Upstate New York
New Avengers Facility, Living Room
4:23 p.m.
It had been days since the ponies came home. The TV was left on in the living room, not a soul watching the news station. It was all the same, anyhow. Constant headlines all about the ponies, but mostly about Captain America and the state of the Avengers. Word managed to get out on the scuffle in Leipzig. Repair crews couldn’t keep the secret for long. The place was in shambles.
Every news network tried to make sense of what had occurred exactly. There were theories, even worse conspiracies, but no one knew the exact story. No one knew why the Avengers were present in Leipzig Airport other than the governments of the world. And no one besides them ever would. That’s why they mostly discussed the state of the alien ambassadors. They haven’t shown themselves in weeks, especially after the aftermath of the UN bombing in Vienna. There were even worse theories on Princess Twilight’s condition, none of them correct.
But none of them far from the truth.
After everything that had occurred since the ponies’ arrival to Earth, many theorized that the disappearance of the ambassadors was due to them being too afraid to step outside with the thought of the next terrorist firing at them. That, or just staying hidden as to not endanger any innocent civilians with their mere presence. Once again, they were not far from the truth. Twilight Sparkle stopped watching the news when they came to the shared conclusion that Earth and Equus were not yet ready to co-exist. That is why the ponies stayed in hiding, possibly having already left for their home world.
Well, the portal was ready. Once more, not far from the truth.
James Rhodes pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket, reading the name “POTUS” on his bright screen. He sent the call straight to voicemail, pocketing his phone away and turning to Tony Stark on his left. He nodded, pursing his lips. “I’ll call him back and tell him that we took care of everything.”
Nodding back, Tony watched as Rhodes adjusted himself with his crutches, the exoskeleton suit still strapped tightly to his torso and legs. He asked, “You made sure to tell him about this earlier?”
“He knows.” Rhodes grunted, using the crutches to push himself towards the dimly-lit room of the facility. “He agreed to it.”
“Good.”
Following Rhodey’s side, Tony Stark watched as the door slid open to them both, revealing the lower levels within the New Avengers Facility. Large pieces of equipment remained scattered, in disarray, serving no real purpose other than to remind Stark of his past experiments. Especially in helping to craft the portal. It lied near the center of the room, several wires running across the cement floor, its circular face revealing the rest of the room behind it. Still turned off.
Directly in front of it, Vision was busy hugging each pony goodbye. Stark looked away to something else, something to keep his mind set. He stared at the console that ran the whole show. He abandoned Rhodes, retreating to the console as the crippled man slowly approached the group of ponies. And, of course, one baby dragon.
James smiled warmly to see Vision offer his last hug to Twilight. He broke away, hands on her shoulders, robotic eyes meeting her equine pair. “Remember, you can visit anytime you like,” Vision told her. “Homer will inform us if the portal has been activated.”
“We might hold off on that invitation for now, Vision,” Twilight told him, watching painfully as his hands fell from her. She sighed, looking back to her friends all bundled up and ready to head off. She saw Rainbow Dash staring at the floor. “We… have some… personal rebuilding to do of our own.”
Vision nodded, looking away and appearing quite crestfallen to her response. Still, he responded strongly, saying, “I understand.”
Twilight managed a weak grin, laying her hoof on his shoulder and patting it sympathetically. Vision looked to the hoof on his shoulder, then to the mare it belonged to. She nodded his way, that smile growing bigger and more confident. “But speaking of the portal…” Her hoof fell.
“Rhodey?” she said, catching his eyes and nodding his way. He looked to her, looked to all of them. They were all packed up, backpacks and packages in their grip. And they all waited by the face of the portal, eyes expectant. He finally nodded to them.
“Yeah. Tony?” James called, twisting his neck back to Stark remaining by the console. He brought up his head, meeting Rhodey’s gaze, seeing him nod his way. And say, “They’re ready.”
He pressed down on the console, flicking a switch and pressing a few more buttons. Each of the ponies and dragon flinched away when the portal whirred to life, the sound only growing louder as the exterior of the machine began to spin. Short bursts of electricity began to course within the face of the machine, growing bigger and bigger until a piercing light emerged, filling the dark room with plenty of light. All that remained was a whiteness in the face of the portal, a known world waiting behind it.
Tony flicked the switch, keeping the portal active. He sighed, laying his hands on the console as realization slowly seeped in. The worst of it was coming, the worst of seeing friends after so long of being apart. It was time to finally say goodbye. For how long, he didn’t know. It could be next month, next week, tomorrow, ten years or more. He didn’t know. Whenever they wanted to visit they could, but he knew they weren’t going to. Not for a long time.
Not after what happened.
Bringing up his hands, Tony dug them into his pockets so no one could see them shaking. He slowly strolled over to where everyone else was, joining the farewell party. He could see, with amazement, as Rhodey lowered his crutches, gently bent down, falling to one knee as he offered a goodbye hug to each pony. Even Spike. Tony managed a short smile at that.
After they said what needed to be said, they approached Stark of all people, which surprised him for a second. Formalities and such. They had to say goodbye to everyone. Not like they wanted to or anything. His surprise kept on coming, seeing as Pinkie was the first one to leap forward and crush him in one of her famous hugs. Stark held out his hands as if he didn’t know what to do with them. He caught Rhodes smirking his way. Tony gave him the finger.
And he hugged her back.
One after the other, surprise kept on piling on. He would think that Fluttershy or Spike wouldn’t dare touch him with a thirty-nine and half foot pole, but they embraced him like it was the last time they’ll ever see him, with smiles and tears to go around. The others were expected, but still quite difficult to get through. Tony felt his eyes burning as Applejack, Rarity, and Starlight offered a goodbye hug. He almost let the waterworks fall free when Twilight stepped forward, but he refrained. He had done enough crying lately.
“So… this is it,” Twilight said. Stark nodded, hands deep in his pockets, gaze falling even farther than where Twilight stood in front of him. “I must say, it has been… an experience, Tony.”
He nodded. “I agree.” His gaze rose, meeting hers, seeing her smile, her tears, her bruises, and her scars. Everything that made Twilight who she was and what she had become. She may have been broken, just a tad, but she healed. And she was better. Just like her old self. Tony fell to one knee, grunting as he did so to meet her eye level. “Don’t be a stranger, all right? Don’t make me come across the galaxy just to fix your crap.”
Twilight laughed. A real laugh. “I promise.”
They both ended each other’s statements in a hug. For some reason, feeling her forelegs wrap around his neck, her chin on his shoulder, it seemed almost as genuine as the one in his office. Stark didn’t think anything could topple that hug, but this came pretty damn close. He also thought that this particular hug was lasting too long. So, he broke away, Twilight doing the same. They lingered there for a moment longer, staring at each other, smiling, and doing nothing else.
Stark did nothing else. Then she turned and left.
“Oh, and Twilight…
Pausing, Twilight spun around quickly, waiting expectantly for what else he had to say. He got up, brushed off his knees, and nodded to her. “Say hi to Friday for me,” he said.
Twilight smiled, winking his way. “Will do.”
She made her way to the light, joining the rest of her friends who waited for her arrival. Once she did, they all offered a short but certain nod. Pinkie was the first to bound into the portal, a smile on her face with every hop. She was followed shortly by Applejack, trailed by Rarity, then by Fluttershy and Starlight. She and Spike waited at the very edge of the light, turning back to Twilight. The Alicorn egged them on with a quick nod, a smile sent their way. Starlight and Spike both smiled to one another, stepping into the light together and returning home.
Twilight almost followed their lead, but stopped. And turned left. There was just one of her friends who hadn’t moved, who hadn’t taken her eyes off the floor. Twilight smiled sadly, patting her shoulder, watching as she brought up her gaze and stared at her. The princess nodded, her eyes shooting over to the remaining Avengers. She followed Twilight’s eyes, sighing and feeling the hoof leave her shoulder.
Watching as Twilight stepped into the portal and vanished into the brightness.
She sighed, adjusting the grip on her backpack, turning around to face the others. They all stared at her, Vision on one knee, Rhodey standing back up, and Tony with his hands in his pockets, his eyes unknown. They all just stared at her. At the only Equestrian Ambassador still on Earth.
Just Rainbow Dash. The last one.
Rainbow Dash laid her hoof on Vision’s arm, casting him a longing glance before she made her way over to Rhodes. It was short, but it meant something, and Vision stood up and watched her. Watched as she slowly approached James Rhodes. Staring up at him, Rainbow could fell something burning in her chest the moment her eyes met Rhodes’. They lingered for a moment. Rainbow was unsure of what to say. What could she say? I’m sorry for crippling you? Sorry for changing your entire life, most likely for the worst? Nothing seemed right in that sense.
It didn’t last too long. Rhodey let go of one of his crutches, sticking his fist out to her. “Hey,” he said, bringing her widened eyes back up to his. “We cool?”
Her words failed her for moment too long before she came back. Striking his fist with her hoof, very softly and so unlike her, Rainbow smiled his way. “Yeah…” the muttered, voice weak and hoarse, “we’re cool. I’m sorry for what I did.”
Rhodey brought his hand back, gripping onto his crutch and shrugging. “It’s fine. Hey, I’m gettin’ a little better every day, so that’s a plus.”
Rainbow managed a weak and very short chuckle. Almost like a quiet scoff. “That’s good. I’ll see you later, Rhodey.”
“You, too, Dash.”
There was a certain unease that followed her hoofsteps away from James. She stepped closer to the daggers, to the unforeseen portions of Tartarus that she never wanted to step hoof in. But it was cold. So very, very cold. The moment she stepped forth and froze under Tony Stark’s gaze, she found the very voice that had managed to stay with her through the thick and thin had somehow left, leaving nothing but the Pegasus to face it alone. All alone.
But not for long.
Tony Stark found himself in the same boat as her, but not nearly as severe. She came to him, so he didn’t have to do much, but it still felt so wrong either way. He found her ruby gaze, meeting her eyes, seeing a quick flash of the bloody and broken pony lying in the cold and frozen cement, completely at his mercy. Completely defeated. Almost dead.
He blinked. “I guess I’ll see you later,” he quickly told her.
It sounded like he wanted to get it over with fast, which she kind of wanted, as well. She slowly nodded once. Just once, and said, “Yeah.”
He stared at her wing, at the bandages. At her scars and the bags under the eyes. At her sky-colored coat and rainbow mane and tail that had grown unnaturally dull. It wasn’t because of the little light they had, either. The portal gave off plenty, and Stark saw barely any on her. Or in her. Her eyes were dull, too, almost lifeless. Like the happy, cocky, right in your face, know-it-all speedster that once inhabited them was gone. Replaced only with…
Well, he didn’t know. He didn’t have long to know, because Rainbow turned and left, tightening her backpack and stepping to the light. But she stopped. Not for Vision. Not for Rhodey.
“Dash…”
She turned back and looked at him, expecting something but receiving nothing. At least for the first ten seconds. He didn’t say anything, almost like he was caught on the spot with nothing on his mind but everything in his heart. He just had trouble of getting it out. A bit of Rainbow Dash, a piece that was still her, actually wanted to know what it was, what he wanted to say that came from the heart.
But what he said was, “Congrats… finally being a Wonderbolt.”
She kind of smiled. Kind of. But as she turned and entered the portal she was crying.