//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Back to the Empire 
// Story: Son of the Howlite Howler 
// by JNKing 
//------------------------------//

Even before Kodo and Luke returned, Celine wasn’t having a good day. She already had the fear that her mother was gone and that her father and brother might mess everything up. And to make matters worse… Princess Cadence had gone into labor. 
As Celine paced outside, listening to the mare’s cries, she couldn’t help but hold her head in shame.
“Beta Celine,” Scorpia asked. “What troubles you?”
“Aside from my family issues?” Celine asked with a vacant attempt at a grin. She sighed. “Prince Armor should be here. Instead, he’s out looking for my mother.” 
“Don’t blame yourself,” Scorpia replied. “You did the best you could.” 
Celine grinned softly. Yet, as the door opened, the two found that the storm had passed. 
Cadence held a large bundle, her face tired but triumphant. She gazed up at her fellow princesses.
“Is she…?” Celine whispered, striding forward.
Cadence smiled softly, and shifted the bundle in Celine’s direction. A healthy filly gazed up at Celine with light opal eyes. Her fur was a soft pinkish white, clearly a mixture of her mother and father’s fur colors. 
Yet, as Celine gazed upon her in awe… she also noticed wings poking out from the back. Yet… a horn was also perched on the young filly’s head, nestled among her purple and blue mane. 
“She’s… an alicorn,” Celine whispered.
Cadence nodded softly, too tired to express any emotion other than love.
“Yes,” she whispered. “She’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Celine and Scorpia shared a glance, before movement drew Celine’s eyes. Briefly, she thought she saw a shadow in the corner of the room. But before she could investigate, much more blatant movement caught her attention outside the door.
Celine and Scorpia turned as a changeling appeared before them.
“Do not disturb the princess,” Scorpia warned.
“We may have to,” the changeling said. “Alpha Luke returns with Beta Kodo and the diamond dog forces. Shiva is not with them, and…” He gave a nervous glance back. “They’re destroying the train tracks back into Equestria.”
Celine’s ears flattened. “What?!” 
Darting past the changelings, Celine sprinted out of the castle and towards the borders. A crowd was already drawing to the sight; ponies, changelings and diamond dogs staring in shock as small mounds of earth pushed the train tracks up and out of alignment. 
Celine shook her head, moving to get closer… when a flash of purple light knocked her off course.
“Beta Celine!” Twilight stammered, practically falling out of her teleportation spell. She glanced around frantically. “Am I too late?”
Almost in answer, the citizens of the Crystal Empire crowded around the alicorn.
“What happened?” and “Is Alpha Shiva okay?” and “Why are the train tracks being destroyed?” swirled around the two royals like a tornado. 
“Every pony,” Twilight tried to yell above the questions. “Sombra is loose! He’s going to try and take the Crystal Empire back!”
Instantly, a third of the ponies shrunk down.
“S-Sombra?!” they whispered, the flashes of pain already becoming clear in their eyes. “He’s back?!”
“LIES!”
The diamond dogs yelped and parted as Kodo and Luke strode forward, covered in dirt from digging. Kodo’s eyes flashed, and the sight sent the remaining ponies scurrying behind their changeling and diamond dog neighbors.
“Twilight,” Kodo seethed, Sombra leaking into his voice. “Come to sway my sister away with more lies and spells?!”
“Kodo,” Celine stammered, shrugging off Scorpia and Twilight when they tried to hold her back. “What’s going on?”
Kodo glanced around at the diamond dogs, all whispering among themselves.
“The ponies have betrayed us!” he declared, a gasp rippling through the canine populace.
“No!” Twilight tried to protest.
“What?!” Celine stammered, but Kodo spoke over her.
“They drew Shiva away with honeyed promises,” Kodo continued. “Then betrayed her in the hopes of manipulating me to be their willing subject.” 
“But…” Celine whispered.
“Never!” Twilight snarled, turning to the crowd. “King Sombra is in your Beta! He’s trying to trick you!”
Kodo grimaced, his eyes flashing again, but he managed to cover it with a laugh. 
“And now they intend to heap the blame on a long dead foe?” he asked. “A foe that their magic slayed?” He looked to Celine appealingly. “What does that say about the so-called ‘kindest race’ of Equestria?” 
“I…” Celine tried to say, but he turned to the diamond dogs. 
“They have always looked on us as inferior. Is it really impossible that they wouldn’t use the same tactics on Sombra against us?!” 
“Sombra, stop it!” Twilight screamed, before switching to Celine. “Celine, please listen to me…”
“Don’t!” Luke snarled, snatching Celine away. “I won’t have another one of my children poisoned by your lies, alicorn!” 
“Wait…” Celine tried to say, but Scorpia stepped forward before she could speak.
Scorpia stepped forward. “Alpha Luke, please…” she tried to say, but Kodo turned to her with a crafty light in his flashing eyes. 
“You have just as much reason to fear, Princess Scorpia,” he said. “You and your entire hive.” He turned to the changelings. “May I ask; have ponies ever gotten over what Chrysalis did to Canterlot?”
The dogs were already growling, but several changelings winced in repressed anger.
“A blatant act of villainy by one that doesn’t stand for all of you,” Kodo noted. “And did the ponies care? Did they ever act like you weren’t part of that?” 
“Will you guys…” Celine tried to interject.
“These ponies do,” Scorpia said firmly. “And we have taken steps to ensure that we are never mistaken for Chrysalis again. Changelings are not the enemy of Equestria.”
“But diamond dogs are,” Kodo pointed out. “They always will be, as long as their most powerful are not under the hoof of Celestia, or one of her council.”
“But Cadence is…” Celine tried to say.
“What? Cadence?!” Twilight asked, before paling. “W-Where is she?”
“She’s just given birth,” Scorpia whispered to her. “Now’s not the time to disturb her.”
But in her moment of comfort, Kodo turned back to the other diamond dogs. Celine started to growl in frustration.  
“Why should we have to struggle to make amends to ponies?” he asked. “We were always better than them. Why share what we could take?” He indicated the crystal Empire. “Why align when this was ours by right?”
“If you’d just let me speak…” Celine growled.
“You don’t get to talk,” Twilight argued with Kodo. “Your mother was the one that saved this empire. It was her decision!”
“A decision you stole from her!” Kodo barked, the dogs barking in agreement.
“Everyone SHUT UP!” Celine barked as Twilight moved to retort, finally getting everyone’s attention. “How is this helping anyone get Mother back.”
“On the contrary, young one,” Luke said. “The only way we’re going to get her back…” he glared at Twilight. “Is if we take her by force.”
Twilight shook her head, but the power of words was fading fast. The diamond dogs were riled up. They were glaring at their pony neighbors, the changelings… and most of all, at the purple alicorn.
Twilight stepped back, before looking to Celine. The poor beta looked utterly overwhelmed. She gave a hopeless look to Luke and Kodo, but both of them were focused on the alicorns. And Kodo was beginning to glow with Sombra’s magic. 
Twilight didn’t know if talk would work on them anymore. She turned sadly to Scorpia.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, before flaring her horn. 
The diamond dogs jumped back, snarling as they prepared for whatever attack she was going for.
But Celine recognized the flare of a teleportation spell. And just before Twilight vanished, Celine jumped forward, snatching her by the withers. 
Then Twilight vanished… with Celine in tow. 
Deep inside Kodo’s mind, Sombra chuckled. “Bad move, princess,” he whispered. 
Indeed, as Kodo whirled on Scorpia, the changeling princess flared her horn. Reason was gone from the young wolf’s mind.
“WHAT DID SHE DO WITH HER!” Kodo yelled, even as he lunged forward, the Crystal city descending into chaos.

#

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Twilight hit the ground with a grunt, Celine following right behind her.
“What the… how?” Twilight stammered, staring at Celine in shock.  
“Kodo and Luke weren’t letting me get a word in,” Celine growled, pulling Twilight up. “But you need to tell me what happened exactly.”  
“That we will, Beta Celine,” Celestia’s voice declared.
Twilight and Celine spun to find Celestia and Luna, almost waiting for them.
“Princesses,” Twilight stammered, falling to a bow. “I tried. But Kodo got there at the same time. A-And he was so angry he…” 
“Calm,” Celestia said, turning to Celine. “What’s important is who came with you.”
“Princess,” Celine said firmly, briefly sinking into a bow. A bow that brought a grin to Celestia’s face until Celine gazed back up at her with determination. “Where is my mother? Who's Sombra? Why was my brother trying to destroy the peace she built with you?” 
Celestia’s grin faded. “Please understand, Beta Celine,” Celestia said, kneeling to Celine’s level. “Your father and brother are being manipulated by King Sombra; a dark unicorn spirit who plagued the Crystal Empire before you were born.” Her head lowered. “We thought that the Crystal Heart destroyed him for good. But he has found refuge in your brother. And he twists your brother’s mind, making him serve his will.” 
Celine gasped, lowering her head. “Poor Kodo,” she whispered.
“Up until now,” Celestia continued. “Your mother’s magic has kept Sombra at bay. But in attempting to rid Kodo of his evil permanently, he overpowered your mother, flung her into another dimension, and has concealed the way back to the dimension that holds her.” She lifted Celine’s hoof. “We will do everything we can to get your mother back. But Sombra must be contained until we do.”
“How?” Celine asked. “I-If he has my brother…”
“Your brother is not Sombra,” Luna said, striding up to Celine’s side. “He still fights within. Sombra has twisted his mind, but we believe that you can bring him out of his madness.” She grinned. “After all, he was willing to burn down Ponyville for you.”
“Part of Ponyville,” Celine corrected sheepishly, but Celestia smiled reassuringly at her.
“I know your family hasn’t trusted me easily,” Celestia admitted. “But I swear to you, on my honor as a princess: help us with your brother, and you will get your family back… and more.” 

#

“We need more,” Sombra’s voice whispered, as Kodo dug his way to Outer Haven. “Bring… more…”
Kodo agreed. Though the diamond dogs had the initial advantage, Scorpia and her changelings had the power of stealth. His father and a few of his strongest fighters were still holding the streets, but they would need far more diamond dogs if they hoped to take the Empire. 
Blasting his link towards his mother’s community, Kodo called upon the denizens that had obeyed her. 
“Hear me, my brothers and sisters of pack,” Kodo called to them. “We are betrayed. My mother has been taken. The ponies seek to make us their slaves. Aid my father and his Iron Wolves. Ensure that the ponies do not put us in cages.”
A howl answered his call. But too few. Far too few. As the diamond dogs evacuated Outer Haven, moving to join the fight, Kodo found himself gazing towards the mountains. 
“Your mother’s pack wasn’t the only diamond dog pack out there,” Sombra mused.
“But they don’t follow her,” Kodo noted. “What makes you think they’ll follow me?”
Sombra’s magic flexed in Kodo’s claws. “They will follow the strong,” he insisted.
Growling, Kodo began to dig his way past Outer Haven, Sombra leading him on.

#

Meanwhile, Shining Armor and his Crystal Guard, despite the lack of trains, managed to follow the destroyed tracks all the way back to the Crystal Empire.
What they saw made Shining Armor stop in his tracks. The city was in chaos. Diamond dogs fought ponies. Changelings fought diamond dogs. Changelings fought ponies. Even changelings fought other changelings.
“What madness is this?!” Skippy demanded, flying past Shining Armor and pulling two changelings apart. “What are you doing?”
“The ponies betrayed the diamond dogs,” one of the changelings spat. “They’ll betray us too.”
“No, they won’t,” his opponent insisted.
“How can we be sure?” the first one demanded. 
Skippy desperately tried to keep them apart. “Captain Armor,” he called, looking for help. 
But Shining Armor charged right past him. His eyes were set on the Crystal Castle. And on a familiar pink alicorn, holding a foal in her aura and staring down at the chaos surrounding the city. 
“Hang on, Cadence,” Shining vowed, using his shield spell to bulldoze his way through the fighters. “I’m coming.”