Shiva looked down in thought.

“Luna,” she asked. “I understand if it’s painful for you, but… who was Star’s father? He was clearly someone special if the stories I heard were true.”

Luna smiled wistfully, gazing up at her stars.

“He was amazing. Bigger than life, honestly,” she replied. “It’s funny; he was supposed to be my bodyguard; to protect me. But I was young back then; headstrong. I wanted to fight my own battles. Every other bodyguard would have to restrain me and take me to safety. But Star Hunter…” she grinned. “He gave me a spear and let me fight side by side with him.” She laughed. “He drove Celestia insane. She wanted to redirect him to the front line soldiers. But I managed to overrule her. I loved how Star Hunter made me feel. And eventually, I realized that I loved him.” Luna paused, a tear tracing down her face. “I miss him.”

Shiva and Star exchanged a glance, before they nuzzled closer to Luna. Shiva rested her head against Luna’s shoulder.

“When I first met my husband,” she admitted. “I wasn’t looking for love at first. Luke wormed his way into my heart; he was kind and dutiful and loyal.” She grinned. “And yet, I only got the privilege of knowing him because he was an excellent lay.”

Luna gasped. “Shiva, my daughter…”

“I ain’t the virgin you remember, Mom,” Star teased. “I know all about the birds and the bees and the cigarette trees.”

Luna scoffed, but relaxed as they settled back down.

“And what of your ‘conquests,’ Star?” Luna asked. “Who was it that taught you about the… ‘birds and the bees.’”

Star smiled. “Technically, that was Shiva,” she noted. “But the ones that I actually got with were Darius and Sparks.”

Luna tilted her head. “Two?”

“We had strict breeding regulations,” Shiva explained. “Darius was one of the few fertile males left after…” she cleared her throat. “Anyway, we talked about him and Star possibly producing hybrids, but Star wasn’t comfortable with the idea of kids yet. So, we paired Darius up with another female wolf named Sparks. And Star took to both of them.”

Luna blinked at Star in intrigue. “Male and female?” she mused. “Interesting…”

Star grinned up at Luna. “You can’t tell me in all your years of life you weren’t curious about being with another girl, were you?”

“I’ve had many lovers, my rambunctious daughter,” Luna replied. “I’ve just never considered having two at once.”

Star smiled. “You should. They were awesome.”

Shiva nodded. “They made quite the inseparable trio. Star was the brawn; always bulldozing her way through conflicts. Sparks was the brains; always thinking up better ways. And Darius kept them balanced, telling them what and how and when.”

Luna smiled. “They sound like worthy lovers.” Her brow creased. “Would it be possible for me to meet them?”

Star didn’t reply. Neither did Shiva. But in their silence, Luna understood, and lowered her head in sadness.

“I see,” she whispered.

Shiva hugged the night princess. “We can’t dwell on the fact that those we loved can no longer be with us. We must take joy from the time we had, and treasure the memories.”

Star smiled. “Like Dad reading me stories before bed,” she mused.

Luna shut her eyes. “Fighting side by side with me as we took on the world’s problems.”

Shiva breathed. “Luke guarding me against the dangers hiding in shadow.” She withdrew a small necklace with a lock of fur. Noticing the movement, Star pulled her own chain of fur locks and trinkets.

“And even if it doesn’t feel like our loved ones are here right now,” Star noted, stroking the fur locks. “They still are. Even when we can’t see them.”

Luna sighed in contentment, holding Shiva and Star close as they watched the moon and stars shine.

Chapter 18: A Noble Lesson

Celestia gathered the Nobles in the throne room to tell them of the return of the Wolves of Equestria and of Star Wing. She sat on her throne with Luna next to her.

"My noble mares and gentle stallions," Celestia declared. "Many centuries ago, a horrendous crime was committed. The Wolves of Equestria were conspired against, and believed to be all but destroyed."

The nobles winced and grumbled about such a topic being brought up.

"I am here to tell you," Celestia continued. "That today, a discovery has been made. The Wolves of Equestria still live."

The nobles gasped. "What proof is there?" one asked.

Celestia would smile. "I'm glad you asked," she replied, before turning to behind her and nodding.

Slowly, with all the grace of a wolf, Shiva strode out, her wings fluffing open as the nobles gaped in shock.

"The Alpha of the Wolves of Equestria," Celestia declared. "Shiva, has returned!"

Shiva grinned down at the nobles, several of whom started to shiver in worry. Some even grinned sheepishly up at her. Blueblood was preening himself, having already made his acquaintance.

Shiva would observe them for a quiet moment, before taking a breath.

"My little ponies," she'd begin. "I'm sure this is a rather shocking turn of events for you. Your worst moment in history... brought back from the grave." Her head would lower. "My kind suffered at the hooves of your ancestors." She lifted her head, and recited the names of every wolf she had lost to their attack. "Each of them suffered and died. And why? Because your ancestors were scared of us? Because they didn't think we could be trusted?'"

The nobles swallowed and shivered. Celestia grew nervous. But Shiva just sighed again.

"But those are questions that they cannot answer anymore," she'd say, before giving them a softer look. "Your ancestors are gone. By now, the dust from their bones has been scattered to the wind. You are their legacy. Their chance to right the wrongs committed." She paced. "You know, several of my wolves spoke of vengeance. They spoke of retribution. All of which I'm thankful to say have remained just words." She'd fix them all with a firm glare. "Because it is my hope that you will help me ensure that those thoughts remain nothing more than words. Because I believe that you are different. I believe that there is hope for you. I believe that together, we can forge a better world. One ruled by cooperation, if not love." She'd give a bow. "To an era of peace."

"An era of peace!" The nobles gave a standing ovation as she took a seat next to Celestia. Luna rose next.

"Alpha Shiva is not the only alicorn who has returned from the grave," she added. "For in her quest to survive, she came across one who needed her most." Luna lifted a wing to the air. "My daughter... my beloved Star Wing."

The crowd gasped again, but Star Wing didn’t descend from above like before. Instead, she appeared from behind again, tapping a still preening Blueblood on the shoulder.

"Boo," she hissed.

Blueblood jumped with a yelp, causing the other nobles to jump as they spotted Star as well. And both Luna and Shiva winced at the fire in Star's eyes. Even her grin seemed almost like a wolf baring teeth. For a moment, Star just observed the shocked nobles.

"Interesting," she mused, walking through their midst. "You guys get... plastic surgery or something? Your faces are different, but I recognize a lot from you guys." She sniffed. "The perfume." She glanced at their attire. "The clothes." She glanced at Blueblood. "The haughty, 'holier-than-thou' attitude." She came to a stop at Celestia's throne. "Yeah. You guys are nobles alright."

Celestia cleared her throat, but Star lifted a hoof, glancing at the alicorns with a look that pleaded for trust. Though when she looked back at the nobles, her glare returned.

"Now Alpha Shiva had her questions, and so do I," Star admitted. "And while the nobles I wanted to ask them to are 'probably' gone, I'm hoping you guys can help a sister out."

The nobles shrugged; no one dared protest as Star continued.

"It's scary, isn't it? When ponies are different from you? When they... eat meat instead of veggies? Or when they prefer night to day?" She shivered herself. "Absolutely terrifying! You should have every right to protect yourselves. Except... what happens when the thing you're so afraid of... doesn't attack you? When it tries to start a conversation; maybe try a smile? Some jokes? Sure, it could be a trick, but what if it isn't? What if - just maybe - there's an actual character under all the scary things." She chuckled. "I know I found it." She indicated Shiva. "Alpha Shiva and her wolves were recovering from a brutal attack. Wargs couldn't use magic, most of the pups were orphans, and heck, almost all the stallions had gotten kicked in the balls so hard that most of them could never breed again!"

The nobles cringed at her dialogue. Even Shiva grimaced. “That's not how it worked…” she started to protest.

"The point is," Star continued over her, "They didn't need to take me in; they shouldn't have even cared about me. But they did. And now, centuries later, the ponies of Ponyville - probably not up to the standards here, I'm guessing - have welcomed both the wolves and me with open hooves." She tapped her head. "So here's my question: if the so-called 'scary wolves' and a bunch of 'commoners' could still show basic decency and kindness, why is it that the richest and most well-off unicorns of Canterlot couldn't be bothered?" She lifted a hoof before anyone could speak. "No-no, don't speak. I don't know if you can tell, but I'm still a little ticked about it." She pulled out a clock. "Literally," she added with a grin.

When no one laughed, she shrugged and put the clock away.

"But I'm really hoping that Alpha Shiva's right," Star concluded. "And that the next time we talk, I'll get to hear more than just 'keep walking, you disgusting Moon Spawn.' It was funny the first few times, but I can tell you with experience; a joke that gets used too often can get mighty stale."

And with that, she did a small courtesy bow and placed herself next to Luna.

Soon after, Star and Shiva were talking with Luna when Celestia entered with one of the Nobles. Fancy Pants.

"Miss Shiva, words cannot even begin to express how relieved I am to see you alive and well," Fancy Pants said. "My ancestor was part of that attack and taught his foals afterward the lessons he had learned: to never let fear control us, and should we ever get the chance: return what rightly belongs to you and your ponies."
He then gave her a cloak that had been made from her father's fur - one of the ways Shiva was able to remember him after he died. The fur was in pristine condition and had been very clearly cared for.

Shiva bowed, hiding her tears of relief as she took the pelt.

"Thank you, Fancy Pants," she said. "Mere words cannot give voice to my gratitude, so... If there is anything we can offer in turn, I will do my best to see it fulfilled."

Fancy Pants bowed his head.

"I'm just happy that the nightmare my family feared for generations never came to pass. Since that horrible day my family had always feared the wolves would come back to pay the ponies back. That cloak is one of several artifacts that my family has looked after all these years. I don't know why you would choose to have your father's fur made into a cloak, but I understand it was perhaps a way to keep him close. Truth be told, my family has always wondered about the culture your Wolves have besides hunting. How about in exchange for returning the artifacts, you and you Wolves teach my family and I about your culture? I do fully intend to return the artifacts regards so no worries on that front."

Shiva's eyes would shine. "I'd love that," she'd say.

And so, Shiva told Fancy Pants, and any pony who was interested, how the wolf culture worked.
She talked about how when the wolves catch prey, they have a special ceremony and blessing they do, sort of like grace before dinner, where they thank the prey they caught for helping them stay alive, and take a token - usually a lock of the prey's fur or hair - to remind themselves that the prey existed and gave them the meat they needed to survive; essentially, they remember that whatever they caught was alive and deserve to be honored and even mourned.

Shiva sighed. "Some wolves took the tokens to also signify a sign of glory, and they braided them into their manes. I feel like I should have put a stop to that..." she'd smile. "But my best hunters just looked way too cool with their dreadlocked manes. The more dreadlocks they had, the more prey they had hunted. And, in their mind, that was a sign at how effective they were at hunting." She'd shrug. "I guess whatever works for them."

She additionally explained that, when wolves die, they have a burial custom where their bodies are recycled; as they helped their families in life, so they can help them in death. Fur is preserved to be used as extra clothing or warmth, bones are fashioned into weapons, armor or furniture, depending on what the recently deceased wanted, and organs are carefully preserved the same way as organ donors. Anything they can't use, they bury, so that the remains can fertilize the ground and help the spread of trees and plants.

She talked about mating rituals, and how wolves don't exactly have a marriage system; if two wolves like each other, they usually prove that they can be an effective partner by giving a gift of supplies or valuables, and then start living together and eventually raising pups. If a hopeful romantic wolf gives a gift to his possible lover, he or she is expected to give a gift back as a way of reciprocating affection. If one partner doesn't want to be with the other, they usually give the gift back, which can be heart-breaking, but honest. A wolf who takes the gift but never gives back is looked down upon and seen as selfish, being straight up told that she/he either gives the gift back to show rejection, or finds a gift to give to show reciprocation. However, the first wolf also has the right to judge the returning gift if it's not as valuable as what he gave: if the first wolf gifts his possible mate something like a den to live in, and she reciprocates with a stick, that's not a very good reciprocation gift. On the other hand, if the first wolf gifts his mate with a spear to protect herself, and she gifts him with the pelt and meat of prey she caught with said spear, that also works. The gifting overall is to show what both members are willing to do for each other.

"They're not just lovers," Shiva would say. "They're partners. They have to be able to rely on each other. Just like we do."

From there, she talked about their government, and how it was essentially a big family; as Alpha, Shiva's technically the mother of the pack, and her advisors are her betas, or elder children. They settle things in a very informal manner; more in the style of a family talking over dinner rather than a parliament. And while the betas can give their opinions, the Alpha usually has the final word and decision on things.

And she gave the overall culture of pack contribution; that while individuality was important, it was also expected that everyone gave to the pack. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few even before the attack on the wolves, and if some wolf couldn't work or do something to contribute, they were often looked down upon. Luckily, Shiva found ways to work around the bias; puppies, of course, were still learning, and thus were expected to be students, to the point that even their games were more practice for what they'd be doing later in life, from play hunts to strategy games to even methods that turned regular chores into fun pastimes. The elderly, due to being past their prime, were given roles as teachers, advisors or strategists; jobs that didn't require physical labor. And wolves that had been injured or crippled would either be given accommodations or find a way to contribute in ways that worked around their injuries, like using special harnesses that served as crutches or wheelchairs to lug around supplies, firewood and the works.

It wasn't a perfect system, but Shiva utilized her status as Alpha to make sure that everyone was contributing in a way that they liked, and that no one tried to take advantage of the system. She made sure that if a wolf was injured, that they were actually injured and not faking it. And while she was compromising, she was also stern when wolves tried to put one over on her or suck up to her.

Above all, disloyalty and dishonesty were never tolerated; a wolf of the pack remained loyal, told the truth, and did what was asked of them, or they were ostracized and overall treated with disdain. If they were really bad wolves who abandoned their packmates, lied or otherwise compromised the pack, they were often subjected to the Hunt; where they would be hunted down in place of their prey. Depending on the severity of their crime, the wolves would either just rough up the offending party, or outright kill him or her. And if a wolf has been so bad that the Hunt went for a kill, they would not be given the proper burial rituals for either prey or wolf.

Here, Shiva might grow sad. "I never liked doing that," she'd admit. "Not unless I had literally no other choice. But I promise you... we didn't inflict the Hunt onto just any wolf. Those who received that sort of punishment got exactly what they earned." She'd chuckle. "And that's the way of the Pack; everything you get, you earn."

She might then pause, noting the crowd she's gathered. "I wonder if I should teach a class about this," she'd muse.

Celestia smiled. "I think that would be a wonderful idea, Alpha Shiva."

Chapter 19: Welcome Back

The day had finally arrived; after a thousand years it was time for the Wolves of Equestria to enter the light again, and for Equestria to know of both their return and their new Princess.

Shiva sighed as she paced back and forth, re-reading her script. She glanced in a mirror with a grin; Rarity had done a marvelous job sprucing up her father's cloak and deer-hide armor to look like Celestia's royal attire. Star Wing bounced next to her, wearing a set of Luna's attire fitted to match her.

"Pinkie came up with a great word for today," Star noted to Shiva. "Nervicited."

Shiva chuckled. "Nervicited?"

"That feeling when you want to jump up and down and go 'Hooray! Yay for Me!' Yet at the same time, you want to curl into a ball and hide from the entire world." Star hopped again. "Do I seem kinda nervicited right now, because I'm certainly feeling like I'm nervicited."

Shiva smiled and patted her surrogate daughter's head. "Just stay calm. Every pony out there is just a new friend to make. This is a new era, where cooperation will guide us through."

Star was still a bit jumpy, but nodded. "Absolutely," she agreed.

From the exit to the stage, they heard Celestia begin.

"Thank you all for arriving," Celestia declared. "A thousand years ago, a tragedy befell this nation. An entire subset of ponies - the Wolves of Equestria - were believed to be slain by the machinations of those who let fear blind them to the pain and suffering they inflicted on their fellow ponies. It was a dark time for Equestria; a mistake that I have strove to see we never make again."

As the crowd murmured in agreement, Shiva took another breath, and grinned at Star.

"Showtime," Star said, before darting off. "I'll see you on stage."

"But now, Faust has smiled down on us," Celestia continued, as Shiva prepared to enter. "And given us a second chance. For mere days ago, I have discovered that the Wolves of Equestria still live. And their Alpha, has some words to share. Mares and Gentle-colts, it is my honor to present to you Alpha Shiva of the Wolves of Equestria."

Shiva brushed aside the curtain as Celestia spoke, and walked out to an uproar of shock and awe. Patiently, Shiva waited for them to quiet down before she began.

"Thank you," Shiva said. "Thank you, Celestia, for that outstanding opening. I must say, if the royal life ever bores you, I think you will do marvelously in the theater."

Celestia chortled at the idea, along with several members of the crowd.

"Ah, but I'm sure your people need you more," Shiva continued. "Just as my people needed me." Her tone would grow solemn. "Yes, throughout these past thousand years, they needed me, just as I needed them. Our survival wasn't an assured state, I can promise you that. We had our downs, we had our strifes. Not a night goes by where I wasn't plagued by nightmares of who I'd lose next or what disaster could befall my people."

The crowd went silent, hanging on her words.

"But we made it," Shiva continued. "And you know how? By working together." She nodded at the crowd. "That's what we need now. Not another war over the actions of those long past. Not more anger and violence to prove that those who wanted us dead were right to fear us. No, the best way forward is for us to be able to stand shoulder to shoulder, and be able to trust each other, not by how we look, but by how we act. By the strength of our character, rather than the strength of our bones. United, wolves and ponies can accomplish a lot." She grinned. "And I have proof."

The crowd might get confused, but that would make them listen all the more intently.

"Not long after my people fled the slings and arrows of the fearful," Shiva continued. "We came across a young foal. She was alone, lost, trying so hard to appear brave in the face of fear." She'd grin. "It was a lovely image, that I tried to hold onto when she became a lot to deal with."

Any parents in the audience might laugh, knowing that child rearing is no easy task. Shiva would share in their laughter, before her grin became more wistful.

"Anyway," Shiva would continue. "We took her in that night. And she grew to be not just a productive member of the pack, but a strong young mare that I am proud to call my surrogate daughter. And today, not only does she rejoin the family she lost all those years ago, but she lives as proof that wolves and ponies can not just live together, but prosper together." She'd look up. "Isn't that right... Princess Star Wing, Daughter of Princess Luna?"

The crowd would gasp, and then roar in shock and glee as Star Wing appeared in the sky, rocketing down towards them before banking and soaring over the crowd, offering high-hooves as she does so.

"GOOD MOOOOOOORRRRRRRNNNNNNIIING EQUESTRIA!" Star Wing would announce, twirling in the air and landing on the podium, Shiva having already backed up a reasonable distance so Star couldn't land on her. "That's right, you ain't dreaming; it's Princess Star Wing, returned from the dead and back in the house! How y'all doing?"

The audience might cheer, as Star gives several bows, her eyes absolutely sparkling with glee at the warm reception.

"Now, let's be honest," Star would say. "First Princess Celestia, and then Alpha Shiva?" She'd make a mock sad face. "How am I gonna top those two? They've pretty much said the same thing, right? We're gonna work together to make Equestria awesome."

"I like the way you said it!" someone from the crowd might note, resulting in a round of laughter.

"And I thank you," Star would reply, bowing to the audience member. "But there's just gotta be a way to make my version of the speech pop." She'd think for a moment, before gasping in realization. "I got it!" She'd spin to a band she had ready backstage. "Hit it, guys!"

Having already talked to her beforehand, the band launched into action, while Star began dancing.

One more depending on a prayer

And we all look away

Ponies pretending everywhere

It's just another day

Destruction-spells flying through the air

And we still carry on

We watch it happen over there

And then just turn away.

As her chorus hit, Star jumped from the stage and into the crowd, encouraging the others to sing with her.

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

We must stand together

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

There's no giving in

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

A happy ever after

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's when we all win

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's, that's, that's when we all win

As the next verse started, Shiva and Celestia bopped their head to the beat, while Pinkie and several other mares joined Star in her song.

They tell us everything's alright

And we just go along

How do we fall asleep at night

When something's clearly wrong?

When we could beat a cruel, harsh world

With what we throw away

But all we serve are empty words

That always taste the same

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

We must stand together

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

There's no giving in

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

A happy ever after

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's when we all win

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's, that's, that's when we all win

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's, that's, that's when we all win

At this point, Star had most of the crowd hoof in hoof, singing and dancing along.

The right thing to guide us

Is right here inside us

No one can divide us

When the light is nearly gone

But just like a heartbeat

The drumbeat carries on

The drummer went on a solo, while Star went into a breakdance.

And the drumbeat carries on

(Just like a heart beat)

She sprung up. “Everyone!” she cheered. And anyone who wasn’t singing, quickly found themselves caught up in the lyrics.

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

We must stand together

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

There's no giving in

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

A happy ever after!

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's when we all win

Hey, yeah, yeah, hey, yeah

That's, that's, that's when we all win

That's, that's, that's when we all win.

Sometime after the speeches, Shiva and Star soon found themselves being interviewed but thankfully genuinely nice and honest reporters who had set up appointments afterwards.

"Alpha Shiva," One asked, "Many have this question for both you and Princess Star; what was it like for you in the Everfree? The forest is know as a dangerous area and not many have ever gone very deep in, so many are wondering how it as for both of you."

"Oh, trust me," Star replied. "That forest was terrifying. First time I went in, it felt like everything was trying to either eat me or scare me! I mean, you walk five feet and BOO! Scary tree!" She shuddered, before noticing Shiva grinning at her. "But... of course, that wouldn't matter to a 'hero' such as myself."

Shiva chuckled, before drawing the reporter's attention. "Much like the Wolves of Equestria," Shiva explained. "The Ever-Free Forest merely requires wits and caution to interact with. Though the forest is home to many wild and untamed creatures, they all still live in a system with each other. A system that my wolves were very familiar with, and what allowed us to live in harmony with the creatures of the Ever-Free."

"If I may ask," another reporter added. "What was this system?"

"The circle of life, my friend," Shiva replied. "Believe it or not, there are plenty of herbivores that live in the Ever-Free, eating its many plants, with the plants giving them different abilities. And these herbivores are hunted by predators such as my wolves. Without the predators to ensure the herbivores were in balance, they would eat their way through the entire forest, and leave no vegetation to grow. Yet, we cannot wipe out all the herbivores either, as then we would be left with nothing to eat. By rising and falling with the herbivore population, we ensured a successful balance of the ecosystem, and allowed the Ever-Free to flourish."

"But what about alternate predators?" another might ask. "Like cragadiles or manticores or even timber wolves."

"That's simply a matter of territory dispute," Shiva replied. "We set down a specific marker to claim where we live and where we hunt, and we learn not to forage into the territory of other predators. Yes, sometimes desperation drives us into those territories, and other times predators get cocky and trespass on ours. But then, a good show of force will usually bring things back to the way they are." She'd lift her claws. "It's all about balance and respect; take what you need, not what you want, and respect the other beings that dwell there." She'd lean back. "You have both of those in mind, and surviving the Ever-Free's not as difficult as it may seem."

Chapter 20: One of the Herd

*About a month after the reveal*

Shiva sat back at Sugarcube Corner, casually chatting with Mrs. Cake and letting Pound Cake tousle her mane.

"I must say," Shiva mused to Mrs. Cake. "I was worried that chocolate wouldn't mix with my wolves, but..." She watched with barely suppressed laughter as Kodo buried his head in a triple fudge delight.

"Well, I'm certainly glad he likes it," Mrs. Cake noted. "Pinkie and I have been working all hours of the night finding canine-safe sweets for all of you. I can't imagine sugar was easy to come across in the Ever-Free."

"Sadly for those like Star, no," Shiva admitted. "There were a few plants that had honey-like substances, and a few zap apple groves, but those were often the riskiest to hunt for, and ultimately not worth it. I'll certainly be glad that we don't have to fight our way through timber wolves or Neptune Pony Traps to..."

Suddenly, the door burst open, and Celine burst in.

"Alpha!" she called. "We have a situation at Sweet Apple Acres."

Shiva straightened, biting back a curse. "Excuse me, Mrs. Cake," she said, before whistling. “Kodo?”

Kodo was instantly at her side, his eye a bit dilated from the sugar, but narrowed with determination all the same. “I’m ready. What’re we killing?”

“No killing… hopefully,” Shiva murmured. “Celine, lead the way.”

Together, the trio raced out, Celine in the lead.

"What's going on?" Shiva asked as they ran.

“These guys calling themselves the ‘Flim-Flam brothers,” Celine explained. “Apparently, they showed up a couple years back and made some sort of bet with the Apple Family. Now they’re saying that because they technically won the bet, they now own the farm. Twilight's going through a law book now trying to find any loopholes while some of the Wolves are... keeping the two back. I came to get you and Kodo before things could get out of paw."

"Good work," Shiva agreed, as the three arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. As Celine mentioned, Kodo’s mate Red, son Logan and at least five other wolves were glaring down what had to be the Flim-Flam brothers, who were trying to look confident while sweating buckets. Between them was another pony in a lawyer outfit that clearly looked like he did not want to be there. Twilight was rapidly reading a large law book as the Apple family looked on distraught, and the rest of Ponyville watched off to the side looking worried. Star Wing sat in the background, looking like she needed a drink.

Kodo walked next to Twilight as she dropped the book with a groan.

"I can't find anything," she admitted. "Their claim is legit."

"Told you," Flim noted, before Logan growled.

Flam chuckled. "Now... can you please call these dogs off?"

The wolves' snarls increased, and even Shiva gained a miffed look.

"Sorry Flam, they only listen to their Alpha." Mayor Mare said.

"And you're lucky their Alpha's not ordering them to do what we usually do to those who call us dogs," Shiva added, causing the brothers to pale and back further up.

"N-Now hold on a second, Alpha," Flim said. "We have a legit claim to the farm. We won the bet, fair and square."

"And according to the laws of bet-making," Flam added. "We have a binding contract."

"That law was supposed to have been removed," Twilight grumbled. "Celestia and every student she took went through the book with a fine-toothed comb, but we somehow missed that one."

Kodo picked up the book and started reading it, before arching an eyebrow.

"Applejack, where is the Zap Apple grove located?" he asked. "Because I'm guessing that's what these two want right?"

"It's in the Everfree," Applejack replied. "About a ten to fifteen minute walk."

Kodo hummed. “Interesting,” he noted. “Because the Wolves of Equestria have laid claim to the Ever-Free and everything in it.”

The ponies gasped in realization.

"That's right," Mayor Mare exclaimed. "The grove isn't actually part of Sweet Apple Acres; it's part of the Wolves' territory!"

Flim and Flam gaped, turning to Shiva, who was grinning triumphantly. Flim stepped forward. “Well… would you care for a…”

“Don’t even try,” Shiva growled.

Flim backed up. “Okay,” he murmured.

"Seriously, what exactly was your plan here?" Shiva asked. "Seize control of the farm for some petty reason, and then try to sell off the Zap Apples for a profit?"

"Well..." Flam tried to say.

"It was never going to work," Kodo noted. "Even if by some miracle, you did convince us selling or betting with you was a good idea, the zap apple groves also belong to the Timber Wolf territory."

"And while the timber wolves respect us enough to let us pass through unabated," Shiva would add. "They don't know you. You walk in there, you might as well put a steak around your neck."

"But can't we pay you to get them for us?" Flam offered.

"With what?" Beta would reply.

"Well," Flim noted. "We do own the Apple Farm now."

"I'm glad you mentioned that," Star noted, stepping from the shadows and taking the book from Twilight. Flipping to another page, she read, "'In the event that a land owner becomes a known criminal, the Crown has the right to seize the land until another owner can be found.'" She'd grin up at them. "And remind me, everyone, didn't these stallions con you all into buying first faulty cider and then some kind of fake energy tonic?"

"That's right," Granny Smith noted. "Them dern cons nearly convinced me to crack my skull on a high dive!"

"Well, sounds like we got us a criminal record," Star noted. "And since I am also a Princess of Equestria..."

"That ain't fair!" Flim said. "We were only trying to make a bit or two."

"Well, you'll have to do it somewhere else," Star replied. "Because on behalf of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of the Equestrian Diarchy, I, Princess Star Wing, hear-by seize Sweet Apple Acres from you." She then proceeded to snatch at a tree, lifting it up with her alicorn strength. "Consider this symbolism." She set it down - very hard - in front of the lawyer pony, who would lose the last of his resolve and run away.

“You two are on your own,” the lawyer yelped as he ran. “I’m not doing this! I don’t get paid enough!”

Realizing they're beaten, Flim and Flam would reluctantly follow after him. Star would grin before turning to Applejack.

"Applejack, would you and your family be a treat and hang onto Sweet Apple Acres in the meantime?"

Applejack chuckled. "Princess, we'd be honored."

Unfortunately, as Shiva and her pack returned to Ponyville, they encountered… resistance. Several ponies blocked their path back into Ponyville. And judging by their expressions, they weren’t looking to move anytime soon.

Shiva sighed, as Kodo growled softly. “I should’ve known this would happen eventually,” she grumbled. Shrugging and motioning for her pack to be patient, she approached regardless.

"What are you dogs doing here?" one might say. "You should've died centuries ago."

Logan bristled in fury, but Shiva calmed him with a claw on his shoulder.

"Easy," she said. "We always knew these ponies would rear their heads one day."

"What? The ones that actually remember what monsters you are?" one of the bullies snapped. "Go back to the Ever-Free where you belong."

"We got a better idea," another voice might declare. The bullies would turn to find Carrot Top, Derpy, Doctor Whooves, and the other residents of Ponyville ready to gang up on them. "Why don't you lot go back to Tartarus where you belong?"

The bullies backed up, nearly running into Shiva and the wolves before scampering back.

"Y-You can't trust those freaks," one of the bullies might still insist. "You're all making a big mistake. They're just trying to butter you up so they can eat you later."

Shiva stepped forward. "If that's what you think, then go ahead," she dared. "Hit me. Take me down right now."

The bully blinked, glancing back at his friends. Doctor Whooves or the others might come forward.

"Alpha, please..." one of them might say.

But Shiva would wave them off. "The one thing I'll never forgive the nobles for is that they were the most certain of us being bad, yet they hid behind soldiers and guards instead of facing us like proper stallions. I won't let these boys make that mistake." She glared the bully down. "If you really think the nobles were right about me and my people, at least prove yourself better than them, and hit me yourself! Do it!"

The bully glowered, his hoof grinding into the dirt. Then, egged on by her taunts, he pounced.

Shiva dodged out of his way.

He whirled and tried to hit her again, but she easily spun aside.

His friends tried to join in, but Celine, Kodo and even Logan blocked them. And together, the wolves continued their odd dance, toying with the bullies as they punched, kicked and even bit, but managed to hit nothing.

At one point the leader charged Shiva, who grinned and didn’t move. But right before his hoof could find her face, she teleported, and his hoof instead found the face of his friend, just as his friend’s hoof found his face.

“Dumbbell, you idiot!” the leader hissed, clutching a broken nose.

“What’re you calling me an idiot for, boss, you hit me!” the other one snapped.

At that moment, Logan skidded between the two, causing a third bully to crash into the first two. Kodo backed up over the pile, luring his own bully, who was frothing at the mouth. Only for the fourth bully to trip onto the pile as well. The four bullies lay there, groaning as Shiva and her family surrounded them. Shiva tsked in sympathy.

"Seems to me the biggest threat to you colts... are yourselves." She'd motion to Omega. "Go get some of our healing herbs." She'd turn to Doctor Whooves. "Aren't you a doctor? Do you know a medical professional?"

Doctor Hooves grimaced. “I’m more of a scientific doctor than a medical one, but…”

Together, he and Shiva worked out a spell or two, combined with some herbs that could heal the boys, and she'd restore the bullies to normal. The four bullies glared at the wolves, but with one loss already chalked up and the rest of Ponyville glaring them down, there wasn’t much more they could do.

“This isn’t over,” the leader warned, even as his friends ran away and he backed up after them.

"And yet you're the one walking away," Shiva mused.

The bully opened his mouth for a taunt, but none came. Shutting his mouth with a glower, he reluctantly fled, while Shiva sighed and turned back to the Ponyville ponies with a grateful smile.

"Thank you," she'd say. "Thank you all."

Derpy would give the bullies a sad look. "I just don't know what went wrong," she'd note.

Doctor Whooves would pat her back. "A sad fact about ponykind," he'd say. "There will always be differing opinions." He'd look up to Shiva. "I truly hope this doesn't set back our friendship."

Shiva grinned. "My dear doctor," she'd reply. "It only enhances it."

Chapter 22: The Lines Between Friend and Foe

The meeting was rift with icy tension. Though Star Swirl did a good enough job explaining the situation and the ponies did come up with the idea of banishing the Pony of Shadows back to Limbo - at the cost of the Elements of Harmony - Shiva kept a consistent death glare on the bearded wizard. Star Wing and the others were downright ecstatic when a break was called, allowing the Wolf of Equestria and Equestria’s Greatest Mage to separate before another fight broke out.

Star Wing sighed as Shiva turned and departed to warn her pack of the Pony of Shadows. Before she could join her Alpha, however…

“Star?” Flash asked. “Mind if I walk with you for a bit?”

Star looked back, smiling at her role model. “No… I mean… yes?” she grumbled. “Why do you use the ‘would you mind?’ I never know what to say with that.”

Flash chuckled. “Alright; ‘can’ I walk with you?”

“Absolutely.”

Flash chuckled, and together, the two walked out of the castle, Rainbow Dash almost following after them before recognizing that Star and Flash needed some time alone. She withdrew back into the castle, as Star and Flash watched Shiva return to the Ever-Free.

“Well…” Star noted. “I’m not gonna be able to do this under better circumstances, so…” she jumped onto Flash and gave him the mother of all bear hugs. To be fair, Flash tried the same thing, only to fall under Star’s larger weight.

“Oh, Star!” he mumbled under her. “You’ve grown so much since I last saw you.”

Star yelped and fluttered off him. “Yeah. Forgot I wasn’t exactly a lap filly anymore.” She picked him up. “You okay?”

“More than okay,” he admitted, his smile becoming morose. "I'll be honest Star: When I realized I'd sent you into the Everfree and to your death, the thought of you thinking that I'd betrayed you and Hunter... it stuck with me since then, I don't think I need to tell you how happy I am to be here and see that you're still among the living. After I returned to the castle I went to that picture of me and Hunter, and just cried my eyes out. I had made a promise to Hunter that should anything happen to him that I would watch over you, but after everything..." He trailed off, unable to continue.

Star hushed, nuzzling him gently. “But it turned out okay,” she promised. “I found Shiva. She saved me.”

Flash sighed. “Still… I should’ve done something to stop it,” he noted. “I should’ve…”

“Uncle Flash,” Star said gently. “You did do something.” She drew his gaze to her own. “You saved me.”

Flash huffed bitterly. “By sending you into the most dangerous area of Equestria?”

Star smirked. “I’m sure you’ve encountered some places that were far more dangerous.” Her smirk faded as she held up a necklace of charms around her neck.

Flash glanced at the metal Star wore, noticing that despite the passage of time it still looked as new as it did the day he gave it to her. Flash blinked, noticing that next to a lock of fur fixed to the ribbon with a charm resembling a bow and arrow was a second one: a bone that had been curved into the shape of a Pony helmet and painted grey with a red plume, his helmet.

Flash reached over and gently lifted the charm, staring at it for a few moments before looking at Star, who gave him a small grin.

"No matter what, I’ll never forget how you were the first pony other than my parents to show me love. The one who shared his meals with me; the one who read stories to me." She pulled him into another tight hug. "The one who was my hero."

Flash smiled as tear flowed from his eyes again, returning the hug and rubbing Star's back. “For so long,” he whispered. “I feared that I had sent you to your death. I didn’t trust Celestia or Starswirl with finding you… and before I could try and look for you myself, the Pony of Shadows made his move, and we were forced to join him in limbo to stop his rampage.” His expression became pained. "Even now, there's a chance we may have to rejoin him in Limbo to stop him again."

Star grimaced. “Speaking of that…” she peered back at the castle. “Despite Shiva and Starswirl’s argument, I couldn’t help but do a head count.” She peered at Flash. “Where's Stygian?”

Flash’s grimace deepened in pain. “He’s…”

Suddenly, Twilight burst out. “I got it!” she declared in glee. “The Pillars don’t have to leave Equestria!”

Star and Flash glanced at each other in shock before following the others to join Twilight back at the map.

“I still have some work to do,” Twilight admitted. “But if the Pillars can hold open the gateway to limbo, a powerful enough pony can do the banishing spell themselves, without having to sacrifice all of you as well!”

Star peered at Twilight’s spell. “Not just one powerful pony,” she noted. “Maybe several. And some of them… might not have to be ponies.”

Starswirl scoffed at Star’s suggestion. “While I appreciate your enthusiasm, Twilight, this is hardly the time to take risks on half-baked spells.”

Twilight’s ears flattened and she lowered her head in depression. This, combined with his foul treatment towards Shiva and the possibility that her Uncle Flash would have to leave again, hit Star in a way that she hadn’t been hurt before.

“That did it,” Star grumbled.

Before she knew what she was doing, she flew over the map and seized Starswirl by his beard.

“Star?!” Flash yelped.

“Princess Star Wing!” several yelled.

But Star only had eyes for the old wizard. “I’ve had a belly FULL of your CRUD!” she snarled, silencing everyone’s protests. She pointed at Twilight, who flinched as if she didn’t want the attention. “That mare does NOTHING half-baked. Especially not magic. You may have been the Greatest Mage of our time, but Twilight is the greatest mage of THIS TIME! She’s figured out spells and magic that YOU FAILED AT! And she deserves a lot more respect than this grumpy old fart persona you’ve given her thus far.” She released Starswirl, letting him fall to his flank. “She made a mistake, sure. But she’s working to fix it. Which is a lot more than what you’re doing with Shiva!”

Starswirl’s horn flared in warning. “Don’t presume you know better than me, child! I’ve seen threats like that wolf a thousand times over! It was because of me that Equestria remained safe long before you were born! I didn’t keep it safe by leaving my heart open to be crushed by those who would manipulate me and the rest of Ponykind.”

“Okay, both of you enough!” Meadowbrook barked, getting between the alicorn and the unicorn. “Starswirl, Twilight’s method is unconventional… but what if it could work?”

Starswirl glowered at Star, who glared right back, but with a sigh, he admitted. “I suppose there is a small chance.”

“One problem,” Sunburst added. “We don’t know where to find the villain.”

On cue, their marks all shimmered, hovering over…

“Hollow Shades?” Applejack noted. “I think a branch of the Apple Family lives there.”

“They’d have to be pretty distant," Twilight noted. "The Hollow Shades were abandoned eons ago.”

“Hm…” Rarity mused. “The only time the map’s called all of us to one place was Starlight’s village.”

“Which means the Pony of Shadows must be there,” Star theorized.

“So… it’s like a super villain tracker?” Rainbow Dash asked, before noticing Starlight. “No offense,” she added quickly.

“It’s likely,” Twilight noted, turning to Starswirl. “Do you think the map could be trying to tell us where the Pony of Shadows is?”

Star Wing rolled her eyes as Starswirl grinned at Twilight’s deferring to him.

“The Tree of Harmony acting to protect the light of the realm…” he admitted. “Yes. A good thought, Twilight.”

Star’s glower faded by a fraction, as Twilight squealed in glee.

“I will make my notes on this spell,” Starswirl decided. “Ready yourselves for battle.”

Starlight spoke up. “Look, I know I’m not as experienced as all of you, but is banishment really the only option? I mean, it’s been a long time. Maybe the Pony of Shadows is willing to talk.”

Starswirl scoffed. “I doubt we can save our homeland with a conversation.”

“But we could try,” Starlight insisted.

“Starlight,” Twilight said. “I’m sure Starswirl and the others did try.”

“Did they?” Star Wing asked. “Or was it more ‘banter and wisecracks while fighting?’”

“The Pony of Shadows was not interested in reconciliation,” Starswirl replied firmly. “Once a villain, always a villain.”

Unfortunately, at that moment, Shiva returned, her own mark glowing as she glowered in irritation. Star flinched as she walked in right at Starswirl’s words of villainy.

“Oh no, why,” Star whimpered.

The others paused, all of them freezing in shock as Shiva glared at Starswirl once more.

Starswirl sighed. “What is it now, dog?” he demanded.

“Once a villain, always a villain, huh?” Shiva growled. Her lightning tendrils flickered to life. “So that means I should just kill you right now, yeah?”

Starswirl’s horn flared up. “Try it and I’ll do what I should’ve done all those years ago,” he promised.

The others jumped between the angry wolf and unicorn. “Shiva, please don’t!” Twilight cried.

“We already have one villain to deal with!” Star Wing agreed.

“He’s the villain to my people!” Shiva insisted, pointing at Starswirl. “He slaughtered my husband! He killed my friends!”

“You were going to overthrow my kingdom and destroy my princesses!” Starswirl shot back.

“LIES!” Shiva thundered, another shockwave threatening to throw every pony off their hooves. She turned to the other Pillars. “Are all of you foals like this one?” She waved a claw at Starswirl. “Did the nobles truly beguile all of the greatest heroes of their time into accepting this treachery?”

“No!” Flash insisted, rising up. “I saw them for what they were. I sent Princess Star Wing into the forest! If I hadn’t, they would have seen her dead within days of Luna’s banishment!”

Starswirl gaped at Flash. “Impossible!” he insisted. “They…”

“They had Celestia wrapped around their hooves,” Flash growled, looking to his fellow Pillar with disappointment. “They had you wrapped around their hooves as well. All that praise and honor of being the Greatest Mage… it truly went to your head like it did Celestia’s, didn’t it?”

Star Wing gasped. “Is that what happened to Stygian?” she asked.

Every pony paused. “Who?” Starlight asked.

Rockhoof lowered his head in grief. “Oh, that tale is a sad one.”

Star Wing inched forward. “Please,” she insisted. “We have to know.”

The Pillars glanced at each other, but Flash stepped forward.

“Stygian was the one who gathered us together; he may have been just an ordinary unicorn, but he recognized that our emerging world would need champions to defend it.” His head lowered. “Unfortunately, he grew jealous of our abilities.”

“He stole objects from us,” Mistmane agreed. “Artifacts to use in a spell.”

“And we cast him out for it,” Meadowbrook admitted.

“We always thought he’d return and seek forgiveness,” Somnabula said. “But when we saw him again, his heart was bent on revenge. He dashed even my hope of saving him.”

Starswirl nodded grimly. “The Stygian we knew died that day. And now… there is only the Pony of Shadows.”

The others were silent.

“But why did he steal the artifacts?” Starlight insisted.

“No doubt it was an enchantment to take our powers for himself.” Mage replied.

But Star Wing was unconvinced. “Is that what the nobles told you?” she asked. “It wasn’t enough that they wrote him out of almost all the stories?”

Flash winced. “Star, it wasn’t like that!”

“Then what was it like?!” Star insisted.

“The curse of glory,” Shiva growled, her rage only slightly sated. “Stygian was likely an Omega; not one known for his strength, but for his brains. But brains only get you so far in fame, yes?” She glared at the others now. “While you all rose in fame for your magic and abilities, he was shunned and put off to the side. That honor should have been his!”

“It’s not our fault he didn’t have special powers,” Starswirl insisted.

“Then why didn’t you let him know you appreciated him?!” Shiva demanded. “Why did he have to find solace in darkness?”

“He stole from us!” Meadowbrook insisted. “He tried to take our powers!”

“And you never asked him why?” Shiva demanded. “He was your pack mate! He was your friend!”

Starswirl huffed. “Not after that day.”

Shiva stared at him, her rage reaching a new level. She glared down at the map, almost analyzing where the Pony of Shadows was. “I see,” she muttered darkly.

Star shivered at the venom in her voice. “A-Alpha?”

Shiva didn’t even look at her adopted daughter. Once more, she turned on her heel, and left.

“Alpha!” Star protested, but the wolf teleported away.

“Star, what’s she doing?” Flash demanded.

Star’s eyes widened in fear, and she teleported back to the forest. She landed in the trees just in time to hear Shiva’s orders.

“I want my strongest Gammas and wargs,” Shiva ordered. “A lost pony is in Hollow Shades and he needs our help now! Hurry! Time is not on our side.”

Star flinched, already guessing what Shiva was going to do. She turned, about to teleport back to Flash… only for a rope of light to snag her by the horn, shutting off her magic.

With a yelp, Star was yanked out of the trees, hitting the ground hard in front of Alpha Shiva.

Star chuckled, trying not to whimper at the look of burning rage in Shiva’s eyes. “H-Hi, Alpha,” she squeaked.

“I can’t let you go back to them, Star,” Shiva said firmly.

“G-Go back to who?” Star stammered. “The Pillars? Aw, come on, I haven’t seen Uncle Flash in…”

The light rope extended, binding around Star’s body like a spider web.

“The Pillars cannot be trusted with Stygian,” Shiva insisted. “And you and the Elements are too wrapped up in hero-worship to see the damage they’ll do!”

Star swallowed. “Begging your pardon, Alpha,” she said. “But don’t you think you’re getting a little too wrapped up in emotions as well?”

Shiva chuckled, a mad little titter that sent Star’s heart on a marathon. “Whatever do you mean?” she replied. “I’m helping a pony; all those centuries of wolves insisting we take revenge or let the ponies rip each other apart. And yet I’m doing exactly what I did with you; I’m saving another pony from their own race.”

Flicking her wrist, the light rope sailed over a branch and hoisted Star Wing up. She was left hanging upside down, bound in an unbreakable rope, as Shiva turned away, grinning as her wargs assembled, Kodo right behind them.

“Good work,” Shiva praised her son, before turning to the others. “Wolves of Equestria. We make for Hollow Shade. We must rescue the pony Stygian from the traitors he used to call friends!”

“And if they try to stop us?” Kodo asked.

Shiva glowered darkly. “Stop them,” she replied. “By any means necessary.”

Far too many wolves cheered in bloodthirsty glee.

“No! Shiva, please…!” Star tried to say, but Kodo silenced her with a spell that gagged her mouth with what felt like spider webbing. Star kicked and squirmed in her bindings, but was helpless to stop the wolves as they marched for Hollow Shade.

Chapter 23: Being a Hero

For a moment, Star fought in her bindings, the forest going quiet save for her struggles.

Alpha, please don’t do this! Star tried to whisper through some sort of magic. But the binding around her horn was made of a special magic reducing material, and Star’s horn didn’t even spark.

As her alicorn strength failed against Shiva’s bonds, Star’s mind began to fill with dark thoughts: Maybe Shiva’s right. Starswirl was always one to listen to the nobles more than anyone else. Maybe she can save Stygian. Maybe this is for the best.

But then Star thought of Twilight. The Mane Six. Uncle Flash. All of them wouldn’t just sit by and let Shiva try to help. They were completely convinced that Stygian had to be stopped.

Star screamed through her muzzled snout as best she could, bouncing in her bindings as she struggled to pull them loose. But right as she ran out of breath… she heard the snap of twigs and the crash of something breaking through the foliage.

Star’s heart pattered. Had her noise drawn help? Or had it only drawn enemies? Wolf guards ready to throw her in another cell perhaps? Or even wild timber wolves, taking advantage of Shiva’s absence and looking for a snack.

Thankfully, Star got her answer soon when the maker of noise broke through. It wasn’t a timber wolf. It wasn’t even a wolf.

It was her thestral cousin Star Chaser.

“Wing!” Chaser yelped, racing over to her. “What happened?” He slashed away the binding holding her to the tree, and pulled off her gag. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Long story,” Star stammered. “Short version; Pillars are back, they’re about to make a mistake with a supposed villain, and Shiva’s about to make a bigger mistake with said villain. We gotta stop them both!”

Chaser blinked in shock, before shaking off his disbelief. He let out a hiss, and several thestrals appeared in the trees above them. “Whatever’s happening,” he promised. “The thestrals stand behind their princess.”

Wing smiled, hugging her cousin. “Oh, if we weren’t cousins, I’d kiss you,” she whispered happily.

However, as they turned to leave, a magic spell blocked their path. The thestrals jumped back, finding Celine with a hesitant but determined look before them.

“Don’t do this, guys,” Celine warned. “Mom’s only trying to do the right thing.”

“I know she has good intentions,” Star insisted. “But if the ponies try to stop her…?”

“What exactly is going on,” Chaser asked, stepping between the two.

Celine sighed. “How much do you remember about Stygian?” she asked. “The seventh Pillar of Equestria?”

The thestrals stared blankly at Celine. Star sighed.

“Figured,” she grumbled, looking at Chaser. “Okay, I know you guys don’t know, but the nobles wrote Stygian out of the stories; he wasn’t as flashy or cool as the other Pillars, so he got forgotten.”

“Which goes against pack law,” Celine pointed out. “No member of the pack should get greater glory than their fellows. Stygian tried to get their attention by taking different artifacts from them…”

“And they cast him out,” Star agreed. “So, he found refuge in the same darkness that turned my mom into Nightmare Moon…”

“Creating the Pony of Shadows,” Celine finished.

Chaser blinked, processing the information. “Oh… kay?” he mumbled. “And we’re… fighting the Pony of Shadows?”

“That’s the thing,” Celine cut in. “Twilight and the Pillars just want to send him back to limbo. But he’s not evil. At least not all the way; he’s just a bitter, lonely unicorn that just wanted to be recognized.”

“It’s just like when Nightmare Moon took over my mother,” Star agreed.

“Exactly!” Celine said with a grin that slowly faded. “So… why are we about to fight? Just leave Shiva to handle him; she managed to make peace with the ponies, surely she can make peace with him.”

“Because the Pillars aren’t going to stand by and let her!” Star said, looking worriedly at Ponyville. “They could be on their way to Hollow Shades right now! And even if Shiva forgave the ponies for their actions… she hasn’t forgiven Starswirl!”

Celine snorted, her normally kind face getting a streak of anger in it. “And why should she?” Celine growled. “That evil stallion killed my father. Killed almost our entire pack.”

“Not to mention he stood by and did nothing while we were nearly starved by the nobles,” Chaser’s right hand mare grumbled darkly.

Star looked between them desperately. “So you’re willing to stand by as Kodo and the other wolves kill him?” she asked. “Flash Magnus and Twilight won’t stand by and let them. They’ll be hurt too!” She looked at Celine. “Celine, I can’t even imagine the pain you and your pack went through. And I won’t deny that Starswirl deserves some form of punishment or something to make him realize he’s wrong! But Flash and Twilight aren’t your enemies! And Kodo won’t care; he’ll hurt them to hurt Starswirl and I can’t stand by and let that happen!”

“Kodo won’t do that!” Celine insisted, even as doubt creeped into her voice. “He’ll... He’ll find a way to keep Twilight and the others from getting harmed. Starswirl’s the only one that deserves our wrath.”

“The nobles were the ones that deserved our wrath as well,” Star insisted. “And yet you never saw them, did you? They always hid; behind soldiers, behind miles of enemy territory…” She narrowed her eyes. “Who says Starswirl is any better? Why wouldn’t he hide behind Flash and Twilight, ensuring that Kodo had to rip through them first to get to him?”

Celine’s eyes widened in horror, and even the thestrals looked at each other with worry. Celine looked down, pain streaking her face.

“Why did it have to be like this?” she whimpered. “This was supposed to be Equestria; the land of friendship and harmony. Why must it be full of so much reckless hate?”

Star smiled sadly, walking over and touching Celine’s shoulder. “Because then heroes like us would be out of a job,” she offered with a small chuckle.

Celine let a low bark of laughter escape her, her head nuzzling into Star’s side. The alicorn princess hugged her surrogate sister, leaning her head against her shoulder.

“Please,” Star whispered. “Just let me help. Let me be the hero I promised I’d be.”

Celine didn’t speak at first. Her claws tightened around Star’s midsection. Just before Star could worry that Celine was going to try and stop her - maybe pin her wings or hit her with some spell - her fur glowed… and they teleported.

Unfortunately, they were too late.

Hollow Shades had been reduced to a battle ground. The Pillars of Equestria and the Mane Six were locked in combat with the Wolves of Equestria. Several pterolycus engaged with Flash and Rainbow Dash, keeping them out of the sky. Fluttershy and a fenrir sat side by side, talking out their problems with each other. Rock Hoof and Applejack struggled with several stronger fenrirs, both trying to overpower the others. Rarity, Somnabula, Mistmane and Meadowbrook rapidly lost ground against a group of wargs, who were pushing them back. But Twilight Sparkle was screaming out as she futilely bashed against a magic barrier, keeping her, Starlight, Sunburst and Spike back from Starswirl, who was getting beaten into the ground.

Star Wing flinched; even though Starswirl had been a grump and a rude jerk, it still hurt to see him in such a state: his hat was gone, his beard had been ripped out in chunks. He was squealing in a high pitched voice as Kodo tortured him, and even though Star didn’t want to know why, she noticed his bloodied loins, and got a very good impression of what Kodo had done to him.

“How does it feel, huh?” Even on a battlefield, Kodo’s voice roared out as he pummeled the old wizard into the ground. “HOW DOES IT FEEL, YOU STUPID OLD STALLION!? This is for my Dad! This is for Caesar! This is for Brown Eye! This is for Brutus!” Name after name crossed Kodo’s lips as he beat Starswirl, carving his gray fur into red, and eliciting wail after agonized wail.

“STOP! PLEASE!” Twilight shrieked, tears flowing from her eyes she was forced to watch her role model get brutalized.

Celine gagged at her brother’s violence. “W-Where’s Mother?” she whimpered.

Star glared up at a pathway the wolves were fighting to defend. Dark magic smoke bubbled out from over the ridge, and lightning flashed, fighting against the storm.

“I’ve got an idea,” Star grumbled, turning to Chaser and Celine. “You guys break this up. I gotta find Shiva.”

Chaser and Celine exchanged a nod. And as they led the thestrals into battle, Star spread her wings and took off over the field.

Several pterolycus moved to halt her, but Star tucked into a cannonball, her time maneuvering the trees easily allowing her to outmaneuver her former packmates.

As thestrals jumped the pterolycus, forcing them to the ground, Star flew unabated to the Well of Shade. She found Shiva there.

The white wolf was on her knees. Her tongue lolled as she panted in exertion. A light chain connected her to the Pony of Shadows, who grinned down at her as her light slowly faded into darkness.

“Yes….” The Pony of Shadows hissed. “Give into your rage. Let your hate flow.”

Shiva looked up… and Star shivered at her eyes. They had gone black. The beam of light was rapidly fading into a beam of shadow. And worse… Shiva was changing. Her once pristine white fur was rapidly turning a shade of shadow black. Her claws grew jagged and cruel. And her expression of pain was rapidly fading into an expression of rage.

Star shot forward. Shiva was losing the battle. She needed help!

“ALPHA!” Star screamed.

“Huh?” Shiva gasped, her eyes briefly returning to brown as she turned. “S-Star?”

“I’m coming to help you!” she promised. “I’m pack; I’ve always got your back!”

With those words, Star cannoned into the Pony of Shadows… and darkness overtook her.

For a moment, Star wandered through the shadows. Her star-like spots glowed, the only bit of illumination she had. But soon, she saw another light. Fading though it was.

The light of Shiva’s fur, rapidly dimming as she rested her claw on the shoulder of a frail looking unicorn. A drab shawl covered his gray coat, and his dark blue tail was tucked as he rested his head against Shiva’s chest.

Shiva lowered her head, not even noticing Star.

“Alpha?” she asked, before looking at the pony in her arms. “S-Stygian?”

Stygian gazed sadly up at the young alicorn. “Princess Star Wing?” he mused. “I’m surprised you remember me.” He smiled faintly. “I wasn’t invited to your birth. I guess the others just… forgot about me.”

Star winced. “What happened to you?” she asked. “This wasn’t who you were.”

“They made him this way,” Shiva said darkly. She looked up, her eyes a darker shade of brown than they were usually. “All he wanted was the respect he was owed. He protected his friends through knowledge; came up with the strategies that beat the Sirens, Tirek… But because he couldn’t shatter rocks with a single blow, or make magic do stuff it had never done before… he was apparently beneath notice.”

Stygian nodded, looking up gratefully at Shiva’s support. “So, I went to Ponhenge…” he said. “To make my own copies of the artifacts that powered my supposed friends. With them, I thought I could be a Pillar too, and stand by their side in battle.”

Shiva brushed his mane. “But instead of sharing and letting him help,” Shiva growled. “They threw him out.” Her eyes turned even darker, the blackness almost becoming one with the shadows around them. “He was their pack mate, and they abandoned him!”

The darkness bound around them both, Star stepping back in horror.

“So I became stronger than any of them,” Stygian growled, the voice of the Pony of Shadows seeping in. “The darkness welcomed me when no pony would, and I will do what I must to protect it.”

“Shiva…” Star stammered, but Shiva was bound in darkness as well.

“The wolf understands,” the Pony of Shadows said gleefully through Shiva’s voice, forcing Stygian to run a hoof under her chin. “So long, she has held onto her feelings of hatred. Her guilt at losing so many of her pack. Yes, she managed to stamp down her hatred for the sake of peace. For the sake of those who hadn’t done her harm. But why should she hold back now? Why should she keep this anger inside any longer, when the very architect to her suffering stands alive and tall, remorseless and uncaring for the many lives he has taken from her? Standing supported by those she once trusted?”

“Because he’s not the only one you’d be hurting!” Star insisted. She reached out and took Stygian and Shiva’s hooves. “Please! Both of you! Think of Fluttershy. Flash Magnus. Spike and Sunburst and Flurry Heart and all the other good ponies. They have done nothing but try to be your friends; to care for and love you. If Flash had known how you felt, Stygian, I know he wouldn’t have turned his back on you! Alpha, I know he would’ve stopped Starswirl if he could have!”

Shiva and Stygian gazed up in sorrow at Star’s words, but the Pony of Shadows rumbled in laughter above them.

“Ah, but I see now,” he mused. “You’re Princess Luna’s daughter. Her Beloved Star Wing.”

Star nearly let go of her friends in shock. “Y-You know me?” she whispered.

“Yes,” The Pony of Shadows oozed, his smile like a crocodile. “All those years I tempted your mother, and she would always pull back from the brink… for you. You filled her head with stories of redemption and acceptance. You actually gave her hope that she could be loved.” He grinned cruelly. “Then the nobles took you from her, and I was finally able to convince her to give in to the darkness. Not for hatred of her sister. Not for envy of the pony’s love. No. It was for you. She turned to protect you.”

Star trembled, caught completely off guard, as the dark tendrils began to wrap around the hooves she had grabbed Stygian and Shiva with.

“How does it feel?” the Pony of Shadows taunted. “You are the reason Luna became Nightmare Moon. You are the reason she was banished. Had you actually been loyal to your mother, you would have brought about Eternal Night.” The face of Lord Ego appeared before her, his horrible grin stretched wide across his face. “The nobles were right to fear you all along.”

“No…” Star lowered her head, as the Pony of Shadows laughed, his darkness oozing easily across Star’s forlegs, extinguishing the star-like spots along her body.

“Your body is just as good a host as your mother’s was,” the Pony noted. “Come. Join me. Accept your fate. You will never be accepted by the village. So burn it down; burn it down and finally feel its warmth.”

“STAR!” a voice cried.

Star looked up with a gasp, as behind them, Twilight and Starlight appeared. Star’s eyes narrowed in determination.

“You’re wrong,” Star growled, her hooves doubling up with magic strength, seizing Stygian and Shiva with renewed strength. “I was accepted. I’m a hero! And…”

The Pony of Shadows gasped as her stars began to ignite again. And suddenly… she burst into song, ripping Shiva and Stygian away from his clutches.

I will FIGHT!

She looked back at Twilight and Starlight.

For you no matter how I am despised!

She flew away from the Pony of Shadows, dodging his shadow bolts as he tried to grab her or Stygian or Shiva.

Portrayed as cruel and heartless

I am Might.

She reflected a shadow spell.

I am Power

I’m Due Process

I will smite!

She carved through the Pony of Shadows, eliciting a roar of rage.

Our enemies destroy

Courage I’ll deploy

No chance that I won’t take

My oath to you I won’t forsake

She raced for Twilight and Starlight.

Hope’s not gone

Just hold on!

She threw Stygian and Shiva to Starlight and Twilight, just as the Pony of Shadows caught her. Yet her song didn’t stop.

Take their hooves

I’m here to protect you

Nothing will stop me

She flared her wings out, wincing as the pony of shadows’ stabbed her with shadow spears meant for the group. Her blood ran red against the black, but Star still stood tall, even as she was dragged into darkness.

Understand

There is no sacrifice

That I won’t make

I’ll risk it all to keep you safe

Twilight, Shiva and Starlight tried to reach out for her, but Star forced them back with a flap of her wings, producing a shockwave that threw them for the exit as Star was pulled into shadow.

Trust me to be strong!

I’ll be your hero

Just hold on!

But with that final ‘hold on,’ Twilight, Starlight, Shiva and Stygian tumbled out into the Well of Shades, and Star's song was cut off. Shiva looked up in shock.

The Pillars of Equestria, the Mane Six and even Celine and several wolves stood together, blasting the Pony of Shadows back into Limbo.

“W-Wait!” Shiva cried out. “Star’s still in there!”

“Star?!” Flash stammered, his magic with Rainbow Dash faltering. “WE HAVE TO HELP HER!”

Twilight heard a groan as another stallion limped up next to her. Starswirl, bloodied but unbroken, flared his chipped and cracked horn.

“Then let us help her,” he said through his pain.

Nodding, Twilight stood next to him, as did Shiva and several blasts arced towards the Pony of Shadows. The Pony tanked them all with a laugh… only for his laugh to become pained.

“W-What?!” he demanded, looking down. “N-No!”

A light appeared in his chest, dissolving his essence as he screamed in agony.

“H-How!?” He roared. “After all the abuse you suffered! All the pain and strife! Shiva fell to her hate. Why not you?!”

Flash and Rainbow Dash directed their magic to the center of the light. Star Wing became visible, her star-like spots shining bright, and a confident smile on her face.

“I have no time for hate,” Star replied. “Being a hero isn’t about beating someone, or hating someone or even blaming someone. It’s not because it’s fun and Faust knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works, because it’s never going to work for long.”

“Star?” Twilight called out in concern, as they all tried to fight against the growing darkness.

“Being a hero,” Star continued. “Is about doing what we do because it’s right.” The light strengthened. “Because it’s decent! And above all… it’s kind.” She smiled at Fluttershy. “Just kind.” She smiled down at them. “If I abandon these ponies today, many of them will die. If I stand, they’ll live a while longer. Maybe not for very long,” she grimaced at Starswirl’s injuries. “And maybe it won’t even have an impact on how the world works. But it’s the best I can do, so I’m going to do it. And I will stand here doing it until it kills me! That is my VOW!”

She seized the magic ropes, and lit up like a tree on Hearth’s Warming Eve. The Pony of Shadows wailed in agony as the light tore him apart from the inside. And with a final flash of light, the remnants of the Pony of Shadows vanished into the portal to limbo. The portal shut with a rainbow-styled explosion. And when Star dropped into Shiva and Twilight’s hooves, she looked up to Stygian with a smile. A smile that the unicorn gratefully returned.

Chapter 24: Send Off

For a moment, the group recovered.

“Man it felt good to do that,” Rainbow Dash noted.

“Friendship power rush!” Pinkie cheered. “Woo!”

Rarity looked down, gasping in glee as she found her necklace intact. “And the Elements. They didn’t disappear.”

“Maybe because we used them for healing instead of banishing,” Fluttershy offered.

“Speaking o’ which,” Applejack noted, pointing to where Star was recovering.

Shiva tended to the young alicorn, her face a mask of regret. “Star…” she mumbled. “Forgive me. I didn’t…”

Star managed to look up with a grin. “It’s okay, Alpha,” she promised. “We got through. We did it.” She looked to Stygian, who approached her as well. “You guys okay?”

Stygian looked down in regret, humming, before noticing Starswirl limping over.

“Stygian…” Starswirl said, his voice strong despite his pain. “Long ago… you needed my help. But instead of listening… I made the others turn their backs on you. Pride clouded my judgment. I owe you…” he looked at Shiva. “And many others an apology.”

Shiva’s ears flattened. She looked away. “An apology doesn’t take back the lives that were lost,” she said darkly.

The others ears flattened.

“But… Shiva?” Twilight said. “He just helped defeat the Pony of Shadows. He rescued you and…”

“Don’t give him credit he doesn’t deserve,” Shiva said. She looked to Star. “You saved us, Star. And for that, you have my undying gratitude.”

Star chuckled. “Just… doing my job as a pack mate,” she noted. She glanced at Starswirl. “But… are you sure you can’t let bygones be bygones?” She noted Kodo. “I mean, you did beat him to within an inch of his life already.”

Kodo bristled, but didn’t bark back. Shiva just glanced at him with a sigh.

“Working together on one mission - very poorly at that,” Shiva said. “Doesn’t fix our problems.” She pulled herself up before looking to Twilight. “Let us know if you need us again, Twilight Sparkle.” She looked to Stygian. “You especially, Stygian. Don’t ever think darkness is your only friend again.”

“Please,” Star insisted, looking to Stygian desperately. “There’s always going to be someone out there that understands you. Even if it doesn’t feel like it.”

Stygian smiled gently, and nodded. “Thank you both.”

With a final nod, Shiva barked, and the wolves dispersed. Giving Star one more thankful look, Stygian a nuzzle, and Starswirl an unreadable expression, Shiva left.

Starswirl watched her go, his eyes casting downward. “Something tells me I’m going to need to talk to her again.”

Twilight and Starlight exchanged a glance. “Maybe… it would be better to just leave her be for now,” Twilight suggested. “Take pride in what we accomplished now.”

Starswirl hummed, though his eyes didn’t leave Shiva until she was gone and out of his sight.

A few days passed; Starswirl got to meet back up with Celestia and Luna, and the Pillars got the chance to explore and really see Equestria and how it had changed.

However, as the other Pillars went off to explore and discover, Starswirl and Flash followed Star to the Ever-Free, where the wolves roamed.

“I gotta say, I’m excited to see this place,” Flash noted. “I was so worried that you were in danger here.”

“Oh, don’t you worry, Uncle Flash,” Star replied. “The wolves turned this place into the safest…”

She barely got to say another word before several spells blasted at Starswirl. If it hadn’t been for Star Wing and Flash reflecting them, it would have likely resulted in the old wizard getting blasted out of the forest.

“Alright, guys, ALRIGHT!” Star barked as growls sounded from within. “Just give him one minute.” She glanced back at Starswirl. “Better start talking.”

Starswirl nodded, before bowing his head low. “Wolves of Equestria,” he said. “I know you have little love in your hearts for me. After what I have done to you and your kind… I certainly deserve it.”

Several snorts sounded. “You think?!” one wolf barked.

Starswirl visibly bit back his retorts, and sighed. “I just want you to know that I regret the things I have done. I realize now that pride had clouded my judgment and I was… well, I was wrong.” He looked up. “You do not have to forgive me. But I only want you to know how much I regret my choices, and that I will do whatever I have to in order to make up for it.”

The wolves were silent at first, mulling over his words. Finally, Shiva strode out of the forest, her fur shimmering from unstable emotion, even as her brown eyes were narrowed and determined.

She paused in front of Starswirl, regarding him with an unreadable mixture of tension and curiosity.

“What are your plans going forward?” Shiva finally asked, her voice frighteningly casual.

Starswirl glanced at Star Wing, but the alicorn could only shrug.

“Well,” Starswirl mumbled. “I’m not exactly certain where I belong. I believe I’ll have a look around before I settle in any one place.”

Shiva nodded. “Well, you certainly don’t belong here,” she said. Her voice wasn’t accusatory or cruel; it was simple, like she was stating a fact.

Star deflated with a sigh, before she noticed Shiva hadn’t turned her back on him. As Starswirl looked down in shame, she lifted his head up to regard her.

“If you wish to really atone for what you did,” she said. “You will travel the world. You will look for the good in others. And you will never repeat what you did to us.”

Starswirl nodded. “Twilight Sparkle showed me how friendship and cooperation can be far more powerful than any magic I’ve known. And that in turning away from others, you hurt yourself as well.” He lowered his head. “I pray that a day comes when we will be able to work together again. And I can show you how I’ve changed.”

Shiva nodded as well. “I look forward to that day,” she replied.

Starswirl smiled gratefully, and then turned to leave. Star Wing watched him go before looking to Shiva.

“Are you…?” she mumbled, before considering. “I can’t really say ‘okay,’ can I?”

Shiva sighed. “I’ve had many years to come to terms with what that stallion did to my pack,” she mused. “I truly believed that I had managed to move on.” She sighed, before looking at Star. “But if you hadn’t interfered, I likely would have only made things worse.” She lowered her head. “I… understand if you’d rather stay in Canterlot after this incident.”

Star chuckled. “With the nobles? With Celestia? What made you think that I was over what they did?”

Shiva looked up in surprise. “But… how did you defeat the Pony of Shadows if you didn’t move on?”

“Because I didn’t let it control me,” Star said. “I’ve never let what happened in my past control me.” She shrugged. “Do I dislike the nobles? Heck yeah; I’m pretty sure you and some of the Mane Six dislike them too. Do I hate Celestia?” She paused. “Well, that’s more complicated; we’ll come back to that one.” She shook herself off. “But regardless of how I feel, I’ll still do what I can to protect them, along with the Mane Six, Spike, Ponyville, and all the other great things. Because without the bad parts… how else can the good parts of our world shine all the brighter?”

Shiva smiled and embraced her daughter. “You are wise, Star,” she noted. “I’d say wise beyond your years, but a thousand years is a long time to learn.”

Star chuckled. “Well, don’t make it too obvious,” she teased. “I kinda prefer being the perky genki girl over the wise, brooding sage. Leave that to Starswirl.”

Shiva chuckled, while Star grinned at Equestria.

“So,” Star noted. “What do we do now?”

Shiva smiled as the wolves slowly came out of the Ever-Free, several ponies and thestrals with them.

“We live,” she replied. “We live, we love and we prosper. Because we are more than the Wolves of Equestria.” She turned back to her people. “We ARE Equestria.”

“Equestria!” was chanted back.

Star and Flash smiled at each other, before Star led him in to the others.

From there, things went by in a flash; Star introduced Flash formally to Shiva and the others. Chaser got to show Flash the statue of him and Hunter, and how he had given them hope.

Flash gazed at the statue in awe. “I never realized I had this much of an impact on you guys,” he noted.

“Your friendship with Star Hunter gave us hope that the rest of ponykind could see us the same way,” Star Chaser replied. “And though the road has been difficult, I’d say it’s been worth it.”

The sight of Hunter immortalized in gold sparked a feeling in Flash, and after the visit, he made his way back to Hunter’s grave.

“Hey partner,” Flash noted. “Been a while, huh?” He sighed. “There’s a lot to talk about.”

He told him about what happened since the last time Flash visited. About the Pony of Shadows and how he had awoken to find Star alive and well.

"Things have gotten much better now Hunter, Star's alive and well thanks to Shiva and we Pillars are free to live our lives not that the Pony of Shadows is gone.” Flash nodded. “Yep. I think we’re just about done, my friend.”

“Says who?”

Flash turned, and for a moment, he thought he saw Hunter standing beside him. But then he noticed the slimmer figure, and understood; it was Star. The spitting image of her father, standing with pride beside him.

“There’s always going to be a new adventure on the horizon,” she noted. “And plenty of work to be done.” She flared her wings. “I heard about some yeti-like creatures making trouble on the borders. Wanna check it out?”

Flash grinned, and flared his own wings. “As long as we do it together,” he said.

Star took a moment to look at her father’s grave. “I’ll make you proud, Dad,” she said. “If I haven’t already.”

Flash pat her shoulder. “Now that’s impossible,” he said.

And to his credit, Star could feel… something. Something like someone was smiling down on her from above. She breathed deeply, before lifting into the air.

“Come on, Uncle Flash,” she said. “Let’s go exploring.”

Author's Note

And so, that's going to be the end of 'Survival of the Wolves' for the time being.

I'm not sure when or if I'll come back to this, as I've got a couple of other projects that I want to try out. But until that time, thank you all for reading along and supporting Star's story.

Star was a character I had been quite eager to utilize, and I'm very happy at the reception she got. Thank you all for your feedback and support, and I look forward to entertaining you with more stories in the future.

Until next time, :twilightsmile:

Chapter 1: The Wolves and the Alicorn

It was tragic, how quiet the day had been before the attack.

As Shiva sat at the head of the wolves’ campfire, listening to their stories, she gazed around at her pack with a motherly pride.

It still baffled her, how they had come into existence: a subset of canines, evolved to have the same abilities as ponies. She remembered awakening, very confused, out in the forest. And how bit by bit, she managed to discover her fellow wolves. From the magic casting wargs to the owl-winged pterolycus to the powerful fenrirs. With her as the rare Lupa wolf, blessed with magic, wings and strength, it was almost funny how quickly she was able to assume command.

But then, of course, they learned that there were others like them. But not wolves; no these were ponies. Unicorns instead of wargs. Pegasi instead of pterolycus. And earth pony instead of fenrir.

Too often, she remembered the looks of fear the ponies would give her kind; how they wanted them away from their territory, and took even the smallest of growls as threats. But Shiva had no time for their paranoia and fear. All she and her people wanted was to be left to their own devices.

Thankfully, many of her wolves shared this ideology.

“So, the Pack Mother had four daughters, right?” one of the wolves was telling the others. “And she’s hoping that the son of this stronger Pack Father will take an interest in one of them. So when the Heat Season comes around, and the son of the Pack Father wanders into her territory, she sends her daughters out to try and charm the young wolf. But one of the daughters isn’t as strong as the others. She’s got a bad leg, struggles to catch up, and is the last one to reach the young male. Despite that, the male still goes over to him. The sisters are confused. ‘Why do you want her?’ they demanded. ‘She’ll never be able to run and hunt with you like we can!’ In response, the male revealed a splinted leg. ‘Neither can I,’ he replied. ‘And I’m hoping for someone that’ll understand.’”

The narrator smiled up at the gathered wolves, peering down at the pups, who were slowly nodding off.

“And she did understand,” the narrator concluded. “The two got together not long after, and had a good life together.”

The wolves clapped softly, careful not to wake the pups who had fallen asleep. Shiva hummed.

“A lovely tale,” she said. “And a good note to end on.” She nodded to the parents of the pups. “Tuck in your kids, and get ready for bed yourselves. We’ve got another big day ahead.”

Shiva fluffed her alicorn-like wings, and lifted herself up. As the wolves returned to their respective dens, one wolf walked alongside Shiva as she returned to her own den.

“You think things will ever be like that story,” the wolf asked. “You know… with the ponies?”

Shiva’s grin faded. “I don’t want to think about them right now,” she admitted.

“But… shouldn’t we?” her companion asked. “First, they made us give up our land. T-Then we had that trouble with the earth ponies. And we keep catching them spying on us, and…”

“And they have nothing to worry about,” Shiva assured him. “Luke, tell me: what have we ever actually done to the ponies?”

Luke hummed. “Grossed them out with our hunting habits?”

“Aside from that.”

He pondered. “Looked different?”

“Aside from that,” Shiva insisted.

He blinked, scrunching his face up, before sighing. “I got nothing,” he admitted.

“Exactly,” Shiva grinned. “As long as we stick to our territory, they have no reason to go after us.”

For a moment, Luke started to nod at her logic. But then…

Thunk.

Shiva blinked. Why was there an arrow in her mate’s eye? He seemed confused by it as well, reaching up to touch at the sharp point that had punched through his skull.

“B-But…” he mumbled. “You just said…”

His voice trailed off, and he slumped to the ground. And as Shiva blinked, trying to comprehend what had just happened, a barrage of spells slammed into the ground.

Shiva tumbled into the dirt, the screams of her people lifting into the air.

Desperate, she pulled herself up, her own fur glowing as her magic flared to life. But… who was attacking them? And why?!

Shiva made out several shadowy forms, firing arrows from the tree line. Another barrage of shimmering spells launched into the air and sped towards them like shooting stars.

Growling, Shiva lifted a magic barrier. The spells clashed off her shield with explosions like fireworks, staggering the alicorn, but sparing several of the wolves as they raced out. A pterolycus led a pack of his fellows towards the shooters, but a volley of arrows knocked the leader and two others out of the air.

“Mages!” Shiva boomed. “Cover fire!”

The mages scrambled into position, several of them still bleary eyed and disoriented. Shiva’s heart tore at how disorganized they were; a far cry from how they could track and bring down prey.

Who was doing this?!

Shiva turned back to the battlefield, the wargs taking her shield and allowing her to return fire with spells. With a sortie of fenrirs, wargs and pterolycus behind her, Shiva charged the enemy line, her fur glowing as she deflected arrows and spells alike.

But then one spell, more powerful than the others, crashed into her shield and broke it. Shiva was flung off her paws and onto the ground.

As the air left her body, she struggled to lift herself up, her heart tore again as the sortie she had led was cut down. Beams of light shot through the air, disintegrating any wolves that got close to her.

She had to stop this! She had to protect her pack! Shiva clawed her way back up to her paws… only to find a familiar face standing before her.

“S-Starswirl?” Shiva stammered, staring up in disbelief at the master unicorn. “Why?”

The unicorn didn’t answer. The last thing Shiva saw was his blue eyes glaring down at her in contempt, as his horn lit up with the power of a thousand suns.

Two Days Earlier…

The doors to Luna’s room burst open, as the Princess of the Night stormed inside. In the shadows, the figure watched as Luna shut the door, struggling to keep her princess visage up.

“Blasphemy,” she hissed under her breath. “Scandalous vagrants! How dare they…?”

The figure knew her pain. No doubt Princess Celestia had once again proven how far she had fallen.

There had been a time when Celestia had remembered the value of sisterhood. When she had actually cared about her family. But that time was long past. Now, it was all about the nobles. Lord Ego, Lady Proper, Count Excellence. Those were just a few of the many subjects that had taken over Celestia’s life.

The figure recalled the throne room, where Luna and Celestia apparently ruled as one. Yet, these nobles would seem to forget that; bowing and scraping the ground before Celestia, and for Celestia only.

“Praise and Honor be to the Sun Raiser,” they’d cry. “The Bringer of Life. The Princess of the Sun. Hail Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria.”

The figure remembered Luna grinding her hooves into her throne, impatiently waiting for her own dues to be given. But there would be no prayers or praise given to her. They only ever had eyes for her sister. And her sister only ever seemed to have eyes for them.

“It’s not my fault,” Celestia would insist later. “They just seem to prefer the sun a bit more.”

“The night is important too!” Luna had insisted. “Am I not important enough to be considered?”

Celestia laughed, a practiced little titter that made fur stand on end. “Sister, if it was that important, surely they’d remember.” She’d sigh when Luna’s grimace only deepened. “I’ll talk to them. I’ll see what I can do.”

But talk did nothing. If anything, it only made things worse.

When the next meetings came, the nobles glowered at Luna; a mask of sourness and dislike that no amount of sugar or praise to Celestia could cover up. And when Luna confronted her sister again on their actions, even her sister’s eyes had an odd light of suspicion.

“Well, surely, you wouldn’t be doing something to earn their dislike, would you?” Celestia asked. “Nothing involving those strange ‘wolves’ that inhabit the forests around our kingdom?”

“The wolves?” Luna had not even given the canids a second thought. “What business is it of theirs?”

“They are meat eaters,” Celestia replied. “Hunters. Repeatedly, the nobles and their subjects have born witness to the cold-hearted murder of squirrels, birds and deer.” She leaned closer. “And they seem to have a habit of crossing territories with the thestrals you insist on having as your Night Guard.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Celestia, the wolves have but a different culture from us. That does not make them villains. That does not make them like Sombra or Chrysalis.”

Celestia hummed, unconvinced. “Be that as it may, fear drowns the hearts of our subjects. And we order you to reconsider your allegiances to those outside our kingdom.”

The figure shook her head. As if Celestia was one to talk; she had chosen sweet words and brown tongues over her own flesh and blood.

But there was still hope. Celestia would come to regret her actions. All of them would. The figure knew it in her heart. All she had to do was make sure Luna saw it as well.

She crept towards the Princess of the Night as she leaned her head against the door, struggling not to cry. Darkness fell over her. Luna tensed, feeling the presence creeping up behind her. Ready to pounce…

“Have at thee!” the figure’s tiny voice declared, before a young alicorn filly leaped from the shadows, landing gently on Luna’s head. “Ah-ha! Thou has been caught!”

The anger in Luna’s heart melted. She grinned up at the tiny alicorn that had landed in her mane. Electric green eyes glittered with mischief, and thestral-like wings fluttered like a hummingbird. A brilliant white mane cascaded down over one side of her face, and star-like spots glittered across the filly’s dark body, reminding Luna of her beloved night.

“For soothe,” Luna admitted. “Thou has caught me, beloved daughter."

Her daughter giggled before putting her hooves over her mother’s eyes. “And now, darkness falls upon thee.”

“Tiny hooves!” Luna tittered, using her magic to lift the little filly off her. “My one weakness.” She set the filly down before her, barely able to remember her anger. “How fares thee, my beloved Star Wing?”

“Mine day fared well, all considered,” Star replied, skipping over to Luna’s bookshelf and withdrawing a book with her magic. “The teacher and mine fellow students solely referred to me as ‘Moon Spawn,’ rather than ‘Demon’ or ‘Freak.’ And thine cooks at lunch? They bestow upon me a full bruised apple, for merely twenty bits!”

Luna’s grin faded. Star didn’t sound mad about the unfair treatment. If anything, she sounded rather pleased. But Luna knew, deep in her heart, that her daughter deserved better. She was royalty, for Faust’s sake. How could her own subjects treat her with such disdain?

But more importantly, how was Star able to endure it all with that wonderful innocence? How was she able to act like none of it bothered her? Luna wasn’t sure, but until she found out how, she feared doing anything that would allow her to see the despair and frustration that she already dealt with.

Star seemed to realize her mother’s dilemma, as she gave her a concerned look. “But I digress; how fares your days, Mother?” She glanced at where Celestia had been. “Auntie Celestia being the perfect sister she always is?”

The touch of sarcasm in Star’s tone brought a laugh to Luna’s throat, and she tousled her daughter’s white mane. “You are very brave to speak with such a tone, Star Wing,” she said.

“Ah, but bravery is but one of the keys to victory,” Star insisted, showing Luna her book. “Witness. In tales of old, heroes would often be parted from their peers. Others would not understand them; they’d fear them, and push them away. But then the hero achieves some great deed, and is welcomed and accepted by all.” She looked up. “That will be us, Mother. A sun or moon will come, when we are called upon to protect our land and our ponies.”

She grinned down at the book, and yet, when she spoke again, Luna heard a touch of desperation behind her voice.

“And then they’ll love us,” Star Wing whispered, almost more to herself. “They have to love us. And apologize, and admit we weren’t the monsters they thought we were.” She spun, her voice becoming more eager. “Like the Wolves. They’re villains, right? The ponies speak often of their cruelty! We can defeat them if they do something evil, yes?”

Luna grimaced. The Wolves were a strange oddity to the lands of Equestria; canines capable of everything ponies could do and more. Where they had come from was anyone’s guess. Though luckily, their Alpha, a Lupa - or alicorn-like wolf - known as Shiva, didn’t seem to be the conquering sort. And yet, every time the ponies saw the wolves take down prey… the way they’d butcher and rip it into chunks… there was something ominous about the whole thing. It wasn’t hard to imagine a pony getting run down and devoured by those canines.

Though, if they did try something, like Star believed, it would be nice to be able to finally earn some respect from the so-called ‘nobles’ who vexed her. Thus, Luna pat Star’s head with a smile.

“If they try something,” Luna promised. “You and I will stop them.”

Star’s eyes glittered the way they always did when she was happy. She kept Luna’s hoof on her head. “And then we’ll be heroes,” she insisted. “And every pony will love us.”

“We’ll be heroes,” Luna repeated. “And every pony will love us.” With the way Star hung onto her every word, Luna almost started to believe it herself. Sighing in love, Luna picked Star up and hugged her. “Whatever I have done in this world,” she whispered. “I thank Faust that she blessed me with you.”

Star returned her hug. “And I to you,” she whispered back.

And in Star’s tiny forelegs, Luna felt her anger vanishing. Yes, the ponies’ irrational fear was difficult to deal with, as was Celestia’s insistence on keeping their approval. But with Star Wing by her side, Luna had faith that things could still turn out okay.

“Please,” she found herself thinking. “Please let it turn out okay.”

Chapter 16 - Resolutions and Rest

Star had to admit, it was strange to stand at her own gravestone.

In the Canterlot cemetery, Star found herself staring at a small plague of stone resting under the shade of a birch tree. The stone read:

In Honor of Star Wing;

She may have been born from night.

But her kindness shined brighter than the sun.

Rest in Peace.

We’re Sorry.

Luna walked up next to Star, allowing her to notice the tombstones on either side of her grave. The one on the right:

In Honor of Princess Luna;

Defender of Equestria

Beloved Sister

Proud Mother

Rest in Peace

And the on the left:

Here lies Star Hunter;

Savior of Princess Luna

Prince of the Night.

Rest in Peace

“Celestia offered to have thy tombstone removed,” Luna noted quietly. “Since I wasn’t dead like the nobles believed I was…” she shook her head. “But I like to think that this is burying the side of me that lost hope. The side that became Nightmare Moon…”

“You didn’t become Nightmare Moon,” Star insisted, looking at her mother. “The nobles drove you crazy. You were just trying to look out for me.”

Luna’s eyes shut. “That’s what I told myself,” she admitted. “While I was on the moon… it’s what I told myself… in order to convince myself that the ponies needed to be punished. That they needed to pay… for tearing us apart.”

Star nuzzled up to her mother. “But they failed,” she noted, looking to the edge of the cemetery. Shiva stood, glaring at a chunk of stone that had been shoved haphazardly into the ground. Slowly, Star and Luna strode over to it, to see the clumsily written words, carved into the stone like they had been struck by a very angry carver:

Here Lies Lord Alter Ego,

Manipulator of Masses

Murderer of Wolves

Creator of Nightmare Moon

BURN IN TARTARUS

Star glanced over at Shiva, who looked like she was trying to summon some sort of heat vision to carve her own words into the stone. Even though she was over a thousand years old, Star got a sneaking suspicion that what Shiva wanted to write would be too inappropriate for even her.

Luna looked over at Shiva, before returning her eyes to the grave.

“Celestia told me he died in prison,” she noted.

Shiva nodded. “She told us the same thing,” she said softly.

Luna looked down. “After Star’s father and I began our affair,” Luna admitted. “Celestia grew closer to him and his companions. Part of me always wondered if… they may have been an item, as I had been with Hunter.” She shut her eyes in guilt. “It was why I never…” She lowered her head further. “It’s my fault, what happened to your pack, Shiva. If I had recognized the hold Ego had taken over my sister…”

“Stop,” Shiva said firmly.

Despite herself, Luna went quiet. Star gave Shiva a curious look as Shiva stood, her eyes not leaving the tombstone.

“He let fear justify cruelty,” Shiva growled. “He, and several others like him, burrowed into the heads of others like parasites.” She looked to Star. “They turned the majority against the likes of us, thinking that because they were afraid, that it justified the abuse we suffered through.” She returned her gaze to the stone. “They thought they were ensuring their own survival.”

Star couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. “Yet, who’s still above ground, right?” she pointed out.

A wicked smile spread across Shiva’s face. “Exactly, Star,” she agreed. She backed up from the grave. “I won’t pretend to know your reasons, Ego. Whether you were truly scared of what we could do… or just wanted to show off your power to cover your own insecurity.”

Star stepped up next to her. “What matters is that you failed,” Star noted with a grin. “The wolves are back. Mom’s back. And I’m alive.”

Luna stepped up next to her. “And you’re rotting in the ground,” Luna growled. “A distant memory that we will be all too eager to erase from our minds.”

Shiva frowned, her fur bristling. “My only regret,” she’d note. “Was that I didn’t get to see you die personally.” She spat on his grave, before turning away and leaving.

Star and Luna watched her go, before giving the grave glowers of their own.

“Let’s go, Mom,” Star said, following after Shiva. “We got better places to be.”

Luna didn’t follow at first, glaring down at the grave. Finally, she gave a small spit of her own, before following her daughter and fellow alpha away from the cemetery.

Luna took a slow breath from inside Ponyville’s Town Hall. Celestia pat her back with a wing, but it didn’t quell the Night Princesses’ worries.

“A-Are we certain they will accept her?” Luna asked. “It was already a lot for them to accept the wolves…”

“Ponyville has been home to some of the most tolerant ponies I know,” Celestia assured her sister. “They will accept her.”

“In a way,” Shiva noted. “They accepted her when they accepted us.”

Luna sighed. “I suppose we’ll see soon enough.”

Together, the three princesses walked out of Town Hall, finding the ponies gathered before them.

“My Little Ponies,” Celestia declared. “As you know, the Wolves of Equestria have returned from a thousand year exile. I am proud to see that you have welcomed them with open hooves. However, it is not just them that have returned.”

Sounds of confusion emanated from the crowd, before Princess Luna stepped forward.

“Before my transformation into Nightmare Moon,” she explained. “I fell in love with a thestral stallion named Star Hunter. He sadly passed on a few years after we… well.” She cleared her throat. “But before he passed, he left me someone.”

Eyes widened and jaws dropped as the implications set in.

“Princess Luna,” Mayor Mare stammered. “Are you saying…”

Luna nodded. “I have a daughter. A daughter whom I thought was lost to me. But through the efforts of the Wolves of Equestria, Celestia’s student Twilight Sparkle, and the brave efforts of the ponies she befriended, she has been found alive and well.”

Luna turned to Shiva. And as all eyes fell on the wolf, she let out a howl.

A shadow fell over the sun. As the ponies looked up, they saw a silhouette dropping down towards them. One sparkling in spots like stars in a night sky.

She hit the ground rolling, popping up in a heroic pose. And as Star Wing’s wings spread in triumph, she called out, “GOOOOD MORNING PONYVILLE!” She paused before glancing at Celestia. “It is morning, right?”

A round of chuckles ran through the crowd. Star’s eyes twinkled as she stepped off the stage.

“In all seriousness, it’s good to meet all of you. Alpha Shiva always held out hope that you guys were good, kind and decent. She also told me the value of one-on-one friendships. So, come on, get to know me, I don’t bite… unless you want me to.”

As Star jumped into the crowd, shaking hooves and talking to everyone, Luna felt her eyes fill with tears.

“She was once hated by every pony around her,” she noted, as Shiva and Celestia took to her side. “To see her so warmly welcomed and accepted by her fellow ponies…”

Shiva smiled. “You would have loved her first night with us. Our pups accepted her without a second thought.” To prove it, Shiva produced an image with a spell; Star Wing and the other pups, all sleeping together in a big fluffy bundle. Several mother wolves were grouped around them as well, one of the bigger ones giving Star a loving lick.

Celestia hugged both alicorns. “I believe Star has found her real home: among Shiva’s wolves and the ponies of Ponyville.”

“We found the princess after all?!” Pinkie cried in glee. “This calls for a 'Congratulations-on-reuniting-with-your-long-lost-foal-welcome-new-foal' party!"

Star zipped up to Pinkie with a grin to match. "You had me at ‘party!’" she declared. Together, they began to sing Pinkie’s welcome song.

Rainbow Dash grimaced, "But… What happened to the dad?"

Star got a mournful look in her eyes before declaring, "Never mind that," and zipping over to Rainbow Dash. "Say, you look like a fancy flier."

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "Fancy? I'm the fastest flier in Equestria!"

"Oh-ho-ho," Wing would say, spreading her wings. "A challenge?"

The two grinned each other down before taking off on a race. The group barely got to worry about where Wing had gone before she zipped right back to Applejack.

“Oh, but where are my manners? I can’t go without introducing myself to all you guys, right? How we doing?” She spun to Applejack. “You, I remember your sister! She’s doing okay, right?”

“Just fine,” Applejack replied, shaking Wing’s hoof. “Mighty fine to meet ya as well.”

"And mighty fine to meet you as well," Star replied. "Can I just say I absolutely love your voice?"

"She means nothing by that," Shiva interjected.

"Seriously," Star insisted. "I could listen to that voice for hours. It's so... wild and western! Like a cowboy hero!"

Applejack chuckled, hiding her uncertainty on how to feel about Star’s words. "Well, ahm glad ya like it."

Rarity drew closer, gazing in awe at Star’s spots. "Excuse me Princess… my name’s Rarity, and… can I just say I love the way your wings catch the night sky? It's almost like I'm looking at a portal into space."

Wing would chuckle, stretching into a pose. "Well, name’s Star Wing - in case you didn’t know, you know now… and I don't like bragging, but it's true. You can't replicate wings like these."

Rarity got a glint in her eye. "Would you mind if I tried? Not that wings could be made, but I am a fashion designer. Perhaps I could make some sort of cloak for pegasi wings based on your own."

Star sidled up to Rarity with a massive grin. "I'd be honored," she'd declare, before striking a pose. "So what pose would work? This one? This one? Or maybe this one?"

As Star continued to pose and pose, Twilight tried to puzzle everything out.

"But, when was her father around?” Twilight asked. “Does her thestral heritage mix alright with the alicorn heritage. What about her genetic..."

“Twilight, relax,” Celestia tried to say, but Star cut her off, hugging Twilight with a gasp.

"Your name's Twilight?" She'd ask. "So you're night-themed. I'm night-themed too! And we're technically cousins! We're destined to be best friends." She'd then notice Spike, and probably squee over his design. "And you have a baby dragon who's adorable! EEEEEE!"

Spike might back up. "Um... my name's Spike," he'd introduce.

She'd chuckle. "Is it wrong that I was hoping you'd say something like Spyro or something? He was a big hero in the comics I read."

His eyes might light up. "You read comics?"

She'd get equally excited. "Comics are still being made?!"

“Indeed,” Twilight noted. “Have you read Daring Do? You might like…”

Wing zipped right to Twilight's side. "I haven't, but now I must!" she'd insist. "Where is a copy?"

Rainbow Dash would laugh. "Right this way!"

Just before they could leave, Wing noticed Fluttershy.

"Well, hi!" Star said to a rather put off Fluttershy. "I almost didn't notice you there. Seriously, it's like you were trying to become part of the wall. Don't do that; become part of the party; come on! What's your name?"

"F-Fluttershy..." she mumbled softly.

"Butterfly, got it," Star decided. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Butterfly."

Rainbow Dash might snicker. "No, it's Fluttershy. She's just... well..."

"Shy?" Star might note, before tsking and putting a wing over Fluttershy. "Don't you worry about a thing, my dear. You see, the Wolves of Equestria taught me how to be a hero. And that means I defend poor damsels like you."

Fluttershy grimaced. "I'm not a damsel..."

"Trust me," Star said over her. "Your new Princess Star Wing is gonna be looking after you."

As she frog-marched Fluttershy over to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Twilight snuck over to Luna. "She... doesn't seem to be torn up about her father?"

Luna might sigh. "Unfortunately, he was lost very early in her life. Part of me fears she doesn't fully understand what happened."

"I don't know if she ever will," Shiva would add. "She's always tried to get away from her problems by burying them in happiness and laughter. It's not the worst coping mechanism I've seen, but I still worry sometimes." She'd nod at Luna. "I'm hopeful that having you back will help her a bit. Not that I want her to entirely lose her cheery demeanor..."

"But I think we can all appreciate it when her smiles are genuine," Pinkie would note, before noticing the others gaping in shock at her. "Oh, private conversation between princesses right? Sorry." She'd then dash back to where Star Wing and Rainbow Dash were having a hoof wrestling competition.

Chapter 21: The Return of...

After several months, the Wolves of Equestria had seamlessly integrated into Equestrian society. Through Sombra, Twilight’s ascension, Tirek, Starlight Glimmer, and even both of Chrysalis’ attacks, the wolves stood by their pony brethren, and Shiva worked with Celestia and Luna to keep the land safe.

But one day, a problem came up that Shiva was unprepared for.

It started when Shiva had felt a presence; the Cutie Map, summoning her for aid with a problem. A new experience, but not one that she wasn’t unprepared for. She even got a small bit of delight when she found Star Wing approaching the castle as well, her own cutie mark glowing in summons.

“Looks like we’re tackling a friendship problem together, eh, madre?” Star noted.

Shiva smirked. “With us together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish,” Shiva replied.

Chuckling like old friends - which they were - the duo opened the door to Twilight’s castle.

“We received the map’s summon, Twilight. What’s…”

Shiva halted in her tracks. Standing right beside Twilight - looking like he hadn’t aged a day - was Starswirl the Bearded.

“I honestly think my mark looks better than before,” Star commented as she followed Shiva in. “Twilight, can you find a way to make this…” she paused, gasping in shock. “U-Uncle Flash?!”

Shiva had to blink twice to see it. It wasn’t just Starswirl the Bearded; Flash Magnus was there as well. Same for Rock Hoof, Somnabula… all of the original Pillars of Equestria were alive! Standing alongside the Mane Six, all gaping in disbelief at Shiva and Star.

“S-Star Wing!” Flash stammered, unbridled joy showing up on his face as he approached his surrogate niece. “You’re…”

Star almost flung herself into his fore-hooves… before both were halted by a low, deep growl that sent chills down everyone’s spines. Everyone turned to Shiva, who’s fur had bristled up along her back, and pulsated with light like she was about to explode. Her fangs were bared all the way up to the gums, her eyes - black as a shark that had scented blood - were locked on Starswirl.

The others took a step back - no one had ever heard or seen Shiva this angry before.

“S-Shiva?” Twilight squeaked.

“You…” Shiva snarled, stepping closer to Starswirl.

The old mage’s eyes narrowed, and his horn lit up.

Star Wing gasped. “No-no-no-no!” she yelped, jumping between them. “Don’t…”

For the briefest moment, Shiva hesitated. Twilight tried to take advantage, putting herself between her and Star.

“Listen to her, Shiva, please!” Twilight begged. “It’s been centuries, a-and it had to have been a mistake!”

Unfortunately…

“Stand back, Princess Star Wing,” Starswirl ordered. “You as well, Ms. Sparkle. The nobles warned me of how dangerous these creatures are!” He glared Shiva down. “I can see now just how right they were!”

Shiva’s anger cracked. Her eyes shined, not just with rage, but soul-crushing despair. Star Wing and the others almost couldn’t bear to look her in the eyes.

“Dangerous?!” Shiva demanded. “Why?” Her body lit up as images formed above her. “How were any of them dangerous?!”

The images took shape. Starswirl looked away as they formed the faces of every wolf that had died in Starswirl’s attack; every warg, pterolycus, and fenrir. Every male, female and pup. They all flashed before the eyes of the Mane Six and the Pillars.

Meadowbrook covered her mouth in horror. “Starswirl…” she whispered. “You said that they had attacked you.”

“You…” Mistmane stammered. “You said nothing about pups!”

“The nobles insisted!” Starswirl cried out. “The Wolves were going to overthrow the Princesses! They said…”

“WHAT?!” Shiva snapped, tears brimming in her eyes. “WHEN?! What proof did they have?! What justification could they possibly give you for doing THIS?!”

The images shifted, and several mares cried out as they witnessed the wolves dying. The faces in the images shifted as they were shown disintegrated by magic spells, impaled with spears and arrows, or turned to stone and blown to pieces. Shiva herself shut her eyes as one familiar wolf collapsed, an arrow punching through his eye.

And the few that remained… their faces changed to sorrow, as they either gazed down at bloodied loins, or watched as they had to share their beloveds for the sake of breeding; had to raise foals that weren’t their own.

“What did they say to justify this?!” Shiva seethed at Starswirl.

Starswirl struggled to maintain his pride. “They…”

“WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU?!” Shiva screamed, a shockwave bursting from her body nearly flinging the map and the others off their hooves.

Star, who had already been in the air, braced herself against the shockwave and shot to Shiva’s side. “Shiva, we need to leave.” She turned to the others. “Guys, help me!”

Rainbow Dash sprang to Star’s side, and they tried to push Shiva out. But Shiva resisted them, her eyes locked on an angry Starswirl with a vengeance.

“They were just wolves!” Shiva hissed, her voice cracking as tears spilled from her eyes. “They were ‘my’ wolves. My friends. My children!” She looked up at the wolf who had been shot in the eye. “MY HUSBAND!” A crack of lightning shot from her person, barely missing Twilight.

“Shiva, please, he’s not worth it!” Star screamed, desperately shoving Shiva towards the door. Shiva barely moved, only gazing at Star with betrayal and despair.

“Don’t do this, Star Wing,” Shiva ordered. “Don’t you DARE protect him! Not after what he did!”

“What I did…” Starswirl snapped in indignation, but Flash Magnus and Rock Hoof grabbed their fellow Pillar, ushering him out the door.

“Enough!” Rock Hoof boomed. He turned to Star. “Princess Star Wing, please… we need to get these two away from each other!”

Star nodded, and as the Pillars dragged the sputtering and angry Starswirl from the room, Shiva finally howled in defeat. Spinning away hard enough to throw Rainbow Dash and Star Wing aside, Shiva shoved the doors open hard enough to dent the walls, storming out of the castle and out of sight.

“Shiva!” Twilight called after her, but Star Wing scrambled up to her hooves.

“Not yet, Twilight,” Star insisted. “Let her go.” She caught her breath. “I think I know where she’ll end up.”

No one dared approach the forest at first. A storm raged through the Ever-Free the likes of which no pony had ever seen. Lightning reduced century old trees to ashes. Manticores and Timber Wolves fled the forest, seeking refuge at Fluttershy’s cottage. Even some of the younger wolves sought sanctuary with their fellow ponies, quivering in fear as they whispered horror stories of their goddess rampaging through the forest in a fiery rage the likes of which they had never seen before.

Eventually, thankfully, the storm subsided. Star Wing had Twilight wait with her at the statue made in memoriam for Shiva’s lost people. After almost a day of the storm slowly winding down, Shiva appeared, making her way to the statue.

Twilight tried to step forward, but Star stopped her. Together, they watched solemnly as Shiva sat before the statue. She gazed up at the image of herself and her wolves, before her eyes drifted down to the plague.

We know we can never be forgiven for what we have done, but let it die with us, let us take this burden to the grave

Shiva glared at the plague for a moment, before her anger gave way to despair. She pressed her head against the plague. And she sobbed.

Twilight and Star exchanged a look. Star slowly inched forward. Her hoof reached out to comfort Shiva.

“Don’t.”

Star flinched at the hatred in Shiva’s voice, and lowered her hoof.

“Don’t ask me to go back,” Shiva said, her voice cracking again. She looked up at Twilight, revealing bloodshot eyes filled with tears. “Don’t ask me to go back and make peace with the stallion who murdered my people.”

Twilight shook her head. “It… has to be a mistake!” she insisted. “Starswirl would never…”

“Twilight,” Shiva whispered, her depressed voice silencing Twilight better than any shout. “I have always tried to see you and your fellow ponies for the living creatures they are. I never blamed them for what happened. I never blamed you… because you had nothing to do with it.” She glared back up at the castle, venom re-entering her voice. “But he did!” She stabbed a claw in Starswirl’s direction. “He murdered my people and all he has to say is that the nobles told him to?” She turned back to Twilight. “What kind of ‘hero’ blindly follows the will of a bunch of cowards and liars?! What ‘role model’ can hold no regret for the slaughter of pups?!”

Twilight backed up, her heart tearing to shreds at the despar in Shiva’s entire body. She had no answer to Shiva’s questions.

Shiva turned back to the plague. “I’ve tried to put the past behind me,” she admitted. “I’ve tried to be the better mare.” Her eyes darkened. “But forgiving him? When he shows no regret? No remorse?” Her claws clenched. “I can’t. I can never do that.”

Star looked between Twilight and Shiva sadly, before glancing down in thought. She sighed. “I didn’t get to know him… the way either of you did,” she admitted. She smiled sadly. “Isn’t that odd? I lived… so close to that stallion… and the most I got from him was being dismissed for being a Moon Spawn.”

Twilight winced, another crime her supposed role model had done hurting her heart, while Shiva’s claws twitched, like she was about to storm the castle and strangle Starswirl. Luckily, Star kept talking.

“But… he was a hero,” she insisted. “He defeated Tirek the first time… he banished the Sirens.” He looked back at Twilight. “I mean… he trained Celestia and Luna! The guy’s a legend!”

“Star,” Shiva warned. “This is not funny.”

“I know-I know,” Star admitted. “But it still begs the question…” she looked back to Twilight. “How is he here? How did you get him and Uncle Flash and the others back?”

Twilight blinked, as if remembering what had happened to bring him here. “We… found out why he and the other Pillars disappeared,” she admitted. “They had been sealed in limbo to defeat the Pony of Shadows.” She gasped, looking around. “The Pony of Shadows is free right now. And we need Starswirl and the Pillars' help if we’re going to stop the Pony of Shadows from destroying Equestria.”

Star nodded, sitting next to a still despondent Shiva. “This isn’t about forgiveness,” she insisted to her Alpha. “This is about survival. We need to make sure we don’t lose anymore wolves.” She glanced away. “Even if it means we need to do things we… would rather not.”

Shiva didn’t respond at first. She stared morosely at the plague. At the same words.

We know we can never be forgiven for what we have done, but let it die with us, let us take this burden to the grave

Shiva sighed, and rose up. She pat Star and Twilight's shoulders, giving them a faint, broken smile, and re-entered the castle.

As they entered, they picked up the tail end of some sort of conversation going on with the Pillars.

“...Are you saying that Star should have died out there?” Flash was demanding. “IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED?”

“No! Faust’s sake, Flash!” Starswirl barked.

“Rainbow Dash told me! That wolf is the only reason Star Wing is still alive,” Flash growled at the mage. “I will not have you tarnish her memory just because of what some long dead noble said!”

Shiva opened the doors, catching Flash in Starswirl’s face, Meadowbrook and Somnabula barely holding the enraged pegasus back. All six of them - along with the Mane Six nearby - froze, watching as Shiva walked up to the map, staring at it with a solemn expression.

Flash glared at Starswirl, but he merely turned his head away with a proud huff. Flash seethed, before turning away from his fellow Pillar, approaching Shiva with a regretful expression.

“Alpha Shiva,” he began hesitantly. “I…”

Shiva silenced him with a lift of her claw. “There are things… far more important… than either of us going on right now,” she said.

Starswirl glanced at Shiva in surprise, only to narrow his eyes when Shiva glared at him.

“But if you continue to irritate me,” she noted, lowering her claw to point between his legs. “I’ll let you know exactly how my males felt after what you did to them.”

Starswirl seethed, but Rock Hoof kept a hoof on Starswirl’s shoulder, glaring at him to prevent any arguments. Hesitantly, the Mane Six gathered round the map as Shiva turned her gaze to it’s contents.

“Now,” Shiva said, struggling to keep her voice calm. “How do we defeat the Pony of Shadows?”