As the morning sun rose over the mountain in the distance and bathed all of the land, including the city of Canterlot, in its golden light, six separate sets of eyes gazed upon the nearly empty city with looks of determination on their faces, while the seventh set of eyes was complaining off to the side about how the sun was in his eyes.
"So...here we are. The "final dungeon," as it were," Marvel said with a smile on his face while he looked around at the familiar city. The other members of the group had more determined or worried looks upon their features. "Now the question is, will Black Adam be the boss before the final boss, or will he be an enemy turned ally just before we face the final boss? Any predictions?"
"I believe that if you do not be silent, we will lose the element of surprise!" Luna snarled at him as the seven of them walked into the city, with Luna trying to stay in the shadows and avoid the light as much as possible. The other six, on the other hand, were perfectly content with walking in the bright sunlight as they headed towards the castle off in the distance.
"There's no point in trying to be stealthy, Luna, or did you forget that I sent Adam a letter yesterday telling him that we would be coming here first thing in the morning?" Luna snarled again at Banner's words, but his point was made and Luna joined the other six in the long walk up to the castle.
"Seems that Adam didn't follow your advice entirely," Batmare muttered aloud to gain the others' attention. "I've spotted at least six of the armored guards trying to secretly watch us, yet they have apparently forgotten that their armor glows wherever they look. Morons."
"You've spotted six? I've only seen one and this one will not stop following us," Ryan growled as he gave a middle finger to one of the buildings, before falling back slightly so that he could sling his back pack off of his back and look inside of it. "How you holding up mare? We're almost at the finish line, don't be giving up on us now."
'I...I am holding on. But it's getting harder to think clearly,' the mare weakly replied from Ryan's backpack. She was in her sphere form at this point, and Ryan couldn't help but notice that the light from the sphere seemed dimmer than the previous times he had observed it. 'I fear that I do not have much longer.'
"Don't think like that, mare. If you die, then who else will put up with me and my attitude?" Ryan asked with a smirk, which turned into a genuine smile when he heard the silver mare chuckle lightly. He zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder once again as Banner fell back next to him.
"I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but with everything...how are you holding up?" Banner asked Ryan, who raised an eyebrow in response to Banner's question. "I mean...we haven't really talked since the other day, and I'm not sure if you're still mad at me or if you're mentally unstable or-"
"Trust me, Banner, whenever somebody kicks my ass, be it verbal or physical, I get right back up and get my ass kicked again," Ryan laughed with another smirk before his eyes narrowed and the levity left his face. "But in all honesty...I don't know how I feel about what you said. Guess we'll find out during this battle if I'm hero material or not. How's Hulk holding up? He done crying yet?"
'Tell him I'm ready to smash.'
"And now I feel afraid for whichever of the judges that you pick to fight," Ryan chuckled when Banner relayed what Hulk had said. "And don't bother saying otherwise ,Banner, we both know how this is going to go. So, have you picked out who you're going to fight?"
"Hulk has an idea, but I'm still hoping that we can join forces before the End of Days appear."
"You ready for this?" Batmare muttered to Trixie, after noticing that her friend had the 'thousand yard stare' for nearly the entire time they had been walking.
"What do you mean?" Trixie asked as she shook her head and looked over at Batmare.
"Are you ready to face yourself? You haven't really been yourself since she...scared you a while back, and I'm worried for you," Batmare confessed with no effort to hide the fear in her voice. "If you don't feel up for it then, if you want, I can handle the other Trixie while you-"
"No, Batmare. This is my battle," Trixie said with power, her voice silencing Batmare for a moment as Trixie's eyes took on a fiery glare. "The other 'me' may have been able to get the upper hoof once before, but now I know what I must do." As she said this, she slipped her ring from within her cape and placed it upon her horn, where the crystals began to glow slightly with azure light.
The rest of their conversations were cut off as the group looked up to realize that they had finally reached the gates to the castle, which, to the surprise of some, were already open with three guards waiting for them at the entrance.
"Black Adam told us you would be coming," one of the guards said in a deep voice. "He is this way." The three guards turned and walked into the castle, giving the group a moment to share glances before they followed after them.
"We have instructions to escort you as far as the throne room, where he and the judges await you," the taller of the three said as they all walked the length of the empty castle. Luna seemed to scowl at nearly everything within the castle while the others looked around with interest, but Banner and Marvel continued on with eyes set dead ahead. The guards came to a stop in front of the doors to the throne room, looking back at the group once more before nodding to each other once as they threw open the doors.
"Banner. Batson. It has been a while." As the group walked into the throne room, their eyes did not look around at how the room was different from any version that which they had known, but they instead locked onto the seven figures that stood near the throne. Celestia was seated upon her throne, with her eyes locked onto her sister with wrath burning like her orange mane. Adam stood next to her beside the throne, and out of all of the judges he was the only one who did not lock onto a single target, but instead looked around at all of his foes.
"Sister," Luna snarled as she began to walk towards Celestia.
"Luna," Celestia growled in response as she started to rise from her throne.
"Indeed it has, Adam. I see that you did not completely listen to my advice and kept the guards," Banner pointed out as he looked up at the dark champion while also stepping between the sisters, before he turned his eyes slightly and glared at the Tinker, who stood off to the side with a wicked smile on his face.
"They are here in case the End of Days, as you have taken to calling them, do decide to bring their forces here and attack the city," Adam explained when he caught the glare Marvel was giving him and nodded slightly as he walked down from beside Celestia, coming to a stop before the group and placing his hands behind his back.
"I know that you wish for us not to fight and instead team up against the forces of the End of Days. But I do not entirely believe that you six are the ones that will defeat the darkness, or that you can save the world if it needs saving. So, if you are the chosen champions, and not merely pawns of the mare, then prove it to me. We have defended the world for five years now. I believe that we are the champions that will save it. Not you."
"Well, technically not all of us are champions," Ryan said with a smirk, only to get elbowed in the gut by Trixie. Mr. Bubbles let out a moan as he stepped forward and walked up to Adam, his drill spinning as he glared into Adam's eyes with eight crimson ones. "But I know one who is that really wants to hurt you bad."
"No, Bubbles, you will not be fighting Adam," Marvel said as he placed a hand on Bubbles' shoulder and walked up to Adam. The two chosen champions of Shazam, being of the same height, looked into each others' eyes perfectly. "My journey to be a hero began with Adam and it will end with Adam. I will take him."
"I expected no less, Batson," Adam replied with a nod. Both of them turned as they heard Banner groan and all eyes watched as Banner grew larger and larger before the monstrous form of the Hulk towered over all of them. "Then pick your foe and we will go from here
"Fine then. I want the Doc Ock rip-off," Hulk snarled as he cracked his knuckles and turned towards Tinker, who tried to hide behind Doroca only to be kicked to the side by the zebra. "Who do you guys want?"
"I'm thinking that you owe me a rematch," Batmare growled as she began to walk toward Doroca, yet before she could take any more steps a flashing baton was placed at her throat, getting her to look up to see that Ryan had his hood up and that a wicked smile could be seen beneath that hood.
"Oh, no you don't Batmare, the damn zebra is mine," Ryan snarled with a chuckle as he began to walk to Doroca, spinning the baton as he sized her up. "You're alright with me, right? Don't worry, I bite."
"Well, I think there shall be no conflict in deciding who I get to face off against?" Trixie said with a flippant laugh as she looked across at the Trixie that stood across from her, noticing the ring upon her horn. "What a fancy ring. Decided that a change of wardrobe might help you to beat me?" Trixie frowned as Trixie remained silent, before shrugging as she faced her other.
"So then, what does that mean for me?" the harsh voice of the cloaked pony behind Adam asked. "I get stuck with a Pegasus or a tin man? I want the thunderer."
"No Undra, I get Batson," Adam snarled.
"Trust me, after what you helped me to do back with the CMC, if I could kick both your asses at the same time, I would," Marvel threatened as he pointed his hand at Undra, but Batmare stepped between the two.
"Focus on Adam, Billy. I'll worry about avenging my sisters and myself," Batmare said as she narrowed her eyes at the cloaked being before her.
"Well then, guess I get the only one of them who can use their Element," Spike said with a slight sigh as he looked down from the ceiling at the Big Daddy, only to find that the Big Daddy was looking up at him with green eyes while giving him a friendly moan.
"And that just leaves us two," Luna spoke for Celestia, the Princess of the Sun nodding in response. "Whoever wins this fight will be the true ruler of Equestria. That seem fair?"
"That is fair. Fighting my foolish sister one-on-one? That will be an unfair battle," Celestia said with a smirk. With all eyes focusing on the two sisters, nopony but Doroca noticed as Ryan quickly took a silver sphere out of his bag and just as quickly kicked it behind him into a corner of the room.
"Very well. With each of our foes lined up, it is time for battle," Adam said as he looked around at the others. "If you are truly the champions that can save this world, then you should be able to best the champions that have defended it for five years. The same goes for those I have chosen to fight along side me. Fight as if Equestria hangs in the balance, which, if they are right, it does."
He snapped his fingers after saying this and twelve different bolts of lightning struck down on each of the competitors, teleporting all of them out of the throne room and leaving only Celestia and Luna alone to fight for the throne.
"I have been waiting a long day for this, Sister," Luna snarled as she drew forth her moon-shaped sword while she slowly began to advance. Celestia stepped off of the throne, and she removed the large broadsword from her back and swung it to her side a few times before she narrowed her eyes at Luna.
"As have I, Sister. As have I."
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"I'm going to enjoy hurting you," Batmare snarled at Undra as the lightning finished teleporting them, leaving the both of them in a room that was devoid of any light, save for a single lamp in the center of the room that cast shadows everywhere. "Not only did you hurt my friend, but then you went and killed my other friends as well while also following a psychopath in an effort to "save" the world. Batman taught me over a hundred ways to break a pony and I'm going to try them all on you."
"It was a worthy sacrifice for our cause," the raspy voice of the pony spoke with underlying hints of joy in its voice. "For every life that is sacrificed to destruction, we come that much closer to our new world. Now all we need are a few more lives for the plan to be complete. And you shall be one of them."
"Oh, so you're on of those fanatics who are trying to wipe out two races of ponies, all because you believe you're superior? Then forget what I said about breaking you," Batmare said with venom in her voice as she slammed her hooves together and let electricity crackle along them. "Because I'm going to make sure you never see the light of day again."
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Mr. Bubbles let out a moan as the lightning died down, giving him a moment to look around at where he had been teleported. He seemed to be on the top of a large mountain that was higher up than the clouds, allowing him to see off for miles when he walked to the edge. Yet, he could also see that the drop-off from the top of the mountain went straight down with no chance of a ledge or branch stopping his fall.
"Like it?" the voice of Spike asked as he came crashing down onto the flat surface across from Bubbles, turning the Big Daddy's attention back to his opponent. "This is where Black Adam helped me to learn to get a better grasp of the power he gave me, helping me to become a champion like him!" Bubbles let out another moan as his eye flashed green and he held out a hand towards the large dragon, but Spike roared as lightning began to course through his veins.
"I wasn't able to save Radiance! I wasn't able to save Sunnysmiles! I couldn't save them because I was weak!" Spike roared with such fury and power that it shook the entire mountain. "But now I am powerful! Now I am strong enough to protect all who I care about! I will not let anypony hurt those who I care about! Not you! Not the End of Days! I will keep them safe!" Spike bellowed one last time before he hurled himself at the Big Daddy, who's eyes were still a bright green.
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"Well, I would say that I was surprised, but I suspected that I would be the one to face you," Trixie said with a laugh before she bowed before the huge crowd of ponies that stood around their caged stage. She then turned back to face the other Trixie, who hadn't moved since they had been teleported. "Although I am surprised that you wished to fight me again, considering what happened the last time we fought. I must be dumber in your world than I am here." To Trixie's annoyance, the other 'her' remained silent and simply removed her cape before letting it drop to the ground. She then lifted her face to show Trixie that her eyes were filled with confidence.
"What's the matter, nothing to say to me? Or are you so terrified of having to face the Great and Powerful Trixie that you cannot speak?" Trixie asked with a laugh, getting the crowd to laugh with her. "You know, Master Adam did wonder if we should simply work with you, but I personally wanted a rematch with you. Because now you don't have that hero in red to save your life...what's the matter, still nothing to say?"
"I said all that I wished to say to you the last time that we met," Trixie informed her other self as she took up her fighting stance, which showed off the burn marks on her chest. "Now, all I have to say is to prepare yourself, for this time I will win."
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"Now look here, Hulk, we really don't have to fight, do we?" Tinker nervously asked with a laugh as he found himself teleported into the very same room in which he held many of his experiments, but now he was trapped within that same room with the strongest monster that he had ever come across. And the monster was mad.
"No, we don't have to fight," Hulk agreed with a smile far more menacing than Tinker had ever seen on his face before. "But I want to fight. You tried to make me into a monster, into an experiment, just like the other fools on my world tried to do because I'm the Hulk. And if there's anything you should have taken away from your little experiment, it's that I am the Hulk, and I do two things when I am hurt like you hurt me. I come back stronger and I come back angrier."
As if his body were listening to what his words were saying, the Hulk slowly seemed to be getting larger, with more traces of radiation washing off of his body. Tinker looked around in desperation for something that would help him fight the jade giant as the Hulk slowly began to walk towards Tinker, cracking his knuckles with such force that the ground shook with each pop.
"Sorry Tinker, but you're going nowhere and I've got you for three minutes," Hulk chuckled as he towered over the pony, before his laugh turned into a snarl while he glared down at the red eye of the pony. "Use that brain and try to figure out a way to survive those three minutes while fighting the strongest there is."
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Ryan managed to suppress his desire to vomit after the lightning ended and instead focused his thoughts on the room around him, smirking slightly when he found himself in the middle of the Sahara, surrounded by wave after wave of golden grass that went on for miles. He then looked over to see Doroca unsheathing his staff as he began to walk towards Ryan, who drew his baton in reply while he walked forward as well.
"You could barely beat me even with your friend. Fighting me alone will certainly mean your end," Doroca informed him as Ryan felt the zebra narrow his eyes from behind the blue visor.
"You know, I was trained by a zebra in the world I came from," Ryan informed the zebra with a shrug as he looked around once again with a bored look on his face. "And let me tell you, that she was scary. I think she was a god or something, but nevertheless she trained me and helped make me into the fighter I am today. And by train me, I mean she kicked my ass until I learned how not to get my ass kicked." Ryan then looked back at Doroca with a crazed smile on his face and eyes that flashed with murderous intent.
"So compared to that nightmare-made-zebra, do you really think that I'm afraid of you? No, you're not the real danger here. You and your buddies are nothing more than stepping stones that we need to hop over so we can get to the main event. So let's go Doroca, and let me show what happens when you're trained by a real zebra!"
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They were almost the perfect mirrors of each other. Both of them were powered by magic, both of them had the same lightning bolt upon their chest, and both of them were considered to be two of the strongest beings in their worlds. But despite all of the similarities, the two of them now floated across from each other with the sky flashing around them, as if roaring for the battle to begin.
"I knew that it would come down to this," Captain Marvel said with thunder in his voice as he gazed across at his oldest and most hated foe, who glared back at him with the same thunder and rage that was flowing through Marvel. "From the moment that I found out that you were in this world, I knew that I would come down to 'you versus me.' That's how it has always been and it's probably how it will always be."
"Yet, I wish that it would not have to come to this, Batson, but if there is a danger that threatens the ponies of this land, then I shall be there to protect them," Adam said with a thundering confidence while he glared across at Marvel, uncrossing his arms as he did so and letting lightning flash in his hands. "You may believe yourself to be the chosen champion, but I have been here protecting these ponies for nearly fifteen years now. I protected them then, and I shall protect them now. You have aligned yourself with the one who has caused so much death and destruction, that I cannot trust you with the fate of this world."
"Then there's only one way to settle this," Captain Marvel said as he took up a fighting stance, Black Adam doing the same.
"I am sorry it had to come to this," Black Adam said.
"I'm not."
For a brief moment, there was only silence as the two old foes stared each other down. Then, as a bolt of lightning flashed behind the both of them, they hurled themselves at each other, both yelling with rage that was as loud as the thunder that crackled around them, and the chosen champions of Shazam collided.