//------------------------------//
// Chapter 19: A Change of Heart 
// Story: Lone Wolf of Equestria: Back to the Pack 
// by JNKing 
//------------------------------//

The cave was totally silent as Logan finished his story. Despite the fire having long gone out, there wasn’t an ounce of cold in the room. Not only were the Mane Six gathered around, but Cadence and even Shining Armor had gathered to hear Logan’s tale, with the love alicorn using a heat spell to make the cave bearable. 
“So… what now, then?” Rainbow Dash finally asked, breaking the silence.
“Now?” Logan asked, “Now I keep going. Either north, to the yaks, or back to that dragon with the treasure horde.”
The ponies all jumped in shock.
"But Logan, why?” Rarity declared, “The last time you encountered him…”
“I know,” Logan replied, “But the Crystal Heart’s clearly not able to work…”
“Don’t be so sure of that,” Cadence noted.
Logan tilted his head at her.
“The Crystal Heart’s a powerful magic source," Shining Armor clarified. "But it needs to be charged regularly. You don’t think the Crystal Fair was a one-time thing, did you?”
Logan’s ears flicked, though his resigned expression didn’t fade. “But Sombra said that the Crystal Fair focused its energy on defense.”
“It does,” Celestia said, “But perhaps, if aided by three alicorns… and the magic that you seemed to have gained a greater grasp on…”
Logan flared his claws, nodding as sparks danced briefly across his claw tips, before he took another glance at Celestia. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
“Perhaps it might be able to have magic to spare to bring you back.” Celestia said. 
Yep, she was. Logan stared at her with wide eyes, but she simply smiled at him. 
“I don’t like sending you back to those humans," Celestia admitted. "But from the sound of it, you’ve gone through way worse at this point.” She bowed her head. “And ultimately, it’s never been my decision on what’s to be done with your life. It was always your choice, and it's time that I respected that.” She gave him a cautious look. “So… if you are willing to be patient and let us prepare the Crystal Heart properly…” 
Logan chuckled, a rare smile forming on his snout. “Lady,” he said, “I spent months training with the dragons. I spent two years searching for a miracle to take me back.” He looked at the others. “And in terms of places to wait… I’ve learned that there are worse places to be spending my time.” He turned back to her. “I think I can wait a little bit longer.” 
Celestia grinned softly and nodded. 
“In that case,” Cadence said, standing up. “Let’s get back to the Empire and call Auntie Luna. No offense, Lone Wolf, but I personally prefer a palace to a cave. And we're going to need her help.” 
Logan scoffed. “Soft Royals…” he muttered. But he didn’t make any further protests as they headed back for the Empire.

#

Cadence set aside an entire room for Logan. She also offered him a haircut and bath; something Logan actually found himself accepting. It was odd to accept something from another royal, but now that they didn’t have Sombra hanging over them, she seemed much more relaxed. At the very least, she seemed a lot less stiff and formal than Celestia, and far less likely to attack him than Luna. Whether that was due to age or that apparently, she controlled love, was anyone’s guess. Either way, Logan got the chance to get his fur trimmed again, and he got the chance to lie back in hot water, and let the stress and hardship of months of work wash away.
In a way, it was cathartic to have told his story to them, even if he hadn’t expected to see any of them again. Throughout his journey, he had learned just how valuable pack and family are. And yet, he still wanted to believe that the mares had only liked him on Celestia’s order. But was that really possible? He had been gone for so long, and yet they still accepted him back. Heck, they took on a freaking Shadow King together! And the only reason he was there, enjoying the Crystal Empire’s hospitality instead of being forced to breed a changeling army, was because he had put his faith in a bunch of strangers. So, why couldn’t he put his faith in a bunch of kind strangers that weren’t even that strange to him?
As Logan washed the last of the shampoo from his cropped fur and idly scratched at his neck, he started to wonder where his pack really was. He shook his head; it was back on Gaia, of course. And yet… 
He was broken from his thoughts by a knock on the door of his room. Logan jumped slightly, before letting his tail swish. 
“Come in,” he called.
The door opened and Twilight walked in. She flinched back slightly, but then again, so did Logan for that matter. He still remembered her duplicate; the coy tone and the feeling of wolf’s fur on his own… Thankfully, she didn’t pick up on that. She seemed more occupied with the scars. From the claw of Ocetorm to the teeth of the sphinxes, the many scars Logan had gained across his journey were clearly visible. 
“I…” she finally stammered, “Didn’t know they were that bad.” 
Logan looked down at his scars and huffed. “It was worse when I got them, I can promise you that.”
Twilight gave a small, but forced smile.  
“Logan, I… just wanted to ask you something.”
“You always do,” Logan replied with a cheeky wag of his tail. Twilight had to pause a moment to hide her own chuckle before continuing.
“Well, I’ve… always been kind of a note taker,” Twilight admitted. She levitated several scraps of parchment, which Logan was stunned to see were flooded with notes and scrawls. “And after you told us everything… well… I feel like your story could make a good book.”
Logan’s ears flicked back and forth. “A… book?” he asked.
“Ponies don’t often go to the Outlands,” Twilight explained. “And it would be a great way to let them know what’s out there. Not just the good, but… also the bad.” 
Logan’s eyes narrowed. “Do I need to worry about Celestia hunting down Sparks and her master?” he asked.
To her credit, Twilight didn’t get angry. She just shook her head.
“Nothing like that,” she promised. Her own ear flicked. “Though, I guess the better question is… what can I give you in exchange?”
Logan’s tail perked up at her offer. She gave a sheepish grin.
“’The agreement of trade went a long way towards forming pack alliances,’” she recited from his previous lectures. She rubbed the back of her mane. “I know, it’s kind of odd to start trying to form an alliance after you’ve been here for so long. But… I kept trying to make you see things the way we did... and I wish I had seen things from your perspective sooner." She shrugged. "So... Better late than never?”
She looked up hopefully, and her ears perked up to see his tail wagging. 
“How about…” he said, slightly coy. “A copy of my own.” He added quickly. “There are wolves that can read out there.” 
Twilight’s smile brightened, and she gave a short nod. With an excited burst of her magic, a scroll and quill materialized next to her, and she started copying down the scraps and notes she had made while in the cave. Logan watched from the side, filling her in on details she had missed or his own commentary. 
Yet, as they approached the part about the changelings, Logan noticed Twilight’s face fall. 
“Something on your mind?” he asked.
Twilight looked back, but averted her eyes just as quickly. “I don’t know,” she admitted, “It’s just that… I know you were dead-set on finding your pack. But despite that, I could never stop thinking about you as a friend. A stubborn, incredibly moody friend, but a friend nonetheless. It hurt when you left… and now you’re probably be leaving again forever.” Twilight flattened her ears and put her quill down. “I know you’ll want to go back to your own world, but… we all kind of missed having you around in Ponyville. Having you back made us realize that.”
Logan suddenly backed up, baring his teeth. Twilight backed up herself. 
“Oh, Celestia, did I...?” she started to ask, before looking down at what she had written so far. “Oh… Changelings.”  
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “But if you were about to make some sort of declaration of love, or try to kiss me, I’d have to bite you.”  
Twilight groaned and put a hoof to her face, yet Logan could still see the smile threatening to poke out. 
“Don’t worry; I was never interested in you that way,” she promised, before getting back on track. “I guess I’m just saying that… I know all you’ve wanted for the past two years was to get back to your family. And… well, if that’s what happens, then I want you to know I’m happy for you.” She gave him a more genuine smile. “It’s always nice to see some pony – anyone – succeed at something they’ve been trying to do for a while. Just know that you’ll be missed.”
Logan’s lips hid his teeth, and his tail swished. “Well… for what it’s worth,” he said, “I learned a lot while I was out there, especially after I managed to escape from Chrysalis’ hive.” He looked up at her. “I can’t give up now, and I still don’t know what to think of Celestia, but… You won’t ever be forgotten. I can promise you that.” 
They both smiled at each other before the inevitable changeling flashback made them avert their eyes. Twilight cleared her throat. 
“Anyway,” she said, picking her quill up. “So… you grabbed the changeling’s horn, and that threw off it’s ridiculous disguise…”
“Yeah,” Logan clarified. “And for some reason, she was still using your voice. I raised my claw, not really sure what I was going to do…” 
Their story continued again up until the end. As Twilight checked over her notes, Logan noticed the top of the scroll, which had rolled all the way out of the room and down the hallway. Twilight was more focused on proof-reading, so Logan got the chance to check out the higher part of the scroll. 
The first thing he saw was the title: Adventures of the Lone Wolf of Equestria. 
Logan shook his head, but he didn’t feel angry or irritated. He and Twilight had made a trade. Of course, he had already given up a lot for her and her friends, but for some reason, the fact that she had planned on this being a book even before asking him didn’t irritate him anymore. His curiosity increased as he noticed a small bit of passage that he hadn’t caught before. 

Foreword; by Twilight Sparkle.

Tilting his head, Logan read the parchment to see what she wrote.
Two years before the publication of this book, a member of a new species came to Equestria; a young wolf, unlike any Timber Wolf or Diamond Dog that had been seen before. While most know him now as the Lone Wolf of Equestria, I knew him as Logan. He proved himself fierce in conviction and loyalty, for when it was discovered that Princess Celestia had brought him here as a result of a random accident with magic portals and was unable or unwilling to return him to his family – referred to by him as a ‘pack’ - he responded by biting her.  
Logan chuckled.
Don’t let his impulsive action fool you, however. Logan, while stubborn, moody and very temperamental, is actually a fiercely loyal friend when you respect him and truly get to know him and his culture (For notes on his species, see my article 'The Wolves of Gaia.' He proved these traits with his connection to Fluttershy – the Element of Kindness - and the three foals who found him, whom he became very close to, and protected against bullies and monsters alike. Unfortunately, their new bond had no hope against the strength of his bond with his original pack. For when Princess Celestia revealed to him that she could truly not send him home, Logan – undeterred – left Ponyville and traveled across Equestria in an attempt to find his own way back.
This is his story. I believe you will find it as engaging and fascinating to read as I found to listen to when he told it to me, Princess Celestia and the other Element Bearers.
Logan is stubborn, temperamental, devoted, and has an insatiable determination to never quit, even when the world itself is trying to stop him. And despite everything, he was a pleasure to get to know, and I will always consider him to be a good friend. 
Logan found himself smiling as he read Twilight’s passage. He then looked up at her, as she continued to make sure the passages were perfect. When she noticed, him grinning at her, her ears flicked and her eyes darted, but she managed her own grin back. 
“T-Thank you for this, Logan,” Twilight said, rolling up her scroll. “I’ll send you a copy as soon as it’s ready.” 
“Looking forward to it,” Logan replied. And he watched Twilight set off down the hallway.
Maybe it was just the fact that he was in a place that wasn’t being run by tyrants or was full of people that wanted to manipulate or kill him, but it was comforting; knowing these mares cared. In their own, awkward ways. Even if it didn’t change anything. 
Logan wanted his pack. He needed his original pack. For two years now, he had been searching. And yet, even if he could never tell them it – he had a reputation to uphold, after all - it was nice to know that even if he never found them… he still had another pack to fall back on.