//------------------------------// // Chapter 173 – Always Worth It // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 173 The Battle of Earth 6:19 p.m. To say Peter Quill had lost his temper was an understatement. After having witnessed his girlfriend lying dead in his arms for one second, feeling his body break apart the next second, and waking up the third second to see Gamora’s body gone, it was understandable as to why he fought the way he did. Last he could tell, he was dead. Then, he was alive, staring up to the sun high over his head and Doctor Strange telling him to get up. Their fight wasn’t over. It sure as hell wasn’t. Quill raged and screamed and fired relentlessly from the sky. None could blame him. Being more emotionally-driven than anything else, and with the chance to get back at the Titan who murdered Gamora, Peter took every second to ensure the path before him was clear of any nuisance that got in his way of Thanos. It was a long, long path filled to the brim with nuisances. Star-Lord fought anyway. Screw it. His Jet Boots kept him airborne momentarily, his Quad Blasters firing madly into the various chariots and Chitauri that dared to confront the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. As he glided by a pillar of rubble, a Sakaaran was waiting and leaped onto his back. With the added weight, Star-Lord careened out of control. He landed to the dirt, on his back, just before the Sakaaran could get a latch around his throat. They crashed in the smoldering remains of a Ravager dropship. Peter quickly rolled to his feet, ramming his Quad Blaster forward into the charging Sakaaran’s jawline. He caught it by its mouth, the Sakaaran gagging and quickly yelping in pain as Quill fired and blew its jaws apart. As one Sakaaran fell, two more took its place. They swarmed Star-Lord with blades swinging and guns howling. Quill dodged the blaster fire, returning one of his own into the chest of the charging Sakaaran. The blast tore right through it, Peter focused so much on the one that he didn’t have time to turn fully to the second. It rammed the side of its blade across his face. Luckily for Peter, his mask protected him from the blade’s edge. Unluckily, though, he fell and landed flat on his back. His vision was a blur only momentarily, but not fast enough to ready himself for the Sakaaran. It stood above, straddling Quill and rearing back with its blade for a second and final swing. A stream of red and a whistle tore through its back and chest. The Sakaaran flinched, gave its last growl as the air was just knocked out of it, and fell directly on top of Peter. Dead. Groaning to the added weight resting over him, Quill blinked several times to regain his focus. He struggled to push the dead weight off of him, but found it rather easy when someone helped. That someone stood over him, grasping Peter by his shoulders and shouting, “I gotchu, boy!” That voice alone was all that was needed to knock some sense and focus back into Peter Quill. Freezing at his voice, then at his touch, Peter lifted his hand and deactivated his mask. The red eyes vanished, leaving just the concerned expression gracing Quill’s clean face. He sat up, staring directly into the red fin, blue face, and crooked grin of an old friend. “Yondu?!” Peter exclaimed. He was hoisted to his feet by the Ravager, Yondu giving Quill several once-overs before finally deciding he was all right. Quill did the same for him, except his concern turning into confusion. “What the hell are you doing here?!” “Got the call from the man in the cape!” Yondu answered. The two’s conversation had to be shouted over the sounds of the battlefield constantly raging around them. “Said you and your Guardians were in danger by the purple asshole himself! Ain’t no way I’m turning from that kind of fight, boy!” Peter, while he appreciated Yondu’s assistance, could only imagine what his worth could have been, say, five years earlier when they needed all they could get to stop Thanos the first time. Maybe they could have won if they got a little extra Ravager help. Maybe Gamora would still be alive. Maybe a lot of things could have been different, but right then and there was the reality set in stone. The deed was done and all they had to do now was stop Thanos from doing it again. At least, that was what Strange told Quill. He didn’t tell him if Gamora had made it or not. With that raging thought plaguing him, Quill stared to Yondu and then to the devastation surrounding them. He breathed, “You’re a little late.” Yondu stared to the man he always saw as a boy. That same boy he rescued from Terra and raised to be a Ravager. A thief. A fighter. A survivor. And sometimes… his boy, the son he never had. Seeing the distress laced on Peter’s expression was enough to wound Yondu’s twisted heart, especially after hearing what happened to Quill’s girl. He wanted to tell him something. He didn’t know what, just anything that might have helped. He even raised his palm, seeing Quill’s shoulder barren. Kraglin interrupted him, both Yondu and Quill turning around to see the Ravager aim his laser rifle between them. “Might wanna fall back with the others, Quill! We’ll hold ‘em off for ya!” Kraglin yelled, firing off several rounds and taking out a chariot flying towards them. “Others?” Peter questioned. “Quill!” The voice was almost as familiar as Yondu’s, just as obnoxious and grating on his mind and eardrums. Stepping out of the dropship, he scanned his surroundings and searched desperately for that voice. There, he could see the talking raccoon himself waving to him. Quill managed a short smile, flinching alongside Rocket when the explosion rocked the area. Rocket quickly ducked back down into cover once a starship dive-bombed the ground near their hiding spot. Quill cast that starship a waning glance, seeing its frame disappear into the smoke and clouds, its shadow inevitably zeroing in for a second run. And there he stood like a dumbass, out in the open. Kicking his instincts into high gear, Peter made a run for it to the trench he saw Rocket duck into. He ran directly into the battlefield, into the heart of no man’s land where the fighting was the most vicious and war consumed both the air and the land. He ran only with his single Quad Blaster in hand, firing off some random shots blindly into the smoke and dust. Screams and gunfire followed all around him. Then, the engines of the starship returned, getting closer and closer to Star-Lord. Peter dove into the trench to avoid the laser blasts and explosions following him, a wave of dirt and dust washing over his body as he rolled and lay prone in the inward earth. Directly ahead of him, there was Rocket laying with his back against the mound of dirt on the side of the trench. Quill scrambled to his feet and landed beside him. “Hey!” Quill greeted breathlessly, offering the raccoon on his right some knuckles. “Hey, Rocket, how you been, man?” Rocket met Peter’s fist with his own, screaming over the explosions around and above them, “It’s been a shitty five years, but it’s good to see you kickin’ again! You ready for another push?” Peter lifted both blasters, breathing out a smirk. “Ah, you know it.” “I am Groot!” The sudden emergence of the familiar but gruff voice caught Quill’s ears. He lifted his head, pushed himself from the mound of dirt and faced the rest of the inner trench before him. Rushing to meet his long-lost Guardian, Groot caught Quill in his trunk-like arms, squeezing the air out of him in a powerful hug. Peter tapped repeatedly on Groot’s shoulder, both as a greeting and a motion for air. “Hey, Groot!” Peter wheezed, finally breathing again once Groot set him down. Giving the tree a once-over, Quill’s brow furrowed at the astounding height Groot had gained since he last saw him. “Damn, you definitely grew!” “Quill!” Drax called. The three Guardians followed the voice, spotting Drax waving to them from further down the trench line. He and Mantis stood nearby the adopted sister to Gamora. Nebula, in turn, stomped towards him, the first among Drax’s group to do so. In his mind, he expected to fully receive whatever punishment Nebula thought was worthy. After all, Peter had failed to protect her sister. He failed and both he and Nebula had to mourn the loss not only of a Guardian, not only of a friend, but also of a sister. He didn’t doubt that Nebula blamed him for not being there, for not being strong enough to protect her from Thanos. He stared solely to the Luphomoid as she made her feral approach, Quill prepared for the hit, the slap, the kick in the groin, absolutely anything. Everything except the hug. He wasn’t ready for the hug she gave him. It was quick, though. Quick and clean and over with. Clearing her throat and breaking off, Nebula stared at him and clarified, “I’m glad you’re not dead.” Peter had to make sure his brain was still working after that encounter. Counting his ABC’s later, Quill focused back to Nebula. “What about Gamora?” he asked. Her expression quivered at that, Nebula taking a step away. Quill took a step forward. “Was she brought back, too? Did you see her anywhere?!” His questions grew more feral and more spontaneous the longer they went without an answer. The lingering seconds were filled with unhinged anxiety until, finally, Star-Lord got his answer. Nebula shook her head. He breathed again, his heart falling and that terrible shroud of darkness overcoming his very being and the reality it was trapped in. A reality without Gamora. The one where she died before he could save her. “You guys…” Still somewhat held back by his thoughts, Peter eventually turned to the voice alongside his fellow Guardians, turning to see Mantis staring up. Mantis shakily pointed to the skies. Then, the roar shook the air with electrifying power. Every single Guardian in the trench line turned to it, seeing the terror of the skies for themselves. A Leviathan swam towards them, joined by dozens of chariots and starships intended for the Guardians of the Galaxy. But before they could reach them, Yondu and Kraglin landed in their trench. The two Ravagers rose up as the Guardians shifted their eyes towards them. “Ready for that push, rat?” Yondu asked aloud. Peter twisted his gaze back. Rocket grinned mischievously, twirling his pistols skyward. Yondu nodded, turning over to Peter and shouting, “Ready, boy?!” Peter slowly faced Yondu, the man he could have considered the only real family he had left. The father he always had but hadn’t realized. One that was asking to stand by his side through the face of hell itself. Star-Lord led them. The Guardians of the Galaxy stormed out of the trench with Peter Quill giving out a roaring war cry and taking to the skies. His Quad Blasters rained from above, killing various Chitauri and Outriders down below and clearing a path for the others. As for the others, they charged with Yondu and Kraglin, both Ravagers tearing through the droves of Chitauri and Sakaarans with lasers and flying arrows. Nebula ran with her knee leading, screaming as she crashed into the Elite and knocked it flat on its back. She drove her Electroshock Baton directly into its visor. Into its skull. Drax, Rocket, and Groot slammed themselves directly into the Sakaarans and Outriders, the Destroyer living up to his title and slicing through dozens of the paper-like soldiers of the Mad Titan. Rocket held onto Groot’s shoulder, firing madly as Groot punched and swung in every direction. Mantis slid beneath the charging Gorilla, climbing up rapidly on its back and planting her palms into the side of its head. She sent the Chitauri into a deep slumber, its lumbering mass falling to the dirt and Mantis hopping off of it completely unscathed. Yondu and Kraglin fired from below while Quill took to the skies, all three of them taking out several starships and chariots. Those were the least of their worries. The Leviathan was getting closer by the second. Yondu definitely didn’t want to get caught up in its nasty rows of teeth. With Quill flying by and unloading several rounds into the Leviathan’s eye, Yondu sent his arrow skyward with the beast distracted. The stream of red managed to tear through the armor of the Chitauri, breaking through the rows of armored plates alongside its body. The Leviathan roared at that, turning back to Yondu. His whistles continued to tear apart the Leviathan, but the beast was relentless. It pursued its target until the meters were cut short and Yondu was trapped under its shadows. The Ravager’s eyes widened, as did the jaws of the flying serpent. The rocketing iron suit crashing into the side of the Leviathan’s head was just enough to push it off course, just enough to get it flying back up again instead of downwards. Yondu stared at that suit of armor, a silent thanks given to the Iron Man the beast now chased. That did not mean Yondu relented. He continued to whistle and his arrow continued to rip and tear through the Leviathan’s body and armor. As it did so, the Leviathan screeched and roared, nearly narrowing the distance between Iron Man and its jaws. The destruction of its body, however, was too much for it to handle, and the dying Leviathan chased Stark to the ground. Tony shifted his eyes backwards and forwards in rapid succession, watching as the Leviathan crumbled and eventually crashed into the earth. However, it continued to slide and slither towards him, ripping apart mounds of rubble with its fins. Just as it was nearing a crowd of Ponyville citizens, Stark decided it was time to stop running. He landed on the earth, spinning about and jamming his palms outwards. Two Repulsor Cannons formed over his arms, Stark glaring down to the gaping jaws of the Leviathan sliding towards him. Then, the Hulk landed in front of Tony, Banner punching the Chitauri to a dead stop. Lowering his arms with the cannons materializing away, Stark watched as Bruce rose up and pulled his left fist free from the deceased Leviathan’s shattered skull. His right arm hung as a scorched reminder of all that was currently occurring around them, Banner being the sole reason they were able to get backup at that right moment. Tony couldn’t recall if he actually took a second to actually thank Bruce, and as he turned to face him, he nearly had his moment. It, like many others, were stripped from him at the last second. The Chitauri Elite surrounded them, rifles and blades and spears all jolted in their direction. Tony and Bruce straightened themselves to the opposition, and were nearly ready to retaliate. Yet there was no need. Lightning fell from above and struck each Chitauri individually, their bodies convulsing and burning and falling dead. Stark blinked at that from beneath his mask. Then, Thor landed behind the corpses, Stormbreaker in hand. Right on cue, Tony thought. The God of Thunder was quick to join the duo, sending affirmative nods to his fellow original founders. Then came the screams. The three all turned accordingly to it to see an army of aliens amassing directly ahead, the Kirin and the Nirik surrounded from all sides and in dire need of help. Thus came the trembling footsteps behind them, all three Avengers turning back to see Giant-Man catching and crushing a starship between his gloves. The eyes of his mask fell down to them, rose up to see where they faced. Scott Lang stood behind them, with them, waiting. Stark took those first steps forward, followed quickly by Banner, then Thor, then Lang. Suddenly, sprouting forth from the air to Tony’s right, he spotted the Wasp enlarge and stride beside him. Her mask retracted back, unveiling Hope van Dyne. Cracking her knuckles, she twisted her gaze back, meeting Iron Man’s. Meeting Thor’s. Meeting Hulk’s. And finally, meeting Ant-Man’s. She smiled and asked, “You go high, I go low?” Beneath his mask, Scott grinned. The Wasp joined them into the fray. As a team of five, the Avengers sprinted, flew, and charged together to the rising tide of the Mad Titan’s army. To the Leviathan swimming above and rearing downwards to chomp on the defenseless Kirin with their focus centered around them, not above. Giant-Man slammed his palm into its throat. The Kirin and Nirik shot their gazes up, awe and amazement filling their massive eyes when they witnessed Lang saving them. He reared up with the serpent, choke-slamming it further away and safe from the Kirin. To their continued shock, they watched as Hope van Dyne flew over their heads alongside Tony Stark. The two of them jammed their arms forward, Iron Man unloading with his repulsors and the Wasp firing streams of golden energy from her suit’s gauntlets. She shrunk down, zipping around faster than a speeding bullet to every Chitauri and Outrider she and Stark missed. The Outriders surrounding the Kirin were struck by the minuscule Avenger, the Chitauri unable to see her and properly retaliate. Stark took care of them. Thor and Banner came to his aid, joining Tony on the earth once he finally landed and fired intensely in every direction where he spotted an enemy. Thor swung and sliced Chitauri in half with his axe, the Hulk punching and crushing the remaining aliens in the immediate area with his one good fist. Noticing the clearing, Iron Man took off forward. Thor followed him. Banner kicked up from the earth and landed in the growing onslaught. Hope grew and flew up to Scott, joining him in the air. All of them headed in the same direction: dead ahead. Autumn Blaze could see it. The rising tide, the clearing they were given, the Avengers leading the assault and attacking Thanos’ forces head-on. The Kirin breathed a smile, looking about and declaring, “They gave us an opening!” Her fellow Kirin and Nirik began to rise from the ground they had fallen on, the ground they once believed to be their final resting place had the Avengers not come to their aid. The remaining Kirin who had not burned slowly began to feel the flames licking at their coats, their manes, and their very eyes. They all turned to their leader, to Autumn Blaze glaring ahead with her own fire-fueled gaze. “Let’s take it!” She ignited. She and the fellow Kirin around her who hadn’t already transformed into their alternate selves had turned. With Autumn Blaze leading them, the full crowd of Nirik galloped through the clearing and literally drove their flaming bodies into the waves of aliens. Thor and Banner ceased their assault on the earth, watching as the cinders flew high and the stampeding Nirik incinerated the Chitauri and Outriders. Their bodies were as pure fire, each Nirik slamming themselves into a different alien and scorching the ones they hit. Outriders screeched and swung at them, only to feel their skin burn to a sickening charcoal at the slightest contact. Autumn Blaze dealt with the Outriders personally, spinning around them with speeds they couldn’t react against. The wall of fire consumed the Outriders, growing and growing until their screeches were all that was left of them. Even those faded. Autumn slid to a stop, glaring with feral fangs and snow-white eyes to her tower of fire. A bolt of energy struck her side, Autumn screaming at that. She turned to face the source, seeing the Chitauri foot soldiers aiming their rifles and unloading on the lone Nirik. More and more shots hit her flaming exterior, Blaze only growing more and more infuriated, but nonetheless… shrinking back from it. The Chitauri pushed forward, continued to fire. Three streams of magic tore through the line of Chitauri, slicing them all where it mattered. Autumn stared to the magical streams, spotting the bright blue, red, and light turquoise all fly together, all kill together. The Chitauri lay dead in a crumbled pile of smoking limbs and bodies. Baring her fangs at that, Blaze spun around to catch the source of her salvation. Slamming her steel-plated hoof against the rock beneath her, Tempest Shadow stomped forward and glared ahead to the ever-consuming wave of aliens growing all the closer to their position. No matter how many she killed, they would always restock. They would always have reinforcements flowing from the Command Centers. A chilling reminder of what she faced in the past hung over Tempest’s head, but she didn’t want to focus on the warships just yet. She met the Nirik’s eyes and sent a subtle nod to her. Autumn Blaze snorted pure fire, a short smile tugging at her inky-black lips. Tempest was joined by two more, Sunset Shimmer emerging on her left and Starlight Glimmer trotting forth to her right. All three unicorns cast one another a glance before facing forward, to the next onslaught of Chitauri and Outriders stampeding towards them. Taking off at a slow gallop, Tempest eventually dug hard into a dead sprint. Sunset and Starlight were right beside her, all three charging as one force of raw, unconstrained power. Sunset screamed, “I answer the Call of the Phoenix!” Starlight shouted, “Excelero Duplexis!” Tempest cried. Her horn ignited and she was unleashed to her full potential. The wave of aliens impacted them. Tried to. Tempest cleared the entire first few lines with her magic alone, a shock wave of rippling energy that incinerated entire bodies into nothing but red, flaking cinders. The next few waves were blinded under the glare of the sun. Only, it wasn’t the sun. Raised claws and screeches of protest brought the Chitauri and Outriders’ shared focus high above to see the explosion of fiery light, the phoenix wings spreading vibrantly and Sunset Shimmer in the center of it all. Her mane and tail were pure streams of flame, eyes as bright as the surface of every star and wings flapping furiously. The ashes and cinders rained from her, the unicorn soaring down and washing her magic over the crowds. Chitauri felt the weapons in their claws start to melt before their very eyes, Outriders screaming in agony as their bodies ignited into flames. Several Chitauri shared the same fate, many others upon the scorched battle grounds still miraculously standing. They didn’t last long. Before they knew it, they were knocked off their feet and blown away as the speeding bodies of several dozen Starlight Glimmers galloped at unrealistic speeds across the valley. She was a blur, the spell she concocted giving her incredible speeds and several different bodies. She tore through the remaining Chitauri and Outriders, magic ripping and slicing and killing what remained. Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Giant-Man, and the Wasp joined them. Bodies were flying and dust storms only continued to rage across the battlefield. It grew even more intense when the Avengers joined the unicorns in the heat of the battle, fighting side by side against the continuous swarm of alien hounds and beasts of every caliber. Tempest shot her gaze wildly back from the bolt of lightning that killed the Elite in her path, sighting the God of Thunder raining down heaven’s wrath from the clouds and upon his axe. She heard the battle cry, turning to it to see the next wave. Always another wave. She almost felt exhausted. She almost sighed. Then, she got an idea. “Thor, hit me!” Spinning to that cry, the Allfather saw an immense army coming from their rear. Chitauri from the skies, upon the earth, fitted in tanks with Elite and Outriders charging the masses, all amassing to their location. Then, he spotted the unicorn making a brave dash straight into their heart, charging against an army too large for her to handle. Alone. He looked to his hand. He saw Stormbreaker. Thor slowly turned back to Tempest. Taking several steps forward, Thor reared back, and with a satisfying roar let free his axe. It spun violently in mid-air, nearing the army for a devastating clash of lightning and Uru. Only, it never met the army… alone. Tempest leaped into the air, barely dodging the head of the axe and capturing Stormbreaker in its entirety in her magical aura. She spun in mid-air, facing downward and to the tip of the enemy’s spear. She met it with an axe. Her screams tore at her throat, the power of Stormbreaker fueling her veins as she drove it directly into the earth. A resounding shock wave of magic and lightning tore through countless Chitauri and Outriders, and she wasn’t even finished. Tempest ripped the axe free from the gravel and galloped headlong into the remaining army. As she moved, leaped, slid, and fought, she swung Stormbreaker with a master’s precision, her aura sending the axe spinning around her various different times, protecting her, guiding her, strengthening her with each impact of the weapon against the Chitauri fodder. She and the axe were perfectly knitted together as one, the heart of the survivor and the fury of Asgard raining down the wrath they both held with one more leaping charge. She slammed it into the tank before her, decimating everything caught within its radius. Tempest stood ragged and breathing like a feral animal atop the smoldering tank. Electricity licked at the axe she held, onto her coat, to her horn, and even into her eyes. The eyes that shimmered a heavenly blue, the same color as her magic. She spun Stormbreaker to her side, letting it rest in her aura as she narrowed her glare to the next wave. Always a next wave. It never ceased. Seething at that, Tempest shook her head and held Stormbreaker out in front of her. Then, she heard the voice cry out to her, earning her eyes. “Tempest, I’m open!” Starlight screamed, appearing as a blur with a wave of dust trailing the unicorn. She stood alone, her various copies already charging forth into the clash of armies. Eyeing the axe, Tempest grew a devious smirk and let it fly free, giving her own satisfied grunt. Starlight caught the axe in her own aura, the unicorn spinning around and glaring dead ahead. The axe’s head changed from a burning blue flame to a shimmering turquoise. Starlight screamed as she galloped onward, Stormbreaker high over her head and her spell only enhancing her speeds. Her different copies dealt a plenitude of damage to the waves of Chitauri, disorienting them and decimating various tanks caught within her magical blasts. However, when the real Starlight charged into the masses swinging, caught in a blur, with speeds her enemies couldn’t see… it was a slaughterhouse. Chitauri, Sakaarans, and Outriders were simply eviscerated once they came into remotely close contact with her and her copies. Stormbreaker was a blur just as much as Starlight was, entire lines of the Mad Titan’s armies being sliced in half and blown away once Starlight crashed into them. She slid to a stop in the heart of it all, several Elite spinning away from the copies and centering their focus on the lead unicorn. She was bent low, a ferocious glare in her eyes and Stormbreaker hanging dangerously over her head. They aimed their rifles and blasters for her alone. Starlight smirked. She reared up and jammed her horn to the sky, flinging Stormbreaker in that sole direction. The Chitauri, foolish enough, lifted their eyes and visors to it and watched as the axe was caught in an aura of fire. Pure red, heavenly fire. Those phoenix wings burst forth from the clouds, cleared the smoke and dust, and unveiled Sunset Shimmer within the light. She fell and Stormbreaker fell with her, mixtures of lightning and fire consuming the axe, a raw display of the elements at work as she finally collided to the earth. And decimated it. Tanks were ripped from the ground, spun like they weighed nothing, and burnt into husks of melting metal. Outriders and Chitauri caught within the blast were incinerated, turned into ash and cinder as the lightning rippled through the wave of fire and killed what remained. In the heart of the explosion, as the fires settled and the army was vanquished, one stood alone, alive, in the center of the cataclysm. Sunset Shimmer breathed heavily, her phoenix wings slowly extinguishing and her mane and tail returning to normal. The red fires consuming the axe started to die, the head embedded deep into the cracked earth and the unicorn standing atop of it all. Sunset blinked the white from her eyes, seeing all she had done with an almost astounded look in her expression. Starlight zipped into view, Tempest leaping over a scorched pile of rubble and standing beside her. They met Sunset’s eyes, the two of them expressing breathless smiles. Sunset couldn’t hold one back. Thor had seen it all. And he was so, so proud. And just to kill the moment, a reverberating roar shot out and earned all of their eyes. Sunset flinched to it and spun around, her ears falling, her jaw dropping, her eyes widening. Starlight took a step back. Tempest sneered, growling softly. As for Thor, he saw the Chitauri Titan dead ahead, swiping low and high at his Asgardian armies with all four of its dagger-like arms. Its stomps shook the battlefield, the other Titans off in the distance fighting their own wars. The one they saw was near. And it turned to them. To the mares specifically. It made its approach. Shooting out his hand, Thor shortly retrieved his beloved hammer Mjølnir. Just in case, he called out, “You’ll have the little one again soon, Rogers! Just let me teach these bastards a lesson…” Having more than seen the ponies’ worth, Thor gave them a much-needed breather and took on the next wave alone. He wielded his hammer, soaring over the mares’ heads and meeting the Chitauri and Outrider horde with lightning in his veins and his hammer swinging madly. He had easily earned the Titan’s attention, the gargantuan Chitauri centering its glare to him. Its four claws flicked and twitched, each limb rising high above and eventually swinging low. A terrible roar shot forth from the beast’s jaws, all directed at the god. Ramming his hammer into an Outrider charging his side, Thor shot his eye to the Chitauri Titan stomping directly for him. He spun Mjølnir rapidly in his grasp, the hammer becoming a blur and Thor fully intending to launch himself right for the beast’s exposed head. As the shadows of the Titan grew more massive and the tremors of the earth grew more severe, Thor realized he never even got the chance to pull himself onwards. A tank hovered forward from the next wave dead ahead, firing an energy blast that struck Thor directly into his chest. The velocity and speed of the hammer sent it flying backwards, in the complete opposite direction of the Titan. Thor, himself, was thrown back from the force of the blast, the god impacting a mound of rubble and crashing flat beneath it. Lifting his weary gaze, Thor planted his fists upon the dirt and tried desperately to push himself back up. The next wave zeroed in. Another army charged Thor with the Titan behind them, roaring to the prone and wounded God of Thunder. Its body blocked out the rays of the sun, towering hundreds of feet in the air and bringing all of that fury and power towards one being. Just as he rose to one knee, the army reached him. Then, lightning struck and saved him. Various bolts shot down from the darkened clouds and struck the army of Chitauri and Outriders, decimating all of them. He watched as the tank was destroyed in the lightning strike, killing everything upon and around it. Thor could feel the electricity coursing through the air, the same kind that spewed forth from his hammer. Thor smirked at that. He hadn’t even called to Mjølnir. He heard the thunder grow nearer and fully expected to see Steve Rogers approach his side and lay claim upon his victory, as he should. For one finally worthy to wield his hammer, Thor expected nothing less than his good friend Captain America coming to his aid. Nothing and no one emerged by his side. The only presence he felt and witnessed landed directly on top of the destroyed tank, creating a gust of wind and dust that blew directly into Thor’s face. The Chitauri Titan cried and took a step backwards, shaking the earth and eyeing the new threat. Shielding himself from it, Thor narrowed his eye and lowered his Uru palm when he saw the presence rise from the tank it landed on. And turning to face him, Princess Celestia eyed the God of Thunder with Mjølnir held in her magical, golden aura. He was caught by his heart for a second. Just a second before Thor eventually shrugged, rolled his eye, and muttered, “Why not?” It was a revelation of stupendous power that could not last. Celestia’s eyes were drawn skyward when she heard that cry, heard the voice of Princess Luna call to her. “Sister!” From it, Celestia saw her sister soar past her head, high in the clouds and only nearing the approaching threat. With a look of raw determination glowing in her majestic stare, Celestia pulled Mjølnir back in her magic—and with a spin of her body—flung the hammer high into the clouds. The Princess of the Sun cried as she released the hammer, watching as it disappeared within the darkness. Lightning coiled within the clouds, lighting up the dark. The thunder raged heavy. And from the shattered clouds and darkness, Princess Luna roared and descended to the alien armies, Mjølnir high above her head and caught within her dark blue aura. Her screams trailed her, as did the lightning striking the head of the hammer and the Princess of the Moon slamming it against the ground. Bolts of heaven’s might shot forth and impaled various Chitauri, dozens of other Outriders caught in the blast and blown away by it. Luna ripped Mjølnir from the dirt, spinning it wildly and slamming it against the Sakaarans that charged her, ripping their bodies to fragments. Before it became too overwhelming, Luna shot out her wings and kicked from the ground, taking flight. Mjølnir was by her side, held in her magic and swinging low over the armies beneath her. She sent the hammer into the crowds, ripping Chitauri off their feet and sending the hammer through several tanks and chariots. Luna heard the flap of those familiar wings to her far left. She caught the essence of the sun’s magic raining down and incinerating the armies below. With a twist of her neck, Luna launched the hammer back into her sister’s grasp. Celestia caught it with ease, the princess dive-bombing the crowds and driving Mjølnir through it all. Together, the two sisters tossed the hammer back and forth to one another, dominating with it, destroying the Mad Titan’s forces and ultimately severing the distance between them and the Chitauri Titan. The lumbering beast growled and shrieked, seeing the two specs grow closer and closer. Once they were close enough, the Titan swung down with its claw for the brighter Alicorn. Celestia dodged its swing, firing an utterly powerful bolt of magic from her horn that struck the Titan on the side of its head. The magic scorched its face, the beast rearing back and taking its attention away from Luna. The Princess of the Night claimed her advantage and held nothing back. She flew from the beast’s leg and up, driving and slamming and ripping Mjølnir across its armor and exposed limbs. Fragments of its armor plating flew off as the hammer tore across its body, Luna screaming as she rammed the hammer directly into one of its towering claws. The bone was shattered, the limb torn, and the claw flying free to come crashing to the earth below. The Titan cried in anguish swinging madly in every direction for the two sisters, hoping to strike at least one of them. It hit neither. Princess Luna met its head and slammed Mjølnir into its bottom jaw. Teeth and blood flew back, the creature’s jaws forced to face the clouds as it gave off another bellowing roar. Once the Titan had stumbled backwards, maintained its footing, it stared straight up and caught both of the Alicorns in its line of sight. They hovered over its head, wings flapping, glares piercing, and the hammer both held in a mixture of their two auras flying between them. Celestia’s horn shimmered into a heavenly whiteness, Luna’s horn a haunting and dark blue. A mixture of light and dark consumed the heavens, swirls of storm clouds circling around the two sisters like serpents. In its center, in the heart of the storm, they remained. The sun broke through the warships, the clouds, everything, and shined directly through both sisters. Shined directly on top of the Titan. Lightning shot forth from the clouds and consumed the hammer. The power of the sun rained down—fueled by Celestia’s magic—and hit Mjølnir in its head. The Royal Sisters opened their eyes to reveal two piercing white orbs of pure power. They brought the hammer down. The sun’s rays, the storm’s wrath, and the power of the heavens itself rained down as a single beam of light and dark. It was so bright that it lit up the entire battlefield, entire armies ceasing their conflict to gaze to the beacon of light impacting the Chitauri Titan. That light tore through its entire head, incinerating and combusting the Titan from the top down. The entire beast exploded outwards in a mixture of flame, lightning, and light bursting forth from its body and armor. A blast so powerful shot out from the beacon, encasing all the battlefield in a wave of light that lasted only a few seconds. For only a few seconds, the sun had returned. Then, darkness filled the rest, settling everything back into chaos. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna glided back down to the earth, both sisters holding Mjølnir in their magical grasps. Both sisters watching the remains of the Chitauri Titan burn and crash to a thundering death.