//------------------------------//
// CHAPTER 2 
// Story: My Little Avengers: Endgame 
// by Kitsune_Kenshi 
//------------------------------//

How long had she thought about it?

Twilight Sparkle couldn't remember exactly.

It was only a year. Or maybe it just seemed that way. And now here she was, standing over a sink at her crystal castle, a towel on her hoof. She used her magic to put the towel into the warm water and then squashed it, then she wiped her face a few time before washing it again. Then she put the towel back where it belong.

Suddenly, the mirror begin to shake, then the bathroom begin to rock. "Huh?" Twilight thought, she quickly ran to the castle front and saw the mane 6 and the young 6 gazed into the night sky, as an aircraft, the likes of which none had seen before hovered above.

No, not hovered.

It was being held aloft.

By Sunset Shimmer.

They had met the mysterious pony only a few months ago, when she stole Twilight Sparkle's crown and ran into the mirror world, or known as the human world. But later, she became friends with the mane six and helped them most of the time. But not until a few weeks ago, she disappeared. 

She discovered a strange element known as Titanium in the human world and brought it back to this world for research. She then was blasted by a Gamma Ray and was given this strange and yet strong power. She was in outer space searching for more extraterrestrial metals until she received an SOS from her amulet that was sent by Princess Celestia a year ago, and had traveled from the furthest reaches of space to answer the Celestia's distress call. When she arrived, she didn't find Princess Celestia, or Luna, nor everybody else. But she found the mane 6 and the young 6. 

Sunset set the ship down on the lawn outside the castle, where Fluttershy was waiting. A moment later, the hatch opened, and a dark purple female pony with a broken horn emerged, helping Discord carefully walk down to the ground below. Twilight bolted to help her friend.

Twilight thought she heard Discord say something, but his voice was so weak. "Couldn't stop him," it sounded like.

"Neither can I." Twilight replied. She simply didn't know what else to say.

For a moment, they stopped walking, and Fluttershy rushed to Discord's side. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close.

"I lost the kid." Discord was angry and guilt-ridden. Twilight knew that he meant Terramar.

"Discord, we lost." Twilight answered. "So very much."

As Fluttershy led Discord away from the spacecraft, Twilight turned to see the broken-horn pony sit down on the stair coming out of the ship. Angel the rabbit approached and sat down next to her.

They clasped hands grieved together in silent understanding.

(~)

Discord didn't look like himself, not at all. The battle with Storm King, the infection and illness from his wounds, and the deprivations of deep-space travel on limited resources had all taken their toll. He look gaunt , skin stretched over bone, eyes sunken on their sockets. He was pale, and seemed almost paranoid. He sat in a wheelchair, hooked up to an IV to replenish fluids and nutrition as quickly as possible. But clearly had no patience for the time it would take to heal his physical wounds, The mental ones would take even longer.

He looked up from his wheelchair, recognized that he was inside one of the lounges inside Twilight's castle. Around him were his friends. Well, some of them.

And hovering above them on holographic displays were the faces of Discord's other friends, as well as his creature friends that he had only just come to know. Beneath each photo was a name. And next to each name, a word that Discord had come to loathe.

THORAX (MISSING)

TERRAMAR (MISSING)

STARSWRIL (MISSING)

STARLIGHT GLIMMER (MISSING)

ROCKHOOF (MISSING)

MAGE MEADOWBROOK (MISSING)

FLASH MANGUS (MISSING)

SOMNAMBULA (MISSING)

MISTMANE (MISSING)

STYGIAN (MISSING) 

CELESTIA & LUNA (MISSING)

CADANCE, SHINING ARMOR & FLURRY HEART (MISSING)

EMBER (MISSING)

(LOTS OF MISSING)

The moment when Storm King snapped his fingers and unleashed a full potential of the Infinity Gauntlet, those creatures and ponies --- and trillions of others across Equestria----- simply ceased to exist.

Discord was lost in the world of the missing, when he heard the voice of his friend, Applejack----- A.J, to his friends. "It's been 23 days since Storm King came to Equestria," Applejack said solemnly.

"World government are in pieces," Rarity added. "The parts that are still working are trying to take a census and it looks like he did...he did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Storm King wiped out 50% percent of all living creatures." She tried to stay matter-of fact about this revelation as the truth was just too overwhelming even for her encouraging nature to fully absorb.

Silverstream, the only hippogriff currently in the world, and part of the young 6 begin to sob. "I... I can't believe it..." she sobbed as her boyfriend, Gallus the Griffen hugged her in confront and sympathy, "He... he wiped out my entire tribe...." "I know, " Gallus said , trying his best to confront his love, "I swear on my parents... I will NOT rest until I have Storm King's head."

Discord looked away from the holographic images and over his friends. He noticed that one of them wasn't inside the room. Rather, he was outside, brooding.

Rainbow Dash

"Where is he now?" Discord wanted to know about Storm King. "Where?"

Twilight sighed. "We don't know. He just opened a portal and walked through."

Discord bit the inside of his cheek nervously, and pushed his wheelchair. Staring in Dash's direction, he inquired, "What's wrong with her?" Besides the obvious.

Even though he wasn't in the room, Dash looked up, through the window, at Discord,

"Well, she's pissed," Angel the rabbit observed, sitting with his back against the wall. "She thinks he failed. Which, of course, she did. Spitfire and Gilda is her best friends, dead. How can she be un-pissed? But, you know, there's a lot of that going around, ain't there?" They all felt it.

Discord stared at Angel, then without missing a beat, said, "Honestly, until this exact second I thought you were a Build-a-Bunny."

"Maybe I am," Angel replied. He enjoyed defying expectations. HIs life was a testament to it, in fact.

Discord wasn't sure what to do with that.

Rather than debate the merits of Angel's Build-a-Bunny-ness, Twilight continued the briefing. "We've been hunting Storm King for three weeks now. Deep space scans, satellites, and we got nothing. Discord, you fought him."

Discord whipped his head around to look at Twilight. "Who told you that? I didn't fight him. No, he wiped my face with a planet while The Bearded-face magician gave away the element. That's what happened. There was no fight, 'cause he's not... he's not beatable." He couldn't hide the bitterness. Or defeat.

The Breaded-face magician' was Starswirl the breaded. Discord was still reeling from the way the sorcerer had just given away the Element of Magic----- the element of harmony entrusted to his protection----- to Storm King. Just to save Discord's life. Making it somehow doubly Discord's fault that they lost.

"Okay," Twilight tried to figure out a next step rather than focus on the negative. "Did he give you any clues, any coordinates, anything?"

Discord looked at Twilight, then touched his paw to his temple as if he was thinking of something. Then he blew a loud raspberry,

Rarity and Twilight exchanged concerned glances. This wasn't the Discord they knew. Would he be able to come back from his dark place?

"I saw this coming a few years back," Discord complained, his voice taking on the tone of a rant. "I had a vision. I didn't wanna believe it. Thought I was dreaming." 

"Discord, I'm gonna need you to focus," Twilight said gently.

"And I needed you!" Discord snapped. "As in past time tense. That trumps what you need. it's too late, Princess.Sorry."

Discord leaned over the table, sniffing a bowl of food. He reached a paw out, and knocked the bowl to the floor. Then he stood up from the wheelchair.

"You know what I need? I need a shave." Discord declared, ripping the IV right out of his arm.

'Discord! Discord! Discord!" Applejack called out. Her friend was going over the edge fast.










"and I believe I remember telling all of you that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms or not. That's what we needed." Discord was growing manic in his misery.

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Twilight reminded him.

"I said we'd lose. You said, 'We'll do that together, too.' And guess what, Twi? We lost. And you weren't there. But that's what we do right' Our best work after the fact?" His voice continued to rise in an accusatory tone. 

"Discord, you're sick. Sit down." Applejack urged.

"We're 'the protecters of Equestria'. We're 'the protecters of Equestria,' not the garbage and wastes of Equestria. Right?!" Discord was consumed by what they hadn't done. "YOU COULD'VE SAVED THEM!!!" he's now in rage, yelling at Twilight while pointing at the holographic photos. 

"You made ya point," Applejack said to her friend, "Just sit down, okay?"

"Bunch of tired old mules," Discord snarled. everyone in the room gasped in shock, Fluttershy looked hurt, the Young 6 just all staring at him with wide eyes. "I got nothing for you. Twilight Sparkle. I got no coordinates. No clues, no strategies, no options. Zero. Zip.Nada. NO TRUST."

And then he condemned his former friends in a harsh whisper, "Liars." 

"Discord! That's enough!" Applejack warned.

That was it, this is the breaking point.

Discord tore the housing from his chest that contained the Iron Draconequus armor, ripped it clean off. and he handed it over to Twilight.

"here, take this," Discord insisted, nearly losing his balance. "You find him, you put that on. You hide, hide like a COWARD!!!"

Then the lord of the chaos collapsed to the floor.