Berlin, Germany
6:01 p.m.
His mind was black, a hazy, thick fog that slowly began to dissipate with every blood-thumping pump. A filthy, concrete floor sat beneath him, little light filling the room. Noting the strands of black hair hovering in front of his vision, he slowly brought his gaze upwards, his attention finally shifting to his left arm.
His metal arm constrained under a large press.
Keeping his eyes focused on the press, James Barnes barely noticed the upcoming footsteps, sounding oddly off, almost as if multiple people were walking in unison. Turning his attention to his far right, Barnes awaited the presence of the two men or women who were undoubtedly headed in his direction. Except there weren’t.
Not people.
Instead, Barnes came face-to-face with a small, yellow Pegasus with a pink mane. It was so long that it touched the floor, following shortly behind the Pegasus. It stopped mere feet away from him, almost looking a bit timid, but holding strength in those large, cyan eyes. Barnes stared, and for some reason found some form of mystical comfort staring into her gaze. It seemed alien, which it probably was, considering his circumstances. He was stuck in a strange area with an equally strange creature staring at him, almost looking… concerned.
Then, to Barnes’ great surprise, it spoke. “Sam…”
Its voice was feminine, gentle, like a young woman. Barnes’ mouth fell, but he remained silent. She seemed to furrow her brow before taking a step away from him. “He’s awake.”
“Hey, Cap!” Barnes looked up, noticing an actual human standing in the entryway. He stepped through towards Barnes, followed shortly by a familiar face to his right. As well, another small horse trailed behind, this one a bright, sky blue, a rainbow mane and tail to go with it. Groaning, Barnes picked himself up, gripping the metal press with his free hand. He looked up to the familiar face, one he hadn’t seen in a long, long time.
“Steve…”
Steve Rogers, his best friend, stood in a filthy gray t-shirt and blue jeans. His eyes were not of joy or relief to see Bucky, but of concern. Edge. Slowly, he spoke, his voice sharp, as he asked, “Which Bucky am I talking to?”
Flashes of a white tundra meeting his landing came flooding back, the agonizing screeches of the saw blade tearing in his left arm. Bucky blinked. “Your mom’s name was Sarah,” he said. A small smile crept across his lips, a chuckle escaping him. “You used to wear newspapers in your shoes.”
Steve’s eyebrows shot upwards. “Can’t read that in a museum.”
“Just like that, we’re supposed to be cool?” Sam asked, arms crossed.
“I’m with Sam,” the light blue Pegasus agreed, flying over to stand directly in Bucky’s eyesight. She narrowed her gaze, almost seeming like a glare, as she stared into the eyes of the Winter Soldier. She pointed to the large bruise on her chin, saying, “You remember giving me this?”
Bucky stared at the mare with the rainbow mane, shifting from the claw marks on her cheek to the bruise on her chin. He suddenly remembered what exactly he was looking at, and turned to either Steve or Sam for confirmation. They noted the confusion in his eyes, the appearance of the mares obviously surprising.
“Yeah…” Sam muttered. “They’re… they’re ponies… from another world.”
Bucky turned to Steve, who nodded. “A lot has happened since you’ve been gone.”
With that, Bucky slowly nodded, not really wanting to go further into detail on the subject. “Yeah…” he mumbled, turning his attention back to the angry Pegasus.
He turned back to the large bruise on her chin, the words she told him. He grimaced at the thought, the possibilities of what happened while he was in the dark. Looking around, he asked, “What did I do?”
“Enough to leave a mark,” Steve replied.
“Plenty of ‘em,” Rainbow Dash said, taking several steps back, just for precaution. She shook her head, Bucky staring at her. “Twilight’s gonna be so pissed when she sees what you did to the rest of our friends.”
Her tone said it all. What he did to the rest of her friends… God, Barnes closed his eyes at the thought of it. “Oh, God, I knew this would happen. Everything HYDRA put inside me is still there.” He stared at the group, at Steve, his friend, and the two mares all staring at him with concern. “All he had to do was say the goddamn words.”
“That wasn’t you, Bucky,” Fluttershy assured to him, placing her hoof comfortingly on his shoulder. Bucky turned to her hoof, followed up her foreleg, and stared into her eyes, that strange sense of ease flowing back inside him, much like earlier.
She continued. “When I stared into your eyes, I didn’t see the monster so many people made you out to be. All those stories of the Winter Soldier, that evil, evil man committing horrible atrocities… I didn’t see that in you. I saw a young man… a boy. You were trapped… alone… scared.”
He breathed softly through his nose, almost quivering. She broke away, her hoof falling. “Hurt.”
Bucky’s head slowly fell. “But not anymore,” Fluttershy told him, his eyes meeting hers once again. She offered a kind, sweet smile, probably the strongest one she could have offered for such a timid little thing. “Now, that spell that kept you trapped seems to have faded. You don’t have to be that monster anymore, Bucky. You’re free.”
“I wouldn’t say that, Fluttershy.”
Both turned in the direction of the Captain. He stepped forward, asking, “That man you mentioned earlier, the one who said the words to bring out the Winter Soldier… who was he?”
“I don’t know.”
“People are dead,” Steve declared, the stone-cold truth hitting Bucky like a shock of electricity. “The bombing, the setup, the doctor did all that just to get ten minutes with you. I need you to do better than ‘I don’t know.’”
Better than “I don’t’ know.” He let that sink with him, down, down, down into the deep abyss that was his mind. Inside, he tried his damnedest to remember the words the doctor said, the words that brought out… him. The piece Bucky didn’t want to think too much about. But he had to. He thought to the words, just briefly. He thought to what the doctor wanted. What did he say…?
December 16, 1991.
“He wanted to know… about the others,” Bucky slowly answered. Steve stepped forward. “Where I was kept. He wanted to know exactly where.”
“What others?” Steve asked.
Bucky clenched his fist, his flesh, and could feel the punches against his skin, just like so many years ago. Like they never left. Cautiously, he breathed, and brought up his gaze to meet Steve’s.
He said, “I’m not the only Winter Soldier.”
Steve’s jaw fell, but only slightly. He could see as Bucky dropped his head, muttering something to himself, something to hopefully calm himself. Other Winter Soldiers? It obviously wasn’t good news. One Winter Soldier caused public assassinations for over fifty years, HYDRA’s deadliest weapons. The thought of more soldiers just like Bucky… God.
Leaning back on the wall, Steve watched as Bucky cringed in pain, just a tad. He reached to his arm, his metal one, and gently rubbed it. Steve looked to Rainbow Dash and nodded her way. Dash nodded back. Approaching Bucky, Dash apprehensively released the lever, allowing the press to release Bucky’s arm.
Watching as Bucky composed himself, gripping his shoulder and muttering nonsense, Steve asked, “There are more like you? Who are they?”
After finally releasing his shoulder, Bucky composed himself, sitting in more comfortable position. He replied, “The most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history. And that was before the serum.”
“They all turn out like you?” Sam asked.
“Worse.”
Not good. Really not good. His thoughts were becoming reality. Steve crossed his arms, asking, “The doctor, could he control them?”
“Enough.”
Shaking his head, Steve sighed. “Said he wanted to see an empire fall.”
“With these guys, he could do it,” Bucky said. “They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate, destabilize. They can take a whole country down in one night, you’d never see them coming.”
Fluttershy squeaked in fear, the thought of multiple Winter Soldiers, just as terrifying as Bucky had been, on the loose and ready to strike kept the mare shivering where she stood. Rainbow, on the other hoof, kept her frown frozen in place, not liking the idea of having to deal with more Winter Soldiers like Bucky, probably even worse than Bucky.
“Where are the others kept?” Steve asked, pressing further and further into him.
He shook his head as a response, then quickly followed it up. “I don’t know. Somewhere… somewhere in Russia.”
“Russia’s a big country,” Steve told him, his arms falling. He straightened himself, keeping his voice centered and strong. “Buck… I need you to—”
“And I need you to understand.” That stopped Rogers, his mouth shutting, his eyes locked with Buck’s. He breathed steadily, his back rising and falling, his black hair dangling just ahead of his eyes. He never looked colder… except when he was still controlled.
He said, “HYDRA tore apart my mind. What I remember now could be forgotten in a few hours, a few minutes, a few days, I don’t know. I can only see what they programmed in me, and even then, it’s still fuzzy. Like a fog. I have bits and pieces, but I can never put the puzzle back together. The fact that I can still remember who you are is a miracle on its own. So, when I say I don’t know, I don’t know.”
The two kept their stone-like gazes to each other. Sam watched from afar, watching the confrontation with mild concern, but ready just in case. The two mares shot their eyes back and forth, back and forth, from Steve to Bucky, seeing who would make the next move.
In the end, Steve nodded and backed away. “Try and remember.”
Bucky lowered his head, his fingers intertwining with one another. As Steve fell back to the wall, his back pressed against the cool cement, Sam came next to him, crossing his arms with a quiet sigh. “This would have been a lot easier a week ago.”
Steve nodded, eyeing Bucky. “If we call Tony…”
Sam shook his head. “No, he won’t believe us.”
“Even if he did…”
“Who knows if the Accords would let him help,” Sam interrupted.
Steve opened his mouth to argue, but fell silent. It was true. Stark wouldn’t help them, especially not now. The moment he laid eyes on them, he’d hire the entire German army to force them to surrender. There had to be way, though, a possibility to reach Stark.
“What about Twilight?” the Captain asked. “I’m sure she could see where we’re coming from. If we convince Twilight, maybe she can convince Stark.”
“I don’t think that’s happening.”
Steve and Sam turned their attention to the approaching mares. Fluttershy and Rainbow stopped directly in front of the two men, Rainbow shaking her head. She grumbled, “After what Buck did to our friends, Twilight especially, I think she lost all hope of ever trusting him again.”
“You really think so?”
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash turned to Bucky, the broken soldier staring at his hands. One flesh, one metal. Noticing the continued silence, Bucky brought up his gaze and watched the mares stare at him. Their gazes were not assuring. Neither were there declarations. Fluttershy sighed, turning back. “He almost killed Twilight.”
Bucky lowered his head, his hands unnaturally weak. Steve could have sworn he saw him shaking.
Rainbow frowned. “But we’re not Twilight,” she told him, referring to herself and Fluttershy, stamping her hoof down for added strength to her statement.
“But we’re on our own,” Steve said.
“What about Spike and Pinkie?” Rainbow retorted. “They’re still at the facility, and I’m pretty sure Pinkie would be down tracking a bunch of psycho assassins.”
“She’s got a point,” Sam interjected.
“But what about Spike?” Fluttershy asked, prompting Rainbow’s attention to center her way. “You really think he would want to be a part of all of this?”
“Are we?” Dash asked back, earning a look of surprise from the Pegasus. Shaking her head, Rainbow declared, “It doesn’t matter, Fluttershy. We’re helping Steve because he’s our friend…” she turned to Steve, then Bucky, then back to the Captain. “… and I trust him.”
Almost unsure, Fluttershy stared at Bucky’s lowered head, then turned to the Captain. She could see the look in his eyes, the desperation, the lack of hope that he desperately needed. If they didn’t help… then who would? Her friendship with the Captain, and the newfound hope she had for saving Bucky, were much greater than that of her worry and fear.
So, Fluttershy nodded, giving the Captain an assuring and confident smile. “Yeah… I do, too.”
Given that extra bit of much-needed strength, Steve nodded to them. “Thank you.”
“Good to get extra hooves on board, but it’s not enough,” Sam sighed.
“What, you got friends?” Steve asked.
“Close,” Sam replied, almost shaking his head, like he was unsure of his own statement. Still, he turned to Steve, and said, “I know a guy.”
I think Spike would join Team Cap. It wouldn't be the first time he had deferring opinions with her. Like in Times Are a Changeling. He defended Thorax, why not defend Bucky?
Ant man joins the fray! I wonder how this will end!? Keep it up! The suspense is building!
That makes me hope to see Rainbow and Fluttershy meet Ant-Man's team, especially Luis... that would be priceless...
Twilight will not like to see a part of her friends stand on the other side... and she likely will be even less happy if Spike gets in the scuffle (but will he want to stay out of it?). The question about Starlight is still uncertain.
Man...this won't end well...
Our gang of pony friends are going to no longer be friends if things continue down this path...
Hope some other heroes can help resolve this brewing conflict in the end...
Well, it's not the worst thing to wake up to.
Bucky: This is some weird shit, Steve.
Steve: Buck, we're both ninety-year old men. I think we can live with this.
The dynamic between the divided ponies is kind of interesting, because Twilight and Rainbow are almost inverses of Steve and Tony. Twilight's the collected leader, who believes in following authority (though, in some cases she is authority), almost like Steve was back in the Avengers. Rainbow's the more aggressive one, who's quicker to react with anger, like Tony.
So, now we just have to get Clint to pick up Pinkie, Spike, Scott, and Wanda. Can't wait to see Scott's reaction, that'll be good for a laugh.
When we do reach the battle, I think there's potential for some Wanda/Starlight interaction, considering they both feel guilty for Lagos, but chose opposite sides. And Peter!
Oh, but we have Spike and Twilight on opposing sides . Please don't let them be torn apart forever...
Rainbow and Fluttershy are definitely on Team Cap, Rainbow because she trusts Steve and Fluttershy because she had seen within Bucky that he is a tortured soul forced to be a weapon. Twilight and the others sided with Team Iron Man (Applejack, Rarity and possibly Starlight) is not going to like this, especially if they have to fight their own friends sided with the other team, and who knows which side Pinkie and Spike will choose. If this keeps up, the magic of friendship that the ponies share with each other will be torn apart.
For gosh sakes, Rainbow! Watch your language. You know Cap doesn't like that.
cdn.meme.am/cache/instances/folder198/500x/62081198/captain-america-i-understood-that-reference-hey-language.jpg
Oh yeah! Ant-Man is on the way!
8199616
8199628
We have yet to see the rest of the Equestrians' take on this. Next chapter, perhaps.
In my opinion I generally hope you keep the final battle as it was in the movie. If your gonna include the ponies at least have them watch from the sidelines or something. Again this is my opinion and I have no right to tell you how you should write your story but I generally really loved the ending it was such an emotional battle that caused me to rewatch the movie over and over again and overall is my most favorite marvel movie to date.
P.S great story so far.
8200481
This is your opinion and I respect it. I liked this ending too.
But in my opinion, I don't see the point to write such scene in a fanfic if nothing different happens, if the Equestrians do nothing. I would rather just launch the DVD and watch it.
8200481
8200631
Ummm... no... Just... no...
I'm personally loosing interest in this fic altogether right now, but I can safely say that IS NOT how it's going to end. If Twi and Rainbow end up in the final battle, ya know, where Tony loses all collective sanity in his mind for a brief moment and tries to KILL Bucky and will even kill Steve if he has to, yeah, no. No matter what their differing opinions are, they will band together to stop Tony from doing that.
I'm siding with Black Hoof here. Just go watch the actual movie if you want that.
Also, commas exist. Use them.
8199628 Oh, God. Ant-Man is on the way.
Didn't really have a problem with him in his own movie, but I COULD NOT stand him in Civil War.
....And apparently, judging by your one dislike, you can't handle my opinion even when I'm not being rude about it. (Make that two.)
8200762
Then good for you that there has only been 2 fanfics like this on this website so far, and not dozens and dozens of them sprouting every day.
How are five people gonna take over a country let alone a village? And those five can't even control their own temper. Glad to see Bucky have a spinal column. Throughout all three films he's been little more than just a plot device for Rogers to hug and Wangst about.
Is that character from Samurai Jack?
8200889 1. You're talking about Spiders and Magic, aren't you?
And 2, It's mostly just that this is point for point the movies with slightly altered dialogue.
8201475
No, I like Spiders and Magic fics. I was talking about sudden-shipping and/or sex fics and random fics.
I disagree with this fic being exactly like the film, except for a few chapters. It has also room for the Equestrians to leave their mark, as we still are far from the end.
"And this guy, Sam. Did he by any chance kick the crap out of you despite being no bigger than a grain of rice?"
8201503 Ok
Nothing really has changed aside from a couple of characters showing up. The same events are playing out as the film depicts despite the fact that Daredevil, Punisher and the Equestrians are in it, the dialogue is word for word that of the film in most cases, and so far, it's REALLY not giving a lot of incentive to keep reading. I get that there's going to be a huge deviation later on, but I think there should have been one already by now.
At least with A Beautiful New Age, it was different to where I could say it wasn't just Age of Ultron with MLP characters stuffed into some scenes. They're were similarities to the film, but not to the point where I was just reading the novelization of it with MLP elements. This, however, is.
JD, I think you can great potential, but this just isn't your best.
8201601
Well... now that you say it, I'm more inclined to agree. But let's not forget that trying to add new characters in a story while sticking to a tight plotline is quite hard.
JDPrime22, don't be afraid to change the events a bit more ; you have the skill for it, I have no doubts.
Like what I suggested for the 27th chapter, it could be a good idea to write scenes, at least, from the eyes of added characters rather than rewrite what we see in the movie, when these added characters can't have a significant impact on the events (while still allowing the main plot points to happen, like the airport scene, the heroes choosing sides, the submarine prison, ...).
8201661 Now that's true. It IS difficult to adapt an already established storyline like this one. But if it's not working, I'll be honest about how it isn't working in the nicest way I can manage.
Throne....
8201661 I hope perhaps War Machine doesn't get put out of action. I really like him.
8199516 Spike'll be an interesting choice.
8199517 Thanks a ton!
8199587 We'll find out next chapter.
8199616 I like the idea of Starlight and Wanda facing off. I just may integrate that.
8199628 Easily one of my favorite Marvel heroes.
8200481 I got something really interesting planned for the final battle.
8200955 They could assassinate world leaders and hide in plain sight. That's pretty damn scary if you ask me.
8201472 Scaramouche the Merciless, babe!
8201592 We don't talk about that, Steve.
8201661 That's what I'm going for. The Airport Battle's mostly gonna be in the eyes of the ponies, them facing off against each other and other Avengers. A couple of ponies in particular are going to have significant impacts on the story later on.
8203825
What could be dramatic would be Starlight choosing to support Cap, not forgetting she herself was given another chance, while Twilight would stick with Iron-Man...
8203825 But if even if Zemo would take all five right to the Kremlin and they assassinate Putin
the people would dance and cheer and praise the Winter Soldiers as the greatest heroes in the last 1000 years, the guards would unload their guns directly into the Soldiers. And even that's unlikely given the Kremlin's security. The only five people could threaten the world the way Bucky says is if they were supremely powerful telepaths.8204613 I don't know. I just think if one Winter Soldier can stay hidden for 70 years while committing several assassinations, then five could do much more damage.
8204914 But Bucky stayed hidden because HYDRA hid him and HYDRA had huge resources to call on to build its many facilities. I don't know how many resources Zemo has but I doubt he can hide them as well as HYDRA could. If they're like Bucky, they're mindless drones who need a support group to oversee their operations and hits.
The turmoil that Bucky is going through is so very realistic, and you succeeded in capturing his turmoil.
Oh hey Fluttershy is here.
Yeesh, Rainbow is getting beat up in this story.
While I'm not sure about that "ever trusting him again" and don't like the idea of Twilight condemning Bucky, hurting her friends is probably the fastest way to get in her bad side. Though this is going to be espescially hard on Twilight since she's going to be fighting friends.
YESS! FLUTTERSHY IS ON BOARD! Also, Ant-Man, too. He’s great!
0:54 “I know you too, you’re great!”
If I know Spike, I don't think he'd turn his back on Twilight Sparkle unless something serious happened (After all, he's been loyal to Twilight since he was a hatchling). Even if The Winter Soldier didn't mean to hurt anyone, in this case it's going to take more than an apology to get back in Twilight's good graces (Considering she wasn't the only pony who got hurt). As far as The Winter Soldier goes, while he may not remember the man who uttered those words he knows there are others like him and capable of delivering some severe punishment just as worse. If they are going to clear The Winter Soldier's name, they'll need all the help they can get.
As for Rainbow Dash, while she may not be the sharpest pony in the group and though this might make Twilight very angry to go against her, Rainbow Dash does have a strong heart especially if she believes there's more to Winter Soldier than anyone can understand. It may cost Rainbow 'everything', but I truly hope fate is kind to deliver an understanding before it's all too late.
Ant man 🤩
Fluttershy assuring Bucky he’s not the Winter Soldier anymore was very heartwarming.
Time for Ant-Man to make his official appearance.