Chapter 3

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“Alright, we’ve maybe twenty minutes before the alert goes out” a blurring blue blob with a silver blob attached to it says as it stands in front of me. “Ready, kid?”

I nod my head. “Never been more ready in my life.”

“This will be a one way ticket, I’m afraid,” a voice that reminds me of Tombstone from Spectacular Spider-Man says as a blueish-grey blob moves into frame on my right, a mechanical whirring sound following. “Even with the technology here, I can only boost Warp’s powers so much.”

“We only need the one shot,” I say firmly. “The embers of his powers and this tech should be enough with your help.”

“Now, remember,” the first blob says, pointing. “The research we’ve managed has meant you’ll be like your father once you get there, no memories of who you are or why you’re there.”

“Hence the note in my jacket, I know,” I nod.

***

“Just remember, Laura,” the Tombstone voiced thing says, “I won’t be as I am once you do this. I will more than likely be your enemy. It saddens me to say so, but it is likely the reality you will face. I am sure, though, whatever that version of me does, it cannot be as bad as what we live in now.”

“I understand, E* ***ah **r,” I sigh. “I will miss our talks.”

Suddenly, loud horns blare and the room goes red.

“Alright, we’re outta time,” blob one says, moving aside to reveal a green blob barely bigger than myself. “Do it.”

The green blog moves towards me and something is placed against my chest.

“I won’t be able to send you to the exact moment,” he says, the spot the something on my chest was placed getting warm. “You’ll be going back in time to the day ***** ***** Princess ********, but I can’t know exactly when. It could be hours, maybe minutes before you must **** *** **** princess. You will need to hurry and **** ***.”

“I get it,” I nod, bracing myself.

“And, I do apologize,” green blob says. “Even in my weakened state, from what I’ve witnessed… this is going to hurt.”

At once, my body feels like it’s on fire, I see a white light and everything goes black.

___________________________________________________________

I cry out, sitting up, breathing heavily.

“Whoa, there, girl. Take it easy.”

I look to my left to see Rogue is sitting next to me.

Wait. Why is she…?

Glancing around, I’m in a metal room that reminds me of hospital operating rooms, only the walls are grey, not white.

Looking down, I see I’m in a bed with white sheets.

“I’m… going to go out on a limb here and assume I’m in the infirmary on the Black Bird,” I say, looking to Rogue, who nods.

“After we stopped you from nearly killing that girl, we thought it best you not wake up too close by to her,” Rogue explains as I take the covers off and turn around so my legs are over the bed. “We also called those friends of yours to let them know you’re alright, in case word gets out at that school. Make sure they don’t get the worst impression, ya know?”

I nod, but frown in confusion. “Who did I try and…?”

Suddenly, I remember Adagio and the other Laura stabbing Trixie, even though Trixie had been right there, no one stabbing her.

“What…? What was that?” I gasp, putting a hand to my head, a chill running through my body. “I… I actually wanted to kill Adagio. I really wanted to! Why…? Why would I want to do that? She’s evil, but… that’s just a step too far. What the hell is wrong with me?”

“Don’t worry,” I look up as Rogue puts a hand on my shoulder. “When this is over, we’ll go to the school and see if Jean or the Professor can sort this out.”

I remain silent for a bit, before I remember something and look to Rogue, worried.

“What’s wrong, 23?” she asks.

I look away for a moment, before I tell her about the… dream I had?

Rogue frowns, rubbing her chin. “From the sounds of it, before you ended up in her body, Laura was being sent back in time, by a mutant power. A mutant with the power to send people back in time? Ain’t that a worrying thought?”

“I more worried about why she was sent back in time,” I shake my head.

Now I’m actually annoyed I didn’t know about that paper before.

After I helped stop Tirek, Rarity had insisted my clothes be cleaned… what with all the blood on them and the fact they did kinda smell, making me wonder when X-23 had last washed her clothes, or if at all.

When they were done being washed, Spike had found a ruined piece of paper in one of the pockets.

It was destroyed beyond repair, even magic wasn’t going to fix it.

I’d paid it no mind at the time, assuming it wasn’t important.

Now, though…?

With the context of that dream, a fragment of memory I must have retained from Laura, that paper clearly had something important Laura was supposed to remember, but knew she wouldn’t upon arriving in Equestria.

Now, thankfully, this suggests Weapon X had nothing to do with X-23 ending up in Equestria or myself getting trapped in her body, so that’s one small comfort… but, knowing she went there for a reason, to prevent something that seemed bad and I don’t know what… that just stops the comfort all over again.

Whatever was written on that paper, had I only found it before I gave my clothes to be washed, I’d know why Laura went to Equestria in the first place.

“Hopefully the Professor or Jean will be able to help clear up that memory for you,” Jean says as I stand up and we leave the infirmary, myself just following her lead, as I’ve no clue how to navigate the Black Bird.

I nod, though can’t help frowning. “So, how long was I out after you stopped me… ya know?”

Rogue shakes her head. “Almost a whole day. That Battle of the Bands thing going on at CHS? Your friends are in the finals.”

Fuck. I slept through almost the entire remaining of the movie’s events?

Rogue’s playful expression becomes serious. “Don’t think you’ll be going, though. We’ve our hands full.”

At once, I tense, my eyes narrowing. “Magneto and Quicksilver or the MRD?”

Rogue scowls. “The MRD.”

“How many?” I ask as we pass through a sliding metal door, revealing the cockpit, where Kitty and a man with short black hair and eyes, wearing yellow and blue clothes, with a mechanical left-leg are looking over some controls.

Forge seems startled by my voice, but seems to just go with it, Kitty likely having filled him in.

“Three swat vehicles, with at least ten MRD soldiers per one, counting the driver and first passenger in each.”

“You’d think, with all the talk about what we know is magic now, they’d send more,” Kitty notes, folding her arms.

I rub my chin, frowning. She’s right. Wolverine warranted multiple cars and helicopters in episode one… though, it was Wolverine they knew they were going after.

Far as the MRD know, this is just some random mutants.

Suddenly, a thought occurs to me and I look to Rogue. “Who’s funding the MRD now? It can’t be Senator Kelly, right?”

Rogue nods. “He’s halted all further funding. Doesn’t mean they can’t still use what’s left.”

“That would explain only three cars,” Forge says, typing away at some keys under a screen panel. “They gotta keep their resources from running out.”

“Even so… this still feels over the top for what is in actuality one mutant,” I frown, rubbing my chin. “Granted, they probably don’t know it’s just one mutant, but…”

Rogue puts a hand on my shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts. “We’ll have to worry about it later. For now, we need to send them back, so they don’t find out about Trixie.”

“And so those Sirens don’t get their hands on them,” Kitty shakes her head. “Can you imagine what would happen if truly evil creatures like those had control of a military-like force?”

I get a flashback to that strange, horrible vision of Trixie impaled by the claws of the other Laura, Adagio standing behind them, laughing coldly and a shiver goes down my spine.

I shake my head. “I’m not sure, but, maybe I’ve already been through it.”

Any questioning as to what I meant is put on hold as Rogue, Kitty and I leave the Black Bird, Forge staying aboard, ready to use it to aid our defence, should we need it.

We march to the entrance of the suburb leading into the area around CHS.

Within a few minutes, three large dark-green vehicles with MRD emblazoned on them turn onto the road coming towards us.

We stand in the middle of the road, making it clear we will not be moving out of their way and it’s the only road directly into the CHS area.

The vehicles stop, an MRD grunt wearing the usual helmet leaning his head out of the front vehicle’s left side window, which takes me a second to figure out, since I’m used to the Australian driving side, which is on the right.

“Step aside, ladies. Official MRD business.”

“There’s no mutants here in Canterlot, officer,” Rogue says firmly, folding her arms. “We’ve checked. You’re barking up the wrong tree, here.”

“Be that as it may, Miss, we’re under orders,” the officer replies, surprisingly calmly for MRD. “Please move aside, or we’ll have to consider it obstructing the law.”

“Law?” I scoff. “You guys aren’t even working for Kelly anymore. How is this, in any way, the law?”

I can somehow tell from his posture that he’s annoyed by my speaking out. Is it because I’m a teen while Rogue’s an adult?

The other window opens and the passenger MRD leans his head out. “Go on home, brat. This isn’t anything little girls should get involved with. Go paint your nails or something.”

I sneer. Angry as his comment just made me, I’d kinda been hoping for to be antagonised.

“Oh, I’m not very good at painting my nails,” I say, my claws coming out. “It always comes off on my knuckles, ya know?”

“What in the hell?” the rude MRD gasps, it clear he recognizes what a mutant with claws means, but confused by my being a girl.

“You’ve met her daddy quite a few times, now, I reckon?” Rogue smirks, seeming to catch on. “Maybe your boss, Colonel Moss has told you about him?”

“Name’s Wolverine?” Kitty snickers, joining in.

“All units, Code Ten! Repeat: Code Ten!” the rude MRD cries, quickly leaning back in and seeming to press a button on the vehicle’s dashboard.

At once, the backs of all three cars open, MRD soldiers piling out, guns drawn.

Kitty sighs. “You’re your father’s daughter, alright, 23.”

I crick my neck, grinning. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The MRD charge and so do we.

I find it fun, leaping around, using my momentum to kick and punch the MRD around, slicing through their weapons.

I didn’t think much of it, back in Equestria, but, from how each MRD reacts when I punch or kick them and how I can flip them over me at times, I’m stupid strong for someone not even physically fifteen yet? is this another aspect of the mutant DNA my body got from Logan?

I catch glimpses of Rogue and Kitty’s fighting, Kitty mostly phasing through soldiers and knocking them from behind or phasing through a wall or the parked vehicles and then coming out suddenly, startling them enough to knock them off their feet.

Rogue I almost get distracted by at first, her using a fighting style that reminds me of bushido, before I remember she’d absorbed multiple skills from the Yakuza members the Silver Samurai had sent to the X mansion to force Logan into a dual.

Guess she never lost those skills, like how other versions of her held on to Captain Marvel’s super strength and flight.

We’re about halfway through the number of MRD, when it comes to my attention I can hear music over the fighting and gunfire… very familiar music.

Suddenly, the sky is shining brightly as a multihued giant Alicorn forms over the area I’m guessing CHS is holding the Battle of the Bands.

I smirk down at the stunned MRD soldier I’ve pinned under me, my right foot’s claw out, just inches from his eye to keep him in place. “That looks a lot more like magic than mutant powers to me, wouldn’t you say? If you boys can’t even handle three girls, what chance do you think you have against that?” I point with my right claws at the massive horse.

“We didn’t want this, officer,” Rogue’s voice makes me turn to see she’s talking to an MRD who doesn’t have his gun on him. “We came to stop you from attacking magic users under the guise of them being mutants.”

“It would… seem we were sent under false pretenses,” the MRD officer says reluctantly. “I can tell the difference between mutant powers and magic. That is clearly some form of magic. We’re not getting involved in that. Leave that to Shield or the Avengers.”

Wait. The Avengers are in this universe? Which version?

He waves and arm. “MRD, we’re pulling out.”

I get off the soldier under me and, after giving me a nasty scowl, which I answer by showing my claws, he hightails it to the vehicles and the three machines turn around and drive off.

“That clearly wasn’t your first fight,” Kitty says encouragingly as she and Rogue join me.

I smirk. “Yeah. After a soul-sucking centaur from Tartarus, MRD grunts are less than a walk in the park.”

There is a very long pause as Kitty just stares at me, it clear she isn’t sure whether to believe if I’m joking or not.

We head over to where the Battle of the Bands is ending, just in time to catch the Sirens running off.

“Should we go after them?” Kitty asks, looking to me, clearly trusting my judgment as the one who knows the most about them.

I shake my head. “They’re powerless. They’re no threat to anyone anymore. They won’t be a problem. Living life without their powers will be punishment enough for them, trust me.”

“Doesn’t look like Trixie gets along well with your friends,” Rogue remarks.

I look to see Trixie is clearly talking to Twilight, I don’t remember what she says and we can’t hear from this distance, but, recognising the scene, I turn my head towards where I know Trixie will be spotted by Pinkie.

I can just about catch as Trixie throws down a smokebomb on the stage, causing it to fill the whole stage with smoke, but keep my main focus on the edge of the bleachers.

Sure enough, Trixie seems to appear in a puff of smoke a few feet from it, her posture as she appears and runs indicating she’d been running prior.

I nod to Rogue and Kitty.

We move towards the stage. As we get there, the girls are pulling out of their group hug.

Soon as Rainbow spots me, she frowns.

“And where were you this whole time?!” she points an accusing figure at me. “You realize we got trapped under the stage for hours, right? If you’d been here, protecting us, like Twilight said you were here to do, we’d have never been trapped in the first place.”

“Correction,” I fold my arms. “Twilight told you I was here to protect you girls from the MRD, which, with Rogue and Kitty’s help, I did.”

Suddenly, the mood changes to uneasy shock.

“The MRD were here?” Applejack asks nervously. “When?”

“While you were all… beating those Sirens with magic music?” Kitty says, looking confused. “Ya know, even for us, that is just weird.”

“That final performance kinda sold it to them you girls aren’t mutants,” Rogue smirks, folding her arms. “Once they saw that giant magic horse in the sky, the MRD ran for it with their tails between their legs.”

“They had tails?” Twilight asks, puzzled.

Sunset, Spike and myself all facepalm, Spike responding, “It’s a figure of speech, Twilight.”

“Oh,” Twilight’s face turns pink. “Right.”

“Now, we need to speak with the one mutant who is here, then 23 needs to come with us to Xavier’s school,” Rogue says, glancing to me and I nod. “We need to get to the bottom of why she ended up in our purple friend here’s world to begin with.”

Twilight looks surprised. “23, you’re staying here?”

I nod, folding my arms. “For now, at least. I don’t exactly plan on making it permanent, but there’s tons of things we don’t understand and we gotta get to the bottom of them first. And, we can only do that in this world.”

Especially that memory and figuring out what was so bad about the future Laura had to travel back in time to another world to stop it.

“Well, I’m sad to see you go, but, know you’re welcome back in Equestria any time, 23,” Twilight comes over and hugs me… which I awkwardly return.

We say our goodbyes to the others and head off, myself following Trixie’s scent.

It stops in the parking lot, though a fainter version heads off.

“Guess she caught a cab?” Kitty suggests.

I sigh in frustration, rubbing my temples. “Frankly, Trixie is going to be hard to track down. Without some of the other X-Men, getting her alone to talk is going to prove a lot harder. If wed gotten to her during the Battle of the Bands, it would’ve been much easier.”

“Either way, it seems her power is hidden thanks to how much she likes using those smokebombs,” Rogue puts a hand on my shoulder. “From what I’ve seen, she’s someone with a flare for the dramatic?”

I nod, sighing again. “Yeah. She’s a performance magician. Honestly, I’m kinda dreading telling her she’s a mutant, because I hate to think how much bigger her head’s gonna get after that.”

Rogue gives me a sympathetic look. “Well, in the meantime, let’s go back to the mansion. The other X-Men are certainly gonna be interested in meeting you, 23.”

“Especially your dad,” Kitty says, snickering. “Daddy Logan. Who’d have ever seen that happening?”

We head back to the Black Bird, though I make a point to meet with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, telling them to keep an eye on Trixie for her safety and Rogue giving them the X-Men’s number, in case they’re ever needed and Forge lifts us off, us flying off towards upstate Neigh York.

Time to start getting some answers.

___________________________________________________________

The Black Bird lands in the underground hanger and I follow Rogue and Kitty out, Forge staying behind to do a check on the systems.

The hatch opens, revealing the big blue hairy form of Hank Beast Mccoy.

“Ah, welcome back, ladies. Things went… well… I take it?” he asks, taken aback when he sees me. “Is… is this the mutant Cerebro detected? She seems… different than from what Jean described.”

“No, she ain’t the mutant we’d been looking for,” Rogue says, glancing to me, “but, she’s more important right now.”

“Oh, really?” Beast looks to me, intrigued. “And just what, my dear, is so fascinating about you, if you don’t mind my asking?”

I just hold up my right fist, my claws coming out.

I have to hold back a small laugh as Beast’s face goes blank.

“Yeah,” Kitty grins, putting her hands on my shoulders. “And if that’s not shocking enough, she’s actually Logan’s—”

A snarling yell cuts her off, as I’m tackled and go for a tumble as the man I’m now biologically related to himself tries to pin me down.

Reacting on instinct, I use his momentum to kick him off, whirling around, flashing my claws, snarling back.

“Just couldn’t wait for answers, huh, Wolverine?”

He responds by snarling again, his claws coming out and charging at me.

“Logan, stop!” Rogue yells, running between us, causing him to freeze up. “She’s not our enemy! She’s your kid!”

Logan’s face goes from angry, to puzzled, shocked, confused and bewildered so fast, I’m surprised his face didn’t get whiplash.

“She’s— But— What…?” is all he finally manages to get out after several moments.

Kitty comes and stands behind me, hands on my shoulders. “It’s true. She’s got your healing factor, those heightened senses, you name it.”

“She doesn’t remember how she got this way, so attacking her isn’t gonna do anyone any favours,” Rogue says firmly.

Logan looks from her to me, staring for several moments and I think I know what’s going through his mind.

He’s remembering when he saw this world’s X-23 when he and Mystique went to save Christy Nord from Weapon X and my very different appearance is not matching his memories.

“Perhaps we should prove her heritage, before we go any further?” Beast suggests, coming over. “A simple DNA test should settle the matter, hmm?”

Pretty sure a DNA test on someone who everyone knows is a clone won’t yield any information not already obvious from the fact I’m a clone, but, whatever. If it’ll keep Logan from trying to shish kabab my ass, I’m for it.

We make our way to the lab, where I provide a sample of my blood, Logan doing the same so the computer can compare the results immediately, without needing to use any database.

Less than a few moments later, it confirms what was already obvious, I’m Wolverine’s clone.

“Well, it’s like you said, um, 23?” Beast says, turning to me. “Are you sure you don’t want to use an actual name?”

I nod, scowling. “I don’t want to be called Laura, ever. I’m… it’s hard to explain, but that name gives me bad vibes.”

Beast sighs. “Fair enough. One rarely goes wrong when choosing… their… name…? That’s odd.”

“What?” Logan asks, his question causing me to pause as I’d gotten up and was turning to leave to go find Jean to ask about when we can start figuring out my memory dream.

“If, Laur—um, 23 were just your clone, Logan, only your DNA should’ve shown up in the test,” Beast says, sounding confused.

“And I wasn’t?” Logan asks, that question definitely making me more interested in this than what I was before. I’m not just Wolverine’s clone? Who else’s DNA was my body created from?

Beast shakes his head. “While the signs of genetic cloning are indeed there, a second DNA marker was detected. Give me a moment,” he starts typing away. “I’ll see if I can find the matching DNA.”

We wait for several moments, myself and Logan glancing at each other, both equaly tense.

After what feels like forever, Beast goes “Ah ha,” indicating the computer found a match.

“So?!” Logan and I say in unison.

“The computer has a match,” Beast says joyfully. “It would seem the other person young 23 here shares her DNA with is… oh, my goodness.”

The hesitation suddenly in his voice is seriously putting me on edge.

“Who is it, Hank?!” Logan says forcefully.

Beast slowly turns around to us and the look on his face makes the already uneasy feeling in my stomach from his tone triple.

“Mariko Yashida.”

I just stare at him… my brain not processing the words he just spoke.

I… But… What?!

Author's Note

Phew.

took me most of the day to do it, with it being 5:50pm as I start this Author's Note, but i kept my promise and Chapter 3 is done and up.

Well, that was quite the ride, huh?

23 gets to fight several MRD, learns someone other than the government is now finding them, we get more hints as to Trixie's mutant powers and we get a massive bombshell, 23 doesn't just have Logan's DNA, she's got Mariko Yashida's too?

How? She's clearly a clone, but, why would Weapon X have merged Mariko's DNA with Wolverine's? There can't be any strategic reason.

What logic could there be is basically making what they intended to use as a weapon Logan and the woman he wasn't able to marry's child?

Weapon X must be losing their minds!

Unless... it wasn't Weapon X?

Could someone else have been involved? But, who? How? And why?

Could it in any way related to the strange memory dream 23 had while unconscious?

Will Professor X or Jean be able to shed some light on the matter when they try to help 23 with her memories?

...

Or, will any answers just lead to more questions?

And just what are the X-Men going to do about Magneto and Quicksilver?

You'll have to wait and see, as it's almost past 6pm and i not only want to get dinner, i want to beat the Dragonite Raid in Pokémon Violet that started today as well as catch a shiny Hisuian Sliggoo.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and, til next time, stay safe, stay clean and goodnight everybody