Doomwar

by Boltstrike58

Chapter 1: Unexpected Guests

Equis, Canterlot

Equestria's astronomers had spotted the massive spaceship above Equis' atmosphere long before it had come into view of the public. That was a stroke of luck, as Celestia and Luna managed to get out the word before everypony could fly into a panic as it descended towards the planet. Nopony could say what the ship's intentions were, as it looked more than large enough to carry additional fighters, but it wasn't deploying them. The blue and silver rectangular ship just kept getting closer and closer to Canterlot, not attacking or even showing any signs. Despite this, Celestia wasn't taking any chances.

Outside Canterlot Castle, the Canterlot Royal Guard had gathered, armed with all of the weapons they could assemble, though they kept them at a neutral stance, hoping these weren't invaders. Celestia and Luna stood at the back, overseeing their small army, equipped with their battle armor and personal weapons, prepared to fight anything that came out of that ship. Princess Twilight Sparkle was there as well, joined by her group of friends, equipped with the chest containing the Rainbow Power, just in case, alongside Starlight Glimmer, and the Pillars of Old Equestria, led by Star Swirl. Rockhoof and Flash Magnus tightened their hooves around their weapons, primed for battle the instant they were needed. Discord was on standby, ready to whip up some chaos on any enemies. Even Tempest Shadow was there, her broken horn sparking with loose magic as she took several deep breaths, keeping herself calm for whatever may come.

The ship descended closer and closer to the ground, continuing not to deploy any weapons. It simply came down, landing on the ground as its thrusters singed the grass. Celestia clenched her teeth as she raised her halberd in an aggressive position, pointing it straight forward. Luna spread her wings wider, trying to look intimidating. Twilight ignited her horn, prepared to fire at a moment's notice. This was despite the fact that she was scared out of her mind. It was all uncertain, and nopony was could say whether or not they were prepared for what was going to come out of that ship. All anypony could do was tense themselves as the door of the ship began to descend, along with a landing ramp. The door finally hit the earth, revealing...

"Greetings, everypony!" exclaimed Thor, spreading his arms.

Celestia's jaw dropped. Along with her halberd. "Thor?!" she exclaimed, galloping past all her guards, over to the Asgardian. "What happened to your hair?! Good gracious, what happened to your eye?!"

The god of thunder was nearly unrecognizable from the last time they saw him. His hair had been cut down to his skull, and he now sported a patch over one eye. It was kind of a shock seeing him like this, with absolutely no knowledge of how it he'd gotten like this.

Thor shrugged to himself. "It's kind of a long story," he admitted. "I've had an adventure and a half today." He held up his copy of the yellow journal. "I was going to write ahead, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, we were certainly surprised," said Luna, trotting up to Thor. "Come here, you big oaf." Thor and the two princesses came together in a big group hug, joined by (of course) Pinkie Pie.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "Next time, don't just enter our atmosphere with a giant spaceship, it scared the hay out of us. We thought it was some kind of alien armada."

"Oh come now, Twilight, that was hilarious!" interrupted Discord, laughing. "The way all you ponies were running around like maniacs. That's a practical joke I've gotta try out later, that's for sure."

"I won't, I promise," Thor laughed. "Don't get any ideas, Discord. Anyway, I didn't come alone, of course." He beckoned behind him. From out of the ship stepped a dark-skinned man wearing worn armor, carrying a large sword.

"Heimdall!" exclaimed Celestia, "It's been ages! We missed you!"

"It's good to be back," answered Heimdall, his bright brown eyes gleaming with a certain kind of calmness. "Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. You both look well."

Next came a woman wearing a form-fitting suit of ivory colored armor, with a long blue cape. "Um, hello," she said, waving. "My name is Brunnhilde...you can just call me Valkyrie."

"A Valkyrie!" said Luna, clopping her front hooves together with joy. "Fascinating! Odin told us tales of them!"

Another massive humanoid followed, though this one was different, as the body was composed entirely of rocks. "Hey mates," he announced, in a voice that was far more calm and serene that one would've expected, "I'm Korg, nice to meet ya." Twilight blinked, surprised at this newcomer.

Korg was followed by another gigantic figure, though this was far more recognizable. And muscular. And green.

"Doctor Banner?!" exclaimed Fluttershy, hovering a few feet off the ground.

"No Banner, only Hulk!" growled the green giant. Fluttershy flinched, and the Hulk seemed to rethink himself, stepping back and holding his massive palms close to his chest, unsure what to do with them. Fluttershy could only watch, filled with shock at seeing the friend that had run away from them, supposedly forever, only to come back, apparently trapped in this raging form.

Nobody moved for a couple more seconds, as Thor seemed to be expecting somebody else to exit from the depths of the ship, but no one did. He looked inside, confused.

"Come out," he called into the darkness.

"I won't," came a voice. Luna's ears perked up.

"Come on, why not?"

"You bloody know why."

"It'll be alright, just come out."

"I'm not."

"Okay, that's it." Thor stomped into the ship.

"Hey, what are you—OW! What are you doing—"

Thor came back into view, pulling a very familiar figure by the ear. He tossed the person forward, to land face-first in front of Luna. Luna's eyes drifted downwards, trying to comprehend exactly what was in front of them.

Loki propped himself up on his elbows, looking up and seeing the Princess of the Moon. "Hey, Luna," he mumbled, trying desperately to look anywhere but at Luna's eyes.

"Loki..." Luna whispered, as though afraid to break something, "you're alive?"

"Loki!" exclaimed Discord, teleporting himself next to the black-haired god and wrapping his lion's paw around Loki's neck. "Ah, it's been so long! You always were my favorite Asgardian! You were the only one who wasn't a complete stick in the mud!"

"Shove off, Discord," Loki growled, pushing the chaos spirit away from him.

"Um, what's going on?" interrupted Starlight Glimmer. "Could we get some context, please?"

"Everypony, meet my younger brother Loki," said Thor. "God of Mischief with a penchant for faking his own death. Something that's caused a great deal of friction among us."

"Oh, dear. Awkward!" sang Pinkie and Discord at the same time.

Nobody moved for a few seconds, as the uncomfortable mood seemed to hang in the air over them. Loki looked as though he wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole. Discord looked as though he might be considering granting that request, until a glare from Fluttershy caused him to rethink it.

Meanwhile, the interior of the ship seemed to stir. Twilight looked inside, noticing that there were many more passengers than those who'd introduced themselves. They all looked Asgardian, wearing fine clothes, but very few looked to be warriors.

"Um, Thor?" she started. "What's going on?"

"Well...er," stuttered the thunder god, as though unsure of exactly how to approach this. "Asgard has been...destroyed. This is more of a refugee vessel than anything."

"WHAT?!" Celestia yelled, causing everyone to cover their ears as the Royal Canterlot Voice reverberated throughout the area. "I mean, er...why don't we all go inside? I'm sure we've all got a lot to talk about. Royal Guard, you may resume your duties."

---

"So, let me get this straight," said Celestia, gesturing wildly with her hooves, "not only did you have an older sister who Odin hid from you your entire life, but she was the ruthless Goddess of Death, she crushed Mjolnir like it was a leaf, and you had to actually destroy Asgard to stop her?" The two were seated in Celestia and Luna's throne room, joined by Luna, the Elements of Harmony, Loki, and Heimdall.

"Essentially, yes," replied Thor. "It was a nightmare, unleashing Surtur like that, but we had no other choice. Asgard is gone."

"Oh Thor, I'm so sorry," insisted Celestia, laying a hoof on his knee, sympathy fully visible in her voice. "You just lost your father, you lost your hammer, you lost your home..."

"Yes," Thor continued, "but Ragnarok has only destroyed the place of Asgard. The people remain, and I remain their king. I fully intend to find a path for those who remain."

"Yes, there were quite a few refugees on that ship," Celestia said, nervously dancing around the subject matter. "Of course, Equestria will help out in any way we can, you know, whatever we can do—"

"You don't need to tread on glass with me, Celestia," Thor interrupted her. "I understand, Equestria can't support all of the citizens of Asgard indefinitely. I never planned on asking for it. In fact, we were on our way to Earth, and Equis just happened to be on the way. My idea was that, perhaps using the space bridge, we could transport them to Earth a little easier, and find a new refuge for them."

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. "Good thinking," she replied. "With all the political debacle about the Avengers on Earth, maybe it would be best if you didn't just fly in with a ship full of refugees."

"This was a wise decision on your part, my king," said Heimdall, bracing his sword against the floor. "We thank Equestria for any aid you may offer us."

"Glad to offer it," replied the solar alicorn, warmly.

"Oh, please," Loki grumbled under his breath. "As if you hadn't brown-nosed him enough already."

"Loki!" Thor reprimanded him, and everybody present in the room glared at him. Loki shrank back, already regretting what he'd said, but the damage was done. Luna sighed quietly, getting to her hooves and walking out of the room.

"Luna, wait!" Loki called out, but she ignored him.

"Go after her," Thor prompted him. Loki might not have been listening, but it didn't matter at that point, as he followed the lunar alicorn anyway.

"I can't believe he was alive all this time," Celestia mumbled, incredulous at the thought, "and pretending to be Odin! The Loki I knew was mischievous, but never on that level! How could he do something so thoughtless?"

"It's hard to grasp how much he's changed, I know," Thor admitted, with sadness creeping into his voice. "Still, even after everything he's done, there is still hope for him."

"You truly believe that, my king?" asked Heimdall.

"Mother did. Perhaps, in his last moments, so did Odin," Thor answered, simply.

---

Loki hurried after the Princess of the Night, her starry tail making her easy to spot as he rushed through the castle halls. "Luna!" he called after her. "Luna, we need to talk!"

"What's there to talk about?" replied Luna, a touch of bitterness creeping into her voice. Loki grunted in annoyance, frustrated with where this was going.

"Luna, please!" he demanded. "If you'd let me explain—"

He'd said the wrong thing. Luna whirled on him, shoving her face directly into his own, her horn sparking with loose magical power, prompted by built-up emotions. As she glared at him, Loki swore he could see the tips of teardrops in her eyes.

"Explain?!" she shouted, her voice nearly reaching Royal Canterlot Voice levels. "Explain what?! Explain that you were too busy having fun posing as your own father?! Explain how you decided to let me think you were dead, that I'd missed my last chance to see you?!"

"He wasn't my father," Loki grumbled, prompting Luna to slap him across the face with her wing.

"Oh, that's rich. Thor told me all about this 'adoption' complex you seem to have taken on, refusing to associate with those who raised you, loved you, cared for you, as family. Even though that's practically the definition of family! How could you let yourself go so far that you'd try to slaughter an entire race? That you'd try to conquer Earth? That you'd let everyone mourn you while you stood in the shadows laughing at them?"

"You don't understand it!" Loki shouted back, allowing his pent up frustration to boil to the surface. "I was raised my entire life to believe that frost giants were the scum of the Nine Realms. Then I learn I am one, and suddenly I know why Odin favored Thor above me! You don't know what that's like!"

Luna didn't respond for a few seconds, merely glaring at Loki while she waited for him to realize the logical flaw he'd stumbled into. It didn't take long for it to happen, as Loki paled and shrank back.

"For your sake, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Luna huffed, angry. "After all, I didn't spend one-thousand years in the moon for nothing."

"Oh, I forgot," Loki snorted. "You've decided to be Celestia's personal lap dog. The Luna I knew actually stood up for herself. And you accuse me of changing."

"Is that really how you think?" Luna demanded. "That becoming Nightmare Moon was just 'standing up for myself?' Then you're a bigger fool than I ever could've predicted. Was trying to conquer Earth, trying to murder your own brother just 'standing up for yourself?' How could you be so delusional?"

"How is what I did any different from what you did?!" Loki shouted.

"I never said it was. But there's one difference between us now, Loki. I repent for my crimes."

With that, Luna turned on her hoof, stomping off into the distance, and nothing Loki could say could coax her to come back.

---

Fluttershy paced around nervously, unsure of exactly what to do. Twilight and the others had engaged Korg and Valkyrie in conversation, but she only had eyes for one being among Thor's company. The Hulk sat quietly on the bare grass, not bothering to look at anybody or anypony, merely looking like he was frustrated.

Upon the green giant's appearance, Fluttershy had been shocked. Not because the Hulk had spoken, she knew he could do that. But because he had specifically declared that Banner wasn't there. It actually scared her a little. Thor had said he'd found Hulk on an alien planet called Sakarr that he'd somehow reached after his impromptu flight from the Avengers Compound. But apparently, Bruce had been the Hulk for ages over there, and Hulk had asserted himself more and more. Fluttershy grew nervous, wondering if Banner had somehow been erased from their shared mind. She couldn't help herself. She had to know.

Climbing to her hooves, Fluttershy trotted over to where the Hulk sat. She knew he wouldn't harm her, so at least she felt at physically safe, as she reached up and prodded his massive bicep with her hoof.

"Um, Mr. Hulk?" she asked, tentatively. Hulk rotated, his giant face staring down at her. "Could I talk to you? I-if that's okay?"

Hulk didn't say anything, merely nodding in response.

"W-well, if you don't mind me asking, why are you...why—"

"Green?" Hulk replied, sounding somewhat somber. "Pony don't need to lie. Hulk know that pony like Banner, not Hulk."

"That's not true!" Fluttershy protested, surprised by the turn the conversation had taken. "We love you! We don't just love Bruce! We—"

"No lie to Hulk, pony," said the green giant, with an air that declared the end of the current topic. "Hulk not stupid."

He turned away, and Fluttershy didn't have the heart to try and talk him out of it. She had managed to confirm a theory she'd had for quite a while now, though. She now knew for certain that the Hulk was just as troubled as Bruce Banner.

---

Equis, Everfree Forest

The Tree of Harmony. In the bleak and dark Everfree Forest, this mystical tree of crystal was a welcome bright spot. It sat quietly, its magical light acting as a guardian for all of Equestria, the Elements of Harmony glowing in their familiar locations. From the vibrant orange of Honesty, to the burning red Loyalty, the deep purple of Generosity, the calm pink Kindness, and the soft blue of Laughter, all the way to the powerful Element of Magic, the Tree of Harmony seemed to be the most eternal thing in all of Equestria. To gaze upon it was to gaze upon true power, and the ability to bring peace.

Suddenly, as though reacting to an invisible force, the Tree of Harmony pulsed. The white light it constantly emitted seemed to shimmer for a couple of seconds, before flickering on and off. The glows of the Elements began to react as well, flaring brighter than they normally did, as a wave of energy seemed to pass through them. Then, even as nobody stood around the see, the Elements began to shift.

The uneven apple shape of Honesty pushed outward, becoming more like a perfect circle, as something seemed to spawn in the center. Generosity glowed even brighter in the center, like the light of a flashlight. Laughter began to project what looked like legs on the outer rim, flailing where they stood. The middle of Loyalty collapsed inward, forcing the Element to take on what looked like an hourglass shape. The butterfly wings of Kindness seemed to meld together, and the intricacies of the markings became like those of fingers, clenching together. Finally, the six points of the Magic star seemed to fuse together, pushing downward and becoming more jagged.

Then, as quickly as the Elements started to transform, they stopped, returning to their original shapes. It was as though the shift had never happened.

Comments

[Bumblebee16]

Awesome!!!

[Bumblebee16]

Do you think Bruce banner will come back in this story?

[Bumblebee16]

I can't wait for the next chapter!

[Mpatton17]

Wait a minute where the heck is miek

[Mpatton17]

9470961
Where is miek

[The True Observer]

Where is doctor doom?