//------------------------------// // Pony and Dog Show // Story: Twilight gets a Puppy // by TDR //------------------------------// Twilight Gets a Puppy By TDR Pony and Dog Show. [Celestia's journal, Wheneverly] Over a thousand years ago there was a darkness. This darkness corrupted all it touched and gave rise to many horrific tales and nightmares that last even now into the present day. Entire cities were lost, either to the shadow's control, or to the monsters that followed it. The races of Equss suffered greatly from this. Either through loss of land or of life, none were untouched in some way. Ponies themselves were reduced to numbers not seen since the great exodus from the north. They suffered the worst. They lost two entire tribes to the darkness, one is gone for ever and the other is a minority still viewed with distrust and fear. Griffons suffered nearly as much as the ponies, losing the great leaders of their race and much of their national pride, leaving them broken in spirit as well as body. A blight that persists even to this day. The Dragons lost their ancestral homeland. The shadows hunted them, corrupted them, any time they thought they were safe more of them were taken. Beasts such as Dragons who fell under the spell of darkness were impossibly powerful war machines of destruction. The remaining flights gathered together and fled, never stopping in one place for long, an instinct that saved them in the past and brought about the great dragon migrations of the modern times. Tribes of Zebra on the plains were hunted to near extinction, many were forced to leave their homes and wound up as refugees in Equestria proper. The greatest number of them settling around Bayston, many still called that area their home even today. The seaponies were affected the least of all, though with the borders closed it was impossible to know for sure. Even now they are thought of as an old Breezy Tale as no one but the occasional mariner has seen them, and even those tales are scoffed at. The Buffalo were on the front lines of it all, a young cow had gathered the scattered tribes together and set them on the warpath. The tribes surged across or lines laying waste to anything they could in the shadow lands. They passed through Equestrian lands like ghosts before fading back behind our front lines before the forces of the shadow could retaliate. That said not all of the races of Equss had issue with the darkness. Some such as the Harpy and Orc joined it willingly or in the case of the Diamond Dogs and Thestril followed their leaders into the shadow. It was not long after my sister had been corrupted that the Diamond Dogs turned on us. Nearly overnight there was a massive over turning of pack leadership as the old alphas were killed and new far more brutal leaders took over. This was the first time any one had encountered the species known as Witch Wolves. We had still not felt their true terror yet, but that would not be long. The Witch Wolves instilled a new rule in the packs they took over, 'might makes right' and they brutally killed any who did not agree with them. These new alphas bred anything they wished in the packs producing numerous mixed breed Diamond Dogs that were far more intelligent and vicious than the near comical gem hording canines that they had been before. In barely two generations the Witch Wolves had produced enough litters with the Diamond Dogs that there was nothing left of the race but a vicious army ready to serve the darkness at the behest of their Alphas, the creatures they were brought up to worship as if they were gods themselves. When the war of shadow finally came to pass these were the beasts that met and nearly marched through our front lines. The shadow armies ranks swelled with the new vicious Diamond Dogs. These were canines not bred for digging or hunting, but for war. I am ashamed to say that it was only luck that we did not lose everything. The hero of the Crystal Ponies, The leader of the Buffalo, the last Griffon Warlord, a great Pegasus General of Equestria, a Dragon diplomat, and myself managed to gather together to fight them and in turn stumbled upon the Elements of Harmony Objects that I thought lost after the defeat of chaos centuries before. It was only through the use of these that we were able to fight back against the shadow, pushing him back to his capitol. Before the final blow could be struck however, the monster and his kingdom vanished into the snowy wastes taking many of our forces and three of the element bearers with it. Leaderless, the forces of darkness ran off into the wilds, only to gather together again years later at the behest of my corrupted sister, launching a whole new war for Equss in an attempt to bring her dark master back. The Diamond Dogs that survived these conflicts dug deep to escape repercussion for their part in the war. It took three hundred years before any of them dared to live close to the surface any more but the infighting under the soil became worse as those who followed the old ways continued to fight to prove who was strongest. Many other tribes simply came back to the surface to avoid these fights. The war and subsequent years below ground had changed them. The further their generations were removed from the Witch Wolves the less intelligent and barbaric they became, but the mentality of the strong rule the weak remained. A long time has passed and much of the conflict with the Diamond Dogs has been forgotten. A number of packs call Equestria home and while most are willing to follow our laws and rules, there are some that still believe heavily that all you need is to be strong and anything the weaker creatures have is yours. This was what happened with two conflicting packs around Ponyville many years ago. The Royal Guard stopped the issues before it became an all out war, but far too many died on all sides for this peace to come to pass. “And it seems one pack has not yet learned from it's mistake.” Celestia finished out loud closing her journal looking over at her sister as Luna read the note Spike had just sent. Luna closed her eyes as she let the scroll roll up and fall to the table. “Standard rules of engagement?” Luna asked simply. “We will see. According to Spike, Rarity has plans to talk with them first to try and play off her deal with them for the return of Rahs.” Celestia offered rising to her hooves. “Once that option has been tried we will see.” “Fine. Though you know, we hope that it will fail.” Luna frowned. “Yes. I understand that.” Celestia nodded. “ And if it comes to pass we will do things as we have in the past. Is that agreed?” “No. But let us see for now.” Without another word and only a slight flash of their horns they were both suddenly gone from Canterlot.