From the Ashes

by Boltstrike58

Chapter 11: Aftermath

Equis, Ponyville

To say that everyone was a little worn out after the fight would be an understatement. Sure, there were no serious injuries, but everybody (and everypony) had been smacked around at least once. Tony, Steve, Rainbow, and Twilight had probably taken the brunt of it, fighting Sombra for as long as they did. Thus, it was decided that everyone should return to Twilight's castle to relax, before making their next move. They didn't manage to get back until sunset.

Steve rubbed his head as he slid back into his chair, Applejack and Bucky taking their places next to him. Twilight had cast a duplication spell, creating more chairs, before sitting alongside Tony. The remaining Elements, with the exception of Rainbow (with Sam), hadn't had a chance to bond with their human allies yet, and so were scattered amongst them, though Spike gravitated towards T'Challa. Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Thorax, and Shining Armor sat at the far wall, Thor closest to them.

The team relayed the news. It was not well-received.

"So," Celestia sighed, "once again, Sombra plagues us."

Fluttershy squeaked in fear. Bruce looked to his teammates in confusion, noticed by Luna.

"Sombra is a vicious, evil stallion," she informed him. "A thousand years ago, he took over the Crystal Empire, only to be stopped by myself and my sister. However, he cursed the Empire to disappear for one-thousand years, only reappearing recently. The last time we saw him, he was destroyed by the magic of the Empire."

"Evidently, not really destroyed," Tony snorted.

"He shattered like glass!" Rainbow snapped. "You ever see anypony come back from that?"

Tony had no response.

"I don't get it," said Cadence. "His objective's usually the Empire, always the Empire. If he can have this Grogar raise an army, why didn't he just attack it again?"

"My guess is that he's learned," said Twilight. "Both times he tried a straight assault, he failed. Sombra's got some large-scale scheme going on here. Enough to warrant the use of magic to travel across the universe to another planet."

"How did he know our names?" asked Sam. "He knew what the Avengers were. He knew where to go to get the vibranium, and Stark's tech. How could he—"

"Scrying spell," said Starlight. "Sombra's one of the most powerful mages of Equestrian history. If he could create that warp spell to get Phobos and Deimos to your planet, simply observing it, gathering information about Earth society wouldn't be much of a challenge."

"How did he do that..." Natasha stumbled over her words, "morph thing? Where he changed his own shape?"

"I'm...actually unsure about that," Twilight admitted. She turned to her teacher.

Celestia looked a little apprehensive, but answered.

"What we know of Sombra's past is...sketchy, at best. He was once a normal pony, albeit one of the most talented magic wielders of his generation. He was born into a middle-class family in the Crystal Empire. After completing his education, Sombra left his homeland, apparently to research different types of magic. That's where details get...lost.

"One day, Sombra returned, and claimed the position of ruler in the Crystal Empire, killing its current monarch. Nopony ever learned exactly where his new powers came from, or why he had such a drastic change in attitude. It was clear he was utilizing dark magic, which is known to have corrupting influences on its users, like enhancing their negative emotions, inducing mental illnesses, but nothing resembling what happened to him."

"She's right," said Thor. "I was there. Ponies were afraid to even speak his name."

"But Princess Celestia," Rarity chimed in, "Sombra doesn't even have a Cutie Mark now. What could happen to a pony that causes them to lose it?"

Luna took over. "There were...rumors we were never able to confirm. Rumors that Sombra had made contact with...something ancient and evil. That he traded his Cutie Mark in exchange for his powers to some sort of eldritch entity. Unsubstantiated, but still..."

"I've noticed these...Cutie Marks, you said they were called?" said Vision. "I've seen those on most ponies, but they appear different on everyone one. What exactly do they signify?"

"The simple answer is that a Cutie Mark represents each and every pony's individual special talent, appearing on their body once the pony discovers what that is. The thing that pony does best," said Celestia. "The long answer is that a Cutie Mark is an expression of the deepest part of a pony's inner being. Thor told me once that humans called it a soul. Essentially, Cutie Marks are physical representations of ponies' souls. If Sombra gave his up..." Celestia breathed, nervousness visible on her face, "I shudder to think what he gave away in addition."

Wanda noticed that Starlight flinched at Celestia's words, sweat running down her forehead.

"So, basically, he made a deal with the devil," chimed in Tony. "I'm pretty sure this is the most ridiculous day of my entire life."

Twilight elbowed him in the hip. "This is serious," she hissed at him. "Try to keep your focus."

"There's more," T'Challa said, before anyone could comment on Tony's quip. He hand Celestia the stone tablet, along with the mirror they'd retrieved from the shrine. "We discovered these in the aftermath of the battle."

The solar alicorn took the slab in her magic, looking over the ancient text.

"This language is familiar to me," she noted, "but I'm not sure where it comes from. I think it resembles some texts from Star Swirl's collection."

"That was my first impression," said Twilight. "Maybe if I look at it in the morning, I can at least narrow it down. Figure out the country of origin."

"Um, not to draw attention to the elephant in the room," said Scott, raising his hand, "but how are we going to deal with this Sombra guy? We have no idea where to look for him again."

"There's an elephant in the room?!" exclaimed Pinkie, jumping onto Scott's head and looking in every direction. "Where?! Where?!"

"There's actually a solution to that," said Tony, speaking seriously this time. "Twilight and I have been talking about magic from a scientific standpoint. With some equipment we brought back from Earth, along with three geniuses," here he clapped Bruce on the back, "we should be able to find a way to trace Sombra's magic." Twilight beamed proudly.

"Excellent," said Thor, scooping up Mjölnir once more. "I believe we have finished up all of our business for the day."

Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Thorax, and Shining Armor climbed to their hooves.

"We all have business back in our castles," Luna announced. "If Sombra does appear, we'll call."

"Good," said Steve.

Thor put a hand on the white alicorn's shoulder. "You have my word, Celestia," he told her. "We will take him down."

Celestia gave him a small smile. "You always were good at reassuring," she answered. "Though the removal of your boasting is a vast improvement."

Thor gave a small chuckle, as the assembled royalty and changeling headed for the door. Twilight suddenly had a recollection, jumping out of her chair and running after her former mentor.

"Prin—I mean, Celestia!" she called, putting a hoof on the much larger alicorn's tail. "Could I talk to you in private for a minute, there's something I wanted to—"

Twilight was almost knocked onto her rear as Celestia yanked her tail away from the lavender alicorn. Twilight looked up at Celestia's face, unsure of exactly what she would see. The expression on the solar princess's face was filled with shock, but looking closer, Twilight could see that something lay beneath all of that. Something she couldn't recall seeing on Celestia's face over all of the years that they'd known each other. It was pure fear.

"I, er..." Celestia mumbled, looking everywhere but at Twilight's face, "I've got something that urgently requires my attention back in Canterlot, Twilight. Could this wait for another day?"

"Yes..." Twilight breathed, attempting to keep the hurt that she felt out of her voice. She wasn't doing a good job.

Luna looked at her sister, her face sympathetic, but she didn't speak. The assembled royalty departed, leaving the Elements, the Avengers, Spike, and Starlight alone.

"So, we should probably show you all to a place you can stay for the night," Starlight broke the silence.

"Don't worry," said Spike. "We've got more than enough rooms for all of you!"

---

Equis, Somewhere

"Idiots!" screamed Phobos as he blasted another loose boulder into oblivion. "We lost because of you! Because you're all incompetent!"

"Oh, really?" Deimos snarked. "You summoned an illusion of a giant snake. You know that they saw your illusion powers back on Earth, yet you tried again. You are utterly wasteful of your fear powers, brother.."

"For once, Deimos and I are in agreement," snorted Grogar. "Your pathetic display served only to give the humans a good laugh."

"B-but..." Phobos stammered. He turned to the back of the cavern, where Sombra sat in quiet meditation. "Master, you can't believe them! It wasn't my fa—"

A long tentacle of darkness slammed into Phobos' side, smacking him across the room. The faun crashed into the rugged stone, dazed. Deimos and Grogar started to laugh, but stopped upon realizing they could easily meet the same fate in the next few seconds.

"Your bickering irritates me," said Sombra, turning back to his minions. "Do not forget who you take orders from. Phobos, Deimos, do not forget who it was that released you from the unholy depths of Tartarus. Grogar, remember who it was that gave you a purpose once your village cast you out for your necromancy."

"Y-yes, Lord Sombra," Deimos squeaked.

"M-master," Grogar breathed, "please, forgive—"

"I'm not angry over the battle," Sombra chuckled, a smile forming on his muzzle, showing his sharp fangs. "I intended for us to lose. Its purpose was merely to collect additional observations on the Avengers. To make sure my estimates of them were accurate."

Grogar exhaled in relief. "Truly, you are wise beyond all, Master," he said, dropping into a low bow.

"Flattery will earn you nothing," said Sombra, turning his nose up at Grogar. "Fortunately, my plan has progressed exactly as anticipated. You saw the way our enemies behaved. The Elements of Harmony have formed bonds that may be unbreakable, even with our resources. Discord himself couldn't keep them apart for long. The Avengers, on the other hand..."

Sombra walked to the front of the cave, casting his gaze skyward. Luna's moon had just barely risen into the midnight sky, a silver sphere against the blanket of darkness.

"The Avengers are divided. They're already starting to distrust each other, letting rage cloud their minds. All we need to do is properly exploit it. Next time we face them, we simply apply pressure to those points, and watch as they crack. Without their human allies, the Elements of Harmony will be no match for us."

He turned back to his henchmen before continuing. "Celestia has begun to crumble from guilt. I will take the honor of breaking her will myself. Luna will fail to put up any meaningful resistance compared to her sister, as she always does. Then I will kill Princess Amore, displaying her body on the wall of my castle as a sign to any who would defy me. Then, from my Crystal Empire, I will conquer any and all that remains of planet Equis, before we move on to Earth, and crush those pathetic humans under my hoof."

"A beautiful vision, Lord Sombra," Deimos nodded, though he didn't bow. He knew how too much brown-nosing could lead to disaster.

"Yes, yes, beautiful," Phobos chimed in, shoving his brother out of the way to bow to Sombra. The king glared at him.

"Phobos, you did manage to fail me in one capacity. Who was responsible for the keeping of the tablet?"

"Oh, don't worry, Master!" said the faun, reaching into his bag. "I've got it right...right..."

Phobos continued to rummage through the sack hanging at his side, desperate to find the slab he'd been ordered to guard, but it was nowhere in sight. The faun tried to spit out an explanation, but was seized in Sombra's magical grip.

"The loss of the tablet and the mirror are inconsequential to my plans," said Sombra. "We will retrieve them once victory has been achieved. But it still creates an irritating inconvenience. Thus, your punishment."

Over the next several hours, Deimos and Grogar thanked whatever deities existed out there for a considerably odd blessing: the fact that they weren't the ones being bounced around a cave like a pinball.

---

Equis, Ponyville

Dinner had been served among the cross-species assembly. Night had fallen, and the Avengers were making their before bed preparations. Twilight and Applejack walked side by side down the shining crystal hallways, making as little noise as possible. None of the Avengers had been placed in this wing of the castle, but they could easily just be wandering around, looking for a bathroom or something. Twilight had certainly gotten lost in her own home more than once over the first few weeks. Better to be safe than sorry.

"You know I wouldn't have asked you to meet me like this if it weren't vital, right?" asked the princess.

"Sure, Twi," answered Applejack. "But is this about Princess Celestia?" Beause I think all of us should be together for—"

"It's not that," Twilight cut her off. "Though that does bother me. It's more about the Avengers. None of the rest of us have managed to bond with them as closely as you and I, with you hanging around Captain Rogers so much, and my work with Tony."

Applejack listened closely as Twilight continued. "Maybe it's not our place, given that we've known them for less than two whole days, but I can't shake the feeling that something's off about them. Like, they're fighting about something. It's especially visible between Steve and Tony. They're clearly angry at each other. You saw how they acted during the fight. They're keeping something from us, but I don't know what it is. Like I said, it may not be any of our business, but I'm worried about them."

Applejack bit her lip, clearly apprehensive. She looked away from Twilight, unsure of exactly how to continue this conversation. Applejack was the Element of Honesty for a reason, but over the years, she'd learned that telling the truth wasn't always a black and white situation, where telling the truth automatically made everything okay, or where what was right and wrong was automatically clear cut.

"Applejack," Twilight started, "did Steve tell you something?"

Applejack sighed, before deciding to go as far as she could without actually betraying Steve's trust.

"Yeah," she admitted. "He told me a bit about why they're angry, though I don't know everything. There was a pretty big disagreement back on Earth. But he made me promise I wouldn't tell. He doesn't want to deal with it, especially right now."

"Alright," replied the Princess of Friendship. "I won't ask you to break a promise to a friend. But you know how some secrets are better being put out into the open. Remember when I was keeping secrets for both Rarity and Fluttershy, and it kept getting worse and worse until they finally admitted the truth?"

"Of course," said Applejack. "But this ain't a modeling career nopony wanted. This is on a bigger scale."

"I understand," said Twilight. "But this rift between them is causing more trouble than it's worth. What if it ruins our attempts to stop Sombra?"

"I don't have an answer, sugar cube," Applejack responded. "It's not like we can just cram 'em all in a room and force 'em to talk it out. What can we do?"

Twilight looked back up at Luna's moon. Loathe as she was to admit it, she didn't have any idea how to solve this friendship problem. Especially because she didn't know what the problem even was.

"We need to talk to them more," she finally said. "We need to figure out what exactly is going on, and fast. Before it costs them everything."

Author's Note:

Got something really good planned for the next chapter. No spoilers, but it involves Bucky.

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

8220554
I haven't read the story yet. It sounds good though!

[Starlight Nova]

If the main OCs in this story were voiced, what would they sound like?

[RedX-100]

Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Thorax, and Shining Armor climbed to their feet.

Since when did they turn human?

[spiketen]

Let us hope they don't cram Bruce in that room. On second thought, lets pray they do!