Expectations
Twilight fled deeper and deeper in the direction that instinct said led to her pack. She knew that if she could not catch up to her wolves soon, they might double-back to find her, wasting precious time and putting them in danger. Instinct did not fail her though, as after only an hour of tracking she came across something that caught her eye.
In the middle of the path there lay a pile of sticks. To the average traveler or woodland creature, it would have appeared to be just a regular pile of fallen branches, but Twilight's sharp eyes and keen nose were not the common ilk of the forest.
That's why she welcomed the sight of the branches beginning to draw themselves together.
"Splintertooth, did everywolf make it?"
He gave a firm nod and pointed off into the trees as they waited for his mouth to reform, once it had, he spoke, "They have taken refuge with the ponies in a cave to the east."
"Very good," Twilight said, turning and beginning towards the cave, "What of the condition of the pack and ponies?"
"The pack is ready to move at your word, but the blue one makes noises of hunger and the striped one is unresponsive." Splintertooth said falling in beside his mistress, mindful to keep a safe distance from her still burning flames.
"Unresponsive? How so?"
"She has folded herself and does not react to us. We initially feared her to have become ill, but when we tried to move her she smacked us with her stick."
"She's meditating. I'll see to her when we arrive." she turned from the wolf to find them to already be at the mouth of the cave. With a nod, she entered, leaving Splintertooth as a lookout.
"Mistress!" Screw Loose yipped as she bounded for her, "Did you beat the scary flying light monster?"
The other wolves who noticed her arrival looked on in eager anticipation.
Twilight shook her head, "No, and she will likely make moves to pursue us soon if she has not already. Time is critical, we have to make it to Canterlot tonight before Celestia can catch up and before she figures out our destination. With any luck we can still make it before dawn."
"Yes mistress!"
"Did we do the right thing?"
Applejack's question hung in the air between the five mares that sat around Fluttershy's table. Each of the mare's untouched cups of tea sent wisps of steam through their distant stares.
The farm mare looked to each of the table's occupants. To her left she could see Rarity staring blankly into her tea. Beside her, Pinkie's deflated mane nearly touched the floor as her head hung downcast. Next to her, Fluttershy's curtain of mane obstructing her face although Applejack could clearly hear faint sniffles every once and a while. Before she could shift to Rainbow, said mare slammed her hooves down on the table.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you convince me that writing Celestia was a good idea! This didn't sit well with me to begin with, and now the royal guard is out there hunting for her like some kind of monster! And do you know the best part? If some ponies wouldn't have broken their promise to not tell and sold out their best friend, we wouldn't even be talking about this!""
"Now wait just an apple buckin' minute! Don't try to pin this on me! You were just as much a part of this as we were! And if I remember, you were the one who drove Twilight off in the first place! Calling her a monster and all that! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even have had to go looking for her in the first place!"
The mare's glared at each other with palpable animosity.
Shoving herself away from the table, Rainbow turned away and broke the silence.
"You know what? You're right!" she said with a vicious laugh "There I said it! It's all my fault! If it weren't for me Twilight wouldn't be out there at all!" she turned revealing tears running down her face, "But you know what? I think she's better off! She may be surrounded by vicious unfeeling monsters, but at least in a pack they're loyal to one another!" the words had hardly reached the other mare's ears before Rainbow had passed the threshold of the home and disappeared into the night.
Applejack attempted to call out in argument, but found the call die in her throat.
She couldn’t argue. Giving it thought, Rainbow’s words rang true. For the good or the bad of it, she now realized that she had been disloyal. Fluttershy had explained how Twilight had made her promise not to let Celestia find out about her condition. Rightfully that vow would have carried over to her as well when Fluttershy had told her. Fluttershy’s confidence, and by extension Twilight’s, had been betrayed when she had brought Celestia into this… and possibly worst of all, she had yet again failed to take Twilight’s fears seriously. It sounded crazy when Fluttershy had told her at the time, but Twilight’s fear of being hunted down if Celestia was told was now word for word accurate.
She had betrayed Twilight and Fluttershy’s trust, re-committed the same act that had let Twilight go crazy with worry and let her trust a changeling over her own friend, and now possibly doomed her friend to an animal’s death, all because she had been so gung-ho about letting Celestia solve her problems for her rather than putting forth the effort to help Twilight herself.
The realization tore at her heart.
She was out the door that Rainbow had blown open before it had even reached its apex.
In the wake of their friend’s outbursts and departures, the remaining mares quietly dismissed themselves, not even making eye contact as they shared strained farewells and headed home to re-evaluate their own roles in the mess that they had helped create.
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Things are looking pretty bleak right around now
I want to see Luna giving Celestia a lecture please make it happen
And then Luna comes and slaps them all straight before fixing Twilight. They then lived happily ever after.
Psyche! That's the wrong ending (no idea)!
yah, a story that makes me hate Celestia.
Go to fuck yourself bitch!
So they are all heading home to sulk... And not going out there to at least TRY to help her...
Maybe she is better off with the pack.
3367551
I have read enough stories like this to have a permanent dislike of Celestia
3365699 Wow! I didn't actually expect to get a response. Thank you for being honest.
You deserve a moustache.
Anywhere else on the internet people who do stuff like that would just ignore me and continue doing it. You have show that you are a good person by seeing your mistake and fixing it, and even better for apologizing. I wish you good luck in finding an alternative method to relesing your frustration.
Also, this definitely shows the diffeeence between FimFiction and YouTube...
Sigh im enjoying how Luna has yet to show up even as they were quote on quote "Nightmare moon's golems" which i guess in part would make them hers.
3368546
I totally did not just dislike your comment for no reason. Nope. Not for any reason. Nu-uh. Nope. Not me. Hey look, a squirrel!!!
images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111230065257/mylittlecreative/images/d/da/Applejack_lie_face.gif
Now that I think about it, this is the first time in a fic (and actually the first time in any video, episode, song, comic, story, etc.) that I've seen Twilight panic about calling Celestia... and guess her reaction correctly.
She was worried Celestia would hunt her... and Celestia is hunting her. Plus, it's even worse, because Celestia is hunting her whole pack. It feels weird to see Twilight's panicing overreaction actually turn out LESS bad than what actually occurs.
3368586 Lol
3368606
Go get the squirrel! Don't look at me, there's the squirrel!
3368615 I have a question about this supposed squirrel. Is it three feet tall with vicious fangs and have a ravenous appetite for Popsicles filled with the blood of its enemies?
I can't wait to how the guards at Canterlot react.
3369603 I actually might have seen a squirrel that fit that description last Thursday...
3369603
Nope. That one is about three clicks west, in the rabid mutants aisle, section 13. You should see it on your left. Have a nice day.
3366715
Things are always darkest before the dawn.
Now, whether or not this story has a dawn remains to be seen.
3371016 The night will last forever! Mwahahaha!!!
3370591 Is it the one next to the hamster looking thing covered in purple spikes oozing a yellow fluid that smells of cotton candy? or is it the one next to the eel that seems to boil the water around it.
I have to disagree vehemently with Applejack's guilt over not adopting Fluttershy's promise. Promises are not actually infectious. Just because Fluttershy promised not to tell Celestia about Twilight being a wolf doesn't obligate Applejack to not tell Celestia when she also finds out that Twilight is a wolf and also learns of Fluttershy's problem. She can blame herself for doing so, I guess, when the feared negative result in fact occurs; but she betrayed no trust.
3371016
Oh that is just cruel and inhumane
3371604
It'd next to the harmless looking rabbit. Watch out though. The rabbit has great big fangs, it'll bite your head off.
3372353 Clarification, if you read back to when Fluttershy made the promise, she promised not to let Celestia find out about Twilight's condition. You could say that none of the others were liable for her promise, but it would still have been told to them in confidence either way, that is what makes it a betrayal of trust, especially for mares obsessed with loyalty and honesty.
3375755 Thing is though, when your promise is doing no good at all, and is actually causing harm, it actually defeats the spirit behind making the promise in the first place.
Personally, I think Rainbow is just shifting the blame here, and considering her behavior in the show, I wouldn't trust her opinion on "loyalty" anyway
3375755 It was exclusively Fluttershy that informed Applejack that Twilight was a wolf? I didn't remember that.
3376528 That's really a matter of principle though. Like is it alright to lie to save someones feelings? There are two opposite, arguably 'righteous' answers.
more pwease
A good read. Short but poignant chapter.
3376841 Who lied? Applejack "broke" a promise that she didn't even make in the first place. They all searched for as long as they could, and by the time they found Twilight, she appeared to have gone feral, so they were kind of out of options as to how to return her to normal
I doubt Applejack was expecting Celestia of all ponies to commit genocide, after all
3368225 I can't say I blame you.
3403097
But then again the Celestia in the shows does many things that can be construed as cruel, arrogant and utterly stupid.
3405841 well, guess you could call sending 6 mares to do your fucking job as cruel
3407715
Sending six unarmed mares with no military training to evict a potentially hostile fire breathing dragon? Giving your student two tickets to the gala when she has five friends? Only inviting them because she knew that they would ruin the party? Sending the same six mares (once again unarmed) to the desolate north to fight off an ancient evil with absolutely no foreknowledge of what they will face? Saddling a timid, borderline paranoid mare with the task of reforming a god?
I don't know what you are talking about (obviously ironic statement).
3409135 You should really check out RealityCheck's "Parting Words." It's based around that exact thought... not to mention it's very well written.
3409135 could be worse. They could have nearly killed a species they knew nothing about simply for doing what comes natural and trying to take care of their people. Oh wait, I forgot about the changelings.
Power to the swarm.
3409135 I Believe You Mean '(Obvious Sarcastic Statement.)'
3448631
No I mean ironic. If you look at the definitions, sarcasm only refers to the pointed and harsh use of verbal irony (which is meaning one thing while saying the opposite)
3448631>>3449581 Nukestar's usage is appropriate.
3449581 My Point Exactly.
just wanted to say love this story hope you write more.
. though wolfs are my favorite animal and the fact that twi is my favorite pony from the main six might be influencing this. but still good story love the dog catcher and the dog pony. funny characters. cant wait to see luna reaction to twi. should be good. i can imagine it now. timber wolfs zercoa Screw Loose and twi come stumble thought the castle with hundreds of guards casting and a princess firing her laser beams.shouting why will you not hold still all i want to do is destroy you be considerate. i promise they you will only feel a moment of pain.
. after something had finally pushed Celestia over the edge and of course having the other main six chasing after her trying to convince her not to hurt her and angel bunny leading the animals behind them demanding to be feed or something along those lines.. think blues brother at the end where they have the coast guard the police and swat all after them. and then the group decades the door the castle throne room as they casually walk up to princess luna and ask for her help. do with it as you will from there. just food for thought. 
3449637 Still Sounds... Odd.
its funny, everyone seems to forget is that the wolves are just as guility of planning genocide as is celestia. (the prophecy of the burning wolf calls for them to kill celestia and eat the rest of the ponies)
celestias genocide attempt does seem rash, especially cause we dont know if she is aware of their plans, and that she nearly killed twi in the process, but at this point, both sides are fighting for survival.
the wolves want to eat the ponies, while celestia is trying to save twi and keep her ponies safe.
3444514
Sorry, bullshit. If "doing what comes natural" includes preying on your people, then you have every right to fight back. Fuck changelings.
3501313
...or just, I don't know, place him under a spell and drain him of his love till he dies or something.
~ waves over a group of changelings and Points to you~ Kill the bastard who dares to speak ill of our kind!
3508164
~claps hands excitedly~ Are those for me? Oh Goody, it's been ages since I had any to play with! Here changelingchangeling, I have a treat for you...
3510374
~Looks around nervously~ Well don't just stand there, kill him and call for reinforcements!
3474839 Be wary of prophesies, young one. They rarely mean what they seem. Note, it never said they would eat ponies.
It went as such
"When the one who burns walks amongst the pack,
The White hunter shall return to her crusade.
Forsake the past.
Defend the den.
Glow embracing essence.
The White Hunter will defeated.
And within her cities shall the woodwolves feast eternal.
Never does it state what[i/] the "woodwolves" shall feast on. Is it so outlandish to imagine that Twilight could negotiate a truce between Equestria and the Timber Wolves, allowing them to live along side, and even among ponies, "feasting" with them, not on them.
Please finish the story I want to know what happens to Twilight.
*speechless*
3518413 If you closely it also doesn't say that "the white hunter will be defeated" it says "the white hunter will defeated" That doesn't really mean anything but you could take it as "the white hunter will be defeated" or "the white hunter's will defeated"