110
Andromeda Galaxy
Planet 0269-S
Once they reached their Jump Point, the Benatar slowed to a halt just above the planet’s upper atmosphere. The occupants from within the spacecraft took as much time as they needed to readjust themselves, observe their surroundings, and ready up for the fight ahead. Resting ahead was the alien world they knew only as “The Garden”. The world where Thanos was currently situated.
They had made it. The time had come. After more than three weeks of constant suffering for both worlds, the loss of half of all life in the entire universe, and the strife Thanos had brought upon it all with the six Infinity Stones he held to that very moment… it was all going to come to an end. All that mattered was whether or not they left that planet with the Stones safely secured, by any means necessary. No matter how many gave their lives for it, no matter what happened in the next few minutes, all that mattered was the Infinity Stones. The fate of the universe relied on them now, the crew of little more than a dozen brave souls about to commit the impossible.
They could save the universe… but only if they lived… and he died.
Carol was the first one out of the Benatar, the vacuum of space having seemingly unaffected her while the golden lights created a cascading, protective suit around her. Her long, blonde hair flowed like it was under water, waving furiously behind Danvers as she hovered just in front of the Benatar’s windshield.
“I’ll scout it out,” Carol declared from her comms link, informing everyone and everypony inside the ship. Steve, Natasha, Nebula, Bruce, Daisy, and Rhodes all surrounded the front of the Benatar, gazing to Danvers on the other side. She nodded firmly. “Be back soon.”
In a gust of golden light, she shot downwards straight into the atmosphere, a haunting and unsettling silence filling the cockpit of the Benatar. Everyone’s bated breaths were held only momentarily, waiting in raw anticipation to see whether or not Carol would return to them. The suspense was growing to a level that was almost unbearable, not a single shimmer of light returning for almost a full minute.
While others worried for Danvers, Steve settled forward and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small compass. When he flipped it out open, all that remained within it was a picture of Peggy Carter smiling up at him, unfortunately not having that same smile return her way. Steve gazed painfully to the compass, eventually flipping it closed, unable to meet her eyes. Somehow… knowing he might see her again sooner than expected.
“This is gonna work, Steve,” Natasha assured him, already sensing that rising trepidation and solemn acceptance from Rogers on her left.
Pocketing the compass away, Steve slowly looked over to her, saying, “I know it is… because I don’t what I’m gonna do if it doesn’t.”
Sunset, Starlight, Tempest, Rainbow, and Rarity all huddled up, each mare staring in the same direction and gazing longingly to the same alien world. They were down yet another friend out of the dozens they had lost weeks prior, only that time… they knew when they returned home that they were going to see every single one of them once again. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, Sunburst, Celaeno, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Celestia…
And Twilight would be right there, waiting for them when they came back. Even without her superior magical prowess, the mares were still fairly stacked for their own arsenal as it were. Sunset, Tempest, and Starlight especially held just as much power as Twilight, if not slightly more so when joined together. Rarity may not have been particularly skilled in magic, but she would do whatever was necessary to ensure half of all life came back that day… even if it meant facing that fear once again.
Rainbow Dash was ready. Simply, sternly ready for whatever awaited them on Thanos’ world.
Her large, rose-rimmed eyes lit up the color of gold, widening even further when Carol Danvers returned at long last. Dash held her breath and tensed her nerves for whatever would come out of Danvers’ lips, Carol slowing herself down just in front of the windshield. Her expression was focused, fortified to the point a pure, dedicated soldier would have been when faced with the greatest challenge any of them would have ever faced. When she spoke, everyone was silent, her voice filling their comms and their ears.
“Planet’s barren. No defenses. No warships. No armies of any kind. It’s just him.”
That alone earned several exhales of relief and release, all that pent-up tension of what awaited them finally finding its escape. Their focus could finally be shifted to the one true threat left.
Then they stopped breathing again when Carol said, “I’ll go in first. Come in after me.”
Steve was quick to respond, stating, “Carol, you’re gonna need support down there.”
Despite being the leader of the mission, Steve’s words of worry and warning did little to deter Captain Marvel from her desired target. She merely smiled to Rogers. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll soften him up for you.”
Then she was gone, the first and only one to lead them towards the planet. To lead them right into the fight.
The Garden
It was morning. The twenty-third day.
The wind was calm and collected, tree lines swaying softly under the breath of nature itself and the warmth of the morning sunlight. Rivers and grasslands sang out in a chorus of natural beauty, a symphony of untold vigor as that harvest for the summer was coming in exceptionally well. It had quite the caretaker, after all.
A lone scarecrow sat under the light of the golden and yellow sun, the aged armor and helmet from years of warfare so scratched and dented it was certain to ward off any unfavorable pests within the farmlands. And within that harvest, as the insects buzzed about and the nearby birds chirped in the distance, a lone Titan stumbled within the crops carrying a large sack in his right hand. His left swayed alongside his constant limps, the golden glove forever embedded upon his forearm and shimmering under the sunlight.
Pausing just within the crops, the Titan slowly gazed to his left and spotted a fresh fruit. Perfectly ripe and suitable for breakfast. Sighing, he bent down and cringed at the pain pulsating in his left leg and arm, ignoring it momentarily as he gripped the fruit within his gauntlet and plucked it right off its stem. Last one for the morning meal. Bending to his right, the pain was much less as he pulled the sack forward and placed the fruit safely within the confines of the others. He tightened the bag to a close, turning his wearied gaze across the farmlands and onto his lone hut erected against the earth.
Moving past the scarecrow without even a passing glance, the Titan proceeded up the steps carefully, leading with his right every step of the way as his left limped pitifully behind him. There was no door awaiting him, the Titan merely stepping inside the confines of his home and settling the sack of fruit on the wooden table. Bending down in the heart of the hut, the Titan grabbed a pair of rocks and scraped them together, creating a flurry of sparks and igniting the fireplace once again. He returned to the table and began preparing his morning breakfast, unloading the fruits and skinning, chopping, and piling them into a large basin. His right hand did most of the work, the left hanging limply from his side.
With the fruits in the pot, the Titan began adding the spices, a mere pinch here and there, and a bucket of water to finish it up. Lifting the basin from the table, the Titan spun around and proceeded towards the fireplace, the flames already fully alive and awaiting his presence. He placed the pot directly over the fire, settling himself to a sitting position and finally resting after the morning harvest.
The flames flicked light across the darkness of the hut, illuminating Thanos’ face and showcasing the vivid weakness displayed upon it.
He took in a deep breath as the water began to boil, eyes falling to the fire and gazing forever into the flickering lights. His gauntlet—molded and reformed to fit tightly against his left forearm—reflected the lights from the fire and merely reminded him of the nominal comfort he could truly enjoy in his retirement. The tattered rags he wore upon his body hardly constituted for the ceremonial and warlord garb he proudly donned in his youth. The past had existed as a constant reminder for Thanos of his days before his destiny, before it was fully realized and finally achieved.
The deed was done all the same. He could finally rest and find that splendor every morning to the rising sun greeting him, just as the universe greeted him for a job well done. Yet… even with his destiny achieved and the work finally finished, Thanos seemed to grow only more distant from that dream of his. There was a silent but present weight that continued to grow, continued to infect and drag him further and further down. It all began when he snapped his fingers, the scars upon his left arm only further damaging his body. His mortal body. It grew to a pestering nuisance, but soon became something even more serious, something Thanos knew he couldn’t turn away from forever.
The present weight of the Infinity Gauntlet, of destiny fulfilled, left Thanos weak… broken…
And vulnerable.
The perfect moment for that approaching light to strike him down.
Seeing that light only grow brighter, Thanos lifted his gaze only to widen it. Raised up his arms only to take the full hit. Pushed back against it only to fall. And within that light, Carol Danvers shot right into Thanos’ hut and pelted him with two raw photon blasts.
Thanos was driven into the earth itself, grunting with ragged pain as the beams of golden energy only continued to pelt him further and further into the dirt. There stood Captain Marvel, landing just on the edge of the massive hole she had created and further unloading a continuous stream of energy from her fists and into the Titan. She kept firing until she could see nothing else, until only smoke and darkness remained in the gaping maw of the dirt and Carol Danvers was all that stood within the hut. Carol dropped her arms, fists tightened and resting by her sides as she breathed, kept her face stone frozen, and stared.
Looked for any sign of movement.
A sound.
Anything.
A tiny smirk crawled its way onto her lips. Almost too easy…
She never expected the light. All six of them.
The blast came quicker, impacting Carol so fast that there was no chance she could have dodged it in time. It hit her square in the chest with such ferocity that Danvers nearly lost her breath, the rainbow beam launching Carol straight through the ceiling and clear across the entirety of the Garden. The blast came like a solid wake-up call, returning that fire Carol had delivered to Thanos and intensifying it tenfold. That was how it felt when Carol impacted the side of the mountain, the beam finally dying, leaving just her.
Leaving just a startled, fully awake, fully aggravated, and fully shaken Carol Danvers.
The cracks on the side of the mountain began to spread, like a virus, all originating from the impact zone on the face of the peak. On its surface, embedded several yards inwards, Carol slowly started to come to, her vision blurry and all forms of sound slurred to the point of nonexistence. The hardest part wasn’t forcefully ripping her arms from the rock she had been thrown into, the hardest part was trying to breathe again—trying to think again—her chest actually feeling like it had been compressed inwards from the blast. It took a moment for her to collect herself, but even that wasn’t enough time.
Just after she pulled her right leg from the rock, her eyes caught a quick glance upwards, spotting Thanos leaping right through the air. Quickly flying towards her. The bright, purple Stone upon his gauntlet was the brightest of all as he reared back on that fist.
Carol’s eyes widened, her hearing returning just in time to hear herself utter, “Oh, shi—!”
Thanos struck the mountain with the Power Stone fueling his punch. A mighty tremor spread throughout the Garden, shaking the foundations of the farmlands to their very core as the distant mountain trembled and erupted. The entire peak was obliterated in a wave of violet light, thousands of fragments of stone and pebble shooting outwards like bullets as only two beings fell from the explosion. The mountain fell as Carol Danvers impacted the earth once again, bouncing roughly against it and eventually coming to a painful, skidding stop.
She tried to open her eyes, she tried to breathe again. Gritting her teeth and hardening her emotions, Carol shot open her bloodshot eyes and gasped for air. Her left elbow was pressed firmly to the dirt, Danvers desperately trying to prop herself up. She pressed her right fist down next, fighting through the unknown pain flushing through her systems, across her skin, and right through her very being. If the blast from earlier knocked the wind out of her, that punch took every last breath that was left. Leaving just her.
Leaving just Carol shakily pushing herself back up as Thanos landed mere yards ahead of her.
He landed perfectly on both feet, the Titan lifting his eyes and narrowing that glare to the lone human that had the audacity to face him while he was at rest. With an expression like hardened stone, Thanos pried at his tattered rags of his shirt with the Gauntlet and ripped them off in one swoop. His toned, muscular physic showed itself under the morning sunlight and rising flames of the mountain peak behind him, birth defects like wicked veins traveling down his pectorals and both arms. His left arm—where Carol stared—was scarred beyond repair, the Infinity Gauntlet molded tightly against his own skin, becoming a part of that skin.
And upon it, all six Infinity Stones were ignited once more. The first time in weeks.
Prying at a massive boulder in the distance, Thanos used the Space Stone to hurl it right at Carol, right in her blind spot. Just as she rose to her feet once again, Carol heard the sound of the approaching object and turned to block it, not fast enough once again in that regard. The rock struck her in the right side of her face and body, shattering the rock and causing Danvers to hunch in the opposite direction and nearly crumble to her knees. He didn’t let up. Not one second.
Thanos was relentless the second he closed the distance between them. While hunched forwards, Carol reared up with a ferocious punch right into Thanos’ gut, the Titan catching her fist with the Gauntlet and ripping it aside. With that same hand, Thanos struck Carol in the side of her face, splaying her hair in a wild direction as her body flipped clear across the dirt ground, landing harshly and painfully back into the earth. She grunted, rolling over on pure instinct just as Thanos crushed the dirt where she once lay with his boot.
Carol quickly hovered back to her feet, delivering precise and deadly punches fueled by her cosmic energy right on top of Thanos. Thanos staggered back from the punches, eventually pushing right through them and latching his gauntlet tightly around Carol’s neck and chest. He slammed her fiercely into the ground, shattering solid earth right beneath her, lifting her by her neck, and tossing her entire body right into a crowd of boulders. Danvers impacted the stone with a solid crack, not from her but from the rock she crashed against. Feeling her mind begin to darken, Carol quickly shook it away and focused on the fight ahead.
Tried to.
When Thanos reached her, it was almost entirely one-sided from that point on.
He rammed his boot into her chest, slamming her right back into the stone and earning a rare grunt of pain from Captain Marvel. She fell to her knees, Thanos unloading with devastating and fearsome punches across her face. One strike in particular came from his right fist, a punch so hard that it struck her cheekbone and sprayed a helping of dark blue-green blood across the dirt, Carol’s lips bleeding fiercely as Thanos continued to beat her down. Further and further. She could hardly even block his attacks, desperately trying to get back into the fight.
Only to realize that fight was turning terrifyingly against her.
It struck her faster than Thanos’ punches, hit her where Thanos couldn’t, caught her heart and brought her face to face with that horrifying aspect of reality. She wasn’t in control of the fight anymore. The tides she had so comfortingly rode on for years traveling the galaxy and being the hero she believed she was… had suddenly turned against her. That sudden shift completely took her out of the fight, her mind unable to focus, her body unable to defend herself as Thanos took complete control.
From the Benatar above, Rocket piloted the ship to observe the battlefield already in place, the devastated mountain coming into view and breaking through the smoke to witness the onslaught. Steve saw it all with his own two eyes, Carol fiercely trying to defend herself as Thanos was relentless in his advances, landing several devastating punches that would have crippled any normal human within seconds. Carol took them as best as she could, forcefully being pushed back and pushed down as Thanos proceeded to dominate the fight.
It was just as Steve feared. He turned to the rest of the cockpit, to everyone else, and shouted, “Danvers is getting overwhelmed! Let’s get in there!”
Trapped on one knee, Carol didn’t even have time to wipe the blood from her bleeding nose when Thanos rammed his left palm right into her throat. He held her there, tightening the Gauntlet fiercely around Danvers’ neck and watching her squirm within it. Her palms gripped the edges of the Gauntlet, Thanos actually shocked to see her successfully managing to pry the fingers apart from her neck. Gritting his teeth, Thanos reared back and tossed Carol clear across the dirt ground and into the nearby bundle of trees that led into the larger forest.
The tree she struck completely shattered, falling forward and landing upon the earth the same moment she had, lying vertically like she was. She laid there for several seconds, maybe even ten, Carol counting each alongside her ragged breaths as she slowly, painfully began to rise once more to her feet. Never once staying down. Always rising back up.
With her back to him, Carol placed a bloody, gloved-palm on the trunk of the tree for support, cringing and hissing as she finally rose back to her feet. She stumbled a bit, had to lean against the tree to actually stand, but there she was. Bleeding, bruised, beaten and weary… but alive. Alive and ready for round two.
Thanos groaned behind Carol. Her long, disheveled hair hung limply in front of her face, strands blowing out as she exhaled heavy gusts of air. She didn’t even turn back when he began to speak to her.
“You made a mistake to come here,” Thanos stated loudly, louder than the ship he saw hovering several yards behind him. Turning back to her, he gazed to her backside, saw her shaking body lean against the tree. He sneered. “This place… of rest… It doesn’t deserve to see such bloodshed. Especially yours… Kree. Human…? Do you even know who or what you are? I assume so… otherwise you wouldn’t have foolishly flown in here all on your own. You couldn’t possibly be Kree with how poorly trained you are. Yes… you must be human. A foolish, arrogant, pitiful human.”
With every rapid step forward, Thanos only continued to mock her, having already grown far too tired with her insolence. The horrid pain in his left arm had only intensified thanks to her, Thanos pushing all of that pent-up agony and rage and focusing all of it on her. It seemed to do the trick. It seemed to get to her all the same, just as it had to Thanos.
Carol’s palm slowly curled into a fist upon the tree trunk, the edges of her skin and suit igniting into a fierce, golden firestorm. She ignited, the cosmic energy coursing through her veins and shimmering across her entire body, setting her eyes aflame in that same golden divinity. Her hair began to slowly dance, slowly burn just as the rest of her body did.
Just as she reached Binary.
In one quick turn, Carol screamed and grabbed the entire toppled tree, flinging it completely around and smashing its remains against the Titan. Thanos was launched backwards from the hit, but Carol wasn’t done with him just yet. She took off at incredible speeds, toppling several other trees that surrounded her as she jetted forward and tackled Thanos right through what remained of the mountain. The duo tussled and turned in mid-air, Thanos eventually gaining the upper hand and slamming Carol into the earth once they eventually made impact.
Thanos rolled to his feet, jamming out his gauntlet and firing a single blast from the Power Stone directly into Carol’s chest just as she rose up from the dirt to attack him once more. Her body vanished into the distance, leaving just Thanos kneeling within his own damaged crops. It took only a few seconds for Thanos to realize the real fight had just begun, the approaching Benatar being clear evidence of that.
Then came the lumbering Hulkbuster right through the crops, Bruce Banner jamming out the suit’s palms and firing a conjoined repulsor beam right into Thanos’ chest. The Titan couldn’t even raise his arms in time, close his left fist in time. He grunted and cried as the beams struck him, tossing him clear across the harvest and deeper into the Garden. Even as Thanos came to a crash on his back, he didn’t have a single second to collect himself as the Hulkbuster landed right on top of him, delivering fierce and powerful blows right into Thanos’ unprotected face.
“You murdered trillions!” Banner screamed from within the Hulkbuster, rearing back with his right fist and driving it into Thanos’ forehead. His head bounced against the gravel and dirt, a stream of violet blood leaking from the Titan’s lower lip as he finally, painfully lifted the Infinity Gauntlet.
Clenched it.
Used the Space Stone to rip the juggernaut armor right off of him.
Banner went flying, crashing off in the distance elsewhere as Thanos tried to rise back up to his own two feet. He fell once again as Steve Rogers leapt from out of the crops, sending his left fist with as much power as he could offer into Thanos’ temple. The Titan grunted painfully and fell to his knee, watching as Rogers rolled directly ahead and skidded to a stop several yards away. Then came the Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff sliding underneath Thanos and driving her baton across his cheek as she emerged on his right side.
They weren’t finished.
Out of the harvest, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen emerged, flinging his billy club as hard as he could right into Thanos’ forehead. Thanos reared his neck back, grunting at that and placing a palm right where the club hit. He almost wasn’t ready for when Daredevil ran forward, plucked his billy club right out of the air, and jumped forward with his legs leading. He drop-kicked Thanos square in the chest. The Titan stumbled backwards, nearly falling. Nearly.
Nebula only furthered that wretched possibly, emerging out of the purple smoke and fire that slowly began to consume the crops. She screamed with just as much rage and agony as Thanos had, slamming her Electroshock Baton against her father again and again, watching with red in her vision as Thanos feebly tried to block her assault. He ended the confrontation shortly, however, catching the baton and tossing Nebula out of sight. Several smaller explosions caught Thanos in the back, the Titan roaring at that and spinning about to see the War Machine flying overhead, unloading an entire payload of explosives down right on top of him.
Thanos tried to raise his arms, tried to use the Stones to prevent it, but he just wasn’t fast enough. He was so discombobulated by the unending, unruly assault that he just couldn’t seem to focus on the fight at hand. His one-on-one confrontation with the Kree/Human Hybrid from earlier was a different story entirely, but it was only right then and there did he truly feel turned around.
Thanos was flung back from the explosions, the ripe fires from Rhodes’ explosives consuming the rest of the Titan’s growing, summer harvest. As War Machine flew past him, Thanos slowly rose back up to his feet, only to feel all of reality around him shutter and quake, the Titan screaming and clutching the sides of his head, his ears, at the overwhelming sound waves.
Daisy Johnson stood erected on top of the hill right on the hut’s doorstep, both fists shot out and releasing two constant waves of tremor-like energy right on top of Thanos. She watched with a stream of blood slowly easing its way down her nose as Thanos crumbled to his knees, both palms latched tightly to his head and screaming out against the onslaught of energy. Then she watched as he fought through it, placing his palms against the earth and pushing himself back up to full height.
Right on time. Daisy cut off her energy just before her mind could go blank, turning her wild expression to the crops and screaming, “Now!”
Almost instantly, Thanos felt a plethora of vines swarm his lower body, consuming his legs and rising up to cover half of his entire self. From behind, Groot cried out with his arms embedded deep within the soil, those vines of his unable to control Thanos forever. It was just enough time for the Ghost Rider to emerge right out of the harvest, burning anything in its path, glaring to the lone Titan resting before it.
The Spirit growled, unfurling the Hellfire Chain and whipping it forward. Where the vines stopped on Thanos’ lower half, the chain wrapped firmly around. An instant wave of unbearable heat began to consume Thanos the moment the Hellfire Chain ignited. It grew even worse, rivaling that of even the Infinity Gauntlet the moment Thanos had snapped. The Titan growled and screamed from where he was constrained, the chain creating red-hot veins across Thanos’ chest and body the longer it held him there.
Running out of options fast, Thanos pushed all of his willpower to simply raise his left arm. Close his fist. And unleash the power of the Reality Stone. The wretched red Stone shimmered against the Gauntlet, allowing Thanos to safely escape the bonds of both Groot’s vines and the Hellfire Chain, leaving just him standing amongst them.
He didn’t waste a second more and ignited the Power Stone, spinning around and screaming with every second that he drove that power into the earth. In every direction he could see. The howls of the Titan were unlike anything the Avengers had ever heard, the blasts striking Ghost Rider and flinging the Spirit of Vengeance clear across the Garden, nearly slicing Steve Rogers in half had Murdock not tackled him out of the way, and almost hitting Natasha had Bruce not leapt in front of her and the Hulkbuster taking the majority of the blast. Daisy dived to safety as the hut was the decimated. James Rhodes flew out of Thanos’ line of sight, a single blast nearly singeing his armor.
The light of the Power Stone eventually faded, and in that aftermath, all that was left was a lone Titan. Breathing heavily. Standing alone within the violet fires that consumed his lands. His chest was burned to a bright red, several scorch marks from the chain leaving a nasty indent across his pectorals. Not only that, but the Infinity Gauntlet was glowing bright red, as well, a rainbow of veins slowly consuming the scars across Thanos’ left arm…
And slowly growing.
They weren’t going to stop. Thanos could only look about and see them rising back up, ready to face him again no matter what it took from them. No matter what he took. His ragged, painful breathing soon wasn’t the only sound in the battlefield, the engines of the Benatar rising forth behind him and earning Thanos’ attention. When he slowly spun around, he was greeted to the backside of the spacecraft facing him, its ramp lowered and the Punisher sending his signature glare right at him.
It wasn’t the only thing he sent.
From the Benatar’s ramp, Frank Castle fired a single shell from his M32 Grenade Launcher. The grenade nearly hit its target, completely destroying the pocket of land to Thanos’ right and blowing the Titan right off his feet. Still not satisfied until he saw a burning crisp of a Titan left, Frank roared at Rocket to keep the ship steadier for him. Rocket complied and directed the Benatar closer to Thanos, Frank taking aim and firing off another round.
The second shell once more hit the ground near Thanos just as he was rising back up, sending the Titan further across the ground as the explosion rippled right through him. He landed on his backside, an agonized grunt leaving the weary Titan. He got back up anyway. He raised his gauntlet and fired a single beam from the Power Stone right towards the Benatar, but he missed.
Just by inches.
Just when Rainbow Dash flew past him and delivered a deafening punch across his face.
Thanos crumbled to one knee, spraying droplets of violet blood across the dirt just as Rainbow flew in for another strike. The second punch was even more devastating than the first, knocking Thanos flat on his back and leaving him open for a third strike. Rainbow landed right over his heart, snorting fiercely into his eyes and repeatedly punching him across the face.
Screaming through every second, “You killed my best friend!”
Thanos caught her hoof, gritting his teeth as he drove his free fist across her cheek and sending the Pegasus several yards in the opposite direction. He tried to get back up. With all his strength, with all his will, with every forceful push in his legs… and he only ended up falling again. Down to one knee, actually aghast to believe what was happening to him. Every ounce of power he held within the Infinity Gauntlet only felt like a greater hindrance to his own ability to focus, to fight, to do anything to actually survive the battle ahead. His vision blurred, his own hearing becoming distant and leaving the once Great Titan as a stumbling mess, shaking his head and doing everything he had left in him just to focus ahead.
He was already too late. Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Tempest Shadow, and Rarity all galloped out of the smoke in a charging caravan of unicorns. All at once, they skidded to a halt, igniting their horns and firing a conjoined beam of magic at him, Tempest’s lightning being the center of it all and sending Thanos tumbling across the fires and the crops. He tried to shield himself, but it was too much for him alone to handle. Without the Stones to fuel him, it was just Thanos in his weakened, broken state. He wasn’t enough.
He actually screamed in agony once he crushed his left palm into a fist, sending a wave from the Power Stone to flush across the four mares and knocking them out of his sight.
His skin was actually beginning to smoke, raw heat rising from his left bicep as those colorful veins continued to consume his arm and slowly begin to eat away at the side of his face. Thanos fought through it all, fought them all at once and fought even himself. Fought even the Infinity Stones and his cracking gauntlet. Just to get back up again.
And the moment his feet laid flat against the earth was the exact moment the Bifrost struck.
Thanos shielded his eyes from the intense brightness, gazing through his arms to see the colorful tower of light impacting his farmland relentlessly. But it wasn’t just the Bifrost that met him. Right from the light, an axe flew out of it and swung dangerously towards the Titan. Thanos’ eyes enlarged, the Titan ducking just as the axe nearly decapitated him. Though he managed to escape its sharpened end, a bolt of lightning shot out from the axe, striking Thanos right in the chest and pushing the Titan several yards back, flat on his rear end and only able to gaze to where the axe returned.
Stormbreaker returned to the Bifrost, to the God of Thunder stepping out of it. Thor gripped his new weapon tightly in his right palm, glaring ahead to see none other than Thanos lying before him, expression speechless. Awestruck. Thunderstruck.
Thor smiled with ill intent. At long last.
Thanos got back up, pointing the Infinity Gauntlet right at him. That smile instantly left him the moment he reared back with the axe. He gripped it with both palms, growling and unleashing that rage-filled roar as he threw Stormbreaker, the axe striking Thanos and embedding itself in the Titan’s left shoulder and flinging him into a mountain wall. Thor pulled the axe back from where he stood, ripping a chunk of flesh right off of Thanos’ shoulder and earning an even more satisfying, painful cry from the Titan.
As Stormbreaker returned to Thor’s hand, the God of Thunder cut the distance between them and jumped high in the air, the clouds darkening and the atmosphere electrifying as bolts of lightning struck down and impacted Thor and his weapon. With his last remaining eye burning a bright blue, Thor roared once again and drove the end of Stormbreaker right on top of his desired target.
Right for the head.
Thanos’ roars joined his as he jammed the Infinity Gauntlet in the air and ignited the Space and Power Stones at once.
What followed shook the entire planet.
The blast was the first that came of it, sending Thor and Stormbreaker several yards apart from each other. The earth itself was torn asunder, any nearby Avengers or ponies forced to retreat and reach a safe distance. Only there was no safe distance. Everywhere they turned, everywhere they looked were just entire shreds of landmass—each several miles long—being ripped from the very ground and lifted forth as if an earth-shattering earthquake was currently underway. Mountains crumbled, canyons were formed, the sky was on fire, and the earth was levitated several hundred yards above the natural order. Thanos kept it up for several seconds longer, screaming until his throat shed bled as those veins consumed the Gauntlet and burned his left arm to a crisp.
But he didn’t stop. He would throttle the entire planet to ensure his foes never reached the Infinity Gauntlet. Only that didn’t happen.
Captain Marvel reengaged quickly, practically appearing out of nowhere, between the rising chunks of earth just to slam herself against the Gauntlet. She cried out as her palms gripped the edges of the glove’s fingers, prying Thanos’ hand apart and preventing him from closing his fist. She nearly pried the Gauntlet off, turning instead to its edges and pulling with all her might, her Binary form bright and blinding to the Titan before her. Only it wasn’t enough. She made the mistake of releasing Thanos’ fingers while she went for the Gauntlet itself.
That was all Thanos needed. He clenched his fist, once more igniting the Space and Power Stones at once. At first, Carol didn’t feel much of anything. Then the slithering, blue energy of the Space Stone began to crawl up her arms, Danvers gazing fearfully to see that energy start to… douse her cosmic power. Her Binary energy began to die down as the power of the Space Stone consumed her, Carol finally realizing that power because she felt it before. So long ago. She knew that very same power that overcame her own because it was her own.
And that was all she could do.
Thanos pushed her to her knees, clenching his fist and slamming Carol into the earth from the Power Stone’s blast. He finished their confrontation by driving his left fist into her face, Carol’s eyes slowly rolling into the back of her head. A single stream of blood rolled down her nose and across her cheek. The golden energy faded from her body, leaving just her.
Leaving just Thanos as the lone being standing amongst the ruin. He breathed with such unhinged agony that every breath felt wet, ragged, blood leaking from his lips, his shoulder, his entire being like that of a bloody, broken warrior standing amongst the aftermath of the greatest war in history. All around him, the devastated earth lay in burning desolation, his harvest destroyed and the mountains crumbling to the earth in the distance. Smoke blotted the skies and barely concealed the light of the sun, unable to fully hide Thanos standing over his work.
He waited until all of the Avengers began to rise back up, all of their eyes centered on him. He looked to them, continued to breathe, and stated loudly, “Don’t you all… see what has become of your crusade? There is no end for your journey. There is no end… to any of this. Your fight is pointless, all of this… destined to happen.”
His breaths came out like stutters, Thanos glaring to the surrounding Avengers. As he lowered the Infinity Gauntlet to face Carol. As she opened her eyes and weakly whispered a final breath once the Stones lit up before her.
As the Titan boldly declared, “I am… inevitable.”
He tried to kill her. He clenched his fist and tried to leave their beloved Avenger as nothing but a pile of burning ashes before him. Thanos was caught just a second early, Banner grabbing his arms and holding him back with the Hulkbuster. He tried to fight back, he screamed out in protest, but it was too late. The Avengers swarmed him. The ponies swarmed him. Numerous hands from the likes of Steve Rogers, James Rhodes, Matt Murdock, and Natasha Romanoff all grabbed at his left arm, the magic from Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, and Rarity all lassoing Thanos’ entire arm and bringing it closer to the earth. Closer for all of them to begin prying the Gauntlet off. Nebula held his right arm alongside Banner, Daisy, Tempest, and Rainbow Dash, all of them screaming and crying and doing everything in their power to hold him still.
Numerous veins bulged out from Thanos’ neck, the Titan looking from his right and slowly over to his left, aggravated howls leaving him once he noticed nearly every Avenger reaching for the Infinity Gauntlet. For the Stones upon it. Even with the ripping pain flowing through his body, Thanos cried out and slowly closed his left fist, the Infinity Stones lighting up…
Then he heard the distant thunder…
Then Thanos slowly gazed forward and saw Thor high above him…
Then Thor threw Stormbreaker again, striking Thanos right in the chest. Right in the heart.
Thanos couldn’t even breathe. All that came out were wretched, final gurgles and cries.
The remaining Avengers went for the Gauntlet almost instantly, hands reaching for the Stones with Thanos’ strength neutralized. Looking through his bloodshot eyes, Thanos could see as they neared his gauntlet, as the Infinity Stones were mere inches from their grasp. Destiny fulfilled was soon to be destiny stripped, stolen away from him if they got their hands on the Stones. Thanos did not know what would become of him. All he knew was that his destiny could not be taken.
No matter what.
With his last remaining strength, in a last-ditch effort to prevent the Avengers from taking his destiny from him, Thanos slowly raised his left arm higher and higher into the air. Steve and the others struggled to hold him, Thor roaring right in Thanos’ face while driving Stormbreaker’s head further into the Titan’s heart. It did not matter to Thanos. He only stared to the Infinity Gauntlet, lowering his middle finger to press against his thumb.
The Infinity Stones shimmered. All six of them. One last time.
And Steve could see it with his own eyes, his breath leaving him when he saw the subtle cracks grow across each Stone. Further and further. Growing so vivid and so dangerous that even through the light that erupted from them… Steve could still see the Stones shatter.
Snap!
Thanos snapped his fingers.
All of reality turned white.
And all that was left was them.
The Garden slowly burned under the morning sunlight. The entirety of the planet crumbled and fell as thousands of earthquakes shattered the planet and destroyed what remained, turning the lush, healthy landscape into a burning hellfire within the span of a few minutes. The Benatar slowly descended from the smoke and fire-filled skylines, Frank Castle and Rocket Raccoon leaping off to meet them halfway. Only to stop.
Only to stare at the state of their fellow Avengers.
Steve slowly came to, shaking his head and pressing his fists into the dirt and ash, grunting as he rose from the earth and stood again. Murdock offered him his hand, Rogers taking it without complaint and offering Matt an appreciative nod. It was all he could. Mere words failed him when they turned to the rest of their team.
Natasha and James were the first ones up, pulling Daisy, Nebula, and Robbie Reyes back to their feet. Bruce stumbled about in the tattered remains of the Hulkbuster armor, the helmet retracted back and revealing the true and utter horror off of Banner’s features. Sunset offered her hoof to Tempest, who eventually took it and joined the other mares. From Starlight, Rainbow, and Rarity, all of them could only look to the desolate remains of where Thanos once stood.
Leaving just Thor standing frozen, gazing downwards.
Carol’s glove rose from the ground, prying at the dirt and pulling the rest of Captain Marvel out of the hole. She crawled out of the divot in the earth, spotted the center of Thor’s attention lying directly before her. The Infinity Gauntlet. Gritting her teeth, she used her remaining strength to push over the Gauntlet. Then she gasped. As did everyone else. Thor remained deathly silent.
They all saw it and still couldn’t believe it.
Mainly Carol Danvers, who could only blame herself for what had happened. For what she allowed to happen. Steve Rogers, on the other hand, stared onto the face of the Infinity Gauntlet with an expression frozen cold, hardened and unbreakable. Knowing deep down that he was only lying to himself, knowing that expression broke when he saw it.
The Gauntlet remained on the burning grass, no Stones upon it.
The Infinity Stones were destroyed, no sign of Thanos anywhere.
All that remained where he once was… was a blood-stained Stormbreaker.