The War of Champions

by Onomonopia

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Trixie, Tragedy, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Human, Princess Luna, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other
Length: 183242

A last attempt to restore a world that has fallen to hate

TEAM UP TIME!

This may be my only chance to save them, if they can be saved. I pray that Celestia is not yet consumed by the power or that Luna has not completely given into her hatred yet. But they have put Equestria at war with itself. And then there's Black Adam...I know that I cannot save them, but hopefully my champions can. And if they cannot save them and attain their Elements...then we will all face destruction.

If you have not read my other stories you will be confused as heck. But don't let that stop you from diving on in. Warning. MAJOR multiverse. If you don't like that thing, odds are you won't like this.

Banner, Adam and Ryan will be in the spotlight more so than the other characters as they are the one's whose character arcs need finishing. That's just how this turned out.

Pic by karate-chop.

Published 2015-02-14 22:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-05-06 17:09:17 UTC

Some Assembly Required

The harsh rays of the sun beat down upon the sandy landscape, making the sand burn anything that touched it. For endless miles the sand went on with no end in sight, with not even a hill or a dip to chance the scenery in any way. No creature could make its home in that environment, so the land was devoid of all life and nearly all sounds. But today, the only sounds that could be heard was the sound of the wind whipping through the sand, and the cursing of one very annoyed human who trekked through the desert.

"Ugh, an all-black outfit was not the best thing to bring to a desert," he wheezed from under his black hood, which was doing more harm than good as it absorbed the heat of the sun. His black jacket and pants were doing him no favors either in the heat. He lifted a hand to his head and covered his eyes from the sun while he looked in every direction. "And just where the hell is this place supposed to be? Argh," he grumbled as he reached into his backpack and withdrew a long map from within, unrolling it and glancing over the images. "Seriously, mare? You couldn't put this place on some beautiful island or on a nice grassy hill?"

'That would make it not only easy to find, but it might also mean that others who might make their homes in such an area might be dragged into our conflict,' a voice from within his backpack said with a sigh, knowing that this was the third time she had reminded him of this fact. 'Honestly Ryan, if you're not going to listen to me, then why do you even bother asking these questions?'

"Because I don't want to go even farther down the rabbit hole, and talking to someone helps me keep my grip," he replied while he shrugged at the map and rolled it back up, keeping it in his hand as he continued to march across the sea of sand. "Can you at least tell me what I'm looking for out here?"

'Trust me, you will know it when you see it. Just keep going the way the map told you to, and you should be there soon. Now leave me be, I must rest to conserve my strength.'

"Thanks mare, as useless as always," he grumbled when the voice went quiet. "Seriously, you're like the--"

'WILL YOU BE QUIET AND LET ME SLEEP?!' her voice roared back at him.

"Keep it together, mare, your personality is cracking again," Ryan said to her, feeling the rage die down. "You can't let it beat you, not yet. We're almost there."

Ryan cast a quick glance up at the sun which rested directly above him. He was hoping that he found this place soon, before the sun decided to turn him into another set of bones in the desert. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye and turned to look, narrowing his gaze as he thought, for a moment, that he saw something shimmer for a second off in the distance. 'Either the heat's making me see things...or the insanity is...or there's something over there that just reached out to me. Sure, let's go see what it wants.'

The lone human turned towards the point of shimmering and dragged himself over to it, certain that he'd die of thirst before reaching the spot. Yet his body didn't give up on him just yet, and he managed to reach the spot where the shimmering was, carefully observing it for a moment before touching the shimmer with his left hand.

The moment he did so, everything around him changed, turning the sky from a burning day to a pitch-black night. He quickly took in the new area to find himself standing on what looked like stained glass, with six pillars around him. Each had a different colored flame on top, providing the only light source for the area.

"So, I'm back here again, am I? That's fine; gets me out of the damned sun for a while," he sighed with relief as he flicked back his hoof and walked over to one of the pillars, slipping off his backpack and sitting down next to the white pillar, resting himself against it while he closed his eyes. "Yo mare, I'm here? Anything you want to tell me now?" Silence was her answer, leaving Ryan to shrug it off as he rested his head and decided to take a quick break.

"...rrrrrrrrrrrrr..." Ryan's eyes snapped open at the low moan and he flipped up to his feet, ripping open his backpack while he reached inside and pulled out a long, golden stun baton. He flicked the power on while slipping on his backpack and held the baton out in front of him as the lightning began to crackle along its rod, preparing for whatever was about to show itself. He wasn't prepared enough.

The first thing he saw in the darkness was eight sets of yellow eyes, all of which shone as light spotlights in the darkness. Ryan's heart slowly began to sink when he heard the thud of heavy footsteps hitting the ground, while the spotlights got closer to him, their location telling him that this thing was just as big as he was. He backed up into the center of the stained glass as the eyes entered into the light, allowing him to see the full design of the creature.

It looked like a man in golden scuba armor, but its head was on the front of its body instead of on top of it. Its left hand was gloved and covered with golden plating, but it had no right hand. In place of its hand was a massive drill, at least the size of Ryan's arm. Strange, golden tanks and tubes were on its back, but Ryan's eyes were drawn to the eight yellow eyes that looked down at him, a low moan escaping the creature as it observed him with interest.

"Holy shit. A Big Daddy," Ryan whispered as he very slowly switched the baton off and placed it back in his bag, slowly putting both of his hands next to his head while he backed away from the metal monster. The Big Daddy continued to observe him for a moment before its eyes switched from yellow to green, allowing Ryan to let out a sigh of relief as he leaned against a pillar opposite the creature. "Man, never thought that I'd see one of you in my lifetime. The mare wasn't joking when she said this was the most mismatched team that she had seen."

"Yes. And I'd like to have words with the mare about why we are being dragged into this now." Both Ryan and the Big Daddy turned their heads to see a pony walking into the circle of pillars. The pony was lightly blue and had a short white mane, with a cape covered in stars resting over her back. There was also a small saddlebag that rested on her side, but the most interesting thing about her were her eyes, eyes that held no doubt within them. Ryan watched as her eyes quickly glanced over him with moderate interest, before they went wide at the sight of Mr. Bubbles. "So, you two must be some of the others that she has drafted."

Mr. Bubbles let out a moan while he flashed his eyes from green to yellow and back to green again, both Ryan and the pony raising their eyebrows at his moans. Ryan then looked back to the pony and placed a hand over his head, wracking his brain as best he could.

"Don't tell me, don't tell me. I know who you are. You're...Trixie Lulamoon, right?" Ryan asked her. Trixie smirked while she gave a polite bow in response.

"Yes, I am Trixie Lulamoon. You must be a human, as you fit the description, but I cannot place the other one," she said with interest. She walked right up to Mr. Bubbles, looking up into his eight green eyes as he tilted his body down so he could get the best look at her. "No, definitely can't place you. Any ideas, Batmare?" Trixie saw that Ryan had a look of confusion on his face, and she nodded her head to a pillar with a smile. "You must not be here because of your observation skills or else you would have spotted our friend."

Just as she said this, a black-clad pony leapt out from the shadows and landed in the light of the fires, causing both Ryan and Bubbles to jump because she seemed to appear out of nowhere. The pony looked female, but it was hard to tell underneath the bat-like armor that covered most of her body, with a gray bat in the center of her chest. Her face was hidden beneath a cowl, and a scalloped-hemmed cap rested over her folded wings, while her eyes beneath the cowl quickly took in the two of them. Bubbles' eyes flashed yellow as his drill began to move, but Ryan had a completely different reaction to seeing the pony.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! That has to be the freaking funniest thing that I've seen in a long time!" he exclaimed as he roared with laughter, clutching his stomach while he rested against the pillar to support himself. "Ugh, nice Batman cosplay there. You really nailed all of the right details. Sweet God, that's funny."

"I don't like him," Batmare said while she cast him a glare before walking over to Trixie, greeting her friend and opening her mouth to speak, before the both of them turned to look at the massive Big Daddy walking towards them. Trixie's horn glowed while Batmare took up a more offensive stance as it got closer, but it stopped just shy of them and looked down at Batmare while tilting its body to the side slightly, almost as if it were confused. Then, it let out a happy moan as its eyes all shone bright green and it knelt down while holding out a hand to her.

"Aw look, he likes you," Ryan said with tears in his eyes while he tried to regain any dignity he had left. Batmare chose to ignore him as she gently shook the Big Daddy's hand, getting another happy moan out of the giant when it rose back up and stood beside them, seemingly content.

"So then, where is the silver mare?" Batmare asked as she looked around the room at the group. "The only reason that we'd all find ourselves home one moment, and here the next, is that she's finally summoned us. She really picks the worst times for this, I was this close to cracking the Jester's master plan. Hopefully, Nighthawk will be able to cover for me."

"Yeah, the mare can be a dick sometimes, that's for sure," Ryan agreed while he smiled at Batmare. "So I've got to ask ,why are you wearing that? Are you the pony version of Batman in a reality where all humans are ponies? Or did you take up the mantle after he saved your life?"

"The latter, if you must know," Batmare said in a cold voice that Ryan ignored. "And he also trained me in all of his fighting styles, so I hope that you pick your words more carefully in the future."

"Don't hold your breath; it's going to be a long ride with me," Ryan smirked. "And I'll give you the same warning, since I probably have the shortest fuse here."

"I wonder about that."

All eyes swung around in the darkness to follow the deep voice that echoed across the room; all of their senses for danger were on high alert at whatever was coming. Then, the four began to feel the footsteps, footsteps that shook the ground with far more power than the Big Daddy had managed. All four of them backed away as the lights gave a hint of the monster that was approaching them, a monster that they could tell towered over them simply from the shadows. A massive leg stepped into the circle and allowed all of them to see what it was.

The creature was at least nine feet tall, making it nearly as tall as the pillars that illuminated the room. Muscle upon muscles covered its body, a body which they could tell from its exposed arms was green. The creature wore a tight black shirt along with tight black pants that covered most of its body, save the arms and its head. The ground beneath the four shook with each step and all of them immediately knew, out of all the strange beings in the room, this one was by far the most powerful.

"Because I can tell you now, I'm famous for having a short fuse," it said with a smile as it came to a stop, crossing its huge arms over its even more muscular chest and looking around at the other four with a thin smile on its face. "Well now, isn't this just the oddest assortment of creatures in one room?"

"The...Mother...Fucking...Hulk," was all Ryan could get out as he placed his back to a pillar, sweat dripping down his face while the Hulk turned his head to look at the human with a smile.

"So, you have heard of me? Not surprising, I'm pretty infamous after all," Hulk said with a small chuckle while he studied the Big Daddy, going quiet for a moment as his eyes observed the metal man. "Antique armor, but a very interesting design. From your armor and tanks, he places your time period to be about the 'sixties, but he has no idea what purpose you would serve in that era."

Hulk then turned his head to look at Trixie and an eyebrow went up, but whatever he was thinking he didn't say it out loud. Then, he turned his green eyes to Batmare and the smile returned to his face as he walked over to her, Batmare looking up at him while masking as much of her fear as she could.

"Now, you remind me of a certain pointy-eared man," Hulk said with a loud laugh that caused the floor to shake beneath. "He cheated to beat me by kicking me below the belt. I haven't forgiven him for that," Hulk said with another smile as Batmare slowly backed away from him.

"RRRRRRRR!" Mr. Bubbles roared as all of his eyes went red and he marched over to the Hulk, placing himself between the Hulk and Batmare. Despite the Hulk being nearly two feet taller than Mr. Bubbles, the Big Daddy never backed down while his drill revved up, and he pointed it under the jaw of the Hulk, who simply smiled in response.

"So, you want to pick a fight with me? Have to say, haven't had that happen in the longest of times," Hulk said as he looked down at Mr. Bubbles with a curious glance. "I know for a fact that the ancient armor you wear will be nowhere near strong enough to survive any of my blows, so just back off and we can still--" Bubbles' response to his words was to slam his drill into Hulk's face with a roar. But to Bubbles and the ponies shock, the spinning drill ground to a halt as the Hulk's skin refused to budge.

Hulk let out another chuckle as he grabbed hold of the drill and forced Bubbles' arm back down, Bubbles' eyes were full-on crimson as he tried to fight back against such ungodly strength. "Alright, you want to go a round with me? Fine," Hulk began as he brought his right arm back and cocked it for a punch, seeing Ryan dive for cover out of the corner of his eye.

'Seriously, Hulk?'

"It'll just be a tap," Hulk responded as he went to throw a light punch...before realizing that his arm had never moved. Hulk wondered what was going on before he felt his arm tingle, like there was electricity coursing through it. And a quick look at the ponies' eyes showed him that they were no longer looking at him, but rather someone behind him. Hulk slowly turned his head to see that indeed there was someone behind him; that same someone holding onto his arm and holding him, of all people, back.

"Come on guys, is fighting really the way you're going to introduce yourselves? You're suppose to start with your name. Hi, I'm Captain Marvel." The captain wore an all-red suit with golden gauntlets and grieves on his arms and legs, while a golden belt wrapped itself around his waste. A lightning bolt that seemed to be filled with lightning itself rested upon his chest, while a white cape swished around behind him. A white hood rested upon his head, but that didn't stop the others from seeing the smile he wore upon his face. "So, come on big guy, calm down and let's just talk."

Hulk tried to pull his arm free one more time and found that it barely budged, intriguing him as he slowly lowered his arm. This time, the Captain let go of it. Despite his best efforts to come off as friendly, all of the faces that looked up at him (except for the Hulk's) were of wariness and caution.

"You are...a very powerful magical being," Trixie said at last, breaking the silence of everyone in the room. "Far beyond anything I have ever seen." Marvel could see that all of the others were thinking along similar lines, and all of those lines meant that they were afraid of him.

"Don't worry, guys. I might be the most powerful guy in the room, but I'm a good guy and on your side," Captain Marvel said with another of his beaming smiles, not seeing Hulk give him a smirk at his choice of wording. Then, the good captain realized what Batmare was wearing and he flew over to her so quickly that he seemed to just appear in front of her, causing her to yelp as she jumped back. "Oh, how cool! You look just like Batman! Do you know him? So, do you have the same grumpy one that I do, or is yours more laid back and cool?"

"Um..." Batmare responded awkwardly before Marvel's attention was distracted by the Big Daddy.

"Awesome, you look like one of those old divers that I read about in school...but where's your head?"

'And with that, all of us are here.' All eyes turned towards Ryan's backpack as a silver smoke began to emerge from it, circling in the center of the room. In the smoke, a small orb could be seen for a brief moment before the silver energy began to swirl around it, giving it the form of a mare of pure silver. A hood and cape formed over her head and a strange marking appeared on her side as she floated down to the ground, looking at all of them with a smile. 'Hello, my friends. For some of you, it has been far too long since we last met.'

"It must have been quite some time. I don't remember you looking so...broken, the last time we met," Captain Marvel said as he crossed his arms and tilted his head with confusion. "Seriously mare, half of your face is missing."

"Someone finally manage to smack that smug smile off of your face?" Hulk asked with a smirk. The silver mare ignored their remarks and continued to speak.

'Many of you have known that this day was coming, the day that I brought you all together to help me fight against a force that I cannot even dream to match,' she began, all of the champions sharing glances before she continued. 'Most of you are unfamiliar with those who stand next to you, but not all of you are strangers to each other. Batmare and Trixie come from the same world, so they are already close friends. Hulk and Marvel, I believe you two know of each other?'

"Yeah, I remember this guy," Hulk said as he punched Captain Marvel in the shoulder and shook the whole place, yet Marvel only staggered a few inches. "The last I remember of him, Goldilocks was giving him a good, old fashioned Asgardian beating. How does it feel to lose to that wimp?"

"The only reason I lost that fight, was because I was too busy watching Superman smack you up and down the planet while not even flinching from your punches," Marvel responded while he punched Hulk in the shoulder, knocking the others off of their legs while Hulk took a step to steady himself. "And considering I have the power to beat Superman, what's that say about you?"

"Heh, I like you," Hulk said with a smirk as he turned back to face the mare, who cleared her throat once all the others had risen back to a standing position.

'Yet, as you all may know of one or two of the others in here, each of you have something in common that makes you all similar, the reason that I have gathered you all here. And, it is that each of you have been chosen to be champions,' the mare continued while she looked at each of them with pride, but Ryan noticed that the silver mare never looked at him. And when he made a quick glance at the others, he wondered if Batmare had noticed as well. 'Each of you overcame nearly impossible odds and became greater than you were before. For some, that was a battle with a physical demon. For others, it was a battle to overcome yourselves. But all here won that battle, so that is why I am asking you to help me with mine. And know now, that I believe in all of you.'

"And this is the team we're going with?" Ryan asked with a dry laugh, the others turning to look at him while the mare put her face in her hoof, knowing what was coming. "Seriously? You expect this merry band of misfits to be able to work together and stop whatever the hell we're supposed to be fighting? I don't believe it."

"And what's wrong with us?" Captain Marvel asked with a frown.

"Let me tell you. To start, you've got me on this team, so we're doomed from the get-go. Next, we have the most overprotective father in existence who would sooner gut you than he will shake your hand. Then, we have Trixie, who I am fairly certain was evil in nearly all the other versions of Equestria I've been to, so I don't know how much I can trust her," Ryan began, knowing full well that he was turning them all against him early, but he didn't care in the least.

"To continue, we then have the ultimate Batman fanpony, who went so far as to cosplay as him instead of thinking up her own identity. After that we have...Hulk...and finally we have Earth's Mightiest Manchild. If you ask me, and since none of you didn't, I'd say that I have little faith in this team," Ryan finished with a shrug, ignoring all the angry looks that were given to him.

"Well, aren't you just the honest one," Batmare said in a quiet voice.

"If we're going to be part of this team, we'll have to be honest with each other. That was my honest opinion of the whole thing."

'Ryan?' the silver mare began, Ryan turning to look at her. 'Please shut the hell up and just listen. Yes, there might be a few concerns about the members of this team, but each of you has proven yourself to be heroes before, so I have no doubt that you'll do so again. But I have spoken enough, and it is time to put this desperate plan of mine into motion.' As she said this, a sphere of pure silver erupted in the center of the room, showing all of them a barren wasteland in the middle of it. 'If all of you are willing, then step through the portal and prepare yourselves. Once you are within my world, I ask that you find Princess Luna and avoid Celestia, for now. She is...not the same as she once was.'

Captain Marvel took the first step forward, but a giant, green hand pushed him back as Hulk was the first one to enter the portal, followed by Batmare and Trixie who entered at the same time.

'Billy,' the silver mare said as Mr. Bubbles entered into the portal, stopping Captain Marvel and turning him to look at her. 'You should know this as you enter. Black Adam is in this world and he will be a foe of yours. But do not believe he is the same Adam that you knew. He is different.' Captain Marvel's face darkened at her words, but he stepped through the portal nonetheless. That left the silver mare and Ryan.

"You're not coming, are you?" Ryan asked as he looked down at her, the silver mare shaking her head.

'With Teth able to sense my power, he would find you and the resistance within a few moments. No, it is safer that I stay away,' she said with a shake of her head as she looked up at Ryan. 'You still remember right? The reason I am so desperate for this to work.'

"Yeah, yeah, I remember...just don't think it's a good idea keeping secrets from the guys I'm supposed to be working with," Ryan said with a shake of his head as he walked towards the portal.

'Ryan? You be sure to take extra care of yourself...more so than the others. Got that?'

"As I said, I got it," Ryan said with a roll of his eyes before leaping into the portal, which closed shut behind him and left the mare alone. She sighed and offered up a silent prayer before vanishing into thin air, leaving the room to be consumed by the sand once more.

Author's Note

Over two years worth of planning begins today. Let's hope I don't screw it up:derpytongue2:

First Contact

In the center of a barren wasteland a sphere of silver appeared, opening a rift between worlds that allowed the six champions to enter the land. Each of them stepped out one at a time and took in the area around them, some with confusion and others with interest. One of them, though, had to collapse to all fours and empty the contents of his lunch, which gained a look of amusement from Trixie.

"Are you...allergic to magic?" she asked Ryan as he staggered back to his feet with a groan, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I must admit that that is the first time I have heard of that kind of allergy."

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm just throwing up at the thought of being back in Equestria again," Ryan wheezed out before he took in the barren wasteland in which they were all standing. "If this place can even be called Equestria. I've been to some weird versions of it, but never one that was so...devoid of anything."

"This cannot be right," Batmare muttered while she pulled a gadget out of her utility belt and held it into the air, her eyes narrowing as the device confirmed her suspicions. "According to the map in my head and the map on my device, we should currently be standing in the middle of the Everfree Forest."

"But that cannot be right," Trixie said as she walked up beside Batmare and looked at the map. Her eyes widened when she saw the proof for herself. "But there is no trace of the wildlife or the forest itself! How could the ponies of this world have gotten rid of it? Pony magic does not affect the forest the same way it does the other vegetation of Equestria." Hulk knelt down and placed his hand on the ground, a frown on his face as he searched for any anomalies.

"They didn't use any form of radiation, I can tell you that much," he said as he stood back up. "All I feel is dirt."

"Then, you're not feeling what I'm feeling," Marvel muttered as he closed his eyes, yet even with them closed he could sense what felt like all four kinds of pony magic burned into the ground, along with hints of a certain divine lightning that he knew all too well. "It's...strange, but I feel all four types of the ponies' magic, including the alicorns, here. And I also feel his magic. The magic of Black Adam. He's responsible for this."

"Isn't that just like the mare? Drop us off in God-knows-where and not tell us anything. Let's figure out what happened to this place later. We're supposed to meet with Luna, so maybe she can tell us just what the hell happened here?" Ryan suggested with a shrug before turning left and right. "Welp, I tried. Any of you magic users want to conjure up some magic hocus-pocus and figure out where to go?" Both Trixie and Captain Marvel began to conjure up their magic, but then the Big Daddy let out a low roar that gained their undivided attention. When the group turned to look at him, he pointed up in the sky to a beam of light that coursed over their heads and off into the distance.

"Anyone have any idea what that is?" Hulk asked the group. Marvel shot up into the sky and came to a stop next to the beam, placing his hand upon the constant beam of magic. The moment he did so the beam wavered, but he also felt something happen to his magic and he fell to the earth below. Twin massive green arms caught the falling Captain before he could hit the ground, allowing him a moment to regain his thoughts.

"Ugh, it's definitely magic, whatever it is, but when I tried to touch it my powers got...disrupted," Marvel groaned as he floated back up when his power of flight returned to him. "It has to have been cast by Black Adam. He's the only one here with enough knowledge of our powers to be able to create something that would mess with them. I'll hit him twice as hard when I find him."

"Did you see where the magic was coming from or going to?" Batmare asked him. Captain Marvel narrowed his eyes at her, more in confusion than any other emotion, like he was trying to figure something out. "If we know where it's going or where it came from, we might be able to deduce why it can mess with such...power." Marvel nodded before taking to the skies again, looking in both directions. And while he couldn't see where the magic was coming from, he definitely saw where it was going.

"That can't be right," he began when he had floated back down to the group. "It looks like it's creating a shield around Canterlot, but Canterlot is on the ground at the base of the mountain instead of upon it. And I saw five other beams like it coming from multiple directions." Batmare and Trixie shared a quick look, like the two of them were trying to figure out something. Ryan, on the other hand, was looking the other direction with hands in his pockets and an annoyed look on his face.

"When you guys are done trying to figure out your problem over there, come join me and I'll give you a new problem to work on." The tone of his voice got their attention and they followed his gaze to find three giant ships flying through the air towards them, quickly casting them all in shadow as the three ships began to circle them.

"Gunships? In Equestria?" the Hulk asked in confusion while the three massive ships hovered to a stop over the three, spotlights switching on and all converging on the group.

"How nice, a welcome party. Ten to one they shoot at us," Ryan snarled while he reached back and grabbed his baton out of his backpack and switched it on, flipping up his hood as the electricity crackled with power.

"Relax there little man, maybe they see us as threats and are being cautious," Hulk reasoned as the sides of the ship began to open up. "If we explain what we're doing here, perhaps we can get out of this without the need to resort to force."

"One: the silver mare said that Celestia's gone bat-shit crazy; that all of the ponies are crazy and that everything here will try to kill us," Ryan reminded him while armored ponies began to leap down from the ships towards them. "Second: why aren't you all Hulk smash and throwing yourself at the ships already?"

"That's a part of my life I'd rather not recall." The conversation ended as the ponies slammed into the ground all around the six members of the group, none of whom knew what to think when they saw the kind of armor the ponies were wearing. It was a strange suit with a helmet that completely covered their heads, with three slits over the eyes that had a blue light shine through. On their backs were odd cylindrical weapons as well as a blue bar that went up their spines, giving them a very intimidating presence.

"Halt! By order of the Queen you are to stand down and come with us!" one of them yelled while the group assessed the situation, finding themselves vastly outnumbered by the squadron of ponies. All of the cylinders on the backs of the guards unfolded to reveal a strange firearm, all of which pointed four sets of lasers at the group, covering them in blue lines. "Come quietly or there will be trouble."

"Okay, I'd think this was seriously cool if they weren't pointing all of those things at us," Captain Marvel said as a number of the sights lined up on him, but then the guards let out a gasp and nearly all of the lasers switched over to him.

"It can't be."

"He looks almost identical."

"Seriously. He's got the lightning bolt and everything."

"Wait a moment, does that mean he's just as powerful?"

"Shut it, you guys. Let's just focus on the mission at hoof. Alright you six, are you going to come quietly or are we going to have to resort to force?!" The Hulk let out a sigh as he seemed to get bigger, opening his eyes to show that they were far greener than they had been before. Marvel cracked his knuckles with a smile as the Big Daddy revved up his drill. Yet, only Ryan wore a look of concern, because his gaze had never left the armor that the ponies wore. "Alright, if that's the way you want it. Guards..."

"Wait a minute, that looks like..." he began before his eyes went wide.

"FIRE!" Ryan spun on a dime and tackled Trixie to the ground as thousands of blue rounds began to tear through the air. Hulk roared as the rounds slammed into his skin and fell harmlessly to the ground while Marvel was already gone, so none of the rounds even touched him, but Batmare and Mr. Bubbles were overwhelmed by the onslaught of firepower. Their armor kept any of the rounds from killing them, but with the speed and force of impact they found themselves being pretty much bludgeoned to death.

"Trixie, get a shield up around the four of us!" Ryan yelled at Trixie as he kept her pinned to the ground, roaring in pain every time a stray shot caught him. Trixie nodded and with a flash of her horn created a majestic barrier of azure light that surrounded the four that were closest to her, shielding them from the hundreds of rounds that still flew through the air.

"What in the hell were those?" Batmare groaned weakly as she struggled to shake off the pain, looking at her armor to find it dented and battered heavily. Mr. Bubbles roared with rage as he drove himself into the side of the shield with his eyes all glowing red, but for as strong as he was, he was unable to punch through the shield.

"Batmare, he likes you so go tell him to calm down," Ryan said as he rose to his feet and offered Trixie a hand to help her up as well, looking out through the barrier to see the barrage continue. "Even with his armor, there's still enough firepower out there to bring him down. For you and me Trixie, if even one of those things were to hit us we wouldn't be getting up for a while. We need to stay in here and let the big guns handle this." Batmare slowly nodded and walked over to Mr. Bubbles, managing to get his eyes to change from red to yellow.

"You sure know an awful lot about those guns," Trixie observed as Ryan knelt down behind a rock and continued to observe the fight going on outside.

"Played through 'Two a number of times; found the pulse rifle really helped on the higher difficulties," Ryan responded to the utter bafflement of Trixie as he growled. "Dammit mare, you seemed to have left out another important detail. I don't know why I put up with you."

Outside of the barrier, things were not going as well for the Hulk as he wanted. He lumbered up to a group of the guards who continued to hold down the triggers as he approached, yet he never registered the thousands of blue rounds that bounced off his skin painlessly. He raised both of his arms over his head in front of a large group of ponies and prepared to smash the ground beneath their hooves.

'Not too hard, Hulk, we don't know the full extent of their armor or how well it will protect them.'

"Got it," Hulk replied as he brought his arms down and smashed them into the ground, causing the ground beneath him to crack and splinter with ease. Hulk looked up with a smile only to find that all of the ponies that had been right in front of him were now outside of the range of his attack. "What the...? How did they get over there so fast? Let's find out!" With a roar that shook the land, Hulk flung himself towards the armored ponies with both arms over his head, smirking as one of them threw a small wave of energy at him in a futile attempt to stop him.

But to Hulk's shock, the ponies vanished with speeds of which he wasn't sure he could keep up, so the moment he slammed into the ground and created another shockwave they were already out of his range, peppering him with more fire from across the battlefield. "What's going on? Do they have super-speed built into their suits or something?"

'See if they can use it whenever they want. Try a thunderclap.' Hulk nodded before slamming his hands together, sending out a massive shockwave that shattered the ground on which he was standing. The ponies let out screams while the shockwave slammed into them and hurled them over their allies, Hulk narrowing his eyes at the sight.

"That doesn't make sense. How can they be fast enough to avoid me, but not a shockwave like that?" Hulk asked as most of the guard began to focus fire on him, along with throwing more of the small waves of energy. Hulk roared and charged towards them, knowing that the blue energy didn't hurt him, but when it connected the ponies vanished from his sight again and from where the bullets were hitting him they had gotten behind him.

'It's those energy waves Hulk. Those are what's making them so fast.'

"Alright, but how?" Hulk asked as the ponies stopped peppering him with rounds and started using more explosive attacks that did just as little damage. "How does that work?"

'Working on it, but keep trying to get to them. I'll figure it out.' With four of the team trapped behind a barrier; with at least fifty of the ponies firing upon them and Hulk trying to work out why he couldn't touch the ponies, only Captain Marvel was faring well in his battle with the gunships that hovered over the battlefield. Thousands of the blue rounds unloaded at him, but mere bullets could not keep up with the speed of Mercury. Marvel easily dodged the shots, laughing aloud as he slammed himself into one of the gunships, flying through it and tearing it to pieces before he erupted out the other side of it.

"As cool as those ships look, they're nowhere near as tough as some of the machines that I've had to go up against!" Marvel said with a smile as the ship began to smoke and crash down towards the battlefield. Marvel was able to see the pilots in the cockpit screaming out in fear. "Hang on guys!" Marvel called out as he zipped underneath of the ship, catching it on his shoulders while pushing up. He hardly needed a fraction of the strength of Hercules to catch the ship, but he was still very careful as he lowered the smoking ship to the ground far away from the battling forces.

"Alright, time to take out the other two," he said once the ponies inside the ship were safe, throwing himself back into the sky toward the other two. Both of the ships opened fire on him, but a smile crossed Marvel's face as he dodged the bullets with ease. But with his focus on the bullets, he wasn't aware of the blue energy that flew towards him until it caught him in the chest. "What the heck was that? It--" The Captain's words were cut short as the bullets tore at him insanely faster than they were before, some of them even striking him despite his best efforts to dodge.

"The heck was that?!" Marvel asked as the bullets returned to their much slower speed, allowing him to dodge them easily again. "Okay, time to stop playing around! Nok der Shazam!" As he incanted the magical sayings, thunderclouds formed overhead and began to rain bolts of lighting into the ships before him, causing fires to break out along the top of them and sending them towards the ground. With his super speed he caught the ships and placed them gently down before returning to the battle.

"Wait a moment..." he muttered as he watched the Hulk get struck with the same energy that caught him, marveling as the Hulk turned a lightish blue and slowed down to the point where he was barely moving. "So that's what happened!" he said with a frown as he flew down and plucked Hulk off the battlefield with ease, holding him above the battle until the energy that affected him wore off.

"Marvel? What the heck is going on?" Hulk asked when he realized that he was no longer where he remembered being.

"The energy that they throw out slows whatever it hits--down to super-slow speeds," Marvel informed him as he weaved left and right to avoid the hailstorm of bullets.

"So, they were slowing me down, not speeding me up, huh? That makes sense," Hulk growled before looking up at Marvel with a smirk. "Hey Cap, want to take out all of those ponies in one go? Throw me in the center of them!" Marvel smiled before spinning Hulk around, taking up aim and hurling the green giant right into the ground in front of the ponies. The shockwave created by the gamma bomb blasted the ground apart and hurled all of the ponies away, Marvel catching any that were in danger.

"Not bad, Cap," Hulk said with a smirk when Marvel landed beside him, punching him in the shoulder. "It's not every day that I get thrown in the 'fastball special'."

"Come on, let's go get the others," Marvel said as he hurled himself towards the shield that was still under attack. Mercury's speed flowed through his veins as he quickly tore the guns off of the pony army, dumping them in front of the armored horses so they could see what he did to their weapons. "Anybody else want to try something?"

"Dear Faust, he is just like Adam!" the ponies yelled as they all raced away from Marvel, who raised an eyebrow in surprise before shrugging and knocking on the shield.

"Wow...just, wow," was all that Batmare could get out after seeing that kind of speed up close, while Trixie had nothing that she could say while she slowly lowered the barrier.

"Don't look so impressed, I actually ended the fight," Hulk said with a smirk as he walked up. All six looked around at the wasteland that surrounded them, seeing the remains of the guards' firearms as well as a few guards who were left unconscious on the ground.

"So, what do we do with them? I'm thinking bargaining chips," Ryan suggested as he nudged a guard with his foot, narrowing his eyes as he got a closer look at the armor, confirming his suspicions.

"Are you kidding? That's not how heroes do things," Captain Marvel said with some heat as he crossed his arms. "We should take them to the nearest town and let the ponies there take care of them."

"Hate to break it to you Marvel, but I'm no hero," Ryan said as he placed a hand on the bar that lined the pony's spine, seeing that it was now a yellow color instead of blue. "They're all pretty much fine and I think just out, so we don't have to do anything with them. What I want to know is, where the hell did ponies get their hooves on Dead Space armor in a supervillain reality?"

The others were saved from any more of his rambling when all of them were blinded by more spotlights. The group covered their eyes and looked up to see a battleship, far larger than the three other ships combined. Despite the distance between them and the ship, the group could still make out four figures standing on platforms that extended from the ship, with a fifth holding himself in the air next to the ship. But with the spotlights shining down upon them, they could barely make out any details.

"Are these the chosen foes that we were informed of who would oppose the queen ?" the massive dragon hidden in the darkness asked while each wing beat nearly knocked the weaker of the group off their feet or hooves. "They do not look like much of a threat. We should take them out here and now."

"Attacking without thinking would be suicide. Take a good look at the one who flies in the sky," one of the armored ones with a long staff on its back said as it pointed to Captain Marvel. "He wears the symbol of the strongest in the land. We should not rush in without a plan."

"Ugh, all of you are so fascinated with magic all of the time, whereas I seem to see a being there that is not fueled by magic but radiation instead," the smallest of the group said with a slightly mechanical voice as a dark chuckle escaped his lips. "I would love to dissect that green giant and see what makes him tick."

"They should count themselves lucky that master Adam is not here himself to deal with them all, or else they would already be dead," the one who stood at the front said with a laugh, a cape upon their back blowing in the wind. Yet, there was something familiar about the voices. "We should not let them escape, though. If we stop them here and now, the mare won't have the chance to even begin her plan."

"They've heard of us," Ryan muttered as the group began to argue with themselves about what they should do, while the fifth one silently watched the ground, standing the farthest away from the others. "And they know of the mare. What do you guys think, should we fight them here or fall back and wait until we know more?" Bubbles let out a moan as he took a step forward, but before either side could start something, a flash of lunar magic exploded in-between the two forces, gaining both sides' attention. For the pony standing in the center of the magic was...

"Princess Luna?" four of the champions asked at once while Mr. Bubbles groaned in confusion.

"The traitor!" the dragon yelled as it hurled itself towards the princess, but Marvel intercepted him and slammed his fist into the side of his head and hurled the dragon back. The shadowy four watched as the dragon was flung away from the battle before crashing into the ground miles away.

"What said I? That it was suicide."

"Are you the six that she spoke of?" Luna asked quickly while she raced over to the group, Marvel rejoining them as the shadowy four gave the orders to attack. Four of the group didn't know how to answer that as the forces began to fly towards them, but Ryan pushed himself to the front quickly.

"Yeah, we are. For a better tomorrow," Ryan said as he slammed his fist over his heart. Luna nodded at the sign and activated her magic, casting all six of them within her spell and vanishing in an eruption of lunar magic just as the shadowy four reached where they had been standing.

"Adam will not be happy about this," the one with the cape said with a shake of their head.

"Quite contraire. We now know what the six of them look like, for the most part, aside from the two ponies, which means that we will be able to seek them out without confusion," the shortest one said with a chuckle as his six metal legs moved him over the ash remains of Luna's magic. "Or rather, he will seek them out."

"So then, shall we take on how long they will last?" the one with the cape asked with a laugh as they turned to head back to the ship. "I give them a week at most. How about you, Tinker?"

"I do not bet, not as you have won the last twelve we have done in a row!" Tinker roared as he six legs scurried him past the others and back to the ship. "And I swear, it is because you are cheating! How else could somepony as brilliant as me lose to a showoff like you?!" The cape shrugged and turned to look at the one with the staff standing to their left. "Alright, new bet. Which one do you think is the most dangerous? I think it is the one that looks like Adam."

"Which one is the most dangerous? I cannot decide. Between him and green it is certainly tied," the staff wielder said with careful thought. "But the one in the hood I cannot read at all. And if we have an unpredictable element, we may be the ones to fall."

Viva La Resistance

The group felt the lunar magic wash off of them as Luna's teleportation spell wound down, allowing them to take their first look at the new area in which they found themselves. The group was now at the top of a massive cavern that went down several stories, with a giant sapphire moon placed into the ceiling with love and care. From the markings on the wall and from the way the stones were cut, the first impression they had was that the chamber had been carved out of solid rock by hoof. Torches illuminated the walls in gentle green flames and bathed the group in their light, having a calming effect on the six as they saw the majesty of the room. Ryan then took that moment to hurl.

"Sorry, sorry. Still not good with magic," he apologized weakly to Luna as he placed his hands on his knees and shuddered, forcing himself back to a standing position while the other members of the group gave him a shared look. "Have to admit, I am not a guy easily impressed, but this place is effing awesome."

"Thank you for that, champion. May I be the first to welcome you to the Lunar Resistance!" Luna yelled with pride while she swept her wings back. The giant moon illuminated their world, casting a bright light that allowed them to see clearly down the hole that was in the center of the chamber, noticing how the floors went down in a spiral pattern, making all of the floors essentially a part of each other. "I take it that you know why you are here and what we must do to free this nation?"

"Don't bet on it, Princess, the mare likes to keep secrets close to the chest," Ryan spoke up before the others had time to answer. "I was the only one she shared the passcode with to access the resistance, despite the other five probably being more trustworthy than I am. She more or less explained the situation to me, but for those who don't know, how about explaining?" Luna sighed before looking over each of them.

"I will admit that despite Silver saying that you would all be strange beings, I was expecting griffons or seaponies at most. Not another who looks like Black Adam, an ogre, a bat pony...Trixie." Trixie raised her eyebrows with interest as Luna stopped at her name and seemed to glare at the unicorn before continuing. "Whatever the armored one is, and a regular human, as far as I can tell."

"That about sums us up."

"I have a question for you, though," she said with power as she turned towards Captain Marvel with her magic glowing. "You wear the same lightning bolt and similar garb to Black Adam. How do I know you are not an ally of his and are here to kill us all?!"

"Because I am the true champion chosen by the wizard!" Marvel said with a fire, almost as if he were insulted that Luna would consider him to be like Black Adam. "Adam abuses his power while I use it to protect and save others! Shazam chose me because he saw that I had a pure heart and would not be corrupted with power."

"Then prove it to me," Luna said with her horn still aglow. Ryan and Batmare both noticed a number of ponies armed with strange weaponry starting to encircle the group, but they still remained at a distance. "The one thing that Black Adam never did, in all the years he had his powers, was return to his mortal form. Show me that you can give up your power and I will believe you." The confidence fell from Marvel's face and he looked back at the group rubbing his head, not sure what to do. "What is the matter? Have you something to hide?"

"Well...ugh, fine. Shazam!" A golden bolt of divine thunder struck within the cage, despite there being no thunderclouds or a hole blasted in the roof for the lightning to answer. All who were watching shielded their eyes as the lightning descended, but when it ceased and the smoke cleared they were dumbfounded by what they saw--a small human with a red t-shirt and blue, baggy pants was standing where the great champion had once stood. "Tada."

"Oh, that's right, you were a kid," Hulk remembered with a chuckle. Luna shook her head before looking at the floor with some slight embarrassment.

"I see now. You are indeed...a child. You may change back if you so wish, I believe you."

"Eh, I don't like being in the Captain form if I don't have to," the kid said with a shrug before looking back at the other stunned members of the group. "Yo, name's Billy. You can think of me as the real form to my alter ego, Captain Marvel." They all nodded except for Ryan, who had a thin smile on his face. Trixie also caught that once again Luna was giving her a strange look, but the princess then shook her head and began to walk deeper into the cavern.

"The silver one told me that you would be coming soon, so I prepared a room for all of you to stay in," Luna said once they had gotten to a pair of doors that were large enough even for the Hulk. "I had no idea what size all of you would be, and I figured it best if I prepared for the worst. I am glad that I decided to go with a nine foot room." The doors swung back with her magic to reveal a large squared room with a number of small beds next to a very large one. A number of benches also lined the room next to the walls, but aside from those few objects there was nothing else.

"Wow, this is already better than where I stayed," Ryan said with mock amazement in his voice as the seven of them entered, Luna motioning for them to sit while she stood in the center of the room. The six of them did so, with Trixie and Batmare sitting next to each other, Mr. Bubbles sitting as close to them as he could while Hulk chose to sit on the floor, knowing better than to try. Billy sat next to him and Ryan chose the seat farthest away from everyone else, leaning against the wall and tilting his hood over his eyes.

"This is the tale of this land and how it has fallen into such a state. Thousands of years ago my sister, Celestia, and I ruled the nation as equals, one of us upholding the day while the other defended the night. You can guess which was which," Luna said with a small laugh before clearing her throat and continuing. "But then I grew jealous of my sister and--"

"And you turned on her, tried to cast the land into eternal night and she banished you with the Elements. We all come from different versions of Equestria, so I assume that we all know that much?" Ryan asked the other members of his group, Luna seeing that each of them nodded to confirm his assumptions. "How about you just start from when Black Adam showed up?"

"Very well then. I was not there at the time, so what I say now is based on records and the recalling's of others, so it might be shaky. After a horrible battle with the changeling armies my sister came across a town that had been devastated by the fighting, leaving no survivors within its walls...except for two small fillies," Luna said with pain flooding her eyes as she remembered the two, and their laughs echoed through her mind. "Due to my sister having a very compassionate heart, she took the two in and raised them as her own. That is where my sister and I have differed. I was always more a fighter for the most part, and she was always the more compassionate and reasonable of the two."

"Bullshit," Ryan muttered under his breath.

"Radiance and Sunnysmiles, those are their names, and will be key in this story. Two weeks after she had taken them in, that was when Black Adam arrived in our land. But he was mortal and trapped without his voice when my sister found him, and due to her compassionate nature she took him in," Luna said with venom in her voice. "For ten years she took care of him and in return he became closer and closer to my sister until he became a protector of the family. I will admit that back then, I never saw him as a threat and thought that he was simply an angry person. If only I had known what he would have become."

"Don't blame yourself, Princess," Billy said with sympathy in his voice, Luna noticing the emotion and turned her head to look at Billy. "The wizard who gave me my powers also gave Black Adam his powers as well, believing him to have a pure and noble heart. If he could fool the greatest wizard in the world, he could easily pull the wool over your eyes. Don't blame yourself."

"Thank you, Billy. But then everything changed when two important things happened at the same time. Sunnysmiles' disease became terminal and Discord broke free," Luna said with fire. Hulk clenched his fists at the mention of Discord while Ryan's eyes became colder. "And with my sister torn between trying to be with her daughter and having to save Equestria, she went into battle with her mind split. And during the fight, Discord took off the enchantment that bound Adam's voice."

"And that was when he called down the word."

"Yes, and with him having been returned to his true power, he killed Discord and then a few years later he killed Chrysalis when her army attacked during Shining Armor's wedding," Luna said with sadness in her eyes, but now a number of the champions were giving each other looks of confusion.

"Hold on, during his wedding?" Trixie eventually asked with confusion, Luna nodding in response. "Black Adam was there?"

"Wait a moment, when he killed Discord, do you mean the first time he broke out?" Hulk asked in confusion, tilting his head down when Luna nodded in response once again. "But that would mean Black Adam showed up before Twilight and the others became the Elements of Harmony."

"That is correct. Black Adam has been in this land for fifteen years now, ten of which he spent without his voice," Luna confirmed, helping the timeline add up. "After this, he wiped out nearly the entire griffons army, killed the leader of the dragons, decimated all who stood in his path and...murdered Twilight and the other Elements of Harmony." The room went dead quite at this point since all of the champions were struck dumb by Luna's words. Billy wore a look of both shock and horror on his face and he reached for something that was hidden beneath his shirt, while the other members looked on stunned.

"So, Black Adam has the power to destroy Harmony itself? Fucking perfect," Ryan growled with bitterness in his voice, turning some of the others' attention to him.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain myself later. Luna, please continue."

"I thought that would be the moment when Celestia realized what kind of man he was, but it was too soon after the death of Radiance for her to be thinking straight. She still thought of him as her champion and refused to condemn him, letting him off with an oath," Luna snarled with pain and hatred in her voice. Billy looked like he wanted to fly off and fight Black Adam that moment, but Hulk was looking at Luna with curious eyes, seeing her coat turn a shade darker and that her eyes were staring to become more cat-like. "That was when I broke off from my sister and created the resistance, to oppose Black Adam and to save Equestria from his wrath."

"That was also around the time that I met the silver mare, and she told me of her plan to gather six champions who could oppose him, those six being you," Luna continued as she turned so that she could look at all of them. "I did not believe at first that you would be enough when she spoke of you, but now that I see that one of you alone can match his power, I am starting to have hope again."

"There is a question that I must ask you, Princess, and that is why do you continue to stare at me like I am one of your foes?" Trixie asked with hooves resting under her chin, getting Luna to turn to look at her. "Is it because you have heard of my story? Or, most likely, I am still evil in this world and I have sided with Black Adam?"

"You speak the truth, Trixie. You were one of the first to side with Adam when he created the Equalizers," Luna confirmed for Trixie, but raised another question with her answer. "The Equalizers are the names of the soldiers that you fought. They wear the armor of the humans that killed Radiance and sent my sister into her depression that has blinded her judgment."

"So, humans are responsible for your world going to hell. Why am I not surprised?" Ryan bitterly grumbled under his breath, but from the look Hulk gave him he knew that his comment hadn't gone unheard.

"But at the top of the Equalizers are the five judges, those who are trusted by Adam to carry out enforcing the peace and protecting the ponies of the land," Luna said with a scowl. "They are the five that you encountered back when you fought the forces. Trixie, at least, the one I know, is the leader because she has had more victories against us then any other. Tinker is a mechanical genius who hates magic. Spike is a orphaned dragon that became completely loyal to Adam after the death of Radiance and is fueled by a portion of his magic." Billy's face turned as white as a ghost when he heard these words and he lowered his head for a moment, while Mr. Bubbles turned his head towards the mare upon hear her description. "The other two are more...mysterious. They are the most stealthy and skilled, and any of my resistance that fight them do not return to the base. We know nothing about them."

"Alright, recap time," Ryan muttered as he pulled out a red book with golden hinges and flipped it open, clicking a pen and starting to write down what had been said. "Black Adam showed up powerless before the events of most of our stories even began and stayed that way for ten years. Then during an attack by Discord, he got his powers back and killed Discord, not letting the Elements trap him like they were supposed to. He then later killed Chrysalis, who was supposed to live, before killing the Elements themselves. Now he essentially rules the land with full permission to do whatever he wants and uses an army of ponies in Dead Space armor to enforce his rule? God, I hate the multiverse."

"What happened to the Elements themselves? Does Celestia still have them?" Batmare asked, Luna shaking her head.

"No, the magic that he used to kill Twilight and her friends turned the Elements to ash. We are left defenseless against him," Luna whispered. She then looked up at the ceiling and let out a sigh, turning and heading for the door with a small smile. "It has gotten very late and if you are to start aiding us tomorrow, then you all must rest. Tomorrow I will discuss how we are going to finally fight back...and hopefully win the war." Luna nodded to them and left the room, shutting the doors behind her and leaving the group to look at one another.

"So, was anypony fully satisfied with her story?" Trixie asked as she took off her cape and rested it beside her on the floor. "Because I know I wasn't. There's more to this story than she's letting on."

"My biggest question is, where does the silver mare fit into this?" Batmare asked with a look of concentration. "Black Adam has a vendetta against her, that much is certain, but according to Luna's story she does not even appear in it? Why does he hate her so? And it can't be that she's helping Luna, because he hasn't chased her across the multiverse like he has the mare. Something's missing."

"That can be a question we ask her when she shows up again," Hulk said as he turned to loom towards Ryan with a hard glare. "You said something earlier, something about the Elements. I think it's time that you...are you sure? Really, you want to try to talk to him? In the few hours I've known him, I've wanted to smash him twice. Alright, if you want." The others had just begun to wonder who the heck Hulk was talking to when the green giant began to shrink, growing smaller and smaller until he had taken the form of a man no bigger than Ryan, a man with brown hair and some stubble on his face. To the others' surprise the shirt and pants shrunk with him and now covered the small human's body, who reached inside one of the pockets and pulled out a pair of glasses.

"Doctor Bruce Banner. Wondered when you would show yourself," Ryan said with a smirk as the doctor put on his glasses and turned his gaze to the other human with a puzzled look. "Yeah, I know the Hulk has another side, the one that controls him and holds him back. You're quite famous where I'm from."

"That was the old Hulk, he controls himself now," Banner said in Hulk's defense before casting a quick glance at all of the others. "I have been listening from within so I know what's going on. If any of you are wondering about my relationship to the Hulk, think of me as the brains to his brawn. And I have to agree with Trixie, Luna isn't telling us something, something about Black Adam."

"What do you mean?" Billy asked with a cold fury in his eyes, a look that was not lost on the doctor.

"In all of her descriptions of him, she depicts him as pure evil, yet the actions she describes aren't all evil," Banner began as he put the points together in his mind. "He killed Discord to stop him from letting chaos reign. He killed Chrysalis during Shining's wedding, a time that I was told where she defeated Celestia and Canterlot almost fell to the changeling. He has also created a team to defend Equestria and appointed those five, on the thought that they would defend the ponies. And despite being more than powerful enough to kill Celestia, which I'm guessing based on what I've seen of Billy's power, he allows her to continue ruling. I've fought many an evil over the years and that does not fit the description of one that is pure evil."

"Heh, that's a nice way of looking at a tyrant and a murderer," Billy scowled with venom pouring from his voice, getting everyone in the room to look at him. "Too bad that there's no one in this room that's fought Black Adam before and seen his true side. Oh, wait."

"Alright Billy, I take it Black Adam is your supervillain then?" Banner asked, Billy nodding as he crossed his arms. "Very well, then tell us of the Black Adam that you know of."

"Black Adam is the false champion, the one who tricked the wizard into giving him the power of the gods. When the wizard realized his mistake, he banished Black Adam to the ends of the universe. But then he flew five thousand years to get back," Billy said with a cold tone, the others looking at each other with worry at his words. "Yeah, he's pretty much immortal. So am I, as the Captain. But when Black Adam was still on Earth, he slaughtered nations and wiped out any who opposed him, including annihilating an entire nation of two million innocents."

"That does see horrible," Banner said as he closed his eyes to focus more on the problem. "But now if we take what you've said and put it into the multiverse theory..."

"Yes, I have studied that theory," Trixie continued for Bruce. "The theory that there are an infinite amount of other worlds out in different realities, some of them nearly identical to the ones we know and others that are radically different. Are you suggesting Banner than this Black Adam may not be the evil one Billy knows?"

"No, if he was a hero there would be no need for a resistance to oppose him. Luna also said that he killed the Elements of Harmony, something I will not forgive so easily," Banner said with a very controlled rage in his voice. "What I'm saying is, that this version of him might not be as bad as the one Billy's is."

"You guys are sure making a lot of excuses for a man that we know has killed six of the kindest and most caring ponies and murdered a good number of others," Billy spat as he leaned back against the wall behind him.

"For most of my life, Billy, I have been fighting; most of the times for reasons that I do not know," Banner said while images flashed through his mind. "I am tired of fighting or being manipulated into being a weapon. I am trying to learn all the facts before I decided to give Hulk the go ahead to attack a being of that power."

"There is a question that we have not brought up yet. And that is, what if the silver mare is not is as good as she claims to be?" Batmare asked, turning all of the others to look at her. "I am sure that she has saved you in your worlds as she did mine, but what if it is all an act? What if she has gathered us to overthrow Celestia and take Equestria for herself?" The group lowered their heads for a moment and thought about this, but then Ryan let out a small chuckle.

"No, what she says is true for the most part. She truly is trying to stop this world from falling apart, but Black Adam and his goons are only half of the problem. There's a monster...no, more like a force that she's trying to stop. A force that will be trying to escape soon. The force of destruction," Ryan explained with a shiver. "And I know this, because I fought one of its agents, a pony that was filled with the power of destruction. I lost a world to it."

"You couldn't stop it?" Batmare asked.

"You can't fight destruction with destruction. There are only a number of things that can defeat destruction...and I think that Banner has figured out the plan," Ryan said with a smile as he caught the look on the scientists face.

"Yes, I think I understand now, but first I'd like to speak my mind," Banner said as he looked at all five other members of the group. "I have been a part of many teams with many different heroes. I've also been sucked into multiple realities on a number of occasions. In fact, those are my vacation days. But I can tell that some of you have never been a part of a team like this before, so I have some advice. Make friends, learn who you work best with and remember what you're fighting for. It makes the long road easier to drive."

"Thanks, Banner, I feel a lot better hearing those words come from your mouth," Ryan said with a shake of his head. Banner looked at Ryan, not with anger or coldness, but instead with a hint of curiosity. "I mean really, having friends will surely win us the day. Yay, friendship."

"Would you like to explain the reason for those words, or are you going to take a page from the mare's book and not explain yourself?" Banner asked Ryan, who shrugged and stood up to leave the room.

"I think that I'm going to find the bathroom and have some alone time. If I'm part of a team now, then this might be the last time I can truly be alone. Catch you all later." Ryan opened the doors and left the room as he said this, the other members of the group splitting up as well. Batmare and Trixie went off to talk while Billy exited the room, but Banner thought about what Ryan had said.

'Out of all of us here, you are trying the hardest to hide something,' Banner thought as he also got up.

'Want me to beat it out of him?'

'No. Give me time. I have a feeling getting answers out of him will take more than force.'

The Victims of War

Billy smiled down at the blue tint that was now covering his clothing while he walked underneath of the sapphire moon that rested overhead. He was a bit tired from his trek down to the bottom floor of the resistance base. Upon reaching the bottom floor, he had found that it was where most of the resistance took inventory and trained to fight, which were pretty much the only two things that any of the ponies were doing as he walked along.

He greeted some of them and gave a friendly wave with a smile, but most of the ponies simply ignored him or gave him a very curt nod in response. Billy sighed to himself as he looked around at all the serious faces, and all the dead looks in the eyes of the ponies, one or two of whom he recognized from his Equestria. Thinking about his Equestria made his heart hurt a bit, and he placed a hand into his back pocket and wrapped his fingers around what he was looking for, before his eyes went wide at what...or rather whom, he saw.

"Applebloom? Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo?" he asked while he rushed over to the three fillies, well, mares who were all working hard to move a crate filled with weaponry and armor for the resistance. The three of them looked up with confusion as Billy slowed his rush to a jog, coming to a stop in front of them with a huge smile.

"Can we help ya?" Applebloom asked in a harsh tone, rubbing the back of her hoof across her forehead to move her short mane out of her face. Billy spent a moment observing them all, surprised at how different they looked from the friends he remembered. Applebloom was built even bigger than her sister and had a cold glare in her eyes that made Billy back away from her a bit. Sweetie Belle looked grimy and tired, while Scootaloo had cut her mane incredibly short and had a tattoo on her back that read "Reach your limit, then push to be 20% Stronger."

"Alright enough gawking, what the hell do you want?"

"Oh um...I was just wondering if you three needed any help?" The three shared a quick look before turning back to Billy.

"Thanks for offering, but we've got it," Scootaloo said while she and Sweetie pushed against the back of the crate, slowly pushing it forward a few inches at a time.

"You sure that you don't want help? I'm stronger than I look," Billy offered once again.

"No thank you. We've got it," Sweetie Belle snarled as she and her friend pushed themselves against the crate with all of their might, while AB pulled from the front. Billy stayed quiet for another moment as they struggled before he stepped forward in front of them again with a smile on his face.

"I haven't had the chance to introduce myself yet. I'm Billy Batson and I'm--" Applebloom dropped the rope with which she was pulling the crate and turned to face Billy, the fire in her eyes blazing with rage and pain that shut him up immediately.

"Ah know who you are. Ah know why yer here. Yer one of the champions, one of the six who are supposed to end this war," she explained with such a tone of loathing in her voice that Billy didn't dare speak. "But ah don't care if yer supposed to be a savior or angel. If yer supposedly such a great champion, where were ya five years ago when Black Adam killed our sisters. Where were ya a few weeks after that when mah grandma died of a broken heart? Where were ya when Black Adam's goons caused a cave-in over our heads and mah brother had to give his life to get me out? Where was our mighty angel then?"

Silence was all Billy had for an answer, Applebloom glaring at him for a moment before she spat into the dirt next to him. "Ya might be a great hero in yer world, but here you haven't done anything worth praising yer name about. As far as ah'm concerned, all y'are is in ahr way. Move." Dejected, Billy stepped to the side and looked down at the floor without another sound. The three then pushed past him without so much as a second glance, leaving the teen alone by himself in the silence of the room.

He then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet that Twilight had made for him, flipping it open to reveal a picture of one of his happiest days. In the photo, he and the CMC were sitting next to each other with huge smiles on their faces, with Spike and Twilight sitting behind them. Applebloom and Billy both had a hoof and arm wrapped around each other and both had smiles on their faces, but AB's face was also home to a black eye. Sweetie and Scootaloo were both laughing at something off photo while Twilight tried to help Applebloom with her eye, with Spike in the back rolling his eyes.

'I wish I could talk to you Bloom. I...don't know how to handle this.'

-====_====-

"This has certainly been an interesting day," Trixie groaned as she lay down on one of the beds and gently placed her saddle bag on the ground beside her, groaning while she placed a hoof over her head. "Ugh, it feels so good to lay down again." She had been planning on falling asleep then and there, but Batmare rested a hoof next to her head with a smile that told Trixie she wasn't getting out that easily.

"Nearly five years, Trixie, with no letters and no visits. Once again you drop off the face of Equis and leave all of your friends to wonder if you're alive or dead, with only the stories of your exploits to give us a hint of where you've been," Batmare said with a large and evil grin. "You aren't getting any rest until the two of us have caught up." Trixie sighed in acceptance and sat up again, giving Batmare a look.

"Fine. What do you want to know?" Trixie asked as Batmare removed her cowl, letting her purple mane fall to her shoulders while she took in a deep breath.

"Woo, feels great to finally take that off. What do I want to talk about? How about for starters, you tell me how long you and Sombra have been married?" Batmare smiled at the look of utter bafflement on Trixie's face, the Mare of the Night deliberately taking as much time as she could placing her cowl on the floor and turning to face Trixie. "It's obvious Trixie. There's a mark on you horn where the ring would sit and I can see some strands of his mane in yours. That and your face told me the rest."

"I keep forgetting that you were trained by one of the greatest detectives of all time," Trixie said with a shake of her head before smiling a the beaming face of Scootaloo. "Alright, if you must know, it's been over three years now. There, are you happy?" Trixie asked before Scootaloo pulled her into a tight hug.

"I wish you would have told me, I would have loved to have been a bridesmaid!" Scootaloo exclaimed with a large smile as she released Trixie from her grip. "Can I see the ring?" Trixie nodded and levitated her bag up, opening it and pulling out a ring that shined with a number of different crystals, causing Scootaloo's jaw to hit the floor while Trixie showed it to her.

"Like it? Sombra crafted it himself out of a number of rare crystals that he had acquired over his long life," Trixie said as Scootaloo went to touch it, but Trixie pulled it away from her grasp. "Whoa there, be careful. There's a very powerful spell imbued within this ring. If somepony other than my family tries to hold it, it'll release a blast of magic that brought down a giant. It's how Sombra knows I'm safe."

"I am just so happy for you," Batmare said with a large smile before laughing slightly. "Still, I can't believe that it took Sombra nearly a year and a half after we saved the world for him to propose to you."

"Are we talking about the same Sombra? That fool would rather take on a hundred undead krakens before he would have the courage to propose to me. I'm the one who did it," Trixie said with a laugh as she created a magical image of what his face had looked like. Scootaloo fell to the floor she was laughing so hard. "And of course he said yes, when he found the will to speak again. But enough about my life, what's new with you. Heard you mention something about Nighthawk."

"Yeah, my sidekick. Emphasis on kick, that griffon is a monster in a fight," Scootaloo said with a small chuckle before sighing. "Nothing else new besides that, really. Fighting crime, stopping criminals; same old, same old. If anything, you got the more adventurous life of the two of us."

"Maybe, but I don't have Batman and his league of gods to come aid me at my beck and call," Trixie said as she slipped her ring back into her bag and lay down on the bed, though she shot up a second later with ears alert. "Sorry, thought I heard some foals crying." She shrugged as she lay down again, closing her eyes, and she quickly fell asleep. Scootaloo smiled as she grabbed her cowl and walked away from her friend, after pulling up the covers for her.

"I guess you really do need your sleep. Those bags under your eyes are terrible."

-====_====-

The weird looks were nothing new to Mr. Bubbles, but he had forgotten for a long time that ponies would give him weird looks. He was so used to being accepted by the ponies in his town that he had almost forgotten that he was a monster. Almost. Most of the ponies may have been sleeping and the few that were awake roamed the cavern, but Bubbles did not feel like sleeping. Bubbles needed to find something. The faintest sounds of foals crying echoed off of the caverns walls. The sounds drew him to them like a moth to a flame.

He didn't stop walking until he found the room from which the crying was coming, the door cracked slightly so that he could see inside. The foals were all crying in their single bed, with a single nurse trying to sing the four of them to sleep to no avail. The foals all seemed to be young, and as his eight eyes scanned the room he not only found that this was where they slept, but it was also where they lived. They were all orphans.

"W-what the hell are you?" the nurse asked with fear as she saw Bubbles push open the door and enter the room, backing away from him in terror despite having been told about him. The foals all turned towards him when they heard his massive boots hit the ground, silencing them as total fear overtook them. Bubbles came to a stop in front of the foals' bed, looking down at them with his green eyes before they turned a crimson red.

"Rrrrrr. Rrr. Rrrrrrrrrrr," he began to moan, confusing the foals for a moment before his eyes changed to yellow, the yellow light growing brighter and softer in tune with the tone of his moans. He then changed his eyes to green for a moment before they flashed back to red, the moans becoming more like a song that, along with the changing color of the eyes, slowly began to lower the eyelids of the foals. A couple of moments later three of them were asleep, while a defiant one refused to close its eyes all the way.

"Rrrr," Bubbles moaned before gently cradling the foal in his left arm, turning his eyes a gentle shade of yellow as he continued to hum, rocking his body slowly side-to-side all the while. The foal let out one last yawn of defiance before she closed her eyes and began to snore. Bubbles then gently placed the foal back with the others and pulled the covers up over them before turning and heading back to the door. He then turned back to look at the nurse, placing his index finger in front of his helmet before turning and leaving the room in silence.

-====_====-

Despite all of the torches and the giant sapphire that cast its glow upon the cavern below it, Ryan was still able to find a place that was devoid of nearly all light, making him feel right at home while he slipped into the shadows beneath one of the walkways and leaned against the wall. He waited for a moment to make sure that he had not been followed before he flipped his hood over his eyes and sighed.

"Mare? You there?"

'Yes, I can hear you,' a voice said in the back of his mind a few moments later. 'I have been keeping tabs on what has happened as best as I could. How was it, fighting alongside such beings for the first time?'

"First off, Hulk and Billy did all the fighting, I sat on my ass under a shield," Ryan said before focusing on the problem again. "And I'm worried. I have no doubt that they'd be able to take down Black Adam, if forced, seeing as one of them alone matches his power, but it's this whole...lying to them that I'm not liking."

'You really care that much about them that you're willing to tell them everything?' the mare asked with trepidation in her voice. 'If they know the truth...'

"Again, you're wrong. I don't care for any of them and I'm fairly certain I already despise two of them, but that's not the problem," Ryan snarled before lowering his tone. "This is another entire race at the hooves...oh god, I'm doing it now...at the HANDS of destruction and you want me to keep secrets from the five that were chosen to be here. This is stupid, even for me...I'm going to tell them the truth."

'All of it?' the mare asked, Ryan lowering his head in thought before sighing.

"Eventually. For now, we'll just start with the fact I'm not supposed to be here and go from there," Ryan replied as he slid down the wall and collapsed to the ground. "...how are you holding up? You nearly had another episode in front of the entire team, and if they had seen that they would have lost what little trust the already have for you."

'I am recovering as best I can, but my time grows shorter each day,' the mare eventually replied, hiding the concern in her voice as best she could. 'I hope that we can figure out where this sphere of destruction is and stop it before the...force within it is released. Because if it is...'

"I already know, without all six of the Elements we wouldn't even have a chance to fight back," Ryan sighed as he stood up again. "You find a replacement for Freeze yet?"

'Nopony concrete yet.'

"Keep looking. Luna said something about our first mission tomorrow, so I assume that we're going to do something stupid. Maybe I'll get to solo Black Adam," Ryan smirked. "Later." He felt the mare's consciousness vanish from the back of his mind, almost letting the other voices in before he quelled them. With a shake of his head, Ryan headed back to the room that Luna had loaned them, finding most of the team asleep except for Banner, who sat on his bed reading something in a small booklet.

"Well, weren't you out late," he observed as Ryan walked by to one of the two beds that hadn't been taken, since Bubbles was too big for a bed. "Care to tell me what you were doing out there when we should all be resting up for tomorrow."

"God dad, stay out of my life," Ryan snarked with a small laugh as he took off his backpack and lowered his head. "Seriously, mind your own business." Ryan had just pressed his hand against the bed when he felt the air in the room change and he looked behind him at Banner, who had put the book down and was now looking at Ryan over the rims of his glasses.

"There are thousands of ponies here, who are willing to fight to the death against a force they cannot hope to win against. A god with an army of soldiers in future armor threatens to tear this world apart with war. Then, there's that monster of destruction you told us about that we have little information on. We are the only ones who stand between them and death, yet there is something else, something you know that you're not telling me," Banner said in such a quiet, emotionless tone that Ryan slowly began to inch his hand towards his baton. "This is my business. I will respect your privacy for now and assume that you simply took a walk, but if this secret of yours puts us in danger or costs any innocent lives...I will get angry."

And with those words, Banner turned and lay down on his bed, leaving Ryan to continue to watch him for ten minutes after they were done speaking. Ryan eventually lay down on his bed, but he continued to stare up through the darkness at the ceiling. 'Tomorrow. I tell them tomorrow. If it were any of the others I might blow them off, but him...I do not want to mess with either of them.'

-====_====-

The night breeze felt cool and nice as its fingers gently ran themselves over her face, but in her heart all she felt was pain as another night passed without her sister by her side. The pain of betrayal and rage, that her sister would lead so many to their deaths, all in an attempt to show her that her champion was evil. Her red and orange mane blew in the wind as she looked up at the moon, barely hearing a figure land beside her.

"You have been gone for hours," Queen Celestia said as she turned to face the man behind her, a soft smile spreading on her face when she saw the familiar golden lightning bolt upon a black suit. "I was worried that the six might have defeated you and brought you down."

"Do you really think that little of me, that you believe six of her champions would be enough to defeat me?" Black Adam asked as he stood beside her on the balcony, overlooking the landscape with his enhanced vision.

"Well, as soon as I had that thought, the next one was that the planet had not been cracked in half by the battle that would have been, so I assumed I was wrong," Celestia said with a small laugh, her words getting the thinnest of smiles to cross Adam's face before he frowned again.

"I was unable to find them. I do not know what cursed magic they use to hide themselves from me, but it is something that I have not encountered. There is also...more bad news." Celestia turned her full attention to Black Adam, who sighed before continuing. "According to what the Judges described of the six champions, it seems that one of them is my old foe, Captain Marvel." Celestia's eyes went wide at this, but she said nothing when Adam spoke again. "Yes, another who possesses all of my powers and strength. Out of all of them, he is the greatest threat to me."

"But...can you not defeat him? You have the power of the wizard on top of your already great powers," Celestia reminded him. Adam solemnly nodded in response.

"Yes, but he is enchanted with the same magic as I am. I do not know what would happen if I used the wizard's powers against his chosen champion. So to be safe, I will only use it as a last resort," Adam decided. "Another one of them is the Hulk, whose power is so legendary that I have heard of him, despite his being from another reality. The other two champions they could not describe and the ponies with them were hidden, so we have little on them."

"And these are the six she has gathered to kill us?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. It seems that they shall be our foes," Black Adam said with a sigh before turning to look at Celestia. "Have there been any signs of where the silver mare may have vanished to?" Celestia shook her head and Adam frowned again. "It has been five years since she appeared in our world, five years since Radiance destroyed the silver sphere. Do you believe there to be a connection?"

"It is entirely possible. My father did believe that the sphere of creation whispered to him at times, almost as if it were trying to aid him in trying times," Celestia said, recalling what her father had once told her. "It might have chosen her to fight against us."

"But why would creation fight against us?"

"I know not."

"If it wasn't for this accursed war, I would devote my time to finding the mare and bringing her down for what she has done," Black Adam said with a shake of his head while he folded his arms and took to the skies, floating just over Celestia. "I am going back out. As long as those six are out there no pony in all of Equestria is safe. And I will be damned to eternity in the underworld if I allow any more to die under my watch."

"Do not work yourself too hard, Teth. I still do enjoy spending time with you," Celestia said while she gently brushed her mane out of her eyes as she looked up at him. Adam gave her a small bow before he shot off into the night, out of sight within seconds. 'And do not worry, Teth, for you shall not have to fight this battle by yourself for much longer,' Celestia thought as she let her mane burn with power, her horn crackling at her thoughts while her eyes turned red. 'I will soon be far more powerful than my sister, and I will be able to aid you in the battle with those champions. I will not allow myself to be weak.'

Celestia then turned and walked back inside to her room, taking a vial of a strange liquid out from beneath her pillow and opening it. She then proceeded to drink half of the bottle, her whole body shaking as the liquid burned through her like fire. But despite the burning pain, Celestia felt power course into her very veins, causing her to chuckle in a twisted version of her voice. 'Yes, I will not be weak. I will be the strongest alicorn in the history of Equestria. And my sister has shown that she will not be reasoned with, so there is only one course of action left.'

'Battle. And unlike last time sister, I will crush you with my own strength.'

If They Can Get Along

The five champions and Ryan all stared at the Princess of the Night across the giant table that separated them, watching as she gathered her notes and talked with some of her advisors about the plan. She then cleared her throat as the advisors ran off, turning back to the group with a grim nod.

"Sorry that took so long, we had a close call with Black Adam last night," Luna explained, Billy narrowing his eyes at the mention of his mightiest foe's name. "However, we are not here to talk about Black Adam, we are here to talk to you about this." While she said this, beams of light emerged from the table and showed the city of Canterlot, except that it was completely surrounded in different colored magics that created a sphere around the city. "Behold, the capital of Equestria."

"So, I was right, and that was the city of Canterlot that I saw on the ground instead of on the side of the mountain," Billy muttered to himself. "Was Black Adam responsible for this to?"

"Yes. The city's supports were destroyed when Black Adam engaged in battle with a being know as Ares, who matched him in every way...well, almost," Luna explained as the images flickered and showed the group a large tower that seemed to be made of alien material. "But back to the matter at hoof, these are the source of the shielding that covers the city of Canterlot. These are the Spires, created by Black Adam and his Judges to keep Celestia and all of the ponies within the city safe from outside attack."

"And you want us to destroy these?" Batmare asked while she hopped up onto the table and peered closely at the tower. She took in every detail and studied it to find any opening that it might have. "That material looks incredibly strong. None of my explosives would even dent it, and it seems to be resistant to magic."

"Well, we do have a giant, green wrecking ball and a boy who matches Black Adam," Ryan reminded the group as he motioned to Billy and Bruce. "Can't we just air drop the two of them onto the tower and watch the fireworks from a distance?" Ryan noticed that Luna cast Billy a quick glance before shaking her head.

"We have to do this strategically. If we use the two of our biggest guns right off the bat, Adam will prepare for the two of them when we try to bring down the next tower," Luna said with a sigh while she brought up a map with six more Spire locations across the land and beyond it. "Also, if Black Adam himself were to protect one of the Spires, I do not know if we would be able to beat him. Four of you do not seem to be anywhere near his power."

"And what about the Hulk?" Banner asked. Luna took a moment before answering.

"I honestly cannot say. He does indeed seem powerful, but...I have seen Adam's power up close and I know what he can do," she said in a cold whisper as she shuddered slightly. "And as for you Billy...I do not know how I feel about sending a child to battle Black Adam. I have seen enough children die."

"I can beat him. I did it before," Billy said with confidence, but Luna shook her head once again.

"We will save that as a last resort. But as I was saying, the six Spires are what keep the shield up around the city. And we do not need to destroy the towers; we just need to destroy what is powering them," Luna continued while the images flashed to a small gem that radiated power. "These orbs are what Adam is using to power the shields. If we can destroy them, not only will it weaken the shield, but it will also take a long time before others can be created. If we time it right, we can have them all down in a month."

"But that's not counting if we run into Adam or any of his goons," Trixie reminded them with a somber expression. "So, how are we going to do this, then? I highly doubt that the six of us would be able to enter such a place without causing a commotion. Even in smaller, we would probably be seen."

"You are correct there, Trixie. That is why we have somepony here who is willing to cause a distraction for you," Luna said as she nodded to somepony standing outside of the room. They entered a moment later and immediately upon seeing them Banner began to turn green and grow, barely managing to stop himself and revert back to normal while glaring at the changeling with cold eyes. "This is Insectum, Chrysalis' daughter."

"And why would I trust my life to a queen raised by Chrysalis?" Trixie asked with heat in her voice while she gazed upon the queen, but the changeling shook her head with sad eyes.

"Because my mother is no more. But allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Queen Insectum, queen of what's left of the changelings," Insectum said to them with a low bow, both Banner and Trixie letting up their glares for a moment. "Black Adam killed my mother five years ago when she gave up her life to protect me, before he wiped out nearly all of my people. Since then, I have led what was left of the changelings into battle alongside Luna, doing whatever we can to help."

"And how the heck are you going to distract him if he managed to wipe out your entire race at once?" Ryan asked as he leaned back in his chair and placed his hands behind his head. "If I were you, I'd focus on keeping your remaining people alive instead of throwing them at a god."

"While I appreciate your concern, the changelings have become adept at avoiding Adam and his magic. Something we have discovered in the years of battling him is that he cannot distinguish a transformed pony from a regular one, and neither can the ponies. Using that trick, we can slip away when he comes after us. We have done so for years."

"Trust her, the changelings have proven that they can keep Adam occupied," Luna said before addressing the other problem. "But you do bring up an interesting point, Trixie. If we do send all of you at the tower at once, it would almost be a guarantee that you would destroy the orbs powering it, but then it would also leave you all liable to be captured."

"Then how about this? We split into two person teams while taking whoever would be best suited for that Spire," Batmare began as she walked up to the map and memorized where the Spires were located. "For example, one of them is in the deepest parts of the ocean, a place that most of us can't get to even with our magic. But the Big Daddy over there is designed for deep sea exploration, so naturally he would be one of the members to go destroy that tower. The other four could run interference in case of Adam or his goons."

"That...is not a bad plan," Luna muttered, the other members of the team nodding their heads in approval as well. "Yes, it seems like for now that is our best bet. I would assign the teams myself, but I figure it best that you discuss amongst yourselves whom you believe are best suited to handle each Spire. The one that we are planning to take down is not guarded with that many soldiers, but is rumored to have a very dangerous beast within. That is all." Luna turned and began to speak with the queen about the distraction, while Banner rose to his feet and motion for the group to follow him.

-====_====-

"Before we get down to who should go on this mission, there are two other things I wish to talk to you about," Banner said as he looked around the room at the other members of the group, hands clasped together as he silently thought for a moment. "The first is, that I think that we should elect a leader for the team. If we all do our own thing or fight amongst ourselves on the battlefield, it will end only in death. If any of you have any recommendations, speak them now."

"Not that I give a shit who you pick, odds are I still won't listen to any of you," Ryan chuckled as he leaned back.

"Is that your way of voting for yourself?" Trixie asked.

"Are you kidding me? If I lead, we'd all be dead within minutes. No, this is a story where a supervillain is our foe, so I think it best for a superHERO to be the one to lead," Ryan reminded them with a smirk. "My vote goes to the cosplayer or Banner."

"Sure, I could go with Batmare being our leader," Billy said with a smile at the surprised Batmare. "Back on my world, Batman was in charge most of the time, so if you were trained by him, I'd say that qualifies you way more than anyone else on this team."

"Then, that is three votes for Batmare," Trixie said while she placed a hoof on her friend's armored shoulder. "I believe that you would make an excellent leader for this team."

"Are you sure, Trixie? You actually have more experience than me at leading a group," Batmare reminded her. Trixie shrugged with a smile.

"Maybe, but you are the most clever member here. After all, you did almost singlehoofedly bring down that organization that was trying to unleash the twin demons in our world. I trust you."

"And what about you, Doctor Banner?" Batmare asked the doc, who looked up from his thoughts with a shake of his head.

"I might have been a part of a large number of team-ups, but I was more of the muscle than I was leader," he said with a small laugh. "No, if the others think that you should lead, then go for it. Besides, it isn't like I can't give you advice if you ever feel lost." Mr. Bubbles let out a moan before pointing his drill at Batmare, getting another chuckle out of Banner. "Then it seems that it is unanimous. Batmare, you are our leader now."

Batmare looked down at the ground for a moment, before letting out a sigh and looking up at them with a fiery determination. "Alright then. I'll do my best not to let any of you down!"

"Too late."

"And that leads me to my second topic that I wished to talk about," Banner began as his gaze hardened. "And that is the end game. Luna obviously wants those towers taken out so she can overthrow Celestia and return Equestria to how it used to be. That's her end game. But what about the mare's? Surely she wouldn't need all of us for a threat like that. Why not just gather the Avengers or the Justice League and have them handle Adam? If he arrived here without his voice, then clearly he was defeated before. Why did she need us?"

"That's actually a good question," Billy muttered as he placed his face in his hands and thought about it. "I might struggle with Adam alone, but not even he is strong enough to handle the whole League. You're right, Doctor Banner, why all of us?"

"I believe that is where Ryan can help us. The end game for us isn't to help Luna defeat Celestia, it's to use the Elements of Harmony to bring down the being of destruction, isn't it?" Banner asked Ryan point blank. Despite the shot out of nowhere, Ryan didn't even blink under the pressuring looks from the others.

"What do you mean, Doctor? None of us are the chosen Elements of Harmony," Trixie reminded him, Bill and Batmare nodding in agreement. "If the mare needed the Elements, wouldn't she just grab Twilight and the others from any world where they were still alive?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out. When the silver mare helped us, she sometimes mentioned that we had been chosen, and now I think I know why. We were chosen to replace this world's Elements of Harmony, weren't we?" Banner asked Ryan once again, yet the man only pulled his hood over his eyes in response. "So, then the mare knows that this destruction beast will rise here and she wants the six of us to use our Elements that we have acquired to--"

"Let me stop you right there, Banner, and shoot a couple of holes in your theory," Ryan cut in as he flipped his hood back. "To start things off, no, none of you were chosen to replace the Elements here. The Elements of this world are nowhere near strong enough to take on the monster that we might fight."

"Then why bring us here?"

"Let me finish. During each of your adventures, the mare wasn't finding champions who could take on Twilight and the other Elements, she was finding those who could reforge the original Elements of Harmony." The words struck the others dumb, giving Ryan a moment to smile at the looks on their faces.

"The original Elements of Harmony?" Billy asked in confusion. "But I thought that Twilight and the others wielded the Elements of Harmony that Celestia and Luna used." Ryan rolled his eyes at the kid with a sigh.

"Those are the ponies' Elements of Harmony. Let me ask you a question: Why would the Elements of Harmony, magical artifacts that are powered by others coming together, be pony exclusive only?" he asked them with a raised eyebrow, watching as the others began to connect the dots. "You guessed it, I hope; they weren't. The original wielders of the Elements were from all races, ranging from an alicorn to an effing Diamond Dog. And according to the mare, the old Elements were even stronger than the ones Twilight and her annoyances used, with different names as well."

"And that would explain why the mare went from world to world testing others," Banner added up. "Because it would take a team as diverse as the original to reforge them."

"Yep. Apparently this being of destruction can only be beaten with those Elements, because they not only hurt it, but they also protect the wielders from its powers. Anyone else who tries to fight the monster without them would be destroyed no matter how strong or powerful," Ryan muttered as he remembered his fight with the herald of destruction. "That's why no Avengers or League. They would just be fodder."

"Yeah, but three of the six are humans, two are ponies and the last is...Bubbles," Billy pointed out.

"Technically, you're a god, Banner's a monster, Batmare is a creature of the night and Bubbles is dead. That makes me the only normal human here," Ryan said with a smirk, but he caught Banner's glance out of the corner of his eye.

"There's more that you're not telling us." It wasn't a question, it was a fact. Ryan was about to stay silent before he saw Banner's eyes flash green, giving him all of the incentive that he needed to open his mouth again.

"Fine, fine. However, the mare's plan hit a little hiccup a few months ago when the sixth wielder of the old Elements died in battle." The room went silent at his words and even Banner had a stunned look on his face. "Yep, Mr. Freeze was supposed to be the final champion, but he died in a fight with Sombra while Adam whipped the mare something fierce." Batmare cast a quick look at Trixie, seeing pain in her eyes at Ryan's words. "So, that left her going into the final battle against darkness without a wielder. Not a good idea if you ask me."

"Then why are you even here?" Billy asked with both concern and annoyance in his voice. "You weren't chosen by the Element, meaning that you could die if you were to fight against the monster!"

"Thanks for the concern, kid, but you could trade my life for a can of soup and it wouldn't be a fair trade," Ryan joked, but his words only got him hard glares. "This was something that she didn't want me to tell you because she figured that it would make you doubt the plan. The new plan is to find whoever is trying to release the monstrosity within the sphere of destruction. I don't need to say what would happen if we failed."

"That still didn't answer my question. Why you?"

"Because despite knowing that this is a bad idea, I owe the mare my life multiple times over," Ryan answered. "So now that you have forced the new plan out of me, care to tell me how we're going to do this now?" The group all looked to Batmare, who had lowered her head and was thinking about everything that was said.

"We need to take care of Adam and his Judges first before we go after the monster," she decided after a few minutes. "We won't be able to make any headway with them if we have an angry god constantly attacking us. So I've decided that Ryan and I will take the first tower together. While he may not look like much to you, I can tell that you've had your own personal training in combat and stealth, haven't you?" Ryan nodded with a shrug. "Alright then, it's a plan."

"Alright, sounds like a plan," Banner said before he stood up and placed his hands in his pockets, walking towards the door while whistling.

"And where are you going?"

"Out. I'm going to draw the attention of Black Adam," Banner said, the others looking at him to explain himself. "We need a distraction. I can do that. But I'd also like to hear the other side of the story. Luna has done her best to convince me that her sister is crazy and Black Adam is a homicidal maniac. I don't buy it. And where better to find out about the opposing side than from their leader? Trixie and Marvel can back me up, but don't enter the conversation or battle unless I ask for it."

"I hope you know what the hell you're doing, Banner," Batmare said as she and the others stood up as well, Banner giving her a small smile.

"Don't worry. I've got insurance in case I don't."

-===_===-

Hundreds of cloaked unicorns stood at attention as a unicorn with a long, black beard walked by them, all of them stiffing up as they felt the darkness that the unicorn was giving off. His hoofsteps caused the floor he walked upon to slowly break apart, yet he did not notice the destruction for his attention was on the mirror in front of him and the cloaked pony next to it.

"What news do you have for me?" the unicorn consumed by the darkness asked, his mere breath destroying the air around him. The unicorn next to him shuddered when he felt the darkness wash over him before he managed to stammer out an answer.

"O-our spies have shown that the six champions of the silver mare are in this land and that they will fight against Black Adam and Celestia," he stammered in fear, the dark unicorn nodding with a thin smile. "It...also seems that the human that escaped you is with them, yet we are not sure why as he cannot fight you."

"Is the mare with them?" he asked, the unicorn shaking his head as he felt himself unable to speak. The bearded unicorn nodded before turning around to face all of the other unicorns hidden beneath their cloaks. "My brethren, we are so close to achieving our goals. The being within the sphere that I possess is so close to being freed that I can feel his presence in my own soul. Soon, we shall have what we have wanted all of these years, the destruction of the new ways and a return to the old ways, when unicorns ruled over all!" The other unicorns let out roars of approval before a nod from the bearded one silenced them.

"But as you know, there is only one way the being can be freed and that is with destruction, a destruction so great that it can destroy the very sphere that holds him prisoner. And to acquire that kind of destruction we need this war, we need it to claim as many as possible. So, remember your duty is to fuel this war, no matter which side you fight with. And do not let them know of us. We have stayed hidden this long, we only need to do so a little longer."

"But also remember that the silver mare may be the only one who can stop us, because she possesses the power of creation within her," the bearded one added. "That, and five of her champions are able to battle against the force of destruction. But without the sixth, it is a battle that they must lose. So no matter what, as long as we can free the being, we have won. Now go!" The unicorns all rushed out of the dark room, leaving the bearded pony of darkness to turn and look into the mirror, where a smile crept across his face while he spoke out to the multiverse.

"It is almost time...the time to destroy the rulers of old and create a world that belongs to the superior ones again," he spoke into the mirror, feeling another's presence on the other side of it. "I hope that when the time for that battle comes, that you will keep to your word and help us to unleash destruction upon the land."

"As long as you keep your promise to surrender your nations and people to me, then you shall have my power on your side when that battle comes," a voice so powerful that it shook the room said from the other side of the mirror, causing the unicorn to chuckle with delight.

"I care not who rules, as long as the old ways are destroyed and unicorns are the superior race once again," the pony said as the mirror went dark, before it illuminated again and a pair of red eyes looked out at him. "Do not be so angry to see me again, because I have brought great news. I know that you do not wish to cooperate with us, but we may have finally given you a reason to. Allow me to tell you of the six champions who oppose us and let us see if you believe them worthy."

The Other Side

Banner took his hands out of his pockets and turned his head to the left and right, seeing only the barren wasteland around him. It was a good place for a talk with a godlike being, because as much as Banner would have preferred the talk to be peaceful, he knew how it was going to end.

"Alright Trixie, I'm here. Can the others hear me?" Banner spoke aloud, waiting a few seconds before he heard the mare's voice in his head.

'Yes Banner, we can all hear you. The spell is working.'

'I still think this is a bad idea,' Captain Marvel's voice said with the sounds of worry in his tone.

"I will be fine, Billy. This is something that I have to do. I want to hear both sides of the story about this war before I commit myself to fighting to a single side. The three of you are on standby for when this all goes south, right?" They affirmed that they were, giving Banner a brief moment to take in a deep breath before he was ready. "Do it."

"SHAZAM!"

Banner heard the thunder echoing across the landscape, waiting until it had died down until he slowly sat down in the dirt and crossed his legs, placing his hands on his knees and closing his eyes. He let no thoughts enter his mind while he meditated, not breaking his pose until he felt his skin tingle with an otherworldy power. In response to the sensation, he slowly opened his eyes and looked up into the sky, seeing the man who looked down on him.

'Golden lightning bolt? Godly powers? Black attire? This is him,' Banner thought as the man easily floated down towards him, his cape slowly swishing in the breeze as he floated near Banner. "Hello there. You must be the one called Black Adam. I have heard a great deal about you."

"Indeed I am. But you have me at a disadvantage, because I do not know who you are," Black Adam responded as he narrowed his eyes. Banner watched while the being's eyes moved faster than he could see as Black Adam studied the one sitting before him. "I will ask you to identify yourself and what you are doing here, human. If you do not answer, we will have a problem"

"There will be no need for violence. I'm just here to talk," Banner said calmly in reply as he motioned for Black Adam to sit down. Adam raised an eyebrow before he floated down and crossed his legs while still in the air. "I am Doctor Bruce Banner and I am from Earth. But you already guessed that. What you might have also guessed is that I am a champion of the silver mare." Banner felt the air crackle around him as Adam narrowed his eyes and Banner wondered if the talks would already break down, but Adam made no movement to attack.

"I assumed as much. No mere mortal would be so calm in front of me. But why are you out here alone, Banner? If you wish to fight me, then know that you will not win." Banner watched as Adam looked past him and off into the distance for a brief second, telling Banner that Adam did not believe he was here alone.

"I am not here to fight, I'm here to talk," Banner repeated for Adam, once the man had turned his attention back to him. "Luna told me about you, about how you're a monster that slaughtered everything in your path and corrupted her sister into trusting you and letting you run free...that you are nothing less than a god of death."

"And you do not believe her?" Adam asked with a curious look.

"I have found that I can rarely trust the words of rulers. I sought you out to get your side of the story," Banner said as he closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "I've lived nearly all of my life being tricked by others to fight for them, so this time I'm making sure that I know all the facts before I wage war." Adam took in Banner's words for a moment before nodding, respecting the man before him enough to answer.

"My story is one of pain. On my world I was the ruler of a nation called Kahndaq, a powerful nation yet a peaceful one as well. But then the day came when I lost everything, when my nation was wiped off the map," Adam began with strength in his voice, never letting Banner hear any of his pain. "At first, I believed that the United States had unleashed the destruction upon my land, so I wiped out their leaders and slaughtered their congress. It was only years later that I discovered that the God of War had been responsible for the destruction of my people and had used me as a weapon to wage war."

"I know what that feels like," Banner said with a small nod.

"I was then sent here by a power once greater than mine, where I was taken in by Celestia and her daughters. For years I was a part of their family, protecting them as if they were my own. But the day I regained my power was the day I lost Sunnysmiles, one of Celestia's daughters. Then the day came when I was too late to save Radiance," Black Adam said with a scowl. "I have no doubt that Luna has told you of all the acts of death and destruction that I have caused, so I will not speak of those acts. But the tale I am sure she has twisted was the death of the Elements of Harmony. I assume you know whom they are?"

"There are all close friends of mine," Banner said calmly, keeping his emotions to a minimum as Adam nodded with a small frown.

"As they were mine. Know that she is right in saying that I did kill them, I will never deny responsibility for that, but what you must know is that it was an accident. Their magic clashed with mine and the backlash..." Banner cracked open his eyes and focused on Adam's face, able to see behind the strong mask that he wore to see hints of pain in his eyes--pain that he knew all too well.

"I was once the monster that she described me to be, Doctor Banner, but I cast that man aside long ago," Black Adam continued. "But now I wish to ask you a number of questions. Do you know that it was Luna who separated from her sister, because of her hatred and that she created an army to fight against her sister? That she is responsible for this war?"

"No, I cannot say that I knew that," Banner said with a sigh, figuring that Luna was hiding something.

"Or that the silver mare, as you call her, is the one who brought the humans to our land that killed Radiance, the Queen's daughter? Or that she has gathered the six of you to unleash a darkness upon the land to destroy the Queen and her nation?" Again Banner had to sigh, knowing that when he got back to the base, he would have to speak to both Luna and Ryan about what Adam was telling him, if it were the truth. "I may be guilty of a number of sins that I wish I did not have to carry, but do not believe for an instant that the ones you fight for are guiltless. All of us have blood on our hands."

'He does make a compelling argument for his side, but just like Ryan, there is more that he is hiding. I wonder if I can get it out?' Banner mused for a moment before speaking. "There is one point of yours that I must argue with, and that is that the silver mare said that she brought us here to fight against the sphere of destruction." Banner saw Adam's face twitch, telling him to keep pressing. "Do you know that this sphere will soon be unleashed upon this land?"

"If I believed what the mare said, then I would deal with the sphere. But I destroyed it, so it is clear that she is lying," Black Adam said with hatred as he uncrossed his legs and landed on the ground, walking over to Banner with narrowed eyes. "And I believe that I have listened long enough. You are going to come with me."

"I do not want to fight you, Adam. I will need to think about what you have said, but I do believe that we can find a peaceful solution to this war," Banner suggested, but he saw Adam's eyes go cold.

"No Banner, I cannot allow that. You may be a reasonable man, but the mare is not. I have seen what she has done to a number of worlds as well as what she has done to mine," Adam said as he placed a hand on Banner's shoulder, allowing the doctor to feel his power. "And if you truly are one of her champions, then she will come for you. They all will. And when they do, I will end this war myself."

"I'm far more dangerous than I look, Adam. Don't do this," Banner said as he reached up and grabbed hold of his glasses, taking them off and placing them within his pocket. He felt Adam tighten his grip and knew that he was being given little choice. He then reached up once again and placed his hand over Adam's. Black Adam wondered what he was about to do before, against all of his reasoning, the skinny man grabbed hold of his hand and flung Adam into the sky. Adam caught himself almost immediately and he spun to face the doctor...only to see that he was transforming before his very eyes. The doctor's skin turned green before his body began to expand, growing larger and more muscular until he was larger than Black Adam.

"What strange magic be this?" Adam asked as the green giant looked up at him with a huge grin on its face.

"Sorry genius, but this isn't puny magic. This is sheer power!" The Hulk roared as he flung himself towards Adam with one fist brought back, Adam still in shock as the green monster slammed his fist into the god's face and sent him flying into the ground, where the force of the blow carved out a trench with Adam's body. "Heh, so much for that god. Even goldilocks takes more hits than--"

Hulk couldn't finish that sentence because Black Adam decided that Hulk's face would look better with his elbow in it. He struck like a bolt of lightning and slammed the point of his elbow into the Hulk, sending the jade giant skidding back. Hulk wiped his nose with his hand and glanced at his fingers before smiling up at Black Adam.

"I...felt that," Black Adam muttered as he took up a fighting stance, both eyes locked on the Hulk with both caution and calculated coldness. "You were right, Doctor Banner, you are dangerous."

"Sorry to spoil your fun, but Banner's taking a back seat right now. Call me Hulk," Hulk said as he slammed his fists together, generating a small shockwave. "And I'm the strongest there is. Now let's see how strong you are!" Hulk roared as he hurled himself into the air with both arms extended. Adam threw himself up after the Hulk and drove his shoulder into the Hulk's stomach. but before he could build up any real speed Hulk drove both of his fists into the god's back, driving Black Adam into the dirt below and decimating the ground. Adam groaned as he looked up to see Hulk falling towards him shoulder first, a smile on his face.

"GAMMA CHARGE!" Hulk yelled as he landed shoulder first, hurling chunks of rock and debris into the air. But as Hulk rose back to his feet and looked down, he found that Black Adam was already gone. Hulk spun around to take a knee to the jaw that snapped his head back, followed up by three quick strikes to his solar plexus. Adam's hand wrapped around Hulk's throat and dragged him into the air, where Adam tossed him a little above his head before slamming him back into the ground.

"The strongest there is? You may be strong, as strong as a titan, but do not believe that you are the strongest," Adam said as he crossed his arms and looked down as Hulk pulled himself out of the crater, the smile still on his face but it was more a mad smile then a happy one. "Now, come Hulk, let me show you why I am the champion of this land."

Faster than Hulk registered Adam flew forward and kicked Hulk in the teeth, snapping his head back once again and nearly knocking him over. Hulk recovered quicker than Adam had anticipated and took a monstrous green hand to the chest that flung him into the dirt. Adam flipped out of his slide and skidded to a stop in time to see Hulk slam his fists into the ground, sending a tidal wave of stones towards the Dark God. Adam took to the skies to avoid the attack, rocketing back down to catch Hulk with a kick to the legs that knocked Hulk into the air, where he was helpless as Adam pointed his arm at him.

"Feel my power! Der not kazam!"

Magical lightning imbued with the power of the gods struck down the green behemoth and drilled him into the dirt beneath Adam's feet, where he remained in the new crater smoking and motionless. "You were a strong foe, but it seems that you were not strong enough," Adam said as he walked over to the crater. "Now then, you are coming with me and--" Hulk's leg shot out and caught Adam in the gut, skipping him across the ground like a stone over water. Hulk pulled himself out of the smoldering crater with a snarl, the smile gone from his face.

"That wasn't half bad. Way stronger than the lightning goldilocks hit me with," Hulk snarled as Adam floated back to his feet, noticing that the Hulk seemed to be getting bigger. "But all that light show of yours did was make me angry. You wanna see what happens when I get angry!"

Hulk roared with power as he hurled himself forward towards Adam, who landed on the ground as he braced himself for the oncoming attack. With all of the rage he had built up, Hulk swung forward with his fist, Adam responding by holding out his hand to catch the punch. The two collided and the force of the impact splintered the very ground beneath their feet, creating a shockwave so massive that the clouds above their heads were blown away by the force. But down in the battle, the only look on Hulk's face was not one of victory nor rage. It was one of sheer confusion.

"How?" Hulk asked as he looked forward at Black Adam, who had not only caught Hulk's punch with one hand...but he also hadn't budged from where he had planted himself. Hulk's blow hadn't even moved the god from his spot. Adam's response was to twist Hulk's arm, turning him to the side and leaving him open for another boot to the face that sent him staggering back.

"As I said Hulk, you are not the strongest there is. Allow me to show you who is," Adam said as he rocketed forward towards the Hulk, electrifying his fists as he did so. He vicious uppercut caught Hulk in the jaw, lifting the jade giant into the air despite his weight. Adam flew up after him and drove his knee into the Hulk's jaw, keeping him stunned as Adam reached out and grabbed Hulk by the throat. "This battle is over. Sha-"

"ADAM!" Black Adam had barely registered the words before a red and white blur slammed into his back, forcing him to release the Hulk as the two dug a trench with their bodies. Adam shook his head to recover before a fist to his jaw hurled him into the air, the god reaching the lower atmosphere before he stopped him.

"That voice," Adam muttered before rocketing back down to the planet below, coming to a stop in front of the one who had attacked him from behind. Adam narrowed his eyes as they rested upon the white cape and hood, as well as the golden lightning bolt, knowing full well who stood before him. "Captain Marvel. It has been a long time. But I do not believe that you are the one I know. Your attire is different and your eyes seems...stronger."

"My eyes aren't the only thing about me that has gotten stronger," Marvel said with a scowl as he brought both of his fists up in front of his face, taking up a stance. "And you might not be the Black Adam I defeated, but you're Black Adam and that means that you're trouble. And I stop trouble."

"Stay out of this, kid, this fight's mine," Hulk growled as he walked up besides Marvel, but Adam snapped his fingers to create a blast of lightning that shot from behind Adam's head and lanced into Hulk's chest, knocking him back down to the ground.

"Do not bother getting up, Hulk. You are indeed strong, but this is a fight you cannot be a part of," Adam said as he narrowed his eyes, slowly beginning to walk towards his foe. "Come child." Adam threw a right towards Marvel's head, which Marvel blocked with his right hand before catching Adam's arm with the other hand. He tightened his grip as his other hand took hold and he swung Adam over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground back first before Marvel followed up with an elbow drop to Adam's chest, pushing him into the ground even further.

"You've gotten slow old man," Marvel said as he pulled Adam out of the ground and hefted him onto his shoulders, spinning him around before hurling him into the air. Yet again, Adam recovered quickly and delivered both of his boots into Marvel's chest, sending him skidding backwards.

"And you are still far too sloppy with your form. What mockery of a fighting style is that?" Adam asked as he dashed forward and went to drive both of his legs into Marvel's gut, but the moment he stuck his legs out Marvel leapt into the air and dropkicked Adam in the chest, this time sending him crashing into the ground. Adam kicked up to his feet in time to see Marvel wrap his arms around Adam's torso and slip behind him, suplexing Adam over Marvel's head and dropping him onto his neck.

"It's a little twenty first century fighting style called professional wrestling mixed in with some tricks I picked up in a few fighting games. But unlike the wrestlers, I don't pull my punches," Marvel said with a smirk as he threw lightning-fast lefts and rights that Adam deflected with equally quick speed. Adam was so focused on blocking the punches that when Captain Marvel threw a kick he didn't have time to react. The kick caught him in the gut and doubled him over, giving Marvel time to grab both of Adam's arms and hold them behind his back before he flew up into the air.

"Thundering tigerbomb!" Marvel yelled as he flipped Adam over his head, grabbed around his waist and drove the both of them into the ground below, powerbombing Adam into a new section of the wasteland that hadn't been completely broken yet. "How do you like that, Adam? Are you going to stay down or do I need to set up the finisher?"

Adam's response was to burst forth from the rocks and deliver lightning fast punches and kicks to Marvel's entire body, chopping the Captain in the throat before backflip-kicking him in the jaw, grabbing hold of Marvel's leg as the kick knocked him into the air, before 'ragdolling' him into the ground at Adam's boots.

"Despite all of your newfound "skill," it seems that you still prefer to monologue instead of finishing the job," Adam said as he placed a boot on Marvel's chest, the Captain shaking his head free of cobwebs as he looked up at Adam. "That is an issue I have never had a problem with. Now then, it is time--" Again Adam was interrupted by a giant green fist to the jaw, this time the blow caught him off guard and hurled him up towards the upper atmosphere.

"What the heck was that for, I was winning?" Marvel asked the Hulk, who narrowed his eyes up to where Adam had gone before looking back down at Marvel, then picking him out of the dirt.

"Trixie just got word from Batmare and Ryan. They've taken out the tower," Hulk explained. "There's no longer a need for us to keep fighting."

"But we're winning! We can take him out here and now, and finish this!" Hulk looked back up at the sky as Marvel said this, wishing that it could be so easy.

"I'd rather not take that risk and neither would Banner or Trixie. You've been out-voted, kid," Hulk said as he tightened his grip on Marvel and leapt back to where Trixie was, landing in an azure circle next to the unicorn. "Alright, I got him. Let's go." Trixie nodded as she finished her spell, the azure magic enveloping all of them for a moment, before they all vanished an instant later. A few seconds after the three of them vanished, Black Adam slammed back down into the dirt, looking around for his foes.

'Odd. I can sense that there was magic used here, but it feels like a mixture of Sombra's and...Trixie's?' Adam thought to himself in confusion, trying to trace the spell before he heard the sounds of massive wing beats and turned to see the purple and green dragon named Spike land in front of him. "This had better be important, Spike, I am trying to locate those who oppose the Queen."

"It is. We've just gotten word that one of our towers in the mountains has been deactivated. The guards there say that a human and a pony in a bat suit snuck inside and destroyed the orb. Zonoro engaged them, but they managed to get away," Spike relayed to Black Adam in a bitter tone. Adam processed the news before he looked around at where he had battled with Hulk and Marvel.

'So, you only wished to talk, you said? Clever, Doctor Banner, very clever indeed,' Adam thought with a nod of his head, acknowledging his foe. 'But how far does your cleverness go, for we shall not fall for the same tactics again.' Adam then turned to Spike, who was awaiting Black Adam's command. "I shall check on the tower and then inform the Queen of what has happened. I want you to gather the other Judges and tell them to pick a tower. We shall not let them lower the shield."

"Alright Black Adam, I'll do it right now," Spike said as he took to the skies, leaving Adam alone once again. Adam looked down at his hand while Spike flew off. The battle with Batson reminded him of the time he had fought him on Earth, when he wrongfully believed the United States to be responsible for the death of his nation. And then his thoughts drifted to the wizard.

'No Adam, you did what was needed. Focus on defeating the mare and finding the sphere of destruction,' Adam thought as he took to the skies as well. 'When this is over, then there will be time for mourning.'

Tower Fall

Black metallic walls with golden magic coursing through them met the eyes of the two saboteurs as they gazed up in awe at the massive tower from the shadows, both of them starting to wonder how in the heck they were going to get in there. From the shadowy shelter behind a number of rocks, they spotted two patrols of guards in the armor that had nearly killed them both, telling them that a frontal assault was out.

"Starting to miss Batson right about now," Ryan whispered to Batmare, who barely nodded as she watched the patrols with patient eyes, studying their every move carefully. "I thought it was just a certain number of guards that wore that armor, but to think that their whole damn army has it? This is suicide."

"If you don't be quiet, then they'll hear us and it will turn into a suicide mission," Batmare muttered to Ryan after one of the patrols walked by them, both of the hidden saboteurs wondering why they hadn't bothered to check the rocks. "I think we can slip around the patrols, but then we still have the issue of the two guards at the doors. Of course, with electro-hooves I should be able to knock one of them out and prop him up. Can your baton take the other?"

"Be a waste of time, they'd know that something was amiss," Ryan said with a shake of his head, pointing to the green bar on the ponies' backs when Batmare gave him a look. "See those bars? Those tell each other how their friends are doing. We knock them out, the bars go from green to yellow. If the bars go from green to yellow, then the other guards know shits up. And if they know that..."

"Then we have the whole tower coming down upon us," Batmare muttered with a growl. "You have any ideas on how to get in, then?"

"Why don't you do what your teacher does?" Ryan asked her, once again getting a look of both confusion and annoyance in response. "You know, just Batman yourself inside. He does it all the time in the stories I read."

"Sorry, but it doesn't work like that. There's actual stealth that's involved with this kind of stuff," Batmare muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Wow, some student you turned out to be," Ryan snarked before a massive flash of lightning made the two of them and the guards jump, all eyes looking off into the distance where it could be seen. The guards moved away from their posts to watch the flashing lightning while a dark smile looked at them. "That be our cue to enter the tower. Let's not waste it."

Without a sound the two dashed across the ground from the rocks to the tower, making sure to use any shadow cover they had during their run. Ryan pressed his back against the wall so he could keep an eye on the door while Batmare pulled a number of tools out of her belt, beginning to work on getting the lock open.

"Please hurry it up, I don't know how much longer they'll--"

"Done." Ryan turned to see the door to the tower slightly cracked, with Batmare already inside. His face asked the question for him as he slipped inside; Batmare gave him a smirk for an answer as she closed the door behind them. "Guess I just decided to Batman ourselves in. Now according to the data, the orb is at the top, so..." she trailed off as she looked at all of the stairs. "We go up."

Ryan and Batmare both ascended the stairs as quietly as they could, Batmare slightly surprised that Ryan was keeping up with her step for step while not making any sound. The two reached the first room in the tower, where they immediately spotted two guards with their helmets lowered. As the guards turned to look at them Batmare let a batarang fly, nicking one of the guards before his helmet could go up. The anesthetics covering the edges put him out almost immediately, but she spotted four dots line up on her body.

Yet, before the guard could pull the trigger a vicious right hook to the side of the head brought him down, staggering him long enough for Ryan to reach up his sleeve and pull out a steel wire, which he then wrapped around the guard's neck twice before yanking it tight. The guard had the idea to buck once before the baton in Ryan's backpack was in his left hand, which he then drove into the helmet. Ryan kept an eye on the bar on the pony's back, waiting until it was in the red before he released the wire and let the pony breath again. The helmet retracted as the guard began to pant for air, but he had only gotten a breath when Ryan drove the baton into his head and knocked him out.

"Jeez, that was brutal," Batmare said with a half-disgusted, half-impressed look as Ryan wound the wire back into his sleeves. "Care to tell me where you learned some of those moves?"

"When I was kicking the hell out of Rainbow Dash," Ryan muttered with a smirk while he studied the floor far above them, not noticing the glare that Batmare gave him. "Seems that none of the others heard us, but it's just a matter of time before we're found. Trixie, you got that teleportation spell ready for us when it all goes to hell?"

'Yes, but you had better hurry. Banner, or rather the Hulk, is already battling with Black Adam and from how it sounds, he's losing,' Trixie's voice said in the back of both their minds, Ryan shaking his head as he headed to the stairs.

"Son of a bitch, what kind of monster does Adam have to be to kick the shit out of the Hulk?" Ryan asked as he and Batmare climbed even higher up the staircase, reaching another level that looked like living quarters for the guards. All of the beds were stacked two high and were arranged so that a number of paths could be walked between them. Ryan and Bats spotted the guards, all of whom were in the center of the room playing cards, none of them looking over at where the two were hiding.

Batmare motioned for Ryan to stay put as she slipped ahead. She slid behind a bed before sliding underneath of it, never making a sound as she rolled behind a chest that housed the personal items of some of the guards, waiting until they were engaged in their cards again before rolling over to the next bed and leaping towards the stairs. She then motioned for Ryan to take the same path, yet Ryan gave her a smirk before he climbed to the top of one of the bunk beds, waiting until the guards roared with delight or rage as a hand came to an end, before he leapt from bed to bed, the noise made by the guards drowned out the squeaking of the beds and the sounds of Ryan's boots as he hit the floor next to Batmare on the other side of the room.

"And just what was that all about?" Batmare growled at him as they began to climb again, the size of the floor above them indicating that it was the final floor of the tower. "I had a perfectly planned out path and you decided to risk the entire mission by jumping on the beds! You voted me leader, so I expect you to follow my orders."

"And I believe, I said I didn't give a shit who was leader, I'm doing my own thing. Besides, my way was way faster," Ryan muttered as he picked his head up to get a quick glance of the next floor, motioning for them to move when he spotted that it was empty. "Save your yelling for later, we're at the thing." Batmare grumbled to herself as the two of them slowly walked across the open circular room, seeing rafters above them that supported the roof, while on the other side of the room was an extended space. Inside of it was a pedestal with an orb at its center, sending out a beam of magic through a window off into the distance.

"So this is the orb, huh?" Ryan asked as he and Batmare walked over to the extended part of the room, both of them eyeing the orb with interest.

"We should remove and destroy it," Batmare said as she reached out for the orb, but Ryan slapped her hoof down with a glare.

"Didn't Batman train you better? Of course, the damned thing is booby-trapped somehow," he grumbled as he picked up a small piece of wood that had fallen off of the rafters, tossing it at the orb where it was immediately vaporized upon getting close. "Let me handle this, thank you very much." Batmare wondered what he meant, before her eyes went wide as Ryan stuck his left hand right into the field. She was about to cry out for him when she saw the black glove vaporize immediately, but his hand beneath it was perfectly safe. His hand was a strange, bluish color with strange markings all along it, and a strange magic running through its fingers. Those fingers wrapped around the orb and yanked it out of the pedestal, Ryan smirking as he tossed it up and watched as it shattered against the floor.

"Alright, one down," he said to Batmare with a smirk before he followed her eyes to his hand, which caused him to roll his eyes. He reached into his backpack with a sigh as he pulled out another left-handed glove. "Look, it wasn't anything that important. Just played with a lightsaber and hacked my hand off, Luke Skywalker style. I know you didn't understand a thing I just said, so all you need to know is that this hand is a fake. Yo, Trix! The tower's down. Can you hear me?"

Batmare shook her head but avoided asking Ryan any other questions about his hand, because the moment the both of them turned to leave they saw that they were no longer alone. A solitary figure stood on four legs that supported a completely armored frame, the suit being similar to the guards except that it seemed slimmer and the slots where the eyes looked out were a crimson red.

"You're one of those fucking judges, aren't you?" Ryan asked. The figure reached behind it and pulled out a metal rod that extended upon its touch, letting the action answer for it. "Yep, you're one of them. Alright, if you want to do this, then don't complain when two martial arts masters shit-kick you into next week." Ryan drew his baton again and lunged at the foe, switching his grip to reverse, to surprise the foe while simultaneously throwing a foot to their helmet.

To retaliate, the armored foe caught his leg with a staff while leaping over the reverse baton strike, spinning in the air as their front hooves delivered three very quick but powerful strikes to Ryan's chest, hurling him across the room and into one of the walls, where he slid down to the floor with a groan. The armored one landed elegantly on its hooves before it turned its head to face Batmare, motioning for her to 'bring it'.

"Fine. Your loss," Batmare muttered as she attacked as well, but with more caution and planning than Ryan had. She feinted a right hoof that the foe went to block, but with a flick of her wrist the hoof electrocuted itself, electricity that didn't bother her suit but caused her opponent to leap back when her hoof connected with its limb. "What's the matter, don't like electricity? Tough, because we're going to see if electro-shock therapy can help fix whatever would cause you to join Adam."

Her armored foe advanced towards Batmare once again, but this time just as cautiously as Batmare had approached it. Batmare was debating if she should make the first move or not, before a blur of motion caught her in the side of the head, her armored cowl saving her life as a loud crack could be heard from the impact. Batmare leapt back as she shook the stars from her eyes, those same eyes fastening themselves upon the staff that spun in her foe's hooves.

'When did they swing that at me? I never even saw it--' Another flash of motion met her eyes, but instead of pain this time a metallic clang could be heard as Ryan's baton intercepted the staff. Beneath the helmet, their foe narrowed its eyes as Ryan smiled back at them with the face of a lunatic, chuckling to himself as he performed an odd maneuver that knocked the staff out of their foe's hooves.

"I wondered what the hell hit me, and why it felt so familiar, and then I remembered that I spent nearly a year of my life getting my face kicked in by those same moves daily," Ryan said with a sinister laugh as he spun his baton in his hand, the electricity from the baton making the smile on his face look downright evil while he and his foe circled each other. "Pressure point strikes, quick and precise beat down with unbelievable amounts of pain. Care to tell me where you picked up those tricks, you damned zebra?"

Ryan's words seemed to momentarily stun the two foes, giving Ryan a chance to take to the skies as he hurled himself at the zebra and tackled it to the ground. He struck the helmet with a left and a right before he realized he was damaging his own hand more than he was the helmet. The zebra regained its senses and placed a hoof to his jaw, kicking the human off and giving it a chance to regain its weapon, which it spun once as it turned to face the two again.

"What did you mean by what you said?" Batmare asked Ryan, who never took his eyes off the zebra as he smiled in response.

"The fighting style that this striped bastard is using is eerily similar to the one used by the zebra that taught me," Ryan said, and it seemed like even his foe was listening in on their conversation, meaning that they never noticed Ryan slip his left hand into his backpack.

"So...here we have this version's reality of the same zebra that taught you?" Batmare asked, noticing what Ryan was doing.

"Hell no! If this was, we'd both be a bloodstain on the floor right now," Ryan responded with a loud laugh, glad to see that demeaning his foe caused them to slowly spin their staff again. "No, this zebra here knows the steps to the dance, but can't do them moves right. That's why we can take 'em." The zebra almost laughed at that statement before it lunged at the two, Ryan's smile growing even wider as he plucked a small sphere from the bottom of his bag and hurled it at the zebra while diving for cover.

The sphere detonated in the face of the zebra with a massive explosion that hurled it into and through the wall, leaving both Batmare and Ryan on the floor--and trying to remember if they had their hearing. Ryan said something to Batmare that she couldn't hear, followed by what she guessed was him swearing as he forced himself back to his feet and moved some of the debris caused by the explosion over the stairs, hoping to buy them a moment of time.

"Can you hear me yet?!" he yelled at Batmare, who finally could hear something other than an annoying ringing sound in her ears. She nodded at Ryan, who growled as he raced to the other side of the room and glanced out the window to see all of the guards now surrounding the base of the tower. "Man, I hate using those things, but I love the effect that it has on those who bother me. Trixie, the mission's done. Time to get us out."

'Give me just a moment. I had to get Hulk and the others out, so my spell is presently recharging,' Trixie's panicked voice rang out in the back of Ryan's mind, making him growl in frustration while he saw what little barricade they had being moved by telekinesis.

"Well that's fine, I mean, we're having such a great time here! Lot's of new friends, plenty of interesting items to look at. I mean really, it's just so fan-fucking-" Ryan's words were struck dead as the sound of thunder could be heard, turning both his and Batmare's eyes towards the window where the sphere had previously projected the magic, to see thunderous clouds. And from the clouds, like a dark angel something descended, a being that radiated godly power with a golden lightning bolt on its chest and a black cape swirling in the wind behind it. But if the two of them were afraid, they were terrified when the being turned its gaze to look upon them, and then they both knew what it meant to be under the gaze of a god.

"Trixie, get us...the fuck...out of here," Ryan said in a dead whisper as Black Adam began to float towards them, lightning crackling in his hands as his thundering eyes narrowed at the sight of the two.

'I told you, my spell is-'

"Now, Trixie. Now. Now. Now now now now now!" Ryan panicked as he slowly backed away from the window, Black Adam's eyes flashing as he raced forward with his hand outstretched. His fingers had just touched Ryan's throat when the whole world vanished in a flash of azure, restoring itself a moment later to show the two of them that they were back at the base. The moment the spell ended, Ryan had his usual reaction to any magic that was used on him, but he shivered in place while staring at the floor for a much longer time, even after the sickness had worn off.

"He had me. I...felt his fingers around my neck," Ryan whispered in such a quiet tone that none of the ponies around him heard it, placing his own fingers on his neck to feel his skin tingling with the electricity. "Dear God, that...that was bad. Okay, locking that away in my mind," he muttered as he closed his eyes, shaking his head once after a few minutes before standing up.

"I am glad to see that you are alright," Luna said from behind him. Ryan spotted Billy and the Hulk behind her as well when he turned to look, with the Hulk looking slightly beaten up. "Batmare told me that you completed the mission and that you had a run-in with...Adam. I am glad to see that you are both alright."

"Alright. Yeah, alright," Ryan muttered as he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, using the techniques that Zecora had taught him to calm his heart rate. He opened his eyes again to glare at Luna, sticking up both middle fingers as he walked towards his room. "I know that there's more to this than you want to tell me, but fuck it, I'm done for today. Whatever it is, you can save it for tomorrow! I'm going to bed."

"What's got him so shaken up?" Hulk asked from behind Luna with a smirk. "It was only a being that controlled the lightning and could lift the mountains. I would have beaten him if I wasn't feeling so nice."

"You may make fun, but I remember the first time I saw Black Adam's power up close," Luna whispered with her own memories flooding back into her mind. "And trust me when I say, he is handling it better than most."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Black Adam sighed as he descended into the castle halls once again, wishing that he could have come here first, but he was glad that he had checked on the tower. Now he knew the identities of two more of his foes. 'Yet, it was strange that a pony dressed like Batman and a regular human would dare to fight against me. There was nothing special about the human and I have defeated Batman before without even trying. Why bring those two to fight me, when there are so many stronger?'

'Could it be what Banner said was true? That the mare is bringing them together to defeat the sphere of destruction and the monster within?' Black Adam asked himself with concern, for if he was telling the truth then Adam would have far more pressing concerns than Luna and her attempt at an army. 'No, there is no evidence of that besides the words of a murderer. I shall deal with her and her champions first before I investigate the sphere.' Adam entered the main throne room to see that Celestia was not there, but her advisor Willow and his apprentice Windy Days were hard at work.

"Black Adam!" the old unicorn exclaimed as he bowed slightly at the appearance of the Dark God, his apprentice following his master example. "We did not expect you back so soon. How did the battle with our foes go?"

"Not well, my old friend. It seems that the champions which the silver one had gathered were more powerful than I believed," Black Adam said with a shake of his head before reading concern in his friend's eyes. "Do not worry yourself, I can defeat them. This I know. But what I do not know is if I will be able to do so before they have destroyed all of the orbs. And since it takes nearly a year to make more..."

"What would you have me do, Adam? I will help in any way I can!" the old unicorn said with a fire in his voice, getting a small smile to cross Adam's face as he shook his head.

"I do not need you to go into battle for me; all I need of you is to summon the Judges and tell them to meet me in the garden," Adam said as he turned to see that the sun was going down, the first day in this new war having ended. "You will find Doroca in the hospital nursing his pride, after the Bat and the human defeated him. Spike will probably be on patrol. As for the rest, well, that is where I need you to show why you are the chief unicorn." Adam flew off as he said this, leaving Willow to nod with pride as he activated his tracker spell, calling out for his apprentice before racing off into the darkening city of Canterlot.

Mining Operations

Deep beneath the surface of the planet, down in its depths, was a facility where hundreds of ponies were hard at work mining the precious minerals for their queen. The materials needed to supply them with their suits were only found in this one mine, so a large number of guards had been posted to make sure nothing 'funny' went on. The sounds of drills tearing through the rocks and the whirring of machinery drowned out any other sounds in the area, which was fortunate for a group of three saboteurs because one of them was cursing as loud as he could.

"Mother fucking sonnova bitch!" Ryan roared as he hopped around with his hands wrapped around his foot, seething in pain and rage while Trixie threw up an invisibility spell to make sure that they hadn't been seen.

"Will you shut up?! Do you WANT them to know that we're here?" she half-yelled at him while she checked to make sure that none of the guards were looking at them, but to her relief the sounds of the drills within the hole had drowned out his words.

"Well, excuse me for reacting the way I should to a thousand pound monster crushing my foot with his boot!" Ryan snarled back with a glare at Bubbles, whose groan of apology was drowned out as well. The pain (along with any other feeling in his foot) eventually left, leaving him to crouch down with Trixie behind their cover, watching the patterns of the guards as they moved. "So, have you figured out when we can move, because trying to sneak past all of those guards with this titan is going to be rough."

"Again, I will simply use an invisibility spell for him. Do I need to remind you of the plan every time, since you can't seem to remember anything for five minutes?" Trixie growled back with a big yawn, shaking her head and blinking twice.

"I got it, I got it. You're the diversion, I'm the demo man and he's the chaos," Ryan grumbled. "How about you try to stay awake this time? Luna didn't like it when you fell asleep during her presentation." Trixie opened her mouth to argue but both of them were silenced when Bubbles rose out from behind his cover and walked forward, both of them about to yell at him before they realized that the guards were no longer around. A quick glance showed that they had run off to investigate a fire that had been started, presumably by Bubbles, which left their entrance into the quarry open.

"Remember, we're looking for the main power generator, the thing that keeps this whole place running," Trixie reminded the group as they reached the building, using a flash of azure to open the door and allow the group enter the hallway on the other side, although Bubbles needed some help getting in. "And whatever you do, do NOT cause it to overload. We want it off, not bringing down this cavern. Black Adam will hunt us relentlessly if we cause the deaths of any innocents, and honestly I wouldn't blame him."

"Well, this room looks important," Ryan muttered while the three of them walked out of their hallway onto a catwalk above what looked to be a loading area, where a number of crates were being placed onto carts. "Seems that this is where they ship out the material to make those annoying suits. We should trash the place."

"And get ourselves caught? No, we ignore this and move on to our main objective," Trixie argued, yet all she got in response was a laugh from Ryan.

"Last time I checked, Batmare was the only one who could order me around, and last time I checked, she wasn't here," Ryan muttered while he pulled an explosive out of his bag and began to move towards the crates. Trixie grabbed him with her magic and yanked him back, getting him to snarl at her while they began to bicker. Mr. Bubbles, deciding that he had enough of their arguing, smacked them both in the back of their heads with his hand and drill. Unfortunately, Ryan was standing nearest to Bubbles' right side, so he took a drill to the back of the head instead of a hand. Trixie flashed Bubbles a look while Ryan held the back of his head and swore, before the massive daddy vaulted himself over the catwalk and onto the ground, where the impact of his landing gained every pony's attention.

"Crap! What is that thing?!" one of the ponies yelled, Trixie slamming a hoof into her face as she was certain that panic was about to ensue. But then Bubbles lifted his left hand and what seemed like a blast of winter shot forth, consuming all of the ponies with the ice. With the ponies frozen in their tracks, Bubbles waved up to the two on the catwalk, who both gave each other a look before they jumped down to join him.

"Crud, don't remember the Big Daddies being able to use plasmid," Ryan muttered to himself as he looked around at the ice age, before Trixie grabbed his ear with her magic and yanked him down to her level.

"Explain."

"Okay, let go. Grr, in the Bioshock Universe there's these things called plasmids that allow people to use fire, ice and a number of other powers," Ryan explained as he rubbed his ear. "However, Big Daddies aren't supposed to be able to use them, but I guess this one can. Only makes him that much more useful." Bubbles flashed his eyes from green to yellow at them before he smashed his drill into one of the crates, looking down at the minerals and material within before snapping his fingers and setting the items ablaze.

"Well, I suppose we're going with your plan. Torch the place," Trixie said as she lit her horn ablaze, but she cast a quick glance at Ryan to see that he had averted his gaze away from the fire and was using his hand to cover up the side of his face that was closest to the flames.

"You guys go ahead and do that, I'm going to go locate that power thing," he said in a slightly panicked voice while he rushed to the door. Trixie raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging with a yawn and helping Bubbles destroy the rest of the crates.

"Now then, what should we do with them?" Trixie asked Mr. Bubbles while she looked around at all the ice ponies, some of whom were already beginning to thaw from the fire. Bubbles let out a moan as he lifted his left hand, producing a bubbly green bubble in it. He looked down at the green bubbles and seemed to sigh before he blasted each of the ponies in the face with the items. He then used his fire to thaw the ponies out, but to Trixie's surprise they did not attack or scream, only stood still and stared ahead.

"Rrrrrrr," he groaned as he pointed towards the exit, the ponies nodding before they all left the building without another word. Trixie cast a curious glance at Bubbles as he looked down and stared at the bubbly goop in his hands.

"That's a mind control plasmid, isn't it?" she asked Mr. Bubbles, who let out a sad moan in reply while he closed his hand and forced the ball of green to vanish. "And you had that used on you before, haven't you?" Another sad moan confirmed her theory, yet at the same time it also increased her curiosity of the metal titan. "Come on, let's go find Ryan before he goes and does something stupid."

--===---====--

"You went and did something stupid!" Trixie shrieked at Ryan as the three of them hid behind a massive crystal that was absorbing the shots from the armored ponies across the quarry from them. "You literally engaged the entire guard here, and instead of attacking them you flipped them off! What in the infernal Tartarus were you thinking?"

"Less blaming, more fighting!" Ryan yelled as he rolled out from behind the cover and sprinted across the quarry dodging shots, while taking shots of his own with his pistol. He rolled behind a rock to protect himself from the hail of gunfire, swearing slightly as he checked to make sure he hadn't been hit.

Bubbles stood up again and fired a snowstorm of ice upon his foes, but to his mild shock the armor that the ponies wore protected them from the elements, giving them ample time to shoot him in the face. He roared with pain as the rounds slammed into his armor, yet he was fortunate enough that the spells that enhanced it kept them from penetrating. Those same spells didn't stop his eyes from turning red or his drill from revving up to full speed. With a roar, he charged out from behind his cover and hurled himself at the ponies, taking the shots that bounced off his armor as he closed the distance. The guards screamed in fear as the red-eyed monster ran up to them and slammed the side of his spinning drill into the side of one of them, sending him spinning across the ground and putting his life bar into the yellow.

"RRRRRRR!" he roared and swung his drill into the leg of one of the guards, tearing it from his body, causing all of the guards to scream in fear when the guard's life bar went into the deep red. The crimson eyes then rested upon the other guard members, and Bubbles began to march forwards until a pulse of energy caught him in the face, slowing his movements to a crawl.

"Shit, now he's in trouble," Ryan growled as he leapt out from behind his cover and let a number of smoke pellets fly from his hands, creating a dark cloud of smoke that enveloped the sight of all of the guards. Ryan, while unable to see as well, was able to tell their position within the smoke because of the lights that came from their suits and guns, giving him a very clear picture as to where he needed to attack. He leapt over the reticle of one of the guns and landed on the back of a very surprised guard, who quickly fell to a golden baton strike to the helmet. "Yo, Trixie, if you can hear me get Bubbles out of there! The effect should wear off any second now!"

"Alright, just try not to do anything else stupid," Trixie growled as she picked up Bubbles with an effort, seeing the effects beginning to wear off of him while she dragged him back to her.

Ryan continued his assault within the smokescreen, tossing down more pellets when the smoke began to clear. A knee-baton combo brought down another guard, while a number of rounds to a helmet put a pony to sleep as well. Ryan made sure to keep a close eye on the bars on their backs, not wanting to use lethal force unless he ran out of options. He jammed his baton into his left hand, supercharging his fist with the same electricity that ran through the baton and giving him the power to deliver a lightning fist into another guard's face.

"Alright, enough of this game boys! Switch to the heavy stuff!" a guard yelled out through the smoke, turning Ryan's attention to where a large number of red spheres appeared in the darkness.

"Oh, fuck me!" he yelled as he hurled himself to the ground while the waves of contact energy flew over his head, annihilating whatever was standing behind him, which happened to be the walls of the quarry. "Shit, they have access to the other weapons as well? Then it's time for me to finish this mission and make a hasty retreat!" Ryan sheathed his baton with one hand while he reached into his magic bag of tricks with the other, pulling out a small sphere that had a blue 'X' in its center. He rolled out of the smoke and spied the power generator on the other side of the quarry.

"Come on tee-ball skills, don't fail me now!" he cried out as he took aim and hurled the explosive with all of his might, sending the sphere in a perfect arc over the ponies and right onto the center of the machine. The explosion that followed the impact hurled all to the ground and was followed by even more explosions as the generator began to overload.

"You moron! You overloaded it!" Trixie screamed over the sounds of the whole place being blown apart by the force of the explosion. "The one thing that you WEREN'T supposed to do and you went and did it! Sweet, merciful Faust, just how dumb can one human be?!"

"Just shut up and run!" Ryan yelled as he sprinted by her, Trixie roaring with rage as she sprinted next to him as well. But both of them came to a stop when they realized that Bubbles wasn't with them, and when they turned back to find him they spotted him staring at the unconscious guards laying on the ground. "Hurry the hell up Bubbles or we'll all be buried alive! And I am fairly certain that is NOT how I want to die!"

"Come on Bubbles! In my...yawn...state not even my magic could hold up this much debris!" Trixie yelled at him, shrieking when a rock landed next to her. Bubbles looked back at them for a moment before his eyes flashed a crimson red and he charged forward to where the unconscious guards were, gathering them together as the rubble crashed down around him. Ryan and Trixie both took a step towards him before the ceiling began to fall down around them, forcing the both of them to sprint to the exit as fast as they could, with Trixie placing a barrier around them to prevent any stray rocks from killing them. The guards that weren't down ran with them, the only thought going through all of their minds was to escape alive.

"We should go back for them!" Trixie yelled over the sounds of falling rubble and screams of the ponies, using her magic to shield those who were running for the exit as well. "We can't just leave them in there!"

"If we go back we're dead as well! Big Daddies are tough! He'll live!" Ryan called out as he vaulted over a torn down wall and sprinted towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The ponies and the humans just barely burst out into the light as the cave collapsed completely behind them, leaving the group to pant with relief before all were looking at each other with narrowed eyes.

"By order of the Queen, you are--"

"No," Trixie said and she caused the ground to erupt under their hooves and slammed the remaining guards in between two large chunks of stone. All of them slid to the dirt with yellow and red bars when she lowered the rocks again. The workers ran for their lives at the display of strength, while Ryan and Trixie turned their attention back to the mass of rubble that was before them, both of them feeling sorrow grip at their hearts. "So...he's dead, isn't he?"

"Dunno. I generally don't believe someone's dead until I see a body," Ryan said, yet there was none of his usual attitude in his voice. They both looked at the rubble, wondering where to start before Ryan narrowed his eyes as he spotted something. "Hey, is it just me or do you see light coming from those rocks over--" Ryan never finished his sentence as an explosion of pure, white light erupted from within the center of the debris, causing the two to cover their eyes while the rocks around them were incinerated by the light. When they could both see again, they were flabbergasted by the sight that awaited their eyes.

All of the tons of rocks that had buried Mr. Bubbles were blown away, and the Big Daddy was now walking towards them holding the guards in his arms. His eyes flashed green when he spotted them, and he began to march towards them, giving Ryan just enough time to speak his thoughts.

"Okay: what the fuck? There is no way he should have been able to do that," Ryan muttered as he shook his head. "Survive it? Sure, but he shouldn't have been able to...there's no way." Bubbles let out a moan as he reached the two, spotting the pile of unconscious guards, and adding his guards to the pile as well before heading over to Ryan and Trixie.

"Mr. Bubbles?" Trixie asked the Big Daddy as he looked up at the morning sun, taking his attention away from the ball of light and to the two who stood before him. "How did you get out of there? You were buried under a mountain's worth of rubble." Bubbles let out a moan as he pointed to his shoulder, but all that got was looks of confusion from the two.

"We need to head back. Banner and Batmare will not be happy about this," Ryan grumbled, figuring that meant more yelling at him. Trixie nodded with a sigh and started up her teleportation spell, causing them to vanish in a flash of azure light a moment later when the spell finished.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"So let me get this straight. All we asked you to do on this mission was to sneak into the tunnels, find the quarry and destroy the power source to the magical tools WITHOUT causing it to overload...and the very first thing you do when you get there is make the damned thing overload?" Batmare asked with a scowl, causing both Trixie and Bubbles to lower their gazes slightly while Ryan shrugged. The three had returned to the base and were reporting their actions to Luna and their teammates, none of whom looked at all pleased with how the plan had fallen apart. "Okay, whose fault was it?"

Trixie pointed at Ryan as Mr. Bubbles lifted the human up by the back of his jacket and pointed his drill at him, getting Ryan to roll his eyes with a growl. "Thanks for backing me up there. This is such a great team."

"It's your own fault," Billy snapped at him, getting Ryan to flip him off. "You were told not to overload the machine and you threw a bomb at it. I still don't understand how you can act like this isn't your fault." Ryan opened his mouth to give Billy a smart reply, when Banner stood up from his bed and walked over to the still-suspended in the air human, giving him a very cold glare before muttering,

"Strike one. However, you deserve my thanks," Banner said in a much kinder tone when he looked up at the Big Daddy that held Ryan up, Bubbles dropping Ryan a moment later with a moan. "If you hadn't gone back in there, many would have lost their lives. I am glad that you are fighting alongside us."

"That's something I wanted to ask you, Trixie, what happened in there?" Batmare asked, noticing the azure unicorn yawn again despite the situation. "You should have been able to hold up some of that rock with relative ease, yet according to your report, you didn't even try. What's the matter?"

"It is nothing too horrible, I just have not slept well in over a month," Trixie replied with another exhausted yawn as she dragged herself over to her bed, collapsing on it a moment later. Batmare walked over to check on her friend, leaving Banner to give the team a talk.

"Well, even if the plan didn't go the way we wanted it to, we still managed to get the same results," Banner said, bringing the discussion back on track. "With the destruction of the mine, their ability to make armor and replenish their weaponry will be limited. However, Batmare and I have been in discussion and we have decided that you all haven't exactly been working well together. This morning was another great example of that."

"Hold on," Ryan began from the floor, sitting up and giving Banner a glare. "Please tell me that you're honestly about to say what I think you're about to say."

"That's right Ryan," Banner said with a cold smile to the human, while he looked around at all of the members of the team. "Later today I'm going to help you learn to fight as a team. Luna has shown me an area where we could do so without worry of Adam and helped me to prepare the...field activities. So, get some rest now and meet me by the forest clearing around three. And if you don't show up, then you get to train with the Hulk."

'I hope they like flaming boulders.'

"He says he hopes you like flaming boulders. So take a breather, get your gear together and get ready to learn how to work together." Banner made sure he was glaring at Ryan when he said that, getting 'the bird' from him in response.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Finally, it is complete," Tinker giggled to himself as he picked up a small box that made clicking sounds, while an arrow on the top began to point itself one way, never straying away from that location even when he turned the box. "The radiation that the beast holds within it was definitely gamma radiation, which made being able to track it a very easy proposition." The pony allowed his six mechanical limbs to lift him into the air, following the arrow as he left his underground laboratory with his observational tools within his bag.

'There is plenty that I wish to know about. How do you transform from a human to that scientific nirvana? How do you have such strength that can hold the God of Lightning without the aid of magic? What would happen if the two of you were to become separate from each other?' These were the thoughts Tinker teased to himself as he reached his flying carriage hidden in one of the towers, scowling slightly when he looked down at the statue of Black Adam in the front of the castle.

'If I tell Adam where you are hiding, then that fool will destroy you without so much as a second thought. But you are far too valuable a specimen to kill,' he thought to himself with a small giggle as he teased the idea of what the Hulk held within his body. 'I must find out how you work...the both of you.'

Team Building Exercise

If it hadn't been for the pillars of rock and earth sticking out of the ground while precariously balancing themselves over the group, the quiet clearing surrounded by a dense forest would have been comforting to the group. If that wasn't worrisome enough, the looks on both Banner's and Batmare's faces told the other four that they were in for one heck of a ride today.

"So, remind me again why I'm out here, looking up at something I will probably be thrown off of in a few minutes instead of in my bed and resting from a decent day's work?" Ryan grumbled before a look from both Batmare and Banner shut him up.

"Because I have decided, as team leader, that we need to learn how to work better together so another mistake like today won't happen again," Batmare said as she cast the responsible team a look, all of them except for Ryan lowering their heads in shame. "And Banner is right, if we're to not only make it out, but also save the world, then we're going to need to learn to be friends as well as teammates. We'll each be breaking up into teams of two, with three teams total. Those three teams will all work together to save their partners and try to beat the other two teams."

"If Hulk and Marvel are a team, I'm just going to kill myself now."

"No, the teams will all be as balanced as possible. One power member and one skill fighter," Batmare said as she cast a quick glance at the other five. "Marvel's with me. Hulk is with Ryan. And Trixie is with Bubbles. Trixie's ability to use magic should help even out the fact that Bubbles isn't as strong as Hulk or Marvel. Any objections, aside from Ryan?"

"Actually, I've got a complaint," Billy said, which caused the others to look towards him with surprised faces. "Are you sure it's really a good idea that I change into Captain Marvel? I mean, Black Adam and I do draw our powers from the same word and he has managed to track me down in the past, so if I change, he might track us here."

"That is a thought that had crossed my mind, but allow me to ask you a question, Billy," Banner began, gaining the teen's attention. "When you were Captain Marvel, could you sense where Black Adam was in this world?"

"No...I couldn't," Billy began before more doubt crossed his mind. "But Black Adam is far more experienced with magic then I am, so it is possible that he would be able to do some things that I can't."

"I believe if Adam could sense you, he would already be here," Banner said in reply. "Not to mention I have another theory. The Black Adam of your world might have been able to sense you while you were transformed, but this Adam is not of your reality. It is possible that that connection only exists between the chosen wielders of the world from his realm. Of course, there's a much easier way we can know for sure, and we are far enough away from the base just in case. Please Billy, if you would."

"Alright, if you're so sure. SHAZAM!" Divine lightning descended from the heavens and impacted the area right where the teenager was standing, bathing him within its power while the others covered their eyes. When they could see through the dust again, Billy was replaced with Captain Marvel, who smiled at them with a friendly gaze before looking off into the distance. "Well, my super senses aren't showing Black Adam heading for me, so he must not have noticed. Alright, let's do this."

Banner nodded before taking in a deep breath as his body expanded while turning green, an evil smile crossing his face once the other guy was in full control. "Welcome to hell shrimp, hope you don't get smashed hanging out with me," Hulk laughed as he slapped Ryan on the back, hurling him across the ground and into one of the stone pillars.

"Great, I get the fucking Hulk. If you all want me dead you're sure not trying to hide it," Ryan grumbled as he rose back up, everything aching while he walked back over to the group.

"Alright, the first team building exercise is for the heavies to protect your teammate from the other heavies as we each climb to the top of these pillars. This is about protecting your teammate while also finding the time to stop the other team," Batmare explained, ignoring Ryan's sobs as she placed herself at the base of her tower. Trixie did the same and eventually Ryan did so as well. "You guys can be rough with each other, but restrain yourselves once you get to the climbers. No super-speed either; that isn't fair."

"So Hulk and I get to duke it out, huh?" Marvel said as he crossed his arms and smirked at the Hulk. "Should be interesting."

"Don't feel too bad when I beat you. Most gods get surprised when it happens as well," Hulk shot back.

"Alright, are you all ready?"

"No."

"GO!" Batmare hurled herself up the rock face while she screamed those words, Trixie using her magic to keep up with Batmare. The two were neck-and-neck until the earth shook beneath them as two-god like beings slammed into each other at the base of the tower. The three climbers looked down to see Hulk and Marvel pushing against each other, smirks on their faces while they tested their might.

"Come on kid, you're not giving it all you got," Hulk said with a smirk as he slowly began to push Marvel back, Marvel's heels digging grooves in the dirt. "If you're supposed to be as strong as Black Adam, I'm sure not seeing it. Let me see what you're really made of." Hulk's smile quickly vanished when he felt electricity begin to course into his hands as Marvel lifted his head, allowing Hulk to see both his smile and his electric-filled eyes.

"You want my best, Hulk? Let me give it to you!" With a yell Marvel began to push against Hulk, overpowering the giant while he slowly began to drive Hulk back. Hulk's muscles strained as he too pushed back with his feet digging trenches into the ground, slowing him enough so that he managed to keep from sliding any further. But in a flash of lightning, Marvel's knee shot into the air and nailed Hulk in the nose, snapping his head back and giving Marvel the chance to shoot up, hand extended to grab Ryan off the pillar.

"Get back here!" Hulk growled as his massive, green hand wrapped around Marvel's ankle, giving Hulk the chance to slam the Captain into the dirt, shaking the land around them once again. Marvel shook the stars from his eyes before he felt the Hulk sit on his chest, chuckling while Marvel struggled to escape. "Come on kid, for someone who can supposedly bench the planet you're not really--"

With a roar Marvel flung his arms upwards, throwing the Hulk off of him and into the air. Marvel shot up after him and grabbed hold of his leg, spinning the giant around a few times before letting go and hurling him face first into the dirt. Hulk pulled his head out of the ground and spat out some worms, turning up to look at the laughing Marvel with a snarl.

"Okay wise guy, I'm gonna--"

"Oh, boys..." Both Hulk and Marvel looked up to see Trixie beaming down on them from the top of her pillar, causing the both of them to blink once before they looked at their respective pillars. Ryan and Batmare were both no longer on their pillars. Instead, they were in the grasp of Mr. Bubbles, who held Batmare with his one hand and suspended Ryan by the back of his jacket with his drill. "Seems that I win."

"Alright, group up," Batmare said in an annoyed tone while Bubbles dropped her and Ryan, waiting until Trixie levitated herself back down to their level before lecturing. "Any one of you two want to tell me what happened back there? Don't. What happened was that you were too busy measuring muscles as opposed to keeping your teammates safe. Only Mr. Bubbles was able to stay on task and not only got Trixie up her pillar, but also got me and Ryan as well. This kind of thing I'd expect from Ryan, but not from two heroes like yourselves."

"You're right," Marvel said with a nod, while Hulk gave a gruff sigh and shrugged his shoulders before he slowly began to shrink down, allowing Banner to enter in on the conversation.

"Look, I know that you all might not like each other or that you might think that this is a task that you can handle on your own--talking about you Hulk--but I've been a part of these kind of things before. Teamwork is key," Banner said with such a serious tone that everyone took in his words, even Ryan. "Alright, next up is actually going to be tag team fighting, where we'll all learn how our partners fight and how we can work together to cover any weaknesses that we might have."

"Like, how the Hulk can step on me if he's not paying attention?" Ryan grumbled while Marvel picked up both Ryan and Mr. Bubbles before flying them to the top of one of the large pillars, placing the two of them next to Trixie as Hulk leapt up to join them. Batmare floated down beside Trixie before continuing her idea.

"The three big guys are going to use all three of the pillars to fight on, hopefully with control," she said in a warning tone, waiting until she had gotten a nod from all three of the heavies before continuing. "The three of us that aren't directly fighting are going to be running support; helping out in any way we can. Since none of us have any weapons that can hurt any of these three, we don't need to worry about injuring them."

"Still like to see what would happen if my magic baton hit Marvel," Ryan mused as he pointed his baton at the lightning bolt. "Would it nullify his magic or would it simply power him up?" Batmare gave him a look before each group moved to their separate pillars, each team speaking quickly with each other before the fight began.

"My magic should be able to fend off Hulk to a degree, but against a magic user like Marvel, I do not know how much help I will be," Trixie began as she stifled a quick yawn, her eyes falling as she realized what kind of monsters Bubbles would be up against. But Bubbles turned his eyes green and gently placed his hand on her head, giving her a gentle moan before turning back to face the others.

"This'll be just like the time B-man and I had to tag team takedown Sinestro after GL got capture, except that you're a pony this time around," Captain Marvel said with a laugh while Batmare went through her utility belt, placing her explosives and sharp batarangs in the back since they were useless against the two opponents Marvel would be fighting. "Man, he got so mad at me when I accidently used the space ship he was driving to smack the yellow-wearing coward across the stars."

"Hulk will more likely than not be your biggest threat, but watch out for Trixie's magic. I've known her for years and I think that she might be more skilled than Twilight," Batmare muttered with cautious eyes as she looked over at her friend.

"More powerful than Mom? Nah, don't think so," Marvel muttered under his breath as he cast a glance over at Hulk and Ryan to find that they were already fighting with each other.

"For the last time, no. No. No as in, "no, I'm not being a part of this stupid idea." Do you understand?" Ryan asked the Hulk with a threatening snarl. Yet all his angriest face got out of the green goliath was a chuckle.

"Come on, claw man and I do the 'fastball special' all the time and he never complains about it," Hulk said with a chuckle as Ryan flicked up his hood and backed away from the Hulk, who turned to see that the other heavies were advancing to the center of their platforms. Hulk joined them as each team awaited for their group to start, eyeing each other carefully.

"GO!" Hulk and Marvel leapt into the air and hurled themselves at each other, both about to collide in the air before a wave of wasps began to obstruct their vision. While the two of them landed and began swatting bugs out of their eyes, Bubbles rotated through a number of plasmids in his left hand. He knew that lightning wouldn't work against Marvel, but there was a way he could put it to use.

"ARGH! Low blow there, kid!" Hulk snarled with rage as he felt a bolt of lightning catch him in the crotch, angering the green giant even further. Hulk slammed his palms together to drive away the insects before he looked at Marvel with menacing eyes.

'Hulk, that didn't come from Marvel. It came from Bubbles,' Banner said in the back of his mind, changing Hulk's target from the Captain to the armored human, who lifted his left hand and motioned for Hulk to bring it. Hulk roared as he leapt towards the Big Daddy, arms raised over his head while he prepared to smash the tin man. But the moment his green feet touched down on the pillar where Bubbles stood, a gust of wind shot out of the ground and launched him back into the air. Bubbles then snapped his fingers and Hulk erupted into flames, which irritated him more than they hurt him.

'He seems to have a variety of plasmids. Stay on guard Hulk.' Hulk's response was to roar in rage and hurl himself back at Big Daddy. Bubbles thrust his left hand forward and this time a sonic boom went off, blasting Hulk back and into his own pillar. Bubbles hefted his drill over his head and let out a moan of victory before a fist slammed itself into his helmet and sent him skipping across the pillar top.

"You seem to have an easy time dealing with Hulk, but let's see how you handle someone who can fly," Marvel said with a smirk as he flew forward at Mr. Bubbles, yet before his very eyes he watched as Mr. B split off into ten different versions of himself. Marvel skidded to a stop in the air while he studied each of them, noticing an azure aura coming off of them all.

"Do not worry Bubbles, you are not alone in this fight," Trixie said from the sidelines while her horn glowed again, casting rays into the Captain's eyes to temporarily blind him.

'Time to take out the support,' Batmare thought as she drew a gas grenade and took aim at Trixie, preparing to incapacitate her before she heard an unholy yell and turned to see a hooded psychopath diving down towards her. She rolled as Ryan tackled her and kicked him off, the both of them spinning to a standing position while glaring at each other. "Shouldn't you be focused on helping your partner?"

"Help him how? Allow him to use me as a baseball? No, I think I'll be far better off taking care of Marvel's support than I will be helping out the Hulk," Ryan snarled while he drew his baton and lunged forward, his precision strikes blocked with an expert's skill as Batmare deflected or avoided every attack. Ryan swung wide while his other hand reached into his bag and drew out an electric disk. He waited for Batmare to block his strike before he switched the disc on and flicked it onto the Bat, watching with a smirk as she growled while electricity coursed through her.

He raised his baton to knock her out of the fight before the side of a drill connected with his face, hurling him across the battlefield and into the back of the Hulk, who was so busy fighting Marvel that he reached back without thinking and swung whatever had hit him into the chest of the mightiest mortal. Unfortunately for Ryan, his body was no match and he crumpled almost instantly as he fell to the ground limply.

"Oh crap, he's not dead is he?" Marvel asked with worry in his voice while the others stopped fighting and raced to his side, looking down in horror at the body that stared off into nothingness. Trixie placed a hoof on the human's chest and muttered some words under her breath while a smoky magic came off of her horn, a magic that both caused Marvel's eyes to widen as well as heal the damage done to Ryan.

"CHRIST!" he yelled as he sat up and held a hand to his repaired skeletal structure, taking a moment to breathe heavily before he gave death glares to every member of the team...except for the Hulk, to whom he gave a look of fear. "Well, now that I've had my tenth near-death experience, I think I'm going to call it for today. If any of you need me, fuck off," he growled while he pulled himself to his feet and staggered to the edge of the pillar, grunting as he began to descend it with one last middle finger.

"And here I thought we couldn't get him to hate us any more," Batmare said with a shake of her head while she turned her eyes to Bubbles. "Why'd you interfere with our brawl? I wasn't on your team and the heavies weren't supposed to touch the support. Why disobey my orders?" Bubbles only gave a moan of regret in response, but could offer no further explanation for his actions. "I need to go talk to Ryan; you guys just...don't get into any more trouble," she grumbled as she took off.

"So, how the hell can you use Sombra's magic?" Marvel asked Trixie the moment Batmare was gone, getting a look of surprise from the unicorn. "Don't bother denying it, I saw you use his magic right then. I had him in my head, so I know when I sense his power!"

"If it will calm you down, Sombra is my husband," she snarled back, taking a step forward to show she wasn't afraid of Marvel. Her answer created a look of the utmost confusion on Marvel's face, and he stammered to answer while the Hulk shrunk down. "He is the one who taught me his magic and much more. Is that a problem?"

"But he's evil! He took control of my body and used it to hurt my friends! He stole my power and nearly drove me to kill him!" Marvel yelled at her, gaining only looks of sympathy from Trixie's eyes. "How could you, a champion of good, marry somepony like that?!"

"Multiverse theory, Billy," Banner said as he placed a hand on the Captain's shoulder. "Sombra might have been pure evil in your reality, but I assume in yours, Trixie, he isn't as bad as Billy is making him out to be."

"I am fully aware that Sombra is no saint, not even my Sombra, but on my world me and my family would be dead many times over if not for him," Trixie admitted while she walked up to Marvel and gently placed a hoof on his leg. "I am sorry for any pain that your Sombra has caused you, but I still love mine. While not a champion of good like us, he is a good pony and a loving husband. Just egotistical at times." Marvel sighed as he looked down at Trixie before shrugging his massive shoulders, his smile crossing his face once again.

"Well, if you think that highly of him I guess not all Sombra's are evil. But they're all jerks, apparently," Marvel added with a laugh.

"No argument there." Banner laughed along with them before he turned his gaze towards the land below, where Batmare had just caught up with Ryan.

"Whatever you have to say to me, just stop right now and shove it up your ass," Ryan snarled at her when he heard her get close, but despite the anger Batmare could still hear the hints of panic in his voice.

"You're afraid of the Hulk," she said with certainty, her words stopping Ryan in his tracks. "More so than any of us, he terrifies you the most."

"Yeah, he does. He's the Hulk," Ryan snarled back at her as he tilted his head slightly to glare at her. "He's the only one of you I know I can't beat. Billy? Trick him into saying the word and he goes back to normal. You? I can handle martial artists, I think I could beat you. Trixie is no god of chaos and Mr. Bubbles is easy to outsmart, but the Hulk? There is nothing I can do, no trick I could use or weapon I have that would stop him. He is rage personified. So yes, I am afraid of him. And if none of you are, then I'm not the only crazy one here."

Ryan turned and stalked off after saying this, leaving Batmare alone while she contemplated his words, turning back to cast a wary glance at Banner. Hulk was on their side, that much was certain, yet Ryan was still terrified of him. Either he knew more or he wasn't as tough as he led them to believe.

But while the group argued with one another, a figure hidden well within the trees watched them, mentally recording every line and every action that they made. He snickered to himself as he zoomed in with his red eye upon Banner, having finally deduced what needed to be done.

'So you are the voice in his head that keeps him calm,' Tinker thought with a wicked grin. 'You are what keeps "rage personified" under control. But the scientist in me has to wonder, what would the monster of rage do if there was no you? There must be a way to split their mental states apart; I just need to find out how. I have seen what you are like together, but I think it's time you spent some time apart.'

Tower in the Clouds

Dark clouds thundered around the pair of fliers as they hovered within the clouds above the city down below, both pairs of eyes locked onto a large tower that jutted into the sky and towered over the rest of the city. Yet, the only reason that the one clad in red and white didn't tear through the tower then and there, was that it was too close to the ponies flying around the streets. That, and the barrier.

"That's just like Black Adam; erect a tower in the center of the city so that I can't tear it apart," Marvel growled as he folded his arms, barely paying mind to the lightning streaking from the dark clouds by the both of them. The black armored pony beside him, who wasn't lightning proof, jumped every time a bolt of lightning struck near her or struck Marvel, who wasn't affected in the least. "That means we'll have to get close if we want to get that orb. And if either of us are seen in that town, he'll be here in a matter of seconds. Superspeed wreck the tower maybe?"

Batmare pressed a button hidden on the side of her cowl, activating its zoom feature to get a better look at the pegasi within the city. She quickly spotted which ones were armored and which seemed to be regular civilians, but their eyes told her that they were all alert and that one wrong move by them would bring down Adam.

"No, they're on alert for anything out of the ordinary. Not to mention at the speed you can fly, hitting the tower might be more damaging to the city than being spotted," Batmare said with a shake of her head while she rested upon a white cloud in front of her, placing her hooves under her jaw as she tried to think out a plan that would get them close to the tower without alerting anypony. 'I might be able to sneak myself by, but with the fear of Adam out there, I can't be too far away from Marvel or else I might lose my life should he show up.'

"Grr, I hate being so...restricted," Marvel growled as thunder rumbled behind him, making Batmare wonder if the storm was actually listening to him. "It might be better for me to just draw out Black Adam and defeat him here and now. Maybe if I beat him, the ponies will see that they don't need to be afraid of him."

"Wait...that might be the ticket," Batmare said with a smile as she looked up at the confused face of Marvel. "Who is the only person that not only is allowed in the tower, but also wouldn't cause any concern if he did show up? Black Adam. You both share similar powers, right? So what would happen if you were to use your magic to share appearances as well?"

Marvel lowered his head and thought about what she said for a few seconds. "That makes the most sense, but I've never done something like this with my magic before. I mean, I have been practicing with Twilight on how to use my magical nature more efficiently, but something like this might be beyond me."

"Well, unless you'd rather fight your way through a city of ponies and possibly Black Adam, then this is our best bet."

Marvel let out a sigh that told Batmare that she was right, and he closed his eyes for a moment, motioning with his hand for her to back away a bit. Upon opening his eyes, Batmare saw lightning flashing in them while he slowly spread his arms to the side, feeling her spine tingle as the Champion of Magic began to speak.

"Der tone. Nok sha! Iback dos SHAZAM!" Batmare covered her eyes when a black bolt of lightning descended upon the Captain, making her glad that they were in the middle of a thunderstorm so that the lightning didn't cause suspicion in the town. When the lightning died down, she was able to see what had happened to Marvel and the image before her eyes caused a smile to cross her face. His once red suit was now a pitch black and his lightning bolt, which had lightning running through it, was now a pure gold, much like the one his evil counterpart wore. However, his face was still the same and wasn't as pointed or chiseled as Black Adam's.

"This feels...wrong," Marvel muttered as he looked down at the black suit.

"You look almost perfect, but your face might give us away," Batmare said as she flew up beside his head and flicked up his hood so that it covered the upper part of his face. "There we go, that should help. Alright, you may have the look, but do you know how to act the part?" Batmare felt her soul go cold as Marvel turned to look at her with both loathing and godly power showing in his face, terrifying her despite knowing he was on her side.

"Trust me worm, I know Black Adam," Marvel said with such contempt that Batmare was convinced on the spot. "Now then, let us go grace the ponies with my being. But first..." Marvel muttered some more incantations and the next thing Batmare knew she was covered head to hoof in a black cloak. "In case he has told them what we look like." The two of them then descended into the streets of the city, each of them holding their breath as they waited to see if their plan would work. All eyes turned to them while the cloaked figure and the god descended upon the city, and for a moment silence was all that greeted the pair as they floated just above the clouds. Then the smiles came.

"Oh my gosh, it's actually Black Adam!" one of the colts yelled as he rushed forward to greet the man, but his mother pulled him back with a smile on her face.

"Hold on, Stormdrain, he's probably here on business. Don't get in his way," she said while she and other ponies gave very friendly waves to the man in black.

"But Mom, I want his autograph!"

Batmare sneaked a look at Marvel underneath of his hood to find utter bafflement upon the human's face, watching as his eyes quickly took in all of the pegasi in the streets that were starting to gather around the both of them without fear or hate in their eyes. A crowd had began to form, and most of them were looking at Adam with admiration in their eyes, waiting for him to speak.

'Say something,' Batmare whispered to Marvel, who shook his head slightly before speaking.

"I am here because I have business that I must attend to at the Spire. She is with me," he declared in a very dark tone, his voice getting some of the ponies to nervously look at one another. But the hesitation only lasted a second, and they moved out of his way with smiles on their faces. Marvel did his best to hide the confusion on his face while he and Batmare floated past them, the path to the tower far clearer than they thought it would have been.

"I don't know what bothers me more. That I'm wearing the guise of my mortal foe or that the ponies here actually seem to...respect him," Marvel muttered with a shudder in his voice, shaking his head slightly once the two of them were out of earshot of the ponies. "The mare was right. This world definitely needs saving."

"And we will. But for now, let's focus on the tower," Batmare muttered under her cloak. "Um...so what was your world like? According to Banner, we all come from different versions of Equestria and I was wondering..."

"You're making small talk after telling me to focus? Come on Scoots, you can't flip-flop like that," Marvel said with a wide smile, not needing to look down to tell what expression Batmare was wearing. "In my world, AB is my fillifriend and I'm best friends with the other members of the CMC. Of course I know it's you underneath that cowl."

"And you...haven't told the others?" Batmare asked with hesitation.

"Hey, if you don't want them to know, that's your business. I still remember when I accidentally told a new recruit Batman's identity. If he could hurt me, I'm certain he would have broken me in half," Marvel reminisced with a chuckle, before catching the confused looks of some of the ponies and resumed his dark expression. "He had me on latrine duty for months after that."

"Jeez, you got a far nicer Batman than I did," Batmare said with a smirk as she shook her head. "I remember when he was training me to fight, he would occasionally throw out a move that I didn't know how to counter. After five or six times, I asked him why he kept doing it since I didn't know how to block it, and he told me to block it. He's a Spartan."

"You think he's bad, you should meet the Martian Manhunter. Not only is he as strict and demanding as Bats, but he's also a brilliant speaker, so he can essentially talk you into doing whatever he wants," Marvel groaned, remembering what the first few weeks of being under J'onn's training had been like. "It's nice talking to you again, even though you're not really the Scoot's I know. I feel like we're friends already."

"Heh, Banner did say that making friends amongst the team would help in the long run," Batmare said as she remembered Banner's words. "And I have to admit that you are the only other teammate that I really wanted to at least try to know. Banner seems way too wise for his age, since he's been in these situations before. Trixie and I are already close, and Bubbles is, well...and then we have Ryan--and Faust help me I do not want to even try with him."

"Yep, it sure is easier to get along with somepony like you than it is the other members on our team. I mean, how the heck am I supposed to start a conversation with Bubbles? Oh, hi there, that's some nice scuba gear you got. I love snorkeling," Marvel said with a shake of his head and a look of confusion. "We sure got some weirdoes on this team, myself included. Luckily, you've already got a friend to back you up."

"Yes...but I no longer know if she should be here," Batmare whispered.

"Hold on, we're there. Time to look arrogant."

His face narrowed as the two of them approached the base of the tower, where a large number of armored pegasi stood waiting near the entrance to the Spire. They all turned at the approach of the two, but their guns lowered to their sides as they spotted the black clad man floating towards them.

"Oh, hello there Black Adam. We weren't expecting you," one of the guards said as he and the others saluted at the god's arrival.

"I am here to inspect the Spire to make sure that the defenses are suitable," Marvel said in a dark voice, getting some of the guards to flinch. "With the risk of the false champions attacking at any time, I must make sure that you are all up to the task of defending the Spire. My assistant here will be applying counter spells."

"Of course, Sir. Do you wish for an escort or..." Marvel and Batmare hid their concern when the guard stopped talking, but when they saw that he was no longer looking at them, they both turned their gazes to follow his. Flying towards the tower was a massive dragon, a dragon that Marvel felt housed within it a small portion of his magic. But that revelation meant nothing to the Captain when he saw the coloring of the dragon, realizing with hidden fear that his own brother had entered the battlefield.

"Spike?" Marvel whispered under his breath as the giant dragon landed in front of them. "You really...are...on their side."

"Black Adam. I am surprised to see that you are here. While I appreciate the help guarding this tower, I can assure you that the others will need it more than me," Spike said with a good natured smirk as he crossed his arms and folded his wings, the smirk remaining on his face for a moment before it turned to confusion. "Okay, I admit that it wasn't a good joke, but at least give me the scowl like you usually do."

"I am here to help reinforce the strengths of this tower. My assistant here will be applying counter spells for the false champions," Marvel said in a dangerous tone, filled with a power that convinced those around him to believe his words.--all except for Spike, who Batmare noticed narrowed his eyes just a bit. "Now stand aside so that I can proceed."

"I thought when you constructed these towers you said that you didn't want spell-made counter measures?" Spike asked with slight confusion. Batmare wondered for a brief moment if they had been found out, but Billy's eyes never betrayed him. "Something about them making it too hard for you to sense the orbs within?"

"With the false champions here, I am taking no more chances," Marvel growled while lightning crackling along his body, getting the guards around him to back away nervously. "Now then, stand aside and let us in." Spike narrowed his eyes once again. Batmare looked into those same eyes to see that Spike was making a very difficult decision. Then, with full conviction in his eyes, he sat down in front of Marvel and Batmare, refusing to move. "Spike. Move now or so help me Ra, I will not hesitate to place you into a grave!"

The guards fearfully looked up at the dragon, wondering what foolishness had possessed him to make him disobey Adam like he was. Yet upon hearing Marvel's words, his eyes took on a far angrier look and with a roar he opened his maw, spewing a torrent of multicolored fire upon the two of them. With the speed of Mercury fueling him, Marvel threw himself over Batmare and took the full front of the fire, which barely even singed him. When the torrents of flames ended, Marvel spun around to face Spike with a snarl, but this time over a dozen blue lines were lined up on his chest...a chest that was now a crimson red.

"Just like I thought. You're not Adam," Spike said with a snarl as he rose up to his full height, towering over both guards and champions alike as he glared down at the pair. "It wasn't that bad a trick, and if you had acted a little better I might have fallen for it. But where you made your fatal mistake is that you acted like the Adam of your world. Our Adam doesn't kill, not anymore. So come then, false champions...FACE ME!"

Marvel slammed his hands together as Spike roared, creating a thunderclap that knocked all of the ponies aside from Batmare off of their hooves. With all of them down, Batmare was able to race by them and slip into the tower. Spike roared as he turned to unleash his fire upon her, but he took a god to the throat and both of them rocketed into the air.

"Don't make me do this Spike, I don't want to fight you," Marvel said as he tossed Spike even higher into the clouds, doing his best to restrain himself. Spike's response was to swing his tail into the champion and whip Marvel to the side, sending him skipping across the clouds.

"But I want to fight you," Spike snarled as nearly two tons of dragon slammed into Marvel and drove the both of them even further into the sky, where Spike tried to crush the Captain with his jaws. But the might of Hercules allowed Marvel to hold the jaws of whom he considered his best friend open, although the demi-god's might did not stop the fire that erupted from the dragon's throat. "The silver mare is responsible for the death of the only pony who truly cared about me! The only one I could call a friend!" Spike roared as he drove his massive fist into Marvel's chest and sent him hurtling across the sky, the magic of Adam giving Spike the power he needed to contest Marvel.

"The silver mare cost me Radiance, cost me my best friend," Spike snarled as Marvel caught himself and vanished within a thunder cloud, leaving the dragon to look around for the thunderer. "And now she has brought six others to take even more from the Queen. No, I may have been powerless to help last time, but this time I will fight! You will not win!" Marvel responded by shooting out of one of the clouds from behind Spike and slamming into one of his wings, sending the dragon into a death spin as the wing crumpled from the force of the blow.

"I'm sorry that I have to do this to you, Spike. I really am," Marvel said with a shake of his head as he watched his best friend plummet down into the clouds below before he turned and shot to the tower, his eyes registering the gun fire at superspeed. Captain Marvel burst through the wall where the fighting was happening and placed himself between the gun fire and Batmare. The rounds bounced off of his godly form with ease, and Marvel quickly took out the guards before they could use the stasis on either of them.

"Thanks for the save, but where's Spike?" Batmare asked as she emerged from behind a table that she had been using as cover. Her answer came in the form of a roar as the tower shook from something landing upon it.

"Let's just destroy the sphere and get out of here," Marvel muttered as he picked up Batmare and zipped to the top of the tower, where the orb awaited the both of them in a chamber that looked similar to the one that Batmare and Ryan had destroyed. With speeds that the Bat couldn't comprehend, Marvel appeared in front of the orb and smashed it with a flick. "There, now we just need to contact Trixie and get out of here."

Batmare nodded while she looked out the window down at all of the guards, thankful that Trixie's magic was able to teleport them so far. But then her eyes narrowed as she spotted something...or somepony that didn't belong. She zoomed in with her cowl to spot a pony in a dark cloak hidden behind a building. A pony with a horn but no wings. The pony was gone the moment Batmare saw it, making her wonder if it had been a trick or not. But as the azure light of Trixie's teleportation spell began to wrap around them, Batmare teased an idea.

'What if Ryan was right? What if Adam and his forces aren't the only foe that we must face?'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

As the last shipment of parts was teleported out of the warehouse, a group of the remaining black-cloaked unicorns all gathered around one another to discuss what was going on or how their own missions were going. Some of them had the easier tasks of simply spreading hatred amongst the ponies, sometimes with the aid of magic, while others spoke of how they had to work under the gaze of Black Adam, a task envied by no pony.

"At the very least everything is going according to plan," an older unicorn said as he joined the youngsters, looking around at the now empty warehouse. "Building the machine might take a couple of weeks, but with it we can now begin the end game."

"I actually never thought that we'd make it before this. I believe as much as the rest of you in unicorn superiority, but I thought for sure Black Adam or Celestia would have found out by now," another one of the cloaked unicorns said with a chuckle. "But when I saw Star-Swirl standing before us with his new power, I knew that we were going to win. Now nopony, be it Adam or those new champions, will be able to--"

As if on cue to top of the warehouse was torn off and a figure slammed into the ground in front of the unicorns, who were all struck dead by who stood before them. He was massive, built like a god, and he radiated a power that none of them could match. Yet what terrified the unicorns the most was what was in the center of his chest. A single, golden lightning bolt.

"Care to finish that sentence before I finish you?" The moment these words were spoken, the unicorns each prepared a teleportation spell while they all tried to flee for their lives, but the closest to Adam was the first to receive his wrath in the form of a fist to the face that sent the unicorn sprawling. Adam then turned his attention back to the other unicorns, but with a snarl he found that they had all fled. All except for the one who lay broken on the ground.

"It seems that your allies have abandoned you," Adam said coldly as he marched over to the broken unicorn, who struggled to get back up to his hooves. Adam reached down and lifted the pony by the back of his leg, dangling upside down but still allowing him to gaze into the eyes of a being far more powerful than he. "Now then, I will ask you once to repeat what you have said. How Star- Swirl, who is supposed to be dead, is alive and has a new power." Adam thought that his reputation alone would drive the answers from the pony, but to his surprise the unicorn began to laugh, his body shaking so hard from the laughter that his hood fell from his face and allowed Adam to see that he was no more than a teen.

"Do you believe that I am afraid of you?" he spat with a chuckle as tears fell from his eyes, eyes that were a hundred yards away. "No, I have seen the face of the being that shall destroy this land and everything in it, everything that isn't chosen. And compared to its power, compared to what it will do to us all, you are nothing more than a fool. You shall get nothing out of me Adam, for now I follow in his hoofsteps. I take the path of destruction." As he said this the unicorn erupted in a blaze of fire, causing him to scream as the unholy fire consumed his body. Adam had just begun to speak a counterspell when the flames finished, leaving only ash within Adam's grasp.

'It seems that Banner was correct,' Adam thought as he looked down at the ash, allowing the breeze to take it before turning his gaze to the empty warehouse. There was no longer anything within it, but Adam could still sense the magic of somepony powerful, somepony whose magic felt like a sphere he believed he had destroyed years ago. 'There is another force at work here. And if their goal is the destruction of everything...but I cannot trace them and I have exhausted all of my leads just getting this far.'

Adam launched himself into the sky again, his mind trying to decide what to do. 'If Banner is correct and they are truly here to stop the destruction, then perhaps we should not be fighting. Perhaps we should be working together.'

'But if they are not here to fight you, then why destroy the towers? Why weaken the defenses that keep Canterlot safe?' the voice of Isis whispered in the back of his mind. 'They would only do such a thing if the Queen was their goal.'

'Perhaps you are right,' Adam considered as he came to a stop above the clouds, where he could see all of Equestria under his gaze. 'But I must know more. After the announcement tomorrow, I will find Doctor Banner and we shall have another...chat.'

Superman

Batmare sighed slightly when she walked out of the room where Billy was sitting by himself, wondering why he seemed so down. He hadn't said a word since they had returned from deactivating the tower the previous day, and his silent streak continued into the morning.

'I just hope that whatever it is, we can help him get over it before he is needed to fight Adam again, because after seeing that monster up close I do not believe any of us aside from Billy can stop him,' Batmare said with a shake of her cowled head as she reached the room where the six slept, pushing open the doors and walking within to find that her azure friend was still fast asleep on her bed, despite it being almost noon.

'Jeez, Batman would have kicked me into the pool if he caught me sleeping in this late,' Batmare thought with a smile while she walked over to her bed, taking off her cowl as her face began to fall. 'I wonder if I should just leave it alone...but I feel that I need to talk to her about it,' Scootaloo thought to herself as she looked over at Trixie, not happy with the revelation she had realized the previous day. With her cowl removed, she walked over to Trixie and poked her twice in the shoulder, waking the pony up a moment later.

"Ugh, the one time that I get to sleep peacefully and one of you creatures of the night has to go and wake me up," Trixie groggily grumbled while she turned over and covered herself up. "Wake me in the morning, you darn bat. Not all of us are nocturnal."

"It's noon."

Trixie was up a few moments later, letting out a yawn as she grabbed hold of her cape and slid it over her shoulders. She flashed a smile at Scootaloo, but despite the mare hiding her thoughts the way Batman had taught her, Trixie saw through the mask in a second. "Scootaloo, what's the matter? And don't say it's nothing. I'm married to Sombra, one of the greatest liars of all time. What's wrong?"

"Billy's upset and I don't know why," Scootaloo admitted, getting Trixie to raise an eyebrow in response with a skeptical look. "Ever since we got back from the tower he's been alone, lost in thought. I've even caught him in his Captain form a few times today. I don't know what's up."

"While that is indeed interesting, I believe I said no lying to me," Trixie said again, this time in a much firmer voice. "Scootaloo, please tell me what is actually on your mind?" Scootaloo sighed as she sat down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, taking a moment to collect herself before speaking.

"So what did you name it?" Trixie's eyes went wide with shock and her mouth half-opened as she prepared to ask how Scootaloo knew, then a smirk crossed her face when she sat down on her bed again.

"Daughter of the world's greatest detective. I should have known you'd figure it out, but for one who isn't so good at detective work, please explain how."

"The bags under your eyes. You perking up at the crying foals. It wasn't that hard," Scootaloo said with a shrug as she looked at her friend again. "So, is it a he or a she?"

"It's a she. I had her about a month ago," Trixie said with a sad smile while her eyes became very distant. "She's so beautiful. She has a dark blue version of Sombra's coat and she has my mane, but on her coat she has all of these little blue and white dots, making her look like the stars in the sky. Not to mention her bright purple eyes are always filled with curiosity, so I think she'll be a scholar. Sombra wanted to name her Umbra, but since we all decided that was stupid, we decided on the name 'Starlight'. Starshine was really happy with the name and the fact that he has a sister now, and Sombra...while he'll do his damnedest to never show emotion, I saw tears when he held her for the first time. I wish you could have met her before this whole thing started up, but maybe once we get back..."

Trixie cast a glance at Scootaloo to see that she wore an emotionless face again, looking down at her hooves as she seemed lost in thought. Despite the training, once again Trixie seemed to be able to read her mind and a frown crossed Trixie's face as she deduced what her friend was thinking. "I'm still going to help you fight, Scootaloo. This doesn't change anything."

"But it does. You...have a family. You're a mother now," Scootaloo said in a serious tone, one that Trixie hadn't heard since the Batman. "You shouldn't be here, you should be back home taking care of her! This...this war that we are in is far too dangerous for you! With the foes we are facing, any of us could die at any time! What would happen to your filly if you died before she even got the chance to know you?!"

"Then, she would be told that her mother died fighting against injustice and to protect them all," Trixie said in such a dark tone that Scootaloo stopped talking. "You do not need to remind me what is at stake; I have wrestled with that thought every night. But I spent most of my life being hated and an outcast. I do not want to leave my daughter without her mother, but if I am not here, then we will be without a champion who can fight destruction. And unless we all work together, then according to Ryan, none of our worlds will be safe...and I will not abandon you when you need me, just as you didn't abandon me when I needed you."

Scootaloo said nothing for the longest of moments, looking down at her hooves while she mulled over what she was about to say. Yet she decided that words wouldn't be enough, so Scootaloo stood up and walked over to Trixie, pulling her friend into a hug with a smile. "Thank you. But I promise that nothing will happen to you so long as I stand. I will get you out of this alive, so that your daughter can see what an awesome mom you are."

Scootaloo felt Trixie return the hug and for a moment the two of them comforted each other. Then Scootaloo caught movement out of the corner of her eyes, by the door, and for a brief moment she believed that she saw a person with a hood. But they were gone so quickly she wasn't sure if someone had indeed been there. 'But if they were, I know who it was.'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"I'm just saying that if we were to attack this tower tomorrow, no one, not even Black Adam, would see it coming," Bruce argued with Luna while the two of them each moved around different forces and buildings upon the magical table that projected images of the two sides. "Trixie and I can handle this tower ourselves, while Marvel and the others run interference. As long as Black Adam isn't there..."

"That is an awfully big IF, Doctor Banner," Luna snarled back with a look of frustration. "We have received reports that Black Adam discovered one of our outposts that was supposed to be just as well protected as our base, yet the place was leveled and we have no idea what happened to the ponies there. Black Adam has a nasty habit of being where he shouldn't, so I believe this is too big a risk."

"Not to mention we still don't know that much about any of the Judges, which only adds to the risk," Ryan chimed in thoughtfully, actually being helpful due to a good night's sleep. He waved his left hand and brought up the images of the six, aside from the one that was always cloaked. "We don't know what the Trixie of this world is capable of, and Billy said that Spike is far stronger than the one he knew. That's bad. Not to mention Doroca is a zebra, so he'll be nothing but trouble."

"I don't care what they can do, none of them, aside from Adam, is enough to handle the Hulk," Banner said with certainty, waving away the images of the six before bringing up the Spire that was located in the Dragon Kingdom. "And if what you told me about Adam and the dragons is true, then we will need the Hulk's strength in dealing with them. However, unless one of them is named Fin Fang Foom, we shouldn't have too much trouble with the dragons." Banner expected Ryan to get the reference, but the human gave him a questioning glare, causing Banner to sigh and decided to stop trying.

"Of course, none of this plan matters at the moment because Billy isn't in the right mental state to be fighting Adam." The three turned to see Trixie walk into the room with Batmare at her side, the two of them looking like they had just come from a long talk. "And if he's not at one hundred percent, then I don't feel comfortable sending him to fight Adam."

"Well then, we'd better snap him out of whatever funk he's in, because if he doesn't fight Adam then odds are you'll send me to," Ryan smirked while he and the others stood up, all of them (aside from Luna) heading to where Billy was. Batmare led them to an empty room where Billy sat alone, staring off into Neverland. "It's worse than I thought. He's caught the stupid. I remember when I caught it, it was horrible."

"Guess they never cured you then," Trixie snarked at Ryan while Banner knelt down next to Billy, gently placing a hand on his shoulder that snapped him out of his trance.

"Oh, hey guys, we got a mission?" Billy asked as the fog seemed to lift from his eyes as he rose to his feet, preparing to speak the word before Banner placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Batmare told us that you seemed to be a bit out of it and, as your caring teammates, we came to tell you to snap out of it so you can go fight a god," Ryan informed Billy.

"Billy, what's the matter?" Banner asked. Billy took a moment before he answered.

"I've been thinking about the other day, when Bat's and I took down that tower," Billy began as his eyes took on the 'thousand yard stare' again. "Not so much the tower itself, but how all of the pegasi there seemed to...admire me when I disguised myself as Black Adam. They admired the murderer, Banner, and that's what has me confused. What spell or lies did he cast on them so they would see him as anything other than the villain that he is?"

'Perhaps that is where...I can...help you,' a mysterious, but very familiar, voice spoke out amongst the group.

"Oh dear God, she's back," Ryan groaned while he dragged his fingers down his face as a silver light began to shine from his backpack, informing the group that the silver mare was with them. "Screw off mare, I've finally managed to get a handle on most of the voices in my head and then you show back up to remind me of the hell I went through."

'I am sorry to open old wounds, but I have been listening in and I believe I can give Billy a glimpse of why Black Adam...Teth...is so admired,' the silver mare's voice said to each of them. 'All I need is the assistance of Trixie and Batmare and I believe we shall be able to help you, young Batson.'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Hundreds of pegasi gathered around the cloudy streets of Cloudsdale, each of them murmuring excitedly to one another while they awaited the arrival of the champion. Near the back of the large crowd was an orange Pegasus with a purple mane wearing a large hat, covering her eyes as they glanced around for any sign of danger. Beside her was a red colt that reached her shoulders in height, but was slightly taller when his wings extended fully.

"You know, I always thought I'd be a unicorn, considering how I get my powers from magic and everything," Billy whispered to Scootaloo as he flapped his wings with a smirk. "Although I have to admit that a Pegasus isn't that bad either. Think the combining of the magics of the mare and Trixie will be enough to throw Black Adam off the trail?"

"If not, we'll get to see what a ponyfied Captain Marvel looks like," Scootaloo responded before the crowd let out a loud gasp, getting the two to gaze upward along with all of the other pegasi as a figure in black and gold descended onto the stage that had been set up for him. Billy went to say the word immediately upon spotting him, but Scootaloo placed a hoof on his chest with a shake of her head. 'This had better be worth it, mare. I do not like risking Billy's life like this.'

'Out of everypony here, he is actually the safest from Adam's power,' the mare reminded Scootaloo in the back of her mind. The crowd had begun to cheer at the arrival of Black Adam, but he held up a hand to silence them instantly. He gazed across the crowd with narrowed eyes, Scootaloo feeling her heart go cold when he turned his gaze towards the two of them, and she knew that Billy's word was on the tip of his tongue. But the disguise held and Black Adam cleared his throat to begin speaking.

"Ponies of Cloudsdale, just the other day you bared witness to two of the false champions that aid Luna and her rebellion against Queen Celestia. The two of them are known as Batmare and Captain Marvel." The crowd began to angrily boo at the names of the two, causing Billy to hang his head slightly at the jeers. Black Adam raised his hand again, and again the crowd fell silent, waiting for him to speak.

"While they may not be of this land, they are all still extremely dangerous. As you saw yesterday, they are more than capable of handling the Royal Guard and even some of the Judges. That is why I ask all of you that, if you believe that you see or know of where any of them are, that you do NOT engage them yourselves. Report the information to the Royal Guard or a Judge and then they will report that information to me. And I shall deal with them myself. Those who aid the champions, however...let us say that the consequences will be severe."

"In don't know why the mare wanted me to see this," Billy growled under his breath. "He's still the same old Adam. Kneel at his feet or be crushed by his boot. All I want to do now is say something to him, something that I know he wouldn't like." Black Adam finished speaking and made to fly off, making Billy debate whether or not to bring down the lightning then and there, but before he could a foal burst up onto the stage, getting Adam to turn to look at him.

"Mr. Adam...can I...please have your autograph!" the small colt yelled out, holding out a small notebook with nervous eyes. Black Adam looked down at the small colt for a moment before a small smile broke out across his face. He floated over to the colt and picked up both him and the notebook, lifting one finger and electrifying it. He then pointed at the book and a small stream of lightning lanced from his finger, writing his name in golden magic. The colt looked at him with eyes that were filled with both awe and gratitude as Adam descended into the crowd, holding the colt up slightly.

"Alright, who does this little one belong to?" he asked, getting the ponies to chuckle while the mother ran up. Black Adam gently placed the Pegasus on the ground, where the young one gazed up at Adam again with admiration before his mother grabbed him by the ear and dragged him back, apologizing to Adam while scolding her son. "Does anypony else wish to ask me for a favor before I head back to Canterlot?"

"Please...heal my baby!" Both Adam and Billy turned to the voice, both of them spotting a pegasi holding up a small foal that looked ill. Black Adam said nothing while he floated over to the foal, gently taking it into his hands as his eyes glanced over it with a frown. He then placed a hand upon its head and began to mutter words filled with magic under his breath. The crowd both gasped and backed away from him a bit as a golden light surrounded the small foal, bathing it with the magic of a god. A moment later the light died down, revealing a smiling foal that giggled up at Adam.

"I believe that this little one is yours?" Adam asked with a smile and handed the foal back to the mother, who took the foal from him and held it close, thanking Adam in between her sobs. The crowd then began to cheer for Adam as he raised a hand, humbly accepting their praise as more and more of them began to ask for favors.

"Fix my leg!"

"Please stop it from raining tomorrow!"

"MARRY ME!"

Scootaloo snuck a quick look at Billy to find that he had a completely blank expression on his face, yet he looked at Adam like he was looking at the god for the first time in his life.

"This...is Black Adam?" Billy whispered to himself while Black Adam held out a hand to keep the Pegasus that wanted to marry him back, a smirk on his face as the crowd laughed at the scene. "The man who wiped out a nation for revenge? The man who wanted to kill me to take my powers? This...is who I have to fight?" Scootaloo could say nothing in reply because this was her first time seeing Adam outside of combat, but with all of the horror stories that Luna and Billy had told her, the last thing she had expected Adam to do was act like a...

'Hero,' she thought to herself as Adam took to the skies, creating an electrical sphere that exploded above the town, causing strange and magical creatures made of lightning to zip around to the amazement of the crowd. But her confusion was nothing compared to the conflict that Billy felt tearing into his heart while he looked around at all of the smiling faces of the crowd, still trying to accept that his mortal foe was the cause of so much joy.

'Banner was right. This...isn't the Adam that I know,' Billy thought to himself as he looked up into the sky at Black Adam. Black Adam looked down at the crowd with a smile while his eyes looked at each and every one of them before they came to a stop on the small, red Pegasus. The two of them gazed into each others eyes for a second, neither of them seeing what they were expecting. Black Adam saw confusion, the confusion that came with someone having a belief shattered. Billy saw compassion and strength, the strength of a hero.

'Do you see now, Billy? While he may be a god of evil in your world, here...he is a champion to these ponies. He is a savior that fought off the worst of evils while overcoming the evil that he once was. To them...he is Superman.' And despite how disturbing that thought was to Billy, as he looked around at all of the smiling faces he found that he couldn't disagree.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Lights flashed and smoke erupted as the mad pony threw different potions together within a vat, quickly checking upon his work before he dashed across the steel room in which his laboratory was stationed. He grabbed hold of a cylinder and began to tinker with it, cackling to himself as all of the little pieces clipped into place before he shot over to a book of spells. He glanced down quickly at the recipe for a separation spell, memorizing the next six steps before he was at his cauldron, adding more potions to the mixture.

'I may not like working with magic since science is far superior, but even I cannot deny that the Hulk's resistance will make anything radiation-related futile,' Tinker thought to himself while he picked up his cylinder again before racing to the cauldron, hurling in another mixture of potions before dipping the cylinder within the brew. He cackled once again as he pulled out the device that he had crafted, holding it within his hooves like it was a precious child.

'It took three days of straight work and a constant amount of sucking up to Adam for a tiny bit of his magic, but finally my weapon is ready,' Tinker thought before in another burst of speed his red eye was gazing at a map of the entirety of Equis, with the four remaining towers marked upon his map. 'If I've deduced the abilities of the champions correctly, then the one that is most likely for the Hulk to attack with be the one in the Dragon Kingdom. I shall send spies there to make sure that I catch him if he does appear. After all,' Tinker began as he looked down at his table, where an apple had been fused together with an orange. He dipped the cylinder towards the apple-orange, letting just a drop of the magic brew within touch the fruit. A smile spread across his face as a flash of light went off and the apple and orange were separate once again.

'He is my experiment.'

The Worst, Possible Thing

A vicious roar sounded not too far off from where the three champions lay hidden underneath some boulders, causing the mortal of the group to jump slightly while he turned his gaze skywards to snarl at the dozens of dragons flying overhead. Ryan had been on edge since the moment they had entered dragon territory, and the fact that he was now underneath at least two tons of stone with only the Hulk between him and the grave was not helping.

"For the last time, relax little man. I can hold far more than this," Hulk assured him just before a stone slipped through his fingers and landed next to Ryan's leg.

"You keep saying that and yet for some reason I don't feel any safer," Ryan half snarled at the Hulk. "Besides, if the rocks don't finish me off, your damn odor might. Has the shower been invented in your world yet?" Hulk smirked before staggering a bit, getting Ryan to yelp as a large stone nearly crushed his head, getting the Hulk to chuckle.

"Will you two stop acting like children for five minutes?" Trixie growled at both of them.

"Doubt it."

"Don't hold your breath."

"For the love of..." Trixie grumbled before she turned her eyes upward, noticing that nearly all of the dragons had left the air space around the tower that rested on the hill in the distance. She cast a small sensor spell to make sure that the dragons had left the area, yet for a strange reason her magic seemed to fizzle out after only a few seconds. She narrowed her eyes at this before she relayed the news to the other two.

"I don't like that. If something, or more likely someone, is messing with your magic, then that means they know we're here," Ryan muttered as he began to look around, but his train of thought was derailed when Hulk shrugged off the two tons of stone and marched out of their hiding spot.

"If there's someone here, I'll make short work of them," Hulk said as he cracked his knuckles while looking up at the tower. "Along with any of those dragons as well. You guys don't need to worry about any of that ninja stuff you usually do when you're with me. Just focus on the smashing."

'That line of thinking might get us in trouble, Hulk. Remember what the guards' technology managed to do to you last time,' Banner's voice reminded the Hulk, who growled in response. Despite the other two wanting to make a plan, Hulk began to march up to the tower on his own, wanting to make this quick. He wasn't surprised in the least when he heard the guards yelling out that they had spotted him, because all that meant was that he could start the smashing.

"Time for some fun," Hulk smirked as guard after guard began to unload their rounds into him, getting the jade giant to chuckle while the rounds bounced off him without leaving so much as a dent. But when the guards began to unleash the stasis upon the giant, he was forced to take a more strategic offense. With a speed that no one would associate with a being so large, Hulk slammed his fists into the ground and ripped up two large chunks of rocks that he used as shields against the stasis.

'I still wish to learn how these stasis modules work,' Banner pondered within the Hulk's mind while the stones that Hulk used as shields slowed down due to the energy, but despite having been slowed to a crawl the Hulk's insane strength forced them to move at his usual speeds. Hulk blocked another volley of stasis before leaping up the hill to where the guards were, a laugh chilling them before he slammed into the ground feet first. The shockwave generated by the impact of him hitting the ground blasted the guards away from him, leaving the entrance to the tower completely unguarded.

"Will you two hurry up?" Hulk called down to Trixie and Ryan as he kicked the reinforced doors open, taking them off their hinges and sending them across the tower's base floor. "I went and did all this work for you, and you two are making me wait to start the real smashing," Hulk chuckled once the two had dragged themselves up the hill to where he was standing.

"Remind me again why we had to come along, if you were capable of taking down the entire tower without so much as breaking a sweat?" Trixie tiredly grumbled.

"Because Banner wants to keep an eye on Ryan, and Batmare said that she wanted you out here with us rather than with the others since they distracted Adam," Hulk honestly admitted, getting him two sets of glares from his teammates. "Hey, you asked." Any further arguing was cut off by a roar that shook the skies, forcing the three to take up battle stances as the sky was suddenly filled with dragons.

"Hey Hulk, did you think to disable the alarm bell before you crushed those ponies?" Ryan snarled as he drew his baton, letting the electricity crackle while he also flipped his hood up. "Because I think the guards invited more guests to this party." Trixie's horn glowed with power as well, but Hulk let out a chuckle as he picked up the human and hurled him into the tower.

"No, but I think I know who should go do it!" Hulk yelled in after Ryan, hearing a string of curses in reply. He then turned his attention back to the dozens of massive dragons that now filled the sky, a smile crossing his face as he looked over at Trixie. "Hope you know what you're doing with that horn, because you're providing back up. Ready?"

"Not in the slightest."

"GO!" Hulk blasted off into the sky with a fist cocked back, striking the first unlucky dragon that crossed his path with a blow that could crumble mountains. The dragon had barely begun to fall from the sky when Hulk propelled himself off of the beast towards another one that was foolish enough to lunge at him, both beasts letting out a roar as they collided. The shockwave generated by the impact forced the other dragons to flap harder to stay aloft, but for the one that had impacted with the Hulk, it went down without another sound.

"Come on, one of you give me a challenge!" the Hulk laughed into the sky once he slammed back down onto Terra Firma, turning to face each dragon with a smile on his face. The dragons that were still aloft had learned from the mistakes of their brethren and now none of them were getting close to the Hulk. Yet the smile upon Hulk's face dropped slightly when he saw each of the maws of over a dozen dragons begin to glow with fire--and with all of their heads pointed towards him, he knew that things were about to get warmer.

"Hey Banner? The clothes you designed were fireproof right?" Hulk asked the voice in his head.

'Yes, but the fibers can only withstand so much heat,' Banner replied with a sigh when he saw what was about to happen. 'Well, time to see if both my genius and the clothes holds up.' An inferno of fire and flames consumed the Hulk as the dragons unleashed their hellfire all at once, turning the barren ground into an inferno in which the Hulk was the center. The jade giant held up his arms to cover his face as he felt fire burn all around him, but his gamma-infused cells never felt the agony of the fire. All Hulk felt was that it was hotter than it had been before.

'But the other two aren't as resistant to heat as me,' Hulk thought as he turned to where the tower was, trying to see through the raging fire to where his allies were. But when flame was all that he could see, he realized that he would have to get serious. 'Fun's over Hulk. Time to get this under control.' Hulk brought both of his arms back as he prepared to blow the fire away with a single round of applause, but to both his and the dragons' surprise a storm of rain began to descend upon the land. The torrent of rain was so intense that within moments the raging fire that had once tried to consume both Hulk and the tower was reduced to a number of cinders.

"And once again, everything gets out of control the moment you let loose," Trixie's voice yelled out from somewhere within the storm, Hulk smirking when he figured out that Trixie had created the monsoon that had extinguished the fire. "Well, hurry up and start smashing before I have to put you out again!"

"Aw, you do care!" Hulk laughed as a number of the dragons began to land around him, unable to fly or shoot fire within the rain storm. "So Banner! Think I should take them on alone, or as a thanks to Trixie should I let her be a part of the fastball special?! It's not everyday a pony gets to be a part of that!"

'You just do what you always do. Smash.' Hulk smirked in response before he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, making the Hulk quickly turn and catch a claw that a dragon used as it tried to tear his clothes. Hulk picked up the dragon by his hand and swung him around in a circle, slamming it into all of the other dragons that had landed too close to him.

"Alright then. Hulk...SMASH!" Hulk slammed both of his fists into the ground while he roared his most famous words, shattering the ground beneath his and all of the other dragons' feet. All of the dragons fell to the ground while the earth shattered, giving Hulk an opening as he leapt into the air for his final attack. "Trixie! Supercharge me with magic! I want to end this with a bang!" He never heard a reply, but as a sphere of magic surrounded him he knew that she had heard.

"GAMMA CHARGE!" Hulk roared while he drove himself into the ground shoulder first, creating another shockwave that sent the dragons flying away this time. Hulk laughed aloud as he pulled himself out of the recently made crater and watched the scaled fire breathers go sailing off into the distance before turning to look back at Trixie...and also to see that his antics had brought down the entire Spire, which now lay strewn across the hilltop.

"Ugh, if Ryan survived that he's going to be pissed at me," Hulk grumbled as he lumbered back over to Trixie, who was at the base of the tower picking up chunks of stone while calling out for the human. Hulk helped as well, but they thought for certain he was dead until a fist punched itself through a good chunk of debris.

"MOTHER FUCKERS!" Ryan roared once they had dug him up from his tomb, the human snarling with wrath as Trixie helped pull him out of the hole in which he had been buried. "Oh, sure Ryan, you can go destroy the orb while we handle the dragons. Be careful though, or we might just bring down the whole DAMNED SPIRE with you still in it! I fight off all those guards and destroy the orb and yet my teammates are the ones that almost kill me."

"I'm sorry, alright. I got carried away in the moment," Hulk apologized as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand, Ryan still cursing out the pair despite the gesture. The cursing continued until both Ryan and Trixie spotted another figure standing on the barren hills away from them, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of a number of dragons and guards, with a large smile on his face.

"Oh great, it's a crazy one," Ryan muttered when he spotted one red eye in place of a regular one and a number of strange, metallic legs that stuck out of his back. "I know crazy when I see it, so trust me, this one's full-on psycho. Expect him to do something crazy." As if invited over by the words, the figure began to walk towards them on his metallic legs. Hulk placed himself between his allies and the pony, whom he recognized from his meeting with the five judges.

"So, you're one of those judges, huh?" Hulk asked the pony, who slightly bowed in response before he began to look over the Hulk with wide eyes. Hulk's eyes narrowed as the pony began to study him, having been examined like this before. 'This pony doesn't see me as a threat, he sees me as an experiment; something to be studied. I don't like it.'

"Forgive me, my giant, green friend, where are my manners? Yes, I am one of the five judges. Tinker, at your service," the pony said with another bow, this time using the mechanical arms on his back to do so. "And you are the fascinating being known as the Hulk, the giant that matched Black Adam blow for blow without so much as a speck of magic within your body?"

"Yeah, that's me. And unless you want to face that same power, I suggest that you turn around and run your little butt back home," Hulk threatened, but all his words did was cause the smile upon Tinker's face to grow even wider as he laughed slightly to himself.

"That is truly fascinating. I know that we have just met, but would you mind doing me a favor?" Tinker asked with a begging look in his eye, getting Hulk to narrow his eyes in response. Tinker then pressed a button upon his wrist, which Hulk noticed for the first time had buttons on it, before looking back up at the giant. "Would you mind fighting these?" Twin giant mechs slammed into the ground behind him as he said this, getting all three members of the group to gasp in unison as they looked up at the machines. They were both twice the size of Hulk and had bladed arms and armored bodies, with three red eyes in the center of triangular heads that glared down at the three.

"I've created a number of these machines in case the day came when I needed to bring down Black Adam, but they are only designed to fight magically powered foes," Tinker explained while the machines began to advance on the Hulk, the blades on their arms sticking out and beginning to spin as they marched menacingly towards him. "So show me Hulk, show me why they call you the Hulk."

The twin machines lunged at the Hulk, blades ripping through the air as they closed in on their target. Hulk kicked the ground to knock back Ryan and Trixie before he caught one of the pair of rotating blades with his hands, snarling as the blades came to a dead stop before he tore the blades off of the machine. He flipped a blade over in his hand before hurling it at supersonic speeds right through the armored chest of one of the robots, which looked down at the piece of metal impaling him before looking back up to see a green fist slam into his face.

"Astounding! Simply marvelous!" Tinker laughed out loud with almost childlike glee while the head of his robot crashed to the ground in front of him. Hulk snarled as he turned to face the other machine, which had backed off from the Hulk's smashing range and was firing concussive blasts of energy at the giant. But despite these concussive blasts having the power to tear through solid steel, the Hulk was barely knocked back by the impact, which instead of damaging him, made him angry.

With a roar that shook the ground Hulk leapt into the air towards the robot, clotheslining it in the chest and knocking it to the ground. He slammed both of his fists down onto its chest with such force that both of its arms were blown out of its sockets, flying miles away into the distance. Hulk then leapt off of its chest and landed at the machine's feet, which he grabbed with one hand before he hoisted it over his head and began to whip the robot around. Once he had built up enough speed, he hurled the robot into the cosmos above with a yell, roaring in victory once the machine had left the planet.

"Dear Faust, he's strong," Trixie muttered, glancing over at Ryan to see that his face was pale and his eyes had shrunk. Hulk then snarled as he gained control of himself again before he turned to face Tinker, who was clapping his hooves together like a pony did at the end of a show.

"Outstanding! Truly incredible! It is no surprise Adam sees you as a threat, if you can achieve that level of destruction without so much as a speck of magic," Tinker praised, but Hulk did not take kindly to the praise. He lumbered over to the pony and picked him up by his metallic legs, which reminded him far to much like an octopus that he didn't like.

"What's your game?" the Hulk asked him, bringing the pony close to his eyes when Tinker continued to clap. "If you're smart enough to build those machines in Equestria, then you must have been smart enough to realize that they couldn't beat me. So why come alone? Why expose yourself to me without any REAL protection or weaponry?"

"Because you fascinate me, Hulk. How do you achieve such strength without magic? How do you and that doctor within share one body and yet don't share the same mind? What would happen," Tinker began as he placed a cylinder to the Hulk's head, a smile crossing his face as he activated the spell. "If the two of you were to be split apart?"

Hulk realized a second too late what was happening and he hurled the pony away, but the spell was already in effect even as the cylinder fell to the ground. Both Trixie and Ryan looked on in horror as the Hulk screamed with the sound of two voices, his form flickering back and forth between Banner and the Hulk. Then, a circle of magic appeared on his chest, casting a beam of light that blinded everypony looking at the light. When they could see again, a sight greeted their eyes that terrified them to their cores. Doctor Banner lay on the ground, in the same black clothing that the Hulk wore...and standing above him was the Hulk, who stood there breathing heavily in the same black garb.

"What have you done?" Banner asked Tinker, who clapped his hooves once again when he had discovered that his spell had worked.

"I created a very powerful version of the separation spell that ponies use to separate things," Tinker explained as he awaited for the Hulk to move. "It took a lot of work and even more magic than an alicorn can use, but it worked. And now we get to see what the Hulk is like by himself."

The moment he said this the Hulk's eyes snapped open, eyes that were as red as the false eye that Tinker wore. Tinker had a giant smile on his face as the Hulk began to move around, but it faded the instant Hulk turned his attention to the pony. Then, the Hulk let loose a roar so ferocious that the very planet shook under his voice and he hurled himself at Tinker, who screamed in fear while he leapt into the air to avoid the jade giant. Hulk slammed into the ground as Tinker's legs turned into helicopter blades, taking him far out of the Hulk's reach as he said,

"Well, good luck with that, you three. If any of you survive this encounter, please let me know just how powerful the Hulk is in this state. I'd hate to have to do this again."

"Doctor Banner, are you alright?" Trixie asked as she helped the doctor up, while Ryan slowly approached the two, but as Banner rose to his feet, he looked at Hulk with absolute fear in his eyes.

"Trixie. Ryan. Run. Run for your lives," he whispered with the fear of death in his voice. His words gained the attention of the giant, who slowly turned his head to look at the pair of them, eyes a crimson red. Then with an unholy shriek he turned and charged at the three of them, the ground shaking beneath each mighty footstep. Trixie placed herself between the doctor and Hulk, her horn flashing with a brilliant light as she cast spell after spell to stop the Hulk. Yet beams of the purest magic and spikes crafted from diamond did not even slow the unrestrained fury down, but they did give him a new target.

Another scream erupted from Hulk's lips as he charged at Trixie, who managed to force down the fear of seeing the Hulk rush at her in time to turn herself into a black smoke. The Hulk charged right through the smoke and skidded to a stop, snarling as he spun to see Trixie moving around in a smoky form.

"Do not worry, Banner, he cannot hurt me in this form," Trixie said with shaky confidence as the Hulk began to march after her again. "Not unless he can use magic. The two of you should back up while I prepare the teleportation spell and--" Hulk cut her off by slamming both of his hands together in front of her face, the shockwave generated by the impact blasting Trixie out of her smoky form and hurling her to the ground at Banner's feet, where she didn't move. The Hulk began to approach once again, eyes narrowing as he spied Banner, but before he could reach him Ryan leapt onto the Hulk's back and jammed an explosive into his mouth. Ryan leapt off as the explosion detonated, forcing the Hulk back for a moment as the beast tried to figure out what had just happened.

"Banner...the fuck do we do?" Ryan asked with terror in his voice as the Hulk tried to see through the smoke that covered his eyes from the explosion. "Because I sure as hell got nothing in this bag that can tickle him!"

"Take Trixie and run," Banner said quietly, standing up with fear in his eyes. "See if you can get her back to the base or at least somewhere safe. I'll...I'll distract the Hulk." Banner looked down at Ryan to find the human looking at him with a question in his eyes, getting Banner to shake his head. "There is no fighting him; no reasoning with him now. He is a beast of rage now, one that cannot be stopped. Get out of here, before he's done with me." Ryan snarled as he looked down at Trixie before looking back up at the Hulk, making the hardest decision that he had ever made in his life.

"You take her and run," Ryan said in a near whisper as he stood beside Banner, holding up a hand to stop him before he could speak. "Dammit man, we don't have time to argue! Nobody knows more about the Hulk than you and if you die, then we'll have no way to stop him!"

"You can't fight him alone--"

"I can't fight him period! I expect to die within ten seconds! And in those ten seconds you have to get yourself and Trixie out of here!" Ryan roared at Banner with fear in his eyes, yet behind the fear Banner saw something that he had never expected to see within Ryan. "She has a family! A daughter waiting for her back in her world! You're the only one with the knowledge to stop Hulk and you're both the chosen champions! I'm not! I have to slow him down so that the two that matter can live! Now take her and go, God Dammit!" Banner wished that he could answer, but with a growl of frustration he bent over and picked up the unconscious Trixie in his arms before sprinting away as fast as he could.

Ryan watched them go before he felt a heavy footstep land next to him, getting him to look back with an ice cold heart, to gaze up at the raging eyes of the Hulk. He felt his will die as he looked at absolute wrath, the wrath of a being that he knew he couldn't even scratch. A smart man, when faced with such a foe, would have fallen to his knees and begged for his life; would have done anything in his power to avoid having to fight such a monster as the Hulk. Ryan was not a smart man.

"All...alright you jolly, green jackass," Ryan snarled with as much confidence as he could muster as he turned to face anger incarnate, while he reached back and drew his baton. He flicked on the golden weapon that had gotten him through so much as he said a silent farewell to his life. "Show me why they call you 'the strongest there is'."

No God Can Save You

Hulk screamed with fury when a smoke pellet caught him in the eyes, blinding the enraged giant as he charged forward at where the person had been standing a second before. Ryan had the good sense to roll to the side to avoid the green freight train that would have crushed him instantly, and he watched from beneath the smoke as Hulk charged into a giant boulder, going through it as if it were paper.

"MARE! If you can here me, and I hope to God that you can, teleport me the hell out of here!" he roared into his backpack, but just like he had suspected, he couldn't feel the mare's presence within his bag...meaning that he was truly alone again. He turned his attention back to the Hulk as the green monstrosity cleared the smoke from his eyes--eyes that looked at Ryan with absolute loathing and wrath within them.

"Come on Hulk, here I am taking the time to fight you, and I don't even get an iconic 'Hulk smash' or you're 'the strongest there is'?" Ryan asked with as little fear as he could muster, hoping that if he could get the Hulk talking it would buy him time to think of a plan. But the Hulk remained silent while he slowly lumbered towards the human, as if he knew this fight was already over and was deciding whether or not to crush Ryan then and there.

"Geez, I thought you had a limited vocabulary when Banner was in your head, but without him I see that I could get a better conversation from rocks," Ryan taunted once again, hoping for some kind of reaction while Hulk was still at a distance. Hulk once again chose silence in response to Ryan's words, but he also lifted his arms slowly over his head, tightening his hands into fists. "Oh, fuck." Ryan hurled himself to the side as Hulk roared with fury and slammed his fists into the ground, generating a shockwave that could be felt all across the nation of the dragons.

Ryan was hurled yards back by the shockwave alone, thinking to himself how grateful he should be that the shockwave had been the only thing that caught him. 'Because if I had stayed on the ground, I am fairly certain that I would have been impaled, crushed or both,' he thought when he landed on his back, looking to the side to see pillars of sharp stone sticking out of the ground from the Hulk's impact. He spotted the jade giant lumbering towards him once again, and he scrambled to his feet while he reached inside of his bag.

'Getting close with the baton is suicide. I need to use whatever range items I have and hopefully find a way to take his attention off of me. Grr, those guys better be damned grateful for what I'm doing for them!' Ryan pulled out two spheres from his bag, holding one in each of his hands. He activated them while keeping an eye on the Hulk, who was still lumbering towards him at a slow pace. 'Either he's a calm angry or he's planning something. I hope it's the first one!'

Ryan chucked both spheres with all of his might, watching fearfully as they sailed through the air and smacked Hulk right in the face. Twin massive explosions went off and Ryan, for a moment, wanted to smile. But his limited knowledge of the Hulk reminded him that the giant had taken far worse than that, so when Hulk burst through the smoke caused by the explosions with a roar, Ryan already had his next traps in play. Hulk ran right past Ryan when he dived to the side once again, yet he still took a blow to the side by the sheer force of the Hulk passing him, where the Hulk stepped on one of two pads that had been placed on the ground.

"GGGRRRRAAAAAAHHHHH!" Hulk roared as electricity burst forth from the pad, sending the lightning coursing right through the Hulk's leg and into his body. Yet again though, Ryan was forced to watch as another one of his weapons that could drop an alicorn failed, when Hulk turned to face him and crushed the pad with a quick stomp.

"Dammit Hulk, you're making me look bad out here," Ryan grumbled as he reached into his bag to pull out another trick, but Hulk decided that he had had enough of the annoying human. Hulk roared while he slammed his hands together once again, generating a thunderclap so loud and powerful that Ryan was hurled nearly a football field's length from the shockwave alone. He shook weakly as he pushed himself to all fours, making a snarky remark that he never heard. His eyes widened and he said something again, but all he could hear was ringing in his ears. 'Fuck, I can't hear. Wait, then how will I know when the Hulk--?"

Hulk finished that thought for him when Ryan felt four green fingers and a thumb wrap around his chest, hoisting him into the air with ease and turning him around so that he was face-to-face with his worst fear. Ryan said nothing while he looked into the red eyes of the Hulk, although he wasn't sure if he was screaming or not. What he did do was reach back and pull out his baton, which he flicked on before driving it into the Hulk's closest eye. He never heard the Hulk roar in pain as the godly magic within the baton burned the Hulk's face, yet when the Hulk moved him away from his face Ryan could already see the damage healing up.

Hulk slowly turned his face back to look at the human, absolute wrath in his eyes as the eye that was struck by the baton healed perfectly, and he let out a roar that Ryan never heard. Then he brought his arm back and chucked the human with his great might. Everything broke as Ryan skipped off the ground and bounced off of a stray rock, but he was out long before he felt the pain. He 'ragdolled' to the ground where a sickening crack could be heard, with none of his limbs facing the right direction. Hulk roared with rage as he began to march towards the body of the human, no idea whether he was alive or dead. But all Hulk cared about was destroying it. So as Hulk came to a stop in front of the human's motionless body, he lifted both his arms over his head, a snarl on his face.

"NO!"

Hulk roared as lightning from on high struck him in the back, forcing the giant to all fours while he roared with rage and pain. The moment the lightning bolt ceased, Hulk spun with rage and turned to face his adversary floating in the air, roaring at the red and gold god floating above him. Captain Marvel wasted no time in flying down and driving his fist into the Hulk's maw, lifting the Hulk's feet from the ground and tossing him away from the human. "No-no-no!" Marvel growled as he knelt down and looked over Ryan's mangled body, horror in his eyes when he placed a hand on his chest while trying to find a pulse. His blood went cold when didn't feel a heartbeat before his eyes took on a determined look.

"No! I won't lose anyone! I will save you!" Marvel roared as he placed his hands on Ryan's chest, surging electricity into him quickly. The wisdom of Solomon helped him to determine how much power to use and for how long, but it took nearly a minute before the Captain could feel Ryan's heart start back up once again. Marvel let out a sigh of relief before he heard the Hulk roar again, forcing Marvel's attention away from Ryan. "Sorry Ryan, but I've got to stop Banner!"

Marvel shot off into the air and slammed into the Hulk, whom Marvel had caught leaping into the air with his god-like eyes. Marvel slipped around behind the Hulk and suplexed him straight down into the desolate landscape below, burying the monster in a giant crater. "Banner! Why did you attack Ryan?! I know that we joked about it but come on man, that's taking things way too far!"

Hulk's response was to erupt from the ground and drive itself into Marvel, forcing him down to the ground while Marvel tried to fly up. Hulk grabbed the mightiest mortal by the leg and dragged him back down to deliver a sledgehammer of a right fist into Captain Marvel's face, hurling him across the ground.

'Ugh, what is up with the Hulk's strength?' Billy thought to himself while he stared up at the sky, feeling his jaw to make sure it was still there. 'I haven't been hit that hard since I fought...Doomsday,' Marvel recalled as he groaned and sat up, hearing a roar and watching as a green speck leapt into the air in an arc that was heading straight for him. Marvel rose back to his feet and placed his hands together at his side, summoning a lightning storm within them as he glared at the Hulk hurtling towards him. 'If Hulk is as powerful as Doomsday, then I can't afford to hold back!'

"Torok Nabu Shazam!" he roared while he thrust his hands forward, unleashing a lightning strike that pierced through the Hulk. The lightning strike punched a hole through the chest of the Hulk and knocked him off his course, causing him to crash into the ground a number of yards away from Marvel. Captain Marvel looked at where the Hulk landed with horror in his eyes, believing for a moment that he had killed him, before he watched as the hole he had just made began to repair itself while Hulk let out a snarl.

'Billy! What is going on?' Marvel turned his head to see that the silver mare was standing besides him, looking around at the destruction with confusion. 'I heard Ryan ask me for help, but Black Adam was on my tail and...why are you fighting the Hulk?'

"Banner or the Hulk has gone crazy and nearly killed Ryan back over there," Marvel quickly said as he pointed to where Ryan lay, certain that for a moment he saw fear in the mare's eyes when she looked upon where the human lay. "I don't know what's wrong with Hulk, and to make things worse he's far stronger than he usually is. I don't know if I can beat him without killing him."

The silver mare looked over at Ryan one last time before she turned her magical powers to the Hulk, trying to determine what had happened to Banner to force him into such a monstrous state. But again, to her horror she found neither the mind of the doctor nor the Hulk with the jade giant. All she found was the desire to destroy anything in its path. 'Banner is not in there. Neither of them are.'

"What do you mean?" Marvel asked while the Hulk's wound fully healed and he rose back to his feet, glaring at both the mare and the Marvel with wrath flashing like lightning in his red eyes.

'I mean, neither Banner's conscious nor the Hulk's are in there,' the mare said as she turned her magic to the land beyond, gasping at what she felt. 'I can feel Banner though. He is far from here...and he has Trixie with him as well. Neither of them are in good shape.' Marvel narrowed his eyes when he turned back to the face the Hulk, who was slowly lumbering towards them.

"Can you heal Ryan?" Marvel asked the mare, who nodded in response. "Then do so. I kept his heart going but he'll probably die again if his body isn't fixed. Once you've done that, see if you and Banner can figure out a way to stop the Hulk. I'll keep him busy until then!" Marvel hurled himself at the Hulk when he said this and drove his shoulder into the Hulk's abdomen, taking the both of them into the sky and far away from where his allies were. Marvel waited until he was over green before he slammed the both of them into the ground, driving his hands into the ground to stop while the Hulk kept on skidding.

"Got to be honest, Hulk, I did want to fight you at one hundred percent sometimes, just to see if I were stronger," Captain Marvel said as the Hulk picked himself out of the empty, grassy field in which Marvel had dumped him. Hulk gave Marvel a look with such intense hatred that Captain Marvel flinched a little. "But if I had known that I would have been fighting you like this, then I might have just decided on an arm wrestling match."

In response to Marvel's idea of an arm wrestling match, Hulk bellowed with fury before he hurled himself towards the mightiest mortal. Marvel never expected to see the Hulk move with such speed, and he took a fist to the face before he had time to react, the force of the blow carving a trench as the Captain was punched across the field. Marvel recovered quickly and took to the skies, where he howled with power while he unleashed lightning down upon the Hulk. But despite lightning that matched the power of Zeus himself, Hulk ran through the bolts that struck him while hardly slowing down. Hulk leapt into the storming skies and tackled Marvel out of them, grabbing his chest with one hand before driving the other into the lightning bolt. Marvel impacted the ground hard and looked up to see the Hulk bombarding towards him, fists outstretched as he bellowed furiously.

"No choice then! SHAZAM!" The heavens split open to allow the divine magical bolt to descend toward its chosen champion, yet during its descent it struck a mortal that was not worthy...a mortal whose rage was far greater than any mortal it had struck before. But as powerful as the Hulk was, the divine power of the word had not chosen him. So when the bolt struck him, its magical lightning burned him to his very core, its power tearing through him with the might of the gods. The smoldering body of the Hulk collapsed to the ground without another sound, giving Marvel a chance to collect his thoughts while he slowly floated over to where the Hulk lay motionless.

"That...was way too easy," Captain Marvel muttered to himself as he looked down at the Hulk from beneath his hood, slowly lowering it from his head while he debated whether he should shock the Hulk again for good measure or if the fight was done. His eyes narrowed as he pointed a lightning-filled fist at the Hulk, preparing to fire. "If Superman can take multiple hits of the word, then I would wager that you can as--"

Twin fists shot out from the ground and struck Marvel under the chin, catapulting him into low orbit with one strike alone. The shockwave created by the impact blasted apart the landscape, tearing up trees, grass and anything else unfortunate enough to be caught near the power that was the Hulk. Marvel managed to slow his ascension to a stop before he left the planet's atmosphere, but it took him a moment to think straight after the uppercut he had received.

'DARN IT! Just how strong is this guy?' Billy asked as he rubbed his jaw with his hand, checking for any signs of blood. 'It's like the more I hit him, the stronger he gets!...Got to end it now. He's shown that he's tough enough to take all my other blows, so I've got to go with the finisher!' Marvel rocketed down to the planet as fast as he could without causing damage to the atmosphere, going parallel with the ground when he was only a few feet off of it. Hulk spotted the red blur heading for him at max speed, unable to react in time as Marvel slammed both fists into the jade giant's gut to double him over.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Time to call down the thunder!" Marvel yelled as he pulled both of Hulk's arms behind his back, before hurling him into the sky with a thunderous roar. "SHAZAM!" Captain Marvel yelled while he rocketed up after the Hulk. The divine thunderbolt descended upon the tumbling Hulk, striking him dead center in the chest and driving him back down towards the ground. Marvel caught him on his shoulder once he had caught up to Hulk and wrapped his arms around Hulk's thick legs, setting him up for the powerbomb. He then drove the both of them straight down towards the field as he yelled out,

"Thundering Tigerbomb!"

He planted the Hulk back first into the field of grass, changing it from a field into a crater in a matter of seconds. The clouds overhead were blown away by the sheer power of the Hulk being slammed into the ground, but as Marvel released his foe and stood up, he let out a sigh of relief.

"Count it, ref. One, two, three! And the winner is the Captain of Thunder himself, Captain...bleh," Marvel said as he fell onto his back and stared at the now cloudless sky with his arms lying on either side of him, sighing in relief before speaking to whom he hoped was the mare. "Yo, silver mare, it's done. The Hulk is down. Find Banner and let's see if we can get them back to--" Marvel shot up as he felt the ground move beneath him, looking at the smoking crater where he had left the Hulk with a shake of his head.

"There's no way. That was the finisher. There's no way he could get up after..." The Hulk proved Marvel wrong as a giant green hand pulled a giant green body out of the hole that Captain Marvel had created with Hulk's body. A pair of red, angry eyes locked onto Marvel and teeth gritted with rage opened to let loose a cry that had Marvel on his feet faster than the eye could process. "Okay, best two out of three, huh? Hope you like thunderstorms, because you're about to be caught in another one!"

Marvel threw a fist at the Hulk, but with speed that could match his own the Hulk caught his blow with one of his massive paws, slowly lifting his head to glare at the Captain with rage burning in his eyes. Marvel's eyes widened as he realized that the very earth was shaking beneath the Hulk and a green aura was radiating off of the monster.

"Don't tell me. You got stron-" A fist to the nose shut the kid up then and there, as well as hurled him into the sky again. Marvel shook his head while he flew to try and clear the cobwebs, but when he could see through his blurred eyes, a green gamma bomb tackled him in mid-air and meteored the both of them into a lake. Torrents of water poured onto the shores, causing ponies to run for their lives in both fear and confusion. Whatever water remained in the lake was removed as the two titans continued to slug it out in the center of a very dry lake bed.

"Knee of justice!" Marvel announced as he drove his knee into the nose of the Hulk, a burst of electricity erupting from it to blast the Hulk back. "How about some fish fry, Hulk?" Captain Marvel asked as he flew into the air, thrusting both hands down and unleashing lightning into the little amount of water that the Hulk was standing in. The Hulk roared as the water conducted the magical lightning, burning the Hulk's body while Marvel's power flooded into it. But to the horror of the big red cheese, the Hulk remained standing and when he looked up at Billy; he seemed only angrier.

"You gotta be kidding me. Go down already!" Marvel roared as he cast down more lightning than ever before, unleashing all of it upon a single target. Yet the Hulk hurled himself through the lightning and wrapped his arms around Marvel, driving him back-first into the ground with Hulk using his weight to hold Marvel down. Hulk then began to deliver earth-shattering blows to Captain Marvel's face, each more ferocious than the last.

'Billy, it's the mare. I need to warn you that the angrier the Hulk gets the stronger he gets! So try your best to avoid making him angry or his strength might surpass yours!' the voice of the mare said within Billy's mind, which he heard in between the gunshot-like sounds of fists meeting his face.

'Now you tell me, when he's using my face for a sandbag! Ryan's right, you truly are use-' Another knuckle sandwich to the face interrupted Billy's thoughts and snapped him back into the fight. With eyes that could watch atoms split, Marvel read Hulk's next attack and caught his fist with his hand, gritting his teeth as the strength of Hercules strained against the unstoppable power that the Hulk possessed. Hulk went to strike Billy down with his other fist, but Marvel blocked that one with his forearm.

For a brief moment the two were evenly matched. Then, Hulk let loose another bellow and the green radiation surrounding him increased, causing the ground to shake with even more ferocity. Then slowly, very slowly, Marvel watched as his arms began to get pushed back, despite Captain Marvel straining with all of his might to push the Hulk back. But the Hulk's wrath was absolute and with increasing speed he pushed back against the might of the gods, outmatching them with raw power alone.

'No...dammit no! I won't lose here!' Billy roared within his mind as he began to run electricity through his body, but the Hulk was too far enraged for the lightning to bother him any more. 'I have...to stop Adam...to save this world!...to get back to Bloom.' The Hulk slammed both of Marvel's arms down before placing his feet upon both of them, keeping the Champion of Magic pinned down while he lifted both arms, preparing to smash Marvel out of existence. Marvel opened his mouth as he prepared to call down the word a third time, but neither got the chance to act as a black bolt of lightning struck the Hulk in the chest and hurled him off of Marvel.

"This is truly an unforeseen turn of events. Explain to me what is going on." Marvel turned around with a sickening feeling gripping his heart when he recognized the voice. Floating at the top of the lake was the fallen champion in his black and gold, with a look of confusion and amusement on his face.

"Black Adam," Captain Marvel whispered.

"Correct, child. Now tell me why you are unleashing your full power on Doctor Banner," Black Adam began as he tightened his fist and let lightning crackle through it. "Before I turn my power on you."

Made Whole

"Oh great, not you too," Marvel muttered before an unholy howl could be heard and both thunderers turned to see Hulk leap into the air, driving his mass into the floating Black Adam and driving him back.

"Very well Hulk, you wish to fight me? So be it!" Adam roared as he drove an electrified fist into the Hulk's jaw, smirking when he felt and heard the bones break upon impact. He followed up the punch with a high kick to the jaw again that forced Hulk back, the jade giant snarling with rage and pain as blood trickled from his jaw. "Stand down Hulk and tell me why you are attacking the child or else I shall--"

"GGGGRRRRAAAHHHHH!" Hulk replied before he turned and smashed his mighty arms into Captain Marvel, hurling the child into the air. Faster than a bolt of lightning Adam was at Marvel's side, catching him before he was out of sight. Hulk let out another bellow when he reached down and tore a chunk out of the ground, hefting it onto his shoulders while he took aim at the pair.

"I do not think so," Adam said as he snapped his fingers, summoning three thunderclouds to surround the Hulk and bombard him with lightning strikes on all sides. "Boy, explain the meaning of this battle now or you will face my wrath," Black Adam instructed Captain Marvel as he released him, both of them locking eyes while they glared at each other.

"There's no time to explain! We have to stop the Hulk before he kills someone!" Marvel yelled as he turned back to the Hulk, who blasted away the thunderclouds with a round of applause before turning his rage back towards the two champions of magic. He screamed and hurled himself at the two, but before he could reach either of them both Billy and Adam unleashed their lightning upon him at once. Despite the raw fury that fueled the Hulk he could not stand up to two bolts of power from the Chosen Two and he was hurled across the sky, crashing down near the entrance to the small village that had been by the lake.

"Good freaking job, Adam! Way to knock the unstoppable monster of rage near the ponies!" Captain Marvel yelled at Black Adam while he tackled Hulk from behind, trying to drive him away from the town before he could get any ideas. But the Hulk was not one to be stopped so easily, and he grabbed Marvel by his face before slamming that face into the ground, where he drove his foot into Marvel's gut and kicked him across the field.

"If you had not gotten in my way, then he would have only been forced to his knees!" Adam retorted while he dive-kicked Hulk in the back of the head, stunning the giant long enough for Adam to slam his hands into the ground. A cage of electricity shot out around Adam and knocked the Hulk into the air, where Black Adam reached out and wrapped his fingers around the giant's neck while crying out, "SHAZAM!" and hurling him onto the ground. The divine lightning descended once again, but just as when Marvel tried it, all the lightning seemed to do at this point was get the Hulk angrier.

"What manner of beast is the Hulk?" Adam asked with disbelief in his voice when the Hulk not only got up after taking the power of the word, but also had the strength to charge at Adam and force the god to catch both arms over his head. To his horror, despite the strength of Amon flowing through him, the Hulk began to push Black Adam back. "You...were not this powerful when we fought before! But I am still far stronger!" With a bellow of his own Adam broke free of the Hulk's power and drove his fist into the Hulk's jaw, snapping his head back and hurling the Hulk through one of the buildings at the edge of the village.

"Great. Just great, Adam. Knock him towards the buildings! That will keep the ponies safe!" Marvel yelled at Adam when he landed next to him, debating whether to stop Hulk or knock Adam out then and there.

"Enough of your whining and tell me what in the underworld is going on?" Adam snalred as he grabbed Marvel's cape and pulled him in close so he could see Adam's eyes. "Why is the Hulk so powerful and why are you fighting with him? Is he not an ally of yours?"

"Not anymore. Banner and the Hulk are no longer in the same body, so according to the mare, that means that there's no one in there to hold the Hulk back," Marvel snarled back as he yanked his cape out of Adam's grasp, growling at him while he flipped his white hood up. "And the angrier Hulk gets, the stronger he gets. And right now he's all rage."

"So he has unlimited power?" Adam asked with a growl, not liking the sound of that. "But how did this happen?" Marvel opened his mouth to answer before realizing that he hadn't asked the mare how they had been separated. Then the voice of somepony that Adam had not heard in a long time spoke within his mind.

'You may thank the one called Tinker, Teth. He separated the Hulk and Banner simply to see what would happen.'

"You. I should have known that you would have your hoof in this," Black Adam snarled as he began to look around for wherever the mare was hiding, but at that moment the Hulk rose out from beneath the rubble of the empty house. He roared at the pair and took a step towards them, but then a small cry from behind him tore his attention away from the two, and turned it towards the filly standing behind him. She was nearly paralyzed with fear at the sight of the Hulk, whereas all the Hulk did was march towards her with a dark snarl. He lifted both arms above his head, only for two red ones to wrap themselves around his waist, Marvel taking them both into the sky before backdropping the Hulk into the ground.

"Show yourself and face me, mare! Today is the day you pay for what you have done!" Adam roared with fury as he began to sense the area around him, trying to pinpoint her location. But then an earth-shaking blow snapped his concentration and Marvel flew by him, crashing into the ground far off in the distance. Adam then turned his attention back to the Hulk, who was now walking through the small town while bringing down every building in his path. For a brief moment, Adam considered leaving the Hulk to Marvel and going off to find the mare, but then the better part of him took over and he hurled himself towards the Hulk with a snarl.

"Not today, monster! No more shall die on my watch!" The Hulk turned around at his words to take a devastating kick to the face that planted him into the ground, where Adam pinned him with his foot while he unleashed a thunderstorm's worth of lightning into the Hulk's face. "Flee, all of you! This is not a battle you shall wish to be near!" he called out to the nearby ponies over the roar of the lightning, all of whom took his advice and fled for their lives. An uppercut by the Hulk cast Adam back into the sky, where he felt himself get caught out of the air by a familiar power.

"Well, this gets worse and worse," Marvel muttered as he released Black Adam and the two glared down at the Hulk, who was making the streets beneath him quake with his sheer wrath alone.

"How do we stop him short of killing him?" Adam asked as power crackled through his hands and eyes, creating a thunderstorm above the pair. "Because right now that seems to be our only option."

'If we can fuse him and Banner back into one again, he should be able to regain control of himself,' the silver mare's voice said within both of their minds, getting Adam to snarl while Billy looked down at the radiating giant marching towards them.

"That might work, but one of us would need to find Banner and leave the other alone," he said with a shake of his head while he glared at Adam. "And I'm sure as hell not leaving you alone with the Hulk."

"We have no other option, unless you wish for me to kill him?" Adam asked with a sneer as he crossed his arms, eyes locked on the Hulk while the jade giant lumbered even closer to them. "But if we continue this battle, then the ponies will be the ones who lose. Go find Banner, boy. I will keep the Hulk subdued."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Captain Marvel snapped back. "He was kicking both our butts. So unless you have a hidden power that you haven't told me about..." Marvel's eyes widened as Black Adam smirked at him, pushing the child away from him before tilting his head back and crying out,

"SHAZAM!"

Marvel covered his eyes as the power from on high cast itself down upon the man, yet instead of stripping him of his godly form like Billy expected the bolt to do, it only filled the child with fear as he let his eyes gaze upon what Adam had become. His normally black suit was now a divine white, with gold markings etched into the design. A staff was clasped in his left hand with a lightning bolt at the top, identical to the one the two of them wore on their chests, with golden grieves and gauntlets covering his arms and legs. But what terrified Billy the most was that he knew whose power Black Adam was now radiating, and it made him furious.

"You actually did it," Marvel whispered while he shook with fury, glaring at Black Adam, who cast him an emotionless glance. "You actually killed the wizard and stole his power! You MONSTER!"

"Yes. Another one of my many mistakes," Black Adam agreed, ceasing Marvel's anger for a moment and turning it to confusion. "But now is not the time to dwell on past mistakes. Find Banner and bring him here. I shall keep the Hulk contained." As he said this, he pointed his staff at the Hulk and unleashed hundreds of chains upon the monster, binding him within them and forcing the creature to his knees, where he roared with rage but was unable to escape. "Go."

Marvel cast one last look of disdain at Black Adam before he shot off into the distance, Adam watching him go before he turned his attention back to the bellowing monster bound before him. "You sicken me. All you seek in this form is the death and destruction of others, without any other thought. You remind me of a monster that once took everything I cared about, a monster called Doomsday. He too was a beast of rage, of unstoppable strength, and just when you believed him to be beaten he came back even stronger. He is the reason I lost everything. But now I have the power to make sure what happened to me shall not happen to others. So struggle all you wish monster, for you shall not harm another."

The Hulk bellowed with fury while he strained against his chains with all of his might, using his beyond godly power to shatter the chains that bound him. With a scream of hellish fury he lunged up at Adam, but the god sneered as he swatted the Hulk back down into the dirt with the back of his hand. "You are indeed strong, but it takes more than strength to defeat a master of magic. Ner de for shakazam." Four triangles of magic closed themselves around the Hulk, the beast bellowing when it slammed its fists into the walls that held him, to no avail.

"That took far longer than I was expecting," Adam said while he turned his head to face Marvel, who held both Banner and the other Trixie within his arms. The silver mare floated behind him while carrying the human with the false hand. "As you can see, not even the physical form of rage can overpower me," he said as he motioned to the Hulk while Marvel placed the two on the ground, Adam noticing that both the human and Trixie were unconscious.

"My god," Banner whispered with fear in his voice while he gazed up at Black Adam, every atom of his body able to feel the raw magical power that radiated from the godly being before him.

"Indeed. Now then, Doctor, I have been informed that the reason your ally is like this is because you have been separated from him?" Adam asked, waiting for a nod before continuing. "Do you know what magic...Tinker...used to make this happen?" Captain Marvel stepped forward and held out a small cylinder that Adam took, studying it for a moment with a snarl when he recognized it. "That utter fool. He will pay for this."

"Can you reverse it?" Banner asked. Adam nodded and turned to where the mare was with the coldest of expressions, once again debating whether or not to end her there. His oath to protect won out, and he motioned for Banner to stand next to the Hulk while Adam began to mutter incantations under his breath, lowering the barrier between Banner and the Hulk. The Hulk snarled as his eyes rested upon Banner and he leapt forward, but Adam trapped both of them within a column of electricity as he finished his incantations.

"Those who were once one now find themselves undone. Through the power of my magical light, I say to thee both...unite!" A flash of lightning and a roar of thunder went off at the same time, blinding all except for Adam as he continued to watch. The thunder died down and the lightning eventually stopped, allowing the group to look at where Banner and Hulk had stood. Now only a single monster remained. The green giant turned to face the group, but he wore an expression of exhaustion while he panted heavily.

"Hulk...tired," he muttered before falling onto his face, where he slowly began to shrink back down until he was Doctor Banner again.

"Banner," Marvel muttered as he rushed over to where Banner lay, helping the doctor up while the man slowly regained consciousness. "Did it work, Doctor? Is the Hulk...back to normal?" Banner slowly nodded in response with a somber expression upon his face.

"Thank you," Banner weakly muttered to Adam, Adam nodding in response. "You have no idea...how many lives you saved today."

"Indeed. But now I am faced with a dilemma," Adam began while he turned his gaze to the silver mare and four of the six champions standing before him, two of whom were out of the fight and the other two being exhausted. "For I could now crush the five of you without so much as an effort, and put an end to this charade of a rebellion that you are plotting."

"I'm still standing and I can still stop you!" Captain Marvel yelled up at Adam, but the two sets of eyes met and Adam saw doubt within his foe as Marvel gazed at Adam's ultimate power.

"You don't have to fight us, Adam. We are not your enemies, no matter what you might think," Banner said as calmly as he could while Adam turned his gaze towards him. "We are here for the same reason that you are--to save this world and to stop it from falling into the hands of destruction. We can work together." Black Adam narrowed his eyes at Banner, mulling over the idea in his mind before he turned to glare at the mare and a snarl crossed his face. But then, he turned his eyes towards the two beaten champions, and then towards the town that had been devastated by the Hulk, reaching his decision.

"Leave," Adam said to the group while he turned and began to float towards the ponies that needed him. "Both sides have suffered greatly today and because this destruction was caused by the arrogance of one of my judges, you may all leave without fear of my wrath. But know that the next time we meet, it shall not be under such an agreement. Now go." Adam did not look back as his foes gathered up their fallen and left the scene.

Marvel motioned for Doctor Banner to come with him, but Banner stopped and turned to look back at Adam. "We are not your enemies, Black Adam. There is another threat out there. We want the same thing as you. To end this war without anypony having to die and to put a stop to the Sphere of Destruction. We don't have to be enemies."

'And I...am not so sure that we must be enemies either,' Adam silently thought as he felt Marvel and the mare fly off with the others, keeping his word to not track them while he felt them leave his range of magical sense. When they were gone, he floated into the town and began to use his divine power to help repair the damaged buildings and heal those who had been injured. 'But Luna still seeks the harm of Celestia and I cannot allow that to happen. As long as you fight with her, I shall oppose you...but if the other threat turns out to be true, then perhaps I will need your aid.'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"That does sound like quite the tale, but to think that the Hulk had such power within him," Trixie said with a shake of her head while the others nodded in agreement. "But if he was so powerful, then how did you make it out alive? With how pathetic and cowardly you are, I thought for certain that the Hulk would have killed you on the spot. I know I would if I was given the chance."

"Because, you pathetic excuse for a sentient being, I determined that the Hulk would go after the man that kept him caged up instead of the pony that freed him!" Tinker yelled with a laugh, downing another mug of beer with mirth. The crowd that had gathered in the outdoor part of the bar laughed with him as well, but Spike, who was too large to fit inside, shook his head with a sigh.

"So you unleashed an ultimate being of destruction in the dragonland without so much as a second thought?" the dragon grumbled as he held a hand to his face. "And you wonder why Black Adam does not trust you with the more important missions."

"But that will all change after today! After Black Adam sees how I have torn my enemies apart by turning one of their own against them. He will no doubt make me the leader of the Judges!" Tinker replied with a loud laugh while he held his mug high and smiled at all who were listening to the tale. "Drinks all around on me! And get the strongest stuff the bartender's got!" The ponies all let out a cheer before the door to the bar got ripped off its hinges, all eyes turning to see who was entering.

"Black Adam! We were just talking about you!" Tinker laughed as Adam threw the door to the side. If Tinker hadn't been as drunk as he was, he would have known better than to be smiling by the look Adam wore upon his face. "So, I was thinking, after my amazing idea on how to tear our enemies apart with one of their own, that I should be given a promotion. Being fifth in command is really not my thing, so how about you make me-HURK!" His words were cut off as Adam's arm shot out and he wrapped his fingers around Tinker's throat, lifting the pony off of his stool and into the air with fire burning in the god's eyes.

"After your brilliant idea? Did you know that your 'brilliant idea' nearly resulted in the death and destruction of an entire town's worth of ponies? That by unleashing such an abomination upon the land, there are now spots in Equestria that are far too radioactive for ponies to live in?" Adam snarled up at the Tinker, using his power to burn the alcohol out of his system so the pony could hear every one of Adam's words. "What you did today was not only idiotic, it also borderlined on murder of the innocent."

"But...Hulk crushed two of the mare's champions!" Tinker gasped out before Adam tightened his grip again.

"At nearly the cost of an entire village of ponies. Allow me to make myself clear. You are not to engage the champions WITHOUT my consent. And if you do," Adam began as the room darkened and the sound of thunder could be heard rumbling. "I will throw you to the Hulk myself, and we'll see just how well your brains work against a beast like him." He dropped Tinker, who began to gag while he fought to get air into his lungs, and Adam turned towards Trixie with a cold stare as well.

"What are you doing in this establishment? You should be at your own tower in case of attack."

"Please, after the Hulk took down two of their own? They won't be doing anything anytime soon," Trixie said with a smirk while she took a sip of her drink. A bolt of lightning flashed from Adam's finger and shattered the mug, leaving the pony drenched in alcohol.

"We are leaving. All of us," Adam snarled at the group before reaching into a bag he kept in his belt, drawing forth a handful of bits and placing them on the counter. "To pay for the damages. Now, out." Trixie grumbled with annoyance as she walked out of the bar, Tinker following behind her while still trying to breathe properly. Spike spread his wings to take to the sky before Adam zipped up to him and placed a hand upon his chest. "Not you, Spike. I have something else I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"I have...reason to believe that Luna and her army are not the only threats to this land," Adam whispered to Spike, the two of them flying above the city so as not to be overheard. "I believe that there is another force at work, one that we know very little about. I encountered a small band of them the other night, but they eliminated themselves before I could get answers."

"What do you need me to do?" Spike asked.

"I need you to go around and see if there are any leaks, any chance that a pony among us could be working with this...force," Adam instructed while he looked down at the city with narrowed eyes. "Do not tell anypony what you are doing. This stays strictly between you and me. Do not even tell the other Judges."

"And what about Celestia? Are you going to tell her?" Spike asked.

"I will speak with her about what has happened tomorrow. But right now, my biggest concern is this group. Go." Adam watched the dragon fly off before turning to his own thoughts, none of which helped him solve the problem at hand. 'If Spike does find more evidence of this force and that they are a threat, then I may have to temporarily ignore Luna and her army. And if this force does indeed work for one who possesses the Sphere of Destruction, then that means Banner was right. And that a darkness is heading for this land.'

When Gods Fail You

Banner worked silently and alone in a large room near the bottom of the rebellion's secret base. Luna gave him the place so that he could work on dissecting the weapons and armor that they captured from Celestia's army. While Banner was supposed to be reverse-engineering them, he was instead hard at work putting the telekinesis modules that had been taken to good use.

"Hey Doc B, what's going on in here?" the voice of Billy called from behind Bruce, who was slightly surprised that he hadn't heard the child enter the room.

'Then again, I was hard at work,' Banner thought to himself as he arose from where he was working. He nodded to Billy while grabbing hold of a towel, wiping his hands free of grease while Billy looked over the two white and blue spheres on which Banner was working. "Hello, Billy. Is there a reason you came in here despite the sign saying 'do not disturb'?"

"Sorry, but I just figured that you would want to know that I'm going to be gone for a day or two," Billy said with a questioning look on his face before he moved it closer to the two spheres, looking over them with interest. "My turn for a question. What the heck are these things and why are you building them?"

"Those are spheres created with the modules that allow the ponies to use telekinesis. I've modified the telekinetic field within them, so they are now nearly a thousand times stronger than they used to be," Banner explained to Billy as he flipped one of the spheres on. "Please transform into Captain Marvel."

One lightning bolt later the red and gold champion stood before the good doctor, a smile on the man's face as Banner picked up one of the spheres and pointed it at Captain Marvel's arm. The telekinetic beam shot from a blue spot on the circle and consumed Billy's fists, getting the hero to raise an eyebrow.

"Please try to move your arm," Banner instructed. Billy did so with ease, causing him to flash Banner a look of confusion. "It may not seem like much now, but I am fairly certain that even you could not break through that field with physical strength alone. Of course, when the second part of this project is done, then these spheres' real power will come into effect. My turn. Where are you going?"

"He will be escorting a number of my soldiers and a number of supplies to a meeting place, where one of our more remote forces will be waiting," Luna said as she walked into the room, her silver battle armor shining despite the little light within the room. "Now, it is my turn for a question Doctor. Why are you building such a contraption when we need to know how Celestia's weapons work? Despite it being five years, we have not yet found out how to build them."

"This is a list of all of the weapons and how they work, along with some improvements I might tinker with when I have the time," Banner said as he walked back to his desk and pulled up a sheet of paper, one that Luna took from him with her magic before quickly reading it with a nod. "As for these spheres...call them insurance--just in case. Billy, may I speak to you for a moment?" Billy called down the lightning and walked over to Banner as a child once again.

"The reason that you volunteered to escort these ponies to the rendezvous wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and a certain Applebloom are going to be there, would it?" Banner asked Billy, but when Billy saw into Banner's eyes he already knew that Banner had figured it out. "Billy, I don't know how I feel about you spearheading this by yourself."

"Relax, Banner, Billy has shown that he is strong enough to fight Black Adam and defeat any of the judges," Luna said with a confident smile while she placed a hoof on Billy's shoulder. "I trust him with the mission completely."

"Power does not equal maturity. I am sorry Billy, but as valuable a teammate as you are, you are still a child," Banner said--not to insult Billy, but to prove a point. "I am fine with you fighting so long as one the other champions is with you, because we can use our experience to help you if needed."

"But you don't believe that I can handle it alone, despite having these powers and fighting evil for nearly six years?" Billy challenged as he crossed his arms with some heat, but a look from Banner shut him up.

"This is a war, Billy. Saving the day, stopping criminals and fighting supervillains is one thing. Overcoming those challenges shows you are a hero, and I have no doubt that you are a great hero. But fighting criminals and fighting a war is different," Banner said from experience, but this time his eyes were locked onto Luna before he turned back to Billy with a smile. "However, seeing as this is a small mission, I am willing to give you the chance to prove me wrong. Go keep them safe, and be mature." Billy raced out of the room with a smile on his face, while he headed to where the ponies had gathered before they left for the rendezvous, leaving Banner to turn a far colder look to Luna.

"Is something the matter, Doctor?" Luna asked in a dry tone, not liking the look the human was giving her.

"I have been meaning to talk to you for a while, but with recent events I have not found the time. However, I feel that I should inform you, that when we are done ending this war and saving the world from this being of destruction...I will be keeping Celestia in power." The look Luna gave Banner was priceless, but he kept his composure while fury broke out on Luna's face.

"Are you INSANE?! My sister showed that she was not fit to rule when she allowed a madman and a murderer to stay and "protect" the ponies of this land!" Luna roared with her full fury, yet Banner did not flinch in the face of her wrath. It paled compared to the wrath and rage he housed within him. "Every life that Adam takes is upon her hooves! The Elements! Discord! Chrys-"

"And how about the lives that are gone because you decided to wage war with your sister?" Banner quietly struck back, but his blow was a piercing one. "Because you believed that the only way to stop her was to wage war; that you had to split a nation in two and ask ponies to kill each other. She has shown herself the far more reasonable ruler."

"She gave a man who deserved to die a slap on the wrist and placed him back in a position of power!" Luna roared with rage, and for the first time Banner noticed that her eyes were far more slit-like than he remembered. "And I am going to bring her down and restore peace to this land! And if you try to get in my way-"

"No, Luna. You won't." Banner's words filled Luna's heart with ice when his eyes flashed a vibrant green, turning her rage into fear within a second as Banner glared into her eyes. "The other champions and I will end this war without losing any more lives. We will find a peaceful way to help the nation heal, and then we shall deal with those that seek to cast the world into destruction and death."

"And how do you possibly think you can accomplish this?" Luna asked with cold scorn in her voice while Banner's eyes returned to normal.

"Because we are all heroes, Luna, who put the lives of others above our own," Banner said as he turned and walked back over to his desk, sitting down while he began to work on the spheres again. "And that is why you are not one of the chosen champions, and that is why you will not be able to heal this land. You only seek to get revenge on your sister and to get revenge on a man who you believe is purely evil. And because of it, you threw this land into a war. Now, if you please Moon, leave my lab and allow me to continue working."

Luna wished to say more, but her fear of the giant only allowed her to spit on the floor before she left the room, allowing Banner to continue working alone.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Billy's eyes reflected the bright blue sky, while he lay upon his back with a piece of hay sticking out of his lips. His head rested on his arms with his body sprawled over the top of a crate that was being pulled along by a number of unicorns and earth ponies. Beside him with the map sat one very annoyed Applebloom, who made sure not to make eye contact with the kid while she instructed the ponies where to go. Two more crates were being pulled along in carts behind them, but Billy's biggest concern was keeping an eye out for trouble...and trying to get AB to talk to him.

"Fer the last time, if ya don't shut yer yap ah'm chucking ya off this crate!" she snarled at him when he had tried to make conversation with her for the fourth time in under half an hour, ticking the earth pony off every time.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, but I really want to know more about you guys," Billy said defensively as he rolled over to his side to wave down at Sweetie and Scootaloo. Sweetie politely waved back while Scoot's smirked, and he rolled back over to see the fuming Bloom. "Alright, if you don't want to talk about yourself then how about we talk about what we see in the clouds?"

"Ah see water and fluff. Now shut up," Bloom growled at him, getting Billy to sigh again as he rested his head back.

'But Bloom always loved that game,' Billy said with a sad sigh that only got him another order to shut up. He went back to looking up at the clouds while he began to hum to himself, and from the snarl from Applebloom he could tell he was getting to her. He snuck a look to see that she had the annoyed look on her face that he found to be so cute, before he sighed again and stopped his humming. 'I shouldn't torment her like this to make myself feel like I'm at home. This is a different world and different ponies Billy, so you have to treat them as strangers. But that doesn't mean that you can't try to be friends with them.'

"We're here." Billy sighed as he figured he wasted his only chance to actually make friends with this world's CMC, but when he sat up he found the carts parked in the middle of an open field, with hills all around them. But what was missing was the other ponies, something that put Billy and his group of ponies on guard immediately.

"We are a half hour early," Sweetie reminded the group, but none of them lowered their guard while one of the soldiers gave the order that they would rest for thirty minutes...and not a minute more. The pony had just gotten done saying this when hundreds of laser sights lined up on all of the ponies, all heads snapping around to look at the roughly one hundred armored ponies lined up on the hillside.

"All of you stand down! You are all under arrest by the order of-"

"SHAZAM!" With the same speed of the lightning bolt that struck down from the heavens, Captain Marvel turned into a gold and red blue, the guards wondering what was happening before they all looked at each other, to realize that their weapons were missing and their stasis and telekinesis had been destroyed by bolts of electricity. The blur came to a stop as Marvel finished dumping the weapons in the middle of the field, before giving a quick wink to the jaw-dropped CMC. "And that's why I'm here ladies. Alright, now it's your guys turn to surrender or else-"

A fist the size of a bus slammed into his back from behind and slammed the champion into the dirt beneath him. Marvel dug a trench with his face before he slid to a stop. He groaned as he picked himself out of the dirt, wondering what had hit him, and why he had felt something not-quite-right about the earth while he had slid through it, before he spun around to gaze upon a massive stone titan that towered over one of the hills. Beneath it stood a cloaked pony that Billy recognized as one of the Judges, before the titan let out a ferocious bellow as it swung its fist towards the champion again.

"Oh no, you do not!" Marvel growled while he caught the fist with his hands, his heels digging into the dirt as his godly might stopped the titan's blow. Marvel then brought back a fist of his own and slammed it into the one he was holding with his other hand, laughter escaping his lips when the force of his punch spun the titan and caused it to fall upon its face. "You're going to have to try harder than titans! I stopped an entire invasion of them in my world with ease!" he called out as he floated into the air.

The cloaked pony nodded before a black circle appeared at the base of the titan, which sunk into the dark depths before the circle closed up behind it. Captain Marvel narrowed his eyes while he looked down at the cloaked pony, who seemed to tilt his head as he looked at the red and gold champion. He clapped his hooves together, this time crafting a circle above Billy. A monstrous bird-like monster burst out from the depths of the circle and slammed into the champion, driving both of them downward.

"Oh yes, I know you. You're here for the shock therapy!" Marvel yelled while electricity coursed through his own body, getting the feathered monster to roar in pain as the godly magic burned into its skin. Marvel slammed a fist under its beak that knocked the bird back into the air, where he grabbed hold of one of its three tails. He spun it around like a top before chucking it at the cloaked pony, only to frown as another circle appeared to swallow the beast. "Enough hiding beneath your monsters! Face me yourself!"

The cloaked pony silently chuckled to himself before shaking his head at Marvel, getting the child to snarl before Marvel raced forward in a burst of speed to grab the pony by the throat. The Captain hoisted the pony into the air and went to pull back his hood, but the pony and the cloak erupted into a swarm of butterflies that startled Billy.

"What the heck is this guy?" Marvel asked as the butterflies reformed into the pony, who shook his head once again at Billy with what looked like a smile beneath the hood. "Okay, you want to play with magic? Then let me show you my tricks!" Marvel pressed both hands to his chest and let the lightning from the bolt empower his hands, making his job a little easier while he tried to recall the spells Twilight had taught him.

Anemoi Thundara!" Marvel roared before casting both his hands to the sky, causing streams of lightning to thunder off into the sky above them. Dark storm clouds descended within seconds to block out the sun and began to cast down flashes of lightning towards the cloaked pony as the light illuminated the darkened battlefield. The mysterious pony flickered as the bolts struck around him or on the spot where he was standing, though never striking him directly. Captain Marvel ceased the lightning storm by clasping his hands together when he saw that it wasn't working, snarling at the cloaked pony.

"My turn," a raspy voice said from beneath the cloak. Marvel was able to see a mouth opening under the hood before a horde of locusts burst forth from the pony's mouth and swarmed into the sky. The horde of locusts surrounded Marvel within seconds and attacked him in any way they could, crawling over his body while trying to get into his nose and eyes.

"RRRAAAGGHH!" Marvel yelled as a column of lightning burst forth from his body, incinerating the insects within seconds and allowing Marvel to rocket back down to where the pony was to slam a very restrained fist into his face. The pony crumpled instantly, but to Billy's increasing frustration he found that when he struck the pony, he burst into fireworks that illuminated the sky as they rocketed off. "COME ON! STOP USING THESE TRICKS AND FIGHT ME!"

"BILLY!" Marvel felt his heart erupt with hatred when he recognized who was calling out for his help, and he slowly turned to see that the cloaked pony was now standing behind Applebloom, an arm wrapped around her throat as he gazed up at Marvel from beneath the cloak. AB struggled as best she could, occasionally elbowing the pony in the face, but the cloaked figure did not react at all to the assault. Marvel, on the other hand, was reacting badly.

"Let me put this in terms that you can understand. If you...so much as harm a hair on her mane," Billy began coldly, before his face vanished under the darkness of his hood, until his eyes erupted with lightning and the white teeth of his snarl could be seen. "Then you will feel the lightning of the gods. Now. Let. Her. Go."

Marvel wasn't sure if the pony smirked or not, but in the next instant a blade erupted from Applebloom's shoulder. The mare howled in pain while the cloaked figure withdrew the knife and went to stab her again, but in that half second Marvel had already drove his fist through the pony's cloaked head, causing insects to burst out of the back of it. With his foe down, Marvel appeared at Applebloom's side, horrified as he looked down to find that the dirt was already soaked with blood.

"Hold on, this is going to hurt," Marvel warned her while he electrified his hand and held it against her shoulder, blocking out her screaming as best he could as he cauterized the wound. The moment he had made sure that the blood had stopped flowing, he turned with the wrath of Zeus flowing through his eyes. He spotted the cloaked pony back on his hooves again, almost looking like he was smiling at Marvel.

"You. Are. Dead." With another yell Marvel hurled himself into the pony and took them both into the skies, where he delivered a jaw-shattering left and right to the pony's face before dropping an elbow that could crack continents. The force of the blow rocketed the pony towards the ground, but Billy caught his leg and began to spin, building up enough speed to vacuum in the nearby clouds, before he hurled the pony into the dirt. Despite his fury, Marvel restrained himself to the point where the pony wouldn't die, but he was fairly certain that it would never walk again. That was until the cloaked pony stood up.

"Why don't you stay down?" Marvel snarled while he glared down at the pony. The pony smirked up at Marvel before slowly turning his head to look at the downed Applebloom. "DON'T YOU DARE!" Marvel bellowed from above, but his anger only seemed to fuel the pony even further as he began to walk towards Applebloom. Marvel howled with rage while he clasped his hands together and began to incant, not caring how he strung the spells together as long as they were destructive and powerful.

Applebloom grunted as she struggled to push herself away from the pony who was advancing towards her, looking into his cloaked face to see that his entire face seemed to be moving. But then, illuminated by the lightning spell being cast over head, her eyes spotted a small bit of metal sticking out of the ground by the pony's hooves. A piece that looked an awful lot like a bomb.

"FALL!" Marvel yelled as he sent the lightning bolt crashing down onto the pony, watching with a roar as the lightning consumed him. Marvel assumed that since the cloaked one had survived all of his other attacks that he would survive this one as well, if only barely. But then everything vanished in a massive explosion. The explosion came out of nowhere, yet there was enough power within it to hurl the champion of magic across the sky, where it took him a moment to catch himself. But when he did, the sight that greeted his eyes caused him to trade his anger for fear.

"No..." There was only silence after the thunder that Billy had cast down upon the pony, the sound that Billy never wanted to hear after unleashing that much power. But as ice slowly began to encase his heart, he descended into the crater that used to be the field where all of the ponies had been standing, with the green grass being replaced with black ash. With lightning-like speed, he surveyed the area in a desperate search for survivors, but only emptiness greeted him. He was about to call out for the ponies, when he spotted a small object half-covered in ash.

"No," he sobbed as he floated to the object and knelt down, scooping the burned ribbon into his shaking hands. Tears began to fall onto the ribbon as the weight of what he had just done crashed down upon his shoulders. Within moments, the silence had been replaced by his choked sobs, the skies above letting loose the rain as if to cry with him. 'No...no...why didn't I listen to Banner? Why did I do this by myself? I got angry...used too much magic and now...now they're all gone...'

Unbeknownst to the broken champion, a small number of insects covered in pieces of a cloak scurried off from the battlefield, mortified by what they had seen done by the champion. Being reduced to such a small number meant nothing to them, because they had survived far worse in the past and could always reform a new body if needed, but they still shook with fear since they knew how close to death they had come. But they also knew that Black Adam would wish to hear of what they had just witnessed, and what happened to the guards that had been sent to capture Luna's forces.

Adam would want to know how over a hundred ponies had been killed by Captain Marvel--just as Star-Swirl had planned.

The Strength to Rise

"How long has it been?" Banner asked the Princess of the Night while both of them looked through a small crack in the doors at the Champion of Magic, who hadn't moved nor changed back to his mortal form since returning alone. He simply sat by himself in the room with his hooded head hung in defeat.

"You do realize that I am still mad at you, right?" Luna reminded the scientist, yet a green-eyed glare from the doctor convinced her to change the topic. "Sigh...it has been three days since Billy returned alone from his escort mission. He hasn't said a word to any of us since, and he's been solitary in this room for all of that time. That room, as I already told the others, belonged to Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, none of whom have returned."

Banner rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands as he tried to think while Luna continued, "And despite Billy not saying anything, my scouts have reported that the place where the transfer was supposed to take place is now just ash. The unicorns picked up traces of divine lightning that we can assume was the cause of the destruction, so it isn't that farfetched to believe that Black Adam was the cause of all that destruction."

"No..." Banner began while he crossed his arms and thought back to how Marvel had acted over the past few days. How he looked completely defeated and how the air of guilt hung over him--a feeling that Banner knew all too well. "No, I don't believe that it was Black Adam. If Black Adam had been the reason behind the destruction of the convoy and the ponies there, then Billy would be infuriated. Not...depressed."

"Are you kidding me? My unicorns detected divine lightning at the barren hills," Luna reminded Banner with a chuckle. "If it wasn't Black Adam that decimated the land, then the only other being it could have been was..." Luna's words died as the realization struck her dumb and she slowly looked up at Banner to see him nod. "But he is one of the champions. Why would he...?"

"That's what I want to know, but right now he isn't talking and none of us are going to be able to get the answers out of him in this state," Banner said with a sigh of frustration, needing to know what had happened. 'But I also don't want to push Billy. He's clearly breaking down right now, and I don't want to hurt him by trying to get him to recall what happened. Not to mention, if he were to snap I don't know if we could stop him. Hulk can barely stop Adam.'

"So, what do we do then? We can't just sit around and wait for him to feel like talking. This is war, and every second we spend waiting for him puts more lives in jeopardy. I'm going to get him to talk," Luna began before a wave of azure magic grabbed her by the face and dragged her to the floor, where she looked up to see the disdainful gaze of Trixie looking down at her. "Unhoof me, Trixie! Do you have any idea whose face you're dragging to the floor?!"

"Yes, Princess, I know full well what I'm doing. But clearly, you do not," Trixie said with scorn in both her voice and her eyes, scorn which she then turned upon Banner as well. "You both are talking about finding a way to get information about something terrible that happened out of Billy. Something so horrible, that he has not spoken in days and refuses to leave that room."

"We have established that already, but we have to find some way to discern what happened," Banner said in a serious tone, but one that did not lack compassion. "Billy is the only one who knows what happened out there, and as painful as it is, we need to find out who destroyed the convoy. And if my suspicions are correct, I may need to..."

"Take your suspicions and shove them up your rear," Trixie said with a snarl, that caused both Luna and Banner to look at her with surprise and shock written on their faces. "I know what you're both thinking. You're both asking yourselves what if Billy killed the ponies there...if he might need to be brought down. What I'm thinking is, that there is a child in that room who is hurt beyond words because of either his own actions or the actions of somepony else. He does not need the two of you to judge him. What he needs right now is somepony to comfort him. Now, if you will excuse me..."

Trixie stalked past Banner and Luna as she said this, her tone and her words having struck both of them dumb. The anger upon her face changed to sympathy when she sat down next to the red and white champion, whose face she could not see under the hood. The two were silent for a moment while Trixie thought out what she wanted to say to him beforehoof, but then she took in a small breath and asked her first question.

"Billy? Are you alright?" The silence she got in response was to be expected and Trixie accepted Billy's answer with a nod, figuring that was how he would answer. She then asked her second question. "Will you talk to me?" Again silence was the only answer she got, but instead of asking another question Trixie gently placed her head upon the Captain's shoulder, trying her best to comfort him. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you, even if you don't want to talk."

Trixie did not keep track of how long the two of them sat in silence, nor did she care. She knew that if Billy was going to talk it would be on his own time, not hers. She occasionally caught a glance of Banner and Luna watching the two of them, with Mr. Bubbles joining them eventually. Bubbles let out a sad moan while his eyes flashed between green and yellow before he walked into the room as well, sitting on the other side of Captain Marvel without making another sound.

"Billy..." Trixie eventually said to break the silence, yet her words only gained the attention of Mr. Bubbles. "I just want you to know that whatever happened out there, I will not judge you for it. I am sure that it was not your fault." The moment her words left her mouth the air in the room changed. Both she and Bubbles looked at Marvel with surprise as lightning began to crackle along his body, while his fists were clenched tight enough to crush diamonds.

"Not my fault?" he said in a near whisper, yet there was enough wrath and sorrow in his voice that Banner and Luna were instantly on guard. Trixie and Bubbles both stayed by Billy's side but never took their eyes off of him. A surge of lightning pushed them both away from him as he floated to his feet, Trixie not certain whether he was in control of his actions or not.

"It's not my fault that I unleashed a sphere of lightning far more powerful than I could handle? It's not my fault that I did not think things through and just went in swinging?" Marvel asked them both while the whole compound began to shake from the sheer power of anger radiating off of Captain Marvel. Trixie and Bubbles backed up next to each other as lightning flashed in Billy's eyes while thunder rumbled. "It's not my fault that I killed all of the ponies in that convoy including Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and APPLEBLOOM?!" he thundered.

Trixie was afraid at this point, with no clear idea of what Billy might do next. She knew full well that even if he didn't want to hurt any of them, with the amount of lightning that was surging off of his body one of them might become Ryan's new roommate. But before she or the two standing outside of the door could act, Mr. Bubbles let out a moan and began to walk towards the raging thunderer. With most of his body covered in metal the lightning was drawn to him, causing him to roar in pain as the electricity coursed through his body and his armor. But Bubbles never slowed down nor did his eyes ever change from a bright green as he walked towards Marvel, not stopping until he was right next to him. He moaned one more time before he reached out with his arms and pulled the Captain into a hug.

Both Captain Marvel and Trixie looked at the Big Daddy with confusion for a brief second before Billy broke down completely, sobbing heavily against the iron golem who let out comforting moans while he patted the boy on the back. The lightning show stopped as Marvel's muffled sobs continued for a minute, before is heroic will fought back the sadness and helped him to regain control of himself.

"I'm sorry..." Marvel whispered as he pulled his hood down over his eyes so none of them could see his face, but no one who was watching needed to see his face to catch the shimmering tears that fell to the floor. "I just...need a minute." Banner and Luna chose that moment to try to enter, but Trixie gave them a glare so fierce that even the Hulk flinched within Bruce. Captain Marvel sat back down again with his face in his hands, trying to keep himself from breaking out into tears again. With the strength of Hercules he managed to suppress his sorrow, but he didn't speak again.

"Billy," Trixie began in a more serious tone than she had used earlier, gaining the attention of everypony in the room. "You said that the reason this...happened was because that you used a spell that you could not control, correct?" Billy nodded and Trixie placed a hoof under her chin, silently thinking to herself.

"Then, I will teach you how to use your magic--teach you how to use it on a level that you have not yet achieved," she decided with a voice of confidence, getting a look of confusion from the champions.

"But Twilight was already teaching me, and even then we had a hard time making progress because of how strange my magic is," Marvel explained with defeat already within his voice. "And that was five years' worth of training. How do you expect me to--"

"How do you expect to improve if you get so down on yourself?" Trixie cut him off before he could finish. "I know what you are going through, it is one of my greatest failures as well, but trust me when I say that you must learn from this. And you are right in saying that I am not Twilight. I will not teach as she would. I will teach you the same way I taught Starshine and the same way Sombra taught me--through the desire to protect those around you."

"What do you mean?" Billy asked.

"Starshine learned how to do magic despite being crippled because he wished to protect me. I learned spoken magic from Sombra because I sought to protect my son. Both of us learned much faster than normal, because we wished to protect those we loved. And from the little I know of you, I have seen that you wish to protect everypony," Trixie explained while a smile spread on her face as the Captain's eyes widened. "We shall mourn those who died when this is over, I promise you this. But right now, we need to help you gain a mastery over the magic that you know so little about. And I promise you, that if you take my hoof and allow me to train you, then we will make sure that what happened out there will not happen again."

Marvel looked at her extended hoof for a moment before he hung his head, getting a sad moan out of Bubbles, but Trixie continued to hold her hoof out. She did not know how long it would take, but she already knew what Billy's answer would be. Then, Captain Marvel raised his head and extended a hand to her, clasping her hoof with his hand as he rose to his full height. There were still tears in his eyes, but they were quickly burned away by the look of determination that he now wore on his face.

"Alright, Trixie. Let's do this."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Six hooded figures walked down the moonlit streets alone, none of the ponies in the large buildings around them daring to be out at this time of night. It was the time of night when the monsters prowled, seeking innocents to be caught in their claws. But none of those monsters that lurked in the shadows dared to mess with those in the cloaks, those whom all knew to avoid.

"I still can't believe that we have to meet in such a small city," one of them grumbled from beneath his hood as he cast a scornful look at the buildings around him. "When are we going to tear down the old world and rebuild it the way it should be--with unicorns in charge just as they used to be?"

"Patience, young one. If destroying this land and rewriting it was so easy, it would have been done a long time ago," one of the senior ponies said with a cold voice, getting the other one to grumble to himself. "But we are closer than anypony else has gotten, make no mistake of that. A few--maybe one month more and then we will get what we wish."

"Feh, I do not know ho much longer I can wait. I hate having to act polite to these...inferiors," a female pony snarled beneath her cloak. The six continued on in silence until a Pegasus ran past the group and slammed into the side of the female cloaked pony, knocking her over before the Pegasus ran off into one of the alleyways. "Excuse me for a moment. This will not take long." The unicorns all snickered amongst themselves as she stalked into the alleyway after the Pegasus. A flash of magic went off to illuminate the dark alleyway which was followed by the sound of a body hitting the ground, causing the group to chuckle to themselves while the cloaked pony walked out of the alleyway with a growl.

"Infidel," she grumbled before nodding to the rest of the group to continue on. They walked in silence for the rest of the way until they came to a warehouse that seemed abandoned, with moss hanging off of the side and most of the windows shattered. Yet, it was clearly their destination for when they approached the entrance, a pony in a cloak emerged from the shadows and motioned for them to stop.

"Who will be spared in the second coming?" he asked in a gruff voice, his horn slightly glowing.

"None. All shall be destroyed, then rebuilt," the elder pony answered in a voice that told the others he had done this many a times. The guard nodded before the floor began to sink beneath the group, hardly affecting any of them as they had all done this many times. The elevator came to a stop to reveal a large chamber filled with dark cloaked ponies, though some of them had their hoods down, and were talking to others that they knew. Yet the most common factor among them was that they were all unicorns.

"Wow, this has to be one of the largest gatherings that we have had in a while," one of the group said as she looked around at the sheer volume of cloaks. "If it wasn't for these large hips, I would try to come to more of these things."

"Got a crush on a certain leader, eh?" one of the younger ones taunted her, his laugh getting cut short by a hoof to the face that drew blood. Their very brief fight was broken up by the Pegasus-killer, who snarled at the both of them as all of the ponies began to gather around a strange device in the center of the room. The six walked over as well just as an image emerged from the device, revealing a unicorn with a very large beard beneath his dark hood. The newer members gasped at the image of the unicorn covered completely in darkness, able to feel his presence through the magical image, despite him not actually being there.

"There he is--Star-Swirl the Bearded--the greatest unicorn in the history of Equestria," a voice in the crowd said with admiration as all eyes were glued upon the figure that towered above them.

"Hello, my children. How nice it is to see that those who have opened their eyes have grown in the few months since we have had one of these...meetings," Star-Swirl said with a voice the held so much power within it, that all shivered at his mere whispers. "But that is enough for the small talk, for there is work that we must speak of," he began as his eyes scanned the crowd, stopping once or twice on certain ponies before he began to speak.

"Everything is going according to plan and perhaps a little bit better. Our inside sources within Luna's army have informed us that not only were both forces wiped out during the cargo exchange, but also that Captain Marvel, one of those infernal champions who thinks he can beat us, believes that he was responsible for their sacrifice," Star-Swirl said as he wheezed slightly, the closest he ever came to laughter. The crowd laughed slightly as well, yet most of them held a fear for any that looked like Adam. "That little incident has pushed our plan ahead by a month."

"Onto other matters to discuss. Those sources within Celestia's ranks have told us that she wishes to face her sister and the champions by herself. While that would no doubt be entertaining, we must not allow them to fight until all is prepared. Then, they may unleash the destruction of the sun and moon upon each other." Star-Swirl then turned his gaze skyward with rage in his eyes, a rage that caused nearly all to cower. "Luna and Celestia--the two fools who believe themselves to be gods, are so blinded by their hatred that they cannot see what happens beneath their very noses. It sickens me."

"Sir...what of Black Adam?" a courageous pony asked from within the crowd, his words causing all who were near him to shoot away from him as fast as they could. Star-Swirl slowly turned his gaze upon the pony with a smile, a smile that was far beyond menacing while the courageous pony continued, "Just last week he attacked one of our secure locations and almost interfered with the transfer of the device. What shall we do about--"

"Do not worry about the false champion. He will not be able to stop us, not when the time is right. We have the god and the monster on our side," Star-Swirl explained to comfort the ponies, but at the mention of two such beings the gathering seemed to become even more fearful. "They will deal with Adam, just as we shall make sure that Adam deals with Luna's false champions. They believe themselves to be the kings and queens, but they do not know that they are simply pawns in our game and will be swept off the board when the time is right."

"Yet as certain as our victory seems, we must not allow any mistakes to take place. As much as a fool as he is, Adam is still strong enough to undo all of our work. Those who are carrying out the next stage of our plan know what to do next, but to those of you who are hiding with the two sisters' ranks, your objectives remain the same. Spread chaos, keep the sisters fighting and cause as much destruction as you can. For soon, all those who believed themselves to be mightier than you shall be beneath you...six feet beneath you."

Having said all he had wished to say, Star-Swirl vanished and the device shut off, leaving the ponies to talk amongst themselves about what they had just heard.

"Then, we're almost at the endgame. We mean to make our move soon," the elderly unicorn said to the others, each of whom wore smiles beneath their faces before they changed into frowns while they looked around.

"Hey, where did Grasswhistle go? She was just right here a moment ago?" one of them pointed out to their friend's sudden disappearance.

"She probably went off to carry out Star-Swirl's decree," another one of them said with a shrug. "You know how much of a fanatic she is. Makes the rest of us look normal in comparison to how far she'll take things."

"But soon we won't need to worry about the secrecy or laying low. Because we will be the ones standing above the rest," one of them said with glee in his voice as he rubbed his hooves together. "Just as it should be."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Outside of the warehouse, past the secret entrance to the underground chamber and the now unconscious guard, walked away a solitary figure who wore a cloak over her form. But once the warehouse was out of view she cast the cloak aside with a snarl of rage and allowed her wings to stretch, having to hold them tight to her body to prevent them from sticking out under the cloak.

"So that's what all of you sickos are up to," she said with grim determination while she cast off into the night, weaving through the shadows as if she was one of them. But even though she had been trained to fight and move in the dark, the cowl that rested upon her head was what helped her navigate the pitch black streets.

'But all that meeting did was confirm my suspicions. Both sides have been compromised and it seems that the fire of war burns just as strongly from within,' she thought to herself as she glided through the streets, taking a brief respite atop a building next to some of her oldest allies: gargoyles. 'But there are far too many ponies within both ranks for me to single the spies out in the time that we have left...there is still more work that needs to be done. But I can't be away for too long, as the other still need me.'

She leapt from atop the building, her wings outstretched, silently sailing off into the night just as a bat would. 'I heard rumors about what had happened with Luna's convoy, but this confirms that Billy is not to blame. His spell wasn't the cause of those ponies' deaths.'

Heroes

Crystal buildings that towered above a green landscape greeted Adam's eyes while he descended from above towards the empire in the north, a place that he had not visited in nearly ten years. Not that he wasn't welcomed, for many of the ponies here respected and even admired him, but because his own guilt kept him away--kept him away from one of the nobler souls in Equestria, a stallion who had chosen not to fight despite what Adam had done to his family. It was a choice that Adam knew was beyond him.

The crystal ponies in the streets all began to cheer and wave to him when they spotted him flying above them, most of them motioning for him to descend and talk to them. He knew that the Crystal Empire was a place that he never visited and many of the ponies were desperate to speak to him, but he did not wish to be there longer than he needed to be, 'For my presence will only cause Shining more harm, harm that he does not deserve. I will make this brief.'

The Crystal Palace was his stop and the guards standing out front opened the doors for him without an word, but the smiles on their faces told Adam that they welcomed him. Adam nodded to them before taking a moment to look up at the top of the tower, where a beam of magic could be seen shining off into the distance, protecting Canterlot from harm. 'Yet, that only means that this place will be attacked in time as well. But I will make sure that their destruction of my Spires ends here. They will not get past me.'

While Adam walked into the Crystal Palace, his thoughts turned away from how he planned to defeat the champions of the mare and instead wandered down a darker path, a path that involved thoughts of the Sphere of Destruction and the army that had been raised by it. 'Spike told me that there has been a number of strange sightings with cloaked ponies, all of whom seem to work for the same master--Star-Swirl, if what little I heard from the cloaked ponies is correct. Does that mean he is behind this?'

'But that is impossible,' Adam decided as he walked up the crystal stairs through the library, ignoring the looks of admiration many of the ponies gave him. 'I visited his grave myself. I saw his bones. He is still dead...unless, somehow his spirit managed to transcend death and...' A cold realization began to wash over Adam, but before that thought could root itself in his mind, his thoughts were broken by a cry of sheer joy by a foal before him.

"OHMYFAUST! It's Black Adam!" the small colt with a pinkish coat and an ice blue mane before him exclaimed with a huge smile as he ran around Adam. Black Adam could not help but smile at the pony's enthusiasm, for despite having never met the colt before, he knew well who little Victory was. "I can't believe that you're finally here! Did you finally get the letter that I sent you?!"

"Which of your hundreds of letters are you referring to?" Black Adam politely answered before his face took on a far more serious expression. "I wish I could talk but I have urgent matters that I must discuss with your parents. Can you please lead me to them?"

"Of course, Sir!" Victory said with a salute before he practically skipped ahead of Adam, leading him through the halls of crystal towards the throne room. Victory was quiet for a barely a minute before he burst out talking again, asking Adam a number of question that Adam either answered politely or silently ignored. Black Adam was relieved to finally reach the throne room, for he did not know how much longer he could endure Victory's bombardment of questions. With a light tap the twin doors to the throne room swung open, revealing the prince and princess of the Crystal Empire, both of whom had looks of shock on their faces when their son ran over to them with Adam following behind him.

"Black Adam. What are you doing here?" Cadence said with a snarl in her voice, telling Adam that she had not forgiven him for his actions. He could not fault her. Shining held out a hoof before his wife could say any more, and he cast a quick glance towards Victory, who seemed confused as to why his mom was angry at Adam.

"Hello, Black Adam," said Shining, who greeted Adam in a very calm and professional tone, standing up from his throne and giving Adam a small bow, one that made Adam's heart burn with guilt. "I must admit that I never expected to see you in the Crystal Empire. Something big must have happened for you to come here in person."

"Isn't it awesome, Dad?! For years I've wanted Black Adam to come here, yet he never did--until now!" Victory exclaimed with excitement, before a realization crossed his mind. "Hold on a minute, Black Adam, I've got some posters of yours that I want you to sign! Be right back!" With a somber expression on his face, Adam watched the colt race off before he turned to look back at Shining and Cadence. Both of their expressions matched his.

"You never told your son that I was responsible for the death of his aunt, did you?" Adam asked the pair. Shining responded with a slow nod while Cadence spit onto the floor beside her throne, refusing to make eye contact with Adam.

"What would be the point?" Shining asked with a heavy sigh while he looked at one of the stained glass windows in the throne room, the one that held a purple alicorn with five other ponies around her. "We planned to tell him when he was old enough, but then one day he got ahold of a paper telling the story about how you saved all of Equestria from that eight-headed dragon that emerged from the west. Ever since then, he has been a huge fan of yours, idolizing you as a hero." Adam hung his head with guilt when he heard the pain in the prince's voice. "Hell, he even bought all of your action figures."

"So, if I were to tell him that his hero killed his aunt, he might never believe in heroes again," Shining continued while he regained control of himself, talking in his professional tone once again. "And for the most part, you've acted like a hero ever since the fall of Ares, so I see no reason to tell him any different. Now then, what did you wish to talk to us about?"

"There are a group of six champions...five now, if we assume that the one called 'Ryan' is done, that are destroying the Spires so that they can attack Canterlot and overthrow Celestia," Adam informed the pair, both of whom nodded to tell him that they knew. "If you know that, then you must also know that it is only a matter of time before they come here as well, to destroy this Spire and come one step closer to their goal. I am here to ask you which one of my judges would you like to have protect you?"

"You do not believe that we can defend our own home?" Cadence snarled at him, but the cold look she received from Adam silenced her.

"No, Princess, I do not believe you can. These six are far beyond anything you may have seen, with one of their own able to match me in power," Adam informed them, and from their faces he saw that he got his point across. "I...would like to request, if I could be the one to protect the Crystal Empire. If you would allow-"

"No, Adam," Shining coldly cut him off. Adam silenced himself at once. "I may tolerate you being here to discuss official business, and I may have promised that I will not raise a hoof against you in revenge, but do not think for a moment that I welcome you here. Spike can protect us. I have always liked that little dragon. He reminds me of my sister's dragon. You remember what happened to her?"

"She...yes, I remember what happened to her," Adam said with guilt in his voice while he forced the memories back. Any further conversation was interrupted, when Victory burst back into the room with posters practically falling off of him. He skidded to a stop in front of Adam, holding all of the posters of the Dark God that Adam did not know existed, begging him to sign them. When Adam had done so, using his symbol instead of his name, Victory thanked him profusely before racing back off towards him room, saying that he had some trading cards that needed to be signed next.

"Why, 'Victory'?" Adam asked the two once their son had left the room. "After all that I've done and all that was taken from you, why a name like that?" Cadence and Shining shared a look with each other before answering him, both of their faces became softer as they spoke of their son.

"His birth was a struggle for Cadence, one that the doctors weren't sure she would survive," Shining explained while he took his beloved's hoof in his, gently resting his head next to her with a smile. "But the two of them pulled through, and we had a son. When we decided on the name, we thought about everything that had happened in the past couple of years and how everything seemed to be against us. So, his birth was like a small victory for us. We liked that idea and decided that it should be his name. That's how he got it."

"I see. Thank you for listening to me. I will send Spike over as soon as I can," Black Adam said to the pair before he floated in the air while preparing to leave, not wanting to cause the two any more pain with his being there. He had just reached the opening in the ceiling when Shining said his name, stopping him and turning him back around to look at the prince.

"You know, Black Adam, sometimes at night I wonder to myself what would Equestria be like if you had never showed up," Shining said out loud, though his eyes informed Adam that he was a thousand miles away. "Would my sister still be alive? Would she be the ruler of her own kingdom? Would everything be peaceful and harmonized?" Adam's face fell at his words, figuring what he was implying, but Shining continued on: "Or would we all be slaves of Discord? Would Chrysalis have taken over Equestria and would Cadence and I be kept apart forever? Would Tirek have killed the princesses and destroyed harmony itself? I do not expect to know the answers to these questions, but it's a thought that sometimes keeps me up at night. I wonder if you think it as well?"

Shining motioned for Adam to leave after saying his piece, and the Dark God did so without another word, taking to the skies above the Crystal Empire. He tried to keep his thoughts on the mission at hand and how he would inform Spike that he would be protecting the Crystal Empire, but his thoughts betrayed him and his mind kept wandering back to what Shining had asked him. What would Equestria be like if Adam had never appeared?

'It is pointless to think about. It is an answer that he will never know,' Adam silently thought before he came to a stop in the air, turning his head to where his interdimensional transporter was kept. 'But just because he cannot know does not mean that I cannot find out.'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Thunder rocked the forest while lightning flashed from nearly all directions, terrifying all the animals and birds that were close to the place where the pony trained the god, who was not having much success with his magic. With a roar that shook the very ground, Marvel slammed his hands together, ceasing the spell he had been trying to cast and ending the potentially deadly lightning storm. Marvel let out an exasperated sigh as he collapsed to the ground, holding his hands over his face while Trixie walked over to him.

"Alright, let's try it again," she said to him, only to get a muffled grunt in reply. She sighed before using her magic to lift him to his feet despite his small attempt at resisting. "Remember, in order to use worded magic properly, you must have complete confidence in the spell you are casting or else the magic will fluctuate and become unstable. This is what happened during your escort mission--your rage compromised your spell."

"I get it, you told me this already," Marvel growled as he clasped his hands together once again, creating a sphere of lightning between his two palms that began to grow larger while he muttered ancient spells to increase the size and shape of the orb. But then, the image of Applebloom's bow flashed before his eyes and he shut them in fear, causing the sphere in his grasp to fluctuate again. Trixie dove for cover as tendrils of lightning carved burn marks into the ground around them while Marvel fought to regain control of the sphere, but when the integrity of the spell was too far gone he hurled the orb of lightning skyward with all his might, shielding Trixie with his body when it exploded into a thunderstorm.

"Argh! It's no use! I can't control my magic!" Marvel roared as he stomped one of his golden grieved legs into the ground, causing a minor earthquake in the surrounding area. He sat down after his outburst and placed his head in his arms, saying nothing else when Trixie sat down beside him with a sympathetic smile.

"It takes time and practice to reach the levels that you are trying to achieve. But you will not reach Black Adam's level of spellcraft in just an afternoon," she reminded him, only to get an angry snarl in response. "Billy, what exactly did the Twilight of your world teach you in regards to magic, because it certainly seems like she did not help you with the spells you are trying to create."

"Twilight didn't like the idea of me using my magic as a weapon. She thought it would be better for helping ponies and healing them," Marvel grumbled when he lifted his head and muttered an incantation, placing his hands upon the ground as he did so. When he removed them there was a bundle of flowers that were all red and gold, which got an eyebrow raise out of Trixie. "So, while I'm pretty good as transfiguration and healing, the spells that I'll need to defeat Black Adam are severely lacking. Heh, not that any of my spells mean anything to his 'supreme form' or whatever he's calling it. Why am I even trying?"

"Because odds are you will fight Adam at some point, and I will make sure that you are ready when you do," Trixie said to him as she rose to her hooves and motioned for him to do the same. "Magic is a very fickle weapon Billy, far more unpredictable than science or the weapons that the army of Adam uses against us. For you see, even a weaker unicorn can overpower a stronger one if their magic is unpredictable and something that the more experienced unicorn has not seen. Take the shadow form that Sombra taught me; I have beaten more foes by using that than any of my spells, simply because they did not know how to counter it."

"That will not work against Adam. He's far too strong and cunning for something like that," Billy grumbled with defeat in his voice, blocking out everything that Trixie was trying to tell him. "Why did I have to be one of the chosen ones? Why couldn't it have been Superman or someone else? All I've done since I got here was mess up."

"Billy." Marvel snapped out of berating himself to look over at Trixie, who had a hard glare upon her face. "You have been one of the most helpful members of this team since you got here, and you are also one of the most positive members as well, helping to lift our spirits when we feel down. You are here because no one else could take your place."

"Then why couldn't I save them, if I'm supposed to be this champion?" Captain Marvel asked. Trixie thought about her answer before deciding that a question would be the better idea.

"Do you have a hero, Billy? Someone that you believe in?" Trixie asked him.

"Yeah, he's called Superman, the greatest hero to have ever lived," Billy said as his eyes lighted up. "He's stronger than me, faster than me, has all these cool powers and is the face of justice. He's the greatest of the heroes, bar none."

"I see. And has Superman ever failed?" Billy was silent for nearly ten minutes after her question, thinking back to his life with the League and the few times that he actually got to go out on missions with his hero. He had never seen Superman fail while on those missions, but he had heard stories...stories of when even Superman couldn't save the day.

"Yes."

"I see. And after these failures, did he give up? Did he stop fighting?"

"No, but he's Superman, the ultimate Champion of Good. I'm not him," Marvel sadly sighed as he tried to sit back down, but a glare from Trixie kept him standing.

"No. You are not. You are Billy Batson, the hero who saved his Equestria from not only your version of Sombra but also from Doomsday, a creature that the mare told me is stronger than you or Black Adam, and that killed Superman," Trixie reminded him, getting Marvel to avert his gaze. "You were chosen by the wizard Shazam because he saw something in you that he didn't see in anyone else, even Superman. And, you were chosen to be a part of this team because of the same reason--because there is something in you that we need."

"I know how much it hurts to be responsible for the deaths of innocents, to have their blood on your hands, but many more will die if you are not with us. We have lost Ryan; Hulk refuses to leave the depths of Banner's mind, and I have no idea where Batmare is. We need you, the Champion of Magic, more now then we ever have. I am not asking you to get over your grief and move on. I am asking that you help us now, to not let what happened there happen again."

Captain Marvel thought about what she said for a moment before he ascended into the skies and clasped his hands together, feeling the magical lightning course into them, before he slowly began to pull his hands apart to recreate the sphere of lightning that he had not mastered yet. Words of magic long since passed flowed from his mouth while he used their magic to keep the sphere under control, increasing its size and power while preventing it from becoming too powerful for him to handle. Then, the image of Bloom's bow flashed across his mind again and the spell began to waver just as it did before.

'No. I might not be able to create this spell as Adam can, but I will be damned if I cannot stop it!' he roared within his mind while he muttered trapping enchantments, creating a cage of electricity over his own sphere that contained the same streaks of lightning that were trying to burst forth from the sphere. He then clasped his hands together once again to silence the sphere before looking down at his hands. 'Trixie is right. I can't reach the level of magic that Adam controls right away. I can't match his power. But if I can find a way to contain it and use it against him...'

Marvel floated back down to Trixie, crossing his legs as he sat on the air in front of her with a sigh. "I need you to teach me how to trap or redirect magic. You were right in telling me that I cannot fight Black Adam spell for spell. He has had five thousand years on me. But what you can teach me is something he never learned: Restraint. Teach me how to control every aspect of both mine and my opponent's magic. Help me to even the field."

"That is an interesting idea, Billy. Yes...it might just work as well," Trixie muttered while she already began to formulate plans on how to help Billy create trapping and dispelling magic with which to fight his foe. "Trapping another pony's magic is hard, since all magic is unique to the pony casting magic, but as both you and Adam draw your powers from a similar source...very well, let me teach you what I know on stopping and countering magic." She began to set up counter spells and magical vortexes for Billy to practice against, but when she turned to look at the champion she saw that he had another question to ask her.

"You asked me about my heroes earlier, and I answered you with Superman, but you...never told me who your hero was," Marvel pointed out. Trixie retreated into her memories for a moment before she nodded with a sad smile.

"Yes. Her name was Morgaine." Trixie saw Marvel's face turn into one of shock, and that told her that he knew of Trixie's mother. "She taught me nearly all that I know about magic and helped me become confident and strong--a strength that I had to turn against her to prevent her from destroying my world. But despite my betrayal, she came back to save both my life and my family's lives, sacrificing her very soul so that we could live. So she is my hero, because she did what so few do. She changed for the better."

"Wow, your versions of my villains are sure different than mine," Marvel said with a thin chuckle. "The multiverse is crazy, huh?"

"Indeed it is. Also Billy, once I have helped you get the basics for magic ensnarement, I wonder if I could ask you if you would help me bring down a Spire?" Trixie asked Marvel, getting a confused look from the boy. "This Spire is said to be in the heart of Las Pegasus, a place where this world's version of me seems to reside. I would like to confront her, but I would also like some backup, and with your magical properties I believe that you would be of great aid."

"Sure. Just let me tell the princess and Banner where we're heading and-"

"No. Do not tell them. Batmare believes that our base has a spy within it," Trixie informed Billy, who nodded as Trixie's words confirmed some of his own suspicions. "I want to do this secretly, and then when we return I will watch the other ponies' faces closely, to see if I can determine who the spy is."

"I miss the days when the villain was just someone I could punch in the face," Marvel reminisced with a sigh.

"Me too Billy. Me too."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

The sound of laughing foals and a soft moan informed Banner where Mr. Bubbles had gotten to, so when he entered through the doorway into the infirmary, he wasn't surprised to see the mass of metal sitting on the floor covered in foals. He nodded to the nurse in charge of the foals before he silently motioned for Bubbles to join him, which the Big Daddy did after a minute.

"Look, I know you want to get back to the foals, so I'll make this quick," Banner said in a serious tone to the yellow-eyed titan, who kept turning his body to view the playing children every couple of seconds. "Things...have really gotten bad in a short time with Ryan and Hulk so...I want you here." Bubble's eyes turned green in surprise at Banner's words, but Banner continued on after a pause.

"Yet, my biggest worry right now is Luna. She's...acting a lot like Nightmare Moon did and that worries me. So I need a set of eyes on her and you're the right pick for the job. Your cover can be that you're looking after the foals, and even if she asks you what you're doing, you can't answer her," Banner explained with some hesitance. "I also want you to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. I have...a hunch that someone here isn't what they seem."

The Big Daddy let out a soft moan as his eyes flashed green before he headed back into the room with the foals, though for a brief second Banner saw the Daddy's eyes flash yellow when he looked at the nurse. Now, knowing that Bubbles was on alert and that he could leave the base without having to worry too much, he turned and began to plan how to help the Hulk.

The Other You

Neon lights from the seemingly infinite number of signs for casinos or hotels bombarded the group of ponies, as their carriage pulled them through the streets of Las Pegasus, but even the blinding lights could not erase the smiles from the fools who had come to gamble their hard-earned money away. They saw every casino as a chance to make millions, and every hotel was there to serve their every whim. It was the city of money, yet few who actually entered it left with more than they had started.

Yet, the star attraction of the entire city was the golden Spire that had become the center of Las Pegasus, where the most expensive and also luckiest machines seemed to be housed. The once gray walls had been painted azure and purple, informing those who saw its beauty from off in the distance who ran the place. It was home to Trixie Lulamoon, the greatest unicorn who had ever lived.

"And that is our final destination," Trixie whispered when she walked back to where a red colt sat on the long carriage, who was still trying to get his wings to fold up properly, while also hiding his golden lightning bolt on his flank. "Some of the ponies I talked to said that once a week, Trixie performs a show there to show off her magic, meaning that the tower is open to anypony that has a ticket," she continued while hoofing Billy a drink that she had gotten from the front.

"So, the plan is to enter without being seen, watch a show about magic and then beat the fake in front of her audience?" Billy asked with a smile as he downed the drink. "Seems like a great idea for a Friday night."

"Actually, we will be seen entering," Trixie clarified while her horn glowed slightly, turning her coat from an azure color to a more reddish one, similar to what Billy's coat was. "There, so it seems like we're related."

"I still think it's going to raise some suspicion if you bring a kid...colt to a place where gambling takes place," Billy said while he looked out the carriage's side to see all of the adult ponies in the streets. "And what do you mean, 'we're going to be seen'? We don't have a ticket to get inside."

"Oh yeah, then why do I have these?" Trixie smirked as she flashed two tickets for the show, her smirk turning to a smile as Billy's face took on surprise. "Billy, you forget. I'm Trixie. Why would I not be able to get tickets to my own show? As for your other question, as long as you're here to spend money, most ponies don't care who or what you bring here. I think the last time I was at Las Pegasus, I saw a hydra here."

"Ponies are strange," Billy muttered as his gaze cast itself over the denizens of Las Pegasus.

"That they are, 'Thunderstorm', that they are." Trixie saw the look that Billy gave her and she smiled at him with a wink. "Come now, I can't go around saying your other name in public, can I? What if Black Adam was listening?" Billy conceded her point but her words did cause him to turn his gaze to the sky, trying to see in the spotlights if the black clad champion was there at that moment.

"So...Banner told me that when Adam took on his white clad form, that you were even angrier at him than usual," Trixie began, wanting to learn more about what had happened during that fight, while she had been out of commission. Billy's reply was silence and Trixie dropped the question there, leaving the both of them to sit in silence until the carriage came to a stop outside of the tower, the last stop for the ponies on board.

"Wow, this place sure looks fancy," Billy muttered from beside Trixie as the pair hopped out of the carriage and walked towards the Spire, both of them doing their best not to look agitated when they walked past a pair of guards who kept their blue-visored eyes on the group at all times. One of the guards by the doors asked for tickets, and one by one the ponies ahead of Trixie and Billy entered the Spire. Trixie flashed the tickets to the guard as they passed, but for a brief moment she could tell that the guard was staring at her.

"Everypony is wearing Trixie's mane nowadays," he grumbled before waving them in, barely giving Billy a passing glance. Billy hopped along after Trixie as she took in the red carpet and the azure drapes that seemed to consume every part of the entry way, nearly causing her to gag. The main room wasn't any better, with images of Trixie plastered all over the walls and even the tables--as Trixie found out--were covered in her own face and cutie mark.

"Wow, I did not think that you'd have this kind of ego," Billy said with a smile when he looked around at all the Trixie memorabilia, including a crane game off in the corner that was filled with only Trixie plushies. "Heh, I have a feeling that even if you win at that game, you'd lose."

"Yes, Thunderstorm, I used to have this kind of...ego," Trixie shamefully admitted as the pair of them walked down the steps to the seating area, picking a table that was off to the side so as not to draw attention to themselves. Her eyes quickly located a guarded staircase that ascended higher into the Spire, and a wink from Billy told her that he had spotted it as well. "But that was before Batmare, Morgaine and the end of my world. Now I live a simple life helping others and tending to my family. To see all of this bragging about myself brings back...memories that I'd rather not re-live."

Waiters walked around each table and began to take orders from the ponies. Trixie said she wanted nothing when they approached her table, but Billy ordered a salad with only vegetables and fruits.

"I swear, if I get grass in it again, I'm going to spit lightning. Think the show will be any good?" he asked Trixie when he rested his head on his hooves and blew his black mane out of his eyes. "Even though I won't get to see it."

"If she's as arrogant as I remember being, then we're in for something, I know that much," Trixie answered with a shake of her head. Fog began to roll off the stage and silenced the ponies that were sitting around the tables, turning all eyes towards the main attraction. Trixie looked around swiftly to make sure that nopony was looking at their table before giving Billy a quick nod, which he returned before slipping under the table and zipping towards the stairwell on the other end of the room. A quick flash of Trixie's horn dazed the guards long enough for Billy to go up the stairs undetected. She then turned her attention back towards the stage with a grimace, as a pony she hoped she would never have to see again took the stage.

"Hello, lucky ponies of Las Pegasus! Tonight will be the greatest night of your lives! Heck, just getting to see me in pony has already made it the greatest night of your lives!" an azure pony with a white mane said as she hurled her hooves into the air with a smile, nearly knocking her golden hat off of her head while her golden cape flowed behind her. "For tonight, you will get to see the great and powerful Trixie live in all her glory! Is that not the greatest honor?!"

The crowd cheered and roared for her in response, getting her to bow with a "humble" smile on her face. Yet, the entire time a certain red unicorn with a white mane identical to Trixie's was observing her with dark eyes, not wanting to miss a second of what her future foe could do.

"Now, to start tonight's show, I would like a volunteer," Trixie said while she scanned the crowd, yet Trixie was fast enough to slightly avert her eyes in a way that she knew would prevent Trixie from picking her.

'After all, I would never pick a pony that didn't make direct eye contact,' Trixie thought silently as she felt her eyes wash over her before moving on to another target.

"How about you? Yes you!" she called out to a unicorn in the first row, who stumbled nervously up onto the stage with an awkward smile as he looked around at all of the eyes looking up at him. "Tell me, good sir, how versed are you in magic? Would you say that you are good at it?"

"N-not really, but I do have a grasp on the basics," he said with a nervous chuckle. Trixie gave him a smirk before she continued on with her show.

"Well, Mr. Basics, even a unicorn that only knows the basics must know how hard it is to do an age modifying spell, wouldn't they?" The crowd gasped at what Trixie was implying, causing the great and powerful to laugh deviously as she nodded with a wicked smile.

"Difficult, until you find out that you can use magic to temporarily rewind the pony so that they look younger," Trixie muttered under her breath, despite herself. For a brief moment, it looked like the other Trixie's ear flicked towards Trixie, but if Trixie had heard her words she said nothing as she continued on with the show.

"But nothing is difficult for the great and powerful...TRIXIE!" Trixie cried out as her horn flashed, causing a torrent of fog to cover the crowd. When the fog cleared the crowd gasped at the baby unicorn up on the stage next to the smiling Trixie, with the only sound in the room coming from the baby. Then the crowd exploded into cheers and applause, with the sudden outburst of noise causing the baby to begin crying.

'That was no trick, not like what the old me would have done,' Trixie observed as Trixie reversed the spell, turning the crying foal into a crying stallion within a second. The unicorn nodded quickly, before running off the stage in embarrassment and into the bathrooms, Trixie giving him a sympathetic glance before turning her eyes back towards herself. 'So she has my old attitude, but nearly the same level of skill that I do. Bother.'

"Now then, for my next feat of amazement, I shall do what was only thought possible by Star-Swirl the Bearded! I shall create a vortex into another reality!" The crowd gasped once again at her words, yet this time they managed to worm out a smirk from Trixie.

"That's because opening holes in reality is actually a simple concept once you understand multiverse theory." Trixie muttered under her breath once again in spite of herself, yet this time her words did not go unnoticed by the stage performer, who turned her gaze towards Trixie with burning eyes and an evil smile.

"Well, well, it seems that we have a unicorn in the crowd who seems to believe that she knows more than the great and powerful Trixie," Trixie exclaimed to the crowd, turning all eyes to Trixie, who cursed herself for speaking aloud. "Please, come up here and demonstrate for the whole crowd what you were just mumbling." Trixie looked around at the crowd before shrugging, seeing that her performance would continue to distract the guards and make Billy's mission that much easier. Trixie rose to her hooves and walked up onto the stage, both Trixie's staring each other down as they circled like animals preparing to fight.

"Please, Dear, if you know so much about Star-Swirl the Bearded's work, then show all of us how to properly open a vortex in reality," Trixie said with a mock bow, getting the crowd to chuckle as Trixie looked up at the spotlights around her. For some reason she felt slightly nauseous underneath of the spotlights and with all of the ponies' eyes upon her, their stares causing memories that she preferred stayed buried to rise from their graves.

'Stay down there, damn you. I am happy with myself. I don't need...' Trixie thought as she gazed out at all of the ponies who were now looking at her, waiting for her...there for her...'the attention.' Trixie shook her head to snap herself out of her thoughts before clearing her head while she turned to look at herself with a smirk. She then began to concentrate while speaking words of magic long since forgotten, her horn glowing along with the words she spoke. Her eyes turned pure white before she unleashed the spell into the wall, standing back and watching with a smirk as the very fabrics of time and space slightly unveiled themselves, so that the crowd could see into another world for a brief moment. But before any of them could truly feast their eyes, Trixie closed the portal with a smile.

"Was that good enough for you?"

"How did you do that?" Trixie asked with narrowed eyes that were more curious than they were angry or agitated. "There are no unicorns in the land who can match the great and powerful Trixie in magical abilities, and if there were, Black Adam would have brought them to Celestia's side long ago. Who are you and how can you preform such spells?"

Trixie cast a quick glance at the crowd to see that all eyes were on her, to see that the crowd was no longer paying attention to the doppelgänger standing across the stage from her. It was her stage now. With a laugh Trixie's horn began to glow, causing the magic that kept her coat red to vanish and return it to its azure color. All ponies, Trixie included, gasped in shock when they saw who was standing across the stage from Trixie.

"How can I do it? Because I am the greatest unicorn in my world," Trixie said as she let her white mane fall over her shoulders in the exact same way as the pony in front of her. "I am Trixie Lulamoon."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Pinkie hummed happily to herself as she hopped down the streets with closed eyes, enjoying every second of the warm light that her friend Mr. Sun shone down upon her. So happy was she, that she almost ran head first into a figure that had been walking down the streets of Ponyville.

"Oops. Sorry mister, I didn't see you there," Pinkie said with a smile as she opened her eyes...to find herself looking at the lower half of a black cloak. Pinkie looked up to see that the figure who was wearing the cloak was twice as tall as she was, but she couldn't see his face due to a black hood with gold trimming that covered it. The figure simply nodded at her words before gliding around her, almost as if his feet weren't on the ground. "Wait up! I've never seen you around her before! Are you new? Well if you are, hi! I'm Pinkie!"

The figure looked down at her for a long minute as Pinkie continued to smile up at him, yet for a brief moment she felt sadness in the air around the cloaked being. The figure then pointed behind her, causing Pinkie to turn to look. "What? Is something over there? I don't see anything...wait, is it that? No, maybe it's that. Ooh, I bet it's that!" Pinkie continued to guess until she found what her new friend had pointed at, but even if she had turned around, the figure was long gone.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"If ya had just listened to me, ya wouldn't have to go get yer rabies shots," Applejack grumbled to her little sister, who was currently resting on AJ's back and nursing a bite from a raccoon. "Fluttershy warned ya that some of her animals would bite anypony except her, but ya still had to go and touch every single one. What were ya thinking?"

"Ah just wanted to try and see if animal tamer was mah cutie mark," Applebloom defensively said in reply, biting back pain as she held her arm. "And now ah might never know thanks to..." Her words died as both she and Applejack spied a cloaked figure walking on the same path as they were, but he was heading towards the cottage. They couldn't see his face nor his feet, but what they did know was that he towered over them and was certainly not a pony.

"Uh, greetings stranger," Applejack said with a polite, but very wary, tip of her hat. "Never seen a figure like you before around these parts. You a friend of Fluttershy's?" The cloaked figure slightly turned his head to look at the two of them, and for a brief moment they both sensed sorrow. Yet, the feeling lasted only a second and the figure had already moved past them and towards the cottage. AJ considered tailing the stranger for a moment, but her sister whimpered in pain and she decided for her. With one last worried look, AJ continued her walk towards the hospital.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Fluttershy hummed as she re-papered the bottom of one her bird cages, trying to take her mind off the scolding she had done to the raccoon that had bitten Applebloom. She hated to be mad at the creature, but even she had to put her hooves down at such rude behavior.

"I hope that she'll be alright, but it wasn't that bad a bite," Fluttershy said to one of the birds as it hopped around on the new newspaper happily. "But I'm glad to see that some of you remember your manners." The bird tweeted back before it turned towards the front of the cottage and slowly began to back away. Fluttershy turned to follow its gaze before her eyes went wide in shock as well. A cloaked figure was walking around her front yard and seemed to be looking over everything, from the animals to the house itself.

"What's the matter Shy? You look like you've seen a ghost," the birdcage beside her said, causing the birds within to squawk as they flew for their lives.

"There's a stranger outside, Discord, and he doesn't look very nice," Fluttershy nervously said as she hid behind the draconis who morphed out of his birdcage form. "Would you mind...asking him to politely leave?"

"Why, my dear Fluttershy, it would be my pleasure," Discord said as he turned towards the entrance, but at that same moment the hooded figure turned his head to look through the window and Discord felt himself enter the being's gaze. The moment Discord looked into the hood he felt sorrow, but also something else: Power. Unstoppable power. A power that even he could not fight. The two stared at each other for a long moment before Discord snapped his fingers and caused the blinds to lower themselves while at the same time barricading the door.

"Actually Shy, I think it's best that we wait for him to leave," Discord said as he wrapped himself around the Pegasus in a defensive stance, though he prayed for the first time that the being would simply leave. "I don't want to mess with him."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Twilight had just finished re-arranging the shelves in her new library when she heard the bell ring from downstairs, telling her that a customer had just entered into the shop. "I'll be there in just a second!" she called down as she quickly added the final books to the second floor of the library. "Barely open a week and already so many customers. I didn't know that our town cared so much about learning," she said to herself as she flew down the stairs. "Hello. Can I...?"

"I am looking for a book on the complete Equestrian history," a cloaked figure standing in the center of the room said to her, Twilight unable to see his face as the hood slowly turned to show where he was looking. His voice scared Twilight, because it sounded ancient, while at the same time filled with power. Yet the being's voice was nothing compared to the magical power she felt radiating off of it, so much so that she could tell that it was trying to hide its full power but could not. "Sooner would be preferable."

"Er, yes. Of course," Twilight said while she levitated the newest volume of Equestria history off of the shelves and over to the creature, who revealed a hand beneath his cloak when he reached up to grab it. Twilight watched with both fascination and worry as the cloaked being burned through the pages, finishing in seconds what was a twelve hour read for her.

"Thank you," the cloaked figure said with both sadness and what sounded like loathing in his voice while he offered the book back to her, causing Twilight to be on guard as she turned to place the book back on its shelf.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you a few..." But her words were heard by only herself and as she turned to look back, she saw that the cloaked figure was gone, with the open door telling her where he had vanished.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"It is the same as all the others," Black Adam said in a near whisper while he floated above the town of Ponyville, out of their sight, but he was still able to view them. But at that moment, his eyes were closed and his fists were clenched with rage--a rage at himself. "They are all so happy, so unburdened by pain or loss. Twilight and her friends live happy lives, there is no war that ravages the land..." Black Adam then turned his sights towards Canterlot and a moment later he floated above it, looking in through a window to see Celestia and Luna speaking with each other, occasionally laughing.

"And they are still sisters here. It is indeed the same as the others," he said with a cold bitterness in his voice, clenching his eyes shut once again in pain. "Discord is a friend to the ponies and not in the grave. Chrysalis and her armies are nowhere near the ponies, yet she lives with her family. Tirek is imprisoned in Tartarus with the power of friendship...and there is no war, no strife. only happiness."

Black Adam rocketed up higher into the sky, so much so until he floated just at the border where space and the atmosphere touched. He then turned to look down at the world below him, a world that was so similar to all the other Equestria's he had visited. It was filled with friendship, with happiness and with love; just like all the other ones. And just like all the other ones, there was one last key factor that they all shared, a factor that caused tears to fall down Adam's face as pain gripped his heart.

'It was all because of me. Everything that happened, from the death of the Elements to the war of the ponies was all because of me,' he grieved while he held a hand to his face, realizing what his simple arrival to Equestria had done. He knew now that all the blood that had been spilled from those who had died was on his hands. For all of the peaceful and happy Equestria's across the multiverse had the same happy story, because of one reason.

Black Adam was never a part of them.

Author's Note

This chapter was a lot of fun to write. So much Trixie.

Only Trixie Can Beat Trixie

Despite Trixie having given upstaged performances years ago in her own reality, seeing the dropped jaws and wide eyes from both the crowd of ponies and her other-reality counterpart told her that even after fifteen years, she still knew how to shock and awe like nopony else. Her dramatic reveal had silenced not only all who were there for the show, but also the guard ponies that had been stationed around the room. Yet, those same guards were the first to recover and they swarmed towards the stage, but the other Trixie held out a hoof that stopped them cold.

"How very interesting," Trixie said with a cold smile while her eyes began to glance up and down the other her, taking in quick assessments as the two began to circle each other on the stage. "Master Adam told me that he had sensed what he had believed to be my or Sombra's magic, but since there is only one of me, I truly believed that the unicorn on your team would have been that fool of a king, though returning from the dead would have been quite a feat. But now I see he was right, and it was another me."

Trixie kept her eyes cold, despite the inferno that raged in her chest when she heard the other Trixie's words, knowing that she needed to analyze her foe before making any rash decisions. She also knew that the other her was doing the same, and since she had not yet attacked, Trixie knew that she too was waiting to see Trixie's capabilities.

"A better you, to be more precise," Trixie retorted in a cold tone, getting an eyebrow raise and half a smirk from her counterpart. "One that gave up on the foolish goal of trying to win over everypony in Equestria with cheap tricks and petty magic, and instead found true love and affection--not this Vegas showboating that you do." Her words snapped the crowd out of its stupor at the sight of two Trixie's and they began to boo her, but they had only just started when the other Trixie held up her hoof again to silence them.

"As you can see, this is no false love they give to me," Trixie said with a chuckle while the crowd began to cheer for her, slightly bowing to them before turning her cold gaze back to her other. "And how could they not, with me being one of the defenders of Equestria, while all you seek to do is bring down their kind and loving queen and throw the whole world to Discord's hands. No wonder they don't love you."

"And I am also not so sure about your little remark about you being the better Trixie," Trixie continued with a laugh, though Trixie could see in her foe's eyes that there was no merriment, and that she seemed to be debating whether now was the time to attack. "You might think yourself morally superior simply because you foolishly decided to get out of show business, but when two magical beings such as ourselves take the stage, moral superiority means little. There is only one way to truly find out which one of us is the "better" Trixie," Trixie decided while an azure light began to glow from her horn. "Care to find out?"

'While I would love nothing more than to knock you off of your high horse, that is not the reason I am here,' Trixie thought silently while she kept her gaze forward, but her senses were on the tower above her. She had hoped that the mission would be a quick 'in-and-out' without there being time for anypony to react, but she had yet to hear the magic incantation that Billy would use to ensure the orb's destruction. Yet the sky remained quiet. 'And until I hear that word I must keep the ponies distracted, so that he is not caught.'

"Very well, lesser Trixie, I shall play your game," Trixie began as her horn matched the other her's azure glow, the two backing up until they were both an equal distance apart from each other on the stage, with one Trixie's eyes shining with excitement while the champion Trixie kept herself calm and emotionless. The crowd went dead silent as the two stared each other down for a brief moment, but only for a moment.

With a flourish, Trixie let loose three separate streams of azure magic towards her other world foe, letting out a laugh that could shatter glass as the three beams converged on their target with a massive flash. For a brief moment Trixie considered the fight over already, but when the light died down she found herself looking at an azure barrier that had refused to flinch in the face of equal magic.

"Not bad, other me, but such simple tricks will bore the crowd," Trixie laughed as she motioned to the crowd. The ponies seated there either glared at Trixie or cheered for the other Trixie. "How about we display some of the more advanced skills that I am certain the both of us have acquired over the years?" she asked as gold and red sparks began to erupt from her horn, darkening her face.

"With pleasure," Trixie replied with pitch black magic flowing from her own horn, silencing the crowd even further as the two locked eyes one more time before leaping at each other as one. Red and gold phoenixes materialized in the air and streaked towards Trixie while tearing the air apart with their speeds, yet they were met with a changeling created of darkness that cleaved through them in one single strike.

"Not bad, yet I seem to recognize that magic from someplace," Trixie laughed while she ascended with a stream of golden magic to escaped a fissure of darkness that had erupted under her hooves, creating flaming wings to shield herself from electricity crafted by the darkness that Trixie hurled at her. Surrounding herself in red and gold, Trixie hurled herself towards her other self, the magic creating a spear around her. The crowd gasped as the dark bolts that the other Trixie fired off were deflected as if they were nothing, and in the next moment the sphere had embedded itself into the stage in a flash of light.

"Ah yes, now I recognize that magic," Trixie said with a chuckle when she turned from the crater of fire she had created to see the champion rise out of a pool of darkness on the other end of the stage, both purple and black magic falling from her body as she surfaced from the dark depths. "That is the very magic that one King Sombra used to use back in the olden days, back when the queen was still young." The crowd let out a gasp at the 'reveal' of what kind of magic the other Trixie was using, but despite the looks all Trixie did was raise an eyebrow at her other.

"That is correct. I have learned the same magic that was used by the Dark King that overtook the Crystal Empire with nothing more than his own magic," Trixie clarified, casting a glance at the crowd to see that they now had frightful looks on their faces. "That is what I have achieved by giving up the lifestyle of tricking others into believing that I am great. Instead of using petty tricks and spells to convince them of that fact, I achieved true magical greatness--not that a simple con pony such as yourself would understand that."

Despite her attempts to make the other her angry by attacking her fragile ego, which Trixie knew would have wounded her deeply back in the day, the other Trixie just threw back her head and let a cackle drown out all other sounds in the room, before she looked back at the other her with thundering eyes.

"No doubt that you still think of me as the same pony that believed herself to be great and powerful, just like you used to be?" Trixie asked with another laugh, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "And yes, I will admit that I used to think like that. But that was before I met Black Adam, before I saw what true power, what absolute power, was. And on that day, I decided that I would learn the magic that he used, the spells that leveled mountains and turned even the mighty Tirek to stone!" Trixie's eyes began to flash with lighting along with her horn as she spoke, causing the face on the other Trixie to fall slightly.

"And while it was a magic I could not achieve alone, by joining him, by becoming one of the Judges, he has taught me a small portion of that same magic," Trixie thundered as the room slightly began to shake, this time the crowd looking with fear towards her, despite rooting for her a moment ago. "And while that magic may not be able to harm one such as himself, I am certain that no mortal can withstand its power, even if that mortal is me! Ragna de Shazam!"

Trixie barely had time to throw herself to the side as a thunderbolt imbued with power far beyond hers decimated the space where she had just been standing, leaving nothing but ash and the smell of burning wood in its place. Trixie slowly pushed herself back up as she looked at her lightning-clad counterpart with fear beginning to form in her eyes.

"Now what was it you said to me? That you were the better Trixie because you had given up on our old way of life and sought the pursuit of actual magic power, while I continued to entertain? But this right here shows just how much better I am than you!" Trixie yelled with a half-crazed laugh as more lightning erupted from her horn, blasting apart a table that had been unfortunate enough to be placed right behind where Trixie used to be standing. "Because you had to leave behind being a star so that you could seek out your magic, yet all you could achieve was the magic of a dead king! I continue to be loved and adored by crowds that come out in thousands to see me, and I achieved the power of a god! Who is the better Trixie now?!"

Trixie found that she barely had time to retreat into the shadows to avoid the next destructive blast of lightning, let alone answer the seemingly stronger version of herself. 'How can this be possible? I spent fifteen years of my life learning from the greatest unicorns past--and Sombra himself! How can this showboating fool be better than me?' Trixie asked herself as she snaked through the darkness to get behind her counterpart, but when she burst forth from the darkness, she found that her other was already facing the direction where she had been hiding.

"Black Adam was able to kill the Sombra of this world in a matter of seconds. What in Faust's name led you to believe that your attempts to copy his magic could result in anything better?!" Trixie screamed as the thunder of the gods flashed from her horn, striking Trixie right in mid leap and pinning her to the wall with a torrent of power. The darkness enveloped Trixie's body as it tried to protect her as best it could, but the lightning of one far superior to it was quickly overpowering it.

"You found true love and affection did you? That would be what, ten ponies at most? I am loved and adored by thousands...no, HUNDREDS of thousands, and I am one of the very defenders of Equestria! I was trained by a god himself and I lead the other four chosen defenders against all who seek to oppose the Queen, including your team! So tell me now, oh false champion, whose magic is superior?!" Trixie screamed at her counterpart as the lightning tore through Trixie's last line of defense. "How could you possibly hope to match the power of-?"

"SHAZAM!"

The entire tower and the building built beneath it shook as a true wielder of the word unleashed the spell upon the tip of the Spire. Ponies screamed as chunks of the ceiling began to collapse, with the added benefit of the lightning distracting Trixie and causing her spell to cease, allowing the other her to fall to the ground in a heap. Through eyes filled with pain, Trixie looked down to find her body burned by the magical lightning, the pain making it near impossible for her to focus enough to cast a spell.

"It seems that it gets even worse for you," Trixie taunted with a glare at the other her. "It seems that the Master himself has come down to smite you in person. You should feel honored, not many get to face Black-" The next thing Trixie knew she was being thrown across the room and across one of the few tables that was left standing, crashing onto the floor as she was drenched in water. When she pulled herself back to a standing position, she found that Trixie was being scooped into the arms of a red and gold-clad human with a white cape, causing her to smirk while slowly backing up.

"So. The other wielder of the lightning," Trixie deduced, turning Captain Marvel's attention towards the other Trixie with far more powerful lightning than Trixie could ever hope to achieve flashing off of his body.

"Yeah, I am. And if you know who I am, you know what I'm capable of," Marvel said in a near whisper that caused the very air in the room to crackle with electricity. "So, unless you want worse than what you did to my friend, I would recommend that you back. Off." Trixie did so as Captain Marvel prepared to take off, but then his eyes narrowed before he pointed a finger at the Trixie drenched in water and sent a quick blast of electricity into her chest to knock her over once again. He then shot through the roof and flew off into the night, Trixie forcing herself to look through the pain to see the top half of the Spire destroyed.

"Sorry if I took so long, got caught by some guards. Managed to convince them that I was a fan of the guard and wanted a tour of the Spire," Marvel said as the two flew. "They left though, when the two of you started duking it out and left me alone with the orb. Bad idea." Marvel then looked down at the burn marks, growling slightly as he recognized Adam's magic. "Don't worry, I think I can heal those when we get back. If not, the mare can."

"Thank you, Billy," Trixie said weakly before turning her gaze back towards the rapidly fading lights of the city, her mind going over the battle with her other half over and over again, trying to figure out what she did wrong in that fight. 'Why? I changed, became a better pony and used my magical power to aid those of my world. So how is she stronger than me? How is that selfish fool who only cares about herself so much stronger than me?' Trixie bitterly asked as tears streaked down her cheeks.

'Why can I never escape my past?'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Willow knew that it wasn't in his job description to tour the empty halls of the Canterlot Castle late at night, but with the arrival of the six false champions and the return of the mare that had killed Radiance, he decided that an extra set of eyes in the castle wouldn't be amiss. It also allowed him to keep an eye on the other guards and occasionally, though it was not something he enjoyed doing, he would keep an eye on the Queen as well.

'Yet, ever since the fall of Ares the Queen has been...different,' he mused silently as he walked the empty halls with his eyes on alert, but his old mind lost in his own thoughts. 'She seems filled with rage and the desire to fight, despite being one of the more peaceful rulers in the land of Equis. Sigh. This war has cost both sides so much, I just hope that it doesn't...' His train of thought was interrupted as he spotted the very queen he had been speaking of at the end of a hallway to his right, with her ear pressed to a door that Willow recognized as the one that led to Black Adam's quarters.

"I am not certain that listening in on the protector of the land is a task that a queen should be doing," Willow said aloud as he walked down the hall, announcing his presence to the Queen, who quickly gave him a glance before motioning for him to be silent. "But that look on your face tells me that you have good reason for this," Willow continued in a whisper as Celestia placed her ear back to the door, Willow not bothering to try since he knew his old ears could barely hear what somepony in front of him would say. Hearing through a wooden door was too much.

"I am worried about Teth," Celestia whispered her concern to her advisor after a moment, causing the old pony's eyebrows to raise before he turned his gaze back to the door. "He returned late yesterday after visiting the ponies that help him chase the silver mare and locked himself in his room shortly after. I can occasionally hear a moment of rage, but he's mostly silent. I fear for him."

"Then why not ask him what ails him?" Willow suggested wisely, but the Queen shook her head with a look that Willow couldn't quite place.

"No, if Teth wishes to speak to me about what is upsetting him, then he will do so when he his ready," Celestia murmured as she removed her ear from the door and began to walk back to her own room, leaving Willow to cast one last glance at the door before deciding to follow the Queen. "He will confide his trust in me when he is ready and willing."

"Yes, Teth does trust you greatly," Willow agreed, knowing full well that there was nopony closer to the Queen than her champion.

"Yes. And I trust him completely as well," she continued, but this time Willow picked up hints of rage in her voice. "No matter what has happened or what forces we go up against, he has always been somepony I could trust. But now that he has told me that there are those who may have infiltrated us and are seeking to bring about our downfall, it seems that he is the only one I can truly trust!" Her rage died down a moment later and she realized what she had said, prompting her to turn towards Willow with a look of regret.

"I...I am sorry, but with everything that is going on I sometimes speak without thinking," she admitted. "Please forgive me for my tone."

"Worry not, my Queen, I take no offense. You are trying to hold a nation together against your sister on one front with a hidden foe in the shadows seeking to destroy us from within," Willow replied calmly, not at all upset by her words. "Just know, Queen, that I trust you completely, no matter what others may think of you. Goodnight, my Queen."

"Yes Willow, goodnight," Celestia said with a shake of her head as she turned towards her chambers. Willow watched until she was out of sight before turning and walking along the dark hallways alone. His thoughts on what was happening kept him company while he continued to check the halls, yet not really paying attention to where he was going. He looked up to find that he had come to a stop in front of a large portrait of the old king and queen, painted over a thousand years ago.

'My dear king and queen of yesteryear, please console your daughter in this time of suffering. She needs help in these dark times,' Willow silently prayed before another thought crossed his mind. 'And please help Luna to find her ability to care again. She too is trapped in a different darkness, but darkness all the same.'

"Master Willow!" The cry snapped Willow out of his thoughts immediately, and when he turned to see who had spoken to him he spotted his own assistant, Windy Days, racing down the hallway towards him with a look of both worry and anger on his face.

"What is the matter, my assistant? Are we under attack?" Willow asked as his eyes darted around towards every shadow, barely noticing as Windy Days skidded to a stop in front of his master.

"No Master, it's just...I was patrolling the hallways, just as you were doing, and my walk took me into the throne room chamber," Windy Days admitted, getting nothing more than a look from his master who motioned for him to continue. "But while I was in there, I found that the phantom zone projector is gone! Somepony has broken in and stolen it!" A sigh of relief was not what young Windy Days was expecting the old unicorn to do, but that was Willow's response while he held a hoof to his heart before taking in a few deep breaths.

"Do not fear, Windy, the generator has not been stolen," Willow assured him, yet all that gained the master was a head tilt and a look of confusion.

"But if it was not stolen, where has it gone?" Windy Days asked the unicorn, who shook his head with a firm look on his face.

"First, I am not able to tell you that. Second, you should know better than to go into the throne room's chamber without either Celestia or Black Adam to allow you access," Willow scolded, but he found that his words meant little to the assistant, who was now giving Willow a look of wariness.

"Why are you not able to tell me what was done with the generator?" he asked with hints of suspicion in his voice. "Did the Queen order you to move it? Or does she even know that it's gone at all?"

"Are you implying that I took it?" Willow asked, not so much offended as he was hurt with the accusation from the unicorn whom he had known since his apprentice was a colt. "Windy, you know me better than that. Don't you trust me?"

"Why should I, since it seems that you don't trust me to give me an honest answer?" Windy shot back. Willow was able to clearly read the distrust and caution in the young unicorn's eyes. After a tense moment, Willow let out a sigh before looking up at his assistant with sad eyes.

"Very well. Black Adam feared that the generator was no longer safe, so he asked me to move it to a secure location," Willow admitted, sighing in relief when he saw the suspicion begin to dissipate from his assistant's face. "That it where it has gone and if you do not believe me, you may ask him tomorrow. I have spoken the truth to you Windy, so know that I can be trusted."

"Alright," Windy said after a moment of silence, before giving his master another quizzical look. "But where did you move it to?"

"I am sorry, Windy, but Black Adam asked me not to tell anypony, not even you," Willow said before he turned and began to head towards his own quarters, the brief discussion with his assistant having drained his strength. He did stop for a brief moment and turned back to his assistant one last time, a small smile on his face. "Just know that I have taken care of it."

Waking Up

Darkness.

That was all the human had seen, for God knew how long, as he continued his walk into nothingness, not sure whether he was getting anywhere or not. But he was damned sure that he wasn't going to sit still and wait for someone or something to find him. 'God dangit, how long have I been walking?' he asked himself while he narrowed his eyes as he stared into the darkness, only to see darkness stare back at him. 'Argh, I'm getting nowhere. Might as well just stop, since it's clear that I'm making no progress.'

'You cannot give up now, you lazy bum. There is still work to be done.' Ryan spun with a curse towards the voice, a voice that he was certain that he knew well. Just as he had predicted, he turned to see a zebra standing behind him, yet she was giving off a silverish glow. The silver was more grey in the spots where her strips were, but it was still a zebra that he knew all the same.

"The hell do you want?" he snarled at her, only to get a chuckle in response.

'You have slept long enough. Time to wake up, the world will soon need your help.' Ryan swore as a blinding flash of light went off, erasing the darkness around him.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Well, it seems that after a couple of days the burns are finally starting to heal," Banner muttered after removing the bandages that had been covering Trixie's chest. Trixie never flinched while Banner poked and examined the scars that now covered her chest. "Unfortunately, with that wound it will be a few more days before I can even let you try to get back in the field. We are lucky that Billy knew how to heal magical wounds."

"Mom might not have let me learn destructive magic, but she sure taught me how to heal others," Billy said from beside Trixie's bedside, noticing that Trixie never looked at the pair and that her eyes seemed to be hundreds of miles away from the current conversation.

"What's the matter, Trixie? You've hardly spoken these past few days," Banner asked after a moment of silence, breaking through into Trixie's thoughts and snapping the pony back into reality. She gave them both a weary smile, and she forced herself into a sitting position, sighing in pain as she rubbed her scorched coat.

"I just...for the past fifteen years I tried to put my old life--a life of being selfish and only concerned with praise--behind me, to try to be a better pony. And yet, when I fought a version of myself that continued down that path, not only am I unable to defeat her, but I also learn that she has developed a magic far stronger than mine," Trixie admitted with a bitter smile, though both Billy and Banner could pick out the undertones of pain hidden in her voice. "Having your entire life's work get shredded in a single fight is pretty jarring, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is something that some people never recover from," Banner agreed before Trixie pushed herself off of the bed and to her hooves, wincing slightly as her eyes narrowed with determination. "But if I judged you correctly, then I would assume that you are not going to give up and that you will try to think of a way to win."

"You know me well, Banner. Billy, I hate to ask this of you, but I must know if the divine magic that you and Adam possess has a weakness of sorts?" Trixie asked as she turned her gaze upon Billy, who placed a hand under his chin while he thought about her question for a moment.

"Well...normally we could be tricked into saying the word and changing back to normal, but aside from that, the magic of Shazam is considered to be one of the strongest magicks in my world," Billy admitted, getting a shrug out of Trixie when she began to head for the exit to their room. "Sorry that I can't think up something, but at the very least we can both learn from each other now when we train."

"You might want to put that training off until you've heard what I've learned."

Billy was halfway through calling down the magic, as all three champions turned to face who had spoken, but the word of power turned into a cry of joy because all three sets of eyes rested upon a Pegasus that was covered in black armor that made her resemble a bat. "And trust me when I say, it's not good news."

"The fact that you have returned unharmed is good enough news for us," Trixie said with a friendly smile, but beneath the cowl Batmare's eyes rested upon the burn marks along her friend's chest, and a small snarl escaped her lips.

"I am sorry that you were hurt, Trixie. If I had been here--"

"Then you would not know the very information that you were about to tell us," Banner cut in, getting the conversation back on track. "Do you want me to call Luna in here or would you rather keep this between us?"

"Between us. First off, the mare was right. There is a hidden force that seeks to unleash the Sphere of Destruction and wipe out all ponies that aren't unicorns, or at least force them into submission," Batmare began with little emotion, yet her words gained an angry snarl from Trixie.

"Unicorn Superiorist. Why do some things never stay in the past where they belong?"

"Because they've got one hell of a leader leading them. Star-Swirl the Bearded is the main leader of the End of Days--that's what I'm calling them--and it also seems that he has fused with the Sphere of Destruction, similar to the silver mare." The room went cold at Batmare's words, and the group shared a worried glance with each other before Banner nodded for Batmare to continue.

"There are also a few other things I discovered while undercover. Star-Swirl has a force numbering in the thousands, all of whom would rather kill themselves than betray their leader. His power can now counter that of the silver mare and he has a secret weapon that even I could barely find anything about--something he called the god and the monster being on his side." Batmare paused for a moment to take in a breath and collect her thoughts before she sighed. "Not to mention that he has spies and agents everywhere, meaning that the six champions and the mare are the only ones that we can truly trust. Where is Bubbles?"

"Ever since the death of the convoy, he has been nursing the foals who lost their parents...when I screwed up," Billy informed Batmare with pained guilt in his voice, but Batmare shook her head.

"That's something else that I found out. You weren't responsible for the deaths of those ponies." Billy's head snapped up at her words with wide eyes. "They planted a bomb where the convoy was supposed to meet with the other forces and also tipped off the royal guard as well...wanted as many bodies as they could get, I suppose. It was their doing Billy, don't blame yourself."

Billy lowered his head with a sigh of relief, but then he looked down at his hands and rage seemed to flash in his eyes before he looked up at Batmare. "No, it is still my fault. I was the one that detonated the bomb and I was the one who lost control. If I had handled the situation better, the bomb may have never gone off," Billy admitted with pain, but there was still confidence in his eyes when he looked down at his hands again. "I will make sure that I never forget what losing control cost me. Despite it not being my intention, I am still responsible. But now I know who I need to go punch in the face. Hard."

"That's very mature of you Billy," Banner approvingly said with a nod before his brows furrowed and he looked down at the floor with thoughtful eyes. "Star-Swirl said the god and the monster would be on his side, right? That sounds like a description of Hulk and Marvel or Adam, yet all of them are his enemy, at least I assume Adam will be when he finds out. Who is he talking about then?"

"He also said that Celestia wishes to fight Luna and that they were preparing for the endgame," Batmare added, getting Banner's eyes to narrow even further. "He also wanted his army to cause as much chaos and destruction as they could and that they would make their move when the sun and moon collide."

"Then, that's when they'll unleash their plan, when Luna and Celestia's armies clash," Banner deduced with a snarl as he closed his eyes, lost in thought for a good ten minutes before his eyes snapped open again with clarity in them. "Then this is how we'll stop him. Clearly, he is waiting for the final battle to take place between our forces and Adam's before he makes his move, but we can use that against him."

"How's that?" Billy asked.

"The fall of the shield around Canterlot," Banner said with narrowed eyes. "When that shield falls he will believe that we are finally entering the city to take Canterlot, to end this war once and for all. Then, with all of that destruction and chaos, he'll try to unleash the beast within the Sphere of Destruction."

"Then we don't attack. We try to find a peaceful solution," Batmare offered, but Banner shook his head.

"They've been poisoning the two sides' minds for years, I doubt anypony besides us and Adam truly wishes for peace at this point," Banner growled while he placed the tips of his fingers together. "No, we'll go along with what they want for now. We'll take down the two remaining towers and prepare to "attack" Canterlot, but it will only be us. I will also find a way to tell Adam to evacuate the city and keep the royal guard away, to keep it between us and not risk any innocent lives."

"And how will you make him listen without the Hulk? Last time you guys talked it only ended in a fist fight," Trixie reminded him.

"I'll think of something, but let me continue. The two sides will "battle" to draw out Star-swirl and his forces, then we can work together to bring him down. Once we've revealed to the princesses the true face of evil that has been the main cause of the war, maybe then we can get them to calm down enough to consider peace and reconcile. And I'm certain that Adam will aid us as well, he seems to be hunting the End of Days too. Do any of you have another plan that you wish to recommend?"

"Only one problem with your plan. One of the towers rests at the bottom of the ocean while the other is heavily guarded in the Crystal Empire," Batmare reminded Banner. "And we're down the Hulk, and Adam has his ultimate form that even Billy can't compete with. How are we supposed to fight Adam and fight these forces of darkness, without all six champions to unleash the original Elements?"

Banner tried to think of an answer, yet to his dismay he found that Batmare's words rang true. He was saved from answering when, in a sudden flash of light, the silver mare appeared at the door to their room, her form positively radiant as she looked in on them with what almost seemed like a smile on her face.

"Sunny, what's the matter?" Banner asked as all four of the champions braced themselves for bad news.

'It's Ryan,' she said with a joy in her voice that she didn't bother to try to hide. 'He's awake.'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Dear God, I was out for only a week? Felt like an eternity to me," Ryan asked with some slight confusion after Banner informed him of what he had missed during his sleepy time. "And during that time, Billy wiped out hundreds of ponies, Batmare abandoned the team to go play detective, and Trixie got her ass kicked by her other half. The moment I go under the whole team falls apart."

"I changed my mind. Put him back to sleep," Trixie said with a smirk while Ryan felt his limbs, surprised to see that all of them were still working properly.

"Huh, either you've started talking softer since I was out or my ears are still horribly scarred," Ryan muttered, finding that it was hard for him to hear his own voice. "But I'm amazed to see the rest of me in one piece, considering the last thing that I remember before I was beaten into a coma, was that I was facing an angry green giant who was way out of my weight class and completely pulverized me without any effort whatsoever. So what became of our giant jade friend?"

"He..." Banner began, but he stopped talking because he hoped that the other guy would chose this moment to speak up. There was only silence. "He's been feeling incredibly guilty since beating you into a coma, to the point he believes that we would all be safer if...he never came out again."

"Holy shit. And you guys actually believed that B.S?" Ryan asked with a smirk that gained him a glare or two, but he ignored the looks while he continued. "We are fighting gods, demons and everything in between, and the Hulk believes that we'd be safer without him? Man, I knew that he was lacking in the brains department, but that lobotomy he got must have been effective, because that is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard."

"And that's what you have to say in response to his guilt? That he's an idiot and he's brain dead," Banner said in a low voice that made those standing around him uneasy, but all the tone did was get a look from Ryan. The human pushed himself off of his bed and walked over to where his backpack and coat had been resting while he had been out, slipping both of them on without responding. "What happened out there nearly broke the Hulk. In the twenty years that I've known him, I have never seen him get like this, where he seems so...defeated. He now believes himself to be only a monster of rage that will kill anything in his path if I am not in his head! And yet you act like your usual...come with me."

"Why should I?" Ryan asked with a smirk, but Banner grabbed him by the collar and, with a strength that Ryan would never believe the doctor capable of having, dragged the other human through the door and down the nearly empty halls of the underground base. The two came to a stop at an empty room and Banner practically chucked Ryan inside, the human nearly falling on his face while Banner pulled the door behind him shut.

"Alright, I've put this off long enough. It's time that you and I had a little heart-to-heart," Banner said with such a tone that Ryan knew he wasn't getting out of the room until they were done. So with a shrug to show he surrendered, he plopped down on the floor and motioned for Banner to begin talking. "First, let's start with your little comment about the Hulk there and calling him an idiot for feeling guilty. What the hell?"

"Come on, Doctor, I thought you were supposed to be the smartest man in the base," Ryan teased with a smirk, but the cold scowl of Banner caused Ryan to sigh as he collapsed to his back and stared up at the ceiling. "There's no point in talking with you. Get the other guy out here."

'No.'

"He says no."

"Tell him if he wants to start making up for what he did to me, he needs to get his green ass out here now." Those words seemed to have an effect on the Hulk and a few moments later, Banner had taken a backseat while the Hulk looked down at the human with regret-filled eyes, eyes that caused Ryan to roll his own with a sigh of annoyance.

"Oh, stop looking so damned guilty, it doesn't suit you. You should either be angry or a dick. Those are the best versions of the Hulk," Ryan informed him with a smirk, but Hulk's face remained unchanged. "Alright big guy, let me hear it from your lips. Why do you feel so guilty, that you did what many wanted to do to me when you broke everything in my body?"

"Because...it made me realize what I really am, what I am without Banner to restrain me. I am nothing more than a beast filled with rage, a monster that seeks to kill all who enter my line of sight," Hulk admitted shamefully as he lowered his eyes to the floor. "I nearly killed my best friend and a mother when Tinker separated the two of us, and if you hadn't sacrificed yourself to slow me down, I'm certain that they would be dead now."

"So you get angry without Banner. How does that make you any different from regular Hulk?"

"Because I thought for the longest time that I could control my rage, that I could learn to be more than just a monster!" Hulk roared with such fury that the whole base shook with his rage, yet Ryan just raised an eyebrow as Hulk let out a guilt-filled sigh. "But when we were separated, I learned the truth. I learned that without Banner there to hold me back, to allow me to use his mind, that I am the monster that everyone on Earth feared. That I am an out of control killer." The Hulk lowered his eyes to the floor after speaking his mind and remained motionless while Ryan thought silently to himself for a moment before speaking.

"Bullshit."

The Hulk's head slowly lifted itself to look at the human, who was now glaring at the Hulk with a look of rage in his eyes as well. "That statement is bullshit. It's such a level of bullshit that if I didn't know better, I would believe that it was something that I thought up, that's how bullshit it was. Do not, do not, for a moment believe that without Banner within you, you are only a raged-filled monster that seeks to kill everyone in his path."

"But after what happened-"

"Alright, let's do a little thinking here. You are the Hulk," Ryan began as he pointed to the Hulk. "A guy who regularly fights monsters, demons and gods. And not only do you beat them, nine out of ten times you kick their asses so hard that your footprint will remain on their butts for all eternity. And that's when you got Banner in you keeping you "under control" as you put it."

"So, let's remove Banner from the equation and place you up against a foe far less powerful than a god or a demon or an immortal evil, say me," Ryan continued in a frenzy now, not giving Hulk a moment to speak. "You are enraged without Banner, so you attack me because you obviously know me and break everything in my body in the process of kicking my ass. Are you so stupid Hulk, so infinitely stupid, that you would believe that in your angriest state, which would place you near your strongest, that if you truly wanted to kill me, I would not already be dead?"

Ryan watched as the Hulk blinked twice, processing what Ryan was hinting at. "Do you mean to tell me that if you truly threw me with the intention of killing me, with an arm that could punch out Thor, Zeus and all the other gods, that I would only break everything in my body and be placed in a coma? No Hulk, heeeeeeeeeellllllllll no. I would be atomized. Obliterated. Even big G up in heaven wouldn't be able to put me back together after being hurled into the ground with that kind of force. Even a complete moron like me can understand that much."

"What are you implying?" Hulk asked.

"I'm saying that you weren't gone in that rage state, because you, the good Hulk, the Hulk that wants to help others, is what kept me alive. If you truly wanted me dead, I would be dead. But I lived. And that's because even without Banner in there to keep Hulk "in check," there is still a noble heart of a giant who chose to fight against evil despite the world hating him; who chose to protect the ponies despite knowing that they would hate him as well." Ryan glared into Hulk's eyes as he said this, making sure that Hulk heard every word.

"Banner might be the brains of the bunch, but there has never been a soul more noble or that has endured as much suffering--only to still help those who hurt him--as the Hulk. You are a hero--both of you are--whether you are together or apart." Ryan then turned away from the Hulk with a smirk on his face, knowing from what he had seen in the Hulk's eyes that he had struck a cord with the giant. He heard a small chuckle escape the Hulk's lips and allowed a small smile to cross his own face.

"You're right...I guess. Perhaps the good guy in me...prevented the monster from hurting anyone."

"Of course I'm right, I'm an asshole. We're always right." Ryan tried to walk by the Hulk as he said this, but to his surprise the Hulk then shrunk back down into Doctor Banner, who pulled his glasses out of a pocket and placed them on his face while he leaned against the door. "What? We talked. Now let me out."

"Yes, you talked to the Hulk like you wanted. But now it's my turn," Banner said in a cold voice that sent a few chills up Ryan's spine as he felt the piercing eyes of Banner rest upon him. "And I think that I've finally got you figured out. So, sit down Ryan and let the good doctor give you his diagnosis."

What Makes A Hero

Star-Swirl had just finished conversing with one of his many associates, when a pony clad in a black hood and cloak slowly approached his dark power, stopping short of the platform where the ancient pony stood to avoid the tendrils of darkness. The two guards at the entrance slightly turned away from Star-Swirl, while he turned his red eyes upon the pony before him, ignoring the shaking of the pony's body.

"What do you have to report?" Star-Swirl asked, his voice chilling the souls of all of the ponies that stood in the circular room with him, filling them with the desire to flee for their lives. But they knew their duty and the oaths that they had sworn, so the messenger swallowed his fear and began to speak.

"T-the machine is ready sir! It has been built beneath Canterlot and all we are waiting for now is your word to bring it to the surface so that we may use it." None of the other ponies saw the tiniest of smiles that spread across Star-Swirl's face at the news, but when he spoke there was no joy to betray his thoughts.

"This is very good news...especially good news, considering that I have received word from the gatherers that I have sent out, that our five years worth of work is nearly complete." The messenger's head snapped up at those words, his eyes filled with amazement despite the being before him.

"Sir, you mean that...there is almost enough destruction to begin the final phase?" the messenger asked with a small smile. Star-Swirl nodded as he looked up towards the ceiling, though his mind was looking far past the stone.

"Yes...all we seem to need is one last, destructive battle to have enough power to free him," Star-Swirl said with a laugh devoid of joy, while he plunged his hoof into his chest, dragging out a black sphere that crackled with red energy as he held it before his eyes. The ponies watched as the air around the sphere seemed to be vaporized by just being in proximity to the orb, though Star-Swirl never seemed to notice.

"And I already know which battle shall be the one, to free the one," Star-Swirl continued as he placed the sphere back into his chest, creating red lines along his body that caused an eerie glow to radiate off of it. "When the five champions battle with the judges of Equestria. That battle will give us the power needed to free him...but I did not get this far in life by not having a back-up in case something unforeseen happens, such as when Sombra prevented me from taking Canterlot for myself."

Star-Swirl had turned to his mirror as he uttered his words, creating a vortex of darkness within the reflective glass. Despite the presence that Star-Swirl gave off, the young messenger couldn't help letting his curiosity getting the better of him.

"W-what are you doing, Master?"

"I am calling for the god. My agents will work on bringing me the monster, but I wish to have all of my forces of destruction with us for the final battle." The messenger looked into the mirror to see a figure clouded in darkness appear, but from what he could make out the figure looked similar to Black Adam except that he had glowing red eyes.

"Is it almost time?" the figure asked, getting Star-Swirl to chuckle slightly in reply.

"Yes, it is almost time for you to aid us...Hyperion."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Diagnosis? As in you're going to say what's wrong with me?" Ryan asked Banner with a loud laugh while he sat down, crossing his legs and giving Banner a humored look as he flipped up his hood. "I just woke up from a week-long coma doctor, I'm fairly certain that's what was wrong with me. Besides, aren't you the scientific kind of doctor, not the medical one?"

"I'm not talking about your physical body, I'm talking about you. You as a person," Banner clarified for Ryan, getting another chuckle from the human while Banner elected to remain standing and Ryan began to walk around the room. "It may have taken longer than usual for me, but I believe that I've finally figured out who you are...not who you're trying to convince us that you are."

"I hardly think that mental analysis is part of your job description, Banner," Ryan said with a chuckle, but Banner read a flash of caution in eyes that weren't quite hidden by his hood. "Babysitting the Hulk maybe, but not telling people how messed up they are. Besides, I already know what's wrong with me. I'm crazy."

"Then why hide it?" Banner asked point blank, getting an eyebrow raise out of Ryan. "And trust me, I am very skilled at telling when people are lying to me, because I've been lied to all my life. I also know when people are truly crazy or just pretending, since I know Deadpool."

"Are you implying that I'm not bat shit crazy and I'm just pretending?" Banner heard offense and anger in Ryan's words, getting the doctor to shake his head in response.

"No. Watching a person's world and best friend die before their eyes would drive any normal man crazy. I do believe that you are insane to a degree." Ryan's eyes narrowed dangerously at Banner's words, but Banner knew full well that Ryan would do nothing in response. The threat of the Hulk would keep the situation verbal. "The silver mare told me. Go vent at her if you're offended. So I have no doubt that you're insane, for the most part. When you decided to take on the Hulk, I knew that much. But that also showed me that you were a hero as well."

Ryan threw back his head and laughed heartily at Banner's words, his whole body shaking from the bellowing laughter that echoed through the room. Banner's face remained emotionless while he waited for Ryan to finish, with Ryan having to wipe tears out of his eyes while struggling to breathe once he finished laughing.

"A hero, Doctor Banner? No, I am no hero. I'm a psychopath who owes that mare a favor, a favor that got me thrown into a war that doesn't concern me. I mean, I'm not one of the chosen champions, so by what I've been told about the forces of destruction I shouldn't even be here, seeing that their power would kill me immediately without one of those fancy Elements to protect me," Ryan explained to Banner with a smirk, but to Ryan's surprise Banner let out a small laugh in reply as he shook his head.

"You lost your entire world to a nuclear holocaust, were transported to a strange land after watching your best friend die and were constantly attacked every minute of every day while fighting to survive," Banner said to recap the events of Ryan's story. Judging from Ryan's snarl of annoyance, Banner knew that the silver mare had spoken true. "Yet you saved the ponies' lives on a number of occasions, even though they hunted you. And when Discord tried to take over all of Equestria by turning the Elements and princesses against the ponies, you fought against them, setting the Elements free and nearly giving your life to save them all. Now I may not be an expert on people, but that sounds a lot like something Steve or Peter would have done if placed in the same situation. Those actions are what a h--"

"Don't finish that sentence." Banner silenced his words as he raised both his eyebrows slightly at Ryan's response, seeing the anger flashing in the human's eyes while he slowly rose to his feet, walking over to Banner and glaring up into his eyes. "And don't for a minute believe that you know how I thought or why I did what I did. You're a smart man Banner, so I assume that you know what survivor's guilt is, right?"

"To put it simply, it's when a person survives something they shouldn't have and they feel guilty about it," Ryan continued on with fury before Banner could speak, his eyes flashing like lightning. "That's why I helped to save those damned ponies, not because I'm some nice guy or a hero in spandex, but because I felt guilty for not being able to save my world, so to make up for it I tried to save theirs! I did it so that I could feel better, so that I would stop seeing fire when I closed my eyes! It wasn't for them, it was all for me. To make me feel better. Now tell me, oh wise doctor, does that sound like the actions of a hero?!"

Banner was quiet for a moment after Ryan's outburst, trying to think of the best way to speak to him. He sighed after a moment and decided he would have to be more direct. "You are not the first hero to help because you feel guilty for the deaths of others. Peter became a hero because he failed to stop a criminal, despite having the power to do so. And that criminal shot his uncle dead in the streets a few minutes later. That loss is the reason he became a hero and is the reason he is a hero to this day. Nearly all heroes are created because they lost something or someone important to them. You lost more than most, but in the end you still saved an entire world."

"Because, if you would listen, you arrogant jackass, I did it for me!" Ryan roared in reply, snarling with fury. "Besides, do I even look like a hero? Do I act like a hero? I have caused more harm than good in the short time that I've been in both Equestria and here! I'm a jackass that messes things up, gets his ass kicked and by some miracle manages to avoid killing somepony in the process. I'm arrogant, infuriating and one hell of a prick. I am the man who failed to save his world! That is who I am!"

"That is your excuse."

Ryan fell silent as if shot dead, but the fury that erupted in his eyes told Banner than in a moment the Hulk might have to intervene. But Banner did not waste a moment in explaining what he meant.

"What do I mean by that Ryan? I mean you are using those traits you described, that personality that you took on, as an excuse so that no one will think of you as a hero or at least as a friend." Ryan opened his mouth to argue that point but Banner was master of the room, and he silenced the words yet to be spoken with a look of sheer dominance. "You say that you are someone who does not care about others? Somebody who only cares about himself? No, I have seen many a man that was like that, and you are not one of them."

"How would you--?"

"How would I know? Because I used to be one of them!" Banner said with an inferno of passion that burned with far more power than the hate that was flashing in Ryan's eyes, forcing Ryan into silence once again. "After I was forever changed by the gamma bomb, I became one of the most selfish men on my planet. I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow, feeling so sorry for myself over the monster that I had to endure, that I shut myself off from the world...that I fled into the wilderness to keep the Hulk away from others."

"Which seems to be an act of selflessness rather than--"

"No, Ryan, I tricked myself into thinking that I was doing it for others, that I was a good man, but it was still all about me. If I managed to contain the Hulk when I walked through a city, I thought that I had done good. When Hulk wrecked a city it was the Hulk's fault. Yet the Hulk, nine times out of ten, came out to fight an evil that threatened the lives of others, whereas I was so afraid of being caught that I would abandon those who needed help. And nearly every time I did do something for others, I always was truly doing it for me, so that they would help me. You want someone who was selfish, talk to the me before I came to Equestria."

"That is what I did after I fell victim to an event that tore my life apart. Now let's look at you. You are the only survivor of your world, a world that was blown apart by nuclear weapons, and the only reason you survived was because your best friend created a portal that sent you to Equestria, saving your life. Am I right so far?"

"Fuck you."

"At first you tried to survive, tried to stay away from the ponies because, according the silver mare, you didn't want them to meet a human, whom you called 'bringers of the end'. But then you saved a certain gray mare's life and then you saved a pup of a timberwolf, despite the fights you've had with the wolves. Then you saved Lyra from a spiderweb without asking for anything in return. And this was before you owed the silver mare your life. That seemed very nice of someone who only does things for themselves."

"I'm warning you, Banner--"

"And then Discord showed up and played hell with the world. He turned the Elements evil and made the princesses his own servants. And when the world seemed to be his, you stepped up to oppose him. You took on beings far more powerful than you are with little to no chance of surviving."

"Because I couldn't stand to see a world die like mine had," Ryan snarled, but was again cut off by Banner.

"Because you couldn't stand to see what happened to you happen to the ponies. You couldn't stand to see such innocent and peaceful creatures suffer the same way you had," Banner corrected him sharply. "You might not have been able to save your world, and honestly I don't know how you could have, but you were damned sure that you could save the ponies! You knew how painful it was to lose everything, so to make sure that it didn't happen to the ponies, you fought gods, Ryan, beings that were so far beyond you."

"I know what gods are; I'm on a team with two. But again I did it because--"

"Because deep down you care. That is why you're here with us now, not because you owe the mare, but because you know that others are in danger and you want to make sure that they can live to see another day. Because deep inside, you're a good man who only wants to spare others from the suffering that he went through," Banner finished in whisper, looking up to see that Ryan was looking away from him, yet was still shaking with rage.

"But you don't think of yourself as a nice guy. You can only focus on your failure, that you were the only one on your world who could stop the end and that you failed," Banner continued. "And that fear of failure is the reason why you act the way you do."

"I made peace with my failure," Ryan whispered with murderous intent in his voice as he slowly turned to face Banner, a crooked smile on his face while his eyes shone with crazy intentions. But then Ryan looked into the burning green eyes of Banner and he seemed to regain some of his sense. "I made peace with the fact that I failed."

"Liar," Banner said in reply, his word turning Ryan's crazy expression into one of absolute hatred. "You never came to grips with it. You never got over the idea that you failed your friend and race. And that is why you act like such an asshole, so that if the day comes when you fail again, you won't let anyone down. And that is your greatest fear--the fear of failing others."

Banner expected rage or assault at his accusation, but for the first time since he had spoken, Ryan's actions surprised him. Ryan said nothing, but he reached up to pull his hood over his eyes before sitting down on the floor with his back to Banner.

"The way you talk, the way you bring yourself down and the way you act is all to convince us that you can't do anything right, that you aren't supposed to be a hero. So if the day comes when you do fail, none of us will blame you because we all knew it was going to happen," Banner continued, but his voice held sympathy within it as he spoke. "You act the way you do so that we never believe in you. Because if we don't believe in you, then you can't fail us. Am I right?"

"Yes..." Ryan whispered after a moment of silence, before lifting his hand and looking at it.

"I fell for the lie for the longest time; I am not afraid to admit that. I thought of you as an arrogant asshole who believed every word that he spoke," Banner continued. "And I would still probably still believe it, if I hadn't seen with my own eyes an act that blew away any doubt that I had of your being here. And that was when you chose to fight Hulk." Ryan slightly turned his head to show that he was listening, giving Banner a moment to take in a breath before continuing.

"A man who was selfish, who deep down only cared about himself, would never have gone so far for the sake of another. And I know it was for another, Ryan, because you mentioned Trixie and her daughter," Banner reminded him, getting Ryan to hang his head slightly. "Despite how ungodly strong Hulk was and how hopelessly outclassed you were, you knew that if Hulk were to fight us, then Trixie might never get home to see her daughter again. That those who loved her might lose her."

"So you threw yourself at the Hulk, knowing full well that you were probably going to die. Despite how much you feared him, and yes, I know that you are afraid of him, you took on the strongest being in the worlds to give Trixie and I the smallest of chances to escape, so that her daughter wouldn't lose her mother. You chose to die so that others could live. Am I still on the right track?"

"Yes..."

"That was the event that made me see you in a new light, Ryan. When I thought of your personality and how it didn't match up with what you had done, I asked the mare for your story...what happened to you in Equestria. And it was through the mare I learned of your struggles, your fight with insanity and how...that despite a charade of aloofness and aggravation, beneath it was a man who would die for others, many times over." Banner looked down at Ryan, who had yet to move, before he walked over and placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"You say that you don't belong here, Ryan, that you aren't one of the champions, but your actions have spoken far louder than your words. I now know that you are just as worthy to stand among us as the other heroes are, even if you don't want to believe it. You may not be one of the chosen champions, but a magical accessory doesn't determine who is a hero and who isn't. The fact that you're here fighting alongside us despite not being chosen, despite being the one who is the most in danger, speaks far louder than your words ever could."

"So, that is why I am asking you to go with me to bring down the Spire that rests in the Crystal Empire, because you are a part of this team and I trust you," Banner said with confidence so that Ryan had no doubt in his words. "I'm not asking you to change who you are, Ryan or that you stop being a pain in the ass, but I will ask you to try believing in yourself. You may not think it, but I know that you are just like us. You are a hero. We all know that, you're just the only one who doesn't believe it."

Banner figured that he had said enough and he turned to leave, with the Hulk telling him that even he was impressed with what Banner had said, but then Banner was stopped dead when Ryan spoke. "I was wrong, Banner. You have shown me that I was wrong." Banner turned back to look at Ryan, finding that the human's eyes were cold.

"What were you wrong about?"

"I believed for the longest of times that the Hulk was the most dangerous member of this team," Ryan informed Banner before shaking his head slowly. "But I was so wrong. Out of everyone that the mare brought here, Banner, you, by far, are the most dangerous."

Banner slowly nodded in response to Ryan's words before leaving some words of his own. "Tomorrow we will attack both of the remaining Spires at the same time. You and I will take the Crystal Empire while Batmare and Mr. Bubbles will take the one in Atlantis. Trixie will be providing magical support for Batmare so she can survive, while Billy will keep an eye out for Adam." Banner then left the room, leaving Ryan alone with his thoughts.

'I hate you, Doctor Banner. I hate you far more than anyone else on this team,' Ryan silently thought to himself as he looked across the room to spy a small shard of glass that reflected his image back at him. 'Because you are so right about me.'

Weeping Willow

Willow's hoof tapped three times against the door to Black Adam's chamber, a small sigh escaping his lips when he heard no answer. He knew that Adam still resided within the room, for he had not left for a day now, but what the old stallion did not know was why Adam had shut himself off from the others. But that was something he needed to find out.

"Black Adam, it is me, Willow," Willow announced as his hoof rapped against the door once again. Only more silence answered him. "Please allow me to enter. I wish to speak with you." Upon his third knock the door slightly swung open, giving Willow a moment to decide whether he shoulder enter or not. His desire to help the defender won out and a moment later he had pushed open the door, entering a chamber within which very few had been. The room was surprisingly bare for Adam, with only a bed, table and carpet to make up most of the furnishings in the room. A sword hung on the wall, and Willow's eyes spotted a staff with a lightning bolt at the top that rested against the wall, yet those items became an afterthought when his eyes rested on Black Adam, who was standing by the window with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Master Adam." Black Adam turned his head to look at Willow, yet Willow noticed that Adam's eyes were not 'there' at the moment. They slowly began to clear when Adam recognized who was standing in his presence, and with a small shake of his head the thunderous eyes of Adam returned.

"Willow. What are you doing here?" Adam asked with faked annoyance, but Willow had been around the defender long enough to know when he was faking an emotion.

"You left your door open," Willow informed Adam as he pointed to the door, getting Adam to nod slightly before Willow continued. "But to answer your question, I am here to speak with you...to see how you have been doing."

"I am fine," Adam swiftly replied, getting Willow to raise an eyebrow. "I am simply concerned with the fall of the Spires and the impending attack on the city." Despite himself, Willow let out a small chuckle that gained him a narrowed look from Adam.

"I am sorry, Adam, but you have never been that strong a liar," Willow informed Adam, who seemed more curious at Willow's words than he was annoyed. "There is something else on your mind that you have discovered, something that has shaken you to your core. I can see the pain in your eyes and I can tell from your stance that you have lost some of your confidence. All I want you to know is that I wish to help you, even if you do not tell me what is the matter."

Adam turned away from Willow for a moment, debating if he should simply remain silent or let Willow in on a subject about which he had not even spoken to Celestia. "I went to a number of different worlds the other day," Adam finally admitted, getting a look of confusion from the old unicorn.

"But that is not unusual for you. You have traveled to different worlds many a times," Willow reminded him.

"Yes, but this time I went to some places I thought that I would never need to visit," Adam began as his fists slightly tightened. "I went to worlds that were home to a story devoid of a single element, and what I discovered is what shook me. It was that the ponies were happy, that there was no war, no pain or suffering," Adam scowled with lightning flashing in his eyes. "Where the Elements of Harmony are still alive and the princesses are the closest of friends. And do you know what all of these worlds had in common?"

"You...had never shown up there," Willow answered somberly, getting Adam to nod slightly while he hung his head. "But you cannot believe that just because some of the worlds have a different story that-"

"That what? That I am a hero who saved this world? I am the man that damned this world!" Adam roared with a thundering voice that shook Willow's very core before the Dark God regained control of himself. "Twilight and the others defeated Discord when he re-appeared, even managing to conform him...whereas I killed him without a second thought. They banished Chrysalis from their land whereas I wiped out an entire species. They used their friendship to defeat Tirek without the need of godly lightning. And those are the worlds where there is no war between the sisters, no pain of a split nation, and no hatred that drove two sisters to loath each other. There is no me."

"Adam, surely you are not implying that you-"

"That I am not the one who is responsible for this? No Willow, I am the reason for everything that has happened," Black Adam admitted with tears streaking down his face as he looked down at his hands. "I have brought nothing to these ponies. The ponies knew friendship, love and harmony long before I came here. I taught them how to hate, how to kill, and I have brought them pain...So much pain. I am no champion, Willow; not even a protector. I am the reason that everything here is happening. I am no better than the other villains that have plagued your land. There is only one difference between us. I managed to destroy a nation built on friendship and turn it into hatred."

Willow opened his mouth to argue with Adam, to say something that would snap him out of this line of thinking, but his words failed him and all he could do was shake his head slightly, sensing that Adam was done speaking. Willow left the room silently, closing the door behind him while he began to walk down the mostly empty halls of the castle.

'You are wrong Adam,' Willow thought before Adam's very words came back to him, describing how Adam had brought about the end of the world. Despite his heart saying that Adam was wrong, Willow found that his mind could find no argument against Adam's words. But his train of thought was derailed horribly when he turned a corner to find two cloaked unicorns standing in the center of the hallway, one of them holding a knife to the throat of a pony he knew well.

"Windy!" the old pony cried, taking a step forward only to watch as one of the cloaked ponies pressed the knife closer to Windy's throat, drawing blood. "You monsters! Release your hooves from my assistant or so help me I will-"

"You will only do what we demand of you, Willow, or the stallion shall never speak again," one of the cloaked ponies barked, cutting off Willow. "Do not try to call out for Black Adam, for we can slit this one's throat before he reaches us. If you wish to keep him alive, then you will keep silent and lead us to where you have hidden the Phantom Zone generator."

Willow's eyes widened in shock at their demand, wondering how they could have possibly known that he was the one who had hidden the generator. For a brief moment he did consider calling out for Black Adam, but then he looked into the terrified eyes of his assistant, and the pony's fear sealed his lips. With nothing more than a nod he motioned for the two cloaked ponies to follow him, cursing internally when he saw that they did not remove the knife from Windy's throat and brought the unfortunate stallion along with them.

He led them to the picture of the king and queen who had ruled the land before Celestia and Luna, giving the two cloaked ponies a reproachful look before he used his magic to fling the picture back, revealing a massive, mythril door that loomed over the four. He quietly uttered the incantations he needed to enter, stepping back as the door slowly and silently swung open to reveal a long passageway down into darkness. He motioned again for the ponies to follow him while he started down the dark stair case, feeling their eyes watching him closely as he descended.

"You'll never make it out of here alive, you know," Willow said quietly to the two cloaked ponies, who remained silent. "And even if you do, you can't possibly think that you'll win ay whatever game you're playing. Black Adam will stop this plan of yours." He could hear the two ponies snicker at his words, telling Willow that they didn't believe Adam to be a threat. That also told him that the two ponies were fools.

Their descent was in silence until they reached the bottom of the stairs, which revealed a long hallway toward a bright room at the end of it. Willow led the three down the hallway, occasionally hearing Windy whimper in fear, before he heard two loud gasps as the four of them entered into the room.

The shock was understandable, given what was hidden in the secret vault, and Willow remembered his reaction when Celestia had shown it to him when he first became her advisor years ago. Over the course of centuries, hundreds of both alien and pony weaponry had been brought to the vault, with most of the recent additions having been made by Black Adam. A large saucer hung from the steel beams overhead, while a weapon that had remained unknown until Adam had classified it as a photon cannon was underneath a sphere of glass in the corner.

"This is truly an impressive room," one of the cloaked ponies said to the other, getting a nod of agreement in response. Willow slightly turned his head to face the two of them, so that he could see them out of the corner of his eye. "Perhaps we should take some of these items with us. According to this sign here, this is a weapon of mass destruction."

"You believe that to be impressive? This cylindrical tube was used to wipe out an entire species," the one with the blade to Windy's throat said with awe as he looked into one of the glass containers. "And there are six in here! Just imagine how fast our progress would be if we used these to cause destruction," the pony continued as he placed a hoof against the glass. "We would probably be finished by--"

The pony never got to finish either his sentence nor his estimate, because at that moment Willow spun faster than any of the three thought such an old stallion could turn, while firing off two shots of magic, one striking the pony with the knife on both the arm and the shoulder, forcing the pony to drop the knife while the second spell hurled him into a sheet of glass.

"Quick Windy, hide yourself!" Willow ordered his assistant as he began to fire more volleys of magic at the two cloaked ponies, who dove behind whatever they could find to use as cover. For a brief moment, Willow saw that Windy was racing farther back into the vault for his own safety, but as two spells zipped by Willow's head he found that he had to focus completely on the battle at hoof. Willow briefly had the upper hoof when the element of surprise was on his side, but without it he quickly found that the two younger unicorns were able to start pushing him back.

"You are a fool, old pony! Destruction comes for all, all except those who are true to the destroyer!" one of the cloaked ponies preached to him as that pony's spell shattered a glass container behind Willow and nearly set off the weapon inside.

"Careful you fool or you'll blow us all to Tartarus!" his companion yelled while he fired a burning spell at Willow that the old stallion barely avoided, only doing so by hurling himself onto the floor and twisting his leg. Willow fought back the pain as he sprang up and fired a spell above both of the ponies' heads, cutting the wire that held up the flying saucer and dropping it down on top of them. The two yelped in surprise and fear as one threw himself out of the way of the object, while the other threw up a shield that barely stopped the U.F.O. from crushing him to death.

"Damn you, you old fool!" the unicorn that had thrown himself out of the path of the saucer roared as he leapt back to his hooves, only to find that Willow was waiting for him. A flash of light erupted from Willow's horn and the cloaked unicorn was hurled across the room with a blast of magic, which slammed him into the wall hard. The unicorn fell to the floor with a grunt where he remained motionless, though groaning weakly.

"Yes, I may be old, but I am not the fool here," Willow smirked at the felled foe before he turned his attention back to the other pony, who had just managed to push the saucer off of himself. Despite the hood covering the pony's face, Willow could see the pony's eyes shift from the old stallion to his fallen comrade, telling Willow that the pony was considering his options. "If you give up here, I promise that I will do my best to keep Adam from ripping you apart. But only if you surren-"

Willow's cry of pain was drowned out by the loud bang, that was followed by a blast of energy that caught him in the back, and hurled him through multiple glass casings. He slammed into an ancient tank and dropped to the floor with weak groan, barely able to see through bloodied eyes. He was aware of a burning sensation in his back, and from the amount of blood that was seeping around him he knew that the glass had dug into him deep. He weakly lifted his head to see the two cloaked ponies walk over to him, before a third pony holding the generator and a rifle filled with dark energy joined them as well.

"Windy?" Willow asked weakly when he looked up at the smirking face of his assistant, the final piece clicking into place as Willow let out a weak sigh of inner loathing. "Of course. Who else would be able to tell the cloaked ones that the generator had been hidden. I am such a fool."

"Indeed you are, you pathetic excuse of a unicorn," Windy said with such bitterness and hatred in his voice that for a moment, Willow wished that this was a changeling or an imposter. But he looked into the stallion's eyes and knew that it was the same pony he had taken in years ago, but it was also a side of that pony that he had never seen before. "You could have been one of the many to be saved, but instead you cast in your lot with the pegasi and the earth vermin. I feel ashamed for having called you my master for so many years, even if it was all an act."

"So...you have believed the lies that that fool Star-Swirl has been feeding you," Willow weakly wheezed with disappointment in his voice, noticing that his vision was beginning to blur and he could no longer feel his legs. "I thought that I had...raised my assistant better than that."

"I was never your assistant, you old fool," Windy Days snarled. "I have been a servant of destruction for years, having been hoof-picked by Star-Swirl himself to infiltrate Canterlot and keep him informed of the Queen and Black Adam's movements."

"So...all of the years together...all of the moments we shared as student and teacher...they were all a lie?" Willow whispered weakly, both blood and tears flowing from his eyes as he rested his head against the shattered pieces of glass.

"Yes. You may have taken me in after the changelings wiped out my home, but Star-Swirl saved me, gave me purpose," Windy said with a bitter laugh as he hoofed the generator to one of the cloaked ponies beside him. "And that shall be to wipe Equestria clean of all of the filth and rebuild a new world where only we, the superior, get to rule. And that is not a world that needs fools such as yourself."

Willow closed his eyes as he felt the last bit of his strength begin to leave him, but a sound reached his ears and he opened one of his eyes again. "I am so sorry Windy, that I was not able to lead you away from this path of destruction that you are on. And I am also sorry that I will not be able to protect you from him."

The three ponies turned around in time to see a flash of lightning illuminate the chamber, that was quickly followed by a fist driving itself into one of the faces of a cloaked pony, tearing the jaw from his face and hurling the body across the room. Black Adam then turned to face the other two only to receive a laser to the face. The blast did not hurt him, but it stunned him long enough for the two ponies to vanish in a flash of magic. He snarled at the disappearance of the ponies, but then Adam's eyes rested upon Willow and all of the hatred melted away into fear.

"Willow!" Adam cried as he appeared at the old stallion's side, horror in the gods eyes while he examined the wounds that the stallion had sustained. "Do not worry, I shall have you healed in a matter of moments." Adam pressed his hands against the side of the old pony and muttered a few words of magic, but to his fury he found that black tendrils of destruction ate away at his magic.

"No! I will not lose any more of those I swore to protect!" Adam bellowed as he placed his hands against the side of the stallion and tried again, only for the darkness of destruction to interfere once again. With a roar that shook the castle Adam tried once again, yet when it failed Willow weakly lifted one hoof and placed it upon Adam's hand.

"No, Adam...leave me to my fate," Willow admitted weakly, only to see fury and helplessness burn in Adam's eyes. "Do not...concern yourself with me...when so many more are in danger. They have taken the generator...they now have...whatever it was within that you fear. You...must...go after them."

"NO! I will not leave you!" Adam roared, but Willow shook his head one last time with the little bit of strength he had left.

"Adam...so many more lives are on the line than my own. And...as great as our forces are and as noble as the queen is...only you can stop them," Willow said. Doubt flashed for a moment in Adam's eyes and upon seeing that doubt, Willow's eyes hardened for a moment. "No...do not doubt yourself. You have...overcome every other threat that has plagued our nation. You can...defeat this one."

"How?" Adam asked weakly and hung his head, his teeth gritted in emotional turmoil as he glared down at his hands. "I am the cause of all of this war and pain. I could not stop the sisters from fighting; I could not stop the two fillies I cared about the most from dying...and now I cannot save the only pony whom I could truly trust. How can I fight destruction when I am the cause of it?"

"Adam...there was a time...when I truly thought you would be the death of us all." Adam lifted his head to look at Willow, who had rested his head upon the floor once again with eyes that seemed barely there. "When I saw your power, your ferocity and the way you disposed of your foes, I truly thought that one day I would wake up to see the princesses dead and all of Equestria under your rule. For years I had that fear, that you would turn out to be a greater foe than Discord or Tirek could ever be."

"But then...you did something that I had never seen done by someone who held so much power and had so much hatred. You changed." Willow's voice was barely a whisper at this point, yet Adam's godly hearing allowed him to hear every dying word that the stallion spoke. "You...ceased fighting for the sake of vengeance. You...chose to let your foes live. You...stopped being a symbol of fear to the world and instead slowly became a symbol of hope...somepony whom we could trust."

"You may believe that you are the cause of all of this destruction; that you are the reason that the world is about to destroy itself, and you may be right. That by simply appearing here, you have set a number of events in motion. But you have also fought every step of the way to protect the ponies, to keep them safe from that very destruction. That is why...I know that you'll save us," Willow whispered before he began to cough up blood, his voice barely audible even to Adam. "You...may...believe yourself to be...the destroyer of the world...but we who follow you...you will do...whatever you must...to save this world. You are...our hero Adam. We have...accepted you...as our hero...that you have changed...you just have...to accept it...yourself..."

Willow then looked ahead with blank eyes, one last breath escaping his lips as they slightly smiled. "Thank you...for...showing me...that even the most...dark of hearts...can...become..."

Adam lowered his head when the last breath escaped Willow's lips, tears beginning to fall from his face as he slowly lifted his shaking hand towards Willow's eyes, slowly closing them. The air crackled around him and thunderclouds formed in the room all around him, letting loose their downpour as if they were crying alongside Adam. Adam then slowly lifted the body of the old unicorn into his hands and headed for the entrance, with both sorrow and rage burning in his heart.

'I will not deny you your last wish, my friend. I will stop those who seek to bring about the end of the world...and I shall also stop those who seek to defeat Celestia,' Adam sobbed within his mind, yet when he opened his tear-filled eyes, lightning flashed with more thunder and fury than it had in years. 'You have my word. And I shall never break my word.'

Peaceful Talks?!

A hail storm of gunfire tore through the air around Ryan while he sprinted for his life to an overturned mail box, the only cover that was within sprinting distance of the human. 'On the plus side, don't seem to need to worry about collateral!' he thought quickly as his peripheral vision noticed that the rounds that failed to rip him apart didn't penetrate through any of the houses behind him. With a dive of desperation, he threw himself onto the ground and managed to use his momentum to skid right behind the mailbox, where the sounds of the rounds imbedding themselves into where he had been just a second ago caused him to shake slightly.

"Okay Ryan, I was fine with your plan up until we smashed that crystal gate, but now that your plan seems to be, 'get shot to death', you've lost me," Hulk roared with a laugh over the gunfire while he slammed his palms into the city streets, creating a tidal wave of stone and crystal that hurled the guards off of their hooves into the air, where only the pegasi members of the force were saved from crashing back down into the streets.

'This is why we didn't elect Ryan as the plan maker,' Banner pointed out from the back of Hulk's mind before warning Hulk of stasis-wielders behind him. Hulk spun with the force of a small cyclone and clapped his hands together, generating a shockwave powerful enough to blast the ponies away before they had the chance to slow him down. 'Hulk...how are you holding up? It's only been a day since you've decided to resurface again and I was wondering if-'

"Look, Ryan made some good points in his argument about me not being a total monster of destruction, but right now my only goal is bringing down this Spire and ending this war," Hulk grunted quickly in reply as he created a shield of crystal from the side of a house, stopping the stasis burst with his newfound protection. "After that's over, we can worry about whether or not I can be trusted without you."

A number of small explosions went off, and a cloud of smoke completely engulfed the main square of the Crystal Empire, leaving both Banner and Hulk confused as to what happened before a hooded human slid under the Hulk's legs and crouched beneath him while his eyes darted around.

"As much fun as you seem to be having, I found that the Spire and the Crystal Palace are one in the same, meaning that we'll have to fight our way through an entire castle filled with guards, kings, and queens if we hope to get to that orb," Ryan informed the two before giving them both a sinister smile. "And while I'm all for the idea of bringing the whole tower down and watching the ponies flee in terror, I have a feeling that you don't want to risk any casualties and that we'll have to do this the hard way."

"You're right there," Hulk relayed from Banner as the smoke began to clear, giving the three a moment to look up at the top of the tower, where a beam of magic was seen emerging from a sphere of power at the very top, surrounded by a shield. "And I can't jump to it. Alright, guess we have no choice but to take a little stroll through the Crystal Palace. Let's hope that they can accommodate someone of my size."

The smoke cleared just as the two of them began sprinting towards the entrance to the palace, yet it only took a few steps before Hulk was far ahead of Ryan, which left the human open as the perfect target. "ARGH! That was me BOOTY!" Ryan howled in pain, as one of the many rounds that were all trying to kill him struck him right in the ass, the shock of being shot momentarily turning him into a pirate before the pain made him collapse.

"Heh, they shot the ass in the ass," Hulk said with a smirk as he lunged at Ryan, coming down like a meteor over top of him and using his body to prevent any more shots from striking the cursing human. "Come on, we can't have you dying on us just yet," Hulk said as he scooped Ryan up into one of his arms like he was nothing, before plowing ahead once again through a storm of gunfire and stasis blasts, the latter of which he avoided perfectly.

"Looks like we have to let ourselves in!" Hulk yelled right before he hurled his nine foot frame right into and through the reinforced doors that shattered immediately in the face of such power. Hulk shielded the human with his arms as the two skidded across the floor, coming to a stop in the center of a large library. "Wow, looks kinda like the one back home. Hey Ryan, can you stand?"

"They shot me in the ass! What do you think?!" Ryan snarled in pain as he forced himself back to a standing position, pulling out his baton and flicking it on. Once the electricity had heated the metal enough, he drove the side of the baton onto his wound, which cauterized it and allowed Hulk to hear a number of choice swear words that Ryan had picked up across the multiverse.

"Okay...we want the top floor," Ryan panted with pain in each word while he hobbled over to the stairs, barely noticing as the Hulk used the crystal in the floor to create a barrier, which he jammed in the door to keep the guards out. A cry of sorrow escaped his lips as he saw that the stairs went up for a long time. "Hey Hulk, think you can just jump all the way to the top? Floors have never stopped you before."

"Sorry Ryan, while I could do that, Banner says that we'd run the risk of bringing the palace down," Hulk relayed as the jade giant began to march up the stairs, surprised that they held his weight as he ascended. Ryan began to swear under his breath again as he hobbled up the stairs after the Hulk as best he could. His slow, complaint-filled climb was interrupted as the guards managed to blow down the barrier that Hulk had constructed, giving Ryan just enough time to utter a few more choice words before Hulk picked him up by the back of his jacket and hurled himself up most of the stairs. Hulk crashed down near the top and had to immediately throw himself forward, landing right in front of the doors to the throne room as the whole staircase went tumbling down behind him.

"Well, that's one way to keep them from coming after us," Ryan decided as Hulk dropped him onto the floor, the both of them looking at the crystal doors before them with slight interest. "Seems this is the entrance to the throne room. Think if we kidnap Cadence we can use her as a bargaining chip? Maybe that will get those soldiers to stop shooting me."

"I don't prefer to resort to such tactics unless I'm outmatched," Hulk informed Ryan while he placed a hand on the door, getting a confused look from the human.

"But you're the Hulk. When are you ever outmatched?" Ryan asked.

"Exactly." Hulk then threw the doors open and the two walked inside, somewhat surprised by what they saw. Across the room from them were two large thrones made of crystals, with a smaller one in between the two, and in front of each throne stood the pony that sat at said throne. The duo had anticipated that both Cadence and Shining Armor would be there, but to their surprise they found a small foal hiding behind Cadence's legs, and he gazed at the two with fear written all over his face.

"Well, well, this works out nicely," Ryan said with a devious chuckle as he rubbed his hands together. "We get three hostages for the price of one. If anything will get those guards to stop shooting it will be-" Hulk smacked Ryan lightly in the back of the head to shut him up, but since he was the Hulk a light tap resulted in Ryan getting hurled halfway across the room, which introduced his face to the floor of the throne room. Everypony looked at the human laying in the center of the room on his face with no idea what to think, giving Ryan a moment to lay there before he slowly stood up and gave Hulk a venomous glare.

"You must be the false champions that we were told about," Cadence eventually said after a moment. "We figured that you would be here for us eventually." Cadence expected a number of responses to her statement, but what she didn't expect was for Ryan to throw back his head and laugh like a lunatic, the laugh scaring the family far more than the giant behemoth behind the human did.

"Here for you? No, the princess we're after is far more crazy and blast happy. The fact that you haven't tried to blast me into ash yet, shows me that you are far more restrained than any of the other rulers of this land," Ryan cackled with a large smile on his face that was so unnerving, that Cadence made sure to double the barrier that she had placed around her son.

"So, you are after the Queen," Shining Armor said with narrowed eyes, but since Ryan let out another cackle while he began to walk forward, Shining found his nerves starting to fail him a bit.

"Oh yes, we have plans for her. First we are going to-"

"Ryan, you're scaring the kid." Hulk's voice broke through the bit of insanity that had trapped the ponies within its presence and got Ryan to turn around--to give Hulk a glare of annoyance. "Ignore him, he's a bit of a lunatic. Allow me to answer your question. No, we are not here to bring down Celestia. That's not our real goal."

"Really? Because I can't think of any other reason that you'd want to bring down the Spires and leave Canterlot open to attack," Shining snarled in reply, but as the Hulk turned his sight to him Shining nearly felt his nerves give out completely. Hulk's face thinned for a moment, as if he were coming to a tough decision, before the goliath let out a sigh and dropped to the floor, shaking the entire castle as he crossed his legs. To the ponies shock, the green goliath began to shrink down and in a matter of seconds he was a regular person not much bigger than Ryan.

"As crazy as he is, Ryan did deduce something about the two of you that I agree with. You are far more restrained than nearly anypony else we've met in this land," Banner agreed while he looked up at the rulers with far wiser eyes than the ones that looked out at them from beneath a black hood. "The fact that you also do not have one of the Judges standing guard over the Spire indicates that either you believe that you can protect it yourselves, or that you're not entirely onboard with Black Adam's plans. Given what he did to your sister, Shining, I'm inclined to think more in favor of the latter."

"You...know?" Shining asked with complete bafflement in his voice, before he quickly looked down at his son and regained his composure.

"Yes. And I am sorry. But as I was saying, it seems to me that you are not fully for Black Adam's plans. But your loyalty to Celestia prevents you from going against him entirely, since he is essentially her voice at this point," Banner mused. "Am I right?"

"That, and he saved our lives," Shining said with a nod to his wife. "I owe him that much."

"I see. So it is for that reason that you are opposing us. But what if I told you, that we are not here to defeat either Black Adam or Celestia?" Banner watched as Shining and Cadence's eyes narrowed with suspicion, but he saw also the spark of curiosity in them as well. "There is another force at work here, one with plans far darker and far more vile than you know. We call them the End of Days, and they are the reason for everything that has happened in your world, more or less." With a quick glance Banner could see both the disbelief and the curiosity in the rulers' eyes, telling him that he had them hooked.

"You sure we should give away all of our information to a pair of rulers and their brat?" Ryan asked, getting a quick look from Banner.

"Perhaps if we inform them of the real threat, then we can avoid fighting pointless battles," Banner retorted as he turned his attention back to the leaders of the Crystal Empire. "According to what we know, they have been responsible for many of the tragedies that have taken place over the last couple of years, including the deaths of the ponies that took place a few days ago."

"But we were told that your own Captain Marvel caused that," Cadence shot back, yet there wasn't so much rage in her voice as there was confusion.

"That is slightly true. Marvel did detonate the bomb that the End of Days had planted there," Banner clarified sadly. Shining and Cadence began to talk quietly to themselves for a number of minutes, giving Ryan enough time to give Banner a look of concern before the two turned back around to face them.

"Why are you telling us this?" Shining asked, getting Banner to look at him with a slightly confused look. "I mean, what is the point? I've heard of the Hulk from Adam, and I know that he is strong enough to destroy this entire castle without so much as breaking a sweat. It's clear that you are here for the orb, so why bother talking to us when the Hulk could have destroyed it ten minutes ago?"

"That's what I've been wondering," Ryan snarked, but Banner ignored him as he answered.

"Because you all deserve to know the truth," Banner replied with such strength in his voice that the rulers of the empire were slightly taken aback. "Because I want to end this pointless war, and help bring harmony back to the beings that live off friendship and harmony. But in order for me to do that, I need to break down the barriers of suspicion and hatred and help teach the ponies of your world to learn how to trust others again. So, that is why I am telling you this...so that you know, when I say that I am here to help save your world, I mean it. Now the question is, will you let me help you?"

Once again Shining and Cadence quietly spoke with each other, yet the confusion in their eyes was clear enough that even Ryan could tell that they were having trouble doubting Banner's words. 'That was some pretty impressive convincing you did back there,' Ryan whispered to Banner. 'Think they'll go for it, or will we have to fight our way to the top?'

'Considering my beliefs, I think they'll help us,' Banner whispered back. After nearly ten minutes of debate, Shining turned back to the pair with steeled eyes, telling them that they had come to a decision.

"I've talked it over with my wife and...we've decided that we'll trust you," Shining informed them, getting Banner to smile--while also getting Ryan to swear at the same time. "But, you must tell us what your actual plan is. You say that you're not taking down the shield so that you can get to Celestia, but you still need the shield down. Why is that?"

Banner looked over at Ryan, who shook his head, before answering the question. "When the shield falls, I am nearly certain that the leader of the End of Days will unleash his full forces upon Canterlot. My plan is to have Adam evacuate the city beforehand and leave it with the six of us and his own judges, allowing the twelve of us to take on the End of Days without worrying about civilian casualties. Hopefully, our combined might will be able to overpower them and we can defeat them before they use their master stroke."

Shining nodded at Banner's response before he looked at his wife, who also nodded, before the two of them walked past the two humans. "Come with us." Banner and Ryan followed without a moment's hesitation, with Ryan nearly stepping on the foal as he ran underfoot to get back to his parents. "I will admit that I do not trust you, but I trust Black Adam even less, and since no pony in your group has murdered an entire nation, I am more inclined to believe that you are the good guys than Adam is."

The five of them walked to a secret stairway that was hidden behind a picture of the Elements of Harmony, Cadence and Shining ascending with their son first before Banner followed them up, with Ryan taking the rear with cautious eyes while he glanced around for the trap to be sprung. The five silently climbed the stairs for a good ten minutes, before the stairs leveled out to the roof of the palace. In the center of the roof sat the orb projecting the beam of magic, with six heavily armored guards around it. They immediately took aim at the pair of humans as they appeared, but an order from the king and queen forced them to lower their weapons.

"Wow, if I had known that being honest and a nice guy would get you into a heavily armed place for free, I would have tried being a nicer guy years ago," Ryan said with an impressed look, before he threw back his head and cackled at the absurdity of his words. Cadence and Banner both gave him a look as Shining walked to the machine and yanked the orb free, shutting down the beam of magic a moment later.

"Here you go," Shining said with slight hesitation as he hoofed the orb over to Banner, who took it into his hands with a furrowed brow. "Well what are you waiting for? Isn't this the part where you destroy this orb like you have all the other ones?" Shining asked. Banner narrowed his eyes for a moment, lost in a decision, before he handed the orb back to Shining Armor.

"Keep it." All, including the guards, gasped at the action and Banner even got a few insults from Ryan as Shining took the orb into his hooves again with a look of confusion.

"Why?"

"Because I want to show you that not only can you trust me, but that I trust you as well," Banner said with a nod. "If you truly feel that you have made a mistake in trusting us, or you feel that the removal of the shield was the wrong decision, then you can place the orb back onto the machine and raise the shield once again. Because, out of all of the judges or rulers I have come across, you and your wife are the only ones I feel comfortable with leaving that choice. Thank you for trusting me.

Banner then turned his gaze towards the horizon with narrowed eyes, looking for something that never came. "Come on Ryan, we need to go." Banner was halfway down the stairs before Ryan caught up to him, with the look on the survivor's face matching the one that Banner wore.

"Just got word from the mare. Batmare and Bubbles lowered their tower as well," Ryan informed Banner, but there was no victory in his voice. "All of Canterlot will know that the shield is gone by now. And that means Black Adam knows as well. But he didn't come here, did he?"

"No. And that can only mean that he went to the other Spire, the one where the rest of our team is," Banner deduced with a long frown upon his face as he began to worry. "And as strong as most of them are, I do not know if they can beat him. I pray that I am wrong."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Luna could not help but smile as she placed her armored helmet over her head, pausing to appreciate the moment before her magic reached out for the other pieces of armor that rested upon her wall. The news had come down just a few minutes ago that the shield over Canterlot had fallen and Luna had wasted no time in heading to her chambers to arm herself for the battle that was to come.

She sheathed a sword that looked like the crescent of the moon while pushing her wings through the slots in her back armor, so that her chest was protected, but at the same time it allowed her to fly, a feature that she knew she would need in the battle to come. She knew her sister well, and knew that when--and it would be when--they clashed it would take all of her skill and power to finally bring down her deluded sister--to finally free Equestria of the crazy pony that had falsely ruled for so long.

'But for no longer! Soon I will free my ponies of the pain and foolishness that my sister has cast upon them for so long,' Luna thought with a small laugh. She looked towards a mirror resting upon her wall, looking over her armored self with a knowing smile, knowing that she was prepared for the fight. She then looked into her own eyes, eyes that were slit like cat eyes and a brilliant green, but all the reflection did was laugh, much like Luna herself did. 'Yes, you shall finally fall, Sister...and then I shall prove that I was right all along.'

Under The Sea

Batmare didn't need Mr. Bubbles to light his hand ablaze in order to illuminate the dark corridors, since her cowl allowed her to see in the dark just fine, but she still gave him a grateful nod at the gesture. The two had arrived in the sunken city of Atlantis to find it exactly as Trixie had described it: dark, slightly flooded, and devoid of all life.

'Which is worrying me even more than I would like to admit,' Batmare silently thought as she crept ahead of Bubbles. But all of her efforts to be stealthy were wasted, due to a metal titan whose boots slammed onto the ground like bricks. 'I mean, we haven't even seen a single guard of Adam's or any of his judges, and Adam's not the type to leave a Spire unprotected,' Batmare's train of thought continued while she gave up on stealth all together and just decided to walk alongside Bubbles, who seemed happy at her decision.

"Alright Mr. Bubbles, you came from an underwater dystopia. Any idea where anything is?" Batmare asked Mr. Bubbles, but all she got in reply was a number of low moans and an offer for her to sit on top of his head, which she politely declined. "Okay, that was useless. Let's try option number two. Mare, you listening?"

'Yes...I am here,' the silver mare responded weakly, instantly making Batmare wary. Bubbles growled slightly at the return of the silver mare, but he went silent as the mare continued to speak. 'Sorry if I...have not been around, it has gotten tougher maintaining my form. What do you require of me?'

"I wanted to ask, why is Bubbles being so friendly to me, more so than anypony else on this team?" Batmare grumbled slightly when Bubbles tried to open a rusted door for her. "And don't say he isn't. If he's not tending to the foals, then he's trying to help me no matter what I'm doing. Not that it's annoying, but I like answers to questions."

'You simply remind him of his home and the ponies that he knows,' the silver mare replied exhaustedly, getting Batmare to growl at another cryptic answer from the mare. But her annoyance at the pony melted away the moment she walked through the door that Bubbles had just forced open, revealing the secrets of Atlantis.

"Wow...just wow," Batmare muttered as everything within her sight became golden, which was the only way she could describe the room before her eyes. Everything in the room was a solid gold, be it the pillars that held up the ceiling or the ceiling itself, which had golden images carved into the gold that was used to make the ceiling. From the floors to the walls, no matter where the Batpony looked, all she could see what gold. "So they weren't kidding when they said that everypony wanted Atlantis for the gold. What do you think?"

To Batmare's surprise, Bubbles shrugged in response to her question and marched forward into the large golden room, turning his body from left to right as he looked down the hallways to see where to go next. He then pointed the way to the left and began to walk down the hall, until he realized that Batmare wasn't following him and he waited for her to catch up.

'Color me surprised. For a being that's nearly covered head to foot in gold, he sure doesn't really seem to care about it,' Batmare noticed as she walked over to Mr. Bubbles, who moaned happily as the two of them began to walk down another hallway together.

Without warning one of the walls shattered and water came bursting in, giving Batmare just enough time to yell in shock before a storm of ice not only froze the water, but also sealed shut the break in the wall. Batmare then slowly looked over to Mr. Bubbles, whose hand was covered in ice, and he was glaring at the wall with yellow eyes. Those eyes then turned green as he looked back at Batmare and motioned for her to continue following him.

"Heh, I guess your life of living under the sea made you ready for any situation like that, didn't it?" Batmare asked, getting a moan and a nod in response from the Big Daddy. Mr. Bubbles then held out a hand to stop Batmare when the two of them passed by a pitch black hallway, Bubbles turning his body to look down the corridor and using his eight glowing eyes to illuminate the darkness. "There's nothing down there Bubbles. My cowl isn't picking up any signs of life," Batmare informed him before moving on. Bubble's eyes flashed red for a moment before he followed her farther into Atlantis.

"You've noticed it too, haven't you?" Batmare asked when they came to an exceptionally large part of the city, where hundreds of golden stairs led down into an area that looked like it had once housed theaters, shopping areas and what seemed to be an ice rink in the very center. Batmare quickly scanned the area with her cowl before looking over at Bubbles, who was in a more defensive stance than usual. "Something's wrong here."

Bubbles moaned in agreement while the two slowly began to walk down the stairs. Bubbles determined that the stairs were strong enough to support him, and the steps were large enough so that his boots barely hung out over them. His eyes changed to yellow while he slowly began to look around the large chamber, feeling that something was wrong despite not seeing it.

After the two of them reached the bottom of that staircase, they got a first look at what had happened to one of the inhabitants of Atlantis. "Faust, the thing's covered head to hoof in gold," Batmare muttered when she poked the golden seapony with her hoof, not surprised to get no reaction out of it. "According to my scanners, this has been here for nearly a thousand years. Great. So Trixie was telling the truth when she suspected that what happened to the Atlantians of our world happened to this one. Question is, is this the same creature that sank our Atlantis or are we dealing with something else?"

Bubbles let out a moan before he reached down to pick up the bat-clad pony, who quickly jumped away from him at the last second. He let out a quick, pleading moan as he pointed to the stairs, hoping that Batmare would understand what he was asking.

"What? No, I'm not leaving," Batmare said with a small shake of her head that gained her a moan of urgency from the Big Daddy. "Yes, I know I'm in danger, but this is no different from the other hundreds of times I've been in danger. Just because your suit looks fancier than mine doesn't mean that mine is any less bulletproof. Now stop complaining and let's keep going."

Bubbles almost seemed to sigh at her response as she zipped down the next flight of stairs, leaving the Big Daddy to play catch up. It barely took him a minute to reach her again, though when he caught up with her he found the bat kneeling down next to an indentation in the floor. She was intensely looking at the indentation, but after a moment Daddy realized that it wasn't an indentation. It was a footprint.

"And a recent one too at that," Batmare confirmed for him when he had moaned in realization. "Which is both scary and interesting. Interesting because that would mean the creature that froze all of Atlantis in gold is still alive, and scary because that would mean the creature that froze all of Atlantis in gold is still alive. Come on, let's keep moving."

Using the scanners built into her cowl, Batmare was able to faintly pick up on the magic that the orbs produced, giving her an idea of which way to go. Unfortunately for the both of them, some of the areas were either flooded or dropped off into nothingness, with neither of them willing to find out how far down the drop was.

"So, if we're to assume that the creature that is responsible for Atlantis becoming the golden city of the sea is still alive, then I would also wager money that it's the reason there are no guards stationed down here," Batmare deduced when the trail of magic became stronger, helping her lead both of them through barely lit areas or through crossroads that may have confused them otherwise. "But now the question that needs answered is, does it work for Adam? Or is it so dangerous that he found it best to leave it to guard the orb? Because if it's intelligent, we might be able to talk our way through."

Bubbles let out a worried moan in response, and he pointed to Batmare and then towards the exit, getting the knight to roll her eyes while she continued onwards. It annoyed her slightly that Bubbles was never more than a few feet from her and was constantly trying to get her to turn back, but she simply assumed that he was just concerned for her safety and wasn't trying to do the mission solo.

The magical signal reached its strongest when both of them reached a pair of massive, golden doors that seemed to have the history of Atlantis carved into the gold. Batmare quickly read about how the city waged war with the surface world, and how the only way the Atlantians had to defend themselves from the might of the princesses was to sink the city into the sea, where it seemed to do well for a hundred years. Yet, that was where the story ended because the rest of the images were never finished being carved.

"Which is when, I can guess, that whatever it is showed up," Batmare said before turning her head to look up at the iron titan. "You ready to do this?" Bubble's nodded his head as best he could before he placed his hand on the door and shoved it open with an effort, revealing the treasure for which the two had come. The orb could be visibly seen resting upon the center of a machine, similar to the ones that Batmare had already destroyed within the other Spires, yet the only difference between the one before her and the other ones was that this one seemed built more for the depths of the ocean.

"Alright, seems simple enough. Now where's the dungeon boss?" As if summoned by her words a massive roar echoed throughout the chamber, prompting Bubbles to nearly throw himself over Batmare while she began to look around for the source of the noise. The beast that had let loose such a roar came crashing down from the ceiling, and it landed around the machine with another bellow of fury as it glared at the two with golden eyes that seemed more primal than intelligent. Yet, the eyes were not the only golden part of the beast, Batmare discovered, because the rest of the creature's body was covered head-to-toe in golden scales and armor, telling her what they were up against.

"A dragon? They're using a dragon to guard an orb that's underwater?" Batmare asked with a half chuckle, pondering why they would use a flying beast that breathed fire underwater, when three large fins emerged from its back in place of wings, surprising her while also answering her question. Then, as it brought its head back, sucking in the air around it, Batmare spotted a number of burn marks all along its neck that the cowl informed her were all magic-based...a magic that was in her father's index.

"Oh, so that's how Black Adam got you to work for him," Batmare realized. The next thing that she knew, however, was that she was being hurled through the air and that the dragon had just unleashed a hellish torrent of golden flames upon Mr. Bubbles, who had just barely managed to get Batmare out of the way of the attack. Her wings spread wide and allowed her to catch herself in the air, where she quickly turned back to see the Big Daddy barely holding back the golden flames with a stream of ice from his hand.

"Hang on Bubbles, I got you!" She let an explosive batarang fly from her hoof and arced it so perfectly that it sliced through the air and embedded itself right next to the dragon's eye, where an impressive explosion quickly distracted the dragon from Mr. Bubbles, and instead forced it to howl in pain as it ceased its fire breath. A quick burst of speed brought her next to Bubbles to discover that, while he had escaped unharmed, the area around the titan had not been so fortunate.

"So, I was right in assuming that you were the one who froze all of Atlantis," Batmare muttered as she took in the now-gold covered floors, turning back to the dragon to see that it had recovered from her attack. Yet, one of it's eyes had not survived. It unleashed another hellish roar as it lumbered towards them, shaking the entire room while it charged with fury in its eye. Batmare was quick enough to throw herself to the side, but as the dragon reared up onto its hind legs with one claw outstretched, Batmare saw from behind a pillar that Bubbles still hadn't moved.

"RRRRRAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" the dragon roared as the dragon drove its claw down to crush the Big Daddy, but the sound of the dragons' roar was drowned out by the sound of Bubbles' drill revving up to full speed. A blast of ice magic quickly shot forth from Bubbles' left hand just as the dragon's claw was about to crush him, completely freezing the claw in ice moments before it struck. Unable to stop its attack and with its claw frozen, the dragon could do little else but watch as Mr. Bubbles drove the spinning drill right into the center of the frozen claw, tearing it apart and hurling hundreds of little pieces across the room.

The dragon howled with pain as it staggered back and clutched at where its right claw used to be, leaving it open for Bubbles to unleash a swarm of hornets as well, before charging forward towards the dragon. With a roar the dragon began to swat with its only claw at the insects that pestered its only good eye, forcing it to take its eye off of the Big Daddy, which was a terrible mistake.

With a roar of his own, Bubbles quickly charged to where the dragon's tail lay on the floor, leaping into the air and driving his drill right through the tail and spraying blood across the room. The dragon opened its mouth as it let loose another bellow of pain, only to be silenced as Bubbles shot a massive blast of ice into the dragon's gaping maw, creating a small glacier that prevented the dragon from moving its jaw at all. Without a moment's delay, Bubbles raced over to the front of the dragon, where he watched as the dragon inhaled through its nose to take in the air needed so that it could let loose its fire. The moment it stopped breathing in, Bubbles threw a fist forward and punched the dragon in the gut hard.

The dragon didn't even have the option to cry out in pain as it collapsed to the floor with a large thud, laying motionless as Bubbles marched over to it and placed a boot on its head before he lifted his still spinning drill into the air and let out a moan of victory. Then, with eyes now a crimson red, he slowly lowered the drill and aimed it at the dragon's remaining eye, letting out a deadly roar while he drove the drill forward...only to stop when a batarang whacked him in the side of the head. He slowly turned to see Batmare glaring at him with an explosive batarang in her hoof, her eyes narrowed dangerously as she took aim at him.

"Good job on defeating the dragon, but if you finish what you were about to do, then I will bring you down myself," Batmare threatened in a cold voice. Yet, to her moderate surprise, Bubbles' eyes flashed from red to green before he hopped down off of the dragon, walking over to Batmare without so much as a look back at where the dragon lay while giving her a friendly moan. "Um, okay? Look, let's just get the orb and get out of here."

The two walked over to the machine and, with a bit of trouble, managed to remove the orb from it. They both looked up as the beam of magic vanished into thin air and the machine slowly turned itself off. "Alright, we're done here. Let's hope we can get out the way we came in, or else Captain Marvel might need to lift the entire city just so we don't-"

Batmare's words were interrupted when the glass above their heads was shattered at mach ten, causing both Bubbles and Batmare to brace themselves as they were knocked to the ground by whatever had just entered the room. They both slowly lifted their heads to find, to their shock and horror, that a human in white garb stood in the center of the room, his magical energy keeping the water that poured into the room from touching his body. Yet, they didn't need to see the golden lighting bolt upon his chest nor feel the thundering magic that surrounded him to know who he was...and just how deep they were now in.

"It ends today," the Dark God said as he slowly lifted his head to face the two of them, with eyes thundering from the power of hundreds of thunderstorms as he glared at the two, giving them both only a moment to see that his eyes also were a reddish tint. "The rebellion, the End of Days, and all who seek to harm those I protect...they ALL END TODAY!"

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Mare! COME IN MARE!" Trixie yelled to nopony as she tried to dig Captain Marvel out of the crater that his body had carved into the landscape just a few moments before. "Mare, Black Adam just showed up out of nowhere and one-shot the Captain! We need Banner and the Hulk back here now! Mare, are you listening?!"

To both Trixie's disdain and horror, the voice of the mare never answered her back, telling Trixie that either something was wrong with the mare or that Adam had gotten to her before he had dealt with Marvel. With an effort, she managed to use enough power to drag Marvel out of the hundreds of pounds of dirt beneath which he was buried, causing Trixie to gasp when she saw that blood was pouring from his mouth. Yet, she could see the rise and fall of his chest, telling her that he was alive.

'Hold on, Billy, I think I can...yes!' Trixie thought to herself as she used her magic to put Marvel's jaw back into place, allowing herself a quick sigh of relief while she began work on mending the injury completely.

'Trixie, I am here. What is the matter?' the broken voice of the mare echoed within Trixie's mind, snapping her attention back to what had just happened.

"It's Black Adam! Captain Marvel and I were here waiting in case he showed up, and with speeds that I couldn't comprehend he flew by, nearly tore Marvel's jaw off of his face, and dove into the ocean with enough speed to create a tidal wave!" Trixie quickly relayed while she turned her worried gaze to the hole in the ocean that still hadn't filled back in--the ocean where the beam of magic had just vanished. "We need Hulk here now! Because he's after Batmare and Bubbles. And Faust help them, because after what Adam did to Billy, I don't think anypony else can."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Celestia wiped away the small droplet that slid down from the corner of her mouth with the back of one of her hooves, closing her eyes so that she could completely feel the power that surged through her as the potion began to take its effect. And she knew that she would need that strength soon, because she had just heard from the guards that the shield around Canterlot had fallen. Not that she needed them to tell her that, since she had observed the shield fall with her own eyes minutes before they had told her.

'But I also know now that it doesn't matter if my sister has managed to finally lower the shield,' Celestia thought with a wicked grin as she walked over to a closet that rested against the wall, opening it to gaze upon her gold and orange armor that she had not worn in so long. 'For Black Adam has just left to deal with those so-called champions himself. And with the look that I saw in his eyes, it will be a miracle if any of them survive his wrath. So all that will leave is you, Dear Sister.'

Celestia then grabbed hold of her chest plate with her magic, slowly placing it over her shoulders, and gave herself a moment to get acquainted with her old armor. It was a little tighter than she remembered it being, but with a smile she found that it still fit fairly well. She next removed the grieves from her closet and slipped those over her legs, before finally removing her old battle helmet which had the sun carved onto it, and slid it over her mane and onto her head.

'And you will fall just as those champions will fall, Sister,' Celestia thought with venom as she picked up her broadsword which shone like the sun and placed it upon her back, remembering what it had been like the last time she had to use her greatest physical weapon. She then walked over to a mirror in her room and gazed into it, smiling at what she saw. Her mane was a burning orange, almost as if it were ablaze, while her armor was as regal and proud as the one who wore it. Yet in her eyes she could see something that made her smile grow even larger. There was power in her eyes, pure, all-consuming power. 'Because I am no longer the weakling that you once knew me as.'

'I am now a god.'

Element of Devotion

Words could not describe the horror that chilled Batmare's soul, when she gazed into the flashing eyes of the white-clad reaper as he slowly floated towards both Batmare and Mr. Bubbles. The very sea around them shook from the sheer rage and power that radiated from Black Adam. She had been trained by Batman not to lose face in even the most dire of situations, but in the face of absolute power she couldn't stop herself from shaking with fear.

Bubbles, who had already faced death and died twice, had the strength of mind to place himself between Black Adam and the pony behind him. The drill revved at maximum speed as Bubbles pointed it at the golden lightning bolt on Adam's chest while letting out a warning moan, eyes a crimson red.

Batmare let out a shriek and the very air around her shattered as Adam appeared before her with his hand raised to the side. She barely registered that Bubbles had been hurled across the room and crashed into the wall of the chamber, which collapsed down upon him and buried the daddy. The fear burned through her cowl while she slowly raised her quaking head and looked up at Black Adam's face, which was devoid of all emotion save for his eyes--eyes that held within the wrath of a being that had slaughtered millions.

'Stop them now, my love. Finish them for good.'

"I have been far too kind to your feeble attempt at a rebellion, and to the End of Days, allowing the both of you to grow under my nose while I tried to...heal Equestria," Black Adam whispered, but the looming threat of complete annihilation hung over every word. "But now I can see that the rebellion is not a simple wound that will heal with time, it is a growth," he whispered in such a low tone that Batmare barely heard, yet she did not need to know what he said to know what his intentions were. "And the only way to be rid of a growth...is to destroy it."

Fifteen years of training with the greatest martial artist in history saved Batmare's life, for the moment Black Adam finished speaking her reflexes kicked in and she hurled a smoke grenade at her hooves, creating a cloud of smoke that momentarily blinded Black Adam. Yet with a simple wave of his hand he shattered the sound barrier and decimated the smokescreen, finding that Batmare had vanished into the darkness that still persisted in the golden room.

"It seems you are just like the man that you imitate," Black Adam muttered softly while he slowly began to look around the room for the pony, slightly surprised that even his vision could not find her. But avoiding his sight would not be enough to conceal her. "You both hide in the shadows when faced with a stronger foe, just as you and Luna have hidden for five years, trying to bring down one of the kindest beings that I have known in my five thousand years of living. But you will fail. I guarantee that today, you will fail. And it will cost you everything."

Adam had floated up into the center of the room as he finished his sentence, all of his senses on alert for the pony that hid in the shadows. "But what I will do to Luna will pale in comparison to what I shall do to you. Perhaps I will leave you at the bottom of the ocean, wondering if you will drown or if the pressure will crush you instantly. Or would you like to see the sun up close? Celestia speaks very highly of its beauty." Despite his words, Adam scowled because he neither heard nor smelled the fear from the pony. 'She was indeed trained well if she has such mastery over her fear. But she is a hero,' Adam thought as he looked down to where Mr. Bubbles lay motionless. 'And all heroes have the same weakness.'

Adam floated down to the pile of rubble and drove his hand through the stone, pulling forth the Big Daddy and holding him up by the tanks on his back. Some of the ports on his helmet had been shattered and red stains could be seen starting to bleed through the white suit. "Very well, Bat, if you do not wish for me to kill this one here and now, you will reveal yourself and suffer his fate. Do I need to give you a count?"

"No, I'm here." Adam turned his head to see Batmare standing in the middle of the room, surprised that even with his reflexes he had not seen her appear. "Now let him go." Adam narrowed his eyes, but fulfilled his promise and hurled the Big Daddy at Batmare's hooves. Bubbles skidded to a stop just in front of Batmare, where he moaned weakly as he flashed his eyes at her.

"No, I can't run now," Batmare whispered with as much confidence as she could muster while Adam began to advance towards her. "If I run, he'll kill you. And my Dad taught me that every life is worth fighting for, no matter the odds."

"A noble sentiment," Adam whispered as he kicked Mr. Bubbles to the side and glared down at the bat pony, who looked back up at him with as little fear as she could muster. Then, with the speed of a lightning bolt, Adam's hand was around her throat and he hoisted her into the air, making sure to keep his grip tight enough so that she hurt. "But it means nothing. None of you will make it out of this place alive."

"I...thought...you didn't kill anymore," Batmare gasped out, getting Adam's eyes to widen for a moment in realization before he steeled his gaze again.

"I may have promised Celestia that I would not kill anypony, but you changed the game when the silver mare brought you six champions here to end her!" Adam snarled with rage before he hurled Batmare onto the ground. She screamed out in pain as she felt a bone snap. Adam placed a golden boot onto her chest and slowly began to press down, getting Batmare to scream in agony because her wings were next to shatter. Bubbles let out a roar as he threw himself forward, but a bolt of lightning to the helmet sent him spinning back into the floor.

"And with the arrival of you six champions, some of whom have the power to match even me, I realized that in order to protect this land from its enemies, I must erase its enemies," Adam whispered with death in every word as he slowly lifted his boot, holding it just above Batmare's motionless head with murder flashing in his eyes.

'Yes, my love. Now finish her. Put an end to those who seek to hurt you.'

'Adam, wait-!'

"DIE!" Adam roared as he stomped down...before everything froze.

Mr. Bubbles looked around weakly in confusion because he realized that no one was moving, before his gaze rested upon a pure white griffon that rested in the air above him, a smile upon its beak.

'He is going to kill her and you are not powerful enough to stop him,' the griffon said in an ancient voice to Bubbles, who roared weakly as he strained to push himself towards Adam, his eyes flashing crimson. 'Do you care so much for this pony, that you would fight a god for her? That you would lay your life on the line for a filly that you THINK you know? Are you that devoted to her?' the griffon asked, only to smile wider when it saw Bubbles ignore its words and continue slowly towards Adam. 'Of course you would. So what are you waiting for, Champion of Devotion?' it asked Bubbles before vanishing. 'You already know what to do.'

An explosion of energy went off behind Black Adam, taking his attention away from the bat pony and spinning him around to see what had happened, only to be engulfed by a torrent of magic that assaulted every one of his senses at the same time. He roared in agony as he was hurled across the room, his body writhing as he felt an emotion course through him that he had not felt since he promised his love to Isis--absolute, undying, devotion. The torrent of magic ended only a few moments after it had begun, allowing Adam to snap his eyes open and face the wielder of the magic.

"You?" Black Adam asked in shock as he looked at the Big Daddy, who no longer resembled the being that he had just crushed. "What happened?"

The Big Daddy's armor was fully repaired and shone a divine gold, with his suit's white pieces having been replaced by shining silver. His ports were fully repaired and each one of them shone with an unbelievable power, yet what drew Adam's eyes was the golden shoulder pad upon his right shoulder, a shoulder pad with a grey drill in the center of the new piece of armor.

In response to his question, Mr. Bubbles let out a roar that shook both the city and Black Adam to their very cores, drawing out the smallest amount of fear from the Dark God as he looked upon his foe. "It does not matter what magic you called upon, it cannot match mine!" Adam roared while he lunged forward with fist outstretched, knowing without doubt that the combined power of his own magic with the wizard's could overcome any foe.

That was until Mr. Bubbles caught Adam's fist in his hand.

Adam looked from the caught fist into the eight eyes of the titan, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Bubbles did not spend that moment in confusion and thus was able to spin his golden drill up to full speed, the drill tearing the very air apart as Bubbles drove it forward into the gut of Black Adam. Adam roared with both agony and shock as the drill pierced his godly form and splattered blood across the golden room as the drill dug deep into his stomach, the only thing keeping it from piercing through completely was when Adam teleported back in a flash of lightning.

"W...what magic is this?" Adam stammered in pain as he also muttered a few spells to help heal the physical wounds, yet there was no magic he possessed that would allow him to comprehend what had happened. Bubbles' response was to rev his drill once again and slowly begin to march towards the wounded god, cycling between golden fire or silver ice with his left hand.

"No...you cannot best me!" Adam roared as he shook any doubt from his mind before hurling himself forward once again, yet he slammed into a wall of armor that hardly budged as Mr. Bubbles caught Black Adam with his one hand. Both Adam and Bubbles roared as their powers collided, but Adam could slowly feel Bubbles begin to slide backwards. Yet it was only for a moment, because the moment Bubbles felt himself sliding he unleashed all of the golden fire held within his left hand into the chest of Adam, blasting the god backwards and through one of the walls.

'This...this should not be possible. I defeated Marvel with ease. How can this being have a power that matches my own?' Adam wracked his brain in a desperate attempt to find an answer, yet even the wisdom of Zehutti was unable to find him an answer. Adam lifted his head to see Mr. Bubbles walking towards him again, the lights in his eyes more reddish white than sheer white. Adam's eyes narrowed as he rose back to his feet, having just finished healing the wound that the blood covered drill had inflicted upon him.

"I owe you an apology, Bubbles," Black Adam said to the Big Daddy who never stopped marching towards Adam. "When I visited the reality you came from and saw that you were a being that was massed produced, I believed that you were nothing more than an error on the silver mare's part--that she had made a mistake," Adam admitted before tightening his fists and taking up a fighting stance. "But now I see that there is indeed something special about you. That...symbol proves it. So, now I shall fight you as a worthy foe."

With the sound of thunder blasting apart the air, Adam unleashed a hellstorm of magical lightning into the chest of Bubbles, forcing the Big Daddy back as he roared in pain. Despite the divine power, the magical power of Adam was still beyond godly and hurled Bubbles back across the room. To stop himself Bubbles slammed his drill into the floor and quickly slowed, giving him time to take aim with his left hand and unleash magical lightning of his own at Adam, but with a roar of fury Adam vanished before quickly reappearing behind Bubbles.

"Fall!" Adam roared as he slammed his boots into the back of Bubbles' helmet, hurling him straight up and into the ceiling. Adam followed up by slamming his shoulder into the Big Daddy imbedded into the ceiling and driving the both of them into the next higher floor of the sinking city, but his grip was broken when Bubbles ignited his hand and clamped down on Adam's face, unleashing his full hellfire upon Adam.

"RRRRRR!" Bubbles roared as he let go of Adam's face and slammed the side of the drill into the side of Adam's skull, knocking the thunderer through the wall to the side and into an underground forest, which was also drenched in gold. Adam crashed through a number of golden trees before he came to a stop, rising back to his feet just in time to be tackled from behind by Mr. Bubbles, who drove Adam face first back into the floor. With another roar of rage, Bubbles lifted his boot and slammed it into the back of Adam's head, slamming his face even further into the golden floor while he began to spin his drill.

"Doron des SHAZAM!" Adam roared, sending electricity lancing from his body and striking the titan that still pinned him down. Bubbles roared in pain while the lightning tore through him, but to Adam's horror Bubbles did not back off like he had planned, but instead his eyes went full-on crimson and he looked down at Adam--and brought the fully spinning drill back. With all of his godly strength Adam managed to spin around and stick out his hand just as Mr. Bubbles struck with his drill, sending the red and gold vortex clean through Adam's right hand.

"DAMN YOU!" Adam roared as he placed his feet onto Bubbles' chest and kicked him through the ceiling of the room, giving Adam a moment to grit his teeth as he began to heal his wound. 'This power...not only is it beyond anything I thought possible of a Big Daddy, it also...feels like one of the Elements,' he mused before hearing a roar and looking up to see eight red eyes come crashing down head first onto Adam, shattering the floor beneath him and hurling both of the combatants into an empty hallway.

"What makes you so powerful?" Adam asked Mr. Bubbles as he created a shield of lightning to defend against the onslaught of icicles with which Bubbles bombarded Adam. "It is not just the item that you have upon your shoulder, it is something else. You did not use this power when your own life was on the line, it was only when I threatened to kill..." For a brief moment, Adam seemed stunned at his own words, as if he were realizing for the first time what he had almost done. Bubbles took that moment and hurled himself towards Adam with a speed that even Adam couldn't register, until he felt the drill go through his right shoulder while Bubbles tackled Adam into a wall.

Adam howled with pain as the drill, spinning at full speed, tore apart his shoulder, Bubbles driving the drill forward until it had embedded itself in the wall behind Adam. The moment Adam was pinned by both the drill and Bubbles' own power, Bubbles began to throw left hooks right into the center of Adam's face, bouncing his head against the wall as the Big Daddy's magic-infused fist shattered Adam's nose. Bubbles then slammed his palm onto Adam's broken nose before pulling back with all of his might to tear the drill out of Adam's shoulder, spraying both combatants in blood as Adam roared in pain once again.

With eyes as red as the blood on his suit, Bubbles let his drill spin up to full speed again before he aimed it right between Black Adam's eyes, letting out one last roar before he prepared to strike. In the face of what might have been impending death, Adam did what he always did when faced with such a situation. He called down the word.

"SHAZAM!"

The most powerful of lightning's came cascading down from above and struck both Mr. Bubbles and Black Adam, Bubbles crying out in pain while Adam changed from his white clad form to his regular black attire. But for a brief moment when the lightning ended, Bubbles saw that Black Adam's wounds were gone, meaning that the punch to the helmet he took a moment later struck him at full force. Bubbles felt himself once again get hurled through multiple walls, until he came skidding to a stop in a room that had a near-dead golden dragon laying on the floor, informing Bubbles into which room he had returned.

Yet, that hardly mattered to him as he pushed himself back to a vertical position, just as the screaming pain that tore through his body didn't matter to him. He roared when Adam floated back into the room, yet to Bubbles' surprise, he found that Adam was still in his black outfit.

"This battle...is over," Adam said with some hesitation, only to move quickly to the side to avoid the blast of ice that Bubbles shot at him. With narrowed, and also very confused, eyes, Adam shot upwards through the top of Atlantis and surfaced a moment later, rocketing off towards Canterlot with thoughts racing faster than he was flying.

Bubbles waited a moment to see if Adam would return, before he let out a soft moan and the divine light vanished from his form, returning him to the white and golden armored Daddy that he had been before, except he was in exceptional pain. Yet, just as he had done so many times before he ignored he pain and walked over to where Batmare lay, channeling the last bits of the power he had just used into his hand, which he then placed on her chest.

"rrrrrr..." he moaned softly while he watched her bones begin to repair themselves, just as his own broke in the very same places that hers had been broken. Yet, despite the inferno of pain that wracked his body, there was only happiness in his moan when he saw the mare open her eyes and look at him with confusion, her eyes reflecting the green light that came from his own eyes.

"Bubbles?" she asked weakly as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, looking around at the water pouring in along with the destruction that had not been there when she had passed out. "What happened? Where's Black Adam?" To Batmare's surprise, Mr. Bubbles held up his drill that was now soaked in blood while letting out a victorious moan that made Batmare's eyes widen as far as they could go. "There's no way. There's no way you beat him."

She never got an answer out of Bubbles, for when both of them stood up, Bubbles let out a weak moan before his eyes went dark, and he fell forward onto his face without another sound. "BUBBLES! Are you alright?" she asked while desperately shaking the metal titan, but he remained silent, just as his eyes never lit up, no matter what she tried. "MARE! Are you there?!" Batmare screamed in fear.

'Yes, what do you...I see. Hold on, I'll get you both out of there.'

Batmare looked down at Bubbles with worry filling up her heart as the silver energy began to surround them, yet despite Bubbles' dire situation, Batmare could not quell her curiosity. She knew that Adam had to have been defeated--or at least he had quickly fought off Marvel and Trixie to get to them, which meant that their strongest gun against Adam had fallen. She wanted to believe that the Hulk or maybe Marvel had defeated Black Adam, but if they had done so they would have been with her. So, against everything she had learned about him, Batmare had to accept the only possible answer.

Bubbles had fought off Black Adam.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"It does not make sense!" Adam roared as he stalked back and forth across his room in Canterlot, having tended to his wounds for only a moment before consulting the wisdom of Zehutti in trying to work out an answer as to how a Big Daddy could access that kind of power. "In their world, Big Daddies were only physically enhanced humans that were only somewhat stronger than a regular one. None of them were even remotely close to my level, and yet..."

Adam's words died off as he gazed out the window, seeing for the first time in nearly four years what Canterlot looked like without the shield that have covered it for so long. He sighed slightly as he walked to his balcony and placed his hands upon the rails, knowing what was to come next.

'They will be making their move soon,' Adam thought, not needing the wisdom of Zehutti to know that. 'And with that power that Bubbles has...do all of them have such power? And if so, why did they not use it against me? And if Bubbles held that power within him all along, then why did he not use it against me sooner? He only used it when I tried to kill his ally. Could it be that his power only activates when others are in danger? No, then he would have used it when Hulk was running rampant. What am I missing here?'

'Perhaps he is one of the champions.' Adam scowled at the thought that the more treacherous part of his mind suggested, but the thought was like poison and slowly it began to consume his mind, until Adam could not longer ignore the idea.

'Was the silver mare telling the truth when she said that she was gathering six champions to defeat a darkness? Could their true enemy be the cloaked ones who would rather destroy themselves than answer to me?' Adam asked himself as the sun on the horizon began to set. 'And if so...then what is their reason for lowering the shield?...Turning these thoughts over in my mind will not give me answers. Soon the champions will be here and when they do, then I will get my answers.' Adam turned and walked towards his door, planning to tell Celestia of the events that had occurred. Yet once again he looked back towards the window, off into the distance where he knew, somewhere, Banner, Billy and the others were preparing themselves.

'But now...I am not sure if I can trust myself. I nearly gave into the anger again...if not for Bubbles, I would have taken another life. But the way he stopped me means that he...is a champion, for no one less than a champion...would be able to unleash an Element of Harmony.'

Prepare For the End

Six figures stood in a small, grassy alcove on the side of a large mountain, all of them gazing far off into the distance towards a city that no longer had a shield around it to keep the six out. Each of them were thinking about the next day and what was to happen, but that was where the similarities of their thoughts ended.

One of them was thinking about how to fight Black Adam. Another was concerned with the End of Days. Trixie and Batmare were both thinking about their life back home and wondering if they would live to return. Ryan was debating if he was ready for this. And all the silver mare thought about was if what they were doing was a mistake; if they should have found a replacement for the sixth champion. Yet, all eyes faced the city that was bathed in the golden light of the sunset, each of them knowing that was where their journey ended.

"So...it all ends tomorrow, huh?" Ryan was the first to break the silence, yet he spoke the one thought that all of them were thinking. "Everything the mare's been leading up to, all the war and destruction that was caused by both the End of Days and Black Adam...wow, can't believe that it's finally here."

'Indeed. For me it seems like just the other day I was waking up to discover that I had been called back from death to serve a higher purpose, to save all reality from this demon,' the silver mare agreed as she walked over to where Ryan was sitting with his face towards the city, gently kneeling down next to him as she followed his gaze. 'First, I tested Bubbles; then Billy; then two others; then Hulk, Batmare and Trixie; Hyperion sadly; and then Freeze. It's been only five years in this world, yet countless other years across the multiverse. And tomorrow...we see what all those years of effort shall achieve.'

"You said you sent the letter to Black Adam, right Banner?" Ryan asked the doctor, who nodded in response as Batmare slowly stood up and dusted off her suit before turning to look at the other five, a small frown crossing her face.

"I wish to speak before all of us. Where is...?" A low moan answered Batmare's question as the metal daddy emerged from the doorway that was carved into the side of the mountain. Bubbles gave Batmare a quick moan in greeting before looking at the other six with green eyes.

"I'm glad to see that you're feeling better," Batmare sighed in relief as Bubbles walked over and sat down beside her. "Mare, thank you for healing him, but now I have another question that I've been meaning to ask. Both Banner and Billy said that they were not the ones who fought Adam off, yet that would mean that Mr. Bubbles somehow managed to. Yet he's clearly not strong enough to do so, but I can't think of another answer. Am I right?"

'That is correct, Batmare. Bubbles was the one who fought off Adam.' The mare looked around at the faces of the other six to see how they would react to her words. Billy and Banner both looked skeptical, while Trixie looked amazed. Batmare wore a look of confusion still, yet Ryan was the only one who remained emotionless, already knowing the answer as to how Bubbles did it.

'Bubbles was able to fend off Adam because, when Adam threatened to kill you, Bubbles once again unleashed the power that he had used to save his reality from Ryan. Not you, the other one,' the silver mare quickly added, cutting Ryan off before he could snark. 'And that power was the Element of Devotion.'

"The Element of Devotion? I take it that this is one of those super elements that Ryan mentioned a while back?" Billy deduced, getting a nod from the silver mare in response. Billy then turned his gaze towards Bubbles, who didn't seem to care what they were talking about. "So, if Mr. Bubbles had this ultimate magic with him all along, then why didn't he bust it out when we needed him, like when Hulk went crazy or when Adam was kicking our butts?"

'That is because, unlike the rest of you, Bubbles is the only one who can currently tap into the power of their Element. Yet the reason he can do it so easily is because he has been horribly damaged by the humans of his world, both in mind and in body. They left him with one function; to protect beings known as "little sisters." Banner, you know this much, but there is more to tell,' the mare explained.

'In a sense, Bubbles is the purest of any of you. He is devoted to the "little sisters," which in his reality are the foals and fillies of Equestria. He was taken in by one of them and has become an adoptive father to her, while also becoming more well-known as a protector of children,' the silver mare continued, with some of the others looking over at Mr. Bubbles in a new light. 'Bubbles cares little for adults, though thanks to the efforts of his adopted family he has become more of an all-around protector. Yet when he fights for the-'

"Get on with it!"

'What I am trying to say is that he is devoted to the foals and fillies of the land, both the ones that are currently foals and the ones that he helped to raise or knew when they were young,' the silver mare finished before looking over at Batmare. 'That is why he unleashed the Element to protect you. In his reality, he occasionally played with the CMC and knew them well. And that same affection carried over to you, Scootaloo. That is why he only chose to unleash the Element then and not before. Because you were in danger. And that is also why he can access his Element so easily. Because he is sheer devotion.'

"So...he is just the first to access his Element," Banner said as he quickly caught on. "The other five...four of us have the ability to access our Elements, yet we either aren't in the right state of mind or the right situation hasn't presented itself. And if Bubbles is Devotion, then the other four of us must have different Elements as well. Can you tell us what we each are?"

"Come on Banner, don't you know anything? If she knew, that would make things way too easy," Ryan said with a chuckle.

'No Banner, I cannot tell you what the other ones are. I only know of Bubbles' Element because the original wielder of that Element appeared before him and told him that he was the embodiment of Devotion, which I discovered in his memories when I was healing his wounds. With his personality being as simple as it is, it was not hard to determine why he was chosen,' the silver mare explained with a small shake of her head. 'No, I know what the Elements look like, but I do not know what they are. That is for you to discover.'

"Well, it's not the most information, but I've made do with less," Batmare muttered with a sigh, before she looked over at the four champions plus Ryan. "Banner has sent the letter to Adam and we have gotten a letter in response. Adam will do as Banner asked and evacuate the city so that there are no innocents caught up in the fight. Hopefully we do not need to fight Adam and the judges, but if they leave us no other option then I have no qualms with you fighting them. However, remember that our goal is to bring down the End of Days before they can release the being of destruction."

"Question. What if one of you messes up and the being of destruction gets released?" Ryan asked with his hand half raised.

"Simple. That won't happen." Ryan rolled his eyes at the response but couldn't help but smirk at the confidence she held within her voice. "But after yesterday's incident in Atlantis, we know that Adam will do whatever it takes to protect Celestia, so I assume that we'll have to fight the judges. The six of us will take on the six of them and then we can worry about Celestia."

"No. I shall deal with my sister." All eyes turned towards the doorway to see Luna leaning up against the door frame, where she had apparently been standing for a majority of the conversation. "The battle between you and Adam's judges will be the perfect time for me to finally face my sister and dethrone her. Her reign ends tomorrow."

"Maybe it will, but you will not be the one to do so," Banner said with fire in his voice as Luna rounded on him, the two of them staring each other down, allowing the others to see that Luna had changed greatly from when they had first arrived. Her coat was blacker, her mane looked more ominous and her eyes were more slit-like than before. "You are as much at fault for this as your sister, and I know for a fact that none of us trust you, not in your current state of mind.

"You have no right to keep me out of this fight! This is the fight for my world and as the ruler of the ponies I will be damned if-" A flash of green from Banner's eyes silenced the mare, but the look of war that still raged on in Luna's eyes told him that she was done listening to his words. The five champions believed at that moment that they might have to fight Luna then and there, but then, to the surprise of everypony, the silver mare intervened.

'No Banner, she can come with us.' Banner's face went expressionless for a moment before he walked over to the mare and knelt down so he was at her level, while motioning for her to continue speaking. 'I have a plan for helping Luna and Celestia to become the good sisters that they were once, but I need you to trust me on this.' Banner's eyes narrowed as he looked from the mare to Luna, before sighing slightly and nodding.

"Alright, mare." Banner stood up and looked over at Luna, giving her a slight nod that was met with a sinister grin from the Princess of the Night before she turned and walked back inside. Banner then looked over at the other five champions, each of them looking to him for what to do next. A small smile crept across his face as he shook his head and pointed to Batmare, motioning for her to speak before he walked over next to the others.

"Alright then....tomorrow is the big day and I want you all to be at your best. Finish any business you have today and then get some rest. First thing tomorrow we're going to Canterlot," Batmare ordered, getting a number of smiles from the group as some of them saluted her before walking off. Even Ryan saluted her, but his salute only consisted of one finger.

"Do you think we're ready?" Batmare asked as she joined Trixie by the door, since her friend had waited for her.

"For the sake of this world...we have to be. Billy will have to face Adam. Luna will face Celestia. And I..." Trixie began as her face set with determination. "Will face myself."

"But do you think we can do it without the final champion? I've read enough reports from Batman to know, whether it's Trigon or Azarock, the demon always gets summoned in the end," Batmare said quietly, voicing her fears to Trixie. "Is that a risk we can take without the final champion?"

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Trixie said with narrowed eyes before steeling herself. "And if it does, we'll fight."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Adam watched from high above the crowds of ponies as they were placed either onto trains or teleported out of Canterlot by the Royal Order of Unicorns, his eyes scanning every one of the pony's faces in case there was anypony suspicious. Yet even as he tried his best to focus on the insanely difficult task of evacuating an entire city in a single day, his mind continued to wander back to the battle he had with Batmare and the Big Daddy.

'I...almost killed her,' Adam finally admitted to himself as he looked down at his hands that, if not for the unforeseen interference of Mr. Bubbles, would have been covered in another's blood once again. He clenched those same hands tightly as rage surged through his body, rage at himself. 'I swore not only to Celestia, but also to the memory of the wizard, that I would mend my ways of old and become the hero these ponies see me as! So why did I nearly revert to the Adam that I cast aside?! Why can I not shake my past?'

'Perhaps, it is because you are trying to be someone that you are not,' the very faint, but still audible, voice of Isis whispered in the back of his mind. 'Perhaps you are not the hero that you thought you were.'

'No, I cannot accept that!' Adam roared internally to drown out the ghost's voice. 'I am the hero of the ponies and I will save them from this threat--both of them! I was simply not in my right state of mind since the death of Willow! I will be better! I will stop both the rebellion and the End of Days!'

'Yet, why stop the rebellion?' the more treacherous part of Adam's mind asked, getting a sneer from Adam. 'Are they truly your enemies? And if so, why did Banner warn you in advance that they would be coming to meet you tomorrow and allow you to move the innocents that you are so certain they would harm to safety? Why give up the element of surprise? Their actions seem more along the lines of true heroism, unlike yours the other day.'

'Heroes they may be, but they are still trying to bring the destruction of the queen I have sworn my loyalty to, and to tear down the peace that we have spent so long building,' Adam decided as he cast the two voices from his mind with an effort, before turning at the sound of wingbeats behind him to see Spike and Celestia flying up to him. "Queen. Spike. What draws you away from the evacuation to seek me out?"

"We need to speak about the battle tomorrow," Celestia said in her regal voice, telling Adam that she was going to make a decision whether he liked it or not. "I have trusted the six champions of the rebellion to you and the judges, but you have not considered what happens if my sister joins them in the battle."

"Do you truly believe Luna would dare show her face around me?" Adam asked Celestia in a deadly serious tone. "I have shown that I can defeat all six of the champions. She knows that she would not be safe around-"

"And now, one of those champions showed that they could fight even your most powerful form," Celestia cut him off with a sharp reminder, silencing Adam's tongue. "And according to what you told me, it seemed that the Big Daddy accessed the power of an Element of Harmony. And the Elements came in a package of six. Which means the other five can also access the power that can fight even your mightiest form. Do you believe that you and the judges can defeat six beings with that kind of power?" Adam could see that Celestia had little faith in him and the judges, but Adam remained emotionless.

"If they are here for you, then I will do what I have always done, no matter what power they can access." But the look she gave him, told Adam that the words that had once put Celestia at ease were now brushed off without a second thought. It was clear that she no longer believed in his power.

"Very well, Adam, do what you must, but if my sister is with them..." Celestia turned to look at Adam, and Adam noticed that her eyes were as orange as her mane now was, with no traces of the colors before, "...then I shall face her alone. And then we shall settle who is the true ruler of Equestria." Celestia flew off after speaking her piece, getting Adam to sigh slightly as he turned to look at the nervous dragon who had heard every word of their conversation.

"I...I just came by to tell you that the other four judges are just arrived in the city and are awaiting your orders," Spike nervously stammered as he pointed to the castle, getting a nod from Adam before the dark protector began to float towards where Spike had pointed. "Adam...do the six champions truly have the power that Celestia described. Do they really have the power that match your supreme form?"

"I know that one of them has it, but for the other five I do not know," Adam replied with a small shake of his head, before he looked at Spike with the same thundering confidence that Spike had seen in those eyes for years. "But whether they do or not does not matter. They are here for one reason...two reasons...and if one of them is to defeat Celestia, then we must face them. No matter the cost."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Thousands of ponies clad in black cloaks all stood around a large, circular platform that was raised up in the center of a great chamber, all eyes waiting hungrily for the unicorn to appear with whom they had all thrown in their lot and give them news of what was to come. The wait was not long, for within moments the shadows beneath the platform surged onto the stage and bathed it in darkness, which, when it retreated back into the shadows, revealed Star-Swirl the Bearded.

"Thank all of you for coming here on such short notice," the empty, powerful voice of Star-Swirl echoed out across the chamber, chilling the souls of all who heard him speak. "But this is a glorious meeting, a gathering the precedes that which we have awaited for nearly a century to achieve. Tomorrow, we finally realize our goals. Tomorrow, we destroy the ways of the new and return the world to the ways of old! A world where the unicorns are the dominate race, just as we were before the formation of Equestria!"

The crowd roared in approval at his words, but it was only for a moment before Star-Swirl held his hoof up and silenced the entire crowd once again. "The machine is in place, and the sphere has told me that all we need is a bit more destruction before we can unleash the true bringer of the end, the one who will return this world to the way it used to be. And to do so, I have two more 'aces' that I have yet to play. And here...is one of them." As he spoke he turned his head to the ceiling, where all eyes followed to be greeted by an incredible sight.

A man was floating far above the ponies and, upon being seen, slowly began to descend towards them with arms crossed. His suit was a bright red and he had a golden belt around his waist along with golden gauntlets wrapped around his arms, yet just like the Captain Marvel of old, his cape dangled off of one of his shoulders instead of being attached to his back. But all of the unicorns could feel the power flowing through him as he floated down next to Star-Swirl, his eyes wielding far more power than any of the unicorns believed any being could hold.

"I am Hyperion," Hyperion announced to the crowd with a stone cold face. "And in return for aiding you in the defeat of your enemies, Star-Swirl has promised that I shall be the...protector of the new world." Star-Swirl could see the crowd exchanging quick glances as if they weren't sure of this decision.

"Do not worry, my army. Hyperion is just as strong, if not stronger, than Captain Marvel or even Black Adam. He has not only destroyed the fools of his own world that tried to be rid of him, but he also wiped out a number of other Equestrias where the new ways refused to bow to the ways of old. In this battle, he will be half of our strongest warriors." A small smile crossed Star-Swirl's face as the crowd began to chant Hyperion's name, and from the nod that Hyperion gave, Star-Swirl could tell that this pleased the god-like being from off-world.

"As for the rest of the champions and the judges, I trust that all of you will be enough to handle them," Star-Swirl announced with nothing but confidence in his voice, yet when he saw doubt, once again he could not help but smile before he reached into his cloak. "And do not worry, you shall not be facing them alone. For in here...is the solution to all of our problems." As he said this, he pulled out a strange device with two handles on its side and some kind of viewing port upon the top of it.

"This is the key to gaining us our greatest ally. Adam sealed him away in here a number of years ago, but tomorrow, when the battle is at its greatest, we shall release the herald of destruction," Star-Swirl said with what almost sounded like longing in his voice as he gazed at the generator with a wicked smile. "For the being that we shall unleash will destroy all who stand in his path--be it the princesses of night and day or the so-called 'strongest there is'."

"Now then, my children! Prepare yourselves for the battle that is to come tomorrow! We shall take Canterlot! We shall crush all who stand in our way! And for all of those so-called champions who seek to oppose us, we shall see how well friendship and harmony can stand up to absolute destruction! For unicorns! For a new world! For the greatest race!"

The crowd roared with delight as they all began to chant both 'Star-Swirl' and the 'new world order'. Hyperion walked down into the crowd to get a closer look at the new beings that he would be ruling. Or so he thought.

'Yes, tomorrow we shall unleash the greatest force of destruction upon not only this world, but also upon all of the multiverse,' Star-Swirl thought as he placed a hoof upon the Sphere of Destruction that housed itself within his soul. He gazed at all the unicorns and Hyperion, all of whom believed that they would be getting a perfect world in which to rule. In reality, there would be no worlds left to rule. 'And upon all of us as well. For destruction does not take sides, nor does it discriminate between unicorn or earth pony, nor alien or god. Destruction is the most equal being in all of reality. For destruction consumes everypony, no matter which side they are on. And that is why it is perfect.'

The Staredown

As the morning sun rose over the mountain in the distance and bathed all of the land, including the city of Canterlot, in its golden light, six separate sets of eyes gazed upon the nearly empty city with looks of determination on their faces, while the seventh set of eyes was complaining off to the side about how the sun was in his eyes.

"So...here we are. The "final dungeon," as it were," Marvel said with a smile on his face while he looked around at the familiar city. The other members of the group had more determined or worried looks upon their features. "Now the question is, will Black Adam be the boss before the final boss, or will he be an enemy turned ally just before we face the final boss? Any predictions?"

"I believe that if you do not be silent, we will lose the element of surprise!" Luna snarled at him as the seven of them walked into the city, with Luna trying to stay in the shadows and avoid the light as much as possible. The other six, on the other hand, were perfectly content with walking in the bright sunlight as they headed towards the castle off in the distance.

"There's no point in trying to be stealthy, Luna, or did you forget that I sent Adam a letter yesterday telling him that we would be coming here first thing in the morning?" Luna snarled again at Banner's words, but his point was made and Luna joined the other six in the long walk up to the castle.

"Seems that Adam didn't follow your advice entirely," Batmare muttered aloud to gain the others' attention. "I've spotted at least six of the armored guards trying to secretly watch us, yet they have apparently forgotten that their armor glows wherever they look. Morons."

"You've spotted six? I've only seen one and this one will not stop following us," Ryan growled as he gave a middle finger to one of the buildings, before falling back slightly so that he could sling his back pack off of his back and look inside of it. "How you holding up mare? We're almost at the finish line, don't be giving up on us now."

'I...I am holding on. But it's getting harder to think clearly,' the mare weakly replied from Ryan's backpack. She was in her sphere form at this point, and Ryan couldn't help but notice that the light from the sphere seemed dimmer than the previous times he had observed it. 'I fear that I do not have much longer.'

"Don't think like that, mare. If you die, then who else will put up with me and my attitude?" Ryan asked with a smirk, which turned into a genuine smile when he heard the silver mare chuckle lightly. He zipped up the bag and slung it over his shoulder once again as Banner fell back next to him.

"I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but with everything...how are you holding up?" Banner asked Ryan, who raised an eyebrow in response to Banner's question. "I mean...we haven't really talked since the other day, and I'm not sure if you're still mad at me or if you're mentally unstable or-"

"Trust me, Banner, whenever somebody kicks my ass, be it verbal or physical, I get right back up and get my ass kicked again," Ryan laughed with another smirk before his eyes narrowed and the levity left his face. "But in all honesty...I don't know how I feel about what you said. Guess we'll find out during this battle if I'm hero material or not. How's Hulk holding up? He done crying yet?"

'Tell him I'm ready to smash.'

"And now I feel afraid for whichever of the judges that you pick to fight," Ryan chuckled when Banner relayed what Hulk had said. "And don't bother saying otherwise ,Banner, we both know how this is going to go. So, have you picked out who you're going to fight?"

"Hulk has an idea, but I'm still hoping that we can join forces before the End of Days appear."

"You ready for this?" Batmare muttered to Trixie, after noticing that her friend had the 'thousand yard stare' for nearly the entire time they had been walking.

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked as she shook her head and looked over at Batmare.

"Are you ready to face yourself? You haven't really been yourself since she...scared you a while back, and I'm worried for you," Batmare confessed with no effort to hide the fear in her voice. "If you don't feel up for it then, if you want, I can handle the other Trixie while you-"

"No, Batmare. This is my battle," Trixie said with power, her voice silencing Batmare for a moment as Trixie's eyes took on a fiery glare. "The other 'me' may have been able to get the upper hoof once before, but now I know what I must do." As she said this, she slipped her ring from within her cape and placed it upon her horn, where the crystals began to glow slightly with azure light.

The rest of their conversations were cut off as the group looked up to realize that they had finally reached the gates to the castle, which, to the surprise of some, were already open with three guards waiting for them at the entrance.

"Black Adam told us you would be coming," one of the guards said in a deep voice. "He is this way." The three guards turned and walked into the castle, giving the group a moment to share glances before they followed after them.

"We have instructions to escort you as far as the throne room, where he and the judges await you," the taller of the three said as they all walked the length of the empty castle. Luna seemed to scowl at nearly everything within the castle while the others looked around with interest, but Banner and Marvel continued on with eyes set dead ahead. The guards came to a stop in front of the doors to the throne room, looking back at the group once more before nodding to each other once as they threw open the doors.

"Banner. Batson. It has been a while." As the group walked into the throne room, their eyes did not look around at how the room was different from any version that which they had known, but they instead locked onto the seven figures that stood near the throne. Celestia was seated upon her throne, with her eyes locked onto her sister with wrath burning like her orange mane. Adam stood next to her beside the throne, and out of all of the judges he was the only one who did not lock onto a single target, but instead looked around at all of his foes.

"Sister," Luna snarled as she began to walk towards Celestia.

"Luna," Celestia growled in response as she started to rise from her throne.

"Indeed it has, Adam. I see that you did not completely listen to my advice and kept the guards," Banner pointed out as he looked up at the dark champion while also stepping between the sisters, before he turned his eyes slightly and glared at the Tinker, who stood off to the side with a wicked smile on his face.

"They are here in case the End of Days, as you have taken to calling them, do decide to bring their forces here and attack the city," Adam explained when he caught the glare Marvel was giving him and nodded slightly as he walked down from beside Celestia, coming to a stop before the group and placing his hands behind his back.

"I know that you wish for us not to fight and instead team up against the forces of the End of Days. But I do not entirely believe that you six are the ones that will defeat the darkness, or that you can save the world if it needs saving. So, if you are the chosen champions, and not merely pawns of the mare, then prove it to me. We have defended the world for five years now. I believe that we are the champions that will save it. Not you."

"Well, technically not all of us are champions," Ryan said with a smirk, only to get elbowed in the gut by Trixie. Mr. Bubbles let out a moan as he stepped forward and walked up to Adam, his drill spinning as he glared into Adam's eyes with eight crimson ones. "But I know one who is that really wants to hurt you bad."

"No, Bubbles, you will not be fighting Adam," Marvel said as he placed a hand on Bubbles' shoulder and walked up to Adam. The two chosen champions of Shazam, being of the same height, looked into each others' eyes perfectly. "My journey to be a hero began with Adam and it will end with Adam. I will take him."

"I expected no less, Batson," Adam replied with a nod. Both of them turned as they heard Banner groan and all eyes watched as Banner grew larger and larger before the monstrous form of the Hulk towered over all of them. "Then pick your foe and we will go from here

"Fine then. I want the Doc Ock rip-off," Hulk snarled as he cracked his knuckles and turned towards Tinker, who tried to hide behind Doroca only to be kicked to the side by the zebra. "Who do you guys want?"

"I'm thinking that you owe me a rematch," Batmare growled as she began to walk toward Doroca, yet before she could take any more steps a flashing baton was placed at her throat, getting her to look up to see that Ryan had his hood up and that a wicked smile could be seen beneath that hood.

"Oh, no you don't Batmare, the damn zebra is mine," Ryan snarled with a chuckle as he began to walk to Doroca, spinning the baton as he sized her up. "You're alright with me, right? Don't worry, I bite."

"Well, I think there shall be no conflict in deciding who I get to face off against?" Trixie said with a flippant laugh as she looked across at the Trixie that stood across from her, noticing the ring upon her horn. "What a fancy ring. Decided that a change of wardrobe might help you to beat me?" Trixie frowned as Trixie remained silent, before shrugging as she faced her other.

"So then, what does that mean for me?" the harsh voice of the cloaked pony behind Adam asked. "I get stuck with a Pegasus or a tin man? I want the thunderer."

"No Undra, I get Batson," Adam snarled.

"Trust me, after what you helped me to do back with the CMC, if I could kick both your asses at the same time, I would," Marvel threatened as he pointed his hand at Undra, but Batmare stepped between the two.

"Focus on Adam, Billy. I'll worry about avenging my sisters and myself," Batmare said as she narrowed her eyes at the cloaked being before her.

"Well then, guess I get the only one of them who can use their Element," Spike said with a slight sigh as he looked down from the ceiling at the Big Daddy, only to find that the Big Daddy was looking up at him with green eyes while giving him a friendly moan.

"And that just leaves us two," Luna spoke for Celestia, the Princess of the Sun nodding in response. "Whoever wins this fight will be the true ruler of Equestria. That seem fair?"

"That is fair. Fighting my foolish sister one-on-one? That will be an unfair battle," Celestia said with a smirk. With all eyes focusing on the two sisters, nopony but Doroca noticed as Ryan quickly took a silver sphere out of his bag and just as quickly kicked it behind him into a corner of the room.

"Very well. With each of our foes lined up, it is time for battle," Adam said as he looked around at the others. "If you are truly the champions that can save this world, then you should be able to best the champions that have defended it for five years. The same goes for those I have chosen to fight along side me. Fight as if Equestria hangs in the balance, which, if they are right, it does."

He snapped his fingers after saying this and twelve different bolts of lightning struck down on each of the competitors, teleporting all of them out of the throne room and leaving only Celestia and Luna alone to fight for the throne.

"I have been waiting a long day for this, Sister," Luna snarled as she drew forth her moon-shaped sword while she slowly began to advance. Celestia stepped off of the throne, and she removed the large broadsword from her back and swung it to her side a few times before she narrowed her eyes at Luna.

"As have I, Sister. As have I."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"I'm going to enjoy hurting you," Batmare snarled at Undra as the lightning finished teleporting them, leaving the both of them in a room that was devoid of any light, save for a single lamp in the center of the room that cast shadows everywhere. "Not only did you hurt my friend, but then you went and killed my other friends as well while also following a psychopath in an effort to "save" the world. Batman taught me over a hundred ways to break a pony and I'm going to try them all on you."

"It was a worthy sacrifice for our cause," the raspy voice of the pony spoke with underlying hints of joy in its voice. "For every life that is sacrificed to destruction, we come that much closer to our new world. Now all we need are a few more lives for the plan to be complete. And you shall be one of them."

"Oh, so you're on of those fanatics who are trying to wipe out two races of ponies, all because you believe you're superior? Then forget what I said about breaking you," Batmare said with venom in her voice as she slammed her hooves together and let electricity crackle along them. "Because I'm going to make sure you never see the light of day again."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Mr. Bubbles let out a moan as the lightning died down, giving him a moment to look around at where he had been teleported. He seemed to be on the top of a large mountain that was higher up than the clouds, allowing him to see off for miles when he walked to the edge. Yet, he could also see that the drop-off from the top of the mountain went straight down with no chance of a ledge or branch stopping his fall.

"Like it?" the voice of Spike asked as he came crashing down onto the flat surface across from Bubbles, turning the Big Daddy's attention back to his opponent. "This is where Black Adam helped me to learn to get a better grasp of the power he gave me, helping me to become a champion like him!" Bubbles let out another moan as his eye flashed green and he held out a hand towards the large dragon, but Spike roared as lightning began to course through his veins.

"I wasn't able to save Radiance! I wasn't able to save Sunnysmiles! I couldn't save them because I was weak!" Spike roared with such fury and power that it shook the entire mountain. "But now I am powerful! Now I am strong enough to protect all who I care about! I will not let anypony hurt those who I care about! Not you! Not the End of Days! I will keep them safe!" Spike bellowed one last time before he hurled himself at the Big Daddy, who's eyes were still a bright green.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Well, I would say that I was surprised, but I suspected that I would be the one to face you," Trixie said with a laugh before she bowed before the huge crowd of ponies that stood around their caged stage. She then turned back to face the other Trixie, who hadn't moved since they had been teleported. "Although I am surprised that you wished to fight me again, considering what happened the last time we fought. I must be dumber in your world than I am here." To Trixie's annoyance, the other 'her' remained silent and simply removed her cape before letting it drop to the ground. She then lifted her face to show Trixie that her eyes were filled with confidence.

"What's the matter, nothing to say to me? Or are you so terrified of having to face the Great and Powerful Trixie that you cannot speak?" Trixie asked with a laugh, getting the crowd to laugh with her. "You know, Master Adam did wonder if we should simply work with you, but I personally wanted a rematch with you. Because now you don't have that hero in red to save your life...what's the matter, still nothing to say?"

"I said all that I wished to say to you the last time that we met," Trixie informed her other self as she took up her fighting stance, which showed off the burn marks on her chest. "Now, all I have to say is to prepare yourself, for this time I will win."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Now look here, Hulk, we really don't have to fight, do we?" Tinker nervously asked with a laugh as he found himself teleported into the very same room in which he held many of his experiments, but now he was trapped within that same room with the strongest monster that he had ever come across. And the monster was mad.

"No, we don't have to fight," Hulk agreed with a smile far more menacing than Tinker had ever seen on his face before. "But I want to fight. You tried to make me into a monster, into an experiment, just like the other fools on my world tried to do because I'm the Hulk. And if there's anything you should have taken away from your little experiment, it's that I am the Hulk, and I do two things when I am hurt like you hurt me. I come back stronger and I come back angrier."

As if his body were listening to what his words were saying, the Hulk slowly seemed to be getting larger, with more traces of radiation washing off of his body. Tinker looked around in desperation for something that would help him fight the jade giant as the Hulk slowly began to walk towards Tinker, cracking his knuckles with such force that the ground shook with each pop.

"Sorry Tinker, but you're going nowhere and I've got you for three minutes," Hulk chuckled as he towered over the pony, before his laugh turned into a snarl while he glared down at the red eye of the pony. "Use that brain and try to figure out a way to survive those three minutes while fighting the strongest there is."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Ryan managed to suppress his desire to vomit after the lightning ended and instead focused his thoughts on the room around him, smirking slightly when he found himself in the middle of the Sahara, surrounded by wave after wave of golden grass that went on for miles. He then looked over to see Doroca unsheathing his staff as he began to walk towards Ryan, who drew his baton in reply while he walked forward as well.

"You could barely beat me even with your friend. Fighting me alone will certainly mean your end," Doroca informed him as Ryan felt the zebra narrow his eyes from behind the blue visor.

"You know, I was trained by a zebra in the world I came from," Ryan informed the zebra with a shrug as he looked around once again with a bored look on his face. "And let me tell you, that she was scary. I think she was a god or something, but nevertheless she trained me and helped make me into the fighter I am today. And by train me, I mean she kicked my ass until I learned how not to get my ass kicked." Ryan then looked back at Doroca with a crazed smile on his face and eyes that flashed with murderous intent.

"So compared to that nightmare-made-zebra, do you really think that I'm afraid of you? No, you're not the real danger here. You and your buddies are nothing more than stepping stones that we need to hop over so we can get to the main event. So let's go Doroca, and let me show what happens when you're trained by a real zebra!"

S=H=A=Z=A=M

They were almost the perfect mirrors of each other. Both of them were powered by magic, both of them had the same lightning bolt upon their chest, and both of them were considered to be two of the strongest beings in their worlds. But despite all of the similarities, the two of them now floated across from each other with the sky flashing around them, as if roaring for the battle to begin.

"I knew that it would come down to this," Captain Marvel said with thunder in his voice as he gazed across at his oldest and most hated foe, who glared back at him with the same thunder and rage that was flowing through Marvel. "From the moment that I found out that you were in this world, I knew that I would come down to 'you versus me.' That's how it has always been and it's probably how it will always be."

"Yet, I wish that it would not have to come to this, Batson, but if there is a danger that threatens the ponies of this land, then I shall be there to protect them," Adam said with a thundering confidence while he glared across at Marvel, uncrossing his arms as he did so and letting lightning flash in his hands. "You may believe yourself to be the chosen champion, but I have been here protecting these ponies for nearly fifteen years now. I protected them then, and I shall protect them now. You have aligned yourself with the one who has caused so much death and destruction, that I cannot trust you with the fate of this world."

"Then there's only one way to settle this," Captain Marvel said as he took up a fighting stance, Black Adam doing the same.

"I am sorry it had to come to this," Black Adam said.

"I'm not."

For a brief moment, there was only silence as the two old foes stared each other down. Then, as a bolt of lightning flashed behind the both of them, they hurled themselves at each other, both yelling with rage that was as loud as the thunder that crackled around them, and the chosen champions of Shazam collided.

Author's Note

Just a heads up, from here on out it will pretty much be all fights. So...you were warned.

The Bat

Batmare tried to not take any pleasure in the loud crack that came from her foe's jaw as she drove her electrified hoof into his mouth. But, what she did take pleasure in was that the words that had been spewing from Undra's mouth were silenced by the blow to the mouth. She could almost see his skull in the dark room, once the electricity in her gauntlets coursed through his head, creating one of the few sources of light in the room.

Despite knowing that there was enough electricity within those gauntlets to drop a rhino, she remembered that Captain Marvel had unleashed all of his magical might upon Undra and the "pony" had kept getting up. So she cranked the dials on her gauntlets up to eleven, before she lunged forward once again and drove her hooves into the skull of her foe.

"You know, for somepony who's supposedly a part of Adam's great fighting force, you sure do a great job of standing still and getting punched in the face," Batmare taunted as she spun and drove the side of her back hoof into the side of Undra's head, snapping it to the side before she leaped over his head and delivered an elbow to his back. He staggered at the blow and was unable to retaliate as Batmare landed, yet the Bat's eyes narrowed with confusion after she had delivered her blow.

"What's the matter, Bat? You almost seemed as if you're confused about something," Undra harshly said with a chuckle as he slowly turned to face Batmare, who thought for a moment that she saw his body squirming beneath the cloak.

"Yeah, I'm confused as to why the End of Days would let somepony as weak as you into their organization," Batmare retaliated with a snarl while reaching into her utility belt and whipping out a pair of batarangs that she then hurled at Undra, who said nothing as the sharp, bat-shaped weapons dug themselves into his cloak. She managed to keep her surprise hidden when Undra reached up and yanked the batarangs out of his cloak, which he then turned over in his hoof with a small chuckle before he hurled them to the floor.

"Ah, that is a question that has a simple answer, Bat. I could get close to Adam. No other pony could do that," Undra replied as the veil that covered his face parted for a second, allowing Batmare to see a squirming smile while he slowly tilted his head to the side. "You must really love bats if you dress yourself and model your weaponry after them. I love bats too. In fact, let me show you some of my favorite bats."

As he said this, a circle of light materialized on the floor, getting Batmare to jump back as she squinted her eyes at the sudden circle of life, wondering for a moment what game Undra was playing before a black, leathery arm reached through the light and grabbed hold of the stone floor. Batmare slowly backed away as a massive, shadowy bat pulled itself free from the circle of light, its red eyes the only part of it that was visible in the blinding light. Yet Batmare could still tell that it was much larger than she was. The eyes hovering at least two feet above her told her that much.

"Yes, bats are such wondrous creatures," Undra rasped with a smile as the bat began to advance upon Batmare, who began cycling through the gadgets and items she had upon her belt to see if she had anything that could bring her cousin down. "They have such unique abilities, such as the ability to find any prey in the dark." As he said this, the circle of light vanished at the same time as the torches on the wall, leaving the three in total darkness. "Now tell me, one who dresses herself like a bat, can you do what a real bat can do?"

The bat screeched as it hurled itself forward, both arms extended as it prepared to bite down upon Batmare. Yet Batmare was able to react with ease, for not only had she been trained to fight in the dark, but the cowl also had a night vision feature that allowed her to see with even more clarity than she had been able to when the lights were on. She leapt back as the bat brought its fangs down into the floor, right where she had been standing, and she hurled a batarang at the creature's skull, watching it bounce off of the bat without leaving much of an injury.

'This bat seems to have traces of magic running through it, but they aren't strong enough to convince me that it's a creature of magic,' Batmare thought as the cowl fed her information about her nocturnal foe. She then slightly turned her head so that Undra was within view as well and a small frown crossed her face, because she read what the cowl brought up on him. 'He's the only thing in this room currently that's a mystery. I can't see his form beneath the cloak, but the cowl says that there are nearly a thousand life forms in this room and most come from him. What the heck is he?'

She couldn't focus on that train of thought for long because one of the bat's wings shot up at her and she had to use her own wings to avoid the blow. 'Priorities Batmare, focus on the bat before the pony.' With narrowed eyes Batmare reached into her belt and pulled out a small device, clutching it in her hoof as she angled herself just right, so that when the bat took another swipe at her with its wing, she was able to duck under it and land herself right next to its head.

"Sorry about this, but at worst you'll just have a splitting headache," Batmare apologized before planting the small device right next to the bat's ear before she leapt off and turned off her cowl's audio sensors. While she couldn't hear what was going on, the moment the bat began to roll around in agony while clawing at its head, informed her that the device had worked. 'Those sonics are designed to bring down criminals, but with a creature that uses its ears more than its eyes, a slight tweak will hurt even a bat as well.'

Undra shook his head as he watched his creature roll around in pain for a moment longer before light began to shine underneath of his hood, a light that Batmare noticed was like a dark green. The bat slowly began to dissolve as the green light touched its form, leaving it as nothing more than a pile of darkness on the ground that slowly faded away a moment later.

"Well, I would expect a bat to know how to defeat a bat," Undra said with a creepy laugh before he stepped forward this time. "But I supposed that the same would be said for any monster or creature that I tried to summon against one such as yourself. So, I shall be the one to kill you, Bat, just as I have killed other bats before."

"Well, this bat has a few tricks up her sleeve," Batmare responded before letting fly a number of spheres containing paralysis gas. A gas mask shot out from the sides of her cowl to cover her face as the green gas began to envelope the room, getting Batmare to expect her foe to drop over at any moment. But to her surprise, the pony simply laughed before he thrust one of his legs forward, sending out a torrent of darkness towards the bat. Batmare once again took to the air to avoid the blow and she looked down to find that the blast of darkness that slammed into the wall had just barely missed her.

"It matters not what tricks you have; I will still pluck your wings from your body before I am done with you," Undra threatened as he thrust his other foreleg towards Batmare and unleashed another swarm of darkness towards her. Batmare managed to get to the side to avoid the attack, but she quickly realized that while the room may have been large enough for a giant bat to fit in it, the room was still too small for her to use the air to her advantage. She'd be doing most of the actual fighting on the ground.

'But now I'm just totally confused, ' she thought to herself as she saw through her cowl's "detective vision" feature that the dark room was nearly covered by florescent blue lights. Yet in detective mode the only time things would appear as florescent blue was when the cowl was identifying living beings. 'So why is everywhere he just shot blue? Is the darkness a part of himself?'

She had no time to analyze the new information as a moment later Undra was unleashing his darkness in waves that forced Batmare to use all of her focus to keep herself just out of reach of his attacks. 'Can't stay on the defensive forever, got to start trying some offense soon.' She reached into her belt and hurled an exploding batarang right at the ground in front of Undra, rolling down and covering herself with her cape as the batarang went off with a loud explosion. Yet when she lowered her cape to see what had happened to her foe, she found him still standing upright with a smile on his face, completely unharmed.

"Just what are you?" Batmare asked with some trepidation as she began to formulate her next plan of attack, getting a dry chuckle from her foe as he began to move towards her.

"I am a monster, a creature that has long since been cast out of this land. I am a servant of Star-Swirl the Bearded," Undra explained with another chuckle before he tilted his head towards Batmare, as if curious about her. "Yet what about you? The bat pony...the Dark Knight...the blank flank." No amount of training could have prepared Batmare for those words and for a brief moment she was too stunned to even mask her shock. In that moment, another surge of darkness shot forth from Undra's arm and it slammed into Batmare's chest, hurling her across the room and pinning her to the wall. Batmare struggled to escape as she strained against the darkness, but when she looked down the cowl showed her that it wasn't darkness that pinned her to wall.

"Bugs?" Batmare asked with sheer confusion in her voice as she looked down to see that it was not darkness that made up the tendrils, but it was instead hundreds of insects that held her against the wall.

"Well, so much for you being your world's greatest detective," Undra said with a laugh, as he lowered his hood to reveal that his "face" was instead thousands of bugs that were crawling all over each other, with two glowing red spheres peaking out from under the swarm of bugs while a red gem rested upon his head. "Surprised? I cannot say that I blame you...most ponies are shocked when they see my real form. Shocked to death, I suppose you could say."

"What the hell are you?" Batmare asked as she slowly reached behind her into her utility belt once again.

"My true form is this little gem upon my head," Undra explained with a smile as he pointed to the gem that rested amongst all the insects. "It allows me to control simple-minded creatures such as these bugs that make up my form. My people are just the gems, Batmare, gems that rely on controlling other creatures to survive."

"Funny. First time I've heard of you."

'That's right, Bats, keep him talking. Don't let him see what you're doing,' Batmare thought to herself as she began to cycle through her gadgets once again.

"No surprise. The other members of my race were idiots and as such they chose to control dragons or ponies or griffons, and then used those bodies to attack villages or cities and invoke the wrath of the princesses, thus getting themselves destroyed," Undra said with a cold sneer before a red smile broke out on his face. "But insects? Who would care if one insect or a thousand of insects were taken control of? Let me answer that for you, by saying that I've been around for nearly five hundreds years, so the answer is no pony."

"So what you're saying is, that no pony will miss you when you're gone!" Batmare whipped out the plasma torch and, as the cowl's visor switched to its darkest tint, flipped on the blue flame and drove it into the column of bugs that held her against the wall. Undra roared with surprise as Batmare sliced his arm from his body, allowing her to free herself with a quick effort. "It was also pretty stupid of you to tell me what your weaknesses were, since now I know that if I get the gem, I stop you."

"Do you think me such a fool that I would tell you my weakness, without the knowledge that there is nothing you can do about it?" Undra smiled at the look of confusion that bled through the mask, getting him to laugh after a moment. "I know you. You're a hero, one of those fools who always does the right thing. So that's why I told you my weakness and why I'll tell you this. These insects are my body now and this gem is my brain. So I hope I don't need to spell out what would happen if you tore my brain from my body?"

"You could be lying," Batmare snarled after a moment of thought, but Undra smiled in reply as he created a finger and wagged it.

"Ah, but is that a risk a hero like you would make?"

Batmare roared in rage as she activated her shock gauntlets again and hurled herself forward, but this time the tendrils of insects erupted from his back and slammed themselves into Batmare. The force of the blow knocked her upwards, leaving her open to being drilled from the side and slammed into one of the walls. The insects wrapped around her midsection and lifted her off of the wall before slamming her into it once again, nearly breaking her bones while Undra's voice assaulted her ears.

"But enough about me, let's talk about you," Undra chuckled as he whipped the bat across the room and into the floor. "You are Scootaloo, a blank flank, a pony that even after thirty years has been unable to find her cutie mark, her destiny." As he said this, the bats wrapped around her cowl and tore it from her head, revealing her orange face as her purple mane tumbled down. "I did some digging into the multiverse myself and found only a number of times a bat pony had been created. And there was only one where a certain silver mare was involved."

"You going to make your point, or are you trying to talk me to death?" Batmare scowled in reply as she let two more explosive batarangs fly from her hooves, yet the horde of insects swallowed both the batarangs and the explosions, leaving Undra to unleash a second and third swarm of insects that slammed into her.

"You pegasi and earth ponies may be inferior to unicorns in nearly every way, but there is something that all ponies share no matter what race they are. And that is they all have cutie marks," Undra said with a snarl as a fourth tendril shot out from his body and grabbed her leg, the other three tendrils following suit as they each grabbed one of Batmare's limbs. "Yet, you don't have one. Not because you do not have a destiny, but because you refuse to accept your destiny! That makes you even less than the inferior races!"

"No, it makes me a master of my own fate!" Batmare roared in reply as she struggled to escape, yet her years of training weren't enough to overpower the thousands of insects working together to tear her apart limb from limb. "I chose my own fate! I didn't let destiny chose for me! I stayed true to the lessons of my father and what I believed, and because of that, I found out who I wanted to be without a cutie mark!"

"Heh, so you are just somepony who ran from their destiny. How pitiable," Undra said with disdain as he shook his head before looking back up with a smirk. "Now look where that 'following your own path' has taken you. It has taken you to your death!" As he roared this, the insects began to pull, getting Batmare to roar in pain as he felt herself beginning to be torn apart...until everything came to a stop. Batmare looked around to see that everything in the room was frozen in time and that, with a small effort, she was able to free herself. The moment she was free, a blinding silver light appeared beside her and when the light subsided enough so that she could see, she was shocked to see a silver Diamond Dog standing before her.

'How curious,' the dog said in an ancient voice, yet his voice also sounded a little bit like Batmare's. 'Even now, do you still continue to refuse to face the truth of your destiny? That is what defined everypony since the very first pony was born into existence. Do you refuse to kill this foe, even when it is the only way to stop him?'

"No. I've come to face the truth that destiny is nothing more than a crutch that ponies lean on when they don't want to decide who they themselves want to be!" Batmare roared back, not knowing why the dog's words made her so angry, but she felt as if she had to unleash the full truth before the being. "I will not allow something like destiny to decide who I am; to decide my life for me! I choose who I am and I will choose my own life! And I chose to stay true to my father's teachings and find a way to beat Undra without killing him! That is who I am!"

The Diamond Dog leaned back his head and let out a small laugh before he looked back at Batmare, his eyes radiating for a moment before he vanished in a flash of light. Yet, he left behind one last message for Batmare. 'You have spoken true about yourself, Scootaloo. Neither Destiny, nor any being, will decide who you are, for only you can do that. Now go save this world, my Champion of Integrity.'

A massive explosion of energy went off that blasted away all of the insects near Batmare, forcing Undra to shield his eyes as the divine force generated from the explosion illuminated the dark room and blasted away the walls that kept in the shadows, letting in the light.

Yet when he could see again, he found that the bat that stood before him was not the bat that he had fought a moment ago. Batmare's black suit was replaced with a beautiful silver and gold suit that shone like the sun, with a golden cowl that replaced the one that Undra had torn off. The only color on her that wasn't gold or silver, was the black bat that rested upon a golden necklace that rested around her throat, showing Undra who she truly was.

"So, it is true. You are the chosen champions of the Elements," Undra muttered as Batmare turned her now golden eyes towards the swarm of insects, her eyes narrowing as he unleashed all of his power at the pony. She watched as the waves of insects came rushing towards her before she spread her wings and flapped them once, creating a massive burst of golden magic that washed over the insects. Yet, instead of hurting the insects, the waves of golden magic washed away the red energy that had been controlling them and a moment later, Batmare watched as thousands of insects began to fly into the sky above.

"Be free, little ones. No one should ever have their life decided for them by another, not even insects," Batmare said with a warm smile before she looked back to where Undra had stood. Yet to her moderate surprise, she found that the last few insects that were still loyal to him had already carried him far off from the ruined room and were now flying him over the grassy fields upon which the room had been resting.

"No Undra, you will not escape." Batmare rocketed forwards as she said this and quickly overtook the insects in a flash of golden light. It took her a second to catch the insects and less time than that to free them from the influence of the gem, which fell into her hooves as the insects dropped it to fly off. "So, it seems that if your host's willing to let you go, you don't die. Good for you."

'So then, Bat, you have caught me. What will you do with me now?' Undra asked her through her mind, getting Batmare to think for a moment before a smile crossed her face.

"I think I'll bury you on the moon," Batmare responded with a small laugh as she saw the light from the gem dim a little at the threat. But then the light came back as Umbra let loose a small laugh.

'Sorry, Bat, but it seems that I am still needed. But do not worry, we shall meet again very soon.' The moment Undra said this a torrent of true darkness surrounded the gem and consumed it, revealing that the gem was gone when Batmare blasted the darkness apart with her light.

"Damn it, he got away," Batmare said with a growl as she turned her head back towards Canterlot, the magic within her telling her that something was amiss in the city. Without a second thought, she then rocketed herself towards the city, flying at speeds that Rainbow Dash could hardly imagine. 'I need to get back and help the others. If this feeling is correct, than the darkness that shall swallow this land is nearly upon us,' Batmare thought to herself before a dark thought overtook her mind.

'And we are still down a champion; still down the final member that will allow us to unleash the full power of the original Elements,' Batmare worried as she flew. 'For as strong as the Elements, are individually, only together can they fight back this darkness. Any less...will spell the end.'

The Armored Father

Spike roared with rage as he sliced through the air with fury in his eyes and power flowing through his wings, diving straight down at his target standing alone on the top of the flattened mountain top. With a bellow that rocked the very skies, he extended his claws and crashed down upon the metal titan with the full force and fury of his might, shattering the ground upon which the Big Daddy stood and plowing Daddy into the rocks. With another roar Spike leapt back and snarled, shooting smoke out of his nostrils as he awaited his foe to get back up.

With a moan of pain, Bubbles' hand grabbed hold of one of the rocks and he used it as a support to push himself back to his feet. Spike smirked to see that his armor had been damaged and the Daddy himself seemed hurt. Yet, when Mr. Bubbles turned his head towards Spike, the dragon was surprised to see that all of the Big Daddy's eyes remained green, instead of the red that Black Adam had said Big Daddies would switch to when they were angry.

"What, you're not even a tiny bit angry yet? You think I'm not a threat or something?" Spike asked with some offense in his voice as he stretched his wings once again and began to propel himself off of the ground. He slowly cracked open his maw to allow torrents of green flames to pour out from the sides of his jaw, with the light cast from the fire making his expression look downright menacing. "Let me show you why I am Black Adam's right hand dragon."

In response to Spike's words, Mr. Bubbles held out his left hand and slowly began to walk towards the dragon, letting out low, soft moans as he tried to get closer. Yet the moment Spike saw the Daddy advancing, his jaw snapped open and he unleashed all of his hellish fury upon Mr. Bubbles, consuming him and the rest of the mountain top in green fire. Through the fire Spike could hear the Daddy bellowing in pain, yet within a few moments the Daddy was lost amongst the surging torrent of fire that began to spread down the mountain.

'Alright Spike, time to keep the fire under control,' Spike thought to himself as he quickly began to flap his wings with the force of a small typhoon, extinguishing the fire before it had the chance to truly burn. With the fire extinguished, Spike was able to see the now smoldering body of Mr. Bubbles weakly standing in the center of the mountain top, leaning against his drill for support to keep himself from falling over.

"Now you see the true power I wield. If I were you, I would start fighting as if my life depended on it," Spike advised with a smirk, only for the smirk to turn into a scowl as Mr. Bubbles wiped the soot from his armor and looked up at Spike with eight eyes that were still a bright green. "Are you still looking down on me? You still don't see me as a threat?!" Spike bellowed with his full fury, yet Mr. Bubbles continued to advance with his left hand held out and his drill dangling at his side, never once moving.

Spike bellowed with fury as he quickly spun and swung his muscular tail right into the side of Mr. Bubbles' helmet, knocking the Big Daddy off of his feet and sending him skipping across the mountain top. Bubbles managed to dig his drill into the ground to prevent himself from flying right off the mountain, yet Spike's fury only increased when saw the Daddy turn back towards him with green eyes.

"DAMN YOU!" Spike shrieked with wrath in every word as his tail shot out once again and wrapped itself around Bubbles' body, the magic-fueled muscles within managing to lift the Big Daddy off of his feet with ease. Spike yanked Mr. Bubbles into the air and dragged him in front of the dragon's flaming maw, where he unleashed another storm of green fire onto Mr. Bubbles' face. His dragon nature made his tail immune to his own fire, but he knew that at close range that not even a Big Daddy would be able to take such fire. Spike then snapped his jaw shut to cut off the flames before he lifted the still burning Daddy into the air and slammed him into the stones at his feet, driving the Big Daddy into them with a loud crack.

"Still believe me to be weak now?!" Spike bellowed as he pulled the Big Daddy out of the ground by one of his legs, dangling the man in front of the dragon's narrowed eyes. Yet, the only change that had come to the Big Daddy was that one of his ports was now broken, but even from the broken port Spike, to his increasing fury, could still see the green light. With an earth-rending scream, Spike lifted Bubbles over his head and drove him into the ground with such power that the whole mountain shook, yet Bubbles was only buried in the rock for a moment before Spike lifted him once again and drove him down even further, all the while bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"Do not deny me this! I spent five years becoming strong, making myself strong so that when the day came and I was needed to fight for my queen, I would have the power to overcome any foe!" Spike roared with absolute rage in his voice, yet only Bubbles could hear the hints of pain that was buried beneath so much rage. "And yet you refuse to fight me, refuse to give me the battle that I've trained for!" Spike roared as he pulled Mr. Bubbles out of the stone with his claws, dangling the Daddy in front of his face. "If you won't fight me, then you will fall!" He hurled Bubbles into the mountain top once again as he roared this, once again forcing Bubbles to use his drill to prevent himself from falling off.

As Bubbles pushed himself to his feet, he found that his vision was starting to waver, telling him, along with the agonizing pain the racked at his body, that he wasn't going to last much longer in this fight. Yet his eyes still retained their green color and once again he rose and turned to face Spike with neither drill spinning nor plasmids prepared in his left hand. All he did was look up at Spike and let out a low moan as he tried to walk towards the dragon that was four times his size once again.

"Why?" Spike asked with his voice in a low simmer, hiding the rage that boiled within his soul. "Why do you not fight back?! You are supposed to be one of the strongest members of the false champions! You are supposed to be the one who fought Black Adam in his ultimate form to a standstill! So why do you not attack?! Why do just simply keep walking forward?!"

Bubbles response was to moan softly as he continued to advance, holding out his left hand when he got close to Spike. With a snarl Spike took to the sky once again, circling the mountain top as he kept his eyes upon the Big Daddy, who in turn kept turning in place to keep at least one of his many eyes on the dragon. Yet his eyes remained green, never changing to the red that would tell Spike that he was ready to fight. They never even turned yellow, which Spike also knew meant that he was at least on guard. With one last roar Spike descended onto the mountain top once again, his eyes slits as he glared down at the Big Daddy who refused to fight.

"So be it then. I was hoping that today I would finally get a chance to put the power I have been building over these last five years to the test...but if you will not fight, then you will simply fall, and then Adam will be proven right and show that none of you were the chosen champions," Spike said with conviction as he rose to his full height, completely casting the Daddy in shadows. "If you have the will to fight, then either fight now or I shall end this." Spike snarled when the Big Daddy refused to so much as lift his drill, telling Spike his decision.

Spike's answer was to rocket forward in a massive burst of speed and wrap his claws around the Big Daddy, taking the both of them high into the sky. With a roar Spike hurled Mr. Bubbles into the air before lunging after him with claws extended, those same claws raking across the armor of the helpless Big Daddy. Spike spun after striking the Daddy and came back in for another strike, this time striking Bubbles from below in order to keep him in the air longer. Again and again he struck at the Big Daddy, yet Bubbles never once made an effort to defend himself, continuing to infuriate Spike.

"FALL!" Spike roared with finality in his voice while he rocketed past Mr. Bubbles, and he ascended higher into the sky, coming to a stop near the top of the clouds before letting out a roar as he turned and hurled himself back down towards the mountain top. He slammed into Bubbles on the way down, driving his shoulder into the Big Daddy before driving them both into the mountain top with an earth-shaking impact. When the dust settled, Spike found himself sitting on top of Mr. Bubbles, who was laying spread eagle on his back with his eyes barely glowing, but to Spike's dismay he found that those eyes that barely held any life within them were still a faint green.

"Fight...BACK!" Spike bellowed as he pulled a fist back before slamming it into Mr. Bubbles' helmet, making a small dent while also cracking some of the ports. "Why...don't you...fight back?!" Spike roared as he once again drew his fist back before slamming it into Bubbles' helmet once again, further denting it and shattering one of the ports while severely cracking the others. "I'm...going to kill you...and yet...you still...refuse to move! Do you not care for your own life? Am I the problem? You fought Black Adam with all of your might and yet you refuse to so much as lift a finger to defend yourself from me?! Why?! ATTACK ME!!"

Yet, once again all Bubbles did in his response was to moan. It was the weakest moan that Spike had heard out of him in their 'battle', but he had heard it enough times that he was beginning to understand what Bubbles' moan meant. This moan meant 'no'. Spike looked utterly baffled for a moment before he shook his head and held a hand to his face.

"Why do you refuse to fight?! What makes me so different from Black Adam?! What makes me different from the ponies you attacked when you destroyed the Spire, or when you tried to attack us when you first appeared in this land! Answer me!" Spike roared at the Big Daddy, only to receive silence as an answer. The silence ignited his fury once again and he roared as he brought both of his fists back over his head. "Why?! Explain to me?! I don't understand!"

As Spike drove his fist down onto Bubble's helmet once again, Bubbles finally understood what was going on. Spike simply didn't understand, so he was lost and in pain. And now that Mr. Bubbles knew what was causing the dragon pain, he could work on a way to help him.

Spike bellowed once again as he lifted his clenched fists over his head, but just as he swung down a massive explosion of light erupted from Mr. Bubbles. The explosion not only stopped Spike's attack, but the force of the blast also hurled the dragon off of Mr. Bubbles and nearly threw him over the edge of the mountain, where he only caught himself with his wings at the last second. As Spike flew back onto the mountain top, he looked across it to see that Mr. Bubbles was now back on his feet, yet his entire body was covered in gold and silver armor. His eye ports were also completely repaired and divine light shone through them and that, along with the golden shoulder pad with a drill in the center of it, told Spike what Bubbles had done.

"Yes...this is what I've been waiting for! This is the fight that I have wanted all along!" Spike bellowed with a roar before he opened his jaw as far as it could go to unleash all of his magical fire down upon the Big Daddy. Yet to Spike's horror and shock, Bubbles held out a hand and parted the flames to the sides of him as if he were simply redirecting a breeze. Bubbles then began to move forward, walking through the flames as if they were nothing to him, causing Spike to cease his inferno before backing away from the Daddy in surprise.

"I guess Adam wasn't joking when he said that you had achieved a great power," Spike growled before bringing his fist back with a roar. "But I am no longer the weakling that I once was either!" Spike slammed his fist into the radiant gold helmet of the Big Daddy, only to retract it a second later as pain coursed through his bones following a loud crack. Spike snarled in pain as he clutched at his wrist, squinting through the pain to see that Mr. Bubbles remained unmoved by the attack, though the moment Spike had roared in pain the Big Daddy had picked up his pace and moved faster to get to Spike. Before he could reach the dragon, Spike flapped his wings and took to the sky again, floating out of reach of the Daddy as he did his best to suppress the pain.

"Damn it...you've got to be kidding me, it's like punching Adam," Spike growled with pain as he tried to figure out what to do, all the while Mr. Bubbles watched the dragon with all eight of his glowing eyes. 'He's stronger than me now, I can't punch him and my fire breath has no effect...I have no other options, I have to go with my last resort!' The moment he thought this the dragon quickly flew around to the other side of the mountain top and slammed down upon the flat surface, ignoring the pain as he dug his hands and feet into the mountain and spread his wings out.

Mr. Bubbles had just begun to move towards Spike when he spotted lightning coursing both through the dragon's wings and the dragon himself, causing Spike to glow in a similar way to how Bubbles did. As the dragon began to glow brighter and brighter, the ground began to shake more violently beneath Mr. Bubbles, who looked from the dragon to ground before looking back to Spike.

"THIS WILL END IT!" Spike bellowed with fury as he opened his maw and unleashed a hell storm of fire and lightning that decimated all that was in its path, carving a trench in the mountain top as the fire and lightning surge consumed the Big Daddy. The light was followed by a massive explosion that rocked the whole land, creating a pillar of energy atop the mountain that took a number of seconds before it vanished. Spike let out a weak sigh before he staggered forward, barely able to support himself. "But...that has to be it. There's...no way he could have..."

All of Spike's remaining will power left him when Mr. Bubbles not only walked out of the billowing cloud of smoke, but also walked out of it without so much as a scratch upon his golden form. Spike stared wide-eyed at the sight for a moment, before his arms gave out and he collapsed to the ground, unable to move as Mr. Bubbles began to walk towards him once again.

"Guess...I should...be careful...for what I wish for," Spike said with one last sigh before he closed his eyes just as Bubbles reached him. "This fight is yours. Go ahead. Finish me."

Bubbles let out a low moan before he lifted his left hand and filled it with the golden power from his Element. The moment that it was filled with this power he reached forward and placed the hand upon Spike's head.

Then everything changed.

Spike roared in confusion while he watched as images flashed before his eyes, images that he never remembered yet clearly held a younger version of himself and other foals within them. The image of a time when Bubbles had held up a house to prevent it from falling on top of a filly burned into his mind for a brief moment, before the image shifted with another one of where Bubbles had to dive to the bottom of a harbor to rescue a number of ponies that had been trapped within a recently sunken ship. There was a memory of Bubbles fighting a number of masked humans and another where he fought a creature that looked like him to save another filly. Again and again the images of Bubbles helping out foals burned through Spike's mind, until he came to a number of images that he realized were Bubbles' memories of...him.

The first was a memory of Spike when he was a baby dragon and he had needed help, when one of Twilight's experiments had gotten out of control. And within the memory he saw that Mr. Bubbles had helped him to round up the experiment without any reward. The next was a memory of Bubbles getting Spike out of another predicament, this time when he had accidently set fire to a number of trees. But the final memory was the one that was nearly too much for the dragon to handle.

The memory was one where Spike was getting beaten up by a number of teenage dragons, who were far larger than he was and far more mean. Spike had been alone, in the fetal position when Bubbles had come bursting out of the forest to find the dragons standing over the baby dragon. Bubbles had then roared and hurled himself forward, quickly making short work of the three dragons despite their size.

Bubbles had then gently picked Spike up and tucked him into the crook of his arm, gently moaning to him as he brought the dragon back to wherever he had come from. And the moment Bubbles walked back into the forest, the images came to an end, allowing Spike to open his eyes to find that tears were streaming down them. The tears were not from the memories that he had seen. He was crying because he had been able to feel all of Bubbles' emotions during those memories. And despite the rage and the pain that Bubbles had felt, there was another emotion that had been directed towards the foals...and towards Spike...that had dwarfed all of the others.

That emotion was absolute love, a love that he had not felt in his entire life: The love of a father.

Spike slowly lifted his head to look at the Big Daddy, who was looking at Spike with his head slightly tilted to the side as he awaited to see if Spike was alright or not. Spike slowly sat back (and also realized that his wrist was healed and he felt at one hundred percent) while trying to grasp what had happened, and he tried to process the feeling of love that still coursed through him.

"That...that was your memory, wasn't it?" Spike shakily asked, getting a nod from the Big Daddy in response. "That was you, saving those foals...saving me...wasn't it?" Another nod answered Spike's question, but there were still so many more that Spike needed answered. Yet only one question stood out from all of the others. "So...you knew me in your world...you saved me...protected me...loved me, just as you loved all children...that's why you didn't fight me. Because you still love me...the other 'me', like a son." Bubbles nodded once again, but Spike growled as he turned away.

"But I'm not the Spike you knew! I'm different! I'm..." Spike stopped talking when he felt Bubbles place his hand upon Spike's knee, getting the dragon to turn to see that Bubbles was looking up at him and his divine white eyes were now a bright green. Then Bubbles moved forward and wrapped his arms around the dragon as best he could, before he started to moan what sounded like a song for Spike. Spike looked down at the Big Daddy for a moment before he began to cry, letting all the pain of being alone and unloved for so long out.

Bubbles stood there with his arms wrapped around the dragon as best he could while he listened to Spike bawl his heart out, glad that Spike was finally free of the pain that had hurt him for so long. Bubbles knew that this was not the same Spike that he had protected, or that he had watched grow up from a baby to an adult along with the other children of Ponyville. But he also knew that this Spike was an orphan that had never known his parents and had lost the only pony that had ever cared about him, leaving him alone and unloved. Spike needed somebody to care for him, to let him know that he was loved.

And Mr. Bubbles loved all his little sisters and brothers, no matter what reality they were from.

"So...you guys were telling the truth. You really are here to save the world," Spike realized once he had stopped crying and broken free of the hug, looking down to see Bubbles nod up at him. "Then...I need to get you back to Canterlot. I don't know where the others are or where Adam teleported them, but if you are the chosen champions, then you should all be able to win. Come on, we need to get you back before things get even worse."

Spike wrapped his claws around the Big Daddy before he flapped his massive wings and took to the skies, sailing over the landscape as fast as he could to get back to Canterlot. As they flew the golden light that surrounded Bubbles vanished as his Element returned to its resting place, forcing him to moan in pain as his body returned to a similar state to the one it had been in earlier. But the pain was blocked from his mind as he looked off into the distance and felt...something. He knew not what was the cause of the feeling, but it was the same feeling he got whenever one of his little sisters or brothers were in danger. And they would soon be in danger.

And anyone who tried to endanger his little sisters and brothers was in for a world of hurt.

The Misfit

Spotlights shone down on the caged-in stage from all directions, illuminating the two Trixie's as they glared at each other with the same narrow-eyed expression. One of the Trixie's, the fan favorite of the crowd that surrounded the caged stage, wore a wicked smile upon her face as she glared at her foe, while the other Trixie wore an expression that was calm and determined.

"I see that the little memento that I gave you during our last battle hasn't gone away," Trixie said with a smirk as her eyes darted to the burn marks along the other Trixie's chest. "Are you sure that you want to fight me again, Trix? It would be simpler just to give up and go home. No point embarrassing yourself in front of this crowd, wouldn't you say? Or are you just so foolish that you actually believe you can win? Because we both know," Trixie taunted as lightning began to course through her horn. "That you can't."

"Alright, I take back my earlier statement," Trixie finally spoke, shaking her head before grabbing her cape with her magic and hurling it to the side. Her horn glowed with a multitude of colors as her magic was reflected through the crystals that made up her ring. "Kindly shut the hell up." She unleashed a rainbow of magic towards the other Trixie, who let out an annoying laugh while she constructed a cage of lightning to deflect the bolt towards the stage cage. The crowd screamed when the magic struck the cage, but the metal held, yet it was warped badly by the spell.

"Come now, you'll have to do far better than that if you hope to stand even a ghost of a chance against one such as myself," Trixie laughed as she created a cyclone of magic beneath her hooves that lifted her into the air, giving her a tornado as a throne upon which to sit as she began to unleash spell after spell towards her opposite self.

'Trust me, I can do better, but against the power of the word even my most powerful spells won't be enough,' Trixie thought to herself as she rolled to the side to avoid a blast of burning magic, before erecting a barrier of darkness to protect herself from the next wave of attacks. 'But a battle of magic is as much about imagination as it is about power. As long as I can out-think you, I can beat you.'

Trixie slammed her hooves into the floor of the stage and sent crystal fissures erupting towards the other self, causing Trixie to yelp in surprise when the crystals grabbed hold of her hooves and slowly began to consume the mare. The moment her foe was caught, Trixie's eyes burned with green power as she unleashed a hailstorm of dark magic at the other Trixie, who roared in pain as she was bombarded with darkness.

"Not bad, other me, but you are still using Sombra's magic. I still have the power of the word! DOS TOK SHAZAM!" A thunderbolt clapped across the room and shattered the crystals at Trixie's hooves while the force of the lightning descending also hurled Trixie across the stage. She managed to slip into the darkness right before she slammed into the side of the cage, but when she emerged from a pool of darkness she found that the other Trixie was covered in lightning that made her mane stand up on end.

"I will admit that you did force me to use this magic much faster than last time, but all that has done is speed up your demise," Trixie taunted with a uptight laugh as the crowd around her began to laugh as well. Yet, the momentary distraction gave Trixie a moment to place ten discs constructed of darkness around the stage. "Curious. What do you plan to do with those?" the other Trixie asked.

"Allow me to show you." Trixie leapt backwards into one of the discs of darkness, vanishing from sight almost immediately. Trixie raised an eyebrow as she began to look around for Trixie, before a blast of darkness shot forth from one of the discs and struck Trixie in the side, getting the pony to roar in rage as she turned and fired at the disc, only to see her bolt of lightning fly into the darkness. The bolt returned a moment later from a different disc that aimed the blast right back at her, and a moment later Trixie took her own lightning bolt to the chest, which hurled her into the cage.

"I might not have the same magical power to take you head on, but thanks to the magic I have learned, I do not need to," the voice of the other Trixie laughed from within the darkness while the Trixie bathed in lightning pulled herself back up to her hooves, rage flashing in her eyes as she looked into the ten discs, trying to discern where her foe was.

"Show yourself!" Trixie roared before another blast struck her in the back of the head and threw her to the floor. Trixie roared as she pushed herself back up and spun towards the disc from which the shot had come, hurling a blast of lightning into the darkness once again. The moment the bolt vanished, however, she threw up her cage of lightning just in time to absorb the lightning bolt as it shot forth from another disc and slammed into her barrier.

"Now why would I do that, Trixie?" Trixie's voice echoed throughout the entire structure, getting Trixie to look around in frustration for her foe that was hidden in the darkness. "Since it's clear, that I do not even need to be in the same room as you to defeat you. Now better pay attention, because the next volley is coming soon."

Trixie roared as she unleashed torrents of lightning to intercept the blasts of darkness that emerged from the discs of darkness, yet the sheer volume of blasts coming from the darkness eventually began to overtake her and Trixie felt the darkness begin to strike her from all sides. In an act desperation, she hurled herself to the side to avoid one of the shots of darkness. The shot that missed flew into the warped part of the cage and pierced through the damaged metal, nearly striking one of the spectators outside of the cage

"No!" Trixie yelled from within the darkness as she created two more discs of darkness to absorb more of the stray shots that Trixie dodged. Yet, the moment Trixie realized that the other her had stopped the battle to help out the ponies around her, a wicked smile crossed the thundering face of Trixie as she slowly rose back up to her hooves.

"How very interesting. It seems that you care more about the ponies watching the fight than the fight itself," Trixie cackled menacingly before she unleashed her lightning into the cage around the stage, blasting it to dust. Now she threw her head back with a smile. "Come now, everypony, I have entertained you all for so long and done so much for you...it is time that you all return the favor!" As she said this, her magic reached out and grabbed hold of the ponies around her, pulling them onto the stage where they were all held aloft by tendrils of Trixie's magic.

"What are you doing, you damned fool?! You are bringing the innocent into our fight!" Trixie roared from the darkness, but the other Trixie was starting to figure out from where in the darkness the yells were coming.

"Not at all. I am simply giving them a much closer look at how I fight with my magic," Trixie said with mock innocence before she threw her head back and cackled menacingly. With a flash of lightning, she began to hurl thunderbolts into the dark discs that surrounded her while at the same time angling the ponies that were caught by her magic, so that they were in front of all of the other discs. Another wicked laugh escaped her lips as she saw the thunderbolts launched out of the darkness into the sky, instead of back at her like they once did.

"You call me the coward, yet you are using the innocent as SHIELDS!" Trixie roared from within the darkness, her very rage shaking the discs that hung in the air. Trixie narrowed her eyes with a wicked smile as she finally found what she had been looking for. With a roar of victory, she unleashed all of the power of her lightning into all ten of the discs at once, cackling with triumph as she heard a shriek of pain erupt from within the darkness when the lightning found its mark. A moment later the discs of darkness faded when the other Trixie fell through one of them and collapsed to the floor, smoldering, with her mane and body having been burned.

"Oh my, that truly looks painful. I am so sorry," Trixie cackled with victory in her voice as she sauntered over to the still smoking Trixie, who was struggling to even lift her head so she could glare at the other her. Trixie lifted one of her hooves very deliberately, before she placed it upon the scarred area of the other Trixie's chest, getting a weak cry of pain from her other self while she looked around in triumph. "Hmm, no applause. That's a first. Oh well, this is still my victory!"

"You...bastard..." Trixie moaned with rage and pain as she tried to grab hold of her other self, but Trixie slapped her hoof back down with a chuckle.

"Really now? Don't be such a sore loser, Trix. It's your fault that you allow yourself to be held back like this," Trixie taunted with another laugh.

"You...used...the innocent...as a-"

"As a what, my Dear? As a shield? Why shouldn't I? All these ponies are good for is cheering me on--and letting the world know how great I am!" Trixie exclaimed with a laugh that chilled not only the other her, but all of the other ponies who had watched what Trixie had done and said. "That is what makes you weaker than me, what makes me the better Trixie. It's that you allow yourself to be so concerned with others, that you don't take the time to think about yourself. However, Trixie is all that matters," Trixie said with a wicked smile as she placed a hoof on the other Trixie's head, where she noticed the ring again. "Oh, isn't that a pretty thing? Don't tell me, that somepony in your world actually loved a weakling like you enough to spend the rest of their life with you? How much did you pay them?"

"No...your words...show how weak you truly are. This ring...reminds me...that I am not alone...that there...are others who fight for and with me," Trixie snarled back in reply as she threw Trixie's hoof off of her head and slowly pushed herself back up to her hooves, shaking violently as she struggled to remain standing. "And you...are wrong...if you believe that...caring for others is a weakness, that only through the admiration of hundreds of thousands can you be happy. This ring...reminds me that I have found happiness through my sacrifice, that my sacrifice saved my world! So, if you think...I'm going to let you get away...with using these innocents...any way you want...then you'll burn with me! BLIT O RATE!"

Upon speaking the words of magic from long since past, a massive explosion was created in the center of the stage, hurling both Trixie's to opposite ends of the arena. Trixie roared in agony as the impact sent pain coursing through her burned body, yet with determination and strength she forced herself to rise before her foe and hurl herself at the other Trixie once again. Her horn flashed with many different colors as the ring on her horn began to amplify her magic, and when she unleashed her magic upon her foe, it was like a beam of aurora that barreled down towards the other Trixie.

Trixie gritted her teeth while she created her cage of lightning to defend herself from the onslaught of magical power that nearly consumed her, but to her horror she found that the sheer will that Trixie was pouring into her attack was beginning to overpower her lightning. With no other options, she teleported herself away from the attack and reappeared just in time to see the blast of magic pierce through the shield of lightning.

"Where...did you get that power?" Trixie asked the other her as she slowly turned her head to look at the other Trixie, but the slight fear that she had held turned into a smile when she saw that her foe was barely able to stand. "So, it seems that you used all of your strength there in a desperate gamble to defeat me at the last second. I commend you for holding an ace for so long, but really, you should have used it right from the beginning. Maybe then you would have actually had a chance to defeat me."

Trixie's laugh turned into a snarl as she charged her horn with the divine lightning that had struck down so many foes, dimming the light in the room so it almost seemed that her power was sucking in the very light around her. Trixie took a step back as she watched the other her point the horn right for her chest, knowing that none of her spells would be strong enough to stop the attack. Yet, when she looked behind her to see the crowd of spectators who were frozen in fear, unable to move in the face of such power, she gritted her teeth and she turned and created the strongest barrier that she could muster.

"Heh, a hero to the end, huh? Fool!" Trixie roared as she unleashed the full might of her power towards Trixie. The stage was blasted apart. The torrent of sheer magical power shattered the air while barreling towards Trixie, who braced herself as best she could as the magic prepared to consume her...only to be stunned beyond words when she found that time had come to a complete stop. She looked at the other Trixie to find her frozen in place, while a slight turn of her head showed that the crowd was just as frozen as the mare.

"I see. So I guess this is what the mare was talking about," Trixie weakly smirked when she turned around--to see a massive, silver dragon looking down at her with its arms crossed. "So, is this the part where I get my fancy new accessory, or are you here to take me to the afterlife?"

'Heh, seems that some of Sombra's humor rubbed off on you,' the dragon replied with it's own smirk, before clearing his throat and taking on a more regal look. 'You are an interesting one, Trixie. I've been watching you since the moment that you overthrew Morgaine years ago, and I must admit that I have never seen one so...willing.'

"You've been watching me for years, huh? That's not creepy at all," Trixie replied with a weak chuckle, getting the dragon to smirk in response. "And what do you mean by, 'willing'?"

'Willing to sacrifice yourself for others, no matter who and no matter where. You care very little for yourself, and through the guilt you assumed in nearly taking down all of Equestria, you decided to dedicate your life for others,' the dragon continued as he looked around at the crowd. 'Even now, you were willing to die to protect the ponies who only a few moments ago were supporting the very 'you' that you have sought to be rid of.'

"Of course I would. I help all who need me, regardless of who they are," Trixie said with as much determination as she could. "I learned the day that I nearly destroyed Equestria that I should never put my own goals and dreams above the lives of others--that others always come first." To Trixie's surprise, the dragon shook his head slightly at her with a smirk still upon his face.

'Yet, are you willing to sacrifice the happiness of your family to achieve those goals? Are you willing to break the hearts of your husband and your children to save this world?' The dragon asked, but he held up a hand before she could answer. 'I know that your answer is 'yes', Trixie. That was just a question on the test. But what I want to tell you is, that I did not give you my Element because you are so ready to sacrifice your life for others. I gave you my Element because of what you sacrificed for the merry band of misfits that roll around with you. For Starshine, you sacrificed your solitude; for Sombra you sacrificed your belief about him being evil. For Armora, it was the belief that she was nothing more than an enemy, and for Bark...well, you got me there. But these are the actions for which I have deemed you worthy, not because you do what so many other heroes do.'

"So, are you going to keep talking or am I finally going to get the power that I need to defeat this braggart?" Trixie asked with a weak, but still cocky smile. The dragon threw his head back and began to laugh loudly before looking down at Trixie with amusement in his eyes.

'Oh, I chose well. Very well, my Champion of Sacrifice, put an end to this fight.'

An explosion of divine might rocked the entire arena, causing Trixie to gasp in shock when she laid her eyes upon the being who stood in the center of the explosion of magic. The Trixie who just a moment ago could barely stand now stood proud and tall, with a golden tiara around her head with their cutie mark in the center of it. But now, her body radiated with divine power while a golden cape streamed behind her, yet her eyes shone with the purest of silvers as she looked over at her foe with a triumphant smile on her face.

"W-what happened to you? What is this power?!" Trixie roared at herself before hurling another thunderbolt at Trixie, only to watch in disbelief as the bolt struck Trixie in the chest and vanished.

"This is the power that I have been given because of what I chose to do with my life," Trixie explained as she began to walk towards the other her, the very wounds that a moment ago had crippled her now gone. Trixie slowly backed away as the sheer wall of power began to wash over her, yet when Trixie got too close, the other Trixie found that she couldn't even move in the face of such power. All she could do was look up with fear into the eyes of the other her, the silver eyes that radiated with a power that Trixie would never know. Yet there was no anger in the eyes that looked down upon the other, less powerful Trixie. Only pity.

"I used to be like you. I used to believe that if I surrounded myself with thousands of adoring fans that I would feel wanted, that I would feel like I was truly alive," Trixie said. "That no matter what I did, as long as it garnered me attention and fame, that I was doing it for a just cause. That as long as I was loved by my fans, I was happy. But then I discovered what it truly meant to be loved by somepony, to truly be cared about and loved not just for my strengths, but for my failings as well. A small colt taught me that. Then, I learned what it meant to accept who you are and what you've done, no matter how much it pains you. Sombra, the one who gave me this ring, taught me that."

"So, what's your point?! Are you just trying to tell me about how much better you are because you got a fancy power up?!" Trixie roared in fear at the divine being before her, yet all the other her did in reply was shake her head sadly.

"I wondered for the longest time how you managed to beat me, wondering if, that by choosing a life of fame and notoriety, you had hit upon a secret that I did not know. I wondered if you had made the better choice. But after talking to the ones I love and know," Trixie drifted as she looked out across the crowd, seeing their hate-filled faces glaring at the Trixie that lay on the ground before the Champion of Sacrifice. "I see that I was right all along."

"So what are you trying to say?!" Trixie spat back at the other her.

"You are a part of my life that I wish that I had never had to see again. The greedy me, the one who desired attention from all and who didn't care what they had to do to get it. But now...I am grateful that I got to meet the past me and have the chance to battle with her, because now I see what I could have become had I stayed on that path: Alone, angry and always demanding more affection from others who didn't truly care about me," Trixie said before she turned around and created a portal back to where the others were waiting for her. She then turned and let loose a stream of magic into her foe that caused Trixie to cry out in pain before she collapsed to the ground, struggling to lift her head as her now weakened magic could barely get her horn to glow.

"I know now, without any doubt, that I am truly happy with where I am in life, regardless of this Element or what has happened here. And while it was my greatest test to overcome myself from the past, it is time I left you where I left all of my self doubt and hatred for myself," Trixie said as she walked into the portal, turning one last time to look at the weakened Trixie with strong eyes. "Behind me."

She vanished into the portal as she said this, leaving the other Trixie to drag herself to her hooves and let loose a roar of hatred and despair, hating how she had been dealt with so easily.

"DAMN YOU! If it wasn't for that Element, I would have beaten you!" Trixie roared at where the portal had been a moment ago.

"Indeed, you would have," a very powerful voice said from behind her, getting Trixie to turn around to see a black-clad pony with a long beard. "But with my aid, you may get the chance to do so again. That is, if you are willing to join me and...fuel the fire." He didn't need to bother asking that part, for Trixie's eyes answered for him.

Author's Note

MORE TRIXIE!

The Survivor And The Monster

Tinker screamed with both fury and fear as his mechanical legs barely managed to hurl himself out of the way of a massive, green fist that just missed his head, but it did not miss the wall behind the pony. Tinker scrambled to his hooves to see that not only was he missing a wall to his secret chambers, but also Hulk still had a menacing smile plastered upon his fast as he tucked his fist back in and lumbered towards Tinker.

"What's the matter, smart guy? No invention, no witty words to say to me now that we're all alone?" Hulk asked with venomous joy in every one of his words while he marched towards his foe. Tinker narrowed his good eye before the spider legs detached themselves from his back and hurled themselves at the Hulk, while Tinker dove for the area that used to be blocked off by a wall. Hulk caught all four of the spider-like legs with one of his massive green hands and converted them into scrap almost immediately, before he turned his head towards where the pony had run.

"Come out come out wherever you are," Hulk sang as he marched through the torn down wall as well, emerging through the gap to find a very large workshop on the other side of the room. There were hundreds of shelves all filled with different parts, pieces and magical items, some of which even Hulk recognized. "You should just come out and save me the trouble of having to hunt you down. Whether it's now or later, there's only one way this ends. When I smash you into the floor," Hulk called out to Tinker.

"Maybe that was when we were in that small room, Hulk, but now you are in my domain!" Tinker's voice seemed to say from everywhere at once, getting Hulk to look around before he vaguely felt something peppering his back. He swung himself around to find a small robot shooting a miniature version of a pulse rifle at him, yet the rounds barely gained his notice.

"Your domain is overrun with trash," Hulk replied as the small robot vanished completely under his giant green foot when he stomped down on it before turning around and heading into the maze of spare parts and scrap. His eyes glanced back and forth between the shelves, occasionally spotting something red and glowing. But after the third time he pulverized a light, he started to realize that this would be harder than he thought.

'Any idea what to do here, Doc?' Hulk asked Banner, who had been silent since the search had begun.

'He's definitely building something and he's using these other machines of his to buy him time. It's what I would do if I were in his situation,' Banner explained for the Hulk as a number of bird-like machines started circling the Hulk and unleashed flamethrowers across his face and back. In the torrent of flames, all Hulk did was laugh since the fire barely tickled him, but as amusing as the birds were Hulk ended the little game with a clap of his hands, creating a shockwave that hurled the metal birds against the walls and shattered them to pieces.

"While it's nice to know what he's doing, I'd like to know more where he's doing it," Hulk grumbled as he got fed up and slammed his foot into one of the large shelves, kicking it over and starting a domino effect that toppled more of the shelving behind the one that he kicked. Yet the biggest of surprises awaited the Hulk, for when the last shelf fell he revealed a monstrous, metal titan whose top almost touched the roof. It had two clawed arms and the cockpit was in the center of the body, with rocket launchers mounted upon the shoulders of the robot that was nearly twice the size of Hulk.

"Oh, so that's where you went," Hulk said with a smirk as he looked into the cockpit of the titan to see Tinker.

"Yes, Hulk, you have forced me to this. My strongest creation, specifically designed to take on Black Adam should the day arise!" Tinker screamed from within as his red eye could be seen piercing through the glass. "It is strong enough to crush steel, fast enough to catch any pegasi and tough enough to take any amount of magic!"

"So, what you're saying is you're not even going to give me a fight before I pound you into nothing?" Hulk smirked before letting loose a mighty bellow while he hurled himself at the robot, ramming his shoulder into its midsection and tackling them both to the floor. With a roar that was also half a laugh, Hulk drove one of his feet into the armored midsection, laughing aloud as the metal nearly caved in beneath his power.

"G-get off of me!" Tinker stammered in fear while he swung one of the metal arms towards the Hulk, yet the arm that could supposedly crush steel was caught by the hands of the Hulk. Hulk placed his hands in between the claws on the hand and pulled with all his might, tearing the arm in two right down the middle, before with a yank he ripped the arm right off of the machine's body.

"What was that Tink? Couldn't hear you over the sound of your robot getting trashed!" Hulk roared as he leapt off of the machine's chest and landed on the floor beside it, where he placed his hands beneath the robot and, with a small effort, lifted the "Adam Destroyer" over his head. With one small push, he hurled it across the room and into a wall, were it collapsed to the floor with sparks flying from its body. "Heh, they just don't make giant, killer robots like they used to, do they Doc?"

'Got to admit, I'm not impressed.'

"Now then, Tinker, there are two ways you're going to exit that suit. The first option...let's call it the easy way, is that you open up and come out nice and slow. The other option, the fun way, is I get to tear open the cockpit and pull you out like a prize," Hulk threatened while he tore one of the legs off of the machine for good measure before pulling himself onto its chest, where he placed a foot by the cockpit. "Make your choice quick."

"NEVER!" the voice of Tinker roared from within the machine before the cockpit ejected itself and hurled into the sky, giving Hulk just enough time to look down to see that the robot he was on was about to explode.

"Hmm." In a blinding flash of light the robot exploded, nearly knocking over the entire warehouse in the process. Outside, Tinker watched as the light died down, with only a giant column of smoke remaining where his machine used to stand. A small smile of victory had just began to cross his lips when one of the walls was forcibly removed from where it stood and was hurled across the sky, allowing a slightly singed Hulk to walk out into the sunlight. "Oh, so your secret base was located on a mountain, huh?" Hulk asked as he looked around at the mountaintop, ignoring the look of disbelief on the face of Tinker.

"But...how?" Tinker choked out after a moment, getting the Hulk to look up at the pony flying in a small ship with a smirk.

"Tinker, I'm the Hulk. I've shrugged off explosions that could destroy the planet," Hulk said with a laugh before he crouched down slightly, taking aim at the small ship before kicking off the ground and hurling himself at Tinker. The pony screamed in fear as the green monster hurtled towards him, barely having time to brace himself before the jade giant slammed into the side of his small ship and dragged it down to the ground.

"Knock knock," Hulk said as he caught the ship and tossed it onto the ground, pushing his fingers through the metal before yanking his arm back and tearing the top of the craft free. A smile crossed Hulk's face as he looked down to see the cowering pony, whom he got out of the ship by turning it upside down and shaking until Tinker fell out.

"Now then, I've wanted to have a talk with you," Hulk began as he aimed the ship straight up and hurled it off the planet with one arm, laughing as it zipped out of sight before turning to face Tinker. "And I believe that I owe you for trying to turn me into a monster of rage that only sought to destroy. Yes, Tinker," Hulk said menacingly as he towered over the pony, moving his face close so that it was just inches away from Tinker's. "I've been waiting for this."

"Then, you've waited in vain!" Tinker roared as he struck forward with a golden tube filled with science and magic...only to watch in absolute horror as Hulk caught the tube and yanked it out of his hooves.

"Ah, there's the other one," Hulk said with a smirk as he looked over the tube before placing it into his pocket, looking back down at Tinker to find the pony staring up at him with fear and confusion. "What, did you honestly expect the same trick to work on me twice? Tinker, you seem to forget that there is a brain behind all this brawn. Two, as a matter of fact. We knew that you wouldn't dare face me without that little 'ace in the hole' you had. Too bad it didn't work."

"Please don't kill me! I beg of you!" Tinker cried out as he threw himself to the ground at Hulk's feet, sobbing his heart out as he clung to Hulk's leg for dear life. Hulk raised an eyebrow at the display, and he couldn't stop a smile from crossing his face. He couldn't help it. Hulk slowly reached down to grab Tinker before he found himself unable to move his arm.

'What are you going to do Hulk?'

"Relax, Banner, I'm not going to kill him."

'Are you going to crush him?'

"Will you just trust me?" Hulk only got silence in response and for a moment he believed that he would have to fight Banner, but then a small sigh could be heard within his mind and he found himself in control once again. Hulk reached down and grabbed Tinker by the back of his neck, lifting him up so that the pony had to look into the Hulk's angry, green eyes...before he flicked him in the nose and knocked the pony out cold. "There Banner, we've won. Can we go back to Canterlot now? I have a feeling they'll need us."

Hulk kicked off the ground with Tinker tucked under his arm, clearing a good number of miles in a single jump. Banner was able to predict that with Hulk's current jumping angle and arc, they would reach Canterlot in a matter of minutes. But that thought quickly went by, as Banner couldn't help but smile at the fact that Hulk had restrained himself so well in the face of a being that made Hulk so very, very angry.

'Not bad, Hulk. Maybe we are the hero that our friends think we are.'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Ryan brought his arm up just in time to deflect the flip kick that Doroca had aimed at his head, yet he wasn't fast enough to recover in time to block the second kick that caught him in the ribs on the right side of his body. The strike sent Ryan skidding across the golden plains, but he managed to roll out of the attack and kick back up to his feet, arms up and eyes ready for the next attack. But that annoying smirk of his never left his face for a moment.

"Wow, I was wrong to be so afraid of zebras for so long. If they all fight like you do, then Zecora must be the only one who can fight worth a damn," Ryan laughed as he gave Doroca two middle fingers before having to roll back to avoid the next strike from the zebra's staff that was aimed at his head. "Hey, come on now, we've hardly talked before. At least get to know me before you try to take my head off!"

"Do you ever shut up, you infernal sap! All you have done this fight is yap!" Doroca roared with fury as he swung the staff over his shoulders and tried to drive the end of the staff into the man's face, but Ryan was quick enough to swing his baton up in time to deflect the attack while knocking the staff out of the zebra's hooves at the same time. Sensing the opening, Ryan leapt up and threw both feet forward and into Doroca's head, kicking the helmet in as he sent the zebra sprawling.

"Ooooo, right between the eyes. Man, I can't remember that ever working on Zecora. You know what, when I'm not fighting that 'nightmare made flesh', fighting's actually kind of fun," Ryan said with a laugh as he switched his baton to a reverse grip and lunged at the zebra, blocking his kick to his gut before swinging down with his baton. Doroca managed to roll out of the way while reaching into a pocket on the side of the suit, where he drew forth a dagger and hurled it into Ryan's chest. To his surprise, despite the growl of pain, Ryan reached up and pulled the dagger out of his chest with a wicked smile on his face.

"Oh, don't worry, that still hurt," Ryan said with a chuckle as he hurled the knife blade-first into the ground and drove it deep into the dirt with his foot. "But after being set on fire, blown up, crushed between dimensions, and having the shit kicked out of me by Zecora, little things like this don't really bother me that much. Now then, let's see how much pain you can endure."

"You are mad."

"Nope. I'm way beyond that!" Ryan drew forth the pistol within his bag and began to fire at the zebra, who growled as the bullets drove themselves into his armor. Despite the armor protecting Doroca's vitals from any lethal damage, Ryan smirked as he saw the green health bar on the back of Doroca's suit slowly turned yellow. Yet the assault was stopped when Doroca hurled a second dagger into the barrel of the gun, slicing it clean in half while Ryan jumped back with a yelp.

"Hey, this thing has been with me for a long time! Now you owe me a new gun!" Ryan roared at the zebra, only to yelp as he hurled three more daggers at Ryan. He dodged the first two before deflecting the third with his baton, yet when he drew the baton up he found that the dagger had embedded itself in the metal. "Damn, those things are sharp. Mental note, keep the pointy end away from my body."

"Will you shut up?!"Doroca yelled as he flipped forward and drove one of his hooves into the top of Ryan's skull, nearly breaking his skull as Doroca kicked back and landed on his hooves, smiling beneath his helmet as Ryan staggered around dazed.

"Ha! Un...fortunately for you...attacking my brain is useless!" Ryan laughed as he shook the cobwebs off and lunged forward again, catching the zebra off guard since he could never have imagined that a foe could shrug off a brain injury so easily. Doroca managed to roll as Ryan tackled him to the ground, placing his hooves in Ryan's stomach and kicking him over his head. "Alright, I'll give you a little credit. You sure know how to piss me off."

"There is the 'pot calling the kettle black'!" Doroca blocked a high kick from Ryan before going low and attempting to sweep his feet. Ryan dodged the blow with a well-timed backflip, which immediately turned into a handstand so that he could recover quicker. Ryan kept his momentum up and swung his legs back underneath of him, sending both feet right into the chest of the zebra and kicking him hard there.

"Nah, I'm calling you annoying!" Ryan snarled as he kept the pressure on by leaping onto the zebra, pinning him down with his legs while he began to throw 'lefts and rights' into the zebra's face. Unfortunately for him, Doroca's helmet was still on and Ryan ended up punching a metal faceplate with sharp corners.

"You are correct, you do not use your head!" Doroca snarled as he swung his head forward and drove the front of his helmet into the human's nose, sending Ryan sprawling as a long string of curses escaped his lips. "And now is the time that you finally end up dead."

"Please, stronger things than you have tried to kill me and failed," Ryan snarked as he rolled out of the way of a kick and intercepted a chop to his side with his elbow. A quick palmstrike to the chest stunned the zebra long enough for Ryan to introduce the soles of his boots to the side of Doroca's head, hurling him to the ground while Ryan hopped on one foot. "Damn, that armor hurts to hit. Kinda gives you an unfair advantage."

"Do you think I care?" Doroca asked as he rose back to his hooves, taking on a fighting stance while Ryan held both arms out to the side of his body, the two beginning to circle each other with narrowed eyes, each trying to anticipate the other's next move. But Doroca could never predict what Ryan was about to do next.

"Alright, I'm bored. You win the fight," Ryan said with a shrug as he stood up straight, imagining the look of confusion under the zebra's helmet when he reached up and placed his arms behind his head. He heard Doroca sputtering while the zebra tried to understand the words Ryan had just said, but at that point the human had already turned and was walking away.

"Do not turn your back on me! I will send you to eternity!" Doroca roared with rage as he hurled himself at Ryan, yet he never saw the menacing grin that spread across the human's face. Faster than the zebra believed possible, Ryan spun and let fly a small disc from his bag, a disc that latched itself right onto the center of Doroca's armored chest.

"Boom." Ryan shielded his face with his arms as the disc exploded the moment he spoke, yet he made sure that he could watch as the explosion hurled his foe into the sky. Doroca came crashing back down a moment later and slammed into the ground hard, where the burnt and broken zebra lay in pain while Ryan sauntered over to them. A quick glance at the red health bar showed that the zebra was still alive, but only just.

"Man, maybe that year of training really was worth something. I only ended up getting impaled in this fight," Ryan smirked before using the baton to cauterize his wound while also flipping his hood back with a sigh, looking around at the endless expanse of golden fields. "Now the question is, how in the hell do I get back to Canterlot?"

'Perhaps I can help you?' Ryan's eyes widened when he recognized the voice, but before he could make a remark, swear, or both, he found himself and Doroca both being enveloped in silver light. A few seconds later, he fell to what he hoped were castle floors as he fought down the urge to throw up.

'Ugh, damn zebra. Even when I win, I lose,' Ryan thought before looking up to see that not only was he back in the halls of Canterlot, but he was also not alone. "So, you all managed to win your fights as well. I'm not surprise that you won Hulk, but I have to admit I had some slight concerns about both Trixie and Batmare," Ryan said to the other five beings in the room as he stood up, seeing four members of his team and Spike the dragon. "Let me guess, through the power of a Deus ex machina you managed to win?"

"If you mean that Batmare and I tapped into the power of the original Elements to win, then yes, the both of us did so," Trixie said with a smile, while Ryan also noticed that the burn upon her chest was missing, yet his attention was drawn away from that by something else she had said.

"Wait, Hulk didn't use the power of the Element to win?" Ryan asked with some surprise as he looked over at the jade giant, who shrugged his shoulders in reply.

"You really think I would need some sort of 'power up' to crush a pony like Tinker?" Hulk asked, almost sounding like he was insulted. "Please, I've fought bed head that was more difficult to deal with than that coward."

"Guess you wouldn't need its help. How long you all been here for?"

"We all got back around the same time. Trixie got here a few seconds before me and Bubbles showed up not too long after, being carried by Spike, of all dragons," Batmare further clarified as she motioned to Spike, who nodded somberly. "Seems he's on our side now. Hulk brought back Tinker, but Undra escaped me. The other Trixie won't be a problem anymore either, at least, Trixie says so."

"So all that's left to do is await the arrival of Billy and then we decide what to do with the princesses," Trixie continued on before she, Bubbles and Batmare looked off into the distance. "They are coming. I can feel them."

"Then we'll be ready for them. And we'll smash them all," Hulk growled with confidence as he began to crack his knuckles, yet their attention was taken away from the foes off in the distance by the sounds of distant thunder and the rumble of power that followed it, telling them that one last battle still raged on.

"Well, let's hope that Billy wins his fight and that together we can manage to beat the End of Days before they can unleash the beast within that sphere," Ryan shrugged, as he kicked Doroca once for good luck before he sat down next to the wall and leaned against it, flipping his hood over his eyes while he awaited the return of Batson. "Because I've got a bad feeling about this. And whenever I have a bad feeling, shit hits the fan."

The Chosen Champion

The darkness that covered the sky was blasted apart as twin streaks of lightning collided in the air again, and the god--the battle of the gods of lightning--shaking the very planet to its core. One of the streaks was a crimson red and crackled with a white lightning, while his foe's lightning was as black as the night, yet it was able to match his foe blow for blow. The thunderous battle came to a momentary standstill as the two champions of the wizard slammed into each other and locked hands, each glaring into each other's eyes while they each tried to overpower the other.

"You're going to fall Black Adam! Today is the day that I stop you for good!" Captain Marvel roared over the thunder as his hooded eyes flashed with a greater power than the lightning that flashed around the two fighters. "You might think yourself the protector of the ponies, but we are the chosen champions! We will save them!"

Adam's response was to drive one of his knees forward right into the bridge of Marvel's nose, snapping the Captain's head back and flinging him higher into the clouds. A mighty right hook slammed into Marvel's stomach and nearly doubled him over, yet the Captain was fast enough to catch the next punch and drive Adam's own fist back into his face, stunning him long enough for Billy to retaliate with a superkick to the jaw.

"Yet, where were you when the changelings attacked the ponies' land?" Adam replied as he backed up and wiped his jaw with the back of his hand, checking to see if blood had been drawn. "Where were you when Discord, or Tirek, or Ares attacked this land? You may be the hero of your Equestria, but here I am the one who saved them! Who keeps them safe!"

"And how much evil and pain have you caused as well?"

Marvel expected Black Adam to scowl or argue in response, but to Captain Marvel's surprise, for a moment Adam hung his head with regret flashing in his eyes.

"Yes...I am the cause of so much of their pain. I am the one that took the Elements of Harmony from this land. I am the reason for the split between Celestia and Luna," Adam admitted with guilt choking his words, but when he lifted his head again Marvel saw the thundering power of Adam's conviction. "But know that every one of my actions has been for them, to keep them safe! I may not be the hero that they believe me to be, but I will do my damnedest to not fail them again."

"But you still have! You are partially responsible for the death of Mr. Freeze, the final champion," Marvel reminded his eternal foe. "And because of that, if the End of Days manage to summon the monster of destruction, we may not be able to defeat it! You might very well be the end of the world you say you cherish." Adam lowered his head in thought for a moment before he cast his thoughts aside and glared at Marvel.

"Enough. As I stated before, if these Elements you wield really are the key to saving this world, then prove it to me," Adam repeated as he prepared to re-enter the fight. "Prove that the power of the champions is enough to defeat the man who has defended this world for fifteen years. Prove that you are the better hero."

"That will be easy."

Marvel and Adam collided once again, the force of their impact blasted away the dark and thundering clouds that had been summoned by their power, allowing the blue sky to break through the darkness and illuminate the two champions of Shazam. An elbow to the face knocked Adam back a bit before Adam replied in kind with a back hand that spun Marvel around. Adam grabbed hold of both Marvel's shoulders and pulled him into his knee, driving the tip of his knee into the champion's back.

"You know that you cannot fight me Batson!" Adam roared as he lifted Captain Marvel over his head and hurled him down to the blackened remains of the Everfree Forest, creating a crater with the body of his age old foe. He then hurled himself down with both boots extended, aiming right at the spine of the Captain. Yet the speed of Mercury did not fail Marvel and he vanished just a split second before Adam's boots cleaved the ground in two, shaking the whole planet with the force of the impact. "You may have similar powers to the ones that I wield, but I have experience, I have the drive, and I wield the full power of the wizard. You cannot win."

"That's what you said the last time we fought and the time before that," Marvel retorted as he drove his shoulder into Adam's back, driving the both of them forward before Marvel grabbed hold of one of Adam's ankles. Captain Marvel grabbed hold of the other one before he began to spin his foe around, nearly turning into a tornado before he leapt up into the air and drove Adam face first into the barren wasteland. "Yet I managed to beat you then and I'll do it again."

"You are still a fool if you believe me to be the same as the Adam that you knew," Black Adam replied as he spun onto his back and drove his boots into the gut of Marvel, sending the crimson-clad champion skyward. Adam reached him a second later and with a thunderous right launched the boy back down into the wasteland. Marvel's body carved out a gorge as he plowed through the dirt, yet the moment he came to a stop he erupted out of the ground in a geyser of mud and earth as he rocketed back towards Adam.

"Arrogant. Tyrannical. Obsessed with power. How are you any different?" Marvel spat as he and Adam slammed into each other once again, the force of their blows generating shockwaves that could be felt for miles. Marvel threw a flurry of 'rights' and 'lefts' into the face and chest of Adam to force the fallen hero back, but the moment he relented his pressure Adam let lightning fly from his finger tips and burned his foe with his power. A Spartan kick to the chest hurled Marvel back in the very direction from which he had just come, yet with a quick flip Captain Marvel caught himself in the air.

"And you are still the child that you were back on my world. You still see reality as if it is black and white, as if there is only good and evil," Black Adam answered the Captain, who was too focused trying to find an opening to counter Adam's statement. "Yet the world is more gray than any other color. There is no perfect good and no absolute evil. Things are not that easy."

"Tartra dokon rok Shazam!" was Captain Marvel's reply as a sphere comprised of pure lightning forged itself in his hands, creating bolts of lightning that lanced out in nearly every direction as Marvel struggled to restrain the power of his own attack. "I was a child. But now I'm more than that. I am a hero!" Marvel roared as he hurled the sphere towards Black Adam, tearing apart both the land and sky as the sphere not only ripped apart anything it passed by, but as it also drained the color from the sky. Adam barely had enough time to extend both of his hands before the sphere collided with him, slowly pushing him back while the sphere sucked the color out of him as well as the area around him, leaving only two colors.

"Huh, look at that. Things are looking pretty black and white to me now."

Adam gritted his teeth as the sheer power tore through his body, making his limbs scream with agony while the lightning lanced through his body and attacked every part of him. Yet despite the overwhelming power of Captain Marvel's attack, Black Adam knew that this victory was his. So with a word, Adam decided to end the battle.

"Shazam."

Captain Marvel covered his face with his arms as a single black bolt of lightning descended from on high and struck itself down upon Black Adam, decimating the sphere that Marvel had thrown along with the surrounding landscape. Marvel lowered his arms the moment the lightning stopped, but in the next instant Adam's fist collided with Marvel's face. For a brief moment, all Marvel could feel was his teeth rattling inside of his skull, but in the next instant he was reaching the outer atmosphere, where he barely regained his senses in time to stop himself from being launched off the planet.

"As I said, child," Black Adam quietly spoke when he appeared before Billy, his suit a divine white while his body glowed with absolute magical power, "you cannot win." Captain Marvel roared as he brought his arm back, but faster than he could register Black Adam shattered Marvel's midsection with one mighty blow, causing Marvel to gag while he doubled over with wide eyes. Adam swung his knee upward and crushed Captain Marvel's face with the impact, snapping Marvel's head back before launching the Champion of Thunder right out of the planet's atmosphere.

Adam caught up to him a moment later and spun his body around at the speed of light to build momentum, before he unleashed a devastating side kick right into the Captain's stomach, breaking his insides and launching him into the side of the moon. The lunar satellite shivered from the force of the impact while large cracks spread along its surface, with Captain Marvel imbedded in the point of impact.

"You believe yourself to be able to save this world?" Adam asked Marvel as he floated down next to where the Captain lay, looking down at his barely moving foe with a look of disdain. "How can you hope to save this world when you have not the power to best me? Clearly, you were wrong when you believed yourself to be one of the champions chosen to save this world. It seems that you are still what you always have been. A child trying to play with powers that he has no right using."

Adam then bent over and grabbed Marvel by the throat, pulling him from the crater that his body had made and holding him aloft over Adam's head. Adam narrowed his eyes as he glared into Marvel's eyes, eyes that were glazed over and barely focused. "And this is all you could muster in an attempt to defeat me. Pitiful. Though I suppose that I cannot blame you entirely. The wizard was a fool for choosing one so young to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Come Batson, let us return."

Black Adam turned and prepared to launch the two of them back to the planet below...when once again everything froze in time for Black Adam. Captain Marvel on the other hand, felt a sudden surge of strength course through his body that brought him back to his senses. With a quick effort he broke free of Black Adam's grip and looked around to find that even the rocks that had been kicked up by his breaking the moon were motionless, the wisdom of Solomon telling him that time must have come to a stop.

'That would be because of me.'

Captain Marvel turned to face the voice only to be blinded by a radiant gleam of light, which took him a moment to get accustomed to. When he could see through the light, he found the source of said light was a massive alicorn, one that was larger than he was. The alicorn was a divine silver with eyes that might have been older than Shazam himself, eyes that were filled with wisdom and curiosity. Marvel looked down to realize that he was no longer Captain Marvel, but was instead Billy Batson.

"So...you must be the original wielder of one of the Elements," the wisdom of Solomon spoke aloud, getting the alicorn to nod before his horn flashed and healed all of the wounds that Billy had suffered. "So what are you, the Element of Magic?"

'No, my Element is far more powerful than the ones that the ponies wield,' the alicorn said before looking down at the child, a smile breaking out along the alicorn's lips as he gave Billy an approving nod. 'Yes, I was indeed right in picking you.'

"Picking me to be the Element?"

'Correct. You have suffered many hardships in your life, among them being your life on the street, your struggle to find happiness, and the battle with evil that you have endured over the years since being chosen by the wizard. Yet despite everything that happened, no matter how low the darkness of evil tried to pull you, you only came out stronger, only shone brighter with every test that you overcame. Even recently, with the tragic death of the CMC and the other ponies, you still refused to be led into the darkness and only became stronger as a result. There is a light within you, young Batson, that can illuminate any darkness, no matter how potent. A light for all who are lost in the darkness.'

"Well, I guess that lightning is a form of light," Billy said with a smile before he took on a more serious look. "But if I am the champion, then I'm going to need that Element right about now. Adam's been kicking my butt something fierce."

'Very well, my Champion of Radiance, you shall have my power!'

Adam roared in confusion as a massive explosion of magic went off behind him, hurling Adam off of the moon and into space where he quickly caught himself. He spun around only to receive a fist to the jaw that rocketed him back down into the moon, where he was buried within the satellite. Yet a moment later, he burst through the surface of the moon and glared up at the new source of power, hardly surprised by what he saw.

"So...you were one of the chosen champions," Adam confirmed as he gazed upon his foe. Captain Marvel had traded in his crimson attire for a divine white outfit that looked eerily similar to what Black Adam was wearing, complete with golden gauntlets, grieves and cape with silver trim. Yet, Adam's eyes were drawn to Marvel's head because a golden crown with a lightning bolt in the center rested upon it, filling the very space around them with its radiant energy.

"Yes Adam, I am. And you are done," Captain Marvel said as he floated over to the Supreme Adam, who floated up to meet Marvel just above the surface of the moon.

"Really? I do not accept that, Batson. You will have to show me, Chosen Champion, show me that your power is greater than the Champion of Equestria," Black Adam demanded.

"Very well," Captain Marvel replied.

Adam threw a right hand that was blocked by one of the Captain's gauntlets. In the next moment, Captain Marvel unleashed a storm of divine magic into Black Adam, but in a flash of lightning the Dark Champion vanished. A boot to the side of his head informed Captain Marvel as to where Adam had vanished to, allowing him to recover from the blow and drive his fist into Adam's gut to double him over. With his foe temporarily stunned, Captain Marvel infused his right fist with the divine lightning as he aimed at Black Adam's jaw.

"This ends now! Thu-" Adam's head snapped up and slammed into the bridge of Marvel's nose, cutting him off while also stunning the Captain. Adam completed the uppercut for Batson and drove his clenched fist into the jaw of Marvel, sending him flying upward. Adam shot up after him and followed up the uppercut with a knee to the jaw, yet Marvel barely began to move before Adam's hand shot out and wrapped itself around Marvel's throat.

"SHAZAM!" Black Adam roared before hurling Marvel down to the moon below, dodging to the side as the divine lightning went tumbling down after the champion. Marvel crashed headfirst into the moon, managing to push himself up only to be struck down by the lightning that had been following him. Before he could recover, Black Adam collided into Marvel's back with his boots, sending the two champions of Shazam through the moon and back out to the other side.

"Fall, child!" Black Adam roared as he grabbed hold of Marvel's face with one of his hands and began to unleash wave after wave of magical power into his foe's face. Yet to Adam's utter confusion, Marvel reached up and pulled the hand off of his face, allowing Adam to look into his divine eyes for a brief moment before Marvel struck back.

"As I was saying!" Marvel roared before kneeing Adam into the stomach with enough force to shatter the part of the moon upon which they were standing. With Adam stunned for a moment, Marvel once again brought back his fist and infused it with his almighty power. Then he swung it for all he was worth, landing his fist square in the center of Adam's jaw with a cry of,

"Thundering Uppercut!"

The uppercut launched Adam with a thunderous blow, but before Adam could get too far Marvel was right beside him. Captain Marvel followed the uppercut with a wicked right blow followed by a lightning power left, then raised his elbow up and drove it back down into Adam's back. He then grabbed hold of one of Adam's legs and began to spin the fallen champion, unleashing him back down towards the planet a moment later. Marvel's enhanced strength was so great that Adam had broken through the planet's atmosphere and slammed into the ocean only a few seconds later, creating a massive chasm in the center of the ocean.

"Still want to keep going?" Marvel called down into the chasm, only to receive his answer a moment later when Black Adam shot out of the depths and drove his shoulder into Captain Marvel's gut, taking them both across the sky before twin hammer fists to the back of Adam's head sent him crashing back down into a grassy field. Marvel hurled himself down towards Adam with both fists extended, yet moments before impact Adam planted his hands into the ground and with all of his might kicked up with both of his legs, catching Marvel in the face with two boots. Marvel was hurled back into the side of a building.

"Wait, where are we?" Marvel asked with a groan as he pulled himself out of the now collapsed building to find that he was in a small town that he knew all too well. His thoughts were confirmed when he looked around to see a number of ponies looking at him, before they turned to see where Black Adam was. "Wait, how that heck did we end up in Ponyville? We were on the moon a moment ago."

"All that matters now is that we finish our fight." Marvel spun around to take a knee to the jaw that brought the fight back up into the skies. Marvel growled as he turned to face Black Adam, who was bleeding in a number of places, yet still had a look of defiance in his eyes.

"What's the matter Adam, your old bones starting to hurt?" Marvel taunted as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, snarling as he noticed blood along where he wiped.

"And it seems that you are not holding up as well either," Black Adam pointed out with narrowed eyes as he crossed his arms. "Despite what you may think, Batson, this is not a personal battle. But I do not trust you or the silver mare when it comes to the safety of this world. Celestia entrusted it to me and I will not fail her as I have done so before."

"So you're going to be a fool to the end, huh? WE have the Elements of Harmony! We are the champions chosen to save this world!" Captain Marvel roared in reply, lightning crackling along his fists . "I don't care if Celestia entrusted the entire cosmos to you, you don't have the power needed to beat the darkness that is coming! But you're far too stubborn to accept that there is nothing you can do!"

"No...I am the protector of the ponies! I cannot accept that I cannot help them in the face of this threat! I will not!" Adam roared as dark lightning flashed along his body, darkening the sky with its power. "And you are wrong as well, Batson. I have the true power of the wizard, a power that can defeat any foe. Your Elemental magic may have allowed you to combat me, but I still stand. And no matter what you try, I will remain standing."

"No Adam, today is the day that you learn what real power is and where it comes from," Captain Marvel growled in reply as he let all of the power within the Element flow through his body. Radiant light shone from his body like he was the sun and he focused all of that power into his two fists. Adam roared as black lightning began to surge through him, creating veins of black lightning along his suit while he channeled all of his power into his legs.

"Today is the day that you fall like you have always fallen!" Marvel roared.

"No! Today is the day that I prove that I am better!" Black Adam bellowed in response.

Both combatants roared with fury in their eyes and voices as they hurled themselves at each other across the sky, Captain Marvel sticking out both fists as he screamed across the sky while Adam locked his legs together and dove towards Marvel with both boots extended. An instant later it seemed as if the very sky itself had exploded, because the air was torn apart by the force of the collision and lightning was hurled in every conceivable direction. The planet shook as if it were trying to tear itself apart as two columns of sheer magical power lanced into the sky.

For the ponies in Ponyville, they were aware that Black Adam was fighting Captain Marvel, but they couldn't begin to fathom what had just happened. But in the next moment, two meteors impacted into the streets of their town, creating a horrendous impact that knocked over buildings and made sure that no pony was left standing. No pony dared to try and stand up until the tremors had stopped, yet when they did the bravest of the ponies slowly began to walk towards where the meteors had fallen, easily located due to the columns of smoke rising from the craters.

"I...I think I see something moving," one of them whispered as they saw a tall human with a lightning bolt on his chest begin to move out of one of the craters and through the smoke. For a brief moment that seemed like an eternity, the town held its breath as the figure walked out of the smoke, waiting to see who the victor was. And then he emerged.

"HE WON!" the crowd of ponies roared with joy in their voice as the black clad thunderer dragged himself out of the smoke, holding a limp arm with one hand while blood poured down his face. Yet despite the pain caused by his injuries, the Champion of Shazam walked over to the other crater and waved away the smoke, revealing a crimson-clad champion laying unconscious at the bottom of the crater and a golden crown that lay off to the side. He then turned his head to look at the celebrating ponies, allowing a small smile to crease his lips as he acknowledged what they were cheering.

They were cheering the fact that Black Adam had won.

Night And Day

With a swing that could cleave the night in two, Luna's blade arced perfectly toward her sister's armored side. Yet to Luna's increasing frustration, her blow was once again blocked by the broadsword that Celestia was swinging far faster than the Princess of the Night remembered her sister ever having moved it. She back-stepped quickly and swung for the ankles, yet again to her surprise Celestia was fast enough to not only raise her hoof out of the way of the strike, but to also slam her hoof down upon the flat side of the blade. With her sister's weapon pinned, a smile flashed across Celestia's face as she hefted the broadsword over her head and swung down with all of her might. The smile turned into a scowl when Luna teleported out of the way, appearing at the other end of the throne room with her weapon as the broadsword shattered the castle floor.

With a grunt, Celestia lifted the sword out of the shattered bricks and rested the flat side of the blade against her back, narrowing her orange-filled eyes as she glared across the room at the dark-clad princess. Luna's catlike eyes returned the gesture before the Princess of the Night let out a bellow and began swinging her blade rapidly, the swings creating small, white crescents that sliced through the sky on their path right for Celestia.

Yet with a smirk, Celestia hoisted her weapon once again and channeled her magic into the blade, emblazing it with red and orange magic. Then, with a roar that drowned out her sister's cry, Celestia swung the broadsword in one, massive arc that created a tidal wave of fire that quickly consumed the crescents in an instant. Luna was more fortunate than her attack and was able to leap into the sky to avoid the all-consuming fire, and she stayed aloft using her wings as the flames destroyed the wall behind her.

"It seems that your time off in the mountains has made you weak, Sister," Celestia spat as she shouldered the broadsword once again, watching as Luna floated down on the other side of the room with caution. "We used to be equals in the arena of combat, but now you can barely hold aloft your weapon, let alone hurt me with it!"

She then put her whole body into her next attack as she swung her blade forward into the stones at her hooves, cracking the floor apart as a blade of fire tore through the stone. Luna created a barrier of magic to protect herself from the flames, yet when the blade struck the barrier her shield was shattered while the force of the impact hurled her backwards.

"And it seems that the time you have spent alone without me in this castle has made your mind go softer than it was!" Luna shrieked in defiance as she struck the castle floor with her own weapon, creating pillars of lunar light that tore through stone as they converged on Celestia. Just like her sister, Celestia created a barrier of magic to protect her from the attack, but when the pillars struck her shield it held strong and shattered the lunar magic.

"If you truly believe that that could hurt me, then it is you who has gone soft," Celestia replied with a dark chuckle as she whipped her head to the side, moving her dark orange mane to the other side of her head. "I have grown stronger since the last time we met, Sister. Oh, how I've become stronger! I am no longer the weak princess that needed to be saved every time a threat showed up in our land! I am now a true queen!"

"And while you quested after that power, you gave Black Adam free roam of the land," Luna snarled in reply, yet her words did not invoke anger in her sister. Instead, all they drew forth from Celestia was an annoyed sigh.

"Still jealous of him after all these years, Luna? I cannot say that I blame you. Any lesser ruler would be jealous of perfection," Celestia said with a very insulting laugh at Luna, who's eyes became slits as she unleashed bolts of magic from her horn. Celestia swung her sword forward and used the side of the blade to deflect the blows, laughing all the while. "He is strong where you are weak! He can make the tough decisions while you struggle just to control your own emotions! And now I am like him! Now I have the power to protect my subjects...and crush anypony who dares to stand against me! Allow me to show you!"

As those words left her mouth, she lifted her broadsword high above her head, creating a pillar of fire that pierced through the roof and shot into the skies. With another high-pitched laugh, Celestia spread her wings and slowly began to ascend through the hole she had created. "Come, Sister, if you dare." Luna snarled in reply as she spread her own wings and launched herself after Celestia, joining her sister on the empty roof to find Celestia looking down across the land. "I am finally the protector that Black Adam is."

"And in turn, you have made yourself even more blind to his evil!" Luna roared with the fury of the night sky as she lunged at Celestia, who quickly spun around swinging her sword. The sound of metal colliding echoed out across the roof as Luna's blade pushed against Celestia's sword, neither refusing to move. "You still do not see the threat that he is! Because of him, much more evil has been unleashed in this land! Think of the End of Days! Think of Ares! All because you refused to see Adam for what he was!"

"And one of those evils has turned out to be my own sister!" Celestia spat in reply before she poured all of her strength into her blade and pushed Luna back with a mighty swing, sending the Princess of the Night crashing into the castle roof a distance away. "How many of my subjects have you sent to their death in trying to get to me?! How many families have been ripped apart because of you?! I am no saint, Sister, but for every drop of blood that is on my hooves there is far more drenching yours! But today I stop the bloodshed! Today," Celestia began menacingly as she lifted the broadsword next to her face and smiled, "the night shall fall to the sun!"

With a mighty flap of her wings Celestia hurled herself forward at Luna, who barely brought her blade up in time to deflect the swing from Celestia's blade that would have taken her head clean off. For a brief moment, as the two sisters stood face to face with their weapons locked, they were able to look into each others' eyes, eyes that told each tale for the other. In Luna's, Celestia could see the desire for revenge and the hatred that consumed her soul, whereas Luna could see the desire for power and the pain of being betrayed by her sister, pain that had turned into hatred.

Then, the two split apart as Luna sent a stream of lunar magic into Celestia's chest plate, snapping the Queen of the Sun back as she tried to steady herself. With a howl to the heavens, Luna lunged forward with her crescent blade outstretched, aiming at the spot on Celestia's armor where the magic had struck her. Yet this time when she got close, Celestia unleashed a burst of solar magic that torched everything that was struck by its light, forcing Luna to fall back as she was consumed by the light. She barely had time to register what had happened before the flat of Celestia's broadsword caught her in the side. With a great deal of magical strength Celestia lifted Luna, who was still on the sword, over her head before swinging her sister back over and hurling her into the stone beneath them. With a laugh, Celestia lifted the broadsword over her head and aimed it right where her sister lay upon the ground, one last deranged laugh escaping her lips as she swung down.

The next thing she knew, however, she was being hurled across the roof by a black pillar of magic that shot out of her sister, nearly throwing her off the roof, had she not had the sense to slam her sword down and use it for an anchor. Yet as she pulled herself to her hooves, she cast a glance across the roof to see that her sister was now changed, changed into a form she remembered all too well. Her coat was black as night, her mane like the cosmos, and her cutie mark was a white crescent moon across a black sky.

"So, you finally choose to reveal who you've become, eh Sister?!" Celestia spat with disdain as Nightmare Moon let out a bellow before hurling herself forward, slamming into Celestia's chest with her shoulder and hurling the two alicorns off of the castle roof down into the garden below. Celestia groaned as she shook her head, only to see a hoof place itself upon her chest, and with a small push Nightmare Moon was able to push Celestia into the dirt while she aimed the crescent blade at her sister's throat.

"Yes. I am stronger than you," Nightmare Moon replied, seeing that unbridled fury in Celestia's eyes as she thrust the blade forward. Yet, it was Moon's turn to be hurled off of Celestia as a column of fire erupted from the alicorn of the sun. Nightmare narrowed her eyes after a moment as the column of fire vanished and revealed her sister, who had also changed like Moon had done. Celestia's white coat was now a blazing orange and her orange mane was now blood red, yet her eyes had changed most of all. They were now solid yellow, a yellow that burned like the power of the sun.

"So, this is what you would have looked like had you turned instead of me," Nightmare Moon snarled with narrowed eyes as she held her crescent blade before her, Celestia remaining silent as she walked towards Moon while dragging her broadsword in the dirt behind her, fire consuming the blade. Moon caught movement out of the corner of her eye and intercepted the incredibly fast attack with her own blade, yet even though she blocked the blow, she still had to dig her hooves into the dirt to keep from being overpowered. Both rulers unleashed their magics upon each other at the same time, creating an explosion of orange and black that hurled the both of them away from each other.

"So what do we call you now, Sis?" Nightmare Moon roared since she was the first to recover, giving her the chance to lunge towards Celestia and slam her skull into Celestia's nose. "How about the Solar Empress?! Seems a fitting name for the Tyrant of the Sun!" Nightmare Moon cackled as she swung her blade forward, only for her weapon to not only be intercepted by the Empress' broadsword, but also to be shattered into pieces by the force of the sun's might. Nightmare backed away as she looked down at her now-shattered blade before she looked back to the advancing fury of the sun tyrant, whose eyes showed that her thousands of years of wisdom and leadership were now lost to the power of absolute fury.

With fury that shook the castle, the Solar Empress swung her blade forward with such force that flames erupted along the ground. Nightmare Moon teleported to the side to avoid the blow, the blow that cleaved the garden in two and sent both halves crashing down into the city below, setting some of the houses on fire as well. Another shriek told Nightmare Moon that the next strike was coming, but this time when the Empress swung her blade forward, Moon unleashed a vortex of magic that could shatter the moon into the broadsword, obliterating it instantly and hurling the Empress backwards.

Despite the loss of her weapon, the Solar Empress' face never changed from the contorted look of wrath as she began to channel all of her solar magic into the horn upon her head, infusing it with the very essence of the sun itself. Nightmare Moon narrowed her eyes at her sister's trick before her eyes went completely white as she fused her lunar magic into her horn, causing it to shine like the full moon while she reached her true power. The very castle shook beneath the pair as they each turned their horns upon each other, while darkness began to cascade off of their bodies. Then, with a roar escaping both of the beings, they unleashed their full magic into each other.

'STOP!'

To the confusion of both the nightmare and the empress, a sphere of silver appeared in the center of the battlefield, consuming both the magical attacks and removing them from reality. The two rulers' eyes narrowed as the sphere vanished and a small mare made of silver took its place, a mare who looked as shattered and broken as the castle around them.

'Please, the both of you need to stop this pointless battle! Can you not see that this wonton destruction and violence is just what the End of Days wish?!' the silver mare begged the two rulers with pain in her voice as her remaining eye looked from Moon to the Empress, yet she only saw fury and jealousy within their faces.

"The End of Days will be erased as soon as I am done ridding the world of this tyrant once and for all!" Nightmare Moon shrieked as she began to charge her magic back up.

'No, that is what the darkness and hatred within you is saying! You are better than this Luna!' the silver mare tried to reason, yet when she looked over at the Solar Empress she found that she was charging up her magic once again, just as her sister was. The silver mare looked desperately from Luna to Celestia before her own eyes shown with power and with a roar of both fury and pain, she unleashed a wave of silver that washed over both of the rulers, dragging them into the silver sphere.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Celestia and Luna both groaned at the same time as they lifted themselves off of...nothing, as when the both of them looked down all they saw was white, the same white that they saw no matter in which direction they looked. Yet when they looked at each other, their eyes narrowed at the other, yet they were not entirely sure why. Yet, their quick surge of anger turned into confusion when they turned their eyes upon themselves to see that they were no longer what they had become.

"How did this happen?" Luna eventually asked as she looked down at her body before she looked at Celestia. "You were the Solar Empress hardly a minute ago and now you are back to yourself. I was Nightmare Moon and now I am...myself. Mare! What have you done?"

'I have done, what for the past five years has been nearly impossible to do. I have gotten the both of you to meet at the same place at the same time without any of the End of Days to plant falsehoods within you,' the silver mare explained, yet neither of the rulers were able to see her. 'It has taken...far more of my power than I wished, but I have finally erased the darkness that they created within you--be it your hatred for each other or your desire to fight for the throne.'

Celestia and Luna both looked at each other for a moment, still upset, yet neither of them felt the sheer hatred that had driven the pair to nearly killing each other. 'For years, the End of Days have had their spies poison your minds against each other, even if you were not aware of it. For you, Celestia, their agent was Windy Days. For Luna, it was the pony Oracle. But in here, in the center of my creation, their falsehoods cannot touch you. This room reveals who you really are.'

"If you had this power, then why did you not use it before?" Celestia asked the nothingness as her wisdom returned to her. That, along with the recent knowledge that Windy Days betrayed and led to the death of Willow, convinced her that the mare was telling the truth. "Why did you not use this power years ago so that we could see that we were being blinded and consumed by lies?" To both of the rulers' surprise, the mare went quiet for a long time, getting the two of them to believe that she may have vanished before she spoke again.

'Because I was afraid.'

"Afraid of what?"

'To start, of Black Adam. When I first appeared in your room all those years ago, he tried to kill me. I was...terrified of him and fled for my life. That was when...other events forced me to leave my home,' the silver mare explained with pain in her voice before she went silent again for a few more minutes. 'And the other...was because I was afraid of you, Celestia.'

"Why was that?" Celestia asked with confusion.

'Because in your state of mind you were far meaner, far crueler than you usually are. When I saw the hatred that you held towards your own sister, I feared that if I appeared before you again...that one of the only ponies who ever cared for me would turn that loathing onto me.'

Celestia's eyes slightly widened at the mare's words, but then Celestia shook her head and looked around once again. "You say that this room reveals our true selves, but that would mean that it also shows who you really are. Please, reveal yourself."

The mare went silent again before a beam of yellow light beamed down in the center of the white between Celestia and Luna, both of them watching as a filly appeared in the center of the beam of light. She had a yellow coat that shone like the sun and an orange mane that made her head look like it was on fire. But as she turned to look at Celestia, the queen saw a small smile on her face that wiped away any doubt she had left.

"Hi Mom," Sunnysmiles said weakly.

Silence filled the room after that as Celestia looked at Sunnysmiles with no emotion on her face, worrying both Sunny and Luna. Then, Celestia slowly began to walk forward towards the filly, looking down at her once she reached her with eyes that gave nothing away. She then held out a hoof to touch the small filly's smiling face before she finally spoke.

"Is it...really you?" she asked Sunny in a whisper.

"Yeah. It is."

Faster than either Sunny or Luna could process, Celestia dropped to her knees and pulled Sunny into a bear hug, breaking down completely as she began to sob uncontrollably into the filly's shoulder, shaking her whole body. Despite the fact that the two of them had been fighting to the death only a while ago, even Luna couldn't help but smile at the sight of her niece and Celestia holding each other tightly. When Celestia finally had the strength to let go, she looked down at her daughter with tears still streaming down her face.

"All this time you were the silver mare. Radiance did manage to bring you back to life. All these years I've...been trying to destroy my own daughter." Celestia began to sob again as she held Sunnysmiles tightly, giving Luna the opening she had been waiting for to break into the conversation.

"Sunny...I am truly happy to see that you are alive," Luna said with a warm smile before she took on a serious face. "Yet, if you are right in saying that Celestia and I are not to be enemies, which makes much more sense without that...poison in my mind, then we must be prepared for when our true enemy appears. Which, according to Banner, will be soon."

"Yes, but I am afraid that we will not be ready," Sunny said with a worried tone as she tried to break free of Celestia's grasp, only to be pulled in even tighter. "We are still down a champion who can fight against the darkness, and I fear that the six champions that I have may not be able to fight it off alone-"

"Then you will not fight alone. Me and my forces with fight alongside you," Celestia cut in with strength and determination in her voice as she lifted her head to look at her sister. "I can now see clearly, see through the hate that has been clouding my mind, and I will do whatever it takes to fight alongside you. If you want the throne, Luna, it's yours. If you wish to lock me up in a dungeon or banish me to the sun, do so after the battle. But I will do whatever you wish, so that I can support my daughter now."

Luna's mouth thinned as she thought about what Celestia was saying to her, but after a moment of reflection she shook her head and held out a hoof. "We can discuss what to do if we manage to survive this battle. But we will need all of your forces along with the six champions to fight this battle. Will Black Adam...I can't believe I'm saying this...fight alongside us?"

"He will if I ask him to," Celestia said as she finally let go of Sunnysmiles so that she could rise to her hooves, yet the moment she did so she picked up the filly with her magic and placed her upon her back, where she gave her a sad smile. "You...only look like this in here, don't you? Once we return to the real world, you will go back to being the silver mare, won't you?"

"Yes, but I will still be your daughter," Sunny said hopefully as she hugged Celestia. Celestia then met eyes with Luna, the two of them sharing a look for a moment before they both nodded in response to what the other was thinking.

The room vanished in a flash of silver and a moment later Luna and Celestia were standing back in what remained of the Canterlot gardens. Luna lowered her head with shame at what they had done, while Celestia realized that Sunny was missing and was looking around for her.

'Do not worry. I am still with you but in my current state I cannot take on my pony form for very long,' the voice of Sunnysmiles said to them from out of the nothingness, getting a nod from Luna while Celestia sighed sadly. 'I sense that five of the six that I brought here have gathered in the castle along with Spike...and that Black Adam is on his way. Go to them and tell them that we have joined forces. And pray that we are not too late.'

Celestia and Luna nodded to each other as they both turned and ran for the castle, but as they ran by a window, Celestia had to stop because she saw her burning orange mane in her reflection. Her sad eyes looked at her reflection for a moment as she lifted a hoof to her mane, just one of the many reminders of how far she had gone for power. But then, with determined eyes she bolted after Luna, preparing for the battle that was to come.

Changed for the Better

"Teren ves Shazam."

Black Adam gritted his teeth as the divine magic that flowed through his veins began to repair the damage to his body, yet the healing process also caused nearly every cell in his body to burn as the magic repaired them. But Adam had experienced far greater pain, so with an act of will he suppressed the pain and turned his attention back to the other crater before him.

The ponies around him were still celebrating his victory, the smarter ones among them having figured out that Black Adam had been fighting the other champion of the lightning, but all of their praise and cheering was drowned out by Adam's mind, forcing him to focus on the crater.

He floated down into the large crater that his greatest foe had created when his body crashed into the earth, surprised to see that the power of Shazam hadn't revitalized Captain Marvel yet. Yet as he stood over his foe, his eyes glanced to the side to see the golden crown with the lightning bolt they both shared in the centerpiece, getting him to narrow his eyes as he sensed what kind of magic was coming from the crown. It was a magic he knew all too well.

"It seems that you spoke the truth, young Batson. You were one of the chosen champions," Black Adam said with narrowed eyes as he pointed one electric-charged finger at the crown, yet in a flash of lightning the crown vanished. Adam raised his eyebrows at where the crown had vanished, but with a small shake of his head he looked back down at Captain Marvel, who was only just beginning to stir.

"Black Adam?" Marvel asked weakly as he blinked twice, trying to clear his vision. "What...happened...?"

"That is simple, child. I am victorious. Shazam." Black Adam stood above Captain Marvel as he uttered the word to summon the lightning, only stepping back right before the lightning struck him and instead changing its target to the true champion of Shazam. Yet in a brief flash of lightning, Captain Marvel vanished and in his place lay a fifteen year old boy, who sat up while looking at his body. Realization struck him and he glared up at Black Adam, a single word upon his lips. "Do not bother, Batson, we both know that if you try to call down the word I am fast enough to stop you. Concede, Billy. You have lost the fight."

"Concede? Give up? I am a HERO, Black Adam, and we do not give up!" Billy roared while he pushed himself to his feet, shakily standing up straight as he glared up at the black clad warrior before him. "And we both saw it during the fight, didn't we? We both saw the Element of Harmony that chose me. The Element of Radiance. That proves that I am the champion chosen to save the world! Not you!"

"And I will be the one to remind you, that even with the so-called Element, I still defeated you," Black Adam replied coldly as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, getting Billy's eyes to burn brighter in response. "If your Elemental state could not even defeat me, then it is clear that you cannot even hope to destroy the monster that may come."

"Oh really? And did you destroy the Sphere of Destruction when you had the chance?" Billy shot back at Adam, whose face never changed at the words. "Did you succeed in destroying it, even with the power of the wizard? No, because you were not chosen to; because you can't use any of the Elements of Harmony! If anything, over the years here all you have done is FUEL the blasted sphere!"

"What?" Black Adam scowled with utter bafflement in his voice.

"Killing Discord and Chrysalis. Killing the Elements of Harmony! All of the pain and destruction you have caused have been nothing but fuel for the Sphere of Destruction!" Billy yelled at Black Adam, advancing towards him despite knowing that Adam could end him in an instant. "You arriving here probably moved their plans ahead by years with all the devastation that follows you around! Destruction only fuels destruction! Don't you see it yet, Adam? Despite all the good that you think you've done, all the pain you've caused will only help bring about the end of the world you care so much for."

Black Adam backed away a bit from Batson as the words pierced his heart, sending his thoughts down a path that he had never even seen before. 'It...it is true that I have made numerous mistakes since I have come to this land, but I have truly tried to the make up for them in any way I could. Can it be...that I am one of the many that helped to bring about the end of the world I care so much for?'

'No, my Beloved, he lies. You are greater than any of them.'

The moment Billy saw Adam's eyes slightly look away from him, he knew that the false champion was lost in thought and that he had an opening. "SHA-" Yet faster than Billy could fathom Adam's hand shot out and wrapped itself around his throat, silencing the boy as he lifted Billy off of his feet and held him aloft by his neck.

"As I told you Batson, I am fast enough to stop you," Black Adam repeated with lightning flashing in his eyes while Billy clawed in vain at the hand that kept him silent. "And despite what you have said about me, that I may be responsible for bringing the monster of destruction to my land, I realize that if I can defeat one of the champions that can overcome it, then I must be able to defeat it as well!"

"You're...mad..." Billy choked out as he struggled to escape, but there was no escaping Adam's grasp.

"Yes...it is clear now that I am stronger than the chosen champions!" Adam said with a smile, yet Billy noticed that he seemed to be talking more to himself that he was Billy. "I can be the one to defeat the monster of destruction, even though I am not chosen. Just as I continue to be the defender that Shazam never thought I could be! I will save this world and show that I am not the cause of its destruction, but instead be the source of its salvation!"

"Adam...!"

'And because of your power, you do not need the other champions. You do not need this boy. Be rid of him.'

"And since I have this power, I do not need any of the champions that have hindered me at nearly every turn," Adam said in a dark tone as he turned his flashing eyes back towards the boy clasped in his hand. Billy's eyes widened in fear when he realized that he was at Adam's mercy. "I can finally be rid of the false champions," Adam said as he began to tighten his grasp. "I can finally be rid of you."

"Then do it." Adam's eyes opened in shock at Billy's words as the lightning seemed to leave them, allowing him to look clearly into the defiant, and somewhat vindicated, eyes of his foe. "Go ahead...kill me. Finally be rid of me. Prove me right...once and for all."

"What are you speaking of, child?!" Adam demanded as he slightly released his grip so that Billy could speak more clearly, yet he was still on guard in case Batson tried to utter the word. "What do you mean by 'prove you right'? Answer me!"

'Ignore him, Teth, he is trying to distract you.'

"You haven't changed. When I first came here, when I heard all the pain that you had caused, I knew that you were the Adam I knew and hated. Yet, for a while you managed to throw me off. When I saw...how you smiled, how you helped them...I thought that maybe you had changed," Billy grunted as he continued to try and break Adam's grip. "But you're still Black Adam. Always having to do things your way. Always unable to accept when you are the cause of the problems that plague any who are unfortunate enough to know you! Unable to accept any truth but his own, and who will kill anyone who tries to tell him otherwise. Always a slave to your anger and hatred. So, go ahead, Black Adam. Kill me. Get rid of one of the obstacles towards your nation's "salvation." Show the ponies what I have known about you all along."

'Do it, my Beloved! End him!'

Black Adam's eyes narrowed as he filled one hand with electricity and brought it back, angling his next blow so that he would punch right through Billy's heart. But then as he looked into Batson's eyes, he saw eyes that were without fear and instead were filled with...pity. Black Adam then blinked twice before he moved his lightning-filled hand in front of his face, the hand with which he was about to use to kill a child. The horror of the thought quickly overtook him, and he lowered his hand to the side as he looked up at Batson, who was still waiting for Adam to move.

"No, Billy. That is not who I am anymore," Black Adam said in a quiet voice as he looked from Billy to the ponies who were watching what was going on, his eyes filling with resolution as he found his strength. "You...are right. I am stubborn. I do believe that my way is the best way. And I truly believe that I can save my world from the darkness that is coming. I...can...not accept that my power cannot overcome it, that when those who I care about need me, I cannot fight off their foe. I will never believe that you are a better champion than me."

Black Adam lowered his head for a moment after saying his piece before looking up at Billy again. "But I have changed...I was changed by those I met here. Celestia taught me that a leader does not have to be imposing or menacing, that kindness and understanding can be even more powerful than force could ever be. Sunny taught me to look on the brighter side of life, despite me never being able to thank her for it. And all of these ponies...have taught me that being an admired friend is far greater than being a feared defender. That you...were right in how you tried to save the world--by being a hero that people could look up to, not a killer who struck down the criminals."

"I have done many evil things. I have caused far more pain and suffering than I ever dreamed I was capable of causing. I...have hurt so many. But I have become a better man, Billy. I have chosen to put these ponies...all who need me, before my own goals or desires. And if their safety means...fighting alongside you and your champions...then perhaps it is time that I let go of my anger towards you and finally open my eyes to the real threat." Adam looked into Billy's eyes to see that they had not changed, that they continued to stare at him coldly. "My words are true, Billy. Let me prove it." And then, to not only the surprise of the ponies but also to those who were watching through Adam's eyes, Adam did something that no one who had known him would believe him capable of doing.

He let Billy go.

Billy fell to the ground and quickly backed away from Adam, waiting for Adam to change his mind or attack him. But when Adam refused to budge, Billy decided to put Adam's words to the ultimate test. He called down the thunder.

"SHAZAM!"

Ponies ran for cover as the lightning came crashing down from on high and struck the teenager square in the chest. A moment later the crimson clad Captain Marvel walked out of the dust that had been kicked up by the lightning bolt, his eyes looking into Adam's the entire time he transformed. For a moment, a moment that lasted longer than either of the thunderers thought possible, the two stared into each other's eyes, each wondering what was to happen next.

'Is what he said true?' Billy mused as he glared into Adam's eyes, ignoring what the wisdom of Solomon was saying. 'Or is he simply playing me for a fool and planning to stab me and my allies in the back when we are at our lowest? Can I really put my trust in the man who has caused so much death on my world? Or...should I stop him here? Should I make sure that he never gets the chance to harm anyone again?'

'Will he believe me? Can he believe me?' Adam asked himself as he looked into the raging, yet also slightly confused, eyes of his oldest foe with emotionless eyes of his own. 'Or have I caused so much pain, not only to him but also to all of humanity and ponykind, that he will still believe me a villain? A being that only seeks to kill and harm...considering how a moment ago I almost killed him; I would not blame him if he were to finish me...and I would not stop him.'

For another eternity that lasted only a minute, the two continued to stare into each other's eyes. Then, very slowly, Marvel turned off towards the direction where Canterlot was and pointed towards it, while also looking back to Black Adam. "While I was in my champion form, I sensed a great darkness coming from the city of Canterlot. If I...if we are to save the ponies of this world, then we need to get back there and aid the other champions. Come on."

If Captain Marvel hadn't turned when he said that and flown off towards Canterlot, he would have seen both utter confusion and a small smile appear on the face of Black Adam at the same time. But in the next instant the confusion was replaced by a look of determination. Adam shot off after Captain Marvel, following his magic into a large chambered room near the throne room within the castle. As he descended into the room, he spotted the other five champions with Captain Marvel, all watching him as he entered, along with...

"Spike?" Adam asked with hints of confusion in his voice when he spotted the purple and green dragon standing beside the Big Daddy. He saw fear flash in Spike's eyes before the dragon looked down at the Big Daddy, almost as if he was taking comfort in the titan's presence. Spike then walked forward with determination replacing his fear as he looked down at Black Adam.

"Yes, Black Adam. It's really me and what you're probably thinking is right. I've decided...that these six are the chosen champions who can save this world," Spike admitted almost as if he was resigning himself to his fate. "I have seen how powerful the Elements they use can be if turned on a foe...and I have seen how they can help to heal if needed. I know you are probably thinking that I have betrayed you, but you were the one who taught me to protect those you care about no matter the cost. And if the cost of helping these six save the world is that you will hate me for eternity...then it's a sacrifice that I have to make."

Black Adam was silent for a long minute after hearing Spike's words while the champions all watched with nervous eyes, none of them knowing what was going to happen next. Then, a small smile spread across Adam's face and he nodded his head with approval at the dragon.

"You are willing to work with those whom I taught you to see as enemies...to keep the world safe, willing to put aside your differences for the sake of others. Spike, you are already far wiser than I am," Black Adam said to the dragon, whose face practically beamed at Adam's words. "I am glad that I chose you to be one of my Judges. You have proven yourself to be a true hero."

"Does this mean that I do not need to convince you to fight alongside us?"

All eyes turned to see both the Queen of the Sun and the Princess of the Night walk into the room, each of their eyes filled with resolution and power as they looked at all eight beings that were standing before them. For a long, tense moment, neither side knew what to do. Then Ryan had the bright idea to open his mouth.

"Holy shit, you two actually didn't kill each other!" Ryan laughed aloud, breaking the silence that had been caused by the rulers' arrival. "That means the mare did something right for once. Hey mare, wherever you are, good job on not fucking things up for once!"

"You would be wise not to speak to my daughter that way," Celestia snarled at Ryan, getting the human to shrug his shoulders while Adam looked as if a bombshell had been dropped upon his head.

"Wait...you do not mean that..."

"Yes, Teth. The silver mare...is Sunnysmiles." As Celestia said this, the silver mare appeared in the center of the room with a flash of silver, turning all eyes towards her as she and Black Adam locked eyes. Adam stayed silent as he walked over to her, remorseful eyes looking down at the silver mare whom he had hated for so long before he stretched out his hand and placed it upon her face, his magical nature allowing him to touch her. The two stayed like that for a brief moment before a tear escaped from Adam's eye.

"So...all this time...I have been trying to destroy the filly that I swore to protect with my life," Black Adam said with a bitter laugh before sorrow overtook his face. "Sunny...I am so sorry. I...I should have listened to you. Can you ever forgive me for...for..."

"For being a fucking dumbass?" Ryan finished for Black Adam, getting the mare to look at him with an annoyed air.

'You really know when to open your mouth, don't you?' the silver mare growled at him with an annoyed tone before she turned back to Black Adam, a thin smile upon her silver face. 'And of course I can forgive you, Teth. You have always been there to protect us, no matter what darkness tried to pull you away from the path of a hero. Although...can I...ask a favor?'

"Of course."

'I never did...get a hug from you...when I was little.' Black Adam gave her a weak smile before he bent down and pulled the silver mare into his arms, at the same time looking at the damage to her that he knew he had caused, once again making Black Adam hate himself for his actions. The silver mare said nothing about the past though, as she returned the hug, just happy that Teth cared for her again.

"Ugh. Look at the two of them...feeling...makes me sick," Ryan muttered while making gagging noises, noises that were stopped when Mr. Bubbles smacked Ryan in the back of the head with his drill, dropping the annoyance straight to the floor. Ryan swore under his breath as he stood up and looked out the window...and immediately forgot about the pain in his skull or what was going on behind him.

"Okay, guys? I know that normally you would curb-stomp me for interrupting such a lovely reunion, but the shit is making out with the fan outside, and it's the kind of thing that tells me you should turn the fuck around."

It wasn't Ryan's words, but the tone of his voice that told the others in the room that whatever he was seeing was serious. All eyes turned towards the window that he was looking out of to see what had rattled the human. And they found that he was not wrong.

From the window the group could see thousands of black clad unicorns consuming the streets of Canterlot, while a strange machine floated in the sky above the unicorn army. The machine was triangular in shape and painted black, yet not even Adam could discern the strange magic that radiated from it as it floated down on top of one of the turrets that were around the castle. But despite being unable to tell what the strange magic that radiated from the machine was, Black Adam was more than capable of identifying the magic that radiated off of a certain bearded pony that walked out from the bowels of the machine and looked down at all of them through the window.

"So, it seems that you were correct in saying that the sphere had survived. And I believe we are looking at its host," Black Adam said to the others as the five champions plus Ryan, Spike and the rulers of Equestria all glared up at the pony, who allowed a wide smile to cross his face as he looked down upon all of them. But then, as his eyes passed from the six champions to the twin rulers and then to the silver mare, his faced seemed to fall a bit before he raised a hoof and motioned for them to come to him. He then let out a wicked laugh as a column of dark magic shot out of his body and erupted into the sky, creating dark clouds of pure black magic that blotted out the sun, covering all of the land in darkness.

"So then, it is true that Star-Swirl the Bearded is the one who found the Sphere of Destruction and he plans to use it to end all of Equestria," Celestia said with a remorseful sigh as she saw the blackness stretch on for miles. "I must wonder, if I had helped him more when he was younger, if this could have been avoided?"

"That's what you're wondering? I'm wondering how in the blue hell an entire army managed to sneak up on two gods, the silver mare and the fucking Hulk!"

"It doesn't matter how they got here; they are here now and it is clear that they wish for us to fight them," Black Adam said as he floated out the window first, looking down at the thousands of unicorns that all looked up at him with the same hatred for him and devotion to Star-Swirl beneath their hoods. "And since they all went out of their way to come tell us in person that they wished to fight..." Black Adam lifted both his hands and let twin bolts of lightning strike down on them, sounding the thunder and illuminating the darkness for a moment with a flash of lightning before he finished. "It would be rude not to oblige."

The End of Days

All eleven of the group members flew, climbed or teleported up to where Star-Swirl the Bearded's machine stood, perched on top of one of the castle turrets, each of the members looking upon the massive machine with either confusion or interest. It was massive, nearly twice the size of the turret upon which it rested, and it was a solid black, but what gained the eye of both Marvel and Adam was the pitch black barrier that surrounded the place Star-Swirl inhabited.

"Ah, my foes. Thank you so much for coming here on such short notice," Star-Swirl chuckled at the group from the other side of the barrier, so confident in its protective abilities that he never even flinched when Adam slammed his right hand into the side of the barrier. "Please Adam, there will be time for violence in a moment, but first, oh Dark One, allow me to thank you for unintentionally aiding us in our dream."

"You are welcome. Of course, I hope you are not upset when I am the one responsible for killing that same dream," Adam snarled in reply as he drove another fist into the barrier, shaking the entire structure of the machine and gaining a quick flash of worry from the unicorn. But then, his wicked smile returned as he plunged his hoof into his chest and drew forth an item that Adam and the rulers of Equestria knew all too well.

"Yes, the Sphere of Destruction," Star-Swirl clarified for the others while he showed the black sphere to the group from within the barrier. "And within it, the monster of destruction, whose name has long since been lost to time. But today, I shall rewind the clock back to when the monster first battled with the beast of creation. Today...is the end of everything." As he said this, he slowly walked over to a strange device in the center of the area in which he stood, placing the sphere in the middle.

"Clearly, you've gone senile in your old age, you piece of crap, because you've got four of the greatest heroes across the multiverse, a dragon, a dark god, two princesses, a Big Daddy and one cranky human that all want to kick the diapers off of you," Ryan butted in with a smirk, but when Star-Swirl turned to look at Ryan, the human saw that there was only scorn and disdain in his eyes.

"Not only are you an earthling, but you also do not have an ounce of magic or power within your veins. Refrain from speaking with me, cur," Star-Swirl coldly snapped in reply, his words actually managing to shut Ryan up for a moment. "But, the point is made. Yes, I highly doubt that even the might of over a thousand unicorns would be able to defeat beings such as yourselves. But that is why I did not enter this battle without some backup."

As he said this, the sky shattered from a sonic boom that drew all eyes to the sky, where a human-like being in red and gold floated in the sky with a look of disdain on his face while he glared down at the group. Most of the group looked at him in confusion, but two of the members, one green and one silver, recognized him all too well.

"Ah, hell. What's Hyperion doing here?" Hulk snarled as his mass seemed to increase, making him look even stronger as he and Hyperion stared each other down.

"Who's this freak?" Trixie asked.

"He's a tyrant who believes himself a hero. Not much different than you used to be, Adam," Hulk explained with a smirk at Adam before turning his attention back to the new foe. "But he's strong; really strong. Almost as strong as Superman from your world, except much more of a dick. I can take him though."

"I have no desire to fight you, ogre. I have proven before that I can beat you, but you two," Hyperion began as he looked at the two thunderers. "I have been told, that you two are two of the strongest beings from your Earth. Defeating you will prove that I am far more powerful. Come and face me, or the world shall feel my wrath." Hyperion flew straight up into the sky, leaving Captain Marvel and Black Adam to watch him go before they shared looks.

"Now, now, even as strong as Hyperion is, I highly doubt he could take the both of you at once," Star-Swirl cackled before muttering something into the sphere, allowing his magic to finally do that which he had waited for centuries. With one last push, he infused all of the darkness and destruction that had overtaken the land over the past century, pouring all of that power into the sphere before him. With one last laugh, he stepped back as a column of darkness erupted from the sphere and launched itself into the sky, where the darkness generated by the sphere began to take on a dark shape.

'No! He is trying to summon the monster!' the silver mare screamed, her body practically burning in the face of such destruction. The darkness began to take on the shape of a demonic bird as more and more essence of destruction was poured into it, making its size nearly as large as the castle while it still continued to grow. But Star-Swirl wasn't done just yet.

"As for the rest of you, GO! Seek out neighboring towns and cities! The more destruction we offer to the monster, the sooner the world shall be ours!" he roared in a royal voice to the thousands of unicorns, all of whom roared with fury before they began to run for the exits to the city.

"Alright team, group up," Batmare said quickly, commanding all eyes onto her. "We're at the end game, and it's time to save the world. But we're going to have to break into teams to do this. Marvel, Hyperion said that if one of us doesn't fight him the ponies will feel his wrath. Yet, Hulk also said that Hyperion is as strong as Superman, someone whom Batman says is one of, if not the, strongest heroes they have. Can you beat him?"

Marvel looked from the batpony to where Hyperion had vanished into the sky, a smile crossing his face as he did so. "I've always held back against Superman whenever we fought because we were friends, but today I get to show just how strong I truly am! I can take him!"

"Good. Now...what to do about..." All eyes turned once again to the black demon that was taking shape in the sky, its mere presence was already starting to destroy the color in the air around it. creating only darkness that blotted out the light. "That."

'The only way to be rid of the monster for good is to have all six Elements combine their powers against it,' the silver mare explained as she looked up at the monster, her whole body trembling. 'But...it is not at its full strength. Perhaps if we were to fight it now, we would not need the six Elements. Now is the only chance that we have.'

"Then I will face it." All eyes turned towards Black Adam as he said this, turned towards the warrior who was looking up at the creature of destruction with regretful eyes that also housed within them a great strength. "I am the reason that so much destruction has been unleashed in Equestria. I am the one who took the Elements away from the ponies and allowed the End of Days to achieve their goals. It is only fitting that I am the one to face what I allowed to be free."

"Adam...that might work for now, but if that thing gets any stronger it could destroy you without so much as a second thought. You are not a chosen champion. You won't be protected from its power like we will," Captain Marvel reminded Black Adam, yet his words were more filled with concern than they were spite. Black Adam growled as he looked down at his hands, clenching them tightly before shaking his head.

"Maybe not, but I cannot accept being sidelined while the world needs me. I shall fight the beast, whether you wish for me to or not."

"Fine then. Marvel gets Hyperion, Adam will...do what he can against that," Batmare said with fear in her voice as she looked at the thousands of unicorns still racing for the exits to the city. "The rest of us will have to deal with that rabble, then. Celestia, Luna and Sunny, I want the three of you using your magic to keep those ponies within the city. The remaining five of us will take care of them. You willing to fight alongside us, Spike?"

"Of course I am."

"Sure you don't want me supporting the kid or Adam?" Hulk asked.

"Unless you can fly, Hulk, I don't think you'll be of much use in those fights," Batmare said with a shake of her head before her eyes took on a very determined look. "That's the plan, team, and unless something earth-shattering happens, we'll stick with it. Alright, let's-"

"Wait." All eyes turned this time to the jade giant, who was looking over each of them with a bitter smile on his face." I've been talking with Banner, and he agrees with what I've been thinking. Since...it's more likely than not that all of us won't make it, I feel that I need to say something to all of you."

"I've been a part of many different versions of the Avengers, with different members and different goals. Yet, they were all filled with heroes who would all gladly pay the ultimate sacrifice many times over for others. But when I look at the group I got stuck with here, I see the most irritating, unfocused, and piece of crap team of Avengers I've ever been a part of," Hulk said with a dry chuckle before a proud smile crossed his face. "But even though this team is held together with duct tape, you're still Avengers in my book. So that's why now I can say, AVENGERS!" Hulk roared with fury before he turned and lunged off towards where all the unicorns were gathering, leaving behind one last word as he leapt. "ASSEMBLE!"

"Aw, come on, the Justice League doesn't have any cool battle cries like that," Marvel said with a sigh before he launched himself off towards where Hyperion had gone, leaving the others to race to catch up with the Hulk as he landed in the middle of a crowd and started going nuts. Yet as Ryan ran by the barrier, he looked within and gave Star-Swirl a middle finger before saying,

"Don't get too comfortable in there. Once we're done kicking the shit out of your forces, I'm coming for you," Ryan threatened as he pointed his baton at the pony.

"If you were anything remotely close to a threat, I might actually look forward to the challenge," Star-Swirl replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof. Ryan snarled before sprinting to catch up with the others, leaving Black Adam and Celestia's family alone. Black Adam looked off towards where the battle was taking place before he looked up into the sky, where the beast of destruction was still forming.

"All this death, all of this destruction...all so that you could appear and kill everything that I hold dear," Adam whispered with a fury in his voice that shook the very planet to the core. "But today it all ends...no, there is only one that ends today, and that is you. Prepare to-"

"Teth." Black Adam stopped mid-jump and turned to look back at Celestia, who was standing behind Adam with eyes filled with fear as she looked from him to the giant demon, her body visibly shaking from the terror of what was building above her.

"There is no need to be afraid, Celestia. I shall make sure that I stop this beast here and now," Black Adam said with confidence in his voice that wasn't reflected in Celestia's eyes. "Even if it costs me my last breath, I promise that it shall be the breath that takes that creature's life. You have my word."

"But it's not enough," Celestia whispered with fear in every word. "This...this isn't an ancient evil like Tirek, or a god of war, this is the end. This is a being that nearly wiped out all of reality millennia ago and was only stopped thanks to the original Elements and the Sphere of Creation. You may be the strongest hero I know of, Teth, but in the face of such destruction...I fear that even sacrificing your life to keep us safe won't even slow this beast down. I fear that there is nothing you can do against this. And I don't want you to die for no reason, for your sacrifice to mean nothing. I care for you too much to see that happen." Celestia felt tears begin to well up in her eyes and she quickly turned her head to the side so that Adam wouldn't see her cry, but Adam's face softened as he reached out with one of his hands and placed it on her cheek.

"You know me, Celestia, more so than anyone else. I will not die so easily. I will not allow the embrace of death to take me before I know that my world is safe," he said in a soft voice to her before removing his hand and looking up at the beast. "Even though I am not chosen, I will save you all. Because I am your champion and I shall not fail you. So instead of believing that I shall fail, try to believe in me, just as you did when I faced all the other threats that threatened our land. Believe." Adam rocketed up towards the beast of destruction as he said this, lightning flashing off his body with far more power and force than Celestia had ever seen Teth create as he flew into the darkness.

"Sister, come. We must aid the others in fighting the End of Days," Luna said after a moment, getting Celestia to turn and look back at her sister and her daughter, both of whom were looking up at her with strong eyes, eyes that were willing to fight.

"Yes. Let us put an end to Star-Swirl's foolishness," Celestia agreed as all three of them took to the skies and flew off towards where the others were fighting, using their magic to create a barrier that would prevent the unicorns from running or teleporting out of Canterlot. Star-Swirl watched them go with a thin chuckle, shaking his head as he walked over to one of the control panels for the machine and looked down at a pitch black button.

"They are all fools if they believe that any of them are getting out alive. For destruction takes all," he said with a laugh before he felt a presence speaking to him from across reality, getting a wicked smile to grow across his face. "What is this? You truly wish to fight in this battle? With you unleashed, there would be more than enough destruction to end this world...yes, truly you are one for our...no, for my cause. I will speak with my underlings and one of them shall unleash you. Then, you can aid me in ending everything."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Captain Marvel caught up with Hyperion as he floated above the city of Stalliongrad, finding out to his fury that Hyperion had already used his vision to destroy some of the buildings and wreck havoc across the city. He turned with an evil smile as the crimson Captain approached, crossing his arms as he stared down his foe.

"So, what's your story?" Marvel asked angrily as he flipped his hood up, only allowing Hyperion to see the flashing white eyes beneath his hood. "You a hero gone bad, a villain that nobody seemed to understand, or are you just a plain dick?"

"I was a god! I was the savior of my world, but they rejected me! They did not appreciate what I did for them!" Hyperion raged as he threw his arms to the side, creating a gust of wind so powerful that even Captain Marvel was able to feel it. "I tried to give them order, yet they chose chaos. So, I did what any ruler does when their subjects refuse to obey them. I killed them all. But I was promised better on this planet. I was promised slaves that would obey and citizens that would appreciate my rule. All I have to do is kill all of you."

"Okay, wow, forget what I said before. You're completely nuts," Captain Marvel growled before lifting his hands over his head and summoning down two bolts of lightning to strike them, infusing his fists with the power of Shazam. "However, you're going to find yourself in a jail cell instead of on a throne. Because I am Captain Marvel, Champion of Radiance," Marvel said as he threw himself forward at Hyperion, who roared as he threw himself at Marvel. "And I will beat you."

And then they collided.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Black Adam slowly floated to a stop as he reached the front of the monster of destruction, watching as it slowly turned its ever growing head towards him. Even his invulnerable skin tingled as its twin, empty black eyes focused upon him, causing him to feel like his very body was being slowly ripped apart by just the creature's stare. But then he summoned a bolt of lightning to strike between them that illuminated the sky once again, breaking the creature's stare.

'This...will be like nothing else that I have ever had to face,' Black Adam thought to himself as his magic sensed the sheer, destructive power that the beast before him housed within, allowing him to feel the infinite years worth of power and anger that the creature had accumulated after being sealed away. He could also feel the very molecules around him being destroyed in the presence of the creature, and he also realized that the very magic that protected him was struggling to keep the creature's power at bay. 'Which only means that I have to finish this quickly.'

"I will say this once, creature, but I highly doubt that you possess the capability to understand what I am about to say to you. I am Black Adam, and I am the protector of this land that you seek to destroy! So I will give you this choice: leave this land and return to the sphere from which you came..." Adam then unleashed all of his magical power as he created an unholy storm of lightning that flashed around them, creating thunderclouds whose lightning that flashed within them illuminated the sky. "Or I shall erase you."

For a brief moment, the narrow face of the creature seemed to look at him with interest before it lifted the tip of one of its wings towards the clouds, gently touching them with the tip. But the moment it connected, the clouds disintegrated into nothingness, leaving nothing, not even the lightning, where a moment ago Adam's power had been. It then turned its face towards Adam, almost with a smile upon its beak, before it opened its maw and unleashed sheer destruction upon the dark god.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"HA! I should have gone with the kid or Adam, because this is way too easy!" Hulk roared with a smile as he landed in front of a large crowd of unicorns, using the shockwave generated by his impact to blast the unicorns off of their hooves and hurl them into a number of buildings. He was too busy laughing to see some of the unicorns take aim at his back, but a golden baton to one's face and two boots to the other put them down for the count. "Huh? Oh, thanks for getting those, Ryan but they couldn't have hurt me."

"Wasn't doing it for you. I'm a part of this team and I want to feel like I'm doing something for it, damn it!" Ryan roared in reply before he threw himself to the ground as a large number of spells barely missed his head. Hulk leapt in front of him to use his body as a shield, but the End of Days members that were currently shooting at them heard a mighty moan and turned just in time to see a drill drive itself through one of their comrade's chest and rip him in two.

"Oh boy, Bubbles' is pissed," Ryan noticed as the crimson-eyed Big Daddy roared in fury at the cloaked ponies before him, while he revved his drill up once again and knocked one of the unicorn's heads off with the drill. The other tried to set him ablaze with a fire spell, but Bubbles beat him to it with his incendiary plasmid that burned the unicorn to a crisp.

"I should probably go stop him," Hulk growled before three unicorns leapt down in front of both Hulk and Ryan, one of them carrying a strange machine upon his back as he smiled at them. "Look, you're entire army could barely even hurt me, what makes you think that three of you alone can even annoy me?" Hulk asked them with a chuckle, but to both his and Ryan's surprise, the unicorn laughed as well before the pony took the machine off of his back and pointed it to the side.

"Because we will not be the ones fighting you," the pony said as he clicked a button on the machine, causing a massive vortex to appear in the side of one of the buildings. Both Hulk and Ryan looked at the vortex, which Banner identified as a portal, before both their eyes widened as a pair of red eyes could be seen within the vortex. Then, a creature began to walk through the portal, a creature that Hulk had never seen before, yet whose appearance confused Hulk. The monster was just as big as he was with grey skin and what seemed to be bones sticking out of his joints, as well as bones that covered his eyes and long, protruding teeth.

"No, Hulk, we will not fight you. Because you will be fighting the Herald of Destruction," one of the ponies said before the grey beast shot towards them with speeds that Hulk didn't think possible of a creature of its size, and it drove one of its bone-covered fists into the pony, blasting him apart in a spray of blood. He quickly slaughtered one of the other unicorns before looking down at the one with the generator. The pony swallowed hard before he got down on his knees and spread his arms to the side, never flinching until he was crushed into red paste by the monster. With the ponies dead, the monster slowly turned to look at Ryan and Hulk, one of whom was ready for a fight, while the other was terrified out of his mind.

"Heh. Finally, somebody who looks like a challenge," Hulk said with a smirk as he cracked his knuckles, taking a step forward before Banner brought his attention to Ryan, who was freaking out next to Hulk. "What's the matter with you? You know who this guy is?"

"Of course I know who this guy is! It's hard to think of a damned person on my damned planet who didn't know who this guy is!" Ryan said with pure terror choking his voice as his eyes flashed with far more fear than Hulk had ever seen in them. "He is the end; the killer of heroes and the unstoppable monster."

"Give me a name."

"Doomsday. That, is Doomsday."

Darkness Consumes the Light

With a blow that could shatter 'nth' metal, Hyperion was sent flying across the skies, only coming to a stop when he slammed into the side of a cliff that quickly came down around him. Yet with a roar, Hyperion blasted the rubble off of him and shot back into the sky, where he found a cross-armed Captain Marvel waiting for him.

"Y'know, after fighting Doomsday, a more heroic version of Black Adam and my own personal failures, it's nice to come across a problem that's just evil...and the solution to this problem is 'punch it in the face'," Captain Marvel said with a smile as Hyperion snarled in rage. Both figures then moved at super-speeds and collided in the air, creating an electrical field from the force of their impact. Marvel then punched Hyperion in the face and sent him hurtling across the skies. With the speed of Mercury, Marvel appeared beside Hyperion and slammed him down towards the ocean below, smiling as a torrent of water came splashing up towards him...which was followed by the red and gold villain as Hyperion slammed his shoulder into Captain Marvel and sent them both hurtling into the sky.

"You think you can beat me?! I wiped out an entire planet and all of its heroes by myself!" Hyperion growled as he threw a mighty blow towards the Captain, yet it was deflected by one of the golden gauntlets that covered Marvel's forearm. Marvel smirked when he drove an electrically charged fist into the jaw of Hyperion, snapping his head back and allowing the Captain to follow up with a kick to the side of Hyperion's skull that sent him sailing.

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard this monologue plenty of times," Captain Marvel said, still smirking, as Hyperion crashed into the sea once again, Marvel watching as he struggled back to the surface before lifting his lightning-filled hands and aiming them at where Hyperion was laying. "You're the strongest, you're invincible and you'll be the end of me, blah blah blah. But let me show you my power!"

The sky flashed as Marvel unleashed his divine lightning into the area of ocean that surrounded Hyperion, the combination of water and lightning causing Hyperion to erupt as lightning coursed through both him and the water around him. Marvel ceased the lightning as he floated down to the smoldering villain, floating just in front of him while Hyperion weakly lifted his head. "So, can we just skip your whole "you'll never beat me" part of this fight and get to the part where I throw you in jail and never have to deal with you again?"

To Marvel's surprise, Hyperion began to chuckle at his words as he lifted himself out of the water, letting it stream off of his costume while he crossed his arms and looked at the hooded hero with a smirk on his face. "You have no idea how much power I truly wield."

"Oh gods, you're actually doing this."

"I am Hyperion! I am the ultimate savior! And I will not allow myself to lose to the likes of you!" Hyperion roared as he slammed into Captain Marvel and sent him skipping across the ocean, yet a moment later the Captain recovered and retaliated by throwing bolts of lightning at Hyperion. Hyperion countered the bolts of magical power by letting his heat vision fly from his eyes, getting a chuckle out of Marvel as the Captain flew in and punched him in the jaw.

"Wow, heat vision as well as super strength and flight? Do you want to rip off any more of Superman's powers?" Marvel chuckled before a blow to the gut shut him up. Hyperion followed it up with an elbow to the back that rocketed the Captain down to the planet below, yet the moment before impact Captain Marvel stuck his hands and feet out, allowing him to land like a cat. He then kicked off with all of his might and flew back up at Hyperion, where he caught the villain with a blow to the side. "Hey, if I paint a rock green, does it strip you of your power as well?"

"You still dare to mock me?!" Hyperion roared as he flung his fist at Marvel, yet once again it was deflected and countered with a kick by the Captain. "I am strong enough to defeat Thor! The Hulk! Any of the Avengers! I match the one you call Superman! And I can do it without the aid of another!"

"See, that's why you're having such a problem against me," Marvel said as he spun past a punch and elbowed Hyperion in the head, setting him up to be lifted onto Marvel's shoulder and driven straight down at the speed of Mercury into the land below. "SHAZAM!" Marvel cried after delivering his powerbomb, before quickly backing away and allowing the lightning bolt to strike Hyperion in the chest in a torrent of power.

"You might be a lot like Superman, but there's one key difference between you and him that makes him so much stronger. He fights for others, not himself," Marvel explained to Hyperion as the villain tried to pull himself out of the hole that had been created when the bolt of lightning came crashing down upon him. "And when he fights for others, he can do the impossible, even if he has to fight magic or kryptonite to do so. And I've fought Superman when he's at his strongest, when he has others that he needs to protect. So compared to that kind of power, fighting you is more...simple."

"Simple?" Hyperion asked with a cold fury as he floated out of his hole and glared at Marvel. "You believe that defeating me will be simple?!"

"Well, only one way to find out," Captain Marvel said with a smirk as he started hopping on his toes while bringing up his fists close to his face. "So, want to keep going? Because I can go all day." Hyperion roared as he lunged at Marvel with one fist raised over his head, getting the Captain's smirk to turn into a smile as he swung for the heavens with an uppercut.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"OH FUCK ME!" Ryan roared while he spun around and drove his baton into the nose of a unicorn that had hopped onto his back, shocking the hell out of the cloaked pony before he kicked it in the gut to get it off of him. "Ugh, and I thought the ponies were annoying when they were trying to be friends with me. Who knew that it would be worse when they were trying to kill me?"

The sound of thunder shattered his thoughts and caused the very mortal man to look up to see the monster of destruction trying to consume a small, white figure who barely managed to avoid the endless wave of darkness that was trying to envelope him. Yet from his angle, Ryan could see a small beam of darkness that came from the machine within which Star-Swirl resided. 'Wait, is that bastard still channeling more darkness into the beast of destruction?' Ryan asked with narrowed eyes. 'I thought he was trying to rule the world, not send it to hell.'

"Yo mare, can you hear me?" Ryan asked as he was forced to leave his thoughts while another group of unicorns attacked him, making him prioritize kicking their asses first before turning his attention back to the machine. "Something's not adding up, and I think it has to do with Gandalf the Dumb over there. Back me up!"

Ryan began to sprint towards the machine as he said this, but he had barely made it ten feet before an explosion of magic went off at his feet and chucked him into the air. He landed on his head (so the damage was minimal) and quickly scrambled to his feet to see that a unicorn with a strange, red gem on its head was smirking at him. "Ah, the false champion. How I've waited to meet you."

"Wait a moment, I know that voice. You're one of those fucks, aren't you?" Ryan asked with a smirk, getting a snarl out of the pony while drawing his baton at the same time. "Batmare told me she kicked your ass, but you then ran off like a punk bitch."

"Yes, I may have underestimated Batmare, but I know that I can handle you," Undra snarled as he fired a spell at Ryan...only to gasp in disbelief as the spell slammed into a wall of gold and bronze that was a Big Daddy. Mr. Bubbles let out a moan of rage as he turned to face the pony with all red eyes.

"Well, it seems like you're fucked, so I'm just going to excuse myself and go...this away!" Ryan said with a laugh before he raced back off towards the machine, with a trail of silver following behind him. Undra snarled in frustration before he hurled himself to the side to avoid Bubbles' charge, a charge that took down a building when it missed the pony.

"Halt right there, monster!" Undra ordered as the Big Daddy pulled himself out from under the rubble, all eight of his red eyes glaring at Undra while the pony chuckled. "Do not even think of attacking me you fool. I know how you heroes work and I know that you all value life, above all else. So if you dare to attack me, I will kill this pony without a moments hesi-" Undra never got to finish his statement because Mr. Bubbles lunged forward and drove his drill right through the red gem on the unicorn's forehead, destroying the gem while also decapitating the pony. He let out a roar as he stomped on the pieces of the gem for good measure before turning and heading back to find his allies.

Meanwhile, Ryan was pulling himself up the side of a turret once again as he tried to get to the machine that rested upon the top of the turret. "Again, this would be so much easier if you would just magic me to the top like you always did," Ryan snarled at his backpack as he climbed.

'And if I recall, every time I magic you someplace you end up puking your guts out,' the mare replied with sarcasm before her voice went quiet. 'Besides...I do not have long...even now I find myself struggling to remain conscious and not fall back into the abyss that claimed me once.'

"Well, try to avoid dying until after we've saved your home," Ryan snarled, but the mare could hear hints of worry in his voice as he climbed. Their touching moment was interrupted when Ryan finally pulled himself to the parapet of the turret, rolling onto the top before slowly pushing himself to his feet. "God, I hate climbing...okay, time to file a complaint."

He walked over to the barrier of darkness as he said this and banged his baton against the side of it, causing ripples to appear in the shield and grabbing the attention of one bearded pony within, who turned away from the fight between Adam and the monster to see Ryan standing at the shield with both middle fingers up.

"You? What are you doing here?" Star-Swirl asked in a bored tone as Ryan banged against the shield once again with his baton.

"Like I said earlier, I'm here to remove the stick you've got up your ass and replace it with this baton!" Ryan growled through the shield with a wicked smile on his face as he glared at the pony. "So come on, let me in so I can tell you about the rest of your day. Here's a bit of a spoiler: it's going to suck."

"Why should I bother myself with one who has no power whatsoever?" Star-Swirl asked as he started to turn away, but then a fit of insane laughter reached his ears and he turned his head slightly to see that Ryan was looking at him from under his hood with eyes that were far gone.

"Because if you're truly as powerful as you say you are, then you shouldn't have any trouble dealing with a single, weak, devilishly handsome human. But if you're afraid to face me...then leave the shield up. Let your pawns do your work."

"You are trying to infuriate me to the point where I agree and let you into the machine, despite knowing that you are not worth my time or my effort, because you along with your allies will be dead soon," Star-Swirl explained in an emotionless tone.

"Is it working?"

Star-Swirl said nothing, but with a flick of his magic he lowered the barrier for a brief moment, allowing Ryan inside before the barrier sprung up around them once again. "Let me make this clear now. I do not care about you nor what you have to say to me. I am going to kill you and then I will use your body to fuel my machine even further."

"Well, at least for the first time in my life I'd be useful," Ryan snarked as he drew his baton and pointed it at Star-Swirl's chest, while the unicorn took up a stance of power. "Of course, killing me is going to be hard when I snap that horn off of your head."

"You are welcome to fail, scum."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Black Adam roared with fury as he unleashed all of his divine magical power into the side of the monster, combining his own might with that of Shazam to increase his power even further. Yet despite unleashing enough power to sear the Earth in half, the monster of darkness barely even flinched as it turned to look at Adam with its red eyes.

'Impossible. No creature is so powerful that it is able to withstand the full power of Shazam,' Black Adam thought with fear before he flung himself to the side to avoid a stream of darkness that destroyed the color in the air where he had once been, leaving that section of sky a pitch black. Adam roared with rage as he unleashed his lightning into the stream as the monster fired at him again, and for a brief moment the darkness was pushed back by the light that his power generated. Then in the next instance, the darkness swallowed his lightning and very nearly Adam as well, yet his godly speed allowed him to just barely avoid the darkness.

'I cannot allow that to hit me,' Adam thought when out of the corner of his eye he saw the beam of darkness completely consume a part of the castle, making it vanish as if it had never been there. 'Even in my supreme state, I am not sure if my body would be able to survive a blast. I must find away to bring this creature down now!'

Adam roared as he rocketed himself overhead of the monster, which slowly followed him with its gaze and a look of what seemed to be interest on its face. "SHAZAM!" Adam bellowed before hurling himself out of the way, watching with a smile as the divine lightning came thundering down towards the monster...only for the smile to turn into a gasp of fear when the monster lifted a wing to intercept the bolt and turn the greatest magic Adam knew off into nothingness with a touch.

T-that cannot be!" Adam stammered as he floated back from the creature, which now turned its full attention towards him with a long smile upon its ever growing face. "That is the ultimate magic! You cannot be so powerful that even the word does not affect you!"

'Can't it?' Isis' voice asked in the back of Adam's mind, shaking his confidence even further. 'Look at what is before you, Adam. It is the end, of you, of the ponies, and of all reality. Do you really think that the magic of one man would be enough to defeat it?'

"But...there must be something I can do! I will not be helpless here! I will fight!" Adam bellowed as he summoned a sphere of lightning into his hands, before shooting it into the sky above the monster. It exploded above the creature and began to rain lightning bolts down upon it, illuminating the darkness that made up the massive demon. But to Adam's horror, the lightning failed to even gain the attention of the monster, because it was far too busy spreading one of its wings and touching the ground with it. Adam watched with absolute fear as the area that it touched turned into nothingness...before everything slowly began to vanish into nothing.

'There is only one thing you can do, my beloved,' Isis whispered in his ear. 'You must kill one of the champions, take their magic and use it to save your world.'

Adam roared in defiance at her words before unleashing even more power into the side of the monster. This time, he got the creature's attention, though when it turned its head to face him it seemed to be annoyed. "Shazam....give me the power to win!" Black Adam roared as he thrust his hand forward and summoned a staff with a lightning bolt at the top of it, which he spun once as lightning crackled around him. He thrust the staff at the monster with a bellow of fury, but the divine lightning that stormed out of the staff was quickly swallowed by the darkness that the monster unleashed in response. Adam hurled himself out of the way of the all-consuming darkness, but when he lifted his staff he saw that half of it was gone.

'Could it be...?' Adam finally asked himself as the monster slowly raised itself so that it not only towered over him, but also so that its shadow covered all of the land. The monster was now far larger than Canterlot, nearly the size of the mountain upon which it had rested, casting a darkness that blocked out all light across the land. All light except for a small, lightning bolt upon Adam's chest that the monster did not like. 'Can it be that there is nothing I can do in the face of this monstrosity? 'Am I really...helpless?'

Faster than Adam could follow, the monster whipped a wing at the Dark God, the darkness and destruction in the wing tearing through his magical defenses when it struck him in the back, while the force of the blow sent him hurtling into the mountain beside the city. Then, with a shriek that destroyed the air around the monster, it unleashed its power upon the mountain. In a moment of power, the mountain vanished into nothingness, leaving just a crater where it used to be. The monster, upon destroying the small source of light, turned its attention back down to the city beneath it as it opened its maw, preparing to end all sources of light.

"SHAZAM!"

Divine lightning tore though the darkness and struck the being of destruction in the back, taking its attention away from the city and towards the small source of light that was still alive. "No, monster, even if I cannot harm you, I can be damned sure that you do not harm another. So come, creature, and face me!" Adam bellowed while he infused what was left of Shazam's staff with as much magical power as he could before hurling it at the being of destruction, striking it in the center of its head where a storm of lightning erupted from the staff. Yet the darkness of destruction swallowed both the staff and the lightning a moment later, as the creature let out a roar and hurled itself up towards Adam who rocketed backwards towards space while the creature of darkness followed.

The monster bellowed and unleashed enough darkness to swallow the entire land of Equestria towards Adam, who quickly found that he was completely surrounded by the darkness. In a last act of desperation, he threw up a cage of electricity around himself while the darkness closed in around him, already starting to eat through his shield despite him channeling all of his power into it.

'It is finally time to join me, Teth,' Isis' voice said within Adam's head, yet when Adam opened his eyes he thought that he could see his wife standing out in the sea of darkness that surrounded him. She held out a hand to him with a smile upon her face, inviting him into the darkness. Adam had just begun to reach out towards her when his barrier failed him, and in the next instance he was filled with pain as the darkness tore through his extended arm. With all of his might he willed himself to fly out of the darkness, just barely escaping as the darkness consumed what was left of his cage. Yet when the pain did not stop, he looked to his side to see that...his right arm was gone.

"No. Ra no," Adam whispered before he looked up at the monster of destruction, which was now flying down towards him while its wings and tail blocked out the sun behind him, casting the Dark God into darkness. 'This...is truly it. There is nothing I can do to stop this creature, is there? I...am powerless,' he thought as he closed his eyes--before they snapped open again and he hurled himself towards the creature with one last act of defiance. "NO! I WILL NOT ACCEPT DYING LIKE THIS! IF I AM TO DIE, THEN IT SHALL BE FIGHTING!"

Yet he had barely made it halfway to the creature before it unleashed another overwhelming wave of darkness into Black Adam, who was too weak to move out of the way. He crossed his arm over his face as he created a shield of lightning, knowing that this was the end. Yet the moment before the darkness hit him, time seemed to slow to a crawl while his suit returned to its black version. He moved his arm to see that his supreme form had somehow separated from him and was now floating in front of him, yet its face was not Adam's but belonged to another that he knew all to well.

"Shazam," Black Adam whispered as he looked upon the bearded face of the wizard who floated before him in his full glory. A sad smile crossed the wizard's face before he turned towards the oncoming darkness, spreading his arms as he closed his eyes.

"SHAZAM!" Adam roared as the darkness consumed the both of them. Shazam took the full front of the blast himself, yet the attack was powerful enough to hurl Adam back to the planet below while he watched the wizard be consumed by the darkness. Adam roared one last time as he extended his arm towards the wizard, yet his consciousness slowly faded and he passed out before he hit the ground, the last image in his mind being the smiling face of Shazam.

What Makes Them Strong

Green blood sprayed from the Hulk's jaw when three spikes on a massive fist slammed into his face, hurling him backwards across the meadow and through a number of trees. Hulk groaned weakly as he pushed himself back to his feet, wiping the blood off of his face while looking over at Doomsday advancing towards him.

"How's that plan coming, Doc? I'm...not sure how much longer I can hold him off for," Hulk snarled before roaring and hurling himself into Doomsday, tackling the monster to the ground before he started punching Doomsday in his bony jaw. Yet with a laugh, Doomsday threw a massive 'slugger' into the side of Hulk's head, the force of the blow tossing Hulk off of Doomsday.

'I'm thinking Hulk! Grah! There has to be some kind of weakness, something that we can use against him!' Banner shouted in Hulk's mind until his voice was drowned out by the roaring of Doomsday, who charged at the Hulk and slammed his shoulder into the Hulk's chest, taking him on a journey as Doomsday ran across the land with Hulk impaled on his shoulder spike. Hulk bellowed with pain while he pulled himself off of the spike before throwing hammer-like blows into Doomsday's face, yet doom on legs didn't stop until he came across a small town. Doomsday laughed maniacally as he slammed the Hulk into one of the larger buildings, bringing it down on top of the both of them while ponies began to run for their lives.

Both combatants burst forth from the rubble exchanging blows. Hulk felt a surge of rage towards Doomsday for bringing them to an inhabited city, giving him a temporary boost of strength that allowed him to fight Doomsday on slightly more even footing. Yet, when Hulk slammed a fist into the palm of Doomsday's hand, something clicked in Banner's mind as he watched Doomsday's arm get slightly more green just from being in contact with the Hulk.

'Hulk! Back away from him now!' Hulk didn't know why Banner sounded so afraid, but he figured that Banner had a good reason. Hulk slammed his other fist into the side of Doomsday's head to stagger him, allowing Hulk to back away with a little confusion.

"What gives, Doc? I finally feel like I can fight this guy," Hulk asked the doctor.

'Tell me something, Hulk. Do you feel weaker after touching Doomsday?' Hulk narrowed his eyes before he looked down at the hand with which he had just struck Doomsday, noticing that he didn't seem as strong as he had a moment ago. His eyes widened in realization and he looked over at the monster with concern. 'So, you've figured it out too. Not only did Doomsday come back from the dead, but he also...evolved and now can absorb radiation. Now, he can counter the strength boost you get when you get angrier. Just touching his skin weakens you.'

"You've got to be kidding me," Hulk groaned before Doomsday shook with laughter while throwing himself at Hulk, slamming into the jade giant before he could react. Hulk roared in fury as he threw blow after blow into the face of Doomsday, but now Hulk was aware that with every blow, he felt his strength leave him a little at a time. Doomsday laughed as he drove his fist into Hulk's face over and over again, his fist moving with such speeds that to the ponies it looked like a jackhammer was being used on the Hulk's face. Doomsday then roared with fury as he lifted Hulk by the face and hurled him across the town street, driving him into the side of a building that collapsed around the Hulk.

"Do you see? You cannot fight doom," Doomsday growled while he marched over towards the house, plunging his fist into the rubble to grab hold of the Hulk. He pulled the green goliath out in one, swift motion before slamming his fist into the Hulk's gut, forcing the Hulk to all fours while he struggled to avoid throwing up blood. Doomsday then brought a fist back to deliver another blow to the Hulk, when the sounds of a child crying reached both Hulk and Doomsday. Both turned their heads, to see that one of the foals watching the fight had broken down in the face of two monsters and started to sob, while the mother tried desperately to silence her child.

"Yes...all shall face doom," Doomsday said before slamming his fist into the side of Hulk's head, knocking him into the rubble before the monster turned and started to march towards the crying foal. He swatted a pony in his way into oblivion before he reached the mother and child, towering over them while he slowly lifted his arms over their fear-filled faces. "All shall die!"

"NO!" Hulk bellowed as he hurled himself forward and slammed into the back of Doomsday, knocking them both off of their feet and hurling the two monsters into the dirt. Doomsday was the first to recover, however, and in an instant he was upon the Hulk again, wrapping his fingers around the Hulk's neck as he started to choke the giant, while at the same time syphoning his radiation.

'Strength...failing me...starting to...lose focus,' Hulk thought weakly as he hammered upon Doomsday, yet the monster only smiled in reply because each strike was weaker than the last. 'Banner...if you...have a plan...now would...be the time.'

"Now it is...your end," Doomsday said in a near whisper as Hulk's vision started to fade, releasing Hulk with one hand while he brought it back, preparing to deliver the final blow to the Hulk. Yet, when Doomsday swung his fist forward...all of time came to a stop. Hulk groaned before pulling himself out of Doomsday's grasp, falling to the ground as he looked around to find everything nearly frozen in place.

'Hello there, angry green giant.' Hulk slowly turned to see a silver changeling standing behind him, a smile on its face as its golden eyes held more mirth and merriment in them than Hulk believed possible.

'What is going on?' Banner asked.

'And hello to you too, Doctor Banner. It is so nice to finally meet the both of you,' the changeling said as it bowed politely. 'But to answer your question, Doctor, I am here to aid you in your time of need. Or rather, I am here to bestow upon both of you what you both have earned through this journey of yours. From the beginning, when you two first met each other, to right now, when you are fighting the physical manifestation of doomsday, you have suffered, laughed, learned and fought. And now it is time for you to have what this journey has led towards.'

As the changeling said this, a golden armband appeared around the Hulk's left arm with a green radiation symbol in the center of it, causing divine power to flow through him as he felt his strength skyrocket beyond what he believed possible without massive amounts of rage. 'It is time you were given your Element, my Champion of Peace.'

"Peace? You really believe that me, a guy that is fueled by rage, and Banner, who has loathed himself more than anyone else I know--asides from myself--are worthy of the Element of Peace?" Hulk asked with a laugh, but the changeling smiled at him as it nodded its head.

'Yes, you two have fought for peace against evil, that is true. But that is not the peace I am talking about. I mean eternal peace; the peace that you can only find when you accept who you are,' the changeling explained as it looked over at Banner, who was shocked to find that he was standing next to the Hulk. 'Banner, you have always been either selfish in your actions or ashamed of what you created. But after a long road, you finally came to realize that you are still a good person who only wants to help others, and nothing will change that.'

'And you, Hulk...you have suffered far more than most I have ever met. Hunted since your very first day of creation, always distrusted by friends and enemies alike and causing more devastation than others, you have hated what you are for the longest time,' the changeling said with sympathy in its voice as it placed a hoof on the Hulk's shoulder. 'But then you learned that you are more than a monster, that you could become something far greater than what others, including Doctor Banner, saw in you. You accepted who you were and changed yourself for the better. For despite how painful and lonely the journey was, you brought out the best in each other and helped the other to accept who they were, faults and all. You both became even greater champions of peace by first finding peace within yourselves.'

'You really think that we're worthy of this?' Banner asked, getting a small chuckle from the changeling as it vanished into nothingness.

'Of course. How can you truly hope to make others laugh if you can't even find joy in yourself? Now go and stop doomsday, the both of them.'

Doomsday roared with surprise as a massive column of light shot skyward from where the Hulk had been standing, knocking the monster back as all eyes gazed at the form that walked out from the column. Hulk's skin had gone from green to a divine silver, with golden magic pulsing through his veins. Yet the biggest surprise came to the ponies and to Doomsday when he spoke in a voice that wasn't entirely the Hulk.

"Oh, look," Hulk said in a voice that sounded like both Banner and the Hulk as he cracked his knuckles. "It's that time of the week again. Time to stop Doomsday!"

Hulk hurled himself forward and slammed into Doomsday, taking the both of them to the sky where Hulk and Doomsday began to trade blows. Despite the large amounts of radiation that Doomsday had absorbed from the Hulk to further his own strength, the power of the Element fueled Hulk to new heights and allowed him to surpass the monster's strength. They both came crashing down in an abandoned area, both quickly rising to their feet as they continued to slug away at each other.

"What is this?" Doomsday asked when the two monsters traded blows once again, yet this time it was Doomsday that staggered back under the power of the Hulk. "Where did this come from?"

"It's called being rewarded for a good deed," Hulk roared as he punched Doomsday in the face hard, snapping his bones and sending him spiraling backwards. "Not that a creature like yourself would know anything about that. But I'll tell you now, this power," Hulk began as he brought a fist back, "allows me to regain my title as strongest there is!" Hulk drove his fist down into the gut of Doomsday, shaking the planet beneath the power of the strongest there is. Doomsday roared in pain as Hulk grabbed hold of his head and pulled him back up to his feet, forcing Doomsday to watch as Hulk wound up a punch before letting it loose right into the face of Doomsday. The sheer might behind the blow sent Doomsday sailing across the sky, where he was an easy target for the Hulk as he lunged up after Doomsday. Two fists to Doomsday's chest sent him hurtling back down towards the planet, creating a new gorge upon his impact with the ground.

"Do you give up?" Hulk asked as he landed next to Doomsday, pulling the monster out of the crater and glaring into his eyes. When Doomsday failed to answer, Hulk snarled as he brought back his fist and swung towards Doomsday's face. Yet to both Hulk and Banner's surprise, the moment before the fist impacted Doomsday smiled. The smile was still on his face as the blow slammed into it, yet when Hulk brought his fist back, he realized that Doomsday's head was grey again, not green like it had been.

'That clever bastard,' Banner growled in the back of Hulk's mind as Hulk tried to piece together what had happened, before the Hulk looked into Doomsday's eyes to see that the red light had gone out. Yet a few moments later the lights roared back to life and Doomsday slammed his fist into Hulk's face, hurling the Hulk back into a cliff face before Hulk fell to the ground. Hulk rose again with a snarl to see that Doomsday had gone from a greenish gray to full on white, almost mirroring the way Hulk looked now.

"What happened Banner?!" Hulk asked as Doomsday charged into Hulk, both of them slamming their fists together to intercept the other's attack. Yet to Hulk's utter confusion, Doomsday was once again able to match the Hulk.

'It's just as Ryan said. Whenever Doomsday dies, he only comes back stronger and with a way to deal with whatever killed him,' Banner explained as Hulk and Doomsday both struggled to overpower the other. 'So, when Doomsday realized that you were stronger than him, he allowed you to kill him. Then a few moments later he came back stronger and apparently with a power to match our Element. I think he's magic now.'

"DAMN!" Hulk roared as he slammed a fist into Doomsday's face, knocking the monster back and giving Hulk a moment to breathe. "Then how do we beat this guy?! Every time we knock him down, he's just going to get up stronger and tougher!"

'There...might be a way, but...it would never work! Doomsday wouldn't stay down long enough for me to do it!' Banner growled with helpless frustration in Hulk's mind while the Hulk knocked Doomsday back into the dirt.

"What's the plan, Doc? Come on, we need to do something, damn it! Remember, there's still a monster back in Canterlot waiting for us!" Hulk reminded him as he pinned Doomsday as best he could, getting Banner to sigh with frustration.

'I discovered a negative zone, if you will, after you went wild, a place that held nothing within it. I had created a device that would send you there if...you got out of control again, but it might be able to work on Doomsday. The only problem is, I would have to recalibrate it to work on him, but in order to do that I would have to come out and work on the machine. Yet nothing we do to Doomsday will keep him down long enough to stop him!'

Hulk lowered his head in thought for a moment before Doomsday shot up and slammed into him, forcing the Hulk to slam both fists into Doomsday's head to send him back into the earth. "Hey, this...machine...it's back at the base, right?" When Banner confirmed its location, the Hulk leapt into the sky and headed for the base, reaching it in a number of jumps. As he landed on the ground outside of the entrance, he looked off to where Doomsday was, with a sigh. "Alright Banner, I'll buy you time. You go in there and finish the machine. When it's finished, find a way to contact me."

'What the hell are you talking about, Hulk? How do you plan to...' Banner's words stopped cold when he realized that Hulk was holding the device that Tinker had used to separate them, causing fear to clutch at Banner's heart when he realized what Hulk was implying. 'Hulk, you remember what happened the last time we separated? And with the state you're in now, you might just destroy the world on your own.'

"Yes, Banner, I remember what happened the last time we separated," Hulk said--not with bitterness, but with strength in each of his words as he placed the device to his chest. "And I believed myself a monster, that without you, I am nothing more than rage incarnate. But that was just the guilt talking. Ryan was right. If I had wanted to kill him, I would have. If I had wanted to break the world, I would have. But I didn't, because even without your brains there to keep me thinking, I'm still the Hulk. I'm still the guy who fought for the very people that tried to hurt him. I'm the guy that chose to live in isolation instead of living near others and risk their safety."

"And that's where I draw my true strength...where the both of us draw our strength from. The desire to help others. The desire to make sure that the pain we experienced will not be felt by another. That is what burns deep in our hearts. So even without you there to help guide me, Banner, I still have that desire in my heart--the desire to help. I might be furious without you, I might be dangerous, but I will still fight to save this world. That is the 'me' I have made peace with. Please Banner, trust me."

'Do it,' Banner said without a moment's hesitation. Hulk smirked as he pressed the device to his chest and activated its power, causing both him and Banner to roar as they were ripped apart. A moment later, Banner moaned as he found himself lying on the ground next to a mass of green. They both rose at the same time, and at that moment Banner looked into Hulk's eyes to find no semblance of the intelligence that Hulk used to have. Only sheer wrath.

"No," Banner said without fear when Hulk reached forward to grab him. "No Hulk, you are better than that. You just told me that without me in your head you might not be smart, but you'll still have the heart of a hero. So was I wrong to trust you? Are you a monster? Are you going to kill me before Doomsday gets a chance to?" As he said this a roar could be heard off in the distance, making both heads turn to see that Doomsday had leapt into the air and was hurtling towards them. "Or are you the Hulk? Are you the hero? Are you the one who is stronger than your rage?"

Hulk glared down at Banner for a moment before a roar of fury left his mouth while he spun and lunged up at Doomsday, colliding with him in mid air and tackling the monster off course. Both of them fell into a ravine by the base where they continued their grudge match, with Doomsday landing devastating blows upon the Hulk that nearly collapsed the monster. Yet Hulk refused to let Doomsday move him back so much as an inch, knowing, in his heart, that he was all that stood between Doomsday and Banner. And he made sure it stayed that way.

"Fool. Without the Element to fuel you, you are not able to match me!" Doomsday roared as he threw an earth-breaking right hand into Hulk's face, yet to the monster's shock, despite his blow breaking the Hulk's jaw, the jade giant remained on his feet. Hulk slowly turned his head back to face Doomsday, where the monster could see into Hulk's eyes. There was an unending sea of rage in them, but in the center of that sea was a small island, an island that shone with purpose.

For nearly five minutes the battle between the two continued, with Hulk struggling to match the raw power of doom incarnate, yet he never so much as stepped back under the relentless power of Doomsday. But the fight was interrupted when a bolt of lightning exploded in the sky above the mountain within which the base was buried. Hulk snarled while he pushed Doomsday off of him and leapt into the air, getting Doomsday to roar in fury as he lunged up after the Hulk.

Hulk came crashing down inside of Banner's lab, turning as Doomsday followed him inside. Yet the moment Doomsday touched down, two spheres shot off of a table and latched themselves onto Doomsday's fist, causing him to look down in confusion before a vortex appeared in a massive, metal circle behind him. Doomsday roared with confusion as two beams of telekinetic power shot from the spheres and into the vortex, causing Doomsday to roar with more rage and confusion as the spheres began to draw him into the vortex that only showed emptiness. Struggle though he might, the spheres remained strong and continued to drag Doomsday towards his prison.

"HULK!" Banner roared as he raced over to the Hulk, getting the green giant to look towards Banner as Banner came to a stop, staring up at the Hulk with fearless eyes while he held out the tube towards Hulk. "Come on, Hulk, you know what we have to do. Let's go put an end to this." For a brief moment, the Hulk considered smashing Banner and freeing himself once and for all. But then, the better part of the monster took over and Hulk reached out to touch the tube with one of his fingers. A flash of light went off as the two merged back into one and with the two of them merged back together, they were able to activate the Element's power again, causing the Hulk to be silver instead of green.

'Dimensional vortex. With those spheres on his hands, even he won't be able to escape,' Banner explained when Hulk looked at Doomsday being pulled into the vortex.

"Alright Banner, let's get back to Canterlot and..." Hulk then turned to face Doomsday, who had begun to laugh despite just being inches from the vortex. "What, you got something to say to me?"

"You did not beat me. I am still stronger than you," Doomsday snarled with rage as he glared at the Hulk while still struggling against his bonds. "You could not beat me. You had to seal me away using him."

"Hmph. Sore loser," Hulk smirked as he turned towards Doomsday. "Hate to break it to you, but I'm more than strength. I've got a genius riding shotgun with me and when the two of us work together, there's no one we can't beat. That's what makes us such great heroes." At the word 'hero' Doomsday began to laugh, getting a look from Hulk.

"They will never accept you. Do you really think that humanity or the ponies will always see you as a hero? No, the day will come when they will fear you as a monster again," Doomsday chuckled as he managed to prevent himself from moving any further back. "For us monsters, the future is uncertain. But there are two things we know that will never change. That no matter what, we will be feared and hated, no matter what."

"You're right, Doomsday, in more ways than one," Hulk agreed after a moment of thinking over what Doomsday had said. "You are right in saying how similar we are. I shudder to think that, without my friends and allies, that I might have become like you, a monster that only sought to destroy all in its way. That I would be everything that humanity feared me to be. But again, you are right in saying that only two things are certain for monsters like us. But see, those two things are different for you than they are for me. You are right in saying that your two certainties will be that you're feared and hated."

As Hulk said this he walked towards Doomsday with a smile, leaning in close enough so that he could glare into the monster's eyes. "But for me, it's different. For me, there are the two different things that will always be certain for me. The first is that no matter what happens, I'll always be the Hulk. The second is, that no matter what, no matter who I fight, no matter what ungodly, reality-destroying force I face, " Hulk then brought back a fist and aimed it between Doomsday's eyes, a smile crossing his face as he did, "I will always be the STRONGEST! THERE! IS!" He slammed his fist into Doomsday's face as he said this, hurling the roaring monster into the vortex. The vortex closed behind him, leaving the Hulk alone in the room while staring at where Doomsday had been standing.

'Hulk?' Banner asked in the back of Hulk's mind.

"Come on, Banner, we need to get to Canterlot," Hulk said before leaping out of the laboratory. "There's a second doomsday we need to prevent. And I have a feeling this one won't be so easy to beat."

End of the End

Fire, lightning and ice tore through the air past Ryan's head as the human threw himself to the metal floor to avoid three separate spells that each would have torn him in two had one of them connected. Yet, even as he rolled behind a number of computers to protect himself from the continuing onslaught of spells, he was vaguely aware that Star-Swirl was hardly even trying at this point.

"Come on, that all you've got? Fluttershy put up more of a fight than you!" Ryan taunted from behind the computers as he slipped out one of his explosive spheres. "I came all the way across multiple realities to fight you, so the least you can do is make it...entertaining!" Ryan rolled out from behind his cover and hurled the sphere at Star-Swirl, yet his smile was smacked off his face when the unicorn caught the sphere and crushed it into nothing with his magic.

"Entertaining? You are an annoyance, nothing more," Star-Swirl said in a slightly bored voice as he grabbed hold of Ryan's coat with his magic before hurling the human across the room, slamming him into the metal walls before releasing him and allowing Ryan to collapse to the ground. "That goes double for that silver fool who is resting in your bag. There was a time when I believed you to be the greatest threat to my plans, mare, but now I see that you are just as useless as this human."

"Hey! I'm the only one that gets to insult the mare!" Ryan snarled as he lunged at Star-Swirl while drawing his divine baton at the same time. Star-Swirl scowled while he let loose an almighty bolt of magic, but to his moderate surprise Ryan managed to swat the spell to the side with his baton before he tackled the pony to the ground. Ryan smiled wickedly when he thought that he had the upper hand, but that notion was destroyed a moment later when Star-Swirl slammed his back hooves into Ryan's chest and kicked the human right off.

"Do you see now just how pathetic you are?" Star-Swirl asked Ryan when the human rolled to avoid breaking anything upon his landing, snarling as he slowly began to circle Star-Swirl. "Even without my magic, I am still physically strong enough to defeat you. Beings like you, beings without magic, should join the rest of this world and be...destroyed!" As he said this a torrent of black magic erupted from his horn, tearing apart the air as it clawed its way towards Ryan. The human would have been blasted into nothingness if not for a stream of silver that erupted from his bag to intercept the impact, canceling the magic out.

"Hmm, so the mare still retains some of her power," Star-Swirl said in more of an annoyed tone than actual concern. "But it will only prolong the inevitable."

"Yeah, if she hadn't interfered I would have kicked your head clean off!" Ryan taunted as he rolled under the second shot of darkness and drove one of his boots into the jaw of Star-Swirl, getting a growl out of the unicorn as he staggered back while erecting a barrier of darkness to protect himself. Yet the barrier shattered with ease when Ryan slammed his baton against the side of it, cracking open a hole that allowed the human to continue the fight.

"And stronger than me? All the damned ponies I fought were stronger than me!" Ryan informed Star-Swirl as he dodged a point blank spell before retaliating with a boot to the head. "You think just because you have some godly magic or muscles on top of muscles that you can keep me down for the count?! I'm not called 'the survivor' for nothing!"

To cement his point, he wrapped his legs around Star-Swirl's throat and flipped the pony head over hooves right into the metal floor before, with his legs still wrapped around Star-Swirl's throat, he jammed the baton into his own leg and flipped it on. Both combatants roared as the electricity coursed through the both of them, yet the silver mare used as much of her power as she could muster to shield Ryan as best she could. After nearly a minute of shock therapy, Ryan switched the baton off and both he and the Bearded collapsed to the ground, each struggling to gain the advantage over the other.

"Hah...nothing like...ten thousand volts...to get the blood pumping," Ryan shakily laughed as he reached his feet first, where he dragged himself towards Star-Swirl, who was still trying to get up. "What's...the matter? You look shocked at this development. Almost like, a bolt of lightning struck you down. Got a...tingly feeling in your-?" Star-Swirl roared in rage and blasted Ryan in the chest with a force spell, knocking him off of his feet and throwing him across the room, where he crashed to the floor with a groan.

"Okay. I deserved that one," Ryan admitted. Star-Swirl snarled at the human as he finally rose to his hooves, but all of his anger gave way to surprise when he looked at one of the screens around him to see that Hulk had defeated Doomsday and that Captain Marvel was managing to overpower Hyperion. His face fell for a moment before a wicked smile that would have made Ryan proud spread across his face.

"Well, well, consider yourself lucky, human. And you too, I suppose, mare, for you two are about to bear witness to the end of this and all the other worlds," Star- Swirl said with a chuckle as he walked over to a console and raised a hoof to press down on a red button.

"FUCKNOYOUDON'T!" Ryan yelled as the baton sailed across the room on a perfect arc that allowed it to crack Star-Swirl in the side of his head, getting him to roar in pain as he staggered away from the console. Ryan tackled the pony to the floor a moment later to keep him away from the console, where he began to throw haymakers into Star-Swirl's face. "Come on pony, you didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" Ryan asked as his knuckles popped when he slammed them into the side of Star's skull. Yet a moment later, the pony's eyes were filled with darkness that made Ryan regret his words before a torrent of magic blasted Ryan off of the pony and hurled him into the ceiling, off of which he bounced before crashing onto one of the consoles back first.

"That hurt," Ryan groaned before a second blast of magic caught him in the side and threw him into the wall once again. "So did that." Star-Swirl shook his head while he rose to his hooves, walking over to the button once again with one last scornful look at Ryan.

"Pest. Now then, where was I? Ah yes, the end of-" He roared with frustration as a whip of silver magic wrapped itself around his neck and hurled him to the side, where he caught himself in the air with his own magic while also narrowing his eyes at who had thrown him. "Mare. Still meddling?"

'I will not allow you to win! I care too much for all the ponies to see them die!' The silver mare roared as she shot towards Star-Swirl, yet in the next moment a blast of darkness caught her in the chest and hurled her across the floor, where she gasped in pain as her body lost more and more of its form.

"Fool. The power of creation cannot be used as a weapon. The darkness of destruction will always be superior in that aspect," Star-Swirl smirked before sending tendrils towards the mare that wrapped themselves around her, covering her body in darkness save for her head. He then lifted the mare into the air with a smirk upon his face, before that smirk turned into a sinister smile as he compressed all of the dark magic into the mare. She let out a silent scream as her form shattered and when Star-Swirl released the darkness, a badly fractured silver sphere fell to the floor, barely shining with any light. "And with this, creation shall be destroyed," Star-Swirl said as he walked towards the mare, lifting a hoof over the sphere with a smirk. "And darkness shall reign supreme."

"Mother fucker!" Ryan snarled as he slammed into the side of Star-Swirl, hurling the both of them into a number of screens as the human began to punch, kick and claw at the pony, just wanting to inflict as much pain on him as he could. An elbow to the jaw and a headbutt to the skull drew blood from Star-Swirl, but Ryan was far too infuriated to notice that the blood was pure black. "You want death? You want destruction! Well then, let's see how much you like it when you are the one faced with such a fate!" As he said this he wrapped his hands around Star-Swirl's throat, where he began to constrict with all of his might.

Star struggled as best he could, kicking Ryan with his hooves while also trying to use his magic to get the human off of him, but Ryan refused to let up an inch as he glared down at Star-Swirl with murder in his eyes. Yet, to Ryan's shock, a smile crossed Star-Swirl's face before he closed his eyes and leaned back. 'The hell is he up to?' Ryan wondered as he felt the life leaving the pony. 'He's dead! He's beaten! He's-' Ryan howled with pain as a dark spike impaled itself through his shoulder, forcing him to release his grip while he staggered backwards and clawed at the spike in an attempt to pull it out.

"You almost killed me there," Star-Swirl informed Ryan as he grabbed hold of the spike with his magic. "Allow me to return the favor!" He tore the spike out of Ryan's shoulder as he said this, before turning the spike over with his magic and smacking it against the side of Ryan's head. Star-Swirl then grabbed the human's head with his magic and drove it into the metal floor. Ryan groaned as he started to push himself up, but the magical fingers wrapped themselves around his skull once again and he was driven face-first into the floor. Star-Swirl then grasped Ryan's head one last time before hurling it to the deck of the machine, where a sickening crack could be heard as the human went limp. Star-Swirl panted heavily as a pool of blood began to seep from Ryan's skull before he turned back towards his console that housed the red button.

"For today shall be a day unlike any other," Star-Swirl said with a smile on his face as he lifted his hoof and pressed down on the button, which caused the machine in the center to begin to take in more darkness. Star smiled before his horn began to glow with a menacing light, a light that he turned towards the ponies that were fighting in the streets all across Canterlot. "For today is the day that you are all rewarded for your services. And that reward is...to fuel destruction!"

A wave of darkness erupted from his horn and torn itself across the land, spreading farther and farther as Star-Swirl began to laugh, cackling with both victory and glee. 'The champions are not whole, the mare and her pet are dead and the monster of destruction shall only become stronger! Today is the end. The end of days!'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Lightning coursed through Hyperion's skull as Marvel grabbed hold of the false hero's head and tried to shock some sense into him, but all Marvel's efforts gained him was a kick in the gut that sent the champion hurtling backwards. Hyperion shook off the lightning before growling at Marvel, who still had a smirk on his face despite neither warrior being able to gain the upper hand.

"You are an annoying, infernal brat," Hyperion snarled with rage.

"Now you're starting to sound like the Black Adam I know and hated," Captain Marvel replied with sarcasm before stretching one of his arms. "Why don't you just give up? If Star-Swirl told you everything about us, then you should know that I'm not using my full power. I've still got the champion's power in case you try anything funny." To Marvel's surprise, informing Hyperion of the fact that he had more power caused the gold and red warrior to laugh before he smiled at Marvel menacingly.

"You are not the only one with incredible power, Marvel. Allow me to show you," Hyperion snarled as he reached into his belt and drew forth a tiny, black sphere that made Captain Marvel's eyes go wide. "That's right, Star-Swirl was kind enough to give each of us a small amount of his power. And now, the signal has been given, telling all of us that it is time to-"

Before Hyperion could finish, the darkness in the sphere lanced out and rapidly started to consume Hyperion's arm. The false hero screamed with rage and fear as the darkness quickly began to consume him, blasting at it with his heat vision to no avail. Captain Marvel hurled himself towards Hyperion and tried to tear the darkness off of him, but the moment he touched the darkness divine magic pushed Marvel back. Before Captain Marvel could try again the darkness fully consumed Hyperion, causing him to disintegrate into blackness, a blackness that quickly vanished in the direction of Canterlot.

"What...just happened? Why did the darkness kill Hyperion?" Marvel whispered.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Batmare swore as she kicked one of the fanatics off of her chest, making sure to then kick him in the head twice as hard to keep him down. She had barely enough time to register that her foe had gone down before another pony tackled her from behind, driving a magic dagger down at her throat and forcing her to deflect the dagger with her armor to prevent herself from being stabbed. Yet before the pony could strike again, the roar of a Big Daddy and the even louder roar of a drill could be heard, and the unicorn on top of Batmare vanished in a spray of blood.

"Ugh, thanks for the save Mr. B, but I wish you wouldn't be so lethal in your methods," Batmare said as Bubbles helped pull her to her hooves, letting out a battle cry when they found that they had been surrounded in a matter of seconds. The End of Days members all roared as they charged at the two, but in a flash, torrents of green fire blew away all cloaked ponies, giving Bubbles and Batmare the chance to turn to see Spike and Trixie landing beside them.

"They are a devoted group of zealots, I'll give them that," Trixie growled as she blasted a pair of unicorns with her magic. "But it seems that even their great numbers aren't enough to defeat us."

"Well, wait until we've beaten them before you go saying things like that," Batmare muttered as hundreds of cloaked ponies started to surround them again. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. Trixie, I want you and Bubbles to draw their fire. Spike and I will take to the skies and-"

Batmare never got to finish her plan because all eyes and thoughts were drawn away from the battle by a giant wave of darkness that washed over all of the beings on the battlefield. Both sides looked down as the darkness enveloped them, but when the darkness struck Batmare, Trixie and Bubbles, divine light enveloped them and they took on their divine forms, blasting away the darkness that had touched them. The others were not as fortunate.

"W-what's happening to me?!" one of the unicorns screamed before he exploded into a mass of darkness, which floated before the others for a moment before it was drawn away to the machine that rested upon the turret. All eyes were filled with fear and the End of Days all began to scream since one by one, and then hundreds by hundreds, they all began to vanish into darkness that was quickly drawn to the machine up on the turret.

"What's happening to them?" Trixie asked with revulsion in her voice while she watched a group of unicorns explode into darkness.

"If I had to wager a guess," Batmare began as she followed where the torrents of darkness were going, watching while they were all sucked into the turret. Her detective vision then informed her that the beam of darkness that was being shot into the being of destruction off in the distance had increased its power nearly a thousand fold, confirming her suspicions. "I'd say that they just added more fuel to the fire."

"So...the only reason we didn't end up like...that is because of our Elements?" Trixie asked as he looked up at her tiara, before her eyes went wide and she spun around to face Spike...who was already halfway gone. "Oh Faust...Spike!" Batmare and Bubbles spun to see what was happening to him, the latter letting out a roar of pain as he raced over to Spike. Bubbles tried to tear his own Element off of his shoulder, but it refused to budge, turning the Daddy's eyes a crimson red.

"Great, now I'm going to die," Spike bitterly said before he turned his eyes towards the three with burning determination in them. "It doesn't matter. If what Batmare said is true and Star-Swirl is using us to fuel the monster, then he must be about to end our world. You can't let that happen! I don't care if I die, as long as my world is saved! Promise me!" Before any of them could promise the dragon that they would, he vanished in an explosion of darkness that was sucked towards the machine just like the rest of the darkness.

Batmare looked around to see that the streets, which only seconds ago had been filled with ponies, were now deserted and silent, save for the sorrowful wails of the Big Daddy. All those lives, even if they had been fanatics, were now gone, along with one of their allies. The Bat's eyes narrowed as she glared up at the machine, hoping that she would get to hurt Star-Swirl before this day was done.

"Batmare?" Trixie asked, snapping Batmare out of her thoughts and redirecting them towards the monster of darkness, which was now towering over the city. "What do we do about that?"

"We do what we were brought here to do," Batmare snarled as she took up a fighting stance, preparing to fight. "We bring an end to the end of the world. Where's Billy and Banner? We could use both of them right about-" As if summoned by her words, a flash of lightning tore across the sky and struck the monster in its back, causing it to howl with rage as an Element-fueled bolt of lightning tore through its form.

"Wait a moment, don't tell me what happened to Hyperion happened here too?" Captain Marvel asked as he slammed into the ground next to the others, the silver and gold upon his body, along with the crown, telling the others that the wave of darkness had reached where he had been.

"If Hyperion vanished into a cloud of darkness that was sucked towards that turret, then yes, that is what happened to the End of Day's forces along with...Spike," Batmare informed the Captain, who seemed devastated for a moment before a look of rage that could make gods cower crossed his face as he glared up at the monster above them.

Yet, Marvel's rage was quickly forgotten as a roar of fury far superior to his own could be heard, and a moment later a massive silver beast slammed into the city, shaking it to the core while the Hulk pulled himself out of the crater he made before he marched towards the others.

"Doomsday's been dealt with, but if what I sensed was true, then it seems that not much was accomplished by stopping him," Hulk informed them before he followed their gazes towards the monster of destruction, but a moment later he turned his head towards the turret. "I hope I'm wrong and that this 'feel' is just because I don't know how to use this Element yet, but do any of you feel either Ryan or the mare?"

All eyes turned towards the turret, yet all the extra set of senses did was confirm the fears that the Hulk had. He shook his head for a moment before they all realized that everything had grown incredibly dark, with the five of them being the only source of light in nearly all the land. They all turned their eyes skyward to see that the monster of destruction had spread its wings across the land, stretching them out for miles upon miles as it gazed down at the five of them, hate raging in its massive red eyes.

"So then...is it final battle time?" Captain Marvel asked the rest of the group as each of them prepared to wage war with the being of destruction above them. "Question is, do we tackle this thing as a team or do we send one of us to go check up on Star-Swirl and put an end to that?"

"We're already down a member Billy. We're going to need as much firepower as we can get if we hope to stand a chance against that thing," Batmare ordered them before she quickly turned her head to look back at the others. "Look, just in case we all don't make it out of this alive...or we don't make it out of this at all, I just want to say that it's been an honor serving with each and every one of you. Be you misfit, monster, god or dead resurrected, I'd glad to give my life for each of you."

"Heh, don't talk like we're already dead," Hulk smirked as he cracked his knuckles. "Things might look impossible, but you've got to remember that each of us fights the impossible on a regular basis. So, instead of thinking of this as the 'be-all end-all' battle that will decide the fate of a world, instead think of this like another day at the office, except there's no longer any civilians that we got to worry about. Just hit that thing as hard as you can."

"That's the kind of answer I'd expect from you, Hulk--smash first and ask questions later," Marvel said with a smirk while he reached behind his head and flipped his hood up. "But there will be civilian casualties if we don't stop this thing here and now--like all of the multiverse. And I know there are ponies out in that multiverse that I really care about, so there's no way in hell I'm letting that thing win."

"You think that you have others you care about? I need to win this so I can get back to my daughter," Trixie said with a smile as she reminded herself what she was fighting for. "And the rest of my family."

"Same," Batmare said with as little emotion as she could, not wanting it to distract her from her mission. And all that left was Bubbles, who let out a kind moan as he looked around at each of them before bellowing with fury when he looked up to face the being of destruction, which was now floating right above them with maw open and eyes burning.

"Alright team, this is the final mission," Batmare informed them as they each took up a fighting stance, using the combined might of the Elements to let loose a light that would be seen all across the world, letting all know that there were still those who were fighting this fight. "And that mission is to be completed no matter the cost, be it your life or your very existence. If you want to back out, do it now...heh, I expected as much. Alright then, AVENGERS-!"

"Justice League," Captain Marvel corrected with a smirk, getting Batmare and Hulk to roll their eyes.

"Fine then...JUSTICE LEAGUE!" she roared before she and the other four hurled themselves up at the monster, which fully opened its maw as it unleashed an endless amounts of darkness onto the group. Yet despite the darkness that could wipe out a planet, the five chosen champions still hurled themselves at the monster, protected by the Elements of old.

"TO BATTLE!"

Death of Black Adam

Teth Adam groaned as his eyelids slowly fluttered open, the solid white that greeted his eyes confusing him for a brief moment before a wave of agonizing pain washed over his body. He quickly shot up and clutched at his right arm...only to remember that he was now left-handed. With gritted teeth, he forced the pain back down again while he struggled to his feet, looking around at the emptiness with both fear and anger.

'Am I...dead? No, I cannot die! Not yet!' he roared in defiance as he lifted his head and called down for the word, but to his horror the divine lightning never came down and he was left in his mortal form. Adam took in his form quickly, seeing--to his confusion--that he was in the garb that he had been wearing when he had first been chosen by the word, instead of the attire that Celestia had created for him. 'Strange...the word is gone and I am dressed as I was thousands of years ago. What has happened?' The question went unanswered, for when Adam lifted his head all thoughts were struck from his mind as an old enemy of his stood across the white room from him.

"Shazam?" Teth Adam asked in confusion while his eyes rested upon the old wizard, who looked exactly the same as he had when Adam had taken his power for his own. "But...this cannot be. I watched you die. I...banished your ghost."

'It seems that you have continued to ignore the wisdom of Zehutti even after all these years,' the wizard said with a small smile as he began to walk towards Teth, using his staff as a crutch of sorts. 'For I will always be a part of you as long as you call upon my power. At least, until a few moments ago that was the case.'

"So...I was not mistaken in what I saw. You...sacrificed yourself for me," Teth Adam bitterly realized as he clenched his fist, but the anger vanished a moment later when realization dawned on Adam. "But then, how are you here now? And why can I not access my power?! And am I dead, for if I am not, I must go and return to the battlefield, so that I can-"

'Do what, my fallen champion? Continue to cause pain? To fight in a futile battle against a monster that could kill you in a moment?' Shazam asked with curiosity in his voice that hid hints of scorn. 'Are you still so blind, that you cannot see that all you have done by your actions has led to this? That you are responsible for the end of the world?' The words cut into Teth almost as if Shazam had stabbed him then and there, rendering the now-mortal being silent as Shazam continued to speak.

'The five chosen champions are fighting the end of the world right now, but they are only five in number when they should be six,' Shazam informed Adam, getting the human to lift his head with shock. 'And without the sixth member, they will fail to stop the threat. And then they, along with all of this world and possibly others, shall die. And whose fault do you suppose this is? You, Teth. Every action you have taken against the silver mare, against Sunnysmiles, has resulted in giving the End of Days another weapon in their arsenal. And when you interfered and cost the life of Freeze, you sealed this world's fate.'

"No...NO! That cannot be! I will not accept that my world is doomed!" Adam roared in defiance while he grasped at the old wizard's shoulder with his only hand, only to watch as it passed right through him.

'I am gone, Adam. This is nothing more than a memory that I have left behind to speak to you one last time,' Shazam informed Teth, who looked down at his own hand before casting his eyes downward. 'As for your powers and your fate, you are still alive and you still retain them, though in the face of such a monster, being alive is a moot point. Even if you awaken and even if you enter the battle with the other champions, you will die along with the rest of them. All because of your actions.' Shazam turned away from Teth Adam at that moment, but the words that left Adam's lips next were words that the wizard never expected him to speak.

"You are right." Stunned, Shazam turned his head to look at Adam, who was looking down at his only hand with sorrow in his eyes. "I am the cause of the end of this world, in more ways than one. I have caused pain, hatred and suffering to take over a world of kindness, love and compassion. I am the reason all of this is happening. All...because of me."

Shazam turned around fully to look at Adam, not sure what to make of the false champion's words. "I have caused so much pain; taken so much. It is fitting that one as powerful as I should spend his final moments powerless to stop the monster that he helped to create. Perhaps, only through my death can I atone for what I have wrought upon this land. But I know that whether I can win or not, I must aid the champions in this battle."

'If you go into this battle again, in the shape that you are in, there is no doubt that you will die,' Shazam warned Teth, but all his words did was get a smirk out of the man.

"I deserve no less. But if my death is the only way to atone for what I have done, and maybe...against all odds...it is able to aid the champions in their final battle...then so be it. I can accept death if it means that they can live," Teth said in a near whisper.

'No, my Beloved!' Both Shazam and Black Adam turned to see the ghostly form of Isis standing behind Teth Adam, hatred flashing in her eyes as she glared at Shazam. 'You cannot allow yourself to die! You are all that is left of the nation that you once ruled! Take the wizard's power once again and fly from this world! You may not be able to stop this creature here and now, but if you give yourself more time, then you will certainly find a way to prevail! But in order to do so you must live!'

Shazam opened his mouth to speak to the ghost, but Teth shook his head as he turned to face his wife, both sorrow and acceptance written clearly on his face. "No. Today is the day I accept my fate for what I have done. And it is also the day...that I truly let go of who I used to be," Teth said as he walked over to Isis, placing a hand upon her shoulder as he closed his eyes.

"I used to find comfort in you, believing that you were all I had left of the old world...of the old me. And I was right, but not in the way that I believed. You are all that is left of the me...the hatred, the desire to kill all who oppose me, and the monster that I used to be. But I refused to let you go, refused to let go of a ghost because I believed she was all that I had left of my old life. But now my eyes are opened, and I realize...that the old me, my old life, is not one worth holding any memory of. That if I truly wish to be the hero that they believe me to be...then I must be willing to give up all of myself."

"And that is all you are...a memory that I have to let go," Teth said weakly as he opened his eyes and looked into the raging fire of Isis's eyes, finally seeing that they were not the eyes of his beloved, but instead the eyes of who he used to be. And in that moment, the image of Isis vanished and was replaced with the dark clad thunderer--with Black Adam. "And now, only at the end, can I finally find the strength to do so. Because now...I finally see that my own life matters not. All that matters is saving them. So, I must be rid of all that holds me back, that makes me question my actions. For Black Adam cannot save this world...but he can still die for it."

'No, Teth! I will not allow myself to die because of your weakness! I will rise once again!' Black Adam roared as he lunged at Teth Adam, yet the moment his hand touched Teth's chest he exploded into a cloud of dust, a cloud that quickly vanished from sight as Adam let a single tear fall from his eye.

"No, there is only one way that this ends. And now, at the end, I can finally accept it." Teth then turned back to face the wizard, who peered into the face of his fallen champion to see that there was no anger nor the will to fight in his eyes. There was only acceptance of his fate. "Send me back, wizard. Send me back so that I may atone for what I have done and try to set it right."

Shazam remained silent for a long time, not knowing how to respond to what Teth Adam, the man who had wrought so much agony across time, was saying to him. Then, Shazam lifted his staff and pointed it at Adam's chest with what almost seemed like...regret in the old wizard's eyes.

'I mean what I said, Adam. I died to save your life. When you return to the world, you will only be able to access your original powers and nothing more. But are you certain that you wish to do this?' the wizard asked one last time. 'You could barely hold on to your life with my added power, but now that it is gone...there is no hope for you.'

"No, Shazam, this is my hope," Teth clarified with--for the first time in centuries--the voice of a hero. "Only by truly sacrificing everything for others can I have hope for redeeming myself. And as I said, if it means my death...then so be it." The old wizard nodded sadly before his eyes illuminated with power long forgotten, and with a roar of ancient words he unleashed a torrent of lightning into the chest of Adam, causing him to roar as the world spun around him before casting him back into reality.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Black Adam opened his eyes to find himself staring at a pure black sky, yet instead of the world around him being black, he also realized that the worried face of Luna and Celestia were looking down at him. As their faces turned to smiles, Adam also realized that he was still enchanted, for the black suit and the golden lightning bolt were still showing upon his body.

"Oh Teth, thank Faust you're alive!" Celestia cried out as she threw her arms around Teth's shoulders, holding him tight as he slowly sat up. He gradually took in his surroundings to see that he was lying in a small field that was stained with his blood, yet the loss of blood barely bothered him, because he turned his gaze skyward to see a monstrous beast that nearly covered all the sky. It was fighting five separate silver and gold lights, lights that barely seemed to glow in the face of such darkness.

"Teth...no," Celestia whispered when she glanced to see where Black Adam was looking, immediately knowing what he was thinking. "Luna and I barely managed to keep you from dying after the first time that monster hurt you, and I don't know if we'd be able to save your life a second time!"

"That is fine, Celestia, for I do not plan to return alive from this fight," Adam said quietly as he rose to his feet, gently pushing Celestia off of him while he looked up at the monster. "You were right about me, Luna. I am the reason all of this has happened. I took your friendship and turned it to hate. I took your love and turned it to fear. All that is wrong with this world...is because of me." Adam then turned his head to look at Luna, regret showing in his eyes.

"I wish that I could turn back time and stop myself from arriving on this world; from tearing you and your sister apart while plunging this land into war. But that is a feat that even I cannot achieve. So in penance for what I have done...I promise that I shall do all it takes to save you, even if I must die."

"No, Teth, there has to be another way!" Celestia screamed, tears streaming down her face as she tried to run to him, yet Adam held out his hand to keep her back.

"As for you, Celestia...I am so sorry. For so long you believed me to be a hero; believed that I had overcome the man that I was...but he never truly died. A little bit of him still resided inside of me after all these years," Adam admitted before giving her a courageous smile. "But that changes today. Today, let me show you that your faith in me was not misplaced. Today, I shall show you that I have become the hero you wished for me to be...no matter the cost."

"But you can't die!" Celestia begged as her voice was choked with sobs. "I don't know what I'd do without you! I...I don't know if I can..." Adam smiled slightly and walked over to her, placing a hand on her cheek, getting her to look up at him.

"You are strong, Celestia, far stronger than I ever pretended to be. I know that even without me, you can help bring the world back together again," Teth said in a comforting tone before he turned his gaze skyward once again, watching as one of the silver lights was hurled into the ground below. "But now I must go. It is time for Black Adam to finally meet his end. Be strong, the both of you, and try to forget what tore you apart...that includes me."

Adam rocketed off into the sky as he said this, closing his ears so that he could not hear the words that Celestia yelled up at him. Instead he chose to narrow his eyes while he let loose a bellow of rage, releasing that rage into a column of thunder and lightning that illuminated the dark sky with a flash of lightning. He flew past four lights as he hurled his lightning into the side of the monster, causing it to roar as it turned and narrowed its eyes at him, almost as if it were saying that it was surprised that he was alive.

"Adam?" Captain Marvel asked from beside the Dark God, looking at him in confusion before the both of them flew off to the side to avoid the onslaught of darkness that was cast down upon both of them. "What are you doing...oh gods, your arm! Adam, you can't-"

"If you have time to worry about me, then you have time to focus on the fight before you!" Adam roared at Billy as another torrent of darkness was hurled at Adam, but to his surprise a silver monster with golden veins placed itself between him and the darkness, slicing a path in the darkness that caused it to split to the sides and avoid the two.

"Got to admit, was beginning to wonder what had happened to you," Hulk snarled as he and Adam flew to the side to avoid another torrent of darkness, Hulk looking at Adam's missing arm quickly before looking into Adam's eyes, where the Hulk was able to read what Adam was thinking almost immediately. "So...that's your decision then?"

"It is all I can do," Black Adam responded. Hulk nodded before the two of them split up to avoid the next wave of attacks, forcing Adam next to Trixie where they all heard Batmare bellow orders over the silence caused by the dark waves.

"Billy! Hulk! Get to either side of that monster and see if you can keep it distracted. Bubbles, spin that drill for all you are worth and prepare to punch a hole through the center of that thing! I want to see it bleed!" Batmare then turned her gaze to where Adam and Trixie were, giving them both a motion to join her before she continued her plan. "You two, with me! We're going to be going for the eyes! Wonder if it can fight while being as blind as a bat?"

As she said this she created batarangs of divine silver and hurled them at the monster, with Trixie and Adam following suit as they each hurled their own brand of magic at the monster. Yet to Adam's internal pain, while the batarangs and the golden bolts of magic had a visible effect on the monster when they punched a couple of holes in it, his own lightning was only absorbed by the monster and used to repair the damage done.

"SHAZAM!" Marvel roared with divine thunder, summoning down the divine lightning to pierce through the monster's darkness, illuminating the sky once again from a brief moment before the roar of the Hulk drowned out the rumbling of the thunder.

"SMASH! Hulk bellowed as he delivered twin fists to the back of the monstrosity that nearly shattered the planet beneath them. For the first time, they heard the beast of destruction roar out in either pain or rage, before it swung its tail and struck the Hulk down, sending him through the mountain. It then bellowed its darkness upon Trixie and Batmare, who were both consumed in darkness while Adam just barely managed to hurl himself to the side to avoid the blast.

Finally, the monster rounded on Billy, who summoned a sphere of lightning so powerful within his grasp that the entire world trembled beneath its might. With a roar that shook even Adam, he hurled the sphere towards the monster, blasting away the darkness as the sphere created a light that would not be extinguished. But to the horror of all who were watching, the monstrosity created a portal into the darkness that swallowed the sphere whole. Then with a smile, it created another portal behind the Captain from which the sphere came flying back through.

Marvel roared in agony as his own magic struck him in the back, sending divine lightning coursing through his own body. As the lightning storm came to an end, Marvel went limp and slowly began to fall towards the surface below, yet he had hardly begun to fall before the monstrosity rounded on him. It opened its gaping maw as far as it could while summoning all of its dark power, preparing to end the champion.

"NO!" Black Adam roared while he hurled himself forward with all of his godly speed, barely managing to place him between Captain Marvel and the blast of unyielding darkness. For a brief second every cell in his body screamed out in agony as the darkness consumed him, but a moment later he neither felt nor sensed anything. The darkness had completely pierced through his body and pretty much killed him. All he had left to do was realize that he was dead. He didn't hear Captain Marvel cry out his name while he began to fall, nor did he feel the darkness that continued to tear into his body. All he knew was that it was finally over for him.

'That was quite a display. Very noble, if I must say.'

Adam wasn't sure how he heard the voice, since he could hear nothing else, but there was no mistaking that somepony was somehow talking to him. Adam was then vaguely aware that he had stopped falling, but he wasn't certain if that was because he was dead or someone had caught him.

'Yes, you must be quite the guy, if so willingly are you to die.'

'Who are you?' Adam weakly asked.

'But to give your life for one you called foe? To your pride that must be quite the blow,' the voice continued, ignoring the question. 'Care to tell me why you did such an act? Or are you ready to finally feel the impact?'

'Because for so long I believed myself to be the champion--to be the one that would save the worlds,' Black Adam admitted, almost as if he were confessing his sins. 'But now I know I truly am a false champion; that Billy was the true hero all along. He was worthy of the power of Shazam, a power that I should have never known. Because I have brought so much death and pain with it, whereas he has risked all, time and time again without any thought for himself. He could not be allowed to die. He is one of the champions that will save this world. But me...as long as they can save the world, I will die for them.'

'Have you not saved the world, funny guy? So why must it be you that has to die?'

'Because I am not a champion. I am a failure. But for so long I could not admit that, and I believed myself to be the hero that so many thought that I was,' Black Adam admitted as he felt his conscious begin to leave his body for the final time. 'But maybe, through this one act of true selflessness, perhaps I can finally accept who I am. I can accept death.' To Adam's confusion, he began to hear laughter at his words.

'A very interesting response and very true...you know what, I think I like you.'

A massive explosion of magic went off in the sky, causing both champions and monster to turn towards the column of divine magic. For in the center of the magic was a man in a golden suit, with a silver lightning bolt upon his chest and that same silver energy rushing through his suit. He opened his eyes to find himself supercharged with power, a power that had healed his wounds. But as he looked down at his stomach, he found that he was now wearing a belt with an icy heart in the center of it. But in a moment, the ice exploded to reveal a golden heart crackling with electrical power.

"This...this cannot be," he whispered to himself as he looked at the power, a power that was stronger and more pure that what he remembered the stolen power of the wizard had felt like. The power was calm, peaceful, and yet he felt happiness flow through his body, a happiness that he could not remember having felt before with power. For the first time since he had ever uttered the word, he felt like a hero again. He felt like a champion.

'Oh, do not worry, my choice is clear. Only in your final moments did what I seek appear,' the mysterious voice said to him before turning his head towards the monster. 'Now, go fight this battle and put an end to this dance. For it is time for you to save the world...'

'My Champion of Acceptance.'

One Last Act

Adam was far too stunned by what had happened to him to try and muster an answer, but when he heard a shrieking wail followed by a blast of darkness that slammed into his back, his senses came back to him. Yet he did not turn around to face his foe right away and instead closed his eyes while clenching his hands together, a small smile crossing his face.

'Another chance. They are giving me another chance, despite me not deserving one,' Adam silently thought to himself before he turned with divine thunder rumbling through him like a lightning storm as he turned to look up at the monster of destruction. 'I have failed so many times, done so much wrong that I wish I could undo. But I have been given one last chance to save all I care about. So this time, just this once...let me be truly worthy of the title of 'hero'!'

Adam hurled himself towards the monster, letting bolts of lightning fly from his hand as he did so. A smile crossed his face as he watched the bolts tear into the darkness and cause the monstrosity to roar in rage and agony. Yet the momentary victory that Adam held was lost, when the monster unleashed another blast of darkness that Adam failed to avoid, causing him to roar in pain as he was consumed.

'What is this? I thought that this infernal Element would protect me from the darkness?' Adam roared within his mind, yet when he heard another chuckle, he knew that he was no longer alone in his own mind.

'You are still alive, are you not? This is the power for which you have fought,' the voice rang throughout his mind. 'But do not think yourself immune to harm, or else you are in for one hell of an alarm. The Element protects you from dying in one hit, but too much darkness will cause you to submit. Now enough talking and get back in the fight. There is one more whose fire I must ignite!'

The voice vanished as soon as it finished speaking, but for a brief moment Adam saw what he thought to be a zebra flicker past his field of view. He shook his head and turned his attention back into the fight, looking up to see that Trixie and Marvel had combined their powers to force the darkness to avoid striking him down.

"How nice of you to join us again," Trixie growled at Adam when he moved out of the way, allowing the champions to drop the shield and let the wave of darkness shoot by them.

"Black Adam...you're one of the champions?" Marvel whispered with shock as Adam looked down at his hand, clenching it with strength flashing in his eyes.

"Apparently. But I am no longer...Black Adam," Adam said with a small shake of his head. "Black Adam was a murderer, a monster and a selfish fool who thought himself a god. If I am to truly start over, then I must cast off that name. 'Teth' will do for now, Batson. Now come, let us put an end to this darkness."

As he said this, Batmare, Bubbles and Hulk rocketed over to the group, all taking in the fact that Adam had been chosen. But upon getting close to one another, they all felt a newfound power course through their veins and caused their light to burn brighter than would have been possible on their own.

"So, we've got the final piece, huh?" Batmare asked with a smile as she and the other five champions turned their heads to look up at the monster blocking out the sun. Yet, it seemed to be hesitant to get closer to the six divine lights. "Then I think it's finally time to put an end to this, once and for all. Adam, think you can work with Marvel for once?" Teth looked over at Captain Marvel and both of them nodded, answering Batmare's question.

"Alright then, team, here's the plan. I have a hunch that if we combine the Elements much like how Rainbow Dash and the others did, we'll be able to access the power needed to defeat this thing. However," Batmare muttered as she turned her head to look at where the strange machine rested upon the castle turret, where a beam of darkness was still erupting from the tip and into the monster, "if this thing keeps getting stronger and stronger, we'll need to cut off its power supply before we-"

She never got to finish, because the monster quickly swan dived down to where the machine rested, landing upon the castle of Canterlot and enveloping it and the city within darkness, roaring up at the six champions before thousands of red eyes appeared on its body. Within seconds, millions of little versions of the monster began to burst from the darkness and surge towards the six, who all braced themselves for the fight to come.

"New plan!" Batmare called out as she kicked one of the little monsters in the face, blasting it apart. "Find a way into the darkness and try to destroy the power source! If this thing keeps getting stronger, then there might be no way to keep it down!"

Adam and Marvel sliced through the advancing forces without so much as slowing down, both of them unleashing torrents of lightning into both the swarm of darkness and into the massive monstrosity that covered the entire city of Canterlot. Yet, to both of their annoyance, despite the blast of Elemental magic actually damaging the creature, in the next moment the wounds were quickly healed.

'The Champion of Integrity is correct. It seems that whatever magic Star-Swirl is perverting, it is fueling the End,' the voice of the alicorn said within Marvel's mind. 'With that much destruction magic fueling it, even the combined power of the Elements will struggle to overcome the darkness.'
'You must all find a way to either cut off the End from its power supply or destroy it completely before it gets too strong,' the voice of the changeling said from within Hulk's mind. 'For each moment it gets stronger, the world is the one that is the most affected.' Her words rang true, for in the next moment cracks filled with darkness began to erupt along the land around Canterlot, quickly reaching out across the land like fingers as they consumed and destroyed all that they touched.

'He is beginning to consume the whole world. If you have a plan, now would be the time to use it,' the Diamond Dog advised Batmare.

"HULK! ADAM! Hit that thing and hit it hard!" Batmare bellowed as Trixie blasted any of the End spawn away from her so that Batmare could rocket to where Mr. Bubbles was fighting off hundreds of the spawn. "Trixie! You and Marvel see if you can use your magic to keep that thing's darkness from killing anypony or taking any more cities! Bubbles! You're with me! Let's see if your drill can punch a hole through that darkness and plunge us into that dark hell!"

Hulk and Adam roared in unison as they hurled themselves down towards the head of the End, Adam grabbing hold of the Hulk and spinning him until they built up enough force to create a cyclone. With one last turn, Adam then released Hulk and threw the gamma bomb right into the head of the End, where he exploded with divine light upon impact. The End roared with hellacious fury and pain, but it refused to move as it slammed its head into the Hulk and knocked him back into the sky.

"Damn, that was one of my strongest punches," Hulk growled once Adam had caught him.

"It seems that it shall take more than superior magic or strength to fell this foe," Adam reasoned with a growl of his own before he roared and hurled Hulk towards the End one more time.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Der ragan duran SHAZAM!" Marvel roared down below, as he and Trixie combined their magics into one of the cracks that was tearing apart the planet, watching with smiles on their faces as the darkness in the crack dissipated and it quickly sealed itself shut. "Alright, we got one of them! This shouldn't be too hard!" But as he said this, three more cracks erupted around them and began to lance towards Ponyville.

"Just had to open your mouth, didn't you?" Trixie shot at Marvel before the both of them rocketed to where the cracks were heading. They managed to seal two more before one of the chasms tore apart the center of the town, where only the speed of Mercury managed to prevent any lives from being lost to the darkness of destruction.
"Darn it Billy, this isn't working! For every one that we seal, two more take its place!"

"Keep trying! We're the only ones who can save the world!" Marvel roared back while saving another group of ponies in a flash of lightning.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Eight crimson eyes illuminated the darkness as Mr. Bubbles punched through it with his drill, driving both himself and Batmare deeper and deeper into the End. They were the only source of light within all of its body, meaning that they could barely see where they were going. Yet, they occasionally caught a glance at a building in Canterlot that they passed by or through on their way to the castle.

"Keep going, Mr. B., we've got to be getting close," Batmare ordered to the Big Daddy from atop its head as she looked around for the castle. Mr. Bubbles let out a moan in response while he kept plowing forward, but with a roar of surprise he found that he hit something that his drill could not punch through. Batmare looked down at the sudden stop before a blast of darkness erupted from whatever they had hit and sent them hurtling back the way they had came.

Bubbles roared with fury as his arm reached out and managed to grab hold of the edge of the darkness, but another blast separated his hand from the End's body and sent the two flying back up into the sky. Adam rocketed over and caught them, all three of them watching as the hole they had made sealed itself shut once again.

"It's no use. Every time we get close, somehow the machine manages to either expel us or point us in the wrong direction," Batmare snarled as columns of darkness erupted from the End and tore apart the sky as it tried to kill the four. They were forced to split apart to make it harder for the monster to kill them, yet they would have been caught for certain had Trixie and Marvel not arrived at that point to provide support, using their combined magic to push back the black darkness.

"So, how do we cut off its power source then?" Adam asked Batmare, who racked her brain as she struggled to think of a solution.

"Just keep attacking! Maybe we can break through again," she ordered before diving down to attack once again, the other five following suit in a battle that grew more difficult with each passing moment.

\ //
//; ;\

'Ryan.'

The voice barely made itself known in the tidal wave of agony that washed across the human's conscious, making it nearly impossible for him to focus on the voice for more than a second before a massive wave of pain crushed him once again. He hadn't moved since Star-Swirl had smashed his brain into the steel floor, laying in his own blood with his eyes half open while he bled out.

'Ryan.'

He didn't know why, but when the voice spoke to him again he felt his lip twitch a bit, almost as if he was trying to snarl every time he heard the voice. For a brief moment, he felt anger surge through his body, but it was quickly extinguished by another flash of pain. Yet despite the pain, he was just conscious enough to register a hoof place itself next to his head while the faint sounds of laughter could be heard through the pain.

'My, my, to think that you had made it this far despite not being one of the chosen ones. I cannot begin to say how proud of you I am,' a voice spoke in his mind, getting Ryan to full-on snarl despite barely registering what was going on. 'Yet, the day still needs to be saved and even if the sixth champion has been found, you still have your part to play, my student.'

"Damned...zebra..." he barely blurted out, getting him another laugh.

'I remember how helpless you were when I first aided you. Yet, as your knowledge grew so did your stubbornness. That very same stubbornness is why you are still alive now, suffering from wounds that would have killed most other foes,' the voice of a zebra he knew all too well echoed in his mind. 'But what you have done since I have last seen you...makes me truly proud to call you, my student. Fighting off the Hulk, tackling forces that would have killed you in a heartbeat and never abandoning the good fight...you have grown strong, my student, far stronger than I believed somepony like you could ever become.'

'But there is still one last task that only you can do. Only you can stop Star-Swirl, here and now,' the voice of "Zecora" said to him, barely getting him to stir. 'And if anypony else were trying to get you back up, they would tell you to be the hero, to pick yourself up and use the last of your courage and strength to defeat this foe, no matter how hopeless it looks.' The zebra then burst into a storm of laughter when Ryan barely budged at her words, before a smile cracked across her divine face.

'But I know you far better than that. I know that no amount of talk about hope or duty will get you up. That's not how that twisted mind of yours works. So what are you waiting for, you weak piece of trash?' the zebra asked with scorn in her voice, despite a smile illuminating her face. 'Billions of lives are in danger because this machine still fuels the End, millions of lives that might die because you're too busy lying on your ass. So what are you going to do, oh, 'Great Survivor'? Are you going to lie there and let this world die just as yours did? Or are you actually going to do something for once in your life, and get up?! Come on, pick your ass up one more time!'

For a brief moment the zebra saw rage flicker in Ryan's eyes, getting her to chuckle as she backed up.

'That's what I thought.'

Star-Swirl had been watching the battle from within the machine, watching as the champions failed to keep the End down on one screen, while watching the darkness rip apart the planet on many others. He knew that it didn't matter how hard the champions fought, for as long as he continued to fuel the very destruction of the planet into the End, it would have unlimited power that could crush any foe. He had won.

"Hey...jackass..." With a chilling in his heart that he had no idea was still beating, the ancient unicorn turned to see a hooded human with a backpack coat shakily getting up to his feet, with half of his black coat painted red with his own blood. But as Star looked into his eyes, he saw that the fire within them had not been extinguished, but instead it burned with the same silver light as the six champions that fought the darkness.

"No...I killed you! You have lost far too much blood to be able to move, let alone stand!" Star-Swirl roared at Ryan, only to get a weak chuckle out of the human as he began to drag his bloody carcass towards the unicorn.

"Please...I've been...getting my ass kicked...for so long...that it's easier for me...to get back up...than it is to breath," Ryan panted out as he reached back and drew his divine baton, letting its power illuminate the dark machine one last time as he swung it and pointed it at the pony's chest. "And if Discord, the mare...and that damn zebra couldn't kill me, what in the infernal hell makes you think that a racist jackass would be able to!"

Ryan lunged at Star-Swirl the moment he finished speaking, catching the unicorn off guard since he never expected the bleeding-out human to move so quickly. Ryan slammed into the side of Star-Swirl and tackled him to the floor, where the unicorn retaliated with a blast of magic to the chest that burned clean through the human's coat, but to Star-Swirl's horror the human held on, a wicked smile still upon his face before he drove the baton into Star's chest.

Both combatants roared in pain as electricity flooded through their nerves, but despite the lightning tearing apart his body, Ryan reached out with his free hand towards the red button upon the machine, his fingertips just touching it before Star-Swirl kicked him off.

"What...do you think you're doing?" Star-Swirl panted with a smirk while Ryan shakily pushed himself back to a standing position, eyeing the red button while also keeping his baton in front of him. Star followed his gaze with a smirk before the unicorn walked over to the button and pushed it himself, to Ryan's confusion. But after a moment when nothing happened, Ryan looked at Star-Swirl with realization.

"There's no off switch, is there?" Ryan asked, getting a smirk in response. "You're...truly a sick bastard to the end. You...want everything to be destroyed, don't you?"

"Until there is nothing left," Star-Swirl laughed before grabbing hold of Ryan's throat with his magic, yanking the human over to his face before swatting the baton out of Ryan's hands with one of his hooves, leaving Ryan helpless as Star-Swirl started to choke the life out of him. "I built this machine knowing full well that the six Elements would be gathered. That's how it works, isn't it? No matter how hard we "villains" try, the heroes always manage to unlock the power needed to beat us. But not this time. This time, I made sure there was no chance of my plan failing! Everything shall be destroyed! Pony, human and anything else in-between!" Star gloated as Ryan began to feel his conscious leave him once again.

"But things like you are the worse. No magic, no wings and hardly any skill whatsoever. You're only purpose in life is to be a burden to all who actually have talent," Star-Swirl said with a smirk. "You are not anything special. You are not even a champion. You are an annoyance that I have allowed to bother me for far too long. Now then, pest, any last words before I crush you to death?"

"Two, actually. The first is that Banner was wrong. It seems at the end of the day, I just couldn't accept the fact that I couldn't save my world. It will always be that one bit of me that will never heal. I just can't be a champion like them," Ryan admitted weakly as his arms hung limp to the side. Then, in a flash of movement, he whipped something out of his backpack and cranked its dial up to "Oh, fuck no" before he stuffed it into Star-Swirl's mouth, kicking the unicorn in the head to release the grip on his throat. The moment Ryan touched the floor he clapped his hands around Star-Swirl's mouth, a wicked smirk filled with evil spreading on his face as he glared into Star-Swirl's eyes. "And I guess that's because I'm not afraid to damn my soul so that others can live! The second is that you should really keep your yap shut or else a psycho like me might shove an explosive down it! Tell me something Star-Swirl. You believe in hell? Because that's where we'll be vacationing together!"

Star-Swirl's eyes widened in shock the moment Ryan spoke as the human kicked him back, yet in that instance when his horn began to glow, a devastating explosion went off within the unicorn's skull. The combination of the explosion and the magic Star-Swirl had been summoning created an even larger explosion that tore through both the machine and the human. Ryan was hurled across the machine as blood and pieces of machinery scattered across the room, the human barely catching a glimpse of the explosion tearing apart the machine that was fueling the End before everything began to collapse.

"Ha...suck on...that...you damned racist," Ryan chuckled with victory before he realized that the whole machine was exploding around him, getting him to curse as a chunk of ceiling just barely missed his head. He then looked over to see a headless Star-Swirl collapse to the floor, getting a smirk out of Ryan before the human began to stir. "Alright, time to get out of here! Wait a moment, why aren't my legs...?" Ryan answered his own question when he looked down to see that two bloody stumps had replaced his legs, getting the human to groan as he let his head fall back.

"Well...shit...I can't even kick myself for being such a dumbass, now can I?" he said with one last smirk before he closed his eyes, not bothering to try to escape. But he opened his eyes once again as he felt the faintest traces of a magic he knew well lay across his chest, finding the silver mare lying on top of him, or at least, what was left of her. "The fuck are you doing mare?"

'I...will not let you die here!' she barely managed to cough out. 'I will...shield you as best I can.'

"Mare...Sunny...don't bother. It's pointless," Ryan muttered.

'No, it is not! You have done so much for me--helped me so much that I will not abandon you here!' she roared with conviction, but all it did was get a sigh out of Ryan.

"No, dammit...it's pointless because...you're transparent. The fuck is shielding me with your body going to do when these pieces of machinery will go right through you?" The mare went silent at his words as the machine continued to collapse upon itself.

'I am so sorry. I wish...that I could do more.'

"Don't sweat it. At the very least, I know that I'm going someplace warm when I die. I hate the cold."

'That's a lie.'

"Damn right it is."

Anything else the two said to each other was lost in an explosion that tore apart the whole castle, causing a brilliant flash of light to shine in the pit of the End's stomach. For a brief moment, the End tore its attention away from the battle to see that nothing had been left of the machine that had fueled it, be it the Sphere of Destruction, the Sphere of Creation, or a certain asshole whose luck had finally run out.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"What in the name of the gods was that?" Adam asked as all six champions witnessed a massive explosion of light erupt from within the heart of the End, getting the creature to turn, in an attempt to see what had happened.

"That explosion looked like...it went off where the machine was!" Batmare called out to the others, her mind instantly realizing what that meant...but also what they might have lost. But that knowledge was quickly cast aside because she decided that it was time to act. "ALRIGHT, final push! Adam! Marvel! Hit him with everything you've got! Hulk! Time to live up to your name! Get him off the ground! Trixie, with me! And Bubbles...prepare for the finale!"

None of the five questioned her orders as they each began to carry them out, each of the six flying off to their positions. Adam and Marvel both called down the power of the word at once, sending the Elementally fueled lightning bolts down into the End and watching with smiles on their faces as the lightning bolts tore open two huge holes in the monster that did not heal.

The End roared with fury at the two heroes, but in the next moment its attention was taken away from the pair as it felt itself being lifted by a force as powerful as it was. A quick turn of its head brought the Hulk within its field of view. Hulk was now lifting up the creature with everything he had. Then, with a bellow that shook the cosmos, Hulk threw the End with all of his might, hurling the monster off of Canterlot and into the sky above the land.

"NOW! Group up!" Batmare ordered. In a moment, all six champions were next to one another, each of them nodding to each other with understanding as they all knew what came next. Linking hooves, hands or a drill, they each began to channel each other's magic into the Elements, causing divine rainbow lights to channel among the group, illuminating the six with a brilliance the likes of which had never been seen before. For alone the Elements were powerful, but only together did they truly shine.

The End shielded its face as the divine light beamed down upon it before the monster roared in defiance, but for the first time since they started fighting the beast, did they finally hear fear in the monster's roar.

"Only now, at the end, does it truly realize what it was up against," Adam said with a smile while the power of the six combined, creating a hexagon of pure, ultimate magic that dispersed the darkness across the land, forcing the End to see the light once again.

"Time to put an end to this," Marvel said as he and the others pointed their arms at the monster. The power of six joined into one and a divine cannon filled with rainbow light erased all of the darkness that entered its path, forcing the End to unleash all of its dark power to try and stop the advancing attack. But even the ultimate being of destruction could not push back the power of the greatest of champions, and the darkness was shattered in one mighty strike before the beam of magic consumed the End itself. The beast roared as its very darkness was blasted away from its body, turning the monster into an ashen grey as it shrunk down to the size of an Ursa.

"NOW! While it's weakened!" Batmare roared while she hurled herself forward, pulling out twin divine batarangs as she pierced through one of the End's wings. Trixie followed suit with a roar of fury while she created a spear of true magical might from the tip of her horn that tore through the End's other wing. Hulk bellowed as he slammed his two feet into the End's chest, the force of his impact knocking the damaged wings right off of the creature's body. Adam and Marvel shot around to the top of the creature, where they each charged their fists with divine lightning before hurling themselves down towards the End, striking it dead on the top of its skull and back down towards the ground below where Bubbles waited.

As Bubbles lifted his eight eyes towards the monster falling towards him, he thought of all who had lost their lives, all the little pony sisters and brothers that he had loved and cared for during his life. And how this monster, this creature, had wanted to kill all of them for no purpose. And that made Daddy very angry. So with a roar that put the Hulk to shame, Mr. Bubbles lifted his drill into the air, channeling all of his power into the drill, enhancing it to unbelievable levels as the drill grew ten times bigger and shone with a golden color.

Bubbles then hurled himself skyward towards the End, his drill spinning with such speed and power that it looked like a cosmos was spinning on the end of it. With one last roar, he drove the drill into the chest of the End, the divine magic in his drill allowing him to tear right through the darkness and destruction. And then, with one last push, he pierced through both the End and the heavens with his drill, breaking the End into thousands of little pieces.

"And now...to END IT! NABU MEDRA SHAZAM!" Adam bellowed, unleashing a fury of lightning the likes of which the world had never and would never see again as black clouds swarmed the skies, causing thousands of bolts of lightning to strike down all of the pieces that had been created, blasting them into nothingness.

"Did we...win?" Trixie asked as the thundering lightning came to an end, allowing the sun to shine down through a bright blue sky onto the land bellow. The six watched as the cracks caused by the End slowly began to heal themselves, but Adam shot forward and caught a small, black sphere before it had fallen too far. The six floated over to Adam, who looked at the sphere with a look of uncertainty.

"So, what do we do with this? Because I vote to smash it," Hulk chimed as he tightened his fists, but Adam shook his head.

"No. There must always be destruction and death. That is a natural part of things," Adam said before floating the sphere in front of the group as he motioned them to join together again. "But that does not mean that the power cannot be sealed away. And with the silver sphere no longer...it is best that we seal it away once again." With another flash of rainbow magic, the six trapped the black sphere within a prism of rainbow light where the darkness could not be seen. Adam took the sphere as Batmare gave him a look.

"You said something about the silver sphere no longer being with us," she continued for him. "So does that mean...Ryan." In a moment, all six of the champions were at a spot where a giant pile of metal rested upon the ground, each of them looking in desperation for their ally, despite their powers telling them that there was no one there. But it was only when Hulk found Ryan's remains, a bloody hand with only one finger on it, that they truly accepted what had happened.

"I cannot sense the mare's magic nor the weapon that Ryan wielded," Adam informed the group with bitter sorrow. "It seems...they are gone."

"So...the survivor and the mare died together, huh?" Hulk asked before he shrunk back down into Banner, who looked around at the destroyed machinery with a sad smile. "But since he destroyed this place, and I know it was him, he helped us gain the upper hand against the End. Guess you finally found that little bit of hero within you, huh Ryan?"

All six of the champions then sighed in relief as the magic of the Elements left them, returning them to their normal forms. They felt pangs of sorrow for the loss of their comrade, but as they looked around at the blue sky and the restored landscape, and with Adam and Marvel being able to hear celebrating ponies off in the distance, they felt a sense of peace finally wash over them.

"Come. We must tell Celestia and Luna what has happened...and decide the fate of Equestria," Adam said as he ascended, getting a nod from the other five as they followed him, all except for Banner, who turned his head to look back to where the hand lay.

'Thank you, Ryan...for showing me that humanity will always fight for good in the end, even if that person is the last one on Earth.' Banner then closed his eyes for a brief moment before changing back into the Hulk and following his team back to where the others were.

A Better Tomorrow

Despite having fought the End of all things in a battle that had shaken the entire planet to the core, the six champions managed to repair most of the damage done with their combined powers in a manner of days. What they could not repair, however, were the lives lost or those who had been consumed by the darkness due to Star-Swirl's machine, a fact that caused Mr. Bubbles a good deal of pain.

But despite the repairs to the land being achieved in a few days with the power of Harmony, word of what happened spread even faster than that, because all manner of beings learned what the six champions had done. Word had also spread about the cloaked unicorns, and Celestia and Luna, working together, had informed the land about the End of Days and how they had been the ones responsible for driving the rulers apart--and for most of the hardships that had plagued the land.

"At least it's finally over now," Luna said to the six champions, all of them standing in the science wing where Celestia used to keep the Phantom Zone generator. Now, it was instead home to what was left of the machine that Star-Swirl had used to power the End to incredible heights. "I will still need to give a proper explanation to my forces about what happened, but for now they are content knowing that the war is over."

"I am just amazed that the casualties were...not as bad as they could have been," Batmare said with as much positive light as she could muster, yet from the faces of her allies she could tell that they weren't thinking along the same lines. "Most of the casualties came from the other side when Star-Swirl fed his forces to the machine. Heck, we only really...lost two."

"Yes, but now Celestia is heartbroken again," Adam said softly as he looked at the remains of the machine that had taken both Ryan and Sunnysmile's lives. "To finally have her daughter back...only to lose her again...I doubt that she will be fit to rule for a long while."

"Yeah, can't say I blame her," Banner said with a sigh before he looked around at the other champions and Luna. "So...what do we do now?" he asked, finally putting out the question that all of the other members had been thinking. "Is this it? We've saved the day, beat the bad guy; so now do we just...go back to our own realities?" His mind was on his own version of Equestria. "Hell, can we even go back without the silver mare?"

"We created a machine that allowed me to transport through reality. It will get all of you home," Adam informed the five before looking off into the distance, frowning slightly as sorrow filled his eyes. "Continue on without me, I must go check up on something." The one-armed god flew out of the room and vanished with a rumble of thunder, leaving the others to share looks of concern.

"I'll go after him," Billy said, calling down the word before flying off to where Adam had been heading.

"To answer your question, Banner, I guess that, yes we do just go home now," Batmare said as she brought the conversation back on track. "I mean, what else could we do here? We've stopped the war, brought the princesses back together and stopped the End and Star-Swirl. What more can we do?"

"We may have stopped the war, but there are still wounds caused by over five years of fighting that won't go away just because peace is restored," Trixie added, having dealt with wounds that never healed. "And the ponies will look to their heroes to help them in this time of confusion and anger. So, shouldn't we be there for them?"

"But what about our own lives?" Banner put forward as he sunk his head onto his chest. "We've still got our own world to return to, our own realities to protect. I know that Trixie got into contact with her family, but what about the rest of ours? Do they even know we're still alive? We've been in this world over a month now without any way to communicate with those we care about. Shouldn't we get home and show them that we're all still alive?"

"Yes." The four turned to look at Luna, who had her head hung low. "I know what it is like to be separated from your family for long periods of time, wondering if they are alright or even still alive. And even in my enraged state, I still missed the day when Celestia and I could play and talk like we used to." Luna then turned to face the four at this point, a sad smile on her face. "Leave restoring the ponies to me and my sister...and possibly Adam, if he does not leave us." The words came as a shock to the four and were not lost on Luna, who could read what they were all thinking based on their faces.

"You all saw it for yourselves. Adam is a changed man now. A man who strives to be the hero that all the ponies believe him to be. And that is why I have a feeling that he will not be with us much longer," Luna said sadly as she turned towards where he and Captain Marvel had flown off to. "If I'm not mistaken, he is probably saying his goodbyes right now."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Adam descended next to Celestia in a place where he knew she would be, a place that they had both visited many a times in the past years. It was a small hill on the outskirts of Canterlot, with a single tree providing shade for the eight gravestones that rested there. There had only been one change in the last five years; now there was a small, wooden cross to symbolize where another ally had fallen. Celestia was sitting in front of one of the older gravestones, one by which Adam had spent many hours before sitting with her.

"The gods are cruel, Teth," Celestia softly whispered to her friend as he placed his hand upon her shoulder, bowing his head in respect to those who lay there, before looking down at Celestia. "I get my daughter and sister back, but end up losing my daughter in the same day. Will this curse of mine ever be lifted?"

"At the very least, she made peace with us before she died," Adam said softly, Celestia nodding her head bitterly at his words. "You raised her well, Celestia. If not for her sense of justice and her desire to help, the world as we know it would probably be gone right now."

"It was a hero's death, but that still doesn't change the fact that I want my daughter back," Celestia growled weakly, but then she turned her head to look up at Adam with eyes that had come to a decision. "When everything gets back to normal, or as normal as it can get, I will not be taking up the crown again." Adam placed his hand upon her cheek as she said this, expecting her to say something along those lines. "Luna can rule or maybe we'll create a new alicorn, but I cannot take it any more. But I sense that you have something that you wish to say to me as well?"

"...Yes. I am here...to say farewell." Celestia stepped back as if Adam had just punched her in the throat, her eyes going wide with surprise and fear as Adam turned to see Captain Marvel floating towards them, Adam's eyes remaining emotionless as the Captain landed in front of him.

"Care to tell me where you're going then?" Marvel asked Adam as he crossed his arms.

"I will...be returning to Earth--my Earth, in your custody," Adam said before speaking the magic word and returning himself to Teth Adam.

"But why?!" Celestia half-shrieked as Adam took a step towards Marvel, but Celestia grabbed hold of him with her magic and pulled him back over to her, where she wrapped her wings around Adam and glared at Marvel. "I will not let you leave as well! I have lost too much to lose you too! What will I do if you are not there to protect me...to be with me! How can I-?"

"Celestia," Adam said in one of his most serious tones, getting Celestia to snap out of her grief and look at Adam's face. She silently released him a moment later, yet she hung her head with tears falling down her face. "Before I went into the battle with the End, I promised that was the day that Black Adam died. And he did. The man who would not own up to his mistakes, who would not accept the consequences of his actions, perished in that battle. I am he no longer," Adam said as he held out his wrist to Marvel, getting the Captain to look at him with surprise.

"I have committed many an atrocity, both on this world and my Earth. It is time that I answered for my crimes. That is why I am entrusting this to you, Batson, because you are the true champion of the wizard. You will do what is right." Marvel looked down at Adam with confused eyes, before he looked over at Celestia who was doing her best to hide her pain. Marvel then lowered his head onto his chest, losing himself in thought for nearly ten minutes. When he finally did lift his head again, there was a smirk on it that confused Adam.

"You're right. Black Adam has many crimes that he needs to answer for and should answer for. But unfortunately, he died in the battle with the End and I can't exactly bring a dead man before a court," Marvel said with a smile as both Adam's and Celestia's eyes went wide as they realized what he was doing.

"Marvel...Billy...I must atone for what I have done! I must face punishment for-"

"You've lost your arm, lost your nation, lost the children you swore to protect, failed Shazam and nearly lost your whole world," Captain Marvel said with certainty in what he was deciding. "I think that you have more than paid the price for whatever actions you have committed. And even if you don't believe you did, then this is the time to redeem yourself. You said that Black Adam died? Then, now is the time to prove it. Prove to me that you can change. Prove it to all of them."

Both Adam and Celestia looked at Marvel with both shocked and touched eyes as Marvel knelt down next to Ryan's grave, gently placing his hand upon the dirt and causing a number of flowers to spring forth. "Besides, we've all lost too much for me to deal with another sad ending. Not to mention that a lot of the ponies here still depend on you and look up to you," Marvel added with a quick nod towards Celestia. "If you want to help make it up to me--what you've done--then help me and the others get home. But I'm sick of pain."

Marvel turned and ascended into the sky as he said this, leaving both an awestruck Adam and a relieved Celestia behind him. Adam then smirked for a brief moment before he leaned his head back to call down the word, but before he could, Celestia tackled him to the ground and held him tightly, making sure that she never let him go again.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Those who were attuned to magic could feel space and time tearing apart before them, creating the portal that stood before them a moment later. Adam had taken the six champions to where he had traversed across reality, a large facility in the middle of a desert. The moment that the portal had been opened, Adam then ordered out the ponies working there so he could speak with the other champions one last time.

"I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me and this world...nor can I ever apologize enough for what I put the six of you through due to my blindness," Adam said regretfully while he looked each of them in the eye, getting a nod from each champion in turn except for Bubbles. "But despite the harm that has been done, I am honored to have fought alongside each of you and call you all my allies."

"Huh, got to admit, it's weird not hearing a smart-ass remark after hearing something like that," Hulk pointed out with a sad sigh.

"He did what any of us would have done. He just did it better," Batmare said with a small smile before she looked back up at Adam again. "Don't think that this will be the last time you see us. We're all still connected by the power of the Elements, so if any of us are ever in danger, the other six will be there to help. No matter how far."

As she said this the portal reached its full power, showing within the swirling vortex an Equestria that looked similar to all the other ones that the six knew, but this one felt far more familiar to Billy. "Looks like this is my stop," Marvel said as he walked forward towards the portal, before stopping next to Adam and placing a hand upon his shoulder. "I'm glad that I was wrong about you, Adam. You really could be the hero that Shazam saw in you. If he were here now, I know that he would be proud of you."

"But he would be far more proud of you, Batson. You have shown time and time again why you were chosen to be the champion of magic," Adam said in reply, getting Marvel to nod.

"Well, don't be a stranger. Ever show up around my reality, stop by and say 'hello'. After all, we're family--in a twisted way."

"I would expect nothing less from us." Marvel saluted to Adam before hurling himself into the portal, vanishing out of reality in an instant. The others watched him go as Adam used his magic to adjust the portal, changing it to a world that resonated with the Hulk.

"This was fun," the jade giant said to Adam as he passed, punching him once in the shoulder and staggering the champion, getting a laugh out of Hulk. "Glad to see that the multiverse hasn't gotten soft on me since the last time I ran rampant across it. Like the kid said, you ever looking to talk, or better yet, to fight, stop by my world. Bet Twi would freak out at a being like you."

"If she is anything like mine, then I would expect nothing less." Hulk vanished into the portal a moment later with a roar, leaving Adam to once again change the coordinates through reality to an Equestria that seemed to look a bit more gothic than the others.

"This one will be ours," Batmare said as both she and Trixie stepped forward, getting Adam to raise one of his eyebrows.

"I did not know that the two of you came from the same reality."

"Well, you'd learn a lot more about us if you weren't trying to kill us every ten seconds," Trixie said with a smirk as Adam's face fell. "Also, can't say that I agree with the Hulk, as this has most certainly not been fun. Now if you'll excuse me, I have been away from my baby girl too long and I wish to cuddle with her once again."

"You...have a child?" Adam asked weakly, his heart going cold when he realized what he had almost done.

"Yup. Two of them. What, didn't know that about me?" Trixie would have gone on, but Batmare smacked her in the shoulder to get her to stop. Trixie rolled her eyes before diving into the portal, leaving Adam and Batmare.

"Look, that's all in the past now. Just be thankful that the death toll was as low as it was," Batmare said, yet Adam's face didn't change. "Got to admit though, it was interesting taking on one of the villains in my Dad's, "Do not fight" file and surviving. Ten to one he'll be pissed at me when he finds out."

"You are resourceful, cunning and every bit as annoying as Batman is. I think he will be proud of you," Adam said with a begrudging smirk.

"Aw thanks. I try my best." Batmare saluted before throwing herself into the vortex as well, leaving Adam to recalibrate it one last time as the last of the champions leaving stepped forward.

"Mr. Bubbles. I will not deny in saying that you are the strangest of the champions," Adam said to the eight eyed titan that looked at him with yellow eyes. "I never thought that a Big Daddy could be anything more than a slave, but it seems, that like me, there were no chains that could hold you down. I wish to thank you, for you were the one that revealed the truth to me...or at least, beat my skull in until I saw the truth."

Bubbles let out a moan that Adam couldn't place, before with an explosion of magic he took on his champion form once again. He then smacked Adam across the face with his drill and sent him flying across the room and through one of the walls. Adam pulled himself out of the rubble and had gotten to his feet in time to hear what sounded like laughter coming from the Big Daddy, before he returned to normal and walked through the portal, which closed behind him the moment he vanished.

"I deserved that," Adam admitted with a smirk before he walked over to the controls, letting out a sigh that he had been holding in ever since the war with Luna had begun as he turned off the interdimensional transporter, hopefully for the last time. He then headed for the exit, hope in his heart because he knew that his new days as a hero began then. And for the first time in eternity, he finally felt worthy of the name...hero.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

It pleased Celestia to see that the streets of Canterlot were once again filled with ponies that had happy smiles on their faces, with none of them having to worry about war or destruction once again...at least until the next ancient evil awakened and tried to take over their land.

'But that is a train of thought for another day,' she tiredly thought to herself as she bowed politely in return to a pair of ponies that bowed to her, none of them knowing that today was the last day of her rule. 'But as long as they are happy, then I don't care. It will take time to mend the wounds caused by the war and the End of Days, but as long as Luna and I work together, then it might just get done.'

Her walk through the city streets took her to all of the places where the most important battles had taken place, be it where the End of Days were betrayed by Star-Swirl, or where the champions made their final stand against the End. But the one place to which she had desired most to go, was where Sunny and Ryan had fallen, a place that she had not visited on purpose. Yet, she forced herself to the crumbled remains of the turret that had once housed the machine of the End, looking down at the rubble that had yet to be cleared away.

'I wish I could talk to you again, Sunny. I would give anything to share one more conversation with you,' Celestia sobbed in her mind as she closed her eyes with sorrow. 'I would tell you how sorry I am that I caused this war and gave into my desire for power. Or how sorry I am that I accidentally pushed you away, never giving you the chance to explain yourself...or how proud I am that you saved the world when all of us were unable to. I could not ask for a greater pair of daughters, but I wish that I could give my life in place of yours. And...against all odds...if you are still out there and alive...then know that I love you, and I always will, even after death. And maybe then, I will get to be with you and Radiance again.'

Celestia then turned away from the turret and walked back into the streets, planning on making sure that everything was safe, and that none of the End had managed to survive the battle. Yet, it had been when she was walking through one of the more abandoned areas that she heard a faint sobbing, pricking her ears up as she turned her head towards the crying. Curiosity got the better of her and she followed the sobs, until she came to a dirty cardboard box off in an alleyway. A quick flick of her hoof was enough to knock the box on its side, revealing to her a small foal.

Her eyes quickly saw that it had been out here a number of days and that the poor thing was half-starved, for she could see its ribs under its bluish coat. The colt, finally aware that somepony was looking at it, looked up to see Celestia looking down at him. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment while Celestia wondered what to do, as flashbacks of Radiance and Sunny ran across her mind. 'No, the pain would be too great. I will take it to an orphanage.'

She had made up her mind to do just that when the tiny foal reached out to her with its forearms, eyes pleading for her to hold it. Celestia's eyes went wide before she felt her heart begin to melt, getting her to sigh as she picked the foal up with her magic and placed it upon her back.

"You know what, screw it," she muttered as the foal curled up on her back, snoring softly a moment later. Celestia moved her wings so that the baby wouldn't fall before she walked back towards the castle, knowing that neither Adam nor her sister would believe this.

Home

Across Reality

Applebloom sighed lifelessly while she stared out the window at the sky, barely having the energy to utter that sigh. Her life had been terrible as of late. First, she lost Granny Smith to old age, and then Billy up and vanished into thin air without so much as a word.

'A month. He's been gone a month and ah haven't heard anything from him,' she whined silently as she flipped over on her bed and stared up at the ceiling, but it didn't hold the answers she sought. 'I know that it's probably hero business, but what kind of business would keep him away for a month without him at least checking in with us. He's okay...right? He's got to be.'

The teenage pony groaned as she once again flipped over, looking at the night sky out her window with sad eyes. 'Applejack and Big Mac are off on business; I don't feel ready to talk to my friends yet and the only person I could find comfort being with is gone.' Applebloom found the motivation to rise from her bed and lumber over to the window, staring up at the stars. 'Please come home soon. I'd give anything to be with you again. No matter w-'

Her thoughts were blasted apart when a deafening clap of thunder roared across the sky while her eyes were assaulted with a flash of lightning that devastated her front yard. But the lightning had barely ceased before Applebloom raced to the ground floor of her home, knowing full well that only one person followed after the thunder.

She threw open her front door to see a human standing in the front yard, a human wearing baggy pants and a red t-shirt, a human that she knew all too well. "Okay, that was not a fun ride," Billy groaned as he looked up at the stars, shrugging before he turned around to see Applebloom staring at him from her front porch. "Holy...Bloom? That you? Man, I'm finally home! Man, do I have a story for-"

WHAM!

Billy's words were knocked out of his mouth as Applebloom drove one of her hooves into the side of his face, knocking Billy flat on his ass while he tried to process what had happened. AB didn't give him a chance, for in the next moment she was on top of him and throwing lefts and rights at his head, forcing Billy to lift his arms to protect himself.

"Holy moly, Bloom, it's me, it's me!" Billy yelled out from under the assault as AB continued to swing at him.

"You've been gone fer a month! And not once did ya try to contact us! Or send a message! Or...ANYTHING!" At this point Billy was aware that her blows had no power behind them and he looked out from under his arms to see that AB's face was filled with tears as she looked down at him. She broke a moment later and pulled Billy into a tight hug while she sobbed softly, getting Billy to smile slightly as he patted her on the back. "Ah was so worried. Ah don't know what ah'd do if ah lost ya as well."

"Hey, don't worry. I'm fine. Had to go be a hero," Billy comforted her as she continued to sob, sitting up so she could cry into his shoulder. "Hey Bloom, mind letting me go?"

"No. Ah'm never letting ya go again." Billy sighed in resignation with a shrug of his shoulders while he looked off into the distance, seeing a number of lights turning on in Ponyville. He figured that his lightning had awoken a number of the ponies. With a smile he thought he saw Spike and Twilight leading the charge, meaning that he was in for more hugs when they got there. He then looked down at Bloom with a happy smile before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Hey Bloom?" Billy asked as he felt her arms wrap around his back.

"Mm?"

"Tomorrow, when everything settles down and I've told you all the epic tale of my adventures, you mind if I talk to you privately?"

"Sure. What for?"

"Not much. Just want to teach you something. Something that will keep you safe."

"What's that?"

"A word."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

The door to the basement was nearly ripped off its hinges as Twilight opened it, yet it had hardly swung to a stop before she was at the bottom of the stairs to see a scrawny human with brown hair working on some project on her table.

"Doctor Banner," Twilight whispered breathlessly, her words getting the human to turn around and wave at her before he focused back on his work. "You're back!" Twilight exclaimed as she raced over in front of him, a huge smile on her face that held both joy and wonder. "You've been gone for over a month! We've all been so worried about you!"

'Just about him? What about me?'

"Of course we missed you too, Hulk, but honestly, we never really worry about you. We worry more about the creatures around you," Twilight said with a smile when Banner relayed the message, her response getting Hulk to chuckle. "But everypony has seriously been worried about you. Pinkie's been on a mission for a month trying to find you and Hulk again. Where'd you go?"

"It's a very long story, Twilight, and one that I don't feel like telling tonight," Banner said with a large yawn before he went back to tinkering with what was before him. "I just want to unwind and get some rest. Tomorrow...I'll tell the whole town tomorrow." Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but then a loud boom was heard followed by the whole library shaking.

"Oh good. Pinkie's here."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"I'm going to kill him," Batmare growled when she saw the state into which her cave had fallen in her absence. Weapons and gear lay scattered around the place, all of her notes and books were in places where they didn't belong, and the computer monitor had been left on. "I don't believe this. I'm gone for a month and during that time the damned griffon turns the Batcave into a trash heap. Oh when I get my hooves on him..."

Regaining control of her emotions, Batmare let out a sigh before walking over to the computer and turning on the dimensional stone. She stared at the screen for a moment, wondering what she was going to say, before she heard the voice she knew all too well speak on the other end.

"Who am I really? Who am I without the mask?"

"You're still the same with or without the mask, Dad," Batmare said with a smile, yet she was surprised when the line went silent for a moment.

"Scootaloo?"

"Yeah, Dad. I'm back. And oh boy, do I have a story for you," Batmare said with a smirk.

"Well, it's late at night. A perfect time for us to discuss it."

"Sounds like a plan. First, let me start off by saying that you were right. Black Adam is on the 'do not fight' list for a reason," Batmare started, getting Batman to sharply inhale with worry. "And to also say that you were wrong. In your report you said that he was an ultimate evil. But the one I met...he wasn't that bad a guy."

"First tell me the details. Then we can talk about you changing my report later."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Trixie raised her hoof to knock against the wagon's door, but she stopped just shy of knocking while she tried to think up what she was going to say to her family. She had been gone for a month without telling any of them if she was alive or not, probably scaring them beyond belief. But just as she decided on what to tell them, the door swung open and the smirking face of Sombra greeted her.

"So. Finally back from vacation, are you?" he said as a smile now crossed her face.

"How'd you know that I was back?" Trixie asked.

"I didn't. She did," Sombra said as he looked down to reveal Starlight, whose eyes lit up like the stars overhead when she saw her mother. She let out an adorable giggle and reached out for Trixie, who had to fight down tears as she reached for her daughter.

"MOM!"

The next thing Trixie knew, she was flat on her back with a young stallion squeezing the life out of her. "You're back! You're alive!" Trixie looked up to see Starshine crushing her ribs while Armora and Bark looked over his shoulder with huge smiles on their faces.

"Hi...Star...Shine..." Trixie gasped out before Sombra grabbed hold of Starshine with his magic and yanked the pony back.

"Screw off, kid, I get first dibs on hugging Trixie," Sombra smirked as he helped Trixie to her hooves before wrapping a hoof around her shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug. "Man, you should have heard this rabble during the time you were gone. It was all, "Do you think Trixie's alright?" and "where could Trixie possibly be?" or "Do you think she's alive?" I swear that they just wouldn't shut up."

"Wait, you knew she was alive?" Bark asked with a look as Sombra released Trixie.

"Of course I did! Do you think that the pony I married would allow herself to be killed so easily?" Sombra asked with an insulted look before the little bundle in his arms cried out, getting Sombra to smile while he offered Starlight to Trixie.

"She's cried the most about you being gone, but Sombra was a close runner-up," Starshine said with a smirk.

"Get bent, kid."

A smile spread across Trixie's face as she took Starlight into her arms, holding the filly close as it cooed softly, tears welling up in Trixie's eyes when she felt Sombra wrap another hoof around her shoulder. "Finally, she's stopped crying. Don't ever go anywhere ever again. I don't know if I can handle single parenthood any more."

"You did just fine," Trixie softly said while she rested her head on Sombra's shoulder, humming a tune to her baby as the others gathered around her, each happily drinking in the fact that their family was whole once more.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Dinky let out a sigh as she knocked on her daughter's door, not expecting an answer and not getting one. Dinky then sighed again before she cracked the door open and walked inside, flicking the lights on as she did so to find that her daughter still hadn't moved from beneath the covers of her bed. "Come on Dippy, you can't be like this all day."

"Yes I can," the defiant voice of her daughter shot back.

"But what about your friends? What about school? You can't just hide under your covers forever," Dinky tried, but all she got back was another defiant 'hmph'. Dinky's gaze softened before she sat down on the bed and looked at the lump in the covers. "I know you miss him, Dippy, but Mr. Bubbles will be back. He's just probably needed somewhere else right now. Maybe he's saving somepony else?"

"But I don't want him to be somewhere else! I want him to be here with me!" Dippy cried out from beneath the covers, getting Dinky to sigh again. "And why does he have to be the one to go help others? Why can't Celestia or Luna or Twilight do it?"

"Because Bubbles is a Daddy. And Daddy always protects those he cares about," Dinky reminded her daughter, who sighed again before going quiet. "You know, my family told me that if you love something, you'll let it go. And if it comes back to you, then it's yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dippy asked sadly before a sound reached their ears. It was the sound of heavy footsteps walking across the lawn of their house. Then a moan came from outside, a moan that the both of them knew all to well.

"I think that means that Mr. Bubbles is still yours," Dinky said as her daughter kicked off the covers and raced out of the room, running downstairs and throwing open the front door to see the gold Big Daddy standing in their lawn.

"MR. BUBBLES!" Dippy cried as she threw herself at the Daddy, who lifted his left hand to catch her so she didn't hurt herself on his armor. "You're back you're back you're baaaaaaack!" Mr. Bubbles let out a happy moan as he pulled Dippy in close to his chest, his eyes a pure green before he looked up and gave a moan of greeting to Pip and Dinky.

"So then, where did you wander off to this time?" Pip asked with a smirk before Dinky elbowed him in the arm. The both of them then walked over to the Daddy, who still hadn't been released from the clutches of Dippy.

"Welcome home, Dad," Dinky said with a smile before she and Pip joined in on hugging Mr. Bubbles, who let out a moan of happiness as he held his little sisters and brother tight.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

The snarling of the wolves loudly pierced the air just behind the human as she ran for her life, not knowing where she was going in the strange forest. All she knew was that strange tree-covered wolves were trying to kill her and she needed to run. She looked back over her shoulder to see that the glowing green eyes could still be seen in the darkness, telling her that they were right behind her.

With a yelp, the human ran out of the forest and nearly ran right off a cliff, barely skidding to a stop at the edge and accidentally knocking some rocks over the lip. The snarl of the wolves reminded her of the danger she was in and she quickly looked around to see a rope bridge that led into the mist.

'Don't know where that leads me, but anywhere is better than here!' She darted across the rope bridge, barely holding onto the ropes to steady herself as she raced across. About halfway over the abyss she looked back to find that the tree-like wolves had gathered along the edge, but not one of them seemed to dare risk the bridge to get to her. 'Welp, no way to go now but forward.'

She slowly made her way across the rope bridge, wiping her black hair out of her eyes as she tried to steady her breathing. She managed to make it across without any problems, but when she reached the other side she looked up to find an abandoned castle standing before her.

"Wow...where did I end up?" she muttered aloud as she walked into the castle, finding it just as broken on the inside as it was on the outside. "Hello? Anyone there?" she called out. She looked around until her eyes came to a stop on something standing next to a wall before her. It was a creature made completely of divine light, yet with the stripes that ran along its sides, it looked almost like a zebra. The zebra seemed to smile at the look on her face before it tapped a hoof against the wall, causing a secret door to move and reveal a passage. The human blinked once and the zebra was gone, leaving the lady more confused than she had been.

"Well, nowhere else to go," she muttered before forging ahead into the passage, finding it relatively short. A door that was slightly open greeted her at the end of it and she slowly pushed it open to find herself in a small room, a room that housed a table, a chair, a candlestick and a book that rested atop the table. "What the hell is this?" she muttered as she picked up the book, flipping it open to find an author's note.

'Greetings reader. If you are reading this and you're a pony or zebra, then goddammit stop touching my stuff! But if you're not a pony and on the off chance you are a human, then congratulations! You're fucked! You've somehow wound up in Equestria, where everything will either try to kill you or make friends with you! Don't know which is worse. If you have a gun or any other sort of weapon, I'd recommend blowing your brains out and save the world the trouble of trying to kill you before sunrise. However, if you're stubborn or stupid like me, then you'll find that this book will give you information on the creatures here, the monarchy in charge and what the hell happened to Earth. I'd don't recommend this option. But I doubt you'll listen to me since no one else seems to. So fuck you. If you turn the page, you will find everything you need to survive.'

Signed,
The unluckiest son of a bitch who ever lived.

The lady re-read the message again with some confusion before she turned the page, finding the next one blank expect for one large title written in the middle of the page--the title of the book she now held within her hands.

A book called, A Survivor's Guide to Equestria.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Luna let out a sigh as she walked back into the castle, hating to give speeches like that to the nation. 'Keep it together Luna, they needed to be told what really happened. Yes, they will be confused for a while, but it will help the nation heal.' Luna ignored her desire to get some sleep and instead walked in the direction of her sister's room, wanting to check up on her first.

"Sister, may I come in?" Luna asked upon reaching Celestia's room, knocking twice before pushing open the door inside. She found her sister exactly where she had left her, laying next to the bed and watching the tiny foal that slept soundly upon it. "How is little Blue Skies today?" Luna asked as she looked at the sky-blue foal who also had fluffy white hair, making it look like a cloud had rested upon his head.

"He's doing well. Doctors say that he should be fully recovered soon as long as he eats well and gets lots of rest," Celestia said with a grateful sigh before she looked at her sister. "Yes Luna, is there something that you wish to tell me?"

"It's just...are you sure that you are ready to take in another foal again?" Luna weakly asked, yet instead of rage she got a wise nod from Celestia.

"I know that it has not been long after I lost Sunny again, but...when I see foals that are abandoned or left to die, I can't just sit by and do nothing," Celestia said as she gently brushed the colt's hair. "And this time...I can protect him. And if I can't, then you can. And if we can't...then Adam will be there to keep us safe."

"Indeed," Luna said with a small smile as she sat beside her sister and looked at the young foal as well. "I have been thinking about getting a foal of my own. I have always wanted one, yet being trapped on the moon and the war...and the fact that I'm not getting any younger...I think it's time that I think I tried my hoof at parenthood."

"You should. They can be maddening at times, but I would never trade any of the memories I have of my foals for anything," Celestia said gently before wrapping a wing around her sister.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Adam sat under the shade of the tree, silently lost in thought and in prayer for those who lay in the ground before him, be it those whom he failed to save or those who were struck down by his own hand. He prayed for their forgiveness and prayed his apologies to them, but mostly he prayed that they were happy wherever they were.

He had wished that he never need return to this place, not unless he came to visit the departed, but once again he had to bury somepony he cared about and one of his allies. Of course, there had been no bodies to bury, but Adam had made sure that the ceremony had been proper and that each of them had received a proper gravestone.

Sunny's had been updated to say 'Loving Daughter, devoted friend, champion of all the worlds', while Adam had imbued some of his magic into hers and all the other gravestones, making sure that neither nature's wrath nor grave robbers would be able to disturb them. Spike's grave had been adorned with gems that even the richest of ponies could not buy, and Adam's magic ensured no one could remove them. His Tombstone read 'Loyal to the ponies, no matter what.' It fit him.

Finally, there was Ryan's tombstone, which was a basic one with only one phrase upon it.

'What an asshole.'

The line made Adam smile, for, despite not knowing the human all that well, from what Luna had told him this seemed like the sort of thing Ryan would want on his grave. He also felt that there was no better way to describe the human. A human without powers who had defeated gods through tenacity and spirit alone. Adam knew he could learn from his example.

But then a sound reached Adam's ears, a sound that he was used to hearing, but one that grabbed his attention no matter how loud or faint it was. Adam heard a cry for him, a cry that demanded he get there to aid the pony or creature with whatever was ailing them. So, as the champion with the golden lightning bolt on his chest rose to his feet, he pinpointed the location of the cry. Something important must have been happening or else they wouldn't have called for him. It could be that it was the end of the world or something as simple as a cat stuck in a tree. But either way, he never ignored a cry for help. So, as he started to race towards the direction where the cry originated, he called down the thunder, changing him from a mortal to a champion, clad in grey gear with a golden lightning bolt and filling him with the power to fly off towards whoever needed him.

The Mighty Adam was on his way.

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading this story and thank you all for supporting me all these years. This is the last chapter in the tale, but there is still an extra "Chapter" after this, so leave your thoughts on the story here. The next character will also be revealed in the upcoming "Chapter."

Author's Note: Thank You All

Hello there readers. This is a little something that I've wanted to do for a while, but figured that the best place for it was at the end of the massive, brain destroying, probably will never do again team-up. I've wanted to put one of these at the end of each of my stories, but due to reasons (I'm an idjit) I will be doing it here instead.

First off I would just like to thank everyone who has read and supported any and all of these stories. Originally there was only supposed to be the Batman story, but so many people loved and supported it that it gave me both the inspiration and the confidence to try my hand at a number of different characters. If I didn't have you readers supporting me, I don't know if I could have done so many of these stories. Actually, writing these stories is what cemented my decision to try and become a full fledge writer. So thank all of you for helping me to find my purpose.

Next up is the list of ideas that I have for upcoming stories, or rather ideas that I have a little bit of a plan for. But instead of deciding this for myself, I'll give you guys a few options and see what you want. This isn't to decide whether or not I'll write these stories, it's just for priority for which ones people would like to see first.

So let me ask, would you like to see a wielder of the keyblade take up arms against the darkness? Or would you rather see the mane six team up with the freedom fighters in the battle against Eggman? Perhaps we could bring a character to the Equestria Girls world? Or maybe the Wandering Warrior should get a chance? Perhaps a Pokémon? Would you like to see more Marvel or more DC characters? Or have I done enough comic characters to satisfy your bloodlust and I should mine a different vein? I do want to do all of these stories, but I also would like to know which one you all would like to see first so I don't jump back and forth between my choices.

But that doesn't mean that I've run out of ideas on my own to write about. I currently have six more stories on deck with varying characters and world, with some twists to my usual writing style thrown in among most of them. Maybe some characters become ponies? Maybe we get off Equestria for once and go someplace different? I can also promise all of you that there is a sequel to a certain story coming and if you've been around for a while, you might be able to guess what it is. But I won't spoil anything.

I'll also say that depending on what happens in this upcoming year will result in whether I slow down in my writing or kick it into overdrive. If stories or chapters come out less frequently, then I'm probably insanely busy. I'd like to keep going as I have been, but I'm stuck in a thing called life. Also, if this seems short, I'm burned out from writing the team up and my brain is seven kinds of fried, so I'm not at my best right now.

I'd also like to point out that I have somehow managed to reach over one thousand followers at the time of me writing this. I am so grateful that all thousand of you gave me a chance to introduce some of your favorite characters to the world of ponies and for the most part you all seem to enjoy what I have put out there. A thousand followers is a huge milestone and I hope to make sure that every single one of you will enjoy the stories that are to come.

But once again I'd like to thank all of you for your support, feedback and opinions on my writings. I know that some of them have been debated as being my best or worse, but each story I have written holds a special place in my heart and I enjoy all of them, just as I enjoy seeing you enjoy or debate them with others. You've made this past two and almost a half years a really fun time for me. So again, thanks.

AAAAAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDDDD finally, the part that everyone's been waiting for. The who's next? The who is this crazy man that makes words appear on my screen going to write about next? Which character will have the chance to be whisked off to Equestria where friendship and smiles abound?...Well, I don't like my clues to be too to obvious, but I feel like this character is best explained through a little saying like this.

Against fearful days and the blackest nights, we shelter all beneath our light. You may have fear, darkness and unstoppable might, but when hope and will combine, our true power ignites!

See you all soon.

Author's Note

K, let me clarify a bit. You're free to leave your own suggestions but I'd also like to know which of the ideas I suggested I should do before others. Thanks

Making Nice

Five figures sat around a dark blue table that rested within the boundaries of the garden, while the sixth went over the information that he held within his hands again, typing into the computer in front of him as he added new information. The five talked amongst themselves, yet all of their topics were about the six champions and the rumors about what had happened in the battle with Adam.

"Such an amazing creature it was. I am so lucky that I sent one of my drones to watch the battle from overhead," Tinker said with sheer delight in his voice, while he flipped through the notes he had made during the battle with Adam.

"And that is what worries me," Spike said with a shake of his massive head. "This Captain Marvel was said to match Black Adam in every way. We know that we are no match for Black Adam when he toys with us in our sparring matches, so how can we hope to match somepony else who has his same power?"

"Not Captain Marvel, you dense reptile, I was speaking about the Hulk," Tinker snapped back as he showed Spike the drawings he had made of Hulk. "I care not for beings that get their powers from magic, but this creature, oh, this creature is something else! You said that you felt no traces of magic upon him, Master Adam?"

"No, there was no magic fueling his body. The strength of the Hulk, though not comparable to mine, was natural and was not enhanced with spells or words of power," Adam responded before snapping his fingers and bringing an image of the six before their eyes, based on what the five had seen of them, as well as Adam's encounters with them. "Enough talk. Time for us to see what we are up against." The other five gathered around the images that Black Adam had conjured, each of the six looking at one of the foes with interested eyes.

"So, let me start off this meeting by asking the question that needs to be answered," Trixie began, cutting in before anypony else could talk. "This...Captain Marvel. Is it true that he is your equal, because the reports that I read said that he was able to match you blow for blow?" Adam looked into each of the five's eyes; all of them wanted to know the answer to the question.

"In terms of strength and speed, yes, Marvel is my equal," Black Adam confirmed for them, causing nervous murmurs to break out between three of the members. "But underneath of that persona, he is no more than a child playing with power that he cannot comprehend. While he can match me in strength, I have five thousand years worth of experience. If it comes down to it, I shall defeat him."

"Forget the magical brat for a second and let us talk about the force of science that is the Hulk," Tinker butted in, hijacking the conversation to his favor. "You said so yourself that he had no magical enchantments, yet he was able to trade blows with you?"

"If you will all be silent, I shall inform you of what we know," Adam snarled at all of them, silencing them as he snapped his finger. The image of their six foes changed to just one: Captain Marvel. "As I have already stated, Captain Marvel draws his powers from a nearly identical source as myself, except he is empowered by the gods of the Greek Pantheon while my power comes from the Egyptian gods. Yet he is inexperienced and impatient, preferring just to rush into situations and overpower his foes with his strength. That will not work on me."

"Yes, but the rest of us mere mortals cannot hope to fight a foe such as him," the cloaked member of the five said in a deep, raspy voice. "What are we to do if we encounter such a foe?"

"He is a child and is susceptible to being tricked. Use your brains instead of your brawn, and you should be able to figure a way out of that predicament," Adam instructed before snapping his fingers again to show the green goliath that was the Hulk, as well as his human counterpart, that was a full two feet smaller. "This, as Tinker so rudely mentioned, is the Hulk, the strength to Banner's brains. The two of them seem to have a 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' relationship, except that these two can actually cooperate. Hulk is incredible, so strong that even I could feel his punches, yet when I fought him I could see that he was not at his strongest. That concerns me."

"He is mine," Tinker said when Adam paused, turning his grayish face towards all of the other members while glaring at them with his one good eye and his one red one. "I will find out how he works, what makes him so strong and how the two of them function as one unit. As a pony of science, I must know what makes him tick. He is an extraordinary specimen."

"And one that will pound you into the past if you are not careful," Spike added with a small growl, cutting Tinker off before he could build up a head of steam. "Again, this seems like another foe that only you can handle, Black Adam. What are we to do if we face him?"

"Pray that you do not. This...is what I can only assume is Batmare," Adam continued as he snapped his fingers again to bring up the image of the mare of whom he had only gotten a brief glimpse. "In my world, Batman is a master martial artist, detective and escape artist. If this mare is anything like him, she will be an annoying pest, but one that any of you should be able to defeat without my aid. Aside from her wings, it seems that she has no other powers, just like the Batman."

"I do not care about these few insufferable pests. I want you to show me the one I could not best," Doroca growled from beneath his helmet. Adam nodded while he changed the image of the Bat to the human in the hood.

"This is the one who confuses me the most. As I assume the Bat was trained by the one I know, I understand why she would be a member of the team, yet this one seems like nothing more than a regular human with a fake hand," Black Adam mused to himself, while Doroca narrowed his eyes underneath of his helmet, analyzing his foe's appearance and face. "But if he was able to overcome you Doroca, then maybe there is more to him than meets the eye."

"And that just leaves us with two," Trixie muttered while two more figures appeared on the screen, one of them being a pony who was masked in shadows while the other was a massive, metal titan with eight glowing eyes. "And I have no idea what either of them could be. One of them looks like a unicorn with good taste in capes, yet the other I could not place if my life depended on it. Any ideas Adam?"

"As for the metal titan I am not sure, yet the pony confuses me the most," Black Adam grumbled as he removed the metal titan from the screen and focused on the pony. "When victory over Marvel and Hulk was within my reach, the two of them were teleported out of my grasp. While I was not able to follow the magic, I was able to determine what...or who had cast it. The cast was you, Trixie."

"WHAT?!" Trixie roared leaping back, and her azure and purple helmet unfolded and covered her face, her armored horn glowing while she glared at the group. "Do you truly believe that I would do something so foolish as to betray my very allies and aid those fools who did not appreciate my talents?!"

"Have to admit, I never did like you," Tinker smiled as his six mechanical arms unfolded from his back. "Always thought if one of us was to go rogue, it would be you."

"Stand down, all of you," Adam ordered with the power of the gods in his voice, forcing the five to calm down with his tone alone. "If you would let me finish instead of overreacting as you always do, you would all know that it was not Trixie magic alone. I also sensed the magic of King Sombra mixed in with yours."

"But how can that be?" Spike asked. "You killed King Sombra nearly five years ago. How could he be back?"

"Multiverse theory," Black Adam responded, getting confused looks from some of the group. "What it means, is that there are an infinite number of ourselves across different realities. It is entirely possible that this is a Trixie or a Sombra from another reality, and I am certain that the silver one brought them here."

"So, now we know about five of the six that we must combat," the cloaked pony rasped as Adam brought all six champions back up before their eyes. "The six false champions versus the six Judges of Equestria. This seems like a tale from the stories of old. How...interesting."

"They are not our only threat," Adam said after a moment of silence, turning all heads towards him. Adam let out a sigh when he came to a decision before he spoke. "There is another threat. The Sphere of Destruction."

"What's that?"

"The Sphere of Destruction is the sister to the Sphere of Creation, two spheres that were placed under the care of the daughters of Celestia and my care. And with them no longer...I am the only one aside from Celestia and Luna who knows of them," Adam explained before shaking his head. "I believed that I had destroyed both of them five years ago, yet the Sphere of Creation came back in the form of the silver mare. And with Banner having mentioned that they are there to stop the one of destruction..."

"You believe there to be an underlying opponent that we do not know of?" Spike asked Adam, who sighed again before crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"I do not know, but I am looking into it. For now, we must focus on the task at hand before we can figure out if there is any truth to Banner's words," Adam said before snapping his fingers and removing the images before their eyes. "I want you all to be on alert, not just for the six false champions, but also for the possibility that there is another foe we must face. Pick your towers and guard them well, but keep your eyes open. If you see anything strange, you inform me or Celestia." Adam rose to the sky and floated off towards Celestia's chambers, leaving the five to speak amongst themselves.

"Six champions and six of us," Spike muttered as he clamped his hands and placed them beneath his chin, lost in thought for a moment. "That means one for each of us. Adam will take Marvel and Tinker says that he wants Hulk, but where does that leave the rest of us? Who will our foes be of the six? And can we beat them?"

"That, we shall discover when the time is right," Doroca said with a shake of his head when he turned to leave. "But now we must prepare ourselves for the inevitable fight."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

The wind felt refreshing upon the young child's face as he looked off into the setting sun with a small sigh. His mind was elsewhere, rather than on the beautiful sunset or that the doctor was writing into a small journal while resting on the grass across from him. Billy lay on the grass and stared at the reddening sky, feeling a bit of loneliness creep into his heart. To ease the pain, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, sitting up to get the best view of the photo as he could. A small smile crept across his face as he looked upon his friends and family, feeling the sorrow begin to disperse.

"So, how the hell did Applebloom get a black eye?" The sudden voice in his ear caused Billy to yelp and turn around, halfway through saying the magic word, when he heard an annoying chuckle and pieced together who had spoken. "And why does Twilight look somewhat nice in that picture? Seems like you got a better Twi than me."

"Ryan, how the hell did you sneak up on me?" Billy asked as he shook his head and went to put his wallet away, but in a blur of motion Ryan swiped the wallet and took a closer look at the picture. "Hey! Give it back or you'll see what getting hit by lightning feels like."

"I'm actually trained to be somewhat stealthy," Ryan replied with a smirk as he tossed the wallet back to Billy. "I have to have some skills if I want to survive by being a part of this team. So, why she got a black eye and why does it look like the two of you were going to prom in that pic?" Billy grumbled under his breath as he cast a quick glance at Banner, who was listening in despite trying his best efforts to hide it.

"Well, because we were going to her school prom together," Billy admitted with a shrug before thinking about how Ryan would react. Just as the human was getting out his first laugh, Billy muttered," Shazan." A smirk larger than Ryan's smile crossed the kid's face while Ryan hurled himself into the dirt away from Billy, standing up a moment later with a smirk of his own on his face.

"Okay kid, you got me. Now about that black eye?"

"That, she got from punching out Diamond Tiara during the crowning of the king and queen. Apparently, she didn't believe that me and Bloom deserved to hold such an honor," Billy said with a loud laugh, while his own words brought back memories of the stuck-up mare believing she could take on a pony who worked on a farm all her life. "Tiara got in a lucky shot and Bloom threw her into the punch bowl. Man that was a fun night."

"So, why didn't you pull them apart?" Banner asked, closing his book while not bothering to hide the fact that he was listening. "You could have easily stopped the fight with a word."

"Look, Captain Marvel might be the world's mightiest mortal, but even he knows that messing with a pissed off Bloom ends only in death," Billy said in a joking tone before his eyes fell and he looked down at the picture again with a small sigh. "I wish I could talk to her again. It's been too long already."

"Ryan, can you contact the mare and see if she can link them up?" Banner asked Ryan, giving him a cold glare that told Ryan that he knew.

"I'll try. Yo, you there, mare? Hello? Mare, if you're there answer. Are you ignoring me again or have you lost control again? Well, I don't hear any screaming so either she's not there or she's pissed at me for the tenth time this week," Ryan said with a shrug, yet he kept narrowed eyes on Banner the entire time, wondering how he knew so much about him. "Although I do have to question how wise it would be to open an interdimensional portal that might tip off Adam, just so Billy can talk to his...girlfriend? Marefriend? Fillyfriend? Why the heck you need to talk to her so badly?"

"I'm worried about her."

"We're fighting a god and an unstoppable army of Dead Space ponies, and you're worried about her?" Ryan asked with a snicker. "Get your priorities straight."

"It's called being a good friend, Ryan, something I am certain you know little about," Banner coldly said to Ryan, who shrugged in acceptance, before walking over to Billy and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Did something happen there before you left? Was your reality being attacked by Sombra or another threat?"

"No, it's...we lost Granny Smith to age a few months ago and ever since then Bloom's been shut off from the world, barely talking or eating with her friends," Billy said with a sad sigh as he pocketed his wallet. "She doesn't go to school or talk to Applejack anymore. She's been spending more time with me because of it, but that's just because I'm..."

"Dating a horse, which isn't super creepy." Ryan got a green-eyed glare from Banner for that.

"Technically, I'm an alien on her world, and since you seem to know so much about us, I take it you know of Superman and Lois?" Billy shot back with a questioning glare, getting another shrug from Ryan that told the kid he won that joust. "So yeah, I'm worried about her."

"Why? Shouldn't you be focused more on the problem at hand? She'll be fine."

"I already have the solution for this problem. That is to beat down Adam, beat down his judges, and then beat down whatever the heck comes after them. This problem is simple," Billy said with a hint of rage before he got a hold of himself. "But her problem isn't something I can solve by moving a mountain or throwing a star. All I can do to help is be with her and right now I can't do that. So, sorry if I'm feeling so down."

'Smash Adam and his armies, huh? I like this kid,' thought Hulk.

"Jeez, when did you get so mature? Aren't you ten?"

"I was, five years ago...sigh, I shouldn't be like this. I should be out there fighting and saving the day," Billy grumbled with a sad look.

"Billy, listen to me," Banner said in a comforting tone that turned both Billy's and Ryan's eyes to him. "I know things are rough right now and you feel like you should just fly in and fix all these problems, but sometimes things aren't that simple. This is a problem that you can't solve by flying in and punching some felons. But I promise, that we will get through this and that you will get to see Applebloom again." Billy gave Banner a grateful smile that was almost immediately ruined by Ryan.

"Uh-huh, sure. I bet you think we'll all make it out alive too," Ryan said with a smirk.

"You have something you wish to say?" Banner asked in a very controlled tone.

"Yeah actually, more of a question. If a human and a pony have a kid, will it be a human or a pony?" Ryan asked with genuine interest as he placed his hand under his chin and thought about it. "Or would it be half and half? Hell, is that where centaurs come from? Think I just solved a mystery here!" Banner took a quick look at Billy to see that his face was red, telling Banner that it was time to get rid of the annoyance.

"Okay Ryan, that's enough. Either you go in or the Hulk comes out," Banner threatened. Ryan's response was to throw his hands over his head in a defensive way before walking back into the hidden entrance to the base, leaving the two alone as the sun almost completely vanished behind the mountain. "God, I hate him sometimes."

"Then, why do you put up with him? I was about to call down some lightning," Billy said with a smirk, Banner smiling slightly while he pulled out his book again and began to sketch the image of the sun peeking out over the mountains. Billy snuck a peek at Banner's other pages to see they were also filled with sketches from various places.

"Well, he's annoying, but he isn't the worst I've had to work with. Sometimes you don't get to pick the partner you want for the dance, you just have to dance and hope they know the steps as well."

"Okay, now you sound like Applejack," Billy said with a chuckle. Banner let a small smile cross his face as he continued to draw. "...you ever have somepony...somebody special in your life Doctor Banner?" Billy asked.

"Yes. Her name was Betty and I did love her," Banner said with no emotion as he continued to draw, Billy turning to gaze at his hand as it moved back and forth across the page masterfully.

"Loved? What happened to her?"

"The Hulk happened. The Hulk you met wasn't how he always used to be. He used to be a monster of rage, one that could not be stopped and wouldn't stop until he had destroyed all that stood in his way," Banner said as his hand twitched, forcing him to flip the pencil over and erase the mistake made by his glimpse into the past. "And the Hulk was trapped within me, breaking free whenever I got angry or hurt, and whenever I took control again...I would see the results of that wrath."

"Geez, that sounds terrible. Can't imagine if the Captain had such a personality," Billy said as he rested his head on his knees.

"It was my fault. I treated the Hulk like a monster instead of a living being, so I constantly sought to destroy or erase him, and because of that and other reasons, the Hulk distrusted everyone and was always quick on the trigger if he felt threatened," Banner said sadly, setting down his pencil as the sun vanished behind the mountain so far off in the distance. "People either wanted to use him as a weapon or kill him, and by that extension...me. So, I was always on the run, always believing that I was cursed with a demon that I could not be rid of."

'Ouch, Doc, you know words can hurt.'

"But in reality I was just as flawed as him, if not more. I was the smart one who tried to contain the Hulk, but I was a coward...always running away from a problem and feeling terrible about myself," Banner said in a near whisper at this point. "Whereas the Hulk was prone to rage-fueled acts of destruction, yet he never backed away from injustice and always did his best to fight for what was right, no matter what happened to him. So over the years, we've learned from each other. The Hulk taught me to be courageous and to not always be so hard on myself. And in return, I taught the Hulk to control his rage and to not act like the monster that so many believed him to be."

"So, that is what keeps the Hulk from smashing Ryan into paste?" Billy smirked as he elbowed Banner in the ribs, Banner allowing himself to laugh at the joke.

'I might still do it if he doesn't shut up.'

"I suppose it is. Now, since I've told you my tale, how about I hear about how you got your powers and managed to end up in a war of the multiverse?" Banner asked, causing Billy to take in a breath as he gazed at the stars, weaving the tale that began with a single word.

The Monster Within

Six figures stood around a single occupied bed in a makeshift hospital deep underground, each of them looking at the unconscious figure with both fear and anger in their hearts. Ryan had not awakened since they had returned and the silver mare had sat by his side all the while, keeping her magical presence to a minimum so as not to attract Adam. Bubbles stood outside in the hallway, not certain why everyone was upset, but he wanted to be as close to them as he could. Banner had a lot of alone time following the battle, because his other side had not said a word since.

"His body might have been repaired by the silver mare's magic, but the Hulk beat him into a coma," Luna explained to the group as she let out a sigh, looking down at the information that her doctors had given her. "And despite how powerful or skilled our magic is, we can't bring a pony or human out of a coma with magic. He'll have to wake up on his own...if he wakes up at all. His eardrums also received considerable damage, but they were healed to some degree. He will have some issues hearing...again, if he wakes up."

"Thank you, Luna," Banner said to her with a deadpan voice, looking down at the human on life support who the previous day he had considered to be almost as infuriating as Stark. Now, he wished he could thank him for the sacrifice he had made. Luna read the mood and started to leave, but when she reached the door to the small room, she looked back at the mare.

"What do we do now? You said yourself that if we did not have all six champions that we would not be able to win this fight," Luna asked the silver mare with fear in her voice. The mare took a minute before she answered, and when she did she looked up at the Princess of the Night with dull eyes.

'Ryan was never one of the champions. The sixth champion died before I could bring him here,' the mare admitted as she turned her attention back to Ryan. 'I brought Ryan here because I believed that he would be able to replace Freeze; that he could be a hero. It seems that he could be...and it cost him nearly everything.' Luna narrowed her eyes, comprehending the new information that the mare was telling her, pissed that she had not been told this before she had gone ahead with her plans. But all she did was snarl when she left, leaving the room silent again.

"I can't believe he took the Hulk on alone," Billy eventually said to break the silence. "Black Adam and I could barely defeat the Hulk together, yet Ryan fought him without a second thought. I don't know if he's the bravest man I've ever met or the craziest."

'Both,' the mare answered for Ryan. 'He's both.'

"What I want to know is, why he did it?" Trixie asked, the question having gnawed at her since she had awakened and been told what had happened. "Ryan is not somepony I would expect to sacrifice himself for others. From what I gathered of him he hated being here--hated working with us--and he was only fighting because he owed you a favor," Trixie said to the mare.

'So that's the excuse he went with, was it?' the mare said with a bitter chuckle. 'He always did like making things up.'

"He mentioned your daughter. He knew," Banner said, breaking the news to Trixie and the others. Trixie's eyes went wide with surprise while Batmare's assumption had been confirmed, but nopony spoke while Banner continued. "He also said that he had to distract Hulk so that those who mattered could live. Normally, I would assume that he was going on about him not being one of the chosen champions, but according to the mare's words there's more that we don't know." Silence was how the mare answered him, getting a frustrated sigh out of Banner while he rubbed his eyes.

"So, what do we do now?" Billy asked Batmare, who had remained silent the entire time as she leaned against the wall while the group had been talking. "We're down a member of our team and we're no closer to finding out anything about the Sphere of Destruction or how we can stop Black Adam. I saw that power of his up close, the power he stole from the wizard and...I don't think I can beat him."

"It will still be teams of two," Batmare decided after a moment of silence as she lifted her head. "But you four will need to get used to working with each other. Billy's right in saying that we have been neglecting the Sphere of Destruction and we still haven't figured out anything about it."

"What are you saying?" Banner asked.

"I'm saying that it's time for me to do what my Dad trained me to do, and that's to be the world's greatest detective," Batmare darkly said as she began to head for the door, looking up at Banner when she walked by him. "This is what I should have done from the beginning. With only five of the six, our main concern should be finding and stopping whoever is seeking to release the demon within the Sphere of Destruction. And I can't do that here. You should take over in my place, Banner...you should have led from the beginning. Maybe then, this wouldn't have happened."

"And maybe if I had been leading, Ryan would have been killed instead of surviving," Banner replied with a shake of his head. "We don't know. If you want me to lead while you are away, fine, but when you return I'm giving the position back to you. Come back when you find something." Batmare nodded before walking out of the room and by Bubbles, vanishing within moments.

"So Doc, what's the plan?" Trixie asked.

"No more chances. Billy and I will take the next tower together," Banner said with a quiet fierceness that gained him cautious looks from both Billy and Trixie. "We will bring it down without anypony or anyone getting harmed. But we will have to wait. The defenses certainly would have been increased since we struck down the other three towers, but with Captain Marvel and the Hulk...excuse me for a moment." Banner turned and left the room without another word, leaving Billy and Trixie to share a look before Trixie turned to look at the mare.

"I have never seen you look so concerned before," she pointed out to the mare, who shrugged in response. "Does Ryan really mean so much to you? Because for the short time that I have known him, I would wager that the two of you would hate each other."

'I consider him to be my only friend,' the mare said sadly before a small chuckle escaped her lips. 'But you would be right in saying that we often cannot stand each other. But even the best of friendships are not perfect. You should all get some rest. I fear that things may only get worse from here on out, with two of our own out of action. I...must go see if I can find somepony...or someone who can replace Freeze as a champion. We are running out of time.'

Out in the dark, carved hallway Doctor Banner walked alone, waiting until he found a place that was far enough away from all of the ponies and his allies before he stopped and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes and speaking to himself. "Hulk, please talk to me. You have been silent for over a day and I don't need to tell you how much that worries me."

'Go away.'

"Hulk, if you're upset over what happened with Ryan, you have to know that--"

'It what, Banner? It wasn't my fault? It wasn't my fault that I lifted him into the air and hurled him into the ground with enough force to place him into a coma?' Hulk snarled back within Banner's mind. 'Or how about when I nearly killed everypony in a village without any thought for them or their lives? Is that not my fault either?!'

"Hulk, Tinker separated us. He used magic to make it so that we couldn't work together like we always do. It's not your fault that you did what you did," Banner said as comfortingly as he could, but all Banner got in response was a bitter snicker at his words.

'Yeah, he separated us. But when we were separated did you want to kill your allies or a town filled with innocents? Did you lose all ability to think, to act...to be yourself and be consumed with rage?' Hulk asked Banner, yet he only got silence in reply. 'Five years, Banner, for five years I tried to learn to control my rage, to not become the monster that so many of our enemies--and even our friends--believed that we were. And for awhile, I thought I was getting somewhere. But now I see that without you in my head holding me back, I am a monster. A monster of rage.'

"You can't believe that, Hulk. Think of all the good you have done."

'And all of it was because you were within me, keeping me restrained and sane. But we saw the real me when we were split apart,' Hulk coldly said, hatred filling every word. 'I'm a monster; a monster that struck down an ally of ours with no remorse. A monster that would have killed an entire village without mercy. My power could have broken the world, Banner, had Black Adam, our enemy, not stopped me. You are the one who is the hero, Banner, the one who taught me how to be restrained...how to be a champion. But without you, I'm just a monster.'

"Hulk..."

'There's only one way to keep you safe from the monster that I am. And that's to lock myself away,' the Hulk began while his voice began to fade. 'I'm sorry Banner, but I can't trust myself. And none of you should either. I won't let anymore be hurt because of my rage.' Hulk's voice completely vanished at that point and he did not speak again, no matter how many times Banner called out for him, getting the doctor to sigh while he rubbed his temples.

'I'll have to deal with the Hulk later. Right now there's something that I need to figure out,' Banner thought as he walked back towards the hospital room where Ryan lay. He knocked once on the door before opening it, finding only the silver mare sitting beside Ryan and two empty chairs. Banner didn't bother asking where the other three were while he pulled out a chair and sat down. All he did was stare at the mare until she looked up at him.

'What do you want? There is nothing I can do to help you now,' she said to him.

"Actually, there is," Banner began in a serious voice that told her she wasn't getting out of this. "If I'm going to lead this team in Batmare's absence, then I need to know about the team I'm leading. I want you to tell me all of their stories and spare none of the details," Banner demanded while he looked down at Ryan. "And I want you to start with him."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"She is in there? You are certain of this, Windy Days?" Black Adam asked the small red and gold unicorn, who nodded meekly in the presence of such a powerful being. Adam dismissed him with a wave of his hand before raising the same hand to knock on the metallic door before him. There was no answer and for a moment Adam considered knocking again. Yet his magical senses picked up something amiss on the other side of the room, so in the next moment the door was torn from its hinges and Adam entered.

"What in the...?" he muttered aloud when he saw the portal bathing the room in a red light, informing him that the Phantom Zone generator was active. A quick glance around the room confirmed his suspicions, but the image of the generator did not inform him of why Celestia had activated it. But he knew how he could figure that out. A moment later he was within the red portal, closing his eyes until he felt his boots strike the ground. His eyes opened to greet him with the sight of one of the most accursed prisons that used to belong to the League, but instead of hundreds of inmates, the only living being that greeted his eyes was the white and orange alicorn sitting at the top of a large hill.

"This is reckless, even by your standards," Black Adam chastised while floating to the hill towards his Queen. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it was to open a portal to the Phantom Zone without anypony guarding..." Both Adam's anger and his voice died when he reached the top of the hill, his face mirroring the one that Celestia wore perfectly. Down below, in the valley beneath the hill, were bodies--the endless number of bodies of those who had been condemned to the Phantom Zone.

"How...how can this be?" a horrified Black Adam asked while his eyes swept over the endless corpses, his godly vision able to see what remained of Tirek and even Ares within the mass of bodies, both mutilated horribly. "They are not supposed to be able to harm each other within this dimension."

"Teth...what is going on?" Celestia demanded as she turned to look up at her champion, fear in her eyes as well as concern. Adam thought for a brief moment before he lifted Celestia into his arms and burst through the portal back into the real world, practically dropping Celestia before he was at the Phantom Zone generator, which he powered down immediately. He then walked to where the door used to be and bellowed for Willow before turning to Celestia with a hard look.

"We can no longer use the generator," Adam said, his tone leaving no room for debate. "If we do, we run the risk of unleashing whatever killed all of the inmates and a god of war within that prison. I would destroy it here and now...but I am not certain how this machine works or what destroying it would do. WILLOW!" he bellowed again. Within a moment the bearded unicorn burst into the room, breathing heavily since his old legs weren't used to moving so fast.

"Master Adam! Queen Celestia! What is the-"

"Take this and place it in the location," Adam cut him off as he held out the Phantom Zone generator.

"O-of course sir, but why are we hiding the generator? It has been where we have stored our most dangerous criminals," Willow asked, but the dark gaze from Adam told him that this was not an order to be questioned.

"It has been compromised."

Willow said nothing more as he took the generator within his magic before turning to the exit, but before he left their sight, Adam spoke once again. "Willow. Do not tell any other pony what happened to the generator or where it is located...not the Judges nor anypony else. There are hidden dangers all around us. This stays between us three." Willow gave Adam a slow nod before leaving him and Celestia alone, giving Adam a moment to regain his thoughts before his anger towards her returned once again.

"Why were you within the Phantom Zone by yourself with nopony guarding the entrance?!" Adam demanded with a cold look. All Celestia did in reply was turn her head away from Adam and stalk out of the room. She had barely made the hallway before Adam was in front of her, his eyes telling her she was not leaving until she answered.

"I was looking for allies within the zone," she admitted with no remorse on her face for her actions, while her words caused bafflement to appear upon Adam's.

"Have you taken leave of your mind?" Adam asked her coldly, placing his hands to his temples. "All of the beings that were cast into that zone are criminals, Celestia, yet you were trying to see if one of those monsters could be made into an ally?"

"If I recall, a certain murderer-turned-champion was once imprisoned within that very machine," Celestia reminded Adam, who flared his nostrils slightly but remained silent. "And yes, I was seeing if one of those monsters could be made into an ally. My traitorous sister has six monsters now and all I have to oppose them is you."

"You do not believe me able to defeat them?" Adam asked with a snarl, his pride and feelings being wounded at the same time.

"I am simply going off of your record after your battles with them," she replied with cold eyes before turning away and walking towards the nearest window, looking down upon the city. "And if it takes monsters to stop monsters, then I am willing to do whatever it takes to bring down my "sister." She turned on me when I needed her most and raised an army of my own subjects to fight against me."

"And she will fail. You have my word," Adam said to comfort her while he swallowed his anger, but Celestia only had amusement in her eyes when she turned to face Adam.

"Then, where is my sister? Where is the mare that killed my daughter? You have failed to capture either of them," Celestia reminded him with far more venom in her words then Adam was accustomed. "They both see me as weak, both believe me to be a broken princess that they can simply brush away as if I am nothing. No, they will see that I am no longer weak. They will see my power!" Celestia roared with her eyes flashing a crimson red while a streak of orange replaced the other colors within her mane, Adam taking note as he saw that her mane was now nearly all red and orange.

"I wish to face these champions alone," Celestia decided when she turned to face Adam once again, her words catching Adam off guard and getting him to tilt his head in confusion. "I will show my sister and her forces the power that they fight against."

"There is no need for you to enter the battlefield yourself," Adam said with an expert's tone, knowing full well what would happen if Celestia were to be captured by the enemies. "We are more than enough to deal with them. One of their champions was barely alive after the events of the Hulk, so they are already weakened. But if they spot you upon the battlefield alone--"

"You do not believe that I can take them," Celestia snarled as she turned her crimson gaze upon Adam and slowly began to walk towards him. Adam never budged as the horn of his queen began to glow while she looked up into his face with rage. "You are just like the rest of them. You believe me to be weak as well. You think that I am a broken old mare who should be put out to pasture instead of ruling a kingdom! But I will show all of you how strong I am!"

"I have never believed you to be weak," Black Adam replied without any doubt in his words. His gaze, along with his words, caused Celestia to blink before her eyes returned to normal, a small blush appearing under her eyes before she sighed and held a hoof to her head.

"I...am sorry for my words and actions, Adam, this war has left me weakened and tired," she said while she leaned her head against him for support, letting out another sigh. "I...just do not want to be seen as the weak, foolish leader that I used to be. I wish to be seen as a pony who can protect her people."

"You are that and more," Black Adam said with a nod. "I am here in case you simply need a little help."

"You are far more to me then that," Celestia chuckled before lifting her head and walking towards the door at the end of the hallway. "Teth...I am sorry for my words. I just...was afraid that you were leaving me as well. I lost my daughters, lost my sister...I do not know what I would do if I lost you too."

"And you will never know, because I will never leave your side," Adam comforted, getting one last grateful smile from Celestia before she turned to leave. Adam's lightning-quick reactions caught change in her mane as a strand of orange hair turned blue, but then Celestia left the room, and left Adam alone.

'But now I most focus on those who wear the cloaks,' Adam thought to himself while he gazed out the window and across the land, wondering how many of them were against them, and how many more may be a part of this mystery. 'They have made it clear that they seek to destroy us and everything within the land. But who are these chosen? And how is Star-Swirl, a powerful but mortal unicorn who lived hundreds of years ago, tied into all of this? According to legend he may have been a rogue, but...'

Adam shook his head, knowing that thinking about it wouldn't get him any answers. It was time for him to visit a place he had not been to in awhile. So as he sat down upon the air, crossing his legs while placing his wrists on his knees, he began to think of the questions he would ask Zehutti and hope that he had the answers.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"...and you are certain that this information is correct?" Star-Swirl asked the unicorn cowering before him, who nodded under his hood with fear within his closed eyes. Star-Swirl leaned against the small throne within the hidden room beneath the castle in what remained of the Everfree forest, a castle that had long since collapsed. Star-Swirl nodded and the unicorn raced off, leaving him to turn to his other subordinates while a plan appeared within his mind. "Luna's army will be moving supplies tomorrow. This is a chance for us to turn the sisters even further against each other."

"Of course sir."

"Use one of our inside ponies to tip off the royal guard. We will want as many corpses to show up as possible," Star-Swirl demanded before a thought came from the sphere, which he then relayed to his forces. "And what is our progress on securing the device? If we wish to free the embodiment of death, we will need the item."

"Our closest source within Canterlot says that it is almost within their hooves," a cloaked pony informed him, getting another nod from the hooded pony. "He will alert us when he has it."

"See that he does. Send the others to plant a weapon at where the two armies will collide," Star- Swirl ordered before he flickered and vanished, leaving the unicorns there to let out their collective breaths that they had been all holding in.

The King In the Ring

'Those burns look painful.'

Trixie turned her head away from the supplies she had been taking out of her bag, to see that the silver mare was walking towards her. Trixie was still slightly disturbed by the fact that most of the mare's body and one of her legs was now missing, along with half of her face.

"Do not worry, it only hurts when I do anything," Trixie said with a small wince, returning her attention to her magical stones and scrolls she brought with her. "Why are you still here, by the way? Didn't you say something about Black Adam being able to sense your magic here?"

'That is what concerns me. For a number of days I have not sensed his magic anywhere besides the castle,' the silver mare replied with a shake of her shattered face, causing Trixie to shiver slightly. 'It is like he has given up searching for me, or something else has happened that has taken his attention away from me. And whatever it is, it cannot be good.'

"You know what else isn't good? What's happening to you," Trixie pointed out, getting a depressed laugh out of the silver mare as she looked down at her cracked and broken body. "For a pony that is supposedly immune to all physical attacks, you sure look like you've been beaten something fierce."

'While my form may be more ethereal than physical, the silver Sphere of Creation that sustains me is more than susceptible to damage,' the mare sadly said while she moved her cloak to the side to reveal the silver sphere. Trixie immediately noted that pieces of it were missing and it was barely glowing. 'Black Adam crushed it when I tried to escape him once, and I have been declining ever since. Sometimes my personality becomes that of a monster, or other times I go silent for days on end.'

"And what does that mean for you?"

'It means that my time is almost up,' the mare weakly replied. Trixie was able to hear the underlying fear in her voice before the mare masked the emotion. 'But what happens to me matters not, so long as I can save this world and my family before I go. That is all that matters.'

Trixie nodded slightly in response before a thought came to her. "We are trying to prevent the End of Days, as Batmare calls them, from summoning the ultimate being of destruction from within the Sphere of Destruction, correct?" Trixie asked, waiting for the confused nod from the mare before continuing her thoughts. "That means there is indeed a monster of sorts within that sphere. But what about yours? Is there a being of creation living within it as well?"

The mare's eyes widened slightly, and she looked down at the silver sphere that could be seen within her center, tilting her head while she thought. 'I am not certain. If there is a being such as that within the sphere, then it does not like to speak, for I have heard nothing from within.' Trixie sighed at another 'unknown' from the mare while she finished picking the rest of her items for the mission. She would have turned to join the others, when she saw a small amount of light peeking out from the bottom of her bag. She reached deep within to find that her ring was the item that was producing the light, yet she was just as confused as the silver mare as to why it was doing so.

'What do you suppose is causing the ring to glow?' the mare asked Trixie, who shrugged in response while she turned the crystal ring over with her magic, unable to see anything that was different with it. Deciding to get a closer look, she placed the ring on her hoof and brought it closer to her face.

'HAHA! Finally got through!' Both Trixie and the mare leapt as a loud laugh echoed throughout the room, both of them looking around swiftly to see who had laughed, before Trixie turned her eyes back to the ring, shock written on her features when she saw whose face was on her ring.

"Sombra?" she asked in both amazement and disbelief as she saw the smirking face of her husband in the most valuable crystal on her ring. "Is that really you?"

'Of course it's me! Do you truly believe that anypony else in Equestria would be capable of cracking the space time multiverse theory to track you down across reality?' Sombra asked her with a laugh before his eyes looked down at the burn marks on her chest, his eyes narrowing. 'So, I see that I have a fool to kill when I figure out a way to get to you. So care to tell me who dared to inflict such a wound on my beloved so I know exactly whom to rip apart?'

'How did you manage to find us?' the silver mare asked in amazement. 'It would take a power nearly equal to the Sphere of Creation in order to track us across the-'

'Shut up mare, I am talking to my wife!' Sombra barked at the silver mare with a snarl before he turned his attention back to Trixie, reading the slightly downcast expression in her eyes almost instantly. 'Ugh, I know that look. That's the look that's followed up by a complicated story and possibly a moral dilemma.'

"You are correct. The one who did this to me was...me," Trixie replied with hints of disdain.

'I take it by that statement, that you mean your present reality's Trixie, don't you?' Sombra asked, snarling at the silver mare when Trixie nodded with surprised eyes. 'Good job mare, not only do you whisk my wife off without so much as a word to me or her freaking children, but you take her to a world with an evil version of herself that tries to kill her. You had better hope that I don't figure out how to kill you.'

'With the short time window I had, I-'

"Mare...can you leave us?" Trixie pleaded. The mare nodded and quickly vanished from the room, leaving Sombra to take on a more concerned look without anypony to see that side of him. "So, how is everypony? I assume that they're all worried about me?" Trixie asked.

'For the most part. I quickly figured out that the silver mare was behind it and informed the others that you had gone to help her out. They're all sleeping right now,' Sombra said before the faint sounds of crying could be heard, getting Sombra to groan with a small sob. 'Ugh, I have not gotten a decent night's sleep in weeks, thanks to that bundle of joy back there. Starlight misses you more than the rest of us and cries nearly every night, but she's just barely surpassing the amount of whining that Starshine is doing in your absence. Don't know what I was expecting, though. Of course my daughter would be as vocal as me.'

"I am glad to hear that they are alright," Trixie said with a sigh of relief, but Sombra gave her a concerned look.

'Trixie, something's off about you. Don't tell me it's nothing, you know you can't lie to me. What happened over there?'

"I...was beaten by the other me, a me that was as selfish and arrogant as the me of old used to be," Trixie began, her tone clearing the exhaustion from Sombra's face as he listened closely. "And that is what infuriates me the most! I changed my ways, devoted my life to becoming a better pony who tried to help others, and I was still beaten by the arrogant me of old! I thought that I had shaken off that part of my life, that I was free of the power-hungry Trixie, yet not only does she appear in physical form, but her magic is also superior to my own!...Why can't I overcome the past me?"

Sombra thought about what she said for a moment before another faint sound of crying could be heard, getting Sombra to growl as he vanished from Trixie's ring. He reappeared a moment later holding a crying foal with a black coat that was covered in blue spots, bringing them both into view on the ring. The moment the foal saw Trixie she stopped crying and reached out for the mare with a smile, getting Trixie to smile softly in return as tears began to well up.

'Yes, there's Mommy. Now will you please stop crying for a few minutes?' Sombra begged more than demanded, nearly crying tears himself when the foal remained quiet. 'I don't think it's a matter of overcoming your past,' Sombra eventually said after getting the foal tucked into his arms and rocking her to near sleep. 'I know you better than anypony else in here or over there, and I believe that you've already overcome who you used to be and that you're happy with who you are now.'

"Then why can't I-?"

'Because your greatest fear has never been about overcoming your past; it has always been, what if your past ever came back to haunt you,' Sombra clarified in a whisper so as not to wake the small foal. 'What if you reverted back to the Trixie you used to be? That has always been what has scared you the most. And now you're fighting that Trixie, the Trixie you never wanted to see again, and not only is she back, but it also seems that her magic is stronger than yours.'

"It is," Trixie whispered.

'But, at least from what I think, that's only half of the reason that you lost,' Sombra continued, getting Trixie to look at him with confusion. 'The other half is because in the face of your greatest fear--the old you returning--you tried to overpower the other you and failed because you fought with sheer power alone. Now the Trixie I respect knows better than to try and win fights on power alone. She uses her mind more than anything else and thinks of a solution.'

"So what do I do?"

'That I can't answer for you, not unless I can figure out how to breach the multiverse in a way that doesn't involve getting me killed,' Sombra replied with a shrug, a shrug that awoke the small star in his arms who began to cry. Sombra practically started to cry himself, but he regained control of himself enough to look back at Trixie through a now fuzzy image. 'Seems the crystals I'm using to power this thing are running out. Just remember this Trixie: you are you, no matter what happened in the past. And the 'you' you are now is a good pony.'

"Thanks Sombra," Trixie said warmly.

"Hey, Trix?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you."

Both of their images vanished from the ring a moment later, leaving the crystal as a crystal once again. Trixie continued to stare down at the item with sorrowful eyes, but a thin smile appeared upon her face when she thought about Sombra's words. She then slipped the ring onto her horn while she grabbed the items that she had been gathering to take with her, figuring that she had made the others wait long enough.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"And finally you both to show up. Praise the Lord!" Ryan exclaimed with mock enthusiasm when Trixie walked over to the group of five, ignoring Ryan's remarks as she stood alongside Batmare and Mr. Bubbles, looking up at the latter with interest.

"You know, for somepony that hasn't been trained in stealth, you are sure hard to find at times," she remarked, getting a low moan from the daddy as his eyes flashed a few times. Trixie looked around at the other four members to see that they were all ready as well, but she could tell from the look on Batmare's face that the detective could tell that something was the matter with Trixie.

"Alright team, that's enough chit-chat for now," Banner began as he stepped forward, giving Ryan a quick look since the human was still being a pain. "Each of you have heard the plan that we put forward, and for Bubbles and Ryan, I have explained it to them before the rest of you showed up."

"Got to say, I'm not a fan of it," Ryan butted in rudely, but to the group's surprise Banner didn't reply with stern words or a look of annoyance. "Are you sure that the groups should be split into four and two instead of three and three? I distinctly remember Black Adam being able to beat the Hulk down hard, and Hulk's the strongest there is. If he attacks us, I might get beaten into another coma--if I'm lucky."

"Yes, but the changelings have informed me that Black Adam tends to avoid the Crystal Empire, where the fifth Spire is located. I assume that is because the land is ruled by Shining Armor, and given that Adam killed his sister, it is safe to say that Adam isn't welcome there. You and I will be tackling that one, Ryan, while Batmare and Mr. Bubbles take the other one with Trixie and Captain Marvel providing backup."

"I have a good deal of knowledge about Atlantis and if this world is anything like mine, then I should be able to find a way to it rather quickly," Trixie informed the group, getting an approving nod from Banner before he motioned for Batmare to speak.

"As Banner said, Billy and Trixie will be providing support for me and Bubbles as the two of us descend into Atlantis," Batmare continued on. "Billy is on lookout in case Adam comes after us, while Trixie will be providing us with magical assistance to get there and back safely. I say 'us', but I really mean 'me', since Bubbles is specifically designed to handle the pressure of the ocean." Bubbles let out what seemed to be a prideful moan at his usefulness before Banner stepped forward again.

"Alright, remember to stay safe while doing your best to get those orbs. I don't want to lose anyone." The group nodded at Banner's words of warning. "Trixie, Marvel; if the two of you wouldn't mind." Trixie and Marvel both nodded as each began to prepare a large teleportation spell, getting a groan out of Ryan as the two combined their magic to teleport the two humans to their destination.

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"Okay, it was comical at first, but now I must seriously question what the effects of magic have on someone like you," Banner mused with a concerned look on his face when Ryan came back from emptying his stomach on some daisies. Ryan wiped his pale face with his hand before shaking his head with a groan.

"It either hurts like hell or makes me puke my guts out. Most the time both," Ryan groaned as the two humans turned towards the large city of crystal that rested across the grassy plains from where they stood. Both of them were able to easily see the beam of magic that shone towards Canterlot emerging from the tip of the castle in the center of the city. "Of course it wouldn't be easy to get to. And while we may be spared Black Adam, this place is armed to the teeth with guards and unicorns that are all capable of blasting me apart."

"That is why I'll be doing most of the 'talking', if you will," Banner reminded Ryan while placing his hands into his pockets and slowly walking towards the city, Ryan shaking his head before he followed suit. "But that's only if they prove to be hostile. I still believe that I can talk to them and make them see how we are trying to save Equestria."

"By breaking their shit and lowering their defenses. I don't know how you manage to keep looking at the ponies in such a good light, Banner," Ryan muttered with another shake of his head.

"I try to see everyone I come across in a more positive light, Ryan. I've spent nearly all of my adult life on the run from my enemies and distrusting my friends," Banner reminded Ryan with a far away smile. "And most of the time, I'm rewarded by learning that those ponies or people are mostly good. With some people, like yourself, I just have to do a bit more digging before I find the hidden diamond. By the way...how are you feeling since-?"

"Since you ripped apart my mask, deconstructed my entire personality and forced me to face myself in the most inglorious way I can image?" Ryan asked with a smirk, chuckling at the face Banner made. "Handling it pretty well, actually. But the 'crazy' helps me deal with things like that. Got to admit though, you're the first being I've met who truly called me out."

"I related to you. I know what it's like to have to mask who you really are to survive," Banner responded with a sympathetic nod to the survivor. "And according to the mare, you really are one heck of a survivor."

"Yeah, but I would be dead many times if it wasn't for those...friends...of mine who kept me alive, despite knowing I would continue to be annoying," Ryan said before a sigh escaped his lips. "And unfortunately, it seems that I've had the misfortune to make even more "friends" to save my life while I was here, even if the others don't see me that way."

"I think they're starting to warm up to you," Banner said with a smile before his face became serious again as the two of them reached the massive, crystal doors that formed the gate to the Crystal Empire. The two shared a brief look before Banner lifted his hand and pounded on the gate three times, the two of them looking up as a pair of guards appeared along the castle wall.

"What do...wait a moment, it's you two!" one of the guards yelled down to them.

"Hello there, we're here to talk to the leaders of the Empire," Banner called out with a friendly smile, but a brief moment later the wall was lined with guards holding crossbows all aimed at the two.

"Keep talking, I think you're winning them over," Ryan smirked as he backed away from Banner, who had removed his glasses with a sigh before the transformation began. The guards along the wall all gasped in horror as the small man grew into a green goliath in a matter of seconds, their confidence leaving them the moment the jade giant looked up at them with a smirk.

"Don't mind if I let myself in," Hulk laughed as he brought both of his fists back and drove them with the force of small bombs into the crystal door, shattering the reinforced crystal with one massive strike that shook the entire empire. With the door open, the two strutted inside to find hundreds of guards all standing around where the massive door had once been, all of them pointing crystal weapons at the two, along with a few armored guards.

"Freeze! Why are the two of you here?!" the captain of the guard yelled at the pair.

"Why, hello there, I'm here selling wrecking balls," Ryan began before Hulk could speak, taking a step forward with a wicked grin on his face. "Unfortunately, I only have one model right now and it only comes in an ugly, puke green color, but don't let that fool you. It's the best of the best." Hulk smirked as Ryan looked out across the guards, none of whom seemed to know how to respond to his words.

"Ah, I see that some of you do not believe me. That's alright, many don't believe me when I first pitch the idea," Ryan said with a chuckle while he drew a golden baton and flicked his hood up. At the same time he turned the weapon on, illuminating only his eyes as the electricity crackled along his weapon. "What you all need is a demonstration of its destructive capabilities."

S=H=A=Z=A=M

"This is it," Trixie said to the other three members of her group as they all came to a stop in front of an ancient building, which looked to be the remains of what once had to have been a large castle on the edge of a small forest by the sea. "This was left here as a way to travel back and forth between Atlantis and the surface world without the ponies that lived in Atlantis having to swim."

"Yet, due to the fact that the building is in ruins, indicates that the place has not been used in over a thousand years. I fear that the Atlantians of this world must have suffered a similar fate to the one in mine," Trixie continued as Marvel walked over to a smaller circle that rested near a large glass circle, looking between the two with interest. "Are you certain that you do not want me to go with you?" Trixie asked Batmare one last time, only to get the same look that she had been given all the times before.

"Trixie, as I said, it is too risky. If Black Adam shows up and all four of us are down there, even if we can hold him off the whole sunken city might be flooded and we run the risk of some of us drowning, " Batmare clarified. "Besides, I'm leaving the two champions that can slow him down or stop him up here. Neither Mr. Bubbles nor I would be able to do much if Black Adam were to attack, but with you and Billy's magic, perhaps you can find a way to slow him down. Besides, the two of you have been practicing fighting together, have you not?"

Trixie found Batmare's logic mostly sound, so with a sigh of defeat, she gave Marvel a brief explanation on how to activate the teleporter into Atlantis. Marvel had the device activated in a matter of moments, creating a swirling blue vortex in the center of the crumbled castle that swirled like a whirlpool. Bubbles walked into the vortex without so much as a second thought, but as he vanished in a flash Batmare looked back at Trixie with a hint of worry.

"Trixie...what did happen to the seaponies of your world?"

"They were all turned into zombies by an immortal kraken, that used them for his own purposes for all eternity." Batmare swallowed as she looked down at the vortex, starting to reconsider not taking Marvel with her.

"Great. Good to know."

Unkillable Force vs The Angriest Object

"Doomsday, huh? Looks like he'd be able to give me a fight," Hulk smirked as he cracked his knuckles and started to advance towards the gray monstrosity that was starting to move towards the two of them. Before Hulk could take another step, Ryan was in front of the jade giant trying to prevent him from moving forward.

"No. No no no no hell no! We need help. We need to see if we can get Marvel or Black Adam...hell, let me find the mare and see if we can get Superman here, because we cannot fight that thing!" Hulk was surprised by the sheer volume of terror that filled each of Ryan's words, but when he looked up he saw that Doomsday had selected them as his next targets and had started to move towards them.

"We don't need any help. I can handle this guy myself." Ryan's burst of insane laughter surprised Hulk, and when he looked down at the human he found that there was a terrified smile on his face that showed nothing but doubt in what Hulk had said. "What? You really believe that this...Doomsday...can beat me?"

"Let me put this into perspective for you. In your team up, Superman kicked your ass something fierce, right? Well, this is the guy who BEAT Superman to DEATH!" Ryan clarified for the Hulk. "So no, I don't believe you can beat this guy. I don't believe anything can beat this guy. Don't believe me? Here's a list of what he can do. First off, he's slaughtered thousands of worlds. Second, he's strong--ungodly strong. Kill-Superman-levels of strong. Finally, there's the fact that he can't die and only comes back stronger against whatever killed him! You really think that you-?"

A roar that shook the whole city cut Ryan off, and Hulk barely had the time to hurl the human out of the way as a wall of gray slammed into the fortress of green. A massive shockwave went off as Doomsday slammed into Hulk, both titans pushing against each other in the center of the streets while bellowing at each other. To Hulk's surprise, Doomsday was not only matching his strength...he was also slowly pushing the Hulk back.

'Damn, this guy might be everything Ryan built him up to be,' Hulk thought as he brought a fist back and drove it into Doomsday's jaw, only to watch as the monster's face barely budged from a blow that could level a mountain. Doomsday returned the gesture by driving one of his own fists into Hulk's nose, snapping his head back and staggering the Hulk for a moment. Doomsday then roared as he hurled himself forward and drove one of his spiked shoulders into the Hulk's gut, lifting the giant onto his shoulders before Doomsday used his beyond-godly strength to hurl both himself and the Hulk out of the city. They sailed over the landscape until they both came crashing down in a deserted area outside of the city, where Doomsday then lifted Hulk off of his shoulders and hurled him into the ground.

"Urgh...okay, I'll admit that I find it weird when a villain takes the fight out of a city to avoid killing civilians," Hulk groaned as he rose to his feet, his stomach injury already fully healed. He turned to face Doomsday, narrowing his eyes as the gray beast looked at him with what seemed like interest. "What, you got something to say? Or are you just a dumb brute like all the other guys like you?"

"You...are me..." Doomsday groaned in a low voice, leaving Hulk confused for a moment before Doomsday bellowed at the top of his lungs and hurled himself at the Hulk, shattering the ground beneath him with every one of his mighty footsteps. Hulk snarled as he swung a fist low and caught the charging Doomsday in the gut, stopping his forward charge and knocking the monster into the air. Hulk then grabbed hold of one of Doomsday's legs and swung him back down into the dirt, creating an earthquake from how hard the monster impacted the earth.

'What do you think he meant by, 'you are me'?' Banner asked in the back of Hulk's mind as Doomsday rose to his feet and drove an elbow into the face of Hulk before tackling him once again.

"Not sure. Why don't we ask him? Hey ugly!" Hulk began before driving his fist into Doomsday's face, stunning the monster before he threw another punch that staggered Doomsday once again. "What do you mean by, I am you? Last time I checked, I was far prettier that whatever you're supposed to be. And I know for a fact," Hulk snarled as he cocked a fist back before hurling it at Doomsday. "I'm FAR stronger!" Yet upon uttering those words, Doomsday shot a hand out and caught the Hulk's fist, stopping a blow that would have knocked Thor out with one hand. Hulk looked from the hand to Doomsday with disbelief, before Doomsday roared and slammed his foot into Hulk's chest, sending the jade giant skipping across the ground.

"We...both monster...both...science..." Doomsday snarled as he picked up the Hulk by the back of his head, snarling at the monster before driving his face into the ground, sending shockwaves out for miles. He then lifted the Hulk's head again and slammed him back into the ground. "We are...hatred and rage...it fuels us...makes us stronger!" He then hurled Hulk over his shoulders before leaping up into the air and catching Hulk, placing him onto the spikes on his shoulders as he came crashing back down. When he impacted the ground, the spikes were driven into the Hulk's back, causing Hulk to roar in pain and fury because the spikes drew blood. Doomsday then hurled Hulk back into the ground, where the giant quickly forced himself back up with a bellow of fury.

"You think that you're hatred and rage?! I'm the Hulk! I coined the phrase, 'the angrier I get...the STRONGER I GET'!" Hulk then threw himself forward and slammed his fist into Doomsday's face, hurling the monster off of his feet and sending him sailing across the sky. He crashed into the side of a mountain and the rubble quickly buried the beast beneath stone. But mere stone was hardly even a distraction for Doomsday, for a moment later he burst free of the stone with a monstrous roar, only to be silenced in the next second when a meteor of green came crashing down on top of him once again. Hulk roared as he kicked Doomsday deeper into the mountain, before snarling again as he marched into the newly created chasm after the beast.

"And aside from the size and shape of our forms, we're nothing alike!" Hulk roared into the darkness as he looked around for the monster, finding that he had kicked Doomsday into an underground chamber that was filled with places to hide. "I am a hero, a protector! You are nothing more than a killer! Our similarities begin and end at 'we're both monsters'. But I'm a monster that chose to help others."

"No. Banner is the hero." Hulk spun around to receive a spiked fist to the face that snapped his head back while also sending splashes of green blood across the walls. Hulk snarled as he turned back to face Doomsday, only to take a shoulder to the chest that sent him flying into one of the chasm walls, where Doomsday pinned Hulk there with one of his arms while sending devastating body blows to the stomach with the other fist. "I have been told about you since the moment you came here! You are a monster of science, created to be a weapon, created to destroy and to kill. You are me!"

Hulk's response was to bellow in fury and drive onto his feet and into Doomsday's chest, kicking the monster back before he lunged forward and slammed a massive right into Doomsday's face. Hulk followed that up with an earth-shaking left to the jaw. He then wrapped his fingers around the back of Doomsday's head and swung his knee into Doomsday's face, pulling it into his knee for extra damage. Doomsday roared as he staggered back ,clutching at his face which now had fractured bone extrusions along the sides of the head.

"Yeah, I might have once been seen as a weapon and a killer, but I have changed! I am a better man!" Hulk roared as he swung another fist towards Doomsday, only for the monster to block it and retaliate with a massive right hook of his own that floored the Hulk. Doomsday snarled down at the Hulk as he lifted Hulk by his throat before hurling him into the ceiling, shaking the entire mountain before Doomsday leapt up himself and slammed Hulk up through the mountain.

Hulk regained his senses long enough to slam his fists into Doomsday's back, hurling the creature back down into the mountain chasm that he had just carved out. Hulk roared as he slammed feet-first onto Doomsday's gut, but for the first time in his life, he found that his full power and weight didn't break the creature that he had struck. Doomsday roared with fury as he slammed his fist into the back of Hulk's knee, crumpling Hulk and giving Doomsday the chance to swing a fist for all he was worth into Hulk. With a bellow of rage, the Hulk was blasted out of the side of the mountain, yet the force of his exit velocity was too much for the mountain to handle and a moment later it collapsed in upon itself, burying Doomsday beneath thousands of tons of rubble. Hulk roared with fury as he pulled himself out of a crater that he had made in the middle of a desert and turned back towards where Doomsday was.

'Damn, Ryan wasn't kidding when he said that this guy was a monster,' Banner said within Hulk's mind as the rubble that used to be a mountain exploded off in the distance, and the two could see the tiny speck that was Doomsday come flying out of the rubble on an arc straight for them. 'Okay Hulk, here's the plan. As strong as he is, this guy can't-'

"HULK SMASH!" Hulk bellowed with wrath as he hurled himself into the sky and intercepted Doomsday midair, blasting apart the clouds around them with the force of their impact. The two titans began to slug each other as they plummeted towards the planet below, Banner's voice of reason lost in the roars of rage and the fury of fists that had become the battle between Doomsday and Hulk.

Hulk slammed his head into Doomsday's face with such force that Hulk drew his own blood, yet as shards of bone fell past his eyes he knew that his attack had done more damage to his foe that it had him. Doomsday didn't let the loss of his armor bother him, for in the next instance he swung his spiked fist under Hulk's jaw and snapped the jade giant's head back in a spray of green blood. He then grabbed hold of Hulk's arm and whipped the giant over his head, slamming him into the desert sand with the force of a demon. Doomsday then began throwing bone-shattering punches into Hulk's face, digging him deeper and deeper into his grave with each hit.

"HULK END YOU!" Hulk bellowed just when it seemed that Doomsday had the upper hand, and one uppercut later the giant was back on his feet while Doomsday was sailing off into the distance." HULK IS STRONGEST! HULK IS GREATEST! HULK IS-"

"Doomed!" Another spiked punch to the face sent Hulk flying through a sand dune, yet the moment he landed on the other side he was back up on his feet and hurling himself at Doomsday. "Because I am stronger than you." The two titans slammed into each other once again, yet this time Hulk was able to get the upper hand on Doomsday and slam him into the sand, where he pinned the monster down with his body as he began to throw everything he had into the punches that he drove into Doomsday's face.

'Hulk! HULK!' Banner roared from deep in the back of Hulk's mind, but the Hulk was far too enraged to hear his words. Blow after blow was thrown into Doomsday's skull and though at first the monster struggled, after taking so many of Hulk's punches to the head he lay on the ground motionless. With one last bellow of fury to the heavens, Hulk lifted both of his arms over his head and slammed them into Doomsday's chest, caving in the monster's chest and extinguishing the red in his eyes.

"HULK IS STRONEST THERE IS!" Hulk stormed as he threw back his head and roared to the sky with fury that shook the very heavens above them. He then stood up with a tired sigh and started to walk away from the dead monster...until a blow to his back sent him sprawling. Hulk was confused, believing that he had defeated his foe, so he turned around to see...that Doomsday was already back to his feet. Both Hulk and Banner watched in horror as the monster's wounds began to heal themselves, watching as the bones on his face regrew, and seeing how his chest returned to its normal shape. But one major difference was that the monster had turned a shade of green and seemed to look stronger than before.

"So...you finally show your true rage, only to make me stronger," Doomsday said with what almost seemed like a smile on his face before he roared and charged forward at the Hulk, who bellowed in reply as he hurled himself at Doomsday. But when Hulk threw his angriest right hand into Doomsday's face...both Banner and Hulk were filled with fear as Doomsday took the blow without so much as budging. "And now...I am the strongest there is!"

With a punch that could shake heaven to its core, Doomsday exploded with power and fury as he drove a single fist right through Hulk's stomach, getting the jade giant to roar in pain as he stood impaled on Doomsday's fist. Doomsday then ripped his fist out of Hulk's gut and slammed his face into the bridge of Hulk's nose, snapping it as the force of the headbutt hurled Hulk backwards into the sand.

For a brief moment Doomsday believed the fight to be over, but that was before the very earth beneath him began to shake as waves of green energy began to wash off the Hulk, increasing his already insane power to new levels. Hulk roared as he spun and slammed himself into Doomsday, pushing the monster back across the desert despite Doomsday resisting the entire time. But for Banner, who was watching every action that happened during the fight, he was becoming more and more aware of the fact that Hulk was entering a state that he had not entered into for five years. And Banner knew he had to stop it.

'HULK!' Banner bellowed in the back of Hulk's mind, but another furious bellow from Hulk drowned out his thoughts as Hulk and Doomsday traded blows, each of the monsters punching the other in the face hard. With their combined strength the two monsters hurled themselves away from each other, each of them creating craters with their bodies when they impacted the sand. Doomsday was the first one up and with a roar he slammed his fists together, causing what seemed to be green scales to form all along his body.

"End you!" Doomsday roared as he charged out of his crater towards where Hulk lay, yet a moment later the jade giant exploded out of his own crater and lunged at Doomsday. Hulk struck first, delivering a massive right to the monster's face. But the scales prevented the full force of the blow from hitting Doomsday, allowing Doomsday to drive his fist into Hulk's gut in retaliation and send him skyward.

"Time to die!" Doomsday roared as he leapt into the air and grabbed hold of Hulk's leg, hurling him back down into the sand before crushing his chest with both of his bony legs. With his foe pinned, Doomsday began to hurl 'lefts and rights' into the face of the Hulk, driving him deeper and deeper into the pit that was being created with the Hulk's body. He began to build up speed, and with each hit he drove the giant deeper and deeper into the ground, before he was swinging so fast and with such power that he was punching the Hulk through the planet.

Tons and tons of rock were destroyed as the two descended deeper into the planet at breakneck speeds, yet Doomsday only drove the Hulk through faster and faster with each blow. Doomsday punched the Hulk through the center of the planet in a matter of seconds and it wasn't much longer before they both came bursting out on the other side, deep at the bottom of an ocean. Yet, their skin had just gotten wet when Doomsday grabbed hold of Hulk once again and hurled him back into the ground, driving him once again through the planet before they both came bursting out into the sky back where they started. Doomsday then grabbed Hulk one last time before tossing the bloodied giant into the sand, where he remained motionless as Doomsday came crashing back down to the ground.

"No one can stop the doom," Doomsday snarled as he walked over to the Hulk, ignoring the incredible amounts of green radiation that was radiating from his body. He grabbed Hulk by the back of his head and lifted him up by his green hair, practically smirking at the jade giant. "You are weak. You could be like me. But you are not."

"Weak?" the Hulk asked in a near whisper, getting Doomsday's eyes to widen slightly in response. Then Hulk's eyes snapped open to reveal pure green fury before the Hulk threw a cataclysmic blow into Doomsday's face with such before that both Doomsday and the sand around the Hulk was blasted away by the force of the blow, leaving the Hulk standing on stone as Doomsday crashed into the ground.

"Hulk is not weak! Hulk is strongest there is!" Hulk roared as he lunged at Doomsday, the wounds that he had suffered from the Bringer of the End having already healed from the sheer volume of radiation that was pouring off of him. Doomsday screamed in response as he threw a blow at Hulk, which was intercepted by a punch from the Hulk as well. Both were blown back by the sheer power of their fists colliding, but a moment later they were back to slugging it out, neither one of them backing down or allowing the other to get the upper hand while they each delivered blows that rocked the whole planet to its core.

"Today is your end. You will fall!" Doomsday roared as he took one of Hulk's strongest blows without backing down only to finally deliver a blow that sent the Hulk hurtling backwards to the end of the desert, where he crashed down into a small meadow. With an explosion of radiation Hulk emerged, yet his whole form was shaking as his fury reached heights that it rarely reached. Doomsday came crashing down in front of him a second later, almost smiling at what he felt. The very planet was trembling as if it were afraid. And when Hulk took a step forward towards Doomsday, a massive fissure was created along the ground from the single foot step.

"Yes, you are me. You are a true bringer of doomsday."

"END...YOU!" Hulk shrieked with wrath as he lifted his arms over his head, blasting away clouds overhead with the strength of his swing. His power was beyond godly now, beyond anything that could be contained by a single planet. He was powerful enough now to break worlds. And in order to defeat Doomsday, that was what he planned on doing. So with one last roar he prepared to swing his arms down, preparing to end everything.

'NO!' The voice was like a gunshot to Hulk, stunning him long enough to realize that he could not move his arms like he wanted to. 'Dammit all, Hulk, can't you see this is what he wants?! He wants to turn you into a weapon, into a monster...what he is! Ryan told us he couldn't die, and we saw that for ourselves when you crushed him and he got back up! He wants you to use your full power, to break the world, because he knows it won't kill him! All it will do is make you no different than him!'

Very slowly, Banner's words began to reign in the Hulk, slowly restricting the anger that had reached world-breaker levels of power. But as Hulk looked over at Doomsday, and upon seeing the green and grey monster that was still standing despite everything that Hulk had done to it, he found that he had to keep the rage going.

'But there is no other way to stop him unless Hulk uses full power! Everything Hulk...I've hit him with everything that I have and he continues to get up! Using the world breaker is the only way!' Hulk bellowed back in anger, but Banner refused to release his grip upon the Hulk.

'No, Hulk, all that will happen is that we will destroy the world. We will become the very thing that we are trying to defeat right now, and that monster is a being of destruction,' Banner retorted. 'Doomsday can't die. I'm not even sure world breaker would keep him down for long. But I do know that the world will not survive the battle. So we have to stop now, before it gets any more out of control. Don't be a monster Hulk. Be a hero.'

Very slowly, Hulk lowered his arms to the ground and began to let the rage go, causing the enormous amounts of green radiation to vanish. After a minute he let out a sigh...only to receive a mighty blow to the jaw that sent him hurtling across the meadow, coming to a stop at last when he slammed into the side of a large tree. He groaned as he picked himself up and turned to see Doomsday charging towards him, power and rage flooding through his eyes.

"Banner. If I can't use my full power to stop this guy...how are we supposed to beat him?" Hulk asked before lunging at Doomsday, the two colliding once again and continuing their battle. Unbeknownst to Hulk, Banner was thinking the very same question as he watched Hulk get pounded on by Doomsday, who was unleashing his full might upon the jade giant with unholy fury. Doomsday was now stronger than Hulk, tougher than Hulk, and with his ability to come back from the dead, he was able to last far longer than the Hulk. But Banner knew that he couldn't tell Hulk that.

'I'll think of something, Hulk. You just worry about beating down Doomsday,' Banner said before concentrating with all of his mental power, willing himself to find a solution to the problem. 'And you leave the thinking to me. It's time I started to do my part in this fight.'