//------------------------------//
// The Brotherhood (Part 1) 
// Story: Tomorrow War 
// by Battwell 
//------------------------------//

The doors to the X-Mansion opened up with a slam as Cyclops led the group of heroes into the Mutant oasis to see if the students inside were okay. As they walked through the mansion, Applejack, Knuckles, and Pinkie couldn't help but look around in awe and amazement. The interior of the mansion looked magnificent. 

Knuckles whistled lowly in an impressed tone as he followed the other heroes through the mansion, "Gotta say, this place is cool." 

"Ya said it, partner." Applejack replied to the Echidna. 

Captain America, who had been listening in, turned his head and gave the two otherworldly beings a kind smile, "It really is amazing that Mutants who have been oppressed can find sanctuary here." 

"I am inclined to agree, Captain Rogers." A sudden voice inside Cap's head said, agreeing with the Star Spangled Man. 

As the group approached a set of wooden doors, said doors opened, revealing a study and a man in a wheelchair. The man gave each of the heroes a kind smile as he rolled his way out of his study. 

 

Charles Xavier nodded to each of the heroes as the doors to his study closed behind him. 

Cyclops motioned to Charles with his hand as he introduced him to the group of heroes, "Everyone, meet Professor Charles Xavier. Founder of this school and the X-Men." 

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Charles started before turning his attention to Knuckles, AJ, and Pinkie, "Especially you three. Applejack, Knuckles, Pinkie Pie. It is a pleasure." 

The three stared at the kind man with their mouths agape in shock. 

"H-How did you--" Knuckles started but Charles motioned for him to stop with his hand. 

"I am a telepath, you see. I looked into your thoughts to determine whether or not you three were a threat to my students. I am now fully aware of the situation we all face, and I am pleased to know that you three are willing to help." 

Applejack tilted her head to the side as she asked, "Soo, you can jus', look inside our heads? All of our heads?" 

Charles smirked at the country Pony, "Well, I tend to stay out of HIS head," Charles replied as he motioned towards Deadpool with a tilt of his head, "Anyone who stays inside his head will be driven insane within minutes." 

Wade shrugged, "It's true." 

(We're batshit insane!!!) 

(You do realize that no one beside me or Wade can hear you right?) 

Deadpool then suddenly turned around and pointed upwards towards the ceiling, "CAN YOU TWO SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!" The room was in dead silence until Wade spoke up again, "THANK YOU!!!" He turned back around and faced the group of heroes and Mutants, "You were saying." 

Charles cleared his throat as Logan face palmed at the mercenary's crazy antics. 

"As I was saying, I am fully aware of Thanos' imminent arrival on Earth, of The Convergence of our three worlds. I am willing to lend the aid of the X-Men to help stop this threat and separate our three worlds." 

"Uh, Chuck? What the hell are you talking about?" Logan asked his mentor and friend. 

As Charles placed to of his fingers onto his temple, he simply said, "Allow me to catch you up to speed." 

He then sent various images of the events prior to this into Beast's, Cyclops', and Wolverine's minds to catch them up on the situation. Once the flashes stopped, they all just stood there with looks of shock and amazement on their faces. 

"Woah." 

"Astonishing." 

"Trippy." 

"Oh," Wade said as he turned towards the screen, "Well that's just lazy writing." 

It was then that a sudden tremor shook the mansion, the wood holding up the mansion creaking. 

"Oooh! Is there another surprise for us?!" Pinkie shouted. 

"Oh God, I hope not." Hawkeye muttered in reply. 

It was then that Pinkie's tail started twitching, "Oooh, twitchy tail! TWITCHY TAIL!!!" 

"What the hell does that mean?!" Widow shouted. 

"IT MEANS MOVE IT, Y'ALL!!!" AJ replied as parts of the ceiling started falling to the ground, almost crushing our heroes. 

As Cap rushed over to Charles and protected him from the falling debris with his shield, Logan dashed over to Beast as a piece of the ceiling was about to crush him. 

"WATCH OUT, FURBALL!!!" 

Logan tackled Beast out of harms way as the wooden column crashed to the ground. As the pieces of the ceiling continued to fall, the roof of the mansion was suddenly flung off of the mansion and into the air where it crashed into a million, wooden pieces on the street. 

Everyone present then looked up to see seven figures hovering in the air. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Brotherhood of Mutants stood on metallic cylinders that floated in the air thanks to Magneto. The Master of Magnetism gave his old friend a smile. 

"Hello, old friend. Are you up for a game of chess?" 

Charles glared at his oldest friend, who was also his oldest enemy, "Erik! What is the meaning of this?!" 

Magneto crossed his arms as he explained, "You've aligned yourselves with Humans? The same race who designed those Mutant killing abominations to hunt us? Pathetic." 

"This is about more than us vs. them, Erik. We need to put our differences aside and work collaboratively for once. There are much larger forces at play here." Charles refuted as Magneto and his followers floated down to the ground. 

"I am aware, Charles. I am fully aware AND prepared for Thanos' arrival. He seeks the Infinity Stones, I won't allow him to put our race at risk." Magneto then opened up his hand, revealing the Infinity Stone in his possession, the Power Stone, "Not when I have the power to stop him." 

Everyone present took a step back in shock, besides Charles. He just sat there, glaring daggers at Magneto. 

Magneto stared at the Stone in his hand as he continued, "Unlike Thanos, I will not underestimate the Stone's power. I will use it to not only destroy Thanos and his army, but I will use it to free Mutants from Human enslavement." 

Logan had heard enough and unsheathed his claws, "NOT GONNA HAPPEN, BUB!!! RARGH!!!" 

Logan leapt towards Magneto....only to be halted in mid air. Magneto used his control over metal to hold Logan in place. 

"Have you forgotten, Wolverine? I can control your Adamantium skeleton, you cannot touch me." 

Magneto then flung Logan across the room. The Adamantium Champion was saved from hitting the wall by Beast, who caught his ally with his arms. 

"Let that be a lesson to you," Magneto started before turning to Charles once more, "After all, I did not come to fight." He then extended his hand towards his friend, "I have come to extend my hand to you, Charles. Think about it, old friend. We can use the Stone to save our race, our people. We can make life better." 

"Not with genocide!" Charles argued. 

"Wake up, Charles! Everyday our kind suffers because of these wretches! They slaughter our kind day in and day out! So why can't we do the same to them?!" 

Charles exhaled in sadness, "We cannot steep down to their level. We must show that we are better than that. We must light the way to a better world." 

Magneto scoffed as he gazed at AJ, Pinkie, and Knuckles, "My informants have informed me of The Convergence of our worlds. These beings will not treat us any different than the Humans do! We will never be free unless we take action!" 

AJ, having heard enough, took a step forward, "Now hold on an apple pickin' minute! We don't believe in discrimination! We are accepting of other species and races! We wouldn't treat you different than anyone else!" 

Magneto quirked an eyebrow, clearly not believing her, "You say that now, but that will change in the future." He then turned to Charles again, "I'm begging you, old friend. Help me save our people." 

Charles closed his eyes and bent his head down, "I'm sorry, Erik. But I cannot. Not like this." 

Magneto, actually look genuinely hurt by this. His faced showed an expression of sadness, not anger. He actually still considered Charles as his best friend, and the fact that they were not on the same team stabbed Erik in the heart. 

Magneto's face turned cold and stone like as he glared at Charles and his allies, "Then, I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to stand in my way. If you are not with us, then you are against us." 

Magneto then tightened his grip on the Power Stone, generating a massive, purple shockwave that sent the heroes flying across the room. 

Charles was launched off of his chair due to the shockwave. He crashed against the wall as Magneto hovered up into the air. While the other members of the Brotherhood spread out across the school, Blob and Toad stayed behind. As Toad licked his lips and Blob smacked his belly, Magneto gave his friend one last solemn look, a pleading look to change his mind and join him. 

Charles' expression never changed, neither did his mind. 

Magneto sighed in sadness and gave the order. 

"Kill them."