Chapter 53 – Unnatural
53
Badlands, Equestria
Northern Valley
8.7 Miles Away from Mount Tartarus
10:08 a.m.
Doctor Strange had to shield his eyes from the bright, burning sunlight as he stepped into the red-hot sands of the Badlands. He closed the portal behind him, the orange sparks dying and fluttering to the dirt, ensuring he was the last one of the uniquely-large group to enter into the sprawling desert wasteland.
And he was the last one to witness it all.
Merely given the location and an idea of what the Badlands was, Stephen Strange wasn’t truly prepared for the truth of which he saw. Vast landscapes filled with dust storms, distant mountains, valleys, and worst of all… bones. It was a graveyard of beasts long forgotten, the skeletal remains of titanic monsters, dragons, and things far worse had they still been alive. The pure size and scale of the Badlands was insurmountable to think about. The raw intensity of the morning sunlight spilled so greatly on the desert landscape that Strange was already sweating in his robes, specks of sweat building on his forehead. He hadn’t even been in the Badlands for more than a minute and he was already worn. The sun burned the world in the distance, several members of the Avengers, Defenders, and Guardians having to shield their eyes from the brightness. And like them, Strange followed closely, eyes latched on the only peak higher than any other, where the source of the darkness devouring Equestria was forged and burst forth.
Mount Tartarus, which once held the Gates of Tartarus itself before they were decimated three years ago, seemed to have become even more gargantuan in height and scale. It encompassed a larger area of land, the peak spewing the black smog, signifying its presence not just as any ordinary volcano.
Not good, Strange thought. Not good at all. If it erupts…
Between them and the volcano, a distant valley filled with hills, bones, towering rocks and other uncertainties remained. They were miles away from what Doctor Strange could tell. Probably a safe distance if the mountain were to erupt, give them enough time to make a portal and escape before the blast could reach them. Speaking of them…
The Avengers—consisting of Iron Man, War Machine, Vision, Spider-Man, and Thor—led the group ahead, stopping only once they reached the edge of the desert hill. Tony Stark’s Mark 50 reacted accordingly to the intense heat from both the sun and the humidity of the smog, the mask materializing and covering his head and face. James Rhodes was right alongside with him, the Mark IV War Machine armor forming the mask to shield Rhodes’ face from the heat and brightness, the red and blue eyes from each set of armor lighting up. Peter Parker, though feeling just as hot as everyone else, kept his mask off, the Iron Spider suit giving him as much cooling as possible in reaction to the hot, desert winds whipping at his body and hair. Thor and Vision stomped forward, stopping alongside their fellow Avengers. The hill beneath them didn’t fall far, but they would rather have some height to observe their surroundings and the volcano clearly.
As for the Defenders, they walked alongside the Avengers’ right, stopping just as well at the edge of the hill. They stood as Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. Full suit, armor, and mask in tow, Matt Murdock led them before stopping by Spider-Man’s right. Jessica breathed heavily, already feeling the effects of the desert wilderness on her face and body. She, as well as Luke, wiped their brows of the sweat, their own clothing tattered and growing sweat stains. Danny Rand felt his green flannel already becoming looser the longer the heat and sweat affected it. To retaliate against the heat, Danny undid another button on his flannel, revealing more of the dragon tattoo beneath. He breathed heavily alongside his team, Frank Castle doing the same when he came up to his side. The Punisher walked with them, holding his bags tight and close to him. Noticing how intense the heat of the desert was, Frank Castle considered removing his long, black trench coat. Maybe later. They wouldn’t be staying in the Badlands for long anyway.
On the Avengers’ left side walked the Guardians of the Galaxy. Star-Lord—naturally—led his team of misfits toward the edge of the hill, towards the edge of Hell itself. Alongside Peter Quill stood Gamora on his right, Drax and Mantis on his left, and Rocket and Groot behind him. Resting on Rocket’s shoulder was his laser rifle, the raccoon pulling at his suit to compensate for the increased heat within the desert lands. Looking up, he noticed that Groot was still playing his stupid video game. So, like any good father, he ripped the game from his wooden hands and tossed it in his backpack. Groot tried to pry it back, but Rocket told him off, the adolescent scoffing and standing miserably alongside his fellow Guardians.
Standing alongside the Avengers, molded in with their five members were Twilight Sparkle and her closest friends; Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. The first thing they did after slipping past the Avengers’ legs was block their eyes from the intense heat of the morning sun, forelegs raised as they stumbled forward, Twilight nearly slipping down the desert hill. She caught herself, yelping as she did so, and gazed down to the valley and numerous other hills, rocks, bones, and mountains that laid directly ahead of her. It wasn’t the first time she had stood in the Badlands, but it never got any easier to witness.
Doctor Strange, the last of them to enter the Badlands and the last to join the group, made his way ahead alongside the Avengers, standing by Stark’s right, between him and Parker. Beneath him, he could see the eight mares completely astounded at the breathtaking sight before them. It seemed the same fate befell each Avenger, Defender, and Guardian in different ways. Many stared in awe to the scope of the Badlands, the desert wasteland that seemed to spread for hundreds of miles, the sun’s reach spreading its fire to nearly every inch of it. Many more kept their gazes locked with the volcano, the peak of which the clouds of smog and sickness were birthed and spewed forth from. Those clouds, that blackness and the ashes that filled the air and the heavens above continuously spread throughout the Badlands, lightning of nearly every vile color shooting across the skies within the smog. The sun was safe from its reach. For now.
The sounds of the volcano grumbling, growling, burning still managed to reach them even though they were miles away. The lightning, the unnatural blood red lightning broke across the darkness every minute or so, sending chills throughout even the toughest among them. Dust and heat ripped at their clothes, at their hair, and burned their eyes as they all continued to stare out into the madness of the wasteland. For several moments, that’s all it was. Something Twilight knew couldn’t last any longer than that.
After that brief moment of respite and observation, the teams broke away from one another. It was if they had read her mind, Twilight turning back and watching the group split apart. Some walked further across the hill, those like Thor, Vision, and Rhodes. Others turned further right, Star-Lord mainly leading the breaking when he pulled out a monitor from his belt and began tinkering with it. Gamora followed him, alongside Drax, Rocket, Groot, and Mantis. The Defenders went in their own direction, pushing away from the Avengers and sticking mainly to themselves as they further observed their surroundings. Even the ponies split, Pinkie Pie hopping happily over to join Quill and the Guardians. Rainbow Dash followed behind Thor with Fluttershy right behind her. Applejack and Rarity stood with the Defenders, mainly with Iron Fist and Luke Cage as they all gazed out into the Badlands. Mainly Applejack, Rarity still seeming distant.
That left Twilight with Sunset, Starlight, Peter Parker, Tony Stark, and Doctor Strange. They all remained where they were, Starlight trotting around behind them. Keeping Rarity’s strange and distant actions close to mind and heart, Twilight sighed and focused ahead. “All right!” she announced to everyone, a few heads swiveling back. “Keep at it! Let’s spread out and search for clues! Starlight, Sunset, would you mind helping me out with this spell?”
Sunset instantly obliged, stepping forward close to Twilight’s side. Starlight, on the other hoof, was focused elsewhere, several yards behind the group to be exact. After hearing her name called not once but twice by Twilight, Starlight shot up her head, twisting it back and responding, “I-I’ll be right there!”
Quickly, she returned her gaze to what earned her interests lying within the sand. She covered it up with her hoof, the sand resting over the remains of the head of the Ultron Sentry. Trotting over to Twilight and Sunset, a somewhat haunted expression vanishing from her face, Starlight replaced it only with a false smile and a burst of confidence. Twilight gazed at her a moment longer before shaking her head, already filling Starlight in on her plan.
“Need some help?”
Turning her head back, Twilight smiled to see the familiar face of the Iron Man looking down at her. “Always appreciated, Tony.”
With Peter Parker standing awkwardly by his side, Tony nodded to that confirmation from Twilight. “All right, Homer,” Tony announced loudly, his HUD already beginning to scan the dark clouds over the volcano, “give me something.”
While Tony continued to scan in silence, the three mares already got to work on the spell. Twilight described it quickly to them, each unicorn already well aware of what was needed to complete the spell. All on the same page, they stood side by side, Twilight in the center and Sunset on her right, Starlight on her left. They lowered their heads in unison, horns nearly touching, as each began to shimmer and pulsate with growing bursts of magic. They continued to do so for several moments, sounds of struggle and annoyance filling the area between the three.
Doctor Strange watched their plight from afar. Choosing not to follow Thor in further observation of the Badlands, nor the Guardians following blindly behind Peter Quill, or even the Defenders mere yards away, Stephen instead chose to keep close with the Princess of Friendship and Stark, knowing they would have the means necessary in further understanding the volcano.
Continuing to watch the three mares struggle, Stephen sighed. “What spell were you referring to?” he asked, stepping forward. The mares broke the attempted spell, getting some much-needed breathing and rest.
“It’s really not that difficult,” Sunset replied, her heavy breaths joining Starlight and Twilight’s. Turning to Strange, she explained, “It’s kind of like an echo. We send a magical pulse to the volcano, the spell analyzes the object of which we focused on, and returns to us—our minds to be precise—on the qualities of the volcano. We’re just… having a bit of trouble trying to focus on the volcano when there are constant sand storms and other disturbances filling the air between us and the mountain.”
Strange looked to Twilight, the Alicorn rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “It’s a higher-level spell I learned still under Princess Celestia. All volcanologists in Equestria are required to learn it, but it can be used for pretty much anything somepony would want to study, like lakes, forests, and so forth. Sunset learned it back then, too. It took years to master, but Starlight…”
Starlight smirked. “I learned it last year.”
Stephen breathed a chuckle. With his soft smile joining him, he continued to step forth, just behind Twilight and the two unicorns when he finally stopped. They gazed up at him expectantly, watching him readying himself for whatever he had planned. He said, “Well, whichever the case, you might need some help.”
Slapping his palms together, Doctor Strange began rubbing his hands, magical bursts and sparks shooting out from each. Bringing back his hands, Strange then unleashed the rising magical pulse he had been building in such a short amount of time. With hands shot out high, the orange burst of magic encompassed the ground, the air, and nearly touched the sky when Strange sent the pulse dead ahead to Mount Tartarus. The Cloak of Levitation whipped back from the force of the energy and wind created from Strange’s magic, Twilight raising a wing to block the dust flying into her face, the unicorns doing the same with their forelegs. Even Parker raised his arms to block the onslaught of sand. The orange wave rolled over the hills, the valleys, the bones, and pushed away any and all storms of dust and smoke that separated them from the volcano. What was left was nothing but clear desert for miles and miles.
Lowering his hands, Strange looked back down to Twilight and winked at her. The Alicorn slowly smiled in response, still somewhat awestruck by Stephen’s magical prowess.
“Girls,” Twilight declared, a higher sense of confidence filling her voice. “Let’s try this again.”
While Twilight, Starlight, and Sunset attempted the spell for a second time, Star-Lord took a different approach. With his monitor in hand, Quill was busy testing the airwaves. His growing frown and quickening pace back and forth just clarified the fact that things weren’t going very well. “Can’t get a clear signal!” Peter said, looking away from the monitor to the skies. More precisely, the darkness eating the skies. “Whatever that smog is, it's blocking my airwaves. But it does look like Earth is coming over soon to pass over the Badlands, so we could experience some low gravity.”
With Quill constantly pacing back and forth behind her, Pinkie bounding behind him with every step, Gamora kept her attention solely on the smog that filled the light, the darkness actually appearing to eat it. The wind was so hot it made her skin crack, her hair blowing over her shoulders and sometimes across her face. “Those clouds definitely aren’t natural,” Gamora stated.
While the Guardians kept to themselves, the Defenders chose instead to focus on the volcano. Murdock kept his head on a swivel, ears open for anything that might arise from within the peak. Danny Rand was on one knee, Applejack explaining to him as much as she knew about the Badlands. Rarity kept her head low, several feet away from Applejack and focused only on rubbing the sand off of her hooves again and again. That left just Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, the only two Rarity refused to look at a second time.
“You okay?”
Jessica turned to her left to see Luke Cage stroll up beside her. Seeing the sweat glisten on his forehead, neck, and chest, drenching his yellow T-shirt and making her feel even more weary, she just sighed. “Starting to regret coming here with you guys. This heat is unbearable,” Jessica mumbled, pushing her sweat-covered hair behind her ears.
“Not as bad as New York though, huh?” Luke asked, pulling at his shirt to air himself out.
“No, that was…” Jessica said, then paused when unfavorable memories resurfaced, those being the faces of Malcolm, Oscar, and Vido. “That was worse.”
“You can take off the jacket if you want to.”
She did just that. Glad to focus on that and not the past, Jessica sighed with relief once she removed the large, black jacket from her body. The scratches and blood seemed to have dried up from beneath, the remnants painting the jacket she held in her hands. “You want it back?” she asked, offering it to Luke.
After noticing how torn and bloody it was, Luke just raised his hands and shook his head.
Dropping the jacket into the sand, Jessica proceeded to roll up the sleeves on her light gray shirt. More cuts appeared, each one appearing to have sealed shut for the time being. Jessica sighed at that. Her wounds had healed for now. Time to take things easy.
When the earthquake followed through the moment the jacket hit the dirt, Jessica knew that taking things easy was probably going to be postponed longer than expected.
The tremor that filled the Badlands reached each Avenger, each Defender, each Guardian, each pony and even managed to shake both Doctor Strange and Frank Castle down to their very cores. Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight broke off the spell despite being so close to finishing it, each mare looking about frantically. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fluttered off the ground the moment they felt the earth beneath them shifting, finding at least mild comfort while airborne. That didn’t keep them safe from what followed.
At first, they all thought it was just the earth shifting beneath their feet, making sounds only the ground could make when splitting apart and rock moving against rock. Except… it didn’t sound like that at all. What they heard, they still couldn’t fully understand. What they heard, it didn’t process to any of them at first, but the longer it filled the air, their bodies, and their very souls… they all knew what it was.
They didn’t want to admit it… but what they heard was a growl.
A fierce, feral, unworldly growl.
Followed shortly by the cackling of the lightning across the smog.
Then all was still. Silent save for the constant, natural sounds of the Badlands.
Peter Quill slowly flicked his monitor off, placing it back on his belt. He, as well as the rest of the Guardians of the Galaxy, turned appropriately to where they heard the growl originate. They weren’t alone. How could they be? How could anyone deny what they heard, even when they knew for a fact that each of them heard the same exact thing? No, they weren’t alone. They all came together.
Thor, Vision, Rhodes, Rainbow, and Fluttershy returned, standing next to Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and Twilight Sparkle. Matt Murdock stood silently by Sunset Shimmer, the remaining Defenders, Frank Castle, Applejack, and Rarity right by his side and joining him. Star-Lord and Pinkie Pie were the first ones returning to the growing group, followed by the rest of the Guardians. Starlight and Doctor Strange looked back at them momentarily, both sorcerer and unicorn meeting each other’s gazes for a brief second before facing forward alongside everyone else.
And they all stared at the same thing…
Mount Tartarus.
Stark cut off Homer and his scanning, leaving it paused for continuation later. Other issues needed attention at the moment. Iron Man looked about, stating loudly, “What the hell was that?”
Twilight shook her head, looking to each of her friends. From Rainbow to Fluttershy, Applejack to Rarity, Sunset to Starlight, and finally to Pinkie Pie. They were just as lost. Looking back to Stark, she stuttered, “I… I-I-I don’t—”
“It is as if the world lives beneath us,” Drax acknowledged quietly. Shooting his head over to Mantis, he shouted, “Mantis, see if I’m right!”
Flinching at her name, Mantis turned to Drax, brow furrowed at his request. He nodded her on, eyes shifting to the sand lying by her feet. The light bulbs flashed in her head at last, a cautious breath leaving her. Stepping forth, Mantis dug her palm into the sand, letting the hot dirt shower over her hand and almost eat it in its entirety. As she did so, Rocket looked over to Drax and said, “There’s no way this world is alive, Drax! It was just the volcano!”
Groot scoffed, pointing to Mount Tartarus and then towards the smog. “I am Groot.”
“That’s right,” Quill said with a grim nod. He gazed to the mountain in the distance, eyes staring even further than that. “Thing’s about to erupt.”
“No…”
Her voice was so soft, so utterly terrified that they almost couldn’t distinguish it at first. They looked down to Mantis. Everyone did. With her antennae glowing softly, Mantis slowly lifted her head, the heated wind tugging at her black hair, burning her eyes. She could hardly breathe, the dust in the air and the visions of horror flooding in her mind making her hyperventilate. Despite that, she kept her palm in the sand, still continued to feel… what remained beneath them.
The entire time she stared only at the volcano. Into the blackness that made her shudder.
She muttered, “The earth… breathes.”
“Ha, I was right! As I always am!” Drax declared. He spun accordingly, turning to Quill. “What do you say, Quill? Dance-off to save the universe again?”
“Dance-off?” Twilight and Tony said simultaneously, turning to Peter for an explanation.
“It’s not… It’s nothing, really,” Quill said, bashful at first, shaking his head.
“Like in Footloose, the movie?” Parker replied, hand held outwards, heated wind tugging at his hair.
“Exactly like Footloose,” Quill immediately responded, his voice high and hopeful with childlike glee. Finally excited to see someone actually know about the movies he watched growing up. They were from Earth, so that was a given, but still. Seeing Peter’s brow furrow at him, Quill asked, “Is it still the greatest movie in history?”
“It never was,” Spider-Man said. Star-Lord’s eyes narrowed, his face deforming into a glare.
“Are we supposed to know what Footloose is?” Sunset asked. The other ponies shared the same boat as the fiery-maned unicorn, looking to one another confusedly.
Both Quill and Stark responded at the same time, Peter with a resounding “yes” and Stark with an agitated “no”. Both men turned to one another, thinking the other interrupted him, squaring off and eyeing each other like burly hounds. Stark cut at the air with his hand, declaring, “We don’t have time to talk about subpar films that appeal to the lowest common denominator. Right now, we need to focus—”
Quill interrupted him, forming a knowing and cocky grin. “Buddy… don’t call us the lowest common denominator… we don’t know what it means. It’s probably not even a real word,” he retaliated, watching as Stark’s expression shifted to mild irritation, doused in heavy confusion.
“It means you’re stupid,” Tony deadpanned.
Quill wasn’t even phased, pointing to his own chest. “Since I’m half-human, that fifty percent of me that’s stupid… that’s a hundred percent you.”
“Your math is… blowing my mind.”
“You guys!” Mantis cried.
All eyes shifted away from Stark and Quill’s battle for the ages to focus instead on Mantis. Peter pursed his lips, turning back to Tony and saying, “We’ll finish how I’m right later, but first… Mantis!”
Ignoring Stark’s growing frown, Peter turned instead to focus only on Mantis. “What, are we dealing with another Ego?” Quill asked.
She shook her head. “No… something worse.”
That statement alone sent an uneasy quiver down each Guardian’s spine. The following silence, the frozen chill that somehow managed to fill each and every Avenger, Defender, Guardian, and mare despite the burning heat of the sun and desert pelting them continued to grow. And Mantis… continued to feel the world beneath her. She continued to stare into the face of darkness, the smog that left the mountain, and she saw it. Her jaw fell. Her eyes shot open. Her antennae rose mere inches higher. She gaped in horror for miles and miles. When she spoke, her voice was that of a shrill, terrified whisper.
Nothing compared to the growl she heard in her heart.
“Something… coming.”
She was forced to remove her hand from the sand when the earth erupted before them.
Sand and dirt shot out in every direction, blinding many. The force from the eruption, however, sent even more sprawling on their back, sending several Avengers, Guardians, and even mares many yards away. Frank Castle was forced to relinquish his bag, the eruption sending him and the Defenders flat on their backs. Doctor Strange shielded himself with a pair of Tao Mandalas, the sand instantly vaporizing once it tried to wash over him in a wave of dust. As the group managed to rise above the dust cloud and pull themselves away from it, that left them staring into the face of what had caused the eruption. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Tony Stark, James Rhodes, and the Vision all shot up in the air, hovering several yards away from the dust cloud to witness it firsthand.
None of them could believe it at first. But they had to. They needed to.
The towering snake hissed and proceeded to attack them.
It was real. Twilight had to accept that fact. The first image that came into her head when she saw the massive serpent was the Tatzlwurm she and Cadance battled so many years ago. It was nearly the same size as the Tatzlwurm, but with obvious differences. It appeared to look more like that of a viper or a rattlesnake, the only differences between them and their smaller counterparts being the glowing red eyes and the tiny horns resting atop its head. Its scales were a dark brown and black, its fangs even blacker than the smog spewing from the volcano, its flickering tongue just as well.
Yet all Twilight could stare at were its eyes. Shaped like pearls. The red… like crimson. Like blood. The exact same color that shot across the black smog over the Badlands. When she stared into those eyes, she felt an unknown dread feel her heart and soul, instantly replaced by that frozen pang of fear. It was so sudden, so abrupt, that she actually froze where she was, hovering several yards above the sands, staring onto the serpent as it slowly centered its attention… on her.
On the Alicorn.
Ignoring everything else, the towering serpent hissed, barred its blackened fangs, then struck.
Had Tony Stark not pushed Twilight out of the way, it most certainly would have contacted its intended target. After returning to reality, Twilight pushed herself away from Tony, catching flight and gazing across the wasteland to see the serpent turn its attention to the rest of her friends, the Avengers, the Guardians, and everyone else. And everyone scattered. Like mice.
Like prey.
Peter Parker’s mask materialized over his face, the blue eyes igniting and the Spider-Man engaging with the snake. Quill’s mask did just the same, the burning red orbs shimmering within the bright orange of the desert air. He whipped out his Quad Blasters and shot straight into the air with his Jet Boots. He fired relentlessly on the serpent, each blaster sending a blue stream of energy onto the creature’s hardened skin. It hissed and thrashed, biting at the air where Star-Lord flew. Doing so brought its attention away from Parker, Spider-Man firing a strand of webbing on the creature’s bottom jaw. Swinging fully around the snake’s mouth, Peter finished off his attack by slamming the bottom of his feet on the creature’s snout, ultimately shutting its jaws. It swung about and thrashed, the bottom of its neck still originating deep within the sand, causing retreat to be impossible. The group went to work on it.
The Punisher dropped his bag and whipped out his assault rifle, unloading his magazine on the thrashing beast. Rocket Raccoon did the same, screaming a battle cry only he was capable of when he unloaded full streams of energy from his laser rifle. The serpent hissed and swung its head back and forth, the spider webs around its jaws holding strong. While the air was filled with gunfire and screaming, it allowed the remainder of the groups to engage close with the beast. Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Danny Rand, and Thor all charged the serpent on foot, weapons in hand if they had them, closing in fast. Those like James Rhodes, Vision, Doctor Strange, Peter Quill, Spider-Man, Rocket, and Frank Castle had already engaged. Others, like Jessica Jones, Groot, Mantis, all eight mares, and even Iron Man were either hesitating for too long or refused to fight, simply gazing at the towering creature in complete shock.
Tony didn’t let that stay that way forever. Hovering next to Twilight, he looked to her, and she to him. She finally took notice to the slick, sharp wings jutting from his backside, originating from his nanotech suit. Even more so, she gasped when she saw the nanotechnology in action, his hands forming Repulsor Cannons. “You good?” Stark shouted.
Twilight shook her head to return to reality, then mindlessly nodded.
“Good!” Tony finished, jetting off and firing madly on the serpent. Twilight watched it all, watched as the snake broke out of the webbing Parker had trapped it in, hissing loudly and smacking its head against the charging ground forces. Drax, Gamora, Murdock, Rand, and Thor all flew backwards from the swipe, except for Luke Cage who slid under it. Rising back up, he was almost unprepared when the serpent struck at him, fangs leading the attack, nearly coming down on Cage.
Luke grunted and shot out his hands, managing to catch the serpent’s bite at the last second. Luke growled as he held the creature at bay, looking up and actually staring into the pointed ends of the fangs. His hands gripped around the base of each, Luke actually standing inches from the beast’s agape jaws. Staring down its throat, Luke felt its breath as well as its hiss practically blow through him. The serpent increased the pressure, pushing further downwards onto Cage, the fangs dipping further and further down. Luke struggled, his cries evidence of that. Luckily, he found release when Stark fired relentlessly from above, joining Rhodes, Vision, and Doctor Strange unloading all that they had on the serpent. The creature hissed and let off on the pressure, giving Cage all he needed.
With a powerful grunt, Luke roared and brought back his fist, punching the viper directly in the side of its face. The force of the hit, alongside his enhanced strength, sent the creature directly into the sand. Its head hit the ground first, the serpent hissing in pain. That pain didn’t end as several beams of magical energy impacted its scales, the creature spinning towards the source. Twilight from above, and Sunset and Starlight from below, all three mares finally breaking away from their stupor to engage the monster. Rainbow Dash shot forward, Applejack charging from below, and Pinkie Pie bounding alongside her. The serpent flicked its tongue at them, hissing and slithering across the sand to meet them halfway. It would have… had Gamora not jammed Godslayer right through its scales.
The monster hissed in pain, spinning back to charge Gamora instead. Doing so brought its attention away from the mares, more specifically Rainbow Dash as she practically rammed herself like a rocket into the back of its head. The serpent’s face dipped low to the earth, giving Applejack the opportunity to send a powerful buck right into its snout. A vicious stream of crimson shot out from the strike, the serpent reeling its neck high into the air and screeching.
The cry that emanated from it was so loud, so profound, so horrible that the ponies actually had to cover their ears. Rainbow did just that, bringing her focus away from the serpent, giving it the chance to strike her down. Using its own head, the snake smacked the Pegasus right out of the air, Dash crashing in the sand and spurring up a great amount of sand. Gamora ripped out Godslayer, rushing over to Rainbow to check if she was okay. The serpent didn’t stop, smacking its head against Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Sunset, and Starlight in a wide, sweeping motion across the dirt. Each pony shot back and rolled several feet, Twilight watching helplessly from above. The serpent turned its attention to her. Twilight turned her eyes to it, her horn igniting. It flicked its tongue at her, hissing through its slit nostrils, the black slits in its crimson eyes centered solely on the Alicorn.
Then they struck.
Screeching with an unearthly cry, the serpent shot out its jaws and tried to snatch the princess right out of the air. Twilight vanished in a flash, appearing behind it. The creature spun appropriately, gazing not only to the Princess of Friendship, but at the Iron Man, the War Machine, Star-Lord, the Vision, and Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts. And before it could react, Spider-Man fired a strand of webbing onto the snake and drove his feet into the side of its face. Strange unleashed a strand of Eldritch magic surrounding the creature’s neck, keeping it from reeling back for a strike. Vision fired a continuous beam from the Mind Stone right onto the creature’s head. Tony, Twilight, Rhodes, and Quill all unleashed everything they had on the serpent, from repulsor blasts, bullets, rockets, Quad Blaster energy, and magical blasts from Twilight’s horn. The snake thrashed and screamed, unable to retreat from Strange’s grasp, experiencing everything up close and personal.
The unending firepower continued for several seconds, stopping only once a cloud of dust emerged where the snake once remained. That, and Fluttershy flying out in front of them with her hooves raised in defense.
“Wait!”
In defense of the serpent that had attacked them.
Stark lowered his glowing palms, the Repulsor Cannons disintegrating to form his hands. War Machine dropped his forearms, his glowing red eyes centering on the yellow Pegasus. Quill, Vision, and Twilight hovered in mid-air, Peter refusing to lower his blasters and Twilight assuring him of the situation. Doctor Strange, however, didn’t let up, refusing to release his grasp on the serpent beneath them. Fluttershy didn’t seem to stop him, nor did she focus on Stephen. Instead, they all watched as Fluttershy slowly spun around, gazing down into the dust cloud and the stirring shadow within it.
She descended towards it. “Shy, what are you—?!” Stark began to object, but was stopped when Twilight rested her hoof comfortingly on his shoulder. He turned to her, shimmering blue eyes meeting her assuring violet, the Alicorn nodding to him.
He, as well as everyone else, waited. The Defenders picking themselves up, Jessica Jones joining them shortly and helping Murdock back to his feet, all waited. The Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill landing on the ground to meet back up with his team, all waited. The Avengers, slowly descending to the dirt, Thor and Spider-Man regrouping with Vision, Stark, and Rhodes, all waited. The ponies, with Twilight joining them once more, all stood and watched their friend work her magic.
The Punisher dropped his rifle’s end, slipping in his last magazine just for assurance. He watched and waited as the dust finally cleared, the sun returning to spread its orange fire relentlessly upon them and the wasteland surrounding them. Doctor Strange kept his bands of Eldritch magic tight around the serpent’s neck, watching from his elevated position as Fluttershy continued to descend further towards the beast.
And she showed no fear.
When it came to the creatures of the earth, sky, and oceans, Fluttershy knew no fear. Because she knew there was something else at stake besides her petty worries, other lives that needed tending to. And this serpent—despite being the largest and most terrifying snake she had ever seen—was in pain. Not from their retaliation on it. No… the pain came before that. Fluttershy needed to know…
She needed to know why.
She fluttered mere feet from its snout now, the serpent slowly teetering back and forth, groans of pain leaving it. Its head was held low, gazing only to the sands. When Fluttershy cleared her throat, the serpent slowly raised its blood red eyes to the Pegasus. Instantly, the creature hissed, slowly opening its maw and the black fangs jutting outwards, practically dripping with venom. It shut its mouth instantly. It silenced itself the second Fluttershy flew closer.
The second she opened her eyes and used the Stare.
The serpent was transfixed in her eyes, almost resisting at first but eventually falling into place, like all other creatures that dared to stand before Fluttershy and her terrifying Stare. When he realized the serpent wasn’t going to strike any longer, Doctor Strange released his grasp from the snake, eventually descending to the ground alongside everyone else. And, like everyone else, he watched Fluttershy continue to tame the creature right before their stunned eyes.
Twilight smiled with a satisfied sigh leaving her, finally finding ease knowing the fight was over. They had done it. Fluttershy had done it. The creature was trapped under her Stare, she would tell it to leave them and never bother them again, and they could finally finish their mission and leave the Badlands for good. Sunset tapped her shoulder, Twilight’s eyes snapping open.
“Uh… is that supposed to happen?” Sunset inquired, pointing to the serpent. She didn’t have to point. Everyone saw it.
They saw the serpent gag.
Fluttershy flew back a few inches, startled at first but ultimately keeping the Stare as strong as ever. The snake gagged again, louder and more profound than last time. It thrashed about, not attacking them but instead seeming to be lost in its own battle. It gagged and hissed, blood, venom, and spittle ejecting from its jaws as it continued to fight. Then, they watched as a large bulge started to arise deep down the creature’s neck, rising higher and higher until…
It coughed up… something. Further away from the groups, the excess of the creature’s bile lied within the sand, the serpent keeping its head low, coughing once more before slowly teetering back towards Fluttershy. Uncertain at first, Fluttershy kept up her Stare as the serpent faced her once more. She shouted, “It’s okay! He was just grumpy because he was choking!”
The serpent looked at her, flicking its black tongue.
The many Avengers, Defenders, Guardians, and ponies down below stood aghast. Rainbow Dash was busy trying not to lose her breakfast after watching the creature practically throw up no more than fifty yards away from her. Tony Stark slowly looked to what the serpent coughed up, then back to the viper itself. He said, “Is that so?”
Fluttershy turned her head down to the Iron Man. “Hey, Shy, can you tell it to open wide?” Stark asked.
Furrowing her brow at the strange request, Fluttershy eventually complied. “Oh, um… yeah, I guess,” she said, turning back towards the serpent and widening her Stare, her pupils practically shaking, sending that freezing terror back into the serpent and causing it to comply instantly. Its jaws broke apart, fangs falling down, the serpent’s mouth as wide as can be.
Still somewhat hesitant on Stark’s request, Fluttershy there wasn’t anymore time to object to it when Tony fired a miniature rocket from his forearm, the small projectile zooming upward and finding its target right within the gaping jaws of the serpent. Fluttershy watched as the snake’s jaws closed, her mouth opening to object. She only yelped when Spider-Man fired a strand of webbing onto her backside and pulled her safely to the earth by the time the rocket exploded.
The back of the serpent’s head erupted, spewing blood, brain matter, and whatever else outwards. The red in the viper’s eyes instantly turned to black, the serpent unable to even let out a final cry when it impacted the earth, jaws outstretched, finally dead before the Avengers, Defenders, Guardians, and mares.
Stark lowered his arm, looking down to see Parker setting Fluttershy safely next to her friends, a look of horror etched on her face. Mere moments ago, the serpent was alive and well, and was even somewhat willing to comply with them. It was a struggle, but Fluttershy was certain she could have convinced it. That certainty was gone, just as the life of the serpent that lay before them. Almost slightly feeling betrayed by Stark and approaching the remains of the creature, Fluttershy actually struggled to hold back tears, her friends close to her and rubbing her shoulder comfortingly.
She raised a hoof to graze the creature’s scales… but cried out and backpedaled when the serpent moved again.
Everyone readied themselves, just as shocked as the mares to see the serpent still alive. Stark especially couldn’t believe it. And he continued to do so, his guard falling once he realized that the serpent truly was dead. Yet something… pulled it back. Pulled it back into the hole it originated from, disappearing deep within the sands of the Badlands. They all watched as it vanished within the earth, leaving just the vile remains of whatever it coughed up behind.
And for whatever reason, that something started to move.
And for whatever reason, they approached it.
Some stayed back, like Mantis, Jessica, and Castle watching from afar, looks of wonderment and disgust etched on their faces. Everyone else started off at a slow approach, weapons held outwards, blasters, swords, magic, repulsors, and whatever else. Stark led the approach alongside Fluttershy and Twilight, Spider-Man and Thor close behind Tony. The pile of vomit, or whatever form of bile it was, continued to twitch and move about. Just as they were feet from it, the groups analyzed all they could.
It wasn’t just a random pile of vomit. It was more like an egg sack, black veins pulsating across the clear, white egg. And within it, something stirred. Something was alive. Rainbow gagged, hooves pressed over her mouth to keep her breakfast down. Mostly everyone shared her opinion, appearing just as disgusted as the rainbow Pegasus. But others… others like Fluttershy… saw differently.
She saw another creature within the egg.
And she raised her hoof to it, slowly but certainly soon to caress the egg sack surrounding it.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight said, stepping forward, “maybe that’s not the best i—”
The sack exploded, a large tail rising and impacting the sand where Fluttershy stood. It would have crushed the Pegasus, Fluttershy screaming as the tail descended to her, but Stark was faster. With a burst of speed courtesy of the Mark 50, Tony shot across the sand, scooped Fluttershy up with his left arm, and escaped just as the tail struck the sand, spitting out dust and blinding nearly everyone within the vicinity. People fell back, mostly everyone, as the tail swung neatly across the ground and smacked several in its path. The seven mares were unfortunately within that range, each pony flying and rolling as they hit the dirt.
As the dust settled, the newest creature emerged standing over the bodies, each Avenger, Defender, and Guardian quickly backpedaling, studying the beast as they did so. Similar to the serpent, its snout was long, several jagged teeth hanging within its jaws. Its eyes were just as red as the serpent’s as well, glowing with feral ferocity, its growl even more so. The beast was quadrupedal, reptilian in structure, almost like a large lizard, but it was just... wrong. Demonic in a sense. Twisted. Unnatural. Sharpened horns remained atop its head, back, and tail, the creature flicking its head and attention directly ahead.
To the seven mares.
To the Alicorn.
Barring its teeth, the monster screeched in a similar fashion to that of the serpent, charging across the dirt with unnatural speed and savagery. Twilight and her friends were just beginning to pick themselves up when they finally noticed the creature rushing through the dust and sand directly toward them, screeching every step of the way. They had very little time to ready themselves, Rainbow and Applejack taking defensive position in front of their friends just as the creature descended upon them.
Nearly.
It was caught. The creature screeched and hissed, clawing with animalistic brutality at the dirt and snapping its jaws at the ponies, more specifically at Twilight. As the seven mares quickly backed away from it, Starlight and Sunset with their horns aglow, they all finally noticed what stopped the creature’s charge. They could see Peter Parker as he struggled to hold the monster back, two strands of web gripped in each of his hands, those webs attached to the creature’s backside.
With the demonic-like lizard continuing to thrash in the sand, Spider-Man continued to pull, keeping it at bay, keeping it away from the ponies. He grunted in the act of the tug-of-war, looking up when he heard the crackle of thunder, the strike of lightning fueled from the fist of Thor crashing down directly on the creature’s skull. A sickening crack followed, lighting enveloping the monster’s entire body as Thor stood atop it. And just like that, it was silenced.
Peter Parker released his grasp on the creature, getting a much-needed rest. He planted his palms on his knees, lifting up his head and narrowing his glowing eyes on the God of Thunder. Thor, on the other hand, didn’t feel the exhaustion as Parker had. His breathing was heavy, certainly, but it was akin to the fact that they had just been attacked by another unknown, more questions than answers piling up and drowning them.
He looked to the mares, watched their horrified expressions center on Thor and the bloody mess of the monster he had slain. It wasn’t the first one he had killed, but just seeing their eyes, seeing the sickness growing on their faces, Thor wouldn’t deny it if he felt a little sick himself. That sickness faded shortly when the thunder rolled overhead, followed by the blood lightning shooting across the dark smog. Thor turned to it, hopping off the creature and approaching the edge of the hill.
Tony Stark landed back to the earth, releasing Fluttershy and letting her stumble forward on her hooves. She was practically in tears, hoof rising to cover the whimpers leaving her mouth the moment her gaze landed on what remained of the creature. Those tear-filled eyes shifted from the creature to the God of Thunder, almost in disbelief to see him walk away from his mess so easily. He walked past both her and Stark, Tony watching his retreat to the edge of the hill.
The mask of the Mark 50 slid backwards, the nanotech retreating and unveiling Stark’s haunted stare. The same could be said for Peter Quill, Star-Lord tapping at the side of his helmet, the red eyes vanishing in a wave of blue energy. Quill observed the monster Thor had slain, then turned to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. To him, they appeared just as awestruck, just as confused, just as unsure about their own world as Quill was to Equus.
“What the hell is going on?” Star-Lord asked rather loudly, the Guardians of the Galaxy coming up behind him. The Punisher walked with them, rifle resting in his hands, standing close by Rocket and Gamora.
For that, no one seemed to have an answer.
Their response, however… came shortly.
The earth rumbled, a tremor far stronger and far more terrifying resounding across the Badlands. Heads swiveled accordingly, people stumbling, ponies falling, and all eyes turning around to the source of it all. To where they heard the inevitable, demonic growl follow the earthquake. And it came. Tony Stark spun around. Standing with him were James Rhodes, Vision, Spider-Man, Twilight, Fluttershy, Sunset, Rainbow, Starlight, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. The Defenders picked themselves up, all four members stumbling forward and standing on Stark’s right. The Guardians stood on the Avengers’ left, the Punisher with them, Doctor Strange standing close on Frank’s left. They all stared beyond the God of Thunder, actually stepping forth to join him, Thor standing frozen between the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, his lone eye gazing to the wasteland.
And they all watched it erupt.
Landscapes split apart, pillars of sand and dust shooting up like geysers as dark towers rose from the earthquake. On further inspection, they realized they weren’t towers. They were… serpents. Like the one Stark had killed earlier, but grander in scope. Larger in number. Filling the Badlands… everywhere between the group and the volcano. They could only watch as hundreds, hundreds of serpents emerged from beneath the dirt and sands, even smashing through rocks and far-off mountains. They continued to do so for what felt like minutes on end, for as long as the tremor passed across the Badlands.
And then all was still.
A sea of serpents stood between the Avengers, the Defenders, the Guardians, the eight ponies and Mount Tartarus.
Hisses and screeches reverberated across the sands, the team of twenty-five heroes gazing into the ocean of twisting bodies, burning red eyes, and towering serpents for several seconds in continued, conjoined silence. Twilight and her friends couldn’t even fathom their situation, let alone Fluttershy. Never in her life had she seen or even imagined a phenomenon like the one she was witnessing. How there were so many of these gargantuan snakes, so close together, all in place at the same time still troubled her. Her concern for them was slowly turning into worry, that worry into fear.
She wasn’t alone.
Her closest friends, and even the Avengers, were beginning to feel that unknown fear start to grip them. Tony felt his heart beating harder against the Mark 50, gazing into the slithering madness miles ahead of him giving him an unknown feeling of dread, something he couldn’t distinguish but didn’t want to delve any deeper into.
Peter Parker’s mask materialized back, revealing the growing worry on the teenager’s face. “You guys feel that?” he asked.
At first, no one seemed to understand what he meant, but even they didn’t need any Spider-Sense to feel the heated wind start to pick up around them. Numerous heads swiveled about, from Peter Quill and Gamora to Danny Rand and Jessica Jones, everyone looking in different directions but seeing the same thing. The sand started to swirl near their feet, almost like a small whirlwind that lived and died shortly. The dust in the wind was similar, like small tornadoes, quickly blowing past the large team of heroes. The wind was definitely increasing, the heat from the desert as well, the screams from the serpents even more so. Lightning filled the dark smog, more ominous thunder reverberating across the skies and earth, out of Thor’s control.
“What the hell?” Jessica muttered, the wind pulling at her black bangs, the detective looking from Parker on her left then straight ahead. She, as well as everyone around her, all turned accordingly to the Vision, watching as he nearly crumbled to the dirt, growling in agony.
Twilight and her closest friends all flinched when they heard the Vision scream, all eight of them spinning accordingly and watching as he nearly fell, only Thor being fast enough to catch him before that. Many saw the look of pain on his facial features, shreds of fear overcoming the pain. But many more, Stark, Strange, and Twilight especially, only saw the Mind Stone.
They saw it glow far brighter than ever before, its light almost rivaling that of the sun. It quickly dimmed, the Stone practically screaming within the mind of the Vision. Helping him back to his feet, Thor asked, nearly breathless, “What happened?”
“We got company.”
No one turned to Matthew Murdock when he uttered those words.
All they could look at, all they truly turned to, was the patch of land directly ahead of them.
They all did. Tony Stark took a cautionary step forward, his eyes gazing in mixtures of both wonder and anxiety. Peter Parker stood on his right, joined by Jessica Jones, Danny Rand on one knee, Luke Cage, and Matt Murdock all gazing in the same direction as he. On his left stood Thor, Vision rising back up to full-height, James Rhodes, Star-Lord, Mantis gazing fearfully into the madness, Gamora at the ready, Drax with his hands on his belt, Rocket and Groot both frozen where they stood, and the Punisher slowly tightening his grip on his M4 assault rifle. Doctor Strange slowly narrowed his gaze directly ahead, his cloak whipping in the wind, joining the Punisher’s trench coat on his right.
And the remaining eight mares stood directly in the center of it all. Standing directly in front of the Avengers, in front of Stark, Parker, Thor, Rhodes, Vision, alongside the Defenders and the Guardians of the Galaxy, all of them feeling the wind tug at their manes, the heat hurting their eyes and making them sweat. Twilight was in the center directly ahead of Tony, Sunset on her right and Rainbow on her left. Pinkie Pie and Starlight were on Rainbow’s left, Applejack and Fluttershy by Sunset. Rarity remained behind them, her fearful eyes watching the very fabric of space rip apart mere yards ahead of them.
The morning sunlight cascaded its orange glow over them.
The screams of the serpents were long forgotten.
The vicious, blue and black portal opened directly ahead. Swirls of alien mist swarmed the portal, nothing but the darkness of space hanging within it. Then finally, someone emerged through the portal, stomping forth onto the Badlands and observing his surroundings.
Then he saw them.
He saw his daughter.
Thanos smiled.
And Rarity screamed.
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Well Peter's probably thinking of the 2011 version.
And now... shit is gonna meet the fanblades as the Mad Titan finally gets off his space chair.
They're so doomed.
Well... they are so screwed...
Great chapter as always.
Finally, the meeting of the ultimate good and ultimate evil...
i.redd.it/4t0doipqxy811.gif
Well this is getting bad quickly for everyone. Not only are the group outnumbered by the shear grotesque horde of Typhon's serpents with his awakening drawing near, but Thanos, the Mad Titan himself responsible for all this, has finally shown himself to them. On a scale of one to ten, their chances now is pretty much zero. And Rarity....oh Rarity....she has finally lost it now.
Dread it... Run from it... Destiny still arrives...
You still got some grammatical errors around here though.
Rocket was right, you do got issues Quill, plus you're ass enough to think the trends on this time remain 80ish. Kevin Bacon ain't the greatest actor ever, he's just one of a line of greats that's gonna be surpassed by the new ones like Adam Driver. This is the 21st century asshole. Lucky for you, as well as your loser messes for companions, except the adopted daughter of Thanos, that's a compliment.
I literally died laughing at this part.
This has gone SERIOUS.
We finally get see him face the Avengers (what little there is), Defenders and the mares. Is Rarity going to stay quiet or finally say something about her vision. Speaking of Vision are you going very far from the movie plot and is he going to die here or is everyone going to escape? Except maybe a certain ex-assassin.
YYYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHHH
MAN!!!!
I want the next chapter already!!!!!
9337761
Nice song and gif usage
Well shit muffins sitting by a sewage drink by a roasting rotten buzzard. They are in a world of trouble now.
Huh. I was wondering where that ended up.
...I think we just killed one of Typhon's children...
Oh, great. Now we have to fight them both. Fan-frickin-tastic.
And it all goes to hell from here. Everyone is about to get Yamcha'd. i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/005/609/800px-Yamcha_found_dead.jpg
Yeah, now that I think about it, I’m kinda glad Spike didn’t meet the Mad Titan yet. Don’t think he’s ready yet. Maybe after torching a few swarms of Outriders.
Ah Yes- That Footlose Joke
And hey- I dont have anything to say about this but- Dear lord reading each and every part of your chapter makes me hyped.
The Fluttershy Scene seems well spot on- You managed to make her convince others she isnt what you expected from her . Which is pretty nice since she often stays away from a crowd as so
Now- Time To Battle T h a n o s
Well, things went from bad to worse real quick!
Only thing that could top this is if Typhon himself pops up, full-powered.
So our heroes finally come face-to-face with the Mad Titan. I imagine that there will be some dialogue before the fighting starts.
Can’t wait for Saturday’s update. Assuming we don’t skip back to Earth in the next chapter.
9337677 Ultimately doooooomed.
9337753 And the ultimate battle...
9337761 Nearly everything she’s seen... ultimately came true...
9337863 Mind pointing out where the errors are? I can’t see all of them.
9337897 Pretty nasty/awesome move by Stark.
9337966 Time to get dangerous...
9338078 Thanks! Hopefully I’ll get the next chapter out soon!
9338325 One of Typhon’s children indeed.
9338493 Will he ever be ready?
9338712 The Battle of the Badlands has begun.
9339070 Next several chapters are gonna focus on this upcoming battle.
9339089
When thanos is defeated I want you to make his death long, slow and painful.
9339089
Look forward to it
Also I gotta say it was a little strange, for me at least, to read the part when Tony blasted a hole into the back of the serpent. Why exactly did he do that? Does he not trust Fluttershy's judgment anymore or are there other reasonings/factors in play?
With my last comment asking about Fluttershy, and not seeing anyone else having yet to ask this, but I have been wondering is anyone else concerned about when/how Fluttershy is going to find out about Discord?
I don't see why Thanos needed to destroy Quill, Spider-Man did it for him.
9339092
I'm afraid that the upcoming battle might not go well...
Oh come now! Thanos just hasn't had his coffee yet. He'll look much better by noon, trust me.
9339167 It's more like Tony to attack instead of planning, as he said in the first Avengers film. He saw an opportunity and he took it.
9339206 The roast of Star-Lord.
9339268 They sometimes don't...
9339272 It's the nutsack chin. Gets people every time.
9339338
Guess that makes sense
Oh shit . . .
9339138
Oh please, if that's the way it is, that makes the heroes no better than the BAD GUYS.
9339617 Just wait for next chapter...
media1.tenor.com/images/b03f76420dff7b222990e180c9f743b5/tenor.gif?itemid=8527280
9339338
It's.
Uneasy.
9339629
If he wiped out everyone you held dear, wouldn't you want some sort of strong payback? I certainly would, holding my family and friends most dearly.
9334944
It's the INNER machinations of my mind are an enigma
9339338
I hope Spider-Man makes the egg laying reference and Tony goes "I don't want to hear another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of the trip"
Also, "I like the plan except is sucks so let me have the plan and it'll be really good"
9339856 Can't have all the best quotes, unfortunately.
Anyone up for another kicker for the road?
9339706
HA!
Oh... I made myself sad
9339848
lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/WSEEjQmmcgwlJPdqN2XQyV50Z0iMJD6NHAlSxi97v3Kpax8-5nioAUSVZPWnByoMZy9BBEisOwxy_757ctTl3YJlY0tssT1TkwR2xBM=w324-h243-nc
9339822
Yeah a strong one. But a bloody and painful one? Sounds like a job for an antihero, a deadpool, or a vigilante like Castle.
They're F***ed especially Rarity's Psyche
Poor Rarity. She really could use a hug.
9339977 What?
9340173 Definitely that.
9340190 A big, warm, crushing, killing, Thanos hug.
9340236
That those dialogues from the film are hilarious, most may be thrown out the screen. Ah nut.
Well that seemed to be a little unnecessary. What the heck Tony!!!
Ah great so now Thanos has a snake army?!? Well I guess the heroes numbers grew from the movie so I guess it’s fair. At least it isn’t Thanos.
*later in the chapter*
Thanos: Yo what’s up?
Oh Thanos..... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
https://m.This was funny
9343240 Tony's favorite plan is attack so...
9343407
9348299
Well I thought it had a humorous atmosphere. Did I miss something?
9348448
No. Just a reminder of a fallen God.
9348451
Oh ok