Logan and Carol; The Wolves of Equestria

by JNKing

Tirek's Return

When Logan had returned with Twilight, he had been coming back high off the victory over Ahuizotl. That high quickly faded when he reunited with the other search parties.

“The unicorn tracks faded off into nothing,” the guard said grimly. “She tried to cover her tracks, and ended up bringing a fourth of the forest down. We spent a full week trying to see if she was buried under there.”

“And because she wasn’t, you essentially let her get away, didn’t you?” Logan asked.

The unicorn bowed his head with a grimace. “You don’t have to make us sound stupid,” he mumbled.

Logan sighed.

Twilight turned to the guard in charge of the fifth creature. “What about the fifth creature,” she asked. “Did you find anything on that?”

The guards in charge of that search party glanced at each other nervously. With a start, Logan recognized them as the two he had given grief over back at the Castle of Two Sisters.

“That’s the thing,” the pegasus of the two said. “The tracks weren’t concealed…”

“Almost like they wanted you to follow them, right?” Logan noted.

The pegasus nodded. “Exactly,” he said.

“Worst of all,” the earth pony added. “They led to a village.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Which village?” she asked.

“Hilltop, near Baltimare,” the pegasus replied. “But… the village was completely empty.”

“Not a sight nor sound of any ponies,” the earth pony added. “It was as if everyone just got up and left the town.”

The pegasus shivered, fluffing his feathers. “We weren’t sure about going in to investigate; something was very wrong with that town.”

Logan and Twilight looked at each other.

“What’s the status on the Tree's chest?” Logan asked.

Twilight rubbed her head. “Still working on it,” she replied, before glancing back. “There was… something involving my friends that I wanted to look into; it might help us in finding the keys.”

“Then start looking into it,” Logan replied. He turned to the two guards. “Take me to this village. Whatever’s going on down there…” he bared his claws. “Sounds like they could use some backup.”

#

The trip to the village took almost as long as Logan had spent tracking the human. But soon enough, the three found themselves standing outside a darkened and dead looking village.

Like the guards had said, there was no sign of the villages’ old inhabitants. No foals, no stallions, no mares. Along with that… the color was off. As Logan walked in, he could see that the grass around the nearest house was wilted, almost dead. Usually, the colors were vibrant and alive, but now… they looked dead and faded.

The guards stuck close to Logan as he ventured further into the village, following the faded scent of the fifth creature. Which… oddly wasn’t as faded as he thought.

“Classic,” Logan muttered, trying to cover his nervousness. “The Elements disappear, and not long after, so do the ponies.”

“Humans called it ‘The Rapture,’” a pegasus noted. He flinched as he saw Logan’s glare at him. “What?” he asked. “A human visited once, and left behind some sort of religious book. He called it a ‘bible.’”

“Do you really think I care what some stupid human…” Logan started to snarl.

“Sh,” the earth pony hissed. “We need to concentrate.”

“Oh, sure, don’t want to distract you guys,” Logan noted with a sneer. “You actually have to move around rather than stand around looking tough.”

“Hey, standing around and looking tough isn’t as easy as you make it out to be,” the pegasus snarled. “There’s a way you have to hold yourself and a…”
“Wait, no, seriously, shut up,” the earth pony said, turning back into the village. “Do you guys hear that?”

The ponies went quiet, and sure enough… they started to hear it.

“Da-da-da-da-da-da-da…”

A shadowy figure crossed past the entrance to the village, causing the earth pony to jump back into Logan.

“Mrs. Luna… bring me a dream…” a voice sang, softly and maliciously.

Another figure darted between the shadows to their left. Logan turned to it with a growl.

“Make it the cutest that I’ve ever seen.”

Something dropped from the top of one of the houses and rose, wreathed in shadows. The ponies and wolf stood back to back as similar shapes dropped down, surrounding them.

“Give him white fur, like snow covered clover…”

Logan’s eyes widened, but his teeth bared as the figures slowly came out of the shadows.

“And tell him his life… is…

“Over.”

In the light of the full moon, the figures became clear:

King Luco stood before Logan, his scar distorting his grin into a frightening smirk.

Facing the pegasus was Chrysalis, flanked by Thorax and another changeling drone.

Facing the earth pony was Tempest Shadow, her horn flickering, and a snarl on her face.

And in the final corner, the ponies watching him out of the corner of their eyes with fear, was a four-hooved creature covered in a ratty shroud. Part of the shroud was open like a hood, and the shadows couldn’t hide two malicious yellow eyes glowing from within.

“Hello,” Luco greeted Logan. “Friend~”

Logan growled. “How the heck did you get here?” he snarled.

“And what are you doing?!” the earth pony added.

Luco chuckled, glancing behind Logan at Tirek.

“Let’s answer your question with another question,” he replied.

Logan’s eyes narrowed, before widening in shock. “Heck…” he said before spinning around. But Luco was faster.

“WANNA SEE A T. REX EAT THOSE TWO?!” he screamed just as Tirek lunged forward.

“NOPE!” Logan replied, lunging to side and firing two tendrils, wrapping them around the guards. Spinning them like whips, Logan hurled himself to the right, bashing Luco and Tempest with the pegasus and leaping clear while hitting Chrysalis and her changelings with the earth pony.

However, his swing brought the earth pony right back to Tirek, and before Logan could reel him back in, Tirek unhinged his jaw and breathed in, some sort of magic catching the earth pony and trying to drag him towards the centaur.

Logan desperately yanked at his earth pony companion, but the guard seemed suspended between the two. Even worse… Logan’s jaw dropped in horror as a silvery substance leaked from the earth pony into Tirek’s open mouth. The pegasus gave a horrified whinny as the earth pony’s cutie mark, barely visible under his armor, started to fade away.

Logan tugged on his link, but he could feel something pulling back. Something pulling more than just his companion. He could feel his magic draining through the link, and into the centaur’s mouth. With a bark of alarm, Logan shut off his link… and was promptly floored by Tempest, who swept his legs out from under him and kicked him into the ground.

“If you had been smart,” Tempest growled at him, “You would have drowned in that river where you belonged.”

Logan snapped at her face and rolled back to his paws. But he was too late.
The earth pony guard lay motionless on the ground. His eyes were colorless, dull orbs, and even his coat had lost a bit of its luster. Chrysalis and her drones loomed over him, Chrysalis licking her lips hungrily, but before Logan could hope to charge at her, Tirek limped in front of her, his yellow eyes gleaming under his hood.

“Come, Lone Wolf of Equestria,” he tempted in a soft voice. “I tasted your magic there, for a second. Give me what should have been mine, long ago!”

Logan snarled and turned to Tempest, who had gotten behind him and looked ready to drive him back towards the group. But just as his lightning started to flare, the pegasus kicked her to the side. Tempest hit the wall and rolled, glaring at both of them as they started to bear down on her.

But Logan noticed the pegasus glance at Luco with a grin. Spinning, Logan slashed at him just as he burst into green flames. The changeling infiltrator was sent to the ground, but Logan’s attack only allowed Tempest to rush him, sending Logan into the wall. She loomed over Logan while Tirek and Luco sauntered forward.

“So,” Luco commented. “What brought you to my neighborhood, Wolf?” He chuckled, glancing back as the changelings began to wrap the helpless earth pony up in a cocoon. “Wondering what happened to the villagers?”

Logan’s ears flicked. “But… he took away their magic,” he stammered, indicating Tirek before glaring at Chrysalis. “How would they be of any use to you now?”

The villains just laughed.

“They may not have magic, but they do have love,” Chrysalis noted, cupping the earth pony’s head in her hooves. “That’s all I need from them.” She licked the earth pony’s cheek with her tongue and laughed. The poor stallion couldn’t do anything but moan in protest.

“But don’t worry, Wolf,” Tirek noted. “We can use you for something too…”

Tirek breathed in again, and Logan lunged forward, head butting him in the mouth. The feeble centaur fell back, clutching his mouth, only for Luco to whack at Logan with his bat. Logan ducked under the blow and clawed Luco’s bat out of his hands, his lightning blocking a blast from the changelings. Logan deflected shots from both the human and the changelings before noticing Tirek getting back up again. Rolling under another changeling spell, he went to slash at Tirek again, only for Tempest to bash into him. Her horn shrouded her in flickering magic, and she hurled Logan towards Chrysalis.

Chrysalis caught Logan and threw him to the ground, pinning him under her weight.

“Here we are again, my defiant little pet,” Chrysalis mocked, but before she could say more, Logan sunk his teeth into her snout, and kicked himself free of her.

As she fell back, he rolled to his paws, slashing away one of her drones and catching another by the jaws. He briefly struggled to push the changeling back, but saw Tempest and the other changeling rushing her. Logan put the changeling drone between himself and his pursuers, only for Tempest to jump over his hostage with an axe kick.

Logan blasted the changeling back and jumped backward as Tempest cracked the ground with her hoof. His jump turned into a stumble as he was forced to dodge two more spells of green magic hitting the ground before him. Logan stumbled into a house, smashing through the window and finding brief refuge inside.

Before Logan could hope to recover, a changeling drone leaped in after him, fangs bared. Logan slammed his back paws into the drone, propelling it backward into Luco, who was trying to climb in through the window. Just as Logan rolled back to his paws, Tempest busted the door down, coming at him with her horn glowing. Logan drove her back with two more slashes, only for Luco to squirm his way inside and score a hit on Logan with his bat.

Logan tumbled into a fireplace, soot rising up around him. Before he could hope to cough, he heard the charging of a magic spell, and cracked open his eyes in time to see one of the drones aiming its lit horn at him. Yelping in alarm, Logan jumped up into the chimney, while the spell exploded underneath him, further sending him up. His jacket caught on the bricks, and he soon found himself stuck in the narrow passageway. With enemies below, Logan struggled to climb up towards the roof.

But even that was foiled when one of the changeling drones appeared at the chimney’s exit, hissing down at him. Logan snarled and fired a bolt of lightning up the chimney, scaring the drone off.

“Come on down, Lone Wolf,” Tirek’s voice purred. “There is no escape.”

“That’s what you think,” Logan snarled, clamoring further up the chimney. He heard a hiss like a snake below him, and let his magic flare again. Lightning flickered up all around him, followed by the hiss turning into another cry of pain as one of the drones was dropped back into the fireplace. The drone reappeared at the top, only for Logan to send him scurrying away with another bolt.

“Wait-wait!” Luco screamed.

Things quieted down, both up and below. Logan couldn’t see what they were doing below him, but he took the chance to breathe while he could. He strained his ears for any sound, but all that came to him was Luco snickering.

Then the striking of flint, followed by the sounds of hooves.

“What madness has possessed you now, Luco,” Tirek said. “This village and those guards were nice, but I will need more magic still.”

Logan winced. Even though he didn’t know those guards, he had brought them here. Guilt pushed on his heart at the thought of the earth pony being a changeling prisoner now.

“And I’ll see you get it,” Luco replied. “But if this big bad wolf doesn’t want to play, then we just need to find someone who will.”

Logan’s blood chilled, feeling like ice pumping through his veins.

“You said I need his magic!” Tirek insisted. “Get him out; I am still too weak to get it from him if he is not in front of me.”

“Oh, no-no-no,” Luco said. “This chimney business is too good to pass up. Like I said,” he added, making sure Logan could hear him. “There’s another one out there that should be just as tasty. And if he doesn’t want to work with us… we can use her instead.”

“You stay away from Carol!” Logan snarled before he could stop himself.

“Okay; just come on down then,” Luco invited.

“Yes, Lone Wolf,” Tirek drawled. “Come down and 'share' your magic with me.”

Logan growled, his teeth clenched as his claws sunk into the concrete.

“No?” Luco asked. “Okie-dokie!”

He heard another strike of flint, and felt a sudden warmth tickling his back paws as fire flared below him.

“Couldn’t blow down this house of bricks, could you, Big Bad Wolf?” Luco asked. “Now, you can either get to the part of the story where the three little pigs had wolf stew…” the sound of some kind of metal bowl clunked below Logan, followed by the rasping laughter of the three changelings. “Or you can finally take Chrissy-cue to the prom.”

Chrysalis hissed in anger at him.

“And let me assure you,” Luco continued. “Taking her to the prom is definitely worth it. Plus, she’d be more than happy to drop you off with me and T. Rex. Lord knows you don’t need that extra magic. It’s doing things to your head!”

Logan could hear the wink in his tone. As if to drive the point home, the two changelings poked their heads down and leered at him, flicking their tongues and baring their fangs.

“Now off we go!” Luco declared. “I’ll be sure to let little Carol know you were too much of a coward to save her.”

Logan snarled, but then the sound of the door shutting emanated, and he knew Luco was gone. Going after his pack mate. And more than likely after his pony friends! And here Logan was, stuck in a chimney with changelings waiting for him to get driven out by the smoke. If he could get away from the smoke at all…

The heat was starting to hurt Logan’s paws. He forced himself up another inch, before one of the changelings snapped in warning at him. Logan snarled right back at them, but they just laughed.

Gotta get out, Logan thought. I gotta help Carol.

Logan gasped, his ears perking up. He knew what to do.

His paws felt like he was standing on a slowly heating metal floor. His arms were squashed to his side, and the stink of burning wood was invading his nostrils. But he forced his head up, and he howled as loud as he could.

"CAROL!” His howl sounded, reaching out over the changelings, and over the hills. “Hear me now…!”

Author's Note:

Sorry to leave it off here, but this week was busier than I thought, and I fell behind on my writing. It might be a few days before I can get the next chapter out.

Don't worry, though, Logan's story does not end here, and I don't intend to leave you guys or him hanging.

Thank you guys again for your support, and I hope your days are going great.

Comments

[Wolfboi]

Mess with 1 wolf, the whole pack is coming for ya!!

[crazybee]

I'm at a red light and I get on and see this.
Freaking- *aggressively drives home*

[crazybee]

Ahhhhh! You heck!
For real though, my heart started pumping during the fight. Logan was and is in a bind, he was able to hold his own for quite a while honestly, but sadly Luco showing off his Mad-hatter side strikes again.

Take it easy mate and thank you for another great chapter, got us on our toes.