//------------------------------// // Ch. 15- Invasion, Part 1 // Story: My Little Pony: The Rise of Warfang // by XFangHeartX //------------------------------// Twilight and her friends walked along the streets of Canterlot, the former hanging her head in sadness and defeat. All the other ponies could do was watch her in concern...except Pinkie, who was trying her hardest to cheer her friend up. "Come on, Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Smile~!" She then made one of her famous Pinkie Pie Funny Faces at Twilight...but the purple alicorn just walked by her. "Seriously?! Nothin'?!" "Pinkie, with all due respect," Shining Armor began, "you can't expect to just cheer up right away from something like this." "Shining Armor's right, Pinkie Pie," agreed Applejack. "I mean...imagine if that were me, and I had to leave Apple Bloom for some reason. It might be for her saftey, but...let's be honest: I'd be sadder than a hound dog without a bone if I couldn't be with my little sister, anymore." "It's the same with me and Scoots," Rainbow Dash concurred. "I mean...I'd be pretty bummed out, too, if I had to say goodbye to her." "Not to mention me and sweet little Sweetie Belle," Rarity added, somberly. "The point is," Applejack began, "Twilight loved Moonlight. Sure, they only knew each other for a couple days...but in that short time, they really bonded." "I'll admit," Shining Armor started, "it would have been nice to have another little sister. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to explain to our parents." "It'll be okay, Twilight," Starlight said. "Besides, we can still visit her, remember?" "Yeah!" Spike agreed. "And we can still hang out and have fun with her." "...It just won't be the same," Twilight whispered. "Oh, Twilight," Fluttershy said in concern. Soon, the train station was in sight, and the group was about to head on board, they noticed that the station was entirely empty. "That's strange," Rarity pointed out. "Where is everypony?" "This place is deserted," said Rainbow Dash. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" As soon as they heard that shriek, the group turned and saw a whole herd of ponies, stampeding through the streets, forcing everypony to duck, dodge, or fly out of the way. "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!" "WOLVES!!! WOLVES IN CANTERLOT!!!!" "THEY'RE GONNA EAT US!!!!" "Wolves?!" Starlight questioned. "W-where's Swiftclaw?!" Fluttershy asked. "Fluttershy!!" Sure enough, the rust-colored wolf soon ran up to the group. "Swiftclaw, what happened?" Fluttershy asked. "You didn't scare anypony, did you?!" "This isn't my doing!" Swiftclaw answered. "It's my Father! He's in Canterlot!" The other ponies all gasped at this, and it wasn't very long until they all heard a long, eerie howl behind them. They all turned around...and sure enough, there were the wolves, who stood upon buildings and slunk out of the shadows...and among them was Stormhowl, who growled upon seeing the ponies. "Stormhowl...!" Swiftclaw hissed. "Hello...Swiftclaw," Stormhowl replied. "My former brother..." Swiftclaw growled before he turned to Twilight and company. "RUN!! ALL OF YOU!!!" And that's exactly what they did, although Shining Armor stopped and looked toward the streets. "Guys!" Shining Armor called. "Go on without me! I have to find Cadence and Flurry!" "We'll be fine!" Twilight answered. "Go!" On that, Shining Armor turned and galloped away to find his family, while Twilight and the others continued to make their escape. As they did, though, Twilight looked toward Canterlot Castle with great worry. "What's wrong, Twilight?" Starlight asked. Twilight didn't answer...but instead, she flapped her wings and took off, to everypony's shock. "Twilight, wait!" Spike called. "Where are ya goin'?!" Applejack questioned. "Uh...guys?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Maybe we should focus more on running and less on talking?!" As she said this, the group turned to see the wolves, growling at them viciously with saliva dripping from their maws. "Oh, dear...!" Fluttershy whimpered. "RUN!!!" Rarity cried before they all scattered, and the wolves soon pursued them in different directions. Meanwhile, Swiftclaw and Stormhowl circled each other, growling and snapping their fangs at each other. "I think it's time we settled this," Stormhowl began, "once and for all." "I couldn't agree more," Swiftclaw hissed...before the two brother wolves lunged for each other. XXX "What are you doing here, Warfang?!" Celestia questioned. "Get out of our castle!" "Your castle?" Warfang repeated with a sinister chuckle. "Oh, Celestia...I think you mean MY castle. Equestria has a new ruler now...one that will set things in the PROPER order. I will bring about a new age. An age where the wolf reins supreme and the ponies serve them!" "You're mad," Celestia replied. "What do you hope to accomplish?! You'll throw all of Equestria into disarray!" Her horn then flashed a hot white aura. "My sister and I stopped you once, and we'll do it again!" "Funny you should mention your sister, Celestia," said Warfang as he turned to the right side of the room. "Bring her out!" Soon, three wolves appeared, and in their clutches...was Luna, who grunted as she felt their sharp fangs threatening to puncture her flesh, especially the ones around her neck. "Luna!!" Celestia cried in alarm. "I'm sorry, sister!" Luna replied. "I was careless!" "Warfang, you monster!!" Celestia hissed. "You flatter me, Celestia," Warfang replied, mockingly. "Now...you have two choices here: surrender and pledge your loyalty and obedience to me...or watch as I mangle your sister's throat." "No, Celestia!" Luna cried as she struggled to get away from her captors. "Don't listen to him!! You ruled Equestria without me, before, and you can do it again!!" Moonlight stood behind the doorway with wide, terrified eyes before she glanced over at Celestia, who glared at Warfang, coldly. However, the Wolf King just grinned at her with a smug cockiness, like a chessmaster. The Princess of the Sun looked to her sister, who looked at her worriedly...but then, the white alicorn nodded her head, and at first, Luna didn't seem to understand...but then, she could've sworn that she saw this knowing look in her sister's eyes, which caused her to put on a serious expression as she nodded back to her. It was then that Celestia heaved a heavy sigh. "...You win, Warfang," she said. "Let my sister go." "Smart pony," Warfang nodded before he looked to the wolves who were holding Luna, who soon released the Princess of the Moon. "NOW, LUNA!!!" Celestia called, which prompted Luna to swing her horn at two of the wolves, which ended up slicing their necks open and blood to spray into the air. The third wolf tried to lunge at her from behind, but she soon reared up on her forelegs before she delivered a powerful kick and her hooves connected with the wolf's jaw, which made a loud crack. However, Warfang didn't even flinch at the sight of his subordinates getting dispatched. Instead, he opted to scoff in slight annoyance. "Should have known it wouldn't be that easy," the Wolf King answered before he grinned. "Then again...I love a challenge." On that, he turned and lunged at Luna, who attempted to shoot him a blast from her horn, but all it did was bounce off his armor. Luna gasped before she flew up into the air, and Warfang attempted to drag her down, but then, Celestia ran up and tackled him in the side, causing him to get knocked back into a wall. Unfortunately, that only seemed to make Warfang madder, for he growled as he pointed his horn at Celestia and fired several blasts at her. The white alicorn flew up into the air to avoid them before she fired a few of her own. However, Warfang soon erected a barrier around himself, causing the blasts to bounce off. "Is that the best you can do?!" Warfang asked as he fired another blast at her, only for Celestia to block it with one of her own, and the attacks ended up exploding and throwing each other back. "Sister!!" Luna cried. "No, Luna!!" Celestia called. "Stay out of this!!" "You heard her, Luna," Warfang grinned as his horn flashed and he fired a beam, which ended up cutting through the chain of the chandelier, which ended up falling right on top of Luna, like a cage. "Stay out of this!!" "No!" Luna cried as she tried to find a way out. "There," Warfang said. "No interferences." He then charged at Celestia, who charged right back before their horns clashed like the blades of two swords. "Why are you doing this?!" Celestia questioned. "Why go on this needless conquest?!" "I'm doing the right thing, Celestia!!" Warfang shouted as he began to push Celestia back. "I didn't see you doing anything for any of wolves!!" "What are you talking about?!" Celestia asked. "We were friends, weren't we?!" "It wasn't enough!" Warfang barked. "Even back then, nopony would accept me! Even after I had learned magic from you, they still saw me as a monster! It's the way things are! No matter what I do, no matter what YOU do or anyone else, no one ever wants to be friends with wolves!!" Celestia gasped silently, and that caused Warfang to slam into her, knocking her backwards, which caused Moonlight to shrink back, fearing the worst. "So I decided," Warfang began as the spikes on his helmet began to glow, "that if I could not be friends with ponies...then maybe they'd respect me more if I had become their ruler!" "There's a fine line between respect and fear, Warfang!" Celestia argued. "The only way for one to rule is with kindness, compassion, and understanding-" "ENOUGH!!" Warfang barked as he pointed his spikes at the elder princess. "I've had enough of your lies, Celestia!! From now on, the rein of the pony is over, and it's time for the wolves to dominate Equestria!! Perhaps it won't bring back my beloved mate, Mooneyes...but I can at least have the satisfaction of killing you!!!" "...Mooneyes...?" Celestia whispered. "So...any last words?" Warfang asked. Luna looked to her sister, anxiously, while Moonlight watched with nervousness. Celestia glared at Warfang, seemingly in defiance...before she heaved a sigh and looked down. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered, causing Warfang's eyes to go wide as he looked at her. "I...I thought I was helping you by teaching you magic...but instead, I should have tried to make other ponies understand you and your kind. I should have made them understand that just because we looked different and we had our differences in the past...we could still be friends. I thought that by teaching you magic, it would make us equal in their eyes! ...But I was wrong. Instead, I ended up making you mad with power. Banishing you made it worse...because it cost you your mate." She then opened her eyes at Warfang with great sincerity. "...I can't do anything to bring her back," she continued. "And I can't do anything to change the past...but...maybe we can start anew." "Sister..." Luna whispered, sadly. "We can make things right again," said Celestia. "I'm so sorry...Silverwind." Warfang swallowed upon hearing his old name, while Celestia approached him with a soft smile and kind eyes as she offered him her hoof. "Please," she began, "won't you accept my friendship?" Warfang blinked at the princess before he looked down at her paw...but then, he growled as he suddenly clamped his jaws down hard on Celestia's ankle, causing her to shriek in pain before the Wolf King slammed her on the floor, to the right, then to the left, and finally, he threw into a wall. "CELESTIA!!!" Luna cried while Moonlight gaped in horror. Celestia grunted as she tried to get up...only for Warfang to pin her down, his paw squeezing down on her throat. "Who the hell said I want your apology?!" Warfang questioned. "What I want is to rule Equestria!! And once I'm rid of you, getting the Stone of Wishes from that little brat will be all too easy!!!" Then he opened his jaws, preparing to make due on his vow...but then... "HEY, YOU OVERGROWN WALKING SHAG RUG!!!!" Warfang growled as he turned around...and he saw Moonlight, who glared at him while holding the Stone of Wishes in her hoof. "This is what you really want, right?!" she asked as the stone gleamed, causing Warfang's good eye to momentarily flash red. "...The stone...!" he whispered. "Moonlight, no!!" Celestia begged. "If you want it so badly," Moonlight said as she put the necklace back on, "then...COME GET IT!!!" On that, she turned and ran off while Warfang soon gave chase. "Moonlight!!" Celestia cried. "No!! COME BACK!!!" Luna grunted as she tried to push the chandelier off of herself, but it was just too heavy. She groaned, resignation beginning to set in...when suddenly, she and Celestia heard the sound of flapping wings. Not long after, they looked towards the balcony, and that's when they saw it was none other than Twilight, who, needless to say, was shocked at the state the princesses were in. "Twilight!!" they Royal Sisters exclaimed in relief. "What happened in here?!" Twilight asked as she used her magic to lift the chandelier off of Luna, then ran over to her old teacher's side. "Are you okay?!" "I'm fine, Twilight," Celestia began, "but you need to go after Moonlight!" "What?!" Twilight questioned. "Where is she?!" "Warfang is chasing her, right now!" Luna answered as she pointed her wing towards the doorway. "They both went that way!" "Moonlight bravely used herself as a diversion!" Celestia added. "Twilight, you have to hurry and get to her before Warfang does! If he gets the Stone of Wishes, there's no telling of the horrors that will come to pass!!" "I understand!" Twilight answered before she ran off in the direction where Moonlight and Warfang went. As she did, one thought crossed her mind. 'I'm coming, Moonlight...just hang on!'