Waking Up

"There is something you absolutely must see."

It had been a while since Celestia had heard the urgent words from one of the most respected archaeologists in Equestria. Most discoveries that were made on great expeditions were small but very valuable artifacts that represented an important part of Equestrian history. Celestia, of course, had seen the history firsthand. Her eyes kept scanning the letters of the note as her magic held the white parchment before her eyes.

"I cannot describe it in words. I've managed to bring it into the museum's top secret facility."

Now that was a surprise. The top secret facility was almost never used. It was basically just an underground complex beneath the Royal Canterlot Museum that housed the more dangerous aspects of Equestria's history. Such as dangerous echanted weapons and ancient dark magic books. Few of the museum staff actually knew that such a facility existed, and the ones that did had to be trusted immensely. There were strange magics down there that even Celestia would be afraid to touch.

Celestia had made a trip to the museum as soon as she had been able. Royal duties took up an ungodly amount of personal time, and she found that she typically had a few hours to spend for herself. When Luna had returned, time management become much more bearable, however. Still, Celestia maintained most of the same responsibilities as her sister adjusted to the present time. It had taken many kitchen appliances for her sister to finally come to terms with electricity.

The wondrous white alicorn made her way quietly through the exhibits, taking her time to absorb the historical atmosphere. There weren't many things that had existed before Celestia's time that were still around but it was still nice to see the small things she could remember. Many sparked a powerful memory that she had once thought she had forgotten.

"Whatever it is, it is something way before our time... and it may be far before your time as well, princess."

Celestia stopped before a large statue of herself that had been sculpted thousands of years ago. Her appearance had mostly been unchanged since then if one ignored the noticeable change in plot size. Celestia completely ignored the flanks of the statue as her horn began to emit a glowing aura. The horn on the statue lit up in a similar fashion, and a quiet clicking noise had been heard.

"It had been found in the deepest cave in Equestria. It is in perfect condition with no visible damages whatsoever."

The statue began to scrape backwards, revealing a dark stone staircase underneath it. Celestia's horn remained glowing as she began a slow descent underground, her horn illuminating the darkness. The dust that was kicked off from every movement of her hooves just showed how rare it was for a pony to go down into the top secret facility. The air was stale, dry, and cold.

"I do now know what it is, but I fear that it may change Equestria forever. My body chills whenever I gaze upon its form."

At the bottom of the painfully long staircase was a door made from pure dragon scales. Dragon scales were highly resistant to magic and nearly impossible to destroy physically. This one in particular, because of the heavy enchantments it carried, was completely unbreakable. It was like this for good reason. Celestia cleared her throat.

"... Acerbus Excessum."

The door groaned as it swung wide, creating a loud smashing sound as it collided with the wall. Torches began to light up, revealing a long hallway with many more dragon scale doors on both the left and right side of the hall. Each door held a room where each dark historical secret remained. Taking a deep breath, Celestia began the long walk down the stone hallway. The facility wasn't architecturally beautiful and was made instead to be impenetrable.

"I wonder if it was the correct choice to take it out of its cave-like prison where it had been hidden away for who knows how long. However, I believe it is up to you to decide what you want to do with such a thing."

Celestia finally spotted the dragon scaled door that held her source of curiosity, anxiety, and fear. A big 'X' had been crudely painted onto the door. The white alicorn found herself hesitating.

"Princess Celestia, I have served you for many years. I have traveled to the farthest jungle, traveled up the highest mountain, and have now searched the deepest crevice. I have discovered things that could bring an entire city to its knees, and I have discovered things that could give life to the most decayed tree. But all those achievements pale in comparison to whatever it is I have now discovered. I leave it in your care, and I hope to see you soon."

"Your faithful archaeologist,"

"D.D."

Celestia took a deep breath, her horn glowing as the 'X' shimmered, the door opening to reveal whatever it held inside. Torches immediately burst into flames, and the darkness that had engulfed the room had been completely eradicated.

Celestia made her way into the room, immediately spotting the object displayed in the center. It was a large blue crystal that looked like one of many that were in the caverns below the castle. Celestia's ears flattened, her image of whatever the artifact could have been was completely shattered. This was the world changing discovery that the archaeologist took so much time excavating?

The alicorn crept closer, her eyes looking over the crystal. What was the big deal? What was so special about the crystal? She continued to get closer, her doubts piling up. It wasn't until she managed to make out a strange outline inside of the crystal that she began to realize what the archaeologist was talking about.

She had to stare at it for a long period of time before she could make out its complete form. And when she finally put it all together, it finally clicked.

Her eyes began as large as dinner plates, her ears flattening as her body instinctively took steps back. A chill had raced down her spine, her wings sprouting out in surprise.

"Dear Faust... " Celestia whispered, "What... what is this?... "

Pinkie bounced down the dirt streets of Ponyville, a wide smile on her face as she whistled a nameless tune. She wore a black party hat and had a saddle bag filled with white envelopes that spilled out every now and then. There was a big event that was coming up, and of course she intended to invite everybody in Ponyville. Why, if you didn't show up to one of Pinkie's parties, you were not going to hear the last of it from her until she forcibly dragged you out. And even then, you would find that you would enjoy it.

It was a very important occasion for Pinkie, and if it was like any other important occasion for the pink mare it would spark a party. This occasion was super-duper special, which called for a super spectacular party. And not just any super spectacular party... It was an awesome spectacular super-duper extravaganza palooza. And for what was this amazing party being held for?

Well, it was the day that Ponyville had been officially founded on of course!

Invitations had been handed out accordingly, yet there was one mare who had refused to come out to her mailbox to see the poor metal container bursting with envelopes. Of course, Pinkie just couldn't stand this! Pinkie needed to give it to her in person. Besides, there was nothing wrong with seeing one of her best friends on a wonderful day like this.

The pink mare bounded up to the front door of the library, shaking with excitement. She knocked onto the door rapidly, her smile wide.

"Twilight!" Pinkie called out, "I've got a special invitation for a special friend!"

No response.

"Twilight!" Pinkie exclaimed, "I've got a special invitation for a special unicorn friend!"

No response.

"Twilight!" Pinkie yelled, "I've got a special invitation for a special unicorn friend who won't open their stupid door!-

The door slammed open, revealing an stressed out purple mare. Her hair was springing out in crazy directions, her eye twitching as she stared straight into Pinkie's eyes.

"Pinkie.... " Twilight twitched.

"What?" Pinkie asked, her smile unfaltering.

"Heheh.... " Twilight gave a freaky laugh, a creepy grin crossing her face. Okay, now Pinkie was completely worried.

"Uh, Twilight?... " Pinkie asked, "Are you-

"Perfectly fine!" Twilight snapped, spinning around as she disappeared into her library. Pinkie blinked, and followed after her friend.

Books were sprawled completely all over the floor, the shelves completely void of anything. Her table was overturned, and Spike's tail was the only visible part of him since he was covered in a complete pile of novels.

"Hey... " Pinkie asked, "You aren't worrying about... being tardy again, are you?"

"Of course nooooot.... " Twilight twitched, sitting on her haunches as she began to read through the titles of her books, "It's wooooorse.... "

"Um... Like how worse?"

"SUPER WORSE!" Twilight cried, slapping her face against a book with each word she yelled out, "I.Ow. CAN'T. Ow. FIND. Ow. THE. Ow. BOOOOOK! Ow."

"Hey Twilight," A thick southern accent called from the doorway, "Have any books on Banjo playin'? Applebloom's been lookin fer- WHAT IN TARNATION'S GOIN' ON HERE?!"

"I. Ow. CAN'T. Ow. FIND. Ow. THE. Ow. BOOOOOK! Ow."

"Hey Twilight," A rapsy, feminine voice called from the door, "You have any of the new Daring- WHAT THE BUCK IS GOING ON?!"

"I-

"Twilight! Any more words and you're going to forget how to read!" Pinkie cried, grabbing the book that was about to smack into her friend's head.

"Um, Twilight, "Rainbow asked, her wings flapping as she hovered to by her friends, "Why are you breaking down over a book?"

"Order from the princess..." Twilight twitched, looking through more books, "She's asking for a specific book that only this library has... and I CAN'T FIND IT!"

"A book this library only has?" Applejack asked, "Why does the princess want some ole' book?"

"I don't know... " Twilight sighed, "But she wants me to come to Canterlot with that book immediately... "

"What?!" Pinkie asked, her eyes widening, "B-But then you're going to miss the-

"Yeah... " Twilight mumbled, looking through book after book, "I'm sorry Pinkie. But it was an urgent message. And she needs me there by today!"

"Uh huh... " Applejack glanced around, "So, what's this book called?"

"Equestria's Mythical Truths... " Twilight scrambled into another book pile, "Where is it?! WHERE IS IT?! WHEERRE ISSS-

Spike groaned, managing to crawl out of the pile of books. He rubbed his head, pulling out the letter. He gave it a quick read and smacked his claw against his head, giving Twilight a very unamused glare.

"Twilight... " Spike sighed, "Did you even read the entire letter?... "

"Entire letter?! I don't have time, Spike!" Twilight panicked, "I need to find the book NOW!"

"Fine... " Spike muttered, "I'll read it to you then." Twilight ignored him as she kept rummaging through her book piles like mad.

"To my most faithful student. Something has come up here in Canterlot, and I require your presence immediately. There is a book called 'Equestria's Mythical Truths' that only the Ponyville library carries. You must bring that with you at all costs. I will send a chariot to pick you up at noon, so prepare for departure."

"Yeah, I got that Spike!" Twilight called, disappearing into a giant book stack.

Spike rolled his eyes, "P.S. I forgot to mention that the book isn't on the shelves. It's located behind the receptions desk. I hope you didn't freak out or anything."

Twilight's head immediately popped up from a pile of books, her jaw practically hitting the floor as she stared at Spike.

"Hey!" Pinkie called out, waving a book with her hoof, "Found it! It was right behind the desk, silly!"

"You know, you guys didn't have to all come along... "

"I don't see the problem, darling! After all, we're all best friends here!"

"Come on, miss drama queen! You just won't turn down a chance to be with royalty again!"

"I hope you aren't talking about Blueblood because if you are you are sadly mistaken!"

"You two are louder than a herd of buffalo tramplin' a chicken coop!"

"Applejack! Please don't talk about animals that way! I mean... you can if you want to but... "

The six mares bickered as the pegasus drawn chariot landed gently outside of the Canterlot Castle entrance. Through the mouth of Pinkie, her other friends had been informed of Twilight's soon departure. They all decided to leave with Twilight since it had been quite a while since they had seen Princess Celestia, and wanted to be there just in case Twilight needed help.

"Hey Pinkie, " Twilight asked as they were escorted in by the guards, "Are you sure you're okay with missing the party tonight?... "

"I can't have a great party without all my friends there!" Pinkie exclaimed, flashing a toothy grin,"Besides! We can celebrate later tonight by ourselves anyway! And it will be much more fun with Princess Celestia here with us!"

"I don't know, Pinkie... " Applejack said, "The princess seemed awfully urgent on gettin' Twilight up here. She's probably gonna be pretty busy."

"I bet there's a conspiracy going on... " Rainbow Dash spoke quietly, her eyes darting left and right, "What if it's not really Princess Celestia?... What if it's actually Chrysalis in disguise?!"

"Quiet, girls. " Twilight commanded, "We're here... " The guards had led them to a set of large doors, and the purple unicorn identified it as Celestia's personal quarters.

"I agree that this is very strange, " Twilight stated, pressing her hoof against the door, "But Celestia wouldn't put us into any trouble. She must really need help." Twilight cautiously opened the door.

Celestia's room was big, spacey, and very neat. She had a very soft purple carpeting, a large well made bed, and had large glass doors that would lead out to a balcony. The room smelled of roses and daisies, and Twilight could taste the aroma of freshly baked cake in the air. Celestia's room was always warm and comforting. It had been exactly how Twilight remembered it.

Except for a large sapphire crystal seated directly in the middle of the room.

Rarity's eyes immediately lit up at the sight, her heart suddenly beating as fast and as loud as a drum. Her jaw seemed to pop off and hit the floor, the magnificent spectacle pausing time for her.

"It's... " Rarity spoke, tears welling up into her eyes, "Beautiful.... "

"On the outside, it may be... " Princess Celestia stated, walking up behind the six mares, "On the inside however, a dormant catastrophe may be waiting to be revived."

"Princess!" The six mares immediately bowed, and the alicorn couldn't help but chuckle.

"Arise, my little ponies." She smiled, "There is no need to be so formal."

"I'm sorry that my friends came with me... " Twilight said sheepishly, "But they didn't want to let me come alone, and I didn't want to leave them... "

"That is fine, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia smiled, nuzzling her faithful student, "Actually, our chances may be better this way."

"Excuse me for asking, princess... " Rainbow said, flying up to the crystal curiously, "But is this the reason why you Twilight here? This weird big crystal thing?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity protested, jumping in front of the blue pegasus, "Do not speak of such gorgeous things in such a manner! Why, this crystal's beauty is of the likes I have never seen before!"

"Like I said, Rarity," Celestia said, making her way to the crystal, "That is only on the outside."

"Then... What's on the inside?" Fluttershy asked, quietly, trying as hard as she could to gaze into the depths of the crystal, "I can't see a thing... "

"Yeah... " Applejack eyed the crystal carefully, "Nothin' s'gonna shoot out at us, right?"

"Don't worry," Celestia replied, "Whatever is in there is practically asleep... or it is already gone from this world."

"Princess, " Twilight began, "How do you know something is in there? As far as I can see, there is nothing."

Celestia thought for a moment, gazing at the sapphire crystal before she began to speak again, "Twilight... Please use your magic to shine light onto the crystal."

Twilight gave her teacher a curious glance before looking back at the crystal. Her horn soon began to glow and emit a soft beam of light into the large sapphire crystal. The gem itself began to light up, illuminating the room with a faint blue light. But there was no other result, and the ponies couldn't see what was held up within the crystal.

"Nothing... " Pinkie blinked, pressing her nose against the crystal, "Crystal monster, are you in there? Helloooooo!"

Celestia's horn soon began to glow, and the curtains that had been pulled away from the windows were drawn. The lights in the room shut off, and soon the only light that was illuminating the room was strangely coming from the crystal. Somehow, a shape was made clear and the ponies all gasped.

They could see a dark shadowy figure inside, but they couldn't quite identify what it was. To them, it looked like some sort of dark blob in a weird position. They couldn't make out any defining features of it altogether except for the one crucial thing that caused their spines to freeze.

A skeletal metallic appendage was reaching out to them, the bones in complete sight. Everypony, including the princess, took a cautious step back. Twillight's eyes stared at it as the gears in her brain began to spin. Her mind was recalling all the books on skeletal anatomy in Equestria but couldn't come up with an answer. The appendage resembled the arms of an ape or a diamond dog, but she couldn't place it. The end of the skeletal 'arm' was what looked like one of Spike's claws, but Twilight knew that it wasn't it.

"Okay... " Rainbow shuddered, "This is really starting to freak me out... "

"I take everything I said about this crystal back... " Rarity mumbled, "It's...It's horrid!"

Using her magic, Celestia opened the curtains and turned all the lights back on. The strange figure immediately disappeared and the ponies all sighed in relief.

"Twilight... Do you have the book?" Celestia asked.

"Er, yes!" Twilight answered, reaching into her saddlebag to pull out the dusty tome. Celestia, using her magic, levitated it up to her eyes as pages began to flip at supersonic speed.

"By the way, why does the Ponyville library hold the only copy of that book?... " Twilight asked, "I didn't have any time to read it, but it just seems all so weird."

"Because the author refused to have it published, " Celestia replied, her eyes scanning the pages for any answers, "This book is nearly older than me, believe it or not. And it was written by Starswirl the Bearded."

"S-Starswirl?!" Twilight gasped, "He wrote it himself?! How come I never knew of this book?!"

Celestia smirked, "You never asked." She then levitated the book back down to Twilight, and the mares each gathered around each other to take a look at the page.

"The mythical truth of... humanity?"

"What's humanity?" Pinkie asked as she cocked her head to the side, "Does it taste good?"

"Ponies haven't been on earth for as long as we think... " Celestia stated, "We weren't the first civilization to make this planet our home."

"Humans are fabled creatures that are said to exist thousands and thousands of years before the time of Equestria... " Twilight read, "It is said that they once had massive towers that scraped the skies, and built giant mechanical birds that soared through the air. There are few artifacts that can prove of their existence, and there have been no fossil discoveries as of now."

"Humans were first brought to light by a historian and mythical expert. Professor Heartstrings proposed that the existence of humanity existed out of the blue with no physical evidence supporting his claim. He was ridiculed and banished from the world of magic and science. It is unclear on why he brought up the existence of humans, whether it be some sort of magical vision or pure insanity."

"Heartstrings... " Applejack tapped her hoof on her chin, "That sounds mighty familiar... oh well."

"Looks like Starswirl included some drawings that the professor believed humans looked like... " The drawn figure had its body spread out on the paper. There were no defining features, and the focus seemed to be more on the body shape. The two appendages sprouting from the ends of its arms were listed as 'hands'." Twilight blinked, and then looked back up at the giant crystal.

"So... " Twilight gulped, "You're saying... that this might possibly hold the last human in existence... "

"Yes." Celestia replied, "That I do. Professor Heartstrings was a dear friend of mine... And I know that he was not as insane as they say. A part of me wishes to prove his claims, while another part wants me to free whatever that creature is from its crystal prison. But... "

"... You don't wish it to cause anypony harm." Another alicorn walked into the room, her body a dark blue with a mane that resembled the night sky.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight exclaimed, "Good afternoon!"

"Greetings, Twilight Sparkle... " Luna smiled, "It has been too long."

"Now that Luna is here... " Celestia smiled, "We can finally put our plan into action."

Twilight glanced up at her teacher, "You... you mean-

"Yes. " Luna nodded, "It's time to change Equestria... forever."

"Remember, we can't break the crystal," Twilight explained, scanning through the pages of a spellbook, "Breaking the crystal could possibly also break the human inside of it. If we use a spell that was created to disintegrate only crystal, the specimen can be saved."

"Am I the only one with common sense, here?!" Rainbow Dash asked, "I mean, it's arm-thing is stripped to the bone. TO THE BONE. If one of my legs was stripped to the bone, I'm pretty sure I would be dead or something."

"We don't know anything about humans... " Fluttershy said quietly, "Maybe there's a way we can save it... " The ponies had drawn a big runic circle around the crystal with chalk. They had made sure to add the delicate details that belonged in the symbol, for if even something was a little off the spell could literally blow the room to pieces.

"Ah kinda have to go with Rainbow on this one... " Applejack added, "That thing is probably all bony and dead-like. Everypony is talking about this thing going crazy and violent, but ah'm pretty sure it's as dead as Rarity's sex life."

"Hey!"

"You do strike a point... " Twilight conversed as she skimmed through some minor spells, "But whether or not it's alive, we are making a fantastic discovery. We're all just taking the necessary precautions. I don't want something to go terribly wrong with all my friends here."

"True..." Rainbow muttered, "But I still stand by it being dead!"

"So tell me, Tia... " Luna asked, lying on her sister's bed as Celestia chowed down on a small piece of cake, "Why did you bring this crystal up to your room? Isn't there someplace better that has a less chance of completely being destroyed?"

"Well, Luna... " Celestia smirked as she set the plate down onto a small table, "This can't be done someplace where the public could see it. If word got out to the media, things would go crazy for a while. My room is also heavily enchanted, so my bed, dressers, and cake are all completely safe."

"True... " Luna added, "But why try so hard for something that could be so dangerous?... "

"I would like to clear Professor Heartstring's name, " Replied Celestia, "And also, I have to admit that I'm deathly curious about what could be in that crystal. I believe you are as well my dear sister."

"Indeed, " Luna chuckled, "We cannot wait to see the creature that lurks inside!"

"Um, Luna... You used the royal 'we' again."

"Oh... We really must break that habit, shouldn't we?..."

"Done!" Twilight shut the book, walking carefully up to the the crystal, "I've got the spell in order. The runes are all set, and I think its time to start this thing." The two alicorns had gotten up, forming a triangle around the crystal with Twilight.

"It's funny seeing how they need a powerful spell to get some weird creature out of a crystal... " Rainbow said, the five other mares crowding over in a corner of the room.

"No kiddin'. " Applejack agreed, "Ah think they're also getting some spells ready to fend off that 'human' if it attacks or somethin'."

"Okay, everypony... " Twilight closed her eyes, "Stand back!" The air suddenly grew cold as Twilight's horn began to emit a violet hue. Celestia's and Luna's horn followed right afterward. The runes that had been drawn on the carpet soon began to brighten, and soft beams of golden light trailed out. The beams slowly made their way to the crystal, coming into contact with the sapphire object.

The crystal immediately began to light up at the contact, the shadow of the creature once again being seen inside. Magical sparks began to dance upon its surface, small cracks forming as the spell began its purpose. The crystal began to disintegrate, letting off a shimmering blue mist that was warm to the touch. Very soon, the entire room was filled with the strange mist.

The ponies could not longer see the form of the crystal through the mist, and they had no idea how their progress was going. But then after a few minutes, they heard a loud thump in the center of the room. They could also feel it through their hooves, marveling at how heavy the strange creature must be. The horns of the three ponies ceased their glowing, signifying the end of the spell.

The mist was still thick in the center of the room, and they had no visual on the creature. They were all curious on its condition, yet they were too nervous to actually take a look.

Pinkie finally broke the ice.

"Helloooo!" Pinkie called, hopping up to the thick blue mist, "Are you alive human-creature-thing? If you are, say yeeeees!"

Pinkie was answered by a metallic skeletal backhand heading right towards her face.

I apologize for any grammar mistakes or such you may have come across. Also, I would like to thank my friend Goodmoney immensely for helping me feel confident and reading over this for me. I hope you enjoyed it.

The Attempted Escape

View Online

"Pinkie!" Twilight gasped as she watched her pink colored friend tumble through the air. Pinkie was headed straight for a nearby dresser, but luckily Celestia's telekinetic magic caught her just a breath away from the wooden obstruction. Pinkie's eyes were closed tightly, a bruise beginning to form on her cheek.

Luna was the first to initiate the defense. Her horn sparkled angrily, reflecting the emotions of the dark colored alicorn.

"You dare harm one of our friends, monster?!" The princess growled as a a powerful blast of magic launched from her horn and headed into the blue mist. The room rumbled as the magic exploded, sending debris through the blue mist. It was obvious that Luna's attack had made contact with the floor, yet the damage could not be observed. The attack did, however, blow away much of the magical mist that had clouded the view of the creature.

They saw its full form for the first time.

The monster was covered in some black hooded cloak, its face and upper body hidden from complete view. On its lower body it wore what looked like blue jean pants, and at its feet were dark black boots. The ponies had all been frozen at the sight of it and were gazing at it in awe and fear.

However, their focus was immediately switched over to its skeletal appendage.

It's arm was exactly how Twilight had seen it in the crystal. It was a shimmering metal, the bones being completely visible. She could make out three sharp blades located inside of one of the bones, but her attention had changed away from that quickly. Something seemed to be moving onto the bone, and it took Twilight a moment to realize what was going on.

The arm was... regenerating itself.

The dark red muscle soon began to encase the arm and 'hand' before a light colored covering, which Twilight guessed was skin, followed soon after. It had all happened within seconds.

"Urf!" Applejack covered her mouth with her hoof as her face color changed into a shade of green, "Please tell me that it did not do what I think it did..."

The monster snarled, shaking all the ponies back into reality. Luna was the first to react and sent a powerful dark bolt of energy straight at it. The creature seemed to notice, but for some reason its body refused to move how it wanted it to. The bolt smashed straight into the creature's chest, propelling it backwards into the glass balcony doors. They shattered instantly, releasing the creature into the hands of gravity which caused it to race down towards the pavement.

Luna cursed her ignorance and immediately gave chase. Her wings sprouted as she dived after the falling monster, trying to catch up with it. Rainbow Dash wasn't too far behind, screaming insulting things at the monster far below.

"Pinkie!" Twilight cried, dashing over to her friend, "Are you okay?!" The pink mare had been set carefully down onto the floor onto her back. Pinkie's eyes blinked before she sat up, cracking her neck with a big frown on her face.

"I told it to say yes! Not buck-slap me in the mouth!" Pinkie grumbled, rubbing her cheek, "Whatever it is, it's not getting away from me without an apology!" The pink pony jumped onto her hooves and raced out of the room, determined to prove that the creature was in the wrong.

"Oh no... " Celestia sighed, running towards the balcony as she watched her sister give chase.

It was obvious that the creature's body wasn't in its best condition. The years of absent movement seemed to take its toll on its body, limiting its potential. The monster managed to maneuver around in the air, trying to get a grip on the castle walls as it descended.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "If you don't stop being all mean and angry I won't save you!" The creature growled again, slashing its 'hand' at the blue pegasus. Rainbow pulled away, her heart thumping in fear.

"Hey!" Rainbow yelled in an angry tone, "Stop! Or you're gonna-

It was too late.

A few moments earlier, beneath the balcony of Canterlot castle in a simple donut shop...

"I tell yah, Joe... " Bronze Spear, one of Celestia's royal guards grumbled, "There's not enough action goin' on 'round here." The white stallion munched on a donut as he complained.

"Aw, come on Bronze!" Pony Joe chuckled as he slid a hot cup of coffee towards his friend, "The last interesting thing that happened around these parts was the changeling invasion... and from what I remember, you guys got your flanks kicked!"

"Hey!" Bronze protested as he took a sip of his coffee, "W-We were distracted! Captain Shining Armor was unable to give commands!"

"Right... " Joe rolled his eyes, "Alright, Bronzey... I've got a scenario for you: Say that there was some unknown creature that just happened to appear right in front of us. What would you do?"

"Well... " Bronze grinned, draining his cup before he slammed it down, "I'd kick its flank of course! There ain't no monster in Equestria that I can't face! I ain't scared of nothin-

The ceiling suddenly broke through in the middle of the shop, and a strange black cloaked creature along with the debris from the roof crashed down onto the center table. The ponies sat in silence as they stared in wonder at the strange scene.

Suddenly, the weird creature groaned and struggled to its feet, its body bent in weird angles. It was covered by a large black hooded cloak, and they couldn't see it in detail. Grotesquely, the creature began to pop its joints back into place which caused loud cracking noises to be heard that were followed by the monster screaming with each adjustment. The creature then seemed to roll its neck around, a few more cracks being heard before it turned its attention to the two ponies at the counter.

"Um... " Joe sweated, pointing a hoof straight at Bronze Spear, "He did it!" Bronze Spear let out the exact opposite of a masculine scream and dove behind the counter.

The creature snarled, but before it could make a move a powerful dark magic bolt hit it right in the chest and knocked it right back down onto the floor.

"STAY DOWN, FOUL BEAST!" A loud and powerful voice boomed from above, "OR WE SHALL BE FORCED TO INFLICT THE POWER OF JUSTICE UPON THEE!"

The beast snarled before jumping back up onto its feet. More dark bolts of magic were fired, but it was ready this time. It clumsily managed to dodge each burst that was wrecking the shop and dove out of the glass window and into the street. Luna descended into the shop as the creature bolted away.

"COME BACK HERE!" Luna growled. She then suddenly noticed the extensive damage that she helped cause and shot Pony Joe a sorrowful glance. The poor stallion was too shocked to speak, his jaw hitting the counter.

Luna scratched her head with her hoof, "Um... Do not fret, Joe of the donuts. We shall cover the costs of damage when this is all over. Now if you'll excuse me..." Luna glanced back to where the creature had sprinted away before taking a deep breath.

"LOOK WHAT YOU MADE US DO TO THE SHOP OF DONUTS! WE BELIEVE THAT IT IS 'ON' NOW!"

The creature heard her, but it couldn't comprehend what she was saying. It was running clumsily, not being itself at all. It's feral instincts had taken over, pumping the idea of survival into its head. At the moment, its conscience had been blocked by its animal tendencies. It was not likely it would remember what it was doing at the current moment it its strange berserk state.

The ponies on the streets gaped as they watched the strange being run through the streets shoving down ponies, leaping over carriages, and scaling up the walls of buildings. None of them had ever seen anything like it and wondered if it was an experiment gone wrong.

The creature quickly rushed into an alley, its breathing uncontrolled. It's stiff body was at its limit from lack of use and exhaustion was hitting it hard.

"Freeze!" A commanding voice barked, "We have you surrounded!" The voice belonged to none other than Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard. Celestia had quickly ordered him to capture the strange monster at once in fear of the pony civilians being harmed. Shining Armor himself was very shocked at the appearance of the beast but held it back due to his bravery and valor.

There was no way out of the alley. Dozens of guards were posted on both entrances, and pegasus guards were hovering in the skies. Celestia herself stood beside Shining Armor, along with Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. Luna and Rainbow Dash soon spotted the spectacle and remained in the air.

"We've got it... " Celestia stated, taking a step forward, "Beast! We will take you into custody. If you refuse... We will have no choice but to-

"GRAAAAGH!" The creature howled, extending its arms. The ponies felt their bodies stiffen, and some of the guards began to quake in fear.

"Stay your ground, royal guards!" Shining Armor commanded, "It cannot take us all!"

The ponies watched in horror as three razor sharp blades suddenly extended out of each of the creature's 'hands'. The monster howled once more, its voice rattling the brains of the ponies surrounding it. It's eyes found Shining Armor's, and before long it suddenly dashed at its target baring its fangs.

"No!" Luna shrieked, firing a bolt of magic.

The creature sidestepped it, ignoring the flying chunks of cement.

"Attack!" Shining Armor yelled, his unicorn soldiers firing their blasts of magic.

The creature charged straight into the magic bolts and took every single blast to its body. It's cloak was disintegrating with each hit, but the beast persevered.

"Grrr... " Shining Armor growled as his horn began to emit its purple glow.

"GRAAAAGH!" The creature snarled, raising its claws into the air as it leaped, its eyes hidden from view as it descended down upon its target.

Suddenly there was a bright blue flash that was followed by a earsplitting crack that seemed to emit an immense amount of heat. Guards close by could feel their manes singeing by the strange flame, and a large amount of dust had been kicked up that blocked their vision. They could no longer see Shining Armor or the creature.

"BROTHER!" Twilight shrieked, her horn glowing as a gust of wind suddenly swept away the kicked up dust.

Shining Armor, despite his now frizzy mane and shocked dilated eyes was completely unscathed and stood stiff like a statue. Directly in front of him the creature had collapsed onto its face, smoke rising from its lightly scorched body.

"Oops!" A familiar grey wall-eyed mare gasped, falling down from a dark raincloud and onto her haunches right beside the captain of the guard, "I'm sorry! I just don't know what went wrong!"

"... Damages aren't too extensive and no pony was injured in the event. Only thing we have to worry about is how the public would handle the whole situation. We've managed to calm everypony down, but the nobles are trying as hard as they can to speak with you, Princess. For the moment, the castle is on lock down. Nopony is going to be allowed in."

"Thank you for the assessment, Shining Armor, " Celestia smiled weakly, rubbing her temple with her hoof. They caught the unconscious creature hours ago, but the aftershocks had just sprung up. Celestia so far had said nothing to the public about the strange beast that had escaped the castle... Frankly, she wasn't sure what to tell them. She didn't want to lie to her subjects but she also didn't want to scare them with the truth. So for the moment, they would keep quiet until further notice.

Luna was by Celestia side the whole time and took this moment to get a few words in, "Captain Armor, how does that beast fair?"

"It's quiet... " Shining replied, "We threw it into our most secured cell underground. Last time we checked, it was still passed out. I even wonder if it knew what it was doing... "

"Well, we will find out eventually." Celestia answered, "It definitely seemed feral and angry. But I do wonder... what did that creature do to have itself be stuck in a crystal like that?... "

Luna was about to add her own idea when the doors to the royal throne room gently opened up. The six elements of harmony walked in looking a bit exhausted and stressed out. Pinkie Pie had an ice pack on her cheek but looked as cheerful as ever.

"Ah, hello my little ponies." Princess Celestia smiled, "I'm sorry to throw you into this mess... None of you deserved to be put through such a thing... "

"It's alright, princess... " Twilight Sparkle replied sheepishly, "We wanted to help you in whatever way we could."

"We're glad that nopony got hurt... " Fluttershy stated, "You've all handled it so very well... "

"Hey! I got hurt!" Pinkie touched her hoof to her cheek to make the statement before wincing, "Ouchy!"

"You'll be fine, Sugarcube!" Applejack laughed, knocking her hoof against Pinkie's shoulder, "You're tougher than a rhino!"

"Um, what is going to happen to that horrible beast?" Rarity asked, cocking her head slightly, "I mean, it did come close to harming the fair Shining Armor... " Shining gulped nervously as the white unicorn teasingly fluttered her eyelashes, "And it did ruin poor Pony Joe's shop... What are you going to do?... "

Luna gave Celestia a cautious glance, "Sister... That monster... disturbs me... It has a strange magic that grew its arm back! I wish to keep it locked down in the prison to avoid causing anypony harm... "

"I agree that it can be a danger to us, " Celestia answered, "But perhaps there is more to it then it first let on."

"Princess Celestia... " Twilight cleared her throat, "I... I wish for you to hear me out." The eyes of all the ponies turned to the purple unicorn who gulped silently.

"That creature... The likes of it has never been seen in Equestria. It is a living, breathing relic. If it's okay with you... I would like to remain here and study it."

"Twilight, are you crazy?!" Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes wide with shock, "That thing could have hurt your brother! Or worse!"

"I'm aware of that, " Twilight glanced over at her brother before meeting Celesta's eyes again, "But I can't shake the feeling that whatever this thing is... It has a heart. I don't know if it is intelligent or not, but... But I want to give it a chance." The ponies glanced between Celestia and Twilight, the teacher and the student. Celestia finally broke the tense air with a bright smile.

"As expected from my most faithful student, " Celestia chuckled lightly, "You are very noble, Twilight Sparkle. Very well, you may remain here to study the human."

"Hey!" Pinkie jumped up and down, "So Twilight has to stay here and we have to go back?!"

"Yeah!" Applejack added firmly, "We can't just have only five best friends together!"

"What she said!" Rainbow ended, hovering in the air.

Celestia laughed before trading grins with Princess Luna and Shining Armor, "Of course. The elements of harmony are best when they are together!" The six mares cheered, the dark events of the day already seeming to be forgotten.

"Celestia... " Luna whispered over to her sister, "You sure this is a good idea?... "

"I trust my student and her friends, " Celestia replied, "And if there is somepony that could help such a lonely creature... it is them."

Ugh... What the hell is going on?...

Wolverine cracked open his eyes, the familiar sight of darkness clouding his vision. He felt the familiar feeling of a cold stone floor on his back, the smell of dust clogging his nostrils, and the taste of stale air on his tongue. Wherever he was... He was definitely not where he thought he would be.

"Am I dead?..." He asked himself, staring up at the dark ceiling. He let that thought and question linger in the air before his vision began to adjust itself in the dark. He was able to make out a few shapes, and it wasn't long before he recognized his location inside of an old prison cell.

"Damn... I thought these didn't exist anymore..., " He grumbled to himself as he sat up. He couldn't see it, but he could tell his black cloak was completely tattered and practically destroyed. He tossed it aside, and revealed a dirtied white tank top, torn up jeans, and worn down black boots. Man, he missed his leather jacket. He moved his hand to make sure that his dog tags were still around his neck. Satisfied, he got up onto his feet.

He felt a light chill over the back of his neck, and turned his attention to the wall behind him. There was a small barred window high up on the wall with a small cot lying beneath it. He could see twinkling stars out, which obviously showed that it was nighttime. Cracking his neck, he moved over to the bars placed in front of the cell. He completely disregarded the dish filled with lettuce, carrots, and apples that was placed onto the floor.

The bars were thick and large, completely blocking him off. The door itself had a heavy lock on it, and he could tell that it hadn't been used in a long time. Grumbling to himself, he wrapped his fingers around the bars and gave it a little tug.

"Yep, they aren't moving, " He said to himself gruffly, "But its about time I get out of this shithole." Clenching his hand into a fist, three razor sharp blades suddenly unsheathed themselves between his knuckles. With one swift slash, the lock hit the floor in pieces. As he stepped out of the cell, his heightened hearing and sense of smell alerted him immediately. He heard the clopping footsteps of... two people? He blinked, the smell familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. He knew whoever they were, they were coming for him. Figuring now it was time to get answers, he slipped into the shadows and waited.

"Rarity! You need to stop batting your eyelashes at my brother like that! He's married to a princess!"

"Oh, it's just all in good fun darling! It's not like it means anything you know. I'm quite sure he gets that quite a bit. He is a dashing, well ranked pony in society... I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few maid mares wanting to get a little something-

"RARITY!"

"She's just joking, Twilight!" Applejack chuckled, her plate now barren of all food, "Besides, your brother wouldn't let any mare take charge of him besides Princess Cadence." The six friends had just finished eating their dinner. The three princesses and Shining Armor had some business to take care of so it was just them tonight.

"How did they meet anyway?" Rainbow Dash asked, flicking a pea on her plate, "I mean, yeah she was your foalsitter and stuff but when did they actually start dating?"

"You know, I haven't actually asked that yet... " Twilight thought to herself, "We used to play together when I was small, but I don't remember them actually dating each other at that time... " Twilight got off of her chair, using her magic to wipe a napkin on her face.

"Heading down to check on the, um... human?" Fluttershy asked, cocking her head.

"Yep!" Twilight replied with a smile, "I'm taking down more food as well."

"Twilight, it's been a few weeks already and that thing still hasn't gotten up... " Applejack stated, "You sure its gonna wake up soon?... The food you put down there rots within the day!"

"And it hasn't even eaten my cupcakes yet!" Pinkie groaned.

"I'm just making sure that when it wakes up it has something to eat," Twilight answered, "Do any of you want to come down with me?"

"Nah, " Dash replied, "It's probably just passed out like it was before. It's weird how it rolls around a lot in its sleep... "

"I think I actually heard it scream and yell a few times... " Fluttershy added, "Poor thing... it must have been through so much... "

"Hopefully we'll get answers soon... " Twilight nodded, "Well, I'm going down. See you girls later tonight if you aren't asleep!" They each waved goodbye to the purple mare as she disappeared behind a door.

Twilight was heavily intrigued by the human. She couldn't get close enough to actually take a look at its face, but its body shape and visible features were so interesting. The things on its arms called 'hands' let her know that it knew how to use tools, and the fact that it was wearing clothes showed that it had some sort of intelligence. From what she had seen of it, there wasn't much hair on its body unlike primates such as monkeys. Did the creature have its own language? She could hardly wait for it to wake up.

The guards let her into the prison area without a problem at all. She had known them personally when she was just a small filly exploring the castle, and they had watched her grow up. Most of the guards she knew by name, but there were a few rookies who she had never seen before. Since she was at the castle at the moment, maybe she could get to know them all.

The Canterlot prison was rarely used... There were very few crimes in this modern day and age besides a few small drunken cider fights. But the ponies were only thrown in for one night so that they couldn't harm anything or anypony around them. The human was the only consistent resident of the prison.

Twilight finally came to the conclusion that the human was male. It's voice was deep, and there were no feminine qualities that she could see on it. Perhaps she was wrong, but Twilight's hunches were almost never wrong when it came to studying something new.

Twilight creaked the door open, "Hello?... " Like usual, she was answered back with silence. Sighing, she walked into the dark room. The human's cell was up against the wall with thick steel bars separating her from the strange specimen. It was nighttime, so everything was pitch black. Her horn glowed, and soon the room had been lit up.

The creature wasn't in its cell.

Twilight wasn't even given a chance to let fear creep into her heart as she was swept up by a thick meaty arm crossing underneath her chin, pulling her up and causing her to dangle above the ground as her horn ceased its magic. She was too shocked and too scared to react, yet she noticed that the creature wasn't choking her... It wasn't trying to kill her. Well, at least not right away. The thought wasn't helping her nervous breathing, however.

The human holding her seemed almost just as shocked as she was for some reason but it quickly tossed that feeling aside. She heard the sound of its blades emerging from its knuckles. She would have to think fast... She could teleport out of his arms and probably-

"Hey, " The creature growled, "I don't know what the hell you are or where the hell I am... But you're gonna help me get out of here." Twilight's pupils dilated slightly. It... It knew how to speak equestrian?

Twilight hesitated, but gave a stiff nod.

"Good... " The human answered back, "Now... You're going to lead me to the exit." Twilight gave another nod... And unknown to the strange creature, she had other plans in mind...

What the hell is this thing?

At first, Wolverine thought it was just some kind of watch dog... until it spoke. His eyes could see its body shape and make out small features, but that was it. And when he grabbed it he could feel a sort of soft fur coat on its body along with a mane... He could also make out hooves on its feet... And was that a horn poking his chin? Wolverine decided to act first and ask questions later.

Holding the strange creature in one muscular arm, he began to use his skilled stealth ability to quietly move through the next dark prison hallway. He found that each of the cells he passed were completely empty. Was he the only prisoner in this strange dungeon? It was still dark so he couldn't get a good look at the creature's face since he was staying out of the light from the torches.

At the end of the hall there was a large wooden door that probably lead to the bigger part of the building. Sniffing the air, he identified two different scents. They had two guards posted outside of the door. Not it was getting a bit more familiar. The light beneath the door showed that his cover of darkness would no longer help him.

"Anyway past those guards?" He asked the creature in his arm. He felt it shake its head and he growled, "Figures." His hand tightened into a fist, his three blades quietly and slowly emerging to their full length.

"Don...

Wolverine blinked, "What?... "

"Don't..."

"Don't?..."

"Don't... hurt them... please... "

He didn't notice it before, but the creatures voice was... female. It sounded scared and young. He couldn't handle scared young females very well. After a moments hesitation, he withdrew his blades. A sigh of relief followed from the creature, and he had to think for a second. If he couldn't sneak by them or harm them...

Wolverine kicked the door open, causing the wooden slab to break off its hinges and hit the ground loudly. He darted out, his arms tightly wrapped around the creature's neck.

"If you don't want her hurt, " He growled, "Then let me- HUH?!"

When the human kicked down the door and jumped into the light, Twilight finally had a good look at his features. He had a black mane that flared out atop his head along with shorter black hair that ran down his cheeks. Unlike ponies, his face wasn't narrowed much at all. He definitely looked much different then what she had thought he would look like.

What surprised her the most, however, was his reaction to seeing ponies for the first time. From what she could tell, he was just as surprised as she and the two guards were. Since he spoke equestrian, Twilight thought that he would have at least seen a pony before.

"What?!" One of the guards blinked before noticing Twilight dangling from the human's arms, "What are you doing to her?! Let her go!" Both of the guard's horns began glowing, and once more the human was surprised at what was happening before him.

"No... " he growled back, finally coming to his senses, "If you resist... I'll snap her neck... " Fear crept back into Twilight's heart, but it was gone as soon as it had come. She couldn't feel any killing intent from him, and his arms didn't tighten around her neck... It was as though he was completely different from the thing that had run rampant through Canterlot just a few weeks before.

"Do as he says!" Twilight replied to the guards, causing them to gape at her in shock, "I'll be fine... it's okay... " She gave them a knowing wink. The two ponies stared at her before nodding, their horns dimming.

"That way... " Twilight said, pointing a hoof down a particular hallway. The human nodded before immediately taking off. The two guards nodded to each other before running off to find the captain.

I never thought the day would come that I would take a purple talking unicorn captive to escape from a prison...

Wolverine believed himself to be completely insane. He had just seen two horses with horns wearing shiny golden armor while he himself had an arm wrapped around the throat of violet equine. He had no clue what the hell was going on... Was he hallucinating? Was he drugged or something? Only time would tell.

At least he had a big height advantage on the horses. Their height reached his waist, and he was betting that the unicorn in his arm was even shorter than that. Was he finally going crazy or was he trapped in the imagination of a six year old girl?

Taking his mind off of that, he took note of his location. He was currently running on a fantastic red carpet, with elegant stone walls and stained glass windows. Large expensive looking paintings were hung up, along with wonderful bright chandeliers that were being hung high from the extremely tall ceiling. He had to be in some sort of mansion or castle.

"That way... " The purple unicorn pointed. Wolverine didn't exactly trust this horse, but he had no other choice at the moment. There was no way it could be smart enough to lead him into a trap, right?

Wolverine immediately followed her directions, sprinting all the while. Despite his great healing abilities along with his superhuman qualities, he was much slower and more exhausted than what he would normally be. What was going on with him?

"What's... your name?... " The unicorn breathed as she dangled from his arms.

"I don't have time for that." Wolverine snarled, his feet pounding as he ran. He hadn't seen many guards since he made it out of the prison, and the ones he did notice he managed to sneak away from. Whatever the case, whoever owned the building he was in must of been very confident of their security.

"Please?... " The unicorn coughed a little, "I would... like to know..." Wolverine frowned, and opened his mouth to answer.

"HEY!" A shout came from behind, "What's going on?! Release the unicorn, you fiend!" Wolverine looked back to see a whole group of horses charging at him, each of them wearing the shining golden armor.

"Shit... " Wolverine breathed, "Are we almost there?!"

"Those doors... " The purple equine said, pointing a hoof at a set of gigantic and heavily decorated doors. There were four guards posted outside of it, and they stared at Wolverine with shocked expressions as he approached them.

"Dammit...! " Wolverine snarled, his arm tightening around the purple unicorn's body, "Alright... Hold on tight." He felt the horse wrap her hooves around his arm. Taking a deep breath, Wolverine sprinted and leaped high up into the air, jumping a few meters above the heads of the flabbergasted horse-guards. Cocking his arm back and tightening his palm into a fist, Wolverine released a loud battle cry as he smashed his fist as hard as he could into the wooden door. He felt the wood bend and break from the contact, and he rotated his body so that his adamantium spine crashed through, protecting the horse in his arms from the wooden debris.

When he broke through, Wolverine landed hard onto his feet, the stone ground cracking beneath his weight. Taking a deep breath, he gazed forward.

"Okay... Where to nex-

There was a bright flash, and the horse that was once in his arms suddenly disappeared. Completely taken by surprise, Wolverine stared at his empty arms before slowly gazing upward, his jaw dropping at the sight. This wasn't the exit to the castle... This was a throne room. He had been tricked.

"Oh my... " A mature sounding female voice called out quietly, "It's... awake... "

Wolverine looked to see a massive horse standing on what appeared to be a throne. A golden crown was atop her head, and her mane was flowing with many different colors. Beside her was a smaller horse, but she was still large in size. Her body was dark, and her mane resembled the night sky. And between them both was the purple unicorn that was in his arms just moments ago.

"Shit... " Wolverine cursed as the large doors opened up behind him. In a matter of seconds, he was completely surrounded by the horses in shimmering golden armor.

"Yeah... " He grumbled, tightening his hands into fists, "I'm definitely dreaming... Somebody fucking pinch me."

Displeasure

View Online

Twilight's heart felt like it was about to burst through her chest. A part of her did feel bad for leaving the human alone like that, but she knew she didn't want to take anymore chances. Besides, if Luna saw Twilight being choked like she was in the arms of the human, there might have been an immediate banishment to the moon. Rubbing her sore neck with her hoof, she continued to watch the spectacle.

The human was entirely surrounded by the royal guards. Twilight could only guess that there were at least fifty of them, and each one had an angry glowing horn.

"Twily!" Shining Armor called out, giving her worried eyes as he left the circle of guards. When he got to her, he lifted her face with his hoof to inspect her for any signs of harm.

"I'm alright, Shining... " Twilight said, lightly brushing his hoof away, "I... don't think that human was really going to hurt me anyway... " She remembered how he had avoided injuring the guards earlier. Whatever he was now, she was sure that it was different from when they freed him from the crystal.

"Yeah right... " Her brother's eyes hardened on the bipedal figure that was surrounded by his soldiers, "Twilight, we've seen what it could do... That thing is like a monster... It could have killed me, or anypony before."

"So I'm the monster?", the human retorted, "You're the fucking talking horses. Last time I checked horses only ate, shit, and slept." The guards all froze, their mouths dropping slightly in surprise. The two princesses and Shining Armor copied the expression as they stared at the human in utter shock.

"It... " Luna stammered, which finally broke the silence, "It... speaks equestrian?... "

"Equestrian?... " The human blinked, furrowing his eyebrows, "Oh, I get it. It's funny because you're all talking horses. Who was the little girl that thought all this up anyway?"

"Shining... " Twilight said quietly a she nudged her brother with her hoof, "Tell your guards to stand down. I don't want to anger him further... " Her strange peaceful statements were baffling her brother. Wasn't she being choked in the human's arms just moments ago?

"No way!" Shining Armor dismissed as he approached his group of soldiers, "This thing could possibly take us all out. I'm not planning on giving it a chance."

"Shining Armor, " Princess Celestia called. Shining Armor immediately turned and stood at attention as he held his hoof in a salute near his forehead.

"Yes, Princess Celestia?"

"Order your troops to stand down but have them alert. I would like to converse with this human." Princess Celestia met the gaze of the human and made sure to hold it. Shining Armor hesitated and gritted his teeth, his eyes casting themselves onto the ground as he made a silent sigh.

"Very well... Troops, I order you to back off and stand down. But do NOT let that creature out of your sight." The guards stared at the human for a few more moments until their horns dimmed. They slowly backed away, but they were focused intently on the dangerous creature in the throne room.

"That's right... Listen to captain seabiscuit." The human mocked. His attention turned back to the tall white horse with the majestic mane as it approaching him.

Wolverine had no clue what the hell was going on.

It had taken all of his strength not to turn and beat the living hell out of all those horse guards. He was not ready to be taken captive by the figments of a small child's dream. He didn't even know if this was reality or not. He could be trapped in a simulation machine, or maybe Charles Xavier was pulling a little prank on him.

No... It can't be Charles. Charles is already...

"Human, " The unicorn/pegasus/big horse said, "I do not seek any violence, nor do I wish to cause you harm. I only want to speak with you."

"Huh, " Wolverine grunted, his arms crossing over his chest as he raised an eyebrow, "Now what exactly are you?" This horse in particular was taller than the rest. This "Princess," not only had a horn but had wings at her sides as well. Not to mention that she was the only horse he could see eye to eye.

"I am Princess Celestia. I rule Equestria with my sister, Princess Luna. We are both alicorns, an immortal race of ponies."

"Ponies?... Is that what you call yourselves?... " He shook his head , "Yeah... This is definitely some cartoon for ten year olds."

"You are speaking with my sister, human!" The darker alicorn snapped from across the room, "Speak to her with respect!"

"Luna, please... " Celestia spoke, glancing over at her sister, "This human is living in a world unlike his own. You must understand that he knows nothing of us." Luna grew quiet, and Celestia turned her gaze back towards the confused creature. Celestia was ignoring the human's gruffness but she herself was on high alert.

"Would you be so kind to tell me your name?" Celestia asked, "If you speak our language, you must definitely have a name."

"Speak your language?" Wolverine shot back, "You speak my language. And its english, not some goddamn equestrian bullshit." Some of the guards were becoming aggravated with the way he was speaking to the princess including that captain of theirs. Something told Wolverine that they weren't going to have a pretty relationship.

"Please, Princess Celestia isn't trying to insult you!" The violet unicorn cried as she stepped forward, "Please hear her out!"

"Oh... The little pony that tricked me... " Wolverine growled lightly, cracking his knuckles, "And who are you? A court jester or something?"

Twilight fumed a little, annoyed by his insult, "I am Twilight Sparkle! Princess Celestia's most faithful-

"Twilight Sparkle?... " Wolverine couldn't help but laugh at what he just heard, "Jesus Christ... Okay, somebody's fucking with me. Am I being punk'd?"

"That's it... " The captain of the guard growled, "You've done nothing but verbally assault both the princess and my sister! I demand you apologize immediately!"

"And if I don't, captain seabiscuit over there is going to zap me with his magical horn... " Wolverine rolled his eyes, "As dirty as that sounds, you honestly think something like that could stop me?... " He raised his fist in front of his face. The ponies watched in horror as three razor sharp blades slowly made their way out from his skin, tearing the tissue in order to escape their fleshy prison. When they were fully extending, he was once again surrounded by the guards.

"You think you ponies have a chance?... " Wolverine asked with a grin, three more blades extending from his other fist, "These little blades of mine can slice through nearly everything... So say goodbye to your armor... " The atmosphere in the room was tense. The guards were nervously watching the human that was grinning in a horrifying manner. The room could be a bloodbath in mere seconds. It would only take one wrong move.

"You.... " Twilight blinked, her eyes on his fists, "Your... Hands... " Her brother's attempts at dragging her away have failed, and he stopped tugging her tail with his mouth.

Wolverine's eyes slowly moved to hers, "What about them?" His voice was gruff and scary. Twilight took a deep breath, and slowly began walking forward.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his arm extending so that his sharp claws pointed directly at Twilight's head. She stopped walking when she was about an inch away. Her eyes didn't leave his fists.

"Your... claws... " She said quietly.

"What about them?" He inquired, "They can tear through your skull like butter. If you don't believe me, I can show you." Shining Armor's horn slowly began to grow brighter. Like he would let something like that happen.

"Do they hurt... every time they come out?... " She asked, her voice holding sympathy. Wolverine froze, his eyes staring into hers. She was beginning to remind him of somebody important...

"Yeah." He replied, "Every single time."

Twilight nodded, "I see... So that means that humans normally don't have something like that coming from their... bodies... "

"No." Wolverine answered, "Just me." Somehow at this very moment... Wolverine really didn't feel like fighting. He slowly pulled back his fist, the blades instantly retracting.

A violet blast hit Wolverine directly in the chest and sent him sprawling across the room before smashing into one of the white stone walls. The room echoed with the heavy impact, and visible cracks could be seen forming on the stone around his body.

"SHINING ARMOR!" Twilight screamed, her brother keeping his intense gaze on the body of the human on the wall.

"Twilight, he had his claws out... " Her brother growled back, "He was ready to fight. Didn't you see how he was provoking us?"

"Didn't you see him pull back his claws?! He wasn't going to fight anybody!" Twilight complained, as she looked up at Princess Celestia, "Princess!"

"Twilight, we know nothing about this creature, " Celestia replied as she cast a worried glance towards the human-sized crater in the wall, "It could have very well done something we don't know about. But Shining Armor, " She gave the unicorn an almost mad look, "You DID disobey an order. From what I was seeing, the human didn't even make a move to attack."

"I'm... Sorry... I guess I did it without thinking... " Shining Armor apologized, "I-

"So... " The human coughed, prying himself from the stone wall, "You CAN pack a punch... " He was smiling, a thirst for battle boiling in his veins.

"I'm sorry about that!" Twilight cried out, "Please, just give us one more chance!"

"Like hell I will!" Wolverine replied angrily, "You're all just humiliating me... It's time I finally did something about it!" One of the guards fearfully fired a powerful blast, aiming for Wolverine's chest. The human quickly sidestepped it as he dashed towards Shining Armor, an angry gleam filling his eyes.

A small line of guards lined themselves up to block his path, their horns glowing. Wolverine made it to them before they could unleash their attack. He smashed his body into them, breaking through as he sent the guards skidding on the floor. A few more fired, but he dodged them easily as he weaved around them. He kicked a guard out of his way and sent him flying towards the wall, diminishing the morale of the troops. They were Celestia's elite guard that were hoofed picked for their strength and combat skill... And they were being destroyed.

"Please!" Twilight called out, "Stop!"

Wolverine grabbed one of the guard's by their hooves and swung them into magical blast. One by one, guards were sent flying across the room as the human approached Shining Armor. When he finally had the space, his sharp blades emerged from his fists, and he sprinted straight at the captain of the guard. Celestia noticed this too late; she had been busy tending to the royal guards, and knew her magic wouldn't reach them in time.

"If that's how you want to play it then FINE!" Shining Armor growled, his horn beginning to emit powerful lights. Wolverine snarled in response, raising his arms above his head. With a yell, an intense beam of power erupted from Shining's horn, colliding with Wolverine's body. The human reacted by impaling his claws into the floor, taking the blast head on as he attempted to avoid being shot away.

Twilight could only watch in horror as the magic slowly disintegrated Wolverine's shirt and the carpet beneath him, her heart pounding in fear. She had to do something now, and quickly...

"ENOUGH!" A powerful voice rang out. Shining's beam immediately ceased, and his body was encased in a blue glow. Smoke was rising from the human's burned body as he panted, pulling his claws from the floor. A similar magical aura suddenly appeared around his body as well, his movements instantly being restricted.

Luna stepped forth, her eyes showing annoyance at the two beings in front of her, "You BOTH act recklessly before the figure of royalty! How DARE you disobey orders, Captain Armor? And how DARE you throw the guards around like ragdolls, human?!" Shining Armor was released and fell to the ground.

The human, however, was not so lucky and stayed held by the grasp of magic. Everypony paused as they watched the light burns on his body begin to clear up, the skin regrowing itself. Before long, it looked as though nothing had happened to him.

Wolverine had initially thought that Magneto had taken hold of him. His body was stiff, and he couldn't move a single muscle. He realized that the dark alicorn was the one holding him back, and he grit his teeth in frustration. He couldn't even speak.

"Human..." Luna hissed, "Our sister tried to welcome you with kindness and you repay her by injuring her royal guards?! You must be punished!" The guards themselves weren't severely injured, but it was most likely that they wouldn't get up anytime soon.

"Luna... " Celestia called, making her way to her sister's side, "Don't harm him."

"He INSULTED all of us... " Luna growled, "It might be better to do away with him right away... "

"Luna... " Twilight said quietly, "Please... " The purple unicorn turned her gaze to Celestia with desperation in her eyes, "Celestia... Please... Let me try and help him."

"That's absurd, Twilight Sparkle... " Luna interjected, her powerful magic managing to keep the powerful human at bay, "He could turn around and hurt you without any warning."

"I agree with Luna... " Princess Celestia added as she watched more guards spill into the throne room, "This human is too dangerous."

"But we can't hope to be friendly with him if we just keep him locked up!" Twilight pressed, "He needs to know about us! He needs to see how we live with one another! Princess... Can't you see that he's all alone?... "

"Alone... " Princess Luna repeated quietly to herself.

Celestia thought for a moment, "Twilight, how do you expect to do this?"

"I want to keep him in the castle, if that's okay... " Twilight replied, "I'll stay here with him. I won't let him out of my sight. We all know that a normal prison won't hold him so my magic will be a necessity. Please, Princess... " A few silent moments passed as Celestia juggled her thoughts around in her head.

"Twily, why are you trying so hard for him?!" Shining Armor asked, "That THING just battered down all of the royal guards in the throne room. He had you by the throat, and he was charging at me with his claws out. What is telling you to give him a chance?!"

"Shining, " Twilight stomped, her eyes filling with her determination, "That thing? He's a human. He may be a different species, but he isn't a wild beast so stop treating him like that. He battered down the guards because you gave him a reason to, he had me captive because he was lost in a place he had never been before, and he was charging at you because YOU were the one to hit him first. In the end, he killed NONE of the guards, he NEVER really hurt me, and YOU just made him mad."

"He was insulting you and the princess! And he was threatening all of us!" Shining Armor took a step back.

"I can't deny that he was threatening... " Twilight answered, "And I know what he was saying was rude and unnecessary, but when he's surrounded by things he had never seen before and in a place he would never recognize... Doesn't that mean he never really got a chance?"

"That does not answer Shining Armor's question, Twilight Sparkle. " Luna said, "Why try so much for him?"

Twilight gave Celestia a pleading stare, "Celestia, you taught me that friendship and trust is what makes us strong and happy. You also taught me that no matter how difficult the pony was, if you open your heart to them and greet them with warmth they can become friends with anypony. This human isn't a pony like us... But if there is a way we can become great friends... Why can't we try and find out?... " The teacher and student stared at each other in what seemed like an hour before the princess sighed.

"You may use one of the guestrooms," Celestia finally stated, "I'll keep guards posted outside at all times. I'm sure you know the correct spell to keep him there?"

Twilight grinned widely, "Thank you Princess Celestia!" She eagerly embraced the alicorn, and Celestia couldn't help but crack a smile at the notion.

"Right... " Luna interrupted, "We feel bad about breaking up such a tender moment but... What do we do with this thing?... "

"Okay... " Wolverine grumbled, "So you're going to be with me at all times?... "

"That's right... But not when we're sleeping of course."

"And... you're a purple unicorn?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just upset at the fact that I have a little pony with the name of a stupid bookseries babysitting me in a pretty princess castle in the lovely land of Equestria. I swear... I take back whatever I did to deserve this..." The guest room he was in was rather large. There was a large bed beneath a wide window, and the floor was a soft red carpet. A desk was to the left of the bed, and there was a couch thrown into one of the walls. Small but somehow powerful candles were on the walls, and there was a door that led to a bathroom.

Wolverine made his way to the window, attempting to look outside. He could make out the shapes of some buildings but it was still too dark to see anything.

"So you're saying that you put up a magical barrier around this room and that anybody besides me can go in or out?"

"Anypony," Twilight corrected, taking a seat on the couch as she watched him, "And yes."

"Anypony... " Wolverine felt disgusted just saying it, "If this is actual hell I wonder where Hitler is... "

"Hitler?... " Twilight asked, cocking her head, "Is that someone you know?"

"Yeah. Me and him go way back." Wolverine said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. With a grunt he plopped a seat down onto the bed, staring at the magical purple shackles restricting his wrists. A tinge of awkwardness was filling the air.

"Hey... " Twilight began, "Would you... mind telling me your name now?"

Wolverine raised his eyebrow, "So now you're interrogating me?"

"No!" Twilight cried out, "I just want to know your name... Or I'll come up with one myself. Like... Spot." Twilight held back a smirk, knowing she had hit some sort of nerve.

"I'm no fucking dog... " Wolverine grumbled, looking over at the purple unicorn, "Fine. My name is Logan. Or... You can call me Wolverine."

"Logan... " Twilight repeated with a light smile, "But what's with Wolverine?... "

"It's none of your business, Sparky."

"It's Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!"

"Whatever you say, Sparky." Wolverine yawned, "By the way... Is there some way I can get a new shirt?... " The magic beam from Shining Armor had completely blown away his white tank top and he felt very uncomfortable in the presence of these ponies without a shirt.

"Of course!" Twilight beamed, "My friend Rarity is one of Equestria's greatest fashion designers! She can probably making you something amazing!"

"Rarity?... " Wolverine blinked, "Do all you ponies have such... stupid names?... "

"Our name's aren't stupid!" Twilight glared, "You just know nothing about pony society or my friends!"

"Would you look at that, " Wolverine mocked, "Sparky over there has friends. What a goddamn joy."

It was Twilight's turn to glare. "My friends are the best friends anypony could ask for. They're kind, selfless, and are always there for you when you need them most. Don't you have friends?" Twilight almost immediately clapped her hoof over her mouth when she realized what she had said. Wolverine's eyes slowly made their way towards hers.

"Friends?" Wolverine scowled, "We both know they would all be long dead by now... Along with everyone I know."

"I'm sorry... " Twilight apologized, her eyes on the floor, "I... I'm so sorry... " Something about the way Wolverine was acting was a bit strange. She was expecting him to be devastated since every person he knew was now long gone. But he was acting like he didn't have any friends... or that he had already been dealing with it for a while.

"It's fine, " Wolverine hissed, "Just don't bring it up again, Sparky." Twilight had so many things she wanted to ask him, but now she wasn't sure if it was the right time to do so. She yawned a little, her eyelids beginning to droop as she fought to stay awake.

"Tell me something, " Logan started, "Why... Why is it that you want to give me a chance? For all you know, I could be a mass murderer. I could kill you in your sleep. I could try and burn down this whole castle. But here you are, just sitting over there watching me. Why? What are you trying to gain?"

"I'm not trying gain anything, " Twilight shook her head, "Logan... I don't think you're a bad pony- I mean person. You didn't really meant it when you said you would snap my neck, did you?... "

"You don't know what's on my mind, " Logan snapped back, "And I suggest that you stay out of there. You fucking tricked me, and I'm not going to let that slide any time soon. I don't forgive and forget, Sparky."

"You didn't kill any of Celestia's guards when you had the chance, " Twilight said, "You're just confused... and lost. I can help, Logan. We all can help."

"Yeah, well fuck you." Wolverine finished, jumping onto his back onto the bed with his eyes locked onto the ceiling, "I don't need some pony therapist right now. What I need right now is a cigar and some beer." He sighed, moving up his hands to stare at the magical shackles. Well, he had to admit he did deserve them. He didn't give them the best treatment, but it wasn't like he was going to go all out and trust these weird creatures right off the bat. He would never trust anybody so quickly, and if they wanted some answers they would have to pry to get them.

"You know, I thought you would somehow be surprised by our magic... " Twilight stated, looking over at Logan, "But you seemed pretty familiar with it... "

"I've been held up like a puppet like that before and I've been hit with more powerful beams, " Wolverine remarked, glaring hard at the purple pony, "And teleporting isn't something that I'm unfamiliar with either."

"I see..., " Twilight yawned as she stood up, "It's time for me to hit the hay. I tried talking to Celestia about staying the night here, but she doesn't want to give you a chance to hurt me." Twilight moved towards the door. She still had many questions, but those would be for later. Sleep was the main priority.

"Maybe if you stayed here I would." Logan answered back.

Twilight smirked, glancing back at him before yawning, "If you did... You think you could actually have a chance?" With a wink, she passed through the purple barrier and shut the door.

Logan frowned, staring up at the ceiling. If he was going to kill a pony, the purple unicorn was definitely at the top of the list.

"Sister... " Luna murmured at Celestia's side, "Was that a wise decision?" The guards that had been knocked around by the human were finally getting up. They were groaning and a bit stiff from pain but they were fine. A few had bruised ribs, and the worst was a fractured pelvis. The most common injury were bruises and some small cuts.

"Luna, I trust Twilight Sparkle, " Celestia responded, her eyes gazing out the window, "If there is a pony in Equestria that could help that human... It would be her."

"You seem almost too trusting of that creature, " Luna grumbled, "Twilight is with it at this very moment. Doesn't that worry you? Something could happen and we couldn't do anything to stop it."

"I don't trust it, " Celestia replied, "At least not yet. Not only do I have guards posted outside the door, but I have my pegasi guards keeping watch from the window at all times. Unicorn guards are using surveillance spells, and my own quarters are located directly above the guest room. If something happens, I will be down there in a heart beat."

"Wow... " Luna blinked, obviously taken back, "You're ready for just about anything... "

"Yes, " Celestia nodded, giving her sister a light smile, "If my most faithful student is ever involved with something dangerous I'm always on the lookout. If that human even does so much as scratch her... " Secretly, Twilight's odd trust in the human was confusing her immensely.

"I get it!" Luna chuckled, waving her hoof around, "By the way, sister... I believe that it's time to raise the sun." Celestia gave a tired nod and made her way towards the window. She opened it with her magic and spread her wings. She soon took flight high into the sky, leaving Luna in the throne room.

"Princess Luna, " Shining Armor called, making his way to her and delivering a bow, "I would like to apologize again. My actions were not justifiable."

"We understand, Captain Armor." Luna smiled, "You were worried about your sister. We all were. That human came out of the blue, so we were unprepared for what was to come."

"I know, " Shining Armor nodded, "But I'm even more worried now."

"Twilight Sparkle is very powerful. Just like you." Luna said, "That human will need to think twice before upsetting her. Shining Armor, I believe it is time you get some rest. Princess Cadence worries about you, you know."

"Thank you, Princess Luna." Shining Armor nodded, giving her a hoof salute before turning to leave. Luna watched the guards regroup themselves before turning back towards the window, her own wings spreading to their full length. She soon dived out of the window, the first rays of the sun peaking over the horizon.

She flew silently, admiring the architecture of the castle before spotting the guestroom where the human were currently occupying. Sure enough, not too far from the window were four pegasi guards keeping watch on a cloud. They came to attention as soon as they spotted Luna.

"At ease, guards. " Luna commanded, "We would like to be informed on the actions of the human and Twilight Sparkle."

"Nothing much to report, " One of the guards responded, "They conversed for a while and left." Luna gazed into the window. The human was in full view beneath the window, his eyes open. Luna stared at him, trying to analyze him the best she could. The human suddenly blinked, and then shifted to gaze out of the window. Since the day was brightening, he could see Luna in full form. He grit his teeth, raising his fists into the air while protruding what Luna guessed was his middle finger.

"Hm, " She scoffed, "We hope that gesture means hello."

Author's Note:

This chapter was pretty pressuring to put out but now that it is finished I'm relieved. I hope I wrote a satisfying Wolverine along with the interactions with the ponies. Next chapter, Wolverine meets the rest of the elements of harmony.

The Main Six

View Online

Twilight yawned, rubbing her eye with her hoof. She had only slept a total of four hours because of the incident and she wouldn't miss breakfast with the princesses for anything. She had her strict schedule to follow, and straying away from her plans for the day was just unthinkable. The purple unicorn groaned as she sat up in bed, the rays of Celestia's sun peaking through her window.

Twilight rolled off the bed and onto her feet with a bit of a stumble. The events of the previous night had given her extreme exhaustion and she even found it somewhat difficult to think straight. She had been thinking about the human all night and even brainstormed questions that she wanted to ask him. Logan was a mystery, and she was determined to find out what made him tick.

She gave her bed-mane a light and unfocused brushing before she turned to the large bookshelf located on one of the walls in her room.

She spotted a familiar large book with a purple binding and levitated it off of the shelf. The book slowly drifted through the air before it dropped softly onto her desk and opened up. Twilight seated herself, a quill-pen floating in the air as it dipped into a small bottle of ink.

"Day sixteen, " Twilight said outloud, her pen scribbling into the journal, "The human, now that it is finally awake, is held under constant surveillance by the guards and the princesses. The subject, known as Logan or Wolverine, is currently located in one of the castle's guest rooms." She paused for a moment as she tapped her hoof on her chin in thought.

"Today, I plan to find out more about the human's physical traits along with its psychological behavior. The human stands much taller than any normal pony and is nearly as tall as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. The human is strong and was able to overwhelm the highly trained royal guards with ease, but was able to be held stiff by the magic of Princess Luna. However, I noticed that it took immense magical strength to withhold him. Perhaps if he had struggled continuously for a few more moments, Luna's hold would have been broken." There was a knocking on the door, but Twilight was too involved with her journal to notice.

"The human shows aggression and becomes flustered easily. However, the subject acts much differently from when it was first released from the crystal. The subject no longer acts in a mindless state, and it somehow knows the Equestrian language. I plan to find answers for this later as well, but the subject's behavior makes it difficult to make conversation. The human trusts nopony as of now, and much time is needed to make progress-

"Twilight!" A familiar southern accent called from the door, "Y'all in there? It's almost time for breakfast!"

"Coming!" Twilight replied, quickly shutting her book and setting it back onto the shelf. She brushed her mane a bit more before opening the door and walking out.

"Morning, Twi, " Applejack smiled before noticing the heavy bags underneath her friend's eyes, "Sweet molasses! What's got you all tuckered out?!"

"I'll explain later... " Twilight yawned, rubbing her eyes again, "It's probably best to tell everypony together... "

Applejack's eyes narrowed slightly, "Well... Alright. We better hurry, though. Everypony is already down there waitin' fer us."

"Right... " Twilight nodded, "Let's get to it, then."

The two mares made their way down the grand hallways and staircases. They both noticed a lack of royal guards that were usually posted near the windows and doorways, but only Twilight really knew the reason. A few of the guards had bandages wrapped around their limbs, and they gave Twilight a respectful glance when she passed them by.

"Gee, what happened to them?... " Applejack asked, "It's almost like they all went gator wrestling..."

"Well... Something like that... " Twilight muttered under her breath. They finally arrived at the dining room, Twilight's magic slowly opening the door.

The dining room was, of course, gigantic. A huge table that could seat dozens of guests sat in the center of the room. Twilight's friends were crowded around one of the edges along with the Princess. Princess Cadence was also present.

"Mornin' y'all!" Applejack smiled, waving, "I got her!"

"Hello, Twilight!" Cadence smiled brightly, bearing a few bags underneath her eyes as well. It was no doubt in Twilight's mind that Shining Armor had nearly worried her to death.

"Hello!" Twilight smiled, taking a seat beside Princess Celestia and Rainbow Dash. Cadence was seated at the edge of the table, and her friends were all facing each other.

"Did you have trouble sleeping, Twilight?" Celestia asked, "I can understand why. Last night must have been so stressful for you like it was for us all."

"Okay!" Rainbow exclaimed as she waved her hoof around, "Can anypony PLEASE explain to me what happened last night? The throne room is locked, the guards look like they got into a fight with a manticore, and an entire wing of the castle is sealed off!"

"It is suspicious... " Rarity nodded, looking at Twilight. "Darling, would you please tell us what is going on?"

"If it's not too much trouble... I would like to know too... " Fluttershy squeaked, her volume low as usual. Princess Celestia looked at Twilight, her eyes being as gentle as they always had been. She knew that it was best for Twilight to tell her friends. The purple unicorn took a deep breath.

"Well... The human woke up last night..."

"WHAT?!"

Twilight then began to explain the events of the previous night. She included every detail: Her capture, the human's speech, his attack on the royal guards and his current placement. Her friends listened carefully with shocked expressions.

"... And I finally learned his name, " Twilight finished, "His name is Logan... But he also calls himself 'Wolverine'. "

"Wolverine... " Fluttershy repeated. "Like... the animal?... "

"Sounds like a very rude and disrespectful... thing... , " Rarity sighed, "I cannot believe him! Are all humans like him?"

"I don't think so... " Twilight answered, "He did say that he was the only human with those metal claws... "

"How he can heal so fast is what bugs me, " Applejack stated, "Like when his arm grew back...Ugh, I'm gonna be sick again!"

"I have to admit... " Rainbow muttered, "Beating down all of Celestia's guards was mean and uncool!... But kinda cool at the same time?... "

"Girls!" Pinkie exclaimed, a grin forming on her face, "You know what we should do?!"

"NO!" The five mares yelled simultaneously, "NO PARTY!"

"No, you silly geese!" Pinkie giggled, "I was going to say eat breakfast!"

"Oh... " Her friends breathed a sigh of relief.

"AND THEN WE THROW A PARTY!"

"PINKIE!"

"... What the hell am I doing?... "

Logan could hardly suppress his anger towards himself. Here he was being captured and held as a captive by ponies... ponies that could talk. His pride had taken a huge blow, and he couldn't help but let out a strong murderous intent. If there was a chance of escape he would take it... But that would also mean the entire castle would crack down on him. They could never hurt him or kill him, but he didn't know the full extent of their abilities. He would never underestimate an opponent.

Wolverine was sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands in magical shackles that rested in his lap. His wrists weren't bent so he could still use his claws... But what if he did? He didn't know the landscape and he wouldn't know where to go. He would need to familiarize himself with his surroundings first. He took in a deep breath and gazed toward the window.

He had to admit... The view was amazing. He was high up in the castle which meant he had a great view of the city below. The streets were bustling and seemed to be completely clean and pleasant. There was no pollution and no littering... And there probably was no crime either. This world was peaceful and it seemed... perfect.

"But not for me... " Wolverine snarled, pulling on his shackles. He was still shirtless, his muscles in plain view along with the hair that was scattered on his chest and arms. Being half naked in a world with completely naked ponies was just... awkward.

There was a knock on his door and a familiar violet pony stepped in. Wolverine's eyes watched her as she shut the door quietly behind her.

"Good Morning, Logan. " She smiled.

"Good bye, Sparky." He grunted. Like hell he would give her answers today.

Twilight cleared her throat as she seated herself on the couch, "Logan, I have an important question to ask-

"Just shut up." Logan snapped, "You aren't getting anything from me so just stop trying. There is no way in hell that I'm going to trust you and no way in hell that I'm going to ever cooperate with you. So you better stop trying while you still can, bub."

"Oh?... " Twilight's voice had a cocky tone to it, "I was just going to ask what humans ate so I could serve you breakfast... But if you don't want anything I understand." Logan blinked, his eyes shifting to the smiling form of the purple unicorn.

"Dammit, " Wolverine grunted, "You're playing a dangerous game with me, Sparky."

"I'm not playing anything, " Twilight stated, "Do you want breakfast or not?... " There was a silence that was interrupted by a grotesque rumbling occurring within Logan's stomach.

"Fine... " He grumbled, "You win."

Twilight clapped her hooves in victory and smiled, "So... we ponies are strict herbivores. We don't eat meat at all. But I couldn't help but notice you have canines... which means that you eat meat... "

"Humans are omnivores." Logan answered, "I prefer meat, but I can eat most things you can."

"Omnivores... That's interesting!" Twilight's eyes brightened. "So most things we eat... like hay?" Logan stared at her before sighing loudly, smacking his hand against his forehead.

"No, " He said bluntly, "We don't eat hay. We don't eat grass and we don't eat flowers."

"So... " Twilight continued to ask him questions about the human diet with Logan regrettably answering them. His hunger was immense, and he couldn't believe that he was practically being blackmailed by this little pony. The questions seemed to go on for hours until she finally got off of the couch.

"Okay, " Twilight smiled, "I'll be back. Princess Celestia refused to let you out of the room still." Twilight shut the door behind her quietly before practically skipping her way to the kitchen. Her exhaustion had been replaced by excitement. She was getting answers! They may not have been important... but he was at least talking with her even if she had to try to force them out.

"Hmmm... " Twilight thought to herself, "We don't have any meat here... but fruits should be okay. I really doubt that Fluttershy's going to like his diet very much.... "

"What won't I like?"

"Gah!" Twilight jumped in surprise, turning her head to see her five friends staring back at her. There were twinkles of curiosity in their eyes, and Twilight knew what they were planning on doing.

"Twilight, aren't you going to introduce us to this human?" Rarity asked, "He may be uncouth and repulsive... but when a lady is curious she has to make demands!"

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash nodded eagerly, "The whole metal claws shooting out from his skin and healing right away sounds awesome! And when Rainbow Dash is there you know that you can't get better protection!" Her chest swelled up with her pride.

"Um... If it's okay... I would like to know what he knows about animals... " Fluttershy spoke quietly, "I hope that's not too much trouble... "

"And I want to know what kinds of parties he likes!" Pinkie grinned as she bounded up and down, "Oh, and I want to know why he hit me too!"

"Face it, Twi. " Applejack chuckled, "We want to meet him. And we just don't feel safe with you being along with a thing like him."

"Girls..." Twilight bit her lip as she looked into their eyes. She trusted them completely and she really wanted them to meet him. But how would he react to them? He could possibly hurt them and she couldn't bear that thought. Besides, Princess Celestia might not want any other pony to converse with the human.

"I'm sorry, girls... " Twilight said sadly, "But... It's just not safe."

"Exactly!" Rainbow exclaimed, "It's not safe but you're going in there!"

"I... I need to take it up with Princess Celestia." Twilight answered, her ears flattening against her head, "But girls... I would feel much better with you guys with me. " She answered honestly, sharing the smiles with her friends.

Wolverine was on his back on the bed when he heard the door opening. Sighing, he sat up to greet who he guessed was Sparky.

He was surprised to see one of the Princess ponies standing before him instead. It was the darker pony, and just the sight of her was already making his blood boil. She had been the one to stop him.

The door closed behind her, Luna's eyes burrowing hard into Logan's.

"So... " Luna began, cocking her head with a slight smile, "Our sister's pupil has discovered that your name is Logan, is it not?"

"So what's it to you?" Logan shot back, "You expect me to talk to you?"

"Yes, " Luna replied, "I do. I understand that we want answers... And I understand that you want some yourself. "

Wolverine answered her with a silent stare, making the Alicorn chuckle, "You wish to know how you came here. You wish to know how we found you. You wish to know what this world is. And all I wish to know..." Luna walked forward, taking a few steps towards Wolverine.

"You want to know who and what I am, right?" Logan answered back, "That's something that only I need to know. "

Luna smiled sadly, "Logan, we only wish to help you. Why do you continue to push us away?"

"Because, Princess... " Logan stood up, his eyes interlocking with hers, "I keep a policy. You know what that policy is?"

"Indulge us. " Luna replied.

"I trust nobody." Wolverine growled, "And if you DARE correct me by saying nopony I'm going to kill you right here and now... " Luna couldn't help but chuckle a little. Talking to this human was somewhat amusing to her, but she had to admit that the display of his earlier fighting prowess was incredible and scary at the same time.

"Logan, I admit that your existence here is troublesome. But you are an interesting character... because of the words of Twilight Sparkle you did not harm any of the guards... Not even when Shining Armor angered you did your actions cause the deaths of any of them."

"Just... get out. " Wolverine dismissed, turning his head away, "I don't want to talk with you right now."

"Wolverine." Luna spoke, catching Logan's attention once again, "You and me... we are not that different."

"I'm nothing like one of you horses... " Logan growled. "Get out before I make you leave... " His threats seemed petty because of the situation but Luna didn't want to risk that. She had yet to see his full potential.

"Very well. " Luna sighed, spinning around, "It is not me that you will open up to... " The door shut behind her, leaving Logan deep in thought and as angry as ever.

Princess Celestia had her hooves tied up at the moment. The Canterlot public had still not forgotten the incident, and the media were beginning to get out of hand. She could spy reporters running around outside of the castle and she dared not risk them discovering the human. Not yet anyway. She had a speech to deliver in the afternoon on the strange event, and she couldn't bring herself to lie to her citizens. She didn't want to keep them in the dark, but she also wanted to keep them safe.

Logan was also on her thoughts. Even though he was under constant surveillance she was incredibly worried about her faithful student. Twilight was still young and naive but she was also brilliant and mature. She had saved Equestria three times, and she was one of the most gifted unicorns Celestia had ever seen. But to have her in a room with that human? Celestia could only think of the bad things that could happen.

She paced around in her private quarters before moving to her balcony. The crystal shards had been cleaned up and the room had been fixed up in a day. It looked like nothing had ever happened as it was supposed to. Letting out a quiet sigh, the princess watched the ponies of Canterlot go about their day.

"Princess Celestia. " A new recruit opened up the door, "The Elements of Harmony request an audience... "

Celestia looked back and laughed, "Ah! Arrow, you don't have to tell me whenever they would like to see me. It's just fine to let them in."

"Y-Yes Princess Celestia. " The guard nodded nervously as he retreated out the room. A few seconds later her doors opened and she was met with six familiar mares.

"I'm sorry if the new guard gave you any trouble, " Celestia smiled, "He's new because we're a bit... understaffed at the moment."

"That's fine Princess!" Twilight smiled as she took a bow along with her friends, "I understand."

Celestia watched as they rose from the floor, "Is there anything you need, Twilight?"

The purple unicorn shifted nervously as she cleared her throat, "Erm, yes... it's about Logan."

Celestia smile faltered a bit, "What's wrong? Has the human hurt you?... "

"No!" Twilight shook her head, "It's... It's not that. It's..."

"Princess Celestia, " Applejack spoke out as she placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "We were all wondering if it was okay for all of us to meet with the human."

Celestia blinked before shaking her head, "I'm sorry, Applejack. I know you're all curious but it is very dangerous. "

"Which is why we wanna be with Twilight!" Pinkie hopped, "We can't just let her go in there! Friends have to stick together! Please Princess!"

"Yeah! What Pinkie said!" Rainbow agreed.

"As long as it's okay... " Fluttershy added.

Celestia took a moment to really appreciate how much Twilight's friends really cared about her. It was dangerous for them to be with the human... but with Twilight's friends by her side they had proven time and time again that they could do the impossible together. Perhaps this time they could do the impossible once again.

"Very well, " Celestia smiled, "It is permitted." The friends all cheered hoof bumping each other in happiness.

"Thank you so much!" Twilight exclaimed, eagerly running up to her teacher and warmly embracing her. Celestia hugged her back before letting her go, watching her leave with her friends.

"Okay... I think I'm going to grab some apples to start with. He must be starving by now!"

"Why not hay?! Everypony loves hay!"

"Pinkie, he said humans don't eat hay!"

"Has he tried? Has he? Has he?"

"Well... we could try to give him hay... "

"Or maybe a daisy sandwich!"

"He's probably so dirty by now... He probably needs to bathe and clean himself up. I wonder if there is a make over that needs to be done?"

Celestia suddenly became very nervous.

Wolverine was quietly pacing the room when the knocks had started on the door. Sitting down doing nothing was something that he absolutely hated... but he didn't want to admit that he would rather talk to the ponies than sit alone by himself in the room waiting for his food to be delivered.

"You don't have to knock. " He growled, "This room is my holding cell, isn't it?" He heard the door open, and he shifted his eyes over to see who was coming in.

He was expecting Twilight Sparkle. He was not expecting a mob of more technicolor ponies.

"What the hell?!" Wolverine blinked as he sat up, "This isn't a goddamn stable!"

"Whoa... " Applejack gasped, "He really can speak Equestrian... " Like all her friends (With the exception of Twilight) she couldn't believe her eyes. Strange creatures were not uncommon in Equestria but for a creature that has been deemed mythical and ancient was still surprising.

"Oh my... " Fluttershy took a small step back, "He's... scary... "

"Logan, " Twilight smiled, lifting a hoof to point at the mares, "These are my friends!"

"Howdy! My name's Applejack!" The cowpony smiled as she tilted her hat "Nice to meet you, uh, Logan."

"Wish I could say the same, " Logan stared, "Ponies are one thing... hick ponies are another. Get back in your cereal box, Dolly Parton."

"Hey! We don't even know what that means!" A unicorn with a clean white coat and carefully curled purple mane interjected as she looked him up and down, "You brute... you shouldn't talk down to us while you look like... that!"

"What?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow, "What are you supposed to be anyway? A Madonna wanna be?"

"Rarity, " Twilight chuckled nervously, "Her name is Rarity." She leaned over to whisper in her friend's ear, "I told you that he's a bit... unsocial.. "

The blue pegasus stomped fearlessly up to Wolverine. She looked at him head to toe before smirking in his face.

"So THIS is what a human looks like, huh?" She smiled, "I'm not too impressed!"

"Yeah?" Wolverine snorted, "Powder blue pegasus with a rainbow mop on her head? Not too intimidating."

"Hey!" She flushed, "It's a COOL blue and a COOL rainbow mane!"

"Go back to the gay community where you came from, bub." Wolverine replied.

"Heheh... " Twilight smiled nervously as she quiet pushed her angered friend aside, "Um... This is Rainbow Dash. Sorry if she comes on a little too strong... " Logan shook his head with a sigh before he noticed a shivering little yellow thing in the corner of the room.

"Oh come on..." Wolverine sighed, "Don't piss on the floor... it'll smell."

"I... I... uh... " The yellow pegasus shivered as she hid behind her mane.

"Hey! Don't pick on Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash growled as her wings beat the air. She was soon hovering above Wolverine with her fore-hooves crossed.

"At least she doesn't annoy me." Wolverine snarled, "This room just got much more crowded... And I hate crowds."

"Hey... Where's Pinkie?" Twilight asked, looking around the room.

"Would you like a cupcake?... " A creepy, quiet whisper breezed into Wolverine's ear from behind.

"What the fuck?!" Logan turned around, seeing nothing on the bed behind him. Blinking, he sniffed the air before turning forward-

A pink, grinning pony face was just inches away from his own.

"Hi!" She greeted, "I'm Pinkie Pie!"

Wolverine stared back, an angry vein ready to burst out from his forehead. These ponies were only increasing his urge to kill.

"Alright, " Wolverine sighed, "What do you all want?... "

"They just wanted to meet you, " Twilight smiled, "These are my best friends in the world. Oh! I almost forgot!" Twilight had been wearing a saddlebag with a noticeable bulge in it. She quickly moved over to the table and placed a bright white dinner plate onto it. Digging back into the bag she pulled out an apple, a hoof-full of hay and a bottle of water.

"There!" Twilight smiled, "I'm sorry about the hay... Pinkie kept insisting that you try it."

Wolverine stared at the plate before sighing, "Okay, thanks. You can all leave now."

"What? But we only just met!" Pinkie gasped, "There's so many things we need to talk about! Like your claw things, your weird healing thing, and why you hit me!"

"Wait what?" Logan blinked, "I hit you? I've never even seen you before."

"What do you mean?" Applejack asked, "Hitting Pinkie was the first thing you did when we broke you out of that crystal."

"Broke me out of a crystal?... What are you saying?" Logan inquired, his eyes narrowing.

"You mean Twilight didn't tell you?... " Rarity asked, examining her hoof, "You were found trapped in a crystal on some sort of expedition. Apparently, you've been there for hundreds or thousands of years."

"Girls!" Twilight gasped, "You weren't supposed to... oh no... "

Wolverine fists tightened, his teeth gritting. He had been trapped in a crystal for hundreds or thousands of years... That meant that he wasn't in a different world. His world had just changed. Did this also mean that he was the last human in existence? The last survivor?

"I see... so I'm just some museum piece, aren't I?" Wolverine snarled, "I'm just some creature that all of you just want to gawk at?!"

"No! Logan! That's not it!" Twilight cried out, "That's not it at all!"

"How do I know?... " Logan stood up and towered over the ponies, "My world is done for. There is no place for me anymore... Get out."

"But Logan-

"GET. OUT."

"What's wrong with you?!" Rainbow Dash asked angrily, "We broke you out of that crystal! Shouldn't you appreciate it?!"

"Appreciate?... " Logan displayed his canines, "You didn't free me... You just threw me into a shithole of a world that's laughing at me like some fucking joke!"

"Nopony's laughing, Logan!" Twilight stomped, "We didn't want anything like this to happen to you, Logan! We didn't know!"

"Just SHUT UP. LEAVE ME ALONE!" Wolverine snarled, "I'LL FUCKING KILL-

"Stop!" A squeaky, scared voice called from across the room. All eyes turned to the pink maned pegasus who was shivering from the yelling. No longer hiding behind her mane, her big eyes were on Logan's. Wolverine was panting, his face flushed with anger and his veins ready to burst.

Hesitantly, the yellow mare began to walk over to the human. She stopped right before his feet, her eyes never leaving his.

"Get away... " Wolverine snarled, "I'll hurt you... "

Fluttershy bit her lip before shaking her head , "N-No... "

"Get. Back." Wolverine's fist tightened, "I won't say it again." Logan was ready to send out his claws. But a sudden gleam in her eyes stopped him. His thoughts suddenly all disappeared, his anger suddenly dissipating right into the air. He tried to speak but nothing came out, and he couldn't look away from her eyes. It was like he was in a strange trance.

"Logan... " She began, "Please don't be mad at us... we never tried to hurt you. We're only trying to be friends with you and to understand you. So please, would you accept us?... I mean, if it's not too much trouble... " She slowly lifted her front hoof and gently placed it on his thigh. Her gleam suddenly vanished and he regained full control. He blinked and rubbing his temples, trying to register what just happened.

"Just... give me some time to myself. " He said, Fluttershy's hoof coming off of his leg as he sat down onto the bed. The ponies all looked at each other before nodding, heading right for the door.

"Oh... " Twilight smiled, "I... almost forgot." She dug back into her saddlebag and produced a large blue book. She placed it beside the dinner plate on the table before walking out from the room.

Logan sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments before moving over to sit on the couch to get at the table. He lifted up the book, examining it before reading the title.

"Guide to Equestria. " He read aloud before setting it back down. His hand began to reach over to the apple before he spotted the hay. Thinking for a second, he picked up a single piece and brought it to his nose. He sniffed it before placing it into his mouth.

"Hm... " he said. "Still tastes like shit."

Happy Halloween, Everypony! And thanks again to Goodmoney for making this fic possible! Couldn't have done it without you!

The Offer

View Online

Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, has been a great challenge for an intellectual such as I. Throughout our many meetings he refuses to be friendly and cooperative. The subject always uses sarcasm and his sense of humor to challenge us and sometimes we do not quite understand what he is really saying. He refuses to let me or anypony touch him which proved a challenge for when my good friend Rarity was in the process of making him a shirt. He had to describe it to her and had called it a 'tank top'. The article of clothing itself is white and he seemed quite satisfied with the results. However he had not complimented the great work of my friend one bit.

I believe that the subject is actually becoming interested in Equestria. I had left a book that goes into detail about our land and I think he has been reading it... well, it could be that he has nothing else to do but read that could really be pushing him into it. Whatever the case, there is a bit of turmoil about. My friends and I desperately need to return to Ponyville. Applejack's family managed to hire extra hooves at the farm but they need her. Fluttershy is worried about her animals and Rainbow Dash is worried about her wonderbolt training. Rarity wants to work on her new line of fashion while I wish to return to Spike. I hope he's doing alright without me. Pinkie Pie is the only exception because nopony knows what she wants to do.

I don't know what will happen to Logan. I do not wish for him to be kept in the castle forever so maybe it is time to teach him about the outside world. And I believe that a hoofs on experience is the best way to go about it. I took note that the other ponies must not see him yet... but do not worry. I have a plan.

"So let me get this straight... " Wolverine said as he stared blankly at the wall in front of him. Both him and Twilight were seated on the bed by themselves. Fluttershy and Rarity were both playing chess on the table near the doorway, Rainbow Dash was flipping through the pages of a 'Wonderbolts Monthly' and both Applejack and Pinkie had been down in the castle kitchen cooking up some sweets.

"You..., " Wolverine pointed a finger at a smiling Twilight, "Want to turn me..., " he jabbed a thumb at himself, "Into one of you..., " He pointed back at Twilight.

"Well... it would only be temporary!" Twilight exclaimed, "It's not all that bad! Besides, I bet you would be a good looking pony!" Logan had to keep his jaw from dropping as Rainbow Dash snickered in the background.

"No. Way. In. Hell. " Logan grumbled, "I can't believe you even had the NERVE to ask me that, Sparky."

"Oh come on!" Rainbow Dash smirked, pulling down the magazine so that Wolverine could see her toothy smile, "It'd be funny! You could make a pretty cool pony."

"You mean I would be something that you would never be?" Logan shot back with a smile. By spending time with these ponies he was starting to understand what he had to say to get them angry.

"WHAT?!" Dash gasped, "Okay, YOU just stepped over the line!" She angrily waved her hoof, "I have my own fan club back in Ponyville, I saved the Wonderbolts at one point and I can create a sonic rainboom!"

"Sure, whatever. I bet you fly like a penguin, Rainbow Brite."

"It's RAINBOW DASH!"

"Don't let what he says get to you, darling..., " Rarity stated as she gently moved a chess piece on the checkered board, "he's just trying to get you angry."

"Yeah, " Logan nodded, "What the dog said."

"WHAT?!"

"Come on, Logan!" Twilight pleaded, "Just give this a chance! It's the only way Princess Celestia would let you walk out of here!"

Wolverine growled, "She wouldn't 'let me walk out'. I would just get thrown back in here anyway... besides, being surrounded by six of you all the time is bad enough but being surrounded by dozens of you is even worse. If I get out of here the first thing I'm doing is getting as far away as I can." Logan shifted and turned his gaze towards the window.

"Geez... " Rainbow sighed as she rubbed her temples with her hooves, "I know someponies can be difficult but this guy is like in a class of his own!" Twilight had to agree silently. It was hard trying to be friends with somebody who hated your complete existence.

"Logan, " Twilight began, "what do you really want to do? I don't think you want to stay in the castle forever and I don't think that you can survive out there by yourself... "

"I beg to differ. " Wolverine replied, "I've done it before and I can do it again."

Twilight sighed as she tapped her hoof lightly against her head. Time was running out for her and her options were limited. She didn't want to just leave him in the castle but she didn't want to just let him loose either. There was no telling what Wolverine would do if he suddenly went out into the world... not to mention that the ponies could be very fearful of him.

The door swung open and the grinning faces of both Applejack and Pinkie Pie came into view. A wonderful aroma had entered the room immediately and caused the mouths of the ponies to water. Logan had already caught its scent when they had been just coming down the hallway and he had to admit that they did smell delicious.

"Hey Logey!" Pinkie grinned, "Want to take a bite of the most scrumptious delicious and most AMAZING tasting pie ever created in the kitchen of Canterlot Castle?!"

"Sure, " Logan replied, "As long as it was baked by creatures other then technicolor ponies."

"Hm," Pinkie tapped her hoof on her chin, "THAT's going to be a toughy... can griphons bake apple pies? Well, there was that one time Gustave Le Grand baked some AMAZING éclairs..."

"What's your problem, Logan? Can't you smell how great it is?" Applejack chuckled, "Why, I bet your little belly's just achin' for a taste!"

"Actually, " Logan grinned evilly, "My 'little belly' is really aching for some... oh, I don't know... some steak."

The ponies all froze, their faces turning a dim shade of green with the thought of eating another animal. Fluttershy had frozen up, dropping her piece of pie onto the carpet.

"A nice JUICY steak just FRESHLY baked and cut from the BIGGEST cow... I can just PICTURE myself gorging on it with the red juice just trickling down my chin... oh, and that reminds me. Do you ponies have any HORSE radish?"

Fluttershy's body suddenly toppled onto the ground with her eyes frozen as they stared off into the distance. Applejack felt her breakfast and lunch starting to come up from her stomach and she noisily excused herself from the room as she bolted out the door.

"W-Well.... " Rarity whispered lightly as she pushed away her plate of pie, "I think my appetite is... forever scarred..."

"This isn't good... " Celestia said quietly to her sister as they peered into Wolverine's confined room. The ponies and the human were too busy interacting with one another to notice the powerful presence of the two princesses outside of the window.'

"Indeed, " Luna nodded, "The human can't possibly think that we will actually give him steak! That is just so... revolting! Sister, perhaps it is time to use the tofu to satisfy his-

"Dear sister, I'm not talking about the human's appetite." Celestia chuckled lightly, making her sister flush a shade of red in embarrassment.

"Er, yes... of course not... " Luna shook her head, her blush fading. "You are talking about the dark presence that has been creeping up on the castle recently. I too have felt its strange aura."

"Yes, " Celestia's eyes narrowed, "I cannot place where it is coming from. It is obvious that it's because of Logan's arrival in the castle. Something is reacting to him being here and we need to find out what."

"Whatever it is it has been trying to interfere with my magical barrier. Twilight is powerful but also naive... I doubt that she has noticed its dark touch that has been encasing the room." Luna stated as she watched the purple unicorn try to shake the unconscious Fluttershy awake. She couldn't help the small smile tugging the corner of her mouth.

"Luna, I wish to give you an important task... I'm not ordering you but I'm asking you." Celestia said quietly, her eyes meeting her sister's.

"You wish for me to find the source of this dark energy, correct?" Luna replied as she turned her gaze back to Logan, "You did not need to ask, Celestia."

"I'm too busy with royal duties to solve this problem myself." Celestia sighed, "And I need to decide what to do with Logan when it is time for the elements themselves to depart. We cannot keep him in the castle nor can we let him go. He is still dangerous and we don't know his true potential."

"Years ago we would have used a spell to look into the minds of criminal ponies," Luna stated, "What is stopping us now?"

"It is an invasion of privacy, not to mention our emotions are linked. His pain will be our pain and his anger will be our anger. And by the looks of him... he has been through much pain and anger." Celestia bit her lip, "My mind is weary with all this stress... I shall retire to my room for a bit." Celestia gave her sister a bright smile, "Luna, I trust your decision. Please do what must be done." Luna watched her sister take off, her wings flapping brilliantly in the sunlight as she flew to her tower.

"Right... " Luna said to herself, "do what must be done... "

Logan roared, his sharp blades slicing through the blankets as he abruptly sat up in the bed. Sweat was pouring down his skin in streams as he panted, his breath being so warm that he could see it in the air. He took a few moments to collect himself before his sharp claws retracted into his fists. He cursed at himself, running his hands through his brown hair.

"Damnit... again?... " He asked himself. He shook the nightmare out of his head as he composed himself.

Sighing, he pushed the blankets off of himself before noticing something odd. Blinking, he brought his wrists to his face. The glowing shackles that had restricted his wrists were gone. He was far too wary to be happy.

"Okay..." He growled to himself, "Something's up... and I don't like it." He stood up and made his way to the door. He hesitated before he gripped the cold door knob. The door opened without a hitch and he took a step through it.

"So the barrier's gone too... " he said out loud. The hallway was dark and cold, and he sniffed the air.

There were no guards in sight and he couldn't smell anything. What was going on here?...

Logan...

Wolverine immediately turned stiff, his metal claws emerging from his knuckles. The voice came like a whisper and echoed in his head. It seemed like some sort of telepathy.

"Who's there?... " Logan snapped into the darkness, "Show yourself!"

Down the hallway... to the left...

Wolverine hesitated before he snarled, "Alright... When I find you I'll kick your ass... " His claws withdrew back into his skin before he set off into the dark castle.

Logan knew that this had to be some sort of a trap. The voice was leading him through the dark castle which suspiciously had no guards posted. The torches were all extinguished and his sense of smell was somehow being blocked. The air was cold and his instincts were warning him of what was to come.

Through the door...

The voice had led him to a huge set of double doors. He was able to see it because of his super-human sight but that didn't mean that he could see straight through the dark. He could see stars twinkling through the windows outside. He wondered how late it was.

Approaching the large doors, he laid his palm flat against the wood and pushed. The doors creaked open loudly, and revealed the outside world to him. The night air was chilly and refreshing and he could feel a light breeze softly against his skin. His sense of smell was still strangely blocked.

Into the garden...

The door led him into some sort of botanical paradise. The flowers were blooming and wonderful even in the moonlight, and the birds were chirping pleasantly in the cold air. Tightening his hands into fists he began to enter what he believed was the Canterlot Gardens.

He had to admit that the nature in Equestria was much more beautiful that the nature he remembered. Everything seemed to tranquil and peaceful to him. The breeze through the leaves were soothing and the soft grass beneath his feet was well kept and soft. The animals were keeping their distance but they were lively and happy. He was truly in a wonderfully magical place.

He hated it.

His feet led him to the center of the gardens, a strange patch of glowing yellow flowers, and finally stopped him before a large stone statue. A very ugly large stone statue that looked like some sort of strange chimera. It's face was contorted to an expression of horror and he couldn't place what sort of creature it was. Was this a monument of some sort or was this just some terrible taste in art?

"Discord... We should have known."

Wolverine gritted his teeth in reaction to the familiar voice. He heard the sounds of hooves against grass as the being came up from behind him.

"I knew that this was too good to be true... " Logan growled, his gaze still on the statue as the alicorn strode up beside him, "Being released from that horrible room just to be brought in front of some ugly form of modern art."

"This is not some statue created by an artist of unsavory taste, " Luna replied, "This statue holds the spirit of chaos within. Discord."

"Spirit of chaos?... So this world is like some badly written fantasy story then." Logan shook his head, "At least we agree on one thing... this statue looks like it was sculpted by a kid. What is it anyway? Some sort of goat?"

"The term is draconequus." Luna replied, "He has the head of a pony while his body is made from other different things."

"Heh. So like a platypus. I get it." Wolverine nudged his head to the side as a loud crack echoed from the bones in his neck. With a sigh he turned his body to face the princess.

"So this 'spirit of chaos' led me here? Did he also break the magic you placed on the room and my handcuffs?" Logan cracked his knuckles.

"No. That was my doing." Luna answered, "Discord's magic is just a whisper of its former self. While he is able to speak to you with a form of telepathy he cannot interfere with my own spells. I needed to know who or what released you. It was a bit of a gamble but I knew that you would be led to the source."

"So that's why all the guards and lights were out." Logan snarled quietly, "Did you also turn off my sense of smell or something?"

"Oh, no. I just burned incense that has a lasting numbing effect on creatures with heightened sense of smell. The effect should wear off in a few hours." Luna shifted her gaze towards the wary Logan.

"So you used me to find the boss, eh? Crafty, I'll give you that." Logan smirked, "But what makes you think that I'll go back to the room willingly? I have a taste of freedom for the first time. Why would I want to go back to your silly little castle?"

Luna batted her wings , "I didn't take you lightly, Logan." Logan heard a few rustling noises and looked around him. Out of nowhere a mob filled with dozens of ponies in spiky silver armor had surrounded him. They were in the trees, in the grasses, and were also behind the statue.

"Outnumbered, eh?" Wolverine chuckled to himself, "But not outmatched."

"Before you make an arrogant move, listen to what I have to say." Luna moved her front hoof in an arc around her and motioned to the guards.

"These are my lunar ponies." Luna began, "Celestia has her royal guard and I have them. Her royal guards guard the castle at all times and are the first called to combat if the need arises. I am in charge of the lunar ponies and their job is much more dangerous."

"They're all little girl creatures to me," Logan smirked as he flicked one in the nose. The stallion grunted, gritting his teeth as he tried to stay composed.

"They may seem so but my lunar ponies are warriors. This world may look perfect, Logan, but alas it is not so. There are dangerous creatures lurking within horrifying places such as the Everfree Forest. These monsters threaten ponykind. What keeps them at bay are my lunar ponies. When a potentially dangerous monster is on the move towards a pony settlement they take care of it. If there is to be an attack my lunar ponies are dispatched to take care of it before it happens. We work in the shadows to keep Equestria safe."

"Sounds like you're busy giving them false hope." Wolverine shook his head, "And I doubt that you ponies don't exterminate these monsters completely anyway."

"We... do not..." Luna sighed, "It is frowned upon to take the life of another living being. My lunar ponies are tasked with leading the monsters away or to avoid killing by fighting. It is very dangerous."

"And what does this have to do with me?" Logan inquired as he crossed his arms, "I don't see your point."

Luna approached Logan, lifting her head to tower above his, "Logan, there are creatures out there... creatures that have appeared that could easily brush away us ponies. Monsters that could destroy a pony village with a blink of an eye. Monsters that could inspire fear in our ponies... monsters that we haven't seen before. They are creatures we can't simply hope to defeat with our method of sparing lives... but you are different."

"Wait... " Logan blinked, "You're saying... you want me to fight these things for you?"

Luna took a deep breath, "There is always darkness creeping upon Equestria... And with my recent transformation back from Nightmare Moon more trouble seems to be brewing. Our castle was attacked by changelings and Discord had emerged from his prison. I fear that even more evil will be crawling to Equestria."

"Yeah? Well sorry, princess. I don't plan on helping out any of you ponies out. Go back to your stables, Princess Moonbeams." A few lunar ponies twitched as his remark but they held their composure.

"Logan, if you agree to become my warrior, I can promise you that we will give you freedom." Luna stood firm, "When your duties are finished there will no longer be anything to hold you here. You may go out into the world and do whatever you may desire."

Logan held an angry glare with Luna before smiling, "Freedom? Aren't I free now? Looks like all I have to do is beat down you and your guards and I can go. And THAT sounds like a much better deal."

"Trust me," Luna giggled a little, "That isn't going to work." Logan raised an eyebrow as his sharp blades extended out from his fists.

"Oh really?" Logan growled, "Want to show me why?"

Luna smirked and pointed to the ground at Logan's feet, "You have been standing in 'Paralysis Pedals' for our entire conversation. I have to admit that while it takes ponies just a few seconds to be effected it took you nearly ten minutes. That's enough to take out an Ursa Minor."

"What?..." Wolverine blinked, "What are you saying? I can move just- One of Logan's legs refused to budge and he fell onto his back right on top of the flowers.

"You know... I was planning on you fighting against my lunar ponies... but I remembered that we keep these plants positioned around Discord's statue."

"Are you serious..." Logan could no longer budge his arms and his legs were just like statues. He snarled at himself as he tried to thrash around.

"You finished?" Luna asked with a smile.

"The first thing... I'm going to do when I get free... is kill your gardener... " Logan growled as his body was lifted by Luna's magic.

"Think about my offer, Logan." Luna chuckled as Logan's body hovered harmlessly over the earth.

"Was that a smart decision, Luna?" Celestia flipped through the white documents while giving her sister a curious glance. "You DO realize that even if he does agree there is a chance of him just leaving?..."

"I did consider that, dear sister." Luna sighed as she seated herself beside Celestia, "It was a very difficult decision and it was very risky. I would not want to fight against that human... I was worried that the paralysis pedals were not going to effect him at all. It is a rather cowardly move but I did not want to risk any deaths of my lunar ponies. Even with me there it would be very difficult."

"That is all very true... but what are you going to do to keep him... in lack of a better term, in control?" Celestia signed her last paper and breathed out in relief as the stack disappeared in a flash of magic.

"It's not going to be simple, " Luna admitted, "But there is one thing I can do-

The sound of bright brass trumpets echoed throughout the castle as they blazed the happy tune. The two sisters audibly groaned as they brought their front hooves to their temples. It was late at night and there couldn't have been a worse time for this.

"Sister, I thought you sent him to Manehattan with our relatives..." Luna hissed through her teeth.

"I forgot to tell you that they kicked him out..." Celestia answered back as she composed herself, "I was too busy with important royal duties to keep him away forever..." The familiar sound of the throne room doors signified its opening. Celestia and Luna put on their best fake smiles.

"Good Evening... Prince Blueblood..." Celestia greeted in her fake, happy voice. The stallion strolled into the room with an aura of a stuck-up rich kid about him. His mane was well combed as usual and his signature bow-tie was present. One of the servants painstakingly rolled out a red carpet that he stepped on during his walk to the throne.

"Hello Aunt Celestia... and Aunt Luna..." Blueblood said Luna's name with a hint of disgust. Luna's fake smile twitched as she attempted to control her annoyance.

"It's... good to see you again, Blueblood." Luna replied, "What brings you to Canterlot so... late in the evening?"

"Manehattan was just dreadful!" Blueblood stomped his hoof, "The city smelled of commoners, the food was much to be desired, and our relatives are corrupted and arrogant! They do not see my full potential as a prince!" Even Luna was impressed that somepony had an ego that surpassed Rainbow Dash's... but in a bad way.

"Not only that, but I heard that there was some trouble in the castle so I hurried back." Blueblood said, "Something about a... bipedal monster running about?"

Luna and Celestia shared a worried glance.

Turning Point

View Online

"Hey Logey... "

"No... "

"Looooogey...

"I said no."

"Looooogeeeeeey!"

"I swear... "

"... Would you like a cupcake?"

"No!" Logan hissed, "For the last time I do not want one of your nasty looking cupcakes! I don't even know where your hooves have been. So STOP irritating me!"

"Aw, come on! Somebody has a bad case of grumpy-itus... " Pinkie huffed before spinning around. Logan watched her bound to the gathering of her friends on the couch before letting out a stressful sigh.

"Think about my offer, Logan."

Luna's voice was echoing through his head like a constant drum beat. It had been two nights since the encounter in the gardens and he couldn't think about anything except her proposal. Sure this world was downright dumb and girly but he was there now and there was no stopping it. But he didn't want to give in to the princess... scratch that, he didn't want to give in to any one. Or as they would say... anypony.

"Now I'm starting to sound like them... " Logan muttered under his breath. He shot a glance at the six mares spending their time in his room. None of them ever seemed to be bored when the others were around and they only left for food and for bathroom use. He was positive that they were having fun just irritating him.

A random question suddenly popped into Logan's head.

"Hey Sparky," he called, "I have a question for you."

Twilight's ears twitched as she looked questionably at Logan. Whenever he spoke to her it would either be something insulting or asking her for food. Her friends noticed this as well and grew silent as the attention shifted to the human.

"Yes?" Twilight asked with genuine interest.

"Tell me... Luna's knights... what do they do?"

"Luna's knights... oh! You mean the lunar guard." Twilight blinked at the peculiar question, "Well, they... um... they're the royal servants of Princess Luna. They do whatever she wants them to I believe... "

Logan raised an eyebrow, "So you don't really know."

"Well they guard the princess obviously!" Rarity stated, "I mean, what else would they be for?"

"Are ya sure there, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, "I mean, I only see Celestia's guards doin' the protectin'. Only time ah've actually seen the lunar ponies was during Nightmare Night... "

"Hm... do you think they're like secret agents or something?" Rainbow Dash asked with a puzzled expression, "Now that I think about it, it's weird how we never hear about them or SEE them at all."

So what she said was true... what they do is completely kept secret from everybody else... Logan thought to himself.

"Why the question?" Twilight asked as she cocked her head, "I didn't think any of us really brought them up to you before... "

"It's nothing, Sparky. Just leave it at that." Logan sighed.

"Oh!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, cutting of Twilight's small investigation, "Did you guys hear about who arrived last night?!"

"Um, no... who?" Fluttershy asked, cocking her head in question.

"Its that one pony Rarity was with at the Grand Galloping Gala that one time!" Pinkie began hopping up and down, "Oh, what was his name?? Bluegills? Blue Jean? Blue Boxer? Blue Oyster Cult? Oh wait, I remember! It's Blue-

"Blueblood... " Rarity seethed, a fire igniting into her eyes as her expression contorted to a face that resembled an angry manticore. The small bronze cup she held in her hooves began to screech with the pain of being squeezed while her friends could only watch in slight terror.

"Oh, haha... I forgot about him... " Twilight scratched the back of her head with a nervous chuckle.

"Bad date?... " Logan asked with a shallow smile.

"He's only the most selfish, thick-headed arrogant son of a mare that I have ever met!" Rarity growled, "How DARE he come back here?! If he does so much as LOOK at me I'll sew his face to his cutie-mark!"

"Wait... cutie mark?... " Wolverine asked, feeling a bit of his masculinity leave him with the term.

"Cutie mark, you know? The markings on our flanks?" Twilight smiled, turning so he could see the marking on her purple coat.

"Oh... you mean the tramp stamps. I was wondering why they were in the wrong place."

"What are you saying?!" Rainbow Dash called, her wings fluttering as she stood in front of him, "Cutie marks are magical symbols that appear when you discover your true talent!"

"Oh, " Logan grinned, "So what is yours? Breaking wind?" Pinkie couldn't help but chuckle at the sarcasm, leading to a harsh glare by Rainbow.

"So humans don't have cutie marks?" Twilight asked, "For us that's... odd. How are you supposed to discover your true talent then?"

"Well... " Logan thought for a moment, "Some people go their whole lives without finding theirs. Some people don't even have a talent." Twilight frowned at Logan's cynical view.

"Then... what's your talent?" Rainbow asked as she cocked her head, "Making other ponies angry?" Wolverine couldn't help but laugh at the remark.

"My talent?... You sure you wanna find out?" Logan asked with a slightly demonic smile.

"N-nevermind that... " Twilight sighed, "I'm sorry for the whole Blueblood thing, Rarity."

"I'm more worried about him finding out about Logan... " Fluttershy stated, "He's not the most... accepting pony."

"Far from it." Rarity snorted, "But the mare has a point. I'm sure he's heard the rumors of a strange monkey creature terrorizing the citizens of Canterlot."

"Aunt Celestia, I want to confirm the rumors of this strange monkey creature terrorizing the citizens of Canterlot." Blueblood stated with a light stomp of his hoof, "I also heard that you are trying to cover up what is happening. I want to know exactly what is going on!" Blueblood was ranting to Celestia in the throne room without the presence of Luna. The lunar princess had been smart to not be there.

"I am sorry Blueblood but there is nothing I can tell you." Celestia replied as her headache began to soar to a height of new pain, "It is not important right now. Canterlot and this castle are safe."

"But am I safe?!" Blueblood asked, "I am the rich nephew of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna! For all I know that monster could be out there waiting for me to walk out into the open!"

"Prince Blueblood, I PROMISE you that you will not be in any sort of danger. My royal guard is posted for twenty four hours and you know that they are the best trained soldiers in all of Equestria." Celestia had to resist rubbing her temples with her hooves.

"Hmph!" The prince snorted, "I'm sorry, Celestia. But I don't trust the ponies that YOU assign to me. I have decided to take my safety into my own hooves with the best protection money can buy!" As if waiting for that cue, a dozen or more crudely armed nasty ponies strolled into the room. Large steel armor was clasped around their frames and their bodies were built well with fighting muscle. Weapons of all sorts were littering their bodies and many of them had horrid teeth and a bad smell. Celestia had to fight off her gagging.

"My mercenaries have been paid well to ensure my own safety. You ARE going to give them clearance to the castle, correct?" Blueblood's arrogant smile made Celestia's skin boil. She was able to keep her calm and sighed deeply.

"Blueblood, there is no need for this! You are in a castle with TWO immortal powerful princesses in a castle with the greatest fighting force Equestrian can muster. Why are you being so-

"Need I remind you of the changeling attack?" Blueblood asked with a grin, "How well did the two immortal princesses with the best protection fair?"

Celestia's eyes narrowed, "Blueblood-

"And how about Discord? Where were you when he broke out of his prison? It's almost like you are relying on the elements of harmony for everything! How can I trust YOUR protection if you can't even protect yourselves?"

Celestia kept her gaze locked onto Blueblood's before sighing, "Blueblood... I hate the thought of having dirty mercenaries in the castle. I almost feel like its promoting violence. "

"Promoting violence? Trust me, Aunt Celestia, these mercenaries won't hurt anything unless I tell them to. If it makes you happy they will only be posted around my quarters and escort me throughout the castle whenever I decide to take a nice little stroll." Blueblood smiled.

Celestia was about to reply when an idea struck up in her brain. She stared at Blueblood as the gears moved in her head before giving him a strangely radiant smile, "Very well, Blueblood. They have clearance as long as they only stay around your quarters and are at your side during escorts."

"I knew that you would see it my way." Blueblood chuckled in arrogant victory, "Well, Aunt Celestia, I'll see you at dinner." Bluebood turned to the door with his mercenaries close behind him.

"Until then, Blueblood." Celestia replied, unable to hide her grin.

Logan breathed a sigh of relief as the last brightly colored pony left the room. He barely had any time to himself nowadays and there usually was at least one or two ponies with him. One of them was always Twilight and each day she would probe him with questions. He made sure not to tell her anything in detail. Especially anything about him being a mutant or his abilities.

Logan took a quick look of the room and realized how clean it was. Whenever those ponies came and went they always made sure that his room was all neat and tidied up before they left even if he was the one to make the messes. Frowning, he seated himself by the couch as he stared that the book on the table.

"What... am I doing?" Logan asked himself, "There hasn't been one day that's gone by that these ponies haven't annoyed the hell out of me... "

I hate their cheerful attitudes. I hate how they never leave me alone. I hate how they keep checking up on me and seeing how I'm doing. I hate how they always try to be friends with me. I hate how they always try and see the best in any situation. I hate how I can't get away.

Logan tightened his hand into a fist.

But sitting here hating everything isn't going to do me any good. It's time for me to take an action. It's time for me to do something about my situation.

Luna's face flashed in his mind and his thoughts drifted back to the offer.

She wants me to fight some monsters that are threatening her country, eh? I'll never be her willing servant or slave like that... but I'll be protecting something again. Maybe saving people again. Maybe I'll actually come to terms with this world...

Logan shook his head with a snarl.

No. I'm not meant to be in this world. I doubt I'll actually get along the ponies here and I'll doubt that I'll ever find a place... but that doesn't mean that I can't stop looking for my reason to be here. I'm a killer and I'm a mutant... but at one point, maybe... I was a hero. What would you tell me to do, Charles?

Wolverine sat on the couch in silence as though he was waiting for a reply. The was no answer, but the human couldn't help but smile a little.

"Right... " Logan said aloud, "It's time to move on." Wolverine grabbed the book on the table and began to flip through its contents.

"Manehattan?... Trottingham?... Fillydelphia?... " Logan asked with a cocked eyebrow, "I'm starting to think that Charles really DID make me think like a five year old girl. I better not take up an interest in ballet anytime soon." As he mindlessly scanned pictures and names something finally caught his eye.

"Everfree Forest?" He read. As he read the descriptions he couldn't help but smile.

"Dangerous creatures, poisonous plants and mysterious powers, eh? Sounds like fun."

A strange yet familiar scent caught the attention of Logan's nose. Sniffing the air, Wolverine turned his attention to the window. The sky was already darkening and he could see the outline of a dark figure behind the glass. He made his way over and peered into the outside world.

He was met with the familiar face of Princess Luna who was giving him a blank stare. Sighing, Logan unlocked the window and pulled it open. The barrier wouldn't let him leave the room, however.

"Oh look, the princess has come to my window." Logan smiled, "Here to take me on a date?"

"I'm here for your answer on my offer." Luna replied with a frown, "Not a date."

"Oh, silly me." Logan mocked, "Of course you didn't want a date. You didn't even bring flowers.

"Look... " Applejack sighed, "Rarity, ah know that you really don't want to see this Blueblood character but you don't have to moan and whine about him right now!" The six best friends were on their way to the dining room where they would have the unfortunate chance to meet the arrogant prince himself. They were not thrilled, but in Rarity's case, she was horrified.

"Every time I think of him I just get so... Ugh!" Rarity growled loudly as she waved her hoof, "Honestly, I never thought that I could ever loathe somepony so much... It's ridiculous!"

"Chill out, Rares!" Rainbow sighed, batting her wings to hang in the air beside her friend, "It's not gonna be the end of the world! Even if he did try to touch you my hoof would be embedded in his face before he could reach for you!" Rainbow punched the air with a smirk on her face.

"Don't worry, Rarity." Twilight smiled, "With us around, I'm sure you won't have any trouble. We'll be with you every step of the way!"

Rarity smiled brightly, "Oh, I know. A mare couldn't ask for better friends." The holders of the elements finally reached the large golden doors. With a flash of Twilight's horn, the large obstructions swung wide.

Seated at the dining table were four ponies. Celestia was at the head of the table with Shining Armor and Cadence to her left. Luna's seat was taken by none other than the prince. Blueblood turned his head to see the visitors and immediately grimaced.

"Aunt Celestia, why are there commoners in the dining room?" He asked, "They are dirtying our royal tile floor!" Rarity began to heave in anger but a quick pat on the shoulder by Applejack calmed her down. A little.

"Blueblood, " Celestia began, "They are the elements of harmony and have saved Equestria on multiple occasions. They deserve our utmost respect."

"If you say so." Blueblood rolled his eyes. It was then that he met the angry gaze of Rarity which made him cringe with the memory of the last Grand Galloping Gala.

"You... " He seethed, "How DARE you show your face to me?!"

"How dare YOU show your face to ME?!" Rarity shot back as she took a seat next to Princess Cadence. Her friends seated themselves next to her, leaving all empty chairs on Blueblood's side.

"Yeah!" Rainbow nodded, "What she said!"

"Now now, my little ponies, " Celestia stated, "please do not argue over the past at the table. Set your differences aside just this once." Blueblood and Rarity complied silently but glanced angrily at each other every other moment.

"Hey, " Twilight blinked as she looked around the table, "Where's Princess Luna?"

"I'm afraid she can't join us tonight, " Celestia replied, "She has... a few things to catch up on."

"Yes, I'm sure... " Blueblood answered as he eyed the elements cautiously, "I'm sure this has NOTHING to do with the strange monkey creature, yes?" Each of the ponies froze for a moment at the mention of the creature, and it wasn't hard for Blueblood to pick up on it.

"Blueblood, I have told you many times that there is nothing of the sort." Celestia sighed, her ears twitching as the waiters began to set the dinner plates, "The elements of harmony are simply visiting me at the royal castle. Nothing more." The six mares nodded, silly grins upon their faces. Blueblood frowned at the display.

Twilight felt extremely awkward and tried to focus her attention elsewhere. She noticed two strangely armored ponies placed near the doorways next to the guards. Their armor was spiked and dented with use and they wore what appeared to be dozens of weapons strapped all over their bodies. The cold gleam in their eye was spine chilling.

"Um, Princess... " Twilight cleared her throat, "What is with those... strange guards?"

"Ah, those are my mercenaries I hired." Blueblood smiled, "I just can't trust in the protection of my aunt much anymore due to recent incidents."

"Hey!" Rainbow growled as she pointed an angry hoof at the prince, "Don't insult the princess like that or I'll-

Fluttershy clasped her hoof gently over her friends mouth as she hid behind her mane, "Um... please don't yell, Rainbow... " Blueblood gave her an angry glance, making the yellow pegasus eep and shrink back into her chair.

"Prince Blueblood, " Cadence smiled nervously, "I know you want to feel safe and such but... are they really that necessary?"

"Indeed, " Blueblood smiled as he looked over at Shining Armor, "You can't expect too much from the royal guard all the time." Shining Armor gritted his teeth but said nothing. Twilight was beginning to fume but managed to keep herself in perfect control.

The group sat in a painful silence as they watched the waiters go to work. They smelled the wonderful aroma of the freshly cooked meals when the food was placed gently onto the table and were all grateful that it seemed to ease the situation.

"That smells soooooo delicious!" Pinkie clapped her hooves as the food was uncovered before her. Freshly baked pies were steaming before them along with dishes of hay fries, pasta, and soup made from the finest roses from the garden. Pinkie reached for a large pie.

"WHAT do you think you're doing?!" Prince Blueblood growled angrily, slapping her hoof before it could touch the pie, "Commoners like you have to wait for us nobles to be served!" Pinkie's eyes shrunk as she gave a sad frown, her mane beginning to lose some of its puffiness.

"Blueblood!" Rarity snarled, "Don't you DARE hurt my friend like that!"

"Commoner!" Blueblood growled back, "You must not speak to a noble in such a way!"

"Maybe if you weren't such a selfish pig she wouldn't have to yell!" Rainbow shot back, her wings extending in anger.

"Don't speak to me in such a way you dirty pegasus!" Blueblood snapped, "I can have you grounded for life!"

"Don't talk to my friends like that!" Twilight gritted her teeth, "You have no right to treat them this way!"

"I can do what I WANT! I'm a Prince!" Blueblood shrieked.

"Don't yell at my sister like that!" Shining Armor bellowed as he stood up from the table, "Your words are as filthy as your personality!"

"Quiet, fool!" Blueblood yelled back, "I don't take orders from a pathetic low-life stallion! I can't even believe you made captain of the guard!"

"Hey! Simmer down, now!" Applejack smashed her hoof onto the table, "What is your problem!"

"A farmer like you has no business with me!" Blueblood glared, "You can't tell me what to do!"

"Um... please... don't yell at her... " Fluttershy said quietly, "Um... if-if you don't mind... "

"And who are YOU?" Blueblood roared, "Pathetic little pony, go crawl back into the dirty cave you came from!" Tears welled up in Fluttershy's eyes, her lower lip beginning to tremble.

"ENOUGH!!!" Celestia screamed, the table vibrating from the shock of her voice. The room rumbled with its echo and a few cups spilled over from the mini earthquake that shook the room. The ponies all froze in fear and surprise.

Celestia took in a deep breath, "I am VERY disappointed... " She took a moment to collect herself, "Dinner is over for tonight. I would like you all to return to your rooms and think about what just happened here."

"But-" Blueblood complained.

"NOW!" Celestia ordered, her eyes staring daggers into Blueblood. The prince nodded hesitantly before getting out of his chair and scuffling to the doors. The other ponies looked at each other before following afterwards, sulking with each step. Celestia sighed deeply before dropping her head onto the table.

"Now I've done it... " She sighed to herself, "I'm so sorry, my little ponies... "

Luna and Logan were facing one another in a large circular room. Book shelves framed the walls around them along with interesting trinkets and a few desks that were covered in messes of papers. A single large window peered out over the rest of the castle and Canterlot, and one could see perhaps as far as Ponyville. The sun had dropped completely beneath the horizon and the moon was the only source of light in the room.

"Okay... " Logan began, his wrists still cuffed by magic, "Why did you teleport us all the way over here again?"

"I wish for us not to be disturbed." Luna replied, "I believe you know why I came for you."

"Yeah, and it's definitely not asking me out for coffee or anything." Logan grumbled, "So you want me to give you an answer on your offer, right?"

"Correct." Luna nodded, "I wish to know if you will accept or not. Shall I repeat the conditions for you again?"

"No." Logan stated, "Basically you want me to serve under you for as long as you need me and you will give me freedom, right?" Luna nodded in response and Logan sighed.

"Here's the thing... " Logan began as his eyes gleamed like knives, "I'm not going to accept your offer."

Luna's eyes narrowed, "But-

"I'm not finished." Wolverine interrupted as he lifted his hands and jabbed a finger at her, "I'm not going to accept your offer. YOU are going to accept MY offer. You got that?" Luna blinked, her jaw practically hitting the floor. She then cleared her throat with a small smile.

"Go on." Luna urged.

"Look... " Logan said, "Yes, I have killed before. I know what it is like to take a life and I'm used to the feeling. But I will NEVER harm an innocent. And as far as I can tell, all of you ponies are the most innocent creatures I have ever met. Trouble always finds a way to get to me and those involved with me, and none of you deserve to live the life I have lived."

Logan took a deep breath before continuing, "Here's my offer. I will not serve under you or do your bidding but I will fight your enemies and keep your citizens safe. In the meantime I want to be as far away from any of your kind as possible and in a place where no one would look for me. I don't want to bring any trouble to any of you and I don't want you to be near me. You have my word that I will never harm any of your ponies as long as they don't try to attack me. If they do... they will be sorry."

The two powerful figures stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Silence was buzzing in their ears as they stood still with neither of them backing down. Luna's mind was wrapping around Logan's offer, and she knew that there was no way she could convince the human otherwise. With a sigh, the princess smiled.

"Okay, Logan." She chuckled, "Deal." The princess moved over to Logan and began lifting a hoof.

"What are you doing?" Wolverine asked as he took a small step back.

"I'm not harming you. I'm sealing the deal. Hold out your arm." Luna stated, the bottom of her hoof glowing a light blue. Logan hesitated but complied as he fully extended his left appendage. The princess rested her hoof onto his skin while her horn sparkled a glorious blue. In a quick flash she pulled back her hoof. A marking of a crescent moon was present and shining softly on the side of his arm.

"This mark links us." She stated, "It allows me to know of your whereabouts and works as a signal for when I need your assistance."

Logan growled as he watched the moon mark suddenly disappear, "Yeah, I know that I wouldn't be given full freedom yet. Fair enough."

"Now, I hope you know what happens if you break the deal." Luna's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, yeah... " Logan grumbled, "I can guess. You going to throw the moon at me?"

"Something like that... " Luna smirked, "Sending you to the moon is also another option."

"Okay, I got it. So what now?" Wolverine felt the magical shackles disappear from his wrists and looked at her questionably.

"I have a request, Logan." Luna chuckled softly, "This isn't an order or anything but just a simple favor. A favor I'm sure you're going to like to fulfill."

"Okay?" Logan crossed his arms, "I'll consider it."

"Well... " The princess smiled, "Would you like to meet another member of the royal family?"

Logan stared blankly at her and then cleared his throat, "Um... what?"

"Let me fill you in with the details. Hehe."

Blueblood's eyes shot open, his gaze turning to the familiar sight of the ceiling in his room. He blinked curiously before sitting up on his bed and gently pushing down his covers. His fabulously soft mattress creaked softly with his weight as his eyes began to adjust in the dark. The shiny trinkets and golden objects that rested on his desks and dresser were reflecting the moonlight splendidly along with the wonderful reflection of his treasured mirror.

"Moonlight... " He shivered, "I thought I closed the curtains... and the window... " With a questionable gaze his attention turned to the curtains that were flowing with the icy breeze.

"Did one of the servants sneak in here?" He frowned, "Blasted commoners. I shall have them found and fired first thing in the morning." His horn glowed a vibrant blue and his window shut itself stiffly. The curtains returned to their former positions and Blueblood rested his head back onto his impossibly comfortable pillow.

The closing of his eyes was interrupted by the sound of the curtains drawing back.

"What?!" He growled angrily, "That isn't funny-

There, standing next to the window and bathed in the glory of the moon was a tall, dark figure. It's arms and legs were long and it wore strange garments over its fleshy body. He couldn't see its face, but its imposing form was more than enough to make him feel the blades of fear jab into his heart.

"No... " Blueblood blinked, his eyes widening, "You can't be... "

The creature cackled, its shoulders rising.

"Get away... get back you demon creature! Guards! GUARDS!"

"They can't hear you... " The creature chuckled, its voice sending shards of ice up Blueblood's spine, "Nobody can... "

Blueblood pulled himself away too far off the bed and dropped onto his overly expensive violet carpet.

"What... what do you want?!" Blueblood shrieked, his eyes wide as his horn began to glow, "I'm... I'm a prince! I-I can have you-

"You can't hurt me... " The monster rumbled, "Nothing can. You're not safe here... You will NEVER be safe here... "

"Nononononono... " Blueblood panicked, "Get away... get away!" He scooted back onto the carpet, his body trembling uncontrollably. The creature gave out a throaty laugh and chipped away whatever courage Blueblood ever had. He watched it take slow footsteps towards him, its claws closing together to form a fist.

"I've never eaten royalty before... " The creature laughed in the dark, "Should I have you grilled? Stewed? Boiled?... Or should I have you... RAW?... RAW and ALIVE."

"No!" Blueblood cried out, "PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME! I'LL GIVE YOU ANYTHING!"

"I know... " The creature chuckled, "You're going to give me... DINNER." Blueblood watched as three sharp blades emerged from the creature's fists. He sat terrified as the creature opened its jaws, seeing its horrid eyes and its sharp canines. The creature let out a growl like no other and the room shook with its voice.

"AAUGUAHGUAGHAHAHAAUGHAUHUAHAUAAGUAHUAHAUAGHAUAHGUGHAUAGHAGU!" Blueblood screamed, his large doors thrusting themselves open as the stallion sprinted down the hallway with pure white foam emerging from his mouth, his eyes rolling around in their sockets. The mercenaries that had been stationed outside of his room watched as the prince smashed into the wall at the end of the hallway before taking a direct left. Their mouths gaping, they quickly rushed over and took a look into Blueblood's room.

"Um... " One of the mercenaries scratched his head, "Did... anything happen in here? I sure didn't hear anything out there... and I can't see anything weird either... " His glanced up to see the closed windows and curtains of Blueblood's room.

"Yeah... " Another said, "Only odd thing is that strange wet patch on the floor. It smells kinda like- OH CELESTIA'S HOLY FETLOCKS THAT IS DISGUSTING!"

This won't be the last we see of Blueblood.

Return to Ponyville

View Online

"Did y'all hear anything funny last night?" Applejack asked, keeping her stride with Twilight as they trotted slowly down the hall, "Sounded louder than Applebloom when Macintosh eats her last puddin' cup."

"There was something odd now that I think about it... " Rarity tapped her hoof on her chin gently, "It was some sort of satisfying scream... "

"I saw a few custodians rushing down the hallway to Blueblood's room. Do you think something terrible happened?" Fluttershy asked, "Oh, I hope that nopony was hurt... "

"As long as it was just that idiot of a stallion!" Rainbow Dash snorted, "Next time I see him, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

"Enough about Blueblood. " Twilight stated, looking back to face her friends, "We all need to head back to Ponyville soon... but I'm not sure what's going to happen to Logan when we do. I'm a little worried."

"Why can't we take him with us?" Pinkie asked with a bright smile, "That would be SO cool! We could show him Sweet Apple Acres, Sugarcube Corner, the Library, Carousel Boutique... OH! And he could meet Lyra!"

"How do you think THAT would go?" Rarity chuckled, "Remember what Celestia said about Lyra's great ancestor? He was ridiculed and practically expelled from the world of science and history for believing in humans. Ever since then, her entire family have been obsessed with finding humans. She might come on a little too strong... "

"I think it would be a good thing." Twilight smiled, "Her ancestor would finally be proven right... and then maybe she'll finally receive the respect she deserves."

"Yeah... but I'm pretty sure Lyra would get on Logan's nerves in ten seconds flat... " Rainbow waved her hoof, "I can't see that guy just smiling and shaking hooves with her... and I can't see her being all normal and calm either."

"Let's deal with it when we finally reach that bridge." Applejack stated, "First thing is first, though. Let's say good morning to Logan." The six mares placed themselves in front of the door and watched Twilight slowly crack it open.

"Logan!" Twilight exclaimed, "Good morning! Did you sleep well?" The room was dark and with no answer. She couldn't see any movement on the bed and curiously stepped into the room and glanced around. Her friends followed her soon after, treading cautiously.

"Logan?" She asked, walking up to his bed, "Are you there?" She gazed upon the empty mattress and blankets, her face contorted into a puzzled expression. She noted the closed window and even bent down to search beneath the bed.

"He's not in the bathroom... " Rainbow Dash shouted as she peaked into the shower curtain.

Rarity's magic grasped the small handles of the closet and swung them wide. "Not here." She called.

"There's no place in this room he could hide... " Applejack said, "What do you suppose is going on?"

"He could either be with the princesses... or... " Twilight's eyes widened, "No! There's no way he could escape! Luna's magic barrier should be up!" The purple unicorn's horn glowed, a laser of purple light scanning the walls slowly.

"Oh no, " Twilight panicked, "The barrier... it's gone!"

"There's no way he could just leave!" Rainbow growled, "This room was on total lockdown!"

"Now that I think about it... " Rarity blinked, "There weren't any guards posted outside... "

"There aren't any pegasus guards out the window either... " Fluttershy added, "Oh no... what if he really DID escape?!"

"Impossible!" Twilight yelled, "We've... We've got to go see Princess Celestia right away!" The purple unicorn pushed past her friends as she maneuvered across the room. She quickly opened the door and galloped out, her eyes blazing left and right.

"No guards... " The unicorn gasped, "Where is he?!" She quickly dashed away, her five friends sprinting to keep up with her. Their hoof steps rang out loudly and they nearly ran into a few patrolling guards and nobles on the way. When they were finally closing in on the mighty throne room doors, Twilight's magic quickly erupted. The doors lit with with a purple aura and slowly began to swing open.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, her eyes finding the form of her mentor. Celestia was sitting calmly on the throne, a cup of tea floating in front of her face as she took a sip. Her eyes warmed at the sight of her student, and a wonderful smile embraced her lips.

"Good morning, Twilight." Celestia greeted, "What brings you here in such a panic?"

Twilight skidded into a stop before the throne, sweat pouring down her brow as her lungs refused to suck in air.

"Prin... cess... Cel... estia!.... g... onnn... " Twilight panted, her chest heaving through lack of oxygen. The unicorn took a brief moment to gather herself before standing up straight. Despite her burning muscles, she was able to keep herself composed.

"Logan!" She yelled, "He's... he's gone!" The other mares had finally reached the throne room and they were visibly less tired than Twilight had been. Applejack and Rainbow leaned against Twilight to steady their tired friend.

"Logan?" Celestia repeated, taking another sip of her tea. A frown had replaced her warm smile, yet she didn't hold a troubled or surprised expression. Twilight was puzzled at her reaction, but at this point she could actually breathe.

"Yes!" Twilight nodded frantically, "We went to visit Logan's room and... and he was gone! Luna's barrier was missing, and there were no guards! What happened? Did he escape? Did you send him somewhere? What's going on?!" Celestia held an awkward stare with Twilight before setting down her steaming cup of tea.

"Twilight... " Celestia cleared her throat, "I'm sorry... but Logan's gone." The mares stared back at her in a few moments of silence... before Pinkie broke it.

"Gone? Like what kind of gone?" Pinkie asked, cocking her head, "Like bad gone, good gone, escaped gone, sent away gone, gone to the moon gone... what kind of gone?"

"I'm very sorry, my little ponies... " Celestia's eyes grew sad, "But I cannot tell you. Many things have happened, and all I can say is that Logan is no longer at the castle."

"What? Why?!" Applejack asked, "Where did he go?"

"I cannot say." Celestia cringed, "I'm sorry."

"Why? Why aren't you telling me any of this?" Twilight whimpered, a hurt feeling spreading throughout her heart, "I'm... your loyal student, aren't I? Why can't I know?"

Celestia took in a deep breath and climbed to her hooves. Her mane flowed elegantly in the air as she made her way down her throne before seating herself before the elements of harmony. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she opened them she wore a saddened smile.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. I cannot disclose any information to you because of a promise. I don't want to break a promise and become an untrustworthy pony. I hope you can understand." Celestia bent down and nuzzled Twilight's cheek.

"No... " Twilight sniffled, "I... I understand... I'm sorry... " Celestia nodded and held her head back up to look at the other mares.

"I'm very sorry for this..." Celestia frowned, "Truly, I am. But I cannot tell you anything... and I can't say that you'll ever see him again."

"No... " Rarity blinked, "But we were just getting to know him!"

"I'm sorry." Celestia said again, "I'm so sorry. In any case, preparations to return to Ponyville have been made. I know how eager you have all been to go back home." Twilight opened her mouth to say something but then quickly shut it. She looked back at her friends, her eyes watering slightly. Nodding to one another, they glanced up at the princess before bowing.

"Thank you... Princess Celestia..." Twilight said, her voice shallow, "We'll... pack up our things." Celestia stood at her throne as the six mares left one by one. Her heart heavy, Celestia seated herself and sadly sipped her hot tea.

"I know it's nice and everything to prepare us on our way back home, but... doesn't it seem like she really rushed us?" Twilight asked as she struggled to tug her suitcase down to the train station. Just minutes ago they said their final farewells to Princess Celestia who looked more busy than usual.

"I agree... something is really strange," Rarity nodded, her many bags being tugged effortless in a cart by Applejack. "The Princess always trusts us with these sort of things. I wonder if something really big happened."

"She's probably just trying to protect us... " Fluttershy added, "She cares for all her subjects."

"But I'm her faithful student." Twilight spoke quietly, "She usually tells me everything... "

"Ah, shoot!" Applejack replied, "C'mon, Twi! Don't worry too much about it. Ah'm sure that she has good reasons for what she does and maybe she'll tell us in time. You gotta have some faith."

"Applejack's right!" Rainbow agreed, "I'm sure that you're still her favorite pony. You may not be the most amazing, awesome pony but you're definitely her favorite!"

"I know, but this has to concern Logan!" Twilight worried, "Don't you care about what happened to him? What if he really DID break out? He could be out there all alone and by himself!"

"I wouldn't worry about ole' Logey!" Pinkie exclaimed with a hop, "He looks like he knows how to take care of himself! He's probably off making some friends somewhere is all!"

"Like that guy could make friends." Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Pinkie couldn't even get that guy to smile! And it's not like it's normal in Equestria for a bipedal human with metal claws to just walk around."

"That's true... " Twilight replied, her ears folding back, "But really... what happened to Logan?"

"We may never find out." Fluttershy frowned, "But maybe one day we can see him again." The six mares stopped abruptly at the train station platform, their tickets in hoof. Sighing, they each took a seat at a bench as they waited for the iron vehicle to appear down the track.

"You know... " Twilight began, "Something about Logan being a human doesn't make any sense."

"Why do you say that?" Rarity asked, cocking her head.

"Well... I've read up on Professor Heartstrings notes." Twilight frowned, "It said nothing about sharp metal claws or his quick healing ability. But he DID say that he was the only one that had those things. Did all human have some special trait to them? The notes only mentioned hands, skin, hair, and body structure."

"We should've asked him about it before today." Applejack grumbled, "Ah had questions myself."

"So did I." Fluttershy nodded.

"We all did." Rarity sighed, "But it's not like he would even answer us."

"That's true." Rainbow Dash snorted, "Now you guys are making me want to look for him!" The mares all turned to each other, a small smile on their faces.

"Well, it certainly isn't a bad idea." Rarity chuckled, "But we can't go searching for him all the time. Maybe we could put up posters and tell our friends to keep an eye out?"

"Yeah!" Pinkie grinned, "I'm sure we'll find him in no time!"

Twilight finally broke a smile, "Yes! Wherever he is... I'm sure that we can meet him again one day!"

A crash in the dead of night caused Bon Bon's eyes to open up. With a sigh and a shake of the head, the mare slowly pushed her blankets off of her body and dropped onto her hooves. Her room was fairly large and very simplistic with a bed, a dresser, a desk, and a closet. Nothing littered the floor and everything was neatly organized. She was extremely OCD. She heard another crash coming from the room next to her and groaned. She caught a glance of her alarm clock and groaned even louder.

With her coat and mane a complete mess, Bon Bon left her room and entered the hallway. She stood before the door next to hers and rapped on it gently.

"Lyra... " Bon Bon growled softly, "What are you doing in there? It's almost four in the morning." She was answered by another crash, and rapped harder on the door.

After a few moments, the door opened up to a mint green unicorn. Lyra was covered in what looked like splotches of mud and dirt, and her eyes were red and baggy.

"Oh hey, Bon Bon!" Lyra grinned, "What's up?"

"Lyra... what are you DOING in there?" Bon Bon asked.

"Oh... Oh! You must have heard the crashes, eheh... " Lyra scratched the back of her head, "Well, why don't you come inside and see!"

"First off... what are you covered in?"

"It's just clay!" Lyra smiled, brushing a brown splotch off of her shoulder, "Now come on! Come see my masterpiece!" She opened the door wide and Bon Bon nearly fainted from shock.

Lyra's room was the exact opposite from Bon Bon's. Clothes were scattered all over the floor along with rumpled up pieces of paper and other strange objects. Everything seemed to be covered in brown claw splotches, and her bed was ruffled and severely unkept. The only untouched object in her room was her golden lyre, which was hanging from the wall neatly.

"Sweet Celestia... " Bon Bon smacked her hoof into her forehead, "Lyra, are you even going to CLEAN this?!"

"Later! Just take a look at what I made!" Lyra announced proudly, holding up her creation in front of Bon Bon's face.

It looked like a horribly crafted ball with five pillars of clay mud protruding from it. Bon Bon stared at the object silently for a few moments before groaning loudly.

"Lyra... what IS that?"

"It's a hand!" Lyra smiled, her white teeth shimmering, "You see?! The ball is called the palm while these five things here are called fingers! Except this one because it's called a thumb! I dreamed it up a few hours ago so I decided to see if I could make-

"Humans, again?" Bon Bon frowned, "Lyra, you're my housemate and best friend but you HAVE to stop doing this."

"What? Sculpting hands?" Lyra asked, lifting the grotesque object to her face.

"NO! Ugh... " Bon Bon slapped her hoof against her forehead again, "Nevermind. Look, I know that you're obsessed with the whole human thing but you've GOT to let it go. I know its important to your family, but you've been destroying our house over it."

"No way!" Lyra whined, "Bon Bon, I have dreams! Visions even! If only you could see them you could understand!"

"Lyra!" Bon Bon sighed, "I'm sorry, but I don't have them. Last time I checked, humans have never been seen in Equestria. Lyra, you're an awesome pony and a great musician. If you would just embrace your talents and seek out your profession seriously you could get somewhere. But instead you are following your weird human dreams. Maybe its time that you let it go." Bon Bon turned around and gave her a quiet good night before shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Let it go?" Lyra said quietly to herself, her eyes tearing up a little bit. She shook her head and placed her sculpture onto her desk.

"I can't... " She sighed to herself, "I... I can't." She sat down on her bed, her body still covered in clumps of clay. She recalled her dreams and visions, and she could remember them all. Ponies usually forget their dreams, but Lyra remembered each and every one. She could see them, their peach skin and the manes atop their heads. She could see the fingers on their hands and the two legs they had.

"My family's been laughed at for years... " She sniffled, "Whenever one of those big science people hear the name 'Heartstrings' they burst out laughing. It's why I quit college in the first place... I... I have to prove them all wrong!" Lyra wiped her eyes with her hoof.

"It was my dreams and visions that got me here in the first place. I may have never met Bon Bon if it wasn't for them..." She smiled sadly, "I can't give up now." She flopped back onto her bed, closing her eyes.

After a few moments of tossing and turning, she jumped back onto her feet.

"Alright, can't sleep. I guess I'll take a shower..." Her eyes suddenly lit up, "Oh! And I'll go visit the one pony that actually listens to me!" she excitedly scampered into the bathroom eager to wipe off the blotches of clay and visit her friend. There was only one pony in Equestria who would be up so early.

"I mean, my clay sculpture wasn't perfect, but at least it was better than the last one! I'm starting to get a bit better on the details. Getting all this clay is taking quite a chunk from my budget, though. Bon Bon keeps telling me to actually go get a real job, but if I did that I wouldn't have time for my lyre playing. I still play in the park and I make good bits there, but if I tried to go out and join a professional orchestra like Octavia it would be in a bigger city than Ponyville and I would be away from all my friends. Not to mention that I would lose a lot of time on my research. Are you still listening?"

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh answered, his two powerful hooves smashing into the apple tree behind him. The apples fell into the buckets below, and the big red stallion moved toward the next row.

"Thank Celestia!" Lyra smiled, "If it wasn't for you, I think I would go CRAZY with no one to talk to. About humans, I mean."

Big Macintosh smiled as he set the buckets below an apple tree with his mouth. The sun was just starting to rise from the horizon, and the chilly air was beginning to warm up.

"Just a question... why do you listen to me anyway?" Lyra asked, watching Big Macintosh deliver another powerful apple-buck.

"Ah don't talk to ponies very often." He grunted, " 'cause of work."

"Oh, I see." Lyra smiled, "So we all need ponies to talk to, right?"

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh grinned, picking up a heavy bucket of apples. He moved over to a large cart and dropped it in. He made his way toward the front and clipped it onto his harness.

"You don't do much talking, though!" Lyra laughed to herself, "I feel bad for having you listen to me all the time! If you want to talk about anything, just let me know!"

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh answered, tugging the cart with little effort. Lyra trotted gently up beside him to stay in his pace.

"Bon Bon said that I should just let the human thing go... " Lyra said softly, her eyes trailing down to the ground, "She doesn't seem to believe me. I don't think I could stop if I tried... I'm always having these dreams and visions and I don't know why. It's like something is trying to reach out to me... or somepony."

Big Macintosh nodded quietly, his eyes finding Sweet Apple Acres in the distance.

"But maybe she's right. What if my family is just all crazy and insane? I don't if I'll ever see a human." Lyra sighed, "Macintosh... do you think I should just give up?"

Big Macintosh thought for a moment, "Ah don't know. Ah think maybe you should follow your emotions."

Lyra smiled, "Follow my emotions... I like that idea." Big Macintosh smiled lightly and the two continued to walk together until they reached the big red barn outside of the Apple house. Big Macintosh unclipped the cart from his harness and made his way to the back. He began to grab the buckets of apples with his mouth and started unloading them.

"Workin' hard as usual?" A familiar female accent snickered. Big Macintosh lifted his gaze, a wide smile crossing his lips.

"Mornin' AJ." Macintosh greeted, his sister smiling as she approached him. They nuzzled each other softly before Applejack chuckled and punched him playfully in the leg.

"Ah haven't seen you in weeks and you only have THAT to say to me?" Applejack smirked, "Geez, same old Big Mac. I would've been here sooner, but the girls decided that they wanted to stop by some fancy place yesterday."

"Hey there, Applejack!" Lyra chimed, coming out from behind the cart, "I didn't know that you came back!" Applejack gave Lyra a questionable look, her face shifting into an expression of surprise.

"Uh, Lyra... " Applejack blinked, "Ah didn't know you were here. Big Mac, what's she doin' here?"

"Oh, I'm just talking with the big lug!" Lyra chirped, "We hang out sometimes. He's a great listener!"

"Uh huh..." Applejack raised an eye, "Sorry Lyra, but ah think me an' Big Mac here got some work we gotta do. After all, ah do need to catch up on what's been goin' down at the farm since ah've been gone."

"Oh, no worries!" Lyra smiled, "I don't want to take up too much of your time! Thanks for listening to me, Macintosh!" Big Mac gave her a simple nod before watching the mint-green unicorn trot off back towards Ponyville.

"So... " Applejack coughed awkwardly, "How long have yah been seein' her?"

Big Macintosh gave Applejack a curious glance, "Seein' her? She's just a friend."

"Alrighty, just be sure to keep it that way. Don't want yah focusing on anythin' else on the farm during harvest. It's comin' up soon." Big Macintosh's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak. He hesitantly shut it and sighed.

"Eeyup."

Spike hummed to himself softly as he watched a pony leave the library with the latest "Daring Do" novel. Twilight sent word to him that she would be arriving sometime in the morning, and told him that she was expecting a clean house and well organized shelves. Spike was proud of himself to think that he would deliver that and much more.

Without Twilight around, things had been a bit difficult at first but he also found it strangely relaxing. He was able to catch up on some of his old hobbies. The library had been cleaner than ever, and he was able to read some of the books Twilight kept insisting were too mature for him. He found that she had been right about that on some accounts.

Still, he missed the purple unicorn dearly. Sniffing the air, he realized that the cookies he had been baking were nearly finished. He made his way over to the oven and opened it. The fresh smell of chocolate chip cookies invaded his nostrils and he sighed pleasantly. He placed the tray onto the table when the door opened.

"I'm home!" Twilight declared happily, setting her suitcases down at the door, "Wow, Spike! The library looks amazing!"

"Twilight!" Spike exclaimed, taking off his oven mitts and pink apron to affectionately wrap his little purple arms around her neck. Twilight smiled and nuzzled his cheek softly, "Missed you, my number one assistant!" She smiled.

"There is not one book out of place and I made sure everything is spotless!" Spike declared proudly, "I swept, dusted, did the laundry, and even ordered a few new books that you wanted me to."

"I knew that I could count on you, Spike!" Twilight patted his head with a grin, "Good work!" She made her way to the table in the center of the room and plopped her saddlebags onto it. She opened it up and magically lifted a few new books up.

"Spike, could you shelf these for me?" She asked.

"No problem!" Spike chirped, the books gliding over to him. He quickly gripped them out of thin air and looked at the titles with a puzzled expression.

"Humans, Fact or Fiction? The Bipedal Creatures? Humans: The Equestrian Myth?" Spike gave Twilight a confused glance, "Um, what's a human?"

"Why, the most interesting and fascinating creatures to ever exist! If they do exist, that is!" A voice called at the door. Spike and Twilight glanced over to see Lyra grinning widely.

"Oh... Lyra!" Twilight blinked, "Um, I didn't expect to see you so soon!"

"You were expecting me?" She asked, cocking her head.

"Uh... " Twilight stammered, "Um, nevermind that. But I just bought some books on humans that I'm sure you will enjoy."

"AWESOME!" Lyra gasped, leaping over to where the baby dragon was. Lyra immediately used her magic to lift them from Spike's claws, her eyes scanning the titles with a toothy grin.

"Wow! I haven't read these before!" Lyra smiled, "What's with the sudden interest, Twilight?"

"Well... I was reading a few notes by your ancestor, Professor Heartstrings, and I was a bit interested in learning about them." For an instant, Lyra's face dropped into a deeply saddened expression.

"Oh... " She replied, "I see... " Her smile perked back up and she turned to Twilight, "That's so cool! Do you want to study them with me?!"

Twilight watched her for a few moments, the gears in her mind twisting and turning. Her ears flicked back and forth before hesitantly smiling.

"Sure, why not?"

Lyra yelped in glee and did a little hop, "Oh that's so AWESOME! I can't WAIT to show you the pictures and stuff that I have! Stay right here and I'll be right back!" Lyra immediately sprinted outside, her hollers and laughs being heard in the ungodly hours of the morning.

"Twilight... " Spike asked quietly, giving the purple unicorn a scared look, "What have you DONE?!"

"My scouts say that this creature in particular came from The Outlands," Princess Luna began, "Reports say that this creature is similar to a dragon yet does not breathe fire or is able to take flight. It's restricted to the ground, but it still is very dangerous. Observations say that it's hide is thick, and even the most advanced unicorn magic may not even damage it. I would be very careful in-

"Yeah, yeah." Logan growled, "Lesson one: You don't tell me how to fight."

Luna raised an eyebrow, "I'm only giving advice."

"Lesson two: I don't need advice." Logan cracked his knuckles, "Whatever this thing is, I can take it."

"I guess we'll have to see." Luna smirked, "So... when are you going to jump in?" Princess Luna and Logan were standing side by side in her tower. On the ground before them lay a gleaming portal with glowing runes etched into the tile around it. The portal showed the scenery of a misty forest with tall trees and open clearings.

"I never liked teleporting." Logan cringed, "And it seems like that's all you've been making me do since I got here."

"So, are you scared?" Luna asked with a sly smile.

"As if." Logan snorted, bending his neck. A loud crack resonated from within, and his lips curled into a relieved smile.

"Oh, one last thing." Luna stated, pulling a small red box out of nowhere with her hoof, "I heard that you were wanting these. I figured it would be a treat if this was your last moment alive." Cautiously, Logan took the box from her and opened it up.

"Jesus christ... " He blinked, a smile crossing his face. He reached in his hand and pulled out an authentic thick shaft of a cigar, "I didn't think you ponies had any of these."

"There was only a small shop in Canterlot that carried them. Not many ponies smoke nowadays." Luna grumbled, "It doesn't smell too good and makes your teeth rot. I don't know why you like these."

"Yeah, well these better not taste funny coming from ponies." He grumbled, shoving the box into his back pocket, "If they taste like peppermint I swear I'll start slaving ponies to make them for me." Looking down at the portal, Wolverine took a deep breath. He bent his legs slightly and kicked at the ground, jumping right into the glowing portal.

The change was almost immediate. The chilly air suddenly grew hot, and the sent of trees filled his nostrils. The sounds of chirping birds and wind echoed in his ears, and the rush of air tackled him as he descended down from the sky.

"Damnit!" He growled, his body falling straight down into the forest, "Do they expect me to fly?!" He prepared himself for impact.

A cloud of dust and dirt kicked up as he landed, his knees bent as they absorbed the impact. He slowly stood up straight, hearing a few cracks climb up his spine and his knees. Sighing, he sniffed the air for his target.

"Any way I can be useful?" He heard a voice call. He looked up to see the portal in the sky and saw Luna's face looking down at him.

"Are you a beer?" He asked.

Luna blinked and chuckled a little, "Fair enough. Good luck." Her head disappeared into the portal and he watched it close in on itself and disappear.

"Alright." He said to himself, "Now to find this thing." The scents from the forest were all mixed from trees, animals, pollen, dirt... and rotting carcasses."

"Smells like a good place to start looking." He grumbled to himself, breaking off into a sprint. He leaped over large roots, swung from large tree branches, and dodged vines as he charged towards his destination. The horrid smell was growing stronger and stronger.

Eventually, he came to a small clearing that was littered with bodies of forest animals. He couldn't tell what animals they had been, but he was able to notice that they were rather large. He began to wonder how much more dangerous the creatures in Equestria could be.

"Hm," he said to himself as he walked into the middle of the clearing, "Someone was hungry."

A loud, intimidating roar shook the ground beneath Logan. Smirking, he turned around to see what monster could have possibly let out such an imposing noise.

"Whoa... " he said to himself, looking up at the creature with a toothy grin, "Didn't think I would fight one of you here." The monster roared, it's size dwarfing Wolverine's.

"Well, I can't say that I never thought of fighting something like you." He growled, his sharp claws emerging from his fists, "But you give me some hope. Maybe I can have some fun in this stupid world after all." Logan let out a terrifying roar and leaped high into the air, a wide smile on his face as he flew towards the horrifyingly large creature.

Picture by nJoo

Everfree Forest

View Online

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.

Into the Cave

View Online

Ever since the little "incident" at the castle, Prince Blueblood was the complete laughing stock of the nobility. Every time his name reached an ear of a Canterlot citizen somepony was always bursting out in laughter. He actually overhead a few citizens speaking of their bathrooms as a "Blueblood carpet". It had taken the most expensive carpet cleaner several days to finally get the smell out.

Blueblood glanced over at a small clocktower on the streets. It was nearing midnight, and it was about time. Taking in a deep breath of commoner air, the prince trotted over to a small cafe that was still open. His noble eyes caught site of its boorish and cheap exterior and he choked on his own spit.

"I should have been the one to pick the meeting place... such rubbish!" Blueblood growled to himself before stomping his way over to the door. A bell rung, announcing that he had just stepped into the place.

"This place REEKS of the lower class... " He muttered softly to himself. Small, circular tables were placed around the cafe along with a few booths. In one of the booths sat a group of teenaged colts and fillies, chatting it up lively. And older pony was sitting at one of the circular tables and hardly looked like the pony he was trying to find.

Clearing his throat, the prince trotted softly up to the counter and rung a silver bell. In a few moments a young mare made her way over to him.

"Hello! How can I help you, sir?" She asked, smiling wide.

"Ah, yes... " Blueblood had a hard time trying to form words that a commoner could understand, "I'm looking for, " Blueblood slapped a single golden bit onto the counter, "A Mr. Ben Franklin?" The mare's smile dropped and her eyes widened.

"A-Ah, okay... " She stuttered, glancing around nervously, "Um... j-just please take a seat over at that booth." She pointed and Blueblood trotted over to it. He stared at the seat before grimacing, placing his royal rump onto its poorly crafted surface.

And so, Blueblood waited. His clean, pampered hoof was tapping onto the rough wood of the table, being careful not to get any dirt stains on his limited edition golden horseshoes from Germaney. He could taste cheap coffee in the air, his face cringing as he silently grimaced at the horrid odor.

After a few painful moments, he heard the hoof steps of somepony sitting in the booth behind him. He didn't turn to look and made sure not to pull any attention to himself.

"It's dangerous to meet in person." A deep, intimidating voice called behind him, "Say what you need to say and go."

"Ah- yes, " Blueblood suddenly grew intensely nervous, "I'm here about the-uh- contract." Being new at this, Blueblood grabbed a slip of paper in his hoof and let it hang loosely at his side. The pony behind him nonchalantly took it from him.

"It's about that ape-beast all the Canterlot ponies are going crazy about, " Blueblood began, "I assure you that the rumors are true. The creature itself is dangerous and very hostile... not to mention ugly, rotten, horrific, terrible-

"Enough with the insults." The pony replied, "I need information."

"Right... " Blueblood coughed, "You would know what it would be if you saw it. It has no coat and stands upright on two legs. It has a mane that covers the top of its head and half its face, and it has five digits on its hoof. It can also call upon three razor sharp claws from its hoof."

"Sounds unique... " The pony replied, "Catching something like that would fetch a hefty price... "

"I've already transferred the bits into your account, " Blueblood said, "The rest will be transferred when you've finished. I don't know the creature's location or anything else about it... but that slip of paper will tell you exactly where you can find the rest of the information regarding the creature and its current whereabouts. As soon as you capture it, bring it straight to me. I'll deal with it personally."

"You must hold some grudge to do this." The pony responded, "You want me to get information through the elements of harmony?"

"It's the only way." Blueblood whispered, "Unless you want to get it through means of Celestia and Luna."

"I'll keep that in mind." The stranger grumbled behind him, "Are you sure they know of the creature's status?"

"I'm not certain... " Blueblood winced, "But its the only lead I've got that won't send me to the moon."

"Fair enough." The pony answered. He felt him stand up from his booth.

Blueblood heard the pony walk out of the cafe and gritted his teeth.

"Nopony... EVER humiliates Prince Blueblood and gets AWAY with it... "

"Ugh... it's already the first days of fall and leaves are ALREADY filling the streets! While I do think they are pretty and wonderful, they just get so... so messy!" Rarity waved her hoof to prove her point, "It's also getting so cold! But that means I can break out my boots soon... yes, that is nice. I could also come up with a new line of winter wear... something warm AND stylish! I shall get right to it as soon as I can!"

"Whatever you say, Rarity!" Spike smiled, carrying a stack of cloth and thread in Rarity's designing room, "I think that it would be a GREAT idea!"

"Ah, Spikey Wikey you always know how to motivate me!" The white unicorn patted the purple dragon's head softly, making Spike smile dreamily at her trotting figure.

"So, how are things with Twilight?" Rarity asked, her horn glowing as hats and dresses were being tossed through the air.

"Well... she's still indulging in her studies with Lyra." Spike answered back, "She's been looking a little frustrated lately, though."

"That dear just needs a wonderful trip to the spa! I insist but she always denies." Rarity scowled, "Maybe if she actually cleaned herself up she could find a nice stallion to settle down with."

Spike paused for a second before glancing over at Rarity, "A nice stallion, eh?"

"Yes!" Rarity smiled, "A nice intelligent stallion who would treat her right!"

"A stallion like... Logan?"

Rarity had been concentrating on putting the thread into the end of the needle at that time. At the mention of the name, the thread missed and the needle shot into her dresser. Rarity blinked as her mind tried to gather what Spike just said.

"A stallion like... who, dear?" She asked, giving Spike a disbelieving smile.

"Logan." Spike crossed his arms, "Heard about somepony named Logan. It's a strange name for a pony, but she seems rather determined to find him it seems."

"Oh- um- Logan... oh! THAT Logan!" Rarity laughed nervously before turning around to work on her sowing machine, "O-Of course you meant THAT Logan! Oh, he was just somebody we met in Canterlot!"

"Somebody?" Spike asked, "Don't you mean somepony?"

"Erm- yes! Eheh... " Rarity suddenly became very flustered, "W-Well that slips out sometimes... but yes! Logan was a... erm, dear friend to us! He left suddenly because um... there was business for him to attend to. Twilight wants to find him so that we can meet him again!"

"Uh huh... " Spike said to himself, "So what does a human do for business?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure what he's doing right now... I wonder if- " Rarity's eyes widened at what Spike had said and glanced back at the baby dragon who was tapping his foot impatiently.

"Um... Spikey Wikey, would you mind going into town for me to um... buy me some more scissors?" Rarity asked, cracking a nervous grin.

"But you have a dozen on that table... I can see them-

"I want new shiny scissors!" Rarity chimed, "Those ones are just... dull! They aren't giving me any inspiration that I need to keep going!" Spike gave Rarity a very unamused glance before sighing in defeat.

"Yes, Rarity... " Spike nodded, "I'll be back." Rarity turned back to her sowing machine as she heard Spike climb down the stairs. When she heard the door close, she immediately stopped what she was doing and leaped upon her bed, stretching out her legs in stress.

"Oh, dear... " Rarity said into her blankets, "Twilight DID say that Spike was getting sharper... oh, how he's maturing! My little Spikey Wikey... still, I don't know why she insists on not even telling him. I mean, my little Spike can keep a good secret... but I did make a Pinkie promise... breaking that would be horrific!"

"You know, I've been having these strange dreams lately... " Lyra stated, humming to herself as she stroked her harp, "Well, I know that I have strange dreams but they keep getting stranger!" Lyra and Big Macintosh were in the middle of town, with the latter quietly attending to his apple stand.

"It used to be just the image of humans, but now I'm starting to hear voices too!" She plucked a few more strings, "Sometimes I hear them babble... and sometimes they speak our own language! Isn't that cool? I wonder how similar our societies are!"

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied, nudging a basket full of apples to a happy customer. There was quite a line in front of the apple stand, and a few cast wary glances toward Lyra who was sitting on top of some barrels beside Macintosh. She received looks from some cautious mares but she didn't notice. She was sitting rather oddly with her legs in the air below her. She had seen a dream of humans sitting like this, so she decided to give it a try.

"I'm really happy that Twilight is studying them with me!" Lyra grinned, gripping her harp to her chest as she leaned back, "We're getting into their behaviors and things today! I think that all humans are probably nice, kind, and really really smart, but Twilight doesn't think that all humans are that nice. It's almost like she knows... " Lyra tapped her chin absentmindedly, "Ah, doesn't matter! We're going to meet up later in the library so I can't wait!"

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh chuckled, taking a few bits and distributing the fair share of apples into a few more baskets. The day had gone successfully, and they were nearly out of apples to sell.

"Lyra? There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Bon Bon huffed, walking up to her friend, "You always disappear so early in the morning so I hardly have a chance to talk to you!"

"Sorry!" Lyra replied with a grin, "I just hang out with big ole' Mac over here!" Bon Bon blinked, and then turned her gaze to the massive stallion attending to the apple cart. He gave her a quick smile and Bon Bon quickly looked at Lyra suspiciously.

"So you're saying every morning you're with... Big Macintosh?" Bon Bon asked, cocking her eyebrow, "Every morning?"

"Yep!" Lyra chirped, "He's a good listener!"

"Eeyup." Big Mac piped in, selling the last bundle of apples to a little filly. Big Mac gave her a pat on the head, and watched the small pony scamper off.

Bon Bon's faced scrunched up a little and she looked at Big Mac with narrowed eyes, "Okay... hey Lyra, don't you have to go and study with Twilight?"

"Oh! It's about that time!" Lyra gasped, looking up at the sun, "I guess I better go! See you later, you two! Mac, same time tomorrow?"

"Eeyup." Big Mac nodded, watching his friend trot off to the large tree looming over Ponyville. He didn't notice the strange look on Bon Bon's face until he looked down to see her staring at him.

"So, you're hanging with Lyra that often?" She asked, cocking her head, "Almost everyday?"

"Eeyup." Mac nodded, preparing to close his stand, "She's a friend." Bon Bon stared at him, obviously unconvinced.

"Look... " She rubbed her eyes with her hoof, "Something tells me that she probably talks to you all the time about these.. humans, right?"

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh nodded, making his way to the front of the apple cart. He clipped it onto his harness and began to slowly walk down the streets. Bon Bon was right by his side the entire time.

"It doesn't bug you?" She asked, "It doesn't bug you that all she does is talk about them?"

"Nnope." Big Mac replied, "It's interestin'."

Bon Bon sighed, "Okay, look. Lyra is my best friend, and she is one of the nicest ponies you'll ever meet. If you're just listening to her and being nice to her just to... just to hurt her in the end, I'm letting you know that I won't forgive you. She looks pretty positive and outgoing on the outside, but she's really sensitive about the whole human thing with her family. I don't want her to be upset, okay?" Big Mac chewed the sprig of wheat in his mouth and listened silently, not saying a word.

"She's a friend." Big Macintosh finally stated, "A good friend." Bon Bon stared at him, expecting him to say something else. When she was wrong, she shook her head and spun around, heading back down the street. Macintosh watched her go, a small frown crossing his features.

"Macintosh, was that Bon Bon that was with you just now!" His sister, Applejack, called as she trotted over to him with a cocked eye.

"Eeyup." Big Mac replied, his ears flicking in the air.

An expression of suspicious contorted into Applejack's face as she looked up at her big brother, "Another, mare? Macintosh, do we need to have a talk?"

Big Mac's ears dropped, and he frowned at his little sister with his lazy eyes.

"It's not like that." Big Macintosh replied, pulling the large cart with ease. Applejack watched her brother go before turning to leave with him to Sweet Apple Acres.

Barely a day had passed, and once again Logan found himself under the orders of Princess Luna. His next target was living inside of a cave just outside of the Everfree and within walking distance. Apparently, it was a pack of vicious beasts that had also made their way to Equestria from the Outlands by a series of strange underground tunnels. Despite the dangers of having to fight in the dark, he held his head high and trudged into the cave without the help of magical teleportation.

...He didn't see the first hit coming.

Wolverine was sent tumbling through the air, his body spinning in wide arcs before slamming into the wall of the dark cave, the shear force echoing with the impact. He slowly slid down the stone, grumbling to himself as he landed back on his feet as though no damage had been done.

"Shit, " He mumbled, his claws fully extended, "Gettin' tossed around by the first hit better not be a routine." An angry chorus of snarls and growls hit his ears, and Wolverine bared his fangs. With his superior vision, Wolverine could make out three large creatures with canines that protruded from their mouths that were the size of his forearm. They snarled and hissed, their large neck muscles flexing as they prepared to pounce.

"Saber-tooth tigers, huh?" Wolverine smirked, "I've played with you guys before... except he was a bipedal sonovabitch who had an affinity for his nails." One of the cat-beasts pounced towards him like a bullet, its jaws open wide. Wolverine snarled, leaping into the air as he cocked his arm back, his claws aimed towards his target.

Another saber-tooth crashed in from his left side, his massive teeth sinking deep into his arm as they crashed through the air, with Wolverine getting slammed beneath the 600 pound mass of muscle and teeth. Wolverine growled in pain, the large teeth cleaving through his muscle and jabbing straight into his adamantium bone. Wolverine positioned his foot underneath the creature's torso, giving it a powerful, strength enhanced kick. The strong blow took the saber-tooth by surprise, and it let go of his arm. The cat was sent flying back, landed calmly on its four feet.

Wolverine jumped back up onto his feet, the gruesome wound on his arm healing slowly but surely. "This all you got, Fluffy?" The three saber cats were now surrounding him, pacing around him like predators. He felt the muscle beneath his wound begin to build back up and he moved his fingers a little to test that. This small pack of saber cats sure knew how to use teamwork...

Wolverine already recognized their battle strategy. One of the cats would act to distract him, charging straight in as another would aim for his blind spots. The third would be on standby, and if the assault didn't work it would charge from behind and attack him. They were very intelligent, but Logan could see through them.

The saber-tooth directly in front of him turned and charged, snarling through the air in its exaggerated leap. Logan smirked, and then immediately turned to his side, the ambushing tiger from his side charging at him. Wolverine growled, dodging the beast's attack that aimed for his throat. His hands gripped onto its fur, his superior strength lifting the creature into the air. With a yell, Logan swung and tossed the cat into the air, colliding with the saber-tooth that was intended to be the distraction.

The large cat behind him pounced straight for his back, its razor sharp claws aiming for the kill. Logan spun around, his blades protruding from his knuckles. The cat's claws slashed into his face, leaving three bloody marks that crossed his forehead, nose, and chin. Logan's claws jabbed directly into the cat's throat, puncturing its muscles and slicing into its spine. The beast gave one last twitch before Logan tossed it away, its body flopping lifelessly onto the floor of the cave.

"Alright... " Logan turned, the wounds on his face slowly closing up, "Who's next?... " The two remaining saber-tooth tigers snarled angrily at him, their muscles rippling with fury. Suddenly, they both turned tail, scrambling away farther into the dephs of the dark cave.

Wolverine growled, "Pussies... " His claws sheathed themselves back into his hands. He took off into a sprint, heading further into the darkness, his boots slamming against the cold stone floor.

With his beast-like senses and his experience, Logan was able to navigate through the pitch black cave tunnels with ease. The scent of the last two saber-cats were strong, and he knew that they were never that far from him... chances were they had gone off looking for some ambush point... someplace to take him by surprise. And Logan hated surprises.

Bones crunched beneath his feet, his hands moving along the stone walls for navigation. His breaths were coming in deep, sounding like some animal stalking its prey in the night. The air soon began to grow colder and much danker, but none of these factors really affected him much... he had gone on without a shirt for quite a while now, but his body had a great resistance to temperature or weather. Such things didn't matter to him.

Logan stopped suddenly, surrounded by nothing but pitch black darkness. He had no idea how large the cave tunnel was or where it was headed... but he knew that the saber-tooth tigers were waiting... watching.... he could hear their growls echoing around him, their scent becoming covered by some... very odd stench coming from below.

He heard a loud growl and the sound of claws scraping against stone, signalling that one of the tigers launched at him. Wolverine extended his blades, his ears desperately trying to pick up the direction of the cat.... with no such luck.

The saber-tooth's large teeth dug into his back, the canines drilling through the muscle. He growled out in pain before spinning, slamming the 600 pound beast into one of the cave walls. The cavern shuddered with the impact, and the feline let him go with a yelp before escaping his reach.

The other cat smashed into his side, its claws slashing into his side as it desperately snapped its heavy jaws at his face. Logan dropped to the ground, yelling as he eagerly slashed at it in the dark, hitting nothing but air as the beast retreated.

"...Shit... " Wolverine panted, blood leaking down his body as he struggled to stand, "I never thought I'd ever say this... but I could really use a spidey-sense right now... " He wiped his mouth, the wound on his back slowly closing as the slash on his side pumped blood out profusely. Bending his neck he felt a loud satisfying crack and sighed in relief.

"Alright, " He snarled, "Come on, you piss-brains. I killed your buddy Garfield back there, so I bet you guys are pretty mad." The beasts snarled around him, their growls echoing in the cavern. Logan smirked, taking a few steps into the black abyss.

"I don't know what your extinct asses are doing here, and I don't know why my own hairy ass is either... so let's get this over with, alright? I'm sick of eating fish, and you guys look like you're full of protein." He smirked. The cats almost seemed to understand him and yowled in fury, their nails scraping against the stone.

Logan waited in the middle of the dark.... a grin still on his face.

He felt the powerful body of the cat hit him directly in the front, his jaws attempting to engulf his head. Its teeth bit into its skin, but the cat soon painfully realized that Wolverine's skull was harder than hell. Before the saber-tooth could get away Logan grabbed a handful of its fur, their bodies slamming into the floor of the cave.

"Got you, you little shit!" Wolverine yelled in victory, stabbing his thick blades into its hide just to pull out and repeat the process. He felt its warm blood spill over his body, sounds of agony and anger screaming from its throat. Its body finally fell limp, and Logan rolled it off of his body.

As soon as Wolverine got onto his knees the second cat attacked, pouncing on him from behind as they rolled painfully on the stone floor. Their bodies scraped over jagged rocks and sharp bones, the contact slicing them both up as they struggled against one another. The tiger was in a rage, trying to claw and bite at the mutant in the dark. Logan had a hard time getting his blades positioned, giving the large cat minor cuts and scrapes as they continued to tumble through the tunnel.

Suddenly, the ground below them dropped off, and Wolverine and the cat were sent tumbling down a dirt tunnel that ran into the earth, their bodies clashing with random rocks as they continued their vicious fight during the descent. The growls of the cat and the snarls of Wolverine echoed through the tunnel loudly, blood flying off their bodies in equal amounts.

Soon, the strange passage ended, and Logan was on top of the tiger as they suddenly dropped through the air. He managed to fumble around enough to have his claws aimed directly for the beast's throat, grinning in victory as he waited for the impact with the ground.

When it came, the force shot his claws directly into the body of the tiger, slicing its throat and cutting into the base of its spine. The saber tooth snarled and clawed at Wolverine helplessly before succumbing to its mortal wound, its body growing still beneath the body of the vicious mutant. Logan grinned, yanking out his blades before sheathing them.

"Good night, bub... " He grumbled as he stood up, "I'll remember you when I have my cat burger later." Brushing off his pants, Logan finally looked up to grow familiar with his new surroundings.

The room wasn't pitch black like the cave... it was lit with torches. Torches that appeared to have been burning for just a short while, meaning that whatever lit them was nearby. The other strange thing was.... Logan was completely surrounded by piles and piles of jewels, gold, and other precious materials. In fact, he killed the tiger directly in the middle of it all, its blood running over the shiny objects.

"The hell... " He scratched his head, "Somebody likes sparkly things. " He grumbled, reaching down and gathering a small pile in his hands. He wasn't very interested in it, but he noticed that while some of it was raw the rest of it seemed... stolen...

"Hm, " He grunted to himself, looking up to notice a tunnel leading directly out of the small underground cavern. Now that he took a closer look, everything appeared to be dug out by hand... something was making its home down here. Gripping into the fur of the dead saber-tooth, Logan began to make his way toward the single tunnel, dragging the cat with him. He was eager to find out what was hording all the stolen gems.

And find the way outta the goddamned place.

A Sudden Rescue (Part 1)

View Online

The tunnel was pitch black, and the only sounds Logan could hear were his footsteps and the body of the dead saber-tooth dragging on behind him. The air smelled of dirt, fire, blood... and oddly, the scent of strange smelly dogs. The body of the saber-tooth tiger was really blocking his sense of smell, but even then it wouldn't help it navigate his way out of the place. He was constantly listening for anything unusual, monitoring the air for any breeze that could be the link to his way out. Something built these tunnels... and he was going to find out what one way or another.

He'd been walking for quite a while... he was positive that it was for nearly half an hour. His free hand was feeling the walls, leading him through tunnel after tunnel after tunnel. He ran into an occasional torch, and when he did it always meant that the there was a fork surrounding it leading to more tunnels.

"Damn, " He grumbled to himself, "Where is this leading me?... " He managed to make it up to another torch, with three different paths to choose from. He was getting rather tired of dragging the heavy tiger behind him, and he was thinking of ditching it very soon.

It was then he heard the sounds of... talking?

His ears immediately perked up, finding the source coming from the tunnel to the left.

Logan released his grip on the tiger's neck, going into a crouch to silently tread through into the darkness. He clenched his fists, his razor sharp claws slowly and quietly emerging from between his knuckles. He watched his breath, feeling the tunnel wall as it curved and traveled before finally spotting some light at the way end of the tunnel.

"...dumb ponies... " A rather dull, screechy voice grumbled. Wolverine kept moving, listening closely to pick up the conversation that was now not too far away.

"Yeah, " another dopey voice added, "really dumb! Found my favorite gem I put under my favorite rock!"

"Hm?!" The other growled, "You put gem under favorite rock on surface?! Are you stupid?! Why you have favorite rock?!"

"No!" It replied, "Am not! I thought hiding places were best right underneath their noses!"

"...You really stupid!" The other voice cackled, "We are diamond dogs! We don't like the surface!"

"Diamond dogs?" Logan repeated to himself. He recalled reading something about these creatures... animals that lived burrowed underground. They collected jewels, but he couldn't really recall the reason why. He approached the corner of the tunnel, slowly leaning his head out to catch a glimpse of them.

"Wow, " He said to himself, "They look... really stupid... " The diamond dogs appeared slightly bipedal, but their arms reached the ground as thought they were apes. They wore poorly fashioned grey vests with black collars on their necks that had diamonds crafted into them. There was only two of them, and they were bickering near another fork in the tunnels. Their front legs, or arms, were rather massive, making Logan suspect that those muscles were what gave the dogs the abilities to tunnel this far through the earth.

"I like the surface sometimes, " The diamond dog mumbled, "The boss came from the surface..." The dog lifted up a grubby claw, jabbing it up toward the ceiling of the cave.

"That's because the boss ain't a diamond dog!" The other snarled, "Quit being stupid! You're being dumb like a pony!" The other dog gasped, gritting his teeth in irritation.

"Am not!" The dog growled, slamming his paws into the dirt, "You're stupid!"

"Quiet, you two!" Another diamond grumbled, his large body emerging from the shadows. His lips were curled up into a smile, his canines in plain sight. Apparently, he was the leader of the two.

"What you want, Rover?" One of the dogs grumbled, "Found any food? Or jewels? Or both?"

"No, but I found something else that's good, " He chuckled, "One of them little ponies crawled in here... "

"Little ponies?" Logan asked himself, "I thought I was far enough away from any towns or villages..." He edged closer, but made sure that he stayed out in the shadows for the most part. He wouldn't want to reveal himself too soon.

"Oh! Is it a uny-corn?" One of the dogs asked as he jumped up and down, "Can it use magic?"

"It's 'unicorn'! And yes, it is one of the magic ponies... " Rover chuckled, rubbing his grubby paws together sisterly, "I bet you that it could help us find some more treasure for the boss..."

"Ooh! Ooh! Good idea!" One of the dogs exclaimed, clapping his giant paws together, "Maybe the boss will like us more! Good plan, good plan! Where is the pony?!"

"We got it locked up good, " Rover cackled, "C'mon!" He suddenly turned, placing his paws onto the ground as he immediately took off down the dark tunnel. The two other diamond dogs followed suit, their paws thumping audibly through the dirt.

"Damnit! I can't lose them... " Logan growled, sheathing his claws as he took off after them, He sprinted into the dark tunnel after them, his feet padding quietly on the ground. Now that he could track their scent, he didn't have to feel around the tunnel to know when to change directions. He followed them quickly, making sure not to get too close as he traveled through the winding paths, sprinting through forks, ascending and descending. Maybe finding that pony would be his ticket out of there.

Dinky Hooves was cold, crying, and terrified. The prison she was in was crafted by dirt, with thick iron bars holding her inside the crudely made cell. Her grey coat was splattered with dirt, her mane unkempt and flaying out in wild directions. Her small body was quivering in the corner of the cell, her small eyes closed tightly as hot tears drizzled down her small cheeks.

Her day had started out just fine; she woke up, her mother made her muffins, and she had been off to school. She met up with her friend Rumble, and the two sat next to each other in the schoolhouse. Everything had been okay until the class was dismissed... and then Diamond Tiara started to tease her.

"Ugh, " Diamond Tiara grumbled, her hoof lightly flipping her mane, "Dinky, your mom needs to seriously have some eye-surgery. She came to our house to deliver our mail and she ended up face down in the dirt. I'm surprised she hasn't lost her stupid job yet."

"Hey!" Dinky growled, "Y-You take that back!"

"Oh, that's right, " Tiara smirked, "You can't afford to have your mom's eyes fixed, can you? It's sad, the way everypony in town laughs when they see her slam into their walls. I almost feel sorry for you." Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara laughed together, walking away and leaving behind a very hurt Dinky. They did this everyday, and Dinky finally had enough. Today, she was going to go gem hunting and get the shiniest, most beautiful diamond ever. Maybe then she could have enough money to help her mother, and maybe ponies wouldn't make fun of her anymore.

But of course, with Dinky's luck, she ended up getting captured by the diamond dogs while she was out searching. She took one step into the lands where Rarity often found her jewels, and before she knew it she accidentally fell into the long tunnels, dropping right into the laps of the foul creatures.

And now here she was... her little heart beating from anxiety like a drum. What were the diamond dogs going to do?... Hold her for ransom? Eat her? Send her into slavery?! She didn't know, and that's what terrified her most.

The sound of pounding paws alerted her, making her gasp as she tried to burrow herself even more into the corner. Three large diamond dogs stepped out of the shadows, panting slowly as their teeth moved up and down in their jaws. Dinky hid her face with her fore-hoof, not able to stop her trembling.

"There it is... " The diamond dog who caught her chuckled, "The lil' pony..."

"A little too little, ain't she?" The other grumbled, ambling over to the iron bars, "I bet she can't even use magic right!"

"Hmph!" The last one growled, "Then what do we do, Rover? Throw her out?" Dinky glanced up from her hoof, a small glimmer of hope twinkling in her eyes.

"Nah, " Rover smirked, "We'll give 'er to the boss... he hasn't had a meal in a long time... " Dinky's hope immediately vanished.

"I wonder what ponies taste like... " One of the dogs began to salivate, "I wonder if they're real tough... or really squishy... that pony looks a tiny bit crunchy...." he licked his lips, rubbing his paws together as he chuckled.

"Let... l-let me go... " Dinky whined quietly, "O-Or else... I-I"

"Or else what, hm?!" Rover snarled, "Nopony's comin' to get you! Nopony knows you're down here! There's no way you're gettin' outta here... " He growled, his paw gripping the iron bar, "And there is nothing... nothing you can do, you little pony!" Dinky began to cry once more, sobbing loudly into her furry hoof as her tears smeared the mud and dirt underneath her eyes.

"...Let her go."

"Huh?" Rover blinked, looking over at one of the other diamond dogs, "You say something?"

"Um... " The dog scratched his head, "I... I don't think so.... "

"Let. Her. Go."

"There it is again!" Rover blinked, looking over at the other diamond dog, "Did you say something?"

"No!" The dog shook his head, "I didn't!"

"For christ's sake, I'm behind your fat hairy asses!"

Dinky looked up, sniffling quietly before dropping her jaw. Standing behind the three diamond dogs was... well, she didn't know what it was. The creature was bipedal, its skin a tan or peach color. Fur ran down its chest and its arms, but the majority of it was on the creature's head. It was wearing pants and boots, and at the ends of its arms were...not hooves or paws?

"Huh?" Rover blinked, "What's that?" It jerked back, pointing a grubby digit of its paw, "You're no diamond dog!"

"Thank god I'm not... " The creature replied, "Or else I'd have to ride the short bus back home from the battlefield all the time. Now, be nice little puppies and let the little pony go." The diamond dogs looked over at each other before bursting out into laughter.

"You funny, little creature!" Rover snarled in laughter, "You think you can take on three- "

The creature's closed fist broke into Rover's cheek, sending the diamond dog flying through the air. Rover's back smashed into the iron, bars, and Dinky could hear the air getting ripped from his lungs before the dog fell unconscious.

The other two diamond dogs barely had time to blink.

The creature grabbed the back of their heads and slammed them into each other, and Dinky swore that she heard a sickening crack echo into her cell. The two dogs slumped onto their backs, their tongues hanging out of their jaws as they ceased their movement.

Dinky froze, watching the strange figure make its way up to the iron bars, grabbing and throwing Rover out of the way. She had been scared of the diamond dogs... but this thing intimidated her on a whole new level.

"Hey, " It grumbled, its voice deep and throaty, "What's your name?... "

"D... D... " Dinky tried to respond, her quaking body making it difficult to form words, "D... Dinky.... "

"Alright, Dinky... " It nodded, "Do you know how to get out of here?" It placed its two strange hooves onto the iron bars, and she could see the digits clenching tightly.

"Y....Yes... " Dinky replied, "I..... I think so..."

"Good, " The creature began to pull back onto the bars, "My name's Logan... " His muscles bulged, the bars bending back, screeching in protest. Before long, there was a whole big enough for the little pony to squeeze through.

"Come on, " Logan frowned, backing away, "I won't hurt you. I want to get out of here just as much as you, okay? So let's leave before more of those things show up." Dinky gave a shrill squeak, nodding obediently as she got up on shaky hooves. She moved slowly to the entrance Logan made, crawling under it and to the other side.

"Okay, " Wolverine stated, "Let's get a move on. Lead the way." The human watched the small filly stagger into a direction, moving painfully slow. Logan sighed, rolling his eyes as he walked over towards her.

"What are you? A new breed of turtle?" She felt his hands slide over her body and she let out a cry, tears blasting out of her eyes as she panicked.

"Hey!" Wolverine growled, "Quiet! I'm going to carry you, you little shit." He placed her so that her haunches rested on the top of his back, her head peaking out above his, her forehooves wrapped around his forehead as her back legs rested on his shoulders.

"See? Easier, isn't it?" Logan grumbled, "Now, let's get going. And, I swear to god if you get so scared that you piss... well, if I told you I'm sure it would happen." She whimpered quietly, her hooves squeezing tighter around his head.

In Ponyville, the sun was shining bright in the sky, and few clouds dared to block its glorious rays down onto the ponies of Equestria. Celestia's burning star was slowly taking its daily fall, moving closer and closer to the horizon. The school was out, shops were preparing to close, and work was getting wrapped up at Sweet Apple Acres.

For Twilight and her new study buddy, Lyra, the day seemed like it was going to end soon on this perfect note

Unfortunately, a grey mare flying her head into the wall beside the door had something to say otherwise.

The impact shook the house, the trembling causing a few leaves to drop from the large tree that housed the library. Twilight and Lyra were busy sitting at the table in the center of the big room, and both jumped up about three feet in surprise.

"What was that?!" Twilight blinked, looking over at her door, "That can't be Rainbow Dash... she always hits the windows... so then it must be-"

"TWILIGHT!" The familiar voice of Ditzy cried outside, "I NEED YOUR HELP!" Twilight jumped off her stool and swiftly trotted over to her door.

"Ditzy?" Twilight blinked, opening the door to see the pegasus, "What's wrong?" Ditzy was a complete mess. Her mane was ruffled more than usual, her eyes turning red and puffy with worry. She was sitting on her haunches in front of the doorway, her two pupils trying so hard to focus on Twilight.

"Twilight!" Ditzy cried, "You have to help me! I-I c-can't find Dinky anywheeerrreee!" She sobbed, her tears running down her cheeks, "S-She's a-always home after school, but she- she didn't come home today! And nopony knows where s-she is!" Her words were broken between her sharp breaths.

"Oh no, " Twilight gasped, "I'm so sorry! Do you have any idea where she could be? Maybe she's with some friends?"

Ditzy cried out even louder, "D-Dinky doesn't have any friends she hangs out with," She sniffled, "It's all my fault... I'm such a careless mother... if o-only I was a better mom... and i-if I wasn't such a failure.... " She raised her hoof to begin wiping at her eyes, finding it hard just to make words.

"Ditzy, you aren't a failure," Lyra smiled, making her way towards the doorway, "In fact, you're one of the most loving and caring mothers that I have ever known. I'm sure that she'll turn up soon, and if not I know that we can find her!" Ditzy wiped her face for a few more moments before giving a nod and a small smile.

"T-Thanks, " She sniffled, getting some help from Twilight's hoof to stand, "I-I guess I'll start by flying around Ponyville again... m-maybe she's just in a shop or something..."

"Good idea, Ditzy!" Twilight nodded, "She's out there somewhere! I'll go ask around about her. Lyra, go to the school and try and find Cheerilee... maybe she might know where Dinky has run off to." Lyra gave a comical salute with her green hoof before immediately taking off, storming down the street in a cloud of dust.

"Why don't you go inside for a second and rest, Ditzy?" Twilight asked, "Tell Spike what's up. I'm sure he'll make you a nice cup of tea, and if you ask nicely, he'll even bake you a fresh batch of muffins. How does that sound?"

"Thank you, Twilight, " Ditzy smiled, "This means a lot to me... you were one of the first ponies to not laugh at seeing my eyes for the first time... I owe you so much... " She stumbled into the doorway, and Twilight closed it behind her. Sighing, Twilight put on her serious face and took off into the town. While she knew that Dinky didn't have many friends, she knew of the closest one she had: Rumble. Maybe he had an idea of where she went.

"You're a unicorn, right? Can't you use your magic or something to light the tunnel?"

"I... well... I'm not very good... at magic... "

"You can at least try it."

"Whenever I do... it blows up in my face.... "

"Gee... out of all the little unicorn ponies, I get the one with an impotent horn."

"What does impotent mean?"

"It means- hey, do I take a left or right here?" The little grey filly was still sitting around Logan's head, giving him directions as best she could. She had quite a memory, but it was easy to forget the twists and turns the tunnels made. They had been walking for what seems like hours... she was initially terrified, but Logan had done nothing to harm her... well, physically at least.

"Left, right, or middle?" Logan grumbled, "I don't have all day... I'm getting tired of smelling dirt and dog shit."

"R-Right.... I think.... " Dinky said, "And I think that it starts going uphill... and that's where the exit is... " She was being taken back by the strange creature's language... she knew of the curse words, but ponies rarely used them at all. It was as if there was an unspoken ban on them.

"About time, " He muttered, stomping his way through the dirt, "I'm getting rather sick of playing babysitter here." Dinky kept a firm grip around his head, her body rocking slightly with each one of his footsteps.

"Hey... um... Logan?" Dinky asked, "What exactly... are you?"

"A hairy asshole that's lived too long." He replied with a frown, "That's all I'd like you to know. Actually, I want you to forget you ever saw me."

"Why?" She blinked, "But... you saved me..."

"Yeah?" Logan mumbled, "Doesn't matter. My life here has to be a secret... you could say that I'm under the employment of the princesses." He grumbled.

"Really?" She gasped, "You mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?!"

"Yep, " He sighed, "Sunbutt and Moon-Fart, respectively. So tell me, what exactly were you doing down here? I imagine you weren't asking for a cup of sugar or anything." Dinky shook her head, casting her eyes on the ground as she recalled.

"No, " She whimpered quietly, "I...I came here looking for gems..."

"Jewels? For what?"

"I... I want to help my mom... "

"How will getting shiny objects help her exactly?... "

Dinky sniffled, "My mom... is always being teased for her eyes... they don't look forward, and sometimes they go in different directions... she works real hard everyday, and sometimes she has a hard time bringing food to the table. But I know she loves me a lot, and I love her so much too."

"So, " Logan began, "You want to get enough jewels to pay for her eyes to get fixed?"

"Yes, " Dinky nodded, "I... I want to help her feel normal... just because she's different from everypony else doesn't mean she's less than them... she has a heart just like they do, and she cries just like they do... its just because of one stupid reason that they treat her like that... " She said quietly.

"Just because she's different, huh?" Logan said, tightening his fist silently, "Yeah.... I know what that's like." More than you know...

"But I guess I'm just a failure... " Tears began to form in her eyes, "I... I got captured instead, and I still couldn't find any jewels to help her...." She began to sob, and Logan could feel her wet tears dripping into his hair.

"Hey, " Logan sighed, "Stop crying. That's not gonna solve anything... I bet that your mother's probably freaking out and looking for you. What about your father?"

"Father?" Dinky said quietly, "I... I never knew him... he left when I was small, and... "

"It's fine, " Logan stated, "You don't have to tell me." The tunnel began to slowly ascend, and it wasn't long before Logan was finally walking uphill, smelling the scent of the Everfree Forest however faintly.

"What about you?" Dinky asked, "What about your family?... "

"My family?" Logan frowned, "Well... I don't remember my parents. But I did have something like a family once."

"Really?" Dinky looked down at him, "What were they like?"

"Well, " Wolverine thought for a second, "There was this prick who shot lasers from his eyes, a bald guy who sat in a chair all the time, a woman that loved me but didn't love me at the same time, and a blue kid that could teleport. There were more, but if I said them all you'd be here for a week."

"Um, wow... " Dinky blinked, "Did... did you love your family?"

Wolverine grinned in the dark, "Love, huh? Let's just say that they were the best thing that has ever happened to me. And I'm sure you are the best thing that's ever happened to your mother... if you love her just the way she is, why should she change? Sure, she probably gets teased now and then, but I'm sure that she cares about you so much that she doesn't worry about any of those other things."

"Wow... " Dinky smiled, giving his head a small hug, "Thank you... that... that means a lot..."

"Oh shit... " Logan stated suddenly, his expression grave.

"What is it?..."

"I just got sentimental towards a little pony. Goddamnit."

A Sudden Rescue (Part 2)

View Online

"Ooooh... " Rover groaned, his arms and legs quivering as they tried to rise up from the ground. He felt like his face was hit straight on by a chariot, and his back ached as if he was run over by a train. With all fours struggling to lift his torso, he finally managed to get up onto his knees. Feeling a few cracks go off down his spine, the diamond dog raised a paw to his face to rub at the sore spot tenderly. He was positive that the strange bipedal creature hit him... but he couldn't remember flying back into the iron bars of the prison.

With a grunt, Rover turned his head to glance at the cell, his neck feeling like a stiff log. Two of the steel bars had been completely bent, making enough space for a tiny pony to fit through. With a growl of disapproval, Rover quickly looked around for his two comrades.

Both were lying on their backs, facing opposite one another. They each had a sizable bump on their foreheads, and were twitching subconsciously. Rover knew that even if he jumped on them, they probably wouldn't wake up. With his muscles and cracked bones screeching in protest, the diamond dog heaved himself up back onto his feet, growling in the intense pain flaring beneath his coat.

Using the wall for support, Rover climbed up to stand up straight, each breath igniting his lungs in a fiery pain. He took a moment to collect himself before opening his mouth wide, his chest expanding as he took in a huge amount of breath. Mentally prepared, the diamond dog let out a loud howl, his throat throbbing as the piercing wail rang throughout the underground caverns. The pain was so immense, and tears welled up in the corner of his eyes as he screamed for as long as he could. When the air was finally gone from his lungs, he collapsed back onto the ground with a sharp yelp.

His ears perked up, and Rover began to listen closely to the sounds of the cavern. At first, he was met with only the sharp buzz of silence... but soon he began to hear the thunderous roars of running, the short pants of his kin, and the small tremors of their approaching bodies through the ground.

"Stupid... filly..., " Rover growled out, "Won't let... you get away... boss will... make sure... " He let out a chuckle that resembled a wheeze.

And then he waited.

"Goddamn... mutts.... " Logan growled, "We finally get through the tunnel that's as long as the New York Subway, and right when the surface is in our faces, it turns out they dug straight up." Logan punched his hands into the dirt, the muscles on his arms tensing and bulging as he climbed up slowly, the unstable earth breaking away with each attempt to move up.

"What's the New York Subway?" Dinky asked, her hooves wrapped tightly around Wolverine's head to keep from falling, "Is it some kind of road?"

"Something like that, " Logan grumbled, growing rather frustrated at the slow ascending pace, "Hey, you sure you don't have any magic that can lift us out of here? I'm not saying I'm tired, but it would be much more convenient to just float outta here... "

Dinky shook her head, "N-No... I'm still very bad at magic... and most unicorns aren't even strong enough to lift themselves in the air, especially somepony as heavy as you."

"Hey, " Logan spoke back, digging his hands back into the dirt as he lifted himself up a few more inches, "It's all muscle, kid." And my metal skeleton probably puts on a little more weight. A little.

Dinky looked up the tunnel, the light of the sky fading rather quickly, "Oh no... " She whispered softly, "Mama's probably really worried about me... " She gave out a worrisome sigh that only gave Logan a slight annoyance.

"No shit." Logan responded, "Moms typically don't like it when their small child is off in some dark tunnel clutching some stranger's head like a pillow during a scary movie. But she doesn't exactly know what you're doing or where you are, so she's most likely expecting the worst."

Dinky nodded, resting her chin against the top of Logan's head, "Mama always worries... I hope that she doesn't go through a ton of trouble to try and find me... she's probably going over to see Twilight right now, though."

Logan froze.

"Twilight?" He asked, his eyes shifting to see the unicorn on his head.

"Yes, " Dinky cocked her head curiously, "Twilight Sparkle... Princess Celestia's student and one of the elements of harmony! If there is somepony that could help mama and me, it'd be Twilight!"

"So.... " Logan began to move up again, "You're saying you live in the same town... as her..."

"Yep!" Dinky nodded, her expression brightening, "She's the smartest pony ever! Her magic is amazing, and she could do nearly everything! I really look up to her!"

"Great, " Logan grumbled, "Just my luck... I go out of my way to save a little pony, and the next thing I know is that Sparky is nearby."

"Sparky?" Dinky blinked, "Do you know Twilight?"

"I'm not saying anything, " Logan growled softly, "And neither are you. Remember what we talked about? You can't say a word about meeting me or any of this. Especially to that damned egghead." Dinky cocked her head in confusion.

"Why?" Dinky asked, "Were you and Twilight in some sort of fight?"

"Not talking about it, " Logan sighed, "You have to promise me that you won't say anything. This is important, and your princesses want to keep it a secret... especially from that merlin-wannabe. You got it, kid?"

"Tell me why!" Dinky whined, "Please? I just wanna know! I promise I won't say anything if you tell me!" Logan grumbled to himself, becoming even more irritated at the grey filly clutching his head. She continued to complain and struggle for a few more minutes, and the torture of his ears finally stopped when his strong hands finally grabbed the surface.

"Maybe when you're older, " Logan grunted, his muscles tensing as he pulled his body out from the hole, breaking dirt chunks back down into the tunnel, "I saved your little grey ass, so you have to do what I tell you." He climbed onto his feet and stood up straight, turning his gaze to the sky. The sun had been pulled to the horizon, and the moon was currently being dragged up into the night. Stars were beginning to flicker to life, letting them know that Luna was busy at work on her next masterpiece.

"Well, we're out." Logan stated, stretching out his arms and feeling a series of cracks roll down his spine, "I guess you can go home now." Instead of loosening her grip, Dinky's hooves only gripped his head harder.

"Hm?" Logan frowned, "What's wrong now?... Don't tell me..."

"It's... " Dinky whined softly, "Really dark out... "

"And?... " Logan winced, taking a quick look around.

"...We're surrounded by the Everfree Forest..."

"...And?"

"I'm... I'm scared.... "

"For god sakes!" Wolverine snarled, "Fine! You can camp with me for tonight, but only for tonight. When it gets light again, you go back home. You never speak of this again, and you will never see me again. Deal?"

Dinky shrunk against his head, her small eyes darting back and forth through the darkness, "D...Deal... "

Twilight rushed down Ponyville, biting her lip in worry. She told Ditzy that she would find Dinky, but it was turning out to be harder than she thought. She at least somehow ran into her five friends in town and asked them to search for Dinky as well. But by that time, the sun had basically disappeared from the sky, having been consumed by the horizon... and this worried the purple mare.

Finding Rumble's house was rather difficult... she knew Rumble and his arrogant- womanizing brother Thunderlane, but she wasn't sure where they lived. She had to ask around a bit before being directed to a house not too far away from Sugarcube Corner.

She took a moment to catch her breath, panting quite heavily and using the mailbox to support herself. After all, she was an expert scholar and a genius magician, not a pony with decent athletic ability. She straightened out her mane with her hoof and approached the door to the house, knocking on it three times.

The door opened, and she had to look to to see the grey-colored Thunderlane standing above her. She cringed at the smirk edging his lips.

"Oh, hey Twilight, " He smiled, shifting his body so that it leaned against the doorway, "Fancy seeing you coming over here. See anything you like?" He glanced over her body, raising one of his hooves to comb through his mohawk.

"Sorry, Thunderlane, " Twilight waved off her hoof, "I'm not here for a night of disappointment. I'm here to talk to Rumble, actually. I need his help to find Dinky."

"Oh, " Thunderlane frowned, "Derpy's daughter? Yeah, I'll go call him." Twilight gritted her teeth from the name-calling, pressing down the desire to lash out on the pegasus. However, this was no time for lectures. That would most definitely come later.

"Yo Rumble!" Thunderlane shouted from inside his house, "Somepony's here to see you."

"Coming!" A young coltish voice called from a staircase. A few moments later, Rumble came dashing down the steps, a smile wide on his face.

"Dinky!" He exclaimed, "I was wondering when you'd get back from - Twilight?" Rumble attempted to scoot into a stop, but his back legs got tangled up and he tumbled down the rest of the stairs, landing face-first into the ground.

"Good one, bro, " Thunderlane laughed, "You'll definitely be a stunt flier someday. At least you can take the hits." Rumble ignored his brother and sat up, wiping away a little bit of moisture under his eye.

"Twilight, " Rumble asked, sitting down onto his haunches, "What are you doing here? Is this about Dinky?"

Twilight nodded, "Yes. Ditzy has been searching all over for her and she's nowhere to be found... its getting late, and its already dark out. Do you know where she could be?"

Rumble gasped, "Oh no... I told her it was a bad idea... " He stood back up, shaking the surprise out of his face, "N-Nevermind that! We've got to go find her now! She could be in danger!"

"Danger?!" Twilight blinked, "What do you mean by danger? You have to tell me, Rumble!"

"I... Well, it was after school, and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were teasing her as usual... " His ears dropped, and his gaze dropped to the floor, "They were making fun of Dinky's mom's eyes again... saying how poor she was, and how she couldn't afford to fix her eyes... I... I should of said something... " Rumble kicked the floor with his hoof, "But Dinky... it really got to her this time. She told me she was going to find gems to get enough bits to help out her mom... she had overhead spots where Rarity and Spike go digging for sapphires and stuff, and went there... but I think she went farther than she should have into..."

"Diamond dog territory, " Twilight gasped, "Oh no... that's in the middle of the Everfree Forest... that means... oh no... I-I got to get the others!" Twilight spun around, her hooves kicking into the dirt as she dashed away down into the street. Rumble immediately darting after her, easily managing to catch up ride beside her.

"I-I'm coming with!" Rumble yelled.

"No! It's too dangerous!" Twilight replied, "The Everfree is filled with dangerous creatures!"

"But, " Rumble complained, "But I can't just sit still! If I don't go out there with you... I'll never forgive myself... " Twilight had a few moments to think, weighing her options. Rumble wasn't going to listen to her if she said no...

"Fine, " Twilight nodded, "Go get Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. I'll get the others and meet me back at the library... tell them the situation. You're a brave colt, Rumble." Rumble's cheeks lit like a fire, and he quickly sprinted away, looking in the skies for a certain blue pegasus and the streets for a pink pony.

"Mr. Logan?" Dinky asked, glancing around, "Are... are you sure you know where you're going?" It had been quite a while since they had disappeared into the thick forest, and Dinky could barely see two feet in front of her. Logan, however, was navigating like a pro, stepping over logs and avoiding trees and other plants sitting in his way.

"Of course I know where the hell I'm going, " Logan grumbled, "I have a kickass sense of direction. Also, I can smell the remnants of my campfire. There aren't a ton of people having fires in a forest like this."

"Oh... I-I see... " Dinky still kept a firm grip on Logan's head, "So... um, do you live with anypony?"

"Me?" Wolverine nearly laughed, "No, of course not. Thank god for solitude."

"Why?" Dinky asked, "Isn't it... lonely?"

"Not at all, " Logan responded, "It's peaceful, quiet, and I don't have to worry about you little ponies freaking out at the sight of me. It's relaxing."

"I'm sure the ponies in Ponyville will accept you, " Dinky stated, "We aren't like those stuck up nobles in Canterlot... I'm sure the ponies would all love to get to know you."

"No thanks, " Logan replied, "It's not like I'm afraid they won't accept me or anything. I just don't want to get affiliated with you guys. No offense, but I'm afraid that if I stick around with you ponies long enough I'm going to end up singing and dancing. It's not like I'm in Les Miserables or anything. God, that'd be awful."

"Singing and dancing is fun, though... " Dinky replied quietly. She paused, trying to think of a conversation topic, "Do you know any songs, Mr. Logan?"

"Of course I do, " Logan grumbled in reply, "I've had young kids pound top forty radio into my head for years. Anyways, we're here." He lifted his powerful arms, his fingers grasping the interlocking branches of two trees and yanking them apart.

"I'm getting sick of doing that each time, " He mumbled under his breath, "If I have to do it again, I'm turning you trees into toilet paper." When the branches were ripped away, Dinky was able to make out Logan's campsite.

The fire pit was in the center of it all, and there were still a few hot coals burning away. There was a bed of leaves set up not too far away from it, and there were a few hefty bags bulging with tools and other objects inside of them. Dinky couldn't see it, but she could hear the sound of a nearby stream, and she immediately felt a dryness in her throat. She had been so frightened that she didn't know she had been thirsty.

Logan bent over, grabbing her small body with his thick hands, "Alright, you're lucky I'm not charging you for the ride." She gave a little squeak when his fingers wrapped around her body. She kept her eyes squeezed shut as she was slowly lifted into the air, and finally opened them when she was set softly onto the ground.

"Well, this is home." Logan spoke, "I don't have two beds, so you're going to have to make your own. You can hear where the water is, and I don't think I have food that you can eat for tonight. Sorry, kiddo." Logan sat down next to the small fire pit, blowing onto the coals as he snatched a handful of sticks to bring it back to life.

"N-No problem, " She answered, "I'll just go get something to drink.... " Her limbs moved slowly and carefully, lightly treading through the grass as she listened to the sound of the running stream. The thought of stumbling over rocks or tripping over roots kept her cautious, her eyes barely picking up anything in front of her. When she finally made it to the stream, she had to tap the ground before her to avoid accidentally stepping in.

She leaned her head down, feeling the cool water dance over her muzzle. The liquid relaxed her burning throat, and she had to make sure she didn't choke on it. When she was done, she sighed in relief and lifted her eyes. A small sound rustled from her left, and Dinky turned her head to see a pair of glowing green eyes appear from the dark.

"Mr. LOGAN!" She cried, sprinting back to the campsite "M-MONSTER!" She tripped on her legs, rolling into a little ball before slamming directly into Logan's rump as he was kneeling down towards the fire.

"The fuck?!" Wolverine blinked, immediately standing up, "If I wanted somebody to slap my ass, I would of asked one of those diamond dogs back there." Dinky immediately wrapped her little hooves around Logan's ankles, her eyes as wide as a set of dinner plates.

"M-Monster! B-By the s-stream!" She pointed her hoof into the pitch black abyss of the forest, "I-It's coming!" Logan sniffed the air for a moment, a smile cracking from his lips.

"Oh. Don't worry. He won't hurt you." Logan stated as two glowing green orbs protruded from the dark, "He's a friend... I think." Dinky kept her hooves as tight as knot around Logan's leg.

The timberwolf stepped out of the shadows slowly, its head raised above its shoulders. Its wooden tail dangled stiffly behind itself as it approached Logan. Dinky sniffled into his leg, hiding her eyes from the horror of the beast. It glanced over at Dinky and huffed before turning to pace in a circle. After a few spins, its legs bent and it laid onto the earth, curling up into itself.

"See? It's fine." Logan shook his leg lightly, "He doesn't think much of you as a meal, anyways... which means you can let go!" Dinky whimpered in protest before releasing her death-grip. She trotted over to the other side of the campfire and sat down, her horrified eyes glancing over to the wolf occasionally.

"That's... a timberwolf... " Dinky said after a few moments of silence.

"That's what they're called?" Logan grumbled before sitting down before the fire, "I should have guessed." Dinky scooted a few extra inches towards the human.

"Why... why is he here?" Dinky asked, looking at the creature curiously, "Timberwolves are one of the most feared creatures in the Everfree! Is he your pet? Did you tame him?"

"Nope, " Logan replied, "I saw him when he first got here, and he's been here ever since. I think this was his home before I came along, so now we're sorta roommates."

Dinky looked up, cocking her head at Logan, "You... know what it's thinking?" She asked quietly.

"Kinda... " Logan scratched his head, "It's... sorta an ability of mine. In a way, I can communicate with them and somehow read their thoughts."

"Wow!" She smiled, "You're just like Fluttershy!"

Logan let out a painful cough, "Like hell I'm like Fluttershy! Does it look like I make out with flowers and trees?!..." Wolverine suddenly froze, realizing that he just gave more information to the little pony.

Dinky gasped, her expression puzzled, "You mean... you've met Fluttershy AND Twilight?! Does that mean you've met Pinky, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity too?!"

"Look, kid, I'm not gonna tell you." He sighed, "Tomorrow, I'm taking you straight back to your little town. And, because of our deal, you won't tell anybody that I'm here. You simply got lost in the forest and slept in a cave or something." Dinky's ears drooped and she dropped her head, resting them against her forehooves.

"I know... " She said quietly, "It's just... I haven't made an actual friend in a while... I was hoping that maybe... nevermind... " She yawned, turning her head to face away from Logan.

"Friend?" Logan raised an eyebrow, looking over at the little filly. Her body raised with her breaths, and she let out another cute little yawn. Logan watched her for a little while longer and turned his head back to the fire. He met the glowing green eyes of the timberwolf who stared at him expectantly.

"What?" Logan frowned, "Don't look at me like that... you wooden prick. " The timberwolf appeared to roll its eyes without pupils before closing its eyelids.

"Tch, " Logan grumbled, "You know, I think I finally have a name for you. How about... Morning Wood? Sounds pony enough, right?"

"Ugh... " Rover complained, stomping hits way down through the dark caverns. Thick white bandages wrapped his torso like a mummy, and his arm was in a sling hung from his neck. Apparently, the creature punched him so hard he broke his arm. Shaking his head, he glanced over at his two subordinates. They were still out cold, and were lying on their backs with bandages tied around their heads.

"Rover, " A large diamond dog approached from behind, "You say that a little pony and a... strange monster did this to you?"

"Yes, " Rover grunted, "Don't know what it was... but no one treats me like this!" He snarled, punching his fist into the dirt walls, "Damn ponies! Making fools of us!"

"Hey, " The diamond dog behind Rover grabbed his shoulder, "You think... they saw...? "

Rover thought for a moment. He wasn't sure if the pony or the strange creature saw the room with the jewels and gold. But if he said yes, then he was sure that the other dogs would go out and hunt down the strange creature that humiliated him. With his smile hidden, Rover nodded his head.

"Yes, " Rover replied, "They did... they both did. This puts us... these caverns... and boss in danger." Rover turned, facing a large posse of diamond dog brethren.

"You must go find them!" Rover snarled, "Take them! Kill them! The ponies must not know! Boss be very angry if found out! Hurry before he gets back!" The diamond dogs turned to each other, each fearing what their boss would do if their secret was found out. They nodded to each other and sniffed the air, quickly picking up the ever-fading scent trail of the creature and the pony. They each turned, jumping onto all fours as they sprinted into the tunnels, howling and barking as they hunted their foes.

"Hmph," Rover grunted, "Good. I wait for boss."

"U-Um... d-do we have to be out like this so late at night? I-It's s-so dark out... " Fluttershy whispered, the magic from Twilight's horn illuminating a limited space surrounding them. The elements of harmony were all present, with Ditzy and Rumble in tow.

"Can it, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash chirped, hitting her friend lightly on the shoulder, "We're on a rescue mission! Little Dinks could be out there afraid, alone, scared, bleeding, screaming, about to get eaten by a ferocious Manti- "

"Quiet, Dash!" Applejack snapped, smacking her muddy hoof into Dash's yapping muzzle, "Did y'all forget that Ditzy's with us? That's her little girl out there!" Rainbow immediately pulled away, spitting a wad of mud into the trees.

"Oh... sorry... " She apologized, her ears drooping with her head hanging low.

"It's okay... I just want to... make sure my little Dinky... is okay... " Ditzy answered quietly, sniffling to herself as she frantically wiped the gathering moisture in her eyes, "I'm... I'm so scared for her... " Rumble edged up against her, trying to give her as much support as he could. Ditzy wiped her eyes and smiled, opening her wing to cover the little shaking pegasus.

"Don't worry, Ditzy, " Twilight stated, "I'm sure she's fine. She's a very crafty, clever filly. She may not know lots of things, but she'll find a way through it all. Just like her mother." Twilight smiled, looking back at Ditzy.

Ditzy sniffled, "T-Thank you, Twilight. I-I don't think that I could do this without all of you here."

"Anything to help your daughter, Ditzy, " Rarity smiled, "Even if I have to walk through a few... ugh... pits of mud. Say, anypony seen Pinkie Pie?"

"Over here!" Pinkie called out, jumping out of a few bushes and waving her hooves in a silly manner, "Sorry! My Pinkie senses were going craaaaazy! I just had to stop and take a look around!"

"Pinkie sense?!" Twilight stopped in her tracks, "W-What's triggering them?" Twilight, ever since the whole pinkie sense incident, was now always careful about her friend's strange ability. Sometimes it saved her from a few bad situations, and being in the Everfree Forest at night was only making her more paranoid.

"Weeeell, " Pinkie exclaimed, "When my ears flop twice, my legs kick three times, my tail twitches five times, and my face quivers eight times all at once, it means that somepony that we know and haven't seen in a long time is really close by!" She started hopping in excitement, her grin practically reaching her ears, "It's got me so happy that we get to see a friend we haven't seen in a long while!"

"Friend we haven't seen in a while?... " Twilight blinked, "Well... like Zecora?"

"No, silly!" Pinkie replied, "We see her every so often in Ponyville! It has to be somepony super-duper special!"

"Hmm, " Applejack tapped her chin, "Ah can't think of any pony that would be out here besides Dinky, and we all see her pretty often."

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon!" Pinkie grinned, "It makes me so happ- AUARHASFGH!" Pinkie's body suddenly exploded in convulsions, twitches, and sharp movements with strange words and spouts of saliva shooting from her mouth. Her friends watched her with gaping mouths as her strange seizure continued for a few more awkward moments.

When it finally ended, Pinkie landed down onto her knees, her body rocking as she panted heavily, "Oh... oh no... " Her eyes got big, and she quickly gave Twilight a horrified look.

Twilight blinked, "Um, what's going on- "

"Twilight!" Pinkie screeched, "T-Turn off your light and cast a magic spell to get rid of our scent! A-And make it so they can't see us! Everypony get down now!" Pinkie quickly laid down onto her belly, her hooves reaching up to cover her head.

Twilight opened her mouth to ask, but the sound of thundering footsteps shook the crooked trees and plants surrounding them. Twilight's horn flashed, releasing a scent-obscurity spell while also enveloping them in complete invisibility. Each pony hit the ground quietly, with Fluttershy shivering nearly uncontrollably.

The pounding of the earth grew louder and louder, until Twilight couldn't even feel or hear her beating heart. There was a loud howl and a bark, and in mere seconds an entire pack of large, powerful Diamond Dogs broke out of the bushes. Twilight pulled her head in low as the group charged over them, mud splashing around as if they were fountains. Their vicious panting and snarling made Fluttershy whimper, and their powerful footsteps managed to only graze every single one of the ponies.

When the sounds of thunder finally ended, Twilight ended the spells and stood up, struggling with her shaky hooves. She had seen diamond dogs before, but these were much bigger than the others she had seen, and there were so many of them.

"Everypony alright?... " Twilight asked, wiping some mud off of her coat.

"Well, nothing a bath can't fix, I guess... " Rarity growled, her horn glowing lightly as the mud drenching her white body slipped off like water, "One trampled over my mane, though... "

"What were they doing?... " Rainbow Dash asked, looking back, "They were definitely in some kind of a hurry... "

"Yeah, and they weren't heading for Ponyville, that's for sure." Applejack cracked her neck, "Or Zecora's. They were just heading deeper and deeper into the Everfree."

"This makes me worried... " Fluttershy stated, "What if... they were going after Dinky?... " Ditzy let out a little gasp, gazing back to find the tracks the diamond dogs left behind.

"T-Then we gotta go after them!" Rumble declared, taking a few shaky steps, "T-They looked pretty serious!"

"Hm, " Twilight thought outloud, "It could be true, but we don't know for sure. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie, I want you all to follow after them to see what they were up to. We'll go search around the area that Dinky was heading over to. When you guys are done, double back and meet us up at Zecora's." The three ponies nodded, and Rainbow Dash jumped into the air and gave her friend a salute.

"Yes sir, captain Sparkle!" Rainbow Dash mocked, turning around and immediately speeding through the darkness.

"Oh, hey!" Applejack blinked, "Don't go too fast! The forest is dark, and there might be a-

*SMACK!*

"...tree.... " Applejack sighed, bringing her hoof up hit herself lightly on the forehead, "Anyways, we'll be fine. You guys go on ahead and we'll see which tree those dogs are barkin' up." Twilight nodded, and she watched her three friends with worry as they disappeared into the depths of the dark forest.

Morning Wood's eyes suddenly lit up, and the timberwolf growled angrily, getting up onto its feet and turning to face away from the campfire. The wood on the back of its neck stood up, its tail jutting out as it bared its sharp teeth.

"Hey, " Logan glanced over, "What's wrong, Morning Wood? Can't get it down?" he smirked. He climbed onto his feet and sniffed the air, and his eyes immediately dilated. His eyes traveled down to Dinky, who was on her side fast asleep. Logan bent down, shoving her side until her eyes flickered open.

"Hey, " Logan stated, his eyes looking in the same direction as the timberwolf's, "Wake up, and listen closely to what I'm going to say."

"...Huh?" Dinky blinked, rubbing at her eyes with her hoof as she sat up, "What's... going on?" She yawned.

"See the tree behind me?" He asked, "At the base of the tree, near the ground, there's a hole big enough for you to go into. Crawl in there, close your eyes, cover your ears, and count to twenty outloud. When you hit twenty, you can uncover your ears and wait for me."

"What?" Dinky blinked, standing up, "What are you-

"GO!" Logan snarled, "A little pony like you shouldn't see or hear what I'm about to do. GO NOW!" The familiar feeling of fear welled up in Dinky's little chest, and she immediately turned tail and ran, heading for the tree Logan talked about. Her breathing became quick as she searched around the tree, finding the hole he mentioned at the base of its trunk. With a little difficulty, she managed to back into it, shrouding herself in the dark. She looked at Logan one more time before closing her eyes tightly, lifting her hooves to cover her ears.

"One... " She whispered, "...Two... "

Logan closed his fists, three huge metal claws emerging from his knuckles. Morning Wood crouched even lower, its wooden teeth looking just as deadly as Logan's own weapons.

"Three... four... "

The thundering stopped, but Logan heard them move around the clearing unseen, completely surrounding him and the campsite. He could smell them... their sweat, their fur, their bloodlust. It was all too familiar.

"Five... six... "

The diamond dogs finally presented themselves, emerging from the brush as they circled around Logan and Morning Wood. They bared their own sharp canines, their powerful arms rippling with muscles and veins. They were numerous... Logan didn't think he could count them all.

"Seven... Eight... "

"Heh?" Logan grinned, beckoning them with a finger, "Sorry, but little Timmy didn't fall down the well yet. So, let's end this quickly, shall we? You ugly little mutts?"

"Nine... Ten... "

The diamond dogs howled and barked, ducking their bodies down and lunging straight for Logan, cocking their arms back and reading their teeth to rip into his flesh. Logan released a snarl that could send shivers down a dragon's back as he charged in, the timberwolf right by his side.

"Eleven... "

Logan's speed allowed him to pierce into the diamond dog's chest before it could release its punch, his claws stabbing into its heart as the life immediately bolted from its eyes. Sensing an approaching attacker from behind, Logan bent down, kicking out behind him as his attack connected with the enemy's throat, letting out a sickening crack as he yanked his claws from the diamond dog's body. Morning Wood superior strength and weight smashed into its prey, its wooden teeth clamping down onto the diamond dog's neck and refusing to let go.

"Twelve... "

Logan ducked, weaving his head to dodge a powerful punch aiming for his head. Wolverine counterattacked with a slash, his blades cutting into the diamond dog's neck, sending up a burst of red liquid. He felt powerful paws grip onto his arm, but he wouldn't give his attack a chance. With a roar of a beast, Logan grabbed the diamond dog's arm and pulled, flinging the creature up into the air and slamming it hard into the earth with a loud smack.

"Thirteen... "

Logan spun, delivering a powerful kick and smashing one of the diamond dog into another, knocking them both to the ground. One of the creatures managed to punch him. Its fist landed onto his cheek and sending his head rocking back. Logan snarled, slamming his head forward and headbutting the diamond dog, his metal skull cracking bone. He suddenly leaned to the left, avoiding a kick from an enemy, and then punched the monster with his claws, the sharp metal piercing into the diamond dog's torso. He kicked the beast off, its body coming clean off of his blades.

"Fourteen... "

He felt two thick arms wrap around his torso from behind, squeezing him as the diamond dog attempted to lift him. Logan grinned, knowing that the beast wouldn't be able to lift his metal frame. Logan instead jumped back, his weight falling and crushing the body of the opponent behind him. When the arms went slack, he leaped into the air, screaming as he landing on another diamond dog with his claws, piercing through the enemy's chest.

"Fifteen... "

He quickly got off, his two arms dancing in the air as the limbs of two diamond dogs went flying off, blood trails following. He charged into a terrified group of them, screaming as the blood of their allies ran over him. The claws on his fists slashed and stabbed, a diamond dog being dropped with every single movement of Logan.

"Sixteen.... "

Every enemy that Logan had injured and fell, Morning Wood was there. Snapping at the throats of wounded enemy's and finishing them off. A few diamond dogs tried to attack the beast, but the timberwolf was too fast and too strong. Each foe that it tackled were taken out, and it moved on to quickly to leave itself open for an attack.

"Seventeen... "

One of the diamond dogs turned, ready to run and disappear into the forest. Logan snatched one of his fishing spears and turned, his powerful arm slinging it like an arrow through the air. The spear pierced into its back, appearing out through its chest. It fell to the ground without a sound.

"Eighteen.... "

It wasn't a battle, anymore... it was a massacre. The remaining diamond dogs growled, rushing at the mutant to avenge their comrade... but to no avail. Logan brushed off each attack like it was nothing, his powerful arms and sharp claws cleaving through their bodies like butter. For enemies that tried to grab him, he threw them to the ground, and Morning Wood took away what little life was left.

"Nineteen... "

Logan charged at the final group of enemies, smashing into them with his shoulder. His blow scattered them, sending them sprawling back or knocking them down where they were easy prey. Logan stomped on a diamond dog's chest, breaking through its bones and smashing its heart. Another stood up, ready to run, but Wolverine was too fast. He grabbed it as it tried to run, and sunk his claws into its back, feeling the air leave its lungs along with its life. The last diamond dog stood at the edge of the massacre, its eyes wide with terror as it shook uncontrollably. Wolverine gave a toothy smile, and the diamond dog turned to ran. Morning Wood chased after the creature in the forest, and when Logan withdrew his claws, he heard a bloodcurdling scream echo out from the trees.

"Twenty... " Dinky finally said, puling her hooves down from her ears, "L-Logan?" She asked in a quiet, whimpering voice. Her eyes were still drawn completely shut.

"I'm here, " Logan stated, wiping some of the blood from his eyes. The small scrapes and bruises on his body were already disappearing as he made his way towards Dinky, "Don't look. I'll get you out of there." He knelt down before the tree, wiping his hands in the grass before reaching into it and grabbing Dinky, "Keep your eyes closed."

Dinky nodded, her body shivering as she felt herself being pulled from the hiding place. Logan placed her onto the ground, feeling the excitement from the battle leave his body.

"You alright?" He asked, looking over her body.

"Y-Yeah, " She nodded, her eyes still closed, "I-I'm fine."

"Good." Logan nodded, "That's very good." Suddenly, a familiar scent drifting into his nostrils, causing him to frown angrily.

"Goddammit, " he growled, "I smell... cupcakes." He looked back at Dinky, "Look, kid, I have to go. Your friends are coming to get you, so I'll just leave you here so they can grab you really quick. Alright?"

"L-Logan?!" Dinky gasped, "W-What do you mean?! M-My mama's coming?!"

"Well, I'm sure she's looking, but she's not one of them. I recognize their scents quite clearly." He sniffed again, "Looks like this is it, kid. Sorry I got to leave so soon... just remember, don't open your eyes yet. Not until they say that you can."

"B-But... " Dinky sniffled, tears welting up, "I.. I wanna see you... "

"No." Logan shook his head, "I'm sorry. I don't want you to see this. I'm really sorry... but this is how it has to be." He brought forth his hand, scratching her head affectionately, "You know, kid? You weren't half-bad." Dinky sniffled some more, rubbing her hoof over her eyes.

"Hey, um, " Logan scratched the back of his head, "Remember, don't say anything about me, alright? Not a word. You promise me?" Dinky nodded, her sobs overpowering her voice.

"Right." Wolverine said, the smallest smile forming on his lips, "Hey, you're a brave little pony. I want you to know, since this is the last time you'll see me... I like you a helluva lot more than the princesses or Sparky and her gang of lollipops and skittles." He stood up, walking away from her and heading into the forest.

"L-Logan... " Dinky sniffled, giving him a smile of her own, "T-Thank you... I'll never forget you."

"Yeah... " Logan nodded, "Me neither. Later." Logan, sensing they were really close, immediately took off, his feet pounding the earth quickly as he sprinted away, his emotions unreadable on his face.

"Fuck, " he growled to himself, "Got sentimental again." Dinky listened closely, hearing his footsteps get softer and softer until they disappeared completely. By that time, she began hearing hoofsteps approaching from the front. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, ignoring the powerful scent of blood and destruction that drifted through the cold air.

"...Boss?... " Rover asked, approaching the torch-lit treasure room, "Are... are you back?" The sound of heavy breathing and moving piles of gold and jewels were his response. Rover stopped in his tracks, feeling a powerful heat from the room from the tunnel.

"What is it?" A deep, resonating voice asked. Rover felt his body quake from the vibrations, and he swallowed before stepping into the heated room. He tired to keep from panting, since the boss hated it.

"Um, " The temperature was nearly overpowering, "The ponies... they... they know about treasure. Little pony and strange creature discovered it. They got away, and... "

"And?" The voice replied, the edge of anger making Rover tremble uncontrollably.

"Sent diamond dogs to go get them... " Rover replied, his voice as shaky as his body, "T-They... no... c-c-c-come back. Strange creature s-s-strong... "

Rover was answered by hot and heavy puffs of air coming from the treasure room. The boss wasn't getting pissed at him... and that thought alone nearly made him soil himself on the spot.

"Doesn't matter, " The boss responded, "They're expendable... I need more worthless mutts like yourself to keep working. I don't care how you get them."

"Y-Yeah boss... " Rover nodded, "R-Right away... "

"Good." The boss growled, "I do not like to be kept waiting, Rover. The time to strike is soon... by the time the princess will act, it will be too late... and you will have all the sapphires, diamonds, and precious jewels that your puny, pathetic heart desires."

"O-Of course!" Rover smiled, "Rover do what you command!"

"Do NOT fail me again, hound... " The boss growled back, "Or I'm going to make you burn... "

Wolverine: The Equestrian Myth

by Axel IV

Waking Up

The Attempted Escape

Displeasure

The Main Six

The Offer

Turning Point

Return to Ponyville

Everfree Forest

Into the Cave

A Sudden Rescue (Part 1)

A Sudden Rescue (Part 2)