A tall, white alicorn stepped into the highest tower of Canterlot. Golden, marble like baubles glowed warmly, as if welcoming her. They floated and danced around each other like planets in a solar system model. Yet they mapped out far more than any simple galaxy.
As she closed the door behind her with a rear hoof, her eyes narrowed and a soft but determined grin formed upon her snout. She twisted her neck, relaxing the kinks in it, and fired up her spear of a horn, bathing the walls in a gentle, white light. Her determination only increased as the ornate regalia that adorned her body floated off her, to be stashed in a small pile of cushions. This wasn’t the place for proof of titles. Here, titles mattered about as much as grains of sand on a beach.
A large notebook sat upon a nearby desk. Princess Celestia picked it up, and turned to a dog-eared page. The page was inscribed with a series of symbols and runes, each detailing a complex series of spells that no-pony short of a goddess could pull off. To even the most talented of unicorns, the mess would look more like the doodles of an imaginative toddler.
But to Celestia, they were the gateway to the multiverse. As she cast the series of spells, the world she called home floated away from her. And under the light of the warm baubles, she saw the multiverse open up to her:
The baubles' glow changed. They began to reflect timelines distinctly different from her own. Realities that followed rules she could only dream of. Some connected to her realm by small wisps of light. One of these wisps led to a bauble barely the size of a marble. A new universe, unlike any she had seen before. It’s wisps dangerously close to where Celestia herself stood, shielded by a barrier of light that connected her back to her own reality.
Celestia had not seen this particular universe, but she had seen wisps act this way before. In time, this universe would connect to hers. It would send its inhabitants to challenge her and her subjects, as many other universes had done before.
“Okay,” Celestia thought to herself, floating daintily towards the nearest wisp, “Let’s see…”
In the faint wisps of energy that wove their own story, Celestia saw… something. Blurred and fragmented by time and space.
Drawn by curiosity, Celestia leaned in for a closer look. But as her horn touched the wispy waves of time, a jolt of pain surged down her horn and into her head. The image wobbled alarmingly, energy rippling ominously around her. The ripple ran through the image, threatening to erase it from existence. With a grunt, Celestia weaved her powers into a stabilizing frame, crafting a circular portal.
And through the portal… she saw them.
#
A large square space stood out in a massive wooden military base; an arena waiting for its fight. Humans in faded gray camouflage stood watching as a larger man walked into the arena, curling a whip. The man looked up at a flag pole placed at the south end of the arena. A severed wolf's head sat perched at the top. It's dried blood stained the flag pole's top red, and the ghost of the wolf's last snarl twisted its face into a pained grimace. The man observed the head for a second before turning his gaze to a cage on the right. Inside, several wolves like the one perched above them growled and snapped from the inside of a large cage.
“There are those in the Kingdoms,” the man said, “Who believe the North will never be settled. That the wolves will never give up! And it’s that matter of small thinking,” the human indicated the head, “That would say the Great Wolf could never be beaten.”
“He didn’t die by your hand,” a voice snapped aggressively from the cage. The humans turned to the cage as one of the younger wolves kept his head held high, and spoke the same language as them. “You ran, and let him bleed out like a coward!”
The man just smirked, and motioned to his men. They yanked the door open, and dragged the young wolf from his cage. A few of the wolves rose to aid him. The humans drove them back with lash and club.
“You cowards!” one of the older wolves bellowed, “He’s only a boy!”
“I’m fine, Griffin!” the young wolf yelled, even as they threw him into the space with the man. “I can take him.”
Even though a female in a red cloak was whimpering and pawing at the bars, the one who had shouted - Griffin - gave the young wolf a nod.
“He’s twice the man any of you ever will be,” he bellowed.
A human nearly lashed at him, before the leader motioned for him to stop. He turned to the defiant young pup, who pulled himself up to match his gaze. The female in the red cloak strained against the bars.
“Logan, no…” she whimpered, while another wolf with fiery red fur started biting at the lock.
“Observe,” the leader said, curling his whip, “And see this Lone Wolf fall… exactly how the North will fall.”
He lashed, and Logan hit the ground, a bloody cut down the side of his face. The wolves howled in agony for their youngest, while the men cheered. The leader, spurred on by the cheers, continued, kicking the young wolf into a corner. Celestia winced as the young wolf curled and bit back cries of agony.
Yet Logan didn’t sit there and take it; he bit at the man’s leg, tearing the man's jeans and forcing him to back off. Fuming, the leader brought his whip down on Logan again and again. His bleach blonde fur was streaked with red in seconds.
“That’s it,” the leader bellowed, smashing his whip into the dog, “Learn your place!”
Finally, he seemed to have enough. He backed off, smirking as the wolf lay beaten. Or so it seemed.
While the wolves howled, and the humans stared in shock, Logan pulled himself right back out of the dirt. The leader paused, turning back to him with an expression that was almost… fearful.
“That the best you got?” Logan snarled, limping his way forward.
The leader turned back to him. “Bloody snot,” he muttered, before kicking the wolf back down to the ground. “You just don’t get it, do you?” He planted a kick in the wolf’s ribs.
“Logan!” the wolf in the red cloak screamed, “Just… please, stay down!”
"Bastard,” Griffin howled, “Get back up, pup! Get up and deck him!”
Before Logan could do either, the leader planted his foot on the pup’s neck.
“Your father didn’t know his place either,” the leader noted, grinning up at the head on the post. “I’d say he learned, but…” Grinning at Logan’s furious expression, he glanced towards the cage. “Your pretty mother… and the rest of your pack? They’ll meet the same fate.” He shoved Logan away with the tip of his boot. “Unless you’re a good dog, you learn your place… and stay… down?”
Before he was even done talking, Logan was already struggling back up. The crowd was silent, save for the barking wolves in their cage. Despite their noise, none of them noticed the fiery red wolf as she worked tirelessly on the lock.
“That’s it, pup,” Griffin was bellowing, “Come on, get up!”
“No, Logan, stop,” the dark red wolf countered, “They’re going to hurt you more. Don’t make us watch that!”
But Logan didn’t listen to the dark red wolf. And before long, he was once again standing head to head with the leader. He smirked, his tail wagging.
The master fumed, both with rage and a bit of panic.
“You bold fool…” the red wolf whimpered, as the master screamed.
He charged Logan head on, smashing the wolf into the side of the arena. With a roar of anger, he furiously kicked at the wolf’s chest and head. He tried and failed to bite back his moans and yelp of agony. Celestia winced in sympathy for the wolf. How could he take so much punishment? He was far too young for such things!
Not even the other humans were getting enjoyment out of this game anymore.
“Sir!” one of them yelled, only for the master to nearly turn on him.
“What?!” the master screamed, instantly causing the dissenter to back off. He whirled back on the wolf. “You bloody dog! Are you wrong in the head!”
“You’ll never keep us down,” Griffin said proudly.
“Back off or you’re next!” the master screamed at him before yanking a revolver from his belt. As Logan tried to rise, he found the barrel pointed right at his face.
“Now,” the master growled, even more feral than the wolves, “Stay. Down.”
But Logan, bloodied and bruised, gave his captor a defiant snarl… and pulled himself up. It took time; Celestia’s ears flattened in pity as the wolf stumbled. He wanted to break – Celestia could see it – and yet something kept him rising back up. Celestia herself wished that the poor canine would just roll over, so that the torture would stop. Yet something compelled him to rise, and match the master’s eyes once more.
The gun trembled in the master’s grip, rising till he had the gun at arm’s length, pressed against Logan’s skull, with the young wolf silently daring him to fire. Then… the wolf with fiery red fur smashed into the master. The shot went wide, hitting one of the other men.
Celestia was not a violent mare by nature, but a small cathartic bit of joy welled up in her heart at the abusive human’s screech of pain when the fiery wolf dug her teeth into his neck. The cage door busted open, and the wolves poured forth. The dark red wolf went right for Logan, but the surge of movement spurred the younger wolf to action, and he tore from the square field. Racing with his pack, they set upon the cruel humans, teaching them a painful lesson Celestia was glad to have learned the easy way; that ruling through fear and hatred can never lead to lasting peace.
With the entire base in uproar, the largest wolf broke from the pack and smashed down the doors of the human’s home, leading out to a wide field. The dark red wolf raced into a stable, and came out chasing several horses out. Logan jumped a particular human with a fur-collared jacket. Yanking the jacket from his body, the wolf finished off the human with a mule kick to the face, and led the rest of the pack after the horses, following them to freedom. Logan led, despite being the smallest of the pack. And as he howled his victory to the clouds, every older wolf sounded a similar rejoicing howl.
But Celestia could not share in their joy. She saw a car barreling towards the wolf pack. Griffin was falling behind, the car bearing down on his tail.
Celestia’s eyes darted back and forth. The young wolf saw what was happening. He fell back, letting the wolves run by him, falling into line beside the slower wolf. And seconds before the car could smash into Griffin, Logan lunged to match the car’s attack.
“NO!” Celestia screamed, seeing the large slab of metal looming over Logan. Just as the young wolf slammed into the side, about to pitch forward and be lost under the car’s merciless wheels, Celestia hurled herself backward, a golden aura swallowing the wolf like a great beast from beyond.