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.