Twilight swallowed nervously as she neared the edge of the forest. Spike sat on her back, alongside a plethora of books and materials.
“Are we sure about this, Twilight?” Spike asked. “Books aren’t exactly the same thing as apples.”
“It’s all we’ve got to offer, Spike,” Twilight replied. “Besides that, Alpha Shiva said she’d accept information. If we can trade her something like this… maybe she’ll reveal more about Princess Star Wing.”
Despite her words, Twilight’s heart still fluttered with nervousness. Though Applejack’s trade with the wolves had worked out very well, there was still so much that could go wrong. Twilight could say the wrong things, or Spike could make a threatening gesture. Part of Twilight wanted to leave Spike behind and just go in alone. But if she did that, what would stop one of the rogue wolves like Kodo from just attacking her.
Twilight shivered on the edge of the forest; almost tempted to run back and hide. However, the thought of disappointing Celestia – her closest friend and mentor – steeled Twilight’s nerves, and she forged into the forest.
It didn’t take long for the wolves to find her. For a moment, their eyes lit up the shadows, and Twilight feared she had come across timber wolves again. But the wolves were quick to show her their fur covered bodies. However, their eyes still narrowed as they spotted Spike on her back.
“Is that a dragon?” asked one of them – Kodo, Twilight remembered with a grimace.
Twilight swallowed. “Yes,” she admitted, grinning half-heartedly at her dragon. “This is Spike. My assistant and friend.”
Spike spared her a brief grin, though his grin died in the wake of the glares the others were shooting him.
“I’m, uh…” Spike coughed. “Guessing you guys didn’t have that good of an experience with us?”
Kodo’s lips pursed. “You could say something like that,” he admitted.
“Look, Spike is different,” Twilight insisted. “I’ve raised him since he was an egg, and I assure you, he’s not mean or cruel or anything else dragons have been to you.”
Kodo exchanged a glance with his fellow wolves, but they just shrugged. Kodo huffed.
“I guess we’ll see,” he noted, stepping out of the way and allowing Twilight to move forward.
Slowly, Kodo led Twilight and Spike to their encampment. Twilight’s eyes widened in awe at the various huts and memorabilia the wolves had built for themselves.
Carefully, Spike slipped off Twilight’s back, though he didn’t stray far from her; especially when Kodo turned back to them.
“I’ll get the Alpha,” he said. “Don’t try anything funny until we get back.” He paused. “And even beyond that. Look, just… don’t try anything funny at all. You understand?”
Twilight nodded before he was even done speaking. “We understand,” she assured him.
Kodo still watched both of them with a narrowed eye before heading off into the village.
As the two waited for Kodo’s return, Spike noticed a smaller wolf pup watching him. Cautiously, he waved at her.
Her ears perking, the young pup crept closer to him. She was followed shortly by a group of more pups.
Twilight stepped back, glancing at the other wolves. But her worry faded as she realized they were smiling. Watching the two newcomers as if curious what they’d do.
Spike shared a glance with Twilight, and she motioned for him to approach. Carefully, Spike took a knee and offered his talon.
The pups crowded around, sniffing at his hand. The leader of the puppy pack giggled up at Spike’s expression, and licked at his talons. She curled her head underneath his claws, encouraging him to rub her ears.
As he obliged with the young pup’s demands, the others grew more insistent, snuffling and butting their soft heads at him for attention. Unable to contend with so many pups, Spike fell over, laughing as the pups began laughing as well, playfully pouncing and tickling the dragon.
Twilight, at first, watched on with worry. But as she realized that the pups genuinely meant no harm, she started to find the whole thing amusing. She began to chuckle as well, noticing a few of the other wolves struggling to contain their laughter.
Then…
“Having fun?” a voice asked.
Adults and pups alike froze. Twilight slowly turned to find Shiva standing next to her, as if the Alpha Wolf had just appeared out of thin air.
“A-Alpha Shiva,” Twilight stammered. “I…” she briefly went for her books before following her gaze to Spike. “T-They approached first, and we didn’t want to seem like we meant any… o-or that is to say…”
“Hush,” Shiva said, resting her paw on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight’s anxiety was soothed with a small grin. “You know the best part about children?” She gazed at the pups, who went right back to playing with Spike. “It’s their innocence. To them, there is no fear of the unknown.” Her eyes grew teary as they shifted to Spike. “And something different would be seen more as a new friend than a potential monster.” Her ears flattened as she looked down. “But of course, sometimes we must instill that fear in them; to ensure they are protected.”
Twilight looked down. “I…” she tried to say.
But before she could find the words, Shiva shook herself. “But… enough of my morose musings,” she said, turning fully to Twilight. “What did you have to share?”
“Oh!” Twilight quickly dove into her saddlebag, bringing out several books. “I-I brought several tomes of magic. Lessons in both friendship and magic that I’ve collected over the course of my studies, both in Canterlot and Ponyville.”
Shiva hummed in intrigue, picking up one of the books and carefully looking over it’s contents. Twilight pressed her hooves together, hoping that she found it suitable.
Shiva glanced at her worried expression with a teasing grin. “Would it be a bad time to mention that reading isn’t exactly a national pastime of ours?” Shiva noted.
Twilight’s hopeful expression crumbled like a shattered mirror. Before she could deflate in horror, Shiva laughed.
“I’m joking, Twilight,” Shiva said.
“Oh, ha,” Twilight let out a breathless laugh. “I… yes, jokes. Like Princess Celestia.” She looked down. “Oh…”
Shiva tilted her head. Settling herself in a casual position, she peered at Twilight with curiosity.
“Tell me,” she asked. “What is Princess Celestia like nowadays?”
Twilight chuckled. “She’s… confident. And kind.” She looked up. “I remember when I first saw her raising the sun. I thought she was the most beautiful mare in the world.”
Shiva hummed, her voice soft. Inviting more. Twilight found herself relaxing.
“In a way,” she admitted. “You remind me of her. You’re willing to listen… you try to make others feel at ease around you. And… you care.”
Shiva’s ear twitched. A brief flash of confusion crossed her face. “Princess Celestia cares? About more than just the nobles?” She noticed Twilight’s look of confusion. “Princess Star Wing spoke about Celestia. She gave the impression that Celestia didn’t care about anyone that didn’t spend all their time praising how great she was.”
“W-No!” Twilight stammered. “No-no-no, she’s not like that at all. Or… at least… she’s not to me.” She looked down. “Then again…”
Shiva blinked, drawing closer. “What is it?”
“I did always get this feeling of… pain from her,” Twilight admitted. “Like something happened long ago, and she doesn’t want it to happen again.” She looked up hopefully. “M-Maybe she’s learned from whoever she was when Princess Star Wing knew her. She changed!”
Shiva hummed in thought. “Time does have a habit of doing that,” she admitted.
#
As Shiva spoke, she glanced back up towards the trees. In the shadows, hidden by timber wolf armor, Star Wing and Celine watched as Twilight poured out her heart about Celestia. Star Chaser and several other thestrals watched as well, their eyes narrowed.
Star shook her head. “That’s not Celestia,” she insisted. “Celestia was a puppet for the nobles. She only cared about what they thought of her.”
“Ponies change,” Celine offered. “Given enough time.”
Star shook her head. “I don’t believe it,” she insisted, turning away. “I can’t believe it.” She spread her wings and took off.
Celine looked to her mother, who watched with a grimace.
“A-Alpha Shiva?” Twilight asked, drawing the Lupa back.
“Oh, apologies, Twilight,” Shiva said, settling herself again. “Please continue.”
As Twilight hesitantly continued to tell her about Celestia, Celine took off after her surrogate sister.
Celine found Star pacing in a small clearing. Her horn was shimmering, and several knives spun around her.
“Star?” Celine asked.
Star took a deep breath, and turned to Celine with a grin. “What’s up, sis?” she asked in a chipper tone.
Celine watched her knives warily. “Look, I know… that Celestia didn’t treat you right, but..."
THUNK!
Celine jumped as one of the knives suddenly spun, lodging all the way up to the hilt in the trunk of a tree.
“But, she has Mother,” Star replied, her voice somehow still casual. “And it’s probably not a good idea to challenge her, right?”
THUNK! Another blade cut into the tree, the magic aura not leaving it, and instead dragging the knife down, cutting a deep gouge into the bark. Celine watched the knife progress with a fluttering heart.
“Probably not,” Celine admitted. She sighed. “Star, you always had hope that you could be a hero.”
“Yes,” Wing agreed, even as another knife flew towards the tree. THUNK! “A hero to the right people. People like you.”
Star’s look of anger faded as she crossed over to Celine. “You, Alpha Shiva, even Kodo. You showed me that happy endings do exist. That dreams can come true… that someone can become a hero.” She pressed her hoof into Celine’s chest. “You are the ones I want to protect.”
She turned away, gripping the knives she had gouged into the trunk. “And Celestia?” THUNK! She stabbed the trunk, making Celine jump and back up. “She stood by as the nobles did what they wanted.” THUNK! “Threw me in a cell for crying!” THUNK! “Crying!” THUNK! “Do you really…” THUNK! “Think…” THUNK! “A pony…” THUNK! “Like that…” THUNK! “Can be…” THUNK! “REDEEMED!?”
THUNK-CRASH!
Star and Celine jumped back in shock as Star Wing’s stabbings cut through the entire tree, and the trunk crashed to the ground.
“Oops,” she mumbled, putting her hooves to her mouth as Celine sighed.
“I’m sorry, Star,” she whispered.
But Star shut her eyes. “This isn’t your fault, Celine,” she insisted, turning back to her. “You and the others were there for me. You never have anything to apologize to me for.” She looked back towards the forest. “A-And I know that I should appreciate those who want forgiveness… for a time, forgiveness was all I wanted.” She looked down as a crashing sound emanated. “But what did I even want to be forgiven for? What did we do to deserve this in the first place?”
Celine had no answer. And before she could formulate one, Shiva burst out into the clearing.
“Star?” she demanded, racing to Star’s side and taking in the stabbed trunk. “Star…”
She touched Star’s shoulder, and the alicorn slumped to the ground.
“I don’t know what to do, Alpha,” Star whispered, struggling to hold back tears. “I want to believe in Twilight. I want to believe she’s telling the truth, but…” She clutched at her heart as she choked on her sobs. “How can Celestia be any of that now?” She looked up. “Why couldn’t she be like that when Mom and I were around?”
Shiva’s eyes softened, and she wrapped Star up in a hug. “As horrible as it may sound,” Shiva offered. “Maybe you and Luna were the wakeup call Celestia needed; the push to show her that what she was doing was wrong.”
Star clung to Shiva like a security blanket. “How do we know?” she whispered. “How do we know Twilight isn’t indoctrinated? How do we know my Mom isn’t in a cell right now?”
“Sh,” Shiva hushed, holding Star against her chest as the alicorn sobbed. “There is one way. It’s risky, but it may just be worth it.”
“Alpha?” Celine asked.
Shiva looked up. “We’re going to leave the safety of the forest,” Shiva decided. “We’re going to let the ponies of this town, at the very least, know that we’re alive.” She made Star look up at her. “And after that, we’re going to Canterlot, and we’re going to find your mother.”