//------------------------------// // Everfree Forest // Story: Wolverine: The Equestrian Myth // by Axel IV //------------------------------// Logan's body tumbled blindly through the air and ripped into the thick trees of the forest. Branches and twigs snapped with the impact of his body and many sliced through his skin. The mutant finally stopped as he connected directly into a large trunk with his back. The blow knocked the air from his lungs and sent a series of cracks up and down the body of the tree. A sizable crater was revealed in the bark when Logan dropped towards the ground. His grunts were muffled when his face smashed into a pile of dirt. "Urgh... hell... " Logan grumbled, pushing himself to his knees, "Last time I give you a freebie." He tore a few pointed twigs and sticks from his body, his wounds already beginning to seal up. In a matter of moments, his body looked as good as new. He gripped the tattered remains of his white tank top and tore it completely off. The T-Rex growled off in the distance, and the thundering of its footsteps signified its approach. Logan gripped his hands into fists and his razor sharp blades emerged between his knuckles. Wolverine barely saw its gaping jaws emerge from the leaves up above before it was charging him. He made a quick leap to the side, and the dinosaur's giant head buckled into a tree. Logan heard the wood snap, and the tree crashed into the earth beside him, quaking the ground beneath his feet. "Are all of you that strong, or do you just happen to be on steroids?" Logan snarled. The dinosaur roared, suddenly turning its body. Logan was blind-sighted by its huge reptilian tail, and once again he was flung through the air. This time, however, he was able to stop. His left claws jabbed themselves into a tree and managed to slow his movement. He quickly flipped back and landed on a large branch that belonged to what he guessed was a large oak tree. The T-Rex let out another terrifying shriek and began to dash towards him. "Alright, Bub, " Logan growled, "I ain't gonna play around no more." The T-Rex opened its massive jaws, its huge teeth ready to devour the mutant. The T-Rex was bigger then what he thought it would be and was much bigger than the skeletons he had seen in the museums. But even then, it wouldn't terrify Logan. The T-Rex bit into the tree, its mouth clamping down into the trunk. The tree groaned as it was torn in half, with Logan no longer on the branch. The mutant had jumped high into the air, his claws pointed at the unprotected T-Rex. Logan bore his sharp claws into the top of its skull, his blades cleaving into its thick bone and aiming for the brain. Unfortunately, the skull proved to be too thick and his claws couldn't reach their target. The T-Rex rumbled and roared, shaking its head in order to get rid of the pest. "I guess your brain is too small to hit!" Logan snarled, pulling out his claw. He had timed his jump and landed onto the forest floor about thirty yards from the mighty beast. Blood began to leak down its cranium and fed the fury of the large dinosaur. "C'mon!" Wolverine slid his claws against each other, sending out hot sparks. The T-Rex angrily lowered its head and charged, its giant legs battering down the poor plants below. The trees shook with its rumbling and the nearby animals quickly disappeared into safety. The large beast lifted its head up into the sky before once again diving down. It's saliva splattered onto Logan's chest, making the mutant growl in disgust and disappointment. When the gaping jaws were nearly upon him, he made his move. He narrowly dodged the bite, the impact from the T-Rex's head quaking the earth around him. With his enhanced speed, Wolverine sprinted towards the T-Rex's massive left leg. He leaped into the air, his arm cocked back and ready to strike. Aiming at the muscle, his claw slashed cleanly through the thick, rough green organic shield. He left three long bloody slashes on its muscle and the T-Rex howled angrily in the forest. Logan turned to attack the other leg but the creature managed to catch up. The beast made a surprisingly quick turn of its body, its head directly above the mutant. It roared in early victory, its giant teeth descending quickly towards Logan's body. Logan smiled, the T-Rex's huge jaws closing around him. With a quick snap, the beast had devoured the mutant. The T-Rex quickly lifted its head up into the air, position its throat so that it could swallow him whole. It's eyes suddenly dilated, and the beast growled in pain and fury. It shook its head angrily, blood beginning to leak from its mouth. It finally released its jaws and spat out the bloodied and soaked mutant. Logan landed roughly on the ground, rolling on his back a few times before getting back up. His sharp claws were covered in red liquid, and his hair was slicked with saliva. He had a huge gash on his left shoulder that was beginning to seal up. "Figured you would make that mistake." Logan smirked, "I doubt you're gonna taste things for while, now." The beast roared furiously at him before charging in blind rage. Wolverine roared himself, his arms cocked back and his bloodied claws set to kill. The T-Rex suddenly stopped, turning its body and sending its tail to whip the mutant out of the air. "Not again!" Logan growled, jumping high into the air. The dinosaur's powerful tail swept the air below him, causing a gust of wind to blow leaves out from the trees around them. Wolverine landed on its back, his claws stabbing into its thick flesh. As the creature roared in pain, Logan began a quick dash up its spine, his blades leaving a trail of torn bloody skin as he ran. The creature thrashed its body around, but Logan kept a strong hold by sinking his blades into the base of its head. The T-Rex went haywire, smashing its body into the surrounding trees and roaring manically as it desperately tried to to get the mutant off its back. However, due to exhaustion and loss of blood, the dinosaur began to slow. Sensing his chance, the mutant went into action. He jumped atop its head, sinking his claws into its right eye. The beast howled in anguish and repeated to shake its head violently. With a victorious smirk, Logan let go and dropped down through the air. He landed safely onto the ground below, watching the T-Rex go berserk. The dinosaur had limited vision before, but now it was nearly blind. "I hope you had a good life... " Logan snarled, "Because you're going to get a bad death!" Cocking his knees back, he launched himself straight for the monster's throat. His claws ripped into its flesh below its head, and Wolverine roared as he slashed at the skin, his claws cleaving through its hide like butter. When gravity pulled down on him, he embedded his blades into the creature's neck, once again sliding his claws right down its body. The creature was now bleeding profusely down its back, throat, eyes, and leg. By the time Logan landed between the T-Rex's legs, he heard the beast gurgling in defeat. With one final step into the forest the T-Rex fell. Its powerful, heavy body crashed directly into a huge oak tree, easily knocking it over and smashing any other form of life below it. The earth shook with its impact and clouds of dust and dirt where Logan walked towards it slowly, hearing its last dying desperate breaths. He knelt before its head, his body covered in its blood. "Sorry, bub." Logan sighed, "Don't blame me. Blame the ponies." "Logan?" Luna called into the dark forest, "Are you there?" The sun was beginning to set in the distance, and soon it would be time for her to raise the moon into the starry sky. With two lunar guards by her side, the princess cautiously trudged through the bushes and trees. "There was obviously a struggle here." One of the stallions noted, looking over at a collapsed tree, "Looks like this thing was bigger than we thought." "You think he's... gone?" The other, a mare, asked, finding traces of blood littering the forest floor. He pulled a face of disgust and shook his head. "Nonsense." Luna snorted, "We trust that this human has dealt with the creature accordingly. Logan! Are you out there? Logan!" "I'm here. Don't get your panties in a bunch." Luna followed the voice carefully, stepping over a few knocked over tree trunks and battered branches. "Panties? What are you talking- " Luna's eyes widened at what she saw. The corpse of the defeated beast lay still with fresh blood still tricking from its atrocious wounds. The pools of red liquid were steaming along with Wolverine's sweat. Any sort of plant life that lay below the monster was completely squashed and destroyed, and Luna prayed that there were no small animals that had gotten caught in the crossfire. Clearing her throat, she averted her gaze from the most horrific sight she had seen in the last millennium. Wolverine looked as relaxed as he could be, squatting on the beast's side. He puffed on a thick brown cigar, one of his claws still extended and dripping with crimson fluid. His shirt wasn't present and Luna was greeted with thick chest hair. He had splotches of blood on him, but it wasn't his own. There was not one present scratch on his body. "I've gotta give it to you." Logan stated, letting out some smoke from his nostrils, "These cigars aren't bad. But I think they taste a little... " He took in another puff before letting it out slowly, "...grassy." "I've... never had one and I don't have any temptation to." Luna frowned, her two lunar guards slowly making their way to the body of the beast. Logan jumped off its body and landed beside Luna. He dabbed a few ashes off his cigar and withdrew his claws. "Alright, Princess. That's one dangerous beast down. How many more have to go before you're satisfied?" Logan asked, crossing his arms. "I... I'm not happy." Luna shook her head, "One should never take the life from another. It's just that the creatures that come from the Outlands are more violent then most of Equestria's beasts. In the past, my sister and I have tried to reason with them but it is no use. We can only stop them from hurting our ponies." "I hear you." Wolverine frowned, "Is there something else you want dead?" Luna flinched at his insistence but shook her head. "No." She replied, "My scouts report that there is no other monster invading. Yet." Her horn suddenly glowed a bright blue and a magical portal opened up in front of her. "You going to give me that freedom you promised?" Logan asked, taking another puff from his cigar, "I'm not going back to your pretty princess castle." "Don't worry, " Luna replied with a small smile, "We're respecting your part of the bargain. You asked us to send you to a certain place, and we'll keep our promises." Wolverine cocked his eyebrow at her before walking towards the portal hesitantly. The portal showed the image of dark, scary looking forest. Shrugging, he jumped in. Instead of appearing hundreds of feet in the air, he appeared right onto the forest floor. A few moments later, Luna and her lunar guards stepped out beside him. There wasn't much light that was able to penetrate through the dark, grim leaves of the trees. Strange noises and unfamiliar scents made Logan very cautious and on guard. The grass beneath his feet was thick and seemed to latch onto his boots while the vines beside him choked the tall, menacing trees. He noted some strange flowers hanging around horrifying thorn bushes, and he swear he heard vultures above him. "You sure you want to live here?" Luna asked, "It's a very old and dangerous place. There are many creatures that could harm you, and there are some that can turn you to stone with a single glance." "It's fine," Wolverine smirked, "You don't know animals like I know them." Luna watched Logan curiously, "And what do you mean by that?" "It's a simple instinct, actually." Logan chuckled. He dropped his cigar onto the grass and stomped it out. With a creepy smirk, he looked back at Luna, "They tend to stay away from scarier things than themselves. And I'm the scariest thing in this forest." He cracked his knuckles. "Is that so?" Luna didn't have a hard time believing it, "Oh! And I forgot to introduce two of my most respected lunar ponies." Logan sighed and glanced over at the two quiet ponies beside the alicorn. "Greetings, " The stallion bowed, "I am Orion." The mare copied his motion, "And I am Gemini." "Star constellations?" Logan scratched his chin, "Codenames or something?" "Indeed." Luna nodded, "Clever, is it not?" "I can't care less." Logan shrugged, "So what about them?" "They will be the ones giving you your tasks and information." Luna stated, "I can't be here all the time; the life of a princess is always busy, even with the most trivial things." "Alright. I just don't want them holding me up or anything. I'll do things MY way." Logan stood tall above them, crossing his arms. They nodded to him silently and retreated gently. "Alright. So you guys going to leave me alone now or what?" Logan asked, "I've got to set up camp." Luna blinked and nodded, another portal opening beside her. Her lunar ponies eagerly jumped through the portal. Luna approached the magical circle and took one last look at Logan. The human had his backed turned to her and picked up two thick stones from the ground. "Logan, " She said sadly, "There isn't one pony I know that would want to live by themselves like this. Are you sure you truly want this?" Logan answered her with only silence, and the princess sadly disappeared into the portal. "Hey Twilight, " Spike said, holding a big clump of books in his arms, "There was something that I wanted to ask you." He began to restock, climbing up the ladder to the book shelves as carefully as can be. "What is it?" Twilight asked, a quill magically writing onto parchment. She was going through the library finances, and deciding on how they should use their budget. "I read in a newspaper that there was some strange incident happening in Canterlot the day you were called up." Spike grunted as he struggled to place a book in its rightful place. "Something about a big ape thing?" "What?" Twilight blinked, her quill suddenly scratching messily down onto the paper. "Yeah, some strange ape broke out of Canterlot Castle? You know anything about it?" He managed to successfully shelve all the books and climbed slowly down the ladder. "Oh- uh no! Nothing at all, Spike!" Twilight chuckled nervously, tossing the parchment away and placing a new one onto her desk. Spike picked up on her strangely distressed actions. "Really?" Spike asked, "Nothing? You don't know anything about this strange ape?" "Nope!" Twilight answered back, smiling nervously. Spike placed his claws on his hips and viewed Twilight suspiciously, "Okay, then. So your sudden interest in these 'humans', who are bipedal creatures that are suggested to be evolved from apes has absolutely NOTHING to do with whatever happened at Canterlot?" Twilight blinked, looking back at Spike. Her dragon assistant was being surprisingly sharp. "Er, well, you see... " Twilight bit her lip, her eyes glancing back and forth as she desperately tried to think of an excuse, "It's... classified?" Twilight gave a wide and very unconvincing smile to the baby dragon. It was also very creepy. Spike grunted in protest, "I've got my eye on you, Twilight Sparkle. This 'Number One Assistant' can't be kept in the dark for too long." He spun around on his heel and gathered up another armful of books. Twilight let out a sigh of relief and turned back to her documents. "Um, hey... " Twilight said, desperately trying to change the subject, "I-I see that the finances and everything are all in order. You did a really great job managing the library funds while I was gone." Spike puffed out his chest in pride, "Yep! Though I can't say that it was all me. Surprisingly, Big Macintosh stopped by one day and helped me out. He really does have some 'Fancy Mathematics'." "Really?" Twilight blinked, glancing over at her dragon curiously, "I wasn't expecting that out of him... " "You thought he was just some dull farm pony?" Spike asked, once again repeating the shelving process. "Not like that!" Twilight gasped, "I just didn't think he would be interested in such things... I always thought that he was respectable hard working stallion for his family." "Not many ponies know him very well, " Spike grunted, climbing back up the ladder, "He doesn't really seem to have the time to go out and talk to ponies as often as he should. But I heard Lyra is starting to become really good friends with the guy. Not like in a relationship kind of way, though." "Yeah, Lyra did tell me a bit about hanging out with him. I guess she does that whenever she's not here studying humans with me." Twilight smiled, "It's really interesting being near Professor Heartstrings descendant! She has access to private notes that he took HIMSELF! According to them, humans have about the same life expectancy of ponies! They were also pioneers in much of our technology today! That's why we have doorknobs! It's also fascinating that the humans can be so balanced on only two legs! They- "Twilight! Stop! You're starting to sound like Lyra!" Spike objected, "And I don't want TWO Lyra's running around the library!" "True, " Twilight chuckled, "Hey Spike, I heard that Rarity was looking for you. Something about needing an extra pair of hooves for a few suits." Twilight waited till the count of three and turned her head. The door shut almost immediately, and there was no sign of the baby green dragon anywhere in the library. "Works every time." Twilight smirked, magically taking a book out from the receptionist desk. "Starswirl's Theory on Locator Spells and Remote Viewing." Twilight read to herself, "Okay, Logan. It's time to start looking." Unknown to her, she had a baby dragon spying on her from the open window nearby. With his eyes narrowing and the gears in his brain turning, Spike set off to find out exactly what Twilight was up to. First thing on his list was to find out who this Logan character was. After a few hours of boring but much needed tasks, Logan had a variety of tools at his disposal. He was able to make a few stone knives from rocks that he had gathered, three fishing spears, and a sack crafted crudely from vines and bushes. While his mutant claws could suffice for knives themselves, he wanted something smaller and easier to maneuver if it came down to skinning animals or cutting into smaller objects. Okay... I need a stream or something. I'd better set up camp there., He thought to himself. He gathered his things in his handcrafted sack and set off into the forest, his nose sniffing out the different scents in the air as his ears searched for the sound of running water. The Everfree Forest was unlike any he had seen before. The trees seemed to be filled with their own sentient life, and he had a feeling of being watched by them as he tread through the bushes. They also seemed to move from place to place, and when he looked back the scenery was completely different. "Screw you too, trees." He snarled out loud, "If you get into my way, I'm cutting you down with no questions asked. I'm not some nature-humping pony that loves nature, wildlife, and singing birds. I'm an asshole." The trees seemed to stop bothering him after that statement. Wolverine's presence did not go unnoticed by the other animals. Unlike ponies and humans themselves, he was more of a beast than most predators. For now, they simply observed and watched him in peace. His close resemblance to the wolverine animal was threatening. Logan ignored all the small scrapes and cuts he received from the thorn bushes and continued to make his way into a seemingly random location. All the small wounds closed up quickly, so there was never a need to worry about it. He was also not too worried about any strange poison or bacteria that could possibly give him any diseases or such. If he couldn't catch the common cold, he probably couldn't catch anything else. With a victorious grin, Logan heard the sound of a stream or river cutting through the forest. His claws emerging from his right hand, he began to slash his way through underbrush in order to get to his destination. Sure enough, a crystal clear stream came into his complete view. For the first time since he stepped into the forest, he could feel a soft breeze. The banks of the stream were cleared off from any weeds or tall grass. Logan suspected that animals must visit this place often; it may be the only source of water in the whole forest. Cautiously stepping out, he made his way over to the river bank. He dropped his sack and knelt down, gathering the cool liquid in the palms of his hands and splashing them onto his face and hair. He was still covered in a little of the T-Rex's saliva, and its smell was beginning to get unbearable. He dunked his head into the water and swished it around before yanking it back up and slicking it back. With a relieved sigh, he glanced down at his reflection. "Not a day older." He frowned, "And I still don't feel like shaving." He knelt back over and starting to pool the water into his mouth to drink. He heard the sound of strange footsteps beside him, and he glanced over to see who- or what it was. "What... the... hell... " Logan said to himself, cocking his eyebrow in curiosity. The creature was a few feet to his side, and it looked like a wolf. A wolf that had its entire body made from bark. It's eyes had no pupils and were glowing an intense yellow instead. It was leaning over into the stream, lapping the water up gently. It finally took notice of him and lifted its head softly. It didn't look like it had any intention of attacking or harming him... he had a strange way with wolves. "Alone, are you?" Logan asked, leaning back over to drink more of the water, "Join the club." The odd creature stared at him questionably, but than turned and slowly padded away. "Okay... " Wolverine frowned, pulling his head back up from the water, "I didn't think I smelled THAT bad." With a sigh, Logan gathered up his pack and surveyed his surroundings. He was looking for the perfect place to set up camp near the stream. Spotting a small clearing surrounded by trees, Logan cocked his legs and jumped over the stream, landing stiffly on the other side. The stream wasn't that wide, and a mutant like Logan could leap across it very easily. The clearing itself was about fifteen yards from the bank and looked simple enough. There were no bushes present or any strange plants other than grass. He dropped his sack of tools and knelt down to begin picking up firewood. When he finished his measly chore, he began to place the sticks cabin-style in the center of the clearing. Packed with dry leaves and smaller sticks in the middle, it would only need some sparks. He fumbled into his back pocket for a small box of matches that were left in his cigar box. After a few swipes, the match ignited and the leaves and sticks lit up in light flame. It took a few puffs of air, but the fire was finally beginning to spread. His stomach started to grumble a bit, so he grabbed his fishing spears and made his way to the stream. The fish that swam below the stream's surface were easy to see. Many of them were too small, but none of them would be too quick. As the small creatures swam peacefully above the bottom of the stream, Logan's eyes quickly darted from one to another. As soon as he found a decent target, the spear lunged into the water. It only caused a light splash, but it revealed an exceptionally sized blue fish when he pulled out the spear. He stabbed the end without the fish into the ground, and grabbed another. When he had three large fish hanging lifelessly from the spears, he made his way back over to the fire. It was now blazing violently, and he sat down on a make-shift seat made from rocks. By the time the fish had been done cooking, night had already embraced the Everfree Forest. What limited light was actually in the forest was gone, and he had to rely on his heightened sense of vision to make out small shapes beyond his camp. His gut was telling him that he wasn't alone. There were definitely some animals watching him. He looked like an animal himself, gorging down on the fish. He couldn't remember the last time he actually had meat. His last few meals at the castle were basically vegetables, lettuce, and probably some flowers that the ponies decided to hide in. He belched quite audibly when his meal was done, and looked around the clearing for a place to sleep. He wasn't too worried if he was attacked by animals, but he wasn't going to underestimate them. Frowning, Logan glanced up at a large tree that had a long branch hanging over the stream. "Okay, " He grumbled, his hands latching to a few lower branches, "Better than nothing, I guess. Damn, I'm going to feel this in the morning." He climbed up to the branch, and plopped down onto it with his back against the trunk of the tree. With his expert balance, he rested his feet on the branch with no fear of falling over and into the stream. "Tree, if you even shift one limb I'm turning you into a outhouse." Logan felt ridiculous speaking to a plant, but then again the entire WORLD was ridiculous. With a sigh, the mutant gazed up to see a small path in the leaves. There was one bright twinkling star that winked at him, and he couldn't help but crack a smile.