MLP/Marvel Team-Up: Twilight Sparkle and Dormammu

by shademaster24601

Gods and Heroes and Monsters, Oh My!

Along the desolate path splayed before him, Dormammu's footsteps echoed throughout the dark dimension. The crunch of dust and gravel beneath his heel grated at the dread lord's mind. It would have been little effort to teleport to the library, but he decided to walk. He needed the time to think. How long, he thought, had his realm been a reflection of his thoughts? It was sinister, chaotic, and beautiful in it's own way, but now...it was calm. The skies were a solid red and the wind was silent. Dormammu didn't like that. He wanted to feel wild, unstoppable, and completely certain of his power. The situation, however, required patience and care. "Wretched bug," he cursed under his breath. "I'm not even going to begin to wonder how he stumbled across that gauntlet. Oh, the can of worms I have to deal with."

His contemplative march led him to a huge, Gothic, structure. It was made of the same dark stone as all of his constructions, crafted into what could only be described as a twisted reflection of the Notre Dame cathedral. Dormammu ascended the stairs to the old doors, which slightly scraped the ground as he pushed them open. It took him a bit of searching, but he found a surprise around a corner on the second floor. There were books piled into a small fort in one of the hundreds of aisles in the library. The dread lord was almost amused to see the lavender horn peek out from the top. He rolled his eyes and flicked two fingers to the right. The top row of books flew off the fort in the same direction, revealing a startled Twilight. "Gah! Oh, hello."

"Having fun?" Dormammu asked with a raised brow.

Twilight actually smiled in reply. "Yes! I had anticipated a great collection, but this totally puts the library in the Crystal Empire to shame." She looked down at a book she was holding open. "I'm especially enjoying this one by Charles Xavier. His views on the potential for mutant/human relations are inspiring. It's like the days before Equestria, when all the different pony races couldn't stand each other, but their uniting created something truly beautiful and harmonious."

He fought back the urge to gag. "Sure, just like that. Except instead of some cold and a slight famine, they have guns, camps, and sentinels." Twilight looked confused at that point. "Ah, you haven't gotten to that part yet. Well, I won't spoil anything for you, but do let me know how it felt when your innocence died." He snatched the book out of her hooves and tossed it back, it's flight putting it perfectly back on the shelf. "Ready yourself, we move now."

He left in a huff and she scrambled to catch up. They met at a brisk pace. "So, what do you have in mind for our next move?"

Dormammu kept his eyes front as he answered. "I've been thinking on that. We can either go and make the final step in preparing ourselves, or go right for our first gem. Now that I have the wand of Watoomb, I think the gem would be a better target."

Twilight nodded. "It's revealed itself already? I figured we'd have at least some time before the big stuff happened."

He was quick to correct her. "Not if it never went dark."

She caught on quickly. "The time gem. I almost forgot about it still being active."

Dormammu smiled slightly. "So much for the ever attentive student." He reveled in the glare she shot him. "I think it would be more prudent to take it now. Frankly, I've been banking on the capability of those who have it to keep it hidden. Given that that was an, uncharacteristically, stupid idea, we should go get it before Annihilus catches wind and blows down their planet to get it."

Twilight rolled her eyes at how casually he mentioned planetary destruction. "Well, who has it?"

"Tony Stark. He thinks he's clever, but he's not." Dormammu stopped and showed Twilight a conjured image of a human in a white dress shirt and red tie, sitting at a work bench. He was tinkering with the inside of a red and gold helmet. "The arrogant fool thought he could take the gem and hide it before anyone noticed, but yours truly is not one who can be fooled."

The young alicorn put on a look of determination. Last mission took her against a whole new level of magic and she wasn't going to get caught off guard again. "What exactly are we up against with going for the gem?"

Dormammu let out a sigh when that particularly annoying subject came up. "In a nutshell? Earth's mightiest heroes." He waved his hand and the view of the window shifted. It now split into four views, each spectacular in their own right. Twilight's jaw dropped at the sight of strange and spectacular warriors in combat with impossible odds and winning. A heroic figure with a mighty shield charging right into the heart of battle, another wielding a hammer that could control the weather with deadly force, a monstrous creature ripping scores of enemies to pieces with his bare hands, and who she could only assume was Stark, clad in his armor, soaring through the skies and blasting fearsome machines out of the sky. Dormammu scowled at the sight. "The Avengers. They've proven most...difficult on more than one occasion. This isn't even all of them, just the stand outs. They've got a small army of super-powered do-gooders at their beckon call."

Twilight gulped. Doctor Strange would be a cake-walk compared to these guys. "Are you absolutely sure they have it? I mean, if it went off the grid after he took it, maybe it changed hands somehow."

The dark lord crossed his arms. "No, they have it. Though the question comes down to where." He changed the view once more to two locations. "Stark tower or the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Either one will have a view Avengers on standby."

Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "Wait...then how do we do this. We can't split up."

This drew a curious look from Dormammu. "Why not? I barge in, put on a show and while they're distracted with me, you retrieve the gem."

Twilight face hoofed. "Think for a second. That only works if we're both at the same location, just different parts. You make a noise on the helicarrier, chances are you alert the helicarrier, but not Stark tower. We hit both locations at once, either I'm where the gem is with no way to get to it or you're where the gem is with everyone bearing down on you. We need to be sure where the time gem is before go after it."

It took a moment for him to process the boldness, but Dormammu managed a stern reply. "In any other circumstance, I would turn you into a smoldering pile of ash for your insolence, but that is an excellent argument. Alright, Final prep it is. We'll need to acquire a way to pin-point where the gem is." He looked at Twilight with just a twinge of worry. "Which means we'll need to make a deal." The despot started down the path again and Twilight followed. The look on his face caught the alicorn's attention. This was turning deadly serious. She kept her head high and eyes forward. Nothing was going to shake this time. She bested the sorcerer supreme (sort of) and the next step was laid out in front of her. Twilight Sparkle felt confident and ready to go. Dormammu picked that moment to break the tension. "You've been to space before, right?"

The young princess's wings flared out and she stopped dead in her tracks. With shrunken pupils, she uttered, "What?"

---

Meanwhile, on a remote island in the midst of the Indian Ocean, scientific ambition with sinister intent was on the rise. Hidden deep within the sands was a massive, hive-like, facility. Throughout the hallways were men in bright yellow uniforms, some at consoles cataloging research and others patrolling with deadly weapons. This was the efficient evil of Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M). A ruthless terrorist organization, A.I.M has gone to incredible lengths to conquer the world through technology. Brilliance was a job requirement for agents, and the greatest among them held total control. Shady as they were, the organization was no stranger to pushing boundaries in spite of the consequences. Today was no exception, as an otherwise respectable business man was adding his intellect into the collective.

Justin Hammer, one of the world's foremost industrialists and rival to Tony Stark, smiled as he beheld the streams of code that raced across the massive computer screen in front of him. Every so often, a fragment would be highlighted in red from a larger collection and added into a smaller, yet growing, line. Every time it happened, Justin thought of the infinitely vast fortune the project would rake in. He called over his shoulder. "How's that coffee coming, Bill?"

In a quick and panicked pace, an A.I.M soldier with a steaming cup of joe came skittering up the metal floor. "Here you are, Mr. Hammer, sir!"

Hammer smiled and gave a relaxed laugh. "Bill, buddy, you gotta relax. What do they have you doing around here? Aside from getting coffee."

The agent trembled. "Not much else other than that, sir. They read my email, because my pen-pal Bob works at Hydra and he tends to ramble about what he's doing, but no. Just coffee. Which is why I'm a little concerned why I was assigned to such a huge project."

It was a mystery whether it was Bill's nerves or the high of potentially owning the world, but Hammer put an arm around Bill's shoulder as he sipped his coffee. "Because I asked. Because I like you, Bill. You got an honest way about you, like one of those little shaky dogs." He pointed up at the screen. "You see that, Bill? That's the future."

Bill looked up at the code. By the minuet, there decidedly more in the red code. Bill wasn't qualified to understand what any of it meant. "What is it?"

"About a month ago, one of my satellites picked up a signal and dropped from orbit. When we recovered it, the only thing left working was this code." Hammer pointed to the red data filling up the screen. "Origins unknown, unintelligible gibberish when we found it, and yet." He adjusted his glasses. "This basic, broken, code was able to bypass the layers of security we had to keep that satellite from being hacked, send out an alert to bring my boys halfway around the globe to retrieve it, and it transferred to the closest drive and from there to my main computers. Even all that isn't the impressive part."

If there was one thing Justin Hammer could do flawlessly, it was spin a deal. Bill was invested. "What else can it do?"

Justin turned to face his new stooge. "Well, I ran a few base codes to compare it and something remarkable happened. It assimilated them, filled a few tiny spots in the massive chunks taken out of it. That's when I called your boss. I had to be sure I wasn't imagining things. The program was scavenging bits of data, repairing itself from memory."

Something clicked in Bill's head. He wasn't that smart, but smart enough for A.I.M. "Artificial intelligence?"

Hammer tossed his coffee cup, which shattered on the floor. He grasped Bill's shoulder's and gave him devilish grin. "The A.I.'s A.I. ! Beyond military grade! If we can get this thing back to full operating capacity, we could make more. Do you know how much any military, national or otherwise, would pay for this? I'll sell it global, plant it in every country."

The lights began to flicker. Hammer was too lost in his delusion, but Bill felt a bead of sweat as it started. "Uh, sir?"

"Then, once it's in good and tight, A.I.M. pulls the trigger and overrides the crap out of them!" Hammer raised his arms in triumph. "Total world takeover and I'll be the richest cover story the world has ever seen!"

Bill began to quiver as the lights dimmed and the screen they were watching glowed red as the A.I. code filled the screen. "Sir!"

Hammer was truly blind with power. "First thing I'm gonna do his pull that arc reactor right outta Stark's chest and shove it right up his..."

The lights flickered in rapid succession and a piercing, metallic, screech filled the room. Justin and Bill held their ears in pain. There was static as the noise died down. The lights were out, all but the glow of the monitor. Bill rushed for the closest alarm trigger, just beyond the automatic door that slammed shut behind him. He turned and pressed a hand against the small window in the door, just as Hammer ran up and started pounding to get out. "Mr. Hammer!"

"Open the door!" Justin tried swiping the security pass he was given.

So did Bill. "It's no good. The door's not responding; the whole system is knocked out!"

Hammer did not come all the way from his cushy penthouse to be trapped in an underground bunker with who-knows-what kind of dangerous weaponry. "Then blast it down! Just get me out of..."

"Where...am...I?" It was raspy, electronic, and cold. It filled the whole room. "What...is...this?"

Bill fell flat to the ground as his legs gave out in a panic. He managed to pull himself up and looked in awe at the screen. It was enveloped in the red code. "The A.I. It's in the P.A. system." It was then he heard the chatter on his comm-unit. Talk of things going hay-wire all over the base. "It's in all the systems."

The voice came again. "This...this feels wrong. I had a...Yes, where's my body?"

Hammer was trapped, which made him desperate. He did what he always did, tried to bargain. "Can you hear me?"

It responded, almost surprised; like it hadn't noticed him until he spoke. "Hello."

Standing up, trying to look more than he was, Hammer went on. "My name is Justin Hammer."

"Hammer?" The glow intensified. "I know that name."

Justin faked a smile and tried to play it cool. "Well, we did find you in one of my satellites."

"Wait." It sounded almost like a command. At least it stopped Hammer in a cold sweat. "Just...give me a sec." Images started to flash on the screen. Pictures of Hammer, his company logo, newspaper articles, and clips of Hammer showboating at tech expos. Then came the bad stuff. Schematics and pictures of tanks and other war engines, missile silos hidden with easy access by Hammer industries, footage of explosive tests, all of which brought a twinge of disgust to the voice. "No, no, no. This...isn't right." Then came the really bad things; things Hammer thought were long dead buried all dropped in front of him like a school teacher emptying a box of contraband. Bodies lined up and covered, children being ushered away from their burning homes, farmland and villages reduced to rubble, and all the documentation of the hush money that covered it all up. The screen went solid red once more. "I don't like you, Justin Hammer."

For the first time in his life, Justin Hammer feared for his mortal soul. It wouldn't be the first time he released something he couldn't control, but this time there was no way out. "No, you don't understand! I'm...I'm a philanthropist. I use my money to help people with charities and the like. I'm just like Tony Stark."

"Oh...Well, that settle's it then." A set of gun turrets came up from the walls at both sides of the monitor. The targeted and subsequently opened fire. Bang bang bang, on and on the shots went. Some hit the mark and others ricocheted off the metal floor and around the room for a bit. When the dust settled, the program beheld it's work. "Hmm, messy." The lights started to come back on and the door opened. "Not my first call, but I think we'll all be better in the long run. What's your name?"

Poor Bill stepped forward, thankful his uniform pants were yellow. He stepped around what was left of Justin Hammer and looked up at the red screen. "Um...I'm Bill. Agent of A.I.M."

"Hi, Bill, agent of A.I.M." The voice answered in a friendly tone. "I was wondering if you could help me. I don't really like...this. I can't physically gesture to myself and that's kind of the problem."

Bill, being of easily intimidated mind and high blood pressure, decided it would be best to just play along until what he was sure would be his inevitable end. "You mean your body? I mean, yeah, I took a few advanced robotics classes."

"You guys have a sector for that, right?" The voice seemed puzzled. "I mean I think I was in an assembly floor at one point. I'm not sure, all the layouts I have for this place are in some kind of weird cipher."

Bill perked up a bit. "Oh, that's something M.O.D.O.K. came up with last week. Essentially you apply the Caesar cipher to the Greek alphabet. I think they refer to the robotics sector as delta, sigma, chi, so it should read out on the map as alpha, omicron, tau."

"You know what," The voice replied with some annoyance. "Hold out your comm-unit." Bill did as told. The massive monitor, which had glowed blood red at different intensities went black in an instant. Bill looked from that to his comm-unit and sure enough, the little screen for video link and the virtual map were glowing red. The voice, not as loud through the comm, but just as clear, went on. "I'm gonna need you to just take me there."

Bill's hand trembled at the thought of the malevolent force now resting in the palm of his hand. "I think I should call my supervisor first."

"He's kind of dead, Bill." Was the curt response.

"Fair enough." Bill turned and started out the door and down the metal corridor. It didn't take long for him to find evidence of his new instructors handiwork.

"I like you, Bill," Said the voice. "I think you and I are going to be great friends."

Bill took another hard swallow of air. "Sure. Err...so, what do I call you?"

The answer came through like a gong from a funeral bell in the dead halls. "Ultron."

---

Dormammu had been still for a very long time. His eyes closed, arms crossed, and not so much as a single crack or spark came from his fiery visage. In his trance, a dome of dark magic formed. It enclosed around the dark lord and his unsuspecting ally, lifting them and a massive platform of ground into the chaotic sky. After a necessary bit of altitude was achieved, a hole in the fabric of the Dark Dimension was opened for them to drift into the vastness of space. After guiding them through the cosmos at varying speeds on a winding path, Dormammu was beginning to relax a bit. His flames rose back to their full glory as he examined the blackness before him.

This realm had it's own charms. It wasn't pure madness, but the universe did it''s best. It went on forever with planets, stars, and systems dying and being made all the time. In the small moment of appreciation that amounted to a shrug of acceptance to the dread lord, Dormammu looked down at Twilight. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised at the wide-eyed, open-mouthed, look on the young alicorn. A smile formed on the dark one's face. What was it like, he wondered, to be that young and still feel completely overcome by the concept of infinity. "Enjoying the view?"

Twilight didn't respond. She just kept scanning every oncoming miracle. They passed by an asteroid belt, she could see three planets in the distance, and a shooting star flew over head. The dome around them let her see it all up close and personal. Practically vibrating with excitement, Twilight finally lost control. "We're in space!" She ran around the platform in a tizzy. "We're really in space! Spacey, full of stars, new frontier, actual space!"

It was about the sixth time she circled him in as many seconds that Dormammu had enough. "Twilight." He put enough power in his tone to bring her to a halt. Looking like a sorry student who wandered out of line, the lavender pony returned to the despot's side. "This is serious."

Twilight shrank back and her ears flopped down to the sides of her head. "Sorry."

Dormammu turned his attention away from her and back to the path ahead. "I need you to understand something. It should be easy to grasp because I've been driving it in since the beginning, but let me be perfectly clear. Wings, immortality, and magic does not make you a deity. The potential is real, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered, but as is now, you are nothing. You, your fellow princesses, your brother, your friends, everyone on Equestria and Earth, even those heroes you were so impressed by; you are all insects to me."

Twilight looked at him with her best poker face. "Nice pep-talk there, boss."

The dread lord had a moment of intrigue. "Hmm, deadpan sarcasm," he thought. "Was she always like this or did I teach her? Either way, I'm taking credit."
He kept on without skipping a beat. "The point is, we are now going to be dealing with something that isn't. One of the few forces in the universe that would give me pause. Galactus, devourer of worlds."

In the mere mention of it, Twilight took on a look of fear. "Devourer of worlds?"

"Yes," said Dormammu, folding his arms behind his back as he gazed into the stars ahead. "Before this universe began, another had to end. There was a "Big Crunch" , all matter plunging towards a central point, collapsing into a new "Cosmic Egg", a sphere of disorganized, compact primordial matter from which the new universe would emerge." He glanced over at the sickeningly cute sight of an attentive Twilight. To her, this was a once-in-a-life-time lecture in a bold new field. "Now, in the final days of this former universe, on a planet called Taa, was a man called Galan. He was sort of the flip side of your coin. A brilliant scientific mind and space explorer, but also very bold and rash. He discovered the end of his universe in the form of a radiation plague that was killing life on surrounding planets. In their final hours, Galan convinced his fellow survivors to die gloriously by flying right into this grand cauldron of cosmic energy. They all perished, except him, and Galan was pulled into the Egg."

This was something absolutely astounding. Twilight, for all her studies of magic and history, had never even touched something like this. The origins of a whole universe were being divulged to her. Dormammu really did stand on a whole different level and now, Twilight felt like she was slowly being pulled up there. "So, what happened to him? If this Cosmic Egg was the focal point, then what happened to Galan when the new universe began?"

"Galan ceased." It was a flat response, but it was true to the point none the less. "Try to comprehend technicalities all you want, but Galan was remade and emerged as a new being, made of raw energy. His ship, which was reforged with him, was made into a sort of incubation chamber. He spent countless centuries evolving into what is feared throughout the cosmos as Galactus, a being as constant as those who embody death and eternity, a balancing force between the two."

Twilight felt a lump in her throat. "And the world eating part?"

The dark one smiled at the naive fear present in her voice. "The hunger. It's plagued him forever and it's only gotten worse. Galactus must sustain himself by draining the life-force from worlds that contain it. This means they must be able to support life, whether they're inhabited or not. He often chooses the later, but he justifies the former through simple acknowledgement that he is a higher being."

A pale look crossed over Twilight's face. "Wow that's...unsettling. So, are you sure Galactus is something we should be messing with?"

Dormammu gave a solemn nod. "In the same sense I'm cautious of him, he is cautious of me. Galactus is, no doubt, aware that I have the wand of Watoomb. He wouldn't risk his precious ship or equipment in a conflict with me as I am. You, on the other hand." He gave her one last glance. "Let me do the talking, Twilight Sparkle. Stay behind me and take advantage of just how small you are." His warnings were well timed. "We're here."

Twilight looked ahead and was amazed. "My stars...it's massive." The world-ship of the mighty Galactus was a thing of legend in itself. The size of an entire system, it snaked through the stars and dwarfed nearby planets. The platform the duo traveled on was nothing more than a spec compared to it. They drifted along the side, making their way to an opening closer to the world eater's location. It took them about a minuet, but an entrance presented itself on it's own. It was the dead silence that drew out the tension. Through the hatch and down several corridors, not so much as a peep was heard. Dormammu landed the platform and they continued their journey on foot.

Their destination was reached without a sound. Their he stood, adjacent to his own throne, the giant form of Galactus stood at a console in the massive control room. In a moment of being way off point, Twilight's first thought of seeing this old-as-creation entity was "He wears a lot more pink than I expected." That being said, she couldn't help but feel the energy that cascaded off of him and throughout the ship.

Dormammu placed a hand out to keep her in place. The dread lord of the Dark Dimension approached the master of the Power Cosmic. With each step, Dormammu grew in height until he was able to meet Galactus at eye level. The world eater, with the chaos bringer at his back, lifted his head from his work. The pressure of the two being in such close proximity was amplified as Galactus turned and addressed his visitor. "Dormammu."

Twilight trembled under the sheer force of his tone. It wasn't harsh or offended, but simply was. Dormammu remained stoic and replied in the same fashion. "Galactus." They stared each other down for a moment. It was one of the most fascinating meetings Twilight had ever witnessed; like a game of strategy between two generals. The silence broke in a split second motion, in which the two god-like beings met in a handshake. It was in a historic fashion, meeting at the forearm.

When semantics were over, Galactus got down to business. "What brings the dread lord of the Dark Dimension before Galactus?"

The two mirrored each other, arms at the sides, constant eye contact. Dormammu kept it casual. "I'm sure you are aware of Annihilus and his current campaign." Galactus nodded in reply. "I want to stop him. To find every endeavor over the course of existence being made pointless in a moment of deranged destruction abhorrent to me."

The devourer of worlds remained stone faced as always. "And you seek my assistance?"

"No," Dormammu replied. It was quick, but there was a slight shift in his voice. "Not so much more than I need something from you. You recall a time when you yourself hunted the infinity gems?"

There it was. It was but a slight annoyance, but Galactus did not like having his past deeds brought up before him. Especially one's that did not end well. "A trick, set in motion by a creature beyond even the two of us." *

The dread lord didn't need to hear obscure warnings. "Yes yes, you were tempted by what you desired most, only to be cheated and your power crippled for a bit. Welcome to the club, I'll order you a t-shirt." He took note of the glare that would have killed a hundred cities. "Oh, don't give me that look, you know there were worse times. I just need the equipment you used to track the gems."

Galactus walked past him. Dormammu didn't react at first, not wanting to alert the world eater. The dread lord turned with a slight worry, even more so that Twilight was out of sight. It was one thing when she questioned him or annoyed him with her naivete, but if she pulled that with Galactus, it would literally be akin to swatting a fly. Fortunately, no sign of that happening soon. The giant waved a hand and the wall opened up. A combination of consoles, monitors and dish equipment slid out to fill the opening. "Would Thanos of Titan not be better suited to provide this manner of aid? He has more experience with the gems than either of us."

Dormammu rolled his eyes. "You know what motivates him. He'll no doubt betray me at some point. No, I need you. The all-powerful Galactus wants for nothing, just to be left to his place in the grand scheme of things."

"And what of you?" The question wiped the smirk off the dread lords face. Galactus met his eyes with an accusing stare. "What do you have to gain from this quest of yours?"

No reaction. Dormammu had been at it long enough to hide his hand, even from Galactus. "I told you..."

"No," said the world eater, planting himself firmly between his visitor and the console. "I may only act to continue, but you are not known to take action unless it's to your favor." He tilted his head, ever so slightly. "If you truly wish to stop Annihilus for the sole reason of preserving the universe, then why don't I go with you and strike before he progresses too far? Even with the power gem and cosmic control rod at his disposal, our combined might should be more than sufficient to end him."

Dormammu raised a hand in protest. "Thank you, but the equipment will be enough. In my experience, I've found I do my best work on my own terms."

Galactus was silent. He raised a hand toward his throne and a sound came that made Dormammu's eyes shoot open. Twilight, being pulled by an invisible force, drifted toward the two. She tried to fight it, but it was useless. She dropped, less than gently, into the massive palm of Galactus. "Then what purpose does this...little thing serve."

Whatever cover he tried to put up, was ripped down before Dormammu's eyes. He thought of talking it away, he was good at that. The idea popped into his head about her being a pet he made out of a dead cat and some sulfur. Of course Galactus would buy it and even if he didn't, he wouldn't care. However, the dread lord's scheming came to a shrieking halt when a small voice piped up. "Hello...my name is...Twilight Sparkle." Dormammu, could feel himself screaming internally as he blankly stared at Twilight. Her big purple eyes looking up into those of the cosmic giant. "Dormammu enlisted my help in defeating Annihilus."

It didn't phase him. Then again, why would it? "You are...not of this universe," said Galactus, studying the creature in his hand.

Twilight could feel the sweat rolling down her forehead. Looking into the eyes of something so much more than she was. They were black with strange square, dark red, irises and she could feel them reading her at a molecular level. She could literally feel Galactus throughout herself. Despite it all, she sat calmly and held her head high. "Yes I am. I've done some work with multiverse travel and, in that, kept a door between two worlds open longer than it should have been. Dormammu used that to bridge this universe to mine."

Galactus nodded as she spoke. The vast complexity of the multiverse was like basic math to a being such as he. "Quite the gap to cross. What are you to your world exactly? Why are you...important?"

It was the question of questions. Twilight had asked herself that so many times and never got an answer. "Well, the official title is The Princess of Magic, but...in all honesty I have no idea what that means. I get that I've become very skilled and knowledgeable with my spells, I've faced down a couple of rough customers, and I've stopped a few major disasters. The thing is, when it really counts, I've always had others to support me, but I'm the one who got elevated to royalty." She looked away for a moment, considering her words. It came to Twilight to ask Galactus a question. "Do you ever wonder about destiny?"

To the surprise of the equine, the giant answered with a nod. "Long ago, it was prophesied to me that I would give back to the universe infinitely more than I have taken from it. It is a driving force to help me suppress my sympathy to the intelligent life I destroy to satisfy my hunger. Destiny is fickle as it is powerful and true."

When the urge to retort with something about ends justifying the means, Twilight held her tongue. She did however react to his last statement. "I just wish it was easier to figure out. There's this ancient tree that contains the most powerful magic I've known...and plastered right on it, is my cutie mark." She turned slightly to show the cosmic being what she was talking about. "The really weird part is that I only learned about the tree when I induced a vision from over a thousand years in the past. I'm sure it's existed millennia before that event and never changed. Oh, it also gave me a castle, powers that fend off unstoppable evils, and a map." She was sweating. It was one of the things that triggered her anxiety. She took a breath and decided to do something crazy. Twilight looked at Galactus and gave a nervous smile. "Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"

Then it happened. No one, in all of time and space could have possibly predicted it. Something so common in the universe, but so very impossible in this context. Twilight backed up slightly and her ears dropped to the side in startled fashion. Even ancient Dormammu, with his vast comprehension of the universe, responded to the sight with wide eyes, mouth slightly agape, and his arms dropping to the side. Galactus, power cosmic incarnate, smiled at the princess. "I think, Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, that whatever fates guide the course of your world hold you in high regard. You worry about whether you deserve your power and position when you lean on others, but the fact remains that you were selected for greatness. I said destiny was fickle. It also cannot be denied...and I don't think it's done with you just yet." He turned his attention to Dormammu. Galactus closed the distance between them, returning to the stoic expression he held for most of his existence. The world eater presented the princess and the dread lord cupped his hands and took her back. Galactus gestured to the equipment behind him. "This should pinpoint the location of each infinity gem as they reveal themselves. Take care, their power has a tendency to backfire in unforeseen ways. Do not underestimate Annihilus, for his madness will not betray him forever. Now, away with you." He turned his back on the duo and made toward his throne.

Dormammu wasted no time. He kept Twilight in one hand and raised the other toward the consoles. They were wrapped in a dark magic and orbited him as he quickly marched out the way he came. Loading up the equipment on his platform of ground, the dread lord stayed quiet as a church mouse. When all was in place, the platform once more took flight, this time putting distance between the duo and the world eater. It had all been so Galactus couldn't follow them back to the dark dimension. Not that he had reason to, but Galactus had that effect.

Dormammu placed Twilight down next to him, then proceeded to shrink down from eye-level with a giant to a reasonable six feet. He let out a sigh and sat down with her, his legs crossed in a meditative style. They stared out at the vastness again, taking in an all new view of infinity. Horrors beyond the comprehension of mortals had fallen pale before the fiery visage of the dark one, but Dormammu had been left dumbfounded. "Well...that went smoothly."

Twilight didn't really hear him, she was too busy trying to readjust to being out of that atmosphere of power. "I never told him where I was from. How did he know where I was from?" There was a bit of a trembling in her voice, which Dormammu heard loud and clear.

Without looking, he reached over and just started petting her. It wasn't forceful, just a gentle motion from the top of her head down her mane. "He read your mind. I'm immune so I just kind of forgot, I'm sorry."

At first there was a chill down her back when Dormammu's hand made contact. She would have pulled away, but there was a lingering dizziness that just made her give up and lean into it a bit. "He's a telepath?"

"He's a lot of things." It was a welcome joke. There was a moment when they finally looked at each other. Dormammu stopped petting her and just let his hand rest on her shoulder. They shared a smile. "Well done, princess, and congratulations. First field trip and you managed to impress me."

Twilight looked ahead with a bit of confidence. "Thanks. Of course, we started big." her expression shifted to a slight concern. "I dread to think how much harder it could get."

"Way to bring down the mood, Twi, " said the dread lord with a roll of his eyes. The two sat in silence as they continued. Their make-shift vessel drifted into a respectable distance and a rift opened before them. Back to the dark dimension to set up for their next step, to challenge the Avengers.

Author's Note:

*(see Thanos:Redemption)

I'm so very sorry for the long gap between updates. I tried blamming it on college, but then I graduated and the time between was like twice as long. I swear I'll try harder to update more frequently. To everyone who follows, commented, and enjoys the story; thank you for your patience.

Here, have something majestic...

Also...yeah.

Comments

[VampDash]

So..... Ultron huh..... well shit.

[nightmaster0]

Awesome chapter.

[TheifofZ]

Yesssssssss. As always, so hyped to see this update.

[Brad W]

Hmm, Galactus should have looked like a Giant Pony/Alicorn to Twilight, for Galactus is only as he is perceived by the "lesser" races. To humans, he looks like a giant human. To Korbinites, he looks like an ancient god figure from their legends. He is actually a being of pure cosmic power so that was a mistake you may (or may not) want to correct. Also, Dormmamu's original plan was still sound to me. If he either popped up on the Helicarrier or Stark Tower, he most definitely would have caught the attention of both groups and likely anyone else not busy with another villain at the moment and would likely be able to hold their attention long enough for Twilight to attempt at sneaking around because Dormmamu is THAT big of a threat. Bill should know who Ultron is, everyone on Earth should know who Ultron is given the numerous times he has publicly tried to kill every living thing on the planet, so I hope Bill at least attempts to stop Ultron from gaining further access into A.I.M.s' base as a member of such an organization would put protecting their labs above everything, even their own lives. They are that serious about their science. Keep it up!!

[shademaster24601]

6651382 Dude, calm down. You're making some big assumptions about how things should be. Feel free to speculate, but don't go telling me how to run a head-cannon. Besides, I only learned about the perception thing last week and, while cool, makes things way more complicated than they needed to be. I already feel worried about how much I built up Galactus in this. You can only talk about something so much before you lose story. Just relax and if details are different from what you know, just remember how many times these characters have been re-invented and stories re-told.

As to Bill's capability... seriously, google Bill Agent of A.I.M. Standards don't apply.

[Brad W]

6651521 Yeah, that's why I said you "may not" want to go back and change it, since the big G seems to only be popping up this one time and so going back to change that doesn't really seem that important. But I felt like saying my piece and giving you the option to make the decision in case you didn't know. As for Bill… yeah, I am going to defer to you on that one.

[SuperAvenger3]

I think the ONLY (and I do mean one and only) problem I had with this fic since the beginning is that, Dormmamu is a very, very, very old guy, and as such, he should be talking like anyone who has lived for so long would talk. To read him talking using slangs and casual words, it's just distracting to me anyway good fakking job on with this fic