The Howlite Howler

by JNKing

Chapter 6: Escape from Canterlot

Shiva’s escape nearly ended before it could even start. As she shot down the dungeon halls, she easily left the pink menace and the guards behind. However, she became aware of an approaching aura. Power, unlike anything she had ever sensed before. Not even Luna had felt this strong.

Shiva’s momentum nearly carried her right into whatever was approaching, but she managed to just barely skid to a halt. One of the cells were open and unused. Shiva shot into the unused cell and pressed herself against the wall. Steadying her breathing, she forced herself to remain still as possible.

The aura drew closer. Closer. Shiva could feel her skin prickle under her fur, like when she stood too close to a fire. She clamped her claws over her muzzle, holding back a whimper as voices emanated.

“You don’t need to worry, my dears,” a regal, yet also motherly voice said. “Whatever our guest has done, I’m certain we’ll be able to handle her.”

“She’s just so afraid,” Fluttershy’s voice squeaked. “I don’t want the guards to hurt her.”

“O-Of course not!” Twilight stammered. “After all, she’s an example of magic I’ve never seen before. It makes me wonder if the same concept can be applied to other animals. Can cockatrices be created by fusing chickens and serpents together?”

“It is certainly an intriguing concept,” the regal voice admitted. “But one we will have to wait on until I have the chance to speak with her.”

“Of course, Princess Celestia,” both mares said.

Celestia? Shiva thought.

She trembled as Fluttershy and Twilight sped by the cell, flanking the biggest pony Shiva had ever seen. A sparkling mane resembling the Northern Lights. A glimmering white coat that sparkled with sunlight. Pure gold regalia that hurt Shiva’s eyes to look at. Feathery wings that belonged on an angel. Despite the panicked looks on Fluttershy and Twilight’s faces, this horse had a serene expression, and walked casually down the dungeon hall.

Thankfully, they seemed to be focused on checking whatever noise Shiva had made getting out. And – almost like fate was aiding Shiva – the guards and Pinkie didn’t appear. A brief spurt of concern shot through Shiva – worry that she had severely hurt the ponies – but it was stamped down by her desperate need to stay free.

As Celestia and her fellow mares ran out of sight, Shiva slid out of the cell, and ducked down the nearest corridor, putting as much distance as she could between herself and this sun pony.

No wonder the ponies spoke of Celestia with such reverence, Shiva thought. The power coming off that horse… Shiva held back a gasp. I’m dead if she finds me.

As if to drive the point home, a voice suddenly rang through the air like a megaphone.

“The White Wolf is loose in the castle! I repeat, the White Wolf is loose in the castle. Any citizens evacuate immediately; creature has access to magic and is dangerous!”

The brief elation of freedom in her gut was slowly swallowed by dread. If that sun-horse found her… if the ponies captured her and brought her back to her…

I gotta get out! But… how? she thought morosely. She still had no idea where she was or where she was supposed to go. The dungeons were spread out like a maze. And after ten minutes of hiding in empty cells and sneaking past guards, Shiva burst up a staircase… only to find herself in more extravagant hall with regal paintings and stain glass windows.

Where in the name of everything sacred is the exit?!

Before she could answer that question, the click of a door jarred her back to reality. She raced behind the nearest pillar, but a white unicorn spotted her.

“Every pony!” the unicorn tried to call. “I found her! Coordinates…!”

Before he could give her away, Shiva shot out from her cover. He fired another spell, but Shiva let it graze the side of her hand, absorbing a burst of magic that she promptly fired into the gut of the guard. It wasn’t fatal, but as the guard fell to his haunches, gagging for breath, Shiva knew he wouldn’t recover in time. She leaped forward and pinned him to the ground.

She froze; killing this guard would only make things worse for her. Plus… she saw the fear in his eyes. This wasn’t one of her tormentors. This was a stallion just doing his job; probably more scared of her than she was of him.

“If you want to live,” Shiva growled down at him. “You’ll stay out of my way. Tell the others."

Then she threw him through the door he had left and sprinted towards the nearest corridor.

The castle became a blur. Ponies seemed to pop out of nowhere, but Shiva managed to find ways to avoid them. She shot down two more hallways and twisted into another corridor Barely even bothering with locks, she let the little magic she had left form a barrier and blasted through the nearest door.

She froze in place. Instead of another hallway, she had burst into a bedroom. There was another unicorn there. But his blue eyes were familiar.

Too familiar.

The same blue eyes that had glared down at her in the pit.

“Guard…!” the unicorn tried to scream, but Shiva was faster. Wrapping her claws around his head, she smashed him into the dresser he had been standing in front of, and muffled his shrieks for help.

Her mind was going blank; her vision turning red with anger. Her claws dug into his cheeks, drawing blood. He had been there, smiling smugly down as she ‘learned her place.’ He had let her get tortured. He had nearly let Spike get…

“Your Highness!” a voice cried.

Shiva spun, and her magic activated. A tendril of light wrapped around the noble’s head before she threw him like a yo-yo. He crashed into the unlucky guard that had interrupted them. The guard’s armor did nothing to keep him from getting thrown out of the room. As the noble bounced back into the air, Shiva wrenched the tendril holding the noble by the face, and the link responded, returning him to her grip. His horn desperately tried to flare, but it sputtered as his magic drained into the wolf.

Shrieking, his hoof slammed into her chest, nearly knocking the wind from her. Growling, she let magic blast from the hand holding him, throwing him across the room. As he hit the wall, Shiva leaped onto him and threw him again. Fury was blocking her mind; blotting out rational thought. All she could think of was…

Hurting him… she slowly realized. Like Beast Breaker.

In her moment of doubt, his horn flared, and the dresser threw itself at her. Rolling under the projectile, Shiva lunged back onto the noble and grabbed his horn again. The magic fizzled out.

In the ensuing silence, punctuated only by the noble’s whimpers of fear, Shiva heard the stomping of hooves. Her ears flattened as a burning feeling registered itself in her throat. She had been screaming while she fought this noble. Not even thinking about the attention it would bring.

Shiva had enough time to put herself on the noble’s back, her claws bared at his throat, as a trio of guards stormed in.

“Get back!” she barked. “Don’t test me!”

The guards listened, and halted, though they still paced angrily around her. Shiva pulled her new hostage against a glass window, her claws twitching as they rested against the noble’s white fur.

“Easy boys,” the largest of the guards – an earth pony - muttered. “We need them both alive.”

“Need it alive?!” the noble stammered. “This thing’s a monster. It tried to kill me!”

“You brought it on yourself!” Shiva bellowed in his ear. “You tortured me! You stood by and watched while I was…”

“It’s crazy!” the noble screamed over her. “Shoot it! Take it out!”

"You laughed while I was tortured,” Shiva screamed over him. “You evil, pretentious little…”

“ENOUGH!” the larger guard boomed. Shiva and the noble went silent, though Shiva’s ears flattened as he turned to her. “Just let the prince go, wolf. We can work this out.”

Shiva cackled madly in a vain attempt to hide her fear. “Oh-Oh, this is your Prince?! You take orders from him or something?”

“He should!” the prince hissed. “Especially my order to shoot her now!”

One of the unicorns shifted on his hooves, but the earth pony guard raised a hoof at him.

“Do! NOT!” he barked. He turned back to Shiva, and she could have sworn she saw desperation in his eyes. “Now listen, Miss. You’re already in enough trouble as is, and threatening the life of one of the Princesses’ extended family isn’t going to help.”

“Of course, it’s going to help,” Shiva replied, even as her heart pounded and her eyes darted to the window behind her. Her ears flattened as she noticed winged horses making their way towards the window. She needed to get out fast. She wrenched the prince’s head to the side. “This monster was the reason I had to kill. He’s evil!”

“And we’re willing to listen,” the earth pony said diplomatically. “But only if you surrender peacefully.”

“Oh, no…” Shiva snarled. “No-no-no, you are either listening now, or not at all!”

The earth pony’s sympathetic look started to fade.

“Miss, you do not get to make demands right now,” he said. “You’re surrounded, there’s no way out of this castle that isn’t guarded, and you’ll only make things worse for yourself if you kill him. What choice do you honestly think you have?”

She didn’t want to admit it, but the guard was right. Shiva’s eyes flicked behind her again. The winged horses were getting closer. Any second, and they’d be able to crash through the window and get her.

Unless I go for them first,Shiva thought. Her tail wagged, and she closed her claws over the prince’s throat.

“Any choice is better than none,” she growled, softly enough that the guards had to strain to hear. Then, letting the magic light up her fur like her master’s Christmas trees, she spun and threw herself and her hostage at the window. The light around her fur doubled as a barrier, and she easily shattered the glass, the magic repelling the shards. The prince let out a high-pitched squeal of terror as they plummeted to the ground.

Winged horses shot down towards them, but Shiva’s grip doubled on her hostage, and she opened her claws, glaring warningly at the horses.

They got the message, but gravity was still in effect. They dove and fell alongside her, eyes wide and disbelieving behind some sort of eyewear.

“Are you insane?” one of the horses screamed through the wind.

Shiva let another wild cackle slip through her lips.

“Completely!” she replied. She glanced down at her terrified hostage, aiming her claws at his eyes. “And you made me this way!” she added with a snarl.

The prince barely noticed; he was too busy screaming in fear. His scream rattled her ears and his whipping head forced her to angle her claws away so she didn’t hurt him too prematurely. Thus, she almost missed the familiar cyan blue blur that had come at her after Fluttershy Stared her into submission.

Thankfully, Shiva felt the winds change, and threw the prince away just in time. Something collided hard with her chest, knocking the air from her lungs. The prince managed to catch whatever had rammed her. With him slowing her down, Shiva’s claws slammed into the cyan blur, and she felt wings pumping at an incredible pace before they faltered, magic surging into Shiva and taking away whatever was giving this thing its power.

They began to drop, but for a few seconds, Shiva finally made out what had knocked her out; a small, cyan colored winged horse. Rose-colored eyes gaped up at her in alarm, and an odd mane that managed to somehow catch every color on the spectrum fluttered in the wind. Before Shiva could consider what to do with this rainbow-colored lightning flash, they hit some sort of balcony, sliding across the smooth marble floor. Shiva lost her grip on the rainbow mare, and desperately clawed for a hold on the floor before they hit a banister and broke through, falling through to a courtyard. Shiva curled into a fetal position and let a barrier flare to life around her, bouncing her off the ground.

Shiva landed on her paws, but groans from the side caught her attention. Her blood chilled as she realized the prince and the rainbow mare were both getting up, shaken, but somehow unharmed. Granted, Shiva wasn’t too banged up herself, but she had a barrier. She spotted a barrier of light fading around both of them, and realized with a dull chill that it was linked to tendrils. Tendrils that released them and went back to her.

But before she could ask any questions, or wonder how her magic had done that - and if she should feel relief or horror - she glanced up and saw the pegasi from before diving towards her.

With Luna herself leading them.

Shiva gagged and tried to go back for her hostage. However, the rainbow mare nearly caught her with a kick.

“Nice try, fur ball,” the rainbow mare taunted. “But you’re not killing any more ponies tonight.” She glared back at the prince as he stumbled to his hooves with a moan. “Even if he is a rotten little…”

“Whatever you’re gonna call him,” Shiva growled. “It’s too good for him.”

The rainbow mare’s eyes narrowed, and she pawed the ground in preparation for a fight. But Shiva couldn’t afford to tangle with the pegasus right now. Her fellow pegasi and the dark alicorn were closing in. And while Shiva could absorb power, she didn’t want to push her limits. Not with freedom so close at hand.

Shiva extended another tendril of light, and threw it at the rainbow mare like a grappling line. She easily dodged it.

“Gonna take more than that to hit Rainbow Dash,” she declared triumphantly.

“I know,” Shiva replied.

Confusion briefly appeared on – Rainbow Dash, was it? – before Shiva yanked her tendril. The prince, his neck ensnared in Shiva’s tendril, bowled into Rainbow Dash’s backside, sending her face-first into the marble before Shiva spun and threw the prince over her head. A large swath of winged horses was indeed coming for her, but they scattered like sparrows as the prince was thrown into them.

Not taking the time to savor their shock, Shiva sped towards the courtyard’s exit, descending a staircase that led away from the castle.

Pray we never meet again ‘Prince,’ Shiva thought venomously. The only reason you live is because my Master might be alive. She turned away. And I’m going to get back to her. I’ve got to get back to her.

Yet, even as Shiva left the winged ponies behind as they tended to the prince, she found she wasn’t out of the woods completely. A line of unicorns purposefully advanced up the stairs, a wall of magic shields forming before them. Some of them quivered in fear, but the rest narrowed their eyes in determination as Shiva sped towards them.

“Stand ready,” a white unicorn in purple armor yelled.

Shiva considered slowing down; finding an alternate path. But the pegasi were right behind her, and the stairs were too wide. If she tried to run to the side, they could both close in and trap her.

Then she realized… she had the high ground. The unicorn’s shields were only as tall as them.

Her ears perking, she channeled the magic she got from Rainbow Dash and the prince. She lit her fur up again. The unicorns quivered.

“Stand firm!” the unicorn captain yelled, but even he was backing up in fear.

“OUTTA MY WAY!” Shiva barked, her fur flashing ominously.

Half of the ponies flinched down, screaming in fear. But Shiva took a running leap… and cleared the line of unicorns with a massive jump. The unicorns scrambled, some trying to turn around and the others gaping in shock. But before they could get themselves turned around, the wolf had raced down a hill and onto a massive bridge that led over a river. Once she reached the end of the bridge, she’d be in the town and closer to the rolling green hills she could see beyond.

Unfortunately, she only made it halfway across, when a burst of golden light slammed into the bridge in front of her.

“HALT!”

Shiva skidded to a stop, her chest heaving and her leg muscles pulsing with aches.
Celestia stepped out from the light, her wings flared and clearly blocking her path. Her pink eyes seemed concerned, but they offered little comfort when compared to her imposing size and burning aura.

The stomping of hoof beats sounded behind Shiva, and she spun, drawing her claws on the ponies while keeping one claw aimed at Celestia. Part of her knew it was fruitless. If she wanted, Celestia could just reduce her to ashes with a flick of her horn. And even if she didn’t seem to be in the mood for it, Shiva saw Rainbow Dash, the guards, Luna, even Fluttershy and Twilight all converging behind her. Far, far away, Shiva could faintly see the Prince, glowering at her as medical ponies ushered him back into the castle.

“It’s over,” Celestia said. Shiva glanced back at the sun horse, to see she was drawing closer, forcing Shiva back towards the ponies. “Just surrender peacefully. No more harm will come to you.”

Shiva’s ears flattened. Her tail tucked. Yet despite the signs of fear, she started a strange giggling sob. Her arms quivered. Her head tilted back, and the ponies flinched as her giggle turned into a howling, sobbing laugh.

Shiva wasn’t even sure why she was laughing; all she could feel was fear, rage and disgust. Disgust that this sun-horse – apparently the most powerful of them all – could honestly think she could fool Shiva into thinking no harm would befall her. Fear at what was going to happen to her once these ponies got their hooves on her. And, of course, rage… Bitter, angry rage that these horses, once again, got to decide what to do with her.

Shiva’s arms dropped, and she saw Celestia’s face brighten for the smallest moment. Though her hopeful look faded as Shiva fixed her with a look of utter loathing.

“You’ve given me nothing but harm,” Shiva growled. Then, she clapped her paws together.

Magic burst from her body like a flash bang grenade. Everyone – even Celestia – ducked back, shielding their eyes. And as the magic burst from her body, Shiva threw herself over the edge of the bridge, and let gravity carry her into the water.

The cold liquid stung the scars on her back. Shiva could feel the breath she had taken push at her pressed lips, demanding to be sent out in a hiss of pain. But Shiva didn’t dare lose her breath. She couldn’t afford to resurface yet.
Some of the ponies stared down at the river in horror, locked on where Shiva had landed. Thankfully, the current was strong, and Shiva’s burst of light had blinded them long enough for her to slip away from their recovering eyes. The pegasi weren’t as easy to fool, however, as they flew back and forth over the surface. Shiva forced herself deeper and let the current carry her along.

Her chest began to hurt as the pegasi continued to search. Shiva felt the beginnings of panic. Thoughts clouded her mind of her drowning in this river; her dead body floating to the surface and being dissected by Twilight. It was only barely countered by the thought that they’d probably do the same thing anyway if Shiva resurfaced. Although then, she’d be alive, and capable of feeling the pain.

Shiva got so focused on the flying horses and her own slowly increasing need for air, that she failed to account for the hum of water growing oddly louder in her ears. The current picked up speed. And just as Rainbow Dash stamped the air with a groan of frustration, Shiva felt the water shift downward.

Air – albeit water-clogged air – suddenly surrounded Shiva. She was free-falling; she had been sucked down a waterfall! As the agonizingly small pool loomed below her, Shiva managed a gasp of air, and put herself into a fetal position. Water once again flared up around her, and her body barked painfully against the ground.

But Shiva refused to let her breath go. And through the thin veil of water, Shiva watched as the pony castle slowly drifted away from her.

When she was sure the winged horses were still focused on the castle, Shiva allowed herself to poke her nose up and take a breath. From there, she began paddling, trying to send out as few ripples as possible. The clear water flowed through Shiva’s fur, icy cold. The current tugged her along like a wet version of the leash her master would sometimes put on her. Despite her still feeling some anger at being controlled, Shiva surrendered to the current, and let herself drift downstream.

Don’t worry, Master, Shiva thought. I’m coming for you. If you’re still alive, I’ll find you.
Please. Please be alive.

Author's Note:

And with that, Shiva is out of Canterlot. And poor Celestia never got the chance to talk to her.

For those curious, the bridge Shiva jumped from is the same one Twilight and her friends were knocked from in the MLP movie. Though the river might lead somewhere new this time.

See Here for the scene.

Thanks again for reading. Please leave a comment with any feedback or questions you have, and I'll try to get to them as soon as I can.

Thank you again for your time, and have a wonderful day.

Comments

[DDDDDDDDD23]

well of course she never talked to celestia. All her torturers including luna used celestia as a justification.

[HB_DS2013]

It won't be easy for Shiva. She's currently the subject of a manhunt. How long is this river anyway!?

[JNKing]

10107899
I was meaning for the river to be long enough for her to use it to return back to the forest she woke up in. Granted, she gets out of the river and has to walk on foot (or paw?) for a while, but the river gets her a good deal of the way there.

Out of curiosity, is there a way for her to believably use the river to get back to where she thinks she left Master without running into too much trouble with the ponies? I'm still working on the next chapter, and would really appreciate the advice.

Thank you again for reading.

[HB_DS2013]

10108462 There’s a good chance that the place she landed might not necessarily be the same place. The river flows away from Canterlot, but Shiva still runs the risk of being ferreted out by the local pegasi or Cloudsdale. Based on the official map, there is a considerable distance between Canterlot and the Crystal Mountains. As I understand it, her choices are to go everywhere else but Canterlot and Ponyville.

[JNKing]

10108515
Agreed. While I do have her spend a brief amount of time in the Ever-Free (since that's where she appeared in Equestria and where she thinks her Master is) she for the most part avoids Ponyville and Canterlot.

Thank you again for the feedback. Hope your day's going great.