'Those burns look painful.'
Trixie turned her head away from the supplies she had been taking out of her bag, to see that the silver mare was walking towards her. Trixie was still slightly disturbed by the fact that most of the mare's body and one of her legs was now missing, along with half of her face.
"Do not worry, it only hurts when I do anything," Trixie said with a small wince, returning her attention to her magical stones and scrolls she brought with her. "Why are you still here, by the way? Didn't you say something about Black Adam being able to sense your magic here?"
'That is what concerns me. For a number of days I have not sensed his magic anywhere besides the castle,' the silver mare replied with a shake of her shattered face, causing Trixie to shiver slightly. 'It is like he has given up searching for me, or something else has happened that has taken his attention away from me. And whatever it is, it cannot be good.'
"You know what else isn't good? What's happening to you," Trixie pointed out, getting a depressed laugh out of the silver mare as she looked down at her cracked and broken body. "For a pony that is supposedly immune to all physical attacks, you sure look like you've been beaten something fierce."
'While my form may be more ethereal than physical, the silver Sphere of Creation that sustains me is more than susceptible to damage,' the mare sadly said while she moved her cloak to the side to reveal the silver sphere. Trixie immediately noted that pieces of it were missing and it was barely glowing. 'Black Adam crushed it when I tried to escape him once, and I have been declining ever since. Sometimes my personality becomes that of a monster, or other times I go silent for days on end.'
"And what does that mean for you?"
'It means that my time is almost up,' the mare weakly replied. Trixie was able to hear the underlying fear in her voice before the mare masked the emotion. 'But what happens to me matters not, so long as I can save this world and my family before I go. That is all that matters.'
Trixie nodded slightly in response before a thought came to her. "We are trying to prevent the End of Days, as Batmare calls them, from summoning the ultimate being of destruction from within the Sphere of Destruction, correct?" Trixie asked, waiting for the confused nod from the mare before continuing her thoughts. "That means there is indeed a monster of sorts within that sphere. But what about yours? Is there a being of creation living within it as well?"
The mare's eyes widened slightly, and she looked down at the silver sphere that could be seen within her center, tilting her head while she thought. 'I am not certain. If there is a being such as that within the sphere, then it does not like to speak, for I have heard nothing from within.' Trixie sighed at another 'unknown' from the mare while she finished picking the rest of her items for the mission. She would have turned to join the others, when she saw a small amount of light peeking out from the bottom of her bag. She reached deep within to find that her ring was the item that was producing the light, yet she was just as confused as the silver mare as to why it was doing so.
'What do you suppose is causing the ring to glow?' the mare asked Trixie, who shrugged in response while she turned the crystal ring over with her magic, unable to see anything that was different with it. Deciding to get a closer look, she placed the ring on her hoof and brought it closer to her face.
'HAHA! Finally got through!' Both Trixie and the mare leapt as a loud laugh echoed throughout the room, both of them looking around swiftly to see who had laughed, before Trixie turned her eyes back to the ring, shock written on her features when she saw whose face was on her ring.
"Sombra?" she asked in both amazement and disbelief as she saw the smirking face of her husband in the most valuable crystal on her ring. "Is that really you?"
'Of course it's me! Do you truly believe that anypony else in Equestria would be capable of cracking the space time multiverse theory to track you down across reality?' Sombra asked her with a laugh before his eyes looked down at the burn marks on her chest, his eyes narrowing. 'So, I see that I have a fool to kill when I figure out a way to get to you. So care to tell me who dared to inflict such a wound on my beloved so I know exactly whom to rip apart?'
'How did you manage to find us?' the silver mare asked in amazement. 'It would take a power nearly equal to the Sphere of Creation in order to track us across the-'
'Shut up mare, I am talking to my wife!' Sombra barked at the silver mare with a snarl before he turned his attention back to Trixie, reading the slightly downcast expression in her eyes almost instantly. 'Ugh, I know that look. That's the look that's followed up by a complicated story and possibly a moral dilemma.'
"You are correct. The one who did this to me was...me," Trixie replied with hints of disdain.
'I take it by that statement, that you mean your present reality's Trixie, don't you?' Sombra asked, snarling at the silver mare when Trixie nodded with surprised eyes. 'Good job mare, not only do you whisk my wife off without so much as a word to me or her freaking children, but you take her to a world with an evil version of herself that tries to kill her. You had better hope that I don't figure out how to kill you.'
'With the short time window I had, I-'
"Mare...can you leave us?" Trixie pleaded. The mare nodded and quickly vanished from the room, leaving Sombra to take on a more concerned look without anypony to see that side of him. "So, how is everypony? I assume that they're all worried about me?" Trixie asked.
'For the most part. I quickly figured out that the silver mare was behind it and informed the others that you had gone to help her out. They're all sleeping right now,' Sombra said before the faint sounds of crying could be heard, getting Sombra to groan with a small sob. 'Ugh, I have not gotten a decent night's sleep in weeks, thanks to that bundle of joy back there. Starlight misses you more than the rest of us and cries nearly every night, but she's just barely surpassing the amount of whining that Starshine is doing in your absence. Don't know what I was expecting, though. Of course my daughter would be as vocal as me.'
"I am glad to hear that they are alright," Trixie said with a sigh of relief, but Sombra gave her a concerned look.
'Trixie, something's off about you. Don't tell me it's nothing, you know you can't lie to me. What happened over there?'
"I...was beaten by the other me, a me that was as selfish and arrogant as the me of old used to be," Trixie began, her tone clearing the exhaustion from Sombra's face as he listened closely. "And that is what infuriates me the most! I changed my ways, devoted my life to becoming a better pony who tried to help others, and I was still beaten by the arrogant me of old! I thought that I had shaken off that part of my life, that I was free of the power-hungry Trixie, yet not only does she appear in physical form, but her magic is also superior to my own!...Why can't I overcome the past me?"
Sombra thought about what she said for a moment before another faint sound of crying could be heard, getting Sombra to growl as he vanished from Trixie's ring. He reappeared a moment later holding a crying foal with a black coat that was covered in blue spots, bringing them both into view on the ring. The moment the foal saw Trixie she stopped crying and reached out for the mare with a smile, getting Trixie to smile softly in return as tears began to well up.
'Yes, there's Mommy. Now will you please stop crying for a few minutes?' Sombra begged more than demanded, nearly crying tears himself when the foal remained quiet. 'I don't think it's a matter of overcoming your past,' Sombra eventually said after getting the foal tucked into his arms and rocking her to near sleep. 'I know you better than anypony else in here or over there, and I believe that you've already overcome who you used to be and that you're happy with who you are now.'
"Then why can't I-?"
'Because your greatest fear has never been about overcoming your past; it has always been, what if your past ever came back to haunt you,' Sombra clarified in a whisper so as not to wake the small foal. 'What if you reverted back to the Trixie you used to be? That has always been what has scared you the most. And now you're fighting that Trixie, the Trixie you never wanted to see again, and not only is she back, but it also seems that her magic is stronger than yours.'
"It is," Trixie whispered.
'But, at least from what I think, that's only half of the reason that you lost,' Sombra continued, getting Trixie to look at him with confusion. 'The other half is because in the face of your greatest fear--the old you returning--you tried to overpower the other you and failed because you fought with sheer power alone. Now the Trixie I respect knows better than to try and win fights on power alone. She uses her mind more than anything else and thinks of a solution.'
"So what do I do?"
'That I can't answer for you, not unless I can figure out how to breach the multiverse in a way that doesn't involve getting me killed,' Sombra replied with a shrug, a shrug that awoke the small star in his arms who began to cry. Sombra practically started to cry himself, but he regained control of himself enough to look back at Trixie through a now fuzzy image. 'Seems the crystals I'm using to power this thing are running out. Just remember this Trixie: you are you, no matter what happened in the past. And the 'you' you are now is a good pony.'
"Thanks Sombra," Trixie said warmly.
"Hey, Trix?"
"Yeah?"
"Love you."
Both of their images vanished from the ring a moment later, leaving the crystal as a crystal once again. Trixie continued to stare down at the item with sorrowful eyes, but a thin smile appeared upon her face when she thought about Sombra's words. She then slipped the ring onto her horn while she grabbed the items that she had been gathering to take with her, figuring that she had made the others wait long enough.
S=H=A=Z=A=M
"And finally you both to show up. Praise the Lord!" Ryan exclaimed with mock enthusiasm when Trixie walked over to the group of five, ignoring Ryan's remarks as she stood alongside Batmare and Mr. Bubbles, looking up at the latter with interest.
"You know, for somepony that hasn't been trained in stealth, you are sure hard to find at times," she remarked, getting a low moan from the daddy as his eyes flashed a few times. Trixie looked around at the other four members to see that they were all ready as well, but she could tell from the look on Batmare's face that the detective could tell that something was the matter with Trixie.
"Alright team, that's enough chit-chat for now," Banner began as he stepped forward, giving Ryan a quick look since the human was still being a pain. "Each of you have heard the plan that we put forward, and for Bubbles and Ryan, I have explained it to them before the rest of you showed up."
"Got to say, I'm not a fan of it," Ryan butted in rudely, but to the group's surprise Banner didn't reply with stern words or a look of annoyance. "Are you sure that the groups should be split into four and two instead of three and three? I distinctly remember Black Adam being able to beat the Hulk down hard, and Hulk's the strongest there is. If he attacks us, I might get beaten into another coma--if I'm lucky."
"Yes, but the changelings have informed me that Black Adam tends to avoid the Crystal Empire, where the fifth Spire is located. I assume that is because the land is ruled by Shining Armor, and given that Adam killed his sister, it is safe to say that Adam isn't welcome there. You and I will be tackling that one, Ryan, while Batmare and Mr. Bubbles take the other one with Trixie and Captain Marvel providing backup."
"I have a good deal of knowledge about Atlantis and if this world is anything like mine, then I should be able to find a way to it rather quickly," Trixie informed the group, getting an approving nod from Banner before he motioned for Batmare to speak.
"As Banner said, Billy and Trixie will be providing support for me and Bubbles as the two of us descend into Atlantis," Batmare continued on. "Billy is on lookout in case Adam comes after us, while Trixie will be providing us with magical assistance to get there and back safely. I say 'us', but I really mean 'me', since Bubbles is specifically designed to handle the pressure of the ocean." Bubbles let out what seemed to be a prideful moan at his usefulness before Banner stepped forward again.
"Alright, remember to stay safe while doing your best to get those orbs. I don't want to lose anyone." The group nodded at Banner's words of warning. "Trixie, Marvel; if the two of you wouldn't mind." Trixie and Marvel both nodded as each began to prepare a large teleportation spell, getting a groan out of Ryan as the two combined their magic to teleport the two humans to their destination.
S=H=A=Z=A=M
"Okay, it was comical at first, but now I must seriously question what the effects of magic have on someone like you," Banner mused with a concerned look on his face when Ryan came back from emptying his stomach on some daisies. Ryan wiped his pale face with his hand before shaking his head with a groan.
"It either hurts like hell or makes me puke my guts out. Most the time both," Ryan groaned as the two humans turned towards the large city of crystal that rested across the grassy plains from where they stood. Both of them were able to easily see the beam of magic that shone towards Canterlot emerging from the tip of the castle in the center of the city. "Of course it wouldn't be easy to get to. And while we may be spared Black Adam, this place is armed to the teeth with guards and unicorns that are all capable of blasting me apart."
"That is why I'll be doing most of the 'talking', if you will," Banner reminded Ryan while placing his hands into his pockets and slowly walking towards the city, Ryan shaking his head before he followed suit. "But that's only if they prove to be hostile. I still believe that I can talk to them and make them see how we are trying to save Equestria."
"By breaking their shit and lowering their defenses. I don't know how you manage to keep looking at the ponies in such a good light, Banner," Ryan muttered with another shake of his head.
"I try to see everyone I come across in a more positive light, Ryan. I've spent nearly all of my adult life on the run from my enemies and distrusting my friends," Banner reminded Ryan with a far away smile. "And most of the time, I'm rewarded by learning that those ponies or people are mostly good. With some people, like yourself, I just have to do a bit more digging before I find the hidden diamond. By the way...how are you feeling since-?"
"Since you ripped apart my mask, deconstructed my entire personality and forced me to face myself in the most inglorious way I can image?" Ryan asked with a smirk, chuckling at the face Banner made. "Handling it pretty well, actually. But the 'crazy' helps me deal with things like that. Got to admit though, you're the first being I've met who truly called me out."
"I related to you. I know what it's like to have to mask who you really are to survive," Banner responded with a sympathetic nod to the survivor. "And according to the mare, you really are one heck of a survivor."
"Yeah, but I would be dead many times if it wasn't for those...friends...of mine who kept me alive, despite knowing I would continue to be annoying," Ryan said before a sigh escaped his lips. "And unfortunately, it seems that I've had the misfortune to make even more "friends" to save my life while I was here, even if the others don't see me that way."
"I think they're starting to warm up to you," Banner said with a smile before his face became serious again as the two of them reached the massive, crystal doors that formed the gate to the Crystal Empire. The two shared a brief look before Banner lifted his hand and pounded on the gate three times, the two of them looking up as a pair of guards appeared along the castle wall.
"What do...wait a moment, it's you two!" one of the guards yelled down to them.
"Hello there, we're here to talk to the leaders of the Empire," Banner called out with a friendly smile, but a brief moment later the wall was lined with guards holding crossbows all aimed at the two.
"Keep talking, I think you're winning them over," Ryan smirked as he backed away from Banner, who had removed his glasses with a sigh before the transformation began. The guards along the wall all gasped in horror as the small man grew into a green goliath in a matter of seconds, their confidence leaving them the moment the jade giant looked up at them with a smirk.
"Don't mind if I let myself in," Hulk laughed as he brought both of his fists back and drove them with the force of small bombs into the crystal door, shattering the reinforced crystal with one massive strike that shook the entire empire. With the door open, the two strutted inside to find hundreds of guards all standing around where the massive door had once been, all of them pointing crystal weapons at the two, along with a few armored guards.
"Freeze! Why are the two of you here?!" the captain of the guard yelled at the pair.
"Why, hello there, I'm here selling wrecking balls," Ryan began before Hulk could speak, taking a step forward with a wicked grin on his face. "Unfortunately, I only have one model right now and it only comes in an ugly, puke green color, but don't let that fool you. It's the best of the best." Hulk smirked as Ryan looked out across the guards, none of whom seemed to know how to respond to his words.
"Ah, I see that some of you do not believe me. That's alright, many don't believe me when I first pitch the idea," Ryan said with a chuckle while he drew a golden baton and flicked his hood up. At the same time he turned the weapon on, illuminating only his eyes as the electricity crackled along his weapon. "What you all need is a demonstration of its destructive capabilities."
S=H=A=Z=A=M
"This is it," Trixie said to the other three members of her group as they all came to a stop in front of an ancient building, which looked to be the remains of what once had to have been a large castle on the edge of a small forest by the sea. "This was left here as a way to travel back and forth between Atlantis and the surface world without the ponies that lived in Atlantis having to swim."
"Yet, due to the fact that the building is in ruins, indicates that the place has not been used in over a thousand years. I fear that the Atlantians of this world must have suffered a similar fate to the one in mine," Trixie continued as Marvel walked over to a smaller circle that rested near a large glass circle, looking between the two with interest. "Are you certain that you do not want me to go with you?" Trixie asked Batmare one last time, only to get the same look that she had been given all the times before.
"Trixie, as I said, it is too risky. If Black Adam shows up and all four of us are down there, even if we can hold him off the whole sunken city might be flooded and we run the risk of some of us drowning, " Batmare clarified. "Besides, I'm leaving the two champions that can slow him down or stop him up here. Neither Mr. Bubbles nor I would be able to do much if Black Adam were to attack, but with you and Billy's magic, perhaps you can find a way to slow him down. Besides, the two of you have been practicing fighting together, have you not?"
Trixie found Batmare's logic mostly sound, so with a sigh of defeat, she gave Marvel a brief explanation on how to activate the teleporter into Atlantis. Marvel had the device activated in a matter of moments, creating a swirling blue vortex in the center of the crumbled castle that swirled like a whirlpool. Bubbles walked into the vortex without so much as a second thought, but as he vanished in a flash Batmare looked back at Trixie with a hint of worry.
"Trixie...what did happen to the seaponies of your world?"
"They were all turned into zombies by an immortal kraken, that used them for his own purposes for all eternity." Batmare swallowed as she looked down at the vortex, starting to reconsider not taking Marvel with her.
"Great. Good to know."