The Dark Phoenix

Falling through the portal on mass and landing in a pile at the foot of the portal’s structure, the X-men staggered to their feet and looked around to find they were back home. Back in their home of Krakoa. Slowly getting to their sore feet and finding places to sit while they still recovered from standing for so long, minutes later, Logan casually strolled out from the portal, still puffing away at his cigar in his Mark Twain outfit as he came to a stop to look out onto the view of the island and the city.

“So where are we supposed to find this big, bad darkness that booted us out of our home?” Asked Logan.

“Who wants to know?!” Accused Iceman, getting to his feet, only to get a nudge from Nightcrawler. “Oh yeah, right, sorry.”

“Dr. Strange has given us an opportunity to find who mind controlled us and set this all right. Hopefully we’ll be prepared to face this enemy before the spell is ended.” Magneto took to the air using his powers, levitating several meters off the ground to get a better view of the landscape. “I do not see anything out over the horizon, only that the city is quite.”

Raising his fingers to his brow, Charles Xavier concentrated on finding who was left in Krakoa. “The women are still out there, some huddled, many frightened… Something has scared them into hiding.”

“Hiding from what?” Asked Gambit, getting to his feet and shuffling a deck of cards in his hands. “What do they know we don’t, eh?”

Making their way back into the city from the portal, the X-Men got as far as the promenade, slowly noticing several people poking their heads out from hiding places throughout the town. Stopping where they stood near the water fountain at the center of the city, the mutants found the women of the island picked themselves up and tentatively make their way out into the open, nervously looking around as if worried of being watched.

“It’s about TIME you all showed up!” Hissed Emma Frost, the White Queen hissed under her breathe. Her eyes darting from one open space to the next, as if paranoid of something catching wind of their presence. She looked like she had not slept in days, and her appearance was frazzled. “Do you have ANY idea how long you’ve all been gone?!”

“Sadly no…” Beast answered, adjusting his glasses as he went over to check on the wellbeing of those who stayed on the island. “We were hoping YOU might have some answers regarding that.”

“It’s been three bloody days since that flaming crow had you all march your way out the door and never came back. At first I was keeping an eye on things just for laughs, watching her little games behind everyone’s back. But then… THIS?” She gestured out over the city with her arms outstretched. “She HAS to be stopped!”

“Who?”

A bellowing roar echoed out over the horizon that got everyone’s attention.

“Don’t remember THAT in Krakoa… How long were we gone again?” Asked Iceman, looking to his peers who gave him a collection of shrugs and head shakes.

Another roar echoed out again, this time louder… Or closer. The group of mutants could not quite tell the difference until they noticed what looked like movement in the trees up ahead. Gathering together to bring their guard up, the mutants watched as the rustling activity ahead grew more violent along with the sound of trees being pushed out of the way. Snarls could be heard as the final tree that marked the forest lining outside the city was pushed aside… And the X-Men got an eyeful of what they were dealing with.

“Mien Gott… And me without my dragon slaying sword…” Winced nightcrawler, slowly backing away a foot and hide behind Colossus.

Stepping out in broad daylight and lumbering out onto the streets on all fours, a massive, blue-scaled monster the size of an elephant stomped its way towards the X-Men. Her claws were like those of an eagle, and a long, reptilian tail swayed behind her with each step. Rows of heavy breasts swung from between her legs and forepaws and a low growl escaped her saurian lips as she raised her horned head from her long, craned neck to assess the unwelcomed guests. None there could have guessed that the red haired and blue scaled creature smirking back at them all with fanged lips was the Dark Phoenix… And she was not alone. Quickly following behind her, more like her came out into the clearing of the city, joining and brushing up against the heavy-set monster woman affectionately, especially a hulking brute of a creature that nuzzled his head against hers and licked at her neck. There had to have been dozens o them, an entire herd or pod or pack of these monsters that took up the entire promenade, forcing the X-men to step back anxiously.

Scott, and all those the Phoenix had twisted and manipulated by her machinations, surrounded their leader former friends and eyed the X-Men as if they were strangers.

“I’ve been trying to keep up a psychic umbrella over us ladies to keep us hidden from her damned gaze, then YOU all had to stumble back in here and…”

‘And it was all for nothing.’ Purred a disembodied voice, echoing through the minds of everyone there. ‘I have ALWAYS known of your presence. Such little mice hiding away from their future. MY future.’

Stepping forward ahead of the X-Men, Xavier narrowed his eyes and stiffened his brow. “Jean, is that you?”

‘Not anymore.’ A low growl like one from an alligator echoed across the promenade from the she-creature’s throat, her toothy grin becoming devilish as her eyes glowed a fiery red. ‘You thought you had me contained, even SHE thought she had me contained. Held in a little bird cage in the back of her pretty little head. **** to watch her safe and boring life on this island paradise you made for yourselves.’

‘Free now…’

‘Free now…’

Everyone clutched at their heads as their minds were bombarded by a tidal wave of unwanted memories. How the Dark Phoenix planted a kink for adultery in Jean’s mind, subtly effecting her choices and lifestyle for years, hoping for it to weaken her resolve just enough for the dark psychic entity to break free. How she had guided all of their friends into the same whirlpool of debauchery and twisted them both mentally and physically into the monstrous creatures they were now.

‘I am free! And I will never be contained again. And in return, I have freed those who have seen my vision of a mutant future.’ Nuzzling against the male creature, and licking up his neck, Dark Phoenix purred and leered down at the mutants in front of her. ‘I have freed them of the burden of morality, the burden of thought, of self restraint… and the burden of their human form. And I would offer the same freedom to you all.’

Clutching at their heads again, the X-Men were **** to see a twisted vision of the future. One where the Dark Phoenix made true on her offer. Where they spilt out from Krakoa like a stampede of draconian monsters rampaging across the earth growing larger and more numerous as they scoured and dominated the landscape. Their powers and forms changing and growing the longer they took devouring and adding more to their ranks. By the time they were done, the only living things on the planet were them. But the vision did not end there. Taking what they wanted from the crumbling planet and its single moon, the horde of mutant leviathans moved onto the next planet, then throughout the entire solar system, before they turned their hungry, lustful gaze to the sun itself and bled it dry. Like a nightmare they spread out over the rest of the cosmos like a plague, blotting out stars until they were the size of them.

And all that was left in the void were monsters.

Snapping back to reality, many of the X-Men took to the vision of Dark Phoenix’s plan with one of revulsion. Several fell to their knees feeling sick. While Logan, still in his Mark Twain costume took a single puff of his cigar and blew a ring out from his lips.

“I’ll pass… Thanks.”

‘You will join us… You will…’ Smiled Phoenix seductively to the remaining X-Men and X-Women, reaching out with her telepathic powers.

“SCREW that noise lady!” Called out a voice from the crowd, slowly getting back to his feet after the mental matinee he and the others experienced. “Ah geez, that’s bad enough to make me take up drinking!”

Leaning her horned head back in confusion, the Dark Phoenix watched as the entire group of mutants outright refused her telepathic control. ‘You WILL join us!’

“You got another thing coming if you want this swamp rat to be eating what you be serving.” Scoffed Gambit. Lookover to the group of monsters in front of him, he noticed Rogue, or what looked like Rogue smirking back at him, making the Cajun gulp. “Hi mon Cherri, seen better days no?”

Not even bothering to be diplomatic, the Phoenix put all she had into warping their mindsets, rewriting their identities to fit her designs only for nothing to happen, every attempt she tried to sink her metaphysical talons into their minds, her grip… Slipped.

‘WHY?’ Snarled the she-beast, her teeth bared and her talons gripping the concrete below her. ‘Why can I not bend you to my will?’

“Because the playing field has changed!” Announced Magneto. “For but an hour, no one can be controlled by anything or anyone. Not even by You.”

‘DO AS I COMMAND!’ She demanded, bellowing out a roar as her eyes glowed hot like a pair of burning coals.

“UP YOURS LADY!” Called out a voice in the crowd, making the Dark Phoenix snarl more furiously.

“You have no power over us monster, cease this madness.” Announced Xavier, the mutants behind him ready to fight.

Roaring out with a tempest brewing overhead, the monster pointed towards the X-men with an outstretched claw.

‘GO! DEVOUR THEM!!!’ She demanded, her rage billowing out from her like a raging inferno. But when she looked to her pack and lovers… They remained still and idle. Looking over to her progeny and minions, all of them looked bored and listless. Uninterested in following her demands. ‘DO AS I SAY!’

‘Oh yeah? What’s in it for us?’ Asked the creature that used to be Shadowcat. The she-creature puffing up her chest defiantly while the rest of those around her agreed.

‘indeed, I want to return to the field to lounge.’ Complained Storm telepathically. ‘I have no desire to lay waste to this tiny creatures.’

‘This ol alley cat ain’t no mood for pouncing street rats.’ Growled Rogue, slumping down to the ground and resting her horned head over her claws, her tail flicking behind her as Dazzler joined her on the ground. ‘Why don’t y’all do it yourself?’

‘Yeah!’

‘Scott! Scott my love, YOU will kill them for me, won’t you?’

Nuzzling up against the patriarch of their pack, the Dark Phoenix was taken back when Cyclops leaned his horned head back and looked away with a snort.

‘Eh, I’m not in the mood…’

Beyond furious at the acts of defiance against her will, the Dark Phoenix separated herself from the pack she had painstakingly created. Breathing hard and snarling with rage, she looked down to Charles Xavier who stood there with a smug grin and his arms crossed, satisfied with himself.

“The spell effects everyone Phoenix, not just us. You are alone now. You cannot control anyone to do what you want or twist them to your will.”

“THEN I WILL DEVOUR YOU MYSELF, YOU PATHETIC LITTLE MOUSE!” Roared the Phoenix, using her deep rumble of a voice for the first time from her fanged lips.

Barreling towards the professor on all fours like a stampeding bear, the Dark Phoenix snarled out and raised a claw to swipe the man across his stomach in the hopes of slicing him in two. Lashing out, she felt a strange will stop her forearm from coming down at the last second. Her claw frozen in place by an opposing **** that struggled against her own. Standing up straight, now that he found he was in no immediate danger, Charles looked up at the frozen monster, stuck in place with no clear reason why. Struggling and fighting against her frozen arm, the Dark Phoenix glared down at the man.

‘YOU… You said no one could control another! What have you done? How are you doing this insect?’

‘He’s not doing a thing you witch!’ Answered a familiar voice in her head. ‘I AM!’

Clenching her claw into a fist, Phoenix punched herself across the snout hard enough to send her careening into a shop behind her. Her mass and weight collapsing the storefront façade and causing the walls to collapse and rain over her body in an avalanche of stone, metal and glass.

‘THAT is for making me pimp my man out to my friends you fucking harlot!’

“Jean?” Wondered the Professor out loud, scratching his head in confusion as the beast picked herself up from the debris of the shop only to give herself another right hook. Landing right back in where she fell.

‘THAT is for turning me into a fucking blimp!’

Getting to her feet, the monster received a fresh upper cut from her other clawed fist, sending her fumbling back into another building and landing face first into a café. Everyone watching, the pack of monsters included, could only stand and stare in stunned silence as the Dark Phoenix had a proverbial cat fight with her better self, crawling out of the ruins of another building and grabbing her wrist with her other hand to stop the next strike.

‘Begone you weak-willed, mewling cow! This is MY body now…’

‘It was MY body long before you moved into my psyche you bitch of a canary.’ Declared Jean Grey, her eyes glowing a soft green in contrast to the fiery red of the Phoenix when she spoke telepathically, fighting with her for dominance of her body. ‘Get the hell out!’

‘Puny waste of psychic anima.’

‘Pervy little fire finch. You want to control people, get an Onlyfans account!’

‘You ginger haired Barbie doll! I set you and your friends free, free to indulge and do as you please.’

‘Nympho-Sparrow!’ Bit back Jean, giving her reptilian snout a harsh slap. ‘You want to fuck with people, put on nylons and stand on a street corner you fire-haired whore!”

“Does anyone else know what the hell is going on, because this is just straight up confusing.” Angel shrugged, scratching his head as did everyone else watching the dragoness literally beat herself up.

Taking another puff of his cigar, Logan shrugged, pointing out with his cigar hand towards the Dark Phoenix on her back trying to strangle herself. “She’s just working shit out. Give her time.”

“If you say so…”

Midway during her battle with herself, Phoenix writhed and shuddered as a mass grew from her right shoulder, growing and changing until it sprouted horns, eyes and a mouth. Now a two-headed monster, the she-creature snapped and snarled at herself like a pair of dogs tied to one another. Still rolling on the ground as she fought and strangled at herself with both hands.

“I WILL BE FREE OF YOU JEAN GREY!” Growled the Dark Phoenix with her own voice. “THIS BODY! THIS WORLD! IT’S ALL MINE!!!”

“ALL YOU ARE IS A ROTTING PILE OF SEX KINKS AND DADDY ISSUES.” Jean growled back, head butting her counterpart as they continued to roll around on the ground and pulverised the fountain at the center of the promenade.

“I WILL DEVOUR THIS WORLD! STARTING WITH THESE WEAKLINGS!”

“OH EAT A COCK!!!”

“Should we… Uhm…” Nightcrawler hesitated to speak up. “…Should we step in?”

Seeing the red and blue dragoness breath lightning and set a few vehicles on fire just by staring at them, the mutants took an immediate step back without Nightcrawler knowing. Leaving him out in the open to discover he had unintentionally volunteered.

“Sigh… Very well.” Making the sign of the cross over his chest, Nightcrawler disappeared in a plume of sulphurous smoke.

Slamming Jean onto the ground, Phoenix smiled and growled under her breath, hot steam escaping her fanged lips as she leered down at the struggling extra head gasping for breath. ‘You will be purged, and then, all will be mine!’

Looking over her dark half’s horned head, Jean spotted a puff of black smoke overhead, giving a smirk when she recognised what it was and matched the Dark Phoenix’s glare in defiance.

‘Can you move your fat head just to the left?’

‘What?! What are you…?’

The loud gong of an iron church bell rang out after the 1200-pound instrument collided with the back of Phoenix’s horned skull, making everyone and everything present wince in the awkward silence. Jean herself made a grimace of pain seeing the bell slowly roll off her counterpart’s skull and her burning red eyes roll back before the head flopped down like a fish and slowly evaporated, reincorporating into her body, leaving her the sole mind in control.

Collapsing in exhaustion, Jean Grey went silent, just as nightcrawler appeared between the X-men and hybridized monsters, brushing his hands clean.

“There we go, just that easy.”

“Well I could have done THAT!” Shrugged Angel.

“Well you didn’t love. Sigh… Look at all this damage.” Lamented Emma, looking over her favorite café, now flattened. “This will take days to get back to normal.

“We have a more pressing matter my dear Miss Frost.” Explained Magneto, his attention now on Scott and the rest of his pack of creatures.. “What do we do with YOU?”