Chapter 16-Too Much of Life
“Are you sure you want this implemented in the suit?” Twilight asked, her violet hoof rubbing the underside of her chin in signs of worry and intrigue. Having broken her stare away from the energized crystals and gems piled together on the table in front of her, Twilight’s eyes trailed across the floor.
She followed the wires connected to the gems’ encasing—a large tube with enough wires and equipment to rival the portal in Twilight’s library—and lingered over to where they were connected. From across the room, Tony Stark twisted his neck around and nodded.
“Yeah, totally,” he said. He was so nonchalant it was painful for the princess.
Twilight observed the human from her position in her own little observatory. The noonish sunlight poured in from the podium leading outside. There, Stark’s shadow cascaded into the dark of the observatory. He appeared even bulkier than before, due to his suit covering his entire body.
And the wires sticking into his chest and back. The wires that would power his suit with magically-enhanced crystal energy.
The entire idea was Stark’s, of course. After returning from Canterlot with the news of how they were pretty much stranded in screwed-up horsey land until the Princesses found a spell to get them home, the Avengers pretty much agreed to just enjoy their time on another world…for the time being. Ponies took humans by the hands to show them around, but Stark stayed with Twilight for one reason.
Finish his suit, of course.
The idea was ridiculous on its own. Rebuilding the power supply for the Mark 45 would be fruitless without a new energy source he could easily replenish from. It seemed the magic conducted from unicorns, or Alicorns in the case of the matter, could easily be transfused to a suitable form of clean energy. Stark went ahead with the plans while Twilight was reluctant the entire ordeal.
And Spike was watching from the warm podium, chomping down on extra crystals from the experiment.
Twilight sighed, turning back towards the test tubes filled to the brim with magic-absorbing crystals, the kind that would be able to power Stark’s suit. She gave an uncertain stare, biting her lip and turning her neck back.
“Before we start, I’ll have you know that this’ll be the first time I’ve transfused magic to energy through these crystals. From my calculations, the outcome might yield the expected results…or it may completely overpower the system,” Twilight explained cautiously, eyes flickering from the wires and back to Tony’s face.
Tony looked back once more, rolling his eyes and facing the Alicorn. He said, “No point in standing here asking questions when we could be answering them. If it goes wrong, it goes wrong. Like all great scientists, we learn from our mistakes. Remember, Twilight, it’s just a test run.”
He closed his mask shut with his left palm, eyes remaining dark.
“Now, come on. Let’s run this puppy.”
Knowing there was no arguing with him, Twilight sighed once more and returned back to the test tube. With her eyes glossed over in worry, they slowly shifted to determination as her horn lit up a brilliant violet. She gritted her jaw, narrowed her eyes, and fired a magical beam straight into the test tube.
Twilight didn’t halt from there. Continuing the magical beam, Twilight watched as the crystals reacted to the magical impulse, shivering and glowing within the test tube. Soon enough, as expected, the energy from the crystals expelled into the wiring surrounding the equipment and tube. The energy raced downwards off the table through the wiring and slithered across the crystal floor all the way to where Tony stood, waiting for the kick.
What a kick it was.
Tony flinched once the energy seeped through the wires and into his suit. It was slow at first, but soon enough Stark began checking for all the miniscule signs of activation. He wiggled his fingers, moved his arms up and down, and hopped once. The suit moved easier. It wasn’t as heavy as it was earlier.
The minor tasks were accomplished, so that left the major.
He didn’t have to wait long for the HUD to kick in, showcasing several graphs and models in front of his field of view. The numbers and calculations ranged from previous engagements back since Sokovia. They definitely needed an update. But that could be saved for later tests. Stark had other ideas in mind.
“Friday…you there?” Stark asked, prompting Twilight’s attention to shift to him.
The feminine voice was muffled through static, but it quickly recovered as the rich, magically energy continued to seep into the suit.
“…Good evening, Boss,” the voice of Friday greeted, heard only through Tony Stark’s comms.
Stark nodded, a content sigh of relief escaping his lips. Another task done, another to accomplish. He said, “Friday, give me an overview of the damages on the armor that I may have missed.”
A miniature hologram of the basic structure of the Mark 45 came into view, showcasing and zooming in on points in the armor that needed tending to. Many were easy fixes, but a specific one caught Stark’s interests. The image zoomed in on the lower propulsion directly beneath the feet.
“Scans indicate that the thrusters have been slightly damage upon planetary impact,” said the AI, her calming voice like liquid mercury against Stark’s ears.
Tony nodded. “Reroute current energy flow to the propulsion thrusts. We need to test it out.”
“Mr. Stark, who are you talking to—?”
But Twilight’s question fell quickly, almost as quick as her jaw nearly hitting the crystal ground. From her position, the Alicorn watched with widened vision as Tony Stark jammed his glowing palms downwards, both his hands and feet lighting to life and actually causing the man in the suit of armor to hover above the ground.
The sight was simply incredible, and without thought Twilight twisted her neck around fully, capturing the scene to her young’s mind content. She made the fatal mistake of breaking off the magical flow from her horn to the crystals.
Almost instantly, the flow of energy ceased, causing Stark to slowly sink back to the ground. He lifted up his head, glowing blue eyes landing heavily on the Alicorn.
“Keep up the magic, Twilight! Not done yet!” Stark warned.
Twilight made an about face. “Sorry!” she quickly apologized, shifting her attention back to the tube and firing off a quick bolt of magical release. The heavily applied blast reacted just as one would expect. Even as she continued to apply the magical beam to the tube, it mattered none as the power surge of energy quickly flowed into Stark’s armor.
And the results it had.
From the sudden jolt, Tony’s lower propulsions erupted and sent the man spiraling into a backflip. Spike screamed, flipped up his bucket of crystals and ducked for cover. Tony Stark flew over him, busting down the wall covering the upper portion of the podium.
His trail of fire flew downwards, impacting something that caused uproars of female screams from below.
“Mr. Stark!” Twilight screamed, already galloping out to the podium. Spike still covered his head, only bringing it up once he noticed Twilight’s shadow passing him by. He joined the Alicorn quickly, the two following the smoke trail and landing on the ruins of a miniature flower stand within Ponyville.
Daisy, Lily Valley, Rose all stood slack-jawed as the metal beast exited from the crash, wooden pieces and dead flowers falling from his form. It was almost enough to cause all three to faint on the spot. Despite the sight that caused quite the attention within the crowds surrounding the area, Stark looked back towards the castle, giving the princess looking down at him thumbs up.
“That’s what these tests are for!” Tony shouted loud enough for her to hear. From the castle’s podium, Twilight nervously bit her lip, Spike returning the thumbs up with his own.
From below, Rose gently placed her hoof on Lily Valley’s shoulder, offering her friend a nervous smile. As for Lily and Daisy, the two couldn’t take their eyes off the carnage, over the sheer amount of destruction. Their flowers were gone, crushed, never to return.
And Rose said, “Well, at least we still have the shop, right?”
Soon enough, the crowd observed the ruins of the small flower stand, noticing the burning wood and dead flowers strewn across the dirt road. But their attention quickly returned to the metal man holding out his hands in defense, his mask flinging upwards to reveal the distraught face beneath.
“It’s alright! It’s fine! I’ll have this taken care of sooner or later. Presumably later…if I can get this stupid suit working,” Stark explained while adjusting the settings in his suit. Adjusting meant hitting and smacking himself…numerous times.
Noticing the oncoming crowd, he brought his head down to three mares he believed to have owned the flower stand he recently crushed. He offered them a nervous grin, still adjusting his suit.
“Do you take cash or che—?”
And then he blasted off again.
The unequal energy pulse in his suit sent Stark spiraling into another backflip, his thrusters on both hands and feet blazing and burning. The crowd watched his body twist and turn in midair, eventually crashing into a nearby flower shop right through the window.
The expressions on Daisy’s, Lily Valley’s, and Rose’s face all matched. Horrified. Just as when they collapsed into the dirt road, their actions matched.
As for Rainbow Dash and Thor Odinson, the two strolled on by with just a glance of interest to offer. Nothing more, nothing less. Even as the crowd tried desperately to peek inside the devastated flower shop or tried to awaken the three mares passed out in the street, the two walked on, focused in their own conversation.
“Are you certain we need not to intervene?” Thor asked the mare hovering to his left.
Rainbow Dash nodded, flashing a knowing grin. “Trust me; this kind of stuff happens at least twice a day…to those ponies specifically. Stark just quickened the inevitable.”
“It would not be the first time,” Odinson muttered.
“What was that?”
“So, I hear you are the weather manager in this quaint village,” Thor quickly added, hoping to change the subject. His hopes were relieved once Rainbow grew a massive smile, planting a hoof on her chest, absorbed within her own glory.
“Hay yeah!” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “I pretty much run how the weather’s gonna turn out in Ponyville. It’s nothing special really. It’s just filler until I finally get to join the Wonderbolts!”
Thor raised a curious brow, his face turned to her as the two continued down the road.
He asked, “Wonderbolts?”
She suddenly flew a little bit too close for comfort, staring at the Asgardian with eyes that held unrealistic amounts of disbelief. “Are you telling me you’ve never heard of the Wonderbolts?!”
“Are you telling me that you have forgotten I arrived to this world yesterday?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, continuously moving forward with the God of Thunder. “Well, no, but the Wonderbolts are only the greatest team of flyers in all of Equestrian history! I’ve been studying their techniques for years, perfecting them down so they could be utterly impressed when I show them my moves. And then they’ll ask me to join, and then I’ll be a Wonderbolt, and then I’ll be so awesome!”
The Pegasus scrunched up her face with both hooves. Thor’s heart could’ve melted if he allowed it to. She quickly recovered, flipping up her mane. “I mean…I’m already awesome, but there’s no point in stopping.”
Thor chuckled at her antics, gently tapping Mjølnir against his palm. “Those are certainly some dreams you have there, Rainbow.”
“Dreams soon to become reality!” Dash added, tapping Thor on the shoulder with a wide grin.
“Yes, well, how about focusing on your current job until then?” Thor asked, lifting up his free palm to block out the blaring sun up ahead. He groaned, “It is certainly fuming today. How about bringing in some clouds, Weather Manager? Perhaps then we can bring our attention to what truly matters…”
Rainbow repeated his actions, lifting up a foreleg to block the intensity of the sun’s rays. She grimaced, replying, “Now that you mention it, Ponyville could use some cloud coverage today.” She sighed, “Of course, then I’d have to organize the other weather ponies and give them basic instructions on how to push clouds. Ugh. Honestly, I’m counting down the days till the next Wonderbolt event.”
Dash paused, brow furrowing as she slowly turned to Odinson. “Also…about what you were saying earlier…about these so-called ‘twins’…”
Thor stopped dead in the road.
He didn’t know why it got to him. He didn’t know why he allowed it to. There was just something about them, something about Pietro and Wanda Maximoff that yearned for his attention. It wasn’t because he personally volunteered to search for them once the rest of the Avengers split up earlier that day that he felt he needed to, it was because he felt an obligation to find them and see if they were still alive and well.
Despite everything they had done with joining forces with Ultron and getting him the required elements to further his path of destruction, they still left him and chose to fight against his tyranny. Despite what that Witch did to him, made him see what he thought not was true, she and her brother were one of them now. They were Avengers. And they all stick together.
“Yo!” Dash interrupted, tapping Thor on the forehead. “Equestria to alien, you there?”
Thor’s gaze met the Pegasus’. He quickly broke away and continued down the road, Rainbow Dash trailing him. He said, “The twins are two other members of our team before we had arrived to Equus. I promised my team I would search for them, presuming they could have landed somewhere by the Everfree Forest. That is where I will begin my search.”
He didn’t bring up Vision just yet. Perhaps later when the rest of the Avengers and mares were present. As for Rainbow Dash, she just gave Thor a supporting grin, hovering by his left.
She gently punched him in the shoulder, saying, “Don’t worry, Thor! I’ll help ya find them just as soon as I’m done rounding up the weather team to bring some clouds later this afternoon.”
She felt a mighty palm on her shoulder. Thor smiled her way, holding out his massive hammer.
“Perhaps I can be of assistance.”
Before asking just what he meant, Rainbow’s wings gave out. She slowly descended back to the earth, eyes wide and jaw slack. She watched from the ground as Thor simply lifted up his hammer above his head. As quick as a storm, by far faster than any group of weather ponies could accomplish, a large gathering of heavy clouds built and swirled together directly overhead. They easily covered the sun in seconds, spreading a cooling shadow across Ponyville.
Thor lowered his hammer and allowed nature to take its course from there. He turned back to the Pegasus, chuckling at her expression.
“That…was…so cool!” Rainbow squealed, zooming over and spinning around Thor in a rainbow trail. She quickly halted, hovering in front of the Asgardian. “You can control weather too?!”
“To some degree,” Odinson responded with his clever smirk.
“Wow. It just looked so easy…” she prompted, hoof rubbing her chin in thought. Her eyes shifted down to the hammer in Thor’s palm, an excited grin growing across his face. “Okay, you have got to give me another try at lifting that thing!”
With her hoof pointed towards Mjølnir, Thor gave the weapon a casual glance, bringing it closer to him. He shook his head, smile still held, as he asked, “If you were not worthy before, what makes you think you shall be now?”
His answer came from that confident smirk he now knew the mare by. There were others that caught his interests. Twilight’s ability to lead through her princess advantages, Fluttershy’s inability to perform certain tasks out of pure shyness, Rarity’s interests in his armor and asking several questions about Asgardian culture—she was more interested on what his people wore—and of course Pinkie’s ability to…whatever it is she was capable of. It baffled the god.
But Rainbow’s confident smirk is what sold it for him, what told him was that the mare in front of him was a competitor, one who was unwilling to surrender or give in.
Thor couldn’t help a grin of his own.
Rainbow Dash slowly fell to the dirt, her wings still extended as she said, “Well then, how ‘bout a race to see if I’m worthy to beat the one who wields the hammer, huh? When we’re looking for the twins, we race! You and me, for a chance to lift that hammer again! What do ya say?”
Thor shook his head, smile disappearing. “The safety of the Maximoff twins is held in higher regards than some simple race, Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow watched as Thor spun the hammer around, a pulsating form of energy emitting from the weapon that caused Rainbow’s mane to stand on end. He continued doing so, Rainbow’s grin still plastered to her lips.
“So is that a yes?” Dash asked.
“Just try and keep up,” Thor finished, swinging his hammer up and taking off at breakneck speeds into the air. Rainbow followed suit, kicking up dirt and rocks from her eruption. It wasn’t long before she eventually caught up to him, taking the lead with the God of Thunder quickly trailing.
The two already flew over Sweet Apple Acres, creating a mixture of thunder and rainbows as they quickly approached the Everfree Forest to continue searching.
“Would you look at that?”
Captain Steven Rogers turned towards the voice, instantly shifting his attention upwards to the trail of rainbows slowly dissipating into the heavy clouds above. The First Avenger chuckled, returning to his work.
He slammed his shield against the apple tree, creating quite a powerful gong once the Vibranium connected to the tree’s trunk. A collection of apples rained down upon impact. Clint Barton moved in, a small basket in hand as he collected the fallen fruit.
“Looks like Thor’s enjoying himself,” Rogers commented, placing his shield against his back and picking up an apple, rubbing the dirt off against his suit. He took a bite, enjoying the apple’s juiciness. It was much more delectable than any of the apples he’s had on Earth.
Barton placed the half-full basket down, plucking a red ball of sweetness from its contents. He also took a bite, turning to the Captain leaning against the tree. “You don’t seem to.”
Steve tried to hide his furrowing frown, but simply couldn’t. He asked, “You saw that?”
“I see a lot of things, Cap,” Clint mentioned, tapping near his eye as he took another bite.
Captain America shook his head, gripping the apple tightly in his palm. “Then you should know already.”
“Hey, Cap. What’s going on with you?” Barton pushed forward, standing in front of the weary Captain. Rogers brought up his gaze, listening carefully as Barton said, “You’ve been acting so cryptic ever since we left Canterlot? Something on your mind?”
Memories of the world breaking apart flashed behind Steve’s vision. His shield striking the earth, keeping him grounded, eyes watching helplessly as Thor demolished the device and the ground along with it, ensuring the destruction of Novi Grad and everyone on it. Hundreds of lives that failed to escape in time, each one screaming out as their world fell from them. Their voices pleading but not a sound to be heard.
Crack!
The two Avengers turned towards the direction of the sound, seeing Applejack’s silhouette bucking apple trees in the distance, a collection of apples raining from her strike.
Seeing Applejack brought forth recent events of him and Barton joining Applejack on her way back home to Sweet Apple Acres. A farm, as she had mentioned, caught Barton’s interests almost immediately. Cap trailed along, longing for some peace and quiet for the time being. Applejack put the two to work right away, collecting apples which he and Rogers easily began some sort of method. It wasn’t backbreaking, but it wasn’t a picnic, either.
Rogers bit into his apple, reconsidering that thought of the picnic.
He swallowed and sighed. “I can’t shake off this feeling of regret, Clint.”
“Like how?” the man asked.
“We just let those people die back on Novi Grad, like they were some hindrance to us,” Rogers explained, almost instantly silenced by the Hawk.
“Stop,” Barton began.
Steve shook his head. “No, I can’t stop now. We go on by with these ponies having no idea what we did. They think we’re heroes on our world because we told them we are. What’ll they think of us when they see the truth, when they see what we had to sacrifice to stop Ultron’s plan?”
Barton shook his head and sighed, dropping his half-eaten apple into the grass. He said, “Cap, I would imagine you of all people would realize that in war innocent people die. We’re not gods, not all of us anyway, so we can’t ensure that everyone who gets caught in the crossfire comes out unscathed. We can try, but it’s never ensured. What happened in Novi Grad…”
“What happened in Novi Grad was us failing,” Rogers interrupted, silenced as Barton continued.
“What happened in Novi Grad…we can’t change. We fought hard, we fought strong, but we came up short. We had a decision whether to let the human race perish or sacrifice a few hundred. Cap, there is no scale between those. We had no choice but to destroy Novi Grad. Can you see that?”
Captain America tried to see it. What he tried to see was everything against what the Avengers stood for. They saved the world, saved lives, protected the innocent, but yet he stood on an apple farm still wondering whether or not they had accomplished any of those aspects ever since their departure from Earth. It tore him apart.
He dropped his apple.
“I don’t know what to see anymore,” he murmured.
“I see my family,” Barton offered, prompting the Captain to turn his way. Clint recovered, lips pursing in thought. “When stuff like what happened at Novi Grad is on the line…I like to think of my wife…my kids…what they would be like if we had failed, if I had died. I just…can’t see that.”
His voice broke, eyes growing misty. He recovered and said, “So, if we had the choice to do it again, I would still favor to destroy the city.”
The Captain looked away, arms crossed over each other.
“Yeah…me too.” He never sounded entirely sure when he said that.
A forward trot and thick, southern accent caught the two completely off-guard.
“What’re we agreein’ to over here?” Applejack asked, approaching the two Avengers from behind. She chuckled, noticing how laid back the duo were. “Takin’ a little break, huh? Not a bad idea if Ah do say so mahself!”
“Miss Applejack,” Rogers greeted, backing away from the tree he leaned against. He hoped she hadn’t heard their conversation, not yet anyway. Thankfully, he had a reason to steer away from that possibility as three adorable ponies approached giggling with one another. They were much smaller than Applejack, presumably of younger age.
Captain America motioned his palm forward. “And who might these little fillies be?” he asked.
Applejack smiled and backed off to the side, holding out her hoof as the three fillies lined up. She pointed to the one closest, a yellow Earth pony with a red bow and mane the same color. She said, “This here’s mah little sister Apple Bloom. These are her friends. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, say hello.”
“Hi!” the three fillies squealed in unison, eyes lighting up at the sight of the two.
“They’ve just been dyin’ ta meet the aliens, so Ah figured now would be good time as ever with a couple of them on mah farm and what not,” Applejack explained.
The Captain offered his friendliest of smiles. He said, “It’s a pleasure.”
“Likewise,” Barton mentioned. However, his smile depleted as the two fillies quickly rushed up to him, staring up at him with eyes filled with wonder and hope. He held out his hands, unsure of what to do.
The white unicorn diverted around the man, and upon discovery happily saying, “So you are that one guy with a bow!”
Barton’s frown resurfaced having now been referred to as that “one guy with the bow”. However, his frown melted as the orange Pegasus tried desperately to fly up to him, only to hover a few inches above the ground, wings flapping wildly.
She said, “Hey, do you think you can help us get our cutie marks?”
Barton’s eyebrow rose in suspicion. “Cutie marks?” he and Rogers both asked.
“They’re a mark on our flanks that help ta determine what we’re destined ta do in life,” Applejack explained, her hoof reaching back to point to the three apples adorned on her flank. She turned forward, chuckling and tussling Apple Bloom’s mane. “These little fillies have been tryin’ harder than anypony Ah’ve known ta get their marks.”
“How do you get them?” Steve asked.
Apple Bloom answered, joining her friends around Clint’s legs. She said, “Once we discover our special talent, a mark will appear on our flank showcasin’ that talent! And we need your help!” She pointed up directly towards Clint Barton.
“My help?”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, enveloping Barton’s palm in her own special aura. It wasn’t strong, but it did catch his attention as she tried desperately to drag him away. “Yes, silly! We need your help to get our sharpshooting cutie marks!”
“Whoa, whoa! Hold up!” Barton interrupted, holding back against Sweetie Belle’s efforts. They looked up at him with eyes filled with curiosity. “I don’t think I can just up and leave with all this work Apple Bloom’s sister wants me to do,” he told them.
“No, no! Applejack said it was alright! Right, big sis?” Apple Bloom wavered, lingering towards her older sister for confirmation. Applejack only chuckled, nodding her head once.
Clint watched her agree, quickly giving in. He sighed, nodding as well. “Alright, I guess I can help if you need it.”
He flinched back as the trio of fillies exploded into cheers, Sweetie Belle using her magic to pull him forward and Apple Bloom with Scootaloo pushing against his back legs. As the four of them slowly began to dip farther and farther away, Steve managed to catch a little smile tug at the ridges of Barton’s mouth. Steve smiled too, leaning against the bark of the tree with his arms crossed.
“Keep ‘em safe, Clint! Don’t let ‘em shoot their eyes out!” Applejack shouted, hearing an undecipherable squeal from Apple Bloom. She managed to see a small smile on Barton’s face as he turned back to them, nodding to her.
Applejack chuckled, sighing as well. “Ah’ve never seen those three grow so comfortable around strangers, especially different species entirely. Clint must have that effect on kids, or he has a soft spot that Ah don’t know of.”
From behind the blond mare, Captain America smiled knowingly.
“He sure does.”
“Alright. Deep breaths in…and out.”
“You have the same technique?”
Fluttershy smiled, lowering the book on some of Equestria’s more fascinating creatures to hold her attention to the man lying on the couch. His eyes were steady, smile even more so, as he titled his head over to the yellow Pegasus sitting on a small, crystal chair a mere three feet away.
The Pegasus nodded, folding the tip of the page she left off on and placing the book down on her lap. She said, “I had no idea humans had the same anger management techniques as we ponies do.”
“I’m surprised you even need anger management, Fluttershy,” Banner replied coyly, earning a giggle from the mare.
She waved a hoof dismissively. “Oh, I don’t. It takes…quite a lot to make me angry, but I usually don’t have to worry too much on losing my temper.”
“That makes one of us, I suppose.” Bruce stared up to the ceiling, his fingers tracing between each other as he gave off a relaxing exhale. Fluttershy smiled again, tapping the book’s cover silently as she thought of what to say next.
She said, “So…how do you manage to keep so calm knowing there’s a…um…a…”
“A monster inside me?” Banner quizzically assumed. Fluttershy blushed, moving a strand of her light pink mane away from her vision. She nodded.
Banner sighed, returning to the ceiling. “I do my best to help people.”
“How?”
Bruce wasn’t sure if he was ready to reply to that, but thankfully the main doors to the library opened up, and the recognizable tone of Princess Twilight Sparkle broke the silence. Both Fluttershy and Banner turned their attention to the entrance. Natasha lowered the book shielding her weary expression, her feet slowly falling from the table and returning to the floor.
“I’m back!” Twilight cheered, levitating numerous piles of books into the library. She noticed Banner lying on the couch, slowly beginning to sit up. “Sorry for the long wait, Doctor Banner. I was just helping Mr. Stark with a little…ahem…experiment.”
Bruce sat up fully, standing up and patting Fluttershy’s head. “It was no trouble whatsoever. Fluttershy here just gave me the best anger management advice I could ever need.”
“Oh, stop,” Fluttershy bashfully exclaimed, her cheeks a red hue.
Both Twilight and Bruce approached the center table at about the same time, Twilight levitating the piles of books out to the doctor for him to analyze. Bruce took a seat in one of the many crystal chairs surrounding the table, his jaw falling at the sheer amount and size of the books. He really wished he had some glasses right about then.
“Okay, just to start you off, I have the complete collection of the Pre-Classical Equestrian History textbooks ready. If you manage to finish all eight copies, I have several more books on the Equestrian history leading from Discord’s reign to present times. And that’s not even counting how many books I have for magical equations and the study of scientific properties previously discovered in the past thousand or so years.” Twilight smiled at the expression of the man, giddy to meet someone as interested in Equestria as she was.
“I…I’m speechless, honestly,” Bruce Banner breathed out, flipping wildly through the pages of one of the many textbooks surrounding the table. The piles of books ranging from history, science, and magic alike piled in towers around the man, only building as time progressed.
Twilight Sparkle levitated five more books over to the table, smiling over to the slack-jawed doctor. As for the Widow, she could only sigh heavily, loud enough to capture the Alicorn’s interests.
Natasha Romanoff stood up and backed away from the table, slowly approaching Banner’s side. “Well, as much as I enjoy listening to two tech-heads babble on for days on end, I think now would be a good time as ever for some peace and quiet.”
“You just read my mind, Miss Romanoff!” Twilight exclaimed, her adorkable smile shimmering across the table.
With Bruce’s head low and reading the book closest to him, Romanoff slowly turned her gaze forward. Twilight still held that smile of hers, eyes flicking from Banner to Natasha. The Widow’s brow furrowed, her throat clearing.
“Um…Twilight?”
“Yes?” the Alicorn responded.
“I meant some peace and quiet…alone.”
Twilight kept on smiling, hoof reaching over to scoot a book closer to her.
“With Bruce…and nopony else.”
And then her smile fell apart, replaced only with an “O” shape on her lips as if in understanding. She eyed the advances, the way Natasha’s palm was placed on Banner’s shoulder, her eyes almost pleading if not ordering. A daring mixture of the two. Twilight smiled warmly, nodding once.
“Oh, of course,” the Princess said, turning over to the Pegasus heavily focused on her reading. “Fluttershy, would you mind helping me rearrange some books in my room?”
Fluttershy looked up, a disheartened feeling in her stare. Twilight rolled her eyes. “You can bring the book if you want to.”
The Pegasus showed her appreciation by grinning widely, shutting the book carefully as both she and Twilight joined together at the end of the table, the both of them spinning towards the exit. As Twilight and Fluttershy both made their escape, they were completely overwhelmed by the pink presence bumping into them, followed by an exasperated scoff from the unicorn joining her.
“Oh! Quite sorry, Twilight. As to you too, Fluttershy,” Rarity apologized, getting a smile in return from the two mares. She watched them leave down the hallway together, turning to the nearest right and disappearing. Rarity shot forward, eyes on the pink presence blocking the entrance. “Pinkie, dear, must you always—?”
A quick hoof to the mouth silenced Rarity.
Sending a glare the pink mare’s way, Rarity was met with an instant shush from Pinkie Pie, her face so very close to hers. She backed off, pointing her free hoof to the two humans. Alone. Rarity’s eyes glistened, her hoof pushing Pinkie’s aside.
“So, other than Fluttershy’s courses that you seem to enjoy, what else do you have planned for today?” Natasha began, sneaking over to catch a glimpse at what Bruce was reading. The man only chuckled, looking back to Natasha.
“Oh, no, I was just being nice to her. I have my own secret for staying calm.”
Avoiding the main question. Typical of men.
She wasn’t done yet. Natasha cleared her throat, growing closer to him. “What are you reading?”
As if mechanically situated to respond, Banner replied in a monotone voice, “These books practically outline the history of this world. The longer we remain here, the more time we have to actually understand this world and how it came to be.” He chuckled. “I guess you can say magic is actually real.”
“You’ve met Thor, right?”
Banner pursed his lips. “This is different. These ponies are magically balanced with the world around them. Unicorns can control any portion of magic they can learn or discover, Earth ponies hold some sort of bond with the earth, and Pegasi are able to control the weather. In fact, it says right here that—”
Her other hand found its way to his remaining shoulder.
Bruce tensed up, feeling Natasha’s warmth directly behind him, leaning in closer and closer. He could hear her voice so low, so expectant. “You know you don’t have to talk nerdy to me, even though chicks do dig that. I’d prefer if you just be yourself.”
He looked back at her, expression terribly confused.
“I am being myself.”
Natasha smiled to him, her eyes half-lidded. “Then don’t change. If chicks love it…then you don’t have to worry about a thing. Just…relax once in a while. Get your nose out of those books. It’s not every day you’re in an entirely new world with friendly, talking ponies.”
“That’s…why I’m reading. You know, to understand this world more,” Banner retorted with a twist of his wrist.
Natasha frowned. “Bruce, that’s not what I meant. Face-to-face, with all these new friends you just made. It’s good to get out once in a while. And no offense…but you’re long overdue.”
“I thought you told me not to change?” Bruce fell silent after that, leaning forward and returning to his study. Natasha just stood there behind the man, her palms falling to her sides. Her eyes looked hurt no matter how hard she tried to hide, and the two mares hiding behind the half-open door shared her expression.
“Bruce…”
Rarity whined pitifully, Pinkie placing a hoof to her chin. But both of them screamed as powerful voice erupted from behind them.
“We have returned!”
The doors flung open, revealing the tangled mess of a pink and white pony and the God of Thunder looking quite exhausted. Both he and Rainbow Dash entered the library side by side, each one bearing tired but satisfied smiles. Bruce closed his book, smiling up to the god.
“Speak of the devil,” Banner exclaimed.
“And he shall enter,” Thor finished, stopping just short of the two mares picking themselves up. He smiled to the man. “How are you doing, Banner?”
“I’m fine,” Bruce replied, watching as Natasha returned to her seat just to his right. “How is the whole…search going?”
Thor sighed, tapping Mjølnir against his mighty palm. “Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash and I were unable to locate the Maximoff twins. I am sure we can find some time to continue the search another day…hopefully tomorrow.”
Rarity gasped, shoving Pinkie Pie roughly off of her. As Pinkie hit the crystal floor face first, the unicorn zoomed over just below the Asgardian’s waist, staring up at him with horror-filled eyes. “What?! Oh, no, no, no, no, no! That simply cannot happen tomorrow of all days!”
Both Thor and Dash raised mirroring brows of suspicion, and the mighty God of Thunder was soon to question her. However, the doors behind them opened once more, prompting all heads to spin about and face the commotion.
“We’re back, ya’ll!” Applejack announced loudly, swiping off her Stetson hat and wiping her forehead. Following her was Captain America, trailed slowly by Clint Barton, both looking exhausted. Happy, satisfied, but exhausted.
Applejack caught on, turning to the Captain. She asked, “So, Cap, did the country life be everything ya hoped it would be?”
Steve only chuckled, entering the library right by her side and passing the Asgardian. “Well I do enjoy a hard day’s work,” he answered, smiling down to the blonde mare.
Applejack grinned, winking over to Barton. “An’ how ‘bout you, Clint? Did Apple Bloom an’ her friends treat ya right?”
As for Clint, he simply blushed and rubbed the back of his head, looking anywhere except where Applejack trotted. He said, “I called it a day after they tried to shoot an apple off their heads.” Noting the expression building on her features, Barton clarified, “Don’t worry, they’re fine.”
In a mere matter of seconds after the trio entered the library, the doors burst open once more.
“Hey, completely unrelated, but if there’s a mob of ponies in front of the castle demanding the head of ‘Stony Mark’ I think they said, then I think, in all of our best interests, that Twilight gets on that right away. It’d be a shame to see a revolution play through. Awesome, but a shame.”
There came Tony Stark stumbling in to the library, wearing the tattered remains of his Mark 45 armor. He held his helmet just underneath his armpit, as a basketball player would do to a basketball, and nearly tripped over himself making it over to the round table where the others gathered. He leaned on the crystal with one elbow, taking a seat in the chair right next to Natasha.
Before Rogers could question just exactly Stark had been up to, Twilight Sparkle poked her head into the library, clearing her throat to capture the group’s attention. Fluttershy strolled on past her, entering the library alongside Spike.
She smiled as they turned their heads her way. “Did somepony say my name?” Twilight asked.
Tony snapped his fingers, pointing passed the Princess of Friendship. “Yeah, you’re wanted outside.”
“Oh! Okay, I’ll be right back,” Twilight concluded, her hoofsteps slowly disappearing down the long, empty hallways of her castle.
An unsettling silence followed. Stark, Romanoff, Banner, Barton, and Fluttershy all occupied a seat around the crystal table in the center of the library. Rarity and Applejack both stayed standing alongside Captain America, Thor, and Spike, and Pinkie Pie was resting on her belly, staring up at the group with keen interest. Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, hovering right next to the Asgardian.
With a knowing grin, she said, “Well, now that mostly everypony and everyone is here, I think it’s safe to say that the race to determine if I was worthy ended in tie, which sounds like a big ol’ yes to me! Now let me get another crack at that hammer!”
Rainbow made an attempt to swipe the hammer away from Thor, but he had none of it. Thor backed away, holding a hardened stare with the disgruntled Pegasus. “It was never a race to begin with, Rainbow Dash. My task was to find the Maximoff twins, which sadly ended in failure.”
That earned the attention Thor didn’t want. Every member of the Avengers turned to him, each one worried, saddened, and confused. Captain America stepped forward, his gaze soft. He asked, “So you didn’t find them?”
Thor looked down.
Captain America turned away, retreating near the table. As the rest of the group returned to their specific mindsets upon entering the library, the Asgardian leaned closer to the Pegasus’ ear, whispering, “But I did hold back.”
Rainbow sent a blistering glare the god’s way as he retreated to the table.
“Speaking of which,” Doctor Banner began, lowering the book in his grasp and turning towards Rarity. “Why is it that we can’t keep searching for the rest of our team tomorrow? What’s so big that we have to put the search on hold?”
Returning from the uneasy silence, Rarity perked, nearly bouncing her way to the table. She planted her hooves down firmly into the crystal surface, smiling wide enough to spread from ear-to-ear. Stark gulped.
“Why the Grand Galloping Gala of course!” Rarity cheered, turning her eyes to each and every one of her friends. “I will be personally designing, manufacturing, and tailoring each and every one of your suits…ahem…and dress for tomorrow night’s grand event in Canterlot! Ah! It is going to be simply extravagant! So daring! So—!”
“No offense, but I think we’re gonna pass.”
Rarity turned to the Captain. “What?” she asked, expression injured.
Rogers didn’t even seem to care about her wounded expression, clarifying, “The twins are still missing as well as Vision, and to top it all off Ultron is still out there somewhere. I’m sorry, Rarity, but the Avengers have a duty before all others, and that’s to protect the world from all threats of evil.”
Rarity bit her lip, holding out her hoof to the soldier. “Well, surely you can take one night off?” She twisted her neck to the left of her, causing the man to flinch back. “Mr. Stark…?”
Tony looked onward and away from Rarity, turning to the standing Captain. He said, “I have to agree with her, Cap. It’s weird, I know. But hear me out. Thanks to Twilight, I managed to get my suit somewhat functioning. However, in its current state,” he tapped the top of his helmet lying on the table, “I won’t be able to track anything, so it’s gonna need to charge up some more. Not to count all the damages I sustained from the crash earlier.”
“Crash?” Fluttershy squeaked, hoof placed below her chin.
“Anyway,” Stark continued, “with the suit charging it should take about…a good day or so…tops. Then we can hunt the Vibranium-juiced bastard down. In the meantime…you might want to go get yourself measured.” He grinned, pointing to the Captain’s chest.
“And I have just the perfect design for you, darling!” Rarity squealed, shooting over right below Rogers’ line of sight. He backed off, crossing his arms over one another. She smiled giddily, hopping in place with an excited grin on her face and a twinkle in her eye. “Oh, I can picture it now! The colors, the presentation! The suit I have in mind will look simply dashing on you, Captain Rogers!” Rarity exclaimed, shutting her left eye and examining the Captain up and down.
Rainbow Dash groaned. “Come on, Rarity! Nopony else here but you care about what the Avengers should wear! Let ‘em wear whatever; they’re already walking sideshows!”
“I take offense to that,” Stark interrupted and ignored.
Rainbow Dash flew across the table, holding out her hoof to the Captain to her left. “Besides, Steve looks good enough in his uniform already. He doesn’t need a suit.”
The daredevil’s famous last words. Applejack grew a knowing smirk, her half-lidded gaze slowly twisting over to the hovering Pegasus from above. With an interested murmur, both Dash and Rogers turned their attention to the orange mare, both confused with her look.
Applejack wiggled her eyebrows to Rainbow, causing the mare’s blood to chill. “He looks good in his uniform, Dash? Hay, Ah guess it wouldn’t be the first time you been eye-bogglin’ him,” she exclaimed, voice low and sultry.
Dash’s blood completely froze over, her expression deflating. She perked up, zipping down to the Earth pony and jamming her forehead against hers. Applejack chuckled when noticing the obvious blush on her friend’s cheeks.
“H-hey! That’s not what I meant!” Dash yelled, pushing against the mare.
“Sure as hay sounded like it!”
Just as Rainbow was about to tear that smile from Applejack’s face, Steve Rogers stepped in-between the two, placing a hand on both of their shoulders and easily separating them.
“Stop! Easy!” the Captain ordered, pushing both mares back and bringing their attention onto him. He gave them each an imposing stare, causing both, even Dash, to look away. “Now, that’s enough of that. You’re friends… There’s no need to start a fight.”
The entirety of the library fell silent. Each and every living being in the Princess of Friendship’s library looked to each other for a reaction, for some sort of compliance. It seemed they all shared the same thought, agreeing wholeheartedly with one another with smiles and nods to go around.
Banner chuckled. “Next thing you know there’s a huge civil war going on. We can’t have that.”
They all laughed, all except for Tony who leaned back into his crystal chair, muttering, “I think that sounds kinda cool.”
The Foal Mountains hung in the distance, a soft snowfall showering the forests beneath. As the wind blew cautiously, spreading the snow to build upon the forest floor, none were present to hear any kind of outside disturbance. Any and all events that occurred in the frozen forests were heard only to the inhabitants, the woodland creatures, which lived within the snowfall.
Bits and pieces of ice and snow gently fell from the towering tree branches above, slowly making their way to the icy ground below. But before even a single snowflake could touch down, a gust of wind so powerful pushed through the snowfall and launched piles to and fro.
A pack of starving Timberwolves trailed the gust of wind colored in silver and blue, howling as one team, one killer force. One pack. They hopped over logs, dodged bushes, and slid with every turn the blur made, skidding against the snow that pockmarked the frozen forest.
The pack leader howled as his family of five closed in on the blur, finding the trees to tighten and all escape routes to cease. Their meal was in sight, entering a passage with no escape. But surprisingly, to all the Timberwolves within the pack, the blur seemed to disappear behind the raging snowfall over the bushes and through the brush, leaving an opening the six were trapped in.
They skidded to a halt, picking up piles of snow by their wooden claws. All howled in unison, the pack leader’s growls ceasing as they stared upon the only creature blocking the path.
It stood silent on two legs, eyes as red as burning flame, a red mist coiling around its hands, threatening all to try and pass by. The pack leader felt the bravery and courage quickly dissipate, as if any signs of the hunt had simply vanished, leaving behind only darkness, fear, and evil. An evil it had never felt, and probably will never feel again.
The longer it stared into the creature’s eyes, the more troubled it felt, and that darkness quickly clouded the minds of each Timberwolf. Wooden ears folded back, an expression of pure worry etched into its features, the pack leader whimpered and turned away, escaping into the frozen forest with its tail between its legs. The rest of the pack followed.
Wanda Maximoff breathed a silent breath of relief, her eyes returning to normal.
Her icy breath filled her line of sight, that silver and blue gust of wind appearing by her side, sharing with a collective gasp of air. She slowly spun her neck around, meeting the blur’s gaze halfway.
“Did you find anyone this time?” she asked silently.
Her older brother shook his head, drenched in sweat and covered in muck.
Pietro Maximoff replied, “No one… Had to…run.” Catching his breath, Pietro muttered, “We need to return to him.”
Wanda relaxed, but couldn't stop the haunting chill race across her skin. With a silent nod, she followed her brother back into the snowy escape, remaining hidden from the world, to return to the hell they were trapped in.
Welp, this chapter took longer than expected. Sorry for the wait. 
Written by the readers! A big thanks to JediAlexColbent, Firaeveus Myr, Raybony, edCOM02, Awesomo3000, TimeLord11, and SuperSaiyanGodzilla for their ideas on this chapter!
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EEE! I'm so happy my ideas were good enough to use. Thank you SO much!
Also, I caught the How It Should Have Ended reference Tony made towards the end.
Happy to offer ideas and advice!
With the commenters' advice and ideas complied by the author, a tale of friendly talks and odd shenanigans occur as the Avengers get settled and rested in Ponyville whilst getting to know more about their new pony friends. Since the CMC haven't got their cutie marks yet, this pretty confirms that the story takes place before 'Crusaders of the Lost Mark'.
Haha the basics of my idea where used in the exiting part, thanks dude
Famous last words boys.
Glad to be of help!
I'm quite literally impressed with how well you write the Avengers and ponies, my friend. This chapter never fails. ^-^
Hello, HISHE reference! And hello, twins!
6636703 Thanks!
6636831 No, thank YOU!
6636833 6640055
i0.wp.com/www.thefandom.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/hishe-avengers-pt-2.jpg?resize=702%2C336
It was too perfect.
6636844 It certainly does take place before Crusaders of the Lost Mark! Next few chapters will shed even more light when this story occurs within Season 5.
6636993 No problem. Thanks for the help!
6637016 Go Team Cap.
6637692 Thanks a ton!
6638353 Beautiful.
6640300 Anytime. <3
6638353 hehe, pussy's
"It wasn’t because he personally volunteered to search for them once the rest of the Avengers split up earlier that day that he felt he needed to, it was because he felt an obligation to find them and see if they were still alive and well."
So, he felt he needed to.
“The safety of the Maximoff twins is held in higher regards than some simple race, Rainbow Dash...”
So much so that only one of the Avengers and one equine are out looking for them and they've spent many, many, MANY hours NOT giving so much as a shit about them. Or about the obvious threat that Ultron is since it's so obvious that he's here and it's obvious that the ponies have no chance of beating him on their own.
Okay Prime, enough kidding around
I told you. I WARNED you not to do this, but like a poor marksman, you just, keep missing the target.
The Avengers in this fic seem to have suffered a full, frontal lobotomy and are acting GROSSLY out of character with their approach to dealing with obvious problems (Ultron), and, on top of that, are the WORST. FRIENDS. EVER.
I mean, shit, think for a sec! If your friends just spent hours jerking off with the locals instead of spending every waking moment (unless they're too injured or doing something that's incredibly important, like Tony fixing his suit, or have some other reasonable excuse) along with whoever they could get to help look for you in a massive manhunt, especially when your friends are fucking superheroes and have the endurance and ability to cover large amount of ground quickly and thoroughly (at least everyone who isn't Hawkeye or Widow), would you still be friends with them afterwards, assuming you were even still alive by then? Of course not! Because your friends would be total assholes, then!
Furthermore, if you were a superhero that just saved the world from a monster like Ultron and found out he was in a world filled with pastel pony pansies, wouldn't you destroy EVERY one of his drones and get the rulers to help you with a MASSIVE manhunt to find him and make him die a lot so that he doesn't ever try anything in such a defenseless world?
God fucking damn it! I know the Avengers in the films aren't anywhere near as effective or organized as, say, they are in other media or the Justice League, but damn it, you'd think they'd at least TRY to do this even if they bungle it up!
I still stand by what I said about how your pros style is being far superior to Onomonopea's, but now, I'm not sure if your grasp on plot and character is as strong as his. Yeah, even his best work has glaring plot holes the size of the moon and characters acting really weirdly, but I don't he's ever committed a writing sin as egregious as this that I can currently think of (aside from the lesbianism in his Captain America fic).
When you get done with this story, you need a SERIOUS rewrite to get rid of this egregious error, and next time, think before you jump into slice of life horseshit when your character and plot have wheels that demand to go a certain direction before coming to a stop at slice of life station.
6649568 I appreciate constructive criticism. I did my best to appease every bit and piece of advice that you offered me that would have created plot hole devices that may have appeared later on in the story if I had not listened. I'll continue to do so, but with what I have so far (I write ahead several chapters before I post a new one) I can only promise limited things.
Let's start with a big one. The Grand Galloping Gala is a major event in Equestria. Hundreds of ponies will be there, and if the Avengers were to associate with them, compromise with them, show them they're not a threat, then they can give even the most pompous of citizens in Equestria a reason to trust them. Because, despite everything, they're still aliens in Equestria.
Thor can travel fast, so can the Captain, but only on ground. And Hulk can leap for heaven knows how far. But they're still aliens. If word got out of a massive, green beast sited somewhere where the trio were searching, it would spark the existance of beasts still yet to be discovered. With Hulk, ponies will still be afraid of him. They'll see the monster and nothing else.
And perhaps I need to clarify that Equestria is a country. A continent. A massive piece of land with numerous mountain ranges, hundreds of miles of forests, desert, and ice land. Ultron landed in the mountains where Starlight was hiding, the sentries scattered across all the way from the mountain to Ponyville and Canterlot. The twins and the Vision could have landed ANYWHERE in an entire country. I basically said that they're near the Foal Mountains, but no one knows that except the reader. Would America allow visitors, heck, if it were possible, aliens to traverse the country in search of companions without giving us a reason to trust them? If it were up to politics, I'd say no.
The princesses may trust them, but how can others trust their words that aliens are going to search their land for other aliens? Some may, some may not. The Gala will change all of that. It'll give ponies a chance to meet the aliens face to face and get to know them, to trust them.
And if word got out that a killer robot from another world was in their country, panic will spread. That would be the last thing the princesses would need to deal with when they have the Gala to tend to. They can try and hide it, they can try a manhunt, but they can't stop the inevitable. Word will get out, and panic will spread.
I hoped this helped to clarify a few things. I'm trying my hardest with these stories, and I know I still have a long way to go. In fact, I'm looking to be a writer after completing college, and all of this is practice. Again, I'm learning. Nothing's perfect. I'll work harder. Also, I've been very stressed lately with school back in full gear and sports constantly pushing me away from peace and quiet with writing.
I'll take your advice as best as I can. Thank you.
6651340
"Let's start with a big one. The Grand Galloping Gala is a major event in Equestria. Hundreds of ponies will be there, and if the Avengers were to associate with them, compromise with them, show them they're not a threat, then they can give even the most pompous of citizens in Equestria a reason to trust them. Because, despite everything, they're still aliens in Equestria."
1. Irrelevant to the points I brought up, so I'll ignore this comment.
"Thor can travel fast, so can the Captain, but only on ground. And Hulk can leap for heaven knows how far. But they're still aliens. If word got out of a massive, green beast sited somewhere where the trio were searching, it would spark the existance of beasts still yet to be discovered. With Hulk, ponies will still be afraid of him. They'll see the monster and nothing else."
2. Then let Celestia and Luna TELL EVERYPONY that the Avengers are on the up and up and have them send out flyers with pictures on them detailing EXACTLY how they look. For that matter, have them send out flyers detailing how Ultron looks so that ponies know not to fuck with him and report him to the proper authorities IMMEDIATELY upon ocular recognition of the bastard.
"And perhaps I need to clarify that Equestria is a country. A continent. A massive piece of land with numerous mountain ranges, hundreds of miles of forests, desert, and ice land. Ultron landed in the mountains where Starlight was hiding, the sentries scattered across all the way from the mountain to Ponyville and Canterlot. The twins and the Vision could have landed ANYWHERE in an entire country. I basically said that they're near the Foal Mountains, but no one knows that except the reader. Would America allow visitors, heck, if it were possible, aliens to traverse the country in search of companions without giving us a reason to trust them? If it were up to politics, I'd say no."
3. It doesn't matter how big Equestria is, the fact that they don't at least spend several days non-stop searching for the twins and Ultron is disgusting, especially since they KNOW how big of a threat he is and how much damage he can do in a place like Equestria and its in their character to look out for their family, as you know. Furthermore, why don't they just get the Princesses to send posters detailing how Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Ultron look like so that, at least, the pony inhabited areas KNOW to watch out for them and report them to the proper authorities if they see them? Furthermore, while I agree that this policy against filthy, stinky foreigners makes sense for a human nation... this is Equestria we're talking about. EQUESTRIA. A land so PC that the inhabitants routinely break out into choreographed musical numbers and whose rulers tend to be equally as politically correct. Heck, just last chapter or a couple or more earlier, if I remember correctly, they were offering to find a spell to send them all back home! So why, pray tell, WOULDN'T they call for the anachronistic magic pony equivalent of a missing persons alert for Witch and Silver, a wanted poster for Ultron, a poster telling people who the Avengers are and that they're okay, and why wouldn't they destroy all traces of Ultron's drone just to be sure?
"The princesses may trust them, but how can others trust their words that aliens are going to search their land for other aliens? Some may, some may not. The Gala will change all of that. It'll give ponies a chance to meet the aliens face to face and get to know them, to trust them."
4. I refer you to number 3. If you want another answer: THEY'E FUCKING CELESTIA AND LUNA! Just a couple or so chapters ago, you made a big deal about the Avengers bowing or not bowing to them while all of the Equestrians did, and in this story, they appear to be pagan context little g gods! If they were to ask any random pony in the street to jump, said pony is going to ask how high, how low, or do you want me to do a trick with that, your royal god majesty! Why would they question Celestia and Luna telling them that a bunch of aliens are cool, a couple of their cool alien friends have gone missing and need to be rescued, and that this other alien is bad and needs to be reported to the cops immediately upon sight!?
"And if word got out that a killer robot from another world was in their country, panic will spread. That would be the last thing the princesses would need to deal with when they have the Gala to tend to. They can try and hide it, they can try a manhunt, but they can't stop the inevitable. Word will get out, and panic will spread."
5. Fuck yes, panic should be spreading! Need I remind you that he almost succeeded in wiping out an entire planetary spanning civilization in Age of Ultron and taking out that world's greatest champions! What ruler in their rightful mind would give a SHIT about something as comparatively vain, trivial, and banal as The Grand Galloping Gala when a threat like that is out their!? Ponies SHOULD be panicking in the streets! They SHOULD be paranoid! What they SHOULD NOT be doing is taking such a stupid chance. Need I remind you that it was the taking of stupid chances that lead to Ultron's creation and him getting as far as he did in the first place?
"I hoped this helped to clarify a few things. I'm trying my hardest with these stories, and I know I still have a long way to go. In fact, I'm looking to be a writer after completing college, and all of this is practice. Again, I'm learning. Nothing's perfect. I'll work harder. Also, I've been very stressed lately with school back in full gear and sports constantly pushing me away from peace and quiet with writing."
6. Don't be a writer. At least, don't waste a college degree on something like writing. Learn something useful in the STEM category and be a writer on the side, believe me. Also, then keep working at it, because one day, you won't have any excuses to hide behind when you set up a story that demands to go one way but then go another way that doesn't make sense given what was previously established, like now.
God the reactions from those three are just so hilarious!
vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/marvelcinematicuniverse/images/5/5c/Civil_War_Final_Poster.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20160310172110
...
...
...
YEAH...
6640055 6636833 Damn fucking right.
Plus I thought I was the only one who noticed. Damn!
Just leave the ponies out of the civil war, 'kay?
... Oh who am I kidding, they'll get tangled up in it for sure.
Even with the threat of Ultron still looming in the air, it's nice to see The Avengers learning to adapt in Equestria while establishing some common interest amongst their new friends. Course if their intent was to find both their allies and Ultron as quick as possible, the impending arrival of the Grand Galloping Gala would complicate matters. Besides the manner as to how they would be able to present themselves in fancy suits, it is also vital to bear in mind that they still have some issues to work out of. Whether it's the distance between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff, of course we'd eventually learn why, to Steve Rogers still blaming himself for a single town's destruction there's a lot that will most likely be addressed in a short while. But for the time being, considering they won't be going anywhere at any time, they might as wlel get used to their new lives.
As for the twins, Scarlett Witch and Quicksilver, they aren't faring as well knowing they are out on their own and in the wilderness. I was deeply saddened when Quicksilver was ultimately killed during the events of 'Age of Ultron', but in this universe it seems to take a rather different route as I've slowly noticed. Of course he lives in the 'X-Men' movies, but only because he exists in another separate dimension (Especially portrayed by a different actor). Hopefully things turn around for the two in due time despite the fact they did start off as antagonists.
Considering that Stark is smar, and he PLANNED for Civil War, actually...
Is this foreshadowing the sequel?
Well that was interesting. Longest chapter in the story and it is primarily the Mane 6 and Avengers bonding. There were still funny moments, like Iron Man crashing into a flower shop and Civil War being foreshadowed (though the latter will probably be less funny when it actually happens).
I wonder what the twins are up to?
Banner are you starting to be like pinkie pie 😂