Chapter 50 – Of Ponies and A-Holes
50
Equus
Canterlot, Equestria
Canterlot Castle
8:49 a.m.
“My friend Wong and I traveled to Equus earlier yesterday… to get some much needed answers for ourselves, like why there’s a… damn planet above the atmosphere. Guess they wanted to know, too,” Doctor Strange explained, almost leading the entire group of Avengers, Defenders, Asgardians, and one lone Punisher through the halls of Canterlot Castle.
He was joined, practically walking side by side with the Iron Man himself. Tony Stark moved swiftly and loudly through the halls, the Mark 50’s metallic footsteps echoing across the marble floors and walls. His Arc Reactor burned a bright blue, it being the only light save for the morning sunlight spilling in through the stained glass windows. He surely wasn’t alone.
Joining Tony Stark—in no particular order—were James Rhodes, the Vision, Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, Luke Cage, Frank Castle, Thor, Loki, and Bruce Banner. Some, like the New Yorkers consisting of Parker, the Defenders, and Castle, were busy analyzing their surroundings, still quite surprised to be walking within a castle on an alien world. Peter Parker was new to the whole superhero business, so it was obvious that he was feeling a bit uneven at the moment, still not fully grasping the thought of actually standing upon an entirely other world. First time for every hero, Peter supposed.
As for the others, as for Castle and Murdock and Rand and Jones and Cage… some of them just couldn’t believe their day. A little more than two hours ago, Jessica was waking up to a hangover and Luke’s face standing over her, and now there she was, traversing the towering, colorful walls of an alien castle, soon to meet the rulers of said alien world as an extraterrestrial invasion ripped apart both of their worlds. Jessica sighed and closed her eyes, the headache still ripe. It was at times like so where she wished for the simpler times where all she had to deal with was just ninjas. Danny and Luke felt very similar to her, the two of them walking side by side, gazing up to the towering ceilings surrounding them, staring at the stained glass windows and the stories each seemed to tell. Almost all of them showed majestic horses of some kind, some with wings, some with horns, some with both. Matthew remained silent, trudging through the halls alongside his team, Frank by his side and neither wishing to look anywhere but straight ahead, to reach their destination and end the invasion.
They hoped, anyway.
Doctor Strange continued to speak, the Cloak of Levitation swaying behind him with every word that slipped out of his mouth. “When we got back to the Sanctum, that’s when we ran into Thor, his brother, Bruce, and the others.”
“Others?” Stark asked, turning to Strange on his left.
Meeting his eyes, they held a certain mystery to them, something Stark couldn’t seem to pinpoint. Another reason to add to the many Tony didn’t really like about Stephen Strange. “You’ll see for yourself,” Strange told him, facing ahead.
Murdock listened carefully to their conversation, listened to Strange’s heart for any signs of deceit. When he could find none, he focused instead on the heavy palm slapping his back, almost making Matt lose his breath. The pain that rippled through, however, left aftereffects. Turning back only slightly, Matt met the eye of the God of Thunder himself.
Thor smiled wide, hand now rising to rest on Matt’s shoulder. He said, “You remind me of the Draugr I’ve slaughtered in Muspelheim, my friend.”
Danny, Luke, and Jessica all turned to Thor at that statement, all furrowing their brows at that and then turning to Murdock to see his response. All he could really do was weakly smile and say, “I… appreciate that.”
Thor slapped his shoulder, Matthew almost crumbling to the floor. “Well, you look stronger than Draugr, that’s for certain. You will make a fine warrior against Thanos,” Odinson exclaimed, pushing past Matt and Danny to walk alongside Peter Parker, asking for the Spider-Man’s name.
“Walking with Avengers… with gods… with wizards… it’s weird,” Jessica whispered to Luke.
“It’s unbelievable,” Luke responded, Jessica staring up at him. “I mean, we’re on an alien world, Jessica. Still having trouble wrapping my head around that.”
“God, I miss Jack Daniel’s,” she groaned. The splitting headache she felt said otherwise, but she ignored it. “Would really help right about now.”
“Heads up,” Danny said, pointing forward. The others by his sides all leaned in, trying to pinpoint what he was talking about. Danny dropped his hand, his eyes slowly widening. “We got… horses.”
“Ponies,” Matt corrected him. Castle grunted in response to that.
Jessica saw them. She shook her head, still not believing it. “Oh, you gotta be shitting me.”
Tony Stark stopped dead in his tracks. Everyone else with him did the same, almost in unison. In his expression, in his eyes even, there was a foreboding and somewhat haunted look. With it was mixed with raw, emotional distress slowly rising higher and higher the longer he stared. Strange remained silent, staying where he was and allowing Stark to take the necessary steps forward. And he did.
Right towards them.
Just outside the throne room doors stood Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Starlight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow, and Spike. A fiery-maned unicorn stood alongside them, somepony completely new to Stark and his Avengers. The Defenders were still awestruck, everyone minus Murdock gazing at the alien ponies with complete bewilderment. Jessica’s shock was quickly shifting to her signature frown, Castle already way ahead of her.
And on the opposite side—across the floor that might as well have been a hundred miles between them—Twilight and her closest friends all slowly spun their heads around, jaws falling and eyes popping up to see them. Some seeing them again… some seeing brand new faces for the first time. All of them caught in a single state of awe. Almost all of them instantly filled with the overwhelming weight of emotion falling once they saw Tony Stark take the first few steps forward. One of those ponies, especially, was Twilight Sparkle. Another one was Rainbow Dash, the Pegasus staring at him for only a moment before refusing to look any longer, taking the backseat in the group for the first time in forever.
The Princess of Friendship was the first among them to take the first steps. Apprehensive at best, but powerful nonetheless.
“Tony…” Twilight said, her voice a deathly-quiet whisper. They still heard her. He still heard her.
And Tony met her eyes, met the emotion and burned with her. “Twilight…”
They approached one another, the two sides of two different worlds standing face to face. They stopped, and all was silent. As if the war outside their walls didn’t even exist any longer, that was the state they were trapped in. Tony stared into her eyes, Twilight into his. They saw each other. They knew each other. In a heartfelt show of affection, Tony fell to his knee the same moment Twilight leapt forward into his arms. The two were nearly breathless, Twilight standing on her hind legs and Stark on one knee. As if nothing else in the world mattered to them, just knowing each other were safe, finally willing to put the past away and just… happy to see one another again. Tony heard the sniffle, felt Twilight shiver against him as she cried, tears slipping down her cheeks and hitting his shoulder blades, the tears falling easily down the smooth texture of the Mark 50.
“Glad you all are safe,” Tony said to her, his voice traveling to each mare and dragon. He held the back of her head, listened to her stuttering cries as she gripped his neck with all the strength she could muster. It didn’t hurt in the slightest. It was so warm Stark nearly felt teary-eyed himself, but closed his eyes to stop the burning sensation from worsening.
Twilight broke off, meeting Stark’s eyes and smiling wide. Sniffling hard, the Alicorn rubbed her nose with a foreleg, tears burning on the edges of her eyes. She kept her smile strong, even as she said, “We can happily say the same.”
They hugged once more. With her chin resting on his metal shoulder, the Princess of Friendship spotted the rest of the Avengers, even Peter Parker, standing with awkward expressions and stances. Twilight smiled to them, almost chuckling when she said, “Well don’t just stand there, say hi once in your lives.”
Stark actually chuckled at that, smiling to hear Twilight mimicking what he said so long ago. Mirroring him just as she always had. It was only two years, but it felt like a lifetime since he had said those very words to the very ponies and dragon standing ahead of him. It felt like forever since he had seen their faces, their smiles, and their joyous outlook on life. It made his own life feel all the more depressing the more he thought about it. He didn’t think anymore and instead enjoyed the hug Twilight prolonged. Not like he kept it going by any means.
While the two stayed in their embrace, the remainder of the two sides finally clashed. Fluttershy and Rainbow met with James Rhodes, offering hugs and asking about his legs, to which he explained to them that he was fine. The suit offered him plenty of mobility. Applejack and Starlight shook Vision and Banner’s hands respectively and offered their greetings, Applejack glad to see Bruce again. The feeling was mutual for Banner. The two mares then turned to Thor and Loki, the Odinson brothers smiling down to them. More so Thor, as Loki tried to keep a safe six-foot distance between any pony that came near him. He watched from the sidelines, watched the numerous displays of affection between the ponies and so few of the Avengers with a distant look on his face.
Spike and Sunset confronted Peter Parker, the Spider-Man glad that someone—in this case, a dragon and a unicorn he had never seen before—was willing to meet his handshake. It felt nice after being rejected by Jessica and Strange. Pinkie Pie hopped forward and smiled up brightly to Frank Castle. The Punisher offered her a short glare before facing away. She remained in the corner of his vision, Frank keeping all of his willpower focused on not turning her way. When he wouldn’t budge, Pinkie just shrugged and turned to the other four. To the Defenders.
“Hi!”
None of them made a sound, still somewhat bewildered by the presence of talking, alien ponies surrounding them. They still could hardly believe everything that’s happened to them since they woke up that morning. The ponies were easily the sugar-filled icing on the “What the hell?” cake they’ve had that day. Especially Jessica, who stared at Pinkie with the most abrasive and incredulous look she could muster.
When none of them seemed to find the words to acknowledge her, Pinkie pouted, then sprang back to life when she saw the familiar devil mask and costume. “Hi, Daredevil!” she said with a quick wave of her foreleg.
Danny Rand, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones all slowly turned to Matt accordingly, in unison, all sharing the same dumbfounded expression. Matt forced a smile, already seeing the expression on their burning faces. He lifted his palm to Pinkie, then instantly dropped it. “How’s it going?” he simply asked.
“Goooood!” Pinkie said with a bright smile, hopping up and down. “Who are your friends?”
Pointing to each of them, Murdock said, “Danny, Luke, and Jessica.”
Landing back on the floor, Pinkie put on an even brighter smile—if that was even possible—and shot out her hoof to them, to Rand first of all, to which the Iron Fist backed away with how close she appeared to him. “Hi, Danny! Hi, Luke! Hi, Jessica! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and it sure is great to meet ya!” she exclaimed.
She held out her hoof to Danny, then Luke, then Jessica, obviously hoping at least one of them would accept her hoof in friendship. Creating quite the scene, Pinkie Pie and the Defenders were unaware of the wary eyes sent their way by none other than Rarity herself. Her eyes, not so focused on Pinkie, shifted precariously back to Daredevil, then to Danny, then quickly turning away from Luke and Jessica.
Rarity kept a good distance away from the Defenders, her eyes darting back to them every now and again. For a single moment, a flash of fear slipped through her vision, the unicorn shaking her head and focusing only on Bruce Banner approaching her. She did everything in her power to keep the horrible memories from resurfacing, putting on a forced, fake smile as she offered Banner a hug.
“Good to see you again, Thor,” Starlight said, hugging the God of Thunder when he bent down. There was no apprehension when she did so, already clearly remembering Twilight and the others vouching for her when Thor and his team arrived to Canterlot yesterday. Thor and Banner, specifically, wanted to know how Starlight was there, when the last they knew or heard of her was as a villain, basically giving her life during the Battle of Canterlot three years ago. They explained themselves—more so Starlight did—she offered her hoof in friendship, and Thor met it with a great big hug, one only Thor could give.
He was just glad to have friends… and not anymore enemies.
Patting her back, Thor stepped aside and nudged his brother. “The last we heard of Starlight Glimmer,” Thor chuckled with his arms crossed, standing beside Loki and Banner and turning to the God of Mischief, “she perished during the Ultron Offensive. She takes after you of faking her death.”
Starlight shrugged, looking to the side and smiling. “Never really died to begin with, but…”
“Thor!” a cracking voice called out.
“Rainbow Dash!” Thor yelled with a grinning face, holding out his hand and meeting Rainbow’s hoof in a loud slap, the two of them tightening their grips against one another. “Good to see you once more, my equine friend!” he told her.
Backing away, still hovering in mid-air, Rainbow smiled widely. Her eyes rose and latched onto Thor’s upper head, the mare shaking her own. “I still can’t get over your haircut! It honestly looks… so much cooler now than it did before!” she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes. “Also… is that a scar near your eyepatch? I didn’t notice it when you came to Canterlot yesterday.”
“Also noticed your scars, as well,” Thor pointed out, gesturing near his own left cheek where Rainbow’s three scars remained. “Just as battle-hardened as myself, it seems.”
The reunion persisted. More ponies met the Defenders for the first time, Pinkie trying to introduce them, but almost all of them tried to stay away from Frank Castle. He didn’t care either way, keeping his arms crossed and focused only on the throne room doors ahead, waiting for the formalities to end. Twilight offered her hugs to Bruce Banner, Thor, and even tried to meet Thor’s brother—the first of her friends to attempt so—to which Loki replied with a polite bow and a mischievous smile. Twilight kept that in mind, managing to abandon that thought when she spotted the golden and dark blue spider embedded on the red, metallic suit.
“Peter,” Twilight called with a smile, trotting forward to Peter Parker breaking his discussion with Sunset to turn her way. “It’s so nice to see you again. Love the new suit!” Twilight pointed out, raising her hoof to center it right over Parker’s heart. Right over the blue and gold spider.
“Yeah, Mr. Stark made it for me,” Peter said with a grin, feeling around with his palms and even observing his own suit for himself. Still smiling at that, Peter dropped his gaze and met Twilight’s. He cleared his throat, telling her, “You look like you’re doing well.”
Twilight nodded, that same smile bright on her lips. “So do you.”
A moment of tense, awkward silence before Peter finally shook his head. “You know what? I’m just gonna hug you,” he chuckled awkwardly.
“Okay!” Twilight chuckled back with a shake of her head, not even having to rise up on her hind legs to meet Peter’s hug, the teenager falling to his knee and bending down to meet her fully. They both patted each other on the back, the two breaking away and unveiling the pony standing behind Parker the entire time, watching the reunion unfold with a warm smile on her golden face.
Which reminded her…
“Everyone… can I have your attention?”
All eyes suddenly shifted over to Princess Twilight. From Stark, to Rhodey, to Vision, to Peter, to the Defenders, to Strange, to Castle, to the Asgardians, and even Bruce Banner. Everyone, everypony and dragon included, turned to Twilight to see her wrap her foreleg across Sunset’s withers, bringing the unicorn close to her and clearing her throat.
“Sunset, I’d like you to meet the Avengers. Tony, James, Vision… everyone… this is a really good friend of mine, and one of my personal pupils… Sunset Shimmer,” Twilight explained, holding her hoof close to the unicorn’s shoulder.
Sunset Shimmer offered a tiny wave, smiling to all of them. Some of them smiled and waved back. The Defenders were still silent, still refused to move, save for Murdock who at least raised his hand to her to signify a wave. With her hoof still outstretched, she breathed a chuckle and said, “I… know all of you already… most of you. Twilight was very descriptive in her stories.”
Twilight blushed at that and wiped her eyes free from any lingering tears, chuckling a tad at Sunset’s statement. The first Avenger she heard respond was Tony Stark, the Iron Man himself. Twilight absolutely gushed over him, telling Sunset of all the wild and crazy things he had invented, everything he showed her, all the battles they had been a part of. Almost everything. The things she left out were either personal or… too embarrassing to bring up. Tony smirked to the unicorn, blinking rapidly and almost losing his breath. He quickly turned back to Murdock, Castle, and the others, completely forgetting to introduce all the new faces.
“And these are… uh…” Tony stuttered, facing Murdock, Rand, Cage, Jones, and Castle. “Do you guys have a team name?”
“What team?” Castle growled.
“Oh, you know,” Thor began, pointing to Stark and Parker, “they have the Avengers—myself included—Loki, Banner, and I have founded the Revengers, so there must be a name for your team, as well.”
“There’s no team,” Jessica spat. Matt seemed somewhat crestfallen hearing that leave Jones’ lips, especially after everything they had been through together.
“Hold up,” Peter said, stepping into the conversation. He pointed to Matt, saying, “Didn’t you tell me that you guys defended the city against a bunch of ninjas?”
“The Hand, yes,” Murdock answered with a nod. Jessica and Danny frowned at Matt, nearly in disbelief to know that Murdock was giving away almost everything that they did. The amount of things Matt was keeping secret from them was starting to get more aggravating with each revelation.
“You all consider yourself defenders of New York, then?” Parker continued, pointing to the five of them.
“Well…” Luke muttered.
Peter smiled, holding out his hands. “How ‘bout the Defenders?”
“That’s a stupid-ass name,” Jessica said with her signature frown, Peter’s smile instantly falling apart. It quickly rebuilt itself when Danny shrugged.
“I think it sounds pretty good,” Danny mumbled.
Luke eventually gave in, shrugging with a loud sigh, “I guess it fits.”
Matthew nodded as well. Jessica just scoffed at the rest of them with a shake of her head, turning instead to stare into the sunlight. Frank growled, huffing loudly onto his crossed arms. “Ain’t no way in hell I’m in your little posse.”
“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” Peter asked.
“On my own accord,” Frank affirmed to the Spider-Man, and practically to everyone else. Fluttershy whimpered and hid behind Applejack at Castle’s growing brutish tone. Applejack, Starlight, and Rarity all slowly glared at him, watched as he jammed a finger towards his armored chest. “On my own mission. All of your jobs are to just point me in the right direction.”
“Glad we can come to a consensus,” Tony groaned, the sarcasm laid thick. He approached the mares, eyeing each of them slowly, saying, “With introductions and reunions out of the way, I think now would be the best time if we…”
He caught himself when his eyes drifted… slightly more to the left.
And saw her.
She saw him.
Neither could seem to look away this time. It was as if everyone suddenly felt the drop in temperature in the hallway, Doctor Strange shifting his curious gaze from Tony Stark… and onto Rainbow Dash. The two seemed permanently locked in a frozen stalemate, neither seeming to know what to say, especially considering Tony Stark himself was on one end. Yet there was one thing for certain… each of their eyes held an unknown tale, a painful emotion that neither of them could fully express. Strange couldn’t see much of it, but he could feel the tension between them, already knowing there was bad blood the longer the silence persisted.
It got to the point to where Twilight was growing more and more anxious, her friends alongside her nowhere near sharing the same emotions. Twilight knew there was certainly a painful past held between Stark and Rainbow, what with each standing on opposites sides of what they believed was right. Twilight would know… She stood with Stark against the rest of the Avengers that stood with Captain America. Including those ponies that stood with Steve, Rainbow being one of them.
Just when she thought she needed to intervene herself, Twilight stopped and listened, jaw falling to see Tony lift his hand.
“Hey, Rainbow.”
It was barely anything. Probably the poorest excuse of a greeting every given, offered in the weakest, most defeated tone Stark could manage. And Rainbow Dash was no better, not even smiling when she nodded his way and mumbled, “Hey, Tony.”
Nothing more than that. More silence rising. A perfect moment for Twilight to take action.
“I know what happened in the past was… questionable,” Twilight explained, stepping in-between them. The spotlight shifted her way, Doctor Strange’s observant and questioning gaze landing on her and making Twilight stumble. Only shortly, though. “But right now… we really can’t focus on the past. There’s too much at stake for that. So, for now… let’s all agree to put the past behind us, okay?”
Twilight hoped they would see it her way. She really hoped they were mature enough to accept her conditions and realize that there was too much to deal with than looking back to what could’ve been done better. They’ll cross that bridge when they come to it, but it was still miles and miles away. The war, the battle raging right on their doorstep, was dead ahead.
And they couldn’t stop from moving forward.
In the end, Stark was the one to nod first. “Agreed,” Tony said at last.
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah,” she stated simply.
Twilight could tell she didn’t sound entirely certain about that statement, but accepted it nonetheless, quickly realizing she wouldn’t get anything better from Rainbow. With that dealt with for now, Twilight sighed heavily, turning over to Doctor Strange and meeting his eyes. He seemed to understand her plight, dropping his head to her in understanding.
“We should go,” Strange said, the attention shifting his way. He stepped aside and held out his arm and cloak to the throne room doors, nodding to everyone. “The princesses await.”
“That’s the plan, Sherlock!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping forward and joining her friends in their approach to the doors. Everyone else followed shortly, the Avengers, Defenders, Asgardians, Banner, and Castle right behind the mares and Spike. Just before Pinkie could pass him, Strange frowned at her.
“Don’t call me that,” Strange said, unamused by her innocent smile.
She looked to Tony passing her and pointed to him, whispering loudly, “Can I call him that?”
Stephen furrowed his brow at her, turned to Stark, then back to Pinkie again. “Why?” he asked.
Pinkie just winked to him, hopping forward to the doors Twilight opened for everyone.
Doctor Strange stared straight ahead for a moment longer, eventually shrugging and realizing not even to question the bumbling shit that came out of Pinkie Pie’s mouth. Her philosophy still intrigued him, though, especially how she seemed to break every aspect of the laws of physics. More to think about later, as Strange was the first behind the ponies to enter the throne room, the Avengers and everyone else behind him.
And standing on the other side—minus Princess Celestia and Luna and their personal guards at the bottom of their thrones—there remained six more. Six more people who stood between them and their meeting with the princesses. Six more who surprised Twilight and her friends for a mere moment, their eyes settling when they realized who it was. Six more who caught all the Earth-bound heroes by surprise, just from their appearance alone. Minus Banner, Thor, Loki, and Strange, who had seen and met them before. It still left Tony Stark and his Avengers dumbfounded, none of them—not even Vision—quite sure what they were looking at.
Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot, and Mantis nearly felt the same way towards them.
All six of them turned around together, as one unit, facing away from the thrones and turning towards the many who came from the hallway. To say all of them were a bit surprised was an understatement. While Peter Quill and Gamora tried to understand the unusual armor attached to Stark, Tony was busy wondering why a raccoon was standing on two legs next to a buff dude with red tattoos and a green woman, or why there was a walking tree playing a video game, or why one of the women had unnaturally large eyes and antennae poking out of her forehead. The feelings that Stark had were passed around mutually amongst the Avengers and Defenders, Thor stepping forward with a wide grin on his face. Stark was concerned at first, then felt somewhat at ease to see Thor grip the hand from the guy with 70’s porno ‘stache, both of them seeming to have known each other.
Still hesitant to make the first move, Stark and his side stayed where they were, allowing Doctor Strange, Banner, and Loki to proceed forward without them, joining the ponies alongside the six strangers. Tony remained where he was, only lifting his head when Princess Celestia did.
“Twilight!” Celestia exclaimed, then paused as she saw the rest who followed. “Tony Stark… Avengers… thank the heavens you could come at last. It’s a pleasure to see you all again.”
“We only wish,” Luna yawned, “… it could have been a simpler time.”
“Feeling’s mutual,” Stark stated with a confident and assuring nod. He took several cautious steps forward, Rhodes and Vision looking to one another before proceeding behind him. Peter gulped as the gray guy with the tattoos narrowed him out specifically, keeping his glowing blue eyes on Parker. The Defenders and the Punisher had no other choice but to proceed, see how far the rabbit hole fell.
“Your Highnesses,” Strange greeted. He stopped only for the six individuals standing between him and the thrones. The others behind him did the same, each of them peeking around Stephen just to get a look at the odd six standing before them. Stepping aside, Strange held his hand out to them, turning back to Stark and the others. He said, “Avengers… meet the Guardians of the Galaxy.”
“The Avengers…” Peter Quill said, letting the name sit on his mind. He crossed his arms. Gamora rested her palms on her hips. Drax let his hands fall to his belt, near his blades. Groot played on his game, reaching a new high score. Rocket barred his teeth, crossing his arms alongside Quill, trying to look as intimidating as him. Mantis smiled and waved.
“The Guardians of the Galaxy,” the Vision said. He stared quizzically at the group ahead of him, holding no ill will in his gaze or expression. Tony Stark’s hands remained at his side, his tightening brow forming an uncertain frown forward. Peter Parker remained neutral, still not keen on trusting them yet. Their team name, however, managed to calm his nerves. James Rhodes stood on similar grounds as Stark. The Defenders; Matt Murdock, Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, and Luke Cage, all had little to no idea what they were staring at. They held no malice, no distrust, just… nothing. Frank Castle remained like them, but still sent an intimidating glare their way.
It took so long for the two teams to finally cross with one another, so long in fact that Twilight felt the need to intervene once more, Strange even having similar feelings. Princess Celestia could sense the intensity of situation even from where she sat, the unsettling silence giving great weight to the already dangerous situation. She could only hope when they eventually introduced themselves, that that’s all it would be. Introductions. And a shared, mutual understanding of the severity of the situation.
The two sides met and congregated at long last. Stark and Quill found each other immediately, already seeing their stance as leaders amongst the others. Like two dogs analyzing one another from top to bottom, Stark finally settled on the man’s face, Quill doing the same. Tony lifted his hand to him, saying, “You look like you’re from Earth.”
“I am, actually,” Peter replied, offering a humorous smile. “Got taken away about thirty years ago by a bunch of space pirates.”
“Oh, and you’re like… what… honorary space pirate and Flash Gordon wannabe or whatever the hell you call yourselves?” Tony said. The rest of their teams were lost in conversation and introductions amongst one another to hear them, so they couldn’t hear Tony’s statement or Peter’s soft chuckle.
Peter shook his head, grinning with his eyes closed. “No,” he said, opening his eyes. “That’s funny… and a compliment, but no. I’m Star-Lord, legendary outlaw, leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and captain of the Milano.”
Nodding to that, Iron Man simply said, “Tony Stark.” Then he added, “Billionaire, genius, playboy, philanthropist.”
“Technically, I’m the captain,” Rocket muttered from Star-Lord’s left side. Only Stark was the one to flinch back, not even noticing the raccoon before it was too late. The way that it stood and wore clothes weren’t even the worst of it. The fact that it actually uttered words spooked Stark the most.
“Holy shit, it talks,” Tony gasped.
“His name is Rocket,” Quill corrected him, pointing down to Rocket. “And he’s not the captain, ‘cause I’m the captain!”
“I thought we agreed on Rocket being the captain,” Drax said, both Stark and Quill flinching when he suddenly seemed to appear on Peter’s right, not even Quill prepared for that.
Star-Lord scoffed, holding out his hands. “When did we agree on this? I didn’t agree!”
“I am Groot.”
“You don’t agree with anything we do!” Peter yelled, pointing down to the walking, living, breathing tree beside Rocket Raccoon. And Stark just watched them argue with the most bewildered expression he could manage, still trying to understand how any of them actually worked. They were aliens sure, but why was one of them a raccoon? Were raccoons aliens all along? Why was a tree playing a goddamn video game?
Who the hell even were these guys?
While the rest of the teams met, Thor approached the lone woman breaking away from an uncertain Spider-Man, turning his way and offering a short but sweet smile. “Told you we’d be back,” Thor said with a large smile, stepping forward and meeting Gamora with a hug.
“Yes, you did,” Gamora whispered. The two broke away, Gamora’s eyes shifting downwards to the lone unicorn approaching and staring up at the alien woman. She slowly raised a green finger, pointing it right at the unicorn. “You look familiar.”
Starlight raised her hoof just the same, saying, “You look familiar, too.”
“Two years ago?” Gamora continued.
“The raccoon called me a horse.”
“I stopped him from shooting you.”
The two found their ground, smiling to one another. “My name’s Starlight Glimmer,” the unicorn said, holding out her hoof for Gamora to shake. “And you?”
“Gamora,” she replied, gripping Starlight’s hoof and shaking it tenderly. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Starlight.”
Thor smiled to them, chuckling heartily as the two of them turned his way. “Certainly an interesting interaction you two have had before. Wish I could have been there to witness it myself,” the God of Thunder told them, eventually chuckling his way over to Drax and Sunset Shimmer.
“Did I just hear the name ‘Starlight Glimmer’ over here?”
The unicorn’s head was on a swivel, so many new and old faces causing her heart to race faster than she could remember any of their full names. Still, she smiled to the approaching Star-Lord, bowing her head respectively.
“That’s… my name,” Starlight bashfully said, hoof over her heart. “And you are?”
“Star-Lord, legendary outlaw,” he said with a far-too serious expression and tone, Gamora rolling her eyes at that. “I know your best friend. We had quite the adventure a couple years back.”
“That’s where I know you from!” Starlight exclaimed, hoof falling and head rising back up. “Trixie told me all about her space adventure! She was sure to mention you… Peter Quill.”
Gamora smirked at that, smirked at Starlight. Peter tightened his lips, making his voice deeper when he said, “I go by Star-Lord…” Seeing the humorous expressions on their faces—especially Starlight’s—Quill just sighed, his puffed-out chest shrinking back to normal. “Please,” he said.
Starlight chuckled and waved her hoof. “I’ll be sure to remember that. Just like how I remembered that you said I had a sexy voice.”
She finished that statement with a knowing, sultry wink sent Quill’s way. “Nope, no I didn’t,” Peter objected, turning to see Gamora’s surprised expression slowly turning into a frown. He waved his hand out in front of him, shaking his head quickly. “I swear to God, I…”
Gamora’s expression said it all, ranging from anger and then shifting to bemusement.
Peter eventually gave up, saying, “Come on, you have to admit, it’s a little sexy.”
It took her a second or two to process that. “Yeah, it kinda is,” Gamora admitted with a shrug.
Starlight could only laugh, the mare clutching her sides and falling on her back.
Mantis was busy showing the ponies and Spike their internal emotions, Pinkie already asleep on the floor from having personally felt Mantis’ touch on her forehead. The other ponies among them were Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Sunset, Fluttershy, and Applejack, the mare currently feeling a sense of ease flush into her as Mantis continued to rest her palm onto her shoulder. Spike hopped forward, beating his wings rapidly with excitement, begging Mantis to be next. Breaking her hand away from Applejack and resting it on Spike’s shoulder, she said, “You have a brave heart, little one. So much hope. So much… love… for your friends and—”
Spike’s eyes shot open. “Just my friends, yep!” Spike suddenly interrupted, trying to pull away from Mantis. His excitement quickly turned into dread when Mantis wouldn’t let him go, more emotions flushing into her, a warm smile appearing on her lips.
It was too late for him to run now, the alien woman’s eyes widening when she said, “No! True love for a pony!”
“I-I-I think you’re wrong!” Spike yelled with beats of sweat rolling down his head, trying to pry Mantis’ hand off his shoulder.
“I’m not!” Mantis said, pointing directly to Rarity. “It’s for her!”
Rarity’s eyes shot open, the unicorn taking a step back. The ponies around him all “dawwwed” in unison, Rarity herself joining them. Mantis stood back up, her brow furrowing, unsure of what she had done to make the ponies act that way. She just told them what the dragon was feeling. As for the dragon, Spike fell onto his bottom, claws covering his face as beets of red plagued his cheeks. For his sake, he felt a hoof rest over his scales, the dragon looking back and meeting Rarity’s warming and beautiful smile.
“Oh, Spikey-Wikey,” Rarity said to him, offering a small kiss on his forehead. “No need to be so flustered. I think it’s adorable.”
Spike sent a goofy smile her way, blushing profusely at the kiss mark still resting on his forehead.
Frank Castle groaned at all the lovey-dovey bullshit. He remembered exactly why he hated every last one of the ponies, considering his last encounter with them two years ago in Germany. Nothing went well that day, and he could thank all of it to Twilight and her friends. He turned around, shaking his head and nearly bumping into someone almost of his size. He remembered his face, the name he referred to himself, and his stance among the space freaks. By his side stood the raccoon, staring up at Castle with a frown.
“You the leader here?” Frank asked, ignoring Rocket’s eyes.
Peter Quill nodded proudly, offering a slick smirk and sending it Rocket’s way. The raccoon groaned, rolling his eyes. “That I am,” he said, holding out his hand. “Name’s Star-Lord, and these are the Guardians of the Galaxy. The people of whom I am the captain of.”
Frank looked to his hand, eventually giving in and shaking it. “Look like a bunch of assholes.”
“Lucky for you, we take that as a compliment,” Rocket said, Frank glaring down at him. If anything, his scowl seemed to lighten, slight confusion remaining to see the talking raccoon beneath him. “What about them?” Rocket asked, pointing to the four standing several yards behind Castle. Frank turned back, spotting Murdock and the others hanging back.
None of the Defenders looked keen on interacting with the Guardians. Murdock, the only one willing to actually break that mold, nodded to Rocket and Quill. “Name’s Daredevil,” he told them, the reds of his lenses turning from one to the other.
Both Quill and Rocket looked at each other, both practically spitting laughter at one another. It didn’t help that Murdock was dressed as the devil himself. “And I thought Star-Lord was a dumb-ass name!” Rocket laughed. Peter almost laughed again, then quickly turned his growing frown on the raccoon to his left.
With the laughter going on for several painful seconds, Jessica stepped forward, helping Matt out. “And who the hell are you supposed to be, Trash Panda?” she asked.
The laughter instantly died. Peter’s eyes widened. Rocket’s jaw fell, slowly turning her way.
“Oh,” Rocket stated, his voice low. It quickly rose up as he began a slow approach, pointing his claw right at Jessica. “Oh, you do not want to play this game with me, bitch!”
To end the confrontation, Frank stopped Rocket’s approach with his boot, pushing Rocket back with little effort where he once stood by Quill’s left. As Rocket stumbled back from the push, Peter saw to it to end Castle’s aggression, holding his hand out to Frank’s chest and resting his other to his belt, where Castle saw him grip what looked to be some kind of firearm. A space gun of sorts. The threat was clearly laid out either way, and Castle replied by sending a heated glare right into Star-Lord’s eyes. Peter refused to back down, even if it was the most terrifying scowl he had ever seen. He didn’t let that show, nor would he dare to admit that.
“Push me again!” Rocket yelled, taunting the Punisher. “See what happens, shithead!”
The fires had nearly ignited, Frank’s patience growing mighty thin with that last insult. The firestorm would have nearly unleashed had it not been for the intervention of a certain rainbow-mane Pegasus flying in-between them.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rainbow Dash yelled, pressing her hooves on both Castle and Quill’s chests, trying to break the two away from each other. “Break it up! Break it up!”
Gamora reached forward and snatched Rocket back by his arm before he could engage the Punisher, the raccoon glaring up at her and Gamora glaring down at him.
“What’s going on over here?” Twilight asked, her voice high and urgent. The Alicorn trotted forward alongside the rest of her friends, each of their eyes riddled with worry and slight fear. Fluttershy looked ready to fall apart, just hearing the foul language leave the raccoon’s voice being enough to make her faint. But she held strong. Even Celestia and Luna rose out of their thrones, ready to act despite the weariness flushing through their bodies.
“Nothing that concerns you,” Frank growled, turning to Twilight once before facing Quill again. Not even Rainbow’s hoof on his chest would keep him back forever.
“Yeah,” Peter added, shooing Twilight away. “So just take your wings, your horn, and make like a tree… and get out of here.”
Frank shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Quill smirked his way, scoffing, “Buddy, we’re a team of douchebags comprised of one legendary outlaw, a master assassin, whatever the hell Drax is, a bug-eyed girl, a talking tree, and a gunslinging raccoon. We never made sense to begin with.”
“Damn straight,” Rocket said, crossing his arms. “And don’t call me a raccoon.”
“What can we call him?” Danny Rand asked.
“Try Rocket!” the raccoon yelled to Rand—mainly to everyone—arms still crossed.
Twilight pressed her hoof to her forehead, sighing wearily. Not even five minutes and they were trying to kill each other. “Just… try and be nice to one another,” Twilight practically begged. “We really don’t have the time or energy to be fighting each other now of all times.”
“I would listen to Princess Twilight and her friends, gentlemen.”
The voice sounded like pure silk, as smooth as the richest milk. As harmonious and alluring as the purr of a cat. And what a cat it belonged to. Everypony and everyone turned accordingly to the voice, their gazes landing within the shadows beneath Celestia and Luna’s thrones. The cat in the long, red jacket purred from where he stood, smiling over to the large group of heroes, gods, wizards, ponies, and vigilantes centering their gazes on the thrones. His green eyes glowed in the darkness.
“They can certainly change lives,” he purred.
Leaning against the fountain on Celestia’s right, Capper Dapperpaws returned to analyzing his own claws, his long, bushy tail swishing back and forth. The mares gasped, all except for Starlight and Sunset, the two unicorns narrowing their gazes towards the shadows of the thrones. To where the lone cat stood. Spike crossed his arms, snorting out a plenitude of steam from his nostrils.
“Capper?!” Twilight practically shouted, already trotting forward at a near-gallop towards the anthropomorphic cat. The rest of her friends followed, Starlight and Sunset somewhat hesitant. Spike rolled his eyes, glaring at Capper when he wrapped his arms around Rarity and gave her a warm hug.
“Hello again, my little ponies!” Capper exclaimed, offering a hug to everypony, bowing respectfully and kissing the hooves of both Starlight and Sunset, introducing himself appropriately.
“What are you doing here?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought you wanted to stay in Klugetown.”
“Well, that was initially the plan, until something… came up… like… way up,” Capper said, motioning his finger straight to the ceiling. Each of the mares looked to one another, confusion gripping all of them. Spike met Twilight’s gaze, neither one of them seeming to understand.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
Leaning forward, Capper rested his right paw on Twilight’s neck, the other on Spike’s, and pushed them onwards, whispering, “I think it would be best if we let the princesses explain that part.”
He motioned them forward, all eight ponies and Spike eventually stumbling back to stand under the presence of the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon. And, just as they saw them last, they looked absolutely exhausted—if not even more so now. A complete day had passed since they had taken it upon themselves to defend Canterlot with the most powerful shield they could conjure, ensuring that no force—either alien or otherwise—could break it. It showed. It showed in their weakly-flowing manes, the bags under their eyes, and the dying look in their eyes.
They couldn’t even smile this time. Twilight’s ears fell against her skull, as did Sunset’s to see their former teacher look so… out of it.
“My little ponies…” Celestia began, her voice low at first, the princess having to clear her throat and begin again. “I have received word from our allies. They came without warning, without remorse. Without mercy. Princess Skystar has assumed command while her mother, Queen Novo, engages the enemy on foreign lands. With our own forces bound to Equestria, to defend our nation under siege, we can only hope for the best for Novo and her growing allies.”
“Our astronomers have also noted that the invasion on Earth has suddenly halted,” Luna explained, catching Stark, Strange, and practically everyone else by surprise. “Yet the one on Equus rages. While our armies deal with the aliens attacking our cities, our scouts are certain that Canterlot’s skies remain clear. The shield we hold over the city will ensure that nothing will be able to get through. As long as we hold it…”
Luna’s horn shimmered a bright blue, as did Celestia’s a bright gold. The shields outside—from what everyone could see glowing through the stained glass windows—began to glow similar colors, eventually falling back to the original violet. The two sisters groaned as their horns dimmed down, the large bags under their eyes showing the lack of rest, showing the weight they had to carry.
Yet they remained strong, Luna holding her powerful gaze as she finished by saying, “The enemy can do nothing to us.”
“The shield will not fall,” Celestia added, a sigh following that. “If only the same could have been said for Discord. He was the first line of defense against the aliens. He was meant to protect our worlds above the atmosphere, to make sure no aliens even reached the surfaces. Unfortunately… we lost contact with Discord shortly after…”
A moment of silence. Stunned, almost haunting silence that devoured the two sisters.
“After…” Bruce Banner prodded. Fluttershy whimpered, almost not wanting to find out.
Princess Celestia closed her eyes, then allowed herself a few short seconds for composure. She still tried to convince herself of it, now knowing the true fate of their world and where they had been thrust within the galaxy. Truly, their planet was taken… pushed to an alien system right next to planet Earth.
“After we realized that the sun moved on its own, without my aid.”
It was still difficult for her to fully grasp, knowing that the source of her strength, her knowledge, her power no longer required her input to move like the sun that loomed over Equus. The sun peeking over the horizon now, the alien star was that of Earth’s. A whole new system. New rules to live by. New rules to understand. Many Celestia was still trying to.
Luna continued, the silence having nearly taken her sister. “With that information, we can assume that Equus was brought to Earth instead of the other way around. That left one mystery solved at last… leaving just a few more…”
Celestia nodded to her sister, returning her gaze down to the Avengers and those who stood with them. “Thor wished to wait until the rest of his team were present to tell of the true threat behind this chaos that has been inflicted upon both of our worlds,” the Princess of the Sun stated, nodding to the God of Thunder.
“Speaking of which,” Thor interrupted, turning to Stark. “Where are Steve Rogers and the others?”
Rainbow Dash picked her head up at that, forcing herself to swivel around and center her gaze on Tony. She, as well as Twilight and the rest of her friends, waited for an answer. The throne room was dead. The guards beneath Celestia and Luna’s throne coughed, the sounds echoing off the walls for several seconds.
“Now’s not really a good time, Thor,” Tony stated, his voice devoid of life. Thor tried to object, but Stark held his metallic hand out to him, saying, “I’ll explain later, just… let them finish.”
Rainbow and Twilight both appeared disappointed by that answer, the two of them falling back to join the rest of their friends in the shared sorrow.
“Allow me to explain,” Doctor Strange said, stepping forward. The princesses leaned forward only slightly, turning their gazes from Thor and resting them on the Sorcerer Supreme.
Recollecting on what Thor had told him, Stephen nodded and said, “Thor informed me that this was all because of the intergalactic warlord Thanos. He was the one who brought our planets together, with the Space Stone most likely. All you need to know about Thanos is that he’s hellbent on culling half of all life in the universe, and with all six Stones he could do just that.”
The princesses seemed certainly taken aback by that information, each looking to one another with their own shocked expressions. “Where is this… Thanos?” Luna asked, tasting the name on her tongue like a vile liquid.
Thor said, “With the Space Stone, he could be anywhere.”
“You speak of these Stones…” Celestia interjected. “What are they?”
“The Infinity Stones,” Strange replied. “Most powerful objects in the known universe. Brought together could guarantee devastation at a universal level hitherto undreamt of.”
“Did you seriously just say ‘hitherto undreamt of’?” Stark asked.
Strange turned back to him. “Are you seriously focused on that and not the current situation?”
“It’s all old news,” Tony muttered, rolling his hand in front of him, obviously telling Strange to hurry up the conversation. “I’d rather be focused on how we can stop Thanos. But that’s just me.”
While they argued amongst themselves, the ponies below were stuck on what Strange had brought up about the Infinity Stones. The only other Infinity Stone Twilight and the others knew of was the Mind Stone, and that rested within Vision’s forehead. It still rested there, the ponies looking towards it and watching the yellow gem shimmer even without the morning sunlight. Thor and Doctor Strange both mentioned a “Space Stone” as well as all “six” Infinity Stones. Resting a hoof on her chin, Twilight pondered that thought, especially pondering on the one called Thanos, the one who supposedly brought their worlds together in the first place.
“With our combined barrier,” Celestia said, bringing the focus back to the main conversation, “we can ensure that Thanos won’t come anywhere near our city. The very magic that can move the sun and moon will greatly outweigh anything this Thanos can throw at us.”
James Rhodes twisted his neck over to his left, squinting his eyes towards the glass window. He slowly approached it, his large, metal footsteps stomping across the marble floor.
“Indeed,” Luna concurred with a firm nod. “With that now known, we can move forward to the next mystery that plagues us still, one that the fair Capper has brought to our attention…”
“Tony…”
Stark and everyone else turned to see Rhodes standing in front of the large, towering, glass window, holding no artistic design over its surface and showcasing only the world that lied outside the castle. James kept his eyes to that outside world, only saying, “Come check out the sky.”
Slowly, almost apprehensively, Tony Stark led the way, followed by Vision, Parker, and many others. Practically everyone and everypony. They all crowded around the window, everyone having enough room to see the dark cloud rising out from the south—from the Badlands—and slowly devouring the north. A wave of darkness fell upon the lands beneath the clouds, mountains and hills becoming blanketed in black. What was most odd about it, however, were the lightning strikes shooting out and within it. Some of them were pure white. Most of them were blood red.
None of it spelled anything good.
Stepping back, Tony pointed to the window, asking, “What the hell is that?”
In her eyes, Celestia could only emote dread. It was stronger than fear. Stark caught all of it, listening as Celestia explained, “Capper has traveled all the way from Klugetown… to inform us of some strange readings in the Badlands. It would seem a new volcano has emerged, completely enveloping and overshadowing the mountain where the Gates of Tartarus once stood. From it, this cloud of ash… of fire… of darkness and other uncertainties has been slowly covering the land.”
“If anypony can explain the unnatural order that’s been brought to light, it’s the princesses,” Capper said with his arms crossed, the cat winking to Celestia and Luna.
Nodding appreciatively to Capper’s input, Celestia continued. “Luna and I cannot leave Canterlot or else the shield will fall, nor can our scientists, guards, or armies further study this phenomenon what with the invasion threatening our species and crippling our world.”
“We must remain in Canterlot,” Luna added. “We will lead the war effort against these aliens alongside Shining Armor and Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire. Their armies are more than ready to engage the enemy right above their heads.”
Celestia sighed, closing her eyes and resting them for a short moment. A moment she desperately wished could last longer, but knowing deep down that wasn’t the case. She muttered, “The longer we leave this volcano unattended and unstudied, the closer it could come to erupting and causing even further chaos and destruction upon our land. It certainly looks to be ready to erupt. That’s something… we simply cannot deal with at the moment.”
Hearing their plea, the ponies shuffled about amongst themselves, looking to one another, hoping for an answer. Some of the Avengers, Stark included, looked back towards the window, staring hauntingly into the dark clouds coming faster by the second. The Guardians looked about, Star-Lord and Gamora gazing up into the blackness, seeing nothing. Feeling almost nothing, a sense of unease still sneaking in. Everyone else was silent, Doctor Strange himself lost within the dark, gazing curiously through the window and into the sickness that were the smog clouds.
No one said a word. No one willing. No one brave enough to come to the conclusion that was inevitable. Biting her lip, Twilight finally gave in and asked, “What about us?”
Everyone and everypony turned her way. Her friends, the princesses, the Avengers, Guardians, Defenders, and everyone else all staring at the lone Princess of Friendship.
“My friends and I can investigate the volcano!” Twilight continued. She held out her wing to her right, pointing to the Avengers, Defenders, Guardians, Loki, Strange, and the Punisher. “A-and they could all help too! With all of us working together, I can guarantee we’ll learn more about this new volcano, and then we can help them in dealing with this Thanos!”
“Now, hold up—” Frank Castle tried to say, stepping forward with his hand outstretched to Twilight.
“Wait, what even the hell is going on here?” Jessica Jones spat out.
“I concur.”
All looked to Doctor Strange. He gazed out the glass window alongside Stark, Rhodes, and Vision. “That ash cloud isn’t natural. Since we don’t know where Thanos is or where he’ll appear next, we’ll help in understanding what this volcano means for this world. But only if…” Strange paused, looking back and taking several steps forward to the thrones, staring from one princess to the other, “… you’ll help us in return.”
They didn’t even waste a second, both sisters shooting their eyes to Twilight and her friends. They all nodded at once, standing tall and ready once Celestia and Luna gazed their way. They certainly were ready, Celestia thought to herself.
“Understood,” Celestia stated loudly with a firm nod. Luna nodded as well, closing her weary eyes and drooping her head only slightly. Celestia sighed and rested her hoof on Luna’s shoulder comfortingly, soothing her with warming whispers.
With that assurance given to them from the Princess of Equestria, Doctor Strange stepped forward and pushed past Star-Lord and Gamora, the two of them still quite unsure on that final statement and where their journey lied next. Focusing only on the Iron Man, Strange approached his side and asked, “What do you say, Stark? One step closer to ending the invasion?”
Stark met his eyes, but only shortly. The majority of his attention was shifted towards the rest of his team. They looked as ready as ever, nodding to Tony from one to the next. From Rhodey to Parker, from Vision to Thor, to Loki and Banner. He then looked over to Murdock and his Defenders. None of them appeared to be on the same page, all of them seeming to focus on other things, things that probably didn’t matter in the long run. Castle joined them. Stark would convince them otherwise soon enough, turning over to Quill and his Guardians. They appeared to be in the same boat, none of them certain on the situation or the mission given to them from the princesses.
Then he looked to Twilight and her friends, seeing her hopeful eyes shift his way. To add even more of a reason to hate her convincing ways, Twilight puffed out her lower lip, almost begging for Stark and the others to join them. It didn’t take long to convince him. After all, they could definitely use the help from the Avengers.
Tony finally gave in, saying, “Might as well.”
The absolute flutter of Twilight’s expression could’ve melted Stark’s heart had it broken through his armor. Thank God the Mark 50 was his best suit yet.
“With that taken care of,” Capper proudly announced, every eye in the room turning to his strut, watching as he made his way to the exit of the throne room. “I think I will… indulge myself for a job well done in the dining area, if you don’t mind, Your Majesties?”
Celestia bowed her head to him, Luna following her. “Thank you again for all your hard work, Capper,” Celestia called to him. Capper bowed one last time before making his grand exit, the doors swishing closed behind him.
Right before the door closed, Thor spotted his swishing tail and asked, “Was that a talking cat?”
Tony shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Why are you even surprised at this point?”
Rocket sighed and crossed his arms. “Oh, yeah, he knows what a cat is...”
“You don't even know what a cat is,” Quill muttered. “By the way, I'm the captain.”
“Go sit down, Quill.”
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Shit is going to be rough on this round.
Great interactions between all of them!
Will they all be enough to face Typhon?
And so do the forces of good unite. The only question is: Will they be enough to save the universe?
Not even close. None can stand against the Mad Titan.
9306766
None except Typhon, for the moment.
Ponies, Avengers (minus Team Cap), Defenders plus Punisher, Guardians of the Galaxy and Master of the Mystic Arts all together, all sides meeting old and new faces with some heartwarming, hostile and rather bemused moments. Now they need to figure out how to stop Thanos, if only he was the only Titan they have to deal with. With word from Capper, Equus is getting severe environmental hazards originating from a volcano rising near Tartarus, which means Typhon is nearing his full rejuvenation and awakening which will escalate the threat level up a huge notch. And not only that, Rarity's visions are once again coming back to her and it may be coming true.
Such as the part where Tony poked his head through the Mirror Portal and turned into a horse, huh?
i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/017/204/CaptainAmerica1_zps8c295f96.JPG
Because both actors played Sherlock Holmes in other media.
Continuity shout-out to "A Road Trip of A-Holes". And Starlight Glimmer, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're flirting with Quill.
Finally, after so much time, and so many chapters, the final barriers between both worlds have been dispelled, and the reunion we have been begging for has come! Perfect chapter for the halfway point! Everything is perfect! Keep it up! Earth and Equus forever!
9306766
who knows, maybe a totally unexpected twist of some kind will come!
The mental image of Frank Castle being group hugged by all the ponies would be too gorgeous.
My cheeks are in so much pain. Also, yay! Continuity! Continuity jokes!
Then came the day, unlike any other, when two worlds... two species... have finally tore down the wall that splinters the factions apart from each other, and now that this wall has been shattered, two forces shall reunite against the looming threat that towers above the skies of two worlds—The Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and the Elements of Harmony. But the question is, will it be enough?
I still hate you, Pinkie. Don't expect me for a goddamn second to change my mind on you, you sick crap.
Hah! Sexy.
So, no explanations of the Infinity Stones, not the fancy magic show Wong did originally?
Hah! Exploited! Can you feel the love tonight. *Drax laugh*
Why don't you tell your friends, Rarity.
Whelp, off to Tempest.
Oh Celestia and Luna, how thou art oblivious, you can't just lightspeed your shit at the conclusion. The Infinity Stones are just specks, very tiny specks, of what truly, enigmatically, and dangerously lies beyond the vast multiverse and the universe itself. No offense really, but you should really acknowledge your place on the pecking order, at least for now.
Take it from Stan Lee, Rainbow, he made it XX-LSIOR% cooler. We're gonna miss him. (XX=20, in case you don't know further Roman numbs)
Perhaps Rocket's too spicy an animal for you, Flutters.
Man. That meeting was all manner of tense and awkward.
Wow! This was quite the chapter for interactions. A lot of tense moments, hilarious moments, and everything else in between. A few of the things I predicted actually happened, and there were a whole lot of things that I didn’t even see coming. And I loved every bit of it!
And now the large group of heroes are off to investigate an active volcano. And boy, are they in for a huge, but not so pleasant, surprise.
REUNION! FINALLY!
Daredevil just takes like three steps away.
FRIENDSHIP!
Jess: I think just being on this planet is giving me diabetes.
Pinkie, if you keep this up, you're gonna break reality before Thanos does.
Is any of that really any weirder than the whole pony thing?
Star-Lord: I'm not a furry, I'm not a furry, I'm not a furry...
Mantis, put this on.
images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71zaFq74LdL._UX679_.jpg
Dude, how'd you get here so fast?
Indeed
HA!!
Quite enjoyed this chapter. Was hoping for the whole visual of the stones like the movie
but I liked this chapter and how everyone took the whole "pony populated planet". Very hilarious.
Nice arrangement of characters and interactions hope you find a way to put Drax famous Why line.
So the heroes will go a deal with Typhon first huh. Or try.
9307041
I think he may be Batman.
9306716 Rougher than any of them could have hoped for.
9306745 Will they be enough to face what ELSE is coming...?
9306766 We shall see...
9306807 This is just the beginning of the Quill/pony flirting. The shippers are gonna lose their minds soon.
God, I hate myself...
9306832 Only another fifty chapters to go, then it's on to Part II!
9306837 The moment I read that scene in your story, I just knew I could come up with some great Starlight trolling/flirting with Quill.
9306928 I'm still gonna include an explanation of the Infinity Stones. That'll be for a later chapter. This chapter was just meant to unite the teams.
9306975 But in the best kind of way!
9306993 So many twists and turns coming up. You think one thing's gonna happen... and then... well... I'll let you all enjoy that.
9307041 Capper speed-walked.
9307302 We'll get the history of the Infinity Stones soon. Promise.
I enjoyed the further development you've given the main characters here.
9308281
Sounds good
Also were you going to have a scene similar to the one in Knowhere?
Just curious cause that seemed like a powerful scene and interesting to see that side of Thanos
Look forward to what comes next
9308558 Kinda something similar to that is planned.
Ah, one big happy family together again. As happy as they can be, anyway...
9308605
Cool
9308777 As long as Drax gets to be the creepy uncle.
Do you plan on seeing Dark Phoenix and/or
The New Mutants?
Also have you seen X-Men First Class? It’s really good!
9308894 Don't plan on seeing either of those. Haven't really kept up with Fox's X-Men since the original movies. The only ones I really saw recently were Deadpool and Logan.
Another great chapter! I anticipate more laughable interactions are on the way when they head for the volcano!
9309027 Count on it.
9309031
In the Wakanda battle, will you be including War Dogs, Planes, and Vibranium-clad rhinos?
Have any of you watched Venom? I heard it was Fant4stic/X-Men Origins levels of ass.
What a great chapter! I was proud to see how the interactions between the characters are lively as they be and yet ... gotta say Peter Quill and his team just made my day with their attitudes
Inhale
Im wondering if Cozy Glow will participate in this.. a possible idea is that she and Thanos might try to work together by their respective tasks [ Cozy Glow Stealing And Magic and Thanos Bringing Balance to the Universe ] . Its probably a similar idea when Ultron and Starlight work together in a way
9309422 Yep.
9309891 An interesting theory...
........and then they kissed
Say what?! I really need to read that fic to see when that happened. What’s even funnier is that Starlight’s voice actress is also the voice of Barbie so Quill thinks Barbie’s voice is sexy!!!
Man Frank you have a talent at making people not like you don’t you.
Real fun chapter seeing all the characters interact with each other. It was also heartwarming seeing Twilight and Tony reunite.
9310090 Oh, it definitely happened in the Guardians 2 crossover.
Will the Silver Surfer be in this?
9310649 Probably not, as the MCU doesn't own him yet.
9310710
You don’t want to use him before he’s properly introduced? I guess this means Wolverine won’t be in this.
Also do yourself a favor and watch Days of Future Past, it’s REALLY good. I would recommend watching The Rogue Cut.
See, it’s funny because he played Sherlock in that show, and so did RDJ. GET IT?!?!?!?!
I love Pinkie.
Deadpool; Oh please Quill, that's nothing compared to the things on my list. here let me share a few. Now this one involves, [THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN CENSORED AS THEIR IS NO IS LIVING BEING IN THE UNIVERSE THAT CAN COMPREHEND DEADPOOL'S SEXUAL PREFERENCES, JUST READING TWO SENTENCES HAS SENT 207 PEOPLE INTO A PSYCH WARD.] Deadpool: and that how far you can go with a jar of mustard. But any ways I got alot more stories to share if you interested.
Also, that reunion between Twilight and Tony was so cute! If Tony didn’t have Pepper, I’d ship them.
9311016 Obligatory Sherlock joke out of the way!
Another video, works surprisingly well.
I'm starting to believe I might be the spam videos in the comments guy for fanfics. Not sure how I feel about that.
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Everyone loves Pinkie, I won't force them to not otherwise. I for one, have a different disposition. But I love Deadpool.
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Wakanda Foh-evaaaahh!!
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The only other.
LMAOOO
That better be all you’re doing, Pete. This is a T rated fic and you’re not a pony in this one.
They still are 😂 even though gamora isn’t with the guardians anymore😔
I thought rarity knew that spike has a crush on her 🤔 in secret of my excess
Uh twilight you probably be annoyed by him since Loki is kinda like discord 😂
Oh boy, a lot happened in this chapter! The Avengers, Defenders, Guardians, ponies, and others all got together and after some exchanges and introductions finally understand that Thanos is the big bad mastermind and what the stakes are this time. With this I am officially a quarter done with this monster of a story. Just in time for the new year! Happy New Year!
I just love that Spider-Man just canonically gave the Defenders their team name!
Ah, I get it!
Doctor Strange is a fast learner.
Even if I prefer Spike and Ember, I still find this absolutely adorable.
Typical. Blame someone else when you were the one that broke the deal with them and tried to murder Bucky!
Well he's not wrong on that. Though they are more famously referenced to as "a-holes".
They might laugh, but I bet Daredevil could kick their asses in a fight.
Just like Peter called him in Vol 2!
11103118 Congrats on the milestone! Glad you're enjoying the story so far!