//------------------------------// // Issue Eight: Castlemania // Story: A Marvelous Rainbow // by ThePartyCannon //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash wiped the groggy state from her eyes. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out, but she knew it was too long. Her stomach growled, indicating it had been at least four hours since her last meal. Grumbling, she rose to her hooves. The familiar setting of Ponyville Park greeted her with warmth and comfort. “Great… I napped on the bench again.” She groaned, popping her spine with a satisfying crack. Around her, ponies milled about, chatting and doing the usual social things that Ponyville ponies do. Bon Bon and Lyra were off having a picnic, and a trio of elated cries beat against Rainbow’s ears, indicating the juvenile Cutie Mark Crusaders were up to something. Trotting along towards the town’s center, Rainbow breathed in the familiar sights. She passed Sugarcube Corner, slowing to a gentle canter to relish in the sweet smells of treats inside. The scent of sugar, dust and oil, and candies filled her nostrils with joy. Putting an extra spring in her step, she continued downtown, passing the familiar town hall. It was pleasant to be back in town after everything she’d been through. Everything was just as she’d left it. From the fine thatched roofs to the broken husks of machines lying casually in the street. She breathed a sweet sigh of relief. After everything she’d been through, a nice chat with one of her friends could do her some good. But her friends never came. Through her walk throughout the town, not a single one came to see her. Twilight’s tree library was dark and closed, and Rarity’s boutique showed the same signs. Not even the commonfolk stopped to greet Rainbow Dash. It was almost like they didn’t even- Exist. Like a floodgate opening, intense pain surged through Rainbow’s head. Memories of the past twenty four hours rushed in to fill the gaps in Rainbow’s mind. Her world melted away in a pit of chaos and destruction. Ponyville fell to the ground, dust and fire rising in its wake. The faint screams of ponies could be heard past the intense throbbing of Rainbow’s skull. For a split second, it felt ready to burst open. But it began to subside. Slowly at first, then almost instantaneously. Her brain slowed down and almost felt like it slid back into place. The tugging that she had encountered earlier was nonexistent, and her brain settled back down. She opened her eyes, releasing fluid down her cheeks. Whether it was tears or blood, she couldn’t tell, but she had a feeling it was both. Her vision consisted solely of a bare stone wall, marked only by a few chips and cracks. She tried to turn her head, but found resistance in the form of a tight leather band, compressing her head into the back of a chair. Her hooves were wrapped similarly. She squirmed, trying to get some movement back into her. “I wouldn’t do that.” Rainbow’s heart froze at the voice. It was chilling how calm, yet sinister it was. It was directly behind her, out of her sight, but close enough that she could practically feel him towering over her. “Why?” Rainbow asked as bravely as she could. Unfortunately, given her circumstances, a fair amount of fear crept into her voice. “Let’s just say, unless you want your brain matter to be liquefied, you’ll listen to me.” He answered, snarling as he spoke. “Who are you?” Rainbow asked, her voice still marked with fear. “Oh, that hardly matters. A name is just a name. Who I am is irrelevant to you, Miss Rainbow Dash. Nor is it relevant to Mister Tony Stark. Or Captain Steve Rogers. Or even Doctor Banner out there!” A gloved hand rest itself atop Rainbow’s head, burying itself in her rainbow mane. It stroked her slightly, creating a rough sensation of the cloth on her hair. “In time, who I am won’t matter. Who you are won’t matter. Nothing will matter.” He leaned in close to Rainbow’s ear. His hot breath tickled her, sending chilling waves of terror down her spine, “I’ll make sure of that.” He whispered. ***** Thor Odinson, proud protector of Asgard, strode mightily through the now ruined castle. He clambered down the steep slope of rubble, disregarding all notions of caution. Mjolnir in hand, and Captain Rogers behind, he made his way over disheveled machinery, and broken robots. His sight fell upon the beast Elendil, buried and crushed under rubble. Fires had begun to break out over the cavernous walls. “This was all from your visitor?” Thor asked, surveying the impressive damage. “I’d say so. She doesn’t seem like the gentle type.” Rogers replied, impressed at how she dealt with the situation. Almost on the same level of discrete as Tony… Thor had arrived to the lone door, standing innocently off to the side of the destruction. From under the door, a dim light shone. Thor turned to his mortal companion. “Behind this door lies the enemy. Are you prepared?” he asked, genuinely concerned for the man. “We’ll find out.” Steve replied, placing his shield in front of him. Nodding in acknowledgement, Thor kicked the door in. The thunderous crack of splintering wood was all it took for the trio of evil-doers to turn tail and run. The tallest of the three, clad in orange, moved like a blur out of the room. Two men trailed behind him, easily identified as the two former agents. In the middle of the room, abandoned by her captors, sat the sky blue pegasus, staring humbly at the wall. Her face was stained with blood, but aside from that, she looked fine. “Give chase! I’ll deal with the prisoner!” Thor bellowed, prompting Captain America to sprint after the fleeing suspects. His genetically altered legs propelled him across the room faster than most, and shot him down the halls at an impressive speed. “They’ve done something to the iron dude!” Rainbow shouted after Captain America, before squirming in her seat some more. She strained at the leather straps, but felt strangely weak. Thor moved to her side. “Great Odin’s raven… You’re a…” “Pony.” Rainbow deadpanned, “I don’t know who you are, but you sound like a good guy. Can you help me out?” she asked, or practically pleaded. Working quickly, the bulky god unfastened the belts and let them fall to the floor. Rainbow slumped forward and fell to the ground, barely landing on her hooves. Immediately, she tried to run after Steve, but was stopped by two muscular hands grasping her at the shoulders. “Do not think to run, little horse.” Thor insisted, “I’m to have a word with you.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, “Look, pal, what’s your name?” Smiling, the God of Thunder answered, “I am Thor Odinson, protector of Asgard and-“ “Well, Thor, my pal Tony is in trouble. I gotta help him!” Rainbow pleaded, spreading her wings, “If you don’t let me go this is gonna get messy.” “You dare think you can challenge the might of Thor? Have at it, little horse!” Rainbow grinned, “If you insist…” ***** The corridors were narrow, dimly lit, and small. Several times Steve had to run crouched over, just to avoid the low ceiling. But he was catching up to them. In the straightaways, he could even see the slowest of the pack; Clint Barton. He had no idea how much further ahead the other two were, but he intended to find out. He had one advantage over them. His super-soldier body could withstand extreme punishment for hours, and that included all-out sprinting. His agile moves always kept him on the approach, practically nipping at the heels of his prey. As they progressed through the seemingly endless escape tunnels, Steve saw the perfect opportunity. Up ahead, Clint had just turned into a hallway that split off at a forty-five degree angle. With a mighty grunt, Steve Rogers chucked his vibranium shield down the hallway as hard as he could. The spin was perfect, and the shield shot down the hall, bouncing off the wall’s corner, and rocketing down the hall. He heard a solid impact, followed by a grunt. By the time he reached Clint’s fallen body, his shield hadn’t even hit the ground yet. Clint looked up at him, pain and confusion painted on his face, along with a sheen of sweat and blood. The archer put his hands up, mouthing words to speak, but not finding the voice to do so. “Clint? Are you alright?” Rogers asked, keeping his tone friendly but assertive. He painfully glanced upwards, down the hall. His prey was escaping. “Don’t go…” Clint whispered, shaking. “Mind control… Don’t…” “Clint, they’ve got Ben. And I don’t know who this guy is, but I can’t let him-“ “Steve. The castles going down." Clint replied, tears forming in his eyes. ***** Castle walls were breaking yet again as the sky blue mare shot through the dungeons. Her mass had increased significantly at the acquisition of the God of Thunder, whose mighty hold on the mare never faltered. His hands remained stalwart on the pony’s shoulders as they crashed through walls, searching frantically for Tony Stark. “Little horse!” Thor shouted over the sound of ruin and destruction, “Cease your flight! The castle will fall upon us if you continue destroying its foundation!” Rainbow came to a screeching halt, nearly throwing Thor off her shoulders. “What do you want me to do, huh?” Rainbow almost shouted, “Tony’s out there bleeding out. You know what’s gonna happen if I don’t find him in time?” she asked, getting within inches of the man’s face. “I understand more well than you.” He replied, letting go of the pegasus. “We’ll split up and find Master Stark. But afterwards, I require your presence.” Rainbow nodded, not wanting to respond to his odd way of speaking. Instead, she took flight and zipped down the corridors. It was slower, having to follow the pathways instead of making her own, but she couldn’t risk bringing the castle down on top of everyone. Choosing a hallway seemingly at random, she flew with all her might, peering into every branching room and corridor. Though she hadn’t found Tony, she happened across an equally familiar duo. Captain Steve Rogers was carrying Clint Barton over his shoulders, straining to maintain his impressive speed through the corridors. Upon seeing the flying horse, a combination of relief and annoyance filled his eyes. Quite similar to the look he adopted whenever Tony Stark himself walked into a room. “You! Have you seen Tony?” Rainbow asked, talking at lightning speeds. “Clint has, he told me where to go. Follow me.” Steve explained, moving quickly through the halls. “What about the other two? Poindexter and that… third guy?” Rainbow asked. “Now isn’t the time. We’ll get Agent Poindexter back later, and as for the third guy, I’ll have to explain it later. We’re in trouble.” Steve explained breathlessly, not missing a stride. “Why? What trouble? Where’s Tony?” Rainbow pleaded, shooting question after question at the already pressured Captain America. As the questions bombarded his ears, he slid to a halt, almost tripping over himself. “Rainbow,” he started, “Take Clint and get out of here. I’ll find Stark, just get everyone to the surface. Now!” he bellowed. Rainbow threw the archer over her back, balancing him with her neck. His legs draped over her flanks and rest on either side of her tail, and his head rest against her own. Despite the uncomfortable position, it was enough to fly. Though not as quickly or agile as before, Rainbow continued to fly down the passageways, picking them at random until they began to ascend. Though nothing changed, her heart grew heavy with a sense of dread. Not only was her first friend in the future in peril, so was her own being. She couldn’t place her hoof on it, but there was a keen feeling of doom permeating the air. “Well, at least you get to sleep through it, huh buddy?” she asked the unconscious body of Agent Barton. She chuckled at herself, but her laugh was void of all happiness and hope, and instead replaced with cautious pessimism and hopelessness. “Celestia, let him be safe…” she said to herself. ***** Thor kicked down yet another door, setting the casualties at four. But this time proved fruitful. As the Asgardian entered the room, only one thing caught his eye; the bandaged man resting on a massive stone tablet. “Stark…” Thor whispered, moving towards him. Bandages were tightly wound around the man’s midsection, but were still damp with blood. The device in Tony’s chest shone, but it was so dim that Thor had to get within inches of it to notice any light. Using his godly strength, Thor picked up Tony Stark and carried him over his shoulder to the doorway. He wasn’t even a dozen steps out before Captain Rogers literally ran into him. Steve went flying, landing on his backside feet away, while the God of Thunder stood motionless. “Why the rush, Captain?” Thor asked, bemused. “We gotta get him out; Clint and Poindexter were mind controlled and set the castle to blow! I don’t know how much time we have left.” Steve explained, pulling at Thor’s bright red cape in an attempt to move the god. “Unhand my cape!” Thor bellowed, “And lead the way.” Steve nodded, and began running down the halls towards the gaping hole Rainbow Dash had provided. “What of the horse?” Thor asked on the heels of Captain America. “I gave her Clint and told her to get out of here.” He explained, “My turn; what do you want with her?” Thor sighed, “She’s a threat to the realms. My father Odin sent me to either send her back to her realm, or to ensure her banishment on Asgard.” Steve raised an eyebrow as he pushed past some rubble, “Geez, you sure about that? I mean, you have seen her right?” Thor ignored the Captain’s questions, and continued ahead on his own. The exit was in sight; the massive hole bored into the castle’s floor. The sun’s rays shone down into the depths like a ray of hope. Thor eyed Captain America as he began his ascend up the rubble. “She’s reckless. Dangerous, even.” He called up to the man. Steve shrugged as he looked for his next handhold, “I can’t argue that. But I know a guy who fits that description. And he’s draped over your shoulder.” Thor grimaced as he shifted Tony’s weight. “But Master Stark is of Midgard, not from beyond the realms. The tiny horse is of different origins.” Steve had made it to the top, and was attempting to balance amongst the loose rocks and debris, “You’re gonna have some time convincing her that. She thinks she’s in the future.” Steve chuckled as he watched Thor clamber up the rocks recklessly, nearly slipping several times. “I have faith in my ability.” Thor grunted, nearing the top. Tony was wrapped around both of the god’s shoulders, almost mimicking hunted game draped across a hunter’s back. “Let’s go.” Steve said simply, motioning towards the front doors, which now rest wide open, “Fury’s gonna want to talk to you.” ***** Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had found her own way outside. By ramming her body into the ceiling hard enough to create an exit of her own. The crumbling ruins were tougher than she expected, helping her believe the fact that it wouldn’t crash down on top of everyone. Clint Barton had begun to come to. He was groaning, and mumbling nothings about mind control and robots. As awesome as it sounded at times, it worried Rainbow, and she worked to get him out as quickly as possible. Finally, with a massive gout of strength, she broke through the wall, flooding the corridors in natural sunlight, and revealing the grand hall of the castle. Moving quickly, she took Clint on her back and flew him out of the castle. It took her seconds to find Captain Rogers and the new guy. Their bright costumes stood out against the stark, foggy landscape. Rainbow felt a brief comfort in her own colorful nature, and felt slightly accepted amongst the flamboyant costumes everyone else donned. The only one missing out is Clint. He might look good in purple… Thought Rainbow Dash, before being interrupted by Steve. “Rainbow, you made it.” He sighed in relief, “We’re lucky; Tony’s fine.” Rainbow beamed, “Can I see him?” she asked, craning her neck around Steve to try and sneak a peek. The baritone voice rolled across Rainbow’s ears like thunder, “Not yet.” She turned to see Thor. She hadn’t been around him much, but even so, she didn’t like him as much as the others. He talked weird, and seemed a bit more… viking. “About your promise, little horse…” Thor began. “Yeah, fine. What is it?” She responded, obviously not enjoying herself. “By my right as heir to Asgard, I demand you tell me your origin, and the intents and purposes of your intrusion on this realm!” he bellowed. “Geez, tone it down.” Steve interrupted, standing between the two. “What he’s asking is, why are you here?” Rainbow smiled; this was an easy question for her, "You see, I’m a time traveler!” she explained, waving her front hooves in the air to add a sense of mysticism to her words, “I flew so fast that I ripped a hole in the space-time-something, and ended up here in the future!” Steve nodded in acknowledgement, seeming to appreciate her creativity. Thor, however, groaned and rubbed his eyes in annoyance, “No. What you did wasn’t time travel, it was travelling across realms.” “Realms?” Rainbow asked. “When you performed your act of speed and flight, you broke through a mystical boundary. The combination of a powerful magical entity near you and your speed created a bridge between worlds. In Asgard, we call it the Bifrost.” Thor explained, losing patience, “Which you deliberately created to reach Midgard. I want to know why.” Rainbow’s brow crumpled. She rubbed her hoof against her chin, wondering just what the strange man had said. It went against all of her thorough, concrete evidence of time travel, and completely shattered her made-up views of the world. She plopped onto her flanks and poked at the ground with her hoof, still struggling to decide whose story to believe. “So… you’re saying that I didn’t time travel?” she asked. Thor nodded. “And your saying I used a frosty thing to get here?” she asked again, hoping to gain some ground. “The Bifrost yes. On Midgard they call it a wormhole.” “Okay… One problem; I’m not magical. If it required magic, I wouldn’t be able to do it. So it must be time travel!” Rainbow countered, hiding behind her fortress of infallible logic. Thor shook his head, “You don’t have to be magic, you simply must have something of high magical power nearby to activate it.” He tried explaining, though he was losing patience. “Twilight’s pretty good with magic…” Rainbow admitted, “But that doesn’t prove anything!” “Guys,” Steve interrupted, “Clint’s awake.” The three most conscious members of the team gathered around Clint Barton, who had sat up and rest his weight on his elbow. He was clutching his head, and sneering in pain, but able to talk. “Clint, you alright?” Steve asked, acting as the voice of reason amongst the three. “I couldn’t help it. You know, it was… strong. Stronger than…” he trailed off, catching a glimpse of something beyond the gathering crowd. “I’ll be damned, when’d he get here?” Everyone turned to view the scrawny man ascending the hill to their position. His arms were wrapped around his chest, and his pants were torn and loose. A thin trail of blood leaked from his nose. Though shaky, the man seemed intact, at least enough to walk. Upon hearing Clint's outburst, he smiled wanly, “I just dropped in…” he deadpanned in a scratchy, hoarse voice. “Hey doc!” Rainbow shouted, bounding over to her friend. “Clint.” Steve continued, trying to wrest the conversation back to the topic, “You got a look at the guy; who is he?” Clint shrugged and shook his head, “I don’t know. They guy was a freak though, you know? Like, tall guy, orange suit. Freaky part was the guy’s head. That thing was massive! Swollen beyond belief.” Clint explained, using his hands to mimic his own head expanding. Steve nodded, “But you don’t know who he is?” Again, Clint shook his head, “Not a clue. But how many tall green guys with big heads are there?” he asked jokingly. “Well…” Everyone in the group turned to the source of the voice, Doctor Bruce Banner. He was rubbing the back of his neck nervously, and moved his mouth as if he were looking for the right words, “Samuel Sterns.” He finally spat out, “High school dropout, from Boise.” “You know him?” Clint asked, “Must have been some introduction…” Ignoring him, Bruce went on, “He called himself Leader. And if previous experience has any say in it, we’re in big trouble…” “How big is big?” Rainbow asked, trying to add something to the conversation, despite knowing absolutely nothing about anything anyone had said in the past five minutes. “If he’s doing what I hope he’s not doing, then I’d say global domination is a pretty high probability.”