//------------------------------// // Chapter 54-Evening the Odds // Story: A Beautiful New Age // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// “I was wondering where you bastards ran off to.” Tony Stark slowed to a halt, hovering about a hundred or more feet above Canterlot. He stopped only when he heard the familiar voice infiltrate his comms unit. Feet sputtering, still managing to keep the armor afloat, Stark brought his gaze upwards, finally getting a good shot at old memories. Both alien portal and Helicarrier. That was a combo he thought he’d never see. Before he had stopped to gaze upwards, Stark was soaring through the burning city of Canterlot, weaving through streets, flying through demolished buildings, all to do his part in the defense of the capital of Equestria. Through one small moment of clarity, amongst the madness of war and the insanity of it all, the shining light of hope emerged from above. Stark had to push his way out of the darkness to find that light, stare into it, and understand just what it meant. Now, he hovered above Canterlot and watched as the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier slowly descended into the chaos. What sounded like thunder caught Tony’s interests. He spun around, stared straight up, and watched as the dark clouds broke apart to let down a shimmering tower of golden rays. It impacted outside of Canterlot, presumably far below the mountain the city rested on. Wherever it did, Stark didn’t stare for long. He knew what it was. He knew what it meant. He could hear Thor’s cries from a mile away. And damn it all if he didn’t smile underneath that mask. He spun back around, gazing upwards to notice that the Helicarrier had descended greatly while his back was turned. Also notable, Stark could see as several helicopters and F-35s exited from the flying beast. There weren’t many—an exact total of about twenty-five choppers and ten F-35s—but it already seemed to stem the tide. The S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopters, either transport or military, flew down into the darkness of the city streets. The transport choppers touched ground, dropping off several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and soldiers. Stark analyzed them from where he hovered. The majority of the soldiers, ranging to about fifty plus men and women once all transport choppers touched ground, carried pristine military weaponry. Colt M4 Carbine assault rifles, M4 Tactical shotguns, and pistols of all variety were the weapons they carried. Short and medium to long range combat. Impressive. The S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers got to work right away establishing a defensive perimeter, weapons drawn and firing away to protect their unit. Stark could see as the transport choppers flew off to attempt a retreat, and possibly a restocking back at the Helicarrier, but most were taken out by sentries flying by, or being swarmed by the harpies dotting the skies. It wasn’t good. Most transport choppers were taken down right away, the military choppers providing ground and air support for the S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers moving through the streets. The transports that made it out flew back to the Helicarrier, flew back out with more soldiers and attempted another landing. That was their job. That’s all they did. And not many were left once they attempted to return to the Helicarrier. The F-35s however… From what was once heard—the cries and constant screams of Ultron’s army demolishing Canterlot—had completely been drowned out by the sounds of the F-35 Lightning II engine’s tearing through the smoke and air. Tony watched as they broke past him in groups of two, all ten F-35s flying over, through, past, and into Canterlot. They were easily the powerhouses of the S.H.I.E.L.D. forces, easily dominating the skies the moment they took off from the Helicarrier. Ultron Sentries were blown out of the sky, bullets raining from above and splitting apart the bodies of the flying demons. As the dead fell, the F-35s raged through the blood and smoke, their engines sounding off their own type of war cry as they vanished into the dark and appeared again. Tony Stark could only watch them. He didn’t know if he could still believe if the Helicarrier, the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier had entered Canterlot from the same alien portal that had once plagued New York City. The Bifrost raining down from the skies had still kept Stark silent. Now, as the skies that were once filled with enemies…now filled with allies, allies Stark knew and could hopefully trust…he didn’t know if he could believe it. That they found them… They actually found them. Breaking through his comms again, and breaking his train of thought, Tony listened as Nick Fury’s voice asked, “What kind of trouble did you get into this time?” A swarm of sentries targeted Stark. Tony made an about-face, saying, “Nice to see you too, Fury.” He took off with the sentries trailing him, firing off several repulsor blasts. Stark was about to reply with his own, only to watch as a barrage of bullets rained down and tore apart the sentries, their bodies erupting into orange and yellow. Stark slowed once more to simple hover, his neck twisting around and following the Quinjet. It flew to a halt directly in front of him, the pilot gazing at Stark from behind the window. “Director Fury, I have sight of Tony Stark.” Before the pilot even noticed, Stark had quickly analyzed who was piloting his Quinjet and smiled. “Hill, do you even know how to fly that thing?” he asked. Maria Hill shook her head, still unable to hold back a tiny grin. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, she missed the egotistical bastard. From the comms, Fury said, “I wouldn’t get on her bad side, Stark. Hill will be your eye in the sky whether you like it or not.” “Affirmative,” Hill interjected between the two. The Quinjet took a right turn, its engines revving up. “Lay down some coordinates whenever you need backup. The rest of my squad is trailing bogies, so I’m all you’ve got, Stark.” “Yeah, I got that.” Underneath his helmet, Stark slowly began to smile at the sight of the Quinjet, the actual Quinjet from Earth. From home. He shook his head back and forth. “And dammit, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Maria managed one final smile before she took off. Stark watched as the Quinjet vanished into the flame and smoke, trailing the nearest group of flying sentries. Its Gatling gun revved up, firing away into the enemy forces until nothing but sound could be known of its existence. He was so preoccupied with the Quinjet that he almost didn’t notice the sentries firing at him. Almost. The blue repulsor blasts soared right past his face, singing the metal only slightly. Almost too damn close. They were coming in too fast. Reacting on instinct, Stark shot out his palm, both of them, and fired away. He destroyed about two or three of them, but there were a lot more than he originally counted, several others coming into swarm him. Tony managed to get off a few more shots, blowing apart just a few more sentries, and then took off with so much more chasing him, shooting him. Managing to hit him. Stark flinched, then grunted as more repulsor blasts hit him in the back. “Multiple shots from the backside. The armor can’t withstand much more of those,” Friday warned. Tony mentally nodded, spinning around in mid-flight and firing off more shots from his palms, responding from repulsor blasts with repulsor blasts. One, two, three, four died instantly, their burning bodies falling down to join the corpses of so many others that had fallen. Stark smirked, saying, “Not too bad, huh Fr—?” Just as he faced forward, he was met with the glowing blue eyes and the metallic body crashing into him. “Gah!” Tony grunted, flipping madly through the air as the sentry clawed at his Arc Reactor. He tried to gain his composure, pressing his feet anywhere he felt was down, but soon lost control of the fight and plummeted to the city. Both Stark and the sentry impacted Canterlot’s nearest street, Tony taking most of the fall as the sentry adjusted itself and landed on its feet. Stark clawed at the ground as he slowed to a halt, his HUD flashing red, his suit refusing to follow his actions. He tried to get up, but a certain AI thought otherwise. Friday said, “We’ve sustained heavy damage to the lower thrusters. We’re grounded, Boss.” “Ah…shit. Then fix it!” Tony said, eyes gazing up to see the sentry approaching him, blaster at the ready. Stark brought up his own blaster, his palm burning bright. Just as he was about to fire, just as he heard that unforgettable sound of his own repulsor blast charging up, he watched as his target’s chest was blown apart. His fingers relaxed, eyes latched onto the sentry take a step back, then another as a second shot went right through its shoulder and blew off its right arm. But he truly relaxed, finally took in a comforting breath of relief—though it did sound as though he was quite shocked—as the Iron Man armor flew over his head and landed on the withering Ultron Sentry. The armor finished it by bringing its foot upwards and launching it straight down on the sentry’s head, ending it. Tony Stark finally let his palm hit the ground. His eyes, though hidden behind the mask, grew even larger as the Iron Man suit slowly began to turn around. Cloaked in the darkness of the city, Tony couldn’t see much. But he quickly analyzed it, and it allowed him to finally take notice of the large gun resting on the armor’s left shoulder, the machine’s piercing, white eyes breaking through the black. He didn’t need a damn suit to tell him his best friend was standing five feet in front of him. Stark’s mask opened, revealing his entire head to the elements, the same moment James Rhodes’ had. Though the mask just slid upwards unlike Stark’s, Tony could still see the smirk cast his way, the metallic, gray palm held out to him. “Tony…” James called. “Rhodey,” Tony grunted, pressing his own palm into Rhodes’. James pulled him to his feet, his eyes looking Stark up and down, minding the gashes and scorch marks. “How did you make it? The portal, the Bifrost? How did you—?” “Alright, let’s just say I’m about as surprised as you are,” Rhodes commented, smiling a bit as Stark looked back to the portal. “We’ve been through hell after Sokovia, Tony. The aftermath, all of you just…gone…it took a lot to finally convince ourselves that you were dead.” Tony looked back to his oldest friend. His mouth shut, eyes shifting downwards. He sighed. “How long?” “A few days, maybe more.” James chuckled, feet shuffling across the shattered cement road. “It felt like forever.” He then looked back to Stark, noticing the look in his eyes. The pain. He asked, “Did you tell Pepper…?” And he shook his head. “No, Tony. She, as well as the rest of the world, knows you’re alive and well. You just…gave us a scare, is all.” “But how did you know?” Stark asked. “How did you know how to get here with…that?” He pointed back to the portal. James shifted his attention back to the portal, eyes latching onto the multiple explosions breaking across the sky that surrounded the Helicarrier, and then breaking off. Without facing Stark, he answered, “Turns out we have a few more friends up above than we thought. Is Thor here?” “Yeah.” Tony nodded. “Yeah, so get this. His dad, Odin, you know the ‘King of Asgard’, came to Fury and said he knew where you guys were. It took a while, but with some help from Selvig, basically everyone in Asgard, and a few more braniacs, we managed to recreate the same device that Loki used to bring in that alien army into New York. Except, instead of using the Tesseract to bring in an army…” “You used it as a gateway from one world to another,” Stark finished. James nodded in confirmation, smiling. Tony smiled too, his teeth showing as he began to chuckle. “You sons of bitches.” He looked back at the portal, shaking his head, smile still held. James followed his friend’s eyes, gazing up at the portal and the battle surrounding it. The Helicarrier specifically was under intense fire, no doubt in need of some assistance soon. In fact, the moment he flew through that portal, saw the dark world he was headed into, James feared it was already too late. It was surprising to say the least. No more than two seconds into the fray did he encounter some of Ultron’s robotic army. That didn’t surprise him. He knew what he was getting into, what kind of fight he’ll be in. However, when he came across a few mythical beasts such as a harpy, a dragon, and maybe a cyclops or two…then he began to get a little skeptical. Like what the hell kind of world he flew into. And how the hell it managed to turned to shit so badly. But, as always, S.H.I.E.L.D.—whatever was left of it—was prepared for anything, just as Rhodes was. They brought in their best weapons and their strongest machines, all of which was useless without the best soldiers. And Rhodey sure as hell didn’t come unprepared. He smiled to the sky, motioning his head in that certain direction as a shadow fell across his eyes. “Oh, and by the way we brought some backup this time.” Tony turned to him. “What kind of backup?” James only smiled, pointing past Stark. He spun around, noting his friend’s knowing smile and stared up into the smoke. Across the vast blackness that filled the streets of Canterlot, the corroding colors of the fire and smoke that infected the sky, something flew right down for the two men in armor. At first, it appeared to be some form of aircraft, and Tony was tempting whether or not to bring up his HUD to analyze it closer. He didn’t need to when that “aircraft” broke through the smoke with two feet planted forward. When he landed and his large, metallic wings folded together into his backpack. When Sam Wilson pulled up his goggles and smiled at them. “Oh…” Tony muttered, “…that kind of backup.” Apart from the EXO-7 Falcon strapped to his back, Sam Wilson was partially exposed to the severity of the war around him. Though he did wear a Kevlar vest and armor plating on his shoulders and knees, his shirt was a dark green with camo-colored pants and black combat boots. A pair of Steyr SPPs remained in his holsters, but other than that he didn’t wear anything else to protect him. Stark didn’t know if he was a badass or if he was stupid. “Sorry we didn’t get here sooner,” Sam commented, stepping forward and approaching the two. He shook his head, clenching his jaw. “That Heimdall guy…yeesh, let me tell you. It was on and off for him. One second he could see this world, the other second he couldn’t.” He held out his hand. Stark shook it. “The Asgardians had a tough time actually trying to find…” Rhodes motioned around him, hands outstretched, “…this. We were grateful that they let us use the Tesseract.” Sam nodded. “Oh, we were. Kinda sucked that they wouldn’t let us go without them, though. Probably would’ve gotten here a lot sooner.” “They only had a small opening, and they took it.” “True. And while that,” Sam pointed to the Bifrost, prompting the others’ attention to shift that way, “will continue to hold as long as Heimdall wants, that,” he pointed back to the portal hanging over the Helicarrier, “won’t last very long. So, we get whatever we need to get done here and head back to Earth.” “May take a bit longer than you think,” Stark said, his eyes turning back to the battlefield ahead of him. Both Sam and James followed his actions, gazing into the fight. Tony shook his head. “Ultron’s still out there. That’s not even counting what kind of army he’s built. We need to get in there and get the team together, and get Twilight and her friends somewhere safe.” Sam chuckled. Tony turned his way. Rhodes just cast the two a waning glance. Looking back to Tony, Sam asked, “Twilight, huh?” “I know,” Stark said. Sam shrugged, facing the battle in the center of Canterlot. “And let me guess, Twilight’s a pony, huh?” “Yeah,” Tony clarified, fully facing Wilson. “How’d you know?” Another shrug. Sam crossed his arms, smiling. It was James who answered with, “Heimdall couldn’t see clearly, but when he did he saw this world and who you were hanging out with. I gotta say, I…I really wasn’t expecting it. I don’t even know if I want to see them myself.” “Oh, you have to,” Tony told him, hand pressed on his shoulder firmly. “They’re the nicest bunch when they’re not pissed at you.” “I’m sure they are,” James mumbled, facing away and back to the battle. For a short moment, the three just stood there, staring, watching as the ashes fell around them from the burning city, as the battle unfolded before their very eyes. It didn’t last long. Sam let his arms relax, a humorous chuckle escaping his lips. He turned back to Stark who met his gaze halfway. He stared at him wondrously, both eyebrows raised, an enlightened grin tugging at his lips. “A world inhabited by colorful, talking ponies,” Sam slowly said. Tony nodded. “And griffons, demons, beasts who want to see the world burn.” James chuckled weakly. “Sounds like home…without the ponies and griffons.” Just as the silence was about to return to their moment of clarity, an ear-piercing roar broke out across the vastness of the battlefield. It was so strong that it shook the concrete the three stood on, each of them bringing their attention straight ahead where the Helicarrier hovered, directly over the Canterlot Gardens. “Doesn’t sound like Banner,” Rhodes commented, fists slowly clenching. “Sounds like something bigger,” Sam replied, reaching up and adjusting his goggles to fit over his eyes. “Well, you know what they always say: The bigger they are...” “The harder they fall,” Rhodes finished, but was surprised to see Sam shake his head. “No,” Wilson stated with a smile, pulling out both Steyr SPPs, one in each hand. “The bigger target you got.” Tony shook his head. “You guys have no idea. I’m gonna need some backup on this one.” It was silent on the eastern and western front. Tony looked both ways, seeing as both Sam and James shared the same mirroring smile, their gazes held with one another. It was too early to be holding secrets from Stark, so he asked, “What?” “I think you got this one, Tony,” Rhodes told him, pointing to Sam. “We’ll find the others.” Tony raised a curious brow. “What are you—?” “Fury’s been looking into some of your recent tech,” Sam answered, prompting Stark’s attention onto him. “I mean, it’s not like he knew you were alive or anything, but when he found out you were and what kind of situation you would probably be in…he wanted to come prepared. And I’m man enough to admit that we got a bit of glance at what he and Hill brought to the fray.” “Well, S.H.I.E.L.D. is always prepared…most of the time.” Stark paused, brow furrowing in confusion. He turned to Sam. “Wait…you looked at my stuff?” Rhodes’ mask slid downwards, his white eyes illuminating the dark he stood in. Both Stark and Wilson turned back to James, hearing as he said, “Director Fury… Yes… Yes, bring it down. Mark 44, as well.” Stark took a double-take, staring at James with a smile on his face. War Machine twisted his neck over to Stark, the servos and circuitry winding against his movements. He motioned his head upwards. “Incoming.” Tony Stark looked up. From the Helicarrier, he saw as it was shot off like a rocket, a trail of fire following suit. It blew right through the enemy army, hovering a good hundred feet up and away from where he stood. Veronica, his tech, his weapon, shot off several pieces of armor, several pieces that were far too large to accompany his Mark 45. Well, it wasn’t for it. Tony smirked, his helmet closing and covering that smirk from the world. He didn’t want such things to concern him and his mission. But when such things aided the enemy, prompting him to act upon aggression, then he wholeheartedly agreed. Ultron took off for the Helicarrier, destruction being the only thought rushing in his mind. That thought was halted, was torn away from him when he was stopped by some unforeseen force. He already knew what it was when it entangled itself across his legs and body, holding him still, refusing to release him. Ultron frowned, twisting his eyes down to the earth below. As expected, there stood Wanda Maximoff, her eyes a piercing red, that same redness covering her fists and his legs. He pointed his claws to her, threatening to shoot her if she didn’t release him. No words were needed. She’ll know. He didn’t see the shield. When it was already too late, Ultron felt the shield hit him right in the chest, knocking him back, bringing him down. Wanda screamed, yanking her hands straight down into the grass as she fell to her knees. Ultron fell as she did, hitting the gardens with such force that he kicked up both grass and dirt upon impact. Captain America retrieved his shield quickly, rushing forward straight into the enemy army. “Come on! It’s not over yet!” he screamed, waving over the remaining Avengers. Clint followed, as did Natasha, both recovered from their previous endeavors. Pietro was with them, Wanda forcing herself to catch up. Many of Ultron’s forces attempted to break their path, block them from reaching their downed leader. They didn’t last long. Led by Captain America, the five Avengers pushed through the sentries and demons as if they were nothing. Shield bashing, arrows stabbing, pistols shooting, magic ripping, and speed tearing, the fodder of Ultron’s army never stood a chance. That is until… A large hoof crushed the ground between the Avengers and Ultron. Captain America slid to a halt, the others behind him down the same, each one of them staring directly up. That’s all they could do. Its eyes were a piercing yellow, its horns rising several feet above its head. With the Helicarrier blocking the light from the portal, darkness covered the gardens, the same darkness they could feel. And there was Lord Tirek, smiling down at them. “Just where do you think you’re going?” he growled so low, chuckling to himself at the puny size of his adversaries. The leader of them, the Captain, backed away slowly, arms held out wide. The others behind him did the same, eyes still glued to him. Tirek chuckled once more, stomping forward. Behind him, five hands clawed at the dirt. Those hands rose up, belonging to the arms and embodiment of Ultron. He hovered through the air, remaining right next to his ally. Together, the two stared at the fodder beneath them, each of them smiling. Neither of them intending anything pleasant. They knew this. All of them did. Captain America stood at the ready, shield covering his heart. “Tirek,” Ultron slowly said, his claws lowering to the five Avengers below, “deal with them, please. Show them the injustice that was forced upon you, the same kind they enforce upon others. I have bigger problems to deal with…” “With pleasure,” Tirek growled, stomping closer and closer. Strangely, and foolishly enough, they did not move. In fact, their eyes were no longer focused on him. It mattered little. Dark energy began to form between Tirek’s horns, an energized ball forming. “Once I am finished with these ‘Avengers’, I will have the pleasure of tearing these worthless equines to—” Perhaps he should have been paying closer attention. They weren’t moving because they felt no need to. They weren’t looking at him because they were staring at something else. Something behind him. Something that hit Tirek like a freight train. “Move!” Captain America yelled, rolling to the right. Natasha and Clint followed suit, Pietro easily dodging with his sister in his arms. The ground where they once stood was trampled by Tirek’s body, the centaur’s roars echoing across the battlefield. Whatever had grabbed ahold of him wouldn’t let go. Its grip, hands held around the base of Tirek’s horns, was practically unbreakable. Tirek knew this. He also knew that if he didn’t try something things would end not in his favor. It was something he could not allow. Not now. Not ever again. Without thinking, Tirek clenched his jaw, firing off a magical blast from in-between his horns. The blast elicited a powerful cry from whatever had grabbed him, launching it backwards. Finally free, Tirek pressed his front forelegs into the dirt, his palms pushing him upwards. Growling in anger, Tirek rubbed the back of his neck, eyeing just what was stupid enough to charge him with his back turned. Tirek smiled fiercely. “At last…” The Hulk clawed at his own face, grinding his teeth together. “A challenge!” Hulk released a devastating roar, charging Tirek with just as much speed as he had before. Tirek moved as well, charging the Hulk with his horns down and another spell charging. The two titans impacted with such a force a shockwave was created, Hulk gaining the upper hand and ramming his fist into Tirek’s sternum, launching the centaur skidding several hundred feet in front of him. Hulk kicked off the ground, approaching Tirek as the milliseconds ticked away. He saw it coming. He rammed his right forearm into the green beast, launching Hulk into a nearby building. With Tirek preoccupied, Ultron brought his attention back to the Avengers. He narrowed his eyes on them, suddenly bringing those eyes up and deflecting a blast of energy intended for him. He lowered his palm, glared at the Alicorn that remained. The only Alicorn that remained. Captain America and his Avengers spun around, witnessing Twilight Sparkle flying high and proud behind them, her furious glare focused on Ultron, her horn charging, her voice crying, “Everypony, now!” On cue, as if they had trained themselves for such a moment, the remainder of Twilight’s friends immediately took action. Spike emerged from the remaining piece of debris he used as his cover, firing madly with his HYDRA assault rifle at the oncoming waves of demons and sentries. Rainbow Dash took to the skies, joining Twilight. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Starlight Glimmer hopped over the barricade, charging right into the fight. The only pony missing was Fluttershy. She popped her head up over the barricade, witnessing the battle unfold. Seeing the ponies charging forward, Captain America returned to the fight ahead, shield at the ready, boots digging into the ground. His target was centered directly ahead of him, right where all of the magical blasts were focused, where the ponies were charging and where the demons and sentries were standing. Ultron. It all centered on him. It all fell on him. And he fought back. Continuously blocking the magical beams from Twilight, Rarity, and Starlight, Ultron had little time to react to the cyan Pegasus shooting at him like a freshly fired bullet. He smacked her across the face, launching the Pegasus into a cluster of bushes. Several arrows were intended for him, fired from Barton, and hit their target. Ultron easily deflected or allowed the weak projectiles to hit him. He replied with his concussion blasts, dodging and weaving through the air as his army trampled the earth beneath him. Speaking of said army, he flew forward as a body was launched upwards from the pack, hitting his backside. Ultron looked down, spotted several of his army get ripped from the ground, torn to shreds by some mystical, red force, pressured into a ball, and launched right for him. For their leader. He either dodged or blew them apart, his eyes landing on Wanda. She weaved and plucked her hands into the air in front of her, more and more of Ultron’s army sent his way, hitting him with more force every time. Ultron had enough after one of his sentries rammed into his side. He positioned himself to where he had a perfect shot for the Maximoff. He pointed his claw forward. Only to watch as a lasso flew up and wrapped around his wrist. “Now, Cap!” Applejack shouted, voice muffled by the lasso between her jaws. Twilight, Starlight, and Rarity fired a volley of beams in unison, Ultron doing his best to block while remaining afloat, Applejack’s lasso pulling him down. He caught an arrow intended between his eyes. He lowered it after it exploded, a circular disk ramming into his forehead. He grunted. And he fell. Applejack yanked down as hard as she could. The combination of Twilight’s magic, doubled by Starlight’s and tripled with Rarity’s, consumed Ultron’s body. They struggled, but they did it. Ultron was down, his body coming to a rest in the grass and dirt. Even then he began to stand despite the magical auras holding him down. Struggling at first, Ultron slowly craned his neck up, his eyes staring straight ahead. Straight into the barrel of the party cannon. And the pink pony winking at him. She pressed her hoof on the trigger. To his own surprise, Ultron was knocked backwards from the force of the cannon despite its ammunition being nothing more than pressurized air and confetti. As he fell backwards, even more of his army appeared to aid, blocking the ponies’ path. A gust of silver wind tore them apart. Followed quickly by the witch’s magic impaling each of their chests, each sentry and demon fell to the dirt, dead. In that moment, once Ultron began to rise back up despite the magic holding him down, the Avengers rushed forward. Pietro ran back and forth, ramming his own body into Ultron’s form again and again. Just as Natasha and Clint ran forward to assist, Ultron rammed his elbow outwards, Pietro running right into it. The Sokovian grunted in pain, flipping in the air and coming to a rest in the dirt and grass. Even then, Natasha and Clint were already on him. She knew bullets were useless against him. Instead she smacked the AI against and again with her batons. He wasn’t at full height. He was on one knee. Clint made sure he stayed that way, he and Natasha keeping him down with aid from the ponies’ magic. He used his bow to smack Ultron across the face, Natasha doing the same with her foot. Together, the two weaved and beat Ultron mercilessly with help from Wanda’s magic protecting them from the enemy army around them. Hawkeye ripped out an arrow from his quiver. He aimed for Ultron’s head, jamming the tip right where his eye was. But stopped. Only by Ultron’s claw. Natasha actually stopped. Stopped fighting, moving, and breathing. Clint basically did the same. Ultron slowly looked up at them, his red eyes bleeding blackness. “My turn.” With his hand that gripped Barton’s wrist and his upper left fist, he pushed both Avengers back, basically tossing them like ragdolls tumbling and skidding. Twilight, Rarity, and Starlight all screamed as Ultron began to stand up, their magic around him breaking apart as the red overcame their rainbow of color. Captain America was already there, already fighting. He tossed his shield right away, hitting Ultron’s chest and causing it to bounce off and upwards. Luckily, Rainbow flew by, catching the Captain’s shield and ramming it into the back of Ultron’s head. He reared forward, she skidded to his right, tossing the shield back to its owner. With shield in tow, Captain America went right to work, applying punches and kicks to Ultron while he was still vulnerable. His body bent, turned, and flinched to the Captain’s hits, doing little to nothing in comparison to Rainbow Dash and her attacks. The Captain reared back, bringing the edge of his shield right for Ultron’s forehead. He caught it. The horrific clang of metal against metal broke through the air. Captain America could only watch, see as Ultron’s eyes lit, digging into his own. His lower left arm reared upwards, upper cutting the Captain. Bringing the shield back, Ultron slammed its front into the Captain’s chest, launching him back just as the others had. He caught Rainbow Dash’s hoof, ignored the look of shock in her eyes, and flung her into Pinkie’s party cannon. Pinkie Pie’s eyes grew ten times larger, her mane deflating. Rainbow hit the cannon with such force that she, the cannon, and Pinkie all flew back and hit Twilight. Rarity screamed, falling to the ground in an exhausted heap. Starlight nervously turned to Rarity, then back to Ultron, sweat streaming from her forehead, veins bulging as her magic slowly began to fail. Ultron ripped off the lasso tied to his wrist, gripping it in his palm. Ahead of him, Applejack struggled against his strength, her hooves digging into the dirt. Behind the mare, Wanda was still at work dealing with the continuous waves of Ultron’s forces. He yanked the lasso backwards. Except there was nothing on the other end. Looking to the rope, then to the mare, he saw as she quickly began to backpedal, eyes wide and jaw agape. She wasn’t staring at him. He wouldn’t make the same mistake Tirek had. Spinning around quickly, Ultron jammed his claws forward— The flying, metal missile was too fast. Too fast for him, nearly too fast for Applejack, and almost too fast for Wanda. Her eyes doubled in size, the Maximoff jumping to safety as Ultron shot past her, the missile following. Together, she and Applejack looked from the dirt to see Ultron’s body rush past Hulk and Tirek and disappear into the brick, glass, and dust of a far-off building. They saw as the missile shot upwards, a trail of fire behind it. Captain America was just getting up when he saw it fly over his head. Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Natasha, and Clint were all following his actions, their eyes watching the missile-like object. Starlight was still standing, barely standing, and watched as it flew by. Applejack and Wanda, still lying in the grass, stared upwards. They turned their heads right. Even Pietro Maximoff, struggling to stand, spun to his right once the missile came to a sudden and abrupt stop. It was never a missile. From where it was, from the fingers stretching outwards, it was a hand. A fist. The fist that slowly dipped down to rest at the side of the body. The fist that belonged with the arm, with the body, and with the entirety of the Hulkbuster armor. While many lied in silence, everypony too slack-jawed to speak, Tirek had no time for such things. He held the Hulk down, lifted the struggling beast in his grip, and punched him right in the face. Hulk roared in mixtures of pain and fury as he flew into the building at the end of the gardens, possibly even crashing through to the next one. He offered one final glare, one final snarl before spinning around the moment a tremor broke through the Canterlot Gardens. “What…?” Tirek growled, wiping the side of his mouth and finding blood coated on his forearm. “What is this meant to be?!” Whatever it was, it stood even larger than the beast that had attacked him earlier. Its chest and eyes burned a bright blue, golden and red armor covering its entire bulking body. From below, Tirek could see as the demons of Tartarus fled in terror from the sight of it, leaving the gardens to just the two titans. Inside, adjusting himself and relieved to see power at 100%, Tony Stark glared at his lone opponent directly ahead of him. His HUD enlarged, his speaker announcing loud and proud, “I’m the guy who’s gonna kick your smelly ass back to Hell.” “Is that so?” Tirek chuckled, the magic between his horns igniting. “Come then, fool! Let us settle this once and for all!” Stark tightened his jaw. “Alright you ugly piece of shi—” “Stark!” Tony looked down, then rolled his eyes to see Steve glaring at him. Natasha struggled to stand, but when she did she said, “It’s okay! Steve said a bad language word earlier!” The Captain lowered his head, then shook it. “Romanoff…really?” Another eye roll later, Tony stared straight ahead once more. He said, “Alright you…slightly unattractive piece of…turd… Let’s see who the biggest monster in Canterlot is.” Confused at first, Tirek shrugged it aside with the battle on the horizon. He clenched his jaw, rows of razor-sharp teeth showing. Just as he was about to release his first blast of magical energy, a familiar roar appeared behind him, following quickly by the eruption of brick and glass. Tirek spun around, being instantly met with the Hulk’s fist connecting with his jawbone. The force of the punch sent Tirek flying, his massive body intending for the area where the grounded Avengers remained. Steve Rogers brought up his shield, covering Natasha. Wanda did the same for Clint and Pietro, creating a sphere of her own magic. Twilight and Starlight both created individual domes, each mare rushing inside of either one. They never needed to. None of them did. “Puny Banner doesn’t count!” Stark shouted, flying forward and gripping Tirek’s entire face into his palm. He flew over his friends, ramming the centaur into the grass and into the streets of Canterlot.