From the Ashes

by Boltstrike58

Chapter 6: Detective Changeling

Equis, Castle of the Two Sisters

With a quick wrench, Iron Man ripped the remaining mirror from its base, a few chunks of stone dropping to the floor as he did so. Twilight, Spike, and Starlight stared in awe at the strength of Tony's suit. Behind the metal mask, the billionaire chuckled to himself.

"You think that's impressive?" he said. "That's just kids' stuff."

"It's amazing..." breathed Twilight, her eyes widened to their maximum. "If I could harness that kind of technology..."

"Uh, Twilight?" interrupted Spike, waving his claw in front of her eyes. "You're doing that thing where you get distracted from what we're doing again."

Twilight shook her head out, blinking a couple of times to re-hydrate her eyes. "Thanks, Spike. I just get lost in my scientific endeavors, you know?"

Starlight Glimmer smiled, having become familiar with Twilight's mannerisms by this point. "Well, with alien life landing on Equis, you'll have no shortage of those, that's for sure."

Tony raised his mask. He hadn't joined in their lighthearted conversations, and even though he'd found Twilight to be tolerable, for lack of a better word, he wasn't having the best time of his life. "So, can we just bring this payload back to the castle?" he asked.

"Oh, yes, certainly," said Twilight. "I just wanna run a quick scan while we're still in this area, maybe get a feel for how these operate. I'll be able to compare it with some teleportation spell matrices I've recorded. It'll only take a minute," she quickly assured him, "I promise."

Tony gave an annoyed sigh, although nobody else heard it, but laid the mirror down in front of her without protest.

Twilight's magical aura took hold of the object, laying it gently onto its back. She popped open her saddle bags, grabbing a role of parchment, along with a quill and ink. Noticing the inventor's perplexed look at what she carried, she shrugged and replied, "Force of habit. Always be prepared when investigating magical anomalies."

Twilight closed her eyes, her mouth tensing as she focused. The familiar magenta glow gathered around her horn, light swirling up the deep grooves in the appendage. A ball of white energy appeared on the very tip, and Twilight pointed her horn at the mirror. The white sphere leapt off, diving into the glass, where it completely vanished, the glass rippling like water. A thin stream of magenta energy suddenly shot out of the mirror's center, connecting with Twilight's horn. However, the alicorn didn't budge from her spot, merely relaxing and nodding her head as she felt the information enter her brain. She levitated a quill, and began scribbling equations on the loose piece of parchment.

Tony stood off to the side at first, but a quick glance at Twilight's paper began to peak his interest. His helmet retracted itself into the back of the suit, and he knelt down on one knee, looking over Twilight's shoulder.

"Is that...the quantum tunneling effect?" he asked, surprised.

Twilight nodded. "You know about it? It's mostly theoretical at this point, but Starswirl the Bearded had some ideas he never got to test..."

"Right, because the ambient energy swirling around this planet would probably suffice..."

"But nopony's been able to find a suitable stabilizing agent, so without a unicorn to constantly maintain the flow of magic..."

"Then how did the portals to Earth stay open?"

"I'm guessing the crystals acted as a sort of midway point, with the initial teleportation spell inside them, and constantly funneling magic from the atmosphere to the portals..."

By this point, the inventor and the alicorn had completely lost themselves to the quantum physics discussion, and were trading knowledge back and forth. Tony seemed to grow more animated than any of the ponies had ever seen him, excitement filling his face. The only break from the conversation came when Tony checked to make sure Friday was recording everything for later study. Spike and Starlight could only watch, as the duo existed in a world of their own crazy science.

"So, uh, are you following any of this?" asked Spike. "I mean, your special talent is magic, so..."

"At first, yeah, but now I can barely keep up," responded the unicorn. "This is beyond advanced magic theory. And it seems like it has a lot in common with Earth science!"

"I know, right? I almost expect a twitchy tail, before somepony passes out from nerd shock!" said a new voice.

Spike and Starlight nodded. Nobody moved for about ten seconds, before the dragon and the unicorn whipped around to the source. Pinkie Pie sat on her haunches, observing Tony and Twilight, as though she'd always been there.

"Pinkie!" gasped Starlight, nearly pitching backwards. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Okey-dokey-lokey! How can I scare you? Can I make a life-sized Nightmare Moon cake for your next birthday?" asked the earth pony.

Tony and Twilight looked up, having been cut off by the noise.

"Pinkie?" said Twilight. "What are you doing here?"

"And how'd you get out here so fast?" demanded Tony,."We've been gone for like, three minutes, and we flew here! How'd you even know we were here?!"

"Well," said Pinkie, addressing Twilight, "I was baking down at Sugar Cube Corner, and Steve and Applejack were there, and I was trying to get Steve to eat more pie, and all of a sudden, I started getting itchy flank," she scratched her Cutie Mark with one hoof, "then shaky legs," her forelegs wobbled, "and then my mane got all frizzy!" Pinkie's bubblegum mane started snapping straight, as though electrified. Though, in Pinkie's case, all the hairs pointed in different directions. "And that's a new Pinkie Sense! I realized it means 'Princess Celestia has big news for the Avengers!' So I ran out here to tell you guys about it and we could get back to the castle!"

"Oh," said Twilight, flatly. Starlight and Spike blinked a couple of times, before sighing and nodding.

Tony just stared at the party pony, his jaw hitting the collar of his armor as he stared at her.

"What..." he started, seemingly unable to find any more words. His confusion was compounded by the others, who had no reaction to Pinkie's antics.

Twilight shrugged. "Believe it or not, Pinkie's usually right about these things. I learned to just go with it a long time ago."

"But...I...how..." sputtered Tony. "How could she possibly—"

The human's words were cut off by a whooshing sound, coming from Spike as he suddenly took in a lot of air. The dragon's cheeks swelled up, before he released a large burp, sending out a stream of green fire and smoke. Spike's exhalation suddenly coalesced into a scroll. Twilight's magical aura immediately picked it up and unrolled it.

"Yep, she's right," said the alicorn. "Princess Celestia says she has a lead on Phobos and Deimos."

Tony just stood there, looking for words, before deciding that it was a good time to throw in the towel. He re-equipped his helmet.

"Rogers? Wilson?" he asked, patching into their radio channel.

"Sam here. Don't know if Steve has his com. What is it?"

"You'd better get back to the castle, now. We may finally have something to do."

---

Equis, Ponyville

"And that there is the Ponyville Spa!" said Applejack, pointing to the small building with her hoof. "I'm pretty sure Rarity doesn't go a week without splurging at that place!"

The farm pony was currently giving Steve a brief tour of the town. Sam and Pinkie had left, as Sam was more equipped to scout for Phobos and Deimos, while Pinkie had exclaimed that her "Pinkie Sense" was kicking up again for something and rushed off. Steve had opened his mouth to get some more details, but Applejack convinced him to drop the subject. Probably for the better, anyway.

Looking around, Steve noticed that most of the ponies weren't staring in shock at the alien being (himself) in their wake. Rather, they went about their daily business, shopping and holding conversations with each other. Sure, there was the occasional watcher, but the town, for the most part, seemed to either be unaware of his existence, or didn't find it interesting enough to care.

"So," he began, "are unusual things the norm for this town?"

Applejack had followed his gaze, and chuckled to herself. "Ponyville is a tiny place, but believe me, we've seen a lot of action. I guess that comes from hosting the Princess of Friendship, and the Elements of Harmony."

Steve nodded. If he were honest, not being stared at was a nice change of pace for him. Being an American legend, coming back from the dead after seventy years, not to mention the fiasco of New York, made it quite difficult for Steve to walk down the street without attracting paparazzi.

"Speaking of Rarity, here's her Carousel Boutique Store," said Applejack, indicating the circular building. Steve thought he could've guessed that was the home of the posh unicorn he'd met last night. Everything about it just screamed Rarity; the glimmering decor, the elegant, flowing designs, she'd fit right in.

Applejack walked up to the door. "Hey, Rares? Didn't you say there was—"

She didn't get to finish that sentence, as a blue magic glow enveloped the door. The wooden portal swung open, clocking Applejack on the side of head and knocking her into the bushes. Rarity stood in the newly open doorway, holding a letter with her magic grip.

"Oh, Captain Rogers!" exclaimed the unicorn. "Excellent timing! I was going to show you a few new designs I had for your uniform, when I got this letter from Twilight—what's so funny?"

Steve was nearly doubled over with laughter, his face turning red from the lack of oxygen. He couldn't get enough air to form a response, instead pointing a finger to the bushes. Rarity followed his gaze, finding Applejack's orange legs sticking out, completely limp.

"Oh, my goodness!" she gasped again, levitating Applejack out with her magic. "Applejack, I'm sorry, but, you simply must not stand in front of doors like that! You're liable to get clobbered!"

"Yeah, well, unlike Pinkie, my ears don't flop, my eyes don't flutter, and my knees don't twitch," Applejack deadpanned.

"Anyway," continued Rarity, unceremoniously dropping Applejack back to the ground, "Spike sent me this letter from Twilight." She displayed the scroll. "According to her, Princess Celestia has news of Phobos and Deimos. Captain Rogers, you, along with us Elements, need to return to the castle immediately!"

Steve had stopped laughing by this point. "Already?" he asked. "Well, that didn't take long!"

---

Applejack's statement to Steve was true. Ponyville was generally considered a hotspot for chaotic and insane occurrences, remarkably few of which were owed to Discord frequenting the town. So for the ponies of the town, seeing creatures who were a species entirely unknown to them, and aliens to boot, wasn't that big of a deal. The Foal-Free press ran a story about it, but mostly, everypony just carried on with their daily lives.

Of course, there were exceptions.

"I'm sorry, but this is important business," insisted Fluttershy, standing on the steps to the castle. Celestia, Luna, Thor, Sam, Rainbow, Tony, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike had already gone inside. Steve's group was on their way. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble for you to wait..."

"Ah, c'mon!" whined Scootaloo, the other Crusaders mimicking her vocalizations. "The Avengers are so cool! We just wanna thank them for saving our lives yesterday! They deserve that."

"Yeah!" chimed in Apple Bloom. "And maybe we can help them find the purpose of their Cutie Marks."

"Cutie Mark Crusader Avengers!" sang Sweetie Bell.

"Uh, I don't think humans even have Cutie Marks," said Fluttershy.

"Really?!" exclaimed Lyra, trying to push her way into the castle, Bon-Bon restraining her. "That's amazing! How do they know what their talent is, then? Can they cast magic through their hands? If Thor's not a human, what species is he? What—"

"Lyra," Bon-Bon protested, grunting from the strain of holding the unicorn, "shouldn't you let them have their space?"

"But there's so much we could learn from them! I wanna see how they play harps with fingers!"

"I'm sorry, but no," said Fluttershy, putting her hoof down (both literally and figuratively). "The Avengers have important things to do for the safety of Equestria, and we have to help them. There's no time right now for your questions. You'll just have to wait."

"Aaaawwww..." sighed the Crusaders, but they raised no further objections. Lyra did the same, slumping in her friend's forelegs.

Just then, the door to the castle opened, revealing Princess Celestia.

"Fluttershy?" asked the alicorn, "is Captain Rogers—"

"We're here, we're here," said Steve, coming up the path, Rarity and Applejack by his sides. Lyra and the crusaders all squealed at the sight.

"Now, now, Sweetie Bell," said Rarity. "You'll have time to meet the Avengers later."

"You, too, Apple Bloom," said Applejack.

The crusaders nodded, and Steve gave them a polite smile and wave before they headed off.

Lyra, while not making anymore efforts to reach Steve, absolutely refused to take her eyes off the human, as if trying to commit every detail of his body to memory.

Steve gave her a perplexed look. "Uh, can I help you?" he asked. Lyra didn't respond, the words caught in her throat.

"Lyra..." started Bon-Bon, gripping her friends' shoulder. Lyra blinked, realizing what she was doing, and sighed.

"Fine..." groaned the unicorn, turning and walking away, "but I'm coming back!"

Bon-Bon turned back to the others. "Sorry about that," she apologized. "She's just...interested in you, Captain. No offense, I promise."

"None taken," Steve replied, genuinely.

"No apologies necessary," said Celestia, then she whispered, using a subtle spell to send the sound of her voice to Bon-Bon's ears alone, "Agent Sweetie Drops." Celestia gave a quick wink.

Bon-Bon flushed red for a second, before realizing the princess was just messing with her. Typical Celestia. She gave a wink of her own, before rushing off after Lyra.

"Now, everyone, if you would?"

The princess stepped back inside the castle, Steve, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy following.

---

Steve, Applejack, and Rarity proceeded to the throne room, following directly behind Celestia. The remaining Elements and Avengers had gathered, along with Luna, Spike, and Starlight. Tony and Twilight were seated off to the side, discussing the physics of portals crossing space, as well as the specifics of Tony's armor. Twilight had a quill, and was busy making some sketches of the suit, which was propped up in the corner. Sam was telling Rainbow about his days in the air force, and Rainbow made him promise to show her a jet at some point. Thor was having a conversation with Luna about Asgard, while the others remained scattered throughout the chamber.

Thor, hearing the footsteps, turned, greeting Celestia and the others warmly. The white alicorn acknowledged all those present, before moving to the back of the room, Luna and Thor coming to stand beside her.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," she announced. "Now, as I said, we have discovered Phobos and Deimos' location."

"Heimdall's vision of them is being blocked by powerful magic," said Thor, "but we found another method."

Luna beckoned to someone standing in the corner. The pony-shaped figure stepped into the light, clearly apprehensive, but seemed to calm down when Luna placed a hoof around the shoulders.

The Avengers stared at the odd, insectoid creature standing before them. He smiled nervously, and waved his front leg at Spike, across the room.

"Hi, Thorax!" said the dragon.

"Good to see you," said Twilight, walking over to shake hooves with the changeling. Starlight followed.

The other Elements approached cautiously. They'd heard about Thorax, of course, but hadn't had the chance to meet him yet. Their previous encounters with Changelings had been unpleasant, to put it lightly. Deciding to take the initiative, Fluttershy stepped forward first.

"Hi, I'm Fluttershy," she greeted, holding out her hoof.

"Uh, hello..." said Thorax, returning the gesture, trying not to shy away.

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow watched Thorax with interest. So far, all the Changelings they'd met had been little more than aggressive soldiers, living to serve Chrysalis' will. Thorax, on the other hand, seemed genuinely scared of them. He was almost like Fluttershy had been for so long. The three gave each other a quick glance, an affirmation that Thorax wasn't the same as the monsters they'd fought. They all gave him the same polite greeting.

Of course, somepony else hadn't had any doubts.

Pinkie grabbed Thorax by the leg, and rang it. "Hi, Thorax!" she belted out. "I'm Pinkie Pie, and I know you don't live in Ponyville, but I'll throw you a new friend party anyway!"

Thorax seemed to visibly relax. A green flash surrounded his body, and when is faded, Thorax was replaced by another Pinkie Pie.

"That'd be super-duper terrific!" exclaimed the new Pinkie. The real Pinkie, along with the rest of the ponies, gave a hearty laugh, and even the Avengers chuckled a little.

Thorax shifted back into his true form, and Celestia addressed the Avengers.

"This is Thorax, a changeling who has decided to live among ponies."

"Uh, hi," said Sam. The other responded the same way. Thorax nodded at the Avengers.

Celestia continued, "Using his shape-shifting abilities, Thorax has gathered information on Phobos and Deimos."

"Any idea on who they might be working for?" asked Steve.

Thorax shook his head. "Sorry, no."

A small popping sound filled the air. All in the throne room turned to the corner, where Discord had materialized, with a box of what looked like uncooked popcorn in one hand.

"Afternoon, do-gooders!" he sang. He popped a couple of kernels into his mouth, his mismatched teeth crushing them into paste. At the sight of the draconequus, Thor gripped his hammer noticeably tighter, but didn't move to attack like last night.

"Discord..." Fluttershy started, sounding mildly aggravated.

Discord gave his best innocent smile, which was still not very convincing.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy! I promise, I am on my best behavior today! I'm here to observe today's proceedings, and nothing more, out of my own curiosity."

"As long as you don't make it start raining cherry pies again," said Spike.

"Ugh! How undignified! To be completely encased in such messy delicacies! It's nearly impossible to get the grime out of my mane!" Rarity hammed.

"ANYWAY," Luna interrupted, bringing a bit of the Royal Canterlot Voice out, "if we could move back to the matter at hand/hoof." She gestured to Thorax. "Go on. Tell them exactly what you told us."

"Um, okay," replied the changeling. "It started back in Canterlot..."

---

Equis, Canterlot, Earlier that Morning

Canterlot, being the capital city of Equstria, and the home of the two royal sisters, was naturally considered by the majority to be an upstanding, city on a hill type of location. And for the most part, this assumption was correct. Canterlot was home to more elite, high-class ponies than any other city, and it certainly lived up to its posh reputation. It was no wonder Rarity fit in so well in the town.

Of course, like all bright, sophisticated cities, Canterlot had its own seedy underbelly.

The more dangerous neighborhoods, where white walls that constantly looked freshly painted gave way to brick in a variety of darker, more solemn colors, such as brown and grey, were home to Canterlot's criminal element. Less than savory ponies flocked to dark clubs dotted throughout the area, along with the local bars. Ponies would often trade or sell stolen property, or search for comrades willing to participate in some sort of criminal activity. The authorities kept an eye out, of course, but the criminals had learned to cover up anything illegal before they arrived. There was the occasional arrest, but not much else.

It was to this area that Thorax made his way, having whipped up a disguise of a gruff, muscular brown earth pony, complete with a blond mane, and a fertilizer Cutie Mark. He was unlikely to be noticed, and in a place like this, there weren't huge pockets of love that could trigger an unintentional reaction. That didn't stop the changeling from being fearful, but he pushed on by reminding himself to do his duty to his new friends, especially Spike.

Thorax, putting on an appearance of toughness, strolled into the the largest bar in city, the unfortunately named Tipsy Hoof. Pushing through the plain wooden door, Thorax was greeted by a large, wide-open barroom, packed with ponies. Groups were huddled around tables, discussing what may or may not have been illegal business ventures. Other ponies gathered on the counter, drinking away their troubles, or just drinking. Thorax moved up to the counter.

"What are you having?" growled the pegasus bartender.

"Just a beer," answered the changeling, dumping a couple of bits on the wood.

He received his large, foamy glass, taking it in hoof. Turning to the crowded barroom before him, trying to determine which group of ponies to eavesdrop on. Thorax knew sufficient magic for a hearing alteration spell, and nopony would realize he was doing it in earth pony form, so proximity wasn't a factor. He eventually made his way to an unoccupied table in the middle, setting his glass down, making sure to take a sip every now and then so as to appear inconspicuous.

Calling upon his magic, Thorax cast a quick spell onto his ears, powering up that particular sense. Now, the changeling was capable of focusing his hearing on any conversation occurring in the room, and every word sounded as though he were directly adjacent to the speaker. Satisfied, he began to sift through the sounds.

"Yeah, Blueblood's amped up his security, but I still think it could be worth the effort..."

"Have ya heard? Celestia might have a treasure trove outside of the castle..."

"...know anypony in the market for dragon scale armor? Of course, I'm charging quite a price..."

"I'm telling ya. Aliens. In Ponyville. 'Nuff said!"

"So, your saying you work for those faun weirdos?"

Thorax snapped to attention. Fauns. Bipedal goat creatures. Phobos and Deimos. This was the break he'd been waiting for.

Thorax's eyes did a quick scan of the room, trying to see as much as possible without turning his head, and thus drawing attention to himself. He looked at the lips of all the speaking ponies, trying to sync the movements with the voice he was hearing. His gaze finally settled on a trio of ponies gathered in the corner, huddled down, with their heads down. Two were pegasi, one green with a red mane, and the other a deep shade of indigo with no mane, but a white tail, both with construction related Cutie Marks. The speaker, and the one who seemed to be directing the conversation, was a thin, navy blue unicorn, with a ivory white mane. His Cutie Mark resembled a nebula. His eyes were a dark red, not uncommon in Equestria, but even from this distance, and the look he got at the pony, the eyes sent a chill down Thorax's spine. He turned away from them, praying that they hadn't caught him looking.

"Yes," continued the unicorn. "Phobos and Deimos are in the market for quite a lot of labor. Name your own price policy. There's even a deposit." The unicorn levitated a metal box from a burlap sack, settling it down onto the table without making a sound, and popping it open. Thorax didn't seen, but he heard a metal clink that sounded distinctly of bits. "You'd be working far away from Celestia's prying eyes, in the abandoned shrine of the Equestrian Badlands. Can I interest either of you two?"

The pegasi hesitated, making no movement to take the box of currency.

"I...dunno, buddy," said the indigo. "Phobos and Deimos are the most wanted in Equestria at the moment, considering they escaped from Tartarus."

"Yeah, not to mention, word on the street is that those aliens hangin' out in Ponyville have a bone to pick with them," chimed in his friend.

"Are you certain?" asked the unicorn again. "You'd be protected. Phobos and Deimos have quite the army backing them. You're turning your back on the chance of a lifetime—"

"Sorry, pal," said the green pegasus, as both got to their feet. "It's just too hot right now." The duo strolled out of the Tipsy Hoof, searching for some less illegal work.

The unicorn sighed to himself, closing his box, tossing it into his sack once more. Thorax had already turned his ears away from the conversation. He had what he needed. He finished his beer at a normal pace, then set off, hurrying to Princess Celestia.

---

Several Minutes Later

The blue unicorn casually strolled down the back alleys of Canterlot. In contrast to Thorax's last impression of him, the unicorn wore a satisfied grin, clearly delighted with the current state of affairs. He couldn't keep himself from chuckling as he opened his bag once more.

Tossing aside the box of bits, the unicorn ignited his horn, creating a deep black, magical glow. Black mist began to rise from his body, causing his pony form to dissipate. The mist advanced up his body, until the form of the unicorn was gone, and in his place stood a tall, dark blue ram, with white wisps of hair, and a bell hanging around his neck. Grogar's curved horns lit up, levitating a small, circular glass disk from his bag. His magic focused on the disk, creating the image of a swirling vortex on the reflective surface. When the image faded, Grogar was greeted with a familiar set of eyes.

"It is done, master," announced the ram. "They've taken the bait."

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

7673511 ...In what movie did that happen?
7673415 ...In what movie did that happen?

[Boltstrike58]

7949341 Both of those were in the comics, not the movies.

[SonNaruto1]

I have to ask: why does Grogar have a master? Grogar WAS the master! Unless the master is a marvel villian(from how you've been writing the snippits of the 'master', it's not Loki) no one in equstrias history was more dangerous than Grogar. Well, at least this story is turning interesting. Keep up the good work.

[Boltstrike58]

7950077 Well, this is a different Grogar than the G1 version, so I just made him a different character. Not as powerful (though, who says that won't change?). The master isn't a Marvel villain, but you might be able to guess who it is. Thanks for the fave.

[RedX-100]

"I'm telling ya. Aliens. In Ponyville. 'Nuff said!"

https://derpibooru.org/175385?q=stan+lee

[SWEETOLEBOB18]

"What..." he started, seemingly unable to find any more words. His confusion was compounded by the others, who had no reaction to Pinkie's antics.
Twilight shrugged. "Believe it or not, Pinkie's usually right about these things. I learned to just go with it a long time ago."
"But-I...how..." sputtered Tony, "How could she possibly-"

Oh, come on. Tony knows The Scarlet Witch.
Not to mention Dr. Strange, Hercules & Thor. He shouldn't be that flummoxed

[Boltstrike58]

9523957
He doesn't know Strange yet, not here.

[jjb0420]

9524486
But he does know Wanda.