//------------------------------//
// Past and Present 
// Story: Canine Complications 
// by Wages of Sin 
//------------------------------//

"Must have been the wind then." Applejack replied, quickly wanting to return to the topic at hoof, "Now princess, I don't want you to think I'm not believin' ya, but I really don't know if this is a good idea." 

Everypony looked to the farm mare with confusion, but hope as she continued, "I mean, maybe there's something to all this we're not seeing! When the ursa attacked, it was because those foals were taunting it. When the manticore attacked, it was because it had an injured paw. I'm not even too sore with the hydra, seein' as we were making a racket near his home and all..." she took a breath, "All I'm saying is, with every other animal there's been a reason. Maybe there's something we did that provoked them, and we can solve this without violence."

Fluttershy raised a hoof just far enough to catch attention, "I'm for non-violence," quickly adding a quiet "-If that's alright..."

Everypony else joined in, supporting peace. Everypony except Celestia.

"I'm sorry my little ponies..." she heaved a pensive sigh, steeling herself, “but that is not the case with these creatures... They cannot be reasoned with... Because they are not animals. They are monsters."

There was silence until It was broken "...Whada’ya mean by 'monsters' princess?" Applejack asked slowly.

"I mean, My Little Ponies, that they are not 'animals' at all. They do not have reason or thought, they operate purely on instinct; that's how magical constructs work. They exist only to fulfill the instinct given to them by their creator.

...And in the case of Timberwolves, that creator was Nightmare Moon." 

Celestia heaved a heavy sigh as the gathered mares looked to her in confusion and shock.

"What I say now, I request that you never speak about to anypony... I- This-" The normally unflappable ruler struggled a moment in an uncharistic loss for words.

"...There is a reason I removed her and her actions from history..." her words barely rose above a whisper but her next words were almost inaudible “...I had to... The effects of her actions still haunt Equestria to this day... If the ponies knew..."

"Princess..." Fluttershy edged up to the princess, offering some comfort to the distraught alicorn.

Celestia noticeably calmed at the touch, building the strength to continue. 

"When my sister changed into Nightmare Moon, she didn't hold back at all. The nightmare used all of her power against us, including the formation of an army. While there were some ponies sympathetic to her cause, there were much too few to actually construct an army, so she did what she could, summoning the Celestial beasts and droves of golems."

"Are you saying that the giant bear that attacked Ponyville was made by Nightmare Moon?" 

"...Yes and no, they already existed, but she is responsible for pulling them from Luna's night sky. We have Luna to thank for why they are for the most part, peaceful. They were already 'alive' making them more like animals than Nightmare's desired soldiers, which is why after some initial chaos, she lost control of them and they all sought refuge in the Everfree." She shook her head, "...but I'm getting off track. The important things now are her golems."

"Her golem armies were grand. In their height they consisted of tens of thousands of clay-pony golems, hundreds of stone minotaurs, even a few dozen dragons of pure volcanic fire, but of all her various beasts of all shapes and forms, her most terrible were the wolves of wood." 

"It was near the end of the war when the Nightmare was driven back into in the same forest in which her Celestial Beasts had escaped that wood wolves were first encountered."

"I sent scouts to pursue, but when none returned, I went myself only to find those monsters tearing what remained of them to pieces. It was then that I decided the risk had become too great for anypony else to follow.

I abandoned my armies, and gambled upon using the elements once again. Finding high-priced success, I sealed her in the moon. At the time I was so distraught by guilt and the loss of my dear Luna, that I simply withdrew hoping the Everfree would devour any lingering traces of her magic.

...but now I see I should have swept up the remains myself, for it appears that some of her golems have not only survived, but flourished.

Fear not though, for they are not long for this world."





Following Zecora, the pack almost immediately came to a small clearing in the Everfree where it appeared there had been a small forest fire. While the area was barren of trees, the undergrowth had flourished. Flowers of all colors and varieties seemed to coat every available inch of exposed ground.

A quick scan revealed a welcome lack of a certain blue bud, but every other delicacy of the pony palate seemed to be blossoming in the zone of destruction. 

"Zecora, what is this place?" Twilight asked in awe.

"A bolt of lightning, here once struck,
And from that day weeds ran amuck, 
But with a little help of fertilizing,
It became a lot more appetizing.
And whenever I need an ingredient, 
I find coming here much more expedient."

"Is this the 'small patch of flowers' you were talking about Bark Back? ...Uh, Bark Back? Is there something wro-"

"Oh no..."

In her fear of poison joke, and subsequent awe of the idyllic sight, Twilight had made a quick scan of the entire patch. A patch that was much too large to light with a simple illumination spell. A patch that should have still been shrouded in the darkness of night. 

It was an easy oversight really, as her night vision had been so improved by her predator’s eyes, she hadn't expected to need an illumination spell, and true enough, she hadn't.

...but even the best night vision does not allow for low-light color perception, as her advanced knowledge of specialized photoreceptors made her well aware. She could have noticed it through logic, she should have noticed it through instinct, but now it was just too obvious to ignore.

The sun had risen.

...four hours early.

Or at least it appeared to have. Upon closer inspection, it was not a circle of blinding light, but a singularity, a pinprick of the unmistakable light of the sun.

Zecora would later recall also noticing that there was a pony also approaching by air, apparently attached to the blinding light, but just by the light Twilight had seen all she needed to.

It was Celestia. 

Casting a spell.

"RUN!" Twilight shouted at the loose formation, routing those who had already seen the light, and alerting those who hadn't.

It was a moment before Twilight realized her mistake; the wolves were able to make it to the far tree line, but the smaller pony, zebra and herself were not as fast. In her haste to get them to safety, she had done the opposite, removing the only thing keeping Celestia from holding back.

"NO!"

Celestia released her spell which flew brilliantly towards the fleeing wolves.

I'm not going to make it!

Twilight sprinted with all her might towards inevitable impact, the blazing spell illuminating the tree line, revealing her worst fear. 

Just behind where the shadows of the trees would hide them the pack had waited for her. She saw the hunters hunched to pounce hiding just behind cover, while half dozen little wolves peaked through the bushes behind their protectors, but it was all for not.

No!

She ran faster, pushing herself to the not insignificant limits of her enhanced form, but she could see that the spell was still going to reach its destination before her. It was already hopelessly too close to cast a proper barrier.

NO NO NO!

She leapt, pushing herself, both with her powerful legs and with a burst of telekinetic magic, blasting herself up into the air.

"Mistress!" she could hear somewolf shout.

And then it hit.

Twilight's jump took her up above the tree line, high enough and fast enough to reach her target.

The pony and Zebra not too far off, the pack below, and even the alicorn above all let out a cry as Twilight was engulfed in the fiery blast.

"NO!"