The Castle of Friendship was the site of a momentous occasion this evening. To commemorate the heroics demonstrated by Starlight Glimmer, Trixie Lulamoon, Discord, Thorax, and Deadpool during the invasion by Queen Chrysalis and the changelings, the Princesses of Equestria were bestowing the ragtag group of heroes with medals for their valiant efforts. Ponies and the now reformed changelings were gathered in the castle’s dining hall, while the Princesses and Equestria's latest saviors were on a stage in the back of the room.

“Starlight, Trixie, Thorax, Wade, and Discord were brave in the face of danger, resourceful when things got challenging, and proved that the bonds of friendship, no matter how unlikely, are stronger than any adversity. By stopping Queen Chrysalis, not only did they save Equestria, they set the changelings free from her reign,” Said Twilight.

ZAP!

“Go Discord! Yahoo!”

Discord teleported into the crowd. Wearing sport apparel with his likeness on it, he cheered to himself. He was not alone, however. Deadpool stood next to him, cheering while wearing a medium length gray wig.

“Great job, sweetheart! I’m so proud of you!” Said Deadpool in a feminine voice.

Deadpool swiftly took off the wig, then put on a white shirt collar and black tie.

“Hailey, settle down! You’re going to embarrass the kid!” Said Deadpool in a gruff voice.

“Thomas, relax. Wade should know how proud of him we are. (Sob) Our little superhero grew up so fast,” Said Deadpool, wearing the wig and speaking in the feminine voice again.

(Hey, Nuclearpool! Look around you!)

Deadpool looked around the room. He realized the ceremony came to a grinding halt because everyone in attendance was staring at him.

“...Sorry. I… had a rough childhood,” Said Deadpool sheepishly.

Discord teleported himself and Deadpool back onto the stage without their accessories. Starlight was doing everything in her power to stifle a giggle while Trixie rolled her eyes.

“And that’s why we’re so proud and honored to give them the Equestrian Pink Hearts of Courage!” Said Celestia.

She pointed at a podium. Resting atop a lilac pillow were five heart-shaped medals trimmed with gold. Princesses Celestia and Luna grabbed the medals, and gave them to the heroes. Given the horn and antler as well as his long head, Discord momentarily detached his head to allow Princess Luna to put his medal around his neck. Luna attempted to give Thorax his medal, but the new mandibles atop his head were proving to be an obstacle. Due to how wide they were, the medal’s ribbon couldn’t stretch around them.

“Hold on, Your Highness. I got it,” Said Deadpool.

Grabbing Thorax’s medal, Deadpool pulled out his knife and cut the ribbon. He then wrapped it around Thorax’s neck and tied it.

“There we go,” Said Deadpool.

Luna and Thorax bowed to Deadpool in gratitude.

“We are so proud of you all!” Said Twilight.

The crowd cheered for the heroes. They basked in the applause while also fidgeting with their medals.

A few minutes later…

With the ceremony over, the attendees were partaking in the reception party. Music from the renowned DJ Pon-3 created a lively atmosphere. While some of the attendees were dancing along to the music, others were either engaged in idle chatter or eating. Trixie was speaking to a crowd made up of some changelings, Sunburst, and Starlight’s friends from Our Town, while Starlight, Thorax, and Deadpool were listening.

“It was the Great and Powerful Trrrrixie’s pleasure to save you from your imminent doom,” Said Trixie.

“Yes, because you did it all by yourself,” Said Discord, popping out of Trixie’s hat and booping her.

Starlight giggled at Trixie’s expense.

“I can’t believe you managed to do it without magic,” Said Sunburst to Starlight.

“It was amazing!” Said a changeling.

“No one has ever stood up to Chrysalis like that!” Added another changeling.

“I can’t take all of the credit. If each of us had not pitched in our unique skills and ideas, we wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near the throne,” Said Starlight modestly.

“Well, let me tell you, I thought we were going to be screwed once the Super Changeling came into the equation,” Said Deadpool.

Deadpool’s friends nodded in agreement. Deadpool took a sip out of a cup of fruit punch. Drinking the last of the punch, he decided to go get some more.

“I’ll be right back,” Said Deadpool.

A couple of his friends nodded their heads. He walked over to a table with various foods and desserts. Spotting a large punch bowl in the middle of the table, he grabbed a ladle and proceeded to refill his cup.

“Wade Wilson - Hero of Equestria.”

Hearing a masculine voice behind him, he turned around. He spotted a stallion sitting at a nearby table. He couldn’t make out any of his features since he was wearing a trenchcoat and fedora.

“The one-and-only. You a fan?” Asked Deadpool.

“Not necessarily. I’m just somepony who’s been keeping a close eye on you.”

The stallion lifted up his fedora, revealing his face. He had brown fur and a black goatee. His most distinguishing feature was an eyepatch covering his left eye. His right eye had a brown iris. Upon seeing the stallion’s face, Deadpool had a visible look of shock on his masked face.

“Fury? Am I under arrest or something?” Asked Deadpool.

“No, your criminal record is expunged,” Answered Nick Fury.

(I am willing to bet that he and S.H.I.E.L.D still keep tabs on us just in case.)

(I’ll add onto that bet.)

“Okay… I assume you didn’t come here just to congratulate me on saving the day, so what gives?” Asked Deadpool.

“Supposedly, even though you are no longer a mercenary, you still hire out your services. Is this true?” Asked Fury.

“In a Heroes for Hire manner, yes,” Answered Deadpool. “Not a member of the actual group, but if you’ve been doing your homework, you would know that.”

“In that case, I’d like to hire your services,” Said Fury.

“Okay, then. Lay it on me, Jackson,” Said Deadpool, plopping down in a chair opposite of Nick Fury. “Just so we’re clear: no assassinations. Oh, and no disintegrations either. I denied a few changelings the opportunity to reform during my raid on the Changeling Kingdom, so I’d like to avoid taking more lives for at least a little while.”

“That’s not what I’m hiring you for, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you did have to use lethal force. This mission involves Weapon X,” Said Fury.

Deadpool nearly spat out some punch. Hearing the name of the program that gave him his powers, horrid, traumatic memories flooded his mind. He gently placed his cup down, locking eyes with Fury the whole time.

“Tell me everything,” Said Deadpool seriously.

“A couple months ago, S.H.I.E.L.D had received reports of suspicious activity in the Lamaretian Mountains. Mysterious disappearances, dead, mutilated bodies, typical stuff associated with the insidious. Originally, we thought it might have been yet another Wendigo hunting ponies, so I had a team sent out to investigate the area. Instead of cannibals, we discovered this.”

Nick Fury reached into his trenchcoat, and pulled out a photograph, handing it over to Deadpool. The latter examined the photograph meticulously. It depicted a cliff face with a large metal door built into it.

“You’re certain this is Weapon X?” Asked Deadpool.

“I had the team scout out the area for a few days to confirm my suspicions, and this stallion proved me right.”

Fury handed Deadpool another photograph. A blue furred earth pony stallion was being escorted by some armed guards towards the entrance. Deadpool instantly recognized the stallion as the pony responsible for disfiguring him.

“Well, hello, Francis,” Muttered Deadpool.

“I assume you’re acquainted with Ajax?” Asked Fury.

“Uh uh uh! Clearly you need to update your intel, Fury, because he only goes by Francis. I have no idea where you got that name from. But, yeah, I’m well acquainted with him. He oversaw my ‘cancer treatment’,” Said Deadpool.

“Well then, I would like to hire you to capture Francis. If we can apprehend him and get him to talk, maybe we can find what remains of Weapon X and put a stop to them for good,” Said Fury.

“And maybe I can finally get my mug fixed,” Said Deadpool in a near whisper. “Don’t need to convince me. I’ll take the job!”

“Glad to have you on board,” Said Fury, shaking Wade’s hoof. “I’ll have somepony take you to Caneighda tomorrow. I’ll meet up with you to debrief on a plan alongside another operative you’ll be working with.”

“Who am I working with?” Asked Deadpool.

“I’ll introduce you to them tomorrow,” Replied Fury.

“Geez, Fury. If I hadn’t known you were cryptic, I would have thought you were teasing a character reveal,” Said Deadpool.

“Unless you have any more questions, I'll be taking my leave,” Said Fury.

"Actually, there is one thing. I am getting paid for this, right? Having an opportunity to get back at Francis is all I need, but if I were to be retraumatized, I would like to at least be compensated handsomely,"

"Trust me. Considering how much apprehending a figurehead of Weapon X would be to S.H.I.E.L.D, you'll be paid several figures for your efforts," Assured Fury.

"Considering S.H.I.E.L.D doesn't have a squeaky clean reputation, I want to make my expectations clear," Said Deadpool.

"The same could be said with you," Rebutted Fury. "A former contract killer and mercenary. However, I'm willing to put my faith in you to get the job done. If you want to be able to put a stop to Aj-"

"Uh, uh, uh! Francis," Said Deadpool.

"... If you want to be able to put an end to Francis' activities, you'll have to have some faith in me," Said Fury.

Deadpool raised his hoof, prepared to rebuttal what Fury said. However, he thought over what the director said, and opted to keep his mouth shut.

(For once.)

"Hey!"

“Enjoy the party,” Said Fury.

Getting up from his seat, he walked past Deadpool towards the exit. Deadpool watched as he seemingly disappeared into the crowd of party goers.

“Celestia, I wish I had his charisma,” Said Deadpool in awe. “Maybe then I could have gotten away with a lot more shit.”

The next day…

True to his word, Fury had arranged for Deadpool to be transported to Caneighda. He was currently being escorted by a small group of guards towards a S.H.I.E.L.D base. The agency’s logo of an eagle hung above the entrance. The agency’s director was waiting by the entrance. Unlike yesterday, he wasn’t wearing a fedora, revealing that he lacked a mane. His trench coat was also unbuttoned, revealing a uniform with S.H.I.E.L.D’s logo on it.

“Thank you, gentlecolts. I’ll take it from here,” Said Fury.

The guards saluted to Fury, then went on their way.

“Follow me,” Said Fury.

Deadpool followed Fury inside the base. They were far from the only people inside the base’s hub area. Guards, agents, and office workers alike were going about their business. Some of them stared at Deadpool, but they went back to what they were doing. After a short walk, Fury led Deadpool into a conference room.

“So, what’s your plan, Fury?” Asked Deadpool.

“Before we get to that, I’d like you to get reacquainted with-”

“RRUGHH!”

SNIKT!

“AH!”

Deadpool was suddenly tackled into a wall. A brown gloved hoof was mere inches from the bottom of his muzzle. Two one foot long metal claws extended from the hoof, nearly grazing the sides of Deadpool’s face. A petrified Deadpool looked downwards, seeing the pony attached to the clawed hoof. They were an earth pony stallion wearing a yellow and brown sleeveless costume. They wore a mask that concealed his face with the exception of his muzzle. The exposed parts of his costume revealed beige fur. Fin-like protrusions stuck out from around the eyes and the tops of a pair of brown boots, and he wore a red belt with a black X on the buckle.

Deadpool’s assailant only stood up to his shoulders, but he made up for it with his behavior. He snarled like an agitated wild animal, bearing a pair of canine teeth atypical to ponies. While he had Deadpool pinned with one hoof, his other hoof was locked back in a fist, ready to punch him in the face.

“Wolverine?!” Said Deadpool in fearful surprise.

“What the hell is he doing here, Fury?!” Asked Wolverine, speaking with a growl.

“Deadpool is here to assist you in apprehending Francis,” Explained Fury.

“Have you lost your damn mind?! You can’t trust this nutcase!” Said Wolverine.

“I know he has a record of botching jobs, disregarding authority, and putting others in danger, but he’s a changing stallion, Logan. I think you’ll find that he’s a capable partner. Now, I’ll only tell you once: let him go,” Ordered Fury.

Wolverine snarled out of annoyance and fury. Three more metallic claws sprung from his free hoof. He looked into Deadpool’s eyes for several seconds, contemplating whether he should follow Fury’s orders or disregard them. He decided to listen to Fury, sheathing his claws and letting Deadpool go.

“Let me make something clear, bub. If ya start making problems, I’ll be ending them. Understand?” Asked Wolverine.

“Yeah, yeah!” Said Deadpool frantically nodding his head.

Wolverine walked away, heading towards a large circular table in the center of the room. Deadpool placed a hoof over his heart, feeling like it was about to burst after nearly being skewered by Wolverine’s claws.

(Holy fucking shit! I saw my life flash before my eyes!)

“Yeah...” Said Deadpool.

Deadpool joined up with Wolverine and Fury at the table. Nick Fury pulled out a map of the Lamaretian mountains and laid it out on the table.

“The Weapon X base was discovered in a cliff face here,” Said Fury, pointing at the tallest mountain. “I’ll have you two dropped off 3 klicks south of the base at around 15:00, and you’ll walk the rest of the way on hoof.”

“Are there any foot patrols we should be aware of?” Asked Wolverine.

“There are two patrols that survey the area from the base towards the drop off point,” Answered Fury. “They’re heavily armed and armored. You’ll have to sneak around or neutralize them quietly.”

Fury and Wolverine looked at Deadpool with stern glares.

“Clearly neither of you read the previous chapter,” Said Deadpool irritatedly.

“Once you get past the patrols and arrive at the base, you’ll have to search for Ajax-”

“Francis,” Interjected Deadpool.

“I don’t have any info on the base’s layout or Francis’ routines, so you’ll have to find him to the best of your abilities,” Said Fury.

“If I can pick up on his scent, I’ll have no problem finding him,” Said Wolverine, pointing at his muzzle.

“Don’t you know that sniffing ponies is weird, Wolvie?” Said Deadpool.

Wolverine growled in response.

“Once you find Francis, go west over to this clearing on the other side of this river, where I as well as a S.H.I.E.L.D convoy will meet and return all three of you to the base. Any questions?” Asked Fury.

Deadpool raised his hoof.

“Yes, Deadpool?” Asked Fury.

“What condition do you want Francis to be in?” Asked Deadpool.

“I thought you said you weren’t going to kill anypony,” Said Fury.

“(Scoffs) That’s a first,” Said Wolverine.

“Pot meet kettle,” Countered Deadpool. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on killing Francis. I was just wondering if I could, you know, make him wish he was dead.”

“Only do what is necessary to subdue him,” Said Fury.

“That’s open-ended enough for me,” Said Deadpool.

“Any other questions?” Asked Fury.

“What will be the course of action if we get ourselves captured?” Asked Wolverine. “Weapon X’s internal security makes it damn near impossible for anypony to escape. I would know.”

“I just fucked some shit up, and that’s how I got out,” Remarked Deadpool.

“I was referrin’ to something more along the lines of an actual strategy,” Said Wolverine.

“I’ll be waiting at our meet up spot until 18:00. If I don’t see or hear anything from either of you, I’ll send in a rescue team. Even if they are unsuccessful, they should hopefully at least provide a big enough distraction for you to escape,” Explained Fury.

Wolverine nodded in understanding.

“Anything else?” Asked Fury.

Deadpool shook his head while Wolverine gave no response.

“Come along, then. We’ve got a fugitive to catch,” Said Fury.

Deadpool and Wolverine followed Nick Fury out of the conference room.

Lamaretian Mountains - 13:05

Wolverine and Deadpool were traversing across the Lamaretian landscape. They were traveling through a lush forest. Trees with bright green leaves dominated the area for miles, leaving little sunlight to seep through to the forest floor. The forest was undisturbed by ponies or other sentient beings, with the only signs of life coming from the occasional bird call or the scampering of a small rodent disturbed by the two ponies present.

“The perfect place to build a base,” Said Deadpool.

“Excuse me?” Said Wolverine.

“Nothing, nothing,” Replied Deadpool.

Both ponies walked in silence. Wolverine was surveying the area, vigilantly watching for any Weapon X personnel. Deadpool on the other hoof was just aimlessly looking at the sky, trees, basically anything that he hoped would keep him entertained.

“So… what’s going on with you and Jean?” Asked Deadpool, hoping to start a conversation.

Wolverine ignored him.

“Is she with Scott? Sorry.” Said Deadpool awkwardly.

The silence on Wolverine’s end was driving Deadpool mad. Even though it would likely get him killed, he wanted to get a conversation out of him.

“I’ve been dating a Princess,” Said Deadpool.

Once again, Deadpool was met with complete silence.

“Either you don’t care, or you already know. I’m going with the latter. Twilight’s a great gal. Don’t ask me how I got her to go out with me, I’m still figuring that out. I’ve also made a lot of friends. I think you would like most of them. Actually, maybe only half of them. Some of them have very strong personality traits that might make your furry hide crawl.

SNIFF!

Picking up on a scent, Wolverine sniffed the air.

“Speaking of friends, how are Colossus, Yukio, and NTW- Excuse me, NEW do- Yelp!”

Wolverine grabbed Deadpool by the foreleg and dragged him behind a large tree. Pressing a hoof up against his mouth, he pointed towards Deadpool’s left. Deadpool peeked from behind the tree, spotting a group of troopers. The group consisted of six ponies wearing camo armor. They were searching the area with firearms drawn.

“Did you hear that?” Asked a soldier.

“Sounds like a pony. Keep your guard up!” Ordered another soldier.

The guards cautiously walked towards the tree the heroes were hiding behind. Rummaging through his arsenal, Deadpool pulled out a smoke bomb. He looked at Wolverine, presenting the smoke bomb to him. Wolverine nodded his head in approval.

“Hopefully, this one actually works,” Thought Deadpool.

He tossed the smoke bomb at the troopers, landing at their hooves.

POOF!

“What the hell?!”

POW!

SNIKT!

With the troopers disoriented, Deadpool and Wolverine attacked. The troopers shot aimlessly, but none of their shots hit the heroes. Eventually, the smoke dissipated, revealing Deadpool looking down at two unconscious soldiers.

“Thank Celestia that wor- Oh, fuck!” Cried Deadpool.

Deadpool looked over his right shoulder, seeing a headless soldier standing next to him. The body fell to the ground next to two soldiers that were stabbed in the chest, and another soldier who was unconscious but missing a foreleg. Deadpool spotted Wolverine flicking some blood off of his claws before sheathing them. The latter spotted the two guards Deadpool had knocked out.

“You didn’t kill ‘em?” Asked Wolverine in disbelief.

“It’s like what Fury and I said, killing’s not my style anymore. At least, I’m trying not to make it my answer to every problem,” Said Deadpool.

“Hm. Come on, we gotta get going in case anypony heard us,” Said Wolverine.

Wolverine continued his trek towards the base with Deadpool swiftly following behind him.

One hour later…

Over at the Weapon X base, a small patrol of troopers marched from the entrance towards the forest.

“Investigating patrol 72’s last confirmed location now. Be on hoof in case we’ve been compromised,” Said a trooper, speaking into a walkie talkie.

“You think a bear got to them?” Asked a trooper.

“Are you kidding? They’re military trained personnel decked out in high grade armor and weaponry. A bear shouldn’t be able to take out the entire group,” Said the first trooper.

Unbeknownst to them, Deadpool and Wolverine were listening from atop some tree branches. They waited until the patrol was out of sight.

“They’re on the right track. Instead of a bear it was a pony and a Wolverine that took ‘em out,” Remarked Deadpool. “How much are you willing to bet that there’s a fuck ton of soldiers on the other side of that door?”

“Every bit I own to my name,” Replied Wolverine.

“So, twenty bits?” Jabbed Deadpool.

Wolverine ignored Deadpool’s remark.

“I can’t believe that after all this time, I’m going to finally see Francis. It’s like seeing your high school crush after years of being apart, but instead of resurfacing love, it’s unbridled hatred. What should I say?” Pondered Deadpool.

“I have a few choice words myself. While you sort yourself out, I’m going t’ go speak to him myself,” Said Wolverine.

Wolverine hopped down to the forest floor below. Shaking some nerves out of his system, Deadpool hopped down to the ground and followed after him. Walking over to the massive metal door, Deadpool thought about how he could open it up.

“I have some explosives that we can use to pop this sucker open, but there won’t be much-”

SHING! SHING!

Wolverine used his claws to cut through the door. Several inches of reinforced steel were cut like a hot knife through butter.

“Or we could do that,” Said Deadpool.

Stepping inside the base, both ponies found themselves in a hangar housing armored carriages. They quickly discovered they were not alone. Several soldiers and workers were working, stopping their duties when they spotted the two heroes.

“Weapon X has found us!” Shouted one of the soldiers.

BBBRRRIIINGG!

The workers ran out of the room, one of them activating an alarm. The soldiers aimed their firearms at Deadpool and Wolverine.

“And the Merc With a Mouth! Geez, what am I, chopped liver?!” Said Deadpool irritatedly. “(Groan) Stealth is overrated anyway. I did enough sneaking around in the previous chapter, but I will never get enough of bashing some skulls in.”

Pulling out his magic pistols, he engaged the Weapon X soldiers in a firefight while Wolverine charged with his Adamantium claws. The former hid behind an armored carriage for cover. Spotting a couple guards on his side of the chariot, Deadpool fired a couple magic blasts at them. Thankfully, the armor wasn’t resistant to magic, knocking out the guards. Now that they were dealt with, Deadpool provided cover fire for Wolverine.

The guards sprayed Wolverine with gun fire, riddling his costume with holes and his body with lead. He ate each shot, and leapt towards a guard.

“RRUGH!”

SHUNK!

Wolverine stabbed the guard in the chest, pinning them to a wall. Another guard tried to shoot him in the head, but he cut off their right foreleg with a swipe of his claws, causing them to drop their weapon. Now vulnerable to attack, the guard was stabbed in the abdomen by both sets of claws. Wolverine then used his enhanced strength to tear the guard in half, causing their guts to spill out onto the floor. He tossed both halves at two separate guards, then stabbed a third guard in the chest. A guard shot at Wolverine, but he used his foreleg to absorb the shot. He then ran towards the guard, and stabbed them in the face, pinning their head against an armored chariot.

Meanwhile, Deadpool was still engaged in a shootout. Unbeknownst to him, a couple guards were sneaking up behind him. Deadpool glanced over to his left, noticing the reflection of the guards in the carriage’s reinforced plating. He swiftly turned around, and shot one of the guards point blank in the face. The magic bolt overloaded their nervous system, rendering them unconscious. The other guard charged him, pinning him to the side of the carriage.

THUMP!

The guard attempted to punch Deadpool in the face, but he moved his head out of the way, causing the guard to punch the carriage. The guard shook their hoof in pain, giving Deadpool the opportunity to push them off of him.

SHINK!

Deadpool indirectly threw the guard towards Wolverine, who stabbed them in the abdomen and cut up to the sternum.

“Fuck…!” Exclaimed Deadpool.

Wolverine climbed atop the carriage, then leapt down on top of two guards, slamming them to the ground and piercing his claws through their heads and the floor. Two more guards appeared through a pair of doors opposite to the entrance. Seeing that they were about to shoot Wolverine, Deadpool shot both of them at once. The room was now devoid of security, most of the guards rendered a bloody mess, and the ones who were lucky enough to have been beaten by Deadpool were left unconscious.

(Well, that’s different.)

“Come on! We have to move, now!” Said Wolverine.

Retracting his claws, Wolverine ran past the doors that the last two guards came through. As he ran out of sight, Deadpool was thinking to himself.

“‘Thanks for taking care of those guys, bub.’ ‘You’re such a badass!’ ‘Oh, yeah, sorry that I killed that guy you were fighting a moment ago.’ ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take the blame for it,’” Muttered Deadpool irritatedly.

Deadpool ran after Wolverine, traveling down a hallway. Emergency lights bathed the hall with red light, and the sound of alarms ringed in his ears. He quickly caught up to Wolverine, who was surprisingly fast for a pony whose skeleton is coated in metal. Both ponies were forced to come to a complete stop when a group of guards blocked their way forward. Just before they could fire any shots off, Deadpool pulled out both of his katanas.

PING! PING! PING!

Swinging with the skill of a master swordspony enhanced with superpony reflexes, Deadpool was deflecting a barrage of bullets. The bullets would either end up embedded in the walls or deflected into a guard’s limbs.

“Once they need to reload their guns, go through them!” Ordered Deadpool.

As soon as the guards closest to them ran out of ammo in their clips, Deadpool and Wolverine sliced through them. The former dismembered his opponents while the latter opted to go for the kill. Using a rinse, repeat method of blocking incoming gunfire followed up with slicing through as many soldiers as they could, they were able to get through all of the guards. Traveling further down the hall, they found themselves at an intersection.

“Freeze!”

Guards came from all directions, guns aimed at both heroes.

“Uno, dos, tres, twenty-six guards. (Gasp) Did Francis send you all to welcome us?!” Said Deadpool giddily.

“Cool yer jets. Focus on the fight,” Said Wolverine, standing in an attack stance.

“Sorry, Wolvie, but the fans expect me to say a certain amount of smart ass or meta quips in every-”

BANG!

PRICK!

“Ow!”

One of the guards fired a tranquilizer dart into Deadpool’s left shoulder. Plucking it out of his shoulder, Deadpool inspected it, seeing that the barrel was empty.

(Uh oh! That looks like the same needle our tat guy uses! We're gonna get hepatitis!)

(We have a healing factor, dumbass! We can't get hepatitis or STIs!)

(If that’s the case, then why do our balls itch all the time?)

(Because we wear spandex nearly 24/7.)

Ignoring the voices in his head, Deadpool giggled a little at the dart. He then looked over at Wolverine.

“Ha! They think one little dart is enough to-”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Before Deadpool could finish his sentence, several guards repeatedly shot at him. Multiple tranquilizers stuck out of his front and left portions of his body. Feeling a massive dosage of sedatives coursing through his body, he dropped both of his katanas, and weakly raised a forehoof.

“Euuggugghh…”

THUMP!

Unable to say a single coherent word, Deadpool fell over onto his right side, and slipped into unconsciousness. Having witnessed his partner’s downfall, Wolverine scowled in annoyance.

“RRUGH!”

With a mighty battle cry, Wolverine lunged at the guards. While he was being shot with multiple tranquilizers, he sliced the throats of a couple guards. Using his claws to block only a few darts, he lunged on top of a guard, repeatedly stabbing them until their body expired. He followed up by stabbing a guard to his left below the abdomen, and tossed them at a couple more guards. The effects of the sedatives kicking in but the spirit to fight just as strong, Wolverine groggily walked over to another guard.

THUD!

Just as he was within a foot of the guard, he fell onto the ground, his Adamantium skeleton creating a moderately loud thud. Still having a sliver of consciousness, Wolverine dragged himself over to the guard, and stabbed them in the hoof.

“AGH!” Cried the guard in pain.

At that moment, Wolverine finally slipped into unconsciousness.

A few minutes later…

Deadpool groggily opened his eyes, still feeling small traces of the sedatives in his body. He quickly realized that he was moving when he looked towards the ceiling, noticing lights hanging from the ceiling slowly moved out of sight. He tried to get up, but he was held down by restraints. Looking down towards his hind legs, he not only saw that he was stripped out of his costume, he also saw a guard pushing him on a gurney.

The guard was transporting Deadpool through a prison. Instead of iron bars, prisoners were contained behind a forcefield. Each prisoner looked completely miserable, most likely a result of being unwilling subjects to metapony experiments. Seeing the prison and the ponies it held brought back memories of the torture Deadpool endured during his first time in Weapon X’s captivity. The guard stopped the gurney in front of an empty cell. Looking at the cell, it was similar to the one he was kept in several years ago.

“Celestia dammit. Not again,” Thought Deadpool anxiously.

“Hm.”

An all too familiar smug grunt caught his attention. The pony responsible appeared to his right, revealing that it was none other than the pony he was after in the first place - Francis. He looked exactly as he remembered him seven years ago with his navy blue fur, short dark blue mane and tail, the former having a single curl at the front, and the apathetic stare in his blue eyes. The only noticeable difference that Deadpool was aware of was the black spandex suit he was wearing that had a white upside down A on his chest and back that connected at the shoulders. Ajax looked down at him, giving him a smug grin.

“Wade fuckin Wilson. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought my own eyes were deceiving me,” Said Ajax.

“Francis… Oh my Celestia! How long has it been? Seven years?” Pondered Deadpool.

“Seven years indeed, yet you’re still the same areshole,” Said Ajax. “At least you’ve made a name for yourself thanks to that healing factor I gave you. Guess tearing out your heart was the motivation you needed to be the best version of yourself. Well, except for this.”

Ajax placed a hoof against Deadpool’s face. It made him very uncomfortable, but he didn’t give any noticeable signs of discomfort, not wanting to give his nemesis any satisfaction.

“You haven’t changed that much yourself, save for that outfit you’re wearing from the comics. Did that come with a promotion from ass wipe to cock sucker?” Remarked Deadpool.

“Funny that you should mention that. Since our last encounter, old stallion Killebrew met a rather bloody end, and because of it, I run the show now,” Said Ajax while spreading his forelegs. “The profits, the soldiers, the ‘weapons’, all of it is mine.”

“…Shit,” Said Deadpool under his breath.

“I have to thank you for bringing your friend to me,” Said Ajax.

Stepping to the left, Francis revealed Wolverine in the cell behind him. Like Deadpool, his costume and mask were removed, revealing his ducktail-styled black mane and mutton chops. He laid on the floor unconscious, the sedatives seemingly still in his system.

“Now that the Weapon X is back in custody, my scientists can go about creating more soldiers like him, and brainwash him to serve our purposes,” Said Ajax.

“And what about me?” Asked Deadpool.

“Hm… You do have a healing factor, and you have all of the skills you acquired as a former mercenary and soldier, but you still have one major issue,” Said Ajax.

“My polarizing sense of humor?” Remarked Deadpool.

“Your insanity,” Answered Ajax. “You would be too dangerous to keep under control. Even with all of the brainwashing magic and technology we have on hoof, you could break out of it at any moment. At least with your friend over there, we can keep him under control in spite of his feral tendencies. Even if I could rein you in, you still have that ugly mug that makes you stand out like a sore hoof. Considering how much Weapon X relies on secrecy, you would be a big liability.”

“You could always patch me up. Normally, you’re not supposed to get more plastic surgery from the same people that botched it in the first place, but since actual doctors haven’t figured out how my healing factor works, I don’t have that much of a choice,” Said Deadpool.

“(Chuckles) Oh, Wade. You really think that anything could be done to fix your mug?” Questioned Ajax. “Even if I were interested in helping you out, I wouldn’t be able to for a couple of reasons. One, most of the scientists that were involved in the experiment that gave you your powers were killed by your fellow subjects. Two, the acceleration of your cancer was an unforeseen variable. A large amount of time and resources would be needed in order to replicate and find a way to reverse it; if it could be reversed. Face it, Wade, you’re going to be an ugly wanker for the remainder of your years.”

The guard that escorted Deadpool held up a badge to a panel by the cell. Doing so caused the forcefield to disappear. Removing the restraints pinning Deadpool to the gurney, the guard forced him up and shoved him into the cell. Once the guard closed the cell, Ajax walked up to the forcefield.

“If it helps, I plan on acquiring some of your blood tomorrow. If you're DNA can be used to create more super ponies, then you’ll have a purpose here,” Said Ajax.

On that note, Ajax left with the guard following behind him.

“If you wanted my DNA, all you needed to do was just give me the latest cover of Play Colt!” Shouted Deadpool.

“Ugh… Can ya keep yer voice down?”

Looking at the cell across from him, Deadpool saw Wolverine was conscious. He looked like he was in the midst of a hangover, struggling to keep his bloodshot blue eyes open.

“Wolvie, buddy! Did you have a nice nap?” Asked Deadpool.

“If ya consider having enough sedatives to put down an Ursa Minor as ‘nice’, then sure,” Said Wolverine.

“Now that you’re awake, you can slice your way out of that cell and get me out of here, right?” Asked Deadpool.

“No can do, bub,” Said Wolverine.

Raising his forelegs, Wolverine revealed that he was wearing hoofcuffs that encased both his forehooves.

“I don’t suppose you have some sort of plan to get us out, do you?” Asked Deadpool.

“Other than hope that S.H.I.E.L.D can get in here and break us out, nothin’ yet,” Answered Wolverine. “If I were you, I would try to get comfortable. We may be here for a while.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Mumbled Deadpool anxiously.

Spotting a wooden board hanging on the wall, Deadpool decided to lay down and try to relax.

A few hours later…

Deadpool groggily opened his eyes. Having unintentionally fallen asleep, he tried to get up. Finding himself unable to get up, he looked down, only to find that instead of the board he was laying down on a metal table with restraints. Trying to get his bearings, he surveyed his surroundings. He couldn’t see anything but darkness all around him. The only light came from a lamp hanging from the ceiling.

As if it were something right out of a horror flick, Ajax stepped out of the shadows. Holding a needle, he calmly grabbed a hold of Deadpool by the neck. With fear taking over, Deadpool tried to struggle out of his restraints, even though he knew it was futile.

“Relax, Wilson. Since it must have been ages since you last had your blood drawn, I’ll assure you you’ll feel only a slight prick. The only real painful part will be the time it will take to drain you of most of your blood. I’m sure it will be something you’ll acclimate to over time,” Said Ajax calmly.

With stifled breath, Deadpool watched as Ajax brought the tip of the needle to his jugular vein.

“AHH!”

THUD!

Suddenly free to move, Deadpool shot right up with a jolt, and fell onto the floor. With a pained groan, he lifted himself off of the floor. Dazed, he looked around, seeing that he was in the cell he was put in earlier. He came to the conclusion that what he had just experienced with Ajax was a nightmare.

“What the hell happened to you?” Asked Wolverine.

“Nothing that I’m sure you haven't experienced yourself, but more stabby-stabby,” Remarked Deadpool.

Trying to distract himself from his fear, Deadpool sat back down on the “bed”, and closed his eyes. He tried to imagine various things to distract himself.

“Tacos. Scrumptious, crunchy tacos. Star Wars. Fantastic franchise of three movies and two TV shows; nothing else. Twilight… Beautiful, studious, kind. Basically everything I am not. Celestia, I miss her… and her perky butt.”

Overhearing Deadpool’s attempt at calming himself down, Wolverine momentarily looked at him out of sheer confusion. Familiar with his antics, he quickly ignored it.

“AAIEEEEE!”

Deadpool was snapped out of his thoughts by a high pitched feminine scream. Catching Wolverine’s attention as well, both stallions walked up to the forcefields keeping them in their cells to investigate. They spotted a unicorn filly being forcefully moved by a couple of guards. She had a long navy blue mane and tail, apricot colored fur, magenta eyes, and a cutie mark of a black hole.

She looked like she was barely nine years old, yet she was a prisoner like Deadpool, Wolverine, and everyone else in the cells. With an inhibitor ring around her horn and a metal collar around her neck, she could only try to flail out of her captors’ grasps, but it was futile. Seeing an innocent filly being manhandled stirred up an intense rage within both heroes. As the guards passed by their cells, Deadpool yelled at them.

“Hey! Let her go! She’s just a child!” Yelled Deadpool furiously.

“Mind your business, freak,” Ordered one of the guards.

“AIE! Let me go! AAIEE!” Pleaded the filly.

“Zip it, kid,” Ordered the guard.

Unsurprisingly, the filly didn’t listen to the guard. She only increased her screaming and thrashing. Losing their grip, one of the guards pulled out a stun baton.

ZAP!

“AEUGH!”

Receiving a powerful shock, the filly collapsed, her limbs twitching uncontrollably. Having witnessed this cruel act, Wolverine snarled at the guards.

“When I get out of here, you assholes are gonna pay for everything you’ve ever done to her!” Sworn Wolverine.

“I don’t think you realize how empty of a threat that is, Weapon X,” Said the guard with the baton.

“I don’t think you realize how screwed you all are!” Shouted Deadpool. “Wolverine is one of the worst ponies whose bad side you could get on. I would rather be locked in a room with a grizzly bear fresh out of hibernation than be anywhere near Wolverine on his worst day. No amount of magic or conventional confinement will keep him from getting his claws through you. Once he’s done with you two, you’re gonna beg S.H.I.E.L.D to save you.”

Realizing that he let some sensitive information slip past his lips, Deadpool went silent. Wolverine smacked his forehead in exasperation while the guards looked at Deadpool.

“What did you say?” Asked a guard.

“Nothing,” Replied Deadpool.

“I’m pretty sure he said something about S.H.I.E.L.D,” Said the other guard.

“No I didn’t,” Said Deadpool defensively.

“Come on. We’ll alert the others on our way to the lab.”

Both guards hastily went to alert security of S.H.I.E.L.D’s arrival, dragging the unconscious filly with them.

“Wade!” Said Wolverine furiously.

“Shit,” Said Deadpool under his breath.

(Where’s Harry when you need him?)

“Do you know what you just did?!” Asked Wolverine rhetorically.

“Well, I was trying to back up your threat, but I ended up spilling the beans on S.H.I.E.L.D instead,” Explained Deadpool.

“Now because of yer mix up, our best chance of getting free has gone to shit!” Yelled Wolverine.

“Yeah… Sorry,” Said Deadpool apologetically.

“Do you seriously think that an apology will fix everything?” Asked Wolverine irritatedly.

“Well, according to my marefriend, a sincere apology is the first step towards mending a mistake,” Said Deadpool.

“An apology ain’t gonna amount to anything if we can’t get ourselves free before some scientist puts us under their control,” Said Wolverine.

“Oh, don’t get yourself in a huff, Wolvie. As these stories go, we’ll get free, stop the bad guys, and then go home and have a beer. Honestly, I think being with the X-Chumps has made you uptight,” Said Deadpool.

“Ugh! This is exactly why I didn’t want t’ work with you! You are the most difficult pony to work with, and I’ve worked with the likes of Sunfire!” Said Wolverine irritatedly.

“(Gasp!) I am NOT worse than Sunfire!” Yelled Deadpool in offense.

“Yeah, you are. Just like him, you’re arrogant and difficult to work with. What makes you a pain in the ass is you never know when to shut up. If you hadn’t spilled that S.H.I.E.L.D was on to them, everyone in this damned place could have been taken off guard! Plus, if you hadn’t taken the time to make one of yer stupid jokes, we might not be in these cells in the first place!” Accused Wolverine.

“Ooohhh hoo! At least I don’t have a stick shoved up my ass by being a joker! Besides, you’re one to talk about arrogance! I mean, for crying out loud, your most famous quote is ‘I’m the best there is at what I do, and what I do best ain’t very nice!’ Speaking of, I may be difficult, but at least I put being a killer behind me. You on the other hoof are still going around tearing people apart like a paper shredder!” Said Deadpool angrily.

“Don’t play the morality card on me, Wade,” Said Wolverine. “I have killed plenty of people, but at least I never made a profit off of ending lives. I’m a killer, but-”

“But that didn’t stop the X-Ponies from recruiting you!” Interjected Deadpool.

Wolverine was caught off guard by Deadpool’s comment.

“You’re a miserable, irritable… jerky asshole. Get angry, you take it out on people or their property. Someone disagrees with you, you chew their head off. When Jean chose Scott over you, you practically threw a hissy fit and went to the Frozen North! Yet for all the shit you’ve given, you were taken in by the X-Ponies and the rest of the world. All because you do the right thing when it’s needed the most. Yet when I try to be the good guy, everyone treats me like I’m a flaming bag of dog shit!” Yelled Deadpool.

“You and I are both terrible ponies, yet everypony adores you! You haven’t had to lift a hoof to get a supportive group of friends. I on the other hoof have had to work my ass off to get what I have now. At some point or another, you’ve had ponies who cared about you. Who have accepted you; faults and all. For nearly my entire life, I never knew of the word acceptance,” Said Deadpool.

A deafening silence formed between the two stallions. For once, Wolverine reflected on what Deadpool had said. As Wolverine absorbed what Deadpool had said to him, a guard walked over to the latter’s cell.

“Hey, keep it down. This is your first and only warning,” Said the guard sternly.

Just as the guard went to go back to their post, Deadpool came up with an idea.

“How about you mind your own fucking business!” Shouted Deadpool irritatedly.

The guard stopped in their tracks.

“Excuse me?” Said the guard.

“Seriously, what are you, my mom?! Let me vent at whatever volume I want! After all, this old geezer will need it to hear a fuckin thing I’m saying!” Said Deadpool while pointing at Wolverine.

“That’s it,” Said the guard irritatedly.

Using their badge to unlock Deadpool’s cell, the guard pulled out their gun and fired at him.

TARRTTARRTTARRT!

Taking advantage of the guard’s temper, Deadpool allowed his body to get hit with several bullets, then lunged onto the guard. He and the guard rolled around on the floor trying to subdue each other.

“Hey! I’m being atta-”

BAM!

Before the guard could call for any of their colleagues, Deadpool jabbed his elbow through the visor of their helmet, knocking them out. Grabbing their badge, he walked over to Wolverine’s cell and unlocked it.

“Did you plan that from the moment we started yelling at each other?” Asked Wolverine.

“Nope. I’m just good at scoping out an opportunity,” Replied Deadpool.

“I don’t suppose that guard has somethin’ that can get me out of these cursed restraints?” Said Wolverine, raising his bound forehooves.

Deadpool crouched down and inspected the guard for anything that he could use to free Wolverine.

“That’s a negative. Guess Francis wanted to make it as difficult for you to escape as possible… Which pisses me off he didn’t give me the same treatment,” Said Deadpool frustratedly.

“I could help you out.”

Hearing a voice, Deadpool and Wolverine looked over to a cell that was near Deadpool’s. They saw a unicorn stallion with green fur, long black mane and tail with faded lime tips, and blue eyes. His cutie mark depicted a layer of graphene with a chunk missing out of the middle. Around his neck was a large metal collar, and his horn had an inhibitor ring around it.

“If you can get me out of here and remove my collar, I can use my powers to remove your friend’s restraints,” Said the stallion.

“Aight, bet,” Said Deadpool.

Walking over to the stallion’s cell, Deadpool unlocked it. Once the stallion stepped out of his cell, Deadpool grabbed the inhibitor ring and removed it.

“There, can you get the collar off of your neck now?” Asked Deadpool.

“No. The collar requires a key to unlock and remove it. I was admittedly hoping that the guard you took out had it,” Admitted the stallion sheepishly.

“Great. We won’t have time to search around the place for whoever has the key,” Said Wolverine in frustration.

“Wait a second, Logan. Are you able to pop your claws?” Asked Deadpool.

Standing on his hind legs, Wolverine protracted his claws.

SNIKT!

He managed to make his claws pop out of the restraints. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to break them, and his claws weren’t dexterous enough to finish the job.

“What exactly are you thinking?” Asked Wolverine.

“I was thinking we would use your Adamantium claws to cut through this guy’s collar,” Said Deadpool.

“Uh… perhaps we should come up with some other ideas first?” Said the stallion nervously.

“Don’t worry,” Said Deadpool, wrapping his foreleg around the stallion’s shoulders to keep him from running away. “Shortstack here is a master at using his claws with precision. He’s had over a century of experience.”

“Okay…” Said the stallion hesitantly.

Wolverine walked over to the stallion while Deadpool kept him still. Retracting all but one of his claws, Wolverine eyeballed where to line up his claw with the collar.

SHING!

With one stroke, Wolverine’s claw cut through the collar. The stallion’s neck was left untouched, something that the stallion was visibly thankful for.

“Alright. My turn. My touch will melt those restraints. Don’t worry about your skin or claws. My powers can’t melt organic stuff or Adamantium,” Said the stallion.

“Clearly, you’ve never heard of me,” Said Wolverine, retracting his singular claw.

Grabbing Wolverine’s cuffs, the stallion activated his powers. Like snow on a warm day, the hoof cuffs melted, forming a puddle of liquid metal onto the floor. His hooves now free, Wolverine rotated them to work out the kinks in his carpi.

“Thanks bub,” Said Wolverine in gratitude.

“Do you know where we can find my weapons and the asshole who runs this place?” Asked Deadpool.

“Ajax?” Questioned the stallion.

“Uh, uh. Francis,” Said Deadpool.

“Oh, well, I don’t know where he is, but I heard that there is a room on the third floor where confiscated items are stored,” Said the stallion.

“Thank you. Here, take this,” Said Deadpool, giving the stallion the guard’s badge and gun. “Get as many ponies out of here as possible, then make your way to a clearing on the other side of the river west of the base. Unless they come across you first, they’ll be a group of S.H.I.E.L.D agents led by an eye patch wearing movie star who can keep you safe.”

The stallion looked at Deadpool in disbelief. For a brief moment, a look of hope appeared on his face.

“Thank you,” Said the stallion breathlessly.

As the stallion began to free the other prisoners, Deadpool and Wolverine made their way down the hall. After a short walk, they came across a guard who was guarding the way out.

“Hey-”

SNIKT!

Wolverine swiftly cut their throat. Deadpool grabbed the guard’s automatic rifle and badge, then followed Wolverine out the door. As they searched for a way to get to the proper floor, both stallions would deal with any guards they came across. Deadpool would incapacitate the guards by shooting their joints or limbs while Wolverine would cut through them. After a few minutes of navigating the floor, they found an elevator.

DING!

The elevator doors opened up, revealing a scientist on the other side.

“Oh shit!” Cried the scientist fearfully.

BAM!

Knocking them out with the butt of his gun, Deadpool and Wolverine stepped into the elevator. As the former propped the unconscious scientist up against a corner, the latter pressed the button for the third floor. After traveling down 24 floors, the elevator stopped on the proper floor. Once they stepped out of the elevator, they proceeded to look for the armory. After walking down a couple hallways, they found an unfortunately familiar sight.

The two guards that were escorting the filly were ahead of them, still carrying her around. She had regained consciousness, but the will to fight seemed to have left her. Hearing their hoofsteps come to a halt, the guards turned around and spotted them. Both of them were quick to grab a gun and aim them at the filly.

“Don’t move!” Demanded one of the guards. “Make any wrong moves, and we’ll shoot her!”

“Bud, you do realize that if you so much as remove a single hair from her head, there will be nothing to keep him from removing your flesh, right?” Questioned Deadpool, pointing at his compatriot.

“... Um. He kind of has a point,” Said the other guard.

“Keep yourself together! Remember your training!” Said the first guard.

“Yeah, we were never taught how to carry out a hostage situation where we can still end up dead if we kill the hostage,” Said the second guard, putting away his gun. “Empty threat my ass.”

“I outta execute you for treason!” Said the first guard furiously.

“Hey, I’m doing the smart thing! If you want to die a pointless death, then by all means, knock yourself out,” Said the second guard, letting go of the filly and backing away slowly.

BANG!

Following through with what they said, the guard shot their coworker.

SHINKT!

While they were distracted, Wolverine sneaked up on them and stabbed them through the back of the head. Both the guard and their firearm fell onto the floor. With the threat taken care of, Wolverine checked on the filly.

“You alright, kid?” Asked Wolverine.

The filly looked up at him with scared, teary eyes. She moved her lips as if she were about to speak, but opted to nod her head instead.

“Let’s get that awful thing off ya,” Said Wolverine.

Wolverine went to remove the collar around the filly’s neck, but she backed away while clutching onto it with one of her forehooves.

“Ehm-ehm!” Said the filly fearfully.

Wolverine couldn’t help but let a light growl of annoyance slip out, but he respected her wish. He’s worked with mutants long enough to recognize that she’s afraid of her own abilities.

“Can I at least take that ring off your horn?” Asked Wolverine.

The filly responded with a slow nod of approval. Retracting his claws, he grabbed the horn and removed it.

“Here, I’ll take it. Never know if we’ll need it,” Said Deadpool. Once Wolverine gave him the ring, he asked. “You want to get her out of here? You’re better equipped to deal with any goons that would try to stop you.”

“If we separate ourselves, we’d be heavily outnumbered,” Argued Wolverine. “I’m a great fighter, but even I have my limits.”

“Well, bud, the way I see it, either we split up and risk getting dogpiled, or we bring her along with us and risk getting her killed. I think I can speak for the both of us that we don’t want to leave and let Francis go scotch free and do all of this again,” Said Deadpool, gesturing at his surroundings.

Deadpool and Wolverine thought over what would be the proper course of action. Looking at the filly (who was staring at the ground), an idea came to the former’s head. Sitting down on his haunches, he spoke to her.

“Hey, kid. Do you know how to get out of here?” Asked Deadpool.

The filly shook her head no.

“Do you at least know how to get back to the prison cells?” Followed up Deadpool.

The filly nodded her head. Deadpool looked over to the dead body of the guard that had held her at gunpoint. Reaching over to him, he searched his pockets for a weapon the filly could use. Finding a baton, he held it out in front of her.

“I want you to hold onto this, and go back to the cells. There are prisoners escaping as we speak. They can get you out of here, and will hopefully protect you. If you find yourself in danger, I want you to use this.”

Deadpool handed the baton over to her. She held it in her magic anxiously.

“Trust me, kid. I know that thing is scary, but I think I can speak on your behalf that those people who trapped you here would do way worse to you. So if you find yourself about to be hurt by them, I want you to use it without any hesitation. I pray to every deity in our universe and beyond that you won’t have to use it, but it might be your best chance of leaving this place alive. Do you understand?” Asked Deadpool.

The filly hesitantly looked at him for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, she nodded her head in understanding.

“Good. Now go,” Urged Deadpool.

The filly ran away towards the elevator. Once she was out of sight, the two heroes continued their search for the room containing their weapons. Deadpool was caught in his thoughts, thinking about her.

“You alright,” Asked Wolverine.

“Dandy. It’s just now I have a whole new reason to kick Francis’ teeth in,” Replied Deadpool.

“Well, I think now you can have the tools to do so,” Said Wolverine.

Walking over to a door, Logan examined a label. The label read “Prisoner Item Confiscation Storage”.

“Yup, Reckon we’ll find our stuff here,” Said Wolverine.

CRACK!

Kicking down the door, Wolverine entered the room with Deadpool following behind him.

A few minutes later…

Deadpool and Wolverine stepped out of the room fully garbed and armed.

“Now that’s more like it,” Said Deadpool while adjusting one of his gloves. “This ain’t gonna be like the first movie we were in together.”

EHN! EHN! EHN!

“Sounds like our prisoner friends have caught Weapon X’s attention,” Said Deadpool.

“Or Fury’s finally gotten his ass here,” Countered Wolverine. “We better go find Francis and-”

SNIFF!

Catching three different scents, Wolverine turned towards the opposite end of the hall.

“I want as many ponies towards the front entrance as possible. Don’t worry about the prisoners. We can always get more.”

Francis was walking down the hall with a couple of security guards. Upon spotting the two heroes, they stopped in their tracks.

“Well, hello, Francis,” Said Deadpool menacingly.

“Shit. Keep ‘em busy!” Ordered Ajax.

BANG! BANG!

The guards fired at both heroes. Wolverine dealt with them while Deadpool tried to nab Ajax. Swiftly dodging him, Ajax ran towards the direction of the elevator. Not going to let him slip past his hooves again, Deadpool chased after him, with Wolverine following behind him.

“What’s the matter, Francis? Scared shitless?” Asked Deadpool mockingly.

“By you? Never. Him on the other hoof I know better than to go up against,” Responded Ajax.

The elevator was within sight. His salvation within sight, Ajax picked up the pace. Pushing on the up button, he was graced by the doors opening up. Running inside, he hastily pushed the button for the top floor. Before the elevators could completely close, Wolverine leapt towards him.

“RUGH!”

As soon as he tackled him, the elevator doors closed. Left behind, Deadpool attempted to get the elevator to open, but was unsuccessful.

“Come on! Come on!” Said Deadpool impatiently.

(Aren’t you supposed to not take the elevator during an emergency?)

Deadpool looked towards a nearby door. Opening it, he found a stairwell.

“Ugh!”

Meanwhile, Ajax kicked Wolverine off of him. Getting back up, he squared himself up. Wolverine made the first move, attempting to stab him in the abdomen. Deflecting his foreleg, he retaliated with a couple of jabs to the face. Wolverine slashed at his opponent several times, but Ajax narrowly dodged each strike. Wolverine went to jab him with both his claws, but ended up puncturing the elevator wall. This brief window gave Ajax the opportunity to get in a couple of punches.

While they fought, a couple of security guards were waiting for the elevator several floors up.

“Come on. Hurry up you stupid piece of junk,” Said a guard frustratedly.

CREAK!

A nearby door opened, and Deadpool poked his head out.

“Damn it. Not here,” Said Deadpool. He quickly noticed the guards. “Hey, I wouldn’t go in there if I were you.”

Giving his warning to the guards, Deadpool shut the door.

“Hey!” Shouted one of the guards.

DING!

Just as they were about to chase after him, the guards heard the elevator alerting them of its arrival.

“Forget about him! We have to get downst-”

SHLORP!

“OH MY CELESTIA!”

One of the guards was accidentally stabbed in the chest by Wolverine. As he pulled his foreleg back, he pulled the guard in. Unfortunately for the guard, the elevator doors shut around their waist. As soon as the elevator moved up, their front half was separated from their lower half.

Meanwhile, Deadpool continued climbing up several flights of stairs. Every time he reached a new floor, he would open a door to check for any signs of Francis and Wolverine. This proved to be a rather arduous task, leaving him panting like a dog in a summer heat wave.

“Stupid elevator. Stupid Francis. Stupid brain for not thinking to use my teleporter,” Lamented Deadpool in frustration.

DING!

Back with Ajax and Wolverine, the elevator finally reached the top floor. Rushing out of the elevator, the former pulled out a submachine gun and fired.

BBBRRRIIINGG!

Standing his ground, Wolverine protected his face with his claws, deflecting most of the bullets. Once the clip was empty, he swiped at the gun, slicing it into three pieces. At that moment, a door near the elevator swung open, and Deadpool walked through.

“(Pant) Fuck. (Pant) Stairs.” Said Deadpool in exhaustion. Looking up, he spotted Wolverine and Francis. “Finally!”

Relieved to have finally found them, he pulled out both of his katanas. As Deadpool approached him, Ajax pulled out two battle axes.

“Guess I’m going to have to tear your heart out again, Wilson. You and your friend’s hearts,” Said Ajax.

He ran towards Deadpool, then swung both of his axes.

CLANG!

Deadpool blocked the axes with his katanas.

"Sorry, Francis, but somepony else has taken my heart. I'll happily give you a few 'love taps', though," Remarked Deadpool.

Deadpool swung his katanas, but Ajax swiftly blocked both of them. Both combatants swung their weapons rapidly, each swing nearly a blur. While both ponies were fighting each other, Wolverine went in to stab Ajax’s side.

CLANG!

Reacting quickly, Ajax used one of his axes to block Wolverine’s claws, revealing that the axes were likely made from one of the world’s most durable metals. Either vibranium or potentially Adamantium. Despite having the numbers disadvantage, Ajax was able to keep up with both heroes. As Wolverine went to strike him, he dodged to the side then swung one of his axes into his foreleg.

SHULCK!

“GRH!” Growled Wolverine in pain.

With the aid of super pony strength, Ajax lifted Wolverine and flung him to the side, removing him from his ax. He raised both of his weapons just in time to block an attack from Deadpool. He stayed on the defensive, blocking his attacks until he could find an opening. Sure enough, Deadpool tried to kick him, allowing him to cut through his hindleg.

THUD!

Falling onto the floor, Deadpool looked up just in time to see Ajax going in for the kill. He rolled out of the way, causing his opponents blades to cut into the floor. Swiftly pulling out one of his pistols, he fired several shots.

BANG! BANG!

DING! DING!

Ajax blocked each magical shot with the side of one of his axes, then tossed it at Deadpool’s hoof, splitting both the gun and his hoof in half.

“Motherfucker!” Yelled Deadpool in agony.

Making his way to him, Ajax picked up his ax and tried to kill him again. This time, Wolverine tackled him in the side, knocking him away from Deadpool. While he kept him occupied, Deadpool dragged himself over to his dismembered hindleg. With Ajax pinned down, Wolverine attempted to stab him in the shoulder.

THUD!

CLANG!

Ajax headbutted Wolverine in the face, causing him to tumble off of him. As the latter regained his senses, he was surprised to see that the former seemed to have suffered no pain from headbutting his Adamantium-laced skull. Even with his nose bleeding, he took it like a champ. Setting aside his disbelief, he rushed towards him. Claws extended, he swung them in a flurry of attacks. Ajax blocked each strike, keeping up with Wolverine’s swift moves. He managed to get a couple of cuts into his forelegs, but Wolverine powered through the pain and kept him on his hooves.

While they were engaged with each other, Deadpool reattached his hindleg. Getting up off the floor, he looked at his partner and his mortal (immortal?) enemy. Noticing that Ajax’s left shoulder was exposed, he grabbed one of his katanas.

“Thank Celestia that Wolverine is short,” Said Deadpool.

Tossing his katana, it went past Wolverine’s head and impaled Ajax in the shoulder.

SHLORP!

Ajax momentarily stopped fighting to look at the katana in his shoulder. Instead of grappling with pain from having a 24 inch long blade go through his shoulder, he seemed inconvenienced.

“What the shit?!” Exclaimed Deadpool in shock.

“What’s the matter, Wilson? I would have thought with the colorful career you’ve made for yourself, you would be jaded to something like this,” Said Francis.

“Believe me, I have seen plenty of surprising abilities, such as how Amy Schumer is able to maintain a comedy career even though she’s not funny,” Said Deadpool.

(Takes somepony who isn’t funny to recognize it in someone else.)

“Fuck you! Anyway, what superpower do you have that allows you to take an entire fucking sword better than I could take one of my ex’s strapons?” Asked Deadpool. “Or have you been taking cocaine? Do you have any on you? Asking for a friend.”

“Remember when we first met I told you that I can’t feel anything?” Asked Ajax.

“Vaguely. I was too fixated on your name to focus on anything else,” Answered Deadpool.

“Well, I wasn’t just saying that figuratively. Dr. Killebrew altered my pain receptors, so now almost nothing hurts me anymore,” Explained Ajax.

“Almost? So I can hurt you! Let’s find out how much punishment I can put you through!” Said Deadpool.

Deadpool rushed towards Ajax, remaining katana drawn. Pulling out the katana in his shoulder, Ajax tossed it aside and blocked the attack. Using one ax to block the blade, he used the other ax to cut into Deadpool’s foreleg and swing him away from him. Taking his place, Wolverine rushed up to Ajax, slashing at his opponent wildly. Staying on the defensive, Ajax blocked most of the strikes. Wolverine’s claws managed to cut into his forelegs a couple of times, but he took it like his previous injuries.

As he got closer to a wall, Ajax became determined to put some distance between him and his opponent. Ducking down to avoid a swipe, he swung both of his axes into Wolverine’s torso.

SCLUUH!

Cutting up towards his neck, Ajax followed up with a kick, knocking Wolverine onto the floor. Recuperating from his own injury, Deadpool noticed how close Ajax was to the wall. Seeing an opportunity to subdue him, he rushed towards him, grabbing his other katana off the floor.

SHLORP!

Thrusting his katana into Ajax’s left shoulder, he pinned him to the wall. Pulling out his other katana, he went to stab the other shoulder.

BARP! BARP! BARP!

Even though his left foreleg had limited movement, Ajax was able to grab a spare submachine gun. He fired into Deadpool’s abdomen, causing him to stumble onto the ground. With his opponent momentarily down, he used the dull pointed end of one of his axes to remove the hilt of the katana, then forced himself off of the blade. He then ran down the hall, attempting to escape. Deadpool and Wolverine painfully got off of the ground. The former panickedly grabbed the blade and hilt of his beloved katana.

“Bea! Don’t worry baby, you’ll be okay! I’m sure mommy knows a spell that could put you back together” Said Deadpool.

“Come on, bub! He’s getting away!” Said Wolverine.

Stashing his broken katana away, Deadpool followed Wolverine down the hall. After a short dash, both heroes came across an open door. Figuring Ajax opened it, they walked through the entrance. Upon stepping inside, they saw that the door led into a hanger. Two pegasi were pulling a chariot down a runway. Realizing that Ajax was in the chariot, they ran after it. Just as it was about to lift off, Deadpool grabbed Logan, then teleported on top of the chariot.

Despite the additional weight, the pegasi were able to take off. They flew out of the hanger, which was built into the side of the mountain. While they were preoccupied with keeping the chariot aloft, Wolverine removed one of the doors, letting it fall to the ground below. Deadpool hanged from atop the chariot, looking into the chariot.

“For fuck’s sake!” Exclaimed Ajax irritatedly.

“Peekaboo!” Said Deadpool.

POW!

Punching him in the face, Deadpool hopped inside the chariot. He engaged his enemy in a fist fight, trading blows within the confined space. Wolverine hopped onto the draft pole, then delicately walked towards the pegasi. Once he got close enough, he extended his claws in front of their faces.

“Bring this bird down, now, or else I’ll bring ‘er down myself,” Demanded Wolverine.

Both pegasi nodded their heads furiously in understanding. They turned around, heading down towards the ground.

Meanwhile, in front of the entrance to the base, a fight was raging between Weapon X and S.H.I.E.L.D. Both sides exchanged gunfire, devastating the natural landscape. Adding to the chaos were the mutant prisoners, most of whom were dashing to safety. A few of them were taking their revenge on their captors, using their enhanced abilities to bring them down. While trying to fight off the opposing force, a couple Weapon X soldiers spotted a large, brolic earth pony stallion.

“Fire at that mutie!” Ordered the soldier.

BANG! BANG!

Both soldiers fired several rounds at the stallion. Instead of killing the stallion, each bullet came to a complete stop upon making contact. Suddenly, the stallion began to glow an orange color.

“AAAHHH!

VWOOM!

Suddenly, an orange beam of energy shot from the stallion’s body. It headed straight for the chariot. The beam hit one of the pegasi, causing them to lose consciousness. The other pegasus tried to keep themselves and the chariot from crashing to the earth below, but it took a lot of effort to keep them and the chariot aloft. Without their partner to distribute the weight, the chariot shifted downwards.

“AH!”

Wolverine fell off of the chariot, heading to the ground below. Both Deadpool and Ajax fell out of the chariot, but the former grabbed onto the chariot with one hoof and caught Ajax with the other.

“I’ve always wanted to see you fall, Francis, but I wasn’t thinking in the literal sense,” Remarked Deadpool.

“Then by all means, let me go. Fulfill your greatest desire,” Said Ajax.

“Don’t get me wrong, one of my greatest desires is to get revenge on you, but I’d rather do that by beating the ever living snot out of you and letting you rot in a jail cell for the rest of your life,” Said Deadpool.

Meanwhile, on the ground below, the soldiers are still using the mutant stallion’s powers to wreak havoc. With additional soldiers firing upon him, his powers were overloading, causing energy beams to fire sporadically across the battlefield. S.H.I.E.L.D. continued their assault on Weapon X, but had to avoid the energy blasts. While the agents were fighting, Nick Fury was speaking into a walkie talkie.

“Wolverine! Deadpool! Do either of you copy?!” Said Fury.

“Do you copy!”

Fury was surprised to hear a faint echo.

“AAHH!”

THUD!

Hearing something land on top of the chariot, Fury saw it was none other than Wolverine. The force of impact was great enough to leave a dent in the reinforced roof and knock him unconscious. Fury grabbed Wolverine, and placed him on the ground upright against the carriage.

“Logan! Logan! Can you hear me?!” Asked Fury.

VWOOM!

An energy blast struck the side of the mountain. Rocks were loosened by the blast, heading towards the base. Witnessing it from above, Deadpool followed the path the debris would likely take. To his dismay, he saw that the debris was heading towards the filly he helped earlier, who was forced to hide behind a log to avoid getting shot at.

“Oh come on!” Said Deadpool.

“Looks like you have a choice to make, Wade,” Said Ajax with a smirk.

Catching his attention, Deadpool looked down at him.

“You can either let me go and save the filly, or you can try to save me and let her die,” Said Ajax.

Deadpool felt his hoof slipping. He had to come to a decision quickly, or he and Ajax would both fall.

“What’s it gonna be? Do you want to preach your new found sense of ‘justice’, or are you willing to be the stallion you and I both know you are?” Asked Ajax.

Deadpool looked at the Ajax, then the filly. He waited several years for this moment. To finally get back at Ajax for the torture he put him through, and the scarring of his body as a consequence. He could finally get salvation for himself and countless other ponies. However, is putting a stop to Ajax while trying to live by a more merciful code worth letting one life be lost?

“... Oh, screw you!”

“AH!”

Deadpool let go of Ajax. He watched as his most hated enemy fell back to the earth, becoming enveloped by the forest below. With his hoof now free, he activated his teleportation device. Teleporting to the log the filly was hiding behind, then teleported her out of the way of the oncoming rubble. Placing her behind the armored carriage Fury and Wolverine were behind, Deadpool teleported over to the stallion the soldiers were shooting and took him to safety. Now protected from the gunfire, the stallion stopped producing energy beams.

Now that his powers were under control, S.H.I.E.L.D was able to finish off what was left of Weapon X’s defenses with supporting fire from Deadpool. With the threat subdued, Deadpool checked in on the filly and the others.

“You alright, kid?” Asked Deadpool.

The filly nodded in reply.

“What about you, Agent Jackson? What’s up with Honey Badger over there?” Asked Deadpool.

“I’m sure Logan will be fine. The fall knocked him out real good,” Answered Fury.

Deadpool keeled down in front of Wolverine.

SLAP!

“Rise and shine, Stubby!” Said Deadpool.

SNIKT!

Deadpool slapped Wolverine in the face. Waking up in a jolt, Wolverine accidentally stabbed him in the chest.

“AHHHHH!!” Said Deadpool through gritted teeth.

“Sorry. Did ya manage to get Francis?” Asked Wolverine.

“No… I had to let him fall like Yamcha. He’s probably up in one of the trees near here. Gaugh… Celestia. You need to figure out how to get your fight or flight under control. If I didn’t have my healing factor, I would have ended up like Jean in X-Men: The Last Stand,” Said Deadpool.

(You're lucky he doesn't know what you're talking about, otherwise he'd stab you intentionally.)

Unbeknownst to Deadpool, a Weapon X soldier had stirred from unconsciousness several feet behind him. Spotting him, the guard aimed their gun at the back of his head. Just as they were about to shoot, Wolverine noticed them.

“Wade! Get down!” Said Wolverine.

ZAP!

“AH!”

Before he or Wade could react, the Weapon X soldier was struck in the face by a baton. The tasered end was active, causing them to drop to the ground by an electric shock. Looking in the direction where the baton was tossed from, they saw the filly had thrown the baton Deadpool gave to her earlier. She covered her mouth with her forehooves, seemingly horrified by what she had done.

A little while later…

S.H.I.E.L.D sent up a base camp across the nearby river. In the more secure location, the agents were able to contain any prisoners and provide aid to the freed mutants. Deadpool and Wolverine entered the camp, walking towards Nick Fury. Deadpool seemed irritated.

“Well?” Said Fury.

“Ugh!”

Deadpool punched a nearby tree in anger, removing a couple inches of bark.

“Porcupine and I searched every nearby tree. We found some blood on top of one, but no Francis. That fucker survived and escaped!” Said Deadpool irritatedly.

“I managed to find some blood trail and a scent to track, but they stopped at the river. Must’ve swam downstream to avoid us,” Said Wolverine.

“Of course. As frustrating as this is, we managed to secure a Weapon X facility. That in of itself is a big score,” Said Fury.

“Yeah, especially since they have a habit of blowing up,” Said Wolverine.

“Thank you, gentlecolts for your efforts today. You may have not been able to accomplish the objective you had set out to do, but you saved a lot of ponies today. Hopefully, we can find something within the base that can help us get closer to shutting down Weapon X for good,” Said Fury.

“Appreciate the optimism, Fury, but I doubt that Weapon X could be stopped for good. Their greatest asset is being able to go into hiding for years on end. As long as they can find new places to avoid any prying eyes, they will always come back one way or another,” Said Wolverine.

“Eh. As long as those people get the help they need and I get paid, I can keep my frustrations to myself,” Said Deadpool.

“I’ll be sure to have your money transferred to your account, Deadpool,” Said Fury. “And Logan, consider this a token of my gratitude.”

Fury gave Wolverine a box of cigars.

“You always know how to speak to my heart, Fury,” Remarked Wolverine.

Meanwhile, the unicorn stallion who assisted Wolverine and Deadpool earlier was going around helping remove collars and other restraints on his fellow captives with the aid of his powers. After removing a harness from a pegasus mare, he noticed the filly. Noticing that she seemed lost in her thoughts, he carefully approached her.

“Hey,” Said the stallion while waving his hoof to get her attention.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked up at him.

“You okay, kid?” Asked the stallion.

The filly didn’t respond, not even through body language.

“Here, I’ll get that thing off of you,” Said the stallion.

Realizing that he was going to remove her collar, the filly tried to put her hooves up defensively. It was too late, however. Once his hoof came into contact with the collar, it melted away. She began to hyperventilate, catching the attention of Wolverine, Deadpool, and Nick Fury. Wolverine rushed over to the stallion, grabbing him by the neck and bringing him down to eye level.

“What the hell did you do?!” Asked Wolverine furiously.

“I-I just removed her collar!” Stammered the stallion defensively.

“She didn’t want her collar removed!” Informed Wolverine.

Looking at the filly, he saw what looked like black spots appear on her body. They gradually expanded, enveloping her entire body. Her mane and tail began to flow like water, her eyes glowed an ethereal white, and small dots that sparkled like stars appeared across her body. Just as Wolverine and Deadpool were going to go help her, she fell onto her haunches.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”

“WHOA!”

THUD!

The filly let out a scream in anguish. Suddenly, everyone in the area fell to the ground as if their legs gave out on them. They tried to get up, but it was like they were being held down by an elephant. Her mutant gene seems to allow her to alter the gravity of the area around her.

CRACK!

Nearby trees fell over. Some fell atop of S.H.I.E.L.D’s vehicles while a couple fell on top of some unfortunate people. Needing to calm her down immediately, Wolverine tried to speak to her.

“Kid, you need to try to get a hold of your powers,” Strained Wolverine.

“I can’t!” Said the filly through sobs.

Overwhelmed, the filly was crying, which was likely making her lack of control even worse. Feeling his insides were about to be crushed, he tried to break through to her.

“They’re your powers! You can control them! You just need to calm down! Try to focus on controlling your breathing, and fixate on that instead!” Instructed Wolverine.

She tried to follow his instructions. It was taking a lot of effort to get her breathing under control. Based on the pained cries and grunts from multiple people, they might not have much time left before they get crushed like a tin can. After nearly a minute, she got her breathing more precise, breathing in through her nose, and exhaling from her mouth. Just as quickly as they appeared, her powers faded away. Her starry appearance faded away as well, returning her to her normal look. Everyone who wasn’t harmed by the fallen timber painfully got up. The unicorn stallion looked at the filly with guilt.

“I’m sorry,” Said the stallion sincerely. “I shouldn’t have jumped to-”

Wolverine placed a hoof up, signaling him to stop.

“Feeling better?” Asked Wolverine.

“Yeah…” Said the filly.

Dusting off his trenchcoat, Nick Fury walked over to Wolverine.

“I’ll see to it that any mutants that need help controlling their abilities receive proper-”

SNIKT!

Wolverine unleashed his claws, stopping them a few inches from Fury’s throat. Deadpool also had the blade of his unbroken katana aimed at the back of his neck. Any S.H.I.E.L.D agents that were not killed or incapacitated aimed their weapons at both heroes.

“What’s the matter? Do neither of you trust me?” Asked Fury with an uncanny level of calmness.

“It’s not you I don’t trust, Fury. You and yer ol’ stallion earned my trust. It’s yer bosses I don’t trust with having any of these mutants’ best interests in mind, especially hers,” Said Wolverine.

“If you have any sense, you will let the professional help her, or else your foreleg will come off like Ray Arnold’s arm,” Said Deadpool.

“... Fine then. I’ll concede,” Said Fury.

Wolverine and Deadpool put away their weapons. Seeing that their boss is no longer in danger, the agents put their weapons away. Now that he could finally have a moment, Wolverine sat on his haunches so he could speak to the filly.

“What’s your name, kid?” Asked Wolverine.

“Ergess,” Replied the filly.

“I go by Wolverine, but you can call me Logan. I hate t’ ask this question, but I have to know, do you have anypony who would be looking for ya?” Asked Wolverine.

Ergess didn’t immediately respond. After several seconds of silence, she solemnly shook her head no.

“Listen, I know that you’re going through a lot, and I’m willin’ to bet that ya don’t want to have anything to do with your powers, but you will have to learn how to control them if you want to have a safe, functional life. I work for a school in Manehattan, where-”

“X-Men,” Said Ergess.

“So you’re familiar with me and my friends?” Asked Wolverine.

Ergess nodded in response.

“I don’t want to be a X-Man…” Said Ergess, her eyes getting moist with tears. “I don’t want to hurt ponies anymore…”

“Ya don’t have t’ be a X-Man. As far as anypony is concerned, you’re just another student at the school. If ya change your mind and want to be an official X-Man, then great, but if ya only want to learn how to control yer powers to live a fulfilling life, then that’s okay as well,” Said Wolverine.

Ergess thoughtfully contemplated Wolverine’s offer.

What do you say? Will you give us a chance?” Asked Wolverine.

“...Okay,” Said Ergess.

Wolverine smiled. Getting up, he looked over at the other mutants.

“The invite extends to any of you as well,” Said Wolverine.

Most of the mutants gave their thanks. Spotting a few foals around Egress’ age, he spoke to her.

“How about ya go over to those kids and try to make some friends,” Suggested Wolverine.

Spotting the foals Wolverine mentioned, she went over to greet them. Deadpool walked over to Wolverine.

“Fuck. I think my pelvis was flattened like a pancake,” Said Deadpool painfully. “Since when have you all referred to yourselves as the X-Men? When I last met up with Domino in chapter twenty-one, you lot still called yourselves the X-Ponies.”

“The name was changed after it was found that the X-Gene wasn’t limited to ponies. Originally, it was thought that people such as Ororo and Kurt had it because of their pony heritage, but within the past couple of years, we saw that any equine race can get the X-Gene, regardless of ancestry. Xavier, Jean and the others wanted to be more inclusive, so the team name was changed,” Explained Wolverine.

“Huh. That’s actually pretty cool,” Said Deadpool. “It’s nice to see that progress is being made some-”

“Listen. I owe ya an apology,” Interjected Wolverine.

Deadpool’s eyes practically bulged out of their sockets.

“Yeah, I know. I’m just as surprised as you are. You were right for calling me out. I may find some of yer personality traits to be overbearing, but that doesn’t mean that I have similar issues. It’s easy to point out somepony else’s flaws, but when it’s yer flaws, it’s difficult to confront them. I’m working on my problems with help from the X-Men, and if you’re with the likes of the Princess of Friendship of all ponies, then I’m sure you’re working on yourself as well, even if it ain’t by my standards. So with that being said, I’m sorry,” Said Wolverine.

Deadpool was astonished by Wolverine’s apology. Of all the ponies that would ever apologize to him, he never would have thought it would have been Wolverine. He felt the corners of his eyes well up with tears, but he was able to blink them away.

“... Thanks, Logan. I know that I make a lot of mistakes and have done plenty of terrible things, and even with all of that aside, I’m aware that I can irritate plenty of ponies just by being myself. At least in the end, we both found ponies who help us strive to be better,” Said Deadpool.

“Amen,” Said Wolverine.

Looking at the ground, Wolverine saw the cigar box Fury gave him. Likely having dropped it when Ergess lost control of her powers, he picked it up and opened it. Pulling out a cigar, he looked over at Deadpool.

“Care for one?” Asked Wolverine.

“Hell yeah!” Said Deadpool enthusiastically.

Giving Deadpool the cigar, Wolverine grabbed another for himself. Both ponies grabbed their own lighters, then lit their cigars.

TH!

Taking their first puffs, the nicotine smoke filled the air. As they smoked their cigars, both ponies watched the sun setting in the valley, Celestia’s golden rays cutting through the trees and making the water seem to glow.

Fin.

Author's Note

What's up everypony?! Hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter of Deadpool: Mercenary of Harmony! This chapter takes place partially during and immediately after the season 7 premiere episode of Celestial Advice. While this chapter took a while to make, I am proud of the final product. BTW, since I foresee at least one person asking this, no, I did not get the idea to make this a Deadpool-Wolverine team up after seeing the teaser trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine. Speaking of, the part where Deadpool vents his frustrations at Wolverine is based off of the beginning of the comic Wolverine: Origins #24. The next trio of chapters will be more character driven, so if character interactions are your thing, chapters 36-38 are for you! Until next time, this has been ThePhantomArchives, and I hope you all have a great day!