Earth, Avengers Compound
Pepper and Bruce, outfitted in their armor, soared above the field of battle, keeping their eyes trained on the showdown. Natasha and Clint were still facing off against Yelena and Barney, the two archers firing explosive arrows all over the place. Natasha had Rarity by her side. Dr Strange had tied up Titanium Man in the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, while Tony and Twilight bombarded him with blasts. Rhodey and Spike were shooting at Abomination, though their attacks didn't seem to affect him much. The Sphinx was currently coming after Fluttershy, while Celestia and T'Challa tried to keep it off her back. Wanda, Korg, and Tempest seemed to be drifting between multiple fights, trying to cause as much damage as they could. Cinch and Neighsay, meanwhile, had been attacking Autumn Blaze again, but now they were swatting at ants that swarmed up their bodies like locusts, obviously the work of Scott and Hope.
"Okay," Pepper spoke into her helmet. "I think we know where we're needed. Just be careful, alright?"
"I will," Bruce promised, before he rocketed off towards Abomination. The hulking behemoth barely had a chance to turn around before the Hulkbuster slammed into him shoulder-first, throwing him off balance while Bruce unloaded punches on the back of the head.
"WHOA!" exclaimed Spike. "That's a big Iron Man suit!"
"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting backup," said Rhodey. "But I'm not complaining."
Abomination growled angrily as he got to his feet, facing down Bruce in the Hulkbuster armor. "What is this...mockery?!" he demanded, clenching his fists with fury.
"You said you wanted a rematch," Bruce snarked back at him. "You're getting one!"
The armor's back ports opened, launching a massive flurry of small missiles directly at the bony beast. Abomination braced himself as the rockets exploded against his skin, and they did little in the way of lasting damage. Bruce wasn't about to let that stop him, of course, as he charged up to Blonsky and delivered a powerful backhand, sending his opponent sprawling onto his rear.
"Uh, Dr. Banner? You sure about this?" asked Spike.
"Not exactly," Bruce answered from inside the armor. "But I might as well roll with it."
Pepper, meanwhile, flew towards Tony and Twilight. Titanium Man had managed to free himself from Dr. Strange's spell, and backhanded the magician, sending him tumbling off. The Russian man was currently firing rockets at Iron Man, though Twilight was deflecting the projectiles with her magic. Pepper joined in the effort, her nanites forming a pair of shoulder-mounted ion cannons, firing several blasts at Titanium Man. Twilight joined in, launching her own magical blasts, and their combined effort was enough to force the massive suit back.
"Thanks for the help," Twilight said. "Um, I don't believe we've met, though. Who—?"
The rest of the alicorn's words were drowned out as Pepper's helmet retracted from around her head. The woman smiled to herself as Twilight's jaw dropped open.
"Glad to see you're okay, Twilight," Pepper laughed. Tony dropped down next to them, his own helmet dematerializing.
"I see someone's been looking at their birthday presents early," he quipped, clapping Pepper on the shoulder. "Not that that's a problem, of course. We need all the backup we can get."
"Uh, guys?" Dr. Strange interrupted. "Not that I want to criticize your schmoozing, or whatever, but we've still got a problem!" He pointed back.
Tony, Twilight, and Pepper turned around, helmets reforming over their skulls in the process. Titanium Man was getting to his feet, with several dents in his armor, but otherwise unhurt. The eyes on his mask glowed red with fury.
"I've waited too long for a chance to destroy you, Iron Man!" he cackled. "And now, I get to crush you along with your beloved!" Two massive panels unfolded on his back, revealing a pair of giant laser blasters aimed directly at the Avengers.
"Oh, come on," groaned Twilight.
The four barely had time to avoid the incoming attack (Twilight and Strange teleporting, Tony and Pepper taking to the skies), as the giant laser bolts came flying towards them.
At the same time, the Sphinx was continuing to pounce after Fluttershy, as the timid pegasus flew as fast as her wings could carry her. With every swipe of her paw, the furry beast got closer and closer to Fluttershy, slicing bits of hair out of her tail. T'Challa, riding on Celestia's back, was coming up behind the creature, but Celestia's magical blasts didn't seem to be hurting her.
"I can halt her," T'Challa assured her, as he pounded on the surface of his armor, causing more and more purple light to spread across his body. "Hurl me at her."
Celestia raised an eyebrow at him, but nonetheless followed his order. She bucked her back, sending T'Challa flying off of her and towards the Sphinx. The Black Panther body-slammed the mythical creature right between the wings, as his suit released all the stored up kinetic energy into one pulse, knocking the Sphinx out of the sky and into the grass. She screeched in fury as the dirt burst upwards around her, T'Challa rolling off her back in the process.
Fluttershy squeaked in surprise as she came to a stop. T'Challa and Celestia rushed over to her out of concern.
"Are you well, Fluttershy?" asked the prince, his mask dematerializing from his face. He placed a comforting arm on her withers. "Did the Sphinx manage to injure you?"
"N-no, your Highness," Fluttershy managed to squeak out, still shaking a little. "T-thank you for saving me. Oh, a-and thank you Princess."
Princess Celestia nodded. "It is always a pleasure to help one of my little ponies, Fluttershy. Now, shall we—"
A sound behind her cut the princess off. The three of them whirled around, discovering that the Sphinx was getting back to her feet, her yellow eyes narrowing on the trio, as she bared her massive fangs in fury.
"Oh for Pete's sake," T'Challa groaned, his helmet reforming.
The Spinx screeched angrily, before lunging forward with one giant paw. T'Challa managed to shove Celestia and Fluttershy away, but this action forced him to take the full brunt of the attack himself. Fortunately, his armor managed to deflect her swiping claws, though he was still pinned to the ground. The Sphinx, obviously displeased with this turn of events, popped the claws on her other arm, preparing to attack T'Challa again. Vibranium wasn't completely indestructible, and given the Sphinx's strength, she could conceivably get through his armor eventually.
"King T'Challa!" screamed Fluttershy, spreading her wings and launching herself towards the Sphinx. She managed to clock the beast in a full-body tackle, right on the side of her jaw. It wasn't the strongest blow, considering it was Fluttershy, after all, but it did manage to distract the Sphinx, causing her to lift her paw off of Black Panther. She whirled on Fluttershy, hissing and spitting, with her claws outstretched. Fluttershy winced slightly, afraid she might've just doomed herself.
Of course, the timid yellow pegasus knew she could count on her friends, and her faith was proven right as a golden lasso of pure magic lashed outward, wrapping itself around the Sphinx's paw. The beast gasped in confusion at the sight, turning to follow the rope to its source, which was, of course, Princess Celestia's horn. Celestia dug her hooves into the ground as she pulled on the Sphinx's paw, sending two more to encircle the beast's other wrist, as well as her muzzle. The Sphinx gave another hiss, trying to rip apart the bonds holding her, but Celestia held firm.
T'Challa, having recovered from the Sphinx's previous attack, charged towards her, leaping forward and planting both feet on her nose. The kinetic energy his suit released sent her flying backwards, but Celestia's golden chains snapped taut, before yanking her back down like the snap back of a rubber band, slamming the Sphinx into the earth once again. Fluttershy, wanting to help, flew over and bucked the Sphinx in the eye as hard as she could. The beast could only manage a pained grunt in response.
It the combined attack did seem to do the trick, as the Sphinx closed her eyes, apparently passing out. T'Challa and Celestia approached her cautiously, T'Challa keeping his claws popped just in case. Celestia decided to test their success, firing a magical beam directly between the Sphinx's eyes. The creature gave a weak hiss, but otherwise did not move. She didn't seem to be luring them in for another attack.
"Well," T'Challa remarked, sheathing his claws and causing his helmet to de-materialize from around his head, "that particular battle could've gone much worse."
"Don't jinx it," Celestia warned him, but her smile betrayed her joking nature.
Meanwhile, Cinch and Neighsay were still trying to take shots at Autumn Blaze, but their efforts were still being thwarted by the most minuscule of Avengers. Scott, riding on a flying ant, and Hope, aided by her wings, buzzed around their heads, along with a small army of ants they'd mentally controlled into attacking them. The two unicorns were covered in small bites, with still more ants swarming over them. Still, they showed no signs of giving up. Autumn Blaze herself continued to watch them, unsure of what to do herself.
Scott leaped off his flying steed, taking careful aim and delivering a powerful punch to Neighsay's jaw. The unicorn was thrown off of his hooves and onto his side, sliding in the dirt.
"That's what you get for being a crotchety old prick, pal!" Scott quipped, leaping back onto his ride, before Cinch sent another blast at him.
"I don't think they really appreciate your jokes, Scott," Hope remarked, as she fired another stinger blast into Cinch's neck, prompting the unicorn to screech in fury and lunge towards the Wasp, only to miss.
"Why do you persist in interfering in pony affairs?!" demanded Cinch, as she used a spell to dislodge all of the ants crawling all over her. "Why must you—"
"Because these ponies are our friends," Hope replied, dodging another magical bolt, "and you're trying to ruin their lives. So we're gonna take you out."
"That's not true!" Neighsay tried to shout, but Celestia's earlier verbal thrashing had left too much of an impact. He wasn't fighting at anywhere near his full potential, and he was certainly in no condition to debate with these beings.
Which was exactly what Scott and Hope were counting on. "Now, Sparky!" yelled Scott.
Tempest was standing by, and she leapt into action at Ant-Man's words. She charged up her broken stump of a horn, as bolts of blue electricity lanced out of it, zapping everything near to her. Rearing her head back, Tempest launched a ball of magical lighting towards Neighsay and Cinch, catching them both with one attack. The two unicorns were actually lifted off of their hooves and pitched backwards, sliding across the grass and dirt that actually managed to stain their coats.
Scott and Hope activated their triggers, growing back to normal size. "Nice shooting, Temps," said Scott, giving Tempest the closest thing he could to a high-five. "I think you're probably the most badass a unicorn could ever hope to be."
"Thanks," Tempest replied, turning a slightly deeper shade of red.
Hope's attention was drawn instead to Autumn Blaze. The kirin was looking rather unsure of herself, nervously fiddling with her hooves. Hope hadn't had much of a chance to talk with the kirin on the jet, but from what she'd heard, she was usually pretty chipper. At the moment, however, she seemed more lost than anything. Hope was filled with empathy for the creature.
"Hey," she said softly, putting her hand on Autumn Blaze's back. "Are you alright?"
"I'm not ready for this!" Autumn Blaze squeaked, shaking with fear, starting to cry. "I'm not a fighter! I shouldn't have come on this—"
"Hey, hey, hey," Hope cut her off, gently massaging her shoulders. "Do you want me to get you to a safe spot? I can do that, you have no obligation to be in this fight."
Autumn sniffed, wiping her tears away. She'd been hoping the Friendship Conference would just be a chance to connect with her pony friends again, and hopefully get the kirin society to connect with the pony government. However, her hopes had been rapidly dashed, as the situation went on a downward spiral towards disaster, all because of these people. She wasn't even certain why they were attacking (though the Avengers didn't seem to know either), and those two unicorns seemed to despise her just for not being a pony. At least Hope was being kind to her, and trying to keep her stable. She—
Hope suddenly shouted in pain as she was shoved away from Autumn, courtesy of the magical blast she took directly between the shoulder blades. Scott had resumed battling the two unicorns, but Neighsay had managed to get off a single blast at Hope, knocking her over.
Autumn Blaze looked on at the injured Wasp. Hope clearly wasn't seriously harmed, but at the same time, the blast had definitely hurt. Seeing someone lash out at someone so kind, something snapped in Autumn Blaze. She gritted her teeth as red and purple fire sprouted around her body, enveloping her form. With another burst of energy, her body shifted, transforming her ivory and green body into a black, burning nightmare, her eyes going blank white.
"YOU!" screamed the nirik, rounding on Cinch and Neighsay, raising one hoof and pitching a ball of fire at them. The projectile burst right between the two unicorns, sending them both flying yet again. But Autumn Blaze wasn't done there, charging towards them and baring her fangs.
Scott and Hope regrouped, their helmets retracting as they watched Autumn Blaze bearing down on Cinch and Neighsay.
"Whoa..." Scott breathed. "I thought the Hulk was crazy, but this is the next level."
"Autumn!" Hope called, as Autumn Blaze used her horn to jab Neighsay in the stomach. "Are you okay?!"
The burning nirik turned around, and with a small flash, her eyes reverted back to their normal golden color. "Well, yeah. I was just taking out my anger on these guys," she replied. Her voice was still in its growling mode, but it was still noticeably her voice. "Don't worry, I can control this."
"Uh, okay," Hope replied, re-equipping her helmet and flying back over to the two unicorns. Scott followed.
Around the same time, Natasha and Rarity were continuing their battle against Yelena. Clint and Barney were fighting in the same general area, and Clint had been joined by Fluttershy. Clint had taken shelter behind a building, Fluttershy alongside him, occasionally taking shots at Barney, while the enemy responded in kind. Natasha and Yelena were having a martial arts fight in the middle of the grassy plain, while Rarity attempted to telekinetically toss objects at the opposing agent. Unfortunately, Yelena was just too good at dodging and was able to keep up with both of them at the same time.
"We don't seem to be making a lot of progress here!" Clint complained, as Barney's next explosive arrow detonated upon colliding with Clint's in mid-air. He turned towards Fluttershy. "Any chance you could fly in close and distract Barney?"
"I don't know about that," replied Fluttershy. "I'm not that fast of a flyer, and it seems likely he'd shoot me down halfway there."
Natasha grunted as she kicked Yelena in the chest, knocking the false widow away from her. Yelena managed to draw a gun, forcing Natasha and Rarity to dive behind another building to avoid the bullets.
"We're kind of at an impasse, too," Natasha spoke into her earpiece. "Clint, what if we tried switching dance partners?"
Clint considered the idea for a few moments. "It could work," he conceded. "It'd certainly catch them off guard."
"Pardon me, darling," Rarity spoke up. "But aren't they going to see that move coming a mile away? We can't just ask them to wait while we switch places."
"I may have a solution for that," Clint offered. "But I'm gonna need some help from you, Rares."
"I am at your disposal."
Clint quickly relayed his plan to Rarity, who felt confidant enough to agree to the idea. Fluttershy was still nervous about having to go up against Yelena, but she swallowed her fear. Rarity began charging her horn, while Clint readied another arrow, waiting for Yelena and Barney to pause for the half-second they needed. Eventually, they got it.
Rising out from his hiding place, Clint fired a single arrow at Barney, while at the exact same moment, Rarity popped up and launched her collected magic at Yelena. Natasha and Fluttershy had already started moving once they'd fired, keeping their eyes covered, away from the attacks. The arrow burst harmlessly with a bright flash of light, blinding Barney, while Rarity's spell exploded in a variation of a light spell, forcing Yelena to cover her eyes. Clint and Rarity followed their partners, and soon enough, the two duos had switched places.
Barney blinked repeatedly, erasing the blinding glare from his vision, only to find himself not facing his brother, but Natasha and Rarity. The two females immediately fired at him, Natasha with her Widow's Bite, and Rarity with a magical beam. Barney managed to dive to the side to avoid the attack, notching another arrow in the process.
"Romanoff, huh?" he remarked, dryly. "We never were formally introduced." He released the arrow.
"Clint's told me a lot about you," said Natasha, continuing to charge forward, electric batons drawn, as Rarity blasted the arrow out of the air. "Enough for me to know I don't like you."
Barney managed to get off two more shots, but Natasha was able to dodge them. She'd known Clint for years, and Barney's style of shooting was very similar. Once she got within range, Barney attempted to club her with his bow, but Rarity seized it in her magical grip, yanking it up and out of his grip. As a result, Barney was completely unprotected against the Black Widow, who jabbed both batons into his stomach, sending hundreds of volts of electricity into his body. Barney hissed in pain, stumbling backwards before Natasha landed a roundhouse kick directly into the side of his head, knocking him to the ground, unconscious.
Rarity galloped up to her partner, looking down at the fallen archer. "We do make a rather good team, don't we, Miss Romanoff?"
Natasha smiled pleasantly, an uncommon occurrence for her. "For the last time, Rarity, you can just call me Natasha."
Clint and Fluttershy had gathered a few yards away from Yelena, Clint nocking another arrow. Yelena managed to recover from the assault on her retinas just in time to dodge the electrified projectile.
"Barton," she hissed, angry at the apparent loss of her chance at revenge. "At least I get to make Romanoff suffer by killing you."
"Yeah, yeah," Clint replied, collapsing his bow into a fighting staff, "I've probably heard it before, believe me."
The pegasus next to him had a very different reaction. Gasping in shock, Fluttershy took off, flying up so that she was face-to-face with Yelena. The Russian reared back, preparing to jab the pony with her own baton, but Fluttershy Stared as hard as she possibly could, directly into Yelena's eyes. Yelena froze, feeling the pegasus boring into her soul, dropping her baton from sheer terror. No training could've prepared her for this.
With Yelena distracted, Clint took the opportunity to swing his weapon into her chest, knocking the wind out of her. Yelena grunted, rolling backwards to get back on her feet and arming herself once more. But before she could make a move against Clint, Fluttershy zipped behind her, and covered her eyes with her yellow hooves. Blinded, Yelena couldn't block Clint's next blow directly into her throat, followed by a roundhouse kick that sent her flying.
It was too much for Yelena. Every time she tried to get off an attack, Fluttershy would always do something to draw her attention away, and Clint would land another powerful blow. The Russian spy couldn't even take a chance to assault the pegasus, as Clint would always protect her. Finally, Clint drew another electric arrow from his quiver, while Fluttershy curled up into a ball behind Yelena's heels. Clint jabbed the arrow directly into Yelena's chest, shocking her, before clocking her over the head with his weapon, causing his opponent to trip over Fluttershy, and slam her head directly into the ground. Yelena Belova was out cold, and Clint took the opportunity to tie her up with one of his cable arrows.
"Thanks for the assist, Fluttershy," Clint remarked. "For a pony that claims not to be much of a fighter, you're not bad at it."
"Um, thank you, Clint," replied the timid pegasus.
The battle against the Abomination hadn't been going too smoothly. Sure, in the Hulkbuster, Bruce was capable of matching his sheer strength, but Blonsky was a trained soldier, and Bruce wasn't even experienced in piloting the suit. Spike and Rhodey were doing the best they could to help, but even War Machine's powerful arsenal didn't seem to be doing a great deal of damage.
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Bruce reared back and punched Blonsky in the face with one heavy armored fist, knocking him backwards, before his shoulders opened up, releasing a flurry of small missiles. The projectiles impacted all over the body of the Abomination, but the explosions failed to truly hurt him. Bruce activated his jet boosters, but Blonsky seized him by the ankle just as he got off the ground, swinging him in an arc and slamming the massive armored suit into the ground, face-first.
"Pathetic," growled Blonsky. "Is this the best you can offer me, Banner?! You were never worthy of this power!"
"Hey! Leave him alone!" yelled Spike, flying up to the Abomination's face and breathing a massive stream of emerald fire into his face.
Blonsky screeched in pain at the burns, but as soon as Spike ended his attack, the beast rounded on the small dragon, snorting furiously, his healing factor already starting to repair his scorched face. Spike swallowed as the Abomination raised one fist, realizing his plan hadn't been the smartest one he'd ever come up with.
Just as Blonsky swung, Rhodey came to the rescue, shoving Spike out of the way. Unfortunately for him, this resulted in Rhodey taking the full force of the punch, sending him flying away like a rag doll, his armor dented.
"Colonel Rhodes!" yelled Spike, his heart beating like a jackhammer as he flew over to his fallen friend. Rhodey's armor had a rather large indentation in the middle of it, and his chain gun had snapped off, but it didn't look like he'd been seriously injured.
"You okay there, Spike?" he asked weakly, grunted as he sat up.
"Me?!" exclaimed the dragon. "What about you?! You just got smashed by a meaner Hulk! How are you—"
Spike cut himself off as a shadow fell over them. Slowly, he turned his around, discovering (to very little surprise) the Abomination towering over them, a sadistic grin spreading across his hideous face. Behind him, Bruce was still trying to recover from that last blow.
"Don't worry, lizard boy," he cackled, raising one massive foot. "I'll make it quick."
Spike, unwilling to desert Rhodey and knowing he couldn't stop the inevitable, squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for death. But before Blonsky could bring his foot down, an explosive projectile burst against his back. Although it didn't harm him, it did catch his attention, causing him to turn, find Korg with a smoking gun.
"Piss off, bag of exposed bones!" shouted the rock being. "Honestly, though, you might want to get those looked at."
Blonsky blinked a couple of times, as though trying to process exactly what was going on. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have enough time to do so, as the telltale red glow of Wanda's power surrounded him, lifting him off the ground and squeezing him, causing him to shout in pain. The Sokovian woman swung her arms overhead, flinging the Abomination in an arc and slamming him head-first into the ground, burying his skull in the dirt. With one more wave of her hands, Wanda slid the partially buried monster several more yards on his head, leaving a trail of split earth.
"Nice moves, Wanda," Bruce commented, as he stomped over to rejoin the group. "Kinda wish I could do that right now."
"Yeah, well," Wanda replied, "that's not gonna keep him down for long."
She pointed. Indeed, the Abomination was already starting to pull his head out of the dirt, climbing back to his feet. Even without a good look at his face, the group could tell he wasn't happy.
"Okay, so what do we do now?" asked Spike, still shivering from his earlier brush with death. "Are any of us strong enough to really hurt him?"
Bruce took over. "I can kinda hurt him, but I don't know if that's gonna be enough. Especially since I'm not used to piloting this thing, and he's got military training."
"Then we've gotta gang up on him," Rhodey concluded. "Otherwise we'll be just stuck fighting this idiot forever."
"Sounds like a plan to me!" chimed in Korg.
Holstering his rifle, Korg charged towards the rising Abomination, tackling one of his legs and pulling him down. Blonsky raised his fists, eager to smash the rock being to pebbles, but Wanda immediately activated her powers, freezing his arms in place over his head. Korg reached out with both arms, grabbing both of the Abomination's legs and gripping them as tight as he could. With the beast held in place, Spike took a deep breath and fired a torrent of green flame at Blonsky. Rhodey joined in, unloading more missiles, and firing a continuous repulsor blast from his chest reactor. Bruce took aim with the Hulkbuster's own mighty repulsor beams, combining them with the blasts of the other two.
Abomination screamed in agony as the trifecta of power assaulted his chest. The combined energy attacks burned his skin, even as his healing factor tried to repair the damage. Wanda and Korg kept their grip firm on him, preventing him from moving an inch to escape the onslaught of pain. Just when he thought he'd been through the worst of it, Bruce, Rhodey, and Spike cut off their blasts, as the Hulkbuster charged forward, rearing back and giving a devastating punch directly into the center of Blonsky's already damaged chest, just as Wanda and Korg released him. The Abomination went flying like a tossed stone, bouncing across the grass and coming to a rather painful stop.
"I hope that hurt, boney!" Bruce cheered from inside the armor.
It had indeed hurt, but Blonsky wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of knowing that. Grunting, he slowly pulled himself to his feet once again, staring down Bruce. Though he tried to play it off, the combined attack had clearly taken its toll on him. His back was hunched, and his breathing far more ragged than before.
"You want some more?" Bruce asked, rather cockily, as he charged Abomination once again. The others prepared themselves, knowing they weren't out of the fight just yet.
Meanwhile, Tony's group was busy facing off against Titanium Man, with varying degrees of success. Tony, Twilight, and Dr. Strange were all experienced in the art of combat, but Pepper was not. She wasn't as experienced as Tony in piloting her suit, and though Bullski was still fairly new at it as well, Pepper was clearly at more of a disadvantage.
Pepper focused her laser on Titanium Man's back, attempting to burn through his armor, but the suit had been built too skillfully, and she was barely making any progress. Seizing the opportunity, Bullski activated a magnetic puller in his gauntlet, pulling Pepper towards him and grabbing her by the leg. Pepper shouted in surprise as Bullski whirled her around before chucking her as hard as he could at Tony. Which was pretty hard. The two armor-clad humans slammed into the earth with considerable force.
"Great flying, lady," Dr. Strange deadpanned, opening a portal to the mirror dimension and allowing another of Bullski's energy bolts to pass harmlessly inside.
"Hey, she's trying to help!" Twilight snapped back. She ignited her horn, creating a length of magenta rope formed of pure magic. She swung her head, directing the rope and lashing it around Titanium Man's arm. The magical tether burned and sizzled against the titanium armor, and Twilight yanked backwards with all her strength, trying to pull him off his feet, but her cause was lost before she'd even started.
Bullski smirked beneath his helmet, before yanking hard on the magical rope. Twilight was pulled off her feet, flying straight towards the armored giant. Had Dr. Strange not opened up a portal in front of her, she'd have flown straight into a titanium fist. The portal's twin opened right next to Dr. Strange, and Twilight deposited back in her previous position with a painful thump.
"You're welcome," Strange quipped, receiving a glare from the Princess of Friendship in return.
"You're full of tricks, wizard," Titanium Man growled, advancing on Dr. Strange, "but even you cannot do this forever."
"Wanna bet?" retorted the doctor, giving a small gesture with his head. On cue, the Cloak of Levitation launched off his back, flying straight at Bullski's head. The man didn't even have time to react before the cape had wrapped itself around his helmet, completely and utterly blocking out his vision. As he tried to reach up to pry it off, Tony and Pepper flew back up once more.
"Time to see if those magical upgrades worked," Tony said to himself, pointing with one arm.
The nanoparticles of his suit reacted, racing down his limb and forming a cylindrical cone similar to a unicorn's horn on top of his wrist. A bright red beam emerged from the horn, enveloping Titanium Man in a red aura and lifting him off the ground. Tony slowly bent his fingers inwards, causing the magic field to compress, crumpling Bullski's armor like an aluminum can and denting it. Bullski shouted in fury as various weapons systems went offline, threatening to leave him defenseless. At the same time, Twilight, Dr. Strange, and Pepper all blasted the metal giant with their various beams, damaging his armor even further. Tony finally added his own repulsor blast, and the damaged Titanium Man was left sprawling on the ground.
Inside his armor, Bullski struggled to get back to his feet, as the four assembled warriors advanced on him, weapons primed.
"This...cannot...be..." he growled.
"Sorry, buddy," Tony retorted, priming his magic conductor once again. "You're just not very good at this."
Bullski would've retorted. He would've used his own barely functioning repulsor weapons in an effort to strike back. He would've gone down swinging if it came to that. He would've done all of those things, had not something cut him off.
A portal, so similar to Dr. Strange's, opened beneath his feet.
Titanium Man, barely having time to utter a squeak of surprise, fell through the portal, to a location nobody could get a clear look at, and the circle of sparks sealed up and disappeared behind him.
Tony looked around the battlefield, discovering that the same phenomenon was happening all around them. All the villains suddenly found themselves pulled downwards by the force of gravity, into sparking portals that led who knows where. In the span of a couple of seconds, every single one of their enemies had vanished.
Landing on his feet, Tony's helmet dematerialized from around his skull.
"Okay," he said to nobody in particular, "now what?"