The cobblestone beneath the marching army of Doombots cracked as their metallic feet stomped on the ground. The streets of Latveria were overrun with thousands and thousands of Doombots, all of them marching towards the borders of the country. The citizens of the nation were all hiding out in their homes, as per their rulers orders.
Families hid under their beds, gathered in their living rooms huddled together, or inside their panic rooms as Doom's voice sounded off throughout various speakers in Latveria.
"My subjects, heed Doom's words with the utmost care." Doom's message played through the speakers, "Our nation is under siege, invaders from the stars wish to storm our land and destroy anything in their path. As this announcement plays, my army of Doombots march through the streets of Latveria towards our country's borders to defend us. It is imperative that you gather with your families inside your homes, lock the doors, and maintain absolute quiet. This is not a negotiation, this is a direct order from your lord and master. This is the word of Doom. Heed them."
The announcement played on an endless loop, sounding off for all of Latveria to hear. For if there is one thing that Doom cares more for other than himself, it is his country.
Inside Castle Doom, or as it's known to the Latverian Populace, Doomstadt, sat atop his throne was Doctor Doom. He leaned back into his throne with his fingers interlaced with one another, pondering his next move as he stared at the holographic projection before him.
It showed that one of The Black Order's ships had breached Latverian airspace, but it didn't show any signs of aggression. It simply hovered there, looming over the nation of Latveria. Doom pressed a button on the arm of his chair and shut off the hologram.
Doom then rose from his throne and walked down the steps and out the door, deciding to head to the front lines to defend his nation. If there was one thing that Doom was known for, it was getting even with those who have wronged him. He vowed to take vengeance on The Mad Titan, starting by killing the lieutenant he sent knocking on his front doorstep.
Vector the Crocodile slammed his hands over his ears as the message made by Doom played again for what seemed like the millionth time. "Argh, this message is startin' to get on my nerves!!!" The Crocodile whined, much to the annoyance of his fellow allies.
"Vector," Espio started, gaining the Croc's attention, "Focus on the task at hand. The enemy is looming over us."
"Literally." Nova Prime muttered as he hovered over the group with his arms folded. "Hey, should HE be here?" Nova asked as he pointed to Charmy Bee, questioning why one so young was on what was soon to be a warzone.
Charmy, taking offence, flew over and got in Nova's face, "HEY! I may be small, but I can hold my own when I need to." Charmy declared to the Prime member of the Nova Corps.
Vector nodded as he removed his hands from his ears, "It's true. He may not look like much, but Charmy's tough, he can handle himself."
Tempest, having had enough of waiting, decided to march forward ahead of the group. Mr. Fantastic, catching wind of this, decided to walk alongside her, "Is something the matter, Ms. Shadow?" Reed asked in concern.
Tempest sighed and looked down to the ground, "I'm just tired of sitting here doing nothing." She replied with a hint of impatience layered in her voice. She then pointed her hoof up towards the looming ship above Latveria, "Our enemy is already here, doing absolutely nothing, and we're just sitting here doing nothing! It's ridiculous and we should take advantage of this!"
Reed, to Tempest's surprise, nodded in agreement, "I completely agree with you. But that is exactly what they want us to do, we cannot give them the satisfaction of falling into their trap." Reed placed a hand on Tempest's shoulder, comforting the Pony, "We need to wait for them to make the first move, otherwise we may as well just hand the Stone over to them."
Tempest wanted to make a rebuttal, but sighed in defeat. Mr. Fantastic did have a point, a valid one at that. She relented and nodded to the Smartest Man Alive, "I don't like it, but you have a point."
While those two talked, Amy took notice of Rarity and walked over to check on her friend, "Hey," The Hedgehog greeted, gaining the fashionista's attention, "You okay?"
Rarity gave her friend a small smile, "Oh... Yes, darling, I am well." She feinted confidence when in actuality, she was terrified.
Amy, not buying it, placed her hand on her hip and gave Rarity a coy smile, "Rares, I hate to tell you, but you are a TERRIBLE liar."
The Unicorn sighed, she was right.
Rarity looked Amy dead in the eyes and said, "Okay, I am absolutely PETRIFIED! This isn't like anything I have ever faced before, I don't think I can do this! I don't know how I'll be able to help you all! I mean, you're all individuals with extraordinary powers, I am just a Unicorn with a job in designing clothes! I'm not cut out for this... Barbarism!"
Before Rarity could have a panic attack, Amy stopped her by embracing her in a hug. Broken out of her stupor, Rarity returned the hug.
"Better?" Amy asked as she departed from the hug.
Rarity nodded, "Y-Yes... Thank you, Amy."
The pink Hedgehog placed a comforting hand on Rarity's shoulder, "Listen, Rarity, I don't have any powers and I'm here standing by your side. I'm not like Sonic who laughs in the face of danger, but I know that in my heart that with hope, we can win the day. Plus, you're an Element of Harmony, you've saved Equestria so many times! Whether you believe it or not, you are a hero Rarity, and you belong here with the rest of us."
Rarity smiled at her friend, she was so grateful to have a friend like Amy Rose.
"HAH!" A sudden laugh caught their attention, causing them to turn around to face Chrysalis, who was laughing at the display of friendship, "What a bunch of sentimental garbage! To think that weakness like THIS is in our ranks is utterly revolting!"
Rarity and Amy looked to one another and smirked before turning to face the Changeling.
"Remind me, who was it that lost to this supposed, sentimental garbage?" Rarity asked with a shit eating grin on her face.
"Not once, not twice, not three times, but FOUR times?" Amy added, applying more salt to the wound.
Chrysalis replied with a loud hiss and then proceeded to walk away, grumbling under her breath.
The two friends laughed together, relishing this moment while they could. The moment was ruined as a loud noise originated from the ship above them. All of the heroes and villains gazed upwards to see what the ship would do.
Ghost Rider glared intensely at the spacecraft, "It is time."
The army of Doombots parted as their master walked towards the front of the group, not taking his eyes off of the ship as it shot down a beam of light from its underside. Doctor Doom stopped in front of the group and folded his arms, his cape flapping with the gust of wind the beam created.
Once the beam ceased, Ebony Maw slowly walked forward with his hand folded in front of him. Everyone stood on guard as they waited for Maw to make his move. The Telepath suddenly stopped just in front of the group and looked to each of them with curiosity in his eyes.
Maw cleared his throat before he amplified his voice for everyone to hear his proclamation, "HERE ME AND REJOICE! YOU ARE ALL ABOUT TO DIE BY THE HAND OF THE BLACK ORDER! YOU MAY THINK THIS IS SUFFERING, NO. IT IS SALVATION! THE UNIVERSAL SCALE TIPS TOWARD BALANCE BECAUSE OF YOUR SACRIFICE!"
Rarity, in an act of defiance, stomped her hoof on the ground and glared daggers at Maw, "In what maddening view point is GENOCIDE a step towards balancing the universe?!" She demanded to know, genuinely baffled by the prospect of mass murder helping the universe.
Ebony Maw smiled, tapping his fingers together twice, "THROUGH VIOLENCE AND GENOCIDE, THE UNIVERSE SHALL PROSPER! YOU HEROES TRY TIME AND AGAIN TO MAKE THE UNIVERSE BETTER, BUT YOUR HUBRIS BLINDS YOU TO THE TRUTH!" Maw declared, his voice amplified throughout all of Latveria.
"And what truth, and I use that term very loosely, would that be?" Dr. Stephen Strange wanted to know what this mad man meant, already knowing that he wouldn't like the answer.
"I SEE NO POINT IN INDULGING THE LIKES OF YOU!" Ebony Maw refuted, "ALL YOU SHALL KNOW IS THAT THANOS DEMANDS THE STONE! AND HE SHALL HAVE WHAT HE SEEKS, NO MATTER HOW MANY RESIST!"
"You dare to set foot in Latverian soil, threaten my people, and dare to stand there spouting such nonsense?" The booming voice of Victor Von Doom said aloud to Maw, causing the villain to set his sights on Doom as he continued, "For your insolence, I shall send you back to the Titan piece by piece. None make demands of Doom and lives." Doom pointed his finger towards Maw, who still held the grin on his face, "You have sealed your fate this day."
Ghost Rider unwrapped his chain from his shoulder, setting it ablaze as he dragged it across the grass, "All of the souls you have taken in your lifetime demand vengeance!" His eyes lit up in flames, showing his burning passion for vengeance, "You and your master shall suffer the fate of a thousand deaths!"
"This world may be made up of three separate universes." Amy started as she tightened her grip around her hammer.
Espio took out his Kunai and held it between his fingers, "But it is still OUR world!" The other members of Team Chaotix nodded and grunted in agreement.
Tempest lit up her broken horn, magic lightning crackling on her forehead, "And you are threatening our world!" Tempest added, "And that shall not stand!"
Mr. Fantastic enlarged his fists and outstretched his arms, "You're going to pay for everyone you've hurt."
Nova Prime charged himself up, a blue, fiery aura surrounding his form, "For the deaths of my fellow Nova Corps."
"As a protector of Equestria and a fellow Element of Harmony, I solemnly swear that you will not succeed!" Rarity lit up her horn as she made her declaration, "We will not fail this world! Not now... NOT EVER!!!" Everyone, sans Doom and Chrysalis, all shouted in agreement, refusing to back down.
Ebony Maw quirked an eyebrow curiously. This was to be expected, of course, but he was still curious nonetheless. These creatures had heart and soul, which Maw found absolutely revolting. The Maw simply raised his left hand and bent both his index and middle fingers forward.
The order was given.
Maw's ship sent down hundreds of beams down onto the ground, releasing the Outriders from their cages. Hundreds of terrible screeches could be heard behind Maw, who simply smirked at his adversaries, "THIS IS YOUR FINAL WARNING! SURRENDER THE STONE, AND I SHALL GRANT YOU THE HONOR OF DYING BY MY MASTER'S HAND!"
Rarity, usually hating such brash language, decided to give the only fitting answer.
"Go to Tartarus."
Maw simply chuckled as the ground beneath him broke and raised itself into the air. Ebony Maw had used his telekinesis to create himself a floating platform. He hovered over his army of Outriders as he faced down the opposing army before him. It was time to get what he came for, no matter how many people he had to kill to get it.
"Kill them." Maw ordered his army telepathically.
He didn't even have to ask.
The army of Outriders cried out as they charged forward toward the Latverian borders, kicking up dirt as they scurried across the grass.
Doom lit up his hands, as did Dr. Strange, magic pulsing from their fingertips. "DESTROY THEM ALL!!!" Doom lead the charge as everyone let out a battle cry and charged forward towards the swarm of Outriders. Chrysalis flew alongside Nova Prime, her jagged horn glowing with magic and Nova's body pulsing with power.
Reed Richards extended the length of his legs so he could run a greater distance, running over both Tempest and Espio as they charged forward. Alongside them was Amy Rose, who was running behind Rarity and Vector. Ghost Rider reeved up his bike and rode past them, a trail of fire burning behind him.
Charmy Bee buzzed through the air in front of the group, but not behind Doctor Doom, who was leading the charge towards the invading forces. Dr. Strange hovered above him, two Mandela Discs appearing in his hands as he flew through the air.
Along with the army of Doombots behind them, the two armies met.
Doom instantly took to the air towards Ebony Maw, "THANOS' LAPDOG IS MINE!!!" He flew over Strange, who threw the two Mandela Discs downward, slicing two Outriders apart as Charmy zipped through the army, stinging as many Outriders as he possibly could.
Ghost Rider mowed down some Outriders as he swung his chain over his head, eventually throwing his chain around the neck of an Outrider and giving it a mighty tug, decapitating the invader. As several Doombots fired lasers from their fingertips, Rarity shot multiple Outriders in the chest with blasts of magic. She may not be as powerful as Twilight, even when she was still a Unicorn, but she could still hold her own.
Vector snapped his maw around the head of an Outrider as Espio hurled his Kunai at an incoming Outrider, Tempest zapping another Outrider that tried attacking the Chameleon from the side. Mr. Fantastic stepped on a group of Outriders with his massive foot before stretching his arm downward and punching the ground.
Nova Prime, who was flying just above the ground, tore through any Outriders in his path. Chrysalis laughed maniacally as she pierced an Outrider in the chest with her horn. She then shot up into the air and hurled the dead alien to the ground with a flick of her head.
She then landed back down on the ground and morphed into an Outrider, snickering as she ran alongside the others. But her disguise didn't last, since any Outrider she came close to got a whiff of her sent. They could smell that she wasn't one of them.
To say that Chrysalis was in danger would be an understatement.
She began to sweat as several Outriders turned and swarmed around her. She quickly changed back and tried to fly away, but an Outrider grabbed one of her legs as she took flight and slammed her to the ground. She groaned as she flipped onto her back.
Chrysalis braced herself for the end.
But she suddenly found herself covered in Outrider blood.
She opened her eyes to see Ghost Rider zooming past her on his bike. He had saved her. Why? She would have to ask that later since she had to focus on the battle at hoof.
"This is becoming tedious." Maw said in a bored tone as he waved away another of Doom's magic blasts.
Doom boosted forward through the air and tried punching Maw in the face, but the alien simply raised a hand and held him in place.
Maw smiled as an idea came to him, "I wonder, Human. What exactly goes on in that mind of yours?" Ebony closed his eyes as he tried entering Doom's mind.
Big mistake.
The Maw suddenly cried out in agony as he held his head in his hands. Doctor Doom broke free of Maw's hold and didn't hesitate to blast the alien in the chest, sending him flying back away from him.
Doom proceeded to fold his arms as Maw recovered, "None shall enter Doom's mind. Ever."
Maw scoffed, "I don't need to enter your mind, mortal." He then smiled darkly, "I just need to keep you here long enough for my plan to execute itself."
A sudden explosion caught Doom's attention. He turned around to see that Maw's ship had opened fire on Doomstadt, destroying the upper half of his castle. A fury of rage had entered Doom as he turned around... Only to find that Maw was gone.
Victor clenched his fists as he suddenly made a beeline for Doomstadt, "No one makes a mockery of Doom and lives." As the Latverian monarch flew closer to his castle, he saw that his lab, throne, everything had been reduced to rubble. It was then that Maw came into view, with the Time Stone in hand.
Doom put his thrusters to full power, but it was already too late.
Maw smiled as he enclosed his fist.
All of Doomstadt exploded, the resulting shockwave sending Doom spiraling through the air. He recovered and looked on as his home crumbled to the ground, Ebony Maw nowhere to be found.
As was the Stone.
Doctor Doom lowered his head as he clenched his fists. Maw would pay for this dearly.
As would his master.
No one makes a fool of Doom and lives to tell the tale.
(End song)
"WE'VE GOT MOVEMENT UP ABOVE!!!" Shining Armor informed his fellow guardspony's as the clouds above the majestic city parted.
Celestia and Luna walked through the army of guards, with Rainbow Dash and Captain Marvel trailing behind them. Their eyes widened as the ship tore through the clouds. But this ship wasn't like the others. No. It was bigger. RD began to sweat nervously, slowly leaning towards Carol Danvers.
"Ummm... Is that--"
"One of The Black Orders' ships?" Carol finished for her. Rainbow nodded, but suddenly felt dread when Carol shook her head, "No. It's much worse."
"How much worse?" Luna dared to ask.
Carol pointed to the ship with her hand, the silence was agonizing, "THAT... Is the Sanctuary II. Thanos' ship."
Everyone gasped, besides Doc Ock and his fellow villains, and looked up in horror.
"Th-Then... That means..." Rainbow couldn't even finish her sentence.
All of a sudden, a beam of light shot down at the edge of Canterlot. Shining and the other members of the guard readied themselves, but Carol knew that what they were facing wouldn't be able to be beaten with mere spears and spells. She clenched her fists as a golden boot stepped out of the light.
Everyone looked on in horror before Carol broke the silence with a sentence nobody wanted to hear.
"Thanos is here."