Clint Barton hit the damp ground with a roll, immediately reaching for his trusty collapsible bow. With a flick of his wrist, the bow unfolded with a snap, and was ready for action. But as he surveyed the area, he found nothing. The air was still and silent.
“Shout out!” he screamed, hoping one of his teammates would hear him.
He took a few seconds to wait for a response. Nothing.
Maybe they’re still-
A mild shockwave hit him as the ground vibrated underfoot. Through the dense fog, Clint saw a bright orange light, accompanied by a dull roar of an explosion. Arrow drawn and at the ready, Clint scurried quickly to the scene of the crash.
The eerie silence was broken only by Clint’s heavy boots striking the damp grass, creating an innocent squeaky sound with every step he took. His eyes stared straight ahead, focusing on the increasing orange glow. As he made his way closer, an image began to appear, cast into the flames’ glow; a bulky shadow, appearing to be armored.
“Stark?!” Clint shouted, desperation leaking into his voice. There was the possibility that the shadow wasn’t Stark, and he prepared himself for it. His bow was at its fullest draw; 115 pounds.
The shadow moved, and Clint stopped in his tracks. He aimed the arrow straight at the figure’s head as it slowly made its way toward him. It came into view, swirling tendrils of fog wrapping around its frame. Clint’s mind was overtaken by fear, and he froze.
“Alas,” said the Black Knight, “I fear thine Man of Iron hath been dealt with.”
Gaining control of himself, Clint loosed the arrow straight at the Knight. At the range he was at there was no way he could have the time to dodge. Instead, the arrow struck the Black Knight straight in the chest, bouncing harmlessly off his armor and sending him stumbling backwards several paces.
With a grunt similar to a grizzly, the Black Knight shot forward, withdrawing a horrific medieval mace. It crackled with lightning as arcs of plasma shot out, connecting to the ground and the Black Knight himself. Swinging the weapon only intensified the lightning, bringing it closer and closer to Clint.
The archer tried to loose another arrow, but fumbled as the mace was swung within inches of his face. Attempting a sidestep proved to be his fatal flaw, as doing so resulted in a tremendous blow to the gut by the blunt instrument. Clint fell to the ground with the wind knocked out of him, and undoubtedly a few broken ribs. As he struggled, grasping at the dew-soaked grass, the Black Knight stood over him.
“Commendable.” He stated in his baritone voice, “Though for naught.”
Clint lost consciousness as a hefty boot connected with his jaw.
*****
Halfway across the world, hovering nicely north of New York City, Rainbow Dash was running out of things to do in the Helicarrier. Fury had denied her access to anything outside the briefing room and the mess hall. Three bowls of chocolate ice cream and an hour long nap later, Dash was in a slump.
It wasn’t bad at first; Fury had let her play Solitaire on their computers. Though Solitaire could be considered an ‘Egghead sport’, Dash didn’t care. She just liked the noise the cards made when they were dealt. But even the cool ‘thwip’ noise couldn’t keep her entertained for long, and after ten minutes, she was fed up.
For a while she just sort of rummaged through the computer’s files. She had no idea what she was doing, of course, but the fact that it was new and exciting kept her attention. But, again, Rainbow’s entertainment was limited, and halfway through reading about some guy named Maxwell Dillon, she gave up. A combination of gnawing hunger and sheer boredom was too much.
Just when Rainbow was ready to tear her rainbow hair from her head, Fury came into the room.
“I trust you’ve been occupying yourself?” he asked, glancing around the room to make sure no property damage had occurred.
Dash simply responded with a groan.
“Make yourself presentable then. Your doctor is here.” He finished with a smug grin as he turned and left the room.
“Doctor?” Dash asked quizzically.
Fury ignored her, stepping aside to let a fumbling man walk into the room, pushing two large rolling crates. His spectacles hung on the end of his nose, and his dark hair was muddled and untidy. He didn’t bother to glance at Rainbow until his crates were safely secured in the room and the door shut behind him, leaving the pegasus and himself alone in the room.
Rainbow looked him over. He sure was different from everyone else she had seen. His skinny stature and almost apprehensive actions completely contradicted the authoritative, muscular humans she had become accustomed to. It was a relief to her, finally having someone who didn’t seem so intimidating.
“Hello? You do talk, right? I’m not just… talking to myself?” he asked, waving a hand inches from her face.
Shaking her head, Rainbow caught herself. Blushing at the realization that she was lost in her thoughts, she smiled,
“Yeah, I can talk.” She responded.
Upon her talking, she watched as the man beamed and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
“Well, that’s wonderful! When Fury told me about… well, you, I was skeptical.” He explained, stammering slightly from his excitement.
Dash chuckled, unsure how to respond. Rubbing the back of her neck with her hoof, she struggled to find something to say. The seconds dragged on at a painful rate, causing Rainbow to squirm. After what seemed like minutes, she finally asked,
“You’re a doctor?”
“A little bit,” he responded, using his thumb and forefinger to demonstrate his minute knowledge in the field. “I’m more practiced in gamma radiation, and other related fields.”
Dash ignored the egghead talk for a while, saving those questions for later, “Well, what’re you gonna do? I’m not sick or anything. I think…”
“Well, the first thing I’m going to do is just take a little blood.” He said, opening his crates, revealing rows upon rows of shining medical instruments. Everything from scalpels to those saw-things that cut skulls open were inside the crate, causing both the pony and the human to grimace and squirm a bit.
“You’re not gonna take my blood with that, right?” Rainbow asked, pointing to a large hacksaw.
“Oh no, no no. When I asked for some instruments, I guess Fury just figured I could find a use for all the tools. I’ll hold off on the lobotomies until I’ve got a basic grasp of what’s going on.”
Dash gulped and nodded. She helped the man rummage through medical instruments until they found some sterile needles and cotton swaps. She handed them over before laying on her stomach, hoping the man knew what he was doing.
“So,” he started as he began cleaning an area around one of Dash’s veins, “They say your name is Rainbow Dash?” he asked, chuckling at the end.
“Fastest Flier in Equestria, that’s me!” she responded happily, “What’s yours?”
“Bruce Banner.” He said simply as he lined up the syringe with her blood-supply-line.
“Neat” Rainbow said through gritted teeth, feeling the cold needle press against her skin. It continued to press into her, harder and harder, until she heard a tiny audible ‘snap’ from behind her. She craned her neck around to view Banner, who held a broken needle in his hand.
“That was unexpected…”
*****
Steve Rogers carried the limp body of Benjamin Poindexter across his back as he sprinted uphill through the fog. The orange glow of the chopper’s flames lit the way, guiding Steve towards the dark shape of a large castle ahead of him. Everything in Steve’s mind shouted at him to turn around, and that the castle was obviously a ruse. But it was his only option; either that or get stuck in the fog with the Black Knight.
“Come now, Captain! I have yon friends captured! Art thou too foolish as to not surrender?”
A collective shiver ran down the spines of both Benjamin and Steve. The voice seemed to come from all around him, in every direction.
“Where are they?!” Steve shouted demandingly, craning his neck around to make sure the Black Knight wasn’t right behind him.
“Doth thou take me for a mere fool! I shan’t trouble myself with your petty inquiries! Prepare your end, Captain, for your death comes swiftly on wings of ruin!”
Fireballs streaked past Captain America, scorching the ground under his feet. From behind him, the shrill whinnies and snorts of some hellish creature resounded through the fog, shortening the distance at a frighteningly fast pace. The scorching hot breath of the beast could almost be felt on the back of the men’s necks as they scurried inside the decrepit castle. Agent Poindexter fell to the ground, clutching his leg, as Captain America slammed the doors, blocking themselves from the outside world.
The suspense was only intensified in the silence of the castle. The mere sound of their haggard breathing seemed to deafen them. Finally, Captain Rogers spoke,
“Agent, do you have a gun?”
Poindexter painfully moved his hand to his holster, grasping the pistol in his hand. It was a heavy, cumbersome weapon compared to his usual preference, but in his current predicament he didn’t have much of a choice. He nodded his response to Rogers.
“Good.” The super soldier replied, readying his shield in front of him, “Are you any good with it?”
Poindexter chuckled slyly, “I’m a little more than good.”
“Then watch the doors here. I’ll take a look around the surrounding corridors to make sure he doesn’t flank us.”
With that, Rogers took off, sprinting through the hallways into the depths of the castle.
*****
Flames licked at Tony’s armor as he lay in a crumpled heap inside the downed Quinjet. Sparks flew from the jagged tears in the nearly-crushed Iron Man suit, and the heavy smell of smoke and blood filled Tony’s nostrils as the suit rebooted, enveloping Tony’s body in a blanket of warmth. Slowly, the suit’s joints unlocked, allowing Tony to move freely.
Groggily, he crawled out of the wreckage, observing the suit’s status inside the helmet’s HUD. For the most part, the suit was destroyed. Flight capabilities had been rendered useless, as well as almost all weapon systems. The communications arrays had been neutralized, either by the impact or the fog, it was impossible to tell. It seemed the only thing still working was his right repulsor, which flickered and spat sparks every few seconds.
Tony exited the Quinjet, standing on the singed ground. He opened his mouth to speak, and immediately was thrown into a fit of violent, hacking coughs. Desperately, he grasped at the suit’s helmet, practically trying to tear it off its bolts. The claustrophobia was getting to him.
Even through the dense fog, the sun shone harshly into Tony’s eyes, forcing him to squint. His vision was limited, but that didn’t matter. All there was to see was fog anyway. Fog, and the demon-horse rapidly approaching him.
Tony barely managed to get out of the way in time, dodging the pegasus’ barbed hooves by mere inches. It flew past, strafing the ground with one of its monster wings. Taking a wild shot, Tony let fly a beam of energy out of his gauntlet. Though it was a weakened shot, it connected with something, as the air was suddenly filled with violent shrieks of immense pain.
Tony, helmetless and without much to defend himself with, ran headlong towards the noise.
*****
“Ready?”
“Do it, filly!” Dash shouted to Bruce, seconds before the metal chair crashed down on her back. It bounced off, bent and misshapen, while leaving Dash without a mark.
The two let out cackling laughs of jubilation. The room was a disaster. Broken tools, equipment and furniture lay strewn across the floor. Rainbow Dash stood triumphantly among the mountain of destruction, completely spotless and without injury.
“Dash, what you can do is incredible…” Bruce said for the fifth time. His shy, apprehensive demeanor had completely changed, giving way to an energetic, happy person.
“Yeah, I’m pretty awesome.” Dash boasted haughtily.
“I’d have to look into it, but I’m thinking it’s cellular. Maybe… maybe your cell structure is… I don’t know, enhanced? I honestly don’t have a clue how it works, but you’re practically invincible.” He explained breathlessly.
“Invincible, huh?” Dash pondered the implications. Being able to do anything without getting hurt… The possibilities were limitless. She could do anything!
“Hey! Try hitting me with the hammer again!” she suggested, bouncing up and down with excitement.
Bruce agreed, gripping a small hammer tightly in his hands. He stood over Rainbow Dash, resembling a baseball player stepping up to the plate. The hammer was poised behind his head as he set his mark. But as he swung, the weight of the hammer vanished, and he was sent spiraling due to the lack of balance. Rainbow Dash shrank away as she gazed upon Nick Fury, who held the hammer tightly in his vice-like grip.
His one cyclopean eye looked over the room as he slowly shook his head.
“A blood sample. That’s all I wanted.”
“Well, we ran into… complications.” Bruce said, regaining his posture.
Fury raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”
“As you may have heard, Miss Dash here is… well, she’s impervious to physical harm. And that makes blood samples a bit wily to get a hold of.”
Fury waved his hand in the air, dismissing Bruce’s claims, “Never mind that. There’s been a problem with the Ireland team. Can I get you in the hanger in five minutes?”
Bruce nodded, despite not fully understanding the situation. “Sure thing.”
“Good.”
With that, Fury turned and left the room, only casting a slight glare at Rainbow Dash on the way out. The door hissed shut behind him, leaving the pony and the man alone again in silence.
“Geez…” Dash said, hovering in the air next to Banner. “It’s weird seeing him calm like that. If it was that iron dude that made this mess, he woulda exploded!”
Bruce began setting tools aside, “Yeah, he gets that way around me. Most people do.”
“Why’s that?” Rainbow asked innocently, trying her hardest not to clean up the mess she just caused.
“Well…” he started, “You know how Stark has his suit? And how Steve is really strong?”
Rainbow slowly nodded, beginning to understand what was going on.
“Well, I’ve got something like that too. And people say it’s a lot stronger than what everyone else has. The thing is, it only really… comes out, I suppose, when I’m angry or if I get too worked up. So-“
“So people act different around you because they’re afraid?” Rainbow finished.
Bruce stared at her, surprised. He may have only known her for twenty minutes, but he never took her to be the understanding type. Let alone understanding to something she had never experienced before.
“Yeah.” He finally said. “Look, I gotta get going. See if you can tidy up a bit.” Bruce left, walking quickly down the halls towards the hanger.
“Hey, wait up! I don’t wanna clean this!” Rainbow Dash shouted, chasing after him.
*****
Captain Rogers sprinted around the perimeter of the castle via the corridors. It seemed that the only way in was through the front entrance. At least on foot. Gulping, Captain America began his ascent to the roof, where the Black Knight could easily make a landing on his felstead.
As he made his way, his earpiece began to crackle and hiss. At first Steve passed it off as mere interference, and was about ready to toss it away, until he heard the commanding voice of Nick Fury slowly make its way through. He raced up the stairs, attempting to get a better reception.
“Rogers, come in.”
Steve found himself nearly at the top of the castle’s frontmost tower. Breathing heavily, he put a hand to his ear and responded,
“I’m here. Agent Pointdexter was injured in the crash. I don’t know where-“
“Never mind that, I got some news.” Nick Fury interrupted, “We’re sending in a rescue team.”
“That’s great, sir, but we’re gonna need a bit more than a Quinjet and some guns to get outta here.” He responded, looking around warily for an attack.
“No, no, Captain. You misunderstand me. We’re sending in the rescue team. Get out of there.”
Steve took a moment to understand the situation. He had an injured man, and two missing personnel. And at that precise moment, SHIELD decides to send in their contingency plan, in all its green wonder. Steve sighed.
“Understood, sir. I’ll do my best.”
With that, Steve raced down the stairs. If what they were saying was true, then in an hour’s time, the castle wouldn’t be standing.
*****
Rainbow Dash and her newfound doctor friend reached the hanger in record time, having raced the entire way there. Unsurprisingly, the lanky doctor was out of breath, and Rainbow Dash had won. This prompted a quick boasting before looking around the hanger. Nick Fury stood in the center.
The hanger bay was abuzz with activity, but no Quinjet was on the launchpad. With a puzzled look, Bruce turned to Nick Fury.
“What’s the deal, Fury?” he asked submissively.
“I’m sorry we have to do this, Mister Banner. We’re sending the Hulk to Ireland.”
Bruce scratched his head, trying to wrap it around the situation. “To do what?”
“Approximately ten minutes ago, the Ireland crew was hit by an old friend. Nathaniel Garret. Up until now we’ve had radio silence, and we’ve learned that the situation is more dire than we thought. We need something to level the playing field.”
Bruce began to shake his head. “No, you’re not sending him! Call someone else; Hank, or Victor!”
Nick Fury placed a hand on his shoulder, “Calm down, son. This is an order.”
With that, the man used his second hand to shove a long needle into the side of Bruce’s neck, quickly injecting a soft blue liquid. Slowly, Bruce’s knees weakened and he fell down into Fury’s arms. Rainbow Dash watched with confusion as Fury took him off to the side.
“Doctor Banner will wake up, probably tomorrow. You have to promise me you won’t say a word about this.”
“About what?” Rainbow Dash asked as she watched Fury’s actions.
He easily carried the lightweight doctor to the side, where a band of missiles sat. A crew of engineers quickly opened one of them, revealing a plush interior. Bruce was gently laid down inside the missile with his feet pointing towards the thrusters. The missile was sealed around him and placed on a cart.
“A series of gasses will awaken the doctor’s other half. When the missile hits its target, they’ll be in for a surprise.” Nick Fury said with a hint of enthusiasm.
“But why’s he in… that?” Rainbow Dash asked, unsure of what exactly was going on.
“Follow me and you’ll see.”
The duo watched as the missile was hauled off to a tube on the side of the hanger. It slid nicely into place, resting snugly against the walls of the silo. With a flick of the wrist, Fury unfolded a com-screen on the side of the silo, and dexterously punched in the coordinates. Doors snapped shut, and a red alarm light went off. Rainbow heard a loud roar from inside the silo, before a tremendous ‘whoosh’.
“Missile travel is the quickest way to Ireland. And only Bruce can survive the landing.”
“It’s the fastest?” Rainbow Dash asked, smirking slightly.
Nick Fury’s one good eye shot open, realizing what would follow. Placing his hands on his hips, the man said, “Don’t you even think about it.”
“Think about what?” Rainbow Dash asked rhetorically, grinning madly.
“You’re thinking about-“
A whoosh and a shower of rainbows later, Nick Fury was left staring at empty space.
“-racing it…”
*****
The pegasus was relieved to have the wind roaring in her face again. Her powerful wings pumped the air, following the thin black mark on the horizon. The missile was fast, that was for sure, but it wasn’t unbeatable. With a sudden burst of speed, Rainbow Dash rocketed forward, catching up to Bruce Banner’s personal transport system.
It was nice to fly again. Being cooped up in the Helicarrier was new and exciting, but Rainbow just wanted to go back to her roots in the sky. Flying under her own power was exhilarating, and she could see why humans wanted to do it so much. The Helicarrier flew. Tony Stark flew. Heck, even Bruce Banner’s mini-jet-like-thing flew!
Rainbow, lost in her thoughts, hadn’t realized her increased speed. Instead of catching up to the missile, she had completely overshot it, and now flew ahead of it by almost thirty yards. Bewildered, she pulled back and marveled at the speed. She must have broken the sound barrier with such minimal effort that it went unnoticed. The missile must have been going mach 6 or 7, and Rainbow Dash was leaving it in her proverbial dust.
She smiled as the missile began turning downwards, heading straight for a small island in the ocean. Rainbow Dash tucked in her wings and hooves and barreled to earth’s surface, preparing to see the show of her life.
*****
Tony Stark took yet another blow to the chest from the Black Knight’s gauntleted fists. Each fist had brass knuckles tipped with electrodes; a very useful weapon when dealing with a metallic suit. Tony’s vitals were dropping rapidly.
“Now, Man of Iron, ye disappoint me.” The Black Knight spoke in between blows, “I thought of thee as a combatant!”
Tony grabbed one fist as it punched, but failed to block the other, which caught him in the gut. He doubled over, clutching himself.
“Ye are but a peasant!” the Black Knight roared before throwing a knee at him. Tony rolled at the last second, leaving the Black Knight’s knee to pass through thin air. Taking the opportunity, Tony let loose a few repulsor blasts. The first two shot wide, due to Tony’s targeting system having been yanked out. The third shot, however, went true and hit Nathaniel Garret in the gut. But even a clean hit didn’t slow his assault, and soon he was back on top of Tony.
Nothing was working. Tony’s suit was too clunky to move quickly, and the Black Knight was too agile, despite wearing bulky armor. Not to mention that almost all of Tony’s impressive arsenal had been disabled or spent, with no effect.
Meanwhile, the Black Knight had taken almost no damage. Sure, Elendil had been driven away by a repulsor blast, but the real threat stayed. The Black Knight had his entire arsenal at his disposal, including the dreaded Black Blade, which he had drawn. The blade swung lightly in his hand as he paced towards Tony Stark. He raised the sword high above his head, ready to slash down.
Tony braced, unable to dodge the blade fast enough. He knew it would hit, but didn’t know where.
Just as the sword began its descent, a roaring noise slowly found its way to Tony’s ears. It intensified, drawing the Black Knight’s attention away from Tony, enough to misjudge the path of the sword and send it slicing inches above its target. Both characters looked through the fog to the sky, spotting a glowing yellow light barreling through the clouds. Tony’s heart leapt in his chest, and he turned away running, slipping slightly on the damp grass.
The Black Knight withdrew a shield from his back and waited. This was just what he had planned on.
*****
Rainbow Dash raced feet from the missile, watching its smooth body penetrate the cloud layer. It was a marvelous device just from an aesthetic standpoint. From its smooth shape to its small, delicate wings, everything about it filled Rainbow Dash with a strange feeling of admiration. It was the pinnacle of flight.
But something was off. During the duration of its flight, the missile had stayed in a perfectly straight line, never deviating from its set course. But as it fell through the atmosphere, it began to pitch and yaw. Rainbow Dash didn’t know much, that she would admit. But she knew more about flying than almost any other pony, and that was something she was proud of. She knew that something of this design shouldn’t be moving around like it did.
She moved in for a closer look, watching the ground below her as it raced towards the pair. The missile seemed fine from the outside, but through the relentless shrieking of wind, Rainbow could hear something. A tinny banging noise. Thin trails of vaporous smoke leaked out the end of the missile. With a raised eyebrow, she watched it closely.
The ground was too fast approaching to do anything with the missile. It shrieked towards the ground, leaving a decelerating Rainbow Dash behind. She watched, a quarter mile above the ground as the missile went straight for its target outside the castle. Before hitting the ground, it slowed and broke apart. Massive clouds of dust and clods of dirt exploded from the impact, but no ball of fiery death arose as Rainbow had hoped.
What happened next confused Rainbow. A figure, tiny from Rainbow’s distance, emerged from the crater. Its herculean arms smashed at the ground, ripping the grass from its roots. Even from the distance, Rainbow could hear its faint roaring and shouting as it charged in a seemingly random direction. It moved like a gorilla, on its knuckles, thrashing about like a wild animal. Rainbow shook her head.
From atop the castle’s tower, a figure appeared. Clad in blue, Rainbow assumed it was the Captain America. Slowly, she flew towards him, keeping an eye on the monster.
Geez, right once I think I’ve got this world figured out… she thought to herself, strafing the tower.
She came up behind Captain America, slowing her descent. He must have seen her in his peripherals, because he turned on her with a swinging fist. Though impacting her skull dead-on, Rainbow didn’t flinch nor move backwards. She stared at him through her big magenta eyes.
“Hi!” she addressed Steve, smiling.
Steve shook the dull pain from his fist and furrowed his brow, “What’re you doing here?” he asked.
“I followed the doctor’s missile. What’s going on?”
Steve shook his head and began pushing Rainbow Dash towards the trapdoor leading down the tower, “You don’t understand, things are about to get ugly. You don’t want to be here for them.”
“Why not?” Rainbow Dash asked, concerned by the Captain’s struggle.
Before he could respond, the sky erupted in a cacophony of noise. Shrill shrieks and cries blasted against Rainbow Dash’s ears, causing them to ring. Both their necks shot up, seeing a black shape fly through the fog.
“Just get out of here, Miss Dash! You need to get to safety.”
Rainbow Dash ignored his commands and flew alongside him as he ran to the edge of the tower. She could feel something behind her, approaching fast. She turned her head, viewing it out of the corner of her eye.
It was a monster. Black as the night sky, and covered in spines. Its leathered wings spanned three times her wingspan, and beat the air with a ruffling noise. Glowing red eyes pierced her soul, and froze her in place. The thing was fear incarnate. It impacted her, taloned hooves first, and grasped her around her waist. She could feel the claws wanting to tear into her, but her impenetrable skin proved resistant enough.
The final thing she saw before entering the fight was the ground, and the large behemoth that stood swinging through it. It was completely green and bulging with muscles. Massive biceps pulsed as he swung punch after punch at a smaller black figure, whose surprising agility proved a useful tactic against the beast.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. Nothing made sense in the future. She prayed it wouldn’t get any stranger. As long as robots, aliens, and Vikings stayed out of it, she could handle it.
She turned to Elendil, and readied her attack.