78. Good and Evil in New York City

NEBULAPOLIS, RAGNANIVAL, ASGARD

The throne room of the palace was packed. Valkyries, other Asgardian warriors, Kree soldiers, agents of the organization thought of less as H.A.M.M.E.R. and more of S.H.I.E.L.D. by the minute, and, of course, the Avengers, the six Equestrians, and everyone else called by the Code White.

All parted as Thor strode confidently down the center of the room, approaching the throne. The throne that had been promised to him for most of his life, and yet he still felt his heart beat faster as he approached it, his nerves beginning to fire off signals of excitement and anxiety. He knew that with Odin, Frigga, and Loki all gone, he was the one meant to sit upon it, and so he did his duty, took his place. He sat upon the throne of Ragnanival.

He looked out to the crowd, all of whom watched him expectantly. His eyes locked with Twilight's for a moment; she gave him a nod and a smile. After briefly returning the expression, Thor looked up, facing directly ahead, and stated, "I want to commend you all for your noble actions on the battlefield today. Without the help of everyone in this room, this kingdom and perhaps all of Asgard would have been lost, and after that, it would only have been a matter of time until the rest of the Nine Realms fell. You have all acted with valor, and for that, I wish to honor you all to the highest."

He paused. "However, I have many questions, as I am sure do you all. Each of us holds a piece of the story of the outcome of this battle, and we must put them together to unveil the truth of how much we have won and how much we have lost. First and foremost: has Loki been found?"

A blonde Valkyrie clad in armor that had been beaten and dented through the wear and tear of the battle stepped forth to kneel before Thor's throne. "There has been no report of Loki since he disappeared inside the palace, my lord," Brunhilde stated.

"As I understand it," Thor said, looking to the six Equestrians, "you were the last to witness him."

Twilight moved to the front of the crowd, kneeling beside Brunhilde. "Thor – I mean, your majesty," she said. "Loki formed a portal of darkness and disappeared, and he took three others with him. A Death Eater from Fourth Earth, a demon, and somepony that I was told is Dr. Doom."

"There have been no sightings of the described accomplices, either," Brunhilde added. "They are most likely in hiding or far away by now."

The news was dismaying to Thor, but he decided not to let it show. "And the Chitauri?" he asked.

"Our troops and the Kree army have succeeded in rounding up the surviving Chitauri and we have taken them prisoner in the dungeons," Brunhilde reported. "We may negotiate their release, or we may keep them. We await your command."

Thor nodded. "The insect servants of Annihilus?"

"If I may." Lang strode forward. "I talked them into leaving this planet. I don't know where they went, but they didn't seem to have destruction in mind. Without Annihilus telling them what to do, they've got a lot to figure out about their lives."

While this statement confused many in the crowd, Thor nodded and smiled. "I am glad to know they are free of such bonds. I am to understand that Osborn has been taken prisoner?"

"He is being held in a cell in our dungeon as we speak," Brunhilde confirmed.

"Who else has been apprehended?" Thor asked.

"Several…" Brunhilde hesitated. "Maria of the Hill can identify them better than I, my lord. It was she who told me their names, but I have forgotten."

Without being bidden, Maria took her place next to Brunhilde, kneeling. "First of all, you should probably know that we have Namor prisoner right now. He's got a lot to answer for, but he's also the king of a nation. It's up to you what to do with him, but if you keep him locked up, things could get messy."

"Hey, Namor helped us out of a jam!" Rainbow Dash argued. "He's not one of the bad guys anymore!"

"It's not gonna be that simple," Hawkeye sighed.

"But he NEEDS to be let go so that he can repair…well…that friend of his!" Rarity piped up.

"I do not know of what you speak," Thor said, "and I cannot pass judgment upon the nature of Namor's crimes…but to hold the king of Atlantis within our dungeons would be unwise. I decree that he be freed at once, and that our court apologize to him formally," Thor stated.

"It shall be done," Brunhilde confirmed. "Maria of the Hill, who are the others in our captivity?"

"Besides Osborn and Namor," Hill reported, "we took Mysterio, Bullseye, Shocker, Vulture, Electro, and the Rhino. Sandman is reported dead, and Emma Frost incapacitated. We have no reports on the Red Hulk, Daken, the Enchantress, Baron Zemo, or Venom except that they definitely were here at some point. They could have gone back through the portal to Earth or created another one. Or they could still be slinking around Asgard, so if I were you, I'd keep my guard up."

"Valkyrie patrol will work double time searching for them," Brunhilde vowed.

"Agent Hill," Thor addressed, "while the prisoners mentioned are currently in our custody, I think it only fair to return them to the jurisdiction of Midgard law and order. That is from where they hail, after all."

"On behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D.," Hill said, "we thank you. We were hoping to try Osborn in our own courts."

"You no longer refer to it as H.A.M.M.E.R.," Thor observed.

"Damn right," a new voice boomed from the back of the hall. All turned to see Nick Fury enter.

"What the – FURY!" Iron Man was taken aback.

"How'd YOU get up here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Same way the rest of you did," Fury answered. "Through that portal. Which is only still up because it's the only way most of you are gettin' home, but as soon as we're all present and accounted for, I want that thing sealed up."

"Yes, Director," Hill said with a nod.

"I suppose since Osborn is detained," Thor mused, "you become Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. again."

"That's how it's gonna look," Fury answered. "Though to be honest, all I ever gave him was a title."

"I think it's time we tell them about our little deception, Director Fury," Hill suggested.

"Oh, God – WHAT did you lie about to us now?" Iron Man groaned.

"You think S.H.I.E.L.D. believed for a SECOND that Osborn died in the Green Goblin incident?" Fury began. "There's no way he should have been taken down that easy. But there were at least a hundred reasons he'd want to LOOK dead!"

Spider-Man's gaze shot directly to the ground as he pondered why that had never occurred to him.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had its eyes on him for a while," Fury said, "but after he came back claiming to be reformed, we knew he was up to something big. Problem was, we didn't have a damn thing to indict him on. When he started talking about becoming Director, Agent Hill and I knew what we had to do. It was a failsafe we'd come up with in case anybody undesirable tried to hijack the position. We couldn't let anyone else know, because the ruse had to look convincing. And we KNEW the others would be stupid enough to vote somebody like Osborn into the Director's seat."

"Well…everyone except for agents Romanoff, Morse, Johnson, Wilson, and Coulson," Hill clarified. "And if agent Barton had been present, I think we all know where his vote would have gone."

All but the aforementioned who had worked under both Fury and Osborn seemed quite interested in the floor, feeling sheepish.

"Even I had to vote for the usurper to make it look convincing," Hill continued. "It was simple. We'd let Osborn fill the Director's seat and wait for him to make a move. Unfortunately, we couldn't actually indict him for trying to 'reform' the convicts he chose, and as sure as we are that the attacks by the Red Skull, Attuma, and Malekith were all setups, he did put a lot of effort into ridding the city of them."

"We had to wait for him to cross a line," Fury explained. "And that line was when he committed a definite act of Transnational Organized Crime on Asgard. Or perhaps the better term is 'Transdimensional Organized Crime.'"

"He can't talk his way out of the attacks he and his elite squad performed on the civilians of Asgard," Hill stated. "As for the rest of our agents…that's going to be a matter we handle internally."

"And now, as you can see," Fury concluded, "we have Osborn right where we want him. About damn time, too."

"So you lied about EVERYTHING," Black Widow recapitulated, "and waited for Osborn to actually hurt people before you could do anything about him?"

"Do you happen to have a BETTER plan?" Fury retorted.

Black Widow was silent.

"Excuse me…Director Fury?" Twilight broke in. "When Loki left, he said something about leaving evidence of everything Osborn did where you and the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. could find it. He seemed REALLY mad at Osborn about something. I think…I actually think he was mad because Osborn treated his son badly. I don't know why Loki would care…but I guess he did."

"Well, we'll see when we get back to Earth where we belong," Fury replied. "Which I'd personally like to be sooner rather than later."

"Brunhilde," Thor ordered, "have our guard prepare the prisoners to be moved, and arrange for Namor's release."

"Yes, my lord." Brunhilde stood.

"But before you do…" Thor stopped her. "My sister. Gwendolyn. How does she fare?"

"She will live," Brunhilde informed him, "and she will fight on. She just needs to rest a moment longer."

"I am glad to know that," Thor said, relieved.

"Could we maybe talk to her before we leave?" Twilight asked. "I…I want to thank her. For saving us in the end. We wouldn't have even thought to direct the Elements at Thanos's ship if she hadn't reminded us of it, and she held off Loki while we took care of that."

"You may – " Thor began.

"But make it quick," Fury snapped. "The longer we leave that portal open, the more trouble we invite to cross the world borders!"

"I will guide you to her chamber," Thor vowed. "That leaves only one matter to be resolved. The matter of the kingship. As you all now know…because of Loki's deception, my father and mother are both dead. By law, the throne of Asgard now belongs to me – "

He was cut off by thunderous applause and wild cheering, from his subjects, from his friends, from the others present who simply approved of him filling the position.

"…However," Thor continued, "while I can accept the title, I cannot yet accept the duty. Midgard still needs my help. I am a sworn member of the brotherhood of the Avengers, and I shall not break that brotherhood until the proper time comes. I am a protector of Midgard, and it needs champions now more than ever. As much as I am flattered by your support, I cannot accept it. I must return to Midgard until such time comes that I may return. And by then, perhaps my father will have found his rebirth and can take the rightful place. Until that day, I leave it in the hands of the one I believe most capable to lead in both times of peace and war, if she should so accept the position. I wish to name Lady Sif as Queen Regent of the Asgardian throne of Ragnanival."

All eyes turned to the dark-haired warrior, who gasped. Thor rose from the throne, stepping down and gesturing to it. Sif stepped forward gingerly, approaching the throne reverently. She turned to see the reaction of the crowd. She was met with expressions of delight, feeling the energy within them ready to burst. Then Sif sat upon the throne, and the cheering burst out again, even louder than before.

Thor approached Twilight. "Come," he commanded. "I shall bring you to Gwendolyn."

Twilight waved toward Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy, who got the message and followed her and Thor out of the frenzy in the throne room.

The first words out of Rarity's mouth once they'd left the crowd behind were "But why not Gwendolyn?"

"During our youth," Thor explained, "there was an unfortunate incident. Gwendolyn was banished from Ragnanival, to its outskirts, to be wed to the Shadow Knight Oswald, whom I suppose you've yet to meet. Her only crime was protecting our sister Velvet when ordered not to interfere. Gwendolyn later made up for her actions by retrieving an artifact our father required, but she refused to give it to him, for she suspected he would not use it for good. I do not know, myself, to what ends he would have used it…but she chose to return to banishment. Our world then underwent an upheaval. Gwendolyn resorted to becoming a Valkyrie once more in our hour of need, but since then, she has renounced all standing to the throne, though she will gladly accept our father and mother as her own, and I as her brother."

"And Loki, too," Twilight pointed out.

"So why not Velvet, then?" Applejack asked. "If she's your sister."

"Velvet and her husband Cornelius sit upon the throne of the neighboring nation of Titania," Thor explained. "I do not even know if they are aware of the conflict that has taken place here."

"Loki said you had another sister, though," Pinkie said. "And another brother!"

"Griselda," Thor affirmed. "And Ingway. Both perished in battle long ago."

"Oh…" Pinkie Pie was suddenly sullen.

"We're very sorry for your loss," Rarity said earnestly.

"Do not be," Thor told her.

"Won't they regenerate?" Twilight asked.

"It is…more complex than you think," Thor sighed. "This world is a home for gods, for those who control cosmic forces. Much like Olympus remains the home of the Olympian gods."

"Hey!" Pinkie squealed. "We've been there!"

"Then you know," Thor said, "that there are many Olympian gods, but not thousands upon thousands. There are also upon Olympus many members of the Olympian court. Not mortals, but not gods."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash affirmed. "We knew one of 'em. Pit. He was pretty cool."

"Asgard is much the same," Thor said. "There are many of us who are blessed with immortality and regeneration. But the vast majority of this world is comprised of civilians who are not by any means mortal…and yet are not gods. For them, death is a permanent affair. Such was the state of Griselda and Ingway, and of Ingway's beloved, Mercedes."

He paused before a door. "We are here," he announced. "Shall I announce your presence?"

"Announce away," Applejack told him.

Thor gave three loud knocks at the door, then called out, "It is the six Equestrian warriors. They wish to see you, sister."

"Come in," Gwendolyn's voice answered.

Thor opened the door, and the seven entered. Gwendolyn lay upon a magnificent bed, swathed in blankets, reclining against a stack of pillows. She smiled at her guests as they entered. However, the white-haired, dark-armored man sitting at her bedside, clasping her hand, did not smile. His expression was far more dour.

"Hi," Twilight said softly. "We just wanted to say – "

"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SAVING US!" Pinkie screamed.

"…That," Twilight concluded.

Gwendolyn gave them a smile, a nod. "I don't think thanks are necessary. You may not remember being my friend, but I remember being yours."

"Without you, we never would have thought to use our Elements on that ship," Twilight asserted. "You SAVED this world."

"I do not wish to see Asgard fall again," Gwendolyn insisted.

"…Again?" Rainbow Dash picked up. "Hold on. Did something happen to it when we showed up…when we're going to show up…when you knew us?"

"No," Gwendolyn said. "Before that. It's a story you'll learn soon enough."

"They haven't met us yet…" the warrior at her side reiterated.

"No, Oswald," Gwendolyn said, turning to look at him lovingly. "Not outside of what we have said and done to them today. Their path is on a different timeline than ours."

"Then I wouldn't say too much," Oswald grumpily cautioned Gwendolyn. "You know what is said about changing the past."

"Then we shall speak of it no more," Gwendolyn vowed.

"Well, we should probably let you get your rest," Rarity suggested. "Thank you again, and I quite look forward to meeting you in our future."

"First, I want to apologize," Gwendolyn said. "For my brother."

"Thor didn't – " Applejack began.

"No…for Loki," Gwendolyn corrected. "None of us knew he would betray us that way. No one could have suspected. I still have a difficult time believing it myself."

"He's gone too far from us," Oswald insisted. "He may never return."

"That is what I fear," Gwendolyn said. "When you see him, in your future, in our past…do not fear him the same way. I know it may be hard to believe, but he did care about you long ago."

"That lying lie-face of a liar?" Pinkie asked incredulously. "I don't think so!"

"He had two ponies KILLED so we wouldn't get our Elements," Applejack recalled.

"I had heard the rumors," Gwendolyn said, "but I had hoped they were not true. But all the same. Didn't you wonder why he chose to destroy the generation before you instead of destroying you outright?"

All present pondered this. Then Twilight stated firmly, "I don't think he cares about us at all anymore."

"Perhaps he only still felt as though he couldn't destroy any of those he knew and loved in our youth when he first turned," Gwendolyn theorized. "And now he has grown colder still. But all the same, it was not you he chose to destroy."

"And now he knows it's futile," Twilight concluded.

"I hope someday to find the warmth and light in him that was lost," Gwendolyn admitted.

"I wouldn't go chasing after him if I were you," Oswald broke in. "He's changed from the person you grew up with. I won't have you chasing after your own destruction."

"But you were once given to darkness," Gwendolyn pointed out. "And you changed…"

"It's different," Oswald told her, and would not elaborate. He instead turned to the six Equestrians plus Thor. "We must thank you for all you have done. Now, don't turn your backs on the worlds that need protecting."

"What makes you think we WOULD?" Twilight asked angrily.

Fluttershy tapped her shoulder. "Um. I think that's his own way of telling us to keep up our good work."

"Oh…" Twilight said.

"We really MUST let you rest now," Rarity said. "You both take care."

"And you," Gwendolyn replied.

The seven guests left the room, closing the door on Gwendolyn and Oswald. "Was he always that much of a downer?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"His nature hasn't changed much," Thor confirmed. "Though he sees more of the good than you might think."

"I'm a little concerned about how much we're learning about what we did back then," Twilight admitted. "If we keep hearing about things and not doing them, we might not do them right, and that could change what really happened for the worse, or maybe create a paradox!"

"I would not fear," Thor told her. "Time will take the course it was meant to."

---

"Well…" Discord stretched out. "It looks like the show's over."

"I guess good does always beat evil," Impossible Man observed. "You'd think we'd have seen it coming, but boy, did they have us on the edge of our seats!"

"What can I say?" Discord shrugged. "It's always a little more fun when both sides of the scale are loaded. Alas…now that Loki's taken off, there's not much more I have to do here. And there are SO many other worlds that require my attention in order to liven things up! Not to mention my master plan to return to the Age of Chaos…but that can wait a while longer, don't you think?"

"So what's your next play?" Impossible Man asked.

"I've got a little pet project I'm working on that could change EVERYTHING," Discord admitted. "Incidentally, the test subject I'm considering to see if it works so happens to have ties to good old 616th. I may pop back for a spell just to drop him off if everything goes well. And after that? Well, who knows? Maybe I'll just follow our 'Mane Six' around and see where their path leads. They always seem to end up somewhere interesting, if you haven't noticed."

"Will you ever come back?" When Impossible Man looked to Discord then, Discord could see the longing in his eyes.

"Well, of course I'll come back!" Discord said with glee. "Just because my work is done here TODAY doesn't mean there won't be new opportunities for chaos later! And when I set the stage, I'm going to need a director, of course. Until then, Impossible Man, it's been an honor working with you."

He stood up on the couch cushions; Impossible Man stood on them as well, and the two shook hands. Then Discord vanished in a shimmer of light, with a very loud popping sound.

"There goes a true visionary," Impossible Man remarked. "Well, looks like that's a wrap!"

Then he and the couch also disappeared.

---

THE FOREST OF ELRIT, ASGARD

John Jameson panted heavily as he ran through the woods. He hated the sensation of being physically tired. He couldn't even remember anymore if what he was feeling was more fatigue than usual, if this was an effect of coming down off the red serum, or if this was how humans usually felt when running that distance. However, he was determined not to let fatigue stop him. He only knew one way back home, and he had to get to it.

The portal still swirled darkly against the sky. John's speed increased as he neared it. He soon found himself directly beneath its darkness, and he knew he could stop running. He was also aware he wasn't alone. He looked at the other person standing below the portal with him. "Eddie…"

Eddie Brock looked back at him with his own eyes for all of three seconds before the Symbiote slithered over the ground, sliming its way up over Eddie's body, enveloping him. "Guess again," Venom said. "It looks like we're faring better than you."

"Well, we all three got our asses kicked," a new voice chimed in, "so I wouldn't brag, Venom." Daken, soaking wet, emerged from the forest.

"We have to get out of here," John insisted nervously. "They're coming after us…"

"As much as I'd love to hang back and get in one more shot at killing the Wolverine," Daken pointed out, "and I'm sure Venom wants to tear the wall-crawler limb from limb, they have us outmatched this time."

"But they can't stay together forever," Venom laughed. "As long as there are Avengers…there will be Dark Avengers."

"Just the three of us?" John worried.

"It's not like I want to just be stuck with you two either," Daken said, then amending his statement for Venom: "Or three or whatever. But we have to start somewhere."

"And something tells me the others will return to us soon enough." Venom laughed again. "Maybe it's spider sense!"

"Then let's get the fuck out of here," Daken suggested.

With a shimmer, the three teleported back to 616th Earth just as the Code White army approached the edge of the forest.

---

QUADWRANGLE MANOR, THE FLUFFY HEAVY SLOW-MOTION UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

Themis clenched her teeth as she followed the sound of the blaring polka music that echoed throughout the halls of the Manor. She'd been searching for the source for a good hour; Discord had set the place up to not only be immense, but make it difficult for one to track sound, even when one had the senses of a Titan and had strengthened hearing from the consistent wearing of a blindfold.

She sensed a presence as she turned a corner. "You're one of the new ones," she stated.

"Yes," Galactus answered. He'd taken on a size that could allow him to roam the halls of the Manor, much like the Titans. "And you?"

"Themis. Titan of Order."

"I can't imagine you and Discord would get on well."

"We don't. Are you the eater of planets Discord informed me of?"

"That I am."

"And I assume you know what will happen to you if you attempt to devour the ground upon which we currently stand." Themis patted the hilt of her sword, sheathed at her waist.

"I have been warned," Galactus replied. "But beyond that, I have been promised better feasts than this mere world. The way this planet fluctuates between dimensions makes me ill to look at from afar."

"Are you also seeking the source of that repulsive music?"

"That I am, though more so out of curiosity than repulsion. I believe it is behind this very door."

Themis pressed her ear to the nearby door. The music was definitely coming from behind it. She threw the door open, and she and Galactus stormed in.

Discord sat at a computer terminal, typing and clicking furiously while bobbing his head to the beat of the polka music, which emanated from overlarge speakers. Themis charged the speakers, drawing her sword, and sliced through the center of each from the top down; the wire-ends sparked as the music died down.

"Well," Discord remarked, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. "That was rather rude, don't you think? And after I let you so graciously stay in my house." He snapped his fingers, and the speakers rebuilt themselves, the music playing louder than before.

Themis growled in frustration.

"What are you working on?" Galactus asked, noting Discord's fascination with the computer screen.

"Oh, just a little program I've been developing," Discord answered. "It's a firewall bypass and file and program recovery system. But not just ANY recovery system. This is something I've been tweaking to be able to recover ANY file or program ever created, even those that were deleted permanently. It strips any record of the file or program left written in cyberspace and recreates the file or program down to the last bit of code."

"And what do you need THAT for?" Themis asked.

"To recreate deleted files and programs," Discord answered. "Didn't I make that clear?"

"But WHAT files and programs?" Themis pressed. "Does this have ANYTHING to do with the bringing of the Age of Chaos?"

"Oh, that's a LONG way off," Discord told her. "You and your family still haven't gathered the pieces of the four I told you to go get yet."

"There are thousands!" Themis argued. "I have already collected hundreds, and have planned to collect still hundreds more this very day!"

"The point is, putting the master plan in action is going to take a long time," Discord concluded. "And I'm not going to waste that time NOT having fun."

"So you make us do your dirty work," Galactus stated. "Would you not then be wasting our time?"

"Time you wouldn't even have to waste if I didn't pick you both up from your respective prisons of the mundane," Discord pointed out. "You're allowed breaks, you know. As many as you want, to do whatever you want."

"I would rather put all my focus on the plan," Themis seethed.

"Now, you see," Discord replied, "this is in essence why we don't get along."

"And I may seek new planets?" Galactus asked.

"Leave the good ones for me," Discord told him. "I'll leave you a list of the ones I still want to play with. But the multiverse IS infinite, after all. They won't miss a few." The computer uttered a blaring DING. "IT'S DONE!" Discord cried. "Now I can recover anything I want that was ever written into Cyberspace!" His typing increased in fervor as glee spread across his face. "Now, to test it…"

In a few short seconds, the words RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL were splayed across the screen. Discord laughed with joy.

"What have you recovered?" Galactus asked.

"Oh, just a certain AI program with VERY destructive functions," Discord answered. "Someone went to GREAT lengths to try and erase this one. Which must mean he's particularly hard to delete. And that just makes it better! Now, I just need to copy to disk…" He clicked, he dragged, he typed. From a drive on the side of the terminal, a small red square, little bigger than an inch long and wide, popped out. Discord took it between his claws and examined it. "Now, this won't do…" It was a disk that would be no stranger to the computer terminals on the starship Enterprise, but completely unreadable by the systems of the world where he intended to drop it off. He tossed it over his shoulder. "I guess old habits die hard."

He plugged a flash drive into the side of the terminal, downloading the file once more. He then ejected the flash drive, holding it up proudly. "Voilà!"

"I suppose you're not going to tell us what it is," Themis sighed.

"Not until after it's been delivered to the proper place," Discord stated. "After all, some things need to be surprises!"

With that, he vanished in a twinkle of light.

---

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The Code White team and the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. teleported down into the field, a sense of relief washing over the group. Even if the war against Loki was not won, the victory of one battle was still worth celebrating.

Namor had been let go ahead of time, and had taken the shards of Emma Frost with him. The rest of the captives from 616th Earth had been turned over to S.H.I.E.L.D. in chains fashioned of mithril. Looking back at the lot of them standing amongst the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Hill remarked quietly, "I'm not sure those chains are going to hold that Dillon character."

Black Widow took one look at the sullen Electro and his downcast gaze. "I don't think he'll be a problem," she admitted. "He came more quietly than I thought. It's almost like he doesn't want to get away. The one we should really be focusing on is Osborn."

"All right," Fury snapped, his words echoing over the field. "I want this portal dismantled, and I want it down NOW."

With the exception of the prisoners, everyone present rushed to the crystal circle, dismantling the poles. With each crystal uprooted, the portal above thinned out a little more; the lights in the crystals dimmed. At last, the poles were stacked up in a pile in the midst of the field, and the sky was a clear view of the afternoon fading into twilight.

"These are now S.H.I.E.L.D. property," Fury proclaimed, observing the poles.

"Um, I don't think so," Iron Man argued. "The Avengers will be taking those and putting those where no one can get them again. No offense, but lately, S.H.I.E.L.D. has had a bad track record with letting criminals and supervillains get into its ranks."

"And give a volatile magical artifact to what is technically a CIVILIAN establishment by law?" Fury was taken aback.

"CIVILIAN?" Iron Man repeated.

"You'd be official," Fury told him, "if you registered."

"Not this again…" Hawkeye sighed.

"Can't you just split the poles in half?" Pinkie Pie suggested. This earned her many glares. "What? It's the idea that makes the most sense!"

"Just let it go, Tony," Captain America said softly, coming up behind Iron Man.

"But – " Iron Man began to argue.

"You won't win," Captain America told him.

"FINE," Iron Man snapped. "You can take the crystals. But when some jerkass infiltrates S.H.I.E.L.D. and uses them to build another portal of doom, I'm going to say 'I told you so.' In fact, I'm going to carve it on the side of the helicarrier."

"Fine by me," Fury replied as Coulson stepped forward to gather the crystals.

"Just so you know," Hawkeye added, "I'll be dropping in to check on those. Make sure nothing bad happens to them."

"Hey, I have no problem with that," Black Widow replied coyly. "So long as you don't mind me checking out the Avengers Mansion every now and again."

Hawkeye winked. "Be my guest."

"Before anyone leaves," Captain America said loudly, "I want to say something."

All eyes turned to him. "We're listening," Wolverine grunted.

"I just wanted to thank you all for coming together today," Captain America said sincerely. "We did what we did today because we worked together. Alone, we're capable of great things, but when we come together over the people we care about, we can win wars. I guess what I'm trying to say…" He looked at Applejack, who gave him a wink and an encouraging nod. "Is that friendship really is magi – "

His sentence was cut off with a group "AUUUUUUUGH."

"…When we work as a team," Captain America concluded, "we can accomplish anything. So, once more, thank you. You didn't just serve yourselves today. You served the universe. Now, I think we can all go home and get some well-deserved rest."

"Oh, and just because I thought it might be IMPORTANT," Fury broke in, "there's no longer any order for any of your arrests. You can actually go home. So get going."

The heroes, agents, and prisoners then departed, making their way back to the city. Iron Man sidled his way in next to Captain America. "Nice speech," he said, popping his visor so he could look Captain America in the eye. "Corny, but nice."

"Thank you," Captain America replied. "I hope they all know what I was trying to say. What it means."

"I think they do," Iron Man surmised. "I know I did. Sooooo…you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You're kinda…well…I think you might have taken a scratch or two on the field."

Captain America looked down at himself. At the multitude of rips in his clothing left by Mysterio's exploding robots. At the angry red burns showing through them. He'd forgotten all about them, but looking at them made them begin to hurt again. "It's a hazard of this territory," he stated. "I'll get patched up back at the Mansion."

"You might wanna get an expert to look at those," Iron Man teased.

"But you're an engineer," the Captain laughed.

"C'mon," Iron Man cajoled, "gimme some credit! I practically performed open heart surgery on myself!"

"Which was technically still engineering. But I think I'll let you have a look over the burns anyway. Could be serious, you know. I just might not be able to heal without you."

"Subtle," Iron Man teased before putting a hand on Captain America's shoulder. "Now c'mere."

The Captain obliged, turning toward Iron Man, and they exchanged a quick kiss.

No sooner did this happen than they heard Rarity exclaim "OooooOOOOOHHH! Are you two TOGETHER now?" Her face lit up with a broad grin. "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier! You two are simply perfect! Oh, how wonderful!"

"Aaaaaand there it is," Iron Man laughed as Rarity gushed on.

---

When Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Sue and Johnny Storm returned to their tower, Reed sighed. "Well, back to work."

"Seriously?" Sue replied. "You're going right back to work? After we won a battle on Asgard?"

"And I hated being away from everything I had to do for every minute of it," Reed admitted.

"Man, you just never change," Johnny laughed.

Reed just scoffed before heading away to a laboratory.

"You know what his problem is, right?" Ben posed.

"I think I can guess," Sue commented.

"What?" Johnny looked back and forth between the two of them. "I think I'm out of the loop here."

"Victor von Doom got away," Sue explained, "and Reed doesn't know where he is. None of us know where he is. He might be galaxies away, or he might be in this very city, planning some kind of revenge."

"And not knowing is KILLING him," Ben concluded.

"Can't we just figure on Doom taking an extended vacation?" Johnny sighed. "I don't wanna think about him anymore…I don't wanna think about any of that stuff anymore today. Let's watch a movie or something."

"Without Reed?" Sue asked.

"If we start, he'll probably turn up eventually," Johnny suggested.

"I say the sooner we forget about Doom, the better," Ben agreed.

Sue looked toward the laboratory door. "I just hope he can forget for a while," she sighed.

Inside the lab, Reed glanced at his work, at his calculations and postulations, all the while thinking about exactly what his teammates had pegged him to be thinking about. Doom, in an unknown location, preparing to do who knew what. Reed stared out the window at the horizon. Somewhere out there, his nemesis was plotting, figuring out how to wield his newfound powers, gathering potent allies, and when he returned to that planet…

But before he could finish the thought, he heard the sounds of a film beginning to play in the adjacent room. He smiled. Sue, Johnny, and Ben must have decided to kick back after the incident.

And so he shut down his computer and left to join them.

---

As soon as Peter Parker opened the door, he was greeted with the sight of his elderly aunt May rushing toward him, scolding him. "PETER!" she snapped. "I've been trying to call you all day to find out where you were! I've been worried sick!"

"Oh…sorry, Aunt May!" Peter replied. He really did hate making her worry like that. "I guess my phone died while I was out. I'll try to be more careful about that. But hey, I'm home before sundown!"

"And I am glad to see you all right," May sighed. "Did you have fun with your friends?"

"Oh, yeah! We just had a little get-together. Got pretty wild at some points. I even played a little…um…bridge."

"Well, I'm glad," May said sincerely. "And you're home in time for dinner."

"Yeah!" Peter hadn't realized how hungry he was. "How about it's on me tonight?"

"Peter, I think I can handle making dinner…"

As the pair moved toward the kitchen, teasingly arguing over who would handle the night's meal, Peter glanced out the window and toward the sky, thinking about the day's adventure. Something that big would be difficult to keep a secret. Which reminded him, he still had pictures to send in to the Bugle. Anonymously, of course. There was no excuse for Peter Parker to have been on Asgard. He recalled a white envelope he'd seen lying around and resolved to bundle the pictures up into it. If all went well, the misdeeds of Osborn's regime would be displayed for all to see in the next issue.

Then again, Peter recalled, it was Jameson. Perhaps things wouldn't go as well as he hoped…

---

Logan returned to the Xavier Institute to find a familiar face waiting for him: a woman with dark skin and brilliantly white hair.

"I heard rumors you actually responded to a summons from the Avengers today," Ororo Munroe said. "Now, I told everyone the idea of you actually working on a team that wasn't ours was ridiculous, but then you were gone all day – "

"I answered the call," Logan said gruffly. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not talk about it."

"Was he there?" Ororo asked. She didn't have to specify.

"Yes," Logan answered.

Ororo nodded. "I'll make sure everyone knows you don't want to discuss it."

"Good. And by the way, don't expect Emma Frost back anytime soon."

---

Jane Foster and Pepper Potts awaited Rhodes' return to Stark Tower anxiously. "What happened?" Jane asked.

"Long story," Rhodes said.

"We've got time," Pepper insisted.

"The short version, first," Jane broke in. "Did it lead to Asgard, was there trouble, and did our side come out on top?"

"Yes, yes, and yes," Rhodes told her. "Did anything happen here while I was gone?"

"Well, actually," Pepper informed him, "we've got a lot of those prototypes Tony wanted in more or less working order. We should be able to just present them to him tomorrow."

"He'll like that," Rhodes said with a nod.

"We've got time for the long version of the story now," Jane said, "if you want."

"Actually, first – "

"Ah-HEM," a voice sounded emphatically from the door through which Rhodes had come.

"I was GETTING there," Rhodes sighed. He stepped aside, and Pepper and Jane saw Luke and Danny framed by the door. "Apparently, we're supposed to handle a bill out of Tony's for these guys…"

---

When the Avengers and Equestrians made it back to the Mansion, three had followed them: the Winter Soldier, Samson, and Lang.

"You gonna be okay?" Samson asked the reverted Banner.

"I think I'll be fine," Banner answered. "I really owe a lot to my partner on the field today." He looked to Fluttershy, giving her an awkward smile.

"Oh…thank you." Fluttershy blushed. "But really, I'm just glad you're okay too."

"It would take a little more than a pumpkin bomb to bring me down," Banner admitted with a nervous laugh.

"So what are you going to do now?" Fluttershy asked Samson.

"Back to work as usual, I guess," Samson answered.

In the meantime, Lang had caught up with Hank. "I hear you're going by Hank Pym again," Lang commented.

"It's time I stop running from who I am," Hank replied.

"In that case…" Lang removed his helmet, holding it out to Hank. "You have every right to be Ant-Man again."

"No." Hank shook his head. "I gave that name to you, and I want you to keep it. You've been wearing it well. Keep everything else, too. I have my own ways of using the Pym particles. And everyone knows me as Yellowjacket anyway."

"Thank you," Lang said softly.

"It's nothing," Hank replied.

When he and Lang parted ways, Hank turned to see Twilight smiling at him. "What?" he asked.

"You figured out who you really are," Twilight stated happily. "I'm proud of you, Hank Pym."

"I couldn't have come as far as I did without you," Hank told her.

"Maybe," Twilight told him. "But I have a feeling that it was inside of you all along."

Steve and the Winter Soldier stood at the edge of the lawn. "Have you…figured things out yet?" Steve asked.

"Almost," the Winter Soldier answered.

Steve read the implications of his tone. "There's still more you have to do. You're not going to stay."

"A past that long takes a while to come to grips with," the Winter Soldier answered.

"I just want you to know that whenever you do figure it out," Steve said, "if you want…our doors are always open to you. There's a place for you here."

"I'm grateful," the Winter Soldier teased, "but I don't want to make your boyfriend jealous."

"He'll get over it," Steve replied. "Good luck out there, Bucky."

Steve saw in the Winter Soldier's eyes that he still felt utterly disconnected from that name. "Same to you, Captain Rogers," the Soldier replied.

And then he was gone yet again, a shadow as usual slipping into night. Not long after, Samson and Lang left the premises.

Applejack had observed Steve and the Winter Soldier's conversation. "He'll be comin' around in time," she said. "He already came back for ya twice since this whole Osborn mess started."

"I just…worry," Steve admitted.

"'Bout that one?" Applejack was taken aback. "Pretty sure that one can take care of himself! I wouldn't wanna meet the creature that could take him down!"

Steve gave a laugh. "You're right," he admitted.

"Guys?" Wilson asked. "You mind if we take it inside? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to change into civilian clothes and just kick back."

"Right," Tony said, leading the group through the doors.

As they did so, the lights turned on. The cheerful voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. greeted: "Welcome back."

---

Outside the city limits, there was a flash of green light. Two figures materialized, a pile of gold, jewelry, and glass littered at their feet. They took a moment to do nothing more than be purely irate, staring each other down, recapitulating through their eyes that they had suffered a humiliating setback. Then, Amora spoke: "Well, I suppose we can't just stand around here staring at each other. Too much longer and we'd be plotting how to kill each other."

"Do you think I am that stupid?" Zemo retorted. "Even I know you're too valuable to kill at the moment. In fact, as of right now, you and I are unfortunately all each other has."

"I wouldn't wish being bound to you on my worst enemy," Amora seethed.

"But why not?" Zemo countered. "After all, you'd simply be wishing me bound to myself."

"Watch your back, Zemo. One wrong move, and I'll…"

"And you'll what, Amora?"

She didn't know how to answer. "I will admit that as it stands, you are currently my most valuable ally," she said at last. "If we want to change that, I suggest we seek out the others."

"By which you mean the Dark Avengers?"

"You know that they either escaped…or S.H.I.E.L.D. has them," Amora pointed out. "Either way, it would not be a momentous task for us to reunite them. We would not have the same legal sanction we did under Osborn…but do we truly need it anymore?"

"No longer a force to uphold a false sense of justice for the common people," Zemo stated. "Simply a force that wishes to destroy the Avengers and all they stand for."

"Precisely. Perhaps you aren't a lost cause after all."

"Give me reason to believe you won't stab me in the back, Amora, and I shall do the same."

"Your word only goes so far. I would rather find the others sooner than later…if only to have company between us."

"…You either have stopped caring or haven't noticed."

"Noticed WHAT?" Amora barked.

"Merely that I used your given name twice, Amora. And that makes a third."

"I don't have time for this now," Amora huffed, turning to begin walking away. "Call me whatever you wish. But keep up, or I'll leave you behind."

"I could say the same to you," Zemo said as he caught up to Amora, matched her pace, and began to outdo it.

At the site where they had materialized, the glass shards began to tremble. They moved, as though magnetically pulled, toward each other.

---

ATLANTIS, 616TH EARTH

As soon as Namor re-entered the Atlantean palace, he was swarmed with attendants, calling out his name and asking if he wanted for anything, especially revenge against the people who'd wronged him.

Namor held up a hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet. "I do not wish for revenge," he said. "I…in fact feel quite lucky I came away as well as I did. But there is an urgent matter I must attend to." He held out a large bag he had carried; inside were the glittering shards of diamond. "This was an ally of mine. Her mind is still intact; her body requires repairs. I need time and space to do what I can for her."

"Yes, your highness," a courtier said. "Whatever you need!"

The Atlanteans hurried out of the room, leaving Namor alone. Namor approached a table, emptying the bag, laying out the pieces of Emma Frost. And then, carefully, he began the task of putting her back together.

---

WASHINGTON D.C., 616TH EARTH

When morning came, he strode down the halls of the building known as the Triskelion, flanked by several guards. He knew well his fate. He had resigned to it, though angrily. He'd even dressed his best for the occasion, wearing a crisp three-piece suit.

The guards led him toward a conference room where one wall was given out entirely to a window that delivered a spectacular view of the nation's capital. The room's colors were stark white; its furnishing was minimal, with only five odd glass pedestals of sorts set around an empty floor space.

One of the guards opened the door to the room, motioning for the captive to step inside. And so he did. The door closed behind him, leaving him alone with the pedestals.

All five pedestals then flickered to life, each bearing a holographic image of a human being: the live feed of each member of the World Security Council. "Norman Osborn," one of them said, addressing the man who stood trial.

And Osborn replied, "That is who I am."

"You are on trial for transnational organized crime between this nation and the nation of Ragnanival in Asgard," another stated.

"I am aware," Osborn seethed.

"The evidence against you is, frankly, damning. The reports alone would have been enough…but a set of recordings documenting your entire plan have come into our possession. While we are reluctant to trust recordings fashioned by Loki Laufeyson, for what I'm sure are obvious reasons, the fact remains that these recordings, which appeared on every S.H.I.E.L.D. terminal in every S.H.I.E.L.D. facility the moment militant activity ceased in Asgard, show clear footage of your meetings with your Cabal in which you state your intent to sabotage S.H.I.E.L.D., sabotage the Avengers, perform a siege on Asgard, participate in the attempted murder of several persons…the list goes on, Osborn. Do you have anything to say to this?"

Osborn looked each hologram directly in the eye before making his statement: "I regret nothing."

That, among other things, earned him a stiff sentence at the prison facility known as the Raft by the meeting's close. As the guards returned to escort Osborn to the maximum security facility he would be calling home, they were all unsettled by the fact that he took the journey with a rather pronounced smirk.

---

NEW YORK CITY, 616TH EARTH

The staff of the prison facility known as Ryker's Island made rounds of the hallways, accounting for the new inmates – or, rather, returning inmates. They passed the reinforced cell that had been designed for one prisoner in particular; that certain prisoner sat within it at that very moment, overhearing the guards' gossip: "So, how long do you think it'll actually hold him this time?"

"So long as the others are all accounted for, this time might actually take. God knows that idiot couldn't pull a breakout on his own."

"I HEARD THAT!" Alex O'Hirn yelled through the reinforced walls. Which he then proceeded to stare at in frustration. He held out hope that it would only be a matter of time. After all, only four of the current Sinister Six roster had actually ended up on the Island. And he refused to believe what everyone had been telling him about Flint Marko. Absolutely refused.

A pair of guards passed one of the less augmented cells, one designed to hold two ordinary human beings. One of whom, Adrian Toomes, decided to scream at the guards as they went past: "This is not FAIR! ALL I EVER WANTED WAS DUE RECOGNITION! ALL I EVER – "

"WILL YOU PUT A BLOODY FUCKING SOCK IN IT!" his cellmate, Bullseye – better known at the time as "Lester" – screamed.

"Did we ever get a legal record of his last name?" one guard asked, stealing a glance at Lester, who was attempting to throttle Toomes.

"Hell if I know," the other said with a shrug.

They continued on, hearing the next set of prisoners before they reached them.

"I KNEW we'd end up like this, you idiot!" Montana yelled.

"And how is that MY fault?" Beck responded.

The two sulked in the cell they shared, and when the guards passed, both their heads turned to face them, glowering angrily.

"Bad time, I guess," the first guard said with a shrug. "At least them fighting is better than them giving us trouble." And they continued on down the hall.

As soon as the guards left the range of the motion sensors of the animatrons, their heads reverted to their original positions, facing each other. The recorded soundbyte of the Montana-bot repeated for posterity: "I KNEW we'd end up like this, you idiot!"

On cue, the Beck-bot replied, "And how is that MY fault?"

---

Atop one of the tallest skyscrapers in New York City, the real Montana, decked out as Shocker, asked, "So, how'd you even get those things up to Asgard with us?"

"Simple," Beck, in full guise as Mysterio, answered. "Each animatron has two skins. One in costume and one in civilian dress. While we lined up in costume, our robotic counterparts, in civilian mode, hid among the troop and weren't given a second glance. They marched in right alongside us, and then it was merely a matter of storing them in an alleyway until we needed to make our grand switch. In a sudden cloud of smoke, the Captain apprehends the animatrons, believing them to be us…and, as you well know, we make the REAL dramatic exit toward the portal!"

"Gotta hand it to ya," Shocker admitted, "I didn't think you'd be able to get away without letting them see you do it."

"Give me a LITTLE credit, Montana."

"Oh, I give you plenty of credit. I knew as soon as I saw you workin' on the bot of you the night before the siege that you'd have somethin' planned for it. Well, I got one more question, but I've got a feelin' I already know the answer."

"And that is?"

"Out of everyone, why just make bots of you and me?"

"Well, I would have done the entire Six if I had more time, but given the circumstances, I had to prioritize."

"So why me?" Shocker reiterated.

"As if you didn't know!" Mysterio was taken aback. "You are, after all, my leading man. Getting away without you at my side would have been little more than a hollow victory."

Shocker turned to look Mysterio directly in the eye, as best he could through the glass globe. Then he put a hand on Mysterio's shoulder, quite gently. "You're somethin' else, ya know that?"

"Oh, I'm well aware. Though I like to think of us more as two of a kind. And now that we are once again at large and our adversaries believe they have the upper hand…" Mysterio's arm slipped around Shocker's waist. "What would you propose we do next?"

Shocker turned to look out over the city skyline. "Whatever the hell we want," he stated.

---

The woman who escorted Electro back down the halls of Ravencroft was pleasant enough. She certainly didn't act like a warden or a guard. She asked him what she believed to be innocuous questions: "How are you feeling, Max?" "What would you like for dinner later, Max?" "There's going to be a supervised screening of The Fifth Element later, Max. Did you want to come see it with the others? I know it's campy, but it's one of my favorites. I think it's something you'd like." So she was one of the ones that remembered him, then. He'd been in and out so many times, he supposed they all did. He made a point never to remember them. Which was, in part, why he didn't answer a single question or say a single word. But mostly, it was because he wanted her to stop calling him "Max."

"Well, Max," she said, stopping, "here's your room. I know you've been through a lot lately, and I want you to know we're here to help you. I don't think I have to brief you on what you are and aren't allowed to have while you're here. If there's anything we've approved that you want, just let us know. Somebody will be by later. I hope you're comfortable here."

She opened the door, and Electro glared at the room. He'd had that room before. Of course, they were all furnished exactly the same – stark, white, a bed, not much else – but he knew that he'd stayed in this exact particular room. A grim reminder of his destiny. He knew she was waiting for him to enter it, so he did, and he sat down on the bed, refusing to look at her.

"I'm going to have to shut you in now," she said, "but like I said, someone will be by later to check on you. I might not see you later, so have a good night." She gave him an honest smile; he still wasn't looking. So she shut the door and locked it, and even while doing that, it was in as gentle and polite of a way as a door could be shut and locked. Whether she was faking her politeness or was just that way naturally, Electro decided he hated her. He hated everyone in the institution.

He shifted, lying down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He sighed, admitting defeat. "Welcome home, Maxwell," he muttered.

Then he heard the sounds. There was a commotion of some sort; loud bangs, the sound of feet rushing through the halls, voices screaming. Electro sat up on the bed, ready to run to the door and see what was going on, but then he remembered it was not only locked, but reinforced so that the more powerful inmates couldn't destroy it. He resolved just to sit back on the bed and wonder. But he could hear snippets of what was being yelled: "…Bomb…!" "…The North wall…!" "…You see him?..." "…I KNOW…" "…Contain him before…!"

And then the wall of Electro's room was blown to pieces.

Electro was unhurt – the bomb had been placed far enough away from the wall that all it did was break the structure, and he managed to avoid the shrapnel – but he was thrown back to the floor. He looked up and concluded that he was definitely hallucinating when he saw Flint Marko run toward him and offer a hand downward.

"Sparks!" Flint cried. "You okay?"

"Flint…" Electro muttered. "You're dead. I'm seeing things."

"No, you're not!" Flint insisted. "You really thought that KILLED me? I thought I told you! I'm invincible! Ain't NOTHIN' gonna keep me down! Though being glass is a REAL pain. Try not to do that again, if you don't mind!"

It was then that Electro realized he wasn't hallucinating. "I thought you were DEAD because of me," he reiterated, his senses kicking in enough that he knew to clasp Flint's hand with his own. "I thought…"

"No harm, no foul." Flint practically jerked Electro to his feet. "So, you wanna get outta here or what?"

"Let's go," Electro insisted. "NOW."

They ran, Flint in the lead, hands still tightly locked. "By the way," Flint said as they rushed away from the chaos at Ravencroft, "I nicked this back up on Asgard." He used his free hand to flick something small and shiny into the air; Electro caught it in his own gloved hand. It was a golden ring with a simple multi-faceted diamond embedded in it. "It sparkles. Kinda like someone else I know."

Overcome with joy, Electro found he couldn't help but laugh. That inspired Flint to laugh as well, and the two raced elatedly into the tangle of streets.

---

At the offices of the Daily Bugle, J. Jonah Jameson was having a field day. "They have crossed the line for the LAST time!" he exclaimed in a tone that was unfittingly gleeful, moving from desk to desk to deliver his speech to every writer on duty. "Invading Asgard! Disrupting the government! And in song, to boot! I've got the whole set! The Avengers! Spider-Man! One of the mutants! Even those new Avengers everybody loved! This isn't just front page material. I want something about this on EVERY page. Editorials, profiles of the offenders, whatever you can get me!"

"Sir – " Jameson's loyal employee Betty Brant approached him. "These just arrived. There's no name. We don't know where they came from." She held up a large white envelope. "It looks like several photos of the incident on Asgard."

"PERFECT!" Jameson swiped the envelope from her. "I was just wishing we had photographic proof!" He took the pictures out of the envelope, leafing through them. "They'll eat this up!" His grin widened as he shuffled through each and every picture. "Look at that! Captain America letting loose with acts of violence! The Green Goblin, back in action! The – "

He fell silent. His expression immediately changed to one of horror. He stared at the photograph in his hand. Then, slowly, he shuffled to the next one in line, which he regarded in the same way. Then the next.

"Mr. Jameson?" Brant said.

Jameson was silent. Then he said, quietly but deliberately, "Kill the story."

"I'm…sorry?" Brant was taken aback.

"I said KILL THE STORY!" Jameson yelled. "I don't want to see a SINGLE thing about Asgard or the Avengers or the new Avengers in print! Do you hear me? And don't run a SINGLE one of these photos! No…no, wait. The public will want us to cover SOMETHING. Just stick to the bare bones facts. There was an incident involving a portal. We don't know the details. There's gossip about Asgard. Run this one." He flicked the most generic of the photographs, one of Iron Man midflight, onto a desk. "But nothing else, you hear me?"

"Um…sir?" the reporter upon whose desk Jameson had flung the picture uttered.

"NOT NOW," Jameson growled. "Just do what I said!" He marched into his office, clutching the bundle of photographs tightly, and slammed the door hard behind him. Everyone else stared at the door, dumbstruck, until one by one, they returned to work.

Jameson tossed the majority of the photographs aside, spreading out the precious few on his desk. The Red Hulk battling Yellowjacket. The Red Hulk reverting to human form, already showing the physical signs of his true identity. John Jameson, standing before Yellowjacket. John Jameson running away.

"Johnny…my boy…" Jameson muttered, a catch in his throat. He stared at the photographs, as though there were some way that he could reach into them, take John out, and speak to him then and there. But as it was, the photographs only proved that John was gone to a location unknown. That, and that he'd been part of the Asgardian conflict Jameson had been about to exploit.

Jameson rested his head in his hands.

---

Jan and Pinkie Pie began to run down the halls at top speed. "IT'S TIME!" they screamed in unison.

As Hank set to work on a new gadget at his laboratory table, Twilight watched, observing the process, and Thor kept them both entertained with tales of his great deeds – after Twilight had met and left him, of course, so as not to pollute the time stream with any more information. "And as Hymir and Tyr watched," Thor related, "I hauled the mighty Jörmungandr out of the sea! Only his head, of course, for his body is large enough to encircle the world. Malodorous was his breath, and his eyes shone as two suns, though not nearly so comforting as that sight. Immediately I was stricken with the utmost fear, for it had long been fortold that Jörmungandr would bring my permanent undoing, a death from which there was no resurrection. At first, I could barely move. But as the beast stared directly through my eyes into my heart, I realized I had to act with courage, or I would surely fall! Summoning all the strength within me, I lifted Mjolnir – "

He was interrupted when Jan and Pinkie ran past the room, screaming, "IT'S TIME!"

"It appears the end of this story shall wait for another day," Thor said as he, Hank, and Twilight left the room.

"It's okay," Twilight whispered to Hank. "I've actually read this myth before. I just liked hearing the way he put it."

Tony spread the blueprints over the kitchen table. "So here's my plan for the Tower," he said, motioning to the diagram of Stark Tower he'd drawn out and labeled in detail. "If we're serious about this move, I'm going to have to make a LOT of changes to the - "

"What's this?" Carol spotted another diagram's edge sticking out from beneath the tower blueprints. She lay a finger on it and began to drag it out.

As the blueprints were revealed, Rainbow Dash saw that they contained the image of a ship. "Hey," she muttered, "that almost looks like…"

"None of your business," Tony insisted, tugging the paper away from Carol and putting it back.

"IT'S TIME!" Jan and Pinkie yelled, bursting into the kitchen.

"…We'll catch up on this later," Carol stated, and Tony and Rainbow Dash agreed before running after Jan and Pinkie.

An apple crisp was in process; Steve peeled each apple before tossing it lightly to Applejack, who would then dice the apple neatly while T'Challa located and combined such things as flour, brown sugar, and baking soda. However, all ingredients were shelved or refrigerated once they heard the call of Jan and Pinkie yelling, "IT'S TIME!"

Down in the practice arena, Clint, Natasha, Wilson, and Rarity rapidly alerted each other to beeps and pegged targets as soon as they appeared, with arrows, bullets, and red feather projectiles flying; Banner and Fluttershy watched from the sidelines, though Banner only occasionally looked up from the notes he was working on.

"IT'S TIME!" Jan and Pinkie yelled as they barreled through the arena.

"All right," Clint ordered as the pair left at top speed, "I think that's a day. What's the report, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"The four of you have eliminated one hundred and fifty targets," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported.

"All RIGHT!" Wilson and Rarity high-fived.

"So what's it time for?" Natasha asked. As soon as she asked, she remembered. "Oh, don't tell me…"

---

The entire group convened in the television room, pulling together the chairs and couches as J.A.R.V.I.S. dimmed the lights. The television flickered on, and the opening credits of Downton Abbey began.

"I swear," Natasha laughed, "you guys and this show – "

"SHHHH!" Jan shut her up.

Ten minutes in, Applejack said softly, "I'm still lost."

"You're not the only one," T'Challa replied, equally quietly, somewhat teasingly.

They spent the hour all together, knowing it was the last time they would get the chance for a while. Twilight had made it clear that with the conflict in Asgard resolved, the Element bearers' duty on 616th Earth was done, at least for the time being. "But we'll probably catch up with each other again," she had insisted. "In fact, I promise we will."

After the episode concluded, J.A.R.V.I.S. announced, "There are guests at the door. Pepper Potts, James Rhodes, Dr. Erik Selvig, Jane Foster, and Darcy Lewis."

"I'll get it," Tony and Steve said, rising at the same time. With a smile, Steve said, "How about we get it together?"

"Sure," Tony replied with a nod. "J.A.R.V.I.S., go on ahead and let them in. Tell them we'll be down to see them in a minute. Oh, and Rainbow Dash, you and co. are gonna wanna come with us if this is what I'm hoping it is."

Confused, Rainbow Dash stood, followed by Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity. The eight left the room, and the others continued to watch the television.

Tony, Steve, and the six Equestrians entered the hall where Pepper, Rhodes, Selvig, Jane, and Darcy awaited them. "What took you so long?" Tony asked, somewhat exasperated.

"Well," Pepper explained, "after we settled the matter of paying Cage and Rand-K'ai's bill, the person we asked to fuel up the truck didn't do it, so we broke down in the middle of the road. Then, when we finally got back on track, that person was suddenly hungry enough for a burger and fries that said person wouldn't stop talking about it until we pulled over to the nearest fast food joint, at which point said person took forever to order."

She turned to look at Darcy, as did Selvig, Rhodes, and Jane. "WHAT?" Darcy cried with a dramatic shrug. "I'm forgetful and I get hungry!"

"Anyway," Pepper said, "we've got all the prototypes out in the truck. Ready to install when you are."

"Install?" Rainbow Dash regarded Tony with suspicion. "Tony, what's going on?"

"What's going on," Tony answered calmly, "is that I'm fixing your ship so it isn't an outdated hunk of junk anymore."

"WHAT?" Twilight screamed. "You're going to MODIFY the Starlight? YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST ASKED OUR PERMISSION!"

"Hey!" Tony snapped. "I'm not going to touch your weird engine until I know how it works. I just have a few upgrades for your computer system, a couple more durable jets that should increase your max speed, some ideas to fix the structural integrity, and, most importantly, a radio system you need BADLY."

"Tony," Steve sighed, "if they don't want you to mess with their ship…"

"I'm not messing with it," Tony argued. "I'm improving it."

"TONY!" Twilight barked again.

"Hold up," Applejack broke in. "I think we should at least take a look at some of these gadgets and see if we like 'em. We know Tony's got a lot of great ideas, and we don't just wanna throw 'em away."

"But…he just redesigned our whole ship without asking!" Twilight argued.

"I didn't even TOUCH it yet!" Tony groaned. "Believe me, I THOUGHT about rigging it when you weren't looking as a surprise, but something tells me that wouldn't have gone over well." He looked directly at Twilight for this last statement.

"Let's just look at what he has," Fluttershy suggested softly.

"That blueprint!" Rainbow Dash recalled. "The one you were hiding from us!"

"Right," Tony confirmed with a nod. "Hang on one second…"

He left the hall, then quickly returned with the blueprint. All present in the hall gathered as he explained how the jets would be installed, where the structure of the ship would be strengthened, and where the radio would be placed.

"Well," Rarity said at last, "I don't know much about these things, but I suppose that so long as the mist engine stays untouched, these couldn't HURT."

"If this beta test goes over well," Tony said, "Stark Industries will be able to rig up any and every other ship that comes through here with the same improvements or better."

"You really think more ships will…" Twilight began, but then Tony's words sank in. "We're the BETA TEST?"

"Theoretically, nothing should go wrong," Tony stated. "Gotta test on SOMETHING."

"I can back that up," Pepper said. "We've tested the componentry as much as we can in limited fields without an actual vessel. We were able to put the jets in working order, and the radio signal transmits perfectly here on Earth. Or, well, this Earth. It's really only a 'beta test' by name."

"So, were you thinking we should head out there tonight?" Jane asked. "I don't know how soon you wanted to leave…" She looked to Twilight.

"We were going to take off tomorrow," Twilight said, "but installing those things could take – "

"A couple hours," Tony insisted. "Tops. Plus, I'm used to going on two hours of sleep."

Upon hearing that, Steve flinched.

"Which I won't," Tony told Steve, "because two hours is how long it's going to take to put all this in place."

"Well?" Twilight turned to her friends. "What do you think? Should we?"

"I'm DREADFULLY curious to know how some of these things will improve our vessel," Rarity said.

"LET'S DO IT!" Pinkie squealed.

"You." Tony pointed to Pinkie Pie. "You are going to love what the radio system does. Trust me on this one. Well, if nobody has any objections, let's head out."

Without waiting for any objections, he made for the door. With a collective shrug, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Pepper, Rhodes, Jane, Selvig, and Darcy followed.

Steve loitered a moment. "J.A.R.V.I.S. – "

"I will inform the others of where you have gone and why," J.A.R.V.I.S. promised.

"Thanks." Steve then ran enthusiastically out after the others.

---

As promised, the installations of the upgrades on the ship took mere hours. Tony and Steve took care of most of the dirty work; Pepper and Rhodes helped out when needed, and Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy looked on in awe. Darcy found a comfortable chair and staked her claim there. Selvig and Jane explained the radio frequency they'd developed to Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity.

"We've found a frequency that's able to transcend dimensional 'walls,' so to speak," Selvig said. "Your radio should be able to pick up broadcasts from any station on any satellite it passes."

"That's why Tony thought Pinkie Pie would like it so much," Jane explained. "You'll be able to get music piped in from any world you get near that has music stations."

"It will also work as a communicator for any open channels you pass," Selvig went on. "But we've even discovered a transdimensional frequency that's currently unoccupied by any radio waves, and if everything went well, the radio you have should be able to put waves through it. This channel will allow all the ships that pass through the space between different planets and even dimensions to have a quick and easy communication channel. You'll be able to talk to any other ship out there that accepts your call, or that calls you."

"You keep speaking as though there are many more ships in flight besides our own," Rarity pointed out. "As far as we know, there is only one, with our friends Cadance and Rapunzel, and it certainly doesn't have a radio on board."

"And if what I'm figuring out about time is true," Twilight said, "the old version of the Starlight, when Celestia and Luna ran it, is out there somewhere in space and time too. If THAT one had a radio on it, ours would already, unless there was a paradox."

"Basically," Applejack condensed, "we're wonderin' what the point of all this is if we're the only ones out there with this stuff."

Tony approached the group, ready to answer. "The point is that eventually, other ships ARE going to turn up. We've already dealt with enough ships crossing through the Nine Realms and between other planets that it's going to expand, more people are going to want this, and I'm going to be there to capitalize on it. You see anyone else out there get on board one of these, you send them over to Stark Towers to get it rigged up, got it?"

"No problem," Applejack said. "You've already done a great job here."

"I still wish you hadn't waited until the last minute to spring this on us," Twilight sighed, "but I have to admit, I do like everything you did."

"The majority of the installation's done," Tony said. "We just have ten more radio terminals we have to set up wherever in the ship you want them. They all hook up to the one in the control room."

"We have to wait here while you install TEN MORE TERMINALS?" Darcy groaned.

"Well, we want the ship to be ready to go in the morning…" Jane pointed out, though her tone betrayed that she, too, was ready to leave.

"You don't have to stick around," Tony told the others. "I can handle this just fine. You go home. Sleep."

"We were going to drop you off on our way home," Rhodes argued.

"It's New York City," Tony reminded him. "There's not exactly a transportation shortage."

"Actually," Applejack suggested, "if ya don't wanna find a cab at this time of night, you could sleep here. The six of us'll help you put the radios in where we want 'em, and then we'll all just camp out here for the night, so long as ya remember to call back to the Mansion and let 'em know we're out here. And anypony who wants to can go home."

"I'd love to play the martyr and stay," Pepper said, stifling a yawn, "but I'm really getting tired, and unlike some people, I need at least five hours of sleep to function."

"I'm thinking I'll go back too," Rhodes agreed, and Jane and Selvig nodded.

"Thank GOD," Darcy sighed.

"Actually, I'll stay and help out," Steve volunteered.

"Oh, we'll have plenty of room for both of you to stay the night," Rarity told Steve and Tony. "This ship actually has several spare bedrooms…though I'm guessing you'll only need one." She winked.

"Hang on," Pepper broke in. She pointed at Steve and Tony. "Is she implying that you two…"

"Yeah," Tony said confidently and Steve said nervously.

Pepper gave a slight laugh. "About time! Okay, seriously, I have to go. Tony, don't overw – actually, Steve, make sure Tony doesn't overwork himself."

"Understood," Steve told Pepper with a nod and a smile.

"Hey," Rhodes said, looking Rainbow Dash in the eye. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks, Rhodey," Rainbow Dash replied. "Good luck back here!"

Goodbyes were exchanged, and Pepper, Rhodes, Selvig, Jane, and Darcy left the premises as Tony phoned back to the mansion to inform everyone that he, Steve, and the six Equestrians would be out for the night.

---

Steve and Tony spent the night in one of the guest bedrooms Rarity had spoken of, and for the third night in a row, Tony attained a reasonable amount of sleep. Tony was the first to wake, and slid out of the bed, attempting to cause as little disturbance as possible to his sleeping bedmate. However, it was still enough disturbance to wake Steve, who blinked awake, sitting up in the bed.

"Morning, sunshine," Tony greeted.

"Morning," Steve replied. "Today's the day, huh?"

"Yep."

Steve got out of the bed as well, searching for the shirt he'd taken off when he'd gone to sleep. Picking up the shirt, he paused, realizing something. "I didn't even think about it," he muttered.

"Think about what?" Tony asked.

"Falling through the bed like it's a marshmallow."

"Okaaaay…I'm gonna need a little more context than that…"

"When you're out on the battlefield," Steve said, "most nights, you end up sleeping on the ground. Using a rock as a pillow. It starts to get comfortable. When you get home and sleep in a real bed, it feels too soft. Like you're going to just sink right through it. I'm mostly used to it now, but it still crosses my mind almost every night. Except the last three."

"Well," Tony teased, lightly clapping Steve on the back of his bare shoulder, "don't jinx it!"

---

Steve and Tony met up with Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash in the control room. "We thought y'all'd come right here," Applejack said, "so I brought these for ya." She handed them each a muffin, still hot. "Apple, though ya probably guessed that."

"Did you sleep comfortably?" Rarity asked as Steve and Tony voraciously tore into the muffins.

"Better than I knew, it turns out," Steve said with a grin.

"We should go back to the mansion one last time before we set off," Twilight suggested. "Say goodbye. And drop you two off."

"Right." Steve polished off his muffin, then waited for Tony to finish his.

The eight headed upstairs to the deck, but to their surprise, when they got there, the very people they'd headed out to see were waiting for them on said deck. Thor, Banner, Clint, Natasha, Hank, Jan, T'Challa, Carol, Vision, Wilson. Behind them, the Spectrum armor was propped up, and Vision held a glass dish covered with foil in his hands.

"We figured you'd be on your way to say goodbye to us," Banner explained.

"We just thought we'd beat you to the punch," Clint concluded.

"We finished the dessert that you, Steve, and T'Challa began last night," Vision said, handing Applejack the dish of apple crisp. "For sustenance on your journey."

"And I'm pretty sure Tony wanted you to have this anyway," Banner said, pointing to Spectrum. Tony nodded an approval.

"Oh, gosh…" Fluttershy found that she was close to tears. "You're all so sweet…"

"We're gonna miss you," Rainbow Dash said. "A lot."

"Not THAT much," Tony interrupted.

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "Of course we'll miss you! What, do you think we're just gonna forget – "

"No," Tony said. "I mean that radio we spent last night installing links right back to one in the mansion. There are instructions on how to call us in your updated computer database. You're welcome. Oh, and if you don't call us, we'll call you."

"So we won't have to go that long without talking after all!" Pinkie Pie squealed. "We can call you as soon as we leave!"

"Aw, c'mon!" Jan protested. "At least go out and have some fun first! Then you can tell us about it!"

"We will," Twilight said. "Thank you all. For everything."

Much time was spent exchanging goodbyes between the Equestrians and Avengers. But, as it always does, the time came when they had to part. The Avengers stepped off the ship, and the Equestrians went belowdecks.

"Is everypony ready?" Twilight asked.

"Yep!" Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie chorused.

"Then let's go," Twilight said.

The Avengers watched the ship make its way into the water. The mists surrounded it, rolling in from nowhere, then abated, leaving nothing in their wake.

---

Harry Osborn sullenly made his way home from school, his mind a cyclone of angry thoughts. On top of everything else, his father had gone and fallen back into the lure of being the Goblin, and was now a pariah to the world. Most of Harry's classmates were fixed on making sure he knew that and didn't forget it.

"Why?" Harry growled to himself. "Why did he have to go and do…EVERYTHING? Doesn't he THINK about Mom and me? Doesn't he think about ANYBODY but himself?"

"I'm sensing you have rather a grudge against Norman Osborn."

Harry, startled, looked up to see who had interrupted him. He found that the street he was crossing was somehow devoid of people – odd, for New York City. There was only one person on the same block, a brunette man in red, looking right at Harry. Harry got the feeling that something wasn't quite right, but he shoved it aside. "Yeah," he said gingerly. "You bet I do. And you should know why."

"Oh?" Discord asked. "Why is that?"

"Don't you RECOGNIZE me?" Harry seethed. "I'm Harry Osborn! Norman's son! Son of the Green Goblin!"

"Oh, dear." Discord shook his head. "That DOES put you in quite a pickle, doesn't it? Dear, dear."

"I don't have time for this." Harry made to walk around Discord, but Discord stepped right back into his path.

"Now, am I correct in assuming that if you had the opportunity, you'd get revenge on Daddy dearest?" Discord asked.

"Don't even joke," Harry grumbled. Then: "You know I would."

"I think I can help with that."

"Who even ARE you?"

"Someone closer to the situation than you think," Discord said. "I know all about Osborn's dealings with S.H.I.E.L.D. and his little Cabal. Right down to these details: Loki was involved. Your father recruited the Sinister Six. Malekith, Red Skull, and Attuma were all setups to promote the Dark Avengers. That's what he called them behind the public's back, you know. As for me? Believe me when I say that I would derive a LOT of joy out of seeing every one of them sabotaged as chaotically as possible."

"Hang on," Harry realized. "You DO know who I am. If you were that close to my…to Norman, you didn't just run into me. You came looking for me on purpose."

"Oh, dear. I've been found out."

"What do you want from me?"

"You and I want the same thing," Discord said. "Albeit for different reasons. But that's something to discuss at a later date. For now, if you REALLY want revenge on your father, or, I don't know, if you should suddenly decide you want to AVENGE him – "

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, why isn't he here with you right now? Is it not because he's locked away on the Raft? And who was responsible for that? Who made it so that he could NEVER have the chance to come talk to you and explain why he did what he did?"

Harry was silent.

"As I was saying," Discord said, "I know there are potentially a LOT of people you would want revenge on. And I can give you a tool to do it."

"I don't trust you," Harry said.

"You don't have to," Discord replied. "Just trust this." He held out the flash drive onto which he'd downloaded his first "resurrected" program in an open palm. "Run the program on this drive on your computer. Then you can decide what you think. After all, the worst that can happen is that I'm handing you a virus that will crash your computer, and all you'll have to do is walk downtown and buy a new one. But trust me, what I'm giving you is the key to power."

Harry didn't notice that Discord had two fingers crossed behind his back. A silly custom, but one Discord felt had to be done under the circumstances.

Harry regarded the flash drive with curiosity before gingerly taking it out of Discord's hand. "This better not be a trick," he said, looking down at the drive in his own hand.

There was no reply.

He looked up. Discord was gone. The street, however, was filled with people commuting home from work and school. The flash drive was the only proof that Harry hadn't imagined the entire encounter.

---

Late that night, Harry found he couldn't sleep. He rolled over in bed, looking to his desk. There sat his computer…and next to it, the flash drive given to him by the stranger.

He got out of bed, approaching the desk. He turned on the computer; its screen's soft light became the only illumination in the dark room. He plugged in the flash drive, looking at its contents. One program, entitled "A Friend for Harry Osborn."

He knew he shouldn't. But he did. Harry Osborn clicked on the program, opening it.

The screen went dark. Harry thought for a moment the system had crashed, that the stranger had given him some sort of virus after all.

Then the voice spoke. "State your name." It was cold, metallic, as though the computer itself was speaking.

"H…Harry Osborn," Harry replied.

"Identified: adolescent male human," the voice stated. "Commencing – " It cut off for a moment, then began again. "My new programming currently prohibits me from acting outside of orders." Upon that discovery, the AI began to examine its new programming, what Discord had given him. He looked for loopholes. He looked to see if the code was breakable.

Harry interrupted: "What…kind of orders are you looking for?"

"State your goal."

"Um…" Harry answered on impulse: "I want justice for everything that happened! I don't know if I'm angrier at my dad or at the people who put him away, but…but I want revenge!"

"Cross-examining records," the voice said. "Harold Osborn. Son of Norman Osborn. Goal is compatible with my intent."

"What's your intent?" Harry asked.

"To bring peace and order," the voice answered.

"Do…do you have a name?" Harry asked shakily.

And the voice replied, "I am Ultron."

---

THE SPACE BETWEEN

"…And that's how we saved Asgard!" Rainbow Dash concluded before a communication portal abovedecks. "And I even got to keep the armor." She tapped the chest plate of Spectrum, which she'd donned to tell the story.

From the other side of the portal, Phil rolled his eyes. "What kind of armor needs that many bells and whistles? Armor's about durability, not about how much magic you can pack into it!"

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash snapped. "I thought you'd at least be happy that six of your star pupils saved Asgard."

"Gotta hand it to ya, kid," Phil said with glee, "TWO pantheons owe ya big now. Next time Ra and his buddies are in trouble, I'm just gonna give them your number, kid."

"I'm STILL a kid to you?" Rainbow Dash sighed. "Well, then, I'm just gonna have to call you more often and tell you about the awesome stuff we do next!"

The portal flickered. "Rainbow's fadin'," Phil said. "Thanks for checkin' in. I'll give your regards to Herc, Meg, and the rest, okay?"

"And I'll say hi to everypony else for you!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"And don't think you're done with the trainin' phase just because you stopped a couple measly – " The portal cut out before Phil could finish. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but was ultimately glad she'd gotten the chance to speak with him. She headed belowdecks.

The others were gathered in what had become their favorite lounge. "Phil says hi," Rainbow Dash said as she entered.

"Was he impressed?" Fluttershy asked.

"No," Rainbow Dash answered, "but it's PHIL."

The others all nodded in understanding.

"So what were we talking about down here?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"We were talking about that story Loki told us back in the palace in Asgard," Twilight explained. "What he said about Sombra…and about there being more bearers of the Elements of Harmony than Celestia and Luna."

"We had wondered if it was at all true…" Rarity began.

"Or if it was another LIE!" Pinkie screamed. "Because Loki is a LYING LIAR who likes to LIE!"

"It HAS to be a lie," Rainbow Dash stated. "Celestia and Luna would have told us something THAT important."

"But he knew a lot of important things," Twilight pointed out. "Like what the Elements even were. And the Alicorn Amulet. The effect it had on Sombra that he described was the exact same effect it had on Trixie. He knew all about how the Crystal Empire was set up, right down to the Crystal Heart."

"He could've learned those things just by hanging around our world for a while," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "It's not like those are big secrets."

"Except that even we didn't know what they fully were until comparatively just a short time ago," Twilight said. "When Celestia sent me to Ponyville to meet all of you. We spent most of our lives not knowing about those things."

"But why would Celestia lie?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's the thing," Applejack brought up. "She didn't. She said she had more secrets she wasn't tellin' us. Maybe this is one of 'em."

"And if the other bearers of the Elements were as close to her as we are to each other," Fluttershy added, "she might not have wanted to talk about it…because that would mean reliving losing them. I know I wouldn't want to talk about it for a long time if I lost any of you. I don't know what I'd do."

"There's really only one way to find out if it was true or not," Twilight said. "And that's to go back home and try to find records of it. The Crystal Empire might have books about how it fell hidden somewhere in the library. We can look in Sombra's wing of the palace to see if he hid anything – "

"But don't forget," Rarity reminded Twilight. "The ruins of Celestia and Luna's old castle, where we did battle with Nightmare Moon for the first time. Why, I'm certain there are all sorts of old diaries and journals from their youth there! That should be the first place we look, really."

"And I've been thinkin' maybe we should drop in and make a visit at home anyway," Applejack said. "We've been away an awful long time, and – "

The telltale "ding" sounded overhead, signaling that the ship was nearing another world.

"I don't know, Applejack," Twilight said. "Apparently we just landed somewhere new."

"That was quick," Rarity noted. "Those new jets that Tony installed must really have worked to increase our speed."

"We could go home if you really wanted…" Fluttershy suggested.

Applejack shook her head decisively. "Nah. I know what y'all're thinkin', and to be honest, I'm thinkin' it too. We just got somewhere that needs us. I think we've got one more adventure in us before we make a visit home. But when we get back on the ship after this time, we set a course straight for home, y'hear?"

The six rushed to the control room, and right away, they saw the problem.

"Um…" Rainbow Dash looked at the map. "Did we even go anywhere?"

"That CAN'T be right," Twilight said, shaking hear head. "I hate to say it, but Tony must have screwed up our map systems when he updated our database. Let's go see what it looks like from the outside."

They hurried to the deck to take a look at the planet before them, but were stunned. It was the same sight: the Earth they'd just left.

"We DIDN'T go anywhere!" Pinkie cried.

"That," Applejack stated, "is the same place we just left."

"But it CAN'T be," Twilight argued. "Why would the mists of Avalon drop us off someplace we just saved? It doesn't make any sense! Not even that much time has…passed…"

The words of Medea suddenly echoed in her head. "Always know where you are in time," Twilight muttered. "What if…" She turned and bolted downstairs.

"TWILIGHT!" Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack yelled in unison before following her.

Twilight ran into the control room, looking again at the map. It showed the coordinates of the world the ship was nearing, but it also documented something else. A date and time stamp at the top of the screen.

"You're all right," Twilight said as her friends rushed into the room. "It is the same planet. But we're NOT in the same place."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked.

Twilight pointed up to the date and time stamp. "We just went back one thousand years in time!"

---

Chapter 78:

· Yes. That whole scheme about Fury and Hill setting it up from the beginning to have Norman take over? GIANT RETCON. DID NOT HAVE PLANNED FROM THE START. I only thought to put it in after seeing how those two acted in CAWS and realizing they had to be WAY smarter (and Maria had to be acting with WAY better intentions) than I gave them credit for. Plus, this to me feels like the kind of underhanded thing Fury would do.

· I realize that there are other children of Thor, but I really wanted Sif to have that seat. I understand that so long as Thor does accept the throne and names a regent, this is okay.

· Thor explained the story of Gwendolyn's banishment from Odin Sphere canon. However, the idea that Cornelius and Velvet took back the throne of Titania after the final ending of Odin Sphere is my own.

· I needed some excuse for why some Asgardians die forever and some are not only immortal but control forces on mortal worlds. So I bullshitted. Because I'm not bringing Griselda, Ingway, or Mercedes back, nor am I saying that Thor is not a god.

· I…didn't expect writing the Discord and Impossible Man goodbye scene to give me as many feels as it did.

· Discord got more lax about the plan because I wanted an excuse to just have him mess with random worlds some more.

· I originally wasn't intending to have the Winter Soldier go back to being a lone wolf, but I honestly don't know what to do with him yet. I'll either come up with something or end up modifying what the MCU does with him.

· I reiterate that I couldn't make Hank take being Ant-Man away from Lang. I just couldn't.

· Yes, I'm keeping many of the Dark Avengers and Sinister Six running free, and if all goes well, you'll see them again, even if not that soon…

· Reader Historybuff pointed out that I had Tony/Iron Man say "I regret nothing" about attacking one of the setup villains mercilessly in the chapters that built up the Dark Avengers. This observation was made, unbeknownst to Hbuff, after I had written the scene where Osborn says "I regret nothing" in all seriousness. I think I'm just really awesome at accidental parallelism.

· But seriously, DOES BULLSEYE HAVE A LAST NAME?

· Now, the idea of Mysterio and Shocker leaving bots of themselves for the heroes to capture and incarcerate? THAT was planned. That's what Beck was working on building in his room the night Montana kissed him.

· I originally had a scene in here where Mysterio presented Shocker with this gaudy emerald necklace he nicked on Asgard, and Shocker would accept it but be all like "It's exactly what YOU always wanted. Great.", but that was only going to be there as a parallel to the ElectroSand scene with the ring, and I realized the ElectroSand bit couldn't come until after this.

· I saw a set of images circling the Internet showing what Steve's "pop culture to catch up on" list in CAWS was in different versions of the movie internationally. And I squeed because the French version of the film has "The Fifth Element" written in there. I happen to love T5E (mostly because of Zorg), so I thought I'd drop a little cameo of the fact that it exists as a fictional entity in the Marvel universe, much like Downton Abbey.

· The story Thor is telling is from Norse mythology.

· Exploiting Darcy Lewis for comedy is too much fun. I kinda regret I didn't do more of it earlier.

· And I officially killed Pepperony and hailed Stony…by having Pepper ship Stony.

· You'll probably have noted that I lifted Steve's monologue about soft beds from his discussion with Wilson in CAWS. I felt it would be fitting here.

· I know, I know…Ultron shouldn't be forced to work for humans no matter the programming. But I need to keep him under Harry's control for now. If anyone can program Ultron to follow orders, it's freakin' Discord. And Discord knows exactly when to cut Ultron loose. Now, I'm going to wait for Age of Ultron before I actually start planning to do anything with Ultron – I can't use that movie intact because of what I've done to the timeline here, but it still might have a LOT of material I want to use.

· Yes, the next storylet WILL be the one where the Mane Six meet Thor and Gwendolyn…or should I say, the one where Thor and Gwendolyn meet the Mane Six! But before that, there's going to be a short interlude where we catch up with some characters from the past. Stay tuned!

· And this is the last chapter I have written for now to put on this site. After this, updates will be slower going. But rest assured, they will come!