//------------------------------//
// Bury the Bad Seeds 
// Story: Logan and Carol; The Wolves of Equestria 
// by JNKing 
//------------------------------//

“Heading into Ponyville?” Carol asked, following Logan. “What’s the occasion?” 
Logan kept his eyes ahead at first. 
“I…” he admitted, “May not have made the best last impression with some of the ponies here.”
Carol raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think that mattered to you,” she noted. 
“It mattered to me with these three,” Logan replied, as Sweet Apple Acres came into view. “And I really feel like I need to clear the air with them.” 
But as they drew closer, a familiar sound drew Logan’s attention; a mocking laugh that caused his fur to flare up on end. A bloodthirsty growl bubbled up from his throat. Carol didn’t even question why; she could hear the laugh too.
“Is that what I think it is?” she growled.
Logan was already sprinting for the source of the laughter. 
“Come on, Applejack, you told me you got a handle on that!” Logan snarled, clearing the fence and racing for the barn, where the laughter seemed to be coming from. 
“What even is that thing, a giant orange?” the voice of Silver Spoon rang out, followed by more laughing. 
“It’s a pumpkin,” Apple Bloom’s voice protested.
“More like a lame-kin,” Diamond Tiara replied, followed by more cackling. 
Logan skidded to a stop in front of the barn. Sure enough, the three Crusaders were standing there, with what looked like a giant pumpkin carriage behind them. The two bullies Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were laughing derisively at it. Logan’s rage kept him from noticing the fourth filly standing between the two groups, her eyes darting over to the wolves in shock.
“Whoa,” the fourth filly exclaimed. “You guys didn’t tell me you had wolves here!”
Diamond Tiara snapped out of her laughing fit. 
“Wolves?” she squeaked.
Logan snorted hot air onto her mane, practically smelling her fear. Silver Spoon spun around, catching sight of Logan. Her shriek rattled the windows. 
“He’s back, Diamond,” she shrilled, hiding behind her friend. “He’s back!”
Diamond Tiara herself, was trembling before him. “What… but… you left!” Diamond Tiara whimpered. “You left town.”
Logan grinned. “I came back,” he growled.
“And he didn’t come alone,” Carol said, appearing behind him.
Silver Spoon shivered so badly, her glasses nearly fell off. “Sweet Celestia,” she whispered. “Now there’s two of them?!” 
Diamond Tiara glanced back at the Crusaders, and inched her way back to the barn door. Logan circled the opposite direction, giving her an out.
“Don’t let me catch you near these fillies again,” he warned her. “Not if you value your face.”
Diamond Tiara swelled with indignation, before glowering at Apple Bloom.
“You can’t hide behind your dog forever…” Diamond Tiara snapped. She probably would have said more, but lightning flashed from Logan and Carol.
“Her WHAT?!” they barked. 
Diamond Tiara’s courage failed her. With twin screams, the two bullies tucked tail and ran.
Scootaloo cracked into laughter, and even the fourth filly managed a nervous chuckle, though she was still watching the wolves with trepidation. Carol watched the filly curiously, while Logan glanced at Apple Bloom.
“Good to see you again, kid,” he said. Apple Bloom smiled and hugged him.
“Good to see you too, Logan,” she said.
“We almost thought you forgot about us,” Sweetie Belle added. 
Her remark wasn't sarcastic or mean, but Logan’s ears still flattened at it. 
“Yeah,” he mumbled, before Apple Bloom noticed the fourth filly, who’s tail was covering her flank.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, racing over to the filly. She had brown fur and a steak-red mane, her green eyes watching Logan and Carol warily. 
“Logan, this is my cousin, Babs. She’s from Manehatten.” She turned to Babs. “Babs, this is Logan and Carol. They’re friends of ours.” 
Babs and Logan nodded at each other. Now that Logan had proven himself capable of speech and friendly to ponies, Babs’ fear of him seemed to be fading.
“Sup,” Logan greeted.
“Nothing much,” Babs replied. 
Silence stretched for a moment. Logan tilted his head.
“Accent’s nice,” he noted. “You said you were from Manehatten?”
“Born and raised,” Babs replied with pride.
“Heh,” Carol chuckled. “You might just be the toughest filly out of all of us then.” When Logan shot her a look, Carol shrugged. “The humans talked about a city they had that sounded similar. Any human from there was a tough nut if there ever was.” 
Babs grinned and flicked her mane. 
“Eh, I make do,” she replied.
“Don’t we all,” Logan said, before another glance at Sweetie Belle gave him pause. Carol noticed his look, and turned back to Babs.
“So, guys, you mind if I borrow Babs for a moment?” Carol asked. “I’d like to compare notes; see how Manehatten compares to Manhattan.” 
“Oh, uh…” Babs glanced back at Logan, before noticing the wolves shooting each other glances that dissuaded conversation. “Uh, sure. Yeah.” 
“Thanks, Carol,” Logan whispered.
She just gave a nod, before motioning for Babs to join her. The minute the filly and wolf were out of sight, Logan turned back to the Crusaders, who were giving him a more cautious look.
He sighed. 
“Go ahead,” he told them. “Say it.”
The Crusaders glanced between each other, before Scootaloo finally stepped up.
“Well,” she said. “It… really hurt us when you left. And then, when you acted like it wasn’t a big deal, well…” she breathed, clearly trying to control her anger. “That was meaner than anything Diamond Tiara or Silver Spoon had ever done to us.” 
Logan flinched, his tail tucking. Apple Bloom stepped up.
“But yer back now,” she noted. “And… you’re not gonna leave again.” Her ears flattened. “Are you?”
Logan looked back up at them, and gave a soft grin.
“Not unless someone tries to make me,” he replied. “And if they try… well…” He flexed his claws. “They’ll be in for a fight, I can promise you that.” 
The girls smiled at that.
“So, you’re really sticking around?” Sweetie Belle asked. “This place wasn’t exactly the same without you. Are you sure we don’t have to wake up worrying that you’re gone again.” 
Logan nodded. “I’m not sure what the future holds,” he admitted. “But you guys were there for me when I was in a very dark place.” His ears perked, and his tail swished. “I’d like to make it up to you guys.” 
“So, that’s why you chased off Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” Scootaloo noted sarcastically. “I never would-a guessed.”
“Don’t let it get to your heads,” Logan noted quickly, though he couldn’t stop grinning. “You need to get a handle on this myth the other ponies believe that I’m somehow yours.” 
“Sure, Logan,” Apple Bloom replied with a mischievous grin. “We’ll be sure to make it clear that the wolf that protects us from bullies and gives us life advice is ‘totally’ not interested in us.” 
“Knock it off,” Logan demanded, even as the four of them burst into laughter.
Outside the barn, Babs and Carol watched as the four cracked up. Babs glanced at the lack of a mark on his flank.
“So…” Babs started to ask. “Wolves can’t get cutie marks, can they? He’s not… part of their club?”
“I’d say he’s… honorary,” Carol said. “But that’s not what’s important.” She glanced down at Babs. “What was going to happen… if we didn’t step in?” 
Babs eyes widened. “Huh?”
Carol indicated where the bullies had run off. “Those two. They were mocking them, and I saw you in the middle. Not on one side, or on the other.” Her eyes narrowed. “So, if we hadn’t jumped in… which side would you have chosen?”
Babs’ eyes narrowed. “Look,” she said. “I’ve already got ponies like that after me back home. Just because I don’t have my cutie mark yet, they act like I’m the scum of Equus, or something like that. I’m not about to let myself get bullied again when I’m here to get away from all that.” She scoffed, turning away from Carol. “I don’t expect you to understand; you can’t even get a cutie mark.”
Carol hadn’t moved. 
“No,” she admitted. “I don’t know what it’s like. To be hated for not having a brand.”
Babs didn’t turn to her. For a moment, silence stretched between them.
“But I didn’t have parents, or cousins I could retreat to when things got bad,” Carol said.
Babs ears pricked up, and she turned around.
“I never even got to know my parents,” Carol continued. “But I was raised by my uncle. And my uncle… hated my father.” She looked down. “Every day, he would look at me, and he wouldn’t see me. He would just see my father; someone to be hated and detested.” 
Babs’ ears flattened as Carol continued.
“Worst part was… my father and uncle were fighting,” Carol said. She nodded back at the barn. “I was in that exact same situation; family on one side, and a chance to avoid getting hurt on the other side.” She looked down. “And I made the wrong choice.”
Babs tail flicked, hiding her bare flanks again.
“Logan’s the one that got me out of that situation,” Carol continued. “But… even if the circumstances are different… siding against family isn’t going to keep the pain at bay. It’s just going to leave you feeling detested by everyone. Give it time, and even those bullies would find something to mock you over. Or failing that, they’d only keep you around as some tool. They wouldn’t care about you like Apple Bloom does.” 
Babs was looking down, her bangs hiding one of her eyes. Carol sighed.
“Honestly,” she said. “I don’t know if any of that made sense. I don’t know if I’m just coming across like another stupid adult; lecturing you on things I’ll never understand.”
A small smile blossomed on Babs’ face, before Carol walked back to the barn entrance.
“So, just in case that speech was totally worthless,” she said, before indicating Logan again. He was sniffing around inside the massive pumpkin carriage the crusaders had made.
“It’s the official Cutie Mark Crusaders float for the Summer Harvest Parade,” Apple Bloom was saying. 
“You guys never run out of things to celebrate, do you?” Logan asked. 
“Nope,” Sweetie Belle replied. 
As they chuckled again, Carol turned back to Babs.
“If you decide messing with those fillies is better than risking being bullied,” Carol said, indicating Logan. “Try and remember who’s got their backs.” 
Babs watched Logan. Despite his wagging tail and his happy expression, she could still see how easily his snarl could return if those fillies were threatened. She turned back to Carol and nodded.
“Thanks,” she said. “I’ll, uh… keep it in mind.”
Carol grinned, and followed her into the barn, with both Logan and the Crusaders waving them in happily, though Sweetie Belle watched Logan and Carol grin at each other with curiosity in her eyes. Her hoof rubbed her chin as she hummed thoughtfully.