//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Dinner With a Horse 
// Story: From the Ashes 
// by Boltstrike58 
//------------------------------//

Equis, Ponyville
Twilight's dining room was extremely spacious, and the transparent crystal table more than enough to cram in four Avengers, seven ponies, a baby dragon, and the two princesses. The chairs were, thankfully, large enough to accommodate the taller humans, without forcing them to squat. The Avengers were placed at the end of the rectangular table, with Steve and Sam on one side, and Thor and Tony on the other. In between them were the Elements, Starlight, and Spike, with Celestia and Luna taking up the other end.
Of course, before eating, there were introductions to be done. The Avengers stood at the entrance, and Twilight approached them, trying to keep her nerves down. After all, these humans couldn't be any worse than the yaks, she assured herself.
"Hello," she greeted them warmly, "my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am the Princess of Friendship. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Equestria."
She held out a hoof, which Thor shook easily, having done so before. Twilight then went down the line, greeting the other Avengers, who had less than easy reactions.
"Uh, hi," said Tony, awkwardly grasping her hoof, quietly hoping that they had alcohol on this planet. 
Twilight calmed down a bit at the sight, as it told her that these humans were as baffled by this meeting as her. Sam and Steve had similar reactions, the bizarre nature of their current situation hanging over their heads. Twilight gestured for the others to come over and introduce themselves.
"Howdy, partners! I'm Applejack!" said the earth pony heartily. She shook their hands as well, flashing a wide smile. Steve returned the expression politely, remembering how she'd helped in the fight.
The yellow pegasus stepped forward, albeit with a bit of prodding from Rarity. "Uh...I'm Fluttershy..." she whispered, trying not to make direct eye contact.
The white unicorn kindly let her nervous friend sneak behind her. "My name is Rarity," she said. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Rainbow Dash!" proclaimed the blue pegasus, flying into the air. "The fastest, coolest, and all-around awesomest flyer in Equestria!" Sam smirked, recalling his earlier interaction with this particular pony. Apparently, attitude was a thing on this planet.
Of course, none of the Avengers were prepared for the pink blur that came zooming like a missile at them, grabbing them by the hands and wringing their entire arms like rubber. All they could see was a faint pink color whirling around their heads.
"Hi I'm Pinkie Pie and I saw you guys come into town fighting those bad guys and I was like 'HUH!' And I just know you'll be my new best friends and I'll throw a big super Welcome to Ponyville Party and—"
Pinkie got cut off by an bright turquoise magic aura that seized her tail and pulled her from her current position, which happened to be Steve's head. The Captain started frantically itching his face, trying to remove the pink hair that clung to his skin. Tony reluctantly held back a chuckle. Pinkie, more pleasantly surprised than anything, turned her head around to see Starlight telekinetically moving her back.
"Thanks, Pinkie, but I think they understand," she said sheepishly, placing her friend back down on the floor. She turned back to the Avengers. "Sorry about that. My name's Starlight Glimmer. Nice to meet you."
The purple dragon stepped forward politely. "My name's Spike," he said. His smile stretched to cover his entire face. "And you guys were awesome! The way you beat up those fauns, and saved ponies! And you, with the hammer, you were like 'BOOM!' And then—" 
Twilight cleared her throat loudly, prompting Spike to stop fanboying for a moment. He quietly stepped back, followed by Celestia and Luna stepping forward to take his place.
"As Thor has told you, I am Princess Celestia," said the white alicorn. "Any friend of his is always welcome in Equestria."
"Thank you," said Steve, politely.
"My name is Princess Luna," said the dark blue alicorn. "I co-rule this country with my sister."
Thor stepped forward. "It's my honor to present my comrades, members of the Avengers. Sam Wilson, known as the Falcon."
"Hi," said Sam, smiling. Rainbow Dash studied the human, wondering how he'd managed to get that name. He didn't even have natural wings.
"Captain Steve Rogers, honored with the title of—"
"The Captain," Steve cut him off. "Just the Captain." 
Applejack took a look at the human before her, clad in his grey, red, and white battle suit, his hands clasped calmly in front of him. She noticed small details, such as how quickly he'd been to interject into Thor's speech, the way his breathing sped up a bit as he did so. To her eyes, it appeared there was something he did not want the thunder god to say. She made a note to ask him about it, if there was another chance.
Thor, however, continued smoothly with his introductions, barely thrown off by Steve's interruption. "And Anthony Stark, who claims the name of Iron Man."
"Yeah," said the inventor, sheepishly. "Call me Tony." Twilight's head immediately filled with questions about his armored suit that she wanted to ask.
Celestia smiled warmly at their guests. "So, shall we?" she asked.
The mixed species party sat down and began to take from their plates. Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were all fairly informal when it came to dining, and humans were a different species than ponies, so they'd gone the simple route with the food. Simple vegetable sandwiches were set out for the three newcomers, along with side apples provided by Applejack for each. Thor knew Equestrian cuisine, which remarkably hadn't changed much in the time since he'd last visited the planet, and dug in, though he lamented the lack of meat in his head. The others ate quietly, surprised at exactly how familiar the food was on this planet. Spike merely broke out his supply of gemstones. 
"So," said Twilight, starting up a conversation, "Prince Odinson, you say you've visited Equestria previously?"
"No need to call me Prince, Princess Twilight," replied the Asgardian. "And yes. I befriended your mentor over a thousand years ago. We haven't had contact since the...eh, Nightmare Moon incident." He glanced at Luna nervously, but she gave him a reassuring smile.
"And you three humans, you aren't from Asgard as well?" asked Starlight to the others.
"No," replied Sam. "We come from a planet called Earth. Unoriginal name, I know, but what are you gonna do?"
"Thor said you belong to a team called the 'Avengers,'" said Celestia. "What does this team do?"
Steve sipped his glass of milk, trying to think of how to answer the question without going into the recent team break-up. 
"Well," he began, "we are what you'd call superheroes. We apprehend criminals, we protect civilians, things like that. Like we tried to do in your village this morning." He said all this very quickly, doing his best to keep a level voice and sound normal. Lying, even by omission, bothered him, especially after Siberia.
"Like the Power Ponies. And it was AWESOME!" exclaimed Spike, stuffing three more emeralds into his mouth.
"In that outfit?" gasped Rarity. "Darling, you simply must add some more color to that suit! A hero must look dashing as he rushes in to protect the innocent!"
"Uh, sure..." muttered Steve, wondering what she would've thought of his old uniform. 
Tony snorted through his nose, trying not to laugh."Who exactly are those goats to you guys?" asked, deciding to change the subject.
"Phobos and Deimos are dangerous criminals from Equestria's past," said Luna. "They possess magic based on the emotions of fear and panic. They were imprisoned in Tartarus for causing destruction across the land for their own amusement. However, they've escaped through aid from an unknown party. How did you encounter them, by the way?"
"Well," said Tony, "on my end, that Deimos douche broke into the Avengers compound, and stole technology that I invented. I managed to chase him through the closing portal, and came out of a mirror in an old castle in the forest not too far from here."
"Same on our end," said Steve. "Phobos took samples of a rare metal alloy from a country called Wakanda." Noticing the question on everypony's faces, he elaborated. "We were...on the other side of the world for an important mission." 
"Didn't he drop this one?" asked Twilight, magically levitating the vibranium in its capsule, and then, at the surprised looks on the humans' faces, added "Sorry, I just wanted to examine it."
"Yeah," said Tony. "Though we'll probably need to give that back at some point. Luckily, Thor can beam us back to Earth whenever he wants, so we're not stuck on this planet."
"Those mirrors," said Luna, bringing the conversation back around. "In our old castle. Sister, they must've charged the crystals with teleportation magic. Used the mirrors as a conduit to get across the universe to Earth."
"I agree," replied her sister. "It probably only worked because of the large residual magic surrounding that castle. We must examine those mirrors."
"Well, the fauns took one," said Steve, "but the other one survived. That's somewhere to start, at least."
"Excellent. We'll need to discuss how we shall retrieve your property," said Celestia, taking another bite. "In addition to the apprehension of Phobos, Deimos, and their unidentified master."
"Wait, really?" asked Sam, genuinely surprised. "You don't need to go to those lengths. We can—"
Celestia held up a hoof to silence him. "Don't concern yourself, Mr. Wilson," she replied. "Our duties as princesses of Equestria require us to extend kindness to all, not just our pony citizens. We shall do everything in our power to assist you."
"You can count on our support, as well," chimed in Twilight, and her friends all nodded their agreement. 
Steve, Sam, and Tony were shocked. They hadn't received the most warm welcomes in the past, especially in Sokovia, even when they'd come to protect the people from Ultron's attack. Yet these ponies were perfectly willing to help a group of strange, alien beings who'd just arrived on their planet. Considering their current reputations back home, with Ross and others like him advocating for the complete removal of the Avengers' autonomy, it was quite a shocker. Thor was, naturally, unsurprised, and smiled joyfully.
"Excellent!" he proclaimed. "I'll visit Heimdall tonight. He can find Phobos and Deimos."
"In addition," said Twilight, "I'd be happy to offer you a place to stay until you can get your things back. We have plenty of spare bedrooms in this castle."
"Though you simply must allow me to make you some casual clothes!" chimed in Rarity. Steve opened his mouth to interrupt, but was silenced with a wave of the unicorn's hoof. "Nonsense, darling! I'm the Element of Generosity! 'Tis my duty!" Sam had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing.
Celestia smiled. "Hopefully, this won't be—"
The solar alicorn was cut off by her tea cup suddenly morphing into a small teapot. Before anybody (or anypony) could comment on it, the pot had sprouted two tiny legs, inhaled through its spout, and squirted Celestia in the face with her tea. As she blinked the liquid from her eyes, she stared down at the teapot, clearly irritated. Twilight groaned quietly, as the pot blew raspberries out of its spout.
"I'm insulted, Celestia!" it said, in a clearly male voice, playing up the haughty factor. "Truly stung! You host a dinner party for Equestria's latest alien arrivals..." Here, the pot cracked open, a lion's paw emerging from the right side, and an eagle's talon from the right. The mismatched limbs struggled to pull apart the rest of the pot for a while, before slumping, and sliding back into the hole. Out of the spout slithered a massive, brown, snake-like form, about as tall as Celestia or Luna themselves, and far larger than should've been able to fit inside the pot, and wrapped itself around Celestia's neck. "...and you didn't invite moi?! For shame!"
The creature currently encircling Celestia's neck was even more bizarre to the Avengers than anything they'd seen so far. His long brown body was basically a mix and match of the parts of various animals. His head was goat-like, with one deer antler, and one blue horn. His front limbs were still the same lion's paw and eagle's talon. He had one bat wing and one blue feathered wing on his back. His legs were a crocodile claw and a bull hoof, and his tail was red and scaled, like a dragon, with a furry hand on the tip. His eyes were bright red with yellow sclera. He also had one long fang jutting out from beneath his lip.
"Discord!" shouted Thor, leaping from his seat in shock. He summoned Mjölnir to his hand, pulling his arm back to hurl the mighty weapon, but a blue glow materialized around his cape. Thor was pulled back into his seat by Luna's magic with a thump.	
Thor's eyes shot to the princess of the night, where he discovered that her expression was not one of anger, fear, or even panic, but annoyance, as she stared down the draconequus currently wrapped around her sister. In fact, all of the ponies, and Spike, had the same expression, and none were attacking Discord.
"Wha-what are you—?!" he started.
"It's okay, Thor," said Luna. "He's 'reformed.'" She made air quotes with her hooves.
"Ah, Thor, Thor, Thor," chuckled Discord, untangling himself from Celestia. He snapped his fingers and disappeared, reappearing as a painting on the side of Mjölnir. "It's good to see you're still the same hammer swinger you always used to be. Though you should trim that beard, my goodness!"
"Discord," said Fluttershy, putting her hoof down on the table, "we've talked about this. You can't just barge in on other ponies' events."
Discord reappeared in the seat next to her, shoving Rainbow Dash to the floor in the process. "Oh, come now, Fluttershy, I didn't ruin any of the food," he laughed. "Besides, how could I miss this?"
"Well," grunted Rainbow from the floor, "I don't think it'd kill you."
"Uh, could we get an explanation, here?" asked Tony, staring at Discord's tail, which was currently swimming through the air.
"Reformed? Him?" demanded Thor, thrusting his hammer at Discord. "Have you gone completely mad? He's insane! He's a monster! He cares for nothing but himself!"
"Oh, Thor, you wound me!" Discord pouted, a tattoo of a broken heart appearing on his chest. "Still bitter over that time I turned your hammer into chocolate?"
Thor gritted his teeth, standing up with murder in his eyes, but Luna pushed him back down once more.
"Anyways," continued Discord, his animal hands jumping off his body over to the human Avengers. They grabbed Steve, Sam, and Tony by the hands, wringing their entire arms almost as hard as Pinkie did. "It's a pleasure, Avengers. Discord, Spirit of Chaos, at your service!"
"Discord!" snapped Twilight, grabbing his tail with her magic and yanking him back into his seat. "If you want to be part of this, could you please not be so disruptive?"
"Oh, I suppose," answered the draconequus, sounding overly dramatic once more. He snapped his fingers, and a mismatched chair of wood, crystal, and metal appeared in the back of the room, away from the table. Discord teleported into it, now wearing a form fitting tuxedo. "But only because you asked so nicely, Twilight." Rainbow Dash climbed back up into her seat, glaring at Discord from across the room.
"Discord has actually been reformed," Celestia told Thor, as she wiped the tea off her mane. "In exchange for not turning Equestria into a chaotic wasteland, he has earned freedom from his imprisonment in stone."
"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Tony.
"And you believe him?!" shouted Thor.
Applejack groaned. "It's kind of a long story, fellas."



Equis, Somewhere
Phobos and Deimos both sat on the floor of cold, black stone. The sweat snaked its way down their backs, even though their staffs were well within reach. Phobos' eyes were wide, and he took a deep breath every few seconds, as though trying to calm himself down. His brother showed none of this signs, but his armpits were clearly soaked with sweat.
"So, let me get this straight," snarled Grogar, the ram pacing his way across the dark altar, his bell releasing a hollow jingle, "you retrieved the items requested," he indicted the mirror, the vibranium, and the arc reactor, "and yet, you imbeciles allowed the Avengers to follow you to this planet?!"
Phobos, as was his nature, swallowed nervously. For the faun who claimed to be the master of fear, his panic at the thought of the ram's temper was rather extreme. Deimos, conversely, sat completely still, allowing no physical expression to betray his thoughts. 
Grogar's glared at the brothers, stomping his cloven hooves, kicking up clouds of dust. "Well?!" he demanded. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves?!"
"It was an accident..." mumbled Phobos. Big mistake, as Grogar rounded on him.
"An accident?!" he shouted. "Perhaps I could 'accidentally' pull your teeth out?!"
Phobos leaped from his seat. "N-no! No, Grogar! I didn't—"
"Oh gods, you're pathetic," groaned Deimos. "Are you physically incapable of retaining your own dignity, brother?"
Phobos rounded on him. Insults from Grogar? Those were fair enough. The ram could back them up. But from his own brother? That was a different story.
Phobos seized his staff. "Do you wanna go?!" he growled. "Let's see what you fear!"
Deimos calmly raised his own weapon. "I master my fears. Unlike yourself, who uses the fear of others to hide his own cowardice."
Grogar flattened his forehoof against his face. "I'm beginning to think a more fitting punishment would be to let you two kill each other."
"Enough," came a voice from the opposite side of the temple. "Grogar, do not forget who is in control."
Phobos and Deimos froze where they stood, their eyes crawling to the corner where the master had appeared. Grogar pulled an about face in the direction of the voice, completely forgetting the quarreling brothers. A deep, dark purple magical glow covered the vibranium shards, the arc reactor, and the mirror, levitating them over to the master. His eyes glossed over the gathered items, and a pleased smirk made its way onto his face.
"M-my apologies, sire," stuttered Grogar.
"Phobos and Deimos have accomplished our goals, for the moment," he chuckled. "We have our supplies. The first phase is complete."
"But, master," said Grogar, his previous commanding voice gone, "the Avengers...they are threats..."
"The Avengers are powerful," answered the master, "but they have their cracks. Their pressure points. I've observed them long enough to learn their weaknesses. And I have prepared the means we shall use to destroy them."
"Master?" said Deimos, meekly. The faun had no issues with Grogar, but the master was different. Facing him in combat, one would be forgiven for believing they were battling death itself. The fact that he had managed to breach Tartarus to free the brothers was a testament to his already incredible power. "Are you sure that's...wise? We already have the Elements of Harmony to contend with, along with Celestia and Luna. Can we truly stop—"
"The Elements are little more than children with remarkably good luck," said the master, shooting him a glare. "And the princesses? When I'm finished, they will beg me for the sweet release of death."



Equis, Canterlot, Later That Night
Celestia breathed a sweet sigh as she finished adding her royal seal to the last document of the day. The dinner with the Avengers had gone surprisingly well, with the exception of Discord dropping in, but at least nopony had gone to the hospital. The rest of the evening had been spent telling the Avengers about the Elements of Harmony, and the troubles that had plagued Equestria, notably Nightmare Moon and Discord. Thor had set off to speak with Heimdall right after, and the others had moved to the spare bedrooms in Twilight's castle. Rarity had informed them that she'd probably be up for the rest of the night working on the Avengers clothes, having taken their measurements, but insisted that nopony help her. Luna had finished setting up the night sky, and was currently partaking in her nightly dream patrol. Celestia's business was finished, and now it was time to turn in.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Enter," she said, hoping she wouldn't be kept from her bed for too long. 
A royal guard, a unicorn stallion, entered the study, bowing low as he did. "Princess Celestia," he said. "My apologies for disturbing you so late, but you have a visitor. From the Crystal Empire."
"Thank you, Fortified. Please, allow our guest in," answered the princess.
The guard nodded, turned around, and pulled the door all the way open with his magic. However, instead of a pony, Celestia was greeted by the black, insectoid body of a changeling. Surprised, Celestia jumped back, preparing to fight, but froze upon seeing the meek expression on the creature's face. He, or she (it was difficult to tell) bowed low to the floor, eyes pointed downwards. Looking down at him, Celestia noticed that his wings, instead of the thin green membranes of normal changelings, were coated with a turquoise layer of crystal, with sharp edges.*
"H-hello, Princess Celestia," mumbled the changeling, clearly nervous.
Celestia remembered her correspondence with Cadence. "You are...Thorax, the changeling Spike met, aren't you?" she asked. He nodded meekly. Celestia smiled warmly. "Well, you are always welcome in this castle. There's no need to be afraid."
Thorax perked up at her words, lifting his head. He smiled genuinely, not even showing his fangs. Behind him, Fortified Shield kept his gaze on him, clearly prepared to attack if necessary. The incident at the Canterlot Wedding, though many moons past, still hung over everypony's head, considering the ease at which the castle had been infiltrated.
Celestia looked to her guard. "Would you please leave us, Fortified?" she asked, gesturing to the door. Fortified gave Celestia a questioning glance, but raised no objections. He exited the room briskly, closing the door behind him.
"So, Thorax," continued the princess, "what can I do for you?"
"Uh, w-well," answered the changeling, stumbling over his words, "I've been staying at the Crystal castle, with Cadence and Shining Armor for the past few weeks. I-I've heard certain information from your letters with her, and I-I've learned about the criminals who escaped from Tartarus."
Celestia nodded. She trusted Cadence to share information only with those she could trust. Thorax was no monster.
"T-the thing is, if Phobos, Deimos, and whoever they're working for have some big operation in mind, there's a chance that word of it could spread throughout the criminal underworld of Equestria. A-and, given my shape-shifting abilities, I thought—"
Celestia raised her eyebrows. "Are you offering to go undercover for us? To find information?"
Thorax nodded eagerly.
Celestia mulled over her words, a bit of anxiety seemingly hanging on the surface. "Well, I appreciate your offer, but we have a way to see where they are, and I don't think—"
"Oh, I understand!" answered Thorax. "I know you probably have your ways, but my theory is, nopony would be able to predict me. I wouldn't even need to get to the heart, just hear some gossip being spread around. Even if you can see where the fauns are, you might be walking into a trap. I could help with that."
"I-I..." Celestia stuttered, trying to come up with an argument, and finding she had none. "Y-you do have a point, Thorax. Like I said, I'm grateful, but you don't need to risk your life for Equestria. Given how you were treated, even when you hadn't committed any crime, you don't owe us anything."
"Yes, I do," said Thorax, sincerely. "Ponies have been so kind to me, and I've felt so alive, so safe. I've haven't needed to feed on love since I started live with them. This is the least I can do to pay them back."
Celestia, once again, had no response. "Very well," she eventually replied. "But can you please promise me you won't take any unnecessary risks? I don't want you caught in the crossfire."
"Absolutely, Princess!" said Thorax, his joy radiating from his form. The happy changeling turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.
Celestia, left alone, sat down quietly on her throne. Perfect. She already had another life to worry about.