"Billy NO!"
Captain Marvel stopped his fist right in front of Sombra's face, turning his head slightly to look behind him at Twilight and the others. Twilight was being supported by Luna and Celestia, who were using their magic’s to keep her standing. The other Elements had woken up as well and were walking over with her, looking around at the destruction with a bit if fear.
"You don't have to do this Billy, you're better than this," she pleaded, looking at him with desperate eyes. He turned his body slightly so that he'd be able to look at her better.
"Why shouldn't I?" he asked her with rage in his voice, clutching Sombra in his hand. "He attacked you, used me to attack you! He sent those ponies that wiped out your home. He tried to kill me. He deserves to die!" Twilight looked at him with sad eyes and forced herself to walk forward.
"Maybe he does, but we don't make that decision. You don't make that decision," she said in pain, both physically and emotionally. "If we go around deciding who lives or dies, then we try to become something we're not. We try to be gods."
"But I am a god," Marvel said with certainty, a bolt of lightning striking behind him. "I have the body and powers of a god, I meet all the requirements, why shouldn't I act as one? Why shouldn't I end him?" he growled at Sombra, tightening his grip on the pony. Twilight hobbled over to him so that she could look into his eyes.
"Because you're better than that. You've always been better than that." Marvelsimply glared at her, giving her a look that caused her to avert her gaze. "Besides, there's another way. We can use the Elements to-"
"To what? Imprison him in stone?" Marvel asked with a growl, lightning glowing in his eyes. "No, he deserves far worse than that." He then looked over at the princesses and wondered what the high a mighty were thinking.
"And what about you? What would you do in this situation?" he asked them. They gave each other an uncomfortable look before answering.
"While we understand your plight Billy, killing in cold blood is never the answer," Celestia said with certainty. But before she could continue talking, a chant began to rise up from the ponies of Canterlot. They had returned after Sombra had collided with the ground and were watching from the edge of the crater. They had looked around at the destruction of their city and knew that the dark pony in the center of the crater was responsible for its destruction. But they didn't want justice, they wanted vengeance. They were chanting for his death.
"They seem to disagree with you," Marvel said with no emotion.
"They are not the ones holding a beaten foe by the neck," Celestia said calmly. "You are better than this Billy, you showed us that with every time you've come to our aid."
"And if I do this then I won't need to come to your aid anymore," Marvel retorted.
"True, but would you be able to live with yourself afterwards?" she asked him. "Killing is never as easy as we are told to believe. Trust me, I know Would you be able to remain happy knowing that you took the life of somepony?" Marvel frowned at that, knowing that he didn't want to kill Sombra, but that it was the only way to stop him from attacking his friends and family.
"As long as I keep all of you safe, my happiness means nothing," he responded in a whisper. He then looked over to the other Elements, the ponies that he also called his friends. "Before I make my decision, I want to hear from the rest of you. What do you think?" They all looked at each other uncomfortably before answering.
"Well, as much as I hate the guy, I don't want to see him die," Rainbow Dash admitted. "So I say don't do it."
"He attacked mah sister and tried to kill mah friends and family...ah don't know what to say," Applejack said with a frown.
"I don't believe a pony should ever kill, especially one as nice as you," Fluttershy said with sad eyes.
"While he may be an uncouth brute...killing somepony is not fabulous in the least," Rarity huffed.
"He is a big meany...but that isn't very nice," Pinkie said. "I don't think you should kill him, but he needs a time out." Marvel looked at each of them, no closer to making his decision. But he still had a few more ponies to ask. He looked to the CMC, raising an eyebrow at the them.
"How about you? I'd like to hear your opinions."
"I have to agree with my sister, you shouldn't kill him!" Sweetie Belle said. "You're a hero, not a killer. You've always kept us safe."
"But wouldn't you be safer if he was gone permanently?" he asked.
"Oh...um, maybe?" she responded with uncertainty. He then looked to Scootaloo.
"He attacked my home and tried to hurt my friends," she said with rage. "Get rid of him, I don't care how." Finally, Marvel looked to the ones he had really been looking forward to hearing from; Applebloom and Spike.
"And you?" he asked them, his decision almost made. "What do the two of you think?"
"I-I don't know," Spike said with uncertainty, looking from Marvel to Sombra. "I know he's done bad things, but you are above that, Billy. You're a force of good, not evil. You're a good pony, not someone who kills. But you're more than just a hero...you're my friend. You spent time to see how I was doing and took the time to know me. And that meant a lot. You're a good guy Billy, so please....be good." Marvel listened to what he had said carefully, knowing what Spike was telling him. But he knew what had to be done, what would be the right thing for this world. He finally turned to Applebloom, the only one he hadn't heard from.
"Ah'm not gonna tell ya what ah think because ah already have," she said with confidence, looking into his eyes without flinching. "Ah told ya to do what ya think is right, not what others want ya to do. Ya don't need to listen to me, in fact ya shouldn't listen to any of us. The only pony ya need to listen to is yerself and what ya think is right. Not me, not anypony else; only ya. What do ya think is right? What do ya know is right?" Marvel looked back into her eyes, knowing that he had not expected that from her. He could see himself in one of her eyes, but it wasn't the him he knew. It was a darker version, a version that he had been fighting against since he gained that power. But in her other eye was the him he strove to be, the hero, the protector of the innocent. He then realized that this was the moment, the choice that would make him either one of the greatest heroes known to man and pony...or the most feared. But which choice was right? Some of the ponies wanted to him to finish Sombra, yet others wanted him to live despite his great misdeeds. He looked around at all of the ponies there, who also seemed to know what was about to happen and started chanting for his death even more. Finally, he looked back to Applebloom, the only one who hadn't told him what to do, but had said for him to choose what HE thought was right. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, knowing what he knew was right.
"...shazam," he whispered, dropping Sombra right before the bolt came. It caused the ponies surrounding him to shriek when it descended, but then to cheer when they thought he had killed him. The Elements, CMC, princesses and Spike all looked on in horror at the dust, thinking the same thing, all except for Applebloom, who had a faint smile on her face. When the dust cleared, Billy walked over to them, no emotion on his face. He closed his eyes as the princesses and the others ran by him, while AB walked over to him and smiled.
"Ah knew ya wouldn't do it," she told him with a grin.
"How'd you know that?" he asked her with a little weariness in his voice.
"Cause ah know ya," she replied, looking over at the others. Fluttershy was looking over Sombra's body and while she told the others that he'd probably be crippled for a long time, that he would live. Most of the ponies let out sighs of relief, with Twilight looking at Billy with happiness and pride in her eyes. She walked over to him and wrapped him in a wing and hoof hug. The others followed suit and hugged him as well, while the ponies around them began to realize what had happened. Most of them roared in protest and tried to get down to Sombra, but the two princesses stepped forward.
"Sombra, for the crimes you have commited against all of pony kind, you have been sentanced to imprissonment," Luna said coldly. "Elements, if you would." Twilight and the others stepped over and prepared the Elements magic to imprisson him in stone. But before they could unleash the magic upon him, Billy placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder.
"Twilight, can you do me a favor?" he asked her.
"What favor?"
"Don't trap him in stone. He's beaten, there's no need to place him in that hell," Billy said with a shake of his head as he looked at Sombra with sad eyes,the act caused Sombra to look up at him with a confused look in his eye. Twilight looked from the other ponies back to Billy, not sure what to do. Sombra was an incredible threat and trapping him in stone would be the safest bet. But she trusted Billy more than almost any other pony and knew that he must have his reasons. She decided to trust family, so she sighed and smiled at him.
"Alright Billy, but only because it's you." Twilight walked over to Sombra and glared down at him, stomping her hoof down on his head and shattered Sombra's horn, causing the dark unicorn to cry out in silent agony. Luna used her magic to pick up the unicorn and flew him off, telling them that he would be placed in a maximum security prison. Billy watched her go with a sigh and sat down on the ground. Twilight wrapped a wing around him as she and the others sat down next to him.
"It's over," Spike said with a sigh.
"Not quite, there's still Doomsday," Billy replied.
"That's tomorrows problem," AB said as she moved next to Billy and Spike. Billy had to agree with her, as much as he wanted to go after Doomsday he needed the day off. Billy laid down on is back and smiled, happy that everything had turned out alright.
{S}
Luna and Celestia had locked Sombra in the hospital wing with maximum guards and a spell placed on him to keep him from using any of his ability's. Billy and the others had been informed that even if he had the will to escape, his body was in far too bad of shape to even try it. With Sombra safely secured, cleanup and rebuilding could begin in the city Celestia, Luna and all the others volunteered to help, but Billy spent most the day sleeping, tired from his battle. He woke up in his bed, looking out the window at the setting sun. He felt rested, but still a bit groggy. he got up anyway, deciding that the ponies might need his help with something. He looked to his bedside and found a note there in Twilight's handwriting. It said for him to come and meet her in the garden outside the castle. if he got lost the guards would show him the way.
"Wonder what she wants to show me?" he muttered to himself. So with a shrug he headed out of his room and down the halls of the castle, looking around for the garden. After ten minutes of wandering and absolutely no help from the guards, no matter how many times he asked, Billy managed to find his way to the garden. Nopony was there except for Twilight, who stood in the center of the garden. She saw him and smiled, waving him over as she did.
"So, you wanted to see me?" he asked her.
"Yup, something I wanted to show you," she replied with a grin, trying desperately to contain her enthusiasm. "But before I do, can you do me a small favor?"
"What kind of favor?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nothing too big, I just wanted you to close your eyes for a few seconds," she said with a grin, leaving Billy to wonder what she was up to.
"Why?" he asked her.
"Because," she said impishly. "Come on, just count to five." He sighed and rolled his eyes, closing them and began to count. When he opened them after counting, his jaw dropped when he saw what had happened to the garden. Party supplies were everywhere, streamers hung from nearly every tree and a massive banner hung by the doors, a banner that read "Welcome to Equestria Billy and thanks for saving us!" Ponies had come from out of nowhere, including all of the other Elements and the CMC. Music was playing and food had been spread out all over a massive table. Despite being a magic being and half god, Billy knew that there was no way that this could happen.
"How in the..." Billy began with no idea where to go from there. Twilight had a massive smile on her face and pointed over to a panting Pinkie.
"That is one of the many powers of Pinkie Pie," she said with a grin, pulling Billy over to the party goers. "We were originally going to throw you a party back in Ponyville, but with all the attacks...we figured it was best if we waited for all of the attacks to calm down."
"What about Doomsday?" he asked her in a whisper.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she whispered back. "Since neither you or the princesses know where he is, there's very little we can do right now." Billy agreed with her, Doomsday didn't matter at the moment now and he really didn't want two massive battles in two days. So with a shrug, he started to try and enjoy himself.
"You...wouldn't believe...how hard that was," Pinkie panted when he had gone over to thank her, laying on her back with her tongue hanging out. "But it was worth it!" she said happily, hopping back to her hooves. "Billy fought off the mind control, beat Sombra without killing him and we got to finally throw Billy a party! BEST DAY EVER!" She rambled on for five minutes about how she had been planning this for months and was disappointed every time they postponed the party due to evil pony attack. Billy just smiled the entire time, grateful to her for taking the time to do this.
"Yeah, we Apples are used to supplying food fer Pinkie's parties," Applejack said with a grin, watching as Pinkie ran around to make sure the party was going off without a hitch. "She's always throwing party’s fer others, even if she barely knows them. Nopony ever feels unwelcomed with Pinkie around."
"So that's her special talent then, throwing parties?" he asked her, taking a sip of the punch.
"Eeyup, her talent is making others laugh and making them happy...that and her weird powers." Billy was going to ask what these powers were, but Pinkie then knocked over one of the statues in the garden and waved AJ over to help. She did so with a sigh, muttering about how one of Pinkie's powers wasn't caution. He shook his head with a smile, then realizing that someone had been pulling at his sleeve. He looked down at Fluttershy, he smiled at him meekly.
"Hey Fluttershy, what can I do for you?" The pegasus shuffled her hooves and looked down, looking back up at him occasionally.
"I just wanted to thank you, for sparing Sombra," she said meekly. "I know he's not a nice pony, but I don't think that he's that bad."
"I would disagree with you on that," he muttered, taking another sip.
"I know you would, but I still think he could be good," she said with a small smile, spotting some birds and heading over to them. "Maybe in another world he could be a good pony."
"She's a little too nice," he commented to himself, watching as she began to talk to the birds. He turned around and jumped when he found Rainbow Dash standing behind him.
"Please don't scare me like that," he told her as he held his heart. "People who startle me tend to get hit by lightning."
"Sorry about that, just wanted to talk to you," RD said with a shrug. "Just wanted to say that it was pretty cool what you did, taking on Sombra by yourself and beating him. But your flying leaves a lot to be desired. If you want to learn how to really fly, come on by Cloudsdale sometime. The Wonderbolts would love to see somepony who controls lightning in action. You'll be a hit."
"Thanks for the offer, I might stop by," he said with a smile. She winked at him and walked off, leaving Billy with another problem that he hadn't considered until now. As he walked over to the edge of the garden that looked over the land, he came to an uncomfortable realization. Throughout his time here, Billy had always been so concerned with finding Doomsday or protecting the ponies that he never even considered the fact that he would have to leave. He had been enjoying his time here with his friends and...new family that he had forgotten that after he found Doomsday he would have to go home. While he was thinking about it, he wondered what the other Justice League members were up to. He hoped that they were alright after the towers teleporter exploded.
'You have performed even greater than I expected.' Billy turned his head to find the silver mare standing next to him, looking out over the land before them. 'You do not seemed surprised to see me this time.'
"I’ve kind of been expecting you," he said with a smirk, finishing off his drink. "Since I found out what that great magic you were talking about was, I knew you'd show up eventually."
'I am glad that you have discovered the magic I spoke of. Please tell me what you have learned.'
"I learned that I need to listen to myself and stop caring what others think. that I need to follow my beliefs and not give into others demands or expectation. I learned that I need to simply be me."
'That is indeed an important lesson,' she said with a nod. 'But that is not the magic I wanted you to learn.'
"What" he asked her, dropping his cup. "What do you mean that's not the magic you sent me to learn? What other magic could be more important than listening to my heart?"
"Um, Billy, who ya talking to?" Billy turned to find Applebloom standing behind him with a puzzled look on her face. When he turned back to the mare, he found not to his surprise that she was gone. He sighed and turned back to Applebloom.
"No one," he muttered. "What's up?"
"Not much, just tired of the adults all talking to each other," she groaned. "Sweetie and Scootaloo are taking a tour of Canterlot Castle courtesy of Luna, leaving me to spend mah time trying to understand what these adults are talking about."
"Yeah...thanks for the advice back there. You know, for telling me to listen to myself instead of others."
"No problem, just glad to help a friend out," she said with a small grin, looking over at him. "Ah'm glad ya decided not to kill him, ah don't know what the others would have done if ya had."
"Oh, I'm sure they would have attacked me and tried to use my powers against me," he said in a joking tone. "But I'm glad you were there, I probably would have killed him if you hadn't talked me down."
"I doubt that." The two of them turned to find Twilight and Spike walking over to them. "I know you Billy, you wouldn’t have done it. You're too good a pony."
"That's what I said, but none of you listen to me," Spike said with a sarcastic smile. "But really, I'm glad you're alright."
"Me to. I'm just glad that all of this is finally-"
'He is coming. Prepare yourselves.' Billy looked around, hearing the silver mare’s voice. Much to his surprise he found all the other ponies looking around as well. He thought that he was the only one who could hear the voice, so why could they? She had said that she could let others hear her if she chose, but why would she chose to know?
"Wait, what's going on over there?" Twilight asked, looking off into the distance. Billy and the others all ran to the edge, looking into the city. Smoke was rising into the sky in the city and screaming was close behind it. Twilight had only looked for a second before she went into serious mode.
"Rainbow, get over there and find out what's going on," she ordered. "Applejack, I want you to-"
"Twilight?" Spike began, looking into the sky. "What's that?" Everypony looked up at the sky, eyes narrowing to see the small meteor heading for them. They screamed as it landed in the center of the garden, causing debris and grass to be tossed everywhere. The ponies all looked into the dust as a massive creature walked out of the crater, causing jaws to hit the ground. It was a massive grey beast, with bones protruding out of its body at odd angles. It had green pants and held a corpse in its left hand. While all the ponies asked themselves what it was, Billy knew immediately who had just landed in their misted. And it terrified him. He knew his name, but he could only whisper it.
"Doomsday."