//------------------------------//
// Logan Goes to High School Pt 4 
// Story: Logan and Carol; The Wolves of Equestria 
// by JNKing 
//------------------------------//

Twilight knew there was going to be a problem the instant she saw Carol cowering in a darkened hallway. 
“Carol?” Twilight asked, only for the red-haired girl to cover Twilight’s mouth. Peeking around the corner, they saw Vice Principal Luna glaring about in a more brightly lit corridor.
“I think Rarity’s down there,” Carol whispered. “But I’m not about to walk out in front of Luna.” 
Twilight yanked her back, though she couldn’t stop herself from glaring at her.
“You know, we wouldn’t have to be hiding if you hadn’t jumped Sunset like a maniac,” Twilight hissed.
“She’s the bad guy here,” Carol struggled to keep her voice down. “Seriously, I can’t believe…?”
“…I didn’t recognize you earlier,” a voice drawled.
Carol and Twilight flinched. Further in the shadows, Sunset Shimmer stood, a smug grin on her face.
“Should have known Princess Celestia would send her ‘prized pupil’ here after my crown,” Sunset admitted, striding forward before shooting a glance at Carol. “Though I won’t deny; the dogs were a nice touch. The yellow mutt actually gave me a challenge.”
Carol snarled. “He’s not a dog,” she growled. “He’s a Wolf. And I’m a Hound.” 
“And it’s my crown,” Twilight added venomously.
“Whatever,” Sunset replied with a roll of her hand. “You’ve given me nothing but some scratches and a minor setback.” She pointed at Twilight. “You don’t know the first thing about this place, and I already rule it.” 
“Then why steal the crown?” Carol demanded. “If you’re so happy being the top-dog here, then why draw us here and risk it all falling apart?” 
Sunset glowered at Carol for a moment, touching the bandages that covered the cuts Carol had given her. But her smug grin didn’t fade.
“Pop quiz,” she declared. “What happens when you bring an Element of Harmony into an alternate world?”
Carol narrowed her eyes at her before glancing at Twilight. The purple girl, for her part, looked like the answer scared her.
“You don’t know?” Sunset mocked. Before Twilight could answer, she laughed. “Seriously? And you’re supposed to be Princess Celestia’s star student?”
“What’s the matter, Sunset?” Carol asked. “Salty that Celestia’s got a new favorite?”
That struck a nerve. The smug grin faded from Sunset’s face, and she glowered at the she-hound. 
“You’ve got a mouth on you,” the amber girl noted, forcing herself to look at Twilight. “I’d keep an eye on this one, Twilight. Hate for her to be… taken away from you.”
Carol lunged forward before Twilight could stop her; slamming Sunset against the lockers.
“Is that a challenge?” Carol snapped. 
“Carol, stop!” Twilight hissed, but Sunset was grinning like she had already won.
“You dogs,” Sunset mocked, while Carol’s glare deepened. “Quick tempers… slow minds.” 
Caro’s slap came just as Sunset raised her voice.
“VICE PRINCIPAL LUNA!”
Carol’s hand struck Sunset, sending her to her side just as Luna rounded the corner. Quick as her alicorn counterpart, Luna seized Carol’s wrist before she could launch onto Sunset again. 
“Getting into trouble again, are we?” Luna demanded. 
“Get off me!” Carol yelled, while Sunset had completely transitioned from smug to blubbering.
“She won’t leave me alone, Vice Principal,” Sunset sobbed. “She and that thug with the jacket are still around here!”
“Not for long,” Luna declared, tugging Carol away. Twilight raised a hand after her, but Carol shook her head at her.
“Don’t,” Carol hissed. “Get to Rarity! Get the…” then Luna dragged around the corner, and out of sight.
Twilight gaped at the loss of one of her allies, before hearing Sunset chuckle behind her. Her fists clenched, and she whirled back on Sunset, who’s blubbering act had faded like flicking a light switch. 
“I’d be more careful from now on if I was you,” Sunset mockingly advised. “Don’t want everyone to know you don’t belong here either, now would you?” She jutted her face into Twilight’s. “You wanna be a princess here? Please! You don’t know the first thing about fitting in.” 
With that, Sunset strode around the corner and out of sight, leaving Twilight friendless… and slightly hopeless.

#

“So… let me get this straight.”
Logan stood outside, in front of a field that looked much more suited for exercising students than the gym. The human Rainbow Dash stood between him and a slightly confused human Applejack.
“You’re saying that Sunset Shimmer lied when she told me that Applejack’s bake sale had been moved to an alternate day,” Rainbow Dash said. “And so, when I showed up with the softball team, I was actually showing up long after the bake sale ended?”
Logan nodded.
Applejack tipped her hat sheepishly. “And here I was thinking ya just didn’t show up just to make a liar outta me.”
“Applejack, I would never turn my back on a friend knowingly,” Rainbow Dash said passionately.
“Yeah, why didn’t you just ask her?” Logan added.
Applejack’s eyes darted away. “I… guess I kinda stopped talking to her at all after that.” She looked up at Rainbow Dash shamefully. “Gotta say, I’m mighty sorry.”
Dash gripped her arm. “Eh, to be fair, I probably should’ve asked you instead of just taking Sunset’s word.” She jabbed a thumb at Logan. “I mean, if scraggly Greaser boy over here can stand up to her, why can’t I?”
“Eat my boots,” Logan said, though his tone was teasing rather than malicious. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash took it the right way, chuckling as if he had shared a joke.
“You got heart, man,” she said, bumping his shoulder. “I like that.” 
“Yeah,” Applejack said, grinning at Logan. “Thanks for setting us straight. Should’ve known Sunset was behind something like this.” 
“Speaking of which, you should probably be careful,” Rainbow Dash advised. “Sunset’s probably planning something pretty bad.”
“No doubt on that,” Logan admitted. “Which was why I needed to ask…”
He paused, as a faded scream reached his ears. He spun around, briefly seeing Carol tapping on the glass of a window… before Luna yanked her along. His eyes widened, before a growl escaped his lips. 
“What?” Applejack asked. “What is it?”
“Who was that girl with Vice Principal Luna?” Rainbow Dash asked, following his gaze. “A friend of yours?” 
Logan turned back to them and then back at the window. His head bent, before his eyes brightened. 
“Library,” he said, already backing away. “There’s a girl named Twilight Sparkle that’ll be there. Find her and talk to her as soon as you can; I gotta take care of something.”
“Logan, wait!” Rainbow Dash yelled, but the secret wolf had already taken off back towards the school. 

#

“All the trouble you started,” Luna was growling, more to herself than Carol. “I should get hazard pay for this!”
Carol had planted her feet as best she could, but the rubber soles this world have given the she-hound were no match for the strength of a vice principal, and she easily dragged her closer and closer to Celestia’s office. 
Just before they reached the door, Carol spotted Logan’s head poking out from a corner at the end of the hallway. He winked at her just before Luna all but threw her into Celestia’s office, blocking Carol’s way out like some sort of guard dog.
The principal had somehow turned even frostier than before. Her fingers were laced, and the glare she shot Carol nearly gave the she-hound a flashback to… not-so-better days.
“So,” Celestia said, her voice cold as an ice-cap. “We meet again.” 
Carol tried to force herself not to tremble. She may not have Logan with her, but she was still a Hound; a canine. Something that should be respected by humans, if not feared.
“Hopefully, we won't make a habit of it,” she replied.
“Indeed,” Celestia said. “Tell me; when you first came to my office with your fellow delinquents… was there any particular reason you forgot to mention that you assaulted one of my model students?”
Carol crossed her arms. “You mean when that thief attacked my friend?” Carol growled back.
“You have a very skewed perception on who is the thief here,” Celestia replied coldly, standing up.
“The only one with the skewed perception is you, ‘Principal,’” Carol replied, an internal part of her flinching as she realized she overshot how passive aggressive she could be. But then a voice that sounded suspiciously like Logan stamped that part down.
Don’t be scared of this discount ape version of that sun wench, it growled. The worst she can do is ground you or something. Let her have it.
“If you can’t tell that Sunset is planning something,” Carol continued coolly. “Then you’re nothing but a fool who doesn’t deserve to run this school.” 
Celestia, for her part, was trying to look like she was about to blow her multicolored hair off her head. A vein bulged in her neck. Her normally pale skin was turning red.
“I don’t know who you or your accomplices are,” Celestia declared. “But you have proven yourselves to be rude, abrasive and disruptive little pests.” She uncapped a pen, and for a moment, Carol feared she was going to shank her with it before she just started writing something down, gripping the pen in a way that foretold its imminent shattering. “And I don’t want you anywhere near my school after…” 
BAM! 
Celestia nearly leaped a foot into the air as the door was kicked open, and Luna was catapulted into the opposite wall. While Luna was pancaked to the wall, Logan charged in and lunged for Celestia.
“BODIED!” He roared, bashing into Celestia like the wolf he secretly was.
Celestia got one chance to shriek like a little girl, before Logan’s head crashed into hers with the force of a wrecking ball. With an oddly goofy sounding THUNK, Celestia’s head struck the drawer behind her, and she slid to the ground, knocked out. A second later, Luna peeled off from the wall and crumpled to the floor as well.
Carol gaped in horror at Logan, but the boy was shameless, opening the drawers in Celestia’s desk and withdrawing the Element of Magic before noticing Carol’s look of shock. He followed her gaze to the two now unconscious humans.
“Well,” he said with a shrug. “Guess subtlety’s out of the question now.” 
Carol gaped at him for a moment, but she couldn’t stop her smile from forming. Nor could she stop a laugh bubbling up from her throat. 
“Let’s get Twilight,” Logan continued.  “We’re not gonna want to be here when they wake up.” He tilted his head as Celestia moaned. "Speaking of which..." He then slammed his boot into Celestia’s head.
“Logan, easy,” Carol protested. “If you kill them…” 
“I’m just making sure she’s unconscious,” Logan replied. He nudged her with a grin. “Come on,” he prompted, indicating their bodies. “It may not be the originals… but it feels just as good. I can assure you.”
Carol shivered where she stood, before her smile crept back up.
Luna’s eyes were just flickering open when Carol loomed over her.
“Did you just…” Luna started to say before Carol’s foot slammed into her face.

#

Sunset gaped in horror as the wolves walked out of Celestia’s office, looking like they had the world at their fingertips. They even saw her staring, and flashed her twin grins before sauntering off, the crown poking out of a backpack Carol must have stolen from the office. 
Sunset's face turned beet red in anger. Ever since she had arrived at this school, she had controlled things; she had ensured that the human version of Twilight got transferred. She had forced the Human Five apart. She got Principal Celestia and her lap dog Vice Principal Luna under her thumb. 
And yet, in the span of a single day, two creatures she didn’t even know existed in Equestria had rendered almost all of her plans completely moot. 
Yet, she knew there was still time. The Twilight currently in the library was definitely Equestrian.
And the horse that Celestia chose instead of me, Sunset’s thoughts added bitterly. 
And she was clearly of a more cautious mindset than these wolves. Sunset knew that in her current state, she stood no chance of fighting Carol or Logan. But if she could just find a way to make them give up the crown before they could get through the portal…
“Okay, you mutts,” Sunset snarled, racing for the outside. “You want to be a thorn in my side…?”
She stopped by a janitor’s closet, opening it and finding a sledgehammer.
“I’ll be the knife in your heart,” she growled. 

#

Inside the library, Twilight sat with the human version of Rarity, accompanied by Fluttershy and Pinkie. 
“You mean to say,” Rarity was saying. “That Sunset has been the one sending me e-mails turning me down from volunteering to help with the decorations, leaving poor Pinkie to handle it all on her own?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Twilight said.
“Yeah,” Pinkie agreed. “I never sent you any e-mails at all!” 
Rarity sat back, rubbing her temples. “I suppose I can’t deny Sunset would be nasty enough to do such a thing. But this is beyond cruel even for her.” 
“That’s because she’s planning something,” Twilight said firmly. “And it has something to do with the Fall Formal.” 
“But why now?” Rarity asked. “She’s already won the past three pageants we’ve put on. What makes the Fall Formal so special?”
Before Twilight could respond, the library door banged open, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash ran in.
“Twi?” Applejack hissed, careful to keep her voice down. “Twi!” she sighed in relief upon seeing her.
“That’s Twilight Sparkle?” Rainbow Dash asked, but Applejack didn’t have the time for a formal introduction.
“Twi, something happened with Logan,” she said, panting as she leaned next to the table. “He said to find you.” 
Twilight paled. “He must have found out about Carol…” she whispered.
“Carol?” Fluttershy whimpered. “Is… well, is she okay?”
“She’s better than okay,” Logan replied. 
The six girls looked up as Logan and Carol sauntered in, looking like they owned the place. 
“Logan,” Applejack scolded walking over to him. “What was that all about. Ya had me worried sick.”
“No need for illnesses,” he replied. “Just… really managed to turn things around for us.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, and she stormed up to him. “What did you do?” she demanded.
Logan and Carol glanced at each other, before Carol smoothly slid a backpack off her shoulder. She unzipped it, and Twilight saw a flicker of gold and purple inside.
Her jaw dropped. 
“YOU TOOK THE…” Twilight started to screech, before Logan muffled Twilight’s mouth. All they got was the human equivalent to Cherilee hissing at her. Carol grinned sheepishly at the librarian, but Twilight, her face bright red, bustled Logan out the door. She drew a breath in to scream at him again, but Logan cut her off.
“The next words out of your mouth better not be angry,” he warned.
“Well too bad!” Twilight snapped. “Principal Celestia accused you of being a thief. Doing stuff like this only proves her right!”
“Like I’ve ever given a rat's tail about what any version of Celestia thinks of me,” Logan snapped back at her. At that moment, the other girls followed them out, looking at the backpack containing the Element with nervousness.
“Er… pardon me,” Rarity said. “But… you didn’t 'steal' the crown for the Fall Formal, did you?”
“It’s not some five-dollar hat, Rarity,” Logan said darkly.
“Oh!” Pinkie bounced in. “It’s actually from an alternate world where Twilight is a pony princess and Logan and Carol are talking wolves and the crown has a magical element embedded in it that helps power up other magical elements and without it they don’t work anymore, and he needed them to help protect Twilight’s magical world. And now since the crown’s safe, Sunset’s probably going to try something else to fulfill her evil plans!” She finished all that with a grin.
Everyone stared at her in shock. Except for Logan, who pointed at her with a grin.
“She’s good,” he said.
“B-But that can’t be the truth,” Applejack insisted. She pointed at Twilight. “I-I mean… you? You’re a pony?”
Twilight covered her head.
“And… a princess?” Rarity asked. 
Twilight shrunk down lower.
“And Logan and Carol are wolves... and all of you are from another world?” Fluttershy asked, before giving Logan a more cautious look. “Then again… it would explain some things.” 
Twilight sighed. “Yes,” she admitted. “Yes, everything Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy just said was true.”
The girls paused.
“That’s awesome,” Rainbow Dash replied.
“And on top of it,” Logan said. “Sunset’s also a pony from the same world, and she wants that Element to do something dark. We had to get it back!”
“And I was going to do that,” Twilight growled at him. “By becoming the Fall Formal Princess, and winning it fair and square…”
“Will you quit trying to prove yourself?!” Logan snapped. 
Twilight went quiet, but a vein bulged in her temple, and the girls glanced at each other, realizing Logan had hit a bad nerve. Logan seemed to realize it himself, as his voice softened by a margin.
“Sparkle,” he insisted. “You told me that you had worked your entire life towards being a princess alongside Celestia. Celestia gave you that honor, when there were mares like Sunset working for it long before you got your shot. Doesn’t it say something that Celestia chose you over ponies like Sunset?”
Twilight looked down. “But I still don’t know if she picked right,” Twilight said, her voice cracking. “You know better than any pony else that she can make mistakes. What if she made a mistake giving me that title?”
“Look at everything you’ve done so far,” Logan replied. “Chrysalis? Nightmare? Discord?" He even indicated himself. "Me?! You telling me those were all walks in the park for you?”
Twilight tried to stammer out an answer, but Logan wasn’t done.
“More importantly,” he continued. “You think that you proving yourself through some symbolic coming of age journey is worth the risk you’re putting Equestria into?”
“Risk?!” Twilight demanded. 
“Yeah, risk!” Logan argued. “While we sit here arguing and giving Shimmer time to formulate some sort of counter-plan, Equestria is missing one of its most vital means of defense. What if it took all three days for us to get this?” He pointed at the backpack. “What if, in that time, Discord decided Fluttershy’s friendship wasn’t worth giving up Chaos? What if Chrysalis made another bid for the throne? What if Sombra or Nightmare somehow came back? Are you really willing to let everyone in Equestria suffer while you try to prove some sort of point to yourself?” 
Twilight tried to retort, but her comeback died in her throat. A hole of shame grew in her heart, and she looked down. Logan looked up at the human girls, who were watching the whole thing with an air of it being a major sports event. 
“Girls,” Logan said with a sigh. “I get that you have your own stuff going on. And you’ll get your Fall Formal crown back – the real one!”
“Not one with magic powers,” Carol translated, prompting a groan from Pinkie Pie.
“But I’m not willing to risk the place I call home and the ponies I’ve come to care about there to worry about fairness or politeness,” Logan said firmly. He lifted the pack and the Element inside. “Equestria needs this. And I’m gonna bring it back.” He turned away. “One way or another.”
As he marched off, Carol gave them a second look.
“We’d appreciate the help,” she noted. “Last time I saw Sunset, she looked pretty angry. We’d appreciate some backup: you guys will get your crown back, and you’ll be helping save a lot of lives.” She shrugged before following Logan. “Your choice.”
Twilight pulled herself back up, and followed after Logan. Noticing how depressed and shameful Twilight looked, the human five fell in line behind her.
“Does sound kinda cool,” Rainbow Dash admitted. “Getting to be a big hero.”
“Logan?” Twilight whispered. “I’m sorry.”
Logan didn’t look at her. 
“Prove it,” he replied.

#

As it turned out, Twilight would get her chance to prove it; Sunset had beaten them to the portal. She was standing right next to the statue in the courtyard, the portal shimmering below the statue. And a sledgehammer was in Sunset’s hands.
Logan growled and started to make his way towards her, but Sunset hefted the hammer at him. 
“It’s gonna take a lot more than a hammer to beat me, girl,” Logan growled.
“Oh, I’m not interested in beating you,” Sunset replied. “I know what’ll happen if I try.” Her own smirk widened. “But I know you don’t belong here.”  
Logan’s eyes narrowed as Sunset swung the hammer around, poising it to smash the mirror.
“I know you want to go back to being a flea-bitten, dog pound reject,” Sunset continued. “And you know what? That’s fine.” She extended her hand. “Give me the crown, and all of you can go back to Equestria right now. Or keep it… And never go home.” 
Carol and Twilight gasped. Logan just glowered and started towards her… only for Carol to grab him.
“Logan, wait!” she yelled. 
“What?” he demanded, before looking at the mirror. “She’s gotta be bluffing…”
“Maybe, but that’s our only way home,” Carol insisted, pointing at the mirror now under threat from Sunset. “She smashes that; we can’t go back.” 
Logan winced, but tried to keep his expression one of anger.
“Shimmer, you coward,” he growled, but Sunset just smirked at him.
“Tick-tock, dogs and girls,” Sunset warned. “The portal may be open for another day or two, but I don’t have that kind of patience. What’s your answer gonna be?”
Twilight glanced worriedly at Carol’s backpack, where the Element of Magic sat. She shut her eyes, and steeled herself.
“No,” she said. 
Sunset froze. “What?” 
Logan whirled back on her. “Y-Yeah, I gotta agree with that; what?!”
“Equestria!” Sunset tempted. “Your friends! Lost to you forever.” She slammed the ground with her hammer. “Don’t you see what I’m about to do to the portal?!”
“Yes,” Twilight agreed, chancing a glance back at the human five. “But I’ve also seen what you’ve done here without magic.”
The human girls all gave each other sorrowful looks, remembering how easily they had been torn apart by Sunset’s manipulations.
“Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony,” Twilight continued, glaring pointedly at both Sunset and Logan. “But this place won’t; not if I allow it to fall into your hands, Sunset Shimmer. So, go ahead; destroy the portal.” She stepped in front of Carol. “You are not getting this crown!” 
The human five watched her with awe.
“You… are so awesome,” Rainbow Dash whispered.
“I can’t believe she’s doing that fer us,” Applejack mumbled.
“It’s no wonder she’s a real live princess,” Rarity sighed. 
Logan huffed. “Well spoken,” he admitted, before glaring a now livid Sunset down. “But I’m not gonna stay human for any longer than I have to.”
Before Sunset could shatter the mirror, he grabbed Carol, who slung the backpack to Twilight. With one spin, Logan threw the she-hound at Sunset before lunging himself. 
But Sunset had grown wise to their tricks; just as Logan flung himself at the pair, Sunset ducked, letting Carol sail over her. As Carol hit the ground behind her, Sunset brought her sledgehammer up in a wild swipe. Logan caught the hammer… with his head. As a dull CRACK echoed through the courtyard, Logan pitched to the side and fell right through the mirror.
“Logan!” Carol yelled, only for Sunset to drop the hammer and go for Twilight and the crown. Twilight yelped and hurled the crown over Sunset.
“Carol, my Element!” she screamed. 
Sunset skidded, trying to turn back, but Carol caught the crown and dove into the portal. Sunset was grabbed around the ankles by Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and could only give a shriek of rage and frustration as Carol disappeared into the mirror.

#

Time stretched and distorted around Logan. Rainbow colors flashed in his eyes. There was nothing real for Logan to cling to; no furry body or Element of Magic to ground him. The hit to the head made him feel like he was seeing double; if it was possible to see double in wherever he was. It seemed to take less time than usual – or no time at all – but all too soon, Logan found himself back on the cold, marble floor of the Crystal Palace.
For a moment, he lay there, trying to make the two ceilings above him back into one. He forced himself to roll to his side, sighing in relief as he saw his fur-covered paws and wolf body. His relief only increased as another flash of light deposited Carol next to him, the Element of Magic rolling between them.
“Hey, Carol,” he mumbled, blinking tiredly. “Were there always two of you?” 
Carol pulled herself up, and wrapped a pack link tendril around his wrist.
“Steady on, Logan,” she said comfortingly. “We made it back.”
Logan smiled, the throb in his head decreasing the longer he stayed linked to Carol. “Heck yeah, we did,” he said, shutting his eyes.
Several hoof steps drew the wolves’ attention, and they looked up as the Mane Five, Spike and Celestia walked towards them. With a flourish, Carol spun the Element of Magic and tossed it to Celestia, who caught it with a flare of her horn.
“It seems I was wrong to doubt you, Carolina,” Celestia admitted, before the other mares jumped forward.
“You got the crown back,” Rarity cried in glee. “And in record time, too.”
“We knew you could do it,” Pinkie cheered.
“Aw, we were so worried…” Applejack said.
But their cheers were cut off by Spike.
“Hang on a minute,” he yelled, looking around. “Where’s Twilight?”
Everyone - pony and wolf - froze. Logan popped his head up. They all looked back at the mirror. Its surface shimmered like ripples across water.
“Sparkle?” Logan yelled, pulling himself towards the portal.
The portal remained untouched; it’s surface undisturbed. Carol’s ears flattened, and her tail tucked.
“Uh, oh,” she whimpered. 
“Logan?” Celestia demanded, her tone tense. “Where is Twilight?” 
Logan simply picked himself up and raced at the mirror. 
“Logan, wait!” Carol cried, trying to shut off her link to him.
But she wasn’t fast enough, and as Logan vanished through the portal, his link followed after him, extending like a fishing line into the portal’s surface.