• Published 29th Jun 2013
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The Strongest There Is - Onomonopia



Banner (and Hulk) in Equestria. What else to say?

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Always There

All of it made him angry. The water, the bugs, the playing animals, and most of all, those cute ponies that tried so hard to be nice to Banner. They wouldn't be nice to Banner if they knew that Banner wasn't alone, that Hulk was with Banner. But Hulk was tired of this bottled up rage. He wanted to unleash it on something, on someone who was foolish enough to not leave him alone. As if Heaven decided to answer the green monster's request, a massive footstep fell behind the Hulk and a loud roar followed. Hulk turned around with a grin to find a massive four headed beast standing behind him, all eight eyes glaring at him with rage.

"HHHHIIIIIISSSSS!" all four heads roared at him, venom dripping from their maws.

"GGGGGRRRRRAAAAAHHHH!!" Hulk roared back. The strength of his roar was strong enough to make the hydra flinch. Always, always something trying to attack Hulk, wanting to trap or make Hulk hurt. Always something that believed that it could stop Hulk, that it was stronger. But Hulk was strongest, why could no one understand that?

"Puny hydra think it can hurt Hulk? Hulk tear hydra in two!" Hulk roared, leaping into the air towards the hydra. The creature watched his angle and swung its neck into Hulk mid-jump, catching him and knocking him into a cliff face. The cliff shattered under his massive frame, bringing tons of rubble and rocks down upon him. The hydra raised all four heads into the air and let loose a victory cry, believing it had won. How wrong it was. It barely had moved its heads when a huge chunck of rock slammed into the side of one of the heads, slamming it into the other three. While the hydra tried to recover, Hulk burst through the rubble and landed in front of the hydra, fury written into his features.

"PUNY HYDRA IS WEAK! HULK IS STRONGER THAN HYDRA! HULK SMASH!" The hydra hissed and one of the heads tried to bite him, grabbing him in its jaws. Hulk smiled and pushed against the creature's jaw, pushing it open enough for him to escape. But Hulk didn't stop going until he heard the crack of a jaw being broken. The hydra screeched and dropped him, backing up as the head with the broken jaw shrieked in pain. Hulk landed at the creature's feet and slammed his fist into its knee, shattering the bone and causing the hydra to collapse. He ran up to one of the heads and began to pull, the creature roaring in pain as the bone and skin began to rip and break.

"Puny hydra still think it strong? Hulk is much stronger than hydra!" Hulk roared, taking a massive step back and tearing the hydra's head clean off. The creature stumbled back away from the Hulk, the other three heads roaring in pain as well as rage. Hulk went in for another attack, but Banner's voice stopped him.

'Hulk, it's beaten, let it go,' Banner said to him in a calm tone. Hulk snarled and walked up to the bleeding hydra, kicking it in its bad leg and grabbing on to another head.

"It try to hurt Hulk, it get smashed!" Hulk roared as he tore off another head, tossing it off into the distance. He watched as the hydra hissed at him in rage, but also with fear.

'Hulk, let it go.' Much to Banner's surprise, Hulk growled at the hydra one last time before jumping off of it and starting to head to the forest. The hydra on the other hand shot out one of its heads to bite the Hulk, snapping its jaw shut around his arms.

"HULK GAVE YOU CHANCE! NOW HULK SMASH!" Hulk roared as he tore the hydra's head in half by flexing his arms, spraying blood everywhere. Hulk then jumped into the air over the fallen beast, crashing back down onto its stomach with an earth-shattering impact. He heard the creature's bones shatter and was fairly certain that its internal organs were now mush. The hydra went for one last hiss, but a devastating punch from Hulk silenced the creature for good. Hulk removed its last head for good measure. Just because he could, Hulk lifted the hydra's body over his head and tossed it off into the distance, letting loose a roar as it sailed out of view.

'Hulk, you could have thrown that into Ponyville. What about all the ponies there?' Banner asked, his voice echoing throughout Hulk's mind.

"Banner talk too much," Hulk muttered, stomping on the hydra head as he walked off into the forest. Hulk was still snarling and frowning, but Banner could feel that his rage was beginning to wear off and that he would probably be reverting back to his regular self soon.

'Hulk, would you really have gone wild in the sweet shop?' Banner asked nervously, afraid of Hulk's answer.

"Hulk no care about ponies. All Hulk wants is to be alone," he grumbled in reply. That's what Banner feared and the reason why he couldn't stay in Ponyville. Hulk just didn't care for the animals' lives; he just didn't seem to care in general. Banner shruddered at the thought of a 'pissed-off' Hulk running through the peaceful streets of Ponyville, crushing all the ponies underneath as they fell to his wrath. He needed to calm down the giant.

'Hulk, you should try to be nice to them. Yes, some of them are a little annoying, but they mean well and are willing to be friends to almost anyone. They would probably even try to be friends with you if you gave them the chance.' Hulk laughed at the thought.

"Hulk no have friends! All Hulk's friends try to hurt Hulk, try to lock Hulk away! Hulk have to smash friends so others will leave him alone!" That was the answer that Banner had been expecting, but it still was sad to hear. Of course, Hulk had every reason not to trust others, since every friend he had ever made had betrayed him at one point or another, but it was still sad that he wouldn't try. Hulk continued his angry march through the forest, scaring away all of the wildlife. Then he came across something that startled both him and Banner. A pony was standing in the middle of the forest, right on the path they were walking. It was a silverish color and was covered in an equally silverish coat, with a hood that covered her face. Both Hulk and Banner could feel a weird power radiating off of her, a power that made even Hulk cautious of her. And while most ponies had a cutie mark, this one did not. While Banner wondered what she was doing here, Hulk just snarled.

"If puny pony wish to live, puny pony better leave Hulk alone!" he snarled at her, flexing his muscles. She simply continued to stare at him, her hidden eyes seeming to look right through them. Hulk roared and charged the pony, lifting his fist into the air once he was upon it, and slammed into onto the pony. The entire forest shook with the force of the impact, knocking over a multitude of tress and causing a massive crater where she had been standing. Hulk looked down only to find that the pony was gone. He growled and looked around, spotting it behind him.

'I was hoping that you would be more than what you seemed to be,' she said eerily, her mouth never moving. 'But now I see that you are just a monster.'

"You want monster? HULK SHOW YOU MONSTER!" Hulk leapt into the air and again tried to slam both his fists into her. Her body crackled with power and a blinding flash emerged from her, blinding the Hulk. He held up one of his massive hands to block the light, roaring in protest. When the light died down, Hulk found no trace of the silver pony, no matter what direction he looked. She was simply gone. Hulk looked around for a minute before growling to himself and heading deeper into the forest.

----------

Twilight walked through the streets nervously, wondering to herself where Banner had gone. He had been looking pale after he had run out on them, but more importantly he had looked scared. She didn't know what could have scared him. None of the ponies had tried to be mean and he seemed to be enjoying himself for a while. Was his heart acting up or had something else happened?

"What's the matter, Twilight?" Pinkie asked, seeming to materialize in front of her.

"I don't know, Pinkie, I'm worried about Banner," Twilight said with a sigh, walking past her friend and looking out at the forest. "Something's wrong, but I don't know what. And I know that if I try to ask, he won't tell me. We're supposed to be friends, so why won't he confide in me?"

"Maybe he's just scared. I know a lot of ponies who are scared when they come to a strange place and are afraid to talk to others. And nopony came here in a weirder way than Banner. Maybe all the fears got to him?"

"You know what? You're right Pinkie. I hadn't considered that, but maybe he is feeling scared at the moment. He's far from home and in a world full of creatures he knows nothing about. Argh, why didn't I see it sooner? Come on, let's go see if we can find him!" She looked to Pinkie with a smile on her face, but Pinkie was looking off into the distance with a confused look.

"Hey, Twi? Can hydra's fly?" she asked.

"What? No, hydras are bipedal creatures incapable of flight. Why do you ask?"

"Because nopony seemed to tell that hydra that it couldn't fly!" Pinkie yelled as she pointed. Twilight looked to where she was pointing and watched as a hydra sailed through the air. Her eyes widened as it came crashing down in the center of the town, scaring the ponies around them. Twilight prepared to use her magic in case the beast was hostile, but after it landed, she saw there was no movement from it. The two of them gently approached the creature and almost lost their lunches at what they saw.

"It's...it's dead," Twilight whispered as she looked at the headless creature that was still bleeding. She tried to investigate further when she heard a sound from off in the distance.

...rrrrrrroooooaaaaarrrrrr...

"That came from the forest," she muttered to herself, wondering if that was the creature that had killed the hydra.

"Isn't that where Banner went?" Pinkie asked her. Twilight's heart dropped when she heard that, realizing that Banner had headed off into the forest where that creature now was. She sprung into action, sprinting towards the forest with Pinkie on her tail.

"We have to find Banner! Hopefully before whatever ripped apart that hydra does!" she yelled to Pinkie, both of them sprinting through the forest. After a minute of running, they came across where the hydra had been killed and this time they did lose their lunches when they saw the hydra's heads lying there. Twilight did her best not to look at the heads while she searched for clues as to where Banner was. Her eyes rested on a massive footprint in the ground, one that she had never seen before. As much as she wanted to analyze it, she knew that Banner's safety was more important. She whistled for Pinkie to come over and the two headed off in the direction of the footprint. They stopped again at a massive crater that they found in the ground, with two fist imprints in the center of it. Twilight was growing more and more worried with each moment, running as fast as she could. The two burst out of the forest and into a clearing, panting and desperately looking around. Then she saw him, laying face down on the ground.

"Dr. Banner!" she cried as she and Pinkie ran to his side. His clothes were torn apart and he looked exhausted, but other wise he seemed to be alright. She rolled him over and placed an ear near his heart, letting out a sigh of relief when she heard his heart beating. "He's alright, just unconscious," she told Pinkie, who also let out a sigh of relief. "But he can't stay here. Come on, let's get him back to the town." Twilight used her magic to levitate Banner and turned back to the town. Pinkie went to follow her when she noticed something in the ground. It was similar to the foot print that they had seen earlier, but smaller. It looked almost like Bruce's footprint.

---------

Banner groaned as he woke up, mumbling to himself and looking around. He was inside of Twilight's house again and seemed to have been placed in her bed. He felt terrible, just like every other time the Hulk's rage receded. He groaned and sat up, looking around the room. He could hear voices coming from downstairs and it sounded like they were talking about him. So he stood up and went to the stairs, sighing when he noticed that his clothes were ripped apart. He opened the door and headed down the stairs, his appearance gaining him the ponies' attention.

"Dr. Banner!" Twilight called out as she rushed to his side, allowing him to lean against her. "I didn't know you were awake. How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he muttered, letting her help him down the stairs and into a chair. He looked around to find that all of Twilight's friends and Princess Celestia were there, each of them looking at him with concern. "Ugh, what happened?"

"We were hoping that you could answer that question yourself, Dr. Banner," Celestia said softly. "When my student and her friend found you, you looked like you had been attacked by a pack of Timberwolves." Banner could feel himself begin to sweat. He didn't want them to know about the Hulk. If they did, they'd hunt him, try to weaponize him.

"And even though ah know ya won't, don't try lying. Ah can tell," Applejack said sternly. Now he knew that he was trapped. Twilight had said that Applejack could tell when a pony was lying. He decided that he would tell them the truth...his portion of it.

"Alright, you win. The reason you found me in the state I was in was because of a certain monster. A monster that follows me no matter where I go," he said in a whisper, head in his hands.

"Dr. Banner, what is this monster and why is it after you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because it blames me for its existence, which is fair. I was responsible for bringing the monstrosity into this...my world...And it hates me for it. So it follows me, no matter where I go, no matter where I try to hide, it finds me. And then...this happens and destruction is all that is left in its wake." The ponies glanced at each other nervously, not liking the sound of this.

"Dr. Banner? Do you know this creature's name.?" Banner sat there for a minute before whispering a name so softly that none of the ponies could hear it. They looked at each other before asking him to repeat it. When he whispered it again, they decided to be more direct. "Doctor, please tell us this creature's name. We only wish to help you."

"There is no help, just as there is no escape from him," he said in a broken tone. "He's always there."

"Dr. Banner, please. Who is after you?" Fluttershy asked, looking into his eyes. He looked away and closed his eyes.

"...Hulk..." he whispered. The ponies looked at each other with a bit of confusion. Hulk didn't sound like that bad a threat.

"Who, or what, is the Hulk?" Rainbow Dash asked him.

"The Hulk is the ultimate creature of destruction," Banner said, as memories of what the Hulk had done flashed through his mind.,,all those that had been killed...his friends...his Betty...so many hurt, so many dead...

"Come on, you're exaggerating," Twilight said with a grin. "How bad can he be." The look that Banner gave Twilight would haunt her dreams for days. It was a look of rage, a look that could only be mirrored by one creature.

"How bad can he be?" Banner asked in a cold rage, Twilight backing away from him. "How about he's so bad that he is the number one most wanted criminal in all my world! How about he's so bad that he tears down cities and destroys families! How about that he's so bad that he can kill GODS! That's how terrible he is!" Banner realized that he had almost reached the point of no return and let out a sigh, taking control of his emotions and sitting back down, tired. The ponies were looking at him carefully, surprised by his sudden outburst. Pinkie walked over to him and placed a hoof on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"Hulk took away your family, didn't he?" she asked soflty.

"Yes," he whispered, placing his face in hands. "And my home...and my life."

"He took everything away from you?" Rarity asked.

"He blames me for his creation, so he will follow me to the ends of the world. No matter where I go, he will be there. That's why I need to keep moving...why I can't stay here." Bruce stood up and went to leave, but Celestia walked in front of him.

"Dr. Banner, while you have not been here long, you have already become a part of these ponies' lives," she said. "You are their friend and have helped them out in a number of ways. You have helped them, so I will help you. I will battle and defeat this Hulk creature." Celestia smiled at him, hoping her words would comfort him, but he just stared at her in disbelief. Then he began to laugh, a hysterical laughter that doubled him over. They all looked at him as if he were crazy while he tried to regain control.

"What is so funny?" she asked him.

"Y-you have no idea what you're dealing with," Banner chuckled, holding his ribs. "The Hulk cannot be beaten. He is an unstoppable force of nature, a walking earthquake. No one has been able to keep him down, and even if they could he only comes back stronger."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"The angrier Hulk gets, the stronger he gets," Banner said almost instantly. "And because there is no limit to how much rage a being can have..."

"He essentially has unlimited power," Twilight finished. "Do you know where he is?"

"He only shows up when he wants to; other times you can never find him. That's why I need to leave," Bruce said again, trying to get past Celestia, but the other ponies walked in front of him. "Look, it's not like I want to leave, but as long as I stay here, you'll all be in danger."

"We're always in danger, Bruce. That's what happens when you are protectors of the land," Twilight said with a shrug. "But if there is one thing I've learned since I came here, it's to cherish your friends. And even though we just met you...we all consider you a friend." Each of the ponies nodded in agreement as Banner looked at them. "You're our friend Banner and you've helped us so much. Please, let us help you." Banner knew it was a bad idea, that he should leave now before Hulk came back again. But as he looked into these ponies' eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say 'no.'

"Alright, I'll stay."