Defeat tasted like…raw turnips. Whether everyone else imagined defeat to taste like so or something just completely different, it didn’t really matter. Tony Stark knew what defeat tasted like for him. And not even the delicious hot cocoa could hinder the taste of raw turnips.
He still nodded after receiving the cup of warm, chocolate goodness, his only form of appreciation for the princess offering him the cup. Twilight smiled warmly at the gesture, returning her attention to everypony…and everyone present. Each Avenger seated themselves on nearby couches and around the main table within her library. Her friends joined them, each one holding a cup of hot chocolate. They were delicious, enjoyable, as told to her by her friends.
The journey back from Griffonstone was…not so enjoyable.
Certain tasks had to be accomplished, of course. As the princess leading the offensive waves of Royal Guard, Twilight addressed all Royal Guard upper command to inform Celestia of the events that had transpired in Griffonstone. She wrote a letter too just to be on the safe side. Once the Royal Guard had returned to Canterlot, it was just her friends and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes left to travel back to Ponyville on the quietest, most awkward train ride yet.
No one was able to speak of the events in Griffonstone. And how could they? Even then, Twilight situated herself in a library with silence lingering amongst her friends. All of them. For the first time, Twilight never wanted a quiet library. They needed to address the situation right away.
Taking a soft, delicate sip from her steaming cup of hot chocolate, Twilight set the cup down on the round table and took notice of the group’s situation. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were sitting alongside her with Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, and Bruce Banner sitting side by side directly in front of them. Tony Stark, stripped from his armor currently charging in Twilight’s observatory, was standing alongside Thor Odinson, the two looking anywhere except the table.
And Captain America was sitting on the couch with Fluttershy right by him, looking to him. Spike joined her, sitting on the Captain’s opposite side. He didn’t even acknowledge her presence. His head was low, breathing soft, elbows on his knees, shield on his back, pure defeat in his stature. He didn’t even drink his hot chocolate.
Twilight took another sip. “How are you all doing?” she addressed to all.
Steve was the first to look at her. The look in the Captain’s eyes told the tale. The cold, blistering tale of loss and foreboding, of defeat and sorrow. It soared in and out, gave way to a tale even Twilight had yet to imagine from a soldier’s perspective.
He held that stare for several seconds, cooling Twilight’s blood flow with every passing second. He only sighed in the end, looking down once more. “Shaken,” Rogers muttered. Fluttershy turned to him, hurt in her eyes.
Twilight nodded, sharing the man’s feelings. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She turned to the others, more precisely, the rest of her friends.
Rarity waved a hoof dismissively. She said, “We’re fine, darling, just…a tad on edge.”
“We’ll be back on our hooves in no time!” Pinkie cheered, spewing confetti all across the round table. Thor and Clint exchanged looks of confusion and worry, Thor taking a cautious step away from the pink mare as Banner observed the confetti between his fingers.
Rainbow Dash just blew a raspberry, flipping her mane back as she leaned against her chair. “Yeah, it’s nothing we haven’t faced before. No biggie,” she said, eyes closed.
It unfortunately spurred a certain Avenger into act, scoffing and turning his golden-haired head her way. Odinson shook his head, an amusing smile growing amongst his lips.
“No biggie?” he questioned, prompting the mares to turn his way, Rainbow Dash twisting around in her seat to stare at him. “What you all faced out there was far from being a ‘biggie’!
The sudden outburst caused Fluttershy to squeal in surprise, flinching and falling away into the couch’s cushions. As for the rest of the mares and baby dragon, they kept their gazes locked on the Asgardian, watching his moves with growing suspicion.
Thor nearly threw his hammer down, instead refraining from doing so and pointing at the rainbow mare. He asked, “Do you imagine Ultron to be just one of your world’s weak monstrosities? If so, then you are far being fine. It is like nothing you have yet faced. It is far…far worse.”
Rainbow lost every bit of humor she once held, instead holding a growing frown against the Avenger accusing her. Applejack quickly intervened, prompting Thor’s attention to turn to her. She drawled, “Ultron just got a lucky hit on us. We’ll be back an’ at ‘im in no time.”
“That’s not the problem, Applejack.”
The blonde mare brought her eyes over to the weary man sitting across from her. Bruce Banner leaned forward, forehead resting against his palm as he stared at her. He sighed through his nostrils, Natasha resting her gloved-palm on his shoulder.
“It’s all of you,” the doctor mumbled.
Confusion spread like wildfire amongst the ponies, infecting each one with its curse. Rarity shifted her eyes from her friends and returned to weary doctor. “Us?” she asked for clarification. Banner nodded.
“What about us?” Dash asked harshly.
Bruce only looked back. Everypony followed his gaze.
“Stark…?” Twilight asked, voice lingering on.
The man behind the doctor pursed his lips in signs of thought, anger, and bewilderment. He certainly was in deep thought, but with the cast of colorful characters eyeing him down, demanding some sort of clear answer to what he and the rest of his team had been discussing earlier on, without the presence of any of the ponies.
They needed to know. No more holding back. Time to be real. That wasn’t so hard for him.
“…I almost saw six innocent ponies get murdered today,” he began, earning the interest of everypony around. He didn’t stop. “…In cold blood…as hostages. Not just any six. I could try, but I wouldn’t care as much if it were anyone else. It was all of you. Princess Twilight and her closest allies, some of the upmost respected and acknowledged ponies in all of Equestria…somehow found dead in Griffonstone following Ultron’s attack.”
They were far from being confused anymore. They were beginning to appear worried, visibly shaking. Well, more of the tender mares such as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. The others were unaffected, Rainbow still bearing a frown. Stark still didn’t stop. They needed to know.
With a step forward closer to the table, Stark asked, “Do you even recollect—scratch that—do you even think about the consequences of your actions?”
“Do you?” Twilight retorted, eyes narrowing in suspicion.
“That’s. Not. The point,” Stark snarled.
“Then what is?” Rainbow Dash snarled back, equally as furious.
Stark twisted to her, jamming his finger into the crystal right in-between Barton and Romanoff. The two backed away, looking up at Stark expectantly.
“How’s Equestria going to react once they discover that some of the most essential ponies that have protected the country were suddenly gone? Huh? What will all of your families think to know that their own blood was dead for nothing?”
“It wouldn’t have been for nothing,” Twilight began.
Stark shot back. “Bullshit!”
“Steve doesn’t like that—” Barton was saying, but was immediately shut down.
“Not now! They need to know!” Tony shouted, earning several, frightened squeaks from the yellow Pegasus behind him. He ignored it. They needed to know. With a controlled sigh, he continued. “They need to know how big of a deal this is. Ultron isn’t playing around…and neither are we. So…they need to know that they can’t fight anymore.”
He waited.
“WHAT?!” Rainbow Dash screamed.
There it was.
The Pegasus was red with anger and nearly exploded from her chair, pointing an accusing hoof right for the billionaire. She yelled, “You’re telling me that you want us to back off while some freak destroys our world?! Are you kidding me?!”
“Ah agree with Dash!” Applejack said. “Have ya lost yer marbles, Tony?!”
“Tony, what’s this about?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie shot even more confetti out of nowhere. “LOUD NOISES!”
“We can’t lose you!”
The pestering silence began to build into a wall so thick no once could hope to crack it and find hope of an explanation. Rainbow Dash still heaved in breaths of fuming anger, staring angrily at the man who had spoken moments ago. Each mare turned his way, each Avenger awaiting the conclusion they agreed upon…and the explanation to come with it.
Tony looked on to Twilight.
“Like we said before...we’re the Avengers,” Stark began. “We’re just a ragtag group of heroes who can’t even save innocent people from getting caught in the crossfire. Who’s to say we can protect all of you from Ultron?”
“We can protect ourselves,” Dash told him, her voice held back.
“No, you can’t.”
“Yes…we can!” she clarified, stamping her hoof into the crystal and taking flight. She flew across the table, nearly butting foreheads with the man. “You may have only been here for a few days, Tony, but that doesn’t give you the right to tell us to stop from protecting our own world from a monster you all brought with you!”
“That’s enough!”
All eyes shifted to the couch, to the standing Captain with blistering fury in his glare. Rainbow flew back, all four hooves planted onto the table. Captain America cared not for the attention; he just wanted them to listen. And he was glad they were. All six of them with their eyes glued to him.
He sighed. “None of you are soldiers. None of you have been on the battlefield, fighting against an enemy with the sole intention to kill you by any means possible. None of you…have faced someone like Ultron. But we have. We’ve been on the battlefield fighting such an enemy. Once we take him down there’s nothing left, it’s just his army. And if we die stopping Ultron…Equestria…Equus…the world will only have you and your friends to turn to.”
Rainbow Dash glared at the Captain. He glared right on back, the fire in his eyes overcoming hers. She looked away, snorting in anger.
“We can’t lose you now,” Steve stated, broad and powerful.
“Stay out of the fight,” Tony clarified.
There it was. The conclusion the Avengers had come to regarding the events of Griffonstone. No more playing around. It was war, and the world they were trapped in was definitely not prepared for such an event. They, as failures, were expendable, but Twilight and her friends were not. They were regarded as heroes of Equestria, saving the land multiple times from what they have told them. If they lost them now…especially to Ultron…the blow would be far more catastrophic than anything they can prepare for.
Now, it was just a matter of seeing if they agreed upon said conclusion.
Rainbow Dash spread her wings and hovered several feet in the air. Her glare remained unfazed, lingering on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. “You don’t know anything about us,” she muttered, spinning around and zipping out of the room, a slight rainbow trail following her.
Applejack watched her leave, sighing and lowering her head. “So that’s it, huh? Yer jus’ gonna tie us to a leash while ya’ll go out an’ save the world.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Applejack,” Rogers told her. “It’s for the best.”
“Tch. Yeah. Sure,” she muttered as well, pushing away from the table and making her exit. As she slowly escaped from the library, she called out, “Well, Ah got some work to attend to back at the farm. See ya’ll later.”
As Applejack vanished behind the closing doors, Rarity stood up and plopped herself on the ground. “Oh, I must disperse as well,” she whined, though grew a relieved grin shortly after. “I have several orders to attend to now that I won’t have to worry about that dreadful beast.”
Steve watched her leave, the other Avengers as well. “So you’re fine with this?” he asked.
“Oh, certainly, darling! While it is dreadful that this ‘Ultron’ monster is still out there wreaking havoc, it gives me assurance knowing all of you will put a stop to that scoundrel,” Rarity told them. Steve nodded, but still couldn’t hold onto that assurance due to the pressuring amount of guilt building upon his shoulders.
Rarity bowed politely and made her escape. “Goodnight and good luck to all of you.”
The others began to leave without another word. Fluttershy made her retreat and moved quickly past the Captain staring at her from behind. Part of him felt awful for having seen her so frightened from his behavior. But it was for the best. They needed to stay away from the fight. From them.
As Spike yawned carnivorously and dragged himself out of the library alongside Pinkie Pie. The bouncing mare’s tail was swiped at the last moment and dragged over to Twilight. The Alicorn’s magic quickly died around Pinkie’s tail, said Alicorn jumping from her chair and leaning towards the pink mare. She whispered, “Pinkie, can you keep an eye on Rainbow Dash…just to make sure she’s alright?”
Pinkie saluted. “I’ll keep three!”
“How—? You know what, never mind. Goodnight, Pinkie.” The pink mare waved goodbye, a smile on her face as she bounced playfully out of the library and hopefully out of the castle.
Twilight watched her last friend leave, her ear twitching as the Captain’s voice spoke out through the silent library. “Stark, how much longer until your armor’s recharged?”
“Rest of the night.”
Rogers sighed, hands placed on his hips. Twilight spun around and watched him address his team. “We’ll call it quits then. I’ll see you all in the morning, bright and early. Get a lot of rest, all of you. We’re finding the rest of our team…and then we’re going after Ultron.”
From the open door which led to the hallways, which of course led to the guest rooms where the Avengers would remain, Captain America stopped and stared at the Alicorn holding the door for him. He stared at her with eyes filled with sorrow, but a strong sort.
With a gentle exhale, he said, “I’m sorry, Twilight.”
She only nodded, watching as the Captain disappeared down the dark hall, the lights from the shimmering crystals reflecting off the star-spangled shield on his back. She turned back into the library, holding the door open for the remaining Avengers to pass on by. Thor and Barton were first, accompanied slowly by Banner and Romanoff, each one giving her a pitiful look, each one the same but holding different weight.
With that, Twilight watched them disappear and closed the door.
All that was left was the wreck of a billionaire, of a playboy, of a super genius. Tony Stark.
He sat alone at the round table, staring at the crystal intently with little to no interest. His head was propped up against his left palm, his right finger scratching the crystal. He didn’t even finish his hot chocolate, as was evident by the cup resting on the table behind him. Twilight pursed her lips in thought, mouth opening. “Mr. Stark…?”
It was a full seven seconds before he answered with: “Please…Mr. Stark was my father.”
Twilight ignored it, trotting over and sitting right next to him. “Tony…just listen,” she began, voice nearly a whisper. She didn’t feel the need to talk loud, knowing she and him were the only ones left. “I know it’s hard…losing faith in those close to you. From experience, I can tell you that you need to be thankful for what you have, and accept help even if you think you don’t need it. Because I learned a long time ago that nothing can be accomplished without the help of a few friends.”
“I have a few friends,” Tony shot at her, his own voice muffled in defeat.
Twilight smiled. “Then just a bit more.”
To her surprise, Stark chuckled a bit. He said, “Here I am getting lectured about friendship from a magical, talking pony. My life’s gone to—”
To his surprise, Twilight leaned in and wrapped her wing around his shoulders, bringing the man in for a quick hug. His blood froze, all weariness creeping into his eyesight suddenly vanquished as the mare leaned her cheek on his shoulder. She exhaled, smiling at him.
“I’m the Princess of Friendship… It’s what I do,” she whispered, breaking off. Tony remained frozen, jaw slightly agape but eyes refusing to move.
She offered one last smile to the man before falling back to the doors. Each one opened with a flick of her neck and a glow of her horn, and as she was about to disappear into the dark halls to find her room she turned back.
“Goodnight, Tony.”
The doors slowly closed.
“Yeah,” Tony Stark whispered. He spun his neck around, spotting his hot chocolate. He quickly got up and snatched the cup, taking a slow sip. It was cold. And he shivered.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Spike opened the castle doors, immediately tossing his Rarity doll aside once the appearance of a stressed Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy stood in front of him. Joining the three was the blinding, morning sunlight, barely rising over the mountains overlooking Ponyville.
Twilight joined her dragon assistant, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. She yawned, “Guys? What are you doing here so early? Come to see off Captain Rogers? I mean, he doesn’t leave for another ten—”
Applejack shook her head, red veins burning in her eyes. “Twilight! Is Rainbow Dash here?”
Twilight was taken aback. “What? No, she’s not. Why would she?”
“It’s even worse than we thought,” Applejack growled, kicking the dirt. “We checked everywhere, Twi! Her house, asked some weather ponies, nearly every cloud in Ponyville, an’ still nothin’!”
“Even Tank said he saw her leave in the middle of the night,” Fluttershy added quickly, her chest lusting for breaths of air. It appeared that the three of them had been in quite the rush as evident from the sweat on the brows and the mud on their hooves. Even Rarity didn’t seem to mind…much.
Twilight, however, wasn’t focused on their appearance for much longer. She asked, “Why? Where would she—?” She paused, eyes widening in horror. “Oh, no. You guys don’t think…?”
They nodded grimly.
The Alicorn quickly bit her lip, eyes darting back and forth. She quickly stuttered, “M-maybe it’s not true! We…we have to find Pinkie! Maybe she knows where Rainbow went!”
Applejack pulled her hat back. “Yeah, she’s gone too. Left a letter an’ everything explainin’ that she saw Dash take off. Ah guess she followed her…if what her letter said was true an’ all. We thought they’d still be in Ponyville but…that doesn’t seem ta be the case anymore.”
Twilight stepped fully outside to the chill, morning wind. She eyed Ponyville with determination in her stare. She shook her head, knowing full well what Rainbow Dash was planning. Darn that pony and her arrogance, thinking she can take on an entire army. The argument from last night must have affected her more than anypony. Twilight wouldn’t doubt it, and was slowly beginning to find a reason to give Rainbow some credibility for her actions.
That didn’t mean it was completely asinine.
“We have to stop her before she gets herself killed. Fluttershy, do you think you can ask any birds if they’ve seen a blue Pegasus fly nearby?” Twilight asked, turning to Fluttershy. She nodded, taking off into the sky. “Spike, keep everyone in the castle busy until we get back. We won’t be long.”
All the sleep in Spike’s eyes vanished. Before he could interject on the situation, Twilight and the rest of her friends took off down the road, a trail of dust left behind for the baby dragon to breathe in and cough out. He watched them disappear into town, sighing and closing the castle doors in the process.
He picked up his Rarity doll, hugging it. “Good luck.”
“Twilight…you in there?”
He rested against the cool castle walls, the warmth of the coffee cup in his hands filling Tony Stark with vigor and perception. The sleep in his eyes faded as he took a whiff of the coffee, the content smile he once held falling as he again turned to Twilight’s room door.
No answer. With a sigh, he began in a louder tone.
“Look, I’m usually not the one to say ‘I’m sorry’ but…I’ll cross the line just this once. For you. Because you were right.” He took a drink from his coffee, swirling the mixture. “I haven’t lost faith in you or any of your friends, I just…I just want you all to be safe. This was never your war to being with. It was ours…and it was our fault to have brought it to you.”
Still nothing. Another drink. The morning sunlight broke through the stained-glass windows and blinded Stark.
“We’ve promised a lot to too many people. We can’t promise any of your safety with Ultron on the loose, and…and we’d hate to see what the consequences will be if we lost any of you. I’d hate to see it. I’m just…I just want you and your friends to be safe.”
Once again, no response. Stark’s upper lip curled upwards, his eyes landing in the dark liquid.
He perked up, saying, “I also treated myself to some of your coffee, if you don’t mind.”
Silence on the other end. Now he was getting slightly concerned. “Twilight? Come on, I’m not repeating that. Please tell me you heard all of it.” He pushed against the door and watched as it easily swung open, revealing an empty bedroom.
“What the…?” Stark began, his voice suddenly falling as another piped up from behind.
Spike hobbled over to the towering man, breathing in heavily with sweat streaming from his forehead. “Hey Tony!” Spike exclaimed, placing his claws on his knees for support.
Stark nodded to him. “Hey, have you seen Twilight anywhere?”
Upon hearing that, Spike noticed the empty bedroom at the edge of his vision. He flinched back, teeth gritting and blood freezing. He quickly looked for an escape, anything to get him out of the situation he was trapped in.
“Um…bye Tony!” Spike began and spun around.
“Stop right there, Spyro,” commanded Stark. The dragon halted in his escape, only due to the lack of the proper use of his name. “Where’s Twilight?”
With a nervous gulp, trapped and captured, Spike slowly spun around, his claws held together behind his back. He smiled awkwardly, saying, “Oh, you mean that Twilight! Yeah, I was…just about to go get her for you!”
“No need. Tell me where she is and I’ll find her.”
Spike desperately searched for an excuse. A lie. “Um…she’s…asleep?”
Tony stepped aside, revealing the empty bedroom of the Princess of Friendship.
“On the roof?”
“Last chance, Barney,” Tony threatened, taking one step forward. “Where is she?”
“Um…dead?”
Tony Stark slowly placed his cup of coffee into his alternate palm, his left hand, and shot out his right, fingers outstretched. For several seconds Spike watched as the man stared him down, his hand held out, his other gently holding the cup. He took a slow sip, never breaking eye contact with the small dragon.
And then came the flying glove.
Spike jumped back, breathless and shocked to see a red glove fly into Stark’s palm, metal bits covering his wrist and locking in place. The palm ignited into a bright blue glow, showering down onto the shivering dragon.
“You sure she’s dead?”
Spike gulped and shook his head.
Damn it Rainbow Dash! What is she thinking?!
With Ultron becoming a bigger threat to Equestria, the Avengers don't want their pony friends getting involved, not because they think they can't fight but because they fear for their safety since Ultron is like nothing they've ever experienced. While it is harsh, it is only the truth they speak, because if they failed to protect them, who else would be left to save the world if the Avengers fell then? But even heroes need help sometimes. And the Mane 6 can't sit on the side lines forever. Eventually, both the Mane 6 AND the Avengers will have to face Ultron together.
Oh and Rainbow, you arrogant egotistical idiot! She's got a death wish if she thinks she can take on Ultron by herself! I know she wants to stop Ultron as much as the others do but this is taking it far. I mean dammit, Rainbow! This is not a popularity contest!
Gee, if Pepper saw that, she would not let Tony live this one down.
"There it was. The conclusion the Avengers had come to regarding the events of Griffonstone. No more playing around. It was war, and the world they were trapped in was definitely not prepared for such an event. They, as failures, were expendable, but Twilight and her friends were not. They were regarded as heroes of Equestria, saving the land multiple times from what they have told them. If they lost them now…especially to Ultron…the blow would be far more catastrophic than anything they can prepare for."
Ummm... you also forgot to mention that the mane six really, REALLY suck at even G, and PG fighting, let alone PG-13 AND R rated fighting, unlike the Avengers who are at least decent in such fighting.
6932302
Please tell me Rainbow AT LEAST loses her wings for her idiocy. Seriously, she deserves it, and it WOULD keep in line with the darker themes and tone of this work. Plus, it'd be really dramatic. I mean, how WOULD Rainbow react to losing her primary reason for living?
Also, I just realized that this story is now officially longer than The Hobbit. Even more proof that the author has what it takes to be a successful author of original works at such a young age. Kudos. His editing skills may need a lot of work, but hey. The hardest part of writing is mining the material and assembling it into at least a passable form. Compared to that, refining it until it sparkles like Tolkien's stuff is relatively easy.
Dammit, Rainbow, were you planning to end your life earlier than you were expecting?!
But aww, shame Twilight wasn't around to hear Tony's apology.
Leave it up to Pinkie Pie to ignore common sense and not leave directions, eh?
What else is new?
(Other than Stark's puns and lack of hugs?)
don't kill her we need awesome just make her learn how close she was to death
The Avengers think they're doing right by the Mane Six by not involving them with the Ultron battle, but in time, both teams will see they're on the same side. And I do hope Rainbow will survive.
6932302 I know right? Not her brightest move.
6932329 I swear, you have like...the BEST comments. (Not saying everyone else's comments are bad, I love them all!)And yes, soon enough, the Avengers will have to hold enough faith in their pony friends so they can join as one. Let's hope they learn this sooner than later.
6932678 I don't think I could take it THAT far. We'll have to find out, though.
6932688 Really? Wow, that's awesome.
6934502 She's clearly lost something.
6934625 Needs more hugs. Got it.
6935345 Definitely.
6935785 Let's hope they realize this sooner than later.
6939063
Aw, come on! How many stories have you read where Rainbow was SERIOUSLY punished for her idiocy by losing something so important to who she was?
Also, yep. I'm serious. The Hobbit is only in the 95,000 word regime. The only reason it feels longer than that is because of Tolkien's British University Professor love of purple prose.
http://lotrproject.com/statistics/books/wordscount
6939063 "United we stand, divided we fall"
Rainbow, you are 12 kinds of stupid if you think you can beat Ultron!
Alright, Rainbow, I love ye for loyalty and support. But arrogance is one thing I hate about you. You can't beat Ultron! For God sakes, you can't!
"Do you imagine Ultron to be just one of your world’s weak monstrosities? If so, then you are far being fine. It is like nothing you have yet faced. It is far…far worse.”
Well actually in terms of power they have faced worth like a Chaos spirit capable of moving the sun and moon for the lulz and a centaur that can drain said spirit's power and throw it at the ponies. Now if you were talking about the comic Ultron then you would have a point.
"None of you have been on the battlefield, fighting against an enemy with the sole intention to kill you by any means possible."
Yeah they have. Especially with Twilight since Tirek was totally willing to kill her in their fight.
Though I can get behind them thinking the ponies are too important to risk, but either way they need to work together. After all having allies that can shoot death rainbows can be very helpful.
And Rainbow is gone. Honestly her friends should have seen that coming. I'll give Twilight some props for letting Pinkie watch over her, but pinkie and she didn't stop her.
While I agree with the Avengers that the loss of the Mane 6 would be devastating for morale, they've got another thing coming if they think that that argument will stop them completely.
Oh ye of little faith, main characters don't die that easily.
On one hand, I get where The Avengers are coming from in why they don't want the ponies to help. In a way, even though it wasn't communicated very well, this was 'never' their war to begin with. What happened with Ultron and his corrupted mind was all their fault, these heroes were the ones trying to fix everything and try as they might they still fail. And it's true, the ponies had never faced a being as dangerous as Ultron, who could've chosen to kill these ponies if they wanted to and considering they are the biggest means of defense in all of Equestria, whether we agree with that or not, if they die... So does Equestria. And if that one future seen in Season 5 doesn't mean much to anyone until now... That could very well happen.
On the other hand, Rainbow Dash, even if what she did is reckless, she was right about one thing: The Avengers don't know the Mane Six at all. They've only been in Equestria for probably a few days, but they never stopped to ask what they have done to protect Equestria. They don't know how they freed a Princess from a clouded mind of darkness, they don't know how they made an effort to reform a spirit of chaos to be good, they don't know that they stopped a shadow monster from keeping an Empire in the dark, just as they don't know of how they stopped black magic from almost destroying a sacred tree nor how they stopped a sinister Centaur from stealing all the magic in Equestria for himself (And I still wonder how magic thrives in even the Pegasi or Earth Ponies, when it's used mainly with Alicorns and Unicorns). The Avengers never stopped to realize that these are not ponies who spend their days throwing tea parties or sleepovers, they are determined young women who fight not just to satisfy their own dreams and/or desires but everything they do they do it for the ponies they love. To ask them not to fight when their home is at risk and many lives will be lost otherwise, that's an insult to their character.
Something I feel Rainbow Dash took great offense to that, even if she thought tackling an entire army by herself (Even with Pinkie tagging along) was meant to prove anything. Now the ponies are off to try to prevent Rainbow Dash from doing something stupid (Again) and somehow it's The Avengers thought for not offering more than just a, 'You can't go with us speech'. Pretty bad timing on Mr. Stark's part to choose that moment to offer a sincere apology, even if it may be against his character.
9973800
Actually, Sombra is the worst morally out of all of them. He was a horrible pony and enslaved, tortured, and murdered ponies till the princess stopped him.
OOF, something purple might be dead
In a way I feel like both sides have a point here. The Avengers are right that Ultron is worse than any threat the ponies have faced thus far. If he gets the Mane 6 killed then their deaths will be on the Avengers heads and they will need to live with that for the rest of their lives. But the Mane 6 also make a few good points that they can’t just do nothing when Ultron is threatening their entire world. They are heroes too it isn’t right for them to just run and hide from a villain. That’s why they need to work together on this, stand united in friendship and teamwork, and not divide each other.
I however have nothing to say in Rainbow’s defense about going away on her own. She is going to get herself killed by Ultron.
Why does that nickname work so well?!