153
Andromeda Galaxy
Morag
Year: 2014
The light pouring forth from the jaws of Sanctuary II released Thanos onto the shattered earth of planet Morag. He emerged shimmering in his golden armor and helmet, his double-bladed sword jammed into the earth by his side. Joining him were his Black Order.
Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight each walked behind their lord and father, weapons gripped and resting either by their sides, planted into the earth, or settled on their shoulders. Corvus brandished his glaive whereas his wife proudly held her spear and drove its three-pointed tip to the ground by her feet. Cull Obsidian growled as his axe lay on his shoulder, a wrist-mounted blade extended forth from his left arm and resting by his side. The Maw led the pack of siblings, his bony-white fingers pressed together and his eyes observing the devastating remains of the Temple of the Power Stone.
Nebula and Gamora stepped forth, each occupying one of Thanos’ sides. Gamora stood in her battle armor with Godslayer held tightly in her right palm. She stood on her father’s right, the wind and rain blowing her black and red hair softly. Nebula stood on her father’s left, very little armor joining her person but holding two Electroshock Batons nonetheless. Glaring ahead with a look that could kill nonetheless.
Joining them was an army.
From the bowels of Sanctuary II, various Chitauri starships, chariots, and Leviathans were released out into the cloudy and stormy atmosphere. They numbered in the hundreds, dozens of battalions of chariots filling the air and charging towards the remains of the temple. The starships were quick to follow, the various Leviathans slithering through the skies and roaring as their bodies zeroed in on the opposition standing before them.
Just one opposition. A lone light within the darkness of the bombardment. A lone spark…
A single, blistering flame atop the skull of the Ghost Rider.
The raindrops evaporated as they came into contact with the Rider’s skull, the burning orbs of hellish orange shimmering in the Spirit’s eyes and centering on its assailants. The Spirit of Vengeance instantly recognized Thanos and his children rising amongst the masses of Chitauri foot soldiers filling the grounds beneath Sanctuary II. Growling at that, the Rider unfurled the Hellfire Chain from its person and let it strike against the rock. The chain was ignited, an eternal flame coating the metal and rising up to end at the Rider’s glove. The Spirit’s growls turned into a horrific roar. A battle cry. Tempting, daring the Mad Titan to come forth. That cry shot off across the plains of Morag, reaching Thanos’ waning expression.
He raised his free left hand, lazily pointing to the remains of the temple and ordering, “Search the rubble and bring me the Orb. Clear anything that gets in your way.”
The order was given. The army followed suit. Cull Obsidian and the Black Order led the charge, leading an entire army of Chitauri foot soldiers and commanders across the rocky plains of Morag. The skies and storms shifted following the battalion of Chitauri chariots, starships, and Leviathans turning their attention to the Black Order and following them. Nebula and Gamora were stationary for a moment longer before Thanos finally nodded to each of them. Then they were gone, sprinting alongside the armies of the Chitauri unleashed onto the surface of Morag. Their charge, their thunderous wave of bodies and blades and screams led them to a single destination, where an overwhelming force of hundreds of bodies would easily overcome anything that dared to stand in their path.
Only one thing stood in their path. And it made itself known when it started walking right into the face of the army.
Then running.
Then sprinting.
Then screaming as the Ghost Rider reared back with its Hellfire Chain and swung its end onto the charging chariots and starships. The first chariot was sliced in half from the chain, the two halves breaking off and crashing against the rocks with devastating force. Ripping back the chain, the Rider proceeded to launch the fiery steel into the various starships and chariots that dove downwards to dive-bomb it. The wings of starships were sliced clean, the bodies of chariots nearly decimated into burning cinders as their flame-coated bodies swerved and crashed into the planet’s surface. The Rider had already accumulated a hefty body count by the time the Black Order and Thanos’ army reached it.
Cull Obsidian reared back with his wrist blade, roaring as he brought it down on the Ghost. Only, he felt the piercing flames grip his body as the Hellfire Chain whipped across his body and proceeded to mow down the bodies of Chitauri flooding the planet’s surface. Cull crashed several yards to the right after the chain had struck him, forced to watch as he recovered. Forced to watch as the Spirit decimated the oncoming soldiers of the Mad Titan.
Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight hardly fared any better. Witnessing the Rider send the blistering chain of fire with rapid and clean spontaneity, Glaive realized the opposition may be more formidable than initially noted. The Ghost Rider danced so fluidly with the chain that it almost seemed to act as an extension of the Rider’s will and power, the swirls of fire slicing around the Spirit and acting as a protective shield. Wherever the chain flew, devastation followed, entire droves of Chitauri vaporized as the Hellfire Chain sliced through or across them. No Chitauri could shoot or get close to the demon, either, for when they tried to the blasts merely disintegrated from the intense, otherworldly heat the chain radiated. Bodies of Chitauri turned into flaming bursts of ash as they tried to surround the Rider, the chain constantly swarming the demon and protecting it.
Corvus and Proxima somehow managed to find an opening, Midnight raring back and launching her spear to her desired target. It always found its market, the three-pointed end barely managing to slip through the chain’s blockade and impact the left shoulder of the Rider. Growls of fury left the demon, the Ghost Rider breaking off its attacks momentarily to deal with the newfound threat. It reached forward and pried the spear from its shoulder, eyes only to Midnight as she charged the demon. It was unaware of Corvus rushing from its blind spot. It discovered Glaive’s presence the hard way when he sliced the Rider’s legs with his weapon, the Rider roaring at that and centering its gaze to Corvus and his wife.
Ghost Rider chucked the spear for Proxima’s chest, yet she jumped and caught her weapon with such fluid precision that it seemed naturally organic. She spun in mid-air, screaming as she brought down the blade on the opposite end of her spear on the Rider’s head. Various sparks and cinders shot off as the blade slid downwards on the flaming skull, and the Rider may have trembled slightly from the strike, but nonetheless stood its ground and rose back up. Proxima was relentless in her advances, screaming with raw ferocity in each jab, slice, and strike across the Ghost’s body. Corvus even snuck a few strikes in there, joining his wife in the inevitable beatdown of their opposition.
They thought it was inevitable. They were never prepared. Growling as Corvus drove his glaive into its sternum, the Ghost Rider slowly lifted its glare and met Glaive’s. Corvus’ fangs were soon concealed as his smirk fell away. Rearing back, the Rider drove its skull directly into Corvus’, the resounding hit launching Glaive several yards back. The Spirit gripped the glaive and ripped it free, tossing the weapon free and turning to Proxima Midnight’s continued advances. Her spear was once more driven into the Rider’s chest, only that time the demon caught it and proceeded to increase the pressure it held with the spear. The alien steel slowly began to burn a bright orange and red, melting right before Midnight’s flabbergasted gaze.
Forced to release her melted weapon, Midnight screamed and stared to her burning palms. The skin was scorched and burnt, Proxima so focused on the pain that she was unprepared for the fist sent into her jawbone. She fell back like her brother and husband, forced to watch as the demon proceeded forth and glared solely to her. The Hellfire Chain returned to its right hand, melting fire and cinder with unholy intent. Instead of ripping the chain towards her prone form, the Rider reared back and launched the chain to the far left, to the charging Corvus Glaive and wrapping tightly around the Black Order’s body. Proxima cried out after hearing her husband’s roars of agony, rising up and pouncing the Rider. The Spirit of Vengeance reacted quicker, pulling Corvus along and sending his body into his wife’s own. They were both launched free, disappearing into the waves of charging Chitauri.
Furling its chain, the Ghost Rider growled softly before it felt its body constricted and crushed. Hovering high above the demon, Ebony Maw closed his fist and glared to the opposition that had done away with his fellow siblings. His telekinetic prowess overshadowed that of the Rider’s, and the Maw made that known as he used several boulders to surround and crush the Rider between them. He only tightened his fist, the rocks cracking and further pushing the pressure onto the shrinking demon.
Then, the boulders exploded into a raw display of fire and ferocity as the Ghost Rider roared and ripped his chain free once more. The Maw shielded his face from the fragments of rock shot outwards following the explosion. He turned to the earth, glaring to the lone standing Spirit of Vengeance meeting his glare all the same. Then, they struck.
That single moment the Rider allowed to be distracted by the Black Order allowed dozens upon dozens of Chitauri to slip past. Especially the two sisters. They engulfed the grounds of the temple and crawled over the shattered pillars of ancient rock and stone, firing various bolts of plasma onto the remaining opposition that had survived the bombardment.
Star-Lord was one of those survivors. He slid into cover behind a broken spire, pulling free his Quad Blaster and firing a blast into the chest of an unsuspecting Chitauri. The shot launched the Chitauri back amongst the rubble, the various other aliens taking its place and swarming Quill’s position. Peter fell back against his cover as the various energy bolts flew over his head and impacted the rock he hid behind.
Flinching at the impacts of the energy blasts, Quill quickly pulled out his second Quad Blaster, dual wielding each and holding them close. His breath quickened as the fragments of rock rained over him and fell in his hair, the resounding growls and footsteps of the Chitauri approaching quicker the longer he hesitated. Peter Quill’s breathing began to quicken, the outlaw rising up and returning fire onto everything that moved. Every Chitauri in his line of sight was gunned down by his dual Quad Blasters, a fresh wave incoming from the mist and fog of the storm.
As Quill continued to fire aimlessly into the fog, he was blissfully unaware of the Chitauri coming up on his far right. He wasn’t ready by the time it pointed its arm cannon right for his blind spot. He didn’t have to be ready. He merely turned and flinched at the same moment the rock impacted the Chitauri’s skull and killed it instantly. Almost dazed at first, Quill turned back to the source of the throw, and spotted the same earth-gray pony from before with her hoof jutted towards the Chitauri. That same hoof fell, that same pony turning to Quill with that same dulled expression.
Peter was dumbstruck, then almost failed to hear Maud tell him, “Look out.”
The growls of the Chitauri on his left brought Peter to the realization. Star-Lord whipped around and jammed his Quad Blaster to the Chitauri that got the drop on him. Nearly did. A blur of gray and yellow sent a buck directly into the side of the Chitauri’s skull. After the Chitauri foot soldier fell to the rocks dead, Quill lifted his gaze to the flying Pegasus. Derpy stuck her tongue out to the alien she bucked, turning over to Peter and smiling innocently his way.
And Quill thought maybe, perhaps maybe, the alien horses were worth something. After all, they pulled him from the rubble and covered his ass. Those actions alone told Quill they were on his side. For the moment, at least. Though his brow was hardened and unmoved, the tiny smirk that left his lips was unmistakable. Derpy took that as the biggest accomplishment she ever gained, her grin widening and squeals filling the air. It was instantly drowned out by the responding blasts of the Chitauri rifles. A second wave emerged from the mist, led by none other than Gamora and Nebula. Gamora jammed Godslayer forward, watching as her sister personally and foolishly led the charge into the fray. Alone. Without Gamora by her side.
Gamora knew such actions. Nebula sought to acquire the Orb and the Power Stone by herself, to gain the full glory of the mission and seek their father’s approval. A desperate and fruitless effort. Regardless, Gamora was slower to enter into the battle, but joined it nonetheless.
The temple grounds were a warzone within seconds. Mist and rain filled the air with what wasn’t covered by Chitauri plasma blasts. Various explosions shot out within the temple grounds as pillars that had survived the bombardment finally fell. The Chitauri were relentless in their pursuit, filling the grounds they covered and stirring through the remains of the temple to hopefully find the Orb. Every time, they came up with nothing. Every time, they would push deeper and deeper into the temple remains.
It only ensured that Starlight, Nebula, and Rhodes were running out of time.
The three Avengers remained where they had emerged from the rubble, constantly searching, moving, pushing, and scanning through the rocks for any source of the Infinity Stone. They were unsuccessful for quite some time, losing even more focus with Thanos’ chariots and starships constantly flying overhead and dive-bombing them. Rhodes constantly had to stop searching just to fend them off, eventually breaking away and taking to the skies.
Down below, he called to Starlight and Nebula, “Keep looking! I’ll keep you covered!” His mask closed tight over his head and his eyes burned a bright red. His armor shimmered within the storm, the pulsating reds following him as he tore through the skies and blasted chariots and starships right out of them.
A resounding explosion flowed behind the two, both Starlight and Nebula shielding themselves from the fiery eruption of the downed starship. Even when they were slightly concealed by the rubble, the two were constantly on alert as they dug and searched. Even with Rhodey covering them from above, the threat of the Chitauri filling the temple grounds was high in the air. They could basically hear their rancid breathing just beyond the mound of rubble they were hidden in.
Nebula’s GPS sounded off, Starlight turning quickly to see the Luphomoid respond. “Derpy, where are you?! Did Maud make it out of the bombardment?!”
Derpy’s static voice replied, “Yes, we’re fine! But please hurry! I don’t know how much longer we’re gonna last over here! They’re coming for us!”
“Who is?!”
“You!”
Taken aback slightly, Nebula blinked away the shock and rapidly lowered her wrist. She turned fiercely to Starlight, the fire in her eyes being more than an indicator to Starlight that Nebula meant business. “Starlight, you need to keep searching for the Power Stone!” the Luphomoid told her. Her voice sounded strained, as if it was almost a beg.
Starlight held nothing against her. “I got it,” she responded with a firm nod. That nod was then directed to the further temple grounds, where Maud and Derpy had run off to. “Go, help our friends!”
Nebula didn’t need to be told twice. She was gone, crawling and climbing over the rubble with renewed vigor and speed as she sprinted towards the distress signal. All that she left behind was a lone unicorn, a single Avenger who was tasked with finding the Infinity Stone amidst a sea of stone and devastation. Starlight wanted to focus on finding the Orb. She knew she needed to ignore all distractions and find the Power Stone. Their entire mission depended on it. Depended on her.
But every single time she tried to focus on the rubble, every single time she tried to dig deeper and look for that silver ball, she would always hear the devastating explosions from the dive-bombing starships and chariots. She would always hear the shrieks from the approaching Chitauri no doubt zeroing in on her position. She would always hear the cries of terror from her friends. That alone almost pulled her out of the trench she was in.
Stamping her hooves against the rock beneath her, Starlight turned rapidly from the rubble and to the sounds of Derpy’s screams. To the rubble, and to the screams. Again and again. Just until she couldn’t take anymore, when she shut her eyes as tight as she could and bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. Thanos’ army was closing in. Her friends were in danger.
Starlight spun around. She lit up her horn and glared to the sound of her friends in peril. She only froze in her actions when she managed to hear the alien chatter of the Chitauri behind. Just mere feet behind her. Dimming her horn, Starlight slowly turned to the curious sounds just over the mound of rubble. Crawling over it, Starlight peeked over and actually gasped when she saw Thanos’ forces searching the temple ruins just as she had. Only, they came up with something she couldn’t.
A Chitauri Commander held the Orb within its claws.
That was enough for her to finally act.
Glaring dead ahead, Starlight’s horn burned in a shimmering whiteness as she teleported from her hidden position. The flash of light that followed emerged directly in front of the commander, bringing the unicorn out of hiding and into the heart of the enemy’s line of sight. She never gave them the chance to properly react, the burst of magic slicing off the Chitauri Commander’s arm and blowing the alien beast several yards backs.
The various Chitauri surrounding their commander shielded their eyes upon the brightness, quickly coming to and firing randomly. Below them, where the energy blasts missed a few feet above her, Starlight Glimmer bent low and darted her eyes to and fro. She watched as the commander flew back, its severed arm and the Orb flying through the air and coming to the rocks below. Starlight caught the Orb in her aura, bringing it close and analyzing it just to be certain. The same intrinsic designs. The same size and shape. The same energy source pulsating within.
The Power Stone.
Starlight was so enamored with the Orb that she almost failed to notice the Chitauri coming to. Almost. Her eyes rose up and turned to each of the alien foot soldiers as they shook their heads and brought their attention onto her. They aimed their rifles, arm cannons, and swords directly at her. Each end of every rifle glowed a fierce blue. Starlight’s horn glowed even fiercer.
Rearing low and swinging her horn skyward, Starlight released a spell that sent various bolts of magic in almost every possible direction. The magical bolts shot out as fast as bullets, slicing through various Chitauri fodder and missing very few. While they were detained momentarily, Starlight kept the Orb close and charged her horn once more. She teleported away before the Chitauri could collect themselves, the surviving few gazing to where the unicorn once stood.
One removed its mask and faceplate, shrieking once it realized the Orb was gone. In the hands of the opposition. That shriek carried across the battlefield and sent a warning to all its fellow Chitauri. It washed over the temple grounds, to the skirmish unfolding within the ruins.
That skirmish escalated to an entirely other level when the opposition returned fire in a way the Chitauri never expected. It broke through the smoke and fire as an electrified bolt, striking one Chitauri and creating a volley of lightning-like shots that struck various other Chitauri within the immediate area. Those several Chitauri flinched and trembled where they stood before they hit the ground, scorched and dead. The surviving Chitauri eyed their fallen comrades, turning to the source of the attack.
Out of the smoke, Derpy flew forward and hovered in place. Mounted upon her shoulders and withers, a pair of cannons glowed a fierce yellow, the Domino Gun charging for another volley of shots. It would have, had the Electroshock Baton not impacted her side. It was thrown from below, the speed and accuracy of the baton sending the electrified tip directly into Derpy’s rib cage. The mare cried out as the electricity coursed through her body, the Pegasus nearly blacking out as she dropped like a rock.
The Domino Gun drooped alongside her, Derpy weakly raising her head from the rock she lay against to turn and meet the source of the attack. She witnessed the left blue hand reach down and pluck the baton from the earth, rising up to reveal none other than Nebula. The left hand wasn’t metal, at least not on the outside. That, and the murder bleeding in Nebula’s eyes told Derpy that it wasn’t her friend. That Nebula wasn’t their Avenger. She had finally reached her.
Derpy gulped. Nebula barred her teeth and closed the distance between them, baton raised over her head as she screamed and drove it right for the Pegasus’ spine. The blue blur tackling Nebula stopped the Luphomoid from achieving that.
The two tumbled across the rocky floor, until eventually Nebula gained the advantage and kicked off her assailant. Quickly rolling to one knee, Nebula gripped her batons so hard that the electric currents nearly flowed into her forearms. She glared ahead, her expression nearly shattering when she finally, truly saw who had attacked her.
Standing mere feet away with a similar pair of Electroshock Batons in hand, Nebula glared at herself. They both did.
Nebula hissed at that, jamming one of her batons to her supposedly “future” self. “Deceiver!” she screamed.
The Avenger merely tightened her expression, twirling her batons. “Like it or not… your destiny is set. There’s no changing that.”
“You don’t control me!”
The Nebula of the past ran forward with murderous intent, swinging her batons in her advance. Nebula ducked beneath the swing, continuously weaving and blocking and backing further away from her past self’s attacks. Knowing her own moves and strategies, Nebula found it quite easy to evade the advances. It made it even easier to counter them, lock her past self from behind and constrain her by her arm. Nebula grimaced and cried out as the Avenger twisted her arm and kicked the back of her knee, pushing her down to one knee and holding her arm back.
“You’re right,” the Avenger muttered after allowing a moment to breathe. “But we both know who really does.”
Nebula growled, then cried as she twisted further and broke her own arm. The cybernetic enhancements acted quickly as she escaped, repairing the limb in tandem to her opposite arm rearing forward and jamming the tip of her baton into her future self’s leg. Nebula screamed at that, pushing herself away and slightly limping. Past Nebula held nothing back, practically leaping forward with both batons raised over her heads, intent on bringing them down onto the deceiver.
Her future self countered just as easily, launching her own baton to meet Nebula’s forehead. The electric current washed over her, the Nebula of the past trembling as she released her batons and collapsed onto her future self. That Nebula grabbed her, swinging her entire body around and slamming her into the rocky floor. Gripping her past self by her throat, Nebula whispered, “You can break away. You and your sister. You can be more than what Thanos made you!”
Nebula screamed. She would not be deterred or deceived any further. Reaching to her holster, she unveiled a short blaster and pointed it upward. The Avenger gazed down to the glowing end of the blaster, but it was too late to react accordingly. The blast shot forth and struck Nebula’s side and belt. Screaming out and falling back, Nebula landed on her backside and fell fully on her spine, lying on the slick surface of the temple grounds. Turning to the wound, Nebula grimaced when she saw the smoking scorch mark on her hip, on her belt.
What she failed to notice was her pocket singed and vaporized, and a single vial of Pym Particles rolling away from her.
The Nebula of the past arose, blaster pointed forth to her copy. She sneered, hissing with venomous intent, “You’re weak.”
The Avenger rolled over to her chest, pressing her palms into the rock in order to stand once more. Growling at the failed effort, she instead turned towards her past self, glared down the barrel of the blaster, and whispered, “I’m you.”
Nebula kicked her across the face. The kick sent the Avenger on her back once more, lying dazed and wounded as she felt that boot pressed over her heart. Gazing up once more towards the barrel, Nebula managed to stare past in and into the eyes of her old self. And Nebula pointed her blaster at the deceiver’s face, disgust riddled on her own. She pulled the trigger.
The same second a rock flew from the mist and struck her blaster.
Nebula cried out at that, clutching her palm as she heard the blast go off but the Nebula beneath her continued to live. She shot her eyes over to where her gun landed, skidding across the rocks alongside the stone that had struck her. Turning towards the source, both Nebulas saw the lone Earth pony with her hoof outstretched, the Asteroid Glove attached to it shimmering to her will.
And Maud Pie wasn’t alone. Flying over her and out of the mist, Derpy Hooves jetted forward with her Domino Gun leading the charge, sending a bolt of electricity towards the Nebula of the past. She ducked just as the bolt flew over her head, striking the pillar of rock behind her and causing it to explode upon impact. Fragments of rock shot out, momentarily stunning Nebula and allowing the Avenger to finally gain the upper hand.
Grabbing her leg and twisting it, the Avenger pulled her past self to the floor. With both down, they cast each other a quick glance before simultaneously turning to the lone blaster just a few yards away. It was a scramble, both Nebulas pushing, crawling, and fighting one another to get the gun. In the end, it was Nebula who triumphed over her future counterpart. She sent a fierce punch into the deceiver’s jaw, which gave her the momentum to sever the distance between herself and the blaster. Gripping it, twirling around, Nebula tightened her jaw and gritted her teeth once her eyes locked with the deceiver’s heart.
She smiled and pulled the trigger, only to have a flash of light consume her hand. Her blaster was gone. Nebula’s smile completely shattered, a look of utter astonishment consuming her features as she opened her naked palm and saw nothing. Another flash of light caused her gun to reappear, but only in the hands of the Avenger. In the hand of the deceiver pointed right for her. Nebula pulled the trigger.
The bolt of energy shot forth and struck Nebula right through the chest. Right through her heart. A gust of breath left the daughter of Thanos as she fell, back plastered against the solid stone wall behind her. The area just over her heart sparked and bled, the black hole being all that remained of the blaster shot painted on her chest. Nebula couldn’t even stare to it, her vision and limbs beginning to short-circuit and then fade to nothing.
And she was gone.
Nebula lowered the smoking barrel of the blaster, her hardened expression settling on the corpse of her past self. Maud and Derpy were quick to join her side, each of them gazing with somewhat solace expressions onto the haunting body of Nebula’s own person. A familiar flash of light caught their attention, all three Avengers turning around to see none other than Starlight Glimmer appear behind them. The unicorn who had aided in the fight and came bearing the greatest gift of all.
In her aura of magic, the Orb hovered directly before her. Starlight showed them, declaring, “I think we overstayed our welcome.” They all nodded in response.
As for the firefight occurring around them, Peter Quill was alone to fend off the swarming waves of Chitauri foot soldiers. He was continuously pushing forward and to the outsides of the castle grounds, out of harm’s way so he could make a hasty escape. He never caught wind of the second daughter of Thanos when he had made it out of the line of fire. Just as Gamora never caught wind of the Star-Lord when she stepped forth from the smoke and gazed onto the aftermath laying before her.
Instantly, she felt her heart stop. Then drop. Then freeze as her stomach churned and sickened her when her eyes spotted the remains of her sister lying before the opposition. A dark, fist-sized hole was plastered over her heart, smoke and sparks escaping it and a look of utter lifelessness shown on her expression. Gamora’s eyes enlarged, a gasp escaping her.
A gasp that quickly turned into the feral breaths of an enraged sister. Gamora could hardly see as the tears blotted her and eyes and her emotions dictated what followed. She cried out, earning their attention before they could even react. Starlight, especially, wasn’t able to react when Gamora leapt forth from the rubble and slid towards them with a black boot leading her. A black boot that Starlight became much more closely acquainted with when Gamora drove it into her side.
Starlight yelped as the kick sent her clear across the immediate area. Her horn dimmed and the Orb flew with her, striking the floor and rolling almost as far as Starlight when she finally crashed into some rubble. The Avengers were so focused on the Orb that they were barely ready to defend themselves when Gamora focused on them. She swung Godslayer across Derpy and Maud’s eyesight, the mares ducking just in time. However, they weren’t ready when Gamora compensated by sending even fiercer kicks to each one, Derpy and Maud flying back and rolling several yards away.
Gamora spun on one knee, Godslayer held out to her side as her eyes latched with the Orb lying alone. Then, her eyes darted upwards when she spotted the false Nebula—the murderer of her true sister—run for the Orb. Gamora reacted fast, gripping Nebula’s forearm with her free hand. The Avenger cried out and spun with her fist, intending on landing the hit on the Gamora of the past. Instead, she ducked, Gamora responding with a punch of her own across Nebula’s cheekbone. The strike was so fast and so sudden that Nebula was forcefully spun around from the force of it. With her back to Gamora, the Zehoberei sliced upwards with Godslayer, the tip of the blade slicing Nebula’s back and sending the Luphomoid to the ground with a painful shriek.
She landed directly in front of the Orb. Her eyes rose to meet it, slowly turning back to see her sister approaching with feral intent. Godslayer led her approach, the tip nearing Nebula’s head closer and closer until…
“Gamora, stop!”
The daughter of Thanos spun around, her black and red hair dancing wickedly to join the murderous glare in her eyes and on her expression. Derpy struggled to fly forward, so she landed painfully before Gamora and held out her free hoof. The awkward alignment of her pupils made it difficult for Gamora to know where she was looking. Yet she was faced towards her. Her hoof was held to her. Her voice called her by name… and Gamora stopped.
She somehow listened. Just as the Earth pony joined Derpy and held out her hoof all the same. “Please…” Derpy begged, tears welling up in her unnatural large eyes. “You know us.”
“Maybe not in this time,” Maud picked up, Gamora turning to her with her expression unshaken. “But in the future… you’re our friend.”
At first glance, Gamora saw nothing but an enemy, just creatures who had slain her sister and deserved far worse in retaliation. Upon second glance, Gamora recalled the memories she witnessed unloading from Nebula’s data banks. The memories that were latched with the Nebula from the future. And all of it showed them standing together—even the strange horses standing before her, claiming their friendship to her. They were all together, fighting together. In the future…
Hearing the gasp of pain behind her, Gamora slowly turned her. She slightly hesitated when the Nebula of the future raised her head to her. When she told Gamora, “You see what Thanos has made you… made us. You know what he wants from you. The Soul Stone. You want to know how he gets it? You want to know… what he does… to you?”
Gamora’s feral expression… broke.
Just outside the temple grounds, the almighty Mad Titan broke through the lines the Ghost Rider had accumulated and held for so long. Not anymore. Thanos led the next charge where his Black Order had failed, rearing back and tossing his Double-Edged Sword with fierce precision. It spun rapidly in mid-air, striking the Ghost Rider once the Spirit turned to the approaching whirlwind of sound. The horrific sound of Uru against bone shot off across the battlefield, the Rider launched backwards with such power that its body bounced and rolled and skidded until the Spirit drove its palm into the rock to slow itself down.
The demon lifted its fiery gaze, growling to see the sword return to the Titan. And as Thanos gripped his weapon, he ran forward with an army trailing him. The Chitauri foot soldiers numbered in the dozens behind their lord, a single Leviathan slithering above and roaring as the it narrowed the distance between its jaws and the Ghost Rider. As for the Spirit of Vengeance, the demon stood its ground and slowly rose.
Didn’t even move from then on as Thanos charged. As the Mad Titan reared back with his sword, a volley of rockets and bullets shot down from the storm and impacted him. Flinching at that, Thanos shielded himself, though his armor held well against the feeble human explosives. The Chitauri did not fare as well. Their bodies were either torn to shreds by the bullets or burned alive from the explosions of the rockets. In the aftermath, all that remained was Thanos and his lone Leviathan. The Titan turned skyward to see the War Machine shoot across his vision. Then his vision was filled with fire.
The Hellfire Chain broke through the storm and wrapped itself around the Leviathan’s jaws, shutting them tight and ceasing the roars from the flying war beast. Shocked at that, Thanos brought his gaze downwards to see the Ghost Rider gripping the opposite end of the chain. It yanked. Hard. To his continued astonishment, Thanos watched his Leviathan be pulled from the sky and impact the earth. Its body skidded and slid across the rocky surface until it fell out of sight, leaving just the Rider quickly approaching the Mad Titan.
The distance between them was severed, the Spirit pulling its chain back and swinging it for Thanos’ head. The Titan reacted and ducked just in time, watching only the end of the Hellfire Chain that the Rider sent his way again and again. Each time, Thanos would dodge it, but it grew closer with each swipe. Thanos could feel the heat radiating off of the flames that consumed the chain. Until he was finally forced to lift his sword and block the chain from striking his body. The chain wrapped several times around the double-bladed weapon, Thanos nearly pulled forward from the otherworldly strength of the Rider. He stumbled forward, but quickly recovered and yanked with every ounce of power he had. Ghost Rider was ripped from the earth, meeting the armored forearm of the Mad Titan once Thanos pulled him into a devastating clothesline.
And lingering slowly across the sidelines, Star-Lord was soon to make his escape.
From what was supposed to be a simple robbery transformed into a hellish battle that involved not only some random alien horses, but Thanos and his Black Order. By Quill’s standards, the hit was a bust. Whatever they wanted with the Orb, they could kill each other for it. He wouldn’t risk his life for a few thousand units. In the distance, he could his ship, the Milano, miraculously untouched within the fog and rock. Peter practically tiptoed his way closer to it, his only hope for escape from the madness unfolding around him.
But just before he could exit the temple ruins, he stopped. He stopped when he noticed the lack of blaster fire emanating from within the temple grounds. Just out of curiosity, he turned back and eyed the scene unfolding in the heart of the skirmish.
And within its heart, the swarming army of Chitauri zeroed in on their opposition, none other than those same alien horses who pulled him from the rubble, who covered his back. They pointed their rifles to the three subdued horses and the Luphomoid. But even then, the one the horses surrounded, the one where their eyes and focus were situated… was her.
The Zehoberei. Another member of Thanos’ Black Order if her armor could be an indicator of that. Her blade was focused on the Luphomoid, her weakened eyes latched with her all the same. Quill couldn’t hear what they were saying to one another, but the green woman’s expressions seemed to fall further and further with every word that left the Luphomoid. Peter then noticed the Chitauri growing closer, the horses finally reacting and noticing the odds highly stacked against them. They backed away, the fear plastered on the Pegasus’ face growing more and more vivid the longer Peter stared.
Until he couldn’t stare anymore. Until he couldn’t stand it any longer. Even when he was raised by Ravagers, Quill had some semblance of honor left in him. Maybe that was the Ravager in him. Maybe that was the human. Whatever it was, it broke Peter’s cover.
It screamed, “Hey!”
The Chitauri all turned in accordance to that shout, many of them jamming their rifles in his direction. Gamora, as well, followed the voice and spun rapidly to face it. Her eyes seemed to latch the same moment Quill’s had with hers. He stopped waving his arms as an obvious target when her eyes stared into his, both of them seemingly freezing in time by that short and very simply interaction. It was as if the sounds of the ongoing battle had ceased and silence reverberated across Morag. Though neither of them could explain it, Peter Quill and Gamora stared in silence to one another.
Just each other.
Long enough for Starlight to finally recover and act.
She pulled herself from the rubble and leapt from it, her horn igniting and wrapping her magic tightly around the Orb. Just as quickly, her horn shimmered once more and her magic latched itself with Nebula, with Maud, and with Derpy. By the time the Chitauri and Gamora turned back to them, they had already vanished in a flash of white. Gamora’s hardened expression returned to her, her head rapidly spinning around to catch sight of Nebula and her allies. Her eyes washed over the area where the Terran had been. Had been.
Star-Lord was already gone and making a hasty escape to his Milano.
The Black Order and Thanos didn’t even see him running across the rocky landscape in the distance. They were all too focused on beating down the Ghost Rider. Each member of the Black Order got a shot on the demon as a means of payback for what it had done to them. Corvus Glaive and Proxima Midnight each sliced at the Rider with their respective weapons, the Spirit of Vengeance stumbling back and forth from each hit. Cull Obsidian slammed his axe into the Rider’s back, launching the demon directly to the ground.
Huffing at that, Cull turned to his left to see Ebony Maw strut forth and raise his fingers accordingly. The shattered rock surrounding Ghost Rider cracked and twisted to fit the Maw’s will, swarming the Rider’s arm and keeping it constrained to the earth. He held the Rider at bay for the time being, the Maw and his siblings all turning in accordance to their father making his approach.
Thanos glared to the prone demon lying before him. He began to rear back with his Double-Edged Sword, then quickly shot his weapon back to deflect the oncoming strike from War Machine. James Rhodes flew back from the force of the impact, the burly suit of armor crashing against the rocky floor and lying there, hardly moving. With that dealt with, Thanos pulled his sword back and drove it into the Ghost Rider’s chest.
The Spirit of Vengeance still had a semblance of fight left in it, breaking through the rocks and catching Thanos’ blade just before its edge could reach its chest. The two seemed to be caught in a shocking game of strength, and to the Black Order’s continued shock, Thanos was not making any progress. In fact, he was being pushed back. The Rider was rising. Ebony Maw ended with a closing of his palm into a fist, pushing the Rider to the earth and freeing its hands from Thanos’ sword.
The edge was driven into Ghost Rider’s chest upon that, Thanos roaring in satisfying victory. Ghost Rider roared in response, the agonized cries of the demon leaving its blistering jaws. Then, it disappeared in a flash of white. Nothing remained except Thanos’ blade stuck between the rocks of the earth. Stunned momentarily at that, Thanos spun around alongside his children when he spotted the second burst of whiteness appear behind him.
Starlight teleported directly next to War Machine, nodding fiercely to James once his eyes landed on the Orb wrapped in her magic. With her were Derpy, Maud, and the wounded Nebula and Ghost Rider. Regardless, they were together. They had what they came for. They needed to finish the mission and fast.
So, James pulled his left hand forward, his right raised over it. Every Avenger did.
In the corner of their vision, they watched as Thanos and his Black Order rushed them. His speed was inconceivable, the murderous intent in all of their eyes only growing larger and larger as the distance between them was nearly severed. And just as Thanos reached them with his blade raised and brought down right on top of Starlight Glimmer, she vanished.
They all shrunk down once the Quantum Suits consumed their bodies. And they escaped. They made it safely into the Quantum Realm with the Orb in their possession.
A flash of lightning and roaring thunder shot across the skies above the Temple of the Power Stone. The storm clouds only grew fiercer, the rain pouring down and impacting the shattered planet of Morag. Under the glare of Sanctuary II, the ruins of the temple held scattered Chitauri standing idly by. They only made themselves more presentable once their lord and master entered the grounds. Thanos was slow in his approach, his breathing raw and ragged as the rain slid down his blade and armor. Behind him, his children followed. Soon enough, they confronted all that remained.
Gamora bent down next to Nebula’s body. Her green palm rose up and gently caressed the cold, wet cheek of her sister. Nebula, in response, stared off into nothing. The dark hole where her heart should have been gave its last spark before it, too, faded away. In a way, Gamora was thankful it was raining. Harder for anyone to know what was tears and what was rain.
Yet before she could rise, her eyes lingered to the left side. She caught a shimmer of color within the dull grays and blacks of the temple ruins. A slight glimpse of red. Furrowing her brow at that, Gamora reached down and plucked the red from the gray, analyzing the small vial resting in the center of her palm.
The lone vial of Pym Particles captured droplets of rain water on its surface, or maybe it was her tears. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter. Gamora closed her hand around it when she heard the footsteps emerge behind her. When she heard the familiar voice call out, “Daughter…”
Gamora slowly rose. So very slowly turned around and gazed onto the expression of her father. Her… father. Her eyes lingered back to Nebula’s body, her mind to the words spoken to her mere moments ago. And as she turned back to Thanos, her expression was practically unreadable. Practically unreadable with a slight sense of distrust glowing in each eye.
Her palm tightened even more around the Pym Particles, keeping it hidden from his sight.
As for Thanos, his eyes fell to his other daughter’s body. A slight sense of disappointment filled him before it was replaced by mild acceptance. His expression curled and his eyes fell away, lifting only to Gamora standing before him. He said, “You have failed me, Gamora. I am very… very disappointed.”
Gamora said nothing.
She stared only to the sky, onto Quill’s escaping ship making the jump. Almost staring longingly.
“Do not fail me with the Soul Stone.”
When her eyes turned back to Thanos, every aspect of how she was formed and trained to be his daughter, his warrior, and his greatest creation seemed to be constantly infected by that lingering thought, that single possibility that what future Nebula had told her may have been true. What if it was? What if it was meant to occur? Just hearing that wretched name, the Soul Stone, brought that possibility back to the forefront. Gamora stood and stared in silence, keeping her left palm closed tight and hidden from Thanos’ sight.
He never even noticed that she was hiding something from him. Thanos merely gazed to the aftermath of his failure. His failure to obtain the Orb, the Power Stone, and the repercussions that lied with that. He knew the future was not set in stone as long as he could change the present, but after what he witnessed, the memories that flowed from his now deceased daughter, perhaps it wasn’t the future he should be worried about.
For it was destiny that lied ahead. A destiny already fulfilled in death.