31
New York, USA
Manhattan
The Sanctum Sanctorum
7:46 p.m.
“Now, explain this to me again, but clearer and less idiotic.”
Wong and Doctor Strange moved swiftly throughout the Sanctum, only one of them holding the Eye of Agamotto. Stephen gripped the Eye in his left palm as he strode about in the Sanctum in his blue robes, the Cloak of Levitation elsewhere at the moment. If anything, Strange was in his leisure attire. The Cloak knew when it was time to act, when the time came for Strange to need it. Now was not the time.
Now was the time for preventing mass genocide and convincing Wong to do so.
He was not so easily swayed, trailing Strange closely through the halls of the Sanctum. “The Time Stone cannot be used as a weapon of war, Strange, as much as you would like it to,” Wong told him, shifting his eyes back to the Eye of Agamotto every few seconds, ensuring that Strange did nothing with it if things didn’t go his way. “It is an ancient relic of which Agamotto himself—!”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, his most ‘prized possession’, ‘threatening the very fabric of time’,” Strange groaned, looking down at the Eye of Agamotto in his palms. The two of them stopped at the very top of the staircase that led to the bottom floor of the Sanctum, the foyer resting beneath them. He sighed. “But just think about it, Wong. If we freeze time—hell, if we reverse it, we can stop this invasion from even occurring! We can save millions of lives!”
That statement alone didn’t even cause him to flinch. He was dead set on his decision, frowning Stephen’s way. “It is not that easy, Stephen,” he told him.
“Sounds pretty damn easy to me,” Strange retorted, looking down the steps.
“It isn’t!” Wong replied, growing more infuriated at Strange’s stubbornness. They stood eye to eye, seeing which one of them would break first. Neither would. Wong sighed, cooling his gaze, but never ceasing the strength that he offered. “Listen to me, Strange, the Time Stone is not like the magic we wield. You got lucky once in dealing with Dormammu, but that doesn’t guarantee you can use it just as well as last time!”
That struck him somewhere deep. After losing the Ancient One, after being therefore known as the Sorcerer Supreme amongst the Masters of the Mystic Arts, demoralizing his ability to control magic was like a slap to the face for Strange. He slowly narrowed his eyes, a heated glare glowing in his twin orbs. When he spoke, his voice was lower, more threatening. “I’ve been training… for two years in mastering the power of the Time Stone! Our fellow sorcerers have deemed it safest in my hands!”
“Not now! Not this time!” Wong shot right back. “This is beyond mystical threats, Strange! This is beyond what we were prepared—!”
Doctor Strange had no more of it. He scoffed rather loudly, rather obnoxiously, and proceeded down the steps. Wong watched his descent, clenching his fists at the top of the staircase. “What do you think you’re doing?” he shouted.
“Taking the Time Stone,” Stephen mumbled. His voice was still loud enough for Wong to react accordingly. He gripped the Eye in his left palm, descending the steps further and further to the foyer. He said, “I’m stopping this invasion.”
“You cannot!” Wong declared, moving right after him. “We have sworn an oath to protect the Stone no matter the costs! If it falls into the wrong hands—”
“The longer we wait here and bicker, the more innocent lives are killed!”
“We cannot threaten the safety of this dimension!”
“I can prevent this invasion from even occurring!” Strange yelled, spinning around just at the last few steps. He clenched both of his fists to conceal his growing fury and frustration, his palms shaking. He stared at Wong like he was insane, holding out the Eye of Agamotto to him. “We can save millions of lives! Or did you not hear me the first time?!”
Wong shook his head, pointing at him as he yelled, “And then what?! You reverse time, we keep it frozen to prevent the invasion, and we are no closer to discovering how or why it even started!”
Strange snorted and turned away, reaching the end of steps and moving towards the exit. He was halted by the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak expelling from Wong’s fingertips, the red bands wrapping around his arms. Doctor Strange grew a furious frown, breaking the bonds before Wong could tighten them. He spun around, right hand sparking a holographic Tao Mandalas. His left hand held the Eye. Wong shot out both of his hands, a shield appearing in each one in sparks of orange energy.
The two sorcerers stared each other down, Wong on the last few steps and Strange already on ground-level. Their Eldritch Magic was strong, quite possibly equal to each other. The years they spent sparring with one another, training continuously for hours on end to defend the way of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, both Strange and Wong knew each other’s tactics. They knew each other’s strengths, weaknesses, abilities. Strange knew Wong was more skilled than he was, as he had more experience. Wong knew Strange was a loose cannon, dealing with magic in ways never before seen by the Masters of the Mystic Arts. It had made him unpredictable, dangerous, and more importantly… powerful.
“You were always rebellious,” Wong growled, fists still shot outwards, the glowing discs on his hands slowly spinning with raw, magical energy.
Strange just frowned, his own shield sparking with unrelenting power. “I was always right.”
“To this day, you still do not understand the severity of what you hold,” Wong told him sternly, walking down the steps and slowly approaching Strange. He never lowered his guard. Neither did Strange. “We took an oath… you took an oath… to protect the Stone no matter what.”
“And I will,” Stephen affirmed to him.
Dropping his hands, the sparks surrounding his fists died out, leaving just Wong. His eyes held concern. No fire or fury. Just concern and a hint of harsh reality. “You can’t know that.”
He had hoped the harshness, the reality of his tone would bring Strange back to it. Instead, it seemed to do the opposite, Stephen slowly lowering his right hand and turning his attention to his left. To the Eye of Agamotto. To what remained within it. He shot up his head. “Maybe I can.”
“Enough of this,” Wong declared, swiping the Eye of Agamotto from Strange’s grasp. Stephen turned accusingly to Wong, but he was already up the steps. Strange met him halfway.
“Wait!” he called out, gripping Wong by his tunic. “Just give me… ten minutes alone with the Time Stone. I swear to you that I won’t steal it. I just—”
“We will discuss this later,” Wong said after facing him. He held out the Eye for him to see one last time, ready to continue upwards. “For now, we keep the Stone safe in the Sanctum. With the Vapors of Valtorr over us, nothing will be able to find the Sanctum Sanctor—”
Three loud knocks reverberated across the Sanctum. The two sorcerers turned their attention to where the sound originated, that being the front door. Looking to one another, both Strange and Wong descended the steps and approached the front door. They stood on-guard, hands held outwards, ready to deal with any possible threat that had found them, even through the Vapors of Valtorr no less.
When they opened the doors, standing before them was a certain God of Thunder Strange had known and dealt with personally.
He wasn’t the only one.
By his right was his half-brother and God of Mischief Loki, standing with a sly grin as he met the somewhat startled expressions from the sorcerers. On Thor’s left stood a man practically naked and covered in a thin blanket, observing the Sanctum in awe. Doctor Strange and Wong slowly turned their eyes above, to the alien spaceship hovering directly over the street and facing the Sanctum. Within the cockpit, Strange and Wong could see a human and a raccoon piloting the ship. The human seemed to be at a loss for words as he observed his surroundings through the glass windshield. The raccoon yawned.
Then it spoke to the human, moving its mouth like it was actually talking.
Stephen slowly dropped his hands after several seconds of nothing but awkward, confusing silence. Wong did the same, gazing wondrously at the spaceship hovering over the street. They both brought their eyes down to Thor. “Wizard!” he exclaimed, smiling as wide as he could, with relief.
His brother, Loki, smiled as well. But it held a certain sinister undertone. “Vapors of Valtorr?” Loki asked, smirking at the end. “Quite clever.”
Doctor Strange slowly looked back to Wong, smirking as well. “You were saying?”
Wong just frowned. He never loosened his grip on the Eye of Agamotto. “Exactly my point.”
Stranges idea and motives were good, but Wong is right. This is bigger than anything they had expected. With thor and loki on the scene, the reunion takes a step closer, and the cogs of war and climax are beginning to turn more rapidly. Keep up the good work, and cant wait to see whats next!
Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!
Are we getting to this part? Or similar?
Plus are you going to be bring the Avengers back together or keep them separated?
I remember reading somewhere that the directors said Thanos won because Tony and Steve were not together, so I guess I'm curious on how you will be going about the story with the team back.
Can't wait for more!
"Strange! You can't do that! The future will be changed! You'll create a time paradox!"
As much as using the Time Stone would seem to be a easy solution to halt or undo the Invasion, its far too dangerous to risk it. Strange was lucky he was able to use it back then to put Dormammu in a time loop until he conceded defeat. But even though his intentions are pure, too much at stake is happening right now and any wrong action and misuse of messing with time could create a time paradox. Hell even Twilight and Starlight would disagree with this considering they have their own experiences with time travel and it didn't turn out so well in the long run.
And now Strange is reunited with Thor and Loki with Banner and the Guardians tagging along. Since they know more on what's happening and who's behind all this, I'm guessing Strange will bring them with him back to Equestria to bring the ponies up to speed.
Loki hasn't forgotten that Strange had him falling for thirty minutes. Guess finding the Sanctum Sanctorum so easily is part of his payback.
Huh. I expected Loki to be more like:
"Throw me in another endless fall, And I will stab your face and stuff."
Also, if and when Trixie pops up, She'll feel threatened by all these real magicians like Doc and Lok.
Oh damn! The guardians on earth?
Holy shit this was actually smart. So simple that this idea went over my head.
Now, I wonder if Maw would be attacking anytime soon.
Yes! Guardians arrive! This will be interesting.
Sweet! So Bruce will actually warn the Avengers and ponies after all!
Oh and welcome to the world of the Internet, Quill.
"You gotta answer for dropping me into that 30-minute fall dimension, buddy."
I would love to see an art of the remaining Avengers and Mane 6 for the Avengers 4 storming on together on another planet. That'd be badass.
If Peter Quill wants to illegally download thousands of songs, now would be the time. In fact, I think now will be the last chance he gets before it truly starts going to hell.
The saying goes: “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Which is kind of ironic, considering this is the Time Stone we’re talking about.
Strange’s plan is logical, but Wong makes a valid point. Messing with time, making even the slightest change, could result in even more dire consequences. I’m pretty sure that Twilight and Starlight would agree with that sentiment.
At last, Thor, Loki, Bruce and the Guardians have landed on Earth, and on Strange’s doorstep, no less. This is good. Thor’s group can fill the wizards in on Thanos and his plan, and Strange and Wong can tell them that Equus is the planet overhead.
One small error I caught:
That should be “fury”, right?
Will the X-Men or Fantastic Four be in this?
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if it all works out, spoiler alert, the kirin from the peaks of peril in 'sounds of silence' will be a great addition as well.
Thor and the Guardians with Strange and Wong. Definitely a “Strange” team....eh....eh*shot*
Yeah Strange’s plan would really just delay the inevitable. Though it could give them at least a bit more time.
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Hey I told him that a day ago and he never talked back.
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That is why Time Patrol are dispatched to deal those who mess with time, take the Time Breakers for example, in Dragon Ball Xenoverse. In the world of Dragon Ball, messing with time is considered universally sinful so those who do must be punished, Trunks and Zamasu for example, the latter was eradicated due to this.
So to quote Whis:
Messing with time is a big no-no, you'll get a time out.
Did it have to be short though?
He's still a douche, but I actually agree with Strange here. Can't he just freeze the aliens in time, and they can work on finding out what's behind this? Besides, they don't know it yet, but the one they're up against already has half the Infinity Stones.
*Dr. Strange starts forming a portal around Loki. Loki conjures a dagger and holds it to his neck*
Loki: Don't even think about it.
Thor: As hilarious as that would be, this is a bad time.
Okay, nobody tell Quill about Ready Player One.
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Maybe he's still thinking
9147801 Thanks a ton!
9147813 Something similar to that part.
9147903 No need to create time paradoxes, Strange!
9148036 She'll try to outdo them in a show of magic. Should be funny when Strange throws her in an endless drop.
9148187 Maybe they'll all warn them.
9148197 Strange: *immediately sends Loki into another one*
9148210 I'd love to see that too.
9148252 That's the best way to listen to music!
9148333 I'll fix that right away! Thanks!
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9148856 Next chapter's coming on Tuesday. It'll be a little longer.
9148992 Peter would find his heaven in that movie.
A truly exciting entry on this Labor Day weekend, my friend.
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You said you have a friend who makes those art.
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Is that a yes, no or not telling?
Also what’s your opinion about Logan?
I thought it was amazing, better than the MCU IMHO.
9150078 Thank you!
9150211 I don't recall saying that.
9150349 Read and find out. Also, I thought Logan was an incredible film.
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Who do you think should play Wolverine in the MCU now that Hugh Jackman’s done with the role?
Also ,have you heard that Wesley Snipes will be reprising his role as Blade in the MCU?
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I would like this funny scene...
Should I bow?
Yeah, he's a king.
You should, Bruce. You're looking at royalty here.
A-a-hem.
(Banner bows awkwardly, Sunset bows like she sees Celestia)
What are you two doing?
Bowing, why? He's a king, w-we have to respect him.
No, no, no, we w-we don't do that here.
W-what? Why?
You're in Wakanda, Sunset, this is not Equestria, things work quite different here.
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I wonder if he'll take the time to see how much Earth had changed since then. You know, regarding the death of Michael Jackson , the remake of Footloose, and maybe a run in with Chris Pratt.
I get why Strange thinks that controlling the time stone can take everything back before the invasion with hopes of preventing things from happening, but to me that's the danger of time travel. Even if the intentions are good, there's always bound to be consequences or else I would've argued why Wong won't allow him to at least try. But the thing with time is that it's unpredictable, even if Strange 'did' stop the invasion at the starting point it would've been worse considering even one of the smartest men on the planet don't know what they are up against. And sadly I know this is going to come back to haunt the group at some point.
I think both Strange and Wong had good points in their argument. Strange is right that they can't just do nothing against the invasion and they probably have the power to stop it if they acted soon enough, but Wong is right that their rules exist for a reason, and messing with time has dangerous consequences. I doubt anyone needs to be reminded of how "the warnings come after the spells". Mess with things too much and it will come back to bite you, but doing nothing will ensure everyone's doom.
I was certainly surprised to see The Guardians and Thor's group arrive at the Sanctum at the end. It will be great to see more interactions with Thor and Strange, but I wonder if Loki will be able to put his embarrassment at how Strange trolled him last time behind him.