The Lone Wolf of Equestria

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Multiverse
Chapter 2: A Ruff First Impression
Chapter 3: Fallout
Chapter 4: The End of the First Day
Chapter 5: Nightmares
Chapter 7: The Adventure of Logan and Lyra
Chapter 8: The Lone Wolf meets Trollestia
Chapter 9: Who's the Real Monster?
Chapter 10: One Step Forward...
Chapter 11: And One Step Back
Chapter 12: Of Wolves and Apples
Chapter 13: Finding the Compromise
Chapter 14: Concerning Wolves
Chapter 15: Rainbow Dash - Best Therapist Ever
Chapter 16: Common Ground
Chapter 17: The Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 18: Myst's Rage
Chapter 19: Unforgivable
Chapter 20: The Lone Wolf Leaves Equestria
Chapter 6: Bullies and Surprises

Chapter 1: The Multiverse

Author's Note

Hello everyone,

Before I start, I wanted to say that this is my first fanfiction. So, I'm particularly open to feedback and constructive criticism. Anything that can help this story and any subsequent stories I post be as close to perfection as I can get.

I've come up with several different characters, but I've had trouble weaving stories for them to go through. Then, I read Brony Writer's 'No I'm not a Brony, Get Me Out of Equestria,' and was intrigued. I began to wonder "What would happen if one of my own characters went through something like that?"

Now, before you get worried, I also want to point out: Logan is NOT like TD from Brony Writer's story. While his tale has similarities to TD's journey, he is not the same character, and he will make different decisions that will affect his story. As you will see here.

Warning as well; this opening can get pretty intense. While it mellows out going on, please let me know if this is too intense.

Well, with that out of the way... The Lone Wolf of Equestria

Chapter 1: The Multiverse

A tall, white alicorn stepped into the highest tower of Canterlot. Golden, marble like baubles glowed warmly, as if welcoming her. They floated and danced around each other like planets in a solar system model. Yet they mapped out far more than any simple galaxy.

As she closed the door behind her with a rear hoof, her eyes narrowed and a soft but determined grin formed upon her snout. She twisted her neck, relaxing the kinks in it, and fired up her spear of a horn, bathing the walls in a gentle, white light. Her determination only increased as the ornate regalia that adorned her body floated off her, to be stashed in a small pile of cushions. This wasn’t the place for proof of titles. Here, titles mattered about as much as grains of sand on a beach.

A large notebook sat upon a nearby desk. Princess Celestia picked it up, and turned to a dog-eared page. The page was inscribed with a series of symbols and runes, each detailing a complex series of spells that no-pony short of a goddess could pull off. To even the most talented of unicorns, the mess would look more like the doodles of an imaginative toddler.

But to Celestia, they were the gateway to the multiverse. As she cast the series of spells, the world she called home floated away from her. And under the light of the warm baubles, she saw the multiverse open up to her:

The baubles' glow changed. They began to reflect timelines distinctly different from her own. Realities that followed rules she could only dream of. Some connected to her realm by small wisps of light. One of these wisps led to a bauble barely the size of a marble. A new universe, unlike any she had seen before. It’s wisps dangerously close to where Celestia herself stood, shielded by a barrier of light that connected her back to her own reality.

Celestia had not seen this particular universe, but she had seen wisps act this way before. In time, this universe would connect to hers. It would send its inhabitants to challenge her and her subjects, as many other universes had done before.

“Okay,” Celestia thought to herself, floating daintily towards the nearest wisp, “Let’s see…”

In the faint wisps of energy that wove their own story, Celestia saw… something. Blurred and fragmented by time and space.

Drawn by curiosity, Celestia leaned in for a closer look. But as her horn touched the wispy waves of time, a jolt of pain surged down her horn and into her head. The image wobbled alarmingly, energy rippling ominously around her. The ripple ran through the image, threatening to erase it from existence. With a grunt, Celestia weaved her powers into a stabilizing frame, crafting a circular portal.

And through the portal… she saw them.

A large square space stood out in a massive wooden military base; an arena waiting for its fight. Humans in faded gray camouflage stood watching as a larger man walked into the arena, curling a whip. The man looked up at a flag pole placed at the south end of the arena. A severed wolf's head sat perched at the top. It's dried blood stained the flag pole's top red, and the ghost of the wolf's last snarl twisted its face into a pained grimace. The man observed the head for a second before turning his gaze to a cage on the right. Inside, several wolves like the one perched above them growled and snapped from the inside of a large cage.

“There are those in the Kingdoms,” the man said, “Who believe the North will never be settled. That the wolves will never give up! And it’s that matter of small thinking,” the human indicated the head, “That would say the Great Wolf could never be beaten.”

“He didn’t die by your hand,” a voice snapped aggressively from the cage. The humans turned to the cage as one of the younger wolves kept his head held high, and spoke the same language as them. “You ran, and let him bleed out like a coward!”

The man just smirked, and motioned to his men. They yanked the door open, and dragged the young wolf from his cage. A few of the wolves rose to aid him. The humans drove them back with lash and club.

“You cowards!” one of the older wolves bellowed, “He’s only a boy!”

“I’m fine, Griffin!” the young wolf yelled, even as they threw him into the space with the man. “I can take him.”

Even though a female in a red cloak was whimpering and pawing at the bars, the one who had shouted - Griffin - gave the young wolf a nod.

“He’s twice the man any of you ever will be,” he bellowed.

A human nearly lashed at him, before the leader motioned for him to stop. He turned to the defiant young pup, who pulled himself up to match his gaze. The female in the red cloak strained against the bars.

“Logan, no…” she whimpered, while another wolf with fiery red fur started biting at the lock.

“Observe,” the leader said, curling his whip, “And see this Lone Wolf fall… exactly how the North will fall.”

He lashed, and Logan hit the ground, a bloody cut down the side of his face. The wolves howled in agony for their youngest, while the men cheered. The leader, spurred on by the cheers, continued, kicking the young wolf into a corner. Celestia winced as the young wolf curled and bit back cries of agony.

Yet Logan didn’t sit there and take it; he bit at the man’s leg, tearing the man's jeans and forcing him to back off. Fuming, the leader brought his whip down on Logan again and again. His bleach blonde fur was streaked with red in seconds.

“That’s it,” the leader bellowed, smashing his whip into the dog, “Learn your place!”

Finally, he seemed to have enough. He backed off, smirking as the wolf lay beaten. Or so it seemed.

While the wolves howled, and the humans stared in shock, Logan pulled himself right back out of the dirt. The leader paused, turning back to him with an expression that was almost… fearful.

“That the best you got?” Logan snarled, limping his way forward.

The leader turned back to him. “Bloody snot,” he muttered, before kicking the wolf back down to the ground. “You just don’t get it, do you?” He planted a kick in the wolf’s ribs.

“Logan!” the wolf in the red cloak screamed, “Just… please, stay down!”

"Bastard,” Griffin howled, “Get back up, pup! Get up and deck him!”

Before Logan could do either, the leader planted his foot on the pup’s neck.

“Your father didn’t know his place either,” the leader noted, grinning up at the head on the post. “I’d say he learned, but…” Grinning at Logan’s furious expression, he glanced towards the cage. “Your pretty mother… and the rest of your pack? They’ll meet the same fate.” He shoved Logan away with the tip of his boot. “Unless you’re a good dog, you learn your place… and stay… down?”

Before he was even done talking, Logan was already struggling back up. The crowd was silent, save for the barking wolves in their cage. Despite their noise, none of them noticed the fiery red wolf as she worked tirelessly on the lock.

“That’s it, pup,” Griffin was bellowing, “Come on, get up!”

“No, Logan, stop,” the dark red wolf countered, “They’re going to hurt you more. Don’t make us watch that!”

But Logan didn’t listen to the dark red wolf. And before long, he was once again standing head to head with the leader. He smirked, his tail wagging.

The master fumed, both with rage and a bit of panic.

“You bold fool…” the red wolf whimpered, as the master screamed.

He charged Logan head on, smashing the wolf into the side of the arena. With a roar of anger, he furiously kicked at the wolf’s chest and head. He tried and failed to bite back his moans and yelp of agony. Celestia winced in sympathy for the wolf. How could he take so much punishment? He was far too young for such things!

Not even the other humans were getting enjoyment out of this game anymore.

“Sir!” one of them yelled, only for the master to nearly turn on him.

“What?!” the master screamed, instantly causing the dissenter to back off. He whirled back on the wolf. “You bloody dog! Are you wrong in the head!”

“You’ll never keep us down,” Griffin said proudly.

“Back off or you’re next!” the master screamed at him before yanking a revolver from his belt. As Logan tried to rise, he found the barrel pointed right at his face.

“Now,” the master growled, even more feral than the wolves, “Stay. Down.”

But Logan, bloodied and bruised, gave his captor a defiant snarl… and pulled himself up. It took time; Celestia’s ears flattened in pity as the wolf stumbled. He wanted to break – Celestia could see it – and yet something kept him rising back up. Celestia herself wished that the poor canine would just roll over, so that the torture would stop. Yet something compelled him to rise, and match the master’s eyes once more.

The gun trembled in the master’s grip, rising till he had the gun at arm’s length, pressed against Logan’s skull, with the young wolf silently daring him to fire. Then… the wolf with fiery red fur smashed into the master. The shot went wide, hitting one of the other men.

Celestia was not a violent mare by nature, but a small cathartic bit of joy welled up in her heart at the abusive human’s screech of pain when the fiery wolf dug her teeth into his neck. The cage door busted open, and the wolves poured forth. The dark red wolf went right for Logan, but the surge of movement spurred the younger wolf to action, and he tore from the square field. Racing with his pack, they set upon the cruel humans, teaching them a painful lesson Celestia was glad to have learned the easy way; that ruling through fear and hatred can never lead to lasting peace.

With the entire base in uproar, the largest wolf broke from the pack and smashed down the doors of the human’s home, leading out to a wide field. The dark red wolf raced into a stable, and came out chasing several horses out. Logan jumped a particular human with a fur-collared jacket. Yanking the jacket from his body, the wolf finished off the human with a mule kick to the face, and led the rest of the pack after the horses, following them to freedom. Logan led, despite being the smallest of the pack. And as he howled his victory to the clouds, every older wolf sounded a similar rejoicing howl.

But Celestia could not share in their joy. She saw a car barreling towards the wolf pack. Griffin was falling behind, the car bearing down on his tail.

Celestia’s eyes darted back and forth. The young wolf saw what was happening. He fell back, letting the wolves run by him, falling into line beside the slower wolf. And seconds before the car could smash into Griffin, Logan lunged to match the car’s attack.

“NO!” Celestia screamed, seeing the large slab of metal looming over Logan. Just as the young wolf slammed into the side, about to pitch forward and be lost under the car’s merciless wheels, Celestia hurled herself backward, a golden aura swallowing the wolf like a great beast from beyond.

Chapter 2: A Ruff First Impression

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Chapter 3: Fallout

Author's Note

Hello again everyone,

Just a small question: is Fluttershy too assertive in this? I do try to explain that since Logan is a dog, she'd be more protective of him and other animals, but I'm still not sure if she's a bit too protective.

Please let me know what you think of her characterization, and whether it hits close enough to home.

Thanks.

Chapter 3: Fallout

The next minute was overwhelming, to say the least. Enraged yelling mixed with furious barking, the pounding of hooves on furry flesh mixed with the blasts of magical energy, matched only by the yips and screams of pain as wolf teeth and claws slashed and bit hard into pony flesh and pony hooves and magic rained down hard on the wolf.

The battle ended up going out of the clinic, the door shattering easily under the combined efforts of a wolf battling an earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn all at the same time. Even as the three mares held the advantage, with Twilight easily lifting him up and slamming him several times into the ground while Rainbow Dash and Applejack went to work with cloven hooves, the wolf still held his own, snapping and biting down several times on the girl’s hooves. Each time, they required another bashing from Twilight to jar him loose. His fights failed to break any skin, but after about a half minute of him chewing on their legs, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash had to jump back, the former limping from the bruises Logan’s teeth left on her.

Yet, even as they backed off, the wolf still tried to charge after them, teeth reddened with blood and bloodshot eyes wide with anger. His legs trembled as he rushed them, but with his defiant growl, the tremble was nearly impossible to see.

Rainbow Dash matched his rush, the two bashing shoulders. They growled at each other before Rainbow Dash knocked him back, rearing back to buck him while he twisted to bite into her back legs. Twilight and Applejack rushed to intercept him, when…

“STOP!” a voice shrieked, louder than all the others. The fighters all froze in place before whirling around to see who had spoken.

Fluttershy had a terrifying glare centered on the fighters. The dominance in this normally timid mare instantly got Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Twilight to back off, and even sent Logan to his haunches.

Pinkie and Rarity both were behind Fluttershy, with looks of clear discomfort that mixed both pity and anger.

However, the one expression that Logan locked on was Celestia. Not only had his attack done nothing to her, but she didn’t even look angry about it. If anything, she just looked concerned.

“Are you alright?” she asked him.

Logan’s shocked look faded right back to rage. He spat blood at her feet and snarled.

She simply chuckled. “Well, I suppose you don’t feel completely healthy at the moment, now do you?”

Logan snarled, glaring nukes at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “You want me to respect this?” he demanded, “A coward that hides behind minions?”

“Hey!” Twilight shouted, “You BIT her! What did you think was gonna happen?”

“If she had a problem with it, she can blast me herself!” Logan snapped back.

Celestia’s face fell. “As much as a surprise as it was to be so blatantly attacked, I still see more coming out of your appearance here. Yes, I cast a spell that brought you here. Yes, you got angry and you lashed out.”

Pinkie’s eyes widened in excitement. “Oh, I can play that game; yes, Twilight put him in a spell and threw him through the walls. Yes, Rainbow Dash and Applejack kicked him in the ribs, but he just bit them in the legs. Yes, Princess Celestia put him under some kind of spell so that Applejack, Twilight and Rainbow Dash didn’t break every bone in his body and put him in one of those ‘forever’ comas. Yes…” she was stopped when Rarity put a hoof over her mouth.

“He gets the idea, darling,” she replied.

Logan just laughed. “You think I needed YOUR protection?” Logan snapped at Celestia.

“Don’t think I’d take being bitten so easily,” Celestia said coldly, “But I still want to answer the ‘why’s in this equation: why you, why now, why here?” Her smile came back, “Besides, I don’t imagine Twilight and her friends would benefit emotionally from your death.”

“Teaching your thugs how far the chain goes, huh?” he growled, grinning as Celestia’s face darkened. “Worried one of them will challenge you for control of the pack?”

But that just broke her back into her contented smile, making the young wolf shake in rage.

“I’d hand over the rule of Equestria to anyone that managed to honestly hurt me.”

“Challenge accepted,” Logan snarled, lunging at her again, only to be easily repelled by another force field from Twilight.

As Rainbow Dash and Applejack rushed in to begin another beatdown, Fluttershy sprinted between the wolf and the mares, shoving Logan back before whirling on her friends.

“Alright, STOP IT!” she screamed.

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack instantly backed off, their expressions shocked. Even Logan stared at her in surprise.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight stammered, “You can’t be defending his actions. I don’t know what in Equestria’s possessed him, but…”

“Twilight…” Celestia tried to put in, but Twilight didn’t listen.

“Nothing justifies trying to attack Princess Celestia,” Twilight screamed. She leaned over Fluttershy to glare at Logan. “What makes you think that’s okay?”

“Twilight…”

“You’re lucky…"

“I’M LUCKY?” Logan roared, having to be held back by Fluttershy this time.

“Twilight!” Celestia barked. Twilight paled and deflated under both Logan’s more forceful voice and the stern look Celestia shot her. But it didn’t work on Logan, who nearly knocked Fluttershy onto her hind legs as he tried to charge Twilight.

“You think I’m lucky to be ripped from my pack, huh?” Logan demanded, “You think I should be happy I got kidnapped?!”

“Logan…” Fluttershy whispered, but Logan still wasn’t done.

“You stole me from my pack!” he screamed, “My mom? My brothers and sisters in arms? They need my help, and thanks to you, I can’t do anything! What if they’re being killed right now?!”

“Logan, you’re already hurt…” Fluttershy said, holding him back as he tried to get out of her grip.

“NO!” Logan shouted, “This purple witch thinks that I’m lucky for all this! You glorified mules think being taken from the only people who ever cared about me is some sort of privilege?” Even as he said it, the pain in his body seemed to finally register as he slumped in Fluttershy’s grip. “My pack needs me…” he whimpered, “What if I never see them again because of this?” Fluttershy moved her hoof up and down his back, comforting him.

“I’m so sorry, Logan,” she whispered, “We’re going to do everything we can to help you. I promise. But fighting us isn’t going to help.”

“My mom…” Logan whispered, “Carol…” He looked up at Celestia again, this time with the sadness behind his rage easier to see. “If they’re dead, and you took them from me…” he repeated, his voice petering out as Fluttershy started rubbing him behind the ears.

However, his outburst did the trick. Applejack and Rainbow Dash deflated, and Twilight’s horn, which had been glowing and sparking with magic, died out. Their ears wilted and they looked at each other with shame.

As for Fluttershy, she just kept stroking him. “I’m sorry,” she continued to say, “I’m so-so-so-so sorry.”

For a minute, Logan just leaned his head against the yellow mare in a nuzzle, and let her tend to him. But then…

“We’re going to do everything we can to help you through this,” Fluttershy whispered.

Logan’s ears instantly flared up, and he squirmed away. “Help me ‘through this?’” he demanded, “How are you supposed to ‘help me through this?’ My pack is gone! My way of life is likely out the window…” He glared at Celestia. “Nothing short of getting me back to my home is going to fix this.”

“Logan,” Celestia started calmly, “I understand you’re young, and scared, but there is a lot at play here than simply re-opening a portal. From what you have said, the only established link is with less-than-savory beings…”

“Then I’ll help you!” Logan insisted, going to her, “What do you need to open the portal safely? To open it near my pack? Anything, just…” he shivered, “Don’t tell me I’m stranded here… unable to see my pack again…”

“If you want to help, you’ll stay here; rest and recover,” Celestia replied, “Unless you know how to bend the fabric of time and space, you won’t be much help to me.”

Logan shook his head, unsatisfied. “Can I at least see the portal?” he nearly pleaded.

“That’s not an option,” Celestia said instantly, “Your temper is already a matter of some concern. Adding to that, you bear too much resemblance to Diamond Dogs – a race of canine-like creatures known for stealing gems and enslaving ponies.” She glanced outside cheekily, where more than a few ponies were still staring around, skittish from his previous howling. “Having you near where the portal was made would cause a panic among the ponies who live there.”

“I can be dis-uh… dis…” he mumbled for a second, “I can keep secrets!” he finally said meekly.

Rainbow Dash indicated the skittish ponies outside again. “Forgive us if we don’t believe you,” she said.

Logan fumed, his fur bristling, but there wasn’t much he could do to argue that point. He finally let out a huff of frustration, turned on his paw, and stormed off.

“Now, don’t run off on us yet, darling,” Rarity said, “You’ll still need a place to sleep, and you must let us...”

“Must?” Logan spun around, “I don’t have to do anything. Not if it involves being around you thugs.”

“You are still far too young to be on your own,” Rarity insisted, “And we simply cannot let you wander around Equestria when we are the ones who brought you here in the first place…”

“Oh, right, I forgot,” Logan snarled, “I’m your prisoner now. You got a cell for me?"

“You are not a prisoner,” Twilight said, her tone testy, “There are plenty of other races that would make it clear you’re a prisoner.”

“I’d rather have been found by them, then,” Logan shot back, “At least they’d be honest about what I was.”

Celestia’s wings ruffled, miffed by his comment, but Logan didn’t care. He turned towards the nearest wooded area and stormed off for it, Rarity following after him.

“At least let us help you,” Rarity begged.

“After what you did to me?” Logan snapped, limping towards the trees, “Screw off.”

“But you must…” she tried to grab at his tail, but it was tucked between his legs.

“No.”

“You-must-you-must-you-must…”

Logan spun around and howled in her face. “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

“YOUMUSTYOUMUSTYOUMUSTYOUMUST…"

“NOOOOOOOOONONONONONONONONNOOOOOOOO!!!!”

It was once again Fluttershy who broke it up. “STOP!” She yelled before giving a brief cough, “Please… You have no idea how tiring this is getting.”

As her yell finally broke up the arguing mare and wolf, Rainbow Dash leaned over to Applejack.

“Geez, where did this Fluttershy come from?” she asked.

Applejack sighed, “Well, animals are Fluttershy’s special talent. And Logan is still a dog...”

“I heard that, you…!” Logan snarled at Applejack, before Fluttershy cut in front of him.

“Logan,” Fluttershy said, “If you don’t want our help, I understand, but… you’ll need a place to stay. At least somewhere comfortable to sleep until Princess Celestia figures out how to send you back.”

Celestia started to raise a foreleg, like she wanted to protest, but wisely decided against it. Logan already looked like he was ready to fight all of them again. Yet as he locked on Fluttershy’s innocent azure eyes, his defiant expression wilted. Rarity gave an exasperated snort and pouted, as if she had been denied a prize.

“I know a few places where you’ll be able to sleep,” Fluttershy said, “I live near a forest that’s home to…” she paused, searching for the right words while Logan’s eyes narrowed. “…others like you.”

“Humans? Pets?” he asked, glaring at Applejack. “Dogs?”

“No humans. Just… those who aren’t ponies,” Fluttershy remedied, smiling hopefully as Logan’s suspicious look faded, “But ponies aren’t mean to them, and they live in very good conditions. You’d be able to rest there. At least let your injuries heal.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Celestia commented, but instantly, Logan’s defiant glare returned, as did his teeth as he whirled back on the alicorn.

“No one asked you!” he snapped, surprising the alicorn enough that she nearly stumbled backward. Right as Twilight nearly rushed up to start another argument, Fluttershy held up her hooves, her glare coming back. Twilight reluctantly backed down.

“And no pony’s telling you to,” Fluttershy responded to Logan, “It’s your choice.”

Again, that defiant expression came back, but it conflicted with a piteous expression. Like his appreciation of her standing up for him was at war with his defiant need to disagree with everything any of the ponies said. He sighed.

“I’m not a dog; I’m not a pet,” he warned, though his voice didn’t quite have the same growl it had with Celestia. “And I’m trusting you on this,” he added with a dark look at Fluttershy, “If you try to put a collar on me or force me to do anything…”

“I won’t,” Fluttershy replied with a nod, though her gaze did darken slightly as she added, “But that goes both ways; I know how canines can get with rabbits and squirrels, but you are not allowed to hurt any of the other animals.”

His ears flared. “Like… any other animals?” he asked, nervousness creasing his voice, “I need food. Meat, I…”

“I provide fish and other protein substances,” Fluttershy said, “I’m not going to let you starve, but I’ve been caring for several of the animals for a long time, and I can’t just stand by and let you hurt them because of instinct or hunger.”

“So,” Logan asked after a moment, “Fish aren’t off limits?”

Fluttershy sighed. “Please, don’t make me regret standing up for you,” she pleaded, though her eyes had a more ominous glare to them.

Logan’s ears perked up at her warning glare, before he gave a slight chuckle, “I like you,” he admitted. As a smile creased Fluttershy’s face, Logan nodded, “Fine.”

Fluttershy gave a quiet nod, and Logan backed down. Twilight glanced back at the shattered clinic door, with Dr. Fauna peeking out from it with a terrified air. Celestia followed her gaze, and used her magic to start repairing the door. She then noticed Fluttershy leading Logan towards her cottage.

“Wait,” Twilight started to say, “Wasn’t he supposed to be discharged tomorrow?”

“Based on his jaw strength,” Celestia joked, “I think I can get him discharged right now. There’s hardly a reason to keep him here.” She waited until Fluttershy led the wolf out of earshot before turning to Twilight. “Twilight, he will likely act like he's fine, but you know that’s not true.”

“Princess…” Twilight started to say, but Celestia held up a hoof.

“He’s suffering, and it’s my fault for it,” she said, her gaze turning sad as she watched him and Fluttershy walking away, flanked by the other mares, “I’ll try to get him back to the ones he loves, but you need to play your own part: Befriend him. Let him know he’s not alone. And above all, keep him safe.”

“Not much can hurt him out here,” Twilight asked, “Ponyville’s the safest place to be.”

“It’s not the others I fear hurting him,” Celestia said, watching as Logan growled at Applejack when she got too close. The farm mare reluctantly mumbled something about her farm before walking off, followed by Pinkie.

“There is something about him that gives me pause,” Celestia said, “A power that even he might not fully understand. And now… without his mentors to teach him…”

“Power?” Twilight asked.

“He fought you and your friends, even though the spell I cast to protect him should have kept him from moving,” Celestia noted.

Twilight glanced at Logan curiously.

“But he won’t be concerned with such things,” Celestia noted, “Right now, he is consumed with worry for his family. And I believe you know the worst kind of foe some pony – or wolf, in this case – can face when controlled by fear.”

Twilight gave him a sad look, “Himself,” she muttered.

“If I can bring him back, we’ll be dealing with a brand-new species; one surrounded by humans I’d rather not have you encounter, the potential for great power, and worse… more than likely start a war if the first wolf to come across us returns only with stories of how horrible we were to him. And…” Celestia’ gaze fractured, “If I can’t bring him back, which is highly likely… he will need others to pull him from despair. From doing something all of us will regret.”

Twilight flinched, before Celestia put a wing on her shoulder.

“I’m trusting you, my faithful student. Please, don’t let him fall to darkness.”

Twilight looked up at Celestia with love in her eyes. “I’ll keep him safe, Princess,” she promised, “You can count on me.”

As Twilight followed after Logan, Rarity glanced back at the pieces of fur jacket he had left behind. Shooting a coy look at Logan, she gathered up the pieces and raced after him.

At first, as Fluttershy led Logan to her home, the wolf almost started to relax. There was a certain… scent to this place that was naturally calming. Much more peaceful and lush than his original planet.

However, the feeling of peace slowly gave way to dread as Logan and Fluttershy were forced to go through town. A town with ponies everywhere. Sure, Logan could assume there would be more equines than just the eight he had already met, but that didn’t make it any less unnerving. Nor did it prevent his fur from spiking and his tail from tucking.

As one pony glanced at him and did a double take, Logan’s paw lifted like he was going to step back. Twilight used his hesitation to catch up and gently nudged him forward.

“Easy now,” she whispered soothingly, “They’re not gonna hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” Logan spun back around and in her face, “They should worry about me hurting them,” he snapped.

“You do realize we outnumber you three to one, right?” Rainbow Dash asked, jumping right to Twilight’s side.

“Bring em on,” he snarled defiantly.

“Every pony, please,” Fluttershy said, yet even she looked nervous at the idea of going around her own kind, and her voice had dropped several octaves. She and Logan exchanged a glance, and his posture relaxed as he noticed her discomfort. “My cottage is on the outside of town,” she said, “I’m not exactly a fan of my own race either.”

“Then let’s go before they start…”

Before he could even finish his sentence, they did exactly what he was afraid of.

“Staring,” Logan deadpanned.

Logan grimaced as he started getting the first of many collective stares as he followed Fluttershy down the street. Each and every resident of Ponyville that he could see was paying him their undivided attention. They stopped walking, they stopped talking, they stopped buying and selling. They literally stopped everything just to stare.

After about a few steps, Logan’s fur rose and his snarl returned.

“What?” he demanded, whipping around at one of the ponies. “What?!” he barked.

The instant his own glare fell upon them, some of them jumped and went back to their business, now taking every precaution to avoid looking at him. Logan still kept glaring at them as Twilight tried to put a hoof around him with a nervous laugh. He instantly shied away from her, his glare turning to her.

“Look,” Twilight said, “They just get nervous around anything new, okay?” she asked, “They’ll get used to you…”

“I’m not staying here any longer than I have to.”

“Everything will be fine, darling,” Rarity said. Though, when she spoke, Logan sighted down on the pieces of his jacket she was holding with a magic aura.

His tone grew quiet. “What are you doing with my jacket?” he growled.

“Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked, going to her side, but Rarity waved her off with a simple wink. She turned back to Logan, running her hoof over the fur with an intrigued expression.

“I’m curious,” she said, “You said this was… your fathers’?”

“Why’re you asking?” he shot back.

“Logan,” Fluttershy whispered in a chastising tone, patting his side. Logan gave a softer glare at her before sighing.

“It’s a custom among wolves,” he said reluctantly, “When one of our pack die, we… well, we skin the dead, and wear the fur as armor or clothing.” He rolled his eyes as both Fluttershy and Rarity gasped in horror at his explanation. “It works for us,” he said defensively, “And besides…” he looked at the pieces with a more mournful air, “It gives us something to remember them by.”

Rarity glanced back at the fur again, and then at his upper body.

“I see,” she said, still giving the jacket an uncomfortable grimace, before composing herself. “Well, I am a designer, you know?”

“No, I didn’t,” Logan admitted, “Is it important?”

“Only if you consider repairing it to be important…” Rarity said teasingly, only to stammer off as she found Logan’s silver eyes inches from her own.

“You can do that?” he whispered, his voice hopeful for the first time since they met.

“Y-Yes,” Rarity stammered, stepping back from his intense gaze, “I-I mean, I believe so.” She looked at the pieces again. “It wouldn’t be too much trouble…”

“No gems,” he asked, his fur spiking, “No decorations. Just… the way it was, right?”

Rarity raised a hoof. “Of course, darling.” She then gave a slight grin as she glanced at his fur again. “Though, if I may ask… there’s something I’d like in return.”

Logan’s ears wagged before he grinned slightly.

“A trade, huh?” he asked, stepping back to a reasonable distance. “I’m listening.”

Chapter 4: The End of the First Day

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 5: Nightmares

Author's Note

Hey again everyone,

So... questions;
Is Luna too mean here? After all, Logan did attack her sister, but is what she puts him through a bit too much?

And also...

Considering what Logan does, should I add a tag for Self Harm?

Please let me know. Other than that, I hope you guys enjoy.

Chapter 5: Nightmares

In Logan’s dream, he was back in that square field, the human who believed himself his master over him.

“Observe,” he cried, “And see how the North will fall!”

His whip descended, and with it, a rush of memories:

His father’s bleeding body. His mother howling to the stars. A car bearing down on him.

As he tried to recover from the rush, he saw the human raising the whip again. As it descended, Logan felt something strike him in the chest, sending him to his back.

His lungs screaming and his throat closed off, he pulled himself up to find his tormentor had changed.

Logan paused, his mind blown. His tormentor was a horse, almost like Celestia, with the same horn and wings. But this one was shorter. Her mane was ethereal, but was dark blue and speckled with white, like stars in a night sky. Her fur was a darker shade of blue as well, and she was adorned with midnight black armor as opposed to her larger counterparts white and golden. The look in her dark blue eyes was pure malice, and as Logan stared up in shock, she forewent the whip of the master, and spun around and bucked. Her hooves hit him in the head and chest, sending another round of almost real pain through his head. The pain was barely masked as a flurry of evil human grins flashed across his mind.

He tumbled across the square field, looking up in confusion and fear as the alicorn bore down on him, her eyes that of a hunter that had found her prey.

“Know thy place and tremble in fear, vermin,” the alicorn declared with the voice of a medieval royal, “We are Princess Luna, Ruler of Night and Princess of the Moon. And We are here to be thy reckoning for the vicious cruelties thou hast done!"

“S-Sister?” Logan whimpered, “What are you... what the…?” Briefly, the memory of biting a white alicorn came to him, before she slammed a hoof on his tail. Pain shot up his backside, along with a flash of a memory of a wolf on fire, and he howled as she dragged him closer.

“My sister is too kind and soft for her own good,” Luna continued, “She would parlay with thee, let assault and battery go unpunished. I have no such compunctions.”

Logan tried to cry out again, but she hit his face with her foreleg, throwing him to his back. That same flaming wolf appeared before him before vanishing just as quickly. She pressed her second hoof onto his chest.

“Thou dared to sink thy weapons into the holy flesh of a God,”Luna growled, pressing her hoof down harder, “And now shall feel… her… wrath?”

Her gaze turned curious, and her eyes glowed brighter. Before Logan could stop her, the square field broke. Memories, in the form of frothing, boiling water, shot around him, and the field disappeared into a churning sea.

Unable to move Luna, Logan was dunked under the surface. And under the sea of memories... he saw his father again. He stood, proud and tall as he always did. But something was wrong; his eyes had a glassy edge to them, as if he was seeing the full moon through a window.

“There are evil beings, my son,” he warned grimly, “Those that will see you bend before them. Those that would see you turned against me.” His eyes glowed, staring down at Logan like spotlights. “I will not let them hurt you. But I need you to help me stop them!”

The memory changed; a man in a dark cloak, his face a shroud of shadows. Before him, a struggling wolf was yanked before him.

Luna gasped in horror as the man of shadows reached out a hand, gripping the wolf by his head. The wolf gave an agonized howl, before going still.

The hand released him, but when the wolf turned around, he was… different. His eyes no longer shined with intelligence or free will. They were glassy.

Indoctrinated.

“NO!” Logan barked, struggling in Luna’s grip, “G-Get away!”

Luna glared down at him, her anger returning, and she pressed her hoof down on his chest again.

“Bite thy tongue, whelp,” she snarled, “I am not finished!”

With him still struggling and gagging in her grip, she forced the sea of memories to rise. Logan howled out in fear as memory after memory was forced to his mind.

His father knocking him into trees, beating him down.

“Fight, my son!” his father warned, “Show no fear, and show no pain!”

Before Logan could even think of fighting back, another memory hit him from behind, a leash suddenly forming around his neck, and dragging him closer to a trio of humans.

“We got us a beauty, boys,” their leader said, with teeth white as diamonds, “Bet he’ll fetch us a pretty penny.”

“Stop,” Logan almost pleaded, “I don’t… I can’t…”

The leash tore from his neck. He saw a battle in the distance. A wolf with one eye, narrowed in hatred, fighting against his father.

“You killed my father!” the wolf howled, lunging as his father fell, “Prepare to die!”

Luna watched in awe as his father valiantly fought the wolf off. Logan squirmed, trying to get out from Luna and run to his father’s side, but the dreamscape only widened the distance, while Luna kept Logan firmly trapped under her hoof. It left Logan helpless as a human rose from behind, a gun clicking and pressing to the back of his father’s head.

Luna gasped, and let him up, but it was far too late. Her face contorted into guilt as he tried to embrace his father, who was too battered to even return his gesture.

“My son…” his father whispered.

“No… Father… please…” Logan whispered.

Luna briefly raised a hoof, unsure whether it could be for comfort or for anger, but she didn’t get the chance. As Logan’s father closed his eyes for the final time, the young wolf howled his agony to the entire dream scape.

“Logan?” a voice asked.

“LET ME GO!” Logan screamed, “LEAVE ME ALONE!”

“Logan, wake up!”

“Huh?”

“Logan?”

Luna looked around, her eyes wide in panic.

“Logan, you need to wake up now! LOGAN!”

Logan shot up, pulled from his dreams and memories, and back into the realm of the living. For a moment, he thought he was still there. Something was grabbing onto him. He lashed out, giving a strangled cry.

“Stop, wait, it’s me!” someone screeched.

Some pony familiar!

Logan stopped, his eyes finally focusing on Fluttershy, who was trembling underneath him. His teeth had been mere inches from her throat.

“Fluttershy!” he exclaimed, stumbling back. His ears flattened and his tail tucked. “I…”

“It’s okay,” she said, going up after him, “It's okay." She wisely didn't approach, but his trembling diminished at the sound of her voice. "It sounded like you were having a nightmare.”

Logan turned away, shivering. Even now, he could still see that demonic dark alicorn. He could still hear… he shuddered again and tried to force the thoughts from his head.

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

Logan jumped, briefly forgetting that Fluttershy was there. He opted for a shake of his head, which also allowed him to clear his head.

That wasn’t real, he thought to himself. That ‘Luna’ thing didn’t exist. It’s a figment of your imagination. It had to be.

He hoped it was; he swore he could still hear Luna’s roar of rage.

Fluttershy was silent at first.

“Listen,” Fluttershy said, “I… don’t mean to add more to your plate, but…”

“What?” Logan asked.

Fluttershy then showed him a clock. It took a minute for him to focus on…

TEN THIRTEEN!

Logan stared at the clock with slowly mounting horror.

“I was supposed to…”

“Mm-hm,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“And it’s not…”

“Mm-hm!” Fluttershy repeated.

Logan yanked himself up, trying to throw his jacket over himself, but then they heard it.

“LOGAN!”

“Oh, no…” Fluttershy squeaked. Logan almost squeaked along with her.

The voice was worse than Luna’s voice could have ever been. Then she appeared; a bright red ball of fluff storming through the forest. The minute her eyes locked on Logan, she paused. And in that moment, Logan got a chance to gape in shock as her normally crystal blue eyes were now a dark gold.

“YOU PINKIE PROMISED!” Demon Pinkie roared, steam hissing from her ears.

“You have to run,” Fluttershy hissed, trying to pull him away, “It’s the only way you’ll…”

“No,” Logan said, even as his entire body trembled like a leaf, “I will not submit to fear! Not here.” He strode forward. Reluctance in every step, but conviction in his eyes. “Show no fear, and show no pain.”

“Logan, what are you talking about?” Fluttershy pleaded, as Pinkie charged towards the wolf, who didn’t break his stride, nor his mantra.

“Show no fear, and show no pain,” he continued to recite as she bore down on him, his entire body trembling, and his tail and ears almost tucking into his skin, “Show no fear and show no pain – show no fear and show no pain…”

“You Pinkie Promised you would be at Sugarcube Corner at nine in the morning, and you DIDN’T SHOW! UP!”

The demon mare nearly ran right into his face, and despite the tremble in his system, Logan kept his eyes locked on hers as she attempted to drill a hole into his soul with glares alone.

“Show no fear,” he whispered, audible only to himself, “Show no pain.”

For a split second, Pinkie fumed in front of him, her body redder than an apple. Then, the demonic look faded – her coat returned to its normal pink, and her eyes, while still angry looking, returned to their normal blue.

“Apologize,” she said.

Logan’s glare didn’t falter. “What?” he asked.

“Apologize!” she insisted, her mane starting to turn red.

Logan’s eyes darted to the side for a second.

“How?” he asked, “Chop off a paw? Commit ritual suicide?”

Pinkie stepped back, a dumfounded look on her slowly paling face.

“I don’t know how you apologize in your world,” she said, “But here, we say ‘I’m sorry.’”

Logan tilted his head at her, his glare searching as if analyzing her. But as her eyes started to turn gold again, his fur spiked, and he spoke. “I’m sorry.”

Her face came dangerously close to his. “Do you mean that?” she asked quietly.

Logan's ears widened before flattening again, while his eyes narrowed in anger.

Then he stood up like an angry bear. Pinkie and Fluttershy stepped back in shock; as he moved to two legs, his front paws shifted, gaining a more human like quality. In seconds, he looked like an actual diamond dog, but one that wasn’t hunched over. One of his paws extended into a humanoid claw, and he presented his still healing arm to her. He moved the leather of his jacket away from the arm. With only a faint grimace, he proceeded to start carving, ‘I MEAN IT’ into his own arm.

Fluttershy squeaked as his claw formed the I, and Pinkie herself flinched as he carved the M.

“Okay-okay!” Pink yelped as he finished ‘mean,’ “I get it.” She chuckled nervously, her grin returning. “Apology accepted.”

Logan lowered back to all fours. His eyes didn’t leave Pinkie’s.

“That’s it?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine, silly,” she said, a bit too cheerily, “You apologized. And if a pony is really truly sorry, then you’re supposed to forgive them!”

“I’m not a pony,” Logan noted.

“Any creature then,” Pinkie corrected without missing a beat. “Well, that’s enough of that! We have fun to get to.” With that, she turned and started bouncing down the road.

“Um… Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked, “If it’s not too much trouble, can I at least bandage Logan’s arm before we join you?”

Pinkie pouted, but as she noticed his blood started to drip onto the ground, she sighed.

“Yeah,” she agreed, “Get him patched up quick, then meet me at Sugarcube Corner. We’re going to have so much fun!” She cheered before bouncing off again.

Fluttershy raced back to her cottage, and came back with a med kit. Logan hadn’t moved from his spot, his eyes still locked on where Pinkie had been standing.

“Logan?” Fluttershy asked, poking at him. He rocked like a stone statue, his entire body locked in place.

“Logan!” Fluttershy whimpered, starting to panic.

Logan finally gasped out for air, and flopped to the ground. For a moment, he sat there, trembling and keening in absolute fear. Fluttershy pulled him close again.

“There-there, it’s okay,” she said, “It’s over now.”

“I’m… fine-I’m fine!” Logan griped, pulling away. He took a massive breath, and looked at Fluttershy with softer eyes. “I’m fine.”

Still watching him nervously, Fluttershy took his front paw and started applying the bandage to his arm.

“So…” Logan finally asked, “Do you mind telling me just what the heck that was?”

Fluttershy didn’t respond for a moment.

“It’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie,” she said in a resigned tone.

“That… answers none of my questions,” Logan noted.

“Well…” Fluttershy cut the bandage from the roll and clasped it with some pins, “We should get you to Sugarcube Corner. After what happened, we shouldn’t keep her waiting too long. This may not be over.”

Logan stared at her dumbfounded. “How can it not be over?” he demanded, “I apologized.” He indicated his arm. “I…”

“I know,” Fluttershy said quickly, “But no pony dares to outright break a Pinkie Promise. Not since Applejack accidentally did so.”

“With the way she reacts, I wonder why,” Logan replied sarcastically.

Fluttershy could only offer a faint shrug, and as they finished tying off the bandage, they stood and headed for town, Logan quelling the tremble in his step.

Chapter 7: The Adventure of Logan and Lyra

When Logan finally awoke, it was to the sound of music. Rhythmic and with a bouncy beatto it.

Logan’s’ eyes snapped open. He was in some sort of basement; he could see stairs leading up somewhere. He was laying on a table with small straps pinning his paws down in front of him. Standing before them was that mint green unicorn, humming softly to herself as she examined his paws. As he watched, she slowly found that his paws were similar to a clenched fist. By pressing on the pads underneath, she could make humanoid claws pop out, and make the paw change into a set of humanoid hands. With an excited squeal, she continually switched them; claw to paw, and paw to claw.

“The heck are you doing?” Logan snapped.

The mare jumped with a yelp, dancing backward from him before realizing he was still strapped down.

“Oh, good,” she said, “You’re awake. We can really get started now.”

“Screw that,” he snapped, “Let me out of here!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Now why would I do that?” she asked, “I mean, you may not BE a human, but you have human hands. You can, at least partially, transform into one! I’d have to be crazy to just let you go!”

“You’d be even crazier if you kept me,” he snarled, “Because I’m not doing anything for you!”

Her frown deepened. “You know, you really should be more respectful to me. I mean, I did get you away from Rainbow Dash. I’m holding you captive here. I can do whatever I…”

With a rip upward, Logan tore his restraints loose, leaped off the table and towered over her.

“Want… to you?” the mint green unicorn squeaked out, as she found herself staring at a very angry and very free werewolf. Her horn briefly glowed before his claws clamped across the horn. With a twitch, her horn went dead.

He smirked, as she once again started to tremble.

“Oh, come on, please?” she started to beg, tears poking at her eyes, “I just wanted to see how your paws worked.”

“So, you just decide to kidnap me?” he snarled, his grip on her horn tightening.

“You’re the closest thing I’ve got to a human,” she insisted, her eyes darting up at the staircase. Logan found himself glaring in that direction, but not taking his paw off her.

Though her comments registered to him; “Human?” “You may not BE a human…”

“Human?” he demanded, lifting her right off her hooves. “Why would you want anythingto do with those evil discount apes!”

Despite the fear in her eyes, the unicorn’s eyes narrowed.

“They are not evil discount apes,” she snapped, “They are curious and interesting creatures, and…”

“If you saw the humans that I’ve seen, you would be swallowing your words, Paw-Girl,” he said, setting her down hard.

“It’s Lyra,” she said, though he ignored her, as an idea came to his head. “And can you let go of my horn? That’s sensitive…”

“Hang on,” Logan said, lifting her up again, and looking at her horn, “You can do magic, right?”

“Well… not right now,” Lyra admitted.

“And Celestia used magic to get me here,” Logan said, his eyes darting from side to side.

“She did?” Lyra asked. Logan dropped her to the ground, but pointed at her without looking at her.

“Uh, don’t use that horn on me again,” he said vacantly, before exploring his surroundings.

The basement was bare aside from her table, but there was a window that poked out to the outside. He glanced out there, briefly seeing Twilight and Fluttershy walk by with worried expressions. He wisely ducked down before one of them saw him, only to find Lyra creeping up behind him.

“Wait, you mean that magic can…” Lyra tried to ask before Logan whirled on her.

“Yes,” he said instantly, “Magic brought me here, and magic can take me back.” He paused. “But it likely won’t work here…”

Lyra glanced down at his paws, turning from claws to paws with simple clenches as he thought.

“Can… I just get my notepad,” she asked, “The structure of your claws is really…”

“Listen to me,” he said, forcing her to look up at him. “If you can take me to where Celestia lives, I think I can find out how she took me. Then, you use this fancy horn of yours to reopen the portal she pulled me through. We go together…”

“And I finally get to see the humans?” Lyra asked hopefully.

A dark grin spread across Logan’s face. “Help me, and you’ll have all the humans you ever wanted,” he replied.

Lyra’s eyes bugged out of her skull in excitement. She was stopped short of a fangirl squeal by the voice of someone upstairs.

“Lyra? Are you down there?”

Logan and Lyra stared at each other in horror.

“Get her gone!”Logan mouthed, pointing upward.

“Yes, I’m here, Bon Bon,” Lyra said quickly, “Uh, don’t come down!”

“Why not?” Bon Bon asked, “What are you doing down there?”

“Um…” Lyra glanced around worriedly, “I’m, uh, building your birthday present!”

Logan shot her a confused and irritated glare, but she just shrugged angrily.

“Top secret stuff,” she continued, “Don’t come down here!”

There was a pause.

“I heard some pony talking down there. Who’s with you?”

Logan and Lyra winced, Logan covering his mouth with a muted moan.

“With me?” Lyra asked nervously, “No ponies’ with me, why would you think that?”

“Again. I heard some pony else talking.”

“You did? Oh! I mean, uh, yeah, of course you did! I…"

“H-Have a worker down here!” Logan replied, “Yeah, some… slave mule that’s working on your birthday present for you!”

Now it was Lyra’s turn to grimace in horror at Logan, and Logan’s turn to shrug angrily.

The voice was silent for a bit.

“Okay, one; mules are not slaves,” Bon Bon said carefully.

Logan grimaced.

“Second; isn’t that Fluttershy's new pet? You know he belongs to her, right?”

That did it!

“I BELONG TO…?!” Logan nearly bellowed, before covering his mouth in horror as Lyra shoved him back, horror equally written on both their faces.

“Yep, that sounds like him alright,” Bon Bon replied, “I’m coming down there; he has to answer to Pinkie for ruining one of her parties.”

As Bon Bon’s hoof steps started to lower, Lyra turned to Logan in shock and horror.

“What did you do with Pinkie…?” Lyra started to ask, but Logan covered her mouth.

“If that mare takes me,” Logan growled, “You’ll never get the chance to meet my humans!”

“Uh, eh, I, eh, oh, uh…” Lyra stammered and whimpered as the sound of Bon Bon grew closer and closer. Just as a cream covered hoof hit the first stair in sight, Lyra let out a moan of agonized conflict and threw herself over Logan, who’s fur glowed as he embraced her. With a flare of her horn and a sharp POP, they vanished from the basement.

The two popped out into some sort of garden. As Logan rolled to a stop, he glanced around with angry determination. They had landed in a maze-like garden complete with stone statues. Above them loomed a giant Roman styled castle. Like something out the human’s fairy tales.

But then the scents came to him. At first, it was just freshly cut grass and a sickly-sweet perfume of what could only be high class nobles. Yet, as Logan strode forward, he picked out something… familiar.

A scent of wolves.

His scent! It was faded; probably by a day or so, but it was there.

I was here before those girls found me, Logan realized with a gasp. He barely noticed the glow that was fading from his fur, and watched it fade with a slowly growing grin. Lyra was too busy staring around in dumb shock.

“How did I teleport this far?” Lyra whimpered as she stumbled to a stop, “This… I shouldn’t have been able to do this…”

“You had help,” Logan said, grinning at her as he held up one of his paws, which glowed softly before petering out, much to his confusion.

“Help? I…” she stared at the last vestiges of glowing in his fur. “Wait… you’re amagic wolf?!”

“Kinda,” Logan admitted, “I heard my kind can enhance others abilities. Strength of the… pack…?” he trailed off, suddenly looking incredibly guilty. Lyra shifted, before he looked at her with a kinder light. “You’re doing me and my pack a great service,” he said gratefully. “If we get caught, or the humans aren’t all they’re cracked up to be…”

“No,” Lyra said, her own determined grin coming back, “No, I’m ready; this is what I want.” She nodded, only for her grin to fade back into panic as voices reached them.

“Unauthorized teleportation into Canterlot. The source is right around here!”

Logan and Lyra grimaced before Logan grabbed the mare, tucking her behind a statue before leaping into some neatly trimmed shrub bushes. Mere seconds after they had hidden, a unicorn and pegasus guard rounded the corner, their eyes glancing around in all direction.

“No pony here,” the pegasus noted.

“They must have made for the most convenient hiding spot,” the unicorn replied, “Check the area around the statue! I’ll check the bushes!”

Lyra froze in a panic, only for the two to start rummaging through the shrubbery walls and fences opposite them. Logan motioned for Lyra to follow, and the mare snuck by the guards, taking to Logan’s side. Noticing how she was more comforted when he had his paws on her, Logan kept a firm grip on her as he slunk back from the guards, managing to creep onto the other side of a garden wall.

Tiptoeing through the garden, Logan managed to put enough distance between themselves and the guards for Lyra to stop trembling. From there, he let his senses take over. His scent was close. It was coming from somewhere inside the castle. Reinvigorated, Logan motioned for Lyra to follow, and they made their way towards the castle.

Logan spied an open window, and avoiding the gaze of a patrolling pegasi, he raced over to it. Lyra right beside him.

“Okay,” Lyra said, “How’re we doing this?”

Logan glanced back, ensuring the guards hadn’t seen them. He yanked Lyra up, hoisting her for the window.

“Grab the ledge,” he told her.

“Uh, okay…” she muttered, reaching for the ledge.

A pegasus flew by, and Logan froze, worried he’d see them. Yet the guard passed by without notice.

“Grab it and pull us in!” Logan hissed.

Lyra got ahold of the window, but as she tried to pull herself up, her forelegs failed her.

“I can’t!” Lyra hissed back, her face straining before she lost her grip.

Logan cursed as they hit the ground, freezing for a moment as they ensured no guards had heard them. Growling, Logan jumped onto a still recovering Lyra’s back, easily catching the window with his front paws.

“Okay, grab onto me,” Logan instructed. With his werewolf claws’ greater versatility and his own strength, he yanked himself upward, and pulled himself and Lyra into the building.

“Whoa,” Lyra stammered as she was pulled into the building, “You really know how to climb.”

Logan glanced back at her. “This is an Afternoon delight for my kind,” he replied, “When food’s low, we usually sneak into rich people’s places and get food for ourselves.”

Lyra probably had a reply for that, but Logan didn’t hear it; he froze in awe as he finally took in the inside this castle. His parents had always told him that humans liked to live in splendor and flash, but he never truly captured how… huge their living spaces were. Walls climbed high to arc into the ceiling. Pillars adorned every hallway Logan and Lyra crept down. Even the barest of ways held tapestries and carpeting complete with murals and paintings. Celestia truly was a royal, and that made Logan even more angry at himself for daring to trust her.

His father had always told him, “All royals are bad. They think themselves gods, but are little more than children, playing their games and then screaming that the rules aren’t fair when people like us have enough of their tyranny.”

Logan’s reflection almost cost them, as he failed to pick up hoof steps until Lyra hissed at him. Yelping, Logan leaped behind a pillar. Lyra wasn’t as lucky, however, as a younger guard rounded the corner and caught sight of her.

“Oh, uh…” Lyra stammered, “I…” Recognition flickered in her eyes. “Oh! Vigil! Hi!”

Logan didn’t dare peek out from the shadows, but the voice of the guard was friendlier than the first one.

“Hello, Ms. Heartstrings!” Ever Vigilant replied, “Come back to do more research on the hoo-mans?”

“It’s, uh, humans, Vigil,” she replied, “But… yeah! You never know when something new might come in.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Vigil replied, “Two-hundred thousandth time’s a charm. Follow me.”

With that, he turned around and began to lead her onward. Logan peeked out from cover, while Lyra gave him a wink. Logan grimaced, but then noticed that the scent was closer. In fact, it was right in the direction Vigil was taking them. Trying to keep his tail from knocking over a vase, Logan crept on after them, checking his six for any other guards.

In all too short a time, Vigil took Lyra to a set of bronze and oak doors. But, to Logan’s’ dismay, he only opened the door by a crack, enough for Lyra to slip in.

“Y’know, while you’re here,” Vigil noted, “If there’s anything I can…”

Without thinking, Logan jumped forward and slammed his claw into the back of the guard’s neck. He went down like a light, while Logan nudged Lyra inside, the latter looking at the guard’s body in horror.

“Why did you…?” she stammered, “He was helping us!”

“He wasn’t gonna let me in,” Logan insisted, “Now come on, I know we’re…”

He paused, his ears flattening in horror. There were way more unicorns in the library than he thought. And all of them had turned to him in shock.

For a moment, they all stared at each other.

Finally, Lyra gave a quiet “Sh; this is a library!”

One of the unicorns promptly screamed. “Guards!”

“That’s completely unprecedented, you’re grace,” the noble droned, shooting a glare at the noble next to him, “I’m completely unwilling to justify any of his expenses.”

“And these expenses include…?” Celestia asked, hoping for some entertainment.

“Twenty thousand bits for ‘Candi,’” the noble exclaimed, “And yes, that’s Candi with an ‘I.’”

Celestia had to hide her smirk, as did the younger noble by the complainers’ side.

“Along with a priceless gold carriage,” the older noble continued.

“I thought I could paint it red,” the younger noble replied, “But turns out gold and red paint doesn’t go together as well. So, I had to scrap it.”

“Scrap it?” Celestia asked.

“Um… apparently, that was defined as ‘ramming it into Donut Joe’s, ma’am,” the guard clarified.

“Oh, yes, and now I’m being sued by Donut Joe for his actions,” the noble exclaimed, “Princess Celestia, you should be able to see why…”

I would do anything to get out of this right now, Celestia thought grimly. She couldn’t even take comfort in her sister’s presence; Luna was asleep at this point, resting from the duties of her night court and dream patrol.

With only the stuffy tone of the newest entitled noble to listen to, Celestia had to hide a massive sigh of relief when the ornate doors were slammed open by a Royal Guard.

“Princess!” the voice of the guard screamed. Celestia perked up while guard galloped in. Her guest, on the other hoof…

“What is this?” the noble demanded, “I was in the middle of a very important…”

“Intruder,” the guard said, “In the castle.”

“What type of intruder is it?” she asked cautiously.

“A Diamond Dog,” the guard said, “The likes of which we’ve never seen before.”

Celestia paused, then her ears flared. Diamond Dog that they had never seen before…?

He wouldn’t… Celestia had to resist face hoofing. Don’t be a foal; you know he would.

“I fail to see what relevance…” the noble started to say, before Celestia strode past him. “Y-Your Highness? I…”

“I will return momentarily,” Celestia said firmly, the guards quickly opening the door for her. The guard who had informed her followed closely behind her. “Is he contained?” she asked.

“Almost,” the guard said, “It shows an unnaturally high tolerance for pain. And every time we stop and let it breath, it fights back. I’m not sure the thing’s right in the head, your Highness.”

Celestia grimaced, picking up her pace. Even now, she could hear the sound of combat. Teeth clanging off metal. Spells being fired. Worst of all… the muffled yelps of a dog being beaten.

The horrifying image of what she had seen Logan go through flashed through her mind, and Celestia quickened her pace.

Faust on high,Celestia thought grimly. Hasn’t that wolf suffered enough? Now he has to bring pain down on himself?

Finally, she rounded a corner… and saw them.

The guards had Logan and Lyra backed up into a corner, ears flat against their skulls as the guards bore down on them. Logan’s had several bruises shining on his sides under his fur, yet he continued to snarl and growl. Lyra tried to form a flimsy barrier between them.

“Wait,” she begged, “Please. I…”

“Ma’am,” one of the guards said firmly, “You’re already guilty of association with this intruder. Step aside now, or it’ll be worse for you.”

Logan’s hackles bared even further. “You lay a hoof on her, and I’ll rip it off!” Logan growled at them.

The guards glanced at each other in shock. Even Lyra stared at him.

“You’re… protecting me?” she asked.

Logan gave her a softer look. “You helped me,” he said, “I’m not gonna let you pay for my mistake.”

“If you don’t want her to pay, then give up,” the guard said, “There’s ten of us and only one of you.”

Logan just grinned, his tail wagging. “I like those odds,” he replied before lunging forward.

Celestia winced, and the guards cantered back, but Logan never got the chance to attack. His fur suddenly glowed with an aura of purple blue haze that shimmered like the night sky. Logan glanced at it in confusion before he was slammed into the ground. Lyra whimpered as Logan squirmed, fighting against the magic as a familiar dark alicorn forced her way past the guards.

“No, you don’t!” Luna declared, “I told you before, and I’ll tell you again, my sister may have pity on you…”

“But you have no such compunctions,” Logan whispered, his ears flaring and his tail tucking all the way up to his chest.

Celestia raised an eyebrow, looking between Luna and Logan as, for the first time since she had met him, Celestia saw true fear on Logan’s face.

“She’s real,” he whispered, “She’s actually real…”

“Now,” Luna said, “Surrender yourself now, or…”

“NO!” Logan howled, as his entire body began to glow.

The others backed up – even Luna’s jaw dropped in awe – as lightning, as if from a storm cloud, shrouded the young wolf, and he began to force himself back up, but not with anger or defiance. With fear. Pure, undiluted fear.

“DEMON!” he howled, managing to get himself to all fours, “DEVIL!” The lightning began to gather around him, turning into a spear that was aimed right for Luna’s face. “EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!”

Seconds before he unleashed whatever power was in him, a familiar voice yelled out.

“SLEEP!”

Logan gave a quick twitch, and his eyes rolled up into his head. He hit the ground, and didn’t move again.

Lyra stood behind him, the glow fading from her own horn, as she shivered in terror. Her shivering only intensified as the guards glanced her way.

Celestia, however, had eyes only for her sister. Luna’s own eyes were transfixed on the wolf with regret. Without his barking and growling, it was easier to see just how young and underdeveloped his features were. The bruises the guards had been forced to leave on him didn’t help matters. With the fight taken out of him, the wolf looked more like a beaten dog; completely undeserving of such abuse.

“Luna,” she said patiently, “You said you visited his dreams?”

“Y-Yes, sister,” Luna stammered, her eyes not leaving Logan’s body.

“Then, pray tell,” Celestia said, “What did you do to him, that would cause him to act as if you were Nightmare returned?”

Luna didn’t speak. Her mane hid her eyes. Celestia huffed a sad sigh, before noticing the guards.

“Guards,” she said softly, “Take Ms. Heartstrings to the throne room. Inform Agent Sweetie Drops - or 'Bon Bon' - of her location, and have her brought home.”

“Yes, Princess,” the guards said. A few started to go for Logan’s unconscious body, but Celestia waved them off.

“Ma’am?” one of the guards asked, “That Diamond Dog is unlike anything we’ve seen. Shouldn’t we…?”

“Leave him,” Celestia said, lifting him up in her golden aura. “I will be taking care of him… after I have words with my sister.”

Her tone of voice dissuaded protest. The guards escorted Lyra away. The mint green unicorn kept her eye on Logan for as long as she could, watching as Celestia and Luna teleported away with him in tow.

Chapter 8: The Lone Wolf meets Trollestia

The last thing Logan had remembered was that horrible dark alicorn. The demon of dreams, there in front of him. Part of him prayed that it had been another nightmare or panic attack; that she truly wasn’t real. But the voices that were made their way through his still recovering consciousness seemed to dissuade such a thing.

“Sister, I only meant to protect you…” Luna’s voice whimpered.

“Do I really appear so weak that I cannot defend myself from a child?” Celestia asked, “That I have to witness my little ponies – my own sister – turn into ravenous beasts when I face even the mildest threat of harm?” There were hoof steps. “What damage did he do to earn your wrath, sister? Do you see any injuries upon me that justify you falling to such undeserved hate?”

“N-No,” Luna whimpered.

“If I want revenge to be done,” Celestia said, “I will do it myself, or I will ask. That is my right; not the right of my student, and certainly not the right of my sister.”

Luna went silent for a long time. Logan felt the presence of someone over him, but he couldn’t open his eyes. Something kept them closed against his will.

“I must apologize to him,” Luna said.

“Not here,” Celestia said, “Not now; when he has already proven what he thinks of you. We will give him time, and when he is ready… then, you can tell him.”

Luna was silent again.

“Very well,” she mumbled, before the sounds of hoof steps faded away. They briefly stopped. “Sister, how do you intend to prevent him from doing something brash again? He shows no respect for you.”

“Indeed,” Celestia agreed, “But anger and discipline will do nothing for him. I have seen enough of his world to understand that such things will only anger him; cause him to cling to his beliefs with an ever-tightening grip.” He could almost hear the smile in her voice. “Let us see if a different approach will yield better results.”

Logan suddenly felt a surge of magic envelop him, letting him finally open his eyes. When he did, he found himself in a new room. There was a desk on one side of the room, complete with a stack of scrolls, quills and inkwells. Book shelves adorned the far end, lined with tomes both new and aged. Various contraptions, instruments and other objects decorated the room. And, of course, the bed at the end made the dens and cottages Logan had seen in Ponyville look like patches of dirt.

“Then again, patches of dirt would be more comfortable to sleep on,” his defiant part offered.

You’re really sinking that low to be defiant? Logan asked himself.

Yeah… I guess I am.

Sighing, Logan turned right to the door, only to find Celestia before him. She was giving him an analytical look; one of both pity, disappointment... and a bit of mischief.

“You know,” Celestia noted, “You look so much cuter when asleep. All the anger and conflict? It just… fades away from you.”

Logan just huffed, a snarl already forming on his face. Celestia noticed the gesture, and her gaze darkened.

“I asked you to stay in Ponyville,” she noted, “I was willing to offer you leniency despite your poor attitude. And this is how you repay me? Breaking into my home and injuring my subjects?”

A pang of remorse shot through Logan’s chest at the thought of Lyra, but he tried to push it down. It did not go unnoticed by Celestia, however, who tilted her head at his odd display.

“You stole me from my pack,” he reminded her, “Right now, they could be in grave danger, and you expect me to just sit around and do nothing while they suffer?” He limped forward. “They need my help now!” He indicated the massive room. “What are you doing to fix any of this?”

“I have responsibilities and duties as a Princess of Equestria,” Celestia retorted, “You can’t assume that I’d be able to re-weave a complex bit of magic in a single day, especially when I have my own business to attend to.”

“Your ponies seem to think you’re more than up to the task,” Logan snarked.

“Just as you seemed to believe that a regular unicorn was capable of aiding you in a feat that even I barely succeeded in?” Celestia countered, “Unless there’s another reason you brought Lyra Heartstrings here.”

Logan paused again, regret flashing again across his face again.

“She was the only one willing to help,” he finally muttered.

“The only one?” Celestia chuckled, “Every single one of the ponies in Ponyville want to help you, Logan. I have done nothing but help you since the moment you arrived here. Were it not for my intervention, your actions for the past day would have seen you imprisoned; likely banished.”

“Good!” Logan barked, holding back a keen as his body throbbed with pain, “I didn’t even want to be here! You want to banish me, banish me back to my own world!”

“You know that isn’t possible yet,” Celestia said, “And unless you’d prefer banishment to the moon or sun…” Logan perked his ears up at that, “You need to learn obedience and humility. And that starts by recognizing that a princess’ word in this universe is law.”

“I answer to no princess!” Logan growled passionately, “I answer to no King nor Queen. I answer only to the Alpha Kodo!” Before Celestia could speak, Logan plowed on, “The Slayer of Connors and the Son of Shiva; Breaker of Leashes and White Wolf of the West! He is my Alpha, from the day I was spawned from his loins to the day I’m returned to the dust!” Logan held his head higher. “Your dream demon? Your guards? Nothing they or you do will ever bend my will. I know no leader but the Alpha Kodo!”

Celestia pursed her lips, her expression growing… conflicted? Logan wasn’t sure, but he kept up a defiant look. He silently dared her to hit him; to do anything rather than just stand there with that infuriating aura of power that clearly meant nothing if she wasn’t going to do anything with it.

Her horn glowed, and Logan was once again enshrouded in her magic. But his stare didn’t falter.

Here it comes, Logan noted, fear and defiance warring in his chest. He was ready; he had taken on her guards! He had stared down the dream demon! He had endured humanity’s cruel creativity. What was a little more?

In fact, he felt that he could take a lot more. A bit… too much more. Confusion spread across his face as he felt the pain leaving him. His foreleg’s throb dulled, the pounding in his head diminished, even the bruises along his side began to fade. All while he was enshrouded in that golden aura.

His eyes darted back to Celestia. Her own eyes had brightened, like she had gotten a wonderful idea. A mischievous smirk played across her lips. When the pain completely faded, he became aware of a sensation down his back. At first, he thought it was a whip, before he realized the touch was softer. It didn’t break his skin, it massaged down, along his vertebrae. A sudden chill coursed through his body. Oddly… pleasant. And - to his utter shock – his hind leg started thumping the ground rhythmically as the touch descended down his vertebrae again.

“What’re you…?” he stammered, unable to hide his confusion, “What’re you doing to me?”

“Clearly, something you didn’t expect,” Celestia noted coyly.

“What are you…?” Logan growled as his hind leg thumped the ground again, and he tried to seize it. But as he forced the leg back down, Celestia’s magic gave a soft shove, and Logan easily rolled to his back. Panic set in, as he struggled to right himself. But before he could, that same touching sensation descended on his exposed belly. His spine arched back as the oddly pleasant feeling coursed through his body again. Logan was left lying there, spasming and at war with his conflicting emotions, while the pleasurable sensation coursed through his body and caused his hind leg to whip around in the air like an uncontrollable fire hose.

“Stop it!” Logan cried out, even as his gut begged him to let her continue, “STOP!”

“Are you sure?” Celestia replied teasingly, having settled onto a pile of cushions and watching the wolf’s dance like it was a show, “You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

“I’m NOT… I’m… Oh, by the moon…” Logan whimpered as the pleasurable feeling send his neck arcing up, and he ended up looking at Celestia upside down. “I’m not enjoying this!” he screamed, “This is not something I like!”

“You endure so much torture,” Celestia noted, “Yet you are beaten by a belly rub.” Her gaze fractured again for a split second, “I can’t tell whether that’s amusing or depressing.”

“Stop it!” Logan tried to insist, but his squirming like a caterpillar on a leaf did nothing to help his case.

Celestia chuckled as her magic gave a particular twist, and Logan spun to his side, pitching a complete 180 before landing right on his back again.

Shame coursed alongside the strange pleasure keeping him locked in place. His hind leg waved like crazy, and his remaining limbs hung uselessly in the air. No way for him to spring away if she decided to stop fooling around and actually attack him. He was about as helpless as he had been when he had first been weaned from his mother’s side. The thought sickened him and filled him with rage.

“Now, while I have you occupied,” Celestia continued, “I’d like you to think for a moment. Your pack might be in danger, sure. But don’t you think your interference is only going to delay any progress I try to make?” She hummed pointedly, “Putting your pack in even more danger?”

“What d’you know about it?” he demanded, trying to wriggle his way back to his paws, “I’m not going to sit here and do nothing while they…!” He stammered off into a moan as the magic fingers arced up along his spine, unlocking a new layer of heaven.

She chuckled, and extended a hoof, placing it right on his stomach.

“Ah, of course, I forgot who I was dealing with,” Celestia said with a snicker, rolling Logan back and forth, “Logan Wolfe; the prodigal child with the ability to bend time and space.” She giggled before releasing him, and rolling him back to his paws. The pleasurable feeling faded as the magic aura left him. “Well, if you’re so skilled in inter-dimensional shifting, go ahead; bring forth the portal, and reunite with your pack.”

Logan’s eyes darted around, his ears shifting. His hackles started to bare.

“You’re mocking me,” he growled.

“I’d like to think of it as ‘teasing,’” Celestia replied.

“No,” Logan barked, holding his paw out, and remembering how he had enhanced Lyra’s magic. “No, I can… I can do that…” He tensed, trying to bring that same magic he had used beforehand. But all he got was a small glow in his paws. Celestia continued to watch him with an amused smile, even as he only managed to make his paws glow brighter and flicker with electricity.

“This…” he stammered as the glow started to fade, “This doesn’t make sense! I was doing that weird… why can’t I…?!”

“Performance issues?” Celestia asked. He glared up at her, but she just chuckled. “And here I was assuming that only happened when you were middle aged.”

Logan fumed, almost about to scream, before Celestia’s magic tickled his back again. His leg thumped, and he lashed out, biting at his leg – and promptly regretting it. If the small whine he gave was any indication. He fell to his haunches, his eyes shutting. He was certain Celestia could smell the shame and regret on him. Celestia’s look softened.

“Oh, Logan,” she tsked, in the tone of a mother, “Your loyalty is admirable, but your passion is being misplaced.” She moved closer. “Think, for a moment; if your pack was as helpless as you believe, how would they have lived long enough to have you? To give you a life you seem so eager to return to?”

“But…” Logan stammered as both his belly and spine were suddenly teased and pleasured, “The humans… my father… said he needed me…”

“Your pack will be fine until I find a way to return you safely to them. But until that time, I’m going to have to make sure you don’t cause any more trouble.”

Her magic flashed again. Logan felt a sudden choking sensation. For a brief moment, he wondered if she was going to just strangle him like the dark armored human in a very old movie he had watched. But the sensations – both choking and pleasurable - faded, and he found that she had fitted him with a golden collar.

“That collar is enchanted to bring you back to Twilight’s library,” Celestia said, tucking a rolled scroll into the space between his neck and the collar, “And if you attempt anymore cute maneuvers that involve leaving Ponyville, it will return you right back to her.”

Logan didn’t respond, his head bowing as it occurred to him that he really wasn’t going to win this fight. Celestia’s smile turned sad as a soft, hopeless whimper escaped his snout before he could stop it.

“Oh, Logan,” she said sympathetically, rubbing his back with her hoof, “I may not have much experience with your kind, but I can tell you’ve led a troubled life. But, for once, I’d like you to be able to take comfort in the fact that someone – or rather, some pony,” she chuckled as she indicated herself, “Knows what she’s doing.” She rubbed him behind the ears. “Trust in your superiors. And soon enough, you will get what you deserve, and more.”

Her words had been meant to comfort, but it looked like Logan had taken anything butcomfort from her words. He only had enough time to look up at her, his tail tucked, before the collar took its effect, and he vanished in a flash of gold light.

Chapter 9: Who's the Real Monster?

The golden light around Logan shifted into a bright green. The scent of sulfur flooded his nostrils, making him cough and gag. The next thing Logan knew, he was laying on a wooden floor. A groan sounded behind him, and he spun to find a purple dragon with green spikes doubled over, clutching his stomach as his emerald green eyes took in Logan’s form with a shocked look.

“That’s way bigger than a scroll,” he noted.

“LOGAN!” a voice screeched.

Logan winced before Twilight practically flew down a staircase he hadn’t noticed, clearly trying to cripple him with looks alone.

“There you are! You won’t believe what…” Twilight noticed the scroll in his collar, and snatched it up with her aura. As her eyes darted across the page, Logan became aware of a drone of angry yelling coming from outside. Curiosity pulling him from his despair and humiliation, he walked over to the door and opened it… only to find an angry mob before him. Fluttershy was cowering away from them, while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were doing all they could to quell them.

Right at the front was that Diamond Tiara brat, a bandage wrapped around her foreleg which she was holding up gingerly. Next to her was a brown stallion with what Logan could only describe as a pompadour. Diamond Tiara’s eyes locked on Logan, and she pointed her bandaged hoof in his direction.

“That’s him!” she shrieked, “That’s the monster that bit me.”

The stallion’s eyes locked on Logan with the intensity of a heat-seeking missile.

“Don’t worry, pumpkin,” the stallion declared, “I’ll see him pay for hurting you!” He turned to his mob. “Come on, every pony. Let’s teach that beast a lesson about messing with the wrong crowd.”

“Alright, back up!” Rainbow Dash yelled as the crowd tried to push past him to get to Logan.

“C’mon, get!” Applejack snarled as one particularly bulky pegasus tried to force his way past her.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie, however, separated from the group and grabbed Logan, bustling him inside the library before slamming the door. But slamming the door didn’t free Logan from hostile glares.

“Logan T. Wolfe,” Rarity snarled, “You have a lot of nerve…!”

“That creature BIT a child,” one of the many screaming voices declared from outside, “It bit Princess Celestia. A creature like that should be caged in the deepest, darkest caverns of Canterlot.”

“No, worse,” another insisted, “It should be banished to the sun!"

“Stop!” Rainbow Dash bellowed, quieting them by a fraction, “We are going to handle this; but breaking into an angry mob isn’t gonna help.” She darted inside, and glared back at Logan. “What in pony feathers were you thinking?” she hissed at him, “You just break Sugarcube Corner’s door, run off, and bite some pony?”

“And a child at that,” Rarity asked, “How could you!? When Princess Celestia hears about this…!”

“She already has,” Twilight said, her voice a steel calm mix of anger and dread.

Logan’s ears flattened, and he let out another long-suffering sigh as Twilight joined in, the scroll shaking in her aura.

“Of all the crazy, foolish, rock headed stunts I’ve ever seen any pony pull off,” Twilight hissed at him, “This has got to be the worst one yet!”

“Twilight, what in tarnation are you talking about?” Applejack demanded.

She showed them the letter. As the others looked over it, the stallion father nudged the door open, glaring inside.

“What are you reading?” he demanded, “Is it a royal degree? Does it entail the punishment this creature deserves?”

Logan snarled, before Twilight shoved him further back with her hind leg.

“Unfortunately,” she said, “Princess Celestia was already made aware of Logan’s temper problems… when he broke into Canterlot Castle.” She glanced up, “He’s being held under house arrest here until further notice.”

“THAT’S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” Diamond Tiara’s voice wailed, “I want him PUNISHED!!”

“Agreed,” several ponies shouted. Logan’s ears flicked as he suddenly noticed a strange tuneplaying in the air.

“If every pony could just calm down…” Twilight tried to say, but the father spoke over her.

“Ponyville is supposed to be a place of love and tolerance,” he insisted, as the music grew louder, “Not a place where my daughter has to fear for her life from some… foreign beast!”

Logan’s glower deepened, only to fade away in surprise when the stallion… burst into song.

“That big bad wolf will give you a fright.

Biting children both day and night.

No rest for the weary, nor for the weak,

Unless you wish to become that werewolf’s meat!”

Before Logan could question it, another mare joined it.

“It doesn’t care about nada; no zilch, no nothing.”

“Except bringing about,” another noted, “Our town’s destruction.”

The Mane Six were slowly forming a bit of a barricade between Logan and the mob. Yet, once again, who should jump to his defense but Fluttershy? And in song form no less.

“Now wait just a minute; there’s another side to this

And if I did not defend him, then I would be remiss.

He’s just a child too

He cares for his pack just like we ponies too.”

Yet the mob wasn’t satisfied, with the stallion’s voice sending Fluttershy to a meek tremble.

“Oh, give me a break, you’re far too kind.

That creature has a one-track mind.

My daughter is not its restaurant

But does it ever think what others want?”

“No,” another mob member replied, “It don’t.”

“And that is just a fact.”

That dog, it doesn’t know how to act!”

Despite the mares looking conflicted, Fluttershy forced herself back to the spotlight.

“That is where I have to disagree,

He’s loyal to his family.

Separated, far and wide…”

She was cut off again, this time by two colts.

“There’s more?” one asked.

“We better run and hide!” the other responded.

Both tore away, while Diamond’s father once again took over.

“It’s big and ugly, and mean as sin!

Will you look at the state, my daughter’s in!”

Twilight tried to come forward.

“The wolf’s assault is a matter of some strife…”

But she was cut off as well.

“It tried to take my life!” Diamond Tiara screamed.

Logan tried to go forward as well, before several other mob members stepped forward.

“Well, I for one don’t have a doubt,” one of them said,

“That beast must be driven out!”

“I second that, it’s gotta go,”several pegasus said,

“That creature’s gotta hit the road!”

“It comes down!” Tiara’s father declared, “To just one simple fact.

It’s crossed the line, it’s time to fight back!”

With that, the mob began to bear down, past the Mane Six and towards Logan, all while chanting the same thing over and over.

“Stop the Wolf; Stop the wolf;

Stop the Big, Bad, Evil Wolf!”

This chant continued, bearing down on him alongside the angry eyes and stomping hooves of the mob. Logan slowly started to back up. His ears were completely flat. His tail was tucked up to his chest. His eyes shut, and he pressed his paws up to his head.

Suddenly, he was younger; he was barely more than a fledgling pup. A door was being broken open, a red wolf flinching beside him.

“Find a way out,” his mother barked.

“There is no way out!” Logan protested, scampering and looking for the tiniest path out of the square closet he had blundered into, “I can’t get out!” Logan cried, curling up on the floor and sobbing.

“Don’t do that!” his mother said, bringing him to his paws. “If we cannot run without assurance that you will escape, then we meet our fate together; with bared fang and a howl for victory!” The door bashed open. “Remember, my son. Remember to fight. For death is sweeter when it is met with a roar, then a whimper.”

Despite everything; his memory trying to drag him from the horrid scolding and screaming, he still remembered those words.

Fight; for death is sweeter when it is met with a roar, rather than a whimper.

Logan’s head shot up. His eyes began to glow. He ignored the look of horrified concern on the others. And just as the chant faded to one final lyric, he felt his grip on any semblance of self-control he might have had snap.

“It comes down to just one simple fact;

It’s crossed the line, it’s time that we— “

“SHUT UP NOW!”

His howl wasn't quite a howl; it was neither the song that he had uttered outside the forest, nor one of his many screams or yelps of unbridled emotion. This howl took the form of a vortex of sound and lightning. It hurled the mob off their hooves, the few that managed to keep their footing flinching away. Had Logan been able to hear over his own howl, he would have heard someone whisper, “The Royal Canterlot Voice?” Had his eyes been able to open beyond glowing slits, he would have noticed two apparitions appearing alongside him, in the form of a black wolf and a white wolf, who both briefly charged alongside his howl like ghosts of the past before dissipating into sparks of light.

Logan slowly caught his breath, his eyes narrowing as he took in the many frightened faces before him. Diamond Tiara herself was hiding behind her father, both of them trembling as if they stood before an angry alicorn. Logan strode over to them, fixing them with the darkest, angriest glare he could fathom. Then, he lifted his gaze to the rest of the mares and stallions.

Part of him wanted to fight. Just as he had fought Celestia and her guards. Yet, doubt burned in the back of his mind. He had lost or merely tied in both those fights, and that was giving him leeway. If he went all out on these guys… could he really afford to take them all on?

Then, just over the horizon, far out of reach of his howl, Logan saw a familiar cream colored filly with a red bow, flanked by two other fillies, all staring at him with worry. And he realized; he may not be able to beat them with teeth and claw. But what about words?

“Let me see if I understand something,” Logan said, his voice raspy, but no less capable of a booming voice. He indicated himself. “I’m the monster here? The blood thirsty, barbaric wolf that terrorizes little girls?”

The ponies all glanced at each other.

“Well… yeah?” and “Uh huh” flickered nervously from pony to pony.

“Then, with that in mind,” Logan noted, “Why is it that the bloodthirsty, barbaric wolf cared more for that filly,” he pointed to Apple Bloom, “Than any of you ever did?”

He stormed over to Diamond Tiara. She tried to hide behind her father, who raised a foreleg in her defense, but Logan was quicker. With a swipe of his paw, Diamond Tiara’s bandage fluttered away, revealing unscathed flesh and unharmed fur underneath.

“I didn’t hurt this girl,” Logan growled, “I didn’t mutilate her or eat her. But I did scare her. And you know why I did that?” he pointed at Apple Bloom again. “Because she was harassing that girl right over there.”

The others turned to Apple Bloom, who started to hold herself higher as Logan’s words reached her. Applejack, in particular, was looking particularly confused.

“He’s not lying,” Apple Bloom insisted, “Diamond Tiara was bullying me; teasing me for not having my mark.”

“Oppressing her,” Logan added in, “Putting her down because she wasn’t branded with some stupid butt picture.” His glare centered on the crowd. “And, from what Apple Bloom told me, this has been happening long enough that Apple Bloom took an extreme measure to get one of those stupid butt pictures; a measure that could’ve killed her!”

The ponies flinched at the ‘k-word.’

“Is he talking about the Cutie Pox incident?” one voice asked.

“I think so,” another replied.

“And what did any of you do?” Logan demanded, “What did any of you do to try and help her?” He spun around. “Did any of you consider encouraging Apple Bloom? Encouraging any filly that this… creature,” he spat at Tiara, “Picked on. At the very least give them permission to stand up for themselves?”

“What? By biting and attacking?” Applejack asked, gaining enough courage to stand up, “I won’t see my sister turn into a bully as well…”

“Your sister?” Logan growled, marching up on Applejack, even as the farm mare tried to stand her ground, “You let your own sister – your pack – get hurt, and encouraged her to do nothing!?”

“Well, I…”

“She’s supposed to be your pack!” Logan roared, “Your family! Your flesh and blood! Did you even think of telling the bully to stop?”

“Well… no,” Applejack admitted, “But…”

“Did you tell Tiara’s father that his daughter was making your sister’s life miserable?”

“No,” Applejack whimpered, her stance faltering.

“Have you done anything to help that poor girl deal with some pony that drove her to an extreme that nearly damaged her for life?” Logan almost screamed.

Applejack sunk back down, her look of cautious fear replaced by pure shame. Then again, shame began to register on all their faces.

“Oppression is the vilest sin I can imagine,” Logan said, “Anyone – pony or wolf – who picks on innocent and helpless people just to make themselves feel powerful is evil. And anything bad that happens to them should happen, because they brought it on themselves. Are things really so screwed up here that just defending yourself from oppression and tyranny makes you evil?”

The ponies stared at him, looking like their brains had been completely rocked. Logan’s ears flattened, and he shook his head.

“I don’t know why I expected better,” he muttered, “After all, this place apparently punishes people for worrying about their pack. That is, when you’re not shooting people in the face with cannons?” He glared in particular at Pinkie Pie, who flinched at the harshness in his gaze.

“W-Well,” Pinkie whimpered, “It was a Party Cannon. It was just part of a surprise welcome party I wanted to…”

“A welcome party?” Logan asked with a humorless grin. “So, you WELCOME people by ambushing them, and shooting them in the face?”

Pinkie flinched back down to the ground. While her friends were giving her a very severe ‘I told you so’ glare, the other ponies were looking at her in shock and horror, like they couldn’t believe she would do such a thing.

“Well…” Pinkie sputtered feebly, “You did break a…” she stammered into silence as Logan gave her an utterly disgusted glare.

“Even after I apologized for that?” he demanded, holding his arm up, where the words ‘I mean it’ could still be faintly seen under his fur, “Even after I cut myself to prove my regret?”

Pinkie didn’t meet his gaze. He glared around at the rest of the town, who were all looking down in guilt and regret.

“You want to call me the monster?” Logan demanded, “Get your self-righteous heads out of your plots and look in a damn mirror.” He looked towards Apple Bloom. “And Apple Bloom… you and every other foal out there who’s suffered… I’m sorry. I’m sorry that you have to live under such hypocritical, self-righteous, pathetic excuses for role models.” He extended a paw in her direction. “Be better than them. Don’t let them turn you into something less than what you are. And more importantly, don’t ever let them make you think less of yourself.”

With that, he turned around, and stormed off down the road. Slowly, the ponies picked themselves up, and wandered off in separate directions. Applejack herself stared after Apple Bloom as she turned and walked away.

“Hey, Twi?” Applejack asked. Twilight glanced at her warily, “Can ya make a note to Princess Celestia?”

“Uh, sure,” Twilight said hesitantly, “D-Do you need me to…”

“Nah, it’s pretty short,” she said, “Just say, ‘Dear Princess Celestia; today, I learned I was the worst role model for my little sister.” Her eyes narrowed, “It’s a mistake that I’m never gonna make again.”

She strode towards where her little sister had walked off.

“Agreed,” Rarity said, following after her.

“Same,” Rainbow Dash said, flying off after them.

Twilight, Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged nervous glances – the only mares left from the mob – before a flash of fire from inside made them jump.

“What was that?” Fluttershy whispered as Spike let out a roar of frustration.

“The collar!” Twilight noted with a gasp, “Logan must have wandered out of Ponyville’s borders. Princess Celestia said he can’t leave while that thing’s around his neck.” She dashed to the door, Pinkie and Fluttershy right behind her. “Logan?” she asked, starting to open the door, “Logan, please listen to me. I…”

CRASH!

The door busted open, flattening Twilight against the library wall. Fluttershy was unscathed, but Pinkie similarly lay trampled into the dust. Her head popped back up from the pancake shape, but there was no sign of the wolf.

Only a slew of tracks leading away.

Chapter 10: One Step Forward...

Two days later

Fluttershy sat tending to her favorite rabbit, when she was distracted by a knock on her door. Opening it revealed Pinkie Pie, who was glancing around with a nervous air.

“Oh, hello Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said.

“Hi, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said, though she lacked her usual energy, and kept looking around the cottage. “Say… you haven’t seen Logan by any chance, have you? Twilight’s been asking about him… and… I kinda wanted to talk to him.”

Fluttershy’s ears flattened. “No,” she admitted, “He’s been keeping to himself mostly.” She raised a hoof before Pinkie’s ears could flatten. “I mean, he’s eating what I leave out for him. Though… he really needs his space right now.” She tilted her head. “Why? Did he do something?”

“Well, Lyra and Bon Bon came back from Canterlot,” Pinkie explained. “Apparently, Logan tried to talk to Lyra, but she was all like, ‘nu-uh.’ Then, when Logan tried to press it, Bon Bon made his collar bring him back to Twilight. But he just ran away. Hasn’t said anything to any pony.” Pinkie shrugged. “That’s the most any of us have seen of him. Twilight’s really getting worried.”

Fluttershy hummed, before both of them noticed an odd glow emanating from the forest.

“That must be him,” Fluttershy said, moving out of her cottage. “Here, let me talk to him before you.”

“Oh, before you do,” Pinkie said, before handing Fluttershy a plate. Where she had been keeping it, Fluttershy had no idea. But the plate held seven cupcakes, all stamped with letters and arranged to form the letters ‘I’m Sorry.’ Before Fluttershy could ask why, Pinkie gave the glowing forest another glance, and disappeared back towards town.

Giving a soft sigh at Pinkie’s antics, Fluttershy walked deeper into the woods. She had caught glimpses of Logan before, along with his odd glow. From what she could figure, he was doing something that made his paws light up with what she could only describe as unicorn magic. Yet whenever he heard her approaching, he shot away.

This time, however, whatever he was doing had his attention. Enough that Fluttershy could draw closer to him. His tail was wagging, and he was starting to chuckle as bolts of energy began to crisscross around his front paws.

“Come on…” he muttered, the glow brightening, “C’mon!”

CRACKLE-BOOM!

Logan nearly leaped out of his fur as a lightning bolt shot from his paws, thankfully avoiding any of the trees. Fluttershy herself nearly upended the plate she was carrying, but Logan’s reaction put hers to shame. He nearly careened into her with a yelp of terror, redirecting himself in time to run into a tree instead. Looking back down, he found that the glow had faded from his front paws. Fluttershy moaned in pity as Logan’s expression just… wilted.

His head bowed, and his tail tucked. And in the shadows of a small spruce tree, he sounded his eerie howl. Unlike before, where the trees themselves had seemed to dance to his strange magic, the trees almost seemed to droop, their branches not exactly clashing, and more tapping morosely. This was not a howl of joy; it was a howl of sorrow. Fluttershy whimpered as his song continued, filling her with a feeling of… almost hopelessness.

His ears flicked when Fluttershy tried to approach again, and his howl died down, slowly being replaced by a warning growl.

“Um… sorry… to disturb you,” she said, “But… Pinkie Pie left these for you.”

She set the plate down next to him. Logan glanced indifferently down at her gift.

“It’s… Pinkie Pie's way, but…” Fluttershy briefly tried to explain, only for Logan to take the cakes and move away from her. Fluttershy watched, twitching with worry, as Logan proceeded to dig a hole, flinging dirt onto the cupcakes without care.

“Oh, uh, that’s not exactly sanitary…” Fluttershy tried to say, before Logan finished his digging. Without a single word, he dumped the cupcakes into the hole. He then proceeded to fill the hole before noticing the dirt streaked plate; a pretty thing that looked like it was made of china. Logan picked the plate up, his muscles tensing like he was preparing to snap it in half, but then he noticed Fluttershy again. He walked back over to her, and wordlessly handed the plate back to her. Fluttershy took it, flinching away from him, while he moved away from where he had buried Pinkie’s apology gift, and continued his howl, the color fading from the environment around him.

“Please, Logan,” Fluttershy whimpered, going after him, “Don’t push me away. I hate seeing animals in pain.”

She tried to touch him, but he jumped away when her hoof brushed his back. She squeaked and flinched back at the look of pure malice that flashed across his eyes before he got control of himself.

“Don’t… touch me there,” he growled, before turning away.

“Logan,” Fluttershy whimpered, “It’s me.” He glared back at her. “It’s Fluttershy.” His eyes didn’t betray his emotion as she sat next to him. “Please let me help. What’s wrong?”

At first, Logan said nothing. But, as he took in Fluttershy’s eyes, his ears flicked from side to side, his anger turned to resignation, and he let out a small sigh.

“Everything,” Logan replied, his voice cracking, “Celestia just sees me as some stupid kid.”

Fluttershy almost protested, but decided to let him vent.

“She’s going to keep me here while my pack dies; she doesn’t get how horrible the humans in my world are.” He looked up at the sky. “While I’m sitting here, enjoying… this,” he indicated the surrounding forest, “My pack’s suffering.” His head bowed. “And I can’t do anything to help them.” His eyes shut. “Why did it have to be me? I didn’t earn… paradise.” His eyes shut. “I should’ve been left… or maybe shot, like Pinkie tried to do.”

Fluttershy gasped. “No,” she said soothingly, her hoof running over his head, careful to avoid his back. “What Pinkie did was terrible; a prank like that… and right after you apologized for her promise…”

“Oh, yeah,” Logan noted, “And apparently, apologies are worthless. Bon Bon and Pinkie Pie proved that much, didn’t they?”

Fluttershy tilted her head, “You… were trying to apologize to Bon Bon?”

“Not to Bon Bon,” he said, “To Lyra.” His head dipped. “I put her in danger; probably got her in trouble. And all for something that would’ve hurt her in the long run anyway.” He sighed. “But they don’t care. Lyra just left me in the dust, and Bon Bon sent me away with this stupid collar.” He tugged at the metal device around his neck before his head and ears drooped. “What’s the point of apologizing if it doesn’t bring forgiveness?”

Fluttershy was silent at first. “Well, I’m not sure about Lyra and Bon Bon, but about Sugarcube Corner…,” Fluttershy started to say. She almost winced as Logan locked eyes with her. “Logan, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you, I only…”

“You didn’t tell me about the cannon,” he noted, “Because she would’ve done the same to you, right?”

“She made me Pinkie Promise not to spoil the surprise.” She shrugged. “I just saw her react to you breaking one of those promises.” She shuddered. “She’s so scary when she gets like that.”

“Even if you apologize for it, apparently,” Logan grumbled.

Fluttershy nodded. “Listen. I talked to Twilight about it,” she offered, “Even… with everything else going on, I can at least make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Who cares?” Logan asked resigned, “I’m a wolf among horses, the one always in the wrong.” He thumbed at the collar around his neck. “I worry about my people, and I get punished for it.”

“Logan…” Fluttershy said, heart-broken, but Logan wasn’t listening.

“She sent that… dream demon… Luna,” he said.

Fluttershy gasped. “Princess Luna?” she asked.

“She burrowed into my mind,” Logan whimpered, “Forced me to relieve my worst memories…”

Fluttershy was beyond horrified. “Is… that why it took so long to wake you?” she asked, “Why you were having nightmares?”

He said nothing, opting to look away. “Why did I have to be brought here?” he asked no one in particular, “No one wants me here.”

“That’s not true,” Fluttershy insisted, “I want you here; temper and all.” Her eyes brightened, “And so do the Crusaders.”

“Crusaders?”

“Apple Bloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?” she asked, “You helped save Apple Bloom from bullies before you left. You stood up for her when no pony else wanted to make it their problem. No pony else would have done that.”

Logan’s tail wagged. “Well,” he said vacantly, “My father always did tell me; never let the oppressed or bullied be left alone in their struggle. Any form of tyranny is to be fought against; every victim you should at least try to save.”

Fluttershy smiled. “He sounds like a wonderful wolf,” she said. “I wish I could’ve met him.”

Logan’s warm expression faded. His tail tucked.

“But you won’t be able to,” he noted.

Fluttershy tilted her head, but before she could say anything, Logan’s eyes began to glow, and he recited the moment in an eerie monotone.

“We had thought we were safe. Our pack was parked in a field next to a river. We were dumb to think we could stay out in such open terrain.

The humans came, followed by hounds that had betrayed our cause. I remember… running. Ducking through and underneath fights. We were doing okay, but then my dad broke free. He saw one of the hounds that had betrayed us; his face was one of rage.”

“Logan?”

“He charged the hound head on; pursuing him to the edge of the river. And as he bore down on the hound, a human leaped out from the water like some sort of water demon. A cannon’s barrel was pointed at my father…”Logan’s voice cracked. “And…”

“Logan, stop!” Fluttershy said, grabbing hold of him, “It's just a memory, okay? It's just a memory."

Small sobs tried to force themselves from his choked throat, as Fluttershy once again stroked at his back, shushing him softly. In that moment, it was so easy to see what his defiance clouded; the fact that he was still a puppy. A child forced to grow far past his age.

“I miss him,” he admitted, his head resting into Fluttershy’s mane. “Moons and stars, Fluttershy… I miss him so bad.”

“Don’t worry, Logan,” Fluttershy promised, “The rest of your pack is still out there. They’re still waiting for you. And I don’t know when we’re going to get you back to them… but I’ll always be there for you until we do.”

Logan said nothing, but instead wrapped his forelegs around her. And for some time, the two just sat there, locked in each other’s embrace.

The next morning, Logan found himself wandering back through town. The ponies gave him a wide berth, but he wasn’t there for them. Although, a couple of raised voices drew his attention. He trotted over to a corner on the marketplace, where an angry looking Applejack was standing between Apple Bloom and a very livid Diamond Tiara.

“I didn’t say ANYTHING to her,” Diamond Tiara was whining.

“I ain’t inclined to believe ya,” Applejack was saying, “Now go on and git before I tell your pa that you were messing with my sister again!”

Diamond Tiara stamped her hoof and turned away with a childish huff. Though her spin put her eye to eye with Logan. She froze up, her face mixing fear and rage together in an interesting combination, before she took a side route, and vanished from sight. Applejack and Apple Bloom caught sight of Logan as well. Though, while Applejack ducked her eyes away, Apple Bloom’s brightened with hope.

“Logan!” she cheered, charging for him. As he managed to avoid getting bowled over, his tail wagged and a smile graced his snout.

“Hey,” he replied, letting her nuzzle at him before pulling away, “You doing any better?” he asked.

“Oh, loads,” Apple Bloom said, glancing back with a smile at Applejack, who gave her a nod and smile. “Ever since ya called out the town, ponies have been treating me and my friends differently. And they don’t let Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon anywhere near us.”

“Well,” Logan admitted, “It wasn’t like I did it alone.” He grinned at her, “You kept them from calling me a liar. Thanks for that.”

Apple Bloom grinned. “Hey, anything to stop Diamond Tiara from getting her way,” she noted.

“Still,” Logan said, “If there’s anything you or your friends need, I’m willing to help.”

Apple Bloom’s ears perked, as did her bow, interestingly enough.

“Well…” she started to say, before another voice cut her off.

“There he is,” Scootaloo’s voice cheered, “The main canine himself.”

Logan noticed Apple Bloom’s two friends race over as well. They were watched from a distance by both Rarity and Rainbow Dash, who exchanged nervous glances when Logan caught their eyes. Though he didn’t have time for them, as the three fillies gathered before him.

“Hey Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle asked, “Did you tell him?”

“I was about to…” she said.

“Tell me what?” Logan asked, intrigued.

The three glanced at each other before Scootaloo stepped forward.

“Listen, Logan,” Scootaloo said, catching his attention, “What you said for Apple Bloom was really awesome – y’know, for some ‘one’ who isn’t Rainbow Dash – but, we still kinda wanna figure out what our cutie marks are. And… I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t really understand what they were.”

Logan tilted his head. “Well,” he explained, “Where I come from, marks get branded on you as a sign of servitude.” He winced at their equal expressions of pain and shock. “So, yeah, not a very pleasant experience.”

“Well, it doesn’t quite work that way here,” Sweetie Belle said, “Here, ‘cutie’ marks are magically granted when a pony figures out what he or she wants to do with their life.”

“Oh. Alright,” Logan said, “So… what do you want to do with your lives?”

“That…” Apple Bloom responded, “We don’t know.”

“But… you seem to know a lot of stuff,” Scootaloo said, “You don’t think you could give us some pointers, do you?”

Logan brushed the fur on his chin. “Well, not sure what I can really give,” Logan admitted, “I don’t know much beyond hunting and fighting, but…”

“Hunting?” Scootaloo asked, “Like... hunting for treasure?”

Logan had to pause for a minute. “A certain ‘kind’ of treasure,” he rectified.

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Sweetie Belle clarified. And together, to Logan’s surprise, the three clapped their hooves together.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders Hunters!” the chanted in earnest. Just as quick as they had spun away, they spun back towards Logan.

“So…” Apple Bloom said expectantly, “How can we become hunters?”

Logan stared at them for a second, his tail swishing back and forth. Then, his eyes brightened.

“I got an idea,” he replied.

Chapter 11: And One Step Back

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Chapter 12: Of Wolves and Apples

Author's Note

Hey again,
So... another chapter that was way too long, so I had to split it in two. Sorry again if this is extending the story too much.

Also, yes, the beginning is based off the climax to 'Somepony to Watch Over Me.' I wish I had looked up the episode guide, because I just completed this version before finding out it takes place in Season Four, while Logan apparently shows up in Season Two. :facehoof: :ajsleepy: :applecry:

Please forgive me for my lack of show chronology; I really just feel that the setting of the episode helps Logan and Apple Bloom's development, and even gives Applejack a chance to shine. Plus, it lets Logan kick some chimera tail.

Let me know what you think, and thanks again.

Chapter 12: Of Wolves and Apples

A Week Later…

An apple cart rattled through the Fire Swamps of the Ever-Free Forest. At the front was a familiar cream colored mare.

Apple Bloom sighed in frustration. “I can’t see a darned thing in this swamp.” Part of her was starting to wonder if it might’ve been a tad too impulsive to rush out from home like she had.

Then another part of her bashed that thought down. Applejack had been absolutely ridiculous. Ever since her search through the Ever-Free had turned up no results of the wolf, she had become twice as protective over the family she already had. And if she wasn’t willing to believe that Apple Bloom was capable of taking care of herself, then she’d have to prove it.

Besides, it wasn’t all bad. A blast of flames suddenly lit up the air perfectly for her.

“Well, at least now I can see,” Apple Bloom said, at least partially to herself. This optimism only lasted so long, however, as another blast nearly knocked her and her cart off course. Her light walk quickly turned into a run as she dodged in and out of the fire blasts. But as she deftly kept the cart from being destroyed, she stumbled into a small clearing that was surrounded by a ring of fire. And in front of her was a chimera.

Apple Bloom started to look for an exit, but the tiger head of the chimera chuckled. “I’d stay where you are,” she cautioned, “This is the only safe spot around here.”

“I-It don’t look so safe to me,” she muttered.

“Oh, we just mean from the flames,” the tiger elaborated.

“Yeah,” the goat head added, “Not from us.”

“Wanna bet?” a new voice added.

The chimera’s smug look turned to shock as a figure leaped over the flames and into the clearing. Apple Bloom gasped: it was Logan. The wolf pup had grown a bit since the last time she had seen him: he was bigger - toned and fit from the rougher lifestyle the forest demanded - and his leather jacket was missing, but the light in his gray eyes was as defiant as ever.

“Leave the girl alone, and you won’t get hurt,” Logan snarled.

“Sorry, kid,” the tiger head said, “But we haven’t eaten in days.”

“What wasss that?” another voice asked, as the snake tail popped up, “I heard sssomeone sssay sssomething about eating!”

“Oh, I was about to tell our guests how we were going to have some delicious pies,” the tiger replied.

“With some filly and wolf fillet on the side,” the goat added.

“I thought goats were herb-ores,” Logan noted.

The chimera shot him a look. “Herb-what now?” the goat asked.

But instead of elaborating, Logan rushed in with a howl. The goat head bleated in alarm, while the tiger shot flames like a dragon. The wolf easily dodged aside from them and rolled underneath it’s belly. Drawing his claws, Logan sunk them deep into the chimera’s chest.

All three heads roared in pain, while the snake shot down to sink her fangs into Logan’s flesh.

“Logan!” Apple Bloom yelled, but the wolf was way ahead of her. Deftly rolling out from under the chimera, Logan dodged the snake’s lunge and struck, his own jaws clamping down on the snake’s head. With a quick twist, he sent the beast stumbling into one of the flame geysers. Then, as the flame geyser spat out a burst of flame, Logan used the burst as a lever, hurling the chimera into the air and out of the clearing.

A smallthud sounded from beyond. As Apple Bloom stared at where the chimera had gone, Logan raced over to her.

“Did you just…?” she stammered, but he picked her up with his teeth and slipped the collar for the cart over his paw.

“C’mon,” he said, “Before they come back.” He then raced further into the swamps, the cart bouncing behind him.

A few minutes later, they had exited the fire swamps. Logan had stopped next to a small river, where he had let Apple Bloom down, before walking over to the stream. After checking to make sure the apple pies were okay, Apple Bloom followed Logan to the stream, where she saw him trying to tie some vines to his collar. For a moment, he ignored her.

“Hey Logan,” she asked. He looked up. “Thanks for saving me back there.”

He nodded. “Don’t mention it,” he said.

“But… what’re you doing out here?” Apple Bloom asked. “I hadn’t heard about ya in almost a week. Applejack and the others have been worried sick.”

“I’ve been avoiding them,” Logan replied, “I’m not part of their pack.”

“But… isn’t it dangerous out here?”

“Of course, it is,” Logan said, “But this is like where I grew up. If anything, I’m more comfortable out here than in that town.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “You… want to stay out here?”

“I try to,” he indicated his collar, which was flickering with white and gold light. “This thing’s just waiting to pop me back to the library. But something about this place… it resonates with something in myself.” He lifted up one of his claws, which glowed again with that unicorn like air. “Allows me to keep the magic at bay, at least while I’m conscious.” He shrugged. “As long as I keep a den close to the border between Ponyville and the Ever-Free, I can stay out here as much as I want.”

Apple Bloom glanced back at where the fire swamps were. “You’re putting a lot of effort into keeping yourself in danger,” she noted.

Logan just huffed a small chuckle. “Maybe I should’ve been born a dragon,” he noted, “In my world, they’re always looking for ways to get hurt.”

Apple Bloom had nothing to say to that, watching silently while Logan finished tying the vine to his collar, and baited it with a hunk of snake flesh he pulled from his teeth. She glanced at his noticeable lack of a leather jacket.

“So, what are you doing right now?” she asked.

“I am doing a form of hunting called… fishing.” Logan tossed the baited end of the vine into the river, and sat.

Apple Bloom just looked at the vine, confused. “How do you fish with that?”

“Gambits, my young friend,” Logan said. “Fish eat the fish food, and either the wolf eats the fish, or the fish drags the collar off.” He tapped his collar. “Either way, nobody eats the wolf.”

He noticed Apple Bloom getting a little green at the idea of him eating fish. Then again, being the herbivore her species was, the idea of eating another living thing probably didn’t sit well with her.

“Can’t ya try eating veggies?” she asked.

“No,” Logan said, shifting on his haunches and sitting at the edge of the water, the string dangling from his mouth. “I’m a carnivore. I need my meats. Plus, if the fish is strong enough, and takes the collar, I’ll let him go.”

“And you’re sure this’ll work?”

“My dad taught me,” Logan said with a smile. “And he was very good at fishing.” Logan looked out over the lake with a contemplative air. “He was good at everything, if I’m being honest. He’d always manage to get the biggest catch: three or four of the biggest fish you’d ever seen. And in the meantime, Mom would be right behind him with slightly smaller fish. Then Darius – he was my uncle – he’d be coming along with squirrels that he got from the woods. Then Carol and I – we were the youngest – we’d be tagging right along behind him with these pathetic little things that wouldn’t make a good meal for even a wolf pup. And yet… I remember I caught a bigger one than my mom or dad’s once.” Logan chuckled. “It was even bigger than the squirrels Darius would catch. They were so proud of me that day. The way my dad was going on about it, you’d think I had toppled the human empire myself. We cooked it and made it into a stew; it fed the entire pack easy. It was the best fish I ever tasted.”

Logan adjusted his position and kept talking. “Once, I prayed to the moon gods, thinking they’d influence the tide and let me catch a fish that big again.”

“Did it work?”

Logan chuckled. “That was the only time I caught nothing.” His grin faded. “I learned not to rely on the Almighties not too long after that.”

For about a minute, the lake was silent as the wolf and the filly waited for the fish to bite or for some pony to come out looking for Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom pawed at the ground with a bored look. Logan’s eyes darted at her for a second and he shifted again.

“So,” he asked. “Why are you out here?”

She sighed. “Let’s just say that your little speech worked a little too well.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, Applejack was supposed to get this delivery out to another town. But instead, she’s been coming right back to check on me. She was acting like I was still a newborn foal, and… well, I finally had enough. So, I figured, I could just make the delivery and show her that she don’t need to be watching over me so much.”

Logan looked at her. “So, you're... not that happy she's taken more interest in protecting you?”

“Well,” Apple Bloom admitted, “I mean, it was fine at first, but… I’m not gonna be a foal forever. I need to be able to grow on my own, y’know?”

Logan smiled. “Look at the two of us,” he said, “Two kids ready to be adults, tired of the current adults telling us we ain’t ready.” He cricked his neck. “You’d get along great with my kind. Wolf pups don’t get that much coddling in our lives. At least… not when we can start learning about the world.”

She looked back up. “How do wolves raise their foals? Or… pups or… whatever you call us?”

Logan’s tail wagged. “For starters, you wouldn’t suffer any babying with us.”

Apple Bloom chuckled. “I like them already.”

“Wolf packs are usually families and close friends, but there’s always a hierarchy. The ones considered the weakest? Humans call them the Omegas. Pups are always the Omegas at first; they don’t usually get much respect, and everyone else picks on them.”

“So… your own family bullies you?” Apple Bloom asked in horror.

"It's none of that crap you got with Diamond Tiara," Logan said quickly, "It's meant to toughen us up; get us ready for the more common role of Gamma. But when compared to an Alpha, who leads the pack, and the Beta, who speaks for the Alpha, being an Omega is considered a joke.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at that. “Were you an Omega?”

“I was the only kid in my pack until we found Carol; you better believe it,” he said. “I never got coddled; I got tough love; a way of making me strong.”

“I thought your dad was the Alpha. He let you get bullied?”

“Just because we were blood didn’t mean he could take it easy on me. But he never drove me to do stuff I regretted later. He taught me not to let anything take my pride. I learned not to give up.”

Apple Bloom smiled at that. “So… if your Pa was here… what do you think he’d tell me to do about finding my cutie mark?”

Logan hummed. “I’m not sure you want to know what I think.”

“As long as it’s not ‘it’ll come with time,’ and ‘I should be patient,’” she insisted, “I’m pretty sure I can take it.”

Logan shrugged. “Alright then; if you want some wolf wisdom … you don’t need one.”

He smiled at the look of utter shock on her face.

“My dad always fought against the system,” Logan elaborated, “If someone told him to go right, he went left. If someone like Celestia told him to be patient, he was bold.” He looked to Apple Bloom. “You might be young, but the people telling you what’s right and wrong are people, just like us. That means they can make mistakes, and that means they can mess up.” Logan looked ahead. “Trust your gut, and if your gut tells you that the people above you are wrong, then assume they’re wrong. Like with Applejack and her babying you.”

“But…” Apple Bloom hummed as she scratched her chin, “Crusading to find my cutie mark has been my life. It’s the one time when I feel… complete.”

“You think you can get a mark in Crusading, then?” Logan asked, “I don’t like this idea of a mark establishing who you are, if I’m being honest. People are complicated, and a picture on your flank won’t be able to tell everything about you.” Logan sighed as Apple Bloom let out a frustrated huff. “Look. All I can say is… people are complicated. And sometimes, the journey is worth far more than the treasure at the end. If this really matters to you, then go for it at full force. Just… don’t be surprised if the ending isn’t as sweet as you believed it to be.”

“Huh. Thanks, Logan. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“You do that.”

The lake was graced with silence once more. Apple Bloom looked again at Logan’s lack of a leather jacket. While he had grown a bit more fit, it still made him look a lot smaller and less imposing. Logan caught her gaze, but said nothing. Though his ears did flatten, and regret briefly flashed across his eyes, as if he was silently regretting something.

“Logan?” Apple Bloom asked, reading the expression on his face.

“Hm?”

“Ponies were talking about the argument that you had with my sister before running away. Do you… hate my sister? And her friends?”

Logan frowned, shifting his position.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Can you try?” she asked.

Logan was silent again for a minute. “I mean... I couldn’t hate Fluttershy even if I tried. And…” He sighed, “No,” he finally said, “No, I don’t hate them. But I do hate Celestia.”

“Did she do something wrong?”

“Well, let’s see…” Logan stretched out his paws. “She snatched me away from my pack, when we were in a life-threatening situation, told me that it was a good thing for me to get kidnapped, and then when I got mad and bit her like anyone would, she let her minions beat the crap out of me, then slapped this collar on me and threw me back here.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened at that last part. “You… BIT… Princess Celestia?”

Logan sighed. “And that’s the only thing you guys focus on? She kidnapped me! Why is it wrong for me to fight back?”

“Because… the Princess is really nice,” Apple Bloom protested, “I mean, maybe she had a good reason for it?”

Logan’s face darkened. He glanced at Apple Bloom. “You’re close with your family, right?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“That’s my pack. My mom. Carol? He shook his head. “They were… they are a part of my soul.” He looked at Apple Bloom. “Right now, they could be hurt, captured or worse. And thanks to Celestia, I can’t do anything to help them. And when I told her this… she just smiled and said, ‘Could be worse.’ Like it was some big joke.”

Apple Bloom looked away, her gaze contemplative. “Okay,” she admitted, “I’d be pretty mad myself if some pony said that.”

“Thanks,” Logan said, his tone softening, “And now… I feel like she’s trying to replace my pack with her people. Your sister and her friends? It’s like she wants me to forget about my pack, and accept them as my new pack.” He sighed. “I knew people like that.”

“People?”

“The Chess masters,” Logan went on. “The high class. The gods. We’re not people to them. We’re toys. Objects for them to play with.” He shook his head and turned back to the lake. “She ripped a pack apart, and she’s probably sleeping like a baby about it.” He growled. “She’s just like the rich humans from my world. They hide behind thugs to fight their battles for them, and see everyone like chess pieces in their little games. They don’t give one damn about us.”

Apple Bloom flinched slightly at his language. He noticed.

“I’m sure you think she’s a wonderful person, and maybe she is to equines,” he said, “But what is she to other species? Dragons? Griffins?”

“I… don’t know,” Apple Bloom admitted, “The only dragon I’ve met is Spike.” Logan glanced at her, confused. “He’s that dragon that Twilight keeps as her assistant.” Logan nodded. “A-And he seems happy with things.”

“Was he always like that?” Logan asked, “Just… born into being Twilight’s servant?”

“Well… Twilight did hatch him magically… when he was just an egg.”

Logan nodded. “Yeah, he’s what I’m afraid I’ll become; just… A ward of their little clique or something like that. My father and grandmother died fighting against people like Celestia. People that tore kids like Spike from their families and forced them to accept new ones.” His gaze turned fractured. “And my parents didn’t even get the honor of facing the people like Celestia in combat. They just sent some stupid soldiers that took them down. Guys and girls that would never have had a quarrel with my parents if Celestia and her… people didn’t pay them off.” He tapped at his line with a paw. “My parents did their fight, and now it’s my turn. My dad would be ashamed if I didn’t do… something? Some way of showing that I’m not taking what happened lying down? That I’m still… I dunno, myself?” He sighed, “Like I said, hard to explain.”

“Well,” Apple Bloom said, “We gotta remember, Princess Celestia’s been alive for thousands of years. So, she don’t see the world the same way we do. And since she has to rule Equestria, she can’t just think about the here and now, but what effect they’ll have in the future and on who.”

Logan looked at Apple Bloom with wide eyes and perked up ears. Apple Bloom scratched her mane sheepishly. “Uh, Twilight told me that once,” she said.

At that, Logan’s surprised look faltered, and he looked back at the lake. “That makes sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s something Twilight would say.”

Apple Bloom almost responded, but then the line went taunt, nearly dragging Logan into the river.

“Hold that thought,” Logan said, immediately springing to action. He yanked the string hard, pulling his head back like he was playing tug of war. Apple Bloom jumped back, watching Logan battle against the fish as he yanked himself further and further back. The collar bumped against his jaw and ears, slipping slowly over his head as he tugged and wrestled with the line. Yet just before the collar could slip over his head, a small splash emanated close to the shore. Logan gave another great tug, and the fish hurled out of the water, flopping and flipping onto the shore. Logan lunged, smashing the fish back into the water. And before Apple Bloom could run forward in concern, he broke the surface of the water, a fish wriggling in his jaws.

Logan bounded out of the surf, shaking the fish around like a dog with a stick. With a triumphant wag of his tail, he set the still fish down. Apple Bloom gave him a small round of applause, though she still looked pale at the still fish behind him. Logan made a point of blocking her view of it as he baited the line again with a hunk of the fish he caught.

“Yer getting more?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I won't live long on just one fish,” Logan said with a chuckle, pulling the collar back down. He threw the baited line back in and sat back down, his fur already drying in the sun. “At best, that fish is a snack.”

“Just one?”

“Wolves eat a lot when we can. We’re probably the poster children for bulimia.” He noticed her confused expression. “Starving yourself for long periods of time, and then binge eating. Not healthy for some species, but it works for us.”

Apple Bloom sat back down beside him, and they shared a moment, looking out over the water.

“Logan?”

“Yeah?”

“You don't… hate me too, do you?”

Logan looked at her in shock. “No!” he said, “Of course not.”

“Then… why can’t you like my sister?”

“Because you haven’t attacked me, and you don’t spend time praising how great Celestia is and how I should be happy that I was kidnapped.”

Apple Bloom wisely didn’t respond to that. “So… if people didn’t try and force their beliefs on you… would you like it here?”

Logan looked down, not meeting her gaze. Right before he could speak, a rustle of bushes cut them off. As they turned to the sight, Applejack came out, wielding a chair and wearing boots on each of her hooves.

“Apple Bloom, are ye…” she paused, as she slowly noticed that the only creature near Apple Bloom was Logan. She let out a massive sigh. “Thank Celestia, yer alright.”

“Thanks to Logan,” Apple Bloom said, “He saved me.”
Applejack glanced up at Logan. For a second, her gaze flew between the two. Logan himself had gone into a very tense stance.

“Logan?” Applejack asked, approaching him, “Tarnation, we’ve been looking for you for weeks!” She looked between the two of them, her expression going from relieved to miffed. “For Celestia’s sake, I try to tell you…”

“Stop,” Logan said, standing up. He stood between Applejack and Apple Bloom. “I don’t need to hear a lecture from you, and neither does Apple Bloom. She told me everything you did, Applejack. And honestly, you were just making her life worse.”

“Logan,” Applejack said, “I’m her older sister, and let’s not forget, yer the one who told me I wasn't…”

“You are not her mom!” Logan snapped at her.

Applejack’s eyes went absolutely dead, and her argument died in her throat. “Pardon?” she said, her voice steel calm.

“You’re her sister; not her mom, and especially not my mom,” Logan repeated. He turned away from her, glancing at Apple Bloom, before grabbing his fish, and continuing towards the forest.

“No,” Applejack said, her voice solemn. Logan paused, “I’m not her ma. But I made a promise. Ten years ago, to the day, I made a promise. And right now, I’ve been having a lot of trouble keeping that promise.”

Logan paused, swallowing his fish whole.

“My parents… traveled a lot,” Applejack said, looking away from Logan, “Had to go on long business trips. The last time I saw them, my dad told me. He said, ‘Applejack, one day, your ma and I might not come back. If we don’t, I’m counting on you to lead this family. To protect it when they need protecting,’” She tipped her hat. “He gave me this,” she added, but she took it off and looked at it with a forlorn air. “But lately, I don’t believe I’ve been proving fit to keep it.”

Logan didn’t say anything; he just sat, listening.

“A few days after they left,” she continued, looking down, “Granny got a letter. The letter… talked about an accident on the road.”

Logan turned completely around. “Did they…?” he asked, almost uncertainly.

“I don’t know,” Applejack admitted, looking up, “They were never found. I’m still not sure if they’re… alive or…” She covered her eyes and wiped at them.

Logan was silent at first, rubbing at his fur.

“My dad… had to do some bad things,” he admitted, “Things that made enemies.” He turned around. “When I was born, he tried to just retire; live on his own. But his enemies wouldn’t let him do that. We lived most of our lives worrying about people trying to get revenge on him.” He scratched at his neck. “That jacket? He made that for me, and told me, ‘the day will come when I won’t be around to help you.’” He looked down. “Hopefully, it can help protect you when I can’t.’” He bowed his head. “A few weeks after he gave me that… we got ambushed. Just like at the bakery.”

Applejack put a hoof to her mouth. “Did you…?” she asked.

Logan just nodded. “I saw him,” he said, looking up at her, “I knew.”

For a moment, Applejack was silent. She fiddled with her hat’s brim. Logan looked away.

“I’m not gonna say that I know what yer feeling, Logan,” she said, “Cuz I don’t. I still have something.” She looked at Apple Bloom. “Something I can protect. Just like what your pa wanted. And, Apple Bloom,” she said looking at the younger filly, “I’m sorry if I came on too strong, but after finding out that your gig with Diamond Tiara was more than just some schoolyard teasing… I felt like I was letting Ma and Pa down. And that’s something I could never forgive myself for.”

Apple Bloom looked down at that, before giving Applejack a hug.

“I miss them too,” Apple Bloom whispered softly, “But I don’t want to worry you too much, Applejack. I know I’m young, but I can still take care of myself.”

“She’s not lying,” Logan noted, walking over to the apple cart. Applejack gasped as he brought it out of hiding.

“You… actually got the cart all the way up here?”

Logan and Apple Bloom nodded.

“In the dark?”

They nodded.

“Through the Flame Geyser Swamp?”

“Well, Logan helped me a bit there,” Apple Bloom admitted.

“But she was holding her own before I got there,” Logan added.

“Huh…” Applejack admitted, looking on Apple Bloom with pride. “Well, that’s mighty impressive. Any pony who can do this on her own, well, she don’t need some pony like me babying her. Let’s go.”

The two sisters grabbed the apple cart, and started to head out. Logan sat back down at the bank. Applejack turned back to him.

“Logan?”

He glanced up at them.

“C’mon,” she said, “We shouldn’t stay here.”

“No,” he said.

Applejack turned around. “But, Logan,” she tried to protest, but Logan cut her off.

“If you know what it’s like to lose someone,” he said, “Then you know why I can’t go with you.”

Applejack paused, then sighed. “Yeah,” she admitted, “I do. But I also can’t give up on you.” She stepped closer. “Logan, I’m sorry for how I acted towards ya. But I can assure ya I won’t hurt you again.” Logan didn’t respond. “You need help; ya won’t make it through this alone. Believe me, I tried. And it only hurts yourself and everyone around ya.”

He glanced at her. “Not from Celestia,” he said, a hint of resignation in his tone. “Not from her.”

He then turned and jumped into the foliage. Applejack started to take a step in his direction, but then looked back at Apple Bloom and the cart. With a resigned sigh, she and Apple Bloom walked back for town.

Chapter 13: Finding the Compromise

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 14: Concerning Wolves

Author's Note

Hey again,

My next chapter might be a bit later than usual; I got back to back shifts at my jobs, and won't get to my computer until later.

As for this chapter, this is a dive into Logan's species. I do want to note, all that he talks about is meant to be canon in the novel I've been working on. If something he mentions doesn't add up, please tell me: I intend to incorporate what he explains into my actual novel, and I'd like to know if there are problems with how the wolves work.
Additionally, I know that the 'Alpha and Omega' theory about wolf packs was disproven, but these guys aren't normal wolves. I sort of went in my own direction in how the wolf packs work. Please let me know if it works or not.

Finally, if anyone gets the reference I put in the title, I'll be really happy.

Thanks again, and hope you enjoy. :twilightsmile:

Chapter 14: Concerning Wolves

When Logan had promised to aid them in crusading, he had underestimated just how seriously they took this search. His ears almost remained permanently flared up as they brought him to their clubhouse, with charts detailing every single type of cutie mark they could try for.

“You weren’t kidding about this being your life, were you?” he noted nervously.

“Applejack’s always taught me not to lie,” Apple Bloom replied, “Or kid around.”

“So, what do you think, Logan?” Scootaloo asked, indicating the various marks, “Any of these look like something we could go for?”

Logan’s shocked look faded to more analytical as he surveyed the different attempts they had made. “You sure you can't get marks in this?” he admitted with a grin. He sighed at their deadpan expressions. “I don't know. You guys show rather impressive teamwork. Is there something you’ve tried that involves working together?”

Scootaloo paused at that, glancing down at their charts. Her widened as they alighted on a picture of a stage.

“What if we tried a dance group?” Scootaloo offered.

“Nah, we tried that already,” Apple Bloom replied.

“Oh, what about reporters?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Hay! No!” Scootaloo said, “After that Gabby Gums incident, I don’t even want to think about writing down stories.”

“Well…” Sweetie Belle glanced at Logan. “Logan, what kind of jobs do wolves get?”

“We don’t exactly have ‘jobs,’” Logan noted, “More like roles in a pack. They…” his eyes darted to the window.

“What’s up, Logan?” Apple Bloom asked.

He indicated for them to wait. His nostrils flared as he crept to the window, watching it like his pack had somehow formed outside. But there was no one there. Or was there?

“Excuse me a second!” Logan said before lunging out the window. A second later, some pony screamed.

The Crusaders bustled over to the window, only to find Logan standing over a very scared looking Twilight.

“Oh, Sweet Celestia! Logan!” Twilight stammered, “I was just… I mean I was only…”

“You having fun?!” Logan demanded, seizing a journal with several notes already scrawled down.

“No-well, I mean-uh-I-mean, yes, but…” Twilight scrambled to her feet as Logan started to walk away with her notebook. “Logan, no, I need that!”

“For what?” Logan asked, putting it down and flipping through the pages, “’Wolves don’t get jobs; they only have roles in the pack?’ he asked angrily.

Twilight paused. “You can read?” she asked.

Logan's ears flattened at her. Twilight covered her mouth.

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I didn’t mean…” she tried to say.

“Where do you get off?” he barked, causing her to jump back. Though Twilight didn’t run away.

You can’t ask me to just sit in my library while you tell others about your race,” Twilight insisted.

“You are not entitled to that kind of knowledge!” he barked.

“Logan, for Celestia’s sake, this isn’t fair!” Twilight practically whined, “You’ve been here for three weeks, and I haven’t gotten to learn one thing about how things work on your world.”

“With good reason,” Logan replied, “Why should I hand over any information like that to an underhanded, indoctrinated mare with her head so far up her…?” He paused, his eyes darting to the Crusaders, who were watching the whole thing like a very passionate game of catch. A game that Twilight promptly continued.

“What else was I supposed to do?” Twilight demanded, “You won’t talk to me or any of my friends. You don’t even look at us half the time.”

“And who’s fault is that?!” Logan snarled, “Just because you’re too indoctrinated to see Celestia as the tyrant she is…”

“LOGAN, WILL YOU BUCKING STOP!” Twilight shrilled. She briefly covered her mouth, looking up towards a very shocked looking Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo in horror. However, it did do the trick. Logan’s ears twitched, but he didn’t continue his rant.

For a moment, silence reigned.

“Please,” Twilight continued in a much calmer voice, “Think of it this way: let’s say Celestia opens the portal. She goes to your world; she meets your pack. Look what happened when we tried to talk to you.”

“You mean when I gave Celestia what she deserved and you guys ganged up on me,” Logan noted.

“She didn’t…!” Twilight forced herself to stop, “Exactly,” she calmly revised, “Now, imagine what’s going to happen if things escalate like that, and there’s more than one of you.”

“You’d have a much tougher fight on your hands, wouldn’t you?” Logan answered.

“Yes,” Twilight admitted, “And it would likely lead to a war. A war we would likely lose, because – fact is – we hate fighting. Rainbow Dash may be an exception, but we don’t like solving our problems with force and violence.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” Logan replied with a roll of his eyes.

“Please, I’m serious,” Twilight begged, “How do we make sure we don’t start something we can’t finish?” Twilight sighed. “I’m not asking you to make us part of your pack, Logan. I’m not even asking to be friends anymore. I’m just asking that you show us how to talk to your pack without causing a massive fight.” Twilight’s tone took on a more pleading quality. “Please; don’t you want to go home? Back to your pack? Back to your mother?”

Logan looked away, his ears flattening, but his tail tucked, and Twilight looked away as a small bit of shame registered on his face.

“More than life itself,” he admitted.

“Then please,” Twilight pleaded, “Help me help you.”

Logan closed his eyes and sighed. But before Twilight could grin, he glared at her, and she covered her mouth.

“I don’t trust you,” he warned, “And neither will my pack.” He sighed. “But I’ll give you some pointers so we don’t all end up killing each other.”

“That’s all I want,” Twilight promised.

Logan sighed, and handed Twilight back her notepad.

“Are… you okay, Logan?” Apple Bloom asked as Logan led Twilight inside.

“Yeah,” he admitted, “Though… I’m gonna be giving you guys a little bit of a history lesson.”

“History?” Scootaloo asked, “Aw, c’mon; how is that going to help us?”

Twilight walked in. “History has a tendency to repeat itself,” she explained, setting up her notes, “Plus, Logan’s people work on different rules from our own. Understanding his ways could open up better alternatives for…” she had to pause as Scootaloo’s eyes started to glaze over.

“She means explaining how my kind work might be able to give you some ideas,” Logan translated.

“Oh.” Scootaloo still didn’t look happy, but she sat alongside Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Twilight as Logan sat before them.

“So,” Logan said, “How’re we kicking this off?”

“Well…” Twilight mumbled, clearly trying to keep her curiosity reigned in. “Let’s start with the basics: how is your government structured? Who's in charge? Or at least handles greeting foreigners?”

“I was curious about that,” Apple Bloom noted, “You said you have roles in the pack, but… what are those roles?”

Logan smirked. “My kind doesn’t have princesses, if that’s what you mean,” he replied, “We don’t have kings, or queens… in fact, we don’t even have an established government.” Twilight’s look of confused horror briefly got another chuckle out of Logan. “So, if you met a wolf, don’t ask to be brought to their leader. Because that’s a loaded question if there ever was one.”

“Why?” Apple Bloom asked, “Who leads?”

“Wolves run in packs,” Logan replied, “And those packs are led by two ‘Alphas;’ an Alpha Male and an Alpha Female. They both share power, and make a lot of the decisions for our group. Where we hunt, which packs we trade with and how resources are shared.”

“So, Alphas are like the princesses?” Scootaloo asked.

Logan shot another glare Twilight’s way. “In a sense, I guess,” Logan said, “Alphas are the parents of the pack. Brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, every member of the pack is family in some way, shape or form.” Logan shot a glare at Twilight as he continued. “An Alpha is also the strongest member of the pack; the mentor, and the leader. He or she doesn’t sit behind waves of minions; they lead the troops into battle. An Alpha is only followed because their pack knows they are strong, and will keep them safe. Not the other way around.”

Twilight’s glare started to match Logan’s, but she restricted herself to writing down everything he said.

“That’s rather risky, when you think about it,” Sweetie Belle noted, “What happens if your Alpha is hurt?”

“That’s why we have a ranking hierarchy,” Logan explained. “Packs of wolves are families; the parents are the Alphas. Their eldest children or their siblings – the aunts and uncles, if you will – are the Betas. If the Alpha falls in battle, they take charge. The strongest children, and the fighters of the group, are known as the Gammas. They take charge if the Beta-turned Alphas fall – though if they’re taking charge, then things have really gone downhill. And finally, the youngest and weakest members, who are often still in training or not considered strong or old enough to respect, are the Omegas.” He turned to Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, may I use your family as an example?”

Apple Bloom nodded.

“You all know Apple Bloom’s family?” Logan asked.

“Granny Smith, Big Mac and Applejack,” Sweetie Belle recited.

Logan nodded and continued. “Consider it this way: Applejack, as the main authority figure and the face of her family, would be the Alpha. Grandmother Smith, as the advisor and highest authority after Applejack, would be the Beta, and would lead if Applejack were to get hurt and be unable to. Big Mac, for his strength and tenacity, would be the Gamma. And Apple Bloom, due to her still learning, would be an Omega. But!” he added before Apple Bloom’s face could fall. “Because she’s an Omega, doesn’t mean that she can’t become an Alpha. Rankings are only based on strength of the pack. When she starts her own family, she will become the Alpha Female of that future pack by right.” He winked at Apple Bloom, though she still looked miffed.

“Well, were there promotions?” Apple Bloom asked, “Could an Omega be promoted to just a Beta or a Gamma?”

“Normally, no; the best way for wolves to move up in rank is to leave and form their own packs when they’re old enough. Then, they should become the Alpha of their own packs by automatic right. But that doesn’t happen for a long time.” He put particular emphasis on ‘long.’ “And even then, they could just end up becoming the Betas if they just join a sibling’s pack. For you or me, Apple Bloom, the closest thing to a promotion would be an Omega becoming a Gamma.”

“How do they do that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“You prove your worth. You show that you’re tough, strong and can carry your place on the team. You prove yourself stronger than another pack mate, you take that pack mate’s position.”

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged worried glances. “You said you guys were family,” Sweetie Belle noted, “You don’t, like, hurt each other, do you?”

“A pack is your family, your team; your friends; your all-around community. To a wolf, especially young wolves, there is only the pack.”

“No kidding,” Twilight murmured, though Logan ignored her.

“We learn to survive together,” he continued, “And we make each other stronger for it. We’re not gonna be nice and cuddly all the time, but we’re never going to be like Diamond Tiara was.” He grinned at their expressions of relief. “The trust that is built between wolves in a pack transcends… well… anything really. To be considered ‘pack’ is an incredibly sacred form of trust; of acceptance.” Logan snickered at Twilight as she started scribbling like mad. “It is not something that is given lightly, and anyone that isn’t pack is to be treated as a potential enemy; at best, they’ll leave you alone. At your luckiest, they might be a good trade partner.”

Apple Bloom’s hoof shot up. He nodded at her.

“You mentioned that every family is a pack,” she said, “But, if there’s no government, how do you avoid fighting other packs?”

Twilight’s ears shot up at this.

“First impressions go a long way with our kind,” Logan replied, “We’re social creatures, sure, but we don’t trust easily, and it’s very hard to take back mistakes.” He smirked as Twilight gulped. “Usually, fighting doesn’t break out as long as you prove that you have balanced worth. Be too passive, and you risk the wolf pack attacking you to get what you have. But be too aggressive, and you risk a pack attacking you out of defiance. If you really don’t want to start a fight, you strike a middle ground; since wolves will usually worry about their pack more than themselves, offer something that benefits their entire pack, rather than just one. Then, give them time to give you something to trade back.” He glanced at Twilight as she noted that down. “The agreement of trade and exchange goes a long way in forming pack alliances.” He cracked a grin. “The best way to prove yourself trustworthy, though, is through combat; battling a common foe has often brought several wolf packs together.”

“How far can these pack alliances go,” Scootaloo asked, “Can two packs become, well, one?”

“It’s rare,” Logan admitted, “Considering that four Alphas would exist, but it’s not completely impossible. Way before my time, the White Wolf Shiva managed to unite several packs through their mutual hatred of a common foe – humanity.”

The foals went silent. “You… were at war with humanity?” Apple Bloom finally ventured.

Logan was silent for a moment.

“For a long time,” he finally said, “Wolves served as servants of humanity, under the title of ‘dog.’ Then, a being known only as Myst came for our kind. She uplifted the dogs, gave them… a terrible power…”

“Power?”

“Power that was terrible to behold, and triggered by the hatred of humans.” Logan shuddered. “It was… a lot to handle at first, but with it and Myst, dog gained back the title of wolf, and went on a massive crusade against humanity.” Logan paused, his expression briefly becoming pained. “However, packs of wolves don’t like being forced into one direction. And eventually, one wolf, the White Wolf, lost faith in Myst’s crusade, and chose to walk away. She faced resistance, but she proved that wolf packs don’t have to follow orders from those that aren’t their Alphas. She formed a faction that was dedicated to just staying out of the fight, and given time, she would have gained a lot of followers. But humanity was impatient and selfish; it wanted every advantage it could get. So, they went after the White Wolf, and when she wouldn’t aid them against Myst… they took her by force.”

Twilight gasped.

“After that, her followers, led by the Great Wolf Kodo, reformed under the Suns of Shiva. They weren’t aligned with Myst specifically – and Kodo was technically the only actual son of Shiva - but they wanted revenge for their leader’s fall, and were willing to do anything to obtain it.” Logan paused again, as if the memories were painful. “It wasn’t easy; the White Wolf allowed wolves to fracture and for packs to separate, but several large groups still formed, both under Myst and under the Suns of Shiva.”

“But you said there was no established government,” Sweetie Belle noted, “How could Myst and the Great Wolf start a kingdom if there is no kingdom?”

“Because my…” Logan paused and corrected himself, “Because the Great Wolf was never a King or a full ruler,” Logan clarified, “Just like his mother the White Wolf, he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of a single wolf being in charge of hundreds. None of us were.”

“But then…” Twilight’s head was spinning, “How did he command the Suns of Shiva?”

“Their allegiances were never concrete; they would agree to aid each other against common foes, and if necessary, the Great Wolf used force to show that fighting him was a bad idea. But none of the packs under the Great Wolf took his commands over the commands of their own Alphas; every decision made was a mutual agreement between the packs. And if one pack didn’t like the decision, they didn’t take part in the plan.” Logan looked at Twilight. “Packs are family,” he repeated, “And to a wolf… there is no king or queen or princess. There is only the pack, and the Alphas who lead.”

“Huh.” Twilight mumbled, writing this down as well, unaware of Logan giving her a pointed look. For a moment, the only sound was Twilight’s scribbling.

“So,” Sweetie Belle finally ventured, “How do the Alpha pairings work. Are they siblings, like the princesses, or…?”

“The Alpha females and alpha males are couples; the mother and father of their pack.”

“Oh,” his audience noted.

“And… what if one of them gets hurt, or... leaves?” Apple Bloom asked, “Do they… find someone else?”

“They can,” Logan said, “But oftentimes, you work so long with that other person, that taking a mate after just feels… insulting to their memory.”

“Because they still love them?” Sweetie Belle asked.

Twilight’s ears flared up as Logan tensed.

“’Love’… doesn’t even begin to describe how a wolf couple should feel for each other,” Logan said haltingly.

“Why?” Sweetie Belle insisted, “Love is the highest form of care you can have for some pony. Love is when you want to spend the rest of your life with that special some pony.”

Logan’s look of confusion caused Twilight to tilt her head.

“That’s what it means to you?” he asked, “To us, love is just the desire to… well…” he glanced at Twilight, who instantly understood what he meant and shook her head, silently begging him not to say more in front of the foals. “I don’t think there is a word in our language that can properly describe that kind of feeling.”

“Wow,” Apple Bloom noted, “It’s that intense?”

“It's that intense,” Logan replied.

Twilight looked down, her quill spinning in her magic grip. So much about him was making sense now: his aloof nature; his berserk attitude towards her claiming he loved his own father, even his grudge against Pinkie.

But with this understanding came a feeling of dread. If this was normal for most wolves… how were they going to get through to his pack?

Chapter 15: Rainbow Dash - Best Therapist Ever

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 16: Common Ground

Author's Note

Well, I'm gonna admit right now... this chapter is probably going to be controversial. :unsuresweetie:

How do you think Logan handles what Pinkie has to say? Is he too forgiving? Does he feel out of character?

Please let me know, and more importantly, if I need to re-edit some of his actions.

SolitariLupus; you gave a wonderful description of Logan - "he gives as good as he gets, or at the least tries his best."

I want to make sure Logan stays like this. So any advice you guys can give is most welcome.

Thanks again, and I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 16: Common Ground

Logan limped along the dirt trail he had found. His time in the forest had allowed him to discern certain scents, and from the vestiges of his memory, he managed to pluck out Celestia’s scent, making out a faint trail that she seemed to use regularly to get to and from Ponyville. The scent was hard to read, but Logan’s determination paid off, and he soon found himself following what could only be described as a scent of sunlight and sparkles, hopefully taking him in the right direction to where she had stolen him.

As he came across another town, he noticed a few ponies giving him curious looks. A single hostile growl dissuaded their curiosity, and they left him in peace.

Except for one; just outside the town, Pinkie stood, her eyes shut, and her hooves up like she was meditating. Logan halted in his tracks; she was right on the road ahead, and from the looks of things, she was only moving to breath.

His eyes darted from side to side. No sign of her friends, but his heart didn’t stop pounding. His ears flattened and he let out a warning growl. Pinkie didn’t even flinch at the sound.

His growl sounded louder.

Not a peep or a wince came from the pink mare.

Giving one more growl as a warning he was not to be trifled with, Logan began to inch closer; moving to go around her. His growl heightened in pitch as he drew closer and closer, yet she seemed to be in her own little world.

His growl fading to a huff, Logan strode past her, but kept his eye on her. She hadn’t moved; it didn’t seem possible that such a normally hyper mare could sit so still, even with what had happened between them. She was up to something, and he knew it.

But before he could start up his growl again, she finally took a deep breath… and spoke.

“You were right,” she said, with conviction and determination.

His growl ceased completely. His ears and tail perked up. Pinkie paused, her own ears flicking nervously, but she pressed on.

“What Princess Celestia did was wrong, and Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were wrong to attack you the way they did.”

She paused again, and Logan swore he heard Twilight scream. But the sound was distant; far away from them. And it was drowned out by Pinkie’s voice again.

“Dashie… I love her, but her fighting you was wrong.” Pinkie turned around. “Princess Celestia collaring you was wrong… and…” she bowed her head in shame. “Me shooting you was really-really wrong.” She sighed. “We’re used to being the ones in the right, and we didn’t think about how it must have felt for you.”

Logan’s ear flicked.

“I don’t know about the others, but I just wish you knew how sorry I am for all of that.” She looked down. “Especially for my own mistakes.”

Logan’s ears flattened at her use of the word ‘sorry.’

“Sorry you did it?” he asked, “Or sorry you got called out for it.”

“Sorry I did it,” Pinkie insisted, her voice cracking, “Why would I just be sorry for getting called out for it?”

“I said I was sorry for breaking my promise,” he said. He shook his head, “And you shot me, right after you claimed to forgive me.” His tail tucked and he glanced away, his ears drooping. Then his gaze hardened, and he turned his back on her.

“It made you think that I was still holding it over you?” Pinkie asked.

Logan didn’t say anything, but he didn’t walk away either.

Pinkie looked down, ashamed. “I guess I thought the same thing you’re thinking now. That you were just trying to make yourself feel better.”

“That’s why I don’t say sorry that often,” Logan said, “So many people just say they’re sorry so they’ll feel better about themselves, instead of making it clear they want to atone.” He looked up, “When I say it, I want it to mean something.”

“And I crushed that?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Logan looked down, his own ears drooping. “I mean, if you weren’t going to accept forgiveness from me, then why should I accept forgiveness from you?”

“But I did forgive you,” she whimpered, “I didn’t want to hurt you or make you feel betrayed.”

“Why should I believe you?” Logan replied. “Why should I trust your word… when your actions spoke way louder than you ever could.”

Pinkie was silent for a minute.

“What I did was wrong.” She repeated, on the verge of tears. “I was just thinking about how it would startle you. I didn’t think about what might have happened to you; how scary getting shot could be for wolves.” She looked back down at the dirt. “All I could think was that you didn’t know what a Pinkie Promise was; how sacred they are.” She sighed. “I should have realized how different wolves are from ponies.”

Logan waited until she was done. When he spoke, it was in an even tone. “Even among wolves, loyalty and honesty are huge. We’re expected to keep our word on promises and things like that. Even if I didn’t know how sacred a Pinkie Promise is, it was still wrong for me to skip out like I did.” He looked back. “I really did regret that.”

Pinkie grinned a bit. “Aw, thanks, Logan, but I already forgave you for that. We all make mistakes.”

“Didn’t stop you from shooting me,” Logan growled before he could stop himself. He let out a bark of frustration at Pinkie’s sad look and stomped away.

“Logan?” Pinkie asked. Logan still didn’t look at her, but this time, his body was hunched; more shame than anger. “Logan, please… if you want me to…?” He looked back as she indicated her arms, and jumped up in shock before she could suddenly pull out some sort of knife or something to cut herself with.

“No,” he said instantly. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

“But why?” Pinkie asked, now confused. “I thought you were still mad at me?”

“I’m not that cruel, Pinkie Pie,” he said, slightly irritated, “I’m just…” His ears flattened, and his own voice started to crack. “I’m tired of always being the one in the wrong; the one that people can look down on and mock for being different.”

“Wolves do that?” Pinkie asked, horrified.

“Not wolves, humans,” Logan replied, “Ever since my grandma’s days. It’s in their nature to want some sort of power to hold over you. And no matter how hard my kind fought, Earth was always human territory. Best I’ve done is don’t let my mistakes show. Don’t show fear; look pain and death in the eye and make it blink. And only show regret when it’s with someone who’ll understand.”

Pinkie’s mane fluffed up a tiny bit. “You really trusted me to apologize like that?”

“I thought I could,” he mumbled. “Too bad I was wrong.”

Pinkie flinched at that, and her mane promptly deflated. “I’m sorry for betraying that.” She paused. “And… I know you hate that L-word, but… your dad…”

Logan looked away.

“I didn’t mean to make you remember that. And… I’m also sorry if saying that you ‘love’ him is insulting. To us, it means that you care a lot about him; that you can’t imagine life without him. And, if it means something more… hurtful, in your world, I’m…” She sighed. “Well, I suppose saying 'sorry' over and over isn’t going to be enough. So, you know what? I can start by helping you find Canterlot.”

“Canterlot?” Logan asked.

“It’s where Celestia lives.” Pinkie pointed up at a castle, set into the side of a mountain.

“Huh,” Logan noted.

“And when we get there,” Pinkie continued, “I’ll talk to Princess Celestia myself. I’ll beg, cry, even get the other girls help if I have to. But I won’t stop until she at least tries to send you back.”

Logan’s ears perked up completely, and he turned back to her. “You’d… be willing to do that for me?” he asked.

“If it helps,” Pinkie insisted. “I wanted to be friends, Logan. I wanted us to go on adventures together, like me and my friends do. But I don’t want you to be miserable here.” She looked down at her heart. “Even if it doesn’t mean anything to you, I’m the Element of Laughter. Of Joy. And it always makes me sad to see anyone miserable or hurting. So… if getting you home will make you happy, then I’ll do it. And even if Celestia can send you home immediately, and we don’t get a chance to talk again before she does, then I want you to know that it was great to know you. Even if we had some rocky parts in our, well…”

“Friendship?”

Pinkie winced, like she expected Logan to start saying how they weren’t friends, but he didn’t. His tail just started to wag, and he gave a small smile.

“I do have one question, though,” Pinkie noted.

“Yeah?”

“If Princess Celestia can’t send you home,” Pinkie paused, trying to gauge his reaction. “What would you think about that?”

Logan sighed, his smile fading. “Pinkie, before I answer that, I want you to know something.”

“Uh-huh?”

“I don’t hate you.”

As Pinkie’s jaw dropped in relieved shock, Logan held out a paw.

“Don’t let it get to your head,” he warned. As Pinkie visibly kept herself calm, Logan continued, “I don’t hate any of you guys. Except for Celestia... for obvious reasons. But… I don’t belong here. No matter how nice you guys are; no matter what you do to make me feel welcome… my place is with my own kind. And whether that’s here or on Earth, I don’t belong anywhere else except with my pack.” He looked down. “My dad may be gone, but I still have my Mom. Carol. Darius. I don’t want to lose them too.”

Pinkie was silent for a minute, but then nodded. “I understand that,” she said. She looked away. The two were silent again for a moment. “They’re lucky to have you,” she added with a smile.

Logan smiled at that, and the two continued on their journey.

“So…” Logan asked, “How are you getting us to Canterlot?”

"Shortcuts," Pinkie declared, unfurling a passageway under a stone. "You'd be able to find your way there, but it'd take a really-really long time. This way, we'll be able to meet up with the others.”

“’Others?’” Logan asked.

“Oh, duh,” Pinkie said cheekily, her old cheery attitude returning, “I forgot to tell you. Twilight and the others raced off to Canterlot in case you ran there. They’re probably waiting for us right now.”

"Huh," Logan pondered. "They really think I'd be able to make the journey?"

"If there's one thing we've learned about you, Mr. Logan," Pinkie replied happily, "It's that you live, breath and probably eat determination."

Logan snickered, though his tail didn't untuck. "Well, then," he said, glancing at the passageway with trepidation. "I better be ready for another round of 'yell at the wolf.'"

“Don’t you worry, my furry friend,” Pinkie declared, her color returning, “Fluttershy’s definitely on your side, and I’ll make the others see reason.” For emphasis, she unfurled a massive ribbon with the word ‘reason’ written across it. The act got Logan’s tail to wag again.

“Alright then, Pinkie Pie,” he said, restraining a slight chuckle. “Let's see where this 'shortcut' takes us.”

Pinkie tapped her hooves together in glee, and bounced into the passageway, Logan following behind her, though he kept an uncertain glare on her. They landed in a dark tunnel. Logan's eyes narrowed, staying on Pinkie in case she suddenly turned around and tried to... he wasn't sure. Skin him or something.

They walked for about a second before Pinkie got a new glint in her eye.

“Back to the pack,” she noted, “Did any pony ever mention that rhymes?”

“Does it… need to rhyme?” he asked uncertainty.

“Nah,” Pinkie admitted, “But if you were named something like Mac, or Jack…” She paused, then gasped. “Back to the pack, Werewolf Jack?” Pinkie nodded, bouncing again, “I LOVE it!”

She started singing:

“Gotta get back; back to the pack; yeah, Werewolf Jack. Watch out! Jack-Back! Smack-Whack-bah-Back; back to the pack; back to the pack, yeah, Werewolf Jack!”

She paused, glancing at Logan, before he shrugged, tilted his head up and started singing along with her.

“Gotta get back; back to the pack, yeah, Werewolf Jack! W-Watch out!”

Together, the mare and the wolf bounced down the tunnel, singing and howling together. And as they headed for Canterlot, Logan felt a certain weight lifting off his chest. Like he had been holding something back for so long, and now it was finally free.

Logan was half sure he was walking into a trap. That Pinkie was just going to take him right back to the others so they could yell at him some more... at best. Sure, he could just walk away, but something else told him that Pinkie wasn’t the type to outright lie to him. Plus, if she was telling the truth, he could actually have a real chance at seeing his pack again.

And as it turned out, going with her was the right call: in less than ten minutes, he found himself staring up at the gates to Canterlot.

“Halt!” one of several guards yelled, a few holding spears pointed down at him.

“Hi there!” Pinkie called up to them with a wave.

“The Element of Laughter?” another guard asked.

“Yeah,” Pinkie said, “We’re here on official Element business. The other Elements should be waiting for us.”

The guards glanced at each other, but the biggest one gave a nod.

“Let em through!”

The guards lowered their spears, and the gates opened for Logan.

Logan soon found himself looking down a massive street lined with stalls. Ponies – mostly unicorns – were walking about, a few shooting curious glances at Logan before turning their heads away.

Yet there were five ponies that didn’t turn away. Five very familiar mares that walked towards them.

Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash still looked slightly irritated, but as they locked eyes with Logan, the irritation faded to regret. Fluttershy and Rarity’s gazes were just concerned.

Fluttershy raced for them, but before Logan could stop her, Pinkie raced between them.

“Girls,” she said. “I talked to Logan. Like… really-really talked to him. And…”

Logan stopped her with a paw on her shoulder. She glanced over at him, but he gave her an assuring nod, trying to ignore the guilt in his system, before standing next to her.

“I didn’t ask to come here,” he told the mares. “I had no desire to be taken from my kind. That was on Celestia.”

His claw lowered, as he saw resigned irritation again flash across Twilight’s eyes.

"That being said,” he continued, his stance becoming less defiant, “What Celestia did wasn’t on you guys. Granted, you guys had your own problems, but I shouldn’t have blamed you for her mistakes on top of everything.”

He turned to Twilight.

“Sparkle,” he began, “I understand Celestia means a lot to you. And I appreciate your attempts to make sure my pack knew Celestia’s intentions.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Even if you were rather odd about it.”

As Twilight’s irritation faded, she sighed.

“Yeah,” she said, “I’m sorry for how I acted. I really enjoy learning about others, though… I guess I need to work on actually getting to know others, rather than just learning about their species.”

“Well,” Logan replied, “Hopefully, that lesson will stick.” At Twilight’s nod, he turned to Rainbow Dash, and the two glared at each other for a moment. As Pink glared at Dash as well, Dash glanced away from him first, giving a small sigh.

“I’m sorry for fighting you, dude,” she admitted, “Even if you were being… well… it wasn’t right for me to escalate things like that.”

Logan nodded. “Defending your pack,” he admitted. “That’s respectable.” His eyes narrowed. “Attacking in the name of your pack, though? Not so respectable.”

Rainbow Dash huffed, but nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “’M sorry for that.”

Logan gave a cautious nod, and turned to Applejack.

“Apple Bloom is lucky to have you, Applejack,” he said, “It’s not easy losing parents.”

Applejack just shook her head.

“It ain’t,” Applejack said softly. “I wish I hadn’t given you a reason to run away with what happened with Celestia and all.” She looked up at him with big green eyes. “I’m truly sorry for that.”

Logan nodded before turning to Rarity. For a moment, the two simply stared at each other, unsure of what to say.

“Your jacket was amazing, Rarity,” Logan finally said, “I wish I hadn’t thrown it away.”

Rarity gave a knowing grin. “Well, you don’t think I would throw something that meant so much to you away, did you?” she asked, before unfurling his jacket from her saddlebag, and handing it back to him.

Logan accepted it with a nod. “Thank you,” he said.

With their peace said, Logan turned to Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy…” he began, but she raised a hoof.

“I understand, Logan,” she said softly, “I was never angry or frustrated; I was just sad that you seemed so lost and alone.” She looked down. “I… don’t have the best relationship with my parents. Or my brother,” she added with a sideways look. “I’ve always considered Twilight and my friends my pack. And I’m sorry if that…”

“If they’re your pack, then you shouldn’t have to feel sorry,” Logan said, “It was… naïve of me to think that every pack was the same.” He nuzzled her softly. “You deserve to have people you care about.”

As Fluttershy resisted the urge to hug him, Logan finally turned to Pinkie, who looked like she was trying not to fly into pieces.

“And Pinkie Pie…” Logan said, before taking a huge breath. “I thought you were holding my mistake over my head, but it wasn’t fair for me to do the same to you.” His ears flicked as he lay a paw on her shoulder. “I really despise pranks… and I’m not that interested in parties or cakes… but I do forgive you.”

Pinkie’s mane somehow fluffed up and deflated in the same moment. Ultimately, it opted for its usual fluff, and she gave a soft “Thank you,” in response.

Logan turned back to the others.

“So… yeah,” he concluded. “This doesn’t give you guys permission to walk all over me, but I’m sorry for how I acted.”

Twilight nodded. “And we’re all sorry for how we acted too.”

“And we’re going to make up for it,” Pinkie added with a look at the others, “By talking to Princess Celestia.”

“We are?” Rainbow Dash asked, before a nudge from Fluttershy caused her to straighten. “I mean, yeah, we are.”

Logan tilted his head. “You don’t all have to if you don’t want to.” He glanced in particular at Twilight. “I may not like Celestia, but I know you care about her, Sparkle. I don’t want to see you get in trouble with her.” Twilight shook her head.

“It’s not fair to say you were completely in the wrong,” Twilight admitted, even though she still looked conflicted about it. “It’s like you said; I care a lot about Princess Celestia.” She gave a huge breath. “But none of us thought about how you were feeling.”

“I’ll admit,” Rainbow Dash said, “If I got yanked from my friends and family by some higher power, I’d probably be pretty upset too.”

“And…” Pinkie offered to her friends hopefully.

Twilight smiled at her friend. “Yes, Pinkie,” she said, “We’ll take you to Princess Celestia; and we’ll ask her together if she can send you home yet.”

Logan’s tail wagged, though his head ducked slightly. “Despite… everything?” he asked, briefly noticed an odd music in the air.

“We all make mistakes,” Twilight assured him, “But learning from those mistakes helps us grow and better ourselves. Not just you, but all of us. Ponies and wolves.”

Then, to Logan’s surprise, the music swelled, and Twilight began to sing.

“I never claimed to be perfect, my mistakes are all written in ink.

None of us claim to be perfect, and I’m sorry if that’s what you think.

Our flaws have to make us special; they bond us and keep us strong.

Our flaws are what brought us together, so don’t worry – there’s plenty wrong.”

Suddenly, all six mares jumped into a group and sang together.

“We’re not flawless; we’re a work in progress,

We’ve got dents and we’ve got quirks, but it’s our flaws that make us work.

Yeah!

We’re not flawless, we’re a work in progress

So, tell me, what flaws you got too, cause I still like what’s flawed about you.”

Rainbow Dash then stepped up to the center.

“They say I’m a big shot,” she sang, “That my ego’s the size of a whale.

“My confidence comes off as cocky, but it gives me the courage to fail.”

Rarity stepped up.

“Sure, I can be a drama queen; a bit stuck up, it’s true.

Yet perfection is all I seek; the best I can offer to you.”

The ponies jumped back together, as Logan tilted his head, his tail wagging as he started bopping with the beat.

“We’re not flawless; we’re a work in progress,

We’ve got dents and we’ve got quirks, but it’s our flaws that make us work.

Yeah!

We’re not flawless, we’re a work in progress

So, tell me, what flaws you got too, cause I still like what’s flawed about you.”

Next up was Pinkie, who bounced into the center.

“Ponies think I’m all bubbles and laughter; that I don’t seem sincere.

I might jump around a little too much, but I’m just so happy you’re here.”

Next was Fluttershy.

“It took me a while to be confident; to really come out of my shell.

I’m so glad I had friends like you; to pick me up when I fell.

Again, the group jumped together.

“We’re not flawless; we’re a work in progress,

We’ve got dents and we’ve got quirks, but it’s our flaws that make us work.

Yeah!

We’re not flawless, we’re a work in progress

So, tell me, what flaws you got too, cause I still like what’s flawed about you.”

This time, as Applejack jumped in, Logan jumped to her side.

“Yeah, I can be hard-headed at times,” Applejack sang, “There’s such thing as being too honest.”

Logan cut in,

“But wolf and pony compare,” he howled, “In that they always do what they promised.”

The other ponies stared at him in awe as he took center stage.

“My loyalty to my pack made me blind,” he admitted, “Stubborn and too hard to quell.”

Twilight walked to his side, putting a hoof over his back.

“But nobody has to be perfect,” she assured him,“By now don’t you know it so well?”

This time, as the group came together for the final chorus, Logan stood alongside them, foreleg in foreleg with Pinkie and Fluttershy, as they howled their last stanza to the sky.

“We’re not flawless; we’re a work in progress,

We’ve got dents and we’ve got quirks, but it’s our flaws that make us work.

Yeah!

We’re not flawless, we’re a work in progress

So, tell me, what flaws you got too, cause I still like what’s flawed about you.”

As the song drew to a close, they were unaware of Luna watching them, a hopeful grin gracing her snout.

Chapter 17: The Calm Before the Storm

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 18: Myst's Rage

Author's Note

Well, to say Logan loses it in this chapter would be a monumental understatement.

How do you think he does against the others? Does he seem too weak? Or does it feel like how a fight between an alicorn and a magic wolf would go?

Thanks again for your time, and I hope you enjoy. We're getting closer to the ending. At least, the ending of the first part.

Chapter 18: Myst's Rage

Logan was in a daze. He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get away; get his mother to somewhere safe. His paws tripped over stone and grass, and he lay where he fell, his only comfort being the sharp sweet scent of grass, and the scent of his mother.

His mother. He couldn’t believe she was finally back to him. He had finally gotten a member of his pack back. And yet… he didn’t want her like this.

She was grimacing, clutched in his arms. Her whimper of agony tore his heart.

Her legs… by everything sacred, where are her legs?! he thought in horror.

“Mom,” he whimpered, holding her close, “Mom, I got you. I got you; you’re okay.”

Her eyes fluttered open, silver eyes like his locking on him.

“Logan…?” she whimpered, pawing at him.

“It’s me, Mom,” he whimpered, his tail briefly thumping. She didn’t have her tail, but the light of relief that shined in her eyes conveyed all the emotion he needed. “Hang on, I’ll…” his voice died in his throat as he looked down at her wound, hopelessly unsure what he could do.

“Logan,” she sighed, pulling his face to hers, “My boy…” She coughed. “You were gone… so long…” she whispered, “I’m… so glad I found you…”

“I’ll never leave your side again,” Logan whispered, his fur glowing as he tried to will her into staying with him, “I’m gonna make you better, and we’ll…”

Despite him not knowing what to do, Reaper simply cupped his face and pressed his head to her neck.

“My son…” she whispered again. She breathed, like she wanted to say more. But she was silent. And even as Logan held her, he felt something about her… leave. She was still. Too still.

“Mom?” he lifted his head, but her eyes were blank, staring without seeing. Her head lay back, no twitch in the muscles. “Mom?”

He shook her gently, but she didn’t respond. It didn’t make sense… why wasn’t she responding? Why was she so limp? She couldn’t have…

A voice cut through his thoughts. Blurry and unfocused.

He looked up through blurred vision. Something… Twilight Sparkle! She was standing behind him. In some sort of garden maze. He wasn’t sure how he had gotten there. Part of him didn’t care.

“Logan?” Oh, that’s what that noise was. She was saying his name. “Logan, what’s wrong? You don’t look good.” She looked towards the bundle in his arms. “What is that?” Her eyes widened. “Is that…?”

“Twilight, stay back!”

Logan didn’t turn at Celestia’s voice. He wanted to respond, but his tongue wasn’t working. These people didn’t belong here. They were closing in… like predators.

He bent over, protecting his mother’s body. The hair raised along his back. There were too many people, but he couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even growl; only a sharp choked keen came out. His mom was gone. His pack was gone. He was the only wolf there. He had no help; he was on his own.

“Logan?” That voice that called to Twilight. He recognized it. Celestia. “Logan, I know this is hard for you, but please…!”

But her voice only brought the anger to full force, bubbling through his veins. His fangs gleamed white as his lips drew back all the way to the gums. He had to fight.

Fight,his mother had advised. For death is sweeter when it is greeted with a roar, than a whimper.

She was right. Had to go down fighting! Had to… Fight…

But who was he supposed to fight?

“What happened?” Luna. That was her voice. Celestia didn’t respond, but the silence told the story either way. “Sister,” she asked, softer than before, “What hast thou done?!”

“I…,” Celestia stammered, with regret and shame in her voice.

Regret? The voice of the wolf roared in Logan’s ears. She KNOWS NOTHING OF REGRET!!

Lightning flashed. A storm brewed overhead. Logan’s eyes began to glow. He was targeting. He knew his foe. The one that had taken him from his pack in the first place. Captured him like the dog the humans wanted.

“What? What happened?” Twilight asked. The rest of the Mane Six swam into view; they were looking worriedly at Logan as well.

Logan practically gagged, another choked keen coming out.

“I… can’t send him back,” Celestia finally said. “I’ve tried, but it’s not safe.” She indicated Reaper sadly. “As you can see… it isn’t safe.”

“Oh… Logan,” Twilight whispered. She actually sounded heartbroken. Legitimately sad for him.

They’re not sad, his darkest thoughts whispered. They don’t understand. THEY’LL NEVER UNDERSTAND!! FIGHT! FIGHT!

What do I fight? His inner thoughts asked feebly.

WHO DO YOU THINK? THE LIAR! THE MURDERER! THE ONE WHO TOOK YOU AND KILLED YOUR MOTHER!

Logan finally let out a blood curling howl. It was not a simple howl of grief. It was not a howl of song. It was a howl of pure, undiluted rage. A howl for vengeance. A howl of hate. The storm above flashed, lightning striking the floor nearby. The mares backed up, Rarity hiding behind Fluttershy.

“What’s happening?” Rainbow Dash asked, “How’s this storm forming?”

“Oh, no…” Twilight whispered, “Myst’s Rage.”

“What?” Applejack asked.

“It’s Myst’s Rage,” Twilight screamed, “We have to calm him down RIGHT NOW!”

Celestia forced the group back. “Leave that to me,” she said forcefully.

“But Princess, he won't listen to you...,” Fluttershy tried to protest, but Applejack pulled the yellow mare behind her protectively.

As the others backed up, Celestia turned to the wolf that had become a living lightning rod.

“Logan,” Celestia pleaded, “Please, hear me!”

He turned his eyes, glowing golden, on her. In the flash of his lightning, his wolf snarl looked more like a demonic grin.

“Please listen to me…”

Logan only let out a crazed hybrid of a grieving sob, a mad laugh and a bloodthirsty snarl, as lightning flickered all around him.

“I’m sorry for what I did…” she stammered, backing up at the look of murderous hatred in his eyes. “I’m so very, truly sorry, and I take full responsibility for all of this, believe me. But you’re not alone in this. We can help you.”

Logan sucked in enough of a breath. The blood lust roared in anger. It wanted out.

“You… can’t…” he got out. His voice wasn’t his own; it was crazed with hate and blood lust.

“Please, I’m so sorry! I…”

“You…” Logan’s head tilted painfully to the right, as his hackles and claws bared, “closed the portal on her… you killed her…”

“She did what?” Twilight asked.

“YOU KILLED HER!” Logan screamed.

Had Luna been a fraction of a second later, his teeth would have sunk into Celestia’s snout. As it was, Logan’s lunge got deflected by a midnight blue shield. Lightning blasted away from the shield as Logan was hurled back.

“Back!” Luna boomed, her voice radiating with the sound of thunder. “Do not touch my sister, beast!”

Logan rose back up, letting out that maniacal sob-laugh-snarl. His entire body was crooked, like he was being held up by puppet strings. The princess of the night pawed the ground, ready to charge as he continued to make his sounds of madness.

“Luna, no!” Celestia yelled, her own shield forming before Luna could charge Logan down.

“How can thou ask me to stand by as he attempts murder, sister?” Luna demanded. “I mourn his loss as well, yet he shows you nothing but contempt and hostility.”

“I know you see what I see!” Celestia insisted. She indicated Logan again, who was pacing protectively over his fellow wolf’s body, bloodshot glowing eyes staring hungrily into her soul. “I see someone in pain. Someone who has lost everything because of me. He’s lost, alone and grasping at straws.”

As she talked, the others became a bit more somber, some, if not most, of the ponies flattening their ears. Luna's shield faltered, as did Celestia's. But then...

“His family is gone,” Celestia said somberly. “So, we must be his family now.”

Like a pack is interchangeable? Logan’s crazed thoughts asked. Like you could ever replace my actual pack? Could ever replace my mother? My actual mother?! THE ONE YOU MURDERED?!

There wasn’t even time to put up a shield. His pounce knocked Celestia to the ground. His claws fastened around her neck. As she struggled with his iron grip pressing down on her throat, his teeth flashed in the lightning, and went for her eyes.

Logan’s teeth dug into the space above Celestia’s eye seconds before the lights dimmed. Luna roared and blasted the wolf with a full-on energy beam. He slammed hard into a garden statue, and an ominous CRACK emanated from his body before he slumped to the ground. Even then, he wasn’t down. As Luna advanced on him, eyes glowing and a midnight aura around her, the wolf pulled himself right up, snarling and biting madly as lightning flared around him like a shield.

Luna blasted him into the pillar again, but he stood fast against the blow, and blasted right back at her. Luna was hurled to the ground, and Logan launched for her, but she bucked back with a powerful blow from her back legs. The wolf tried to pull himself up, but another blast from Luna hurled him through the pillar. He was already pulling himself back to his paws, forcing Luna to hit him a third time, carving a trench through the garden.

“Luna, enough!” Celestia cried.

Luna tried to stand down, but Logan was already pulling himself up.

"Sister, he won't stay down!" Luna screamed, being forced to blast the crazed wolf a fourth time. He howled in pain-streaked defiance, and hurled himself off the ground. A fifth blast sent him right into a garden statue, but a golden shield formed up before him.

Celestia enveloped herself in a white glow. Her wings spread and she levitated into the air. She let out a booming shout in an ancient language, and the ponies and wolf froze. Luna flinched down, her horn's glow fading and her features creasing in shame and fear.

The glow faded and the lights came back on. No pony moved a muscle. Every single pony was just staring at Celestia, who stood unmoving, her head, ears and wings drooped. The only sound was Logan’s weakened but still prominent growls and barks.

Then the others noticed that Logan wasn’t getting back up. Even as he snarled, growling and snapped, his body was as still as if he was dead.

Luna had snapped his spine.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash were covering Pinkie and Fluttershy’s eyes while Rarity hid behind them. Twilight was crying, her look of fear mirroring her friends. Luna’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she realized what she did, her hoof covering her mouth in horror.

And yet, despite all of that, Logan was still trying to pull himself back up and either continue his attack, or make his way back to his mother, who lay still and unmoving on the ground. His head twitched and spasmed, trying to flail around, yet he only risked further injury to himself.

Celestia slowly walked over to Logan. The closer she got, the more frantic his snapping and biting became. His eyes glowed, and a lightning bolt flew from the heavens to strike her, but she blocked the attack easily with a shield, looking on him with sad contemplation. Her horn glowed. A white ball of energy covered Logan and lifted him into the air.

His snapping increased. Bloody flecks flew from his mouth as he kept trying to snap his head at Celestia, trying to sink his teeth into her face. But then, his paws started twitching. In a manner of seconds, his paws were flailing in the air. His tail tucked as he kept snapping and biting at Celestia, but she kept him at a safe enough distance that air was his only victim.

Logan’s snapping slowly ceased, as the feeling of his limbs came back to him. Bit by bit, the glow in his eyes faded away, and his demonic snarl changed to a confused pant. He looked down at his body, and then at Celestia. She lowered him to the ground. For a moment, Logan did nothing. He slowly walked back over to his mother, and adjusted the red cloak around her. Everyone was silent. Pony and wolf.

Then Celestia tried to put a comforting wing over him.

The second her feathers touched his fur, Logan slashed Celestia across the face. Lightning flung her back, and she clutched at her face, three cuts bleeding golden ichor – the blood of gods. But she didn’t scream. With Luna barely holding back by Celestia’s warning, the alicorn of the sun held back her pain as she stared at Logan’s sorrow filled grey eyes. She could see his desire to hate her warring with the gratitude he felt towards healing him. The young wolf trembled. It seemed to be a small miracle he didn’t fly to pieces.

His eyes shut and then he tilted his head back up and howled. This time, the howl of madness and rage was replaced by sorrow; helpless grief. The sound sent shivers through every pony’s spine. Lighting flashed again, smashing into the ground around everyone. Half of the ground was reduced to trenches of ash and dirt.

Then… Logan turned, seizing his mother’s body, and sprinted out of the castle, faster than even the pegasi could fly.

Twilight started to race after him, but Applejack stopped her with a grab of her tail, and shook her head.

As he raced down the street, his father’s words screamed in his head.

Fight! Fight, my son! Why are you running?

I can’t fight them. They aren’t foe!

Then where is the foe?

I don’t know!

FIGHT SOMETHING!

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO FIGHT!!!

Logan wasn’t stopped on his way out. Why not? He needed to fight. He needed to kill something. To dash their hopes and dreams just like his were. But the one person he wanted to do it the most to… he couldn’t. She had him at her mercy, and she let him go. To attack her after that… it wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right!

Logan’s mad dash brought him to the train station. Thoughts… memories flash through his mind.

…a place… a place where he felt closer to home…

The Ever-Free! He had a destination!

The next train to Ponyville was pulling into the station. Logan forced his way into the car. A few other ponies were there, but they dashed off faster than he could growl at them. And Logan was left on his own.

Alone… no pack… no mother… no father… it sunk in so deep it felt like he was being impaled with a rusty dagger. He was alone.

He was truly the Lone Wolf of Equestria.

Chapter 19: Unforgivable

The sun was setting as the train pulled into Ponyville. Logan didn’t even wait for the train to finish disembarking. He yanked at the doors before bashing the window open and jumping right out. The glass shards embedded in his head. He embraced their pain. At least it was something to focus on aside from the gaping wound in his heart.

He looked around frantically. Where was it? he thought desperately. Where's the Ever-Free?

He closed his eyes and let scent take over. THERE! The mossy smell of freedom. Of something that wasn’t controlled by these damn equines.

He followed the scent blindly. He thought he heard someone call out his name, but he didn’t care. The scent grew stronger. Then it enveloped him. He opened his eyes to find himself standing right at the entrance to the forest. Yet even the safer area wasn’t enough to ward off his loneliness.

Well, he wasn’t completely alone. He had his mother. But she had gone to a place where he couldn’t follow. He stared down at her body.

In wolf culture, a wolf’s body had to be put to use. As they had aided in life, they wanted to aid in death. With that in mind, Logan went to work.

Slowly, carefully, he skinned the body, combining it with the material from her own cloak. Normally, such a matter would require tools, but his lightning did the job well enough on its own. At first, he started fastening her fur into a jacket, until he remembered the jacket Kodo had made for him. With that in mind, he adapted, wrapping her fur tight, and turning it into a scarf. Then, using the nearby river, he cleaned her bones, taking the rib cage, and sharpening them into a set of six claw-like blades. The remaining bones – the spine and legs – he sewed and combined with his father’s jacket, turning it from a simple clothing item into armor, protecting his chest, arms and back so that another attack like Luna’s would not be his end. The remains he burned. The work was simple, and it gave Logan something else to think about. But in all too short a time, Logan found himself sitting back, watching the flames slowly consume the remainder of her body. For a moment, doubt struck him; shouldn’t he save her remains, for a replacement organ or meat? Then logic banished those thoughts: he didn’t have the resources to replace his organs with hers, and even wolves found cannibalism to be horrifying.

With nothing else to do, he let out a howl. A howl of mourning. A howl of grief. A howl that said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t prevent this.”

As the howl faded, Logan felt his ears shift, hoping against hope that the woods would echo back with his mother’s cheerful howl. Telling him she was okay. That this body was just an illusion, and that she’d be coming out of the trees any second.

Instead, it was an equine voice that answered his call. “Logan?”

Logan turned his head. It was Apple Bloom. She looked around the forest, her ears flattened, and looked warily at the new armaments he had.

“I… tried to talk to you,” she said. “But you just ran off in a frenzy.” She looked around. “We shouldn’t be in here right now.”

Logan just looked away from her. The blood lust wanted him to list her as an enemy to.

She doesn’t understand you. She’s not pack. Attack!

NO!His head shot up, dashing away the dark thought. She’s a pup. She was a victim; she’s innocent.

Innocent?! his dark thoughts demanded. NOTHING IS INNOCENT! NOTHING UNDERSTANDS! THEY ALL NEED TO PAY! THEY NEED TO SUFFER AS WE SUFFER!

“What happened?” Apple Bloom’s voice came back. He looked again. She was closer. She noticed his mother’s form, still visible beneath the flames. “What were you doing with that; is that…?”

Logan put out a paw, blocking her from the pyre. Apple Bloom stared at him in confusion, taking in the new scarf around his neck. As she looked down at the burning wolf and then at the scarf, understanding finally dawned in her eyes.

“Oh…!” she whimpered, covering her mouth with her hooves.

“Don’t,” Logan almost growled, restraining himself to a low mumble.

After a bit of a surprise, Apple Bloom’s bow drooped, much like her ears. Instead of speaking, she nuzzled up next to him, and watched the flames somberly.

Logan let her nuzzle at him, even as his eyes drifted away. His eyes focused on the water close by. He couldn’t see his reflection. He didn’t want to. He already knew what he was; a miserable, lonely wolf, alone in the world.

His head tilted back, and he howled again, causing Apple Bloom to jump back.

His head slumped back down. But then, a howl answered back.

Logan shot up, his tail wagging. “Mom?” he asked. He howled again. “Mother!”

The howl answered him. He wasn’t aware of Apple Bloom’s frightened expression. He didn't even notice how the howl didn't translate to anything. He pitched head first into the forest.

“Logan, no!” she yelled, running after him. “Those aren’t your wolves!”

He didn’t listen. She didn’t understand. “Mother!” he howled again.

There were more howls. It sounded like the whole pack was there! He picked up his pace.

“Logan!” Apple Bloom screamed.

Logan's ears tracked the howls to a small clearing. He jumped out.

“Mom?”

But what he was facing wasn’t his mom.

They looked like wolves, but they were only wood. Three of them in total. With glowing green eyes and teeth made of sharp rocks. They bore down on him, with the stink of mildew overwhelming his senses.

“Logan!” Apple Bloom’s voice echoed back to him. “Those are timber wolf howls!”

One of the timber wolves glanced toward the sound of Apple Bloom’s voice. But his gaze was then drawn to Logan as the flesh wolf pounced on the first timber wolf close to him.

All Logan could think was, Not pack. Traitor. Fight! Kill!

And kill, he most certainly did. Kicking one of the wolves away, Logan’s jaws latched around the neck of the first timber wolf. He shoved it right over the wolf that noticed Apple Bloom’s voice and into a tree. Logan put his new blades to use, slicing the timber wolf’s head clean off and smashing it into the rest of its body. He smashed and smashed until even the bark was just mulch. Another timber wolf lunged for him, but Logan spun to his forelegs and kicked like a mule. He hit it hard enough to explode it into rocks, bark and leaves.

Apple Bloom raced out into the clearing. Her shriek as a timber wolf went for her made Logan’s ears prick up. He dashed into the wolf attacking her. His jaws latched around the fake wolf’s jaw, and he tore it off with a sickening shuck. The fake wolf fell to its back, and Logan dug right into its chest, sending stick and leave organs everywhere.

The piles that used to be the wolves glowed green and flew together. Logan just rushed onto the pile forming and clawed and bit at it. The taste of dead leaves got in his mouth, but he just spat and continued his work. Despite him clawing away at it, a giant timber wolf formed out of the bark. Its rock jaw clamped around Logan’s leg, and yanked him off its back, hurling him straight into a boulder on the other side of the clearing. Lightning flared around him, protecting him from repeating the experience with Luna. Logan pulled himself back up as he saw the timber wolf turn for Apple Bloom. Big mistake.

Howling in anger, Logan rushed right at the thing and bit into the top of its head. Pulling straight backwards, Logan started snapping the tree sticks holding the timber wolf’s head to its body. Then, yanking downward with a howl that was more of a scream, Logan caved the timber wolf’s skull straight into its neck.

He didn’t stop there, either. He stomped, bit and tore away, knocking the compost dead tree bits everywhere he could. A few bits still glowed, but then Logan’s eyes glowed, and he blasted lightning with reckless abandon, scattering the last bits of compost into ashes.

As he briefly coughed out a bit of stone and leaves, Logan finally got a good look at his foe. Nothing but a few dead leaves and ashes. Everything else had been stomped into the dirt or sped fearfully away into the trees. He growled. Was that it?

He barked and snarled at the trees around them. Seeing birds fly from one tree caused him to jump at the bark. He tore and ripped branches away from the thing. At least this dumb tree was putting up a fight. At least until he uprooted it. As it fell to the ground with a crash, Logan looked around. He needed something else to kill. Something to quell the pressure in his heart. It was pushing outward. He was surprised his body didn’t explode from the feeling.

He had to kill something. More somethings. His ears pricked up as he heard a sound. He whirled around, ready to destroy whoever it was. Then it fully came to him: crying.

He wasn’t crying, so who was…

Then Logan’s vision cleared. Apple Bloom was huddled against a tree, sobbing her eyes out. Her eyes were locked on Logan will pure fear. Like she was next on his list.

He took a step towards her, but the voice of reason came back.

Pup! Innocent! Don’t hurt her!

That single step towards her caused her to whimper and curl up even tighter into a little ball of yellow and red. Logan frowned and backed away from her. His eyes cast up. He found himself locking on a plum of slowly whitening smoke.

His mother’s body,he realized.

The energy faded from him, causing him to shift to his haunches.

She was gone; the body burned.His jacket? His new scarf and blades? They were the only things he had left of his parents now.

His head bowed. He turned away, ready to wander off into the forest. To just kill. And kill until he couldn’t feel anything. Until he was just like those dumb fake wolves. Unable to feel grief. Unable to feel sorrow. Unable to… able to…

Logan slumped to the ground, and howled one final time. And his howling devolved into whimpered keening. He curled up into a ball, as sobs replaced the keens, racking his body.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, and her crying quieted by a bit.

“Mom,” Logan whimpered. “Dad...” He tucked his head and broke down.

For how long he sat there whimpering and keening, he didn’t know.

When he came to his senses again, it was with a scent. A scent drifting towards him out of the mildew and moss of the forest. A scent that was way too close to his mother’s final resting place for his liking. His back fur stood on end and a growl escaped his throat.

He rose to all fours and walked back to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom flinched away from him but he just grabbed her by the nape and carried her in his jaws.

The scent grew stronger. He was going the right way. Or the wrong way, considering how he felt towards what was at the end. But either way, he eventually reached where he had burned his mother’s body. And there she was: Celestia. Accompanied by Luna.

Celestia had her head bowed, in some show of respect. To Logan, it was an insult. Luna was the first to look up, her eyes widening as she saw Apple Bloom in his jaws. Logan set Apple Bloom on the ground behind him.

“Stay,” Logan growled at her. Apple Bloom nodded numbly, still looking at him with terror.

Logan turned to the two princesses. Luna was glaring at Logan. Celestia just looked depressed, staring at the faint smoke drifting up from the ashes that had once been a wolf’s body. Her face still bore the scars from his attack; it almost looked like they were trying to heal, but Celestia wasn’t letting them. Logan’s tail gave a sad wag; the anger and blood lust still alive in him reveled in anything negative happening to her. She deserved every last bit of it. And worse.

Logan rose to two legs, drawing his blades as he advanced on them.

Celestia frowned, but didn’t look at him. Luna, on the other hand…

“Our sister is entitled to mourn, just as you are,” she stated, before taking in the red scarf and blades, “Did you…” her eyes widened in disgust and horror. “You... beast! How could you desecreate your own mother...?”

“Get out,” Logan snarled.

Celestia’s frown deepened. “I just wanted to…” she started to say.

“OUT!”

Luna caught his first swipe. Her foreleg started to bleed golden ichor where Logan’s blades sunk into her. As he tried to follow up with another swipe, she forced him back, as lightning flared from his form. Celestia, snapped out of her funk, tried to step in, only to get slashed herself, quickly backing up. Luna’s eyes flickered white, and she blasted Logan back.

“How dare you…?” she roared, but he just bellowed back.

“GET OUT!”

His lightning swirled around him like a storm, nearly blasting Luna again, but Celestia stopped him with a shield. He bashed at the shield with a scream of rage.

“Please,” Celestia begged, “This isn’t the time for this…”

“OUT!” he wailed, punctuating each of his words with a strike to her shield, “GET! OUT! GET! OUT! GET! OUT!”

“BITE THY TONGUE, WHELP!” Luna snarled, “YOU DESECRATE YOUR OWN DEAD, AND YET YOU ACCUSE US OF…!”

Logan howled again, as lightning flashed from his eyes, and the demonic grin returned. As Luna’s jaw dropped, Logan bashed through her shield, the shards dissolving into sparkles as he launched forward. His jaws fastened around her face, causing the younger princess to yell in pain. She punched at him with her front hooves, he stabbed at her neck with his claws. The two railed on each other, Luna trying to shake Logan’s grip on her head, and Logan trying to tear right through her neck, when…

“ENOUGH!”

Luna stumbled, and Logan just gave another roar, shoving Luna aside as he spun to confront the source of the voice. It was Celestia.

She didn’t look angry. She didn’t even look annoyed.

She was stern, but under that… she looked tired.

Logan rushed at her again, but she simply deflected his blow and encased him in a golden shield. As Logan shattered the bubble around him, Luna jumped behind him, and the wolf turned, snapping at both of them as they both raised shields to block his attacks. He couldn’t fight one without turning his back on the other. For a moment, he glared at both of them, his claws aimed at their hearts.

Waiting for the next move.

“Listen to me. Both of you,” Celestia began. “I don’t want this to get any further out of control than it already has.”

She sighed and turned to Logan, who bared his teeth at her. “I… well, I don’t want to speak to you from behind a shield, Logan. Please. Just… let me speak.”

Tentatively, she let her shield down… and he lunged. He knocked her to her back and slammed her head into the ground. Luna started to charge, but Logan raised his blades up. At the same time, Celestia raised a hoof in Luna’s direction.

“Wait! Wait!” Celestia screamed, indicating both Logan and Luna. Luna skidded to a stop, but her horn was still alight, and her eyes gleamed silver in rage.

Logan snarled at her, but he didn’t move to attack Luna nor to finish off Celestia. The white alicorn took her chance while she had it.

“Please, Logan,” Celestia begged, wincing as Logan turned his bloodshot eyes on her, “I know you’re grieving and confused and angry at me. You have every right to be. But you don’t have to go through this alone. We can help you. I am truly sorry for every last bit of pain and suffering I have caused you, and I take full responsibility for everything. I mean that.” Her look became pleading. “Please. Let me help you. Anything you need, I can help you with. Just don’t push me away.”

“Open the portal,” Logan said, “Let me go back. Back to the others.”

“But…” Celestia whimpered, “You could die.”

“I don’t care.”

Celestia’s ears flattened and her eyes widened in horror. “You don’t mean that. Anything else, but please. Do not ask me to open that cursed portal again.”

Logan growled and shoved her away. His look of hatred didn’t falter, even as he turned away from her and Luna, and started to go back to the forest.

“Please,” Celestia said, getting back up, “I can...”

“This, Celestia…” Lightning flickered in his eyes as he spoke, “This is unforgivable.”

Thunder boomed overhead. Luna’s eyes widened, and even Celestia paled as Logan turned away from her.

“Logan…” she whimpered, but he whirled around. This time, however, when he spoke, it was far from the booming barks and roars he had traded with Luna. It wasn’t even backed up with lightning and thunder. It was just a flat statement.

“You killed my mother.”

Celestia closed her eyes, tears streaming from her face. “I…” she tried to say.

“Both my parents are DEAD now. Because of you.” He took a step towards her. “The last of my pack is beyond my reach, and you’re going to write them off just so you don’t have to live with my death on your hooves?”

“I…” Celestia repeated, but Logan wasn’t done.

“You. Are. PATHETIC.”

“Now, you listen here, wolf…” Luna shot back, but Logan just cackled darkly.

“How convenient!” Logan snapped right back. “Passing me off to the thugs again, eh Celestia?”

“I am no pony’s ‘thug!’” Luna declared.

“Rape my mind and break my bones all you want,” Logan snarled at Luna, his words bringing shame and horror to Luna’s gaze, “But your bad guy routine won’t ever make me think Celestia’s better.” He scoffed as hesitation and regret flashed across Luna’s face. “Then again,” he added, “Maybe it’s just second nature to you; Celestia controls what you don’t destroy.”

Luna’s shame deepened as she noticed Celestia staring at her with frustration and anger. The frustration faded to sorrow as Celestia looked back at Logan.

“Logan, please,” Celestia begged, “I didn’t…”

“You don't get it, do you?” Logan asked, “I can never trust you. I can never trust either of you after the crap you pulled.”

“You attacked our sister!” Luna sighed before glancing at Celestia with shame. “Our actions were… disproportionate, and we are deeply sorry for the pain they caused. But that does not excuse…”

“The ability,” Logan enunciated, “To control. THE SUN!” He glared at Celestia. “And yet you hide behind children.” He scoffed and turned away. "That says more about you than your words ever could."

Celestia went green at that statement. Her tears mixed from the ichor still leaking from her cuts.

“I… I’m so sorry, Logan,” Celestia whimpered, a far cry from her normally regal self. Luna saw her sister’s horrified expression, and her shame deepened.

“As are we,” she admitted, “For everything.”

They both looked up, hoping for even a bit of neutrality on Logan's face. But instead, they were greeted with a look of hate; shining as brightly as ever. He walked back to Apple Bloom.

Luna looked back at Celestia before trying to follow after him.

“W-We have already apologized for our actions!” Luna insisted. “What more do you want?!”

Logan didn't look at them. He just looked down at Apple Bloom who stared back up at him with large, watery eyes.

“I’m taking the pup home,” He said softly. “And if either of you cross my path again with nothing short of news that I can see my pack again?” He looked back. “I don’t care if I can’t kill you. I will keep trying until you kill me.”

Celestia flinched, but Logan just picked the filly up like a mother wolf with her pup and began to walk away.

As Logan walked past them, Luna blocked his path. “One condition,” she started to say, but Logan brushed past her with a huff. She stared after him in shock, before the anger returned. “Stop regarding my sister like night soil!” Logan walked away as Luna yelled at his receding back. “No matter what you think, she has done absolutely nothing but stand up for and protect thee thus far! She is the kindest mare in Equestria, and does not deserve this!”

Logan looked back.

“Her kindness tore a pack apart,” he said in a dead voice. He indicated his mother’s ashes again. “Stand in the ashes, and ask the ghost if her kindness mattered.”

Luna fumed, but Celestia finally spoke up. Yet her voice was no longer regal or hopeful. It was just as dead as Logan's.

"Let him go, Luna," she said, her head bowing in shame. "We've done enough to him."

Luna briefly looked back, only to find the wolf already leaving; headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. Luna sighed, and walked back to her sister, putting a comforting wing around her as the princess of the sun sobbed.

For a time, Logan walked in silence. Just as he reached the gates to Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom began to squirm in Logan’s jaws. He looked down at her in surprise. He’d almost forgot he’d been carrying her.

“Logan, can ya please put me down?”

Logan set her back on the road. She looked down, her ears flopping back.

“I… I’m sorry if I said anything to make ya mad, Logan,” she mumbled.

“Apple Bloom,” he said. “Look at me.”

She looked up at him, and he shifted himself down to her level.

“You did nothing wrong, you hear me?” he said. “Don’t ever think you did.” She started to look away, but he nudged her cheek with his paw, making her look at him again.

“Meeting you and your friends was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “You’re what made this whole thing bearable. I would’ve gone feral a long time ago if you weren’t there to let me know there was hope in this world.” His own ears flattened, and his nose touched her hair. “Thank you.”

Apple Bloom nodded. Her eyes turned back to the forest. “So,” she mumbled, “That was Myst’s Rage?”

Logan’s ears flicked as his lectures to her and Twilight returned to him. His eyes cast downward.

“Yeah,” he admitted, “That was Myst’s Rage.” He let out a puff of air. “I wish you didn’t have to see me like that.”

Apple Bloom nuzzled his neck. “I’m sorry ya can’t see your pack again, Logan,” she whispered.

Logan closed his eyes, and nuzzled her back. For how long they stood there, taking silent comfort in each other's embrace, Logan didn't know. But eventually, they separated.

Apple Bloom walked through the gate and up to the farm house’s porch. As she reached the door, she glanced back at Logan with a questioning gaze. He nodded, and she walked into her home.

With Apple Bloom’s safety assured, Logan began the trek back to the Ever-Free. The royal sisters were gone; probably flew back to Canterlot.

And good riddance, his inner darkness whispered.

Yet, as he walked into the Ever-Free, he passed by that zebra he had seen the Crusaders with.

Zebra… as in... a species different from ponies...

Logan froze. His eyes tracked the zebra as she headed into town.

There were other species, he realized. Which could mean... others like Celestia!

A plan started to form in his mind. He had a new destination. He turned towards the forest, already planning to head out.

But his body had other plans; with the emotional and physical toll taken on his body, he only made it a few steps into the forest before exhaustion caught up with him. He pitched to the side, nestling into the den like roots of a tree near the borders of the Ever-Free, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter 20: The Lone Wolf Leaves Equestria

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Chapter 6: Bullies and Surprises

As Luna returned to the waking realm, she felt a surge of conflicting emotions.

That wolf had attacked her sister. He had bitten her, for Faust’s sake. And yet… all those memories. The pain and agony in his voice. Wasn’t she supposed to protect others from that type of treatment? To safeguard their dreams from the traumatic horrors of nightmares?

Luna was almost glad to be yanked from her thoughts by the greeting of her sister.

“Good morning, my sister,” Celestia greeted. In Luna’s haze, she hadn’t realized she had walked the path to the breakfast table even faster than before. “How was the dreamscape?”

Luna’s ears flicked as she seated herself. “Well,” she admitted, deciding to jump right to the point, “I did notice dreams from a rather odd being in Ponyville…”

Celestia’s grin faltered. Luna’s heart started to skip a beat before Celestia replied.

“Indeed,” she said, “Another visitor has arrived in our town. A young wolf by the name of Logan.”

“Aye,” Luna said, smiling faintly at a servant as she set a cup of coffee by her side. “A rather intriguing fellow, that one.” She pretended to sip the caffeinated beverage before her, though her eyes were locked on Celestia. “You wouldn’t suppose he… poses a threat, would you?”

Luna’s heart only beat faster as Celestia’s eyes widened in horror.

“Oh, no, of course not,” Celestia said quickly, “The pup is a bit of a challenge, but nothing I haven’t handled before.”

“Nothing you haven’t handled?” Luna asked, having to avoid spilling her coffee, “Sister, if his memories are correct, he… well…”

“Bit me?” Celestia asked with a chuckle, extending her neck, “Well, does it look like he left any lasting damage?"

“Well… no,” Luna admitted, wondering how on Equestria Celestia could be this biased about such a blatant show of hostility and disrespect.

“Then I don’t believe we have much to worry about,” Celestia said, before her gaze drifted away, occupied with deeper thoughts, “Besides,” she added, “I will not deny that I could have handled his arrival better.”

Luna said nothing, pretending once again to drink her coffee despite her heart racing frantically in her chest.

“Due to an error on my part,” Celestia admitted, “He was separated from his family; at the very least, beings of great importance to him. It affected his temperament. I didn’t respect his feelings enough, and he lashed out.”

“And then… you left him in Ponyville?” Luna prompted.

“Twilight’s friend Fluttershy proved to be a very stabilizing force for him,” Celestia replied, her grin returning, “I daresay the young pegasus would be capable of taming Discord, considering how well she managed to handle Logan.”

“I see,” Luna noted, wondering how she had missed the memories of Fluttershy taming such a seemingly violent beast.

Celestia tilted her head at Luna’s guilt ridden silence.

“Luna,” she began softly, “Logan may be ill-tempered, but he is far from a bad wolf. Right now, fear clouds his judgement; fear that was brought on by many early years of pain.” She looked down. “I can’t stand to see any creature in that kind of pain. Given the chance, I would have him stay; perhaps even become a companion to Fluttershy.” She sighed. “Yet, I also know that he likely will not stand by and wait for his family to be brought to him.”

“What do you intend then?” Luna asked.

“To tread lightly,” Celestia replied, “Hopefully, Twilight will learn more about him, and perhaps a way to find his pack and discuss possibilities of an alliances will reveal itself. But until then, even the smallest misunderstanding between him and us could have the gravest of consequences.”

Luna took a long hard drink. If what Celestia said was true, Luna realized, then what damage did my brash attack likely do to him?

As Logan made his way to the bakery, he kept stealing second glances at Fluttershy. Something seemed off about the way she was acting; she was a far cry from the domineering mare that had been on his side against the thugs. Now she was glancing at him worriedly, and chancing looks around at the town, as if she expected someone to jump out and mug them at any second. Logan could hardly blame her; that dark alicorn still burned in his mind. Part of him wanted to believe she wasn’t real; that she was simply an incarnation of his own doubts towards ponies.

Unless she is real, and ponies – at the very least this ‘sister of Celestia’ - can enter minds, he thought worriedly. To deny a wolf the privacy of his own mind? What foul creature would be capable of such cruelty?

But he couldn’t really think on that even if he wanted to; after how Pinkie Pie had reacted, he didn’t want to keep the pink menace waiting any longer than he already had.

The stares didn’t help. Once again, as he walked through town, ponies stopped to stare at him again. Twice as bad, since the other five mares were gone, and Fluttershy wasn’t exactly one to deflect stares. This time, Logan also heard whispers.

“Are we sure that isn’t some sort of timber wolf?”

“Maybe it’s friendly?”

“Are you kidding?! That thing looks like it eats nails for breakfast!”

“Without any milk?”

“Without any milk!”

Logan slowly started to feel his anger building up again. Sure, they hadn’t seen anything like him before, but could they be a little subtler about it? He started glaring around at the ponies. It was worse than he thought: some of them had literally dropped what they were doing in favor of watching him.

As he saw several dropped tomatoes roll away from one, something in him snapped.

“Alright, no!” Logan spun around and marched right for the pony that had dropped them; a mint green unicorn with a harp on her flank. She started to back up, but Logan kept storming over to her. As her flank hit the wall, several ponies gasped and backed off themselves. Fluttershy herself covered her eyes, whimpering. The mare looked around for help, but Logan had her cornered.

“You got a problem with me?” Logan demanded.

The mare flinched like he struck her, but she didn’t run. “N…Uh…” she stammered.

“Speak up!” he barked.

“No!” she yelped, causing everyone to flinch themselves. “No, I don’t.”

“Then why are you staring at me?” Logan demanded.

She shakily raised a hoof to point at his paws. “D… Do you have… well… I mean, are you…?” She took a breath as he backed off slightly. “You’re from Earth, right? The human place?”

“Why?” Logan said cautiously.

“So…” she looked down at his paws again. “Do you have… hands?”

Logan gave her a deadpan look that screamed ‘Are you serious?’He raised his paws. “Paws, genius,” he replied.

“Paws?” she muttered, disappointment flickering across her face.

“Paws,” Logan repeated, wiggling the small digits. As he did that, she locked on his paws with a new look. She reached out with one hoof and touched his paw.

“These are paws?” she asked, feeling at his paw, “They’re like hands… but tinier.” Her hoof pricked against one of his claws, “Oh, and sharp.”

“Yeah, kinda necessary for defense,” Logan noted, “Like defending against certain horses that aren’t letting go. Right. Now,” he grumbled.

She didn’t comply, continuing to somehow grip his paw and keep him from yanking it away.

“Paws…” she mumbled with a sigh, “They sound even cuter than hands.” She tilted her head as she noticed something else about his paws, even as Logan started to try and back away. “Wait... does this...?”

Logan growled and yanked his paw back, “Knock it off!” he snapped.

That got through to her, as she finally let go, causing him to stumble backward. She looked back and forth with both guilt and horror etched on her face.

“Uh… I…” she glanced at his paws one last time before running off.

Logan glared at where she had gone and spun around at the other ponies staring at him. Instantly, everyone turned away, looking anywhere except at him. Logan sighed, his ears flattening, while Fluttershy walked up next to him.

“Sorry,” she whispered. He deflated at the piteous tone in her voice.

“You don’t need to be sorry,” he muttered, turning away, “I just can’t stand this.” He glanced around again, his fur spiking when he caught a glimpse of dark blue, “It feels like I’m surrounded by enemies.”

“No pony’s going to hurt you,” Fluttershy promised, “They may be a little nervous, but… maybe once you give them a chance to get to know you, they’ll come around.”

“But I don’t want to ‘get to know them,’” Logan said, “I just want to go back to my pack. Back to the ones I’m supposed to be around.”

“Oh,” Fluttershy mumbled, dropping her hoof, “I didn’t know I made you uncomfortable too.”

Logan’s ears flattened at her display, and he sighed.

“Look,” he said, “I appreciate you looking out for me, but truth is… none of this feels right.” He looked around again. “I’m not supposed to be here.” He hung his head. “But… a wolf endures, no matter what. So that’s what I’ll do.” He turned back to where he was going. Thankfully, the thoughts of the other ponies fled his mind when he turned the next corner, and he found himself staring at the strangest contraption he had ever seen.

The building in front of him looked like a giant gingerbread house, even having a small cupcake perched on the top. But the scent that came from it…

Wolves already have heightened senses of smell, so the sugary sweet stench of the store hit him like an uppercut. It took all he had not to snap his head back like he’d actually been punched.

“Logan?” Fluttershy exclaimed in worry as he fell back, clutching at his nose, “Are you alright.”

“I’m fine, just…” Logan wrinkled his nose and flattened his ears as the scent of pure sugar continued to ravage his nostrils. “By the White Wolf, how do you guys live with that?”

“W-What’s wrong with it?” Fluttershy asked, glancing at the gingerbread house with confusion.

“That stench!” Logan insisted, covering his nose.

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, “That’s Sugarcube Corner; it’s a bakery.”

“It’s… so sweet,” Logan insisted, “It’s like I’m breathing pure sugar…” He briefly paused as a thought occurred to him. “Does Pinkie Pie… live here?”

Fluttershy nodded. Logan huffed.

“No wonder she’s so hyper.”

“If the smell’s too strong for you,” Fluttershy started to say, “I could…”

“No,” Logan said, shaking his head despite the scent still making him want to cringe, “No, I’m good.” He forced himself forward, resisting the urge to gag.

Fluttershy watched him go every step of the way with mounting panic in her eyes. Logan wasn’t sure what was causing her to get so worked up, but his need for defiance drove him onward. He couldn’t be cowering and whimpering like he had against that dream monster. He needed to show strength. He needed to show that he wasn’t broken. He needed…

“Logan, wait!” Fluttershy said as he finally reached the door, “I should’ve told you, but Pinkie Pie made me promise…” She paused, looking fearfully at the bakery. Logan tilted his head and looked back at the window, where he briefly saw a pink angry face glaring at Fluttershy before it ducked out of sight.

“What?” he asked, the sugar clouding his mind, “Is something bad in here?”

Before Fluttershy could explain, Logan took a giant breath and nudged the door open, getting another blast of that sickly-sweet stench. At first, empty darkness greeted him. The building looked closed.

But then the lights flashed on. And he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.

It came flashing back; that same barrel pressed to his head. The humans trying to punish him for his continued defiance!

He let out a strangled scream before smashing into the gun, throwing the master aside. He had to be back in that field. But… wait! Where were the humans?

No time to care about that; he saw dark blue again. It had to be that raging alicorn, come to punish him some more. Or maybe brainwash him like the Man of Shadows had done. He had to get out. He had to get his pack out!

But where was the cage door? Where was his pack? He spun around, seeing a closed door. He had to bash it open. He had to get to freedom. He surged towards the doors and busted them wide open. It was a tad easier than he expected, but he had no time for doubt. He could hear the screams of his hunters behind him.

Odd. They sounded suspiciously like they were calling his real name.

They must have figured out his name! Names have power, and they hoped to use that power over him no doubt!

Logan barely had time to wait for his pack mates. He tore out onto the street, his nose seeking out any sort of sanctuary.

‘Show no fear and show no pain,’ his father had said. But what happened when there was a fight he couldn’t win? He poured on the speed, trying to stamp down his father’s words in the name of an escape he could muster. He tore his way to freedom…

Wait… why were there more buildings around here? He was supposed to be out in an open field.

Where were his pack? They had been right beside him.

Why were there horses everywhere?

Bit by bit, Logan’s senses returned to him. He slowed to a stop, the bakery and whoever had been aiming that cannon at him gone. But Logan could still hear their calls faintly.

“Logan!”

Logan ducked behind one of the houses as he heard galloping. He peeked out from the shadows as Rainbow Dash and Twilight rounded the corner.

“Dang, that wolf’s fast,” Rainbow Dash commented.

“Just find him,” Twilight said, “And be careful; if that was what I think it was…”

“What you think it was?” Rainbow Dash demanded, “He broke Sugarcube Corner’s door. Just hurled it across the street! I mean, how old is he? What was that?”

Twilight shuddered. “PTSD. Shining Armor told me that it affected a few guards after Chrysalis’ attack. He must have seen something pretty traumatic, and something in there triggered him.”

Rainbow Dash groaned, “I knew it was a mistake for Pinkie to use the party cannon on him. I mean, she fought Changelings with that.”

Logan covered his mouth, keeping his gasp quiet.

“Let’s just find him so he can explain his actions,” Twilight said.

They took off again, leaving Logan to fume in anger and rage.

She shot me with a cannon?His mind thought mutinously. I apologized for the promise, and she just SHOOTS ME?!

He had been a fool. These ponies weren’t his friends. His friends – his pack – were far away from here, in danger from very real cannons. Things that wouldn’t just leave a patch of already drying, sticky sweet batter on his shoulder. Things that would kill them. He needed to get back to them. He needed to…

His ears pricked as he managed to make it out: a high-pitched keel of laughter. A type of laughter he knew only too well.

The laughter of a human master enjoying his cruel treatment of a slave.

The very thought of someone forcing their will onto someone else – even in this world - made Logan’s blood boil. His fur spiked and his hackles bared. His original thoughts still called for him, reminding him of his pack, but he forced them aside for now. Even if he found a way back, he wasn’t going to leave someone else in the same position. No one – not even these ponies - deserved that kind of treatment.

Tracing the sound, he moved between the shadows of a house and tree, his nose and ears snapping out of the funk his panic attack had left them in to better track his target.

“Well-well-well,” he made out, “How obvious coming from a blank flank.”

The moment the words registered, Logan felt like grabbing the voice’s owner and tearing their throat out. The vocal poison that stung his ears was laced with so much contempt, arrogance and – worse of all – smug overconfidence that it made him sick.

He picked up his pace, and soon found the source under a tree across the street: a single, cream colored filly with a bright red mane and an even brighter red bow was cornered against the tree by two other fillies. One was silvery gray with a white mane, and the other was a light pink. The contemptuous voice, followed by another round of high-pitched giggling, was coming from the two fillies. Logan shivered in rage at the contemptuous cackling, before making his way closer.

“Lame~!” the two fillies chorused, “But what should we expect, coming from a blank flank.” They tittered again, as their victim noticed Logan coming up behind them.

“D-Diamond Tiara,” the filly whispered, pointing behind them.

“Oh, what’s the matter now, blank flank?” one of the girls asked, “Trying to distract us from your rampant idiocy?”

“Well, it isn’t gonna work,” her crony replied.

Before they could burst into another round of giggles, Logan let a guttural growl bubble up from his throat.

He felt a stoic pleasure as the two bullies froze, their ears pricking up and their tails tucking between their legs. Slowly – insultingly slow – they turned around, their irises shrinking to pinpricks as they took in the sight of the wolf behind them.

Logan may have been a pup, but he was still able to match height with the Mane Six. Meaning he was more than tall enough to tower above the fillies.

He could see them begin to tremble. A wolfish grin spread across his snout. The motion alone was enough to send the grey one to her haunches.

“W-Who are you?” the silver pony whimpered, “P-Please don’t eat me!”

“M-Mare up, Silver Spoon,” the other filly snapped, trying to control her own trembling. “This thing isn’t going to eat you.” She glared up at the wolf with a snobbish tilt of her head. “Listen here, dog…”

Logan’s ear twitched as the D-word reached his ear.

“…Let’s get something straight,” the pink pony continued to boast, “You lay an ugly claw on me or Silver Spoon, and my father will…”

Before she could even finish her sentence, Logan stretched a paw out, and rested it right on Diamond Tiara’s snout. Despite himself, Logan’s thoughts couldn’t resist going, ‘Boop.’

For a second, Diamond Tiara stared at the paw touching her nose. Her face turned beet red.

“How… DARE YOU!?” she shrieked, jarring his paw loose, “You’re gonna get it now! I’m going right to my father, and when he hears what you…”

SNAP!

They didn’t even see it coming. One minute, his hackles were bared. The next, Diamond Tiara had pulled a 180, shrieking her head off as his teeth snapped mere inches from the snout he had just booped. The two fillies took off down the road, screaming all the way.

Logan watched them go with a growl, though his growl and expression faded as he glanced at the filly. She was staring at him in fear, but also in a bit of awe. The fear dwindled as his lips hid his teeth and his expression became friendlier.

“You okay?” he asked.

She nodded, her mouth agape in shock. He glanced back at where the bullies had gone.

“Why did you let them treat you like that?” he asked, “Why didn’t you fight back?”

Her awed expression faded, and she glared down at where they had gone.

“I-If I fight back,” her voice grew with confidence, “That just makes me as bad as them.”

Logan tilted his head, ignoring the pounding of his heart as he remembered; her voice was the same southern one he had heard when he first arrived. Apple Bloom, he remembered.

“Don’t you have parents?” he asked, “A pack? Some pony that can help you?”

“Well, sure,” Apple Bloom replied, “But my big sister… she always tells me to ignore it; that it’s just teasing.” Despite herself, Apple Bloom didn’t sound convinced.

Logan huffed. “Sticks and stones can break bones, but words don’t hurt, right?”

She nodded.

“Well,” Logan said somberly, “They’re free to think that, up until words cause people to get depressed, lose faith in themselves… and do really horrible things out of hopelessness.”

Apple Bloom’s ears flared. “Have… you done that too?”

Logan’s ears flared. “You’ve already done something?” he asked.

Apple Bloom fidgeted. “Well… they tease me a lot for not having a cutie mark.” She indicated her bare flank, where Logan vaguely remembered the others having some sort of odd picture. “So, I found this weird potion that was supposed to get me one. But then, it just kept marking me and marking me, and I got all these weird urges to keep doing stranger and bigger stuff until…” she shuddered, “I wasn’t sure I was gonna make it.”

Logan’s tail tucked in horror and sympathy. His eyes darted up, and he noticed Rainbow Dash high above the clouds. Any second, she would see him, and he’d probably have to contend with her hooves again. Despite that...

“Listen to me,” he said to Apple Bloom, “You are way better than either of those brats. And you don’t need a mark to prove that. Don’t ever let ponies or anyone else like them get to you. And don’t think that rules or regulations should keep you from being a pushover.” He pawed the ground before her. “If some pony tries to push you down, you push back. Whether you’re more comfortable with words or force, don’t let them ever make you feel like you’re less than what you are.”

With that, he spun on his paw and walked away, his original objective returning to him. He couldn’t stay in this place. He needed to get back to his pack.

“Wait,” the filly yelled. He paused. “W-Who are you? I mean, I know yer that wolf we found, but…”

“Logan,” he replied with a soft grin, “Name’s Logan. And you, Apple Bloom,” his tail wagged as she registered that he knew her name, “You’re a lot stronger than you think you are. Don’t let any pony tell you otherwise.” He turned a corner, leaving the filly staring after him.

His walk quickly transitioned into a duck into cover. Rainbow Dash had sighted down on him. Even now, he could see her flying closer, her rose eyes sighted down on him like a homing missile. Logan backed up in his hiding place, already snarling in anger… before a golden aura enveloped him and yanked him even further back.

He tried to fight, but his limbs were locked in the field. He was pulled around another corner as Rainbow Dash looked around, confusion replacing the anger that had been on her face.

“Sleep!” a voice, very familiar, ordered Logan. Before he could say a word, his body responded, his eyes suddenly growing heavy.

His last thought was, Isn’t that the mint green unicorn with the tomatoes?Then everything went dark.