Star-Swirl had just finished conversing with one of his many associates, when a pony clad in a black hood and cloak slowly approached his dark power, stopping short of the platform where the ancient pony stood to avoid the tendrils of darkness. The two guards at the entrance slightly turned away from Star-Swirl, while he turned his red eyes upon the pony before him, ignoring the shaking of the pony's body.
"What do you have to report?" Star-Swirl asked, his voice chilling the souls of all of the ponies that stood in the circular room with him, filling them with the desire to flee for their lives. But they knew their duty and the oaths that they had sworn, so the messenger swallowed his fear and began to speak.
"T-the machine is ready sir! It has been built beneath Canterlot and all we are waiting for now is your word to bring it to the surface so that we may use it." None of the other ponies saw the tiniest of smiles that spread across Star-Swirl's face at the news, but when he spoke there was no joy to betray his thoughts.
"This is very good news...especially good news, considering that I have received word from the gatherers that I have sent out, that our five years worth of work is nearly complete." The messenger's head snapped up at those words, his eyes filled with amazement despite the being before him.
"Sir, you mean that...there is almost enough destruction to begin the final phase?" the messenger asked with a small smile. Star-Swirl nodded as he looked up towards the ceiling, though his mind was looking far past the stone.
"Yes...all we seem to need is one last, destructive battle to have enough power to free him," Star-Swirl said with a laugh devoid of joy, while he plunged his hoof into his chest, dragging out a black sphere that crackled with red energy as he held it before his eyes. The ponies watched as the air around the sphere seemed to be vaporized by just being in proximity to the orb, though Star-Swirl never seemed to notice.
"And I already know which battle shall be the one, to free the one," Star-Swirl continued as he placed the sphere back into his chest, creating red lines along his body that caused an eerie glow to radiate off of it. "When the five champions battle with the judges of Equestria. That battle will give us the power needed to free him...but I did not get this far in life by not having a back-up in case something unforeseen happens, such as when Sombra prevented me from taking Canterlot for myself."
Star-Swirl had turned to his mirror as he uttered his words, creating a vortex of darkness within the reflective glass. Despite the presence that Star-Swirl gave off, the young messenger couldn't help letting his curiosity getting the better of him.
"W-what are you doing, Master?"
"I am calling for the god. My agents will work on bringing me the monster, but I wish to have all of my forces of destruction with us for the final battle." The messenger looked into the mirror to see a figure clouded in darkness appear, but from what he could make out the figure looked similar to Black Adam except that he had glowing red eyes.
"Is it almost time?" the figure asked, getting Star-Swirl to chuckle slightly in reply.
"Yes, it is almost time for you to aid us...Hyperion."
S=H=A=Z=A=M
"Diagnosis? As in you're going to say what's wrong with me?" Ryan asked Banner with a loud laugh while he sat down, crossing his legs and giving Banner a humored look as he flipped up his hood. "I just woke up from a week-long coma doctor, I'm fairly certain that's what was wrong with me. Besides, aren't you the scientific kind of doctor, not the medical one?"
"I'm not talking about your physical body, I'm talking about you. You as a person," Banner clarified for Ryan, getting another chuckle from the human while Banner elected to remain standing and Ryan began to walk around the room. "It may have taken longer than usual for me, but I believe that I've finally figured out who you are...not who you're trying to convince us that you are."
"I hardly think that mental analysis is part of your job description, Banner," Ryan said with a chuckle, but Banner read a flash of caution in eyes that weren't quite hidden by his hood. "Babysitting the Hulk maybe, but not telling people how messed up they are. Besides, I already know what's wrong with me. I'm crazy."
"Then why hide it?" Banner asked point blank, getting an eyebrow raise out of Ryan. "And trust me, I am very skilled at telling when people are lying to me, because I've been lied to all my life. I also know when people are truly crazy or just pretending, since I know Deadpool."
"Are you implying that I'm not bat shit crazy and I'm just pretending?" Banner heard offense and anger in Ryan's words, getting the doctor to shake his head in response.
"No. Watching a person's world and best friend die before their eyes would drive any normal man crazy. I do believe that you are insane to a degree." Ryan's eyes narrowed dangerously at Banner's words, but Banner knew full well that Ryan would do nothing in response. The threat of the Hulk would keep the situation verbal. "The silver mare told me. Go vent at her if you're offended. So I have no doubt that you're insane, for the most part. When you decided to take on the Hulk, I knew that much. But that also showed me that you were a hero as well."
Ryan threw back his head and laughed heartily at Banner's words, his whole body shaking from the bellowing laughter that echoed through the room. Banner's face remained emotionless while he waited for Ryan to finish, with Ryan having to wipe tears out of his eyes while struggling to breathe once he finished laughing.
"A hero, Doctor Banner? No, I am no hero. I'm a psychopath who owes that mare a favor, a favor that got me thrown into a war that doesn't concern me. I mean, I'm not one of the chosen champions, so by what I've been told about the forces of destruction I shouldn't even be here, seeing that their power would kill me immediately without one of those fancy Elements to protect me," Ryan explained to Banner with a smirk, but to Ryan's surprise Banner let out a small laugh in reply as he shook his head.
"You lost your entire world to a nuclear holocaust, were transported to a strange land after watching your best friend die and were constantly attacked every minute of every day while fighting to survive," Banner said to recap the events of Ryan's story. Judging from Ryan's snarl of annoyance, Banner knew that the silver mare had spoken true. "Yet you saved the ponies' lives on a number of occasions, even though they hunted you. And when Discord tried to take over all of Equestria by turning the Elements and princesses against the ponies, you fought against them, setting the Elements free and nearly giving your life to save them all. Now I may not be an expert on people, but that sounds a lot like something Steve or Peter would have done if placed in the same situation. Those actions are what a h--"
"Don't finish that sentence." Banner silenced his words as he raised both his eyebrows slightly at Ryan's response, seeing the anger flashing in the human's eyes while he slowly rose to his feet, walking over to Banner and glaring up into his eyes. "And don't for a minute believe that you know how I thought or why I did what I did. You're a smart man Banner, so I assume that you know what survivor's guilt is, right?"
"To put it simply, it's when a person survives something they shouldn't have and they feel guilty about it," Ryan continued on with fury before Banner could speak, his eyes flashing like lightning. "That's why I helped to save those damned ponies, not because I'm some nice guy or a hero in spandex, but because I felt guilty for not being able to save my world, so to make up for it I tried to save theirs! I did it so that I could feel better, so that I would stop seeing fire when I closed my eyes! It wasn't for them, it was all for me. To make me feel better. Now tell me, oh wise doctor, does that sound like the actions of a hero?!"
Banner was quiet for a moment after Ryan's outburst, trying to think of the best way to speak to him. He sighed after a moment and decided he would have to be more direct. "You are not the first hero to help because you feel guilty for the deaths of others. Peter became a hero because he failed to stop a criminal, despite having the power to do so. And that criminal shot his uncle dead in the streets a few minutes later. That loss is the reason he became a hero and is the reason he is a hero to this day. Nearly all heroes are created because they lost something or someone important to them. You lost more than most, but in the end you still saved an entire world."
"Because, if you would listen, you arrogant jackass, I did it for me!" Ryan roared in reply, snarling with fury. "Besides, do I even look like a hero? Do I act like a hero? I have caused more harm than good in the short time that I've been in both Equestria and here! I'm a jackass that messes things up, gets his ass kicked and by some miracle manages to avoid killing somepony in the process. I'm arrogant, infuriating and one hell of a prick. I am the man who failed to save his world! That is who I am!"
"That is your excuse."
Ryan fell silent as if shot dead, but the fury that erupted in his eyes told Banner than in a moment the Hulk might have to intervene. But Banner did not waste a moment in explaining what he meant.
"What do I mean by that Ryan? I mean you are using those traits you described, that personality that you took on, as an excuse so that no one will think of you as a hero or at least as a friend." Ryan opened his mouth to argue that point but Banner was master of the room, and he silenced the words yet to be spoken with a look of sheer dominance. "You say that you are someone who does not care about others? Somebody who only cares about himself? No, I have seen many a man that was like that, and you are not one of them."
"How would you--?"
"How would I know? Because I used to be one of them!" Banner said with an inferno of passion that burned with far more power than the hate that was flashing in Ryan's eyes, forcing Ryan into silence once again. "After I was forever changed by the gamma bomb, I became one of the most selfish men on my planet. I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow, feeling so sorry for myself over the monster that I had to endure, that I shut myself off from the world...that I fled into the wilderness to keep the Hulk away from others."
"Which seems to be an act of selflessness rather than--"
"No, Ryan, I tricked myself into thinking that I was doing it for others, that I was a good man, but it was still all about me. If I managed to contain the Hulk when I walked through a city, I thought that I had done good. When Hulk wrecked a city it was the Hulk's fault. Yet the Hulk, nine times out of ten, came out to fight an evil that threatened the lives of others, whereas I was so afraid of being caught that I would abandon those who needed help. And nearly every time I did do something for others, I always was truly doing it for me, so that they would help me. You want someone who was selfish, talk to the me before I came to Equestria."
"That is what I did after I fell victim to an event that tore my life apart. Now let's look at you. You are the only survivor of your world, a world that was blown apart by nuclear weapons, and the only reason you survived was because your best friend created a portal that sent you to Equestria, saving your life. Am I right so far?"
"Fuck you."
"At first you tried to survive, tried to stay away from the ponies because, according the silver mare, you didn't want them to meet a human, whom you called 'bringers of the end'. But then you saved a certain gray mare's life and then you saved a pup of a timberwolf, despite the fights you've had with the wolves. Then you saved Lyra from a spiderweb without asking for anything in return. And this was before you owed the silver mare your life. That seemed very nice of someone who only does things for themselves."
"I'm warning you, Banner--"
"And then Discord showed up and played hell with the world. He turned the Elements evil and made the princesses his own servants. And when the world seemed to be his, you stepped up to oppose him. You took on beings far more powerful than you are with little to no chance of surviving."
"Because I couldn't stand to see a world die like mine had," Ryan snarled, but was again cut off by Banner.
"Because you couldn't stand to see what happened to you happen to the ponies. You couldn't stand to see such innocent and peaceful creatures suffer the same way you had," Banner corrected him sharply. "You might not have been able to save your world, and honestly I don't know how you could have, but you were damned sure that you could save the ponies! You knew how painful it was to lose everything, so to make sure that it didn't happen to the ponies, you fought gods, Ryan, beings that were so far beyond you."
"I know what gods are; I'm on a team with two. But again I did it because--"
"Because deep down you care. That is why you're here with us now, not because you owe the mare, but because you know that others are in danger and you want to make sure that they can live to see another day. Because deep inside, you're a good man who only wants to spare others from the suffering that he went through," Banner finished in whisper, looking up to see that Ryan was looking away from him, yet was still shaking with rage.
"But you don't think of yourself as a nice guy. You can only focus on your failure, that you were the only one on your world who could stop the end and that you failed," Banner continued. "And that fear of failure is the reason why you act the way you do."
"I made peace with my failure," Ryan whispered with murderous intent in his voice as he slowly turned to face Banner, a crooked smile on his face while his eyes shone with crazy intentions. But then Ryan looked into the burning green eyes of Banner and he seemed to regain some of his sense. "I made peace with the fact that I failed."
"Liar," Banner said in reply, his word turning Ryan's crazy expression into one of absolute hatred. "You never came to grips with it. You never got over the idea that you failed your friend and race. And that is why you act like such an asshole, so that if the day comes when you fail again, you won't let anyone down. And that is your greatest fear--the fear of failing others."
Banner expected rage or assault at his accusation, but for the first time since he had spoken, Ryan's actions surprised him. Ryan said nothing, but he reached up to pull his hood over his eyes before sitting down on the floor with his back to Banner.
"The way you talk, the way you bring yourself down and the way you act is all to convince us that you can't do anything right, that you aren't supposed to be a hero. So if the day comes when you do fail, none of us will blame you because we all knew it was going to happen," Banner continued, but his voice held sympathy within it as he spoke. "You act the way you do so that we never believe in you. Because if we don't believe in you, then you can't fail us. Am I right?"
"Yes..." Ryan whispered after a moment of silence, before lifting his hand and looking at it.
"I fell for the lie for the longest time; I am not afraid to admit that. I thought of you as an arrogant asshole who believed every word that he spoke," Banner continued. "And I would still probably still believe it, if I hadn't seen with my own eyes an act that blew away any doubt that I had of your being here. And that was when you chose to fight Hulk." Ryan slightly turned his head to show that he was listening, giving Banner a moment to take in a breath before continuing.
"A man who was selfish, who deep down only cared about himself, would never have gone so far for the sake of another. And I know it was for another, Ryan, because you mentioned Trixie and her daughter," Banner reminded him, getting Ryan to hang his head slightly. "Despite how ungodly strong Hulk was and how hopelessly outclassed you were, you knew that if Hulk were to fight us, then Trixie might never get home to see her daughter again. That those who loved her might lose her."
"So you threw yourself at the Hulk, knowing full well that you were probably going to die. Despite how much you feared him, and yes, I know that you are afraid of him, you took on the strongest being in the worlds to give Trixie and I the smallest of chances to escape, so that her daughter wouldn't lose her mother. You chose to die so that others could live. Am I still on the right track?"
"Yes..."
"That was the event that made me see you in a new light, Ryan. When I thought of your personality and how it didn't match up with what you had done, I asked the mare for your story...what happened to you in Equestria. And it was through the mare I learned of your struggles, your fight with insanity and how...that despite a charade of aloofness and aggravation, beneath it was a man who would die for others, many times over." Banner looked down at Ryan, who had yet to move, before he walked over and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.
"You say that you don't belong here, Ryan, that you aren't one of the champions, but your actions have spoken far louder than your words. I now know that you are just as worthy to stand among us as the other heroes are, even if you don't want to believe it. You may not be one of the chosen champions, but a magical accessory doesn't determine who is a hero and who isn't. The fact that you're here fighting alongside us despite not being chosen, despite being the one who is the most in danger, speaks far louder than your words ever could."
"So, that is why I am asking you to go with me to bring down the Spire that rests in the Crystal Empire, because you are a part of this team and I trust you," Banner said with confidence so that Ryan had no doubt in his words. "I'm not asking you to change who you are, Ryan or that you stop being a pain in the ass, but I will ask you to try believing in yourself. You may not think it, but I know that you are just like us. You are a hero. We all know that, you're just the only one who doesn't believe it."
Banner figured that he had said enough and he turned to leave, with the Hulk telling him that even he was impressed with what Banner had said, but then Banner was stopped dead when Ryan spoke. "I was wrong, Banner. You have shown me that I was wrong." Banner turned back to look at Ryan, finding that the human's eyes were cold.
"What were you wrong about?"
"I believed for the longest of times that the Hulk was the most dangerous member of this team," Ryan informed Banner before shaking his head slowly. "But I was so wrong. Out of everyone that the mare brought here, Banner, you, by far, are the most dangerous."
Banner slowly nodded in response to Ryan's words before leaving some words of his own. "Tomorrow we will attack both of the remaining Spires at the same time. You and I will take the Crystal Empire while Batmare and Mr. Bubbles will take the one in Atlantis. Trixie will be providing magical support for Batmare so she can survive, while Billy will keep an eye out for Adam." Banner then left the room, leaving Ryan alone with his thoughts.
'I hate you, Doctor Banner. I hate you far more than anyone else on this team,' Ryan silently thought to himself as he looked across the room to spy a small shard of glass that reflected his image back at him. 'Because you are so right about me.'