Chapter 157 – Back to the Future
157
Earth
Upstate New York
New Avengers Facility
5:00 p.m.
The Quantum Tunnel sparked and spun to life with a rainbow of lights and colors. The ceiling above danced like waves on an ocean’s surface in response to the Quantum Tunnel’s awakening. For in its rest, it was only one minute before it was stirred to life once more.
An entire minute that lasted much, much longer on the other side of reality, space, and time. But in the main timeline, in the journey that led home, the Avengers left to tend to the returning teams had only experienced a minute of pure apprehension, utter fear, and an unforeseeable end to the journey their fellow Avengers had experienced. From the few mishaps the others had experienced on their journey, the longest minute of their lives had finally come to an end.
Melinda May, Alphonso Mackenzie, Piper, Davis, Shuri, and Friday all gazed in mixtures of awe and worry as the Quantum Tunnel came to life and released its occupants from the Quantum Realm. Shuri and Friday stood behind the control console that powered the entire operation, only May, Mack, Piper, and Davis approaching the tunnel slowly and watching the mixtures of light and color flourish across the tunnel’s surface.
Then, the time travelers came home. All at once.
Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash all rose up as their bodies expanded and grew once they exited the Quantum Realm. Their bodies were still covered by the black, red, and white suits and masks, and in Tony’s right hand he gripped a familiar glowing cube of otherworldly energy. It was enough to earn a sigh of relief from the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to see the Tesseract and the Space Stone in safe hands. One down.
Carol Danvers, Matthew Murdock, Frank Castle, Daisy Johnson, Scott Lang, and Sunset Shimmer joined them in tandem, Scott stumbling a bit where he stood alongside Daisy and Murdock. Frank remained frozen where he stood, simply rising higher once his body returned to normal size alongside Sunset and Carol. With the Quantum Suits still strapped to their bodies, Frank’s Punisher Armor also gripped a large, golden scepter. The Mind Stone was safely secured in the glowing gem, with what the agents could safely deduce. Two down.
Thor Odinson, Rarity, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot surprised them most of all. Instead of jumping from the Quantum Tunnel, they fell from the ceiling as they exited a strange vortex above the time machine. The vortex was green and white in color, an orb of time that ticked and spun and dropped the four Avengers with their prize before sputtering into nothingness. In Rocket’s bag, the raccoon pulled out a glowing syringe of red mist. Rocket and the agents standing beneath the tunnel sighed and smiled at that. The Reality Stone was safe and was causing no more problems. Three down.
Bruce Banner was alone in his return, a journey that faced little to no issues as he stood taller than everyone else upon the Quantum Tunnel. In his cupped palms, he slowly opened them to reveal the glowing green gem. The Time Stone. They all saw it and felt another wave of ease wash over them. Four down.
Nebula, James Rhodes, Starlight Glimmer, Maud Pie, Derpy Hooves, and Robbie Reyes were the second largest team to return at once. Their Quantum Suits began to materialize back into their GPSes, just at the same time when Robbie collapsed. Reyes fell to the glass flooring of the time machine, gasping and sputtering for air as the flames died against his skull. His hair returned to him, his eyes blinking and bulged wide as he clutched his abdomen, his heart, his entire living being. Nebula and Derpy bent down by his sides, comforting him and scanning his face until he saw them. His team. They kept his focus on them until he fully believed he was safe. Back home.
In Starlight’s magical aura, the Orb and the Power Stone remained. Five down.
Finally, it was Tempest Shadow, Elektra Natchios, Clint Barton, and Natasha Romanoff back home and accounted for. All twenty-five Avengers who had made the jump had returned home safe and sound. At first, that is. Once the Quantum Suits materialized away, the Avengers took a short moment to breathe and look towards their surroundings. Some breathed with smiles gracing their features, closing their eyes and basking in the glowing warmth of the dipping, afternoon sun. Others reunited with one another, some hugs given and many coming together to see one another safe. Others congratulated them for a successful mission. The Avengers down below did so while Friday deactivated the Quantum Tunnel and cut them off from the Quantum Realm. They brought their focus onto Reyes and his team, seeing Robbie lying on the tunnel’s floor being an indicator that something had gone wrong on the trip home.
Twilight, personally, seemed to be staring off into space. While the others came together and turned to one another with smiles and congratulations and other welcome home greetings, there was the Alicorn, the Princess of Friendship still shaken by what she had seen and experienced on the last legs of her journey. Not so much the flying through the Quantum Realm, but more so the final words that still lingered in her mind and rang in her ears.
All of which slowly faded into the back of her mind when Rainbow nudged her, telling her, “Hey… we did it.”
They did it. Twilight almost couldn’t believe those miraculous words that racked her head and continuously filled her heart. Again and again until a gasp and a smile escaped her. They did it. They actually did the impossible. Twilight closed her eyes and let that smile fully consume her, tearful gasps and exhales leaving the Alicorn as she shook her head and turned to her friends. Every single one of them that made it back.
Carol’s team seemed momentarily stunned yet relieved to see the New Avengers Facility and not some alternate timeline. Whatever they had experienced on their journey, Twilight was certain all of them were just glad to be back home. And with Scott and the Mind Stone no less, making their detour worth it in the end.
Thor’s team were the only ones who hadn’t exited from the Quantum Tunnel, Twilight having only caught a few seconds of the familiar time orb they fell from. There were a few other interesting differences that plagued them, like with Thor’s black armor and silver arm. And his hammer. Mjølnir had returned, Twilight’s brows rising up in clear and obvious surprise. But they were there. They were together. And Rarity was breathing heavily and smiling. Well alive and happy to see her friends again.
Banner had succeeded and was holding out the Time Stone hovering between his large fingers for all to see. He was the first one to succeed and Twilight smiled because of that. Another Stone to add to their successful mission. But as for Nebula’s team…
They seemed to be visibly and mentally shaken, Starlight gazing a million miles ahead and Maud, Nebula, Derpy, and Robbie all covered in dirt splotches, dried and fresh blood, and scorch marks. Rhodey’s armor was dented and scratched, and Reyes was currently prone with Nebula, Derpy, and several others approaching them to see what was wrong. May and Mack were some of them, Shuri, Davis, and Piper joining shortly. That was the least of Twilight’s concerns, as her eyes slowly trailed over to Clint’s team.
“Did we get ‘em all?” Tony asked aloud, looking around as the Quantum Suits all materialized back into the GPSes and everyone presented themselves.
Rhodes snatched the Orb from Starlight’s aura, holding it out and saying, “Are you telling me this actually worked?” His eyes fell to see Reyes pulled from the glass floor and raised up to a sitting position. Nebula and Derpy tended to him. Everyone else watched them with visible concern.
Nebula held the sides of Robbie’s flinching head and whispered sharply, “Hey, hey, it’s okay! It’s us… It’s me. Your team. Reyes… you need to relax.”
He thrashed every now and again, breathing with feral intensity as his hands gripped his abdomen where he had been stabbed. Shockingly enough, he felt no entry or exit wound, almost as if it had been healed the second he turned back into Robbie Reyes. The eyes that rolled into the back of his skull blinked several times, and the human gaze turned about and eyed his allies and his fellow Avengers. Derpy’s hoof caressed his chest and lay over his rapidly-beating heart, her concerned-filled gaze latched with his mortified one. His breathing slowly dissipated, the sweat clutching his hair, forehead, and skin finally beginning to lessen. He breathed steadily through his nostrils until he finally sat unmoving, in their arms, finally safe and finally alive.
He only flinched again when he heard and felt the second body collapse onto the Quantum Tunnel. Spinning around with several others, he and his team of Avengers eyed Clint and those who stood with him. Or, fell with him.
They all fell in tandem with Natasha when she collapsed and hit the glass floor.
They were suddenly the center of attention, Mack and May rising forth and turning their worrisome gazes onto Clint’s team. Eyeing them cautiously, they watched as Clint fell and caught Natasha mere moments before her head could impact the glass. Tempest and Elektra were right with her, kneeling or sitting by Romanoff and comforting her, but watching all the same as Clint wrapped his arms around the Widow.
And cradled her.
She was visibly shaking as the others turned to stare, come together, and stand in silence as they observed the unsettling scene before them. It was nerve-wracking as the seconds began to build, the expressions from Carol Danvers, Thor Odinson, and Starlight Glimmer all mirroring that of Steve Rogers, James Rhodes, and Twilight Sparkle. Every single one of them with brows furrowed, lips parted, and hearts frozen just by seeing Natasha’s expression.
Just by seeing the fear laced around every wrinkle and pore.
“Clint, what happened?” Banner finally asked. “What did you see?”
Clint could only stare at him in response, his arms holding Natasha tightly, warmly, in an embrace that would not break. The growing silence was almost enough for everyone else to feel the same exact feeling of dread, fear, and untold terror that none of them could fully fathom. Not even those who witnessed it with their own eyes. Not even her.
Natasha shivered as her palm refused to loosen her grip around the Soul Stone. Six down.
Mission accomplished.
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Everyones back safe, but all a little shaken. Time to fire up the Nano Gauntlet!
All teams made it back. Some are more worse for wear than others, but alive, nonetheless.
All 25 Avengers and all 6 Stones accounted for.
The Time Heist was a success, but time is still of the essence. They need to hurry and use the Stones, before unwelcome company arrives.
1 minute = 5 months for us.
Are Clint’s team going to inform them of Thanos’ survival and his upcoming approach to Earth?
9914548
Hey are you working on the poster for endgame that looks awesome man 🤩
Job well done. Let’s break out the champagne and call it a day. Nothing can possibly go wrong now!!!
All right. The hard part is over. Now all that’s left is to build the gauntlet, and do a snap.
10026401
Way to jinx it buddy!
Right. Now the hard part starts.
So now the debate on who snaps (hope it's still Banner I think that was his moment in the saga). Then the possible return of Ultron and definite return of Thanos.
9914548
Damn man!!!
You know, they'd quit the shit. They're Avengers, get it together.
The heroes hopefully will get a moment to breath and recover, and find solace as they see the Vanished return. Especially a certain lavender mare.
That title is bullsh*t.
Our heroes are not outta the woods yet. There're still factors they need to overcome.
Kind of ironic that the only stone that didn't screw up the time travel was the Time Stone.
Bruce is just like "Why do you all look like crap?"
10026659
Yes, she lost the most family.
10027534
Who 🤔
10027585
Twilight. She lost virtually everyone in her family, including spike.
10026256
10026320 Unwelcome company...
10026328 Next chapter is a much needed breather to recollect.
10026575 We'll see what happens next!
10026659 Solace will be definitely hard to come by in the next moments...
10027257 Time Stone decided not to be a dick.
10027845
To resume, there is no time for peace, no forgiveness, no respite, there is only war!
10027845
Can't wait!!
We all know what comes next.......no rest for the weary, not now and not later
All right we have black widow in the final fight soon 🤩
Craziest minute ever! They all arrive back with their stones, some a bit more damaged and traumatized than others.
Thankfully despite what they went through, everyone is still alive and their mission was a success. But they aren’t out of the woods yet. They still need to undo the snap, and complete their deal with Mistress Death by killing Thanos for real this time.