//------------------------------// // Chapter 64 – Elements // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 64 Equus Everfree Forest, Equestria The Tree of Harmony 5:34 p.m. They shouldn’t have been out of bed, but they couldn’t help it. They couldn’t rest. One could argue they felt better already. Twilight Sparkle led her group of friends—of which consisted of those wounded and those not so wounded—into the Everfree Forest. More specifically, near the Castle of the Two Sisters. Even more specifically, right into the cavern that held the most powerful relics in all of Equestria. Maybe in all of Equus. With her stood her closest friends; Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Starlight Glimmer, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike. They all gazed in conjoined awe, shared wonder, and pure intensity. The light of the Tree of Harmony shone down upon them, the individual colors of each Element of Harmony shimmering within the dark cavern. The light blue of Laughter. The pink of Kindness. The violet of Generosity. The orange of Honesty. The red of Loyalty. And the magenta of Magic. Birthed from the very seed of the Pillars of Old Equestria, with the strength and power capable of protecting Equestria for over a thousand years, the Elements of Harmony have always been the final resort to every situation, the assurance that the ponies knew would never fail. Just gazing into the light, the majestic, raw energy that the Tree and the Elements radiated gave Twilight a sense of ease, her wounds almost completely nonexistent. Short victories, the mare closing her eyes and breathing in deeply the moment, the power of the Elements raining down over her and her friends. Otherworldly. The Elements of Harmony were unlike anything Equestria or its foes had ever known. And they would once more be needed when the time was right. “Why don’t we just take ‘em?” Rainbow Dash. Always looking for a shortcut when there was none, always diving into situations head-first without analyzing it. Twilight sighed, her ears drooping and her head falling. Each of the mares wore some form of bandage on their bodies, wings, forelegs, or heads. Everypony was worn to the bone, eyes barely open, bodies barely standing, given a short burst of energy only when standing under the light of the Tree of Harmony. But even that faded. None of them were in any condition to fight, to go to war, to take on a foe like they had once before. Not since the Badlands. Every form of fight within them just seemed to be snuffed out. Like a candle. Except for Rainbow of course, who would kill herself in the end just to prove her loyalty was greater than her own well-being. Twilight had made herself specifically clear not only to her friends, but to the princesses as well that they were only leaving Canterlot momentarily, to check on the Tree of Harmony to see if it was still safe. To see if their greatest weapons were still safe. The aliens never found it. The horrors and shadows of the Everfree Forest managed to conceal its power another day. “The Elements are safe, Rainbow,” Twilight finally responded, her voice still as hoarse as when she left the hospital. None of the mares sounded the same since the Badlands. Her eyes gazed to the Tree, to her Element, a gleam of hope shimmering in her pupils. “We’ll know when to get them when the time is right. I don’t think any of us—in our conditions—are capable of wielding them at the moment anyway. But when we do, when Typhon… returns… we have the Elements at our disposal and the Rainbow Power. For now… it’s best to keep the Elements hidden where they’re safe, away from the public view, where no one but those we trust know where they are. We can’t risk it.” Rainbow was not satisfied with that response, but the bags under her eyes, the weariness in her features fought so heavily against her that she couldn’t force herself to argue any further. Her body, her wounds, every single cut and bruise she sustained in the Badlands inclined her to agree with Twilight. Typhon could return at any moment—in the next day, hour, minute, or even the next second—and if she tried to use her Element against it, in the state she was currently in, there would be no hope. The enemy didn’t know where the Elements were, so that was another plus. She let her head fall, a heavy sigh escaping her when the reality of the situation finally dawned on her. “When is Typhon returning?” Starlight asked, the bandages tight around the base of her horn. Twilight gazed at her star within the Tree of Harmony for what felt like a millennium. “Star Swirl said it could be at any time, and that he’ll inform us when Typhon awakens from the Badlands. Regardless, we’ll return to either the castle or the Tree and have exactly what we need. Whichever is closer.” The other ponies padded the dirt within the cavern with their hooves, some nodding to Twilight’s plan. Others, like Rainbow, were inclined to agree, though still held some wavering doubts on the whole situation as a whole. Not only did they have to deal with Typhon and his inevitable return, but the looming threat of Thanos was still up in the air. He still wanted Vision, more so what he had in his forehead. And he would stop at nothing to retrieve it. Then, of course, there was still the madness with the alien invasion, though it had halted momentarily on Equus, there was no telling when it would come back in full, devastating force. So much to think about. So much to worry, to fear, and to dread. “Well, what do we do in the meantime?” Applejack pondered aloud, asking the question everypony was thinking. Twilight was quick to respond. “Vision still needs protection from Thanos,” she said, already hearing the bodies shifting her way, the gasps of air. She spun around, faced her friends, and shot out her hoof to their accusing stares. “Don’t… even start. It’s not that I don’t trust the princesses to keep Canterlot and Vision safe, it’s just that…” Twilight’s words trailed off, leading to nowhere. Her hoof eventually fell alongside her head, a sigh leaving her. Her invigorated spirit, the adrenaline she felt only momentarily quickly died, unpleasant memories arising when she tried to support her own claim. “We all saw what he did to us,” Sunset began, picking up for Twilight, practically reading her mind. Twilight turned to the unicorn, wondering if she really could. “What he’s capable of. If Thanos… finds Vision… in the condition we’re in…” “He’ll walk right over us,” Rainbow said. “And kill Vision,” Fluttershy whimpered. They all found themselves on the same page, faster than they could have even realized it. There was no doubting the very fact that Thanos proved to be the greatest foe they had ever stood against in their lives. He tossed around the Avengers—the greatest heroes the mares had ever known—like they were ragdolls. He pushed around the Guardians of the Galaxy—with a name like that, they had to have been powerful heroes—like they were children. He defeated Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, the Master of the Mystic Arts, like those titles held no weight. He beat down the Defenders—New York’s finest heroes—showing them just how human they really were. And then there were the ponies. Against Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, the Pony of Shadows, Cozy Glow, and even… Discord… they always came out on top. They always found themselves basking in the presence of victory. They always knew what it was like to win. Nothing was able to take that away, because they knew with friendship by their side… “Foolish equines… You’ve known so long what it’s like to win…” They had nothing to fear. “Soon… you’ll know what it’s like to lose.” Twilight Sparkle gasped, head rising. She soon realized she was facing the Tree of Harmony once more, beyond her own motor control. She didn’t want to, but all her thoughts turned back, were forced to face and experience Thanos again and again. Just thinking how him, and his Stones, were able to swat each of her friends around like flies. She experienced that power firsthoof, knowing just how deadly Thanos was when in possession of the Infinity Stones. She nearly died earning that experience. She never wanted to experience it again. But now, one way or another, she would. They all would. When the time came… “What about the Pillars?” Spike asked. The first words out of him since they entered the forest. “I don’t even think the Pillars are strong enough to stop Thanos,” Twilight forced herself to admit. She really needed to force out the words that came next. “You all saw how weary the princesses looked, even they won’t be able to stop him.” “Twilight…” Rarity whispered, almost gasped. Almost in disbelief to what she was saying. Everypony was. “I know it sounds wrong, that none of us want to admit it, but still!” Twilight exclaimed, voice cracking, hurting despite all the medical attention she received prior. It all hurt. It all always still hurt. Collecting herself, Twilight began again, her voice shaking. “Thanos destroyed… an entire volcano… just by closing his fist. This is big… like, really big. Bigger than anything we’ve ever faced… or ever will face. None of us alone are capable of holding Thanos back. We need help.” She turned around once again. Faced her friends once again. “Avengers help.” All of their jaws promptly fell. “You should have told them that when they were still here,” Rainbow muttered, her voice weak. “With the state of things at the time?” Twilight said, shaking her head. “No… no, they wouldn’t have gone for it. But now that things have cooled down for the moment, I believe that an Avenger—or several—would be enough help to protect Vision while we deal with Typhon.” Not trusting in the princesses or the Pillars of Equestria? They shaped Equestria into what it was that very day, ensuring more than a thousand years of peace, prosperity, and protection. They were always the answer to the questions with none, the solution to the problems deemed too difficult for even Twilight and her friends to handle. Star Swirl was Twilight’s idol, the greatest wizard in all of Equestrian history. Was it even Twilight that was talking? But she was right. What was happening, everything that had happened prior, was more than anything they had ever faced before. And they were not enough. “How about Wanda?” Pinkie asked. So out of the blue, so completely random that everypony had to turn to her to see if she was serious. Sometimes they could never tell with Pinkie. Though seeing her expression, her hopeful eyes and giddy smile despite the bandages on her coat and the bruises on her skin, they could assure themselves that she was serious. That her suggestion came from the heart, from the soul, from her stomach, somewhere she knew she could trust. “Wanda?” Twilight prompted, earning several bubbly nods from the party pony. “Yeah, I mean, did any of you see Wanda with Tony and the others? I don’t think so! Which means she’s still on Earth and one hundred percent ready to go!” Pinkie declared, smiling wide to finish off her bold claim. “You’re still just trying to play matchmaker with Wanda and Vision, aren’t you?” Spike deadpanned, crossing his arms. Pinkie blew a loud raspberry, blowing spittle in Spike’s face. “Of course not! Why would you think such a thing?” she replied, still smiling with a rare mixture of innocence and mischievous intent. Only Pinkie could have made an expression. Still trying to comprehend what Pinkie was leading to, Twilight on the other hoof came to terms with Pinkie’s randomness, and found some hardy truth in it. Her head tilted to the side, brow furrowing in wonder and suspicion. “Wanda is… very powerful,” she mumbled, heads shifting her way, breaths silent for her. Twilight lifted her gaze, barely smirking towards her pink friend. “You know what, Pinkie? That sounds like a plan.” Pinkie clapped her hooves, squealing with uncontrollable excitement. The other mares just stared at the two. “And we still might get some other help in the meantime,” Twilight spoke, mainly to herself, seldom to her friends. As she trotted past each mare and dragon, a slight limp in her step, Twilight twisted her neck back. “All right, girls, back to the castle. It’s time to set things right.” That alone raised the spirits of the ponies, Spike especially. After so long, after holding so many grudges, so many horrible memories of what once happened… it was finally time to set things right. Time to get some Avengers help. Time to go to the only world they knew… where they could find just that. Everypony trotted after Twilight with a little more pip in their step, only Spike flying and the Pegasi grounded due to their injuries. But they didn’t care. They had a journey ahead of them, one that would lead to an unforeseeable destiny, with only one goal in mind. Set things right. As they left the canyon that held the Tree of Harmony, they never saw the Outrider staring down at them. Its claws gripped the edges of the cliff, growling silently and watching the eight equines and one lone dragon enter into the forest foliage. It looked back to the massive city of Canterlot, the far more massive shield over it trying to camouflage with the natural colors of the sky. But it was still there, still barely visible. Still protecting… “Mind…” It vanished. Not an eye in the world saw it. Ponyville, Equestria Home of Princess Twilight Sparkle 5:44 p.m. The library was unusually silent. Not a natural silence, not one that Princess Twilight would have loved to hear when she indulged herself with a day’s worth of reading some of her favorite novels. It was a silence she dreaded to hear the longer it persisted. A silence shared amongst her, her friends, and even the AI known as Friday. It was a silence that rested only in the unknown, the fear of it, the inky blackness of doubt that led to an unknown destiny. They all stood within it, like an ocean rising up straight to their necks, trapping all of them in that unnatural silence. Threatening to drown them. They all stood within it while gazing at the shimmering portal in Twilight’s library. Leading the group of ponies and Spike was Twilight herself, her expression hardened to a fine point, jaw shivering, eyes burning to see the swirls of magic within her mirror portal. Sunset gazed at the portal longingly, wondering just what the world was like on the other side. Wondering if her friends were having the time of their lives during their summer vacation. Of course, she could only wonder that, as the book resting on the stand was not the one to her human world, but the one to Earth. Twilight made that evidently clear with the Avengers logo stamped on the face of the book. Together, they stood in that unnatural silence, watching, waiting as Friday bustled about readying the portal. The AI-controlled Iron Man armor hovered directly over the mirror, settling herself on Twilight’s right. She and her friends watched the AI do her magic. Friday placed the cords she gripped just underneath her chest plating, her eyes igniting an even brighter shade of blue. She fired a beam of light straight to the ground, a hologram emerging where the light showered. And then they waited even longer. Waited for an eternity. Waited for infinity. Until finally, that knowing and friendly voice arose within the light. “Sir, it’s Princess Twilight.” Twilight breathed in… The face of Tony Stark emerged through the light, just as awestricken as Sunset Shimmer was to the type of technology she was witnessing. But for other reasons entirely, Stark gazed through the light, meeting her eyes. “Twi…” Twilight breathed out. “Tony…” “What happened?” Twilight could barely breathe anymore. “We need to come back.”