Infinity Era

by JDPrime22

Chapter 62 – A Moment to Rest

Star Swirl said he was the greatest and worst monster in Equestrian history.

It was a time before the Elements of Harmony. Before the Tree of Harmony. Before the two sisters came together to stop… Discord. Fluttershy winced at just the mention of her friend’s—of their friend’s—name. Before any of the Pillars ever sacrificed themselves to stop the Pony of Shadows. It was a time of chaos, of monsters, of unearthly terrors roaming the landscapes and threatening the lives of ponies, griffons, Hippogriffs, dragons, and many creatures alike. Demented monsters, birthed from the very fires within the earth itself. Hideous serpents and reptiles, beasts completely alien to Equus and its inhabitants.

Beasts that were birthed of fire. Birthed from the very beast dwelling in the earth. Birthed from the Father of all Monsters.

Typhon.

Each Pillar gave their own name for him, each just as horrifying as the last. They tried to mask the dreaded name behind each title, the horrifying truth within the veil of discontent. They never could. It would always return to that name that sent shivers down everypony’s spines. Finally coming to a shared consensus, a mutual understanding that the massive serpent they fought—as well as the several others that emerged from beneath the earth in the Badlands—was actually a part of Typhon… the ponies just couldn’t believe it.

They were absolutely shocked, horrified, and lost in wonderment.

From what they heard, from what Star Swirl and his Pillars told them, Typhon was said to have been so powerful his children nearly managed to take all of Equestria for themselves. With the seven-headed demon leading them, they very nearly succeeded. Had it not been for the combined strengths of Princess Celestia, Luna, the Pillars, and the various races that aided in destroying the beast that tried to steal their world, Typhon would have taken all of Equestria. Easily all of Equus.

His defeat came at a terrible cost. The lush and bountiful landscape where the battle occurred became nothing but a barren wasteland. The heat and toxic air that remained would forever scorch the lands, making them uninhabitable for more than a thousand years. The landscape was accurately renamed the “Badlands”, and no one ever dared set foot or hoof in it for many, many moons. Until Chrysalis and her changelings arrived, that is, birthing the Changeling Empire several years after the Pillars’ entrapment within Limbo.

But even before that, Typhon and his surviving children were banished into the firmly-established realm of Tartarus. Under the veil as a barren portion of the Underworld, Tartarus served as a means of imprisoning all terrible beasts of war, monsters beyond reasoning, and demons from all ends of the world to face their final judgement and prison. Everything that entered the wicked twin gates never escaped, the magic from all races of Equus ensuring that no beast would be able to leave Tartarus’ bonds once they have been tried and imprisoned. Typhon would be the first of many monsters to face his final judgement, and experience torture and imprisonment beyond comprehension for his unholy crimes on Equus. The inhabitants of the Underworld, namely Charon and the Judges, made deals with the rulers above, promising to keep the condemned trapped to face their judgement, and even lead those to their final resting place. One of Typhon’s children, Cerberus, was granted redemption and eternal life, giving all of it in protecting the Gates of Tartarus and ensuring no demon or monster ever escaped the bonds of the Underworld.

And for over a thousand years, that was how things existed. That was the law of life and death.

And now Typhon was back.

None of the Pillars knew how it was possible. Twilight mentioned it could have occurred when Cerberus left his post at the Gates of Tartarus, and that very may have been the answer, but Star Swirl and the others still weren’t fully convinced. Typhon was powerful, but the magic they used to conceal him within the darkest depths of Tartarus was even more powerful. How it was possible would be a question saved for another time. Their only remaining concern was in dealing with Typhon once he reached his full strength, because when he did… there would be only one other power capable of rivaling against him.

Twilight and her closest friends already knew what it was. Something they had grown quite accustomed to.

The Elements of Harmony.

The very power that was used to purge Princess Luna of Nightmare Moon, banish Discord twice, and save Equestria more times than they could count was all that was capable of defeating something as dangerous as Typhon. Star Swirl informed Twilight and her friends that even he didn’t know if the Pillars of Equestria alone were strong enough to defeat Typhon a second time. For all they know, from what Twilight and Doctor Strange explained to him, Typhon may have grown even stronger since their last encounter more than a thousand years ago. There would be no holding back. The greatest magic of all was the only thing that could hope to defeat Typhon.

For Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity, there was nothing else to it than just that. Their bond to the Elements of Harmony were as pure as the magic that flowed from the magical artifacts. Once the five necklaces and lone crown were back in the possession of the six mares, then they would have all the assurance they needed to defeat Typhon. Even without the Elements, they still had Twilight’s castle and the Rainbow Power at their disposal. Every assurance was within their grasp. All that remained was just a means of waiting. Waiting for Typhon to strike, to make his next move and make his presence known to all the world. As the Badlands burned from their battle with Thanos not too long ago, it would be quite some time until then.

The Pillars promised the eight mares and young dragon that they would keep their eyes only to the Badlands in the meantime, ensuring them they would report of any unusual or unholy sightings. And if Typhon did return, Twilight and her friends would be ready. Twilight promised Star Swirl and the others that.

But before that, the ponies would rest. Recover. Lick their wounds and collect themselves. They had been through a lot. Star Swirl and the Pillars sent their best wishes to the mares and Spike as they made their way to Canterlot Hospital. The mere image of Star Swirl, Stygian, Meadowbrook, Flash Magnus, Mistmane, Somnambula, and Rockhoof all gazing into the hallway window and staring at the approaching ash cloud reach Canterlot still plagued Twilight’s mind.

There were a lot of things that plagued her. So much so that she unfortunately drowned out most of the words that Doctor Hoof read off in his final diagnosis of the Alicorn to her parents.

Princess Twilight Sparkle lay in a medical gown, upon a comfortable, snow-white bed within the most secure and sanitized room in Canterlot Hospital. Aside from the newly-patched scars and bandages on her face and body, she was still very much alive. Alive… but not well. An IV stand and heart monitor rested by her bedside, continuously checking her status alongside a small table filled with pain pills and a glass of water just in case Twilight ever needed them. Her violet coat was nearly covered in bandages and gauze strips, covering cuts, wounds, and burns. Her wings were outstretched and draped over the bedside, no broken bones within them but still heavily singed and needing the room and air to heal. As for her face, the bleeding from her nose had managed to have been stopped thanks to the best medical staff Canterlot could offer. Several dark purple and black bruises painted her forehead and cheeks, heavy bags of darkness underneath her eyes, showing not only weariness, but pain and untold dread. Her mane was in tatters, slightly burnt and unkempt, but Twilight didn’t seem to care.

She just stared straight ahead, a dead look in her eyes. She didn’t even meet the worrisome glances from her mother and father. Her weak breathing was shared amongst the others.

Applejack was one of the few mares to remain silent. As silent as she could. Even a farm pony as tough as her, from a pony as tough as nails, cringed and hissed as the doctors tended to her wounded left hind leg. It remained in heavy bandages, blood-covered, several other minor wounds painted on her coat. Her hat rested on the stand by her bedside, Applejack’s golden mane tattered and unkempt. Not as bad as Twilight’s, but hardly presentable. On any normal day, Rarity would have had a terrible fit and tried to fight Applejack in order to tend to her mane. It was not a normal day. Rarity hadn't said a peep.

Fluttershy’s wounds were very minimal. Cuts and bruises alike, nothing the best of Canterlot’s medical couldn’t handle. What required a little more delicate care would be the harm that came from just bodily damages. After observing her behavior, checking her heart rate, as well as her mental state, the ponies in uniform understood the issue rather quickly. From the staff at Canterlot Hospital, they came to the conclusion that Fluttershy had suffered minor shock after experiencing the traumatic events in the Badlands. They wrote it off, offered her some pills that would help her calm down, and left it at that. Yet there was so much more to it. So much more she saw that couldn’t be fixed with medicine. She sat in her medical bed, back pressed to the headboard and pillow, eyes staring straight ahead. Dead ahead. Not nearly as dead as Twilight’s, but just as dreadful. Perhaps even more so.

Rainbow Dash managed to hold her tears in. She stopped crying ages ago, and swore to not show any more tears in front of other ponies she barely knew. It still hurt like hell when they mended her wounded right wing, the nurses assuring Rainbow it was normal to show tears. Anypony who suffered as dangerous a wing injury as her would have been easily willing to show some painful tears. But not Rainbow. She grit her teeth, closed her eyes, and let the doctors do their job as they mended her bones and healed them with magic. The right wing was still numb, even as they patched it up in bandages and let it fold neatly on her side. They assured Rainbow it would be as good as new in a day or two. That was the magic of Canterlot’s finest at work. She thanked them and lay in her bed reading a Daring Do novel for the fifteenth time, hooves bandaged and struggling to flip the pages.

Pinkie Pie played with a bouncy ball, tossing it up and down, up and down, catching it every time with exact precision. Twilight still wondered how she did that. So precise. So completely accurate. Every single time. She only suffered minor wounds, a few cuts and bruises. The doctors said she would be up and smiling in no time, back to her good old Pinkie Pie self. She was as healthy as a horse, as they put it, but she definitely didn’t express it in any way. Her head was facing the ball high in the air, but her eyes stared beyond that, saw something more. Saw something even Twilight couldn’t explain. Another Pinkie Sense, perhaps? Twilight didn’t know. Pinkie wouldn’t tell. She couldn’t tell, even if she wanted to.

Starlight Glimmer suffered almost the worst out of everypony present, minus Twilight of course. The cut over her left eyebrow was worse than they thought earlier. It was deeper, almost got infected from the ash and sulfur dioxide in the air, and therefore nearly blinded her in the left eye. Had they remained in the Badlands any longer the cut would have most certainly gotten infected. That wasn’t even the worst of it. The cut was cleansed and sealed, yet her horn was what required serious surgery. A unicorn’s horn was incredibly sensitive. Too much damage could cause definite and permanent side effects, and in Starlight’s condition, they were once again lucky to have gotten to the medical room in time. The damage wasn’t too serious—thank Celestia—and the doctors managed to get her horn patched up and bandaged in record timing. Yet they warned her of ever overheating her magic without allowing the horn to heal properly. If she did, if she didn’t allow the body and mind to heal within several weeks, then her horn would be permanently cracked. Forever damaged. Starlight hadn’t uttered a word since she was wheeled out of the emergency room mere minutes ago. Her expression said it all. Said every horrible word and fear.

Sunset Shimmer cared only for her friends, assuring the doctors she needed no help and only wanted them to focus on Twilight and the others. They insisted, shutting her down and sealing her up. Minor cuts and bruises painted her face and body, especially over her chest and back where Thanos slammed her into the ground, but of course she didn’t tell them that. Another lie kept to ensure the peace within Canterlot. For the moment, at least. The princesses would learn of the horrid truth soon.

Rarity shared the least of the injuries, yet she was the most shaken. The doctors thought that Fluttershy suffered the worst shell shock. They earned plenty of surprise when they came across Rarity. Very few wounds, instead replaced with a severe state of shock. She shivered like a withering leaf in a snowstorm in her hospital bed, gazing out the window and refusing to meet the supportive eyes of the medical staff. Alongside them, she also missed the glancing glares sent her way from the likes of Rainbow Dash and Applejack specifically. Nopony else, really. Spike went from bed to bed checking on everypony, lingering longer near Rarity as she refused to answer his calls.

The sounds of numerous heart monitors beeped obnoxiously, mixing with the distant monotone voices of the doctors in the background speaking medical jargon. Twilight gazed to her friends every few seconds, seeing a new type of pain flash in their eyes, a rebirth of dread and agony surfacing after more and more recollections of the Badlands came back to them in full force. It hurt her to see them like that. It hurt more than the wounds, the cuts, the burns, the broken bones, and every other vivid and grisly detail that came back to her, showing her every bloody element of her encounter in the Badlands. It hurt more than that.

More than Doctor Hoof’s words of her injuries. It sounded just as monotone as the others.

“Broken snout, simple skull fracture, four broken ribs, third-degree burns, minor blood loss… and one hell of a headache,” Doctor Hoof explained, lowering his clipboard with his magical aura encased around it, allowing his aged and experienced eyes hidden behind his heavy glasses to meet the equally-concerned gazes from Princess Twilight’s parents.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light each shared a worrisome look with one another, once more turning to their only daughter for the umpteenth time in the span of mere minutes. After hearing of Twilight’s dreaded excursion and return from the Badlands from Princess Celestia herself, they rushed as fast as they could to Canterlot Hospital only to see their daughter and her closest friends all wrapped up and recovering. They looked absolutely exhausted, however, hardly any of them paying much attention to their presence, save for Twilight and Spike of course.

Twilight Velvet, shaking her head at the grave diagnosis Doctor Hoof gave them, only sighed shakily. “That’s lucky she didn’t puncture a lung, though, huh?” she offered, forcing a weak smile her daughter’s way. Twilight simply stared at her a moment, turning away shortly and not even returning the smile.

The doctor stared at Twilight’s mother and father blankly, stating just as plain, “I think she’s lucky to be alive. That must have been some monster you fought in the Badlands, Your Highness.”

Twilight only nodded from her bed, her voice raspy. “Yes, it was.”

Nodding in return, Doctor Hoof faced away from Twilight Sparkle and faced her parents once more. “The magical treatments we’ve offered her and her friends will allow their injuries to heal relatively fast, considering average treatments would allow such injuries to take weeks to heal. They should all be back on their hooves in no time, but I advise them to take things easy for a while.”

Nopony objected. Not even Rainbow Dash, who had placed her book down and crossed her forelegs when Doctor Hoof’s voice rose higher than usual, probably addressing everypony present. Pinkie stopped tossing her ball but resumed shortly after the mild pause.

Absorbing that pause, Doctor Hoof returned to the parents, saying, “I… cannot say the same for Starlight Glimmer, however.”

The unicorn perked up from her bed, weary gaze latching with the back of Doctor Hoof’s head. “What do you mean?” Night Light asked.

“The wound to her horn was rather serious. Had it been pushed a tad further, I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to make as much progress as we did. There a things even magic can’t heal, and she will need to refrain from concocting any form of above-average spell for the next few weeks if she wants her horn to fully recover.”

A snort from behind caught all of their ears. Turning appropriately, Doctor Hoof held out his hoof to the bed near the end of the medical room, calling out, “Did you hear that, Ms. Glimmer?”

“Loud and clear,” Starlight grumbled, hooves crossed just over her blanket.

Already sensing her distaste, Doctor Hoof resumed with his diagnosis, checking his clipboard before finally sighing. “As for Ms. Fluttershy and Ms. Rarity… I would highly suggest further help.”

“What kind of help?” Twilight Velvet prodded.

“Psychiatric help,” he replied, dropping his clipboard once more. He turned back, Velvet and Night Light’s eyes following his as the three ponies gazed to Fluttershy and Rarity. Their eyes were nearly glazed over, either staring straight ahead or facing away. Almost like they saw a ghost. Almost like they were the ghost. “It’s quite normal for ponies who have experienced severe, traumatic events to express these stages of shock as they have shown us. Once more, that must have been some monster they fought in the Badlands.”

Seeing the Pegasus quiver and whimper made Twilight Velvet’s heart melt, then freeze when Fluttershy's eyes darted quickly to Velvet’s. That split second almost sent something horrific her way, telling of a tragic tale and experiencing far worse than Velvet ever wanted to know. She turned away, facing Doctor Hoof. “We’ll contact their families as soon as possible and let them know,” she said.

“All of their families,” Night Light added.

“Much appreciated. Now, if you’ll excuse us,” Doctor Hoof concluded, turning to his fellow doctors and nurses and nodding their way. They nodded in return, making their escape from the medical room. Doctor Hoof was the last present by the door, bowing appropriately to Twilight and her friends. “Your Highness. Ladies.”

He closed the door upon his exit, leaving just Twilight’s parents alone with eight battered mares and one worried dragon.

Until only the sound of the heart monitors consistently beeping filled the air, Twilight Velvet made the first move, took the first breath, and had the very first step towards her daughter. Night Light followed almost instantly, almost shadowing his wife as they came up to the very left of Twilight’s bedside. Twilight Velvet smiled to her daughter. “How are you, sweetie?”

A response came. It came in the form of a weakened, worn smile and a broken mare. “I’m fine, Mom. Really, just,” Twilight groaned, arching her chest before settling back in the bed cushions, hissing as she did so, “a bit sore from the surgery.”

“These unicorns in Canterlot Hospital sure are fancy!” Night Light exclaimed, offering a helpful grin as he eyed Twilight’s ribs hidden underneath the medical gown. “Their magic managed to patch you up in less than twenty minutes! That’s gotta be some kind of record!”

He chuckled to ease the mood. Twilight stared at her father blankly, the large bags and darkness beneath her eyes making her look a thousand years older. That’s how she felt, which reminded her. “Anyway, Princess Celestia visited not too long ago, just before you came in actually,” Twilight explained.

“Oh, yes, we ran into her in the hallway,” Velvet replied with a sweet smile.

“She couldn’t stay long,” her daughter continued. “Luna was busy trying to learn as much from Vision as she could, even going so far as to delve into Vision’s dreams when he tried to recover.”

Night Light furrowed his brow, still not quite familiar with the “Vision” character his daughter kept referring to. All he could recollect from him was the stories Twilight used to tell of past adventures with those heroes she used to be friends with. The Revengers, was it? “And how did that work out?” he asked.

“Celestia didn’t know. She said she’ll inform me the moment something comes up,” Twilight said, yawning loudly, then immediately holding her rib cage as a wave of soreness rushed over her. “But we explained everything already, she offered her best, and promised to keep Vision safe in Canterlot for the time being. If you want to know more about what happened, you can ask Celestia.”

She left out the part of Discord’s death, something even Celestia didn’t take very well.

Twilight opened her eyes, fully expecting to see her parents smiling and nodding in understanding. She already gave plenty of hints, yet her father still didn’t seem to catch him. Typical Night Light. Twilight could have giggled at his expression had her ribs not been killing her. “You… don’t want to tell your parents?” he asked, smiling wide.

“Night Light!” Velvet hissed, elbowing her husband in the side.

Twilight chuckled, but even that was a struggle. She coughed into her hoof, gulped down whatever blood tried to arise, and smiled. “I wish I could, Dad. It’s just…” she coughed again, cringing slightly at her wounded ribs. “I think I just need to lay down a bit. I hope you don’t mind.”

Night Light smiled, stepping forward and tussling Twilight’s already tattered mane. The Alicorn smiled through her violet bangs, staring at her father as he broke away. She always loved when he did that when she was younger. Reminded her of better, simpler times. “Nah, don’t worry about it, kiddo. Celestia can tell us everything we need to know. We trust her that much. C’mon, honey, let’s give her some rest.”

Velvet nodded in return, bending forward towards her daughter. Twilight leaned forward, closing her eyes as her mother kissed her forehead, just below her horn. They both smiled to one another, each sharing a warmth only a mother and daughter could share. The gray-colored mare broke off, trotting towards the exit to join her husband.

But she stopped. They both did. Twilight Velvet slowly twisted her neck back, muttering softly, “We… still have faith, if you’re wondering.”

Twilight stared at her parents in silence.

“Faith in the princesses, is what we mean,” Night Light picked up for her. He wrapped his foreleg around her withers, bringing his wife in close. They both smiled supportively to their only daughter, Night Light continuing shortly. “We trust them to keep Canterlot safe, as do many other ponies. Others… well… they lost faith a long time ago.”

That was hardly news to Twilight, or any of the ponies, really. Ponies left the city in droves, possibly somewhere they believed to be safer or with family. After the fiasco with the changeling invasion, with Ultron, the Storm King, the next big threat gave everypony enough of a reason to lose that faith in Canterlot. To lose that faith in the princesses. Twilight, although could hardly blame those who left, was still glad her parents and many other ponies trusted Celestia and Luna as well as she did.

For that, Twilight could smile again. “See ya later, kiddo. Love you,” Night Light called out.

Velvet was next, pushing open the door alongside her husband. “Love you, Twilight.”

Twilight waved weakly to them. “Love you guys too.”

Her parents were just moments away from leaving, not even able to shut the door behind them when the towering, anthropomorphic cat barged into the medical room. The ponies shot up their heads when Capper came into view, Twilight’s parents quite shocked to see him just as well as the other mares were. He carried a large plate of food in his right paw, struggling in balancing the plate of Canterlot delicacies he… borrowed from the dining room’s kitchen. Nearly stepping over the mare and stallion, apologizing as he did so, Capper stumbled into the room that held the injured ponies and Spike.

And everypony stared at him.

The door swung shut behind him, leaving just Capper holding the plate up high and his free paw gripping his coat. “Lunch is served, ladies!” he declared, stumbling around the room and holding the plate out for them, just over the beds. Nopony took a thing. They weren’t really craving any food at the moment. They didn’t really crave anything. It was a chorus of nothingness and wavering gloom.

After pausing at the end of the room by Rarity’s bedside, the usually ecstatic mare once in his presence appearing as nothing more than a depressed, soaked washcloth, Capper stood back up, frowning to the eight mares. Then to Spike. He shook his head to Capper, giving him all the assurance he needed. “Hm. More for me then,” Capper concluded, plucking off an apple fritter and savoring the delicious treat as he plopped it in his mouth.

After munching for several moments on the dessert, Capper licked his paw, pointing it at Twilight and asking, “You mind telling me how you all ended up like…?”

“Crap?” Rainbow suggested.

Capper shrugged, plucking another fritter from the tray. “Yeah, that works.”

Ignoring Capper as he gorged himself, Rainbow Dash’s frown finally began to form. And she gave it a direction. She focused and centered it on the mare to her far left, at the only Alicorn in the room. “Are we gonna keep ignoring this or we finally gonna talk about it?” Rainbow asked, her voice anything but patient.

Twilight caught it instantly, her shivering hooves struggling to bring the glass of water to her lips. Her horn—although not as damaged as Starlight’s—still needed time to recover. Taking a small sip, Twilight laid the glass on the stand next to her bed, the Alicorn sighing. “Capper, can you keep a secret?”

“More like the truth,” Sunset grumbled, fumbling with the bandages she didn’t need.

“Well, AJ did tell me all about lying,” Capper replied. Twilight’s expression was all the response he needed to that remark. Applejack’s was even worse. He took a seat on one of the many chairs resting by the opposite wall. He set the plate down to the empty chair on his right, shaking his paws to Twilight. “I’m sorry. Yes, I can. Go on ahead.”

His assurance was spoken to Twilight, but it was given to everypony. That was more than enough for Rainbow to address the elephant in the room. “Okay,” Dash broke in, shattering the near-silence with her raspy, aggravated voice. It only further shocked everypony, Spike and Capper especially, when she said it. “Why the buck did Rarity screw everything up?!”

Spike took a step back, almost like he was slapped right in his scaly cheek. He turned instantly to Applejack, almost ready for her to shut Rainbow down, tell her she was being cynical, looking for somepony to blame. Only Applejack shared her exact same expression. All frowns and fiery eyes centered on the unicorn at the end of the room. Others, like Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Sunset, and Starlight didn’t share similar expressions, but didn’t object to Rainbow’s outburst. They just dropped their heads, their eyes, and stared sadly at their blankets. Even Twilight, which surprised Spike the most.

He turned instead to Rarity, in hopes for an explanation. Her back was still trained to him, to everypony, her deep purple mane in shambles. Rarity would have never let that be. She was being silent for more reasons still unknown.

“What?” Capper asked, his voice almost sounding numb.

Rainbow didn’t hold back. Not one bit. She nearly leaped out of her bed, the covers falling from her lap as she did so. “We were this close to getting that gauntlet off of Thanos’ greasy hand. And we almost did, because I had to act where Rarity didn’t! But even then, there was no way for Fluttershy to hold him with the Stare any longer! Face it! We lost because of her!”

She jabbed her hoof to the far right, to the very end of the medical room. Everyone’s eyes shifted over—lingered on Fluttershy’s frozen expression—then settled on the alabaster unicorn. Rarity even managed to rise from her bed, spin around, and face the accusation head-on. Her eyes were beet red, clearly offended and hurt, but still held something even worse than that. Pure, raw emotional distress. Spike saw it all and knew there was something more. He knew something else must have happened, because the Rarity he knew would never willfully cause her friends to fail.

Willfully. Maybe that was the key word.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Capper interrupted, shaking his paws. “Hold up now! First of all, what gauntlet are you talking about? Second, what do you mean by ‘you lost’? Third, why is it Rarity’s fault? And fourth—”

“Who’s Thanos?”

Capper, Spike, and everypony else turned to Twilight. Saw the dead expression. Saw everything they either knew or didn’t want to. Just the tone of her voice was enough for them to know she held something else, knew something more about Thanos than any of them ever could.

Especially Capper, gulping softly from his chair. “Y-yeah.”

The Alicorn leaned forward, her hooves pressed to the soft blankets resting just over her hind legs. Her tattered and burnt mane rested against and fell over her skull, hiding her eyes, shielding the true horror and simplicity of it all. All Capper—and essentially Spike as well—really had were her words, and to trust them as best as he could. It was hard not to.

“He’s it,” Twilight replied. Her voice was so weak, so utterly defeated that Capper and Spike had no choice but to believe it. The simplicity in just that statement alone, as if there was no other greater, no other worse, than the one called Thanos. She spoke of him as if there was no other end, no other threat to Equestria other than him. He was it. He was the one. “He’s the one behind all of this. Earth hanging over Equus’ atmosphere, the alien invasions, and now the devastation in the Badlands. All of it was because of him… and what he wanted.”

She didn’t stop. Capper leaned forward, elbows pressed to his knees, his brow furrowed and his expression frozen. Even Spike was seemingly lost standing just at the edge of Twilight’s bedside, looking from Sunset to Applejack, trying to understand if everything that came from Twilight was the truth. Nopony objected. Their expressions were answer enough, more than enough to tell Spike that it was real.

“That gauntlet Rainbow mentioned,” Twilight continued, Spike’s head jerking back to her, “he uses it to collect the six Infinity Stones. With all six Stones, he could become unstoppable. And all he wants… all he desires once he gets all six Stones… is to wipe out half of all life in the universe.”

It was all real.

Capper leaned back, his own backside impacting the chair’s rest and making it creak out in protest. It was the only sound in the room, save for the heart monitors, the ragged breathing, and whispering whimpers. “W-what…?” Capper muttered, blinking several times, still incredulous to the information. The truth. Everything he just heard.

Twilight didn’t miss a beat. Didn’t hold back. She stared only at him with her dead eyes. A voice like hers wouldn’t lie. “We didn’t fight just some random monster in the Badlands. Some monster wouldn’t cause… all of this,” she explained, not strong enough to lift her hoof over to her friends, but Capper understood what she meant. “We almost had it off… the gauntlet that Thanos wore. If we did that, it would’ve been over. Thanos would have no more power. But… we didn’t. We lost.”

“Because…” Rainbow’s voice arose, prompting Twilight to finish what was on everypony’s minds. Twilight shut her eyes, already growing aggravated by Rainbow’s tone constantly scratching against her nerves. She remained silent, refusing to face right and meet the rainbow Pegasus. Face her eyes. As well as he truth.

“Because…!” Rainbow shouted, slamming her hoof on the bed. Still nothing. Twilight’s head fell even further, her ears drooping deeper, her body language falling farther into the abyss. Rainbow snorted, shaking her head. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake! Because Rarity ruined everything!”

“We had this simple plan we all agreed on from the start o’ things,” Applejack interjected, actually continuing for Rainbow in their blame game, much to Spike’s surprise. “Everypony had a job ta do, and if we did it everythin’ would turn out jus’ fine. All Rarity had ta do was help pull the glove off, and she couldn’t even do that right!”

“She just froze up like she was scared of him or something!” Rainbow added.

“Did it come to your attention that maybe she was scared?!” Twilight shouted, twisting her head back to finally face the Pegasus. There was a feral, almost wounded look in her red and teary eyes. Almost like pure betrayal in the finest form. Most of it was directed at Rainbow Dash and Applejack for even daring to push the blame on one of their friends. But some of it… just a little bit of it… was centered on Rarity.

Mostly the betrayal. And Twilight hated herself for that. Rarity didn’t say a word, just watched as her friends, one by one, all gave in and accepted the hard truth. And it was the truth. Even Rarity couldn’t deny that. She knew what she did, she knew what she could have done, and yet she didn’t. She didn’t because Rainbow was right, she was scared.

“You think any of us weren’t?!” Rainbow argued, flaring her left wing out in an imposing manner, the right still bandaged and resting by her side. Even when separated by several beds, the fire between Twilight and Rainbow was as bright and heated as ever before. But it quickly died down, both mares too winded to even argue any further. Instead, Rainbow’s eyes cooled down, her expressions hardening, becoming more emotional, less angry.

“That Thanos freak took a Sonic Rainboom to the chest,” she said.

“He kept standin’ even when I bucked him square in the gut,” Applejack added, Twilight’s head, Spike’s, and Capper’s all shifting over to the farm pony. All almost in disbelief. All growing more and more dreadful with each truth sent their way, each more and more impactful.

“He basically waved off some of my strongest spells like they were nothing,” Starlight mumbled, caressing her bandaged horn. The mere fact that she could have been feeling a broken stump right about then froze Starlight right there. Her lower lip quivered, the unicorn closing her eyes tight, forcing the tears to stay in.

“He didn’t even tell me what his favorite rock was,” Pinkie sadly mumbled, the party horn in her mouth crying out and quickly dying.

“He withstood my phoenix magic,” Sunset muttered, Twilight’s head darting in her direction. And Sunset’s eyes said it all, the unicorn’s head slowly shaking back and forth, her voice shivering. “You know how powerful that spell is, Twilight.”

“He…” Fluttershy began, catching herself and the terrified squeak that tried to leave her. She rubbed her shoulder, closing her eyes tight as small tears managed to escape and slip to freedom, down her cheeks. She calmly breathed, as calm as she could, and began again. “His stare was stronger.”

“You think we weren’t scared?” Rainbow Dash said, Twilight’s eyes returning to hers. Rainbow kept her head frozen stiff, eyes red and wounded, chest rising and falling sporadically. As well as her voice. “I was… but I did it anyway. I did my job. I fought. And I lost.”

She turned away from Twilight’s broken expression, instead facing Rarity’s far more shattered one. “What do you have to say to that, Rarity?” Rainbow asked.

Within that blanket of silence, masked only by the unwavering, painful, and accusing eyes from nearly everypony present, there were those who turned to the Element of Generosity for an answer, finding nothing. There were those who gave in, gave up, and let the magic slowly heal their bodies. Then there were those who were still traumatized from their recent adventures… and failures. Everypony held a pang of failure, a flicker of terror that dared to forge into nightmares lest they allow their minds to wander. Some thought more on Typhon, of the serpent beast that ambushed and nearly devoured them. Some thought of Thanos, his depravity and his insanity. His rage and his power. His will… and his life.

Fluttershy was one of those ponies. When she opened her eyes and unleashed the strongest Stare she could ever have managed, she saw something more than just fear. She saw more than what any average animal would have felt. She saw, she felt, and she experienced everything. Absolutely every horrible deed Thanos had ever committed, laid bare and so ripe she could smell and taste the blood, smoke, and death in the air, just from sight. Just because she opened her eyes and dared to peek further into who the Mad Titan was. That vision, that sight, that terror completely traumatized the Pegasus, Fluttershy only seeing the children who never got to experience a life because Thanos decided who was given the opportunity to live. She saw planets burn, cities crumble, families torn apart, for years and years and years. All in a matter of seconds. Less than a minute. Forged together in a horrific mesh of genocide and legacy. That’s who Thanos was. That’s what Fluttershy saw.

Sunset was another one of those ponies. Though she didn’t show it like Fluttershy had, Sunset Shimmer was still reeling on the memory she witnessed of Thanos and Gamora. The young, alien woman, stripped of her old life and family and forced into one that took everything from her, tried to build her into something she was never meant to become: a killer. That innocent child, parents taken away despite her struggle, lost her childhood. Lost everything, yet was given the universe, given so many more promises that Thanos swore to uphold. That thought still lingered, her hoof rising and gently caressing the rock resting over her heart. Sunset barely understood how her geode worked. All she knew was that it allowed her to see only what was necessary. The geode wanted her to see that memory of Thanos’ specifically… for some reason.

She never told her friends what she saw. She doubted they would understand it any better. Sunset kept in mind, kept it as close as the geode was to her own heart.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Rarity,” Twilight said, looking over to Rarity and offering a helpful, saddened smile to the unicorn. “I was scared too.”

Rarity, seemingly lost in some strange trance, finally broke away and met Twilight’s helpful smile. She wanted to return one. She wanted to smile and grin and assure her best friends that she was fine. She made a mistake and she was sorry. Only she didn’t. There was no mistake to be made.

Earth was brought to Equus. All of their lands were in flames.

Thanos came to their world.

Every hero she saw had arrived. Every pony and everyone.

Just as she saw once before in that dreaded vision.

There was no mistake to be made.

Only destiny.