Chapter 71 – World on Our Shoulders
71
Equus
Canterlot, Equestria
7:38 a.m.
The ash cloud managed to block out the sunlight, leaving all of Canterlot under the veil of a light gray coat of unbreathable atmosphere. Specks of ash fluttered down and painted the mighty capital of Equestria in gray, like a sickened snowstorm plagued by the smell of sulfur and the distant sounds of coughing. Canterlot citizens, Royal and Lunar Guard alike, and even the Wonderbolts themselves had fallen prey to the ash, shielding their mouths and nostrils to stop the inhale of any foreign speck.
Canterlot had faced far worse troubles in the past. The volcanic eruption of Mount Tartarus proved troublesome, but nothing too dangerous. The mighty, magical shield high above the city as a massive dome shimmered lightly under the light gray skylines. Constantly, the skies were patrolled by Lunar Guard and numerous Wonderbolts, keeping a watchful eye out for any other foreign intrusion other than the flakes of ash that harmlessly broke through the shield and entered Canterlot. Nothing magical about them. Not a threat to be too worried about.
Star Swirl the Bearded frowned at that, blowing a speck of ash off his snout.
As for Twilight Sparkle and her closest friends, that somewhat short moment of ease started to fade away when they noticed the ash cloud billowing over Canterlot. When it started to snow the infectious specks of burning glass and rock, the mares made it their top priority to shield their noses and mouths to avoid breathing in any ash. Pinkie, unfortunately, didn’t get the memo and stuck out her tongue, trying to catch the flakes of what she thought was snow. She realized quickly her mistake and started coughing and gagging upon the first flake of ash she ingested. Rainbow Dash kept turning her eyes to the air, her healed wings used as a means of shielding her nostrils and mouth from the ash. High above, she witnessed several Wonderbolts taking action alongside the Lunar Guard, Celestia’s Royal Guard sticking to the streets and rooftops. Rainbow sighed, wishing she could join them, but knew her loyalties lied with her friends for the moment.
Capper was right behind them, using his own coat to shield his mouth. Still better following his friends than being cramped up and bored in his guest room back in the castle. The girls didn’t object.
The remaining Pillars of Old Equestria traversed alongside Twilight and the girls, following close behind Star Swirl and analyzing the ash like each speck were ghosts of demons long past. Even the smell struck each of them as familiar, though none of them smelled for long due to the ash entering their lungs. They each grew a dreaded sense of nostalgia at the smell, their eyesight only seeing the ash cloud, knowing with certainty what it all meant.
Typhon was near at hoof.
And they were running out of time.
As the large group trotted quickly down the streets of Canterlot, Star Swirl continuously tried to concoct the very same spell he had used to teleport to Twilight’s castle the other day, the same spell Chancellor Neighsay was able to perform. Of course, his magical relic made it simpler, and Star Swirl’s frustrations were clearly evident by his bulging facial muscles, his horn igniting and dying time and time again. Curious, and growing a tad anxious, Twilight turned to her idol, actually witnessing the great Star Swirl the Bearded struggle.
He stopped. They stopped. They watched as he held his horn high in the air, a few sparks and a bright light emanating from the tip of his horn, but other than that there was nothing.
“Blasted,” the wizard grumbled, dropping his head and glaring at the solid concrete under his hooves. “Blasted all. I cannot get a clear image of or shot at the Everfree Forest with this ash cloud in the way. With it clouding our destination, the spell won’t work. Blasted.”
“Ease yourself,” Somnambula cooed, rubbing his shoulder.
“We better take the train,” Flash Magnus said, shifting his head down the opposite street, the one that lead to the train station and the train that brought them to Canterlot in the first place. “It’ll take longer… but what other choice do we have?”
“We could use a standard teleportation spell,” Twilight suggested, heads shifting her way instead. Twilight padded her hoof on the concrete, sighing and fluffing her feathers. “But even then, we’re still not at a hundred percent, and that requires more than one magic-user to concoct for where we’re headed. And it especially doesn’t help with the ash clouding the airwaves.”
Several of her friends were inclined to agree, especially Sunset and Starlight. Even Twilight wasn’t truly feeling herself, like a part of her really had died back in the Badlands. Twilight knew she and her friends just needed the time to heal both physically and magically, but with their sort of time… that couldn’t happen.
Before any unsettling silence could fill the group, Sunset finally noted the ash cloud like Twilight had, going a step further and noticing the shimmer of the shield high above Canterlot. “How come that ash is getting through the shield?” Sunset pondered aloud.
Twilight had an answer to that almost immediately, like she was firmly defending a position. “Well, it’s natural. The shield only disrupts entry from any foreign threat or magic,” she responded.
“Anything born of Typhon is not natural,” Rockhoof grunted.
“Well, the volcano probably was,” Twilight retorted. Rockhoof added to her retort by snorting.
“The train, then?” Starlight groaned. Twilight nodded.
Rainbow sighed through her wings. “Looks like we’re headed to the train station.”
Seeing everypony start to slump and groan at the idea of sitting in cramped train seats for the next few hours nearly brought Capper’s mood down to the dumps. He eventually picked up his feet when the group turned and made their next destination to the train station down the opposite street. He approached Rarity and Applejack from behind, clearing his throat. Nopony looked at him.
“Buck up, girls,” Capper said and pulled down his coat to smile at them, coughing a tad before raising the coat once more over his mouth. When hardly anypony even offered him a glance, except for Fluttershy who, of course, always smiled up at him, Capper turned instead to the group ahead, trotting nearly side by side with Twilight. He focused primarily on the one with the cape. “Hey, Mr. Wizard Guy… Pony… Guy, what was our destination again?”
Star Swirl looked back at the cat, raising a brow at that “attempt” at his name. “The Tree of Harmony,” Star Swirl replied, his tone aggravated, tired, really not keen on that name.
“Is that right?” Capper thought aloud, stroking his fur-covered chin, then realized it was hidden underneath his coat. He turned instead his attention onto the ponies, the girls he had allowed himself to grow closer to than anyone else. He noticed the mares shivering under the ash fall, none of them quite comfortable with their current, grave situation. “Hey, don’t you worry about a thing, everypony.”
Several heads turned back at his sincere, caring tone, a definite shift from the usual calm and smooth demeanor that Capper Dapperpaws practically radiated like the glare of the sun. His eyes told a different tale as well, softer, meeting all of their gazes and constantly shifting, constantly meeting them where it mattered. He even dropped his coat and smiled at the mares, trying his hardest not to take in any deep breaths as to avoid the ash still dropping.
He continued, a few of the ponies’ jaws slowly falling open. “You may feel like you’re at your lowest right now… but the way I see it, things can only go up from here. Lived my entire life like that, and just look at me now.”
He held out his arms, his filthy coat stained by juice, food residue from Canterlot’s finest, and ash still falling on top of him. His fur, unkempt and disheveled, was barely presentable, even for someone like Capper who had much higher standards. Even then, he could argue he looked so terrible because he forced himself to get up early that morning to follow the girls back to Ponyville. To the mares it was a hit or miss, a few bemused expressions shared among them, a couple shake of the heads, a giggle, and finally Twilight…
“That’s not comforting,” Twilight said. Seeing Capper’s hurt expression, Twilight eased it by smiling his way, offering a sly, little wink.
Capper pointed at her, chuckling lightly. “Ah, see? Already smiling. Now what did I tell—?”
He stopped dead in his tracks. His voice froze. Below zero. Right then and there.
A powerful, earth-trembling horn cried out.
It was so great, so utterly unearthly that it shook the very earth itself. The grounds of Canterlot, the buildings, the streets, the ponies that stood upon them shivered where they stood. Every expression shattered, every smile fading away like dust, leaving just a skeleton, a crust of what once was. And in that crust, terror laced what was left. Terror. Fear of the unknown. Everypony turned to the skies to look for an answer, to see the disturbance, to find that closure.
Instead, they looked up in horror.
And all watched as a bright beam of violet light broke through the ash clouds and struck the outside of the shield.
It was instantaneous.
So unrealistically unbelievable.
The shield was engulfed in a wave of violet, like a plague run wild, a wildfire fully unleashed upon a dead forest foliage. And like a forest floor, the shield burned away into nothing but cinders, shards of once were falling from the skies and either fading away or shattering upon the streets or buildings, destroying anything underneath. Whatever citizens that remained in Canterlot—those who still believed and trusted in the princesses to keep them safe—fled in terror. The air that was once colored by the gray of ash was now showered by the light of the violet storm above their heads, the dome protecting Canterlot fully taken, fully decimated in a single, calculated, devastating blast.
Twilight could have sworn she heard the pain-filled cries of Celestia and Luna, two sisters, in unison deep from within the confines of Canterlot Castle. Already miles away. Then silence. Then the return of several hundred of those screams echoing across the entire capital city of Equestria.
As the fire burned the skylines and rained down upon Canterlot.
Twilight may have had doubts, but they were minuscule. Every part of her she understood without a doubt knew that Celestia and Luna could be trusted. She trusted them with her life, which was no simple showing of respect and love. Yet the mere sight of the crumbling shield, the mighty dome held by the Princess of the Sun and the Princess of the Moon together shattering into nothing but cinder and flame struck Twilight deep, knowing that all of her fears had become reality before her. Seeing every effort, every sleepless night, every prolonged pain just come crumbling down that easily shook her to her very core. But the screams were what got to Twilight the most. The screams of everypony caught in the coming conflict, under the storm and within the eye of war itself. It was horrifying, a chorus of unholy screeches and cries echoing off of every building face, bouncing down every street, and hitting her with its full force. Her little ponies…
“W-what…?” Twilight shakily whispered, shivering on her own four hooves as she gazed up into the skies, the violet and red fires eating what remained of the dome reflecting off her eyes. The rushing wind finally hit Canterlot with every bit of strength it had, blowing everypony’s manes back, Twilight’s own nearly clouding her tear-filled vision. “No… No, that’s not…!”
“Possible…” Star Swirl whispered. Twilight turned to him, saw his expression just as shattered as she must have felt, must have looked. In all her days that she had known him, respected him, looked up to him, never had she seen him look so… small. He shook his head in disbelief. Everypony did. “H-how—?”
“Uh, guys…?” Capper interrupted, ponies turning around to see him shakily pointing his claw forward, in the opposite direction. Where the light emerged. “Is that new, or is it just me?”
Together, every mare and every Pillar turned in the direction Capper pointed. Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all took a preemptive step back at the sight of it, a knowing sense of dread filling their very souls when the familiar sight emerged. Star Swirl the Bearded, Mistmane, Flash Magnus, Somnambula, Rockhoof, Mage Meadowbrook, and Stygian all stared onward in shared confusion, intrigue, and a growing sense of disturbance.
When they all stared into the swirling blue and black portal.
And onto the being that stepped out from it.
In his left arm, he carried a golden gauntlet. On his person, he wore his worn blue and gold attire, and black pants and boots. His violet skin held only two scratches, one on the lower lip and the other on his right cheek. But other than that, unharmed. In his eyes, there was only swirls of pure determination, chaos, and the most powerful strength of all mixed within it, commanding it, fueling the being with all that he needed to face the road and those who stood before him…
Will.
The portal closed and Thanos stood on the streets of Canterlot.
And he stared right at them. The fire from above continued to rain down, scorching the air into a sickly orange, purple, and gray, the light of the sun trying desperately to break through. Never succeeding. And there was Thanos in the middle of it, responsible for it all, showing once again just how insignificant their powers were compared to him. His eyes met that of Star Swirl the Bearded, Mistmane, Capper, and even Twilight Sparkle.
Not a smile. Not a frown. Just nothing. Twilight trembled all the same.
“Things can only go up, huh?” Rainbow muttered.
Capper only gulped, saying nothing.
While the Pillars of Equestria were still trying to decipher their challenger, Thanos lifted his gauntlet and crushed his fist, the Space Stone blowing away the clouds and unveiling the Chitauri Command Center right above Canterlot. Hidden in the ash. Right on top of them the whole time.
Then the war fell following the cinders.
The Chitauri invaded, unleashed all of their power from the warship above onto the shaken city of Canterlot. Chitauri chariots, starships, and Leviathans filled the air alongside the fire, dropping down into the city and unleashing complete hell upon it. The Royal and Lunar Guard quickly responded, donned their armor, their swords, everything they had and were and struck back, meeting the invasion halfway in the air. The Wonderbolts joined soon enough, the skies no longer filled with just fire and war. But eruptions, colors beyond that of yellow and orange. Bodies, more pony than alien. Blood, a mix of every kind. Screams. All of it.
Frozen in awe to it all, the Elements, the Pillars, Sunset, Starlight, and Capper finally returned to their foe. And they watched him begin his approach, slowly, one step at a time but closer every single time to Canterlot Castle. Where they stood blocking his path. He stared at them every step.
While Twilight still stood in disbelief, praying beforehoof never having to witness the same Titan and horror she experienced in the Badlands ever again, only to stand and stare fully onto the face of depravity itself, the others took action. More so the Pillars. More so Star Swirl the Bearded. The ancient unicorn took a mighty step forward, roaring, “Cease!”
The mere power of his voice, amplified heartily by his magic sent a shock wave of pure energy outwards onto the street ahead. Thanos, in response, merely positioned his shoulder slightly forward. Other than that, he was unmoved, continued his slow approach towards Canterlot Castle. Star Swirl sneered, raising single hoof and waving it out in front of him in a perfect circle. His horn shimmered a bright whiteness, a disk of energy birthed directly near his hoof. The disk shimmered just as white as his horn, Star Swirl expanding the magic to grow nearly three times his size, the massive disk of energy spinning violently before being thrust forward with a push of Star Swirl’s hoof and a release of his breath.
The disk of magic struck Thanos with its face, finally moving the Titan in reverse and pushing him further down the road. Thanos clenched his jaw, showed his teeth, pressed his naked palm against the disk and slammed his other fist shut. The Power Stone erupted, sending that same disk—only amplified—right back at its creator. It came so fast that Star Swirl and the Pillars hardly had a moment to react, each one of them blown violently back once the disk imploded after it struck Star Swirl.
Twilight, the girls, and Capper all watched in conjoined shock and horror as the heroes of Equestria were thrown aside like they were nothing, like fodder, following the blast. Each of their bodies flew off, some crashing through buildings, shops, and even further down the road, out of sight and out of the impending fight.
And what a fight it was.
As the invasion rained down around them—not a single Chitauri or guard or Wonderbolt interfering with the showdown—Rainbow Dash was the first to charge. She flew at Thanos with such speeds, even with her injured wing, that she knew no being would be able to dodge in time. Thanos merely lifted his gauntlet and closed his fist, the Space Stone making her body phase seamlessly through him and crash directly into the erected pillar of concrete Thanos raised with the same Stone. She slid downwards in pain, coming to rest at the bottom of the pillar.
Next came Applejack and Pinkie Pie, the two Earth ponies bravely but foolishly galloping forward right for the Mad Titan. Thanos dealt with them quickly and easily, the Power Stone merely flinging them from the ground and sending them crashing on the sides of the road, rather painfully to be exact. Their bodies bounced, each mare having little to no strength to even stand. Thanos walked past them.
Fluttershy flew and Starlight galloped, the unicorn firing a weakened concussive spell, the strongest spell she could manage in her wounded state. The blast bounced off Thanos’ hardened skin without even a scorch mark left, the Mad Titan growling and swiping at the air, striking Fluttershy hard and sending her body crashing right through an empty carriage. The Pegasus cried and whimpered as she came to a painful stop on the sidewalk, trying to stand back up but only failing. Again. Starlight stared only at Fluttershy as she too was ripped from the ground, Thanos’ Space Stone sending Starlight crashing through a window of a random coffee shop.
Sunset Shimmer and Capper Dapperpaws took matters into their own hooves and paws at that moment. Sunset proceeded to rip slabs of concrete right from the road and fling them at the Titan with as much strength as she could muster. Capper, in the meantime, dashed forward on all fours, dodging the blasts from the Power Stone that Thanos sent his way. Lifting the Gauntlet once more, Thanos caught each slab of concrete before they could crash against him. Using the power of the Reality Stone, Thanos morphed the concrete into their purest form, that of slick cement. He flung the cement right at Sunset in a wave, the unicorn able to teleport away in time.
Capper moved to the sidewalk as the wave of cement washed over the road. Pouncing to the top of a carriage, Capper leaped forward and got close enough to actually slash at the Mad Titan with his claws. He struck Thanos’ cheek, rolling behind him and gazing upwards, both he and Thanos wondering if he actually just did that. Either way, Capper suffered. Thanos slammed his forearm directly into the cat’s chest, sending Capper flying into the side of a building, crumbling quickly to the sidewalk in a heap of limbs and painful grunts. Thanos snorted and faced the road once again.
And Rarity…
Rarity just stood there, shaking like a leaf. Like a coward she knew she was at that very moment.
Thanos sneered at her and walked past, not a singe hair on her mane harmed. The mare simply wasn’t worth his trouble and time. But the next one…
The last one…
She was.
Twilight Sparkle watched as every single one of her friends fell. One by one. Once again like they were nothing, even more worthless in their wounded state than in the Badlands where they were at the top of their game. Shedding away every painful tear, wiping clean every horrible, dreadful thought of the Mad Titan still torturing the feeblest part of her mind and soul, Twilight spread her wings and put on a brave face. She took action. She shot right off the ground and charged Thanos head-on.
The Mad Titan smirked. It was small, it was insignificant, but it was there. Just for her. Once more using the Reality Stone, Thanos proceeded to rip pillars of concrete right from the street and fling them right at her. They struck the road where Twilight flew like snapping serpents—like the kind she knew—but every time they would miss by inches, Twilight dodging them every single time and growing closer to Thanos by the second. When she got to him, she was still trying to figure that out, but she would bring with her every known spell she had, every bit of strength she had gathered over the minimal rest period to see to it that Thanos was stopped there and then.
And in that moment, Thanos noticed the Pillars of Old Equestria rise again and charge him, coming from every angle, every blind spot. Even those he flung to the street rose again, every mare and even Capper, all pushing forward and fighting to the bitter end. All of them knowing, praying that their next effort would bring Thanos to his knees, that they would work that time. They would succeed that time. They would win that…
Time.
Thanos smiled right at Twilight, raising his gauntlet just as she was mere feet from him. The face of it was directed right at the Alicorn, Twilight’s eyes shifting to it for a split second. It was that second that lasted an eternity, that was frozen when she saw the brightness erupt from the clenched gauntlet. And she was trapped in it, kept in her place alongside her friends, alongside Capper, alongside even the Pillars of Equestria. All of them completely trapped in it.
And Thanos briskly walked right out of it. Right passed them all.
He faced Canterlot Castle in the distance, all four Infinity Stones on his gauntlet shimmering. The Time Stone especially, resting just beneath the Infinity Gauntlet’s smallest finger.
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Uh oh! Time for some timey-wimey shenanigans!
Oh....no.....cant they ever catch a break?!
I sure hope they have a back up plan!
There is no stopping Thanos...
9473095
In this story, like in the film, the good guys can't...
No...
Where’s Tempest and the One United Species Army when you need them?!
Thanos is now just a stone’s throw away from Infinity Stone #5. With both Celestia and Luna possibly incapacitated from the shield being destroyed, the only one left to protect Vision is Wanda.
I’m not liking her chances.
They could REALLY use some backup right now! By that, I mean Tempest and the whole army of United Species!
I hope they had enough time to assemble every species in Equestria.
Fuck Thanos came earlier than expected and I'm guessing Typhon won't be far behind, Equestria is double Fucked
9473137
It was a rhetorical question.
9473146
I'm afraid the endgame is near...
Whelp. Vision's doomed.
It just keeps getting worse and worse for the ponies. Thanos tore through the Princesses' magic barrier like paper and now all of Canterlot is overwhelmed with a surprise attack from the Chitauri. Not even the Pillars could stand against Thanos.
If only Tempest and her allies can step in just in time and grant the reinforcements that is desperately needed.
Thanos sure ain't messin' around here.
Oh, Capper. Soon you’ll realize where you’re at is far from rock bottom, and when you hit it soon, it will feel like you won’t have any way to go back up.
Also, ashes, possibly foreshadowing?
You know in the DVD commentary of infinity war it's said that subconsciously Thanos isn't really trying to help the universe but to try and prove everyone that called him mad wrong and that he was right in trying to kill half of life.
9473000 Indeed.
9473095 They're desperately running out of those...
9473137 With four Infinity Stones, he's basically untouchable.
9473146 Tempest and her army unfortunately don't know of these events playing out in Canterlot. Looks like Canterlot's on its own.
9473195 If only they had enough time. Unfortunately, time is REALLY not on their side right now.
9473397
9473475 Could be. Let's see if Scarlet Witch could do anything about that.
9473488 Even with reinforcements, against four Infinity Stones... their chances are very, very low.
9473628 He never is.
9473695 I guess you could look at the ashes like that.
9474897
Sorry for the three-day delay. Personal obstructions.
I understand, my children. More than anyone. Today I've lost more than you could ever know. Now is no time to mourn. Now... is no time at all...
Quick question:
How come chapter 1 doesn’t have a title?
9480160 Little more ominous that way. That way you don't know what to expect (and I was too lazy to come up with a title, though I like the ominous excuse).
9474897
Unless you're Starlight. I think there's a Starlight vs Thanos story here somewhere.
Yeah.... you know nothing kitty cat
Now that’s just cheating....
9473146
That still wouldn't be enough! Not against that monster!
Whoa that was a slick move from capper 🤩
This isn’t good. Thanos isn’t messing around by fighting them anymore. He is just using the simplest method to get past them, whether it is knocking them aside or just freezing them in time. He is going straight for Vision and the Mind Stone, and Thanos will kill him.
Ouch, he clearly doesn’t see Rarity as a threat due to how she cowers before him. Sometimes saying how someone isn’t worth your effort is the biggest insult you can give. Though Thanos clearly sees Twilight as a threat, perhaps in part because of how Vision escaped last time because of her interference.