//------------------------------//
// The End of Days 
// Story: The War of Champions 
// by Onomonopia 
//------------------------------//

All eleven of the group members flew, climbed or teleported up to where Star-Swirl the Bearded's machine stood, perched on top of one of the castle turrets, each of the members looking upon the massive machine with either confusion or interest. It was massive, nearly twice the size of the turret upon which it rested, and it was a solid black, but what gained the eye of both Marvel and Adam was the pitch black barrier that surrounded the place Star-Swirl inhabited.

"Ah, my foes. Thank you so much for coming here on such short notice," Star-Swirl chuckled at the group from the other side of the barrier, so confident in its protective abilities that he never even flinched when Adam slammed his right hand into the side of the barrier. "Please Adam, there will be time for violence in a moment, but first, oh Dark One, allow me to thank you for unintentionally aiding us in our dream."

"You are welcome. Of course, I hope you are not upset when I am the one responsible for killing that same dream," Adam snarled in reply as he drove another fist into the barrier, shaking the entire structure of the machine and gaining a quick flash of worry from the unicorn. But then, his wicked smile returned as he plunged his hoof into his chest and drew forth an item that Adam and the rulers of Equestria knew all too well.

"Yes, the Sphere of Destruction," Star-Swirl clarified for the others while he showed the black sphere to the group from within the barrier. "And within it, the monster of destruction, whose name has long since been lost to time. But today, I shall rewind the clock back to when the monster first battled with the beast of creation. Today...is the end of everything." As he said this, he slowly walked over to a strange device in the center of the area in which he stood, placing the sphere in the middle.

"Clearly, you've gone senile in your old age, you piece of crap, because you've got four of the greatest heroes across the multiverse, a dragon, a dark god, two princesses, a Big Daddy and one cranky human that all want to kick the diapers off of you," Ryan butted in with a smirk, but when Star-Swirl turned to look at Ryan, the human saw that there was only scorn and disdain in his eyes.

"Not only are you an earthling, but you also do not have an ounce of magic or power within your veins. Refrain from speaking with me, cur," Star-Swirl coldly snapped in reply, his words actually managing to shut Ryan up for a moment. "But, the point is made. Yes, I highly doubt that even the might of over a thousand unicorns would be able to defeat beings such as yourselves. But that is why I did not enter this battle without some backup."

As he said this, the sky shattered from a sonic boom that drew all eyes to the sky, where a human-like being in red and gold floated in the sky with a look of disdain on his face while he glared down at the group. Most of the group looked at him in confusion, but two of the members, one green and one silver, recognized him all too well.

"Ah, hell. What's Hyperion doing here?" Hulk snarled as his mass seemed to increase, making him look even stronger as he and Hyperion stared each other down.

"Who's this freak?" Trixie asked.

"He's a tyrant who believes himself a hero. Not much different than you used to be, Adam," Hulk explained with a smirk at Adam before turning his attention back to the new foe. "But he's strong; really strong. Almost as strong as Superman from your world, except much more of a dick. I can take him though."

"I have no desire to fight you, ogre. I have proven before that I can beat you, but you two," Hyperion began as he looked at the two thunderers. "I have been told, that you two are two of the strongest beings from your Earth. Defeating you will prove that I am far more powerful. Come and face me, or the world shall feel my wrath." Hyperion flew straight up into the sky, leaving Captain Marvel and Black Adam to watch him go before they shared looks.

"Now, now, even as strong as Hyperion is, I highly doubt he could take the both of you at once," Star-Swirl cackled before muttering something into the sphere, allowing his magic to finally do that which he had waited for centuries. With one last push, he infused all of the darkness and destruction that had overtaken the land over the past century, pouring all of that power into the sphere before him. With one last laugh, he stepped back as a column of darkness erupted from the sphere and launched itself into the sky, where the darkness generated by the sphere began to take on a dark shape.

'No!  He is trying to summon the monster!' the silver mare screamed, her body practically burning in the face of such destruction. The darkness began to take on the shape of a demonic bird as more and more essence of destruction was poured into it, making its size nearly as large as the castle while it still continued to grow. But Star-Swirl wasn't done just yet.

"As for the rest of you, GO! Seek out neighboring towns and cities! The more destruction we offer to the monster, the sooner the world shall be ours!" he roared in a royal voice to the thousands of unicorns, all of whom roared with fury before they began to run for the exits to the city.

"Alright team, group up," Batmare said quickly, commanding all eyes onto her. "We're at the end game, and it's time to save the world. But we're going to have to break into teams to do this. Marvel, Hyperion said that if one of us doesn't fight him the ponies will feel his wrath. Yet, Hulk also said that Hyperion is as strong as Superman, someone whom Batman says is one of, if not the, strongest heroes they have. Can you beat him?" 

Marvel looked from the batpony to where Hyperion had vanished into the sky, a smile crossing his face as he did so. "I've always held back against Superman whenever we fought because we were friends, but today I get to show just how strong I truly am! I can take him!"

"Good. Now...what to do about..." All eyes turned once again to the black demon that was taking shape in the sky, its mere presence was already starting to destroy the color in the air around it. creating only darkness that blotted out the light. "That."

'The only way to be rid of the monster for good is to have all six Elements combine their powers against it,' the silver mare explained as she looked up at the monster, her whole body trembling. 'But...it is not at its full strength. Perhaps if we were to fight it now, we would not need the six Elements. Now is the only chance that we have.'

"Then I will face it." All eyes turned towards Black Adam as he said this, turned towards the warrior who was looking up at the creature of destruction with regretful eyes that also housed within them a great strength. "I am the reason that so much destruction has been unleashed in Equestria. I am the one who took the Elements away from the ponies and allowed the End of Days to achieve their goals. It is only fitting that I am the one to face what I allowed to be free."

"Adam...that might work for now, but if that thing gets any stronger it could destroy you without so much as a second thought. You are not a chosen champion. You won't be protected from its power like we will," Captain Marvel reminded Black Adam, yet his words were more filled with concern than they were spite. Black Adam growled as he looked down at his hands, clenching them tightly before shaking his head.

"Maybe not, but I cannot accept being sidelined while the world needs me. I shall fight the beast, whether you wish for me to or not."

"Fine then. Marvel gets Hyperion, Adam will...do what he can against that," Batmare said with fear in her voice as she looked at the thousands of unicorns still racing for the exits to the city. "The rest of us will have to deal with that rabble, then. Celestia, Luna and Sunny, I want the three of you using your magic to keep those ponies within the city. The remaining five of us will take care of them. You willing to fight alongside us, Spike?"

"Of course I am."

"Sure you don't want me supporting the kid or Adam?" Hulk asked.

"Unless you can fly, Hulk, I don't think you'll be of much use in those fights," Batmare said with a shake of her head before her eyes took on a very determined look. "That's the plan, team, and unless something earth-shattering happens, we'll stick with it. Alright, let's-"

"Wait." All eyes turned this time to the jade giant, who was looking over each of them with a bitter smile on his face." I've been talking with Banner, and he agrees with what I've been thinking. Since...it's more likely than not that all of us won't make it, I feel that I need to say something to all of you."

"I've been a part of many different versions of the Avengers, with different members and different goals. Yet, they were all filled with heroes who would all gladly pay the ultimate sacrifice many times over for others. But when I look at the group I got stuck with here, I see the most irritating, unfocused, and piece of crap team of Avengers I've ever been a part of," Hulk said with a dry chuckle before a proud smile crossed his face. "But even though this team is held together with duct tape, you're still Avengers in my book. So that's why now I can say, AVENGERS!" Hulk roared with fury before he turned and lunged off towards where all the unicorns were gathering, leaving behind one last word as he leapt. "ASSEMBLE!"

"Aw, come on, the Justice League doesn't have any cool battle cries like that," Marvel said with a sigh before he launched himself off towards where Hyperion had gone, leaving the others to race to catch up with the Hulk as he landed in the middle of a crowd and started going nuts. Yet as Ryan ran by the barrier, he looked within and gave Star-Swirl a middle finger before saying,

"Don't get too comfortable in there. Once we're done kicking the shit out of your forces, I'm coming for you," Ryan threatened as he pointed his baton at the pony.

"If you were anything remotely close to a threat, I might actually look forward to the challenge," Star-Swirl replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof. Ryan snarled before sprinting to catch up with the others, leaving Black Adam and Celestia's family alone. Black Adam looked off towards where the battle was taking place before he looked up into the sky, where the beast of destruction was still forming.

"All this death, all of this destruction...all so that you could appear and kill everything that I hold dear," Adam whispered with a fury in his voice that shook the very planet to the core. "But today it all ends...no, there is only one that ends today, and that is you. Prepare to-"

"Teth." Black Adam stopped mid-jump and turned to look back at Celestia, who was standing behind Adam with eyes filled with fear as she looked from him to the giant demon, her body visibly shaking from the terror of what was building above her.

"There is no need to be afraid, Celestia. I shall make sure that I stop this beast here and now," Black Adam said with confidence in his voice that wasn't reflected in Celestia's eyes. "Even if it costs me my last breath, I promise that it shall be the breath that takes that creature's life. You have my word."

"But it's not enough," Celestia whispered with fear in every word. "This...this isn't an ancient evil like Tirek, or a god of war, this is the end. This is a being that nearly wiped out all of reality millennia ago and was only stopped thanks to the original Elements and the Sphere of Creation. You may be the strongest hero I know of, Teth, but in the face of such destruction...I fear that even sacrificing your life to keep us safe won't even slow this beast down. I fear that there is nothing you can do against this. And I don't want you to die for no reason, for your sacrifice to mean nothing. I care for you too much to see that happen." Celestia felt tears begin to well up in her eyes and she quickly turned her head to the side so that Adam wouldn't see her cry, but Adam's face softened as he reached out with one of his hands and placed it on her cheek.

"You know me, Celestia, more so than anyone else. I will not die so easily. I will not allow the embrace of death to take me before I know that my world is safe," he said in a soft voice to her before removing his hand and looking up at the beast. "Even though I am not chosen, I will save you all. Because I am your champion and I shall not fail you. So instead of believing that I shall fail, try to believe in me, just as you did when I faced all the other threats that threatened our land. Believe." Adam rocketed up towards the beast of destruction as he said this, lightning flashing off his body with far more power and force than Celestia had ever seen Teth create as he flew into the darkness. 

"Sister, come. We must aid the others in fighting the End of Days," Luna said after a moment, getting Celestia to turn and look back at her sister and her daughter, both of whom were looking up at her with strong eyes, eyes that were willing to fight.

"Yes. Let us put an end to Star-Swirl's foolishness," Celestia agreed as all three of them took to the skies and flew off towards where the others were fighting, using their magic to create a barrier that would prevent the unicorns from running or teleporting out of Canterlot. Star-Swirl watched them go with a thin chuckle, shaking his head as he walked over to one of the control panels for the machine and looked down at a pitch black button.

"They are all fools if they believe that any of them are getting out alive. For destruction takes all," he said with a laugh before he felt a presence speaking to him from across reality, getting a wicked smile to grow across his face. "What is this? You truly wish to fight in this battle? With you unleashed, there would be more than enough destruction to end this world...yes, truly you are one for our...no, for my cause. I will speak with my underlings and one of them shall unleash you. Then, you can aid me in ending everything."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Captain Marvel caught up with Hyperion as he floated above the city of Stalliongrad, finding out to his fury that Hyperion had already used his vision to destroy some of the buildings and wreck havoc across the city. He turned with an evil smile as the crimson Captain approached, crossing his arms as he stared down his foe.

"So, what's your story?" Marvel asked angrily as he flipped his hood up, only allowing Hyperion to see the flashing white eyes beneath his hood. "You a hero gone bad, a villain that nobody seemed to understand, or are you just a plain dick?"

"I was a god! I was the savior of my world, but they rejected me! They did not appreciate what I did for them!" Hyperion raged as he threw his arms to the side, creating a gust of wind so powerful that even Captain Marvel was able to feel it. "I tried to give them order, yet they chose chaos. So, I did what any ruler does when their subjects refuse to obey them. I killed them all. But I was promised better on this planet. I was promised slaves that would obey and citizens that would appreciate my rule. All I have to do is kill all of you."

"Okay, wow, forget what I said before. You're completely nuts," Captain Marvel growled before lifting his hands over his head and summoning down two bolts of lightning to strike them, infusing his fists with the power of Shazam. "However, you're going to find yourself in a jail cell instead of on a throne. Because I am Captain Marvel, Champion of Radiance," Marvel said as he threw himself forward at Hyperion, who roared as he threw himself at Marvel. "And I will beat you."

And then they collided.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Black Adam slowly floated to a stop as he reached the front of the monster of destruction, watching as it slowly turned its ever growing head towards him. Even his invulnerable skin tingled as its twin, empty black eyes focused upon him, causing him to feel like his very body was being slowly ripped apart by just the creature's stare. But then he summoned a bolt of lightning to strike between them that illuminated the sky once again, breaking the creature's stare.

'This...will be like nothing else that I have ever had to face,' Black Adam thought to himself as his magic sensed the sheer, destructive power that the beast before him housed within, allowing him to feel the infinite years worth of power and anger that the creature had accumulated after being sealed away. He could also feel the very molecules around him being destroyed in the presence of the creature, and he also realized that the very magic that protected him was struggling to keep the creature's power at bay. 'Which only means that I have to finish this quickly.'

"I will say this once, creature, but I highly doubt that you possess the capability to understand what I am about to say to you. I am Black Adam, and I am the protector of this land that you seek to destroy! So I will give you this choice: leave this land and return to the sphere from which you came..." Adam then unleashed all of his magical power as he created an unholy storm of lightning that flashed around them, creating thunderclouds whose lightning that flashed within them illuminated the sky. "Or I shall erase you."

For a brief moment, the narrow face of the creature seemed to look at him with interest before it lifted the tip of one of its wings towards the clouds, gently touching them with the tip. But the moment it connected, the clouds disintegrated into nothingness, leaving nothing, not even the lightning, where a moment ago Adam's power had been. It then turned its face towards Adam, almost with a smile upon its beak, before it opened its maw and unleashed sheer destruction upon the dark god.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"HA! I should have gone with the kid or Adam, because this is way too easy!" Hulk roared with a smile as he landed in front of a large crowd of unicorns, using the shockwave generated by his impact to blast the unicorns off of their hooves and hurl them into a number of buildings. He was too busy laughing to see some of the unicorns take aim at his back, but a golden baton to one's face and two boots to the other put them down for the count. "Huh? Oh, thanks for getting those, Ryan but they couldn't have hurt me."

"Wasn't doing it for you. I'm a part of this team and I want to feel like I'm doing something for it, damn it!" Ryan roared in reply before he threw himself to the ground as a large number of spells barely missed his head. Hulk leapt in front of him to use his body as a shield, but the End of Days members that were currently shooting at them heard a mighty moan and turned just in time to see a drill drive itself through one of their comrade's chest and rip him in two. 

"Oh boy, Bubbles' is pissed," Ryan noticed as the crimson-eyed Big Daddy roared in fury at the cloaked ponies before him, while he revved his drill up once again and knocked one of the unicorn's heads off with the drill. The other tried to set him ablaze with a fire spell, but Bubbles beat him to it with his incendiary plasmid that burned the unicorn to a crisp.

"I should probably go stop him," Hulk growled before three unicorns leapt down in front of both Hulk and Ryan, one of them carrying a strange machine upon his back as he smiled at them. "Look, you're entire army could barely even hurt me, what makes you think that three of you alone can even annoy me?" Hulk asked them with a chuckle, but to both his and Ryan's surprise, the unicorn laughed as well before the pony took the machine off of his back and pointed it to the side.

"Because we will not be the ones fighting you," the pony said as he clicked a button on the machine, causing a massive vortex to appear in the side of one of the buildings. Both Hulk and Ryan looked at the vortex, which Banner identified as a portal, before both their eyes widened as a pair of red eyes could be seen within the vortex. Then, a creature began to walk through the portal, a creature that Hulk had never seen before, yet whose appearance confused Hulk. The monster was just as big as he was with grey skin and what seemed to be bones sticking out of his joints, as well as bones that covered his eyes and long, protruding teeth.

"No, Hulk, we will not fight you. Because you will be fighting the Herald of Destruction," one of the ponies said before the grey beast shot towards them with speeds that Hulk didn't think possible of a creature of its size, and it drove one of its bone-covered fists into the pony, blasting him apart in a spray of blood. He quickly slaughtered one of the other unicorns before looking down at the one with the generator. The pony swallowed hard before he got down on his knees and spread his arms to the side, never flinching until he was crushed into red paste by the monster. With the ponies dead, the monster slowly turned to look at Ryan and Hulk, one of whom was ready for a fight, while the other was terrified out of his mind.

"Heh. Finally, somebody who looks like a challenge," Hulk said with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles, taking a step forward before Banner brought his attention to Ryan, who was freaking out next to Hulk. "What's the matter with you? You know who this guy is?"

"Of course I know who this guy is! It's hard to think of a damned person on my damned planet who didn't know who this guy is!" Ryan said with pure terror choking his voice as his eyes flashed with far more fear than Hulk had ever seen in them. "He is the end; the killer of heroes and the unstoppable monster."

"Give me a name."

"Doomsday. That, is Doomsday."