//------------------------------// // An Unexpected Arrival, Part 1 // Story: A Tale of Two Worlds // by The King of Gingers //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash's stomach was warm as she lay back on her personal cloud. Her chest rose and fell slowly in the depths of her nap. She was always a deep sleeper; it often took a thunderstorm of some kind to get her to wake up. Perhaps that was why she was always late when there was a downpour needed somewhere. When a strange cloud appeared above Cloudsdale, its crackling thunder made her roll over and pull some her cloud into her ears. "Too early," she muttered with her eyes half-closed. "We don't got a thunderstorm 'til tomorrow..." "Rainbow Dash!" Ditzy Doo popped right up into her field of vision. "Derpy!" She jumped, her heart nearly climbing out of her chest. Her wings frazzled and her mane a mess, she gently punched her friend in the shoulder. "You know you don't wake me when I'm napping unless it's important!" "Sorry! My bad." Derpy grinned sheepishly and pointed over Rainbow Dash's shoulder. "I just thought a big black rainbow cloud hanging over Cloudsdale was important." "Huh?" Rainbow Dash screwed up her face in confusion. Turning, she gazed up toward the object Ditzy had mentioned. "Oh. My. Gosh." Rainbow's jaw fell open. Memories from months ago flooded her brain. ----------------------------- Tony Stark was swimming. The water around him was dark, dark as the bottom of the glass he'd almost died in more than a year ago. He tried to reach through the water only to find his limbs heavy and obstinate. The water was like molasses, thick and rich and clinging to every part of himself. Off in the distance he heard something akin to the braying of a brass instrument from the end of a long tunnel. For some reason he started craving peanuts. The water ebbed away. It turned into mist and peeled back from his vision, letting in a corona of painful light. His arms deigned to work and he lifted one to shield his eyes. Something inside his brain sensed motion around him. It was quick and light, like a flock of deer scattering before a hunter. "Hell did I drink last night?" His mouth barely wrapped around the words. With aching muscles and stiff joints he lifted himself and his suit into a sitting position. His eyes finally adjusted to the light and he could see his HUD flashing several warning icons. Bruised ribs, possible internal injuries. Eh, he'd walk it off. "Visual display," he commanded. The darkness past his HUD fizzled and popped and jumped to life. He was assaulted by a technicolor vision framed by blinding white. A large semicircle of winged, colorful horses stood around Stark, gawping at him. The building was made of some white, fluffy material that didn't look like it could hold up a pillow. Tony looked down. He sat on some of the same material and it felt as hard underneath him as any pavement or wood he'd seen. He slapped his fist against it a few times, an action that rewarded him with some frightened gasps from the onlookers and puffs of more white material from the floor. "Clouds," he said again. His memory kicked on like a back-up reactor. The plan they'd formed, the uninvited guest, and the way he'd fouled up things beyond all recognition. The images and sounds hit Tony all at once; they brought with them a sense of urgency. He moved to stand up and found his legs had taken on the consistency of gelatin. "Jarvis," he grunted as he stood on uneasy feet. "Jarvis. Come on, buddy, nap time's over." The ponies around him scattered with screams in their throats as the strange, metal monster came to its feet before them. Its voice was rasping and soulless. Tony tapped a finger against his ear panel. The HUD shifted around and Tony found the problem: his remote connection was nonexistent. He banged his palm against his forehead before he flipped open a panel on his right arm, pressing several numbered keys in an exact sequence. "Computer, activate Remote Jarvis." Tony slid the panel closed and looked up. He stared out at patches of brightly colored horses that hid behind crates, barrels, and gigantic containers. They stared at him with too-big eyes, frozen in a mixture of fear and curiosity. "You." Tony pointed to a larger pony, some brick-headed looking thug wearing a hardhat that pushed his mane down into his eyes. "I've got one very important question: Where the hell am I?" He reached up and rubbed his throat plate. "Okay, two questions: where the hell am I and do you have a bar around here?" The pony gawped at him, then looked around at the others. "You're in Equestria," it finally stammered in a masculine voice. "And there's no bar around here. This is a work zone; safety first." Tony sighed. Of course he had to land in a dry area that sounded like it was named by a seven-year-old girl. "Good morning, sir." Jarvis' dry yet cheery voice lightened Tony's mood somewhat. "I am online and all systems are nominal. Currently pinpointing polar north and getting our bearings." "Good, good." Tony looked down at himself and grimaced. He wiped some of the rainbow gunk from his chest and shook it off with annoyance. "See if you can find a car wash somewh – " A flash of something multicolored tore through the air in front of him. The ponies gasped and cheered as a blue-furred pony with a multi-colored mane swooped in through the hole Tony had made in the roof. Her wings beating imperiously, she rocketed down to land with a floor-vibrating thud. She pulled her head back, glaring up at Tony with strange, violet-red eyes. "Man," Tony said. "And I used to think evolution made sense." His hollow, mechanical voice made the ponies jump once more. The only pony that seemed to show no fear was the rainbow-colored one staring up at him. Wait, Tony thought to himself. Isn't a horse with wings called a pegasus? "Sir." Jarvis' voice rung through Tony's ears. A small map appeared in his HUD, showing a tentative layout of the surrounding area. "I have located polar north. We appear to be in a floating city of some sort. I have also located what I believe to be several population centers nearby." The relevant information lit up in small red squares across the map. "Perfect." Tony used his eye movements to expand the map. "That still doesn't tell us where Loki is." "Loki?" Rainbow pony finally spoke, her voice rife with confusion and suspicion. "What do you want with Loki?" Tony tilted his head in mild surprise. "Are we talking about the same Loki here?" He held his hand out to the side, indicating a person a few inches taller than he. "About this tall, wears a horned helmet and smells of failure and shame?" Rainbow pony frowned. She fluffed her wings and flapped them indignantly. "Hey, hey, hey! Don't talk about my friend like that!" She floated up to look at Tony right through his tiny eye slits. "Who do you think you are, barging into Cloudsdale and insulting my friend?" "Easy, Reading Rainbow." Tony held his hands up in mock surrender. "First, he's not really your friend. Second, Cloudsdale? Really?" He shook his head, a chuckle rumbling through his chest. "Equestria? Cloudsdale? What's next, a place called Manehatten?" "How do you know about Manehatten?" Rainbow pony backed off in surprise as a murmur traveled through the gathered ponies. Tony planted a hand on his forehead with a metallic clink. "I should've known." He looked around at the pegasi around him. His voice modulated a few decibels higher to reach them all. "Look, I think we've gotten off on the wrong foot. Er, hoof. My name is Tony Stark, and I'm here to – " "Wait a second," Rainbow gasped. She raised an accusatory hoof at Tony. "Tony Stark? The Tony Stark? One of those Avengers?" Tony blinked. "Wait, how do you know about us?" His genius-level intellect often worked slower than his mouth, and it was only a split-second later that the other shoe dropped. Tony held his hands up and leaned back on one foot, bracing himself. "Woah, woah, I don't know what Loki's told you, but we're not – " No sooner had the words left Tony's mouth than Rainbow crouched low. She sprang forward, wings fanning out to their full glory and pushing down heavily. She slammed into Tony and carried him through the window behind him. A dangerous corona of glass fell on Equestria, through which tumbled human and pegasus. Rainbow beat her hoof against Tony's head again and again, ringing out with a merry, metallic report as she clung to Tony's back. In barely three hits she'd worked a sizable dent into the side of his head. Red warnings flashed in Tony's vision. He reached up behind him, sinking his fingers into Rainbow's mane. "Get off!" he roared as he threw the pegasus over his head. Rainbow fell end-over-end through the air, her wings flapping erratically. Tony thrust his hands downward and turned his repulsors on full. The air squealed in protest as he flew up to greet his new enemy. "You really are adept at making new friends, sir," Jarvis quipped. Tony shook his head, a memory of his first meeting with Thor flashing in his mind. Rainbow righted herself with a shout. She spread her wings and angled herself in a long arc that sent her up into the sky above Tony. She turned to level herself with the horizon and dove downward, arms outstretched in another tackle. "Stop!" Tony yelled, holding up a hand and blasting a warning repulsor shot just inches to Rainbow's right. "Whatever Loki's told you probably isn't true!" The repulsor shot singed Rainbow's blue fur on her right side, a burning pain shooting down her flanks. The feathers on her right wing turned a dull grey. Shock gripped her breast and tore a yelp of pain from her throat. Beating her wings furiously, she eventually slowed down enough to hover a few feet in front of Stark. "Don't you call Loki a liar." Rainbow snorted. "That's like not calling the ocean wet, Pride Parade." Tony reached up with one hand and slid his fingers through the small dent in his helmet. "Damn, you've got a mean punch. This is a gold-titanium alloy." Rainbow grinned and crossed her forelimbs over her chest. "Darn right! And don't you forget it! I'll dent every inch of you before I let you get to Loki." She flapped her wings fiercely, pushing forward to get nose-to-faceplate with Tony. "He saved Fluttershy and got me a chance with the Wonderbolts. There's no way he could be a liar!" "You sure about that, Reading Rainbow?" He reached out and shoved the pony away, blasting his repulsors downward to gain some distance. "I've got some stories about a place called New York that'd curl your feathers." Memories flooded back at the mere mention of the invasion. He was glad his suit hid the shiver that crawled down his spine. Rainbow frowned petulantly. "Loki's my friend! I'm not going to betray him because of a bunch of made-up stories." She flew close again, beating her hoof against Tony's breastplate. "And what's wrong with being well-read? That doesn't make me an egghead!" "Well, I tried," Tony whispered. He threw his hand out, backhanding Rainbow across her face. She whipped around and flew back, beating her wings to right herself. Stark didn't give her the chance; he threw his hand forward and let loose a repulsor blast, catching the pegasus right in the chest. Rainbow's fur curled black and she let out a scream as the force of that blast knocked the wind from her. Her skin turned and ugly shade of red just before the strike dissipated. Dash's eyes rolled up and her body went limp. She hung in limbo for half a second before gravity took over, sucking her down towards Equestria. Tony grabbed the pegasus up by her mane and out of her death dive. He clucked his tongue with a shake of his head. "Lesson zero: don't step outside of your weight division." Tony cast his gaze across the skies. He wasn't going to be carrying this dead weight all day. "There we go." A small cloud floated by several yards away. It was a simple matter to fly over. When he'd stopped nearby, he dropped Rainbow onto the cloud's fluffy body. It puffed out at her added weight but otherwise remained strong. "Jarvis." Tony reached up and tapped the side of his helmet. "What's the probability that Minas Tirith over there is the capital of this place?" Tony looked in what he assumed to be a northerly direction, toward the gleaming city of Canterlot. It shone like a bright star in the midday sun, its towers turned a light shade of blue with distance. "Roughly eighty-four percent, sir," Jarvis responded. "And what's the probability that Loki would set himself up as close to the ruling class as possible?" "Sixty-five-point-five percent, sir." "Good enough for government work." Tony leaned forward and turned his repulsors on high, streaking across the Equestrian sky in a straight course for Canterlot. ----------------------------- "I told you, Rarity: I ain't wearin' it!" Applejack huffed as she looked down at the green-and-gold monstrosity her best friend had laid on her table. "But Applejack," Rarity whined. "I made this outfit especially for you! I even sewed an apple on the helmet." She pushed the ensemble back towards her friend. "It's not the biggest hit in Canterlot for nothing, you know." "C'mon, sis," Apple Bloom said as she hopped up onto the table. She picked up the big cloth helmet and slipped it onto her head. "I think it looks pos'tively ravishin'!" Applejack groaned and pulled the helmet off her sister's head. "You don't even know what 'ravishing' means, Apple Bloom." She turned her attention to Rarity, ignoring her pout. "I'm sorry, Rarity, but I just don't feel comfortable wearin' anything that looks like what he wears." Thunder boomed outside with a suddenness that cut off all conversation. In the corner, Granny Smith barely stirred in her rocking chair. Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Applejack all looked at each other in confusion. "Hey, Big Mac!" Applejack called into the other room. The big red stallion walked into view. "Eeyup?" "Ain't we supposed to get that thunderstorm tomorrow?" "Eeyup." The four of them looked at each other before approaching one of the large windows in their den. The Apple Family farm rolled away in all directions, a sea of green and red that swelled AJ's heart with pride. The comfort of her family farm only made the image of the roiling, black, glowing cloud above their plot seem all the more large and ominous. It leaked rainbow light and crackled with lightning. "Holy horse apples! What in the hay is that?" Applejack's eyes seemed big as dinner plates. The cloud sparked and buzzed before letting off a coherent cylinder of light. Something small and blue tumbled through the light, crashing into the Apple Family's southern plot with an audible snapping of branches. "Discord's back!" Apple Bloom blurted out, her eyes wide with a mixture of excitement and fear. Her snout was quickly scrunched with her big sister's hoof. "Don't even say such a thing, Apple Bloom!" Applejack's voice was harsher than she intended. The mere thought of that trickster free of his bonds was like a pail of cold water poured over her soul. "Whatever it is, though, we'd better check it out." She looked to her friend Rarity, her face betraying no trepidation in front of her younger sibling. "Yes," Rarity responded, her voice quavering in spite of the brave face she'd put on. "We are the Elements of Harmony, after all." "I'm comin', too!" Apple Bloom piped up. "Oh no, you don't." Applejack turned and pushed her little sister away from the window. "You're stayin' right here with Granny Smith, and that's final." "Aww." Apple Bloom hunched over, her bow drooping in sympathy with her dashed hopes. AJ shoved a hoof at her brother "Big Mac, you're with us." Turning her face to the ceiling and pressing her bottom lip between her teeth, Applejack let out a harsh whistle that made both her brother and Rarity wince. From upstairs came the sound of scraping claws and a happy, loyal bark. Within seconds, the small, brown, furry form of Winona the dog came scurrying down the stairs. "Winona," AJ spoke decisively as her companion came to sit before her, "I need you to stay here and guard Granny and Apple Bloom. Can ya do that, girl?" Winona barked her compliance, her tail wagging eagerly behind her. Applejack smiled and gave her pet a soft pat on the head, eliciting another happy bark from Winona. "All right, ponies, let's move'em out." Applejack's voice was stony and unwavering, masking her nervousness perfectly. She headed out the front door, Rarity and Big Mac in tow. The screen door banged closed before squeaking open again as Apple Bloom and Winona walked out onto the porch, watching their family and friends rush off towards the southern fields. ----------------------------- Under a canopy of thick leaves, Steve Rogers staggered to his feet and took stock of himself. No broken bones. Good, he thought to himself. That's the last thing I need. The comforting weight of his shield pressed against his back and he smiled. The black shape of his Colt pistol lay some feet away and he moved to collect it, checking its casing and the magazine for any damage. Once he was satisfied, he reached up and pressed a finger to his helmet. "Anyone on this frequency, this is Steve Rogers. Over." Static once again greeted him. "Repeat: this is Steve Rogers, alone in unknown territory. Requesting immediate rendezvous on my comms position. Over." He pulled his hand away and listened for a solid five seconds. Nothing but the warm fuzz of interference rang in his ear. Steve craned his head to cast his blue gaze through the dense foliage of the farm around him. Atop a hill in the distance he could barely make out the shape of a farm house and barn. He squinted, raising a hand up to cover his eyes. The farm house came into better view and yet he still couldn't tell if there was anyone around. "Better than nothing," he mused aloud. Keeping his pistol pointed low, he took off for the farm house. ----------------------------- Applejack and Rarity stared at this gaudy, tall, alien newcomer with equal parts fascination and horror etched into their faces; Big Macintosh simply glared, his eyes pulled down into slits. "What is it?" Rarity's voice barely rose to a whisper, as if she were afraid any sound might alert the monster. "Dangerous-lookin'." Applejack moved around the tree to keep the bipedal invader in her sights. "And it's movin' towards the house." "Nope." Big Mac snorted and made to leave the safety of the tree. Applejack hissed in a breath and lashed out, biting her big brother's ear and yanking him back. "Big Mac, y'dern fool!" Applejack whispered and slapped Big Macintosh along the back of his head, her freckled snout scrunched in disapproval. "Y'all don't even remember, do ya?" Big Macintosh looked at the two mares. "Loki talked about this monster – something red white and blue." "Captain America," Rarity breathed as the memory of that party long ago was called forth in her mind. Applejack gasped and pulled her hat off, peeking around the tree in shock. The Captain was almost out of their field of vision, walking inexorably towards her family. "Oh Celestia," Applejack whispered. "Oh dear Celestia, he was tellin' the truth. Loki was tellin' the truth and I didn't believe him." "Forget that," Big Mac snorted, taking off past Applejack and making for the next large tree. "He's walkin' right towards Apple Bloom and Granny Smith. We need to stop him." "Not without a plan, we're not." Applejack slapped her hat back on. Her momentary paralysis was forgotten. She'd apologize to Loki later; right now the priority was keeping her little sister and grandmother safe. With Rarity in tow, AJ trotted as silently as she could next to her big brother. "We need a distraction to get him to point that weird black wand somewhere else for a bit." "Already ahead of you." Rarity grinned, her horn glowing as she levitated an apple for the other two to see. ----------------------------- The sounds of the forest around him twisted and snarled together like worms inside the core of an apple. All at once, Steve was sure he could hear voices behind him. He stopped, twisting on his feet and leveling his sidearm at a small copse of trees. The voices shifted around as he turned, staying to his rear no matter which way he turned. Steve lowered his weapon, squinting his eyes to stare deeper into the dark foliage. After several seconds, he craned his head over his shoulder, catching sight of that large house and accompanied barn. Rogers didn't hear the apple flying toward him until it was almost on top of him. His reaction was instantaneous and took less than two seconds: he twisted his upper body, bringing his weapon to bear and sliding his finger onto the trigger. Thumbing the hammer back, he let loose a single shot. The fruit rippled for a half-second before erupting into a shower of brown-grey apple guts as the bullet passed through it. "Gah!" Steve's eyes clapped shut as small globules of what was once an apple splashed into them. He twisted his head forward, frantically wiping the makeshift applesauce out of his watering eyes. Tears streaked down his cheeks and his vision blurred. He could barely make out the shadows of the trees once again when he felt the tremor in the ground. A memory of the trains in Brooklyn played in the back of his mind. He forced his eyes open and beheld a sight that made his jaw drop open: an orange-furred horse, no taller than his midsection, was racing towards him at full speed. It wore a brown cowboy's hat, its sandy blonde mane whipping around behind it along with its red-ribboned tail. Two green eyes stared out from the shadow of its mane, burning with ill intent. In his long and strange life, Steve had seen a red-skulled despot, flying leviathans, green rage monsters, and what might be considered gods. He'd invaded countries to free them and fought alongside men and women from two separate and wholly different generations. Despite all of that, for a moment, he was stricken dumb by the charging horse. The orange pony opened its mouth, letting lose a war cry in a strangely feminine voice. That cry jerked Steve from his shock. At the same moment, the orange horse whirled around and lifted her rear end up. Thick, powerful rear legs pulled in close. He could almost hear the muscles creaking underneath her skin as time slowed down. Steve dodged aside a split-second before the horse released her kick. Rather than pulverizing muscle and bone, her cracked hooves ripped through the dead tree behind him. The tree groaned and screeched, as if giving voice to the pain of its own demise. Its body shredded apart in thick sheets and splinters. The two combatants locked eyes through a growing fog of tree guts. The moment pulled taut like a bowstring in an archer's hand. Steve could see anger in the horse's eyes. Anger and something else; something almost like confusion. Time finally snapped back to its normal speed. The horse skidded across the ground as her rear hooves came down with a heavy thud. She tilted her head back and her nostrils flared in a challenging snort. "Get offa my property," the horse demanded. She stamped her front hooves into the ground, scraping them through the dirt like a bull readying a charge. "I'm Captain Steve Rogers with S.H.I.E.L.D." Steve's voice remained cool and level, despite the sense of unreality that had draped itself upon him. "I'm here to retrieve the war criminal known as Loki." He looked down at his pistol, then back at the orange cowgirl horse. With deliberate slowness he slid his stabilizing hand away and slipped his weapon back into its holster. "I know you." Cowgirl kept her head lowered, her eyes trained on Steve's pistol. Her backfur bristled the whole time Steve moved his weapon. "Loki told us all about you and your Avenger friends." "If Loki told it to you, it's probably a lie." Steve held his hands out in a combination of peace and defense. His muscles tensed, his eyes fully trained on Cowgirl. "Yeah, maybe," she conceded. "But if it's a choice between trusting someone that saved my friend and trusting someone marching towards my house with a big, scary black wand, I'll take the first." Steve frowned. "If he saved your friend, it was only because he could use it to his ad –" His animal brain detected movement a millisecond before he reacted. He turned and raised a hand in defense when a ballistic apple slammed into the side of his helmet. Through a haze of apple particles, Steve saw a white pony standing several feet behind him, half-hidden behind a tree. Cowgirl was off like a rocket. She flew through the air towards Steve, the ground trembling with her thundering hooves. His instincts kicked in not a moment too soon. The Captain reached behind his back and pulled his shield off its harness. Slotting his left hand into the leather strap, he brought his arm down towards Cowgirl's neck in a strong overarm punch. Cowgirl gasped and yanked her body back, squeezing her eyes shut in reflex. Her mane fluttered wildly, her nose squeaking against the shield's polished surface as it rammed down into the ground. Steve pulled his shield from the ground and swung his arm out, taking Applejack on the side of the face in a measured backhand. Cowgirl's eyes popped wide, her head swinging with the force of the blow before her body came with her. She landed several feet away, her hat tumbling off her head to rest upside down. Quick as a blink, Steve threw his arm behind him and caught another apple flying towards his head. He shifted his stance and turned to face White. She glared at him through a curly violet mane, a strange horn on her forehead glowing hot with purple energy. Steve glared right back and raised his shield preemptively. The stand-off terminated when a third horse entered the fray, bigger and stronger than the other two put together. The red-furred freight train on legs came charging around the aging tree, his massive hooves kicked up huge chunks of earth. His nostrils flared and he lowered his head, as if he meant to run down Steve like a mad bull. Steve set his foot back, putting his shield in front of him and bracing both arms into the straps. He dug his heels into the ground and grit his teeth. This is going to hurt, he thought ruefully. Red left the ground for a half-second. He swung his body around and curled himself inward before exploding outward in a monstrously powerful kick. Both rear hooves collided with Steve's Vibranium shield with a sound like a ten-story-tall bell being rung. In spite of all of his preparedness, Steve was still catapulted off his feet and through the air. He struck a tree with an intensity that knocked the wind from his lungs. A sharp crack met his ears and for a half-second he hoped that it was merely a branch. Then the pain hit and the air that he drew into his empty lungs was laced with fire. Steve dropped down to the ground in an uncoordinated mass, rolling onto his good side as he felt around for the break in his ribcage. "Applejack!" White scampered over to her friend's side, leaning down to nose the pony's ear. "Come on! Get up!" Applejack's eyes fluttered open. Licking her lips, she huffed and spat out a gobbet of blood. Steve found the broken rib and set it at the same time as Applejack rose. His vision filled with stars and flashes of white, pain blossoming inside him like a mushroom cloud. He stood and shook his head to clear his vision. When he opened his eyes, Applejack and White had disappeared. Red counted at the ground, his nostrils flaring and his gaze burning with murder. Steve retrieved his shield and locked it onto his arm just as he lunged forward, his powerful legs carrying him to Red in only a few paces. Everything happened at once. Steve threw a punch straight at Red, who replied in kind by launching himself forward in a reckless headbutt. Inches from impact, Applejack and White burst from the foliage to Steve's right. He had no time to reacte as he was taken in the legs and the midsection. Once again Steve's world filled with pain as his broken rib was unseated. The four people scattered to the ground, kicking up dirt and grass. Steve went sliding sideways, taking the two Elements with him and leaving Big Mac to sail past the tangle of body and limbs. Steve, Rarity, and Applejack landed in a heap. The very air tasted of blood and dirt, Steve's uniform torn and matted in the few minutes he had spent in Equestria. "Cheap-shottin' sunnuva – " Applejack grunted, crawling on top of Steve's chest. She drew her hoof back and brought it down, punching Steve across his jaw in a wicked cross. "How d'you like it, huh?" She hit again, her face screwed up in a snarl. She brought back a hoof covered in blood. "I got a mind to beat the tar outta you!" "Then do it," Steve responded. Applejack blinked before her world lit up into stars as Steve punched her in a hard uppercut. She sailed off of him, landing some feet away. "Don't just talk about it." "You brute!" White screeched, slapping Steve across his cheek with her hoof. He whipped around in response, meeting White's face in a harsh, open-palmed backhand. The pony scrambled backwards and off the Avenger, a hoof held to the swollen mark on her cheek. "My face!" "Mine, too," Steve grunted through a swollen lip as he slowly rose to his feet. "I told you before, I don't want to fight. I'm here for Loki – he's a tyrant and war criminal and he belongs in prison for his crimes." Steve gritted his teeth as he reached behind himself to set his broken rib a second time. "Don't believe ya," Red snorted. He walked over to Applejack, leaning down to nudge her motionless body. "Loki's been nothin' but kind to us." "He's a liar," Steve sighed, exasperation eating away at him. "Whatever he did, whatever he told you, it was meant to win your loyalty in case we got here." "Can't take that chance." Applejack sat up slowly, grabbing her hat with her teeth and flipping it back onto her head. "What Loki told us about you Avengers is too terrible to contemplate happenin' here." Steve hung his head. His muscles ached and burned, his body working at maximum capacity to heal the damage done by these ponies in only a few minutes. He rubbed his jaw, hissing through his teeth. Definitely deep bruising there. "You seem like good people." Steve drew one leg behind him, setting it hard and bringing his other forward. He brought his arms up in front of him, hands held in loose fists. "So I'm going to ask one more time: stand down." Applejack snorted derisively. "What, y'think you can take on two Elements of Harmony and my big brother?" She stamped one hoof into the moist earth. "We're a lot tougher'n we look, Captain." Steve's smile was both tired and knowing. "Then I'll stop taking it easy on you." The three ponies stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing down the intruder. Steve was struck with an odd nostalgia: this looked exactly like a scene in every one of his favorite westerns, where the bad guy and the good guy square off at high noon. Which side am I on now?, Steve wondered. ----------------------------- "What do you think?" Twilight Sparkle grinned as she twirled around in her new outfit. The gold cloth shone in the light of the afternoon, offsetting the green of her breastplate. "Rarity even gave it a cape! I feel like a superhero or something." Loki stood at the front step of his archives. Clad in his unicorn form, his face couldn't completely conceal the mixture of humor and revulsion coursing through his gut. "Twilight, it's..." He shook his head and put on a grin. "Words fail me." "That's not the best part!" Twilight was giggling like a schoolgirl as she practically danced on the spot. "Princess Celestia has put me in charge of the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow!" She couldn't help herself – she let out a girlish squeal of excitement. Loki wondered if being stabbed in the ear would feel functionally different. "She is not attending?" Loki tilted his head with mock interest. "Oh, no." Twilight composed herself as best she could. "She tries to go everywhere she can at least once. This year she's going all the way down to Appleoosa. She actually left this morning." "Long trip?" "Very," Twilight agreed. "Even by pegasus coach she probably won't get there until – " Twilight paused. Something to her right caught her vision. She turned her head just in time to see a thick black cloud forming over Canterlot. Her sharp mind quickly deduced that it was hovering right over the large mall just outside the train station. "Weird," she said. The clouds roiled and flashed lightning. The fur on Twilight's back stood on end as thick peals of rainbows curved throughout the dark mass. "That looks just like the cloud you said you came in on, Loki." She looked back at her friend only to find an open door. She blinked, stepping up to peer inside the archives. "Loki?" She called. Only silence greeted her. A collective scream rose from the plaza. For a few seconds, Twilight stood at the entrance to the archives. She looked into the shadows within, then towards the train station, and then back again. She stamped her hoof in frustration before taking off, putting Loki's sudden departure in the back of her mind. The twisted and erratic streets of Canterlot swiftly clogged with ponies, the mass of colorful furred flesh staring towards the circular plaza just outside the train station. The strange, rainbow clouds was completely dissipated by the time Twilight pushed through the crowds. A dozen feet from the train station's entry, a small pit had been carved into the cobblestone streets. The stonework had been charred black, thin wisps of smoke curling from the ground. Standing inside the small crater was a creature that defied all classifications Twilight had studiously packed away inside her mind. The closest she could wager was that it was some kind of hairless ape, though the clothes and armor it wore bore more resemblance to the decorative armor of her brother. "Loki!" The beast called out. He cast his gaze about the plaza, his firm grip tightening on his massive hammer. Stepping from his smoking pit, he advanced towards the crowd of panicking Equestrians. Twilight broke from the pack and galloped towards that bellowing ape. Its lip curled and it brought its weapon up in a defensive posture. "Who are you?" Twilight called out, skidding to a stop what she hoped was a safe distance from the blonde-maned thing. "What are you?" She fought down the panic that was building inside her breast. Celestia had left her in charge for a day; she was not going to show weakness in front of the Princess's subjects. "Do not play games with me, brother," The ape hissed. "You know exactly who I am." "Huh?" Twilight's face twisted in confusion. She pulled her head back, taking a few steps away from the tall, menacing beast. "Brother? Wait a second..." Comprehension broke in her mind. "You're Thor! Brother of Loki!" Twilight exclaimed, raising a hoof in accusation. A murmur of excitement and rumor went up through the crowd. Thor laughed without humor. "Very clever of you, disguising yourself as one of them." He raised his arms in mock congratulation. "And then you dress them like yourself? How terrified you must be of returning to your prison." Twilight felt that panic rising again, the watchful eyes and safety of her fellow citizens keeping it from taking hold. She stood her ground, looking that creature right in the eye. "I am not Loki; my name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is – " "No more lies, Loki," Thor interrupted. He let Mjolnir drop from his hand, grabbing onto the leather strap at the end of the haft and spinning it around. The trees in the plaza fluttered restlessly, adding to the tornado-like sussuration of that twirling hammer. "If you will not admit your deception, you leave me no choice!" Thor stepped forward, swinging his arm back and grabbing hold of Mjolnir on its backswing. The inertia of the dense hammer swung his arm over in a wide arc, bringing it down right at Twilight's head. A bare second before the hammer struck home, her horn glowed to life. There was a crack and whooshing of escaping air. Thor's hammer swung through nothing. It crashed down against the street, sending a small mushroom cloud of pulverized stonework into the air. The Asgardian blinked as the fog lifted enough to show that Twilight was nowhere to be found. The intruder cried out as a thick sheet of magical bolts cascaded across his back. They burned through his long red cape and sizzled against his armor, dissipating within seconds and leaving that ancient metalwork glowing hot against his flesh. He turned on his heel, throwing Mjolnir up and slapping away another flurry of those glowing bullets. Twilight Sparkle stood across the plaza, her legs set and a determined scowl on her face. Her horn glowed hot as she fired, sparks exploding from the base. They hissed and cracked as they burned into the cobblestone street. "Get back!" Twilight yelled over her shoulder, shifting her gaze quickly to the ponies watching. "Get away! Call the Palace Guards!" Even as she spoke, the crowd was dispersing. A weight lifted from her shoulders as she realized that the ponies under her charge were safer than they'd been seconds ago. It was replaced with a colder knowledge – Thor was getting closer. Swinging his hammer around in wide arcs, he deflected her rapid-fire magical bolts with contemptuous ease. Step by step he advanced, for all the world like an unstoppable juggernaut. "Stop this madness, Loki!" Thor yelled through the barrage. "These small equines should not have to suffer the poison of your presence any longer!" He was now only a few feet away, looming over her with his monstrous bulk. "For the last time, I am not Loki!" Twilight screamed. The torrent of fire stopped just long enough for her to activate her teleportation spell once again. The world shifted in front of her, melding into a wash of colors. She ran through that otherwordly nether realm, the spell dumping her several yards behind Thor. She caught sight of something large and solid to her left – a vendor's wagon, advertising breakfast, lunch, and dinner at cheap prices. She mentally apologized to its owner as she slowly enveloped it with her magic, raising its bulk into the air. Twilight released a war cry just as Thor flung his arm out to his rear and released his hammer. The weapon sailed through the air head-first, its destructive crash course aimed directly at Twilight's face. Her aggressive cry turned into one of girlish panic. Quick on her hooves, she swung that heavy wagon between herself and the hammer, leaping out of the way as she did so. The cart soon exploded into a mist of wooden shards, metal connectors, and foodstuffs as that hammer tore through it, missing Twilight by scant millimeters. When she landed, a shadow descended over her as Thor pressed the attack. One hand reached out to encircle her neck, the other held up in a fist, ready to crash into her face. Her horn glowed again, the cool purple shell of her bubble shield forming around her. Thor landed and brought his fist against her shield with a muffled krump. The bubble shook but held strong. For a moment, Twilght allowed herself to hope. Then she felt the air displace around her, even through the bubble. Thor held his hand out over her, catching his hammer with practiced ease. He didn't give her any time, raising his weapon high over his head and bringing it crashing down on her only line of defense. The air split with a screeching keen of two magics competing for dominance. Adrenaline spiked through Twilight's chest, cold and sharp. Through the crackling of the hammer's thunderous blow and even above her attacker's roar of power and frustration, she heard her shield failing. The thin line of a crack traced its way across her safety bubble, spreading slowly and squealing as it traveled. Again and again and again he hammered her only defense; more and more her shield resembled a stained glass window, crissed and crossed with a spiderweb of cracks. Twilight fell to her knees, sweat pouring down her body as she struggled to keep up that wall between herself and death. It was no use. Her horn sputtered its last and fell silent, her shield flickering in and out of existence. Her legs gave way and she fell onto her side, eyes glazing over as the effort finally caught up with her. Through her hazy sight and her fading shield, she saw the vague outline of Thor rearing back for the coup de grace. "You chose this fate, brother!" Thor brought his hammer down one last time. Sweat flung from his face like spittle, his lips pulled back in a feral growl. A cloud dirt and dust exploded into the air. The fog slowly cleared. Thor's snarl turned into a frown and then opened in a gawp of surprise. Twilight's barrier was gone, shattered into a million pieces that were slowly fizzling out of existence. A new barrier, thicker and stronger, replaced it. The pink orb throbbed with power, despite Twilight's dazed state. Thor let out a grunt, pulling his weapon back. The barrier shifted and warped out into a wall-like protrusion that rushed to greet the Asgardian. Thor had no time to react: the barrier slammed into him and lifted him bodily from the ground. He flipped through the air, spinning head over rear until he came to a wet landing in the plaza fountain. Twilight opened her eyes seconds later, seeing a shape resolving itself through the mist that had crept into her vision. It was a pony, whoever it was, radiantly white and edged with purple and gold. Getting her hooves underneath her, she pushed up. Her knees wobbled and threatened to give; she forced her legs to straighten, taking another look at her rescuer. Her heart soared and she grinned. "Big brother!" Shining Armor returned his sister's smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. He was dressed in his full armor, the metal sparkling in the midday sun. The glow of his horn died down and the bubble around his sister dissipated. "Are you okay, Twily?" He reached out to brush her mane down, looking her over for any bruises or broken bones. "Yeah, just a little shaken up." Twilight chuckled nervously. "That guy's got a mean swing with that hammer of his." As if summoned forth by Twilight's words, Thor burst from the pool's surface and jumped out onto the street. His body trailed water as he stalked forward, his golden hair clumped in thick locks that hung before his face to give him the appearance of some feral beast. He held his hammer tight in one hand, glaring daggers at the newcomer. "You know not in what you meddle, golden pony." Thor spat. "I will lay you out as I did my brother." "Brave words," Shining riposted, "for someone outnumbered two-hundred-to-one." Twilight and Thor shared a moment of confusion. The two of them were pulled away from their little world in the center of the plaza to gaze around, finding the thoroughfares and side streets leading out of the large, circular space crammed full of white-furred stallions in armor similar to Shining's. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, several rows deep in some streets, glaring at the intruder through the slits in their helmets. "The Royal Guard," Twilight breathed. She felt her confidence returning. Even if Chrysalis had been able to overwhelm them with an entire army, there was certainly no chance a single person could go through two hundred of Celestia's best warriors. Thor stepped in a slow circle, his hammer held at the ready. His grimace relaxed by degrees, until it had pulled back into a slow, easy smile. Then he laughed. Long and deep and warm, he tossed his head back and let the laughter cascade out of him. Shining Armor and Twilight looked at one another, unsure if they should be frightened or amused. "Very well then," Thor spoke finally. The Guard were marching forward, their hoofsteps locked together in perfect synchronization. Thor let his hammer slide loose, grabbing the leather strap at the end. He spun it in a slow circle, eying up the closing circle of with a cocky grin. "One at a time," Thor continued, "or all at once. It makes no difference to me." ----------------------------- "Oh, Cloud Kicker," Fluttershy chirped happily. "I'm so glad you finally decided to come down and get yourself a pet." Cloud Kicker smiled sheepishly. She brushed a hoof through her mane and hung her head with embarrassment. "I thought it'd be easier to try to take care of a cat or a fish or something before I try for a filly." Fluttershy laughed and pressed a comforting hoof to Cloud's shoulder. "Don't worry, Cloud. We'll find the right pet for you." She motioned for Cloud Kicker to follow her as she made her way around to the back of her house. "So did you have your mind set on someone in particular?" "Well," Cloud said pensively, "I was hoping something that flies. Y'know, something I can take back to Cloudsdale with me." She winced as they rounded a corner and the pet pens came into view. The noise was deafening; caws, barks, hisses, bleats, roars met their ears in one overwhelming chorus. "Are they always this lively?" Cloud yelled with her hooves clamped over her ears. "No," Fluttershy gasped. She rushed over to the fenceline. "Oh, please. Please be quiet! It's fine! It's just Cloud Kicker! She's not going to hurt you!" She stamped her hooves in frustration when the animals seemed to get louder. Some were even starting to attack each other in their mindless fear. "What's gotten into them?" Fluttershy cried out. "They're never like this!" "Maybe it's that!" Cloud Kicker shoved her hoof at the sky. Her eyes were wide and her jaw shuddered as if she were cold. Fluttershy turned. She cast her gaze up, following the line of Cloud Kicker's hoof. Her eyes widened and her ears slowly lowered against her head. "No," she whispered to the mindless black cloud. "Not again. Please not again." The cloud was deaf to her pleas as it deposited its cargo right in front of her. Fluttershy and her friend were blown back into the chain link fence of her animal pens. The fence bent inwards and the two ponies tumbled down onto the green grass. Fluttershy shook her head as stars exploded in her vision. She stumbled up onto all fours, trying and failing to find her center of gravity. She fell again and then righted herself for good, just as her vision cleared and she got her first good look at what it was that had been thrust into her life. Fluttershy's natural empathy flared up as she saw that strange thing writhing on the ground. It reminded her of Loki's first appearance only in the most basic forms. The thing was bent over double, clasping its head with both hands with its back to her. She barely heard Cloud Kicker yell a warning, her hooves moving on their own to take her closer to that poor, ailing creature. It whined and moaned and shook, the garments it wore pulled tight around its body. Too tight, like the collar of a dog pulled a few rungs too small. "It's okay," she breathed in her most comforting voice. "It's okay. Everything's going to be – " "Get away!" The voice that greeted her was guttural and harsh, like a raging river had learned to speak. The thing whipped its face about, spittle flying from its mouth. Its lips were pulled back to reveal large, pearly white teeth that hung apart as if ready to sink into vulnerable flesh. Its eyes, for a moment, were a dark brown. Green flecks soon took over, melding together into a bright, glowing green that hurt to look at. Fluttershy jumped back to avoid the thing's arm as it swiped at her. A great ripping sound filled her ears, bits of cloth flying through the air. The thing slammed its fists against the ground, shaking the very earth beneath them. It screamed. It threw its head back and screamed and Fluttershy's very soul screamed with it. There was something in that scream that was simply, utterly wrong. It was a scream that rooted her hooves to the spot with sheer horror. The thing shook and quavered and grew, its skin rippling as muscle mass doubled and tripled within seconds. Its soft pink flesh hardened to an impenetrable green as its bones creaked deep inside. It struggled to its feet and its shoes burst apart like rotten fruit, heavy feet digging deep furrows in the soft earth. Hands big enough to crush a pony in their grip curled into fists and were thrust to the heavens, another roar belted to the blue sky. Fluttershy's wings drooped until the tips nearly touched the ground. Her eyes grew as big as dinner plates even as the irises shrunk to bare pin pricks of aquamarine. Her lower jaw had fallen open and quivered uselessly, soundless squeaks of horror caught in her throat. Her lower half plopped down onto the ground as the strength in her body simply bled away. The hulking thing lowered its arms and just stood there with its broad back to her. Its shoulders rose and fell slowly with its breathing. It was at that moment that one of Fluttershy's signature squeaks chose to bubble up from her throat. She didn't have time to close her mouth in shock before that giant bruiser of a beast had turned on her. How could something so large be so fast? Their eyes met. Fluttershy saw in its green gaze an anger so pure and single-minded that her body's natural fight-or-flight responses toppled beneath its gaze. The beast roared once again, spittle frothing forth as he raised his arms above his head. Fluttershy didn't move. She couldn't move. Death roared into her very soul and she stared at it like a deer into headlights. Cloud Kicker slammed into Fluttershy's side, tackling her out and away from that green beast. She felt the wind of its blow as it brought its fist down. The ground shook and she was blown off course by a rush of air. The two ponies fell into a disorganized mass yards away. Cloud Kicker clambered to her hooves, rushing over to Fluttershy where she lay. Her blue eyes were completely dilated, staring up at the sky in a glassy, unfocused haze. Kicker winced, looking over her shoulder to see that ape-thing searching around, snuffling and growling as if scenting the air. "Sorry, Flutters," she announced, before reaching out and giving her friend's face a good, solid slap. The blow was like the crack of a gun, sending the Hulk's head snapping around in their direction. Kicker looked behind herself, locking eyes with the beast. A cold claw of panic wrapped around her heart. Why did I pick today to come and ask for a pet?, she thought. Fluttershy rolled with the hit, ending up on her stomach. She blinked, blearily, as her faculties returned. The reality of the situation hit her all at once, slotting into place inside her mind like the last piece of a puzzle. The earth shook beneath the two ponies as the Hulk charged at them. "Run!" Cloud Kicker screamed, though she'd hardly needed to tell her friend. Now that her fugue state had ended, Fluttershy was overtaken by a rush of adrenaline and panic. She stamped her hooves into the ground, kicking up mud and grass in her wake. She had no goal, no direction, no purpose other than putting as much distance between that great green monster and herself. Cloud Kicker ran with her, wings folded, blind panic fueling their gallop. The Hulk ran after them both, arms pumping and legs a blur. He roared, a frustrated and outraged cry. Fluttershy spared a glance behind her. A sinking feeling tore at her gut right up until she felt the wind of the Hulk's hand pass over her shoulder blades. "He's getting closer!" Fluttershy screamed, new life streaming into her legs and giving her a burst of speed. The Hulk tried to grab her again, embedding his hand in the ground for his trouble. That bought them only a half-second of lead time before the monster ripped his hand free and resumed the chase. "Up here!" Cloud Kicker called. In the middle of a jump, she spread her wings and beat them furiously. In moment she'd gained enough altitude to put her several yards above that beast's head. "Come on! Up here, Fluttershy!" Fluttershy pushed off the ground and spread her wings, jerking her head back at the same time. Pain spread through her back as her previously dislocated wing protested to its violent use. The Hulk swiped the air where she had been, his fingers flying through the ends of her tail before grabbing onto nothing. It slowed down by degrees, kicking up furrows of dirt before it finally stopped. Fluttershy was several dozen feet in the air when it finally came to a halt, leaning back and sending a roar up to greet her. Cloud Kicker was waiting, sweat dripping from her body. Her legs twitched as the adrenaline rush began to take its toll. She grinned and flew in close, wrapping her friend in a tight, warm hug. Fluttershy returned the embrace. Her gorge was rising, the experience threatening to bring her lunch back for an encore. "I knew it," Cloud Kicker sighed. She pushed herself a foot or so away from Fluttershy, her face slack with relief. "I knew it couldn't follow us up here." The words had barely registered with Fluttershy's ears popped and she was treated to a perfect view of the ensuing carnage. Her eyes widened as she saw, plain as day, the Hulk rise up to meet them both. He got Cloud Kicker's back, a thick-muscled arm pulled back in preparation. His teeth were bared, eyes blazing with uncontrolled fury. The world seemed to swim, moving at a speed closer to molasses than the normal flow of time. Cloud Kicker's expression tightened, her head turning to look behind her with painful slowness. The Hulk hung in the air behind her, and for one moment the world stopped. Fluttershy knew what was about to happen. Worse than that, she knew that she was absolutely helpless to stop it. Hulk slammed his open palm against Cloud Kicker, bellowing a war cry. Fluttershy was treated to the image of Cloud Kicker's body folding against that attack, her head snapping to the side. Bones broke with astonishing speed. The sound reminded Fluttershy of celery being torn. The moment was over as quickly as it began and Cloud Kicker careened down to Equestria like a fallen angel. She struck the earth with a force that dug a trench several yards long and a sound akin to wet laundry hitting a washboard. Blood mixed with dirt before she tumbled over, leaving that trench and skipping across the grass like some obscene stone flicked across a pond. Her body moved as if her bones had been rendered paste, head flopping uselessly and her wings mangled beyond recognition. The Hulk landed almost right on top of Cloud Kicker. He growled, clenching and unclenching his fists. Something was building inside Fluttershy. Her pupils dilated, her breath came in quick, shallow draws. Sweat beaded across her forehead and the world swam red. She recalled so many other moments in her life when she'd felt this cocktail of panic, rage, helplessness, and righteous indignation. A small, rational part of her mind screamed that this was the worst sort of mistake; something this large and this angry could never be corralled or controlled. As it lifted its fists, Fluttershy found she didn't care. "Stop!" Fluttershy screamed, her voice carrying with it a forcefulness and power far removed from its usual timid timber. Birds carried to wing as her cry expanded outward. The Hulk stopped mid-swing. His brows furrowed and he frowned, turning his immense form. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that yellow flying thing glaring at him. He roared in response, swinging his legs around so he faced that little annoyance. "Leave Hulk alone." The words were a low, rumbling whisper, a threatening roll of thunder in the horizon. "What?" Fluttershy gasped. Her rage disintegrated, like a popped soap bubble. "Leave Hulk alone!" His rage was a living force as he screamed, throwing his arms behind him and thrusting his chest out. He bent at the knees, his legs screwing up. Muscled tightened and tendons pulled taut. Fluttershy saw his motion, her blue eyes widening. Just as the Hulk bounded into the air, she took off in a steep dive. The two of them met in mid-air and Hulk's face opened in surprise. He reached out for her, grasping, groping, trying to pluck her out of her dive to dismember her. She slipped right through his hands, her tail fur sliding across his palms right before he slammed them closed. Fluttershy leveled out and powered on across the green plains. She beat her wings harder than she had in her life. The drumbeat of her heart nearly matched the frantic pace of her flapping wings. She spared a glance behind her and beheld the Hulk, flipping over and landing on his feet. It turned and roared, tearing off after her with its arms outstretched. With a deft motion Fluttershy scooped up Cloud Kicker's limp form, holding her in her forelimbs while she beat her wings. Adrenaline rocketed through her bloodstream, filling her muscles with fire and propelling her forward as if she were attached to a jetpack. The limp weight of her friend was no heavier than a bundle of pillows in her current state. She pulled ahead of the great green ogre, putting distance between them before he got up to speed in his pursuit. Now she just had to keep that distance constant. ----------------------------- "We are five kilometers from the city, sir." Jarvis spoke with his usual brevity and accuracy. "Kilometers?" Tony raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Am I wearing a bow tie?" "Terribly sorry, sir. I'll remember to use miles and speak with a Southern drawl next time." Iron Man was a gold and red comet streaking across the sky. The memory of his battle with that strange rainbow-colored pegasus was fading in his mind as that city had grown larger. Even at altitude it loomed over him with its impressive castle spires and fortress walls. The city growing around the central castle reminded him less of Miami or New York and more of a place like Paris or Rome, with their twisting streets and overly-designed architecture. Three small red blips beeped to life on his GUI. His suit tracked them as leaving from the city itself, coming towards him at a rapidly-increasing rate of speed. "Ah-hah." Tony turned his body upright, pushing his hands out and reversing his momentum with deliberate use of his repulsors. "Looks like we're about to meet the Welcome Wagon." The blips soon resolved themselves to be three more pegasi, each of them covered in a tight blue uniform with a thunderbolt pattern sewn onto their sides. The apparent leader of the three, a fire-headed pegasus, slowed to a stop some yards away from Tony. She looked at her partners – a doughy-faced blue-haired stallion and a white-haired mare – before speaking up. "My name is Spitfire," she said. "This is Soarin and Fleetfoot." She motioned to her comrades, both of whom nodded in acknowledgement. "We're the Wonderbolts. What business do you have here?" "Spitfire? Wonderbolts?" Tony scoffed under his breath, rubbing a hand against his head. "Who names things around here?" He activated his suit's speakers, hoping his voice wouldn't be too overbearing. "Yeah, hi, sorry to barge in unannounced, but I was kinda hoping I could just zip into town for a second. I've got an old friend in there I need to talk to." The three Wonderbolts exchanged looks of confusion. Soarin and Fleetfoot shrugged their shoulders. Spitfire raised an eyebrow and flew forward, trying to size up this strange new guest. "Who are you looking for, anyway?" Spitfire's voice dripped with suspicion. "Uh, I can't tell you that," Tony responded. "Why not?" Fleetfoot scooted closer. "Because, the last pegasus I told started hitting me." Tony reached up and pressed his fingers into the dent on his helmet. "These things aren't cheap, you know." "Spitfire," Soarin piped up,"I think we should go." He moved forward and put a hoof on his leader's shoulders. "Remember what happened the last time we tried to be superheroes?" Fleetfoot scoffed. "In all fairness, that was a dragon." "A dragon?" Tony raised both eyebrows. "You've got dragons here? Pegasi, dragons, giant castles: it's like every little girl's dream mutated into a planet." The conversation ended abruptly as a red warning rune flashed up on Tony's GUI: an object was approaching from the rear at near supersonic speed. He had just enough time to turn and see something blue streaking towards him before it hit. The strike took him in the shoulder, spinning him off his center of gravity and sending him plummeting towards Equestria. A few curses and a rewritten flight path later, and he kicked off his repulsors to gain altitude. Tony saw Rainbow Dash pulling up from her dive, looping back around and above the Wonderbolts. She turned her head and fixed him with a withering stare that recalled many conversations he'd had with Pepper in the past few years. "Don't let him talk!" Dash warned as she floated down level with the other pegasi. "He's got a mean tongue and he'll try to tell you he's a good guy. He's not! He's one of those Avengers! He's come to kidnap Loki!" Spitfire's jaw dropped again as Soarin and Fleetfoot looked at one another, confusion passing between them. The scream of repulsors brought the four ponies' gaze back towards Cloudsdale as Iron Man lifted himself up to their altitude, a few yards' distance put between them. "Clever," Tony congratulated, "very clever, playing 'possum like that. I would have thought a repulsor blast would have KO'd you." "Hah!" Rainbow Dash flew out in front of the Wonderbolts, puffing herself up and beating her chest with her hoof. "You gotta do better than that to take out a pegasus! I've survived hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, and having Derpy for a friend!" She thrust an accusatory hoof at Tony. "You think your little claw laser zappy things can take me out?" Tony shut off his hand repulsors for a moment, raising them in a quick display of submission. "All right, all right," he admitted, "you got me there. You're repulsor-proof." Quickly, he thrust his hands down and re-engaged his balancing jets, while at the same time he selected another weapon from his repertoire. "Here's a question for you: are you shrapnel-proof?" "Huh?" Rainbow Dash leaned back, cocking an eyebrow. Iron Man's shoulder plates lifted up, revealing three rows of tightly-packed miniature rockets. "Think fast, Color Wheel." Tony quipped, loosing the missiles on the pegasi. ----------------------------- Steve stood up from his crouched position, catching his shield as it rebounded off a tree. His muscles ached and that rib bone chased fire across his lungs. The satisfaction of a job well done warred with his pain as he surveyed his work. Applejack struggled to right herself from where he'd thrown her, several feet behind him. Her left forelimb was entirely limp, the shoulder pulled from its socket. She glared daggers at Steve. He returned the look as he calmly walked over to Applejack's violet-maned friend. White lay on her side in the middle of a patch of scorched earth. Her horn still sputtered sparks as her body twitched and juddered. She wore a massive knot of angry red-purple flesh just below her horn where Steve had aimed the first part of his shield throw. Her eyes stared emptily forward, jaw slack and drool pooling in the dirt beneath her. He went to one knee, pressing two fingers to her neck. Applejack opened her mouth to yell. Her voice cracked, legs giving out finally and she fell onto her side. Steve shook his head slowly. "Well, you're still alive," he spoke, more to himself than anyone else. White's eyes had finally closed, her twitching settling down and her sparks disappearing for the moment. Getting to his feet and dusting himself off, he let out a long, slow sigh. "Wait!" A new voice cut through the clearing. It was higher pitched, almost painfully so. Steve jerked his head around, bringing his shield up to guard against any sneak attacks. What he found was the smallest pony he'd yet seen, colored peach and wearing a bright red bow in her mane, trotting out to stand between him and Applejack. Tears streamed down her face as she gazed up at him with large, innocent eyes. "Please don't hurt mah family or friends anymore, mister! Please! They didn't do nuthin' wrong!" "Apple Bloom, no," Applejack hissed through gritted teeth. She tried to get to her feet and fell once again. "Don't. Please. She's just a kid. Please!" She stared up at Steve with wide, panicked eyes. Steve shifted his gaze from Applejack to Apple Bloom and then back again. The child's gaze reminded him distinctly of the face of so many German children – confused, scared, helpless. He reached down and grabbed the edge of his shield, pulling it off his arm and slowly sliding it onto the holster on his back. "I don't hurt kids," he said simply. "Now, your friend back there is only unconscious, so – " "Big Mac!" Apple Bloom cried out, rushing around Steve. He recalled his shield bouncing off White's horn and into Red's throat before flying off into the forest. Following Apple Bloom's path brought Steve's gaze to Red. The massive pony was laid out on his back, kicking and gasping as he grasped at his windpipe. His eyes bulged almost completely white where they'd rolled up into his skull and his face had turned the most ugly shade of purple. "Help him!" Apple Bloom cried, a fresh burst of tears coating her cheeks. She rounded on Steve. "Please, help him! He's chokin'!" ----------------------------- The Sugar Cube corner was bustling happily in the mid-day sun. Customers went to and fro, chatting happily and eating their tasty confections. Mr. and Mrs. Cake moved among them, taking orders and talking up their friends where they found them. The door dinged merrily as it was opened and a hooded equine strolled in. She carried a pair of saddlebags over her back that contained small vials and beakers of unknown, multicored fluids. Her fur was white with black stripes and though she was set apart from every other pony, nobody paid her entrance any heed. Nobody, that is, for the pink party pony who worked there. "Hi, Zecora!" Pinkie Pie cried out happily. She pronked over the front counter, landing bouncily near her zebra friend. "Didja come to pick up your Chimicherrychanga filling?" Zecora smiled, throwing her hood off and shaking her head side to side. Her mohawk-style mane fluffed up to its full height and her golden neck rings jingled merrily at the turning of her head. "Pinkie Pie, heart so full and pure. I am here for the means to a cure." Zecora spoke, her voice deep and rich and yet still decidedly feminine. "Your filling is sweet and full of sass, but it is not needed now, alas. No, what I need is very rare: a pastry prepared with utmost care." She turned her head and bit down on a piece of parchment in her saddlebags, offering it to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie grabbed the parchment right out of her mouth with a hoof. "Oooo," Pinkie cooed in wonder. "These ingredients are super-rare! This is gonna hafta be a special order." She leaned in close and whispered. "I'm very glad you're not here for the Chimicherrychanga filling. Between you and me, I put way too much sugar into it and it's thicker than tar." The two friends had a good laugh together at Pinkie's folly. They chatted a little while longer about other things such as the weather in the Everfree Forest and the festivities planned for the Summer Sun Celebration. Their chatter died when they noticed that the general commotion in the pastry shop had also died down. The two of them looked around, confused as their fellow equines, before the source of everyone's disquiet was discovered: the floor was shaking. Pinkie Pie walked over to a customer's table and stared at a tall, cold glass of milk. Every two seconds or so, the glass rattled and the milk inside shook in a slow, rhythmic fashion. "Cool!" Pinkie giggled. Her patrons were far less sanguine about the tremors. The began to file out of the business, taking to the streets in an effort to find the source of the disturbance. After some hesitation Zecora followed them as well. Pinkie brought up the rear, pronking happily the whole way. Out in the bright sunlight of Ponyville, the customers of Sugar Cube Corner found that they had not been alone in their confusion. Ponies of every type and color were filing out of their homes and businesses. They murmured among themselves as they shared theories and worries. The tremors increased in intensity, windows shaking in their fastenings. Screams and shouts rose from the crowd, foremost among them the voice of Mayor Mare trying desperately to regain order. "What do you think it – whoo!" Pinkie's entire body shot up in the air, her limb's shaking and her mane floofing up into an explosion of pink cotton-candy. Memories of times past, of Twilight's futile struggle to quantify her 'Pinkie Sense', flooded back to her. "Whatever it is, it's a doozy!" Zecora watched Pinkie's seizure-like state with a calm expression. She opened her mouth to speak and that's when the whole world turned upside down. Something yellow and pink streaked out of a side street, resolving into an image of Fluttershy carrying a limp pony in her arms. Not a second later, screams rose as ponies were thrown bodily through the air. The alleway from which Fluttershy had emerged cracked and crumbled as something large, green, and angry burst its way from between two tall buildings. Windows cracked and masonry crumbled when it pushed its way into the main street. Pandemonium reigned. The green beast threw his arms back and roared to the sky, feral eyes tracking the damnable yellow thing it had been chasing. Other things of lesser importance scrambled away, squealing in their high-pitched, grating voices. He paid them little mind as he took up the chase again. They spread around him like water, his mass sending them toppling under his feet or flying away from his huge, pumping arms. Zecora watched as the giant strode away. Her jaw dropped and her eyes bulged. Pinkie soon dropped down from her spasms, flat on her back with her legs still kicking. "There is only one thing I have to say," Zecora sighed as she placed a hoof to her face. "Why can we never have a normal day?" ----------------------------- The welcoming plaza just outside the train station in Canterlot had become a war zone. Hundreds of the Canterlot Guard descended on the invader simultaneously. Their hoofbeats and kicks pummeled onto Thor's armored body while their sheer body weight drove him to the ground. He went to one knee as another hoof knocked his face sideways. He tasted blood in his mouth. Another pair of hooves cracked his ribs with an audible snap, clear even through the pile of bodies draped over him. "Hold him!" Shining Armor ordered. He stood beside his sister several yards away from the melee. Twilight was back on her feet, her fur caked with sweat and grime but otherwise no worse for wear. "Keep him down until she gets here!" "She?" Twilight canted her head in her brother's direction. "Cadance?" Laughter broke through the conversation like a brick through a window. Brother and sister turned as one to stare at the pile of soldiers weighing down that brutal enemy. He was laughing, deep and hard, from his prison. "You think this can hold a son of Odin?" Thor taunted. He gripped his hammer harder. "You think my hammer is my only strength?" "He's bluffing," Shining countered. There was little force behind his voice, and more than a trace of nervousness. "Shining," Twilight gasped. "Your fur!" She pointed to her brother's flanks. Shining followed her gaze to see his fur rising of its own accord, individual hairs sticking out in all directions. He looked over at his sister, his jaw dropping open as he beheld the utter disaster that was becoming of her tail. Something roared above them. It was a deep and rumbling crash that called everyone's attention to a roiling mass of black clouds forming a few hundred feet above the tallest building in the plaza. Lightning flashed, tracing intricate patterns across the near-black mass and casting all within the plaza in a harsh blue glow. The pile of guard suddenly exploded outwards. Bodies flew everywhere and the screams of the soldiers rang inside Twilight's skull. She turned and beheld Thor, his arms thrown out and a bare few guards clutching to his body as he stood up. The cloud bank flashed and sent a bolt of lightning screaming down to the ground. Thor threw his hammer arm up and caught that bold with his weapon. Electricity arced a trail of fire and light up his arm before he drove the hammer straight down and into the cobblestone street. The surrounding guards that hadn't been tossed aside by Thor's first attack was now flung into the air as little more than ragdolls, an electrical earthquake sending even Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle off their hooves. They landed in a heap, sister atop brother. Twilight's vision swam and she was almost taken by unconsciousness once again. "Honey!" A new voice cut through the growing chorus of pained cries. Cadance, the Princess of Love, floated down to her husband's side. Her horn glowed and a soothing light suffused both her special somepony and sister-in-law. Within seconds, Shining and Twilight felt warmth and strength return to their bodies. They clambered back to their hooves slowly, getting their legs under them and testing them out before both looking at Cadence. "Is she coming?" Shining asked, hope in his voice. "She is." Cadence smiled with a nod. "Who?" Twilight almost shouted in her punch-drunk haze. "Who are you talking about? What is going on? Where have you been, Cadence?" "Enough!" Thor cut in. The three ponies looked at the towering aggressor, walking towards them with hammer in hand. He raised his weapon and pointed it at them menacingly. "I have had it with your prattle! You will hand Loki over to me or I will – " "Be still!" A deep yet feminine voice cut across the plaza. More lightning struck, bringing with it deep shadows and peals of thunder. The God of Thunder itself stopped dead in his tracks. I didn't summon that, he thought. Cadence grinned. She gazed over Thor's shoulder to the sky beyond. "I was giving a wake-up call," she said simply. Twilight followed her former foalsitter's line of sight. When she saw the dark pony descending gracefully to meet them, she couldn't help but gasp. Thor growled and turned to glare at this new challenger. Luna, Princess of the Night and Guardian of Dreams, glared right back.