Chapter 17 – The Remaining Threat
17
Earth’s Moon
The Inhuman City of Attilan
By the time Discord finally regained consciousness, an Outrider Dropship fell from Thanos’ Sanctuary II and landed on the surface of Earth’s moon, spewing dirt and moon rock into the air upon impact. His vision, as crooked as it was before, still managed to get a good look at the dropship. It was a towering structure, several hundred yards tall and the base slowly opening to unveil its occupants.
They charged towards the abandoned city on the Moon, but by then, Discord’s vision began to fade once more, all sounds around him dying quickly. The sun’s rays burned his eyelids, causing the Spirit of Chaos to open his eyes once more. He couldn’t hear, all sounds around him drowning out and all but a piercing ring remaining. It sounded nearly identical to when the Mad Titan crushed his fist within the Gauntlet, the Infinity Stones unleashing their power and bending to his will.
Discord felt his body still aching. The burns were still there, still managing to eat away at his flesh. He wanted to snap his fingers. He desperately needed to heal himself, but all that remained of his right arm was a burnt stump stopping at the elbow, the end cracked with glowing, purple veins. His left arm was completely gone. He tried to move his lower body, but only groaned at the pain flooding through him.
Discord settled in silence, his eyes shifting to the right to see Proxima Midnight turn his way. Her twisted, sickening grin made his head hurt all the more. His eyelids fell, and darkness quickly came to take him back into its cold embrace.
“… found in the exact location as last time?”
From time to time, followed by several waning seconds of that same awful ringing in his ears, Discord could hear the conversation directly ahead of him. He tried to open his eyes, saw darkness cloud the edges of his vision, and only saw the blur of Thanos’ backside as he spoke down to several smaller aliens, the ones that presumably came from the dropship. They each had four arms, long faces, jagged teeth, and no eyes. And they bowed at the feet of the Mad Titan, one of them speaking to him.
Its mouth moved, but Discord only caught a portion of all that it told.
“… just where we last felt it. The Soul Stone is ready for you, my Great.”
Even with his back turned, Discord could recognize Thanos’ voice anywhere. “And they don’t know of it?”
“I fear they may soon enough.”
Discord’s mind faded into blackness for a moment, and when he returned he could see a different alien amongst the small crowd crawl forward, looking up at Thanos expectantly. Its jaw fell and words came out of its mouth, but Discord could hear nothing. When the ringing died out and sound returned for just a second or two, he caught all he needed to hear.
“… the northern land of a large island, where the humans call ‘Scotland’. The Mind Stone remains with the Vision, and the Scarlet Witch protects him.”
Thanos nodded to that, turning to the remaining Outriders. “And what of the Time Stone?”
The feral beasts shook their heads, each looking to one another. One finally found the courage to speak up. “Our scout has not returned,” it hissed, dropping its head. “Not yet.”
Frowning at that, Thanos eventually nodded. “Very well,” he said, twisting his neck around. “Maw, Obsidian, take my ship and prepare the attack for the Soul Stone, then await further instructions.”
Discord hadn’t even noticed the remaining children of Thanos crowding around him. The edges of his vision were so painfully dark that he could only truly focus on what laid directly ahead of him, and even then, it was still blurry. Discord could still see as Thanos opened a portal for them, the Space Stone on the Infinity Gauntlet glowing brighter than the other two. Both Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian entered it without question, the vortex dying out.
“Glaive, Midnight, retrieve the Mind Stone by any means.”
He opened a portal for them, as well. Corvus Glaive hopped through it first, trailed closely by Proxima Midnight. She was the last child of Thanos to leave the surface of the Moon, but not before sending Discord one final, knowing smirk. The portal she stepped into vanished.
The Outriders returned to their dropship standing in the distance, the massive ship’s engines pushing it from the surface of the Moon and returning to Thanos’ Sanctuary II. Speaking of it, Thanos’ gargantuan ship slowly turned around, flew straight through the moon debris, and approached Earth steadily. Several chunks of the two moons impacted the ship, breaking into smaller pieces as the Sanctuary II tore through the debris with ease.
Straight ahead. No stopping. Right for the planet where the full weight of the Chitauri army had been unleashed and its hell rained down upon the unsuspecting world. And Equus would fare no better, several hundred more Chitauri warships descending upon it and its helpless populace. Discord watched it all in complete frozen horror, another shadow falling over him.
He looked up and gazed into the burning eyes of the Mad Titan. And he cowered beneath it. He actually felt himself shiver, and he hated himself even more for it.
Thanos just stared at him. “Now what shall we do with you?” he said, his heavy tone being the last thing Discord heard.
Discord knew deep down that whatever Thanos’ intentions for him were, the endgame wouldn’t be pleasant. It never seemed to be. And he could only wait for that moment to come as his mind faded into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was his voice, but it was even worse for the last thing Discord saw to be that unsettling smile. Just for him.
Mid-Jump
The Milano
Doctor Bruce Banner awakened to see a bug-eyed woman staring at him.
His body ached and cried, a constant, painful thumping in his chest as his heart continuously pumped blood throughout his system. Each heartbeat hurt, causing Banner to grit his teeth and gently caress the area above his heart. The wound was gone, but it was still sore. He tried to remember why. As he remembered, there was a fight, he got stabbed, and he turned back into Bruce. The Hulk… was strangely silent. His mind was still a bit foggy as he blinked away the weariness and the remnants of pain that still lingered on.
And when he turned his neck to the left, he had to blink several times just to make sure he saw the antennae sticking out of the woman’s head. Her unusually large eyes grew even larger when his gaze met hers, her mouth falling but not a breath leaving her. Bruce felt he should introduce himself, at least, but the dryness in his throat only caused him to wheeze out a response, followed by a whooping cough.
“Calm yourself. My name is Mantis, and you’re safe now,” she told him, offering the sweetest smile. She tried to, at least. It appeared somewhat forced and awkward. He felt the woman’s hand rest over his forehead in a comforting manner, his breathing steadying to that touch. “He’s awake!” she called out, turning her head to her right.
And then, Banner surprised even himself when he moved the blanket off of him and tried to stand up. Mantis gasped, placing both of her palms on his shoulders to keep him from falling over, which he nearly did. He managed his footing, however, and nodded to Mantis in assurance. All of that assurance quickly vanished when Thor nearly tackled the weak doctor in a spine-breaking hug.
“Banner, my friend!” Thor exclaimed, squeezing every bit of breath out of Bruce. He heard the wheezing, the desperation for air, and broke away, smiling apologetically to Banner and resting his mighty palm upon Banner’s shoulder. “We thought you dead.”
Blinking, Bruce rubbed the sore spot over his heart. “We?” he asked, Mantis gently placing the blanket over his shoulders, Thor removing his hand.
“Yes, we,” Thor said with a grin, directing Banner’s gaze to his right, to where five individuals were seated and stared out into the swirling lights of the wormhole they traveled through. Thor held out his hand, saying, “Meet the Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s what they call themselves.”
Bruce observed them, his gaze flashing to Mantis as she cautiously walked past him and to her seat. Beyond her, there were six seats directly ahead, four resting on ground level and the other two resting below. One was a human piloting the ship they were in, clearly focused and simply waving his hand over his shoulder. The other to his left was a raccoon, an actual raccoon that seemed to help pilot the ship. He grunted Banner’s way.
The two below were different colored aliens, Bruce thought. One was a bald man, skin colored gray and red tattoos covering his face. That’s all Banner could really see. The other was a green woman with long, black and red hair. She offered just a simple nod to Banner, focusing ahead. And the last one, resting in the seat right next to Mantis, was a living, breathing tree playing a video game. Yeah. Banner knew right then and there that he had officially seen it all.
“The Guardians of the Galaxy?” Banner asked, clearing his throat and narrowing his eyes at them.
“You gonna keep repeating everything that comes out of Beardo’s mouth?” Rocket grumbled from where he sat. He heard a chuckle, or what tried to sound like one, come from behind him, prompting Rocket to turn his head back.
“A talking raccoon,” Banner chuckled. “Thought I’d never see the day.”
Peter’s eyes widened. Mantis caught her breath. Rocket unleashed his own, practically screaming, “What did you just call me?!”
“Easy, Rocket, easy! He didn’t know, he didn’t know!” Quill tried to say, holding out his hand and forcefully keeping Rocket in his seat.
Bruce took a step back, somewhat startled by the rising tension that, for some reason, started because of him. Wouldn’t be the first, and definitely won’t be the last. Sighing at that thought, Banner turned to his right to take a seat on the empty bed. At least, he thought it was empty.
Sitting in the middle of the bed with a large bruise on his face and smile to go with it, Loki stared at the man. Banner stared right on back. Neither could seem to break away. “Hello again, Bruce,” Loki finally said, still holding that wicked smile Banner knew all too well.
“Loki…” Banner slowly said, almost like he couldn’t fully remember if this was the first he has seen Loki in the flesh since New York. Taking a step to his right, keeping his eyes focused on Loki, he said, “You look… awful.”
Loki’s eyes trailed him like a serpent would. “I could say the same for you.”
Banner could acknowledge that, nodding. Several seconds of tense silence passed. Bruce gripped the blanket tighter around his shoulders, the ship’s floor cold beneath his naked feet. “Do either of you mind catching me up on what just happened?” he asked at last. He rubbed his head gingerly. “Mind’s a little fuzzy.”
Thor was the first to open his mouth amongst the two brothers, and the first to close it when Star-Lord announced, “We nearing the end of the jump. Approaching Terra in five…”
“Terra?” Banner repeated, turning to face the glass shield passed Thor. Both Odinson brothers followed his stare, watching as the wormhole began to brighten, signifying its end approaching. And Peter Quill almost couldn’t believe where he was going.
“… four…”
Thirty years. That’s how long it’s been since he’s seen his home planet. He could still remember all those years ago when Yondu and his Ravager compatriots practically stole him from his home world. It was just after his mother died and he refused to look her in the eye. His eyes burned, his hand reaching for the pedal and ready to yank it back and slow their arrival. No need to think of past mistakes now.
“… three…”
Each second was a lightyear they tore through like it was nothing, yet it felt so much longer. So much more drawn out, and Peter, for some strange reason, felt that wouldn’t be too bad. The thought of returning home after so long, after leaving everything behind despite his control, was mind-boggling and somewhat… heartwarming. He didn’t know the feeling. It was alien to him. But seeing his home world again, after so many years, just brought something to his heart that he couldn’t explain. His eyes burned even more.
“… two…”
He may have called it “Terra” most of his life, but deep down in his heart, it was always Earth.
“… one.”
The only thing he kept thinking about was how much Earth had changed since he had been gone and lived his life. Did Earth finally manage to create the Death Star like President Reagan always wanted? Were any of his favorite cartoons and celebrities still around? And most importantly, was Footloose still the greatest movie of his and every generation?
When he yanked back on the pedal and the Milano exited the wormhole, to say things have changed was an understatement.
As the stars came into view and the rainbow swirls of the wormhole vanished, all that was left was one of the oddest sights they had seen. Maybe for Thor, Loki, and Banner, but definitely not for the Guardians. That didn’t mean it hadn’t caught them off guard. Because planet Earth did lay just ahead, and it still looked as healthy and alive since Quill left it.
However…
The only thing off about the planet… was the alien world hovering just over it, the alien world they flew on by and gazed wondrously at. All of the Guardians’ heads swiveled to the right, their eyes latched on the massive planet. Even Groot lowered his game to stare at it.
“Well, that’s new,” Quill finally managed to mutter.
“No, no, no,” Thor mumbled, his tone sounding more and more distressed. In his eyes, he saw Earth resting in the distance, but hovering dangerously near it and above them was a second planet, holding several similar traits to Earth. Blue sky, white clouds, lush, green lands. But it was different to the world he came to know and love. It was… alien. Thor leaned onto Rocket’s chair, muttering, “That world wasn’t there.”
When the two shattered moons came into focus and the Chitauri armies could be seen hurtling towards the two planets, none of the Guardians could manage a word. Bruce Banner clutched onto the blanket that covered his shoulders. Loki stared on in utter silence, seeing the Chitauri again making his skin crawl. An unknown expression glowed in his eyes. Even he didn’t know what it was or what he felt. He couldn’t even open his mouth.
Only Thor was willing and able to speak, and even then, he was breathless.
“Something is very wrong.”
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Remember guys, the Soul Stone is ON Earth. So nothing to contemplate about Gamora dying or the planet appearing..
If you consider the reboots as a good cartoon, then I don’t think you’ll see the light of day again Peter. Unless you think that Donald Glover being the new Willie Wonka is a good cast.
this is a chocolate factory, this is a chocolate factory..
Remember that alt. line in the leaked Infinity War trailer? *sigh* what a good day it was.
Also, I wanna make bets on the next chapter is about.
50 chance it’s the main 7.
49 chance it’s the Council or the Avengers.
1 chance it’s Matt Murdock, wondering why an alien planet is hovering over New York and why two moons are seen, demolished.
Very nice chapter. Too bad Discord can't snap his toes. Also, another cool Inhumans reference, even if they themselves won't be in it XD.
Plan on making any cameos with the Runaways, Cloak and Dagger or AOS? Just curious.
The knots are tightening the first meeting is coming and the battle will begin
The Guardians, Odinsons and Banner arrive at Earth to find it in the state its in with another world placed next to it and both of its moons destroyed whilst both worlds are helplessly invaded the Chitauri forces all in the name of Thanos. Not the kind of homecoming experience Peter was expecting to have.
And Loki better watch his back. This is pretty much mostly his fault that this is happening. When everybody and everypony else finds out, he'll very much be getting daggers aimed at him.
Guess Thanos had completely disarmed Discord! Am I right?
You picked a bad time to visit your home planet, Quill.
So, Loki's alive, Thanks is already attacking, and Ant-Man and The Wasp is still going down. Got it. nIce job with Luis!
9045469
Ah
Dark humour
Just don't listen to today's music, Quill. You may not like it.
9045658
Yeah all raps and stuff, but Love Yourself, Shape of You, Rude, etc. On the flip side if you want, also Quill, movies are now dominated by CGI and animated TV shows are predominantly made by computers rather than those lame 80s animated flicks like G.I. Joe.
9045469
Indeed, Loki, do you want Banner to slam you again and call you Puny God, this time in front of everyone else?
Poor Discord. I shudder to think what Thanos has planned for him.
I am anxious to find out where on Earth the Soul Stone is, or who, exactly, if anybody, is in possession of it.
Could Scarlett Witch, Starlight, Twilight and Sunset combine their powers? If they can, that would truly be one of the most powerful magical attacks!
Again Doscord you don’t have to snap to use your Chaos magic, but to be fair he is pretty worn down so it’s understandable here.
The Guardians and Thor team finally make it to earth.... if only they made it here a BIT earlier.
9046016
Don't forget Strange.
9046119
of course.
Wait, can't he snap the fingers on the end of his tail? I swear I've seen him do that.
Oh, goodie, Thanos' pet Xenomorphs.
Oh, dear. Where is it, K'un-Lun? Wait, that's not on Earth, technically.
Aw, she's so cute...
Loki, I'd be a lot more sympathetic if you hadn't TOLD THANOS ABOUT EQUESTRIA.
No, yes, and probably not.
And the award for understatement of the century goes to...
9046264
I think Starlight's jaw will drop at Strange's even weirder and advanced forms of spells beyond her capacities and imagining (Astral form and zone, dimensional travel, weapon conjuring, mirror cloning, portal creations, weird warped up zones, the Time Stone in his necklace, etc.)
9046401
He can, but he's too disabled to do so.
Aw Dayum I just saw it, a picture of Andrea Libman, and Phil Collins, together in Beijing.
I certainly look forward to seeing what will become of the Time Stone.
I want to see Quill learn of Spotify. He'll probably faint with glee.
9045428 You may be right on the next chapter... or you may be wrong. We'll find out soon enough.
9045459 I got some great surprises coming.
9045469 You know, I saw a comic just like with Woody and Buzz but replaced with Steve and Bucky.
9045489 Luis is simply the greatest storyteller of all time. I couldn't NOT include him.
9045658 He definitely won't like it.
9046007 All questions that will certainly have answers sooner or later.
9046089 Even then, they couldn't have done much if they got there earlier.
9046401 His tail was burnt off by Thanos in Chapter 15.
9047160 Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, smartphones, it'll be fun!
9047266
Well I don’t know I think a Discord and Thor team up could have done something... at least break a bone or two of Thanos.
9047266
Hope you include Stan the Man cameoing in this one.
9045489
Ya know I was hoping would try to Murder Loki himself after selling Equus out to Thanos
9045489
They are not going to thank him.
9048975
I think there was a typo. Thanks was really Thanos.
9049034
I suspected he meant Thanos.
That was a joke.
(Source)
9049038
Sorry, sourpuss.
9049102
.
I wasn't sourpuss nor meaning to sound sourpuss. Maybe I should have added a
Another sensational chapter. ^-^
Thanoid
1. If Discord wasn't in any worse pain before, who knows what further punishment Thanos has in store? Then again, while it would be easy for Thanos to just 'kill' Discord (Though the argument of Discord being immortal may put that plan on debate) I think Thanos would rather allow Discord to live long enough to make him suffer. And if Thanos can't do any more to Discord physically, who knows what other means Thanos would do to him in an effort to break his own chaotic sanity?
2. Boy the Guardians and the rest sure have bad timing especially what with Thanos has done. First they are too late to help the Collector and prevent the theft of one of the stones but NOW they find themselves in a situation where both planets have practically collide. Practically bigger than this one fanfic about what happened when Disney and MLP's worlds collided together (Really could use a ton of work, but the author and I go WAY back).
What could possibly on the Moon that Thanos is invading? Is it the Inhumans from Marvel or the Nightmare Forces from MLP?
9611204
I can think of one thing... *cough* Fluttershy *cough*.
Yeah it is 😕
Ah, The Guardians of The Galaxy are all going to Earth in this version. Interesting change. Too bad Star-Lord chose a bad time to finally go back home, considering what Thanos did to it.
I am terrified of what he is going to do to Discord. We know it is possible for Discord to cease to exist, but he can probably die traditionally too, especially without his powers. At this rate he might not even survive long enough to see The Snap.
Oh boy, he pushed the Raccoon button.
Oh really, ya think?