//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: The Return of... // Story: Survival of the Wolves // by JNKing //------------------------------// 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?”