“What do we do? That’s obvious! We have to fix what Gaea did!” Fluttershy said. “I don’t care his reasons or whatever was done to him, what he did…it’s unforgivable! We have to set things right!”
“Ah agree! All those lives…we have to fix it!” Applejack agreed.
“We can’t be rash,” Luna cut in, turning all eyes to her. “We are dealing with powers far beyond anything we’ve ever encountered. With a wrong thought...we could cause even worse damage.”
“I…I can’t believe that everything I ever read about the history of this world…all of the culture and mysteries…they were all lies,” Twilight whispered. “Everything before Gaea he made up. The cities, the creatures that live in this world…all of us. We’re all apart of his lie. Of his sins. We are all created by the same things he used to destroy. Our power of Harmony…comes from blood and death…”
“Tony, what should we do?” Pinkie asked Tony.
All eyes turned towards Iron Man, who had been the only being in the room that hadn’t said anything. He had simply sat on a rock and listened, taking in everything that Gaea had written. For a long time, he didn’t even register the ponies. But then he slowly lifted his head, taking in each of the eight ponies with his hidden eyes. No pony knew what he was going to do next.
“We have several options,” he said at last, no tone in his voice. “The first should be the most obvious. Gaea mentioned that he had all of the souls of those he killed inside the Soul Stone.”
“Then we could use their power to recreate the Earth, at least humanities Earth, and restore them all there,” Celestia said. “We just have to put it on the opposite side of the solar system from where we are and that should, hopefully, not affect either!”
Tony looked like he wanted to say something, but then he sat back down and waited.
“It could work,” Twilight agreed. “If we get the other Earth’s position right…we have to try. We owe it to Tony. We owe it to all of them.”
“Can we do this, though?” Rarity asked. “Can we recreate a planet and an entire species?”
“We have to try.”
The six friends nodded to each other before they linked hooves, the Rainbow Power, the Infinity Stones, glowing amongst them. Together they each focused on their respective stone, using all six powers to do what they wanted.
“I…can feel it,” Dash said, with her connection to space allowing her to sense what was going on. “The other Earth, it’s been formed! It’s almost exactly like Equestria!”
None of the ponies saw Tony shake his head in the corner.
“Okay, that’s good! Now let’s focus on getting the people back!” Twilight said. The group nodded and focused, with AJ, Pinkie and Twilight focusing on rebuilding their bodies. Fluttershy was focusing on their souls.
“Okay everypony, let’s all-GAH!” Fluttershy screamed, light erupting from her eyes. “N-no! I wasn’t…I didn’t…please, no! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow screamed, breaking the connection and dashing over to Shy. Fluttershy began weeping, rainbow tears streaming from her face as she continued to apologize. Rarity walked next to Shy and unleashed her power, freeing Fluttershy from her own mind. Fluttershy collapsed to the ground, shaking from how hard she was sobbing.
“What happened?” Twilight asked.
“There were…so many of them. So many souls,” Fluttershy whispered. “And they were all angry. They all wanted vengeance. And when they saw me, they made me see…everything…I can’t bring them back. I’m sorry. I’m not strong enough. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’re okay,” Rarity whispered, cradling Fluttershy’s head.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight whispered, before she noticed Tony shaking his head. “Tony. What’s the matter?”
“This isn’t going to work,” Tony said, his voice quiet. “What the stones can do is dependent on those who wield them. Building a world is easy with them. But restoring billions of souls who were unjustly killed…who want vengeance on your entire species…it’s a recipe for disaster. Fluttershy can’t handle it. I doubt any of you could.”
“So we can’t bring them back?” Pinkie asked.
“It’s more than that. The other Earth you created…Dash said it. It’s like Equestria. That’s because all you’ve known is Equestria,” Tony continued. “My world was nothing like Equestria. To bring it back, you’d have to understand everything about my world, how it worked, how the people worked. None of you know anything about that.”
“But Gaea created a world,” Luna reminded him.
“He created this world from scratch. He wasn’t trying to restore a world he knew nothing about, he just created a new one. One that worked the way he wanted it to. The sun and moon being controlled by Alicorns. Magic that could manipulate the weather and other fundamental forces. Our worlds work far differently than each other. And none of you know how my world worked. Only I do.”
“Well…what if we gave you our power?” Twilight asked, walking towards Tony. “What if we gave you the stones and-“
“NO!” Tony yelled, backing up. The ponies (except Fluttershy) looked at him with surprise and after a moment he shook his head. “No. I shouldn’t be given the stones. No one being should ever hold all the stones. Look at Gaea…look at Thanos. That is far too much power for one being to wield. Gaea got one thing right, splitting them into six. It’s smarter that way.”
“Well what if we had you use the soul stone. As one of the humans champions, maybe they will let you restore them?” Pinkie asked.
“No, Gaea made it so the stones picked you. They would never pick me. As they shouldn’t. The stones are bonded to you,” Tony said. “I don’t think you’d be able to give them to me if you wanted to. Or you could, using all of them. I mean you can do anything. But you shouldn’t. I can’t be trusted with one of them.”
“Can’t be trusted? Tony, you’re-“
“I. Can’t. Trust myself,” Tony finished, looking away.
“Then we are at an impasse,” Celestia said, sighing. “We cannot restore humanity, as we do not know enough about your world and kind Fluttershy cannot face eight billion peoples worthy of hatred and fury.”
“Even if you did, my race is a vengeful one,” Tony added on. “They would never forget what Gaea did to us. They would come after you. They would never stop trying to wipe you all out for what Gaea did. And we would find a way. It’s what we do best. Then there are the other races. The aliens. The Asgardians. Those guys would hold a grudge for the rest of eternity. I’ve seen them do it.”
“Okay, but what if we erased their memories about everything that happened?” Rarity asked. “Made it seem like only a day had passed?”
“We’d find out. And there are beings that wouldn’t forget. Those who are strong enough to find out. It would only end in bloodshed,” Tony whispered.
For a long time, all of the ponies looked at one another, each of them trying to figure out what to do. Then Luna looked at Twilight, remember what power she wielded and an idea came to her. “What if went back in time? What if we prevented any of this from ever happening?”
“Time doesn’t work like that,” Tony said. “If you went back in time to stop Gaea from wiping out humanity, then humanity wouldn’t be wiped out. Equestria and all of you would never be created. Therefor, you could not go back in time to stop him. So he would destroy humanity. So you go back to stop him. Time loop.”
“…Then what if we sent you back?” Celestia asked and all eyes turned towards her. “You are from the past. You are from that time. Even if you change the past, you will still exist. So the changes will stick. There will be no time loop. You can save them!”
“Yeah! Tony is from the past, so him going back shouldn’t break time!” Pinkie added, knowing more about time breaking than anypony. “You go back, stop Gaea, and then happy endings for all!”
“Except it wouldn’t be,” Twilight said, turning her friends gaze towards her. “Didn’t you hear Tony? Go back and stop Gaea, Gaea doesn’t destroy humanity, doesn’t create Equis, doesn’t create…us. If Tony goes back and stops Gaea…then the past would be changed. And we would all cease to be.”
“Wait…” Luna began, taking a moment to think about it. “So if Tony goes back to stop an entire species from being wiped out, his actions…”
“Would cause all of us to be wiped out. Every pony, changeling, and anything else that lives in this world,” Twilight nodded, before a bitter smirk crossed her face. “Of course, in the past we never existed to begin with, so he technically wouldn’t be wiping us out as we wouldn’t exist. Nopony would ever know that we ever lived at all to be wiped out. This is probably the best out-“
“I would.”
All of the ponies, even Fluttershy, turned to look at Tony.
“I would know. I would know that I wiped you all out. I would be stopping one genocide…by causing another.”
“Tony, you would be saving your race,” Celestia said. “You would be…saving those who are supposed to exist. You heard what Gaea had written. All of us…none of us were supposed to exist. Not naturally. We were all created because of the stones. We only live because he created us with the stones.”
“But we’re still alive. Ah still have mah brother and little sister. And ah love them. Stones or not, that feeling, our love, is real,” Applejack said. She was shaking slightly, fear creeping into her eyes. “And ah…ah don’t want anything to happen to them! They don’t deserve to be erased, right?! They did nothing wrong!”
“Applejack is right in that regard. We may have been created because of the stones wielded by a maniac, but do not burden his sins. Twinkle Star and Erik’s battle with the Ghost Rider showed that we make our own destinies!” Luna said fiercely. “We may not be naturally created, but we live none the less! How is it fair to us that we should be punished for the sins of our great grandfather?!”
“It’s not. We shouldn’t be punished for his mistakes. But it would set things right,” Dash said. “I would rather give my life to save billions than live knowing that I could undo it, but live for my own sake.”
“But it wouldn’t be just you! It would be everypony! Regardless of age, race or if they’re good or evil!” Pinkie said. “All of our families…our friends and loved ones…gone. Yeah, it would be right for humanity…but would it be right for us?”
“How can we decide?” Fluttershy asked, finally lifting her head and looking at her friends. “How can we choose one over the other? Humanity or Equis? Who were unjustly killed in the past or those who be unjustly killed now? Which one is right? Do we let the billions that were lost stay dead…or do we kill billions more to save them? How can we choose?”
“We…we can’t,” Twilight said, hanging her head. “We owe it to humanity to try to bring them back…but we are the defenders of our world. We swore to everypony to keep them safe. We…we can’t choose either.”
“As it should be.” All eyes turned to Celestia, who had a gaze on her face Luna had only seen at Celestia’s most dangerous. “We should not be the ones to make that choice. We do not deserve it. After everything our great grandfather did, all we can do is ask for forgiveness. There is only one being on this world who should be allowed to make that choice…the only one who can weigh both options.”
All eyes turned to Tony, who was staring at the floor again.
“So sadly, Stark, I must leave this choice to you. Only you can make this choice. Do you go back and save humanity, only to prevent us from ever coming into being? Or do you allow us to continue to exist, and let humanity’s unjust destruction continue?” Celestia asked, before she shook her head with tears falling down her face.
“I am so sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be this way. But those…those are the only two options. Those are your choices.”
Tony knew she was right. He knew these were his two options. Two ironclad options. But what he didn’t know…was how to choose. Who should live…and who should die.
And finally , there is the dilemma in action ... Now to see which one he'll choose , or maybe another one entirely ? The suspense is unbearable !
Does Doom get a vote?
So Tony. What is your choice?
Can't you like to go back in time, stop Gaea, etc and also bring Equestria to the past?
I think time travel is the best option because all that death won't happen
I must say that I admire the reaction by the Princesses and the Mane 6 towards such dillemma - completely willing to do what is necessary to atone for Gaea's sins, and ultimately accepting that both that it would be Tony's decision and willing to accept whatever he decides.
One interesting tidbit in the last chapter was Gaea's comment about Twilight - that she can set thing right.
Maybe she would realize the unasked question: In order to create Equis and the ponies, does Gaea necessarilly need to destroy humanity?
9892918
Wouldn't work, just because you bring it to the past doesn't change when it was initially created. Even if you go back, save Gaea and have him still create Equestria. It would be a different Equestria, since he didn't go through his trauma and encounter Magneto.
well, the choice is yours, author
but there is only one right option
i hope you pick the right option, or at least find a third option that pleases everyone
because if you choose wrong, you'll earn my undying enmity
9892926
I also had a similar idea here, it's one of the ways it can go.
9892918
I’m not a big Marvel fan but didn’t Doctor Strange’s master say something about if you change the past you create an alternate future.Kind of like a straight line splitting in two. I might be wrong I just remember that from the movie
Great job with the story by the way
9892939
If you read the description of the story you will know that it's more based on cartoons than movies and comics
9892942
Ok see that makes more sense. I saw it before reading this it’s just I forgot what it said my bad
I hope Tony can find the third option. Because either way I see him falling back into one of his most destructive habits, the bottle. This time I don’t think he will be able to pull out.
Or a third opinion sent everyone to the world that they made and go back in time
Well, he could try doing some weird time shenanigans and go back in time with the Elements of Harmony to split the universe away from itself and provide two separate dimensions that are tied to the same stones for the real Earth to live its path down and Equestria to follow the other.
But, meh, just an idea.
I have no idea what Tony will choose, but somehow I just know that someone/pony is going to find a third option that's gonna work
There is a third option.
First, channel the power of the stones through JARVIS, using his database to recreate Earth physically. Then, bring back a few of the 'primitive culture' humans onto that Earth. The ones who had no idea of what was going on in the larger world.
Yeah, it's basically a reboot for humanity. But better that then Humanity being extinct or Equestria going poof.
Hmm and here I was hoping for an "I am Ironman" moment. Guess not. Probably for the best.
I can't help but realize Tirek was a Red Herring. Though he was integrated as well as could be expected into the story... the fact he shows up to troll Tony is evidence of good story planning... his sole purpose seems to be just to clue Tony in as to where the Infinity Stones are now, and to get him to seek the truth and get the story to where it is now.
The stones appear to work very differently from the MCU, where they, according to Word of God, work on "wish logic" so you don't really need to know the details of what you want. These stones (is it comic logic, or original to this story?) require more it seems. But how could you even restore billions of lives you never even knew, then? Seems contradictory.
I find it interesting the ponies suggest putting Earth on the other side of the sun. But it's also made clear that Celestia controls the sun. I suppose these aren't contradictory, but it still suggests ponies don't know (at least most don't) how a heliocentric solar system works, so where did the idea of putting Earth on the far side of the sun come from?
I guess this chapter answers my question about what time travel theory this story subscribes to.
Oof what choices Tony has now. Though I have to wonder if we'll see a third choice pop up to make everything right and give us a happy ending. I see two possibilities. One is the other two choices get taken away somehow and Tony is forced to use the stones. Knowing Earth as he does suggests to me he could restore everything the way the ponies suggested. The other possibility he goes back but convinces or tricks Gaea into making Equestria without destroying Earth.
It's Tony he always finds a third option if he doesn't like the first two.
Mmmmm, solutions, OK, let's all the girls, Celestia, luna and Tony travel back in time, several years before humanity desapears, let them have human bodies, and live as humans for 20 years until iron man desapears, so they all will understand how earth was, Then, fluttershy tries again later, but just in case in a human form, instead of making humanity forget, let's put in them the explanation of what happened, why, how, and everything, so there will be less repercutions, heroes will help keep the peace, as a good measure, the asgardians should get an explanation too, Then, they just need to prepare for galactus.
With those stones there has to be more options
9893288
I don't think stones are a limitation, but users
9892900
Which is exactly when Tony usually buckles down and creates a third option.
According to some theory Avengers pulled one Thanos from a different timeline, and in that timeline the snap didn't happened and nobody got erased for five years.
So maybe somepony just needs to use the time stone to check if it can actually be done?
9892856
Hell no! Doom's a meglomaniac. He would restore humanity and twist them into his personal slaves. He would improve the world based upon his own twisted ideas of what it should look like, not what it should be. Tony is sane enough to know that no one should have such power. Doom is not.
9893427
That is correct. Hell he was given two options when he was kidnapped the very first time. Either sit and die, or create weapons for terrorists. He took a third optione. Hell, he DID creat a weapon, but it was simply for himself. X))
Why should those be the only options? How about a third opinion....which involved a central spirit of chaos.
Okay, here's my take. Go back, convince Gaea to leave the Earth and find, no, make another Galaxy that is exactly like the current Equus. Have the same exact events unfold there and everything. Then, when everyone has simmered down, start planetary relations with the new race with Tony leading the effort for peaceful relations. And any who would wish to disturb those relations would either face Gaea himself, or the Avengers, or some other team of supers. And if not... Tell the humans that Gaea has the power to wipe them out. If you can't be loved, then be feared.
...
......
I choose to get help from Dr Doom. Cause hell that idea is out there but at the same time is a idea that Tony will kinda think of that doesn't evolve doing ether one. And what does doom likes more then showing off his genius? Getting his ego stroke like cat.
Here is a weird logic, taking account of Avengers Assemble time travel, they could put Equis into a pocket dimension exactly like theirs the send tony back in time to prevent Gaea from happening, because of dimensional diference, They wouldnt be wiped since they were cut of from the OG timeline.
I feel like there's a third option here.
Go ahead and release all the beings trapped in the soul stone. Yes, it does open up Equestria's beings to retaliation. But at the same time, it sounds like the the Infinity stones have an actuality have become the main six.
It might be more practical for all of them to link up and take Tony and Doom with them to seek out individual souls that could work with them to calm the souls inside to get the more recreational characters of the marvel universe to calm down. There have got to be some that would listen instead of continue yelling. Reed Richard? Professor X? Are there any Marvel characters that might be able to be talked down and help the souls trapped in the stone to calm down?
9893974
Unfortunately Professor X was killed by DR. DOOM at the start of the story. So he couldn't help Captain America would help but unfortunately Thor and Hulk would not trust the ponies because of their pride and what happened to them. Personally I have my own idea and I will spoiler it below.
Tony will have all the souls reincarnated over time in the multitude of the beings over here and on the other Equestria on the other side of the sun. He will then use the time stone/gem and go back in time to get the Super Solider Syrum to prepare for the age of heroes to restart. He will simply take the place of the guy who originally created it and one day he will see Cap once again.
I have better idea,,,
Sleep,and see whats next update will be...
9893944
Wouldn't really work, because it is all in CONCEPT. Gaya wiped humanity - and then created ponies. If he does NOT kill us off - then he does NOT create ponies.
Third option:
1Utilize the time and space stones to time warp back to the day before gaea writes his final entry in the journal. Inform him on the plan to fix his wrongs and bring humanity back, and he would be more compliant to helping them out.
2Ask him the exact date and time he started work on the elements of harmony with starswirl and time warp to that point/a few days after work began.
3Convince both starswirl and the younger gaea to place a back door in the elements so that Tony can utilize the infinity stones so long as he is connected with the girls when they are powered up he can use the power of the infinity stones. (This fixes several problems; tony won’t be alone in using their power, so he won’t have to worry about being corrupted like thanks and gaea, the girls will be able to use tony’s Memories of earth ( via the mind stone) and tony himself could help calm the souls.)
4make a second attempt at creating a new earth, using Tony’s memories as a base.
5 using the soul stone, being out earth’s mightiest heroes first, one by one. Explain the situation to them, and make it clear that the ponies are as a whole innocent in all this, as Gaea was the only one to commit these acts, and the only one to have knowledge of the truth. This could convince Cap, and maybe a couple others, who could keep the rest of them in check.
6usimg the newly brought back heroes, have humanity brought back to the new earth in small groups. Inform them on the situation and let it be known that Equestria is not an enemy, that the only true enemy they had with them is long dead, as well as his legacy ( the truth of all this will most likely be out at this point. Humanity, whether for good or ill, will continue contact with equestria, which could cause the ponies to abandon all faith in Gaea, disowning him and his accolades)
7 Optional: Once all is said and done, have the reality stone and power stone to alter the space the entire planet inhabits, to be delayed by one second. This will cause it to appear to be invisible as it is now phased out of the rest of the universe, allowing access only by those who are either allied with equestria (from with in) or those who seek peace it’s equis ( from without)
That’s my third option. Anybody see a flaw with it, or something I missed, please let me know.
Thank you!
Even if they stopped Frank from killing Twinkle. It still doesn't let the Equis they know come into being. There has to be something we are all missing on this, because I don't believe those are the only two options. Tony could not live with himself if he wiped out the ponies as he knows they aren't guilty.
I just got hit with an idea for option three!
Go back in time and get the people Doom killed before he killed them. But leave copies of them so the timeline doesn't change. Now you have a team of heroes, plus Tony saves Peter! Win-win-win!
Also this would screw with Doom's mind so much, for a short time at least, they could find a hole in his defenses.
9892942
Mmm, still doesn't answer the Temporal Dilemma question. Is Time a single thread, just aching for a paradox to screw up everything forever, or is Time the 4th dimension in the multiverse, infinitely divisible, branching to a new universe when looped to prevent any and all paradoxes?
9897868
If you would want to edit current timeline you, first shouldn't be affected by it at all.
If something changed in timeline you would be aware of this but not affected by it at all
Paradox doesn't then exist with you beceause you exist where in time you are
It's complicated to explain, I once heard about it
Does someone remember from DC a movie or show episode of some recruits from league coming to present to stop some being that was trapped in some kind of clepsidra, he wasn't affected by time even if you tried to go back in time he will be there to meet you
Or something like that, I can find it
4th option!
GO ANTHRO!!!
9940438
shut up lyra, it is not worth it.
You could just ask the smartest guy on the planet how to save both.
There's another option, make another fresh universe for Equis, simply transport their world to another universe, go back in time and stop Gaia and humanity lives, and since Equis is in another freshly made universe, then they aren't affected, win win scenario.
This is by far the most suspenseful chapter (from a story) I’ve ever seen. The impact of the plot up to this point is huge and I cannot even begin to comprehend how Tony is feeling right now. He literally has the weight of the world from the choices he was given.
9943931
Lyra be like: haaaaaaannnddddsssss.....