The Lone Wolf of Equestria

by JNKing

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.

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.

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.

Comments

[Teraunce]

Well that was some good character growth.