Chapter 129 – America’s Ass
129
New York City
Chrysler Building
1:58 p.m.
Tony Stark gripped the edge of the Chrysler Building alongside various other Avengers.
Scott Lang—while shrunk down on Tony’s shoulder—gazed out to see the aftermath of the battle. Dead Leviathans lay on building tops and within the remains of Grand Central Station. Hundreds of fires spread from building to building as the streets were cluttered to the brim with debris and dead Chitauri. Scott may have only heard of the Battle of New York once upon a time ago, but still witnessing it with his own eyes felt even more heartbreaking. Thankfully, they made it out. Most of them. They were still waiting for Danvers to catch up with their stragglers to regroup.
Their team sat more on the sidelines after that little skirmish they had with a few Chitauri earlier. They found it to be relatively easy with Stark leading them, taking them exactly where they needed to go. Sunset Shimmer was hovering nearby by her own magic, Frank in his Punisher Armor and gripping the building like Stark, and Murdock perched on the nearest ledge in his black Daredevil attire. Steve was already in Stark Tower and in position. All that was left was word from Stark to engage.
Donning the Mark 85, Tony Stark gazed forward and zoomed inwards to witness the Avengers’ past selves finally confront the mischievous Loki in his broken and defeated state. With the portal closed, the alien army dealt with, all they needed to do was lock Loki up and let Thor do what he did best: taking his brother back home to receive a proper trial and punishment.
Analyzing the situation, Tony darted his head upwards when he heard that familiar voice chime in his shared comms link. “Got a couple long-lost Avengers here,” Carol Danvers acknowledged aloud, Stark watching her trail of light fly towards Stark Tower for a proper drop-off. That was the signal. The team had finally congregated back together once more. Except for Banner, who Stark had already received the green that the Time Stone was secured and returned to the present. Good.
Just two more in 2012 that required their attention.
Looking over to Murdock and nodding, Stark leapt off the building and began to freefall to the street below. Seeing that burning image of Stark dropping from the Chrysler Building, Matt followed suit and fell face-first from the building. The two met in their descent, Tony snatching him and wrapping his arms around his torso. He caught flight, carrying Murdock over to Stark Tower to join Danvers and the others. Frank and Sunset were right behind them, flying on their own accord as they reached the opening just on the outside of the building. More so the shattered glass window, the team of nine passed through it and entered Stark Tower.
Taking cover behind the nearest wall, they watched the confrontation between the six Avengers and Loki commence, the God of Mischief pushing himself up from the ground and declaring weakly, “If it’s all the same to you… I’ll have that drink now.”
As the Hulk grunted to Loki’s comment, the hidden team of nine Avengers conversed with one another, Carol laying her gloved-palm on Tony’s shoulder, minding Lang. “Okay, I’m gonna back off. Frank, Daisy, and I will stay as backup if any of you need us.”
Tony nodded wordlessly to that, watching as Carol turned around and made her escape. Not before giving an assuring nod to both Twilight and Rainbow—whom she dropped off earlier—did Carol leave, flying out the shattered window while gripping Daisy’s hand, the two girls flying off to an unknown, hidden location. Probably the roof. Castle stomped as quietly as he could in his bulking suit of armor, eyeing the six Avengers and Loki cautiously as he leapt out of the building and caught flight. Neither him nor Danvers were particularly happy to be working close together, but they put aside their childish differences for now. So much else was hanging on the line. They needed to cooperate.
Still thankfully hidden, the remaining six Avengers turned back to the confrontation. Their comms lit to life when Carol declared, “Tony, we got S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives on the roof taking the Tesseract. You want me to engage?”
Steve’s voice came quickly. “No, Carol. Rumlow and his team are gonna meet up on the floor Tony and the others are at soon. They’re gonna debrief and that’s when Lang acts.”
Though somewhat disgruntled on that—especially on not really feeling that helpful at the moment—Carol just sighed and said, “Roger. Standing back.”
While they spoke silently to one another, Matt Murdock’s Daredevil suit began to materialize away, leaving just Murdock kneeling in his standard suit and tie. He lifted his dark red glasses and placed them on the bridge of his nose, whipping out his cane and gripping it tightly in his right hand. Civilian attire. Perfect to stay camouflaged for what the plan required. Just in case, Twilight and Sunset cast a camouflage spell over the remaining six to keep them concealed from the world around them. Can’t have Tony’s past self seeing himself, or anyone witnessing three ponies striding about in Stark Tower.
Unfortunately, that spell came with a caution, of which Twilight warned, “Now remember, this spell is only temporary and stationary, meaning if we move too much the spell will fail. It’s meant only for scouting purposes.”
“Well, some of us won’t be doing that for long,” Tony mumbled.
He watched as his past self broke off from the rest of the team, the Tony Stark stumbling about in a torn and damaged Mark 7 stating, “All right, we can pose up a storm later. Might wanna get reindeer games here in some cuffs while I open up some brandy to celebrate.”
“Already got it handled, Stark!” Clint called, moving behind the bar’s counter and bending low to retrieve the glass of fine, aged brandy.
“I, as well,” Thor declared, slapping a pair of Asgardian cuffs around his brother’s wrists and pulling him to his feet. Loki fidgeted from where he stood, but after seeing the lingering glare from the Hulk turn his way, the God of Mischief went rigid, dead silent and obedient. The Hulk snarled with an evil smirk tugging at his green lips.
Watching the past Avengers’ selves congregate about was already mind-boggling enough for Twilight and Rainbow. Though relatively new to the whole Avengers debacle, Sunset found herself completely engrossed to the scene before her, all three mares simply at a loss for words as they witnessed past versions of their friends mere feet away from them. They looked so much younger, healthier, their smiles and glowing faces an old but welcome image. Natasha’s hair was much more vibrant and orange, and even Tony’s hair was darker and larger, more spiked and puffed up to overcompensate his stifling ego he still had back then. Thor’s golden hair was longer and healthier, not as heavy and unkempt as it was currently. He still had his mighty Mjølnir, as well. Clint definitely looked younger as compared to his older, nearly broken future appearance. He was smiling and laughing with Natasha as he poured her and himself a glass of brandy, the two clinking glasses over their victory. Twilight’s heart fell when she saw that old smile grace Clint’s face. She really missed that smile.
Bruce Banner was still the same old Hulk Twilight and Rainbow once knew. Brainless, heartless, and all-powerful as he stumbled aimlessly about the room, trying to get a round two attempt on Loki but Thor denying him every single time. Loki practically cowered around his older brother, even using him as a shield against the Hulk. Then there was Steve Rogers. He wore the same attire their Steve brought with them, assuring Twilight and the others that they were at least prepared for that. Stark, however, saw something else.
Still in his Mark 85 yet camouflaged and still to the world around him, he smirked and shook his head when his eyes dropped lower. “Oh, Mr. Rogers, I am sorry. I forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass,” Stark murmured under his breath, loud enough for everyone to hear in the comms. Everyone.
While Twilight, Sunset, and Rainbow turned to Stark with expressions that said it all, Steve’s voice came quickly in the comms, stating, “No one asked you to look, Tony.”
Someone else was easily impressed, a certain Ant-Man atop Stark’s shoulder rising up to full height. “I think you look great, Cap. As far as I’m concerned, that’s America’s ass,” Scott said with a salute to boot.
“Okay, can we stop talking about Steve’s butt for a second?” Rainbow groaned, blushing mildly. However much she wanted to deny it, her eyes kept trailing back down to Captain America’s backside now that Tony put the thought in her head, the voluptuous cheeks of the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan fitting perfectly in his tight red, white, and blue uniform. They practically radiated under the light of the sun sprinkling in through the glass window, Steve’s thighs adding that much more volume to his rump the longer she stared. And Rainbow Dash was definitely putting much more thought onto it than she needed to. Her face was practically on fire, thanking Twilight in her mind for the camouflage spell as the Pegasus rose a foreleg to forcefully look away.
“Sh!” Murdock warned, everyone falling silent in the comms. Though invisible to the world around him, Matt slowly twisted his neck around to face the elevator doors behind him and his team. “We got incoming from above. Ten S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives.”
Stark acknowledged that with a nod. “Everyone hold their breath,” he whispered.
The elevator doors broke apart, allowing both Agent Brock Rumlow and Agent Jasper Sitwell to enter with a plethora of eight other burly S.H.I.E.L.D. agents behind them. They carried with them two briefcases, one already containing the Tesseract and the Space Stone while the other was longer, rectangular in shape. Perfect size for a certain scepter Natasha Romanoff was holding. As the S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives made their way inside and joined the six Avengers in confronting Loki and taking the scepter off of the Black Widow’s hands, the other six Avengers breathed again and watched the scene unfold.
Just as Stark remembered it, Sitwell opening up the rectangular briefcase and taking the scepter off of Natasha’s hands, placing it and the Mind Stone within that containment. Shaking his head, Tony whispered, “All right, here’s how it’s gonna go down. Steve is gonna handle the scepter, so that leaves the rest of you with me in acquiring the Tesseract. We got one shot at this, so don’t mess it up. Everyone know what they’re doing?”
A resounding chime of “rogers” filled his comms. Tony nodded to that and said, “Right, so when I get the briefcase, I’ll hand it off to Murdock and he’ll take it outside in the nearest alleyway. Don’t have to worry about eyes in this case. No one’s gonna question a blind guy.”
Shaking his head, Matt mumbled, “Is that what my role is now? Just a glorified disguise?”
Stark, ignoring him, said, “All right, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s taking the scepter and the south elevator.”
“Copy that,” Steve replied.
The other Steve—the 2012 kind—walked briskly past Thor and Loki while pressing firmly on his earpiece. “Search and rescue, does anyone have eyes on those alien horses?” Captain America announced to Rumlow, Sitwell, and every other agent S.H.I.E.L.D. brought with them, those others waiting in the lower levels for Rogers to lead them out in the streets.
Loki was not impressed, a veil of green overcoming his body and becoming that of Steve Rogers himself. “‘Search and rescue, does anyone have eyes on those alien horses’!” he mockingly declared, returning quickly to his original state and turning to Thor bemusedly. Then, he just realized what he had said, stating, “Wait, alien horses?”
“Shut,” Thor interrupted, slapping a mouthpiece over Loki’s lips. “Up.”
The others, the group consisting of Tony Stark, Thor, Loki, and a few more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents carried with them the briefcase that contained the Tesseract. Stark carried that, ensuring that Thor and Loki would take it with them back to Asgard where it belonged. Seeing his opportunity, Scott Lang reached the edge of Tony’s shoulder and lifted his rear end in the air.
“Got the target in sight,” Sunset whispered.
Lang nodded to that, looking back to Tony. “All right… flick me.”
Tony shook his head to that. “You just had to make it weird.” Though with minimal reluctance, He lifted his metal finger and flicked Ant-Man towards the Tesseract, Scott breaking away from the camouflage spell with his added trajectory and speed. Like he even needed it considering his size. He latched onto Tony Stark’s pant leg, slowly crawling his way up Tony’s person and towards the Arc Reactor still keeping him alive. Stark shook his head, praying that Lang didn’t mess up or kill him.
That was all that was needed of them in the upper levels. Rising back up, the group of five slowly made their cautious escape to the shattered window. Those still present, like Barton, Natasha, and the Hulk lingered on, the Hulk himself following behind Thor and his group taking Loki and the Tesseract to the elevator. With Stark taking a seat on the briefcase that contained the Tesseract, he shot out his hands alongside Thor and the agents present, stopping the towering mountain of green muscle before he could step foot on the elevator.
“Whoa, what do you think you’re doing, big guy?” Tony shouted, watching the Hulk glare at him and the others slowly. “Maximum occupancy has been reached! Go take the stairs!”
“Yes, take the stairs!” Thor agreed, pointing Mjølnir in the direction of the nearest flight. Loki waved playfully to the Hulk as the elevator doors closed, the Hulk roaring and slamming his fist on the doors. With Barton and Natasha gazing over to the Hulk and drinking their brandy silently, they could see him stumble forward, almost begrudgingly, to the flight of stairs awaiting him.
All the while mumbling, “Take the stairs. Hate the stairs!”
All of their attention was off the row of windows, letting the remaining five to leap out and off the building unseen. Tony opened his arms and caught Murdock, the two dropping together. All of their camouflage faded away due to the trajectory and speed of the drop, Tony eventually catching flight and holding Matt tightly by his arms. Sunset, Twilight, and Rainbow followed the pair, Rainbow eventually breaking off when she shouted, “Things are starting to get crowded! I’ll stay as backup with Carol and the others!”
All they could do was nod, watch as she zipped off with a rainbow trail following her. They didn’t have time to argue. They needed to get into position. And Stark needed to borrow some S.H.I.E.L.D. accessories.
The south elevator doors opened and Captain America stood on the outside. Every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent present all lifted their hardened gazes and simultaneously held their breaths as they saw the maskless expression from Steve Rogers meet theirs. He took those slow, cautious steps inside, closing the doors manually and standing in the heart of the group.
Agent Sitwell eyed Rogers curiously, asking, “Captain, I thought you were running search and rescue for those… alien horses you mentioned?”
The elevator doors closed, locking them all in as the elevator began its long, slow descent to the ground. Noting Sitwell’s curious eyes and question, Steve simply stated, “Change of plans.”
The following seconds within the elevator were quiet, unease and tension rising higher and higher and infecting the air, suffocating practically every participant. It reached the point where the Captain’s presence started to earn a pang of unsettling shivers down the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents’ spines. One agent in particular reached for his belt, unlocking his pistol and letting his hand rest on it.
“Hey, Cap,” Brock Rumlow greeted at last, turning accordingly to Steve Rogers.
Steve nodded to that, turning and greeting, “Rumlow.”
More rising tensions, the space of the elevator not helping in creating that space and ease every agent needed at the moment. Every eye flickered back to Captain America every other second, a stream of sweat leaking down a burly agent’s forehead. Another agent tightened his fists. The floors kept on shrinking, the first level coming quicker and quicker.
“Just got word from the director,” Steve announced. “I’m gonna be taking point on the scepter.”
Several heads swiveled at that, turning to one another before eventually falling back to the Captain. “I wasn’t informed of that,” Sitwell stated, turning fully to face him.
Rogers had a retort ready and waiting. “Fury wanted to keep it low-key. Word on someone planning to steal the scepter.”
Unfortunately, they didn’t buy it. Not one second. Sitwell even pulled out his phone, nodding Rogers’ way and declaring, “Okay, well I’m gonna have to confirm this with the secretary.”
He froze when Steve’s hand fell over his phone, his eyes rising up to meet the Captain’s once more. “That won’t be necessary,” Steve told him, eyes hardening against Sitwell’s and holding there. Sitwell was practically frozen under that stare, brought forth when Rogers leaned close to him. Close to his ear. Though slightly curious what he would do or say, nothing could’ve prepared Jasper Sitwell for the words escaping Captain America’s lips and reaching his ears.
“Hail Hydra.”
And everyone in the elevator heard it.
They all turned to Steve Rogers, shock plastered on their faces. Perhaps no one else but Sitwell and Rumlow had the worst expressions, the two agents turning to one another before eventually falling back to Captain America. Steve nodded once to Jasper, that knowing smile joining it.
And Steve Rogers walked out of that elevator with the briefcase, the scepter, the Mind Stone, and a smirk tugging at his lips.
Tony Stark, Thor, Loki, and armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents made their way out of the elevator and onto the main lobby of Stark Tower. Greeting them were even more S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives armed to the teeth. One in particular had his arms behind his back, spinning about just as Tony and his group made a sharp left to the exit.
And Tony stared at his own back, hiding in plain sight in the S.H.I.E.L.D. armor he “borrowed” from the unconscious agent in the broom closet. “Thumbelina, we are good to go. Everyone and everypony is in position,” Tony acknowledged, eyes flicking behind his goggles and across the lobby.
Matthew Murdock stood within the crowd of people, bustling about and looking as inconspicuous as he could. He pulled it off extremely well, hardly anyone even casting the blind man tapping away at the floor with his cane a passing glance. He found the nearest wall opposite to Stark with his hand, pressing his back against it and nodding to Tony directly ahead of him.
Twilight and Sunset, however, couldn’t even be seen considering their ponified appearance. Their camouflage spell worked wonders, both mares hiding behind mere potted plants that would have never concealed them given their size. They watched from the sidelines, eyeing Tony and his group near the exit with the Tesseract in hand. If anything went south, they were the last means of acquiring the Tesseract. Even if someone saw them. They could afford that. What they couldn’t afford was losing the Space Stone.
Tony tapped on his earbud, asking, “Stuart Little, do you read me?”
“Yeah, I read you,” Scott whispered in his comms. He scoffed, grunting as he climbed past Tony’s person and slipped into his shirt. “How many nicknames do you have for me anyway?”
“Twelve more, so don’t urge me to use them and get this done right.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“You’re just gonna give me a little heart attack. Don’t sweat it,” Stark replied, his eyes darting to the left to see the potted plants ruffle slightly. “Girls, you need to be ready for anything. If things turn south… you might have to break cover.”
“Trying to avoid doing that again, Tony,” Twilight whispered through the comms.
Everyone fell silent when a second group approached Tony, Thor, and the rest, listening in and watching the events unfold before them. Stark, especially, sighed when the familiar face of a certain S.H.I.E.L.D. secretary stepped forward to greet his past self. He always disliked this memory.
“Ah, paparazzi! What do you want?” Stark declared, hand held out while the other gripped the briefcase.
Alexander Pierce pursed his lips at that overbearing statement. With a caravan of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents behind him, he would have hoped Tony Stark would drop his guard and let them handle things. Then again, it was Tony Stark he was dealing with. It was never going to be easy. “Stark, always a pleasure,” Alexander stated, turning his aged and experienced eyes over to Thor and Loki respectively. “Gentlemen, my name is Secretary Pierce of S.H.I.E.L.D., and we’re here to confiscate that briefcase of yours. Also, your brother is going to be brought in for questioning.”
One of Pierce’s agents reached for the briefcase, but Thor stopped him, hand held outwards.
“Uh, Odin,” Thor stated in a defensive manner, earning a roll of the eyes from Loki, “will be handling the case and my brother, thank you very much. The Tesseract belongs in Asgard, and Loki will face proper judgement there.”
Pierce would not be deterred, however. “I don’t know about Asgard, but the Tesseract has been in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s protection since the end of World War II, so if you don’t mind.”
A swarm of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents put their hands over the briefcase and Loki, all while Thor and Tony did their best to fend them off in the least-violent way possible. “Hey, don’t put your hands me,” Stark declared, holding the briefcase with an iron grip while Pierce reached for it. “Hey, that’s an offense right there!”
“Things are getting heated,” Tony whispered from the sidelines, his hands falling away from his backside and hanging silently by his sides. Seeing himself thrash about while his grip was loosening on the briefcase did not help their mission. They had to take matters into their hands and fast. With a set mind, Stark nodded fiercely. “Do it, Lang.”
In an instant, the glowing Arc Reactor beneath Tony Stark’s Black Sabbath shirt began to flicker, earning a shock of terror from the Iron Man and a gasp for life. He instantly crumbled, dropping the briefcase and falling to the floor.
“Stark?” Pierce questioned, watching him drop like a rock. He and many other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents fell to their knees on the floor with him, Thor dropping down and asking Tony what was the matter. It didn’t help, the billionaire convulsing and gasping every second he lied on the floor. “Stark, are you okay? Medic! We need a medic!”
“Medic!” Tony called, looking about lazily. “Guy needs help.”
“You’re insane. You know that, Tony?” Sunset grumbled in the shared comms. The two mares stood aghast at what was happening, literally watching Tony Stark dying slowly on the floor while their Tony simply watched without even a hint of remorse.
He just shrugged. “Add it to the list.”
“Ah, that felt so wrong!” Scott declared, hopping out of Tony’s Arc Reactor and crawling out of his shirt. Leaping from Tony’s convulsing body, Lang kicked the briefcase clear across the floor. Loki, while chained and restrained, was the only one in the room who seemed to pay the briefcase any heed, watching as it spun about and reached a S.H.I.E.L.D. operative in the distance. He furrowed his brow at that, watching him hand off that briefcase to a blind man.
Matthew allowed a relief-filled grin to fill his features, his grip as hard as he allowed on the briefcase that contained the Tesseract, and furthermore the Space Stone. Another Stone down, just four more to go. He moved swiftly across the lobby, just reaching the first set of stairwell doors to his right before he could get lost in the crowds of people. Pressing on his earbud, he announced, “Briefcase is secured. Moving outside for—”
But he stopped.
He heard the growl.
The scream of air as the bellowing creature descended the flight of stairs and hit the floor.
Then Murdock leapt backwards, barely dodging the swinging door that would’ve killed him had he allowed it to strike him. Because emerging from the other side of the door, the towering and angered Hulk stumbled forth, roaring loudly, “Hate stairs!”
Surrounding crowds broke off and screamed, making their escape from Stark Tower as the Hulk proceeded behind them, crashing through the exit doors and roaring to the skies above. Meanwhile, Matt had performed a perfect backflip while losing his grip on the briefcase, the container rolling across the floor and out of both Stark and Murdock’s reach. It tapped the nearest foot of a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, the burly man dropping his eyes to it before lifting them to the pair standing before him.
Especially after having witnessed the man in the dark shades perform a backflip and landing it. The cane he gripped in his hand was also a clear indicator that proved to be false, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent pointing at him and shouting, “Hey, that guy’s not blind!”
“Ah, shit,” Matt muttered. A growing group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were turning towards the rising tension in the scene Murdock was in the center of, and soon enough he felt a pair of hands wrap his wrists behind his back and grip his shoulder. Murdock nearly engaged, but after hearing that familiar heartbeat and voice hold him… he quickly played along.
“Don’t worry, guys!” Tony announced, holding Murdock tight. “I got it under control! You might wanna keep an eye on that briefcase though! You wouldn’t want someone to steal it!”
He heavily emphasized those last two words, flicking his large and wild eyes over to the potted plants. Hidden behind them, Twilight and Sunset caught the silent signs and nodded, knowing Stark wouldn’t see it due to their camouflaged states. He trusted them anyway, whispering in Murdock’s ear, “Hit me. Make it look real.”
Matt pursed his lips, gritting his teeth and freeing his right hand from Tony’s grip. He reared his elbow into Stark’s rib cage, not hard enough to hurt him, but strong enough to make it look as real as it needed to be. The added armor to Stark’s person also allowed him to strike quickly. The thing with Tony was that he was a great actor, the man faking the gasp and crumbling to the floor. At that moment, a plethora of agents rushed forward and chased down Murdock, kicking the briefcase as they ran and practically abandoning it to chase down Matt out of the lobby and out into the streets.
It laid out in the open, fresh for the taking. While a pair of agents rushed by Stark’s side and tried to pull him to his feet, and with Lang nowhere to be seen, all that was left was Twilight and Sunset to take action. So as not to lose their invisibility spells, the two mares proceeded slowly and cautiously out into the open, eyeing the case lying mere feet before and only growing closer. They held their breaths, Twilight’s horn softly glowing while maintaining the invisibility spell. Her aura wrapped around the briefcase, slowly levitating it to her. Loki watched it all unfold with widened eyes.
Both ponies gasped quietly when they heard the loud footsteps approach their left, the two turning to see Secretary Pierce make his quick approach to the briefcase. But worst of it all, to them.
“You take care of Stark!” Alexander Pierce declared, bending down and grabbing the briefcase. He yanked it forward, but he stopped. He was forcefully stopped and turned back to see the briefcase frozen in mid-air. Caught on that yet undeterred, Pierce took one more yank and pulled with all his might. He heard the frightful yelp, eyes opening in shock to witness who had been holding the briefcase.
Their spell failed them, the increased movement from Pierce’s end causing the two mares to appear before him in a flush of magic. There, Twilight stood with Sunset gripping her and helping to pull on the briefcase, the Alicorn’s hooves tightly gripping the case’s edges. A ripple of silence and awe filled the main lobby, agents and bystanders all standing breathless and jaws agape to the scene before them. Loki, especially, shot open his eyes to the widest they could grow. He saw them. Everyone saw them.
The alien horses.
Before Pierce or Sunset or anyone else could even breathe, Twilight reared her neck back and yanked the briefcase free from Pierce’s grasp. He was so at a loss for words that he didn’t even react in time, forcing one of his agents to. That agent tackled Twilight and Sunset from behind, the briefcase crashing against the floor and popping open, the Tesseract leaping out and sliding across the ground. Even more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents sprang for the Tesseract, feet knocking into it and sending the cube skidding and tumbling about. It was a fumble for it, the main lobby a chaos of bodies and screams.
Seeing the Tesseract out in the open, Twilight and Sunset both simultaneously gasped and teleported out of the agent’s arms that held them. The two mares eyed their target between the towering legs and dark suits that filled the lobby. They both galloped into action, dodging bodies and weaving and flying out of danger or any of the agents’ reach for them. They could also see agents being knocked back by an invisible force, that speck of black being none other than Scott Lang creating a path for the mares to reach the Tesseract. Sunset, being closer, dove and slid across the marble floor and grabbed the Tesseract, spotting Twilight in the distance and sliding the cube towards her. It was just before a swarm of agents surrounded her, all freezing and watching the Tesseract slide across the floor to the awaiting Alicorn.
Only it never reached its desired location. A familiar hand shot down and plucked the Tesseract right off the floor, that hand bringing the cube face to face with Secretary Pierce. Alexander breathed a sigh of relief at that, only to have that smile stripped away from him the very second the Tesseract was. It vanished in a flash from his own palm, Pierce’s shocked expression turning to the very next flash of light that appeared. Having teleported the Tesseract to her hoof, Twilight sent a victorious grin over to Pierce and the other agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Her horn ignited and she prepared to make her escape.
Loki kicked her.
Sunset gasped aloud.
Directly into her right blind spot, Twilight never could have seen the kick coming. It struck her rib cage and sent the Alicorn striking the ground and sliding until she hit the wall. Groaning and gripping her abdomen, Twilight opened her eyes slowly and painfully, realization quickly sinking in when she noticed she had lost her grip on the Tesseract. Her jaw fell, her eyes widened to see it picked off the ground.
There it was. Resting in Loki’s hands as the black and blue portal consumed them both.
Thor resuscitated Tony, slapping Mjølnir just over the Arc Reactor and sending a bolt of electricity into the device, thus ending his convulsions and bringing a steady breathing pattern back into Stark. “Ha! I had no idea that would work!” Thor declared.
“You’re telling me!” Tony gasped, feeling his chest and gazing around. His eyes hardened to the open briefcase, then to the complete lack of a God of Mischief in the main lobby. “Wait… where’s the Tesseract?”
“What?” Thor questioned, spinning around. He paused, then turned again, his eyes making a complete 180 alongside his body. “Wait… now where’s Loki? Loki! Loki, where have you gone?!”
He froze when he saw the bundle of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents surrounding something within them. Something colorful. Something with a fiery mane and a horn protruding from its forehead. That something just so happened to be Sunset Shimmer, the unicorn gazing upwards from where she lay to the God of Thunder gazing down to her, awestruck and breathless to what he was seeing. To what they were all witnessing. Slowly, the entire lobby congregated to the two alien ponies within their presence. And all they could do was look around, breathing rapidly, fearfully, looking anywhere for their Tony Stark. But he was already gone, left ever since Loki stole the Tesseract.
Sunset laughed nervously and vanished in a flash. Twilight facehoofed and vanished, as well.
Tony Stark blinked, saying, “Yeah, I’m definitely dead now.”
“Tony, what’s happening?” Steve Rogers asked, nothing but static and silence on the other end of his comms. He weaved through the narrowing hallways of Stark Tower, the large briefcase that held the scepter tight in his grasp, his left hand wielding his circular shield. Shaking his head, Steve just about approached a glass bridge overlooking a terrifying drop. “Do you have the Tesseract?”
His question fell on deaf ears, but he didn’t need to know the answer just yet. His attention shifted forward, his full focus centered on the lone man approaching him from the center of the glass bridge. Stopping dead in his tracks, Steve held that frozen expression of bemusement, already knowing what was inevitably coming next.
“Oh, you’ve gotta be shitting me.”
It was all he could say as he stared at the mirror image of himself, the masked Captain America blocking his path and narrowing his gaze to the supposed impostor. As if things couldn’t possibly get any more difficult for Steve and his team, now he had deal with the one person he really didn’t want to confront in the past: himself. The younger, healthier, and arguably stronger version of himself standing against the older, wiser, more experienced Captain America. Two forces of good standing against one another. The immovable object standing against the unstoppable force.
Then Steve watched as his past self rose a gloved-palm to his ear, declaring, “I got eyes on Loki.”
Setting the briefcase slowly down on his right, Steve rose up, never breaking eye contact with himself. “I’m not Loki,” he told him.
Unfortunately, Captain America was unfazed. “That’s exactly what Loki would say.”
Steve sighed. Sometimes he wished he wasn’t so dense.
Not much else to do. He had a foe standing in his path and refusing to move. Even if it was himself. The two struck, Captain America swinging his shield and Steve Rogers raising his own, creating a flurry of sparks as a resounding clang shot out throughout Stark Tower. The Captain ripped his shield down, swinging with his fist as Steve ducked, weaved, and dodged the punches, replying with his own punches, swings, and kicks. That one kick luckily struck, kicking the past Captain America in the sternum and sending him skidding back across the bridge. Steve took a breath before charging forward, a rushing sprint with his shield high over his head, a quick jump, before he brought that shield down from the Captain’s forehead, intended to knock him out clean. The padded helmet would have provided enough protection from a kill shot. Only Captain America rolled out of the way, causing Steve Rogers to slam his shield’s edge into the glass bridge and crack it.
Shocked to see the growing web of cracks against the glass, Steve was unprepared for the pair of arms wrapping around his torso. He felt himself being hoisted backwards, his back slammed into the bridge and shattering the rest of it. The two Captains plummeted from that point, hitting a flight of stairs and crashing to the ground alongside the briefcase. From it, the scepter spilled outwards and clattered against the floor. Both Steves rolled down the stairs and came to a crash alongside the broken glass and briefcase, both eventually pushing themselves back up to face one another yet again.
Captain America wiped the blood from his lip. “I can do this all day.”
Steve Rogers sighed, shaking his head. “Yeah, I know. I know…”
Then they struck again, both flinging their shields at one another before they engaged in close combat. They wrapped up one another in their arms, trying desperately to gain the upper hand. Captain America struck Steve’s leg, rolling forward and tightening his right arm around his neck. To ensure he had an unbreakable grip, he also wrapped his legs around Rogers’ torso, slowly cutting off his windpipe and his oxygen supply. Steve desperately fought back, unable to break his own grip. When that wretched thought came to light, he only really had one more bit of assurance left.
He shakily raised a finger to his earbud, hissing through gritted teeth, “I need that backup!”
The screech of a repulsor blast filled the air, causing Captain America to turn around and see the glass window in the distance shatter into a million pieces. Flying from it, a Pegasus in flying suit of armor jetted forth and soared with her hoof leading and striking the past Captain with her own body. The trio rolled, eventually breaking apart and the Pegasus sliding to a halt on all four hooves. Steve Rogers lay prone while the Captain rose up to one knee, slowly turning to see that familiar suit of armor, that sky blue color, and the metal wings of the same alien horse he saw on the bridge.
“You?!” Captain America gasped.
Rainbow Dash didn’t say a word. She couldn’t, launching herself from the propelling repulsors and ramming her own body into the past Steve Rogers. The two fumbled for a bit, the mare trying to strangle him from behind, unfortunately failing at that. He knocked her into the ground and grabbed her foreleg, holding it behind her back and using his other hand to press her head against the floor. Rainbow cried out, grinding her teeth as the nanotech around her head retreated back and revealed her shaken, exhausted, and battle-hardened expression pressed flat against the ground. Her left cheek was pressed hard against it, the other exposed and allowing her eyes to dart back to the past Captain.
Saw him shout, “I’ll ask you again: Who are you and where the hell did you come from?!”
A metal palm grabbed the back of his suit and flung him off of Rainbow.
Rolling back, Captain America lifted his gaze to see a near-spitting image of Tony Stark standing before him. Unlike the Iron Man armor, the suit he gazed upon was practically gray, black, and white, the white belonging to the skull paintings on the chest and face of the mask. Heavy firepower was attached to the suit of armor, including miniguns and grenade launchers upon the shoulders and wrists. But he didn’t use any of them.
Frank Castle merely held out his right palm to Steve, stating clearly, “Stand down, Captain!”
He picked up his shield lying mere inches to his left.
“No…” Frank warned. “Don’t…!”
Then he charged, flinging his shield first and foremost and letting that be the leading attack. The shield struck Castle right in the chest, causing him to stagger back. As it returned to Rogers, the Captain broke the distance and pelted Castle with severe strikes from his shield’s edge and his own fists. Frank knew he wasn’t at a disadvantage in terms of strength and firepower, but considering it was Captain America he was fighting against, he knew he could hardly use either to best him. Hell, he could only really use one. He didn’t want to kill him. His massive suit of armor offered for minimal movement and speed, meant to be a mere juggernaut or a tank. Heavy firepower and little else.
Captain America was fast, slick, and devastating in his quick attacks that Castle couldn’t counter.
Just as Frank swung for his head, Steve ducked and swiped low with his leg, knocking the hulking suit of metal off his feet and onto his back. Castle grunted just as the Captain straddled him, raising his shield high in the air to meet the face of his helmet. He was never able to bring that shield down, the tremor-like energy wave pelting his chest and blasting Steve and his shield several yards backwards.
His shield fell off the edge. He was practically thrown from Castle’s Punisher Armor, the slender form of Daisy Johnson stepping out from the sidelines with her left palm jutted outwards, silver gauntlet gleaming under the sun. Captain America rose up, shaking his head and taking in a gasp of air. She charged forward. He charged, too. They met and engaged with quick, close-quarter combat.
Punches that shot forward as fast as bullets barely slipped past the slick dodges from both Rogers and Johnson. She sent a fierce kick into his stomach, causing Steve to stagger back. She replied with another, then another, jamming out her right hand and intending to send a shock wave of energy right into his chest, hoping to knock him out on the second pulse. Captain America was too fast, grabbing her wrist with lightning-like reflexes and flinging her completely over his shoulder and onto the ground. Daisy gasped out a painful yelp, gritting her teeth and gazing up to the Captain, trying to pull her right arm free from his grasp.
She wasn’t able to on her own, the Steve Rogers she knew appearing behind the past Captain and strangling him. The two stumbled about while Daisy clutched her right arm, writhing in pain on the floor. Past Steve reared back, grabbing Rogers by the back of his head and throwing him off. Rogers managed to rip off his mask as he was thrown, the two of them rolling on the ground in a jumbled mess of limbs and grunts.
Finally, Steve Rogers gained the upper hand, straddling Steve Rogers and raising his fist to end the fight. Had it not been for a certain Captain Marvel flying in and tackling him, he very well may have. Together, the two of them rolled further on the floor, Carol rising to her feet and practically strangling Steve Rogers in an unbreakable grip. That one, surely, was an unbreakable grip. She glared to the mess of blonde hair and convulsing attempts to pry at her forearm, but it was pointless. The Captain America of the past would have no choice but to surrender or fall into an unpleasant state of rest for—
“It’s me, Carol! It’s me!” Steve hissed.
Carol’s eyes shot open, the grip around his throat instantly ending. “Oh, my God!” she gasped, bending down to meet Rogers on the floor as he coughed and tried desperately to breathe again. “I’m sorry; I had no idea!”
He didn’t even look at her, lifting his eyes dead ahead and shouting, “Look out!”
Raising her gaze, Carol Danvers quickly rose to both feet as the Captain America from the past charged her with a swinging punch. Practically shaken after having nearly taken the life of the Steve she knew, Danvers was more apprehensive in her approach to fight back. She hardly did, merely blocking Steve’s attempts to punch her with her forearms. Captain America was relentless in his advance, swinging repeatedly to gain the upper hand, any upper hand against the super-powered woman. He swung once more, aiming right for her face.
She caught his fist. He swung again. She caught the other. With little choice left, Steve headbutted her. Carol, completely unfazed, frowned and retorted with a headbutt back. Rogers was practically launched back, knocked out before his back even hit the ground.
Carol Danvers breathed in, sighing a breath of relief to see that it was over. Rainbow Dash shakily rose up alongside Daisy, the two of them approaching Steve’s prone form and tapping it lightly. They confirmed Carol’s suspicions with two nods. He was out cold. Frank Castle sat up, his mask retracting back to show that exhausted expression on his face.
Steve was the last one to get back to his feet. As he did so, he made sure to pick up his shield and the scepter, approaching Carol’s left and nodding to her. Then he dropped his gaze. Breathed heavily as he stared to the mere image of his past self’s backside facing them.
Steve breathed, shaking his head with a weakened grin. “That really is America’s ass.”
Rainbow Dash blushed and looked away, shaking her head. Carol lowered her gaze to observe for herself. After a few short seconds, she nodded with her lips pursed outwards, a smile growing from there. “Damn right.”
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You got that right, Cap.
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Again , a great chapter , and I would say that your additions to it where not bad at all , from little details like Rainbow Dash making a comment about Tonys own one to the fight between some of the present group and Captain America , they were really good !
I also like how you amphasised the fact that past Steve Rogers is called "Captain America" and the present one is just "Steve Rogers" because (for me at least) after AoU , he lost his title and became little more than a super soldier on the run (bloody Sokovian accords ...) .
And to finish about our favorite super soldier , it's also nice that you made Avengers other than Steve Rogers fight with Captain America to show that he really was not someone to be messed with and could probably beat his present self by himself (just like in the movie , if it wasn't for the Deus Ex Martha-na) . But that's just how I see it , someone else will probably have different opinion on that !
Has a last comment , I just wanted to say thank you for keeping THE line of the chapter , it's not like you could have removed it anyway , uh ?
One of the best scenes and a great reference to the controversy comic.
HA!!
Nice change but I wish the whole "Bucky is alive" and the past Steve seeing the compass would have been interesting. Oh well still really cool change and I kinda hope Rainbow and Twilight go with Steve and Tony to the further past. It'd be a cool addition for those two to be there for their friends in those moments.
Look forward to more!!
That line had me snickering when I saw the movie in theaters
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I loved this chapter.
Carol was then grabbed by the arm by Steve, who threatened to rip her arm off if she didn't give him her motorcycle. But it's okay, because sexual harassment. :)
Points to you if you've seen the lawyer who defended this line of logic.
EDIT: OHHHHHH, seems I struck a nerve. How fortunate for me(for the love of GOD, don't take this seriously)
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Skittles definitely wants dat America's ass!
9799888
Same here. A wasted opportunity like with the Red Skull.
Well, the space stone has been lost at this moment and the ponies have fully revealed themselves to the public. I only hope the others in their times aren't having as much trouble...well, at least in this form.
This is the peril of creating a Loki spin-off. Make the Avengers look like idiots for choosing the most chaotic moment that they could to steal the Space Stone. I mean there were much easier times they could have grabbed it.
No. Never.
You...went into a LOT of detail describing Steve's ass.
Aw, man! Even with the extra backup, our (present) heroes were unable to get the Tesseract/Space Stone!
Nice fight scene with (past) Captain America going against, well, everyone else. A good showcase of just how formidable he was back then. Plus, it didn't help that our heroes had to pull their punches to keep from seriously hurting/killing Steve's past self.
Way to use your head, Carol.
I was half-expecting Daisy to say that line.
Still hilarious, though.
9800011
Oh well
Can't be helped. Even without it the story us going well. I just hope that the next emotional moments don't get changed to much.
But guess we'll see
9800251
I was waiting for that line. for the wholeeeee chapter
9799948
One of these days, you need to quit the shit with that woman.
You know too many changes in the story, like sacrificing something significant to a character like Steve Rogers for an entirely new take, can result in disappointment by some audiences. Honestly this feels like a Disney remake. Since you're willing to accept criticism, this is now a criticism for you.
At least you kept this line.
I've no problem with Carol kicking Steve's heiney, but I hate it how the sexist pissfaces always hatemonger whatever Danvers does, even if she's OP and flawed and whatnot, yet they haveno problem with guys like Superman. They can call me "cuck" "soyboy" and their lame shitty insults, despite that I'm not attracted to any women, but even I'm against these SJW psychos.
9799948
You sound like dick. No judging
9800680
I'm just having one of those days
9800689
Eh. We all have them. Just don’t go around judging people and ticking them off
Man crush later, Scott.
That was easy.
Okay, are you trying to turn Steve/Carol (what would you even call that ship? Cap2?) into a thing? Not that I'm complaining.
9800690
I don't even know what I did, honestly. I was making a joke concerning this video:
9800110
Don't deny it Dash you loving America's Ass
Thus the Rainbow Steve shipping fans were happy.... and the captain America fans screamed.
Wow this plan might go better than in the movie.
....Dang it Loki...
Man everyone is just falling for Cap in this story are they.
This chapter is certainly the "butt" of greatness!
Great chapter!
That end of the 2 Captains' fight remind me of Iron Man VS Thor's fight for some reason...
This operation messed up even more than in the film! They definitely need to go further in the past.
9799868 Salute dat ass.
9799879 Actually, I made the distinction between the two Caps as a way to emphasize which Captain America I was describing, past or present.
9799888 Considered adding it, but it felt too much like the movie.
9799921 I loved writing it!
9799948 Holy crap, those dislikes.
9800007 Blushing Rainbow.
9800035 Maybe they’ll have trouble in different ways.
9800110 And we will never stop.
9800153 it’s my patriotic duty.
9800251 Oh, she would’ve been too flustered to finish that sentence.
9800541 What are you talking about? I haven’t sacrificed anything for something else. You’re assuming something later on that I haven’t even done. I’ve been adding new scenes while keeping in line with the film’s plot to a degree. This isn’t anything like those crappy Disney remakes. Story is gonna shift into some uncharted territory literally starting next chapter.
9800705 I’m fine with that ship name.
9800954 Give me all the shipping.
9801293 Hopefully not too far...
9801754
Pity but understandable
9801754
Curse me and my overthinking !
9801754
Holy moly. 5 dislikes. Nah, I've seen people with more dislikes than this.
9801754
I just don't know what went wrong!
9801754
The remakes may be crappy, but they still makes money!
9802279
Yeah, only three, as in three out of about 10+ Disney remakes are critically acclaimed, and one isn't a total cashgrab: Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Pete's Dragon. The rest was all garbage.
You put way more detail into describing it than I thought XD
(Also, sorry, but I'd rather go for Russia's (BW's) ass anyday)
My theater's audience just about gasped all the air out of the room when that happened. They were just as shook as Rumlow and Sitwerll.
XD
9803966 What are you, a commie?
Ha! Wondering what Rainbow really thinking from that one!
"That really is America's ass."
And it is a beautiful ass indeed, Cap.
Two of my favorite quotes from the 10x awesome movie.
Another great Tony Stark tribute
I'm dying! This entire chapter was basically America's Ass
😂
Ah, the famous "America's ass" line. It is even more hilarious because of everyone's reactions to it and the overly detailed description.
The added roles for the others heroes was fun, with Daredevil trying to get the Tesseract before his cover is blown, and Quake, Punisher, and Captain Marvel giving Cap some backup against his past self.
Suckers!
That’s like his hobby.
Thus we got the Loki series. Arguably one of the most important MCU Disney+ shows that could shape the course of Phase 4, or even the whole MCU!
Oh yeah, there is definitely something going on between Carol and Steve. Captain x Captain.