Survival of the Wolves

by JNKing

Chapter 23: Being a Hero

For a moment, Star fought in her bindings, the forest going quiet save for her struggles.

Alpha, please don’t do this! Star tried to whisper through some sort of magic. But the binding around her horn was made of a special magic reducing material, and Star’s horn didn’t even spark.

As her alicorn strength failed against Shiva’s bonds, Star’s mind began to fill with dark thoughts: Maybe Shiva’s right. Starswirl was always one to listen to the nobles more than anyone else. Maybe she can save Stygian. Maybe this is for the best.

But then Star thought of Twilight. The Mane Six. Uncle Flash. All of them wouldn’t just sit by and let Shiva try to help. They were completely convinced that Stygian had to be stopped.

Star screamed through her muzzled snout as best she could, bouncing in her bindings as she struggled to pull them loose. But right as she ran out of breath… she heard the snap of twigs and the crash of something breaking through the foliage.

Star’s heart pattered. Had her noise drawn help? Or had it only drawn enemies? Wolf guards ready to throw her in another cell perhaps? Or even wild timber wolves, taking advantage of Shiva’s absence and looking for a snack.

Thankfully, Star got her answer soon when the maker of noise broke through. It wasn’t a timber wolf. It wasn’t even a wolf.

It was her thestral cousin Star Chaser.

“Wing!” Chaser yelped, racing over to her. “What happened?” He slashed away the binding holding her to the tree, and pulled off her gag. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Long story,” Star stammered. “Short version; Pillars are back, they’re about to make a mistake with a supposed villain, and Shiva’s about to make a bigger mistake with said villain. We gotta stop them both!”

Chaser blinked in shock, before shaking off his disbelief. He let out a hiss, and several thestrals appeared in the trees above them. “Whatever’s happening,” he promised. “The thestrals stand behind their princess.”

Wing smiled, hugging her cousin. “Oh, if we weren’t cousins, I’d kiss you,” she whispered happily.

However, as they turned to leave, a magic spell blocked their path. The thestrals jumped back, finding Celine with a hesitant but determined look before them.

“Don’t do this, guys,” Celine warned. “Mom’s only trying to do the right thing.”

“I know she has good intentions,” Star insisted. “But if the ponies try to stop her…?”

“What exactly is going on,” Chaser asked, stepping between the two.

Celine sighed. “How much do you remember about Stygian?” she asked. “The seventh Pillar of Equestria?”

The thestrals stared blankly at Celine. Star sighed.

“Figured,” she grumbled, looking at Chaser. “Okay, I know you guys don’t know, but the nobles wrote Stygian out of the stories; he wasn’t as flashy or cool as the other Pillars, so he got forgotten.”

“Which goes against pack law,” Celine pointed out. “No member of the pack should get greater glory than their fellows. Stygian tried to get their attention by taking different artifacts from them…”

“And they cast him out,” Star agreed. “So, he found refuge in the same darkness that turned my mom into Nightmare Moon…”

“Creating the Pony of Shadows,” Celine finished.

Chaser blinked, processing the information. “Oh… kay?” he mumbled. “And we’re… fighting the Pony of Shadows?”

“That’s the thing,” Celine cut in. “Twilight and the Pillars just want to send him back to limbo. But he’s not evil. At least not all the way; he’s just a bitter, lonely unicorn that just wanted to be recognized.”

“It’s just like when Nightmare Moon took over my mother,” Star agreed.

“Exactly!” Celine said with a grin that slowly faded. “So… why are we about to fight? Just leave Shiva to handle him; she managed to make peace with the ponies, surely she can make peace with him.”

“Because the Pillars aren’t going to stand by and let her!” Star said, looking worriedly at Ponyville. “They could be on their way to Hollow Shades right now! And even if Shiva forgave the ponies for their actions… she hasn’t forgiven Starswirl!”

Celine snorted, her normally kind face getting a streak of anger in it. “And why should she?” Celine growled. “That evil stallion killed my father. Killed almost our entire pack.”

“Not to mention he stood by and did nothing while we were nearly starved by the nobles,” Chaser’s right hand mare grumbled darkly.

Star looked between them desperately. “So you’re willing to stand by as Kodo and the other wolves kill him?” she asked. “Flash Magnus and Twilight won’t stand by and let them. They’ll be hurt too!” She looked at Celine. “Celine, I can’t even imagine the pain you and your pack went through. And I won’t deny that Starswirl deserves some form of punishment or something to make him realize he’s wrong! But Flash and Twilight aren’t your enemies! And Kodo won’t care; he’ll hurt them to hurt Starswirl and I can’t stand by and let that happen!”

“Kodo won’t do that!” Celine insisted, even as doubt creeped into her voice. “He’ll... He’ll find a way to keep Twilight and the others from getting harmed. Starswirl’s the only one that deserves our wrath.”

“The nobles were the ones that deserved our wrath as well,” Star insisted. “And yet you never saw them, did you? They always hid; behind soldiers, behind miles of enemy territory…” She narrowed her eyes. “Who says Starswirl is any better? Why wouldn’t he hide behind Flash and Twilight, ensuring that Kodo had to rip through them first to get to him?”

Celine’s eyes widened in horror, and even the thestrals looked at each other with worry. Celine looked down, pain streaking her face.

“Why did it have to be like this?” she whimpered. “This was supposed to be Equestria; the land of friendship and harmony. Why must it be full of so much reckless hate?”

Star smiled sadly, walking over and touching Celine’s shoulder. “Because then heroes like us would be out of a job,” she offered with a small chuckle.

Celine let a low bark of laughter escape her, her head nuzzling into Star’s side. The alicorn princess hugged her surrogate sister, leaning her head against her shoulder.

“Please,” Star whispered. “Just let me help. Let me be the hero I promised I’d be.”

Celine didn’t speak at first. Her claws tightened around Star’s midsection. Just before Star could worry that Celine was going to try and stop her - maybe pin her wings or hit her with some spell - her fur glowed… and they teleported.

###

Unfortunately, they were too late.

Hollow Shades had been reduced to a battle ground. The Pillars of Equestria and the Mane Six were locked in combat with the Wolves of Equestria. Several pterolycus engaged with Flash and Rainbow Dash, keeping them out of the sky. Fluttershy and a fenrir sat side by side, talking out their problems with each other. Rock Hoof and Applejack struggled with several stronger fenrirs, both trying to overpower the others. Rarity, Somnabula, Mistmane and Meadowbrook rapidly lost ground against a group of wargs, who were pushing them back. But Twilight Sparkle was screaming out as she futilely bashed against a magic barrier, keeping her, Starlight, Sunburst and Spike back from Starswirl, who was getting beaten into the ground.

Star Wing flinched; even though Starswirl had been a grump and a rude jerk, it still hurt to see him in such a state: his hat was gone, his beard had been ripped out in chunks. He was squealing in a high pitched voice as Kodo tortured him, and even though Star didn’t want to know why, she noticed his bloodied loins, and got a very good impression of what Kodo had done to him.

“How does it feel, huh?” Even on a battlefield, Kodo’s voice roared out as he pummeled the old wizard into the ground. “HOW DOES IT FEEL, YOU STUPID OLD STALLION!? This is for my Dad! This is for Caesar! This is for Brown Eye! This is for Brutus!” Name after name crossed Kodo’s lips as he beat Starswirl, carving his gray fur into red, and eliciting wail after agonized wail.

“STOP! PLEASE!” Twilight shrieked, tears flowing from her eyes she was forced to watch her role model get brutalized.

Celine gagged at her brother’s violence. “W-Where’s Mother?” she whimpered.

Star glared up at a pathway the wolves were fighting to defend. Dark magic smoke bubbled out from over the ridge, and lightning flashed, fighting against the storm.

“I’ve got an idea,” Star grumbled, turning to Chaser and Celine. “You guys break this up. I gotta find Shiva.”

Chaser and Celine exchanged a nod. And as they led the thestrals into battle, Star spread her wings and took off over the field.

Several pterolycus moved to halt her, but Star tucked into a cannonball, her time maneuvering the trees easily allowing her to outmaneuver her former packmates.

As thestrals jumped the pterolycus, forcing them to the ground, Star flew unabated to the Well of Shade. She found Shiva there.

The white wolf was on her knees. Her tongue lolled as she panted in exertion. A light chain connected her to the Pony of Shadows, who grinned down at her as her light slowly faded into darkness.

“Yes….” The Pony of Shadows hissed. “Give into your rage. Let your hate flow.”

Shiva looked up… and Star shivered at her eyes. They had gone black. The beam of light was rapidly fading into a beam of shadow. And worse… Shiva was changing. Her once pristine white fur was rapidly turning a shade of shadow black. Her claws grew jagged and cruel. And her expression of pain was rapidly fading into an expression of rage.

Star shot forward. Shiva was losing the battle. She needed help!

“ALPHA!” Star screamed.

“Huh?” Shiva gasped, her eyes briefly returning to brown as she turned. “S-Star?”

“I’m coming to help you!” she promised. “I’m pack; I’ve always got your back!”

With those words, Star cannoned into the Pony of Shadows… and darkness overtook her.

###

For a moment, Star wandered through the shadows. Her star-like spots glowed, the only bit of illumination she had. But soon, she saw another light. Fading though it was.

The light of Shiva’s fur, rapidly dimming as she rested her claw on the shoulder of a frail looking unicorn. A drab shawl covered his gray coat, and his dark blue tail was tucked as he rested his head against Shiva’s chest.

Shiva lowered her head, not even noticing Star.

“Alpha?” she asked, before looking at the pony in her arms. “S-Stygian?”

Stygian gazed sadly up at the young alicorn. “Princess Star Wing?” he mused. “I’m surprised you remember me.” He smiled faintly. “I wasn’t invited to your birth. I guess the others just… forgot about me.”

Star winced. “What happened to you?” she asked. “This wasn’t who you were.”

“They made him this way,” Shiva said darkly. She looked up, her eyes a darker shade of brown than they were usually. “All he wanted was the respect he was owed. He protected his friends through knowledge; came up with the strategies that beat the Sirens, Tirek… But because he couldn’t shatter rocks with a single blow, or make magic do stuff it had never done before… he was apparently beneath notice.”

Stygian nodded, looking up gratefully at Shiva’s support. “So, I went to Ponhenge…” he said. “To make my own copies of the artifacts that powered my supposed friends. With them, I thought I could be a Pillar too, and stand by their side in battle.”

Shiva brushed his mane. “But instead of sharing and letting him help,” Shiva growled. “They threw him out.” Her eyes turned even darker, the blackness almost becoming one with the shadows around them. “He was their pack mate, and they abandoned him!”

The darkness bound around them both, Star stepping back in horror.

“So I became stronger than any of them,” Stygian growled, the voice of the Pony of Shadows seeping in. “The darkness welcomed me when no pony would, and I will do what I must to protect it.”

“Shiva…” Star stammered, but Shiva was bound in darkness as well.

“The wolf understands,” the Pony of Shadows said gleefully through Shiva’s voice, forcing Stygian to run a hoof under her chin. “So long, she has held onto her feelings of hatred. Her guilt at losing so many of her pack. Yes, she managed to stamp down her hatred for the sake of peace. For the sake of those who hadn’t done her harm. But why should she hold back now? Why should she keep this anger inside any longer, when the very architect to her suffering stands alive and tall, remorseless and uncaring for the many lives he has taken from her? Standing supported by those she once trusted?”

“Because he’s not the only one you’d be hurting!” Star insisted. She reached out and took Stygian and Shiva’s hooves. “Please! Both of you! Think of Fluttershy. Flash Magnus. Spike and Sunburst and Flurry Heart and all the other good ponies. They have done nothing but try to be your friends; to care for and love you. If Flash had known how you felt, Stygian, I know he wouldn’t have turned his back on you! Alpha, I know he would’ve stopped Starswirl if he could have!”

Shiva and Stygian gazed up in sorrow at Star’s words, but the Pony of Shadows rumbled in laughter above them.

“Ah, but I see now,” he mused. “You’re Princess Luna’s daughter. Her Beloved Star Wing.”

Star nearly let go of her friends in shock. “Y-You know me?” she whispered.

“Yes,” The Pony of Shadows oozed, his smile like a crocodile. “All those years I tempted your mother, and she would always pull back from the brink… for you. You filled her head with stories of redemption and acceptance. You actually gave her hope that she could be loved.” He grinned cruelly. “Then the nobles took you from her, and I was finally able to convince her to give in to the darkness. Not for hatred of her sister. Not for envy of the pony’s love. No. It was for you. She turned to protect you.”

Star trembled, caught completely off guard, as the dark tendrils began to wrap around the hooves she had grabbed Stygian and Shiva with.

“How does it feel?” the Pony of Shadows taunted. “You are the reason Luna became Nightmare Moon. You are the reason she was banished. Had you actually been loyal to your mother, you would have brought about Eternal Night.” The face of Lord Ego appeared before her, his horrible grin stretched wide across his face. “The nobles were right to fear you all along.”

“No…” Star lowered her head, as the Pony of Shadows laughed, his darkness oozing easily across Star’s forlegs, extinguishing the star-like spots along her body.

“Your body is just as good a host as your mother’s was,” the Pony noted. “Come. Join me. Accept your fate. You will never be accepted by the village. So burn it down; burn it down and finally feel its warmth.”

“STAR!” a voice cried.

Star looked up with a gasp, as behind them, Twilight and Starlight appeared. Star’s eyes narrowed in determination.

“You’re wrong,” Star growled, her hooves doubling up with magic strength, seizing Stygian and Shiva with renewed strength. “I was accepted. I’m a hero! And…”

The Pony of Shadows gasped as her stars began to ignite again. And suddenly… she burst into song, ripping Shiva and Stygian away from his clutches.

I will FIGHT!

She looked back at Twilight and Starlight.

For you no matter how I am despised!

She flew away from the Pony of Shadows, dodging his shadow bolts as he tried to grab her or Stygian or Shiva.

Portrayed as cruel and heartless

I am Might.

She reflected a shadow spell.

I am Power

I’m Due Process

I will smite!

She carved through the Pony of Shadows, eliciting a roar of rage.

Our enemies destroy

Courage I’ll deploy

No chance that I won’t take

My oath to you I won’t forsake

She raced for Twilight and Starlight.

Hope’s not gone

Just hold on!

She threw Stygian and Shiva to Starlight and Twilight, just as the Pony of Shadows caught her. Yet her song didn’t stop.

Take their hooves

I’m here to protect you

Nothing will stop me

She flared her wings out, wincing as the pony of shadows’ stabbed her with shadow spears meant for the group. Her blood ran red against the black, but Star still stood tall, even as she was dragged into darkness.

Understand

There is no sacrifice

That I won’t make

I’ll risk it all to keep you safe

Twilight, Shiva and Starlight tried to reach out for her, but Star forced them back with a flap of her wings, producing a shockwave that threw them for the exit as Star was pulled into shadow.

Trust me to be strong!

I’ll be your hero

Just hold on!

But with that final ‘hold on,’ Twilight, Starlight, Shiva and Stygian tumbled out into the Well of Shades, and Star's song was cut off. Shiva looked up in shock.

The Pillars of Equestria, the Mane Six and even Celine and several wolves stood together, blasting the Pony of Shadows back into Limbo.

“W-Wait!” Shiva cried out. “Star’s still in there!”

“Star?!” Flash stammered, his magic with Rainbow Dash faltering. “WE HAVE TO HELP HER!”

Twilight heard a groan as another stallion limped up next to her. Starswirl, bloodied but unbroken, flared his chipped and cracked horn.

“Then let us help her,” he said through his pain.

Nodding, Twilight stood next to him, as did Shiva and several blasts arced towards the Pony of Shadows. The Pony tanked them all with a laugh… only for his laugh to become pained.

“W-What?!” he demanded, looking down. “N-No!”

A light appeared in his chest, dissolving his essence as he screamed in agony.

“H-How!?” He roared. “After all the abuse you suffered! All the pain and strife! Shiva fell to her hate. Why not you?!”

Flash and Rainbow Dash directed their magic to the center of the light. Star Wing became visible, her star-like spots shining bright, and a confident smile on her face.

“I have no time for hate,” Star replied. “Being a hero isn’t about beating someone, or hating someone or even blaming someone. It’s not because it’s fun and Faust knows it’s not because it’s easy. It’s not even because it works, because it’s never going to work for long.”

“Star?” Twilight called out in concern, as they all tried to fight against the growing darkness.

“Being a hero,” Star continued. “Is about doing what we do because it’s right.” The light strengthened. “Because it’s decent! And above all… it’s kind.” She smiled at Fluttershy. “Just kind.” She smiled down at them. “If I abandon these ponies today, many of them will die. If I stand, they’ll live a while longer. Maybe not for very long,” she grimaced at Starswirl’s injuries. “And maybe it won’t even have an impact on how the world works. But it’s the best I can do, so I’m going to do it. And I will stand here doing it until it kills me! That is my VOW!”

She seized the magic ropes, and lit up like a tree on Hearth’s Warming Eve. The Pony of Shadows wailed in agony as the light tore him apart from the inside. And with a final flash of light, the remnants of the Pony of Shadows vanished into the portal to limbo. The portal shut with a rainbow-styled explosion. And when Star dropped into Shiva and Twilight’s hooves, she looked up to Stygian with a smile. A smile that the unicorn gratefully returned.

Comments

[Darksoul85]

What a amazing chapter

[Loganic]

And now we slap Starswirl.

[Matthais Unidostres]

11128082
He already got his genitals ripped out. I'd say he's finally been pubished appropriately.

[Alex80]

Its perfect 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[The_Chill_Author]

11128548
Fair enough, but I still want to talk to him :)