Alternate universe prompt: The X - Mares
[AN: Of course I instantly thought of MLP:FiM]
Things went very quickly bad when the entirety of Ponyville discovered that Fluttershy’s strange friend was stranger than they had believed possible.
His glowing eyes almost bugged out of his head. He smiled with sharp, sharp teeth. He vanished in a puff of sulphur. He didn’t have hooves. He had paws. And his tail… was more like a dragon’s than a pony’s.
And everywhere he ran, he caused panic. Running and screaming. Most of it away from him. He bounced off things like Pinkie Pie. But he was not as fast as Rainbow Dash.
Not… all the time.
He was half-concussed when Applejack finally lassoed him. And… crying?
Fluttershy couldn’t be heard about the many voices raised in fear and anger. Things were looking very bad for the monster in their midst.
Stop!
It was a command obeyed by muscle more than mind. Nightcrawler squirmed in his rope prison like his insect namesake before the pony responsible appeared. He was a unicorn, and his hindquarters were supported by a wheeled device. “There’s no need for violence,” soothed the bald stranger. “Nightcrawler is more scared of you than you are of him.”
“Thank you,” breathed Fluttershy. The only one besides Nightcrawler who still had the power to move. “That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to tell everyone since this mess started.“
Nightcrawler, meanwhile, struggled free of his bonds. “Dankeschoen…” he tried to hide where he was standing and failed immensely. “If I may ask… who are you?”
“My students,” he nodded towards the ponies on either side of him, “Call me Professor X. Phoenix, Cyclops, Icemare, Beast and Wolverine… all call themselves the X-mares.” A quirk of a smile. “I find it a little ridiculous, but they do have a snappy turn of phrase.”
Nightcrawler couldn’t help but notice that almost all of these ponies looked… normal.
“I can teach you how to use your gifts, Nightcrawler. How to make them your own.”
“Would you teach me… to be normal?”
“That’s… a little beyond my abilities.”
“Good,” said Nightcrawler. “I’ve seen what normal can do in bad circumstances. I’d much rather be all me.”
That earned him big grins from the X-mares.
“Will he be safe?” asked Fluttershy.
“I can’t promise safety, either,” said Professor X. “I can promise that he will be well-prepared for danger.”
“It… seems to find us,” allowed Cyclops.
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