"And are you certain that this is where the silver one resides?" Adam snarled at the two ponies beneath him, both of whom cowered slightly. "Because I swear on Amon, that if I end up in another version of Earth where the undead roam the land..."
"We're sorry about all of those...failed missions Master Adam, but we are trying our best," one of the ponies manning the teleportation system apologized, quickly typing away as best he could with his hooves.
"This technology is still relatively new to us, so we're doing our best working out any kinks that might still be in the system," the other guard said in his friend's defense, getting Adam to sigh while he looked away from the twin interdimensional tubing and gazed at the two ponies working the station.
"I apologize if my tone seems harsh, but the sooner I can bring the mare down, the better," Adam said with a snarl as he clenched his fist, still remembering what the silver mare had taken from him. His flashback had barely started before the computers made a beeping sound, getting the two ponies the look at the screen with shocked faces.
"Master Adam, we've found something out in the multiverse. There's a...seventy five percent chance that it is her," one of the ponies explained while the other locked on to the source of the reading. "Strange powers, godly form. This has to be her, Sir. Nopony else would fit that description."
"Let us hope that it is. I am tired of cleaning the remains of the undead off of my cape," Adam growled as twin beams of light shown from the twin tubes, creating a small tear in reality. Adam close his eyes while extending his hands, ancient words dancing off of his tongue as he added the final touches to the reality transfer spell. The crack became a tear and allowed the three to gaze upon the reality that Adam would be intruding upon, yet they were all surprised to see empty space above a planet of a dense green. Adam was certain that the two had made another blunder, when a comet of silver shot past the tear and descended down to the planet below.
"Finally. Now I can end this." Without another word Adam was through the crack, which shut right behind him and left two ponies to look at each other with concern.
S=H=A=Z=A=M
In the far reaches of space, a solitary figure sped across the stars, his board allowing him to move faster than most beings could dream of. He gazed at each of the planets as he passed by them, until he saw one that was covered with lush vegetation. With a thin smile, he flew down to it and quickly sped across its surface, his smile growing larger when he saw no buildings or structures.
"It seems that this planet is devoid of any advanced life," he said to himself, the sun reflecting off his silver skin. "My master will be able to feast on this planet without worry of wiping out sentient life. I should go and--" He was interrupted as a massive lightning bolt struck the ground beside him, causing him to cover his eyes for a moment. When he looked again, he saw a figure in a black outfit with streaks of red mixed in with it. He had a flowing black cape and a circlet rested upon his head. But what drew the surfer’s eyes was a lightning bolt in the center of his chest, one that was filled with power.
"It seems that once again those foals have sent me to the wrong place," the being said with a growl as he rose to his full height, looking into the surfer's eyes. Then, two bolts of lightning descended from the sky and struck his hands, causing electric power to course through them. "But that matters not now. If you know anything about the silver one, you will tell me now. Or you will suffer."
"You dare to challenge a herald of Galactus, you weak--" the Silver Surfer asked before a lightning-powered fist struck him in the face and sent him skidding back a bit. The being looked at him with power and rage in his eyes.
"I am Black Adam. And I dare." Lightning lanced from Adam's hand and surged into the Surfer's chest, but to Adam's surprise the being did not cry out in pain nor did it look to be in any pain whatsoever. With a grunt the being placed its hands before it and hurled the bolts of lightning to the side, where they tore through a tree.
"Very well, being. If you wish for combat I shall...no, this is not a battle that needs to be fought," the Surfer said as he closed his eyes to calm himself, before opening them again to look at the being before him with silver eyes. "You said the silver one, but you were not speaking of me. Who is the silver one you are searching for, then?"
"She is called the silver mare and she has taken something very important from me," Adam snarled in reply as he lanced two more balls of lightning at the Surfer, who grabbed the board upon which he traversed the stars and swatted the lightning away with a frown. "Now tell me where she is."
"I assure you, I do not know of whom you speak. I am the Silver Surfer," he replied in a calm tone, but upon mentioning his name Adam's eyes only narrowed further. Before he could speak again Adam raised a hand to summon another surge of lightning that the Surfer dodged with incredible speeds.
'He lies,' Isis whispered.
"I do not believe you," Adam said with another snarl while he began to advance towards the Surfer. "Your powers feel just as strange and unworldly as hers. Either you know something, or the two of you may be connected in a way of which you are not aware. But either way, I will find answers." The Silver Surfer closed his eyes with a small shake of his head as he heard the thunder rumble once again.
"Then let us get this over with." With so little as a flick of his hand the Surfer took the molecules surrounding his foe and changed them from gas to solid, trapping the black clad warrior within a tomb of what used to be air. But to his moderate surprise the warrior broke free with little effort, the only difference being that he was far angrier than before. "Hmm, you are strong. Yet your strength means nothing to--"
Despite the Surfer having reflexes beyond most beings in his universe, he still barely registered the being move until a fist slammed into his face. Again to the Surfer's surprise, not only was the blow far faster than he had imagined, but the force of the blow also sent him skidding backwards despite his nigh invulnerable skin. The Surfer looked from the smirk on his foe's face to where he had been struck, his face becoming far more serious as he realized that his foe was indeed a potential threat.
You are indeed a powerful one. But even the might of the Hulk means little to the Power Cosmic," Surfer said with an air of finality, deciding to end the fight then and there. He pointed his hand at Black Adam and let loose a stream of the Power Cosmic, almost smiling when he struck his foe in the chest. "You will find that your powers will no longer aid you, as I have...wait a moment," he began as he narrowed his eyes while his Power Cosmic discovered something about his foe. "You are a being comprised of magic, aren't you?"
"Correct. I AM magic," Adam confirmed before hurling himself forward again. The Surfer was ready for him this time and held out a hand to catch his foe's blow, but at the last second Adam changed his attack and drove his knee into the Surfer's face, slightly snapping his head back while the Silver Surfer backed up with more surprise than pain. When he turned his gaze towards Black Adam again, he was greeted by thousands of bolts of magic that consumed him, striking him from nearly every angle, while Adam continued the magical bombardment.
"And it seems that you are done," Adam finished as he ceased the lightning storm, looking at the smoking crater where the silver being had been standing. "Now then, do you feel a bit more talkative after that, or do you need a little more persuading?" But this time Adam was the one shocked as his godly eyes pierced through the smoke to see the Surfer standing with an annoyed look on his face. "It seems that I am not the only one full of surprises. But even if you can take one volley, eventually you will fall."
"This battle is pointless," the Silver Surfer said with a shake of his head, pointing his hand skyward and letting loose a blast of silver that was aimed nowhere near Adam. Black Adam watched with mild shock as the bolt of silver shot out of the planet's atmosphere and off into the reaches of space. The Surfer then looked over at Adam, who still looked like he wished to fight. "I would recommend leaving now if you value your life."
"What did you do?" Adam asked with narrowed eyes, but all the Surfer did in reply was turn upon his board and start to head into the stars. With the speed of Heru, Adam had his hands around the Surfer's throat in an instant and hurled him back down towards the planet. The impact of the throw buried the Surfer within a crater, but he was out a moment later and heading skyward, but this time he was heading straight for Adam.
"If you crave battle so desperately, then I shall entertain you until my master arrives," the Surfer said in a far angrier tone while he let loose cosmic rays from his hands that Adam avoided with his godly speed. Adam then retaliated with his own divine magic and hurled a continuous stream of lightning towards the Surfer, who countered with the Power Cosmic. The two powers struck head on and tore the area apart with their raw power. Then, slowly, the Power Cosmic began to push Adam's magic back.
"What sorcery is this?" Adam exclaimed with pure shock in his voice, before he cut off his attack and hurled himself to the side, barely avoiding the Power Cosmic which decimated some of the forest behind the dark god. Adam swung his head towards the Silver Surfer with a look of rage, which was met with a thin smile on the silver face of his foe.
"It seems that even your magic cannot contend with the Power Cosmic," the Surfer observed before turning away from Adam once again. "I give you another chance to call off this pointless battle and leave. The destruction of this world is coming and I would recommend that you do not remain here to witness it."
"You would destroy a world filled with spirits simply because you can? Monster!" Adam roared as he hurled himself at the Surfer, who was momentarily confused by Adam's words. Then the Silver Surfer spun around to face him to receive a punch to the face that knocked him off his board and hurled him to the dirt, where he had just begun to pull himself out, when he felt two boots drive themselves into the back of his head. The Surfer spun with a backhand that was blocked by Adam, who took hold of the Surfer's arm and placed it on his shoulder, tossing the silver man over his shoulder and back into the mud. The Silver Surfer took a moment to recover before Adam began to unload upon his face, driving him deeper and deeper into the mud with each blow.
"Enough!" Silver Surfer roared as he let loose the Power Cosmic from his eyes, yet with his own godly eyes Black Adam managed to avoid the attack by leaping back. The Surfer quickly sat up and held out his hand, calling the board to him in a fraction of a second. The very next second Adam was back with a fist brought back to strike, but still allowing the Silver Surfer to intercept the blow with his board. The planet quaked beneath the blow, but to Adam's utter bafflement the board of silver did not break from his blow.
"This fight is over," Surfer said with a cold fury as he pushed Black Adam back and rose back up to his feet, pointing his hand at Adam once again and preparing to unleash his power. But he waited for Adam to try and dodge out of the way like he did before...except that Adam never did. All the dark god did was cross his arms and brace himself for the attack.
"What are you doing?" When Black Adam failed to respond, the Surfer sighed and lowered his arm to his side. "I know that you are fast enough to dodge my attack. You have done it multiple times. But now you are preparing yourself to take the blow. I wish to know why."
"To protect the beings that you seem to have no care for," Black Adam replied, but he slowly lowered his arms when he saw the confusion in his foes eyes. "You cannot see them?...Of course you cannot see them, you are not tied to magic as I am. Reveal yourselves!" The Surfer spun around in shock as hundreds of strange creatures began to appear in the area around him, all of them different colors and shapes. But they all had the same expression as they looked at him. An expression of fear.
"When you threatened to destroy this world, you also threatened to destroy them. And I take issue with that," Adam snarled, but the Surfer was barely paying him any mind. "They mean no harm to either of us, yet you wished to destroy their very world."
"These...spirits were here the entire time?" Surfer asked as he looked around at all of the sentient beings that seemed to appear out of thin air, barely able to trace the magic that made up their bodies. Then he turned his gaze skyward towards the heave, realizing that he had just damned them all. "No...no, this cannot be! I...I did not know they were here!"
"What are you rambling about?" Black Adam asked the Surfer as he marched up to him, but to his shock he found dismay within the silver eyes of his foe.
"They're all going to die," the Surfer said with horror in his voice.
"No, they are not. I managed to stop you before you could destroy the planet," Adam reminded him, but as the Surfer turned his gaze towards Adam Adam saw despair in his eyes.
"I was never the one who wanted to destroy this world. That was my master. And he--" The Surfer's words were cut off as a being landed on the surface of the planet with a giant machine in tow, his size alone casting a shadow over both the Silver Surfer and Black Adam, who gazed up at the being towering over them with both fear and despair. The being wore blue and purple armor, with a purple helmet that had twin horns like appendages sticking out of it. But what terrified Adam the most was the power he felt coming from the being, power that made the Power Cosmic within the Surfer feel like nothing in comparison.
"What in the unholy hell is that?" Adam asked with a whisper as the being rose to his full height, looking around at the landscape for a moment before slamming his machine into the ground.
"Galactus. That is Galactus. The Devourer of Worlds."
"NOW...I FEED," it said with words that were far older than Adam, far older than anything in the universe, aside from the universe itself and perhaps even older than it. The machine that he had placed in the ground began to glow, causing the spirits that surrounded both Adam and Surfer to begin to make strange noises.
"They are telling me that they feel the planet beginning to die," Adam said with disbelief as he looked towards the being that stood next to the machine with arms outstretched, putting two and two together. "That is the being responsible for this world beginning to die, is it? Then it shall see what happens when it angers a god!"
"NO!" the Surfer roared as he outstretched a hand and grabbed hold of Adam's arm, preventing him from attacking Galactus. "He is a being that you cannot fight, that cannot be beaten. It took the combined might of all of Earth's heroes to simply drive him off, but there are only two of us. We cannot fight him. He will devour this planet while killing all of these beings and it is all my fault." Adam looked around at all of the spirits before he gazed into the eyes of the Silver Surfer for a moment, removing his arm from his grasp and placing his hand on the Surfer's shoulder.
"The one called Silver Surfer, do you wish for these spirits to die? To lose their homes?" he asked in a deadpan voice.
"No. But we cannot stop him. He will feed," the Surfer said with sorrow. Black Adam snarled as he glared up at Galactus before an idea came to him and he swung his head back towards the Surfer.
"You said that you found him this planet? Can you find another planet that would be able to house these spirits?" The Surfer's eyes widened as he caught on to what Adam was asking, but then he looked up at the machine that was sucking the life out of the planet.
"It is too late. With the machine active, Galactus will have eaten the planet soon. I do not have enough time and even then I could not transport all of them there." Despite the Surfer's bleak outlook on the battle, Adam refused to believe that the situation was hopeless.
"With your Power Cosmic and my magic, we should have little issue transporting these spirits to the new world that you shall find them," Adam said before holding up a hand to cut off whatever the Surfer was going to say next. "Do not worry about Galactus finishing his meal. If you truly wish to save these beings and are on my side, then go. I will buy you the time you need." The Surfer rocketed off into the stars a brief moment later, leaving Adam to look up with narrowed eyes at the being that could rival the stars. While he believed that his regular form could handle Galactus, he decided to take no chances.
"SHAZAM!"
The wisdom and power of the wizard flowed into Adam's body as the lightning bolt descended, taking his already godly power to a level far beyond what any had dreamed of. His black suit became a divine white and he felt his very soul feel stronger as he became Supreme Adam. His eyes snapped open and he hurled himself towards the machine, muttering a dozen different spells under his breath before unleashing his magic into the machine. The machine ceased working as the magical power of Adam completely overtook it, stopping the destruction of the planet while also gaining him the attention of Galactus, who did not look happy.
"Why do you stand between me and my meal?" Galactus asked Supreme Adam in a voice that made even the Ultimate Adam shake a bit, but his courage could not be broken while he floated down right in front of hunger that did not cease. "Do you not know who you dare to oppose?"
"Yes, you are a being called Galactus. Eater of Worlds, I believe," Adam said with a snarl as he uncrossed his arms and let his almighty lightning crackle around Galactus as a show of strength. "And I am Supreme Adam, protector of those whom you seek to devour. Now prepare yourself being, prepare to face the ultimate god!"
"What is a god to power such as mine?" Galactus asked Adam with emotionless eyes as he looked down at the tiny figure that dared to oppose him. "You know that you cannot beat me."
"Maybe not. But I am a champion. And it is my duty to try," Adam said without fear as he raised a hand over his head.
"Then you will do what you must...as will I."
Adam screamed as he summoned fourth an almighty blast of lightning to descend upon Galactus, consuming the cosmic being in thunderous magic that shook the very planet to its core. Even the mighty Galactus staggered for a moment beneath the power of six of the most powerful Egyptian gods, roaring as the lightning consumed him. But that was only for a moment.
"You call yourself a god? Pathetic." Galactus lifted his hand and unleashed a horrendous explosion of the Power Cosmic into Adam's face, unleashing power upon him far greater than anything the Silver Surfer could hope to duplicate. But with the power of Shazam flowing through him, Adam withstood the blast, but he was still hurled faster than he believed possible. Within a moment he was blasted through the center of the planet and hurled back out the other side, where his launch was halted as he slammed into one of the moons that orbited the planet.
With the obstruction out of the way, Galactus turned his attention back towards the machine, unleashing his power into it to get it working again. He had just finished repairing the device when he noticed a shadow casting itself not only over him, but also over all of the land. He turned his gaze skyward to see that Supreme Adam had hurled a moon towards him, the very same moon that Adam had been driven into.
"Let us see how mighty you are now!" Adam roared as Galactus reached a hand up towards the moon before he unleashed his power cosmic into it...and turned what was once a massive rock into nothingness. Adam floated near where the moon had used to be with a stunned look upon his face as Galactus turned back around towards the machine once again.
'I...may have finally found a foe that I cannot defeat,' he admitted with horror within his thoughts, but his courage returned once again as he spotted a silver figure racing towards him.
"I have found a planet that I believe can house the spirits," the Silver Surfer relayed to Adam before looking down at the machine, noticing that the planet was beginning to fall apart. "We do not have much time left. If you have a plan..." Adam reached out and took hold of the Surfer's hand, transferring some of his magical power into the Surfer.
"This, along with your power, will allow you to create a dimensional tear that will permit you to take the spirits to their new home," Adam quickly said before turning back to Galactus. "Hurry. I will buy more time." Adam unleashed a bolt of magic so powerful into the back of Galactus that it would have ended Superman in one blow, causing the cosmic being to groan as he slowly fell forward. He caught himself before he could hit the ground and turned to face Adam once again, anger in his eyes now.
"Begone." A multitude of lasers shot forth from Galactus's hands and quickly enveloped Adam, causing him to roar in pain as he was forced to the ground from the sheer, overwhelming power that bombarded him. But with the courage of Mehen burning through him in far greater strength than the beams of energy that consumed him, Adam burst forth from the attack and hurled himself into Galactus at near light-speed, toppling both the cosmic being and himself.
"SHAZAM!" Adam bellowed into the sky, summoning down a far more enhanced version of the divine lightning that normally followed the word. Galactus roared as the lightning decimated his form, managing to damage the near invulnerable cosmic being. Adam hurled himself back into the sky, leaving the planet's atmosphere and circling around that solar system's sun a few times to build up speed. He then hurled himself back towards the planet, bursting through the atmosphere and driving himself into the still prone Galactus, setting both ablaze. Adam bounced from the impact and slammed into the ground hard, growling to himself as he struggled to his feet while holding his now broken arm.
"Damn it all...that being is far more durable than I would have given it credit for," Adam snarled before turning to face Galactus again, who, despite the ungodly amount of damage he had just suffered, was rising back to his feet. Adam snarled as he shot at Galactus again, but a back hand from the cosmic being sent Adam sprawling into the dirt once again.
"Your efforts have been for naught," Galactus said as he held out both arms towards the machine. "The process is finished. Now it is time for me to--"
"NO!" the Silver Surfer roared as he unleashed his own power cosmic into the back of Galactus, causing the being to turn to face him in confusion.
"My herald. Why have you betrayed me?" Galactus asked in an emotionless tone.
"I will not let you harm the beings of this planet! Even if I must oppose you!" The Silver Surfer roared as he unleashed his power once again, but Galactus simply held up a hand to absorb the power.
"Despite your betrayal, I still have need of you," Galactus said as he unleashed his own power cosmic into the Surfer, causing him to be rocketed away from the planet as Galactus's words rang in his ears. "Now is not the time for you to turn on me. Rest herald, for I will hunger once again." Before the Surfer passed out, his last sight was the planet's energy being sucked into Galactus and the planet he had fought to protect being turned into a husk.
S=H=A=Z=A=M
With a start the Surfer awoke, shocked to find that he was being held by Black Adam with one arm, though Adam was still wearing his divine outfit. Surfer then turned his eyes towards what was left of the planet he was trying to protect, which was mostly space debris at this point. Off in the distance, he could see Galactus's ship and knew that he had fed.
"Finally, you awaken. I was wondering if Galactus had killed you," Adam said with a snarl as he held out the Surfer's board with his other hand, despite the fact that his arm was broken. The Surfer took the board before turning his gaze back down towards what remained of the planet.
"Did we do it? Did we save them in time?" Silver Surfer asked, but Black Adam closed his eyes and shook his head with a sad sigh.
"We saved as many as we could. That will have to be enough." The two sat in silence for a while after Adam spoke, silently mourning the lives that had been lost before Adam opened his eyes again. "I must go. The silver one is still out there and I cannot rest until I have tracked her down. Farewell, Silver Surfer."
"Wait." Black Adam turned to face the Surfer once again, but this time it was the Surfer who took Adam's hand and transferred a small portion of the Power Cosmic into him. "This will help you find whoever you are searching for, no matter where they hide, as long as you aide it with your magic. Consider this my way of saying 'thank you'. If not for you, I would have condemned an entire race to their deaths."
"You did not know. It was not intentional," Adam said to slightly comfort him before a smirk crossed Adam's face. "Though I must apologize as well. I thought of you as weak, but it seems under the right situation you can be almost as strong as me."
"What do you mean, 'almost as strong'?" the Silver Surfer asked with a small smile. "We never got to finish our fight."
"I remained able to fight after Galactus's attack. You did not. I was the last man standing." The Surfer let a laugh past his lips before shaking his head slightly with a smile on it.
"You are a strange man Adam, but I will concede to you, today. It is your win," the Surfer said before placing his board beneath him. "Some advice before I go, though. Try stopping to talk to those whom you believe to have information, instead of going in swinging. Maybe then you might hit your actual target." Adam nodded before the Surfer flew off across the stars. Galactus's ship turned to follow him as they hunted down Galactus's next meal. Black Adam thought about what the Surfer had said before he shook his head with a thin smile.
'Very well, Surfer, I shall try. I owe you that much," he thought before deciding to return to Equestria to continue his own hunt.
"Shazam."