Canine Complications

Fear

"Fluttershy!" Twilight called to her friend's cottage, "Are you home?"

Light inside the home was enough of an indication of life that Twilight continued up to the door.

"Fluttershy? Are you-" as she went to knock at the door with her paw, she realized that the door was slightly ajar.

It would make sense that this could be a slip that the timid pegasus would make if she had come home late and not wanted to disturb her animals, but Twilight was intimately aware that Fluttershy always made sure to lock her doors when home alone, if not for herself, then to keep the nasties of the Everfree away from the morsels that also called her house home.

Guests Twilight assumed. The ever-so faint voices coming from the small crack confirmed her suspicions as she tried to peek inside.

Screw Loose came up beside her mistress as she widened the crack in an attempt to see who was with her timid friend so late at night.

The now improved view of the front room showed many sleeping animals, but no ponies. Further inside the home the voices continued their conversation.

Still unable to hear the conversation or pick out the voices too well, Twilight opened the door and quietly entered the home.

"...and now this has happened. I was afraid my complacency would come back to haunt me." an all too familiar voice replied pensively, "I should have ended this long ago when I had the chance..."

No, it couldn't be...

"What do ya mean Princess?" a familiar drawl asked.

Applejack too? What is this?

"I mean, my little pony, that this is my responsibility and I will do whatever is needed to ensure the safety of my subjects."

"...um... But what are you going to do? I'm sure Twilight didn't mean to... Or at least... She didn't want to..."

"Do not worry dear Fluttershy, I know Twilight is no longer aware of her own actions. I will merely detain her so she may be returned to normal."

"But then what are we going to do about the timber wolves?"

"I will rid us of them as I should have long ago. Do not worry about any of them escaping, I shall strike at night, when most should be clustered together, and I will have the guard defend the borders of the forest as I clear it out. I will also make sure the Ponyville border is especially reinforced in case they try to retaliate."

In the silence that followed Twilight processed and re-processed what she had heard.

They plan to-

A brash voice broke the silence, "I want to help too! I'll break those piles of sticks up so fast that they won't know what hit them!"

"No Rainbow Dash, I will do this alone. Physical force cannot destroy them, they can only be killed by removing the magic that keeps them animated, something I alone will do."

So engulfed by the heavy topics discussed a room away, Twilight had forgotten about her original reason for coming, and the lapse suddenly decided to make itself known.

*Gurgle~*

"Sorry mistress!" Screw loose whispered through the darkness, but it was already too late.

"What was that?" Rainbow asked suspiciously.

"Oh do calm down dear, it's only one of Fluttershy's animals!" Rarity replied.

"Um, no it wasn't..." Fluttershy interjected, "I made sure to feed them all extra so they wouldn't bother us for a midnight snack... And also that was too big to be any of my little critters..."

If Twilight had not bolted the moment Rainbow had become suspicious, she would have been showered in splinters as Rainbow burst through the kitchen door with enough force to tear it off its hinges.

Twilight had cleared the structure and made it to the tree line, and Screw loose was not far behind as they heard a crack of Thunder form inside the house.

"Mistress?" Screw loose asked, "What were they talking about?"

No response came from the leader, as she continued to run ahead, fear and determination on her features.

By the time Screw Loose had made it to the den, Twilight had been out of sight for a while, so when she came in, she was not surprised to find the den all awoken and her mistress taking charge of the situation.

"What are we going to do?" asked a younger hunter.

Twilight stood firm, but did not answer. From the short time Screw Loose had been with her mistress, she knew that she was wearing the face of intense thought.

"We're..." she started, a struggle appearing in her features, "We're going to..."

She was silent for a moment before her troubled expression broke into one of hopelessness, "...I don't know..."

"Mistress!" Screw Loose ran up to comfort her, "What's wrong?"

"I just don't know what to do! I gave that prophesy a lot of thought, and although you showed up before I had sorted out all the details, I could tell was that I was supposed to fight this "White Hunter" individual... But I..." she fell silent for a moment, "I don't know... I thought I'd... I'd have more time to prepare! I thought I'd have my friends to help me! I- I thought I'd be fighting evil! Not Celestia!" That was it, Twilight was pusher over the edge and tears streamed down the great wolf's muzzle.

"Mistress, you do have friends! We'll help you! That's what packs are for, to help everywolf and everydog! To act as one!"

Startled by the normally silly Screw Loose's assertion, Twilight looked around to see that the other members of the pack were nodding in agreement. Even the littlest members were smiling and nodding, as if what Screw Loose had said was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You all..." The tears came back to Twilight's eyes, "You all really mean that?"

"Of course mistress, every member of the pack would give them self for any other. The pack protects its own. There is no question."

"Thank you Bark Back, thank you everywolf. Thank you..." Twilight rose up, tears no longer falling, "I will not let them hurt you. I will not let her hurt you. There is no question."