Infinity Era

by JDPrime22

Chapter 151 – I Know You

“This is a truly fascinating tale. Stories of heroes, of gods, of magic and terror unlike anything we could have imagined. And yet… the ability to travel through time still seems more believable.”

Celestia contemplated aloud the words spoken to her, the words she chose to believe, and turned away from the warmth of the sun hitting the stained glass window and raining its light inside her throne room. It had been so long since she had felt the warmth of the sun. So many months of battle and struggle against the Titan. Just the thought of finally being rid of him and his menace of demons was almost cathartic. Equestria would need time to heal, but for her—for the princess of Equestria and the Pillars—their troubles just seemed to keep piling on, with little healing to go around.

One problem ended and another was born when the supposed “time travelers” brought themselves to the princess and the Pillars, seeking their aid to return to their time. Luna was a tad cautious with the outsiders. The last outsiders they had to Equus tried to annihilate them mere hours ago. Of course, had it not been for the God of Thunder and his “Avenger” allies, the battle could have raged who knows how long. The death toll could have been far… far greater.

It was Thor Odinson, Rarity, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot who came to them in their most desperate hour of need. It was them who helped turn the tides and win back their world. There was not a reward worthy for their attributes and efforts, yet what they sought was something that was beyond treasures and glory. What they wanted was almost fantasy. A dream, even with the vast array of magic the princesses held. They merely wanted to go home…

More than a thousand years in the future.

Celestia and Luna needed to know everything. The Avengers, as they all called themselves, told only what was necessary. Even on their journey to the Everfree Forest, through the winding halls of the Castle of the Two Sisters, and into the throne room of the young princesses, they told all they could. Other things they kept to themselves, for the safety of the princesses and the future of Equestria.

Rarity, for instance, kept the tragedy of Nightmare Moon a secret. Some things just needed to occur naturally, without her hoof meddling with forces she had yet to completely understand.

The armies of Equus returned to their native countries and settled for a long rest and rebuilding. Southern Equestria continued to burn away, efforts to hopefully restore the landscape to begin shortly by order of Princess Celestia and Luna. As for the princesses, they and the Pillars returned to the north, to the castle, with their guests. While Star Swirl led his Pillars to help complete a certain spell of his, the Avengers found themselves stuck with the two sisters, willing to give as much as they could about future events and why they were there in the first place.

Thor did most of the talking, speaking of the Decimation and of the Mad Titan Thanos having cleansed the universe of half of all living creatures. He was apprehensive about revealing the fate of the two sisters, but their continued persistence on what became of them and their friends was unyielding. Thor gave in. He told them of their fate at the hands of Thanos. Somehow, just seeing the grim reality set in over their expressions, followed shortly by the mild acceptance was admirable. Thor gained some newfound respect for them, more than he ever had just by their one conversation than the many years he had known them prior.

He hadn’t realized how wise they were. Even in their young age, they were so bright and so full of life and curiosity. Just students as of now to Star Swirl the Bearded, but growing and willing to learn more of the world outside theirs. Typhon had sparked that curiosity of worlds beyond. Thor and his allies arriving to their world merely fanned the flames. Yet it was time travel that Celestia and Luna struggled with. Even with their teacher finalizing quite possibly his greatest spell, the ability to travel through time was a near-fable.

Yet the tale of the Avengers, of Thanos, of the Infinity Stones and the Decimation… it all made time travel seem more feasible.

“For what advantage would we gain for our efforts we have displayed?” Thor asked as he strode alongside the rulers of Equestria. The armor he bore clutched his body tightly, his bare arms showing his rejuvenated muscles. Especially his left arm, the Uru having created a physically perfect prosthetic for the Allfather. His hammer swayed in his right hand. Rarity was with him, her Iron Mare armor resting in her Arc Reactor and leaving the mare barren to the warmth of the afternoon sunlight they passed with each glass window. Groot and Rocket were off elsewhere in the castle, helping Star Swirl with the more minute details for the time travel procedures.

“Our reasonings hath no precedent in this time,” Luna stated, walking slowly beside her older sister. It was Luna who stopped, and Celestia that followed, gazing to her younger sister as the Princess of the Night stared into the stained glass window. She looked anywhere else besides the shadow Celestia’s throne cast upon hers.

Her voice was soft, almost lost, as she sighed, “We cannot thank you enough for what thou hath done. Typhon was a fiend in the greatest form, and thy efforts hath proven to be admirable. Our reasonings lie with this supposed ‘future’ thou speak of.”

Thor gripped Mjølnir tighter. He had suspected they would find uncertainty in the truth of their fates at the hands of the Mad Titan. Even with the rejuvenated lightning and strength flowing through his veins, Thor felt as if he wasn’t strong enough to explain any further of the Decimation. Or what had become of his friends that were lost.

“Though our deaths art inevitable…” Celestia spoke, picking up Luna’s train of thought. The younger princess cast her a quick stare, knowing the words that would flow from the elder. Celestia sighed, as well, closing her eyes and raising her hoof to rub her opposite foreleg gingerly. “We could not imagine it would come in a form we hath failed to fight against.”

“Thanos defeated us all. You need not blame yourselves,” Thor told them.

And it was true, Princess Celestia thought. The “Thanos” of which Thor spoke of brought a new kind of threat not only to their world, but to every world within the conceivable universe. To think that their fates lied in the hands of one Titan as almost unbelievable. “To think that time travel alone… could change destiny itself,” Celestia whispered.

She turned rapidly to the God of Thunder and his equine ally, her pink mane dancing to her quick movements. In her eyes, that acceptance was sharpened to a fine point. Thor stared into them, he and Rarity listening intently to the Princess of the Day’s following words. “We cannot nor will not change what is to come. For it is only natural to let the flow of time proceed as planned. No matter how much it hurts.”

Rarity dropped her gaze at that, her ears falling. Her eyes flicked to Luna painfully. Just seeing the nod from the Princess of the Night to her sister’s statement made Rarity’s heart ache all the more.

Celestia smiled with as much warmth as the afternoon sun. “But we thank you regardless. How many ponies or other creatures would hath suffered had thou not intervened? I could only fear of what was to become of the lives, of the families, that would hath been torn asunder. All prevented thanks to all of you.”

Thor smiled gratefully to that. Rarity remained silent, downtrodden. Luna lifted up Rarity’s face with her hoof to her chin. “Cheer up, my little pony. The battle is won. You have thy ‘Infinity Stone’. Thy gift is near and the universe shall be saved thanks to thy efforts. What have thou to fear?” Luna asked.

Rarity knew exactly what to fear. Still, seeing Princess Luna smiling with child-like glee and hope gave her heart some strength despite what was inevitably to come. Rarity managed a smile because of it, meeting Luna’s.

“Your Highnesses.”

They turned to meet the stoic expression and stance from none other than Flash Magnus by the throne room’s entrance. He removed his helmet, bowing his head gently to the two sisters. When he rose, he told them, “The spell is ready.”

And the rest was history.

Thor and Rarity walked alongside Princess Celestia and Luna, Rarity minding the absolutely exquisite architecture and decorations the Castle of the Two Sisters helmed in its golden years. Just a blink of her eye and she could only picture the decimated remains of the castle in her time. Knowing what was to come, knowing the pain that would consume the two sisters before her was heartbreaking to keep away from them. It would all work out in the end, Rarity tried to convince herself. It always did.

She could only hope for that same outcome for what was to befall. They entered the main foyer of the castle, gazing down the stairs to see the Pillars of Equestria creating a ritual space for the time travel spell to be enacted. No guards were present. It was just the six Pillars, Stygian, Rocket, and Groot going over the final stages of the spell.

“Okay, one more time through,” Rocket explained, reading off the coordinates from his Time Travel GPS aloud. “You’re going to be sending us to planet Earth in the Sol System, in this same galaxy. You have the exact coordinates of where that’s at written down, all right? No big deal. The big deal is this: The year is 2023, to the New Avengers Facility in Upstate New York at exactly 5:00 p.m. You got those coordinates, too. All right?”

Star Swirl nodded, reading off his notes on the many pieces of parchment he had laid out before him. Alongside the parchment, with the seemingly-finished spell resting near his hooves, the ritual space was decorated with candles and chalk drawings on the stone floor. They drew a massive circle, six specific indents where each Pillar would stand. Symbols and Ponish runes surrounded the circle. A little overkill in the ritual, but Star Swirl needed all assurance that the spell would succeed. Nothing was too overkill for him.

Rocket sighed, rubbing his paws across his head and through his fur. “Next big step is us trustin’ ya enough to get us there in one piece.”

“I am Groot,” Groot agreed with a nod to follow.

“Though it does seem a bit… off-putting,” Star Swirl mused, narrowing his aged gaze onto the sheep of parchment he had written the coordinates on. He nonetheless rolled it with his magic, closing his eyes and sending an assuring nod to the raccoon. “I will have aid from my allies. This spell has been a long time coming… and it is a true honor to see it used to help benefit your time.”

He rose up after that, bringing with him the specific parchment that contained the completed spell in its entirety. The other Pillars began to come together, joining Star Swirl in congratulations for having finally finished quite possibly his greatest spell to date. He had kept it secret for so long, a mere fantasy for him finally brought to reality. With the spell written on the parchment, resting in his magical grasp, the power Star Swirl held could reshape the fabric of time and space as they knew it. A grand accomplishment. Star Swirl felt as if he should be proud. Not only him, but all of ponykind.

“I fear for you.”

Turning to the voice, Celestia and Luna stared to the God of Thunder, seeing as his gaze was locked with the parchment Star Swirl held. “What have you to fear?” Celestia asked, her voice soft.

He did not fear for their future. Thor trusted them with time travel. As Twilight had said, Star Swirl had created the spell in their timeline and reality remained in balance. No, his fear remained in the future of this alternate timeline. And what would become of him when he inevitably arrived more than a thousand years in the future.

“I’m afraid,” he began in a broken whisper. He slowly turned to them. “In this timeline… that you won’t even remember me.”

His eye rose to meet Celestia. Luna. The princesses with which he had wished to have gotten to know. He would have known what courageous and valiant leaders they were even in their youth, and even more so in the future. Celestia laid her hoof on his hand in an assuring manner.

She told him, “Hold not thy worries to the past. You need not to be afraid. You need only to focus on the future. Trust us… as we trust you. Make thy mission worth it.”

Very similar words he had heard mere hours ago, from his own mother. A universal language that transcended knowledge and told Thor that there was still more for him to discover. Even as the Allfather in his timeline, Thor knew there was more to discover. There was more to rectify once they brought everyone back. More to build upon. That alone was something to look forward to. Something to fight for. Thor gripped her hoof. He would make it worth it.

To ensure she and her sister returned to live another day.

Thor smiled and broke away, turning to the approaching Pillars of Equestria. They all bowed to him, Star Swirl stating, “King of Asgard, it is our pleasure to have fought by your side. May it be an even greater honor for the Pillars to have aided you in this desperate hour of yours. Your efforts have proven to our world of who we can trust in the stars above.”

“In other words,” Mage Meadowbrook said, rising up and meeting Thor’s gaze with her tearful one, “thank you. You helped so many ponies today.”

“Thank you,” Somnambula said, a soft nod sent with her eyes closed. A sign of the highest gratitude of her people. “We will forever remain allies.”

“Brothers in arms,” Flash Magnus, iron-cladded hoof slapping against his armored chest.

“Brothers, even across the stars!” Rockhoof exclaimed, slamming his shovel into the stone.

“We wish you a safe journey, and the best of luck in your time,” Mistmane told them with a soft smile. She spoke to them all, to Rocket and Groot joining both Thor and Rarity and standing together as one team. One heart. All Avengers.

“Star Swirl,” Stygian announced, bringing the attention of the foyer back to the ritual space. He held out his notes with his magic. “Shall we prepare the spell?”

Star Swirl nodded, turning to the remaining Pillars. “Stand together, my allies.”

And they did. Each Pillar stood at an exact location upon the circle with their relics in hoof. Somnambula with her blindfold, Meadowbrook wearing her mask, Rockhoof with his trusty shovel, Flash with his shield, Mistmane with her flower, and Star Swirl with the single piece of parchment unfolding before him. He gazed over the completed spell one last time, his brow furrowing and heart beating. Star Swirl closed his eyes and ignited his horn a brilliant white.

He sent of bolt of magic into the parchment, the spell reacting to his touch and shivering with electrifying energy. That same magic flowed from each Pillar and their relics, striking the parchment and watching as it hovered in the center of the circle. It expelled that build up of magic, creating a burst of light above everyone’s heads. So bright they had to shield their eyes for a mere second. Just one second.

The orb of time formed above their heads, the ticking of hundreds of clocks sounding off as swirls of white began to grow larger and larger above. Within the orb, a seemingly-endless void of screaming green trails led to an unforeseeable destination. Stygian shot his warning eyes back to the Avengers, begging them to hurry. Their window was closing fast. The Avengers made their move. They ran towards the chalk drawing, minding the Pillars as they passed them, and stood together under the light of the orb of time. Rocket and Rarity were the first ones to realize they were levitating from the ground, the two looking down to see themselves rising. Then came Groot, staring to his feet and then to the brightness above.

Thor remained stationary. He stared only to the princesses as the vortex began to pull at his hair and beard. It was that distance that was narrowed, that moment their eyes locked and all sound, all distraction, and all the world was silenced around them. It was just them. His smile was genuine, as was the burning in his eye to see the very same grace the features from each princess.

With Rocket holding for dear life on his knapsack and the Infinity Stone that lied within it, and with Thor holding even tighter on Mjølnir, the god called out one final time. Giving a bold but determined declaration they could all be certain of.

“I promise. We will see each other again.”

He flew with the three other Avengers, the orb of time devouring all four of them and shrinking into nothingness. The light had died, the wind had ceased, and peace was restored in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Star Swirl opened his eyes, bringing himself to the parchment of which contained the completed time travel spell. He rolled it up and stuffed it into his cloak for safe keeping.

While Star Swirl was congratulating his Pillars for a job well done, it was Celestia who was the first to turn away. Her eyes fell to the tapestries lining the foyer, eventually finding a long-awaited peace to the falling sunlight hitting the center window and illuminating the foyer in a warm, orange flow. She stared into the light, an unknown and unreadable expression filling her features.

Luna’s voice arose, bringing the sister to her. “Doth thou believe he was telling the truth?”

Celestia barely turned to her, still seeing Luna step forth to her side. Always and forever by her side. Luna stared to her in wonder, in awe. In hope. “Will we see him again?” she asked.

Princess Celestia just turned back to the light. Just smiled.