//------------------------------// // Chapter 68-Manful Tears // Story: A Beautiful New Age // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// The reconstruction of Twilight’s castle was awesome to say the least, Tony Stark thought. Having escaped fully intact from the crowd of loud, crying, and ecstatic ponies, Tony walked himself over to the lone dirt road, his arms crossed, his fingers rubbing his chin. He could see the reconstruction efforts from where he stood, waves of ponies in hardhats and Royal Guard surrounding the crystal castle. It looked good. They kept it to its original design. They tried to, that is. Ponyville wasn’t all that bad, either. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Asgardians—after the war was well over—helped greatly in the rebuilding. Plenty of towns and cities suffered a blow, and the cost overall for the damages went skyrocketing. Still, it was fairly calm, if screaming construction workers, constant hammers pounding into boards, and a plethora of other annoying working sounds didn’t count for it. Oh, and the massive crater where the Hecatonchires crawled out of…that was filled with plenty of dirt and debris. Fresh homes were currently being constructed, returning families aiding in the reconstruction of their new houses. Again, Tony escaped the mob of ponies and made his way over to Twilight’s castle, admiring the craftsmanship, the delicate work by the hooves of Canterlot’s finest sculptors. “Looks amazing, doesn’t it?” He had no idea a purple pony princess had strolled up to his left. It was a tad unnerving to be honest, being caught off guard like that. Still, Stark found comfort seeing that smile return to her. “No need to get conceited, Princess,” he teased. Twilight had gotten used to the teasing by now, and she replied with a hearty giggle. “I’m just blessed to have such caring and wonderful ponies who would go out of their way to help reconstruct my home.” Her smile turned to a smirk, her eyebrows rising to Stark. “You can thank Celestia for that.” “I’ll be sure to forget,” he quickly stated, ignoring the frown building on her features. He added, “By the way I hope they weren’t finished with the inside because I do have some ideas that you might find to be interesting.” It took a moment to realize just what he meant, then she turned her eyes onto her castle, her mouth falling. “Which would be…?” Twilight mumbled, slowly facing Stark. That just got him going again. “Well, maybe a laboratory for starters. That library of yours is for the public, not a storage area to be placing interdimensional portals. Also, a garage would be nice. I’m willing to drop by anytime and hand off one or two of my cars. Not really using all of them.” “They’re just for show by the way. I don’t expect you to be driving them,” he quickly added for safe measure, earning yet another giggle from the young Alicorn. “I’m fine, Tony, really,” Twilight said, adjusting herself. Her smile died only slightly, yet it was still there as she looked up to him. “I just came over here to tell you that it’s nearly time for you to leave.” And of course…that. Out of everyone, Tony wanted to believe himself to be the one most excited to leave. He was finally able to return home—making a quick pit stop by Asgard using the so-called “Bifrost” as Thor called it—and finish what they had started. That being fixing their mess, tying up loose ends, and setting up a new place to call home. All of which he’d be doing alone. If the bruises didn’t prove it, the constant demon hanging over his shoulders surely did. It was over for Stark. The Avengers, they…they didn’t need an egotistical mad scientist, and yes he was man enough to admit that. They needed to heal, rebuild, and prove to the world what they’re really meant for. They proved it on Equus, but it’ll take a hell of a lot longer back on Earth…and the Avengers didn’t need Stark giving them a bad reputation. That’s what he convinced himself. Probably because it was true, even if he didn’t want it to be. But that was his business, not Twilight’s. Hopefully not. He smiled to her and said, “Alright, lead the way.” No other snarky remark, just a nod shared between the two and they were off. Together, Twilight led Stark back to everyone and everypony was situated. Tony grumbled something to himself as they strolled through. Oh, boy. Back to the crowd. He pushed his way through torrents of equines chatting amongst themselves, with a few Asgardian soldiers, and of course with some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Mostly on housing matters. But as they broke through the masses, they came across a sight that made Twilight’s heart warm and made Stark nearly gag up his breakfast. Thor and Odin, father and son, sharing an overly drawn-out hug. It was amongst the groups, in the midst of the conversations shared between the Avengers, Nick Fury, and the two princesses. Out of everyone’s way, sharing in their own well-earned greeting and goodbye before Thor was the one to break away. “Words cannot express how grateful I am for your presence, Father,” Thor told him, his palm placed heavily on Odin’s shoulder and gripping it tightly. He smiled. “The outcome of the war would have been far worse if you had not arrived.” Odin’s smile was faint, but still there. “You are a fine warrior, my son. You have proved yourself many a time, and even in the face of evil itself you never surrendered.” Thor’s hand fell, and Odin raised his own and placed it on his son’s shoulder. “I am proud of that fact. And no matter how the outcome would have been if we had not come…I am certain you would still be there…fighting…leading…like the brave, brave king that you are.” Thor shook his head, managing a small chuckle. “I am no king, Father,” he said, looking down. Odin turned away, his hand following him and leaving his son. He said, “Yes, as you have told me once before. Yet you still carry the virtues of one. I want you to know that even as you continue on your journey to Asgard and beyond.” He followed his father’s gaze, seeing as he stared off into the clouds, possibly onto what lied ahead and above. Thor took a step forward, earning Odin’s interests. “Father, are you certain you do not wish to join us back in Asgard?” he asked carefully. Odin only smiled, shaking his head. “We will meet again, my son. But as with all foreign delegations, we must see that this world is truly secured,” he said, turning his gaze to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. “And perhaps have a private word or two with the rulers of this fine land.” “We’ll be right on your tail in about an hour or less,” Nick Fury added, stepping forth near the two gods. Both Thor and Odin twisted their eyes onto him, almost shocked to have not noticed his presence earlier, but remaining silent to allow him to finish. Fury continued with his previous statement, turning to Thor and saying, “Just get to Asgard and then back to Earth, and hopefully Odin’s boys handling the Tesseract will be able to bring my Helicarrier back to Earth intact.” He eyed Odin suspiciously, seeing the bearded god nod in approval. “I will see to that quickly,” the King of Asgard affirmed. He followed Fury to where Celestia and Luna remained conversing with their own, leaving Thor alone. Alone, but not for long. In a moment’s notice, a heavy bicep wrapped tightly around the God of Thunder’s neck, bringing said god into a rough yet playful embrace. “So tell me, Thor!” Volstagg’s voice boomed. “What have you with these talking equines?” He laughed, Thor laughing as well. “Have they handled well in this dark time?” “Handled far better than you, I’d say,” Fandral observed with a growing smirk, coming to the warrior’s side. His cape flowed well behind him, both Lady Sif and Hogun arriving to his aid. Hogun chuckled at the sight of the disgruntled Volstagg. “If memory serves, Volstagg, I do believe a certain rainbow Pegasus had bested you in a fair drinking competition,” he said, smile growing wider as Volstagg’s eyes did the same. “I recall no such thing!” Volstagg argued. Both Fandral and Hogun shared in a quick laughter, silenced only once Lady Sif pushed through the two of them and eyed Volstagg carefully. Her smirk grew. “Many of us were witnesses to that event. So I would assume that these equines do have what it takes to compete even with the mightiest of Asgardians. Wouldn’t you agree, Thor?” Having recently broken out of Volstagg’s grip, Thor smiled to his friends all gathered around him. He said, “I can assure you…they are fine warriors. True testaments to the bravery and heroism we should expect from every Asgardian.” Thor looked to the legions of Asgardian soldiers readying themselves for the departure, all of them lined accordingly in the dirt road of Ponyville. He saw the hardness in their gazes, the way they stood fearlessly after the treacherous recent events that had befallen Equus. He saw them all, Asgard’s finest, and he couldn’t be more proud. Then he saw the caskets. “I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again…” Steve Rogers smiled before he could even finish. Sam whistled lightly, shaking his head as the two walked and observed the town of Ponyville. “Your world is crazy,” he finished. The sun beat down on them in the late morning skies, clouds rolling through the sky but hardly blocking the warm rays. It was nice, though, not only feeling true warmth after spending so much time in the frozen wastelands of Yakyakistan basically searching for a ghost. After all, everything pretty much confirmed he was dead, even the all-seeing eye above. Steve wore his uniform, bright, fresh and clean as the day he put it on. His shield was strapped to his backside, it too having been cleaned and coated. Sam wore the standard S.H.I.E.L.D. clothing provided to him before the party a couple nights ago. It wasn’t filthy by any means, but it wasn’t the greatest smelling thing, either. Still, it was nice taking a break from the madness, even if it was just a stroll in the park on another world inhabited by colorful talking equines. Yeah, Sam still tried to wrap his head around that. He even saw two mares having a nice picnic under a tree, one a light aquamarine unicorn and the other a tannish Earth pony. The unicorn gasped at the two, hooves rising to cover her squeal of excitement while the other just rolled her eyes. Steve saluted softly to them, nearly causing the unicorn mare to faint. “Yeah, but it’s the world we were meant for,” he said. The two continued down the path, eventually arriving by a small bridge over a small river. Still, the two men stopped at the bridge’s edge, Sam leaning down to stare at his reflection. He breathed through his nose, almost a humorous chuckle, then relaxed his elbows on the hard stone and gazed into the water. Steve did the same, turning his attention onto Sam. “You know after serving two tours, losing Riley,” he paused for a moment, and the Captain let him, “helping your damn ass take down HYDRA,” Steve chuckled at that, but it quickly went away, “searching for our ‘missing person’, and now all of this…I really gotta say that if this is the usual shit you get into then…” “Then it might not be what you’re looking for?” Rogers sighed. Sam shook his head, his reflection doing the same. “That’s the thing. I don’t know. I kinda thought I’d slow down after the whole HYDRA incident, but now you’re bringing me back into this life.” It wasn’t really untrue. Though Sam came on his own accord, fought with Steve in tundra, forest, and even desert the past two weeks, part of Rogers felt as if he was slowly dragging Sam back to the war. He seemed content with his life, helping veterans through their PTSD and nothing more than that. But then again… “You showed a lot of bravery out there dealing with Ultron,” the Captain said, slicing the silence and bringing Sam’s eyes onto him. “You gave far more than what we asked of you. It’s always been your decision, Sam, but that life you left behind…it’s the one you were meant for.” He got a smile out of Sam, a weak one, a small nod too, but that was it. He broke away and stared back into his reflection, Steve slowly following. He added, “And for a first mission as an Avenger…I’d say you performed…fair.” That got him. Steve smiled as Sam shot back. “Now, now, hold up; take it back a few steps!” he said, waving his hands. “What?” Steve asked, his smile still present even if he tried to act clueless “First of all…I never perform ‘fair’ in anything. Second, I don’t think this really counts as being an Avenger, Steve.” The Captain just shrugged, leaning forward on the stone bridge. “I don’t know. Just think about it. You might end up changing your mind.” Sam stared at him for a few more seconds before giving in, chuckling and shaking his head. “Yeah,” he mumbled, leaning forward, “I just may.” The two soldiers remained there, enjoying the moment that came with peacetime. Singing birds, rushing water beneath them, laughter. If anything, seeing the smiles return to the faces of the ponies they helped to protect…that was enough reward than the constant pieces of paper flung in their faces begging for their autographs or the better treatment they received. It was nice. Really, it was. “Um…Mr. Wilson…Captain Rogers…” Both soldiers turned to their right, seeing Fluttershy standing at the end of the bridge and appearing as meager as she ever had before. She flinched back from the stares, half of her face hidden behind the long, pink mane. Still, she managed. Brave thing. Clearing her throat, she began, “Oh, um, sorry, but…it’s time.” So it was. The caskets were lined up first. Accordingly and in order, the ones Asgard had lost were brought forward first. Thor’s heart ached to see so many, but their proper burial would ensure peace in Valhalla. Odin would be certain of that. The numbers ranged around forty or fifty warriors lost, their bodies hidden in the caskets carried by their fellow Asgardians. Natasha appeared by Thor’s right, gently placing her palm on his shoulder comfortingly. Thor admired her presence, gently turning to her before bringing his eyes up. Romanoff followed. She shared his feelings. As for S.H.I.E.L.D., they lost many pilots and soldiers that terrible day, but they were taken care of. Their coffins remained in the Helicarrier hovering above Ponyville. Ultron’s final remains joined them, his strongest form locked away under sharp surveillance in the Helicarrier. And finally… The final coffin stopped directly ahead of Thor. Joining him, Clint Barton and Tony Stark arrived to stand by his side. Doctor Banner arrived hastily, his palm placed over the other at the sight of the casket before him. Then there was Vision…accompanied by a certain Maximoff twin. An unsettling silence stilled the road, leaving everyone and everypony turning towards the Avengers. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were among those onlookers, Twilight Sparkle and her closest companions joining them. Those missing were Fluttershy, though she fluttered into view and landed next to Rainbow Dash. Behind her, both Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson made their way through the crowd—even though the crowd backed away to let them through—and joined their fellow Avengers. Director Fury remained unmoved by Celestia’s side, his hands behind his back, his expression shifting from the princesses to Odin. The King of Asgard caught the glance, turning to his son and nodding only once. Thor noticed the sign of approval, his head rising to his right. “Vision…” The android’s attention was on point, his head swiveling over to the god. Mjølnir was gripped in his right palm, though his eyes were passed Vision, having a sort of sullen expression flowing within his irises. Vision could see such, he could share such feelings. He could see him nod to his direction. Vision nodded in understanding, turning to his right. “It is time…Wanda,” Vision explained, gently placing his palm on the young woman’s shoulder. For comfort. For understanding. To push her along. As for Wanda Maximoff, she stood with all eyes on her, everyone holding their breaths for the Scarlet Witch. She cautiously stared forward, did her best to ignore the stares and instead focus on what mattered: saying goodbye. Turning left, her eyes watered to see them watching her, the Avengers still standing by her side through it all. She inhaled quickly, wiping her eyes. She didn’t wear mascara today, so there was no need to worry over a mess streaking down her face. With a cautious step forward, a gentle push on her back by the Vision, she was off. Though slow, she took her time to approach the lone coffin. The Asgardians that once carried it settled the large casket down and backed away, focusing elsewhere as the Maximoff pushed past them. And it was still so quiet. Below her lied the casket, the one that would travel with her to Asgard and finally rest on Earth. She could see her reflection in the solid oak, no other words able to come out of her. Still, it was time. Everyone waited for her approval, everyone still remaining frozen and so silent. It had been a hard two weeks, the hardest in her entire life. Yet they were there for her. The Avengers were. She placed her palm gently on the face of the casket, her eyes shutting tight. Wanda kept it there for several seconds, letting all of the pain she felt in her heart and soul ease away. She couldn’t move forward if she didn’t allow herself to do so, and neither would anyone else. Standing by her friends, Rainbow Dash stared at the dirt and dared not look forward. An exhale later and Wanda backed away from the casket, joining Vision where he stood. The Vision studied her for a moment more before finally turning back to Thor, nodding once. All was dealt with. All was well for now. Given the confirmation, Thor pushed forward, took a sharp left and approached the barren road ahead. All heads swiveled in his direction, seeing his cape flow behind him. Every Asgardian waited for his approval, each one lowering the caskets they held and standing at attention. He made his way through all of the caskets, all of the Asgardian soldiers, and stopped. The road lay empty, bright as the sun shone down upon it. Thor shot up his right arm, Mjølnir aimed for the skies. “Heimdall…” Thor stated loudly, slowly lowering his hammer and pointing it a few feet ahead of him, “…open the Bifrost.” Unlike before, he wasn’t ignored. Though it took a moment—Thor already backing away in anticipation—the golden tower broke through the clouds and impacted the earth exactly where Thor had directed it. A chorus of star-struck gasps erupted from the crowd of Ponyville citizens as the multi-colored tower continued to spew into the ground, its blinding light causing everypony to shield their eyes. Twilight especially was impressed, as well as Celestia and Luna. Others like Nick Fury, the Asgardians, and the Avengers remained still, simply gazing into the colorful lights that the Bifrost expelled. Thor remained where he was, eventually turning aside and nodding to his fellow warriors. The Asgardians in golden armor nodded back. With four soldiers to each casket, they lined up accordingly, allowing one group to enter through the Bifrost each time. Thor watched them make their departure back to Asgard, hopeful for their safety, trusting that they will honor the dead they held. Tony Stark came up to him. Thor turned to him. He studied the tower of golden rays, his upper lip rising. Stark said, “Even though we’re basically heading to your home, I was just wondering if you were gonna drop by Earth for a few hours.” The two seemed to share the same thoughts, Thor nodding in agreement before facing the Bifrost tower. “Yes, of course. There are certain things I wish to discuss with my friends before I must return to Asgard.” Soon enough, the rest of the team came forward. Clint, Natasha, Banner, and now Steve followed in Tony’s steps, joining Thor as they each watched the caskets disappear through the light. Sam stayed back with Vision and Wanda, his arms crossing over one another. Each member wore their appropriate attire; Widow with her dark spandex, the Hawk in his outfit from Sokovia, the Captain in his uniform, Banner with a simple S.H.I.E.L.D. t-shirt and shorts, Stark in his under armour, and Thor in his armor. Steve stared into the light show. “Well then,” he said, “before Asgard and even before Earth…we still have a few goodbyes to give.” It was indeed time, the moment the God of Thunder was looking forward to the least. Almost everyone else felt the same, known only by the looks of dread and sadness creeping into each of their eyes. Thor sighed, staring at the Asgardians entering the Bifrost. “Of course.” “That’s our cue,” Sam muttered as he stepped forward, both Vision and Wanda following him. The Maximoff turned to the casket one final time as the four Asgardian soldiers surrounded and lifted it up, taking the coffin across the road and finally into the Bifrost. She watched the casket disappear, still staring even as she joined her fellow Avengers. She spun as they did, watching as the two princesses, the six mares, and Spike approached them. As for minor conversations, it was all too silent in the town of Ponyville. The crowd of equines was either mesmerized by the Bifrost’s power, chatting with S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and amongst themselves, or simply watching the scene unfold in the center of the road. He could see the large smiles on the ponies’ faces, some of their eyes leaking a few tears here and there. Yet their smiles never wavered, and neither did Thor’s. He managed a smile despite everything, turning to the two sisters first. “It has been an honor,” he began, nodding to the two. They nodded back, watching as Thor turned his gaze downwards. “And to you all, as well. Fighting by your side has been one of the greatest privileges I have ever been granted. You are all brave, strong, fierce leaders, and I cannot wait to see how you become in the future.” Pinkie sniffled, unveiling a handkerchief and blowing loudly into it. She placed the oiled tissue back into her mane, Sam cringing at that. Thor just shook his head sadly, continuing. “But…the time has come for us to leave.” “Yep, certainly has been fun,” Tony quickly took over whether Thor wanted him to or not. He noticed every teary eye turn to him, making him pause for a moment. He breathed in shortly, saying, “But…we can’t stay here. Surprisingly enough…Earth just so happens to need us…or need the Avengers, whichever is more relevant.” Twilight still smiled, her own eyes beginning to burn as she wiped them with a quick wipe of her foreleg. Stark turned to her, pausing once more and holding her stare. For a moment, she could see his charisma and charm break down, something flashing in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. Of course, it was just a flash, and then it was gone. He snapped his fingers. “Oh, and by the way,” Stark began, pressing down on his wristwatch. The sound of a sputtering jet sounded off, causing everypony to flinch and spin their necks around. They followed the trail of fire to where it landed directly ahead of the two princesses and the six Elements, rising up to reveal Stark’s Mark 45 armor. The armor was in sentry mode from what Twilight could remember, its shimmering blue eyes watching Stark approach it. Then he turned to her, and once more she saw that flash, but it held longer, seeming truly genuine. Then he smiled and said to her, “Twilight…I want you to have a little parting gift, something to remember me by…remember us by.” He held out his hand to the Mark 45, the suit slowly turning its head over to the young Alicorn. Twilight gasped, each of her friends turning to her specifically. “You’re…you’re giving me your suit?” she asked, seeing Stark nod. She shot out her hoof, brows furrowing suspiciously. “But…won’t you need it?” Tony shook his head. “Nah, I’ll just build another one. Besides we might be able to keep in touch using your intellectual prowess and Friday’s advanced communication arrays. Hell, who knows, you might be able to make better use of her than I would back at home.” Friday slowly turned back to Stark, causing him to stumble over his words. “But…” he began, facing his suit and the AI controlling it. “That doesn’t mean I won’t miss the absolute hell out of her.” Tony smiled. The Mark 45 just stared. “Friday…it’s been a hell of a journey. Even though I didn’t get to spend as much time with you as I would’ve wanted, you still helped me through some pretty sticky situations, and I can’t thank you enough for that.” The Mark 45 remained unmoved, the female AI listening intently from the inside. Tony’s smile fell into a straight line, his hand shooting out and patting the suit’s shoulder. “I’ll keep in touch soon. Might as well keep some sort of contact with my favorite librarian pony princess. But yeah…you work for Twilight now.” Friday nodded. “Aye, Boss. It’s been an honor.” He finished with a wink to the young Alicorn. Twilight’s jaw promptly fell off her mouth as the realization struck her. “Y-y-you m-m-mean that I-I get to keep y-your…advanced…technological…suit…?” she stuttered, shaking hoof rising to Stark. Tony slowly nodded to her, his eyes as wide as can be. “Of course you’ll need to keep her charged, polish her every now and then. It’s not like keeping a puppy by any means, but still—” Stark was saying, his voice instantly drowned out as a high-pitched squeal erupted from the young Alicorn. He flinched back—nearly everyone else following—as Twilight shot over with incredible speed and wrapped her forelegs around Tony’s neck. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! Now I have my own piece of advanced Earth technology I’ll be able to learn all about! This could spearhead the next great achievement in pony history, this could lead us into a new age of industrial success! Oh, I don’t know how many times I can say thank you! I could just…I could just…!” Without even thinking about it, Twilight laid a big kiss on Tony Stark’s cheek. She realized the error of her ways the moment she saw the smirk on Tony’s lips, the shared snickering of her friends Rainbow and Applejack standing behind her, and the consecutive blushes from Rarity and Fluttershy. Pinkie flashed her a quick and seductive wink. She remained frozen where she was, her eyes flicking back to Tony. He said, “Sorry, Sparkle. I’m taken. Though Pepper might make an exception…if you buy me dinner first. Hey, you might get lucky one night. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve seen me nak—” “Stark!” Twilight cried, fluttering off of Tony’s shoulders and landing back in the dirt road. Her cheeks burned a bright crimson as she slowly scooted back to join her giggling friends. “Grow up, Applejack,” she muttered, earning a hearty chuckle from the mare. Tony shook his head, still smiling at the lovely scene. He motioned his head to Friday, nodding her forward. She nodded back, joining Twilight Sparkle and her group of friends. “Alright,” he said, observing everypony’s returning smiles, ranging from the princesses to the young drake himself. To Twilight and the others, the laughter dying and only silence remaining. Silence and smiles. Did he just see a tear? “Bye!” Then their smiles flattened, nothing but confusion filling the void. Twilight especially, her brow rising to the retreating Stark making his way over to the Bifrost. Her brow furrowed at that, her eyes shifting over to the Captain kneeling down to their level. He grinned softly and said, “Don’t worry. Stark cries on the inside.” Rainbow chuckled, nudging Applejack. “We know how that feels, huh AJ?” Applejack replied with a heavy shove. Steve chuckled, his eyes falling. He gently prodded the dirt, the mares watching him until he finally turned back to them. His eyes glistened in the sunlight, the darkness in his face only possible by the bright Bifrost existing behind him. He smiled that same, genuine smile of his. Perfect teeth and all. “Thank you, Twilight, all of you really. You sheltered us in our most desperate time of need, even after everything we’ve done. I’m proud of you…all of you,” he addressed to the six, his eyes even acknowledging Spike. “You gave it your all, went above and beyond the call of duty. It was an honor fighting with you.” Steve held out his gloved-palm to them. Twilight, as always, was first, stepping forward and placing her hoof in his grip. He shook once, turning to the next mare and offering his goodbye. Instead of a handshake, Rainbow just stuck out her hoof, Steve chuckling and replying with a fist bump. Pinkie would have no handshakes, but instead replacing it with a great big hug. Once Pinkie finally allowed Steve to break free from her death grip, he stood back up, acknowledged the presence of the two Alicorn sisters, and smiled to them. They replied in kind. He finished with a quick salute then turned back. Natasha brushed her shoulder against him, falling to one knee just as Steve did and smiling to the six mares and baby dragon in front of her. “And don’t worry,” Romanoff said faintly, a suspicious grin growing across her lips, “we’ll try and visit as much as possible, if that’s alright with Thor after his journey to Asgard and all.” She turned accordingly, the other mares and Spike following her gaze to stare at the Son of Odin. Thor caught their eyes, his reply that of a small nod. “Yes, I suppose so,” he replied, earning a great cheer from Pinkie Pie. From that point on individual goodbyes were given and shared. Natasha offered a hug for each pony, even Spike who practically melted in her grasp. Clint stepped behind her, kneeling down to shake each of their hooves, to which they replied in kind. Fluttershy, like Pinkie, chose a different route and hugged Barton, catching the Hawk off guard. “Come on, you’re gonna make me cry,” Nat joked, waiting for Fluttershy to break off of her friend. She eventually did, adding a soft “sorry” to Barton’s direction. He only chuckled at that, getting up and following Natasha back to the group. Banner would soon join them, offering only a polite grin as he quickly shook the hooves of each pony and retreated back. The action confused several of them, but Twilight took a deeper interest. Through the forced smiles, she could see something else hiding in Banner’s expression. Unease. Unhappiness, maybe. Whatever it was, he just wanted to say goodbye and leave. Just like that. Nothing more. She kept it to herself. Sam and Vision were next, followed slowly by Wanda. Handshakes, hoofshakes all around and a few fist/hoof bumps to go with that and Sam was done. Vision repeated his ally’s actions, instead offering a strong handshake to each mare and dragon. Then the two backed away, letting the Maximoff push through them on her own. The smiles that were once shared nearly vanished, though Pinkie smiled away, oblivious to it all. Wanda stood there in front of them awkwardly, her hands held close to her chest, head laid low and hair blocking her face. Nervously, she turned to Vision, who nodded to her. It wasn’t a comforting gesture; it was more of a push forward. Something she had to do. So, Wanda took in one of the deepest breaths she’d ever had and slowly lowered herself to rest on both knees. Easing to the dirt, Wanda laid her cupped palms into her lap, finally making eye contact with the six ponies staring at her. Just staring. Even Pinkie’s smile began to wane. Wanda gulped softly. Now or never, and she’ll regret it if she chose the latter. Wanda knew that. “I…” she spoke, nearly whispered, “…I…I’m sorry…for everything. What I did back in those caves was out of control and completely uncalled for. I should have waited… I should have known you weren’t there to hurt me or my…” She stopped herself and looked away. The ponies watched her. Taking in a deep breath, Wanda continued. “It was all my fault, and I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me. If you don’t…I-I’ll understand. But I do want to thank you…each of you for housing me someplace warm. I really, truly appreciate your selfless hearts.” She observed the ponies, stopped on a certain one that backed away from her stare. “And you…” Rainbow paused. Trapped now. Frozen as the Maximoff had her in her sights. Expecting the lashing she dreaded for two weeks, Rainbow embraced what was coming for her, ready for Wanda to say it was all her fault that Pietro— “Thank you…for being there.” “Wha…?” Rainbow deadpanned. “You were there…by Pietro’s side when he died,” she chuckled sadly, looking at her fingers. “Discord told me everything that he saw. And I’m…” she stopped and choked this time, fresh tears boiling in her eyes, “…I’m grateful that he didn’t die alone…that someone was with him…that someone being you.” If Dash wasn’t already confused before, her mind practically shut down as the Scarlet Witch leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Rainbow’s neck, bringing the Pegasus in for a hug. She felt as Wanda shivered against her, her face digging into her mane, gentle cries escaping her. Rainbow acted instinctively and placed one hoof on her back, gently patting her. The hug lasted longer than it should have. As if it couldn’t get any more uncomfortable for the Pegasus, the rest of her friends swarmed them, each one sharing in the already clustered group hug. If that wasn’t a sign of their forgiveness then Dash didn’t know what was. “Thank you,” Wanda whispered as she broke off. She wiped her nose, smiling gratefully to each mare. “Thank you all.” She got up on her own, with no help for anybody else. Twilight and her friends watched—even Rainbow Dash—as Wanda Maximoff joined her fellow Avengers near the Bifrost. Fluttershy caught herself, a few whimpers escaping her shivering form. Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out the same handkerchief, offering it to Fluttershy. The Pegasus took it without a thought, dabbing her eyes before she realized the hanky she held had already been used. Even then, she still yelped with fright as the War Machine came crashing down in the center of the road. The dust built up around his legs as Colonel James Rhodes stood up, the burning whites in his eyes glowing fiercely in the cloud. He spun around quickly to see Stark, Rogers, Banner, Romanoff, Barton, Thor, Vision, Maximoff, and Wilson all accounted for. They were standing near the Bifrost, near their final departure. So he faced forward, stepped up to Nick Fury and saluted him. Both Celestia and Luna eyed the Director curiously. He stared straight up, then back to observe Rhodes up and down. “Are we golden?” he finally asked. “Everything’s ready, Fury,” he responded, voice slightly enhanced behind the silver mask. Fury nodded, though seeming a bit distant. “Call it in, Colonel.” James nodded back. He stepped aside, lowering his head only slightly before announcing loudly, presumably into his comms, “This is War Machine on all channels. Pack everything in. We’re heading home.” In an instant, any remaining S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives dropped what they were doing, cut off any conversation they were having and ran in designated formations to the landing sights. The crowd consisting of bystanders, Fury, Odin, the princesses, the six Elements, and Spike all stared straight up, most in awe at the sight of the helicopters slowly descend to the earth. Less than a minute passed and every single S.H.I.E.L.D. agent was up and off the ground, each chopper flying higher and higher back to the Helicarrier. Odin watched the flying mechanisms make their way to the massive beast in the heavens, his eye slowly returning back to earth and onto his soldiers. He could see the remaining Asgardians step into the Bifrost with Lady Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, and Fandral being the last ones born of Asgard. That left his son. That left the Avengers. All nine of them paused once they stepped mere feet in front of the blinding tower of multiple lights. The scorched ground surrounding it began to smoke, burning red in the dirt. Still, they stopped. Tony stopped. Thor slowly came to his side, observing the man beside him. He seemed almost hesitant at first. But as he noticed the stares quickly building, he turned to Thor and said, “I’ve never really been to Asgard before. Is it nice?” Thor only smiled. “It is the land fit for a king,” he answered, staring back into the light. That earned a sigh from Stark, his hands digging into his pockets. “Sounds a little too mundane for me.” His eyes widened in realization. “What if I don’t fit in? That’s like my…third worst fear.” Natasha chuckled lightly, even Barton smiling at that. Steve shook his head. “If you can survive in Equestria, Stark,” Captain America said, twisting his head over to Tony, “I’d say you can survive pretty much anywhere.” But Tony wasn’t looking at him. He was busy staring back into the six—well, seven—smiling faces. He couldn’t hide one, either, and he was man enough to admit that. “I’d say it wasn’t that bad.” He stepped into the Bifrost and vanished. The Avengers followed him one by one, each of their forms disappearing under the golden light. And Vision was the only one to turn back to nod one last time. To them. To all of Equestria before he, too, vanished into the light. And then the Bifrost closed.