Chapter 55 – Keep Away
55
Badlands, Equestria
Northern Valley
8.5 Miles Away from Mount Tartarus
10:22 a.m.
The sun shone heavy, the ash falling from the plume of darkness spewing from Mount Tartarus. Across the Badlands, the shrieks and cries of the serpents traveled for miles on end, hundreds of the beasts arisen within the valleys. They remained between Mount Tartarus and the cataclysmic battle occurring between the Mad Titan, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Guardians of the Galaxy, New York’s Defenders, the Sorcerer Supreme, and the Punisher.
All of which were missing in action, leaving just Thanos facing the six Elements of Harmony, Starlight Glimmer, and Sunset Shimmer. And they stood between him and the Vision. Between him and the Mind Stone.
Between him and his destiny.
Thanos’ smile faded, leaving just an annoyed sneer as he began his approach. The moment he moved forward, each of the ponies instinctively reacted. Applejack and Rainbow Dash took defensive positions in front of their friends. Rarity and Fluttershy cowered behind Starlight and Sunset, the two unicorns trying to put on brave faces but only furthering their own anxieties the longer they stared upon the Titan. Pinkie Pie gulped, looking to Twilight to guidance. For help. For leadership.
And Twilight…
She didn’t know.
She didn’t know how to handle a situation like the one laid out right before her. If they moved, if he got his hands on Vision, if he took out the Stone… their friend… would die. Twilight didn’t know if she could handle that again, especially having witnessed Discord’s death not too long ago. Twilight already firmly made her position clear, refusing to move even as the Titan approached them. Yet if they didn’t move, if they tried to stand against Thanos again, then she didn’t know what would happen. He was strong enough to kill Discord, powerful enough to hold off against the Avengers, and so relentless that he tossed her friends around like they were ragdolls. He took a paralysis spell right in the chest and didn’t even flinch. There was something about him, about Thanos, that Twilight just couldn’t understand. That she just didn’t know.
That she just didn’t know how powerful he was.
And that made her terrified of him.
Any sympathy she could have had for him and the loss of his home world, his people, and everything he once had completely burned away the moment Discord had in his grasp. There was no more sympathy to be given, no more thoughts on whether or not Thanos could be reasoned with. He made his position clear and he was coming for the Mind Stone, ensuring that no one would stand in his way. The Guardians, the Defenders, the Avengers, and everyone else already experienced that.
But Twilight stood her ground. Even if it meant giving their life, Twilight would ensure that her friends—and Vision especially—would be safe. There was no more power in the entire universe that could change her mindset, no strength greater than her love for her friends, and the duty she would uphold as the Princess of Friendship.
He reached back and unsheathed the massive blade from his backside. Twilight’s eyes widened, her heart dropping when she spotted the blade. It arose from behind him with a sickening slicing sound, the blade seeming to emanate power when it came into view. The sun shimmered against its edge, Thanos swiping at the air once before letting the sword rest on his right side, still gripped tightly in his palm. Vision groaned behind the Alicorn, Twilight gazing back for a moment to see him trying to lean forward, clutching his abdomen in pain.
He stared passed her, Twilight’s eyes following his to land once more on the Mad Titan. And he just kept getting closer.
Applejack, managing to find that spark of courage, shot out her hoof and yelled, “Now, y-you stay back, ya hear?!”
She tried to keep on a hardened frown, and knew the difficulties that came with doing that when facing something—or someone—that truly terrified her. Thanos was unmerciful, relentless, just the sight of his eyes caused every mare, Rainbow included, to shiver at their hooves. Yet for some reason, perhaps the wearied strength in Applejack’s voice, Thanos stopped.
That brief moment of rising optimism completely fell apart when they saw Thanos tilt his head skywards, his eyes gazing off into the east. Then came the loss of sunlight, the approaching shadow upon the Badlands. The temperatures instantly began to cool, the eight mares looking from the sand and following the shadows—and even Thanos' gaze—towards the east.
In the distance, beneath the smog and barely blocking the sun, planet Earth hovered just over the Badlands, approaching slowly with each passing second. The sunlight glinted off the edge of the hemisphere, sending a blinding light across the Badlands. Thanos stared straight into the light, his face flinching at the brightness. It wouldn’t be long before Earth was directly over the Badlands. He could already feel gravity starting to shift, becoming lighter. He heard the serpents in the distance, their cries of anguish and freedom, all mixed together in a resounding chorus of salvation. He turned back to the mares and saw all eight of them do the same, meeting his gaze.
He saw the terror flush their eyes, the forced courage each of them tried to evoke. Pathetic. With what Thanos had seen so far from them, they were nothing short of a disappointment. How such creatures could have bested a being as powerful as Typhon was even more of a disappointment. And now they stood between him and his destiny. Like so many before them…
“Amidst two changing worlds, you still find reasons to resist the inevitable,” Thanos declared, beginning his slow, steady approach to the eight ponies. They tensed up, readying themselves in defensive positions. Thanos didn’t even flinch. “This day will extract a heavy toll, and when the time comes you eight… will suffer more than anyone.”
Twilight’s horn ignited, alongside Starlight and Sunset’s. Thanos paused for a moment, watching as many of their expressions were forced to change from fear to determination. False strength, dying hope, and worthless efforts for an inevitable conclusion. Their resistance was strong, certainly. That much Thanos could give and humor them.
Thanos didn’t even smile to their show of resistance. His brow furrowed, a low breath leaving his nostrils. He gripped his blade even tighter. The Infinity Gauntlet tightened in his left hand, the three Infinity Stones glowing softly. Thanos met their furious eyes. Every last one of them. “Unless… you move.”
“Not a chance, Prune Face,” Rainbow growled, her hoof pawing at the dirt.
Thanos’ nostrils flared at that name, a small smirk tugging at his lips. Rainbow’s resistance was shared amongst them, a unified strength the ponies each held. They didn’t know when to quit. They didn’t know the type of power that stood before them. They didn’t know… how reality truly functioned. And how could they? They’ve lived in a fantasy world, knowing only what their superiors have told them. They’ve never experienced true loss, true suffering, like the kind he had. Like the kind… someone else had.
“Foolish equines… You’ve known so long what it’s like to win,” Thanos said. He gazed back to the serpents, saw them screech and cry to Mount Tartarus, to the heavens. To everything they’ve lost. Thanos gazed longingly, almost sullenly to them, his eyes falling at long last. “Soon… you’ll know what it’s like to lose.”
He turned back to them. Not a single one of them relinquished. Not a single one of them moved. They still stood as one, between him and the Mind Stone. Thanos slowly lifted his left hand and crushed it into a fist. The Reality Stone glowed a vicious red, and the rest followed suit. The sand beneath their hooves began to react, the mares looking from the Titan to the very ground beneath them.
What felt like a shock wave were merely waves of sand that pushed everypony aside. The mares yelped and screamed as the waves pushed against or even carried them away. It was strong enough to send ponies rolling down nearby hills, others slammed against the sides of rocks or the remains of deceased monsters. The wave of sand finally subsided, each mare far from where they once more, all gone and leaving just the Vision lying by himself. Thanos narrowed his eyes, dropping the Gauntlet and swinging his sword outwards, continuing his approach, much more quickened steps than before.
Vision tried to stand, gritting his teeth as he pressed his left fist into the dirt and pushed himself upwards. The Power Stone’s essence continued to radiate and eat away on his person, another painful scream leaving him as the Mind Stone shone even brighter than before, Thanos’ eyes latched with it. The distance between them was shortening, Vision resorting to simply crawling back and furthering the distance. Thanos shortened it even faster. He was so focused on Vision that he hardly paid any heed to the pink pony resting on his shoulder, nor did he ever feel her presence there.
He definitely heard her when she whipped out a megaphone from her mane and pressed it against his ear, shouting, “HI, MY NAME’S PINKIE PIE! WHAT’S YOUR—?!”
Thanos roared at the assault on his eardrums, rearing to the side and reaching for Pinkie on his right shoulder. The Gauntlet grabbed nothing but air, Thanos already looking up when he saw the small tuft of pink mane hanging over his eyesight. With her hooves pressed firmly against his bald head, Pinkie scoffed and shouted, “You didn’t even let me finish! I was going to ask what your favorite—!”
Thanos pried at his head with the Gauntlet, once more grabbing nothing but air. For some odd reason, Pinkie shot out from beneath his attire, her snout pressed to his nose as she gasped for air. “Gosh, it is hard to breathe in there! Anyway, as I was saying—!”
Bellowing in anger, Thanos clenched the Gauntlet and punched his chest, exactly where the pink nuisance was. Except, she wasn’t. He only ended up punching his own chest, Thanos staggering back from the force of the Infinity Gauntlet. Looking about his person, Thanos snarled and lifted the Gauntlet, clenching his fist and igniting the Reality Stone. Upon his command, the burst of red energy escaped from him, Pinkie Pie caught within the wave and forced to lie in front of him. She tumbled across the sand, her eyes bouncing and her head wobbling.
“Whoa, what a rush,” Pinkie muttered, shaking her head and gazing back up to the Mad Titan. Frowning, Pinkie shot back up on all four hooves, crying, “One second! How am I supposed to know your favorite type of rock if you won’t even let me ask?! Oh, by the way, what’s your favorite type of rock? I was just asking because my sister Maud just loves rocks, and you seem to have a pretty nice collection your—!”
Thanos chuckled. Pinkie’s rambling stopped, the party pony meeting Thanos’ eyes and watching as he stood straight up. Sword in hand, gauntlet in the other, Thanos met Pinkie’s eyes. He said, “Aren’t you a persistent one.”
Pinkie flashed a smirk, waving her hoof. “I try.”
“I’ll give you a choice,” Thanos said, holding out his blade so the edge was centered just over her neck. Despite the great distance between them, Thanos could easily dash forward and remove her head if the situation called for it. He liked her, though. He smiled her way, saying, “Move or die.”
Licking her lips, Pinkie lowered herself in a defensive position, a look of raw determination practically glowing from her facial features. She smirked at him, nodding his way. “Bring it on, Cable!”
Thanos lifted the Infinity Gauntlet, the Power Stone shimmering. But before he could close his gauntlet, he felt a strong burst of wind strike him from the left side, hitting him right in the cheekbone. Turning towards the source, Thanos watched as Rainbow Dash zoomed across the sky, came down, and slid to a screeching, dust-covered halt right by Pinkie’s side, the two of them standing once more between him and Vision. Thanos sneered, lurching forward when he felt the strong kick in the back of his head, followed by three stronger magical blasts all hitting him at once. Raising his gauntlet, Thanos blocked the beams of magic and turned towards their source.
Applejack galloped forward and slid to a stop on Rainbow’s left, being the pony responsible for bucking him in the back of the head. Descending towards the three mares, Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight continued holding their magical beams on the Mad Titan until he swiped at them with his gauntlet, cutting off the streams. Starlight’s magic around her body faded, letting her plop on the ground next to Applejack. Sunset’s own fiery red magic faded from her body as well, the unicorn joining Princess Twilight directly in front of the group. Fluttershy joined shortly, standing on Pinkie’s right, holding a bit more confidence in her eyes knowing she was standing amongst friends to face their foe.
And Rarity…
She remained hidden behind a pile of rocks, gazing fearfully onto the battle before her. No amount of strength she could muster could get her away from the rock she clutched onto and hid behind. No amount of strength was found in the shivering, whimpering unicorn.
Standing back up to full height, Thanos lowered the Infinity Gauntlet and, once more, saw the ponies standing in his way. Defending the Vision. Defending the Mind Stone with everything that they were. And if everything that they were was more than what Thanos had seen previously, then perhaps the fight ahead would not be a complete waste of time. Perhaps… he may just have to use some effort.
“Oh, you ponies are such an amusing race,” Thanos commented, lifting his head so his eyes rose to meet theirs. None of them backed down this time. They all held the same fury and strength that Twilight—and even Pinkie Pie—had. Thanos smiled at that. He clenched both of his fists, the right gripping the blade and the left igniting the strength of the Power Stone.
“It’s a shame all things must come to an end.”
Thanos finished that statement with a powerful, echoing roar, slamming the Gauntlet straight into the earth. Rocks split apart, the earth trembling as a wave of purple shot out and encompassed each mare, yet not moving them as Twilight’s protective shield in front protected them. The resulting tremor wouldn’t, each pony shooting off in a different direction as rocks shot up into the air and the earth was ripped apart in long, purple gashes. The ground they once stood on was torn to shreds in a wave of purple, only spreading so far and ending shortly after.
Lifting his gauntlet from the dirt, Thanos brought his attention forward and grunted as Rainbow Dash dive-bombed him, driving her hind leg right into his forehead. Thanos staggered back, lifting his gauntlet to shield himself as Twilight flew around him, firing off multiple spells to wound or slow him down. They did neither, Thanos swiping downwards at her with his blade. Twilight’s jaw fell, her horn igniting as she flashed away in a bright whiteness. Thanos’ sword hit nothing but rock and dirt, the Mad Titan ripping his blade out of the earth and looking about for where the princess would appear next.
His gaze loomed across the battleground, seeing many rocks glowing a violent purple rise from the earth he destroyed and hover in place. Obviously due to the lower gravity brought forth from Earth hanging over the Badlands, as Thanos hadn’t used the Space Stone recently to lower the gravity himself. Upon one of the rocks, a flash of white appeared, Thanos already preparing to meet Twilight’s gaze. He raised his gauntlet towards it…
Only to witness Starlight Glimmer appearing on one of the many floating rocks surrounding him.
Thanos lowered his gauntlet, meeting the eyes of the unicorn. Starlight met his dull blue, her heated glare not once backing down. Her horn remained ignited in a bright turquoise, the unicorn glaring down to the Titan beneath her. For a moment, that’s all there was. Just a face off between the Titan and the pony. Thanos spotted her horn, seeing the magic practically radiate off of it.
“Any more magic tricks?” he spat.
Starlight tilted her head only slightly, still holding that glare. A short, willful smirk tugged at her lips. “I have a few up my sleeve,” she responded. “Ever heard of Similo Duplexis?”
Ready to end the pitiful confrontation, Thanos hesitated only when he watched her horn—and more so her magic—begin to change. A swirl of white encompassed the light turquoise, another white flash following. Thanos blinked, and within that time of less than a second, he watched as not one, but two, then three, and so many more Starlight Glimmers began to appear. Each new Starlight would appear on a floating rock, some even surrounding Thanos on ground-level until he was completely outnumbered by a number he couldn’t even count.
The spell had ended, each duplicate of Starlight shouting, “But on a larger scale!”
Thanos spun about, gritting his teeth when he counted all of the false unicorns, having already lost track of the original of which they spurred from. Her voice brought him back to what he presumed to be the original, Starlight Glimmer smirking his way. “Mixed with Excelero…” she muttered, her horn once more igniting a fierce turquoise.
Before he could react, Thanos felt a great force impact him from below, striking at the back of his leg. He turned around, seeing nothing but the line of Starlights with their horns aglow. Another blow on his back, causing him to hunch forward. They came too quickly. He couldn’t react fast enough. One Starlight after another shot forward with speeds even Thanos couldn’t counter with, delivering a punch, a kick, or even a magical blast whenever they flashed past him. The Titan staggered back and forth, mere blurs of each Starlight zooming across his body every second. With each painful grunt that left him, Thanos only grew more and more irritated. The hits were like playful slaps to him, they just came at a quickened pace. Growing rather tired of the feeble attacks, Thanos lifted his gauntlet and crushed it into a fist, the Space Stone sending a wave of force that sent each Starlight back.
The ponies picked themselves up, each Starlight still holding that fearsome glare as each of their horns glowed even brighter than previously. In one conjoined manner, the army of Starlights fired beams of magical energy onto Thanos, who lifted his arms to shield himself from it. From her pitiful hits from earlier, Thanos had to admit that her magical strength was definitely an improvement. Definitely not strong enough to take him down, but powerful enough for him to know it had to end soon.
Roaring as the magic continued to blast against, Thanos raised the Infinity Gauntlet high into the air, crushing it and the Reality and Power Stones glowing in unison. The sand around him already began to swirl at his feet, forming multiple tendrils that glowed a fierce purple. The tendrils shot out, broke through the magical beams, and impaled each Starlight right through the heart. The Power Stone’s energy completely destroyed the false duplicates, Thanos watching as the tendrils struck their targets and vaporized them. All except for one…
Starlight gasped, bringing up a magical shield just as the tendril struck it. The sand faded away, the unicorn removing her shield to see Thanos smiling menacingly up to her. Her heart fell. He looked nowhere else because there weren’t any other copies of Starlight to be seen. Not a one… but her.
“There you are,” Thanos growled, ripping the very fabric of space surrounding Starlight. The Space Stone glowed violently, yanking Starlight from atop the floating rock and bringing her right into Thanos' awaiting grasp. Starlight yelped, losing her breath when Thanos gripped her by her throat, holding her out and gazing right into her fearful eyes. That fear only continued to rise when she realized that he literally held her life in his hand.
Prying at the Gauntlet’s fingers, Starlight continued to struggle. Thanos observed the mare for a moment. “You’re strong,” he said, watching as she stopped struggling and gazed right at him, right into his eyes. He slammed the end of his blade right into the earth, causing Starlight to gasp and turn her eyes to it, then back to him, watching as he reached for her forehead. For her horn. “Let’s see how strong you really are.”
With that ominous threat given, Thanos gripped her horn with his finger and thumb, already bending it at an awkward angle. Starlight tried to flash away, to escape, but couldn’t the moment he began bending her horn. Starlight shut her eyes tight, screaming in agony as she felt her horn being viciously pried apart from her head. Thanos ignored her screams, focused only on the horn and the effects he was doing to it. Magical spurts of energy shot out, none of which hurt him. A turquoise light shimmered from her horn, tiny cracks appearing at the very base, slowly but surely rising up as Thanos continued to put on the pressure.
Right before he snapped her horn, a blur of red tackled him with such force that Thanos completely relinquished the unicorn from his grasp. Starlight hit the dirt with a painful thud, Starlight rising up only slightly before collapsing in exhaustion and agony, a painful migraine growing around the base of her wounded horn.
Vision tussled with the Mad Titan as they flew across the wasteland. Planting his feet into the dirt, Vision roared as he threw the Titan directly into a pile of dragon bones. Thanos’ back impacted the spine of the deceased creature, the Titan looking up and watching as the Vision charged up the Mind Stone, firing a golden beam of energy right for Thanos’ heart. Instinctively raising the gauntlet, Thanos blocked the beam of gold, directing it to impact Vision instead. The android fell back from the blow, rolling several yards away.
Thanos once again began his approach to the wounded android, pausing only when he saw the orange portal appear on his right. He looked to it, fully expecting the wizard to appear. Instead, he was mildly surprised to see the golden unicorn leap out of it. He was even more surprised to feel his entire body enveloped in her magic, the unicorn actually ripping him from the ground and flinging him completely over her. Thanos impacted the ground head first, spewing dirt and rock upon impact.
Sunset Shimmer landed on all four hooves, skidding across the dirt and spinning accordingly to face both Thanos and the portal. The portal vanished, a second one appearing directly behind Thanos, unveiling Doctor Strange. Hopping through and hovering in mid-air, Strange witnessed Thanos lying on his chest. “Good work, Sunset!” he called to the unicorn, nodding to her.
Sunset nodded back, quickly turning to Thanos once more. They watched as Thanos began to rise up from the dust. Acting fast, Strange expelled the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak from his right fingertips, the bright red bands wrapping tightly around Thanos’ arms and gauntlet. The Titan struggled against the magical bands, Strange closing his fingers together and tightening them even further.
Already physically struggling to keep Thanos down, Doctor Strange looked down to the unicorn. “The freezing spell, now!” he called to her.
Sunset nodded once more, her horn’s magical aura shifting from red to a bright blue. Twisting her neck, already feeling the piercing coolness consume her horn, Sunset grunted as she fired the freeze spell right for Thanos’ torso. The bright blue enveloped his body, starting from his legs and swallowing his entire body. Thanos looked down, watching as the ice crystals already devoured his lower body and were quickly rising up to consume the rest of him. Struggling against Strange’s magic, Thanos still managed to bring his left forearm forward, closing his fist and unleashing the Power Stone’s strength.
Sunset could only watch as her spell ended just short, purple veins covering the outside of the ice crystal until it exploded. Shielding herself with her magic, Sunset was nearly blown away from the force of the Power Stone, but managed to hold her ground. Doctor Strange, however, was not so fortunate. Flung back from the explosion, Stephen looked only to watch as Thanos ripped him out of the air with the Space Stone, flinging him right for the army of serpents deeper into the Badlands. Strange soared right at them, quickly raising his Sling Ring and creating a portal right before the nearest serpent could chomp at him. He flew through the portal and landed with a painful thud elsewhere, almost close by Thanos and Sunset’s showdown.
As Thanos ripped his legs from the remaining ice shards keeping him locked with the ground, Sunset Shimmer lowered her shield and gazed to the Mad Titan. Finally free, Thanos stepped forth and zeroed his eyes on the unicorn responsible for almost trapping him in a block of ice. He frowned.
Sunset breathed steadily, sweat glinting off her forehead from the early morning sun. The sun’s light shone upon the fiery-maned unicorn, even glowing off of her red geode. She almost crumbled beneath Thanos’ fierce glare. Without aid from Doctor Strange, she was just another pony standing in Thanos’ way. Just another pony who could fail. Her doubts kept telling her that, but Sunset knew otherwise. She knew not to underestimate herself, because she was something Thanos had never seen before.
And she would be certain he knew that.
“If ice won’t stop you…” Sunset breathed, gazing onto the rising sun, then back to the Mad Titan, a spark in her eyes, “… maybe a little fire can.”
His brow tightened at that response, Thanos readying himself for whatever the unicorn had in store. Even he was slightly surprised to see her following actions. Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes, her horn glowing a soft red, as it usually had when she concocted a spell. However, it only grew brighter and brighter and brighter as the seconds ticked away. So bright in fact that Thanos had to shield his eyes from the brightness, the Gauntlet raised to block out the increasing rays. He could still see what was happening to her, Thanos’ lips twitching in agitation at the increasing light…
As well as the heat.
What Thanos could see was nothing compared to what had actually become of Sunset. Her magic consumed her, the unicorn slowly rising up from the earth, shards of shattered rock rising alongside her. The brightness from her horn, from her magic, from her very essence shimmered in a way that rivaled that of the sun. Thanos could only watch and wait as Sunset held out her hooves, the ends of each nearly touching one another. The magic began to grow more intense, sparks of fire shooting off from her body, Thanos watching the entire ordeal with a somewhat amused expression on his face.
She kept her head low, a tornado of literal fire surrounding her, covering her body, yet none of it seemed to harm the unicorn. Not even a flinch of pain from her. She was as one with the fire as she was with her own soul and mind. Thanos could watch, he could hear as she finally spoke. When she finally spoke in a quiet, almost painfully quiet whisper…
“I answer the Call of the Phoenix.”
… that’s when she erupted.
When Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes, they were as pearly white as that of fresh snow, as bright and powerful as the face of the sun. The tornado of fire consumed her very being, exploding outwards and revealing a pair of phoenix wings erupting from her sides. Her mane looked to be like it was literally on fire, her tail and wings radiating ashes and burning cinders.
Thanos grinned. Showing her true power. “Finally.”
He reared forward and fired a violet beam from the Power Stone. Sunset responded by shooting out her hoof, a torrent of flames spewing outwards and meeting Thanos’ blast. The two forces met, a stream of energy showering outwards where they struck one another. Despite Sunset’s greatest magic holding well, it only lasted so long. The strength of the Power Stone was unmatched by any other spell known to ponykind, the stream of violet quickly breaking through the fire and reaching the pony. It would have had Sunset not already vanished.
Her phoenix wings pushed her out of the way, the unicorn flying straight for Thanos and even managing to go through the Power Stone’s beam for just a short moment. A burning, magical bubble surrounded Sunset as she tore through the purple stream of energy, eventually bringing her face to face with the Mad Titan.
And she didn’t hold back.
Every ounce of strength, of magic, of fight that was within Sunset Shimmer was unleashed when she engaged Thanos in close combat. She drove her hind legs forward first, the added energy from her phoenix magic being enough to knock Thanos straight into the earth. She didn’t hesitate, unleashing a bright flurry of flames straight from her horn and right into the earth. As the flames subsided, Sunset could only see the rock and dirt where Thanos once was.
To her far left, appearing in the distance was blue and black portal, and the Titan himself stepped out of it. Sunset turned in that direction, eyes widened to see the Reality Stone glowing a bright red. Then, to her continued shock, she watched as the air around Thanos began to shift, swirling from a gas… to liquid water. Thanos shot out his left hand, streams of water following in the direction he ordered. Unable to escape, Sunset raised her wings as a protective shield and felt the impact of the below-freezing water on her wings. She grit her teeth, screaming as the water eradicated the flames and continuously pushed her back further and further, making her smaller and smaller. Dousing the flames until they were nothing.
Until only a soaked, heavily-breathing Sunset Shimmer was all that was left. Thanos sneered, transforming the water surrounding him into sharpened blades of ice, of which he hurled straight for the unicorn. Gasping at that, Sunset looked up to her right and spotted a piece of rock hovering in the distance. Her horn ignited and she was gone, just as the ice shards struck the earth where she once stood. With each flash, Sunset appeared and disappeared, hopping from rock to rock, firing a concussive spell on the Mad Titan, ultimately growing closer with each blast. Thanos struggled to find his target, the mare constantly appearing then disappearing. A concussive spell struck him right in the head, the Titan staggering backwards and shaking away the dizziness.
Just as Sunset Shimmer appeared directly above him. Her horn charged up, ready to fire an even greater spell on the unsuspecting Titan. Something she should have learned by now…
Thanos was almost always suspecting it.
He shot out his right hand and snatched her right out of the air. Sunset yelped, gasping in shock to feel Thanos’ palm wrap around her chest, throat, and belly. She completely lost her breath when he swung her around and actually drove her right into the ground. She could actually feel the earth split and break apart beneath her from the force of the impact, the unicorn unable to take in the much-needed gasp of air on account of Thanos’ palm crushing her chest. She pried at his fingers with her hooves, her eyes shutting tight as she struggled to break free.
All the while Thanos just sneered above her. “I thought you’d be a formidable fighter, but you’re just like all the others. Nothing special about you,” he growled, watching the unicorn thrash beneath his hand. But she wasn’t listening to him.
She only stopped thrashing when her eyes lit up a brilliant white once more, her geode shimmering a bright red, her hooves pressed to Thanos’ fingers. Then she saw everything.
A world completely ripped apart. Bodies of an unknown species lying to the left, a far more sinister species walking amongst the massacre, searching for survivors only to silence them. To the right, there were those who were spared, those crying and reaching for their loved ones not so fortunate as them. The ones lying in their own blood.
Sunset Shimmer saw it all. She saw it all with the most horrified and gruesome expression she could muster. Not only having to witness the dead bodies numbering in the hundreds, Sunset could also see a world under siege by alien invaders, gigantic ships and creatures pockmarking the skylines and the invading species inflicting their will upon the populace. Screams resounded in the distance. Fires ate away at crumbling buildings. Ash fell from the bright morning skies.
Sunset witnessed nothing short of the beauty of annihilation.
“Let us go now.”
Sunset caught her breath. She knew that voice.
“Where are we going?” a child’s voice asked.
To her surprise, Sunset watched as two forms walked past her, one giant… and one so small. She was but a ghost, an observer to what her geode—her magic—wanted her to see. She couldn’t intervene no matter how much she would have wished. Instead, she observed the great titan standing before the child, her green skin and black and red hair splotched with dirt and grime of the chaos surrounding them. The titan, the Mad Titan, stared down to her, wearing what appeared to be heavy, golden armor, almost ceremonial in a sense.
The world fell apart around them, those living behind the child and those dead behind the Titan. Sunset watched as the Titan bent down to one knee, resting his massive palm on the child’s shoulder. With as much sincerity he could muster, he said, “Somewhere to keep you safe.”
“What about my mother?” the child asked. The Titan made no movement. “My mother… my father?!”
A rock struck Thanos’ cheek.
“Gamora!”
Sunset, the child, Thanos, and the nearby Chitauri all turned accordingly to the voice. They all watched as two Zehoberei citizens broke through the surviving crowds and charged the Great Titan with no fear in their hearts. The Chitauri instantly surrounded them, knocked them to their knees, and held them down. They struggled to fight back against their enforcers. Sunset and the child could only watch the terror unfold. Then Thanos plucked the toy from the child’s hands, marching forward and standing before the two foolish citizens.
Thanos caressed his cheek where the rock had struck, ultimately meeting the father’s furious eyes. He smiled. “You stay away from my daughter!” the woman, the mother, screamed.
The woman. The man. The daughter. She remembered the name the father gave the child. Sunset gasped, her body flinching as two short blades expelled from the toy.
And as the curse of the observer, she could only watch as Thanos slit their throats. Right before the child’s eyes. Their bodies joined the others, the Chitauri dragging them into the slaughter. Sunset was practically shaking, but she couldn’t even imagine how the child must be feeling. Thanos grabbed her wrist, practically dragging her away from what remained of her life. And the child screamed and cried, fighting him every step of the way.
And Sunset could only watch. The curse of the observer.
“Come now, Gamora. We have much to do.”
Sunset blinked away the whiteness from her eyes, her hooves falling from Thanos’ fingers. She couldn’t blink away the tears, streams slipping from each eye and slowly cascading to the dirt beneath her head. Thanos’ brow tightened at that, his eyes digging deeper into her million-mile stare and seeing…
He didn’t know what. Whatever it was, it was something the pony shouldn’t have.
Further increasing the pressure of his hand over the mare, Thanos fully expected her to react to it. Except she didn’t. She laid on her back almost as if she were dead, horror riddled in her expression. He knew she was alive. He could her feel her terrified heart racing against his palm.
“Demon… what did you see?” he snarled, clenching the Infinity Gauntlet until all three Stones glowed violently, dangerously close to Sunset. She never answered.
Thanos never found out.
Spider-Man appeared through a bright orange portal and punched Thanos right in the cheek.
“Magic!” Peter Parker shouted, slipping through another portal. Thanos staggered to the right, feeling the palms against his head and watching as the Spider-Man drove his feet right into his chest. “More magic!” He disappeared once more through another portal.
Then appeared through one more. “Magic with a kick!” Peter shouted, driving his boot in Thanos’ head the moment he said that. And just like last time, he vanished through a portal. Thanos snarled. Shaking away the weariness and listening for the sound. The spark of the portal, followed shortly with, “Magic with a—!”
Thanos spun around, driving his fist right into the chest of the Spider-Man. Peter screamed as he flew, disappearing amongst the bones scattered within the wasteland. “Insect!” Thanos shouted, flinching once he felt the billy club strike him right in the eyebrow. Thanos turned accordingly, looking to see the billy club return to the hand that threw it.
Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Gamora all charged and engaged with Thanos. Blades and billy clubs were blocked by Thanos’ gauntlet, Luke’s strength met by one greater than his. Thanos caught Luke’s punch with the Gauntlet, lifting the man off the ground and sending an even stronger punch right into his chest. Gamora rolled under Luke’s body as he flew over her, the assassin swinging Godslayer right for Thanos’ leg.
In the distance, on another hill, Doctor Strange stepped forth via portal. He witnessed the skirmish unfold before him, Murdock and Gamora hopelessly outmatched for the Titan. They held their own, but only for a moment. It wouldn’t last until—
“Hey, Criss Angel, give me something!”
Turning towards the voice, Strange spotted Jessica Jones running right for Thanos when his back was turned. Obviously referring to him, Stephen complied and pressed his hands together, twisting them and forming two fists. He pulled the fists apart, creating a string of Eldritch Magic between his hands. When the pommel was finished, Strange brought his fists back together, shooting out his fingers and creating a flurry of sparks. Ultimately, he created a weapon. A sledgehammer.
He flung it right across the valley, the hammer spinning rapidly right for the woman he sent it to. Jessica caught it with pure ease, her enhanced strength giving her everything she needed to handle the hammer, carry it without slowing down, and deliver it with just as much force as she intended. When she grew close enough, Jessica reared back and drove the head of the sledgehammer right into the back of Thanos’ leg. The Titan roared at that, falling to one knee and looking down to meet his assailant.
Jessica glared at him, through every second as she drove the sledgehammer’s head right beneath his chin. The force of the hit, coupled with the Private Eye’s increased strength, sent Thanos straight into the air. He went flying for several yards, eventually coming to a painful crash. As Thanos slowly began to rise, he was met once more with a fist right into his cheek. Staggering in the opposite direction, the Titan turned forward to see who had struck and stand before him… face to face.
Danny Rand, the Immortal Iron Fist, with his clothes tattered and blood leaking from his forehead, met the Titan’s glare with one just as savage. Thanos glared at him, his nostrils flaring. He looked from Danny’s eyes bleeding with determination to his right fist, noticing it shaking, held out in a threatening manner.
Thanos didn’t hesitate. He got back up, reared his left arm back, clenched his fist, and sent the Infinity Gauntlet with all three Stones’ powers fueling it right for the Iron Fist. Danny Rand did the same, bringing his right arm back, his fist already clenched, igniting into a bright, blinding gold. Both drove their fists forward. Both held the intention to kill with their strikes. Both met each other halfway.
The Infinity Gauntlet and the Iron Fist connected.
What resulted nearly shook the world.
Those who had intentionally tried to charge Thanos in his wounded state—such as Gamora, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie—were all blown back while they mere feet from Thanos’ presence. The resulting shock wave from the collision of the Iron Fist and the Infinity Gauntlet sent everyone and everypony flying backwards. Some went a few yards, some went several, but all felt the powerful gust of energy from the collision. The only ones still standing within the vicinity were Thanos and Danny Rand.
Danny almost couldn’t believe it.
Neither could Thanos.
They both looked to their fists in shock, Danny more so than Thanos. The Mad Titan took no more chances to wait and finished the confrontation. He smacked Rand in the side of the head, the Iron Fist flipping through the air before he came to a painful crash amongst a pile of rocks, where he laid groaning in pain.
Thanos hunched forward, feeling a powerful blast hit him in the back. Turning around, Thanos raised his gauntlet and used the Reality Stone to block the oncoming sniper fire. The bullets turned to mist before they could even reach Thanos. Spotting the location of the sniper with a glint from the sun aiding him, Thanos pointed the Infinity Gauntlet right for it, ordering with a loud and powerful voice, “Typhon!”
From where she lay, Twilight Sparkle lifted up her head, her ears perking up when he said that name.
From atop the hill in the distance, the Punisher and Rocket Raccoon could feel the earth shaking beneath them. Having just spent the rest of his sniper ammunition on the Titan, Frank Castle was just about to come up with a new tactic when he felt the world tremble beneath him. Rocket, Groot, and Mantis all felt the same.
“It’s coming!” Mantis screamed, eyes gazing off into the distance, towards the sea of serpents.
“What’s coming?!” Frank shouted back.
He got his answer soon enough. The hill of which they stood upon erupted, sending rock, sand, and dirt in nearly every direction. Frank, Rocket, Groot, and Mantis fell back, rolling down the hill. Only Rocket and Frank were able to catch themselves, looking up to see yet another serpent rising before them. Its scales were black and brown, just as last time. Its eyes glowed a vicious red with black slits centered their way, just as last time. It struck them… just as last time.
Only this time, Groot actually did something.
Several vines and wooden tendrils shot out from the ground, surrounding the serpent and keeping its jaws separated for the moment. As the creature thrashed within Groot’s grasp, both Rocket and Frank turned to the adolescent. “I am… Groot!” he shouted, palms digging deeper into the sand, obviously struggling to keep the monster at bay.
Frank may not have been able to speak Groot, but he could tell what Groot wanted him to do. Abandoning his sniper rifle, Frank reached back and plucked his shotgun right off of his belt. He loaded in the AA12’s drum mag and completely unloaded every shell right into the creature’s awaiting maw. Blood and venom shot out as he blew apart its gums, its fangs, as well as its tongue and the roof of its mouth. The serpent screeched and pulled back, Groot still managing to hold it in place.
“You’re being too generous with your shots!” Rocket shouted. He reached into his bag and plucked out a strange-looking grenade, something Castle had never seen nor thought it was a grenade at first. The raccoon chucked the device right into the creature’s mouth, yelling to Groot, “All right, you’re free to go, Groot!”
Once Groot released his vines from the serpent, the creature’s head thrashed about, turning back to Frank, Rocket, Groot, and Mantis. It hissed and lunged for them. Rocket smirked, pressing the button on his small device. The head of the serpent exploded in a bright, blue explosion, spewing blood and brain matter all over the group of four. The body of the serpent tilted back and forth before eventually crashing against the hill.
Frank slowly wiped his face of the crimson, spitting the remnants that managed to slip into his mouth. Groot acknowledged Frank’s disgust with his own, wiping at his arms as the blood leaked into him. Mantis stood blood-soaked and shivering. Rocket was laughing his ass off.
“Did ya see that?!” he exclaimed. “That serpent was so ready to chomp on us, it didn’t… it didn’t even expect the explosion! Ha, ha, ha, ha!”
He leaned against Frank’s pant leg, punching it again and again as his laughter never once subsided. Once it eventually did after nearly a full thirty seconds, Rocket broke away from Castle, wiping his eyes free of the tears and the blood. “Oh, man… I’ve got some problems.”
With their problems dealt with, all that left was the remaining heroes squaring off against the Mad Titan himself. Doctor Strange once more entered the fray. He was once more accompanied by Sunset Shimmer, the two of them now joined by Star-Lord as they were the only three up and standing to take on Thanos next.
Leaping from rock to rock, Peter Quill fired continuous blasts from his Quad Blaster, each shot striking Thanos. The first shot hit him in the back, bringing Thanos’ attention away from Strange. In response to Star-Lord’s attack, Thanos replied by firing blasts from the Power Stone right for him as he hopped from rock to rock. His ground was running out, Thanos ready to finish him once he landed on the earth. Unfortunately, Thanos only witnessed orange disks appearing once the rocks ran out, Quill hopping from each one closer and closer to Thanos. Another Quad Blaster shot struck Thanos in the shoulder. Noting the similar magic, Thanos spun around and struck Stephen in the side of his head with his right hand. The Sorcerer Supreme was sent flying backwards, coming to a painful crash upon the dirt and sand.
When Thanos turned back, he fully expected to see the disks vanish and Star-Lord falling to the earth. Instead, all he saw were even more disks, this time colored red instead of orange. Another shot from the Quad Blaster, another step closer to Thanos. Sunset Shimmer planted her hooves forward, her horn glowing a fierce red as she created stepping stones for Peter to hop on. She led him directly to Thanos, watching as Quill hopped over him, planted a bomb on his backside, and rolled on the other side. Thanos spun around, meeting the metal mask and glowing red eyes of Star-Lord.
To add insult to upcoming injury, Peter flipped him off, shouting, “Boom!” as he hopped back into one of Strange’s portals. Thanos raised his gauntlet, only to nearly fall flat on his chest when the bomb exploded.
High above the ground, Strange’s portal placed Star-Lord on a floating rock. With the lower gravity due to Earth hanging high overhead, Peter Quill was literally upside down as the rock tilted and hovered over Thanos. He didn’t care. His mask was sealed tight around his face, his eyes a burning red, as he loaded in the Gravity Mine and fired it at Thanos. Right at his feet.
Once the Gravity Mine struck the earth, it opened up and unleashed a stream of electricity that consumed Thanos’ right hand, keeping him immobilized and low to the ground. Thanos stared at his right hand, then shot his gaze skywards to see Quill loading in another shot, this time for his left hand. Thanos couldn’t let that happen. He shot out his left hand, the Gauntlet using the power of the Space Stone to pry Star-Lord right from his perch. He flung Star-Lord right at Sunset, knocking the two through the air.
The duo came to a painful crash at the bottom of the hill, Peter rolling to his back and grunting as Sunset landed right in-between his legs. Groaning at the pain in his crotch, Quill pressed the side of his helmet and caused it to materialize away. He gazed down to the mare between his legs, her head resting on his abdomen, as they both slowly came to.
When their eyes met, each could already make out their circumstances. Sunset looked to each of Peter’s legs, then to his abdomen, then back to Quill. Peter’s nose wrinkled, his eyebrows rising to see their predicament. Sunset quickly scrambled to her hooves, trying to apologize. “Well, shit, at least buy me a drink first,” Peter interrupted.
Sunset paused, then rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Men,” she muttered, stepping over Peter’s right leg and ensuring to create as much distance between them as possible. Unfortunately, Peter’s next comment caused her blood to freeze.
Struggling to get up, Peter rubbed his crotch and groaned in pain. Looking her way, more so her flank, he said, “You got a great ass, Sunset.”
The mare turned on him, death in her eyes, but a crimson blush on her cheeks. Peter smirked like an asshole as she stated very clearly, “Trust me… I’m not your type.” In other words, she told him to screw off.
All of which were only motivators for Peter Quill. “You’d be surprised with the women I’ve slept with,” he told her, standing back up and dusting himself off. Of course, there was no woman like Gamora that could take his heart. Sometimes just messing with the ponies was a lot of fun. Plus, seeing the blush on her cheeks as she tried to remain as angry with him as possible was always adorable.
Thanos managed to rise back to his feet, crushing the Gravity Mine beneath his boot and thus releasing him from its grasp. His freedom was momentarily halted when he felt the repulsor beam strike him in the shoulder. Turning accordingly, Thanos spotted both Iron Man and Princess Twilight charge him from the sky. Right as Stark grew near, Thanos swiped with his right forearm, smacking Tony right out of the air and sending him tumbling across the rock and sand.
Watching as Stark clawed at the rock to slow himself down, Thanos felt his left arm—and the Infinity Gauntlet—being pried from him by an external force. Looking to his left, Thanos watched as Twilight’s magical aura was wrapped around the entire gauntlet, the Alicorn trying to pull and actually attempt to remove the Gauntlet from his hand. Thanos’ expression shifted to unbridled rage, the Space Stone glowing and grasping the pony and ripping her right out of the air.
He flung the Alicorn right for Stark, who managed to catch her as carefully as he could, flip through the air, and land on both feet. Letting Twilight fly off on her own, Stark shot out both of his arms, the Mark 50 ejecting multiple magnetically levitating cannons from his backside. His Proton Cannons lit up a bright, brilliant blue, firing a conjoined beam of energy right for the Titan. Thanos raised the Gauntlet, using the Power Stone to absorb the force of the Proton Cannons. He was still pushed back several yards, the Titan’s feet digging through the dirt and sand as Stark’s energy beams continuously beat against him and the Gauntlet.
Thanos lifted his head, stared passed Stark to see his blade embedded within the earth far off in the distance. He focused not only on the Power Stone but also on the Space Stone, using its power to rip his blade from the ground and fling it towards him. The edge of the blade struck Tony’s shoulder, knocking him forward and disabling his Proton Cannons. When the energy beams pelting Thanos ended, the Dark Lord reached forward and plucked his sword right out of the air, just in time for Stark to fly towards him with an energy blade expelling from his suit’s right hand. The two engaged in close combat, Stark going for his exposed throat with his energy blade. Thanos swung downwards, his sword striking Stark’s and nearly slicing it in half.
With his left palm, Tony fired a repulsor beam right between the Titan’s eyes. Thanos staggered back, Stark thrusting forward and jamming the blade towards his throat. Thanos caught him before he could get close enough, driving his forehead forward and butting it against Stark’s own. A resounding clang broke out, Tony shot backwards and tumbling across the rocks. He looked up, watching as Thanos charged him with his blade leading, fully intending on driving the end right through Stark’s back.
A powerful blast of magic came from Thanos’ left, so strong in fact that it knocked the Titan right off his feet and sent him sliding and rolling across the sand. Once the beam of magic ended, Thanos quickly got back to his feet, looking to the sky to see Twilight Sparkle flying right for him, nothing short of murder bleeding in her eyes as her horn charged up once again. Thanos readied himself, pressing his feet hard into the earth, lowering down, watching as she grew nearer and nearer.
She fired again.
Even stronger than last time.
Thanos punched it.
With the power of the Reality Stone, Thanos turned the magical blast into nothing but bubbles, the Alicorn’s jaw falling in shock to see her flying right for Thanos, to see him still standing. He dodged to the right, driving the edge of his gauntlet right in the princess. Twilight shielded her body with her own magical aura, the Alicorn flying straight into a pile of rock Thanos once stood in front of.
With her back pressed against the rock, Twilight wearily looked up, her body still encased with a violet glow. Her eyes widened when she saw Thanos approaching her, holding up the Gauntlet and the Power Stone glowing. “Now, Rainbow!” Twilight screamed, teleporting away.
Thanos dropped his gauntlet. Turning about to see where she might appear next, he froze when he heard the sudden sound of whistling wind. It came from behind him. Slowly turning towards it, Thanos gazed to the clouds above and paid witness to one of the grandest sights he had yet seen on planet Equus.
The clouds broke apart, the sound barrier breaking as a single pony—a pony—created a cone of air around her, descending faster and faster to the earth. She kept going further and further until… the boom came. The resulting explosion sent a shock wave of rainbows cascading across the skies, so powerful that it actually managed to shake the earth and break through the dark smog. Thanos watched it all with eyes gazing wondrously to the rainbow explosion, his eyes trailing downwards to see a stream of rainbows descending faster to the ground… then suddenly shot towards him.
Thanos’ eyes widened. He raised his arms just as the pony slammed right into his chest.
Rainbow Dash, using the power of the Sonic Rainboom, actually managed to launch Thanos clear across the Badlands, to as far east as she possibly could. Her wings batted until they burned, the Pegasus pressed to Thanos’ chest as the two of them tore across the landscape. Rainbow gritted her teeth, kept her eyes closed tight as she pushed harder and harder against him. She opened her eyes only when she felt themselves slowing down.
And Thanos ensured that. He jammed his blade downwards, the end digging into the earth and ultimately slowing himself down. And slowing Rainbow Dash down. Until they both came to an abrupt and terrifying stop. Rainbow’s eyes widened at that, her heart nearly stopping when she saw the world freeze around her. She didn’t have time to look up when Thanos grabbed her tail and flung her across the land.
All he could collect from her were her screams, her body disappearing through the dust and smoke. He could focus no more on the rainbow Pegasus when he felt the bullets penetrating his backside. It didn’t end. Thanos had to raise his arms and slowly spin around to face the onslaught and stop it from persisting. The bullets rained down from the glare of the sun, blinding Thanos just long enough for the Chitauri starship to slam right into him.
Both Thanos and the starship were battered into the earth, both rolling for several yards, lost in a mix of ship parts, rocks, sand, dirt, and one Mad Titan. When Thanos finally came to a painful stop, a destroyed wing from the starship falling on top of him, he once more got back to his feet, if not a bit slower this time around. Pushing the wing off of him, Thanos staggered for a moment, only to feel a punch strike him across the right side of his face.
Thanos raised his head, spotting his attacker stand before him. “Well, well…”
Nebula growled, whipping out her Electroshock Baton. “You should’ve killed me!”
“Would’ve been a waste of parts!”
Nebula screamed, the Luphomoid charging forward and driving the side of her baton across Thanos’ face. The Titan took the hit, quickly raising his gauntlet as she struck again. And again. And again. Time and time again, unleashing ever last bit of pent-up hatred she had for the man who took everything away from her, tortured her, and made her the monster she was.
Thanos swung for Nebula’s head with his sword, but she ducked and drove the side of her baton into Thanos’ chest. He raised his gauntlet and blocked her strike, the Electroshock Baton flinging around Thanos’ body. Nebula moved swiftly around her father just the same, catching the baton on the other side and smacking it across Thanos’ head. “You’ve gotten better,” the Titan said with a smile.
Nebula shook her head. “I didn’t learn it from you!” she screamed. “Where’s Gamora?!”
Thanos ended the family reunion with a swift strike straight into her chest. The cyborg flew across the starship’s wreckage, landing painfully on the other side.
Twirling his blade, Thanos took a step forward, only to feel a bolt of lightning strike him square in the chest, pelting him through the earth and pushing him further and further back. Once the lightning ended, Thanos waved the smoke away and stared straight into the heavens. High above, he could see Thor descend from the clouds, bolts of electricity striking across the skies, surrounding him, consuming him, fueling him and the unbridled vengeance flowing through his veins.
For a brief moment, there the two remained: Thanos lying on his back and the God of Thunder slowly approaching him, his last remaining eye glowing a frightening blue, lightning striking the ground with every step he took. Thanos roared, leaping straight into the air, sword high above his head, as he drove it straight down where Thor stood.
Instead, he only watched as his sword was caught by Thor’s left palm, his right fist driving straight into the Titan’s chest and launching him right back where he started. Looking only to Thanos, Thor proceeded to take his sword and bend it at an awkward angle, the powerful metal eventually shattering under the King of Asgard’s strength. He tossed the broken pieces of the sword aside, slowly beginning his approach to the Titan.
Thanos instantly shot back to his feet, jamming the Infinity Gauntlet forward and clenching his left fist. All three Infinity Stones lit up like a burning blaze. Thanos’ intent was to vaporize the God of Thunder like he should have from the start… except once again he didn’t. Thor paused, his chest rising and falling slowly, his fists still clenched. And he waited for what Thanos would do next.
He just didn’t expect it.
“No…” Thanos said, dropping his arm. “I don’t need the Stones to beat you.”
Thor didn’t say a word. The irrepressible hatred he had for the Mad Titan was something he just simply couldn’t control. At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered to Thor other than seeing Thanos dead at his feet, bloody and begging for mercy.
Of which the God of Thunder would provide none.
Then they struck.
And the world trembled.
The might of Thor and the Great Titan shook the earth with each powerful punch each delivered. Thunder roared heavy directly over their heads, the clouds of the world and the smog of the volcano clashing and creating a deadly mixture of gray and black, the blue and red lightning striking in the heavens and upon the earth. And in the middle of it all, Thor and Thanos fought. Even without the mighty Mjølnir, Thor was just as powerful. Without the mighty Mjølnir, Thor was stronger than ever before. He had reached his full potential, and he unleashed all of it on the one who took nearly everything from him.
Thanos was just as relentless. Instead of being fueled by vengeance and hatred, Thanos’ attacks were more calculated, precise, and equally if not more devastating than Thor’s own. Thor was fighting blindly, vengeance and bloodlust being all that he saw. That was his mistake. That was his downfall. Thanos dodged Thor’s lightning-fueled punch, driving his fist into Thor’s rib cage and delivering a second punch from his gauntlet right across Thor’s face. The god staggered back, clutching the side of his cheek but ultimately ignoring the pain, returning to the fight with as much forced strength as he could.
His punches never met his intended target. Even the lightning he pulled from the heavens to strike Thanos didn’t seem to do much. Every time Thanos would use the Reality Stone to turn the lightning into mist, then proceed to punch, kick, and beat Thor down further and further with just his fists. Thor felt his strength waning, the king catching Thanos’ glove right before he could bring it down on him. It left himself perfectly open for Thanos’ other fist, of which he drove straight into Thor’s face with such ferocity and power that the God of Thunder shot across the valley and broke right through a massive piece of rock. His body tumbled and rolled a few yards more before finally settling.
Thor breathed in the dust of the earth, trying to stand and only failing.
Only failing.
Again.
And again.
And again. Thor closed his remaining eye and fell back to the ground, his mind fading away.
The battle resumed shortly. Thanos was met time and time again with another challenger, another fighter, hoping to make a difference, to hurt Thanos in some way, and they would fail all the same. Every time they would fail. They would come at Thanos with something new, something tried, a new hope to hopefully bring Thanos to his knees. And every time they would fail. Yet the battle resumed, the Vision, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Nebula, and War Machine taking on Thanos next.
In the midst of that battle, remaining safely in the distance and away from the fight, the eight mares began to come together and recuperate. Either recovering from their own injuries dealt by the hands of Thanos, or emerging from their hiding places to escape Thanos’ wrath, the ponies limped or flew or teleported to one location hidden behind a large pile of rocks.
Twilight and Rainbow fluttered to the dirt, the two mares looking to one another and then towards the rest of the group. Rainbow rubbed her tail as she did so, then proceeded to caress her wing of the pain flushing through it. They could see Sunset and Starlight appear in a flash, Sunset aiding the wounded Starlight and gently analyzing Starlight’s horn. Rarity and Fluttershy were joined quickly by Applejack and Pinkie Pie, the two mares asking Rarity and Fluttershy if they were okay, which they were. More so Fluttershy, as Rarity still hadn’t uttered a single word. She just continued to hold that petrified gaze, looking from one of her friends to the other.
“Any luck?” Applejack asked, meeting Twilight’s worrisome eyes.
Looking through the small gap between the rocks, Twilight could see the battle unfold before them. Stark, Parker, Vision, and Rhodes did their best to keep Thanos at bay, another figure leaping through the air and joining the fray. Twilight never noticed the newest individual before. Something to look into later. She focused instead on the gauntlet on Thanos’ left hand, on the three Infinity Stones glowing upon it.
“Nothing we do seems to hurt him,” Rainbow interjected, Twilight turning back to her, every other eye doing the same. Dash looked back to the skies, still seeing some residue from her rainbow shock wave. “Dude took a Sonic Rainboom like it was nothing.”
“It’s the gauntlet,” Sunset explained, several heads swiveling her way. Including Twilight’s. Still sitting next to Starlight and aiding the wounded unicorn, Sunset said, “Those Infinity Stones are giving him all the power he needs. As long as he controls them, there’s no spell we can use to stop him.”
Fluttershy whimpered, cowering next to Applejack, the mare rubbing her mane to comfort her. “He’s unstoppable,” the Pegasus quivered.
“No one’s unstoppable,” Twilight responded, gazing back through the crack between the rocks. She watched as Thanos unleashed a beam of purple energy—fueled by the power of the universe itself—straight into the Vision, his back impacting a large stone erected from the earth. Twilight furrowed her brow, breathing steadily. “All we need to do is take away his power.”
“How do you suppose we do that?” Sunset asked. Starlight looked up, tried to meet Twilight’s gaze.
The Alicorn thought for a moment on how they could accomplish such a challenge. Her eyes darted back and forth, finally returning forward. Twilight cast one more glance to the Infinity Gauntlet before returning to her friends, all seven of them forming a small circle around Twilight.
The princess began, her voice breathless. “All right… here’s the plan.”
Peter Parker’s body was flung like a rag doll directly into Tony Stark, the two of them falling to the earth. Thanos turned War Machine’s bullets into pure air with the Reality Stone, blowing back James Rhodes with the Power Stone. He ripped Nebula from the ground with the Space Stone and tossed her through the air, the Luphomoid landing elsewhere.
All oppositions were dealt with.
There was nothing left standing between him and the Mind Stone.
Thanos looked to his left, watching as Vision tried to push himself off the rock, clutching his abdomen as fresh waves of pain flushed throughout his body. The two’s gazes locked momentarily, one rippled with rising trepidation and the other with growing anticipation. Thanos’ eyes rose hardly an inch, spotting the shimmering, yellow gem embedded within the android’s forehead.
He raised the Infinity Gauntlet, all three Stones glowing.
The Vision’s Mind Stone flared to life, the android readying himself for whatever came his way.
Even when he knew he couldn’t.
And just before Thanos unleashed the power of the three Stones, he vanished.
He vanished in a flash of white. Vision’s Mind Stone dimmed down, the Vision’s confused eyes gazing skywards to find the explanation he was needing. Flying directly behind where Thanos once stood, Twilight Sparkle hovered in place, horn aglow, a firm nod sent Vision’s way.
Then he, Stark, Parker, Rhodes, Nebula, and Thor all watched as she teleported away just the same. Just as Thanos had.
God, I love Christmas break. Lets me get back to writing more. Expect more frequent updates, and happy holidays, everypony! 
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Pls don’t make the infinity gauntlet nerf
Oh damn, what crazy plan has Twilight got now!
Everyone's determination is strong here (well except for Fluttershy and Rarity since one is not really much of a fighter and the other is too traumatised by her visions coming back to haunt her). No mater how many times Thanos knocks them down, even without using the Infinity Gaunlet, they just keep coming back up. But no matter how hard they keep trying, none of their efforts will be enough to harm Thanos unless they somehow gain the advantage by prying the Gauntlet off his arm and Twilight seems to have a plan to do so. Hope she knows what she's doing.
"Wait a minute! Why the f*ck does Cable look like a purple Homer Simpson?"
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/11/8/1581507__safe_artist-colon-kourma_sunset+shimmer_baka_blushing_bust_cute_female_fluffy_portrait_sketch_solo_tsundere_tsunset+shimmer_unicorn.png
It would've been more awkward if Sunset was in her high school human body.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/6/29/1473891__safe_screencap_rainbow+dash_my+little+pony-colon-+the+movie_spoiler-colon-my+little+pony+movie_animated_gif_official_pony_sonic+rainboom.gif
TASTE THE RAINBOW, MOTHERF*squee*CKER!!!
No one's unstoppable, huh?
Try tellin' that to Thanos whenever y'all get the chance to go up against him again - which will be shortly.
Ha! She said a funny.
A thrilling read with a very unexpected ending. Looking forward to seeing what Twilight's up to.
Twilight will lose the fight with Thanos. Thanos will find waya to break a person. But will have to wait and see all we know the we must prepare for thanos snape.
ashes celine dion : https://youtu.be/967CayyQIx8
That's my pony!
Wade? Since when did you, ah screw it, never mind.
So you've decided to let me stay for a while and cheer my favorite pony buddies, squeeeeee!! Yay! Never did like that fucksack Thanos Homer anyhow, once even pried off his golden glove and I got to get my smooches from the Lady of Death herself, in my all time most super-duper fucking awesome comic. I love it when my girl Pinkie sums up a few pop culture references on this story, and I so fucking love the fact that she just made the reference to my beloved time-traveling best buddy, Cable! Cuz you know I did it for he's also Thanos and both are played by Josh Brolin and yadda, yadda, yadda, vice versa.
Just let me know when it's your time to leave, capisce?
9356609
Last time he totally nerfed the Avengers in the Airport Battle, not giving them a fair share of taking down the renegade Avengers by themselves, with or without the ponies' help. Sure the thing with Twilight stopping a mad Tony Stark is one thing, but using freeze spells on all members of Team Cap is just damn underwhelming.
Hey, the ponies were baddass! I don't give an effing damn about the Accords and those papers, a boo-hoo king Chally who lost his daddy and wants to fuck up with Star-Spangled Franky who was framed for the whole doozy out of revenge, but what matters is that-
OK, OK, we get alright? And don't you know that your "favorite girl" got Rafted in as well?
Ooooh, well. That sucked.
I wish Steve was here.
SHE SAID IT YES!
Phoenix Force, eat your heart out!
Okay, I can't resist.
HIT HIM WITH THE RAINBOOM-
Well, that went fantastic.
KICK HIS ASS NEBS!
Uh-oh. I don't know what Twilight's planning, but something tells me it isn't going to work.
To fix the first cliffhanger, you give us another one. What will you cook up next?!?! Great job!
As for Thanos disappearing by the time he ends it...
Skadoosh!
Alright now that’s what I’m talking about!!! Awesome to see those spells used in a Battle!!!!
Did Sunset just turn into the freaking PHOENIX!!!! I thought you said none of the x-men would show up in this cross over.
And she didn’t break her spine from that!!!! Sunset is freaking tough!!!
Careful peter in the universe she’s usually in she’s a teenager.
Huh, teleporting him away... that actually a pretty smart thing to do. I mean yeah he can teleport back, but it at least gives vision some extra time. I wonder what plan Twilight has?
Really cool chapter!!! Gave pretty much all of the characters awesome moments!!! Especially Starlight and Sunset!!!!
Wonder whose going to be the one to make Thanos bleed? I mean Discord did it first, but uh... yeah he’s not here anymore.
Nice!
YYEEESSSSS!!!!!
Perfect spot for this to happen. Was starting to wonder where everyone else was.
Definitely neat once again. Some similarities, which I am loving, and some differences.
Not sure what Twilight is hoping to do that would get the Gauntlet off without everyone's help. Personally I think it would be a good plan to use the fact that Thanos has just been teleported and to get the hell out of there. Kind of curious why Thanos didn't try to get Gamora out and figure out what she knows.
Look forward to what your idea will be further on in the story.
I gotta give the ponies their props. They may not be strong enough to stop Thanos, but they are sure are making him work for the Mind Stone.
Well, most of them anyway.
But given the situation, I don't blame them.
Loved seeing Pinkie channel her inner Deadpool.
I was really impressed with Starlight and Sunset, both showing off their incredible, and unique, magical prowess.
While I'm interested to see what Twilight has planned, I'm not particularly hopeful for its success.
Is that... what I think it is?
9356987 How did I nerf the Avengers? Because all of them were clearly holding back? Because none of them wanted to hurt their friends? The only reason the ponies used paralysis spells in the Airport Battle was because they weren't meant to hurt Cap and his team, they were only meant to subdue them.
9357735 It's not the Phoenix Force if that's what you're wondering. Just phoenix magic we've seen Sunset perform during her "Past is Not Today" song.
9356609 It's not gonna be nerfed by any means.
9356642 Step 1 - Get Thanos away from Vision.
Step 2 - Get the Gauntlet off of Thanos.
Step 3 - ...
Step 4 - Profit.
9356674 Does that technically mean Sunset is still a teenager in pony form...
Oh, God, what have I done... (Why won't the show confirm their ages already?!)
9356685 Time for a reality check.
9356739 She and the rest of her friends. Like Dutch, she's got a plan. She just needs time, faith, and M O N E Y !
memestatic.fjcdn.com/pictures/Dutch_c1b2f1_6842019.jpg
9357040 Thanos never met a creature such as Pinkie!
9357172 A lot of crazy things comin...
9357239 That's just phoenix magic that Sunset created before (in her own "Past is Not Today" song). That ain't the Phoenix Force.
9357253 Who said Twilight was gonna be alone?
9357263 We've seen Starlight and Sunset go to the fullest of their magical abilities. Time for Twi to show what she's got.
9358073
Well minus the Avengers I mean still it'll be interesting where it goes from here
9358073
Oh ok cause I was about to say that she would have probably been at least on par with or above Thanos if that actually was the Phoenix force.
Now that was a deep and intense battle!
I wonder how it will go from there.
9358073
OOF!
Phoenix Force or not, Sunset needs to be signed up for the X-Men, stat.
9358073
The author is right, bucko-boy. You know you should know better than rub our ponies' noses like that. Or if you were right? Screw it, You're fucking wrong. It's not nerfing my favorite Star-Spangled Man's Dodgers team, rather, it's my best pastel-coloured amigos' spotlight shining on them huge, tickle-able, sparkling eyeballs. Last time I checked this guy said he got the whole shit in "the ponies' eyes" . You better stop, look, and check double your walnut shell, ya hear? You didn't even let me finish what I'm sayin' in the previous bottom comment you fat sourpuss.
P i n k i e w h y -
We had the same expectation , Grape . Or well erm- Two Expectations
Yet Again Another Refrencr From The Movie With Good Ol Boy Peter
Finnally your goddam usefull for once
Oh boy Another Cameo-
Yeets Into Nonexistence Void
Anyways . The expectation is for themselfs losing in this particullar battle . But it seems like it and endless loops of worthless attacks over at grape . But still they stood strong as possible
I might wont assume the scene where they tried to hold onto thanos for a while to get rid due to the fact that Gamora is still alive and it would have been an easy defeat forehand .
Still its only left with 4 - 5 Month left for Avengers Endgame
Oh boy- Onto the nexr chapter
9358073
To discourse differently, do you call the time when Scotty was paralyzed the moment he was about to take an orange slice, and Pinkie, in ice, when he could be finished gobbling up his morsel and, raising his hands, Twilight and others can simply hold him at hornpoint so the rest can take him in, for Scott had done his job, fair? He's already down for the count and was it necessary to be further subdued, when he's already done with his job, eats his orange, and willingly, possibly willingly, lets himself be taken in? Pristine. Every story, or movie needs criticism for some sections worth criticism you know. JediAlexColbent was right. And by the way, he was right about it. That previous story was a literal crossover with the movie no kidding. Thank God Infinity War was very different.
9359543 What are you even talking about? Twilight froze Scott because she didn't know if he was gonna keep fighting them or not. She froze him to ensure he was out of the fight for good, that he was one less hindrance to worry about. Why are you even bringing up the last story now of all times?
9359368 At least someone acknowledged Groot's usefulness.
9359903
I don't know what shit you've been raging about, but if I were you, Paulus Piss-us II, if it got anything to do with Mr. Incredible Shrinking Scott or dickstuff like that. I'd be waiting for the next chapter and not yammer whatever bullshit I can think in the last story if I were you. I'd wait for the next super-duper fucking exciting chapter as the popcorn on my box slowly drains off with each swallow I take. They're lusciously delicious BTW. Swiss cheese flavor. Thank Celestia and these the glory of my Broniness for I'm with the author's goodie-goodie side. And TBH I gotta give you some dibs for the fact that stories are in important need for criticism. Not all stories are Mary Sues or Ex-Machinas or whatfuck. And Once Upon A Deadpool, In theatres December 24, you don't really wanna miss it, it's rated PG-13 for those who wants to tell Rated R to fudge off. Merry Christmas and a Happy Hearths Warming my beloved pony friends, from your all-time favorite Merc with a Mouth!
9360355 ?
9360507
Wade will be out of here, soon enough. He told me not to sputter stuff about the previous story, and, knowing Deadpool--changed the whole subject with random stuff like usual.
Just randomly found this while skimming through YouTube at 3 in the morning and...it strangely works
Who'd a known
Whatever Twilight's planning, it'll be mindblowing.
9357040
9357735
9358399
9357239
You mean something like this? (artist: Cloudyglow)
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/intermediary/f/0a51ba98-e2e2-418f-a11f-49984658c711/dcqpslv-04ea7eea-0107-451f-ae5b-145608a5275e.png
Hey , more than late to say it but I think I found a fault here.
“Well, shit, at least buy me a drink fist,”
I think you meant "first" .
Did starlight glimmer even tried that spell in the series 🤔
Sunset shimmer on fireeee🤩😄
Is it really necessary for nebula to say that I mean gamora is alive until the end of infinity war
10553377 Nebula was looking for her. She didn’t know where Gamora was and knew Thanos wanted her.
Future chapters pinkie 😂
They are throwing everything they have at Thanos, but it's not enough! He can take everything they dish out and then some! He wields the stones via his Infinity Gauntlet like a master, even with only half of them, but the scary thing is it isn't just the stones that make him dangerous. He's just as deadly without them as he is with them, like stopping Rainbow Dash's Sonic Rainboom even as she strikes him with it, or taking down Thor in hand to hand combat.
Twilight seems to have a plan to stop him, and my guess is it involves stealing the Gauntlet from him. But they only have one shot at it. Can they stop this unstoppable foe before he kills them all?!
I did love the fight throughout the chapter though. Especially the scenes from the film you kept in like Spider-Man's "magic" hits with Strange's portals, Star-Lord's "Boom!" While flipping off Thanos, and Nebula's arrival.
Ha! Even in these bleak times Pinkie manages to be herself and weaponize it.
Why are you hitting yourself, Thanos? Stop hitting yourself!
Ha! Just like Deadpool did! Never gets old. Wait a minute… oh no!
That's my pony! Kick his ass, Pinkie! Hit my music!
Deadpool, get away from my computer!
Get away from her you son of a bitch! That was close! Starlight almost became the new Tempest Shadow.
(Most people would probably make a reference to the Phoenix Force, but I have a better idea.)
Like a phoenix burning bright
In the sky
I'll show there's another side to me
You can't deny
Didn't expect Sunset to see Thanos' memories.
Yes you do Rocket, but admitting it is the first step.
That part was truly scary. He got hit straight on with a Sonic Rainboom and still managed to stop it like it was nothing, and didn't even need his stones to do it, just his sword. If they didn't realize it before they do now… they're fucked.