Infinity Era

by JDPrime22

Chapter 54 – The Mad Titan

The titan sitting on the throne, covered head to toe in gold, adorning a smile on his lavender face wasn’t there.

Except he was. He was standing before them. He was real.

And Rarity screamed.

For as long as they had known her, Twilight Sparkle and her closest friends knew Rarity as somepony who could, in fact, be overdramatic at times. Situations deemed tame enough for anypony to face it with their chins held high and determination in their eyes only thrust Rarity into a fit of dread, sometimes even pulling forth a couch seemingly out of nowhere to mope on. Then came the situations that required her action, more so with the threat of her friends’ safety on the line. With that knowledge in her heart, Rarity could be one of the bravest, kind-hearted, and loyal ponies Twilight had ever known. Such as when they faced that manticore so many years ago, Rarity stood her ground, and delivered kicks necessary to ensure the safety of her friends.

The moment the Mad Titan himself stepped forth into the Badlands, it was a moment unlike anything the girls had ever seen or heard from their friend. They never heard her scream so loud, fill the screech with so much pent-up emotion, pain, and worst of all, terror. It was a moment that Twilight and the others actually had to physically calm her down, the snow-white unicorn constantly trying to backpedal away, her horrified eyes refusing to look anywhere except where the Titan stood. She shook her head in disbelief, every intake of air released as just more and more screams. It was so loud it split through the air, cut it in half and earned the attention of the Avengers, Defenders, Guardians, Master of the Mystic Arts, and Punisher.

… As well as Thanos.

As the mares tended to Rarity, trying to keep her from fleeing, constantly holding her down and trying to talk some sense into her, it was a pristine moment for Twilight and the others to observe once more the cause of her blight. The cause for Rarity’s fear. The cause…

He stood at an intimidating eight feet or so, though it was difficult to tell considering his distance from the group. His attire consisted of a gold and blue garment decorated with intrinsic design, his black pants and boots not as well decorated. A large blade rested on his backside, Twilight dreading to think what he intended to do with it. His skin was a light violet, either scars or birth deformities upon his face, bald head, chin, and shoulders. Twilight turned from his massive biceps lower to his left forearm and hand, where a golden glove remained with three gems glowing dully on it. One blue, the other purple, and the last one red. His eyes—for whatever reason—seemed to be the worst of all, and what Twilight presumed to be Rarity’s source of fear. She couldn’t deny that she felt a shiver race across her spine when she met his gaze.

The color of his irises was not uncommon, a light blue in his twin orbs. It wasn’t the color that struck Twilight close to her heart, it was what was held within it. An unknown malice, a prudent step closer to the edge of madness lied within his gaze. Yet there was something else. Strength, maybe, an unwillingness to surrender. A complete lack of fear and filling the empty void with intimidation, a look mastered over many, many years. Whoever he was, wherever he came from, he had experience. He had seen horrors beyond that of Equus. And to many, to Rarity and Twilight especially, that was terrifying.

Because it showed that he overcame it and stood smiling before them.

Rarity’s cries were silenced only when the Titan eyed the mares—right through Twilight and centering his gaze solely on the unicorn. Rarity stood panting, eyes widening once the Mad Titan finally spoke, addressing her…

“Shhh… he’s resting.”

Only Rarity’s uncontrolled panting remained within the ears of the ponies, that and the constant shrieks and cries of the hundreds of serpents arisen from the valleys of the Badlands. The Avengers, Defenders, Guardians, Doctor Strange, and Frank Castle hardly fared any better. Some, like the Guardians—mainly Gamora—stood with looks of dread on their faces. The Defenders were somewhat indifferent, still trying to recover from the madness that occurred earlier with the serpent attacking them. The presence of the towering alien just added to their confusion. They stood ready all the same, Danny Rand tightening his right fist as he rested on one knee. Doctor Strange and Castle each shared a quick glance before returning those eyes to the Titan, uncertainty in each, yet growing unease quickly rising. The Avengers seemed just as lost. All except for three…

Vision, Thor… and Tony Stark.

The Mind Stone had warned Vision prior of the threat soon to befall them, and he gazed with as much trepidation as he felt in his mind. Thor tightened his palms into fists, electricity dancing across his knuckles once he laid his eye on the one responsible for slaughtering half his people, causing the deaths of his best friend and allies. He stood before them, before him, soon to feel the full wrath of the God of Thunder.

But as for Stark…

He saw more than just the purple skin or the golden gauntlet. He saw more to the intimidating presence the alien titan practically radiated. He saw more because he knew more, because he was cursed with that single image of the Mad Titan himself hanging within his mind and soul. Because he was tortured with that, because he knew there was something more to the alien invasion of New York six years ago, and with even more dreaded knowledge given to him by Bruce Banner, Tony was certain the one standing before them was…

“Stark…”

Tony forced himself to break away from the Titan and looked to Thor.

Odinson breathed cautiously, nodding his head once, never turning his last eye away from who stood before them. “That’s him.”

It was him.

Thanos.

Tony Stark slowly turned his head back to look towards him, just as much fear and dread in his eyes as Gamora. Together, they all stared onto Thanos, the Mad Titan several yards away, observing the landscape before him and the twenty-five individuals he came across in the Badlands. It took a moment or two for Stark to realize that he didn’t come alone.

Thanos’ eyes trailed across the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, lingering on his daughter a moment longer before finally settling on the eight mares once more. He instantly noticed how tense the unicorn became, her friends by her side keeping her still, whispering sharp words of ease and comfort to her. Yet they never took their eyes off him. None of them could. His eyes trailed longer before finally settling on the yellow Pegasus with the long, pink mane. The most meager and pathetic sight before him, amongst all eight of them. She was the one.

“Fluttershy, is it?”

Heads swiveled accordingly, eyes landing on the Pegasus called by name from the Titan. Fluttershy, flinching at first, almost proceeded to back away, but stood her ground and offered what could barely be called a nod. It was more than enough of an answer for Thanos.

Bringing forth his left hand, Thanos held it out for them to fully recognize. He stared only at Fluttershy, saw the horror grip her features when she saw. Thanos’ expression was as hard as stone, never breaking away from the Pegasus when he said, “His last wish was to see you one more time.”

Fluttershy gasped, hoof rising to cover her mouth, tears leaking from her eyes.

It was the first moment that Twilight and the others finally realized that Thanos hadn’t come alone. They were so enamored, so horrified by the Titan’s presence that they failed to realize that the limp form of the Spirit of Chaos lied within the grasp of Thanos, gripped tightly by his neck with the Infinity Gauntlet.

Thanos held out Discord for all to see and pay witness. He remained silent for the following moments, letting Discord speak for himself, see the ponies he loved and pay his final bargain. The draconequus could barely do that, the persistent pain from the Power Stone still lingering both outside and inside his body. His skin was burnt, violet scorch marks pockmarked across his body. His tail was completely gone, nothing but flakes of purple ash falling from it. When he lifted his head, he struggled to do so. The first thing he saw—the only thing he truly wanted to—was Fluttershy.

He saw every second of her pain as she gazed upon him. Discord’s facial features flinched as his body constantly felt like it was burning. Despite such agony flushing through him, he still forced himself to speak. To speak to her. “Fluttershy…”

The Pegasus gasped once more, her eyes burning. “Discord…” Even some of Fluttershy’s friends stood in utter shock. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were especially unique, not really having the strongest relationship with the draconequus. But even they could hardly stand to see him in such turmoil. Twilight, as well, stood frozen, jaw agape, unable to process what she was witnessing.

It only got worse.

Discord blinked, slowly shaking his head. To Twilight, to the Avengers, and especially to Fluttershy. He apologized to them. For his failure. For everything. “I… I’m sor—”

That apology was cut short by Discord’s screams of agony. That, and the Power Stone glowing violently against the Infinity Gauntlet. The mares flinched back, Fluttershy crying out, crying Discord’s name, being held back by Rainbow herself who was even managing to struggle to hold back her fellow Pegasus when it happened. When Discord’s eyes glowed viciously purple and he gave his final cry…

When Thanos crushed his gauntlet into a fist, the strength of the Power Stone incinerating and crushing Discord until he was a pile of dead, burning rock by his feet.

And the rest was silence. Ignoring the cries from the meager Pegasus, Thanos slowly looked to the Infinity Gauntlet and opened his palm. “I can now say it's been a pleasure,” he said, staring longingly—almost sadly—at the fading dust from his gauntlet. The last remnants of the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.

The last of Discord.

He stomped on the rock that once was Discord, smashing the stones beneath his feet as he proceeded forward, closer to the group. As expected, the ponies were practically paralyzed, staring in disbelief to what Thanos had just done. Discord, one of the Elements of Harmony’s greatest foes and one of—if not the greatest threat Equestria had ever seen was held within Thanos’ grasp like he was nothing. And just as he was nothing, Thanos murdered him without a second thought. He killed him. He actually did it. He actually killed the Spirit of Chaos, something Twilight once believed to be an impossible feat. Whoever Thanos was… he was far, far worse than what she was told or could have imagined.

And he was moving right for them.

Ignoring the reduced crying from the Pegasus, Thanos turned instead to focus on the others. He gazed to the Avengers—Earth’s Mightiest Heroes—and almost chuckled when he saw them for himself. Two men in metal suits, a child, a certain God of Thunder, and his target. The one with the Mind Stone. A pitiful excuse for heroes. His gaze lingered for a moment on the Iron Man, Thanos smirking to Thor, before he finally rested his eyes to the Guardians of the Galaxy.

To her. Smiling at that, Thanos said, “Hello, daughter. So, these are your friends.”

Gamora took a defensive position, gripping Godslayer even tighter than before, watching her father approach them slowly. Then, in an act of foolish bravery, Peter Quill moved in front of her and shouted, “Back off, Grimace!”

Thanos smiled, clenching the Gauntlet. “Ah, the boyfriend,” he observed, interest in his tone, covered heavily by malice. He continued to move.

Peter pulled out his gun, saying, “I swear to God, I will blow that nutsack of a chin right off if you take one more step.”

Thanos stopped. He would humor Quill for the brief moment. Not once did he feel even a morsel of worry, nor could he believe that Quill could hurt him. He believed he would try, but that's all he could believe of the Star-Lord. He, like the many that stood before him, were as about as pathetic as he could’ve imagined, perhaps even more so. Yet perhaps the most disgraceful sight was once more that of the ponies. He had seen many races, many creatures of the universe he had saved from extinction, and all were more intimidating than the equines that stood before him. He looked to Twilight, at her pale, almost sick expression. He mostly saw the horror, looking from Discord’s remains, to the serpents constantly moving about miles away, and finally back to Thanos. Again and again and again. She met his eyes, almost faltering to them.

When he gazed into her, he saw something he hadn’t expected: strength. She, more so than the others, held a certain and powerful strength deep within her. She didn’t show it, certainly, but it was there. She was their leader. The Alicorn amongst them was their leader. A worthy opponent, maybe. Hopefully something more than that.

Thanos smiled. Twilight shuddered under that, her chest rising and falling rapidly, watching as Thanos spoke to her. “You’re curious, little one. Afraid of the snakes? These serpents… they’ve finally found their home. A home your rulers have torn asunder.”

He looked back to the Badlands, to the serpents towering over it, to Mount Tartarus continuously spewing its sickness into the atmosphere. Such chaos from a living world, the storm even more so. A world that was once beautiful… taken away by forces beyond its control.

Beyond his control.

“You see the truth of it all,” Thanos continued, facing forward once again to ignore painful memories. “It’s terrifying… turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end… will you continue to hide from the face of truth? You see now that there’s no power, no amount of lies or deceit one could concoct to keep the world hidden from what lies beneath. I trust you’ll find out soon enough of what truly awaits you… and you would be willing to face it.”

Twilight couldn’t really tell if she was listening deafly to his words or actually absorbing them. Her mind kept thinking back to what they were warned about. She gazed to the gauntlet, saw the glowing gems upon it. Three gems. Bruce Banner said he already had three Stones. Thor’s words earlier… made sense now.

“You’re Thanos,” Twilight stated through her bated breaths. Sunset and Starlight both gulped silently, never taking their eyes off of the Mad Titan. Applejack narrowed her gaze, trying to show strength through the growing worry in her eyes. Fluttershy’s own widened at that revelation, the name reoccurring to her from the horrors that Thor and Banner mentioned. Even Rainbow seemed spooked by that, she and Pinkie the most uncertain out of the bunch. Not knowing whether to stare into the face of terror itself with courage, a smile, or something else entirely.

Rarity couldn’t stop shaking. She couldn’t stop staring. She couldn’t stop seeing the horrible visions. Thankfully, Thanos didn’t look at her again, nodding to Twilight’s answer.

“Observant. Smart. Ideals to live by,” Thanos remarked. He turned his head from the ponies and onto the Guardians once more, shifting over to Thor… and the one who stood behind him. “I see you’ve brought me my Stone.”

The Vision stiffened at that remark, Thanos looking to him. More accurately, at what remained within his forehead. Thanos stomped forward, staring only at Vision with each step closer. “Only three to go and the universe will be saved.”

When he stated that ominous remark to himself, he raised his left forearm and crushed his palm into a fist, the Space, Power, and Reality Stones gently glowing. Three other indents remained barren, one above the pinky finger, the other the thumb, and the last and largest on the face of the Infinity Gauntlet. To his continued amusement, they broke the line of sight Thanos held with Vision, standing their ground between him and the Mind Stone.

Thanos stopped as well. His brow slowly hardened, as well as his gaze, on those who stood in the path to salvation. “Who are you to deny the survival of existence itself?” he asked.

“Who are you to determine how the universe should live?” Murdock questioned, Jessica and Luke looking to him, almost in disbelief to hear him speak out to the Mad Titan. Danny never turned away from Thanos, his glare almost as heated the increasing heat in his right fist.

Thanos found their resilience both as a nuisance and a grateful challenge. He respected them a pinch more for deciding to stand—not lie down—for what they believed in. And like so many more, they would die for those beliefs. “I’m the only one who can determine that,” Thanos responded, looking away shortly. “At least I’m the only one… with the will to act on it.”

They remained where they were, defending their friend. Refusing to move.

“Foolish children, it’s a simple calculus,” Thanos said, facing mostly Gamora when he said it. “This universe is finite, its resources finite. If one consumes, another starves, and it only grows from there. Like a virus. Like a cancer. With all six Stones I could simply snap my fingers…”

He did just that, the snap reverberating from his right hand much louder and more profound than the mares had anticipated, causing half of them to flinch. Gently lowering his hand, Thanos looked to all of them that time, his eyes far beyond the point of serious. What he spoke of he believed with a fervent passion, every word like lust to him, prophetic in scope and as powerful to boot.

“And the universe would be saved,” he finished.

Not once did his teachings of truth reach them as he would have hoped. Especially his daughter, who continuously rebelled against him since the day he saved her. Today was no different, Gamora looking to her father with pain, hatred, and simple disgust in her eyes. “Because you’ll kill half of everything,” she stated with a stutter in her tone.

“At a cost, yes,” Thanos said, his right hand resting on his knee, his boot pressed against a piece of abandoned rock. He looked down, his lips pursing at the painful memories. If his words wouldn’t convince them, then maybe the sight of the truth would. Lifting the Gauntlet, the Reality Stone shimmered brightly, a flush of red overcoming the landscape, the air, and the very world that they stood upon.

The ponies could only watch as their world was shifted, changed in reality to that of a healthy, alien landscape. Once the red wave washed over them, they could see nothing but towering structures hovering in the distances, star-like in design and fully functioning with life bustling about in the streets passed Thanos. It was one of the most beautiful and magnificent sights Twilight or any of the ponies had ever seen, a living, breathing alien world before them.

A world that belonged to the one they feared.

“But my world of Titan was lost because I failed to follow what I believed. I failed to follow my destiny and it cost me everything,” Thanos explained. He dropped his left hand the second his head fell sullenly, the power of the Reality Stone vanishing and removing the false view of reality. The Badlands returned, the serpents returned, and Mount Tartarus returned, all as horrible and wretched as before. “My people… gone. My world… a desolate wasteland. The Cleansing will require the greatest cost of all, as well as the hardest choice that comes with it.”

“And then what?” Doctor Strange finally asked.

Raising his head, Thanos met the stare of the Sorcerer Supreme. “I finally rest,” he replied, head swiveling to the right. “Watch the sun rise on a grateful universe.”

Thanos gazed to the east, to the rising sun and planet Earth slowly coming into view above it. Its warmth, its giving life rested upon the two worlds. Two worlds sickened with population, still destined to die like Titan if he did nothing. As well as the rest of the universe, a universe that sun shone upon. A universe… that was still in danger of extinction.

He let his head fall, his eyes gazing sullenly once more to the dirt and sand of the wasteland. “The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

To the continued surprise of the mares, they watched as Doctor Strange was the first among them to step forward, past every Avenger, Defender, Guardian, and pony. Past them and standing before Thanos with resilience, with strength, with power Twilight really wished she had right about then. He shot out his hands, sparks shooting out from his palms. “I think you’ll find our will… equal… to yours.”

A pair of Tao Mandalas appeared on each of his fists, the Master of the Mystic Arts glaring at the Mad Titan and willing to fight, willing to stand up and prevent universal genocide. And thankfully, he wasn’t the only one.

The team readied themselves. Stark and Parker’s masks materialized over their heads and their eyes lit up a bright blue. Rhodes’ lifted up his arms, machine guns emerging from his wrists. The War Machine armor unveiled several rocket launchers and the minigun rising from his shoulder to focus on the Titan. The Vision tightened his fists, the Mind Stone glowing fiercely. Thor did the same, the roar of thunder high over their heads, his forearms shooting currents of electricity towards the earth.

The Guardians of the Galaxy followed suit, Quill pulling out his second Quad Blaster. Gamora held out Godslayer, the blade focused solely on Thanos and his throat. Mantis gulped, stepping back behind Drax who pulled out both of his short knives, gripping each tightly. Rocket growled, aiming his rifle right for the Mad Titan. Groot glared at the Titan.

The Defenders were almost hesitant, but were ready nonetheless. Daredevil’s grip on his billy clubs were as hard as ever, his breathing increasing, staring only onto the burning Titan. Luke Cage cracked his knuckles. Iron Fist stood up, his right fist glowing a bright gold. Jessica Jones remained somewhat uncertain, but stood ready for anything anyways, the burning wind tugging at her hair. The Punisher lifted his assault rifle, finger on the trigger.

The eight ponies remained where they were. Some tried to look ready for a fight, one birthed by Doctor Strange and followed through by everyone else. They either stood with their friends or watched from the sidelines. The time for watching the fight was over. Sunset, Starlight, and Twilight’s horns burned brightly with their own magical auras. Twilight and Rainbow shot out their wings, Dash lowering herself in a readying, pouncing position. Her glare was horrific, as was Applejack’s, and could rip through steel and reach its target cleanly. The farm pony tipped her hat forward, the brim hardly shielding her glare. Pinkie Pie licked her lips, smearing dark red cupcake frosting on each of her cheeks. She lowered herself like Rainbow, Fluttershy and Rarity standing behind them, refusing to look anywhere except where Thanos stood. And they watched him with just as much dread and fear in their eyes as when they first saw him.

Thanos lifted his head, stood fully upwards and gazed at them. He smirked. “I’d hoped I would.”

He lifted the Infinity Gauntlet and crushed it into a fist, the Space Stone ripping out several rocks straight from the earth surrounding him. As they hovered ominously around him, the light shone from the Gauntlet shifted from blue to bright red. Thanos roared as he swiped the Gauntlet across him, the Reality Stone changing the rocks into a flock of ravenous birds. Without wasting another second, he unleashed the birds upon them.

“Scatter!” Stark yelled. His repulsors shot him straight into the air, the energy fired from his palms striking the flock of birds but doing little to nothing against them. He fled as the birds swarmed him, the flock doing the same to the rest of the team.

People shot off in one direction, others in another, but all lost in a frenzy to escape the swarm of birds constantly pecking, ripping, and tearing at the flesh of those Thanos ordered. Gamora was the only one spared, not a single bird touching her, giving her a clear shot straight for Thanos. That’s what she did. With Godslayer in hand, Gamora screamed every step of the way, charging her father and leading her attack blade first. Thanos blocked the strike with the Gauntlet, sparks shooting off from the swipe. Their eyes met, malice met with pain as daughter continuously attacked father.

And Thanos didn’t fight back.

He blocked her strikes but didn’t dare strike back.

Peter Quill activated his mask, the wave of blue overcoming his face and unveiling the glowing red eyes of his helmet. He flew into the air with his Jet Boots, fired continuously into the swarm of birds trailing him and Stark. The Vision flew off in the distance, the power of the Mind Stone easily tearing through the birds and destroying them in a mist of red, confirming they weren’t real, but a false reality concocted by Thanos. Vision continued to do so, spreading the golden beam from flock to flock, effectively killing each bird until very little remained. With them dealt with, Star-Lord looked down to see Gamora facing Thanos alone. He didn’t think anymore and flew straight for the Titan, firing relentlessly from his Quad Blasters.

The blasts hit Thanos in the back and shoulder, the Titan only grunting from the impact of the shots. He looked up, watched as not only Quill but Iron Man, War Machine, and Spider-Man flew towards him, Parker attached to Rhodes’ underside by a strand of web. Looking away caused Thanos to nearly miss the Destroyer sliding forward. He wasn’t ready when Drax sliced at his leg with his dagger, the Mad Titan roaring at that and swinging low for Drax. The Guardian blocked Thanos’ attack with his own forearm and wavering strength, engaging the one who killed his family. At long last.

In the distance, watching the fight unfold, the Punisher, Groot, Mantis, and Rocket all stumbled behind a large hill of rock and sand. Castle, after removing his long, black trench coat, settled his bag of weapons to the side, alongside his assault rifle. Rocket settled on the top of the hill, belly against it, aiming down the sights of his laser rifle as he centered the crosshairs on Thanos. Groot and Mantis were behind him, looking from Rocket to Thanos again and again, Groot on edge as any teenager would be.

“Stay close to me, Groot!” Rocket ordered, reloading his rifle and charging it up, never taking its crosshairs off of the Titan attacking his friends. Cocking the rifle, the weapon revving up, Rocket grinned and gazed down the sights. “Let’s show this purple asshole what happens when you mess with the Guardians—”

A Marine Scout Sniper Rifle was placed on Rocket’s right, the raccoon looking over to see Frank Castle lying on his stomach just as Rocket was. He wore only his heavy armor, the skull design hidden by the sands as the Punisher tended to his weapon. Rocket watched him tinker, asking, “You don’t want to get up close and personal?”

Adding his last clip into the MSSR, Frank looked to his left, to the raccoon waiting for a response. “I’m tired of lugging this thing around. Might as well use the last of it.”

Rocket slowly grinned, returning to his rifle. He and Castle both fired from the rocky hill, their target being the Mad Titan. They provided cover fire as Doctor Strange flew in for the attack. Some of their shots hit, most of them didn’t considering Thanos was constantly moving, constantly fighting against more and more waves of enemies. Slamming Drax into a pile of bones from a deceased dragon, he turned around only to be met with a burst of webbing blinding his sight. Thanos grunted and growled, prying at the webs as Spider-Man, Stark, Rhodes, Star-Lord, and Strange went to work on him. Stephen created both a sword and shield out of Eldritch Magic, swinging for Thanos and blocking his strikes. Iron Man fired from above, he and Rhodes unloading continuous repulsor blasts on the Titan. Star-Lord and Parker fought from ground-level alongside Strange. Peter fired two strands of webbing, each end attaching to Thanos’ shoulders. Pulling back, Peter launched himself forward, his feet connecting neatly with Thanos’ chin.

Grunting, Thanos ripped the web from his eyes, giving him perfect clarity of the fight. He used the Space Stone to pull Peter right out of the air, flinging him across the ground and making him impact Quill. Both Spider-Man and Star-Lord yelled in pain and were flung helplessly across the sand, their bodies rolling down the hill. Thanos then turned to Strange, grabbing his blade before he could bring it down on his shoulder. Ripping it away until the magic faded, Thanos kicked Strange directly in the chest. He tried to, Strange’s magic creating a shield just as the kick hit him. Stephen hovered back from the force of the impact, the Cloak of Levitation granting him proper flight.

Thanos glared at the sorcerer, interrupted by more repulsor blasts from above and further away. With the Power Stone, Thanos roared as he fired a stream of violet energy straight for Stark and Rhodes. The energy barely struck them, both Iron Man and War Machine fleeing as Thanos continuously fired at them. The blast impacted Stark, the Iron Man grunting in pain and falling to the earth. Once more, Thanos was interrupted, this time by the God of Thunder himself. Thor delivered a powerful strike against Thanos’ cheek, the added force of the lightning actually managing to launch the Titan through the bones Drax had struck earlier. Rolling several yards, Thanos picked himself back up rather quickly, focusing only on Thor.

The God of Thunder leapt through the dust and smoke, his only remaining eye glowing a bright blue. Fueled by hatred, vengeance, and whatever pain Thanos had thrust him through, Thor used that and flew straight for the Mad Titan, no hesitation or thought put into his actions. Just revenge guiding him. A fool’s mistake. Thanos used the Reality Stone to send a pillar of rock directly into Thor’s sternum, launching the King of Asgard across the Badlands. His body vanished in the dust storms.

Another blast of energy struck Thanos on his left shoulder, prompting his attention in that direction. To his surprise, he could see Twilight leading the charge alongside her friends. The four mares—Starlight, Sunset, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie—galloped beneath her, Rainbow Dash flying right by Twilight’s side. The other two were unaccounted for, probably off cowering somewhere else. Thanos saw it in their eyes, that Fluttershy and Rarity weren’t fit to face him.

They, however…

Ultimately preparing himself for whatever form of strength he had seen in Twilight earlier, Thanos was unprepared for the tackle. Like he was hit by a freight train, Thanos quickly recuperated and pressed his boots deep into the sand, looking down to see who was pressed against him. Luke Cage struggled to hold the Mad Titan, gritting his teeth as he continued to push with all his might. It wasn’t enough, Thanos gripping his shoulder and flinging him directly into War Machine. He knocked James out of the air, both hitting the sand farther off. Watching their descent brought his eyes away from the remaining Defenders, Matthew and Danny leading the charge.

Daredevil slid on his knee, striking Thanos’ kneecap with his billy club. It did little to harm Thanos, but it got his attention. Gazing down to the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, Thanos quickly raised his forearm and blocked the oncoming strikes from the Iron Fist. His fist, as Thanos had noted earlier, was no longer glowing. He was fighting a battle without aid from the Weapon of K’un-Lun. Thanos smiled. He kicked Danny square in the chest, Rand launched back and impacting a dragon bone. He lied within the dragon’s remains alongside Drax.

Watching his friend get knocked aside, Murdock was unprepared for Thanos when he swiped low at him, the Gauntlet hitting Matt across the face. With a painful grunt, Daredevil was thrown aside, lying in pain several yards away. Thanos didn’t hesitate any further. He lifted the Infinity Gauntlet and closed it, the Space Stone ripping the ground ahead of him directly upwards.

Jessica Jones, in an attempt to charge Thanos with his attention elsewhere, was launched backwards once the ground beneath her erupted. She flew through the charging equines, Sunset catching her with her magic and leaving the others to take on the Titan.

They didn’t achieve much.

Thanos clenched his fist, the Power Stone firing a beam of energy right for the mares. They scattered in multiple direction, Twilight and Rainbow into the air, Pinkie to the far left, Starlight to the right, and Applejack ducking and sliding right underneath the blast. Holding onto her hat, Applejack—when she was within range—planted her front hooves deep into the earth, reared back, and bucked Thanos square in the stomach. Applejack didn’t think she could’ve delivered a stronger buck in her entire life. What could usually topple trees only made Thanos stumble back an inch or two. If anything, he was just as surprised as her how hard the buck was, yet it did little to nothing. With a face gripped with shock, Applejack yelped as Thanos kicked her, sending the farmer tumbling across the sand.

Thanos grinned, that smile instantly vanishing once a cupcake impacted the left side of his face. Snarling at that, Thanos wiped his cheek and gazed at the glazed goody, turning towards the source of the strange attack and seeing only frosting. A second cupcake hit him right between the eyes, Thanos wiping at his face with more annoyed bickering escaping him. Pinkie smirked from her attack, looking up and watching as Rainbow Dash zoomed over her. Thanos wiped his face clean, watching just in time as the rainbow Pegasus charged him head-on. He raised his gauntlet, but was mildly surprised to see her kick his left hand away, deliver an equally fast kick with her other foreleg across his face.

Fast, indeed.

But not faster than him.

Thanos reared forward and yanked the Pegasus by her throat, Rainbow gagging at the loss of oxygen. With cruel intentions in mind for the Pegasus, Thanos stumbled forward once he felt the powerful blast of magic hit him in the backside. Without even turning to see her first, Thanos roared and chucked Rainbow Dash with as much strength as he could give right for the source of the magical blast. Even Starlight couldn’t teleport away in time once Rainbow’s body hit her own, both mares fumbling about through the air before they came to a painful crash down the hill.

Blasting the ground where Pinkie stood with the Power Stone, Thanos then focused his sights on the remaining pony, the only one who had yet to attack but was soon to do so. Twilight, with added intensity and vigor to her strength, flew straight downwards, unleashing beam after beam of energy onto the Mad Titan. She fired an assortment of spells, from paralysis to electric, and yet they did nothing to him. Thanos raised his gauntlet, the Space Stone yanking Twilight right out of the air and bringing the princess close and personal with the Titan.

She was forced into Thanos’ left hand, the Gauntlet’s metal plating hard against her throat. She was only given a second to gaze into the hated eyes of Thanos, to cower under it before he smirked her way, tossing the Princes of Friendship across the Badlands with such power that she flew straight for the sea of serpents. Twilight screamed as she fumbled through the air, trying desperately to maintain her flight pattern, to do anything to stop herself from reaching the serpents and their hungering gazes.

She was just about to teleport away when she felt the all-too-recognizable strand of webbing impact her back, followed by the familiar and friendly voice shout, “I got you, Twilight!”

Twilight yelped as she was yanked back into safe and comforting arms, Twilight looking up and seeing the mask of the Spider-Man gazing down to her, the eyes widened to see her safely in his arms. However, that left nothing for Peter to latch onto anymore. No buildings, no street signs, just a fall leading to the hard, rocky surface of the Badlands. Twilight and Peter watched the ground approaching faster by the second, the Alicorn shutting her eyes and Peter doing the same, both ready for the impact. Peter pushed his shoulder out, intent on taking the full force of the landing.

He never felt the pain from the impact. He hardly felt the impact at all. All he and Twilight heard were the strange robotic sounds escaping his backside, followed by the sound of metal impacting rock again and again. They rolled until they came to a sudden stop, actually seeming to hover mere feet above the ground. Curious, Twilight opened her eyes and looked about, staring down and noticing the four legs embedded within the ground. Those legs rose up, Twilight’s eyes eventually falling back… to Peter.

The suit came equipped with four additional legs!

Shaking away her shock, Twilight asked, “Peter, what are those?!”

The blues of Peter’s eyes slowly opened, gazing once to the Alicorn safely in his arms and then to the extra pairs of legs protruding from below and his backside. “What are what—Oh, my God, what are those?!” Peter shouted, the eyes of his mask as wide as could be as he finally took notice to his suit’s extra limbs.

Their predicament was deaf to Thanos. He was already focused on other matters, that of his daughter trying to fight him.

Again…

And again…

And again…

Never once faltering, never once holding back. Gamora unleashed every bit of pent-up anger and pain that she endured over the years while in servitude to Thanos. There was a lot of it, which showed with every cry that escaped the assassin, every tear leaking from her eyes as her blade connected to Thanos’ gauntlet, getting no closer to ending but merely fighting an uphill war. She couldn’t take it much longer, but refused to give in. Refused to let Thanos have his way yet again.

She would kill him today or die trying.

Thanos simply refused to fight his daughter. Out of all his children, he wouldn’t hesitate to end their lives if it were absolutely necessary, if they dared to rebel against him. Gamora was always different, always stronger, always more loved than any of his previous children. He trained her to be his equal, to be someone to stand with him when he saved the universe. And there they stood, at odds, against one another, one believing in falsehood and the other in truth.

And both just as passionate to defend those ideas.

Just as he defended himself. Thanos continuously backed away as Gamora unleashed more strikes and slashes onto him, all of which were met with blocks from her father. Noticing the quickly approaching Vision, Star-Lord, Sorcerer Supreme, Drax, and Iron Fist in the distance, Thanos clenched his gauntlet and used the power of the Reality Stone to subdue his daughter. Several tendrils formed from the sand, shot upwards and wrapped tightly around Gamora’s limbs and body. The woman struggled, but eventually fell to the earth as the tendrils continued to pull, continued to keep her restrained. She screamed and flailed no matter what, because she was the fighter Thanos had created.

The unrelenting fire that would see to Thanos’ end no matter what.

With his daughter dealt with and safe, Thanos jumped over her and ran forward, meeting his adversaries before they even had the chance to get a foot closer. Coming to a halt, Thanos rammed the Gauntlet forward, the Power Stone unleashing a wave of energy that impacted the group, every single one of them caught in the wave and falling because of it. Their limp bodies impacted the earth, all except for the Vision.

Who rammed Thanos right in the heart.

With such speed and ferocity the Mad Titan almost couldn’t anticipate it.

But he retaliated.

Jamming his elbow into Vision’s backside, Thanos came to a stop several yards from Vision’s attack. He bent downwards, had to take the punch that Vision sent straight up into his chin in order to fully grab him. With the Vision in his grasp, trying desperately to fight back, Thanos clenched his fist, the Infinity Gauntlet igniting a bright purple as he sent a Power Stone-fueled punch right into the Vision. Almost completely through him. The Vision was shot back like a rocket.

And Thanos watched as he crashed through rock, bone, and came to a stop lying in the dirt. Sneering at that, Thanos began his approach, his sights set only on the Mind Stone and nothing else. Perhaps that was his mistake, not seeing the full picture, not paying attention to the fight and only thinking of what was needed to be done. One step at a time. Right now, he needed to focus.

He needed that Stone.

He almost didn’t hear the Alicorn approach from behind, and was almost unprepared for her. Turning back, Thanos readied for the impending fight, but instead watched as the Alicorn flew past him, her attention, her focus, her worry only on Vision. He watched from the distance, watched as the mares, this time all eight of them, came together around Vision. They shared concern for his well-being, trying to get him to stand, trying to do anything to ensure his safety.

Then Fluttershy slowly raised her hoof… and pointed it behind Twilight.

All of their heads swiveled over, landing on him.

It was just them left.

The Avengers, Guardians, Defenders… they were dealt with, leaving just the ponies between him and the Mind Stone.

Thanos smiled. Even grander than last time.