Chapter 158 – Admittance
158
Upstate New York
New Avengers Facility
5:17 p.m.
Natasha shivered as her palms refused to loosen her grip around the steaming mug that was offered to her. A helping of chamomile tea filled her nostrils and flowed down her throat as she gently tipped the glass towards her lips and began to drink. It was warm, warmer than the blanket draped over her shoulders and the palm resting on one of them. The palm from her closest friend and family.
Clint blinked to see Natasha visibly calm down, his palm refusing to leave her shoulder as she gulped down the tea and nodded slowly. Clint nodded back, rubbing her back in a comforting manner.
“You ready to talk about what happened in there?” Murdock asked cautiously, as softly as he could manage. He listened in to her rapidly-beating heart to feel it beginning to calm, to slow down. Her nerves were loosening not only from the tea or the silence, but finally in company with familiar and friendly faces.
With family.
With her fingers laced around the mug, Natasha slowly looked up to no one in particular. Just the mass of bodies that filled the living room. Coated in shivering sweat, bated breath, Natasha managed to tell them exactly what was on her mind. One of the many things that lingered and infected her still. The clearest one, the one that made the most sense was what she uttered.
“Thanos is alive.”
And just like that, the room took a stark and sudden shift, as if the uncertain spiral had fallen out of a seemingly-controlled balance and teetered into the terrifying vortex of certain doom. They all fell into that pit and it showed. Every single face suddenly darkened, breaths either tightening or simply dropping out of existence for several seconds. The silence was the worst of all, not even the strongest Avengers among them able to move, able to breathe, able to do anything else except stare at her.
“What?” Thor finally questioned, almost breathless. Completely in disbelief.
“The… creepy skeleton lady, the one who gave us the Stone…” Clint said, picking up for Natasha who couldn’t be forced to say another word. He turned to stare at the God of Thunder. “She was the one who told us he was still alive. The one in our time.”
It was as if a conjoined spike of frozen terror had struck all of them where it mattered most, where they had all felt the wrath of the Mad Titan personally. Tony Stark stiffened at that revelation, his neck convulsing with a gulp that held no saliva. His mouth was as dry as a drought-stricken desert, his skin turning a pale white. Even Carol Danvers faced a similar fate, though she tried desperately not to show it. It was undeniable either way, and the tightening of her fists, the subtle shivers in her spine made her fall in line with the other Avengers. Nebula and Twilight both turned to one another, both sharing the same wretched thoughts that neither could fully show or explain. Their eyes did most of the telling, the wide, horrified, and grave.
But perhaps it was Thor who had taken it the hardest. Striding about, the Allfather tried to open his mouth to say something, only to come up short every single time. For even the tongue of the God of Thunder could not find the strength to say what was necessary. His rational mind continuously returned to that same moment where he had struck the Titan down, drove Stormbreaker into his chest and watched with his own eye as Thanos was obliterated. Vaporized when he destroyed the Infinity Stones.
And now he was still alive.
They were out of time. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter. They needed to do it now. Stark, Banner, and Rocket were gone in tandem, as one group as Stark picked up the briefcase that held the six Infinity Stones and made their way to the lab. The doors slid open for their entry, just closing as Rocket’s tail slipped through. Hardly anyone else watched them, everyone else too caught up in their own thoughts and still trying to process how Thanos could have survived.
While others pondered, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. took action. Mack spun around, facing agents Piper and Davis and ordering, “You two need to head back up to the Helicarrier. Take the Zephyr and prepare the Helicarrier’s defenses. Round up every S.H.I.E.L.D. agent you can and keep us safe!”
Piper and Davis nodded fiercely. “Yes, sir!” they shouted together, spinning around and making a run for it back to the Zephyr One. Wasting no time when they had just run out of it.
Mack rubbed a palm across his bald scalp, exhaling heavily as he tried to make sense of their situation. May crossed her arms as she leaned against the kitchen table, staring to the floor and the various feet pacing about aimlessly. Shuri laid a palm over her mouth as her mind tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. She tried to find a clear reason to their dilemma, but there was none. None she could see at the moment.
In the midst of the silent brainstorming, Thor was one to bring some reality back to the uncertainty. He stomped forward with his hand held out to Clint, earning the room, and said, “You’re going to believe some hermit? I saw it, he saw it, she saw it, damn near everyone in this room saw it and watched Thanos die by my axe and his own cowardice!”
“She wasn’t just some hermit.”
Thor, and the room, turned to face Tempest Shadow. The unicorn sat still on the couch, gazing with a pale expression to the floor as she slowly shook her head. “Whoever she was… she knew what she was talking about. It’s just a feeling…”
Elektra took over, the shivering assassin standing close by and under Matthew’s warming arm over her shoulders. “She had the power to give us the Soul Stone without one of us killing ourselves for it. She wanted us to kill Thanos.”
“Almost like she was begging for it,” Natasha added under a hushed whisper.
Clint’s lips pursed as he turned back to the God of Thunder. He said, “That alone is enough evidence to believe her. I mean, what other real choice do we have?”
Thor sat on that for a second or two, patting Mjølnir against his right palm. “So, when we’re finished here… after we bring everyone back… we take the fight to him?” the god asked, staring at Clint and his team. “And we kill him for good?”
Natasha, Clint, Tempest, and Elektra all slowly nodded.
Thor breathed in deep, his armored chest expanding greatly, before he finally released it and gave off a steady exhale. A slight nod of determination from the Allfather before he was finally onboard. As Thor slowly fell in line alongside everyone else, the Avengers took in the silence and finally came to terms with Thor and how different he looked. His journey had changed him most of all, the last time anyone else had seen him being in his jacket, sweat pants, and state of utter depression.
Now, he stood tall in his black armor that covered his upper body, legs, and feet. The left Uru prosthetic arm and his old hammer were also some shocking indicators that he had picked up a thing or two more on his trip to the past. Twilight took the time to fully realize that it was Mjølnir that had returned after learning of its destruction five years ago. It had been much longer than that since she had seen it with her own eyes, the legendary weapon having thwarted many of Tartarus’ forces during the Ultron offensive. Rainbow and Starlight were mesmerized most of all with Thor’s hammer returned to him, but Sunset, Maud, and Derpy took some mild interest onto Thor’s Uru-plated left arm, curiosity tilting their heads and furrowing their brows.
It was Shuri who mentioned, “You look as if you got quite the upgrade, Thor.”
Thor turned to her, the rest of the room following. She continued by asking, “Tell me… why is that only your left arm is protected while your right remains barren?”
“There’s not really a left arm to protect anymore,” Thor chuckled, rolling his left shoulder and flexing the Uru arm. He stared it almost longingly. “It’s a prosthetic.”
There was an audible gasp that filled some members of the Avengers, more so the mares. Steve and Natasha’s brows furrowed in visible concern for their fellow founding Avenger. “You mean… you…?” Twilight muttered, a hoof rising to cover her mouth but unable to stop the gasp that left it. Rainbow’s expression broke into a look of hurt, Derpy following. Rarity merely let her gaze fall at the vivid memory.
“What happened?” Sunset asked.
So began a discourse onto the individual journeys and experiences shared by those who had entered the Quantum Realm and lived to tell of its horrors. The first participants just so happened to be Thor, Groot, and Rarity, Rocket currently unavailable to tell his part of the story. It was mainly Thor and Rarity who spoke, Groot offering a comment every now and again that not everyone could understand.
But they told of their journey to Asgard in the year 2013, how Thor had reunited with his old flame Jane Foster and had one last discussion with his mother about destiny. He tried to save her, but she wouldn’t have it. She would have rather seen her child succeed and help him achieve his greatest self than know of her own fate. Thor struggled to get through that last part, several downtrodden expressions filling the living room. Yet they rose when Thor mentioned how they were diverged on their journey. Steve, Scott, Carol, Twilight, and Natasha all perked their heads up at that point.
One of the many things Thor was phenomenal at—other than fighting—was storytelling. He was quite possibility the best storyteller in all of Asgard, so much so that the children would wish to only listen to his stories. The pictures he painted just by his voice alone was so vivid and raw that it had everyone on the edge of their seat. The mares especially, everyone shocked to hear how Thor’s team had been diverged more than a thousand years in the past to join Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, the Pillars, and Equus’ armies to defeat the mighty Typhon and banish him to Tartarus. And it was Star Swirl’s time travel spell that brought them back home, which answered the lingering question in the back of Twilight’s mind about the orb of time they had exited from.
But they had finished, and Thor took a seat on the couch beside Rarity and Groot to catch his breath. He laid Mjølnir on the table and propped his feet up, mesmerized by the memories, the scars, the accomplishments, all that he had lost and gained on his journey for the Reality Stone. There was an odd sense of peace attached to his expression, one that Thor couldn’t help but smile softly at.
“That’s nothing,” Carol declared, earning Thor’s attention as well as the attention of the other Avengers. She had her arms crossed, standing with her team with a smirk to boot. “Wait ‘til you hear this.”
It was Captain Marvel’s turn, Carol explaining how Scott found himself sucked into a time vortex off the designated path. Those who had not been a part of their journey were shocked to hear it, jaws dropping and eyes widening to each member of Carol’s team taking turns explaining their journey for the Mind Stone. At first, it was Carol who started, then Matt who took over, then Sunset, Frank, Daisy and finally Scott mentioning all he could remember. Which wasn’t much.
Steve, Thor, Clint, and Natasha felt their blood freeze when Sunset mentioned the Ultron robots that attacked her, with Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, and Starlight sharing a similar fate. It only got worse when they said that it was indeed Ultron who had won in the timeline they had entered. Even James Rhodes felt his skin crawl beneath his War Machine when they mentioned an alternate version of himself in the timeline they were diverged into. The remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the last resistance of humanity earned some pangs of hurt from Mack, May, and especially Daisy when she forced herself to tell it. Their sacrifice was told by Matt and Carol, the two of them struggling with each word.
Scott said he just woke up, kicked Ultron’s ass, and went back home with his team. That was all he could remember. It was all that was needed to end their story.
“You’re all going to want to sit down for this one,” Maud mumbled, her hoof held out and urging everyone to take a seat.
The Earth pony began the journey for the Power Stone, explaining with rather concrete detail the alien planet of Morag down to the very last pebble. Starlight had to break in before Maud was about to tell them a whole thesis about the rock structures on Morag, the unicorn explaining the Temple of the Power Stone, meeting the 2014 version of Peter Quill, and… knocking him out. Groot’s jaw fell at that, Starlight blushing. James broke in and said it was him who knocked out Quill, but it was only to get his lock-pick so they could break into the vault and steal the Orb.
Then, it was Nebula who explained quite possibly the hardest part. That it was Thanos who ambushed them and destroyed the temple in hunt for the Power Stone. Everyone was silent at that, Thor leaning forward and Steve crossing his arms. Twilight and her fellow ponies were dead silent, focused fully. Robbie mentioned that his memory was a little foggy after he turned. All he could really remember was fighting off Thanos’ army and getting stabbed by the Titan himself. Derpy broke in and mentioned that she and Maud helped protect Peter just long enough for him to return the favor.
Nebula spoke of her past self attacking her, threatening to kill her. Had it not been for Starlight’s efforts, perhaps a different Nebula would have joined them to the future. Or, they would have never made it home at all. Nebula was left with no choice but to kill her past self before Starlight teleported them all to safety where they could make the jump home. Nebula was quiet after that. Everyone was for several moments of still silence.
“There was more to our journey…” Tempest muttered.
And that was all it took.
The unicorn began for them, though it was a definite struggle for her as well as everyone else on their team who had experienced the same horrors in the unholy city on the forsaken dimension they had entered. She, too, mentioned they were diverged from their exit point and ended up in some other dimension coated in darkness and fog. None of them truly revealed everything they saw. Some of it was too painful, too horrific, or simply unspeakable to bring up again. Even Natasha’s final words held a haunting essence lingering in the air.
“We made it out before he could get me… before he could get the Stone…”
“Who?” Steve asked.
Natasha didn’t respond. Didn’t even move. She just stared straight ahead, shivering slightly, and unable to find that calm within the storm that consumed her. The storm of fear, of raw emotions, of the voices of the past calling to her and warning of more and more demons. Then, of course, there were the demons. One of the many things she didn’t mention to them. One of the many things she didn’t have the strength for.
Hearing the flutter of wings and the soft hoof press against her shoulder, Natasha forced herself away from the wretched memories and onto the pony taking a seat on the couch on her right. Derpy Hooves met Natasha’s frozen and pale expression with a warming smile, a pair of tearful eyes, and a comforting embrace with her hoof, with her body, with her heart pressed against the Widow. And after what felt like an eternity trapped in that subzero hellscape, just feeling the warm body of another clutching onto her gave Natasha a flushing wave of different feelings.
Certainty. Comfort. Safety. Security. Friendship. Love…
Before she even knew it, Natasha’s weak smile returned, her right arm rising from beneath the blankets and wrapping around Derpy to bring the mare in closer to her chest and heart. Clint never let his palm fall away from her shoulder, even as he watched the two share a warm and strengthening hug. Even when he saw that beautiful and warming smile return to Natasha’s lips. Even when he felt the pair of wings wrap around him.
He turned to the source, spotting Rainbow Dash landing next to Clint and offering him a sense of comfort and security that he had yet to fully embrace. His mind was still somehow locked on the nightmare he had miraculously escaped from, only now realizing that he was home. He was safe. He was with friends and those who cared about him and loved him. Even Rainbow Dash, the stoic mare herself, offered a helpful smile and a hug to the Hawk.
Which he finally returned.
Tempest brought her gaze up when she felt the warm bodies on her left and right, turning to each side specifically to see Twilight on her right and Rarity on her left. Both mares wrapped the unicorn in an embrace that consisted of the Alicorn’s wing and the alabaster unicorn’s foreleg. It was warm either way, and Tempest accepted it after a second or two of her frozen posture finally easing into the bond. Her head fell, her eyelids drooped to a close, and she sighed. A slight smile from what Twilight could see, a victory for the Princess of Friendship.
It was Matthew who brought Elektra in closer to him, offering a soft kiss to her forehead when he heard her story, heard her heart, and felt the terror streaming through her veins. It was enough. He brought her in and let her know what it meant to be accepted. To be loved. To become one with another and perhaps… several others.
Everyone came together. They either laid their palms onto Nat, Clint, Tempest, Elektra, or even each other if there wasn’t any more room. There was hardly any, the couches surrounded by bodies large and small, from Avenger to S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, Guardian, Equestrian, and whatever else. One unified team coming together for their own, assuring them they stood together. They came out of it together. And one among them made that clear.
It was Frank who broke it all, the many heads in the room dropping their hands and turning to the Punisher free from his suit of armor and standing on equal ground as the rest of them. Almost the rest of them. From the likes of Carol Danvers, James Rhodes, Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, Steve Rogers, and the many more who still didn’t fully trust him, the words that left his lips just may have convinced them otherwise.
“I hear all your stories…” Castle began, eyeing each individual for several seconds each, washing his eyes over them. “You know, all the shit you all went through just to bring home those damn Stones. Risked your lives… risked each other’s lives… knowing it was for a greater purpose. But we did it. It’s over. The hardest part, at least. Yeah, and now that I see it, not one of you came out of it weaker. Not any one of you came out forgetting who you were. You knew your mission, you knew the risks, you did your job, and you came out of it stronger. Maybe we all did… some more than others.”
Thor smirked at him. Frank couldn’t help but smirk in return, turning that smile to a certain Captain Marvel. And Carol, shockingly enough, returned it.
“Some of us experienced shit…” Frank continued, letting that smirk linger on before slowly fading away. “Hell, that’s just how it goes. But you look at this, you look at all this and know that there are people here who will stand with you. You know… people here you love you.”
A portion of his words were directed solely to her, and Natasha smiled to him, perhaps an even greater rarity than seeing the ponies smiling to him. Frank didn’t want that to get to him, but for a moment—just a moment—he felt that wall he built around himself over the years shudder. The wall he had built since his wife, his children, and his life was taken from him. That wall had only grown cold and stagnant since the Decimation and remained unbreakable, unshakeable. It was unbelievable when Frank felt it crack. Perhaps it was even more unbelievable when he didn’t even do anything about that. He just… let it happen. He flowed with it because it felt right, flowed right alongside the fresh tears building on the corners of his eyes.
“I didn’t think much of this when I first stepped in here. Bunch of high and mighty, self-proclaimed ‘heroes’, bunch of assholes, government pricks with sticks shoved up their asses. Yeah, the whole bunch of ‘em,” Frank said with a slight chuckle at the last few words, his vision growing blurry. The others didn’t even seem phased by his harsh words. They all just continued to smile.
He shook his head. “No… No, now I see it. I see a lot of love here… I see a real team.”
Frank turned to every last one of them. To Steve, Carol, Daisy, Matt, Twilight, Thor, Nebula, Robbie, Rainbow, James, Groot, Starlight. Simply everyone. “A family,” he said at last, his voice breaking into a whisper.
He nodded fiercely to them, stepping forward to join them at long last.
“One that I would be damn proud to stand with.”
One last time.
It was Steve Rogers who joined him first, laying a palm on his shoulder and gripping Castle, nodding just as fierce to the Punisher. Carol, too, joined Steve and laid her glove-hand on Frank’s opposite shoulder. The two captains smiled to Frank, standing firmly with him as his team. As quite possibly something more. Frank didn’t know if he wanted that, or if he needed it. It was a thought that he had finally found a sliver of solace and—by his own surprise—peace. Maybe that was what it was that chewed at him. Maybe it was peace.
Was that what peace felt like? From the tears in his eyes, the smile on his face, and the people by his side… it may have been.
Admittedly, seeing them all finally push their differences aside and come together as a true team was a strengthening reality, one that Twilight certainly found some sense of serenity within. Yet she simply couldn’t push away the feeling of unease clouding her mind, or the fatal images she had seen on her journey. A journey to the past that she had yet to bring to light to herself or to her friends.
No better time than the present.
“If we’re all getting things off our chest… I think we were the only ones who have yet to tell what happened on their journey.”
The room turned to Twilight Sparkle. Steve and Rainbow were the first to turn, the first to fall silent, and the ones who stood closest to the Alicorn as she braced herself for the admittance ahead. Twilight’s face contorted, her eyes scrunching to a tight close as her lips pursed into a thin line. More damning and wretched thoughts and memories tried to resurface, a familiar voice and distinct ring lingering in the back of her mind and threatening to come free. Maybe it would one day. Maybe she could find answers to the unsolvable problems she had faced in the nightmare of the past.
Maybe one day.
“We were diverged, too, forced to find the Space Stone in a desolate Equestria,” Twilight began, turning slowly and staring at the unicorn. “One that Starlight and I know personally.”
After several seconds, Starlight’s jaw slowly fell and her eyes widened at the realization. Though she couldn’t speak of it, not at the moment. Maybe one day she could face Twilight and understand fully what she was intentionally telling them, that she could know what the Alicorn had faced and help her understand it. But that day must come at another tomorrow. Somehow, seeing the expression grace Twilight’s features, Starlight knew that Twilight felt the same way.
Steve and Rainbow listened in. They all did. To every pained word and sentence that left the Alicorn. “I can’t fully explain what I saw, what we experienced, and that’s okay. Maybe someday it’ll matter, but not today. Today… we have a mission to finish. Today…”
Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, the Element of Magic… lifted her head up high. And she nodded, to every soul and every Avenger that stood with her. Through the greatest storms, through the brightest days, darkest nights, and even time itself they would stand with her. For her and every life. For the bold statement that left Twilight’s lungs, heart, and soul and declared…
“Everyone comes home.”
They stood with her. The Avengers stood as one. Tony, Rocket, and Bruce entered the room and said it was nearly time. They told them to suit up. They didn’t tell them it would be for the last time.
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*Sees the final battle about to begin*
*sees there's still 40 chapters to go*
Oh man.
>10029328
I think Jb says that the final battle would be long so🤔
When it crumbles, they will stand tall and face it all, together... at skyfall.
Great chapter!
Soon comes darkness, shortly followed by the appearance of the growing light.
Hypothetically speaking, if you were to do a crossover story based on the upcoming Black Widow movie, would you place after Civil War or after Endgame?
Great chapter with great character moments and great dialogue!
One Rises and One Falls
Even Frank couldn't hold it back at this gathering.
Even though im sure the floodgates of battle are about to open, no one can deny that this mission has made great, remarkable creatures greater. One truly united team, one not even death can break.
This is it. This is what they've been working towards.
Man, we've still got 42 chapters left. Looking forward to the epicness!!!
10029604
Nice injoke.
That was awesome. And I get the feeling thanos will show up in the final fight and ultra headed to the future to battle the avengers. And I get the feeling this will be the epic fight of all time. And I think your going to bring everyone that thanos killed even if Luna and the pillars and the ones who weren’t snap that died will come back. Because Twilight and her friends missed them deeply. You think you can do that for them. Because even if they bring back the ones who snapped, they need to bring “everyone” back. How about the next chapter where hulk snapped but also bring a little surprise for twilight and her friends. I can’t stand them losing their family and Celestia losing Luna and the pillars. And by the way great chapter
Looks like Thor won't be the same as the movie. I guess that's ok but I feel he would still be needing to work on himself. Curious on if Tony will still state not changing anything and only bring everyone back.
Guess we'll see in the next installment.
10027845
Hey dude are you gonna put grubber meets Luis in the end I would love to see it😂🤩
Well what do you know. Frank did still have something nice in him. Who knew?
Time to finish this mission, and undo the shit Thanos did.
It's time to undo what Thanos did almost 60 chapters ago.
I loved this chapter, especially the part with Frank and the rest.
It is time.
10029328 Final battle won’t be that long haha
10029348 Thanks!
10029429 I don’t plan to do a Black Widow crossover, but I’d say after Civil War.
10029572 This mission has broken them, built them up, and ultimately made them stronger.
10029604 You don’t have to worry about the final battle being too long. There are quite a few chapters that deal with the aftermath of that battle.
10029704 Gonna be a lot of surprises to come!
10029787 We’ll see.
10030142 One of my favorite parts!
10030628
Oh I thought you said that sorry
Very nice! One itty bitty little nitpick though that I'm gonna ignore anyway:
I'm surprised no one thought "Why don't we use the stones to simultaneously kill Thanos and bring everyone back at the same time?"
10030833 I don't know what it takes, but maybe the person snapping needs to focus on only one goal.
Either way, we need a badass final battle.
I know SenseofHumor's already said this, but can't they just kill Thanos with the stones? Like "Bring back everyone Thanos and Typhon killed, and by the way, kill Thanos, wherever he is."
Eat dicks, Frank. Nebula's more of a hero than you.
10030871
Yeah, that's why I'm not complaining too hard on it XD
10031519 Still trying to get ya to warm up to Frank. Still not working yet haha
Such a powerful, moving chapter.
So, before they bring this living hell to an end, they decided to reflect on their adventures through the timelines. They explained what they saw and the villains they fought, including how they learned Thanos was still alive. Most of them might have started this journey not knowing a thing about each other, just a ragtag bunch of misfits, but now they are a more than just friends. They’re a team, a family. They’re going to bring back everyone they lost, and kill that purple asshole for real this time.
You can always rely on Derpy for some warm and fuzzy feelings.
The Punisher might arguably have the most development in this series, and this section does a good job showing it.