//------------------------------// // Chapter 73 – Just How Powerful // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 73 Canterlot, Equestria 7:56 a.m. Reality had frozen over Star Swirl the Bearded like a gust of nothingness. A flash of green, a mere moment of realization of his predicament, then Star Swirl finally realized what he needed to do. He focused all his strength, all his energy, all his mastery of spells and magic unlike anything Equestria had yet to fully experience and concocted a singular blast, to break through the bonds of reality and time itself. His ancient time travel spell, the scroll nearly engraved in his mind, did not allow him to reverse the events that had transpired, but instead break them. His horn ignited into a brilliantly bright cyan, the elder stallion still frozen in mid air as his horn erupted. A wave of magic flushed across the street of Canterlot, encompassing not only his entire being, but the rest of the Pillars. Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Every single one of them who had been trapped in time itself. It felt like seconds passed, but the mares knew that wasn’t the case. Thanos was gone. Canterlot was even more devastated than earlier. Everything felt so different. Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground on all four hooves, clutching her forehead and staggering where she stood. Sunset Shimmer shook like a soaked hound, her body trying to recover from the strange type of magic she was trapped in, as everypony was trapped in. Rarity shivered, Rainbow Dash shaking her head and stamping furiously back and forth across the street, darting her head in every wicked direction. All she saw—all everypony saw—was the same thing. The invasion. All of Canterlot had erupted into a bonfire of chaos. The skies were plagued with raining chariots and starships, several burning up as the Wonderbolts and Lunar Guard engaged them in the skylines. They fell like shooting stars burning up in the atmosphere, the roars of the gargantuan Chitauri Leviathans causing the entire capital city to tremble. Above it all, through the ash and fire plaguing the air, the Chitauri Command Center hovered over the heart of Canterlot, continuously supplying the Chitauri invasion with no clear end in sight to their own twisted rapture. But that wasn’t all. Deep down the street back to Canterlot Castle, passed the hordes of Chitauri foot soldiers battling Celestia’s Royal Guard, the very castle itself was locked in a deep battle for supremacy, the undeniable screams from Celestia and Luna sounding off. They were trailed closely by severe explosions from within the castle, shaking nearby buildings and even collapsing towers attached to the castle. Star Swirl gritted his teeth at the sight and sound of it all, hearing the two princesses he had trained since they were fillies crying out in pain, crying out in anger, in battle, in a fight for their very lives implored him to take action and join them. But his duties lied elsewhere, his mind arguing with him and telling Star Swirl they had a job to fulfill, to reach the Elements of Harmony and save all of Equestria. Perhaps that was the recluse in him, the old, withered, angry pony who thought of only the mission, not the ponies who had been willing to stand with him through it all. He wanted to get to the Elements of Harmony. The ash cloud was gone, and he could have begun the teleportation spell to ensure them all of their destination at the base of the Tree of Harmony. But there was no possible way he could have concocted the spell. They were simply out of time. Plus… The screams from Celestia and Luna were only getting louder. Shaking his head, Star Swirl spun back towards Twilight with adrenaline-fueled vigor, the anthropomorphic cat and the rest of her friends standing behind her and meeting the pony’s wild gaze. He shouted, “There’s no time! You must get to the Elements of Harmony by any means necessary!” Blinking furiously, still trying to recover fully, Twilight shook her head when she put the pieces of Star Swirl’s puzzling words together. “Wait, what about you?!” she screamed. “Thanos is going for Vision, and it appears Celestia and Luna are trying to stop him from doing just that,” Star Swirl responded, gazing back to Canterlot Castle and watching it crumble slowly, painfully. He let the slightest shiver of doubt cloud his movements, thankfully not his voice. “The Pillars will do the same.” “No,” Twilight affirmed her stance, stamping her hoof in the street. She shot out her wings, addressing those who stood with her when she said it. “We stop him together. Here and now!” “No, you won’t,” Flash Magnus retorted, stepping forth. Frowning his way, Twilight and her friends only appeared more crestfallen with words he chose. How he worded it. The pain of the truth, the face of reality. “We can hold off Thanos for the time being, but if you and your friends don’t get to the Elements and secure them in time… I’m afraid all of this would have been for nothing.” “We need to protect Vision!” Sunset cried. “And we will!” Rockhoof roared, driving his massive hoof into the street and causing everypony to stagger where they stood. His mighty hoof rivaled even that of the explosions shaking Canterlot, but he subsided, holding his shovel tight and meeting the mares where it mattered most: in their eyes, deep in their hearts and souls. “But right now, we need you to give us that assurance of our victory! We need the Elements in your hooves! We need you to save us all!” Slightly taken aback by Rockhoof’s tone, Twilight stepped away, hoof raised, her voice shivering. “B-but—!” Twilight began, instantly frozen by Star Swirl’s voice. “None of that!” Star Swirl interrupted. A painful exchange of eyes between the two took place, Star Swirl the Bearded and Princess Twilight Sparkle seeing nothing else, seeing nopony else but each other. From what began as a mere idolization, then a relationship between student and teacher, had finally reached the point of more than just that. The two had grown to be more than just a fan, more than just a piece of history to be studied, more than anything they could have expected from each other. Thanks to Twilight, Star Swirl had discovered the magic of friendship, and together, the two had become as close of friends as either could have hoped for. Thanks to her, Star Swirl had opened up, discovered a new world he had never even imagined delving into when he truly believed there was nothing more to discover in the world. Thanks to Twilight, Star Swirl’s life had been given meaning yet again. He slowly lifted his hoof, resting it on his forehead and saluting the seven mares behind Twilight, before falling down and bowing before the Princess of Friendship. Twilight gasped, watched as the remaining Pillars, the heroes of Equestria, her heroes… all bowed to her. All together. All in honor and praise and respect to the Alicorn princess. “It has been… a genuine honor to have fought by your side, Princess Twilight,” Star Swirl muttered, snout nearly pressed to the ground. When he arose, when all the Pillars did, Twilight had already shed a tear. All of the mares behind her, even Capper, looked genuinely shaken by Star Swirl’s words. They were meant to be words of comfort, of assurance, but to them it sounded different. It sounded deeper. It sounded like a goodbye. And it wasn’t over. Without even turning, Star Swirl said, “Stygian, you will accompany them.” Everypony, Stygian included, turned fully to Star Swirl at that. “W-what?!” the light gray unicorn stuttered, hoof rising to cover his heart. Seeing the look in his eyes, praying he was wrong, only furthered his fears. Star Swirl’s eyes were as hard as stone, as serious as they had always been prior. No escape. He meant every word. Shaking his head, Stygian declared, “No, Star Swirl—!” “The Pillars of Equestria will survive,” Star Swirl assured him, laying his hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Either today… or through you if need be.” Stygian grit his teeth, heated tears brimming at the edges of his eyes. “I will never leave your side again!” he cried. To his shock, he gasped when Star Swirl pushed forward and hugged him, wrapped his forelegs around the unicorn and assured him of his presence, of his protection. Of his promise. Stygian nearly collapsed when he listened to Star Swirl’s next words, each whisper striking him deeper in the heart. “It’s all right, my friend,” Star Swirl whispered, finalizing his words with one more tight squeeze. “You never did.” It was the most painful experience in Stygian’s life to have Star Swirl, his closest ally and friend, finally break away from him. He watched, with Twilight Sparkle stepping up by his side and Sunset Shimmer doing the same on his opposite, as Star Swirl backed away to stand with his fellow Pillars. To stand tall in the face of tyranny and destruction, to give that responsibility—that secret burden—of Typhon’s destruction to the next generation, handing off the torch and going off to fight another unwinnable battle. Still, with that plaguing him, he said, “Go now! We have a plan!” “Be safe!” Meadowbrook called. “Stay alive!” Somnambula followed. “And save us all!” Mistmane finished. They were all gone before any of them could object, Twilight and her closest friends and allies watching the Pillars of Old Equestria gallop away towards Canterlot Castle. Some, like Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, didn’t want to part without a hug, without some further showing of their friendship. But even they knew they were out of time. They simply had none left. Which quickly reminded Twilight of their predicament. Shaking her head, breathing again after what felt like an eternity had passed, Twilight turned to her friends and asked the question she already knew the answer to: “Are you all ready?” Sunset, Starlight, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Capper, and Stygian all nodded, some more hesitant than others. None of them were. None of them really were, but they didn’t let that stop them. Equestria needed them. Equus and Earth needed them. The very universe needed them to take action, throw their fears aside, and finish the mission. With that dreaded thought still in mind, still victimizing her, Twilight stepped forth in the center of her group of friends. “We need to get out of here, teleport to the Tree of Harmony. One pony alone can’t do it, so I’ll need some help. Sunset, with me,” she explained quickly, bending her head low after seeing the firm nod from Sunset. She didn't know if she and Sunset alone could generate enough magic to get them all the way to the Tree of Harmony in one go. Twilight didn’t even turn to Rarity for assistance, the only other unicorn strong enough with her magic. The rest of their friends gathered close, ensuring that they would be within the magical burst that transported them alongside Twilight and Sunset. “You’re not doing this spell without me, are you?” Both the Alicorn and the unicorn arose, turning to the voice and widening their eyes when they saw her. “Starlight…” Twilight gasped, seeing that spunky smile from Starlight Glimmer grace her face once more. That rising hope in Twilight’s heart fell when she lifted her eyes mere inches from Starlight’s own. “Wait, no, your horn—” Surprisingly, Starlight waved it off. All the fears, all the warnings, all the worries. Just like that. “It’s okay, Twilight,” Starlight assured her with a firm wink. “We need all the help we can get.” Understatement of the century, Twilight thought, laying her thoughts and worries aside to instead focus on all that mattered. She dipped her head, Sunset and Starlight following, and closed her eyes. Together, all three of their horns began to spark, a bright shimmer of light emanating between all three horns pushed together. Stygian, wishing to be of service, knew he shouldn’t interrupt, knowing with certainty that his magic wasn’t strong enough to aid theirs. It made him wonder why Star Swirl let him go. For his feebleness? For his worthlessness? Each seemed plausible for a weak unicorn such as he, but Stygian knew better than to think of Star Swirl in such a light. To him, Star Swirl knew what he was doing. He always had the sense of power, of knowledge. That’s why he trusted his judgement. Closing his eyes, Stygian prayed to Celestia, to Luna, to whatever god existed in the vast universe to keep his friends safe from harm. And with a flash, through one agonizing cry, they vanished. And Canterlot burned in their absence. Canterlot Castle, Throne Room 7:59 a.m. The doors to Celestia and Luna’s throne room exploded inwards, two forms engulfed in cinders shooting through and crashing against the solid marble flooring, bouncing across the smooth surface, and eventually coming to a rest by the feet of the two thrones. Princess Celestia gasped in pain, trying to rise from the floor. Princess Luna held in the agonizing cry through gritted teeth, shakily rising to her hooves. Neither could fully rise above, however. Rise above the face of reality laid out in front of them. Neither could accept what had befallen their beloved city and their little ponies. Things had only gone from bad to worse ever since their shield was destroyed. What might have felt like the greatest sense of pain either had ever felt practically exploded from their horns the moment the shield was demolished in one, singular blast. Since then, nearly blacking out from the torment in their minds, the two finally came together to hear of their personal guards warning them of an intruder in Canterlot Castle. Just one intruder. Just one oppressor. Both sisters feared they had the same being in mind. They feared even worse to know where that being was headed. Gathering their strongest personal guard, Celestia and Luna proceeded to the sounds of chaos and destruction, finding the most horrific sight lying within the Canterlot Archives. And lying there, the Avenger they swore to protect, the Avengers within their veil of protection, were dead. Wanda Maximoff, her neck shattered, not a breath leaving her. The Vision, forehead destroyed, his mind and his life taken from him by the one still standing. The intruder. The oppressor. The being the two sisters dreaded since they first heard his wretched name. He turned to them, they to him. Then they wasted no other time and attacked with all their might, all their heart, all their strength and all their soul. And it was all for naught. In the end, they fought. They bled. They defended. They gave it their all to bring him to his knees and vanquish his evil from Canterlot forever, just as they had to every villain prior. Just as in the end, they always came out on top. And in the end… The two sisters turned to their oppressor, turned forward to see what remained of the throne room doors fall to the Mad Titan. And Thanos stared at them, all that remained of Canterlot’s will to fight lying in pain, in their own blood and tears beneath their own thrones. Flaring his nostrils at that, Thanos lifted his left arm, all five Infinity Stones on his gauntlet shimmering to life when he closed his fist. He tightened his lips into a fierce frown, ready to end the threat against him and his destiny. He very well would have had the shovel, the shovel of all things, hadn’t flown forward and struck the Infinity Gauntlet. Forcing his arm down, Thanos spun about to face his new assailants. Even to his surprise, he was practically launched from the marble floor when he felt the impact strike his lower abdomen. The force against him, the pony known as Rockhoof, galloped forward with his head held low, his teeth grit, and his power unrelenting as he gored the Mad Titan right into the nearest pillar resting on the wall. Numerous cracks arose from the impact, rising directly up the pillar and infecting the ceiling of the throne room. Roaring at that, Thanos gripped the pony beneath him with his free right hand, tossing him directly ahead so he could get a better look at his attacker. At his multiple attackers. They stood at the entrance to the throne room, the massive doors lying disheveled, destroyed, and in flames near their hooves. But none of them seemed to pay the doors any heed. All of their focus, all of their attention, the center of their aggression was focused solely on him. On Thanos. The pony with the long, white beard glared dead ahead, his horn aglow with that same ancient whiteness as seen in his eyes, as shown on his beard, as expressed in his power. The largest among them picked his shovel right off the marble floor, twirling it with unique precision and stamping it hard into the ground, breaking the marble as a clear threat to Thanos of the power that stood before him. Thanos saw them all. Saw the six ponies ready and willing to fight. Everything except the threat. He stood ready all the same, both fists clenching, but only one holding the power of the universe. Star Swirl the Bearded furrowed his brow, his horn shimmering a fierce whiteness as he fired a beam of magic right at Thanos. One of his stronger spells, some even the higher-level unicorns had trouble concocting, yet Star Swirl prepared and fired it in a matter of milliseconds. The stream of white broke the distance between them, Thanos quickly reacting and raising the Infinity Gauntlet, the beam bouncing off the gold plating and shooting straight up to the ceiling, completely blowing it apart. As the ceiling began to crumble above them, Thanos took advantage of the chaos and shot his palm into the air, clenching the Gauntlet and flinging the chunks of marble with the power of the Space Stone. His target stood directly ahead of him, all six ponies gazing in shock to see the ceiling come rushing down right at them. Flash Magnus blocked one of the chunks of marble with his shield, successfully breaking through the smaller pieces of ceiling in his feeble attempt to reach Thanos. It ended shortly when a larger chunk of ceiling fell right on top of him, crushing the Pegasus right into the floor. Mistmane flashed away, the ceiling caving in where she and Star Swirl stood. As for the ancient wizard, Star Swirl protected himself with a magical shield, a large portion of the ceiling falling on top of him. Somnambula picked up Mage Meadowbrook and charged Thanos alongside Rockhoof, all three Pillars weaving and flying through the crumbling ceiling like clockwork. Once the madness finally ended, a new form of conflict emerged within the dust, Thanos engaging three of the six Pillars of Old Equestria head-on. By Mage’s word, Somnambula flew forward and tossed the Earth pony right for Thanos. Meadowbrook, a fierce form of determination glowing in her eyes, reached underneath her skirt and revealed a concoction of noxious fumes stowed away in a tight bottle. A formula of her own making, meant to disorient and destabilize predators the size of bears. When she was close enough, she chucked the bottle right into Thanos’ face, the bottle shattering and spewing the green fog across Thanos’ vision. Growling at that, swiping at his face in last ditch efforts to block the fumes from entering his nose, Thanos kept his eyes closed long enough for Somnambula to dive-bomb him, the Pegasus driving her hind leg directly into Thanos’ forehead. She hit the ground and slid several feet alongside Meadowbrook, the two mares gazing upwards to see their damage done on the Mad Titan. To their dismay, Thanos waved the fumes away like they were nothing, swiping low with his left leg and striking the two Pillars. Meadowbrook and Somnambula screamed as they flew across the throne room, eventually coming to a painful crash against the wall and window, nearly shattering it. As he blinked away the fumes clouding his vision, Thanos once more felt a powerful force strike him from the side. Rockhoof didn’t let up, unleashing every bit of strength and skill he had in ensuring the one who harmed his friends and fellow Pillars got the just punishment he deserved. Swinging and driving with his shovel leading the attacks, Rockhoof managed to get plenty of good hits in on Thanos, his strength definitely adding to the impact of each blow. Rearing back, Rockhoof managed to knock him further backwards with a powerful buck, the Coltic pony watching him fall to one knee. “Not so strong, are ya?!” Rockhoof shouted with a triumphant grin. Thanos, since they had first laid eyes on him, said nothing. He kept his head low, his breathing steady, as he stared only at the ground. Completely vulnerable. Rockhoof snorted, sliding his shovel back into one of his many holsters as he galloped straight for him. Just mere feet from the Titan. Mere feet from driving his shovel directly into Thanos’ skull. Just as Thanos lifted the Infinity Gauntlet and ignited the Reality Stone. He didn’t even lift his head. Didn’t even see for himself as the marble morphed into numerous pillars of sharpened daggers, jutting upwards with the speed of light itself. Rockhoof, once mere feet from striking the Mad Titan down once and for all—at least in his mind—was frozen in place. Trapped in time, it seemed. Unfortunately, fate could not be that generous. Rockhoof gazed forward with a look of utter shock forever plastered on his facial features, a single stream of dark crimson leaking from his agape jaw. Not only from his mouth… but from his body. From his limbs. From his neck. Everywhere the spikes impaled him. “Rockhoof! No!” Flash Magnus screamed, finally breaking free from the chunk of ceiling that had fallen on him. Slowly, Rockhoof’s head fell slack, his eyes closing even slower. His shovel struck the marble floor with a haunting clang, never to be picked up by its rightful owner ever again. Hearing the cry from their fellow Pillar, the wounded Meadowbrook and Somnambula looked up from where they lay. There could be no horror greater than the kind they witnessed before them, both mares gasping and crying out to see their fellow Pillar, their friend, Rockhoof, dangling mere feet from the ground. Meadowbrook covered her mouth to hold in her vomit, unable to keep in the tears. Somnambula’s lower lip quivered, the mare slowly shaking her head in disbelief. All while Thanos got back up. Flash Magnus roared and took off with the speed of a thousand Pegasi right for Thanos’ black heart. His voice cried out in anguish, in unfiltered affliction for the loss of his close friend and ally. The one who killed him, the one they called Thanos, would meet the full wrath that Flash Magnus brought with him alongside his shield. He came with speeds greater than Thanos could react, the Pegasus driving his shield directly into Thanos’ head. Grunting at that, staggering back a few feet, Thanos readied himself for the next attack, already watching as the Pegasus in silver armor began to swoop down for another strike. He had him. Firing the Power Stone’s energy, Thanos watched as the stream of violet impacted the pony directly, but to his growing annoyance found that the shield managed to hold well against the Power Stone. Thanos clenched his jaw, holding nothing back and giving the Stone all he had. The bronze weapon of legend held strong, but not forever. Flash Magnus felt himself being pushed back far enough to where his wings gave out on trying to push back on the power against him, his hooves touching ground and skidding back yard after yard. Growing anxious, Flash could see several jagged, purple veins growing across his shield, warning him of what was to come. Much to his objection and denial, Flash abandoned his shield and flew out of Thanos’ reach. Just as the shield erupted into a plume of violet fire. With nothing left to use, hardly a strategy left, Flash Magnus followed his only instinct left. He charged Thanos straight away, his approach so fast that Flash knew Thanos couldn’t have any hope of reacting in time against— Thanos, with lightning-like reflexes, reared up his left arm and struck Magnus right in his chin, causing him to veer off into the opposite direction and intention. Pausing in mid-air, Flash shook his head to regain his senses, and when his vision finally returned to him… all he could see was purple. The beam from the Power Stone vaporized Flash Magnus before he could even scream. “Magnus!” Meadowbrook cried, her tear-filled eyes watching what remained of her friend float down into a pile of black and purple ashes. Somnambula gritted her teeth, her lips twitching in that of a feral snarl. She shot out her wings. Meadowbrook wanted to fall down and cry, unleash every shred of agony she felt in her heart after the horror she just witnessed display before her. Instead, she put on a brave face, tears in her eyes as she closed her face from the world. Her hoof rose up and her mask came down. Together, they charged, one on the ground and the other taking to the air. Not knowing what would happen when they reached him. Not knowing what type of power would be needed to bring him down. All they knew, all they could believe in, was that they would do it together. They would be together when they faced the ultimate darkness ahead. And still together, they were trapped, frozen in an aura of blue. Plucked from the ground and out of the air, struggling in the invisible grasp they were in, Somnambula and Mage Meadowbrook stared in the only direction they could, meeting the only other pair of eyes they were forced to. Thanos glared at them, the Infinity Gauntlet raised just below his chin and the Space Stone a brilliant blue. His fierce, unforgiving glare met the shivering, pinprick-sized pupils of Somnambula, turned to the blank mask shielding Meadowbrook’s face. But beneath it, the mare quivered. The mare showed her fear. Pure, raw, unholy and wretched. He crushed both of them. The Space Stone shimmered even brighter, Somnambula’s eyes rolling into the back of her head as she felt her bones snap, her body crumble, and her very being collapse on itself. Meadowbrook experienced the same horrific torment, a painful squeak of agony leaving the two of them. The only possible sound they could have made when Thanos finally released them. His fist relaxed, the two broken mares falling to the marble floor in a heap of torn muscles, skin, shattered bones, and pooling blood. Thanos stared pitifully to the two, hearing the flash of magic behind him and the blast impact his backside. The force of magic that struck him was stronger than the others, aged to perfection, showing just how much care and practice was put into mastering the type of spell fired on him. Spinning accordingly, Thanos’ gaze locked with the ancient unicorn mare standing so bravely up to him, holding a familiar glare he had seen so many times before from the ponies of Equestria. Especially when they were directed at him. As her horn started to die down, Mistmane finally took a moment to realize what had happened. Since she flashed away, she had taken several moments within that veil of protection to ready herself for the oncoming battle, infusing her magic with enough strength to topple the mightiest of foes. When she came back to reality, that magic merely staggered the Great Titan, leaving Mistmane to pay witness to the horror of what she had missed. Directly ahead of her, the torn bodies of Somnambula and Meadowbrook lied by the feet of the Mad Titan. To her right, she could see Rockhoof’s bleeding remains impaled by several jagged pillars of marble jutting right up from the ground. Even further to her right, a noticeable and destroyed shield lay burning, a pile of black and purple ashes lying just mere yards ahead of it. Mistmane’s jaw fell in horror, her mind unable to process what she was witnessing, unable to believe it. It was as if she was trapped in some wicked nightmare, unable to escape, to wake up, to live again. A nightmare she realized was all too real when she found time around her frozen once again. She was able to stare forward the moment Thanos froze time with his appropriate Infinity Stone. In fact, fate bestowed a wicked and cruel outcome for her, forced to stare into the face of her executor as he enacted the dreaded deed. Mistmane, frozen in time, jaw agape with stabbing pain that inflicted her heart and soul, stared straight into the eyes of madness itself. His golden-plated fingers shot outwards, a disk of green energy enlarging and slowly spinning, starting to resemble that of a clock’s face. Then Thanos started slowly, horrifically twisting his wrist and palm clockwise. Trapped under the influence of the Time Stone, Mistmane was forced to endear the punishment Thanos inflicted upon her. And he watched, under his own power, as he proceeded to advance Mistmane’s age beyond that of which any mortal pony could have survived. Her jaw only further fell, her pupils slowly fogging up and the remaining color in her coat fading away. Her mane and tail fell apart, leaving only mere strands upon her head and rump. Thanos kept his face as hard as stone through the entire, horrific endeavor, finally relaxing his palm. Finally cutting off the power of the Time Stone. Mistmane fell, dead before she hit the ground. The piles of marble ceiling exploded outwards, revealing a fuming and magic-fueled Star Swirl the Bearded hovering upon the ground. His cloak and hat waved and danced as if he was surrounded by water, his hooves pressed firmly together as the ancient pony concentrated, finally opened his eyes and unveiled the blinding whiteness that engulfed his pupils. That whiteness instantly faded the moment he laid eyes on what remained. He gasped. Lying upon the throne room of the two sisters, his allies… his friends… all of them just… Mistmane. Her eyes were wide and blank, her jaw agape and her skin wrinkled and colorless beyond recognition. Her mane and tail were barely there, one of his closest and must trusted allies lying like a ghost upon the ground. Lying dead. Somnambula… Meadowbrook. The two mares laid together in their shared pool of blood, Meadowbrook’s face thankfully concealed but Somnambula’s present for all the world to see. Star Swirl prayed no one but himself witnessed the horror of what Thanos had done to her and Meadowbrook, their broken and twisted bodies lying disheveled upon the floor. Flash Magnus. All that could have remained from the Pillars’ most loyal and bravest member was a pile of burning cinders on the floor. His shield, Netitus, one of the most powerful and ancient of the artifacts belonging to the Pillars of Old Equestria, forged in the fires of the strongest volcanoes, able to withstand that fiery breaths of a hundred dragons… lay shattered, burning at the tips of a wicked, violet burn. Rockhoof. Unyielding depravity, unholy treachery, and unforgivable cruelty. There were no other words to describe what Thanos had done to Star Swirl’s dear friend Rockhoof. The burly stallion lay suspended feet above the ground, several jagged pillars impaled through him, his dark blood flowing freely and creating a massive pool of crimson beneath the Pillar. They were gone. They were all… gone. His allies, his comrades, his… friends. Those who chose to stand with him against countless threats against Equestria, followed and waited with him through the prison of Limbo, and gave their lives for the protection of the land they loved… and the ponies they chose to love. Living legends, all lying dead. And the only other one still standing was him. Thanos turned about and met Star Swirl’s horrified expression. Which slowly twisted into a glare of otherworldly proportions. With his mind being set solely on stopping Typhon, Star Swirl never even imagined the possibility of them having to deal with the Avengers’ villain. Yet there he stood, amongst the corpses, amongst the blood and destruction of his wake and yet he still would not yield. The five Stones on his gauntlet indicated that, Star Swirl clearly remembering that he needed six to achieve his goal, six to wipe out half of all life in the universe. Star Swirl kept that in mind. Next to the mere image of his friends who stood with him through a thousand years lying dead at Thanos’ feet. That fueled him. That pushed him. That gave him the strength to unleash everything he had and hold nothing back. The clouds swarming ahead began to electrify, swirling like serpents as Star Swirl shot his horn to the heavens, screamed as hard as his throat and his heart could manage. Tears streamed down his cheeks in rivers. For the loss of his friends. For the loss of nearly everything he held dear. Thanos merely watched in mild amusement as lightning fell from above, striking Star Swirl’s horn and fueling his body with the power from the very heavens themselves. Holding his hooves to the sky, his cloak dancing madly behind him, Star Swirl the Bearded glared ahead, to the only target he had in mind. His horn fired, streams of lightning and pure, heavenly whiteness shooting out with such ferocity and strength that it ripped apart the very marble flooring between him and the Mad Titan. It came with such power that it shattered every window within the throne room, screaming and ripping through the air when it finally impacted Thanos. He wiped it away. He wiped it all away with the power of all five Infinity Stones. A swipe of his left arm, and the magic was gone. Vaporized. Thanos snarled, stalking the lone stallion with slow, cautious footsteps forward. Star Swirl snarled in return, the tears unable to blind him because his eyes were burning with a whiteness like the face of the sun itself. His beard looked to be on fire, the pony moving his hooves about in ancient and wicked ways, unleashing the greatest spells known to ponykind. More so than ponykind ever knew even existed. Two bands of pure whiteness shot out from Star Swirl’s hooves, acting like whips as they shot out and struck the Mad Titan, wrapping him in an unbreakable bond. Thanos clenched his left fist and snapped the bonds with a mere wave of his arms. He continued forward. Star Swirl roared, firing a beam of magic straight from his horn into the storm clouds above the throne room. The magic fused with the storm, pelting Thanos with hundreds of razor-sharp, needle-like raindrops that fired as fast as bullets. Thanos raised his gauntlet, the Space Stone creating a shield above his head, protecting him until the storm subsided. He continued forward. Star Swirl remained unmoved, unfazed despite his strongest spells providing no benefit to him or his cause. He gritted his teeth, snarled as his hooves waved in continuous, ancient dances, forming a massive circle directly ahead of him. His horn began to spark, unleash fumes of black and green, dark purple and red. Ancient, forbidden dark magic fueled his very being, Star Swirl firing a portal with a guaranteed one-way ticket to Tartarus. He almost gasped when the portal reached Thanos, consuming him, capturing him and his very being vanishing from the throne room. A brief respite of silence. Of breathing. Then a blue portal appeared seconds later and Thanos stepped right back into the throne room, unshaken. Star Swirl’s eyes… slowly dimmed back to his normal light cerulean irises, the whiteness gone, his very understanding and beliefs shattered before him. And Thanos continued forward. He just kept walking, just kept that hardened stare centered solely on Star Swirl. Star Swirl gulped. Desperate now, the pony wizard unleashed all he had left. The marble flooring cracked and ripped apart, massive boulders of rocks and marble flung towards the Mad Titan. Thanos demolished them with the Power Stone, mere pebbles remaining as Thanos crushed them beneath his feet. Star Swirl felt a cold sweat building against his forehead, his heart falling continuously into his stomach as the Titan only grew nearer, his strongest spells proving to be fodder against the strength of Thanos and the Infinity Stones. He fired again and again, beam after beam of magic shooting out and being even more powerful than the last. Thanos swatted each spell aside with the Gauntlet, eventually raising it to halt the continuous stream of magic Star Swirl fired. The Titan, the being, the beast, the monster approached Star Swirl, severing the distance and meeting the unicorn up close and personal. With each step forward, Star Swirl’s magic being reduced to harmless sparks against the Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos made Star Swirl appear all the smaller. He no longer hovered above the floor, but stood upon it, his forelegs quivering as he tried to hold what little strength he had against the Mad Titan. Against the very god Star Swirl faced. He shook his head at that thought, considering it unfeasible, how any being could make themselves to be godlike by simple stones. His thought process, his fears and his worries were struck aside as Thanos smacked Star Swirl in the side of the head, cutting off his magic. A painful shout escaped the unicorn. The pain didn’t stop there, despite Star Swirl begging for such. It only just begun. Trying to teleport away was fruitless by the time Thanos snatched his horn with speeds inconceivable to the pony mind. And with speeds just as unrealistic, Thanos twisted his wrist, and in a sickening and horrific snap, ripped Star Swirl’s horn clean from his head. A resulting shock wave filled the throne room, pure whiteness shooting out like lightning that struck what remained of the walls and pillars. Star Swirl the Bearded gaped in silent panic, his gaze frozen in an unholy expression of pain and shock. He almost shut his eyes when he felt the warm drip of blood flow from his shattered horn, but he simply couldn’t. He simply couldn’t move as the shock and reality encompassed his very being. Thanos dropped the bloody horn from his palm, letting it fall to the floor. With that same right hand, Thanos slowly reached forward and wrapped his digits around the pony’s throat. Star Swirl didn’t even move. He hardly reacted. Only when he felt himself being suspended from the ground, his oxygen slowly being cut off, did he begin to thrash and struggle. Star Swirl gripped the edges of Thanos’ palm, shaking and trying desperately to fight himself free. The unrelenting pain from his forehead finally emerged in full-force, the blood continuously flowing and painting his entire face a dark red. Still he fought. Still he resisted. Still Thanos stared pitifully at him, almost offering an amused grin to the pony’s struggle. Especially when he stopped struggling, and with his final, blasphemous words uttered, “You… will never be… a god.” Thanos smiled at that. A closed grin, an amused one. Turning Star Swirl to the princesses, their bodies bleeding and lying in pain, Thanos was certain that Star Swirl was able to see them, and the two sisters him. Luna tried to stand, to approach Thanos and continue the fight, but failed every time. Celestia, on the other hoof, remained in a prone position at the bottom of her throne, weakly lifting her head to see the horror displayed before them, having seen all of it already… but truly experiencing the worst yet to come when her old teacher, her friend, Star Swirl, hung bleeding, beaten, and strangled in the hand of the Mad Titan. By his feet, all the Pillars lay dead. Where he stood, the throne room, the mere image of pure, unchallenged rule in Equestria remained in shambles. And there stood Thanos. He remained. “Funny thing about gods,” Thanos muttered, causing every breath to cease, every eye to turn. To him. He eyed only Star Swirl, then slowly turned that gaze to the two princesses of Equestria. “You make them bleed… and the world will stop believing in them.” Star Swirl turned his head to them, his eyes seeing them. They saw him. All the blood, all the bruises, all the torment, all the unfathomable pain all three experienced. They all saw it. And they all dreaded it. Thanos closed his right fist, crushing Star Swirl’s windpipe and snapping his neck. Celestia’s heart stopped. Luna’s eyes shot open, her jaw doing the same. Turning to the two princesses, Thanos merely stared at them as he released his grasp around the pony, dropping his lifeless body in front of the two sisters. There he lay, the great Star Swirl the Bearded, reduced to nothing but blood and failure. Much like them. Thanos clenched his fists, his eyes falling to the floor. “For countless years, I have seen the greatest the universe has had to offer.” Celestia gasped shakily. Luna gagged horrifically. Thanos lifted his eyes to them. “Magnificent warriors,” he muttered, looking back to Rockhoof’s lacerated corpse, “dauntless soldiers,” the remains of Flash’s shield, “and many, many valiant heroes.” He turned and stared on, to Meadowbrook’s body, to Somnambula’s blood-covered face and limbs, to Mistmane’s ancient, wrinkled, near-skeleton-like skin. All of them unmoving. All of them finally free. “And every single one of them…” Thanos whispered, staring downwards to Star Swirl’s body. To his eyes that wouldn’t close shut. “Every single one has fallen to their knees… before me.” He lifted those eyes once more, the Princesses of the Sun and Moon joining him. “What makes you think you’re any different?” Something changed in them. Something snapped. Celestia slowly grit her bloody teeth, shakily rising to her hooves and narrowing her eyes in a singular, powerful glare. “You think you own the sun and the moon? Not anymore.” Luna no longer fell. She no longer crumbled. Seeing her friends, her mentor, some of the last ponies that had lived as long as her fall by his hand changed her. Fueled her. Gave her everything she needed to stand up and hold herself. Hold her ground. And Thanos lifted his gauntlet, all five Stones glaring harshly to the two sisters. Ready to kill. “Now I’ll show you just how powerful I am.” Celestia gave the strongest war cry she ever uttered, charging the Mad Titan with speeds he nearly couldn’t anticipate. Nearly. She latched onto him, fired a beam of raw, golden energy straight from the power of the sun. She was intending for his arm. His left arm. To slice it clean off. No more trying to subdue. No more holding back. Just no more. Celestia fought and cried and bled with all that she was. And it still wasn’t enough. Thanos tossed the Princess of the Sun aside, firing a conjoined beam from all five Stones directly into Celestia’s chest, roaring as he did so. The multicolored beam of energy struck Celestia in the heart, a shattering cry leaving the Alicorn and sending her right through one of the few pillars that remained standing. Her body traveled for miles, vanishing within the ash clouds surrounding Canterlot and beyond. “Sister!” Luna cried. Thanos spun to her instantly, wasting not another second and firing the very same power right at the younger sibling. Luna shot out her wings and took to the air, the blast missing her by a hair and instead destroying the twin thrones behind her. As marble and dust shot out from the explosion, Thanos shielding himself from it, he turned instead directly above to see the Princess of the Night finally take action. Her horn ignited a bright blue, a pair of magical, twin swords appearing out of thin air. She dove straight for his head, Thanos leaping out of the way just as her blades impaled the floor where he once stood. Snarling and ripping her blades free, Luna glared at Thanos with a fierce, raw intensity none had seen since the rise of Nightmare Moon. A type she hadn’t experienced since that dreadful day many, many years ago. A part of her—the darkest part of her—whispered its malice into her ear, telling her to unleash that power inside of her. The power of Nightmare Moon. With it, she would be stronger than him, able to conquer and strike him down, bring him to justice for all the horrible deeds he had committed. It would be sweet justice, and she would live. Equestria would survive. The universe would be saved… by its rightful ruler. Luna tightened her posture, twirled her magical blades, and glared ahead at Thanos. In control of the battle ahead, her mind, and herself. She ignored those desires of power, chose to focus what strengths she had to strike her foe down. She would never lose who she really was ever again. Then they struck. Her blades danced and twirled in precise, deadly strikes and slashes. Thanos managed to block every single one of them, catching one of the blades by its edges and rip it right from Luna’s aura. The princess gasped, lifting up her eyes as Thanos’ boot shot forward. She was unable to move away in time, forced to take the hit and roll back a few yards. Quickly recovering, Luna shot into the air, her last blade in tow, as she swooped down and swung for the Titan’s head. Thanos ducked, reaching back with that incredible speed of his and snatching her hind leg. Luna’s eyes widened, a fearful gasp leaving her. Thanos roared as he slammed the Alicorn into the marble floor, then behind him, then tossed the Princess of the Moon dead ahead, where the remains of her and her sister’s thrones once stood proudly. She impacted the wall behind it with such ferocity that the wall shattered behind her, the Alicorn leaving a deep indent where she crashed. With eyelids slowly falling, Luna fell and landed upon the demolished thrones, left completely unmoving. A twitch, a breath of air, and a raise of her hoof. Thanos nearly rose a brow at that, watching as the princess tried to rise back up, not truly knowing the meaning of quit. Of defeat. With one of her eyes sealed shut and bruised, the other darted straight ahead into the skies, then quickly back to Thanos. Unfortunately, Thanos caught her eye, turning his head back and gazing to the ash and storm clouds. Only the clouds had dissipated, leaving a clear blue sky and the morning moon shattered above. The moons. Barely visible, massive chunks still hardly holding on. Sighing at that, breathing steadily from that moment on, Thanos slowly turned back to Luna, seeing the Alicorn struggle to rise back up, rise up and continue the fight that she couldn’t. He admired that. Her pride, her will, her ability to hold her own and stand her ground, even when the outcome resided with only one. Perhaps there was more to Equus than he realized. Thanos met her eye. Luna stared into his. He said, with the utmost certainty and respect, “Rest now… Princess of the Moon. Your war is over.” And it was. He lifted his gauntlet to the heavens, pierced it, the very power from the Space and Power Stones unleashed and engulfing that of the two moons. Princess Luna watched on in awestruck horror as the moons were overtaken by his power, the very power of the universe. He turned back to her, gauntlet still raised, teeth clenched tight, as he flung his left fist right at her and eventually struck the floor with it. The marble cracked under his strength, but it was the Space Stone that remained aglow, ultimately creating a portal for Thanos and sucking himself into it. He was gone. But what he left… what he had done… remained. Princess Luna slowly lifted her eyes to the heavens when she saw the light, witnessed that mighty chunk of moon hurtling downwards into the atmosphere, pierce through the mountain of which Canterlot resided and hurtled with the light and power unlike anything Luna had ever experienced. And never will again. She closed her only eye as a piece of the moons—of her moon—quickly fell and overcame them. Canterlot, Equestria 8:05 a.m. When they heard the blast from above, they all turned their heads skywards. Every single pony, every Wonderbolt, every Chitauri, and every inhabitant of Canterlot turned to see the atmosphere break apart and make away for the hurtling meteor quickly approaching Canterlot. And before they even realized it, before they even knew the meteor came from the two moons, it struck. It struck right through Canterlot Mountain and completely shattered it, completely blew it apart and continued to rain its destruction upon all of Canterlot. The Wonderbolts, led by Spitfire, instantly fled on her command, seeing the moon piece approaching the city. Only one other thing blocked it. The Chitauri Command Center. Screeching in panic, the Chitauri abandoned the invasion and ignored the retreating Royal Guard, Lunar Guard, and Wonderbolts, instead choosing to charge right for the meteor before it could strike the Command Center. They were nowhere close to reaching it, the moon chunk crashing straight through the mighty warship and enveloping all of it in a massive blossom of fire. The Chitauri instantly died, every chariot, starship, and Leviathan falling to the capital city below. They weren’t alone. The piece of Luna’s moon struck Canterlot alongside everything else that fell with it. It struck the capital city of Equestria—struck Canterlot Castle specifically—with such ferocity and power that it shattered the entire mountainside in a matter of seconds. Buildings toppled, fire encompassed what remained, silenced anything that survived, and completely and utterly destroyed Canterlot in one, single blast. The Wonderbolts escaped as the shock wave passed over them, the Royal and Lunar Guard sharing a similar fate. Behind them, Canterlot crumbled, the remains of the mighty city falling in a plume of dust and fire down the mountain. Princess Celestia saw it all where she flew. The fires reflected in her eyes, the crumbling mountain shaking her bones and her nerves, and the shock wave blowing straight through her mane, body, heart, and soul. In that soul of hers, that stricken, shattered, wounded soul was that of shock, disbelief, and worst of all… horror. The ponies that trusted her, that believed in her, that lived with her were gone. In an instant. In one blast, all of those lives were vanquished, wiped from Equestria and disappearing through the dust and fire. But her heart… her heart was broken. She tried again, and again, and again, and again… and still nothing. No telepathic response from her sister. Despite her cries, despite her mind calling out to her, calling with all her remaining magic and strength, there was just nothing. Just… nothing. And with her heart broken, the lone sister gazed onto the crumbling city of her beloved ponies. Of her beloved… “L… L-Luna…” It was all she could utter when that same blast struck her once more. Dead in the heart. Celestia cried out once more, her body flying off into the wilderness, into the deepest, darkest remnants of the forests several miles outside of Canterlot, where she vanished. Where Thanos saw her vanish once and for all. The Mad Titan hovered in mid-air thanks to the power of the Space Stone, observing the carnage left from his excursion to Canterlot to retrieve the Mind Stone. Seeing it shimmer against his gauntlet, being the second to last Infinity Stone he needed filled him with renewed vigor, just enough for him to breathe in the smoke and fire from the burning remains of the city miles beneath him. And then to breathe out. But he didn’t smile. He couldn’t seem to find himself at that moment. His destiny was closer than it ever was before, yet he didn’t see that for some reason. Something clouded him, something he couldn’t push down. Something that remained in the back of his head yet he continued to ignore time and time again. Conflicting thoughts, the destruction of an entire civilization just for his willful needs. He thought of that… then instantly drifted back to an old promise he made, the thought of Princess Celestia and Luna, the Pillars of Equestria, bringing him back to the very first moment he stepped foot on Equestria’s soil. Something to distract him from what truly plagued the Mad Titan for the longest time. Thanos’ eyes slowly turned and gazed south, to the Badlands. He clenched his fist. The Infinity Gauntlet tightened. The Time Stone instantly reacted to his will.