Chapter 4

___________________________________________________________

“JEAN?!”

The loud shriek rang throughout the halls.

“What in the…?” Bobby got up from where he’d been laying on his bed, reading a comic and stepped out of his room, glancing around.

“Jean, I need you, now?!” an unfamiliar girl’s voice screamed, a mixture of desperation and rage.

Aw, great, he thought, deadpanning. First new kid to attend the school and she sounds like a rage monster. As if Logan’s anger issues weren’t bad enough.

Hurrying down the hall, he leaned over the banisters, looking down to the ground floor as a girl ran into view… and he found himself puzzled.

She was a teenaged girl, seemed maybe the tiniest bit older than Tildi, with a tan skin complexion. She had long, dark-brown hair that slightly fell over her shoulders but loosely fell behind her back.

Her eyes, which he could see had an angry urgency in them, were green.

She was wearing leather pants and a jacket, under which was a greyish-green shirt. She was also wearing leather gloves.

Who was she?

No one had said anything about a new student arriving today, had they?

Weren’t Jean, Scott and Storm still sorting everything out?

Which family had been okay with sending their kid so quickly?

He certainly didn’t recognize her from when the professor was running the school and X-Men, so was she here before and he’d just never noticed her or was she actually a new student altogether?

“You!”

He was pulled out of his thoughts and nearly wet himself in fright as he realized the girl had turned around and spotted him, then literally leaped up to him from the ground floor and pinned him to the wall… and a pair of metal claws came from her right-hand right by his head?!

He stared back in panic at the glare she was giving him as her eyes boar into his own.

“Where’s Jean?!” she demanded, taking him slightly aback.

“Um, Jean?” he asked, confused more than scared now. Amazing how quickly one’s emotions could change in the right circumstances.

The girl snarled… another something shockingly familiar alongside the metal claws he wasn’t sure why he wasn’t scared of being so close to his head.

“I can’t get in contact with Xavier in the future, so I need Jean, NOW!”

Wait, what? Now he was even more lost.

How did this new kid know about them being able to communicate with the professor in the future?

That was X-Men only information.

The only non-X-Men who knew about that were Tildi, Magneto and Senator Kelly… and this girl was clearly none of them and he highly doubted she was associated with them either.

“Kid, stop!” Logan’s voice called anxiously and firmly from the hall.

“Up here! Up here!” Bobby cried out.

Running sounds was followed by the girl being pulled away from him, Logan firmly holding her right arm.

“You need to calm down, now!” Logan told her, sounding a mixture of firm, confused and worried, a combo Bobby was not used to hearing in Logan’s tone, further confusing and now starting to slightly worry him.

“We need to know how he did this to me!” the girl yelled at him… way too casually as far as Bobby was concerned. Wait, he? She wasn’t talking about him, was she? They’d literally just interacted for the first time. “He’s the only one who would’ve and you know it!”

“We don’t know if he actually did this to you!” Logan shouted back at her… though not with anger?

This day just wasn’t making any sense.

The girl… suddenly had tears in her eyes.

“Who else, Logan?! Who else would have access to her DNA? Who else would be as bitter to you and vindictive that they’d use your DNA to create a child between the two of you despite you never being able to be together?! You know he’d do that!”

Bobby really wanted the world to start making sense again.

“Kid, I wanna know the answers to this just as much as you,” Logan said, his voice calming down a little… and filled with a slight sadness Bobby was definitely not used to hearing from him. “But, you can’t just go storming the Japanese Embassy and attack him to get your answers. You’ll cause an international incident. We don’t even know he’s there right now.”

Wait. The Japanese Embassy? Last time he heard about that, Rogue had been relaying the events of what happened after…

His eyes widened.

This girl said someone had used another female’s DNA with Logan’s to create a child they could never have.

Was she talking about…? Was this girl Logan’s…?

“Of course he’s there!” the girl snarled at her father. “After being kicked out of the Yakuza, where else would he go?! You said so yourself: he’s a coward and it’s where he’d hide!”

“I just meant at the time. There’s no guarantee he’s still there! Besides,” Logan’s voice firmed. “I was sneaking in. In your state, you’d just charge in, claws flying. If you’re arrested there, how do you think that would look to the world?”

“A mutant attacking another mutant is hardly going to change the world’s view on them!” the girl shot back, trying to pull free as Logan grabbed her other arm.

“You need to calm down and approach this logically, 23!”

23? That was her name? Why would her name be 23? That wasn’t even a name, just a number.

“Sorry, Logan!” she snarled, swinging back and raising her legs, confusing Bobby… until a single metal claw shot out from each foot and she used her momentum to swing forward, jabbing them both into Logan’s chest, making him let her go and stumble back.

She leapt back, flipping through the air and landing on her feet, crouching, tensed.

“Again, sorry, Logan. But I gotta find out why I’m not just a clone!”

“Ah’m sorry, too,” Rogue’s voice said as she and Kitty phased up through the floor and Rogue had her hand on the girl’s face before she could even react.

The girl’s eyes widened for a second, before she slumped, Logan catching her in his arms.

“Sheesh, you could’ve warned us you had a daughter as volatile as you are, Logan,” Bobby said as he stood up. “Didn’t even know you had a kid.”

Logan gave him an annoyed look for some reason, then looked down pityingly at the unconscious girl. “Join the club.”

___________________________________________________________

“Alright, we’ve maybe twenty minutes before the alert goes out” the 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,” the voice that reminds me of Tombstone from Spectacular Spider-Man says as the 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 the 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 groan, becoming aware of consciousness once more.

That dream again?

Wait. Why was I dreaming? When did I go to sleep?

Last thing I remember I was…

I sit up, aware that I’m in a bed… and wearing clothing I definitely know I wasn’t before.

Thankfully, confusion overrides the concerns that revelation should cause me as I become aware of what exactly I’m wearing and the colours ringing a bell.

I’m wearing a tank top that’s light-blue, with a butterfly image in the centre of the chest and blue and light-blue long pants.

A gasp comes from my right. “You’re finally awake!”

I turn to see a girl with blonde hair, tied back in a small ponytail… wearing exactly the same clothes.

I move to get up, before almost falling down.

Why am I so lethargic?

“You shouldn’t get up too quickly,” the girl I know is Tildi says, standing quickly and holding up her hands in a calming gesture. “Rogue took a lot of your energy to make sure you’d sleep long enough.”

I scowl… though I think my being so tired makes it just look like slight annoyance, since she doesn’t recoil. “Long enough for what?”

“For Jean to get back,” she says matter-of-factly, before looking sheepish. “Oh, right. I’m Tildi. Tildi So…Soames.”

Her finishing that a little sadly lets me put my frustrations aside.

I may want to rip Harada to pieces for making me as some kind of mockery to Logan and Mariko’s love to spite him… but I’m not able to just ignore when a child is clearly upset.

“What…? What’s wrong?” I ask, easing my body, to make sure she doesn’t get worried.

“They… they say you know about us, the X-Men, and what’s been happening recently,” Tildi says quietly, rubbing her hands together as she looks at the floor, before glancing up at me. “Right?”

I nod. “I know a lot.”

“Then… you know about my powers?” she asks… sounding ashamed?

I don’t answer, thinking for a moment.

I don’t actually know the extent of her powers as they only were shown during her introduction episode, but…

“If I’m right, you create an energy field around yourself, almost like an exoskeleton, that takes the form of a monster?” I ask.

The reason I have to pose this question is twofold. Firstly, I don’t actually know her exact power and secondly, they seem similar to the mutant powers of Hisako Ichiki from the X-Men anime.

It’s a theory I never was able to put to the test… at least, until now.

She seems shocked and slightly confused, before putting a hand to her chin, seeming still sad, but curious now.

“Is that my power? I thought my nightmares were taking physical form.”

“Well, I’m going off guesses myself here,” I admit, my expression firmly anxious. “Tildi, why does the thought of your powers make you sad?”

She stops holding her chin, returning to looking down at the floor. “The reason the MRD had me imprisoned… is I killed my parents.”

There’s silence.

I just stare at her, my jaw agape.

Holy… That certainly never came up during the show!

Although… if her parents are dead and she’d, obviously unintentionally, killed them, it makes sense why her family never came to get her after the X-Men saved her after Juggernaut broke her out of the MRD base and caused her powers to go crazy.

She has nowhere else to go and the X-Men weren’t going to just turn away a mutant in need.

I sigh, before slowly getting up and go over to Tildi, taking her hands in mine, causing her to look up quickly.

“Tildie, you have nothing to feel guilty about,” I say firmly. “You couldn’t have known what your powers would do. No one of sound mind would blame you for what happened.”

Granted, I don’t actually know what happened beyond the basics, but I always had a good imagination, so have a pretty good idea and highly doubt she’d have intended for her powers to end her parents’ lives.

From what little of her I did see of her in the show, she’s a good kid, who would only use her powers to hurt someone in self-defense.

More than likely, her powers activated for the first time while she was asleep.

Can’t exactly be blamed for a giant Psionic exoskeleton forming around you in your sleep when you didn’t know it would even happen.

“But, I… I killed my…” she looks down.

I blink, before sighing and kneel down, so I’m looking up at her.

“You killed without meaning to. There’s nothing to feel guilty about there. At least you were unconscious and weren’t aware what you were doing.”

She blinks, looking to me with worry. “Why did you say it like that?”

I look away. “I’m not exactly... kill free myself… and I was fully aware what I was doing.”

I mean… technically.

Plus, I killed a hydra, not another human, but… the principle is the same.

I could’ve left it injured, to recover and learn to leave ponies alone from the fact I was with them at the time… but I wanted to kill it.

I wanted that hydra to die for thinking it could turn the CMC into a midday snack.

Sure, I feel justified… but I know what I did was still wrong.

Thought what scares me… I don’t actually feel guilty about it. I know I should, but I don’t.

There’s silence between us, before a new scent reaches my nose, right before the door opens.

At once, I stand, my claws coming out, only to ease and retract them when I see it’s just Jean Grey.

“Seems I was right to have you watch over her, Tildi,” Jean walks in and leans down a little to my eyelevel. “Hello, 23. I’m Jean. But, from what I hear, you already know that, right?”

I nod, my expression firming… which it only hits me a second later probably doesn’t look very intimidating while wearing Tildie’s night clothes, but internally shake my head.

Jean sighs, standing. “Yes. I know what you want, 23. You want to know about that dream you keep having.”

I nod again, clenching my fist. “Knowing Harada’s done what he did, now, before than ever.”

Jean gives an annoyed sigh. “Didn’t your father explain to you we don’t know if that’s what happened?”

Tildi gasps, standing up.

“Wait. So, it’s true? You’re Wolverine’s daughter?”

“It’s… complicated,” I shake my head, before returning to look to Jean. “Regardless, we need to know, Jean.”

She nods, folding her arms. “Get dressed and meet me in the library. We’ll start there.”

She leaves and I turn around to see Tildi is still staring at me in shock. “But, how? Wolverine never married, did he? Wouldn’t his wife have met the X-Men at some point?” Her face saddens. “Did they break up?”

I scoff, folding my arms. “If only it were that simple. Then, it would actually be better.”

Tildi looks uncertain. “That would be better? Yikes. What could it be that makes that seem better?”

I sigh, glancing around and notice my clothes laying at the end of the bed.

“I’ll explain later,” I say, starting to undress.

At once, Tildi’s eyes widen and she practically goes red in the face, before covering her eyes.

I cock an eyebrow. “What?”

“Why would you just casually undress in front of someone else like that?!” she asks frantically, keeping her face covered.

I glance down at my now naked chest, then back at her, keeping my eyebrow in place.

“Um, what’s it matter? We’re both kids and girls. It’s not like I’ve anything you haven’t seen before.”

Now, anyway.

Honestly a good thing I’m 23 and not a male Wolverine clone.

Plus, spend long enough in a different body and any of the norms you’re used to for one side of the species pretty much disappears after a while.

Also, while I don’t remember the exact details, I know I was Australian in my previous life and we are far more lax on those kinds of norms than most other countries.

Once dressed, if only in my pants and shirt, since I don’t really need to wear the gloves and jacket right now, I head out the room, following Jean’s scent til I find the library.

She’s sitting in a chair with green cushions by a coffee table, similar to the one Emma did when she tried to help Wolverine with his memories relating to Christy Nord and the night he went to abduct her father for Weapon X.

I sit on the cushioned seat across from her.

“Now, you’re sure you want me to do this?” Jean asks as I settle into the seat. “Once we fully awaken that memory, there’s no telling what we’ll find.”

I don’t answer, instead, giving her a firm stare. “Why aren’t you freaking out?”

Jean blinks, seeming confused. “Wha-what would I be freaking out about?”

I sniff the air, making sure nobody’s in range, especially Logan. “Jean, you’re a telepath. I know, even if only the top layer, you’ve seen my thoughts. You know.”

There’s a long pause, before Jean closes her eyes, sighing and nods, giving me a firm look. “Yes. I know.”

I scowl. “Then why aren’t you freaking out?! You find out from a random mutant that your whole world is based on a strange fusion of two fictional shows and it doesn’t even phase you?! What the hell?”

She shakes her head, then shrugs. “Truth be told, you’ve already figured out why, haven’t you? In the multiverse, anything is possible and our world’s information could easily have travelled through the vale of reality into the minds of those from your world. What’s fiction to some is just another world filtering through.”

We just sit for several moments, before I heave a huge sigh, suddenly very tired again.

“Don’t worry, 23,” I look up to see her giving me an encouraging smile and firm look at the same time. “I promise, I’ll never tell another soul. I’ve even created barriers inside my mind, so, even if someone else gets into my mind, they’ll never find out.”

I sigh, rubbing my temples, before looking to her firmly.

So, I was fretting over that since the moment I found out about this version of this world for literally nothing?

Great. Love wasting my time and energy like that.

All those hours worrying how to explain things if anyone found out, all for nothing.

“Now,” Jean firms her tone and I give her a firm look in return. “I’ll ask again: are you ready?”

“I need to know why… why I’m here,” I put a hand to my chest. “Whatever that memory is, there was something important… I needed to do and I don’t know what it was. For all I know, the future could be at risk and the information I don’t have could be the difference between this world’s survival and its complete annihilation!”

Jean nods, before blinking and sighs. “I realize it might be hard, but… can you really relax?”

To my confused look, she continues.

“I only saw what I could in your mind because your guard was completely down while you were unconscious. Whomever created you from Logan and Mariko Yashida’s DNA, they either gave you strong mental resistance or it’s part of your mutation. Right now, I have no idea what you’re thinking.”

I blink, shocked. “I’ve mental resistance that strong?”

She nods. “Even now, after that shock, your mind is still strongly resisting me.”

Well, that’ll be handy to know later on. At least I won’t have to worry about getting hit by sudden psychic attacks like everyone did when Emma had Jean taken away to have The Phoenix removed from her.

I sit up straight, then take several deep breaths, letting my body and mind ease as much as I can.

After what feels like hours, Jean speaks.

“Okay. I think we’re ready. I’ve prepared myself, so, are you ready?”

I nod slightly, making sure to keep myself calm as possible.

Suddenly, I see a flash of white light despite my eyes being closed.

___________________________________________________________

“Alright, we’ve maybe twenty minutes before the alert goes out” a man in a blue outfit with an X on his belt and a metal left arm says as he stands in front of Laura, who’s strapped to a chair of some kind. “Ready, kid?”

Laura nods her head. “Never been more ready in my life.”

My eyes are wide as I stare at the man.

He has buzz cut white/silver hair, hazel eyes, with a black, star-like mark over his right one.

Cable?! That blob was Cable this whole time?

That means Laura was sent from the future to change something in the past!

Shit!

“This will be a one way ticket, I’m afraid,” the voice that reminds me of Tombstone from Spectacular Spider-Man says as a machine that kinda reminds me of the one The Brain from DC cartoons has moves into view… and I don’t hear what else it says.

I just stare, my jaw agape and my mind going a billion miles a second.

Atop the device is the severed head… of Apocalypse?! Holy fuck! And why the hell does his sound like Tombstone from his first episode in Spectacular Spider-Man?

“I’m doing my best, but I don’t know how much I can really clear up of this,” Jean’s voice says and I glance around, but see no one. “Try not to let your thoughts get too wild, or I might lose my link.”

Wow. Those mental defences she said I have must be no joke.

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

“Now, remember,” Cable says, a holographic image appearing over his robotic wrist… showing Princess Twilight Sparkle? The fuck?

“You have to stop Tirek before he kills Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Cable says, an image of Twilight being blasted by Tirek appearing on the screen. “Wihtout her, the Sirens defeated our world’s Elements of Harmony. We need her for this. If she’s involved, the Sirens lose and this horrific future never happens.”

“Trixie doesn’t die,” Laura bites her bottom lip.

If I wasn’t staring jaw agape before, I certainly fucking am now.

What?! Laura went back in time to stop Tirek because he KILLS Twilight in the original timeline?!

The hell?!

“23, please!” Jean’s voice calls out. “I’m barely keeping the link open as is.”

Cable moves to turn off the hologram, when the scene abruptly changes, Cable now bending to Apocalypse’s head’s level, putting some kind of disk into the machine.

Whoops. Guess Jean wasn’t kidding.

“Just remember, Laura,” Apocalypse’s head says, turning to face her, “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.”

The way he’s talking to her, you’d think the two were friends or something.

“I understand, En Sabah Nur,” Laura sighs, a truly sad seeming expression passing over her face. “I will miss our talks.”

Wait. They were friends? What the hell kind of nightmarish timeline existed with Twilight’s death to cause freaking Apocalypse to become a good guy?!

Suddenly, loud horns blare and the room goes red.

“Alright, we’re outta time,” Cable says, moving aside to reveal a boy with green skin and a bald head… who seems vaguely familiar, missing his right arm. “Do it.”

The green boy moves towards Laura and places his hand flat on her chest.

“I won’t be able to send you to the exact moment,” he says, the spot his hand is on Laura’s chest glowing yellow. “You’ll be going back in time to the day Tirek kills Princess Twilight, but I can’t know exactly when. It could be hours, maybe minutes before you must save the pony princess. You will need to hurry and save her!”

“I get it,” Laura nods, bracing herself.

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

At once, Laura screams, her body looking like it’s starting to disintegrate and everything goes black.

___________________________________________________________

I gasp, my breathing heavy, the sound of heavy breathing in front of me indicating Jean is just as overwhelmed as I was.

We wait several moments, just trying to regain some strength, before I look up to see Jean looking at me with confusion, shock and horror… and I know why.

Like Jean, even without the memory fully intact, I put enough of the pieces together from what she restored.

Laura came from a timeline where Tirek kills Twilight in Equestria and, with her dead, she doesn’t come to help the rest of the girls stop the Sirens.

The Sirens win and spread their power across the planet, gaining control over so many Marvel heroes and villains, it’s a nightmare just trying to imagine.

What’s more… this means time was changed, twice!

The X-Men worked so hard to prevent the future Professor X woke up in, unaware that there had been an even worse future afterward they had no idea was already fixed that would’ve followed after all their efforts.

Twilight first came to this world shortly after they stopped the Sentinels and The Phoenix, but, if I hadn’t distracted Tirek, he’d have killed Twilight and, shortly after changing the future for the better, it would’ve gotten even worse than before… and they’d never even known it.

I’d completed Laura’s mission without even realizing it.

I’d thought it was just a coincidence that Tirek seemed about to do something he didn’t in the show… but that had already happened before.

My instinct of something not matching the show had stopped the actual future that originally played out.

Holy crap!

Author's Note

Well THAT took far longer than I'd like to admit.

I've been meaning to post an update for the last 3 weeks, but, every. single. time, it was like the world just wanted to go NOPE! You don't get to update this today.

It was driving me crazy!

Now, the first week it happening was for the best, as it helped me realize my initial plan for this chapter was a disaster and would've forced you all to suspend your disbelief to the point it would have gone over the edge.

Initially, as the beginning of the chapter suggests, 23 came to the conclusion the only way she'd be a clone of Logan with Mariko Yashida's DNA is if The Silver Samurai had found someone to clone Logan, blending Mariko's DNA to make a mock child, to further rub in Logan's face how Mariko would never be his.

She'd then have stolen Logan's bike, driven to the Japanese Embassy, gone feral on any security she found until she found Harada, nearly killed him, only for Logan to get there with Kitty and stopping 23 just before she'd have stabbed her claws through Harada's throat due to him saying Mariko can't have children, so 23 couldn't be her child.

It was during that first week i realized SEVERAL reasons this idea wouldn't work.

1. How could 23 ride a motorcycle when she's never done so before?
   
2. How would she know where the Japanese Embassy is?
   
3. How would she even have gotten to Logan's bike before he'd have caught her?

So, I changed it up. the beginning was still the same, up until Rogue came out of the floor and knocked 23 out.

With that, a new chapter formed that flows much better, I think and works better for the story.

So, Laura DID come from the future, a future where the Sirens actually won, because Tirek killed Twilight in the original timeline and that timeline was SO bad, even Apocalypse became a good guy?

Bet that wasn't ever an idea the crossed your mind, huh?

23 saved the future without even trying.

And now Trixie being stabbed by another Laura makes more sense, doesn't it?

23, our Laura, was created at some point during that future and, while trying to complete a mission with Trixie, Adagio, using her magic to control an original Wolverine and the X-Men X-23, had Trixie killed right in front of Laura.

Will 23 reveal this to Trixie at any point, or keep it to herself?

And Jean is now aware of the fiction her universe spawned from.

She took her existence being a cartoon quite well, huh?

So, now that 23 knows she doesn't have to worry about stopping a horrific future... what's she gonna do next?

Find out who created her, for starters.

Also, those psychic resistances aren't an original idea I came up with. X-23 really does have resistance to psychic influence.

There has to be a reason she has Mariko's DNA, right? Why would the Resistance Laura was clearly part of use a human's DNA when creating Laura?

Something else was going on there, and 23 is going to get to the bottom of it.

What other dangers will she encounter while in that world? How soon will she return to CHS?

Will there be some Daddy/Daughter bonding time slaying bad guys?

And what was done about Magneto and Quicksilver?

You'll have wait and see as it's almost 6pm and i think I'd like an early dinner.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and, Til next time, stay safe, stay clean and see you later everybody